THB #93: The Batman (no spoilers)
| March 6, 2022
-30-
May 1, 2022
"Netflix, the great disrupter whose algorithms and direct-to-consumer platform have forced powerful media incumbents to rethink their economic models, now seems to need a big strategy change itself. It got me thinking about the simple idea that my film and TV production company Blumhouse is built on: If you give artists a lot of creative freedom and a little money upfront but a big stake in the movie’s or TV show’s commercial success, more often than not the result will be both commercial (the filmmakers are incentivized to make films that will resonate with audiences) and artistically interesting (creative freedom!). This approach has yielded movies as varied as Get Out (made for $4.5 million, with worldwide box office receipts of more than $250 million), Whiplash (made for $3.3 million, winner of three Academy Awards), The Invisible Man (made for $7 million, earned more than $140 million) and Paranormal Activity (made for $15,000, grossed more than $190 million).From the beginning, the most important strategy I used to persuade artists to work with me was to make radically transparent deals: We usually paid the artists (“participants” in Hollywood lingo) the absolute minimum allowable by union contracts upfront, with the promise of healthy bonuses based on actual box office results—instead of the opaque 'percentage points' that artists are usually offered. Anyone can see box office results immediately, so creators don’t quarrel with the payouts. In fact, when it comes time for an artist to collect a bonus based on box office receipts, I email a video clip of myself dropping the check off at FedEx to the recipient."
Jason Blum Sees Room For "Scrappier" Netflix
| April 30, 2022
"As a critic Gavin was entertaining, wry, questioning, sensitive, perceptive"
Critic-Filmmaker Gavin Millar Was 84; Films Include Cream In My Coffee, Dreamchild
April 29, 2022
| January 24, 2022
DP/30 Audio: Bombshell, Jay Roach
| December 13, 2019
DP/30 Audio: The Last Black Man in San Francisco, Jonathan Majors
| December 4, 2019
DP/30 Audio: The Mustang, Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre
| December 4, 2019
Maybe? (Drive-ins count I suppose)
And NOPE I am not going
Nolan has received years of praise, honors, power and cash beyond the wildest expectations of countless filmmakers. Has he always been annoying, or is he being pushed by Warner? no idea. These release day announcements have become pitiable…. except that he is number 10 billion among men and beasts on the prayer list.
As Bear Bryant used to advise his players celebrating plays, “Relax, son. Act like you been there before.”
I may try and catch it at a drive-in. Haven’t been to one in years, could be fun. Otherwise, wait for VOD and try not to read spoilers about it, which could be difficult. Going to a theater isn’t on my radar right now. Not seeing Tenet and Dune on a giant dolby screen is gonna hurt. Wish they’d just delay everything a year. Is it super expensive to keep a film in the can for a year? How come Fast and Furious did that immediately but there doesn’t seem to be any discussion of that strategy for Tenet? If I was Nolan I’d say fuck this, summer 2021 it is.