Hollywood Hotline - First Ever Newsletter!
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Howdy Hollyweridos,
Welcome to my first ever Hollywood newsletter! (Don Ameche seeing ‘Harry’s’ bigfeet): “YAHH-HOOOO!”
I’ll be bookmarking select industry trade articles that I read throughout the week while adding my own personal take on each one for your reading pleasure and analytic insight. It’s for those who want to stay up to date on Hollyweird (or for those who just want to get my professional and personal opinion ;)
I plan on sending the newsletter out every Thursday, movie god-willing. If you like what you read, please subscribe and forward on to all the other Hollyweirdos around this dream factory town.
Without further ado, let’s dive right in:
Looks like some of those stories we read about Arnold Schwarzenegger back in the day, when he was running for governor (“Eating is not cheating.”) might be true? In any case, it’s wild that we can find out about other Hollywood celebrities’ skeletons in closets through one of the many criminal trials the former 45th President is currently facing.
Manager/Producer Michael Sugar is trying to create a pitch-fest where filmmakers can pitch advertisers directly, without the aid of corporate business affairs middlemen muddling the middle. Reminds me of that funny OFFICE SPACE (1999) scene:
“Well, well, look! I already told you: I deal with the god damn customers so the engineers don't have to. I have people skills; I am good at dealing with people. Can't you understand that? What the hell is wrong with you people!?”
Sounds good to me. Let’s see if it works.
Yes, the prestige TV era is over forever (more on that later) and more specifically “star TV” packages are taking a hit, which is not surprising as everyone scrambles to make the cheapest show possible these days. If you’ve got a premise that’s like MY DINNER WITH ANDRE (1981) meets THE BIG BANG THEORY (2007-2019), meaning a show about two people talking in a room or group of people talking in a series of apartment rooms, you might be onto something this season/year. However, if you’re trying to launch a limited series on Lee Harvey Oswald starring Jeremy Allen White might prove a tad difficult. That being said, there’s always exceptions to the rule and lookie here, I already found one:
Tina Fey is rebooting the Alan Alda directed film, THE FOUR SEASONS (1981) as an 8-episode limited series for Netflix, and Steve Carell is staring and I’m sure getting paid his latest quotes/full-freight. I’m actually looking forward to this as I just watched the Alda original for first time recently and it was painful. Woody Allen-lite. Very shrill, forced, and insufferable. Fey & Carell can at least make it funny?
Steve Carell’s co-star from THE MORNING SHOW (2019-currently), Jennifer Aniston, is also doing a reboot of 9 TO 5 (1980), the beloved Dolly Parton, Jane Fonda, and Lily Tomlin comedy. This I’m more dubious about. Diablo Cody is writing but doesn’t specify if she’s directing. I’d assume so? They should cast Kevin Costner in the Dabney Coleman role. Who wouldn’t want to see that guy get tortured? Amirite?
Circling back on “prestige TV is dead forever,” journalist Daniel Bessner did a post-mortem autopsy on a corpse that’s been dead for three years or more at this point. Yes, Netflix blew it all up like the maniacs that blew up the Statue of Liberty at the end of PLANET OF THE APES (1968) and Wall St. loved it. We don’t need a long-winded piece on it. This just reeks of panic porn doom and gloom scrolling.
Speaking of dead (for now), so is Quentin Tarantino’s THE MOVIE CRITIC, what was supposed to be his 10th and final directed feature. No real reason given except that he vaguely lost his mojo? My educated guess is that he wasn’t satisfied with any of the American leading men out there in the 35-yr old age range that could play the title character. Can’t say I’m too surprised though as it seems like Tarantino likes choosing leads of actors that he’s long since admired or recently worked with. Christoph Waltz being the exception of course. But I suppose this movie could still happen. All it would take is for some New York actor to get his self-tape to casting director Vickie Thomas. The she could call Tarantino up and say, “I found your guy! We’re back on!”
John Logan the writer of ALIEN: COVENANT (2017), SPECTRE (2015) SKYFALL (2012), THE AVIATOR (2004), GLADIATOR (2000) is now adapting late author, Cormac McCarthy’s BLOOD MERIDIAN (1985) 1850 western set novel, which I’ve never read but heard is un-adaptable. John Hillcoat is attached to direct, who seems a little under-equipped to handle such epic narrative material. Let’s be real, his first film, THE PROPOSITION (2005) was great but everything since then, including his previous McCarthy adaptation of THE ROAD (2009), was just so-so. New Regency is producing for I guess Disney/20th Century to release? Can you imagine Bob Iger watching the finished film alone in a Disney screening room?
BABY REINDEER, a 7-episode limited Netflix series is cementing its sleeper-hit status as a most-minutes watched title. I myself enjoyed the tragic-comedy/drama. Writer/star Richard Gadd is extremely talented, and very vulnerable. British actress Jessica Gunning who plays the Scottish ‘Martha’ is utterly brilliant. She makes Glenn Close look like Mister Rogers in FATAL ATTRACTION (1987). I would recommend this series to friends.
FALLOUT TV series on Amazon Prime is a hit. I watched the first three episodes, and while it’s cheesy and contrived and shot on “The Volume” (so it looks super digi), it’s fun and weird and violent and has Walton Goggins as a no-nose zombie bounty hunter who was a former Hollywood actor, ha haaa.
With recap at The Playlist
Director David Fincher talks about his IMAX 8k (!) restoration of his sophomore feature, SE7EN (1995), which would be wild to see on a screen that big: “Detective…DEEEE-TECT-IVVVVVE!”
Profile on screenwriter Justin Kuritzkes who’s got CHALLENGERS (2024) out now, his first feature script, which was a spec. Apparently he’s married to Oscar-nominated writer/director, Celine Strong (PAST LIVES 2023), so of course he gets good notes on drafts ; Not super excited to see this one but am mildly curious because of the erotic how you say, “menois a trois?”
Marty [Scorsese] is making another Jesus movie. Hey all right. Sounds like the current Pope of Rome (Francis) basically twisted his arm to? Wonder if the Vatican can finance it. Executive Produced by Jorge Mario Bergoglio.
Marty is also making a Frank Sinatra biopic with Leo, which meh. Not a huge fan of both of their work as of late so consider my expectations very low.
Love that Spielberg is making another UFO movie, this time with screenwriter David Koepp. Wonder if it will be contemporary or period?
Genius marketing department at A24 used AI to create generic images of various US landmarks being destroyed that are not from any scenes in CIVIL WAR (2024). Straight up false advertising just like Ja Rule said at Fyre Festival. Some grody shit. But I get that pissing people off is the only way to engage these days. They’re probably win some movie marketing award for it.
AMC Theater CEO Adam Aron telling us he’ll never go out of business. From his lips to the movie-gods ears. Please hear him and heed him! Huzzah!
Super bummed about production company Participant Media closing down shop after 20+ years. Makes me want to re-visit SYRIANA (2005).
Upcoming movie trailers:
As a huge fan of THE POPE’S EXORCIST (2023), I am VERY excited to see the upcoming Russell Crowe movie, THE EXORCISM
Which is not to be confused with the other exorcism movie starring Al Pacino, THE RITUAL
Coming Soon:
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