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Industry
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September 7, 2007
That buttery aroma might be toxic, too
New findings show some potentially harmful side effects of that innocent treat, popcorn.
Pop Weaver, one of the largest producers of microwave popcorn, is removing a controversial chemical flavoring agent from its products.
The chemical — diacetyl — adds buttery taste. Government worker safety investigators have linked exposure to the synthetic butter to the sometimes fatal destruction of the lungs of hundreds of workers in food production and flavoring factories.
And while Pop Weaver has dropped diacetyl from its product, it remains in widespread use in thousands of other consumer products, including the microwave popcorn brands Orville Redenbacher and Act II.
Read the full report at Seattle PI
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August 24, 2007
New update for Connecticut Film/TV tax incentives
Back in May, I posted on here the new law that Connecticut offered filmmakers to attract film and television to the state. It consists of a 30 percent tax credit for productions costing $50,000 or more and is one of the most generous in the country. Credits cannot be granted to actors making more than $10 million to anyone working on a production or their representatives. This past July, the State Legislature extended this credit to any production company doing commercials, etc.
Since this passed one year ago, we have had 36 productions filmed in Fairfield and New Haven Counties, with “Revolutionary Road” (Winslet and DiCaprio) filming in Bridgeport, Bethany, etc as well as “Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants 2”, filmed at Western CT State University in Danbury and most recently, John Travolta, Kelly Preston, Robin Williams and Seth Green in Disney’s “Old Dogs” in Redding. They filmed at the Redding Community Center and for 5 days at Putnam Park, where the crew camped each night. The stars rented houses in Greenwich, because they were shooting in Redding and New York City. (They paid $5,000 for the community center and a very generous $8,000 for the state park.*)
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August 14, 2007
Substandard soundtracks
There is a growing body of evidence that distributors are aware of the bad soundtracks on many major releases. The problem stems from preferential treatment of digital soundtracks versus the analog variety used by nondigital venues.
I’ve been told by reliable sources, installation and repair gurus, they keep coming across sound problems in analog cinemas where it turns out the print is the culprit. I cannot help but wonder if this a subtle way of encouraging exhibitors to make the big switch to digital.
The circuits have rattled their swords about studios paying for the transition. I disagree. The U.S.A. is an essentially capitalist nation. The exhibitors should pay for the transition to digital projection from their own pockets. After all, it’s the circuits who will save millions on payroll. Switching to digital is a capital improvement the individual exhibitor requires to remain competitive. Just as importantly, the studios and distributors must continue to provide the analog cinemas with strong and clear soundtracks. The movie going public is jaded enough. Every movie theater in the world must put on a good show.
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August 13, 2007
Blockbuster acquires Movielink
In a move to stay in the race with its rival, Netflix, Blockbuster bought out the movie download service, Movielink.
In statement, Blockbuster said the acquired company gives its customers access to one of the largest libraries of downloadable movies and a large array of television content. Through the service, customers will be able to legally download entertainment content for rental and for purchase.
The content will play over customer PCs, PCs, portable devices, television-connected home networks and approved set-top boxes.
You can read the full story at Internet News.
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August 3, 2007
No more nickels at AMC
Just when you thought large movie chains had squeezed every last dime from you, apparently they can get a few more cents out of you.
Reader Anthony says he paid for his movie ticket with “$8 and some change.” The transaction resulted in AMC owing Anthony a nickel.
But AMC doesn’t carry nickels. They told Anthony that if he wanted his nickel he’d have to go get it from the “Guest Services” desk. So he did. But instead of a nickel, he got attitude.
Has anyone heard of other businesses doing this? Read the full story at the Consumerist.
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August 2, 2007
The Hollywood Recycling Machine
I recently turned 40 and I have to say that nothing had lately caused me to feel my age until Hollywood began remaking so many movies that I grew up with during the 1970’s. So many of them (POSEIDON, THE LONGEST YARD, THE HILLS HAVE EYES, THE AMITYVILLE HORROR, WHEN A STRANGER CALLS, etc., etc., etc.), and not one of them can claim to have marked any kind of significant place in our movie-culture or made any phenomenal killing at the box office.
Mind you, I don’t condemn remakes entirely. Some are great (THE FLY, DRACULA, KING KONG, INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS), but some…well, let me just say one name to you all…Gus Van Sant! I don’t think I’ll ever, ever forgive him for remaking Hitchcock’s masterpiece, PSYCHO. And now, in recent months, I learned of more remakes to come, including HALLOWEEN, THE INVASION, THE THING and ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK.
The point is – when the hell is it going to stop?? When does enough become enough?? Has Hollywood completely run out of new and original material to put on the screen? How are intelligent scripts (there must be a few left out there) ever going to be given a fair chance if all we keep seeing on the screen is recycled material? When is some Hollywood big shot who makes the green-light decision going to finally say, “No. It’s been done already.”
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July 20, 2007
Sherman Torgan, New Beverly Theatre owner, has died
From the Greencine website:
“From Hollywood Elsewhere comes sad news from the very heart of Hollywood,” writes Dennis Cozzalio. “Sherman Torgan, owner and manager of the New Beverly Cinema, died unexpectedly yesterday while bicycling in Santa Monica.”
“I imagine he died doing what he loved, which is a happy thing; I don’t think anyone could run a theater like the New Beverly for three decades without having a passion for it,” writes David Lowery. “There’s an art to showing movies, a sort of showmanship crossed with curatorial craft, and it’s slowly being lost. It’ll never fade completely (not as long as devotees are willing to set up screenings in Parisian catacombs), but as of today its its lustre is a little bit dimmer than it was before.”
“[S]ome of you may have noticed he got a thanks in the Grindhouse credits,” notes Blake Ethridge at Cinema is Dope. “Condolences to everyone that knew Sherman and were touched over the decades with his charge and dedication in providing films old and new a place to still breath and to be discovered all over again.”
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July 17, 2007
Adult theater pioneer Jim Mitchell passes away
We don’t usually report on adult film theater moguls, but thought that this was rather notable. As owner of the O'Farrell in San Francisco and many other throughout the west, he created quite an empire.
Mitchell died Thursday night at his ranch near Petaluma, Calif. The cause of death was not immediately known, but foul play was not suspected, a spokesman for the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Department said. An autopsy was conducted Friday, but the results were not made available.
The dramatic rise and flesh-and-blood fall of the Mitchell brothers has been chronicled in books, the Showtime movie “Rated X” and in countless newspaper and magazine articles.
From their offices atop the O'Farrell Theatre in San Francisco, a combination movie and stage show emporium that opened in 1969 and was called the Carnegie Hall of Sex, the brothers built an empire that at one time included 11 movie theaters, including two in Southern California, as well as movie and video productions, The Times reported in 1991.
Read the full story in the L.A. Times
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Ed Mirvish dies at age 92
The man who saved the Old Vic theatre in London, built the Princess of Wales Theatre and owned the Royal Alexandra Theatre in Toronto, died early Wednesday morning at the age of 92.
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July 16, 2007
Music Box Theatre enters distribution
CHICAGO, IL — Reel Chicago reports that the owner of the Music Box Theatre is making a modest entrance into the realm of art film distribution, currently on his second of 5-8 releases this year. The films picked up so far are the foreign-language Tuya’s Wedding and O.S.S. 17 (via Chicagoist).