Friday, 2 April 1999

WEEKEND REVIEW

By the time you read this, I will have had a lot of room to cheat on my weekend numbers. With the exception of The Out-of-Towners, the weekend started on Wednesday. If you are a regular reader of this column, you know how highly I think of The Matrix. There seems little doubt that it will dominate the five-day weekend. And, so far, I haven't had one letter indicating disappointment in the film. As one of you put so eloquently, "it's the best sci-fi film of the decade... at least for another two months." I also expect a strong outing from 10 Things I Hate About You. And The Out-of-Towners is likely to prove once again that Steve Martin and Goldie Hawn are golden in the right vehicle and non-starters in films that don't really connect with audiences. If the most memorable thing in their film is John Cleese in high heels, they are probably in some degree of trouble.

There's not that much great interest from the holdovers. Will EDtv do better on its second weekend than its first? Well, based on last weekend, I obviously can't read America's taste for this film, so I don't know. It will be interesting to see just how big a hit The Mod Squad takes, but not that interesting. And with three new films in the Top 10, look for Life is Beautiful to hold up better than True Crime to hold on to the 10 spot.

THE GOOD: I know that some of you are sick of this story already, but Marlon Brando finally weighed in (so to speak) on the Kazan Oscar® via Karl Malden, who talked to Variety's Army Archerd. The man who scandalized the Academy by having the infamous, semi-fictional Shasheen Littlefeather refuse his Oscar for The Godfather more than 25 years ago, refused to present the Oscar to Kazan "because (Kazan) named names," Malden told Archerd. It seems that Malden wanted to use Brando as a presenter as a carrot for the Academy board when pitching the Kazan award. But he got it without Brando, he claims, with the immediate and unanimous consent of the board. Presumably, he didn't mention to them that Brando had already refused the "honor." And if the Academy board really did approve the award "immediately," I'm kind of disgusted by that. Even if you agree that Kazan should have been rewarded, you would have to agree that the topic bares some conversation. Fortunately, Malden has already forgiven Brando. As Archerd quotes him, "I was and am disappointed in Marlon's decision. But I'd do everything to re-team with him today. I felt honored to have worked with that genius. It's an honor to work with him. He's brilliant -- he makes you look good." I wonder what Malden wouldn't forgive.

ALSO GOOD: Get ready for Cameron Crowe's next group of ascending actors. Far better at recognizing rising stars than any Vanity Fair cover (which does its best work by offering up young actors who have already made it but are waiting for a $100 million hit), Crowe has chosen Billy Crudup to take the role once destined to be Brad Pitt's, thereby leading to yet another round of "Is Billy Crudup the next Brad Pitt?" stories across the media. This time, it might be true. Crowe also saw the stars in the eyes of Kate Hudson, who may really be the '90s version of her mother, Goldie Hawn. Hawn was always a capable dramatic actress, but never got the great dramatic roles. Hudson will probably have the chance to stretch. Crowe, who will be making this yet-to-be titled comedy for DreamWorks, is also after Frances McDormand and his own Vanity Fair cover of young actors, including Jason Lee, Bijou Phillips, Anna Paquin, Noah Taylor and Fairuza Balk.

THE UGLY: I am pretty sure that Mr. Showbiz was doing an April Fool's Day joke by running a story that Spielberg and Lucas would be remaking A Clockwork Orange. But the fake headline alone turned my stomach. 'Nuff said.

QUOTE WHORING USA: For The Matrix. I've said it before and I'll say it again, this is the best integration of CG and story ever. The classics that pushed the genre, like T2 and Blade Runner can never be surpassed for the experiences they were and are. But The Matrix reaches past them and into the future. Getting The Phantom Menace will be kind of like getting the 11th through 14th commandments. But to surpass The Matrix's unique vision, it will have to be more than the greatest CG and iconography show ever.

HAPPY TRAILERS TO YOU: From Krillian: "I saw the preview of The Wild, Wild West for the first time. Now the images it showed were cool, but I think it was a mistake to play Will Smith's hip-hop Wild, Wild West theme song throughout the preview. I wanted to hear some Danny Elfman or some whimsical western City Slickers-type music while I'm watching everything. At least it didn't have a synchronized dance number in a saloon."

BAD AD WATCH: Let's give everyone a break today. It's the holidays. I'd offer my hand in holiday cheer, but Brewington would just growl in my face and refuse it. Oh, well.

READERS OF THE DAY: I got lots of mail on Wednesday's column (THB 03/31) on Star Wars and the 'Net. Much of it was extremely aggressive about George Lucas and Lucasfilm. I have to tell you, regardless of this decision, I am not enraged by the overall handling of this film. Just this one decision. There is no doubt that I will pay a price for speaking out, but I'm not going to push the buttons even harder by running mail that's incredibly angry. I also have no intention of doing anything negative about The Phantom Menace because I wasn't given access. That's not my way. There is always a certain amount of bias that goes with passion, but the passion doesn't have to blind you. In any case, here are a couple of the letters:

From Geof: "Dave, you may decide to boycott Star Wars coverage in May because you are upset that Internet sites are not allowed to the junket. That's fine, but you will lose me as a reader. You know what I am tired of? I am sick of picking up a magazine or a newspaper and finding the news or articles have been splashed all over the Web days before. It's not often that I get to see a TV show or read a magazine about Star Wars that I already did not stumble across in bits and pieces over the Internet. You may say that's the advantage of having the Internet as a news source. And, at the same time, the proprietor of the product can select certain outlets where his information can appear first. There is nothing wrong with that. The Internet seems to make up its own rules. Most sites seem to beg, plead, borrow and steal anything they can get. It's nice to see some balance to the equation. And why are you so upset? It is not like once the news is out there that the playing field will not level off again. I don't expect that you will get the news up on your site soon enough, I demand it. That's why I come here."

DAVID'S RESPONSE: I agree, essentially. But again, the medium does not require bending the rules. Just because the best-known sites are the sites that do, is no reason to dump on the 'Net. Pornography is the biggest moneymaker on the 'Net. That doesn't make us all pornographers. I am pretty sure that Geof knows that, but I'm just making the point.

From Al: "I understand that George Lucas and his people at Lucasfilm may be somewhat apprehensive toward the 'Net. After all, when the 'professionals' barrage rumors and lies that they got off the 'Net as legitimate questions, it can be somewhat frustrating. That, however, doesn't mean that they should take it out on the people who fill the 'Net. After all, while the majority of the world was thinking of Star Wars as old news, fan sites were sprouting throughout the Web. I should think LFL should browse the Web -- take a look at the Websites, the fan art and fiction, the newsgroups and discussion groups, the IRC channels. THESE ARE ITS FANS!! These are the very people whom Star Wars touched and moved and have stood loyally waiting for a return. They're the ones who watched the Ewok cartoons and bought the book adaptations and the comic books and the toys. They are as much a reason for the expected frenzy that will come with the movie as any publicity stunt or hype that 20th Century Fox can create.

"As for the 'spoiling the movie' debacle, I say BS. No one -- and I mean, no one -- who has been spoiled has done so without knowing it. The majority of Websites either do not run them or have them set up where they will only be seen if you so choose. The majority of webmasters are considerate enough to help other fans because they themselves are fans. LFL and 20th Century Fox should always remember that. Besides, the book adaptation is being released two whole weeks in advance. The soundtrack is rumored to be released at the same time. You think THAT won't spoil the movie? I guess spoiling is OK when it's you that's doing it for profit. I'll still be in line May 18th. (Yep, I said 18th). But I'm beginning to think that LFL and Fox should reconsider their strategy for Ep. 2. They've bungled this one."

And finally, the only e-mail I received that took Lucasfilm's side on this issue, from SteM: "Sorry Dave, but this sounds more like sour grapes on your part than a misstep by Lucas."

DAVID RESPONSE: Could be, SteM. As possible missteps go, it is one that won't effect the release of this film an iota. As sour grapes go, I can personally live without a junket. What can roughcut.com's coverage really offer in that regard that 5,000 other places won't also be offering? But like the issue of "Access Hollywood" taking the Psycho trailer off the Web and breaking Universal's TV embargo, I feel that the 'Net, as a medium, needs to be fought for and argued about above and beyond the easy questions and answers. I have chosen this medium as my home, in no small part because of what makes the 'Net unique -- it's speed and it's interactivity. But we are in our infancy and I don't like to see the baby, my baby in some small way, smacked around.

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E ME: No, the Ryan Phillippe producer story was not a sick April Fool's joke. I swear. I'd ask you some specific questions about today's column, but somehow the whole column ended up being pretty retro today. New news tomorrow. And in the meantime, write me about anything that floats your boat. Freestyle! Begin...