23 February 2000

ANOTHER ITEM: Bob points out that he believes that Miramax is the first distributor ever to have had "eight years running with nine pictures nominated for best picture." Well, going back a couple of decades, he is right. But numbers can lie. (You knew that.) From 1993 - 2000, Miramax has succeeded in becoming the king of Oscar® races. Yes. But part of that experience has been a studio changing the face of marketing, including Oscar marketing. Also in play is the fact that there are fewer players for Oscar now than there have ever been in the history of the awards. Look back to the '70s and '80s and you'll see companies like Orion and Hemdale and MGM among many others seriously contending for Oscars. No more. Now it's Disney, DreamWorks, Fox, Paramount, Sony, Warner Bros. and Miramax. USA hoped to join in this year, but didn't get a real invitation to the party. Gramercy made it last year with Elizabeth, but now it's part of USA.

In any case, I did find a run that wasn't the same, but was as impressive for a studio in the recent past. Not surprisingly, the run overlaps with Miramax by a year. And that's Warner Bros.' '89-94 run during which they had 8 Best Picture nods in 6 years with 2 wins. You compare for yourself:

Miramax '93-2000 - 9 in 8 years - 1 win
The Cider House Rules
*Shakespeare in Love
Life is Beautiful
Good Will Hunting
The English Patient
Il Postino
Pulp Fiction
The Piano
The Crying Game

WB - '89-94 - 8 in 6 yrs. - 2 wins
The Fugitive
*Unforgiven
Bugsy
JFK
GoodFellas
*Driving Miss Daisy
The Accidental Tourist
Dangerous Liaisons

(*winner)

RADIO RADIO MEETS GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY: Live in or near L.A and don't know what to do Oscar night? You want a chance to argue with me in person? Well, I'll be co-hosting KABC's Third Annual Academy Awards Viewing Party at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel. It will be in the Blossom Room, which is where the very first Academy Awards were held. Tickets are only $45 and there are some major prizes, including a trip to Hawaii for the winner of the Oscar trivia contest. To find out more, go to KABC.com or call (310)839-4636. Hope to see you there.

JUST WONDERING: Who do they think they are fooling when they tell Page Six that Tricia Vessey, co-star of Jim Jarmusch's great new film, Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai, got her role in Town and Country because of her turn in Ghost Dog. Town and Country was shot BEFORE Ghost Dog. In fact, Garry Shandling, who is in Town and Country, joked at the What Planet Are You From junket this weekend that they would be doing some more re-shoots of Town and Country next month, playing off of the incredible delays the film has experienced in post-production already. I actually got into a debate with a fellow journalist as to whether Town and Country would ever actually be released, given the cost to New Line of throwing another $15 at a film in which they clearly don't believe. I guess they will. Kinda tough to get stuck with an $80 million writedown without even testing the market.

BAD AD WATCH: Have you seen those ads for On Star using the movie version of Batman? At first, I thought that it was kind of cool. But the more I see them, the more queasy I get. I think it's appropriate that they simulate what seems to be more the Michael Keaton Batman than any other. That may be, in fact, be a solution to the morass that WB is now in with the series. Go back to Keaton, a.k.a. "The Real Batman". Let Fincher have at it. Lighten up a bit. But don't whore the series out to TV commercials.

READER OF THE DAY: KB writes: "My husband reads with interest your reviews, and while I usually agree with you, I must disagree on your review of Boiler Room. My husband was rather "ehhh" on it (Grade: C.) However, I think it was a really good movie - one of the more enjoyable ones of the year. No, I couldn't recommend it to everyone, and I can't really explain to you why I enjoyed it. No, it wasn't for some of the "eye" candy that was in the movie. I just think that it was an interesting movie that didn't try to get too mushy or have too happy of an ending. It made me want to know more about the stock market. It made me realize that the stock market IS gambling - some people just justify it. I think that the actors were realistic.

Yes, I do think they could have cut Nia Long's character out. It really didn't add much. However, the overall picture was very good and I enjoyed it thoroughly. Like I said, I can't really explain why I really enjoyed it. However, it was nice to not have to overanalyze WHY I enjoyed it. I just did."

And MS on the flip side: "I was glad to see your thoughts on Boiler Room-- I was beginning to think I'd missed something. I saw a sneak preview of it two weeks ago and thought much the same of it as you did, but since then I've been reading tons of good reviews of it. (Though my favorite comment about it came from Desson Howe's negative review in the Washington Post: "Why plumb the shallow depths of people whose deepest philosophical issue is: Lamborghini or Ferrari 355?") And I agree with your challenge about the lapses of logic, but I take strong exception to your question: "Is Nia Long a slut or what?" What does this question have to do with the other concerns about plot and logic? And what exactly in your opinion makes her a "slut"? Because she dates one man in her office and then – after firmly breaking up with him -- dates another one? Tempted though I am, I'm not going to launch into a feminist screed, but I was very disappointed to see such a ridiculous and misogynistic complaint in what was otherwise a clear-eyed dissection of the movie's flaws."

And Matt goes: "First off, your ROTD is right. You do lose something when you see a movie on TV, even if it's letterboxed. I bought my first DVD player this weekend. Now I have to find a good place to rent them that isn't so far away.

Anyway, did Jersey Films produce Sunset Park? Aside from Reality Bites (which I was not a big fan of), I have not seen a bad movie out of Jersey. Why isn't Gattaca on your list? I thought that was an intelligent, well-made film. And probably one I'll buy on DVD this week. And where is Matilda? That is hands-down one of the best kids' flicks of the 1990's. Of course, the book was better. Jersey Films has not failed to disappoint me, and I hope the streak continues. But with the good news of EB being good, I shouldn't have to worry then."

But AW gets the last word for today: "Movie theaters are great for kids, teens and young people on dates, but for older, sophisticated moviegoers, watching at home on a large screen with a DVD player and surround sound has proved, for me anyway, a far superior and enjoyable movie experience. The occasional audience-enhanced horror movies (Scream) and SFX/action spectacles like The Matrix are occasional exceptions, but for most comedies, dramas and foreign films nothing beats watching at home."

E ME: You know the drill...