Weekend, 16-17 September 2000

NEWS BY THE NUMBERS

10. Bowling For Dollars: It seems like a week-old story to me, but the trades went official this week, announcing that Lions Gate has taken over Miramax's domestic distribution rights to The Golden Bowl, the Merchant Ivory production that got more positive attention at Cannes for its party, Nick Nolte's pajamas and Uma Thurman's dresses than for the film itself. Once again, we have another example of a Miramax in some sort of transition. The question is, where is it going? And where is Lion's Gate going? Since Blair Witch, Artisan seems to be falling off the pace. Is Lion's Gate the next arthouse major...the only one that really programs a lot of arthouse fare and which isn't part of a major studio? Round and round she goes...and where she stops, nobody knows.

9. Another Initial Heard From: Of course, one story on the merry-go-round is USA Films, which has added Gus Van Sant to its roster in a two-year first-look deal. Van Sant is about to go into the business of recovering from his Psycho remake, a slam that he took unfairly, in my opinion, starting with Forever Forrester, which he did for USA before this deal was made. The only reason I am not more clearly pro-USA is that it still hasn't quite been clear about what its face as a company will be, much like Artisan after Blair Witch. Part of this is the company paring down from the multi-layered structure that came of a number of companies being melded together. Another work in progress.

8. Hard Hats Required: I hate to be a pessimist (gotta do what you're good at), but could there be a more dangerous set than the one that combines Dominic Sena, Joel Silver and John Travolta in Swordfish? I believe in Travolta as a movie star. Fat or thin, comedic or serious, he brings in moviegoers. But he is well known to be a perk-loving, set dominatrix. Dominic Sena, on the other hand, is a guy who everyone likes, but who is coming off a rough career and life that lead to him being led by a choke collar onto the set of Gone in 60 Seconds, doing as Mr. Bruckheimer and Mr. Cage wanted. So, with Joel Silver, another control freak, producing, you have Silver vs. Travolta, which seems a dangerous combo, with a very weak link in the middle. And Hugh Jackman, who I really like, doesn't have a big enough bootprint yet to do anything but sway in the wind on this one. I'd love to think that things will go smoothly, but I'm afraid...very afraid.

7. Commerce Meets Art In 60 Minutes Or Less: After a tough IPO period for Wall Street, Kozmo.com, the in-an-hour delivery service for everything from rental videos to DVD players, continues to play new angles. The latest is a deal with 20th Century Fox, DreamWorks and Universal, trading stock for price cuts on videos and DVDs from the studios. They already made a similar deal with Warner Bros. and Columbia TriStar earlier this year. The move makes sense for all involved, as Kozmo needs to find a way to make a profit and the studios make so much money off video that a flyer on a potential major IPO is very low risk with potentially huge rewards...including having a say in yet another distribution outlet. I guess sometimes it's not about the movies, stupid.

6. Dot Bye Bye: Another pseudo-movie site IPO has hit the skids. Goodbye, Pseudo.com. It was nice knowing you. At least Pseudo.com got its burn rate down to $2 million a month...better than some of these companies that have burned out at $5 million and $10 million a month. 175 people lost their jobs. More to follow. Including 19 at Stan Lee Media, the company that is supposed to be the hero of the cybergeek against the Avi Arad-run Marvel empire. Gotta watch your back out there, kids.

5. It's Good for You: Have you read your Sarris lately? It's an arty week for Andy, but always worth reading. And when you get there, you might find a banner for the new series of movies from The Shooting Gallery. Or you can just click here.

4. Ups & Downs: The WGA membership decided not to go to fast track negotiations in an effort to avoid a strike next summer, putting a small dagger in the hopeful hearts of those who thought they might avoid the strike. Guild president John Wells said, "We anticipate difficult negotiations, a fair contract can be achieved without a strike if the companies join us in a negotiation of mutual respect and are willing to address the issues." Yeah. Meanwhile, Loews Cineplex Entertainment has gotten a greenlight from its unpaid creditors to continue operating without being forced into filing bankruptcy for at least another 90 days. Sweet! So they won't be joining Carmike Cinemas, United Artists Theaters and Edwards Theaters in that pool...for now. And about those digital projectors...how much will the studios pay us to put them in?

"The Top Three & ROTD"