MADness—the Blog

In the news—some good and some not-so-good.

• Movie tickets heading toward $20 a pop.  Still cheaper than courtside seats at a Lakers playoff game.
• The next generation of film critic has arrived.  Starfish! 
• Hollywood is remaking the ’80s.  They picked the wrong decade.
• Dennis Hopper lives!  Be well.

The Best Picture award will be the presented tomorrow night at the end of the ceremony.  The name on the award may be a misnomer.  The award is truly an award for English-language films.  That’s how it’s worked historically.  Foreign-language films have their own category—which is great since the foreign films can use all the attention they can get, but it’s a mistake to think that those films are any less worthy than the English-language Best Picture nominees.  In fact, it’s clear that the foreign films are better than some of the B.P. nominees, and over the years the real “best picture” is often among the foreign titles.

The filmmakers behind the five nominated foreign-language films were featured at a symposium at the the Academy today.  It was a great event—a special honor for the nominees, and a special treat to be in the audience.  Clips from each of the films were presented, followed by a panel discusssion with the directors.  The program was moderated by the Mark Johnson of the Academy, who made the point that this past year was the best for foreign-language films in the years he’s been running the awards committee. 

It’s a shame that more Americans don’t see foreign-language films.  There’s a small and loyal following for foreign films, but the larger audience stays away.  I’m not sure why that is.  Is it too hard for Americans to read subtitles?  Do Americans just not care what happens elsewhere in the world?  Whatever it is, it makes it hard for a filmmaker or company to release a foreign-language film in the U.S. and make money.  Which means that many of the world’s great films never even make it into the U.S. market.  In fact this year’s Oscar entry from Peru still doesn’t have a release scheduled here.

What can you do about it?  Go see a foreign-language film.  You won’t be disappointed.

You may want to start with this year’s nominees.  Three of the films are playing now, and the Argentine film opens in a few weeks.

This front-page article in today’s L.A. Daily News says, “The future is finally here.”  Sounds like somebody’s watch is running fast.  I think the future is still in the future.  But this is not about time, or time travel.  It’s about video-on-demand, or how we can watch movies and be more lazy than ever before.  Never again will we need to go to the theater, or the video store, or even the mailbox.  Welcome to the world of VOD.

Actually, I like going to to the theater.  Though, I admit, it’s not always convenient, especially with a four-year-old at home.  So I’m all for the idea.  Sort of.  Day-and-date (VOD and theatrical opening the same day) is likely to be only for independent films for some time, not the big Hollywood releases, and I don’t blame the studios.  They don’t want to cannibalize their own business.  And I don’t want the theaters to go out of business, either.  As I said, I like going to them.

Here’s your Oscar trivia question of the day:  What’s the first day-and-date release to be nominated for an Academy Award?

Your Oscar trivia answer here.

I know this is the first place most people check for the all-important box office results, so let’s get to it.  Here are the “winners” of the weekend:

1. Valentine’s Day — $52,410,000
2. Percy Jackson & The Olympians:  The Lightning Thief — $31,100,000
3. The Wolfman — $30,627,000

I still don’t understand why anyone except the people who make a movie should care how much money the movie makes at the box office, but that’s where we are.  Somewhere along the way the Sunday news shows got it in their heads that the weekend box office is IMPORTANT NEWS, and every week we get to know who “won the weekend” even before the weekend is over.  Not to mention, who lost.  Winners and losers.  That’s what it comes down to.  (Hey, where’s Avatar this weekend?  Yesterday’s news:  Loser!) 

That said, I am heartened to know that a movie called Valentine’s Day is the No. 1 movie on Valentine’s Day weekend.  What would it say about us if a horror remake like The Wolfman beat it out?  I can’t say which is a better movie—I haven’t seen them—but I’ve yet to read a good review of either.*  That doesn’t matter, though.  Movie reviews will never be IMPORTANT NEWS.

Now that Valentine’s Day is a certified winner, I would suppose that the smart folks in Hollywood will soon be coming out with other holiday-themed movies.  If they hurry, they could open St. Patrick’s Day next month, and Memorial Day should be just around the corner.  In fact, few holidays have a well-known movie title commemorating the occasion.  There’s Independence Day, of course.  The best of the lot is Groundhog Day (which opened, coincidentally, 17 years ago this weekend, exactly two years after that heart-warming lovefest called The Silence of the Lambs).  Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, Boxing Day, and Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day are titles still waiting to be taken.  (If Hollywood ever runs out of holiday titles, don’t worry.  Those geniuses at Hallmark will come up with a new one.)

* I rather liked this part of Roger Ebert’s review:  “Valentine’s Day” is being marketed as a Date Movie.  I think it’s more of a First-Date Movie.  If your date likes it, do not date that person again.

 Ever think about a movie to see and then you get this?

1814.6 miles?  Mmm…maybe if I hurry I can catch the 10:05 show.