Phantom Reflections

Got Dugg - 16,000 Plus Hits!

I had the most amazing thing happen on my new site Real Honest Film. I did a post on Sunday about my father. Since he is a Vietnam Vet we were talking movies and Veterans Day. I asked him for his Top 10 and he gave them to me. I wrote a subsequent post at Real Honest Film.

Then yesterday “Top Ten Veteran’s Day Movie Picks - From a Veteran” exploded. I came back from lunch and saw I had 6,500 hits in one hour. I thought something was wrong. I checked everything, including the Typepad stats and they were spot on. Page views on the post continued to come in at such a fast rate that I thought the site would crash. It didn’t (thanks Typepad). I found that the post became popular at Digg and today is still in the Top 10 in movie posts. My father was flattered, and I was blown away. By the time I went to bed the count was over 16,000.

It was amazing. It was a little post that came out of a phone conversation. It sure was a fun ride. If you haven’t read the post yet, here is the link.

Changes and a New Site

I’ve been away from the blog for a couple of days because I’ve been busy launching a new site. It’s called Real Honest Film (www.realhonestfilm.com). I figured I’ve been meandering a lot on Phantom Reflections. Originally I talked about books and science fiction stuff. Then I expanded to cycling, films, television, politics, and a whole host of other unrelated topics.

Real Honest Film will be the place where I will move most of my film and TV industry posts. There will be plenty of genre stuff, and even a few things on books, although I’ll probably talk more about that here on this site. Also look for all my cycling and other sports related ramblings to stay here.

In addition you can now access this blog via the PhantomReflections.com URL. The old address will continue to work, but now it will be a lot easier to remember.

Feel free to check out Real Honest Film and add it to your feed if you’d like.

WGA Strike May Mean Reality Show Mayhem

Whether you’re an crafts person, editor, gaffer, grip, best boy, or just average guy you may want to express solidarity for the looming WGA strike for many reasons. I’d like to add one more to the pile. [via Breitbart.com]

LOS ANGELES (AP) - TV viewers hooked on cliffhanger episodes of hit shows such as "Heroes" and "Grey's Anatomy" could be left dangling if writers walk off the job.

With Hollywood writers poised to log off their laptops as soon as Thursday, TV networks were bracing for the need to fill the airwaves with reality shows, game shows and even reruns if a threatened strike devours their script inventory.

Viewers could start seeing an onslaught of unscripted entertainment by early next year, when popular series such as "Desperate Housewives" and "Heroes" run out of new episodes.

More reality shows... Count me out. I’ll add a couple more miles to my long runs and do stuff like paint my house.

Film Distribution Continues to Evolve

The old guard is scared. For years the big studios and their distribution companies ruled over the film industry because they were the keys to getting a movie in front of an audience. Twenty-five years ago not finding a distributor meant no one would ever see your film. Then came video, but the “powers that be” were quick to denounce direct-to-video films as junk, and some of them were. The truth of the matter was that entrepreneurialism began to emerge in film thanks to the humble VCR. The chutzpa that founded the film industry was starting to manifest itself once again.

In the past seven years we have seen an explosion of methods for releasing a film cheaply with DVDs, the Internet, and digital projection. Throw in the vast improvement of HD cameras and you have all that’s needed for a revolution. No longer do you need an expensive 35mm camera, dozens of cans of expensive film, backdoor deals with film labs, or complex editing processes to make a movie. You just need imagination. That scares most of Hollywood, which has had an imagination drought with their never-ending line of big budget remakes.

In the further evolution of the democratization of film, I came across this from IMDB News:

For the first time, a major independently produced film is being released directly through iTunes. The New York Times reports that Edward Burns's Purple Violets, which has thus far failed to find a major distributor, can be purchased on the iTunes site in November only. The availability of the film, the Times noted, could help boost iTunes as an outlet for independent movies.

The gatekeepers wouldn’t let him in, so he found another way. What’s even better is that there are no expensive prints to buy; the film is downloadable to all types of devices, even the iPhone; you can watch it immediately without having to get in the car and sit in traffic; you can watch in the comfort of your own home; you can bring your friends without being charged for extra tickets; and you own it for less than what it would cost you to go to a theater.

What does this all mean? It means that the film industry is about to be ripped wide open. Blockbuster films that cost in excess of 200 million dollars that have mass appeal will probably be the only things that studios can produce and make a return. Anything else under $100 million will most likely have to have its budget slashed to a level where this type of distribution is profitable. Or maybe films now get released in the theater and then on the Internet before being released on HD DVD.

It’s all changing. Old stodgy film school thinking will kill a project nowadays. It’s almost like 1912 all over again and probably best to think about it in that context. Everything is new from the equipment, to the effects, to the editing, to reaching an audience. 2007 and beyond will favor the maverick—the visionary entrepreneur. It’s an exciting time.

Slate of War Films Fails at the Box Office

I feel like a broken record when I talk about it, but box office returns don’t lie. Sure, Hollywood accountants have a knack for inflating budgets and grosses for marketing purposes, but when something flops we all know it.

Christian Toto from The Washington Times has written an article entitled "Audiences Reject Iraq War at Box Office." It starts right out with the hard facts about the lack of money that these films seem to be attracting:

It doesn't matter how many Oscar winners are in front of or behind the camera — audiences are proving to be conscientious objectors when it comes to this fall's surge of antiwar and anti-Bush films.

Both "In the Valley of Elah" and, more recently, "Rendition" drew minuscule crowds upon their release, which doesn't bode well for the ongoing stream of films critical of the Iraq war and the Bush administration's wider war on terror.

"Rendition," which features three Oscar winners in key roles, grossed $4.1 million over the weekend in 2,250 screens for a ninth-place finish. A re-release of "The Nightmare Before Christmas" beat it, and it's 14 years old.

A few points: First, note that star power doesn’t equate to box office glory anymore. George Clooney’s latest MICHAEL CLAYTON is a glaring example of that. It is always the story that draws the audience, not the person portraying it. We have so many choices for entertainment that most of us don’t get titillated by the A-Listers anymore. Most are extremely talented, but so are a whole host of other actors who seem to do a better job and don’t overshadow the story. George Lucas found this out when he cast a bunch of unknowns in STAR WARS. I think that was a hit.

Second, getting clobbered by a re-release of a 14-year-old movie is a bad thing. There’s no way to spin it. Sorry.

Third, the conventional wisdom in Hollywood is that the country hates George Bush. Wrong! Hollywood hates George Bush as does the media and the majority of those in positions of control of pop culture and the like. In fact, according to the most recent Rasmussen poll the president’s approval rating is about 39%. That’s on par with what Clinton had at about the same time in his presidency. On the flip side, no matter what poll you look at Congress is down in the basement. I’ve seen numbers from Zogby putting Congress at 9%. I’ll link here to Rasmussen with its sunnier picture of 13% of those polled thinking our legislators are at least doing a “good” job. Any way you slice it George Bush has a higher approval in this country than the Democratic controlled Congress. I know most in Hollywood don’t want to believe that, but it’s a fact and the numbers from all the pollsters show it. Serving a slate of anti-Bush films alienates a majority that the Industry refuses to acknowledge is there. It’s a fatal mistake and it’s hitting them in the pocket book.

Finally, there’s the old “Foreign Box Office” response when speaking with studio execs and agents about certain films that are unpopular here in the states. They also believe that their buyers in the foreign markets don’t like President Bush. It’s an interesting thought, but Hollywood can’t seem to get the pulse of people in their own country. How are they going to know the likes and dislikes of everybody else? Well, they don’t and the fact of the matter is that movies that are big here in the U.S. will be big overseas. Also remember that both France and Germany rejected their socialist leaders and instead put in Merkel and Sarkozy—two pro-American conservatives who out of the gate have been warm to George Bush. It’s time for the big studios to hire new people in their market research departments. It’s just a suggestion.

Mr. Toto goes on in his article to sight something from Box Office Mojo founder Brandon Gray. It’s something I’ve said often, but it’s nice to see that I’m not crazy.

Brandon Gray, president and publisher of www.boxofficemojo.com, says audiences seek out movies for inspiration, for laughter and to be moved.

"Many of these recent dramas fail on all those fronts," Mr. Gray says. "They're too heavy handed in their presentation."

ABSOLUTELY! People go in mass to the theater to be entertained. They don’t want news. They don’t want to be preached at or have their country or brave men in uniform beat up all over twitchy 35mm. One can easily see this with the sales of the TRANSFORMERS DVD. It’s a fun film and people have no problems spending money on fun films. I like fun films, too. The brooding and self-loathing may be nice for the art house or film school, but if you want to make money and reach your audience, entertain your audience. Make them cheer and they will always come back with money in hand.

And I think this is the most radical, punk rock thing that Gray said in the article:

A film that took a principled stand, particularly against terrorism, might fare better with audiences, Mr. Gray says.

Might fare better? You bet it will! When you go to a baseball game do you wait and see how the teams are doing before rooting for one? No! You go in with your Red Sox hat and lungs at the ready to scream for your team in the hopes of their ultimate win. You fill your gut with hot dogs, beer, and nachos to keep your energy up, like your shouting has to continue through the ninth inning in order for victory to be assured.

The same is true in the movies. We all go in wanting to root for the good guy. We want to know who he or she is. We want to get behind the heroes and fight along with them, feel their emotional peaks and valleys, and share in the victory when they vanquish the villain at the end. That is a great movie. Think about all that have followed that model and you will find the money and the cultish followings. Just think of STAR WARS.

A movie that takes a stand against the bad guys will be huge; they’re always huge! A movie that takes a principled stand against the forces of evil will become a blockbuster.

If Hollywood can learn anything from all these box office flops is that they need to look past the 310 area code and actually talk to their audience. What impressed the professors in film school doesn’t work as a commercial movie. Film festivals are great for the art house set, but distributors aren’t going to gauge the popularity of a movie from the audiences that frequent them. They are not representative of the rest of America.

If a film plays and no one sees it, it’s not a movie. The audience is the key to the experience. Audiences don’t want to see this current slate of anti-war films. They want us to win. They want our country to be victorious and the Iraqi people free. They want to cheer for the good guys—America. They want the nightmare of terrorism over. They want peace. What they don’t want is the Hollywood view—the defeatists view. They’re not going to go see the films. And without the audience, it’s not a movie.

Yeah, this will get people to read books...

It amazes me the stupid and insensitive things people will say. It’s okay to have an opinion, but for some reason those who win prestigious awards somehow believe they are gifted with the ability to spout whatever nonsense they see fit to pronounce. If you need an example, just watch any awards show on TV. The Oscars are the best.

The Nobel prizes are getting to be a joke. With Algoar winning for a fake documentary aimed at increasing his investment portfolio, it’s getting close to the time when no one will take the awards seriously.

Then we have the Nobel Prize for Literature recently awarded to British author Doris Lessing. I’ve never read any of her stuff. This isn’t about her writing, which is apparently brilliant. It’s about the most hateful, irresponsible thing anyone could say. [via the Associated Press]

MADRID, Spain (AP) — Nobel laureate Doris Lessing said the Sept. 11 attacks in the United States were "not that terrible" when compared with attacks by the IRA in Britain.

"September 11 was terrible, but if one goes back over the history of the IRA, what happened to the Americans wasn't that terrible," the Nobel Literature Prize winner told the leading Spanish daily El Pais.

"Some Americans will think I'm crazy. Many people died, two prominent buildings fell, but it was neither as terrible nor as extraordinary as they think. They're a very naive people, or they pretend to be," she said in an interview published Sunday.

[...]

Nearly 3,000 people were killed in the Sept. 11 attacks. About 3,700 died and tens of thousands of people were maimed in more than 30 years of violence in Northern Ireland. The Irish Republican Army guerrilla group, which caused most of the deaths, disarmed in 2005.

Wasn’t that terrible? In a span of about two hours multiple planes were hijacked, two of the largest buildings in the world fell in one of the most populous cities in the world, the Pentagon was attacked, and over 3,000 innocent people lost their lives—people who were just going about their daily routine. The IRA attacks in Britain were equally as horrific. Attacking innocent civilians is terrible. Both are atrocious and tragic. Trying to lessen one in the face of the other is hateful and insensitive to all those people who perished and lost loved ones.

Dolores Lessing should be ashamed of herself. Instead of being grateful for the honor of winning the Nobel Prize she launches into a hateful rant. It’s disgusting and inexcusable. Instead of using her influence and recent prize to increase readership she instead decides to lower herself to a mere thug. Heck, you never know... she’ll probably be up for the Nobel Peace Prize next year.

The Fall Television Season Lacks Risk and Vision

Earlier today I wrote a very detailed post about the lackluster fall television season. I had all types of complex relationship models taking into account everything from moon cycles, to pending strikes, to corporate global conspiracies, to the desire of arctic penguins to take over the juggernaut of American entertainment. I looked at the fluctuating ratings, the rants of Hollywood bloggers, and took note of the gloomy predictions of cancellations from the TV sages of doom. I even attempted a mathematical relationship comparing the attitudes of Vietnam-era three person households to today’s multiple cat owners living behind blackened windows in the hope that I could figure out why this fall the TV seems to be sucking wind.

I put it aside, down into a folder where research goes to die. I didn’t get my answer. I found no solace in the formulas. It wasn’t clear to me why. All the probable theories were sound, but with reason pointing multiple directions only a crazy person could come to anything definitive. All I know is that when I watch TV this fall I get bored. Sometimes I get sad, or even mad, but mostly just disappointed.

For the past few years networks have been quick to cancel shows at the slightest dip in ratings—sometimes a mere one or two episodes in. So thanks to a relatively clear schedule when mid-September arrived we were treated to a whole host of new potential victims. Genre fans rejoiced. We had all types of stuff that makes us happy—time travel, the remake of an old TV favorite about bionics, a man who can bring bodies back from the dead, tons of vampires, and the prospect of a Terminator spin-off. Even before some shows could start, the monkey business began. The SARAH CONNER CHRONICLES has been moved to the spring and Fox’s NEW AMSTERDAM was quickly cancelled even before it began. The other shows that were unfortunate enough to actually make it to air have seen wild rating fluctuations and critical confusion. Even last year’s darling HEROES has limped a long with no apparent direction.

What has become more than clear is that these shows, and even the veterans who have returned for new seasons, seem to be afraid of taking risks. The TV has become so antiseptic and corporate—a tool for product placement that has forgotten it’s obligation to the viewers. There are no bold statements, groundbreaking stories, or radical takes on classic themes. Everything, even my favorite shows, feels formulaic and predictable.

I don’t know if there is a simple answer, but the problem seems to be all over the small screen. The numbers tell the tale. The fluctuating ratings show that viewers are tuning in and out, hoping that things will change. Well they have to. People are already seeking out entertainment in other places in the New Media. Snatching and holding onto an audience is more difficult than ever. Presenting a host of compelling shows and then not developing them will be the death knell of network television.

Forward momentum and immediate audience grabbing stories are the keys to genre television in the 21st century. We, as viewers, need to know where we are going, who with, and why. I can say with certain confidence that there is not one new or seasoned show this fall that’s doing any of that. We’re wandering around waiting for something to happen—waiting for a plot change, a character to grow, or simply to learn what’s going on. It’s getting boring, dull.

Monday night is big in genre TV. We have HEROES, JOURNEYMAN, and CHUCK. It’s a few weeks into the season—time to bring it and kick it up a notch! It’s time to take the gloves off, lock the network sensors in the room and come up with some tasty twists and turns that we can’t help but watch. Give us something to talk about around the water cooler. Take no prisoners and make no apologies when telling a story. Push the boundaries and remind us why we watch week after week.

If anyone needs a refresher on how good genre TV can be, grab hold of the HEROES Season 1 DVD set and check out the ‘Company Man’ episode. Then you’ll know why we need more of that and less of what we’re getting.

France Declares War on Floyd Landis

The one thing we can’t have in the growing politically correct degradation of Western culture is people standing up for themselves. Everyone, especially cyclists, must realize that governments and other self-appointed lords of destiny are the ones that define who wins, who loses, who cheats, and who gets to wear a yellow jersey.

Floyd Landis is appealing that horrific decision by the arbitration panel—a panel who agreed that the lab blatantly mishandled the samples, but still upheld the results because the outcome supports a political agenda and coordinated international smear campaign. It’s much better for one cyclist to suffer than the entire integrity of all those tried and true governors of world cycling.

But Floyd grew up here in America—land of the free, home of the brave—a place that we still (man I hope) believe that integrity, freedom, and courage stand for something. We believe that dreams can come true if you only work hard enough. We celebrate the individual, the maverick, the rebel—someone who stands up to city hall no matter what, because it’s what he believes is right and just. Floyd knows he is innocent and will spend all his energy and all his money in defending his honor.

For this France has declared war against Floyd Landis. [via Velonews.com]

The French anti-doping agency (AFLD) on Wednesday said it intends to pursue doping charges against Floyd Landis, purportedly to close a legal loophole which could allow him to compete in the Tour de France while technically banned.

Landis was stripped of his 2006 Tour de France title for doping and suspended for two years by the UCI from any competitions the governing body sanctions.

But the situation could arise whereby Landis could compete again if the Tour de France took place outside of the auspices of the UCI, a real possibility given that the Tour is currently battling with the governing body.

Floyd was stripped of his Tour title before his appeal had been heard. It is a travesty. Now, in order to cover their rears France will reopen their case to drive a conviction home in the chance that Floyd wins his appeal.

But how will it look if Floyd wins his CAS appeal but France convicts him of doping? It would look silly. It would look like the frame up it is. So maybe this is a hint to CAS to not dare rule in favor of Landis. I’m not sure. The only thing I can be confident of is that this whole thing stinks.

Team Discovery Migrates to Team Astana

There have been lots of rumors, but now we know. Director Sportif Extraordinaire Johan Bruyneel will be taking over the reigns of the troubled Team Astana and will be bringing along the likes of Contador and Leipheimer. Also joining him will be Viatcheslav Ekimov who will probably act as assistant DS with the new team. [via Velonews.com]

The Kazakh Cycling Federation formally announced Friday that former Discovery manager Johan Bruyneel will take over the helm of the troubled Astana team starting with the 2008 season.

[...]

While no details were released of the deal, Bruyneel is expected to head the team for three years as general manager. Slotting in as lead sport director will be French veteran Alain Gallopin, who most recently worked at Team CSC. Viatcheslav Ekimov, the retired Russian star who worked as an assistant DS this season at Discovery, is also expected to join the move.

[...]

There was no mention of new riders, but Bruyneel is expected to bring Tour de France champion Alberto Contador and U.S. champ Levi Leipheimer. Four others from Discovery Channel - Sergio Paulinho, Benjamin Noval, Tomas Vaitkus and Janez Brajkovic - are likely to follow the Disco-Astana migration.

It’s not Team Discovery, but it’s pretty darn close. The Kazakh Cycling Federation is fully behind all these changes and has committed over $15 million for the upcoming season. This was an excellent strategic decision on their part. In one sweep they moved above a crushing doping scandal and hired the remnants of the top team in the world. And they now have the most winning director sportif in cycling, the winner of the Tour de France, and the U.S. National Champion. I wonder what Borat will say about that?

With Strike Pending Relationship Between Producers and Writers Grows Icy

Link: Movie & TV News @ IMDb.com - Studio Briefing - 10 October 2007
I just saw this on IMDB news.

In what already appears to be at least a partial lockout of film and TV writers, studio and network executives have begun informing writers that their services won't be needed until a new contract is in place with the Writers Guild of America, Daily Variety reported today (Wednesday). One unnamed agent told the trade publication: "The sense I get is that the very immediate writing work is still getting done, but anything longer-term is on hold." In a statement on Tuesday, following the latest round of talks between the writers and the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers, AMPTP President Nicholas Counter accused the WGA of presenting "an untenable proposal to double the homevideo residual using specious numbers, a revisionist view of the bargaining history and a complete disregard for the costs and deficits that producers must bear."

The threat of a strike by members of the Writers' Guild (WGA) is very real and it seems that both sides are digging in their heels. I don't remember if this went on back in 1988 before the previous strike, but it's still chilling. Please don't ask my opinion on any of this. I'm not an attorney and I've never played one on TV.