Sylvester Stallone was famously cast as Judge Dredd years before Karl Urban took up the role. But although Stallone was his predecessor, Urban quipped Stallone’s feelings would have little affect on his own thoughts.
Karl Urban revealed how his Judge Dredd would be different than Sylvester Stallone’s Sylvester Stallone | Richard Blanshard/Getty Images
Stallone explored the comic book genre when he was cast as the titular character Judge Dredd. The actor played a law authority in a corrupt future where he was judge, jury, and executioner to all criminals. In Jane Killick’s The Making of Judge Dredd, it was revealed that Stallone was the first choice for the role. Stallone took to the initial draft of the script immediately.
“Sly was the first person we thought of and the one and only person we showed the script to. He fell in love with [it] and we decided to look no further,...
Karl Urban revealed how his Judge Dredd would be different than Sylvester Stallone’s Sylvester Stallone | Richard Blanshard/Getty Images
Stallone explored the comic book genre when he was cast as the titular character Judge Dredd. The actor played a law authority in a corrupt future where he was judge, jury, and executioner to all criminals. In Jane Killick’s The Making of Judge Dredd, it was revealed that Stallone was the first choice for the role. Stallone took to the initial draft of the script immediately.
“Sly was the first person we thought of and the one and only person we showed the script to. He fell in love with [it] and we decided to look no further,...
- 5/11/2024
- by Antonio Stallings
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
In February 1994, Roger Ebert felt like he was the last one to get to the party when it came to celebrating a new movie. This would usually be a strange thing for a film critic to admit, particularly when he has a Pulitzer Prize. But despite—or perhaps because—he and fellow critic Gene Siskel hosted the nationally syndicated At the Movies TV series, Disney and its film production label Hollywood Pictures went out of their way to keep the men with the thumbs from seeing Tombstone. Even though the new Kurt Russell and Val Kilmer-starring Western enjoyed a vaunted Christmas Day release, the studio was not so much putting out the movie as they were abandoning what seemed like a Yuletide turkey.
Thus the “End of Year” season came and went, along with all the critics groups accolades and awards lists that go with it, and in that...
Thus the “End of Year” season came and went, along with all the critics groups accolades and awards lists that go with it, and in that...
- 12/29/2023
- by David Crow
- Den of Geek
Arnold Schwarzenegger revisited his iconic role as The Terminator in the titular film T2: Judgment Day. But some of the differences the film’s director James Cameron made for the film raised some alarms for the actor.
Arnold Schwarzenegger complained to James Cameron about the ‘Terminator 2’ script Arnold Schwarzenegger | Phillip Faraone/Getty Images
Although Schwarzenegger would return to the Terminator franchise in 1992’s Judgment Day, his character would be slightly different. In The Terminator, Schwarzenegger played a brutal killing machine responsible for several deaths in the feature.
But in Judgment Day, Schwarzenegger noticed this aspect of his character was absent from the script. In an interview with The Ringer, Cameron recalled Schwarzenegger’s trepidation towards the project.
“We were pals at this point. Post-Terminator, we rode motorcycles together. And he said, ‘Jim, I have a big problem with the script.’ I said, ‘Well, what is it?’ And he said,...
Arnold Schwarzenegger complained to James Cameron about the ‘Terminator 2’ script Arnold Schwarzenegger | Phillip Faraone/Getty Images
Although Schwarzenegger would return to the Terminator franchise in 1992’s Judgment Day, his character would be slightly different. In The Terminator, Schwarzenegger played a brutal killing machine responsible for several deaths in the feature.
But in Judgment Day, Schwarzenegger noticed this aspect of his character was absent from the script. In an interview with The Ringer, Cameron recalled Schwarzenegger’s trepidation towards the project.
“We were pals at this point. Post-Terminator, we rode motorcycles together. And he said, ‘Jim, I have a big problem with the script.’ I said, ‘Well, what is it?’ And he said,...
- 7/3/2023
- by Antonio Stallings
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
Csaba Káel, head of Hungary’s National Film Institute (Nfi), hopes to emulate an 18th century Magyar hussar hero at this year’s Berlinale European Film Market. Swashbuckling Count Andras Hadik occupied Berlin for one day in 1757 — in return for 300,000 silver thalers, left without destroying the city.
Hadik’s adventure is the subject of one of the films the Nfi will be marketing at the EFM. Káel plans to spend more than a day in Berlin, but also hopes Hungarian producers will leave with handsome sales ledgers after the market — without having to raise a ransom, like the handsome hussar.
It is the first EFM for the Nfi, since it was established in 2020, just as the pandemic hit, closing down the Berlinale’s market until this year.
Káel — an award-winning director who has worked with famous cinematographers, including the late Vilmos Zsigmond — was appointed Hungarian government film commissioner following the death in 2019 of Andy Vajna,...
Hadik’s adventure is the subject of one of the films the Nfi will be marketing at the EFM. Káel plans to spend more than a day in Berlin, but also hopes Hungarian producers will leave with handsome sales ledgers after the market — without having to raise a ransom, like the handsome hussar.
It is the first EFM for the Nfi, since it was established in 2020, just as the pandemic hit, closing down the Berlinale’s market until this year.
Káel — an award-winning director who has worked with famous cinematographers, including the late Vilmos Zsigmond — was appointed Hungarian government film commissioner following the death in 2019 of Andy Vajna,...
- 2/18/2023
- by Nick Holdsworth
- Variety Film + TV
The 1990s saw the rebirth of westerns. "Dances with Wolves" won Best Picture at the 63rd Academy Awards, as did "Unforgiven" at the 65th. The genre has never returned to the dominant ubiquity it had in Hollywood's Golden Age. However, the 1990s put Westerns on the track to enjoy a healthy presence in 21st-century cinema. One of the most fondly remembered westerns of this decade is 1993's "Tombstone." It's not as meditative as "Unforgiven," or as politically concerned as "Dances With Wolves." No, it's just a good bloody shoot-em-up.
"Tombstone" retells the story of the Earp brothers and the gunfight at O.K. Corral. The story had been told on film before, such as in John Ford's "My Darling Clementine," and transcended into a silver screen myth. "Tombstone," starring Kurt Russell as Wyatt Earp, was just the latest version of it. Screenwriter Kevin Jarre was originally set to direct...
"Tombstone" retells the story of the Earp brothers and the gunfight at O.K. Corral. The story had been told on film before, such as in John Ford's "My Darling Clementine," and transcended into a silver screen myth. "Tombstone," starring Kurt Russell as Wyatt Earp, was just the latest version of it. Screenwriter Kevin Jarre was originally set to direct...
- 1/15/2023
- by Devin Meenan
- Slash Film
Disney soon will find out the wisdom of its massive acquisition of Fox and ownership of the billion-dollar investment in Avatar tentpoles that should give the studio a fresh supply of blockbusters over the next decade. Avatar: The Way of Water opens Friday, with only a modicum of budget drama, considering every movie he made since his 1984 breakthrough The Terminator has been preceded by media pearl-clutching that Cameron’s penchant for big budgets finally would ruin a studio.
It never happened, not on Terminator 2: Judgment Day, The Abyss, Aliens, True Lies, Titanic — for which a chastened Cameron surrendered his backend after doubling the budget of a film that won Best Picture and became Hollywood’s highest grosser — and again on Avatar, whose gross surpassed Titanic and is the largest-grossing film ever worldwide.
Not that it hasn’t been stressful; former Fox chief Bill Mechanic once told me he wouldn...
It never happened, not on Terminator 2: Judgment Day, The Abyss, Aliens, True Lies, Titanic — for which a chastened Cameron surrendered his backend after doubling the budget of a film that won Best Picture and became Hollywood’s highest grosser — and again on Avatar, whose gross surpassed Titanic and is the largest-grossing film ever worldwide.
Not that it hasn’t been stressful; former Fox chief Bill Mechanic once told me he wouldn...
- 12/13/2022
- by Mike Fleming Jr
- Deadline Film + TV
As "Avatar: The Way of Water" inches closer to its theatrical premiere 13 years after the debut of the box-office record-breaking "Avatar," a press tour featuring a very vocal James Cameron comes with it. The marketing for the upcoming blockbuster has had Cameron at the forefront, likely because the director hasn't helmed a film since 2009 and has had plenty of time to formulate talking points. Moreover, the director has never shied away from his beliefs as a filmmaker. Not only has he continued to champion the 3D format, but Cameron has also been adamant that he's aware of the pressure for the sequel and potential problems audiences may have with the runtime. At this point in the director's career, he seems unafraid to defend any creative decisions involved with his movies.
Looking back at some of the creative decisions involved with Cameron's filmography, one marketing decision is interesting retrospectively. The first...
Looking back at some of the creative decisions involved with Cameron's filmography, one marketing decision is interesting retrospectively. The first...
- 11/28/2022
- by Ernesto Valenzuela
- Slash Film
When Parade magazine revealed in 1986 that Sylvester Stallone earned 12 million to star in "Rocky IV," every studio executive in Hollywood ordered Tums in bulk. That sum, which equates to 32 million in 2022, doubled the per-picture salary pulled down by the vaunted likes of Dustin Hoffman, Warren Beatty, and Robert Redford. Arnold Schwarzenegger was only making 3 million back then.
In an industry ever mindful of overspending -- while gleefully overspending when, say, someone decides the Universal Monsters brand should be reinvented as an action franchise spearheaded by Tom Cruise -- the last thing studios want is for a volatile, highly sought-after star like Hoffman to learn their competition is raking in twice what they make. This is when budgets start skyrocketing. And, in 1986, an era where there were no sure things like the Marvel Cinematic Universe, this is how an executive loses their job.
This outrage was sparked anew two years later...
In an industry ever mindful of overspending -- while gleefully overspending when, say, someone decides the Universal Monsters brand should be reinvented as an action franchise spearheaded by Tom Cruise -- the last thing studios want is for a volatile, highly sought-after star like Hoffman to learn their competition is raking in twice what they make. This is when budgets start skyrocketing. And, in 1986, an era where there were no sure things like the Marvel Cinematic Universe, this is how an executive loses their job.
This outrage was sparked anew two years later...
- 11/7/2022
- by Jeremy Smith
- Slash Film
Click here to read the full article.
Founded in 1981 by the American Film Marketing Association, which was headed by the late producer Andy Vajna, the American Film Market in its early years featured a lot of genre fare looking to sell VHS video rights abroad. But with 1984’s Amadeus, AFM also proved that it could be a home for more prestige titles — and few of its offerings would strike a more prestigious tone than Milos Forman’s award-winning film about the rivalry between the Austrian court composer Antonio Salieri and the upstart musical genius Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
Record executive and film producer Saul Zaentz was the driving force behind the production. He already had one best picture Oscar for 1975’s One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest when he set about assembling an adaptation of Peter Shaffer’s Tony-winning stage play. With F. Murray Abraham as the envious Salieri and Tom Hulce...
Founded in 1981 by the American Film Marketing Association, which was headed by the late producer Andy Vajna, the American Film Market in its early years featured a lot of genre fare looking to sell VHS video rights abroad. But with 1984’s Amadeus, AFM also proved that it could be a home for more prestige titles — and few of its offerings would strike a more prestigious tone than Milos Forman’s award-winning film about the rivalry between the Austrian court composer Antonio Salieri and the upstart musical genius Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
Record executive and film producer Saul Zaentz was the driving force behind the production. He already had one best picture Oscar for 1975’s One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest when he set about assembling an adaptation of Peter Shaffer’s Tony-winning stage play. With F. Murray Abraham as the envious Salieri and Tom Hulce...
- 11/3/2022
- by Gregg Kilday
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Ten years ago, Disney’s “John Carter” opened nationwide.
Meant to be a potential franchise-starting blockbuster, it was savaged by critics, who called the film “wanly plodding and routine” (Entertainment Weekly), and “a giant, suffocating doughy feast of boredom” (The Guardian), and was met with indifference by general audiences, who simply didn’t show up..
Quickly, the movie and its fate took on a nearly mythical dimension – it wasn’t just a box office disappointment, it was a staggering creative and commercial failure, the kind of movie that is often mentioned in the same breath as other high-profile misfires like “Ishtar” or “Waterworld.”
But the actual story of “John Carter” – how it was conceived, what happened during production, and how it all fell apart thanks largely to a misguided marketing campaign – is much more complex and much more interesting.
Most Hollywood bombs are perceivable early on, through a toxic combination of untested filmmakers,...
Meant to be a potential franchise-starting blockbuster, it was savaged by critics, who called the film “wanly plodding and routine” (Entertainment Weekly), and “a giant, suffocating doughy feast of boredom” (The Guardian), and was met with indifference by general audiences, who simply didn’t show up..
Quickly, the movie and its fate took on a nearly mythical dimension – it wasn’t just a box office disappointment, it was a staggering creative and commercial failure, the kind of movie that is often mentioned in the same breath as other high-profile misfires like “Ishtar” or “Waterworld.”
But the actual story of “John Carter” – how it was conceived, what happened during production, and how it all fell apart thanks largely to a misguided marketing campaign – is much more complex and much more interesting.
Most Hollywood bombs are perceivable early on, through a toxic combination of untested filmmakers,...
- 3/9/2022
- by Drew Taylor
- The Wrap
This big, expensive and well-produced action-suspense Sci-fi epic mostly delivers on its promise to be Aliens at the bottom of the sea. At heart it’s a 1950s pulse-pounder with a bigger monster, a zillion times the budget and a script that does everything but make us care. We appreciate the likable characters but it’s too easy to predict who will ‘get it’ next. The realism factor is not bad at all, although the undersea explorer video training sessions should have given ‘how not to crack up under stress’ more emphasis. And can’t anybody properly mind those pesky nuclear bombs?
DeepStar Six
Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1989 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 99 min. / Street Date October 13, 2020 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95
Starring: Greg Evigan, Nancy Everhard, Miguel Ferrer, Nia Peeples, Cindy Pickett, Matt McCoy, Taurean Blacque, Marius Weyers, Elya Baskin, Thom Bray, Ronn Carroll.
Cinematography: Mac Ahlberg
Film Editor: David Handman
Original...
DeepStar Six
Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1989 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 99 min. / Street Date October 13, 2020 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95
Starring: Greg Evigan, Nancy Everhard, Miguel Ferrer, Nia Peeples, Cindy Pickett, Matt McCoy, Taurean Blacque, Marius Weyers, Elya Baskin, Thom Bray, Ronn Carroll.
Cinematography: Mac Ahlberg
Film Editor: David Handman
Original...
- 10/17/2020
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
The producer of Narcos takes us on a walk through some of the movies that made him.
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
Contagion (2011)
Panic In The Streets (1950)
Rififi (1955)
Night And The City (1950)
Thieves’ Highway (1949)
Never on Sunday (1960)
The Karate Kid (1984)
The Game (1997)
The Dirty Dozen (1967)
The Great Escape (1963)
Children of Men (2006)
Willy Wonka And The Chocolate Factory (1971)
If It’s Tuesday, This Must Be Belgium (1969)
Charlie And The Chocolate Factory (2005)
The Wild Bunch (1969)
The Godfather (1972)
Apocalypse Now (1979)
Animal House (1978)
An American Werewolf In London (1981)
Trading Places (1983)
Z Channel: A Magnificent Obsession (2004)
Fellini Satyricon (1969)
The Beastmaster (1982)
Sheena (1984)
High Risk (1981)
Ghostbusters (1984)
The Masque of the Red Death (1964)
Piranha (1978)
Gallipoli (1981)
Witness (1985)
The Killing Fields (1984)
Mad Max (1980)
Max Max 2: The Road Warrior (1981)
Picnic At Hanging Rock (1975)
The Last Wave (1978)
Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)
The Lord of the Rings (1978)
The Hobbit (1977)
The Return of the King (1980)
Class (1983)
The Great Santini (1979)
Fast Times At Ridgemont High...
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
Contagion (2011)
Panic In The Streets (1950)
Rififi (1955)
Night And The City (1950)
Thieves’ Highway (1949)
Never on Sunday (1960)
The Karate Kid (1984)
The Game (1997)
The Dirty Dozen (1967)
The Great Escape (1963)
Children of Men (2006)
Willy Wonka And The Chocolate Factory (1971)
If It’s Tuesday, This Must Be Belgium (1969)
Charlie And The Chocolate Factory (2005)
The Wild Bunch (1969)
The Godfather (1972)
Apocalypse Now (1979)
Animal House (1978)
An American Werewolf In London (1981)
Trading Places (1983)
Z Channel: A Magnificent Obsession (2004)
Fellini Satyricon (1969)
The Beastmaster (1982)
Sheena (1984)
High Risk (1981)
Ghostbusters (1984)
The Masque of the Red Death (1964)
Piranha (1978)
Gallipoli (1981)
Witness (1985)
The Killing Fields (1984)
Mad Max (1980)
Max Max 2: The Road Warrior (1981)
Picnic At Hanging Rock (1975)
The Last Wave (1978)
Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)
The Lord of the Rings (1978)
The Hobbit (1977)
The Return of the King (1980)
Class (1983)
The Great Santini (1979)
Fast Times At Ridgemont High...
- 6/16/2020
- by Kris Millsap
- Trailers from Hell
Tim Miller’s The Terminator not only sees Arnold Schwarzenegger reprise his role as the T-800, but the Austrian star will also play the original human who served as the basis for the cyborg’s design, and in this new promotional video courtesy of the Hungarian National Film Fund, we get a better idea of how this franchise newcomer will look.
The video takes us behind the scenes of the film’s Budapest set, where Schwarzenegger discusses the series’ associations with the region before dropping the obligatory catchphrase. Also heard speaking is Andrew G. Vajna, who boasts producing credits for several Terminator projects and now works as Government Commissioner for the Hungarian film industry.
Though the promo generally avoids giving away too much about the movie itself, we do see Schwarzenegger looking a lot more laid back than he usually is in these films, hanging out in front of a...
The video takes us behind the scenes of the film’s Budapest set, where Schwarzenegger discusses the series’ associations with the region before dropping the obligatory catchphrase. Also heard speaking is Andrew G. Vajna, who boasts producing credits for several Terminator projects and now works as Government Commissioner for the Hungarian film industry.
Though the promo generally avoids giving away too much about the movie itself, we do see Schwarzenegger looking a lot more laid back than he usually is in these films, hanging out in front of a...
- 1/25/2019
- by David Pountain
- We Got This Covered
Andy Vajna, executive producer of several “Rambo” films as well as “Total Recall” and several “Terminator” movies, has died at 74.
The Hungarian National Film Fund confirmed his death, calling him a “dominant figure in the Hungarian and international film industry” who was responsible for the development of the fund.
With partner Mario Kassar, Vajna founded the indie powerhouse Carolco, which produced blockbusters including “Terminator 2: Judgment Day,” the first three “Rambo” films and “Basic Instinct.” Carolco was one of the most successful companies in the foreign pre-sales business, and a mainstay at the world’s film markets. He was a founder and president of the American Film Marketing Assn., which launched the American Film Market.
Vajna served as producer or executive producer on films including “Evita,” starring Madonna, Oliver Stone’s “Nixon,” “Judge Dredd,” “Die Hard With a Vengeance” and “Angel Heart.”
He left Carolco in 1989 to form Cinergi Productions and InterCom...
The Hungarian National Film Fund confirmed his death, calling him a “dominant figure in the Hungarian and international film industry” who was responsible for the development of the fund.
With partner Mario Kassar, Vajna founded the indie powerhouse Carolco, which produced blockbusters including “Terminator 2: Judgment Day,” the first three “Rambo” films and “Basic Instinct.” Carolco was one of the most successful companies in the foreign pre-sales business, and a mainstay at the world’s film markets. He was a founder and president of the American Film Marketing Assn., which launched the American Film Market.
Vajna served as producer or executive producer on films including “Evita,” starring Madonna, Oliver Stone’s “Nixon,” “Judge Dredd,” “Die Hard With a Vengeance” and “Angel Heart.”
He left Carolco in 1989 to form Cinergi Productions and InterCom...
- 1/20/2019
- by Pat Saperstein
- Variety Film + TV
Hungary has selected László Nemes’ “Sunset,” which competed at the Venice Film Festival and was picked up for the U.S. by Sony Pictures Classics, as its entry in the race for the foreign-language film Academy Award. Nemes won the Oscar for Holocaust drama “Son of Saul” in 2016.
Russia has also chosen its candidate, “Sobibor,” based on the true story of a successful revolt at a Nazi concentration camp in Poland, the Tass news agency reported. The film is directed by Konstantin Khabensky.
“Sunset,” which was awarded the Fipresci Jury Prize at Venice for best film, is set in Budapest on the brink of World War I, and shows a refined world careening toward chaos. It stars Juli Jakab (“Son of Saul”) as Irisz Leiter, a young woman orphaned at an early age, who arrives in Budapest from Trieste looking for work at the elegant hat store that used to belong to her parents.
Russia has also chosen its candidate, “Sobibor,” based on the true story of a successful revolt at a Nazi concentration camp in Poland, the Tass news agency reported. The film is directed by Konstantin Khabensky.
“Sunset,” which was awarded the Fipresci Jury Prize at Venice for best film, is set in Budapest on the brink of World War I, and shows a refined world careening toward chaos. It stars Juli Jakab (“Son of Saul”) as Irisz Leiter, a young woman orphaned at an early age, who arrives in Budapest from Trieste looking for work at the elegant hat store that used to belong to her parents.
- 9/11/2018
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety Film + TV
Ryan Lambie Dec 4, 2017
Co-producer Stephanie Austin talks to us about the trials of bringing one of the biggest movies of all time, Terminator 2, to the screen...
In 1990, producer Stephanie Austin, previously known for her work in television, helped shepherd one of the biggest films of the decade to the big screen. Little did she know at the time, as she first looked through James Cameron's ambitious sequel script, that she would soon be producing the most expensive movie up to that point - a new high-watermark in special effects, and a proving ground for other CGI blockbusters.
See related Vic and Bob: an appreciation House Of Fools episode 1 review: The Conan Affair House Of Fools: BBC cancels Reeves and Mortimer's sitcom
Over 25 years later, Terminator 2: Judgment Day still looks as shiny as ever - but the confidence and assured pace of its director's vision gives...
Co-producer Stephanie Austin talks to us about the trials of bringing one of the biggest movies of all time, Terminator 2, to the screen...
In 1990, producer Stephanie Austin, previously known for her work in television, helped shepherd one of the biggest films of the decade to the big screen. Little did she know at the time, as she first looked through James Cameron's ambitious sequel script, that she would soon be producing the most expensive movie up to that point - a new high-watermark in special effects, and a proving ground for other CGI blockbusters.
See related Vic and Bob: an appreciation House Of Fools episode 1 review: The Conan Affair House Of Fools: BBC cancels Reeves and Mortimer's sitcom
Over 25 years later, Terminator 2: Judgment Day still looks as shiny as ever - but the confidence and assured pace of its director's vision gives...
- 12/1/2017
- Den of Geek
Ryan Lambie Sep 27, 2017
The Terminator series is making its third attempt at a trilogy. But would it be better as a one-off story, Ryan wonders...
Nb: The following contains spoilers for all the Terminator films released so far.
See related Looking back at Green Wing Buffy The Vampire Slayer: the top 10 episodes The Simpsons: 50 best episodes In praise of Rik Mayall and Ade Edmondson's Bottom Looking back at The Secret Diary Of Adrian Mole Aged 13 3/4 Fresh Meat series 4: bleak truths and knob gags
Genisys probably seemed like a good idea at the time. After the so-so critical and financial performance of Terminator 3 and Terminator: Salvation, the fifth entry in the series would, as far as its producers were concerned, take the saga back to its glory days: the nightmarish chases of The Terminator and the eye-popping special effects of T2, widely regarded as the franchise's high-water mark.
The Terminator series is making its third attempt at a trilogy. But would it be better as a one-off story, Ryan wonders...
Nb: The following contains spoilers for all the Terminator films released so far.
See related Looking back at Green Wing Buffy The Vampire Slayer: the top 10 episodes The Simpsons: 50 best episodes In praise of Rik Mayall and Ade Edmondson's Bottom Looking back at The Secret Diary Of Adrian Mole Aged 13 3/4 Fresh Meat series 4: bleak truths and knob gags
Genisys probably seemed like a good idea at the time. After the so-so critical and financial performance of Terminator 3 and Terminator: Salvation, the fifth entry in the series would, as far as its producers were concerned, take the saga back to its glory days: the nightmarish chases of The Terminator and the eye-popping special effects of T2, widely regarded as the franchise's high-water mark.
- 9/25/2017
- Den of Geek
Closing Night, Remarks, WinnersInternational Jury: Olafur Eliasson, Artist (Iceland); Dora Bouchoucha Fourate, Producer (Tunisia), Julia Jentsch, Actress (Germany); Maggie Gyllenhaal, Actress, Producer (U.S.); Paul Verhoeven — Jury President — Director, Screenwriter (The Netherlands); Wang Quan’an, Director, Screenwriter (People’s Republic of China); Diego Luna, Actor, Director (Mexico)
A new tradition of sharing a “coup de champagne” on Closing Night of the Berlinale seems to be in the making with Ben and Stephanie Gibson and us. Last year we found ourselves together at the Hyatt for pre-Closing Night Drinks; this year we shared a coup at the Berlinale Palast before the crowd arrived.
Closing Night Before the Crowds Arrive
Ben, btw, is the director of dffb, the German Film School in Berlin. Read more in my previous blog here. He and his wife Stephanie could make a great TV series with the stories of their families. Once the crowd took over,...
A new tradition of sharing a “coup de champagne” on Closing Night of the Berlinale seems to be in the making with Ben and Stephanie Gibson and us. Last year we found ourselves together at the Hyatt for pre-Closing Night Drinks; this year we shared a coup at the Berlinale Palast before the crowd arrived.
Closing Night Before the Crowds Arrive
Ben, btw, is the director of dffb, the German Film School in Berlin. Read more in my previous blog here. He and his wife Stephanie could make a great TV series with the stories of their families. Once the crowd took over,...
- 2/28/2017
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
Simon Brew Feb 3, 2017
When Basic Instinct hit big, Hollywood went hunting for more erotic thrillers. Er, it found some. Includes Kevin Spacey with odd hair.
When a movie hits big out of the blue, it’s unwritten Hollywood law that the imitators aren’t too far behind. That’s why, after American Pie brought Porky’s-esque sex-tinged (late) teen comedies back to prominence in 1999, the box office was flooded with similar fare for years after. The Blair Witch Project, meanwhile, hit out of nowhere, and found footage horror is only now dying away. The late Wes Craven, meanwhile, wryly noted just how quickly Hollywood had cashed in on the success of 1996’s Scream, when spoof Scary Movie popped out the year after.
See related Lara Croft Tomb Raider 1 & 2: What went wrong? Walton Goggins interview: The Hateful Eight
Going back to 1992, though, and it was the turn of the erotic thriller to enjoy its resurgence.
When Basic Instinct hit big, Hollywood went hunting for more erotic thrillers. Er, it found some. Includes Kevin Spacey with odd hair.
When a movie hits big out of the blue, it’s unwritten Hollywood law that the imitators aren’t too far behind. That’s why, after American Pie brought Porky’s-esque sex-tinged (late) teen comedies back to prominence in 1999, the box office was flooded with similar fare for years after. The Blair Witch Project, meanwhile, hit out of nowhere, and found footage horror is only now dying away. The late Wes Craven, meanwhile, wryly noted just how quickly Hollywood had cashed in on the success of 1996’s Scream, when spoof Scary Movie popped out the year after.
See related Lara Croft Tomb Raider 1 & 2: What went wrong? Walton Goggins interview: The Hateful Eight
Going back to 1992, though, and it was the turn of the erotic thriller to enjoy its resurgence.
- 1/30/2017
- Den of Geek
Exclusive– Few names conjure up the magic and market of Cannes as much as Mario Kassar and Carolco Pictures. Along with partner Andrew G. Vajna, Kassar helped to disrupt the independent film business, with Carolco enjoying a more-than decade long run that saw the likes of First Blood, Terminator 2, Basic Instinct and Cliffhanger all made outside the studio system. Before Lionsgate, before Summit, before EuropaCorp, there was Carolco, and Kassar was at the heart of it all…...
- 5/12/2016
- Deadline
"Eckhart saw Hell too. He said: The only thing that burns in Hell is the part of you that won't let go of life, your memories, your attachments. They burn them all away. But they're not punishing you, he said. They're freeing your soul. So, if you're frightened of dying and you're holding on, you'll see devils tearing your life away. But if you've made your peace, then the devils are really angels, freeing you from the earth." -- Louis (Danny Aiello) in "Jacob's Ladder" I first viewed "Jacob's Ladder" on VHS several years after its release in theaters, when it received a lukewarm response from audiences (it grossed around $26 million by the end of its run) and received a polarizing response from critics: Roger Ebert called it "powerfully written, directed and acted" while The Washington Post's Hal Hinson charged it with being "garbled and cliched." My initial reaction to...
- 12/31/2015
- by Chris Eggertsen
- Hitfix
Veteran Bulgarian actor Ivaylo Hristov’s third feature film as director, the coming-of-age tale Losers, won the Golden St. George Prize for best film on Friday at the 37th edition of the Moscow International Film Festival (Miff), which ran from June 19-26.
Jury president Jean-Jacques Annaud said that Hristov’s film was “a movie we liked in all aspects – the cinematography [by Emil Hristov], the actors and the direction. We came to an agreement very quickly.”
Produced by Profilm, Losers, which had its world premiere in Moscow, centres on four high school friends in a small provincial town whose lives are changed forever by a visiting rock band.
Hristov’s film also won the Russian Film Critics Prize and the award from the jury of the Federation of Russian Film Clubs
Looking back on the week, Annaud said that the jury’s deliberations had been “a very easy conversation” and spoke warmly of “an extraordinarily friendly jury” whose members included...
Jury president Jean-Jacques Annaud said that Hristov’s film was “a movie we liked in all aspects – the cinematography [by Emil Hristov], the actors and the direction. We came to an agreement very quickly.”
Produced by Profilm, Losers, which had its world premiere in Moscow, centres on four high school friends in a small provincial town whose lives are changed forever by a visiting rock band.
Hristov’s film also won the Russian Film Critics Prize and the award from the jury of the Federation of Russian Film Clubs
Looking back on the week, Annaud said that the jury’s deliberations had been “a very easy conversation” and spoke warmly of “an extraordinarily friendly jury” whose members included...
- 6/26/2015
- by screen.berlin@googlemail.com (Martin Blaney)
- ScreenDaily
Holocaust drama won the Grand Prix at Cannes last month.
Hungary has selected Laszlo Nemes’ Son of Saul (Saul fia) as its official entry in the Foreign-Language Film category of the Academy Awards.
Review: Son of Saul
The film, which won the Grand Prix at the Cannes Film Festival last month, is believed to be the first to be selected for next year’s foreign category.
The unanimous decision was made at a meeting of the Hungarian Oscar Selection Committee, which comprised director Krisztina Deak, director Kriszta Goda, Agnes Havas, CEO of the Hungarian National Film Fund, university lecturer Andras Balint Kovacs, cinematographer Tibor Mate, film distribution expert Andras Kalman and Andrew G. Vajna, the government film commissioner.
Son Of Saul is set during the Second World War and centres on a Hungarian Jewish prisoner assigned to work in one of the crematoria of Auschwitz who, finding a body he believes is his son, sets out to...
Hungary has selected Laszlo Nemes’ Son of Saul (Saul fia) as its official entry in the Foreign-Language Film category of the Academy Awards.
Review: Son of Saul
The film, which won the Grand Prix at the Cannes Film Festival last month, is believed to be the first to be selected for next year’s foreign category.
The unanimous decision was made at a meeting of the Hungarian Oscar Selection Committee, which comprised director Krisztina Deak, director Kriszta Goda, Agnes Havas, CEO of the Hungarian National Film Fund, university lecturer Andras Balint Kovacs, cinematographer Tibor Mate, film distribution expert Andras Kalman and Andrew G. Vajna, the government film commissioner.
Son Of Saul is set during the Second World War and centres on a Hungarian Jewish prisoner assigned to work in one of the crematoria of Auschwitz who, finding a body he believes is his son, sets out to...
- 6/11/2015
- by michael.rosser@screendaily.com (Michael Rosser)
- ScreenDaily
Alexey German Jr.’s Under Electric Clouds has become the first high-profile title to fall victim to Ukraine’s new distribution ban on Russian films and TV series, which came into effect last week.
One law entitled ¨On the Protection of the Information, TV and Radio Space of Ukraine¨ forbids all audiovisual works that contain the ¨popularization, agitation for, propagation about all law enforcement agencies, the armed forces, and other armed, military or security forces of the occupier state¨ from being shown on Ukrainian territory.
In addition, a law banning the distribution and showing of films and TV series produced in Russia after January 1, 2014, came into force at the same time, according to Unian Information Agency.
The ban coincided with the film’s theatrical opening by distributor Paradis in Russian cinemas and was all the more surprising given that German’s film was made as a co-production between Russia, Ukraine and Poland between Artem Vasiliev’s Metrafilm...
One law entitled ¨On the Protection of the Information, TV and Radio Space of Ukraine¨ forbids all audiovisual works that contain the ¨popularization, agitation for, propagation about all law enforcement agencies, the armed forces, and other armed, military or security forces of the occupier state¨ from being shown on Ukrainian territory.
In addition, a law banning the distribution and showing of films and TV series produced in Russia after January 1, 2014, came into force at the same time, according to Unian Information Agency.
The ban coincided with the film’s theatrical opening by distributor Paradis in Russian cinemas and was all the more surprising given that German’s film was made as a co-production between Russia, Ukraine and Poland between Artem Vasiliev’s Metrafilm...
- 6/10/2015
- by screen.berlin@googlemail.com (Martin Blaney)
- ScreenDaily
A bullish Andy Vajna has hailed the work of the Hungarian Film Fund in galvanizing film production in the country and “cleaning up the mess” left after the dissolution of the debt-ridden Hungarian Motion Picture Foundation (Mmka).
The Terminator 3 and Die Hard With a Vengence producer also confimred he would stay at the helm of the Fund until at least 2018.
Holocaust drama Son Of Saul from young director Laszlo Nemes, riding high in Screen’s Cannes Competition critics’ poll, was developed and financed by the Fund. This follows on from the success another Fund-backed film, Kornél Mundruczó’s Un Certain Regard award winner White God enjoyed last year.
“We hope to continue trying to create films that provide interest for festivals and we are working very hard on create movies that work for audiences at home,” Vajna commented of the twin-pronged strtagey the Fund is pursuing.
“We have changed a little bit the world opinion about Hungarian...
The Terminator 3 and Die Hard With a Vengence producer also confimred he would stay at the helm of the Fund until at least 2018.
Holocaust drama Son Of Saul from young director Laszlo Nemes, riding high in Screen’s Cannes Competition critics’ poll, was developed and financed by the Fund. This follows on from the success another Fund-backed film, Kornél Mundruczó’s Un Certain Regard award winner White God enjoyed last year.
“We hope to continue trying to create films that provide interest for festivals and we are working very hard on create movies that work for audiences at home,” Vajna commented of the twin-pronged strtagey the Fund is pursuing.
“We have changed a little bit the world opinion about Hungarian...
- 5/18/2015
- by geoffrey@macnab.demon.co.uk (Geoffrey Macnab)
- ScreenDaily
We chat to legendary producer Mario Kassar about the return of Carolco, its forthcoming sci-fi film Bot, Hollywood studios, and more...
First Blood. Total Recall. Terminator 2. For a generation versed in the major action films of the 80s and 90s, the Carolco brand holds a special place in the memory. Its distinctive logo became a byword for bold, often brash movies starring some of the biggest names of the day - not least Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Founded by producers Andrew Vajna and Mario Kassar in the 1970s, Carolco went from indie outsider to a company with the size and clout of a Hollywood major; the studio became famous - and infamous in some quarters - for its headline-grabbing deals. (Legend has it that, when Arnie signed up to make Terminator 2: Judgment Day, he was given a $17m private jet.)
At the height of its powers, Carolco was making smaller-scale,...
First Blood. Total Recall. Terminator 2. For a generation versed in the major action films of the 80s and 90s, the Carolco brand holds a special place in the memory. Its distinctive logo became a byword for bold, often brash movies starring some of the biggest names of the day - not least Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Founded by producers Andrew Vajna and Mario Kassar in the 1970s, Carolco went from indie outsider to a company with the size and clout of a Hollywood major; the studio became famous - and infamous in some quarters - for its headline-grabbing deals. (Legend has it that, when Arnie signed up to make Terminator 2: Judgment Day, he was given a $17m private jet.)
At the height of its powers, Carolco was making smaller-scale,...
- 3/23/2015
- by ryanlambie
- Den of Geek
The Hungarian film industry has been in turmoil in recent years. Rambo producer Andy Vajna was appointed film commissioner at the national film fund and assigned to put the industry back in order. He has proved a divisive figure, too populist in his tastes for the old guard, but White God is one of the first batch of features backed by the fund under Vajna's direction. It's a tremendous film, an epic tale about an abandoned dog that has a grittiness, surrealistic imagination and violence you'll never find in any Disney movie.
- 2/27/2015
- The Independent - Film
Almost 20 years after it closed, Carolco is back. CEO Alex Bafer tells us about its revival and a "very big" future sci-fi blockbuster.
At the height of its 80s and 90s powers, Carolco was one of the biggest independent film studios in Hollywood. Its distinctive logo appeared on some of the most successful movies of the era - the Rambo series, Terminator 2, Total Recall, Basic Instinct - but the studio also found a place for smaller-scale, unique films such as Angel Heart and Jacob's Ladder.
Then a combination of recession, a faltering TV and home video label and cinematic misfires - not least the infamous Cutthroat Island - saw Carolco file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in December 1992. And with that, Carolco seemed to be finished.
On the 20th January, however, it was announced that the Carolco brand is back. A company once called Brick Top Productions has acquired the Carolco name,...
At the height of its 80s and 90s powers, Carolco was one of the biggest independent film studios in Hollywood. Its distinctive logo appeared on some of the most successful movies of the era - the Rambo series, Terminator 2, Total Recall, Basic Instinct - but the studio also found a place for smaller-scale, unique films such as Angel Heart and Jacob's Ladder.
Then a combination of recession, a faltering TV and home video label and cinematic misfires - not least the infamous Cutthroat Island - saw Carolco file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in December 1992. And with that, Carolco seemed to be finished.
On the 20th January, however, it was announced that the Carolco brand is back. A company once called Brick Top Productions has acquired the Carolco name,...
- 1/25/2015
- by ryanlambie
- Den of Geek
Event returns in Budapest after being dogged by controversy
The Hungarian Film Week made its return last night more than two years after it was shut down amidst a bitter dispute between former Hungarian Film Fund CEO Andrew Vajna and renowned arthouse director Béla Tarr.
The festival opened with a screening of a digitally restored version of Mihály Kertész’s Hungarian silent classic The Exile (A tolonc/1914). Kertész himself would later move to the Us and change his name to Michael Curtiz, where he directed Casablanca.
The Exile, a melodrama of lost parents, stolen honour and passion, was accompanied by a new score composed by Attila Pacsay, performed by a 52-member live orchestra. Held at the Palace of Arts’ Béla Bartók National Concert Hall, attendees at the opening included Oscar-winning Hungarian director István Szabó.
Over the coming days, the Hungarian Film Week - organised by the Hungarian National Film Fund, National Media and...
The Hungarian Film Week made its return last night more than two years after it was shut down amidst a bitter dispute between former Hungarian Film Fund CEO Andrew Vajna and renowned arthouse director Béla Tarr.
The festival opened with a screening of a digitally restored version of Mihály Kertész’s Hungarian silent classic The Exile (A tolonc/1914). Kertész himself would later move to the Us and change his name to Michael Curtiz, where he directed Casablanca.
The Exile, a melodrama of lost parents, stolen honour and passion, was accompanied by a new score composed by Attila Pacsay, performed by a 52-member live orchestra. Held at the Palace of Arts’ Béla Bartók National Concert Hall, attendees at the opening included Oscar-winning Hungarian director István Szabó.
Over the coming days, the Hungarian Film Week - organised by the Hungarian National Film Fund, National Media and...
- 10/14/2014
- ScreenDaily
Cannes award-winner to be considered for nomination in the Academy Awards’ Best Foreign Language Film category.
Kornél Mundruczó’s White God (Fehér Isten) has been selected as the official Hungarian entry for the 87th Academy Awards.
The film, which won the Un Certain Regard prize at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, will now be considered for nomination in the Best Foreign Language Film category.
The Hungary-Germany-Sweden co-production centres on a girl who runs away from home to search for her dog. Sales are handled by The Match Factory.
It marked a triumphant return to Cannes for Mundruczo, who was previously in Competition in 2008 with Delta, which won the Fipresci prize, and in 2010 with Tender Son: The Frankenstein Project. His feature Johanna played in Un Certain Regard in 2005.
It was also a triumph for for Body, the dog who played Hagen in White God, who became the first canine ever to be invited on stage with Thierry...
Kornél Mundruczó’s White God (Fehér Isten) has been selected as the official Hungarian entry for the 87th Academy Awards.
The film, which won the Un Certain Regard prize at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, will now be considered for nomination in the Best Foreign Language Film category.
The Hungary-Germany-Sweden co-production centres on a girl who runs away from home to search for her dog. Sales are handled by The Match Factory.
It marked a triumphant return to Cannes for Mundruczo, who was previously in Competition in 2008 with Delta, which won the Fipresci prize, and in 2010 with Tender Son: The Frankenstein Project. His feature Johanna played in Un Certain Regard in 2005.
It was also a triumph for for Body, the dog who played Hagen in White God, who became the first canine ever to be invited on stage with Thierry...
- 8/6/2014
- by michael.rosser@screendaily.com (Michael Rosser)
- ScreenDaily
Feature Ryan Lambie 11 Mar 2014 - 05:39
In the late 80s, Carolco was one of the biggest studios in Hollywood, but by 1995, it was gone. Ryan charts its dramatic rise and fall...
Paul Verhoeven is not a happy man. It's 1994, and the Dutch director of (among other things) RoboCop and Total Recall is in a pivotal meeting with executives at Carolco Pictures. They're in the boardroom to discuss Crusade: a lavish, $100m historical drama described as Spartacus meets Conan.
With a script by Walon Green (The Wild Bunch, WarGames), and a cast headed up by Arnold Schwarzenegger, it sounds like the kind of star-filled, opulent film Carolco Pictures is famous for making. The supporting cast includes Jennifer Connelly and Robert Duvall. The script is vibrant and brash. There are massive sets being built in rural Spain. But privately, Carolco's bosses are anxious; they have another hugely expensive project in the works...
In the late 80s, Carolco was one of the biggest studios in Hollywood, but by 1995, it was gone. Ryan charts its dramatic rise and fall...
Paul Verhoeven is not a happy man. It's 1994, and the Dutch director of (among other things) RoboCop and Total Recall is in a pivotal meeting with executives at Carolco Pictures. They're in the boardroom to discuss Crusade: a lavish, $100m historical drama described as Spartacus meets Conan.
With a script by Walon Green (The Wild Bunch, WarGames), and a cast headed up by Arnold Schwarzenegger, it sounds like the kind of star-filled, opulent film Carolco Pictures is famous for making. The supporting cast includes Jennifer Connelly and Robert Duvall. The script is vibrant and brash. There are massive sets being built in rural Spain. But privately, Carolco's bosses are anxious; they have another hugely expensive project in the works...
- 3/10/2014
- by ryanlambie
- Den of Geek
What’s your favourite action movie? Die Hard? Predator? The Hunt for Red October? John McTiernan, their director, is unarguably a true master of Western action cinema, and this writer is a huge fan of his work. Sure, there’s been a few missteps, your Last Action Heroes and your Rollerballs, but he’s an incredibly talented filmmaker beloved the world over.
And like many people, you may be wondering what happened to John? Why hasn’t he made a movie in so long?
Well, it’s because he’s been imprisoned for the last six months after a lengthy legal battle which prevented him from working- it’s a labyrinthine set of events to explain, and was perhaps best done so by Buzzfeed’s Michael Hastings. Hastings was the first major journalist in America to investigate the affair, before his untimely and tragic death earlier this year.
Gail Sistrunk Mctiernan is John’s wife,...
And like many people, you may be wondering what happened to John? Why hasn’t he made a movie in so long?
Well, it’s because he’s been imprisoned for the last six months after a lengthy legal battle which prevented him from working- it’s a labyrinthine set of events to explain, and was perhaps best done so by Buzzfeed’s Michael Hastings. Hastings was the first major journalist in America to investigate the affair, before his untimely and tragic death earlier this year.
Gail Sistrunk Mctiernan is John’s wife,...
- 10/22/2013
- by Oscar Harding
- Obsessed with Film
Moscow -- The European Commission has approved the extension of Hungary’s tax rebate system for film crews in a move that local film officials say is set to make the country more attractive for foreign filmmakers. The scheme, under which film production companies -- both foreign and local -- can claim 20 percent of their costs, is to remain in place through Dec. 31, 2019. Story: Bavaria Film Group Partners with Origo Film Studios "I think it’s a fantastic tool for producers," Andrew G. Vajna, Government Commissioner for the Renewal of the National Film Industry, told The Hollywood Reporter by phone. "It lowers the
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- 9/26/2013
- by Vladimir Kozlov
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
With three more instalments in the works, it's the sci-fi franchise that keeps coming back – but will Arnold Schwarzenegger be along for the ride?
The Terminator will be back – and this time it's official. Paramount film studios have announced that the first in a projected trilogy of new films based around the character of the unstoppable cyborg killer is being planned for release in June 2015. It will be the fifth feature film in the series: the last, Terminator Salvation, was released in 2009 to widespread critical derision and underperformed commercially.
There is no confirmation as to whether Arnold Schwarzenegger will return to the role that made him a global star, but he has been heavily linked to a projected fifth film after appearing only as a CGI image in Terminator Salvation. However, Schwarzenegger told fans two weeks ago that he would be involved and that shooting would start in January 2014. Paramount...
The Terminator will be back – and this time it's official. Paramount film studios have announced that the first in a projected trilogy of new films based around the character of the unstoppable cyborg killer is being planned for release in June 2015. It will be the fifth feature film in the series: the last, Terminator Salvation, was released in 2009 to widespread critical derision and underperformed commercially.
There is no confirmation as to whether Arnold Schwarzenegger will return to the role that made him a global star, but he has been heavily linked to a projected fifth film after appearing only as a CGI image in Terminator Salvation. However, Schwarzenegger told fans two weeks ago that he would be involved and that shooting would start in January 2014. Paramount...
- 6/28/2013
- by Andrew Pulver
- The Guardian - Film News
Syfy has picked up all 31 episodes of the TV series "Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles", planning a special network launch April 7, 2011.
Debuting on Fox, "Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles" was produced by 20th Century Fox Television, Warner Bros. Television and C2 Pictures (C2 was replaced by The Halcyon Company starting with Season 2).
The spin-off from the "Terminator" series of films, follows the lives of 'Sarah' (Lena Headey) and 'John Connor' (Thomas Dekker), following the events of director James Cameron's "Terminator 2: Judgment Day".
Production for the series was provided by "Terminator 2"/"Terminator 3" producers and C2 Pictures Sony Pictures Entertainment (International) co-presidents, Mario Kassar/Andrew G. Vajna, C2 Senior Vice President James Middleton, David Nutter and Josh Friedman.
"Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles" was the highest-rated new scripted series of the 2007-08 television season.
The pilot episode, set in 1999, introduces Sarah, her son John and 'Cameron' (Summer Glau), a female...
Debuting on Fox, "Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles" was produced by 20th Century Fox Television, Warner Bros. Television and C2 Pictures (C2 was replaced by The Halcyon Company starting with Season 2).
The spin-off from the "Terminator" series of films, follows the lives of 'Sarah' (Lena Headey) and 'John Connor' (Thomas Dekker), following the events of director James Cameron's "Terminator 2: Judgment Day".
Production for the series was provided by "Terminator 2"/"Terminator 3" producers and C2 Pictures Sony Pictures Entertainment (International) co-presidents, Mario Kassar/Andrew G. Vajna, C2 Senior Vice President James Middleton, David Nutter and Josh Friedman.
"Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles" was the highest-rated new scripted series of the 2007-08 television season.
The pilot episode, set in 1999, introduces Sarah, her son John and 'Cameron' (Summer Glau), a female...
- 2/23/2011
- by Michael Stevens
- SneakPeek
Part II: The Producers Take Back The Reins
By the late 1970s, the tremendous creative license the major studios under a new generation of production chiefs had granted the young tyros of the 1960s – Coppola, Scorsese, et al – had expired as each managed to deliver at least one, major, back-breaking flop. For Scorsese, it had been the grim musical New York, New York (1977, $13.8 million U.S. vs. a budget of $14 million); Peter Bogdanovich turned out a streak of losers including period piece Daisy Miller (1974), comedy Nickelodeon (1976), and another disastrous musical, At Long Last Love (1975, $1.5 million U.S./$6 million cost); after the back-to-back hits of The French Connection and The Exorcist, William Friedkin delivered Sorcerer (1977, $6 million U.S. against a crushing $22 million cost); and Francis Coppola, after a string of commercial and/or critical home runs including The Godfather (1972), The Conversation (1974), The Godfather Part II (1974), and Apocalypse Now (1979), turned out One from the Heart...
By the late 1970s, the tremendous creative license the major studios under a new generation of production chiefs had granted the young tyros of the 1960s – Coppola, Scorsese, et al – had expired as each managed to deliver at least one, major, back-breaking flop. For Scorsese, it had been the grim musical New York, New York (1977, $13.8 million U.S. vs. a budget of $14 million); Peter Bogdanovich turned out a streak of losers including period piece Daisy Miller (1974), comedy Nickelodeon (1976), and another disastrous musical, At Long Last Love (1975, $1.5 million U.S./$6 million cost); after the back-to-back hits of The French Connection and The Exorcist, William Friedkin delivered Sorcerer (1977, $6 million U.S. against a crushing $22 million cost); and Francis Coppola, after a string of commercial and/or critical home runs including The Godfather (1972), The Conversation (1974), The Godfather Part II (1974), and Apocalypse Now (1979), turned out One from the Heart...
- 11/22/2010
- by Bill Mesce
- SoundOnSight
Moscow -- The international film forum, which was held from May 2 to 5 in St. Petersburg to commemorate the 65th anniversary of the end of World War II, is to be turned into an international film festival as of next year, organizers said at the closing press conference on Wednesday.
"Representatives of all five Hollywood majors who were participating in the forum backed the idea of a fully-fledged international film festival in St Petersburg," said Alla Manilova, the city's vice governor and head of the forum's organizing committee, adding that U.S. producer Andrew G. Vajna, who also attended the forum, was also in favor of the idea and promised support.
The forum's program director Andrei Plakhov said that the new festival is most likely to have a more general focus than just war cinema, which was the main theme of this year's forum, but the details are still to be worked out.
"Representatives of all five Hollywood majors who were participating in the forum backed the idea of a fully-fledged international film festival in St Petersburg," said Alla Manilova, the city's vice governor and head of the forum's organizing committee, adding that U.S. producer Andrew G. Vajna, who also attended the forum, was also in favor of the idea and promised support.
The forum's program director Andrei Plakhov said that the new festival is most likely to have a more general focus than just war cinema, which was the main theme of this year's forum, but the details are still to be worked out.
- 5/6/2010
- by By Vladimir Kozlov
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Moscow – To celebrate the 65th anniversary of the end of World War II, the government of St Petersburg is launching an international film forum, scheduled to be held in Russia's "cultural capital" from May 2 through 5.
The event's organizers said that the mission of the forum, which is to feature screenings, retrospectives, photography exhibitions, round-table discussions and conferences focused on war-themed cinema, is "to use the language of cinema to discuss issues of peace in the world and the improvement of relations between different generations and different cultures."
With renowned Russian film director Alexei German as the forum's president, the event is to feature the premieres of Florian Gallenberger's "John Rabe," Lancelot von Naso's "Ceasefire" and several recent Russian features.
Among the forum's guests are expected to be directors Fyodor Bondarchuk and Alexander Sokurov, actor Antonio Banderas, producer Andrew G. Vajna, actress Melanie Griffith and head of Twentieth Century Fox Cis Hans-Bodo Mueller.
The event's organizers said that the mission of the forum, which is to feature screenings, retrospectives, photography exhibitions, round-table discussions and conferences focused on war-themed cinema, is "to use the language of cinema to discuss issues of peace in the world and the improvement of relations between different generations and different cultures."
With renowned Russian film director Alexei German as the forum's president, the event is to feature the premieres of Florian Gallenberger's "John Rabe," Lancelot von Naso's "Ceasefire" and several recent Russian features.
Among the forum's guests are expected to be directors Fyodor Bondarchuk and Alexander Sokurov, actor Antonio Banderas, producer Andrew G. Vajna, actress Melanie Griffith and head of Twentieth Century Fox Cis Hans-Bodo Mueller.
- 4/28/2010
- by By Vladimir Kozlov
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Deadline Hollywood is reporting that the Halcyon Holding Corp. has sold the Terminator rights to Santa Barbara-based hedge fund Pacificor. The rights were sold for $29.5 million, and what's particularly interesting is that Halcyon has previously accused Pacificor of extortion, bribery, and fraud and demanded $30 million in damages. Coincidence?
In May 2007 rights to the Terminator series were sold by producers Andy Vajna and Mario Kassar to the privately funded Halcyon for a reported $30 million. At that time Pacificor lent Halcyon the money to complete the deal. With this next stage of the rights process, Halcyon will receive $5 million for every Terminator movie made from now on, as well as retaining the revenue streams from the third and fourth Terminator movies.
According to the deal, the sale has now wiped out the debt Halcyon owed to Pacificor and all the other creditors.
Georgine Waller
>> Real the whole article | on Screenrush - Tuesday...
In May 2007 rights to the Terminator series were sold by producers Andy Vajna and Mario Kassar to the privately funded Halcyon for a reported $30 million. At that time Pacificor lent Halcyon the money to complete the deal. With this next stage of the rights process, Halcyon will receive $5 million for every Terminator movie made from now on, as well as retaining the revenue streams from the third and fourth Terminator movies.
According to the deal, the sale has now wiped out the debt Halcyon owed to Pacificor and all the other creditors.
Georgine Waller
>> Real the whole article | on Screenrush - Tuesday...
- 2/9/2010
- Screenrush
Deadline is reporting tonight that while both Lionsgate and Sony Pictures were bidding to get their hands on the rights to any and all upcoming Terminator films, television programs and any other franchise spin-offs, neither walked away the winner. Instead Halcyon Holding Corp sold the rights for $29.5 million to Santa Barbara hedge fund Pacificor, the same group Halcyon sued back in August and is partly the reason Halcyon had to sell the Terminator rights, as they faced Chapter 11 due to monies due the hedge fund.
Nikki Finke's report says Sony Pictures Entertainment's president of worldwide affairs Peter Schlessel was caused to "storm out" of the Downtown La offices when it became clear Pacificor "was willing to pay almost any amount of money for Terminator."
Pacificor lent Halcyon the money necessary to purchase the rights to the franchise back in May of 2007 when producers Andy Vajna and Mario Kassar sold them to Halcyon for $30 million.
Nikki Finke's report says Sony Pictures Entertainment's president of worldwide affairs Peter Schlessel was caused to "storm out" of the Downtown La offices when it became clear Pacificor "was willing to pay almost any amount of money for Terminator."
Pacificor lent Halcyon the money necessary to purchase the rights to the franchise back in May of 2007 when producers Andy Vajna and Mario Kassar sold them to Halcyon for $30 million.
- 2/9/2010
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
In the biggest auction since, well, since some big auction somewhere, the bidding war has ended for the Terminator franchise.Both Sony and Lionsgate were bidding on the property. So who won? More from Deadline: But the studios didn't come away the winners -- which, I'm told, prompted a furious Sony Pictures Entertainment's president of worldwide affairs Peter Schlessel to "storm out" of the Downtown La offices of Fti Capital Advisors which was holding the auction. Instead, Halcyon Holding Corp accepted the $29.5 million bid from, of all parties, the debtholder which pushed it into bankruptcy, Santa Barbara-based hedge fund Pacificor. (This is the same Pacificor whom Halcyon accused in a lawsuit of extortion, bribery, and fraud and demanded $30M in damages.) Tonight, Sony and Lionsgate dropped out at just under $29.5 million when it became clear that Pacificor "was willing to pay almost any amount of money for Terminator," an insider tells me.
- 2/9/2010
- LRMonline.com
Halcyon Holding Group's auction of the Terminator intellectual rights could trigger a fifth film in the franchise
It's the plot-twist staple that has kept the Terminator franchise going since 1984: just when you think it's dead, suddenly it flickers back into life ready to wreak more havoc. And the same is true of the rights to the story itself, which will shortly change hands once again and most likely trigger production of a fifth Terminator film. The current owner of the franchise, the Halcyon Holding Group, is planning to auction the Terminator this month after it filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in August 2009.
The financial history of the Terminator series has almost as many twists as the movies themselves. Each instalment in the series was made by a different company after a corporate acquisition of intellectual rights. The first film was made by James Cameron in 1984 for pioneering independent outfit...
It's the plot-twist staple that has kept the Terminator franchise going since 1984: just when you think it's dead, suddenly it flickers back into life ready to wreak more havoc. And the same is true of the rights to the story itself, which will shortly change hands once again and most likely trigger production of a fifth Terminator film. The current owner of the franchise, the Halcyon Holding Group, is planning to auction the Terminator this month after it filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in August 2009.
The financial history of the Terminator series has almost as many twists as the movies themselves. Each instalment in the series was made by a different company after a corporate acquisition of intellectual rights. The first film was made by James Cameron in 1984 for pioneering independent outfit...
- 1/14/2010
- by Andrew Pulver
- The Guardian - Film News
No major film franchise has been owned by as many people as the Terminator series. The future of the franchise was called into question recently when current owners Halcyon were forced to file for bankruptcy, but as a new piece in the La Times points out, rights shuffling almost seems like standard operating procedure if you're in the Terminator business. Halcyon Holding Group's Derek Anderson and Victor Kubicek bought the Terminator rights in 2007, paying $25m for the privilege of making Terminator: Salvation. The Terminator rights had been split prior to 1997, with Gale Anne Hurd owning 50% and a variety of companies owning the balance at different times. In 1997 former Carolco producers Mario Kassar and Andrew Vajna unified the rights by purchasing the stake from the bankrupt Carolco as well as Hurd's half. Then, ten years later, they sold the total package to Halcyon. But despite the relative success of ...
- 9/29/2009
- by Russ Fischer
- Slash Film
It looks as if another franchise could end up being a victim to the economic recession. The rights to the lucrative Terminator movie series are up for sale yet again. The La Times reports Derek Anderson and Victor Kubicek, who acquired the science-fiction franchise in 2007 for $25 million and produced Terminator: Salvation, are looking to sell the rights as they work through a Chapter 11 reorganization.
But fans shouldn’t get too worried about never seeing their favorite Terminator model on the silver screen again. There’s a long history of franchise rights changing hands over the years.
At the time of release in 1984, production company Hemdale Films owned a 50% interest and director James Cameron sold the other half to producer Gale Anne Hurd for $1. Carolco Pictures, owned by producers Mario Kassar and Andrew Vajna, bought Hemdale’s stake in 1990 for $10 million, but filed for bankruptcy in 1997.
Kassar and Vajna then created C2 Pictures,...
But fans shouldn’t get too worried about never seeing their favorite Terminator model on the silver screen again. There’s a long history of franchise rights changing hands over the years.
At the time of release in 1984, production company Hemdale Films owned a 50% interest and director James Cameron sold the other half to producer Gale Anne Hurd for $1. Carolco Pictures, owned by producers Mario Kassar and Andrew Vajna, bought Hemdale’s stake in 1990 for $10 million, but filed for bankruptcy in 1997.
Kassar and Vajna then created C2 Pictures,...
- 9/29/2009
- by Jennifer Tomooka
- The Flickcast
The story behind the scenes of Terminator Salvation is quite an interesting one [1], and pretty abnormal for such a major franchise sequel. Hollywood newcomers Derek Anderson and Victor Kubicek managed to score the rights to the Terminator franchise back in 2006 when they received a hot tip that they would be up for grabs after the previous owners, Andrew Vajna and Mario Kassar, dissolved their partnership. They were able to anonymously purchase the rights and land financing, before moving on to score distribution deals with Warner Brothers and Sony -- all without any experience producing movies outside of an indie comedy called Cook-Off! [2]. The general feeling from all parties involved was that the franchise was way more valuable than what they were paying for it, however, Terminator Salvation ultimately underperformed... which is an odd thing to say about a movie that made $370 million worldwide. Fast-forward to today, where Anderson and Kubicek...
- 9/29/2009
- by Sean
- FilmJunk
If you were unhappy with the direction that the Terminator franchise took with Salvation, why not put your money where your mouth is - and buy the rights? Yes, troubled license owners Derek Anderson and Victor Kubicek, who have several companies in bankruptcy and are facing lawsuits from other partners, are offering the franchise rights for sale. Their deal for the Terminator elements originally cost them around $25 million, paid to previous owners Mario Kassar and Andrew Vajna, who had put out Terminator 2 and 3. But with their...
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- 9/29/2009
- by James White
- TotalFilm
While it is presented in many different forms with subtle variations on theme, most science fiction can essentially be boiled down to the great debate over science versus religion. That’s what The X-Files was about, it’s what Battlestar Galactica was about, what Lost is about, and it’s certainly what this serialized incarnation of James Cameron’s seminal blockbuster franchise, now sadly canceled, is all about.
All too aware of the unparalleled length of the shadow in which it stands, series producers Mario Kassar and Andrew G. Vajna (whose involvement goes all the way back to T2) quickly found their own voice with the series and set out in a bold new direction. Having already established that Sarah Conner was dead by the time of Terminator 3, and knowing John was a child in T2 the series utilized the pre-existing plot device of time travel, cleverly or conveniently depending on how you read it,...
All too aware of the unparalleled length of the shadow in which it stands, series producers Mario Kassar and Andrew G. Vajna (whose involvement goes all the way back to T2) quickly found their own voice with the series and set out in a bold new direction. Having already established that Sarah Conner was dead by the time of Terminator 3, and knowing John was a child in T2 the series utilized the pre-existing plot device of time travel, cleverly or conveniently depending on how you read it,...
- 9/21/2009
- by Neil Pedley
- JustPressPlay.net
Hollywood: the only city in the world where having lunch at the right Italian cafe could net you millions of dollars. Two fledgling producers named Derek Anderson and Victor Kubicek parlayed a tip from a dining partner into a deal for the rights to the Terminator series, resulting in Terminator Salvation and a deal that entitles them to "rake in half of any profits that might come from box-office, DVD and television sales as well as all the proceeds from a new video game and other consumer products," reports the Los Angeles Times. Dreams do come true -- as long as you can talk somebody else into forking over millions of dollars to reward your moxie, good timing, and luck.
It's a fascinating story, and well worth reading for anyone interested in the business side of Hollywood -- and for anyone who wonders, "What's a producer?" In this case, newbie...
It's a fascinating story, and well worth reading for anyone interested in the business side of Hollywood -- and for anyone who wonders, "What's a producer?" In this case, newbie...
- 5/26/2009
- by Peter Martin
- Cinematical
There are now so many clips for the epic “Terminator Salvation” that you might have to tread carefully in order to stay unspoiled, but if you fancy getting to know the film even better before you park yourself into a comfy (or maybe not) cinema seat, then head over to MTV for another couple of previously unseen clips from the film.
Also, if by some miracle you haven’t seen the first trailer yet or pictures from the awesome L.A. premiere, then we obviously have you covered for that too. We’re also giving away some books in a free competition so make sure you enter if you haven’t already.
The film is released in the U.S. on May 21st and in the U.K. on June 3rd.
Synopsis: Judgment Day has come and gone, leveling modern civilization. An army of Terminators roams the post-apocalyptic landscape, killing...
Also, if by some miracle you haven’t seen the first trailer yet or pictures from the awesome L.A. premiere, then we obviously have you covered for that too. We’re also giving away some books in a free competition so make sure you enter if you haven’t already.
The film is released in the U.S. on May 21st and in the U.K. on June 3rd.
Synopsis: Judgment Day has come and gone, leveling modern civilization. An army of Terminators roams the post-apocalyptic landscape, killing...
- 5/19/2009
- by Paul Larn
- The Cinema Post
“Terminator Salvation” made it’s glitzy bow last night in Hollywood for a special world premiere event at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre.
All of the stars of the film were in attendance, as were a bunch of other Hollywood actors and starlets. Check out our gallery below, and let us know which are your favorite pics! Click a photo for hi-res versions where available. Also, don’t forget to keep checking The Cinema Post for all the latest Terminator news as it breaks!
“Judgment Day has come and gone, leveling modern civilization. An army of Terminators roams the post-apocalyptic landscape, killing or collecting humans where they hide. Controlling the Terminators is the artificial intelligence network Skynet, which became self-aware 14 years earlier, and unleashed nuclear annihilation on an unsuspecting world. Only one man saw Judgment Day coming: John Connor. Now the world is on the brink of the future that Connor...
All of the stars of the film were in attendance, as were a bunch of other Hollywood actors and starlets. Check out our gallery below, and let us know which are your favorite pics! Click a photo for hi-res versions where available. Also, don’t forget to keep checking The Cinema Post for all the latest Terminator news as it breaks!
“Judgment Day has come and gone, leveling modern civilization. An army of Terminators roams the post-apocalyptic landscape, killing or collecting humans where they hide. Controlling the Terminators is the artificial intelligence network Skynet, which became self-aware 14 years earlier, and unleashed nuclear annihilation on an unsuspecting world. Only one man saw Judgment Day coming: John Connor. Now the world is on the brink of the future that Connor...
- 5/15/2009
- by Paul Larn
- The Cinema Post
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