MARCH, 4

MOVIES RELEASED

1-STAR WARS: NEW ORDER

Sci-Fi / Action
Directed by Steven Spielberg
Produced by George Lucas
Starring Tobey Maguire, Catherine Z. Jones, Daniel Craig, Adrian Brody, Katie Holmes, Patrick Stewart, Jeremy London

Box Office: 229 mill.
Net Gains: 250 mill.

CMP Reaction: YES! New CMP’s Top 1. First CMP movie breaking the 200 mill. barrier with HM's v38. A mixed feeling of joy and relief for the Studio.

2-RED LIGHT

Love Story / Drama
Directed by Joel Schumacher
Produced by Demi Moore
Starring Demi Moore, Ashton Kutchner, Jane Fonda, Gene Hackman, Alicia Silverstone
Box Office: 29 mill.
Net Gains: 0.4 mill.

CMP Reaction: Who cares? Have you seen 'Star Wars: New Order' box office? Well, beside that, an even result. Costs recovered for this difficult product.

THE MOVING THUMBS

1-STAR WARS: NEW ORDER

“It has taken 30 years to make another good Star Wars movie. Well, maybe this is exaggerated. But Spielberg has recovered the fresh epic spirit adventure of the first trilogy after the consecutive deceptions of Episodes I, II and III. A delicious show of talent and a promising beginning of what looks like a new saga”
-Anne Roman, ‘The Critic’s Corner’

“Just perfect. Spielberg has arrived to rescue Star Wars. He has taken a brilliant screenplay, an appealing cast and all his directing experience to build up a magnificent story that bring us back to the times of ‘The Empire Strikes Back’, the last good Star Wars movie before Lucas lost the course of his saga. Thanx, Steven. We are back to the adventure!”
-Bob Felton, ‘The Critics Corner’

"5 stars for Spielberg's direction. 5 stars for cast choices. 5 star for Marcus Trax's screenplay. Only one thing worries me: how long will we have to wait to watch the sequel?"

-Bill Thompson, 'The Critics Corner'

2-RED LIGHT

“This movie is based in three premises: 1. There’s an amazing chemistry between Moore and Kutchner. 2. Moore is the sexiest star alive. 3. A concept pretty similar to Moore’s legendary flop ‘Striptease’ should be produced. If you think that all, some or any of these premises is false, run away from this movie.”
-Charlie Kiggs, ‘The Critic’s Corner’

“Only Joel Schumacher would dare to direct a movie like this. Only Demi Moore would dare to star it. Only Ashton Kutchner would have agreed to co-star. What are Jane Fonda and Gene Hackman doing here?”
-Amy Ratched, ‘The Critic’s Corner’

AWAITING RELEASE

1-THE LAST LAWMAN

The Cast: Will Smith, Halle Berry, Nicholas Cage, Gene Hackman

The Director: Robert Rodriguez

The Plot: In 2037 the world as we knew it came to an end. Society broke down as civilization’s thin veneer was stripped away and brother turned against brother until the holocaust had claimed 90% of mankind. In the end those who survived started to rebuild. That was 80 years ago. The town of Caroline has been under the thumb of the Cord family for as long as most folks can remember. They control everything and do whatever they please with it. Justice under the law was a half-forgotten legend. Until the day Jim Brannock (W.Smith) rode into town wearing a US Marshall’s star. Almost from the moment he arrives the battle is joined as Old Man Cord (G.Hackman), long accustomed to being king of the hill, tries to show Brannock that the law is what he says not some outdated code from another time. Along the way Brannock finds allies in the form of Rachel Hannagan (H.Berry), whose father was murdered by Elijah Cord (N.Cage), and the good people of Caroline who slowly come to realize that Cord’s Way isn’t the only way anymore. When the final showdown comes the Cords have the fight of their lives as Brannock leads the charge to take back the town, killing Elijah in the climatic gun battle in the streets and forcing Old Man Cord to cut and run.

The Comment: The ultimate CMP’s lonely hero (how many more can we expect?). A topstar cast that might guarantee a blockbuster and the beginning of a new saga. Feeling confident about it.

2-POOR LITTLE RICH BOY

The Cast: Jason Biggs, Jessica Alba, Diane Keaton, Eric Balfour, Brittany Murphy, Ben Foster.

The Director: Jay Roach

The Plot: Elliot (J. Biggs) is rich. He has everything a guy of his age may wish. He is directing one of his family’s Companies, has a beautiful girlfriend (B.Murphy), drives the best cars, travels in private jet and live in the fanciest apartment. But one day, after a drinking night, he wakes up in the dirty room of a cheap motel. And when he goes back to his world, nobody seems to recognize him. He has lost it all and it is like if he never existed. His dumb and vain brother (E.Balfour) is directing his Company and his conceited girlfriend is getting married with an old rival (B.Foster). He needs to make a living, so he finds a job at his own family mansion as butler, being mistreated by his strict mother (D.Keaton). So, while trying to discover what has happened, Elliot also tries to save his Company from ruin, recover his girlfriend and bring some humanity back to his mother. His only friend will be Maria (J.Alba), another servant at the mansion. Elliot will discover that things are not so easy when you are not rich. When, a few weeks later, after another drinking night, he wakes up and finds he’s back to his previous life, he will have learnt a lot about the people he knew and himself. And also, he will realize he has fallen in love with Maria.

The Comment: A new attempt to succeed with a teen comedy for the Studio after the disaster of ‘Don’t Stand So Close To Me’. As Zach Braff lost his chance of becoming the king of teen comedy for CMP, will Biggs take the crown? Biggs and Roach made a good team in ‘Entertaining Mrs. Sullivan’. The Studio expects they can repeat the success.


THE STAR PROFILE – GENE HACKMAN

Do you need someone to play a mature and wise man? Call Hackman. Do you need someone to play a mature intimidating and mean villain? Call Hackman. Do you need a great actor that can play any kind of supporting role over 60 years? Hackman is your man. One of the talents with a longest filmography of our days, he can play efficiently almost any kind of role. He always gives a touch of quality to any cast. And his presence in different kind of CMP’s movies proves it.

FILMOGRAPHY

DEADLY SINS (Sidney Pollack, B.O.: 143 mill.): Hackman was the killer hired by Robin Williams to kill his wife, Diane Keaton. Or did he do it by himself just because he was obsessed with her? One of Hackman’s classic solid performances. He got a GMA nomination for Best Supporting Actor as reward.

CHECKMATE (Curtis Hanson, B.O. : 45 mill.) : This time, Hackman was a nice and wise retired cop that provided Keanu Reeves with intelligent advices about how to deal with a serial killer. Hackman doesn’t mind accepting supporting roles if he feels he can contribute with something to a movie.

RED LIGHT (Joel Schumacher, B.O.: 29 mill.): Hackman becomes a conservative congressman not very happy with the idea of his son getting married with a porn star. But he has his own problem: he is married to a pretentious and strict high class lady, brilliantly played by Jane Fonda.

THE LAST LAWMAN (Robert Rodriguez, awaiting release): A villain for Hackman. Robert Rodriguez wanted him so much in the cast that the production has been stopped until Hackman finished his work in ‘Red Light’. A blockbuster in the horizon.


THE BLOG INTERVIEWS - JACK HAMMER
by Sylvia Capri

During a recent trip out to the west coast I got a chance to spend some time with CMP writer Jack Hammer at his office as he prepared to take the reins as director for the first time in his adaptation of the Raymond Chandler classic The Little Sister. Here’s how things went.

Sylvia Capri: Jack, thanks for having me over.
Jack Hammer: No problem, Sylvia, good to meet you.
SC: Ok, let’s get started shall we. First off how are things going with The Little Sister?
JH: Slowly right now. We’re still in the very early stages of pre-production. George and I got back from scouting locations yesterday.
SC: Really. I thought the story was set in LA, are you planning on changing that?
JH: No, we’re still in Los Angeles. But it’s Los Angeles during the 1940s. That’s a lot different from the modern LA, so we’ve had to look around a bit to find locations that match up with the time period.
SC: Ah, I understand. How about casting, I know that you have George Clooney both starring and producing, but is anyone else signed on yet?
JH: Not yet, we’re looking at Cameron Diaz, Angelina Jolie or Scarlett Johansson as the female lead; with some very talented character actors filling out the rest of the major parts. But you can never be sure when you’re working for Harry Stark.
SC: Is Stark tough to work with?
JH: No, not really. He’ll listen to your ideas but in the end he makes his own decisions. But it’s his studio and his money so he’s got a right to.
SC: How about Clooney, what’s it like working with him?
JH: George is fantastic. As producer he can over-ride my decisions if he has to, but he doesn’t. He knows that this is my baby and he does everything he can to make sure we get a great movie. In addition he’s been this route before with 'Dead Man’s Song' so he’s been a tremendous help to me. I couldn’t ask for a better producer for my debut as a director.
SC: Ok, fascinating as this is, you’ve got two scripts that you wrote in production right now so let’s talk about them. First tell us a little about The Last Lawman.
JH: The Last Lawman is the story of the travels of Marshal Jim Brannock, one of the last remaining US Marshals, as he brings justice to the battered remains of the American West 100 years after a combination of catastrophes destroys civilization. For a hundred years it’s been dog-eat-dog, scratch-a-living-out-of-mud survival with the cold ruthless bastards on top doing whatever they wanted. Suddenly this lone figure rides into the town of Caroline swearing to bring justice to the people in accordance with the laws of the United States. This puts him in direct opposition with the Cord family, who have run the town as their own private fief practically forever, and sets the stage for a great action story.
SC: Sounds great. Who have you got in it?
JH: After a considerable amount of searching we settled on Will Smith to play Brannock. I saw the preliminary cut last week and he does an absolutely fantastic job. You know Will is normally a pretty friendly guy, but here he is playing this tough laconic lawman. I swear he’s somehow channeling John Wayne. We’ve got Gene Hackman and Nick Cage as the villains, Old Man Cord and his son Elijah, and Halle Berry as the love interest. Gene is an old hand at playing just about any sort of character and he was our first pick for the role. Originally we had Mickey Rourke as Elijah Cord but he had to bow out. Our search for a replacement had us considering a number of actors but after we saw his performance as the evil Superman from 'Captain America vs. Superman' we took the script to Nick Cage. He loved it and accepted the role. For our part we’re delighted to have him. Finally we have six very highly regarded character actors to round out the important roles. Robert Rodriguez is directing. This will be his first picture for CMP since the failure of Dark Omens. Some people were leery about him but Harry and I both agreed that this is much more Rodriguez sort of movie and we have a lot of confidence in him.
SC: Speaking of “confidence”, I understand that the title of the third Uncommon Valour features that word and is being shot back-to-back with the second.
JH: Nice segue. Yes, Uncommon Valour 2 and 3 Broad Pendant and A Show of Confidence are currently shooting location scenes in Europe. We’ve already completed the location shots in Maine and the West Indies, so after we finish in England, Holland and Gibraltar we’re back to California. We’ll shoot on the frigates of San Diego and then come back to the studio for the interiors.
SC: I understand that Johnny Depp won’t be in the second but will be back for the third. Is that right?
JH: Yes. As you know Johnny’s character was sent back to France in disgrace at the end of The Frigate Captain, but you just can’t keep a good villain down so he returns in A Show of Confidence, having taken the place of master spy Gerard Leveque and from that position he plots his revenge on John and Tara.
SC: So who’s the bad guy in Broad Pendant if Depp is gone?
JH: We have several adversaries for our heroes but the two biggest are Colonel the Honorable Charles Courtenay, originally played by Julian McMahon and Lieutenant Robert Mason, Will and Tara’s brother who’ll be played by Jonathan Jackson.
SC: You said, “originally played”, I take it that McMahon won’t be back?
JH: Correct. I felt that after Johnny’s superb showing we needed a bigger name in that part and I was able to convince Harry, so we recast the part.
SC: Well, don’t keep us in suspense, with who?
JH: Leo DiCaprio.
SC: That’s quite a coup. DiCaprio has a rep for being pretty choosey about his roles. Think he’s angling for the best villain award next season?
JH: I wouldn’t be surprised. In any case he fits the role better than McMahon did.
SC: How about the rest of the cast?
JH: All back. After their performances in The Frigate Captain they really owned those roles any way. We’ve got a few new faces in A Show of Confidence, Jake Gyllenhaal as Lt. Reginald Trent, who does most of Depp’s dirty work; he has some fantastic scenes with Kiera Knightly, and Alan Rickman as Admiral George Rodney. Originally we wanted Sir Roger Moore for the role but unfortunately Sir Roger is retired and refused to be lured back even though he thoroughly enjoyed the first film and said some very nice things about the story. But Rickman gave us a wonderful screen test and is doing a fine job in his stead.
SC: Was there anyone else that you considered as a possible John Sinclair, Will Mason or Miss Tara?
JH: Not seriously. Those three suggestions came from John Stevens, the author of the books the films are based on. We looked to see if they were do-able but it was quickly apparent that they were, so we went with them.
SC: Any other casting secrets?
JH: The part of Dr. Fred Bassingford was written specifically for John Cleese. It was the only role that the author insisted upon casting himself. Of course, it helped that he’d already convinced Cleese to take the part.
SC: Ok we’ve talked about The Little Sister, The Last Lawman and Uncommon Valour, any more irons in the fire?
JH: Sure, I’ve never been one to rest on my laurels. I’ve just turned the script for The Law, the sequel that everyone wanted, to the movie no one saw – Hot Iron. Hopefully things will go better this time around. I understand that Harry wants a whole new production team and a new director this time around. In any event the only characters back from the first are the hero and villain played by Brad Pitt and Al Pacino. And last week Harry green-lighted Dive in the Sun a tense, action-packed World War Two submarine movie with an all-star cast based on the novel by Douglas Reeman.
SC: Really? Who’s in that one?
JH: Ewan McGregor, Orlando Bloom, Paul Bettany, and Hugh Jackman play the crew of a four-man midget sub assigned to a commando mission during the invasion of Italy in 1943. Their sub gets sunk and they have to fight their way home from behind enemy lines.
SC: Any hints about what happens?
JH: Not everyone makes it home, and that’s all I’m going to say. Actually I turned that one in before The Little Sister and The Last Lawman but it sat on Harry's desk for a while waiting for the right time to put it into production. I’ve got a few more waiting for the right time as well. A dark Western about a woman seeking revenge against the gang that killed her husband then raped her and left her for dead. Angelina Jolie’s interested in that one, but she’s doing some charity work right now. I think Harry may be holding it for her. There’s also a trilogy set during World War One that I’d really like to see made. We’ll see what happens.

We had to call a halt to things then as Hammer had a meeting with the set designer for The Little Sister.

MOVIES IN DEVELOPMENT

HOME: A stroke of luck for CMP. Just a few days before winning the Academy Award for Best Actor, Forest Whitaker signed the contract to play a cruel captain in this epic war drama. His recent award will attract even more attention to this quality project.

THE GREATEST SHOW ON EARTH: Rumour has it that Tom Hank’s new project as director will have a neverending cast. Last additions: Anne Hathaway (‘Turning Point’) and Robin Williams, who has just accepted to play a minor role. Maybe he is trying to forget soon the deception of ‘Saving Samantha Moss’.

THE TOYMAKER: Another long list of talents in this cast. John Malkovich (‘Styx and Stones’) and French star Sophie Marceau will be King Louis XVI and wife, Marie Antoinette. Director Francis Ford Coppola has said that they won’t approach to these characters with historical rigor but making a free version of both. Dad Coppola has said that his vision of queen Marie Antoinette will be different than the one from his daughter Sofia.

SMOKE SIGNALS: What can be the future of a very low budget movie in this competitive industry? CMP will present ‘Smoke Signals’ in the next Sundance Festival and will distribute it in small circuits. It’s obvious that the Studio is looking for a 'sleeper' that can be profitable without too many costs.

UNCOMMON VALOUR: BROAD PENDANT: Could any one doubt it? Leonardo Di Caprio won the battle with Julian McMahon to play the new villain of the saga. Also, young talent Jonathan Jackson will try to initiate an A-league career playing a supporting role.

DIVE IN THE SUN: Four big names, very familiar in CMP’s movies, will be the members of the commando directed by Michael Mann: Ewan McGregor (“Dr. Jones and the Sword of Faith”), Paul Bettany (‘Tales of the Jedi’, ‘Hitman’), Orlando Bloom (‘Tales of the Jedi’) and Hugh Jackman (‘Ace Banner’, ‘Ace Banner 2’). A winning team.

OUTER EYE: Another appealing screenplay by Marcus Trax. The story of a man watched through his own diaries and self-recordings with a video camera. John Cusack will not only star this low budget production but will also direct it. Expect another drama quality production in the line of ‘Smoke Signals’.

HITMAN. TWO WAYS TO DIE: Did you think that ‘Hitman. The Myth of John Jackson’ was violent? Forget it. The sequel’s screenplay goes even further and some executives at the Studio are worried that it could be so violent that audiences might reject it.

THE LITTLE SISTER: And who is that little sister? No other than GMA Best Supporting Actress nominee and one of Harry Stark’s favourite stars, Scarlett Johansson (‘Chevrolet’). A dangerous temptation for Philip Marlowe / George Clooney.

WILD CARDS 2: ACES HIGH: Yes, here is the awaited sequel of Matt Kubrick’s cult movie. Although the first one flopped in box office, it has become adored by a legion of fans that chat about it in so many websites and, as time has passed, it has gained that category of damned but beloved movie. As Matt Kubrick is still directing ‘Home’, this one has been greenlighted without knowing yet if he will return behind the cameras.

RUMOURS AND GOSSIPS

So the Coppola family meets again Marie Antoinette… Francis Ford Coppola was interested in directing ‘The Toymaker’ after being assistant and advisor of his own daughter, Sofia, during the making of her movie about the French queen. Now, it is the other way around: Sofia is said to be assisting and advising his father in the making of ‘The Toymaker’. As his daughter didn't do either, Coppola has said that his movie won’t worry about historical rigor. ‘I would define The Toymaker as a historical fantasy. I’ll show a personal and imaginary vision of the real historical characters and also about the events that led to the French Revolution. So don’t expect a historical drama but an adventure movie’, he has stated.

What is ‘The Blog Reviews’? It is a new website where the best movie critics write about new releases. All the movie industry is looking lately at this site as it is followed by millions of readers. Executives know that a good or a bad review in ‘The Blog Reviews’ can determine the future of a movie. Lately, you can read CMP’s movies reviews by prestigious writers from this popular site in the section ‘The Moving Thumbs’.

It is said that it wasn’t an easy task for writer and director Jack Hammer to convince George Clooney to be in ‘The Little Sister’. Clooney felt that this screenplay had too many points in common with his previous CMP’s movie, ‘Dead Man’s Song’. A vintage story, a tribute to noir films’ classics, a lonely and tough detective and a few femme fatale around him… He preferred to try something different. But he finally decided to accept the role due to two reasons: first, he is a big fan of Raymond Chandler’s Philip Marlowe (in fact, wasn’t his character in ‘Dead Man’s Song’ directly inspired in Marlowe?) and, second, the Studio had to offer him the chance to not only star but also to produce the movie.

INSIDE CMP

‘Intense relief’. That’s how CMP’s Production Division CEO, Julian Jones, has described his feelings after the huge success of ‘Star Wars: New Order’. ‘Another flop like the one we had with ‘Tales of the Jedi’ would have been a major disaster’, he has confessed. ‘I’m not yet enjoying the box office results but just taking breath after the tension of this release’, he joked. Now, everybody at the Studio is willing to begin working on a sequel… and maybe also in the sequel of ‘Tales Of The Jedi’.

Julian Jones said that this CMP’s third season would be ‘sequelmania’ season. Sequels of ‘Captain America’, ‘Corsairs’, ‘Ace Banner’ and ‘T.Y.M.’ have already been released. Sequels of ‘Uncommon Valour’, ‘Wild Cards’ or ‘Hitman’ have already been green lighted.And some others could still be produced before season ends. And, although this strategy seems to be working financially so well for the Studio, Stark and Jones feel that it is time to look for new original ideas that keep CMP alive and improving beyond working back in previous hits.

CMP’S TOP 10 – ACTORS

A group of specialist movie critics has elaborated and published in ‘Variety’ the top ten male stars that seems to be more attractive and profitable for CMP. The criteria used were mainly: previous hits with CMP, star appeal, prestige and potential, among others. As any of this kind of lists, it is debatable. But, anyway, here it is:

1-TOM HANKS (‘Court Appeal’, ‘September’s Gone’, ‘The Greatest Show On Earth’))
2-GEORGE CLOONEY (‘Bill and the Rocket Man’, ‘Dead Man’s Song’, ‘The Little Sister’)
3-BRAD PITT (‘Hot Iron’)

4-TOM CRUISE (‘Chevrolet’)
5-BRUCE WILLIS (‘Bullitt’, ‘Deadly Sins’, ‘Sam & Twitch’, ‘Wild Cards’)
6-ROBERT DE NIRO (‘The Heirs’, ‘The Heirs-Part 2’, ‘Sam & Twitch’)
7-WILL SMITH (‘Chevrolet’, ‘The Last Lawman’)
8-SEAN CONNERY (‘The Crusades’, ‘Tales of the Jedi’, ‘The Bridge’)
9-HARRISON FORD (‘Cursed Neverland’)
10-HUGH GRANT (‘Styx and Stones’)

COMING SOON – THE ADD