MAY, 30

MOVIES RELEASED

1-DUNGEONS & DRAGONS

Fantasy / Adventure
Directed and Produced by Peter Jackson
Starring Nicholas Cage, Bruce Willis, Claire Danes, Andy Sirkis, Ian Holm, Christopher Lee, Anne Hathaway, Jon Favreau
Box Office: 194 mill.
Net Gains: 231 mill.



CMP Reaction: Box Office did not reach the 200 mill. landmark. But this movie has been the bestselling CMP’s DVD ever, so net gains reach 231 mill. Magnificent breakdown for an outstanding visual show. Predictably, the beginning of another major franchise.

2-NINE

Comedy / Musical
Directed by Rob Marshall
Starring Antonio Banderas, Bryce Dallas Howard, Jennifer Lopez, Monica Bellucci, Catherine Z. Jones
Box Office: 49 mill.
Net Gains: 3 mill.

CMP Reaction: Saved by the bell. A great musical that at least recovered production costs. More than enough for such a difficult genre.

THE CRITICS CORNER

1-DUNGEONS & DRAGONS

“Jackson is back to the epics of ‘Lord Of The Rings’. ‘Bigger than life’ is not enough to describe this big, very big production. The problem with this kind of movies is that some times the luxurious and sophisticated wrapper eats the story itself. But not this time. The storyline is so entertaining and the adventure spirit of it is not overshadowed by the digital paraphernalia and so. Good characters and good plot are the main and indispensable elements to make a good movie beyond special effects and exotic locations. And this one’s got both”
-Wayne Hart

“I was surprised when I saw the names of Cage and Willis related to this kind of movie. It just did not fit. But, after watching it, I must admit it was a good choice. It’s nice to see those two experienced stars instead of some cute teen upcoming talent leading this mega-adventure. Both build up two interesting adventure heroes that may bring a lot of thrill and entertainment to the future of this new saga”.
-Roy Winslow

“The formula: Lord Of The Rings x Star Wars. I must confess I’m not much of a LOTR’s fan. But the ‘Star Wars touch’ (first trilogy, of course), priorizing adventure over epic, and making Willis and Cage a kind of new Luke / Han buddy couple (together with Claire Danes / Leia as the third member of the trio, not to mention other parallelisms such as Holm / Yoda or Lee / Vader) has been an intelligent choice from Jackson. A great movie.”
-Bob Felton

2-NINE

“Marshall has recovered the magic of ‘Chicago’ with this sexy, intelligent and classy musical. Once again, he appeals to the Bob Fosse elegant style instead of the Baz Luhrman’s baroque excesses (remember ‘Piece Of My Heart’ or ‘Moulin Rouge’). Choreographies are just great (much better than music itself) and the whole cast adapts perfectly to their different type of characters translating each personality to the dancing and singing style of each of them”.
-William Prodowski

“If ‘Chicago’ was the obvious heir of ‘Cabaret’, ‘Nine’ is the obvious heir of ‘Chicago’. Marshall does not assume any risk. He uses the narrative techniques seen before in those movies. It is not innovative, but it is a sure formula that always provides an appealing show for musical lovers. So Marshall just copies himself when copying Bob Fosse. The best? Catherine Z. Jones. Although playing a minor role, she shows again how brilliant and sexy she can be when dancing and singing.”
-Lilly Stevens

“This is Antonio Bandera’s show. The whole story moves in circles around him. His character made me remember so much Roy Schneider in ‘All That Jazz’. Banderas deals with the four women, a complex net of relationships, the dancing and the songs. And he survives to it all making a wonderful performance that deserves a major applause.”
-Jack Carter

PREMIERE – DUNGEONS & DRAGONS

When a huge amount of money is spent in a mega-production, all the possible marketing is needed to sell a movie. CMP attracted the attention of fans and media to its latest release ‘Dungeons & Dragons’ with a glamorous premiere in Los Angeles. Walking down the red carpet of Sunset Boulevard’s Chinese Theatre, fans could wave director and producer Peter Jackson and members of the cast such as Nicholas Cage, Jon Favreau, Anne Hathaway or Bruce Willis, who was there with all his family, Demi and Ashton included. Claire Danes was the big absence of the night, as she is in London finishing the shooting of the musical ‘Carousel’.


AWAITING RELEASE

1-THE GREAT WAR SERIES: STORM BREAKS

The Cast: Colin Farrell, Christian Bale, Claire Danes, Hayden Christensen, Jeremy Irons, Adrien Brody

The Director: Peter Weir
The Screenwriter: Jack Hammer

The Plot: 1916 – Europe, as the war continues the Armstrongs find themselves once more thrust into the forefront of the conflict. After the carnage that was the Gallipoli campaign Commander Thomas Armstrong (C.Bale) and Captain Phillip Armstrong (C.Farrell) are hoping for some rest in England only to be thrown into two of the biggest battles of the war.

Thomas is now Inflexible’s first officer as she joins the Grand Fleet in the sortie that may well decide the war at sea – the Battle of Jutland. In France Phillip’s company is deployed to the front lines once more for the Somme, a campaign that will forever scar the English psyche.

Lieutenant George Armstrong (H. Christensen) is assigned to a fighter squadron but finds the novelty of aerial combat wears off quickly under German fire as he battles the “Fokker Scourge” in a do-or-die campaign in the skies over France, and romance finds Anne (C.Danes) in the form of a young Belgian officer wounded in the fighting in Flanders (A.Brody).

Meanwhile in London Major General Richard Armstrong (J. Irons), one of the major planners of the Somme campaign, is faced with a decision that is almost certain to send one of his sons to his grave. But at first Phillip Armstrong seems invulnerable, standing unscathed as all about him German machineguns and artillery turn the ground red with English blood.

Finally after weeks of brutal carnage the advance grinds to a halt and Phillip’s charmed life comes to a bloody end, sending shockwaves through the Armstrongs that threaten to tear them apart.

The Comment: The first episode of this saga was the most surprising success for CMP ever. That kind of miracle will be difficult to repeat. But the Studio feels confident about the success of this release.


2-MCMILLAN AND WIFE

The Cast: Harrison Ford, Rene Russo, Kathy Bates, Jeff Goldblum

The Director: Ron Howard
The Screenwriter: Bill Cougan

The Plot: June Applegate, a mediocre but sexy actress in erotic movies, appears murdered in her apartment. Chief Inspector McMillan (H.Ford) is in charge of the investigation. It seems as if she was killed after having sex relationships and fighting with somebody but there’s no hint on who could be with her.

Probably, this will the last case for McMillan as he is considering retirement. William Kelsen (J.Goldblum), a promising candidate to the upcoming Major Elections in San Francisco, McMillan’s old friend, is trying to convince him to be part of his advisory team. Kelsen invites both McMillan and his wife Susan (R.Russo) for dinner at home to try to convince him. Due to a mistake, Susan will exchange her mobile phone with Kelsen’s and take his home. And she hears accidentally a voice message in it: ‘Need to meet you urgently. I love you. It’s me, June’. Could that be June Applegate?

Susan tells her husband about her suspects. But McMillan does not take it into consideration. So, from that moment, Susan, with the help of her housemaid Mildred (K.Bates), starts to investigate Kelsen by herself, using the weirdest methods to get into Kelsen’s house and office.

When Kelsen asks Susan to give him back his phone, he notices something strange in Susan’s behaviour. And when he discovers her wandering around her campaign office, he realizes she is investigating him and tells her ‘not to play dangerous games for a housewife’. Kelsen tells McMillan about Susan’s quests and McMillan gets so mad with his wife. A few days later, the brakes of the McMillan’s car suddenly fail and they almost die in a car accident. Susan is convinced that it was Kelsen.

Although McMillan still can’t believe Kelsen has something to do with June’s murder and their accident, he accepts to investigate him just to prove his wife she’s wrong. But he will be surprised. Yes, Kelsen and June were lovers and he tried to leave her when he decided to run for Major. June got mad and tried to blackmail him, so Kelsen finally killed her.

When Kelsen discovers that McMillan is getting close to the truth, he kidnaps Susan and takes her to his ranch to try to stop McMillan’s investigations in a desperate attempt to save his political career and avoid jail. But McMillan will chase him there and will finally arrest Kelsen and save his wife.

The Comment: Bill Cougan’s debut in CMP is a kind of sure bet. A mainstream action comedy that will probably make a nice box office without big surprises. No risk and no miracle expected for this one.


THE INTERVIEW SERIES – JOEY STARK
By Amy Ratched

Who said that being the little brother of the almighty CMP’s President was easy? Joey Stark leads the internal CMP’s screenwriters team. And, in so many ways, he is less spoiled than the independent screenwriters. But the truth is that the young Stark is responsible of some of the best CMP’s movies, like the Season 1 GMA Winner for Best Picture, ‘The Crusades’; the profitable Captain America’s movies or the multi-awarded and prestigious trilogy ‘The Heirs’.

A.R.: So what’s your status in the Studio?
J.S.: Well, mainly, I am the younger brother of the President… *laughs* I’m ahead of the Studio’s Screenplay Department. That means that I lead a group of screenwriters that develop those ideas that do not come from independent writers. Also, I supervise independent writers’ screenplays and report Harry if they are good enough to be produced or not or if they need any rewriting.

A.R.: It sounds like you have a big power then in CMP to decide what is greenlighted and what’s not.
J.S.: Not really. Green light depends on a lot of factors. I give my opinion, then CMP’s Executive Board analyzes the projects and Julian Jones decides. And, of course, Harry has the last word. Just to give you an idea, there are movies that have been produced by the Studio that I recommended not to.

A.R.: Which one of your screenplays do you feel more proud of?
J.S.: Without doubt, ‘The Heirs’ trilogy. That was quite a challenge. Scorsese came to us with this idea of a father and son war in a mob family. We didn’t want it to be a new Godfather, although it was inevitable to have it as a reference. It was really hard to conceive the concept. But I think the final result was great. I love that saga with all that mix of violence, betrayal, emotional conflicts and those great characters played by big stars…

A.R.:What genres do you prefer?
J.S.: Well, I usually do not write big action or sci-fi stories, as most of the independent writers are focussed on that. I try to work on genres that do not get much attention from our independent writers. Romantic comedies like ‘LOL’ and intimate dramas as ‘September’s Gone’. I’ll tell you a secret: I like so much silly action comedies, movies like ‘Casual Day’ or ‘The Tempting Diamond’. Also, writing the screenplay for ‘Nine’ was quite a challenge. When I started the adaptation of the Broadway musical, CMP had never produced a musical. But then appeared ‘Piece of my heart’ and ‘Carousel’. That was a funny coincidence.

A.R.: Do you like sequels and franchises?
J.S.: Harry loves them cause they make him so rich… *laughs* I like some of them. I’m a big fan of ‘Wild Cards’, which is a really creative concept, although based on a previous comic series. The movie industry settles on franchises. Mainly, movies based on things such as computer games and so. I don’t feel crazy about that but it is just the times we are living.

A.R.: Tell me, what CMP movies you would have never greenlighted?
J.S.: *laughs* I’m not going to tell. I want to save my friendship with our writers. And remember I was the one who wrote ‘Poor Little Rich Boy’ so I cannot tell anything about others. I should have been fired for that screenplay *laughs*.

A.R.: And your favourite CMP movie, besides yours?
J.S.: Many of them. ‘The Greatest Show On Earth’ was a great movie. And ‘Cursed Neverland’. I’m sure it will become a cult movie in years to come. And I really enjoyed the dark humour in ‘Contract Killing For Dummies’. And, of course, ‘Darkening Skies’, which I personally consider a masterpiece.

A.R.: Who are your favourite stars?
J.S.: Should I say Colin Farrell, Keira Knightley, Natalie Portman and Claire Danes, as everyone in CMP? I loved all the talents that worked in The Heirs. It was great to see De Niro, Penn or Nicole Kidman telling the lines I had written.

A.R.: Don’t you feel sometimes shadowed by all the independent screenwriters?
J.S.: Well, that’s my job. Their movies go first. And then come mine. But the pay is really good, so I accept things the way they are.

A.R.: Any movies from you in Season 5?
J.S.: Not many, really. Right now I’ve just finished the screenplay for the third Captain America’s adventure. As everybody knows, we are going to kill him and that’s quite a challenge. I’m working too in another of my silly action comedies, ‘Crooks’, and Eddie Murphy will be in it. And we have begun contacts with Steven Spielberg for a possible sequel of Dr. Jones, but I’m not sure if it will be ever produced or not yet.

MOVIES IN DEVELOPMENT

CAPTAIN AMERICA: DESTINY: Jon Voight, Angelina’s dad, makes his debut in CMP playing the villain of this one. Voight will be an ambitious head of the National Security Agency of the US that allies with a terrorist group to weak the nation’s Government looking to become one day the new President of the US.

GAME BOY: Only one human character will be seen in this movie. The rest of the characters will be digitally generated, as they will be popular characters from pc and console games. And who will be the lonely human in this digital cast? No other than Daniel Radcliffe, very demanded recently after his success with ‘South East’.

CAROUSEL: Two more names playing supporting roles in Carousel: just finished her work in ‘McMillan & Wife’, Kathy Bates has joined this cast together with William H. Macy, who returns to CMP after his work in ‘Vorhees: The Early Years’.

KING OF THE WORLD: Ben Stiller has refused the offer to make a cameo in this comedy. Instead of him, it has been known that it was Steve Carell who has made the cameo just before joining the shooting of ‘Crooks’.

CROOKS: And another return to CMP after a rest. Queen Latifah (‘Court Appeal’, ‘Alice In Wonderland’, ‘Styx and Stones’) is back to CMP with this action comedy. Latifah will play a wise madame of a popular Las Vegas brothel.


22:01: No director or cast is confirmed yet for this one. But, according to rumours, Robert De Niro might be considering starring it. It is also said that he has contacted Quentin Tarantino trying to convince him to direct it. Tarantino has expressed his interest in making a new ‘Ace Banner’ movie, but he could first find time for directing this action story if De Niro is convincing enough.

NAGASAKI DAYDREAMS: A nice surprise. After the disappointing experience of ‘Dakota North’, Clint Eastwood will direct this drama for CMP. ‘This won’t be Letters From Iwo Jima 2’, has said Eastwood, ‘but an intimate drama about a family the days before the atomic bomb’. To avoid new problems, this time Eastwood will not only direct but also produce the movie.

THE GROTTO: Freddie Highmore will be Kiefer Sutherland’s son in John Carpenter’s horror Christmas tale… and, of course, the main victim of the evil Santa played by Donald Sutherland.

NO EVIL: Green light for an intense drama to be released in the upcoming Season. Edward Norton, who played the villain in ‘Checkmate’ and got a GMA Best Villain nomination for it, may lead the cast of a movie that promises loads of tears and suffering.

SYNDROME: PARADISE LOST: Matt Kubrick will return to direction with this one. The last time Kubrick was behind the cameras was in the critically acclaimed ‘Home’. Kubrick is setting up the cast for this sci-fi adventure that is expected to become a new franchise for the Studio.

COMING SOON – THE ADD


RUMOURS AND GOSSIPS

War of the Stars – Episode II: There’s not even a draft yet for the next episode of Star Wars, but one thing is already clear: Marcus Trax and George Lucas won’t be together in it. Trax has proposed a name to direct the movie: Joss Whedon. But Harry Stark has rejected him, asking for a more prestigious movie director. George Lucas insists that he’ll be going away if he does not direct the movie. And it is said that Steven Spielberg, who directed ‘New Order’, has rejected an offer to direct again the next episode. Harry Stark has stated about this fuss: ‘Right now, after what’s been going on between Trax and Lucas lately, we are not even sure if there will be a third movie’.

Jake Gyllenhaal will have to choose. Gyllenhaal has been offered the leading role in two movies that will be produced at the same time by CMP: ‘Syndrome’ and a tearjercker drama written by Ted Froats. The Studio is waiting for his decision before contacting new talents.

Production costs of ‘Game Boy’ may rise to the sky. CMP will have to pay quite a few copyrights, as many popular console and pc games characters will appear in the movie. Hiring SuperMario or Princess Zelda for a movie may be even more expensive and difficult to negotiate than hiring a human star.

STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN… OR HELL

HEAVEN

CLAIRE DANES: Here she is, releasing three movies in a role. The first one, ‘Dungeons & Dragons’ has directly taken her to heaven, as it has been a major success. In a few days, we’ll see if ‘Storm Breaks’ and ‘Carousel’ keep her up there or take her back to the ground… or even under.

DAKOTA FANNING: It feels like heaven to have her back at CMP. GMA Best Actress nominee, Dakota will sing and dance in ‘Carousel’. And we will all enjoy the return of this brilliant young actress that made such great (and profitable) works for CMP in ‘Alice In Wonderland’, ‘Fear The Darkness’ or ‘September’s Gone’.

HELL

THE SHADOW: He was supposed to be a regular journalist that would cover CMP’s events. He was also supposed to concede the Shadow Awards (a kind of CMP’s Razzies). But The Shadow seems to have been eaten by the shadows of inferno, as no-one has never heard again from him.

PC GAMES: Old movies used to be based in great novels. In our days, more and more movies are based on computer games. Is this an improvement for the art of moviemaking? Just asking…

INSIDE CMP

Julian Jones, Production Department CEO, has made a clear statement about the controversy around the Hitman movies. Are they based on a console game or are they original ideas? Here is what Jones has said about it: ‘Who cares? The Hitman trilogy has made nearly 300 mill. in box office. That’s the point. If they are based or not in a previous game is something I just don’t care when I look at the box office breakdown of the three movies.’

Confirmed: ‘Dungeons & Dragons’ has been the most expensive production ever for CMP. Although it did not reach the 200 millions in box office, luckily it has succeeded enough. And DVD sales took it to net gains superiors to 200 millions after all. The top expensive productions list is completed with ‘Visionaries’, ‘New Order’ and ‘Mysteries Of The Sith’.

Another record for ‘Dungeons & Dragons’: it is the first CMP’s movie released in 8.000 theatres. ‘New Order’ had that record before with 7.000 screens.

Looking for the right release date. Finding the right release date for a movie has been a recurrent nightmare for CMP’s executives. Obviously, big action (and also sci-fi) shows go for July, 4th, although some of them are moved to Christmas time. But what about comedies and dramas? After quite a few tests, CMP is trying to establish a certain pattern: comedies (musicals included after the decent breakdown of ‘Nine’) are released on Easter, dramas go for November, horror stay on Halloween and romantic comedies or love stories go for Valentine’s Day.

CMP’S TOP 5 WORLWIDE GROSS (HM’s v38)

1.STAR WARS: NEW ORDER – 250 mill.
2.THE GREAT WAR SERIES: DARKENING SKIES – 238 mill.


3.DUNGEONS & DRAGONS – 194 mill.
4.STAR WARS: MYSTERIES OF THE SITH – 173 mill.


5.WESTWORLD – 155 mill.

UP ON A SOAPBOX…

First, I begin with my feelings on a reckless trend in movie making. What I am talking about here; is the infringement on one’s “intellectual property”.

When we play PC games (like Hollywood Mogul 3), we all have a tendency to take ideas from what we like. What we do in the privacy of our own home is just that… private. But, when something is posted on a public forum (like Crazy Moon), it now becomes part of the “public domain”, and it is there for everyone to see.

Although there is the old saying that “imitation is the sincerest form of flattery”, that old cliché does not give one license to use those self-same concepts, ideas, and creations for personal gain. Plagiarism and Copyright Infringement is a terribly messy situation, and can easily be avoided. Just give the original creator the credit, by mentioning him/her in the credits of what you create.

If you adapt your creation from a video game, comic book, or perhaps a book, you… as the screenwriter have a responsibility to mention the original work. Just because you changed where the main character lives, or even the name… it is still a creation of the original writer. It is not your own creation it is the original authors, and all that you have done is to “adapt” it for your own personal usage.

So please, make sure that you give credit to whom it is due. I wouldn’t want to see Crazy Moon, or perhaps some other public forum, closed down because of some minor transgression or lapse in reason. All that I am asking is that we use sound judgment when submitting our ideas, and do so without getting others unknowingly into trouble (and possible legal trouble).

The final word on this subject; is that we are all here to have fun… but not to do so at others expense.

FEATURED ATTRACTION:

I am going to start off looking at the new Peter Jackson film, entitled DUNGEONS & DRAGONS.

For the probably 10,000 or so people that are out there, and have been living in a cut-off society with very little (or none, possibly) contact with modern world, DUNGEONS & DRAGONS is an RPG franchise (currently the main license is held by the Wizards of the Coast company), and is the cornerstone of the d20 gaming system. It is also probably the best known, and probably one of the oldest “pen & paper” RPGs, with its first release in 1974 by the company known as Tactical Studies Rules (or perhaps better known to hobbyists as TSR). It has evolved into an extensive franchise, with numerous licensed settings (such as Dragonlance, Forgotten Realms, Planescape, etc.), published adventures (such as Steading of the Hill Giant Chief, Barrow of the Forgotten King, The Temple of Elemental Evil, etc.), and PC/Console games (such as Baldur’s Gate I & II, Neverwinter Nights I & II, Planescape: Torment, etc.).

This adventure film starts out within the confines of the city of Waterdeep, on the Sword Coast. For those who are not familiar with this setting/location, this is the primary setting that is used for the PC games Baldur’s Gate I & II, as well as for the PC game entitled Neverwinter Nights. It exists within the Forgotten Realms setting for the game, and I question the studios decision to not recognize or acknowledge this fact during its publicity campaign.

That entirely aside, this film has the potential to be a big box office hit, as many action films do, and may just snag some special effects, cinematography and editing awards as well when the powers that be recognize the best out there.

This story, like so many of the genre, is told on an epic scale. Mammoth villains, over the top heroes, and a supporting cast of characters that are all, for lack of a better description… larger than life, all of these things make DUNGEONS & DRAGONS a colossal film.

I still question the studio, and their reluctance to not mention the FORGOTTEN REALMS setting, but my initial feelings on DUNGEONS & DRAGONS are…

Originality of Screenplay




Interest of Storyline




Casting





NEW ON DVD:


This film had a “fair” showing at the box office, and personal I feel it would have made a better “slice of life” drama than it did as a comedy, but sometimes you just never know.

Sean Connery is the saving grace in this film, and it is an absolute pleasure to watch his work upon the screen. Eric Bana shows a lot of promise, and reveals to the moviegoers that he does have an incredibly good sense of comedic timing. Susan Sarandon is not only a wonderful actress, known not only for her dramatic films like DEAD MAN WALKING and LORENZO’S OIL, but for her comedic sense (and a raw sex appeal as well) in such films as BULL DURHAM, ROMANCE & CIGARETTES and THE WITCHES OF EASTWICK.

I think that this film is worth seeing, and if you missed it in the theater, you should take the opportunity to check out the performances on this one. So all in all, when this movie is released on DVD…

RENT IT!!!

It’s a good film the first time around, or even the second… but it will probably be a long time before you watch it for a third viewing.

Also on DVD…

WARLAND will have a place on my shelf, right next to THE YEAR OF LIVING DANGEROUSLY and BRAVEHEART.

It’s great cinematography, intriguing storyline, and robust character development ensures that you are indeed engrossed with the story, and feel for its character.

This is just such a well-crafted movie, that it is such a shame that this film did not do far better at the box office. If you missed this film, take the chance to see it… and I think that you will definitely be glad you did.

My advice, when this film is released on DVD…

BUY IT!!!

OTHER ATTRACTIONS:


I don’t quite know what to say about this picture.

Musicals are a tough thing to market, and the days of CAROUSEL and THE KING AND I, have made way for such new musicals as RENT, STOMP and MISS SAIGON.

The original film (entitled “8½”) is a fairly obscure film to US moviegoers, although the story is not at all unfamiliar.

The ups-and-downs of success of a “one hit wonder”, if you grew-up in the 1980’s, we had a vast collection of references to draw from in the music industry alone.

The storyline does peak my interest, but Jennifer Lopez is not going to get me to the box office to see her in a musical. We learned that Antonio Banadaras indeed could sing from the musical EVITA.

So, all in all… my initial feelings on NINE: THE MUSICAL…

Originality of Screenplay




Interest of Storyline




Casting




So, until next time, goodbye from Misterbaldy, and…

SEE YOU IN THE MOVIES!

MAY, 27

100 MOVIES RELEASED!


MOVIES RELEASED

1-WARLAND

Adventure / Romance
Directed and Produced by Sidney Pollack
Starring Edward Burns, Julia Roberts, Mel Gibson, John Goodman
Box Office: 81 mill.
Net Gains: 82 mill.

CMP Reaction: Outstanding DVD sales! A quality movie that worked in box office as expected. Very satisfactory.

2-PAPERBACK STORY

Comedy / Romance
Directed by Woody Allen
Starring Sean Connery, Susan Sarandon, Scarlett Johansson, Eric Bana
Box Office: 59 mill.
Net Gains: 42 mill.

CMP Reaction: Finally, a comedy that works in box office. Making 42 mill net is more than satisfactory for this low budget production.

THE CRITICS CORNER

1-WARLAND

“War journalists movies are a kind of tradition in Hollywood. Titles like ‘The Year Of Living Dangerously’ or ‘Under Fire’ come to my mind as representative of this sub-genre. ‘Warland’ is loyal to all the clichés of these kind of stories. There’s nothing new in it but Pollack is an efficient moviemaker that knows how to build an appealing story although based on a too known territory”.
-Anne Roman

“Pollack had all the elements to make a good movie. Big stars, exotic locations and a screenplay absent of risks. And he has. ‘Warland’ is a good movie. It is not great, it is not innovative, it won’t change the History of Cinema, but it is a good movie. Pollack has made his job”.
-Jack Carter

“Behind all the war epic, this movie is a romantic story about a love triangle. And it works at that level. You can understand why Julia’s character is appealed by two very different kind of men, efficiently played by Burns and Gibson. The triangle does not reach the epics of Pollack’s ‘Out Of Africa’, but it is seductive and entertaining enough to keep you interested in what’s going on in the screen.”
-Jackie M. Tyllard

2-PAPERBACK STORY

“Here is a typical Woody Allen’s movie. Newyorkers, romance, infidelity, reflections about sex and love, jokes about intellectuals… and his latest muse, Scarlett Johansson. It is evident that James Bradley had Woody Allen in mind when writing this screenplay. The ingredients of this recipe have been tried before and Allen and Bradley know they work. A tasty comedy.”
-Charlie Kiggs

“Sean Connery is always a pleasure to watch. He is perfect playing the grumpy and conceited writer. The whole movie stands on his brilliant performance. Allen has taken the best of his comedy side. But together with him there is a nice surprise: Eric Bana is a good comedian! His work as a shy son with Edipu’s complex that hides an ambitious personality is probably one of the best performances of his career”.
-Bob Felton

“Elegant and sophisticated, this comedy connects Woody Allen’s traditional themes with classic comedy writers such as Noel Coward. A funny satire about all the 60’s clichés. The whole cast makes a wonderful job and I’m so happy that CMP may recover its faith in comedy after the nice box office of this one”.
-Roy Winslow

AWAITING RELEASE

1-DUNGEONS & DRAGONS

The Cast: Nicholas Cage, Bruce Willis, Claire Danes, Andy Serkis, Ian Holm, Christopher Lee, Anne Hathaway, Jon Favreau

The Director and Producer: Peter Jackson
The Screenwriter: Marcus Trax

The Plot: Avery Rothin (N.Cage) is a petty, con man, lover and happy go luckier, who is actually down on his luck in the City of Waterdeep on the Sword Coast. When after a particularly rough night out he finds himself with a young woman on edge of the city limits he thinks his luck is up. Not before they are attacked by undead swarming out of the forest. Making his escape he arrives back in the city minus the woman.

The next day, with a pounding headache he tries his luck at 'earning' some money by a spot of pickpocketing but ends up being caught by Det. Miles Strider (B.Willis) of the City Watch. Shoved in the cells next to a dwavern fighter, Morin Orcsbane (A.Serkis), for being drunk and disorderly (it took 3 watchmen and a barman to bring him in) and a female barbarian, Beth (C.Danes), also drunk and disorderly (same event) he whiles away the hours waiting for his imminent release.

However the middle of the night comes and all hell breaks loose the city is underattack by hoards of undead. Zombies, skeltons, wights, entombers, summoned elementals. Among this the occupants try to break free when Miles lets them out and hands them their gear they are now honorary watchmen. Outside in the thick of the battle people fight and get slain as the group engage. During the battle they come to the aid of a paladin and knight, Sir Konrad, of a good aligned god single handedly protecting a temple.

When the battle looks to be hopeless they all flee with a smattering of other people onto the sea from the docks by boat.

All the while the undead take a peculiar interest in Avery.
Once away from waterdeep, Miles decides to take the ship and search for an answer to why Waterdeep was attacked taking the other reluctant adventurers on. Captain Vasper (J.Favreau) is the captain of the ship. They head to an island due west from Waterdeep to consult a learned sorcerer, Frizel Poxel (I.Holm), there. Who turns out to be a gnome. He informs them of a certain item that a dread lich lord, Lord Deravis (C.Lee), is hunting form that will allow him to rise up from his confined tomb, put into place by a group of adventurers some 5,000 years ago, and sweep across the land in a storm of death and destruction. To that effect he has raised an army of undead to be his minions on the surface. The object is the Blood of Talona and Avery carries it. It looks like a plain stone, which is cursed it always returns to the owner and which Avery has been trying to get rid of for years but to no avial after he unwittenly stole it from a wizard.

After learning the truth the islands quakes and starts to crack and all abandon the tower to get back to the ship. Once back on the ship they face powerful magics as water and air elementals attack as well as a kracken. After the ship is destroyed the heroes manage to survive the encounter and make some decisions. The only way to destroy this plague of undead is to defeat the lich lord (as throwing the stone away won't work) To that end they search for the domain of the lich lord and after finding a local elven ranger, Xanaphilia Evenwood (A.Hathaway), who knows the land is lead to it. Where they descends and fight together to reach the prison that traps Lord Deravis.

It is in that tomb that all who are there prove their worth till the end, with Morin and Beth holding the line and Miles defending Avery and Frizel as they confront the dreaded Lich Lord.

In the ensueing battle Morin finds himself on deaths door, Frizel is soundly defeated and all seems lost. Until Avery uses the stone to unlock the prison the resulting breakdown of magic temporarly making the Lich Lord vunerable and attacking with Miles slays the evil force in doing so all the undead collapse. But Morin is near death, Frizel is dead, and Miles was wounded in the last attack.
We end seeing them back in waterdeep as people return and rebuilding starts, Avery now a detective in the watch, Morin returned to the mountain of his people to recover, Beth accompanying him. Miles his senior and Frizel well he luckily transported himself during the battle before his supposed death and reappears to give his congratulations.

The Comment: The only CMP’s movie with a chance to beat ‘Star Wars: New Order’ as CMP’s Top 1. But, hey, what if Jackson repeats what he did with ‘Tales Of The Jedi’? A breathtaking release for the Studio.


2-NINE

The Cast: Antonio Banderas, Bryce Dallas Howard, Jennifer Lopez, Monica Bellucci, Catherine Z. Jones

The Director: Rob Marshall
The Screenwriter: Joey Stark

The Plot: Based on a musical play with a book by Arthur Kopit and lyrics by Maury Yeston, the story is based on Federico Fellini’s film ‘8 ½’.

The story concerns the difficulties of the film director Guido Contini (A.Banderas), fresh off the greatest hit of his career so far, to endure a midlife crisis that has blocked his creative impulses and entangled him in a web of romantic difficulties. Guido has no clue what to make his next movie about and he is afraid he won’t be able to make a good movie again.

Together with that creative crisis, his personal life his quite a mess. His mistress Carla (J.Lopez), a mediocre but sexy actress, is getting more and more demanding. His wife Luisa (B.D.Howard) is tired of Guido’s love adventures and although he loves him and keeps being very supportive for Guido, she also demands more attention. Laura Benati (M.Bellucci), a major Italian movie star, becomes Guido’s erotic obsession of the moment. And his producer, the tough Claudia (C.Z.Jones) presses Guido to go back to work and direct another master piece.

The Comment: Second musical for CMP, after ‘Piece Of My Heart’. Will things go better this time? The answer: no idea at all.


100 MOVIES RELEASED

Yes, with this issue CMP reaches its first 100 of movies released!
Thanks to all the great screenwriters and their enthusiasm, creating the Studio has been a more than worthy experience. We are making money, we are producing great movies and, most of all and the most important thing, we are having fun!

To celebrate the event, CMP has published in all the main movie publications, this picture that puts together all the icons and symbols of the Studio together with the four most demanded female stars: Claire Danes, Keira Knightley, Natalie Portman and Kate Beckinsale:


THE INTERVIEW SERIES – TED FROATS
By Amy Ratched

Probably, ‘Saving Samantha Moss’ has been the most unfairly treated CMP’s movie by box office. Also, it might be said that ‘Contract Killing For Dummies’ did not get all the credit it deserved. But none of this has dishearten Ted Froats to keep looking for success with his peculiar stories (where most of the characters always die…) far away from CMP’s mainstream action, sci-fi movies. Soon, his musical adaptation ‘Carousel’ will be released. And he threats us with new religious controversy for next Season.

A.R.: I must begin telling you I founded the screenplay for ‘Saving Samantha Moss’ one of the most brilliants I’ve seen in a CMP’s movie. I’m sorry it didn’t make it at the box office.
T.F.: It was really just a thrill to see Saving Samantha Moss come to life. I started writing SSM when I was 12, as a novel. The basic plot was the same, but Jack and Samantha were junior high students, and Jack got a mentally-challenged homeless lumberjack to help him kidnap Samantha. The story evolved maybe ten or twenty times since then, and I really feel like the characters didn't just "age" with me, but that they "grew up" with me. So it was incredible to see them on the big screen more than ten years after I created them.

A.R.: Also, you wrote a peculiar, dark and brilliant comedy, ‘Contract Killing For Dummies’… Did you expect more from it in box office?
T.F.: Well, sure...but I let Harry lose sleep about that sort of thing. I'm happy it made a profit, even if it was just two million dollars...but I'm even happier that those who did see it loved it. I'm not talking about the critics of course...as a writer, if a critic loves your comedy, you're in big trouble. I'm talking about the audience themselves.

A.R.: How do you feel about the supremacy of action and sci-fi movies? It seems like you are not interested in that kind of movies…
T.F.: I have nothing against action or sci-fi movies themselves...I'm just against "writing" an action or sci-fi movie. Any writer...you could hand a six-year-old a crayon and he could pull this off...can write "car go boomie!", and then just sit back, and let the FX geniuses do the hard work for you. And there are writers who do that, and they are much richer men than you or I will ever be. But to create a movie based on strong, layered, troubled characters like "Saving Samantha Moss"...or even on dialogue and lampoonish situations like "Contract Killing for Dummies"...well, I'd like to see a six year old do that! But I'm glad that action and sci-fi are bankable...after all, for every 100 million that Space Quest makes for Harry, that's another 5 more of my films he can afford to finance right down the drain!

A.R.: Also, CMP is very much based on franchises. But you don’t look interested in getting involved in any trilogy or so. What’s your opinion about sequels?
T.F.: Ha...if I wanted to do a franchise, I think I'd have to focus on prequels. I have a habit of killing my characters off. *laughs* But really...I don't know if I could do a trilogy. When I write, I like to start a story from the moment that a world is changing. In Saving Samantha Moss, we see the main character decide to fake his own kidnapping along with the "real" kidnapping of a classmate so he can save her and she'll fall in love with him. He's going to change his world and hers...but in the end, he is responsible for the deaths of his best friend, his mentor, his love interest, and her boyfriend. His world has evolved into a new, much less pleasant one. How do you do a sequel to that? Or Contract Killing for Dummies. The movie starts at the moment they think that they've accidentally killed someone, and they decide to profit off the death. Their world has changed, albeit accidentally. In the end, it turns out they weren't responsible. Their world is back to normal...but still there's no sequel potential. I guess the reason I don't do sequels is that I tell the story right the first time. *laughs*

A.R.: Let’s look at the future. You have written a musical, ‘Carousel’, to be released this season. What attracted you to write a story like that?
T.F.: Well, before we both start getting any angry letters, let me be clear...I didn't write the musical. That was Rodgers and Hammerstein, and they did an incredible job with it. As for why I decided to adapt it to the big screen, well, let me go on the record now. There is no character in the history of stage, television, or the big screen that is as fully developed as Billy Bigelow. Dark, deep, violent...but somehow also innocent and pure. This is going to be THE definitive performance of Jim Carrey's career. It's the role he was born to play. An innocent boy trapped in a violent drunk's body. And Claire Danes is signed on as his equally innocent but equally troubled love interest. We've had some problems casting the other roles, but I think we're on track now. And I can't begin to tell you how excited I am to see this one done "right." I mean no offense to the cast or crew of the original big screen adaptation...but it SUCKED. They tried to make it into a soft, empty love story. The original stage version is dark, stormy...but because of that, it's all the more meaningful. We're going to take Carousel where you couldn't go fifty years ago. We're going to tell the story the way that it was meant to be told.

A.R.: It seems hard for musicals to work in box office. When writing a movie, do you look for money or for critical prestige?
T.F.: Neither. If I wanted to do something for the money, I'd go haul garbage. Those guys make a killing, and they're not doing it for the joy of the work. And while I embrace critical prestige for a drama like Saving Samantha Moss, it can be the kiss of death for something that is supposed to be as fun as Contract Killing for Dummies. I do it for the audience reaction...I want them to laugh, I want them to cry, I want them to drop their jaw, I want them to do all three at the same time. But most of all, I want them to think.

A.R.: What other projects do you have for the future?
T.F.: Well, you've already mentioned Carousel, which I am very excited about. I'm starting to move into a religious theme. Carousel deals with the afterlife and the concept of redemption. I also have a love story, "Flashes of Life," with a subplot of the main character struggling with religion as his girlfriend is diagnosed with bone cancer. But it is very high concept...I don't think there's "ever" been a movie that has done what Harry and I are going to do with this film. Then there is "Three Wooden Crosses," which is based on a country song and explores the lives of four unrelated people, with the audience's advanced knowledge that three of them will die, and has strong religious overtones. And, finally, I'm currently writing a thriller entitled "Act of God" about a man who is struck by lightening and develops amnesia. I humbly believe this movie will ignite religious discussion to levels that will put the Da Vinci Code to shame. It's not offensive to Catholicism...it fully accepts every word of the Bible...it simply answers the question, "What happens next?" And I know the answer to that question will blow people's minds.

A.R.: Any plan to write again for your particular muse, Natalie Portman?
T.F.: Without a doubt! In fact, I have a big announcement for those that helped Natalie and Jake win "Best Couple" at last year's award ceremony...they're coming back! No, it's not "Saving Samantha Moss Part Deux". *laughs* Natalie is playing a bone cancer victim in my upcoming "Flashes of Life," and Jake is her old high school boyfriend who has returned home after years away to see her in her final hours. I wrote a major role in "Act of God" with Robin Williams in mind, and Harry is currently trying to sign James Franco to play a malicious whaler for "Carousel." So if I can just find another role for Ben Foster, I'll have worked with the whole cast of Saving Samantha Moss again. *laughs*

A.R.: What CMP’s movies have you enjoyed lately?
T.F.: Darkening Skies was excellent. Outer Eye, if only because I love John Cusack. Home. This might be an "action" film...but the action never distracted from the story. But all in all...I have to say The Toymaker. That is a writer's movie, through and through.

A.R.: Have you considered moving into directing a movie?
T.F.: Not particularly...that's just not where my skill sets lie. I would love to act in a film, if the role were right...but with the exception of Natalie, I write the character first and cast second. And so far, I've yet to create a character that I would be perfect for.

MOVIES IN DEVELOPMENT

KING OF THE WORLD: Eva Mendes plays Matthew Perry's wife (and Vince Vaughn’s lover) in this comedy. Mendes returns to CMP after her presence in two successful movies for the Studio: ‘Deep Silence’ and ‘The Law’. It is hoped that her good streak will continue with this one.

GAME BOY: Who can be the better option to direct a Live Action / CGI movie, produced by George Lucas and with reminiscences of the classic ‘Who framed Roger Rabitt’?’ Not a very difficult question. Yes, Robert Zemeckis (‘Happy Hamsters’) will be moving the cameras – and controlling the digital effects – of this major production.

MCMILLAN AND WIFE: Jeff Goldblum (‘Westworld’) will be a seductive politician and a suspect of murder that breaks the peace of the McMillan’s home in Ron Howard's version of the classic tv series.

THE GREAT WAR SERIES: STORM BREAKS: Just to warm up audiences before release, director Peter Weir has confirmed that one of the main characters of the saga will die in this second episode. The name has not been said but you bet that the surname is Armstrong.

THE GROTTO: The strong – and big – presence of Danny Trejo playing Donald Sutherland / Evil Santa’s assistant is another hint of how scary this dark fairy tale directed by horror master John Carpenter is going to be.


22:10: Peculiar title for an action story green lighted by the Studio. Not much is known yet about it, as Julian Jones has admitted that cast and director have not been decided yet. The only thing for sure is that prolific writer Marcus Trax is behind the story.

CROOKS: Steve Carell will be Eddie Murphy’s buddy in this action comedy taking place in Las Vegas. It is the first time that Carrell works for CMP. As soon as CMP decides who can be the best director for it, shooting will begin in locations looking for a release at the beginning of next Season.

CAROUSEL: CMP’s favourite young actress is back. Dakota Fanning returns after a rest to the Studio. She has been seen before in movies like ‘September’s Gone’, ‘Alice In Wonderland’ and ‘Fear The Darkness’ and also we could hear her voice in ‘Calvin and Hobbes’.

CAPTAIN AMERICA: DESTINY: Regular members of Captain America’s movies are already confirmed to be back in this one. Once again, Heath Ledger will be the superhero, Kate Beckinsale will be his dearest girlfriend and Alec Baldwin will be his grumpy boss.

SYNDROME: PARADISE LOST: Green light for another big budget sci-fi production coming next Season. Matt Kubrick has written a story that does not follow the pattern of last CMP’s big stories: it is not based in a computer game.

COMING SOON - THE ADD


RUMOURS AND GOSSIPS

Star Wars: War of the Stars. Here is a story that could become an earthquake inside CMP’s major franchise. During the premiere of ‘Mysteries of the Sith’, George Lucas stated to the media that he would be directing the next episode of the new trilogy. When he knew about it, screenwriter Marcus Trax rushed to CMP’s Offices to tell Harry Stark that he had no idea of that and that, under any circumstances, he would not admit Lucas directing the movie. And, when Lucas knew this, he also rushed to CMP’s Offices to tell Harry Stark that, if Trax does not trust him as director, he won’t accept to only produce the next episode and would retire the agreement to mention the trademark ‘Star Wars’ in it. A difficult situation for Stark. Who will win this pulse between Lucas and Trax? The answer in future issues. Stay tuned to what promises to be a big war of stars for Star Wars.

More news about ‘Wild Cards’. Matt Kubrick is planning to write a spin-off movie for the saga, besides its third episode. The spin-off would focus on Yeoman, the character played by Samuel L. Jackson. There’s not a draft for the story yet, but it looks as if the Wild Cards universe could expand in the near future.

Profitable but not original. A funny gossip. Harry Stark did not know at all that the Hitman movies were based on a computer game. He always thought they were based on original ideas from John Daws, as Daws never mentioned they came from a game and CMP’s President did not know the game. Stark was so surprised when, reading the latest issue from Misterbaldy, he suddenly discovered Hitman is, in fact, a pc game adaptation. (And yes, another Movie Studios is going to release soon another Hitman movie based on this same computer game…)

STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN… OR HELL

HEAVEN

SEAN CONNERY: Back to success. After the bad results of his two last CMP’s movies, ‘Tales Of The Jedi’ and ‘The Bridge’, Connery has returned to Net Gains with his starring role in ‘Paperback Story’. And it sure feels like heaven for him.


KATE BECKINSALE: Things are looking good for Kate. Nobody missed Keira in the third Hitman and she will probably have another hit with the upcoming ‘Captain America: Destiny’. It seems like she is climbing the ladder to become one of CMP’s greatest.

HELL

CMP’S DESING DEPARTMENT: Ok, making an official poster to celebrate the first 100 movies released might be a good idea. But did it have to be so ugly? That pic only deserves the flames of hell.



IAN MCKELLEN: Every writer and director that needs an old, mysterious and wise character asks for McKellen. ‘Wild Cards 2’, ‘The Library’ and ‘Dungeons & Dragons’ got him to repeat the pattern he created with ‘Lord Of The Rings’. And new offers in the same way have been already received by him. It must be hell for him to choose where to deposit his wisdom... and always playing the same type of character.

INSIDE CMP

Time flies… The 4th Edition of the Golden Moon Awards is just round the corner. And CMP has already started to prepare the event. Two initial difficulties: First, choosing the location where the ceremony will take place. Second, trying to avoid what it is already known as ‘the Curse of the Hosts’. According to it, every upcoming movie in which a talent presenting an award is involved is condemned to a box office’s flop.

Will the second episode of ‘The Great War Series’ repeat the surprising and awesome success of the first movie? Nobody at CMP thinks that's possible. But everyone considers that it would be a shame to consider it a flop just because it may not reach those outstanding results.


Last Season, two movies got box offices superiors to 200 mill. (‘New Order’ and ‘Darkening Skies’). Any movie has reached that landmark this Season yet. And the feeling inside CMP’s Executive Board is that, if ‘Dungeons & Dragons’ doesn’t reach it, no movie will this Season.