JULY, 22

MOVIES RELEASED

1-STAR WARS: BALANCE OF THE FORCE

Sci-Fi
Directed by Lawrence Kasdan
Produced by George Lucas
Starring Tobey Maguire, Catherine Z. Jones, Daniel Craig, Adrien Brody, Patrick Stewart, Gary Oldman, Ralph Fiennes, Carrie Ann Moss, Tilda Swinton, Ron Pearlman

Box Office: 91 mill.
Net Gains: 25 mill.

CMP’s Reaction: Worst box office of the trilogy. A movie very expensive to produce so, besides the box office disappointment, net gains are very much welcome. Maybe it’s time to wonder if audiences have had enough of Star Wars…

2-HOLLYWEIRD

Drama / Comedy / Dark
Directed and Produced by Joshua Collins
Starring Scarlett Johansson, Jake Gyllenhaal, John Cusack, Abigail Breslin, Jeff Bridges


Box Office: 33 mill.
Net Gains: 3 mill.

CMP’s Reaction: A great movie. The Studio is so happy to have produced this one. Money is not everything in life.

3-VORHEES: THE BLOODY YEARS

Horror / Slasher
Directed by Eli Roth
Starring Elijah Wood, Michael Pitt, Jamie Lee Curtis, John C. Reilly, Chad Michael Murray, Alexa Vega, Nikki Reed


Box Office: 19 mill.
Net Loss: 5 mill.

CMP’s Reaction: Again, maybe audiences have had enough of Jason Vorhees too…

THE CRITICS CORNER

1-STAR WARS: BALANCE OF THE FORCE

“Exhaustion of the premise? Yes. Excessive in its ambition? Yes. But entertaining? No doubt. Trax, Lucas and Kasdan have closed the trilogy with the most epic adventure of it all. Although pretty predictable some times and with some forced twists in the storyline, the bigger-than-life epic of the saga reaches its top and Star Wars fans won’t be disappointed with an adventure that recovers and extends to the limits all the clichés of the most popular franchise ever”
-Bob Felton

“It has come a moment when you perfectly know what you are going to see in a Star Wars movie. I mean, it would be pretty silly by now to praise the FXs, CGIs and all the visual paraphernalia of a Star Wars movie. But, behind that, trying to keep going on again with all the well-known (too-known?) internal conflicts of the Skywalker family members with the temptations of the Dark Side and so may be becoming a bit exhausting. Watching Catherine Z. Jones coming and going from one side of the Force to the other may just be too much. It is time to begin considering if we have had enough Star Wars”
-Roy Winslow

“Watching a Star Wars movie is something like visiting a beloved relatives. It feels good to watch them, you know you are going to have a great time with them, it is a comfortable and rewarding experience… but at the same time you know from the beginning that there’ll be nothing new in it. I will loyally watch any Star Wars movie that could be release in the future (yes, I’m part of the family) but I already know they will never surprise me anymore.”
-Jack Carter

2-HOLLYWEIRD

“So brilliant. Original and innovative. For his second production, Collins has chosen a choral story in the line of Robert Altman’s movies like ‘Short Cuts’ or, specially, ‘The player’. And he has confirmed what some of us already felt with ’72 hours’: we have a great movie director here.”
-Kevin Clarkson

“The best CMP’s movie I’ve seen in a long time. Brave, tough, shape and acid. A dark satire about Hollywood, a picture of movie industry and the search of fame without compassion. Here is an intelligent movie. And the cast deserves a special mention. It is so surprising that Scarlett Johansson has made the best work of her career with that charicaturesque bimbo. All the cast, with its splendid job, makes believable what could be considered as some excesses in the screenplay that would have been unbelievable without their superb acting work”
-Charlie Kiggs

“If you want to watch a good movie, don’t miss this one. An inside look to fame and fortune without complacency. Collins tell us an acid and dark story with firm pulse and a vibrating narration pace. A pleasure to watch”
-Jackie O. Callaghan

3-VORHEES: THE BLOODY YEARS

“Making a Friday 13th movie may seem as an easy task. But it’s not. Matt Kubrick revitalized the franchise from a new and personal perspective with ‘Vorhees: The Early Years’, creating a new Jason Vorhees that was much more than just the killer of the show but a human being with a terrible past. It was so hard to offer something new but Kubrick did. This sequel has not followed that. Vorhees is back to be just the killing monster he’s always been. Eli Roth has taken away any depth from the character and made a much more standard Friday 13th movie. It looks too old fashioned”
-Wayne Hart

“I think Matt Kubrick is the most daring author (as writer, producer or director) working for CMP. He never takes the easy way of making big productions with big stars. He assumes so many risks with anime productions like ‘Robotech’, B-series action shows like ‘Ace Banner’, new concepts for sci-fi like ‘Wild Cards’ or looking for new approaches in the horror genre with movies like ‘Cursed Neverland’, the Darkman trilogy or his revisits of Jason Vorhees. Of course, box office not always responds as it should to his innovative proposals. But I just hope he keeps trying things more far away from mainstream Hollywood that it may seem on a first look.”
-Anne Roman

AWAITING RELEASE

1-THE GREAT WAR SERIES: FINAL THUNDER

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

The Director: Peter Weir
The Screenwriter: Jack Hammer

The Plot: 1918 – Europe, as the war reaches its climax the Armstrongs, still bleeding after the loss of Phillip, must soldier on for the freedom of England. For it is now, at the end, that those in the strongest positions will be able to decide the terms of the peace.

Determined to share the danger alongside the men he commands Richard Armstrong (J.Irons), now a Lieutenant General, leads his divisions in a last ditch attempt to capture a key piece of ground in the Ardennes. In England Anne (C.Danes) and Major Rene Peugot (A.Brody) are wed but as the last push their happiness may be short-lived. When Rene’s battalion is attached to her father’s command Anne cannot help but to recall Phillip’s death a year earlier.

In the air Captain George Armstrong’s (C.Haydensen) daring has made him a legend but as the best of the Kaiser’s Air Corps battles to stem the Allied assault he learns that even legends can die when he is shot down, barely surviving a crash behind the Hun lines and is thrown into a POW camp.

At sea Captain Sir Thomas Armstrong’s (C.Bale) cruiser may be all that stands between glorious victory and ignominious defeat as the German High Seas Fleet makes one final sortie and only HMS Defiant is in a position to spread the alarm. But first she must fight her way free of a squadron of fast destroyers that dog her heels. Turning on them, Thomas attacks, gambling that Defiant’s armor will protect her from the lighter caliber guns of the destroyers while his powerful batteries of 8-inchers sends them to the bottom. The gamble works and Defiant reaches England with mostly superficial damage, alerting the fleet in time to sortie and meet the Germans.

Meanwhile in the Ardennes, when Richard’s offensive bogs down in the dense woods he strips his divisions of their armor, which he forms into fast cavalry-like troops and sends around the flanks of the German resistance, freeing George from his prison camp in the process. But even as his strategy is proving it’s worth, his armor is dangerously over-extended and when the German’s mount a counter-attack Richard and his headquarters unit are cut off and surrounded. Richard orders George to fly a wounded Rene out in a captured Fokker D.VII while he and his armored units try to break through the German cordon and re-join his infantry divisions.

Leading from his un-armored touring car, Richard’s tanks thrust into the German lines forcing a breach. But when a battery of artillery opens up on the tanks with armor-piercing shells he realizes that the slow-moving Mk. II’s will never make it. In a suicide charge he sends his car hurtling across open ground to smash into the center of the Hun artillery, silencing the guns and allowing the armor to complete it’s breakthrough.

In the air George flies directly to Anne’s hospital but even as it comes within sight he is set upon by four German fighters. From the ground Anne sees the plane bearing her husband and youngest brother climb back into the clouds hotly pursued by three fighters while the fourth circles ominously below. She cries out in anguish as she realizes that she is about to watch two of the people she loves be killed before her eyes.

But though machinegun fire rips through the fabric of his plane George Armstrong focuses, as he has never done so before. He and the Fokker become welded into a single machine that climbs, dives and slashes through the clouds. Below Anne counts one, two, three DR. I’s as they fall, broken, through the clouds. But as George tries once more to land, the remaining triplane jumps onto his tail, firing burst after burst from his guns. As Rene is hit, George puts the plane into a steep dive with the German following close behind. At the last second he pulls up, but the DR. I’s weak 110 hp engine is unable to pull out of the dive and it slams into the French soil as the plane explodes in a ball of fire.

A month later, after laying flowers on Richard and Phillip’s graves, Thomas, George and Anne visit Rene at a convalescent hospital outside Paris. Suddenly, one after the other, the church bells begin to ring all over. When Rene asks what has happened they tell him that the Armistice has been signed, the Great War is finally over.

The Comment: Here is the awaited third episode of the epic WWI saga. Second episode won Best Director and Best Picture GMA. A major event for CMP… and a slight fear about box office breakdown.


2-THE SHRINKING MAN

The Cast: Ben Stiller, Reese Witherspoon, Sarah Jessica Parker, Brendan Fraser, Bill Murray

The Director: Harold Ramis
The Screenwriter: Steve Connors

The Plot: Ben Stiller is an ordinary man so happy with his new girlfriend, Sarah Jessica Parker, who works as a scientist in a secret Government Agency. But, after a few dates with her, he starts to realize she is too off-beat for him, so he decides to break up with her.

Sarah does not accept the break up. In fact, she goes for revenge. She calls Ben to go to her laboratory for a friendly talk. But, once there, she pushes Ben into a strange machine. It’s a shrinking machine. And yes, Ben is shrunk.

Life is not easy being small. Ben will have to survive to all kind of dangers and weird situations. His only help will be his best friend, Brendan Fraser, who keeps him in his apartment while he looks for a prestigious scientist, Bill Murray, after reading an article from him in a magazine about the impossibility of shrinking human beings.

Ben will keep dealing with all kind of problems. The major one: Brendan’s dog, who finds him so deliciously inviting. Running from the dog, Ben falls from a window and lands in Reese’s car. After the initial surprise, Reese and little Ben become friends. She is a journalist and wants to write an article about the amazing shrinking case.

So, while Brendan looks for Bill, Reese – with Ben hidden in her pocket – asks Sarah for an interview. But Sarah will soon discover that Reese knows about Ben. Sarah gets wildly jealous. She proves to be a psycho as she follows Reese home and tries to capture Ben.

Sarah kidnaps and takes both Reese and Ben to her laboratory. When she is going to shrink Reese too, Ben gets to escape and calls Brendan. He has already found the eccentric professor Bill. Both run to the laboratory and free Reese and Ben from Sarah.

Murray gets to invert the shrinking machine process and takes back Ben to his regular size. And Ben and Reese can finally kiss in a happy ending.

The Comment: A funny sci-fi comedy. It should work fine on box office. No (bad) surprises are expected.


3-PARODY OF ARTS

The Cast: Johnny Depp, Peter O’Toole, Katie Holmes, Sean Bean, Judi Dench, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Eric Balfour

The Director: David Mamet
The Screenwriter: Marcus Trax

The Plot: It’s the 60’s. An acting troupe "The Jacobeans" is retiring due to not enough profits on the last few tours and the people who work for the troupe have to come to terms with the fact they are now out of work of work while attempting to find new stable acting jobs in the region, especially for those who have families to support and other commitments to uphold. James Issacs (J.Depp) in particular has a family that needs support and he has to consider the fact he may have to give up acting for good. Edward Kostlos (P. O’Toole), an elderly actor, can not face the fact that he can not continue the career he has done for over 60 years and loves and Amy Green (K. Holmes), young and impressionable, sees her chance to break off from friends she has made and lovers she has taken, like Malcolm Norris (S. Bean), who is married, go to Hollywood and seek her fortune.
Other actors in the troupe with an uncertain future are Maggie Gyllenhaal, Judi Dench and Eric Balfour.
A story about a group of people who live together, work together and share their lives but now after so much have to go apart to new worlds and new futures because the one they want isn't possible anymore.

The Comment: Third movie together for David Mamet and Johnny Depp after ‘Smoke Signals’ and ‘No Evil’. The prediction? It will work better for the critics than for the profit. A low budget quality production that could become the ‘sleeper’ of the Season.


THE STAR PROFILE – UPCOMING SEQUELS

Franchises, sagas and trilogies are a tradition in CMP. And one of its most profitable business. This running Season, some of the most popular CMP’s franchises have got to an end (Star Wars, Lawman, Great War Series), so it is time to start thinking on new ones to keep the piggy bank full. Let’s take a look to possible sequels coming up in Season 6… or later.

THE SURE ONES

DUNGEONS & DRAGONS: Peter Jackson is already shooting together two sequels of this one. The second episode will be released soon, while the third one will be coming up next Season for sure. After the moderately poor results of Star Wars 3 and Planetside, this one has become the major bet for CMP.

SYNDROME: Matt Kubrick’s zombies saga will also have two sequels simultaneously shot in the near future. The first movie was a medium hit and a critically controversial release. But Harry Stark considers that the saga can be profitable enough to deserve the sequels

MCMILLAN AND WIFE: The surprise hit of Season 5 will have a sequel. Bill Cougan, writer of the first screenplay, wasn’t crazy with the idea, but Harry Stark convinced him to after the nice box office results of the first movie. Harrison Ford and Rene Russo will be back for sure.

NATHAN ZACHARY: Originally, Jack Hammer had five movies based on the PC Game Crimson Skies planned. After the medium box office results of the first one, he considered quitting the idea. But finally he has announced he’ll be writing at least a second movie.

THE UNCERTAIN ONES

GAME BOY: The only ‘200 mill.’ movie in Season 5 (after anyone reached that landmark in Season 4) looks as the perfect concept for a sequel. But it looks as the absence of it will be one of the collateral damages of John Daws’ retirement.

LIEUTENANT USA AND THE WARM STEEL GANG: Same as above. After the unexpected success of this movie, Harry Stark wanted very much to turn it into a franchise.

HITMAN: There was a rumour about a new Hitman movie turning to his younger years. It is said that the screenplay is already written. So maybe this one has better chances to be finally developed.

DEEP SILENCE: A sequel for this hit has been rumoured for quite a long time. But it looks like it will finally come true, written by Joey Stark, after the original author, Tom Figgs, disappeared without a trace.

WILD CARDS: A spin-off focused on the character of Yeoman and co-written by Matt Kubrick and Joey Stark has already been announced. But, besides that, a fourth episode can be expected after the good results of the third one.

ROBOTECH: Matt Kubrick announced once that 6 movies of Robotech would be produced. But it’s been quite long since the third one and no news about a new movie has been made. Maybe, the recent release of a DVD box set with the first three episodes is a hint for the return of this profitable franchise.

MOVIES IN DEVELOPMENT

DUNGEONS & DRAGONS: THE SHATTERED ORB: Big, very big names join the franchise in this second episode. No others than Natalie Portman – recently seen in ‘Flashes Of Life’ – and Sean Connery – just finished his work in ‘Planetside – will play main roles in this one. And another surprise: Thomas Jane will also be in it. It looks like ‘Nathan Zachary and Drake’s Gold’ has opened some doors for him.

THREE WOODEN CROSSES: Billy Bob Thornton has shot his movie in a record period of time. And the complete cast can be confirmed: Jude Law (not seen in CMP since the end of the ‘Uncommon Valour’ trilogy), Claire Danes, Jennifer Connelly (in her second movie of the Season after ‘The Guardians’), Chris Cooper (making his debut in CMP) and Billy Bob Thornton himself.

AN AMERICAN STROLL: First names known working on Ang Lee’s movie. Once again, James Bradley has called to his regulars: Kate Winslet and Paul Giamatti will be seen in it. And some peculiar names to imagine them together in the same movie can be added: Winona Ryder, Chris Rock and Sylvester Stallone will also appear in the story.

AMERICAN HEARTLAND: Martin Scorsese already has a director for his new production: actor Sean Penn. Penn and Scorsese became close friends working together in CMP’s trilogy ‘The Heirs’, and now they have reunited again for this project. Some talents involved are known too: last GMA Best Actor Winner Daniel Radcliffe (who is already working in his southern American accent) and Haley Joel Osment.

CELL MATES: Great starring couple for this original story. Johnny Depp – in his third movie of the Season – and Jack Nicholson (‘September’s Gone’, ‘Piece Of My Heart’) meet playing the main – and strange – roles of the Cohen Brothers comedy.


POWERHOUSE: Robert Redford has been mentioned as the main candidate to direct this working class drama, but there’s not confirmation yet from CMP. Other rumours say that this production could be cancelled as its development is going a bit slow.

RUMOURS AND GOSSIPS

Nice news. It looks like John Daws and CMP could reach an agreement about Daws’ stories waiting for greenlight. Before the retirement announcement of the Hitman saga author, he had quite a few screenplays waiting to be produced. In fact, Daws was expected to become one of the most prolific authors in CMP’s next Season. After his announcement, CMP considered not developing those projects. But it seems like Daws and Stark have agreed to go on with them.

Now it’s official. Nathan Zachary’s adventures will go on. Jack Hammer has confirmed that he will be writing at least two more adventures of the brave pilot. The first sequel even has a title: ‘Nathan Zachary and the Pilfered Prototype’. It is expected to be produced next Season.

Right after the release of ‘SW: Balance Of The Force’ – and before knowing the slight disappointment at box office – both producer George Lucas and director Lawrence Kasdan announced that they won’t get involved in any other Star Wars movie. “This is the end for me. I’ve loved the new trilogy as much as the two previous ones. But the time has come to an end. I don’t know by now if CMP will go on with new adventures. I could negotiate the rights for new movies with them. But, what is for sure, is that I won’t be involved in them by any mean’, stated Lucas.

INSIDE CMP

And here it comes… 5th Edition of the Golden Moon Awards. First news about it: The term for nominations voting will begin as soon as Seasn 5 ends (first days of August). Nominees will be announced as CMP returns in September. And the awards ceremony might take place in mid-September. Location of the ceremony has not been chosen yet.

Movie industry is always surprising. ‘Game Boy’ and ‘Lieutenant USA’ were unexpected major hits for the Studio this Season. On the other side, everyone is so surprised that ‘Planetside’ and ‘SW: Balance Of The Force’ did not reach the mark of 100 millions although they had such high budgets, big stars and an expensive marketing campaign. You never know with audiences…