SEPTEMBER, 2


1066

Historical / Epic
The Cast: Clive Owen, Daniel Craig, Patrick Stewart, Sean Connery. Cameo by John Daws
The Director: Mel Gibson
The Screenwriter and Producer: John Daws

Box Office: 19 mill.
Net Loss: 22 mill.

Stark’s Reaction: Ouch! The most painful financial disaster since ‘Nagasaki Daydreams’. American market has dramatically ignored this release and although it did pretty well in the European market it has not been enough to save it. A three hours long British production with two hours exclusively focussed on a crowdy battle it was something really hard to sell. Maybe, as it happened with ‘Nagasaki Daydreams’, this production’s reputation will be saved at the Golden Moon Awards. But, for now, a disaster we were not used to anymore after quite a few Seasons without suffering major flops like this.

JOURNEY INTO DARKNESS

Thriller
The Cast: Ellen Page, Ray Liotta
The Screenwriter and Director: Matt Kubrick
The Producer: Midnight Movies


Box Office: 45 mill.
Net Gains: 16 mill.

Stark’s Reaction: As we had said before, at CMP we know that thrillers don’t make big box offices but they work really well at DVD market. Not this time. DVD market has not responded with particular enthusiasm to this one. But box office has been good enough this time to make a decent breakdown. Satisfactory.

A MAN CALLED DAN

Drama
The Cast: Aaron Eckhart, Terrence Howard, Toni Collette, John Cusack, Glenn Close, Robert Duvall, Jimmy Bennett
The Director: Neil LaBute
The Screenwriter: Josh Collins

Box Office: 65 mill.
Net Gains: 54 mill.

Stark’s Reaction: The nice surprise of this hard week. The movie had a very low budget, so net gains are really good. It seems like Collins’ dramas have consolidated a loyal crowd of followers (our marketing reports talk about middle age urban women with mid-high education level) that make them work well enough in box office. I must confess I did not trust this release. I thought the cast and the story were not appealing enough to make it work. And I am very happy to admit I was wrong.


1066

“It has happened before. It happened with ‘The Bridge’, a good movie. It happened with ‘The Library’, a great movie. And it has happened again with ‘1066’, a wonderful movie. Let’s face it: CMP does not know how to manage historical productions. ‘1066’ is a hard to watch movie, with those three hours mainly focussed on a battle. But it shows a mastery directional job by Mel Gibson and it is a magnificent epic show for history lovers. Yes, ok, it is not an easy pc game or superhero adaptation, but it should have worked better in box office. CMP learnt how to make comedies work in box office. It is about time the Studio also learns to sell properly brilliant historical productions like this.”
-Vic Carter

“Why? That’s the question. And there are a few ‘because’. First, American market has completely ignored a historical recreation of a very concrete event of Great Britain’s history, which is understandable. And we all know a movie will be nothing in box office if American market ignores it. Second, Mel Gibson has to be acknowledged as one of the most talented directors of our days, you like it or not, but the miracle of turning ‘The Passion’ into a blockbuster is not easy to repeat and his movies are not easy for wide audiences. Third, John Daws’ screenplay accurately recreates the historical Battle of Hastings, but three hours is too much even if they are brilliantly shot or historically interesting. Fourth, the characters in the story get blurred in the crowd of soldiers and audiences do not really get to care about them and that creates a certain coldness, a distance hard to save between viewers and what they are viewing on screen. In conclusion, great production design, great direction, great ancient war scenes… but, after all, a big, very big problem: the movie is boring.”
-Charlie Kiggs

“In years to come (and maybe in the next Golden Moon Awards), ‘1066’ will be recognized as a classic. In years to come, Mel Gibson will be mentioned among the most creative and daring directors of our time. In years to come, all British students and specially History students will be obliged to watch this movie. But all that will happen in years to come. Right now, CMP should have known that a movie like this would not work in box office. The Studio is rich enough to afford losses in this production, and they should be proud to have made a movie like this instead of another profitable ‘Lobo-esque’ flick. Some times, you have to look at the future and try to forget the present.”
-Jackie O’Callaghan

JOURNEY INTO DARKNESS

“A standard thriller with the ordinary psycho-killer and poor innocent victim included. Matt Kubrick – always a better screenwriter than director, except for ‘Home’ – has moved here in a middle earth. The movie is not as bloody and excessively violent as ‘Damnation Road’ but it isn’t neither as simple and silly as ‘Blood Beach’ (curiously, both cult movies that will be remembered much more than this one). ‘Journey into Darkness’ is entertaining but it is not as disturbing as it pretends to be. It seems like Kubrick has decided not to take risk, avoiding a kind of new ‘Hostel’ and staying inside the limits of a mainstream Hollywood thriller.”
-Amy Ratched

“The whole movie is supported by the two characters played by Liotta and Page. An acting duel that works. We all know Liotta can play a believable psycho. And we have seen before Ellen Page’s terrified face (remember ‘ Blood Beach’?). No risks there. Both make a solid starring couple to make the story work. But don’t expect anything new from this movie. We have the feeling we have seen it all before. That can be a problem or not, it just depends on each moviegoer’s expectations. Personally, I had a good time watching it. Some times, I go to a movie theatre wanting only to be interested and entertained for 90 minutes and that’s exactly what this movie does.”
-Tim Reeve

“I am a fan of Kubrick’s work. I love it when he gets freak (‘Wild Cards’), when he makes almost parodies of 80’s horror flicks (‘London Underground’, ‘Blood Beach’), and even when he gets serious (‘Home’) or romantic (‘Goths. A Love Story’). There is always something that surprises me in his stories, a touch of difference. But not this time. ‘Journey Into Darkness’ is a correct suspense thriller. It is bloody enough. It is disturbing enough. It is intriguing enough. But it is not more than a DVD product. Another one of those releases that make hard to say something specially good or specially bad.”
-Roy Winslow

A MAN CALLED DAN

“Josh Collins has decided to walk through all the controversial issues of our days: child abuse, drugs, prostitution, teen homosexuality… and now gay adoption. It is curious that, this time, he has thought that the story should take place a few decades ago, as if he didn’t consider gay adoption a controversial enough issue anymore in our days, which is obviously wrong. Anyway, we all know by now Collins knows how to write dramas with a social content. And the formula has worked again if we look at box office’s result. Personally, this is not my favourite Collins’ drama. It is not as tough to watch as ‘Velcro’ nor as moving as ‘Lyra’ and its screenplay is not as brilliant as ‘Hollyweird’. But, despite all that, I hope he keeps making us think in front of a movie screen telling us stories that happen closer to us than some times we think.”
-Anne Roman

“I need to praise this new Collins’ drama. If not, CMP might decide not going on producing them and just focussing in its profitable pc games adaptations. If CMP has at least one author interested in adult (and also female) audiences, good cinema lovers are definitely obliged to support him. That said, ‘A Man Called Dan’ (terrible title, by the way), is not the best product at all from the registered trademark ‘Collins’ drama’. It does not work as an ensemble movie the way others have (‘Blink’, ‘Hollyweird’), it isn’t neither as deeply dramatic as ‘Velcro’ and it does not make such a brilliant approach to the questions as ‘Lyra’. I think there are some miscasts (Aaron Eckhart does not completely work as the gay dentist and loving father, Toni Collete plays again a kind of character we have seen her playing before, Glenn Close can do much better than that…) and the mix between a reflection about civil right movements in the 60’s and gay adoption looks rather forced, as if Collins has tried to tell us two very different stories in one. But I still prefer the ‘dramatic’ Collins that when he gets infected by the CMP’s spirit of making money instead of quality movies and steps into territories he does not belong to (‘The Legend Of Zelda’).”
-Amy Ratched

“Some times, those guys from CMP prove they know their job (…some times don’t, just look at what has happened with that masterpiece ‘1066’). Here, they had a weak family dramedy in their hands that, logically, should have flopped in box office. What is the secret of success for this one? First, although it was a story about a gay man, CMP’s Marketing Department has decided to look mainly for female audiences (hooked to Collins’ dramas after previous female oriented movies like ‘Velcro’ or ‘Lyra’). Second, the movie’s teaser put very much the accent on the family aspects of the story (parents, sister, son…) to reinforce that female oriented campaign we have all seen in glossy magazines and outdoor ads. Third, the movie trailer expanded the focus showing the racial conflict represented by Terrence Howard’s character (what could also attract some male audience more than the gay adoption issue). The result? Women asked their couples to take them to see the movie and they accepted considering it could be interesting enough for them too. And it worked. Intelligent marketing has saved a forgettable little drama that won’t count as one of the best Collins’ works.”
-Chris Burguess


Welcome back to all CMP staff and fans. I'm very glad CMP is back as I've been tearing the rest of my bald hair out at the sight of these crappy movies Hollywood's been churning out. They're so bad I don't even want to talk about them!

1066

He brought us great historic epics such as Braveheart and Apocalypto, now Gibson adds another exciting film about the Battle of Hastings. A film that has something for everyone: History for the history buffs, war and violence for the action and war buffs, a well respected cast of actors and director. This could very well be John Daws' defining moment as a consistent screenwriter in CMP and he's already got my vote for this year's GMAs. I enjoyed this film and it doesn't deserve any less than my two thumbs and two big toes up. If I had more big toes and thumbs I'd be freaky looking, but they would all be sticking up. Except for that retarded thumb that kind of hands off the end of my hand and it's really small so is it a thumb and it's sort of like the black sheep of all the fingers.

JOURNEY INTO DARKNESS

Seems to me like the average run-of-the-mill horror/thriller. We've seen it all done before and I need to make a note to myself that Ellen Page needs a slap in the face to tell her she's better than being "the scream queen" Liota just needs a movie that will help put food on his table. It's really a movie for people who don't mind seeing these kinds of movies no matter how many times they've seen them done before. Two thumbs down and two bent big toes(that's bad for those who don't know my new rating system)

A MAN CALLED DAN

That title just rolls off the tongue and rhymes so well! Anyway, A Man Called Dan. Aaron Eckhart's been one of the better actors in recent years and this has been his most challenging to date, hoping to snag a best actor GMA. But I think Terrence Howard deserves equal amount of mention for his honorable lawyer in a dishonorable world. The supporting cast is perfect and they do their job as any other outstanding supporting cast would do. I wouldn't go so far as to say it's the modern day 'To Kill a Mockingbird' and it is a film that touches issues that would not have been as big these days(though there are many moralists to this day who would argue about gays being able to adopt and raise a healthy child) so even though the film is set in the late 60s/early 70s, it still manages to talk to today's audience. Collins knows how to get into his audience's heads and force them to think about things they don't want to think about. From child abductions to gay adoptions. I enjoyed the film, not Josh's greatest achievement, but certainly not his worst. Two thumbs and a big toe up, one big toe bent.