JUNE, 14


HUNGER GAMES

Action / Sci-Fi
Cast: Emma Watson, Hunter Parrish, Andrew Garfield, Elle Fanning, Jay Baruchel, Nathan Fillion, Alex Pettyfer, Lindsay Fonseca, Elijah Kelley, Bonnie Wright
Director: Marc Forster
Producer: Silver Lining Entertainment
Screenwriter: Chad Taylor

Box Office: 116 mill.
Net Gains: 69 mill.

Stark’s Reaction:
Finally, a ‘+100’ release after a few hard weeks… Nice box office although not as good as it could have been. But looking at what has happened with other big budget productions lately, I must feel at least satisfied.

THE QUESTION

Action / Superhero / Thriller
Cast: Ryan Gosling, Christina Hendricks, Ray Winstone, Lucy Liu, John Malkovich, Mads Mikkelsen
Director: David Slade
Producer: Zack Snyder
Screenwriter: D.R.Cobb

Box Office: 56 mill.
Net Gains: 21 mill.

Stark’s Reaction:
It has happened again. Put the word ‘Thriller’ in the description of a CMP’s movie’s genre and you will have a hard time at box office… Damn… At least, it has made net gains. But I honestly think this movie deserved much better luck.

THE PAPER MAN

Biography / Drama
Cast: Jamie Bell, Imogen Poots, Christoph Waltz, Isabella Rossellini, Daniel Craig. Cameo by Harvey Keitel.
Director, Producer and Screenwriter: Joey Stark

Box Office: 27 mill.
Net Losses: 7 mill.

Stark’s Reaction:
Well, net losses were predictable here… At least, it’s not been a big disaster. And my dear brother Joey is so happy with the film after all. Family matters, you know.


HUNGER GAMES

‘’Hunter Games’ can be defined as a ‘teen sci-fi’ movie. We don’t have here an ambitious sci-fi film in the line of Connors’ sequels of ‘Blade Runner’ or John Daws’ ‘New World’ saga. ‘Hunger Games’ only looks to show a group of good-looking teenagers fighting each other in a futuristic scenario. That limited ambition also limits the target audience of this production. Fans of sci-fi won’t find in that premise too much to wake up their interest. But teen audiences will enjoy watching some of the most promising stars of our days together on screen. If you are not a very demanding sci-fi freak and you are under 30, this may be a movie entertaining and appealing enough for you. If you are not in one of those two audience segments, you will feel a bit disappointed.’
-Anne Roman

‘This is one of those movies that offer less than expected. I am not saying it is a bad movie. It’s interesting. Production design is fine. Forster has shown his skills filming action sequences. And young stars like Emma Watson and Hunter Parrish look really good. But I expected much more from the film. This kind of movies built up upon a very specific premise always end up being a bit monotonous and repetitive. It’s something similar to what happens with ‘F-Zero’ and races (and even with ‘Lemieux’ and hockey sequences). A full-length movie focused almost exclusively in a single situation, like the duels in this one, have a big difficulty to keep the audience interested. So ‘Hunger Games’ looks very promising during its first twenty minutes or half hour but, after that, the interest of the story inevitably fades.’
-Vic Carter

‘I am going to write something that it is probably unfair. But I had this idea while watching ‘Hunger Games’ so I will repeat it here: at some moments, I had the feeling that ‘Hunger Games’ was a sophisticated version of those shows from American TV like ‘American Gladiators’ or the WWE. I mean, a big show based on big rivalries, duels, goods and bads, friends and enemies, alliances and betrayals, exaggerated violence and faked fighting choreographies. There’s a big budget invested in this movie and you can notice it. And Marc Forster is an efficient director. And I have no complaints about the cast’s work. But, at the end, what was left? A weak storyline supporting a succession of duels in a ring. Not enough to make a good sci-fi movie.’
-Roy Winslow

THE QUESTION

‘Why a good movie like this has not made the box office it deserved? For once, I won’t blame the director or the screenwriter. It is the marketing campaign of the movie what was wrong. ‘The Question’ has been presented as a ‘superhero movie’. But the truth is that it is not. Yes, it is a comic based story. But it is not a superhero movie in the sense audiences understand that genre. ‘The Question’ has nothing to do with ‘Justice League’ or any Superman, Batman or Iron Man movie. It is not based on spectacular CGI or the heroic routine of a man with superpowers. It is more a dark thriller and a quality action film, closer to a film noir or a good cops story than to the usual flashy shows of superheroes movies. And it is always dangerous to confuse audiences. They may feel disappointed for what they are watching only because it is not what they expected, no matter the quality of the film. So I think the guys from CMP have ruined the chances of this interesting movie with a wrong promotional campaign of it.’
-Charlie Kiggs

‘Ryan Gosling has finally found the right vehicle to shine in CMP. I didn’t find him completely believable when he joined the Star Wars’ universe in ‘Holocron Initiative’. He just looked out of place there. I liked him better when playing more dramatic roles in films like ‘The Funeral Drum’, ‘Hallelujah’ or ‘After The Storm’. But it’s been playing Vic Sage when he has found his match to finally become a top CMP’s star. His always disturbing screen presence perfectly adapts to this intriguing dark character. Together with him, the rest of the cast also deserves to be mentioned. John Malkovich is always an efficient villain. But, this time, Ray Winstone steals Malkovich the show as the nastiest character of the story. And Christina Hendricks debuts in CMP displaying all her splendorous presence. Good cast choices all of them that upgrade the interest of this entertaining movie.’
-Andrew Stampton

‘The best David Slade (the one that made ‘Hard Candy’) is back instead of the worst David Slade (the one that made ‘Eclipse’). Thanks God, you can’t notice on screen the influence of the overvalued Zack Snyder, producer of the film. Slade has renounced to cheap visual tricks here. He has focused more in creating the right atmosphere putting the accent on intrigue and perfectly dosing the action sequences to keep alive the pace of an interesting plot. It is the solid narrative tone, the appealing dark cinematography and the accurate picture of the characters what turns this movie into an innovative and quality way of approaching to comic adaptations beyond the usual top budget show. I have the feeling that this is one of those movies that will be more appreciated as time passes, just like good wine.’
-Chris Burgess

THE PAPER MAN

‘Like most CMP’s writers, Joey Stark also confirms to suffer double (if not multiple) personality. After some time focusing on sexy action girls’ films with ‘Daughters Of The Dragon 2’ and ‘Death Cruise’, now he has fallen into deep sentimentalism with ‘The Paper Man’. Stark has wanted to show us that he can also be an artsy moviemaker with this film that tells us a bigger-than-life story from an intimate perspective. The dramatic destiny of Matthias Sindelar is one of those true stories just perfect to be told in a movie. The only problem is that you can notice Stark has such a strong will to move the audience with the story that, at some moments, he falls into an excessive and unneeded sentimentalism. He very much wants to provoke the audience’s complicity with the character’s drama that he forces at some points the emotional intensity of the sequences. But, besides that, Stark has passed the test: ok, yes, he can do something more than writing sexy heroines’ movies.’
-Jackie O’Callaghan

‘Jamie Bell proves again with ‘The Paper Man’ that when he is given the right character, he is one of the best young actors of our days. CMP has been the perfect place for him to shine. His work in ‘The Beatles’ or ‘The Amazing Adventures Of Kavalier And Clay’ already were top class proofs of his big talent. And ‘The Paper Man’ follows them as another memorable acting work from Bell. Together with him, Christoph Waltz also takes the best of his minor character, proving that he can do much more than just playing a mean or crazed villain. And the rest of the cast do their job, all of them a bit shadowed by Bell, the undisputable star of the function.’
-Mark Anderson

‘When you consciously renounce to make a good box office, you can take risks with creative moviemaking experiences. Joey Stark has had that chance with ‘The Paper Man’. His brother Harry has offered him the opportunity to make this movie the way he wanted to make it not caring about financial results. He has filmed a long – maybe a bit too long – film in black and white with obvious visual references to the classic German and Italian neorealistic style from the 1940s in the use of light and shadows and the camera angles. The film is not oriented to wide audiences. But it is a worthy authoresque proposal for a limited kind of audiences. Maybe, you have to be the brother of the big boss of CMP to be allowed to make a film as absolutely out of trend as this. But it is nice to see from time to time a cinematic experience that looks for something different than net gains.’
-Tim Reeve