Toronto Film Festival,
Theaters and Studios, 007 Woes
September 2005 Movie News
Toronto International Film Festival 2005: For their 30th annual outing, the festival directors are showing over 330 films from 52 countries, quite an international endeavor and showcasing cultures from around the world. This is not to say that Hollywood isn't a big presence. It is: the Toronto is second only to Cannes in both popularity and influence. Tommy Lee Jones' directorial debut, The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada starring Jones, Barry Pepper and Dwight Yoakam will be prominent, as well as Martin Scorsese's documentary No Direction Home: Bob Dylan. Edison, starring Kevin Spacey and Morgan Freeman, will close the 10-day festival. Non-North American offerings include Guy Ritchie's Revolver with Jason Statham and Ray Liotta, Stephen Frears' Mrs. Henderson Presents starring Judi Dench and Bob Hoskins, and Deepa Mehta's Water, the final film in her trilogy on the elements.
Film Wars: Revenge of the Theaters.: Now here's something to warm the hearts of studio heads: "Here's what we know about 2005: The movies are not as good," said John Fithian, president of the National Association of Theater Owners. With that opening salvo the movie theater leaders take Hollywood and the major studios to task for the slump that seems to grip the industry. And it doesn't seem to want to let go. Year-to-date box office sales stand at $5.57 billion compared with $6.05 billion at the same time in 2004. Granted, that doesn't seem like much, but with all the pumped-up advertising, rising salaries, and other expenses, it certainly doesn't help. That very aggressive advertising, rude patrons, and rising ticket prices are all including in the mix. Robert Iger, the future CEO of the Walter Disney Co., actually has a good idea. He wants to release films and videos at the same time, or at least move toward that day. Obviously movie theater owners hate that idea. But, as I pointed out before in one of my essays, can't they incorporate this into the movie theater of the future? Something to think about, rather than lash out blindly.
Speaking Of Disney.: The Walt Disney Co. said Friday it has hired an auditor to investigate claims that its Chinese contractors pay workers below minimum wage, cheat labor managers by faking wage sheets, and demand excessive overtime. Hmmm. and this doesn't happen over here?
My Name Is Bond, J- Oops! Not Any More: Pierce Brosnan has holstered his Walther PPK and can't claim to be the best spy in the world any longer. It only took one phone call to fell 007: quite a let-down for all those evil masterminds he defeated over the years! But, of course, someone else is going to step into Bond's shoes to take up the fight. I wonder who it will be?
From The Captain Obvious Files: Stop the presses: Courtney Love admitted using drugs in violation of her probation terms. Is anyone surprised? The rocker-actress was then ordered into a drug treatment program by a judge. Also not a surprise: celebs rarely get thrown into jail for these types of things. Both Love and the judicial system should be ashamed.
