Reducing Illegal Downloads,
More Oscar News and Harry Potter Speaks!
December 2005 Movie News
Technology Agreement: The seven studio members of the Motion Picture Association of America have recently negotiated an agreement with Bram Cohen, owner of bittorrent.com, to remove any Web links to pirated versions of movies from his very popular site. This will significantly cut down the fast and easy way to search for such movies, but not eliminate them. But MPAA CEO Dan Glickman believes that this is an important step in the war against illegal copying. "We want to make as many movies commercially available online as possible," he said. The BitTorrent technology, used by over forty million people, puts together digital movies and other files from users all over the Internet.
Animation and Documentary Nominations:
Animals! The "talking" kind, and not thinking primates. The list of the Feature Animation category includes the following: Madagascar, the DreamWorks pic dealing with zoo animals on the loose; Chicken Little, including not only a falling sky but also pesky aliens; Robots, a non-animal but pro-robot coming-of-age tale; Hoodwinked!, the modern take on Little Red Riding Hood; Tim Burton's (pictured left) Corpse Bride, again not animals but a bunch of dead people; and Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit, a long title and clay-animation at its finest. The first and last are the top picks among Internet oddmakers, the W&G shorts already accounting for two Oscars. While I agree with the majority this time, and W&G will edge out Madagascar, I always have a guilty fondness for Tim Burton's dark humor.
The Documentary category includes the following: March of the Penguins, this one about real-life penguins and their trials and tribulations narrated by Morgan Freeman; Mad Hot Ballroom, focused on Manhattan underprivileged kids trying to learn how to dance; Murderball, a violent sport played by wheelchair athletes; On Native Soil: The Documentary of the 9/11 Commission, the title says it all; and Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room, also self-evident. This category is far more problematic, but I think the penguins will come out on top. They are just too cute, not to mention staggeringly successful, to ignore
Box Office Over Thanksgiving: Warner Bros. had something to be thankful about as their Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire pulled in more than 80 million over the lazy five days of the November holiday weekend, followed by Walk The Line, the biopic of Johnny Cash. Other winners included Chicken Little, Rent, and the banal but family-friendly Yours, Mine, & Ours. Overall it was a cause for cautious optimism, as the great movie slump seems to have receded slightly. Total attendance is up at least 3 percent from last year. This is generally a good sign for the next few months, as the Christmas holiday rolls around and people take family and friends out to the movies for something to do.
On a different note, the star of the Goblet of Fire, Daniel Radcliffe, told reporters that he didn't think the latest film should be toned down to get a rating suitable for young children. "The nature of the book - a 16-year old kid dies in Harry Potter four - you can't make that light and frothy." His comments were made in Australia, where the movie could have been changed to allow those 15 and younger entrance without an adult. He thinks audiences would have been disappointed if the tale had been modified. "If you are going to do justice to the book, it has to be dark," he said. I certainly agree. The Goblet of Fire is the first film of the series to earn a PG-13 rating here in the United States.
And, Lastly, Don't Call Russell Crowe!: The actor did prove, however, that he has a sense of humor. During the hosting of the Australian Film Industry Awards, the edgy actor walked out on stage with a clunky telephone and said, "If there are any problems and you do get up here and go on too long, then say 'hello' to my little friend." The actor pleaded guilty earlier in the month to the charge of third-degree assault when he threw a phone at a New York hotel concierge. He also, refreshingly, admitted his mistake at the time. "Traveling businessmen get touchy or testy with hotel staff in every major city all around the world," Crowe said. "That doesn't excuse the fact that I lost my temper ... What I did was stupid. I admitted that straight away." It's good that he can admit when he was wrong (many, many public figures can not), but he might want to work on his temper a bit more.
Now, if you'll excuse me, I think I hear my phone ringing...
