HOLLYWOOD TAKES 2: Comic Con Rising!

14 Jul

It isn’t news anymore to say Comic Con is a huge event.  Yet more important than that how did this multi-annual forum for geeks become so important and what does it say about international adulthood of filmmaking for that matter?  As a reminder “Comic” is probably short for “comic book” and the word “Con” is short for convention.  Comic books rarely define our best literature.  Discussions of conventions rarely define original material. Don’t worry I’m sure this article is being crafted as we speak at the website you are currently lurking at.  Until then please brace yourselves for a story that will likely change and rock the industry as we know it.

Essential stories;

  • Dick Zanuck R.I.P at 77
  • Hollywood’s Most Gifted Director doesn’t know whether he will direct the Avengers 2 or not
  • HitFix makes Oscar predictions

RICHARD ZANUCK R.I.P at 77:
Variety.com, Indiewire.com, and Deadline.com were gracious enough to underscore the passing of one of Hollywood’s producing giants.  The fact that he was hired by his father Darryl F. Zannuck to head production at 2oth Century Fox, might normally inspire a cascade of nepotism inspired snarks, yet Zanuck’s enormous success in the field actually contradicts his familiar and familial rise to authority.  At 28 he was the youngest man to ever hold that position and even after his eventual removal, again by his father, he had already distinguished himself as an aggressive force to be reckoned with [1].

His legacy of Academy Award wins include: “The Sound Of Music”, “Patton”, “The French Connection”, “The Planet Of The Apes series”, “Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid” and “M*A*S*H*.” and that only partially addresses the best picture category [2].

 

 

HOLLYWOOD’S MOST GIFTED DIRECTOR DOESN’T KNOW WHETHER HE WILL DIRECT THE AVENGERS 2 OR NOT

Covering Comic Con, Indiewire.com and Deadline.com both reported to many a very disturbing quote from the director of the third largest earning film in Hollywood history.  Former Avengers director, Joss Whedon was reported to have said;

“I have not come to a decision on directing ‘Avengers 2‘ yet,” he said. “I am having too much fun with this (Firefly reunion) now.”

This response to a question about his plans inspires at least two responses.  One response is humor based, the other underlines the stakes involved in a movie of this expected scope.  The humorous response is based on incredulous doubt.  How is it possible that this deal isn’t already set in stone? Directors are typically contractually obligated in multi-picture deals before shooting ever begins.  On the other hand, Whedon even if production were to start soon he probably would never be able to return to a project like “Firefly” until at least after 2015 or 2016. If this publically expressed doubt or hesitance had anything to do with Whedon’s expected profits, there’s very little reason to believe all parties involved will comply with his expectations [3].

HITFIX MAKES OSCAR PREDICTIONS

If you thought it sounded ridiculous two weeks ago when we reported Indiewire.com was making Oscar Predictions.  You will not be surprised to hear, that though we did not report on it, another powerhouse entertainment site, Hitfix.com did it first.  So yes the desire to appear far more prophetic than the competition is catching.  Let us know what you think of these predictions [4].

BEST PICTURE:

BEST DIRECTOR:

BEST ACTOR:

BEST ACTRESS:

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR:

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS:

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY:

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY:

BEST ART DIRECTION:

“Anna Karenina” 

BEST COSTUME DESIGN:

BEST FILM EDITING:

BEST MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING;

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE

To learn more please follow the link below.

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Essential References:

[1 http://www.deadline.com/2012/07/comic-con-joss-whedon-remains-undecided-about-avengers-2/

[2] http://blogs.indiewire.com/thompsononhollywood/rip-hollywood-scion-dick-zanuck-one-of-the-great-producers

[3] http://www.deadline.com/2012/07/comic-con-joss-whedon-remains-undecided-about-avengers-2/

[4] http://www.hitfix.com/in-contention/venice-jury-includes-samantha-morton-and-marina-abramovic

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3 Responses to “HOLLYWOOD TAKES 2: Comic Con Rising!”

  1. Open Book July 14, 2012 at 3:11 PM #

    Great review CR!

    Cons: I’m not into critics jumping the gun and making these predictions before the movie going audiences has seen half of these films. Now granted, this is a dialogue happening within the film industry. But again it’s not inclusive of the general public and comes off as snobbish IMO.

    • Comic Relief July 14, 2012 at 7:26 PM #

      I agree you but not out jealousy because they took a step in this direction. I make predictions ahead of time just as anyone interested in this cultural sphere might. I just wish we would wait for the movie to show its merit because we claim it deserves to be in the winner’s circle.

      Elaborate proto blockbuster movies like “Anna Karenina”, “The Great Gatsby”, “Les Misérables”, and “Anna Karenina” have not been screened and we’re already being told they are equal to “Beasts of the Southern Wild”. Conversely we’re being told that “Beasts…” a movie that most every one has an option to see, may not have performed to the standard of movies that may not be complete yet.

      It’s all really crazy.

      Imagine a long the way Hitfix and Indiewire will explain to us that due to new information and changes in reception they have found it O.K. to replace or dislodge many previous selections on their list with new ones.

      O.B.,

      Demonstrating that you are not committed to the movies you have already reviewed might appear snobbish but it certainly flirts with insincerity also.

  2. Open Book July 14, 2012 at 3:14 PM #

    On the plus side? I do like HitFix’s predictions rather than IndieWires.

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