Yes! Here's hoping "Where the Wild Things Are" breaks a dry spell that the box-office finds itself this weekend.
And, frankly this soundtrack is a great way to end a rrrreally long day!
"I don’t like to look at Penélope directly. It is too overwhelming” - Woody Allen
I'd have to agree.
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Second trailer for Jason Reitman's "Up in the Air". Looks like this could be following in the footsteps of "Jerry Maguire" - a preachy, treacly classic that will cater to popular mainstream sensibility.
Enjoy!
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Truly funny stuff. Never thought I'd say that about a Michael Cera film. I do think his 15 minutes of fame is up, but this movie and the Scott Pilgrim flick he's doing could change things.
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I repeat: these are the first 7 minutes of a film that's directed by a vastly talented filmmaker who is definitely here to stay - Kathryn Bigelow. Mark my words.
The first 7 minutes alone shows masterful storytelling / character development with a keen eye for detail (reminds me of Paul Greengrass - who directed the Bourne series) and also of scenes from Spielberg's "Saving Private Ryan". Given her artist background (San Francisco Art Institute) she also displays a beautiful sense of framing / composition as the culminating few seconds in this scene show.
But most importantly she displays a complete mastery of the audience's anticipation with each growing second in this intro. Wow! Just Wow!
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As I was reading that "Transformers 2", the much reviled movie (critically at least) made $112M on their opening weekend, I couldn't help but think back on Seth Godin's excellent post earlier today on the paradox of the middle of the market.
This is obviously a movie that caters to that audience precisely:
The paradox is that it's almost impossible to make a product or service for this segment, because they want the tried, the true and the boring.
The New York Times seconds this assertion:
People complain about Hollywood’s tendency to be unadventurous with its big-money titles, but the moviegoing masses clearly get the most excited when they are not being surprised. In other words, the multiplex really rocks when movies are served up the McDonalds way: predictably and comfortably.
However, with movies it's easy getting away by targeting solely this juicy middle of the market, because they want the tried, true and boring sequels, because of the brand recall factor. Plus, they are a big enough cross-section of your audience base that if they approve of the movie you cross a $100M on the opening weekend.
However, with most mainstream brands (in politics, products and services) it's a challenge getting there. Godin goes on to explain the phenomenon:
The middle of the market is a paradox because of the inherent contradiction between the ease of reaching the nerds and the geeks and the need to reach the middle. The solution, if there is one, is to enter a market to the enthusiastic cheers of those in search of the new, but to build a product/service that appeals to those in the middle. After the initial wave of enthusiasm, you hunker down and ignore those that first embraced you, obsessing instead on the needs and networks of the middle. It's a difficult balancing act, but it's the only one that works.
Ultimately, you end up disappointing the hard core that first found you, but because of their initial enthusiasm (and more important, because you designed your work for the masses in the first place), your product crosses the chasm and reaches a larger group. The formula starts with a service or product that's purple enough to spread, but not so hyper-fashionable that it merely entertains the insiders.
I think this relates equally well to brands. Take for e.g. the brand called Obama. He too started niche, catering to his rabid group of followers or "the base". In Obama's case his core supporters were obviously those on the extreme left. But soon during the elections itself he started "obsessing about the needs of the middle", and at some point after the election resulted in disappointing that hard core base. But by that time his brand had crossed over the chasm and had seeped into the nation's consciousness.
What other brands do you recall performing a similar feat? There are tons out there. Leave a comment.
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Just watched "Man on Wire", an unconventional documentary that plays out as a conventional feature film would. It has a finely tuned script that plays well within the parameters of what you'd expect in (let's say) a heist movie. The only difference being all the characters are real and pull off a seemingly impossible daredevil act.
The documentary also achieves what very few feature films do, by fleshing out characters thoroughly and revealing more about friendship, loyalty, determination, the price of fame, and a plethora of other themes you wouldn't expect here. Definitely worth watching on DVD.
The above clip is an interview with the director, James Marsh, and the subject, Petite Philipe, about their motivations in making the movie. (My rating: 4/5)
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Here's a review of one of the movies I'm eagerly awaiting - the Hurt Locker: "Simply put, it is like someone time traveling from before the era of Michael Bay, Stephen Sommers and the like and firmly establishing, THIS is how you thrill an audience."
Boy, in the age of mediocre blockbuster crap like "Transformers 2", this movie could be a breath of fresh air.
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What else would one expect from Tim Burton. As always, he seems to have given the juicier roles to Depp and Bonham Carter. Check out the gallery though. A must-see!
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