Experimental New Murder Documentary

In this week’s edition of The Business with hostess Kim Masters, Masters interviews Australian director Kitty Green and discusses her most recent documentary Casting JonBenet. The documentary shows people auditioning for roles in a movie about a 1996 murder case that is still unsolved. The film focuses on the actors’ reactions to the real life case.

Green reveals that she never intended to make a reenactment of the 1996 case of JonBenet Ramsey, but the film sort of shifted that way. She was inspired by people’s reactions to the murder, so she decided to focus on that. Many of the actors could relate on a personal level to the case. Because she held the auditions in Boulder, Colorado, the scene of the crime, many actors there remembered the case clearly and had personal experiences with the Ramsey family. Other actors could relate to different murder experiences in their lives. The actors reveal very personal experiences in the film. Green made sure to alert the auditioning actors that their stories would be used in the film.

Green did research on the JonBenet Ramsey case, but it wasn’t really important to the film she was making because it focused on others’ perspectives. The information about the case is intriguing, but for this film, Green did not need to extensively research the case in order to pull off the effect she envisioned.

This is an incredibly unique concept for a documentary, and it looks like it will be worth watching. As Green states, “JonBenet Ramsey is a framework for a broader experiement.” A very self-aware documentary, Casting JonBenet challenges the conventions of traditional storytelling.

Amazon Helps Indie Films

Many see the new streaming giants, like Netflix and Amazon, as companies that suffocate the creativity and purity of cinema because they crank out films at such high velocity. Also, many believe that films should not be viewed in home, as cinema was intended to be viewed at theaters, on large screens in a public area, away from home life interruptions. However, Christ O’Falt at Indiewire explains how Amazon is attempting to reignite the true creative passion for indie cinema.

Amazon recently announced that it will finance the films of three major indie production companies: Bona Fide Productions, Le Grisbi Productions, and Killer Films. Ted Hope, the head of motion picture production at Amazon Studios, wants to bring back the creative integrity of the 90’s indie film movement and support directors with true artistic vision. Hope has had a long career in the indie film sector, and he wishes for Amazon to help fund quality films.

In his article, O’Falt claims that “Hope has made Amazon the anti-Netflix” because he pushes for the movies he finances to premiere in theaters and other locations before coming to the Amazon Prime streaming service. Many film scholars appreciate this idea because it is an appropriate compromise between people who believe cinema should be attached only to large public area and those who wish to view the film in their house on a streaming service. The films hit theaters first, and then the home.

Amazon may be defying expectations of the streaming service giant. Hope has voiced his appreciation for indie film and is taking steps to make it relevant and pure again.

Wheatley’s Dark Side

In this week’s edition of The Business from KCRW, Ben Wheatley discusses his newest film Free Fire. Backed by A24, this film centers on a 1970’s arms deal gone awry between member of the Irish Republican Army and a South African gunrunner. While the film packs in a lot of violence and action, the trailer also reveals that the film is intended to be quite comical as well, featuring characters that spout out witty quips in-between gunfire.

Wheatley has been making movies continuously ever since his debut in 2009, Down Terrace. His films can be a bit polarizing as they feature lots of violence and action. Free Fire is similar in nature. In fact, Matt Holzman, host of the KCRW podcast The Document, described the film as the third act of a typical action film with all of the action taking place. The majority of the film is concentrated on the shootout.

Wheatley explains that most of his films have a dark aspect to him because both he and his wife, Amy Jump, who writes and edits his films, are very pessimistic individuals, and his storytelling just tends to involve death and violence. He is not making a statement. He simply sees the world in a dark perspective and decides to make films with a grim tone, though adding some humor here and there, placing the films in the category of dark comedy. Wheatley even admits, “I want to make a film where no one is killed, but I just can’t yet.”

Wheatley is making films that truly reflect his paradigm, and that is true artistic integrity. His struggle seems to be more about finding new stories that are different from his other films rather than stressing about financial risk or critical reception. Even if one does not like his films, it is hard to disrespect someone with conviction. The premise of Free Fire may be very dark, but one look at the trailer shows that it will also probably very funny and incredibly entertaining. It was released last Friday, and I am eager to see Wheatley’s twisted sense of comedy and humanity on the big screen.

Denise Di Novi On Opportunities For Female Directors

Anne Thompson reports for Indiewire that yet another voice is championing more opportunities for female directors. Recently, Denise Di Novi’s directorial debut, “Unforgettable”, was released in theaters, and according to Thompson, even though it was not a huge success at the box office, it will not inhibit Di Novi’s ability to direct future studio films.

Thompson informs that Di Novi had a long career as a very capable producer for the major studios, and when it came time to make “Unforgettable” she convinced Warner Bros to hire a female director for the project. After a slew of options came and went, Warner Bros actually picked her to direct the film. The film only made $4 million during its opening weekend, which hardly made up for the $12 million budget. However, Thompson asserts that Di Novi will have another chance to direct a major studio film because Di Novi has proven herself as a competent member of the film industry. Thompson relays Di Novi’s explanation for the lack of female directors: “…studios aren’t sexist so much as scared.”

Di Novi knows that the studios are all concerned with risk. She also realizes that it may be small and slow, but the tide is turning, and women are being given more films to direct little by little, like Patti Jenkins directing the new “Wonder Woman” film. She says that studios are taking risks on new female directors, and that is where the change advocating female cinematic talent starts.

Di Novi is completely right when it comes to the increase in opportunities for women in film. More avenues are opening up for them. The pace is very slow, but I am optimistic that more women will be able to direct Hollywood films in the future. But let’s hope that the box office sales are kind to them. Otherwise, the change might be shut down before it has time to evolve.

Another Writers Strike

It looks like there is going to be another writer’s strike on the Hollywood horizon. Jonathan Handel of The Hollywood Reporter informs that the WGA (Writer’s Guild of America) convened a meeting on April 18^th in which the members discussed the issue of whether or not to cease writing for major studios until they received proper compensation. According to posts on social media platforms, like Facebook and Twitter, from several members of the WGA, there was a definite sense of solidarity. The votes on this topic are coming in and will be announced in the next couple of weeks, on May 1^st or shortly thereafter. The anticipated result is a “yes” to going on strike if the writers do not see an increase in financial compensation.

Many doubt that the studios will comply with the requests of the WGA. According to Handel, the studios were most recently reported as willing to give $180 million while the WGA is asking for around $535 million. This is a large gap that the studios are unlikely to close. That being said, a writer’s strike may begin in just a few weeks, which could mean a rocky time for films and television series. Handel contends that this action may drive viewers away from major films and cable stations and into the arms of more independent media online. One can only foresee a decrease in quality on popular media, which happened during the last WGA strike in 2007-2008.

Ron Howard Directs Political Film About White Underclass

Indiewire writer Yoselin Acevedo recently reported about a new film being directed by Ron Howard. The film is an adaptation of J.D. Vance’s successful memoir, Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis. Howard and his team at Imagine Entertainment were moved by this piece about the social and economic struggle faced by Vance’s family as white, lower class citizens. Acevedo informs that the film is sure to comment on the position of Vance’s family and many like them as being key to Trump’s presidential victory.

As the title of Acevedo’s post implies, this film may ruffle a few feathers because it deals with socioeconomic issues and its effect on the current political conditions in the United States. Trump has been a controversial figure ever since his appearance as a presidential candidate, in large part due to his racist comments. A film focusing on white issues may make some people angry, as many claim that white issues are masking larger atrocities occurring in other racial and religious spheres, like black, Asian, and Muslim communities.

However, the film might also add an interesting perspective and provide information to the socioeconomic factors that precipitated the current state of affairs in the nation. Ron Howard seldom produces a poor film, and whether it agrees with people’s personal political views or not has no effect on its cinematic value. Of course, this is all a moot point until the film is actually finished. Personally, I am looking forward to it, as I am a fan of Howard’s previous work, and if nothing else, it may enlighten me and many others as to what is happening around the country and why.

Tobey Maguire’s Directs His First Film

Michael Nordine at IndieWire recently reported that former Spiderman actor Tobey Maguire will be shouting through a megaphone for his directorial debut of Jo Nesbo’s 2015 novella “Blood on Snow.” The adaptation revolves around Olav, a hit man, who is asked to kill his boss’s wife because of her infidelity. Further information from Sam Barsanti at the A.V. Club revealed that Olav soon discovers amorous feelings for his boss’s wife and then must form an alliance with a rival crime lord to protect his new love interest from his boss.

The story itself is moderately unique, but the real interest for me is the fact that the Hollywood actor is actually directing a feature film. Maguire has been branded as Spiderman and has been given little recognition for his other acting roles in films like Pawn Sacrifice and Seabiscuit. It will be very interesting to see how this film is received. While it will probably not change Maguire from an actor to an acclaimed director overnight, it might open the door for him to direct other films and cement his versatility in the film industry. It is always encouraging seeing people with acclaimed film positions, like directors, writers, or actors, try different roles and expand their artistic horizons.

As someone who thoroughly enjoyed Maguire’s performance in the Spiderman trilogy, I sincerely hope he does a great job directing Blood on Snow, and I hope it is received well. The film will show if he is as versatile as I hope.

Condon’s Explanation of Beauty and the Beast’s Gay Moment

In this week’s issue of The Business, a podcast hosted by Kim Masters, Masters interviews director Bill Condon on his most recent and incredible success, Beauty and the Beast, which hit theaters on March 16^th and broke box office records, raking in over $175 million in the opening weekend. It made the most money during opening weekend than any other PG movie in history, and it also made the most money than any other March release in film history. However, with its roaring monetary success also comes some disdain from several who do not appreciate the inclusion of homosexual characters.

Condon made LeFou a gay man in this piece, a deviation from the beloved animated version released by Disney in 1991. This has received much criticism in the media to the point that some have boycotted the film for including this controversial topic of homosexuality in a children’s film. Russia even threatened to ban the film, but eventually allowed people over the age of 16 to view it. Condon reports that he never intended this aspect of the film to become such a hot item in the media. Condon explains why he made this decision to make the character homosexual. His rationale is that the story, which is over 300 years old, is about acceptance and looking beneath the surface, and in Condon’s own words, “if you’re going to make that in 2017, you want to be more inclusive.” He admits that he did not consult Disney about this decision. In fact, it was not even in the script. He simply thought of it on the spot and decided it was best for the film.

Condon definitely shocked and angered many people with this piece, but of course, he also got a lot of praise from film critics and the LGBT community for including the “gay moment” in this beloved fantasy tale. In my own view, if you are going to remake a film, why not add different elements to make it a bit unique? I think the entire conflict over this small moment on screen has been blown out of proportion, and I believe Condon would agree. Despite this blowback, it has still seen incredible success, and I believe Condon is happy with his work.

Nolan’s Back At It With Dunkirk

Graham Winfrey posted to Indiewire about director Christopher Nolan’s most recent film endeavor entitled Dunkirk. This project follows the lives of English soldiers on the French beach of Dunkirk during World War II as they are pitted against German forces with almost certain doom. Nolan revealed his sentiments about this film at CinemaCon on Wednesday. Nolan expressed that this event in human history is “the ultimate suspense story.”

Looking at the trailer, one can see that this is going to have a trademark of all of Nolan’s films: strong characters. Much of Nolan’s success has been achieved through captivating actors portraying emotional and realistic characters, and fortunately, Dunkirk is no exception. To help with this, Nolan has again utilized an amazing cast, including Tom Hardy, Mark Rylance, Kenneth Branagh, and Cillian Murphy. The film also features some fresh faces that Nolan claims will become more and more popular over the years because of their distinct talent. Nolan claims, “This combination of talent produced an ensemble the likes of which I’ve never had before.” This quote is not to be ignored, considering that Nolan’s films have almost always included incredible performances and actors. Dunkirk appears to be an ambitious project with a strong cast and gripping story. I am definitely interested in seeing this piece.

Dunkirk will be released on July 21^st, and like other Nolan projects, it will have an IMAX option that Nolan strongly encourages the viewer see to fully appreciate the magnitude of the film.

James Mangold Breaks the Mold With Logan

Kim Masters interviewed James Mangold, director of the recent Logan film, this week on The Business. Masters reported that “before he had got involved with the X-Men franchise, Mangold had built his career on character driven dramas…” much to say about the modern action/adventure genre, primarily his distaste for its lack of original content and depth. He compares many of the modern franchise Marvel movies and other action series to very expensive television episodes, which blurs the line between film and television. Mangold even goes so far as to say that these franchise films (most of them anyways) are not movies. He argues they are simply a way to promote the next “bloated” episode in the series, which leads to formulaic writing that does not allow each film to stand alone as a strong piece of cinema. Mangold did not wish for Logan to be another episode, so he set this film in a much darker world than other X-Men movies, which contributed to it being R-rated, a departure for many Marvel films which usually don’t go past the PG-13 rating (with the exception of Deadpool in 2016). This film has much more profanity and heavy issues, like parenthood, brain diseases, and child experimentation.

Mangold knew from the start that if he were going to do this film, he would need to set it in a darker, more drama-oriented field than the other Marvel movies in order to stay true to his artistic vision. He was not the only one. Hugh Jackman, the actor who has sustained the role of Wolverine (Logan) for over a decade, decided that he wanted a more complex character to play before he left the role completely. This is Jackman’s last appearance as the character of Wolverine, and he wanted to portray much more depth to his character than he had in previous X-Men films.

Mangold and Jackman did an excellent job by maintaining their artistic integrity. The film translates as much more character driven than other X-Men movies, and it is much more intense as a result. It departs from the usual cookie-cutter Marvel movie and shows Mangold’s affection for adult dramas while still allowing it to enter the realm of the Marvel universe with great fight scenes. One can only wonder if another Mangold will be given the chance to direct another Marvel film and offer more sincere superheroes. As Mangold demonstrated, rich characters and action films are not mutually exclusive elements when making a great film.