HBO Documentary Looks at Sexual Abuse by the Catholic Church: 'Mea Maxima Culpa: Silence in the House of God'

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Poster/Trailer for HBO's 'The Newsroom'

Wow, Jeff Daniels...

Love this poster and new trailer is great (better than the scatter-shot anger of earlier cuts).

Now they have my attention.

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More Fun Than TV Used To Be. New Trailer for HBO's 'The Newsroom'

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New Featurette for Clive Owen and Nicole Kidman's 'Hemingway & Gellhorn'

As one of the actors says, (I believe it's David Strathairn speaking) this is the kind of sweeping romantic movie Hollywood used to make. 'Hemingway and Gellhorn' certainly looks a bit old-fashioned -- scenes just have an energy that you don't see anymore -- but, if it works, it'll go over in a big way.

Footage looks great. Kidman and Owen are a good choice. Directed by Philip Kaufman (Quills, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, The Right Stuff).

If it works...could be almost too good. May 28 on HBO



















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Trailer/Making-Of Featurette for HBO's 'Veep'

This one totally snuck up. Hadn't even heard the title. Not getting the best feeling here but, wow, what a loaded premise.

Makes its debut April 22 at 10pm.




















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'Intruders'

I know I'll like 'Intruders'. It looks well done and seems to offer a viewer who isn't looking for slash and gore something to think about that's atmospheric and creepy. My kind of movie.

'Intruders' is directed by Juan Carlos Fresnadillo ('Intacto', which got good reviews, and '28 Weeks Later'). These are pretty solid flicks that show a lot of confidence -- rare these days with all the furniture movers pointing and shooting.

This from Manohla Dargis' write-up:

• It’s a pleasure to find that Mr. Fresnadillo has assumed the mantle of horror classicist to make “Intruders,” using shadows and directorial sleights of hand to coax forth its slow-building scares rather than just pouring on the usual guts and gore. 

 and

• For “Intruders” Mr. Fresnadillo has slowed the pace, dimmed the lights and trained his camera on the faces of characters you may actually want to see make it out alive and in one piece, unlike the disposable young things of many contemporary horror flicks whose idiocy and one-dimensionality almost beg for your sadism.

The movie took about $41k in its limited US release in 33 theaters for a per-screen-average of $1,235. Kind of low -- that looks be it. 'Intruders' will cut back to 11 theaters this weekend.

Still, I'm intrigued by the story and the poster. Why are Owen's eyes and mouth missing? What does that say about his character? If these plot elements deliver 'Intruders' could be a substantial experience. However, it occurs to me that (perhaps) these are the very story devices that have made the movie so difficult to sell. Trailers measure out with an odd beat -- not quite weird or off-putting, but with conceptual psych threads that are both difficult to make clear with a few seconds of footage and have to be kept...well...secret. People would sense this isn't a typical horror flick, and may have decided to skip it for that reason. While that may have been a tad unfortunate, 'Intruders' could do a lot of business on cable/TV and as a rental due to good word of mouth. I'll be buying a copy.

Here's an interview with Fresnadillo which includes new footage.



Clive Owen has a couple interesting projects coming up. 'Hemingway & Gellhorn' with Nicole Kidman arrives on HBO in May (trailer). This is directed by Philip Kaufman (The Right Stuff, The Unbearable Lightness of Being) which by itself qualifies the movie as must-see.

Owen has an intriguing project in 'Recall'. The logline is pretty vague: 'An NSA agent attempts to recall the events that led up to a failed hostage rescue', but also has a lot of potential. Directed by Harold Becker (Sea of Love, Mercury Rising). The news here, though, is the script is by Paul Schrader who penned 'Taxi Driver' and wrote and directed 'Affliction'. That's got to be a good sign.
















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Poster/Trailer for 'The Central Park Effect'

A nice looking doc. Had its premiere at SXSW 2012. Picked up by HBO.

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Netflix Fires Another Shot with 'Hemlock Grove'

Netflix is on a roll with original material. They've got 'Lilyhammer' under way, and have announced 'Orange is the new Black', based on Piper Kerman's memoir subtitled 'My Year in a Women's Prison' which looks great. 'House of Cards' looks strong, too.

Now, comes the announcement Netflix has nailed down an agreement with Eli Roth to direct 'Hemlock Grove' based on Brian McGreevy's novel. Here's the write-up from Amazon:

The body of a young girl is found mangled and murdered in the woods of Hemlock Grove, Pennsylvania, in the shadow of the abandoned Godfrey Steel mill. A manhunt ensues—though the authorities aren’t sure if it’s a man they should be looking for. 

Some suspect an escapee from the White Tower, a foreboding biotech facility owned by the Godfrey family—their personal fortune and the local economy having moved on from Pittsburgh steel—where, if rumors are true, biological experiments of the most unethical kind take place. Others turn to Peter Rumancek, a Gypsy trailer-trash kid who has told impressionable high school classmates that he’s a werewolf. Or perhaps it’s Roman, the son of the late JR Godfrey, who rules the adolescent social scene with the casual arrogance of a cold-blooded aristocrat, his superior status unquestioned despite his decidedly freakish sister, Shelley, whose monstrous medical conditions belie a sweet intelligence, and his otherworldly control freak of a mother, Olivia.

Gothic, loaded with characters who all have an agenda, with (maybe) a supernatural element. Will sustain 13 episodes easily and make for good buzz about what will happen next.

A good move. Netflix is looking like a new go-to source in the making. HBO needs to ratchet it up. Would not be surprised to see Netflix become the new #1 platform down the road. The good news: the consumer wins and more quality content will be available online and (assuming Netflix lands a deal with a cable provider) at home on the big TV.

'Hemlock Grove' will star Famke Janssen and Bill Skarsgård. 


















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HBO Documentary 'Saving Face'

I saw a full-page ad in the New York Times for the HBO doc 'Saving Face' and had to post it.

Arresting

Here's a trailer



















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Netflix One-Ups HBO with 'Orange is the New Black'

Usually, these announcements don't get a lot of traction, but the mention at Bloomberg about Netflix planning a comedy series, 'Orange is the New Black', based on Piper Kerman's memoir subtitled 'My Year in a Women's Prison' is different. Netflix is going head-to-head with HBO with the roll out of  'Lilyhammer' with Steven Van Zandt (yes, from HBO's 'The Sopranos'), and the gearing up of the David Fincher produced political thriller 'House of Cards' starring Kevin Spacey.

Neither 'Lilyhammer' nor 'House of Cards' resonated with me -- not sure the reason. But, with this third original series, it's hard to ignore the Netflix surge. While the other shows certainly seem okay, should be fun, there's something about 'The New Black' that sets it apart. Maybe it's because it's an established property, a memoir that's gotten plenty of notice. Maybe it's because it's a true story about spending over a year in a minimum security facility on drug trafficking and money laundering charges. Maybe it's that title -- so cool, so 'I'm fucked, so I might as well take notes'. Whatever it is, you know off the bat this will have good energy, will be able to sustain itself from one episode to the next. I mean, you'd have to really botch this to make it boring.

Series like this, that run over a period of 10-30 episodes, are the new TV. Not only is production value very high -- often better than feature films in both the look and story/screenwriting -- but it's becoming more possible to watch anyplace/anytime on phones or slates, etc., via wi-fi or even 4G, or at home, at your convenience, on that new 80-inch TV. This is good for me as I don't bother with seeing movies at the theater anymore -- increasingly, the trend these days. In the time it takes to get ready, drive to the theater, find parking, stand in line, stand in line again, sit through commercials and trailers, watch a movie (that you paid at least ten bucks for), then drive back home, I can stream a high-quality one-hour episode of 'The New Black' or something like it online at a fraction of the cost, then get a snack and settle in for another episode (I love to watch two or three in a row). 'Click and Watch' is the only way.

I just dig that cover, those orange shoes, that title. There's a very cool story here -- something that's actually worth my time. Looking forward to the Netflix slate. Will be there.

















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Morning Coffee Trailer for HBO Doc 'Superheroes'

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'Hot Coffee'

Tonight on HBO

Trailer

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'Sex Crimes Unit' Doc on HBO

Sex Crimes Unit: A Documentary Film - Trailer from Sonnet Media on Vimeo.

Here's a clip:

On HBO June 20.

HBO site, official site.

HBO Renews 'Game of Thrones' for a Second Season

Here's a fun (25 minute) making-of featurette

Making Game of Thrones

First 14 Minutes from HBO's 'Game of Thrones'

Game of Thrones Exclusive Preview

All the Best Stuff is on Cable These Days

There's lots of talk about how more and more of the best features (and one-hour material) appears on cable/TV. From the looks of the trailer this could be another example.




With Diane Lane, Tim Robbins, and James Gandolfini. Come on...

HBO Presents 'Cinema Verite'. Beautiful trailer.

HBO Presents Funny or Die Presents

Funny Or Die Presents Is Back! from FODPresents

Funny or Die is moving to HBO. There's a lesson. What started as an online venture moves to mainstream entertainment. The new model, I think.

'GasLand' Trailer

Worth another look.

'Google Baby' Trailer

Another fine HBO doc. Poster

Making the World a Better Place. Or, Trying.

HBO doc 'Reporter' about Nicholas Kristof (NYT) working from Congo.