Low-Confidence Trailer for 'Code Name: Geronimo'

This plays flat. Very flat. Flattened might be an apt description. Plus, at 2:40 seconds, the trailer is too long and it sketches almost the entire plot -- bad signs, weak approach.

However, there's more to this. Harvey Weinstein may be using the flick simply to fuel the Obama campaign and he may not care that the property might come in a distant second to Kathryn Bigelow and Mark Boal's 'Zero Dark Thirty' which is due in December. This from IndieWire:

In the meantime, Weinstein is riding the momentum of a Spring that saw his Cannes 2011 pick-up “The Artist” win the best picture prize at the Oscars and his Tribeca 2011 pick-up “Bully” snowball into a national cause, anti-bullying legislation and a high-profile White House screening. At the time, he was quoted as saying, "This is an incredible turn of events and shows that art can have a transcending effect.”

So why not use a movie to help win Obama the presidency?

At a Cannes party late Wednesday night, Voltage Pictures’ Zev Foreman, a producer of “Geronimo,” claimed that the John Stockwell-directed movie could easily be ready by the end of summer. Meaning, the Weinstein Co. could promote and release it right through the fall campaign and up through the vote in early November.

While no decision on a release date has yet been made, Foreman notes, “Harvey’s a big supporter of Obama, so I think I know what he’s going to do.” A pre-election release would have the added benefit of stealing some of the thunder from Kathryn Bigelow and Mark Boal’s SEAL Team 6 movie, “Zero Dark Thirty,” which is currently scheduled for December.

Fine, but as entertainment, judging from this trailer, 'Code Name: Geronimo' is one to skip. The rest, I suppose, depends on the CN:G release date which is October in Brazil, November in Italy, but no set date for the U.S.




















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Harvey Weinstein Scores Another Pass for 'Bully' -- Kids can get in with a Note From Their Parents

Harvey Weinstein's marketing virtuosity is on full display with 'Bully'. Now, comes the announcement some theaters will allow kids under 17 to see 'Bully' without being accompanied by an adult.

This is doubly noteworthy as TWC will release 'Bully' as an unrated film, which theaters treat as if the movie carried an NC-17 rating, which means no one under 17 is allowed with or without an (accompanying) adult.

From Variety:

Theater chains are taking sides in the "Bully"-rating showdown: Second-largest exhib AMC will allow minors into theaters with parental permission, while No. 3 chain Cinemark says it won't show the unrated pic unless the Weinstein Co. submits an R-rated version. 

AMC is essentially treating "Bully" as an R-rated film, but with one key difference: Under-17 moviegoers need a written note, though it will also accept verbal permission (mom on the other end of a teen's cell phone, for example). Exhib also will provide permission slips on its web site and at the box office.

It'll be interesting to see who blinks re: the Cinemark dictate. Right now, though, the MPAA looks like chumps.

Weinstein is a maestro.

















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Harvey Weinstein Scores Free Ad Space for 'Bully'

'Bully', the most talked about documentary in memory, has scored free ad space from internet sites.

This from the press release:

NEW YORK, March 27, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The MPAA's decision to give the highly-anticipated documentary film "Bully" (in select theaters March 30, 2012) an R rating sparked a national movement with support from major film stars, legal counsel, students, theater owners, Members of Congress, activists, journalists and corporations. Beginning March 27th, a number of publications will donate prime advertising space to "Bully," lending their valued real estate to the cause. These pro bono advertisements, lasting until April 15th, will exceed 100 million impressions. 

Social Vibe, AOL, Entertainment Weekly, Fandango, HitFix, The Huffington Post, IMDb, Maker Studios, Mediaite, Movie Tickets, MSN, New York Magazine, Rotten Tomatoes, Queerty, SocialTyze, Vulture, and WeeWorld and have all signed on to volunteer advertising space promoting the film and its social action campaign. 

"As the leader in engagement marketing, SocialVibe is proud to provide free media to draw attention to Bully," said Alex Van Camp of SocialVibe. "SocialVibe's engagement model creates a meaningful impact, and we hope that positive actions to stop bullying will result from this film." 

"The outpouring of support for this film is unlike anything I have seen before," said Bladimiar Norman, Senior Vice President of Marketing at The Weinstein Company. "'Bully' and the social action campaign, The Bully Project, are very personal to The Weinstein Company and I am incredibly honored by the generosity of these websites. We faced challenges from the MPAA to restrict the audience of a documentary that has the ability to change lives. These influential sites will help to promote this film simply because they know the urgency of the issue and, like us, they care deeply about the lives impacted by bullying." 

Obviously, the material has struck a nerve. However, you can't help wonder how hot this doc would be if it had eased into a PG-13 rating in the first place.

Way to go Harvey. Hats off. Brilliant campaign.














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'Bully' R-Rating War with MPAA

Harvey Weinstein may get his way. The MPAA is getting it from all sides. There's Katy Butler's petition which, to date, has 284,000 signatures. If you haven't read it, here's a clip:

I just heard that the Motion Picture Association of America has given an “R” rating to “Bully” -- a new film coming out soon that documents the epidemic of bullying in American schools. Because of the R rating, most kids won’t get to see this film. No one under 17 will be allowed to see the movie, and the film won’t be allowed to be screened in American middle schools or high schools. 

I can’t believe the MPAA is blocking millions of teenagers from seeing a movie that could change -- and, in some cases, save -- their lives. According to the film’s website, over 13 million kids will be bullied this year alone. Think of how many of these kids could benefit from seeing this film, especially if it is shown in schools?

Yesterday, representative Mike Honda (D-CA) posted an open letter to the association. Here's a bit:

We are writing to express our sincere disappointment in the Motion Picture Association of America’s decision to issue an R-rating for the soon-to-be-released documentary Bully. This important project shows the real life anguish of many teenagers in this country who are tormented, harassed, and bullied by their peers. This truth should be shared with as wide an audience as is appropriate and possible. We believe an R-rating excludes the very audience for whom this film is desperately important. 

In regard to the numerous f-bombs cited by the MPAA as basis for the R-rating:

The language in the film is a reflection of reality in our schools, on our buses, and online – something these kids experience every single day. It’s not sensationalized “adult content” as your rating suggests and is oftentimes an active part of bullying itself. This depiction is honest, and although striking at times, we should not censor reality. The educational benefit of this documentary, possibly life-saving, appears to clearly outweigh the utterances of profanity.

Can't argue with that. It's not like f-bombs were included for dramatic impact by a screenwriter.

Here's coverage from MSNBC featuring an interview with director Lee Hirsch.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

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'Intouchables'

In his coverage of the Rendez-Vous With French Cinema series Stephen Holden calls 'Intouchables' "...a crass escapist comedy that feels like a Gallic throwback to an ’80s Eddie Murphy movie."

I have to agree. Here's the logline: A petty criminal gets a job as a caretaker for a rich man who was paralyzed in an accident. Sounds very 80s -- very been there, done that.

However, people like it. The movie is very popular in France. It has set records. It's regarded as a cultural phenomenon. So much so president Sarkozy wants the cast over for dinner at the palace. Really. (Okay, that's a rumor, but...really).

Harvey Weinstein likes it, too. He picked up the remake rights. No way, I thought. Hollywood can't remake this. If it's 'crass escapism' then, considering it's a French film to start with, how bad would a Hollywood remake be? I mean, Euro films are much more subtle and layered than the average Hollywood movie. If the original is refined and textured (French) crass, how bad will it be once it's translated into coarse and obvious (Hollywood) crass?

Based on stills and trailer I had seen it looked like it wouldn't translate, like nobody on this side of the pond would care. To put it plainly: It would be too damn dumb and sappy to draw an audience.

Then, two things happened. First, 'The Artist' wins a landslide of awards. This makes French actors (even ones with French names) something we don't (necessarily and/or automatically) hate, especially when they are in movies that make you smile no matter how dour a person you strive to be, especially when the movie is being hawked by TWC (which has the effect of rendering you helpless against any given film's charm), and makes the idea of going to the theater to see a wispy charming dramedy a winning proposition even if the movie's plot comes straight from a made-for-TV movie from the 80s.

The second thing that happened was: I watched this trailer. I had seen a trailer before, but not this one.



I don't know who cut the first trailer I saw, but it was pretty bad compared to this one. This trailer is charming and intelligent, and now I'm thinking a remake is a great idea. We could use a breezy film, especially one with heart, one audiences can't resist, like, say, oh, I don't know...'The Artist'. We could use one of those every year.

I bet that's what Harvey thinks, too.

So, go ahead. Do your remake. Make us laugh, make us cry, make us tell our friends to see the movie until it's so talked about and beloved it wins an Academy Award for 'Best Heartwarming Shtick You Just Gotta See'.

I'm betting that's what Harvey's thinking, too.


















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'Our Idiot Brother' Campaign Rambles On

These certainly ramble.







Go to the movie's facebook page to vote on where the dog, Willie Nelson, should search next.

Then there's this with Harvey Weinstein and Paul Rudd. Which, after a couple minutes, definitely rambles.

Paul Rudd Pitches Harvey Weinstein from Paul Rudd

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