Tuesday, July 07, 2009
What Have You Been Doing Lately?
by Ken Houghton
And, sure enough, Jason Isaacs was, indeed, one of the stars of Capital City (yet another show sadly missing from DVD release).
And I discover he also has another recurring role, this one in film.
But you knew that, didn't you?
So I'm watching the remake of The End of the Affair, and I recognize the priest.
And, sure enough, Jason Isaacs was, indeed, one of the stars of Capital City (yet another show sadly missing from DVD release).
And I discover he also has another recurring role, this one in film.
But you knew that, didn't you?
Labels: Harry Potter, just life, movies
Monday, June 22, 2009
Random Notes, Night at the Museum II edition
by Ken Houghton
So some random notes about it, and around the web:
(1) Lance Mannion did not warn me that the three cherubs are played by The Three Antichrists. Consider yourself so cautioned.*
(2) Ezra schools McMegan. Not that it will do any good.
(3) Did anyone else think Amy Adams at the end looks like a hennaed Erin O'Brien?
(4) The Hunting of the Snark did a two part post weeks ago on McMegan, bankruptcy, and health care that I'm still trying to digest. Which I mean in a good way. If rdan is reading this, yes, I think you should recruit Susan of Texas for Angry Bear; her latest post is a perfect summary of What's Wrong with Contemporary Conservative Thought. Though, as the Good Roger Ailes notes, she's developing a strong following for good reason.
(5) I assume it was the location of the theatre that got a laugh from the audience at the end of the film when Amelia Earhart leaves 77th Street and starts flying to "Canada." YMMV, but the film sorely needed laughs.
*However, since my version of H*ll would feature the "JoBros" performing "More than a Woman" and "This Song Must Drone On," their first appearance does qualify as an Adult Moment in a movie that has more of those than kid jokes.
Yes, Youngest Daughter got to pick the movie for Father's Day/her birthday. Her review: "It was boring." Even worse: that was as compared to her sixth or seventh viewing of Hotel for Dogs.
So some random notes about it, and around the web:
(1) Lance Mannion did not warn me that the three cherubs are played by The Three Antichrists. Consider yourself so cautioned.*
(2) Ezra schools McMegan. Not that it will do any good.
(3) Did anyone else think Amy Adams at the end looks like a hennaed Erin O'Brien?
(4) The Hunting of the Snark did a two part post weeks ago on McMegan, bankruptcy, and health care that I'm still trying to digest. Which I mean in a good way. If rdan is reading this, yes, I think you should recruit Susan of Texas for Angry Bear; her latest post is a perfect summary of What's Wrong with Contemporary Conservative Thought. Though, as the Good Roger Ailes notes, she's developing a strong following for good reason.
(5) I assume it was the location of the theatre that got a laugh from the audience at the end of the film when Amelia Earhart leaves 77th Street and starts flying to "Canada." YMMV, but the film sorely needed laughs.
*However, since my version of H*ll would feature the "JoBros" performing "More than a Woman" and "This Song Must Drone On," their first appearance does qualify as an Adult Moment in a movie that has more of those than kid jokes.
Labels: Erin O'Brien, Health Care, just life, Mannion, movies
Sunday, April 27, 2008
While Tom Creates Serious Posts, I compare Instapundit reactions
by Ken Houghton
Robert Redford's Lions for Lambs averaged $3,025 per theater on its opening weekend in 2007.
Instapundit was loud and clear, twice, once directly:
and once while pillorying Redacted:
(I personally prefer this Google Advanced Search link, where the professor opened the week by wondering "IS THE DOLLAR TOO LOW? Or is the Euro too high?" linking to someone in the Torygraph who bemoans:
13+% later, we're still waiting for that European crisis.)
Now, Expelled, the selfmockumentary starring Ben Stein, opened wide and grossed $2,824 per theater opening weekend (nearly 7% less).
So what did we get?
Insty links,of course, to the Liberty Film people, who in turn link to a site that simply lies outright:
Give you a hint: if you release on over 1,000 screens, you didn't "promote very lightly." Unless you bribed a lot of theater owners.
I'm traveling Nostalgia Lanes recently, between cleaning out files and documents and some strange links in my e-mail. So let's Go to the Movies!
Robert Redford's Lions for Lambs averaged $3,025 per theater on its opening weekend in 2007.
Instapundit was loud and clear, twice, once directly:
"Lions for Lambs' Could Lose $25 Million." One can only hope.
and once while pillorying Redacted:
Lions for Lambs isn't exactly raking it in, either.
(I personally prefer this Google Advanced Search link, where the professor opened the week by wondering "IS THE DOLLAR TOO LOW? Or is the Euro too high?" linking to someone in the Torygraph who bemoans:
The die is now cast. As the euro brushes $1.50 against the dollar, it is already too late to stop the eurozone hurtling into a full-fledged economic and political crisis.
13+% later, we're still waiting for that European crisis.)
Now, Expelled, the selfmockumentary starring Ben Stein, opened wide and grossed $2,824 per theater opening weekend (nearly 7% less).
So what did we get?
I HAVEN'T SEEN BEN STEIN'S EXPELLED, and I regard "Intelligent Design" theory as pernicious twaddle. But it's interesting to see Stein clobbering Morgan Spurlock in box office. At any rate, according to the comments, at least, there's more to the film than I.D. twaddle.
Insty links,of course, to the Liberty Film people, who in turn link to a site that simply lies outright:
One notable success has been the intelligent design documentary Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed, featuring Ben Stein. Released on a little over 1,000 screens by the small Christian-based Rocky Mountain Pictures, the film picked up another $1.03 million on Saturday, and it will finish the weekend with just under $3 million. Not bad for a movie shot on a shoestring, released by a virtually unknown distributor and promoted very lightly.
Give you a hint: if you release on over 1,000 screens, you didn't "promote very lightly." Unless you bribed a lot of theater owners.
Labels: intelligent design, movies, PortfolioMarketMovers
Monday, March 31, 2008
What to do about Expelled
by Ken Houghton
There is much discussion (most of the best at Pharyngula) about Expelled, theCreation Science Intelligent Design Biblically-Inaccurate film about the origins of life or somesuch.
And Wisconsin is at the center of it (h/t this comment at Pharyngula).
I have an easy solution.
Now, this is no law-breaking: if the people really believe they are doing nothing wrong, they should have no problem having their photos taken and posted. (Indeed, they should mention it proudly to their friends, keeping bloggers from having to do things such as this.*)
And if they have a problem, well, shame is a tactic that has been tried in similar circumstances before.
*Fewer cat pictures on the Internet would be A Good Thing. Are you listening, Scott on Fridays?
Not what I promised (that will be post midterm), but instead a quick idea.
There is much discussion (most of the best at Pharyngula) about Expelled, the
And Wisconsin is at the center of it (h/t this comment at Pharyngula).
I have an easy solution.
- Go to where the film is playing.
- Take photographs of everyone who buys a ticket.
- Post same on the Internet.
Now, this is no law-breaking: if the people really believe they are doing nothing wrong, they should have no problem having their photos taken and posted. (Indeed, they should mention it proudly to their friends, keeping bloggers from having to do things such as this.*)
And if they have a problem, well, shame is a tactic that has been tried in similar circumstances before.
*Fewer cat pictures on the Internet would be A Good Thing. Are you listening, Scott on Fridays?
Labels: Creationism, movies, Science
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Liberals Love Snow White--So Did Hitler!
by Ken Houghton
Via My Loyal Reader, this is either another data point for the paperback edition of Liberal Facism, or proof that A. Hitler really is a better artist than J. Cameron:
Hitler is known to have owned a copy of Snow White, the classic animated adaptation of a German fairy tale, and to have viewed it in his private cinema....
"Hitler had a copy of Snow White," [William Hakvaag, the director of a war museum in northern Norway] said. "He thought this was one of the best movies ever made."
Monday, February 18, 2008
The Movie to See if You're Only Seeing One....
by Ken Houghton
Congratulations to Steve (and Laura, without whom...) on the #1 Movie in America. And the Japanese poster is Way Cool.
Congratulations to Steve (and Laura, without whom...) on the #1 Movie in America. And the Japanese poster is Way Cool.
Labels: Eat Our Brains, movies
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
There Are Probably Worse things than ODing* in Mary-Kate's Apartment
by Ken Houghton
(Self-correcting blogithingy in action: Apparently not, says TMZ.com — probably the most reliable source for this sort of news -ed.)
UPDATE (6 Feb 2008): Hillbilly heroin claims another victim:
*I hasten to note that I'm hoping that it wasn't an OD [as well]. Just doesn't seem the way to bet.
But I can't think of many.
(Self-correcting blogithingy in action: Apparently not, says TMZ.com — probably the most reliable source for this sort of news -ed.)
UPDATE (6 Feb 2008): Hillbilly heroin claims another victim:
Hydrocodone and oxycodone are painkillers. Diazepam is an anti-anxiety drug commonly sold under the brand name Valium; alprazolam is also an anti-anxiety drug, sold under such names as Xanax. Temazepam, sold under such names as Restoril and Euhypnos, is a sleeping agent, as is doxylamine.
*I hasten to note that I'm hoping that it wasn't an OD [as well]. Just doesn't seem the way to bet.
Labels: movies
Friday, January 18, 2008
Stop Thinking about Tomorrow: the DGA and NYT agree that the Internet isn't Important
by Ken Houghton
For a slight counterpoint, let's look at the overview of the summary from United Hollywood:
Anyone who believes that the savings here will be passed on as consumer surplus is either lying or Greg Mankiw (if I'm not repeating myself).
It takes only a moment to realise why the DGA has the wrong idea. Look at what happened with VCR royalty rates, right after the Sony decision and over the following 20+ years:
Just change that first date to "2008," update the modes of distribution accordingly, and this 'graf will be valid for the next twenty years.
The NYT tells us that the writers were worrying their pretty little heads over nothing:
After months of informal talks, Hollywood’s movie and television directors agreed Thursday afternoon to a new contract with production companies. The accord would appear to send a none-too-subtle message to striking screenwriters: This is not the time to get hung up on new media....
Over all, the agreement — which also increases minimum compensation rates and other gains for the union — was meant to reflect the directors’ belief, bolstered by an independent study of industry economics, that digital media will provide a negligible amount of revenue during the life of the contract.
In the directors’ opinion, digital media revenues will become significant only after 2010. [emphases mine]
For a slight counterpoint, let's look at the overview of the summary from United Hollywood:
For the first 100,000 downloads of a TV show, the payment is the DVD rate: 0.3%. After the first 100,000, it rises to .7%
For features, the rate is 0.3% for the first 50,000 downloads and 0.65% thereafter.
The good: It's more than twice what we had before.
The bad: What we had before was based on the miserable DVD formula. WGA, SAG and DGA had all agreed that that number really should be 1.2%, and the unions have actually sued the congloms over it, claiming that the use of the DVD formula for downloads is a misinterpretation of their respective MBAs.
So the 0.7% and 0.65% numbers are still terribly low. In addition, many downloads will not reach the 100,000 or 50,000 threshold, and will generate only the abysmal 0.3%.
It's frustrating to us that the DGA couldn't increase that number out of the DVD range. The DVD formula was based on the notion that "home video" meant a bulky plastic VHS tapes with enormous manufacturing and transportation costs. Those costs decreased dramatically over the years. But no increase in residuals. They decreased dramatically again with birth of DVDs. (You can slip them under a door!) But no increase in residuals. With downloads, the manufacturing cost is exactly zero dollars. And terabytes of storage are getting cheaper by the hour. But we still can't improve that DVD formula? Really?
Anyone who believes that the savings here will be passed on as consumer surplus is either lying or Greg Mankiw (if I'm not repeating myself).
It takes only a moment to realise why the DGA has the wrong idea. Look at what happened with VCR royalty rates, right after the Sony decision and over the following 20+ years:
The 0.3% and 0.36% home video residual formula was negotiated in 1985, when the cost of manufacturing and distributing videocassettes was a significant factor in the cost structure for the studios. The AMPTP companies argued that they “needed a break” in order to develop this “unproven business model.” In the years since, as the cost of manufacturing and distribution declined to become a negligible factor, and the business model proved to be one of the most profitable of any of the segments of the entertainment business, the companies have fiercely resisted any change in this formula. Industry analysts predict that home video will continue to be a very important revenue stream for years to come, and it is clearly long past time for an improvement in the home video residual formula.
Just change that first date to "2008," update the modes of distribution accordingly, and this 'graf will be valid for the next twenty years.
Labels: labor unions, mass media, movies, writing
Saturday, December 08, 2007
Brad DeLong Notes a piece of Literary History
by Ken Houghton
And proceeds to post an excerpt from six books before the greatest piece of English literature ever written, wherein it is explained (roughly, colloquially) that salvation is only achieved by making mistakes, being saved, and understanding that one has been saved.
I don't understand the problem. Surely this is to be preferred to the subsequent "Straight is the gate/And Narrow the Way."
At any rate, this seems a good time to note, again that the film adaptation of (almost all of) the first book of the trilogybased on that strongly parallels that piece of Christian literature is in wide release now, and well worth seeing on the big screen.
One sentence, Mannion-like review: "The polar bears are great, the girl is marvelous, Nicole starts a long arch from a high point, and the Church may well wish it had been allowed its other trappings, instead of reduced to buggery and opposition to human inquiry."
But then, as is his wont, contextualises it in an interesting manner:
May I just say that mainstream "orthodox" Calvinist Protestantism contains things orders of magnitude more bats--- insane than any of the "special" doctrines of the Book of Mormon?
And proceeds to post an excerpt from six books before the greatest piece of English literature ever written, wherein it is explained (roughly, colloquially) that salvation is only achieved by making mistakes, being saved, and understanding that one has been saved.
I don't understand the problem. Surely this is to be preferred to the subsequent "Straight is the gate/And Narrow the Way."
At any rate, this seems a good time to note, again that the film adaptation of (almost all of) the first book of the trilogy
One sentence, Mannion-like review: "The polar bears are great, the girl is marvelous, Nicole starts a long arch from a high point, and the Church may well wish it had been allowed its other trappings, instead of reduced to buggery and opposition to human inquiry."
Labels: literature, movies
Monday, December 03, 2007
Tell Me Something I Didn't Know
by Ken Houghton
The Dante's Inferno Test has banished you to the Sixth Level of Hell - The City of Dis!
Take the Dante Inferno Hell Test
Could have guessed that from having gone to see The Golden Compass on Saturday night—at least as contextualised by Christianity Today, which seems to have the strange delusion that C. S. Lewis presented a worthwhile template for fiction instead of self-righteous delusion. (h/t Brad DeLong)
via Susan.
The Dante's Inferno Test has banished you to the Sixth Level of Hell - The City of Dis!
Take the Dante Inferno Hell Test
Could have guessed that from having gone to see The Golden Compass on Saturday night—at least as contextualised by Christianity Today, which seems to have the strange delusion that C. S. Lewis presented a worthwhile template for fiction instead of self-righteous delusion. (h/t Brad DeLong)
Labels: Brad DeLong, literature, movies, Religion
Monday, October 15, 2007
And the #5 Download of the Week, per YouTube
by Ken Houghton
Let's hope Steve's film agent did as well for him as Evan Handler did for David Duchovny in Californication.
And that, say, Greenwar will follow.
is the trailer for Jumper.
Let's hope Steve's film agent did as well for him as Evan Handler did for David Duchovny in Californication.
And that, say, Greenwar will follow.
Labels: Eat Our Brains, movies, sf
Sunday, August 12, 2007
Time-Shifted "Events"
by Ken Houghton
The above is not a typo, but note the IMDB Tagline:
The movie is available now at Disney Channel On Demand.
The same is true of Californication, the new Showtime series starring David Duchovny as (I gather) a less-scrupled version of Dustin Hoffman in Kramer v. Kramer (instead of just a naked Jo Beth Williams, there will be many naked women, as Duchovny "tries to juggle...his appetite for beautiful women."
I don't know how many balls Duchovny will have in the air Monday night, when the series officially premieres. I'll probably find out from when Mannion's posts (assuming the man ever finishes Year 7: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.
But I wonder what impact leaking the two shows, both heavily advertised, will have on their ratings. (This is especially true in the case of the Disney movie, where the commercials that are not present On Demand will give many people the chance to opt out before the end.)
And what happens if my daughter goes to gymnastics camp tomorrow and tells people about the movie? The greater the contagion, the more likely the effect. And the more clear it will be that the incentives are mis-aligned.
Of course, On Demand isn't perfect. I'm still going to have to wait for Meadowlands to air before it become available that way. (That show is Mannion's fault as well, and I thank him for it occasionally.) But if the mode of the future is On Demand before Scheduled Broadcast, will the Social Network become more On Demand and less Branding?
We watched High School Musical 2 last night. (Well, the Eldest Daughter did. I got bored fairly quickly.)
The above is not a typo, but note the IMDB Tagline:
On August 17th, are you ready for the start of something new? [emphasis mine]
The movie is available now at Disney Channel On Demand.
The same is true of Californication, the new Showtime series starring David Duchovny as (I gather) a less-scrupled version of Dustin Hoffman in Kramer v. Kramer (instead of just a naked Jo Beth Williams, there will be many naked women, as Duchovny "tries to juggle...his appetite for beautiful women."
I don't know how many balls Duchovny will have in the air Monday night, when the series officially premieres. I'll probably find out from when Mannion's posts (assuming the man ever finishes Year 7: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.
But I wonder what impact leaking the two shows, both heavily advertised, will have on their ratings. (This is especially true in the case of the Disney movie, where the commercials that are not present On Demand will give many people the chance to opt out before the end.)
And what happens if my daughter goes to gymnastics camp tomorrow and tells people about the movie? The greater the contagion, the more likely the effect. And the more clear it will be that the incentives are mis-aligned.
Of course, On Demand isn't perfect. I'm still going to have to wait for Meadowlands to air before it become available that way. (That show is Mannion's fault as well, and I thank him for it occasionally.) But if the mode of the future is On Demand before Scheduled Broadcast, will the Social Network become more On Demand and less Branding?
Friday, August 10, 2007
Because Neil Gaiman novels are less utile than Neil Gaiman movies?
by Ken Houghton
Without this:
This would not be in theaters today.
So what are John Scalzi and Brad DeLong thinking when they tell us to go TODAY, so that Neil will write more film scripts and—because "lump of labour" discussions are legitimate regarding the Gaiman singularity—fewer books?
Don't get me wrong; we're going tonight. And it seems unlikely that Gaiman—whose novel Coraline has been filmed (is in post-production) and was a screenwriter the upcoming Beowulf film—is going to get thrown out of Hollywood any time soon.
But do we really want Gaiman to have less time to write novels?
Labels: Brad DeLong, lump of labor, movies, sf
Sunday, August 05, 2007
A Tale of Two Annes
by Ken Houghton
Jeremy (indirectly) reminds me that the Patroness Saint of this blog has a new film in limited release Friday.
Even more cool, from a personal point of view, is that the divine Anne Newgarden got her first cover editorial credit for a book of Jane Austen excerpts and quotes with some nice, favorable reviews.
Check it out. Check them out.
Jeremy (indirectly) reminds me that the Patroness Saint of this blog has a new film in limited release Friday.
Even more cool, from a personal point of view, is that the divine Anne Newgarden got her first cover editorial credit for a book of Jane Austen excerpts and quotes with some nice, favorable reviews.
Check it out. Check them out.
Labels: Anne Hathaway, literature, movies
Friday, July 27, 2007
Because you liked "La Regle du jeu," try "The Rock"
by Ken Houghton250 100 pages of That Book to go, I took a few seconds to check our my Netflix queue.* While it has become more interesting (between FiOS and ready access to the NYPL catalog, the need to ask for semi-popular films has been reduced), it also has its history.
Still, the recommendations algorithm might need a bit of fine tuning:
With The Tour ending this weekend and only about
Still, the recommendations algorithm might need a bit of fine tuning:
Now, I would quite understand if this were a recommendation due to having rented Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room or some other film about the failure of a non-monetizable idea. But I'm at a loss to figure out how Miyazaki, Kurosawa, and Terry Southern** lead you to a discussion of Peak Oil.
(Title inspired by Scott here and, especially, here.)
*Technically, Shira's account, but a list with Street Fight and Forgiving Dr. Mengele cannot realistically be described one that well-represens her interest.
**Or, if you prefer, Stanley Kubrick.
Friday, July 13, 2007
Is Orlando Bloom going to be this generation's Harrison Ford?
by Ken Houghton![]()
Bill Simmons:
Ladies and gentlemen, box office mojo currently lists Orlando Bloom as the 7th highest ranking star of all time in terms of his films's unadjusted U.S. gross receipts.*
He is, as best I can tell, third in box office average, behind Emma Watson and Daniel Radcliffe. (Rupert Grint has made one other film, which in itself dragged his average down by nearly $40MM.)
And it's not that Bloom's films have all been Big Winners. Ned Kelly appears to have been released in the United States for all of two weeks (17 days, officially). He has made three films (including his bit part in Wilde) that have grossed less than $2.5MM, and yet he's averaging over $200MM. (His mojo median currently is $303MM for the most recent Pirates of the Caribbean film, which is still playing).
The man could probably do art films for the rest of his life and still end up in the top four or five of all-time.
Just saying.
*boxofficemojo excludes Wilde and Black Hawk Down from their calculations for Bloom as "cameo or bit parts and not counted in totals and averages."
Bill Simmons:
Once upon a time, Harrison Ford pumped out monster hits for 15 solid years before everyone suddenly noticed, "Wait a second, Harrison Ford is unquestionably the biggest movie star of his generation!" From 1977 to 1992, Ford starred in three Star Wars movies, three Indiana Jones movies, Blade Runner, Working Girl, Witness, Presumed Innocent and Patriot Games ... but it wasn't until he carried The Fugitive that everyone realized he was more bankable than Stallone, Reynolds, Eastwood, Cruise, Costner, Schwarzenegger and every other competitor from that time.
Ladies and gentlemen, box office mojo currently lists Orlando Bloom as the 7th highest ranking star of all time in terms of his films's unadjusted U.S. gross receipts.*
He is, as best I can tell, third in box office average, behind Emma Watson and Daniel Radcliffe. (Rupert Grint has made one other film, which in itself dragged his average down by nearly $40MM.)
And it's not that Bloom's films have all been Big Winners. Ned Kelly appears to have been released in the United States for all of two weeks (17 days, officially). He has made three films (including his bit part in Wilde) that have grossed less than $2.5MM, and yet he's averaging over $200MM. (His mojo median currently is $303MM for the most recent Pirates of the Caribbean film, which is still playing).
The man could probably do art films for the rest of his life and still end up in the top four or five of all-time.
Just saying.
*boxofficemojo excludes Wilde and Black Hawk Down from their calculations for Bloom as "cameo or bit parts and not counted in totals and averages."
Sunday, April 08, 2007
Now we know why she's dating Justin Timberlake...
by Ken Houghton
Be afraid. Be VERY Afraid.
*Be very happy this link is to a 30-second sample. Either I'm looking out for you, or no one wants to make (especially) the fourth track on this album available for listening. If you really feel a need, here's the Rhapsody link.
Bidding fair to the be the Late-Period Linda Ronstadt of her generation (which I do not mean as a compliment; think the period of all those covers where the listeners are screaming "Stop Her Before She Kills Again*"), one of Lance's somewhat favorite women is releasing an album of covers:
Even Scarlett Johansson feels the need to weigh in with a record called Scarlett Sings Tom Waits.
Be afraid. Be VERY Afraid.
*Be very happy this link is to a 30-second sample. Either I'm looking out for you, or no one wants to make (especially) the fourth track on this album available for listening. If you really feel a need, here's the Rhapsody link.
