criterionforum.org

Interesting wrinkle in a Screen Archive article (I know, I know) about how some contract language may change with the increase of streaming as distribution for film projects:

According to The Wrap, Marvel Studios is beginning to consider new contracts that would allow for flexibility in the event that the pandemic or other factors lead to a decision to bypass theaters in favor of a streaming release. Actors, directors, writers, and producers would receive adjusted payments under the new terms, depending on whether an MCU movie opens in theaters or debuts on Disney+. This would reportedly only affect films which have yet to enter production, such as Black Panther 2 which will begin filming in June 2021. It’s unclear if the same terms apply to Black Widow, which is already completed.

I would link to the source from The Wrap they say this is from, but they failed to link to it, as is often the case for these types of sites.

So for someone who doesn't care for action blockbusters or Bond films, which would you say is the best one to watch to dip my toe in and see what the series is about?
(I'm not sure i ever saw a Mission impossible tv show either).

Probably the fourth, Ghost Protocol, or the fifth, Rogue Nation, though I do think it's worth seeing how they build on each other. The sixth ties back into the others in ways that will be tougher to acclimate to.

Lemmy Caution wrote: Thu Dec 17, 2020 5:13 am So for someone who doesn't care for...Bond films, which would you say is the best one to watch?

The Living Daylights

Lemmy Caution wrote: Thu Dec 17, 2020 5:13 am So for someone who doesn't care for action blockbusters or Bond films, which would you say is the best one to watch to dip my toe in and see what the series is about?
(I'm not sure i ever saw a Mission impossible tv show either).

As far as M:I goes, Rogue Nation is a masterpiece. The Opera House setpiece is an incredible art house interpretation of an action movie. But if you haven't seen the first four Die Hard movies, that's your one-stop shop

swo17 wrote: Thu Dec 17, 2020 5:38 am

Lemmy Caution wrote: Thu Dec 17, 2020 5:13 am So for someone who doesn't care for...Bond films, which would you say is the best one to watch?

The Living Daylights

Best use of a cello case as a sled in cinema.

Thanks, the MI series was never on my radar. I wasn't aware some were considered quite good.
Will try to get hold of MI4 & 5.

MGM exploring being sold

My money is on Universal since Disney and AT&T/WB have too much debt. Universal has already taken over distribution in theaters and on video for MGM recently.

Except for Bill and Ted Face the Music which WB distributes on video. They also did theatrical distribution for several films (both Creed movies come to mind) before the Universal deal. I thought Apple was going to get them but in one of the articles I read it said someone was fired for holding those negotiations because Apple was low-balling them on price I guess.

Legendary might be taking WB to court over HBOmax premiering Dune early, in order to save it's "franchise potential". Turns out I was on to something when I joked that Denis Villeneuve was "tempting fate" by taking this on.

Just so long as it's not DISNEY.

Critical consensus on WW84 is very mixed; even on Rotten Tomatoes the film now only sits at 67%. According to Warner Media the numbers have been promising for HBO Max but in the long term, they'll need an IP that does for the service what Hamilton did for Disney +. Out of the 17 films premiering next year, In The Heights might be the one, not least because Hamilton creatives are involved, and possibly the new Matrix if Lily Wachowski has created something closer to the first. Tom & Jerry looks terrible and it won't be clear until October whether Denis Villeneuve has managed to crack Dune. Warners refusing to let Legendary negotiate a sale to Netflix for Godzilla vs Kong even for $250m is a sign that the studio likes and believes in that film enough not to let go of it (compare that to Paramount offloading Coming 2 America).

As tone-deaf and discourteous Warners' decision was not to inform talent of the joint premieres of their films in theaters and the streamer, they are not completely wrong in thinking the pandemic isn't going to be beaten sooner than later. How many knuckleheads are going to refuse to get vaccinated? How quickly is the general US population going to get access, let alone in most European countries (the Guardian ran a piece yesterday about how some German officials and scientists think it won't be until next September at the earliest before they get on top of the pandemic there; South Korea got caught off-guard by a Christmas third wave of the pandemic, and on top of the UK variant, Canada is reporting another new strain).

I don't know, if I was the studios that had films slated for May, let alone earlier, I might look at rescheduling again (as painful as that might be for MGM re Bond 25, but then MGM is supposedly up for sale). Nobody knows how soon people will be ready to go back to theaters even when the pandemic is successfully contained.

Finch wrote: Mon Dec 28, 2020 9:04 am and on top of the UK variant, Canada is reporting another new strain).

The strain in Canada is the UK strain, caught by people traveling back from Britain or coming into contact with them. (It's in many other countries as well, and should be wider spread in the US given they didn't apply the same travel restrictions.)

Money isn't real.

willoneill wrote: Thu Jan 28, 2021 8:52 pm Money isn't real.

Now you've done it.

Without even checking I'm confident this was a /r/WallStreetBets thing

Yep. AMC, Nokia, Blackberry and a few other fading symbols of millenial youth got goosed just like GameStop.

Okay I'm catching up on this and this is actually kind of hilarious, in a "Don't piss off /r/WallStreetBets" kind of way. These nutjobs really potentially cost that targeted hedge fund billions of dollars (some of which they'll presumably get back when the GameStop bubble bursts, but still) with these acts

EDIT And I don't think RobinHood is long for this world if these reports of them preventing indiv users access and canceling orders is true

Better cash out my five RobinHood bucks from some mining company!

domino harvey wrote: Fri Jan 29, 2021 12:21 amThese nutjobs really potentially cost that targeted hedge fund billions of dollars (some of which they'll presumably get back when the GameStop bubble bursts, but still) with these acts

While The President did nothing

domino harvey wrote:Okay I'm catching up on this and this is actually kind of hilarious, in a "Don't piss off /r/WallStreetBets" kind of way. These nutjobs really potentially cost that targeted hedge fund billions of dollars (some of which they'll presumably get back when the GameStop bubble bursts, but still) with these acts

EDIT And I don't think RobinHood is long for this world if these reports of them preventing indiv users access and canceling orders is true

It's actually a bit funnier/more messed up than that. The hedge funds shorting GameStop were shorting more stock than there actually was and WallStreerBets noticed it so that's what moved them to gang up on them and drive the price up. So when these shorters actually have to buy back the stock to close the short there will potentially not be enough and they'll end up driving the price up even more in the process, further screwing them.

And it appears that may be why Robin Hood had to stop the abilitu to buy because it sounds like they could end up being stuck with the tab if everyone down the line can't cover their losses, but I'm admittedly not sure how stuff like that works.

As I saw someone else say the game stop shorting is the plot of the Producers, but with stocks instead of theatre.

Well A24 is trying something different. If you want to watch Minari you have to watch it at a certain time and there's only a limited number of seats just like a real movie. WTF? Minari Virtual Screenings

The TIFF Lightbox is doing this with their virtual screenings, too. Of course, I have no idea what the licensing of these films for public screenings entails, but it does seem like an odd choice to limit your audience under the current circumstances.