Author Archives: The Filmsmith

Avatar isn’t #1: The Truth Behind The Numbers

Posted on March 5, 2010 | Leave a comment

Avatar is still trumpeting it’s financial success as the number 1 money-maker, topping Titanic‘s previous position at the top.

Remember how you always heard data can be manipulated?

Avatar has made over 700 million dollars in domestic ticket sales, but that’s before you adjust it for inflation. boxofficemojo has broken down the highest domestic (U.S.) grosses and Avatar isn’t even in the top ten.*

Can you guess what is? Nope, not Star Wars.

The #1 title belongs to Gone With the Wind. Adjusted for inflation, Gone With the Wind made the equivalent of 1.5 billion dollars in 1939 (no word on its overseas grosses).

Hell, the animated 101 Dalmatians (1961) beats out Avatar in domestic sales and that’s without IMAX and 3D extras bumping up the figures.

There are other interesting films on the list, including The Graduate: It’s in the top 20 after making the equivalent of $650+ million, coming right behind Jurassic Park and ahead of titles like The Dark Knight.

You can see the whole chart below

http://boxofficemojo.com/alltime/adjusted.htm

*True, Avatar is currently number 1 with worldwide ticket sales, but that’s not adjusted for inflation either. Unfortunately, there don’t seem to be any tables which do the worldwide box office math when adjusted for inflation.

The Oscars: What You Need to Know

Posted on March 5, 2010 | 1 comment

Just so you know, the Oscars are not a good gauge for “Best Film” or “Best Director” since people who have no experience with a certain category weigh in on that craft (actors can vote for best set design; writers on directors). You also can’t join just by paying dues, but have to be voted in by other Oscar voters.

And of course, Oscar doesn’t like to give high marks to films coming from animation (other than slipping them into the “Best Animated Film” ghetto so they don’t usually get to compete for “Best Picture”), sci-fi, foreign, or horror.

Basically, it’s a giant publicity event where producers and distributors try to make some money in ticket and DVD sales before the summer blockbusters hit. Continue reading →

1 Comment

Posted in Articles, News

Tagged Cinema, District 9, Film, Film Industry, Funny People, Inglourious Basterds, Movies, Oscars, Precious, The Blind Side, The Road, Up, Up in the Air, Where the Wild Things Are

Burke and Hare Set Photos: Edinburgh, Day 3

Posted on March 2, 2010 | 5 comments

In my previous Burke and Hare post I wasn’t able to get photos despite meeting Simon Pegg and Andy Serkis.

Thanks to blog reader Kristen, however, we now have some photos. She took these of the Burke and Hare shoot by Edinburgh Castle on Friday. You can see more at her Flickr page, here

On the set of Burke and Hare, the latest from John Landis

Evidently they brought in real fish for this scene.

Where do you rent these things? Or do they have to make them?

If you have film news or read anything of interest related to film, video games, or even books, send me a tip. Then you’ll be famous like Kristen.

5 Comments

Posted in News

Tagged Andy Serkis, Burke and Hare, Cinema, Comedy, Film, Filmmaking, Horror, John Landis, Movie, Movie making, Simon Pegg

Coming This Summer: Lots of Losers

Posted on March 1, 2010 | Leave a comment

After seeing the trailer for The Losers, it reminded me of the trailer I saw for The A-Team and then Sylvester Stallone’s The Expendables: All ridiculous action films featuring losers and mercenaries for hire.

The Losers

The A-Team

*no official trailer for The Expendables is available yet; it’s a project by Stallone that he describes as a throwback to the 80’s and 90’s action films that he and many others were a part of. The long list of fellow cast mates includes Arnold Schwarzenegger, Mickey Rourke, Bruce Willis, Jason Statham, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren,

Though all of these look like films you’d watch with your buddies with bourbon (extra class points if it’s in a plastic bottle and the guy sitting next to you in the cinema can smell it), I’m most excited about Kick Ass:

Red Band Trailer

It will be nice to see Nicolas Cage back in some zany stuff after films like Bangkok Dangerous.

Burke and Hare: Edinburgh, Day 3

Posted on February 27, 2010 | 2 comments

Not much to report from this shoot. It was cold, rainy and even snowing as they were shooting in an alley near the city center. A fire alarm in the nearby student dorms went off and delayed things even further.

So no photos really (dark and access was more restricted than normal), but I got to hang out with Andy Serkis and Simon Pegg as they were waiting in the basement of the dorms. I approached them with two copies of my film, Hank vs Ninjas, Nazis and Chupacabra as a gift of appreciation saying, “Fans often just get photos and walk away and that’s the only way we can ‘give back’ to you guys. So I wanted to give you something to enjoy.” Both were exceptionally kind and gracious.

I tried to respect boundaries by not snapping photos of them as soon as I spoke with them; I was more interested in just talking to them on a very normal, professional level. We talked about film, the current state of special effects, and where we see them going. Andy Serkis has plans for a motion capture production company (interested in both games and film) and both were fans of Cameron’s technological advances in Avatar.

That rounds out my coverage of the Burke and Hare shoot in Edinburgh. Today that did some quick shooting at a museum (if I recall correctly) and then they’re back to London.

2 Comments

Posted in News

Tagged Andy Serkis, Animation, Burke and Hare, Film, John Landis, Movie, Simon Pegg

Burke and Hare: Edinburgh, Day 2

Posted on February 25, 2010 | 7 comments

The cast and crew returned from shooting in Sterling for two days to wrap up shooting in Edinburgh, Friday night and Saturday morning before moving to the next location (possibly back to London). Here are the photos (sorry about the quality, extreme low-light conditions)

If you want to find their shooting location, just follow the trucks. I stumbled across these on my way home.

Horse

They were filming on a street that ran beneath the street in the photo. So they had lighting crews set up above the set.

The set of Burke and Hare from above.

Serious lighting. I felt bad for the guy who had to stand in this cherry picker, in the rain, with a very hot, electric lamp.

This tavern is like a VIP club, with a 19th century bouncer that allows Andy Serkis and Simon Pegg inside.

Crew members were running umbrellas to and away from extras as they tried to keep the detailed costumes dry.

Getting ready for the shoot.

In this scene, Serkis and Pegg are in line to get into this exclusive tavern. The bouncer lets them in as horse drawn carriages and extras pass by.

Wider shot of the scene playing out (camera can’t zoom while recording)

I know where they’re shooting tomorrow, so keep checking the blog for updates.

7 Comments

Posted in Filmmaking, News

Tagged Andy Serkis, black comedy, Burke and Hare, Comedy, gravediggers, Horror, John Landis, killer, Simon Pegg

Joe Johnston’s Captain America: Shelved?

Posted on February 25, 2010 | 8 comments

A source at John Landis’ Burke and Hare film shoot informed me that due to The Wolfman’s poor performance, the Captain American film (set to be released 2011 according to imdb) has been pushed back.

Considering a look at boxofficemojo.com reveals the $150 million dollar werewolf flick has grossed under $100 million worldwide, this doesn’t seem too unlikely. The delay in shooting could indicate a change in directors.

Can’t say I’m too disappointed. Johnston directed Jurassic Park III and The Wolfman, both of which weren’t very impressive.

UPDATE:

Since io9 and some other sites picked this story up, Marvel has issued an official response to my post, saying they are not delaying the film.

8 Comments

Posted in News

Tagged Burke and Hare, Captain America, Cinema, Director, Film, Hollywood, Joe Johnston, Jumanji, Jurassic Park III, Movie, News, The Avengers, The Wolfman

Batman 3 and Inception Clarification

Posted on February 25, 2010 | 1 comment

In my post on Batman 3 and Inception, I made qualified statements based on conversations with my source on the set of Burke and Hare. This evening I was able to clarify what he said:

The sets for Batman 3 will be constructed toward the end of the year.

Inception, not The Dark Knight, was the film that was under budget, prompting Nolan to have the crew build an extra set (no word if said set was used in the film).

1 Comment

Posted in News

Tagged Andy Serkis, Batman 3, Burke and Hare, Christopher Nolan, Filming, Inception, John Landis, Simon Pegg

Day of the Dead: Lebowski and Caligari References?

Posted on February 25, 2010 | 1 comment

I saw Day of the Dead (1985) for the first time a long time ago and tonight was the first time I’ve watched it since.

In the first 30 minutes, I picked up on three references: Continue reading →

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Posted in Articles

Tagged 28 Days Later, Dawn of the Dead, Day of the Dead, Dr. Caligari, Film, George A. Romero, George Romero, Horror, Movie, Night of the Living Dead, Private Steel, The Big Lebowski, The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, Walter, Walter Sobchak, Zombies

Batman 3: To Shoot This Year?

Posted on February 23, 2010 | 2 comments

In the earlier post about the Burke and Hare film shoot, I mentioned a source’s experience with Christopher Nolan on the Batman films and Inception.

I forgot to mention that he also said sets were either being constructed, or will soon be constructed, for the third Batman, with the possibility of shooting toward the end of the year. He also said that they were coming under budget at the end of The Dark Knight, so they built a whole extra set (possible usage in the third film).