Scott W. Davis
08-26-2004, 03:42 AM
They did it again. Even the drastically crumbling reputation of the once mighty Miramax can't stop its genre division from shrugging off their horror properties while gobbling up even more.
Dimension has been promising a theatrical date for Jaume Balaguero's DARKNESS ever since it bought the property in 2002. The latest date was this June which they promised would finally see it in theatres, only to yank it at the last second once again. Another film they were promoting this summer was MINDHUNTERS, directed by Renny Harlin who currently has the number one movie in the U.S., EXORCIST: THE BEGINNING. Now to be honest, MINDHUNTERS looked like crap from the trailers that Dimension pasted all over theatres to await its big summer premiere. Nevertheless, it was a high-profile film starring Christian Slater, L.L. Cool J., Johnny Lee Miller, Patricia Valasquez and Val Kilmer. They spent tens of millions on it and it has sat on the shelf since its completion in June 2002. Both of these films have already been released in other countries, so chances are our readers in Europe, Asia and Australia have already dealt with these films. You guys have no idea how lucky you are not to have an isor like Dimension.
Well, the good news is that Dimension is finally releasing these films. But no surprise here, they are getting a quick release straight to video later this year. In turn, DARKNESS may be renamed THE DARK in case U.S. consumers can't figure the other title out. The studio typically does this and often its on a pretty bare bones release. We've seen this happen many times before, and chances are we still will.
For example, the U.S. still hasn't seen THE HOLE, CYPHER, THE GATHERING, more Asian films than can be mentioned or Balaguero's other film THE NAMELESS... which they snatched up two years before DARKNESS! These are just a few of the films they have been sitting on. In actuality, there are dozens. That's right... dozens!
It is only a mild comfort seeing Miramax burn every bridge it has. Remember when Ben Affleck and Matt Damon were their golden boys? Remember when they could do no wrong? Forget it.
A few years ago, Affleck and Damon started up PROJECT: GREENLIGHT. It was a noble cause - have a screenwriting contest for a newcomer director and agree to produce and distribute the result. To be honest, I never made it past a few episodes of the first season. It was dull and when I saw the PR girl from Miramax push the sticky, sentimental claptrap that was STOLEN SUMMER, I knew where this was going. Having actually sat through STOLEN SUMMER made it worse. Instead of groundbreaking films, each of the two Greenlight films (the other being THE BATTLE FOR SHAKER HEIGHTS) is one of the most mainstream that was offered. And while Affleck, Damon and producer Chris Moore ultimately had a say in what was greenlighted, the Miramax rep always pushed the least intriguing project.
Well, the good news is that the latest PROJECT: GREENLIGHT offered up a possible horror property. The bad news is this time, not only was it a less intriguing choice, but Miramax flat out overruled the producers and creators of the project... on behalf of their Dimension wing.
The winning film was FEAST. To be fair to first-time filmmaker John Gulager, who will no doubt be dragged into the middle of this, it is a horror film and will probably be much better than STOLEN SUMMER or SHAKER HEIGHTS. It is promised to be not only a horror film, but a satire that lampoons horror stereotypes. It's about a bunch of people at a snowed-in bar who fight off a horde of winged creatures.
Okay, maybe it doesn't sound that good. In fact it sounds horrible. But you've gotta have faith, right?
Well, it's not the film Affleck, Damon and Moore wanted. Matt Damon has come clean in a recent interview with Moviehole. ""You'll see on one of the first episodes of PROJECT: GREENLIGHT me having this big argument, a total meltdown actually, with the guys from Dimension," Damon said. "They walked in and basically chose that movie FEAST for us. It was supposed to be a community decision. I was like 'what the fuck is going on'?"
Rumors have been abound that Dimension may pressure Gulager in order to cut it down for a PG-13 rating. Creature Corner asked the director about this last month. Gulager has promised that the film will be a strong "R" with an even more graphic DVD to follow.
By the way, to add insult to injury, Dimension is distributing Damon's next film, the $ 80 million THE BROTHERS GRIMM. The film is directed by Terry Gilliam (BRAZIL, FEAR AND LOATHING IN LAS VEGAS) and also stars Heath Ledger, Jonathan Pryce and Monica Bellucci. That film has now also been pushed back by over a year, courtesy of Dimension. It will now be released for Thanksgiving 2005. At least, we hope so.
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Dimension has been promising a theatrical date for Jaume Balaguero's DARKNESS ever since it bought the property in 2002. The latest date was this June which they promised would finally see it in theatres, only to yank it at the last second once again. Another film they were promoting this summer was MINDHUNTERS, directed by Renny Harlin who currently has the number one movie in the U.S., EXORCIST: THE BEGINNING. Now to be honest, MINDHUNTERS looked like crap from the trailers that Dimension pasted all over theatres to await its big summer premiere. Nevertheless, it was a high-profile film starring Christian Slater, L.L. Cool J., Johnny Lee Miller, Patricia Valasquez and Val Kilmer. They spent tens of millions on it and it has sat on the shelf since its completion in June 2002. Both of these films have already been released in other countries, so chances are our readers in Europe, Asia and Australia have already dealt with these films. You guys have no idea how lucky you are not to have an isor like Dimension.
Well, the good news is that Dimension is finally releasing these films. But no surprise here, they are getting a quick release straight to video later this year. In turn, DARKNESS may be renamed THE DARK in case U.S. consumers can't figure the other title out. The studio typically does this and often its on a pretty bare bones release. We've seen this happen many times before, and chances are we still will.
For example, the U.S. still hasn't seen THE HOLE, CYPHER, THE GATHERING, more Asian films than can be mentioned or Balaguero's other film THE NAMELESS... which they snatched up two years before DARKNESS! These are just a few of the films they have been sitting on. In actuality, there are dozens. That's right... dozens!
It is only a mild comfort seeing Miramax burn every bridge it has. Remember when Ben Affleck and Matt Damon were their golden boys? Remember when they could do no wrong? Forget it.
A few years ago, Affleck and Damon started up PROJECT: GREENLIGHT. It was a noble cause - have a screenwriting contest for a newcomer director and agree to produce and distribute the result. To be honest, I never made it past a few episodes of the first season. It was dull and when I saw the PR girl from Miramax push the sticky, sentimental claptrap that was STOLEN SUMMER, I knew where this was going. Having actually sat through STOLEN SUMMER made it worse. Instead of groundbreaking films, each of the two Greenlight films (the other being THE BATTLE FOR SHAKER HEIGHTS) is one of the most mainstream that was offered. And while Affleck, Damon and producer Chris Moore ultimately had a say in what was greenlighted, the Miramax rep always pushed the least intriguing project.
Well, the good news is that the latest PROJECT: GREENLIGHT offered up a possible horror property. The bad news is this time, not only was it a less intriguing choice, but Miramax flat out overruled the producers and creators of the project... on behalf of their Dimension wing.
The winning film was FEAST. To be fair to first-time filmmaker John Gulager, who will no doubt be dragged into the middle of this, it is a horror film and will probably be much better than STOLEN SUMMER or SHAKER HEIGHTS. It is promised to be not only a horror film, but a satire that lampoons horror stereotypes. It's about a bunch of people at a snowed-in bar who fight off a horde of winged creatures.
Okay, maybe it doesn't sound that good. In fact it sounds horrible. But you've gotta have faith, right?
Well, it's not the film Affleck, Damon and Moore wanted. Matt Damon has come clean in a recent interview with Moviehole. ""You'll see on one of the first episodes of PROJECT: GREENLIGHT me having this big argument, a total meltdown actually, with the guys from Dimension," Damon said. "They walked in and basically chose that movie FEAST for us. It was supposed to be a community decision. I was like 'what the fuck is going on'?"
Rumors have been abound that Dimension may pressure Gulager in order to cut it down for a PG-13 rating. Creature Corner asked the director about this last month. Gulager has promised that the film will be a strong "R" with an even more graphic DVD to follow.
By the way, to add insult to injury, Dimension is distributing Damon's next film, the $ 80 million THE BROTHERS GRIMM. The film is directed by Terry Gilliam (BRAZIL, FEAR AND LOATHING IN LAS VEGAS) and also stars Heath Ledger, Jonathan Pryce and Monica Bellucci. That film has now also been pushed back by over a year, courtesy of Dimension. It will now be released for Thanksgiving 2005. At least, we hope so.
----------
Do you hate these guys as much as I do? Comment on it in our FORUMS!