Not a Blog

Sony and THE INTERVIEW, Once More

December 20, 2014 at 11:05 am
Profile Pic

Discussions of North Korea, cyber war, the corporate cowardice of Sony Pictures, and THE INTERVIEW have been taking over the airwaves these past two days, and millions of words have been devoted to the issues.  I won't try to rehash them all here.

The most important words, and the truest words, were those spoken by the big man, President Obama.

<lj-embed id=”528″ />

I agree with everything the President said there.

One of the most important bits, in my opinion, is toward the middle, where he talks about the chilling effect the cowardice of Sony and the big movie chains could have on other filmmakers going forward.  This is a point that very few of the talking heads on television seem to be addressing.  It is not theoretical.  THIS IS ALREADY HAPPENING. The damage has already extended well beyond THE INTERVIEW itself.  Paramount, a studio that has NOT been hacked, and has NOT been threatened, has already reacted by pulling TEAM AMERICA: WORLD POLICE from all the theatres that wanted to show it as a substitute for THE INTERVIEW.  They have made no public statement as to their reasons, but I think their reasons are plain… they are afraid of drawing down the wrath on North Korea and the hackers.   Meanwhile, New Regency and Fox — neither of them part of the Sony hack, neither of them theatened — have scrapped plans forPYONGYANG,  a Steve Carrell movie about North Korea, based on a popular graphic novle.

 http://www.vulture.com/2014/12/good-north-korea-movie-pyongyang-guy-delisle.html

This a textbook example of "chilling effect."  Nothing could be more clearcut.  Not just one Seth Rogen/ James Franco ( or Flacco) movie has been impacted, but three different projects, one ten years old, one still in preproduction.

 Of course, Sony has taken issue with the president's declaration that they "made a mistake."  (A very mild way of putting it, in my opinion.)  No, no, they did not make a mistake, they are insisting, they had no choice.  Sony Pictures Entertainment CEO Michael Lynton instead tried to shift the blame to Regal, AMC, and the other movie chains who announced that they would not not screen the film.   "We have not caved, we have not given in, we have persevered, and we haven't backed down. We have always had the desire to have the American public see this movie," Lynton said.

Sorry, but that's bullshit.  Sony did have a choice.  They still do.   They can release the film tomorrow, if they want.

Sony is correct in one regard: the big movie chains are getting off way too easy here.  All the discussion has focused on Sony, but in fact the cowardice started with Regal, with AMC, and  the other monarchs of the multiplex who decided to bow to the threats and pull THE INTERVIEW from their screens.  But for Sony to suggest that once that happened they "had no place to show the film," is disingenuous.

I have already stated that the Jean Cocteau Cinema will show THE INTERVIEW here in Santa Fe, should it be made available to us.  And yes, we're a tiny little arthouse, only 125 seats… but the crucial point is, we would not have been alone.   According to NATO (the National Association of Theatre Owners, not the North Atlantic Treaty Organization), there are 39,662 movie screens in the United States.  Regal, the largest and most powerful of the chains, has 7318 of those.  The other big chains have thousands too, but…

Do the math.  There are still THOUSANDS of screens out there not under the control of the mega-chains.  Smaller chains, regional chains, arthouses, and many many many small independent movie theatres like my own… theatres that would have jumped at the chance to show a big Christmas movie, an opportunity not often afforded them.  Regal may have been intimidated, but I don't think Alamo Drafthouse would have been.  I suspect Quention Tarantino and his New Beverly Theatre in LA would have stepped up, he's no stranger to controversy.  And there are thousands more.  So don't give us this "boo hoo, we have no choice, no one would have showed our movie" okey-doke, Sony, because it's not true.  The INDEPENDENTS would have showed your film.  We still will.  Release it, and see.

Rachel Maddow did an excellent story last night about the parallels between THE INTERVIEW case and the SATANIC VERSES incident, when Iran declared a fatwa against Salman Rushdie, threatening to kill not only the author but also his editors and publishers.  It is worth remembering that, in that case as in this, the big chains were the first to cave.  Waldenbooks, B. Daltons, and Barnes & Noble all responded by announcing that they would not be selling THE SATANIC VERSES.   But… here's the important part…Rushdie's publishers did not flinch, but stood firm for the book, the author, and the principle of free speech.  And who stood with them?  The independent bookstores.   All the shops around the corner, the specialty stores, the mom-and-pop operations came forth and said, almost as one, "We'll sell your book."  And they did, in unprecedented numbers.  THE SATANIC VERSES was a huge bestseller, not because of the chains, but in spite of them.

Maybe Regal is afraid is to show THE INTERVIEW.  The CEOs in the corporate suites are too scared by what their lawyers are whispering in their ears about potential liability.  But mom and pop have more guts, I'd bet.  Release THE INTERVIEW, Sony, and hundreds of small chains and indy theatres will snap it up all across the country.

And hey, Paramount, we'd snap up TEAM AMERICA: WORLD POLICE as well.  So climb out from underneath your desks, and make it available for us to book. 

Current Mood: null null

Amazon Stocking Stuffers

December 19, 2014 at 8:00 pm
Profile Pic

Amazon is running a special "Stocking Stuffer" sale on selected items for the month of December.  10% off.

The selected specials include the HEDGE KNIGHT and SWORN SWORD graphic novels from Jet City Comics.

sword-sword

Go here for details.

And happy shopping to all.

Current Mood: null null

I Call It Craven

December 18, 2014 at 2:07 pm
Profile Pic

The cowardice is contagious, it would appear.

In the comments to my last post, several of my readers suggested that we follow the lead of the Alamo Drafthouse in Austin and show TEAM AMERICA: WORLD POLICE at the Cocteau, since Sony has wimped out and pulled THE INTERVIEW.

It sounded like a great idea, so we took immediate steps to do so.

Only to learn that Paramount has now decided to withdraw TEAM AMERICA: WORLD POLICE from exhibition.   We won't be allowed to show the film, and neither will Alamo, nor any of the other independent venues that wanted to use TA:WP to replace THE INTERVIEW.

 http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/moviesnow/la-et-mn-team-america-to-screen-in-place-of-the-interview-at-texas-theater-20141218-story.html

 Regal.  AMC.  Cinemark.  Sony.  And now Paramount.  Where does it end?

 I guess I should contact our new North Korean masters to ask them what movies we will be allowed to show at the Cocteau.

 

Current Mood: null null

Corporate Cowardice

December 17, 2014 at 9:27 pm
Profile Pic

This one is surreal.

 In a stunning display of corporate cowardice, Regal, AMC, and  every other major theatre chain in the United States have cancelled their plans to show the new Seth Rogen/ James Franco comedy THE INTERVIEW, because of — yes, seriously, this is not a SOUTH PARK sketch (though I expect it soon will be) —  threats from North Korea.

Not familiar with THE INTERVIEW?  Here's the trailer:

<lj-embed id=”526″ />

 I mean, really?  REALLY??  These gigantic corporations, most of which could buy North Korea with pocket change, are declining to show a film because Kim Jong-Un objects to being mocked?

 The level of corporate cowardice here astonishes me.  It's a good thing these guys weren't around when Charlie Chaplin made THE GREAT DICTATOR.  If Kim Jong-Un scares them, Adolf Hitler would have had them shitting in their smallclothes.

 Even Sony, which made the movie, is going along.  There are thousands of small independent theatres across the country, like my own, that would gladly screen THE INTERVIEW, regardless of the threats from North Korea, but instead of shifting the film to those venues, Sony has cancelled its scheduled Christmas rollout entirely.

 I haven't seen THE INTERVIEW.  I have no idea how good or bad a film it is.   It might be hilarious.  It might be stupid and offensive and outrageous. (Actually, I am pretty sure about the 'outrageous' part).  It might be all of the above.

That's not the point, though.  Whether it's the next CITIZEN KANE or the next PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE, it astonishes me that a major Hollywood film could be killed before release by threats from a foreign power and anonymous hackers.

For what it's worth, the Jean Cocteau Cinema will be glad to screen THE INTERVIEW (assuming that Sony does eventually release the film for theatrical exhibition, rather than streaming it or dumping it as a direct-to-DVD release), should it be made available to us.  Come to Santa Fe, Seth, we'll show your film for you.

POSTSCRIPT: DECEMBER 20

Not content with pulling the film, Sony has now pulled the trailers as well, so the YouTube video I embedded above no longer works.

Here's a replacement from YouTube that's dead on point:

<lj-embed id=”529″/>

Current Mood: null null

I’m Number Three….

December 17, 2014 at 8:24 pm
Profile Pic

… again.

First the HOLLYWOOD REPORTER named me the third most powerful writer in Hollywood.

And now, yes indeed, Barbara Walters has included me as one of her Ten Most Fascinating People of 2014.  The third, actually.  Though I am not sure the order actually matters.

LiveJournal is not letting me embed the video, for some reason, but for those of you who missed the show, here's a link:

http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/video/game-thrones-author-george-martins-rise-success-27599428

(Look closely, and you can catch a glimpse of Parris, of Gardner Dozois, of various other friends).

It is gratifying to know that I am as fascinating as I am powerful  (this year, at least).  Plainly it must be the Autumn of George (obligatory SEINFELD reference).

Sad to say, however, I failed to win the triple crown.  I may be fascinating, and I may be powerful, but somehow, unaccountably, PEOPLE magazine failed to name me Sexiest Man Alive to complete the sweep.  They went with Thor… er, Chris Hemsworth… instead.   And, yeah, okay, he's all rugged and muscle-y and stuff, and his hammer is bigger than mine, but really… PEOPLE did not even include me in the list of runners up, although Kit Harrington and Richard Madden were both included (and congrats to both of them).

But that's the way it goes with triple crowns.  The Belmont always breaks 'em.

Current Mood: null null

More Signed Books

December 14, 2014 at 11:52 pm
Profile Pic

The online bookstore at the Jean Cocteau website is up and running, and has received such a huge rush of orders that we are already running out of stock on some titles.  We will refill as soon as we can.  Be patient, my Cocteau team is new at this.

Meanwhile, they are busily adding new titles.  If you're looking for signed books by NEIL GAIMAN, by LEV GROSSMAN, by JUNOT DIAZ, by DENNIS LEHANE, well, look no further than

 http://www.jeancocteaubooks.com/

 In the very near future, we should be posting up books by ANNE PERRY, JOE LANSDALE, DANIEL ABRAHAM, HAMPTON SIDES, and other great writers as well, so check back often.

Current Mood: null null

When Winning Is Losing

December 14, 2014 at 6:17 pm
Profile Pic

Life is magical and full of…

No.  Sorry.  I can't do it.

The Giants and the Jets both won today.  The G-Men won a convincing victory over the Potomac Drainage Basin Indigenous Peoples, despite RGIII coming off the bench to play pretty well.  Eli looked good, and Odell Beckham Junior continued to look great.  The Jets won a wafer-thin victory over a truly awful Tennessee Titans team (hate that name, they should be the Nashville Cats), the same squad that the Giants crushed just last week… and even then, they almost blew it with one second left when the Titans tried one of those dipsy-doodle seven-lateral plays and came within seven yards of the winning TD.  Even in victory, Geno Smith looked awful.

But it's hard to feel great about either win.  The season is over for both teams.  No one is going to the playoffs.  Lots of people will be getting fired at year's end.   Big Blue and Gang Green weren't even acting as spoilers; their opponents have awful records too.   The Giants at least had the satisfaction of beating a division rival.  The Jets?  Not so much.  No rivalry there.  The Jets are awful, the Titans are awfuller.  And by winning, the Jets dropped behind the Titans and four other teams in the draft, meaning their chances of getting Oregon's Heismann-winning quarterback just got a lot worse.  That's the Jets for you.  Even when they win, they lose.

The only real highlight of the day was the continued superlative play of Giants rookie wideout Odell Beckham Junior.  The G-Men have had a number of good receivers over the years, but they have not had a GREAT one since…  well, ever.  (Okay, maybe Homer Jones, but he was a long time ago).

Current Mood: null null

Tags:

Signed Books For Xmas

December 14, 2014 at 12:46 pm
Profile Pic

Okay… at long last…

 I can't reopen the "Signed Book" page on my website.  I no longer have the time to answer the emails or fill all the orders.  But for all of you who have  been asking for autographed books, we do now have a way to fill your requests… through the bookstore at the Jean Cocteau Cinema.  The site is now up and running.

If you would like signed books, as Christmas presents, or for your own collection, you will find a selection at:

 http://www.jeancocteaubooks.com/

Check it out.

And yes, we will be adding more books, including titles by many other writers, to the site over time.  But what is there now is all we have to offer at the moment, alas.  And only so long as the supply lasts.

And please note:  these books are all autographed (some of the anthologies may even include multiple signatures, if you're lucky).  They are not, and cannot be, personally inscribed.  Sorry, we can no longer provide that service.  Please don't ask us to make an exception in your case.  Yes, we know, it's Christmas, it's for a birthday, for an anniversary, for a graduation present… but lots of my fans have birthdays and anniversaries and graduations, and once we reopen that door…

Merry Xmas.  Happy New Year's.  Good reading to all, and to all a good book.

Current Mood: null null

Donato Is Coming Too

December 13, 2014 at 5:40 pm
Profile Pic

The Jean Cocteau Cinema is a movie theatre, first and foremost, but it is also a venue for live music, magic, and comedy, a meeting hall for community events, a bookstore offering a cool selection of autographed books… and an art gallery.

We have a new show every month, featuring painting and photography by an amazing and eclectic variety of local painters, photographers, cartoonists, and sculptors.  Sometimes we feature visiting artists from out of state as well.

And next week, we'll be thrilled and honored to present the work of the DONATO GIANCOLA.

donato

Fans of science fiction and artist art need no introduction to Donato, who has been one of the field's leading cover artists for the past couple of decades.  A perennial Hugo nominee, he won the award for Best Professional Artist in 2006, 2007, and 2009.   He was also won the Chesley Award, the Spectrum award, and numerous other honors and citations.

AND Donato is the illustrator for the official Ice & Fire calendar from Random House, which made its debut last summer at the San Diego Comicon.  He did some really amazing work for that one.

2015ASoIaF-Calendar-Cover-Donato

 We're having an official opening for Donato's show at the Cocteau next Thursday, December 18th, from 5:00 to 7:00 pm.  We'll have wine, mead, cocktails, and munchies, and the artist himself… yes, Donato is flying in to join us.

Copies of the 2015 calendar will be on hand and available for purchase and autographing.

And, best of all, you will be able to feast your eyes on some of Donato's original paintings.  Amazing work from an astounding talent.

See you at the gallery/

Current Mood: null null

Sibel Is Coming

December 12, 2014 at 12:28 pm
Profile Pic

I think Sibel Kekilli has forgiven me for killing Shae.  🙂

She must have, surely, because she's coming to Santa Fe week after next.

613383703714

Those of you who are GAME OF THRONES fans know Sibel best for her turn as Shae, of course… but this beautiful young German actress has done a great deal more of that.  Among her other honors, she's won the Lola Award — the 'German Oscar' — not once but twice.  In honor of Sibel's visit, we'll going to be screening the first of her Lola-winning performances.  For three nights only,  you can see HEAD ON on the big (well, medium sized) at the Jean Cocteau Cinema.

<lj-embed id=”520″ />

HEAD ON will be showing on December 18th, 19th, and 20th.  Tickets will soon be available through the Jean Cocteau website at http://www.jeancocteaucinema.com/    And circle the middle date on your calendars.  December 19 is the date that Sibel will be joining us at the theatre to introduce the film, talk about her life and career, and answer your questions… about HEAD ON, sure, but I imagine she'd be glad to take some GAME OF THRONES questions too.

(And we will have plenty of Ice & Fire books on hand for her to sign, including the new 'Making Of' book).

sibel

See you at the movies.

Current Mood: null null