Exciting news this morning. Sony has announced that it will show THE INTERVIEW on Christmas Day at "selected theatres."
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/12/23/sony-the-interview-screenings_n_6373096.html
Our friends at the Alamo Drafthouse in Austin have already booked it.
We at the Jean Cocteau are trying to do the same.
Watch this space for further details.
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Sony's stance on THE INTERVIEW seems to take a new twist every day.
Now we are told that, yes, they are going to release the film. They are just not sure how.
Of course, this all depends on who you believe.
THE NEW YORK POST says they plan to release it on Crackle, their own streaming internet service:
http://nypost.com/2014/12/21/sony-plans-to-release-the-interview-on-crackle-for-free/
Other sources say the POST is wrong:
http://www.slashfilm.com/interview-on-crackle/
Bit Torrent says that it is willing to show the film:
http://techcrunch.com/2014/12/21/bittorrent-tells-sony-its-happy-to-release-the-interview/
I don't know about any of this.
What I do know is that Sony's statement that it "had no choice" but to cancel the film's release is plainly false. It had plenty of choices, and still does.
The best of those choices, I believe, is to open THE INTERVIEW in theatres on Christmas Day, as originally planned. I have been in communication with the owners and operators of other independent cinemas and arthouses, and representatives of some of the smaller chains, and I know that hundreds of these venues would gladly screen this film, if only Sony will make it available. Regal and AMC and the megaplexes may have caved, but the independents have not. Sony could have the film on five hundred screens by Christmas, if it wants to. And I would love for the Jean Cocteau to be one of them.
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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:
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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″/>
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We had a great event at the Jean Cocteau Cinema last week, when Dennis Lehane came by to present his new movie, THE DROP. A fun interview, a busy booksigning, and a sold-out screening… everybody went away smiling, and Dennis seemed to enjoy his first visit to the Land of Enchantment, and promises to come back one of these days. He also signed a lot of stock for us, so if any of you out there are looking for an autographed copy of MYSTIC RIVER, SHUTTER ISLAND, THE GIVEN DAY, THE DROP, or any of Lehane's titles, contact the cinema.
The Cocteau schedule for this week will be even more exciting. On Sunday night, September 21, our friends NEIL GAIMAN and AMANDA PALMER will be paying us another visit, for an evening of singing, signing, and storytelling. The fun starts at 7pm… but, alas, if you don't have tickets yet, you're probably out of luck, since that event sold out within hours of us announcing it on our email newsletter. (Don't get our newsletter? Easily fixed. Go to the website at http://www.jeancocteaucinema.com/ and sign up. Newsletter subscribers get first crack at all of our coolest events).
The Cocteau will also be presenting THE COMPANY OF WOLVES, director Neil Jordan's twisted take on Little Red Riding Hood, based on the classic story by Angela Carter. Neil Gaiman picked this film for us, and we've asked him to introduce it. The movie starts at 9:20.
Our bar will be serving The Deflowering, a specialty cocktail designed for us by Amanda Palmer.
All in all, a busy Sunday. That's just the start, however.
Come Wednesday, September 24, we have another very special event scheduled: a special advance screening of COPENHAGEN, a film by Mark Raso, fresh off the festival circuit and well in advance of its North American release. Here's the trailer:
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Director MARK RASO and star GETHIN ANTHONY will both be on hand for the COPENHAGEN screening, to introduce the film and answer your questions afterwards. Gethin, of course, is well known to GAME OF THRONES fans as the late, great Renly Baratheon, brother to Robert and Stannis, husband to Margaery Tyrell, lover of her brother Loras. Come meet him at the Jean Cocteau… advance tickets to the screening are still available at the Cocteau website.
See you at the movies.
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If you love great writing… great movies… great books… you'll want to be at the Jean Cocteau Cinema this Saturday. We've got another amazing event lined up for those of you in Santa Fe and its suburbs (you know, Los Alamos, Espanola, Bernalillo, Rio Rancho, Albuquerque), and any lucky tourists passing through. DENNIS LEHANE will be here, and he's bringing THE DROP.
If you don't know Lehane… well, what rock have you been hiding under? He's the author of GONE BABY GONE, MYSTIC RIVER, and SHUTTER ISLAND, all of which have been made into terrific movies… but the novels are even better. He's also written some other novels that haven't been made into movies (yet), and those are just as good. My favorite is THE GIVEN DAY, a historical about the Boston Police Strike. He's also done screenplays and teleplays, including some great episodes of BOARDWALK EMPIRE and THE WIRE.
Dennis has a new novel just out: THE DROP. And the movie will soon follow. VERY soon, like this month. Simultaneous release, something I can't think I've ever seen before. THE DROP stars Tom Hardy, Noomi Rapace, and the late great James Gandolfini. Here's a taste.
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Anyway, we'll have the book, the movie, AND the author.
Saturday 6:00 we'll have an author event with Dennis, the usual mix of reading, interview, Q&A, and booksigning. We'll talk about THE DROP, his other books, his TV work, whatever you want to talk about, and of course we'll have books for signing. Free admission with purchase of a hardcover, $5 with purchase of a paperback, $10 admission without a book purchase.
At 8:00 pm we'll have a sneak preview screening of the film. FREE, first come first seating.
And of course we'll have beer, wine, cocktails, and the best popcorn in the state, as ever.
I'll be there. Hope you will too.
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I've missed some great films at the Cocteau these past two months while I've been globehopping.
But I'm home now, and we have some terrific offerings coming up at Santa Fe's hometown movie theatre in the weeks to come… starting this Sunday, when we'll be screening Richard Donner's LADYHAWKE. Not only one of the greatest fantasy films ever made (ignore that bloody soundtrack please), but one of the great romances as well.
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And for all the fans and cinephiles and aspiring screenwriters out there, we have a very special treat: LADYHAWKE will be introduced by Santa Fe's own ED KHMURA, the film's screenwriter, who will talk about how the movie came to be, and the challenges of making it.
ED KHMURA
LADYHAWKE will screen on Sunday, starting at 6:30.
Come join Ed and me and Melinda Snodgrass, and (on the silver screen) Michelle Pfeiffer, Rutger Hauer, and Matthew Broderick, sample a great fantasy, and enjoy one of our specialty cocktails and New Mexico's best popcorn at the Jean Cocteau.
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We have a wild week of movies coming to the Jean Cocteau Cinema this weekend. Something old, something new, something sick and twisted and depraved, and Shakespeare.
From the Bard and the Royal Shakespeare Company, we have HENRY IV, Part 1. Prince Hal, Falstaff, great stuff.
Something new is THE DOUBLE, with Jesse Eisenberg:
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Something old, the Jane Fonda/ Lee Marvin western comedy classic, CAT BALLOU. A personal favorite. Lee Marvin won his Oscar as Best Actor for his double role in the film, and Jane has seldom been lovelier (well, okay, maybe as Barbarella). Stubby Kaye and Nat King Cole are on hand as well. Rather than the trailer, here's a look at the scene where Lee Marvin arrives in town:
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Our midnight movie (midnight begins at 11pm in Santa Fe) is John Water's notorious PINK FLAMINGOs. With Divine. (Not to be confused with Andy Devine). And no, we will NOT offer special chocolate cupcakes for this one. Or even pink flamingo cupcakes.
See you at the movies.
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We had a great weekend at the Jean Cocteau. Joe Lansdale was in town, his own self, to host our showings of COLD IN JULY and BUBBA HO-TEP, and sign books as well. The bar was serving Good Ol' Boys, another one of Nicole's great specialty cocktails. And on Monday we had Joe's daughter, fast rising country star Kasey Lansdale, entertaining us a great set of songs off her new album.
Couldn't make it? Damn. You missed out.
But you still have two more chances to catch COLD IN JULY, tonight and tomorrow, before it goes away. You should. A terrific little film, that got rousing ovations at Cannes and Sundance. You also have two more chances to catch our Danish superhero film ANT BOY, this afternoon and tomorrow afternoon. And before he left, Joe Lansdale signed lots of copies of his novels, so if you're looking for an autographed Lansdale book, head on down to Montezuma, right beside the railroad tracks.
On Friday, a whole new slate of films debuts. We have the soccer movie NEXT GOAL WINS, and the drama LULLABY. And for our midnight movie (starts at 11pm) Friday and Saturday, straight from the 70s, we've got UNHOLY ROLLERS:
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See you at the movies.
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So Marvel has dismissed director Edgar Wright from the long-awaited (by me, anyway) ANT-MAN movie he was helming.
Very distressing. I love Ant-Man (and the Wonderful Wasp). I am still outraged that they were left out of THE AVENGERS film. They were founding members of the group, after all. Which can't be said for their replacements, Hawkeye and Black Widow.
But hey, hey, have no fear. If you're feeling a serious lack of ant-based superheroics, the Jean Cocteau Cinema is coming to your rescue. Marvel won't be giving us ANT-MAN until 2015, if ever, but this weekend the Jean Cocteau is debuting the first Danish superhero movie:
ANT-BOY
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Come and check it out! Showtimes on our website.
And we have lots more excitement at the theatre this weeked too. More about that later.
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… to the Jean Cocteau this weekend.
No, no, not the new guy… the ORIGINAL Big, Green, and Scary.
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Starting May 9, for a special limited run, we'll be showing the original Japanese version of GODZILLA (aka GOJIRA, aka KING OF THE MONSTERS). Not the Americanized version either, you won't see Perry Mason… er, Raymond Burr… here.
If you haven't seen GODZILLA before, you may be surprised. This is not the camp Godzilla of the later films, when he was hanging out with Rodan and Mothra and battling robot versions of himself. This Godzilla is no one's monster buddy, and the film is much darker than any of the sequels.
In honor of Godzilla coming to the Cocteau, our bar will be offering a special cocktail: the TOKYO STOMP.
See you at the movies.
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