The Film Industry Thread

[strawberrylover]

huntergrayson said:

I caught Painted Veil on DVD and was seriously wowed. I wonder if the Yuri group was split between promoting Norton in this or The Illusionist.

I can't imagine why they would've picked The Illusionist if that was the case. It came out right before The Prestige and was the inferior magician movie. Ed Norton would've stood out more if they'd promoted him in Painted Veil.

[marywebgirl]

The concept of "word of mouth" is almost dead thanks to the obsession with opening weekend grosses.

I'm still mad about how Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle got screwed. I haven't talked to anybody who hasn't loved it, but just about everyone had to rent it because it was out of theaters by its third weekend.

[satellite]

strawberrylover said:

huntergrayson said:

I caught Painted Veil on DVD and was seriously wowed. I wonder if the Yuri group was split between promoting Norton in this or The Illusionist.

I can't imagine why they would've picked The Illusionist if that was the case. It came out right before The Prestige and was the inferior magician movie. Ed Norton would've stood out more if they'd promoted him in Painted Veil.

Yeah, I'm watching The Illusionist now, and bor-ing. I was on my second sitting trying to finish it last night, but gave up and read a magazine instead. The Prestige took me two sittings to get through but it paid off in the end.

[Deleted]

Uwe Boll responds to a bad review. Links to GoogleTranslate or GrammarIsYourFriend.com not provided.

[huntergrayson]

From Boll:

wanna bee filmmaker

On the upside, I hear the next project is getting a lot of buzz. </rimshot>

people like you are the reason that independent movies have no chance anymore.

Oh, for fuck's sake. Nothing says "independent film" like "video game adaptations."

MWG -- the company is really invested in the Harold & Kumar sequel, if that helps.

[Deleted]

huntergrayson said:

Oh, for fuck's sake. Nothing says "independent film" like "video game adaptations."

This absolutely slayed me, too, hg. Videogame ports to movies are licensed, obviously, by the videogame manufacturer, which probably made eleventy billion dollars on the game itself. There's no question that the movie version is viewed by the manufacturer simply as maintaining brand awareness in the marketplace. So? Your movie is no more than an ad for a videogame, Herr Independent Cinema.

[huntergrayson]

Especially when half the films that win awards at festivals are all "I can has diztribusion plz?"

[marywebgirl]

the company is really invested in the Harold & Kumar sequel, if that helps.

Yay! That makes my day huntergrayson!

[berrybearie]

The topic of who's A list vs. who's B (or who's "not A") has come up often in the Guess Who discussions. For the purposes of BIs and press, it seems the designation of A-List is a lot broader than you might see in a industry magazine's piece on a star, or maybe the terms are just a lot broader nowadays. The Entertainment Lawyer, who posts BIs on his site, recently revealed an "A-List" BI to be Eva Mendes, who I wouldn't have considered an A-lister. Here's a list I've quickly typed up for actors. I think for the purposes of BIs a lot of the ones listed below would be considered A-list because of previous success/ popularity, even if it's been a long time since they had a hit (e.g., Jim Carrey, whose last movie bombed, or Meg Ryan, etc.).

So who would you add/ subtract from the list or who would you say may be a "press A-lister" but not an "industry A-lister" and are there other actors who seem "A-List" except for press?

Criteria for A-List Actors (the Entertainment Lawyer had similar criteria, but I added a bit):
High name recogntion (Joe or Jane Average is highly likely to have heard of them)
Starring roles (may be seen as someone or can "open" or "carry" a movie)
Salary (high salary, sometimes a percentage of box office)
Producing credits/ other behind-the-scenes power
Awards
Scripts written expressly for them, first-look at scripts

Men:
Tom Hanks
Will Smith
Denzel Washington
George Clooney
Tom Cruise
Russell Crowe
Leonardo DiCaprio
Nicolas Cage
Brad Pitt
Robert Deniro
Al Pacino
Jack Nicholson
Harrison Ford
Hugh Jackman
Mel Gibson
Bruce Willis
John Travolta
Ben Stiller
Adam Sandler
Will Ferrell
Johnny Depp
Keanu Reeves
Sean Penn
Ewan McGregor
Tobey McGuire
Matt Damon
Luke Wilson
Owen Wilson
Michael Douglass
Warren Beatty
Jim Carrey
Robin Williams
Sean Connery

Women:
Julia Roberts
Meryl Streep
Cameron Diaz
Sandra Bullock
Jodie Foster
Reese Witherspoon
Renee Zellweger
Kiera Knightley
Nicole Kidman
Scarlett Johansson
Natalie Portman
Kirsten Dunst
Halle Berry
Drew Barrymore
Kate Winslet
Meg Ryan
Angelina Jolie
Michelle Pfeiffer
Whoopi Goldberg
Kate Hudson
Salma Hayek
Charlize Theron
Naomi Watts
Uma Thurman
Jennifer Lopez
Gwyneth Paltrow

[satellite]

I think that the Gyllenhaal sibs might be considered A-list especially with Jake's Oscar nom and his lead in "Zodiac". Maggie's more "indie A-list" if there can be such a thing, but she's well-respected as an actress. What about people like Anne Hathaway? She was a lead in "DVP". And while we're on the subject of "BBM" there's Heath and Michelle. There are a lot of people who aren't top-earning megastars but are in almost everything. I think berrybearie's list is A+ stars, and then there are regular A-listers- like Jessica's Alba and Biel might not have longevity but they're in everything right now and get tons of press.

I think B-listers are like Mischa and Adam from "The O.C." or Gennifer Goodwin from "Big Love" or the "Lost", and "Heroes" stars.
You'd immediately know who they are if you're media savvy and read Entertainment Weekly. They have highly successful T.V. shows, but not always cultural phenomenon #1 shows like "Friends" or "Seinfeld" where they'd be household names, they have a few decent movie roles, lots of press, endorsement deals, etc.

C-listers are like Carmen Electra and Pam Anderson- someone who's parlayed being a pin-up and Baywatch chick into small movie roles, endorsements, syndicated/cable TV, marriage to fallen A/B-listers - they get a good amount of continued press attention but no critical praise. They're kitschy famous. Or A and B listers who were hot over five years ago but have fallen. I think I would also add people who are known for being at the top of their specific field but haven't really broken through to the mainstream- like Jenna Jameson for porn, John Cena for WWE now and Stone Cold Steve Austin in his heyday. I'd put The Rock at B/C-list since his film career is still chugging along. Dane Cook for comedy unless he gets some more movie roles then he could edge up to B list.

D-listers are the people on Surreal Life or the stars of any other VH1 Celebreality show, or those known only from winning a reality show-, Flav, Bret Michaels, Scott Baio, etc. See, it's tricky because those "The Hills" girls get tons of press but they're only known from reality TV- I'd call them press "B-listers" but industry "D-listers". Trista from the Bachelorette and Jay from Project Runaway are D bordering on E. "American Idol" is tricky too because it's such a huge show- Kelly Clarkson- B list now but A a few years ago. Fantasia and Clay- C list. Jennifer Hudson- quick slide to C if she doesn't get good roles. Paula & Simon- B/C, Randy-C because of press.

E-listers are the ANTM or Flavor of Girls who show up in hip-hop videos and booty magazines, or ex-Real Worlders still doing Challenges ad infinitum, or the other sort of famous Baywatch/Playboy chicks besides Pam, Carmen, and Jenny McCarthy i.e. Motley Crue wives/ex-wives. The H!ITGs who you'd know if you really followed the lower echelons of celebrity who scramble to seen with C/D listers. Like Tanya from Real World: Chicago helped host a Girls Gone Wild video- she's E-list, Joe Francis is C/D. Trishelle from RW: Las Vegas is D/E because she was on Surreal Life as well as a bunch of other reality shows.