Posted on 06/30/2005 10:41:35 AM PDT by msjhall
The AMC (search) movie-theater chain is trying to stop the bleeding in its business plan — by offering a money-back guarantee. ....
The gimmick is seen as a desperate move to resuscitate the $88 million Ron Howard-directed boxing flick which, as of Tuesday, had grossed a paltry $50.6 million after 26 days in release.
But it comes against a backdrop of one of the worst box-office slumps in Hollywood history, with 18 straight weekends reporting lower ticket sales than during the same period last year.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
I think Hollywood needs to get back to the business of making good movies.
Let's hope Hollywood gets the point here: Shut up and entertain! But being Hollywood, the epicenter of whining and moaning in the United States, it will miss the point.
I always wonder about guarantees like this.. What's to stop me from enjoying it immensely and coming out saying it sucked and getting my money back? (Not that I'd ever do such an underhanded thing to those nice Holywood people... ;) )
I don't think I would pay high prices, have the little jerk kicks my seat while his mother defends him, listen to the cell phone go off, wait in line while the 14 year old pushes in front of you, and look for parking a mile away.
It wouldn't have been this bad if Crowe hadn't thrown the phone at that desk clerk.
I havn't saw it because of the way it wrongly depicted Jethro's dad.
There were quite a few Conservative pundits that gave this movie some very positive reviews a few weeks ago, noting that it pretty much captured the spirit of the family that's long been absent in recent films.
...Despite that endorsement, I'm still in no mood to pluck down $8.50 when I can just wait for the DVD to come out and watch it in the comfort and peace of my living room.
I think this is what is happening. People now have nice home viewing equipment and like to watch movies at home. You spenf a couple of bucks, get to watch your movie repeatedly, don't have to have frothy teenages making out next to your 8-year old, forgoe spending 5 dollars for 30 cents worth of oversalted, dry popcorn and $2.50 for watered-down soda.
Besides, the theaters smell and are dark and ugly.
COnsidering Ron Howard was once flyover's best boy Richie Cunningham, that would seema a natural for him...
"I think this is what is happening. People now have nice home viewing equipment and like to watch movies at home. You spenf a couple of bucks, get to watch your movie repeatedly, don't have to have frothy teenages making out next to your 8-year old, forgoe spending 5 dollars for 30 cents worth of oversalted, dry popcorn and $2.50 for watered-down soda. "
100% agreement. Also, at home, there are no IDIOTS making cell phone calls in your home during the movie!!
As an example, they could have cut costs by choosing someone less known than Renee Zellweger to play the female lead. She cannot do American regional accents without slipping into parody. Her attempt at a New York accent managed to sound like Barbra Streisand, odd since she was supposed to portray an Irish Catholic. In "Cold Mountain", Ms. Zellweger appeared to be channeling Granny from "The Beverly Hillbillies", who was an Ozark, not an Appalachian, character. As a proud American, I hate to say it, but English, Australian, Irish, and Canadian actors seem better at doing American regional dialects than are native born Americans.
Furthermore, the story of the champion's friend, a former lawyer who when faced with hard times became an alcoholic and a Communist, added little but extra time to the story and at least one of the bouts in the champion's rise to the top could have been left out. Excising these scenes would have cut costs with little loss to the overall product.
Irrespective of the predominant leftism of most Hollywood producers and directors, unfortunately including Ron Howard, the financial facts of life are ignored by the industry. They may learn to rue their ignorance.
'Furthermore, the story of the champion's friend, a former lawyer who when faced with hard times became an alcoholic and a Communist,...'
...Hollywood just can't seem to get the Communist myth out of its collective system, can it?
Speaking of communist myths, "Red Star Over Hollywood: The Left's Long Romance With Communism" is a great read, dispelling a great deal of what has been written or seen in many a documentary on TCM or PBS.
Crowe did a beautiful West Virginia is "A Beautiful Mind."
They are listening better. SOmetimes what we hear as natives gets confused because so many accents are in our ears.
I remember the stupid gangster accent Cher put on in that '80's movie with Nick Cage. No New York Italian-Amerocan woman I ever met sounded like that. (And I grew up in New York City and married and Italian). She sounded like she was channeling Al Capone.
:^)
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