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“Memento” Remake News Stirs Anger: Worst Idea Yet Comes in Press Release

Roger Friedman
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“Memento” Remake News Stirs Anger: Worst Idea Yet Comes in Press Release

Christopher Nolan’s “Memento” is one of my favorite films of all time. It’s certainly a cult film with a hardcore following of loyalists. Ever since its release in 2000, the backwards told tale starring Guy Pearce, Joey Pantoliano, and Carrie-Anne Moss has again and again made dozens of all time and top 100 film lists.

So this afternoon’s press release that someone other than Nolan was going to remake “Memento” has stirred anger all over social media. AMBI Films, financed by the Bacardi family of Italy, apparently bought a film library that included “Memento.” Their first reaction? To remake a perfect film by an auteur who has since gone on to huge success with the “Dark Knight” movies, “Inception,” and “Interstellar.”

What AMBI doesn’t understand is that you simply don’t do this. It didn’t work for “Psycho” or “The Heartbreak Kid,” for example. Certain classic films cannot and should not be remade. There’s no reason for it, and the public only rejects them twice as hard.

The library AMBI bought includes some interesting titles. First there are personal gems like “Begin Again,”The Ides of March,” “End of Watch,” “The Way Back,” Peter Landesman’s “Parkland,” and Ron Howard’s “Rush.”

But somehow Mel Gibson’s controversial “The Passion of Christ” and “Apocalypto” are in there, too, as well as Gibson in “What Women Want.”

Someone should tell these people to pour themselves a Bacardi and rethink this plan.

It’s ironic: “Memento” is about a man unable to form short term memories. But the movie going audience has a very good long term memory of “Memento.” They will not go for this, with Nolan excluded from the equation. And what decent director or actor will get involved?

National Enquirer Says Charlie Sheen has HIV, Actor to Make Announcement Tomorrow

Roger Friedman
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National Enquirer Says Charlie Sheen has HIV, Actor to Make Announcement Tomorrow

Does Charlie Sheen have HIV? The National Enquirer and Radar Online say he does, and my sources there say the story is “solid.” “We nailed it,” says a source.

A couple of weeks ago Radar broke the story without using Sheen’s name. But the clues were easier to dissect than an episode of “Murder She Wrote.” Now American Media has gone full force with the story, publishing it on all their platforms.

Sheen has consequently declared that he will give Matt Lauer a special interview tomorrow morning on the Today show. He will make a “personal announcement.”

Sheen has lived an unabashed, unapologetic life of debauchery for years. It’s involved sex, drugs and rock and roll. Hookers, porn stars, circus animals– he’s advertised all of it.

In 2011, Sheen went completely off the rails, and caused a long running scandal when he left “Two and Half Men,” was fired, sued Warner Bros. and CBS, lost, went on a crazy tour that indicated a mental breakdown in which he “performed” at big venues like Radio City Music Hall. “Winning” and “Tiger Blood” became catchphrases. But Sheen was hardly winning anything.
He then made an un funny miserable TV series called “Anger Management,” now in syndication, and used solely as background noise.

What a disaster this all is: Sheen comes from a lovely family. His parents, Martin and Janet, are terrific people. His brother, Emilio Estevez, is a great guy. Charlie has five children– an older daughter, and two sons and two daughters under the age of 10.

Meantime, Sheen has not been seen much this year. After carrying on like crazy in public, Sheen has been press shy in 2015. He was photographed by accident on September 1st, and then almost not at all the whole year.

I will never forget interviewing Charlie and the cast of “Three Musketeers” in 1993. Charlie gave a young Chris O’Donnell a full description of “snuff” films. It was kind of shocking. But he was already in an alternate — and scary — universe.

Good luck to him.

Pop: Justin Bieber Beats One Direction in One Week Sales Race, But Adele is Coming

Roger Friedman
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Pop: Justin Bieber Beats One Direction in One Week Sales Race, But Adele is Coming

The weekend pop sales race among pop tarts One Direction and Justin Bieber is over. We’ll see numbers soon, but from iTunes the clear winner is Bieber’s “Purpose” at number 1. One Direction’s “Made in the AM” has remained steady at number 2.

The whole race for number 1 is moot, though, as Adele’s “25” is released on Friday. Expectations are for more than 1 million copies sold in the first week. Pre-orders may already be at that level. Plus Adele will be doing publicity all week, appearing at Radio City Music Hall tomorrow night and on “Saturday Night Live.”

As for Bieber vs. One Direction: the latter group has not drummed up much excitement for its singles, while Bieber has about a dozen individual tracks showing up on the iTunes chart. It’s definitely a marketing battle. Starting with the viral media plan for “What Do You Mean?” Bieber’s people have just played the whole thing right. Bieber also made a bunch of videos for the new songs.

One Direction may have the better album. But they’ve already said they’re taking a break. Their marketing is a lot more DIY, laid back. They have really one hit single, “Perfect,” at number 17. No one’s really worked the individual tracks. I’m surprised.

Anyway, this will only last until Friday. Then Adele will eat them all for breakfast.

Review: Bruce Willis Makes an Inauspicious Broadway Debut in “Misery,” or the new Les Mis

Roger Friedman
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Review: Bruce Willis Makes an Inauspicious Broadway Debut in “Misery,” or the new Les Mis

What happened to the great jive talkin’, smooth as silk Bruce Willis? Oh for the days when David Addison couldn’t shut up on “Moonlighting.” Or even when John McClain talked glib in “Die Hard.” I thought Bruce Willis’s propensity for yakking would turn his Paul Sheldon in the theatrical version of “Misery” into a wise cracker who wouldn’t be tied to a bed. I was wrong.

Luckily, Laurie Metcalf is there at the Broadhurst Theater as Annie Wilkes, Paul’s captor. Metcalf, an accomplished theater actress from Steppenwolf, known to TV audiences from “Roseanne,” is so exceptional that for a while, “Misery” seems like it might not be so bad. After all, Metcalf just fully inhabits the stage from the moment she arrives. So what if Bruce Willis is slow to catch up? You figure eventually it will all fall into place.

Unfortunately, William Goldman’s adaptation of his 1990 screenplay — directed by Rob Reiner and starring James Caan and Kathy Bates (she got an Oscar) — is too literal. The movie depended on close ups, of which there are none in the theater.

And sadly no one has told Bruce Willis what to do. The direction by Will Frears is less than what I expected. He lets Willis just sit there, or lie there, on stage, like a flounder. Sometimes he seems like he might be sleeping. Or just not interested. For quite a while, Metcalf works and works around him, hoping to get a reaction. But none are coming.

Of course, part of the problem is the play itself. As a movie “Misery” had its campy moments, and you could get away with them– and the unnatural violence– frame by frame. As a play, “Misery” just seems ridiculous, over the top, and in the end, pointless. Willis would have been better off playing Billy Flynn in “Chicago”– his daughter, Rumer, was just in that show–or as a character in “Something Rotten.” I know there’s a funny, madcap Bruce Willis lurking in there, somewhere.

No press was allowed at the opening night party Sunday night. Among the celebs in the audience were Rob Reiner, Tony Danza, Zachary Quinto and chef Tom Colicchio, according to the photo services. “Misery” is supposed to play until February 14th.

On the upside, this shows that Metcalf should be a lead in a real play, where can get a Tony. Judith Light did it. Metcalf is next. But “Misery” is not the vehicle for that.

On “Purpose”: “Where are U Now?” Belongs to Skrillex and Diplo, Not Justin Bieber

Roger Friedman
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On “Purpose”: “Where are U Now?” Belongs to Skrillex and Diplo, Not Justin Bieber

By now Justin Bieber fans have realized something: they can’t buy “Where Are U Now?” from Bieber as a single on iTunes. The rest of “Purpose” can be divvied and purchased as singles or as part of the album. “Where Are U Now” is album-only.

However, it can be singled out from producers Skrillex and Diplo. It’s available as a single from them through their album “Skrillex and Diplo Preseny Jack U.”

Whyzat, you ask? “Where Are U Now?” was a fluke. The producers took a simple ditty from Bieber and turned it into what became the template for the rest of “Purpose.” Even Bieber doesn’t sound sure in interviews how it happened. He sent it in, they created it, and boom– it was a hit. Now all of Bieber’s album is based on the Skrillex and Diplo format. They must be thrilled.

Here’s another Skrillex – Diplo cut featuring a real singer, Kiesza:

Box Office: “Spectre” $30 Mil Behind “Skyfall” But Still No Slouch, Brad-Angelina Ouch

Roger Friedman
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Box Office: “Spectre” $30 Mil Behind “Skyfall” But Still No Slouch, Brad-Angelina Ouch

James Bond “Spectre” hit $130 million this weekend, which is no slouch. Every studio would like that hit. Still, Bond 24 is running $30 mil behind “Skyfall.” Well, the latter movie was a phenom because it was excellent, and it had the Adele song. Can you imagine if Adele had the “Spectre” song right now as she was launching her new album? OMG as they say.

Alas, Sam Smith has the “Spectre” song. No one wants to hear it. Last night Smith appeared on “Saturday Night Live” to sing with Disclosure on one of their songs. He didn’t even promote “Writing’s on the Wall.” He also now sounds a lot like Michael McDonald. Maybe he can cover “What a Fool Believes” next or have a sing off with Jimmy Fallon, who imitates McDonald perfectly.

Meantime, Brad and Angelina scored just $95,000 on “By the Sea” at 10 theaters. Let’s just say crowds did not race to their cinemas to see the most famous couple in moviedom harangue each other in soft focus. I still say this movie has to be based on the famous song from “Sweeney Todd,” as seen here:

(Listen) Carly Simon’s Great New Song Accompanies Hot Literary Memoir of Rock in the 70s

Roger Friedman
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(Listen) Carly Simon’s Great New Song Accompanies Hot Literary Memoir of Rock in the 70s

Carly Simon’s great new song “I Can’t Thank You Enough” comes from her “Songs from the Trees” compilation, out next week from Rhino. It was written by Carly and son Ben Taylor. The CD accompanies her hot literary memoir of rock in the 70s, “Boys in the Trees,” out from Flatiron Press on November 24th. The book is a vivid account of Simon’s childhood, her teen years as she and sister Lucy were a singing duo in Greenwich Village, and her launch as the original Taylor-Katie-Adele circa 1970 with “That’s the Way I’ve Always Heard it Should Be.”

“Boys in the Trees” is written with refreshing honesty and candor, and in a structure quite like the most highly regarded celebrity memoirs by Lauren Bacall and Sidney Poitier.

Box Office Bust: Brad Pitt-Angelina Jolie “Indie” Film Takes in $38,000 on Opening Night

Roger Friedman
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Box Office Bust: Brad Pitt-Angelina Jolie “Indie” Film Takes in $38,000 on Opening Night

Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt should be in a blockbuster film, right? But their little indie vanity film, “By the Sea,” is a bust. It took in $38,000 last night on 10 screens.

To put this perspective: the highly regarded film “Brooklyn” with no actual stars made $134,179 last night on 23 screens. It’s already outpacing “By the Sea” and except for Saorise Ronan, a young Irish actress, the rest of the names are mostly unknown to American audiences.

“By the Sea” will go by the boards pretty fast. It was admirable, ambitious try. But really $38,000 wouldn’t cover snacks for the Jolie-Pitt clan on a slow day. Universal will just write this off, move on, and hope to make a “Mr. and Mrs. Smith” with them sometime soon.

Meantime, “Spectre” crossed the $100 million line, and “The Martian” got past $200 million. Tom McCarthy’s “Spotlight” may pass $1 million this weekend; it’s the Oscar favorite at the moment. “Steve Jobs” was cut back to 326 theatres from 421 and did just fine. It was a smart move.

More tomorrow…

Brad Pitt’s Other Movie This Season Gets Oscar Buzz at Hollywood Screening

Leah Sydney
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Brad Pitt’s Other Movie This Season Gets Oscar Buzz at Hollywood Screening

Could “The Big Short” come up huge this awards season? That’s what the seasoned crowd thought last night at the closing night of the AFI’s Film Fest in Hollywood last night.  AFI’s President and CEO Bob Gazzale was accepting kudos from the VIPS all night for this year’s successful festival.

What a way to go out, with “The Big Short,” adapted from Michael Lewis’s best seller, “The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine,” which was centered on the housing credit bubble of the 2000s.  It’s directed by Will Ferrell’s favorite guy, Adam McKay,  with a star studded cast including Steve Carell, Ryan Gosling, Christian Bale, Brad Pitt, Melissa Leo, Marisa Tomei, Hamish Linklater, (who was escorted by his talented actress girlfriend Lily Rabe).

To make a long story Short: “Short” is a story about an insanely complicated topic which is scathing, and exhausting, but always fascinating to watch.  The actors play a bunch of  soon to be mega rich social misfits, some who have moral compasses and some who sadly don’t.  I asked McKay how he got involved.  “I loved the book. I had an idea of how I wanted to do it.  I called Michael, we had lunch and that was it.  He’s a great guy.”

Michael Lewis then said, “Adam had me at hello. I’ve seen all of his movies and am a fan. The whole trick to making this work is to be funny about it at the same time. He has the chops to do it.”

I asked McKay if Bernie Sanders, who has been preaching about bank fraud for years, has seen it.  “I’m not sure, but every politician should see it. Right wing or left wing they all should see it. They all like to pretend that it didn’t happen.  Bernie Sanders has been one of the loudest about bank reform.  So he’s already there when it comes to this movie.  But the rest of them, where were they when this was happening?”

Some of the stars chatted before the screening, with the exception of Brad Pitt, who is in Dubai shooting a new film. Pitt’s Plan B films produced the movie.  Ryan Gosling,– who was celebrating his birthday so he didn’t go to the after party– said, “It was kind of like we were all cramming for a test.  As soon as it was over, we forgot everything.”  Why did he want to do it?  Gosling answered, “There’s nothing like this movie, it’s the most socially relevant one I’ve ever done.”

Steve Carell joked about the complicated subject matter.  “I actually have to be paid to be in character to actually rattle off these terms. Really though, it was actually like going to school and learning a foreign language.  I went in to just try and learn about this world and the guy I was playing.”  Carell could once again be a potential best actor nominee, as he was for “Foxcatcher.” The other actors will most probably jockey for best supporting nods.  So bottom line,  what does Steve hope for this film?  Carell answered,  “I hope it starts conversation, and that people learn how dire the situation was and still is frankly. “

“The Big Short” opens in limited release on Dec. 15th.

One Direction? Bieber? Forget Them. Squeeze Has Their First New Album Since 1998

Roger Friedman
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One Direction? Bieber? Forget Them. Squeeze Has Their First New Album Since 1998

 Squeeze is back with their first album of new music since 1998. “Cradle to the Grave” is the name, the songs are just as witty and bouncy and much more sophisticated than anything out now by anyone. Available on Spotify, Amazon and iTunes. Already in my car. Thank you, guys.

 

 

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