Discland
edited by Jonathan Doyle
Mafioso (The Criterion Collection, 3.18.2008) Nino Badalamenti is a supervisor in a car manufacturing plant who hasn't taken a vacation in over two years. On his way out the door to visit his beloved childhood hometown of Sicily -- with his blonde wife and daughters -- Nino is handed a package by his boss and asked to deliver it to a powerful and influential Sicilian gangster named Don Vincenzo. Once in Sicily, Nino has a hoot seeing friends and family, but his wife has trouble fitting in and is unfairly dismissed as a snob by Nino's family. Even more worrisome, Nino finds himself entangled in an intricate web of secret mafioso dealings and is eventually sent on an unexpectedly... elaborate errand. (continued)

Good Night and Good Luck

After reportedly trying to forge some kind of amicable, foward-looking merger between Picturehouse and Warner Independent, Warner Bros. management has suddenly thrown up its hands and is getting out of the "dependent" business altogether, it was announced about an hour ago.

WB president & COO Alan Horn released a statement that seems to translate, when you boil the snow out of it, into the following: "Sorry, but we've come to realize that running a Fox Searchlight- or Paramount Vantage-type operation just isn't our bag. Our hearts were sort of into this, but now they aren't. Things change. Besides, we've got New Line for the smaller stuff. We're into maximizing revenue and building broad genre franchises, and...you know, making or releasing movies for people who read reviews and enjoy provocative subject matter just isn't worth it to us."

The actual statement reads that "with New Line now a key part of Warner Bros., we're able to handle films across the entire spectrum of genres and budgets without overlapping production, marketing and distribution infrastructures ...after much painstaking analysis, this was a difficult decision to make, but it reflects the reality of a changing marketplace and our need to prudently run our businesses with increased efficiencies. We're confident that the spirit of independent filmmaking and the opportunity to find and give a voice to new talent will continue to have a presence at Warner Bros."

So except for Clint Eastwood's Gran Torino and the occasional lucky-accident movie that may rank as award-worthy, Warner Bros. seems to have basically taken itself out of the quality-driven prestige movie business.

I wonder what really happened? What led to the breakdown of the merger talks?

It turns out that Defamer's Stu VanAirsdale was fairly close to the money when he reported that Picturehouse may soon be shut down, and that Anne Thompson's Variety story about the same situation was less correct, especially in reporting that Picturehouse chief Bob Berney and Warner Independent prexy Polly Cohen are "likely" to accept a bicoastal power-sharing arrangement that will preside over a merged operation," i.e., Warner Indiepicturehouse.

Posted by Jeffrey Wells on May 08, 2008 at 11:01 AM

comment #1

Don Murphy [TypeKey Profile Page] says ...

Can't stop
Must'nt stop
Will not Stop THE HAPPY!

Posted by Don Murphy [TypeKey Profile Page] at May 8, 2008 12:28 PM

comment #2

Wrecktum [TypeKey Profile Page] says ...

Perhaps New Line will eventually morph into a more traditional dependent model in the future?

Posted by Wrecktum [TypeKey Profile Page] at May 8, 2008 12:31 PM

comment #3

corey3rd [TypeKey Profile Page] says ...

Guess they made all that Snow Angels money and decided to cash out.

Warners is hopeless.

Nice that this news broke the same day Cablevision buys Sundance so that either it or IFC gets retooled. Indie film took a gut shot.

Posted by corey3rd [TypeKey Profile Page] at May 8, 2008 03:08 PM

comment #4

soap-and-water [TypeKey Profile Page] says ...

is it just me or was jeff's analysis pretty much bang-on? great writing, really.

Posted by soap-and-water [TypeKey Profile Page] at May 8, 2008 06:02 PM

comment #5

Terry McCarty [TypeKey Profile Page] says ...

"We're into maximizing revenue and building broad genre franchises, and...you know, making or releasing movies for people who read reviews and enjoy provocative subject matter just isn't worth it to us." --Alan Horn translated by Jeffrey

And, of course, no movies toplining female stars unless they're romantic comedies or WONDER WOMAN adaptations.

Posted by Terry McCarty [TypeKey Profile Page] at May 8, 2008 08:32 PM

comment #6

D.Z. [TypeKey Profile Page] says ...

I just find it amusing that they're blaming New Line and WIP for their failed merger with AOL and their overpriced bombs like Superman Returns.

Posted by D.Z. [TypeKey Profile Page] at May 8, 2008 09:48 PM

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