Jeffrey Wells

“Although Nate Parker has called The Birth of a Nation ‘a black Braveheart,’ his rough-hewn directorial debut is less a traditional awards movie than Ava DuVernay‘s Selma from 2014, or even the Philadelphia-shot Creed from last year. The movie’s substantial power is lessened by significant lapses in judgment — the glowing figures who appear to Turner in religious visions tilt perilously close to kitsch — and the movie’s failure to delineate characters beyond Turner and his white owner (The Social Network‘s Armie Hammer) lessens its dramatic scope.

“But when Parker fills the screen with the faces of young slaves, framed so tightly that their 19th-century clothing drops out of sight, you’re no longer watching a period piece or dead history, but looking at the faces of young black men in 2016, demanding their humanity be fully recognized. It’s far from a perfect film, but it fills an aching need in society and the movie industry both, and should find a substantial audience waiting for it in the fall.” — from “Six Sundance Movies To Pay Attention To,” a Philly.com piece by Sam Adams.

Kathryn Bigelow will direct and produce a Detroit Riots project, set in 1967, which they’re now calling an “untitled true-crime drama.” She and longtime collaborator Mark Boal are pooling forces with Annapurna’s Megan Ellison and Matthew Budman. Boal has penned the original screenplay. Pic is set to begin principal photography this summer. Boal has been researching and working on the project, which explores “systemic racism in urban Detroit”, for more than a year. Pic is expected to open in 2017 — the 50th anniversary of the riots.

From Joe Leydon: “The #OscarsSoWhite crowd will start complaining that a black director wasn’t hired for this project in 5…4…3…” Then again she’s a woman so maybe it all kinda balances out. (No?) 

Oliver Stone would have been a natural for this project 15 or 20 years ago.  But today Stone or any similar-type director (heyday in the ’80s and ’90s) would have two strikes against them — (a) white and (b) old-farty, tied to the past, etc.

About 10 days ago I spoke to a Universal source about the progress of the forthcoming One-Eyed Jacks Bluray, a joint restoration between Universal Home Video and the Film Foundation that I’m assuming will street sometime in the spring or summer. (Work began last July.) The big question is what aspect ratio will they decide upon — 1.85:1, 1.78:1 or 1.66:1? I’m presuming that my personal preference of 1.66 will be passed over in favor of 1.78, which I can live with. It breaks my heart but I can take it. As long as they don’t whack it down to the dreaded 1.85:1.

I’m told that when work began on Marlon Brando‘s sole directorial effort it was scanned at the full VistaVision aperture, or 1.5:1. Universal was waiting for input from Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg, who were both in the process of reviewing the restoration (or about to review it), when I reached out.

Some weeks ago Austin Wilkin, a Brando estate representative who had been asked by Universal for an aspect-ratio preference, sought my opinion. I said it should be 1.66 if the sides aren’t sliced off. Why throw away all that beautiful VistaVision footage on the tops and bottoms of the frames?

We all know One-Eyed Jacks was primarily projected at 1.85 but that dp Jack Lang‘s compositions were made with an understanding that the full aperture would be 1.5:1, that 1.66 was very much in play at the time (the aperture plates were certainly present and being used in theatre booths all over) and that the boxy TV aspect ratio had to be considered. My guess, as noted, is that Universal and The Film Foundation are going to go for a 1.78:1 as this fits 16 x 9 high-def screens, and it at least allows for a bit more height than 1.85.

I was also told that some kind of limited theatrical exhibition will occur prior to or concurrent with with the release of the Bluray.

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If you want to hear the pure, unfettered voices of the politically-correct cominterm regarding Hollywood racism, listen to Vanity Fair “Little Gold Men” podcasters Katey Rich and particularly Mike Hogan as they discuss same. Their view is that assessments of movies by the usual standards (excellence of acting, screenwriting, direction, editing, cinematography) need to be modified or eased up on in order to show a little generosity toward filmmakers of color. This is a socially compassionate “Little Red Book” approach to cinematic assessment, pure and simple. On the other hand VF‘s Richard Lawson, calling from Park City, tells the truth when he notes that Nate Parker‘s The Birth of A Nation is “not great art”, although it has caught the fervor of the moment. (You can almost hear Hogan audibly deflate when Lawson says this.) Lawson mentions the undisputed greatness of Kenneth Lonergan‘s Manchester-By-The-Sea — a surprising admission given the all-white cast.

My Sundance activities have interfered with a timely awareness of some interesting reactions to the recently revised Academy rules that are basically about taking the vote away from older white members, or more precisely those who haven’t been “active” within the last decade, and increasing the membership roster among African Americans, Latinos and somewhat younger people. For the last four days The Hollywood Reporter has posted several reactions to this change, and a clear majority of the posts have been intensely negative.

Four reactions were posted yesterday (1.27) — three negatives written by actress Rutanya Alda, short film and feature animation committee member Nancy Beiman and visual-effects guy John Van Vliet, and a stand-alone positive from The Color Purple costar Margaret Avery.

Four previous essays were posted on 1.25 — three negatives from director’s branch member Stephen Verona, public relations branch member Mark Reina and writers branch member Stephen Geller; the only 1.25 positive was written by directors branch member Rod Lurie. Another negative response, written by documentary branch member Milton Justice, was posted on 1.24.

Six negatives and two positives obviously argues with an assertion from the Academy that responses to the membership and voting rules have been largely positive/favorable. Hollywood Reporter columnist Scott Feinberg tells me that the essays were only partly solicited (some members got in touch on their own), and that the identities of the authors were carefully vetted.

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Nine Lives, a French-produced comedy about a shitheel billionaire (Kevin Spacey) trapped in the body of cat, could have been a comedic cross between Charles Dickens‘ “A Christmas Carol” and Franz Kafka‘s “The Metamorphosis” — a moral-redemption tale flavored with sharp, socially-resonant humor. Instead, to go by this Europa Corp. trailer, it’s been made into a coarse, low-rent Barry Sonnenfeld family comedy in the vein of those Look Who’s Talking? comedies. The Eurocorp production costars Christopher Walken, Jennifer Garner, Talitha Bateman, Mark Consuelos and Robbie Amell. Christophe Lambert and Luc Besson are listed as producers. Pic was going to open in April but was bumped to August 5th.

There was less of a pulse prior to yesterday’s 6 pm screening of Meera Menon‘s Equity than I’d felt during Sundance Film Festival screenings over the previous five days. “Everyone goes home on Tuesday,” an entertainment attorney explained. The buyers, she meant, plus much of the talent plus the party/entourage crowd. “Really? I thought they all went home on Wednesday,” I said, “but whatever.” Today things are barely percolating. You can definitely feel the absence of juice. But a downshifted festival has its advantages — more seats, less crowded buses, more of a devoted cineaste atmosphere.

Park City Marriott — Wednesday, 1.27, 11:20 am.

Nate Parker and The Birth of a Nation team on Eccles stage following Monday evening’s premiere screening.

Bedroom in HE’s 1-bedroom abode at Park City Regency.

Jim director Brian Oakes (far right) with (l. to r.) John Foley, Diane Foley (parents), French journalist who shared cell with James Foley (can’t pinpoint his name), former Syrian-coverage colleague of Foley’s (her name could be Manu Brabo or Clare Gillis…you tell me). Pic taken following Monday afternoon’s screening at Library.

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Sundance reactions to Louis Black and Karen Bernstein’s Richard Linklater: Dream is Destiny have been entirely favorable. The Hollywood Reporter‘s John DeFore called the doc “one of the most enriching and enjoyable about a filmmaker in recent memory.” Well and good, but when a publicist friend asked yesterday if I’d seen it I responded candidly. Linklater is definitely one of my favorite artists in this business, I said, but why is it worth my time during this super-busy festival to watch a kiss-ass portrait of the guy? I don’t need a sum-up tribute piece and neither, I would think, does Linklater. He’s nowhere near the end of his career — he’s in the thick of it and going great guns. I’ll watch it on cable when it pops a couple of months hence.

“The other day Bill Clinton attacked Bernie Sanders’ proposal for a single-payer health plan as unfeasible and a ‘recipe for gridlock.’ Yet these days, nothing of any significance is feasible and every bold idea is a recipe for gridlock. This election [must be] about changing the parameters of what’s feasible and ending the choke hold of big money on our political system.

“I’ve known Hillary Clinton since she was 19 years old, and have nothing but respect for her. In my view, she’s the most qualified candidate for president of the political system we now have. But Bernie Sanders is the most qualified candidate to create the political system we should have, because he’s leading a political movement for change.” — from Robert Reich’s Salon piece, posted today (1.27), titled “Bernie Is Our Only Hope For Real Political Change.”

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“A Los Angeles Times study of the 5,765 Academy members concluded that 94 percent are Caucasian (77 percent male), 2 percent are black, and less than 2 percent are Latino. The average age is 62, with only 14 percent younger than 50. Looking at this pasty gray demographic, one can’t help but wonder whether or not they saw the lovely little coming-of-age film Dope, or were at all interested in the powerful N.W.A biopic Straight Outta Compton, or cared about Spike Lee’s insightful Chi-Raq, or marveled at Samuel L. Jackson’s mesmerizing performance in The Hateful Eight. Why Concussion‘s Will Smith was ignored is still a head-scratcher. Maybe they thought his previous two nominations were enough.” — from Kareem Abdul-Jabbar‘s 1.27 Hollywood Reporter guest column titled “Why Black People Are ‘Invisible’ to Oscar Voters.”

HE to Abdul-Jabbar: (1) My Sundance review of Dope, posted on 1.26.15, called it “smartly assembled exploitation crap — a fleet, Tarantino-like hodgepodge of fantasy bullshit in the vein of a New Line Cinema release from the ’90s (i.e., House Party), and adapted to the general sensibility of 2015…nothing is soft or subtle or indirect.” (2) HE on Compton, posted 7.31.15: “A tight, satisfying, straight-ahead telling of the N.W.A. saga from ’86 to ’95 (roots, breakout, success, conflict and falling apart, concluding with the death of Easy E.), and quite an indictment of police racism and brutality to boot. Deals tough straight cards.” (3) I never saw Chi-Raq. (4) Jackson delivered his usual ballsy-loquacious Tarantino thing in The Hateful Eight — okay as far as it goes but rote, familiar. (5) From my 11.11.15 Concussion review: “Smith delivers a better-than-decent performance, nicely augmented by what sounded to my white-ass ears like a believable Nigerian accent, but at best he’s a mild Best Actor threat. If he gets nominated, fine…but the film isn’t good enough to bounce him into contention.”