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Do You Remember Great Movie Marketing Campaigns?

BuzzSugar — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 09:30:46 -0700

There are awards for people in the movies and people making the movies, and just this weekend the people who market movies were honored at the 37th Annual Hollywood Reporter Movie Marketing Key Art Awards.

The marketing teams behind the Simpsons Movie, Bee Movie, Juno and No Country for Old Men were among the most awarded in categories like Best Campaign (No Country), Best TV Spots (Juno for comedy, There Will Be Blood for drama) and Best Website Design (The Simpsons Movie).

Judd Apatow received the Visionary Award, "recognizing a filmmaker who inspires movie marketers," and the theatrical trailer for Superbad won for Best Comedy Trailer. Upon accepting his award, Apatow joked about marketing a movie: "It's one of the most fun parts of the process. This award brings me full circle because I started out thinking you were all f***ing a**holes."

All this swearing and patting of backs got me thinking about promotional stuff for movies that have really stood out. Certainly some trailers are better than others (the one for The Happening, for example, was actually better than the movie itself) and some print advertisements can be absolutely amazing (see: print ads for The Dark Knight). Do you remember any really great movie marketing campaigns? Or is all this stuff so fleeting?

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What to Netflix: New DVD Tuesday

BuzzSugar — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 12:31:34 -0800

All of the new DVD releases hit stores (and Netflix) on Tuesdays. So each week in What to Netflix: New DVD Tuesday, I sort through the best of the batch and tell you what to add to your queue. In addition to these titles, you can now find the five-disc collector's edition of Blade Runner.

The Simpsons Movie
In case you missed one of the biggest movies of the summer, you can now enjoy The Simpsons Movie in your very own home. In the movie, one of TV's favorite bumbling dads accidentally contaminates Springfield's water supply, and the town is placed under a giant dome by the government. The Simpsons then need to figure out a way to save the day.

The extras feature an assortment of goodies, including audio commentary by various voice actors and the directors, extended and deleted scenes, and a collection of the promotional stuff they did to generate buzz for the summer release. One of these is Homer's guest monologue on The Tonight Show. Woo-hoo!

Two more titles, so read more.

Stardust
One of my December Must-Haves, Neil Gaiman's story Stardust is a fun and magical adventure. The extremely cute Charlie Cox stars as the lovestruck Tristan who promises the woman of his dreams (Sienna Miller) that he'll retrieve a fallen star for her. The star turns out to be Yvaine (Claire Danes), who is also being pursued by brothers competing to take over their father's throne and a witch (Michelle Pfeiffer) hoping to use Yvaine's heart to make her youthful. As Tristan and Yvaine elude their pursuers, they start to fall in love with each other.

The special features on this disc are your average blooper reel, making-of featurette and deleted scenes.

Once
An Irish musical, Once is one of this year's most acclaimed little movies. The film follows a blossoming relationship between a Dublin street musician ("Guy") and a migrant street hawker ("Girl") as they spend their first week together composing and recording music. Apparently, the actors themselves wrote the music they perform in the movie.

The DVD special features include audio commentary by the director and two main actors, a making-of featurette and a free musical download of the track "Falling Slowly."

BuzzSugar's Must-Haves for December

BuzzSugar — Mon, 03 Dec 2007 08:30:00 -0800

Welcome to BuzzSugar's monthly must-haves, where I show off a handful of the things I'm most looking forward to watching, buying, renting and reading. We're well into the holiday season now, so here are a few things I'm looking at to keep me happy and sane amid all the hustle and bustle.

To find out why "these are a few of my favorite things," read more

The Simpsons Movie - There was a ridiculous amount of anticipation for this summer's Simpsons Movie, and it certainly did not disappoint. Watch Springfield get encased in a giant dome - due to Homer's contamination of the water supply, of course - when The Simpsons Movie is released on DVD December 18.
Lost: Season Three - The third season of Lost started on a low note for me, then it took an excrutiatingly long hiatus before returning full-blast with some of the best Lost episodes ever (yeah, I said it). I simply must add this to my collection (so I can go back and pause it to find all the Easter eggs I missed first time around!) when the DVD set comes out December 11.
Kylie Minogue: X - Kylie Minogue's first post-cancer album X will be available stateside this month and I can't wait to take a listen. I already love her single "Two Hearts" and the sultry, vampy video to go along with it, so I have high hopes for the rest of the set.
Gods Behaving Badly - Even before this book was released, Ben Stiller snapped up the rights to turn it into a TV show. The book by British blogger Marie Phillips, which will be published Dec. 10, finds the 12 Greek gods living together in a London flat, eking out livings as dog walkers (Artemis) and TV psychics (Apollo). Reviews have been calling it a smart satire, and I can't wait to check it out for myself.
The Wire - The Complete Fourth Season - If you're counting down the days till the January premiere of the final season of The Wire, check out this set of the show's education-focused fourth season. Out Dec. 4, the DVD set includes all 13 episodes along with an hour-long behind-the-scenes documentary and six commentary tracks with creator David Simon and the show's cast and crew.
Stardust - Another of this summer's favorites, Stardust became an instant classic when I saw it. As fun, romantic and fantastical a tale as The Princess Bride, Stardust will have you swooning and cheering when it's released on DVD December 18.
Letters from Father Christmas - OK, so this one's hardly a new release, but it's perfect for the season. The book collects all the Christmas letters J.R.R. Tolkien wrote to his children each year, beginning in the 1920s and lasting through 1943. Many of the letters are illustrated, while others chronicle the misadventures of Father Christmas' bumbling helper, North Polar Bear.

Rush Hour 3 Zooms to the Top of the Box Office

BuzzSugar — Mon, 13 Aug 2007 06:30:00 -0700

Well, Brett Ratner has become an even wealthier man. Having figured out a most profitable buddy action flick formula, his latest movie Rush Hour 3 took the box office crown this weekend, raking in $50.2 million. Though extremely respectable, this sum falls short of the $67.4 million made by Rush Hour 2 its opening weekend in the summer of 2001.

The Bourne Ultimatum stayed strong in second place for its second weekend in theaters, bringing in $33 million, while The Simpsons Movie followed up in the No. 3 slot. Stardust, the fantasy adventure based on the Neil Gaiman novel, sadly didn't do so well its first weekend, bringing in just $9 million in fourth place. It didn't do quite so poorly as Daddy Day Camp did in its first weekend, however, as it just barely edged Transformers out of the tenth-place spot and earned approximately $3.5 million.

This weekend should prove exciting at the box office with the releases of one of the summer's biggest comedies, Superbad, and the creepy-looking The Invasion, starring Nicole Kidman and Daniel Craig. Hopefully one of those will knock Rush Hour 3 off its throne.

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Box Office: Ultimate Bourne Breaks Records

BuzzSugar — Mon, 06 Aug 2007 04:30:00 -0700

For this weekend at least, Jason Bourne reigned supreme over James Bond. The Bourne Ultimatum finished its premiere weekend with an estimated $70.2 million in ticket sales, beating not only the other two Bourne films but also the premiere numbers for any Bond movie. It was also the biggest August premiere for any movie ever, and it was a personal best for both star Matt Damon and director Paul Greengrass.

The Simpsons Movie didn't come close to the $71.8 million it pulled in during its opening weekend, but it still finished strong at No. 2 with an estimated $25.6 million in sales. From there, it was a big drop to Underdog, which made $12 million to finish at No. 3 in its debut weekend. I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry pulled in $10 million more in the No. 4 spot, and Hairspray nabbed another $9.3 million to round out the top five.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, No Reservations and Transformers all finished ahead of another new release, Andy Samberg's comedy Hot Rod, which pulled in $5 million in the No. 9 spot. As for the final spot in the top 10? That would be Bratz, which made $4.3 million and proved that toy sales don't necessarily translate into ticket sales.

El Cantante managed to finish at No. 12 with $3.3 million, despite only opening in 540 theaters. Becoming Jane, meanwhile, made $1 million in its first 100 theaters, while The Ten made $117,000 in an extremely limited 25 theaters.

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Comic-Con Report: Simpsons, Pixar, Narnia, More

BuzzSugar — Mon, 30 Jul 2007 12:39:58 -0700

At Comic-Con in San Diego this weekend, Team member Phasekitty got some great scoop on some upcoming movies from Disney, Focus Features and more. Be sure to check out all of her blogging about the event. Here are a few highlights:

At the Simpsons panel, Phasekitty got the answer to one burning question about The Simpsons Movie: What happened to Spider Pig? Apparently, the special creature will return in this year's season premiere. Another fun Simpsons Movie fact: The script went through 166 drafts in four years. As for the TV version of "The Simpsons," Jack Black and comic legend Alan Moore will voice characters in an episode about a rival comic shop opening in Springfield, and Dan Rather and Jon Stewart will lend their voices to a politically driven episode that finds Ralph Wiggum as the frontrunner for both parties in their primary elections.
Liv Tyler really knows how to please a geek: She spoke elvish upon request during the Rogue/Focus panel. She was there to promote her upcoming horror film, The Strangers. Phasekitty says: "First time director Bryan Bertino brings to life his own script about a couple who is attacked in their home by three strangers. Bertino, along with stars Scott Speedman and Liv Tyler, headed up this panel and showed two tension-filled clips and an eerie, original teaser trailer."
Balls of Fury, on the other hand, kind of bombed: Phasekitty says the humor among the panelists seemed forced, the clips were only mildly funny, and "the questions were mostly directed to the creative team about other projects of theirs like 'Reno 911' and 'The State.'"

More, including a glimpse at the next Pixar film, so read more

At the Disney panel, Phasekitty got a good look at Wall-E, Pixar's latest film, which is scheduled to be released next summer. Her blog has a great summary of the plot, but here's a quick version: Wall-E is a robot left behind when the humans evacuated earth; he's spent the past 700 years cleaning up our waste. He's developed a personality and feelings over the years, and he eventually falls for a robot named Eve, who has no feelings of her own. Here's Phasekitty's summary of the clip she saw:

[Writer/director Andrew] Stanton ended the panel with a lengthy clip (about 15 minutes) from the beginning of Wall-E in which Wall-E goes about his daily routine compacting trash at work, but laying aside special "treasures" for himself which include a ring box (he quickly discarded the diamond ring inside), a rubber duck, and a bra. Underneath a pile of trash, he discovers a small green sprout, which he carefully scoops up, pots, and adds to his collection. Having finished a day's work, Wall-E heads back to his garage with his spoils; a cricket as his only companion. He sees a red light on the ground and begins to chase it only to be terrified when a spaceship lands directly on top of him (he digs underground for a quick escape to safety). Wall-E watches curiously as the spaceship opens to reveal....for a split second it's Eve, and then the film cut to black and Stanton seemed quite pleased with himself for being an incredible tease.
Phasekitty also got a glimpse of Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, the latest in the series. Director Andrew Adamson, who plans to step down as director after this film but remain on board as a producer, said the plan is to put out one Narnia movie every May, starting with Prince Caspian in 2008. The next one, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, is set to begin production early next year.

Box Office: Simpsons Rake In Lots of D'Oh

BuzzSugar — Mon, 30 Jul 2007 04:30:00 -0700

Looks like Bart, Homer, Marge and the gang aren't just small-screen superstars anymore. The Simpsons Movie pulled in an estimated $71.8 million - the third-highest opening ever for an animated movie, behind only the two latest installments of the Shrek series - to run away with the weekend box office title. According to the Hollywood Reporter, that's well above the industry's highest expectations. Springfield must be so proud.

The cartoon family bumped I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry down to the No. 2 spot with about $19 million in sales. Harry Potter & The Order of the Phoenix stayed strong at No. 3 with $17 million and is now on pace to become the highest-grossing film franchise in worldwide box office history, topping Star Wars and the James Bond movies. Hairspray, meanwhile, grabbed another $15.5 million to capture the No. 4 spot.

Pleasant surprise No Reservations edged out Transformers for No. 5 with about $11.7 million (Transformers brought in $11.5 million). The weekend's other much-discussed new release, the Lindsay Lohan film I Know Who Killed Me, sneaked into the top 10, bringing in $3.4 million to finish at No. 9.

The Simpsons might not want to get too comfy on that couch atop the box office rankings, though. Next weekend, a man named Jason Bourne is coming to town.

Photo courtesy of 20th Century Fox

The Simpsons Movie: Satisfying Enough

BuzzSugar — Fri, 27 Jul 2007 10:28:15 -0700

First and foremost, The Simpsons Movie is very funny. In many ways, it's a perfectly satisfying Simpsons adventure with plenty of gags to keep the laughs rolling on. Thus, as a major summer comedy, this movie is a success.

However, as a longtime fan of the TV show, I suppose I'd expected certain things that the movie did not ultimately deliver. Much of the enjoyment of this movie hinges upon surprise, so I won't reveal plot details or specific jokes here - though the great number of you who voted Lisa as your favorite Simpson will be very pleased: She has some of the greatest moments in the whole thing, in my opinion. The movie felt like a longer episode with a little more obscenity, but still basically an episode. To check out my thoughts on the good and the bad, as divided into "woo hoo!" and "d'oh!" read more

"Woo hoo!"
The cinematic aspect (bigger, grander, higher quality), for people who have been watching the show on their little TVs for 18 years, is genuinely thrilling. It seems obvious but it truly is the Simpsons, that beloved TV family, like you've never seen them before. Being in a packed theater is another thrill - though perhaps jarring at first. I'm used to chuckling alone or with a few people in the safety of my own living room. To be a part of a large crowd roaring with laughter is bizarre - and a lot of fun.

The filmmakers definitely took advantage of the fact that this is a PG-13 movie that people are paying to see. Or in other words, they can finally say and do things (profanity, nudity, stronger political satire) that you just know they've been chomping at the bit to do for many years. There's something exciting about seeing them break free a little, swearing and giving the middle finger (er, the middle of the characters' four fingers, anyway). You get the sense that this was a real relief for them, and so it is for the audience, too.

If nothing else, this is a super extended episode of "The Simpsons," so simply put, the more "Simpsons," the better.

"D'oh"
For a show that so often veers into several random storylines, it actually feels like Groening and Friends played it safe with this movie, concentrating mostly on one big adventure for the Simpsons family. They had this whole entire movie to play with... but somehow it doesn't feel very playful.

Most of all, however, I wanted much more of Springfield and the Springfield residents I've grown to know so well over the years. I wanted more of the people - and places! - I love so much. Groundskeeper Willie gets basically no screen time, for example, and even Mr. Burns only has one short scene. In addition, there are no scenes inside the power plant at all, and even the Kwiki-Mart is nowhere to be found!

After all those promotional stunts (the Springfields of America competing for the chance to hold the premiere, the 7-11s turned into Kwiki-Marts, etc.), I definitely expected more specific Springfield jokes overall. Fans get into those stunts because we love Springfield and we want to be a part of that world. So it's strange that the movie actually takes us out of that world. And rather than seeing more of the characters we know and love, I think we actually see less of them.

In conclusion...
After waiting for 18 years to see this movie, it's probably going to be built up way too much as a matter of course. The fact remains that this was a wildly ambitious undertaking, and the result is a super fun movie-going experience.

Images courtesy of 20th Century Fox

Who's Your Favorite Simpson?

BuzzSugar — Wed, 25 Jul 2007 05:30:00 -0700

These days it's all about "The Simpsons" as we wait with bated breath for the release of The Simpsons Movie this Friday. So for all you fans: Who's your favorite member of the Simpsons clan? In the interest of brevity, I'm leaving out anyone other than the core five.

The Simpsons Movie Soundtrack Now Streaming Online

BuzzSugar — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 08:30:31 -0700

The good news:
The soundtrack to the upcoming Simpsons Movie is streaming in its entirety online right now.

The really, really good news:
There's a whole choral/orchestral rendition of the full "Spider Pig" song!

Other stuff:
The album is comprised of Hans Zimmer's actual score to the movie, so there are no other well-known singers or bands doing fun songs. Some of the tracks are great, though, with my favorites being the high-energy "Release the Hounds" along with "Recklessly Impulsive," an electronic song consisting mostly of "D'oh!"s. Indeed, the titles might be the best part of all, from "Doomsday is Family Time" to "His Big Fat Butt Could Shield Us All," to the most hilarious "Thank You, Boob Lady."

And finally...
If you want to buy the actual soundtrack on CD and can wait until July 31, you can grab one with the brilliantly kitschy limited-edition donut packaging (see above, right). Woo hoo!