Share This

"The North Atlantic Treaty Organization was once a force to reckon with. During the Cold War, it possessed formidable capabilities and real cohesion. No more. As a serious military enterprise, the alliance has all but ceased to exist. The "other" NATO -- the National Assn. of Theatre Owners -- probably wields more clout."

Now if we only had an air force.

Share This

China, which has no rating system requires all films to be suitable for all audiences or it will not be screened. According to Variety, the film may also be trimmed for Hong Kong audiences, which has a rating system, and a rough equivalent to the R rating:

(T)he III classification is the territory's only one with mandatory effect. It gives theater box offices the power to check IDs, requires that promotional materials are screened by the censors and that videos are sold in sealed plastic wrapping.

However, government censors may still insist upon cuts in order for a film to qualify for that rating.

No such rating option exists in the Chinese mainland, where either everyone gets to see a movie, from toddler to teen to pensioner, or no one does. Ang Lee's last pic "Brokeback Mountain" was banned in mainland China for its homosexual content.

The lack of a film classification system means the only tools at the censor's disposal are cutting entire scenes or simply banning a movie, both drastic steps when one considers that script approval was granted before a movie goes into production.

China's main movie watchdog, the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television refuses to introduce the rating system as it believes that if a movie is unsuitable for children, then it's unsuitable for adults too.

"Authorities told me that there was no film rating system on the mainland so they let me cut it. Children are able to watch it on the mainland," Lee said.

So what's the problem with an NC-17 rating? The film maker need not cut a frame from his or her film, it may be shown in any theater without legal restriction, media will advertise it. The only restriction is that children under s 17 may not attend.

Critics say that the NC-17 inhibits the commercial prospects of a film and that many theaters will not play a film so rated. But the NC-17 merely reflects the nature of the content and theaters and audiences judge their interest in seeing or screening films on that basis every day. Would a movie theater in say, Provo, Utah, book the film with the same content and an R rating? Would a sizable audience go see it?

Thanks to Ang Lee and James Schamus at Focus, we'll get the opportunity to see how a film intended for adults and not children - and honestly labelled as such - performs in the market. Let's hope American audiences, theaters and media respond as forthrightly.

Share This

Jeffrey Katzenberg continued his 3d evangelism at Cinema Expo in Amsterdam this week. Katzenberg is so high on the technology that he vowed all DreamWorks releases will be in 3d from 2009 onward.

Katzenberg, a regular attendee at the European exhibition confab, said Monday that he regards the opportunities offered by 3-D digital as "unmissable" for exhibitors. But he noted that to take advantage of 3-D digital, operators will have to adopt 2-D digital technology first and faster overseas.

"There's a chance to change the economics of (exhibition) for the first time in 17 years," Katzenberg told a packed audience during a Paramount Pictures International-hosted discussion alongside NATO boss John Fithian and Steve Knibbs, COO of U.K. exhibition outfit Vue Entertainment.

The enthusiastic DreamWorks chief, who earlier thrilled the audience by bringing Jerry Seinfeld to the stage to buzz about his "Bee Movie," said that with all the big-name filmmakers backing 3-D technology, his studio will be using it to make all its movies from 2009.

"We're taking on the additional costs, which are estimated to be $15 million a film, for us to author our films this way from 2009," he said. "These opportunities come once in a lifetime."

Katzenberg also pointed to the fact that 3-D movies are pirate-proof as handycam recordings simply don't work.

Share This

Canada's anti-camcording bill became law Friday, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

On Friday, MPAA chief Dan Glickman applauded the bill's passage.

"By adopting this legislation, the Canadian government has taken a significant step toward reducing the proliferation of camcords generated in Canadian cinemas," Glickman said. "It demonstrates that the Canadian government understands that all it takes is one good camcord to trigger the mass production and distribution of illegal bootlegs in street markets around the world.

Before passage of the law, Canadian theaters could do little more than eject camcorders fron theaters as it was necessary to prove intent to distribute for personal gain to press criminal charges.

Share This

Spanish cinemas have gone on strike.

For a day, anyway. Variety reports on plans for a Monday closure of Spanish movie theaters to protest the government's new draft film law. The somewhat hard-pressed exhibition sector is upset that some long-standing concerns are either being ignored or implemented in ways they see as detrimental to the health of the industry:

Spanish exhibitors are riled at being ignored in the new draft law, which makes no mention of many of their demands: tougher anti-piracy measures, a reduction in U.S. major studios rentals in Spain, and the creation of legally enforceable six month windows between a film's theatrical bow and its release on other platforms.

The film bill, which is expected to be fast-tracked through parliament, does maintain an exhibition screen quota, which forces most hard tops to dedicate one of every four screenings to Spanish or non-Spanish European films.

Share This