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Oscar's New Documentary Rules Spark Outrage

By Gary Susman (Subscribe to Gary Susman's posts), Posted Jan 10th 2012 8:30AM
Filed under: Features, Documentaries, Movie News, Hot Topic, Oscar News, Awards
Michael Moore

When Steve James' "The Interrupters" failed to make the Academy's shortlist of eligible documentaries this year, fans of the acclaimed feature recalled the similar upset when James' landmark "Hoop Dreams" failed to dent Oscar's consciousness back in 1994. It's clear to many documentary fans that something has been wrong for years with a selection procedure that often fails to recognize work by the likes of James, Werner Herzog, Frederick Wiseman, and other documentary giants in favor of more anodyne non-fiction films that win prizes and are quickly forgotten. Now, however, comes news that the documentary branch is overhauling its rules in ways that (depending on whom you ask) will either broaden the field of movies under consideration or constrict it even further. Some prominent documentarians -- notably James himself and Michael Moore (who proposed the new rules) -- think the changes will open up the process to more underdog movies. Others, however, fear that the changes will still benefit movies with commercial muscle behind them, at the expense of documentaries with less money to spend on Oscar campaigning.
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Weekend Box Office: 'Devil Inside' Scares Up Record-Breaking Debut

By Gary Susman (Subscribe to Gary Susman's posts), Posted Jan 8th 2012 2:45PM
Filed under: Movie News, Box Office, New Releases, Horror

Hard to say what's scarier: the downright hostile reviews and word-of-mouth for 'The Devil Inside,' or the fact that the pans didn't stop the new horror movie from a record-breaking box office debut. 'Devil' took possession of the box office crown with an estimated $34.5 million, about twice what was expected, setting a record for the biggest opening ever for the first weekend of the year.
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Why Does the Multiplex Charge the Same for Every Movie?

By Gary Susman (Subscribe to Gary Susman's posts), Posted Jan 6th 2012 7:00PM
Filed under: Features, Hot Topic, Box Office
'Mission: Impossible — Ghost Protocol' and 'Young Adult'

Movies don't all cost the same to make. 'Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol' reportedly cost $145 million to make, plus tens of millions more for prints and advertising, while 'Young Adult' cost a reported $12 million to make and spent a fraction of the Tom Cruise spectacle's cost on marketing. Yet both movies have the same ticket price at your multiplex. In fact, uniform pricing has been the policy at American movie theaters for 40 years, and hardly ever does anyone think to ask why.
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25 Things You Didn't Know About Exorcism Movies

By Gary Susman (Subscribe to Gary Susman's posts), Posted Jan 5th 2012 8:00PM
Filed under: Columns, Horror, This Week in Movies
'The Dybbuk'

Like body-swiping demons, exorcism movies simply refuse to go away. The latest one to take possession of the multiplex is 'The Devil Inside,' which premieres this Friday, and which is just one of several that will open this year. You may think you know all about exorcism movies, since you've seen 'The Exorcist' (the 1973 classic by which all other exorcism movies are judged), as well as all the documentary-style possession-and-expulsion chillers of recent years. But you may not know about the forgotten Jewish exorcism tale that launched the genre, or the apparent curse that afflicted 'The Exorcist' both during production and after its release, or the truth behind the real-life exorcism stories that inspired many of these films. Read on, if you dare, for a history of the horror movies that will make your head spin.
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Why J. Hoberman, Fired Village Voice Movie Critic, Matters

By Gary Susman (Subscribe to Gary Susman's posts), Posted Jan 5th 2012 1:50PM
Filed under: Features, Movie News, Hot Topic
Yesterday's news that the Village Voice had laid off its longtime chief film critic J. Hoberman sent shockwaves through the worlds of movie journalism and independent film distribution. Aside from Roger Ebert, it's hard to imagine a current critic who's been at his post longer, who's had more impact on the indie film world and on other critics, or who's departure would leave a bigger void. His layoff marks the end of an era in criticism and may herald the beginning of an uncertain new era for independent filmmakers, who are losing one of their loudest champions.
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Should the Oscars Leave the Kodak Theatre?

By Gary Susman (Subscribe to Gary Susman's posts), Posted Jan 3rd 2012 7:30PM
Filed under: Movie News, Hot Topic, Oscar News
Kodak Theatre

Hey, Oscar fans: Do any of you have a strong emotional attachment to the Kodak Theatre, the home of the Academy Awards ceremony for the last decade? Because next year could be the last time the show is held there. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the Academy is dropping hints that it could leave the Kodak for another venue after its lease runs out in 2013. Whether you think that's a good or bad idea probably depends on whether you think that the Oscars ought to stay in a theater custom-built for the annual ceremony. As someone who has covered the Oscar show twice at that location, I find the Kodak has both pros and cons as a practical place to hold the larger-than-life yearly gala.
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12 New Year's Resolutions for 2012 Moviegoers

By Gary Susman (Subscribe to Gary Susman's posts), Posted Jan 2nd 2012 4:00PM
Filed under: Features, Movie News, Hot Topic

As a year for moviegoing, 2011 certainly had its irritations. Now that the calendar has given us a clean slate, it's time to set our resolutions for making 2012 a better year on the big screen. Of course, we'd like to get Hollywood to make its own resolutions (like, say, stop plundering the '80s for remake ideas that end up trashing the movies many of us loved as kids), but we cannot improve others, only ourselves. So, as moviegoers, let's all resolve in 2012 to follow the 12 pledges on the list below. (And feel free to add others in the comments.)
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