Public Enemies - What Did You Think?

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There was a break-in at the Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull production offices on the Universal lot, which resulted in the loss of 2,500 production photos (including close-ups of all the props including the Crystal skulls and many more spoiler filled photos),the 400-page production budget for the film, and possible scripts and hard drives.

The thief tried to offer the goods to a couple online entertainment websites for a reported cost of $2000. If the massive amounts of spoilers were to hit the internet, it could have been EXTREMELY damaging to this upcoming blockbuster sequel. Who knows what kind of effect it could have had on the film’s bottom line.

It is believed that TMZ may have been involved in a deal as they were promoting a “Indy 4 Budget Revealed” story on their website early Tuesday. The story mysteriously disappeared from their “Tonight on TMZ” preview video, leading many to believe that they dropped the story after being contacted by Paramount Lawyers.

As for the stolen goods, the police may be saying that the investigation is still ongoing, but it has been reported elsewhere around the internet that the FBI was able to obtain the thief and all the stolen materials with the cooperation of an unnamed online reporter/blogger. Apparently the thief was arrested during a sting operation on Tuesday afternoon in Los Angeles.

Many of the online sites and some of the major newspapers have already weighed in on this news (you can see a bunch of the links below), but I would like to direct you to Neil’s post at Film School Rejects has a very interesting take on this situation.

And I also think it’s very interesting that the online movie journalist community gets such a bad rep in the industry, especially when it comes to leaks and spoilers. But it was one of our own who helped aid in this investigation. And while a blogger did the right thing, a professional news website/television show owned by a HUGE media company might have actually paid a thief for seriously stolen goods (again, this is all unsubstantiated speculation).

I wonder what someone like Variety honcho Peter Bart might think of this situation. He usually disparages online journalists and bloggers for their lack of effort and ethics every chance he gets.

• IESB
• LA Times
• Variety
• RottenTomatoes
• Hollywood Elsewhere
• CHUD
• CinemaBlend
• Ropes of Silicon
• Back Row Chatter
• MovieWeb

One of the most talked about and controversial films at Sundance this year also turned out to be one of the biggest disappointments. The description for Zoo had Sundancers talking long before the festival even started. Slated as a documentary about bestiality, the subject of Zoo sounded unique enough for patrons to wait up to five hours in line for tickets. I in fact was one of the curious, showing up to the theater early for my chance to watch men having sex with horses. This experience however, has turned out to be my largest waste of time at Sundance yet.
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Everyone wants to know where the new hot party is happening at Sundance. /Film will give you an indepth look at all the parties going on in and outside of Main Street every night of the festival.

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Okay, I know this might be a little bit late but being on location at sundance leaves us little to no time for news. Grace is Gone is probably the best recieved film at the festival so far. The good news is The Weinstein Company has acquired the film. Check out the press release after the jump.
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Everyone wants to know where the new hot party is happening at Sundance. /Film will give you an indepth look at all the parties going on in and outside of Main Street every night of the festival.
Read More »

I made an interesting observation during the credits for Zoe Cassavetes’ Broken English. Hidden deep into the credits within a Special Thanks area is the name Darren Aronofsky. For those of you who are not hip to the film culture, Aronofsky directed Pi, Requiem for a Dream and The Fountain. Why is this weird? Because Aronofsky is a 2007 Sundance Film Festival jury member. Is this a conflict of interest? Read More »

The following Sundance blog was sent in from Jill Adler, a special /Film correspondent.

Sundance is off and running. The streets of Park City, Utah, are a nightmare to navigate, parking non-existent, theater lines inconvenient, and ticket prices ridiculous (if not sold-out). This is a festival by and for independent filmmakers – actors, writers, directors, all hoping to land a big project based on what they show of themselves at this event. The only place for Park City locals is on the sidewalk.

Film distributors and producers, agents and CEOs, spend night and day through Jan. 28 hunting for their next hit. Paparazzi and tabloids comb Main Street and gifting lounges hoping for a glimpse at Justin sans Cameron or Tara Reid’s cleavage. My guess is that this is probably the biggest collection of Hollywood stars outside of the Oscars or Cannes. Just hang out around the Village at the Lift (lower Main Street) for 15 minutes and I guarantee you’ll see an entourage of bodyguards and publicists surrounding a diminutive “name” in over-sized sunglasses walking out of Fred Segal with arms full of shopping bags. Just look for the frenzy of flashing bulbs.