Shame Officially NC-17, and Other Stories You'll Be Talking About Today
Happy Wednesday! Also in this edition of The Broadsheet: Carey Mulligan on her part of earning Shame's controversial rating... Sylvester Stallone gets sued over The Expendables... The End is nigh for Warner Bros.... Shakespeare supporters protest Anonymous... and more.
· You can't really call this "news" after everything that's been written and otherwise rumored about Shame, but as presumed, the MPAA ratings board has officially issued an NC-17 for Steve McQueen's acclaimed new film about a sex addict (played by Michael Fassbender) in New York City. Distributor Fox Searchlight expected it all along and will attempt to make it the first NC-17 picture ever nominated for an Academy Award. Good luck! Sincerely -- after 21 years, it's time. [Deadline]
· Speaking of Shame, Carey Mulligan says her full-frontal nude scene "wasn't uncomfortable": "It was a very small set and a very small crew, so it didn't feel like I was doing it in front of that many people." Ha! I saw her topless from the front row of a recent stage production in NYC. Live! Mere feet away! The Half-Mulligan! There were hundreds of us! Anyway. I'm just saying... Honestly, I don't know what I'm saying. [LAT]
· A screenwriter named Marcus Webb filed suit in New York on Tuesday, claiming that Sylvester Stallone lifted the concept and plot of his blockbuster The Expendables from Webb's unproduced -- but registered, copyrighted and circulated -- screenplay The Cordoba Caper. Aha! So Webb is the responsible party! Get him, everyone. [Reuters]
· Warner Bros. has picked up The End, a spec script chronicling three interweaving tales of people facing the imminent end of the world. [Deadline]
· Meet the clowns protesting the London premiere of Anonymous by removing Shakespeare's hallowed name from road signs. Sigh. Can't they protest Hostel 3 or something genuinely offensive? Suggestions welcome. [BBC via NYT]
· Regardless of your affinity for Pearl Jam, this interview with the editor of Cameron Crowe's recent band documentary provides revealing insight to how your grunge-rock anniversary sausage is made. Or most any authorized music doc, for that matter. [The Awl]
Subscribe to the new Movieline on YouTube
Comments
Cool! Now no one will get to see it! Thanks McQueen, I'm sure that vag shot was sooooo necessary, wouldn't want to compromise your artistic integrity by cutting it.
Actually I'm pretty sure it's NC-17 because of the many, many naked shots of Fassbender.
Yes and no. Without spoiling anything, there is one specific, long, utterly inessential scene near the end that probably sealed the deal.
I don't think the NC-17 will prevent the film from being seen theatrically by those interested in seeing it, but all the Fassbender peen and Mulligan nudity notwithstanding, I do believe it could have been avoided by a more scrupulous filmmaker.
Henry & June was nominated for an Oscar... i think that was the only nomination for an NC-17 rated movie... Showgirls unfortunately missed out.
Cinematography! You're right, thanks for the correction.
At least I don't have to worry about a woman bringing in her two toddlers and sitting uncomfortably in front of me the whole time like I did with Drive.
(She finally decided that the hammer scene in the strip club was the tipping point and left, but still)
Oh, I'd be _piiiiiiissssssed_.
So I guess FOX Searchlight don't mind making a fraction of the box office they would've made with an R, since it restricts the number of theaters willing to play it.
My impression is that Fox Searchlight wants to smash that standard. It's 2011, it's a movie for adults, and it still wouldn't play in Peoria even cut to an R. They'll either do one of two things: Work to destigmatize the NC-17 for both box-office and Oscar's sake (my bet), or sink the movie entirely to keep Clooney and _The Descendants_ front and center, particularly in the Best Actor category (a much more cynical bet, but not to be ruled out).
Bottom line, there is a lot to gain for the film(s) and distributor(s) who stand up to the MPAA and prove there's a market among grown, adult moviegoers whom the ratings board nevertheless thinks it has to protect.
Does Ellen Burstyn's performance in Requiem for a Dream count? I know the movie was ultimately left unrated, but it was given an NC-17 from the MPAA before that decision was made.
It doesn't count. Given the choice, Artisan released it unrated. Searchlight went into this as an MPAA signatory knowing full well the rating was inescapable.
Makes sense. I just know how studios - even studios dealing with independent films - feel about the uphill battle making money off of NC-17 films. But I hope what you are saying (the first theory) is their goal. If that's the case, I think VOD needs to be utilized. Tower Heist tried to pull that off, but since theaters would get hurt by the movie designed for mass appeal (though for $60, I don't know if it would've done that much damage). But with Shame already small box office impact - combined with playing with a restricted number of theaters - VOD could provide a way to cater to audiences who wouldn't be exposed to it otherwise. That is, if FOX Searchlight WANTS people to see this film.
The VOD thing is actually a brilliant point, but only to the extent Searchlight can convince exhibitors this is a commercial film in the first place. We're not talking about _Black Swan_ here. Nevertheless, if theater chains say, "We're not showing it, it's NC-17," why _shouldn't_ Searchlight counter with a VOD run in the weeks after NYC/LA? It's not like the theater owners who rejected it could have a legit beef, right?
I like it!
Glad you approve! Also, you know the run will be limited in the NYC/LA theaters anyways (it'll make the bulk of its BO amount in the first 3-4 weeks, even with positive word of mouth) - so what better way to keep it available to Academy voters than VOD up to the nomination submissions?