Links: Nate Parker, Ben-Hur, and Donald Trump as Film Critic
Friday, August 19, 2016 at 2:01PM Variety Amber Heard donates her entire divorce settlement from Johnny Depp to charity
Pajiba ... she also apparently passed on receiving residuals from his movies
Monkey See funny talk about the new Ben-Hur and the long shadow of its 1959 Best Picture predecessor
Kenneth in the (212) alerts us to a new webseries on Woody Allen movies. 10 things about Interiors this time
Olympic play, Nate Parker controversy, and Donald Trump as movie critic after the jump...
Salon talks to the stars and creator of HBO's The Night Of. I'm in the middle of this now. I can't decide if I like it. I loved it up until prison but around about episode 4 (which I just finished) it just feels like "oh, i've seen this prison drama a million times before on other shows"
Film Stage talks to Travis Knight about Laika and Kubo and the Two Strings
AV Club sources are saying that Zendaya is actually playing Mary Jane in Spider-Man: Homecoming.
Todd Jacobs ... has the best tweeted response to this news
Tom & Lorenzo Wonder Woman herself, Lynda Carter, on the Supergirl set
Olympic Fever
Towleroad male gymnasts strip down for the crowds at the gymnastic gala (non-medal event)
Simone Biles shares her Zac Efron kiss surprise for fans
Simone Biles and she's also palling around with Brazil's Arthur Mariano (who won my personal Gold Medal)
Pitchfork Olympic athletes share their playlists
Today's Must Read
Buzzfeed has a compelling overview of the media coverage of and/or spinning around Nate Parker's alleged rape in 1999 and what it means or doesn't mean for his Oscar hopeful Birth of a Nation. Fox Searchlight plans to continue with the scheduled release dates and award plans. There has been such a flurry of articles about this, and so many heated reactions to those articles that it's very helpful to read such a thoughtful insightful piece. Of particular note I think (because it gets lots in the less nuanced discussions of this) is the ways in which this case is not relatable to the auteurist cases it keeps being compared to (Allen & Polanski, of course)
The lesson was that the specter of alleged sexual assault could be circumvented, and a male auteur could continue to win awards, obtain funding, and attract stars to collaborate with him. Or so it seemed. The context that distinguishes Parker’s case is, in many ways, what Searchlight failed to understand...
Do you think Fox Searchlight should delay or march forward with plans?
And now for something much lighter to end with...
Trump Explains Movie Plots, a Tweet Meme that made us giggle. If we don't laugh we'll cry where this man is concerned...
Little Frodo, very small guy, tries to destroy a ring, it takes forever, total loser. I'd do it quicker, believe me #TrumpExplainsMoviePlots
— Trevor Donovan (@TrevDon) August 18, 2016
She let him freeze, people. She let go. I don't like people who let go. Many people say there was room on the door #TrumpExplainsMoviePlots
— Nick Mancuso (@Nick_Mancuso) August 19, 2016
Hot cartoon wife, a real 10, believe me. Cheats on and frames her rabbit husband. She'd never cheat on me, folks. #TrumpExplainsMoviePlots
— Justin Gauthier (@reddayblueday) August 19, 2016
Listen, folks. Japan is in real trouble. Nice people. Big lizard problem though. Huge. Ruining the market. Sad. #TrumpExplainsMoviePlots
— Bo Hunter (@BoHunterrr) August 19, 2016
This guy, Aladdin- hes making terrible, the worst deals. Believe me folks, I would've got 4, 5, even 12 wishes
— Josh Mahan (@squashmahan) August 18, 2016
#TrumpExplainsMoviePlots
This guy, this creepy guy, he's got scissors for hands. Many people are saying this. My hands, they're great. #TrumpExplainsMoviePlots
— Aaron Wiener (@Wieneraaron) August 18, 2016
This girl. I'm telling you she's been possessed by the devil.She's going to puke so much it'll make your head spin. #TrumpExplainsMoviePlots
— Brian Zitzelman (@BrianZitzelman) August 19, 2016
and, as bonus round, Scott Feinberg converted the #7favfilms hashtag into a fun spoof just before that hashtag -- perhaps he inspired it?
2. CITIZEN KANE — Rich guy gets bored, decides to run for office and... I dunno, I never make it all the way thru movies. #Trumps7FavFilms
— Scott Feinberg (@ScottFeinberg) August 16, 2016
7. THE ANGRY BIRDS MOVIES — Didja see what happened when the birds allowed green pigs into their island paradise?! #Trumps7FavFilms
— Scott Feinberg (@ScottFeinberg) August 16, 2016
Reader Comments (32)
The more I hear about Nate Parker's 1999 rape charge, the more disturbed I am by what I read. Not only by the way he is reacting to how "painful" it's been for him, but how he's now a "changed" man, it's suspicious that a man who is innocent would say he's "changed". If you are innocent of the crime, why would you need to change so much? What behaviour or attitude are you changing? Also, how can you feel empathy for a man who is more focused of how painful it was for him, than the pain the victim suffered. Especially considering that she committed suicide, after two other failed attempts at taking her life.
The respectful thing would be to delay the film and stop it being considered for awards contention. I know that films should be judged on merit only, but how can you ignore Parker's past actions.
It would insulting to sexual assault survivors/victims if the film was embraced at the Oscars, considering just a couple of months ago Lady Gaga gave a poignant performance of a song about the pain of sexual assault, plus she was joined onstage by survivor of sexual assault too.
The respectable thing to do would be to delay the film, however I doubt that will happen. In the industry, money comes first, and searchlight are looking to rake in as much as possible considering how much they bought it for at Sundance.
Nat: My reaction to her character actually being named Mary Jane Watson? "Eh, I was really hoping for Carolyn Trainer (Doc Ock II), but she can't be worse than Kirsten Dunst's take or what Shailene Woodley's take probably would have been. Bring it."
Brett - Well said. I also am rather tired of him using his status as a father (of daughters, no less) and husband to try to prove his worth. Plenty of fathers and husbands are terrible people, and plenty of single people without children manage to be wonderful, non-violent people who afford respect to all human beings.
Had the rape charges against Parker and his co-writer never been publicized, I certainly would have seen The Birth of a Nation in the movie theater, but I really have no interest in sitting through Parker's passion project now. The transcripts in particular are revolting, and as Brett said, it's hard to ignore them and Parker's very self-interested reaction to this.
I rather agree with Brett
Those tweets are pure poetry.
Brett: I'd say delay is the best case scenario (specifically, a year's delay for a full blown re-filming, with everyone except Nate Parker himself retained in an acting capacity and a new director to re-film Parker's script) and outright cancellation or Direct-to-DVD release are the worst case scenarios. The former is only another $10 million, which is peanuts by Hollywood standards.
I don't see how delaying the film helps at all, or that it's somehow "disrespectful" to continue with the current release timeline. The facts of the case won't change. The fact that Parker was acquitted but that that may not actually be the end of the story won't change. There's a lot of ambiguity. The person who tells you they know what's what is overconfident.
I tend to say let the film stand on its own. Is the film good? Then it shouldn't be precluded from awards consideration. What is going to be important is the marketing and promotion, which won't be able to deflect his troubling past. I don't know how you handle that.
There's a video of Arthur Mariano jerking off out there, in case you're interested.
Oh, wait! Apparently half of the Brazilian gymnastics team are exposed online. Hope Danell Leyva is next!
Out of the respect for the victim, I hope Fox Searchlight delays the release of the movie. I think they still have a chance to make decent money if they make it a low key release, instead of an aggressive awards campaign like they've been doing up to this point. Maybe people will be more forgiving that way.
Not sure why anyone thinks Nate Parker's past is a problem that requires a public solution. It's definitely a problem, more public relations than legal now, and it raises a number of social issues that can be addressed individually and subjectively.
Personally, I want to be able to separate the work from its makers, but I find it more and more difficult to do as I grow older. I used to watch Woody Allen movies with some regularity, but now I don't. I get the feeling that I changed over time, and he didn't.
I can't judge Nate Parker and his collaborator, but I am the supreme judge, jury, and executioner of my own decision to see their movie.
off-topic; but I sincerely hope your back is doing better Nathaniel :/
I normally avoid Buzzfeed-style sites like the plague because of their clickbait articles and shoddy "journalism," but that article is great: fair, informative, well-researched and terrifically written.
As for Nate Parker and his movie, I honestly don't know how to feel. His tap-dancing remarks around the sexual assault in the Deadline and Variety articles certainly didn't help. I actually think he'd have been in a better position today if he had just admitted guilt, apologised to the victim and her family, and align himself with some women's rights groups and speak out about sexual assault while he was touring the country's campuses showing his film.
The worst part of this entire story is that he still has a working (and I assume personal) relationship with his co-conspirator who was actually CHARGED and given a paltry, Brock Turner-like sentence. If he was actually contrite and felt remorse towards the victim, surely that could have been one friendship he could do without?
I hope he sits down sometime soon for a real, no-bullshit interview with someone (preferably a woman) with the guys to take him to task about his history.
Some of Buzzfeed articles are actually very well written and informative. And this whole thing could not have any effect on Parker's movies as the same thing has no effect on Allen and Polanski. Just because he's black doesn't mean he's off the hook.
Agreed on "The Night Of," Nathaniel. That first episode was so strong, one of the best pilots I've seen in a while. But everything in the prison feels a little rote. Also, maybe I'm alone, but I really feel like the inordinate attention to John Turturro's character's eczema is a miscalculation.
It's true that people do change, although as MDA suggests - if he was innocent and thought that way all along then why does he *need* to change? And falling back on being a married father is tired, but we know it works.
The creepiest thing, however, is that the friend who WAS sentenced for rape is his damn co-writer on the project. That feels like the smoking gun of sorts.
It's a shame that rape in the film can be described as a major plot point/catalyst, for starters. Like, women do not just get raped to incite men into action (but Hollywood believes otherwise). But the backstory here adds a whole other level. If you have a "painful" history of sexual assault that you do not want to talk about, why make it a "plot point" in your film?...
I hope Amber Heard goes on to have a wonderful career and life.
The one time you'd want to hear /3rtful's thoughts...
The one time you'd want to hear /3rtful's thoughts...
I believe the deceased accuser. Nothing more to add.
Ha, logic told me you should think that, but it is you after all. Good to know.
Had I had a contrary opinion I felt passionate about I'd express it earlier.
@Izzy
It is a very negative situation.. but a certain guy had nothing negative to say( unusual )
I'm easy. I criticize personalities in show business I dislike. No plotting to take over the world happening here.
why always use the word "hate" ..."dislike" is so much softer??!!!
I know I earned the rep of resident Streep hater. And it comes from a place of not finding her interesting as an actress. However whenever I respond well to something she's done it usually is less celebrated by critics and fans. But I suspect I respond well to performances from her where she's not required to prove her rep. She can simply perform without the burden of major expectation in something slight like Prime. Where I feel she's the reason to see the movie. I love her in Julie and Julia. The real Julia Child is a childhood icon. I felt warmth from her characterization.
I flat out have venom for Lawrence. One thing to be a movie star but a celebrated actress with all the accolades when there are several people better I can't be polite. (I Stan for Jessica Chastain and Brie Larson).
McDormand is a real a-hole and her Oscar win is overrated by a cabal.
There is no problem with not caring for any actor ( actress ) .. you mention these three ... the only one I love is Streep and I have no problem with you not caring for her as a performer ...
but this is not the real point at all ... you come across with practically everything you write about as negative ... I don't want to get into personal opinions of Nat's bloggers ... as this is not why readers come to his website ...I would be totally open to using emails between you and me to have a friendly conversation with you ...
I am not sure how this could work... Nat would have to join us in our email addresses!!
I am open to this...
I can be polite.
Never mind.....
I can be polite means we can be civil to each other here.
I have been civil ... and will continue upon the same path...
I am happy you doing your thing and me doing mine..
We have come to an understanding... all I wanted
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