The Last Of The Storytellers

Oscars Hawk Blockbusters. Trade Roughage 10/09/08

By Christopher Campbell posted 1 year ago

For the first time ever, TV commercials for new movies will be allowed to run during the Oscar telecast beginning with the 2009 ceremony. None of the nominees or movies related to the nominees (sequels, prequels, etc.) are permitted, nor are any movies opening before the last weekend in April. So, look for never-before-seen spots for the summer blockbusters, which could benefit next year’s ratings if fanboys who otherwise have no interest in the Academy Awards tune in just to see new footage from Transformers 2.
In other Oscar news: 8 documentary shorts have been shortlisted.
16 years after offending Arabs with the animated feature Aladdin, Disney is now about to finance and produce its first film in Arabic — the Lebanese folk tale The Last of the Storytellers — as part of a new venture to make regionally geared movies in the Middle East. The Mouse House has also recently announced similar regional projects in Russia and India.
Jamie Foxx will go vigilante, targeting the D.A. (Gerard Butler) who allowed his wife and child’s killer to go free, in the Frank Darabont-directed Law Abiding Citizen.
For all you Netflix subscribers: if you don’t rent Blu-Ray discs, you apparently will need to make an adjustment to your account that says so; otherwise you will be charged a higher rate beginning in November. If you do rent Blu-Ray, you’re fine, though you now must pay the additional $1 per month for being so technologically advanced.