Costner Cinema Chat

A site in which Kevin Costner's movies are discussed

Friday, October 14, 2005

"Good Night...." avoiding Thirteen Days' unlucky fate

"Good Night and Good Luck," the movie directed by and co-starring George Clooney, is getting a lot of attention for its quality and what it says about journalism both yesterday and today. It's about Edward R. Murrow's broadcasts that played a role in conveying the truth about Wisconsin Senator Joe McCarthy. Good for Clooney, and I look forward to seeing the film.

And it makes me mourn, all the more, the attention and adulation that another movie about a seminal event in American history--the Cuban Missile Crisis--did not get. "Thirteen Days," which Kevin Costner co-produced and co-starred in, was originally scheduled to be released in October, 2000, the anniversary of the crisis--and a few weeks before the presidential election.

Someone at Cheap Line--ooops--New Line Cinema, which produced the film, got the bright idea to release it only in New York and LA to be eligible for Oscars, and then release it in January, 2001. Not only did that blunder doom the movie's chances at major awards (films like "Traffic" managed to get noticed first), but it also took it from a time and forum where people might have made a point of discussing whose finger might be on the nuclear trigger after the election.

At the very least, Bruce Greenwood deserved an Oscar nomination for his portrayal of JFK, and David Self's script, which captured the tension of that time, deserved a nomination as well.

It's a cautionary note, particularly when KC has a performance in TUOA that has been so well received--and the studio that released it is the same one.

Friday, October 07, 2005

Rumor Has It Site

A little more on the movie site now, including pictures and downloads.

http://rumorhasitmovie.warnerbros.com/