Harvey Weinstein allegations; who's next when it comes to allegations? (1 Viewer)

[jcroy]

So: if TWC folds, what happens to the 70mm prints of Hateful Eight, and who would control their bookings?

The question is who actually owns these 70mm film prints outright.

 

[Jake Lipson]

I assume that, currently, TWC would own them. I know the (partial) 70mm print of The Master that screened here earlier this year came directly via TWC.

 

[jcroy]

Then the answer is simple: who buys up the back catalog.

If the subsequent owner(s) of the TWC catalog is receptive to releasing stuff on 70mm film, then we can probably look forward to more stuff being released on 70mm.

On the other hand if the subsequent owner(s) don't give a damn about 70mm, then the best we can hope for is if they "outsource" the 70mm version to somebody else who is reputable.

 

[Jake Lipson]

Depending on who gets it, if they don't care about maintaining and booking 70mm prints, I wonder if Tarintino would be interested in buying the prints, at least of his movie. I imagine he probably has at least a couple already, but that would be one way of making sure they are taken care of and still available for theaters to book.

Also, I just really want to see it in 70mm at some point, so I hope this works out so I can do that.

 

[PMF]

should make for an interesting Oscars telecast this year. I might even watch.

Maybe the Oscars should have a new category: "Sentencing of The Year".

 

[jcroy]

At this point I suspect the market for viewing 70mm stuff, would be a highly specialized niche.

I suppose if Tarintino is having a dry spell (ie. nobody relevant is returning his phone calls or emails) in the future, he can always do a 2-3 day festival showcasing his catalog films in 70mm at big theaters in big cities (ie. LA, NYC, London, etc ...) with Q/A chats afterwards.

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

Pixar co-founder John Lasseter taking six-month "sabbatical" as history of inappropriate sexual contact, lewd comments and excessive drinking comes to light

 

[SamT]

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/n...uct-detailed-by-disney-pixar-insiders-1059594

http://variety.com/2017/biz/news/jo...nimation-studios-leave-of-absence-1202620923/

 

[Jake Lipson]

The Lassater accusations sound somewhat less severe than Weinstien's, though no less inappropriate and strange. This one bothers me more as a fan, since Lassater made so many films that helped to define my childhood and, as a filmmaker, I respect him as much as anyone working in the industry. I'm extremely disappointed in his apparent lack of judgement. But also: what is so hard about "Keep your hands to yourself?"

 

[SamT]

This is significant because I presume he will not be back. This will be a new Pixar. Will we see new projects broken from the past establishment like what we see with Lucasfilm under new direction?

 

[MatthewA]

Never mind the new stuff, how is the studio going to deal with how much of the last 20+ years of their legacy was shaped by both him and Harvey Weinstein? I know they don't own Miramax but a lot of the stuff Weinstein did he did during the period of Disney's ownership.

 

[Vahan_Nisanain]

Part of me wants to say that this is becoming ridiculous. You can't hug women anymore?

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

Yes, very few allegations are likely to be quite as horrifying as the worst involving Weinstein. But there's miles to go between Weinstein and appropriate professional behavior, and it seems that there are plenty who fall into that in-between.

 

[MatthewA]

Jake,

I feel the same way. Disney has been a part of my life in some way since the moment I was born in Waterbury, CT, the town where they used to make Mickey Mouse watches. I was a huge Pixar fan from the first moment I saw Toy Story when I was 12, the same age my grandfather was when Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs came out.

This just makes all the sanctimonious anti-Walt bromides and smug declarations of "how far we've come" since his side of the family lost control of the company ring even more hollow then they did when they were new because it seems we've still got a long, long way to go. Just like Miss Price said to Mr. Browne in Bedknobs and Broomsticks after turning him into a rabbit: "Now I'll trust you'll behave more like a gentleman."*

*Oh, and if you're in LA you gotta see the Sherman Brothers' Levi! while you can. It was written in the 1980s but is even more timely and necessary now.

 

[MatthewA]

Not if they don't want it. They said no and he kept going at it. That's not okay no matter who does it.

 

[Vahan_Nisanain]

Walt Disney was a homephobe. He fired Tommy Kirk just because he was gay. It was one of the last things he did in his life.

I'm surprised you, a gay person, disregard this.

 

[MatthewA]

I have mentioned it in the context of showing he was further ahead in his attitudes towards religious and racial minorities despite getting heat for that by modern historians and writers. I also mentioned that he hired Roddy McDowall for That Darn Cat, which features a scene where Dorothy Provine gets shoved in the closet, around the same time. They basically practiced the same Don't Ask Don't Tell policy as other studios. Tommy Kirk also had drug problems that torpedoed his post-Disney career at AIP, but he got clean, got into another line of work, and has outlived a bunch of his co-stars.

The difference is that that was 1964. This is 2017. After decades of trying to have it both ways with gays, they finally have a gay-themed storyline on a Disney Channel show called Andi Mack and it's not a one-shot character. And they don't hide behind a subsidiary label like Touchstone, ABC, Miramax, or Hollywood Pictures to do it with. And the remake of Beauty and the Beast brought LeFou out of the closet, of all characters. It seems to me they simply wait to embrace social change until a majority of people are okay with it.

For what it's worth, Ron Miller's head didn't exactly explode when I did my Helen Reddy impression for him and his daughter when I met them at the Disney Museum in San Francisco!

 

[Robert Crawford]

I have changed this thread's title to indicate this isn't just a Weinstein/TWC issue and moved some Lassater/Pixar posts here as this issue of misbehavior towards others is just the tip of the iceberg. There are going to be many more individuals and companies involved before all is said and done. The HTF Moderator Staff doesn't want multiple threads with different individuals, but the same type of "bad behavior" issue toward other people by powerful people permeating the forum.

 

[SamT]

Well, my thread had nothing to do with allegations and what John Lasseter has done. It was about Pixar and it's future. But I suppose it's too soon to speculate.

 

[Jake Lipson]

Sam, I didn't read your thread before it was apparently merged into this one, but I don't think Pixar is going anywhere. Worst-case scenario would be Lasseter's sabbatical becoming permanent, which I hope does not happen.

My hope is that Lassater does actually take his sabbatical time to reconsider any behaviors that may have put him in this position and seek treatment, if he needs to, so that when he comes back, he will be able to resume his job and treat people fairly and respectfully. If this ends up not being possible, I think the company would just have Ed Catmill take over Lassater's roles, and perhaps lean even more on Pete Doctor and Andrew Stanton as creative talent, perhaps giving them some executive leadership roles. I don't think we will see Pixar's existing system completely overhauled (although it would be nice if they would hire some female directors and let them finish their movies.)

The Pixar brand is too big and beloved to be destroyed by the actions of one individual, even someone as significant to its history as Lassater. Also, whatever his indiscretions, Lassater is responsible for directing three of the best films of all time, and they will remain so irrespective of any questionable behavioral decisions he may have made.