Universal Pictures Gets Transparent

An enlightening LAT interview by Claudia Eller (Universal execs under fire for a flop-filled season) with Chairmen Marc Shmuger and David Linde around their disappointing summer slate. Three comedies and 1 period drama – respectively “Land of the Lost”, “Bruno”, “Funny People” and “Public Enemies” – all fell short at the box office given expectations, casting and previous filmmaker histories. The transparency of such an interview in Hollywood is to be commended from the two execs, and yet Nikki Finke will still be gunning for Jeff Zucker, one presumes. Per Schmuger: “First, there’s a real need to be making movies for less money. Second, there’s a real premium on sharper, more marketable concepts. Audiences are clearly seeking escape from their lives.” More after the jump… Read more >>

Reelist: Brüno vs. Borat for Box Office

Sasha Baron Cohen’s Brüno - the Universal and Media Rights Capital (MRC) film – promises to push the boundaries of taste in a very cash-positive way when it opens on July 10th. Below, the “Red Band” restricted trailer – MySpace video is on-and-off, so via TrailerAddict:

After the jump, a comparison of Brüno v. Borat with 14 Brüno aggregated clips to boot… Read more >>