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AI Resurrects Actor for Trailer
The late actor Val Kilmer is resurrected in a movie trailer via artificial intelligence technology, in a film marketing milestone. Kilmer, who died a year ago and is famous for his “Top Gun” roles, is re-created for independent-made western “As Deep as the Grave” (trailer screen grab with Kilmer above). “The footage includes Kilmer at various ages — at one point, he’s a spectral, ghost-like figure; at another, he’s a dashing, 30-something man of the cloth,” says a Variety article…
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Kids Demographic Revives Cinema
The kids demographic continues to carry cinema to prosperity. Children-oriented animated feature film “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie” (image above) from Universal Pictures is the latest example, bagging a staggering…
Hard-Action Trailer Targets Fanboys
What do the professional film critics say? This audience doesn’t care. What’s the plot of the movie? It’s immaterial. Welcome to the world of the hard-action film trailers. Liongate acquired…
Online Wildfire Over Hollywood Hypocrisy
Hollywood’s glitterati are increasingly getting unwanted star treatment. Scrappy digital media eagerly acts as a megaphone spraying indiscretions like a firehose. Online media blasts alleged Hollywood’s green-climate hypocrisy as evidenced…
‘Bride’ Tagline Aims to Shock
Faced with a difficult movie to market, Warner Bros. Pictures went to the edge of good taste with key copy line “Here Comes the F*%#ing Bride!” The character salad in…
‘Scream 7’ Divides Critics, Audiences
Professional film critics trashed “Scream 7” but audiences paid no attention. The horror film opened to a blockbuster cinema premiere (above, the sinister Ghostface character unleashes movie mayhem!). The disconnect…
Film Merchandise Wows Toy Fair
The toy industry expects an extraordinary lift from film-related licensed merchandise this year. Trade show Toy Fair, which ended in New York this week, generated lots of buzz for movie-related…
Six Films Showcased During Super Bowl
Six movie-focused TV commercials aired during the Super Bowl, shining in what is the most expensive advertising platform. The NFL football championship game averaged 125 million people — TV’s biggest…
Devotees Lift ‘Melania’ Past Critics’ Barbs
Most film critics panned the first lady documentary “Melania,” even going outside their professional-reviewer roles to promise that the movie would bomb in cinemas. But mean-spirited film critics proved inept…
Luxury Wristwatches Star in Hollywood
The luxury wristwatch industry is going ga-ga over product placements on celebrities at awards shows. Leonardo DiCaprio and George Clooney are among the stars conspicuously flashing pricey time-piece metal for…