Brokeback Mountain

XXXXX DRUDGE REPORT XXXXX WED JAN 18, 2005 09:06:32 ET XXXXX

STUDIO FIGHT: EXECS PREFER 'BROKEBACK' OVER 'MUNICH'; SPIELBERG SAID DISPLEASED, SAY SOURCES

**Exclusive**

As the first wave of Oscar voting closes, a sibling rivalry between films at UNIVERSAL has turned sour .

The enthusiastic backing of BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN by UNIVERSAL chief Stacey Snider has come at the expense of MUNICH, a top source involved with the Steven Spielberg drama tells the DRUDGE REPORT.

"Stacey and her team believe BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN is their winner this year," claims a well-placed insider. "The movie has been spoiled, spoiled and spoiled again, with endless promotion and support. MUNICH, on the other hand, has been horribly neglected. Steven has been thrown in the backseat. It has been painful."

Hollywood players watched Spielberg's polite reaction as Ang Lee's controversial western won award after award Sunday evening during the nationally televised GOLDEN GLOBES.

But behind the scenes, a quiet anger has developed over the handling of MUNICH during the award season run-up, sources claim.

Stacey Snider became chairman of Universal Pictures in 1999. Her job responsibilities include marketing, production and domestic distribution at Universal Pictures. In 2002, the Hollywood Reporter named Snider the second most powerful woman in the entertainment industry.

A University of Pennsylvania graduate, Snider also graduated with a law degree from UCLA in 1985. After graduation she began working in the mail room at the Triad Agency and soon became th assistant at Simpson-Bruckheimer Productions. Later she moved on to become director of development and, ultimately, Executive Vice President at Guber-Peters Entertainment Company (GPEC). In 1992, she became president of TriStar Pictures and was in charge of films such as Sleepless in Seattle, Philadelphia, Jumanjii, and Legends of the Fall.

She is credited with Universal Pictures' all-time domestic and international box office records. Movies under her tenure include: The Mummy, which brought in revenue of $400 million worldwide; Life, which brought in $100 million; and Patch Adams, which grossed $200 million worldwide. Snider has also been involved in Beacon Pictures' End of Days with Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jersey Films' Man on the Moon, and Norman Jewison's The Hurricane with Denzel Washington.

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Now tell me why, after all those mega million movies someone would push a 30 million movie so hard?

<font color="#a62a2a" size="1">[ January 18, 2006 09:36 AM: Message edited by: travelinman ]</font>

And there is more:

During her tenure, Universal has experienced a remarkable turnaround, with a consistent output of domestic and international box office hits that includes the Academy Award?-winners A Beautiful Mind, Gladiator, Erin Brockovich and Focus Features? Lost in Translation and The Pianist. In 2003, Universal had its most successful summer ever at the domestic box office, becoming the first studio in history to open three films in a row $50+ million?Bruce Almighty, 2 Fast 2 Furious and The Hulk?as well as the first studio in history to have five $100+ million films in one summer--Bruce Almighty, 2 Fast 2 Furious, The Hulk, Seabiscuit and American Wedding. The studio also had an outstanding total of six $100+ million releases at the international box office?8 Mile, Johnny English, The Hulk, 2 Fast 2 Furious and American Wedding and Love Actually. Seabiscuit went on to seven Academy Award? nominations, including Best Picture.

Focus Features released two of the most critically acclaimed films of the year: Lost in Translation, which was nominated for four Academy Awards? and won the Oscar? for Best Original Screenplay; and 21 Grams, which received two Academy Award? nominations.

In addition to the motion picture slate, Universal Pictures was also one of the producers of the smash hit Broadway musical Wicked.

The year 2002 was highlighted by such hits as The Bourne Identity, Red Dragon and 8 Mile, along with such Focus Features releases as Far From Heaven and The Pianist, which received seven Oscar? nominations including Best Picture and won three statuettes (for Best Direction by Roman Polanski, Best Actor Adrien Brody and Best Adapted Screenplay by Ronald Harwood).

In the summer of 2001, the studio made box office history with four consecutive releases opening at No. 1, each of which went on to gross more than $140 million ? The Mummy Returns, The Fast and the Furious, Jurassic Park III and American Pie 2

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It must be hard (no pun intended)when you have to hang so much on one movie.

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<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Huh?

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Now tell me why, after all those mega million movies someone would push a 30 million movie so hard?

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<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Because it's a very good movie and is Oscar worthy, and will probably make a lot more than $30 million as it is still in release.

The complexity of this film and the efforts of religious right to shut it down wherever it can also mean that special measures must be made to ensure the movie receives the return on investement it deserves.

Otherwise, filmmakers are faced with the prospect of having a certain element dictate to them what movies to produce and not produce, and this is a very big deal.

Directed and co-written by Mel Gibson, one of Hollywood's most respected actors and directors, The Passion of The Christ dramatically and graphically captures the last 12 hours of Christ's life on Earth, based on the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. The film-a project in which Gibson invested 12 years of his life and $25 million of his own funds-became the Oscar-winning actor's unique passion as he researched the details of the story that, in his words, "heals me."

"Making this film has been the most difficult thing I've ever done," Gibson told Outreach Magazine. " The film has stirred controversy, from difficulties finding a distributor to outright media hostility. "There have been a lot of obstacles thrown in the way," says Gibson.

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Anothere oscar deserving movie, but no one from that great liberal hollyweird group would touch it. This film had no push from any of the different liberal sources but stood on it's own.

Face it, if it wasn't for the hype brokeback would tank.

<font color="#a62a2a" size="1">[ January 18, 2006 10:00 AM: Message edited by: travelinman ]</font>

The movie wasn't what I thought it would be nor did it end the way I thought it would. I can't think of a film that lingered with me the way this one did.

trav has more than once tried to depict this film as glorifying infidelity. I can only categorize this film as a tragedy - on so many levels - so I don't see how anyone could see it the way he does.

If the movie does anything, it sharply asks why (and perhaps answers the question) these guys got married to begin with.

I think you would be surprised at the number of families who have broken up because gay fathers got married because that's were supposed to do.

<font color="#a62a2a" size="1">[ January 18, 2006 10:05 AM: Message edited by: The Big Sexy ]</font>

My only point in all this is that just because the movie is about two gay men the liberal PC assholes have gone out of their way to push it down everyone?s throat. Do I care about the movie or who goes to see it? No, not at all. But as you so rightly said ?Otherwise, filmmakers are faced with the prospect of having a certain element dictate to them what movies to produce and not produce, and this is a very big deal.? It pisses me off that liberals are so fucking hypocritical.

If you or anyone else really cared about filmmakers not having dictated to them what movies to produce and not produce then you would have stood up and defended Mel Gibson with the same fever your defending BBM. But no, Gibson is a conservative fundy and deserves to be kicked to the curb because his beliefs don?t fit in with the liberal agenda. I guess ?certain elements? only apply to Christians.

Hollywood players watched Spielberg's polite reaction as Ang Lee's controversial western won award after award Sunday evening during the nationally televised GOLDEN GLOBES.

But behind the scenes, a quiet anger has developed over the handling of MUNICH during the award season run-up.

"She says she loves all of her children equally, but Stacey [Snider] and her team have given every priority to BROKEBACK," charges the MUNICH source. "Gay romance is easier to sell to the academy than a complex study of an Israeli assassin."

Homosexuality is common place in today's world.
But as far as gay cowboys go, the one most people would think of is the guy from the village people, not actually cowboys.
Generally considerred a "masuline" occupation, I dont think it's an easy thing for some to fathom.

They dont break into a version of YMCA at any time in the movie do they? [img]graemlins/sure.gif[/img] [img]graemlins/hmmm.gif[/img] [img]graemlins/wonder.gif[/img]