Some things do not change. It is late October and there are pumpkins and cobwebs on stoops in Brooklyn.

On Saturday night, my New York subway carriage was filled with people in Halloween costumes, including a tall Frankenstein with a bolt through his neck who stood up and roared to general applause.

And, yes, the latest installment of the Saw franchise (in this case, Saw IV) has debuted at the top of the box office chart, once again showing the wisdom of Lionsgate, the studio behind the franchise.

I cannot tell you anything much about the Saw franchise, since I have not seen any of them and do not intend to. I am too squeamish to do anything more scary at Halloween than help my daughter prepare her skeleton costume for trick and treating.

But it is intriguing that Lionsgate, which pioneered the resurgence of the low budget horror franchise aimed at a college student audience, has struck gold once again. Saw IV is estimated to have brought in $32m this weekend, a year after Saw III brought in $33m on its opening weekend.

It does not seem as though there is anything to stop Lionsgate carrying on with Saws V, VI, VII, VIII etc.

Given that Hollywood is beset by volatility and unpredictability ("Nobody knows anything," the screeenwriter William Goldman observed) a low-budget franchise with no stars to demand a slice of the back-end and an impeccable revenue record is something to be envied.

Last night, I went to see Michael Clayton. I do like a thriller in which a lone figure takes on the evil force of the dark corporation and George Clooney, in the title role of the lawyer-fixer who gets an attack of conscience does not disappoint.

It made me think about why corporations and corporate executives are almost always villains in Hollywood films. There is a grand tradition of the sinister corporation reaching back to Soylent Green, a sci-fi tale about a company that makes biscuits out of people. Sorry if I have just given away the plot, but you have had 30 years to see it.

Continue reading "Michael Clayton and the evil corporation"

I’ve always liked Blade Runner, the 1982 Ridley Scott film based on Philip K. Dick’s Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? I remember watching with awe in a London cinema the opening pan over a futuristic Los Angeles lit by flares.

But this is ridiculous.

On its 25th anniversary, five versions of Blade Runnder are extant, including the (disappointing, in my opinion) "director’s cut" of a few years ago and the latest one, called the "final cut" (we can only hope). It is playing around the corner from my office at the lovely Ziegfeld cinema.

I suppose it reflects the temptation to endlessly cut, re-cut and remix things that have found a fan base in the hope of getting a bit more out of the franchise. There has never been a Blade Runner 2 so we have been treated to Blade Runners 1.1, 1.2, 1.3 etc instead.

You will soon be able to get the whole lot in high-definition (and a metal case) for a mere $78.

But I prefer the original version, no matter how resentful Scott was that the studio made him attach a voice-over and a happy ending. Sometimes the Philistines are right.

Column on the Financial Times comment page, October 11th

One must hand it to Hannah Montana. She has not only overcome the handicap of being a fictional character to achieve pop stardom but tickets to her live show have become the most prized and controversial securities since Google’s initial public offering three years ago.

Ms Montana (aka Miley Cyrus, 14-year-old daughter of the country singer Billy Ray Cyrus – he of the achy breaky heart) takes to the stage next week for her US tour. Before a note is sounded, she has caused mayhem among fans, parents, attorneys-general and all others with a stake in live shows.

The rest of this column can be read here. Post comments below.