Daily Archives: November 19, 2024

Great movies can play fast and loose with history. But not Gladiator II with its rhinos and cafe culture

Does accuracy in a movie set in the past actually matter? When one historian pointed out errors in Ridley Scott’s Napoleon, the director brusquely told him to “get a life”. But sifting fact from fiction, and plausible plotline from sheer fantasy, is part of the fun of watching a historical movie. Sorry, Ridley: you are as likely to stem the tide of incoming pedantry on Gladiator II as successfully defend yourself in combat against a troop of (implausibly) bloodthirsty baboons.For weeks before Gladiator II opened, its trailer was already the subject of historical-accuracy scrutiny. In fact, the main culprit therein was not so much a matter of historical error as a crime against common sense: no, rhinos cannot be tamed, broken and ridden like horses. Could the Colosseum really be filled with water and made the scene of a mock sea battle?Actually, that one is moot. Supposedly, the opening of the Colosseum in AD80 involved such an event, but it seems more likely that such extravaganzas would have been staged at another, more suitable location. Nothing about the remains of the building suggests that it was capable of being flooded and kept watertight. One thing is for sure, though: rich Romans may have done all kinds of things with elaborate seawater ponds (the magnate Crassus famously kept a pet eel and supposedly wept when it died), but harvesting and inserting man-killing sharks into the aforementioned mock sea battles was beyond them.View image in fullscreenFive minutes for a trailer: two-and-a-half hours for the entire movie. It’s hard to know where to begin when presented with the full, lavish, epic spread of historical inaccuracy offered by Gladiator II. One of the funniest moments is offered by Denzel Washington’s Macrinus (yes, a real person from Mauretania, but not a former slave – and he did eventually succeed Caracalla as emperor). At one point, this wonderfully camp creation is seen evilly sipping what appears to be a cup of coffee (not around for another millennium or so) or tea (China only at this point) at a cafe (there weren’t any) while reading the morning paper (again, only China was producing paper, and, naturally, nothing approaching a newspaper).The gladiatorial games themselves: there’s a wonderful bit in Gladiator II when all hell breaks loose in the crowd as well as in the arena. It’s great to watch. But Roman historians Mary Beard and Keith Hopkins, in their book The Colosseum, think the baying horde of repute is a myth: the real crowd might have been rather more like, they suggest, audiences for modern opera, with a good deal less gladiatorial blood spilled than in the movies. (To be fair, I’ve seen crowds at the Royal Opera House baying for blood, but not yet actually rioting.)As for Caracalla, played as an enjoyably crazed sybarite by Fred Hechinger, he really was the Roman emperor, and yes, he really did reign jointly with his brother Geta – but only briefly until the former had the latter killed. (By the way, syphilis is hinted at in Gladiator II – it is unlikely to have arrived in Europe much before 1495’s great pox epidemic, although its origins are a matter of debate.) In Scott’s film, the sibling emperors are quite peculiar creations – somewhere between Johnny Rotten, the Harkonnens from the original Dune, and the most effete figures you could find in a Lawrence Alma-Tadema painting, their snivelling effeminacy troublingly set against the masculine virtues of Paul Mescal’s gladiator. They are pale and red-headed, though in real life the sons of a Libya-born father, Septimius Severus, and a Syrian mother, Julia Domna. (In other ways, the film is rightly invested in emphasising the diversity of Roman life, its people drawn from across the Mediterranean world.)View image in fullscreenThe real Caracalla was a bearded, tough-looking warrior, probably eye-liner free, who barely touched down in Rome, spending most of his reign at war and/or massacring people. He funded the building of an enormous baths complex in Rome and, significantly, passed a law making free men across the entire empire citizens. He lasted a good 19 years at the helm before his assassination. His mother, Julia Domna, is one of the most recognisable women of the Roman empire, thanks to a very distinctive hairdo of horizontal, helmet-like waves, immortalised in sculpture, coins, pottery and the famous “Berlin tondo”.The last is a rare painting that shows her, her husband and their children. The face of Geta was scratched out after his removal from the throne, just as his name was obliterated from inscriptions across the empire. Various Roman sources have Domna wielding significant power in Rome. Exactly the sort of scenario that might possibly have provided an interesting plotline …And that, unfortunately, is part of the point. Gladiator I is a classic film for many reasons: one of them, its great plot. I don’t believe for a second that Marcus Aurelius was secretly conspiring to reintroduce the Roman republic – but the idea worked as a plotline for the film not least because there really was a stream of Roman thought that looked wistfully back at the “good old days” before one-man rule. Gladiator II is a kind of wonky redrawing of Gladiator I, tacked awkwardly over the template of its predecessor.Because it’s so determined to follow the earlier film’s beats, quite soon, nothing about it makes much sense. Poor Paul Mescal is doing wonderful work with his fight scenes, but otherwise struggles with a character whose motivations don’t seem to add up. You can overlook a lot of historical nonsense if the story is forcefully dragging you along with it; when it’s not, doubts about everything else rush in.My pedant’s expectations were lifted in the first few minutes, when Mescal utters a real quote from the author Tacitus. (“They make a desert and call it peace” – a resonant phrase attributed by the historian to the Caledonian leader Calgacus, albeit in a different historical period.) After that it’s downhill for me, at least. Go see Gladiator II for the menacing rhinos, the severed limbs spurting blood (if that’s your thing) and the fabulous crowd scenes. For a great movie: stick to Gladiator I.

Charlotte Higgins is the Guardian’s chief culture writer

Rs 30 lakh budget, film earned Rs 5 crore, competed with Sholay, but producer got bankrupt, name of producer was…,the film was…

In today’s era, films are not made with a small budget. There are times when some films become of expensive films and are made on a huge budget. These films create a huge buzz at the box office and receive extraordinary success. On the other hand, some films become blockbuster despite not having any big names from the industry. There is an Indian film which was produced for just a few lakh rupees and managed to earn crores in 1975? Yes, you read that right. Despite, the film collecting huge amount, the film’s creators were declared bankrupt. Also Read – Star cricketer Virender Sehwag’s favourite movie is…
This 48-year-old movie was made on a small budget
Jai Santoshi Maa was released on May 30, 1975, and it reportedly managed to earn just Rs 56 from its first show, Rs 64 from the second, and Rs 100 from the third. Trade analysts said that the film will be a huge flop. Within no time, a miraculous turn of events happened and the audiences began to flock to theaters. The film managed to grab everyone’s attention with its storyline and plot. The power of storytelling and devotion in cinema proved small budget film also worked. Also Read – From Gabbar in ‘Sholay’ to Hastar in ‘Tumbbad’: Best villains in Indian cinema history
Anita Guha portrayed Mata Santoshi in the film Jai Santoshi Maa and it was directed by Vijay Sharma. The film ran in theaters for 50 weeks. In an interview with a media portal, she said that there was little demand for mythological films in Bandra, Mumbai, where such movies typically struggled to succeed. She continued saying that the film defied expectations and enjoyed an incredible 50-week run in that very area and set a remarkable record for its time. Also Read – Angry Young Men: Salim-Javed’s cinematic classics like Sholay, Deewar, Dostana and more to watch before the Prime Video special
According to a report from Sacnilk, the film was made with a budget of Rs 30 lakhs. It collected around Rs 5 crore, but still the filmmakers did not see any profit initially as distributors were hesitant to take on the film. Kedarnath Agarwal and Sandeep Sethi stepped in to handle its distribution.
Producer Satram Rohra did not get a single rupee from its success and declared himself bankrupt. It is believed that Kedarnath’s brothers committed fraud and took all the money. Can you believe, this film gave tough fight to Amitabh Bachchan’s Sholay? Jai Santoshi Maa went on to become the second highest-grossing film of that year.

Meet man who turned Pushpa, KGF, Baahubali and more South films into pan-India success stories, married to Bollywood actress, he is…

The success of South Indian films across the nation has been discussed a lot. Starting with SS Rajamouli’s films Baahubali and Baahubali 2, films like Pushpa, KGF and more have become massive hits. The directors, producers and stars always receive the credit for the film’s success and rightly so! However, there is one man who also deserves much credit in making these films massive pan-India success stories. Also Read – Meet India’s first actress to give Rs 1000 crore hit, it’s not Anushka Shetty, Deepika Padukone, Nayanthara, Rashmika, Alia Bhatt, Shraddha, Priyanka
From South to North, Allu Arjun, Prabhas, and all have become most popular stars thanks to all these movies. But these movies reached from one pole to another, thanks to the film distributors. There is one man who has been behind distributing all these movies in North of India. Also Read – Rs 220 cr film hero had loans to pay, zero balance, used to stammer, today his voice…
Anil Thadani – Man behind major South films becoming success
He is Anil Thadani. He is the man behind distributing all these top South Indian movies. Anil Thadani owns AA Films that distributes films in North markets like Delhi, UP and Bihar. His career as a film distributor started with Ye Dillagi in 1994 and since then he has become a massive success by backing some of the biggest films. In 2015, he ventured into distributing the Hindi-dubbed versions of South Indian Films. His first film from South was SS Rajamouli’s Baahubali: The Beginning. From then, he distributed films like Pushpa: The Rise, KGF and KGF 2 and many more. We all know that the films were major box office successes. The only two South films that he distributed and that did not do well at the box office are Adipurush starring Prabhas, Kriti Sanon, and Saif Ali Khan and recently released Devara: Part 1 starring Jr NTR and Saif Ali Khan. But he was the one who had the distribution rights for North India of the film Kalki 2898 AD and it was a HIT. Also Read – Not Rajinikanth or Jr NTR, THIS South actor is the first to charge Rs 100 crore per film

Talking about his personal life, he is married to one of the biggest stars of Bollywood, Raveena Tandon. Back in the 90s, she was one of the most popular faces. Now, it is their daughter Rasha Thadani who is all set to enter Bollywood with the film Azaad.

Suits: L.A. Star Stephen Amell Signals Spinoff Series Filming Start

Posted in: NBC, Peacock, TV | Tagged: stephen amell, suits: l.a., suits: laSuits: L.A. star Stephen Amell took to social media to announce that today is the first day of filming on NBC’s upcoming spinoff series.Published Mon, 18 Nov 2024 19:37:08 -0600 by Ray Flook | Ten days ago, Suits: L.A. stars Stephen Amell and Lex Scott Davis checked in on social media with some very cool updates on NBC’s upcoming spinoff series. Along with a look at the table read room, before and after everyone arrived, we got a chance to check out the script cover for Episode 102: “Old Man Hanrahan” (directed by Anton Cropper and written by Aaron Korsch). But now, the big day has arrived – with Amell taking to Instagram to let everyone know that they’ve started putting the script to good use because today is the start of filming for the season.Image: Stephen Amell as Ted Black in Suits: L.A. / DAVID ASTORGA/NBC
Here’s a look at a brief video that Amell shared kicking off the first day of filming, followed by a clapper board post that seems to be required by law of every show production on their first day:

Suits: L.A.: What We Know So Far…
Set in the same universe as the original series, the spinoff spotlights Amell’s Ted Black, a former federal prosecutor from New York who has reinvented himself – and now represents some of the most powerful clients in Los Angeles. Black’s firm is at a crisis point, and in order to survive, he must embrace a role he held in contempt his entire career. Ted is surrounded by a stellar group of characters who test their loyalties to both Ted and each other while they can’t help but mix their personal and professional lives. All of this is happening while events from years ago that led Ted to leave behind everything and everyone he loved slowly unravel. Joining Amell are Josh McDermitt (The Walking Dead), Lex Scott Davis (Florida Man), Troy Winbush (The Wilds), Alice Lee (Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist), and Bryan Greenberg (The Mindy Project).

McDermitt will play Stuart Lane, an “energetic, powerful, focused and self-absorbed” friend of Black’s who founded the L.A. law firm Black Lane Law fifteen years ago to specialize in criminal and entertainment law. Davis’ Erica Rollins is described as a savvy and strong-willed rising star who works for Amell’s Ted Black. She’s shrewd enough to test the loyalty of her associates only to admire some of them for not having any. Winbush’s Kevin is Ted Black’s (Amell) old friend and ex-partner, a former FBI agent now a private detective.
Lee’s Leah is a young associate attorney at Black Lane Law who has been assigned to work with (or, as it turns out, for) entertainment attorney Erica Rollins (Davis). The series is not a direct sequel to the original Suits but will be set within the show’s universe. Greenberg’s Rick Dodsen is Ted Black’s protege in the entertainment division of Black Lane Law. Slated to be promoted, Rick is determined to stay one step ahead of his rival, Erica Rollins (Davis).
Victoria Justice (50 States of Fright) and Kevin Weisman (Alias) have been tapped to guest-star. Justice’s Dylan Pryor is a young movie star who’s confident and ambitious – and looking to be represented by Ted. Weisman’s Lester Thompson is a smart and powerful man who is used to getting his way – that is, until a murder charge forces him to have to listen to others to stay out of prison. The late John Amos (Good Times) also appeared in the series and will be honored for his contribution. With UCP serving as the studios and Victoria Mahoney having directed the pilot, original series creator Aaron Korsh executive produces alongside David Bartis and Doug Liman via their Hypnotic production banner and Gene Klein, who were EPs with him on the original series.
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