This week, Neil Calloway looks at cases of the misuse of tax incentives in film… The tax incentives offered by various countries, and some US states, to film and TV production companies have been a good thing. Maybe not in if you live in Los Angeles, which has seen a decline in projects being shot […]
The Callow Way – Why Simon Pegg Was Wrong – And Right
This week, Neil Calloway takes a dim view of Simon Pegg’s comments on the film industry… This week Simon Pegg cited the French philosopher Jean Baudrillard in an attempt to clarify comments made in an earlier interview about the infantilization of film. Pegg said this “as a society, we are kept in a state of […]
The Callow Way – Why Cannes Still Matters
This week Neil Calloway looks at what winning the Palme d’Or can do to your box office… So we are in the middle of the Cannes Film Festival, and it’s easy to dismiss it as a two-week publicity vehicle for beautiful actresses to get photographed next to middle-aged European film directors on the Croisette, or […]
The Callow Way – How Films Predicted The UK General Election Result
This week Neil Calloway looks at a movie based way of predicting election outcomes… If you hadn’t noticed, there was a General Election in the UK this week. The result was probably best summed up by the American gentleman I overhead outside the Houses of Parliament on Friday, who said “The Prime Minister who was […]
The Callow Way – Do You Want To Own A Piece Of Your Favourite Star?
This week Neil Calloway looks at the possibility of owning shares in Hollywood stars… Have you heard of Fantex? Unless you’re a fan of American Football or the financial markets, or both, the chances are you haven’t. That may be about to change, however. Fantex was set up about a year ago, enabling people to […]
The Callow Way – On Politicians and Films
With less than two weeks before the UK General Election, Neil Calloway looks at the connections between politicians and the film industry… They say politics is show business for ugly people, but some people have crossed the line between the two, with varying degrees of success over the years. Whoever wins the UK General Election, […]
The Callow Way – Why Lib Dems Hate R2-D2, But UKIP Supporters Love Darth Vader
This week Neil Calloway uncovers a poll that surveys both voting intention and favourite Star Wars characters, with some unexpected results… On Thursday, the trailer for Star Wars: The Force Awakens dropped at around the same time as leaders of British political parties (minus David Cameron and Nick Clegg, who obviously stayed at home to […]
The Callow Way – The Death Of The Theatrical Premiere?
This week Neil Calloway looks at the changing face of how films are released… This week, two unrelated stories seemed like they could herald the end of films debuting in the cinema. First there was the news that Ricky Gervais’s new film, Special Correspondents, his third as director, would get its premiere on Netflix. This […]
The Callow Way – The Death Of The Mid Budget Film
This week, Neil Calloway looks at the recent collapse of two films, and the wider implications for Hollywood… Imagine if you’d secured Bruce Willis, or Robert De Niro and Robert Pattinson to star in your film, sorted out financing and actually started shooting; you’d be pretty happy. You wouldn’t be guaranteed a hit – in […]
The Callow Way – Why Stars Are Worth Their Huge Salaries
This week, Neil Calloway argues that a $25 million salary for a movie might not be as ridiculous as it first seems… This week the latest salaries of Hollywood stars were revealed; the top earner recently was Leonardo DiCaprio, who earned $25 million up front for The Wolf of Wall Street. Your first thought might […]
