Uwe Boll, the German filmmaker best known for his film versions of video games, is helming two movies about World War II. Both films were shot back to back. One is based on a video game and features zombie Nazis. The other?
Uwe Boll is alleged to be committing second-degree filmmaking again, this time as a sequel to his last Bloodrayne film, with or without a sequel to the actual video game.
This weekend, burlesque troupe Devil’s Playground did their best video game cosplaying, then did what normally happens at such events: they got mostly naked. But the undressing was handled with respect for the games referenced.
We often think: Either director Uwe Boll doesn’t get it, or he really, really gets it. Bad flick after bad flick, yet Uwe Boll keeps getting his game-to-film adaptations made. And the man’s got loads of opinions about the movie industry, what’s wrong with it, and how he can make it better. From Boll’s self-penned written rant titled “The Film market — or THERE IS NO MONEY IN MOVIES”:
I will stop here before I start writing about totally overpaid agents, managers, agents, and studio executives in L.A. living in airballoons as long they can rip money out of the world outside of L.A. or the major companies. If I would run a studio I would do the same movies for half of the production costs in throwing the cokeheads out and cutting the bullshit of breakfast, lunch, and dinner meetings with idiots who never made a movie in their life. I can shoot a movie like Fantastic Four 2 in half of the time for half of the money shot by shot.
Boll breaks down the problems with the film industry and what he can do to help. (And no, it’s not stop making movies. DAMMIT.)
How could Uwe Boll’s Bloodrayne go wrong? They had a hot video game property, a gorgeous leading lady in Kristanna Loken, Phantom star Billy Zane…oh there we go. You should never listen to Billy Zane. According to a suit filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, Boll is suing the Phantom star for $US 700,000 in lost revenues over the 2006 ‘film’. Zane allegedly suggested that Romar Entertainment handle the distribution of the film, with a $US 10 million advance going to the company towards a promised 2,000 screen opening, which explains where Bloodrayne’s special effects budget went. The movie went on to open on only 950 screens, making back only $US 4 million of its $US 25 million budget. Boll claims that $US 900,000 of that $US 10 million advance went to Billy Zane and Romar principal James Schramm. If Boll’s claims holds true, this would mean he began losing money on Bloodrayne before the movie was even released. The man is a master filmmaker, ladies and gentlemen.
Uwe Boll sues Billy Zane [The Hollywood Reporter - Thanks MrPants!]
Uwe Boll’s In The Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale didn’t do so well at the box office this weekend, making back a mere $US 3.3 million of its $US 70 million budget. Hell, I even forgot to go see it in the face of more interesting pursuits – my toenails are now neatly trimmed and filed. Now that he’s suffered three bombs in a row (BloodRayne and Alone in the Dark completing his hat trick of suck) and his German tax shelter funds have dried up, Boll concedes defeat reveals his true passion. “In the future, I will focus on small films such as (the video game adaptation) ‘Postal’ or (the Vietnam war drama) ‘Tunnel Rats,’ ” he said. “These are films that represent my true passion, and they can be done with small budgets.”
Which is all I can afford, so it’s mighty convenient that they’re my true passion. If they really are where his heart lies, he should have just stuck with them in the first place, saving us all a lot of pain and suffering. Oh well, all’s well that ends well.
Boll ejected from big-budget ring [The Hollywood Reporter]