Cinema BUZZ - Week of 26 May 2013

Fast and Furious Drives Under the Radar

Kicking Boxoffice Ass and Loving It

With over a $3 billion franchise gross F&F is now in the elite of movie blockbuster moneymakers, and it appears to have accomplished that feat without a lot of Hollywood hoopla.  It is simply a case of giving F&F fans what they want - more and more of the same.  As Director Justin Lin says,  "This is the only set on earth where I can wreck 250 cars and no one bats an eye."

Given its past success, it was no surprise when Fast & Furious 6 raked in over $122 million stateside - a Memorial weekend record breaker - and an additional $200 million overseas and dominated over The Hangover, Gatsby, Star Trek, and Iron Man.  The draw of the franchise is that it remains true to its theme and the core cast (which has a huge fan following) remains. Diesel, Walker, Johnson, Rodriguez, and Brewster cast perfectly and appeal to fans as 'family'  (if you don't know who I'm taking about you're not a F&F fan). And the fan base is maybe not what you think.  F&F-6 moviegoers were 51% male and 57% over 25.

F&F-6 will gate at least $500 million at movie theatres globally - as it is a franchise that bridges social and national biases. It has found huge success in filming over-the-top, best in the business, action scenes coupled with a strong cast and plausible scripts.

Best thing about Fast & Furious - there is no end in sight!


Stranger Than Fiction

Behind the Candelabra, a film about the life of Liberace, includes Matt Damon as Scott Thorson, Liberace's long-time lover and soul mate. The movie, based upon Thorson's book of the same name, will debut at cinemas on June 7th, however, Scott Thorson won't be able to view it as he is currently an inmate at the Washoe county jail in Reno, Nevada. 

Without doubt, in this case, Truth is really stranger than Fiction. In 1977, Thorson, then 17, moved in with Liberace, and showered with gifts and a life style beyond anything Thorson could have ever imagined. He was both Liberace's boy toy and son all rolled into one.  This relationship lasted until 1982 when Thorson was abruptly ousted by Liberace due to Thorson's use of drugs - the two later reconciled before Liberace's death in 1987.  But Thorson went on and the trick to following his life is separating the strange from the unbelievable.

Currently in jail, Scott Thorson (now Jess Marlow, as he claims he changed his name when he entered the Federal Witness Protection Program - which is refuted by  Federal Marshals and makes sense as Thorson ended up at the Haven of Rest, a homeless shelter in Tallahassee, Florida).  At the Haven, Thorson found religion and became a popular evangelical often discussing his life with Liberace. Thorson's story goes on from there and could easily, in itself, become a movie.

Of his relationship with Liberace, Thorson has only to roll up his sleeve to reveal a tattoo with the name 'Liberace' surrounded by floating musical notes, plus the years that Liberace lived and a yellow rose.  "His favorite color," Thorson says.

Liberace was one-of-a-kind. A very talented pianist who intertwined his flare for extravagance into his showmanship and persona.  With an imitation following that includes Elvis, Michael Jackson, Elton John, and Lady Gaga just to name several he will last as a flamboyant figure in entertainment history.

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Jim Lavorato