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Weekend Box Office Project Greenlight 2 Chat
by Lee Tistaert
and Stephen Lucas

Stephen: You saw how well things turned out when they started listening to people in the editing room – why couldn't they do that weeks before? This movie may have been for the better, though.

Lee: Well, you learn from your mistakes; I think they realized that communication is key from the get-go. It seemed like they didn’t consider themselves as directors from the start – more so like they were waiting for the studio and producers to tell them what to do. Chris Moore said something like that – Kyle and Efram didn’t realize how much authority they held.

Stephen: Yeah I know.

Lee: And then Efram asks for a car...

Stephen: Yeah, classic Efram.

Lee: Despite being showcased as an idiot occasionally, I thought he was kind of funny.

Stephen: See those were the things that got to me in the early episodes, with those directors.

Lee: I think one of the mistakes made in season 1 was showing Jeff Balis as the guy who never knew what was going on. Whenever he was on-screen, he'd usually be getting yelled at for not doing things right as co-producer. It made it seem like anybody could be producer. This time around, they showed the knowledgeable Balis.

Stephen: Balis was one of my favorite people this season – he and Moore.

Lee: Balis isn't as down to earth as Moore, but he has signs of greatness – he did in fact persuade over Moore near the end of this season, saving the movie.

Stephen: They weren't shown as jerks as they were in the first season. PGL seemed kind of anti-studio last season because of those types of things, and Miramax's dark hand always swooping in. This season it seems more collaborative between the film and Miramax; there was more communication, and seemingly more interest.

Lee: I think Season 1 in general showcased too much of the negative shooting aspects, and then when the movie was released, everyone had a very iffy look on the flick, which is why barely anyone saw it. Now with Shaker, they gave more of a universal spin to the season, at least in what we were shown.

Stephen: Then again, "Stolen Summer" was a much more restricting film in general.

Lee: And with Shaker Heights' $10,000 per-screen average opening weekend, I think it worked compared to the $4,500 average of Stolen Summer. I saw Shaker Heights with probably three times the amount of people that were at Stolen Summer, and Summer was also in its first weekend.

Stephen: Plus, you had Shia in "Shaker" as opposed to the two weak child actors from "Stolen."

Lee: Stolen Summer wasn't very marketable to young viewers. In the pre-production stages one of the Miramax executives even asked, "What's the audience for this movie?" and Affleck replied, "People with a heart."

Stephen: August has been an incredibly boring, dry, and lifeless month this year. Its biggest hit ("S.W.A.T.") was all of those things. Then comes along "The Battle of Shaker Heights" halfway through the month, and it may capture interest.

Lee: Stolen Summer was actually quite a mixed bag of a marketing product, because you're not going after a set group of people. I myself don't even know who it was aimed for. Shaker is more of like a 16 – 30 crowd – it’s more defined.

Stephen: True. Sadly, Miramax wasn't bold enough to open it in wide release -- leaving me cold, outside a major city -- because it could have earned my $8.

Lee: I don't know, I'm not sure how successful it would've done in wide release at first. As popular as the show is, I'm not so sure a lot of people would show up. If it was wide, it might've averaged the same as Stolen Summer, if that.

Stephen: Maybe, but Shaker seems to be like a film that can capture good word of mouth.

Lee: Not everyone knows what Project Greenlight is. I had to explain it to the friend I was with.

Stephen: Yeah, but still, it has mass appeal. Maybe not "mass" appeal, but more than what the release gives it.

Lee: Shaker is more of a crowd pleaser. There was one sequence that almost got the crowd clapping; they seemed to really enjoy it - a lot of "that was pretty good" comments afterwards.

Stephen: Understandable. And without that three-way hug...

Lee: Yeah some of the scenes were gone. Strategically, though, they improved the season. Not just with the season ending with the movie release, but they showed more of the process - like with casting and test screenings, which for the latter, a lot of people aren't aware of it.

Stephen: However much I want to make the analogy, no one really knew what "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" was before it grew an audience.

Lee: They pulled a daring move for Shaker in revealing the test screening on the show, since the movie scored average at first before going back to editing it, but it's at least informing people to how much stress there is before the movie is released. With Stolen Summer, they just showed the Sundance footage.

Stephen: "The Battle of Shaker Heights" already has PGL fans and other film enthusiasts' interest, and if it's good enough, the film could succeed; I know I'd take a group of friends to see it. "Shaker" may not be the usual teenage movie, but there have been films that succeed being coming-of-age dramedies.

Lee: The audience at my screening in general looked sort of PGL-ish.

Stephen: How's that? The people that were in that theater most likely were in your boat. Not everyone was dying to see how "The Battle of Shaker Heights" turned out; most people may still be waiting for their friend to rave about it until they go to the theater to see it.

Lee: Well, usually with audiences that are in tune to who the filmmakers are, the enthusiasm in the room can be a little stronger than just the norm crowd just there for a movie. It seemed like people were responding to the movie partly because they knew of the show – it was more personal.

Stephen: Yeah, but as I said, the people that rushed to see "Shaker" most likely were PGL fans, and with continued recommendations from moviegoers, others may soon follow in stride.

Project Greenlight 2 Chat Continued >>


Shaker Heights Total US Box Office: $0.279000 million

Stephen's Review: Rather predictable and it borders on mediocrity oftentimes, but for the most part, LaBoeuf kept me interested. [ C+ ]
Lee's Review: Shaker Heights is not a must-see, nor is it solid entertainment, but it does just enough to get by on a reasonable recommendation. [ B- ]
Visitor Rating Average: B (12 votes)
Seen It? Rate It: A B C D F