Favourite film

Inglourious Basterds (pictured right). It’s classic Tarantino: challenging us with originality, violence, a compelling story of revenge and not a dull moment. He adds a confronting, curiously-spelt title. Loved it. We’re a bloodthirsty lot.

Biggest news story 

An inglourious basterd of another kind: Bernie Madoff. When Madoff went to trial in March we knew that Hollywood had not escaped the biggest inglourious Ponzi scheme ever revealed.  Household names included Spielberg, Katzenberg, Malkovich, Bacon and went beyond to the Royal Bank of Scotland (investing in Pinewood) and the Engelbardt family and its extensive film investments …   Sounds like it could be another Tarantino film, starring Spielberg, Katzenberg, Malkovich, Bacon, et al.

There was also the demise of Miramax, Paramount Vantage, Warner Independent. Early on no-one would have believed that Weinstein’s showcase Miramax could fail but it did this year when Disney cast it adrift in October.  We were shocked to see those other two specialty labels Paramount Vantage and Warner Independent suffer the same fate.  Inglourious basterds all… 

Changes in store for 2010

Worldwide, the film industry is in an inglorious state: big challenges with money hard to find and distributors who’ve lost their nerve. We’ve got to take the lead from Tarantino and make films that every basterd wants!