Author Archives: Dennis Toth

This is truly a land of opportunity. Why, hardly a day goes by when I don’t receive various offers via e-mail, social networks or even the good old-fashioned telephone. I’ve got people in Africa who want to make me a millionaire, timeshare companies in Florida who want to treat me to a free vacation, and ... Read more

Death and taxes are life’s two certainties. However, death rarely changes its rules, while tax laws can be more fluid than the Mississippi during a flash flood. This is especially true with the system of tax incentives used by various states as an attraction for filmmakers. Various forms of tax breaks and rebates have been ... Read more

The Academy Awards are a bit like a hot dog. They’re popular, largely lacking in any nutritional value, and nobody needs to know how they’re made. That may be the real reason why they’re called the Oscars. But the Academy Awards are still viewed as the gold standard in the film industry. To be honest, ... Read more

On January 27, the YouTube movie comes of age. I mean movies made via YouTube for YouTube (as opposed to movies that just kind of get dumped there). This is the date for the premiere screening of Life in a Day at the Sundance Film Festival. The importance of this screening is not so much ... Read more

It has long been rumored that Martin Scorsese was planning to do a sequel to Taxi Driver. But why did he relocate the story to Tuscon, Arizona? OK, the old movie Taxi Driver is probably not particularly connected to last weekend’s massacre in Tuscon (though news reporters will soon be flocking in that direction). But ... Read more

Hard to believe it’s already 2011 and I still don’t have a flying car. No personal robot, either. I’m beginning to think I’m stuck in an endless loop of the 1990s. Much the same could be said of the list of projected movie releases for 2011. Maybe it has something to due with the fact ... Read more

Prophesy is a tough business. Even the best prophets have a pretty low accuracy rate, and the entire profession is open to many well-deserved bad jokes and cheap shots. The only positive side is that the job requires no advanced degree, and you get to make it all up. It’s my kind of work. Even ... Read more

Everybody occasionally says something that proves to be really stupid. It is simply part of the natural cycle of life. The real question is: Did we just blurt out a big stupid or a small stupid? Small is OK and quickly forgotten, but the big stupid can really stick with people. Jeffrey Bewkes, the CEO ... Read more

Have you recently been suffering from a recurring nightmare in which Mel Gibson chases after you with a beaver attached to his hand? I know, it’s really scary. The whole idea sends a cold chill down Sigmund Freud‘s spine. But the upcoming release of The Beaver is also a major example of the odd twilight ... Read more

The fastest way to get the old guard in Hollywood steamed is to utter the phrase: “predictive model.” It works like magic as a room full of suits turns into a pack of Popeyes shooting steam out of their ears. Then for real fireworks, just add the word “database.” Suddenly, the whole place looks like ... Read more