Nate Fleming's Blog, page 46
March 13, 2014
Darren Aronofsky’s Interesting Point of View of Noah
I read this, and was struck by the similarities and differences between Mr. Aronofsky and myself, connected to this story of the Genesis flood.
According to this document, which has been displayed at the Noah art show Aronofsky threw in NYC to commemorate his epic film, he was attempting to do with Noah precisely what I was trying to do with Thimblerig’s Ark, except he was using the people, and I used the animals.
I was really struck by Aronofsky’s mention of his team, and I give him props for having a team. Me? I had no team. I had my MacBook Pro and my imagination.
Well, that’s not exactly true. I did have a team. First, I had my family who gave me leave to write. Then, I had a group of intrepid beta readers who gave me invaluable feedback a couple of months ago and helped me push Thimblerig to the next level. I had and have a cadre of good friends who have encouraged me to press on with finishing my first novel.
So, it seems that Mr. Aronofsky and I are more alike than I thought. And I wish him success with his multi-million dollar epic film that will be seen by millions worldwide, and I also wish success for myself and whoever happens to find my quiet little book.
Thimblerig’s Ark is available as a Kindle download on Amazon, and will be available for free this weekend, March 15 and 16. Please tell your friends and pass it on!
March 11, 2014
Aronofsky’s Noah Bows In Mexico… So, How Is It?
So, Noah has finally premiered, on March 10 in Mexico City and it will apparently play in several different countries before finally opening in the United States on March 28. When trying to figure out why the film premiered in unlikely Mexico City, some have said that it was a strategic choice because of Mexico’s large Catholic population.
When asked why Mexico City was chosen as the film’s premiere locations, director Darren Aronofsky said,
When the distro asked me where I wanted to have the premiere I said I wanted to have it in Mexico, because I love Mexico. As you know, I have come here many times. In fact, I have been here three times this year.
The economic decision (getting a largely religious audience in your corner from the get-go) seems to make more sense, but I suppose the fact that the director likes the country is as good a reason as any.
And what was Mexico’s response?
The articles linked above show that people generally liked it, but that it was thought to be slow in parts.
There were a few reviewers on hand, and they were apparently not permitted to officially review the film until it is released in the U.S. Some did do a bit of tweeting, sharing their initial thoughts, which were pretty positive and upbeat.
Noah has a pro-science pro-faith tone, but for the most part, I don’t know why religious viewers would have issues with the adaptation.
— Peter Sciretta (@slashfilm) March 11, 2014
I think NOAH is going to be one I end up defending a bunch. It’s odd and it’s flawed but it’s ambitious and thoughtful in ways I loved.
— Mystery Devin Faraci (@devincf) March 11, 2014
Noah – Aronofsky’s take on biblical story is solid, with some amazing scenes + a focus on character above all. Loved most but not all of it.
— Alex Billington (@firstshowing) March 11, 2014
And while this is not from Mexico City, I did come across this interesting tweet:
I have just seen Noah w/ several colleagues & dialogued extensively w/ Darren Aronofsky. This is a deeply important film. More soon.
— Gregory Thornbury (@greg_thornbury) March 7, 2014
Thornbury is the president of King’s College in NYC, and is – from everything I’ve heard – a pretty solid theologian.
So what does all of this mean? It means that the plot continues to thicken as we head towards general release.
Now, if I could only get them to post my picture on their Noah fan art website…
Thimblerig’s Ark Cover
Artwork by Burton Booz
And don’t forget! Thimblerig’s Ark will be available for free download on March 15 from Amazon!
March 9, 2014
March 7, 2014
Noah Film Taboo in Muslim Countries
Apparently, Egypt is not the only place where Aronofsky’s Noah will not be seen. Reports have been coming from other Middle Eastern countries who are refusing to show the auteur director’s vision of the Biblical character of Noah, for the very same reasons.
Several nations ban the release of Noah because of the film’s depiction of Noah the prophet
Thankfully, there haven’t been any more reports of threats to “destroy” theaters should the film be shown. But this just continues to add to the interesting dilemma that exists with American filmmakers trying to tap into the lucrative religious market in the United States. Overseas markets are a pretty substantial chunk of the returns on major films these days, and when the subject of the film is religious, the overseas response has to be taken into consideration.
Another recent film with obvious religious overtones has been Burnett and Downey’s Son of God, which is a film about the life of Jesus. While well-received among Christian audiences, the film has been largely panned by many as being poor filmmaking about a good subject. But will the film play well in Muslim countries? Apparently not, since most Muslim countries consider Jesus a prophet, and therefore taboo for filmmaking. But how much do Muslim markets matter to the final numbers? Not much, apparently, as the films are being made and released in any market that will have them. Even under threat of theaters being destroyed.
This is one of those moments that I’m glad to be a lowly little author trying to get a book published, rather than a studio executive, trying to market a controversial film.
