The Townsville Bulleting have set up a special page dedicated the filming of Baz Luhrmann's Australia in Bowen. There are plenty of on-set snaps, and quite a wealth of information. The Bowen shoot only started yesterday, so there's lots more to come.
The Daily Telegraph - Oz version - have thirteen snaps from the set of Baz Luhrmann's Australia. One of them is a look at Nicole Kidman apparently in character, the rest show sets, props and Hugh Jackman up to a bit of horseplay. Giddy up.
The film looks to be, so far at least, quite astonishingly free of camp. Of course, there's no way the finished product will be.
Here's the latest e-mail I sent to Fox regarding the Wolverine review debacle:
Mr. Zedeck,
Here's the content of an e-mail I have today received:
Ok I am an American copyright lawyer.
Apparently they are claiming copyright infringement. Your review, however, contains almost no copying of their material. You include exactly a grand total of one sentence of direct quotation ("You brainwashed me...") and although it's true that the fair use standard is more strict for unpublished material (See Harper & Row v. Nation), quoting *one single sentence* is fair use beyond any possible doubt. Fair use "of a copyrighted work, including such use by reproduction in copies or phonorecords or by any other means specified by that section, for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting... is not an infringement of copyright." 17 U.S.C. section 107.
Here, a single sentence from an entire film script is copied for the purposes of criticism and news reporting. Fair use clearly applies here and is a defense to a claim of copyright infringement.
Feel free to forward this back to Fox and ask them to clarify how exactly you're infringing on their intellectual property.
Quotes from e-mail ends.
The thing is, that single line they say I quoted from the script isn't even a quote, just a sample of information.
I haven't engaged a counsel. Do you know why? Because three well known webmasters, two well known film producers and countless other people - such as this anonymous, apparent (I admit he may not be) copyright lawyer - have illustrated to me in coutnless ways that, actually, I'm doing nothing wrong.
I'm simply expressing an opion. On a truly awful script.
In any case, had you pressurised me into removing the script, the piece I replaced it with would have been much, much worse.
You, see I know several places online where this script can be downloaded. And I can prove that these downlaod options pre-existed before I had ever even saw the thing. And I could put links anywhere and everywhere I wanted to, and the web would be flooded with reviews far less respectful than mine.
And I could replace this initial review, one that intrigues and tempts people, with a second version - simple kill piece that repeats again and again how bad a script I felt it to be, with nothing more. No mitigation, just an expression of repulsion.
Neither of these will be good news for the film's PR.
So, please, be thankful that I haven't moved to either of those measures.
Brendon Connelly
Below is the full text of an e-mail I tonight received from Fox IP. They're trying to pressure me into removing the scathingly negative review I posted of their Wolverine script. As far as I can see, there's no reason for me to remove the review. It's a review! So, please, take a look at the letter and if you're legally trained, please leave genuine advice in the comments. I don't want to take the review down if I don't have to. People are interested in it.
Oh, and by the way - the script is bad. And it looks like Brett Ratner is the front-runner to direct. Sorry, Wolverine fans.
First of all, let me stress that in my review of the Wolverine script I expressed a very, very strong opinion. A very, very stongly negative opinion. If you were to ask me what I thought of the Wolverine script, I'd have shaken my head, told you how bad I felt X-Men 3 was and then expressed how Wolverine was another, even bigger, step down in quality for the franchise. I'd tell you how it seemed to me that the thing just didn't hang together at all well.
To appease a couple of other folks involved in film ick, I have temporarily removed the Wolverine review that once existed at this URL. We know that Fox didn't have a leg to stand on, but some folks didn't want to spend the time necessary to prove it. Until these people's relationship with film ick is over, the review will be removed - at least, from this page. I might be the most active film ick person, but look at the list of contributors: I'm not the only one. And why would I want to upset my friends? If they say remove it, I'll do so, until restoring it could no longer effect them.
It doesn't matter anyway. The review lives on elsewhere. And in an increasing number of places too. And it will reach many, many more - and Fox will never have a chance to stem it. The thing will spread like a virus - partly to teach them a lesson, perhaps.
If you have the review and you want to post it anywhere, anywhere at all, feel free to put a link in the comments below. Get yourself some extra traffic, maybe. And if you have the script itself, I certainly wouldn't discourage you from mailing that around either. The more reviews the merrier, I say.
And just remember: the full review at least told you why I didn't like the script, gave you more of a chance to disagree. All that remains now is a simple statement: I read the Wolverine script and I absolutely hated it.
