Vampires + Russians + Slo-Mo= Night Watch (trailer inside)
07-23-04, 03:29 AM
#1
DVD Talk Special Edition
Thread Starter
Night Watch
When blockbusters go Russian
By Erin E. Arvedlund (NYT)
Thursday, July 22, 2004
MOSCOW: Russia's first homemade blockbuster movie, “Night Watch,” is beating out American feature films like “Spider-Man 2” and “Troy” here, and the director and producer admit - proudly - that they relied on a time-tested Hollywood formula to draw in millions of viewers.
“It was a concept,” the director, Timur Bekmambetov, said in an interview, including bloody and dazzling special effects (all-Russian programmers and postproduction, except for sound), savvy demographics (Soviet-era actors cast with contemporary television stars) and a peculiarly Russian story line that was based on the eponymous science-fiction novel by Sergei Lukyanenko.
Moreover, even some of the hard-to-impress Russian film critics are giving it a thumbs-up.
"Quite witty, sufficiently bloody, beautiful and expensive,” quips one Russian newspaper. Others compare it to “The Matrix,” “Star Wars,” even “The Lord of the Rings,” which stole the show at the Academy Awards this year.
“Night Watch” raked in 102 million rubles, $3.50 million, in its first four days, beating the previous weekend's four-day start of "Spider-Man 2," which took in $3.48 million.
And as of Monday it had grossed slightly less than "Spider-Man 2," with $8.5 million, but booked more ticket sales, with 2.2 million viewers in Russia, the Ukraine and Kazakhstan, according to the movie's producer, Konstantin Ernst.
Why is this Russian movie hotter than Hollywood's global fare? Russian audiences are hungering for movies with context and characters in which they see themselves.
“People got tired of seeing movies filmed in New York, which seemed exotic and which presented no context for their daily lives,” Ernst said.
One film's success is not necessarily a trend, but “Night Watch” is a sign that the Russian movie business is reviving after nearly 15 years of stagnation.
“Russian movies were generally art-house pictures, director-oriented, and having nothing to do with mass culture,” said Alexei Prostiakov, a film critic.
After perestroika, the movie business was in ruins, churning out B-movies with bad scripts. And after the Soviet Union collapsed, the industry nearly stopped making movies altogether, and instead greedily snapped up anything Western.
But with “Night Watch,” the filmmakers aimed for a Hollywood-style hit, hiring a top commercial director, pouring money into marketing and special effects and shooting for a summer release.
The result? “Night Watch” combines the high-tech cinematic style of “Blade” with the sinister appeal of Mikhail Bulgakov's Moscow-based novel “Master and Margarita.”
And like “The Lord of the Rings,” this Russian movie's chief marketing tool is that it produces natural-born sequels. The production company, Channel One, one of Russia's three state-controlled television and programming companies, decided to film three “Night Watch” movies back to back, and the next one, “Day Watch,” is due out in a matter of months.
There have been other well-received and profitable Russian movies, including “Boomer,” “Brigade” and “Brat.”
But “Night Watch” is different: “We have grossed more money in the first two weeks, and we have many more viewers,” Ernst said.
So far the film has grossed $8.5 million in 11 days, and that is expected to increase to at least $10 million to $12 million over the next few weeks.
That's four or five times as much as some of the more popular films of recent years.
Based on a trilogy by the science fiction author, the movie spins a supernatural tale of a thousand-year-old treaty between forces of good, or “light,” and evil, or “dark” - all against the backdrop of a modern-day metropolis.
Bekmambetov, like the book's author, hails from the former Soviet republic of Kazakhstan, and he said that the film's battle between those forces of light and dark was very important to its appeal. " We had a strong Communist ideology for 70 years, then it crashed, and now we are creating a new infrastructure," he said. "And this story, Sergei's book, helps create that.”
Bekmambetov achieved his initial fame with a colorful series of television commercials for Imperial Bank, consumer goods companies such as Procter Gamble and Wimm-Bill-Dann, one of the few Russian companies now traded on the New York Stock Exchange.
The director had made other award-winning films, but he spent most of the bleak years of the 1990s doing television advertisements, when capitalism was filing the moral vacuum.
“In that time, ads were the only ideology this country had," Bekmambetov said. "It was only the art or culture creating the good and the bad.”
Advertising was key in the success of “Night Watch,” and Channel One launched an unprecedented marketing campaign prior to the premiere, proliferating hundreds of billboards and posters all over Moscow, as well as stirring trailers on evening prime-time television.
Like its Hollywood cousins, “Night Watch” has spawned a loyal, potentially cult, following.
The “Illustrated Guide” on the film's visual effects has already appeared on the Internet (www.dozorfilm.ru). Stylistically, the movie is reminiscent of David Fincher's “Fight Club” and “Seven,” and “Terminator 2,” and is “a big step forward on the commercial side for the Russian movie business,” Postiakov said.
“I always felt a little embarrassed for Russian movies. It was like the Stone Age in terms of special effects and editing. This one? You can love it or not, but it's a very high quality film.”
The New York Times
By Erin E. Arvedlund (NYT)
Thursday, July 22, 2004
MOSCOW: Russia's first homemade blockbuster movie, “Night Watch,” is beating out American feature films like “Spider-Man 2” and “Troy” here, and the director and producer admit - proudly - that they relied on a time-tested Hollywood formula to draw in millions of viewers.
“It was a concept,” the director, Timur Bekmambetov, said in an interview, including bloody and dazzling special effects (all-Russian programmers and postproduction, except for sound), savvy demographics (Soviet-era actors cast with contemporary television stars) and a peculiarly Russian story line that was based on the eponymous science-fiction novel by Sergei Lukyanenko.
Moreover, even some of the hard-to-impress Russian film critics are giving it a thumbs-up.
"Quite witty, sufficiently bloody, beautiful and expensive,” quips one Russian newspaper. Others compare it to “The Matrix,” “Star Wars,” even “The Lord of the Rings,” which stole the show at the Academy Awards this year.
“Night Watch” raked in 102 million rubles, $3.50 million, in its first four days, beating the previous weekend's four-day start of "Spider-Man 2," which took in $3.48 million.
And as of Monday it had grossed slightly less than "Spider-Man 2," with $8.5 million, but booked more ticket sales, with 2.2 million viewers in Russia, the Ukraine and Kazakhstan, according to the movie's producer, Konstantin Ernst.
Why is this Russian movie hotter than Hollywood's global fare? Russian audiences are hungering for movies with context and characters in which they see themselves.
“People got tired of seeing movies filmed in New York, which seemed exotic and which presented no context for their daily lives,” Ernst said.
One film's success is not necessarily a trend, but “Night Watch” is a sign that the Russian movie business is reviving after nearly 15 years of stagnation.
“Russian movies were generally art-house pictures, director-oriented, and having nothing to do with mass culture,” said Alexei Prostiakov, a film critic.
After perestroika, the movie business was in ruins, churning out B-movies with bad scripts. And after the Soviet Union collapsed, the industry nearly stopped making movies altogether, and instead greedily snapped up anything Western.
But with “Night Watch,” the filmmakers aimed for a Hollywood-style hit, hiring a top commercial director, pouring money into marketing and special effects and shooting for a summer release.
The result? “Night Watch” combines the high-tech cinematic style of “Blade” with the sinister appeal of Mikhail Bulgakov's Moscow-based novel “Master and Margarita.”
And like “The Lord of the Rings,” this Russian movie's chief marketing tool is that it produces natural-born sequels. The production company, Channel One, one of Russia's three state-controlled television and programming companies, decided to film three “Night Watch” movies back to back, and the next one, “Day Watch,” is due out in a matter of months.
There have been other well-received and profitable Russian movies, including “Boomer,” “Brigade” and “Brat.”
But “Night Watch” is different: “We have grossed more money in the first two weeks, and we have many more viewers,” Ernst said.
So far the film has grossed $8.5 million in 11 days, and that is expected to increase to at least $10 million to $12 million over the next few weeks.
That's four or five times as much as some of the more popular films of recent years.
Based on a trilogy by the science fiction author, the movie spins a supernatural tale of a thousand-year-old treaty between forces of good, or “light,” and evil, or “dark” - all against the backdrop of a modern-day metropolis.
Bekmambetov, like the book's author, hails from the former Soviet republic of Kazakhstan, and he said that the film's battle between those forces of light and dark was very important to its appeal. " We had a strong Communist ideology for 70 years, then it crashed, and now we are creating a new infrastructure," he said. "And this story, Sergei's book, helps create that.”
Bekmambetov achieved his initial fame with a colorful series of television commercials for Imperial Bank, consumer goods companies such as Procter Gamble and Wimm-Bill-Dann, one of the few Russian companies now traded on the New York Stock Exchange.
The director had made other award-winning films, but he spent most of the bleak years of the 1990s doing television advertisements, when capitalism was filing the moral vacuum.
“In that time, ads were the only ideology this country had," Bekmambetov said. "It was only the art or culture creating the good and the bad.”
Advertising was key in the success of “Night Watch,” and Channel One launched an unprecedented marketing campaign prior to the premiere, proliferating hundreds of billboards and posters all over Moscow, as well as stirring trailers on evening prime-time television.
Like its Hollywood cousins, “Night Watch” has spawned a loyal, potentially cult, following.
The “Illustrated Guide” on the film's visual effects has already appeared on the Internet (www.dozorfilm.ru). Stylistically, the movie is reminiscent of David Fincher's “Fight Club” and “Seven,” and “Terminator 2,” and is “a big step forward on the commercial side for the Russian movie business,” Postiakov said.
“I always felt a little embarrassed for Russian movies. It was like the Stone Age in terms of special effects and editing. This one? You can love it or not, but it's a very high quality film.”
The New York Times
04-07-05, 08:37 PM
#2
DVD Talk Hall of Fame
Vampires + Russians + Slo-Mo= Night Watch (trailer inside)
http://www.apple.com/trailers/fox_se...tch/large.html
I think its looks kinda cool. Maybe i'm just stupid, though.
I think its looks kinda cool. Maybe i'm just stupid, though.
04-07-05, 08:45 PM
#4
DVD Talk Limited Edition
I must be stupid too, because it looks really interesting. Definitely stylish and moody. I'm curious about the trilogy bit, whether they are already done and we are only seeing them now or if they still have more to shoot.
04-07-05, 09:27 PM
#8
DVD Talk Limited Edition
Last edited by candyrocket786; 04-07-05 at 09:31 PM.
04-08-05, 03:49 AM
#10
DVD Talk Godfather
Join Date: Apr 1999
Location: Gateway Cities/Harbor Region
Posts: 63,270
Received 1,793 Likes
on
1,121 Posts
Wow, that trailer looks really interesting and well done.
But then again so did the "Brotherhood of the Wolf" trailer and that movie sucked all kinds of ass. I hope this movie is as good as its trailer.
But then again so did the "Brotherhood of the Wolf" trailer and that movie sucked all kinds of ass. I hope this movie is as good as its trailer.
04-08-05, 09:41 AM
#13
DVD Talk Legend
Here's the International forum thread:
http://www.dvdtalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=378543
And a link to the NTSC DVD:
http://www.russiandvd.com/store/prod...d=&genresubid=
http://www.dvdtalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=378543
And a link to the NTSC DVD:
http://www.russiandvd.com/store/prod...d=&genresubid=
Last edited by bboisvert; 04-08-05 at 09:44 AM.
04-08-05, 09:55 AM
#14
DVD Talk Limited Edition
Join Date: Apr 2000
Location: NJ, the place where smiles go to die
Posts: 7,393
Likes: 0
Received 1 Like
on
1 Post
Wow, I didn't think this was the same Nightwatch but it is. This movie is old, I've had it on DVD for quite a while. It is indeed a great film, especialy considering how low the budget it. I'm surprised its actually coming to the states.
People really need to go region free, there is a whole world of movies out there besides what the mainstream media tells you.
People really need to go region free, there is a whole world of movies out there besides what the mainstream media tells you.
04-08-05, 10:03 AM
#15
DVD Talk Legend
Originally Posted by Sessa17
People really need to go region free, there is a whole world of movies out there besides what the mainstream media tells you.
04-08-05, 11:43 AM
#16
DVD Talk Legend
04-08-05, 01:27 PM
#17
Needs to contact an admin about multiple accounts
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: Las Vegas, NV
Posts: 2,730
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I hate to go against the grain here, but the trailer looks awful. Yet another overdirected, obnoxiously stylized "horror" film.
Besides, didn't UNDERWORLD just do this?
edit: I hope I'm wrong.
Besides, didn't UNDERWORLD just do this?
edit: I hope I'm wrong.
Last edited by scott shelton; 04-08-05 at 01:35 PM.
04-08-05, 09:59 PM
#18
DVD Talk Godfather
Join Date: Apr 1999
Location: Gateway Cities/Harbor Region
Posts: 63,270
Received 1,793 Likes
on
1,121 Posts
Originally Posted by scott shelton
I hate to go against the grain here, but the trailer looks awful. Yet another overdirected, obnoxiously stylized "horror" film.
Besides, didn't UNDERWORLD just do this?
edit: I hope I'm wrong.
Besides, didn't UNDERWORLD just do this?
edit: I hope I'm wrong.
Also, I've noticed how everyone bitches about the over use of sfx in American movies but when Foreign flicks do it suddenly it's ok. Because as many of us know,foreign movies can do no wrong. I guess the grass is always greener....
04-08-05, 11:06 PM
#19
DVD Talk Limited Edition
Originally Posted by scott shelton
I hate to go against the grain here, but the trailer looks awful. Yet another overdirected, obnoxiously stylized "horror" film.
Besides, didn't UNDERWORLD just do this?
edit: I hope I'm wrong.
Besides, didn't UNDERWORLD just do this?
edit: I hope I'm wrong.
04-09-05, 12:47 PM
#21
DVD Talk Legend
It's not the greatest movie ever, but it's not terrible. Personally, I would consider it a rental, or possibly a matinee ticket.
04-10-05, 11:57 PM
#24
DVD Talk Legend
Originally Posted by tyear8299
Did anyone notice that the website said that this was the first chapter in a trilogy?
The movie itself feels based on a trilogy. The first movie ends on a note that obviously would need more movies to resolve.
04-11-05, 05:37 AM
#25
DVD Talk Platinum Edition
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: WV
Posts: 3,178
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Teaser Trailer for DAYWATCH, the Russian Sequel to NIGHTWATCH Debuts Online:
http://www.aintitcool.com/display.cgi?id=19867
http://www.aintitcool.com/display.cgi?id=19867