MINAMATA Updates

SnoopyDances · Unread post by **SnoopyDances** » Tue Feb 15, 2022 7:57 pm

I'd love to see it in theaters, but it is nowhere near STL.

I'll have to wait for a streaming version.

Newt · Unread post by **Newt** » Wed Feb 16, 2022 6:05 am

What's annoying is that the film is available on Blu Ray in multiple countries but none of them (on purpose perhaps?) have English subtitles for the Japanese portions which are pretty substantial. I'm keeping my eye on a UK Blu Ray release but nothing so far.

Unread post by **fireflydances** » Wed Feb 16, 2022 5:51 pm

My fears are being realized. I just checked with the Regal theater where I saw Minamata last Saturday. The movie's last day will be tomorrow, Thursday Feb 17th -- only a 2pm showing. As of Friday, Feb 18th it is gone. It is already gone from the other Washington DC area theater.

This is too good a movie to disappear like this. It's got me heartsick. No, not this one.

justintime · Unread post by **justintime** » Wed Feb 16, 2022 8:28 pm

https://www.dw.com/en/2022-oscars-to-in ... a-60701847

Exerpt re: “….inclusion of top film voted by Twitter users.” Only a one sentence-mention of Minamata, along with the lone promo pic, said it all:

“Shortly after the announcement, Twitter users began posting their choices online. Johnny Depp-starrer "Minamata" seemed to be one of the favorites among social media users.”

Keep up the good work. Maybe this is sufficient impetus for distribution to feel justified in daring to expand its current EXRTREMELY limited theater presence.

Newt · Unread post by **Newt** » Thu Feb 17, 2022 11:33 am

IFOD is indeed saying tomorrow's the last day in most theaters which doesn't make any sense to me. If there's no expansion and that's it, then Samuel Goldwyn just gave it a token release just so it would qualify for awards. So bizarre. Or it didn't perform at all, but I've seen no numbers for it.

Unread post by **fireflydances** » Thu Feb 17, 2022 3:42 pm

A token release, but...wasn't it already pretty clear that no one in Hollywood was ever going hand any award to a film so closely associated with Johnny? I think it's downright wrong that priority was given to getting an award OVER giving Depp fans a real chance to see this film. And that really bothers me, bugs me --- we are the bosses, right?

Frankly I am worried that the same thing is going to befall us when it comes to acquiring a copy of the film to play at home, or getting Netflix etc. to stream it. Any of us who are long time Johnny fans have been down this road before. I remember the days when I 'saw' The Brave in 12-15 minutes clips on YouTube. How can one be a fan if one cannot get EASY access to the films?

I am deeply grateful that I was lucky enough to get to see Minamata on a big screen all by myself. Absolutely the BEST film I have seen recently and I am in love with it. But, heck -- everybody who wants to see it should get the chance. And soon, not two years in the future.

I know I will not stop talking about this on social media, and I hope others think of of ways to actively stand up for a chance to see this wonderful film.

Newt · Unread post by **Newt** » Fri Feb 18, 2022 3:00 am

I'm not worried about a DVD/Blu Ray release considering Samuel Goldwyn Films has put out indie films with tiny budgets on Blu Ray recently.

About the release, I can't believe anyone seriously believed they had a shot. Award frontrunners are established already by the time we hit November or something. Samuel Goldwyn Films got the film far too late to be able to get any traction whatsoever. I mean, the film didn't get any traction either in local award bodies, so there was never any shot here.

But we'll see if more theaters end up appearing.

Unread post by **fireflydances** » Fri Feb 18, 2022 5:00 pm

Newt wrote: ↑
Fri Feb 18, 2022 3:00 am
I'm not worried about a DVD/Blu Ray release considering Samuel Goldwyn Films has put out indie films with tiny budgets on Blu Ray recently.

About the release, I can't believe anyone seriously believed they had a shot. Award frontrunners are established already by the time we hit November or something. Samuel Goldwyn Films got the film far too late to be able to get any traction whatsoever. I mean, the film didn't get any traction either in local award bodies, so there was never any shot here.

But we'll see if more theaters end up appearing.

That's good about Samuel Godwyn and indie movies. Who knows, maybe that was always the plan -- first the award attempt and then immediately to Blu Ray.

The only thing I am sad about is that movies in theaters are a whole different animal. The hushed environment, the size of the screen, the sound system, the lounge chairs --- the antithesis of one's home movie experience. I do love the theater. In my heart of hearts I am still bleeding for a rundown theater whose seats sag and the floor is covered with chewed gum. Where you can sit through the same movie for three times in a row, and no one cares (dream on, yeah I know).

gipsyblues · Unread post by **gipsyblues** » Fri Feb 18, 2022 5:17 pm

dear fireflydances

Unread post by **fireflydances** » Fri Feb 18, 2022 6:53 pm

gipsyblues wrote: ↑
Fri Feb 18, 2022 5:17 pm
dear fireflydances

Sweeney Todd · Unread post by **Sweeney Todd** » Sat Feb 19, 2022 12:16 am

So were Johnny Depp’s, whose barely released and hardly seen indie drama Minimata was dropped into a theater finally after long legal delays in order to even qualify, but which received no attention from Oscar voters. That is defiantly not the case for Depp fans, one of whom tweeted “Let’s do it for Johnny.” Wouldn’t that be an Oscar moment for the ages if Minimata pulls it out? Even its director Andrew Levitas was tweeting it is his #OscarsFanFavorite.

Unread post by **fireflydances** » Sat Feb 19, 2022 11:01 am

Well, yeah, we are all trying --- I am doing maybe five a day (the thought of letting this go by seems wrong) but as someone says later on in that article:
“I’m trying to think of a dumber move the Academy has made. Sure, there are thousands, but quite possibly this could be it,” one longtime member wrote. But far more ominously, a good friend who has always religiously studied and loved the Oscars like I do, emailed me to ask, “Wait. Did I read this right? Why is the Academy handing out Oscars voted by fans tweets?” I explained there is NO physical Oscar at the end of this rainbow, but am still waiting to hear just what will be presented, if anything, to the eventual winner. “What’s next? Best Movie Kiss? I’m starting not to care about the Oscars. Sigh,” he replied."

There is one decent thing that could come out of all of this and that's to reinforce in the minds of those who finance movies that JD is still in the race, still an enormous draw. Of course we all knew that already, but this public display don't hurt.

Then, again, do I think JD cares about winning Hollywood awards? Nope. Look at the films Hollywood makes --- commercially successful but churned out like plastic crap copies of the real deal.

Anyway, I am still down for bringing Minamata back into theaters. Nothing else gonna satisfy me.

Unread post by **fireflydances** » Sat Feb 19, 2022 2:10 pm

Just found this on Facebook at Kevin Eugene Smith's page. I am not good at copying from Facebook but it's good news, maybe for someone here

Kevin Eugene Smith
2d ·
THE LAST DAY TO SEE "MINAMATA" IN MOST THEATERS WAS THURSDAY 2/17. But IT HAS BEEN EXTENDED FOR ANOTHER WEEK THROUGH 2/24 IN IRVINE, AUSTIN, ATLANTA, PORTLAND, KNOXVILLE, and BOULDER (2/20), at least. Maybe other places too; I didn't check them all. If you haven't made it to "Minamata" yet, PLEASE CHECK DATES AND TIMES IN YOUR AREA by using one of these links:

https://www.ifod.net/minamata-na/
https://www.fandango.com/minamata-2022- ... e-overview

gipsyblues · Unread post by **gipsyblues** » Sat Feb 19, 2022 5:25 pm

fireflydances wrote: ↑
Sat Feb 19, 2022 11:01 am
Well, yeah, we are all trying --- I am doing maybe five a day (the thought of letting this go by seems wrong) but as someone says later on in that article:
“I’m trying to think of a dumber move the Academy has made. Sure, there are thousands, but quite possibly this could be it,” one longtime member wrote. But far more ominously, a good friend who has always religiously studied and loved the Oscars like I do, emailed me to ask, “Wait. Did I read this right? Why is the Academy handing out Oscars voted by fans tweets?” I explained there is NO physical Oscar at the end of this rainbow, but am still waiting to hear just what will be presented, if anything, to the eventual winner. “What’s next? Best Movie Kiss? I’m starting not to care about the Oscars. Sigh,” he replied."

There is one decent thing that could come out of all of this and that's to reinforce in the minds of those who finance movies that JD is still in the race, still an enormous draw. Of course we all knew that already, but this public display don't hurt.

Then, again, do I think JD cares about winning Hollywood awards? Nope. Look at the films Hollywood makes --- commercially successful but churned out like plastic crap copies of the real deal.

Anyway, I am still down for bringing Minamata back into theaters. Nothing else gonna satisfy me.

Again , I agree with you from the bottom of my heart, fireflydances.

Unread post by **fireflydances** » Sun Feb 20, 2022 10:57 am

At the link below is an excellent interview with Andrew Levitas. He speaks extensively and deeply about the filming of Minamata, the choices they made and why they made these particular choices and how Johnny chose to present Eugene and why. It's a good one:

JOHNNY DEPP ZONE