one on zenyatta!

from what i've read, it involves penny chenery and her moving in a mostly male world of horse racing. i guess some of the men are portrayed in a less than flattering light.

Secretariat had a $35 mil budget, Sebiscuit was $87 mil. Can you tell in terms of production values?

Box office is going be a bit funky this weekend. There's a Katherine Heigl movie out and she always has a shot at number one. God only knows why people still go. Women drag their bf/husband so that doubles the ticket sales. She has ability and for some reason ends up with Jennifer Aniston reject movies which I refuse to watch.

The Social Network's got good word of mouth in week 2 and is a contender for a few Oscars, especially screenplay. It and the Heigl movie are neck and neck for the lead right now, but Secretariat's not too far back. After Saturday we'll have a better idea. Initially I was disappointed it wasn't opening as big as I thought it would, then I realized all 3 movies I just mentioned would finish behind Seabiscuit's opening weekend which was a tad earlier in 2003 I think. Seabiscuit came out in 5th place its week at just under $21 mil.

We saw Secretariat yesterday. For those in the audience (many of whom didn't know Secretariat actually won the Triple Crown), it was a good movie. I had to squint and keep from groaning at the myriad of inaccuracies - inaccuracies that could have been avoided.

That being said, Diane Lane was superb and John Malkovich made me believe he was Lucien Lauren.

It might get people interested in horse racing if horse racing was accessible on national tv. But, what's the odds of that happening?

Also, bought the SECRETARIAT memorial book that DRF put out. Worth $10 - lots of new info and good pictures.

opening week-end its # 3 13 plus million so i guess its not to bad. we'll see

Oliver Stone doing a movie would be more likely to appeal to the dark souls likely to get hooked on racing;)

Horse racing historians, any thoughts on a topic Stone could take on?

Synthetic surfaces being mandated in California.

trainers and their ability to grow their business after a long suspension for drugs.

Shergar. But Stone would probably rather love Alydar and conspiracy.

How about a Stone expose on jockey licensing.

I'd love to have it revealed that jockeys must fail an IQ test to become licensed.

Roger Ebert's review, who has been a long time friend of Bill Nack, gives it 4 stars and says it is in the running for film of the year

http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/...IEWS/101009986

I took a guy from work to see Let Me In last night, at a small older theater... It was packed. And I think that movie has been out for a while.

Did he put out?

No, but Im likely in trouble. I got a phone call this morning. He could not sleep and was having nightmares, talking about vampires.

You should cuddle.

Then Ebert and company could get death threats when they call the plot unimaginative and cowardly.

Saw it last night. Almost so bad it's good, but not quite. Thanks for the budget numbers, Merlinsky; that explains why it looked so bad. It was either shot on a combination of film and video or entirely on video and then transferred to film (poorly). Also explains why there were so many scenes of people sitting around talking about things instead of showing those things happening. I don't think there was a single scene of Malkovich's character actually training a horse.

And the dialogue is really clunky. They should give Diane Lane an honorary Oscar just for all the as God is my witness I'll never be hungry again speeches she had to deliver.

The best part was the two people sitting behind us.
Diane Lane: "Daddy, this is Big Red."
Lady Behind Us: "I THOUGHT HIS NAME WAS SECRETARIAT."

:p May God inspire a woman like that to bet on racehorses. Talk about dumb money.

Yeah I did a double take when I realized the budget was so different. Another point about the shooting of the movie, I heard the director said they tried to shoot the racing with better cameras, but it looked lousy so they did it with cheap $800 cameras and it supposedly looked better. No idea how bad it must've been to not go with the original footage.

The Seabiscuit book was such a phenomenon. People who didn't normally follow the sport got interested in the film because the book was big. There's another book about a horse being adapted for the screen. Steven Spielberg's doing a film based on the novel War Horse. http://www.filmofilia.com/2010/05/06...rgs-war-horse/

Disney has cut costs for years. Even their G rated flicks look cheap these days.

I think I have read enough to know I will wait for it to come out on DVD.

I also think that people embraced Seabiscuit and Red Pollard (for that matter) because of their underdog status/story. It was a REAL likeable story that was easy to root for. There was a true high created for the end of the movie (even though they ruined it by having him come from like 20 lengths out to win).
I really believe that people who don't follow the sport can't appreciate how good Secretariat was. And from what I'm hearing the rest of the storyline around the movie sounds ficitional. So it just sounds like a tough movie to really embrace. I guess they leave the theater thinking that Big Red saved the farm, which would really detract how good he was on the track. That's bad for the sport. I would almost rather have people watch the ESPN sports century on Secretariat. I thought that was a great piece that really hit the spot on how good he was and what he really meant to Penny Chennery. Obviously if you a fan of the sport, the Bill Nack book is a must.

I still plan on seeing it, but I am really not expecting much.

If that is the case, they must not tell the moviegoers that Meadow Farm/Stable won the 1972 Derby with Riva Ridge, or it would make it difficult to put the farm in dire straits so Secretariat could come along and save it.

From what I understand there is absolutely no mention of Riva Ridge in the entire movie.

Since the producer, or writer, or whomever it was, said that Secretariat would have won the triple crown again had he not been retired as a 3yo, I doubt they even have heard of Riva Ridge.

Allegedly that was a misquote. It was really something about being a successful 4yo in the big races for older horses. Of course, that could've just been arse covering, but I'll let them go with that story.

That 'misquote' is so far off from what they said was really said, it really cannot be possible for it to be a misquote.

On the contrary, happens all the time with celebrities. Sometimes quotes get entirely made up. Maybe whoever did the interview wanted a better one, didn't know jack about racing, and punched it up to the point of implausibility.

uh huh.

sounds perfectly applicable to this 'celebrity'

we just came from the movie. there is NO mention of RR at all. 1972 starts with Secretariat's first race in july at aqueduct. the movie is really about Ms. Chenery.

:( Sorry it was news to you that there was no Riva mention. It would be harder for me to walk in not knowing that, but we heard about it awhile back during the making of the movie (maybe Haskin or someone on ATR mentioned it) and I had a chance to get past my disappointment. There's not enough drama for a movie about a superhorse if Riva saves the day. The only real underdog they can create is 'housewife trying to save the farm.' It's what I was always afraid of when I thought someone should do a film about Secretariat. Getting over that hurdle is hard.

I haven't been able to go yet, planning to this week.

Very true. Though I still don't understand why they couldn't have gotten a better screenplay. Writers are cheap. I feel like it's giving a big middle finger to the family-friendly crowd- hey, whatever with the coherent storyline and believable dialogue they'll watch anything as long as there's no swearin' and no nekkid people.

There's drama there, but it's in Riva Ridge's story. If Disney hadn't been so convinced it had to be a horse the general public (vaguely) had heard of, they could have had a nice little movie about love and sibling rivalries and parents loving their "kids" for who they are. You'd still have to fictionalize a lot, but Riva's story has more of an arc to it naturally. Maybe something like:

Act 1: Farm in trouble, Riva Ridge comes along, saves farm, public sees him as the best chance to break the Triple Crown curse. Penny falls in love with the ugly racehorse, rejoices in his celebrity. Horse adores her right back.
Act 2: Riva fails at TC, due to wet Preakness, has terrible second half of 3-year-old season. Along comes a real super horse, who, ironically, is also owned by Penny. Penny tries to like Secretariat, but can't, because he's outshining her favorite. Riva wins no awards, while Secretariat gets Horse of the Year.
Act 3: Riva pulls it together for 4-year-old season, Secretariat becomes even bigger star. On eve of Belmont states, Penny learns to celebrate what Secretariat is doing for racing, happy about TC, and can accept it wasn't to be for Riva. Public clamors for the 2 horses to meet. Penny desperately wants Riva to beat Big Red, but, before race, realizes Secretariat races for himself, but Riva races for her, and win or lose, if she loves him, that's all that matters to him (yeah, I know, but again, Disney movie). Riva loses to Secretariat in Marlboro Cup, Penny politely leaves winners' circle with Secretariat to go see Riva Ridge, saying to the press "I respect Secretariat but I love Riva Ridge." Which is the headline on some fictional sports article that comes out the next day.

Now, see, Disney? Is that so hard? And then some kid who saw the movie and later comes in third in the second-grade spelling bee comes home all depressed about not winning and her parent says, "But you did your best! You were just like Riva Ridge!" and the kid says, "But Riva came in second in the Marlboro and I came in third." And the parent says, "Don't you mouth off to me you little know-it-all" and then smacks the kid and Child Protection Services is called and that becomes a movie, too, but not for Disney; for Lifetime Telelvision.

I love it. Though this kind of thing no longer happens. Probably because schools are run to prevent any kind from coming in second let alone THIRD!

The kid should be retired for losing the spelling bee. Only winners count these days.

Clearly she'd done enough.

The title should have been "Penny", not Secretariat...
Seabiscuit and PharLap were much better...
I actually enjoyed Secretariat's "Sport's Century" much better then the movie...
I know it is difficult to replicate a race, but I'm not a fan of the horses bring strangled and the jockey's standing up as they are coming down the stretch...
I did like the fact they showed the actual Preakness call...I wish they could have showed the actual Derby and Belmont...and why did they just stop after the Belmont??? he did race more...they could have at least showed his final race...

speaking of losers, how does sham fare in the movie? much of a role or just vague background for the triumphant winner?

Alot of role, unfortunately, as they made those connections to be Secretariat's evil enemy.

I always had a soft spot for Sham - he broke the Derby record, too, and if Secretariat wasn't around, he would have been the best that year.

I'd totally watch Riva Ridge: The Movie. How about we get one on Canonero II? Disney couldn't make it cuz they'd have to admit Riva existed when he gets beaten by Canonero II, but I think it could be done. Apparently he was born at Claiborne, which I'd forgotten, yet the underdog story begins immediately with his crooked leg. What's the connection to Greensboro, NC? Wikipedia had a screwy entry saying he was bred there, but technically he's KY bred. The plane ride drama of getting to the US alone was pretty crazy with his sharing a ride with chickens and ducks, the plane catching fire, not having proper papers, ending up in Panama, then Miami again, losing a lot of weight, getting dehydrated, and having to travel 1100 miles by van because they were running out of money. Then a language barrier keeps Churchill Downs from letting them in.

http://community.seattletimes.nwsour...6&slug=1285530

What it took to get that horse to the race is exciting, nevermind his winning the Derby and Preakness. There's Nixon, Vietnam, and the racing establishment apparently not too thrilled with this crooked legged Venezuelan colt. I'm not sure how you'd end it since he lost the Belmont, but there's gotta be a way for it not to be a downer. Maybe have it be about how he gets the Eclipse for Champion 3yo Colt.

I still think with Secretariat, the American public is the underdog in a way. Seabiscuit made folks happy during the Great Depression. Secretariat did it following the trauma of Vietnam and the radical changes the country'd just gone through. I like the Winston Churchill quote that sometimes the outside of a horse is good for the inside of a man.