Hollywood Drugs Taboo Goes up Pot

A R O U N D T O W N 發光的城市 17 TAIPEI TIMES • FRIDAY, AUGUST 8, 2008 arijuana is not just for dopes anymore, at least not in M Hollywood. Thirty years after comedians Cheech Marin and Tommy Chong popularized the myth of stoners as on the program’s prospects when it amiable goofballs in Up in Smoke, premiered in 2005. film and television producers are “We felt that it was kind of one of instead portraying pot smokers as the last untouched subjects — that, regular folks from all walks of life. kind of, sex had been done on HBO on On TV, there is Weeds, which various shows and that drugs had kind became a hit on US cable network of been left alone because it was the Showtime following its 2005 debut. It last taboo,” Benabib said. revolves around a widowed mom who With Pineapple Express, which deals dope to make ends meet. opened in US theaters on Wednesday, Among movies, the Harold & the so-called “stoner film” has evolved Kumar movies center on a stoner into an action-packed comedy. The investment banker and medical idea about a pair of potheads on the school candidate. In the art-house film run from police came from the mind of The Wackness, Ben Kingsley plays a producer Judd Apatow, who also was pot-smoking psychiatrist and, in the behind the hit comedy Knocked Up. upcoming comedy Pineapple Express, “He had this notion of a weed- Seth Rogen portrays a sky-high legal action movie,” said Rogen, who also process server. co-wrote the script. “I thought ‘That Some culture watchers say these could be rad.’” new portrayals promote use of the But it is not a cool concept to illegal drug use among children, while the conservative Parents Television the film and TV producers argue they Council, which has noticed the growth simply reflect a change in society. in marijuana-themed TV shows and Many say these relatively recent movies and worries the portrayals will depictions would have been harder to boost dope smoking by children. present in the past with US adminis- “If kids can be influenced to smoke trations backing the “war on drugs” Above: Comedians Cheech Marin, left, and Tommy Chong pose with artificial marijuana plants after announcing their first comedy tour in 25 years during a news conference in Los Angeles last month. cigarettes, which are illegal to sell to that dates to the early 1970s, including Top left: Presenters Seth Rogan, left, and James Franco perform in a skit about marijuana at the 2008 MTV Movie Awards in Los Angeles. minors, why should we believe that a child would not be as inclined to the Reagan White House’s “Just Say Top right: Cast member James Franco attends the premiere of the film Pineapple Express in Los Angeles ��last month��. The marijuana-fueled action ��ick marks a sort of comeback to comedy for Franco. PHOTOS: REUTERS No” campaign of the 1980s. smoke marijuana, which is not legal?” “Political climates and cultural said Melissa Henson, a spokeswoman climates kind of go together. That for the group. was a more conservative era in Hollywood players say their lots of ways,” said Bruce Mirken, portrayal of marijuana use is not spokesman for the Marijuana meant to encourage anyone to smoke Policy Project that advocates Hollywood drugs taboo goes up pot. They just want to make it part of decriminalization of the drug. storylines to reflect today’s society. A 2005 study by California-based In Harold & Kumar Go to White Rand Corp found the US government’s Castle and this year’s sequel Harold anti-drug campaign had not led to & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo “substantial decreases in the severity Bay, the key characters are of Asian of America’s drug-related problems.” and Indian descent. The filmmakers World Health Organization wanted, in part, to break the researchers last month released a stereotype that those ethnic groups study saying Americans lead the are too rule-bound, said writer and world in marijuana use with more in smoke director Jon Hurwitz. than 42 percent of US citizens Even Tommy Chong, 70, and acknowledging having tried cannabis. Three decades after Cheech and Chong played amiable stoners in ‘Up in Smoke,’ film and television Cheech Marin, 62, who were a top That amounts to just over 125 million producers are portraying pot smokers as regular folks from all walks of life comedy team of the 1970s, said Americans, based on a population of marijuana movies these days differ roughly 300 million. from their brand of pot humor. Roberto Benabib, an executive BY ALEX DOBUZINSKis “Ours is more primitive, theirs are producer of Weeds, said he was high REUTERS, LOS ANGELES more sophisticated,” Chong said. OTHER RELEASES COMPILED BY MARTIN WILLIAMS City cinema weekend box office takings Kabei (Aug. 2 and Aug. 3) Source: Group Power Entertainment Corp Here’s a Japanese film released in Taiwan for Father’s Day. It’s a strange way of promoting a film, given that the father character goes to jail at the outset and hands over the central role to the mother of the family, Kabei, who spends the next half-century of this saga working to keep her family together. Like Riding the Metro, an earnest Japanese drama of a broken family that was released here in April, the story is steeped in conservatism and blinkered history, which won’t necessarily concern Taiwanese audiences with a yen for The Dark Knight Wanted WALL-E X Files: I Want to Believe Red Cliff Japanese films. Directed by the 76-year-old Yoji Yamada, who spent (黑暗騎士) (刺客聯盟) (瓦力) (X檔案:我要相信) (赤壁) nearly 30 years of his life directing the Tora-san series. NT$7,742,386 NT$6,435,994 NT$5,381,134 NT$2,226,575 NT$1,625,110 ang Lee-hom (王 “The lead song in Race, Zara industry, said on Tuesday. (帶我去遠方). younger Lenin and the similarity 力宏), 33, accused Zara Touch Me, resembles Wang’s The previous record holder Under the incentive’s is striking: he could play the role W Indian filmmakers song Deep in the Bamboo Grove was 2004’s Shrek 2, which took 43 provisions, film or TV drama without make-up,” renowned of plagiarizing his music and is (竹林深處), Sony BMG said in a days to reach the same mark. production teams are eligible screenwriter Alexander Borojanski seeking US$320,000 in damages, statement. “Its rhythm and tempo The Dark Knight’s ticket sales to received subsidies of up to told Interfax news agency. his agent said on Wednesday. are similar to that of Deep in the in the rest of the world has pushed NT$600,000, he said. The actor had the same The US-born singer, popular Bamboo Grove. The similarity is its total income up to US$602.5 The official said that the expression as Lenin, he said. throughout Southeast Asia, is nearly 100 percent.” million as of Monday, according to department has already budgeted It was uncertain whether the seeking damages from Tips Race has been shown in India, the Web site Box Office Mojo. NT$1.5 million in subsidies for producers would manage to get Di Films, distributor of the the US, Britain, Australia and Film industry observers producers to help pay for their Caprio to play the role. They said Hindi film Race, which Malaysia, and its sound track has said they expected the movie crews’ accommodation and signed Sunday they wanted to discuss it was released in March, been released in those countries. to exceed US$500 million in a long-term contract with a hotel with Di Caprio’s agents first. Sony BMG Music Deep in the Bamboo Grove is domestic sales, but surpassing the which provides rooms to film or The film’s working title was Entertainment Ltd said. part of Wang’s CD The Sun and top grosser of all time, Titanic TV crews at a reasonable price. Lenin’s Brain and it was a Sony BMG Moon in My Heart (心中的日月), a at US$600.8 million, was seen as Another incentive drawn up comedy with a US$20 million said it collection of 12 Chinese-language unlikely, even for a superhero. Heath Ledger’s star turn in Batman helped to encourage film producers to budget, said Borojanski, who has reserves the songs released in December But The Dark Knight has set use Kaohsiung as a backdrop for just starting writing the script. the film break box office records. pHOTO: REUTERS right to take 2004. The song mixes a Tibetan other records. It took in US$67.2 their stories is an NT$10 million Russian scientists manage to legal action woman’s singing with hip-hop and million on its opening day July 18 offer to film there in the past few cash award for any picture where clone Lenin in the science-fiction against Chinese drums and flutes. in the US and Canada, eclipsing months, the city government said shots of the city account for comedy and he then sparks a Race’s Meanwhile, Batman has the previous record set by Spider- Monday. at least a quarter of its length socialist revolution in the US in distribu- proven unstoppable, taking out Man 3 at nearly US$60 million. Since Kaohsiung’s Department and that wins an award at any the year 2004. tor for all his rivals, but this time at the It also had the biggest opening of Information passed a measure one of six major international Lenin led the Russian plagia- box office.

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