Arts: Mystery on the Hollywood Backlot

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Culturebox Mystery on the Hollywood Backlot John Logan ( Hugo) wrote a screenplay that could've been the best movie Michael Mann ever made. Here's why you can't see it. By Matthew Dessem Posted Friday, Feb 17, 2012, at 01:30 PM ET It's awards season once again, when Hollywood celebrates, if not the greatest and most audacious films of the year, at least the best of a certain kind of movie. This year, the academy is likely to honor films about filmmaking: The Artist and Hugo are love letters to silent cinema (and The Artist is nearly a silent film in its own right). The spectacle of the film industry telling the world how great it is always smacks of the Ouroboros, but this year, when the most-lauded movies are themselves paeans to the art of filmmaking, we're in danger of running out of snake. So as a preventative measure, here's my fantasy pick for best picture of 2011: a fantastically entertaining and original movie with a different perspective on the film industry, a movie that presents cinema not as the dream factory of Hugo or The Artist, but, as one of the film's characters aptly describes it, as "a river of money." Unfortunately, you can't see this film in theaters; it wasn't just snubbed by the academy, or critics, or audiences, but by the studios themselves. It's a movie that doesn't exist, because no one made it—though they nearly did. In 2007, Michael Mann and John Logan—yes, the same John Logan who resurrected Georges Méliès in Hugo—collaborated on a screenplay that could have been not only the best thing either of them ever did, but the great film ... To continue reading, click here. Join the Fray: our reader discussion forum What did you think of this article? POST A MESSAGE | READ MESSAGES Also In Slate Is Sloth Meat Really Tender and Delicious? More Liberals Are Homeschooling Their Kids. Big Mistake. Undefeated: A Heartbreaking Documentary About High-School Football	Advertisement
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