Ben Stiller Flips Montreal Le Oiseau
Blogger DEADlines does us le favor of interpreting a Le Journal de Montreal article from its original Canuck-flavored French into a more Hollywood-friendly, monosyllabic English. But regardless of what language you happen to speak, the universal language of 'Hatin'-ese' needs no translation:
Ben Stiller has forced 20th Century Fox to move the shooting of Shawn Levy's Night at The Museum from Montr al to Vancouver. Mr. Stiller apparently didn't want to shoot in Montr al. He wouldn't sign the dotted line without the location change. According to a city official: 'Ben Stiller doesn't like Montr al.' The move will have a serious repercussion of Montr al's film industry. According to the newspaper, 500 Montrealers would have worked on the production. Close to 4 million had already been invested on sets.
We here at Defamer, particularly those from Montreal, are left wondering just why Stiller "doesn't like" the city-of-maple-syrup-and-love. If the shoot were to extend into the winter months, we might see his point; you're considered lucky if you make it through a Montreal winter with your nose still attached to your face. But a word of advice: we wouldn't go back there anytime soon, Ben. Montrealers are a proud folk, and have ninja-like precision with a flying hockey puck.