April 18, 2017

Nikon Announces the D7500 DSLR – Think D500 Mini-Me

Well, Nikon hasn’t gotten out of the DSLR market and they’ve announced a new D7500 today.<p>Think of the Nikon D500 and take a few things away and you …
Source: CW’s Flipboard Feed

April 16, 2017

Tyrese Gibson Apologizes for Comments About ‘Overly Aggressive Promiscuous Women’

After making people furious this week with comments about “sluts, skeezers, hoes, tramps, and overly aggressive promiscuous women” during a BET interview, Tyrese Gibson has taken to Instagram to apologize. The actor and musician, who co-stars in “The Fate of the Furious,” received backlash for complaining about women who “are never without a man because they don’t have no standards. They ready to have sex with any and everything that want to have sex with them.”

READ MORE: ‘The Fate of the Furious’ Review: Vin Diesel’s Family Becomes Dysfunctional in Worst ‘Fast and Furious’ Ever

He strikes a rather different tone on his post: “My mother taught me better than this….. lesson learned in life you will learn that It’s not always ‘what’ you say, it’s the ‘how’ we choose to say it,” he writes. “My intentions were there but my delivery fucking horrible…. And clearly all the way off…. And for that I sincerely apologize to all of the ladies…”

Gibson also clarifies that he’s “far from a misogynist, a male chauvinist or flat out mean” and isn’t apologizing simply to be politically correct.

READ MORE: Tyrese Gibson on the Challenges and Joys of Writing a Short Film

“I apologize as a man first for the things that I’ve recently said about choices women have the right to make, for the terms that I’ve used, and the way I’ve come across,” he continues.

“I am not perfect or all-knowing, nor am I the one to claim to be. I’ve learned things through experience which I share, and through these last couple of weeks, I’ve learned a lot through this well-deserved internet dragging. This is about a man owning up to his actions, taking responsibility, recognizing how to do better, and actually doing better. Ladies you deserve better.”

My mother taught me better than this….. lesson learned in life you will learn that It’s not always “what” you say, it’s the “how” we choose to say it. For the record I’m far from a misogynist, a male chauvinist or flat out mean….. My intentions were there but my delivery fucking horrible…. And clearly all the way off…. And for that I sincerely apologize to all of the ladies… Even after this apology…. Some may likely decide to NOT forgive me…. Time and consistency heals all wounds…. Although I’ve been consistently for years speaking on these topics and some of the same words in my message, I have never experienced what I am experiencing right now. – I’ve been getting dragged and feel the heat from my poor choice of words and approach to my messages, trust me….. Please accept this as my sincere apology for my poor choice of words – Shit gets real when it goes from a social media dragging to my own wife giving me the side eye and coming at me, even she’s not happy with the way I’ve conducted myself…. it’s crazy how non-public figures can say and do some really dumb shit and it will stay amongst your family and friends or local in your hood…. When you have been an entertainer for 15+ years the whole WORLD is literally watching you grow up & learn, bump your head, make mistakes and evolve as the world watches…. This is a real lesson learned… This is not just a regular IG post for me. I want to truly say that I’m sorry, I’m not APOLOGIZING in an effort to be politically correct, I apologize as a man first for the things that I’ve recently said about choices women have the right to make, for the terms that I’ve used and the way I’ve come across. I was raised to think and feel certain ways, and I’m learning new things that combat those messages. I am not perfect or all knowing, nor am I the one to claim to be. I’ve learned things through experience which I share, and through these last couple of weeks, I’ve learned a lot through this well deserved internet dragging…… This is about a man owning up to his actions, taking responsibility, recognizing how to do better, and actually doing better. Ladies you deserve better…

A post shared by TYRESE (@tyrese) on Apr 14, 2017 at 2:34pm PDT

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Source: IndieWire film

April 16, 2017

Roman Polanski Compares Court to Nazis for Rejecting Motion to Avoid Further Jail Time

In a move sure to draw support from those who have remained on the fence regarding his client, Roman Polanski’s attorney has compared a U.S. court to Nazi Germany. The questionable comparison comes after Polanski’s most recent attempt to avoid further jail time for his 1977 rape case was rejected. Deadline has attained a filing from the Oscar-winning filmmaker’s lawyer claiming that “Mr. Polanski was as justified in fleeing this Court’s illegal conduct as he was to flee the Germans who invaded Poland.”

READ MORE: Roman Polanski’s Latest Bid to Avoid U.S. Jail Time for 1977 Rape Case Rejected

Polanski, a Holocaust survivor whose wife Sharon Tate was murdered by the Manson Family in 1969, pled guilty to statutory rape in 1977. He served 42 days in prison and was ready to accept a plea bargain ensuring that he would serve no further time behind bars; upon learning that the judge in his case was going to reject the agreement, he fled to Paris and has not returned to the United States since — including when he won the Academy Award for Best Director in 2003.

Harland Braun, Polanski’s attorney, writers in his motion that “an analysis of the legal and factual issues in this 40-year old criminal case may conclude that this Court’ s Order of April 3, 2017 is morally incoherent, legally illogical and factually deceptive.”

READ MORE: Roman Polanski’s Rape Victim Says She’s Being ‘Used’ By Advocates: ‘Nobody Wants Me To Be Fine’

“As is plain, Mr. Polanski is looking for an economical and practical solution to a four-decade-old case,” continues the filing. “But for whatever reason, this Court seems to want to overly complicate this case.”

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Source: IndieWire film

April 16, 2017

James Gray on the Financial Realities of Independent Filmmaking: ‘I Am Struggling Financially’

James Gray is back in theaters with “The Lost City of Z,” a film at once markedly different from and right at home among the rest of his distinguished body of work. The “We Own the Night,” “Two Lovers” and “The Immigrant” director has spoken with Vulture about the financial realities of independent filmmaking, offering a number of candid — and sobering — statements: “You know, people assume that because I’m a director, I make tons of money. I am struggling financially,” he said.

READ MORE: How Can Middle-Class Filmmakers Make a Living?

“Now, I’m very lucky I get to do what it is I want to do,” Gray continued. “I’ve made, good or bad, very uncompromising movies, the movies exactly that I wanted to make, and that’s a beautiful gift, so I’m not complaining about that. But I struggle. I have a hard time paying my bills. I’m 47 years old, I live in an apartment, I can’t buy a house.”

No one enters the world of independent film expecting to make vast sums, and yet it can be surprising to hear that a writer/director who’s been making acclaimed movies for more than two decades would still struggle to find his footing.

“If I were coming of age in 1973, I would be in Bel Air,” said Gray. “The whole reason for this is exactly what we were talking about, where the middle is gone. So now you have franchises, and you have, ‘I made a movie on my iPhone.’ This is the economic system in a nutshell, right? Five directors make Marvel, and then there’s the rest of us who are trying to scrounge around to find the money to make films.”

READ MORE: Why Brad Pitt Sent James Gray ‘The Lost City of Z’ And Pushed the Filmmaker In a New Direction — Podcast

From there, he says, “it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy: If the audience only gets to see Marvel, then they only want Marvel, and then if they only want Marvel, only Marvel is made. I don’t even have a problem with Marvel. The problem is not the specifics of each movie, the problem is it’s the only movie you can see now in a multiplex, and when it’s the only game in town, you’re looking at the beginning of the death throes of an art form.” Read the full interview here.

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Source: IndieWire film

April 16, 2017

‘The Lost City of Z’ and ‘Norman’ Ride Specialty Box Office Surge

The slow specialty box office is picking up. “The Lost City of Z” (Bleecker Street) opened just below the numbers posted last week by “Colossal” (Neon) and “Norman: The Moderate Rise and Tragic Fall of a New York Fixer” (Sony Pictures Classics) also opened to over $20,000. And “Chasing Trane: The John Coltrane Documentary” (Abramorama) showed strong initial single-theater results, with Emily Dickinson story “A Quiet Passion” (Music Box) also showing some interest.

After a promising start, “Colossal” expanded quickly, showing strength among wider audiences, along with “Gifted” (Fox Searchlight) and “Their Finest” (STX). And holocaust drama “The Zookeeper’s Wife” (Focus) passed the $10 million mark in only its third weekend.

Festival favorite “Maudie,” a Canadian-Irish coproduction set in a small Nova Scotia town, opened in four Canadian theaters ahead of its June stateside release from Sony Classics Pictures, with a three day total of around $60,000. It stars Sally Hawkins and Ethan Hawke in a story about a housekeeper with artistic skills.

Opening

The Lost City of Z (Bleecker Street) – Metacritic: 80; Festivals include: New York 2016, Berlin 2017

$112,633 in 4 theaters; PTA (per theater average): $28,158

Director James Gray (“We Own the Night,” “The Immigrant”) switched from his usual urban mostly New York milieu to the Amazon of a century ago for this adventure biofilm that Amazon Studios acquired prior to its New York Film Festival closing night premiere. Bleecker Street opened the drama in four New York/Los Angeles theaters as the top limited opener this weekend. Its PTA comes in about $2,000 less than the impressive “Colossal” last week.

This is about double what “The Immigrant” opened to three years ago, and the best limited opening in Bleecker Street’s two year history (besting “Eye in the Sky” last year, which debuted to $114,000 in five theaters on its way to almost $19 million).

Strong reviews helped, along with setting a period adventure tale in an exotic locale. A younger cast (Charlie Hunnam, Robert Pattinson, Sienna Miller, Tom Holland) could push this wider than the typical older specialized audience these days. Now that they’ve met the initial goal of establishing this in its platform dates, they can push the movie broader.

What comes next: This quickly expands to 500 theaters next Friday.

Sony Pictures Classics

Norman: The Moderate Rise and Tragic Fall of a New York Fixer (Sony Pictures Classics) – Metacritic: 76; Festivals include: Telluride, Toronto 2016

$103,664 in 5 theaters; PTA: $20,733

In recent years Richard Gere has been taking on more specialized audience films, and has earned some of the best reviews of his career for this Israeli/American coproduction. He portrays a New York man who plays a key role in the rise of an Israeli politician. This marks the first English-language film for Israeli director Joseph Cedar, following foreign-language Oscar nominees “Beaufort” and $2-million grosser “The Footnote” (Sony Pictures Classics).

This is the first new film from SPC in over three months (likely the longest gap in the 25 year existence) and their best initial PTA since “Elle” last November, which only opened in two theaters.

“Norman” had a strong 68 per cent jump on Saturday (much better than the 19 per cent for “Lost City”). Expect the well-reviewed film to get strong national response in upscale and arthouse locations but also in some wider areas. Down the line, this performance that could yield Gere his first Oscar nomination, despite the early release date.

What comes next: Chicago and Washington begin the national expansion next Friday.

Chasing Trane: The John Coltrane Documentary (Abramorama) – Metacritic: 68; Festivals include: Toronto 2016

$15,880 in 1 theater; PTA: $15,880

Yet again, a documentary on a legendary musical legend opens in Manhattan and shows unexpected initial strength. The film shows the great saxophonist in in performance. It’s the latest offering from Abramorama which is showing strength with films about the music, art and culture (“The Beatles – Eight Days a Week,” “Mr. Gaga,” “Heart of a Dog” among them). The gross here is about $3,000 ahead of  the Manhattan start for “I Called Him Morgan” (Submarine Deluxe) a few weeks ago.

What comes next: Two Los Angeles theaters start a significant national expansion on Friday.

A Quiet Passion (Music Box) – Metacritic: 77; Festivals include: Berlin, Toronto, New York 2016

$48,000 in 6 theaters; PTA: $8,000

Terence Davies (“The Deep Blue Sea,” “The House of Mirth”) has been an art house regular for close to 30 years. “Mirth” in 2000 at $3 million marks his biggest domestic success. Shot in Europe but set in Massachusetts, this biofilm about Emily Dickinson’s troubled, lonely life stars Cynthia Nixon as the poet. Backed by mostly favorable reviews, Music Box opened it initially in two New York, three Boston and one Toronto theater. New York opened to about $29,000, with their PTA a much better $14,500, not far from the best new films this weekend.

Saturday had an overall 44 per cent jump, a positive initial result. Dickinson of course still resonates with many people, so expect further interest as this expands.

What comes next: Friday sees Los Angeles on board to begin Music Box’s usual placement in all good sized markets.

Tommy’s Honour (Roadside Attractions) – Metacritic: 58; Festivals include: Edinburgh 2016, Palm Springs 2017

$218,920 in 167 theaters; PTA: $1,310

Jason (son of Sean) Connery directed this story about the Scottish father and son who transformed golf into a wider sport a century ago. Aimed at participants in the sport and timed for marketing during the Masters last weekend, this had a national release aimed less at specialty crowds as older suburban audiences. The initial results are mediocre with less than the usual Saturday uptick older audience films usually see.

What comes next: Anything beyond a second week at current theaters looks iffy.

My Entire High School Sinking Into the Sea (GKids) – Metacritic: 73; Festivals include: Toronto, New York, AFI 2017

$15,215 in 3 theaters; PTA: $5,072

New York, Los Angeles and Toronto opened this inventive American hand-drawn animated film with perhaps the most colorful title of the year. The initial gross isn’t quite up to the reviews so far, but films like this can find a life of their own once they are discovered.

What comes next: The San Francisco Bay area, Seattle and Memphis are next up, with a substantial national specialized run planned.

Heal the Living (Cohen) – Metacritic: 83; Festivals include: Venice, Toronto 2016

$3,176 in 2 theaters; PTA: $1,588

Very strong reviews and two decent New York/Los Angeles theaters led to little response for this French film about organ transplants and the drama surrounding their use when a surfer is killed in an accident.

What comes next: The next scheduled date for this slowly expanding film is Coral Gables on April 28.

Finding Oscar (FilmRise) – Metacritic: 72; Festivals include: Telluride 2016

$3,000 in 1 theater; PTA: $3,000

Steven Spielberg and Kathleen Kennedy’s new documentary division backed this expose of human rights abuses in Guatemala. This helped them to get New York’s prime Angelika Theater, but with not much to show for in gross.

What comes next: Los Angeles and Miami opening next Friday.

Glory (Film Movement) – Metacritic: 83; Festivals include: Locarno, Hamptons, Chicago 2016

$2,500 in 1 theater; PTA: $2,500; Cumulative: $4,000

This acclaimed Bulgarian comedy about a train worker who tries to do the right thing after finding a fortune nabbed the best reviews of any film this week and scored a booking at New York’s Film Forum, but it didn’t lead to much traction with audiences.

What comes next: Limited niche bookings at most ahead.

Week Two

Gifted (Fox Searchlight)

$3,000,000 in 1,146 theaters (+1,090); PTA: $2,618; Cumulative: $4,370,000

After a run of bad luck, Fox Searchlight found the right release pattern for this middle-American appeal story of a working class uncle fighting to raise his math prodigy niece. Chris Evans and Olivia Spencer add to its draw, and after the 56-theater first week pushed word of mouth, Searchlight smartly broke it to over a thousand theaters on its second week. That made it effectively the “other” new film this weekend  alongside “The Fate of the Furious.”

The gross is about 3/4s of what “Wild” did in its first wider week, which puts it into quite promising territory. And in a week with no other fresh product, it was good enough for #6 overall (the highest for “Wild” during its full $38 million grossing awards run). This is performing similarly to “The Zookeeper’s Wife,” which in its second weekend in 806 theaters grossed $2.8 million.

Your Name (FUNimation)

$(est.) 780,000 in 289 theaters (-22); PTA: $(est.) 2,699; Cumulative: $(est.) $3,200,000

Distributor FUNimation hasn’t provided grosses since last weekend, but this massive world wide animated smash held at around the same number of theaters its second week. It seems to have dropped considerably from its strong initial $1.8 million, despite great reviews and top theater placement.

Colossal (Neon)

$616,344 in 100 theaters (+96); PTA: $4,723; Cumulative: $616,344

Newly minted Neon got aggressive in its second week of release for its well-received Anne Hathaway sci-fi/horror/romance hybrid with youthful specialized appeal. While these are respectable numbers, they came in lower than similar genre-appeal recent hits like “Ex-Machina” and “It Follows.” Next weekend will tell us more about how wide this might go.

Their Finest (STX)

$360,000 in 52 theaters (+48); PTA: $6,885; Cumulative: $470,000

Also having a respectable (if smaller) second week expansion is Lone Scherfig’s London World War II drama. With fewer theaters, its PTA is higher than “Colossal,” which appeals to a different audience. “Their Finest” is facing competition from other recent wider releases aimed at older folks, which makes its performance more impressive. It’s initial New York/Los Angeles dates significantly had very strong holds.

STX, which normally doesn’t handled limited releases, adds more big city markets this week.

Truman (FilmRise)

$(est.) 27,000 in 9 theaters (+6); PTA: $(est.) 3,000; Cumulative: $(est.) 53,000

Finding a home for his beloved dog is the focus of this Madrid man as he faces death with the help of a long time Canadian friend who visits him. This expanded to other cities this week with continued modest results.

Graduation (IFC)

$19,530 in 7 theaters (+5); PTA: $2,790; Cumulative: $37,384

A small expansion for this strongly reviewed Romanian father/daughter drama yielded typically minor results similar to most subtitled films these days.

Ongoing/expanding (grosses over $50,000 in under 1,000 theaters + 1)

The Zookeeper’s Wife (Focus) Week 3

$2,065,000 in 1,057 theaters (+251); Cumulative: $10,668,000

Director Niki Caro and Jessica Chastain have tasted some real success in this Holocaust rescue film set in Poland and set the standard for other recent broader potential releases. This has already outgrossed their recent awards contenders “Loving” and “Nocturnal Animals.”

T2 Trainspotting (Sony) Week 5

$230,000 in 331 theaters (+174); Cumulative: $1,975,000

Danny Boyle and gang 19 years later did not resonate the way they did the first time around, with minor results. Sony expanded this rapidly, which didn’t give it much chance to grow like similar films (its first weekend PTA was ahead of the decent openers the last two weeks). It will face a short run ahead.

Frantz (Music Box) Week 5   82/484

$120,000 in 98 theaters (+16);  Cumulative: $554,385

Francois Ozon’s latest, a post-World War I drama, continues to expand and hold well as Music Box once again maximizes a subtitled release in a tough market.

La La Land (Lionsgate) Week 19; also available on Video on Demand

$100,000 in 219 theaters (-5); Cumulative: $150,881,000

Still adding gross despite being watchable at home. The film has grossed $440 million worldwide — impressive, and only $90 million less than “The Fate of the Furious” on its first weekend (which cost several hundred million more for production and marketing).

Kedi (Oscilloscope) Week 10

$90,000 in 85 theaters (-20); Cumulative: $2,362,000

Into their third month, those Turkish cats just won’t stop playing, with a gross far beyond what most documentaries achieve.

Lion (Weinstein) Week 21; also available on Video on Demand

$81,000 in 147 theaters (-56); Cumulative: $51,820,000

Now available for home viewing after five months, this will end up grossing about $3 million less domestic than Weinstein’s “The Hateful Eight.”

Personal Shopper (IFC) Week 6

$63,750 in 85 theaters (-56);  Cumulative: $1,185,000

Olivier Assayas’ second collaboration with Kristen Stewart looks like it will come in at about 75 per cent of “Clouds of Sils Maria.”

Also noted:

Raw (Focus) – $21,765 in 31 theaters; Cumulative: $455,349

Source: IndieWire film

April 16, 2017

Terry Jones Offers an Update on His Dementia Diagnosis: ‘My Frontal Lobe Has Absconded’

The Guardian has an update on Terry Jones, the “Monty Python” member who last fall revealed he has dementia. Most of the news isn’t good, unfortunately, as Jones’ condition has worsened in the months since he went public with his diagnosis. Though still able to get around by himself physically, the once-verbose performer’s speech is now limited to just a few words at a time.

READ MORE: Monty Python Star Terry Jones Receives Dementia Diagnosis

Jones has frontotemporal dementia, which affects the language and social-control centers of the brain. In addition to reducing patients’ ability to speak, it may also make them appear less concerned with their loved ones. Though his speech is “now restricted to a few words, usually uttered to agree with those who are speaking to him,” Jones “remains an enthusiastic walker, likes his beer and wine, and watches old films compulsively. ‘Some Like It Hot’ is a favourite.”

READ MORE: Watch: #TBT The Funniest Part of ‘Monty Python and The Holy Grail’ Isn’t in ‘Monty Python and the Holy Grail’

Michael Palin, Jones’ longtime friend and fellow “Monty Python” troupe member, speaks at length about his friend’s condition, saying that the inability to express himself “must be the most difficult thing — not to be able to say quite simply how you are feeling on a given occasion. We assume that he is happy, but that assumption could be wrong. We just don’t know.” Read the full piece here.

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Source: IndieWire film