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August 7, 2017

10 of the Worst CGI Moments in Big Budget Movies

Movie CG gets better every year, and that’s bad news for the blockbusters of yesteryear which have a tendency to age really, really …
Source: CW’s Flipboard Feed

August 6, 2017

‘Alien: Covenant’ Video Essay Argues That Ridley Scott’s Film Doesn’t Know What It Wants to Be — Watch

“Alien: Covenant” didn’t exactly become a cultural phenomenon when it opened earlier this year. Ridley Scott’s latest prequel/sequel in his enduring science-fiction/horror series was met with lukewarm reviews and disappointing box-office returns, which is a shame — it’s the first true “Alien” movie in two decades, and a worthy addition to the xenomorph mythos. In a new video, Jack’s Movie Reviews attempts to diagnose the problem: It doesn’t know what it wants to be.

“I think it’s safe to say that we can learn just as much, if not more, from a movie that doesn’t work than one that works perfectly,” says the narrator as it opens. “For that reason, I believe we can call Ridley Scott’s ‘Alien: Covenant’ a perfect candidate for perfect inspection — a big reason being a lot of this movie does work.” For every horrifying scene and interesting idea at work in the film, however, our narrator argues that the movie is still less than the sum of its parts.

That’s because the three main facets — psychological horror, action, thematic ideas — don’t work in concert with one another. Whether you agree with these conclusions or not, there are a number of valid critiques in this nine-minute analysis. Watch below.

Source: IndieWire film

August 6, 2017

Box Office Plummets as ‘The Dark Tower’ Leads Weak Openers

Long-planned Stephen King adaptation “The Dark Tower” (Sony) managed to score the top spot at the weekend box office. Only the second King adaptation to reach theaters since 2007’s “Carrie” remake (which opened even lower), this one contributes a pittance to a mighty adjusted gross of $2.2 billion for all of King’s movies since the original “Carrie” in 1976.

Coming in under the projected $20 million for the weekend with an estimated $19.5 million, “The Dark Tower” couldn’t save one of the biggest falloffs ever for a summer weekend. The Top Ten came in at just $106 million, compared to $218 million exactly a year ago. That weekend boasted D.C. Comics entry “Suicide Squad.” But a $112 million shortfall and a drop of some 50 percent is grim. Last year’s second-ranked sequel “Jason Bourne” came in ahead of anything in the Top Ten this weekend.

As Sony kept the budget down on “Tower,” foreign returns could mitigate any losses. The same can’t be said for theaters experiencing the most severe drop yet in a summer that already has declined around 10 per cent from last year.

Francois Duhamel

“The Dark Tower” was one of three films to begin wide release this weekend, all with African-American leads, though widely diverse in their content. The delayed release (because of original distributor Relativity’s demise) of “Kidnap” (Aviron) managed to top $10 million with Halle Berry as the lead. Kathryn Bigelow’s urban uprising drama “Detroit” (Annapurna) expanded after a decent limited opening to a troubling $7 million, below what its acclaim suggested. And “Girls Trip” (20th Century Fox), clearly aimed at a female audience, might end up with a domestic gross as good or close to the other three combined.

“Dunkirk” (Warner Bros.) stabilized a bit after a bigger than expected 47 per drop last weekend. That puts it back on course for an ultimate domestic take closer to $200 million. It won’t hurt that the rest of August offers secondary competition among new wide releases for adult audiences.

Michele K. Short

“Girls Trip” had a bigger drop than its initial fall, but at $85 million already looks on course for a run at equaling last summer’s women’s comedy “Bad Moms” (which ended up at $113 million).

“Spider-Man: Homecoming” (Sony) has quietly climbed to third biggest summer domestic release. It could make it to $325 million, which would place it better than either of the “Amazing Spider-Man” reboots, though far below the lowest of the first trilogy (the third and least of those films adjusted grossed $435 million).

However, with Japan and China and China still to open, “Homecoming” should easily pass $800 million worldwide, enough with its $175 million budget and substantial marketing costs to make a nice profit and propel forward Sony’s most lucrative franchise.

“Annabelle: Creation” (Warner Bros.) should easily open to over $25 million next weekend, although expect grosses still to be substantially below last year, which saw the top three titles gross close to $100 million.

Sony

The Top Ten

1. The Dark Tower (Sony) NEW – Cinemascore: B+; Metacritic: 35; Est. budget: $60 million

$19,500,000 in 3,451 theaters; PTA (per theater average): $5,651; Cumulative: $19,500,000

2. Dunkirk (Warner Bros.) Week 3 – Last weekend #1

$17,600,000 (-34%) in 4,014 theaters (+266); PTA: $4,385; Cumulative: $

3. The Emoji Movie (Sony) Week 2 – Last weekend #2

$12,350,000 (-50%) in 4,072 theaters (no change); PTA: $3,031; Cumulative: $49,452,000

4. Girls Trip (20th Century Fox) Week 3- Last weekend #3

$11,419,000 (-42%) in 2,582 theaters (-66); PTA: $4,422; Cumulative: $84,444,000

5. Kidnap (Aviron) NEW – Cinemascore: B; Metacritic: 45; Est. budget: $20 million

$10,210,000 in 2,378 theaters; PTA: $; Cumulative: $10,210,000

6. Spider-Man: Homecoming (Sony)  Week 5 – Last weekend #5

$8,800,000 (-34%) in 3,116 theaters (-509); PTA: $2,824; Cumulative: $294,908,000

7. Atomic Blonde (Focus) Week 2 – Last weekend #4

$8,245,000 (-55%) in 3,326 theaters (+22); PTA: $2,479; Cumulative: $34,125,000

8. Detroit (Annapurna) Week 2 – Last weekend #16

$7,251,000 (+1,971%) in 3,007 theaters (+2,987); PTA: $2,411; Cumulative: $7,766

9. War for the Planet of the Apes (20th Century Fox) Week 4 – Last weekend #6

$6,000,000 (-43%) in 2,704 theaters (-670); PTA: $2,219; Cumulative: $130,280,000

10. Despicable Me 3 (Universal) Week 6 – Last weekend #7

$5,289,000 (-30%) in 2,445 theaters (-585); PTA: $2,163; Cumulative: $240,780,000

Source: IndieWire film

August 6, 2017

‘Batman’ Voice Actor Kevin Conroy Recites ‘The Dark Knight’ Monologue — Watch

For many “Batman” fans, Kevin Conroy will always be the true Caped Crusader. The actor voiced the scowling superhero on “Batman: The Animated Series,” the “Batman: Arkham” games, and several other cartoons, animated films, and games; to the delight of many, he’s now recited the famous monologue that Christian Bale delivers at the end of “The Dark Knight.”

The table reading came as part of Nerdist’s “Talkin Toons” alongside Rob Paulsen of “Animaniacs” and “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,” who voiced Commissioner Gordon (played by Gary Oldman in Christopher Nolan’s three films). Bale’s raspy delivery while wearing the cape and cowl in that trilogy was a source of both praise and mockery; watching Conroy’s take on such iconic lines as “You either die a hero or you live long enough to see yourself become a villain” certainly provides an interesting alternative.

Here’s Conroy’s tradition in two forms: the table read itself and a version in which his delivery is synced to footage from “The Dark Knight” itself.

When @RealKevinConroy‘s #Batman + Nolan’s Dark Knight collide it equals an epic read with @Yakkopinky on Talkin’ Toons! pic.twitter.com/dKF4jbcUAg

— Darknight Archivist (@HistoftheBatman) August 5, 2017

Source: IndieWire film

August 6, 2017

‘Wind River’ Scores at Specialty Box Office as ‘Step’ Gains a Foothold

During a competitive period when well-reviewed wide releases like “Dunkirk” and “Baby Driver” are luring adult audiences away from new smart-house fare, Weinstein stormed back at the specialty box office with Taylor Sheridan’s Wyoming western “Wind River,” which boasted one of the best limited openings of the year. A strong debut will help it stand out in the weeks ahead as the flow of new films declines.

Fox Searchlight welcomed a decent initial response for its heart-tugging inner-city dance documentary “Step” in seven cities. Also impressive is the two-theater launch for “Columbus,” starring Jon Cho as a Korean translator spending time in middle America due to a family emergency.

Opening

Wind River (Weinstein) – Metacritic: 73; Festivals include: Sundance, Cannes, Seattle 2017

$164,187 in 4 theaters; PTA (per screen average): $41,042

Taylor Sheridan’s well-received rural thriller debuted with the strongest limited debut since late June’s “The Big Sick” and “The Beguiled.” Since then an array of festival successes with similarly upbeat reviews have opened. It’s The Weinstein Company’s best limited opening since “Carol” in late 2015 (better than “Lion,” which went on with an Oscar boost to over $50 million), so this is a return to form for the once-dominant player in the specialized world. Saturday increased a healthy 23 per cent from Friday, suggesting good initial audience response.

What comes next: This expands to the top 20 markets this Friday, with likely extensive wider play beyond.

“Step”

Step (Fox Searchlight) – Metacritic: 83; Festivals include: Sundance, San Francisco, Seattle 2017

$145,000 in 29 theaters; PTA: $5,000

Per usual, Fox Searchlight opened this documentary focused on a step-dancing team at an inner-city girls school in Baltimore in more than the standard two coastal cities. Its seven-market start in varied specialized and mainstream theaters will serve as a launch for its rapid expansion to 125 or more theaters this Friday.

Word of mouth is key, so the Sundance hit has been seen by a sufficient number of viewers to give it a shot at broader play. On the other hand, Saturday’s numbers stayed even with Friday, better than some studio releases but not as strong as many limited releases. (Searchlight’s recent “Gifted” opened in nearly double the theater count in April and increased 35 per cent on its second day.)

What comes next: The second week expansion is the start of a much wider planned national release.

Columbus (Superlative) – Metacritic: 91; Festivals include: Sundance, Rotterdam, Seattle 2017

$28,800 in 2 theaters; PTA: $14,400

Rave reviews helped the two-theater New York/Los Angeles initial release for this Sundance Next section premiere. John Cho plays an estranged son who rushes to Columbus, Indiana (a center of modern architecture) when his father collapses. While his encounters there with a young tour guide make an unlikely basis for a contemporary specialized American movie, this debut feature has struck a chord. This could be sleeper success with continued careful handling (it is self-distributed).

What comes next: Seattle and San Francisco are next this Friday with top markets set over the upcoming weeks.

We Love You Sally Carmichael! (Purdie)

$(est.) 28,000 in 7 theaters; PTA: $(est.) 4,000

This home-grown Utah family story is about an anonymous popular romance novelist whose true identity is discovered, to his horror. It played top Salt Lake City and other area theaters to a passable initial response.

What comes next: This will likely get additional local attention for starters.

Also available on Video on Demand:

Brave New Jersey (Gravitas Ventures/Austin 2016) – $14,105 in 14 theaters

Courtesy of Sundance

Week Two

An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power (Paramount)

$900,000 in 180 theaters (+170); PTA: $5,000; Cumulative: $1,052,000

Paramount is lending major support to this climate change activist documentary sequel, with credible if not spectacular results. The second weekend for the original grossed (adjusted) an average of almost $25,000 in 77 theaters. This looks headed for a result that will place it both among the top-grossing documentary titles of the year but far below the “An Inconvenient Truth” total in 2006.

Menashe (A24)

$80,317 in 10 theaters (+7); PTA: $8,032; Cumulative: $178,834

Among the few foreign-language films finding success these days, a handful about Orthodox communities in Israeli have stood out. Now a domestic New York divorce story set in an ultra-orthodox community where observance controls all aspects of life is showing some initial success in its second weekend as it slowly expands.

Courtesy of Sundance

The Brigsby Bear (Sony Pictures Classics)

$42,790 in 15 theaters (+12); PTA: $2,853; Cumulative: $97,377

A mediocre second weekend limited expansion for this quirky independent story about the impact on one young man whose life goes into a downfall when his favorite kids’ TV show is cancelled.

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

Maudie (Sony Pictures Classics) Week 17

$262,496 in 187 theaters (-41); Cumulative: $5,148,000

This Canadian/Irish coproduction has dropped from its widest point, with the U.S. component of its combined gross reaching a decent $2.4 million so far.

Landline (Magnolia) Week 3

$240,000 in 131 theaters (+93);  Cumulative: $503,128

Amazon’s Sundance independent drama about a Manhattan family confronted with domestic turmoil broadened to most major cities in its third weekend. It shows a mixed response at best, similar to several other well-received films that have faced competition from multiple other sources (both studio and independent) aimed at review-oriented audiences.

Lady Macbeth (Roadside Attractions) Week 4

$164,245 in 131 theaters (+27); Cumulative: $736,877

Another quality specialized drama this summer that has struggled to find its audience amid major competition.

A Ghost Story (A24) Week 5

$146,232 in 208 theaters (-181);  Cumulative: $1,137,000

David Lowery’s artful return to independent film after his Disney detour with “Pete’s Dragon” had Casey Affleck and Rooney Mara in tow. But the admittedly strange film never caught on after its initial decent launch, and a little more than a month after opening, it’s down to virtually no business with a per theater average of only around $700.

The Midwife (Music Box) Week 3

$82,698 in 43 theaters (+15); Cumulative: $225,548

Music Box continues its commitment to French among other subtitled movies with this Catherine Deneuve vehicle. The drama expanded wider in its third weekend to marginal results, with further markets planned for next weekend and beyond.

The Little Hours (Gunpowder & Sky) Week 6

$75,260 in 60 theaters (-36); Cumulative: $1,348,000

A Decameron-based story about nuns and their fun is another recent decent opener that hasn’t blossomed in wider dates.

The Beguiled (Focus) Week 7

$54,495 in 89 theaters (-55); Cumulative: $10,451,000

Sofia Coppola’s Civil War drama is wrapping up its run with a respectable total.

Also noted:

Lost in Paris (Oscilloscope) – $50,000 in 30 theaters; Cumulative: $410,036

Beatriz at Dinner (Roadside Classics) – $39,632 in 43 theaters; Cumulative: $6,926,000

The Hero (The Orchard) – $31,383 in theaters; Cumulative: $3,922,000

Source: IndieWire film