June 11, 2018

PACMAN: Personal Agent for Access Control in Social Media

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Source: CW’s Flipboard Feed

June 10, 2018

‘Ocean’s 8’ Posts a Strong Opening as Women Lead the Summer Box Office

Women are dominating the summer movie season so far. This prime early June weekend boasts three wide openings — a caper, a horror flick, a crime thriller — with strong female leads. This comes exactly a year after we saw “Wonder Woman” launch the biggest success of summer 2017.

Barry Wetcher

“Ocean’s 8” (Warner Bros.) is the dominant title, with a better than expected weekend of $41,500,000. That’s more than acceptable for a $70-million franchise entry with built-in international appeal. So far the initial domestic results show that whatever risk there was in revamping the ensemble male star vehicle series to feature top actresses paid off.

While the grosses outpace the four series entries going back to 2001, this entry sold the fewest tickets among any of the films. The adjusted opening grosses of the first three were $61 million, $57 million and $48 million for the most recent installment in 2007.

“Ocean’s 8” actually had a lower debut than both the good start for “Wonder Woman” but also the July 2016 opening of “Ghostbusters” (adjusted at just under $50 million). The last, despite becoming the biggest domestic comedy of 2016, was considered a flop because of its expense was more than double “Ocean 8” and its tentpole position as Sony’s most important release of the year –and biggest 2016 performer.

“Ocean’s 8” had a small second-day drop, not uncommon these days. “Wonder Woman” last year turned out to be the leggiest of the summer’s top films, with a four times multiple. That came in part because men who resisted initially later showed up. Females made up 69 per cent of the opening crowd, so if male interest perks up it could boost “Oceans’s 8” in weeks ahead.

Etsy

A24 has already mined wide-release horror with well-reviewed festival hits “The Witch” and “It Comes at Night.” Sundance 2018 breakout “Hereditary” brought its best ever weekend total: $13 million gross. The movie scored an awful D+ Cinemascore, which is not unusual for an offbeat smart-film in this genre. More relevant is that Saturday dropped only 10 per cent.

Earning raves for her performance is the face of the film, Toni Collette (who also is seen in this weekend’s limited Sundance debut “Hearts Beat Loud”). A24 pulled a decent response from an older female audience, a sign of a growing diverse appeal for horror films. Whether this has traction remains to be shown, but its a positive showing for A24 which continues to expand into prime season wider release films that still seem appropriate for their edgy shingle.

Rarely seen actress Jodie Foster, making her first appearance in “Hotel Artemis” (Global Road) since “Elysium” in 2013 and her first stand-alone lead since “The Brave One” in 2007, barely made a dent with a meager $3,151,000. The thriller set in a private prison run by a senior citizen  fell into a “who cares?” level with mediocre reviews amid plenty of alternatives for female and genre fans.

The total gross for the weekend dropped 20 per cent from last year. That slide will stop next weekend with Pixar’s “Incredibles 2” (Disney) and most likely “Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom” (Universal). The year to date remains up almost five per cent, with the comparisons for the next few weeks up against last year’s weak summer box office.

“Jurassic” opened in most of the world this weekend to get a jump on the World Cup, which starts Thursday night and will compete with moviegoing worldwide. Its start at $151 million is already $15 million more than the international total so far for “Solo: A Star Wars Story” (Disney). The U.S. is not as affected by soccer games. But the big numbers might build interest here for its June 22 debut, which comes after “Incredibles” next week.

Holdovers

“Solo” fell the most among third-week and older holdovers in the Top Ten: 48 per cent. It will likely gross around $225 million domestic, but it could be even lower.  An optimistic $400-million worldwide total would put this on a path to a loss.

“Avengers: Infinity War” (Disney) had the best hold, down 35 per cent with close to $7 million. It is just shy of $2 billion worldwide – five times or more of what “Solo” will do. $680 million domestic will be a bit shy of “Black Panther.”

“Deadpool 2” (20th Century) dropped 41 per cent for third spot, nearing $280 million. It has enjoyed a successful run, even if it falls short of its predecessor (adjusted $387 million).

The Top Ten

1. Ocean’s 8 (Warner Bros.) NEW – Cinemascore: B+; Metacritic: 60; Est. budget: $70 million

$41,500,000 in 4,145 theaters; PTA (per theater average): $10,012; Cumulative: $41,500,000

2. Solo (Disney) Week 3; Last weekend #1

$15,154,000 (-48%) in 4,335 theaters (-36); PTA: $3,496; Cumulative: $176,105,000

3. Deadpool 2 (20th Century Fox) Week 4; Last weekend #2

$13,650,000 (-41%) in 3,823 theaters (-338); PTA: $3,570; Cumulative: $278,666,000

4. Hereditary (A24) NEW – Cinemascore: 87; Metacritic: D+; Est. budget: $10 million

$13,037,000 in 2,964 theaters; PTA: $4,399; Cumulative: $13,037,000

5. Avengers: Infinity War (Disney) Week 7; Last weekend #4

$6,836,000 (-35%) in 2,882 theaters (-688); PTA: $2,372; Cumulative: $654,734,000

6. Adrift (STX) Week 2; Last weekend #3

$5,050,000 (-56%) in 3,015 theaters (no change); PTA: $1,675; Cumulative: $21,740,000

7. Book Club (Paramount) Week 4; Last weekend #5

$4,200,000 (-40%) in 2,802 theaters (-367); PTA: $1,499; Cumulative: $56,874,000

8. Hotel Artemis (Global Road) NEW – Cinemascore: C-; Metacritic: 56; Est. budget: (not reported)

$3,158,000 in 2,407 theaters; PTA: $1,309,000, Cumulative: $3,158,000

9. Upgrade (BH Tilt) Week 2; Last weekend #6

$2,220,000 (-52%) in 1,458 theaters (+1); PTA: $1,523; Cumulative: $9,210,000

10. Life of the Party (Warner Bros.) Week 5; Last weekend #7

$2,105,000 (-40%) in 1,842 theaters (-669); PTA: $1,143; Cumulative: $50,267,000

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Source: IndieWire film

June 10, 2018

Ethan Hawke Says Movies Are ‘An Art Form That’s Been Completely Eaten by Business’

Ethan Hawke had a lot to smile about in Seattle on Friday night. The actor/director was in town for the Seattle International Film Festival, where he was receiving the festival’s annual award for Outstanding Achievement in Cinema and screening “Blaze,” his first narrative directing effort in a decade. The festival also screened “First Reformed,” Paul Schrader’s psychological thriller starring Hawke as an emotionally disturbed priest, which has already scored $1 million in limited release.

In conversation for the tribute portion of the evening moderated by this writer after a screening of “Blaze,” Hawke said that his filmmaking ambitions evolved from personal experiences early in his career, and took the opportunity to offer a stern assessment of the movie business as a whole.

“My mother was very depressed that I’d dropped out of college. One of the things I promised her I would do was take responsibility for an education,” he said, referring to the 1994 short film he directed, “Straight to One,” which screened at Sundance the same year as “Reality Bites.” He wouldn’t make his directorial debut until 2001 with “Chelsea Walls,” but, he added, “I was always planning on directing and writing because I had no faith in the life of an actor. I was very apprehensive that I’d be able to keep doing it. “

Hawke said that feeling emerged from his experiences working with River Phoenix on Joe Dante’s “Explorers” and watching Phoenix — who died of a drug overdose in 1993 — deal with being a young star.

“River had a tremendous success when he was very young, and a lot of it was stuff that didn’t align with what he personally wanted to contribute artistically,” Hawke said. “So if we’d be out of a bar and a bunch of girls would come up to him and say, ‘You’re amazing in ‘A Night in the Life of Jimmy Rearden.’ It was so frustrating. I think it made a big impact on him.”

When Hawke landed his first serious role in “Dead Poets Society,” he witnessed the toll of acting at the other end of the career spectrum by working with Robin Williams. “Robin was a genius,” Hawke said. “You wouldn’t wish being genius on your child. It sounds nuts. Everybody wants to be a genius. It’s such an overused word … he would go and be alone for a while. I saw the curtain go up and the curtain go down working with him. You realized it came at a great personal cost.”

Much of Hawke’s career has been defined by a careful negotiation between art and commerce. He has avoided blockbusters and often points out that some of his best-known roles — including the “Before” trilogy — haven’t been big box-office hits. “Working with real talented people is about the best there is,” he said. “I wouldn’t want to do anything else, but it very rarely happens the right way. It’s an art form that’s been completely eaten by business.”

He pointed to the way industry metrics for success dominate conversations about the business. “Not only do we read about ‘Black Panther’’s box office success, but we read about its Rotten Tomatoes score. So actually everything in our world is a competition, and arts are supposed to be one place where competition doesn’t exist because it’s about expression.”

Hawke has a tendency to speak about his work in sweeping philosophical generalizations, much like the soul-searching Jesse in Richard Linklater’s “Before” trilogy. This conversation was no exception, as it ended with Hawke finding his way to a bigger picture. “They learned pretty quickly that the human being loves movies,” he said. “It’s a very relaxing art form. It requires very little work on the audience’s part. They’ve learned to play music to tell us exactly how we feel. The camera pushes in on a tear just right. The light hits it. Spontaneity is drained. The cash register goes off.”

Source: IndieWire film

June 10, 2018

‘Hereditary’ Director Ari Aster’s Early Short Films Set the Stage for His Haunting Debut Feature — Watch

“Hereditary” is Ari Aster’s feature debut as a writer/director, but it’s far from his first time behind the camera. He also has six shorts to his name, several of which can be found online. Best known and most controversial is his 30-minute “The Strange Thing About the Johnsons,” which Aster began working on while at the American Film Institute Conservatory.

An official selection of both the New York and Slamdance film festivals, it’s now a Vimeo Staff Pick and has drawn mixed reactions due to its taboo familial subject matter — sound familiar?

“Munchausen” premiered online three years ago via Vice Shorts, which described the 16-minute offering as “a Pixar-inspired silent short about a clingy mother (played by Bonnie Bedelia, John McClaine’s wife in Die Hard) who goes to a bunch of extreme lengths to keep her son from going off to college.” It also played at Fantastic Fest.

Then there’s the six-minute “Beau,” which was shot in one day and has been on Vimeo for seven years.

Watch all three shorts below, and keep an eye out for Aster’s “C’est La Vie,” “The Turtle’s Head,” and “Basically” as well.

Source: IndieWire film

June 10, 2018

Anthony Bourdain Was a Brilliant Filmmaker in Disguise

When I spoke to Anthony Bourdain on May 31, eight days before he committed suicide, I mostly wanted to talk about movies. While not everyone associated the food-show host with cinema, it informed every episode of CNN’s “No Reservations,” from the echoes of “Happy Together” in Buenos Aires to “City of Ghosts” in Thailand. He was a brilliant filmmaker in disguise.

Our conversation got granular. He shared references to revered and obscure filmmakers, recalled his youth experiences working through the Janus film library, and mused about a few new releases. It was a neat opportunity to explore the creative mindset behind a program that became more of a cultural investigation than a culinary one.

Food experts can assess how Bourdain brought a personable edge to highbrow cuisine, and pushed beyond fine-dining formulas to explore the value of food at every level of society. However, what defines his legacy may have more to do with his capacity to deconstruct the Western gaze. By sharing a meal, he could go anywhere in the world and make the people look just like us, and us like them. He was a hero we needed in divided times, when the specter of bigotry looms large and ugly, and perhaps our world was too good for him. I wish I had asked him if that was true.

When we spoke, he’d already completed several episodes of the current season, including an installment airing that Sunday set in Hong Kong that largely focused on the history and culture of the city, as well as the way he had learned to love it through the films of Wong Kar-wai. At 61, Bourdain was confident in the unique formula he’d honed across decades: the celebrity chef who was less interested in food than in the people consuming it. He explored different places as a means of opening up audiences to unfamiliar worlds. How many of us, prior to traveling to another country, have turned to Bourdain for guidance, and wind up imbibing histories and people we never expected to see?

Bourdain had more in common with ethnographic filmmaker Jean Rouch than any contemporary celebrity chef. Both men positioned their cameras around faces we often don’t see represented in mainstream media, then provided space for their subjects to drive the narrative.

The first episode of the current “No Reservations” season is an astonishing documentary investigation into the lives of working-class people in West Virginia. Bourdain positions himself as the clueless cosmopolitan in Trumpland — “the existential enemy” — only to find himself so welcomed in a community of coal miners and football lovers that he fits right in. Eating bear meat with several family men in a dank cave, he listens to their concerns for job security and pushes to contextualize it with a broader overview of the region.

Rather than constructing a bland plea for partisanship, Bourdain allows the men to simply exist within the specific parameters of their surroundings. It’s thrilling to watch this kind of level-headed inquiry because so little of it exists in popular culture, which tends to regard others as either exotic objects or clueless products of less-enlightened circumstances. Bourdain worked to rewire those binary instincts and embrace the potential for experiencing new people and conditions. That’s true movie magic.

Bourdain’s was a modern-day auteur, discovering his creativity in piecemeal. It felt like he was just getting started, and on the verge of a new chapter as a unique filmmaking talent. An industry colleague told me Bourdain had been asking around about the possibility of showcasing his work at major film festivals later this year. It should still happen. We may never know his exact ambitions with the moving image, but he left us with a body of work that begs for further exploration. Bourdain’s parting gift to the world is a jolting realization of how much we needed him, and the excuse to continue to scrutinize the achievements he has left us.

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Source: IndieWire film

June 10, 2018

Fred Rogers as Documentary Hero: ‘Won’t You Be My Neighbor?’ Hits Big

Going into summer, distributors are providing a range of alternatives to the usual studio fare. This weekend launched six January Sundance premieres at the box office. A24 tallied modest numbers in wide release with well-reviewed horror flick “Hereditary,” while documentary “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?” (Focus) opened in multiple cities with a strong response, along with the father-daughter musical “Hearts Beat Loud” (Gunpowder & Sky). “Half the Picture” (Gravitas Ventures) also nabbed interest in New York.

Among holdovers, Magnolia’s record-breaking hero documentary “RBG” continues strong and The Orchard expanded “American Animals,” whose robust platform opening was boosted by its partnership with MoviePass and the quick jump in theaters for Paul Schrader’s “First Reformed” (A24).

Opening

Won’t You Be My Neighbor? (Focus) – Cinemascore: 84; Festivals include: Sundance, South by Southwest 2018

$470,000 in 29 theaters; PTA (per theater average): $16,168

Opening just slightly below the numbers for the stunning “RBG,” this retelling of the life and career of PBS’ iconic Mr. Rogers looks quite strong as it starts its national run. “RBG” had five more theaters initially, with a strong boost from opening day events which pushed its initial PTA slightly better. Effectively this is just as strong, with all indications that as anticipated there is a significant national audience, both specialized and broader, for the release of this documentary that could lead all non-studio releases over the summer.

What comes next: This will gradually expand over the next few weeks, with its maximum exposure still to be determined. It could be considerable.

Hearts Beat Loud (Gunpowder & Sky) – Cinemascore: 62; Festivals include: Sundance, South by Southwest 2018

$74,053 in theaters; PTA: $18,513

Unusually, the weekend launched two films –both of which debuted at Sundance–with the same lead (Toni Collette also stars in A24’s wide release “Hereditary”). The timing worked for this Brooklyn story of a record store owner finding unexpected success as he bonds through music with his college-bound daughter, with an elevated opening at four New York/Los Angeles theaters. They included the Landmark upper west side Manhattan 57 West, which is now starting to show up more regularly among initial platform dates.

What comes next: A quick jump to over 50 theaters is slated for next weekend.

“Half the Picture”

Half the Picture (Gravitas Ventures)  – Cinemascore: 75; Festivals include: Sundance, South by Southwest 2018

$7,529 in theaters; PTA: $7,529

Featuring a who’s who of contemporary female filmmakers, this documentary on the ongoing problem of lack of equal opportunity for women in the industry opened exclusively in New York. It had a respectable result and going forward will likely provoke further discussion.

What comes next: Los Angeles opens this Friday ahead of other dates.

 

 

Week Two

American Animals (The Orchard)

$234,289 in 42 theaters (+38); PTA: $5,591; Cumulative: $422,427

These are decent results for the second weekend expansion of this recreation of a Kentucky rare library book caper. The marketing and promotional tie in with MoviePass had a bigger overall impact in the New York/Los Angeles platform openings. It had a different theater count than the second weekend of The Orchard’s biggest success, “Hunt for the Wilderpeople,” but the result is in a similar range. That suggests a potential for more expansion and a possible similar ultimate result.

Ongoing/expanding (grosses over $50,000)

RBG (Magnolia) Week 5

$700,000 in 375 theaters (-57); Cumulative: $9,134,000

Off its peak theater count, this hit documentary on the Supreme Court Justice still leads expanded specialized releases. It has soared past Magnolia’s theatrical breakout Oscar nominee “I Am Not Your Negro,” will an $11-12 million total likely.

First Reformed (A24) Week 4

$558,982 in 334 theaters (+243); Cumulative: $1,764,000

A24 aggressively added theaters across the county to those already playing Paul Schrader’s acclaimed film. The gamble here is that the film, which has found passionate support early in its run, will continue with strong word of mouth. The Saturday increase of 45 per cent shows initial positive signs. But the results this week could suggest that the greatest interest for the film will remain in more sophisticated core art houses.

On Chesil Beach (Bleecker Street) Week 4

$121,410 in 203 theaters (+114); Cumulative: $561,756

Saorise Ronan in an adaptation of Ian McEwan’s early 1960s set romance isn’t finding an audience as it widens.

Sony Pictures Classics

The Rider (Sony Pictures Classics) Week 9

$120,531 in 188 theaters (-136); Cumulative: $1,978,000

Chloe Zhoe’s contemporary Western is at the high end of acclaimed films this year, but despite SPC’s usual dedicated effort to finding an audience it hasn’t reached the response it deserves.

The Seagull (Sony Pictures Classics) Week 5

$100,722 in 89 theaters (+37); Cumulative: $672,217

The second Saorise Ronan film in current release, joined by Annette Bening and Elisabeth Moss in this Chekhov adaptation, expands to continued minor response.

Isle of Dogs (Fox Searchlight) Week 12

$95,000 in 115 theaters (-14); Cumulative: $31,583,000

After another week in over 100 theaters, Wes Anderson’s animated film is nearing the end of the third month. It remains the highest-grossing specialized release of the year by a large margin.

Disobedience (Bleecker Street) Week 7

$92,353 in 101 theaters (-57); Cumulative: $3,269,000

The two Rachels fighting taboos at a London synagogue are in their final stage with a middle level specialized result.

2001: A Space Odyssey (Warner Bros.) Week 4 (reissue)

$91,000 in 5 theaters (no change); Cumulative: $700,000

Rotating the 70mm prints brought increased totals for this successful 50th anniversary reissue of the Kubrick classic.

Pope Francis: A Man of His Word (Focus) Week 4

$55,000 in 127 theaters (-146); Cumulative: $1,761,000

The Pope’s status as among the most admired figures in the world remains unchallenged, but American moviegoers clearly have more curiosity in Justice Ginsberg and Mr. Rogers.

Also noted:

The Gospel According to Andre (Magnolia) – $43,000 in 35 theaters; Cumulative: $256,874

Let the Sunshine In (IFC) – $38,623 in 50 theaters; Cumulative: $765,091; also streaming

Beast (Roadside Attractions) – $30,250 in 83 theaters; Cumulative: $713,274

Mary Shelley (IFC) – $19,031 in 31 theaters; Cumulative: $62,285

The Death of Stalin (IFC) – $17,594 in 14 theaters; Cumulative: $7,978,000

Summer 1993 (Oscilloscope) – $14,500 in 7 theaters; Cumulative: $71,039

Always at the Carlyle (Good Deed) – $10,759 in 12 theaters; Cumulative: $115,565

Breath (FilmRise) – $8,200 in 21 theaters; Cumulative: $16,307

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Source: IndieWire film