April 15, 2018

‘A Quiet Place’: John Krasinski Reveals the Tricks Behind the Lantern Scene, Which Really Did Start a Fire — Watch

What little noise there is in “A Quiet Place” is all the more effective for its scarcity. One of the film’s tensest scenes comes early on, when the family of four led by John Krasinski and Emily Blunt’s characters are playing Monopoly and a lantern gets knocked over. Now Krasinski, who also directed the near-silent thriller, has broken down said scene for the delight of everyone watching at home. Watch below.

“Because it’s a movie about a family that needs to remain quiet, this is such a perfect atmosphere and one of the best scenes to tell the rules of how to remain quiet, what happens if you don’t,” Krasinski says in the video.

“We knew that sound would not only be a main character, but the character. It’s actually the thing that frames the entire movie together, but more than that, it became about adhering to rules — what sounds, literally, that the audience hears are too dangerous, which ones aren’t. It’s impossible to live silently, and we knew that, so we wanted to bring the audience through this idea of living as quietly as possible.”

“This is that old theory of loading a gun at the beginning of a scene to build tension,” he says, a reference to Chekhov’s gun. “This lantern will obviously become a huge part of the scene in that it is the first major noise you hear.”

Source: IndieWire film

April 15, 2018

Dwayne Johnson’s ‘Rampage’ Beats Out Horror Competition at Weekend Box Office

The box office continues to decline. And Dwayne Johnson is a major star. He took thriller “Rampage” (Warner Bros.) to a narrow win over John Krasinski’s sleeper hit “A Quiet Place” (Paramount) as both films grossed over $30 million. That’s the second time two films have reached that level for a weekend in 2018 — compared to four by this time last year.

The numbers dropped about 15 per cent against a 2017 weekend when “The Fate of the Furious” opened to $98 million, accounting for nearly 60 percent of the tickets sold. Still, several titles are making strong showings, and exhibitors are looking forward to some blockbusters ahead to overcome the two percent box office dip to date, including Disney/Marvel’s “Avengers: Infinity Wars” which is anticipated to open at $150 million or more.

Dwayne Johnson toplines $120-million “Rampage,” a video game adaptation about a primatologist joined by a mutant gorilla to confront a civilization-threatening invasion. Targeted abroad, the movie has already scored triple the domestic take internationally (less Germany and Japan so far).

With global marketing costs the film has some way to go before heading into profit. From a domestic standpoint, the gross is middling. It comes after Johnson’s “Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle” to over $400 million domestic. And the similar “San Andreas” three years ago opened to (adjusted) $58 million.

Still, initial positive response (including a decent 20 per cent Saturday increase) could push this over $100 million, bucking a string of disappointments. A decent domestic haul might make the difference between profit and loss for the film, even if it ends up closer to a fifth of the world wide take.

“A Quiet Place”

Jonny Cournoyer

Holdovers

One film that has no worries about making lots of money is “A Quiet Place.” Its fall of 35 per cent would be good for most second weekends. For a horror film, any hold better than 50 per cent is excellent.

The ten-day haul of just under $100 million suggests its domestic total will hit $160 million or more. It could end up with a majority domestic take, but international, with $51 million in so far, has yet to see openings in China and France. But this sleeper hit would be a big success even if it never opened foreign.

“Truth or Dare”

2018 Universal Studios.

“A Quiet Place” held remarkably well considering it faced competition from — and likely stole opening gross from– “Truth or Dare,”  a similar genre title from horror film masters Blumhouse Productions. Their latest micro-budget title opened to $19 million, which falls below their four most recent entries (including “Get Out” and “Split”), but isn’t bad for a less-heralded non-sequel.

Two openers broke nationally, but neither made the Top Ten. Jon Hamm as an kidnap negotiator in the Mideast in “Beirut” (Bleecker Street) managed only a little over $2 million in five days (Wednesday opening) in 755 theaters. And an Irish animated film, “Sgt. Stubbs: An American Hero” (Fun Academy) managed an impressive A Cinemascore. The gross hasn’t been officially reported, but looks to amount to around $1.1 million in 1,633 theaters — that’s a miserable less than $700 per theater.

“Ready Player One”

“Ready Player One” (Warner Bros.) took a sizable 54 percent third weekend drop. Steven Spielberg’s latest is looking at over $140 million domestic, with the total worldwide number somewhere around $550 million. Not a monster hit at its expense (a reputed $145 million) but primed for a little profit along with a reinforcement of the director’s mainstream credentials.

“Blockers” (Universal) fell 50 per cent on its second weekend. The SXSW-debuted teen raunch comedy had a shot at sleeper success, but with mixed response its domestic total should end up a little over $50 million.

“Black Panther” (Disney), despite losing another fifth or so of its theaters, kept its drop to under 40 per cent. It’s on track to hit about $700 million domestic. “Isle of Dogs” (Fox Searchlight) placed #7 as it tripled its theaters to 1,939 with a modest ten per cent increase of its gross.

“Rampage”

The Top Ten

1. Rampage (Warner Bros.) NEW – Cinemascore: A-; Metacritic: 45; Est. budget: $120 million

$34,500,000 in 4,101 theaters; PTA (per theater average): $8,413; Cumulative: $34,500,000

2. A Quiet Place (Paramount) Week 2; Last weekend #1

$32,600,000 (-35%) in 3,589 theaters (+81); PTA: $; Cumulative: $99,636,000

3. Truth or Dare (Universal) NEW – Cinemascore: B-; Metacritic: 37; Est. budget: $3.5 million

$19,080,000 in 3,029 theaters; PTA: $6,399; Cumulative: $19,080,000

4. Ready Player One (Warner Bros.) Week 3 ; Last weekend #2

$11,205,000 (-54%) in 3,661 theaters (-573); PTA: $3,061; Cumulative: $114,608,000

5. Blockers (Universal) Week 2 ; Last weekend #3

$10,295,000 (-50%) in 3,418 theaters (+39); PTA: $3,012; Cumulative: $36,928,000

6. Black Panther (Disney) Week 9 ; Last weekend #4

$5,342,000 (-39%) in 2,180 theaters (-567); PTA: $2,450; Cumulative: $673,798,000

7. Isle of Dogs (Fox Searchlight) Week 4 ; Last weekend #10

$5,000,000 (+10%) in 1,939 theaters (+1,385); PTA: $2,579; Cumulative: $18,451,000

8. I Can Only Imagine (Roadside Attractions) Week 5; Last weekend #7

$3,837,000 (-51%) in 2,563 theaters (-331); PTA: $1,503; Cumulative: $74,988,000

9. Acrimony (Lionsgate) Week 3 ; Last weekend #6

$3,700,000 (-56%) in 1,332 theaters (-674); PTA: $2,778; Cumulative: $37,875,000

10. Chappaquiddick (Entertainment Studios) Week 2; Last weekend #5

$3.025,000 (-47%) in  1,645 theaters (+85); PTA: $1,839; Cumulative: $11,006,000

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Source: IndieWire film

April 15, 2018

Vittorio Taviani, Palme d’Or and Golden Bear Winner, Dies at 88

Vittorio Taviani, who along with his brother Paolo formed one of the world’s premier filmmaking duos, has died at age 88. His daughter confirmed the Palme d’Or, Golden Bear, and Golden Lion winner’s passing after a long illness. Beloved in their native Italy for decades and celebrated at film festivals the world over, the Taviani Brothers directed such arthouse classics as “Pedro Padrone” (which won them the Palme in 1977) and “Caesar Must Die” (which took home the top prize from Berlin six years ago).

The two directed more than 20 films over the last 50 years, with “The Night of the Shooting Stars” winning particular acclaim at home; it was also awarded the Grand Prix at Cannes. In a statement, Italian president Sergio Mattarella called Taviani “a beloved protagonist of Italian cinema and culture” and said that the entire country is in mourning.

Born in the town fo San Miniato in 1929, Taviani most recently directed “Wondrous Boccaccio” with his brother, their follow-up to “Caesar Must Die.” The duo received a Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement from the Venice Film Festival in 1986.

Source: IndieWire film

April 15, 2018

Claire Denis Reveals Why ‘High Life,’ Her Sci-Fi Thriller Starring Robert Pattinson, Isn’t at Cannes

In addition to being one of our most gifted filmmakers, Claire Denis is also among the most outspoken. The French auteur’s name was conspicuously absent from the Cannes Film Festival lineup earlier this week, as many expected “High Life,” her sci-fi film starring Robert Pattinson, to premiere on the Croisette.

She’s asked about that in an interview with the Irish Times, but not before taking issue with being referred to as a “female director” by her interviewer. “When you say ‘female director’ I already want to stop this conversation!” Denis says. “Female director? I feel like I am an animal. I am a female director like this is a female bird. No, I am a director — good or bad I don’t know. But I am a woman.”

As for “High Life,” it appears as though it simply wasn’t ready in time for the festival.

“I made my way,” Denis says of her plight. “I made my films and I am a woman. Nobody raped me for making a film. The problem with this story is that people are victims when somebody has the power over them. But I was not really in that position. I had always a freedom. I was not obliged to go to a hotel room with somebody to get a film produced. I should have, maybe. To get a bigger film. Harvey Weinstein never asked me. I made my life differently. I don’t want to comment on this story of female film-making. Oh, all those f’s.”

As for Cannes, Denis seems unbothered by the fact that none of her movies have premiered in Competition since “Chocolat” 30 years ago. “I take what I am given,” she says. “I am always considering maybe my films are not good enough. Maybe they are boring. Maybe there is something Cannes doesn’t like. I never asked them, by the way. I don’t care.” Read her full interview here.

Source: IndieWire film