June 23, 2018

‘Kumiko’ Directors David and Nathan Zellner Got Offered Horror Movies, But They Made a Feminist Western Instead

David and Nathan Zellner had been making oddball shorts and features out of Austin, Texas for more than 15 years when their 2014 Sundance-winning “Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter” became an unexpected cult hit, grossing over half a million dollars in limited release and generating a new international fan base for the brothers over the course of a year. It wasn’t your obvious breakout: the story of a Japanese woman (Rinko Kikuchi) who believes the story of “Fargo” was real and journeys around the world with her pet bunny to find the hidden briefcase of cash from that 1994 film.

But the outrageous premise meshed with a surprisingly poignant tone that caught audiences by surprise. Suddenly a pair of filmmakers known mostly on the festival circuit and around the Austin film scene was getting offers for more work — just not the kind they wanted.

“We were very quick to turn stuff down,” said David, the chattier of the two, in a joint interview. “The stuff that was coming our way wasn’t anything that was interesting to us.” He added that the bulk of the offers were horror movies and cyber thrillers. Instead, they pressed ahead with “Damsel,” a loopy feminist western less like “Kumiko” than the surreal blend of cartoonish pastiche and surrealism found in the Zellners’ other work. Released in theaters this weekend with Robert Pattinson and Mia Wasichowska leading its cast, it marks the biggest platform for pure, unbridled Zellnerian storytelling to date.

There’s a lot of it. They made their first feature, “Plastic Utopia,” in 1997; it played at a few festivals but never got released, and the brothers later distanced themselves from it. Instead of trying to make more commercial work, they went deeper into an emerging aesthetic of weirdness. Their second effort, 2001’s “Frontier,” was shot in a made-up language. Then came the shorts. The Zellners cranked them out, directing five between 2004 and 2007, when they made “Goliath.” Their third feature, the anarchic tale of a recently divorced man losing his mind in the suburbs, took them to Sundance. They continued to make shorts.

Much of the Zellners’ work felt like the product of deranged home movies made by hyperactive children from another planet. “Sasquatch Birth Journal 2” is exactly what it sounds like. The three-part “Fiddlestixx” translates the qualities of a cheesy ‘50s sci-fi movie into psychedelic variety show. “Flotsam/Jetsam” spends an interminable amount of time watching a shipwrecked man drift around before abruptly destroying him with a shark. They kept the Zellners on the frontline of the festival scene, mingling with filmmakers and programmers on a regular basis. “You don’t ever want to take those relationships for granted, but you kind of forget that’s what you’re doing,” Nathan said. “It’s still work, but you’re going to show your stuff. And there’s always a pay off, and a community that you’re building that’s not in the town where you work.”

None of these shorts would make a reasonable case for the directors’ potential to handle a complex, bigger-budget project. Collectively, however, they allowed the Zellners to gain confidence in their creativity while stabilizing their lives with day jobs. In the meantime, they were writing a lot of scripts. “Damsel,” which starts out as a traditional western with a masculine hero trying to rescue his kidnapped gal before flipping that premise around, seemed like a natural step for the brothers: another refashioning of movie tropes that toyed with audience expectations.

But they kept struggling to put it together. “There were so many occasions where we almost made it, and then the financing fell through,” David said. Two years before production on “Kumiko,” the two were on location in Minnesota, ready to shoot “Damsel” with a different cast. Then the financing fell apart. “It was so many fits and starts,” David said. “It was just heartbreaking. We had to pull stakes and regroup.”

They went back to doing what they knew how to do: working fast and loose. Producing the shoestring “Kid-Thing” —an eerie, enigmatic story of a young girl who discovers a mysterious voice emanating from the well near her house — back on their home turf proved cathartic. “We’ve never had the luxury of controlling the order we do things,” David said. “Kid-Thing” went to Sundance, showcasing a gentler side to the brothers’ work than “Goliath,” and rejuvenated interest in supporting their work. That led to “Kumiko,” and finally they quit their day jobs. “It wasn’t just a leap of faith,” David said. “It was many, many years of gearing up to that and being ready for it.”

“Kumiko” brought them the resources — and the interest from name actors — to make “Damsel.” In the movie, Pattinson’s character isn’t the only one pining for Wasichowska’s affections. The movie is a playful treatise on the male gaze. “Every new guy objectifies her in a different way, projecting his desire,” David said. “I think the western is the most American genre, in terms of manliness.” The Zellners are among the few contemporary directors who excel at poking holes in American mythology. “In the 1800s, the country was growing so fast,” Zellner said. “There was this idea that everything was going to be life-changing and positive, but in reality, nobody had a good time. It was stumbling on top of itself.”

They’re now dead-set on increasing their scale each time out, though they haven’t finalized any plans. “We want to keep going bigger and bigger,” David said. “We’ll always write our own stuff, the stuff we want to do.” The pair is repped by ICM, and the agency regularly sends them scripts, including some studio projects. “It’s amazing how much IP is floating around, and how little of it makes it to the screen,” Nathan said. “Hopefully, we can control our own destinies, because you can always do the stuff you want to do if you created it, because you know it’s a match.”

“Damsel” is now playing in New York and Los Angeles, with a national rollout to follow.

Source: IndieWire film

June 20, 2018

Find Your Words: Preserving Conversations About Depression with Kaiser Permanente

Anthony and Judy

Anthony talks with his mother, Judy, about his struggles with schizoaffective disorder, anxiety, and depression.

Leo and Marc

Leo was 13 years old when he first experienced depression. Listen to Leo, now 16, talk with his dad, Marc, about what it’s like to live with depression.

Beth and Shawn

Listen to Beth Allen talk with her boyfriend, Shawn Smith, about how she came to understand and find the right treatment for her depression.

Francine and Richard

Francine has been living with cycles of depression since she was eight. She shares how powerful it is to be able to talk about it with friends, especially Richard, whose support has had a profound effect on her life.

Source: SNPR Story Corps

June 20, 2018

How to Boost Your Brand Humanity?

Source: Visual Storytelling

June 17, 2018

Pixar to the Rescue! ‘Incredibles 2’ Sets Records, and Revives Hope for the Summer Box Office

With an $180 million opening weekend, Pixar’s “Incredibles 2” set indisputable opening records. Perhaps even better: it countered any fears stoked by “Solo: A Star Wars Story” that no franchise was safe.

A $125 million opening for “Incredibles 2” would have been excellent. It’s been more than decade later since the original, which grossed less than “Finding Nemo.” However, this sequel opened close to 20 percent better than the record-breaking sequel “Finding Dory.” It also bested the even-bigger openings for the second and third “Shrek” films (adjusted, both around $160 million).

We don’t see many films that qualify as “best evers,” but “Incredibles 2” is one of them.

Pixar

It is the second-biggest June opening ever, falling about $50 million short of “Jurassic World.” Among PG-rated films, it is just behind last year’s live-action “Beauty and the Beast” — which it could best when Sunday totals are more than estimates.

The gross looks even better when compared to other recent Pixar releases. At $180 million, that’s just $30 million less than “Coco” made in its entire run, and $24 million more than the total gross for “Cars 3” last June. Based on typical multiples  for top Pixar titles, the total gross should approach $600 million; at $650 million, it would equal “Shrek 2.”

There was more great news for Pixar in international openings. The World Cup impacts that calendar, and only about a quarter of countries opened, but at $51 million they were strong. This is significant, since lately Pixar has seen weakness in its releases compared to the top animated films from Universal and 20th Century Fox.

Kyle Kaplan

Elsewhere, two wide openers had combined earnings of barely 11 percent of “Incredibles 2.” The stronger was “Tag,” an action/comedy with Jon Hamm, Jeremy Renner, and Ed Helms aimed for Fathers Day, which managed $14.6 million. Not awful, and better still with its $28 million budget, but it will need to have a decent hold and some future foreign interest to score.

“Superfly,” a remake of the 1972 renegade blaxploitation film, opened Wednesday with an $8.4 million five-day total. It cost up to $20 million (some estimates lower) and will have little international appeal, so might have to depend on a heftier post-theatrical boost.

Overall, the weekend will come in close to $270 million as the third best for the year (trailing opening weekends for “Black Panther” and “Avengers: Infinity War.”) That boosts year-to-date totals to more than six percent over 2017. “Jurassic World: Fallen World” opens in North America next weekend, and it’s already at $370 million overseas. It remains to be seen if it will be closer to “Solo” or “Incredibles 2” in domestic appeal, but after this big weekend there’s a sense that for top titles, the interest is still there.

The second weekend of “Ocean’s 8” dropped 53 percent, about the same as “Ocean’s 12.” The industry norm is that female-centric titles often hold second weekends better; “The Book Club” fell only 25 percent its second weekend, but “Ocean’s” was likely hurt by the broad appeal of “Incredibles 2.”

Barry Wetcher

Expect “Ocean’s 8” to reach $110 million-$115 million domestic. That’s the lowest adjusted for the franchise, but with equal foreign interest (due to typical shortfall for female titles) it will be a gamble that paid off for Warner Bros.

The surprise this weekend was “Hereditary” (A24), which despite a D+ Cinemascore, held in respectably. The $10 million production, with likely lower than typical marketing costs, is up to $27 million, and should make $35 million domestic at a minimum. That would be $10 million more than “The Witch” and “Ex-Machina,” and nearly triple “It Comes at Night,” all previous A24 genre releases.

The Top Ten

1. Incredibles 2 (Disney) NEW – Cinemascore: A+; Metacritic: 80; Est. budget: $200 million (unconfirmed)

$180,000,000 in 4,410 theaters; PTA (per theater average): $40,816; Cumulative: $180,000,000

2. Ocean’s 8 (Warner Bros.) Week 2; Last weekend #1

$19,555,000 (-53%) in 4,145 theaters (no change); PTA: $4,718; Cumulative: $79,175,000

3. Tag (Warner Bros.) NEW – Cinemascore: B+; Metacritic: 57; Est. budget: $28 billion

$14,600,000 in 3,382 theaters; PTA: $4,317; Cumulative: $14,600,000

4. Solo: A Star Wars Story (Disney) Week 4; Last weekend #2

$9,081,000 (-42%) in 3,182 theaters (-1,153); PTA: $2,854; Cumulative: $192,845,000

5. Deadpool 2 (20th Century Fox) Week 5; Last weekend #3

$8,800,000 (-38%) in 3,212 theaters (-458); PTA: $2,740; Cumulative: $294,681,000

6. Hereditary (A24) Week 2; Last weekend #4

$7,026,000 (-48%) in 2,998 theaters (+34); PTA: $2,344; Cumulative: $27,187,000

7. Superfly (Sony) NEW – Cinemascore: B+; Metacritic: 54; Est. budget: $20 million

$6,300,000 in 2,220 theaters; PTA: $2,838; Cumulative: $8,441,000

8. Avengers: Infinity War (Disney) Week 8; Last weekend #5

$5,296,000 (-27%) in 2,164 theaters (-718); PTA: $2,447; Cumulative: $664,200,000

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

$2,100,000 (-60%) in 1,929 theaters (-1,086); PTA: $1,089; Cumulative: $26,805,000

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

$1,850,000 (-57%) in 1,656 theaters (-1,146); PTA: $1,117; Cumulative: $62,000,000

 

 

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Source: IndieWire film

June 17, 2018

‘Cocote’ Trailer: Carlo De Los Santos’ Festival Favorite Blends Revenge, Religion, and Ritual — Watch

After making the festival rounds at Locarno, Toronto, and New Directors/New Films, “Cocote” finally gets a theatrical release. Nelson Carlo De Los Santos’ crime drama won the top prize in Locarno’s experimental Signs of Life program and has won acclaim everywhere else it’s screened, leading to a pickup by arthouse favorite Grasshopper Film. Watch the new trailer below.

Read More:  Locarno in Los Angeles 2018 Announces an Award-Winning Second Edition Led by ‘Mrs. Fang,’ ‘Cocote,’ and More

Offering glimpses of a few key scenes, the trailer sets up the film’s mix of revenge, religion, and ritual: A man’s father has died, and no one who knew him has received closure, and unresolved feelings lead to bad situations.

Here’s the synopsis: “A rapturous crime fable set in the Dominican Republic, Nelson Carlo De Los Santos Arias’ ‘Cocote’ follows Alberto, a kind-hearted gardener returning home to attend his father’s funeral. When he discovers that a powerful local figure is responsible for his father’s death, Alberto realizes that he’s been summoned by his family to avenge the murder. It’s an unthinkable act — especially for him, an Evangelical Christian. But as pressure mounts, he sees few ways out. Questions of faith, tradition and honor course through this electrifying film, which, seemingly at the speed of thought itself, jumps between film formats, colors, and aspect ratios, radically envisioning a community torn asunder by senseless violence.”

Vicente Santos, Judith Rodríguez, Yuberbi de la Rosa, Pedro Sierra, Isabel Spencer, and José Miguel Fernander star in “Cocote,” which Grasshopper will release in New York July 27.

Source: IndieWire film

June 17, 2018

‘Lucid’: Billy Zane Just Made a Movie with a Blind Director — and Didn’t Even Realize It

Adam Morse’s debut feature is about to have its world premiere at the Edinburgh Film Festival, an impressive feat for any budding filmmaker. It’s doubly so for Morse, however, as the writer/director has just publicly revealed that he’s legally blind. In a Guardian interview, Morse says he wanted “to stop focusing on the limitations and instead concentrate on what I could do.”

He did so with the help of his cinematographer, Michel Dierickx, as well as a 60-inch monitor and screen reader. Though the filmmaker’s director of photography was aware of his visual impairment from the outset, one person was not: star Billy Zane. “Billy didn’t know, and I only told him two days after we started filming. He didn’t believe me,” Morse said.

He also concealed his condition from at least one financier until “Lucid” had already screened for test audiences. “I didn’t want [the investors] to find out and then pull the plug on us,” he said. “I had that anxiety of being found out every time I went to a meeting with one of them. I would bump into something or they would point to something across the room or on the screen of their phone and I would have to fake it — pretend that I knew what they were looking at … None of them were any the wiser about my condition thankfully.”

“Lucid” concerns a therapist (Zane) who suggests that a patient experiment with lucid dreaming. It will have its world premiere June 23. Morse’s intent in making the film is clear: “I just want to inspire those who lack faith in the universe, spread a positive message and lead by example.”

Source: IndieWire film

June 17, 2018

Samuel L. Jackson Shrugs Off Criticism for Allegedly Homophobic Tweet: ‘They Just Keep Tryin’

Samuel L. Jackson has never been much for self censorship, and has come under fire for his most recent tweet about the Donald trump administration: “Must have been a party at The White House, Mitch [McConnell], Paul [Ryan], Rudy [Giuliani] & others were spotted wearing knee pads & carrying these lined up outside. Happy Birthday.”

Accompanying the tweet is a photo of “After Dick Mints,” a novelty item that comes with the tagline “Going down?” According to Page Six, “Firefly” actor Adam Baldwin responded, “Gay shaming?” in a since-deleted tweet. More than 1,500 people have responded to Jackson’s tweet, some in support and some in anger. Judging by his Instagram, Jackson seems unfazed:

 

Must have been a party at The White House, Mitch, Paul, Rudy & others were spotted wearing knee pads & carrying these lined up outside. Happy Birthday pic.twitter.com/VzTokZoUjg

— Samuel L. Jackson (@SamuelLJackson) June 15, 2018

Source: IndieWire film

June 17, 2018

Documentaries Rock the Specialty Box Office: ‘Gotti’ Ain’t Got It

Three documentaries are kings of the specialty box office. “Eating Animals” (IFC) had a stellar Manhattan opening, “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?” (Focus) continued to pack houses on its  second weekend, and “RBG” (Magnolia) is now over $10 million and looking for more.

The question is how the two established hits will expand to general audience theaters. Still, documentaries remain a stronger bet than conventional narrative films these days, even with a festival pedigree. Even the promising “First Reformed” (A24) faded as it went wider; in this market it’s tough to get to $3 million.

“Gotti” (MoviePass/Vertical) is the odd man out here, a star-driven biopic that thanks to its Cannes premiere tested the theatrical waters rather than take its planned streaming release. Despite terrible reviews, “Gotti” wasn’t a total disaster, but hardly marked the return to prominence producer-star John Travolta had hoped for.

Opening

Gotti (Vertical) – Metacritic: 27; Festivals include: Cannes 2018

$1,670,000 in 503 theaters; PTA (per theater average): $3,320

Yes, the reviews are bad. The gross at national top-grossing theaters was modest, but did get some sampling at most locations.

Still, the question is whether the expense of this limited theatrical play will realize better returns than the original plan. Rights to the film switched after Lionsgate planned to give this a token release parallel to streaming.

What comes next: In the heart of the summer at the level of theaters at which this is playing it will be a struggle to hold more than token shows.

Eating Animals (IFC) – Metacritic: 71; Festivals include: Telluride 2017

$35,215 in 2 theaters; PTA: $17,607

Another example of the elevated appeal, at least initially, in documentaries at the moment. This expose of mass animal farming makes a larger case for the damage meat eating does to the world. It opened in two Manhattan theaters to excellent numbers. This could be a case of elevated interest among activists. But if so, that isn’t limited to just New York and this could find at least initial specialized theater response across the country.

What comes next: More cities open this Friday, including the Landmark in Los Angeles.

Week Two

Won’t You Be My Neighbor? (Focus)

$985,000 in 96 theaters (+67); PTA: $10,253; Cumulative: $1,693,000

Very strong numbers for this documentary on Fred Rogers in its second weekend. The PTA is roughly on par with the same frame for “RBG.” The lack of a tribal political context for this might make the future appeal less intense on one level, but could bring wider interest. That will be further tested as it expands to over 300 theaters this Friday. Meantime, a gross similar to “RBG” seems likely.

Jon Pack

Hearts Beat Loud (Gunpowder & Sky)

$249,581 in 83 theaters (+79); PTA: $3,007; Cumulative: $348,453

Musician dad and college-bound daughter expand their at home jam sessions into surprise popular success. Nick Offerman in a rare lead (“Hereditary” star Toni Collete lends support) adds to the appeal for this Sundance buy that quickly expanded to numbers. Whether it can hold at this level will determine its position for a lengthy run or wider exposure. That’s the gamble distributors are increasingly taking — get a film out aggressively shortly after opening and hope that word of mouth does the trick.

Ongoing/expanding (Grosses over $50,000)

RBG (Magnolia) Week 7

$483,000 in 290 theaters (-85); Cumulative: $10,102,000

This Magnolia/Participant Media documentary has passed the $10 million mark. That’s rare, and puts it puts ahead of uber-hits “Amy,” “I Am Not Your Negro,” and “Waiting for Superman.” The next target: beat recently-pardoned Dinesh D’Souza’s “Hillary’s America,” which is currently $4 million ahead.

First Reformed (A24) Week 5

$329,500 in 273 theaters (-61); Cumulative: $2,405,000

The wider break for Paul Schrader’s acclaimed crisis of faith drama isn’t yielding results similar to the early weeks. Remaining theaters did hold their drop to around 25 per cent.

American Animals (The Orchard) Week 3

$216,731 in 72 theaters (+30); Cumulative: $760,617

This recreation (with participation from the actual perpetrators) of a Kentucky college library rare book heist continues to add top markets. It’s nabbing a modest response so far, with numbers at a similar level to “First Reformed.”

Sony Pictures Classics

The Seagull (Sony Pictures Classics) Week 6

$144,760 in 211 theaters (+122); Cumulative: $873,596

The trio of Bening, Ronan, and Moss in Chekhov continues to struggle to gain much traction as SPC gets it out to most of the country.

2001: A Space Odyssey (Warner Bros.) Week 5  (reissue)

$80,000 in 13 theaters (+8); Cumulative: $853,000

The 70mm reissue expanded to more cities in what will continue to be a very limited run (because of few theaters with capacity to play).

The Rider (Sony Pictures Classics) Week 10

$72,802 in 94 theaters (-94); Cumulative: $2,118,000

Late in its run, Chloe Zhao’s high-end acclaimed contemporary Western has passed $2 million but never seemed to find an audience equal to its acclaim. These days $2-3 million has become the default  likely gross for all but a few breakout titles.

Also noted:

Beast (Roadside Attractions) – $29,100 in 49 theaters; Cumulative: $763,410

On Chesil Beach (Bleecker Street) – $27,060 in 73 theaters; Cumulative: $677.257

Summer 1993 (Oscilloscope) – $20,500 in theaters; Cumulative: $98,624

Pope Francis – A Man of His Word (Focus) – $15,000 in theaters; Cumulative: $1,840,000

The Guardians (Music Box) – $10,256 in 8 theaters; Cumulative: $10,256

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Source: IndieWire film

June 17, 2018

5 Ways to Creatively Use Shutter Speed in Your Film

Shutter speed may not be the sexiest setting in your camera, but…wait…or is it?When it comes to “the film look,” shutter speed ranks high on the …
Source: CW’s Flipboard Feed

June 17, 2018

TUTORIAL: 7 optical transitions from Adobe Premiere Pro – Video & Filmmaker magazine

Add a flourish in a flash with these optical distortion transitions. The best part? They’re built right into Adobe Premiere Pro, available in the …
Source: CW’s Flipboard Feed