October 25, 2017

2017 SXSW Film Festival Selections: Midnight Shorts [Video]

Just in time for Halloweenie we’ve added the 2017 Midnight Shorts Competition to our Vimeo channel. The Midnight Shorts are the most fun because these shorts get freaky, dirty, crazy, ridiculous, sexy, weird, and a wealth of other colorful adjectives. Or as some might say, “You can’t unsee that!” Enter at your own risk!

Check out more great short films from past editions of SXSW on our SXSW Film Festival Vimeo Channel.

2017 SXSW Midnight Short Film Selections

Director: Kirsten Lepore

Hi Stranger. It’s been a while…

Director: Gillian Wallace Horvat

A branding intern loses the life he once had after an encounter with a mysterious blonde and her whiskey bottle — magical realism ensues.

Director: Drew Maynard

A man with a robust vocabulary must write a scornful letter to an old friend.

Director: Winona Regan

Don’t mess with a boss bitch. Dudes learn this the hard way in this animated short created by Winona Regan.

Director: Celine Held, Logan George

Fueled by coke, Vanessa and Danny attempt to capitalize on an unlikely opportunity.

Director: Sawako Kabuki

Painful events become memories over time. Still, we vomit and eat again. Life is Eco.

Director: Gary Ye

Koyaanisqatsi, but with dicks (please don’t sue).

Other Midnight Shorts that were part of the SXSW 2017 program, but are not yet available to watch on Vimeo include:

FOUNDFOOTAGEXX100N.S.1 directed by Tony Grayson

MISTER POPULAR directed by Charlie Mayforth

TICKLE MONSTER directed by Remi Weekes

KISSES directed by Sean U’Ren

KOOKIE directed by Justin Harding

IT BEGAN WITHOUT WARNING directed by Santiago C. Tapia and Jessica Curtright

DO NO HARM directed by Roseanne Liang

THE SUPLEX DUPLEX COMPLEX directed by Todd Rohal

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Source: SxSW Film

October 22, 2017

‘Only the Brave’ and 2 More Bomb, Tyler Perry’s ‘Boo 2’ Will Break Even: It’s Another Troubling Box-Office Weekend

“Geostorm,” “Only the Brave,” “The Snowman” — it’s another in a series of terrible box-office weekends. Last year, the same weekend saw three new releases gross a total of $65 million; this year, four new releases totaled $44 million. “Boo 2: A Madea Halloween” performed best, but at the lower end of expectations.

This is a performance that might be expected in January, the dumping ground for loser films. But October is the month where we’ve seen films like “Gravity,” “Gone Girl,” and “The Martian” thrive.

Is it a crisis yet? It’s clear there’s still an audience when a September release like “It” can hit $320 million domestic so far. However, it’s clear that even franchise fans are unreliable.

With a $22 million opening weekend and a $25 million budget, “Boo 2!” could break even: Figure less than $30 million in marketing/distribution costs, maybe $60 million gross and about half back to Lionsgate. It has home-viewing value with the brand, but in adjusted terms it ranks among the lowest of Perry’s films, and about a third below last year’s “Boo!”

Still, this the weekend’s top film and it ranks below the two top openers a year ago, with much less competition. The fans are there —  the Cinemascore is fine despite bad reviews, suggesting core fans are satisfied. It’s just that fewer go to theaters.

BEN ROTHSTEIN

Lionsgate is lucky compared to their competitors. “Geostorm” is a big-budget ($120 million is the reported number, some estimates suggest much higher), wannabe blockbuster. It opened overseas last week and only grossed $49 million. So what is likely close to a $250 million investment is headed for a wipeout loss.

“Only the Brave” and “The Snowman” both cost under $40 million, so their losses will be less. The first, a true-life hero story, got good reviews and provided a cast of well-regarded actors like Miles Teller and James Brolin. Its fate? DOA at $6 million; it will struggle to make more than $20 million.

“The Snowman” was a clear example of good intentions (rising “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy” director Tomas Alfredson, waning-appeal actor Michael Fassbender, best-selling thriller novel), but they went very wrong. Like “Boo 2!” and “Geostorm,” it received appalling reviews. It might have some foreign appeal ($19 million so far), but it’s hard to see how it makes money.

Sony Pictures

Prior-week holdovers also struggled. “Happy Death Day” dropped 64 percent its second weekend. Well-received Jackie Chan film “The Foreigner,” down 58 percent. “Blade Runner 2049” is past  hopes of catching on; in its third weekend, where well-received films often get a second wind with late-arriving interest, it dropped another 53 percent.

One possible factor: With the Harvey Weinstein scandal, and the additional allegations it’s inspired, the movie business has never looked uglier. Who knows if this deters audiences from seeing movies, but it certainly doesn’t help — and this comes weeks after “It” suggested an unexpected outpouring of interest.

Pixar

The upcoming performances of “Thor: Ragnarok,” “Coco,” “Justice League,” and perhaps “Daddy’s Home 2” might suggest a short-term stumble. But the recent results are suggesting deep issues that could get worse.

 

The Top Ten

1. Boo 2: A Madea Halloween (Lionsgate) NEW – Cinemascore: A-; Metacritic: 17; Est. budget: $22 million

$21,650,000 in 2,388 theaters; PTA (per theater average): $9,066; Cumulative: $21,650,000

2. Geostorm (Warner Bros.) NEW – Cinemascore: B-; Metacritic: 21; Est. budget: $120 million

$13,300,000 in 3,246 theaters; PTA: $4,097; Cumulative: $13,300,000

3. Happy Death Day (Universal) Week 2; Last weekend #1

$9,375,000 (-64%) in 3,298 theaters (+149); PTA: $2,843; Cumulative: $40,683,000

4. Blade Runner 2049 (Warner Bros.) Week 3; Last weekend #2

$7,155,000 (-54%) in 3,205 theaters (-805); PTA: $2,234; Cumulative: $74,005,000

5. Only the Brave (Sony) NEW – Cinemascore: A; Metacritic: 73; Est. budget: $38 million

$6,010,000 in 2,577 theaters; PTA: $2,332; Cumulative: $6,010,000

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

$5,450,000 (-58%) in 2,515 theaters (no change); PTA: $2,167; Cumulative: $22,844,000

7. It (Warner Bros.) Week 7; Last weekend #4

$3,500,000 (-42%) in 2,560 theaters (-616); PTA: $1,367; Cumulative: $320,234,000

8. The Snowman (Universal) NEW – Cinemascore: D; Metacritic: 24; Est. budget: $35 million

$3,442,000 in 1,812 theaters; PTA: $1,900; Cumulative: $3,442,000

9. American Made (Universal) Week; 4 Last weekend #6

$3,162,000 (-42%) in 2,559 theaters (-539); PTA: $1,236; Cumulative: $45,504,000

10. Kingsman: The Golden Circle (20th Century Fox) Week 5; Last weekend #7

$3,000,000 (-44%) in 2,318 theaters (-664); PTA: $1,294; Cumulative: $94,569,000

Source: IndieWire film

October 22, 2017

‘Psycho’: The Iconic Shower Scene Gets Dissected by Janet Leigh’s Body Double — Watch

Not a lot of movie scenes are so famous that entire documentaries are made about them, but not a lot of scenes are like the shower sequence in “Psycho.” One of the most iconic moments in all of cinema gets analyzed in Alexandre O. Philippe’s “78/52,” the title of which refers to the number of setups (78) and cuts (52) it features. Among the interviewees in that documentary is Marli Renfro, who served as Janet Leigh’s body double.

“I usually tell people that I’m not famous, but I did something famous,” Renfro says in a new interview with Entertainment Weekly. Renfro, who began as a pin-up model before transitioning into acting, recalls disrobing for both Alfred Hitchcock and Leigh herself (“our bodies were very similar — that’s the reason that I got hired”) as well as the director’s (in)famous meticulousness: “He knew exactly what he wanted with every shot.”

When the film came out, Renfro was reluctant to actually go see it. “Oh, how boring,” she remembers thinking. “I saw a lot of it being filmed.” In spite of that, it “scared me half to death. I really was surprised”; even now, she hears from people who “wouldn’t take a shower for months, or even years afterwards. Some to this day still lock the door.” Watch her full interview below.

Source: IndieWire film

October 22, 2017

‘The Killing of a Sacred Deer,’ ‘Wonderstruck,’ and ‘Jane’ Lead Weak Specialty Box Office

At this point during the prime fall awards season (“Moonlight” opened one year ago), the arthouse box office should be humming along. It’s not. This weekend, Yorgos Lanthimos’ “The Killing of a Sacred Deer” (A24) and the documentary “Jane” (National Geographic/Abramorama) showed credible initial results, while the anticipated opening of Todd Haynes’ “Wonderstruck” (Roadside Attractions) fell shy of expectations.

These three films are catching attention ahead of a glut of upcoming biopics, which can be hit or miss. While “Victoria & Abdul” (Focus) continues to be the biggest success of the season so far, and “Loving Vincent” (Good Deed) is an arthouse sleeper, middling performer “Battle of the Sexes” (Fox Searchlight) failed to reach hoped-for heights. The next round comes in the face of widespread audience disinterest for such true stories as “Goodbye Christopher Robin” (Fox Searchlight), “Marshall” (Open Road) and “Professor Marston and the Wonder Woman” (Annapurna).

Building at the box office is A24’s “The Florida Project,” which is following a similar pattern as the distributor’s “Moonlight” last year (though not at the same level) and looks to reach a wider specialized audience than most of the season’s releases.

Opening

The Killing of a Sacred Deer (A24) – Metacritic: 79; Festivals include: Cannes, Toronto 2017

$114,585 in 4 theaters; PTA (per theater allowance): $28,646

Greek director Yorgos Lanthimos (“Dogtooth,” “The Lobster”) reteamed with Colin Farrell plus Nicole Kidman in his first American film, the mordant story of a surgeon with a stable family life who is confronted by a disruptive teen (Barry Keoghan). A24 had a great run with their late pickup of dark comedy “The Lobster” ($9 million domestic), which opened in four theaters with a bigger initial four theater PTA ($47,000). Still, Lanthimos’ films are not an easy sell to core older arthouse audiences — “The Lobster” broadened to younger upscale moviegoers. But this is a decent start, particularly within the context of a soft fall specialized season.

What comes next: The rest of the top ten markets open this week ahead of a soon-to-come wider release.

Mary Cybulski

Wonderstruck (Roadside Attractions) – Metacritic: 74; Festivals include: Cannes, Telluride, New York 2017

$68,762 in 4 theaters; PTA (per theater allowance): $17,190

This unusual adaptation of a lengthy young adult novel telling parallel stories of two 12-year-olds half century apart fell short of the initial performances of several of Todd Haynes’ earlier films. Amazon Studios partnered with Haynes for his first film since “Carol.” Not scoring the same review lift as the lauded Patricia Highsmith adaptation, which also launched at Cannes followed by film festivals, “Wonderstruck” managed a comparable four-theater opening level, but came in less than $20,000 for its first-weekend PTA, less than the usual standard for high-profile fall season specialized releases. Saturday’s gross was only slightly above the Friday number, which is not typical for the market.

What comes next:  Another top ten market expansion and rapid expansion ahead.

Dalmau/Epa/REX/Shutterstock

Jane (National Geographic/Abramorama) – Metacritic: 94; Festivals include: Toronto, New York 2017

$55,712 in 4 theaters; PTA: $18,571

National Geographic is the producer of this documentary on primatologist Jane Goodall. Utilizing previously unseen footage shot over decades, its initial New York and Los Angeles performance, including sold out shows at the Arclight Hollywood, sets up the film for future strong expansion and certain awards consideration.

What comes next: Additional major city dates start this Friday.

BPM (Beats Per Minute) (The Orchard) – Metacritic: 84; Festivals include: Cannes, Toronto, New York 2017

$8,721 in 2 theaters; PTA: $4,361

This acclaimed 1990s set French drama, set among AIDs activists (their equivalent to the American Act-Up protestors) got great reviews, strong festival presence and the designation as its country’s Oscar submission. The theatrical interest in its two initial New York theaters was minor however, with the problem of attracting audiences to serious subtitled films, even in normally receptive markets, still front and center.

What comes next: San Francisco opens this Friday, with Los Angeles and Philadelphia the following week.

Pawel Pogorzelski

Tragedy Girls (Gunpowder & Sky) – Metacritic: 55 Festivals include: South by Southwest 2017

$10,677 in 2 theaters; PTA: $5,339

This horror comedy/satire opened in New York and Los Angeles with mostly social media marketing to modest results in advance of its wider pre-Halloween dates next week.

What comes next: 15 more theaters open Friday, with further post-Halloween dates planned.

The Paris Opera (Film Movement) –  Festivals include: Rendezvous With French Cinema, San Francisco 2017

$(est.) 8,000 in 4 theaters; PTA: $(est.) 2,000; Cumulative: $(est.) 11,338

The bulk of the gross for this documentary about the French culture institution (filmed in the style of Frederick Wiseman’s intensive studies of similar groups) comes from its New York theater, which opened on Wednesday. The additional theaters. The reviews haven’t been at the level of Wiseman’s films (in this case mixed to mildly favorable).

What comes next: San Francisco and Washington are among the areas opening this week.

Aida’s Secret (Music Box) – Festivals include: Hot Docs 2016, Palm Springs 2017

$5,068 in 1 theater; PTA: $5,068

A documentary about the search for a long lost brother (separated after World War II) and the family history discovered, this received elevated placement at New York’s Lincoln Plaza Theater and a short but strong New York Times review. The gross is modest, with a stronger Saturday gross suggesting possible word of mouth interest.

What comes next: Los Angeles and the Miami area open this Friday.

The Sacrifice (reissue) (Kino Lorber)

$5,500 in one theater; PTA: $5,500

Andrei Tarkovsky’s final film goes the restoration route and some initial interest in its New York date.

What comes next: A slow national roll-out to appropriate repertory locations is planned.

Also available on Video on Demand 

Dealt (IFC/South by Southwest 2017) – $5,577 in 1 theater

Week Two

Marshall (Open Road)

$1,510,000 in 821 theaters (no change); PTA: $1,839,000; Cumulative: $5,462,000

A 50 per cent drop for this retelling of the early career of Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall after its modest initial results doesn’t portend a long life for this well-reviewed film.

Professor Marston & the Wonder Woman (Annapurna)

$229,000 in 959 theaters (-270); PTA: $239; Cumulative: $1,309,000

The second weekend for this dramatization of the creator behind the Wonder Woman character, mostly limited token shows, ends the unsuccessful theatrical life of this well-reviewed film that failed in its attempt to appeal to wide audiences.

Goodbye Christopher Robin (Fox Searchlight)

$153,000 in 61 theaters (-52); PTA: $2,508; Cumulative: $232,505

The second weekend expansion for this creative artist biofilm (Winnie the Pooh creator A.A. Milne) had mixed results similar to its initial dates last week.

Human Flow (Amazon)

$82,000 in 28 theaters (+25); PTA: $2,929; Cumulative: $150,838

Ai Weiwei’s well-received documentary about refugees around the world added major cities beyond its initial New York dates to respectable early results for a serious non-fiction film.

Breathe (Bleecker Street)

$155,925 in 315 theaters (+311); PTA: $495; Cumulative: $187,718

Andy Serkis’ directorial debut, about a couple (Claire Foy and Andrew Garfield) who defy curtailing their lives in the face of devastating illness, went much wider in its second weekend to weak results.

Tom of Finland (Kino Lorber)

$30,500 in 5 theaters (+4); PTA: $6,100; Cumulative: $63,830

This dramatization of the life of the iconic leather artist continues its decent performance with new West Coast openings. It looks to have niche appeal and a shot  for further expansion in big cities at least.

Peter Mountain / Focus Features

Ongoing/expanding (Grosses over $50,000)

Victoria & Abdul (Focus) Week 5

$2,160,000 in 1,060 theaters (+160); Cumulative: $14,871,000

The leader among fall releases so far continues its decent run, with Judi Dench proving once again her draw even in a film with less than stellar critical support. It looks to reach the upper teens, a number well below summer releases “The Big Sick” and “Wind River.” The crowded specialized release calendar now seems to be part of the reason that this film, though performing well, isn’t reaching the level of those earlier successes.

The Florida Project (A24) Week 3

$636,615 in 112 theaters (+79); Cumulative: $1,375,000

Sean Baker’s acclaimed story about children raised on Orlando’s poverty row continues its quick expansion to major cities with decent results. It isn’t at the same levels of the similarly released “Beasts of the Southern Wild” or A24’s “Moonlight” last year, but stands ahead of most recent releases and looks headed to ongoing future interest.

Battle of the Sexes (Fox Searchlight) Week 5

$590,000 in 545 theaters (-849); Cumulative: $11,457,000

Though its total gross is among the best for the first wave of fall 2017 festival premiered releases, the effort to reach a wider audience and catapult to higher box office did not pan out as hoped, with this looking to fade out at less than $15 million.

Loving Vincent (Good Deed) Week 5

$391,974 in 114 theaters (+69); Cumulative: $1,317,000

A rare exception among films about real-life people, this retelling of Van Gogh’s life through animating his art continues to click with audiences as it reaches wider audiences.

Mark Felt: The Man Who Brought Down the White House (Sony Pictures Classics) Week 4

$192,590 in 332 theaters (+243); Cumulative: $491,695

The per-theater gross for this historical Watergate drama averaged $580, or around 60 people per theater. Unfortunately, this isn’t that unusual for high profile films at the moment as films expand in runs that used to be more lucrative. (Note: new theater-building designs these days include bigger screens, smaller rooms.)

Lucky (Magnolia) Week 4

$(est.) 115,000 in 87 theaters (+27);  Cumulative: $(est.) 533,000

Harry Dean Stanton’s final lead performance continues to expand to modest results.

Wind River (Weinstein) Week 12

$54,104 in 121 theaters (-71); Cumulative: $33,560,000

Normally, this gross at the end of a successful run would position a film for a possible Oscar run — and the Weinstein company was pushing the film for awards consideration until the Harvey Weinstein scandal broke. The film may still be judged on its merits, but its trajectory is now more complicated.

Also noted:

Faces Places (Cohen) – $43,471 in 26 theaters; Cumulative: $163,794

Take Every Wave (IFC) – $26,353 in 30 theaters; Cumulative: $129,611

Dina (The Orchard) – $16,088 in 20 theaters; Cumulative: $40,256

Stronger (Roadside Attractions) – $36,375 in 84 theaters; Cumulative: $4,124,000

Source: IndieWire film

October 22, 2017

‘Blade Runner 2049’ Is Disappearing From Theaters More Quickly Than Expected

“Blade Runner 2049” isn’t long for this world — at least not in theaters. The would-be blockbuster of the season continues to struggle at the box office, taking in just $7.1 million in its third weekend, which saw the number of theaters it was playing in drop by 855; “It,” meanwhile, only saw its theater count drop by 616 despite opening a month earlier.

The film has now made a total of $194 million worldwide, which would be better news if it hadn’t come with a hefty price tag of $150 million. Denis Villeneuve’s long-awaited sequel, which takes place 30 years after Ridley Scott’s sci-fi benchmark, was expected to make some $50 million during its opening weekend but only took in $32 million — well below even the most conservative forecasts. That’s in spite of a highly positive critical reception, as “Blade Runner 2049” boasts an 81 Metascore and an 88% on Rotten Tomatoes.

Still, not all hope is lost. The original “Blade Runner” wasn’t much of a moneymaker either, and that hasn’t hurt its legacy; like its predecessor, “2049” seems destined to be a cult classic of sorts whose reverential fans consider its disappointing financial returns a badge of honor.

Source: IndieWire film

October 22, 2017

JFK Assassination Documents Are About to Be Released — Is Oliver Stone Responsible?

Back and to the left. Back and to the left. Other than that line, the most enduring legacy of Oliver Stones’ “JFK” is its part in the President John F. Kennedy Assassination Records Collection Act — a promise made by then-President George H.W. Bush in 1992 to release all documents pertaining to the event by this month.

Stone, who was recently accused of sexual harassment after speaking up in Harvey Weinstein’s defense, told the New York Times before his drama starring Kevin Costner was released that the film “is not a true story per se. It explores all the possible scenarios of why Kennedy was killed, who killed him and why.”

“If and when the last remaining government documents about President John F. Kennedy’s assassination are made public next week,” points out the Washington Post, “historians may have to hold their noses and thank ‘JFK’ — a 1991 blockbuster that conflated the historical record with conspiratorial fantasies.” Indeed, the movie’s “most compelling scenes are totally made up.”

The release of these documents is unlikely to reduce the number of conspiracy theories — quite the opposite, in fact — but truth has always been stranger than fiction anyway.

Source: IndieWire film