The post GIPHY Founder Alex Chung on “The End of Content” at SXSW 2018 [Video] appeared first on SXSW.

Source: SxSW Film

August 12, 2018

‘Green Room’ Director Jeremy Saulnier Says His Netflix Thriller Has the ‘Highest Body Count’ of Any of His Films

Jeremy Saulnier won’t be directing all of “True Detective” as originally planned, but he is still helming “Hold the Dark.” Set in Alaska, the Neflix-bound thriller concerns a hunter (Alexander Skarsgård) attempting to un-kidnap a little boy who’s been taken by wolves (who presumably intend to raise him as one of their own). Anyone who’s seen “Blue Ruin” or “Green Room” knows that Saulnier doesn’t exactly shy away from graphic violence, but a new Entertainment Weekly interview with the director suggests he’s outdone himself this time.

“Not only did it have the most intense dialogue, and also the highest body count, it had a first war scene, it had an aerial sequence, and by far the most animals I’ve worked with,” Saulnier says.

“We’ve had a couple of test screenings, even in the editorial process, because there was so much material and so many ways to go. There [were] audible gasps in the theater. It’s fun because, of course, once you dig into the novel, and then script, and then the production phase, you know every inch of the movie, and the familiarity becomes sort of blinding,” he added.

“But to be in a theater with people, and then turn your head to watch them watch the movie, see it reflected in their eyes, you kind of get to experience that very first spark when I was reading the novel. You see it in their eyes and it’s pretty fun.”

Jeffrey Wright and Riley Keough co-star in “Hold the Dark,” which is available on Netflix beginning September 28.

Source: IndieWire film

August 12, 2018

Richard Linklater on Casting Alex Jones in ‘Waking Life’: ‘I Just Thought He Was Kind of Funny’

Alex Jones may have been banned from Facebook and YouTube, but the Deep State can never take away his “Waking Life” cameo. We have Richard Linklater to thank for the InfoWars host, conspiracy theorist, and Sandy Hook truther’s most notable film performance, not that Jones was as dangerously unhinged back in 2001. That’s according to the filmmaker himself, who in a Daily Beast interview said that Jones was simply “this hyper guy that we’d all kind of make fun of” back then.

A mere public-access TV host when he auditioned for a role in Linklater’s rotoscoped meditation on the nature of consciousness and reality, Jones is now a hugely controversial (and frighteningly influential) peddler of baseless conspiracies. 17 years ago, however, “he wasn’t so virulent, he just had all that energy,” Linklater added. “I just thought he was kind of funny.”

And, to be fair, Jones’ brief megaphone rant in the film is in keeping with its overall tone. “You know, I haven’t talked to him in years,” Linklater said. “I talked to him a bit during the Bush-Cheney years. He always positioned himself as anti. So when you’re anti, he’s your bedfellow.”

The writer/director also finds it odd that Jones is “taken seriously on a national level. I would have never thought I’d see the day when the president of the United States knew who he was, much less going on his show. It’s crazy, it’s insane, but it fits our times.”

Here’s Jones’ “Waking Life” scene:

Source: IndieWire film

August 12, 2018

‘Madeline’s Madeline’ and ‘Skate Kitchen’ Draw Women to Specialty Box Office

Two more Sundance 2018 grads rolled into theaters this weekend. “Madeline’s Madeline” (Oscilloscope) and “Skate Kitchen” (Magnolia), both directed by women and featuring teenage female leads, opened in New York in single theaters to positive results.

This weekend also brought review-driven audiences the wide release of Spike Lee’s anticipated Cannes prize-winner “BlacKkKlansman” (Focus), which opened well at just under $11 million (more details in our Top Ten Box Officer report).

On its fifth weekend, “Eighth Grade” (A24) expanded to two-thirds more theaters to $1.6 million, with a total so far now over $10 million. The dilemma of how to release acclaimed films and judge their crossover appeal is a challenging for specialized distributors.

Opening

Madeline’s Madeline (Oscilloscope) – Metacritic: 80; Festivals include: Sundance 2018

$20,225 in 1 theater; PTA (per theater average): $20,225

Backed by strong reviews, this exclusive opening at Manhattan’s Quad Theater performed well this weekend. The unconventional Sundance mystery/drama centers on a budding teen actress who is immersed in an off-beat theater troupe; she gradually recedes into an increasingly unreal world. The gross is impressive for this avant-garde film from Josephine Decker, whose previous films have showed minor response.

What comes next: This adds Los Angeles next weekend, with other theaters beginning the following week.

“Skate Kitchen”

Skate Kitchen (Magnolia) – Metacritic: 74; Festivals include: Sundance, Seattle 2018

$17,000 in 1 theater; PTA: $17,000

The first narrative feature from Crystal Moselle, whose documentary “The Wolfpack” broke out in 2015, features a Long Island teen who bonds with other girl skateboarders in the city. This opened exclusively at the IFC Center with a decent initial result.

What comes next: This opens in Los Angeles and other cities this weekend.

A Prayer Before Dawn (A24) – Metacritic: 75; Festivals include: Cannes 2017; also on DirectTV

$14,453 in 13 theaters; PTA: $1,112

This Thai prison story about a British youth who has to box to survive is one of A24’s releases partnered with DirectTV, which debuted the film several weeks ago. The Cannes 2017 debut got some theatrical play in several cities to minor response but mostly added publicity with favorable reviews.

What comes next: Most people will see the movie via streaming.

“The Miseducation of Cameron Post”

Week Two

The Miseducation of Cameron Post (FilmRise)

$108,000 in 25 theaters (+23); PTA: $4,320; Cumulative: $182,398

The second weekend for the gay conversion therapy drama showed moderate response as it added multiple cities including Los Angeles on its second weekend.

“Eighth Grade”

A24

Ongoing/expanding (grosses over $50,000)

Eighth Grade (A24) Week 5

$1,625,000 in 1,084 theaters (no change); Cumulative: $10,092,000

Following the well-publicized free weeknight shows for children 17 and under (normally blocked by the R rating), this acclaimed film about early teen girls dropped 43 per cent. There is a marked disparity between its performance at top-grossing theaters and theaters playing the film after its rapid expansion. As “Eighth Grade” loses many of its locations next week, A24’s challenge is to sustain the better-grossing dates in order to reach the film’s full potential.

Three Identical Strangers (Neon) Week 7

$700,600 in 326 theaters (-79); Cumulative: $9,636,000

The sleeper documentary success is about a $500,000 shy of the huge “RBG” total at this point in its run. If its gross sustains, this could reach at least $12 million.

Won’t You Be My Neighbor? (Focus) Week 10

$495,000 in 229 theaters (-55); Cumulative: $21,690,000

Another weekend, another half million for this still-strong documentary about Mr. Rogers. The gross only fell $5,000 despite losing a chunk of theaters. That means its per-theater take actually went up a bit, and guarantees further play that could push this as high as $25 million.

Sorry to Bother You (Annapurna) Week 6

$425,000 in 204 theaters (-200); Cumulative: $15,805,000

Boots Riley’s genre-bender lost nearly half of its theaters, but even in the face of competition from “The BlacKkKlansman,” its per screen average went up. This looks to hang around through the end of the summer, with a possible total gross of $18 million.

“Blindspotting”

Courtesy of Sundance Institute

Blindspotting (Lionsgate) Week 4

$220,000 in 138 theaters (-385); Cumulative: $3,778,000

The core remaining theaters for the summer’s second Oakland area story about friends struggling to stay on the right side of the law hasn’t broken out despite strong reviews and major backing from Lionsgate. It looks to top out somewhere below $5 million.

Puzzle (Sony Pictures Classics) Week 3

$164,871 in 44 theaters (+28); Cumulative: $447,034

With Kelly Macdonald anchoring this film about a homebody mom who finds a new life through jigsaw puzzles, SPC’s drama so far is finding more interest than any of its English-language films this year other than “The Rider.”

McQueen (Bleecker Street) Week 3

$154,690 in 53 theaters (+19); Cumulative: $2,919

After strong initial limited results, this documentary about the iconic British fashion designer is gleaning more modest results as it expands to top cities.

Leave No Trace (Bleecker Street) Week 7

$141,551 in 123 theaters (-43); Cumulative: $5,527,000

Debra Granik’s first film since her 2010 breakout “Winter’s Bone” will fall short of that summer release. With specialized dramas grossing much less these days. this total (ahead of most recent specialized non-documentaries) is still impressive.

Scotty and the Secret History of Hollywood (Greenwich) Week 3

$53,857 in 18 theaters (+13); Cumulative: $176,236

The much talked-about documentary about the now 95-year-old man who provided sexual partners to stars in decades past is getting continued interest as it expands to more cities, but not at the same level as its initial dates.

Also noted:

Don’t Worry, He Won’t Get Far on Foot (Amazon) – $ in 60 theaters; Cumulative: $    1317

Dark Money (PBS) – $19,205 in 16 theaters; Cumulative: $135,391

The Captain (Music Box) – $13,446 in theaters; Cumulative: $37,171

American Animals (The Orchard) – $10,941 in 9 theaters; Cumulative: $2,834,000

Whitney (Roadside Attractions) – $10,470 in 25 theaters; Cumulative: $2,981,000

Far from the Tree (IFC) – $10,378 in 12 theaters; Cumulative: $100,104

Gauguin: Voyage to Tahiti (Cohen) – $10,197 in 6 theaters; Cumulative: $181,970

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Source: IndieWire film

August 12, 2018

Jim Carrey Mocks Trump’s Space Force Idea: ‘To Stupidity and Beyond!’

If you thought Jim Carrey wasn’t going to make a Space Force drawing, you must not have been following his latest artistic endeavors. The actor — who’s made a habit over the last year of drawing unflattering portraits of Donald Trump in particular and his administration in general — has turned his attention to Trump’s ill-defined plan to do…something vaguely militaristic in space.

“Has your Presidency jumped the shark? Better call SPACE FORCE! To stupidity and beyond!!! http://www.vote.gov,” the part-time actor and full-time Trump-troller tweeted.

“It’s not a choice for me to do cartoons. I can’t just watch this nightmare unfold, I have to do something artistic,” Carrey said of his drawings during the Television Critics Association summer tour earlier this month. “He probably loves them on some level,” he added. “I’m sure it’s insulting and I’m sure it’s pissed him off, but at the same time, we’re dealing with a narcissist. It’s not always a straight shot. You could do something that’s really horrible to him but because he’s getting a lot of attention, horrible is all right to him.”

Carrey will next be seen in the Showtime series “Kidding,” which premieres on September 9.

Has your Presidency jumped the shark? Better call SPACE FORCE! To stupidity and beyond!!! https://t.co/NrLGWEFBsI pic.twitter.com/BZqxmJKjv9

— Jim Carrey (@JimCarrey) August 10, 2018

Source: IndieWire film