Cinematicalhttp://www.cinematical.comCinematicalhttp://www.cinematical.com/media/feedlogo.gifCinematicalhttp://www.cinematical.comen-usCopyright 2009 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only.Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/Indie Roundup: Bombs, Immigrants, 'Daily' Stopshttp://www.cinematical.com/2009/07/02/indie-roundup-bombs-immigrants-daily-stops/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/07/02/indie-roundup-bombs-immigrants-daily-stops/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/07/02/indie-roundup-bombs-immigrants-daily-stops/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , ,

Indie Roundup

Indie Roundup reviews the past week of news from the independent film community and provides a peek at what's coming soon.

Opening. Two films opened yesterday which couldn't have less in common: Agnès Varda's essay film The Beaches of Agnès and Nia Vardalos' I Hate Valentine's Day. Tomorrow comes Anne Fontaine's comedy The Girl From Monaco.

Deals. Xavier Dolan's family drama I Killed My Mother, Kenneth Branagh's The Magic Flute, and Asghar Farhadi's drama About Elly have all been acquired by Here Films, the company formerly known as Regent Releasing. All three are headed for theaters next year. [indieWIRE]

Online Viewing. The 4th of July weekend inevitably brings thoughts of America as a land of immigrants, and that's the topic of Home, which debuts on Amazon VOD this week, featuring interviews with Mike Myers, Alfred Molina, and Liam Neeson. Also somewhat topical: if Michael Jackson had an impact on race in pop music, what about African-American musicians playing rock 'n' roll exclusively? Raymond Gayle's Electric Purgatory examines the issue (at iTunes). If you're looking for love, you have something in common with two women in the comedy/drama Arranged (also at iTunes.)

Box Office. Kathryn Bigelow's lacerating bomb squad thriller The Hurt Locker earned a per-screen average ($36,338) that bested even the giant robots, albeit on only four screens. Woody Allen's Whatever Works expanded to 35 screens and grossed $10,280 per outing. The combination of star Michelle Pfeiffer and director Stephen Frears could stir up only a tepid $5,338 per-screen at 76 locations for Cheri, which is less than the average for Duncan Jones' Moon in its third week on 21 screens. [Box Office Mojo.]

After the jump: David Hudson's The Daily takes a permanent (?) vacation, portending the end of the world as we know it.

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]]>about ellyAboutEllydavid hudsonDavidHudsoni killed my motherIKilledMyMotherthe beaches of agnesthe dailythe girl from monacothe magic fluteTheBeachesOfAgnesTheDailyTheGirlFromMonacoTheMagicFlutePeter MartinThu, 02 Jul 2009 21:02:00 ESTWeekend Box Office: 'Revenge of the Fallen' Defines Critic-Proofhttp://www.cinematical.com/2009/06/29/weekend-box-office-revenge-of-the-fallen-defines-critic-proof/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/06/29/weekend-box-office-revenge-of-the-fallen-defines-critic-proof/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/06/29/weekend-box-office-revenge-of-the-fallen-defines-critic-proof/#commentsFiled under: ,

Well, don't we all feel a little silly. Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, the movie that received the most hysterically negative reviews of 2009 opened to by far the year's biggest numbers -- $201 million since Wednesday, according to estimates. That's just a couple million shy of the first-five-days-of-release record set by The Dark Knight, though that movie opened on a Thursday. (It's tough to truly compare opening weekends of mega-blockbusters these days, since God knows on what day of the week they all hit theaters.) I hope everyone is looking forward to Transformers 3, where Autobots will discover fart jokes.

The only movie to dare take on Revenge of the Fallen in wide release, was the Nick Cassavetes weepie My Sister's Keeper, which opened to a respectable $12 million -- almost as strong as Cassavetes' The Notebook, though unlikely to be carried to an $80 million cume by good word-of-mouth. Year One took a big tumble, falling off 70% its middling opening; I guess Michael Cera and Jack Black aren't quite the automatic draw that battling cyborgs are. And The Hangover continues to ride a wave of audience goodwill; it will likely have reached $200 million by this time next weekend.

As for your weekly Up v. Finding Nemo update -- it's still neck-in-neck, with Nemo ahead by about $3 million after five weeks of release. If this weekend's heftier drop-off for Up is any indication, it may be starting to lose a little steam, which would mean that Nemo would get to hold on to the Pixar crown.

The full top 10 after the jump.

Continue reading Weekend Box Office: 'Revenge of the Fallen' Defines Critic-Proof

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]]>my sisters keeperMySistersKeeperthe hangoverTheHangovertransformers: revenge of the fallenTransformers:RevengeOfTheFallenupweekend box officeWeekendBoxOfficeyear oneYearOneEugene NovikovMon, 29 Jun 2009 11:45:00 ESTIndie Roundup: 'Whatever Works,' 'Harmony and Me,' LAFF 'Stoning'http://www.cinematical.com/2009/06/24/indie-roundup-whatever-works-harmony-and-me-laff-stoning/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/06/24/indie-roundup-whatever-works-harmony-and-me-laff-stoning/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/06/24/indie-roundup-whatever-works-harmony-and-me-laff-stoning/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

Indie Roundup

Indie Roundup reviews the past week of news from the independent film community and provides a peek at what's coming soon.

Openings. This weekend will finally see the release of Kathryn Bigelow's The Hurt Locker, an extraordinary, ticking time bomb of a movie. Michelle Pfeiffer returns to the screen in Stephen Frears' "scandalous romp" Cheri. The very timely Iranian tale The Stoning of Soraya M., which just played the Los Angeles Film Festival, should ignite further discussion. Afghan Star features four women who (literally) risk everything in a televised singing contest.

Box Office. Woody Allen's Whatever Works performed just fine, pulling in $29,574 per-screen at nine locations. The re-issue of 1947's Brighton Rock (a very good film starring Richard Attenborough as a small-time hood) drew $10,626 at one theater; Nazi zombie flick Dead Snow scared up $5,363 in business. Several films expanded: Duncan Jones' Moon to 21 theaters ($8,541 per screen), Francis Ford Coppola's Tetro to eight locations ($7,176 per screen), and Sam Mendes' Away We Go to 132 theaters ($6,600 per screen).

Deals. Our friends at indieWIRE provided details on the acquisition of Stanley Tucci's Blind Date (due in theaters late this summer or early fall) and West of Pluto, directed by Henry Bernadet and Myriam Verreault. Pluto screens tonight at the Los Angeles Film Festival (LAFF).

Trailer. Also screening at LAFF this week is Bob Byington's Harmony and Me, which revolves around a 20-something musician (Justin Rice) who still pines for his dearly departed girlfriend. The film has been showing up at festivals all over the place, and the trailer has a good, bouncy vibe.

After the jump: Watch the trailer for Harmony and Me! Plus, more on LAFF.

Continue reading Indie Roundup: 'Whatever Works,' 'Harmony and Me,' LAFF 'Stoning'

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]]>bob byingtonBobByingtonharmony and meHarmonyAndMeindie box officeindie roundupIndieBoxOfficeIndieRoundupwhatever worksWhateverWorkswoody allenWoodyAllenPeter MartinWed, 24 Jun 2009 21:15:00 ESTBox Office: Am I My Transformer's Keeper?http://www.cinematical.com/2009/06/24/box-office-am-i-my-transformers-keeper/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/06/24/box-office-am-i-my-transformers-keeper/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/06/24/box-office-am-i-my-transformers-keeper/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,

I have to imagine Sandra Bullock is in a pretty good mood since The Proposal gave her the strongest opening weekend of her career. Year One got off to a so-so start, with holdovers The Hangover and Up forcing the prehistoric comedy into fourth place. Here's the top five:

1. The Proposal: $33.6 million
2. The Hangover: $26.7 million
3. Up: $23.4 million
4. Year One: $19.6 million
5. The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3: $12 million

Two wildly different movie coming out this week:

My Sister's Keeper
What's It All About: When a young girl (Abigail Breslin) learns she was conceived to create a compatible bone marrow donor for her ailing sister she sues her parents for emancipation.
Why It Might Do Well: This is a smart bit of counter programming since the audience for this movie will probably not intersect with the Transformers crowd. Right now there's a 100% rating at Rottentomatoes.com, though only five reviews are in.
Why It Might Not Do Well: The plot seems pretty heavy for a Summer release.
Number of Theaters: 2,600
Prediction: $9 million

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (Opens Wednesday)
What's It All About: Michael Bay directs this big budget special effects sequel about giant alien robots using Earth as their battlefield. Much of the original cast returns including Shia LaBeouf and Megan Fox.
Why It Might Do Well: In addition to having all the effects, action and explosions a Summer blockbuster requires, the first film in the franchise had a $70 million opening weekend and went on to gross $319 million domestically.
Why It Might Not Do Well: A lowly 22% at Rottentomatoes.com.
Number of Theaters: 4,000
Prediction: $98 million


Continue reading Box Office: Am I My Transformer's Keeper?

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]]>CinemaCinematicalMoviesMy Sisters KeeperMySistersKeeperTransformers: Revenge of the FallenTransformers:RevengeOfTheFallenMatt BradshawWed, 24 Jun 2009 18:45:00 ESTPoll: 'Transformers 2' Opens Big - How Much Will It Make?http://www.cinematical.com/2009/06/24/poll-transformers-2-opens-big-how-much-will-it-make/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/06/24/poll-transformers-2-opens-big-how-much-will-it-make/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/06/24/poll-transformers-2-opens-big-how-much-will-it-make/#commentsFiled under: ,

'Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen'If you don't know your Megatron from your Optimus Prime, join the club! Most giant robots look all the same to me, and the first Transformers movie felt like a comedown for Michael Bay after the gleeful insanity of Bad Boys II. Still, I've gotten a kick out ot reading a few of the reviews, like the one penned by our own Todd Gilchrist, as well as the harsh critical takedowns by Roger Ebert and Manohla Dargis. And now I'm wondering how Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen will perform at the box office. Can it possibly recoup its huge production and marketing budget? How big is big?

The movie is off to a running start, earning an estimated $16 million from midnight screenings last night, according to Variety. That's less than The Dark Knight's $18.5 million last year, but Variety notes the Batman flick "had the advantage of opening on a Friday" and that Transformers 2 had "the best midnight run ever for a movie opening on a Wednesday." Transformers made $8.8 million on its opening night (Tuesday at 12:01 a.m.) in 2007 and went on to earn $146.6 million in its first six full days of screenings, including the July 4 holiday, per Box Office Mojo.

The record to beat for the first five days of release is $203.7 million, set by The Dark Knight. Can Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen get anywhere near that record? Take our poll and let us know: How much will it make in its opening five-day weekend?

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]]>megan foxMeganFoxmichael bayMichaelBayshia labeoufShiaLabeouftransformers revenge of the fallenTransformersRevengeOfTheFallenPeter MartinWed, 24 Jun 2009 17:15:00 ESTWeekend Box Office: 'The Proposal' Wins a Busy Weekendhttp://www.cinematical.com/2009/06/22/weekend-box-office-the-proposal-wins-a-busy-weekend/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/06/22/weekend-box-office-the-proposal-wins-a-busy-weekend/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/06/22/weekend-box-office-the-proposal-wins-a-busy-weekend/#commentsFiled under: ,

It may have seemed like an "off" week by summer standards in terms of releases, but two debuts and two strong holdovers meant that four films grossed $20 million or more, which is rare for a non-holiday weekend. The top dog, surprisingly, turned out to be The Proposal, which rode a genial marketing campaign and a set of sneak previews to $34 million dollars -- Sandra Bullock's best opening weekend ever, by far. (Related question: did Bullock "open" this movie? I'm inclined to think not, though it's a perfect role for her.)

Year One is a bit tougher to read. Certainly with the Cera/Black/Ramis combination, it was expected to open bigger. Generally poor reviews didn't help; I haven't seen the film, so I'm a bit handicapped in the analysis. If I had to guess, I'd say that people saw it as a bit of a novelty item. Silliness can be hard to sell if it's not low-brow.

But the weekend's real story, I'd say, is once again The Hangover, which stuck around in second place after dropping less than 20% in its third weekend. It's hard to find a precise analogue for it at this point; Box Office Mojo stretches with "R-rated summer comedy breakout," which category it will dominate after it speeds ahead of Wedding Crashers in about two weeks. The movie did add nearly 200 new screens; still, when people talk about word-of-mouth giving a movie legs, this is what they're hoping for.

Meanwhile, Up is now pretty much running neck-in-neck with Finding Nemo for the title of highest-grossing Pixar release. It will be close.

The full top 10 after the jump.

Continue reading Weekend Box Office: 'The Proposal' Wins a Busy Weekend

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]]>featuredthe hangoverthe proposalTheHangoverTheProposalupweekend box officeWeekendBoxOfficeyear oneYearOneEugene NovikovMon, 22 Jun 2009 11:02:00 ESTIndie Roundup: 'Food, Inc.,' Vietnam Doc, Dallas Without AFIhttp://www.cinematical.com/2009/06/18/indie-roundup-food-inc-vietnam-doc-dallas-without-afi/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/06/18/indie-roundup-food-inc-vietnam-doc-dallas-without-afi/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/06/18/indie-roundup-food-inc-vietnam-doc-dallas-without-afi/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,

Indie Roundup

Indie Roundup looks back at the past seven (or, sometimes, eight) days of news in the indie film community, along with a peak ahead to what's coming soon.

Opening. The highest-profile "indie" is Woody Allen's Whatever Works, wiith Tatia Rosenthal's stop-motion animation feature $9.99, Francois Velle's NYC drama The Narrows, Andy Abrahams Wilson's Lyme disease doc Under Our Skin, and Tommy Wirkola's Nazi zombie flick Dead Snow vying for attention on a limited number of screens. On the festival circuit, CineVegas drew to a close on Monday (Eric D. Snider covered it for us), the same night that Silverdocs opened in Silver Spring, Maryland. The Los Angeles Film Festival starts tonight and the New York Asian Film Festival kicks off tomorrow.

Box Office. Last weekend saw several strong openings, with Robert Kenner's doc Food, Inc. leading the way ($20,171 per-screen), followed by Duncan Jones' sci-fi drama Moon ($17,006 per screen), and Francis Coppola's family drama Tetro ($15,252). The doc Youssou N'Dour: I Bring What I Love ($10,866) and Le combat dans l'ile ($10,217) also debuted nicely, while the expansion of Sam Mendes' Away We Go brought in good business ($12,463). Daryl Wein's very informative AIDS activist doc Sex Positive drew $3,408 at one theater.

Online Viewing. How about a doc about a doc? Keir Moreano's documentary As the Call So the Echo follows an American doctor who unexpectedly finds himself in Vetnam after he decides to donate unused medical equipment. The film is available for free streaming at Babelgum, courtesy of the good folks at Cinetic.

After the jump: How will AFI Dallas the Dallas International Film Festival fare without AFI?

Continue reading Indie Roundup: 'Food, Inc.,' Vietnam Doc, Dallas Without AFI

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]]>afi dallasAfiDallasas the call so the echoAsTheCallSoTheEchodallas film societyDallasFilmSocietyfoodfood incFoodIncinc.Peter MartinThu, 18 Jun 2009 20:02:00 ESTDiscuss: Is the Star System Dead?http://www.cinematical.com/2009/06/17/discuss-is-the-star-system-dead/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/06/17/discuss-is-the-star-system-dead/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/06/17/discuss-is-the-star-system-dead/#commentsFiled under:

To some, it was a surprise upset: the week-old The Hangover outgrossed the brand-new The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3. Or, in other words, the film with no stars beat out the film with two humongous stars. It's easy to look back over the past 12 months and find similar trends. Star Trek is currently the year's biggest smash, with no stars. (I'm using the term "stars" here very loosely; I'm talking, big, big stars, known the world over.) Likewise, Slumdog Millionaire, Up and Watchmen were all big hits with no big stars. We could argue that stars like Hugh Jackman, Tom Hanks, Ben Stiller and Christian Bale have been in hits this summer, but you could also argue that they're all in sequels that have sold because of other factors.

Some stars seem unstoppable. Will Smith, for example, rarely stars in a film that grosses less than $100 million, and when he does, he gets an Oscar nomination for it; the exception, last year's Seven Pounds, even managed to turn a profit despite the fact that nobody liked it and it disappeared before anyone could blink. And you could hardly argue that Gran Torino would have been much of a film without Clint Eastwood. Indeed, most of the big hits of the past year and a half have had big stars in the cast, but relying on a star and a star alone to carry your film seems to be a thing of the past. There needs to be a big concept or a selling point that's as big or bigger than the star. What do you think, dear readers? Is the star system obsolete? Are there stars you adore so much you'll see anything they're in? Or do you go to the movies for other reasons?

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]]>discussthe hangoverthe taking of pelham 123TheHangoverTheTakingOfPelham123Jeffrey M. AndersonWed, 17 Jun 2009 21:02:00 ESTWeekend Box Office: 'The Hangover', 'Up' Hang Onhttp://www.cinematical.com/2009/06/15/weekend-box-office-the-hangover-up-hang-on/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/06/15/weekend-box-office-the-hangover-up-hang-on/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/06/15/weekend-box-office-the-hangover-up-hang-on/#commentsFiled under: ,

The Hangover is officially the summer's biggest breakout hit. Its closest analogue is Wedding Crashers, which, four summers ago, was carried by positive word-of-mouth to a final gross nearly seven times its opening weekend. The Hangover has bigger raw numbers, but its second weekend drop -- 25% -- is comparable. For a film that opened to $45 million, and without any sort of holiday boost, that's pretty remarkable. It will have some competition next weekend in the form of Year One, but it may not matter much; its word-of-mouth appears to be the stuff that dreams are made of.

Pixar's Up is also going gangbusters in second place. It is now running a mere $4 million behind Pixar box office champion Finding Nemo. At this point it's anybody's game.

The weekend's two wide openers -- The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 and Imagine That Imagine That opened pretty much to expectations. Pelham did a respectable $25 million, which is pretty close to previous Denzel Washington-Tony Scott collaborations (Man on Fire and Deja Vu). And Imagine That's $5.7 million pretty much precisely mirrors the opening of Eddie Murphy's Meet Dave this time next year. Murphy really needs to do something to shake things up a bit.

The full top 10 after the jump.

Continue reading Weekend Box Office: 'The Hangover', 'Up' Hang On

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]]>featuredimagine thatImagineThatthe hangoverthe taking of pelham 1 2 3TheHangoverTheTakingOfPelham123upyear oneYearOneEugene NovikovMon, 15 Jun 2009 11:02:00 ESTIndie Roundup: 'Away We Go,' Deals, Online Options, CineVegashttp://www.cinematical.com/2009/06/10/indie-roundup-away-we-go-deals-online-options-cinevegas/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/06/10/indie-roundup-away-we-go-deals-online-options-cinevegas/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/06/10/indie-roundup-away-we-go-deals-online-options-cinevegas/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

Indie Roundup

Before we look back at the past week, let's peak at what's opening this weekend: Francis Ford Coppola's family drama Tetro; Duncan Jones' sci-fi trip Moon; Daryl Wein's AIDS activist doc Sex Positive; Tommy Wirkola's Nazi zombie flick Dead Snow; Robert Kenner's appetizing (maybe) doc Food, Inc.; and Chai Vasarhelyi's music / tolerance plea Youssou Ndour: I Bring What I Love (poster and more info after the jump).

Box Office. Opening in four theaters, Sam Mendes' Away We Go scored a smashing $32,603 per-screen average last weekend, according to Box Office Mojo. The road trip comedy / drama, starring John Krasinski and Maya Rudolph as anxious, expectant parents searching for a place to raise their family, far outpaced other debuting indies, which had, on their own terms, decent returns: Seraphine ($6,640 per-screen at four theaters), Unmistaken Child ($6,293, one screen), and 24 City ($6,082, one screen). Our critic William Goss feels that Away We Go is "easily among the very best films that the year has offered so far." I was less impressed; the real test will come as it expands over the next couple of weeks.

Deals. Our friends at indieWIRE have details on the recent acquisitions of Laura Gabbert and Justin Schein's doc No Impact Man, due September 4 from Oscilloscope; Jonathan Parker's comedy (Untitled), due September 18 from Samuel Goldwyn Films; and Kenneth Bi's The Drummer, due this fall from Film Movement.

Online Viewing Options. New selections at iTunes Movie Store include Bob Odenkirk's comedy Melvin Goes to Dinner; Scott Smith's dysfunctional 60s family drama Falling Angels, with Miranda Richardson; and Mike Akel's mockumentary Chalk, which school teachers have assured me is very funny (it drove me this former bad student nuts).

After the jump: CineVegas, the "Mile High Mutiny," and a sweet-looking poster.

Continue reading Indie Roundup: 'Away We Go,' Deals, Online Options, CineVegas

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]]>away we goAwayWeGochalkfalling angelsFallingAngelsgoogle meGoogleMeindie roundupindie weekend box officeIndieRoundupIndieWeekendBoxOfficemelvin goes to dinnerMelvinGoesToDinnerno impact manNoImpactMansam mendesSamMendesthe drummerTheDrummeruntitledPeter MartinWed, 10 Jun 2009 21:15:00 ESTWeekend Box Office: 'The Hangover' and 'Up' Battle to a Drawhttp://www.cinematical.com/2009/06/08/weekend-box-office-the-hangover-and-up-battle-to-a-draw/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/06/08/weekend-box-office-the-hangover-and-up-battle-to-a-draw/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/06/08/weekend-box-office-the-hangover-and-up-battle-to-a-draw/#commentsFiled under: ,

Up's 35% second-weekend drop -- allowing it to barely hang on to first place with $44.2 million, at least according to Sunday estimates -- is remarkable, placing it very nearly in Finding Nemo territory. (It's currently running around $7 million behind Pixar's highest grosser.) I am loving Up's success, not just because it's a terrific film, but because it has the least obviously commercial concept Pixar's ever tackled. (Though, as I mentioned last week, Wall-E -- which Up will now surely top -- is actually the more challenging film.)

The Hangover, meanwhile, rode great buzz and good reviews to $43.3 million, which is the second highest opening weekend ever for an R-rated comedy, behind American Pie 2. (Unless you subscribe to the ludicrous notion that Sex and the City is a comedy, in which case it's third.) If you've seen the movie, you know why it's been rapturously received. If you haven't, you should.

On the other hand, Land of the Lost was punished by reviews and a muddled marketing message, landing in 3rd place with $19.5 million. The folks at Universal tried hard to push this into the summer blockbuster A-list, but I think they would have been better off pushing it as what it is: an above-average Will Ferrell comedy. As it stands, the funny film got its ass kicked by Semi-Pro, which is sort of unacceptable.

Drag Me to Hell had a disappointing second weekend, with hopes that good word-of-mouth would help it overcome its weak opening weekend evaporating. I suppose the movie was likely inexpensive enough that its $40-million-or-so domestic final won't be seen as a total bust.

Nia Vardalos' half-hearted comeback attempt My Life in Ruins grossed $3.2 million in 9th place, which is... exactly how much Connie & Carla made in its first weekend in 2004. Oh well.

The full top 10 after the jump.

Continue reading Weekend Box Office: 'The Hangover' and 'Up' Battle to a Draw

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]]>drag me to hellDragMeToHellland of the lostLandOfTheLostmy life in ruinsMyLifeInRuinsthe hangoverTheHangoverupweekend box officeWeekendBoxOfficeEugene NovikovMon, 08 Jun 2009 09:02:00 ESTIndie Roundup: Kristen Stewart's 'Handkerchief,' Philly 'Pressure,' Fest Newshttp://www.cinematical.com/2009/06/03/indie-roundup-kristen-stewarts-handkerchief-philly-pressur/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/06/03/indie-roundup-kristen-stewarts-handkerchief-philly-pressur/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/06/03/indie-roundup-kristen-stewarts-handkerchief-philly-pressur/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Indie Roundup (collage of images)

Rewinding the past seven days of the wonderful world of independent films:

Deals. Twilight fans will have the opportunity to see Kristen Stewart in a different type of role later this year. In Udayan Prasad's The Yellow Handkerchief, based on a story by Pete Hamill, Stewart jumps into a stranger's car. She and the driver (Eddie Redmayne) are soon joined by a newly-released convict (William Hurt) as they travel through rural Louisiana toward a hoped-for reunion with the ex-con's beloved (Maria Bello). Samuel Goldwyn Films has acquired U.S. rights and is planning a theatrical release, according to indieWIRE.

Hans-Christian Schmid's legal thriller Storm will also hit theaters later this year, indieWIRE says, courtesy of Film Movement. Kerry Fox stars as a prosecutor at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia in The Hague; she must convince a witness (Anamaria Marinca from 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days) to testify in order to convict a former officer of war crimes.

Box Office. Arriving with this year's Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film in hand, Yojiro Takita's Departures took the #1 spot among indies. Set in and around a Japanese business tasked with preparing bodies for burial, the drama earned $8,327 per screen at the nine theaters where it opened in New York and Los Angeles, Box Office Mojo reports.

Also performing well in its debut weekend, Pressure Cooker grossed $8,151 at one theater in New York. The documentary, directed by Jennifer Grausman and Mark Becker, follows a high school culinary arts class in Northeast Philadelphia, where teacher Wilma Stephenson tries to help her students earn college scholarships. We've embedded the fiery trailer below.

After the jump: Outfest lineup, plus Transformers 2 in Los Angeles.

Continue reading Indie Roundup: Kristen Stewart's 'Handkerchief,' Philly 'Pressure,' Fest News

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]]>departureshans-christian schmidHans-christianSchmidkerry foxKerryFoxkristen stewartKristenStewartmaria belloMariaBellopaper manPaperManponyopressure cookerPressureCookerstormthe yellow handkerchiefTheYellowHandkerchieftransformers revenge of the fallenTransformersRevengeOfTheFallenwilliam hurtWilliamHurtPeter MartinWed, 03 Jun 2009 21:02:00 ESTBox Office: Lost, Hungover and Ruinedhttp://www.cinematical.com/2009/06/03/box-office-lost-hungover-and-ruined/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/06/03/box-office-lost-hungover-and-ruined/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/06/03/box-office-lost-hungover-and-ruined/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

This past weekend marked Pixar and Disney's tenth consecutive number one opener as Up took the box office by storm. Sam Raimi's new scare-fest Drag Me To Hell did okay taking third, but was still nudged down by last week's leader Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian. Here's the top five:

1. Up $68.1 million
2. Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian: $24.4 million
3. Terminator Salvation: $16.4 million
4. Drag Me to Hell: $15.8 million
5. Star Trek: $12.6 million

All three of this week's new releases are going for laughs but in very different ways.

The Hangover
What's It All About: Four friends head to Vegas for a bachelor party blowout, but the next morning the groom is missing, there's a tiger in their hotel bathroom and someone has left a baby with them. Yeah, if I had a nickel for every time...
Why It Might Do Well: Based on the trailer, this is the sort of drunken escapade everyone wishes they could brag about. At the moment Rottentomatoes.com is giving the flick a pretty sweet 100% fresh rating.
Why It Might Not Do Well: There's a lack of star power and some serious competition.
Number of Theaters: 3,200
Prediction: $26 million

Land of the Lost
What's It All About: In this reimagining of the classic Saturday morning TV show, Will Ferrell plays a scientist who finds himself transported to a world full of dinosaurs and lizard people.
Why It Might Do Well: Between the nostalgia factor and Ferrell's box office appeal, there will be some money made here.
Why It Might Not Do Well: Will Matt Lauer's fans keep away after the dissing he takes in the trailer?
Number of Theaters: 3,300
Prediction: $35 million

Continue reading Box Office: Lost, Hungover and Ruined

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]]>CinemaCinematicalLand of the LostLandOfTheLostMoviesMy Life in RuinsMyLifeInRuinsThe HangoverTheHangoverMatt BradshawWed, 03 Jun 2009 17:02:00 ESTSo Far, the Blockbuster Season Isn't As Blockbustery As Usualhttp://www.cinematical.com/2009/06/01/so-far-the-blockbuster-season-isnt-as-blockbustery-as-usual/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/06/01/so-far-the-blockbuster-season-isnt-as-blockbustery-as-usual/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/06/01/so-far-the-blockbuster-season-isnt-as-blockbustery-as-usual/#commentsFiled under:

On Friday, Star Trek reached an important milestone when its U.S. box office total passed the $200 million mark. It's the first film of 2009 to cross that barrier, and that fact got me thinking: Friday was May 29. Isn't that later than usual for the first $200 million film of the year? I did some poking around at Box Office Mojo and found that my suspicions were correct.

In 2008, Iron Man hit $200 million on May 17. In 2007, Spider-Man 3 did it on May 12. In fact, since 2001, a film has always made it to $200 million before May 29, with only two exceptions: In 2006, X-Men: The Last Stand didn't achieve it until June 11, and in 2001 it was Shrek, on June 19.

To look at it another way, in some years there have been TWO $200 million films by the end of May. The reason for the deficit this year, obviously, is that the early "summer" (i.e., early May) releases didn't take off the way the tent poles in those slots usually do. X-Men Origins: Wolverine (released May 1) was a disappointment, and Angels & Demons (May 15) was never going to make the same kind of money as its predecessor.

Another factor is that May has lacked the major sequels and prequels that have usually been the biggest moneymakers. No Indiana Jones, no Spider-Man, no Star Wars, no Matrix. (In 2003, the first $200 million film was The Matrix Reloaded, which crossed the line on May 25.) If you'll recall, those movies tended to make a lot of money, and they tended to make it FAST. Like, record-breaking fast. In contrast, it took Star Trek 22 days to make $200 million -- and 31 films in history have done it in less time. Even Independence Day did it faster, and those were 1996 dollars.

Continue reading So Far, the Blockbuster Season Isn't As Blockbustery As Usual

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]]>box officeBoxOfficestar trekStarTrekEric D. SniderMon, 01 Jun 2009 11:03:00 ESTWeekend Box Office: 'Up' Riseshttp://www.cinematical.com/2009/06/01/weekend-box-office-up-rises/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/06/01/weekend-box-office-up-rises/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/06/01/weekend-box-office-up-rises/#commentsFiled under: ,

I succumbed to the obvious sort-of-pun this week. I couldn't help it. I'm sorry.

$68.2 million for Up is pretty close to the highest opening weekend gross for any Pixar film in history -- just about $2 million off the numbers for both Finding Nemo and The Incredibles. It beats last year's Wall-E opening weekend by about $5 million, and since it's probably a bit less challenging than that film, it may hold up a little bit better. $250 million probably isn't out of reach, but we'll see.

The numbers for fan and critical favorite Drag Me to Hell -- $16.6 million -- will be a hot topic for discussion this week. It is not a particularly strong horror opening; this year, it finds a rough analogue in The Last House on the Left. The hope is that good reviews and word-of-mouth keep it afloat in the weeks to come, whereas most horror flicks open big and sink quickly.

After opening second-banana to Night at a Museum last week, Terminator Salvation took the expected big hit its second weekend -- 62%. It's likely to top out around $130 million domestically which, I feel safe in saying, is below expectations. Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian is running a little bit behind its predecessor, though the first film had the benefit of opening at Christmastime. And The Brothers Bloom quietly expanded onto 150 screens, winding up in 11th place with a decent per-screen average.

Star Trek passed $200 million and now holds the #1 spot for the year.

The full top 10 after the jump.

Continue reading Weekend Box Office: 'Up' Rises

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]]>drag me to hellDragMeToHellnight at the museum: battle of the smithsonianNightAtTheMuseum:BattleOfTheSmithsonianstar trekStarTrekterminator salvationTerminatorSalvationthe brothers bloomTheBrothersBloomupEugene NovikovMon, 01 Jun 2009 09:02:00 ESTBox Office: Drag Me Uphttp://www.cinematical.com/2009/05/27/box-office-drag-me-up/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/05/27/box-office-drag-me-up/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/05/27/box-office-drag-me-up/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

The living museum displays of Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian kicked Terminator: Salvation's cybernetic butt last weekend. Star Trek and Angels & Demons held on strong, beating out last week's other newbie Dance Flick. Here's the top five:

1. Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian: $70 million
2. Terminator: Salvation: $51.9 million
3. Star Trek: $29.3 million
4. Angels & Demons: $27.4 million
5. Dance Flick: $12.6 million

This week's two new releases show what counter programming is all about. One film is about ascending into the heavens while the other goes straight to hell.

Up
What's It All About: Animated comedy about an elderly balloon salesman who finally embarks on the adventure he has always dreamed of by attaching thousands of balloons to his house and flying away.
Why It Might Do Well: This is the latest from Disney/Pixar and their track record speaks for itself. Plus the trailers have been delightful and Rottentomatoes.com gives it 100%.
Why It Might Not Do Well: Oh, don't be like that.
Number of Theaters: 3,700
Prediction: $68 million

Continue reading Box Office: Drag Me Up

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]]>CinemaCinematicalDrag Me To HellDragMeToHellMoviesUpMatt BradshawWed, 27 May 2009 17:32:00 ESTDiscuss: 'Terminator Salvation'... Whose Fault Was It?http://www.cinematical.com/2009/05/25/discuss-terminator-salvation-whose-fault-was-it/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/05/25/discuss-terminator-salvation-whose-fault-was-it/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/05/25/discuss-terminator-salvation-whose-fault-was-it/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,



Warning: This is going to get a little 'spoilery', so if you haven't seen Terminator Salvation you might want to bookmark this baby for later.

It was the moment we were all waiting for this summer season: the resurrection of Terminator. The trailers were looking good, there was a Nolan in charge of rewrites, and for god's sake we even had Batman as John Connor -- how could this go wrong? Well, if you happened to catch the movie over the weekend you know just how wrong it was. It's time to play Monday-morning quarterback in the aftermath of one of this summer's biggest letdowns, and so let's try to answer one question: whose fault was it?

McG
There might be plenty of votes for McG as the culprit. He doesn't have the greatest track record for quality films, but I thought he pulled off a much better movie than expected. The cut-happy editing of Charlie's Angels was long gone and he had some great action set pieces, but that doesn't mean he made a good film. All of his trademark flaws were on display: uneven pacing, character motivations are glossed over or not even addressed; not to mention some stunning gaps in logic -- mainly: can someone explain to me why a techno-overlord like Skynet would build a machine that they can't control?

After the jump; find out who else earned the last three nominations...

Continue reading Discuss: 'Terminator Salvation'... Whose Fault Was It?

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]]>christian balechristian bale rantChristianBaleChristianBaleRantj.j. abramsJ.j.Abramsmcgterminatorterminator salvationTerminatorSalvationJessica BarnesMon, 25 May 2009 19:32:00 ESTWeekend Box Office: 'Demons' Barely Beats Out 'Trek'http://www.cinematical.com/2009/05/18/weekend-box-office-demons-barely-beats-out-trek/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/05/18/weekend-box-office-demons-barely-beats-out-trek/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/05/18/weekend-box-office-demons-barely-beats-out-trek/#commentsFiled under: ,

A below-expectations turn-out for Angels & Demons and good word-of-mouth for Star Trek helped make it a surprisingly close battle for the weekend's #1 spot. Studio estimates have the Dan Brown sequel at $48 million, beating out Trek by about $5 million. $48 million is nothing to sneeze at, but The Da Vinci Code opened to $77 million in the same weekend two years ago, which indicates that the anticipation for the sequel probably wasn't there to the extent necessary to sustain a blockbuster franchise. I am sure that the third Robert Langdon novel due this fall will see its way to the screen -- but maybe it'll be a little cheaper, and released sometime other than the summer.

Star Trek, on the other hand, is turning out to be the perfect summer film. It dropped off just 43% in its second weekend, which is bloody fantastic for a movie that opened to $75 million. It's already the highest-grossing Trek entry, but that's kind of a no-brainer. If word-of-mouth keeps it afloat, it will end up as one of the biggest movies of the summer.

With no new contenders hitting their demographic, the holdover family offerings -- 17 Again and Monsters vs. Aliens -- saw tiny drops, but that may change next week. Monsters vs. Aliens is also currently the biggest grosser of 2009, but that will change soon too.

The full top 10 after the jump.

Continue reading Weekend Box Office: 'Demons' Barely Beats Out 'Trek'

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]]>17 again17Againangels and demonsAngelsAndDemonsfeaturedmonsters vs. aliensMonstersVs.Aliensstar trekStarTrekthe da vinci codeTheDaVinciCodeweekend box officeWeekendBoxOfficeEugene NovikovMon, 18 May 2009 09:02:00 ESTPoll: Could 'Star Trek' Beat 'Angels & Demons' This Weekend?http://www.cinematical.com/2009/05/14/poll-could-star-trek-beat-angels-and-demons-this-weekend/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/05/14/poll-could-star-trek-beat-angels-and-demons-this-weekend/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/05/14/poll-could-star-trek-beat-angels-and-demons-this-weekend/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,

'Star Trek' (Paramount) vs. 'Angels & Demons' (Sony)

Is there really much enthusiasm for a religious thriller this weekend? I realize that The Da Vinci Code made eleventy billion dollars worldwide despite widespread critical negativity, and that legions of fans support Dan Brown, Tom Hanks, and Ron Howard, but I'm not feeling the love for Angels & Demons, which opens on Friday.

I admit I'm biased. I managed to finish The Da Vinci Code, which was one of the most turgid, tortured, self-important works of fiction I've ever read, and don't have much regard for the movie version. I can understand why so many people went to see it, with the unbeatable combination of sensational subject matter, the promise of a thriller, and Tom Hanks' mullet. Yet how many came away satisfied, and demanding a sequel?

Early critical reaction to Angels & Demons has been tepid (54% at Rotten Tomatoes), but that didn't dissuade people before, so that probably won't be a factor. Our ace prognosticator Matt Bradshaw predicted that Angels & Demons would top the box office this weekend with $60 million, with J.J. Abrams' Star Trek dropping to the #2 spot after last weekend's $79.2 million haul. But could Star Trek retain its #1 position? The Movie Blog agrees with me on two points -- disappointment with The Da Vinci Code and lack of buzz for the sequel -- and also suggests that Star Trek's quality, excellent word of mouth, and expected repeat business could make the difference.

What do you think?

View Poll

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]]>angels and demonsangels demonsAngelsAndDemonsAngelsDemonsj.j. abramsJ.j.Abramsron howardRonHowardstar trekStarTrektom hanksTomHanksPeter MartinThu, 14 May 2009 12:15:00 ESTIndie Roundup: 'Heaven,' 'Open Road,' AFI Fest for Freehttp://www.cinematical.com/2009/05/13/indie-roundup-heaven-open-road-afi-fest-for-free/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/05/13/indie-roundup-heaven-open-road-afi-fest-for-free/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/05/13/indie-roundup-heaven-open-road-afi-fest-for-free/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,

Indie Roundup

The key players from the indie film world will be gathered together in Cannes for the next 10 days. Look for our daily roundups of news each night, titled "Cannes in 60 Seconds." But first, what's been happening during the past week?

Deals. Oliver Hirschbiegel's drama Five Minutes of Heaven, starring Liam Neeson, has been acquired by IFC Films, according to indieWIRE. IFC will release the film, which "explores aspects of Northern Ireland's 'Troubles,'" simultaneously in theaters and VOD in August. Michael Meredith's drama The Open Road has been picked up by Anchor Bay, again per indieWIRE. Justin (Motherlover) Timberlake stars as a man who tries to effect a reconciliation between his dying mother (Mary Steenburgen) and his estranged father (Jeff Bridges). Release plans have not yet been announced. I Love You Phillip Morris, a gay con man prison romance, has secured distribution via the fledgling Consolidated Pictures Group, says Variety. The picture stars Jim Carrey and Ewan McGregor. A release is planned for next Valentine's Day.

Box Office. While mainstream audiences trekked into theaters, indie film lovers divided up their love, resulting in less than stellar results for new releases. We've embedded the trailer below for Outrage, Kirby Dick's new doc, which inspired hypocrisy by NPR; it made $6,518 per-screen at five locations. Little Ashes, with gay love scenes by Twilight's Robert Pattinson, averaged $6,116 per-screen at 12 theaters. Julia, featuring Tilda Swinton's extraordinary performance, took in $4,175 per-screen at three cinemas. Jim Jarmusch's excellent, exquisite The Limits of Control expanded into eight more theaters and grossed $4,153 per screen, a drop of just 18.2%. [Box Office Mojo.]

After the jump: Festival heads talk about the future; AFI Fest in Los Angeles will be (almost entirely) free.

Continue reading Indie Roundup: 'Heaven,' 'Open Road,' AFI Fest for Free

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]]>afi festAfiFestfive minutes of heavenFiveMinutesOfHeaveni love you phillip morrisILoveYouPhillipMorrisindie roundupindie weekend box officeIndieRoundupIndieWeekendBoxOfficethe open roadTheOpenRoadPeter MartinWed, 13 May 2009 19:45:00 EST