TonyManero Tagged Articles at Cinematical

Have you ever dismissed a movie as an unmitigated piece of junk, and then seen it a second time and thought, "That wasn't so bad"? Xan Brooks in The Guardian raises the question: "Who's at fault if a film fails on a first viewing and succeeds on the second? The viewer, the film-maker, or the tangled, criss-crossing dialogue between the two?"

He notes the turn-around he experienced with the Chilean drama Tony Manero, which is due for US release shortly. and admits that he is "nagged by the suspicion that there may be many other films in need of hasty reappraisal." The influential film critic Pauline Kael famously said she never watched a movie more than once, but Newsweek film critic Joe Morgenstern completed changed his mind about Bonnie and Clyde after describing it as a "squalid shoot-em-up for the moron trade." His mea culpa read in part: "I am sorry to say I consider that review grossly unfair and regrettably inaccurate."

I'm not suggesting that every bad movie will suddenly blossom into a classic with a second viewing. Our own Scott Weinberg recently watched Howard the Duck again, and that sucker is still a "$40 million dollar poop-nugget." On the other hand, my estimation of the original Friday the 13th rose with a recent reviewing, and Peter Bogdanovich's films have been rising in stock for me lately after falling through the floor for a period of my critical life.

What about you? Have repeat viewings changed your mind, perhaps after a period of years, either for good or for bad? Are you now convinced that Citizen Kane isn't so bad after all, or ready to give Watchmen a second chance when it hits DVD?

In this week's Indie Roundup: The reverberations in the indie film world continue from yesterday's announcement about Geoff Gilmore's job change. (See Festivals below.) One person really can make a difference!

Deals. John Travolta may have put away his dancing shoes year ago, cinematically speaking, yet his role in Saturday Night Fever continues to be influential. Pablo Morrain's Larrain's * disturbing Chilean drama Tony Manero was picked up by Richard Lorber for his new Lorber Films label, according to indieWIRE. The film follows a 50-year-old man who is obsessed with the title character played by Travolta in the 70s disco sensation. Lorber Films plans a quick release in April or May. The trailer is embedded below.

IFC Films acquired US rights to Bruce McDonald's Pontypool, described by iW as a "Canadian zombie horror-thriller." The film will be released for VOD on May 27 and will also get a theatrical release beginning on May 29.

Box Office. An Italian mob movie and a Brooklyn romantic drama made noticeable impressions at the box office last weekend. Gomorrah scored $15,540 per screen at five theaters, and Two Lovers did $13,569 at seven, per Box Office Mojo. Did Joaquin Phoenix's appearance on David Letterman's show help or hurt the movie? Advertising Age wonders.

Festivals. Anne Thompson of Variety says that Geoff Gillmore has been talking about leaving Sundance for quite a while; the native New Yorker told Eugene Hernandez of indieWIRE: "I really want to move to New York." Gilmore will be exploring "the ways that festivals become platforms for new enterprises." The Wrap claims that "In the industry, the consensus was that however Gilmore changes Tribeca, his efforts will better the organization." I'm waiting for the first comparison of Gilmore to President Obama.