steep Tagged Articles at Cinematical
Indies on DVD: 'Atonement,' 'Southland Tales,' 'Steep,' 'Cholera'
Filed under: Drama », Independent », Sci-Fi & Fantasy », Sports », New Line », Sony », Sony Classics », New on DVD », Focus Features », Cinematical Indie »
Despite all the awards attention it received, Joe Wright's Atonement still sounds too much like a lushly romantic period melodrama for my personal taste. Still, it's one of those movies you probably need to experience yourself before deciding if the praise was too lavish (Ryan Stewart thought it was a "stunning achievement") or the criticism too harsh. The DVD from Universal Studios includes deleted scenes, two "making of" features, and an audio commentary by the director.From all that I've read, Southland Tales sounds like an astonishing train wreck. Nick Schager began his review for Cinematical by writing: "Let me present Exhibit A in the case against granting talented young filmmakers extensive creative autonomy." Given my perverse nature, that makes me want to see Richard Kelly's futuristic epic even more. The DVD from Sony Pictures includes a "featurette" and an animated short.
Steep presents thrilling footage of big mountain skiers who swoosh down incredibly steep slopes. As I noted in my review, though, I felt it raised more questions than it wanted to answer. The DVD from Sony Pictures includes an audio commentary by director Mark Obenhaus with some of the skiers, photo montages, and an additional interview with one of the sport's masters.
Though it was ignored during last fall's awards season, Mike Newell's Love in the Time of Cholera might be ripe for discovery. (On the other hand, Jeffrey M. Anderson really didn't like it.) Javier Bardem and Benjamin Bratt star in an adaptation of the novel by Gabriel García Márquez. The DVD from New Line includes an audio commentary by Newell, a "making of" feature, and deleted scenes.
Indie Weekend Box Office: 'Juno' Keeps Expanding to Success
Filed under: Comedy », Documentary », Drama », Foreign Language », Independent », Box Office », Cinematical Indie »
Three new indie releases were left out in the cold this weekend but critical fave Juno vaulted into the overall top 10, according to estimates compiled by Leonard Klady at Movie City News. Two of the new releases are from India: Welcome, a comedy directed by Anees Bazmee and starring Akshay Kumar, Nana Patekar and Anil Kapoor, earned $5,180 per screen at 40 locations; Taare Zameen Par, the directorial debut of actor Aamir Khan, who stars as a teacher trying to help an unhappy young student, made $4,330 per screen at 70 engagements.The other new release, extreme skiing doc Steep, could manage only $1,340 per screen at 17 engagements in winter-sport friendly areas. I wished that the film dug deeper into the questions it raises, but I'm surprised at the cool reception by its target market. Was everyone out on the slopes?
In its third week of release, pregnancy comedy Juno expanded to 304 theaters and raked in $11,184 per screen, which bodes well for its upcoming expansion (Tuesday, December 25) when it moves into 850 theaters. With its PG-13 rating, it looks like it's well-positioned to grab a big chuck of the teen audience that's home from school this week.
Atonement also expanded, though its success continues to be overshadowed by Juno. Joe Wright's period drama earned $6,630 per screen at 297 engagements. The Kite Runner was the third indie that expanded; it made $3,080 per screen at 377 locations, not bad at all for a drama without stars. In that same range of success could be found both The Diving Bell and the Butterfly ($3,890 per screen; 28 theaters) and The Savages ($3,520 per screen at 60 engagements).
No Country for Old Men has topped many critics' list for best of the year; now in its seventh week of release, it declined to $1,389 per screen, but that's at 1,222 theaters. I would imagine the theater count will soon drop, but it should stay in theaters until the Academy Award nominations are announced next month.
Review: Steep
Filed under: Documentary », Independent », Sports », Sony Classics », Theatrical Reviews », Cinematical Indie »
Raising more questions than it wants to answer, Steep, which opens in New York, Los Angeles and selected wintery climes this weekend, provides picturesque, positive propaganda about "wild skiing" and other snowy "out of bounds" activities that go far beyond the strictures of winter resorts and stretch to the breaking point the boundaries of what a man on skis can achieve. Make no mistake, this is a man's world: only two women appear on screen, one who is celebrated for skiing like "a dude with a ponytail" (or words to that effect) while the other is praised for her tolerance and loyal support of her husband's adventures. To a person, though, every skier is shown to be an enthusiastic, rational human being, well aware of the dangers involved yet compelled to keep leaping off tall buildings in a single bound -- er, make that, ski down incredibly steep mountains with breathless anticipation.
The words "daredevil" and "thrill-seeker" are never spoken, though I imagine that, like myself, many civilians might call to mind a syndicated 1970s television series that allowed couch potatoes to watch people risk their lives in every segment. Here the argument is made that, at least for a few, it's not as much of a risk if you're truly skilled at what you're doing. The evidence on display plainly speaks to the point that the skiers are tremendously talented, finely-tuned athletes. Quite often the footage frames the tiny figures of skiers against immense backdrops of magnificent mountain ranges that are staggering in their beauty. The athletes appear to defy gravity by remaining upright while descending incredibly sleep slopes -- we're informed that slopes of more than 50 degrees are preferred.
The (Mostly) Indie Film Calendar: Dec. 21-27
Filed under: Fandom », Exhibition », The (Mostly) Indie Film Calendar »
Ho ho ho and welcome to The (Mostly) Indie Film Calendar, a weekly look at what's happening beyond the multiplexes all around North America. If you know of something indie-related happening near you -- a local festival, a series of classic restored films, lectures, workshops, etc. -- send the info to me at Eric.Snider(at)weblogsinc(dot)com and I'll add it to the list. There's a shload of big flicks opening wide today and on Christmas, but don't overlook the smaller films! Actually, some of them might deserve to be overlooked. But don't overlook the fact that they exist, that's what I meant.
- If you've spent any time at Cinematical Indie in the last few months, you've seen Persepolis mentioned at least once, and probably many times. It's won awards at several film festivals (including Cannes), it's France's submission for the Oscars, and it has the buzz to overtake Ratatouille for Best Animated Film. And now it's finally opening! It will arrive Christmas Day in New York and L.A., and expand from there. Here's James Rocchi's review from Cannes and Kim Voynar's from Telluride.
- Flakes is a slacker comedy directed by Michael Lehmann (Heathers ... but also Because I Said So and My Giant) about some Gen-Yers trying to get their cool business idea back from the wealthy jerk who stole it. Aaron Stanford and Zooey Deschanel star. Cinematical's Scott Weinberg didn't have much good to say about it at South By Southwest. Now playing at IFC Center in New York City.
- Steep is a documentary about extreme skiing, including its history and its perils. It looks pretty gnarly, unless the kids are no longer saying that. You'll find it in New York, L.A., and a couple places in Montana.
- From India comes Taare Zameen Par (Stars on Earth), an inspiring drama about a dyslexic and unfocused little boy who finds himself after a special teacher intervenes. Playing in New York.
Cure for Summertime Blues: Skiing Pic 'Steep'
Filed under: Documentary », Independent », Sports », Tribeca », Sony Classics », Distribution », Cinematical Indie »
Is the sweltering summer heat getting you down? Are you dreaming of skiing down frosty, snow-covered trails? Good news: as reported by Variety, Sony Pictures Classics will be releasing the extreme skiing documentary Steep, which sounds like a great distraction from the heat and humidity. Bad news: You have to wait until later this year to see it. Directed by Mark Obenhaus, the film is about "bold adventure, exquisite athleticism and the pursuit of a perfect moment on skis," in the words of the production company's synopsis. It traces the evolution of big-mountain skiing from its beginnings in France in the 1970s "where skiers began to attempt ski descents so extreme that they appeared almost suicidal." I took a look at an excerpt from the film and it looks breathtaking -- and, in my case, it would be completely suicidal to attempt anything like that -- yet it seems that the filmmakers wanted to explore the psychology behind the risks involved. What drives people to such extremes?One of the central characters in Steep is big mountain skier Doug Coombs, who died in a skiing accident last year. No doubt that will add a poignant tone to the segments that feature him. Director Mark Obenhaus was a long-time producer for TV newsman Peter Jennings. Steep debuted at the Tribeca Film Festival in April. In advance of that premiere, Lou Dawson, a backcountry skiing expert who was interviewed for the film, wondered if it would "be true to the mountaineering side of backcountry skiing, or if it panders to the grandiose helicopter driven 'footie' that pervades most modern skiing cinematography." After the premiere, one of his site's readers reported: "It was excellent!!" Let's hope that we'll still want to hit the slopes when Steep hits theaters.
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