December 30, 2018

How to make your audience visualize your story

Source: Visual Storytelling

December 30, 2018

‘On the Basis of Sex’ Tops Late 2018 Specialty Openings

Ruth Bader Ginsberg is a star. “On the Basis of Sex” (Focus) beat three year-end openers with a strong multi-city Tuesday showing. Two limited debuts, “Destroyer” (Annapurna) and “Stan & Ollie” (Sony Pictures Classics), earned decent reviews and box office.

No weekend is more critical to specialized films than the one right after Christmas. Not only does it provide an opportunity to reach the highest number of older and other specialty ticket buyers of any time of the year, but it comes just as Academy voters are pondering their choices as the January 7-14 nomination period looms. But this trio of latecomers seem sidelined in the Oscar race.

Multiple strong Oscar contenders continue to score decent showings. Their total grosses came to only about half the results compared to last year’s strong holiday slate: “Darkest Hour,” “The Shape of Water,” and “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” all scored very well on their way to $50 million or higher totals.

Stealing some of the noise was the wide release of “Vice” (Annapurna), which targeted the same audiences as the more limited films. Also offering competition was adult-appeal films like Clint Eastwood’s even higher-grossing “The Mule.” But there are multiple weeks ahead for most of these films to continue to draw.

Opening

On the Basis of Sex (Focus) – Metacritic: 60; Festivals include: AFI 2018

$690,000 in 33 theaters; PTA (per theater average): $20,877; Cumulative: $1,500,000

The star power shown by the Supreme Court Justice a few months ago with the documentary “RBG” showed up again with this drama about her early law career. Despite the lack of particularly favorable reviews or major awards hype, targeting audiences with substantial group sale and special event effort paid off with a strong Christmas Day release that carried over into an equally strong weekend. The movie consistently shows a positive reaction. It placed as the top-grossing film at many key theaters that often have the best specialized results, and only behind “Aquaman” at others that play a wide variety of titles. This was a tricky film to release with the possible sense of deja vu after “RBG” and somewhat tepid reviews. But the core audience was reached, and so far they seem to like it.

What comes next: This moves quickly to 100 theaters this Friday ahead of further expansion.

Annapurna Pictures

Destroyer (Annapurna) – Metacritic: 63; Festivals include: Telluride, Toronto 2018

$58,472 in 3 theaters; PTA: $19,491; Cumulative: $116,000

Nicole Kidman’s bravura performance as an L.A. police detective in Karyn Kusama’s thriller is getting some initial attention after its Tuesday start in three New York/Los Angeles theaters. The Los Angeles single date is particularly strong in a theater that has multiple limited run films as well as the top wide releases. This very limited footprint will help with the expansion ahead (some additional cities are planned for this Friday), along with a weak lineup of potential crossover films opening in new cities. Kidman is in the running as a potential Oscar nominee, which would of course make a significant difference for future prospects.

What comes next: Additional theaters are planned for this Friday. The wider national break will come late in the month.

Stan & Ollie (Sony Pictures Classics) – Metacritic: 74; Festivals include: London, AFI 2018

$79,674 in 5 theaters; PTA: $15,935

John C. Reilly and Steve Coogan’s portrayal of the comedy geniuses late in their careers opened Friday as the final release of 2018. With positive reviews and strong theater placement in New York and Los Angeles, the drama performed at a level nearly double SPC’s similar date for “Film Stars Don’t Die in Liverpool” last year, which also opened on the final Friday. It played behind “Destroyer” at the three theaters where they both played. But “Stan & Ollie”‘s 38 percent Saturday jump shows evidence of good initial response.

What comes next: A possible Oscar nod for Reilly will make a difference for upcoming interest, but expect SPC to get significant play for the film whatever happens in upcoming weeks.

BFI

Week Two

They Shall Not Grow Old (Fathoms Events/Warner Bros.)

$3,375,000 in 1,007 theaters (no change); PTA: $3,351; Cumulative: $5,702,000

The two-day limited weekday showings (the initial one last week, the second Thursday) of Peter Jackson’s meticulous presentation of footage of World War I soldiers in battle marks not just a record for Fathom events, but a breakout for special exhibition of unconventional films. Performing way above expectations (there were few comparisons on which to base projections), this had significant support from national chains. The result was an enthusiastic turnout by an audience who were not regular specialized moviegoers. Like many military-themed films in the past, it drew a significant number of veterans as it conveyed the lives of ordinary soldiers.

Warners has announced plans, unusual for an initially single day showing release, for additional dates starting on January 11, with exact details still to come.

Cold War (Amazon)

$42,534 in 3 theaters (no change); PTA: $14,178; Cumulative: $141,749

The second limited weekend of Pawel Pawlikowski’s romance set in an Iron Curtain setting held well in New York and Los Angeles. This will get a long-term run, with a slow expansion, aimed at maximizing its ongoing critical acclaim and likely Oscar nomination. As a black-and-white Polish period piece, it needs strong word of mouth as well and attention that will come from a less intensely competitive period for attention among new releases ahead.

Ongoing/expanding (grosses over $50,000)

Mary, Queen of Scots (Focus) Week 4

$2,655,000 in 841 theaters (+46); Cumulative: $9,006,000

The more recent and larger-grosser of the two English regal films, boasting two stars, is finding substantial interest despite critical response below some other specialized releases at the moment. Focus smartly gauged this elevated holiday release, and will maximize its gross with this approach, with more grosses still to come.

The Favourite (Fox Searchlight) Week 6

$2,400,000 in 809 theaters (+19); Cumulative: $15,221,000

Yorgos Lanthimos’ English court rivalry saga continues its national expanded release with good results at top older-appeal theaters. This is holding well with increased grosses a positive sign with likely wider expansion ahead as nominations come along.

Green Book (Universal) Week 7

$1,890,000 in 621 theaters (-111); Cumulative: $31,490,000

The holiday boosted grosses again with a 36 percent increase despite some theater attrition and some partial show schedules in this tight marketplace. The $3,000-plus theater average is impressive at this point, as it the total with its widest release still ahead mid-January parallel to the nominations.

Tatum Mangus / Annapurna Picture

If Beale Street Could Talk (Annapurna) Week 3

$759,579 in 65 theaters (+60); Cumulative: $1,958,000

Barry Jenkins’ acclaimed adaptation of James Baldwin’s novel expanded Tuesday to a mix of specialized and black audience theaters in major cities. That’s similar to the way A24 handled the early stages of “Moonlight.” The result is a gross of nearly $2 million in the early stages, $1.5 million since it expanded from its initial four theaters. The weekend grosses on the three weekdays since Tuesday suggest strong word of mouth. The Saturday increase from Friday was at the high end among all films playing. That means it is nabbing an adult audience in the most competitive market of the year. With likely Oscar nominations ahead, the performance so far should get a boost. The results for how far it can crossover will be depend on it fares with Oscar voters.

Ben Is Back (Roadside Attractions) Week 4

$525,650 in 158 theaters (-4); Cumulative: $1,738,000

The holiday playtime and success at getting top theaters helped push this family drug crisis drama to a respectable result. The numbers suggests positive word of mouth, which is critical for any further expansion.

Netflix

Roma (Netflix) Week 6; also streaming

$(est.) 175,000 in (est.) 90 theaters (-55); Cumulative: $(est.) 2,250,000

We continue our inexact but educated guess as to how Netflix’s experiment at continuing play for its year’s best-reviewed and rewarded film is playing out in theatrical showings. With top city theaters holding (a testimony to its ongoing interest despite home availability), some sellouts (usually in reduced seating auditoriums), the to-date estimate — already the best for any specialized subtitled release in 2018, even with many top theaters refusing Netflix’s offer to show the film — this could sustain theatrical play ahead. We are in uncharted territory, but its certain ongoing awards presence could push its theatrical total higher still.

Shoplifters (Magnolia) Week 6

$(est.) 145,000 in 52 theaters (-2); Cumulative: $(est.) 1,137,000

With only a fraction of the hype for Cuaron’s film, but nearly as strong reviews, Hirozaku Kore-Eda’s moving story about a family of criminals is quietly amassing an impressive total for a subtitled film these days. With a near certain Oscar nomination ahead, and much wider expansion, expect this to increase significantly ahead. This had the best Saturday from Friday jump gross among all top performing films.

Free Solo (Greenwich) Week 14

$98,053 in 59 theaters (-14); Cumulative: $11,201,000

National Geographic’s Oscar documentary contender continues into its fourth month with an respectable performance over the holidays. With IMAX dates ahead and a possible nomination, this could still add $2 million or more to its excellent showing so far.

At Eternity’s Gate (CBS) Week 7

$68,000 in 50 theaters (-33); Cumulative: $1,826,000

Julian Schnabel’s Vincent Van Gogh film picks up some minor additional gross  over the holidays as it awaits a possible Best Actor nomination for Willem Dafoe. If that happens, expect a relaunch in a few weeks.

Can You Ever Forgive Me? (Fox Searchight) Week 11

$(est.) 62,000 in 51 theaters (-21); Cumulative: $(est.) 7,520,000

With momentum continuing for a possible Melissa McCarthy Best Actress nomination, these late dates add to its above-average specialized runs nearing the three-month mark of release.

Fares Sokhon

Also noted:

Capernaum (Sony Pictures Classics) – $28,252 in 9 theaters; Cumulative: $112,938

Vox Lux (Neon) – $21,574 in 45 theaters; Cumulative: $700,058

Boy Erased (Focus) – $19,000 in 34 theaters; Cumulative: $6,750,000

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Source: IndieWire film

December 30, 2018

Alfonso Cuarón’s ‘Roma’ Helps Younger Mexicans Appreciate an Older Mexico City

It’s been 15 years since director Alfonso Cuarón last made a film in Mexico, which is roughly the same amount of time I haven’t been able to visit the country. In the early 2000s, as he went on to conquer the big leagues of Hollywood following the success of “Y Tu Mamá También,” I was an undocumented teen who’d just moved from Mexico City to Los Angeles out of necessity. Each of our journeys took its course creating physical distance from the capital city of our births, but the longing to return never subsided.

In his case, being a gifted storyteller, that long-awaited, artistic homecoming took the form of a ravishing, monochromatic period film — one that exhumed memories from his early years not as ghosts but stark images. “Roma,” which earned him the top prize at this year’s Venice Film Festival and is Mexico’s Oscar entry for Best Foreign Language Film, is a drama named after the central Mexico City neighborhood where the acclaimed filmmaker grew up: Colonia Roma.

Invoking personal recollections from the 1970s, Cuarón channeled his appreciation for Libo, his former nanny, into a fictional character named Cleodegaria Gutiérrez — Cleo for short — a Oaxacan housekeeper remarkably embodied by first-time actress Yalitza Aparacio. Not only is Cleo the emotional core of this semi-autobiographical movie, but also our guide through a city in a state of flux.

For context, in 1970 — the year we first meet Cleo — Mexico hosted the World Cup for the first time, the Mexico City subway had only been operating for a few months, and my maternal grandfather died leaving behind eight children. At the time, nearly 50 years ago, my mother was a young woman who’d just started working to help support her siblings. She traversed the same streets as Cleo to get to her job in retail, and then back to the northern, working class, borough of Gustavo A. Madero.

On screen, I saw a version of my hometown as my mother would have seen it. Through Cleo’s eyes the places and energy described to me in anecdotes materialized. Time travel here is made possible thanks to the luminous artifice of exhaustively detailed replication by production designer Eugenio Caballero.

Two decades into Cleo’s future, in 1989, I was born to low-income parents whose education didn’t go pass the equivalent to middle school. Our diminutive apartment was located in Vasco de Quiroga, a poor “colonia” or neighborhood not far from the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Four years earlier an earthquake had devastated Mexico City and McDonalds had opened its first location on Mexican territory.

A nineties childhood in Mexico, in the aftermath of NAFTA, meant significant exposure to American content, products, and aspirations — despite those being mostly unattainable for the majority of Mexicans. Some of this influence is indelible in “Roma,” but as decades went by the power of globalization made it all the more inescapable, especially in the capital. Outside, large malls, foreign fast-food chains, and supermarkets gained ground on street markets, informal stands, and itinerant vendors; while inside us kids were watching American-made cartoons and series dubbed in Spanish.

In its current iteration, the city is no longer officially known as Distrito Federal (also referred to as D.F.), as it was up until 2016. Its rebranding, now as Ciudad de México or CDMX, is a transition that reflects a desire to be perceived as a global center parting with its past and aiming towards a more polished future. As the landscape morphs, so does its identity. Since I left, countless more international brands have become available there, new monuments have been erected, and a Day of the Dead parade has been implemented (inspired by Spectre).

For Cuarón, one can imagine, with more space between remembrance and reality, the transformation must be profoundly more noticeable. Key locations in “Roma” no longer exist: Cine las Americas, a movie theater seen late in the story, and Centro Médico Nacional, the hospital where a major plot point unfolds; while others, like Cine Metropolitan, Insurgentes Avenue, or the former slums of Netzahualcóyotl in the neighboring State of Mexico, have been repurposed, expanded, or improved. Some of these metamorphoses occurred while the director still worked in Mexico, but likely the impact was only truly felt when tracking back to how he first perceived his environment.

Mexico City today doesn’t look like it did in the 1970s or in the 1990s. The city of Cuarón’s childhood and that of mine don’t exist anymore in their exact forms, but their essence remains identifiable even under the new concrete structures, the most recent public transportation developments, the cultural wreckage caused by gentrification, and all other afflictions that a megalopolis of such magnitude must endure to survive and accommodate its exorbitant population. It’s a distinctly different town with a familiar face.

Earnestly, I must admit that my extended geographical separation and inability to physically reconnect with Mexico City (DACA recipients like myself run a massive risk traveling abroad) have turned my vision of the city into an idealized interpretation of what it truly is.

Abroad, the heart grows fonder and prouder for the idea of home. In my case, possibly more so than for those who’ve left but go back consistently. Selectively, my mind chooses to protect the snippets of joy associated with where I was born, because it’s only through those pillars in my origin story that I can understand who I am today. Some memories of a place you once knew stay intact while the physical space changes, caught up in the whirlwind of time. What’s magnetic about Cuarón’s “Roma” is that it captures the unfading essence of Mexico City in such timeless grandeur that it speaks loudly even to those of us who didn’t live there in the 1970s. There are a sensorial cues in the director’s portrayal of the city that defy chronology: sighs and sounds so engrained in the collective imagination of “capitalinos,” and many times of Mexicans in general, that they ring true across generations.

Netflix

While some were implanted by our elders (like the TV show the family watches, “Ensalada de Locos,” which I never watched but my mother referenced), others come from first-hand interactions. A cacophony of life in motion invades your psyche for the film’s entire running time. That diagetic soundtrack includes dogs barking from every house in the family’s street, wandering merchants that offer services and products: from the knife sharpener (el afilador), the honey seller (miel de colmena), the sweet potato vendor (el camotero); classic romantic tunes on the radio (Juan Gabriel’s “No Tengo Dinero” or Leo Dan’s “Te He Prometido”), the marching band (banda de guerra), bedtime prayers (Ángel de la guarda), children’s songs (Que llueva, que llueva), and the unmistaken accent and slang of Chilangos (Mexico City residents) that is best appreciated via the toy vendors outside the cinema in a defining scene or in the phrases Fermín, Cleo’s boyfriend, utters.

All these sounds of the city that score the ’70s drama were still present in my time, and surely echo the experiences of plenty of my cotemporaries and others that came before or after. We are perpetually seeking the comfort of what’s reassuring. Watching “Roma,” a sense of familiarity overwhelmed me, like a welcoming embrace, as if to remind me that my ties to the city and its people are still, in spite of my departure, unbroken. Our long-distance relationship is constantly rekindled by virtue of a mental fire fueled with photos, conversations, songs, and movies placing me there. It’s all an exercise in memory that one day may not suffice, but for now it serves to cope with the irremediable disconnect and the fear of not losing touch entirely.

For Cleo, the protagonist who also left her home state, it’s a smell that carries her there, one she cannot find in the city. The morning after the segregated holiday party, where servants and employees don’t mix, Cleo walks into a field and breaths in to be briefly transported. “It sounds like this; it smells the same,” she exclaims, alluding to her village in Oaxaca, which we can infer she hasn’t seen in quite too many moons.

On that level, “Roma” stretches its arms to anyone who’s ever been away from the land that nurtured them in infancy or where their most precious moments unfolded. For some that separation simply meant moving cities for work, for others crossing deserts and oceans in order to escape crippling poverty, and for many more fleeing a country in shambles to survive a war. Removing ourselves from the locations where we loved and were loved inflicts a wound so deep that’s only bearable when holding on to the instants that make permanent the beauty of what we’ve lost.

A memory can be a replenishing source of hope, an anchor keeping us from drifting into darkness, a life jacket preventing us from drowning in the deep waters of despair. It’s a two-way street, as memories themselves need us to save them from fading away. For that purpose, Cuarón reached out into the ether collecting blurry images of a bygone era and made them sharply visible for himself and for us. The path back to Mexico City, for him, was in the making of a cinematic testament that will never be erased.

One day, soon enough, when the tides of history are on my side and that of millions of undocumented people healing their hearts with the everlasting impressions of their past, I too will go back to Mexico City. I’ll scrape off the rusty layer of pain that’s built up on my memories over the years and see them clearly once again. I’ll deliver pending hugs that were never given but always missed, visit the graves of those whom I’ve mourned in absentia, and see the city with my own black-and-white lens of nostalgia, probably not fully recognizing every part of it. I’ll get lost in its immensity and chaos, and subconsciously feel right at home. On the surface, perhaps everything has changed, but the things that really matter never will.

“Roma” is currently in limited release and streaming on Netflix. 

Source: IndieWire film

December 29, 2018

Sony Put the ‘Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse’ Script Online

Can’t get enough of the best Spider-Man film released ever? Sony Pictures is capitalizing on the fervent devotion that has popped up over “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” and is offering a new way for fans to enjoy the movie.

The company has released the film’s 132-page script, available to read online and to download for repeat enjoyment anytime one may wish. While the movie has been rightly praised for its groundbreaking animation, the new “Spider-Man” isn’t just about the visual spectacle. Winking at all the Spidey versions that have come before and incorporating the multitude of interpretations into the ultimate clash of the Spider-Verse is storytelling feat that even after watching is a baffling marvel (ba-dum). And this is not even mentioning the hilarious banter and heartwarming narrative.

Phil Lord and Rodney Rothman collaborated on the script that had so many moving pieces that even the cast had trouble keeping the storyline straight. Of course, as IndieWire Deputy Editor Eric Kohn reports, that may have something to do with the actors only receiving the pages featuring their own dialogue. It’s possible the cast will also be downloading the script to finally own a copy in its entirety. Rothman himself tweeted out the news:

Sony was kind enough to make our #Spiderverse script available online. Here it is if you're interested. https://t.co/CO2EQCKdD3

— rodneyrothman (@rodneyrothman) December 29, 2018

“Into the Spider-Verse” stars Shameik Moore as the voice of Miles Morales, a black teenage Spider-Man who not only discovers his great powers come with great responsibilities, but also a whole family of Spider-Man iterations. Other voices include Jake Johnson, Hailee Steinfeld, Mahershala Ali, Brian Tyree Henry, Lily Tomlin, Luna Lauren Velez, Zoë Kravitz, John Mulaney, Kimiko Glenn, Nicolas Cage, Kathryn Hahn, and Liev Schreiber.

Read or download the “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” script here.

Source: IndieWire film

December 29, 2018

‘American Graffiti’ Could’ve Been Called ‘Burger City,’ One of 60 Dreadful Titles Suggested

This year, the Library of Congress selected “American Graffiti” to be preserved in the National Recording Registry. But would the George Lucas film classic have met the same fate if it had been called “Burger City”?

Lucas had previously wanted to call the movie “Another Quiet Night in Modesto” before changing his mind and offering up “American Graffiti.” The Universal Pictures execs didn’t quite know what that title meant and requested he consider some alternatives. They furnished him with a list of 60 other titles, which he acknowledges are “dreadful.”

In the new Taschen book “The Star Wars Archives,” a photocopy of a page on Lucasfilm stationery includes the full list of 60 possible titles with the following introduction:

“Herewith the suggestions from Universal for possible title for ‘American Graffiti.’ Just file ‘em away somewhere to discuss upon completion of the film. I believe I have convinced [film executive] Ned Tanen to make this decision after the film has completed shooting. These titles are dreadful, anyway, but let’s keep them for the record.”

Slashfilm’s Peter Sciretta tweeted a photo of the document on Friday. Some of the titles aren’t that awful, such as “The Last Free Summer” or even “Kids” (hey, it worked for Harmony Korine!), but those generic names are far less iconic than “American Graffiti.” Producer Francis Ford Coppola allegedly wanted “Rock Around the Block,” and the list includes something akin to that, “Rock Around the Clock.”

But the list is far more flush with the dreadful titles. “The Fast and the Deadly” sounds like a precursor to the “Fast and the Furious” franchise, the drive-in reference “Burger City” pops up in more than one iteration, and “Make-Out” appears in some form with disturbing frequency (yes, there’s even a “Make Out at Burger City”). The biggest head-scratcher is the final title on the list: “Rebus.”

Check out the full list below:

Source: IndieWire film