July 28, 2019
Ten-year-old Julia Butters is certainly the breakout star of Quentin Tarantino’s “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.” In the film, she plays co-star to Leonardo DiCaprio’s middling screen actor Rick Dalton, and the two wax philosophical together. She tells him the goal of acting is “to achieve 100% effectiveness. Which is impossible.” It’s a brief, but haunting moment.
Tarantino, it turns out, discovered the young starlet off of TV’s “American Housewife,” in which she stars as OCD-addled Anna-Kat Otto.
Speaking to IndieWire, “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” producer David Heyman said, of all the cuts in the nearly three-hour film, he most mourns a tour-de-force third encounter with Dalton’s “Lancer” costar (Butters). “Quentin is adept at throwing out a great scene,” said Heyman. “If she was in, she’d get an Oscar nomination for that performance. But it didn’t serve the film. It’s all about the film rhythm, to get where it needs to be. He cut out fantastic scenes, and reshaped things that made sense of the film as a whole.”
“Quentin likes to have the TV on in the background while he’s writing and I happened to be on TV while he was writing my character. He looked up and saw me and said, ‘Maybe she can try this.’ I’m so happy that the TV was on at that time and that moment because if it hadn’t, I wouldn’t be in the movie,” Butters told The Hollywood Reporter.
According to a recent profile from Vanity Fair, DiCaprio compared Butters to a young Meryl Streep. ““I’m like ‘Guys, she was 20!’ And I’m 10! There’s a 10-year difference,” she said. “I’m so happy that he did [that] — and so mad that he did at the same time.”
Butters’ character Trudi was inspired by an actual character from the 1968 Western series “Lancer.” Though usually not allowed to watch Tarantino films, her mother did let her watch “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” — albeit until the film’s bloody, insane climax.
Butters, who got her start in a 2014 episode of “Criminal Minds,” has also starred on episodes of “Transparent” and “The Kicks.”
Additional reporting by Anne Thompson.
Source: IndieWire film
July 28, 2019
It was more of same at specialized theaters this weekend. Documentaries dominated the openings, led by buzzy “Honeyland” (Neon), while response continues strong for family movie “The Farewell” (A24). Lulu Wang’s Sundance narrative dramedy starring Awkwafina bucked the current documentary trend by landing among the weekend’s Top 10 grossers, even in limited release.
Among the newbies, three Sundance non-fiction debuts opened decently with solid reviews: “Mike Wallace Is Here” (Magnolia), “For Sama” (PBS), and Netflix’s day-and-date title “The Great Hack.” A24 also threw “Skins” starring Jamie Bell as a neo-Nazi into a few theaters along with home availability, with grosses not reported. “The Mountain” (Kino Lorber) was the sole narrative debut to show positive reaction and possible further interest.
Opening
Honeyland (Neon) – Metacritic: 86; Festivals include: Sundance, New Directors/New Film 2019
$30,000 in 2 theaters; PTA (per theater average): $15,000
This marks the best opening PTA among documentaries in recent weeks. Neon has enjoyed significant success this year with several non-fiction films, led by “Apollo 11.” On paper, the fight to keep traditional beekeeping practices alive in rural Macedonia doesn’t seem like an easy draw. This well-placed film opened in one theater each in New York and Los Angeles, earned top-end reviews, and showed an impressive initial result which will encourage further interest ahead. Like Neon hit “The Biggest Little Farm,” “Honeyland” suggests that proactive show-and-tell environmental documentaries have appeal.
What comes next: Neon should be able to maximize the appeal shown here as it rolls out in an appropriate likely slower than usual expansion ahead.
The Mountain (Kino Lorber) – Metacritic: 66; Festivals include: Venice 2018, Sundance 2019
$16,013 in 2 theaters; PTA: $8,007
Jeff Goldblum and Tye Sheridan star in this biopic of a midcentury American doctor who popularized lobotomies as a medical treatment. (Ken Kesey’s “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” was written in part to expose the horrific procedure.) Rick Alverson’s drama opened in two exclusive New York/Los Angeles runs to mid-level initial results. It’s an unusual American independent narrative release for Kino Lorber, normally known for foreign language films, but consistent with its overall interest in distinctive titles.
What comes next: This should find appeal at core specialized theaters across the country in coming weeks.
“Mike Wallace Is Here”
Mike Wallace Is Here (Magnolia) – Metacritic: 73; Festivals include: Sundance 2019
$19,500 in 3 theaters; PTA: $6,500
Journalists are not the among the usual notable figures to get the documentary treatment. “60 Minutes” star Mike Wallace was memorably portrayed by Christopher Plummer in Michael Mann’s “The Insider” 20 years ago. Acquired by Magnolia at Sundance, this documentary opened at three New York/Los Angeles locations to mixed initial results.
What comes next: Eight more cities open this Friday, with other top markets following in upcoming weeks.
For Sama (PBS) – Metacritic: 90; Festivals include: South by Southwest 2019
$9,350 in 3 theaters; PTA: $3,117
The week’s best-reviewed film, among the best of the year overall, focuses on one woman’s experience over several years in wartime Syria. The documentary opened in New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco exclusive runs to modest initial response.
What comes next: This will play in top cities limited runs ahead before its future PBS showing some months from now.
Week Two
David Crosby: Remember My Name (Sony Pictures Classics)
$29,396 in 11 theaters (+7); PTA: $2,672; Cumulative: $86,247
The initial top-city expansion for this latest musical-world documentary yielded modest results.
“The Farewell”
Ongoing/expanding (Grosses over $50,000)
The Farewell (A24) Week 3
$1,554,000 in 135 theaters (+100); Cumulative: $3,692,000
Making it into the overall Top Ten in only 135 theaters, Lulu Wang’s compelling family drama is so far running ahead of A24’s “Eighth Grade” last summer in a similar release pattern. “The Farewell” added many high-end multiplexes this weekend, which reduced the stratospheric PTA. But at $11,510 for this number of theaters it continues to be a strong showing, with signs of some significant crossover appeal.
The Art of Self Defense (Bleecker Street) Week 3
$311,317 in 541 theaters (-9); Cumulative: $2,060,000
Jesse Eisenberg transitioning into someone able to stand up for himself if needed after a mugging took a steep drop in its second wide weekend despite holding at most theaters.
Maiden (Sony Pictures Classics) Week 5
$204,858 in 113 theaters (+29); Cumulative: $1,160,000
This documentary about a group of women circumnavigating the world by sea continues to expand, buoyed by positive word of mouth.
Booksmart (United Artists) Week 10
$(est.) 190,000 in 555 theaters (+472); Cumulative: $(est.) 22,433,000
United Artists brought this back for mostly single showing late in its release. That adds more to a mixed result gross, but still one that places it at the head of all 2109 festival showcased specialized releases, and by some distance.
Pavarotti (CBS) Week 8
$135,000 in 135 theaters (-8); Cumulative: $4,235,000
Another case of a documentary about a major creative force finding a strong response. Ron Howard’s film about the opera icon continues to maintain interest nearly two months into its run.
The Last Black Man in San Francisco (A24) Week 8
$133,800 in 114 theaters (-35); Cumulative: $4,106,000
High among acclaimed films, this idiosyncratic Bay Area portrait has remained a specialized niche item without a wide release. Which is fine. Not all films benefit from playing hundreds of theaters. The movie will be available on other venues ahead, and more limited play supports core arthouses. This long-running film could still reach $5 million, and that would be ahead of most narrative specialized releases this year.
“Echo in the Canyon”
Greenwich
Echo in the Canyon (Greenwich) Week 10
$118,000 in 118 theaters (-15); Cumulative: $2,906,000
Laurel Canyon musicians from five decades ago continue to draw interest with this documentary closing in on $3 million.
Marianne & Leonard: Words of Love (Roadside Attractions) Week 4
$95,125 in 83 theaters (+28); Cumulative: $561,216
Leonard Cohen and his muse gained some interest but not at the level of the similar-period music documentary “Echo in the Canyon.”
Late Night (Amazon) Week 8
$71,515 in 118 theaters (-28); Cumulative: $15,291,000
Despite its high-end Sundance deal, critical acclaim, and a wide release in appropriate theaters, this will end up with an under $16 million gross. That’s only about two-thirds of “Book Smart,” itself not as successful as predicted.
Wild Rose (Neon) Week 6
$77,800 in 144 theaters (-51); Cumulative: $1,388,000
Jessie Buckley as a struggling Scottish country singer in Nashville is entering the late stages of its modest run.
Sword of Trust (IFC) Week 3; also on Video on Demand
$55,683 in 55 theaters (+43); Cumulative: $156,012
Lynn Shelton’s Southern comedy starring Marc Maron is getting an above average number of theatrical dates parallel to home-viewing availability.
Also noted:
The Biggest Little Farm (Neon) – $36,480 in 61 theaters; Cumulative: $4,142,000
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Source: IndieWire film
July 28, 2019
Of all the seemingly live-action shots in “The Lion King,” only one is real, and it’s the first shot of the movie. Director Jon Favreau tweeted this weekend, “There are 1490 rendered shots created by animators and CG artists. I slipped in one single shot that we actually photographed in Africa to see if anyone would notice. It is the first shot of the movie that begins ‘The Circle of Life.’”
The otherwise completely CG movie — which IndieWire called “a disastrous plunge into the uncanny valley” — boasts extremely photorealistic animals, and yet this opening shot of the setting sun, as “The Circle of Life” vaults from the screen and right into your nostalgia center, is the only moment that Favreau and cinematographer Caleb Deschanel actually shot. IndieWire recently interviewed Deschanel about achieving the film’s naturalistic look.
“The most important thing was to create a reality to the filmmaking in terms of shots and lighting,” Deschanel told IndieWire. “Jon didn’t want perfection. There were a lot of rough shots. But it’s not totally like a documentary, because in a documentary, you can’t get close to lions this way. And every animal movement and gesture was something that they can do in real life.”
Real or not, audiences have been swept away by “The Lion King,” with the film once again holding court as the top box-office champ for the second week in a row, earning $75 million this weekend and besting even Quentin Tarantino’s newly opened “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.” Coupled with the film’s overseas take, “The Lion King” has already netted $1 billion globally and will surely continue to succeed as families come out in droves to see the remake.
IndieWire also spoke with the film’s VFX team about making “The Lion King” as a kind of feature-length nature doc. “We shot 12,000 takes of photography and whittled it down to the 1,600 shots that are actually in the movie,” said Adam Valdez, MPC’s VFX supervisor. “What Jon [Favreau] wanted was this magical combination of the best of what the animated film process has to offer and the best that live action has to offer.
Source: IndieWire film
July 27, 2019
It’s opening weekend for Quentin Tarantino’s “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,” and the controversy-courting auteur is already in hot water.
PETA’s Cruelty Investigations Department has issued an official statement regarding what it perceives as mistreatment of the pit bull terrier featured in the film:
“Pit bulls are the most abused and abandoned animals in dogdom, and in one thoughtless swoop, Quentin Tarantino has done much to exacerbate the situation by getting dogs from a notorious breeder for ‘Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.’ Pit bulls are chained, caged, neglected, starved, beaten, and even set on fire and fought to death. And like the dogs featured in this movie, their ears are often mutilated for a ‘tough’ look. Irresponsible portrayals like this are part of the reason why pit bulls flood our nation’s shelters. While the humane community is doing all that it can to help these animals — primarily, by shutting down the pit bull breeding industry — Tarantino has set them back. Shame on him.”
Tarantino’s reps have yet to respond to IndieWire’s request for comment.
Making her screen debut in “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,” the dog in question, named Sayuri, hails from Delaware. In the film, she plays Brandy, the pet pooch of Brad Pitt’s stunt-double Cliff Booth. At the 2019 Cannes Film Festival, Sayuri received the Palme Dog Award, which has previously gone to the likes of Uggie from “The Artist,” the fox from “Antichrist,” Dug in “Up,” Wendy from “Wendy and Lucy” and Moses from “Dogville,” among other screen canines.
In the film, Brandy proves to be Cliff’s sidekick in more ways than one. Tarantino intended Brandy as a callback to the movie dogs of yore, when canines with seemingly preternatural abilities came to the rescue in moments of peril (a la Lassie).
Accepting the Palme Dog on Sayuri’s behalf, Tarantino said, “When I was editing the movie I realized, she’s a great actress. I actually started seeing things in her face when I was cutting it together that I didn’t see on the day, so whatever little difficulties we had on set just really melted away when I saw what a great performance she gave.”
Source: IndieWire film
July 27, 2019
A newly unveiled deleted scene from “Avengers: Endgame” might answer some nagging questions for Marvel Cinematic Universe fans. But first, some background.
Gamora and Nebula are the children of Thanos, the god-like guy who killed half of life in the universe at the end of “Avengers: Infinity War.” They fought each other in the first “Guardians of the Galaxy,” and fought again in the second “Guardians of the Galaxy” in a brutal way, but made peace. Thanos tortured Nebula almost to death in “Avengers: Infinity War” to force Gamora into sacrificing her life in Vormir, a desolate planet, so that Thanos could get the Soul Stone (he had to sacrifice the one person he loved the most to get it). Follow?
Since we went back in time in “Avengers: Endgame” — and here’s where things get tricky — we have a 2014 “alive” Gamora, who is still enslaved to her father Thanos. Thanos uses his time-traveling abilities to come to our 2019 world to destroy half the life in the galaxy again, and not be thwarted, with his children in tow, including Gamora. Even though she died as the soul sacrifice in the original timeline, she’s there for the final battle.
It was just revealed, in an exclusive clip courtesy of USA Today, that a deleted scene from “Endgame” actually follows Tony Stark’s death, where everyone takes a knee, but Gamora walks away — off to who knows where. Due to the thorny production timeline and controversy surrounding on-again-off-again director James Gunn, the next “Guardians” will come after “Thor: Love and Thunder” from director Taika Waititi. MCU fans are left rabid with questions about how that’s going to work, and when, if ever, Gamora will come back.
Source: IndieWire film
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