Sundance horror flick V/H/S picked up for $1 million

I'm not sure I have the guts to watch V/H/S, a horror film currently screening at Sundance. In the grand tradition of William Castle, screenings of the film have been accompanied by reports that people were so scared, they fell ill. THR tempers its report by noting that exhaustion, dehydration, and altitude sickness were later indicated as factors, not the movie's disturbing content.

Paying somewhere over $1 million, Magnolia picked up the movie with plans for a premium VOD release followed by a theatrical release. V/H/S has quite a bit going for it. One, it's a found footage movie, which cleaves to horror's trend for mockumentary and realism, as exemplified by the successful Paranormal Activity franchise. Second, it reminds me of The Ring, another movie with "found footage" as a plot element that was the talk of my high school for weeks and weeks after it came out. Finally, it has five found footage-within-found footage segments created by various directors including horror helmers Ti West and David Bruckner.

I can't say I like very scary movies, but V/H/S sounds too creative to pass up. The framing device is a tape of a group of criminals who are hired to break into an attic and steal some videos. Each of the five videos they watch, however, uses an entirely different recording technique. One is a recorded Skype chat, another uses a secret spy camera hidden in a pair of glasses.  There are also looks at a motel security system and some teens in the woods who can only see the monster through the video camera.

Seeing filmmakers embrace new technology is thrilling. So frequently, movies lag behind new technology. For years after people switched to voicemail, answering machines were used as plot devices.  Conversely, horror movies absolutely ran the idea of "No Signal" into the ground (I love this supercut of the trope), in part because they were forced into answering the question their viewers were undoubtedly asking--why don't they just call for help? Sundance films, particularly, often release just a year or so after their conception, so they're better able to take advantage of new technology or pop-culture trends. I may need to take a deep breath and see V/H/S, if only for its embrace of new technology despite its decidedly retro name.

 

 

What will Paul Schrader and Bret Easton Ellis do with a horror movie called 'Bait'?

By Sarah Sluis

How's this for a curious project? Bret Easton Ellis and Paul Schrader are teaming up for a psychological horror movie called Bait. With sharks. The plot reads like any B movie, but I imagine this duo will be able to bring a little something extra to the table. A man who despises rich people secures an invitation onto a yacht. He then pilots it into shark-filled waters, and lets the carnage begin. Both are working on a final version of the script, and Schrader will direct. Here are three reasons why this idea, in the hands of Ellis and Schrader, could end up being something special.

1. Ellis writes rich people very, very well. His novels Less than Zero and Rules of Attraction were tales of empty hedonism and jaded excess. He can be so deliciously cruel to his subjects, but this kind of biting humor is often married with a shred of compassion or psychological analysis into his characters.

2. Schrader and Ellis are both experienced writing psychopaths. Schrader wrote Taxi Driver, that messed-up tale of vigilante justice. Ellis wrote (and adapted for the screen) American Psycho, a murderous Wall Street tale. There's no doubt in my mind that this yacht club worker will have a personality that's unusually rounded, compelling, and scary.

3. Now is a really good time to hate rich people. Recession-themed tales have been seeping into Hollywood over the past couple years. Everything from documentaries (Inside Job) to maudlin tales of unemployment (The Company Men), movies based on real events (Margin Call) and even other horror tales (Drag Me to Hell) have hit screens. There's something primal about horror movies that let people experience and live out their fears and revenge fantasies. If Bait can resonate with peoples' lizard brains, I predict an unlikely hit.

'Trollhunter': A funny, not-so-scary horror mockumentary

By Sarah Sluis

For someone who loves the idea of horror movies, but finds many of them too scary in practice, I recommend Trollhunter. The Norwegian horror-comedy mockumentary is one of eight films in the Tribeca Film Festival's Cinemania section, which "represent a well-rounded spectrum of contemporary genre filmmaking�from science fiction to horror to exploitation to fantasy."

The Cinemania films are some of the more offbeat and just plain weird movies in the festival, but they're often hidden gems. Last year I caught Dream House, a horror movie in which someone literally kills for an apartment--commentary on Hong Kong's insane housing market. Trollhunter's message is more subtle and focused on environmentalism and bureaucracy. It's more interesting not because of its light commentary, but because it provides a little window into Norwegian culture. Also, it's true: Norwegian fjords are stunning.

The film centers on three college students who decide to investigate a recluse who hunters suspect has been poaching bears. They follow the recalcitrant man until they catch him in action: He's a government-supported trollhunter, and he's sick of not getting overtime, hazard, or night pay. Sure, he says, follow me. I'm sick of this job.

The trio (a soundwoman, a cameraman, and the on-screen guy) get up close and personal with the trolls, which are surprisingly well-done. The filmmakers must be using CG shots, but they look incredibly seamless for a low-budget movie. If they "cheated" at all, it was by using mainly low light, but all the troll scenes take place at night anyway. The trolls themselves (for there are many varieties) are scary but also slightly comedic. They're dumb and smelly, so it's not too hard to outwit them--but that doesn't mean they can't kill you.

Hard-core blood and guts fans may be disappointed. I don't think I've seen this little gore in a horror movie, ever, and the suspense was well within this horror novice's comfort levels. But Trollhunter is also a fun ride through annals of Norwegian folklore, breathtaking shots of the austere landscape included. The mockumentary form, too, is incredibly expressive, including mundane details such as sound checks and white balances along with intensity-building use of night vision and even a cracked camera lens. Director Andr vredal is a newcomer, with just a few credits under his belt, but he's definitely an emerging talent who can do a lot with very little.

Catch Trollhunter at the Tribeca Film Festival, or watch it on VOD starting on May 6th. Distributor Magnet will also release the film in select theatres beginning June 10th. Watch the trailer here.

Tribeca kills for 'Dream Home'

By Sarah Sluis

Though I'm not a big horror fan, I've had some luck with Asian horror films, which tend to be more inventive both stylistically and in terms of plot. Such was the case with Tribeca Film Festival selection Dream Home, a Chinese horror film with a protagonist whose killings are motivated by the Hong Kong housing crisis.

I was expecting the movie to respond, in some way, to America's own housing crisis, but that's like fitting a square peg into a round hole. Josie Ho plays a woman who desperately wants to buy her own flat. In the Hong Kong housing market apartments go for $3,000 a square foot (with 30% down!), making even tiny apartments worth millions of dollars. She resorts to killing the tenants of an apartment in an effort to make it vacant. As expected, the plot is inventive, moving back and forth between her one-night killing spree and various points in her life before that, from her childhood to just a few weeks before. However, it was hard for me to see how someone could resort to killing just for an apartment. In America, there was the opposite problem, with tons of housing stock encouraging unqualified buyers to get in too deep. What the two places have in common is the desperation with which people pursue the dream of having a place of one's own, even when it goes against all logical reasoning.

In the Q&A afterward, one horror fan commended director Pang Ho-Cheung for his original death scenes. Ho-Cheung said he came up with the killing ideas by "going around my apartment and looking at how things could be used differently." Indeed, the deaths are very original, both in the type of implements used to cause them and the pacing of the deaths. People wriggle around in their death throes for ages, pinned down or trapped or strangled but still holding on for life (this is the kind of thing that makes horror fans laugh and everyone else squirm and cover their eyes). Vacuum storage bags, coffee tables, and bed slats are all used as weapons, and, believe me, the deaths are not immediate. Ho-Cheung's horror film is also light on suspense. He uses it sparingly, usually in the approach before the attack. Without suspense, the audience is more relaxed. Those that like watching people killed (and that includes the director: "We just started killing

and it was so happy we just kept on doing") got their fair share of original death scenes.

Ho-Cheung also revealed that the role was originally written for a man, but actress Josie Ho expressed interest in a role where she could kill people and took on the part. He maintains that they changed nothing in the script to adapt it to her, a statement that rings mostly true (the dynamic with her married boyfriend seems like it must have been changed a bit). In the killing scenes, this works quite well. Her creative methods of killing seem better motivated, and when she is occasionally being outmatched in strength and being choked, it's very believable. At the same time, her character is an incredibly strong and determined personality, with no discernable weakness.

A final thought: the movie hinges on the weeks before October 31, 2007, the moment when Hong Kong's stock market was at its ultimate high before coming crashing down. Hong Kong audiences know this date, so it's helpful to place the moment in your mind as equivalent to right before all the banks and housing markets crashed in the U.S. As for the movie itself? Horror fans will come away more than fulfilled, but those like me, who only like the genre at its best-of-the-best moments (Audition, Uzumaki, Old Boy), won't have a new favorite to add to their list.

Slow but steady future for 3D films, says PricewaterhouseCoopers

By Sarah Sluis

The move to 3D, in terms of film history, should play out more like color than sound. All films transitioned from silent to sound in a snap--just a few years. To not convert was to become a box-office failure. But color, like 3D, was reserved for specific genres, like historical epics, fantasy, and children's movies, before becoming more widespread. I took a few of PricewaterhouseCoopers' predictions on the future of 3D movies and gave my own take on how it will all play out.

"Most 3D live-action production will be limited to sci-fi, horror and concert genres" Yes, but this is changing. Avatar is sci-fi, but it's also a tentpole, an awards hopeful, a James Cameron movie and an action/environmental/romance movie. As films with multiple genre identities are made in 3D, it will become easier for those "romance/action/comedy" movies to be made. Just today, Variety announced that the sequel to Zombieland, a horror/comedy will be filmed in 3D. The next Jackass sequel, a documentary/action/comedy, will be made in 3D. With its emphasis on live, improv events, Jackass is a cousin of the concert film, a popular choice for 3D, but certainty not part of the genre itself.

"3D-animated slates at Disney and DreamWorks will be closely scrutinized by rivals." Maybe. As far as I'm concerned, animation is already a lock for 3D. Animation is a medium grounded in fantasy, not reality, making 3D a very natural variation. I would worry if these animation studios decided to make a movie in 2D, which would indicate a slipping in 3D's profitability. As it stands, both Pixar and DreamWorks Animation are committed to producing all their upcoming films in 3D.

"Slow growth through 2014...because of lingering budgetary and creative concerns" You can look at this from the production side, but the audience side is just as important. A lot of people are resistant to seeing 3D movies because of their stereotype as a gimmicky concept that takes away from the narrative. That's not the case. As a former skeptic myself, watching movies like Coraline, Up, and even The Jonas Brothers 3D Concert Experience "glasses on" made those movies better. In the case of concert movies, 3D helps amp up the spectacle and gives a heightened sense of reality. No, you don't actually feel like you're there, but the dimensionality gives you a sense of the landscape, and the camera movements always make sure you have the best seat in the house. Up, compared to Coraline or Monsters vs. Aliens, uses very restrained 3D. The filmmakers either didn't author it in 3D from start to finish, but added it in later, or they chose to avoid having the images pop up and behind in a striking (and perhaps detracting) way. Takeaway point: 3D is flexible. It's not always about making you think something is coming right at you, but subtly adding depth of field. If 3D is adopted by dramas, comedies, and romances, I suspect this restrained look will be the norm. Regardless, watching a film with glasses is on its way to becoming a normal part of the moviegoing experience.

'Final Destination' for 3D horror movie: #1

By Sarah Sluis

The 3D format proved to be a big winner for The Final Destination, which earned $28.3 million thanks to the 50% of its locations that released the movie in the pop-out dimension. The release mirrors the success of January horror release My Bloody Valentine 3D, which earned $24.1 million over the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday.

In third place, Halloween II lured in audiences to the tune of $17.4 million, a solid performance that nevertheless convinced the Weinstein Co. that the next movie in the franchise would be filmed in 3D to take advantage of the higher ticket prices and novel scares.

In its second week, Inglourious Basterds dropped 47% to $20 million, a strong showing that brought its cumulative gross to $73.7 million.

The big winner among specialty releases was The September Issue, which grossed $40,000 per theatre. The fashion documentary received a tremendous amount of publicity for a six-theatre run, so I expect the distributors to expand the release pronto--even to audiences outside of New York City, many of whom surely subscribe to Vogue, have heard of Anna Wintour, or know her as the inspiration for The Devil Wears Prada.

Focus Features gave Taking Woodstock a wider release of 1,393 theatres, hoping to attract crowds of followers, but the box office results fell below expectations (the reverse of the Woodstock concert itself). The based-on-a-true-story film brought in $3.7 million and a modest $2,600 per location, a per-theatre gross that still managed to exceed many of the other top ten films.

Among returning movies, Julie & Julia had the most holding power, dropping just 15% in its fourth week to earn $7.4 million and bring its cumulative gross to $70.9 million. The results are below Meryl Streep's past two summer films, Mamma Mia! and The Devil Wears Prada, but have spiked Julia Child cookbook sales to bestseller status and renewed interest in the famed chef. District 9 also put in a strong performance, bringing in another $10.7 million. Now that the Peter Jackson production has earned $90 million in three weeks, the rumored sequel, District 10, may just come to fruition.

This Friday, the comedy Extract from Mike Judge (cult hit Office Space) will release along with All About Steve, a stalker romance starring Sandra Bullock with a really bad haircut. Rounding out the Labor Day offerings will be sci-fi thriller Gamer, which stars Gerard Butler.

'HSM3' voted 'Most Likely to Succeed' at weekend box office

By Sarah Sluis

In the all-time top twenty for advance ticket sales, High School Musical 3: Senior Year (3,623 screens)
will rule the box office this weekend, with prognosticators estimating at least $30 million for the weekend. The series first made waves two years ago, when gift card-rich kids put the musical's singles in iTunes' top ten after Christmas.  The launch of the series into mainstream culture inspired the same mix of bafflement and resentment as when Harry Potter books hit the New York Times bestseller list. 

I always had a soft spot for Disney original movies, with their film school-inspired Busby Berkeley shots (look for them in the HSM series!) and buoyant, cheesy innocence that high schoolers and above recognize as a guilty pleasure.  The G-rated movie will have the most resonance with aspirational grade school and middle school students, who imagine their high school experience will be Just. Like. the. Movie., but certainly high schoolers will turn out to see the series they grew up with and have watched several times through its endless replays on the Disney Channel.

Horror sequel Saw V (3,060 screens) should compete for some of the older high school audience, but there are signs that the series has lost steam--unlike HSM3, which is the first big-screen version of the franchise.

Crime-and-intrigue Pride and Glory (2,585) releases this week to little fanfare.  Based on an actual corruption scandal, the film centers on a police officer, part of a family legacy of cops, who uncovers rampant corruption involving his family members.

Changeling (15 screens), Synecdoche, New York (excl. NY/LA), Let the Right One In (4 screens), and Passengers (125 screens) all open in limited release this week, with plans to expand.  Changeling has received so-so reviews, with FJI critic Daniel Eagan dismissing the film as "a period version of a movie on Lifetime," and both Eagan and the New York Times review dubious about a genre shift that occurs towards the film's climax.

Let the Right One In's Rotten Tomatoes listing boasts a lone dissenter to the sublimely fascinating Swedish horror character study, which I discussed earlier this week.

Intricate Synedoche, New York, another Charlie Kaufman world-within-a-world film, has inspired a whole new level of meta activity among critics attempting to mimic his layered realities--Wired did a "profile of a profile of Charlie Kaufman" you can check out here.

Anne Hathaway's Passengers might be a blink-and-you'll-miss-it airline crash thriller, depending on its performance and expansion from its limited release. I've Loved You So Long (NY/LA), Stranded: I've Come from a Plane that Crashed in the Mountains (1 screen, NY) and Fear(s) of the Dark (1 screen, NY) also open this week, for those in the city of skyscrapers or highways, respectively.