Patti Smith's writing a screenplay of 'Just Kids'

By Sarah Sluis

I'll be the first to admit that Patti Smith was before my time. But I wouldn't hesitate to see an adaptation of her book Just Kids. Smith, the "godmother of punk" whose memoir won the 2011 National Book Award, plans to co-write the screenplay with John Logan. Logan, an Oscar nominee, has experience both in adaptations (Hugo, The Time Machine, Sweeney Todd) and in biopics (The Aviator, upcoming Lincoln). Though a number of high-profile producers wanted to acquire rights to the picture, Smith wants to develop the screenplay solo, presumably to keep creative control.

Just Kids was popular not only because it told the story of Smith's life, but also for her descriptions of New York City in the late 60s, when she moved there. Smith encounters a variety of luminaries in the book. Amazon mentions that while residing at the legendary Chelsea Hotel, she befriended William Burroughs, Allen Ginsberg, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, and Johnny Winter--quite the bunch. Another excerpt from the book (page 213) describes her then-boyfriend Robert Mapplethorpe as moving to 24 Bond St, a "cobblestone side street" where "John Lennon and Yoko Ono had a place across the way." Smith appears to have known all the creative movers and shakers at the time.

While Smith's book can capture the feeling of a historic New York City and its menagerie of celebrities just fine, those will pose two of the greatest challenges in the adaptation. Casting will be incredibly difficult, since the filmmakers will have to find so many actors who can imitate specific celebrities. Making period films is something Hollywood has down pat, but where do you even find a gritty place in New York anymore? Also, the book's focus on Smith's relationship with the soon-to-be-controversial photographer Mapplethorpe, her lover turned gay friend, could limit the movie's mainstream potential. Perhaps that's why Smith wants to maintain creative control.

'The Help' director may helm adaptation of 'Peace Like a River'

By Sarah Sluis

Director Tate Taylor delivered a polished adaptation with The Help, which has a surprisingly well-calibrated tone and has gotten off to good start at the box office. Now that he has one success under his belt, he's pursuing a number of other projects, with Peace Like a River among them. Ostensibly a young adult novel, I remember the book for its ethereal prose and its exploration of religious faith. I'm a little surprised that an adaptation is in the works, but this book, properly adapted, could be a hit.

Religion. From The Blind Side to Higher Ground, faith has become a more prominent force in movies recently, in part because the support of faith-based audiences can draw in lots of additional viewers.

What The Help does for the South, Peace Like a River does for the heartland. With most in the entertainment industry flitting between LA and NYC, a disproportionate amount of movies ignore the flyover zone. It's a novelty when the latest rom-com chooses a city other than NYC or LA as its locale. Peace Like a River is firmly Midwestern, from its characters to its scenes of hunting, cooking game, and religious life.

Potential to create high-quality mainstream fare. The Help was a summer movie, but it's also exceptionally well crafted, and might even snag an Oscar nomination (I think Viola Davis is a frontrunner). Peace Like a River is even more serious and poetic. The book is narrated by a "miracle" boy who is brought back from death at birth by his father's prayer. When his older brother kills someone (under ambiguous circumstances) and goes into hiding, the father packs up his family and goes in pursuit of his son. Both father and son are being hunted by the FBI. The family's time on the run is more Night of the Hunter or even Badlands and less The Fugitive. At least, that's the way it is in the book. I'd love to see Taylor recognize that the book is better suited for an emotional, arty adaptation than a fast-paced chase movie.

Brad Pitt's Plan B Productions has had rights to the book for years. David Brown and Kit Golden (who produced Angela's Ashes and Chocolat together) are also producing. IMDB lists Kathy McWorter (The War) as the writer of the screenplay. Most importantly, the movie already has a home: Warner Bros.

IFC blog creates movie etiquette manifesto

By Sarah Sluis

At some point a few years ago, people in movie theatres finally remembered to silence their phones before the show. Hearing a phone ring during a movie became a thing of the past. But that auditory assault has been replaced with something far more nefarious. Light pollution. Most people keep their phones on vibrate nowadays because they're checking their phones every hour anyways, and using their phones more for texts and emails. That means I now see people whipping out their smart phones and fiddling with them nearly every time I watch a movie. Can't it wait, people? I actually remember seeing the guide to my friend's new cell phone in 2003 or so, back when texting was a new thing, and it had a whole section on how to text in movie theatres. I blame the attitude behind that guide, in part, for unleashing the Pandora's Box of texting and emailing during movies.

Turns out I'm not the only one who can't stand the disrespectfulness of other people during movies. An IFC blogger created a movie etiquette manifesto with a link to an online petition. Turning off cell phones comes in at #2. Some of his other complaints including babies at R-rated movies, smelly outside food, and talkers. He also has some pretty specific rules for space buffing. Don't sit in front of or next to a stranger at a less-than-full show, and don't pretend to save seats for people at a fuller show. With stadium seating the standard nowadays, I haven't had a problem with people sitting in front of me for a long time. That's one thing I can cross off my list of annoyances.

With the creation of the petition, the blogger seems to be going for a viral distribution in the style of the Alamo Drafthouse texter, but that YouTube video will be hard to beat. What I would like to see would be a guerilla video of a confrontation between an old lady smoking an e-cigarette (which lights up with each puff) and the commenter Geraldo V, who pointed out that she was also kicking her legs back on the seat in front of her and talking on her cell phone. I haven't heard of light pollution from an e-cigarette before, but with cigarette smoking on the decline, I have hope that this won't turn into the next movie theatre annoyance.

'Apes' summons more moviegoers than 'The Help'

By Sarah Sluis

By keeping its second-weekend fall to just under 50%, Rise of the Planet of the Apes retained its number-one spot and added another $27.5 million to its total. The movie's visual effects played a large part in attracting audiences. Now that this reboot is a success, maybe one of the four sequels the original 1968 film spawned will end up in the works.

The Help put in a strong performance, just barely missing the first-place spot with a $25 million total. Females over 25 comprised the majority of viewers, though the movie played well across all audience segments. The drama, which opened on Wednesday, has performed steadily, with a five-day total of $35 million. The movie's release has been accompanied by some thoughtful, biting commentary. Tulane professor Melissa Harris-Perry dismissed the movie as "The Real Housewives of Jackson, Mississippi," an apt description that explains both why the movie is entertaining and not the best place to look for straight history.

Final Destination 5 finished under expectations with $18.7 million and the lowest attendance of any film in the horror franchise. The last movie, The Final Destination, was billed as the last, so it's possible some of the hard-core fans felt cheated by the franchise's refusal to die when planned.

30 Minutes or Less debuted fifth to a disappointing $13 million. Of the many R-rated comedies that have come out this summer, this one seemed to have the most limited appeal, with teen boys (including ones too young to buy tickets) in the comedy's sweet spot. Indeed, 69% of the audience was under the age of 25 and 53% was male.

Glee: The 3D Concert Movie became a miss in the hit-or-miss live concert category. Despite higher ticket prices for the 3D movie, the concert film grossed just $5.7 million. Perhaps viewers didn't see the value of a movie. The actual "Glee" concerts provided viewers a rare opportunity to see the cast members in real life, but the concert movie was essentially an expensive rerun of the television show.

This Friday, the summer box office will still be in full swing. Spooky remake Fright Night will open opposite action epic Conan the Barbarian, the romantic One Day, and Spy Kids: All the Time in the World, which will have just a week or so to capture young audiences before they go back to school.

Will 'The Help's' head start help it beat out '30 Minutes or Less,' 'Glee,' and 'Apes'?

By Sarah Sluis

The most view-worthy offering this week is The Help (2,534 theatres), which opened on Wednesday to $5.5 million. Based on a popular novel, The Help explores the relationships between Southern white women and their black help in the 1960s, but in a friendly, sanitized kind of way.. Slate's Dana Stevens called the movie "a Barbie Band-Aid on the still-raw wound of race relations in America," and "a feel-good movie that feels kind of icky." While in some ways the movie makes light of the country's struggles during the Civil Rights movement, it's also "classy, feel-good...eye-opening and sometimes deliciously satiric entertainment," according to critic Doris Toumarkine, who accurately pegs the period film as a "sunny drama." While a debut in the $20 millions is expected, I think this movie could be a wild card and overperform.

An entire movie composed of freak accidents (do not, repeat DO NOT fall off the acupuncture table while your entire body is pricked with needles), Final Destination 5 (3,155 theatres) gives its fans what they came for, according to critic Maitland McDonagh, who found the horror flick "technically slick, briskly paced and painless to watch, assuming you're not the sort to squirm miserably at the sight of anatomical mayhem." The previous installment opened in the mid-$20 millions, which the fifth movie is also on target to meet. It won't be long before young people start dying in Final Destination 6.

Glee: The 3D Concert Movie (2,040 theatres) offers a front-row seat into a concert many Gleeks probably couldn't afford. David Noh caught the performers' infectious spirit, enjoying the cast's songs which were "cannily chosen, terrifically arranged and...possess a sparkle which hardly needs the added, needless fillip of 3D." Some are estimating the movie will just earn a number in the high single digits, but the concert movie could easily exceed expectations if prognosticators misestimated the number of hard-core Gleeks.

A pizza delivery boy is strapped to a bomb and forced to rob a bank in 30 Minutes or Less (2,888 theatres). "Mayhem ensues in this entertaining, foul-mouthed ride to nowhere that most will enjoy," according to Toumarkine, especially if you're an "18 to 40-year-old, easy-to-please male with a hearty appetite for mindless raunchiness." Like most of the other releases this week, this R-rated comedy could earn in the $20 millions, as long as it doesn't underwhelm like last week's R-rated miss, The Change-Up.

On Monday, we'll see if any of the new releases were able to top the second weekend of surprise hit Rise of the Planet of the Apes, and if there are any upsets in how the new releases stacked against each other.

Morgan Freeman rounds out the cast of 'Now You See Me'

By Sarah Sluis

Recently, I've developed a bit of a Morgan Freeman obsession. On television, I keep finding his voiceovers left and right. It's a rare person who wasn't won over pre-DVR by his starring role in cable TV favorite The Shawshank Redemption. His voice is rich and reserved, authoritative but twinkling. He just may be the best narrator out there. I recently took a look at his Alex Cross films (Along Came a Spider and Kiss the Girls) on the announcement that Tyler Perry plans to star in a reboot of the franchise, I, Alex Cross. They're generic, formulaic detective movies that date quickly, but they're also films in which Freeman gets to play the character he's honed so well over the years: wise, competent, and always ready to save the day.

Now You See Me centers on a couple of FBI agents who are trying to take down a quartet of magicians who carry out bank heists during their performances, ending by distributing the money to the attendees. Freeman will play a former magician who now gives away the secrets behind the tricks, an action that makes him reviled in the magic community. Freeman as a wise, behind-the-scenes guy who has more insight into what's going on than anyone else? Sounds like the perfect Freeman role to me.

Besides Freeman, Mark Ruffalo has signed on to play one of the FBI agents for the Summit Entertainment project. Jesse Eisenberg will play the cocky ringleader of the magicians (presumably employing his mile-a-minute delivery) and Amanda Seyfried and Melanie Laurent will play femme fatales. Though the cast is top-notch, the writing/directing team has a less than stellar track record. Director Louis Leterrier helmed the ill-fated Clash of the Titans, the poster child for poor 3D conversions, as well as The Transporter and its sequel. His record is pure action, but is he hungry to prove himself dramatically? The screenwriting team of Boaz Yakin and Edward Ricourt also gives little indication of their capability. Yakin has writing, directing, and producing credits on a variety of films, including Uptown Girls (director, executive producer), Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (writer), and the documentary Bombay Beach (producer). Ricourt is a new talent, with no finished films but four scripts to his name on IMDB, which range from sci-fi to thriller to literary adaptation. There's no telling what shape the project Now You See Me might take, but one thing's for sure. Freeman will be there, lending his wise and comforting presence.

Could 'The Help' be this summer's second female-driven hit?

By Sarah Sluis

This summer began with an R-rated un-rom com, Bridesmaids, which opened softly but has since earned over six times its opening weekend. The highly anticipated adaptation of the novel The Help releases today, which I predict will soon have membership to the $100 million club. According to a Variety article published today, the studio held over 300 advance screenings of the movie that targeted black and faith-based audiences, as well as some library crowds. I took a look at some of The Help's comparable films to try to figure out the movie's prospects, which are currently looking quite bright.

Eat Pray Love (2010)
Opening weekend: $23 million. Domestic Total: $80 million.
Unlike The Help, Eat Pray Love was hampered by poor reviews. Just 46% of audiences liked the movie, according to Rotten Tomatoes, compared to 89% of audiences who have previewed The Help. Like The Help, Eat Pray Love was based on a bestseller popular in book clubs, but interest stopped at older white women. Many people dismissed the movie as covering "white girl problems," and the midlife crisis impetus for the woman's journeys alienated younger viewers. Prediction: The Help will blow this release out of the water.

Julie & Julia (2009)
Opening weekend: $20 million. Domestic Total: $94 million.
Another movie based on a popular book, Julie & Julia had much better reviews. It opened lower than Eat Pray Love, but audiences kept coming, giving the movie a higher finish. The casting of Meryl Streep, who was nominated for an Oscar, was also a boon. Prediction: The Help will do at least as well, in part because it also appeals to faith-based and black audiences.

Bridesmaids (2011)
Opening weekend: $26 million. Domestic Total (so far): $166 million.
Plenty of people who loved reading The Help would not be caught dead watching this R-rated comedy. However, it's worth noting that even with a lot of marketing and media exposure, this comedy only opened to $26 million. If The Help opens low, its performance the second and third weeks will spell whether the drama is a success or not. Prediction: Tough competition, but I think The Help has a chance of matching Bridesmaids.

The Blind Side (2009)
Opening weekend: $34 million Domestic Total: $255 million.
Comparison between The Blind Side and The Help may be the most valuable. They both share similar plotlines, about white people helping black people. Faith-based audiences responded particularly well to the Sandra Bullock drama, which is a bit more Christian than The Help, in my opinion. However, I don't know how popular The Blind Side was with black audiences. A movie like The Help will have much more resonance with black audiences than Blind Side, whose black character was mostly mute and unexplored as a person. In contrast, Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer have been giving tons of interviews and many people will come to the movie to see them. The sports theme of The Blind Side was an automatic draw for male audiences, who may be less enthusiastic about The Help. Prediction: Unless The Help ends up in the Best Picture category like The Blind Side, I think The Help will come in underThe Blind Side's total.

A final thought. If Disney/DreamWorks has been successful in marketing The Help to black audiences, the movie's opening weekend could be much bigger than most female-driven adaptations of "book club" novels. Tyler Perry's Madea movies routinely earn half their total haul the first weekend, when middle-aged black women turn out in force to see these movies.

First-day estimates of The Help should post tomorrow. Currently, 31% of advance ticket sales on Fandango are for the movie.