Hidden gems populate Gotham Independent Film Award nominations

Oscar nominations won't be announced until January 5th. The Gotham Independent Film Award nominations, which come far before the Oscars, Globes, or the multitude of critic association awards, stand apart not only on the calendar, but in content. If you look at IndieWire's current list of potential Oscar nominees, for example, there's almost no crossover with the Gotham Awards. In the list of nominations below, I provide links to Film Journal reviews, and give a few recommendations of my own.

Best Feature
Bernie: This arthouse feature has earned $9 million to date, with steady returns week after week. It's also nominated for "Best Ensemble Performance," with the unlikely trio of  Jack Black, Shirley
MacLaine, and Matthew McConaughey sharing the screen.
The Loneliest Planet: This one hasn't released yet, but it's about an engaged couple (one half of which is the handsome Gael Garcia Bernal) who go on a hike, and bad things happen. If the Gotham people like it, it must be good.
The Master: This is the only one of Gotham's nominations that's also polling high in the Oscar race. Though our critic Chris Barsanti felt it lacked some of director Paul Thomas Anderson's "characteristically thunderous panache," this Scientology-esque biopic is high-profile enough everyone should see it in order to weigh in.
Middle of Nowhere: The story of a woman "who cares for her imprisoned husband while struggling to keep her true self afloat," as described by critic Tomris Laffly, "reinstates one’s at times
diminishing faith in independent film," refusing to give out "louder
statements about social injustice" but instead letting the audience draw its own conclusions. Participant Media helped finance, and they only back "socially conscious" films.
Moonrise Kingdom: One of director Wes Anderson's most successful films in recent years, the charming story of young love is a natural fit for the director's reflexive, nostalgic style. Some think this one can slide into the Oscar race, with at least some chance of picking up nominations. Another nominee for "Best Ensemble Performance," this movie will likely do even better in critics' awards and the Spirit Awards.

Best Documentary
I've seen a number of docs this year, but none of these are among them. Here's a roundup of these films, and hopes that they'll be in a theatre near you or on Netflix soon.
Detropia: "A tone poem soaked in the
blues," as described by Barsanti, about Detroit's continuing decline from its manufacturing glory days, is a haunting look at what forty plus years of recession
looks like.
How to Survive a Plague: A victorious look over how AIDS has gone from a death sentence to a treatable disease.
Marina Abramović: The Artist is Present:  A countdown to the performance artist's solo show at New York's Museum of Modern Art.
Room 237: Reviewed here as part of a NYFF recap, Room 237 interviews "a handful of die-hard [Stanley] Kubrick fans and scholars
who make largely preposterous, hilarious and only sometimes sober
arguments for symbols that permeate his work." Anyone who's speculated about the blood coming out of the elevator doors might find this movie a worthy follow-up to Kubrick's masterpiece.
The Waiting Room: A fly-on-the-wall look at an ER waiting room.

Among the other nominations, there are two for Beasts of the Southern Wild, "Breakthrough Director" for Benh Zeitlin and "Breakthrough Actor" for Quvenzhané Wallis. I recommend it as one of this summer's best and most successful indies. The "This American Life" crowd may take a shine to Sleepwalk with Me. Star/writer/director Mike Birbiglia was nominated for his performance in the "Breakthrough Actor" category. Everyone I know who has seen it found it sweet and recommended it to others. Awards frontrunner The Silver Linings Playbook grabbed one nomination for "Best Ensemble Performance," which is probably only a small precursor of what's to come. The Gotham Independent Film Awards are on November 26th, right in the midst of the awards releases onslaught.

In adult-driven weekend, 'Argo' places second to 'Taken 2'

For the second weekend in a row, Taken 2 finished first. Even though the Liam Neeson-led kidnapping thriller dropped 55% from the previous weekend, its $22.5 million total was still $2 million more than the second-place finisher, Argo. With $86 million earned to date, Taken 2 is seriously outpacing its predecessor. Taken had only earned $53 million by its second week, but it did have very low week-over-week drops that helped make it a sleeper hit.

Ben Affleck's writing/directing/starring effort, Argo placed second with $20.1 million. Affleck's last movie, The Town, opened slightly higher, at $23 million, and ended up earning four times its

Ben Affleck in 'Argo'

opening weekend. Argo, with an "A+" CinemaScore in exit polls, could easily surpass that figure, earning five or six times its opening weekend, especially if the positive word-of-mouth is complemented by recognition come awards season. 74% of viewers were over the age of 35. My parents, who were in their late twenties during the Iranian hostage crisis depicted in the film, reported the '70s costumes, big glasses, and old news footage helped bring that time of their life back in vivid (and suspenseful) detail.

 

The horror flick Sinister did solid business with an $18.2 million total. Younger audiences turned out for the scares, with a fairly even male/female split. Although that's right around the same amount as slow-burn horror sensation

Kevin James in 'Here Comes the Boom'

Insidious, it's more likely that Sinister will get steamrolled by Paranormal Activity 4 next weekend.

 

Here Comes the Boom had a disappointing opening weekend of just $12 million. That's far below star Kevin James' other openings, including the $31 million opening weekend of Paul Blart: Mall Cop and the $20 million for The Zookeeper.
There's a chance this movie could turn around. Family-driven titles
tend to stick around for a while, and this one earned an "A" CinemaScore rating from viewers.

Seven Psychopaths had a disappointing weekend, with a nationwide release that yielded just $4.2 million. That's the worst wide opening ever for CBS Films, which already has a bad track record with a number of films that have opened below $10 million. Despite its poor showing, audiences liked the movie. The majority of viewers were male, and 71% of the audience was over 25.

'Seven Psychopaths'

Younger viewers (18-34), though, were most enamored with the black comedy about crime, giving it an "A-" rating that exceeded the overall average of "B+."

 

The Perks of Being a Wallflower added 500 theatres for 726 total. The Emma Watson-led comedy about outsider teens added $2.1 million to its total thanks to the expansion, a 36% increase from the previous week.

Higher up on the chart, Pitch Perfect posted a strong hold, dipping just 37% to earn $9.3 million. With $36 million to date, the a capella comedy has already made back two times its budget. Sounds like  a success for Universal.

 Despite added attention thanks to conservative-driven movies in the marketplace, Atlas Shrugged: Part II performed on par with its predecessor. Part I opened to $1.6 million last April, while Part II debuted to $1.7 million. What's worse is that the follow-up opened in three times as many theatres, meaning every location's theatres were one-third as full, and distribution costs were higher.

On the heels of a "60 Minutes" story about the doc last Sunday, Searching for Sugar Man soared 135% from the previous week for a total of $203,000, its highest weekend in a three-month run. The doc about a musician who becomes a hit in an apartheid-era South Africa and never knows it also expanded from 38 to 157 locations.

This Friday, Paranormal Activity 4 will jump on the pre-Halloween horror bandwagon, and Tyler Perry will play a smart action hero in Alex Cross. Well-reviewed The Sessions will open small with an eye towards gathering accolades come awards season.

'Argo' vies against 'Taken 2' for adult males in busiest fall weekend yet

Argo (3,232 theatres)
became a serious awards contender after its great critical reception at
the Toronto Film Festival. Now it has to prove its worth to a nationwide audience. Ben Affleck stars in his third directing
effort, and this is"most accomplished work yet," reports critic Kevin
Lally. The real-life adaptation centers on the CIA's plan to rescue six
Americans who escape from the Iranian
takeover of the embassy in 1979
but remain trapped in the country. Great direction and writing mean
audiences are in for "a true nail-biter, even if you
already know the outcome." Since Taken 2
overperformed last weekend, earning a stunning $50 million, even a 50%
drop would put the suspense-actioner at $25 million. That's a high
target for Argo to beat, so the movies may end up neck and neck for the first-place finish.

Beating the Halloween rush for R-rated horror, Sinister (2,527 theatres)
centers on a typically ill-advised move to a haunted house. A crime
writer decides to move into a dwelling that was the site of a murder. Home
movies upstairs give him clues about the past that could end up killing
his family too. The "genuinely creepy" movie "doesn't break any new
ground, but it works
haunted-house conventions with considerable skill and admirable
conviction," according to critic Maitland McDonagh. The fact that there
hasn't been an adult scary movie for a while should mean
this scary movie will
end up close to $20 million.

The PG-rated Kevin James comedy Here Comes the Boom (3,014 theatres)
should receive strong support from the Heartland, but that may not be
enough to bring the opening above the teen million range. James' brand
of silly comedy generally doesn't receive strong critical support (Boom is currently at just 43% positive on Rotten Tomatoes), but our critic David
Noh crowned the movie "a
winner in terms of entertainment and crowd-pleasing satisfaction." Sure,
the tale of a teacher who moonlights as an MMA fighter in order to save
the school's music program is "predictable," but the "heartwarming" parts
balance it out.

Word-of-mouth about writer/director Martin McDonagh's In Bruges, which had a very under-the-radar release in 2008, should help Seven Psychopaths (1,480 theatres) 
improve on the
first crime comedy's box-office performance. The only problem is
that the older males who are showing the most interest in this option
also have Argo and Taken 2 on their to-see list, so Seven Psychopaths
may be the loser in this crowded weekend. Lally praises the
"alternately hilarious and horrifying
comedy," but warns that the "extreme approach to black comedy
won’t be for everyone." Somewhere between $7-10 million is in store for
the violent feature, which should have strong playability in weeks
to come.

The first Atlas Shrugged movie tanked in 2011 with just $4.6 million on a reported $20 million budget. That didn't stop the production of Atlas Shrugged: Part II (1,012 theatres), which will open even wider than the first one. Trailers for the allegorical work played before the successful conservative doc 2016: Obama's America and the Christian-leaning Last Ounce of Courage,
so the movie should have high awareness among the target demographic. An
opening of over $5 million will make this adaptation of the book by Ayn
Rand a success.

On Monday, we'll chart how all the new releases fared in this movie-saturated fall weekend.

Today in casting: Rebel Wilson, Beyoncé, and Ralph Fiennes

Best news first. Rebel Wilson, who had a bit part as Kristen Wiig's eccentric Brit roommate in Bridesmaids, followed up by more prominent roles in Bachelorette and Pitch Perfect, has landed a project with Universal. The "Untitled Rebel Wilson Comedy" is based on an idea she came up
with. Wilson will star, produce, and write the script. With Judd Apatow and now Kristen Wiig in its stable, Universal has become comedy-centered in recent years. The studio is also distributing Identity Thief, another comedy starring a Bridesmaids vet, Melissa McCarthy. Add in Wilson, and Universal has quite the lineup of comedians.

Next up, Beyoncé. The singer and actress was supposed to star in director Clint Eastwood's remake of A Star is Born, but she's officially dropped out. Without a clear start date for the movie, the actress was having too many scheduling difficulties. Her replacement may be the little-known (at least compared to Beyoncé) jazz singer Esperanza Spalding. The woman can sing, so that's one thing. The movie will definitely read differently if there is a superstar in the role versus an unknown, but I love rise-to-fame stories regardless.

Finally, Ralph Fiennes will play a concierge in writer/director Wes Anderson's latest, The Grand Budapest Hotel. Anderson lived in France during the production of Fantastic Mr. Fox, so perhaps he found the inspiration for the Europe-set film there. Anderson players Bill Murray and Owen Wilson have already signed on, along with a newbie, Jude Law. Anderson's charming Moonrise Kingdom was one of this summer's indie movie successes, indicating the writer/director is back on track and pleasing his fanbase and beyond.

'Taken 2' sweeps box office with $50 million

Three years after his daughter was stolen in Taken, Liam Neeson was captured in Taken 2.  With an astonishing $50 million, Taken 2 doubled the opening of the predecessor and drew audiences across all demographics. Abroad, the thriller is also a hit, with totals already exceeding the domestic
opening total. I'm sure there are movie executives out there right now trying to figure out how to make a Taken 3. What's next--kidnapping the family dog? Neeson starts a kidnapping consulting firm? Although critics had mainly unkind things to say about the follow-up, audiences graded the Liam Neeson vehicle a solid "B+."

Frankenweenie floundered compared to the second weekend of Hotel Transylvania. The Tim Burton-directed animated feature, which ended up with $11.5 million, suffered in part due to Hotel Transylvania's positive momentum. The black-and-white movie drew couples, who made up 32% of the audience, and another 52% of attendees were families. Frankenweenie
may have appealed to adults at the expense of the children. Hotel Transylvania, which included the vocal talents of Adam Sandler and his style of broader humor, placed second with $26.3 million, a mere 38% fall from the previous week.

Female moviegoers turned out in force for Pitch Perfect, which reeled in $14.7 million as it expanded nationwide after a successful limited release last weekend. 80% of ticketbuyers were female. The college a capella comedy drew viewers from roughly the same demographic as the cast, with 60% of attendees under the age of 30. The skewed demographics indicate this is a movie for a very specific demographic, which could limit its box office total, Still, the audience that turned out will likely become huge advocates of the comedy: they gave it an "A" CinemaScore in exit polls.

This week was a lackluster one in the specialty sector. Director Lee Daniels' The Paperboy averaged $10,000 per screen at 11 locations, the best opening of any specialty film. Poor reviews should dampen the release, though its racy subject matter will draw some viewers, especially those who want to see grown-up teen idol Zac Efron semi-naked. The second-highest per-screen average of a new release went to The House I Live In, a documentary criticizing America's drug laws. The Eugene Jarecki-directed movie averaged $9,850 per screen at two locations.

This Friday, director/star Ben Affleck's Oscar hopeful Argo will open. Kevin James will appeal to the the heartland with Here Comes the Boom, Atlas Shrugged: Part II will try to keep up the momentum of conservative-aimed movies. Horror fans will have Sinister, and those in need of a funny crime film can check out Seven Psychopaths.

MoviePass relaunches its all-you-can-watch movie theatre service

A Netflix for movie theatres, MoviePass promises that for a monthly fee ranging from $29.99-$39.99, a user can watch all the movies they can (though no more than one per day, for those who like to schedule old-school double features on rainy Saturdays). Last year, the service launched without the support of the movie industry and quickly shut down amidst reports that
ticket booth employees were not accepting the printed vouchers. Now, after a successful private beta test, the service is rolling out nationwide. Exhibitors still don't support the service, but MoviePass found a way around that. Using a smartphone app, viewers select the show they want to see while they are within GPS range of the theatre (I suspect the geolocation is to prevent sharing, since few people would be willing to give up their phone just to let a friend score a free movie ticket). Then, a prepaid debit card loads with the correct amount, and people can buy their ticket. Looks simple enough, though I imagine there are still a few kinks to be worked out. For example, when I lived in Ohio, we paid a tax on our movie tickets. Would MoviePass cover that? Or would the customer have to pay the difference?

Details aside, it's interesting that MoviePass is able and willing to move forward with the product without the support of exhibitors. They say that they have had conversations with some chains about the project, and received the support of a few independent theatres--but that hasn't led anywhere. They have also made sure to tout the fact that MoviePass members bought 123% more concessions, a big profit center for movie theatres.

Even without the support of the exhibition industry, the industry may eventually come around. Movie theatre attendance is declining. A service like MoviePass could be a big help in terms of bringing people back into theatres. One potential hurdle to getting exhibitors on board is that a small percentage of moviegoers who attend very frequently account for most of their profit. No one wants to cut into the returns from these viewers. However, with MoviePass, you don't really break even as a customer unless you see a movie every week. I suspect an extremely small percentage of people go to the movies more than once a week, or even every single weekend. Currently, MoviePass pays exhibitors (and by extension, studios) full price for every ticket. It loses money when customers see seven movies in a month. It might make a little profit if someone sees only three. Long-term, though, can MoviePass really sustain its business by only making money off under-users? Won't those people eventually cancel when they realize they're not getting their money's worth? The long game for MoviePass will have to involve negotiating for discounts from studios and exhibitors in order to make the product viable long-term.

'Hotel Transylvania' charms families, breaks September record

After a few lackluster weekends, the box office has bounced back. The top twelve movies earned 28% more than last year's corresponding weekend, allowing everyone in the industry to breathe a sigh of relief.

Hotel Transylvania helped the most, breaking the record for highest opening in September (unseating Sweet Home Alabama). Not only did the animated comedy earn $43 million,
audiences gave the family-geared feature an "A" CinemaScore rating. That ensures that Transylvania will post stiff competition to its creepy animated competitor, Frankenweenie, which is opening this Friday. Moms and kids liked the movie even more, with an average rating that topped out at "A+." Besides the record of best September opening, the $43 million handily became the best debut ever for a feature from Sony Pictures Animation.

In second place, Looper also performed above expectations, pulling in $21.2 million. Its clear marketing campaign and positive reviews helped draw in an older male audience In a sign of
changing times, the movie is expected to bring in slightly more, between $23-25 million, from its debut in just one foreign territory: China. The sci-fi movie was a Chinese co-production, allowing it to sidestep the nation's small quota for foreign films.

Universal made a successful bet with Pitch Perfect. In advance of its planned wide release next week, the distributor opened the college-set comedy in 335 theatres. The release exceeded expectations and ended up with $5.2 million, with an impressive per-screen average of $15,200. A friend who caught the a capella comedy over the weekend predicts it will be the "Bring it On of the next generation,"
referring to 2000's popular, tongue-in-cheek cheerleader comedy, which Universal also distributed. That movie finished with $68 million a decade ago. With a $5 million debut in limited release, Pitch Perfect may sing an octave higher than that.

Despite opening on seven times as many screens as Pitch Perfect, Won't Back Down disappointed with $2.7 million, eking out a tenth-place finish. The "parents take back our schools" drama had little marketing support, which Fox reportedly withdrew after predicting a flop. That helped push the inspirational drama near the top of another list--worst opening of a release on 2,500+ screens. Won't Back Down now holds second place on that list, below another Fox release, The Rocker. Despite the poor performance, viewers who showed up gave the picture an "A-" CinemaScore rating. 

This Friday, Frankenweenie will compete for families in search of Halloween-themed entertainment, Taken 2 will put Liam Neeson in the midst of another kidnapping plot, and Pitch Perfect will expand into wide release.