Sundance domestic acquisitions so far

Along with the strong current of film reviews, filmmaker interviews and trend stories, dispatches from the Sundance Film Festival these past eight days have included a steady stream of business news: Acquisitions. Which distributors have nabbed which films is a matter of interest to both industry players and fans hoping the movies they’ve read about and, in the case of Kickstarter projects, contributed to, enjoy an accessible theatrical life outside the festival circuit. Which of the event’s titles will make their way to an indie or art-house theatre near you?

Here is the list of Sundance films that have nabbed domestic distributors so far:

A24: A Most Violent Year
J.C. Chandor’s follow-up to his lauded (if Academy-snubbed) All is Lost, which stars Sundance Film Festival founder Robert Redford, A Most Violent Year continues the director’s streak of working with A-List actors, this time with Oscar Isaac (Inside Llewyn Davis) and Jessica Chastain. The film is set in 1981, statistically the most violent year on record for New York City, and follows an immigrant and his family as they try to turn the American dream into their material reality. Judging by the movie’s title, we’re guessing most, if not all, of their illusions will be lost by film’s end.

Obvious Child
Rom-com with an edge: Girl meets boy. Girl hooks up with boy. Girl becomes pregnant. Girl gets an abortion. Then Girl falls in love with boy. Not your traditional romantic arc – nor your traditional outcome for the “Oh, no, I’m pregnant!” scenario – but one which resonated with Sundance audiences nonetheless. Star and real-life comedian Jenny Slate’s performance as the funny, warm Girl in question is reportedly one of the festival’s breakout turns.

Laggies
Keira Knightley as 28-year-old Megan is becoming increasingly bored with her job, the same friends she’s had since high school, and her boyfriend. When the latter proposes, Megan bolts, meeting and befriending 16-year-old Annika (Chloe Grace Moretz) at whose home she impulsively decides to hide out for a while. Will the two help each other grow up? A great script by first-time screenwriter Andrea Siegel and performances by the two leading women helped Laggies score a relatively early acquisition deal.

Focus Features: Wish I Was Here
One of the festival’s most anticipated films, for a few reasons: Wish I Was Here marks Zach Braff’s return to auteur form, as writer, director and star, following the great Sundance success of his Garden State back in 2004. Here’s fundraising efforts have also earned a good deal  of press, as Braff, who’s been vocal about wanting to make movies that speak to and about his generation, chose to crowd-fund and secure backing through trendy Kickstarter. Reviews have been mixed, but Wish I Was Here does already have a loyal fan base in the Garden State contingent – not to mention in the many supporters who have a vested financial interest in the movie.

Sony Pictures Classics: Land Ho!
Two retirees embark on a road trip to Iceland, where they try to recapture their youth amid the party atmosphere of Reykjavik bars and nightclubs.

Whiplash
Adapted from Damien Chazelle’s short film of the same name, which won the Jury Award for Fiction at last year’s festival, and picking up roughly where that work left off, Whiplash has garnered some of the best reviews of the 2014 showcase. A young drummer must contend with a particularly demanding (to put it mildly) music teacher in this film whose intense drumming sequences aren’t to be missed.

IFC Films: God’s Pocket
Though John Slattery has helmed several episodes of “Mad Men,” God’s Pocket marks the actor’s first time directing a feature film. Fellow “Men” player Christina Hendricks stars, as does Philip Seymour Hoffman, Richard Jenkins, and John Turturro. A suspicious accident at a construction site in a blue-collar town has fatal consequences.

Lionsgate/Roadside: The Skeleton Twins
Funny people Kristen Wiig and Bill Hader take a turn for the dramatic in this dramedy about estranged twins whose independent near-death experiences on the same day bring them together.

Fox Searchlight: Calvary
Any film that puts Brendan Gleeson front-and-center is all right with us – and, apparently, with the folks at Fox Searchlight. Gleeson is a kindhearted priest who, while attending to his fragile adult daughter and administering to the moral needs of his parish, senses the interference of sinister forces.

I Origins
A molecular biologist’s (Michael Pitt) study of the human eye has unforeseen and resounding implications. Such a vague tagline points to a humdinger of a cerebral experience.

ICM Partners: Infinitely Polar Bear
Infinitely Polar Bear is that rare breed of buzzy film that manages to secure distribution before the festival even opens. ICM Partners scooped up Bear the day before Sundance began, as did The Solution Entertainment Group, which will handle the film’s international rights. Mark Ruffalo stars as a bipolar father of two who is forced to look after his children on his own after his wife leaves to pursue her MBA.

Magnolia & Paramount: Happy Christmas
The Lena Dunham Movie does not in fact revolve around Lena Dunham, but rather about Anna Kendrick, who plays Dunham’s friend.  The confusion is understandable, however, as Kendrick also happens to play the latest cinematic variation on the arrested-adolescent character Dunham has made so popular on her HBO series “Girls.” Kendrick is an “irresponsible twentysomething” who moves in with her older brother (Joe Swanberg, who also wrote and directed), his novelist wife (Melanie Lynskey) and their toddler son. Kendrick’s wild ways both jeopardize her relationship with her brother and help enliven the increasingly domestic world of her sister-in-law.

CNN Films & Lionsgate: Dinosaur 13
Paleontologist Peter Larson may have helped uncover the nearly intact fossilized skeleton of a 65-million-year-old TRex he and his partners subsequently christened “Sue,” but that’s only the beginning of the excitement in Dinosaur 13. The documentary follows Larson as he fights for the rights to Sue’s remains, with fellow paleontologists, museums, and Native American tribes all attempting to claim the fossil for themselves.

Pivot and Univision: Cesar’s Last Fast
As the title suggests, Fast chronicles Cesar Chavez’s last act of peaceful protest, a 36-day hunger strike Chavez hoped would draw attention to the plight of farm workers harmfully effected by the use of pesticides. The doc features contemporary footage of the iconic leader enduring his water-only diet.

Well Go USA: Dead Snow: Red vs. Dead
The sequel to 2009’s Nazi zombie horror flick, Dead Snow. What more can we say – or rather, do you need?

‘Ride Along’ to run over ‘I, Frankenstein’

Last weekend’s top earner, Ride Along, is once again expected to finish first in this coming weekend’s box-office race. I, Frankenstein is the only new major release bowing today, accompanied by expectations that are very, very low. As of this morning the film had a 0% rotten rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with most critics panning the incredibly loose adaptation of the Mary Shelley story for its bland premise and script. Frankenstein’s marketing has been trying to draw connections between the Aaron Eckhart vehicle and the popular Kate Beckinsale series Underworld, a franchise whose four films have all opened to over $20 million. But the comparison does not work in Frankenstein’s favor – savvy fans will likely call the movie’s blend of action and fantasy “rehashed” as opposed to “re-enlivened.” I, Frankenstein is currently tracking in the $10 million range (though some pundits are predicting returns as high as $15 million), whereas Ride Along is in a position to rake in another $20 million.

With a much smaller release (384 theatres to I, Frankenstein’s 2,753), the Vanessa Hudgens movie Gimme Shelter also opens today, via Roadside Attractions. Another film that has failed to find favor with critics (at least with those who diligently post their reviews to Rotten Tomatoes), Shelter, like Frankenstein, has been roundly panned. Although Hudgens does have her fan base, her younger supporters will not, in all likelihood, be turning out in droves for a teenage-pregnancy feature. Gimme Shelter is poised to rake in less than $1 million.

Beginning today, Oscar enthusiasts in more remote regions of the country will have their chance to view two more awards contenders: Nebraska and Dallas Buyers Club are both expanding. The former will screen in 986 locations, while Club, whose lead actor, Matthew McConaughey, is nominated for a Best Actor Academy Award, will play in 1,110 theatres.

‘Ride Along’ finishes first

Exceeding what were already high expectations, Ride Along not only earned the No. 1 spot at the box office this past weekend, but managed to set a new January record. The comedy grossed $41.6 million over the three-day holiday, or $48.1 million for Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday in total. The film’s weekend opening bests that of previous January record-holder Cloverfield, which bowed to $40.1 million in 2008. With a strong “A” CinemaScore rating, Ride Along will likely hold well over the coming weeks. An ultimate return of over $100 million isn’t out of the question.

Well-regarded Lone Survivor was the weekend’s No. 2 earner, easing just 42% to rake in $22.1 million. As of this morning, the war drama’s domestic cume stands at a great $77.2 million.

“Great” could also describe The Nut Job’s opening weekend performance. The animated comedy feature grossed a stronger-than-expected $19.4 million for the three days. While that figure is roughly on track with those predictions made on Friday (pundits did say the film would open to less than $20 million) the real surprise lay in The Nut Job’s ability to beat its direct family-friendly competition. Frozen is still doing banner business – especially when you consider the film has been screening for eight weeks now – but the musical failed to out-earn upstart Job. Still, with its $11.9 million haul, a drop-off of only 20% from the previous week, Frozen yet enjoyed a fiscally friendly weekend.

Frozen’s take places it at No. 5, with the weekend’s No. 4 slot going to the rather disappointing Jack Ryan reboot, Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit. The fourth attempt at adapting the Tom Clancy-penned series, Recruit earned $15.4 million. Along with its soft opening, the film’s troubles were compounded by its older-skewing audience. Eighty-five percent of Jack Ryan viewers were over the age of 25, meaning the filmmakers’ decision to cast young, 33-year-old Chris Pine in the lead role, an attempt to lure a young fan base – one that would hopefully grow with the series – failed to pay off. The franchise’s future remains murky, though one can assume executives aren’t chomping at the bit to finance a sequel.

However, those behind the Jack Ryan production can rest easy knowing they were not involved in Devil’s Due, the weekend’s bomb. The horror flick earned $8.4 million, making it the seventh film from distributor 20^th Century Fox to open below $15 million, an unenviable streak that extends back to Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters.

American Hustle, on the other hand, continues its hot streak. The film saw an uptick of 19% from last weekend with its $9.9. million gross, which places it at the top of the pack, at least in terms of earning potential, of this year’s Oscar nominees. Other awards contenders August: Osage County and The Wolf of Wall Street earned $7.4 and $7.1 million, respectively, with the latter crossing the $90 million mark on Monday.

Gravity earned $1.87 from its first weekend in re-release. 12 Years a Slave benefitted as well from a second run: The harrowing Steve McQueen drama has now grossed over $40 million.

Sundance Weekend Recap: Life Itself, Boyhood and the Current Buzz

It has been a weekend marked by cheers, tears and standing ovations here in Park City. For those of us on the ground, it is quite challenging to predict what will be the it film that will not only be celebrated here, but also spark interesting conversations in the coming year and embed itself into the film culture with hopes of longevity. While we can’t predict it, we can certainly take cues from the word on the street and on Twitter. Based on my observations and things I hear from friends and fellow press in ticket lines and long shuttle rides (getting stuck in traffic has its advantages sometimes), here’s a recap of what’s leading the pack in Sundance after its first weekend. Among the US Dramatic competition titles, three films seem to have either won the audiences over so far (and critics for the most part with some exceptions as usual) or stirred up enough conversation to remain top of mind. The first one is the opening night film -Damien Chazelle’s Whiplash- which I talked about in my previous dispatch (with mixed personal reactions). The second one is Maya Forbes’ Infinitely Polar Bear, that I had a chance to catch during a press screening after the positive word following its first public screening. Starring Mark Ruffalo (as Cameron) who portrays a bipolar father of two in the late 70s and Zoe Saldana as his ex-wife Maggie, who tries to get the family back on its feet while Cameron takes care of their precocious and spirited kids, Infinitely Polar Bear was received exceptionally well, earning a long standing ovation and loud cheers from the audience. Across the festival’s various segments, there seems to be an abundance of titles this year that touch upon stories of resilient children and struggling parents (Kat Candler’s Hellion, Lynn Shelton’s Laggies, Jeff Preiss’ Low Down, and Zach Braff’s Wish I Was Here, to name a few), and Infinitely Polar Bear surely fits into this thematic pack. I can’t say the film has completely won me over, yet I have to admit that it has the kind of undeniable charm that ‘Audience Award’ winners at Sundance are made of.

The last title from the US Dramatic competition that is attracting love from critics as well as loud reactions from the audiences (I hear many were challenged by the film), is Justin Simien’s Dear White People, which is said to explore “racial identity in post-racial America” with a tongue-in-cheek manner. I haven’t seen the film, and based on my schedule and departure date, I don’t think I will be able to fit it in, but it’s worth noting that Dear White People has been a divisive and often talked about title here in Sundance, hinting that it would have a life of its own outside the festival dates.

In the US Documentary Competition segment, Ben Cotner and Ryan White’s The Case Against 8 has generated a positive consensus. My Twitter feed on Saturday (when the film had its first screening) confirms that there was a spontaneous applause from the audience towards the end of the film, who later on awarded it with a standing ovation mixed with tears and cheers. There are still a number of competition titles within the documentary segment which remain to be seen, however I won’t be surprised if The Case Against 8 –which spans over 5 years, providing a detailed look at the case to overturn California’s ban on same sex marriage- ends up being the winning film here.

So, what have I been up to during the weekend? On Saturday, I split my time between four films. Eskil Vogt’s Blind, which is competing in the World Cinema Dramatic Competition, is so far one of my favorite films of Sundance 2014. Vogt might be a first time director, yet he comes with impressive screenplay credits, being in the writing team of two stellar Joachim Trier films, Reprise and Oslo August 31. Blind tells a maze-like story, traveling inside a blind writer’s mind, making the viewer often question what’s real vs. what’s a product of her imagination. Joe Berlinger’s Whitey: United States of America v. James J. Bulger was my next stop, and despite the juicy material, I found it a bit overlong and often overtly bombastic (in the style of Salinger, in a way). Then, I was lucky to see another festival favorite for me – Ira Sachs’ elegant celebration of intimacy Love Is Strange, starring Alfred Molina and John Lithgow as a couple entering a challenging chapter in their lives, after one loses his job. Set mostly inside New York City apartments, the film brings to mind Ozu’s Tokyo Story in a way, with themes around sacrifice, privacy, love and family. My last stop on Saturday was Infinitely Polar Bear, before I headed to Main Street to catch up with friends.

Sunday was perhaps the most memorable day of the festival for me although the first two titles I caught ended up being disappointments. After Mike Cahill’s fairly entertaining but overtly self-indulgent sci-fi I Origins (starring Michael Pitt and Brit Marling), and Jeff Preiss’ dreadful competition title Low Down (which unfortunately didn’t work on any level, despite a stellar cast with John Hawkes, Elle Fanning and Glenn Close), I caught the premiere of Life Itself, Steve James’ moving documentary on the late, legendary Roger Ebert. As expected, it was a beautiful and emotional screening (rightfully earning its standing ovation), with the attendance of not only director James, but Roger Ebert’s wife Chaz Ebert, and Gene Siskel’s wife Marlene Iglitzen. Director Steve James is mostly known for his documentary Hoop Dreams, which was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Editing (also being screened in Sundance this year), and which Siskel & Ebert famously championed by giving it a two thumbs up exactly 20 years ago. Furthermore, Ebert named it the best film of the decade, putting both James and his film on a mainstream map. After a very heartfelt introduction during which director James couldn’t hide his tears, Life Itself profiled the life of an American treasure on screen with exceptional honesty and poignancy, covering Ebert’s early career, his alcoholism & recovery, the Siskel & Ebert rivalry, his marriage/family life and his late years where he made his blog and social media presence his voice. You could sense the feeling that most lives in the theater were touched by Ebert’s love for film and his ability to connect with everyone through the empathy he often credited the power of cinema for. The Q&A also housed a colorful moment that briefly brought the Sikel & Ebert rivalry into play in the most humorous sense. Referencing a moment in the film, Chaz Ebert said to Marlene Iglitzen: "Gene wasn't more elegant than Roger", to which she quickly responded "It's your night, Chaz." It’s pretty safe to say that Life Itself is so far my favorite film in the festival.

Following Life Itself, I made a quick stop at the Film Society of Lincoln Center’s party, and later on attended the premiere of Richard Linklater’s Boyhood at the Eccles. A late entry into the Sundance program, Boyhood is Linklater’s 12 years worth of labor of love and has been produced by IFC Films in its entirety, starting all the way back in 2002. Starring Ethan Hawke (Mason Sr.) and Patricia Arquette (Olivia) as divorced parents of two; and Ellar Coltrane (Mason) and the director’s daughter Lorelei Linklater (Samantha) as their children, Boyhood follows the family members’ everyday life starting from the childhood years of the children through the early college days of Mason, who is the film’s primary focus as the title suggests. With its nearly 3-hr running time, Boyhood is epic in its scope and instantly captivating as it envelops a little of all of us while the ordinary struggles and triumphs of Mason (and his family) patiently unfold, alongside a decade full of cultural references around art, music, and technology. It is not a perfect film, but it is a modern day American masterpiece which has never been made before. This is a film that requires revisits in order for one to fully appreciate all its details and craftsmanship.

It will be interesting to watch what the next few days will bring, other than the surprise screenings scheduled at the Egyptian tomorrow (which some predict to be Wes Anderson’s The Grand Budapest Hotel or Lars Von Trier’s Nymphomaniac, even though both titles are slated for Berlin).  While we wait to find out, here is a recap of what has been acquired to date, so you can start looking forward to seeing them.

CNN Films and Lionsgate

Dinosaur 13

Pivot and Univision (TV Rights)

Cesar’s Last Fast

Magnolia and Paramount

Happy Christmas

Solution Entertainment (International)

Infinitely Polar Bear

Sony Classics (US), Sony Pictures Worldwide (International)

Whiplash

A24

Laggies

Obvious Child

Focus Features

Wish I Was Here

 

2014 Sundance Film Festival: Opening Night, and looking ahead to the week...

Celebrating its 30^th year anniversary, the 2014 edition of the Sundance Film Festival kicked off Thursday afternoon in Park City for a 10-day celebration of independent film. It was a rather unique start to the festival this year, as the opening day press conference (which I wasn’t able to attend due to conflicting travel arrangements) took place shortly after the Oscar Nominations announcement. Now in any year, this wouldn’t normally be a big deal (except for journalists covering both grounds, of course), however this year Robert Redford was a major contender in the Best Actor category with J.C Chandor’s All Is Lost, and from what I hear, his snub (and a consequent question from a journalist regarding his snub) temporarily stole the thunder away from the real reason everyone was gathered in the Egyptian Theater that afternoon. As reported by various outlets (and as it can be watched here in the press conference video), Redford mentioned that he wasn’t upset, and said he is very proud of the truly independent film he’s made with JC Chandor, as it allowed him to go back to his roots as an actor. “I don’t want that to get in the way of why we’re here,” he said. “Let me just speak frankly about how I feel about it. Hollywood is what it is, it’s a business and so when these films go to be voted on, usually they’re heavily dependent on campaigns. In our case, I think we suffered from little to no distribution. And so as a result, our distributors – I don’t know why -- they didn’t want to spend the money, they were afraid, they were just incapable, I don’t know. I’m not disturbed by it, I’m not upset by it because, like I said, it’s a business.”

It looked like all was water under bridge when Redford showed up to the screening of Damien Chazelle’s Whiplash later that evening to officially kick off the festival and received a thunderous response from the audience. He jokingly said he wanted to come on the stage in a giant cake and jump out of it to celebrate the festival’s 30^th landmark year but that the idea wasn’t very well received by his colleagues. After the screening, the audience granted an even grander response to the film itself. Whiplash was some way to kick off the festival. I was rather impressed by the craftsmanship of the film, and I think Damien Chazelle (who was nominated for ‘Best Film Not Playing at a Theater Near You’ with Guy and Madeline on a Park Bench at 2009 Gotham Awards) is a remarkable new talent to watch, but I didn’t necessarily share the collective enthusiasm for the film as some of its themes and lessons were confusing and questionable on my end. The film also shifted gears often tonally, and while I welcomed the twists and turns for a while, I got to a point where I started to doubt whether the film exactly knew what it wanted to be. Telling a rather traditional-looking story of a tough master/ambitious apprentice in a musical setting, Whiplash follows a young jazz drummer who attends one of the most prestigious music schools in New York and crosses paths with a teacher who’s known for his abrasive methods. The film is incredibly intense –at times, plays like a thriller- and features some amazing jazz drumming by the multi-talented Miles Teller of The Spectacular Now (he apparently did all drumming himself). J. K. Simmons’ performance as the teacher is also pitch perfect, yet the film suffers a bit from frequent tonal shifts and ultimately, taking itself a bit too seriously, as the grand closing number shows. The film’s international distribution rights have been grabbed by Sony already.

The second opening night film I was able to fit in was Todd Miller’s meticulous documentary Dinosaur 13. It tells a rather fascinating story of a group of paleontologists discovering the fossils of a T-Rex in late 90s, in Dakota’s fossil-rich Badlands (the most complete T-Rex skeleton discovery in history), and later on facing a series of logistical and legal obstacles that turns a historic event into a nightmare for all involved (which even costs them their freedom). The documentary is passionately put together by the filmmaker and primarily features a number of talking heads interviews. Although it reads like an Indiana Jones-type story on paper, the running time puts a dent into the film, making a remarkable story the subject of a semi-engaging film. Dinosaur 13 is also already sold, with distribution rights going to Lionsgate and CNN. It is an important film that needs to be seen; I just wish the theatrical cut gets tightened up and potentially shortened.

Friday was quite a busy day for my schedule, with five films spread around town. One note to make here is that the first weekend of Sundance –as fun and high energy as it is- can be a little nightmarish if your planned screenings are spread across various different venues and rely on shuttles running on time. As it is the festival’s busiest time, you need to give yourself plenty of time, plan for getting stuck in traffic and you don’t want to learn your lesson the hard way (e.g. I almost didn’t get into a screening earlier today even though I was holding a ticket, because I was a few minutes late). In any case, I started my day with Steven Knight’s superbly executed and visually stunning one-man drama Locke, which played at Venice and London Film Festivals in late 2013. Locke basically forms a storyline through a series of phone calls Ivan Locke (a metaphorically named character, played with exceptional precision and control by Tom Hardy) has to take from his car, while he is driving from Birmingham to London for a reason we later on find out (the story reveals itself little by little). During the drive, he needs to deal with business (he is a successful businessman), with family drama, personal issues and a lot more. Ivan Locke is the kind of role actors dream of I suspect, and Tom Hardy’s performance is noteworthy. Locke will be distributed in the US by A24 films this coming April. I continued my day with Michael Rossato-Bennett’s compassionate documentary Alive Inside, which explores how music connects Alzheimer patients with their former selves and asks vital questions around the broken healthcare system along the way.

The rest of Friday revealed some of the festival’s big guns, three of which I was able to see. Kat Candler’s Hellion –starring Breaking Bad’s Aaron Paul and an impressive ensemble of child actors- is a heartbreaking drama of a struggling single father and his unruly yet misunderstood young son (played by the first-timer Josh Wiggins in a potentially career launching performance) who is a motocross enthusiast. Hellion is the kind of movie that screams tragedy from its early moments; yes, it’s not a story you haven’t been told before, but in Candler’s caring hands, the film works and feels refreshing. Plus, the post-screening Q&A was quite a colorful one (you can only imagine the number of Aaron Paul fans in attendance).

My second to last film was Lynn Shelton’s warm and insightful Laggies, starring Keira Knightley, Chloe Grace Moretz, Sam Rockwell and Kaitlyn Dever (of Short Term 12). This film was a no brainer for me to see, as I have deeply connected with all of Lynn Shelton’s previous work. Funny enough, Laggies took some time for me to take shape –I wasn’t even sure if my response was going to be positive during the first 20 minutes. But then the film –competently written by Andrea Seigel- took some surprising turns (which I came to expect from Lynn Shelton’s movies) and turned into a late coming-of-age tale of a 20-something misfit. Don’t be fooled by its conventional premise – Laggies was a complete delight to experience.

Lenny Abrahamson’s truly original and a bit hard-to-explain Frank was the perfect note to end the day on. I am not sure how to put some proper words to package this uncontainable little movie. The story is of a musician who one day finds himself as the member of an avant-garde band, and records his experience of living and practicing with them (in total isolation) through social media. Have I mentioned the lead of the band –the title character played by Michael Fassbender- wears a mask that he never takes off? Frank is weird, goofy, unique and very funny. It’s an artifact that will mean different things to different people. It will surely have its haters; but the ones who love it will do so with great passion. One aspect of the film that I can see getting lost in the chatter of disagreements is its tenderness. Let it be known that Frank is a film with beautiful humanity and Michael Fassbender is unforgettable during the film’s final moments. I hope this beautiful work lands on a major distribution deal very soon.

I will be here at Sundance until Thursday, and the next few days won’t be any less busy. A couple of the hot tickets will be Life Itself (the Roger Ebert documentary directed by Steven James), and Richard Linklater’s long-awaited Boyhood. Happy to report I was able to secure both.

‘Ride Along’ to pull up ahead of ‘Jack Ryan’

Buddy cop comedy Ride Along, starring Ice Cube and comedian Kevin Hart, whose documentary Kevin Hart: Let Me Explain was one of the most successful docs of 2013, is poised to cut in front of the other guys and finish first this weekend. Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit will likely be Ride’s fiercest competitor, although the spy reboot isn’t expected to put up much of a fight.

Ride Along follows a seasoned cop who tries to scare away his sister’s boyfriend by taking the wannabe policeman on a faux ride-along – which soon turns very and hilariously real. Pundits believe the film’s dual plots involving a romantic relationship and a budding bromance should appeal to audiences of both genders and help the film score big at the box-office. Expectations are hovering about $30 million for the long weekend. Interestingly, if Ride Along does earn the most money, this will be the third consecutive year a Universal film has come out on top over the MLK holiday.

Chris Pine is now the fourth actor to tackle the popular Tom Clancy character Jack Ryan. Alec Baldwin played him once and Harrison Ford played him twice in the ‘90s, while Ben Affleck made the most recent attempt to establish a Jack Ryan franchise with 2002’s The Sum of All Fears. Is Chris Pine finally the guy to make a Bourne-like success of Ryan? Unclear. The film has gotten mixed though not terrible reviews, with many critics adopting an ambivalent attitude: Competent enough, but we’ve seen it before. Shadow Recruit opens in 3,387 theatres to Ride Along’s 2,662, but even with a potentially larger audience base, the movie is only expected to gross somewhere in the high-teens.

2013 saw a number of high returns for horror films, and Devil’s Due may be looking to continue that momentum. Unfortunately, the movie’s found-footage conceit, once a popular device, seems to be wearing thin with viewers. Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones also featured spooky video and yet it failed to match the figures of past Paranormal Activity movies, opening to just $18 million, a new franchise low. Devil’s Due doesn’t have a similarly recognizable name, or cast (although fans of TV show “Friday Night Lights” will be excited to see Matt Saracen up on the big screen), in which case, the film will likely clock in between $10 and $15 million.

Animated kids’ comedy The Nut Job is the last new release opening wide this weekend. Comparisons to Disney’s winter behemoth Frozen are inevitable, although the latter continues to hold remarkably strong. The nutty squirrel caper may have novelty on its side, but Frozen has the enduring appeal of Idina Menzel. The princess musical will likely out-earn Job, which isn’t expected to gross more than $20 million or so.

Lastly, several Academy Award nominees are getting their pre-Oscars re-release this weekend, to the delight of those intent on seeing each of the nine Best Picture contenders before the March 2 telecast. Technically, Captain Phillips is already two days into its theatrical return, having opened in 903 theatres on Wednesday. Favorites Gravity and 12 Years a Slave will screen in 944 and 761 locations, respectively.

Our critics’ takes on the 9 Best Picture nominees

The writers here at Film Journal seem to agree with The Academy and its selection of the top films of 2013. Each of the nine Best Picture nominees found favor with our critics when it first premiered last year.  Spike Jonze’s dystopian love story, Her, came the closest to receiving what could be considered a negative review, with critic David Noh singling out “eternal sufferer” protagonist, Theodore Twombly, for being too passive a hero. Yet, even with Twombly’s persistent moroseness, the character's world was nonetheless full of “droll moments and real surprise,” Noh acknowledged. As is the case with several directors whose films received nominations, Spike Jonze turned in one of his finest works in years.

Here’s what the FJI critics had to say about the best films of 2013:

12 Years A Slave:
12 Years a Slave is a landmark film, complete with a terrific ensemble (Paul Dano, Sara Paulson and Brad Pitt need to be mentioned in certain key roles), and the vision and skill required to do justice to such historically complex material. It is one of those rare pieces of art that all its successors taking a shot at the same topic will be measured against.

Click here for the full review.

American Hustle:
With a crackling script and masterful direction, Russell has made a fiction that is stranger—and way more fun—than the truth. He has the help of a dream cast of actors, all at the top of their games.

Click here for the full review.

Dallas Buyers Club:
Screenwriters Craig Borten and Melisa Wallack don’t fall back on any heroic or clichéd turns but keep Woodroof on an outlaw course where no pro-gay marches or quilts sweeten the way or soften the character’s macho, prejudicial core. Yet it’s McConaughey’s savvy incarnation of this Lone Star brute that makes this gritty tale worth the ride.

Click here for the full review.

Captain Phillips:
But Captain Phillips functions most as a handsomely, elaborately produced “hardware” movie that satisfies in both its details and the sustained suspense of its action elements.  And by having Hanks in the starring role.

Click here for the full review.

The Wolf of Wall Street:
Unlike its mostly slimy characters, The Wolf of Wall Street favorably impresses on every level. Perversely enjoyable and entertaining, this wild ride of a film offers a motor-mouth chorus of really bad boys whose rousing cantata celebrates the recent era of easy money and financial funny business. Audiences—their values be damned—will sing along.

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Nebraska:
Like a Hitchcock MacGuffin, the non-existent prize is the peg on which screenwriter Bob Nelson hangs an alternately charming and caustic road movie about the often exasperating bonds between parents and children and how we could all benefit from taking the time to get to know those sometime-strangers we call Mom and Dad.

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Philomena:
Philomena is as much a sharp exploration of class, sexuality, faith and relationships as it is a wittily written, devastating account of the barbaric treatment of unwed mothers in Ireland as recently as the 1950s, with a plum role for the remarkable Judi Dench.

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Gravity:
Cuarón and his team have created screen spectacle with a searing human dimension, and bring a true sense of wonder to a groundbreaking movie experience.

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Her:
It's a fiendishly clever concept, his most satisfying outing since the brilliant Being John Malkovich, rife with droll moments and real surprise.

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The Internet is of course full of Oscar lists and countdowns today, posing much more of a distraction than usual for film-lovers. In-keeping with this spirit of enjoyable diversions, here’s another (brief!) list outlining What the Internet Has to Say About Oscar:

Film.com: The 12 Best Acceptance Speeches in Oscar History
Replete with video and fully subjective commentary.

Entertainment Weekly: The 10 Most High-Powered Oscar Races of the Past 25 Years
A fun trip down commemorative lane. Who knew Kate Winslet had already received three nominations by age 26? More importantly: Can Jennifer Lawrence best her record?

Vulture: Where to Stream This Year’s Oscar-Nominated Documentaries
A fantastic resource.

Indiewire: Interview: Lupita Nyong’o
Months before she received a Best Supporting Actress nomination for 12 Years a Slave.

Vanity Fair: Celebrating The Oldest-Ever Class of Best Actress Nominees
Take that, Sexist Agism.