Indie News

A24’s “The Farewell” continues to perform well at the indie box office, passing $3 million in total grosses as it prepares to expand wide next weekend.

In its third weekend, the Lulu Wang-directed dramedy starring Awkwafina expanded to 135 screens and grossed $1.5 million to keep its per screen average in the five digits at $11,510. That is enough to push the film into the top 10 overall for the weekend, as it now has a total of $3.6 million.

This weekend’s new releases were a cluster of nonfiction titles, but the only one that did solidly was the Neon documentary “Honeyland,” a tale that premiered at Sundance about one of the last beekeeper in a remote part of Macedonia and her conflict with a farming family that arrives in the region. Released on two screens in Los Angeles and New York, the film has grossed $30,000 this weekend.

Also Read: 'Once Upon a Time.

Thank goodness for Quentin Tarantino and “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.” At least that’s exactly what the folks at Sony and film fans hoping for more original films are thinking. In a summer dominated by superhero films, remakes, and sequels (aka whatever Disney releases), Tarantino scored a big win for an original film with an R-rating this weekend. But of course, it still wasn’t enough to topple “The Lion King.” But hey, film fans will take what they can get.

Continue reading ‘Once Upon A Time’ Scores Biggest Opening Ever For Quentin Tarantino [Box Office] at The Playlist.

This weekend brought good, not great, results. With only two releases in the last 10 days (albeit both critically important), business was equal or slightly better than last year: Overall domestic box office approached $160 million.

“The Lion King” kept its #1 slot, though a 61% drop was higher than anticipated. Quentin Tarantino’s “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” delivered about as expected, at just over $40 million in initial estimates. This time last year, we saw “Mission: Impossible – Fallout” gross $61 million. So in sheer numbers, Tom Cruise and his franchise had 50% more appeal than Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt, and Quentin Tarantino. That shows the challenge original films face today, no matter how acclaimed.

The year-to-date shortfall remains close to $500 million, or a little under 7%, and it appears that this summer will fall below last year’s total. It would take a surprise hit to close the gap over the next five months.

Where Tarantino’s last film,

What happens when you take an old horror movie, turn it into a $700 million worldwide surprise smash and launch a franchise? You get leeway, that’s what. “It” director Andy Muschietti has confirmed the rumored, epic runtime of “It Chapter Two” and it’s long, two hours and forty-five minutes long—essentially as long as “Avengers: Infinity War” was to compare to a recent blockbuster of that length.

Continue reading ‘It Chapter Two’ Has A 2 Hour 45 Minute Runtime; Plus Director’s Cut Coming Too at The Playlist.

“‘Harlots’?”

With that one word, “Veronica Mars” communicates volumes, most particularly its cheeky sense of humor. In the series’ revival, Veronica (Kristen Bell) returns home to find her current boyfriend Logan (Jason Dohring) has been hanging out awkwardly with her ex-boyfriend, Leo (Max Greenfield).

When the couple is alone, they relax to watch TV, but instead of Netflix and Chill, Logan suggests “Harlots.” This may not be the obvious viewing choice for a military intelligence officer. “Harlots” is Hulu’s period drama set in Georgian London and focuses on the war between two brothels. The series, which is created, written and directed by women, stars Samantha Morton, Jessica Brown Findlay, and Lesley Manville, among others.

On the surface, this may seem like streaming synergy. After all, “Veronica Mars” and “Harlots” are both Hulu series. But if an in-brand plug was the point, then why not call out the streamer’s most prestigious series,

Ten-year-old Julia Butters is certainly the breakout star of Quentin Tarantino’s “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.” In the film, she plays co-star to Leonardo DiCaprio’s middling screen actor Rick Dalton, and the two wax philosophical together. She tells him the goal of acting is “to achieve 100% effectiveness. Which is impossible.” It’s a brief, but haunting moment.

Tarantino, it turns out, discovered the young starlet off of TV’s “American Housewife,” in which she stars as Ocd-addled Anna-Kat Otto.

Speaking to IndieWire, “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” producer David Heyman said, of all the cuts in the nearly three-hour film, he most mourns a tour-de-force third encounter with Dalton’s “Lancer” costar (Butters). “Quentin is adept at throwing out a great scene,” said Heyman. “If she was in, she’d get an Oscar nomination for that performance. But it didn’t serve the film. It’s all about the film rhythm,

By now, it’s quite evident that Dwayne Johnson is a household name. His presence in pop culture is felt through his blockbuster performances in studio behemoths such as “Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle,” the “Fast and the Furious” franchise, and even an animated venture with “Moana.” However, he also holds occupation in television – I mean, he’s The Rock; what can’t he do?

Continue reading ‘Ballers’ Season 5 Teaser Trailer: Somehow Dwayne Johnson, The Biggest Star In The World, Is Still On HBO at The Playlist.

Indie auteur Gregg Araki’s outlandishly weird Starz series “Now Apocalypse” has officially been canceled after one season. But there may be a future for the show yet, according to the filmmaker.

“We are shopping for a new home since the show’s cheap, and with the most amazing cast and incredibly passionate fanbase,” said Araki in an email to IndieWire. “The fan reaction let me know that the people who watched it got it exactly as I hoped. The show really is a dream come true for me. I love it so much and am so proud of the work we all did together. And regardless of what happens, I’m happy knowing that it will live forever in the streaming/sharing cosmos.”

Araki continued, “As far as our demo goes, we were told when we got greenlit that, in the wake of their successful app launch, Starz was

It was more of same at specialized theaters this weekend. Documentaries dominated the openings, led by buzzy “Honeyland” (Neon), while response continues strong for family movie “The Farewell” (A24). Lulu Wang’s Sundance narrative dramedy starring Awkwafina bucked the current documentary trend by landing among the weekend’s Top 10 grossers, even in limited release.

Among the newbies, three Sundance non-fiction debuts opened decently with solid reviews: “Mike Wallace Is Here” (Magnolia), “For Sama” (PBS), and Netflix’s day-and-date title “The Great Hack.” A24 also threw “Skins” starring Jamie Bell as a neo-Nazi into a few theaters along with home availability, with grosses not reported. “The Mountain” (Kino Lorber) was the sole narrative debut to show positive reaction and possible further interest.

Opening

Honeyland (Neon) – Metacritic: 86; Festivals include: Sundance, New Directors/New Film 2019

$30,000 in 2 theaters; PTA (per theater average): $15,000

This marks the best opening PTA among documentaries in recent weeks.

Of all the seemingly live-action shots in “The Lion King,” only one is real, and it’s the first shot of the movie. Director Jon Favreau tweeted this weekend, “There are 1490 rendered shots created by animators and CG artists. I slipped in one single shot that we actually photographed in Africa to see if anyone would notice. It is the first shot of the movie that begins ‘The Circle of Life.'”

The otherwise completely CG movie — which IndieWire called “a disastrous plunge into the uncanny valley” — boasts extremely photorealistic animals, and yet this opening shot of the setting sun, as “The Circle of Life” vaults from the screen and right into your nostalgia center, is the only moment that Favreau and cinematographer Caleb Deschanel actually shot. IndieWire recently interviewed Deschanel about achieving the film’s naturalistic look.

“The most important thing was to create a reality to the filmmaking

Quentin Tarantino’s “Once Upon A Time In Hollywood” has not only bewitched audiences around the country with a career-best $40 million opening weekend, it’s already made its mark with his peers in The Academy. As we noted after its world premiere at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival, Tarantino has yet another best picture and overall Oscar player with his latest nostalgic fairy tale. Last night the Sony Pictures release had its official AMPAS screening in Los Angeles and the overbooked event had a line out the door as members were turned away from the packed 1,000 seat Samuel Goldwyn Theater.

Continue reading ‘Once Upon A Time In Hollywood’s’ Packed Official Oscar Screening Turns Away Members at The Playlist.

Hollywood Vampires: The Birth of Midnight Movies on L.A.'s Sunset Strip is a three-part series of essays by Tim Concannon.Targets: The Lost Midnight MOVIEIn revisiting Peter Bogdanovich’s Targets we’re invited to unearth an archaeology of cult cinema. Targets links the old Hollywood of Schwabs, Chateau Marmont and the Garden of Allah hotel to what, in 1968, was to be the new Hollywood of easy riders and raging bulls. "All the good movies have been made"—Peter Bogdanovich as Sammy Michaels, Targets1968's Targets, is the story of an aging film star played by expat Anglo Indian thespian, Boris Karloff. Karloff's Byron Orlok (named after Count Orlok in Murnau's 1922 Nosferatu) is clearly Karloff playing a grumpier version of himself. As two parallel stories converge in the film's Third Act, the Old Hollywood horror icon Orlok is confronted by a serial killer—gun nut and sniper Bobby Thompson,

Under Childhood is a monthly column on children’s cinema—movies about and for kids.1Among Disney’s massive (and “bizarre”) output of direct-to-video sequels and spinoffs, not many return to or even remember the 2002 film Mickey’s House of Villains. The film expands upon the animated series Disney’s House of Mouse (2001–2003), which takes place in a theater dinner club where Mickey Mouse hosts screenings of shorts and clips starring Disney characters new and old. But this time, it is Halloween night; and the “villains” have taken over the “House.” Together, they perform a rousing musical number (“It’s Our House Now”) wherein the House of Villains is deemed a place where “only greedy, dirty deeds are allowed.” Predictably, before the night comes to a close, Mickey and his pals quickly use sorcery to put an end to the rebellion, and peace is restored before it even really left the building.

Based on the New York Times’ column that explores relationships, love and the human connection, “Modern Love” is a new anthology TV series for Amazon Prime and it’s got quite the catch for one of its leads: Anne Hathaway, who is currently in the news again, for casually unveiling she’s pregnant with her second child. Maybe it’s all fortuitous. “Modern Love” explores “love in its multitude of forms – including sexual, romantic, familial, platonic, and self-love,” and it comes from writer/director John Carney known for romantic dramedies with a musical bent like “Once” and the indie “Sing Street.”

Read More: The Best TV Shows Of 2019… So Far

Today, the series was unveiled to writers at the summer Television Critics Association press tour—a kind of promotional mini-event where various studios show off their wares to press, trying to dazzle them with footage and talent who talk about their shows in glowing,

As busy as filmmaker and creature creator Guillermo del Toro is, in 2015 he was conjuring yet another fantastical project, this time for Amazon. The Oscar winner was slated to co-write, executive produce and direct this latest series to Amazon’s Rolodex of content, but had to drop due to scheduling. But the creatives behind “Carnival Row” picked up where the visionary left off, leaving his indelible influence in the frame.

Continue reading ‘Carnival Row’ Trailer: Cara Delevingne & Orlando Bloom Lead A Victorian-Era Fantasy & Mystery Series at The Playlist.

With all the adaptations that Amazon has coming through the pipeline, it’s time for newspaper stories to take center stage. At the Television Critics Association press tour, the streaming service unveiled the first look at “Modern Love,” the eight-part series based on the New York Times column of the same name.

Each half-hour installment follows a different story based on love, from the deep connection between a New Yorker and her doorman to a potential spontaneous relationship from a supermarket meet-cute. Even though most of these episodes look to be lit under the sunny skies of the big cities, they’ll track various stylistic flourishes for each level of human connection.

Much as the podcast of the same name assembles stars from the worlds of film, TV, and theater to bring these Nyt columns to life in audio form, this new show has brought together an impressive cast to

[Editor’s Note: The following review contains spoilers for “The Boys” Season 1, including the ending.]

Like a kitten clinging to the top branch of a tall tree, “The Boys” is always on the edge of disaster. The dark and violent Amazon series teeters between vicious cultural commentary and over-indulgent naïveté. Thus is the peril of making a show that relies on familiar tropes long enough to upend them, just as often as it leans on tough-guy posturing to entertain. But even though the first season will make you feel icky enough to drop out entirely, Eric Kripke’s eight-episode adaptation of Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson’s comic book proves itself savvy enough in Season 1 to earn all that cringing. Someone or something swoops in to save the day, and one decision in particular ensures the kitten won’t have to give up any of its nine lives just yet, but we’ll get to that in a second.

The Pfeffermans are back to take one last bow in the musical finale of Amazon Prime Video’s “Transparent.” Amazon announced during its session at the Television Critics Association Press Tour that the two-hour movie event will debut Sept. 27, in addition to releasing the official trailer, featuring the family’s colorful journey toward acceptance in the face of a shocking loss.

“What we went through over the past couple of years, we needed to find a new way to enter this story,” creator and showrunner Jill Soloway told the audience during the show’s TCA panel, neatly pivoting away from the catalyst of what the series “went through over the past couple years,” specifically, accusations of sexual harassment against Jeffrey Tambor, who starred in the first four seasons of “Transparent” as the titular trans parent, Maura.

“There were many pauses,” Soloway said, of the nearly two years that have passed

Orlando Bloom, the star of the “Lord of the Rings” and “Pirates of the Caribbean” franchises, has joined the Amazon family to star in the upcoming fantasy series “Carnival Row.” But even though he plays a human on the show, it’s his elfin past that still haunts him.

At the Television Critics Association press tour panel for “Carnival Row” on Saturday, one reporter asked if the actor would consider returning to the “Lord of the Rings” franchise through Amazon’s new series.

“It’s so funny because I remember being on set with Peter [Jackson] is it 20 years ago now?” said Bloom. “He said, ‘Wouldn’t it be fun to think about people doing a remake of “Lord of the Rings?”‘ This was amidst doing this remarkable shot. I said that’s never going to happen.”

Of course, Amazon is indeed tackling the J.R.R. Tolkien property again, but the series

Two key things happened in the history of Paramount’s “Jack Ryan” franchise based on the books by Tom Clancy. 1) 2014’s “Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit” starring Chris Pine, the second attempt at a reboot of the series, was a flop and 2) John Krasinski met Michael Bay and became a bankable and convincing action star (“13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi”).

Continue reading ‘Jack Ryan’ Season 2 Teaser Trailer: John Krasinski Continues His New Journey As Thinking Man’s Action Star at The Playlist.