MCN Originals Archive for January, 2018

The Daily Buzz from Sundance (Day 9)

Ever had a project that you were super-passionate about but didn’t know how to fund? Elise McCave of Kickstarter discusses how to crowdfund for your passion projects. Heather Lenz talks about directing Kusama, and we talk about Game Changers with Louie Psihoyos, Joseph Pace and James Wilks. We end with the team behind Science Fair, Cristina Costantini, Darren Foster, Kashfia, Robbi, and Dr. McCalla.

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The Daily Buzz from Sundance (Day 8)

We cover Roll with Me, Zion and Nancy as well as talk to AAPI directors about their films. We start with two diverse AAPI directors, Bing Liu and Cecilia Hsu, then discuss Roll with Me with Lisa Frances, Jorja Fox and Gabriel Cordell. We also speak with Floyd Russ, director of Zion, and one of that short film’s producers. Director Christina Choe joins us for her psychological drama Nancy.

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Sundance Review: KUSAMA

Kusama is the top-selling female artist in the world, her art, which frequently features dots, mirrors,or both. As we learn from the film Kusama, directed by Heather Lenz, her journey to acceptance and fame in the art world was not an easy one. Lenz begins, more or less, at the beginning – in Kusama’s dark childhood, defined by the disapproval of her parents, in particular her mother, who forbade her daughter to be an artist – before taking the audience on a journey through Kusama’s later life and growth as an artist.

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The Weekend Report

The final installment of Maze Runner, The Death Cure, navigated to the top of the weekend charts with an estimated $23.6 million. Also debuting nationally was Hostiles following five weeks in limited release. It ranked third with $10.1 million.

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Friday Box Office Estimates

Hollywood leaves the weekend to holdovers, with just the final Maze Runner opening wide. Hostiles expands and finds some buyers, but didn’t have the Oscar rocket fuel it had hoped for. The Shape of Water expands into the Top 10, joining The Post as the only Best Picture nominees in the 10.

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The Daily Buzz from Sundance (Day 7)

Today we have Chloe Zhao, director of The Rider,  on planning a film with budget restrictions. Co-directors of Genesis 2.0, Christian Frei and Maxim Arbugaev, talk about filming in the heart of Siberia. And we welcome female shorts directors, Anna Margaret Hollyman, of Maude, and Emily Anne Hoffman, of Nevada.

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Sundance New Frontiers Review: BattleScar

When you walk into the physical installation for BattleScar, a new virtual reality (VR)  project by filmmakers Martin Allais and Nico Casavecchia, you find yourself in a room that resembles a rather clean, well-decorated squat. Slip into the headset and you’re in 1978 New York City where you’ll follow Lupe, a Puerto Rican-American teen and her tough-talking fellow runaway Debbie, through their adventures navigating the ‘70s punk scene in Alphabet City. Debbie dreams of forming a punk rock band but can’t write lyrics, and she finds a connection in Lupe, an aspiring poet; together, the two of them explore New York’s Lower East Side, punk rock and poetry together.

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Sundance Review: THE DEVIL WE KNOW

The Devil We Know shines a light on something almost all of us come in contact with: Teflon – that magical non-stick compound found on the cookware you probably have in your kitchen right now, as well as in a lot of other places you don’t even think about, from sprays used to protect upholstery and carpets from spills and stains, to your Patagonia ski jacket – even in your dental floss.

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The DVD Wrapup: In Search of Fellini, In Her Name, High School Sinks Into Sea, Jigsaw, Argento’s Opera, Red Trees and more

I can’t remember the last time I was so charmed by a movie that was dumped into limited release, received mixed reviews and could be lost in the shuffle of January releases that receive little fanfare. Maybe, though, I can help draw attention to In Search of Fellini if I point out the romantic fantasy’s “Simpsons” connection. (Everybody loves “The Simpsons.”) In Search of Fellini was adapted from a one-woman play co-written by Nancy Cartwright, who, since 1989, has been the voice of Bart Simpson on Fox’s trail-blazing animated series. Before that, however, the Ohio native joined an acting class taught by Milton Katselas. He recommended that she study Federico Fellini’s La Strada, which starred Giulietta Masina as the street urchin sold by her mother to circus strongman Zampano (Anthony Quinn) to be his comic foil. Cartwright recalls performing “every imaginable scene” from the movie in her class and spending several months trying to secure the rights to produce a stage adaptation. Like the protagonist in In Search of Fellini, she visited Italy with the intention of meeting Fellini and requesting his permission in person. Although she never met the Maestro, Cartwright kept a journal of the trip and later co-wrote the play upon which it was based.

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The Daily Buzz from Sundance (Day 6)

Our Hot Topics Roundtable features Sean Means, longtime movie critic at the Salt Lake Tribune and Maria Smith, executive creative director of M&C Saatchi LA. We’re joined by Slamdance co-founder Dan Mirvish, also director of Slamdance closing-night film Bernard and Huey, from a long-neglected Jules Feiffer script. Director Charlie Bims and actress Julie Sokolowski joins us to talk about their Slamdance feature Human Affairs.

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Sundance Review: THE TALE

The intricacies unfold slowly, evoking structurally the way memory itself works: we see Jenny as a young girl, and Jennifer the woman, going between past and present, trying to make sense of what really happened that summer, as Jennifer the documentary filmmaker gets closer to discovering the truth she’s hidden from herself her entire adult life.

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The Daily Buzz from Sundance (Day 5)

Today’s episode starts with a hot-topics roundtable discussion with Joshua Rothkopf, Jim Brunzell And Andrew Fish. Our second panel covers Akicita: The Battle for Standing Rock, with documentarians Gingger Shankar and Cody Lucich, as well as a figure who was onsite at Standing Rock. We conclude with Quiet Heroes‘ Jared Ruga and Amanda Stoddard.

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The Daily Buzz from Sundance (Day 4)

Day Four offers great insight for listeners furthering film careers. We speak with Carrie Lozano and Simon Kilmurry of the International Documentary Association. Pascal Plante, director of Fake Tattoos drops by, as well as the director and cast of Funny Story, Michael Gallagher, Matthew Glave, Jana Wintimitz and Emily Bett Rickards.

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Gurus o’ Gold: Nomination Day (Page 1 of 2)

Most of the Gurus marked up the Oscar nominations and ranked every category. If they are seeing the future correctly, no movie will take home more than four statues, but it’s early. And the winners are…

Page 2 of Prognostications

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20 Weeks To Oscar: Nomination Morning

In meetings all over town this morning, the question of whether Phase II will be a war or a love letter is being determined. Me? I think the door is open just wide enough for people to come out fighting. But we shall see… about this time next week, just before every single person alive is honored in Santa Barbara, we will know.

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Sundance Review: NIGHT COMES ON

Spiro shows deftness as a visual storyteller, unafraid to allow the camera to linger on the little moments that make a compelling character.

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The Daily Buzz from Sundance (Day 3)

Day Three ranges across film genres and guests. We start off with the Russo brothers who are here at the Sundance film festival to receive the Founders Award from Slamdance, along with Peter Baxter from Slamdance. We move on to speak with Rainbow Experiment director Christina Kallas and Isaiah Blake, a part of the cast. Closing the podcast: the We the Animals feature team.

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The Weekend Report

Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle continued at the top of the weekend charts with an estimated $19.7 million. Two newcomers followed with OK launches. 12 Strong _ the fire and fury (and hoof beats) saga of the Afghan conflict _ grossed $16.3 while the bank heist caper Den of Thieves had a $15.2 million opening. In limited wide debut the musical romance Forever My Love bowed with a sentimental $4.5 million.

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The Daily Buzz from Sundance (Day 2)

Day Two of Sundance 2018 is filled with snow! Today’s episode starts with Salt Lake’s City Weekly’s Scott Renshaw, a juror for Slamdance film competitions. Anote Tong and Matthieu Rytz of Anote’s Ark discuss the literal sinking of the island of Kiribati and raising awareness around climate change. We end with the moving feature ilm White Rabbit with director Daryl Wein, and cast Vivian Bang and Nana Ghana.

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Friday Box Office Estimates

This is the weekend where Split opened to $40 million last year and xXx3 to $20 million. Nothing like that this year. Although a horror film, Split had a strong appeal to women. 12 Strong and Den of Thieves, no. The one female reach-out, Forever My Girl, looking like warmed-over Nicholas Sparks, is on only 1,115 screens and may be adversely affected by The Women’s March. These three new titles will not gross as much this weekend as the opening of Split last year. Oscar expansions should turn up in the Top 10 next week, following nominations. But there’s no big opener until February 9.

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MCN Originals

Leonard Klady's Friday Estimates
Friday Screens % Chg Cume
Title Gross Thtr % Chgn Cume
Venom 33 4250 NEW 33
A Star is Born 15.7 3686 NEW 15.7
Smallfoot 3.5 4131 -46% 31.3
Night School 3.5 3019 -63% 37.9
The House Wirh a Clock in its Walls 1.8 3463 -43% 49.5
A Simple Favor 1 2408 -50% 46.6
The Nun 0.75 2264 -52% 111.5
Hell Fest 0.6 2297 -70% 7.4
Crazy Rich Asians 0.6 1466 -51% 167.6
The Predator 0.25 1643 -77% 49.3
Also Debuting
The Hate U Give 0.17 36
Shine 85,600 609
Exes Baggage 75,900 62
NOTA 71,300 138
96 61,600 62
Andhadhun 55,000 54
Afsar 45,400 33
Project Gutenberg 36,000 17
Love Yatri 22,300 41
Hello, Mrs. Money 22,200 37
Studio 54 5,300 1
Loving Pablo 4,200 15
3-Day Estimates Weekend % Chg Cume
No Good Dead 24.4 (11,230) NEW 24.4
Dolphin Tale 2 16.6 (4,540) NEW 16.6
Guardians of the Galaxy 7.9 (2,550) -23% 305.8
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 4.8 (1,630) -26% 181.1
The Drop 4.4 (5,480) NEW 4.4
Let's Be Cops 4.3 (1,570) -22% 73
If I Stay 4.0 (1,320) -28% 44.9
The November Man 2.8 (1,030) -36% 22.5
The Giver 2.5 (1,120) -26% 41.2
The Hundred-Foot Journey 2.5 (1,270) -21% 49.4