After bouncing back in 2017, the overseas box office revenue of French movies plummeted by 51% to 237 million euros ($270 million) with 40 million admissions sold, a 52% year-on drop, in 2018.
The provisional box office figures were unveiled by UniFrance during a reception hosted at France’s culture minister during which Eric Toledano and Olivier Nakache, the directors of “The Intouchables” and most recently “C’est La Vie” received the French Cinema Award.
Co-produced and sold by Gaumont, “C’est La Vie” grossed over 15 million overseas and was the second biggest French hit in international markets in 2018, following the EuropaCorp-produced “Taxi 5,” an action-packed film directed by Franck Gastambide.
The other French films ranking in the top 10 of 2018 include Dany Boon’s “La Ch’tite Famille” (Pathé), “Belle and Sebastian, Friends for Life” (Gaumont), the animated film “White Fang” (Sc Films International), “Rolling to You” (Gaumont), “Big Bad Fox & Other Tales” (StudioCanal), “The Young Karl Marx...
The provisional box office figures were unveiled by UniFrance during a reception hosted at France’s culture minister during which Eric Toledano and Olivier Nakache, the directors of “The Intouchables” and most recently “C’est La Vie” received the French Cinema Award.
Co-produced and sold by Gaumont, “C’est La Vie” grossed over 15 million overseas and was the second biggest French hit in international markets in 2018, following the EuropaCorp-produced “Taxi 5,” an action-packed film directed by Franck Gastambide.
The other French films ranking in the top 10 of 2018 include Dany Boon’s “La Ch’tite Famille” (Pathé), “Belle and Sebastian, Friends for Life” (Gaumont), the animated film “White Fang” (Sc Films International), “Rolling to You” (Gaumont), “Big Bad Fox & Other Tales” (StudioCanal), “The Young Karl Marx...
- 1/17/2019
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Without a marquee English-language title to boost overall performance, French films in 2018 saw a precipitous drop in overseas admissions, totaling 40M versus 2017’s 82.5M. That 52% tumble is matched by a 51% slide in receipts to 237M euros, export body Unifrance reported today in Paris.
In its findings, Unifrance said it was clear that 2018 “was a disappointing year overall, with certain films performing below forecasts.” These annual ups and downs have become somewhat commonplace owing to the production cycle and the fact that animation and French movies produced in English skew performance in particular years.
Over the past few, such films as Valerian And The City Of A Thousand Planets, Leap! Le Petit Prince, Taken 3, The Transporter Refueled and Lucy have been the strongest earners outside the Hexagon. Many of those have in common that they hail from Luc Besson’s now beleaguered EuropaCorp, which, despite the struggles it is facing,...
In its findings, Unifrance said it was clear that 2018 “was a disappointing year overall, with certain films performing below forecasts.” These annual ups and downs have become somewhat commonplace owing to the production cycle and the fact that animation and French movies produced in English skew performance in particular years.
Over the past few, such films as Valerian And The City Of A Thousand Planets, Leap! Le Petit Prince, Taken 3, The Transporter Refueled and Lucy have been the strongest earners outside the Hexagon. Many of those have in common that they hail from Luc Besson’s now beleaguered EuropaCorp, which, despite the struggles it is facing,...
- 1/17/2019
- by Nancy Tartaglione
- Deadline Film + TV
Italy was the biggest market for French films.
The international box office for French films fell 52% to 40m admissions worldwide in 2018, against 82.5m in 2017, according to figures released by Unifrance on Thursday (January 17).
French cinema export body published the preliminary data at its annual press conference, this year taking place at the Ministry of Culture, on the fringes of its annual Rendez-vous with French Cinema in Paris (January 17-21).
According to the Unifrance numbers, the admissions generated a box office of €237m against €468m the year before. The figures were similar to those of 2016 when there were 34m admissions worldwide.
The international box office for French films fell 52% to 40m admissions worldwide in 2018, against 82.5m in 2017, according to figures released by Unifrance on Thursday (January 17).
French cinema export body published the preliminary data at its annual press conference, this year taking place at the Ministry of Culture, on the fringes of its annual Rendez-vous with French Cinema in Paris (January 17-21).
According to the Unifrance numbers, the admissions generated a box office of €237m against €468m the year before. The figures were similar to those of 2016 when there were 34m admissions worldwide.
- 1/17/2019
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- ScreenDaily
Martin Eden
Italian director Pietro Marcello tackles Jack London’s 1909 novel Martin Eden for his second narrative feature. Although various television versions have been made, the last cinematic venture of the novel was Sidney Salkow’s 1942 adaptation. Starring Luca Marinelli, Marco Leonardi, Vincenzo Nemolato, Rinat Khismatouline, and Pietro Ragusa the project is and Italian-French co-production through Avventurosa and Shellac Sud, produced by Thomas Ordonneau and Francisco Paolillo, with Viola Fugen and Michael Weber serving as co-producers (both of whom also worked on Cemetery of Splendor and Foxtrot).…...
Italian director Pietro Marcello tackles Jack London’s 1909 novel Martin Eden for his second narrative feature. Although various television versions have been made, the last cinematic venture of the novel was Sidney Salkow’s 1942 adaptation. Starring Luca Marinelli, Marco Leonardi, Vincenzo Nemolato, Rinat Khismatouline, and Pietro Ragusa the project is and Italian-French co-production through Avventurosa and Shellac Sud, produced by Thomas Ordonneau and Francisco Paolillo, with Viola Fugen and Michael Weber serving as co-producers (both of whom also worked on Cemetery of Splendor and Foxtrot).…...
- 1/4/2019
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
Pawel Pawlikowski’s “”Cold War” swept the European Film Academy Awards on Saturday, winning five of its bids: Best Picture, Director, Actress (Joanna Kulig), Screenplay and Film Editing. This Polish picture contended for the top prize against three other films that are also entered in this year’s Oscar race for Foreign-Language Film — Sweden’s “Border,” Poland’s “Cold War,” Italy’s “Dogman” and Belgium’s “Girl.” The fifth nominee was “Happy as Lazzaro,” which is also from Italy.
Winners of the 31st edition of these awards were decided by the 3,000 plus members of the academy, drawn from all parts of Europe. Scroll down to see all the winners (and nominees).
Last year Ruben Ostlund‘s satire “The Square” swept the EFAs with six wins including both Best Picture and Best Comedy. Ostlund claimed both the writing and directing awards for his savage satire set in the high stakes art...
Winners of the 31st edition of these awards were decided by the 3,000 plus members of the academy, drawn from all parts of Europe. Scroll down to see all the winners (and nominees).
Last year Ruben Ostlund‘s satire “The Square” swept the EFAs with six wins including both Best Picture and Best Comedy. Ostlund claimed both the writing and directing awards for his savage satire set in the high stakes art...
- 12/16/2018
- by Paul Sheehan
- Gold Derby
“Cold War” was the big winner at the European Film Awards, picking up the prizes for Best European Film, Actress (Joanna Kulig), Director, and Screenwriter (both Paweł Pawlikowski). Best actor went to Marcello Fonte of “Dogman,” while Armando Iannucci’s “The Death of Stalin” was named Best European Comedy.
“Cold War” also led all films with five nominations, continuing a strong year for the black-and-white drama — Pawlikowski, whose “Ida” won the Foreign-Language Oscar, also took home Best Director laurels from Cannes.
Ali Abbasi’s “Border” and Alice Rohrwacher’s “Happy as Lazzaro” left the ceremony empty-handed despite picking up four nominations apiece.
The full list of winners:
Best European Film
“Border,” Ali Abbasi
“Cold War,” Pawel Pawlikowski
“Dogman,” Matteo Garrone
“Girl,” Lukas Dhont
“Happy as Lazzaro,” Alice Rorhwacher
European Comedy
“C’est La Vie,” Olivier Nakache, Eric Toledano
“Diamantino,” Gabriel Abrantes, Daniel Schmidt
“The Death of Stalin,” Armando Iannucci
European Director
Ali Abbasi,...
“Cold War” also led all films with five nominations, continuing a strong year for the black-and-white drama — Pawlikowski, whose “Ida” won the Foreign-Language Oscar, also took home Best Director laurels from Cannes.
Ali Abbasi’s “Border” and Alice Rohrwacher’s “Happy as Lazzaro” left the ceremony empty-handed despite picking up four nominations apiece.
The full list of winners:
Best European Film
“Border,” Ali Abbasi
“Cold War,” Pawel Pawlikowski
“Dogman,” Matteo Garrone
“Girl,” Lukas Dhont
“Happy as Lazzaro,” Alice Rorhwacher
European Comedy
“C’est La Vie,” Olivier Nakache, Eric Toledano
“Diamantino,” Gabriel Abrantes, Daniel Schmidt
“The Death of Stalin,” Armando Iannucci
European Director
Ali Abbasi,...
- 12/15/2018
- by Michael Nordine
- Indiewire
Nominations for the European Film Academy Award were announced on Saturday (Nov. 10) at the Seville film festival in Spain. Four of the entries in this year’s Oscar race for Foreign-Language Film — Sweden’s “Border,” Poland’s “Cold War,” Italy’s “Dogman” and Belgium’s “Girl” — are up for Best Picture. The fifth nominee is “Happy as Lazzaro” from Germany (which submitted “Never Look Away” at the Oscars).
Pawel Pawlikowski’s “Cold War” leads with five nominations: Best Picture, Director, Actor (Tomasz Kot), Actress (Joanna Kulig) and Screenplay. “Dogman” and “Border” have four nominations apiece as does “Happy as Lazzaro.”
Winners of the 31st edition of these awards will be decided by the 3,000 plus members of the academy, drawn from all parts of Europe. The ceremony is scheduled for Dec. 15 in Seville.
Last year Ruben Ostlund‘s satire “The Square” swept the EFAs with six wins including both Best Picture and Best Comedy.
Pawel Pawlikowski’s “Cold War” leads with five nominations: Best Picture, Director, Actor (Tomasz Kot), Actress (Joanna Kulig) and Screenplay. “Dogman” and “Border” have four nominations apiece as does “Happy as Lazzaro.”
Winners of the 31st edition of these awards will be decided by the 3,000 plus members of the academy, drawn from all parts of Europe. The ceremony is scheduled for Dec. 15 in Seville.
Last year Ruben Ostlund‘s satire “The Square” swept the EFAs with six wins including both Best Picture and Best Comedy.
- 11/11/2018
- by Paul Sheehan
- Gold Derby
The Hollywood Music in Media Awards, recognizing music in film, TV, video games, commercials, and trailers, today announced nominees for its 2018 edition. Among the nominates films are Bradley Cooper’s directorial debut “A Star Is Born,” “Black Panther,” “BlacKkKlansman,” “Quincy,” and more.
The ceremony will feature presentations, performances, and a special achievement award. Past honorees include Diane Warren, Smokey Robinson, and Glen Campbell.
Hmma nominations are selected by an advisory board and selection committee which includes journalists, music executives, music-media industry professionals comprised of select members of the Society of Composers and Lyricists, The Television Academy, the AMPAS Music Branch, Naras, and performing rights organizations.
The awards will be held at the Avalon Hollywood on Wednesday, Nov. 14. A portion of proceeds benefit Education Through Music – Los Angeles.
A list of the visual media nominees are below:
Original Score – Feature Film
Alexandre Desplat – “The Sisters Brothers” (Annapurna)
Carter Burwell – “The Ballad Of Buster Scruggs...
The ceremony will feature presentations, performances, and a special achievement award. Past honorees include Diane Warren, Smokey Robinson, and Glen Campbell.
Hmma nominations are selected by an advisory board and selection committee which includes journalists, music executives, music-media industry professionals comprised of select members of the Society of Composers and Lyricists, The Television Academy, the AMPAS Music Branch, Naras, and performing rights organizations.
The awards will be held at the Avalon Hollywood on Wednesday, Nov. 14. A portion of proceeds benefit Education Through Music – Los Angeles.
A list of the visual media nominees are below:
Original Score – Feature Film
Alexandre Desplat – “The Sisters Brothers” (Annapurna)
Carter Burwell – “The Ballad Of Buster Scruggs...
- 10/16/2018
- by Rachel Yang
- Variety Film + TV
Tamara Jenkins’ lovely and compassionate new drama “Private Life” (premiering Oct. 5 in limited release and on Netflix) has a pretty specific focus: two fortysomething New York writers whose path to parenthood is … complicated. It was based on the director’s experience, and she has clearly put her heart, soul, and history into every scene.
Like all gifted artists, though, Jenkins — following up 1998’s beloved “Slums of Beverly Hills” and 2007’s Oscar-nominated “The Savages” — elevates the universal within the personal.
It is true that anyone familiar with the complexities of IVF, adoption, donor eggs, or surrogacy will be awed by Jenkins’ pinpoint powers of observation. Her depiction of this complex path is unimpeachably accurate, in a way rarely seen onscreen. But you’re also likely to feel persistent jolts of recognition if you have endured assembly-line condescension at any doctor’s office, family judgments over any of your life choices, or...
Like all gifted artists, though, Jenkins — following up 1998’s beloved “Slums of Beverly Hills” and 2007’s Oscar-nominated “The Savages” — elevates the universal within the personal.
It is true that anyone familiar with the complexities of IVF, adoption, donor eggs, or surrogacy will be awed by Jenkins’ pinpoint powers of observation. Her depiction of this complex path is unimpeachably accurate, in a way rarely seen onscreen. But you’re also likely to feel persistent jolts of recognition if you have endured assembly-line condescension at any doctor’s office, family judgments over any of your life choices, or...
- 10/4/2018
- by Elizabeth Weitzman
- The Wrap
Exclusive: International sales vet Simon Crowe, financier Matthew Joynes and former Kaleidoscope executive Michael Chapman are setting up new UK/Ireland distribution company Blue Finch Film Releasing.
The label will look to pick up commercially-oriented and cast-driven movies and is aiming to release up to 20 pics per year, including a select number of theatrical titles.
Officially launching in September, the company is in discussions about first movies on the slate. I understand there are also advanced conversations with at least one other established sales and finance outfit who could join the Blue Finch fold.
Chapman, who recently left UK distributor Kaleidoscope after six years, will serve as COO while Crowe will be acting CEO. The latter will continue to run his sales outfit Sc Films.
Well-liked sales vet Crowe set up Sc Films with financier Joynes in 2008. The company has ploughed a furrow in animation working on movies such as...
The label will look to pick up commercially-oriented and cast-driven movies and is aiming to release up to 20 pics per year, including a select number of theatrical titles.
Officially launching in September, the company is in discussions about first movies on the slate. I understand there are also advanced conversations with at least one other established sales and finance outfit who could join the Blue Finch fold.
Chapman, who recently left UK distributor Kaleidoscope after six years, will serve as COO while Crowe will be acting CEO. The latter will continue to run his sales outfit Sc Films.
Well-liked sales vet Crowe set up Sc Films with financier Joynes in 2008. The company has ploughed a furrow in animation working on movies such as...
- 8/21/2018
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
"He's got more teeth than brains." Netflix has debuted an official trailer for the animated White Fang, an updated take on the classic Jack London novel. This "animated feature film is a touching, adventure-filled tale about the life of White Fang, a wolf dog who's life unfolds from being a puppy in the wild to dog-fighting in Fort Yukon." The film is made by a Spanish-Luxembourgish filmmaker and it originally comes from an animation company in France, which is why the original release title is Croc-Blanc. This Us release from Netflix features an English-speaking voice cast with Nick Offerman, Rashida Jones, Paul Giamatti, and Eddie Spears. And it's already available now to stream if you want to watch it. The watercolor-esque animation style for this works well for animals, but it makes the humans look so jagged. Still might be good. Here's the official trailer (+ poster) for Alexandre Espigares' White Fang,...
- 7/8/2018
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
The wild wolfdog isn’t the only thing that gets tamed in “White Fang,” Luxembourgish animator Alexandre Espigares’s ravishingly designed new take on the old Jack London chestnut: London’s hard-bitten survivalist narrative is in for a wholesome cleanup too. Ostensibly more faithful to the novel than Randal Kleiser’s 1991 live-action family adventure — rather than introducing a human protagonist, it wisely stays loyal to London’s predominant mutt’s-eye-view — it nonetheless retains some of that film’s Disneyfied plot adjustments, and tempers certain visceral details to puppydog-cute effect. That’s understandable given the junior target audience, though it’s uncertain whether smaller fry will be sufficiently enraptured by the film’s richly rendered Yukon environment to wait out its stately, staggered storytelling.
Either way, enterprising families can find out for themselves via Netflix, which scooped up Espigares’s film after a warmly received premiere in Sundance’s Kids sidebar.
Either way, enterprising families can find out for themselves via Netflix, which scooped up Espigares’s film after a warmly received premiere in Sundance’s Kids sidebar.
- 7/6/2018
- by Guy Lodge
- Variety Film + TV
There’s a wider range of indie movies joining the usual studio suspects in this year’s animation race. Disney/Pixar returns with “Incredibles 2,” Brad Bird’s superb advance on the original Oscar-winning 2004 superhero feature, while Disney Animation offers its own sequel to an Oscar-nominated original, “Ralph Breaks the Internet: Wreck-It Ralph 2” (November 21), and Universal/Illumination will try to make its return to awards contention with another Dr. Seuss adaptation, “The Grinch” (November 9).
Longer shots include Aardman’s stop-motion “Early Man” (Lionsgate) and two Sony Animation entries, sequel “Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation,” from director Genndy Tartakovsky, and the Phil Lord & Chris Miller-produced “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” (December 14), a likely holiday hit with a wild stylistic look directed by animators-turned-directors Bob Persichetti and Rodney Rothman and Peter Ramsey (“Rise of the Guardians”). Are Lord and Miller now considered worthy of Oscar contention, with experienced animators in the directors’ chairs?...
Longer shots include Aardman’s stop-motion “Early Man” (Lionsgate) and two Sony Animation entries, sequel “Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation,” from director Genndy Tartakovsky, and the Phil Lord & Chris Miller-produced “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” (December 14), a likely holiday hit with a wild stylistic look directed by animators-turned-directors Bob Persichetti and Rodney Rothman and Peter Ramsey (“Rise of the Guardians”). Are Lord and Miller now considered worthy of Oscar contention, with experienced animators in the directors’ chairs?...
- 7/3/2018
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
After looking at the first half of 2018 and highlighting the best films of the year so far, it’s time to enter the back half of the year. July brings our most-anticipated blockbuster of the entire year, more festival favorites, a few essential documentaries, and a handful of curiosities.
Matinees: Fireworks (7/4), The First Purge (7/4), White Fang (7/6), The Night Eats the World (7/13), Whitney (7/6), McQueen (7/20), Generation Wealth (7/20), Detective Dee: The Four Heavenly Kings (7/27), Hot Summer Nights (7/27)
15. Don’t Worry, He Won’t Get Far on Foot (Gus Van Sant; July 13)
Synopsis: On the rocky path to sobriety after a life-changing accident, John Callahan discovers the healing power of art, willing his injured hands into drawing hilarious, often controversial cartoons, which bring him a new lease on life.
Trailer
Why You Should See It: If you’ve read my review from Sundance, you’ll know I was mixed on Gus Van Sant’s rather shapeless biopic,...
Matinees: Fireworks (7/4), The First Purge (7/4), White Fang (7/6), The Night Eats the World (7/13), Whitney (7/6), McQueen (7/20), Generation Wealth (7/20), Detective Dee: The Four Heavenly Kings (7/27), Hot Summer Nights (7/27)
15. Don’t Worry, He Won’t Get Far on Foot (Gus Van Sant; July 13)
Synopsis: On the rocky path to sobriety after a life-changing accident, John Callahan discovers the healing power of art, willing his injured hands into drawing hilarious, often controversial cartoons, which bring him a new lease on life.
Trailer
Why You Should See It: If you’ve read my review from Sundance, you’ll know I was mixed on Gus Van Sant’s rather shapeless biopic,...
- 7/2/2018
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
Geodesic domes, predicated on the concept that they could hold more space with less material, never became the ubiquitous buildings that their creator — future-forward architect and thinker Buckminster Fuller — imagined they would.
But “more with less” is a rewarding concept when it comes to indie movies, and writer-director Peter Livolsi’s “The House of Tomorrow” delivers just that in a brisk 90 minutes, telling a sweet, tart, and intelligently life-affirming story of teenage friendship and outsider spirit with a supremely light touch, and a winning collection of performances.
One of Fuller’s residential domes, tucked away in the Minnesota woods, is where we meet Sebastian Prendergast (Asa Butterfield), a 16-year-old student of the endlessly creative, eccentric inventor’s ideas. His interest no doubt has to do with the fact that he’s been raised his whole life under the careful, home-schooled watch of his guardian Nana Josephine (Ellen Burstyn), once one of Fuller’s architect disciples. Together they live like health-conscious ascetics in a dome that’s also a local tourist attraction, one in which Nana greets guests (in the opening scene, a youth group from a Lutheran church) with a big smile and a “Welcome to the future!”
Also Read: Amy Schumer's 'I Feel Pretty' Braces for Ugly Box Office Debut
Skinny, polite Sebastian has little experience with the outside world. But in the wake of a stroke his Nana suffers during the church group’s visit, he gets to know one of the kids, Jared Whitcomb (Alex Wolff), a sharp-eyed, combative punk fanatic with a heart transplant scar.
Though same-aged Jared is the opposite in nearly every way to Sebastian — rude to his kind-hearted single dad Alan (Nick Offerman) and snarling older sister Meredith (Maude Apatow), dismissive of the meds regimen that tends to his tenuous health, and in general an inveterate rule-breaker — the pair develop a fast bond over their status as misfits tired of restraints.
Also Read: Netflix Acquires Nick Offerman's Animated Movie 'White Fang'
Sebastian, enabled by the dad’s Christian hospitality and drawn to Jared’s thrashing music tastes (and maybe a teensy crush on Meredith), starts sneaking away from home to hang at the Whitcomb house, which spurs Jared to insist the pair form a punk duo (with Sebastian learning on a bass guitar stolen from the church).
Any well-seasoned moviegoer will see the feel-good path of world-opening adolescent rebellion embedded into the DNA of “The House of Tomorrow,” which Livolsi adapted from a 2011 novel by Peter Bognanni. But what makes the movie organically enjoyable outside of its expected direction is that the manifestation of Sebastian’s and Jared’s mutually beneficial attachment is, in Livolsi’s hands, a delicate simmer instead of a sentimental splash, and tended to with plenty of deadpan wit and honest feeling. (Not to mention a delectable punk soundtrack, featuring The Germs, Richard Hell, and Black Flag.)
Sebastian’s social flowering isn’t coaxed by a vision of another family’s domestic purity, after all — Alan is devoted to caring for Jared, which Jared answers by lashing out — but rather by the humane dysfunction of inherently good people making do under one roof. (Or, in the case of a few apartment scenes featuring a wonderfully understated Michaela Watkins as Jared’s struggling mom, roofs separated by a divorce.)
Watch Video: Elle Fanning Is a Punk Rock Alien in New 'How to Talk to Girls at Parties' Trailer
For Jared, on the other hand, Sebastian offers not just any old escapist companionship, but an opportunity to reformulate his contempt at being handled like a boy in a bubble into a form of vinegary empathy for another cloistered, treatable patient. At the very least, “The House of Tomorrow” boasts a wise emotional intelligence about what draws us out of our imposed worlds and toward the unlikeliest of enrichments.
The movie’s heart-smarts are bolstered by its actors, starting with Butterfield, who creates the subtlest of transformations from beanpole, alien-like awkwardness (his reaction to his first soda is priceless) to confidently unshackled, wannabe punk. Wolff has arguably the tougher role, but earns our sympathy for his teenage prickliness (and prick-ishness) through his soulful eyes and modulated glimpses at Jared’s vulnerable side.
In the Whitcomb abode, they’re both supported by Offerman’s nuanced portrait of all-in parenting, and Apatow’s nicely turned take on annoyed sister as secretly affectionate sparring partner. And though Burstyn’s character is the least believably drawn, the Oscar-winner — who in real life knew Buckminster Fuller (thus requiring no digital wizardry when you see Burstyn in archival footage of him from the ’70s) — puts in her paces with expectedly vivid professionalism.
For a movie whose hiccoughs and payoffs are expected, and whose seams occasionally show, “The House of Tomorrow” is as engagingly designed and executed as one of Fuller’s nifty, thought-provoking inventions. The ironic truth about Fuller’s legacy is that none of his creations ever truly caught on, and yet the sheer vivacity of his belief in solving earth’s problems with ingenuity proved to be its own kind of enduring gift.
A similar irony can be found nestled in the indie charm of “The House of Tomorrow”: that by bringing together the tear-down ethos of punk with the build-up idealism of Fuller, two broken kids can find a workable equilibrium through which to combat the problems of everyday life.
Read original story ‘The House of Tomorrow’ Film Review: Wry, Heartfelt Coming-of-Age Indie Mixes Buckminster Fuller and Punk At TheWrap...
But “more with less” is a rewarding concept when it comes to indie movies, and writer-director Peter Livolsi’s “The House of Tomorrow” delivers just that in a brisk 90 minutes, telling a sweet, tart, and intelligently life-affirming story of teenage friendship and outsider spirit with a supremely light touch, and a winning collection of performances.
One of Fuller’s residential domes, tucked away in the Minnesota woods, is where we meet Sebastian Prendergast (Asa Butterfield), a 16-year-old student of the endlessly creative, eccentric inventor’s ideas. His interest no doubt has to do with the fact that he’s been raised his whole life under the careful, home-schooled watch of his guardian Nana Josephine (Ellen Burstyn), once one of Fuller’s architect disciples. Together they live like health-conscious ascetics in a dome that’s also a local tourist attraction, one in which Nana greets guests (in the opening scene, a youth group from a Lutheran church) with a big smile and a “Welcome to the future!”
Also Read: Amy Schumer's 'I Feel Pretty' Braces for Ugly Box Office Debut
Skinny, polite Sebastian has little experience with the outside world. But in the wake of a stroke his Nana suffers during the church group’s visit, he gets to know one of the kids, Jared Whitcomb (Alex Wolff), a sharp-eyed, combative punk fanatic with a heart transplant scar.
Though same-aged Jared is the opposite in nearly every way to Sebastian — rude to his kind-hearted single dad Alan (Nick Offerman) and snarling older sister Meredith (Maude Apatow), dismissive of the meds regimen that tends to his tenuous health, and in general an inveterate rule-breaker — the pair develop a fast bond over their status as misfits tired of restraints.
Also Read: Netflix Acquires Nick Offerman's Animated Movie 'White Fang'
Sebastian, enabled by the dad’s Christian hospitality and drawn to Jared’s thrashing music tastes (and maybe a teensy crush on Meredith), starts sneaking away from home to hang at the Whitcomb house, which spurs Jared to insist the pair form a punk duo (with Sebastian learning on a bass guitar stolen from the church).
Any well-seasoned moviegoer will see the feel-good path of world-opening adolescent rebellion embedded into the DNA of “The House of Tomorrow,” which Livolsi adapted from a 2011 novel by Peter Bognanni. But what makes the movie organically enjoyable outside of its expected direction is that the manifestation of Sebastian’s and Jared’s mutually beneficial attachment is, in Livolsi’s hands, a delicate simmer instead of a sentimental splash, and tended to with plenty of deadpan wit and honest feeling. (Not to mention a delectable punk soundtrack, featuring The Germs, Richard Hell, and Black Flag.)
Sebastian’s social flowering isn’t coaxed by a vision of another family’s domestic purity, after all — Alan is devoted to caring for Jared, which Jared answers by lashing out — but rather by the humane dysfunction of inherently good people making do under one roof. (Or, in the case of a few apartment scenes featuring a wonderfully understated Michaela Watkins as Jared’s struggling mom, roofs separated by a divorce.)
Watch Video: Elle Fanning Is a Punk Rock Alien in New 'How to Talk to Girls at Parties' Trailer
For Jared, on the other hand, Sebastian offers not just any old escapist companionship, but an opportunity to reformulate his contempt at being handled like a boy in a bubble into a form of vinegary empathy for another cloistered, treatable patient. At the very least, “The House of Tomorrow” boasts a wise emotional intelligence about what draws us out of our imposed worlds and toward the unlikeliest of enrichments.
The movie’s heart-smarts are bolstered by its actors, starting with Butterfield, who creates the subtlest of transformations from beanpole, alien-like awkwardness (his reaction to his first soda is priceless) to confidently unshackled, wannabe punk. Wolff has arguably the tougher role, but earns our sympathy for his teenage prickliness (and prick-ishness) through his soulful eyes and modulated glimpses at Jared’s vulnerable side.
In the Whitcomb abode, they’re both supported by Offerman’s nuanced portrait of all-in parenting, and Apatow’s nicely turned take on annoyed sister as secretly affectionate sparring partner. And though Burstyn’s character is the least believably drawn, the Oscar-winner — who in real life knew Buckminster Fuller (thus requiring no digital wizardry when you see Burstyn in archival footage of him from the ’70s) — puts in her paces with expectedly vivid professionalism.
For a movie whose hiccoughs and payoffs are expected, and whose seams occasionally show, “The House of Tomorrow” is as engagingly designed and executed as one of Fuller’s nifty, thought-provoking inventions. The ironic truth about Fuller’s legacy is that none of his creations ever truly caught on, and yet the sheer vivacity of his belief in solving earth’s problems with ingenuity proved to be its own kind of enduring gift.
A similar irony can be found nestled in the indie charm of “The House of Tomorrow”: that by bringing together the tear-down ethos of punk with the build-up idealism of Fuller, two broken kids can find a workable equilibrium through which to combat the problems of everyday life.
Read original story ‘The House of Tomorrow’ Film Review: Wry, Heartfelt Coming-of-Age Indie Mixes Buckminster Fuller and Punk At TheWrap...
- 4/20/2018
- by Robert Abele
- The Wrap
The Orchard has taken North American distribution rights to Harris Doran’s gritty festival hit “Beauty Mark.”
The drama follows a poverty-stricken young mother in Louisville, Kentucky who has to move when her house is condemned, forcing her to confront an abusive past in order to save her family.
The indie has taken several notable prizes at domestic film festivals, including a special jury prize for breakout performance from the Los Angeles Film Festival for star Auden Thornton, as well as the narrative feature audience prize from the Austin Film Festival.
Also Read: Netflix Acquires Nick Offerman's Animated Movie 'White Fang'
The Orchard will mount a May 22 platform release on digital and Svod. Catherine Curtin (“Homeland”), Jeff Kober (“Sons of Anarchy”) and Laura Bell Bundy costar.
Evan Morehouse, manager of acquisitions for at The Orchard, and David Garber of Lantern Lane Entertainment made the deal.
“Beauty Mark” is produced by Bridget Berger, Penny Edmiston, Harris Doran, Corey Moosa, Kiley Lane Parker. Gill Holland, The Group Entertainment, Madison Square Films, in association with Hideout Pictures executive produce.
Read original story The Orchard Takes North American Rights to Festival Hit ‘Beauty Mark’ At TheWrap...
The drama follows a poverty-stricken young mother in Louisville, Kentucky who has to move when her house is condemned, forcing her to confront an abusive past in order to save her family.
The indie has taken several notable prizes at domestic film festivals, including a special jury prize for breakout performance from the Los Angeles Film Festival for star Auden Thornton, as well as the narrative feature audience prize from the Austin Film Festival.
Also Read: Netflix Acquires Nick Offerman's Animated Movie 'White Fang'
The Orchard will mount a May 22 platform release on digital and Svod. Catherine Curtin (“Homeland”), Jeff Kober (“Sons of Anarchy”) and Laura Bell Bundy costar.
Evan Morehouse, manager of acquisitions for at The Orchard, and David Garber of Lantern Lane Entertainment made the deal.
“Beauty Mark” is produced by Bridget Berger, Penny Edmiston, Harris Doran, Corey Moosa, Kiley Lane Parker. Gill Holland, The Group Entertainment, Madison Square Films, in association with Hideout Pictures executive produce.
Read original story The Orchard Takes North American Rights to Festival Hit ‘Beauty Mark’ At TheWrap...
- 4/10/2018
- by Matt Donnelly
- The Wrap
I'll say this. I'm sick of sarcastic animated films with fast-talking "cool" characters. It seems like the go-to thing to do nowadays. I remember when animated characters were innocent and noble, and now it's just a matter of who can have the silliest talking animals showing off. Well, no more, I'm looking forward to more movies like White Fang.
White Fang is a CGI animated film based on the classic Jack London novel, and it is beautiful. The art is so spectacular. While the movie is CG, the models look like the color is painted on giving it a look that seems both hand-painted and CG. It looks stunning on the animals and the scenery even more so. I could watch many of the scenes go by and just be in awe of the art.
The other thing this movie has going for it is its simplicity. It focuses on...
White Fang is a CGI animated film based on the classic Jack London novel, and it is beautiful. The art is so spectacular. While the movie is CG, the models look like the color is painted on giving it a look that seems both hand-painted and CG. It looks stunning on the animals and the scenery even more so. I could watch many of the scenes go by and just be in awe of the art.
The other thing this movie has going for it is its simplicity. It focuses on...
- 2/4/2018
- by Bryam Dayley
- GeekTyrant
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