indieWIRE News

Box Office: “Precious” Soars On Opening Night; Averages $32K

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 17:38:48 +0000

Anyone skeptical of the box office power of Lee Daniels’ “Precious: Based on the novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire” should brace themselves. Last night, on 18 theaters in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and Atlanta, the film took in $585,000, finding a first day average of $32,500, according to distributor Lionsgate. The film sold out most of its shows, having to add prints to make up for the demand. Even with a …

Audiard’s “A Prophet” Leads European Film Award Noms

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 16:41:27 +0000

Six films are vying for the prize for best European Film of 2009 at the European Film Awards. Competing for the prize are Andrea Arnold’s “Fish Tank,” Tomas Alfredson’s “Let the Right One in,” Jacques Audiard’s “The Prophet,” Stephen Daldry’s “The Reader,” Danny Boyle’s “Slumdog Millionaire,” and Michael Haneke’s “The White Ribbon.” Jacques Audiard’s “The Prophet” lead the EFA’s with six nominations, including best European Film, best director (Jacques Audiard), best …

“Collapse” Director Chris Smith: “It was all an attempt to get the audience inside Michael’s head.”

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 20:23:06 +0000

Chris Smith’s “Collapse” is a feature-length interview with conspiracy theorist Michael Ruppert, a man whose ideas are often as scary as they are true. For many, Ruppert is saying what the rest of us are too afraid to think about. From the financial crisis, to international politics and global warming, Ruppert is candid about his apocalyptic view on humanity and the world. The film became an instant water cooler hit at …

cinemadaily | “Precious” Polarizes

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 18:48:37 +0000

“‘Precious’ is a hybrid, a mash-up that might have been ungainly, but that manages to be graceful instead,” writes the New York Times’ A.O. Scott. “It’s partly a bootstrap drama of resilience and redemption, complete with a hardworking teacher wrangling a classroom full of disadvantaged girls. It’s also the nearly Gothic story of a child tormented by the cruelty of adults, as lurid as a Victorian potboiler or a modern-day tell-all …

B.O. of the ‘00s: The Top Grossing Sundance Films

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 16:12:31 +0000

With the 2010s fast approaching - 55 days and counting - indieWIRE has decided to start a weekly Friday chart devoted to glancing back at the past ten years. With a film opening that weekend as a starting point, we’ll be charting various sub-categories of 2000s film with regard to their box office. This week, with Lee Daniels’s “Precious: Based on the novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire” opening in 18 theaters today, …

All Fall Down: Chris Smith’s “Collapse”

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 14:42:37 +0000

At the turns of decades and centuries, it’s fairly common for sky-is-falling prognostication to spike wildly. This angst often finds expression in popular entertainments, such as the appearance, as if on cue, of the clunky misfire “Knowing” and the upcoming sure-to-be tedious “2012.” What these kinds of spectacles provide is something like diversionary exorcism—the world outside may seem bad, but there’s some comfort in recognizing that visual effects artists can always …

“Fish Tank” and “Woman” Share AFI Fest Top Prize

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 02:13:55 +0000

Andrea Arnold’s “Fish Tank” and Javier Rebello’s “Woman Without Piano” are the joint winners of the AFI Fest New Lights Competition. The event hosted its awards ceremony Thursday night at the historic Roosevelt Hotel on Hollywood Blvd. following the closing night U.S. premiere of Tom Ford’s “A Single Man” at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre. The film’s stars including Colin Firth, Ginnifer Goodwin, Nicholas Hoult, Matthew Goode, and Ryan Simpkins attended the screening …

“The Cove” Leads Cinema Eye Honors Nominees

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 22:00:54 +0000

Louie Psihoyos’ “The Cove,” received a record-tying seven Cinema Eye Honors nominations today when they were announced at the Sheffield International Documentary Festival in the UK. The film - about dolphin hunts in Japan - won dozens of prizes on the festival circuit this year, include Sundance’s Audience Award. The Cinema Eye Honors followed suit handing “The Cove” nods for Production, Cinematography, Editing, Original Score, Debut Feature and the top prize, …

For Your Consideration: Assessing The Major Oscar Categories

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 19:47:10 +0000

What’s been a slow awards season build since Toronto and Venice kicked things off two months ago is about to become an accelerated horserace. With Fox Searchlight’s announcement yesterday that they were bumping up awards bait “Crazy Heart” for 2009 Oscar consideration, it’s reasonable to believe that the final piece of this year’s candidate roster is complete. And while there are still a few major question marks remaining - namely Rob …

cinemadaily | Will US Audiences “Stare at Goats”?

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 19:43:35 +0000

Grant Heslov’s “The Men Who Stare at Goats” is the first of three chances for George Clooney to prove himself this November. Clooney, who produced the film, stars as a US soldier, stationed in Kuwait, who attempts to win the war with mental combat. Jeff Bridges plays the leader of this motley crew. His character was, in fact, a peacenik who tried to change the world through “Kumbaya"s until he discovered …