Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Hollywood: A Feast of Famine
Check out the NYTimes graphical recontextualization of the last 20 years of box office revenue. It's interesting to see what obscure dinosaur bones are buried beneath the strata (Howard the Duck is less of a big deal than I remember). Perhaps more interesting is the increasing trend of feast or famine that marks the blockbuster summers of late.
Observe below Summer of 1987 side-by-side with Summer of 2007 (ignore the obvious issues of box office inflation). While the hits of '87 - Beverly Hills Cop II, The Witches of Eastwick, and The Untouchables - earned their gross generally over runs of several months, the hits of '07 - there were too many to count - peaked opening weekend and troughed immediately after. '07 sees films staking an obvious claim on their opening weekend and squeezing all other films into obliteration, while '87's blockbusters appear more charitable to fellow, perhaps more obscure films.
1987
2007
To blame for the trend - blockbuster films now open to a wider release with higher ad budgets and more hype. Studios have more to compete with now - bootleg DVDs and other forms of mass or personal entertainment (the web and satellite TV, not to mention laser tag), and a larger number of other expected Blockbusters. In the 80's studios made fewer prints of films and spread them to multiplexes progressively. The result was less risk and more stability.
But quality may not be a factor. While blockbusters of questionable quality are vulnerable to volatility most story-centered independent films still pace themselves the way all films did in the 80's - look at "There Will Be Blood" and "No Country for Old Men." This year's big critical hits and Oscar winners hit screens several months ago and are just now making their way to a large number of theaters.
We can't forget to praise the statistical presentation skills of the NYTimes. This interactive contextualization is true Web 2.0. Here are some ideas to make future iterations of this graph even more useful:
Observe below Summer of 1987 side-by-side with Summer of 2007 (ignore the obvious issues of box office inflation). While the hits of '87 - Beverly Hills Cop II, The Witches of Eastwick, and The Untouchables - earned their gross generally over runs of several months, the hits of '07 - there were too many to count - peaked opening weekend and troughed immediately after. '07 sees films staking an obvious claim on their opening weekend and squeezing all other films into obliteration, while '87's blockbusters appear more charitable to fellow, perhaps more obscure films.
1987
2007
To blame for the trend - blockbuster films now open to a wider release with higher ad budgets and more hype. Studios have more to compete with now - bootleg DVDs and other forms of mass or personal entertainment (the web and satellite TV, not to mention laser tag), and a larger number of other expected Blockbusters. In the 80's studios made fewer prints of films and spread them to multiplexes progressively. The result was less risk and more stability.
But quality may not be a factor. While blockbusters of questionable quality are vulnerable to volatility most story-centered independent films still pace themselves the way all films did in the 80's - look at "There Will Be Blood" and "No Country for Old Men." This year's big critical hits and Oscar winners hit screens several months ago and are just now making their way to a large number of theaters.
We can't forget to praise the statistical presentation skills of the NYTimes. This interactive contextualization is true Web 2.0. Here are some ideas to make future iterations of this graph even more useful:
• Incorporate visual adjustments for economic inflation, box office inflation, and comparison to film's budget
• Include comparison to home video release and sales
• Include comparisons to film's critical response using aggregators like Rotten Tomatoes
• Include data on concession stand sales relative to film openings
• Include stats on cocaine sales in Burbank prior to and during production of Michael Bay films.
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
D-Day: The Making Of
Is it a bad sign when I'm more interested in the making of a re-enactment of D-Day than with the actual event itself?
Either way: a re-enactment of D-Day in four days by three graphic designers with a prosumer camera:
Friday, August 24, 2007
million calorie march movie madness
The Million Calorie March movie is about to hit screens at the Boston Film Festival. I was a cinematographer/unit producer on the portion of the film that takes place on a walk from Florida to Boston, with Gary Marino as the producer and creator. The unit I shot was waayyy back in 2004, my first job out of college, so I'm excited to see what has happened since.Click the pic at the right for the news!
Labels: film, million calorie march
Sunday, June 17, 2007
Best Movies
I've been away at a couple of film festivals (which isn't really an excuse for not writing, but it's as good as I've got), and I got a chance to see some of the best indie films of the year so far.
Waterfront Film Festival (Saugatuck)
This laidback "Sundance of the midwest" had some superstar filmmakers and actors, and some really excellent selections. Among them:
Eagle vs. Shark
American Fork
Row Hard: No Excuses
Dirty Country
Blue State
Midlothia
Can Mr. Smith Get to Washington Anymore?
and for some reason, Comic Evangelists
Of the narrative films I saw, American Fork had to be the most entertaining. Another in a line of seemingly "Napoleon Dynamite" inspired works, this film had a lot more gags and a lot more heart. I encourage you to check out the website and watch the trailer in case this doesn't make it to screens.
I wasn't exactly excited about "Blue State" - starring Anna Paquin, and Breckin Meyer (of "Garfield") - but it got me early on somehow. Theme-wise it is close to the similarly-titled "Garden State" (which as readers might note is one of my least-liked films of all time) - it follows a man whose career is thrown off by a tragedy and he goes on a trip which unexpectedly leads him to love. However, instead of a mother's death, it is the 2004 election, and instead of a trip home and Natalie Portman, it is a move to Canada and the aforementioned Anna Paquin. It is a charming film that also embraces the absurdity of its situation in order to keep from becoming too saccharine, which I appreciate (in comparison to Garden State, which dwells so heavily on the moroseness of its characters' situations that the absurd situations are unconvincing).
The docs were great too. The best of the bunch was "Row Hard" - about two men who row across the Atlantic Ocean - which is sure to inspire some mid-life crisis rebels to make some mistakes.
This past week I got to attend Silverdocs where Amy and I saw Please Vote For Me probably the most charming documentary I've seen in a while, and one of the only ones where I've managed to stay awake for the entire thing (most documentaries cause a little bout of narcolepsy in me even if they are brilliant).
And even though I had vouchers to see any film at the fest, we found that all were sold out, so we ended up going to see "Ocean's 13" down the street. Embarrassing I know, but it was a good film. Soderbergh has a great filming style, and the whole heist thing and the characters are always a lot of fun. I'd like to see them keep making these movies for those very reasons, and this installment was certainly better than "12" - but it didn't leave me with any sense of progress or any evolution of the characters. They just sort of beat the bad guy and that was it.
Waterfront Film Festival (Saugatuck)
This laidback "Sundance of the midwest" had some superstar filmmakers and actors, and some really excellent selections. Among them:
Eagle vs. Shark
American Fork
Row Hard: No Excuses
Dirty Country
Blue State
Midlothia
Can Mr. Smith Get to Washington Anymore?
and for some reason, Comic Evangelists
Of the narrative films I saw, American Fork had to be the most entertaining. Another in a line of seemingly "Napoleon Dynamite" inspired works, this film had a lot more gags and a lot more heart. I encourage you to check out the website and watch the trailer in case this doesn't make it to screens.
I wasn't exactly excited about "Blue State" - starring Anna Paquin, and Breckin Meyer (of "Garfield") - but it got me early on somehow. Theme-wise it is close to the similarly-titled "Garden State" (which as readers might note is one of my least-liked films of all time) - it follows a man whose career is thrown off by a tragedy and he goes on a trip which unexpectedly leads him to love. However, instead of a mother's death, it is the 2004 election, and instead of a trip home and Natalie Portman, it is a move to Canada and the aforementioned Anna Paquin. It is a charming film that also embraces the absurdity of its situation in order to keep from becoming too saccharine, which I appreciate (in comparison to Garden State, which dwells so heavily on the moroseness of its characters' situations that the absurd situations are unconvincing).
The docs were great too. The best of the bunch was "Row Hard" - about two men who row across the Atlantic Ocean - which is sure to inspire some mid-life crisis rebels to make some mistakes.
This past week I got to attend Silverdocs where Amy and I saw Please Vote For Me probably the most charming documentary I've seen in a while, and one of the only ones where I've managed to stay awake for the entire thing (most documentaries cause a little bout of narcolepsy in me even if they are brilliant).
And even though I had vouchers to see any film at the fest, we found that all were sold out, so we ended up going to see "Ocean's 13" down the street. Embarrassing I know, but it was a good film. Soderbergh has a great filming style, and the whole heist thing and the characters are always a lot of fun. I'd like to see them keep making these movies for those very reasons, and this installment was certainly better than "12" - but it didn't leave me with any sense of progress or any evolution of the characters. They just sort of beat the bad guy and that was it.
Labels: American Fork, Blue state, Eagle vs. shark, film, reviews, saugatuck, Silverdocs, waterfront
Tuesday, May 1, 2007
Indy
Top three movies I saw at the Indianapolis Int'l Film Festival (besides my film, of course):1: The Ten
A series of ten vignettes loosely inspired by the Ten Commandments, written by comic geniuses Ken Marino and David Wain, with an all star cast. For those who like their humor shaken, not stirred.
2: Eagle vs. Shark
A kind of "Napoleon Dynamite" absurdity meets the "Me and You and Everyone We Know" sentimentality, from New Zealand, with a little bit of Michel Gondry thrown in. Sure to appeal to a broad audience.
3. The TV Set
David Duchovny turns tricks as a TV pilot producer whose integrity is tested by Sigourney Weaver in the first role I've ever liked her in since...hmm, I guess, Ghostbusters. Folks said that "Thank You For Smoking" redefined satire, but this film blends pointed satire with a humorous and subtle flavor. Yum!
Labels: festival, film, Indianapolis
