Where Rob and I discuss the political problems with Kick Ass and discuss the latin American Toulouse film festival.
SPLENDOR CINEMA PODCAST NUMBER 7
Wednesday, 31 March 2010
Monday, 29 March 2010
Uk Box Office 26-28 March
This week the numbers are a bit skewed as KICK ASS and HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON both had previews, but those figures will be in next week's tally. NANNY beats ALICE by a very small margin. Not bad for a home-grown 2D family film...
1- NANNY MCPHEE 2 (£2,564,467)
2- ALICE IN WONDERLAND (£2,493,022)
3- BLIND SIDE (£1,309,822)
4- SHUTTER ISLAND (£1,142,906)
5- BOUNTY HUNTER (£994,656)
6- GREEN ZONE (£464,764)
7- THE SPY NEXT DOOR (£393,109)
8- I LOVE YOU PHILIP MORRIS (£367,935)
9- SHANK (£251,990)
10- AVATAR (£220,133)
1- NANNY MCPHEE 2 (£2,564,467)
2- ALICE IN WONDERLAND (£2,493,022)
3- BLIND SIDE (£1,309,822)
4- SHUTTER ISLAND (£1,142,906)
5- BOUNTY HUNTER (£994,656)
6- GREEN ZONE (£464,764)
7- THE SPY NEXT DOOR (£393,109)
8- I LOVE YOU PHILIP MORRIS (£367,935)
9- SHANK (£251,990)
10- AVATAR (£220,133)
Thursday, 25 March 2010
Toulouse Day 3- El Fin
Yesterday was the final day of the workshops, where we presented and defended our projects . The CINE ESTELI project attracted a lot of positive attention and interest – with plenty of great advice and information provided as well. This has given me renewed enthusiasm and hope for the project.
One of the most interesting elements of yesterday's work was learning about UTOPIA cinemas, small chain of arthouse venues in the south of France which adhere to a very strict set of rules: no ads, no popcorn, and no compromise on programming. They only play films they love, and I was pleased to see that includes things like SHUTTER ISLAND. I wonder if this is the kind of thing that only could work in France.
The last film that was screened for us was the Mexican docu-drama hybrid ALAMAR. As some of you know, lately not many films have impressed me too much, and I seem to be impossible to please. With that in mind, let me tell you that this is the best film of 2010 by a country mile. Running at only 73 minutes, its the incredibly moving story of a fishing trip of a grandfather, father and son in the coral reefs of the Yucatan Peninsula. Funny, beautiful, natural, and pure joy from beginning to end, its film I would watch again in a second.
So today I fly back to the UK where a very big pile of work awaits me. See you down at the Dukes.
One of the most interesting elements of yesterday's work was learning about UTOPIA cinemas, small chain of arthouse venues in the south of France which adhere to a very strict set of rules: no ads, no popcorn, and no compromise on programming. They only play films they love, and I was pleased to see that includes things like SHUTTER ISLAND. I wonder if this is the kind of thing that only could work in France.
The last film that was screened for us was the Mexican docu-drama hybrid ALAMAR. As some of you know, lately not many films have impressed me too much, and I seem to be impossible to please. With that in mind, let me tell you that this is the best film of 2010 by a country mile. Running at only 73 minutes, its the incredibly moving story of a fishing trip of a grandfather, father and son in the coral reefs of the Yucatan Peninsula. Funny, beautiful, natural, and pure joy from beginning to end, its film I would watch again in a second.
So today I fly back to the UK where a very big pile of work awaits me. See you down at the Dukes.
Tuesday, 23 March 2010
Toulouse Day 2
Today we spent over eight hours talking about the intricacies of each country: Spain, Croatia, Ireland, Lithuania, France and the UK, unsurprisingly, are each complex and very distinct film markets. The most heated debate actually happened over lunch where I argued the logical benefits of getting rid of DVD windows altogether (in France it's the law that a film can't come out on DVD for at least four months) and I was surprised to learn that film sales contracts sometimes include clauses about the exact chronology of different media platforms.
After the workshops, I met up with Nicaraguan filmmaker Florencia Jaguey, who is here presenting her new film LA YUMA, fresh off wins at Guadalajara. We mainly discussed ways to hep CINE ESTELI. Turns out she was a location manager for Ken Loach's CARLA'S SONG - it's a small industry.
We also had a chance to watch LA NANA, a new Chilean film which has been gathering buzz at festivals. It tells the story of Raquel, a live-in maid who after 20 years of service begins to lose her mind. It was funny, well written and acted, fast-paced and contains a shift change half way through that is very satisfying. A joy to watch.
Today we will spend the time talking about and defending our projects (mine is Cine Esteli) and then a screening of Mexican feature ALAMAR. Review to follow tomorrow.
After the workshops, I met up with Nicaraguan filmmaker Florencia Jaguey, who is here presenting her new film LA YUMA, fresh off wins at Guadalajara. We mainly discussed ways to hep CINE ESTELI. Turns out she was a location manager for Ken Loach's CARLA'S SONG - it's a small industry.
We also had a chance to watch LA NANA, a new Chilean film which has been gathering buzz at festivals. It tells the story of Raquel, a live-in maid who after 20 years of service begins to lose her mind. It was funny, well written and acted, fast-paced and contains a shift change half way through that is very satisfying. A joy to watch.
Today we will spend the time talking about and defending our projects (mine is Cine Esteli) and then a screening of Mexican feature ALAMAR. Review to follow tomorrow.
Toulouse, Day 1
I arrived yesterday morning in Toulouse and right away went for a little bit of family research, to the house where my parents lived 35 years ago - then it was lunch at LA CANTINA, a makeshift tent for festival delegates in the backyard of an ancient church.
The first thing that struck me, as a non-French speaker, was that I could speak Spanish to practically anyone...the accents of Central and South America are heard buzzing on every corner of this so-called 'pink' city (called that because of the color of the bricks that make up all the buildings).
After an introductory meeting we popped over to the Cinemateque (where we enjoyed a Venezuelan cumbia band) and then to a private screening of LA TETA ASUSTADA, the Peruvian film that was nominated for an Oscar this year. The Croatian and French distributors of this feature will be explaining the release strategy in their territories today.
The film itself was not to my personal liking, but I can see what others see in it. The story of a young Peruvian girl with an odd medical condition, the film shines when portraying the everyday life of poor Peruvians but is less successful when exploring the inner turmoil of the protagonists' life, with a series of clunky metaphors. The cinematography and score are first rate, though, as are the main performances. Off to the first day of workshops now, more to folllow!
The first thing that struck me, as a non-French speaker, was that I could speak Spanish to practically anyone...the accents of Central and South America are heard buzzing on every corner of this so-called 'pink' city (called that because of the color of the bricks that make up all the buildings).
After an introductory meeting we popped over to the Cinemateque (where we enjoyed a Venezuelan cumbia band) and then to a private screening of LA TETA ASUSTADA, the Peruvian film that was nominated for an Oscar this year. The Croatian and French distributors of this feature will be explaining the release strategy in their territories today.
The film itself was not to my personal liking, but I can see what others see in it. The story of a young Peruvian girl with an odd medical condition, the film shines when portraying the everyday life of poor Peruvians but is less successful when exploring the inner turmoil of the protagonists' life, with a series of clunky metaphors. The cinematography and score are first rate, though, as are the main performances. Off to the first day of workshops now, more to folllow!
Monday, 22 March 2010
UK Box Office 19-21 March
ALICE IN WONDERLAND continues atop the charts, once again, the majority of its take from 3D. New entries BOUNTY HUNTER and I LOVE YOU PHILIP MORRIS fail to make a big splash. Good to see Swedish-language GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO at number eight, while the experiment of dubbing it failed miserably (£8K over two weeks in four sites).
1- ALICE IN WONDERLAND (£4,837,239)
2- SHUTTER ISLAND (£1,810,716)
3- BOUNTY HUNTER (£1,582,167)
4- GREEN ZONE (£1,020,766)
5- I LOVE YOU PHILIP MORRIS (£798,058)
6- THE SPY NEXT DOOR (£695,917)
7- AVATAR (£441,766)
8- THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO (£303,880)
9- HACHI: A DOG'S TALE (£260,234)
10- PRINCESS AND THE FROG (£145,396)
1- ALICE IN WONDERLAND (£4,837,239)
2- SHUTTER ISLAND (£1,810,716)
3- BOUNTY HUNTER (£1,582,167)
4- GREEN ZONE (£1,020,766)
5- I LOVE YOU PHILIP MORRIS (£798,058)
6- THE SPY NEXT DOOR (£695,917)
7- AVATAR (£441,766)
8- THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO (£303,880)
9- HACHI: A DOG'S TALE (£260,234)
10- PRINCESS AND THE FROG (£145,396)
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