2012 was a ho-hum year for “serious” cinema. As proof, the Oscar race has narrowed to films like the chipper Argo and dreary Zero Dark Thirty — a chase so routine that the alternative is a Steven Spielberg period piece as wholesome and agreeable as enriched bread. But it was also a banner year for the films that we’ll still want to watch in 2022: Ambitious over-reachers (Cloud Atlas, The Master, Les Miserables), loony passion projects (Killer Joe, Magic Mike, The Paperboy), and perfect popcorn flicks (Step Up 4, The Expendables 2, Premium Rush).
That last category is frequently left off top ten lists, but it deserves our applause. When studios get tired of risking $250 million on a single blockbuster (and audiences get tired of paying $14 just to keep up with water cooler conversation), mid-priced modest hits like Looper will be our collective salvation — and help build the next generation of filmmakers and stars. The films that made my Top Ten did so because they were bold, memorable and flawless (or at least two of the three). But of course, if critics can judge art, we should take our own creative risks. And so I’ve written my remarks in haiku.
1) DJANGO UNCHAINED
Quentin’s bold bloodbath
An unflinching masterpiece
Sam Jackson kills it
2) LOOPER
Two actors, one nose
In a cornfield dodging fate
But can it be done?
3) ANNA KARENINA
Old, cold tragedy
Blazes with heat and magic
Goes ignored, alas
4) 21 JUMP STREET
Is our kids learning?
Channing Tatum’s agent is
Let Sir Abs crack jokes…
Good news, everyone! 2012 has been a pretty great year for the film industry. Ticket sales were up worldwide by 5% over 2011, and a record box office haul of $10 billion means plenty of celebrating at studio holiday parties. Of course, Biggie wasn’t lying when he preached the harsh truth that with mo’ money comes mo’ problems, and so it is that while bootleg film watching didn’t quite rival ticket sales, with hundreds of millions of illegal downloads piracy is nothing to sneeze at.
TorrentFreak has helpfully compiled a list of the year’s most frequently stolen films, and while it contains few surprises – is anyone shocked that the year’s biggest films would also be among the most pirated? – we can learn a lot from what it is people are actually pirating.
Here are the films you were most likely to steal in 2012:
1. Project X
2. Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol
3. The Dark Knight Rises
4. The Avengers
5. Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows
6. 21 Jump Street
7. The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
8. The Dictator
9. Ice Age: Continental Drift
10. The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, Part 1
So what can we learn from this? For starters, Robert Downey Jr. clearly needs to invest in an illegal file sharing operation. No, we definitely do not condone piracy, but the pirates have spoken, and they’re firmly on team RDL. He might as well cash in on their adoration.
Also noteworthy is the fact that the single most pirated film was Project X, which also has the distinction of being the lowest-grossing film on the list. It’s probably rational to think the film’s R-rating led to a lot of underage downloads from people who might…
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The Sexiest Man Alive is looking to take an acting break. 21 Jump Street and Magic Mike star Channing Tatum is planning to put the acting gigs on hold next year in favor of working on his directing chops with production partner, Reid Carolin.
“[Reid and I] have about three to four ideas that we love that are all in the hopper. By the end of next year, we’re going to shut things down and write the first thing that we’re going to direct,” Tatum told EW. “We’re going to be like, alright, no more acting parts for a minute, let’s take a few and really get caring about that section of our career.”
Tatum and Carolin are in the midst of developing a Magic Mike sequel – and with a nearly $166 million worldwide gross from the first installment and a production budget only a fraction of that – then why not? They’re also developing a pic on 1970s daredevil, Evel Knievel.
Still, Tatum won’t be absent from the big screen in 2013. He’s set for Steven Soderbergh’s Side Effects in addition to action pic White House Down along with Jamie Foxx and Maggie Gyllenhaal as well as drama Foxcatcher from Bennett Miller.
“I love the steps that I’ve taken acting-wise. That has been a wild sort of exploration,” Tatum said. “But I don’t want to just keep putting [directing] off for these fun and incredible opportunities.”
Tatum gave a shout-out to Soderbergh for showing him and Carolin the filmmaking craft.
“I don’t think Reid and I would have the balls to try to make a movie without learning what we did from Soderbergh and [assistant director] Greg Jacobs,” Tatum said about the Magic Mike director. “It was…
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Actress/musician Brie Larson — AKA Scott Pilgrim’s Envy Adams, of 21 Jump Street and United States of Tara fame — is also a Criterion Collection fangirl, and given her terrific recent round of the cineaste label’s Top 10, she’s probably got a better-stocked DVD catalogue than you. Consider: “[Red Desert] Antonioni’s first color film. I felt like I was opening my eyes for the first time. An incredible palette and commitment to tone. He actually painted trees whites and grays! I have always wanted to talk technicalities with someone about this film. The fog? How did he do the fog?!” And, on Bergman’s Scenes from a Marriage: “This was the most invested in any relationship I had ever been—including my own.” Read Larson’s full Top 10 and share in my newfound nerdy girlcrush. [Criterion]
Audiences headed out to theaters to see a foul-mouthed Teddy Bear and some hot man flesh over the weekend. Universal’s Ted grossed over $54.1 million over the Friday through Sunday, while Warner Bros.’ Magic Mike came in at just over $39.15 million. The two studio newcomers topped the overall box office for the weekend, while last week’s newcomer animation Brave held the third spot. Tyler Perry’s Madea’s Witness Protection landed in fourth place.
1. Ted
Gross: $54,107,495 (New)
S
creens: 3,239 (PSA: $16,705)
Week: 1
Thunder Buddies turned out in solid numbers to see Ted in figures that beat expectations. World of mouth lent the title some push for the Seth MacFarlane-directed film starring Mark Wahlberg and Mila Kunis. The title even earned the distinction of being the biggest R-rated non-sequel comedy. For comparison sake, The Hangover took in just under $45 million in its roll out.
2. Magic Mike
Gross: $39,155,000 (New)
Screens: 2,930 (PSA: $13,363)
Week: 1
The roll out of the Steven Soderbergh-directed feature starring Channing Tatum had terrific marketing and its debut is the best of the director’s career. In 2004, Ocean’s Twelve opened with $39,153,380. And with a production budget that was only $7 million, the title is assured a nice showing for its efforts. Opening numbers with Channing Tatum in the cast include The Vow ($41.2 million in February) and 21 Jump Street ($36.3 million in March).
3. Brave (3-D animation)
Gross: $34,011,000 ($131,685,000)
Screens: 4,164 (PSA: $8,168)
Week: 2 (Change: – 49%)
The Disney feature’s global cume is $158.5 million.
4. Tyler Perry’s Madea’s Witness Protection
Gross: $26,350,000 (New)
Screens: 2,161 (PSA: $12,193)
Week: 1
This is the fourth best debut for Tyler Perry. The fan base turned out…
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Directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller made names for themselves with their feature debut, the animated Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, before moving on to direct Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill in the live-action hit 21 Jump Street. As they work up their next film — WB’s live-action/CG blend LEGO adaptation, apparently titled Lego: The Piece of Resistance, based on the plastic toy building blocks — the duo are casting a few familiar superheroes to appear in the pic.
Variety reports that Lord and Miller have tapped Will Arnett to voice LEGO Batman in the adventure, with the hope that Tatum can find room in his schedule to come on as LEGO Superman. They’d be joining Parks and Recreation’s Chris Pratt, who leads the pic after recent turns in Moneyball, What’s Your Number, and The Five-Year Engagement. Pratt and Tatum also co-star in the indie high school reunion drama Ten Year, which is slated for release through Anchor Bay, while Tatum of course starred in 21 Jump Street for Lord and Miller, with hilarious results.
The synopsis, via Variety: “Pratt will play Emmet, an ordinary, law-abiding, Lego mini-figure who is mistaken for the most extraordinary MasterBuilder. He’s drafted into a fellowship of strangers on a quest to stop an evil tyrant from gluing the universe together.” Of course, there’s no indication of just how big the parts of LEGO Batman and Superman will be in the film, but the cheeky, geeky move should get DC/LEGO fans excited nonetheless. The parts are all falling into place…
[Variety]
Writer-director David Fenster’s PINCUS is earning raves at the LA Film Fest, where it debuted this weekend in narrative competition. Drawing acclaim for its naturalistic documentary-style storytelling, Pincus follows one man’s spiritual search — part autobiographical film, part fiction, part slacker comedy — using footage of filmmaker Fenster’s conversations with his real life father, who lives with Parkinson’s disease.
Pincus premiered to kudos last weekend at the LA Film Fest, and screens again on Thursday. Find more info on the film here. Previously, Fenster made his directorial debut with 2004’s Trona, which also starred actor David Nordstrom. Bonus endorsement: Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs/21 Jump Street co-director Phil Lord serves as executive producer and has been enthusiastically supporting the film on Twitter.
Synopsis:
Pincus Finster is in way over his head: trying to find a way to stall his father’s Parkinson’s, halfheartedly taking up yoga to meet girls, and letting his only friend Dietmar, an aging German illegal alien, get drunk and sleep in the homes they’re supposed to be remodeling. Pincus spends his time stoned and fumbling for some sort of spiritual truth. Drawing from his own life, director and writer David Fenster has cast his family and friends (including his father, Paul Fenster, who has been living with Parkinson’s for 13 years) and woven documentary footage shot in and around his hometown of Miami, Florida into the story. Seamlessly combining naturalistic storytelling with documentary elements and hints of metaphysic mystery, PINCUS is a soulfully handcrafted film that explores the gulf between cynicism and wonder with quiet revelation.
Read more of Movieline’s coverage of the LA Film Fest here.
Follow Movieline on Twitter.
Also in Monday morning’s brief roundup, the American Black Film Festival will celebrate Think Like a Man, Moonrise Kingdom and Best Exotic Marigold Hotel reign in the specialty box office, while The Avengers passes a new milestone. And the team behind 21 Jump Street take on resuscitating a floundering project.
American Black Film Festival to Fete Think Like a Man
Think Like a Man opened to $33.6 million on just over 2,000 screens and became Screen Gems’ highest opener ever targeting African-American audiences. On Friday, June 22, the 16th Annual American Black Festival in Miami Beach, FL, ABFF will celebrate the success of the hit film in an event that will include the film’s producer Will Packer, his business partner Rob Hardy, the film’s director, Tim Story as well as select cast members.
Around the ‘net…
Specialty Box Office: Moonrise Kingdom and Marigold Hotel Shine as Newcomers Fizzle
Among specialty releases, holdovers held the spotlight the first weekend of June. Memorial Day weekend’s record-breaking opener Moonrise Kingdom retained its crown atop the box office in the specialty arena, averaging just over $53K per theater in 16 locations, Deadline reports.
Carousel of Hope to Throw George Clooney Bash
The group which fights childhood diabetes will host an October gala featuring George Clooney. The biennial fundraiser is the “glitziest, most elaborate event on Hollywood’s charity calendar.” The 26th Carousel of Hope ball, set for Oct. 20 at the Beverly Hilton, Variety reports.
The Avengers No. 3 Film of All Time
Disney said its latest superhero blockbuster is now the third largest grossing film domestically, surpassing The Dark Knight’s $533M. The Avengers passed $538.1M domestically and over $793M internationally making its total over $1.3 billion, Deadline reports.
Michael Mann to Lead Venice Jury
The director/producer…
There’s nothing more enraging to me as a moviegoer than that dreaded moment when, in the middle of a movie, the unmistakable, un-ignorable glow of a cell phone screen cuts through the glorious darkness in my field of vision and takes me out of the viewing experience. Texting, sexting, checking emails, Tweeting — I don’t care what your excuse is, it’s not okay to ruin everyone else’s experience by using your phone (or talking or shaking the entire row of seats with your nervous-boredom knee jiggle or letting your stank feet air out in the aisles or snoring, you selfish prick.) So why would theater owners or studio heads, whose job it is to deliver an enjoyable movie-going experience to their paying customers, ever even entertain the notion of allowing or encouraging texting in a movie theater?
That’s just what some members on a panel discussion entitled “An Industry Think Tank: Meeting the Expectations of Today’s Savvy Moviegoer” at CinemaCon reportedly proposed today in a conversation about issues facing the industry. Deadline’s David Lieberman reports:
Regal Entertainment CEO Amy Miles says that her chain currently discourages cell phone use “but if we had a movie that appealed to a younger demographic, we could test some of these concepts.” For example, she says that the chain talked about being more flexible about cell phone use at some screens that showed 21 Jump Street. “You’re trying to figure out if there’s something you can offer in the theater that I would not find appealing but my 18 year old son” might.
You know what else these hypothetical teenagers want when they go to a movie? To see R-rated boobs and sneak into other movies without paying, so let’s just…
Full Story »It’s spring rummage week at the movies, with four releases – Lockout, The Three Stooges, Cabin in the Woods and Craig Moss’s vigilante goof Bad Ass – retooling old gems and selling off genres for parts. Maybe next year we can look forward to a film made up solely of references to this quartet – The Three Bad Asses Escape Lockout in the Woods? Wait, don’t Google that. I don’t want to know.
Spoofing all the ways that it’s all been done before has itself become a pretty predictable gig. A genre, even. But every once in a while a movie like 21 Jump Street manages to stay two steps ahead of our endlessly attenuated expectations, making clued-in silliness look like a (funny) walk in the park. Bad Ass has a bit of that gonzo energy – a fair bit, actually. In the first few minutes a montage sequence challenges the record for film clichés-per-second to tell the back-story of Frank Vega, a Santa Rosa farmboy who grew up to fall in love in a pasture and then fight in Vietnam, where the memory of his girl back home sustained him through unimaginable torture. Once returned, Frank (played as a young man by Shalim Ortiz) finds his true love married with kids, and his hope of becoming a police officer is snuffed out by a bum leg. He begins selling hot dogs in the street, a career that carries him all the way to the moment where he turns into Danny Trejo.
A considerable part of the point of any Danny Trejo performance involves the question of what a person has to do to get a face like that. It’s what made him a favorite of genre geeks like Robert Rodriguez: The face is its own movie with…
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