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Sundance Sales Chart - Day Four
by Gregg Goldstein
|
Film |
Section |
Sales Co |
Odds |
Pros |
Cons |
First Screening |
| Today's Top Five | ||||||
|
I Love You Phillip Morris |
Prem |
CAA/ End |
2:1 |
A Carrey/McGregor prison romance from writers of "Bad Santa" | First-time helmers tackle subject matter that could go very wrong in the wrong hands. | 1/18, 9:30p, Eccles |
|
Push:
Based on the |
DrComp |
Cin |
2:1 |
Standing
O for audacious portrait of abused girl; vivid performances by Mo'Nique
and wacky supporting cast (Mariah Carey, Sherry Shepherd, Lenny
Kravitz) |
How
much of the rapturous response is the Sundance effect? And how do
you sell it? Upcoming out-of-town buyer screenings may answer those questions |
1/16,
8p, Racquet Club |
|
Spread |
Prem |
CAA/ End |
2:1 |
Gigolo satire from sexpert helmer of "Young Adam"; played well at tonight's premiere | Ashton Kutcher and Anne Heche don't scream "smart comedy" to prospective moviegoers | 1/17, 9:15p, Eccles |
| Humpday |
DrComp |
Sub |
2:1 |
Straight
best buds link for gay porn; those who loved it really have a hard-on
for it; one distributor in talks, could sell by end of weekend |
No
stars, a premise not for the squeamish, and failed to turn a few on |
1/16,
12:15p, Eccles |
| The Greatest | DrComp |
End/ |
3:1 |
Tearjerker
with Brosnan and Sarandon called "as fine a debut as we can
present"; packed an emotional wallop for many |
Son
dies in car accident: not a great sales pitch |
1/17,
3:15p, Eccles |
| Other Narratives In Play | ||||||
|
An Education |
World
DrComp |
CAA |
4:1 |
'60s
coming-of-age romance from scribe Nick Hornby with Sarsgaard, Molina,
Thompson and a breakout Mulligan |
Subject
matter too familiar and trite if not done right |
1/18,
3p, Egyptian |
|
Arlen Faber |
Dr
Comp |
CAA/ ICM |
4:1 |
Daniels,
Graham, Pucci in romantic tale of reclusive author |
Might
be too navel-gazing or quirky for its own good |
1/18,
5:15p, Racquet Club |
| In The Loop |
Premieres |
Prot |
4:1 |
James
Gandolfini in satire of war and politics could be a sleeper hit;
word-of-mouth building from pre-fest screening |
Small, filled with unknown Brits and distinctly British humour |
1/19,
11:15a, Yarrow |
| Motherhood |
Premieres |
End |
4:1 |
Harried-mom
comedy with Thurman, Edwards, Driver |
Urban
anxiety can make for anxious audiences |
1/21,
9:30p, Eccles |
The September Issue |
Doc
Comp |
CAA |
4:1 |
Rare
inside look at the alleged inspiration for "The Devil Wear's
Prada," Vogue's Anna Wintour; great early buzz from SLC screening |
Sellers
still have to convince buyers it's as theatrical as its subject and that there's enough Devil with the Prada; no immediate nibbles |
1/16,
6:30p, Rose Wagner |
| The Winning Season |
Premieres |
Cin |
4:1 |
Female
"Bad News Bears" centering on high school basketball team,
Emma Roberts, late add like top-seller "Hamlet 2" |
Sam
Rockwell films sell big at Sundance, but haven't performed. James
Strouse a Sundance fave ... but not for comedy |
1/19,
8:30p, Library |
| World's Greatest Dad |
Spectrum |
CAA/ Cin |
4:1 |
Robin
Williams in another dark comedy from "Sleeping Dogs Lie"
writer/director Bobcat Goldthwait |
Williams
sometimes a selling point, sometimes a liability |
1/18,
5:30p, Library |
Amreeka |
Dr
Comp |
WM |
5:1 |
Sometimes
humorous, very topical struggle of Palestinian mom on West Bank; some positive reviews |
No
stars, Iraq war backdrop, and some not as enthusiastic; will need more critical response |
1/17,
12:15p, Eccles |
|
Big Fan |
DrComp |
Andr Hur |
5:1 |
Good
buzz on sports fanatic spoof directed by "The Wrestler"
scribe ... |
...
who also wrote "The Onion Movie." Star Patton Oswalt an
unproven commodity |
1/18,
8p, Racquet Club |
|
Brief Interviews with Hideous Men |
Dr
Comp |
CAA
|
5:1 |
Hot
star John Krasinski directing, starring and adapting from David
Foster Wallace novel |
Adaptations
are tricky, and not every sitcom star is Zach Braff. Slot after
heated sales lineup weekend |
1/19,
3:15p. Eccles |
| Endgame |
Prem |
End
|
5:1 |
Good
cast (Hurt, Ejiofor) in South African apartheid thriller |
CNN
currently chock full of other real-life political thrillers |
1/18,
6:16p, Eccles |
| Five Minutes of Heaven |
World
DrComp |
UTA |
5:1 |
Liam
Neeson, James Nesbitt and director of "Downfall" |
Violence
in Northern Ireland. Good times. |
1/19,
6:30p, Egyptian |
| Paper Heart | DrComp |
UTA |
5:1 |
Two
words: Michael Cera. Sale of flawed all-star "Brooklyn's Finest" bodes well; some in audience responded well ... |
... some, not so much. Response at premiere didn't improve muted reaction to screener much |
1/17,
8p, Racquet Club |
| Peter & Vandy |
DrComp |
End |
5:1 |
Some
good buzz behind Manhattan romance with Sundance "Teeth"
award-winner Weixler |
Stage
adaptations risk being stagey; Star Ritter must live down last year's
"Good Dick" |
1/19,
8p, Racquet Club |
| Shrink |
Premieres |
WM |
5:1 |
"In
Treatment" has proven the appeal of therapy dramas |
Spacey's
star power has shrunk; Hollywood inside baseball? |
1/18,
11:15a, Yarrow |
Cold
Souls |
DrComp |
Cin |
6:1 |
Giamatti,
Strathairn, Watson, Ambrose in a unique "metaphysical tragi-comedy"; Canadian rights acquired by E1 Films Canada |
Chilly response from some south of the border |
1/17,
5:15p, Racquet Club |
|
Dare |
DrComp |
xCin |
6:1 |
Sex-charged
teen romance featuring Emmy Rossum |
Supporting
cast (Gasteyer, Cumming, Bernhard) from many an indie stinker |
1/19,
5:15p, Racquet Club |
| The Killing Room | Mid |
CAA |
7:1 |
Psychological
thriller with compelling premise and solid indie cast slayed some
audience members ... |
...
while others feel it's a pretentious "Saw"; could middling
response kill its chances? |
1/16,
11:30a, Prospector |
| The Messenger |
Premieres |
UTA |
7:1 |
Talented
scribe Oren Moverman's directing debut |
Another
Iraq war drama; Ben Foster, Harrelson have spotty track records
|
1/19,
9:30p, Eccles |
| Black Dynamite |
Mid |
End |
8:1 |
Blaxploitation
satire with potential for cult following |
Too
culty for its own good? |
1/18,
11:30p, Library |
| Helen |
Spectrum |
Little |
10:1 |
Ashley
Judd sinks her teeth into bipolar role, and can sell some ancillary
|
Seems
to be depressing buyers, and audience response is tepid
|
1/16,
8:45, Library |
| Manure |
Premieres |
v |
10:1 |
Thornton,
Leoni, McLachlan in what could be the Polish Bros' Coen Bros
moment with a '60s period comedy |
Polish
Bros artiness sometimes overwhelms all else |
1/20,
9:30p, Eccles |
| Mary & Max |
Opening
Night |
Icon |
10:1 |
Quirky
Aussie claymation from Oscar-winning director good enough to attract
Hoffman and Collette |
Too
quirky for many at the opening night screening, garnering mixed
reactions |
1/15,
6p, Eccles |
| Mystery Team |
Midnight |
Sub |
10:1 |
Potential
sleeper with foul-mouthed teens; could hit right chord ... |
...or
extremely wrong one. Online trailer looks iffy; no-name cast; Sunday brunch chatter will reveal fate |
1/17,
11:30p, Library |
| Toe To Toe |
DrComp |
WM |
10:1 |
Complicated
relationship between two female high school teammates; interracial
issues a hot topic, |
Early
buzz not looking good, but many have yet to weigh in |
1/16,
3:15p, Eccles |
| The Vicious Kind |
Spectrum |
ICM |
10:1 |
Tough
portrait of emotionally damaged father |
See
"Pros"; more need to see for verdict |
1/17,
8:30p, Library |
|
Don't Let Me Drown |
DrComp
|
Loeb Loeb |
20:1 |
Latino
high schoolers in post-9/11 romantic drama |
No
stars, depressing premise |
1/18,
12:15p, Eccles |
| Other Documentaries In Play | ||||||
| The Carter |
Midnight |
Cin |
4:1 |
One
of the hottest selling rappers in a hurting music biz, Lil' Wayne; if buyers wake up rapping, could get a platinum deal
|
Will
the audience for this film go to the theater or wait for DVD? |
1/17,
Midnight Eccles |
|
Good Hair |
Doc
Comp |
ICM
|
5:1 |
If
every black hair magazine reader buys a ticket to producer/star
Chris Rock's comic, celeb-filled take on the topic, it's a hit.
|
Interest
in niche topic could be hair today, gone tomorrow |
1/18,
9p, Temple |
| Passing Strange |
Spectrum:
Docu Spotlight |
End |
5:1 |
Spike
Lee filmed this unconventional, Tony-nominated musical, and both
names will help sell the project: some good initial word growing |
Still
has to show its theatrical pull |
1/16,
2:30p, Library |
Art & Copy |
Doc
Comp |
Sub |
6:1 |
Ad
industry study getting good word of mouth; could it be this year's
"Helvetica?" |
Amidst
interest, some are questioning commercial appeal |
1/16,
5:30p, Prospector |
|
Reporter |
Doc
Comp |
Films Trans |
6:1 |
A
New York Times reporter's valiant attempt to put an African crisis
on the map speaks volumes about the state of journalism today |
Most
political docs have had a tough boxoffice ride |
1/16,
9:30p, Temple |
|
We Live In Public |
Doc
Comp |
Sub/ Cin |
6:1 |
Stranger
than fiction dot-com boom art experiment from Web entrepreneur |
Must
rise above Discovery Channel audience interest to sell |
1/19,
6p, Temple |
When You're Strange |
Doc
Comp |
Sub/ Cin |
6:1 |
Indie
vet Tom DiCillo unveils all-original footage of The Doors |
Video
sales assured, but will it break on through to theatrical? Some
industry office screener feedback less than stellar |
1/17,
9p, Temple |
| The Cove |
Doc
Comp |
Sub/ WM |
8:1 |
Fascination
with dolphins may propel sale of this dark tale |
Animal
Planet shows wade in similar waters |
1/18,
3p, Temple |
| No Impact Man |
Spectrum:
Docu Spotlight |
Cin |
8:1 |
Family
undertakes controversial experiment to live a year with no carbon
footprint; could tap "An Inconvenient Truth" audience |
Another
inconvenient truth: many socially conscious docs have no theatrical
impact |
1/16,
11:30a, Library |
Why We Laugh: Black Comedians on Black Comedy |
Spectrum |
WM |
8:1 |
Robert
Townsend interviews a Who's Who of top comedians. The next Kings
of Comedy? |
DVD co. is a producer, so no pressure for theatrical sale |
1/17,
5:30p, Prospector |
|
Big River Man |
World
Doc Comp |
Salt |
20:1 |
Slovenian
man's attempt at record swim could be Michael Phelps meets "Grizzly
Man" |
No
waves just yet. |
1/16,
3:15p, HV4 |
FILMS SOLD SO FAR ...
Film |
Buyer |
Sales Co |
Section |
Pros |
Cons |
First Screening |
Brooklyn's Finest |
Senator
Ent & Sony Pictures |
WM/ CAA |
Prem |
Gere, Cheadle, Hawke, Snipes, Barkin in cop drama from "Training Day" director. Film went out with a bang audiences hated, but director is cutting. | Not the feel-good film of the year. Audience liked sections of it, hated others, but helmer has until fall to tweak. | 1/16, 6:15p. Eccles |
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