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14 items from 2017

10 hours ago | Indiewire | See recent Indiewire news »

With a cluster of frontrunners and a wide-open field of potential Oscar entrants, the 2017 Writers Guild nominations provide more intelligence about where the Oscars could be heading.

The trio at the head of the pack continue to be “La La Land,” “Manchester by the Sea,” and “Moonlight.” Getting a much-needed late-inning boost are modern western “Hell or High Water” and biracial romance “Loving.” Both are critics’ faves that opened earlier in the year.

However, the WGA and the Academy differ on their categories this year. The WGA says “Moonlight” and “Loving” are original screenplays; for the Oscars, they would compete as adapted. That means that Noah Oppenheim’s “Jackie,” and scripts by writer-director Mike Mills (“20th Century Women”) and two non-signatory films that aren’t WGA-eligible, “The Lobster” and “Toni Erdmann,” might have a shot at landing an Oscar nod.

Conversely, that means some of the WGA’s Adapted Screenplay »

- Anne Thompson

11 hours ago | Variety - Film News | See recent Variety - Film News news »

Oscar’s disqualification of the original scores for “Arrival” and “Manchester by the Sea” have been much-debated in the music community in recent weeks. What has garnered considerably less attention, but may have a big impact on the music competition in years to come, is how the Academy music branch has treated this year’s musicals.

For the first time in many years, the branch executive committee has declared all of the year’s major year-end songfests – including “La La Land,” “Moana,” “Sing” and “Trolls” – eligible for the “original score” Academy Award.

This is a marked difference from previous years, when song-dominated films have been routinely disqualified from the score Oscar on the basis of a long-standing Oscar rule denying eligibility if “it has been diminished in impact by the predominant use of songs.”

Last year, for example, the dramatic score for “Straight Outta Compton” was declared ineligible under this rule, »

- Jon Burlingame

11 hours ago | Indiewire | See recent Indiewire news »

Coming from live-action, it made perfect sense for Brit director Garth Jennings (“The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy”) to approach the animated musical, “Sing,” more like “The Commitments” than “Despicable Me” — only with animals.

And what a diverse ensemble of performers Jennings conjured with the help of Illumination founder-producer Chris Meledandri: Buster Moon (Matthew McConaughey), the impresario koala; Rosita (Reese Witherspoon), a domestic pig with great singing chops; Mike, a crooning mouse (Seth MacFarlane); Ash (Scarlett Johansson), a punk porcupine; Johnny, a young gangster gorilla (Taron Egerton); Meena (Tori Kelly), a teenage elephant with stage fright; and Gunther (Nick Kroll), the dancing pig. (See IndieWire Awards Editor Anne Thompson’s interview with Jennings and Meledandri below.)

Read More: Box Office 2017 Opens With ‘Sing’ Making a Run at ‘Rogue One’

“As far as writing and directing a movie, I literally got to have a go at everything,” Jennings told IndieWire. »

- Bill Desowitz

3 January 2017 3:08 PM, PST | PEOPLE.com | See recent PEOPLE.com news »

Nothing makes for stranger bedfellows than the best original song category at a movie (and television) awards show. Last year at the Golden Globes, we saw the theme song from a Bond film go up against a Brian Wilson song and and a Charlie Puth tune — with a Wiz Khalifa guest verse — from a Fast and the Furious film.

This year, it’s a similarly mixed bag, with Justin Timberlake rubbing elbows with Iggy Pop and Stevie Wonder. Let’s take a look at the tunes.

“Can’t Stop the Feeling”

From teen idol to troll? Not exactly. Justin Timberlake »

- alexheigl

3 January 2017 12:21 PM, PST | WeAreMovieGeeks.com | See recent WeAreMovieGeeks.com news »

“Loving is a warm, moving, deeply romantic film.” – Cate Marquis (review)

Follow the incredible real-life tale of courage and commitment as an interracial couple fights for marriage equality in the case that went all the way to the United States Supreme Court in Loving, arriving on Digital HD on January 24, 2017 and on Blu-ray™, DVD and On Demand on February 7, 2017, from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment. Just in time for Valentine’s Day, Loving on Blu-ray™, DVD and Digital HD features a revealing behind-the-scenes look at the making of the film and insightful commentary from writer/director Jeff Nichols. The Focus Features movie is nominated for two Golden Globe Awards: Best Actor [Drama] (Joel Edgerton) and Best Actress [Drama] (Ruth Negga).

Loving is the new film from acclaimed writer/director Jeff Nichols (Take Shelter, Mud, Midnight Special). Richard and Mildred Loving (portrayed in the film by Golden Globe nominees Joel Edgerton and Ruth Negga »

- Michelle McCue

3 January 2017 10:48 AM, PST | The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News | See recent The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News news »

John Mulaney and Nick Kroll are taking on hosting duties for this year's Film Independent Spirit Awards.

The comedy duo — who will have wrapped their guest-filled, fame-skewering Broadway show Oh, Hello — will emcee Film Independent's annual awards ceremony that honors the best in independent filmmaking. 

In 2016, Kroll appeared in Seth Rogen's Sausage Party, Jeff Nichols' Loving and the indie Joshy. He is in theaters now as the voice of a musically inclined pig in Illumination Entertainment's Sing. Mulaney, a former Saturday Night Live writer, recently released his third stand-up special, The Comeback Kid, with Netflix.

No word yet on whether »

- Mia Galuppo

3 January 2017 9:00 AM, PST | Variety - Film News | See recent Variety - Film News news »

When it comes to movies, nobody expected much from 2016. Most of the major franchises were sitting this one out — there were no sequels to “Jurassic Park” or “The Avengers” or “Transformers.” Yet even without the heavy hitters, the year is poised to shatter the record for North American ticket sales, with an estimated $11.3 billion in revenue.

“The movie business is incredibly resilient,” says Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst at comScore. “People have been sounding the death knell for the theatrical experience for a long time, but if the movies deliver, people show up.”

Still, not everything broke in the movie business’ favor, and not everyone would claim that the pictures were the best that Hollywood has to offer. Attendance for the year will be flat or down slightly, buoyed by rising admissions costs. Globally, a slowdown in China took a chunk out of ticket sales; box office in the Middle »

- Brent Lang and James Rainey

3 January 2017 8:00 AM, PST | Variety - Film News | See recent Variety - Film News news »

Members of the American Cinema Editors have weighed in with a list of nominations for the 67th annual Ace Eddie Awards, taking place on Friday, Jan. 27.

All three of the awards season’s strongest players — “La La Land,” “Moonlight” and “Manchester by the Sea” — were recognized in the film categories. Denis Villeneuve’s alien invasion psychodrama “Arrival,” Mel Gibson’s World War II epic “Hacksaw Ridge,” and David Mackenzie’s indie darling “Hell or High Water” filled out the drama category.

Joining “La La Land” in the comedy field were “Deadpool,” 20th Century Fox’s irreverent superhero blockbuster; “Hail, Caesar!,” the Coen brothers’ latest jaunt (the filmmaker siblings editing together once again under the pseudonym Roderick Jaynes); “The Jungle Book,” Disney’s mega-hit that could be a dark horse for an Oscar nod here; and in a twist, “The Lobster,” Yorgos Lanthimos’ absurdist satire that continues to maintain a footprint »

- Kristopher Tapley

2 January 2017 4:58 PM, PST | Indiewire | See recent Indiewire news »

A total of 145 scores were recently announced as being eligible for this year’s Academy Award, with everything from perceived frontrunner “La La Land” (Justin Hurwitz) and “Jackie” (Mica Levi) to outliers like “Sausage Party” and “Elle.” The final five will be nominated on January 24. In the meantime, avail yourself of this Spotify playlist featuring selections from 110 of the eligible scores — as well as the full list of every eligible score.

Read More: Oscar Best Score Contenders: The Inside Story of Creating 5 Diverse Frontrunners

Read More: Oscars 2017: Listen to 70 Songs Eligible for This Year’s Academy Award

The Abolitionists,” Tim Jones, composer

“Absolutely Fabulous The Movie,” Jake Monaco, composer

“The Accountant,” Mark Isham, composer

“Alice through the Looking Glass,” Danny Elfman, composer

“Allied,” Alan Silvestri, composer

“Almost Christmas,” John Paesano, composer

“American Pastoral,” Alexandre Desplat, composer

“The Angry Birds Movie,” Heitor Pereira, composer

“Anthropoid,” Robin Foster, composer

“Armenia, My Love, »

- Michael Nordine

2 January 2017 12:12 PM, PST | ET Canada | See recent ET Canada news »

Now this is one epic musical pairing! Related: Jimmy Fallon Recruits Paul McCartney, Reese Witherspoon And The Stars Of ‘Sing’ For A Fun Christmas Singalong The Killers were joined by Paul McCartney at a very private and special New Year’s Eve party. The band and the icon performed a rendition of The Beatles’ “Helter Skelter” together at […] »

- Jordan Appugliesi

2 January 2017 8:27 AM, PST | Variety - Film News | See recent Variety - Film News news »

New Year’s kicked off with familiar favorites, “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” and “Sing,” dominating the domestic box office. Both films have emerged as the biggest hits of the holiday season.

The Star Wars spinoff topped the box office, just as it has since opening three weeks ago. “Rogue One” racked up $64.3 million for the four-day holiday weekend. That pushes its North American total to  $424.9, putting it in second place among last year’s highest-grossing domestic releases. Globally, “Rogue One” has made $774.9 million, with China, the world’s second-largest film market, yet to open.

Disney, which released “Rogue One” through its LucasFilm banner, has four of the year’s top five domestic earners, including “Finding Dory,” which was the highest-grossing stateside film with $486.3 million. The company had a lot riding on “Rogue One.” It invested roughly $4 billion to the rights to the Star Wars canon, with a goal »

- Brent Lang

1 January 2017 3:06 PM, PST | Indiewire | See recent Indiewire news »

The year closed with a very uneven holiday period.”Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” and “Sing” were the standouts, contributing most of the $160 million that comprises the Top 10 total. (“Sing” is a particular surprise, coming within $9 million of “Rogue One.”) Wider, more-expensive holiday studio releases were mixed at best, with only “Passengers” showing above-average life. However, awards contenders “Fences,” “Manchester by the Sea,” and “La La Land” are thriving.

Read More: ‘La La Land’ and ‘Hidden Figures’ Thrive at the New Years’ Box Office

(Note: the estimates below are for the Friday-Sunday numbers, including projections for Sunday. Disney and Sony failed to provide their numbers at deadline, so the estimates come from other sources.)

The Top 10

1. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (Disney) Week 3 – Last weekend: #1

$49.8 million (-22%) in 4,157 theaters (no change); PTA (per theater average): $11,978; Cumulative: $425.179 million

2. Sing (Universal) Week 2 – Last weekend: #2

$41.45 million (+18%) in 4,029 theaters »

- Tom Brueggemann

1 January 2017 8:28 AM, PST | Variety - Film News | See recent Variety - Film News news »

“Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” and “Sing” loomed large at the multiplexes over the New Year’s holiday, racking up the biggest grosses and ringing out 2016 on a high note.

The Star Wars spinoff topped the box office for the third consecutive weekend, earning just under $50 million for the three-day period and a projected $64 million for the four-day holiday. The movie business is tacking Monday on to New Year’s weekend, because many companies and schools are observing it as a national holiday. The weekend gross pushes the space opera over the $400 million mark domestically. It currently ranks as the year’s second highest-grossing domestic release, with $425 million, behind only “Finding Dory.” “Rogue One” concludes a record-annihilating year for Disney. The studio became the first to top $7 billion in a single year, has fielded four of the five top grossing domestic releases, and should see four of its movies »

- Brent Lang

1 January 2017 8:26 AM, PST | Variety - Film News | See recent Variety - Film News news »

“Finding Dory,” “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story,” “The Secret Life of Pets” and other blockbusters helped drive the domestic box office to record heights in 2016. However, it’s not like moviegoing suddenly saw a surge in popularity. Attendance was essentially flat with last year’s 1.32 billion and a far cry from the record 1.57 billion admissions from 2002. The record came from a new high-water mark in ticket prices, as well as the added cost that comes with Imax and 3D releases.

Overseas, the numbers are still being tallied, but many experts believe that a slowdown in China will lead to revenue declines.

The story of 2016, when it is written, will be a mixed one. Despite the rise of streaming services and quality television, the movie business continues to be resilient. Audiences are still turning up en masse for the new Star Wars or Avengers films, regardless of how adept “Game of Thrones »

- Brent Lang

14 items from 2017