Top of the Box Office

1. Disturbia
Dreamworks SKG
Weekend Gross: $9,100,000
Total Gross: $52,186,000

2. The Invisible
Buena Vista
Weekend Gross: $7,606,000
Total Gross: $7,606,000

3. Next
Sony Pictures
Weekend Gross: $7,200,000
Total Gross: $7,200,000

4. Fracture
New Line
Weekend Gross: $7,075,000
Total Gross: $21,326,000

5. Blades of Glory
Dreamworks SKG
Weekend Gross: $5,200,000
Total Gross: $108,086,000

6. Meet the Robinsons
Buena Vista
Weekend Gross: $4,842,000
Total Gross: $88,356,000

7. Hot Fuzz
Focus Features
Weekend Gross: $4,780,241
Total Gross: $12,446,716

8. Vacancy
Sony Pictures
Weekend Gross: $4,200,000
Total Gross: $13,868,000

9. The Condemned
Lionsgate
Weekend Gross: $4,000,000
Total Gross: $4,000,000

10. Are We Done Yet?
Sony Pictures
Weekend Gross: $3,400,000
Total Gross: $43,818,000

All data courtesy of www.the-numbers.com

April 30th, 2007 | Category: Top of the Box Office | By MovieMaker Staff

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Top of the Box Office

1. Disturbia
Dreamworks SKG
Weekend Gross: $13,460,000
Total Gross: $40,654,000

2. Fracture
New Line
Weekend Gross: $11,175,000
Total Gross: $11,175,000

3. Blades of Glory
Dreamworks SKG
Weekend Gross: $7,808,000
Total Gross: $101,082,000

4. Vacancy
Sony Pictures
Weekend Gross: $7,600,000
Total Gross: $7,600,000

5. Meet the Robinsons
Buena Vista
Weekend Gross: $7,088,000
Total Gross: $82,211,000

6. Hot Fuzz
Focus Features
Weekend Gross: $5,836,739
Total Gross: $5,836,739

7. Are We Done Yet?
Sony Pictures
Weekend Gross: $5,200,000
Total Gross: $39,591,000

8. In The Land of Women
Warner Independent Pictures
Weekend Gross: $4,915,000
Total Gross: $4,915,000

9. Perfect Stranger
Sony Pictures
Weekend Gross: $4,100,000
Total Gross: $18,068,000

10. Wild Hogs
Buena Vista
Weekend Gross: $2,872,000
Total Gross: $156,213,000

All data courtesy of www.the-numbers.com

April 23rd, 2007 | Category: Top of the Box Office | By MovieMaker Staff

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This Day in Indie History: Jessica Lange

The ever-elegant Jessica Lange was born in Minnesota on this day in 1949. Before her screen debut in 1976’s King Kong, Lange had studied art at the University of Minnesota, mime work in Paris and acting in New York. So by the time her screen career took off, Lange became the easily adaptable, graceful addition to any film set, including Bob Fosse’s All That Jazz, Martin Scorsese’s Cape Fear, Sydney Pollack’s Tootsie, Julie Taymor’s Titus and Jim Jarmusch’s Broken Flowers. Most notable about Lange’s career is the ratio of movies to nominations she has received: In her long and respected career the actress has been honored with five Academy Award nominations and two statues. In 1983 she became the first actress to receive two nominations in one year (Best Actress for Frances and Best Supporting Actress for Tootsie).

Quotable: “I suppose we all have to grow old someday. I just don’t think you got to look bad in the process.” -Jessica Lange, as Carly Marshall in her Oscar-winning performance in Blue Sky, must be following her own advice.

April 19th, 2007 | Category: This Day in Indie History | By MovieMaker Staff

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This Day in Indie History: My Big Fat Greek Wedding

Based on a one-woman show by Nia Vardalos, My Big Fat Greek Wedding began screening in limited release on this day in 2002. Actress Rita Wilson and husband Tom Hanks produced the feature about a Greek woman (Vardalos) who pursues and marries a man (John Corbett) not of Greek descent. In a review days before the film’s release, Kirk Honeycutt from The Hollywood Reporter claimed the film “will probably have little impact theatrically outside of its obvious ethnic audience.” Boy was he wrong! What cost just about $5 million to make went on to gross over $600 million and became the biggest independent hit film of all time.

Quotable: “I had to go to Greek school, where I learned valuable lessons such as, ‘If Nick has one goat and Maria has nine, how soon will they marry?’” --Toula Portokalos (Vardalos) pointing out the basic principle of her Greek life.

April 18th, 2007 | Category: This Day in Indie History | By MovieMaker Staff

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This Day in Indie History: Eli Roth

The newest master of horror, Eli Roth, was born on this day in Newton, MA in 1972. Before moving to New York and graduating from New York University’s Tisch film program, Roth utilized his time by traveling abroad to Russia and Iceland. While working on a farm in Iceland, Roth contracted an infection that left behind little flesh on his face. Or so the story goes. The experience is what led to the inspiration for his first feature, Cabin Fever, released in 2002. Perhaps it was also during that time he found inspiration for his terror-filled second outing, Hostel, which has formed many a second thought in the minds of young, independent American tourists. In front of the camera Roth has appeared in The Mirror Has Two Faces, Lloyd Kaufman’s Terror Firmer and his own first two films. This month the moviemaker contributed a faux trailer to the Tarantino/Rodriguez thriller Grindhouse (and has a bit role in Tarantino’s “Death Proof” segment).

Factoid: As a production assistant on the 1997 movie, Private Parts, Eli Roth had the responsibility of being Howard Stern’s alarm clock. During those sleepless nights the writer-director penned the script for his first feature, Cabin Fever. What cost his friends and acquaintances $1.5 million in investments won big at the Toronto Film Festival in 2002, selling to Lionsgate for $3.5 million. It eventually went on to become the studio’s biggest hit of the year, earning well over $30 million.

April 17th, 2007 | Category: This Day in Indie History | By MovieMaker Staff

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Film Festival of the Week: Hot Docs

While documentaries have enjoyed some commercial success over the last few years, Jerry Seinfeld’s dismissive Oscar monologue showed that the genre continues to be underappreciated in certain sectors of the film world. Luckily, for documentary-makers and fans alike, festivals like Toronto’s Hot Docs more than make up for this lack of love, creating a space where documentary film is the sole focus, to be appreciated in all its myriad forms.

Hot Docs, which is the largest documentary film festival in North America, is now in its 14th year and has grown from an event geared primarily toward Canadian moviemakers to a large-scale celebration of nonfiction moviemaking on an international scale. “We’ve created a filmmaker-friendly event that strikes a nice balance between being a large cultural festival with a huge public following and a significant market and conference,” says executive director Chris McDonald.

In addition to screenings, parties and awards ceremonies, Hot Docs devotes a significant portion of the festival program to helping participating moviemakers find distribution. The Documentary Forum was created to help independent doc producers find international financing, while the Doc Shop provides distributors with an on-demand videothèque facility that allows them to preview more than 1,500 documentary works for possible acquisition.

Though the mainstream movie world may not pay as much attention to documentaries as they should, festivals like Hot Docs ensure that the genre can still find its niche in the moviemaking community.

The 2007 Hot Docs festival will run from April 19-29. For more information, visit www.hotdocs.ca.

Sound Off: How do you think we can expose mainstream audiences to more documentary moviemaking? If you are a documentarian, what have been your most successful methods for getting your work seen? Let us know in the comments section!

--Jennifer Straus

April 17th, 2007 | Category: Festival of the Week, Festivals | By MovieMaker Staff

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This Day in Indie History: William Mapother

He may now be the creepy “Ethan” of “Lost” fame, but when William Mapother was born on this day in 1965, that’s probably something no one would have predicted. The Louisville, KY native graduated from Notre Dame in 1987 and pursued a career as a high school English teacher before taking small crew positions and uncredited roles in some of the most popular movies of the 1980s (including Rain Man and Cocktail). By 2001 Mapother had landed his first major role as a bullying ex-husband to Marisa Tomei’s cheating wife in In the Bedroom. Several more bit parts followed, including those in Vanilla Sky, Mean Creek (from which his scenes were deleted), Suspect Zero and Lords of Dogtown. Today he remains a stealthy “Other” on ABC’s island drama.

Connections: Although he was not a part of the third Mission: Impossible installment (he had a bit role in the second film), William Mapother maintains his connection to the series. His cousin is star Tom Cruise while the movie’s director, J.J. Abrams, is one of the creative forces behind “Lost.”

April 16th, 2007 | Category: This Day in Indie History | By MovieMaker Staff

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Moviemaker of the Week: Thelma Schoonmaker

She has been honored by Oscar, Eddie, BAFTA and Emmy. But 2007 marks the first time that Coolidge came calling for Thelma Schoonmaker, making it a banner year for this master editor, who was given an Oscar earlier this year for her work on The Departed.

The editor best-known as Martin Scorsese’s closest collaborator was on hand in Boston last week to receive the prestigious Coolidge Award at the historic Coolidge Corner Theatre in Brookline, MA. Initiated in 2004, the Coolidge Award seeks to honor “a film artist whose body of work is consistently challenging and original, breaks the boundaries of the medium and, in doing so, transports us to ever higher ground,” according to executive director Joseph Zina.

Following in the footsteps of previous Coolidge Award recipients—director Zhang Yimou, cinematographer Vittorio Storaro and actress Meryl Streep—Schoonmaker spent two days in Boston to take part in film and panel discussions, teach a master class in film editing and, of course, be handed her statue. With all events open to the public, the Coolidge Award is one accolade that rewards the recipient and his or her fans alike.

For more information, visit www.coolidge.org/award.

Sound Off: Of the almost 20 features Thelma Schoonmaker has edited since 1980, only one—Allison Anders’ Grace of My Heart in 1996—was not directed by Martin Scorsese (though he did serve as an executive producer). Who are your favorite close-knit, moviemaking teams?

--Jennifer M. Wood

April 16th, 2007 | Category: Moviemaker of the Week, Moviemaking | By MovieMaker Staff

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Top of the Box Office

1. Disturbia
Dreamworks SKG
Weekend Gross: $23,025,000
Total Gross: $23,025,000

2. Blades of Glory
Dreamworks SKG
Weekend Gross: $14,065,000
Total Gross: $90,195,000

3. Meet the Robinsons
Buena Vista
Weekend Gross: $12,103,000
Total Gross: $72,004,000

4. Perfect Stranger
Sony Pictures
Weekend Gross: $11,500,000
Total Gross: $11,500,000

5. Are We Done Yet?
Sony Pictures
Weekend Gross: $9,200,000
Total Gross: $33,004,000

6. Pathfinder
20th Century Fox
Weekend Gross: $4,800,000
Total Gross: $4,800,000

7. Wild Hogs
Buena Vista
Weekend Gross: $4,639,000
Total Gross: $152,243,000

8. The Reaping
Warner Bros
Weekend Gross: $4,565,000
Total Gross: $19,763,000

9. 300
Warner Bros.
Weekend Gross: $4,315,000
Total Gross: $200,826,000

10. Grindhouse
Weinstein/Dimension
Weekend Gross: $4,239,000
Total Gross: $19,699,828

All data courtesy of www.the-numbers.com

April 16th, 2007 | Category: Top of the Box Office | By MovieMaker Staff

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This Day in Indie History: Lukas Haas

It was on this day in 1976 that a doe-eyed boy was born in West Hollywood, CA. His name: Lukas Haas. The boy pursued a movie star career from his earliest days and was recognized often at the Young Artist Awards. His popular recognition, however, was most prevalent after playing a young Amish boy opposite Harrison Ford in Peter Weir’s 1985 film, Witness. Since then Haas has grown and so have his acting challenges. His career includes roles in Boys opposite Winona Ryder, Woody Allen’s Everyone Says I Love You, Tim Burton’s Mars Attacks! and the 2005 independent features Brick and Last Days.

Preview: Haas’ most recent project is Gardener of Eden, about the lengths a man will go to for some long-overdue attention. The film is directed by Kevin Connolly, the discerning manager of HBO’s “Entourage”.

April 15th, 2007 | Category: This Day in Indie History | By MovieMaker Staff

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In Theaters Now

Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film For Theaters
directed by Matt Maiellaro and Dave Willis
Remember a few months back when Boston went on virtual lockdown because some people thought the electronic ads for Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film For Theaters were really bombs? This week, we finally get to see if all that hubbub was worth it. The movie is a big-screen adaptation of the popular Cartoon Network program that explores the origins of the show’s three main characters, Meatwad (Dave Willis), Frylock (Carey Means) and Master Shake (Dana Snyder). Fans of the show will undoubtedly be drawn to the movie, but casual observers might be a little more than confused by the attraction of an animated movie starring a talking wad of meat, French fry box and milkshake. Also starring the voices of Fred Armisen, Andy Merrill and Bruce Campbell.

Disturbia
directed by D.J. Caruso
We’ve certainly reached a strange point in the current remake culture, one where Hollywood is remaking classics without calling them “remakes.” Case in point, Disturbia. This thriller centers on Kale (Shia LaBeouf), a young man stuck at home because he’s under house arrest. Luckily, he has a lot of expensive photography and video equipment, which allows him to spy on his neighbors. He witnesses what he thinks is a murder; his friends, one of whom, Ashley (Sarah Roemer), is an attractive blonde, try breaking into the neighbor’s house to get evidence; things become really dangerous… Oh, if you’ve seen Rear Window, you know the rest. And really, the only way Disturbia could be any more like the 1954 classic is if a zombie Hitchcock were the director. Also starring David Morse, Carrie-Anne Moss and Aaron Yoo.

Pathfinder
directed by Marcus Nispel
Ah, the oft-forgotten history of the struggles between Native Americans and the Vikings. This is the jumping off point for this action-adventure thriller about a Viking boy who is left behind and raised by Native Americans. The boy grows to be Ghost (Karl Urban), who is forced to defend his tribe by repelling the invading Viking hordes when they return to the land. Judging from the over-stylized approach in the movie and the derivative, been-there-seen-that narrative, it’s probably safe to say that Pathfinder will quickly be as forgotten as its historical context. Also starring Russell Means, Moon Bloodgood, Jay Tavare and Clancy Brown.

Perfect Stranger
directed by James Foley
April is, traditionally, the last month of Hollywood’s annual dump period. You know, that time between Oscar season and the tent-pole summer when genre pictures and projects that really didn’t come off right are dropped into theaters when no one’s really paying attention. Perfect Stranger, a combination “Law & Order” and The Pelican Brief with a sprinkling of The Devil Wears Prada workplace politics, looks to be the perfect bridge between Hollywood’s lean period output and its loud summer blockbusters. Rowena (Halle Berry) is a journalist who goes undercover as a trampy temp in Harrison Hill’s (Bruce Willis) ad agency to discover how and why her friend was murdered. It could be a mess, but James Foley is competent enough as a director to keep things interesting. Also starring Giovanni Ribisi, Richard Portnow and Nicki Aycox.

Year of the Dog
directed by Mike White
Mike White wrote The Good Girl, an indie hit in 2002 that showed Jennifer Aniston could be more than just Rachel on “Friends.” It looks like his latest film, Year of the Dog, will do the same for Molly Shannon. The “SNL” vet tends to be typecast as the spastic, loud head-case comic relief in films like Serendipity. Here, though, she’s a more complete character, Peggy, who is struggling with her perhaps unhealthy love of dogs and her insecurities in love with humans. White is an individual talent whose films are quirky and irreverent. But he’s not quirky for the sake of being quirky--he uses eccentricity to heighten the humanity in his work. Year of the Dog should be no different. Also starring Peter Sarsgaard, Laura Dern, John C. Reilly and Regina King.

April 15th, 2007 | Category: In Theaters Now | By MovieMaker Staff

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This Day in Indie History: Palindromes

It was on this day in 2005 that writer-director Todd Solondz’s Palindromes was released to New York audiences. The movie stars Ellen Barkin (in what critics predicted was her comeback role) and a revolving cast of eight young girls of varying age and physical features. Solondz’s tale follows 13-year-old Aviva (portrayed throughout the movie by various women) in her quest to have a baby. After becoming pregnant by a family friend and the subsequent abortion procedure that leaves her unable to bear children, Aviva runs away. The film was nominated for a Golden Lion at the 2004 Venice Film Festival and following its release, earned an Independent Spirit Producers Award nomination.

Factoid: Palindromes picks up where 2005’s Welcome to the Dollhouse (Solondz’s first big hit feature) left off. It is for Dollhouse’s Dawn Wiener character that Aviva attends a funeral in the movie’s first scene. Apparently Dawn has gained weight in the 10 years since we’ve seen her and committed suicide, leaving her brother Mark to comfort their cousin Aviva through this difficult time.

April 12th, 2007 | Category: This Day in Indie History | By MovieMaker Staff

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This Day in Indie History: Quinceañera

Writing-directing team Richard Glatzer and Wash Westmoreland began shooting the hit feature, Quinceañera, on this day in 2005. Set in the Echo Park section of Los Angeles, the coming of age tale follows Magdalena (played by Emily Rios in her film debut) as she prepares for her 15th birthday. Traditionally this year in her life, her quinceañera, would be celebrated in grand form to usher her into adulthood. But instead of an elegant party, Magdalena discovers she is pregnant, propelling her into an entirely different adulthood. The movie went on to screenings at the 2006 Berlin, Newport, Provincetown and Seattle International Film Festivals, picking up many awards along the way. That same year it won both the Audience Award and the Grand Jury Prizes at Sundance.

Factoid: Quinceañera star Emily Rios plays Magdalena, a modern girl breaking out of the traditional family mold. The actress has followed much the same path in her real life, beginning with the production of this movie. Brought up a Jehovah’s Witness, Rios had never before celebrated her birthday with such fanfare (as the cast and crew had set-up for her on set) or traveled by plane.

April 11th, 2007 | Category: This Day in Indie History | By MovieMaker Staff

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This Day in Indie History: Vincent Gallo

The often-controversial actor-writer-director Vincent Gallo was born on this day in Buffalo, NY in 1961. As a teen he dropped out of high school and moved to New York City, nurturing his creativity by making Super 8 films, playing in bands (including one with graffiti artist Jean Michel Basquiat) and exhibiting his paintings and sculpture work at local galleries. After discovering an affinity for motorcycle sports, Gallo took up acting as a way to get health insurance. His first feature was 1986’s Euridice of the Avenues, for which his score won the 1984 Berlin Film Festival Award for Best Music. In the mid-’90s his mug could be seen in Calvin Klein ads the world over. By 1998 when his semi-autobiographical Buffalo ‘66 was released, he had already racked up bit parts in The House of the Spirits, Palookaville and The Funeral. But he wouldn’t again receive such heightened critical acclaim until his second time in the director’s chair with The Brown Bunny. Starring alongside former flame Chloë Sevigny, Gallo also took on roles as the movie’s cinematographer, costume designer, editor and camera operator.

Factoid: Vincent Gallo came back with a vengeance when The Brown Bunny premiered at Cannes to extreme and mixed reviews. First there was the now infamous exchange of words with critic Roger Ebert, followed by an equally infamous sexually explicit billboard display in Los Angeles. It’s difficult to tell whether the publicity helped or hurt the small independent movie, which made back only one-third of its budget.

April 10th, 2007 | Category: This Day in Indie History | By MovieMaker Staff

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Location of the Week: Wyoming

Wyoming might not have a musical celebrating it like Chicago or play host to any renowned film landmarks like Philadelphia, but it can claim a long list of movies that have shot upon its soil. As part of the Rocky Mountain range, Wyoming offers movies of every color and stripe its peaks and valleys, canyons and grasslands. Best of all, it is now less expensive to shoot that dream Chuck Norris western with entire towns already dressed for scenes at the old bank or Broken Wheel saloon. This is the state where John Ford filmed Cheyenne Autumn and Brad Pitt fished the rivers of Jackson in A River Runs Through It.

More than the locations Wyoming provides all moviemakers, the Equality State gives up to 15 percent cash back through its Film Industry Financial Incentive program. A minimum budget of $500,000 must be met, but the benefits are great. There are also additional incentives for a Wyoming-based storyline and behind-the-scenes Wyoming footage.

Join the group of moviemakers who chose this High Plains state, but first visit www.filmwyoming.com.

Other movies from big, wonderful Wyoming include:

Close Encounters of the Third Kind
Dances with Wolves
Rocky IV
Starship Troopers
Rollerball
Flicka

Sound Off: Yellowstone National Park, partially situated in Wyoming, has been the setting on many a film frame. On which is it depicted best?

--Mallory Potosky

April 10th, 2007 | Category: Location of the Week, Locations | By MovieMaker Staff

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Association of the Week: Association of Film Commissioners

California is the land of promise—the place where aspiring actors go to be discovered and studios build lots upon lots of soundstages. But the entire world is your oyster when looking for a suitable production location. Finding out just what it takes to film outside of Hollywood can be a daunting and difficult task, but that’s the reason the Association of Film Commissioners International was created. On April 12 it will begin the 22nd annual Locations Trade Show.

“Filmmakers have vast location and other production resources to choose from worldwide,” says AFCI president Robin James. The Trade Show “brings information about those resources and the film commissions that help connect filmmakers with those resources, together in one place at one time.” This year the association will unveil its Global Initiatives, making it easier than ever to shoot that safari adventure film on the actual soil of the Dark Continent.

As part of the AFCI collective, the Locations Trade Show plays an exceptional role in the future of moviemaking--gathering together certified film commissioners who have the know-how to “benefit the jurisdiction in which they work and the entertainment industry for which they provide services.”

Find your Promised Land in California when the Locations Trade Show hits Santa Monica April 12 - 14, 2007. For more information, visit www.afci.org.

Sound Off: Where do you feel is the most desired international shooting location for independent moviemakers? Let us know in the comments section!

--Mallory Potosky

April 10th, 2007 | Category: Association of the Week, Associations | By MovieMaker Staff

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Film School of the Week: UCLA Extension

Affiliation by name to one of the country’s best film schools doesn’t put any pressure on the accomplished staff and faculty of UCLA Extension--their product is just as good as the bigger version. The Extension is a certificate-granting program for people not looking for a full degree, but instead needing skills to succeed. “Success in the entertainment business depends not only on who you know, but on what you know,” says Brian Bell, UCLA Extension’s media relations manager. Film courses from UCLA Extension range from “Film Scoring” (the first program of its kind, formed in 1984) to new additions such as “Costume Design.”

In 1922 the school began offering a course they called “Motion Pictures: The Film as a Factor in Molding Tomorrow’s Citizenry.” Interestingly enough, this basis has lasted, guiding many industry professionals along the way, including Academy Award-nominated screenwriter Iris Yamashita (Letters from Iwo Jima).

The spring quarter at UCLA Extension, which began March 31, is offering its established courses on producing, directing and post-production and this year will introduce instruction for aspiring voiceover professionals, costume designers and cinematographers looking to advance to HD. Best of all, as a certificate program, any paying student can attend without worrying about applications or prerequisites.

Expand your mind at www.uclaextension.edu.

Sound Off: UCLA Extension makes it easy for any interested person to attend film school--plus it has that recognizable moniker. But what factors really draw you to film classes?

--Mallory Potosky

April 10th, 2007 | Category: Film School of the Week, Education | By MovieMaker Staff

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Film Festival of the Week: Independent Film Festival of Boston

Boston remains one of the most culturally vibrant cities in the United States--not simply for its historical significance but also now for its burgeoning independent film community. At the Independent Film Festival of Boston that community is celebrated.

This year the IFFBoston will run from April 25 - 30 and utilize such venues as the city’s historic Somerville, Brattle and Coolidge Corner theaters. Some of this year’s most anticipated screenings include actor-turned-director Sarah Polley’s feature debut, Away From Her, indie legend Hal Hartley’s Fay Grim and the latest from Wet Hot American Summer director David Wain’s star-studded The Ten. “We look for original, risk-taking films and shy away from formulaic Hollywood fare dressed-up as indies,” says executive director Jason Redmond of the festival’s one-of-a-kind programming.

The truly unique aspect of this year’s fest is the partnership it has formed with Apple. The collaboration offers any paying customer an AppleTV, pre-loaded with a variety of films from its first four fests. “It’s the best of IFFBoston in a box,” says Redmond. Now in its fifth year, this year’s event will offer more movies, more parties and, as always, the Candlepin Bowling challenge--all of which makes this an event almost as big as that infamous tea gathering in the harbor.

Head over to www.iffboston.org for more information on how you can score yourself a seat (or an AppleTV).

Sound Off: As a festival promotion, IFFBoston is offering the new AppleTV loaded with independent programming. Is this the next step for festival distribution deals? Talk back in our comments section!

--Mallory Potosky

April 10th, 2007 | Category: Festival of the Week, This Day in Indie History | By MovieMaker Staff

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This Day in Indie History: The 1967 Academy Awards

Today marks the 40th anniversary of the rescheduled date for the 1967 Academy Awards ceremony. After the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. on April 4 of that year, artists including Louis Armstrong, Diahann Carroll, Sammy Davis Jr., Sidney Poitier and Rod Steiger requested that the Academy postpone the originally-set April 8 ceremony until after the civil rights activist’s funeral on April 9. The Academy shuffled its feet but complied, unwilling in part to admit that the real world reigns over Hollywood as it does anywhere else.

Factoid: The event was postponed once more in 1981. Originally slated for March 30, the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences held off on hosting the ceremony for one day following an assassination attempt on newly-elected President Ronald Regan--himself a former screen actor.

April 10th, 2007 | Category: This Day in Indie History | By MovieMaker Staff

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Top of the Box Office

1. Blades of Glory
Dreamworks SKG
Weekend Gross: $22,522,330
Total Gross: $67,905,237

2. Meet the Robinsons
Buena Vista
Weekend Gross: $16,715,437
Total Gross: $51,947,271

3. Are We Done Yet?
Sony Pictures
Weekend Gross: $14,262,724
Total Gross: $18,517,017

4. Grindhouse
Weinstein/Dimension
Weekend Gross: $11,596,613
Total Gross: $11,596,613

5. The Reaping
Warner Bros
Weekend Gross: $10,025,203
Total Gross: $11,958,518

6. 300
Warner Bros.
Weekend Gross: $8,368,382
Total Gross: $193,402,459

7. Wild Hogs
Buena Vista
Weekend Gross: $6,644,971
Total Gross: $145,260,566

8. Shooter
Paramount Pictures
Weekend Gross: $5,856,494
Total Gross: $36,712,076

9. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Weinstein Co.
Weekend Gross: $4,825,445
Total Gross: $46,607,331

10. Firehouse Dog
20th Century Fox
Weekend Gross: $3,838,916
Total Gross: $5,101,907

All data courtesy of www.the-numbers.com

April 10th, 2007 | Category: Top of the Box Office | By MovieMaker Staff

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In Theaters Now

Are We Done Yet?
directed by Steve Carr
Ever wonder, “Gee, what would a knock-off of The Money Pit starring Ice Cube look like?” Yeah, me neither. But that’s unfortunately what we’re getting in this sequel to Are We There Yet? called, ironically, Are We Done Yet? Nick Persons (Cube) is running out of space in his home since his new, large family moved in. So when his wife, Suzanne (Nia Long), tells him she’s having a baby, Nick packs up and moves out to the country. The family finds a fixer-upper that’s more than they bargained for, forcing the family to shout, “Are we done yet?” Funny, that’s what we’ll be shouting at the screen at the end of this second installment in a (hopefully) short-lived franchise. Also starring John C. McGinley, Aleisha Allen and Philip Bolden.

Firehouse Dog
directed by Todd Holland
Firehouse Dog is that old, stock Hollywood tale of a superstar action-movie-hero dog that gets lost during the height of his stardom, is found roaming the streets as a dingy stray by a friendless kid and is begrudgingly taken in by the kid’s fireman dad before discovering that the dog is really special. This kind of movie is a dime a dozen! Okay, maybe not. But it’s good, alternative family-oriented programming in a release week dominated by horror and exploitation flicks. Starring Bruce Greenwood, Josh Hutcherson and Bill Nunn.

Grindhouse
directed by Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino
Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez turn their love of exploitation films and the seedy, run-down theaters that played them (called “grindhouse cinemas") into this “double-feature.” Tarantino contributes Death Proof, a thriller about a crazy, murderous driver (Kurt Russell) cutting a swath of terror wherever he goes. Rodriguez’s film, Planet Terror, finds a group of humans fighting for survival against an army of zombies. Grindhouse could either be an inspired trip into film history or an exercise in self-indulgence. But whatever the outcome, it’s bound to be one of the biggest films of the spring. Also starring Rose McGowan, Josh Brolin, Freddy Rodriguez, Michael Biehn, Rosario Dawson, Zoe Bell and Nicky Katt.

The Hoax
directed by Lasse Hallström
Director Lasse Hallström can be kind of hit or miss, but when he’s on, he’s on. And with The Hoax, he looks to be in good form. Clifford Irving (Richard Gere) is an author who keeps striking out with his book pitches until he comes up with the idea to write the “most important book of the 20th century"—an authorized biography of reclusive eccentric Howard Hughes. Clifford gets a $1 million advance and enlists the help of Dick Susskind (Alfred Molina). Problem is, the whole thing’s a scam: No Hughes, no book, no nothing. Hallström takes a page out of Spielberg’s book, crafting a Catch Me If You Can-style dramedy with a slight thriller edge. Also starring Hope Davis, Marcia Gay Harden, Stanley Tucci, Julie Delpy and Eli Wallach.

The Reaping
directed by Stephen Hopkins
If there are two constants in Hollywood, they are that good female roles dry up as the actor gets older and that Best Actress winners have trouble finding roles up to their talents. (See Diane Keaton’s career and Catwoman for examples.) The latter now applies to Hilary Swank. How else to explain her appearance in The Reaping, a biblical horror film about as scary as the Left Behind series? It seems a small town is being inundated with the 10 biblical plagues—you know, locusts, rivers of blood, etc.—and a former Christian missionary (Swank) comes to “debunk” what the town is going through. Let’s pray for Swank’s sake it’s not a dud of biblical proportions; an eleventh plague if you will. Also starring David Morrissey, Idris Elba, AnnaSophia Robb and Stephen Rea.

—Dante A. Ciampaglia

April 6th, 2007 | Category: In Theaters Now | By MovieMaker Staff

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This Day in Indie History: Zach Braff

Before he became the in-demand actor and moviemaker he is today, Zach Braff spent his youth in South Orange, New Jersey, where he was born on this day in 1975. While audiences might have first recognized him for his acting chops, Braff traveled to the top by way of Northwestern University. He graduated from the school’s reputable film program with a Bachelor of Arts and soon after took a turn alongside Alec Baldwin and Angela Bassett in the NY Public Theater’s production of “Macbeth.” His feature film debut came as the son to seasoned professionals Woody Allen and Diane Keaton in Manhattan Murder Mystery. Before entering America’s homes each week as J.D. on the NBC sitcom “Scrubs,” the actor took parts in indie mockumentary Endsville and the ensemble dramedy The Broken Hearts Club, plus opposite Heather Matarazzo in 1999’s Getting to Know You and 2000’s Blue Moon. His next film, The Ex, co-stars Amanda Peet as the breadwinning wife who trades family for career and leaves her husband to deal with the changes.

Factoid: Zach Braff finally had the clout (and a great script to boot) when he put his BA to work on Garden State. The moviemaker wrote, directed and starred in his first feature along with Natalie Portman, Peter Sarsgaard and Ian Holm. The 2004 film and its screenplay were recognized by numerous Critics Choice Awards, the Grammys (for Best Compilation Soundtrack, produced by Braff), the Independent Spirit Awards and Sundance.

April 5th, 2007 | Category: This Day in Indie History | By MovieMaker Staff

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This Day in Indie History: The Chumscrubber

On this day in 2004, film began rolling for The Chumscrubber, Arie Posen’s social critique on modern suburban life. Co-written by Posen and Zac Stanford, the movie takes its name from the pop culture sphere of the story’s fictional upper-middle class town. Death and deception feature greatly in this tale about adult/adolescent communication and the great common denominator in modern-day society: Drugs. The Chumscrubber hit Sundance in 2005 with its all-star cast, including Jamie Bell, Glenn Close, Rory Culkin, Ralph Fiennes, Lou Taylor Pucci and Allison Janney. By August of that year it reached U.S. audiences in limited release.

Quotable: “I live in a city, but in an apartment high above the cloud left by the blast. I’m one of the lucky ones. One morning, I awoke to find my head no longer attached to my body. I’m not dead, but who could call this a life? So I do what I can, in this city of freaks and subhuman creatures. I became… The Chumscrubber.” --living in suburbia, as summed-up in the movie The Chumscrubber.

April 4th, 2007 | Category: This Day in Indie History | By MovieMaker Staff

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This Day in Indie History: The Illusionist

It was on this day in 2005 that Edward Norton, Paul Giamatti, Rufus Sewell, Jessica Biel and writer-director Neil Burger met on set to begin shooting their independent feature The Illusionist. Set in Vienna in the early 20th century, Burger adapted his second feature from the short story “Eisenheim the Illusionist.” The story revolves around the son of a cabinet maker (Norton), his upper-class childhood love (Biel), the men who benefit from the separation of the lovebirds (Giamatti and Sewell) and the magic that interferes. The Illusionist went in to limited release in August 2006 and widened its popularity by the following month. Burger received a Best Screenplay nomination at the Independent Spirit Awards and cinematographer Dick Pope was honored with an Academy Award nomination for his camera work.

Connections: Actor Paul Giamatti will once again star alongside Rufus Sewell in the television miniseries “John Adams,” scheduled for a 2008 release. The story will follow Giamatti as the title character who sees the United States grow from a British colony to an independent nation. Sewell will play fellow founding father Alexander Hamilton. The impressive supporting cast also includes Laura Linney, Justin Theroux, Tom Wilkinson and David Morse.

April 3rd, 2007 | Category: This Day in Indie History | By MovieMaker Staff

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This Day in Indie History: Marlon Brando

Can any actor can live up to the legend that is Marlon Brando, who was born on this day in 1924? The suave bad boy who popularized the leather jacket as a symbol of rebel cool, the Nebraska-born Brando’s acting techniques developed throughout his studies at the New School and the Actors Studio in New York City. Under former teacher (and celebrated director) Elia Kazan, Brando won favor as Broadway’s Stanley Kowalski in Tennessee Williams’ “A Streetcar Named Desire.” Four years later his big-screen version of the same character brought the first glimmer of fame when he received a Best Actor Oscar nomination. (This would be the first of eight nods from the Academy throughout his illustrious career.) Buff up on film history by watching his one-of-a-kind performances in 1953’s Julius Caesar, Kazan’s On the Waterfront, Francis Ford Coppola’s The Godfather and Apocalypse Now and the 1972 classic, Last Tango in Paris. Brando’s last movie, before passing away of lung complications in 2004, was opposite Robert De Niro and Edward Norton in Frank Oz’s The Score.

Factoid: Marlon Brando was the inimitable protector in Francis Ford Coppola’s The Godfather. For his patriarchal role, the actor won the Academy Award for Best Actor but chose not to show his face at the ceremony--instead enlisting a local actress to impersonate a Native American woman and appear on his behalf. His goal was to promote equality in Hollywood for the indigenous people. It was a cause so close to Brando that he had co-founded the American Indian Movement the previous year.

April 2nd, 2007 | Category: This Day in Indie History | By MovieMaker Staff

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