Author Archive
 

 

Sundance 2024 Film Reviews: “In the Summers” & “Stress Positions”

  IN THE SUMMERS (no distrib):  The winner of the Jury Prize in the US Dramatic Competition is a somewhat prototypical Sundance drama.  Alessandra Lacorazza Samudio’s semi-autobiographical story depicts four summer...
by Mitch Salem
 

 
 

Sundance 2024 Film Reviews: “The Outrun” & “Veni Vidi Vici”

  THE OUTRUN (no distrib):  Films about alcoholics and addicts in recovery are too numerous to count, and it’s easy to understand why.  The stories offer a clear narrative path, usually with an inspirational destin...
by Mitch Salem
 

 

 

Sundance 2024 Film Reviews: “Presence” & “I Saw the TV Glow”

  PRESENCE (Neon – TBD):  Steven Soderbergh has always appreciated, and often demanded, a challenge, and in Presence he and screenwriter David Koepp have taken an original approach to the haunted house genre.  The ...
by Mitch Salem
 

 
 

Sundance 2024 Film Reviews: “Thelma” & “Rob Peace”

  THELMA (no distrib):  In recent years, we’ve seen the rise of what might uncharitably be called Old Lady Cinema, noisy comedies like the Book Club franchise and 80 For Brady that milk gags out of the spectacle of ...
by Mitch Salem
 

 

 

Sundance 2024 Film Reviews: “Winner” & “Krazy House”

  WINNER (no distrib):  Yes, this sounds familiar.  Last year, HBO aired Tina Satter’s Reality, which told the story of the young jailed NSA leaker Reality Winner, and now filmmaker Susanna Fogel has taken the othe...
by Mitch Salem
 

 
 

Sundance 2024 Film Reviews: “Love Lies Bleeding” & “A Different Man”

  LOVE LIES BLEEDING (A24 – March 8):  Rose Glass has followed her brilliant horror movie Saint Maud by exchanging austerity for pulp.  Love Lies Bleeding (co-written with Weronika Tofilska) is engulfed by the spir...
by Mitch Salem
 

 

 

Sundance 2024 Film Reviews: “It’s What’s Inside” & “My Old Ass”

  IT’S WHAT’S INSIDE (Netflix – TBD):  The biggest sale of the festival as of this writing–a $17M paycheck from Netflix–was its most dynamite entertainment.  Greg Jardin’s feature wri...
by Mitch Salem
 

 
 

Sundance 2024 Film Reviews: “The American Society of Magical Negroes” & “Sasquatch Sunset”

  THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF MAGICAL NEGROES (Focus/Universal – March 15):  The title of Kobi Libii’s first feature refers to the unfortunately well-established movie trope where a noble Black character exists o...
by Mitch Salem
 

 

 

Sundance 2024 Film Reviews: “Freaky Tales” & “Your Monster”

  FREAKY TALES (no distrib):  The writer/directors Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck have returned from their profitable but unbeloved sojourn in the land of Captain Marvel to their indie roots with Freaky Tales.  While heart...
by Mitch Salem
 

 
 

Behind the US/Worldwide Weekend Box Office – 1.14.2024

  OPENINGS:  The musical remake of MEAN GIRLS (Paramount) was within expectations at $28M for the 3-day weekend ($32M is anticipated with the inclusion of Monday’s MLK Day holiday).  The film, which was originally ...
by Mitch Salem
 

 

 

Behind the US/Worldwide Weekend Box Office – 1.7.2024

  OPENINGS:  The traditional horror movie start of the new year was provided by NIGHT SWIM (Blumhouse-Atomic Planet/Universal), although at $12M it was the lowest such arrival since The Grudge started with $11.4M in 2020....
by Mitch Salem
 

 
 

Behind the US/Worldwide Weekend Box Office – 12.24.2023

  OPENINGS:  Christmas Day is one of the highest-grossing days of the year, and it will give a major bump to everything in the market.  Even with that boost, AQUAMAN & THE LOST KINGDOM (DC/Warners) was only able to m...
by Mitch Salem
 

 

 

Behind the US/Worldwide Weekend Box Office – 12.17.2023

  OPENINGS:  WONKA (Warners) kicked off the holiday movie season with $39M, at the upper end of expectations.  As a family entertainment, it can look forward to a high multiple into January, and could reach $200M+ in the...
by Mitch Salem
 

 
 

Behind the US/Worldwide Weekend Box Office – 12.10.2023

  OPENINGS:  Hiyao Miyazaki’s THE BOY AND THE HERON (GKids) exceeded expectations and set a high-water mark for its filmmaker and for non-franchise Japanese animation with a $12.8M launch.  The film will lose its I...
by Mitch Salem
 

 

 

Behind the US/Worldwide Weekend Box Office – 12.3.2023

  OPENINGS:  Beyonce’s concert documentary RENAISSANCE (Variance/AMC Theaters) led the traditionally slow first weekend of December with $21M, a shadow of the $92.8M for the Eras Tour movie a couple of months ago, b...
by Mitch Salem