Film Festivals 2015

[numbersix]

Surely Beasts of No Nation will be categorised as a day-and-date release instead of a TV movie, and thus is eligible? Isn't Netflix considered a VOD platform more than a traditional broadcasting network?

As for Suffragette, it may ruffle some feathers but if the academy can vote for a film like 12 Years A Slave, then surely they can vote for a film about a key moment in women's rights?

[Buscemi]

Studios treat Netflix as a pay cable network much like HBO, Showtime, and Starz, seeing how the company has been able to ink exclusive pay cable agreements and compete for others (VOD services such as Vudu, CinemaNow, and Google Play do not have this luxury due to the First Sale Doctrine and antitrust laws). And unlike VOD platforms, Netflix is a subscription service with monthly fees rather than a pay-per-view system.

As for Suffragette, there are two major reasons why it can't exactly be compared to 12 Years a Slave. First, it's not from the Fox Searchlight machine (sure, Focus does spend a good amount of money on Oscar campaigns but not on the level of Fox Searchlight or Weinstein). And second, a lot of the older voters will not respond well to a feminist-themed movie where much of the audience appeal will be younger than the average voters' age of 63.

[numbersix]

More reviews coming out.

The Martian reviews are pretty positive. Could mean big business for the film.

Demolition is getting very mixed reviews. Probably pointless to have an Oscar campaign for this one.

Our Brand is Crisis is getting decent reviews for Bullock's performance but the rest of the film's quality is debatable.

Trumbo's awards hopes seem slim.

I Saw the Light ain't impressing too many folk, either.

Not sure what will win in Toronto, though there are plenty more to come.

[Buscemi]

Still unsure about The Martian's box office chances. Interstellar didn't perform so well in some middle America markets due to the science elements and this one's even more heavy into science (and there's the problem with Scott's recent track record). Gravity was a bigger movie because it avoided being scientific (well, that and it was only 90 minutes).

Also, audiences unfamiliar with the book could see deja vu with Interstellar and the whole "stranding Matt Damon on a planet" thing.

Sure, it will open well (better than Exodus but probably not a monster) but will it hold?

[numbersix]

I think the film's marketing has been pushing it more into the Gravity territory and deliberately trying to avoid comparisons to Interstellar.

As for Interstellar, it wasn't the science that made it underperform, it was the film's length plus the utterly nonsensical last 30 minutes which spread bad word of mouth. The Martian is portraying itself as a much more straight-forward rescue movie.

[Chienfantome]

The Martian is gonna be big, Boosch, whether you like it or not mwahahahahahahaha (evil laugh of the guy who's got The Martian in the FY draft)

[W]

The Martian is gonna be big, Boosch, whether you like it or not mwahahahahahahaha (evil laugh of the guy who's got The Martian in the FY draft)

I think the same thing which is why I have it too.

That really bums me out on I Saw the Light. Still really want to see it though.

[JohnErle]

The VIFF lineup was announced a while back, and there's a few titles I'll try to catch. Cop Car looks like a must-see, The Anarchists is a definite maybe, and possibly a Canadian film called Into The Forest with Ellen Page and Evan Rachel Wood.

[Buscemi]

Interesting that they'll be showing Cop Car, as that hits Blu-ray in two weeks.

[JohnErle]

I didn't know that, and didn't even realize it had already been released in the US, to little or no fanfare, apparently, and even less box office. It must not have gotten a release in Canada, or it probably would have played here already.

[Buscemi]

Yeah, Focus pretty much dumped it once they realized they couldn't reinvent the label as a genre house (that's why Gramercy was relaunched for said movies). Weirdly, it was still released as a Focus title but under the day-and-date Focus World label.

[Chienfantome]

There are quite a few interesting Korean films announced at VIFF, John...

[JohnErle]

Interesting is subjective, Chien. Be happy I mentioned a French film.

[numbersix]

Cop Car is worth watching, though full of problems. Think it'll be fun to watch with a crowd because of the humour.

Go see AAAAAAAAH if you want to see something completely different.

Green Room is very good but not if you're expecting a coherent plot.

The Lobster is great but you might want to see if you like Dogtooth first.

Dheepan, Victoria, and High-Rise are three films I really want to see.

[Buscemi]

I was reading Hitfix's Toronto coverage and along with a strong criticism of the festival (agreeing with many of my problems with them), suggested that Spotlight could win the big prize. That would be good for my full year slate ( ) but definitely a surprise as it was under the radar before this month (though it had been testing through the roof).