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Venice Film Festival Sticks to 50 Percent Capacity, Welcomes Penelope Cruz, Oscar Isaac, Benedict Cumberbatch, Maggie Gyllenhaal

Roger Friedman
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Venice Film Festival Sticks to 50 Percent Capacity, Welcomes Penelope Cruz, Oscar Isaac, Benedict Cumberbatch, Maggie Gyllenhaal

The Venice Film Festival is keeping their capacity level to 50 % in theaters. But those people who get in will get to see Maggie Gyllenhaal’s directing debut, and stars like Oscar Isaac, Penelope Cruz, and Benedict Cumberbatch. The whole festival should be dedicated to Oscar Isaac, he’s in five different entries including Paul Schrader’s “The Card Counter,” which I really want to see.

Kristin Stewart is starring as Princess Diana in Pablo Larrain’s “Spencer.” Larraine made “Jackie,” the film with Natalie Portman as Jackie Kennedy before Onassis. I sense a theme here!

 

VENEZIA 78 – COMPETITION
Parallel Mothers, dir: Pedro Almodovar
Mona Lisa And The Blood Moon, dir: Ana Lily Amirpour
Un Autre Monde, dir: Stéphane Brizé
The Power Of The Dog, dir: Jane Campion
America Latina, dir: Damiano D’Innocenzo, Fabio D’Innocenzo
L’Evénement, dir: Audrey Diwan
Competencia Oficial, dirs: Gaston Duprat, Mariano Cohn
Il Buco, dir: Michelangelo Frammartino
Sundown, dir: Michel Franco
Illusions Perdues, dir: Xavier Giannoli
The Lost Daughter, dir: Maggie Gyllenhaal
Spencer, dir: Pablo Larrain
Freaks Out, dir: Gabriele Mainetti
Qui Rido Io, dir: Mario Martone
On The Job: The Missing 8, dir: Erik Matti
Leave No Traces, dir: Jan P Matuszynski
Captain Volkonogov Escaped, dirs: Natasha Merkulova, Aleksey Chupov
The Card Counter, dir: Paul Schrader
The Hand Of God, dir: Paolo Sorrentino
La Caja, dir: Lorenzo Vigas
Reflection, dir: Valentyn Vasyanovych

OUT OF COMPETITION – FICTION
Il Bambino Nascosto, dir: Roberto Ando
Les Choses Humaines, dir: Yvan Attal

The Hand Of God, dir: Paolo Sorrentino
La Caja, dir: Lorenzo Vigas
Reflection, dir: Valentyn Vasyanovych

OUT OF COMPETITION – FICTION
Il Bambino Nascosto, dir: Roberto Ando
Les Choses Humaines, dir: Yvan Attal
Ariaferma, dir: Leonardo Di Costanzo
Halloween Kills, dir: David Gordon Green
La Scuola Cattolica, dir: Stefano Mordini
Old Henry, dir: Potsy Ponciroli
The Last Duel, dir: Ridley Scott
Dune, dir: Denis Villeneuve
Last Night In Soho, dir: Edgar Wright

OUT OF COMPETITION – NON-FICTION
Life Of Crime 1984-2020, dir: Jon Alpert
Tranchées, dir: Loup Bureau
Viaggio Nel Crepuscolo, dir: Augusto Contento
Republic Of Silence, dir: Diana El Jeiroudi
Hallelujah: Leonard Cohen, A Journey, A Song, dirs: Daniel Geller, Dayna Goldfine
Deandré#Deandré Storio Di Un Impiegato, dir: Roberta Lena

Django & Django, dir: Luca Rea
Ezio Bosso. Le Cose Che Restano, dir: Giorgio Verdelli

OUT OF COMPETITION – SERIES
Scenes From A Marriage (Episodes 1-5), dir: Hagai Levi

OUT OF COMPETITION – SHORT FILMS
Plastic Semiotic, dir: Radu Jude
The Night, dir: Tsai Ming-liang
Sad Film, dir: Vasili

SPECIAL SCREENINGS
Le 7 Giornate Di Bergamo, dir: Simona Ventura
La Biennale Di Venezia: Il Cinema Al Tempo Del Covid, dir: Andrea Segre

HORIZONS EXTRA
Land Of Dreams, dirs: Shirin Neshat, Shoja Azari
Costa Brava, dir: Mounia Akl
Mama I’m Home, dir: Vladimir Bitokov
Ma Nuit, dir: Antoinette Boulat
La Ragazza Ha Volato, dir: Wilma Labate
7 Prisoners, dir: Alexandre Moratto
The Blind Man Who Did Not Want To See Titanic, dir: Teemu Nikki
La Macchina Delle Immagini Di Alfredo C, dir: Roland Sejko

HORIZONS
Les Promesses, dir: Thomas Kruithof
Atlantide, dir: Yuri Ancarani
Miracle, dir: Bogdan George Apetri
Pilgrims, dir: Laurynas Bareisa
Il Paradiso Del Pavone, dir: Laura Bispuri
The Falls, dir: Chung Mong-Hong
El Hoyo En La Cerca, dir: Joaquin Del Paso
Amira, dir: Mohamed Diab
A Plein Temps, dir: Eric Gravel
107 Mothers, dir: Peter Kerekes
Vera Dreams Of The Sea, dir: Kaltrina Krasniqi
White Building, dir: Kavich Neang
Anatomy Of Time, dir: Jakrawal Nilthamrong
El Otro Tom, dirs: Rodrigo Pla, Laura Santullo
El Gran Movimento, dir: Kiro Russo
Once Upon A Time In Calcutta, dir: Aditya Vikram Sengupta
Rhino, dir: Oleg Sentsov
True Things, dir: Harry Wootliff
Inu-Oh, dir: Yuasa Masaaki

Indie Spirit Awards Double Down on Insignificance, Move Away from Oscars Weekend in 2022

Roger Friedman
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Indie Spirit Awards Double Down on Insignificance, Move Away from Oscars Weekend in 2022

No one watches the Indie Spirit Awards on the IFC Channel. The annual event takes place, usually, the afternoon before the Oscars and tries to mix indie films with quasi-studio pictures. The result is a lot of the same people win or are nominated for both awards.

On IFC, the total audience clocks in at less than 100,000 or fewer viewers. This past April, they taped their show during the week, then broadcast it at 10pm on IFC. The audience was down to 73,000.

So what to do now? Why not move the show away from Oscars weekend to an island in March when no one’s in town or around? That’s the plan, anyway. The Spirit Awards will now be given on March 6th, three weeks before the Academy Awards and before voting for them is over, as well.

Film Independent, the group that runs the Spirits, think this will make them Oscar influencers. I doubt it. They’ve drained whatever buzz there is for the Spirits by cutting them loose from the main stem. Now they’ll take place over the weekend before the Oscars nominees lunch.

The real era of independent filmmaking is over. This year’s Spirit winners were Searchlight’s “Nomadland,” funded by 20th Century Fox, now Disney. And in a year when all the talk was about Black Lives Matter, no Black actors won anything at the Spirit Awards. To get them off the hook, they handed off their Robert Altman Award ensemble to Regina King’s “One Night in Miami.” (The National Board of Review does the same thing now, bestow a largesse on a Black movie to avoid giving them a real award.)

Todd Boehly, Who Owns Parts of the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Hollywood Reporter, Adds Hot New Platform for Celebrity Fan Bases

Roger Friedman
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Todd Boehly, Who Owns Parts of the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Hollywood Reporter, Adds Hot New Platform for Celebrity Fan Bases

Tech talk: Laylo, you got me on your knees. Not Layla. (Eric Clapton’s on the out list right now.)

Todd Boehly — he owns 20% the LA Dodgers, the Hollywood Reporter, and Dick Clark Productions, among other things — is investing a big piece of cash in Laylo, a new online platform.

Boehly is the yin to Jay Penske’s yang, the dueling Hollywood moguls who are busy buying up whatever looks interesting. His outfit is called Eldridge, and Laylo is described as a “full featured customer relationship management platform empowering content creators to identify, connect with, and grow their fan bases.”

What? Here’s the story: Laylo was founded in 2017 by music industry veterans Alec Ellin, Chief Executive Officer, and Saj Sanghvi, Chief Technology Officer. “The platform gives creators the ability to efficiently identify and communicate directly with their fans, including automatic notifications for new releases of content, merchandise, and events. In less than five minutes creators can build landing pages for upcoming drops and own their data; harness audience data to drive more streams, sales, and engagement; and notify their fans via text, e-mail, Facebook Messenger, or Discord when a drop becomes available.”

It’s about staying in touch, big time. Boehly’s investment brings Laylo’s total funds raised to more than $5 million.

Boehly was a Guggenheim Partner when he got the idea to buy the Hollywood Reporter, one of the firm’s assets. He got Billboard in the package, picked up Dick Clark Productions, and started MRC, which put money into movie companies A24 and Fulwell (in Britain). He merged the media parts with Jay Penske’s PMC, but kept his hand in the game this summer when he made a bid to take over the Golden Globes from the Hollywood Foreign Press. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

So we’ll check out laylo.com, and start building a fan base!

 

 

The Hollywood Seven Year Itch: Scooter Braun, John Mulaney File Papers to Divorce Their Wives

Roger Friedman
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The Hollywood Seven Year Itch: Scooter Braun, John Mulaney File Papers to Divorce Their Wives

Billy Wilder’s comedy, “The Seven Year Itch,” is 66 years old. But it comes to mind this week as two celebrity marriages are ending after just seven years.

In the case of music manager Scooter Braun, the 7 years also produced three children. But Scooter, whose clients include Justin Bieber, Ariana Grande, and Demi Lovato, seems sanguine about divorcing Israeli mining heir Yael Cohen. Rather than wallow in depression, his Instagram account clearly shows he’s moving on.

 

Comedian John Mulaney is divorcing his wife, Anna Marie Tendler, after six plus years. No kids, so that’s a relief. He was addicted to drugs, hid it not so well, went to rehab, left, returned and somehow managed to segue into a relationship with Olivia Munn without missing a beat.

Mulaney also turned most of the story into a show that sold out 25 times at New York’s City Winery, and now he’s taken it on the road. Talk about multi-tasking! When I saw the show, at the first performance, he said his “interventionist” was with him. Still, I wonder? Will Mulaney never return to observational humor? Or will he just keep recounting how be bought hard drugs on the street? My guess is, he’ll stick to the script since “From Scratch” is sold out at Boston’s Wilbur Theater. A Netflix special seems guaranteed.

Of course, there’s also JLo and Ben Affleck, the most public celebrity couple in years. They’ve driven the point home at every opportunity: we’re shagging like crazy! Driving around in expensive cars! Shopping for mansions! Their kids, all of them, should immediately be shown Carrie Fisher’s HBO special, “Wishful Drinking,” and start taking copious notes. Scooter’s kids, too. The crop of tell-alls in 2030 will be splendiferous!

Of course, Maddox, Pax, and Shiloh Jolie Pitt may beat them to it at this point. I have a feeling Shiloh already has an agent.

 

No “Donda,” No Cry: Kanye West Album May Come August 6th, He’s Moved into Mercedes Stadium in Atlanta

Roger Friedman
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No “Donda,” No Cry: Kanye West Album May Come August 6th, He’s Moved into Mercedes Stadium in Atlanta

Sing after me: No Donda no cry, no Donda no cry.

There is no actual sign of Kanye West’s “Donda” album. The exact thing happened one year ago this week. He announced it, released album art, and never produced anything.

TMZ says he’s moved into Mercedes Benz Stadium in Atlanta, where he had his circus like Emperor Has No Clothes presentation last week. He played snippets of “music” and stood in the middle of the papered stadium, crying over his lost marriage. It was PR writ large with a big dose of bipolar.

Kanye has since been seen wandering around Mercedes Benz stadium during other events, like the ghost of Hip Hop past. The implication is that he never left, or that he couldn’t leave. Various minions post to social media that he’s settled in there and working hard to make the album.

I don’t think it will happen. And if it does, someday — they’re saying now August 6th — it will be a bust. He’s lost a lot of his audience over his politics, Trump, “Slavery is a choice,” and so on.

I’d be more concerned that he’s wearing a reddish orange jacket that looks flammable. Is this part of his line for the Gap? They must be having a heart attack. Millions have been spent by the Gap on Kanye to revive themselves. This will end in tears, no doubt.

Box Office: “Snake Eyes” Snuffed by “Old” In Battle of Bad Films Over Lackluster Weekend

Roger Friedman
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Box Office: “Snake Eyes” Snuffed by “Old” In Battle of Bad Films Over Lackluster Weekend

This was not a happy box office story unless you were The Rock.

He once starred in a  “GI Joe” movie that made a lot of money. This weekend, he soldiered on in “F9,” one of the big hits of the post pandemic summer.

The new “GI Joe,” called “Snake Eyes,” was a disaster. It made $13.3 million in its opening weekend, having cost $88 million. At least. Paramount, having great success still with “A Quiet Place II,” crapped out here. Maybe foreign territories will pitch in.

“Snake Eyes” had terrible reviews, and was beaten by another bad movie, “Old,” directed by M. Night Shyamalan. “Old” pulled in $16 million. I can’t imagine anyone liked it. Critics didn’t. “Old” had a small budget — and looks it– just $18 million, so they’ve made their money back. But you’ll never get back those two hours.

“Joe Bell,” a movie for which Mark Walhberg gained a lot of weight, was one of his worst openers of all time — just $700K. Released by Roadside, er Roadkill Attractions which can take almost any star and destroy their cume. The per screen average was just $646 at 1.094 theaters. People spend more than that at Wahlburgers. (Not really.)

“Space Jam 2” fell by 69%, erasing its gains, collapsing under its own weight. New total: $51 million, which is what LeBron James spends on lunch.

The sorta Bruce Willis movie I wrote about yesterday, “Midnight in the Switchgrass,” played in one theater in Manhattan and one way out on Long Island so it could qualify for something. Medicare?

Otherwise, “F9,” “Black Widow,” “AQPII,” and “Cruella” continued to be of interest to those willing to venture into theaters.

 

 

Jackie Mason Dies at 93, Hilarious Comedian Turned Borscht Belt Success into Broadway Gold

Roger Friedman
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Jackie Mason Dies at 93, Hilarious Comedian Turned Borscht Belt Success into Broadway Gold

Jackie Mason has died at age 93. He was hilarious, there is no question. From the Borscht Belt to Ed Sullivan to Broadway. He willed himself into a career that spanned decades and had a trajectory that surprised even himself. Jackie won a Tony Award for a special event, his one man show, “The World According to Me,” in 1987. The last time I saw him was in 2011 when I sat next to him at a luncheon. Joan Rivers was getting an award and he was carrying on about her like crazy. I just remember laughing a lot. Jackie, RIP. You got very right wing at the end, but I’ll forgive you.

The New York Times has a good obit up.

Here are some clips. Condolences to his family and friends, to his wife Jill, and his best friend Raoul Felder.

 

 

Watch Nut Jobs Rand Paul, Tucker Carlson Each Get Public Upbraiding That Went Viral

Roger Friedman
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Watch Nut Jobs Rand Paul, Tucker Carlson Each Get Public Upbraiding That Went Viral

Not a good day for Rand Paul, or for Tucker Carlson.

These two dangerous public figures– who dispute the vaccines and are potentially killing people in their wake– got taken to tasik publicly this weekend.

Rand Paul got it on a call in show. Carlson got it in a Montana bait and tackle shop.

The Paul video looks like a set up, but who cares? He deserves it. And Carlson — look at him squirming. He thought he was in his element. But this guy Dan Bailey — fisherman, hunter — socks it to him.

Bailey said: “It’s not everyday you get to tell someone they are the worst person in the world and really mean it! What an asshole! This man has killed more people with vaccine misinformation, he has supported extreme racism, he is a fascist and does more to rip this country apart than anyone that calls themselves an American”


 

 

King James Dethroned: “Space Jam” Dropped a Whopping 77% Friday, Box Office Collapsing

Roger Friedman
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King James Dethroned: “Space Jam” Dropped a Whopping 77% Friday, Box Office Collapsing

Here’s a surprise box office update.

“Space Jam: A New Legacy” dropped 77% last night from last Friday, and its legs are buckling.

King LeBron James and the Warner Bros. souvenir store were literally booming last weekend. They beat “Black Widow” in its second weekend, which launched a plethora of “Marvel is over,” “Marvel is boring” stories.

Hahaha. Well, LOL. Last night “Black Widow” took “Space Jam 2” handily. “BW” has $146 million in the bank, they’re fine, thanks.

On the other hand, “Space Jam 2” with no legs is of concern. It’s still playing very very wide in 4,000 theaters. Are fans watching it at home on HBO Max? Are they not watching it at all because the reviews and word of mouth were bad?

The Olympics will definitely keep people home this weekend. But “Black Widow” — like “Cruella” before  it– seems to have found new life. “Cruella” is going to wind down around $86 million, which is fine. But “Black Widow” will end the weekend around $152 million or better and is still going..

“Summer of Soul” is wrapping up around $2 million, excellent for an archival film. Will the Academy allow it in the Oscars given its material played on TV around the world years ago? Remains to be determined. Will the artists in the film share in its gross receipts? Will there ever be a soundtrack?

Some of these cliffhanger questions will be answered tomorrow.

UPDATE: Clairo Que No: Manufactured Pop Star, Promoted by Rolling Stone, Fails to Sell or Chart Upon Release

Roger Friedman
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UPDATE: Clairo Que No: Manufactured Pop Star, Promoted by Rolling Stone, Fails to Sell or Chart Upon Release

I fell bad for Claire Cottrill, aka Clairo.

The 22 year old singer was turned into a commodity by her father, a marketing exec, in a really cynical attempt to manufacture a star.

It didn’t work.

Clairo was featured as s digital cover of Rolling Stone this month despite no one having ever heard of her. She also appeared on Jimmy Fallon, and was starting to make the media rounds billed as a “star.” Again, no one had ever heard of her.

Her album, “Sling,” was released last week. It sold 2,700 downloads (and maybe CDs if there are any). Total including streaming was 11,500. That was the first flush. According to Buzz Angle, “Sling” has sold 2 copies in the last couple of days.

“Sling” is now completely gone from the iTunes top 200 after briefly appearing at number 100.

Is Cottrill talented? Sure, like lots of young people. She has to put in the time, the gigs, the effort, get her songs out there. It has to happen organically. The public didn’t know what was going on. We were being told Clairo was a star before anyone had heard her music. Also I’d go back to just using Claire Cottrill. It’s an alliterative name, catchy enough. Let Clairo go.

This kind of thing never works. Years ago, Hollywood tried to invent a couple of actresses as stars– Gretchen Mol and Julia Ormond. They were each very talented, and have gone on to solid careers. But putting the horse before the cart– covers of magazines and so on before they were known– made cynics out of everyone. It’s a mistake.

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