Black Sheep @ The Box Office

Before the weekend started, early predictions were that THE SOCIAL NETWORK would debut on top with approximately $27 million. That seemed a little low for me. Everyone I knew wanted to see this movie but apparently couldn't pull themselves away from Facebook to see the film opening weekend. It still debuted on top but came in on the lower end of expectations with $23 million. Still, the response to the film has been phenomenal from both audiences and critics alike so the David Fincher film should have strong legs in the weeks ahead. Last week's champ, WALL STREET: MONEY NEVER SLEEPS suffered a sizable 46% drop with this new kid in town.

Other debuts this week might as well not have bothered. Considering it was being dumped anyway, the Renee Zellwegger dud, CASE 39, shouldn't mind coming in 7th place. That said, coming in below that is pretty embarrassing for Matt Reeves' LET ME IN. I would say that purists refused to see the remake but it wasn't made for them anyway.

Below the Top 10, CATFISH (+34%), WAITING FOR SUPERMAN (+192%) and YOU WILL MEET A TALL DARK STRANGER (+45%) saw solid increases follow their modest expansions. BURIED and NEVER LET ME GO slowed somewhat. Both pictures are still expected to go wider next week, much wider.

NEXT WEEK: What a dreadful week to go to the movies next week. Catch something you missed because I see no reason to get excited about the Katherine Heigl comedy, LIFE AS WE KNOW IT (3100 screens) or the Diane Lane horse movie, SECRETARIAT (2500 screens). Of course you could catch MY SOUL TO TAKE in 3D. Who doesn't love horror flying off the screen at you? Even the art house crowd gets shafted with the big disappointment, IT'S KIND OF A FUNNY STORY. Better luck the week after I guess.

Source: Box Office Mojo

TIFF Review: NEVER LET ME GO

Written by Alex Garland

Directed by Mark Romanek

Starring Carey Mulligan, Keira Knightley and Andrew Garfield

Famed music video director, Mark Romanek, takes on Kazuo Ishiguro’s much loved and heavily praised novel, NEVER LET ME GO, as his second venture into feature filmmaking. It is a daring challenge indeed given the underlying questions about the value of human life but Romanek takes the challenge head on. I have not read the novel but, from what I understand, he gets the tone just right. That said, if the tone is meant to be one of cold disassociation, than perhaps it was never meant to be a film to begin with.

NEVER LET ME GO is a hybrid of science fiction and romantic drama. The prologue to the film tells us that a medical breakthrough discovered in 1967 has increased the life expectancy of human beings to over 100 years but does not tell us how. We are then introduced to Kathy, Tommy and Ruth (Carey Mulligan, Andrew Garfield and Keira Knightley, respectively) in 1978 at a boarding school called Hailsham. There is clearly something special about this school and the children that go there and it is our job to piece that together bit by bit. While that is happening though, a love triangle develops between these friends that is meant to be this great affront to love. It seems secondary to the mystery awaiting us and therefore never feels meaningful even after the mystery is solved.

When a younger Kathy sits on her bed, listening to fictional singer, Judy Bridgewater, sing, “Never, never, never let me go,” she cries quietly to herself and yearns to know what that feels like. She looks human, she emotes like a human but she knows she isn’t like everyone else. Watching the film, NEVER LET ME GO, is perhaps best exemplified in this scene. Like the little girl, it too wants to be held and cherished, for its beautiful imagery and solid performances, but whether or not that is even possible is up for debate. Again, like the little girl, the film too might be lacking a soul.

TIFF'D: Wednesday, September 15

Day 7 is a strange day at TIFF for me.  It feels to some extent like the festival ended yesterday.  I have no more interviews.  There are only press screenings scheduled still for the next couple of days.  Past that, I will try to catch some public screenings if they’re not off sale.  The first half was insanity.  I ran around everywhere and had plenty to report on but with things dying down now, I don’t have nearly as much to do nor do I have as much to report on.  And to top it off, I have a full on head cold.

I figure I will just let you know what to expect from Black Sheep Reviews for the remainder of the festival.  Tomorrow will feature a re view of Danny Boyle’s 127 HOURS, the follow up to the Oscar winning phenomenon, SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE.  That’s about it though.  I am seeing three movies tomorrow and as I really should be in bed instead of in a theatre, I will be taking it as easy as possible.

Friday will feature a special weekend edition of TIFF Bits.  The last weekend of the festival tends to bring back many festival favourites and I will do my best to steer you toward the best films playing in the last weekend of this incredible festival.  Getting tickets is your problem though. 

Friday will also feature a review of NEVER LET ME GO, which I will be seeing in just a half hour.  Saturday will feature the last TIFF review and it is for one of my favourites from the festival, Joaquin Phoenix documentary, I’M STILL HERE.

On the last day of TIFF, I will give you my recap of the entire experience and run down for you my Top 5 TIFF films as well as my choice for the worst film I caught at TIFF.  I still have about ten or s films before those choices are made and plan on doing my best for you in my now somewhat limited physical capacity.

Thanks again for all your support.

Happy TIFF!