“Sunshine Cleaning” acquired
I missed Christine Jeffs‘ Sunshine Cleaning when I was at Sundance, but I heard almost nothing about it afterward. People were apparently underwhelmed. But now, four weeks after the festival’s end, Variety‘s Winter Miller and Anne Thompson are reporting that it’s been picked up by Overture Films for roughly $2 million. Sunshine Cleaning was “deemed a tough sell for its gory subject matter,” they comment, and it was also considered a “hard sell at Sundance because the filmmakers were trying to recoup their cost, which insiders say was about $7 million.”
Emily Blunt is really hot in this…in a pothead burnout kind of way…
I knew this a week ago… (and it was on our database page as such) so I’m not sure what took Variety so long.
Could someone tell me…when a company buys a movie at a festival, they’re buying the rights to show that either domestically or internationally. Is that the only money the filmmakers will see, or are they also negotiating back-ends and some-such else…like when Hamlet 2 sells for, what was it, 10 million…is that all the money the investors will see for their investment? I just don’t see how these huge deals at Sundance are so good if they’re just recouping their cost.
And Mr. Wells: How do you think Obama did tonight?
I think about 17 people will pay to see this movie.
The “denounce/reject” moment summed up the campaign. She was trying to get him on one of those bullshit gotchas that the media would hound a normal candidate with for weeks, and he made a quizzical “what the fuck?” face, chuckled at it, patted her on the head and totally defused it, while she sat there taking a few extra swings at empty air.
Obama is technically a baby boomer but like a lot of us born at the tail end, we’re too young to have actually enjoyed that whole 60s youth-rules-the-world-bullshit, we grew up in the pinched and screwed up 70s, not the narcissistic 60s, and the humorless counterculture know it alls were the grownups hectoring us, who we made fun of. So when Obama declares that the boomer time in office is now dead, 1992 to 2008, RIP, it’s with a mocking irony which is entirely lost on a representative of the I’m Always Right And Here To Teach You generation. As much as anything, I think that’s what’s satisfying about Hillary’s failure, it’s seeing the Saturday Night Live generation making fun of the Woodstock generation’s self-appointed saints, Bill Murray destroying Joan Baez with deadpan sarcasm.
As someone who became aware in the ’60s I could almost take offense at Mgmax’s comments, but being the man I am, I’ll just smile and nod and be glad Obama is close to being nominated. Then I’ll replace London Calling with Birth of the Cool and have another brew.
smells like a dvd to me…i like amy adams so i’d check it out just for her. emily blunt is hot too.
Wow Mgmax. I guess the benefits of not being a “boomer” is your smug apathy at the thought of “Bill Murray destroying Joan Baez with deadpan sarcasm.” That’s some battle. It’s always easy for a smartass to laugh at sincerity. Like Ayn Rand says, you can’t be solemn with a giggle. But that giggle represents somebody trying to destroy because they’re insecure with their lack of balls.
So when Baez was marching with civil rights group, the kind Obama would praise, where was Murray’s withering superior selfishness that you’re so proud of? Where were you? Allow me to project that you were raised in a privileged environment as is obvious from your detachment to reality. Or were you hurt as a young liberal? What happened?
You’re the veritable poster child of the GOP just like your mamma’s boy Bush, who snorted blow and drank himself into self-righteous Christianism. And to hear that cokehead try to paint the 60′s as “if it feels good do it” when it’s you and him and scum like Rove who operate on that exact emotional level. You see the result of their instincts in America today. 19 percent approval, the GOP in the toilet and the country in recession. Not to mention an endless bungled invasion with no way out.
And of course, Hillary was a Young Republican during her 60′s tenure, so it’s funny to hear you try to lump her in with the counter-culture or activists. She was more like you. Selfish.
Mgmax, despite christian’s sputtering, that is the best thing I’ve ever read from you. Well said. Joan, you ignorant slut.
Re SUNSHINE CLEANING:
Can’t remember the title but isn’t it the same premise as a film with Angela Jones (the cabbie in PULP FICTION)that came out in the last decade?
Burma, I love it when you said my values were cancer, because you’ve demonstrated your inner Republican values over the past few columns, especially that nasty “Don’t be a cunt,” mocking a woman who lost her love in a tsunami, and calling a gentle artist like Joan Baez, an ignorant slut. Hate women much? I guess my values would be cancerous to somebody with so much inner rage.
Saw it at Sundance. Passable, but not great. Adams and Blunt are strong, Alan Arkin is a little too close in spirit to his (un-Oscar-worthy) Little Miss Sunshine character. Has no chance of breaking out of the arthouse ghetto.
Btw, poor Amy Adams (whom I lovelovelove!, it should be noted). Talk about being hung out to dry at the Oscars–in an unflattering outfit with no production values whatsoever in the “Happy Working Song” number. The “Enchanted” numbers work fine in the context of the movie–not so much on Oscar night.
Christian, MgMax: Do I have to pull over and stop the car? Give it a rest girls. stop the “Fists of Fury”. You’ll get penis elbow.
christian, either stop drinking, or start. And grow the fuck up.
And it’s nice to know my sins are being catalouged by a true stalker creep. In the Nemcova thread I was picking up on the previous mentions of tsunami. Perhaps a poor choice of a play on words. As for cunt, I think demanding that the singers of ONCE have a bullet put through their head does qualify someone as a cunt. And how does a Kitsch Master like you not get a Classic Weekend Update reference circa 70s? As for women, I’m sure my girlfriend would agree I’ve got my issues just like everybody. Does it occur to you I might not even agree with all that Mgmax said, just found it amusing? I wouldn’t expect a child like you to understand that you can appreciate something without agreeing with it.
When you finally get with a girl again, be sure to tell her how cool you are and how much you love all of them. This should be in about 9 years. The 1960s should be over by then.
The “denounce/reject” moment summed up the campaign. She was trying to get him on one of those bullshit gotchas that the media would hound a normal candidate with for weeks, and he made a quizzical “what the fuck?” face, chuckled at it, patted her on the head and totally defused it, while she sat there taking a few extra swings at empty air.
Obama is technically a baby boomer but like a lot of us born at the tail end, we’re too young to have actually enjoyed that whole 60s youth-rules-the-world-bullshit, we grew up in the pinched and screwed up 70s, not the narcissistic 60s, and the humorless counterculture know it alls were the grownups hectoring us, who we made fun of. So when Obama declares that the boomer time in office is now dead, 1992 to 2008, RIP, it’s with a mocking irony which is entirely lost on a representative of the I’m Always Right And Here To Teach You generation. As much as anything, I think that’s what’s satisfying about Hillary’s failure, it’s seeing the Saturday Night Live generation making fun of the Woodstock generation’s self-appointed saints, Bill Murray destroying Joan Baez with deadpan sarcasm.
“Sunshine Cleaning” was one of the few films I enjoyed at Sundance. I was surprised it wasn’t picked up for big money there since Adams is coming off of “Enchanted” and it seems like the kind of film that would be right up Fox Searchlight’s alley. I’m fucking baffled by the fact that they didn’t pick up “The Wackness” (presumably because they already had “Charlie Bartlett”) or “Hamlet 2″ (with their marketing, it would be bigger than “Napoleon Dynamite,” even if I wasn’t a fan) either, but did pick up “Choke” (plays like someone who liked “Fight Club,” but doesn’t understand why it worked).
Searchlight can market almost any film to success beyond most indie films’ dreams, but their taste this year just baffles me.
Here’s what I love: The people who seem to be embracing Obama’s “Change!” brand of idealism are the same ones championing No Country For Old Men, a film who’s main point is that the belief anything changes (people, times) is foolish narcissism.
Yeah, but Gordie, one thing you’re talking about is a real person, the other thing is a work of fiction. To borrow Burma’s point, I don’t need to agree with it to respect it.
So I think that’s a moot point.
I’ll champion The Big Lebowski any day of the week too, that doesn’t necessarily mean I embrace nihilism or bowling.
Pull the Tregro, Christian.
The people who are embracing Obama’s “change”: mantra are the ones most afraid of the changes we’ve seen over the last 30 years– afraid of an end to Kissingerian dictator-coddling and stability in the middle east and supporting democratic movements, however imperfect; afraid of the fast-paced creative destruction of the market economy, which has made us all wealthier but more nervous; afraid of a world not comfortably balanced between two superpowers.
But then the 60s was the era of peace and love– and half the songs are about imminent apocalypse, which occasionally someone tried to make true (the Weather Underground, the Mansons, etc.) I’ll be happy to see a cool ironist in the White House over someone made in the days of rage and the long Soviet-drab years of identity politics and political correctness.
Mgmax:
Stability in the middle east? Supporting Democratic movements? Made us all wealthier? My god, I hope I missed something and you’re being sarcastic…because NO ONE can be that ignorant in the 21st century…besides Walter Sobchak, of course.
Stability in the Eastern bloc? Supporting Dissident movements? Made us all wealthier? My god, I hope I missed something and you’re being sarcastic… because no one can be that ignorant in the 1980s… besides Ronald Reagan, of course.
Can we limit the political discussion to the political threads? Jeff starts plenty of those every day.
Sheesh, I enjoy the political debates but this IS a movie blog, right?
Ya. Just for that, I’m going to repost my thoughts on Sunshine since thats what this thread was started for:
“Sunshine Cleaning” was one of the few films I enjoyed at Sundance. I was surprised it wasn’t picked up for big money there since Adams is coming off of “Enchanted” and it seems like the kind of film that would be right up Fox Searchlight’s alley. I’m fucking baffled by the fact that they didn’t pick up “The Wackness” (presumably because they already had “Charlie Bartlett”) or “Hamlet 2″ (with their marketing, it would be bigger than “Napoleon Dynamite,” even if I wasn’t a fan) either, but did pick up “Choke” (plays like someone who liked “Fight Club,” but doesn’t understand why it worked).
Searchlight can market almost any film to success beyond most indie films’ dreams, but their taste this year just baffles me.
Mgmax:
You’re funny. It’s like talking to my dad…I think he’s senile.
Yeah, well, thank him for the fact that you don’t have to hold the conversation in Russkie, you little snot-nosed hippie punk!
more like talking to the dad in “family guy.”
The last time the meteors came, we thought the sky was on fire. Naturally, we blamed the Irish. We hanged more ‘n a few.
“And grow the fuck up.”
Spoken like a truly mature supporter of HOPE CHANGE INSPIRATION. But let’s face it BS, you’re a confused Republican.
And my girlfriend is just fine thanks.
I think everybody (well, christian at least) missed Burma’s continuation of the SNL rip: It was Dan Akroyd, not Bill Murray, who called Jane Curtin “an ignorant slut” on a classic Weekend Update news skit. So I think calling Burma a misogynist is not really applicable…
or granpa simpson
I got it, it just made as little sense as Mgmax’s invocation of the 60′s as Bill Murray vs. Joan Baez.
Oh, and William Buckley RIP.
At least before he passed on, he admitted the Iraq war was wrong and that marijuana should be legal. God and Man at Heaven?
got it too; was as close to accuracy as he usually gets, so i let it pass;
it’s like identifying joan baez as a saint of the woodstock generation; it would have made more sense if she actually appeared at woodstock.
Pull the Tregro, Christian.
The people who are embracing Obama’s “change”: mantra are the ones most afraid of the changes we’ve seen over the last 30 years– afraid of an end to Kissingerian dictator-coddling and stability in the middle east and supporting democratic movements, however imperfect; afraid of the fast-paced creative destruction of the market economy, which has made us all wealthier but more nervous; afraid of a world not comfortably balanced between two superpowers.
But then the 60s was the era of peace and love– and half the songs are about imminent apocalypse, which occasionally someone tried to make true (the Weather Underground, the Mansons, etc.) I’ll be happy to see a cool ironist in the White House over someone made in the days of rage and the long Soviet-drab years of identity politics and political correctness.
it’s like identifying joan baez as a saint of the woodstock generation; it would have made more sense if she actually appeared at woodstock.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XWwF8WlIqlY
Stability in the Eastern bloc? Supporting Dissident movements? Made us all wealthier? My god, I hope I missed something and you’re being sarcastic… because no one can be that ignorant in the 1980s… besides Ronald Reagan, of course.
Yeah, well, thank him for the fact that you don’t have to hold the conversation in Russkie, you little snot-nosed hippie punk!
The last time the meteors came, we thought the sky was on fire. Naturally, we blamed the Irish. We hanged more ‘n a few.
it’s like identifying joan baez as a saint of the woodstock generation; it would have made more sense if she actually appeared at woodstock.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XWwF8WlIqlY