AWARDS HEADLINES
SSN Screening Series: Charlie Kaufman and the Filmmakers Behind ‘Anomalisa’ Take Us Inside Its Bootstrap, Meticulous Production
Last night at the Landmark Theater, SSN Insider held a screening of the film, which Paramount is releasing December 30th. The stop-motion animated feature has so far scored a staggering 100 percent on Rotten Tomatoes out of 40 reviews. It’s no wonder as it came from the mind of Academy Award winner Charlie Kaufman (Being John Malkovich, Adaptation, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind) who was the co-director, writer and producer of the film. (SSN)
Academy Narrows the Race For Best Original Song To a Perfectly Manageable List Of 74
Among the titles that made the cut are “A Simple Song” from Youth, “See You Again” from Furious 7, “Love Me Like You Do” from Fifty Shades Of Grey, “Better When I’m Dancin’” from The Peanuts Movie, and numerous songs each from movies like Chi-Raq, Creed, Danny Collins, Home, and Pan, among others. Click the link for the whole list. (HRA)
In Case You Were Wondering, There’s a Pretty Impressive List Of Composers In Contention For Oscar This Year
Names like Carter Burwell and Thomas Newman are joined by Pixar veteran Michael Giacchino, as well as Room composer Stephen Rennicks, The Revenant’s Ryuichi Sakamoto, and Brian Tyler of Truth. They join a host of others looking to score Oscar gold in 2016. (IC)
OTHER HEADLINES
SSN Box Office Trending Report for 12/11/15: Will ‘In The Heart of the Sea’ Conjure Tidal Waves or Merely a Ripple in Theaters?
In our latest weekly series, SSN Insider will take a deep dive into the film ticket sales of the week leveraging data from the powerhouse ticketing website, MovieTickets.com. Not only will the infographic pinpoint which movies are claiming the largest piece of the pie from day to day in terms of sales but also which film had the biggest uptick in terms of a percentage variance surge and which had the biggest downtick or steepest dive between any two points. (SSN)
On the Set For 12/11/15: James Franco and Seth Rogen Start ‘The Disaster Artist’, Owen Wilson and Ed Helms Wrap ‘Bastards
As the year starts rolling toward its end, fewer films are starting up and more are wrapping. Among the former is the remake of Billionaire Boys Club with Ansel Elgart, Taron Egerton and Kevin Spacey, while the new Iron Sky sequel and Tom Ford’s Nocturnal Animals are among the latter. Head over to SSN Insider for the full skinny. (SSN)
Moviegoers Outside Of New York and Los Angeles Can See ‘The Hateful Eight’ Sooner Than Expected
In a move that should please Quentin Tarantino fans across the country, The Weinstein Company has moved up the nationwide release of his eighth film from its previously announced January 8th date to New Year’s Day. The movie will open wide on January 1st with its 35mm digital print version. The movie will still open on Christmas Day at select theaters capable of playing the movie on 70mm film. (IW)
Mark Your Calendars, as STX Sets Release Dates For Three Upcoming Films
New studio has dated a trio of releases, all set to hit theaters in late summer/early fall of 2016. An untitled comedy, previously called Bad Moms, starring Mila Kunis, Christina Applegate and Kristen Bell, is out August 19th. Out on Sept. 30th is a yet to be titled coming-of-age dramedy starring Hailee Steinfeld, Haley Lu Richardson, Woody Harrelson and Blake Jenner. Finally, horror-thriller Bye Bye Man will hit theaters on Oct. 14th. (THR)
Fox Buys a Pair Of New Dramas From Super Producers Temple Hill
Fox has given a script commitment with penalty to two drama projects from Wyck Godfrey and Marty Bowen’s Temple Hill (Rosewood) — a dance show written/executive produced by Richard LaGravenese and executive produced by Dancing With The Stars’ Julianne Hough and medical show Juarez General from Oz creator Tom Fontana. Both will be produced by 20th Century Fox TV, where Temple Hill is under an overall deal, with Godfrey and Bowen executive producing. (DH)
When Something Works, It Works: ‘The Wiz’ Producers Reteaming With Choreographer for NBC Dance Drama
Network has picked up a script from The Wiz executive producers Neil Meron and Craig Zadan that’s based on the life of the live musical’s choreographer, Fatima Robinson. Inspired by Robinson’s life as a dancer-turned-choreographer, the untitled drama is set in Los Angeles with early plans to set it in the 1990s, as dance begins to dominate pop culture on the streets and clubs that gave birth to hip-hop dance. (LF)
NBC Also Wants More a Few Episodes Of ‘Chicago Med’, Five More, To Be Exact
Peacock has seen enough good numbers for the freshman show to order five additional episodes of the hospital drama, bringing the show’s first-year total to 18. Thanks in part to its potent lead-in from The Voice, it has won its Tuesday 9 p.m. time period in the demo every week. Because of its late start (November 17th), NBC will be set for the year, as it will have 14 episodes available to air January through May. (VAR)