Freestyle Releasing
NEW YORK -- To say that an indie movie has the feel of a home movie is normally just an insult, but in the case of Sarah Landon and the Paranormal Hour it's literally the case.
This misbegotten, video-shot attempt at a tween horror franchise -- a sequel has already been promised -- was created by and stars numerous members of the Comrie family from San Diego, who clearly made some sort of deal with the devil, or at least an executive of Freestyle, to get this film into theaters; in a wide release, no less.
The story centers on the efforts of its titular heroine (the appealing if unpolished Rissa Walters), a sort of low-rent Nancy Drew, to solve the mystery of a curse from beyond the grave. The prospective victim is Sarah's friend David (Brian Comrie), whose upcoming death when he hits the age of 21 was promised years earlier by the grieving father (Rusty Hanes) of a young boy killed in a hit-and-run accident involving David's mother. The fact that he died of a heart attack shortly thereafter seems to be no impediment, since his ghost makes periodic appearances to remind us of his sinister intentions.
The film, directed by Lisa Comrie, is amateurish in every respect, from its stilted acting to its ugly video photography to its cliched dialogue to its cheap-looking special effects.
The fact that its lead actress is actually a normal young woman, rather than the anorectic but big-breasted heroines of similar Hollywood-made genre efforts, is to be commended. And the PG-rated film, clearly geared to younger audiences, is refreshingly free of extraneous gore and violence. But that doesn't excuse a substandard execution that is more suited for public access cable television than the big screen.
NEW YORK -- To say that an indie movie has the feel of a home movie is normally just an insult, but in the case of Sarah Landon and the Paranormal Hour it's literally the case.
This misbegotten, video-shot attempt at a tween horror franchise -- a sequel has already been promised -- was created by and stars numerous members of the Comrie family from San Diego, who clearly made some sort of deal with the devil, or at least an executive of Freestyle, to get this film into theaters; in a wide release, no less.
The story centers on the efforts of its titular heroine (the appealing if unpolished Rissa Walters), a sort of low-rent Nancy Drew, to solve the mystery of a curse from beyond the grave. The prospective victim is Sarah's friend David (Brian Comrie), whose upcoming death when he hits the age of 21 was promised years earlier by the grieving father (Rusty Hanes) of a young boy killed in a hit-and-run accident involving David's mother. The fact that he died of a heart attack shortly thereafter seems to be no impediment, since his ghost makes periodic appearances to remind us of his sinister intentions.
The film, directed by Lisa Comrie, is amateurish in every respect, from its stilted acting to its ugly video photography to its cliched dialogue to its cheap-looking special effects.
The fact that its lead actress is actually a normal young woman, rather than the anorectic but big-breasted heroines of similar Hollywood-made genre efforts, is to be commended. And the PG-rated film, clearly geared to younger audiences, is refreshingly free of extraneous gore and violence. But that doesn't excuse a substandard execution that is more suited for public access cable television than the big screen.
- 11/1/2007
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Sony's vampire film 30 Days of Night sunk its teeth into moviegoers during the weekend, with the R-rated comic book adaptation grossing an estimated $16 million to open atop the domestic heap.
But the busy frame's other wide openers fell like so many autumn leaves as the seasonal boxoffice continued to wilt. Collectively, industry grosses notched a fifth consecutive downtick compared with year-earlier weekends.
Gone Baby Gone, Ben Affleck's directing-and-writing project from Miramax, bowed with $6 million in fifth place, while Fox Atomic's The Comebacks, a PG-13 pigskin comedy, grossed $5.9 million to finish sixth overall.
New Line's CIA-themed Rendition, starring Reese Witherspoon and Jake Gyllenhaal, rung up just $4.2 million in ninth place. And DreamWorks/Paramount's Things We Lost in the Fire, with Benicio Del Toro and Halle Berry, scratched out $1.6 million in bowing outside the weekend top 10. Finding even less boxoffice spark were Freestyle's Sarah Landon and the Paranormal Hour, barely registering with $560,000 from 1,121 playdates, and Rocky Mountain's The Ten Commandments, with $474,760 from 830 engagements.
Also debuting in 564 theaters was Tim Burton's Nightmare Before Christmas 3D, Disney's 3-D version of the 1993 animated feature, which grossed $5.1 million in eighth place.
Industrywide grosses totaled an estimated $98 million, 7% less than during the same weekend last year, according to data tracker Nielsen EDI. Yet there was some good news for a couple of holdovers in the frame.
Tyler Perry's Why Did I Get Married? from Lionsgate finished No. 2 in its second session, grossing $12.1 million, good for a $38.9 million cume. And Disney's family comedy The Game Plan, starring Dwayne The Rock Johnson, grossed $8.1 million to finish third and move its four-week cume to $69.2 million.
In another positive development, Warner Bros.' George Clooney starrer Michael Clayton dropped just 32% from its first frame in wide release to finish with $7.1 million in fourth place with a $22 million cume. Despite the soft launch for the well-reviewed legal drama, execs remain hopeful that the slow starter will build toward an awards-season peak.
But the busy frame's other wide openers fell like so many autumn leaves as the seasonal boxoffice continued to wilt. Collectively, industry grosses notched a fifth consecutive downtick compared with year-earlier weekends.
Gone Baby Gone, Ben Affleck's directing-and-writing project from Miramax, bowed with $6 million in fifth place, while Fox Atomic's The Comebacks, a PG-13 pigskin comedy, grossed $5.9 million to finish sixth overall.
New Line's CIA-themed Rendition, starring Reese Witherspoon and Jake Gyllenhaal, rung up just $4.2 million in ninth place. And DreamWorks/Paramount's Things We Lost in the Fire, with Benicio Del Toro and Halle Berry, scratched out $1.6 million in bowing outside the weekend top 10. Finding even less boxoffice spark were Freestyle's Sarah Landon and the Paranormal Hour, barely registering with $560,000 from 1,121 playdates, and Rocky Mountain's The Ten Commandments, with $474,760 from 830 engagements.
Also debuting in 564 theaters was Tim Burton's Nightmare Before Christmas 3D, Disney's 3-D version of the 1993 animated feature, which grossed $5.1 million in eighth place.
Industrywide grosses totaled an estimated $98 million, 7% less than during the same weekend last year, according to data tracker Nielsen EDI. Yet there was some good news for a couple of holdovers in the frame.
Tyler Perry's Why Did I Get Married? from Lionsgate finished No. 2 in its second session, grossing $12.1 million, good for a $38.9 million cume. And Disney's family comedy The Game Plan, starring Dwayne The Rock Johnson, grossed $8.1 million to finish third and move its four-week cume to $69.2 million.
In another positive development, Warner Bros.' George Clooney starrer Michael Clayton dropped just 32% from its first frame in wide release to finish with $7.1 million in fourth place with a $22 million cume. Despite the soft launch for the well-reviewed legal drama, execs remain hopeful that the slow starter will build toward an awards-season peak.
- 10/22/2007
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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