Debut on “Bergman Island”; ‘The Rescue’, ‘Lamb’ Expand – Specialty Overview – Deadline

IFC presents Mia Hansen-Løve’s Cannes starter Bergman Island, The cinema movement brings Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy to arthouse this weekend, as the surprise of A24 hit Lamb and Greenwich Entertainment The rescue go further the second week after a strong opening. This is only the beginning, but a nascent revival of the specialty may be in the works ahead of a stream of potential successes from The French dispatch To Spencer To Belfast.

Icelandic horror tale Lamb goes from 500 to over 800 screens after viewers – can we say flocked? – to the genre photo Ari Aster-ish (Hereditary in 2018 was also from the A24). Adventure documentary The rescue, by the directors of Free solo, where fearless divers rescue a Thai boys football club trapped in an isolated flooded cave, goes from five screens to 552.

“Is there hope? Yes, ”said Howard Cohen, co-president of Roadside Attractions, which opens Lucky love song. “There must be different types of movies and different demos coming out. Distributors still find the specialty market unpredictable and inconsistent with, one said, “little salvage pods,” but say it is improving. And they recall that the sector had challenges before Covid. The pandemic has essentially taken a decade of change and condensed it into 14 months.

Attracting a younger audience is essential. Austin-based chain Alamo Drafthouse, which has a bustling theater in Brooklyn, is good with the young and hip and its executives are in New York this weekend for the smooth launch of a new 14-room theater at the downtown Manhattan. Alamo Cinemas also serve as restaurants and bars. The Financial District location is also home to the Pressroom Bar, a collection of vintage printing plates of newspaper advertisements and a 1940s newspaper for patrons to try out.

The Covid-beaten chain filed for bankruptcy in March and emerged in June after a sale to investors including Altamont Capital Partners, Fortress Investment Group and League. “Everything is starting to stabilize. The Delta variant seems to be a bit under control. I thought the last weekend was great and we are very excited to Dune and French expedition future [Oct. 22]. It will be a monster weekend for us. Both are amazing. Honestly, it’s going to look like the good old days, ”League said.

Depending on what’s released, Alamo typically plays 70% big studio releases, 20% indie movies, and 10% classics / repertoire.

Attracting the old arthouse demo is also essential, so distributors are thrilled with James Bond’s appeal to the 35+ crowd, with many returning to theaters for the first time since Covid to see No time to die. “It’s a great thing, because going to the movies is a habit,” said one of them.

This weekend: Bergman Island, which has also screened in Telluride, Toronto and the New York Film Festival, is in 115 theaters. If follows a couple of directors living in America, Chris (Vicky Krieps) and Tony (Tim Roth), retire for the summer on the mythical island of Fårö, a wild and breathtaking landscape where Bergman lived and shot his most famous and where the two hope to find inspiration for their next films. But the borders between reality and fiction gradually blur, tearing the couple apart. Written by Hansen-Løve. With Mia Wasikowska and Anders Danielsen. See the deadline review here.

In Ryûsuke Hamaguchi’s Silver Bear selection at the Berlinale and selection at the New York Film Festival, Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy, three short stories follow the lives of women navigating between love, loss, reconnection and letting go. Meiko learns the meaning of selflessness. Nao finds someone she can be sincere with. Moka finally expresses his true feelings for Nana. Review the deadline here.

Written by Hamaguchi. With Kotone Furukawa, Katsuki Miro, Aoba Kawai, Kiohiko Shibukawa, Fusako Urabe, Ayumu Nakajima, Hyunri, Shouma Kai.

Lucky love song, Justin Corsbie’s feature debut, takes place on 172 screens. Inspired by lyrics by singer-songwriter Todd Snider, the rocky love story follows Jesse (Michael Dorman), a charismatic but hapless troubadour living in cheap motels and making bad decisions who finds himself at a crossroads. existential during a chance encounter with his former flame Carla (Sophia Bush) Written by Crosbie. Also starring Dermot Mulroney, Brian Sacca, Melora Walters, Eric Roberts and hip-hop icon RZA.

Roadside acquired it amid the pandemic, Cohen said. “It was really centered in the middle of the country, it was about country and American music. We hope it will perform in many cities in the middle of the country, in Austin where it was filmed and in Nashville, St. Louis, Denver. We felt like it was a good movie this time around.

Lionsgate unveils John Ridley’s sci-fi romance Needle in a parking meter with Leslie Odom Jr. Frieda Pinto, Cynthia Erivo and Orlando Bloom. Written by Ridley. In the movie, Nick (Odom Jr.) and Janine (Erivo) live in marital bliss until Janine’s ex-husband (Bloom) wastes time trying to tear them apart apart using Nick’s college girlfriend (Pinto). ANick’s memories aAnd reality disappears, he must decide what he is willing to sacrifice in to hang on or or abandon everything he loves.

To note: Apple TV + is coming out with Todd Haynes The velvet metro, the director’s debut documentary dives deep into the avant-garde rock band of the 1960s which premiered at Cannes. It’s in 100 theaters and on the streaming service. Review the deadline.

Elsewhere in specialty: Kino Lorber presents Luzzu, a gorgeous fishing drama by Malta-based Alex Camilleri which premiered at Sundance. It’s populated by locals, including fisherman Jesmark Scicluna, who embodies a version of himself as a devoted father and husband struggling to make a living off his boat, forced to turn to an underground economy of black market fishing, to smuggling and sabotage. Scicluna won the Sundance World Cinema Dramatic Special Jury Prize. Produced by Ramin Bahrani (The White Tiger), it was the first Maltese feature film to compete in a major international festival.

And, Vertical Entertainment’s The obscure life of the Grand Duke of Corsica, the comedy-drama starring Timothy Spall and Peter Stormare, is also filmed in Malta. Directed by Daniel Graham, it stars Spall as a cantankerous but brilliant architect who embarks on an unusual island commission for an eccentric billionaire who calls himself the Grand Duke of Corsica. Despite a deadly virus hitting the island and causing a pandemic, the architect remains to finish the job.

Icarus Films opens Wang Qiong’s first documentary All about my Sisters, which had its North American premiere at the New York Film Festival. The captivating portrait of the director of her family, filmed over seven years, takes into account the lasting impact of China’s one-child policy. After giving birth to two daughters, Qiong’s parents were desperate for a boy. When they learned they were pregnant with a third daughter, the couple set out on a path that will affect their family for generations to come.

Samuel Goldwyn Films presents Held for ransom, the true story of Danish photojournalist Daniel Rye who was held hostage for 398 days in Syria by ISIS along with several other foreign nationals including American journalist James Foley. The film follows Daniel’s struggle to survive in captivity, his friendship with James, and his family’s nightmare in Denmark as they do everything in their power to save their son. At the center of this crisis we find the hostage negotiator, Arthur, who plays a central role in Daniel’s release. Directed by Niels Arden Oplev. With Esben Smed.