Josie (film)

Josie is a 2018 American thriller drama film directed by Eric England and written by Anthony Ragnone II. The film stars Sophie Turner as the titular character, a mysterious high school student who transfers to the Southern town of Baymont, where she draws the attention of local recluse Hank (Dylan McDermott). The film also stars Jack Kilmer, Micah Fitzgerald, Lombardo Boyar, Daeg Faerch, Robin Bartlett, and Kurt Fuller. Josie premiered at Mammoth Film Festival on February 8, 2018, and was released in the United States by Screen Media Films on March 16, 2018.

Josie
Theatrical release poster
Directed byEric England
Produced by
  • Luisa Iskin
  • Johnny Wunder
  • Kevin Matusow
  • Jeff Kalligheri
Written byAnthony Ragnone II
Starring
Music byRaney Shockne
CinematographyZoë White
Edited byPaul Matthew Gordon
Production
companies
  • Waterstone Entertainment
  • Coalition Group
  • The Traveling Picture Show Company
  • Boo Pictures
Distributed byScreen Media Films
Release date
  • February 8, 2018 (2018-02-08) (Mammoth)
  • March 16, 2018 (2018-03-16) (United States)
Running time
87 minutes[1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Cast

Production

Anthony Magnone II's original script for the film, then titled Huntsville, was voted to the 2014 Black List, a list of the year's most popular unproduced screenplays.[2] During the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2015, the Coalition Group announced the beginning of development for the film with the casting of Shea Whigham as Hank and Anya Taylor-Joy as Josie.[3] By August 2016, Whigham and Taylor-Joy had been replaced with Dylan McDermott and Sophie Turner, respectively, and Jack Kilmer was also added to the cast. Filming began that same month in Los Angeles.[4] The film's title was changed from Huntsville to Josie ahead of its premiere at the Mammoth Film Festival.[5] The film's North American distribution rights were acquired by Screen Media Films in January 2018, also ahead of its premiere, with international distribution being acquired by Lightning Entertainment.[6]

Release

Josie premiered as the opening film of the inaugural Mammoth Film Festival on February 8, 2018.[5] The film received a simultaneous release on March 16, 2018, with a limited theatrical run and video on demand releases.[6][7]

Critical response

On Rotten Tomatoes the film has an approval rating of 13% based on reviews from 8 critics, with an average rating of 4.39/10.[8] On Metacritic, it has a weighted average score of 31 out of 100, based on reviews from 6 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews".[9]

Sheri Linden of The Hollywood Reporter wrote: "At various moments throughout the movie, Turner and McDermott suggest something far more complicated and messy than the noir-tinged exercise that unfolds."[10] Nick Schager of Variety magazine criticizes the film, writing that it: "spends so much time trying to resemble a film noir that its refusal to engage in actual film noir business proves downright exasperating, a situation compounded by the eventual revelations it has in store."[11]

References
  1. Schager, Nick (March 12, 2018). "Film Review: 'Josie'". Variety. Retrieved March 20, 2018.
  2. Bloom, David; Yamato, Jen (December 15, 2014). "'Catherine The Great' Leads The Blacklist 2014: Full List – Update". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved March 20, 2018.
  3. Fleming Jr, Mike (September 17, 2015). "'Huntsville' Lands Shea Whigham & 'The Witch' Star Anya Taylor-Joy – Toronto". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved March 20, 2018.
  4. Siegel, Tatiana (August 4, 2016). "'Game of Thrones' Star Sophie Turner Joins Indie Drama 'Huntsville' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved March 20, 2018.
  5. McNary, Dave (December 12, 2017). "Sophie Turner's Drama 'Josie' to Launch Mammoth Film Festival". Variety. Retrieved March 20, 2018.
  6. N'Duka, Amanda (January 11, 2018). "Screen Media Acquires Sophie Turner-Starring 'Josie'; Jon Voight's 'Surviving The Wild' Lands At SP Releasing". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved March 20, 2018.
  7. "Limited and VOD Releases: Journey to a Theater to see These Limited Releases". The Numbers. March 16, 2018. Retrieved March 20, 2018.
  8. "Josie (2018)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved April 4, 2020.
  9. "Josie Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved April 4, 2020.
  10. Sheri Linden (March 16, 2018). "'Josie': Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved April 4, 2020.
  11. Schager, Nick (13 March 2018). "Film Review: 'Josie'". Variety.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.