Feb. 15–For independent movies, finding an audience can sometimes be as difficult as a character’s search for true love.
But a new film set and shot in the Ann Arbor area is taking a new path to potential success that’s becoming increasingly popular. It’s being released through video on demand as well as in theaters.
“Love and Honor,” which was filmed in Michigan in 2011, is available for viewing now at iTunes and through VOD providers. It will debut in limited release in theaters on March 22.
The movie has romance, rising young stars and an interesting story line. Think of it as a box of Valentine candy wrapped in a retro package of turbulent college life during the late 1960s.
It stars Liam Hemsworth of “The Hunger Games” and Teresa Palmer of “Warm Bodies” in the tale of two soldiers stationed in Vietnam who go AWOL to the University of Michigan campus. One (Austin Stowell of ABC Family’s “The Secret Life of the American Teenager”) is out to win back the girlfriend who dumped him (Aimee Teegarden of NBC’s “Friday Night Lights”) and one (Hemsworth) is along for the ride and meets a young woman (Teresa Palmer).
And it all happens in 1969 during the week that man first walked on the moon.
The details behind “Love and Honor” sound like a Hollywood script. It’s directed by Danny Mooney and executive-produced by Eddie Rubin, two young filmmakers who worked with a script cowritten by their former University of Michigan professor, Jim Burnstein (“Renaissance Man” and “D3: The Mighty Ducks”).
Filming took place on the U-M campus and nearby locations. Seasoned veterans like cinematographer Theo van de Sande (“Blade,” “Grown Ups”) rubbed shoulders with metro Detroit crew members, forming a warm, dedicated atmosphere that extended to famous visitors like Hemsworth’s fiancee, Miley Cyrus.
IFC Films chose Valentine’s Day for the VOD premiere after “Love and Honor” had a short exclusive run on DirecTV. The next step is a theatrical release after word of mouth spreads.
“People have been responding to the movie incredibly well,” says Rubin of the reaction from Twitter and other social media. “They’re saying, ‘This is the best romantic movie I’ve seen since “The Notebook.” ‘ ”
The release strategy is one that’s making sense for more and more indie movies, given the high cost of competing in theaters with big-budget films and the lucrative marketplace that exists in the world of expanding digital platforms.
Critical hits like “Arbitrage” and “Margin Call” have had simultaneous VOD and theatrical releases. “Arbitrage” wound up earning Richard Gere a Golden Globe nomination, took in nearly $8 million domestically at the box office and has made more than $11 million in VOD sales, according to the Los Angeles Times. “Margin Call” made $5 million in theaters, $6 million in VOD and is nominated for a best original screenplay Oscar.
“Bachelorette,” a dark comedy starring Kirsten Dunst and Rebel Wilson, came out first on VOD and then in theaters. It took in more than $5 million in VOD rentals, more than 10 times as much as the roughly $400,000 it earned at the box office.
“This is where independent movies are finding their niche,” says Burnstein, who’s optimistic that the star power and compelling themes of “Love and Honor” will reach fans online and in theaters.
While not going directly to a theater or a TV network used to indicate a weaker product, perceptions are changing. The success of movies like “Arbitrage” on VOD and Netflix’s decision to release its new political drama series with Kevin Spacey, “House of Cards,” exclusively online points to a break from the past.
And younger audiences aren’t as judgmental about their viewing options as older ones, an important factor for a teen-appeal project like “Love and Honor.”
“The fact is that they’ll watch an episode of something on their iPhone,” says Burnstein.
Rubin, who’s 25, says making “Love and Honor” was a dream come true for him and Mooney, who have a metro Detroit production company, Deep Blue Pictures.
“To do a film with the guy who was our mentor, in our home state, with so much homegrown talent, was unbelievable,” he says.
And he notes that the pros from outside the state bonded with the local crew. “There was not a person coming here who didn’t love being here. It really was a family experience.”
Rubin and Mooney are in the process of finding their next projects and now have Hollywood representation. Rubin is still based in metro Detroit and Mooney, who acts as well as directs, is dividing his time between Ann Arbor and Los Angeles for pilot season.
“We’re young, we’re hungry, we still have so much to accomplish. But I think we have got a foot in the door,” says Rubin. And with VOD, that door could soon open a little wider than it might have without it.
More Details: ‘Love and Honor’
Rated PG-13; drug content, sexuality, language, brief violence
1 hour, 40 minutes
Available on iTunes and through Amazon, Google Play and other VOD providers; in limited theatrical release starting March 22.
Detroit Free Press
(c)2013 Detroit Free Press
