Archive for the ‘News’ Category

  • 06 Jan

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    Why Soderbergh Continues to Kick My Ass (which I enjoy)

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    While working on his documentary-style play, “Tot Mom,” in Sydney last month, Steven Soderbergh somehow managed to squeeze out a completely improvised film about… something. The film’s plot synopsis hasn’t been released, but I can assure that it will likely astound (me) with what we’ve gotten from Soderbergh in the past through similar ventures and shooting styles (Bubble, The Girlfriend Experience).

    From an insider within the production of the play (Cate Blanchett’s Sydney Theater Company), apparently the film was “pretty much improvised” and shot digitally and quickly using several of the cast members from the play – though with a completely different plot. My guess is that this is likely to be released as part of Soderbergh’s six picture deal with Magnolia.

    I am ready right now. Let me see it Mr. Soderbergh.

    Meanwhile, Soderbergh has his Spalding Grey documentary and And Everything is Going Fine is set to debut later this month at Sundance. As far as I know he’s also still on track to shoot Knockout next month and then he’ll hopefully proceed to a summer shoot for Liberace. This guy is a machine! And a well oiled one at that.

    [via]
     

  • 06 Jan

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    The Academy doesn’t like Brian Tyler

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    The Countess ScoreAs someone who loves, and I mean loves, film scores, I can’t wrap my head around this.

    According to the good folks at Soundtrack Geek, Brian Tyler, one of Hollywood’s hottest composers, has had no less than 6 scores disqualified from Oscar contention by the academy. Also disqualified, Marcel Barsotti’s great Pope Joan score, Nicholas Hooper’s Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince and Carter Burwell’s Where The Wild Things. That’s a few big contenders out of the running which brings up the question, what’s left? Quite a bit actually.

    SG has a complete list of the eligible scores and there are some great ones left on the list. Michael Giacchino’s Star Trek score is epic, Danny Elfman’s Terminator Salvation score has some pretty impressive pieces but I must admit one of my favourites of the year is Alexandre Desplat’s score for The Twilight Saga: New Moon which is full of both romance and suspense.

    Sadly, my favourite score of the year is no where to be seen. The one in question: The Countess. The film written, directed and starring Julie Delpy also features something else: a gorgeous score composed by Delpy herself. It’s pretty impressive and you can get a taste of it here. Not sure if this is an just an oversight or if the score simply wasn’t entered. Either way, not long to wait for the final list.

  • 06 Jan

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    Skogland to direct Iranian Prison Drama

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    Prisoner of TehranI may not have been the biggest fan of Kari Skogland’s 50 Dead Men Walking (our review) and though I was in the minority, I stand by my initial thoughts that the film was simply too scattered to be truly great. That said, I still have quite a bit of admiration for the director who is working out of two minority groups in Hollywood: she’s a female director and she’s Canadian.

    Skogland did get a bit of international attention for the Irish drama but I’m happy to see that her next project is another Canadian production, and yet again, she’s defying expectations. THR reports that Skogland has signed on to direct Prisoner of Tehran, a film based on a 2007 best selling memoir about a “16-year-old Christian girl forced in 1982 to convert to Islam and marry a prison guard who rescued her from an Iranian firing squad.”

    This sounds like an apt project for Skogland who is returning to her roots in a more subdued drama. It’s not clear how much the story will focus on the Islamic revolution which preceded this event but I expect we may also get another glimpse of Skogland in action mode. I’m hopeful that at some point, she’ll find the perfect balance for the two much as Kathryn Bigelow has.

  • 05 Jan

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    UPDATE: Hurt Locker Still Leading Critics’ Awards. By a Long Shot

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    UPDATED: (01/05)Continuing into the new year, critics all across the country are placing their votes and announcing the “winners” of their picks for outstanding achievement in film in all of the usual categories. These are all precursors of course to the Oscars, with the pinnacle of those being The Golden Globe nominations which were announced in December.

    Other than The Hurt Locker taking the spotlight in almost every case by a huge margin, early indications are not really all that surprising. George Clooney, current front-runner for a leading man Oscar leads mentions while Christophe Waltz is not surprisingly completely running away with it for his breakout role in Inglourious Basterds. Carrie Mulligan and Mo’Nique are also top winners so far in the leading and supporting actress categories respectively. Oh and even more surprising (at least to me, who hasn’t seen the film (update: I have now)), NY Critics give the best picture award to Avatar! Interesting.

    Of course it’s still early, but other than The Hurt Locker taking home so many wins for best picture and best director, I’d say this is about as an exact replica of the Oscar ceremony as you’re going to see – at least for the five major categories.

    Below are the Indiewire links to many of the critics choice awards around the country with the full results from the Boston and L.A. critics awards just for reference below that. Take a look below. See anything shamefully overlooked or is this about right? Does the uber-love for The Hurt Locker surprise anyone?

    AWARDS and NOMINATIONS announced so far:
    African-American Film Critics
    Alliance of Women Film Journalists
    Austin Film Critics
    Boston Film Critics
    British Indie Awards
    Broadcast Film Critics Awards
    Chicago Film Critics
    Cinema Eye Honors
    Dallas-Fort Worth Critics
    Detroit Film Critics
    European Film Awards
    Florida Film Critics
    Golden Globes
    Golden Satellites
    Gotham Awards
    Houston Critics
    Int’l Doc. Assoc.
    Indiana Film Critics
    Las Vegas Film Critic
    London Film Critics
    Los Angeles Film Critics
    National Board of Review
    National Society of Film Critics
    New York Film Critics
    New York Film Critics Online
    Online Film Critics Society
    PGA Awards
    Phoenix Film Critics
    San Diego Critics
    San Francisco Film Critics
    Screen Actors Guild Awards
    Southeastern Film Critics
    Spirit Awards
    St. Louis Film Critics
    Toronto Film Critics
    Utah Film Critics
    Washington D.C. Area Critics

     

     

    Best Picture:
    The Hurt Locker 11 wins (NY, LA, NSFC, Las Vegas, Austin, Satellites, Houston San Francisco, Boston, Gothams), 13 mentions (PGA, Globes, London, Online, BFCA, Utah, Southeastern, St. Louis, Detroit, African-American, NBR, Washington, NY Online)
    Up In The Air 7 wins (Dallas, Florida, Southeastern, Utah, Indiana, NBR, Washington) 12 mentions (PGA, Globes, London, Online, Chicago, Dallas, African-American, BFCA, St. Louis, LA, Satellites, Detroit, NY Online)
    Inglourious Basterds 3 wins (Toronto, Phoenix, San Diego) 14 mentions (PGA, Globes, BFCA, NSFC, Online, Chicago, Utah, Dallas, Southeastern, Detroit, NBR, Washington, NY Online)
    Precious 1 win (African-American Critics) 10 mentions (PGA, Globes, Dallas, BFCA, Southeastern, St. Louis, Spirits, Washington, NY Online, Satellites)
    Up 1 win (Detroit) 11 mentions (PGA, BFCA, African-American, Online Southeastern, Dallas, St. Louis, NBR, Washington, NY Online)
    Avatar 1 win (NY Online) 5 mentions (PGA, Globes, London, Dallas, BFCA)
    Moon 1 win (British Indie)
    Hunger 1 win (Toronto)
    A Serious Man 9 mentions (BFCA, Southeastern, Online, Chicago, NBR, Dallas, Gothams, NY Online, Satellites)
    (500) Days of Summer 6 mentions (Globes, Southeastern, St. Louis, Spirits, Detroit, NBR)
    An Education 6 mentions (PGA, BFCA, Dallas, St. Louis, NBR, Satellites)
    The Messenger 4 mentions (Southeastern, NBR, NY Online, Satellites)
    Fantastic Mr. Fox 4 mentions (Dallas, Southeastern, Indiana, NY Online)
    Invictus 4 mentions (PGA, BFCA, St. Louis, NBR)

    Best Director:
    Kathryn Bigelow, The Hurt Locker 14 wins (NY, LA, NSFC, San Francisco, Boston, Chicago, Southeastern, Houston, Satellites, NY Online, Washington, Las Vegas, Austin, Toronto) 6 mentions (BFCA, London, Online, St. Louis, Globes, Detroit)
    Jason Reitman, Up in the Air 3 wins (Utah, Florida, Dallas) 7 mentions (Globes, Chicago, London, BFCA, Southeastern, St. Louis, Detroit, Washington)
    Quentin Tarantino, Inglourious Basterds 2 wins (Phoenix, San Diego) 6 mentions (Globes, Online, Chicago, BFCA, St. Louis, Detroit, Washington)
    Lee Daniels, Precious 1 win (African-American) 4 mentions (BFCA, Spirits, Satellites, Washington)
    Clint Eastwood, Invictus 1 win (NBR) 3 mentions (Globes, BFCA, Washington)
    Spike Jonze, Where The Wild Things Are 1 win (Indiana) 1 mention (Chicago)
    Andrea Arnold, Fish Tank 1 win (British Indie)
    Pete Docter, Up 1 win (Detroit)
    James Cameron, Avatar 4 mentions (London, Online, Globes, BFCA)

    Best Actor:
    George Clooney, Up in the Air 9 wins (NY, Dallas, Phoenix, Indiana, Florida, NBR, Houston, Southeastern, Washington) 9 mentions (Globes, Online, Chicago, SAGs, London, BFCA, St. Louis, Detroit, Satellites)
    Jeremy Renner, The Hurt Locker 5 wins (NSFC, Las Vegas, Chicago, Satellites, Boston) 8 mentions (SAGs, Online, Utah, Southeastern, Indiana, BFCA, St. Louis, Washington)
    Colin Firth, A Single Man 4 wins (Austin, Detroit, San Diego, San Francisco) 7 mentions (Globes, SAGs, BFCA, LA, Spirits, Washington, Satellites)
    Jeff Bridges, Crazy Heart 2 wins (LA, NY Online) 10 mentions (SAGs, Chicago, NSFC, Online, London, Globes, BFCA, St. Louis, Spirits, Satellites)
    Morgan Freeman, Invictus 2 wins (African-American, NBR) 5 mentions (SAGs, Globes, BFCA, St. Louis, Washington)
    Viggo Mortensen, The Road 1 win (Utah) 2 mentions (BFCA, Washington)
    Nicolas Cage, Bad Lieutenant 1 win (Toronto) 1 mention (NSFC)
    Tom Hardy, Bronson 1 win (British Indie)
    Matt Damon, The Informant! 4 mentions (Globes, Chicago, Detroit, Satelllites)
    Joseph Gordon-Levitt, (500) Days of Summer 3 mentions (Globes, Spirits, Detroit)
    Michael Stuhlbarg, A Serious Man 1 win (Satellites) 3 mentions (London, Globes, Chicago)

    Best Actress:
    Carey Mulligan, An Education 9 wins (NBR, Toronto, Dallas, San Diego, Utah, Chicago, Washington, Indiana, British Indie) 9 mentions (Globes, SAGs, London, Online, BFCA, St. Louis, LA, Detroit, Satellites)
    Meryl Streep, Julie & Julia 7 wins (NY, San Francisco, Phoenix, Boston, Satellites, Southeastern, NY Online) 12 mentions (Globes, BFCA, SAGs, NSFC, Online, Chicago, London, Indiana, St. Louis, Detroit, Washington)
    Gabourey Sidibe, Precious 3 wins (Detroit, Florida, Las Vegas) 9 mentions (Globes, SAGs, Chicago, BFCA, Online, Southeastern, St. Louis, Washington, Spirits)
    Yolande Moreau, Seraphine 2 wins (NSFC, LA)
    Melanie Laurent, Inglourious Basterds 1 win (Austin) 1 mention (Online)
    Nicole Beharie, American Violet 1 win (African-American)
    Shoreh Aghdashloo, The Stoning of Soraya M. 1 win (Satellites)
    Sandra Bullock, The Blind Side 4 mentions (SAGs, Globes, BFCA, Washington)
    Abbie Cornish, Bright Star 4 mentions (Chicago, NSFC, London, Satellites)
    Maya Rudolph, Away We Go 4 mentions (Chicago, Utah, St. Louis, Washington)

    » Read the rest of the entry..

  • 16 Dec

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    LOTR: Blu-Ray

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    Personally, I think The Lord of the Rings Trilogy is one of the most over-rated set of films ever made. They’re all right – nice production value and what-not, but mostly long drawn out epic wars we’ve seen before (Randall describes it best I think). I like the first one alright but part three is terrible and the Oscars lavished upon it: preposterous.

    Having said that, I’d be willing to revisit the entire franchise by checking out this Blu-Ray release. New Blu-ray titles are released damn near every day. But movie that are truly tailor made for this new technology only come along once in a great while (undoubtedly Avatar will be one of those titles someday).

    This nine-disc set will go on sale on April 6, 2010 and include the theatrical versions of The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, and The Return of the King, seven hours of special features (albeit mostly features that were on the original versions), digital copies of each film, and BD-Live access. The set will retail for $99.98.

    Full specs and Blu-ray trailer are under the seats…
    » Read the rest of the entry..

  • 15 Dec

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    67th Annual Golden Globe Nominations

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    I know that the thumbs snubbed at the Golden Globes each year is just something I have to deal with, but honestly, there are things to really like about this award ceremony. One, it splits up the acting awards into two groups: drama and musical or comedy. The ceremony itself is rather short and to the point which I rather like and maybe most importantly to us bloggers/readers, it’s the award show that most clearly gives us an indication of what to expect from The Academy.

    So with all that in mind and still expecting the vitriol in the comments below, here are the nominees for the 2009 Golden Globe Awards. Not too surprisingly, Jason Reitman’s Up in the Air takes the cake with 6 nominations and NINE comes to the table with 5 nods.

    Who do you think got snubbed and who shouldbn’t be here? I might make the case that the great Meryl Streep competing against herself is at least discussion worthy, if not kind of cheap. Presentation of the awards will be telecast live on NBC at 8pm EST on Sunday, January 17th.

    MOVIES

    BEST MOTION PICTURE, DRAMA
    Avatar
    The Hurt Locker
    Inglourious Basterds
    Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire
    Up in the Air

    BEST MOTION PICTURE, MUSICAL OR COMEDY
    (500) Days of Summer
    The Hangover
    It’s Complicated
    Julie and Julia
    Nine

    BEST DIRECTOR
    Katherine Bigelow, The Hurt Locker
    James Cameron, Avatar
    Clint Eastwood, Invictus
    Jason Reitman, Up in the Air
    Quentin Tarantino, Inglourious Basterds

    BEST DRAMATIC ACTOR
    Jeff Bridges, Crazy Heart
    George Clooney, Up in the Air
    Colin Firth, A Single Man
    Morgan Freeman, Invictus
    Tobey Maguire, Brothers

    BEST DRAMATIC ACTRESS
    Emily Blunt, The Young Victoria
    Sandra Bullock, The Blind Side
    Helen Mirren, The Last Station
    Carey Mulligan, An Education
    Gabourey Sidibe, Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire

    » Read the rest of the entry..

  • 12 Dec

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    The 2009 Black List

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    Hadn’t really ever paid much attention to The Black List in the past, but after the last couple of years I’m now giving the list a bit more than just a passing glance. The Black List is an annual list of Hollywood’s most liked unproduced screenplays published by Franklin Leonard on the second Friday of December each year. It began in 2004 as a survey with contributions from 75 film studio and production company executives. In 2008, 260 executives contributed their opinions and this year, there were 97 scripts and 311 people contributing to the rankings.

    Franklin Leonard has been named by “The Hollywood Reporter” as one of the top 35 executives under 35 working in Hollywood and his list has gained even more prominence. The top 10 (actually, 11, due to a tie) is filled with mostly up-and-comers, with the exception of Aaron Sorkin and David Scarpa. All of the scripts are in some stage of development around Hollywood, with two of them currently in production.

    Since its inception, dozens of screenplays that appeared on the list have been optioned, produced, and released, many to great commercial success. Two of the top three screenplays on the inaugural 2005 list – Juno and Lars and the Real Girl went on to be nominated for Best Original Screenplay at the Oscars, with Juno winning the award.
    [via]

    Here are the Top Ten (eleven). Any of these get you excited?…
     

    1. The Muppet Man By Christopher Weekes
    What it’s about: The life and times of the late Jim Henson (pictured), the man behind “Sesame Street” and “The Muppet Show.”
    What it’s like: The Andy Kaufman biopic Man on the Moon, but with puppets. This moving story depicts the life of a creative genius, with occasional surreal appearances by the likes of Kermit and Miss Piggy.
    Status: Set up at The Jim Henson Co.

    2. The Social Network By Aaron Sorkin
    What it’s about: Chronicles Mark Zuckerberg’s complicated journey towards creating Facebook. Sorkin depicts both the founder’s motivations for starting the largest social network in the world and the human casualties that came with his profound success.
    What it’s like: The fascinating biographical elements of Shattered Glass meets the courtroom drama of Kramer vs. Kramer, without the tears. Sorkin cuts between Zuckerberg’s heated depositions with his former Harvard colleagues who claimed he stole Facebook from them and the chronological retelling of the company’s trip to becoming a billion-dollar enterprise.
    Status: In production for Sony Pictures. Jesse Eisenberg plays Zuckerberg while Justin Timberlake portrays Sean Parker, one of the founders of Napster and Zuckerberg’s idol. David Fincher is directing.

    3. The Voices By Michael R. Perry
    What it’s about: Jerry, a schizophrenic worker at a bathtub factory, accidentally kills an attractive woman from accounting. While trying to cover his bloody tracks, Jerry starts taking advice from his talking (and foul-mouthed) cat and dog.
    What it’s like: Watching the lovable pig from Babe join forces with American Psycho’s Patrick Bateman. Some may be turned off by the script’s twisted sense of humor – Jerry has friendly conversations with his victim’s severed head – while others will get a kick out of its sheer audacity.
    Status: Vertigo Entertainment is trying to package the film with a lead actor. Mark Romanek (One Hour Photo) is developing.
    » Read the rest of the entry..

  • 03 Dec

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    “NINE” Premieres in London

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    (AP)
    LONDON — Nicole Kidman, Penelope Cruz and Daniel Day-Lewis have braved the bitter cold in London to promote the world premiere of the Hollywood movie NINE.

    The musical, inspired by Federico Fellini’s classic film 8 1/2, also stars Kate Hudson, Judi Dench, Sophia Loren, Marion Cotillard and singer Fergie.

    Director Rob Marshall said at the premiere in Leicester Square that he “was overwhelmed by the turnout of women that came and auditioned for NINE. We saw so many great actors and I was blown away by that. I think Chicago might have opened the door, people thinking ‘maybe I can do that too’.” He said he was pleasantly surprised by the singing and dancing abilities of Day-Lewis and Hudson.

    Hudson, wearing a full length white dress, described her experience working with this star-studded cast which also included singer Fergie and iconic Italian actress Sophia Loren; “It was incredible, it was an amazing experience. It was a learning experience. You got to watch people and see how everybody attacks it and we were all very supportive of each other because it’s all singing and dancing and things we hadn’t really done. It was really fun.”

    Marshall said that NINE is dedicated to the late British film director Anthony Minghella, who he called a marvelous scriptwriter and an inspiration. NINE is out in cinemas nationwide on Christmas Day!

    more premiere photos under the seats…
    » Read the rest of the entry..

  • 03 Dec

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    Sundance Announces Premieres Line-Up

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    Getting to be the first person in the world to see a film in the theater kind of makes for a special atmosphere and experience. It may or may not help the quality of the film, but it certainly helps in getting the audience in the right frame of mind. At this year’s Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah the crowds are going to get first looks at a whole slew and range of films; from seasoned veterans such as Michael Winterbottom’s latest to the directorial debut of RowThree favorite Phillip Seymour Hoffman and everyone in between. Once again, this tiny snowy village in a remote part of the country is the happening spot for ten days in late January. See you there?

    Abel/Mexico (Director: Diego Luna; Screenwriters: Diego Luna and Agusto Mendoza)—A peculiar young boy, blurring reality and fantasy, assumes the responsibilities of a family man in his father’s absence. Cast: José María Yazpik, Karina Gidi, Carlos Aragon, Christopher Ruiz-Esparza, Gerardo Ruiz-Esparza.. World Premiere

    Cane Toads: The Conquest/USA (Director and screenwriter: Mark Lewis)—In 3D, Mark Lewis explores one of Australia’s greatest environmental catastrophes as he follows the unstoppable march of the cane toad across the Australian continent. World Premiere

    The Company Men/USA (Director: John Wells)—Three company men attempt to survive a round of corporate downsizing while trying to fend off its affects on their families and their identities. Cast: Ben Affleck, Kevin Costner, Maria Bello, Tommy Lee Jones, Chris Cooper, Rosemarie DeWitt. World Premiere

    The Extra Man/USA (Directors: Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini; Screenwriters: Robert Pulcini, Jonathan Ames and Shari Springer Berman)—A down-and-out playwright who escorts wealthy widows in Manhattan’s Upper East Side takes a young aspiring writer under his wing. Cast: Katie Holmes, John C. Reilly, Paul Dano, Kevin Kline, Alicia Goranson. World Premiere

    Get Low/USA (Director: Aaron Schneider; Screenwriters: Chris Provenzano and C. Gaby Mitchell)—A film spun out of equal parts folk tale, fable and real-life legend about a mysterious, 1930s Tennessee hermit plans his own rollicking funeral party… while still alive. Cast: Robert Duvall, Bill Murray. U.S. Premiere. Salt Lake City Gala Film (Row Three Review)

    Jack Goes Boating/USA (Director: Philip Seymour Hoffman; Screenwriter: Bob Glaudini)—Glaudini)—A limo driver’s blind date sparks a tale of love, betrayal, friendship, and grace centered around two working-class New York City couples. Cast: Philip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Ryan, John Ortiz, Daphne Rubin-Vega, Tom McCarthy. World Premiere

    The Killer Inside Me/USA (Director: Michael Winterbottom; Screenwriter: John Curran)—Deputy Sheriff Lou Ford is a pillar of the community in his small Texan town; patient, polite and well liked, until he starts killing people. Cast: Casey Affleck, Kate Hudson, Jessica Alba, Simon Baker, Elias Koteas. World Premiere

    Nowhere Boy/UK (Director: Sam Taylor Wood; Screenwriters: Julia Baird and Matt Greenhalgh)—A teenage John Lennon confronts wrenching family secrets and finds his musical voice in late 1950s Liverpool. Cast: Aaron Johnson, Kristin Scott Thomas, Thomas Sangster, Anne-Marie Duff, David Morrissey. International Premiere

    Please Give/USA (Director and screenwriter: Nicole Holofcener)—In New York City, a husband and wife butt heads with the granddaughters of the elderly woman who lives next door. Cast: Amanda Peet, Oliver Platt, Rebecca Hall, Catherine Keener, Sarah Steele. World Premiere

    The Runaways/USA (Director and screenwriter: Floria Sigismondi)—In 1970s LA, a tough teenager named Joan Jett connects with an eccentric producer to form an all-girl band that would launch her career and make rock history. Cast: Kristen Stewart, Dakota Fanning, Scout Taylor-Compton, Michael Shannon, Alia Shawkat, Tatum O’Neal. World Premiere

    Shock Doctrine/USA (Directors: Michael Winterbottom and Mat Whitecross)—Based on the book by award-winning journalist Naomi Klein, “Shock Doctrine” exposes how shock is used to implement economic policy in vulnerable environments. North American Premiere

    Twelve/USA (Director: Joel Schumacher; Screenwriter: Jordan Melamed)—A chronicle of the highs and lows of privileged kids on Manhattan’s Upper East Side involving sex, drugs and murder. Cast: Chace Crawford, Emma Roberts, Kiefer Sutherland, 50 Cent, Zoë Kravitz. World Premiere. Closing Night Film

    Untitled Duplass Brothers Project/USA (Directors/screenwriters: Jay Duplass and Mark Duplass)—A recently divorced guy meets a new lady. Then he meets her son who is well…interesting. Cast: John C. Reilly, Marisa Tomei, Jonah Hill, Catherine Keener. World Premiere.

     

  • 03 Dec

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    Sundance Announces Midnight Line-Up

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    One of my favorite things about The Toronto Film Fest are the midnight madness screenings. Sure the films might not be top shelf but the atmosphere and revelry inside the auditorium is always good fun combined with the outlandish imagery taking place on-screen.

    It’s good to know that Sundance does something very similar and by the looks of these titles that have been announced for their version of midnight madness, “Park City at Midnight,” the folks in theaters should be in for quite some delicious treats. The fact that all of these (save one N. American premiere) are world premieres is pretty exciting too.

    Buried/Spain,USA (Director: Rodrigo Cortes; Screenwriter: Chris Sparling)
    —A U.S. contractor working in Iraq awakes to find he is buried alive inside a coffin. With only a lighter and a cell phone it’s a race against time to escape this claustrophobic death trap. Cast: Ryan Reynolds. World Premiere

    Frozen/USA (Director and Screenwriter: Adam Green)
    —Three skiers are mistakenly stranded on a chairlift, forced to make life-or-death choices that prove more perilous than staying put and freezing to death. Cast: Emma Bell, Shawn Ashmore, Kevin Zegers. World Premiere

    HIGH school/USA (Director: John Stalberg, Jr.; Screenwriters: Erik Linthorst and John Stalberg, Jr., and Stephen Susco)
    —A random drug test coincides with a high school valedictorian’s first hit of pot. Cast: Sean Marquette, Matt Bush, Adrien Brody, Michael Chiklis, Colin Hanks, Mykelti Wiliamson, Andrew Wilson, Yeardley Smith, Michael Vartan, Curtis Armstrong, Erica Phillips, Adhir Kaylan. World Premiere

    Les 7 Jours du Talion (7 Days)/Canada (Director: Daniel Grou; Screenwriter: Patrick Senecal)
    —A doctor seeks revenge by kidnapping, torturing and killing the man who murdered his young daughter. Cast: Rémy Girard, Claude Legault, Fanny Mallette, Martin Dubreuil, Rose-Marie Coallier. World Premiere

    The Perfect Host/USA (Director: Nick Tomnay; Screenwriters: Nick Tomnay and Krishna Jones)
    -A criminal on the run cons his way into the wrong dinner party where the host is anything but ordinary. Cast: David Hyde Pierce, Clayne Crawford, Helen Reddy, Nathaniel Parker. World Premiere

    Splice/France, Canada (Director: Vincenzo Natali; Screenwriters: Vincenzo Natali, Antoinette Terry Bryant, and Doug Taylor)
    -Clive and Elsa are young, brilliant, and ambitious. The new animal species they engineered has made them rebel superstars of the scientific world. In secret, they introduce human DNA into the experiment. Cast: Adrien Brody, Sarah Polley, Delphine Chaneac, David Hewlett. North American Premiere (Row Three Review)

    Tucker & Dale vs. Evil/Canada (Director: Eli Craig; Screenwriters: Eli Craig and Morgan Jurgenson)
    -Two West Virginian hillbillies go on vacation at their dilapidated mountain cabin, but their peaceful trip goes horribly awry. Cast: Tyler Labine, Alan Tudyk, Katrina Bowden, Jesse Moss. World Premiere

    The Violent Kind/USA (Directors and Screenwriters: The Butcher Brothers)
    -A group of rowdy young bikers party it up at a secluded farmhouse when things take a turn for the worst. Cast: Taylor Cole, Christina Prousalis, Tiffany Shepis, David Fine, Joseph McKelheer. World Premiere.

     

  • 03 Dec

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    NBR Winners

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    Jason Reitman kicks all sorts of ass as this year’s National Board of Review of Motion Pictures handed out its honors for top films of the year. Up in the Air (our review) winds up with four wins. Up in the Air opens wide this weekend, so I can’t wait to check it out tomorrow night.

    Full list of winners and their top ten lists are listed below.

    Best Film: Up In The Air
    Best Director: Clint Eastwood, Invictus
    Best Actor: Morgan Freeman, Invictus and George Clooney, Up In The Air (tie
    Best Actress: Carey Mulligan, An Education
    Best Supporting Actor: Woody Harrelson, The Messenger
    Best Supporting Actress: Anna Kendrick, Up In The Air
    Best Foreign Film: A Prophet
    Best Documentary: The Cove
    Best Animated Feature: Up
    Best Ensemble Cast: It’s Complicated
    Breakthrough Performance by an Actor: Jeremy Renner, The Hurt Locker
    Breakthrough Performance by an Actress: Gabourey Sidibe, Precious
    Spotlight Award for Best Directorial Debut: Duncan Jones, Moon, Oren Moverman, The Messenger and Marc Webb, 500 Days of Summer (tie)
    Best Original Screenplay: Joel & Ethan Coen, A Serious Man
    Best Adapted Screenplay: Jason Reitman and Sheldon Turner, Up In The Air
    Special Filmmaking Achievement Award: Wes Anderson, The Fantastic Mr. Fox
    William K. Everson Film History Award: Jean Picker Firstenberg

    top ten lists are below the seats…
    » Read the rest of the entry..

  • 01 Dec

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    25th Annual Independent Spirit Award Nominees

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    Last year was the first year I ever actually sat down and watched the Independent Spirit Awards. The first and won’t be the last. After the enjoyment I got out of that awards ceremony I’d be hard pressed to ever miss it again. They maybe aren’t as “important” as the Oscars, but around here we love our indie gems and to see the proper movies recognized for achievement rather than the wrong ones is always nice.

    For the Spirit Awards, all eligible feature films must be at least 70 minutes in length, and the entire cost of a completed project must be under $20 million. A film also must have either screened at a major film festival including Sundance, Toronto or Film Independent’s own Los Angeles Film Festival or had a one-week engagement at a commercial theater.

    The mood and celebratory nature of the indie awards is so much more fun too. The guests are all partying and drinking and cussing and some are wearing jeans and a t-shirt rather than the stuffy penguins suits or triptastic ballroom gowns. This year’s ceremony will air live and uncut on IFC on March 5th. The nominees were announced this morning and we’ve got them all posted right here. Best feature is first and the rest of the nominees are stuck under the seats…

    Best Feature

    • 500 Days Of Summer
    • Amreeka
    • Precious
    • Sin Nombre
    • The Last Station

    » Read the rest of the entry..

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