Andrew Bujalski's Mutual Appreciation (2005) is showing June 14 - July 13, 2019 on Mubi in the United States in a new restoration.Andrew Bujalski premiered his second film Mutual Appreciation at SXSW in 2005. Around the same time, his first—Funny Ha Ha—had its official theatrical release, a few years after it had premiered. The two films made their impression on rising independent filmmakers, bringing a focus on naturalistic conversation and self-reflecting portrayals of twenty-somethings that differed from the voicings of Generation X prior. Bujalski also appeared in Joe Swanberg’s seminal Hannah Takes the Stairs (2007), alongside a then-unknown Greta Gerwig, and despite the under-recognition of those early films in the mid-2000s, it’s easy to see how they laid the foundations for the wider success and cultural impact of Swanberg’s Easy (2016–2019) and the Gerwig-penned Frances Ha (2012) and Lady Bird (2017). Bujalski’s most recent—Support the Girls (2018)—earned him and...
- 6/28/2019
- MUBI
Fourteen years later, “Mutual Appreciation” is returning to theaters. Andrew Bujalski’s sophomore feature — preceded by “Funny Ha Ha” and followed most recently by “Computer Chess,” “Results,” and “Support the Girls” — helped him earn the “godfather of mumblecore” nickname, for better and for worse. Arbelos Films is re-releasing the black-and-white drama, which Bujalski co-starred in. Watch the trailer below.
Here’s the logline: “An instant critic’s darling upon its release in 2006, ‘Mutual Appreciation’ is at once an utterly timeless and distinctly mid-aughts portrait of the ebb and flow of twenty-something life in New York City. Richly observed and deeply humanist, the film follows Alan (Justin Rice), an aspiring musician, who crash-lands in town following the breakup of his band in Boston, immediately taking up with his old friends Ellie (Rachel Clift) and Lawrence (Bujalski) while negotiating the affections of a local radio DJ (Seung-Min Lee). In the tradition of Éric Rohmer,...
Here’s the logline: “An instant critic’s darling upon its release in 2006, ‘Mutual Appreciation’ is at once an utterly timeless and distinctly mid-aughts portrait of the ebb and flow of twenty-something life in New York City. Richly observed and deeply humanist, the film follows Alan (Justin Rice), an aspiring musician, who crash-lands in town following the breakup of his band in Boston, immediately taking up with his old friends Ellie (Rachel Clift) and Lawrence (Bujalski) while negotiating the affections of a local radio DJ (Seung-Min Lee). In the tradition of Éric Rohmer,...
- 1/15/2019
- by Michael Nordine
- Indiewire
[Editor's Note: This post is presented in partnership with Time Warner Cable Movies On Demand in support of Indie Film Month. Today's pick, "Doomsdays," is available now On Demand. Need help finding a movie to watch? Let TWC find the best fit for your mood here.] Read More: Fantasia Fest Review: 'Doomsdays' Is Defiantly Original Ever have the urge to make use of an unoccupied vacation home? Fortunately, you're not alone. In Eddie Mullins' comedy-drama "Doomsdays," Justin Rice and Leo Fitzpatrick star as Fred and Bruho, two freewheeling squatters with a love for vacant vacation homes up in the Catskills. While the two vandals are doing just fine as they move from one richly appointed home to another, their peculiar lifestyle gets complicated when an aimless young woman joins their ranks. In the exclusive clip above, the characters give a little crash course on how to successfully break and enter into a vacant home....
- 9/9/2015
- by Zack Sharf
- Indiewire
Director Eddie Mullins won a lot of love on the festival circuit for his indie pre-apocalyptic comedy Doomsdays and with the film and with the film having launched its limited theatrical run and now available on VOD we've got an exclusive clip to share!Dirty Fred (Justin Rice) and Bruho (Leo Fitzpatrick) aren't sanguine about the future. Convinced that dwindling petroleum resources will soon bring the modern world to a halt, they've dropped out of productive (and vehicular) society, choosing instead a life of free-wheeling vagabondage. As they trek across the Catskills, they break into a series of vacation homes, holing up until they either run out of food or are chased off. The pattern is interrupted, however, when they run across a teenage boy (Brian...
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[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
- 6/10/2015
- Screen Anarchy
A new gallery of images has been revealed for the horror comedy Doomsdays. Also showcased in this round-up: Blu-ray release details for IFC Midnight's Backcountry and The Harvest, as well as a look at the Catalyst series pilot.
Doomsdays: Directed by Eddie Mullins, Doomsdays is now available to watch in select theaters and on VOD:
"A pre-apocalyptic comedy, Doomsdays follows the misadventures of Dirty Fred (Justin Rice) and Bruho (Leo Fitzpatrick), a pair of free-wheeling squatters with a taste for unoccupied vacation homes in the Catskills. Their commitment to the lifestyle is challenged, however, when a runaway teen and an aimless young woman join their peculiar tribe."
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Backcountry and The Harvest: From Scream Factory: "We are proud to announce that we have new IFC Midnight titles planned for release on Blu-ray & DVD this Fall!
Backcountry – Based on true events, this terrifying account of a couple stranded in...
Doomsdays: Directed by Eddie Mullins, Doomsdays is now available to watch in select theaters and on VOD:
"A pre-apocalyptic comedy, Doomsdays follows the misadventures of Dirty Fred (Justin Rice) and Bruho (Leo Fitzpatrick), a pair of free-wheeling squatters with a taste for unoccupied vacation homes in the Catskills. Their commitment to the lifestyle is challenged, however, when a runaway teen and an aimless young woman join their peculiar tribe."
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Backcountry and The Harvest: From Scream Factory: "We are proud to announce that we have new IFC Midnight titles planned for release on Blu-ray & DVD this Fall!
Backcountry – Based on true events, this terrifying account of a couple stranded in...
- 6/5/2015
- by Tamika Jones
- DailyDead
Doomsdays is not another big budget, effects laden, apocalyptic blockbuster about the end of days. This is the exact opposite. Writer and director Eddie Mullins tells the story of two aimless squatters who wander from one lavish vacation home to another in the Catskills, breaking in and making themselves at home. Justin Rice plays Dirty Fred, the more cultured and outwardly intellectual of the two men. Leo Fitzpatrick plays Bruho, the less stable, paranoid loose cannon. Both men live life by their own rules, which for the most part, means there are no rules.
Dirty Fred and Bruho’s daily life goes on swimmingly, unencumbered by law or societal expectations for some time. They take what they need, do what they want, and generally cause havoc and mischief as necessary for their own amusement. One day, they meet Jaidon, played by Brian Charles Johnson. Jaidon is a husky runaway teenager with limited social skills,...
Dirty Fred and Bruho’s daily life goes on swimmingly, unencumbered by law or societal expectations for some time. They take what they need, do what they want, and generally cause havoc and mischief as necessary for their own amusement. One day, they meet Jaidon, played by Brian Charles Johnson. Jaidon is a husky runaway teenager with limited social skills,...
- 6/4/2015
- by Travis Keune
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
In the superbly static opening shot of Eddie Mullins' Doomsdays, we find two young men making a quick escape from a low window of a handsome Upstate New York home as the real owners walk in the front door, unaware that their abode has been used as a way-stop on their journey to nowhere. One of the pair comes forward in the unbroken shot to slash the homeowners' car tire before they trot off into the deep focus of the frame. It is an early taste of the many witty, deadpan comic vignettes that gradually combine to form a character (and social) study -- and what just might be the best American slacker film of the 21st century. The bushy-bearded Dirty Fred (Justin Rice), in...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
- 6/4/2015
- Screen Anarchy
Release details for Forbidden Empire and Doomsdays, along with a promo video for A&E's Damien and details on the horror short, Heir, are featured in our latest round-up.
Forbidden Empire: Starring Jason Flemyng (Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels) and Charles Dance (Game of Thrones), Forbidden Empire hits VOD on May 22nd:
"An 18th century explorer sets out on an epic journey to map the forbidden uncharted lands of Transylvania only to discover its dark secrets and dangerous creatures hidden in a cursed, fantastical forest."
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Doomsdays: A pre-apocalyptic comedy, Eddie Mullins' Doomsdays hits theaters on June 5th:
"A pre-apocalyptic comedy, Doomsdays follows the misadventures of Dirty Fred (Justin Rice) and Bruho (Leo Fitzpatrick), a pair of free-wheeling squatters with a taste for unoccupied vacation homes in the Catskills. Their commitment to the lifestyle is challenged, however, when a runaway teen and an aimless young woman join their peculiar tribe.
Forbidden Empire: Starring Jason Flemyng (Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels) and Charles Dance (Game of Thrones), Forbidden Empire hits VOD on May 22nd:
"An 18th century explorer sets out on an epic journey to map the forbidden uncharted lands of Transylvania only to discover its dark secrets and dangerous creatures hidden in a cursed, fantastical forest."
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Doomsdays: A pre-apocalyptic comedy, Eddie Mullins' Doomsdays hits theaters on June 5th:
"A pre-apocalyptic comedy, Doomsdays follows the misadventures of Dirty Fred (Justin Rice) and Bruho (Leo Fitzpatrick), a pair of free-wheeling squatters with a taste for unoccupied vacation homes in the Catskills. Their commitment to the lifestyle is challenged, however, when a runaway teen and an aimless young woman join their peculiar tribe.
- 5/12/2015
- by Derek Anderson
- DailyDead
Just about a year ago we heard James Roday from "Psych" was directing a horror comedy called Gravy, and that was it... until now. The Sixth Annual Friars Club Comedy Film Festival is opening with the world premiere of the film on April 1st. And no, it's not an April Fool's joke.
There are a few other horror projects like Borgman and Witching and Bitching scattered among the films screening during the Fccff's April 1-5 run, as well as a new one from renowned animator Bill Plympton, so if you're in or near NYC, check out the lineup below.
After all, who couldn't use a few laughs these days?
From the Press Release:
The Friars Club has announced that the Sixth Annual Friars Club Comedy Film Festival (Fccff), to be held the week of April 1‐5, 2014, will open with the World Premiere of Gravy. The festival is a star‐studded celebration...
There are a few other horror projects like Borgman and Witching and Bitching scattered among the films screening during the Fccff's April 1-5 run, as well as a new one from renowned animator Bill Plympton, so if you're in or near NYC, check out the lineup below.
After all, who couldn't use a few laughs these days?
From the Press Release:
The Friars Club has announced that the Sixth Annual Friars Club Comedy Film Festival (Fccff), to be held the week of April 1‐5, 2014, will open with the World Premiere of Gravy. The festival is a star‐studded celebration...
- 3/29/2014
- by Debi Moore
- DreadCentral.com
The 16th annual Boston Underground Film Festival just announced the first wave of films to screen at the historic Brattle Theatre March 26th-30th, and they are stellar! Most notably, the long-awaited “re-collaboration,” between college friends Lucky McKee and Chris Sivertson, All Cheerleaders Die. The pair first made the film just out of college at USC in 2001, but after a decade plus of working on their own projects decided to remake their own film. Lucky McKee is best known for his debut film May and his most recent success The Woman, while Sivertson has made The Lost and I Know Who Killed Me. Buff has only announced their first handful of films and promise more surprises!
Here’s all of the pertinent info taken straight from their press release:
Spring must be near because the crescendo of chaos is getting louder as the 16th annual Boston Underground Film Festival returns...
Here’s all of the pertinent info taken straight from their press release:
Spring must be near because the crescendo of chaos is getting louder as the 16th annual Boston Underground Film Festival returns...
- 2/19/2014
- by Kristy Jett
- FEARnet
I see the harbingers of doom in this “pre-apocalyptic comedy,” but there’s nothing actually funny about it. I’m “biast” (pro): nothing
I’m “biast” (con): nothing
(what is this about? see my critic’s minifesto)
The world, Dirty Fred (Justin Rice: Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist) and Bruho (Leo Fitzpatrick: Cold Comes the Night) agree, is doomed. So as a blow to the consumerism that is killing the planet and humanity, they have given up on civilization. They don’t work, and they don’t own stuff. They still need food and shelter, of course, but that’s a problem easily solved: they break into people’s vacation homes in New York’s rural Catskill Mountains and hang out there, eating and drinking until they get bored or get caught. They enjoy urinating in people’s beds for fun, and Bruho has a special hobby of destroying automobiles,...
I’m “biast” (con): nothing
(what is this about? see my critic’s minifesto)
The world, Dirty Fred (Justin Rice: Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist) and Bruho (Leo Fitzpatrick: Cold Comes the Night) agree, is doomed. So as a blow to the consumerism that is killing the planet and humanity, they have given up on civilization. They don’t work, and they don’t own stuff. They still need food and shelter, of course, but that’s a problem easily solved: they break into people’s vacation homes in New York’s rural Catskill Mountains and hang out there, eating and drinking until they get bored or get caught. They enjoy urinating in people’s beds for fun, and Bruho has a special hobby of destroying automobiles,...
- 1/22/2014
- by MaryAnn Johanson
- www.flickfilosopher.com
Montreal’s sprawling Fantasia Festival wrapped up a stellar 17th edition this week. With over 120 madcap features and a slew of special events, the festival once described by Quentin Tarantino as "the most important and prestigious genre film festival on this continent" didn’t disappoint fans of macabre live theatre, martial arts musicals, and other unruly selections. Highlights included a lifetime achievement award presented to subversive Polish master Andrzej Zulawski ("Possession") and an artist talk with "X-Men: Days of Future Past" director Bryan Singer, who's currently shooting his anticipated mutant sequel in Montreal. Indiewire waded through an impressive crop of apocalyptic, slapsticky or boundary-busting premiere titles to elect our 10 festival favorites. Doomsdays Obnoxious hipster "Dirty Fred" (Justin Rice) and his abrasive, eco-conscious buddy Bruho ("Kids" and "Bully" alum Leo Fitzpatrick) cherish their vagabond grind: they break into strangers’ affluent abodes, steal...
- 8/9/2013
- by Michael-Oliver Harding
- Indiewire
In the delightfully static opening shot of Eddie Mullins' Doomsdays, we find two young men making a quick escape from a low window of a handsome Upstate New York home as the real owners walk in the front door unaware that their abode has been used as way-stop on their journey to nowhere. One of the pair comes forward in the unbroken shot to slash the homeowners' car tire before they trot off into the deep focus of the frame. It is an early taste of the many witty, deadpan comic vignettes that gradually combine to form a character (and social) study -- and what just might be the best American slacker film of the 21st century. The bushy-bearded Dirty Fred (Justin Rice), in his...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
- 7/24/2013
- Screen Anarchy
Tired of train wrecks? Alienated by mutant life forms? Bewildered by budgets? Done with the undead? Then the movies for you, thus far this year, are 1) Andrew Bujalski’s “Computer Chess” and 2) Eddie Mullins’ as-yet-all-but-unseen “Doomsdays,” which premieres tonight at Fantasia Fest in Montreal. The two films share numerous dissimilarities. They are also unlike anything else out there. They also, sort of, arise out of the same gene pool: Justin Rice, one of Mullins’ two leads, was at the center of Bujalski’s “Mutual Appreciation”; Rice’s counterpart, Leo Fitzpatrick, first rose to prominence via Larry Clark’s “Kids,” a film that which foreshadowed Bujalski’s -- and Mullins’ – aescetic aesthetic. But, again, the films couldn’t be more different. While the palpably dank world of “Computer Chess” implies a future bright with computerized possibility, “Doomsdays,” for all its humor, is poised on the edge of an abyss. Where there...
- 7/23/2013
- by John Anderson
- Thompson on Hollywood
We recently posted three big announcements from the Fantasia Film Festival which included Edgar Wright’s The Worlds End (closing the fest), a special Live theatre event for Clive Barker’s A History of the Devil, and a lifetime achievement award for Andrzej Żuławski. Additional first wave highlights have also been announced, and so far the line-up is shaping up to be better than last year’s batch. Hit the jump to view the current roster.
****
Across The River
Italy Dir: Lorenzo Bianchini
A brilliant opposition of new and old narratives, this chilling discovery from Italy is the most downright efficient atmospheric horror film you’ll see anywhere this year, haunting with a slow-building, intense crescendo approach to its atmosphere of disorientation and dread. From the director of Custodes Bestiae.
World Premiere.
Big Bad Wolves
Israel Dirs: Aharon Keshales & Navot Papushado
Described in its official marketing as “a brutal comedy...
****
Across The River
Italy Dir: Lorenzo Bianchini
A brilliant opposition of new and old narratives, this chilling discovery from Italy is the most downright efficient atmospheric horror film you’ll see anywhere this year, haunting with a slow-building, intense crescendo approach to its atmosphere of disorientation and dread. From the director of Custodes Bestiae.
World Premiere.
Big Bad Wolves
Israel Dirs: Aharon Keshales & Navot Papushado
Described in its official marketing as “a brutal comedy...
- 7/1/2013
- by Kyle Reese
- SoundOnSight
While we here in the States are getting ready for San Diego Comic-Con, our friends to the North are prepping for the grandaddy of film fests, Fantasia, which kicks off at the same time.
Here's the first announcement of what you crazy Canucks and your guests from around the world will see there.
From the Press Release:
The Fantasia Film Festival is coming back, and coming soon. From July 18 to August 6, Montreal will be home to a showcase of over 100 feature films from around the world, along with a wealth of special events, conferences, and parties. Audiences can look forward to discovering numerous World and International premieres, as well as the Canadian debuts of some of the most acclaimed genre works from this year’s Cannes, Sundance, SXSW, Berlin, and Tribeca film festivals. The festival’s full lineup of screenings and events will be announced on July 9. For now, we...
Here's the first announcement of what you crazy Canucks and your guests from around the world will see there.
From the Press Release:
The Fantasia Film Festival is coming back, and coming soon. From July 18 to August 6, Montreal will be home to a showcase of over 100 feature films from around the world, along with a wealth of special events, conferences, and parties. Audiences can look forward to discovering numerous World and International premieres, as well as the Canadian debuts of some of the most acclaimed genre works from this year’s Cannes, Sundance, SXSW, Berlin, and Tribeca film festivals. The festival’s full lineup of screenings and events will be announced on July 9. For now, we...
- 6/27/2013
- by The Woman In Black
- DreadCentral.com
While Fantastic Fest seems to satisfy my needs when it comes to a genre film festival, I have always wanted to attend Fantasia. I have heard & seen so much about it that, as a genre fan, it makes me salivate. Luckily, Fantastic Fest seems to nab some titles from their extraordinary lineup so I get to experience some of their programming.
Today, Fantasia has released their first wave of titles. Those lucky bastards get to see live Clive Barker stage theater, see the finale of the Cornetto trilogy and more. Read below for the full list.
Fantasia 2013′S First Wave Of Incredible Titles Has Been Announced!
The Fantasia Film Festival is coming back, and coming soon. From July 18 – August 6, Montreal will be home to a showcase of over 100 feature films from around the world, along with a wealth of special events, conferences, and parties. Audiences can look forward to discovering numerous World and International premieres,...
Today, Fantasia has released their first wave of titles. Those lucky bastards get to see live Clive Barker stage theater, see the finale of the Cornetto trilogy and more. Read below for the full list.
Fantasia 2013′S First Wave Of Incredible Titles Has Been Announced!
The Fantasia Film Festival is coming back, and coming soon. From July 18 – August 6, Montreal will be home to a showcase of over 100 feature films from around the world, along with a wealth of special events, conferences, and parties. Audiences can look forward to discovering numerous World and International premieres,...
- 6/27/2013
- by Andy Triefenbach
- Destroy the Brain
The Fantasia Film Festival is taking place from July 18th to August 6th in Montreal and will feature over 100 films from around the world. The initial lineup has just been announced and includes The World’s End, The Conjuring, and a number of horror films making their world premiere:
Official Closing Film – Edgar Wright’s The World’s End (Canadian Premiere)
Fantasia 2013 will come wildly to a close on the night of August 6 with the Canadian premiere of UK filmmaker Edgar Wright’s hotly anticipated apocalyptic comedy The World’S End, starring Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Rosamund Pike and Martin Freeman. As Fantasia was the site of the Canadian Premieres of Wright’s landmark 2004 debut Shawn Of The Dead as well as his most recent Scott Pilgrim Vs The World, we couldn’t think of a better way to close this year’s festival.
Joining us in Montreal will be...
Official Closing Film – Edgar Wright’s The World’s End (Canadian Premiere)
Fantasia 2013 will come wildly to a close on the night of August 6 with the Canadian premiere of UK filmmaker Edgar Wright’s hotly anticipated apocalyptic comedy The World’S End, starring Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Rosamund Pike and Martin Freeman. As Fantasia was the site of the Canadian Premieres of Wright’s landmark 2004 debut Shawn Of The Dead as well as his most recent Scott Pilgrim Vs The World, we couldn’t think of a better way to close this year’s festival.
Joining us in Montreal will be...
- 6/27/2013
- by Jonathan James
- DailyDead
It’s rare to come across a film that genuinely feels “different,” but Bob Byington’s Somebody Up There Likes Me is one of those films. Byington is an Austin-based writer/director and has worked (on both sides of the camera) with a number of mumblecore and post-mumblecore figures, directing Justin Rice and Alex Karpovsky in his 2009 feature Harmony and Me while also cameoing in Andrew Bujalski’s Beeswax and Alex Ross Perry’s The Color Wheel. His recent films, the gleefully edgy Rso [Registered Sex Offender] and the charming, sweet Harmony, were quirky indie comedies but definitely felt like they fit within a …...
- 3/29/2013
- by Nick Dawson
- Filmmaker Magazine-Director Interviews
Vol. I Issue 5
Join us twice weekly. Send us links to your sizzle reels and film sites.
Two Short Listed Documentary Features
Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry, directed by Alison Klayman
Ai Weiwei is China's most famous international artist, and its most outspoken domestic critic. Against a backdrop of strict censorship and an unresponsive legal system, Ai expresses himself and organizes people through art and social media. In response, Chinese authorities have shut down his blog, beat him up, bulldozed his newly built studio, and held him in secret detention.
Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry is the inside story of a dissident for the digital age who inspires global audiences and whose actions blur the boundaries of art and politics. First-time director Alison Klayman gained unprecedented access to Ai while working as a journalist in China. Her detailed portrait of Weiwei’s life and work allows us to follow Weiwei’s journey and his transformation of his life and works are perceived. Few artists have been able to use their public stature to help cause political change. Clearly this is the story of a giant killer. Regrettably the story continues and China continues to repress its people.
What’s special about Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry is that the filmmaker was able to follow Ai Weiwei over several years. We are able to see a Chinese dissident whose home is watched by 1984-like cameras hung from telephone and power poles. We can only assume his home is bugged, his cell phone is bugged and all of his computers are bugged. The power of this work is seeing an artist functioning in this environment. Shocking. His spirit is best shown in his defiant art, his raised middle finger in the foreground of many still images of iconic monuments to the Chinese peoples’ struggles. He dares to challenge America’s biggest trading partner, debt holder and, by the end of the film, he is shown silenced, unable to comment because he was released from detention. The irony of this powerful work is that we and the world are shown to be complicit.
While the film lacks the slickness of many of the Academy’s short listed docs, its power flows from the subject. Clearly an artist whose work reflects his life experiences and struggle is a difficult subject. Weiwei constantly tweaks the authorities who clearly fear its citizens being free to express themselves and their feelings about their government globally. Yet the world is silent about this repressive government that spies on, beats up and terrorizes its citizens. This is another film that should be nominated. Its construction, score, shooting suggests that Ms. Klayman can, with some more experience, become an extraordinary filmmaker.
The Filmmakers
Alison Klayman, Director, Producer, Cinematographer
Ai Weiwei: Never Sorryis Alison Klayman's debut feature documentary, which she directed, produced, filmed and co-edited. She is a 2011 Sundance Documentary Fellow and one of Filmmaker Magazine's "25 New Faces of Independent Film". She has been a guest on The Colbert Report, as well as CNN and NPR. Klayman lived in China from 2006 to 2010, working as a freelance journalist. She speaks Mandarin and Hebrew, and graduated from Brown University in 2006.
Adam Schlesinger, Producer
Adam Schlesinger is an award-winning independent film producer based in New York. He produced the Sundance Film Festival selections: Smash His Camera, which won for Best Director; Page One- Inside the New York Times; and God Grew Tired of Us, winner of the Grand Jury Prize and Audience Award.
Credits:
Director/Producer/Writer/Camera: Alison Klayman
Producer: Adam Schlesinger
Contributing Producer: Colin
Executive Producers: Andrew Cohen, Julie Goldman, Karl
Music: Ilan Isakov
Editor: Jen Fineran
Production Companies: Expressions United Media, Muse Film and Television, Never Sorry
Distribution: Sundance Selects, Artificial Eye
Bully, directed by Lee Hirsch A Case Study: How to be Short Listed and Gross $3Million
Bully, directed by Lee Hirsch
A Case Study: How to be Short Listed and Gross $3Million
Bully is a character-driven documentary that looks at how bullying has touched five children and their families. The five stories each represent a different facet of bullying. Filmed over the course of the 2009/2010 school year, Bully opens a window onto the lives of bullied kids, revealing a problem that transcends geographic, racial, ethnic and economic borders. It documents the responses of teachers and administrators to aggressive behaviors that defy “kids will be kids” clichés, and it captures a growing movement among parents and youths to change how bullying is handled in schools, in communities and in society as a whole.
Bully is a case study of how The Weinstein Company can take what would be a traditional non-theatrical documentary feature and turn it into both a cause and a theatrical event and, because of the rule changes at the Academy, have it come to be short listed for an Oscar.
Bully is an excellent film, it is well made, directed, edited and scored. Its characters and stories are well done. It’s just not in the same league as many of the documentary films short listed for this year’s Academy Award nomination.
When the film was released with an “R” rating, appropriate and consistent with the MPAA guidelines because of language and violence, the Weinsteins used the R rating to create a controversy which enabled the film to become a box office success and was the basis of a brilliant Academy campaign for a documentary nomination. This is one of the best examples (since Michael Moore and Roger and Menot being nominated for an Oscar) of creating a box-office success with a documentary. (Roger and Mewas distributed by Warners.) As of December 30, 2012 Bully had grossed over $3.5 million. (Box Office Mojo)
The MPAA gives an automatic “R” rating to films that use the “F” word. It has done this since its inception. This makes sense. The “F” word is inappropriate for children. But wait, Bullyis for middle and high school students! These schools can’t (or should not) show “R” rated films.
The MPAA rating system has never been particularly clear to Americans. Developed by the Motion Picture Association to prevent local and/or regional ratings it has always been “advisory”; however, some media outlets will not accept advertising or promote films with some of the harder ratings. The Weinsteins knew that this film would get an “R” rating because of the “F” word. No surprise. Yet how could this “important” film for school children to see be blocked from its audience?
“Bully's R ratingsparks a nationwide protest. ...stars, theater owners, and Members of Congress have joined forces to protest the film's R rating as a result of the film having six swear words.” This is in the industry press. (Deadline)
The Weinsteins, of course with great fanfare, appealed the rating decision which got the film more press. They decided to release the film in just two markets to qualify for the documentary Academy award, without a rating, but continue the press-push to have the rating changed.
On April 5, The Weinstein Company announced that their doc, Bully, was to receive a PG-13 from the MPAA, with some minor cuts. After removing three uses of the F-word it was re-released in the new PG-13 version on April 13 and shortly after the run was expanded to 55 theatrical markets.
Deadline reported, “The big victory, even though they had to remove three F-words, was that they could keep the controversial school bus bullying scene unedited and uncut, which (the director) Hirsch continuously refused to edit, "since it is too important to the truth and integrity behind the film." Hirsch states: "I feel completely vindicated with this resolution. While I retain my belief that PG-13 has always been the appropriate rating for this film, as reinforced by Canada's rating of a PG, we have today scored a victory from the MPAA. The support and guidance we have received throughout this process has been incredible."
Let’s note that the MPAA is an industry trade association. The Weinsteins are members. It’s not exactly a group that battles. The ratings are advisory only.
The Weinstein press release continued the illusion, This decision by the MPAA is a huge victory for the parents, educators, lawmakers, and most importantly, children, everywhere who have been fighting for months for the appropriate PG-13 rating without cutting some of the most sensitive moments. Three uses of the 'F word' were removed from other scenes, which ultimately persuaded the MPAA to lower the rating. Hirsch made the documentary with the intent to give an uncensored, real-life portrayal of what 13 million children suffer through every year. The new rating, which came about with the great support from MPAA Chairman Chris Dodd, grants the schools, organizations and cities all around the country who are lined up and ready to screen Bully, including the National Education Association and the Cincinnati School District, the opportunity to share this educational tool with their children.”
It needs to be pointed out that this controversy was a set up. When The Weinstein Company released Bully "unrated" in theaters in New York and Los Angeles it barely earned $150,000. The film might be seen by a few hundred thousand people in theaters which is a theatrical success but not the millions of kids the filmmakers are on record to reach. (A $3.5 mil gross suggests at a $6 admission fee perhaps a half-million tickets were sold.) Millions of people don’t usually go to theaters to see docs. So a $3.5 mil theatrical gross makes this film a major theatrical success. It puts this film in the top 50 or so theatrical documentaries of all time.
But all along, the Weinsteins knew that the film can easily be provided in DVD and in video-on-demand to schools, teachers, students and families in an “Educational” version without the R rated language being included. The use of an educational version would totally serve the school market. This version could be provided for “free” or even for a modest fee if the Weinsteins were really interested in this aspect of marketing the film. The Bullybook is available now for sale and soon the Blu Ray and DVD. Seeing the film in a classroom and then talking about it is what educators do with films. There are over 100,000 school, church and other groups (like Girls Scouts) that can show this film to groups of kids.
Note: Full disclosure, I started a Move-on Campaign and petitioned the Weinsteins to offer
Bully for a Buck! after I saw the film. More than 480 people have signed the petition to date. No match for the hundreds of thousands who signed the rating controversy petition but I did not do any publicity. As a parent of two teens, I felt this was a far more logical thing to do to get the film out to children without the strong language. This petition continues on Change.org.
Bully Short Listed for an Academy Award
With the rule change at the Academy this year, the documentary branch is working as a committee of the whole to do both the short listing and the nomination. The committee members were sent 125 documentary features, mostly arriving at the tail end of the deadline, to review. The committee was made up of both documentary branch members and Academy members who have been nominated or won documentary Oscars. Obviously, few members saw all 125 documentaries. The short list of 15 films was made from tallying the results of each member’s list of their 15 top docs. I think the publicity for Bully insured it would make this list.
The Weinsteins also had it screened at the Academy as part of the Academy members screening program, one of the handful of documentaries that were screened as part of the weekend program. This also will likely help the film get on members’ radar. Smart. Last year, The Weinsteins’ film The Undefeatedwon the Documentary Oscar. They do a great job getting their films out.
Credits:
Directed by: Lee Hirsch
Produced by: Lee Hirsch, Cynthia Lowen
Written by: Lee Hirsch, Cynthia Lowen
Executive Producer: Cindy Waitt
Cinematography: Lee Hirsch
Edited by: Lindsay Utz, Jenny Golden
Original Score by: Ion Furjanic, Justin Rice/Christian Rudder
Consulting Editors: Enat Sidi, Cynthia Lowen
Music Supervisor: Brooke Wentz
Running Time: 94 minutes
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for some language
Short Notes and Update:
WGA Announces Nominees for Documentary Screenplay Award
The WGA announced six nominees for its documentary screenplay award: War, Mea Culpa and Sugar Man also are on the Academy shortlist of feature docs hoping to score an Oscar nomination.
Winners will be honored by the Writers Guild of America, West (Wgaw) and the Writers Guild of America, East (Wgae) at the 2013 Writers Guild Awards on Feb. 17 during simultaneous ceremonies in Los Angeles and New York.
Documentary Screenplay
The Central Park Five, written by Sarah Burns and David McMahon and Ken Burns; Sundance Selects
The Invisible War, written by Kirby Dick; Cinedigm Entertainment Group
Mea Maxima Culpa: Silence in the House of God, written by Alex Gibney; HBO Documentary Films
Searching for Sugar Man, written by Malik Bendejelloul; Sony Pictures Classics
We Are Legion: The Story of the Hacktivists, written by Brian Knappenberger; Cinetic Media
West of Memphis, written by Amy Berg & Billy McMillin; Sony Pictures Classics
Sundance Announces 2013 Documentary Competition:
U.S. Documentary Competition
The world premieres of 16 American documentary films.
99% - The Occupy Wall Street Collaborative Film/ U.S.A. (Directors: Audrey Ewell, Aaron Aites, Lucian Read, Nina Krstic) The Occupy movement erupted in September 2011, propelling economic inequality into the spotlight. In an unprecedented collaboration, filmmakers across America tell its story, digging into big picture issues as organizers, analysts, participants and critics reveal how it happened and why.
After Tiller/ U.S.A. (Directors: Martha Shane, Lana Wilson) — Since the assassination of Dr. George Tiller in 2009, only four doctors in the country provide late-term abortions. With unprecedented access, After Tiller goes inside the lives of these physicians working at the center of the storm.
American Promise/ U.S.A. (Directors: Joe Brewster, Michèle Stephenson) — This intimate documentary follows the 12-year journey of two African-American families pursuing the promise of opportunity through the education of their sons.
Blackfish/ U.S.A. (Director: Gabriela Cowperthwaite) — Notorious killer whale Tilikum is responsible for the deaths of three individuals, including a top killer whale trainer. Blackfish shows the sometimes devastating consequences of keeping such intelligent and sentient creatures in captivity.
Blood Brother/ U.S.A. (Director: Steve Hoover) — Rocky went to India as a disillusioned tourist. When he met a group of children with HIV, he decided to stay. He never could have imagined the obstacles he would face, or the love he would find.
Citizen Koch / U.S.A. (Directors: Carl Deal, Tia Lessin) — Wisconsin – birthplace of the Republican Party, government unions, “cheeseheads” and Paul Ryan – becomes a test market in the campaign to buy Democracy, and ground zero in the battle for the future of the Gop.
Cutie and the Boxer/ U.S.A. (Director: Zachary Heinzerling) — This candid New York love story explores the chaotic 40-year marriage of famed boxing painter Ushio Shinohara and his wife, Noriko. Anxious to shed her role of assistant to her overbearing husband, Noriko seeks an identity of her own.
Dirty Wars/ U.S.A. (Director: Richard Rowley) — Investigative journalist Jeremy Scahill chases down the truth behind America’s covert wars.
Gideon's Army/ U.S.A. (Director: Dawn Porter) — Gideon’s Army follows three young, committed Public Defenders who are dedicated to working for the people society would rather forget. Long hours, low pay and staggering caseloads are so common that even the most committed often give up.
God Loves Uganda/ U.S.A. (Director: Roger Ross Williams) — A powerful exploration of the evangelical campaign to infuse African culture with values imported from America’s Christian Right. The film follows American and Ugandan religious leaders fighting “sexual immorality” and missionaries trying to convince Ugandans to follow biblical law.
Inequality for All/ U.S.A. (Director: Jacob Kornbluth) — In this timely and entertaining documentary, noted economic-policy expert Robert Reich distills the topic of widening income inequality, and addresses the question of what effects this increasing gap has on our economy and our democracy.
Life According to Sam/ U.S.A. (Directors: Sean Fine, Andrea Nix Fine) — Dr. Leslie Gordon and Dr. Scott Berns fight to save their only son from a rare and fatal aging disease for which there is no cure. Their work may one day unlock the key to aging in all of us.
Manhunt / U.S.A., United Kingdom (Director: Greg Barker) — This espionage tale goes inside the CIA’s long conflict against Al Qaeda, as revealed by the remarkable women and men whose secret war against Osama bin Laden started nearly a decade before most of us even knew his name.
Narco Cultura/ U.S.A. (Director: Shaul Schwarz) — An examination of Mexican drug cartels’ influence in pop culture on both sides of the border as experienced by an La narcocorrido singer dreaming of stardom and a Juarez crime scene investigator on the front line of Mexico’s Drug War.
Twenty Feet From Stardom/ U.S.A. (Director: Morgan Neville) — Backup singers live in a world that lies just beyond the spotlight. Their voices bring harmony to the biggest bands in popular music, but we've had no idea who these singers are or what lives they lead – until now. Day One Film
Valentine Road/ U.S.A. (Director: Marta Cunningham) — In 2008, eighth-grader Brandon McInerney shot classmate Larry King at point blank range. Unraveling this tragedy from point of impact, the film reveals the heartbreaking circumstances that led to the shocking crime as well as its startling aftermath.
________________________________________________________________________
Credits: Editing by Jessica Just for SydneysBuzz
________________________________________________________________________
Block Doc Workshops in Los Angeles February 2013
The International Documentary Association will be hosting Documentary Funding and Documentary Tune-Up Workshops with Block on February 9/10. http://www.eventbrite.com/org/169037034
Mitchell Block specializes in conceiving, producing, marketing & distributing independent features & consulting. He is an expert in placing both completed works into distribution & working with producers to make projects fundable. He conducts regular workshops in film producing in Los Angeles and most recently in Maine, Russia and in Myanmar (Burma).
Poster Girl, produced by Block was nominated for a Documentary Academy Award and selected by the Ida as the Best Doc Short 2011. It was also nominated for two Emmy Awards and aired on HBO. He is an executive producer of the Emmy Award-winning PBS series Carrier, a 10-hour series that he conceived & co-created. Block is a graduate of Tisch School and Columbia University’s Graduate School of Business. He is a member of Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences, the Television Academy, a founding member of BAFTA-la and has been teaching at USC School of Cinematic Arts since 1979. Currently Block teaches a required class in the USC Peter Stark Producing Program. ______________________________________________________________________
©2013Mwb All Rights Reserved All Rights Reserved. All information and designs on the Sites are copyrighted material owned by Block. Reproduction, dissemination, or transmission of any part of the material here without the express written consent of the owner is strictly prohibited.All other product names and marks on Block Direct, whether trademarks, service marks, or other type, and whether registered or unregistered, is the property of Block.
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Two Short Listed Documentary Features
Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry, directed by Alison Klayman
Ai Weiwei is China's most famous international artist, and its most outspoken domestic critic. Against a backdrop of strict censorship and an unresponsive legal system, Ai expresses himself and organizes people through art and social media. In response, Chinese authorities have shut down his blog, beat him up, bulldozed his newly built studio, and held him in secret detention.
Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry is the inside story of a dissident for the digital age who inspires global audiences and whose actions blur the boundaries of art and politics. First-time director Alison Klayman gained unprecedented access to Ai while working as a journalist in China. Her detailed portrait of Weiwei’s life and work allows us to follow Weiwei’s journey and his transformation of his life and works are perceived. Few artists have been able to use their public stature to help cause political change. Clearly this is the story of a giant killer. Regrettably the story continues and China continues to repress its people.
What’s special about Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry is that the filmmaker was able to follow Ai Weiwei over several years. We are able to see a Chinese dissident whose home is watched by 1984-like cameras hung from telephone and power poles. We can only assume his home is bugged, his cell phone is bugged and all of his computers are bugged. The power of this work is seeing an artist functioning in this environment. Shocking. His spirit is best shown in his defiant art, his raised middle finger in the foreground of many still images of iconic monuments to the Chinese peoples’ struggles. He dares to challenge America’s biggest trading partner, debt holder and, by the end of the film, he is shown silenced, unable to comment because he was released from detention. The irony of this powerful work is that we and the world are shown to be complicit.
While the film lacks the slickness of many of the Academy’s short listed docs, its power flows from the subject. Clearly an artist whose work reflects his life experiences and struggle is a difficult subject. Weiwei constantly tweaks the authorities who clearly fear its citizens being free to express themselves and their feelings about their government globally. Yet the world is silent about this repressive government that spies on, beats up and terrorizes its citizens. This is another film that should be nominated. Its construction, score, shooting suggests that Ms. Klayman can, with some more experience, become an extraordinary filmmaker.
The Filmmakers
Alison Klayman, Director, Producer, Cinematographer
Ai Weiwei: Never Sorryis Alison Klayman's debut feature documentary, which she directed, produced, filmed and co-edited. She is a 2011 Sundance Documentary Fellow and one of Filmmaker Magazine's "25 New Faces of Independent Film". She has been a guest on The Colbert Report, as well as CNN and NPR. Klayman lived in China from 2006 to 2010, working as a freelance journalist. She speaks Mandarin and Hebrew, and graduated from Brown University in 2006.
Adam Schlesinger, Producer
Adam Schlesinger is an award-winning independent film producer based in New York. He produced the Sundance Film Festival selections: Smash His Camera, which won for Best Director; Page One- Inside the New York Times; and God Grew Tired of Us, winner of the Grand Jury Prize and Audience Award.
Credits:
Director/Producer/Writer/Camera: Alison Klayman
Producer: Adam Schlesinger
Contributing Producer: Colin
Executive Producers: Andrew Cohen, Julie Goldman, Karl
Music: Ilan Isakov
Editor: Jen Fineran
Production Companies: Expressions United Media, Muse Film and Television, Never Sorry
Distribution: Sundance Selects, Artificial Eye
Bully, directed by Lee Hirsch A Case Study: How to be Short Listed and Gross $3Million
Bully, directed by Lee Hirsch
A Case Study: How to be Short Listed and Gross $3Million
Bully is a character-driven documentary that looks at how bullying has touched five children and their families. The five stories each represent a different facet of bullying. Filmed over the course of the 2009/2010 school year, Bully opens a window onto the lives of bullied kids, revealing a problem that transcends geographic, racial, ethnic and economic borders. It documents the responses of teachers and administrators to aggressive behaviors that defy “kids will be kids” clichés, and it captures a growing movement among parents and youths to change how bullying is handled in schools, in communities and in society as a whole.
Bully is a case study of how The Weinstein Company can take what would be a traditional non-theatrical documentary feature and turn it into both a cause and a theatrical event and, because of the rule changes at the Academy, have it come to be short listed for an Oscar.
Bully is an excellent film, it is well made, directed, edited and scored. Its characters and stories are well done. It’s just not in the same league as many of the documentary films short listed for this year’s Academy Award nomination.
When the film was released with an “R” rating, appropriate and consistent with the MPAA guidelines because of language and violence, the Weinsteins used the R rating to create a controversy which enabled the film to become a box office success and was the basis of a brilliant Academy campaign for a documentary nomination. This is one of the best examples (since Michael Moore and Roger and Menot being nominated for an Oscar) of creating a box-office success with a documentary. (Roger and Mewas distributed by Warners.) As of December 30, 2012 Bully had grossed over $3.5 million. (Box Office Mojo)
The MPAA gives an automatic “R” rating to films that use the “F” word. It has done this since its inception. This makes sense. The “F” word is inappropriate for children. But wait, Bullyis for middle and high school students! These schools can’t (or should not) show “R” rated films.
The MPAA rating system has never been particularly clear to Americans. Developed by the Motion Picture Association to prevent local and/or regional ratings it has always been “advisory”; however, some media outlets will not accept advertising or promote films with some of the harder ratings. The Weinsteins knew that this film would get an “R” rating because of the “F” word. No surprise. Yet how could this “important” film for school children to see be blocked from its audience?
“Bully's R ratingsparks a nationwide protest. ...stars, theater owners, and Members of Congress have joined forces to protest the film's R rating as a result of the film having six swear words.” This is in the industry press. (Deadline)
The Weinsteins, of course with great fanfare, appealed the rating decision which got the film more press. They decided to release the film in just two markets to qualify for the documentary Academy award, without a rating, but continue the press-push to have the rating changed.
On April 5, The Weinstein Company announced that their doc, Bully, was to receive a PG-13 from the MPAA, with some minor cuts. After removing three uses of the F-word it was re-released in the new PG-13 version on April 13 and shortly after the run was expanded to 55 theatrical markets.
Deadline reported, “The big victory, even though they had to remove three F-words, was that they could keep the controversial school bus bullying scene unedited and uncut, which (the director) Hirsch continuously refused to edit, "since it is too important to the truth and integrity behind the film." Hirsch states: "I feel completely vindicated with this resolution. While I retain my belief that PG-13 has always been the appropriate rating for this film, as reinforced by Canada's rating of a PG, we have today scored a victory from the MPAA. The support and guidance we have received throughout this process has been incredible."
Let’s note that the MPAA is an industry trade association. The Weinsteins are members. It’s not exactly a group that battles. The ratings are advisory only.
The Weinstein press release continued the illusion, This decision by the MPAA is a huge victory for the parents, educators, lawmakers, and most importantly, children, everywhere who have been fighting for months for the appropriate PG-13 rating without cutting some of the most sensitive moments. Three uses of the 'F word' were removed from other scenes, which ultimately persuaded the MPAA to lower the rating. Hirsch made the documentary with the intent to give an uncensored, real-life portrayal of what 13 million children suffer through every year. The new rating, which came about with the great support from MPAA Chairman Chris Dodd, grants the schools, organizations and cities all around the country who are lined up and ready to screen Bully, including the National Education Association and the Cincinnati School District, the opportunity to share this educational tool with their children.”
It needs to be pointed out that this controversy was a set up. When The Weinstein Company released Bully "unrated" in theaters in New York and Los Angeles it barely earned $150,000. The film might be seen by a few hundred thousand people in theaters which is a theatrical success but not the millions of kids the filmmakers are on record to reach. (A $3.5 mil gross suggests at a $6 admission fee perhaps a half-million tickets were sold.) Millions of people don’t usually go to theaters to see docs. So a $3.5 mil theatrical gross makes this film a major theatrical success. It puts this film in the top 50 or so theatrical documentaries of all time.
But all along, the Weinsteins knew that the film can easily be provided in DVD and in video-on-demand to schools, teachers, students and families in an “Educational” version without the R rated language being included. The use of an educational version would totally serve the school market. This version could be provided for “free” or even for a modest fee if the Weinsteins were really interested in this aspect of marketing the film. The Bullybook is available now for sale and soon the Blu Ray and DVD. Seeing the film in a classroom and then talking about it is what educators do with films. There are over 100,000 school, church and other groups (like Girls Scouts) that can show this film to groups of kids.
Note: Full disclosure, I started a Move-on Campaign and petitioned the Weinsteins to offer
Bully for a Buck! after I saw the film. More than 480 people have signed the petition to date. No match for the hundreds of thousands who signed the rating controversy petition but I did not do any publicity. As a parent of two teens, I felt this was a far more logical thing to do to get the film out to children without the strong language. This petition continues on Change.org.
Bully Short Listed for an Academy Award
With the rule change at the Academy this year, the documentary branch is working as a committee of the whole to do both the short listing and the nomination. The committee members were sent 125 documentary features, mostly arriving at the tail end of the deadline, to review. The committee was made up of both documentary branch members and Academy members who have been nominated or won documentary Oscars. Obviously, few members saw all 125 documentaries. The short list of 15 films was made from tallying the results of each member’s list of their 15 top docs. I think the publicity for Bully insured it would make this list.
The Weinsteins also had it screened at the Academy as part of the Academy members screening program, one of the handful of documentaries that were screened as part of the weekend program. This also will likely help the film get on members’ radar. Smart. Last year, The Weinsteins’ film The Undefeatedwon the Documentary Oscar. They do a great job getting their films out.
Credits:
Directed by: Lee Hirsch
Produced by: Lee Hirsch, Cynthia Lowen
Written by: Lee Hirsch, Cynthia Lowen
Executive Producer: Cindy Waitt
Cinematography: Lee Hirsch
Edited by: Lindsay Utz, Jenny Golden
Original Score by: Ion Furjanic, Justin Rice/Christian Rudder
Consulting Editors: Enat Sidi, Cynthia Lowen
Music Supervisor: Brooke Wentz
Running Time: 94 minutes
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for some language
Short Notes and Update:
WGA Announces Nominees for Documentary Screenplay Award
The WGA announced six nominees for its documentary screenplay award: War, Mea Culpa and Sugar Man also are on the Academy shortlist of feature docs hoping to score an Oscar nomination.
Winners will be honored by the Writers Guild of America, West (Wgaw) and the Writers Guild of America, East (Wgae) at the 2013 Writers Guild Awards on Feb. 17 during simultaneous ceremonies in Los Angeles and New York.
Documentary Screenplay
The Central Park Five, written by Sarah Burns and David McMahon and Ken Burns; Sundance Selects
The Invisible War, written by Kirby Dick; Cinedigm Entertainment Group
Mea Maxima Culpa: Silence in the House of God, written by Alex Gibney; HBO Documentary Films
Searching for Sugar Man, written by Malik Bendejelloul; Sony Pictures Classics
We Are Legion: The Story of the Hacktivists, written by Brian Knappenberger; Cinetic Media
West of Memphis, written by Amy Berg & Billy McMillin; Sony Pictures Classics
Sundance Announces 2013 Documentary Competition:
U.S. Documentary Competition
The world premieres of 16 American documentary films.
99% - The Occupy Wall Street Collaborative Film/ U.S.A. (Directors: Audrey Ewell, Aaron Aites, Lucian Read, Nina Krstic) The Occupy movement erupted in September 2011, propelling economic inequality into the spotlight. In an unprecedented collaboration, filmmakers across America tell its story, digging into big picture issues as organizers, analysts, participants and critics reveal how it happened and why.
After Tiller/ U.S.A. (Directors: Martha Shane, Lana Wilson) — Since the assassination of Dr. George Tiller in 2009, only four doctors in the country provide late-term abortions. With unprecedented access, After Tiller goes inside the lives of these physicians working at the center of the storm.
American Promise/ U.S.A. (Directors: Joe Brewster, Michèle Stephenson) — This intimate documentary follows the 12-year journey of two African-American families pursuing the promise of opportunity through the education of their sons.
Blackfish/ U.S.A. (Director: Gabriela Cowperthwaite) — Notorious killer whale Tilikum is responsible for the deaths of three individuals, including a top killer whale trainer. Blackfish shows the sometimes devastating consequences of keeping such intelligent and sentient creatures in captivity.
Blood Brother/ U.S.A. (Director: Steve Hoover) — Rocky went to India as a disillusioned tourist. When he met a group of children with HIV, he decided to stay. He never could have imagined the obstacles he would face, or the love he would find.
Citizen Koch / U.S.A. (Directors: Carl Deal, Tia Lessin) — Wisconsin – birthplace of the Republican Party, government unions, “cheeseheads” and Paul Ryan – becomes a test market in the campaign to buy Democracy, and ground zero in the battle for the future of the Gop.
Cutie and the Boxer/ U.S.A. (Director: Zachary Heinzerling) — This candid New York love story explores the chaotic 40-year marriage of famed boxing painter Ushio Shinohara and his wife, Noriko. Anxious to shed her role of assistant to her overbearing husband, Noriko seeks an identity of her own.
Dirty Wars/ U.S.A. (Director: Richard Rowley) — Investigative journalist Jeremy Scahill chases down the truth behind America’s covert wars.
Gideon's Army/ U.S.A. (Director: Dawn Porter) — Gideon’s Army follows three young, committed Public Defenders who are dedicated to working for the people society would rather forget. Long hours, low pay and staggering caseloads are so common that even the most committed often give up.
God Loves Uganda/ U.S.A. (Director: Roger Ross Williams) — A powerful exploration of the evangelical campaign to infuse African culture with values imported from America’s Christian Right. The film follows American and Ugandan religious leaders fighting “sexual immorality” and missionaries trying to convince Ugandans to follow biblical law.
Inequality for All/ U.S.A. (Director: Jacob Kornbluth) — In this timely and entertaining documentary, noted economic-policy expert Robert Reich distills the topic of widening income inequality, and addresses the question of what effects this increasing gap has on our economy and our democracy.
Life According to Sam/ U.S.A. (Directors: Sean Fine, Andrea Nix Fine) — Dr. Leslie Gordon and Dr. Scott Berns fight to save their only son from a rare and fatal aging disease for which there is no cure. Their work may one day unlock the key to aging in all of us.
Manhunt / U.S.A., United Kingdom (Director: Greg Barker) — This espionage tale goes inside the CIA’s long conflict against Al Qaeda, as revealed by the remarkable women and men whose secret war against Osama bin Laden started nearly a decade before most of us even knew his name.
Narco Cultura/ U.S.A. (Director: Shaul Schwarz) — An examination of Mexican drug cartels’ influence in pop culture on both sides of the border as experienced by an La narcocorrido singer dreaming of stardom and a Juarez crime scene investigator on the front line of Mexico’s Drug War.
Twenty Feet From Stardom/ U.S.A. (Director: Morgan Neville) — Backup singers live in a world that lies just beyond the spotlight. Their voices bring harmony to the biggest bands in popular music, but we've had no idea who these singers are or what lives they lead – until now. Day One Film
Valentine Road/ U.S.A. (Director: Marta Cunningham) — In 2008, eighth-grader Brandon McInerney shot classmate Larry King at point blank range. Unraveling this tragedy from point of impact, the film reveals the heartbreaking circumstances that led to the shocking crime as well as its startling aftermath.
________________________________________________________________________
Credits: Editing by Jessica Just for SydneysBuzz
________________________________________________________________________
Block Doc Workshops in Los Angeles February 2013
The International Documentary Association will be hosting Documentary Funding and Documentary Tune-Up Workshops with Block on February 9/10. http://www.eventbrite.com/org/169037034
Mitchell Block specializes in conceiving, producing, marketing & distributing independent features & consulting. He is an expert in placing both completed works into distribution & working with producers to make projects fundable. He conducts regular workshops in film producing in Los Angeles and most recently in Maine, Russia and in Myanmar (Burma).
Poster Girl, produced by Block was nominated for a Documentary Academy Award and selected by the Ida as the Best Doc Short 2011. It was also nominated for two Emmy Awards and aired on HBO. He is an executive producer of the Emmy Award-winning PBS series Carrier, a 10-hour series that he conceived & co-created. Block is a graduate of Tisch School and Columbia University’s Graduate School of Business. He is a member of Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences, the Television Academy, a founding member of BAFTA-la and has been teaching at USC School of Cinematic Arts since 1979. Currently Block teaches a required class in the USC Peter Stark Producing Program. ______________________________________________________________________
©2013Mwb All Rights Reserved All Rights Reserved. All information and designs on the Sites are copyrighted material owned by Block. Reproduction, dissemination, or transmission of any part of the material here without the express written consent of the owner is strictly prohibited.All other product names and marks on Block Direct, whether trademarks, service marks, or other type, and whether registered or unregistered, is the property of Block.
- 1/8/2013
- by Mitchell Block
- Sydney's Buzz
Two movies are out on DVD today that have one thing in common: truly unsympathetic protagonists, people you would not want to spend more than five minutes with if you ran into them in real life. Surprisingly, however, I liked both of these movies very much: Greenberg, in which Ben Stiller is one of the most consistently off-putting characters ever onscreen; and Harmony and Me, in which Justin Rice's whiny, melodramatic title character practically leaks self-pity wherever he goes.
There's something to be said for a great movie with a grating character you want to strangle, who just plain drives you nuts. For one thing, it's a refreshing change from the supposedly unlikeable character who ends up just being a big old softy by the end of the film, and gets all sentimental or changes his/her ways. It's a challenge to have a horrible character that an audience can still somehow sympathize with,...
There's something to be said for a great movie with a grating character you want to strangle, who just plain drives you nuts. For one thing, it's a refreshing change from the supposedly unlikeable character who ends up just being a big old softy by the end of the film, and gets all sentimental or changes his/her ways. It's a challenge to have a horrible character that an audience can still somehow sympathize with,...
- 7/14/2010
- by Jette Kernion
- Cinematical
In the middle of Harmony and Me is a very telling line of dialogue. Harmony (Justin Rice) is struggling through a piano lesson, and his teacher (Jeremy Pollet) aptly sums up Harmony's playing style and personality: "You're entangled in your dedication to precision."
Indeed he is. A quintessential Austin indie, Harmony and Me -- available today on DVD and streaming through the movie's website -- is the story of the title character, a less-than-lovable loser who can't let go of his ex-girlfriend, Jessica (Kristen Tucker). His obsession with her has gone from merely pathetic to thoroughly annoying, as he subjects his family, friends, co-workers and anyone else who will listen to his hopeless pining and incessant analyses of the relationship. Despite everyone's gentle suggestions to get over it already, Harmony isn't about to move on.
Then again, Harmony's fixation on the lovely Jessica is may be understandable (albeit completely irritating...
Indeed he is. A quintessential Austin indie, Harmony and Me -- available today on DVD and streaming through the movie's website -- is the story of the title character, a less-than-lovable loser who can't let go of his ex-girlfriend, Jessica (Kristen Tucker). His obsession with her has gone from merely pathetic to thoroughly annoying, as he subjects his family, friends, co-workers and anyone else who will listen to his hopeless pining and incessant analyses of the relationship. Despite everyone's gentle suggestions to get over it already, Harmony isn't about to move on.
Then again, Harmony's fixation on the lovely Jessica is may be understandable (albeit completely irritating...
- 7/13/2010
- by Don Clinchy
- Slackerwood
Robert here, back with more of my series on great contemporary directors. This week we're going to call it the "hear me out" edition or the "please don't shun me" edition. Bringing up this director doesn't usually yield very positive results. However I will note that I'll only be discussing Bujalski here and not any supposed "movement" that he is a part of (as I've not seen any other films from that "movement"). And I hope you'll give the man and his work some consideration. Next week we will return to the realm of the almost universally beloved.
Maestro: Andrew Bujalski
Known For: Super-independent movies about aimless ordinary people.
Influences: Cassavetes is a big one. Jarmusch and Linklater too.
Masterpieces: I'm not dumb enough to suggest that Bujalski's had a masterpiece when a while back I declared that Christopher Nolan didn't.
Disasters: None
Better than you remember: Probably all of them if,...
Maestro: Andrew Bujalski
Known For: Super-independent movies about aimless ordinary people.
Influences: Cassavetes is a big one. Jarmusch and Linklater too.
Masterpieces: I'm not dumb enough to suggest that Bujalski's had a masterpiece when a while back I declared that Christopher Nolan didn't.
Disasters: None
Better than you remember: Probably all of them if,...
- 6/17/2010
- by Robert
- FilmExperience
Joe Swanberg makes movies about people struggling to remove the quotation marks around what they say. In Alexander The Last, making its DVD debut after an On Demand and festival run last year, Jess Weixler plays a young, married actress rehearsing for an intense play while her musician husband (Justin Rice) goes on tour. Obviously attracted to her co-star (Barlow Jacobs), a new arrival from Tennessee, she lets him bunk on her couch and begins flirting openly with him. But is she flirting or “flirting”? And when she kisses him while on a shopping trip with her disapproving sister (Amy ...
- 3/24/2010
- avclub.com
They say that the best place to learn filmmaking is on a film set. Joe Swanberg, whose name is familiar to those who've paid attention to his dilligent presence in the fest circuit over the past half-decade, is a student of such pick-up-and-go education, known primarily as a reluctant poster child for the Diy new wave.
His latest returns him to the only subject he seems willing to work on: that of contemporary twenty-somethings struggling with the pangs of sexual and romantic relationships. True to Swanberg's preference towards creative types, it's about a stage actress who collaborates a little too deeply with her co-star while her indie musician husband is away on tour. As always, they spend a fair amount of the story naked.
It's a film as driven by the characters' professions as it is by their personalities. It's a collection of loosely connected scenes that seem to be...
His latest returns him to the only subject he seems willing to work on: that of contemporary twenty-somethings struggling with the pangs of sexual and romantic relationships. True to Swanberg's preference towards creative types, it's about a stage actress who collaborates a little too deeply with her co-star while her indie musician husband is away on tour. As always, they spend a fair amount of the story naked.
It's a film as driven by the characters' professions as it is by their personalities. It's a collection of loosely connected scenes that seem to be...
- 3/9/2010
- by Arya Ponto
- JustPressPlay.net
DVD Playhouse—February 2010
By
Allen Gardner
Hunger (Criterion) Harrowing true story of imprisoned Ira member Bobby Sands (Michael Fassbender) and his 1981 hunger strike protesting the British government’s refusal to recognize him, and other Ira members as political prisoners. Director Steve McQueen delivers the story with true filmmaking panache, mixing startling imagery that blends both stunning beauty and stomach-churning horror. Fassbender is absolutely brilliant in the lead. Not for the faint-of-heart, but not to be missed or, particularly, ignored. Also available on Blu-ray disc. Bonuses: Interviews with McQueen and Fassbender; Short documentary; 1981 episode of BBC series “Panorama” that covers the Ira hunger strike; Trailer. Widescreen. DTS-hd audio on Blu-ray.
Adam (20th Century Fox) Quirky romantic comedy about an eccentric, borderline Asperger’s Syndrome, astronomy buff (Hugh Dancy) who is drawn out of his self-imposed shell by a beautiful and sympathetic neighbor (Rose Byrne). Charming film with engaging performances by the two leads,...
By
Allen Gardner
Hunger (Criterion) Harrowing true story of imprisoned Ira member Bobby Sands (Michael Fassbender) and his 1981 hunger strike protesting the British government’s refusal to recognize him, and other Ira members as political prisoners. Director Steve McQueen delivers the story with true filmmaking panache, mixing startling imagery that blends both stunning beauty and stomach-churning horror. Fassbender is absolutely brilliant in the lead. Not for the faint-of-heart, but not to be missed or, particularly, ignored. Also available on Blu-ray disc. Bonuses: Interviews with McQueen and Fassbender; Short documentary; 1981 episode of BBC series “Panorama” that covers the Ira hunger strike; Trailer. Widescreen. DTS-hd audio on Blu-ray.
Adam (20th Century Fox) Quirky romantic comedy about an eccentric, borderline Asperger’s Syndrome, astronomy buff (Hugh Dancy) who is drawn out of his self-imposed shell by a beautiful and sympathetic neighbor (Rose Byrne). Charming film with engaging performances by the two leads,...
- 2/15/2010
- by The Hollywood Interview.com
- The Hollywood Interview
Andrew Bujalski's one of the most distinctive directors of drama to emerge in the last decade. The elements that define his work are instantly recognizable: the abrupt starts and stops (those words seem more appropriate in regard to his movies than "beginnings" and "endings") and his instistence on not offering resolutions at the end of his films; the careful interplay of details that mark both his characterization and his framing; and the nuanced, often beautiful images he creates with his regular cinematographer, Matthias Grunsky. Frankly, he's got more in common with Mike Leigh and recent Patrice Chereau than with his friend Joe Swanberg.
Bujalski's first two features were the naturalistic miniature Funny Ha Ha and the bleak, ambiguous Mutual Appreciation. His newest film, Beeswax, can be seen as an application of the lessons of those first two films: after Mutual Appreciation's urban sprawl, he's focused again on a...
Bujalski's first two features were the naturalistic miniature Funny Ha Ha and the bleak, ambiguous Mutual Appreciation. His newest film, Beeswax, can be seen as an application of the lessons of those first two films: after Mutual Appreciation's urban sprawl, he's focused again on a...
- 2/8/2010
- MUBI
The latest film from Bob Byington, Harmony and Me, had a five-night run in Austin this week after a very successful tour of film festivals. You may remember Bob Byington won the Stanley Kubrick Award for Bold and Innovative Filmmaking at Traverse City Film Festival last year, where Harmony and Me and his previous film, Rso [Registered Sex Offender] played. Harmony and Me is a very funny movie about a guy (Justin Rice) who is mourning his recent breakup with the fervor of a drama queen, while at the same time learning to integrate music more into his life. The cast also includes Kevin Corrigan, Alex Karpovsky and Nick Offerman.
One of Harmony's piano lessons occurs during his older brother's wedding reception, when the wedding singer teaches him to play one of his songs. The wedding singer is played by Austin musician Bob Schneider, and the song he teaches Harmony is the lovely "Changing Your Mind.
One of Harmony's piano lessons occurs during his older brother's wedding reception, when the wedding singer teaches him to play one of his songs. The wedding singer is played by Austin musician Bob Schneider, and the song he teaches Harmony is the lovely "Changing Your Mind.
- 1/17/2010
- by Jette Kernion
- Cinematical
The Alamo Guide
for January 8th, 2010
Apologies for the late email this week. I was celebrating 2010 out of town, and then when I got home I was distracted by the intensity of the Texas vs. Alabama game. Bummerrrr. Oh well. We can all drown our sorrows in some Alamo fun this weekend! First of all, The Monster Squad screening was so popular that we added a second one later that night so there’s still a chance to see the Cast And Creators In Attendance! Youth In Revolt, The Imaginarium Of Doctor Parnassus, and Crazy Heart all open up this weekend. Girlie Night presents Romy & Michele’S High School Reunion on Tuesday, so get your business women outfits ready (but please have your fake job description ready)! If you’re a foodie and love our Alamo feasts, The Alamo Iron Chef competition returns with a battle between Alamo kitchen and...
for January 8th, 2010
Apologies for the late email this week. I was celebrating 2010 out of town, and then when I got home I was distracted by the intensity of the Texas vs. Alabama game. Bummerrrr. Oh well. We can all drown our sorrows in some Alamo fun this weekend! First of all, The Monster Squad screening was so popular that we added a second one later that night so there’s still a chance to see the Cast And Creators In Attendance! Youth In Revolt, The Imaginarium Of Doctor Parnassus, and Crazy Heart all open up this weekend. Girlie Night presents Romy & Michele’S High School Reunion on Tuesday, so get your business women outfits ready (but please have your fake job description ready)! If you’re a foodie and love our Alamo feasts, The Alamo Iron Chef competition returns with a battle between Alamo kitchen and...
- 1/8/2010
- by caitlin
- OriginalAlamo.com
As award season rolls around, it's nice to look back at the indie gems released this year that deserve a little spotlight, too. To do just that, indieWire released their list, Best Undistributed Films from their Annual Critics Survey 2009. On that list is GreenCine favorite Harmony and Me, now available on DVD along with writer-director Bob Byington's previous feature, Rso: Registered Sex Offender.
To learn a little more about the film, revisit our podcast interview with Byington and the film's star, indie rocker-turned-actor Justin Rice (of Mutual Appreciation).
Harmony and Me available on DVD >>>...
To learn a little more about the film, revisit our podcast interview with Byington and the film's star, indie rocker-turned-actor Justin Rice (of Mutual Appreciation).
Harmony and Me available on DVD >>>...
- 12/16/2009
- by weezy
- GreenCine
Director: Bob Byington Writer(s): Bob Byington Starring: Justin Rice, Kevin Corrigan, Pat Healy, Kristen Tucker, Alex Karpovsky, Allison Latta, Nick Offerman Harmony (Justin Rice) is not recovering very well from being dumped by Jessica (Kristen Tucker). We find him misanthropically moping through life, hating his job and constantly arguing with his family. Even piano lessons (with an unnamed character played by Jeremy Pollet) can’t clear the foggy haze from around Harmony. This is probably because Harmony is surrounded by depressed and/or mean-spirited personalities, from his friends Mike (Alex Karpovsky) and Carlos (Kevin Corrigan) to his brothers Jim (Bob Byington) and Wes (Keith Poulson). As you can imagine from the premise, there isn’t much happiness to be found within Harmony and Me; in fact, I cannot remember one pleasant or uplifting character in Harmony and Me. Harmony and Me features occasional glimpses of brilliant dialogue, but...
- 11/16/2009
- by Don Simpson
- SmellsLikeScreenSpirit
More Holiday Preview: [Theatrical Calendar]
[Repertory Calendar] [Anywhere But a Movie Theater]
On Demand
IFC Films (with whom, full disclosure, we obviously share a parent company) will be delivering new films all holiday season to homes across the country through their Festival Direct and Sundance Selects labels. These include the cross-cultural romantic dramedy "I'll Come Running" (Nov. 4), Josiane Balasko's farce "A French Gigolo" (Nov. 6), the Inuit tribal drama "Necessities of Life" (Nov. 11), the Brit crime thriller "Adulthood" (Nov. 18), the Indian love story "Return to Rajapur" (Nov. 25), the Christopher Masterson-Bijou Phillips celibacy satire "Made for Each Other" (Dec. 2), "Harry Potter" helmer David Yates' gritty two-part drama "Sex Traffic" (Dec. 2 and 9), the Korean comedy "Night and Day" (Dec. 23) and "The Ghost" (Dec. 30).
Meanwhile, in the newly launched Sundance Selects series, there's a pair of harrowing documentaries VOD premieres: Kief Davidson's coming-of-age boxing doc "Kassim the Dream" (Nov. 27) and the unvarnished biopic "Nick Nolte: No Exit" (Dec.
[Repertory Calendar] [Anywhere But a Movie Theater]
On Demand
IFC Films (with whom, full disclosure, we obviously share a parent company) will be delivering new films all holiday season to homes across the country through their Festival Direct and Sundance Selects labels. These include the cross-cultural romantic dramedy "I'll Come Running" (Nov. 4), Josiane Balasko's farce "A French Gigolo" (Nov. 6), the Inuit tribal drama "Necessities of Life" (Nov. 11), the Brit crime thriller "Adulthood" (Nov. 18), the Indian love story "Return to Rajapur" (Nov. 25), the Christopher Masterson-Bijou Phillips celibacy satire "Made for Each Other" (Dec. 2), "Harry Potter" helmer David Yates' gritty two-part drama "Sex Traffic" (Dec. 2 and 9), the Korean comedy "Night and Day" (Dec. 23) and "The Ghost" (Dec. 30).
Meanwhile, in the newly launched Sundance Selects series, there's a pair of harrowing documentaries VOD premieres: Kief Davidson's coming-of-age boxing doc "Kassim the Dream" (Nov. 27) and the unvarnished biopic "Nick Nolte: No Exit" (Dec.
- 11/4/2009
- by Stephen Saito
- ifc.com
Without the hot comeback vampires are making these days, I wonder if a project like Ti West's Dead & Lonely would get the traction it needed to come to light (hiss, pun, hiss). Maybe, maybe not. Granted, it's a very cheap, very simple project, so West could've done it all on a lazy sunday anyway; but West is a director known to horror fans as the director of The Roost. He also has a new movie coming out this Halloween weekend, a throwback horror flick called House of the Devil.
Dead & Lonely is a web series on IFC.com about two people who meet through an internet dating site. Unbeknownst to one of them, the other is actually a vampire. It's five 5-minute episodes, with each episode going up at noon every day this week. As of writing, the first two episodes are already online.
Dead & Lonely actually makes an all right 25-minute short,...
Dead & Lonely is a web series on IFC.com about two people who meet through an internet dating site. Unbeknownst to one of them, the other is actually a vampire. It's five 5-minute episodes, with each episode going up at noon every day this week. As of writing, the first two episodes are already online.
Dead & Lonely actually makes an all right 25-minute short,...
- 10/27/2009
- by Arya Ponto
- JustPressPlay.net
With Ti West's latest film The House of the Devil opening this weekend (look out for our interview with him on the site later this week), over at IFC.com his web series Dead & Lonely premiered today. The series stars Justin Rice (Mutual Appreciation) as a guy in search for love on a dating site and Paige Stark (A Relationship in Four Days) as the girl who finds his profile, but she has a secret (okay, the picture gives it away, she's a vampire). New episodes will be posted on their site all week.
- 10/27/2009
- by Jason Guerrasio
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
Back in September, it was announced that filmmaker Ti West would be debuting a new webseries titled Dead & Lonely on IFC.com starting October 26th. The series stars Justin Rice (Mutual Appreciation, Alexander The Last) and Paige Stark and brings the classic vampire love story to the modern Internet dating age. We asked West how exactly he came to do a webseries as a follow-up to The House Of The Devil . "I worked on a friend of mine.s web series and I had such a good time doing it that I thought I.d really like to try one of these. I wanted to do something episodic and a little bit different and so I went to IFC and pitched it to them and they liked it. This was my chance to do something episodic with cliffhangers, so it.s five 5-minute episodes." When asked...
- 10/16/2009
- shocktillyoudrop.com
"Dead and Lonely", IFC's original five episode web series written, produced and directed by cult indie horror filmmaker Ti West ("The Roost," "Trigger Man," "The House Of The Devil") is slated to premiere on IFC.com Monday, October 26 at Noon Et/Pt, with additional episodes airing every night that week on IFC.com at Noon. The series mixes the classic vampire love story with our modern Internet dating age, featuring the exploits of two lonely Los Angeles singles brought together via the popular Internet dating website DateOrDie.net. Unfortunately for the couple, one of them is a vampire. The series unfolds from both the predator and the victim’s perspective until the characters finally meet. In the vein of "Let the Right One In", the series focuses on the mundane reality of the day-to-day life of an immortal, while seeking to humanize her to the degree that she seems almost...
- 10/5/2009
- by Staff
- PopDecay
Justin Rice In Writer-director Bob Byington'S Harmony And Me. Courtesy Harmony And Me, LLC. From Richard Linklater and Robert Rodriguez to Bryan Poyser and the Zellner brothers, Austin is a hotbed of gifted directors, and Bob Byington now emerges from there as another talent to be reckoned with. A native of Lincoln, Nebraska, Byington studied at Uc-Santa Cruz before going to graduate school at the University of Texas, where he used his American Studies major to indulge his newfound love for the movies. In 1995, he cut his teeth as a production assistant on the indie hit The Last Supper, and the next year wrote and directed his feature debut Shameless, about an Austin-set, Generation X love triangle. His next film, Olympia, the story of a...
- 10/5/2009
- by Nick Dawson
- Filmmaker Magazine-Director Interviews
Can't get enough vampires? IFC's original five-episode Web series Dead & Lonely, written, produced, and directed by cult indie horror filmmaker Ti West (The Roost, Trigger Man, The House of the Devil), will have its premiere on IFC.com Monday, October 26, at 12:00 noon Et/Pt. Each additional episode will air every night that week on IFC.com at noon.
From the press release:
In this series, two lonely Los Angeles singles are brought together via the popular Internet dating website DateOrDie.net. The only problem is...one of them is a vampire.
Starring Justin Rice (Mutual Appreciation, Alexander The Last) and Paige Stark, Dead & Lonely brings the classic vampire love story to the modern Internet dating age. The series unfolds from both the predator's and the victim's perspectives until the characters finally meet. In the vein of Let the Right One In, the series focuses on the mundane reality of...
From the press release:
In this series, two lonely Los Angeles singles are brought together via the popular Internet dating website DateOrDie.net. The only problem is...one of them is a vampire.
Starring Justin Rice (Mutual Appreciation, Alexander The Last) and Paige Stark, Dead & Lonely brings the classic vampire love story to the modern Internet dating age. The series unfolds from both the predator's and the victim's perspectives until the characters finally meet. In the vein of Let the Right One In, the series focuses on the mundane reality of...
- 9/21/2009
- by Uncle Creepy
- DreadCentral.com
IFC Original's five-episode web series Dead & Lonely , written, produced and directed by Ti West ( The Roost ) premieres on IFC.com Monday, October 26 at midnight Et/Pt. Each additional episode will air every night that week on IFC.com at midnight. In this series, two lonely Los Angeles singles are brought together via the popular Internet dating website DateOrDie.net. The only problem is...one of them is a vampire. Starring Justin Rice ( Mutual Appreciation , Alexander The Last ) and Paige Stark, Dead & Lonely brings the classic vampire love story to the modern Internet dating age. The series unfolds from both the predator and the victim's perspective until the characters finally meet. West's latest horror feature, The House of the Devil , premieres on VOD...
- 9/21/2009
- shocktillyoudrop.com
From the official synopsis for the truly laugh-out-loud funny Harmony and Me, written and directed by Bob Byington (Rso: Registered Sex Offender) and starring indie rocker-turned-actor Justin Rice (Mutual Appreciation): One of the highlights of New Directors/New Films 2009, Bob Byington's hilariously deadpan slacker film for the cell phone generation takes place in independent film capital Austin, Texas, where a voluble young lyricist named Harmony refuses to let go of the heartbreak caused when his girlfriend became his ex. He remains stubbornly unhappy, perhaps for musical inspiration or perhaps because it’s just the way he is. Although his depression annoys his tough mom, Harmony's friends, as oddball and eccentric as he, seem perfectly cool with his cultivation of misery. Starring musician Justin Rice as the motormouthed Harmony and Kevin Corrigan as his sidekick Carlos, Byington's film presents a goofy portrait of a bright guy and his buddies running in place.
- 9/19/2009
- GreenCine Daily
Indie Roundup reviews the past week of news from the independent film community and provides a peek at what's coming soon.
Openings. This weekend will finally see the release of Kathryn Bigelow's The Hurt Locker, an extraordinary, ticking time bomb of a movie. Michelle Pfeiffer returns to the screen in Stephen Frears' "scandalous romp" Cheri. The very timely Iranian tale The Stoning of Soraya M., which just played the Los Angeles Film Festival, should ignite further discussion. Afghan Star features four women who (literally) risk everything in a televised singing contest.
Box Office. Woody Allen's Whatever Works performed just fine, pulling in $29,574 per-screen at nine locations. The re-issue of 1947's Brighton Rock (a very good film starring Richard Attenborough as a small-time hood) drew $10,626 at one theater; Nazi zombie flick Dead Snow scared up $5,363 in business. Several films expanded: Duncan Jones' Moon to 21 theaters ($8,541 per screen), Francis Ford Coppola...
Openings. This weekend will finally see the release of Kathryn Bigelow's The Hurt Locker, an extraordinary, ticking time bomb of a movie. Michelle Pfeiffer returns to the screen in Stephen Frears' "scandalous romp" Cheri. The very timely Iranian tale The Stoning of Soraya M., which just played the Los Angeles Film Festival, should ignite further discussion. Afghan Star features four women who (literally) risk everything in a televised singing contest.
Box Office. Woody Allen's Whatever Works performed just fine, pulling in $29,574 per-screen at nine locations. The re-issue of 1947's Brighton Rock (a very good film starring Richard Attenborough as a small-time hood) drew $10,626 at one theater; Nazi zombie flick Dead Snow scared up $5,363 in business. Several films expanded: Duncan Jones' Moon to 21 theaters ($8,541 per screen), Francis Ford Coppola...
- 6/25/2009
- by Peter Martin
- Cinematical
Jess Weixler...remember her? The girl from that indie horror gem called "Teeth" where she's got some rather vicious vagina dentada? She returns to the screen, this time in the drama "Alexander the Last" for director, writer and producer Joe Swanberg ("Nights and Weekends," "Hannah Takes the Stairs," "Kissiong on the Mouth"). This independent film sent out by IFC, came out in limited areas on March 14th and includes Barlow Jacobs, Amy Seimetz, Justin Rice and Jane Adams. Wexler was last seen in the Sundance Film Festival release "Peter and Vandy" alongside Jason Ritter, Jesse L. Martin, Tracie Thoms and Noah Bean. The film was nominated for a Grand Jury Prize in the dramatic category. See the trailer here. What's "Alexander the Last" about? From director Joe Swanberg comes this sexy drama about a married actress, her sister, and their various attractions. A sensual and intimate portrait of a young marriage,...
- 3/27/2009
- Upcoming-Movies.com
Jess Weixler...remember her? The girl from that indie horror gem called "Teeth" where she's got some rather vicious vagina dentada? She returns to the screen, this time in the drama "Alexander the Last" for director, writer and producer Joe Swanberg ("Nights and Weekends," "Hannah Takes the Stairs," "Kissiong on the Mouth"). This independent film sent out by IFC, came out in limited areas on March 14th and includes Barlow Jacobs, Amy Seimetz, Justin Rice and Jane Adams. Wexler was last seen in the Sundance Film Festival release "Peter and Vandy" alongside Jason Ritter, Jesse L. Martin, Tracie Thoms and Noah Bean. The film was nominated for a Grand Jury Prize in the dramatic category...
- 3/27/2009
- Upcoming-Movies.com
Jess Weixler...remember her? The girl from that indie horror gem called "Teeth" where she's got some rather vicious vagina dentada? She returns to the screen, this time in the drama "Alexander the Last" for director, writer and producer Joe Swanberg ("Nights and Weekends," "Hannah Takes the Stairs," "Kissiong on the Mouth"). This independent film sent out by IFC, came out in limited areas on March 14th and includes Barlow Jacobs, Amy Seimetz, Justin Rice and Jane Adams. Wexler was last seen in the Sundance Film Festival release "Peter and Vandy" alongside Jason Ritter, Jesse L. Martin, Tracie Thoms and Noah Bean. The film was nominated for a Grand Jury Prize in the dramatic category...
- 3/27/2009
- Upcoming-Movies.com
Another movie starring Justin Rice (see Harmony and Me) and director Michael Harring's first feature is a tale of love for two people at a croassroads.
Jeff is a failing post-college writer whose parents are finally kicking him out of the house. With this in mind, Jeff starts out on a road trip to Austin, TX with his friend, Tom; a final grasp at youthful freedom. All is well until Tom's ex-girlfriend intercepts Tom's paycheck, forcing him to return home and resolve his relationship problems. While Tom leaves with his tail between his legs to sort everything out, Jeff decides to stay behind in the town of Kernville, CA in hopes that he will be struck with inspiration as he avoids the pressures of home. Unfortunately, all he ends up doing is staying indoors and watching daytime television while eating Slim Jims and pork rinds. Then one day, after locking...
Jeff is a failing post-college writer whose parents are finally kicking him out of the house. With this in mind, Jeff starts out on a road trip to Austin, TX with his friend, Tom; a final grasp at youthful freedom. All is well until Tom's ex-girlfriend intercepts Tom's paycheck, forcing him to return home and resolve his relationship problems. While Tom leaves with his tail between his legs to sort everything out, Jeff decides to stay behind in the town of Kernville, CA in hopes that he will be struck with inspiration as he avoids the pressures of home. Unfortunately, all he ends up doing is staying indoors and watching daytime television while eating Slim Jims and pork rinds. Then one day, after locking...
- 3/26/2009
- QuietEarth.us
Harmony and Me is one of those off-beat indie comedies I look for in the video store (well used too, theres this thing called Netflix now) and it stars Justin Rice and one of my personal favorites, Kevin Corrigan. From the synopsis and teaser I gather it's about post-breakup misery and shenanigans. It will be premiering in New York on April 3rd with another showing on the 5th, you can buy tickets here.
An innocently depressed lyricist named Harmony clings pretty steadfastly to the heartbreak caused when his girlfriend became his ex. Although his family is well over his ministrations, Harmony’s friends seem perfectly at ease with his cultivation of misery.
Teaser after the break.
Official website...
An innocently depressed lyricist named Harmony clings pretty steadfastly to the heartbreak caused when his girlfriend became his ex. Although his family is well over his ministrations, Harmony’s friends seem perfectly at ease with his cultivation of misery.
Teaser after the break.
Official website...
- 3/23/2009
- QuietEarth.us
The pleasures of SXSW go beyond movies and music. There's also barbecue. After hitting some top spots earlier in the week for this smokey goodness (old standbys like Iron Works and new favorites like Lamberts) I made it over to Stubb's tonight where in addition to BBQ there was delicious live music from Bmi's Annual Howdy Texas party. I caught Austin's own David Garza kicking off with the fan favorite "Discoball World" from Euphoria. Garza's tight power trio gave a taste of what to expect at his Continental Club showcase this Saturday.
While the two films Sin Nombre (a dramatic mini-epic of a deadly journey across the Mexican border to America) and Alexander the Last (a mumblecore romantic comedy from one of the genre's masters) appear to be polar opposites they do have one thing in common: Men making women's lives incredibly complicated.
Sin NombreFor his first feature length film...
While the two films Sin Nombre (a dramatic mini-epic of a deadly journey across the Mexican border to America) and Alexander the Last (a mumblecore romantic comedy from one of the genre's masters) appear to be polar opposites they do have one thing in common: Men making women's lives incredibly complicated.
Sin NombreFor his first feature length film...
- 3/17/2009
- Pastemagazine.com
For good reasons — like the fact that all of Joe Swanberg's features have played here — the annual South by Southwest film festival in Austin, Texas, has a reputation as the adopted home of mumblecore. The dreaded M-word is used more and more negatively these days, but any term that labels films as diverse as Frownland, Lol, and Mutual Appreciation is a coinage looking for a definition. It was bound to fizzle at some point.
The terminology may be disintegrating, but the filmmakers behind these movies are still collaborating and still growing. This year, Andrew Bujalski (Funny Ha Ha, Mutual Appreciation) is back with his third feature, Beeswax, and Joe Swanberg (Hannah Takes the Stairs) is back with Alexander the Last. Swanberg's film features (among others) Justin Rice who starred in Bujalski's previous film, and the wardrobe is credited to Ry Russo-Young, whose latest film You Wont Miss Me played...
The terminology may be disintegrating, but the filmmakers behind these movies are still collaborating and still growing. This year, Andrew Bujalski (Funny Ha Ha, Mutual Appreciation) is back with his third feature, Beeswax, and Joe Swanberg (Hannah Takes the Stairs) is back with Alexander the Last. Swanberg's film features (among others) Justin Rice who starred in Bujalski's previous film, and the wardrobe is credited to Ry Russo-Young, whose latest film You Wont Miss Me played...
- 3/16/2009
- Pastemagazine.com
Cinematical has just received these exclusive images and poster art for the new Joe Swanberg (Hannah Takes the Stairs) film Alexander the Last, which will be one of a few films that will premiere at SXSW this year and at the exact same time arrive On Demand via IFC's Festival Direct. Additionally, to coincide with these images (and to get in the spirit of releasing new content in different places at the same time), our cousins over at indieWIRE have debuted the trailer for Alexander the Last (watch it below via their spunky new widget), as well as an interview with writer-director Joe Swanberg.
Gallery: Alexander the Last
Starring our good buddy Jess Weixler (Teeth), Alexander the Last is an ensemble drama about a married actress, her sister and their myriad sexual and creative temptations. The film also stars Justin Rice (Mutual Appreciation and from the acclaimed alternative rock group Bishop Allen), Barlow Jacobs,...
Gallery: Alexander the Last
Starring our good buddy Jess Weixler (Teeth), Alexander the Last is an ensemble drama about a married actress, her sister and their myriad sexual and creative temptations. The film also stars Justin Rice (Mutual Appreciation and from the acclaimed alternative rock group Bishop Allen), Barlow Jacobs,...
- 2/27/2009
- by Erik Davis
- Cinematical
SXSW is one of my favorite festivals of the year as it showcases some of the best and most innovative real independent films, and with this host of world premiers, it's also playing alot of Sundance material as well as genre fare from all over the world, many of which we've covered heavily in these pages.
From the Sundance lineup, we have films like Moon, The Immaculate Conception of Little Dizzle, You Won't Miss Me, Grace, and Humpday, among others.
For the world genre material we've covered, there's Lake Mungo, The Square, Zift, and Awaydays.
I think you get the point that lots of great looking film will be playing. I'll leave a bit of the exploration to you..
Lineup after the break.
Narrative Features Competition
Artois the Goat
Director: Kyle Bogart. Writer: Cliff and Kyle Bogart
Lab technician Virgil Gurdies embarks on an epic quest to craft the greatest...
From the Sundance lineup, we have films like Moon, The Immaculate Conception of Little Dizzle, You Won't Miss Me, Grace, and Humpday, among others.
For the world genre material we've covered, there's Lake Mungo, The Square, Zift, and Awaydays.
I think you get the point that lots of great looking film will be playing. I'll leave a bit of the exploration to you..
Lineup after the break.
Narrative Features Competition
Artois the Goat
Director: Kyle Bogart. Writer: Cliff and Kyle Bogart
Lab technician Virgil Gurdies embarks on an epic quest to craft the greatest...
- 2/2/2009
- QuietEarth.us
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