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I must say, for as many movies that are being released today It's staggering to realize the best and most interesting of the bunch are probably the two documentaries. Sure, Despicable Me was enjoyable, but do you really need to see it again? I also know a lot of people enjoyed The Town, so perhaps that's the one narrative exception, but outside of a catalog title or two this is a weird week for new releases. I see a lot of films I enjoyed this year listed below, but I'm not rushing out to add any of them to my collection.
Despicable Me A solid animated feature, but having only seen it once I can't say if it's worth a purchase or just a one-time viewing. Oddly enough this looks like it's Universal's only shot at an Oscar this...
I must say, for as many movies that are being released today It's staggering to realize the best and most interesting of the bunch are probably the two documentaries. Sure, Despicable Me was enjoyable, but do you really need to see it again? I also know a lot of people enjoyed The Town, so perhaps that's the one narrative exception, but outside of a catalog title or two this is a weird week for new releases. I see a lot of films I enjoyed this year listed below, but I'm not rushing out to add any of them to my collection.
Despicable Me A solid animated feature, but having only seen it once I can't say if it's worth a purchase or just a one-time viewing. Oddly enough this looks like it's Universal's only shot at an Oscar this...
- 12/14/2010
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
A look at what's new on DVD today:
"Gasland" (2010)
Directed by Josh Fox
Released by New Video Group
"Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work"
Directed by Ricki Stern and Annie Sundberg
Released by Mpi Home Video
"Exit Through the Gift Shop" (2010)
Directed by Banksy
Released by Oscilloscope Laboratories
If you haven't caught up on the year's best documentaries in time to fill out your top 10 list, three of them will be hitting DVD shelves this week, beginning with Josh Fox's Sundance award-winning "Gasland," an exploration of the "hydraulic fracturing" going on in own backyard, a type of drilling that has spread to 34 states in the U.S. and has left a host of reservoirs of toxic waste and frequent gas explosions along the way. For something less serious, but equally compelling, there is also Ricki Stern and Annie Sundberg's "Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work," which follows the...
"Gasland" (2010)
Directed by Josh Fox
Released by New Video Group
"Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work"
Directed by Ricki Stern and Annie Sundberg
Released by Mpi Home Video
"Exit Through the Gift Shop" (2010)
Directed by Banksy
Released by Oscilloscope Laboratories
If you haven't caught up on the year's best documentaries in time to fill out your top 10 list, three of them will be hitting DVD shelves this week, beginning with Josh Fox's Sundance award-winning "Gasland," an exploration of the "hydraulic fracturing" going on in own backyard, a type of drilling that has spread to 34 states in the U.S. and has left a host of reservoirs of toxic waste and frequent gas explosions along the way. For something less serious, but equally compelling, there is also Ricki Stern and Annie Sundberg's "Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work," which follows the...
- 12/12/2010
- by Stephen Saito
- ifc.com
We've shown (most of them) at the Tribeca Film Festival in NYC and they are currently available On Demand. But now, for the first time, our initial slate of Tribeca Film titles, presented in partnership with American Express®, will be seen on the big screen in Los Angeles! On June 25, Tribeca Film begins a two-week repertory run of ten titles at the Laemmle Sunset 5. Tickets are on sale now. To purchase tickets, click on the film titles below. The schedule is as follows: June 25-July 1 12:30 Metropia 2:30 sex and drugs and rock and roll 5:00 The Immaculate Conception of Little Dizzle 7:30 The Infidel 10:00 The Wild and Wonderful Whites of West Virginia July 2-8 12:30 Climate of Change 2:30 The Swimsuit Issue 4:50 Road, Movie 7:20 The Trotsky 10:00 My Last Five Girlfriends 'We are eager for people in Los Angeles to be ...
- 6/16/2010
- TribecaFilm.com
Not in NYC? This week, movie fans in DC, La and Denver can check out some of the films in the Tribeca Film lineup. Are we in your city? Climate of Change Washington, DC Wednesday, June 16, 6:30 pm Environmental Film Festival Letelier Theater, $20 The Immaculate Conception of Little Dizzle Los Angeles, CA Saturday, June 19, 7:00 pm Playhouse West Film Festival The Infidel Denver, Co Tuesday, June 22, 7:00 pm Starz Denver Film Society Tribeca Film: Here Comes the Neighborhood! We have Tribeca Film Screenings all summer long; check out the Google Map!
- 6/15/2010
- TribecaFilm.com
Not in NYC? This week, movie fans in DC, Louisville, Ashford (Wa), and Denver can check out some of the films in the Tribeca Film lineup. Are we in your city? sex and drugs and rock and roll Silver Spring, MD Friday, June 11, 9:10 pm Disability Film Festival AFI Theatre and Cultural Film Center, Free The Wild and Wonderful Whites of West Virginia Louisville, Ky Friday, June 11, 9:15 pm Flyover Film Festival Kentucky Center for the Performing Arts, $8 The Immaculate Conception of Little Dizzle Ashford, Wa Sunday, June 13, 6:00 pm Rainier Film Festival Closing Night Gala The Swimsuit Issue Denver, Co Tuesday, June 15, 7:00 pm Starz Denver Film Society Climate of Change Washington, DC Wednesday, June 16, 6:30 pm Environmental Film Festival Letelier Theater, $20 Tribeca Film: Here Comes the Neighborhood!
- 6/9/2010
- TribecaFilm.com
Before sitting down with writer-director David Russo, I was already well aware of my fondness for his film The Immaculate Conception of Little Dizzle. Learning about the actual event that inspired this bizarre story in no way effected my opinion on the piece, but it certainly made me appreciate it in a new way. Little Dizzle chronicles the events after Dory (Marshall Allman) loses his desk job and takes a position at Spiffy Jiffy Janitorial Services cleaning up an office building. It may sound like a dismal gig, but Dory's new co-workers know how to get the job done fast, efficiently and have some fun while doing it. Their routine is disturbed when cookies are thrown into the equation, self-warming cookies nonetheless. The gang becomes addicted to the tasty treats, so much so that they completely ignore the strange effects the food is having on their bodies. And that's not...
- 5/14/2010
- cinemablend.com
See The Immaculate Conception of Little Dizzle at Tribeca Cinemas May 12-18. Not in NYC? Watch it On Demand! TribecaFilm.com: Tell us a little about The Immaculate Conception of Little Dizzle. David Russo: It is a spiritual story about men who give birth to a little blue fish, which they love, out of their assholes. The creatures are short-lived and totally harmless. Through their mad visions, mood swings and eventual births, the guys have to pull together to be midwives for one another and to deal with the loss and loneliness of what is essentially miscarriage. So basically it is really about male miscarriage out the butt. TribecaFilm.com: What inspired you to tell this story? Dr: Being a janitor for 11 years and generally feeling like an invisible, marginalized human being among my own culture and species. This is a janitor movie par excellence. Janitors are like those...
- 5/12/2010
- TribecaFilm.com
See The Immaculate Conception of Little Dizzle at Tribeca Cinemas May 12-18. Not in NYC? Watch it On Demand! TribecaFilm.com: Tell us a little about The Immaculate Conception of Little Dizzle. David Russo: It is a spiritual story about men who give birth to a little blue fish, which they love, out of their assholes. The creatures are short-lived and totally harmless. Through their mad visions, mood swings and eventual births, the guys have to pull together to be midwives for one another and to deal with the loss and loneliness of what is essentially miscarriage. So basically it is really about male miscarriage out the butt. TribecaFilm.com: What inspired you to tell this story? Dr: Being a janitor for 11 years and generally feeling like an invisible, marginalized human being among my own culture and species. This is a janitor movie par excellence. Janitors are like those...
- 5/12/2010
- TribecaFilm.com
Sci-Fi-London, London
The days when we're getting it on with blue-skinned aliens can't come soon enough for some, but in the meantime you'll find plenty of predictions for humanity 40 years hence here – most of them bad, but ingeniously so. And some of them not so far-fetched. Hungary's Transmission, for example, simply imagines a world where TVs and computers stop working, while 8th Wonderland sees social networkers ganging up on "real" countries, and genetic tinkering breeds bad news for Adrien Brody in Vicenzo Natali's Splice. Less serious are some trashy sci-fi all-nighters, or Bollywood oddity Love Story 2050, which predicts a Mumbai full of crap robots, flying cars and epic dance routines.
Apollo Piccadilly Circus, W1, Wed to 3 May, visit sci-fi-london.com
London Palestine Film Festival, London
With regular blockades and bombardments, it's an achievement to get anything made in Palestine, let alone a full-length feature. What's emerging instead is a steady flow of smaller,...
The days when we're getting it on with blue-skinned aliens can't come soon enough for some, but in the meantime you'll find plenty of predictions for humanity 40 years hence here – most of them bad, but ingeniously so. And some of them not so far-fetched. Hungary's Transmission, for example, simply imagines a world where TVs and computers stop working, while 8th Wonderland sees social networkers ganging up on "real" countries, and genetic tinkering breeds bad news for Adrien Brody in Vicenzo Natali's Splice. Less serious are some trashy sci-fi all-nighters, or Bollywood oddity Love Story 2050, which predicts a Mumbai full of crap robots, flying cars and epic dance routines.
Apollo Piccadilly Circus, W1, Wed to 3 May, visit sci-fi-london.com
London Palestine Film Festival, London
With regular blockades and bombardments, it's an achievement to get anything made in Palestine, let alone a full-length feature. What's emerging instead is a steady flow of smaller,...
- 4/23/2010
- by Steve Rose
- The Guardian - Film News
Tribeca Film, the new distribution entity under the Tribeca Enterprises umbrella, will offer an initial slate of 12 films, seven of which are premiering at the 2010 Tribeca Film Festival. The films will be first released as video-on-demand offerings, beginning April 21.
With promotional support from American Express, Tribeca Film has acquired rights to distribute the 12 indie features across multiple platforms, beginning with VOD.
The initial line-up includes the tiles “The Immaculate Conception of Little Dizzle," "The Infidel," "Metropia," "My Last Five Girlfriends," "The Swimsuit Issue" (Allt flyter), "The Trotksy" and "The Wild and Wonderful Whites of West Virginia" as well as the previously-announced "The Birth of Big Air," "Climate of Change", "Road, Movie," "sex & drugs & rock & roll" and "TiMER."...
With promotional support from American Express, Tribeca Film has acquired rights to distribute the 12 indie features across multiple platforms, beginning with VOD.
The initial line-up includes the tiles “The Immaculate Conception of Little Dizzle," "The Infidel," "Metropia," "My Last Five Girlfriends," "The Swimsuit Issue" (Allt flyter), "The Trotksy" and "The Wild and Wonderful Whites of West Virginia" as well as the previously-announced "The Birth of Big Air," "Climate of Change", "Road, Movie," "sex & drugs & rock & roll" and "TiMER."...
- 3/23/2010
- by By Gregg Kilday
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
[Just when you thought the onslaught of Year End lists had come to an end here comes another. We welcome Mitch Davis - head of International Programming at Montreal's Fantasia Festival and a very good friend to this site - with his year end wrap up.]
Ignore the grumpy naysayers who groan that 2009 was a weak year for world cinema. Nothing could be further from the truth. Below are my top 11 picks, personal favourites among favourites (a top 30 list would have been unwieldy!). It bears mentioning that at the time of this writing, I've not yet seen The White Ribbon, Mother, Il Divo, Symbol, Vermillion Souls or Accident, to name but a few. In other words, this list, like all lists, is an incomplete snapshot.
11. In The Loop
If there was a funnier film this year, I must have missed it. Subversive, acerbic and gut-wrenchingly hilarious, like Dr Strangelove meets The Office. Incredible.
10. Drag Me To Hell
Sam Raimi's volume-eleven return to the genre is everything much of us had been hoping for: a grossout EC-comic rollercoaster that combines Grand Guignol horror, loopy wide-eyed humour and extreme physical trauma to make an epic of morbidly...
Ignore the grumpy naysayers who groan that 2009 was a weak year for world cinema. Nothing could be further from the truth. Below are my top 11 picks, personal favourites among favourites (a top 30 list would have been unwieldy!). It bears mentioning that at the time of this writing, I've not yet seen The White Ribbon, Mother, Il Divo, Symbol, Vermillion Souls or Accident, to name but a few. In other words, this list, like all lists, is an incomplete snapshot.
11. In The Loop
If there was a funnier film this year, I must have missed it. Subversive, acerbic and gut-wrenchingly hilarious, like Dr Strangelove meets The Office. Incredible.
10. Drag Me To Hell
Sam Raimi's volume-eleven return to the genre is everything much of us had been hoping for: a grossout EC-comic rollercoaster that combines Grand Guignol horror, loopy wide-eyed humour and extreme physical trauma to make an epic of morbidly...
- 1/4/2010
- Screen Anarchy
Marshall Allman is joining the cast of HBO's "True Blood" as a regular for the show's third season.
Meanwhile, Shannon Lucio has landed a guest role on the vampire drama.
Allman will play Tommy Mickens, the long-lost younger brother of Sam Merlotte (Sam Trammell) who works at a Tire Depot in Arkansas.
He is the second new series regular cast on Alan Ball's drama following the hire of Denis O'Hare as Russell Edgington, the Vampire King of Mississippi.
Lucio will play Caroline Compton, the wife of Bill Compton (Stephen Moyer) who lived during the Civil War. Amber Dawn Landrum played the character in a flashback on the show's first season.
Production on the third season of "Blood" begins this week in Los Angeles.
Allman, a series regular on Fox's "Prison Break," playing the teenage son of Lincoln Burrows (Dominic Purcell), recently guest-starred on AMC's "Mad Men" and FX's "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia.
Meanwhile, Shannon Lucio has landed a guest role on the vampire drama.
Allman will play Tommy Mickens, the long-lost younger brother of Sam Merlotte (Sam Trammell) who works at a Tire Depot in Arkansas.
He is the second new series regular cast on Alan Ball's drama following the hire of Denis O'Hare as Russell Edgington, the Vampire King of Mississippi.
Lucio will play Caroline Compton, the wife of Bill Compton (Stephen Moyer) who lived during the Civil War. Amber Dawn Landrum played the character in a flashback on the show's first season.
Production on the third season of "Blood" begins this week in Los Angeles.
Allman, a series regular on Fox's "Prison Break," playing the teenage son of Lincoln Burrows (Dominic Purcell), recently guest-starred on AMC's "Mad Men" and FX's "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia.
- 11/30/2009
- by By Nellie Andreeva
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
If you've ever been to Montreal's Fantasia Film Festival, then you know that Mitch Davis is a legend. As Co-Director of both the festival and International Programming, he can usually be found howling into a microphone as he introduces his favorite films to the adoring audience.
He may be the front man, but Mitch asked if we'd make sure to acknowledge the other programmers, all of whom contribute to make Fantasia the greatest genre festival in North America. So thanks not only to Mitch but also to Tony Timpone, Todd Brown, Simon Laperriere, Isabelle Gauvreau, Nicolas Archambault, King-Wei Chu, and Mijeong Lee. You stole our sleep and sanity for three weeks, but we love you for it!
Now that the festival's over and life is back to normal, we asked Mitch to wrap up this year's Fantasia coverage:
Mitch, congrats on surviving another year of Fantasia. Were there any unlucky...
He may be the front man, but Mitch asked if we'd make sure to acknowledge the other programmers, all of whom contribute to make Fantasia the greatest genre festival in North America. So thanks not only to Mitch but also to Tony Timpone, Todd Brown, Simon Laperriere, Isabelle Gauvreau, Nicolas Archambault, King-Wei Chu, and Mijeong Lee. You stole our sleep and sanity for three weeks, but we love you for it!
Now that the festival's over and life is back to normal, we asked Mitch to wrap up this year's Fantasia coverage:
Mitch, congrats on surviving another year of Fantasia. Were there any unlucky...
- 8/12/2009
- by EvilAndy
- DreadCentral.com
If you've ever been to Montreal Fantasia Film Festival, then you know that Mitch Davis is a legend. As both Co-Director of the festival, and of International Programming, you can usually find him howling into a microphone as he introduces his favorite films to the adoring audience. He may be the front man, but Mitch asked if we'd make sure to acknowledge the other programmers, all of whom contribute to make Fantasia the greatest genre festival in North America. So, thanks not only to Mitch, but also to Tony Timpone, Todd Brown, Simon Laperriere, Isabelle Gauvreau, Nicolas Archambault, King-Wei Chu and Mijeong Lee. You stole our sleep and sanity for three weeks, but we love you for it!
Now that the festival's over, and life is back to normal, we asked Mitch to wrap up this year's Fantasia coverage:
Mitch, congrats on surviving another year of Fantasia. Were there any...
Now that the festival's over, and life is back to normal, we asked Mitch to wrap up this year's Fantasia coverage:
Mitch, congrats on surviving another year of Fantasia. Were there any...
- 8/12/2009
- by EvilAndy
- DreadCentral.com
The lineup at the 2009 Downtown Film Festival-Los Angeles will range from Jeffrey Jay Orgill's "Boppin' at the Glue Factory," a dark comedy about a junkie nurse working the night shift of a convalescent hospital, to Barbara Ettinger's doc "A Sea Change," about the acidification of the oceans. The fest runs from Aug. 12-22 at the At&T Center Theater.
"The year's feature film line-up reflects themes of personal discovery and societal angst -- perhaps a sign of the times. How the individual films tackle these broad themes is wildly divergent, from illuminating nonfiction to dark comedies and unconventional dramas," festival programming director Roger M. Mayer said.
Other films on tap include Mickey Blaine's "Commit," David Russo's "The Immaculate Conception of Little Dizzle," Richard Sears' "In the Drink," Gabriel Sunday's "My Suicide," Philippe Diaz's "Now & Later," and Nina Menkes' "Phantom Love."...
"The year's feature film line-up reflects themes of personal discovery and societal angst -- perhaps a sign of the times. How the individual films tackle these broad themes is wildly divergent, from illuminating nonfiction to dark comedies and unconventional dramas," festival programming director Roger M. Mayer said.
Other films on tap include Mickey Blaine's "Commit," David Russo's "The Immaculate Conception of Little Dizzle," Richard Sears' "In the Drink," Gabriel Sunday's "My Suicide," Philippe Diaz's "Now & Later," and Nina Menkes' "Phantom Love."...
The 13th edition of Montreal’s Fantasia film festival wrapped up its frighteningly successful run this week, with movie highlights aplenty and 40 percent of the screenings selling out. Now the jury and the public have spoken on their favorites, and the fest has revealed their award winners in all categories. Check ’em out below!
Jury Prizes: Feature Films
Best Feature Film: Breathless (Yang Ik-june) Jury Special Prize: Love Exposure (Sion Sono) Best Male Performance: Yang Ik-Jun, Breathless Best Female Performance: Hikari Mitsushima, Love Exposure Best Director: David Russo, The Immaculate Conception Of Little Dizzle Best Screenplay: Nicolas Alberny and Jean Mach, 8th Wonderland Best Cinematography: Hideho Urata, The Clone Returns Home Technical Prize: IP Man Special Mention for Best Direction of Child Actors: Tom Shankland, The Children
Jury Prizes: First Features
Best First Feature: White Lightnin’ (Dominic Murphy) Special Mention: Debut performance of actress Eline Kuppins, Left Bank Jury Prizes:...
Jury Prizes: Feature Films
Best Feature Film: Breathless (Yang Ik-june) Jury Special Prize: Love Exposure (Sion Sono) Best Male Performance: Yang Ik-Jun, Breathless Best Female Performance: Hikari Mitsushima, Love Exposure Best Director: David Russo, The Immaculate Conception Of Little Dizzle Best Screenplay: Nicolas Alberny and Jean Mach, 8th Wonderland Best Cinematography: Hideho Urata, The Clone Returns Home Technical Prize: IP Man Special Mention for Best Direction of Child Actors: Tom Shankland, The Children
Jury Prizes: First Features
Best First Feature: White Lightnin’ (Dominic Murphy) Special Mention: Debut performance of actress Eline Kuppins, Left Bank Jury Prizes:...
- 7/31/2009
- by no-reply@fangoria.com (Michael Gingold)
- Fangoria
[Our thanks to Matthew Grinshpun for the following review.]
On paper, David Russo’s The Immaculate Conception of Little Dizzle comes off as a cult classic in the making. A comedy about the waylaid lives of a motley crew of building custodians pregnant with a Day-Glo blue “semi-animate mound,” it bears the hallmark absurdity of many of the Fantasia Film Festival’s greatest triumphs. But a sterile sense of humor and sloppy story-telling make for a film that never lives up to on its promise. In the end, where Dizzle should dazzle it dawdles and fizzles.
On paper, David Russo’s The Immaculate Conception of Little Dizzle comes off as a cult classic in the making. A comedy about the waylaid lives of a motley crew of building custodians pregnant with a Day-Glo blue “semi-animate mound,” it bears the hallmark absurdity of many of the Fantasia Film Festival’s greatest triumphs. But a sterile sense of humor and sloppy story-telling make for a film that never lives up to on its promise. In the end, where Dizzle should dazzle it dawdles and fizzles.
- 7/16/2009
- by Todd Brown
- Screen Anarchy
The Immaculate Conception Of Little Dizzle USA Dir: David Russo This ingenious outsider comedy that features pregnant male characters giving birth to marine creatures following their addiction to experimental cookies may very well turn out to be this generation's Repo Man! Decked wall to wall with unique performances from a cast that's likely to attain immortality, Little Dizzle could almost be an unlikely 4-way love child between Richard Linklater, Judd Apatow, Dan Clowes and William S Burroughs, balancing toilet humour with spiritual ponderings, body horror/metamorphosis and explosive gender grenades. A quasi-intellectual gross-out youth comedy and one of the most refreshing films you're going to see anyone this year, Dizzle is coming to Fantasia hot off flooring audiences at Sundance and SXSW.
- 7/9/2009
- by Ricky
- SoundOnSight
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
Rights Roundup Sundance
The biggest pickup of Sundance was Push: Based on the novel by Sapphire which LionsGate]picked up for $5.5 million for North America from Cinetic. Regent is looking at 2 possible pickups. Fortissimo picked up Against the Current for the world. The Escapist was picked up by IFC]for U.S. Arlen Faber was picked up for the U.S. by Magnolia. Roadside Attractions picked up September Issue for North America. Arthouse picked up Kunstler for North America. Push won 3 prizes - the Grand Jury, Public and Best Actor awards and We Live in Public won the Grand Jury Prize for best doc. Arthouse picked up worldwide rights to Art and Copy. Anchor Bay picked up U.S. and Australia rights to Spread. Sony Pictures Classics has picked up Going to the Moon for North America and North and Latin American rights from CAA to An Education. Elle Driver licensed US rights to Dead Snow to IFC Films, German speaking territories and Benelux to Splendid, E1 for UK, Seville for Canada. Benelux. Deals are expected for I Love You Phillip Morris, The Cove, World's Greatest Dad, Spread, Amreeka, An Education and Push. Sony Pictures Classics reportedly paid $3,000,000 for The Greatest starring Carey Mulligan who also stars in An Education. Lionsgate acquired North America and UK rights to The Winning Season from Cinetic. ContentFilm is handling international sales. Elle Driver picked up international rights to September Issue and Arlen Faber. Fox Searchlight picked up worldwide rights to Adam reportedly for a low seven figure amount. Panorama picked up U.S. rights to Slamdance film The Ante. Little Dizzle went to Beyond for Australia and New Zealand. Senator picked up North American rights to Brooklyn's Finest. Visit Films picked up worldwide rights to Sundance world doc competition film Kimjongilia]and Spectrum title, The Immaculate Conception of Little Dizzle. The Canadian distribution rights to Cold Souls have been acquired by E1 Films. Opening night film Max and Mary was a huge success and well attended by acquisition and studio executives. Twentieth Century Fox had a team of 8, Lionsgate's Tom Ortenberg, Steve Beeks and Jason Constantine were there along with every other buyer. The film that landed with Icon Entertainment International[/link]Icon when Icon acquired Becker International will soon announce a North American distribution deal. CinemaVault acquired international rights for Spectrum film Lymelife which originally premiered at the 2008 Toronto International Film Festival and was picked up for US shortly after by Screen Media. Stephen Raphael is working on the U.S. marketing for the film. HBO has acquired TV rights to Burma VJ the hit of November’s IDFA whose North American debut was Saturday at Sundance. The the film will open theatrically at New York’s Film Forum in May, well ahead of its early 2010 HBO television debut. [Sony Classics acquired North American rights acquisition of Rudo Y Cursi having its U.S. premiere at Sundance.
- 1/22/2009
- Sydney's Buzz
News from Sundance
Sundance's 25th year event is remarkably quiet, almost unreal. Allowing a look at the reality, conversations actually can take place. The late night lounge is the place to see everyone after 10 and to talk more. Filmakers Bill Benenson and Eleonore Dailly, producer Gene Rosow and marketer Jeff Dowd hosted the Obama Inauguration party which also celebrated their film Dirt The Movie. Veteran Sundance community members, Nicole Guillemet, former director of Sundance, Paula Silver, Ira Deutschman, Susan Margolin, Todd McCarthy, Sasha Alpert, Mickey Cotrell and so many others bonded with joy as we all listened to the message delivered by President Obama. John Sloss's Cinetic party and William Morris Independent's parties were not as mobbed as in years past. The two films I have heard most praised are Push and The Cove. Latino film buzz is around Sin Nombre. Written and directed by Peter Bratt and starring his brother Benjamin Bratt and Jesse Borrego, La Mission and Don't Let Me Drown starring Yareli Arizmendi, who wrote and produced A Day Without a Mexican, one of the breakout Latino hits some years ago. I would most like to see Mark Stewart's Passing Strange, a Fairfax district Los Angeleno's work about "black folks passing as black folks" and other essentialist curiosities of American life as written up in Sundance Film Festival's Daily Insider of Day 3, Sunday January 18, 2009. Peter Rainer liked Art & Copy and was surprised to learn that it was originally intended as a promotional work of ad agencies. Kirk Honeycutt remarked to Peter Rainer and me how the films are so "lab-worked over". Does the professional finish of a lab make up, improve on or only mask the faults of a filmmaker's first work? Is it like a butterfly being helped to fly (and thereby not developing its own wings) or does it make the beginning filmmaker better? Mary Jane Skalski is here with two films, Dare and Against the Current. Steven J. Wolfe, who has worked on 35 films and has produced five with Jennifer Tilley, who is now playing professional poker, had his film 500 Days of Summer already placed with Fox Searchlight for U.S. and the world, so he was able to enjoy Sundance after 10 years absence from it. Senator picked up North American rights to Brooklyn's Finest. Visit Films picked up worldwide rights to Sundance world doc competition film Kimjongilia]and Spectrum title, The Immaculate Conception of Little Dizzle. The Canadian distribution rights to Cold Souls have been acquired by E1 Films. Opening night film Max and Mary was a huge success and well attended by acquisition and studio executives. Twentieth Century Fox had a team of 8, Lionsgate's Tom Ortenberg, Steve Beeks and Jason Constantine were there along with every other buyer. The film that landed with Icon when Icon acquired Becker International will soon announce a North American distribution deal. CinemaVault acquired international rights for Spectrum film Lymelife which originally premiered at the 2008 Toronto International Film Festival and was picked up for US shortly after by Screen Media. Stephen Raphael is working on the U.S. marketing for the film. HBO has acquired TV rights to Burma VJ the hit of November’s IDFA whose North American debut was Saturday at Sundance. The the film will open theatrically at New York’s Film Forum in May, well ahead of its early 2010 HBO television debut. [Sony Classics acquired North American rights acquisition of Rudo Y Cursi having its U.S. premiere at Sundance.
- 1/16/2009
- Sydney's Buzz
Premieres
To showcase the diversity of contemporary independent cinema, this section offers the latest work from American and international directors and world premieres of highly anticipated films.
Adventureland / U.S. (Director-screenwriter: Greg Mottola)
In 1987, a recent college graduate takes a nowhere job at his local amusement park and discovers the job is perfect preparation for the real world. Cast: Kristen Stewart, Ryan Reynolds, Bill Hader. World premiere
Brooklyn's Finest / U.S. (Director: Antoine Fuqua; screenwriter: Michael C. Martin)
After enduring vastly different career paths, three unconnected Brooklyn cops wind up at the same deadly location. Cast: Richard Gere, Ethan Hawke, Wesley Snipes, Don Cheadle, Ellen Barkin. World premiere
Earth Days / U.S. (Director: Robert Stone)
The history of our environmental undoing through the eyes of nine Americans whose work and actions launched the modern environmental movement. World premiere, closing-night film
Endgame / U.K. (Director: Pete Travis; screenwriter: Paula Milne)
A...
To showcase the diversity of contemporary independent cinema, this section offers the latest work from American and international directors and world premieres of highly anticipated films.
Adventureland / U.S. (Director-screenwriter: Greg Mottola)
In 1987, a recent college graduate takes a nowhere job at his local amusement park and discovers the job is perfect preparation for the real world. Cast: Kristen Stewart, Ryan Reynolds, Bill Hader. World premiere
Brooklyn's Finest / U.S. (Director: Antoine Fuqua; screenwriter: Michael C. Martin)
After enduring vastly different career paths, three unconnected Brooklyn cops wind up at the same deadly location. Cast: Richard Gere, Ethan Hawke, Wesley Snipes, Don Cheadle, Ellen Barkin. World premiere
Earth Days / U.S. (Director: Robert Stone)
The history of our environmental undoing through the eyes of nine Americans whose work and actions launched the modern environmental movement. World premiere, closing-night film
Endgame / U.K. (Director: Pete Travis; screenwriter: Paula Milne)
A...
- 12/4/2008
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
- Because the Dramatic Main Competition category can only hold so many titles, the Spectrum becomes a second option for Sundance staff to include so more dramatic fair. 12 of the 16 selected are world premieres (I caught Johnny Mad Dog at Cannes and missed out on Lymelife at Tiff) from returnee directors such as Sterlin Harjo, Jeff Lipsky and Bobcat Goldthwait. Dramatic films screening in Spectrum are: Against the Current / USA (Director and Screenwriter: Peter Callahan)—Facing the anniversary of his pregnant wife's tragic death, thirty-five-year old Paul Thompson enlists the help of two friends to help him swim the length of the Hudson River. Cast: Joseph Fiennes, Justin Kirk, Elizabeth Reaser, Mary Tyler Moore, Michelle Trachtenberg. World Premiere The Anarchist's Wife (La Mujer del Anarquista) / Germany/Spain (Directors: Marie Noelle and Peter Sehr; Screenwriters: Marie Noelle and Ray Loriga)—During the Spanish Civil War an idealistic young lawyer combating Franco's
- 12/4/2008
- IONCINEMA.com
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