Check out this clip and new poster for Noah Baumbach’s latest offering, Frances Ha, starring and co-written by Greta Gerwig. The movie made my top 20 list for 2012 (#16). The film is slated for a limited release beginning May 17.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lppZIudsPWc&feature=player_embedded]
An interactive script for Oscar Best Original Screenplay nominee Moonrise Kingdom was recently released. Check it out here. The screenplay was written by Wes Anderson & Roman Coppola.
This animated short film directed by Nicky Phelan and written and performed by Kathleen O’Rourke was nominated at the 2009 Academy Awards for Best Short Film (Animated). In my opinion, it was the best of the five nominated films and should have won for its cleverness and use of multiple animation techniques.
(Re-posted from LimitéMagazine.com)
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j71yt23H5vw]Screenings: Saturday, October 6, 6pm & 9pm
Venue: Alice Tully Hall, Lincoln Center, NYC
Series: NYFF50: Gala Tributes
*CENTERPIECE FILM*
*WORLD PREMIERE*
Suburban New Jersey. Mid 1960s. A group of teens form a band in the shadow of some of the biggest names of the time—Rolling Stones, The Beatles. In his film directorial debut, Sopranos creator David Chase crafts a film that’s as much a love letter to the 1960s as it is to the classic tunes of his youth. Joining forces with an ideal music supervisor, the legendary Steven Van Zandt of Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band and himself a patron saint of New Jersey, the duo captures the essence of the era in great detail, though at times the constant in-your-face references breach on annoying. Not Fade Away feels a bit disjointed at times and is not as strong as Cameron Crowe’s 2000 Oscar-winning Almost Famous (an easy comparison), but the film does manage to stand on its own two feet and will surely be enjoyed by any child of the ’60s with a garage band. Above all else, the soundtrack is pretty boss.
Limité Rating: 3/5
Director: David Chase
Genres: Narrative, Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Language: English
Runtime: 112 min.
The 50th New York Film Festival runs from September 28 – October 14, 2012.
(Re-posted from LimitéMagazine.com)
Screening: Monday, October 1, 9pm
Venue: Francesca Beale Theater, Lincoln Center, NYC
Series: NYFF50: Cinema Reflected
Boy meets girl. Boy falls in love with girl. Boy and girl get married. Girl gets pregnant. Boy and girl split up. Etc. Etc. It’s a rather simple tale, but this reviewer can guarantee you’ve never seen it done quite like this. In Final Cut – Ladies and Gentlemen, Hungarian filmmaker Pálfi György uses brief scenes from nearly 500 films (and some TV shows) to tell this plain story. It’s a remarkable achievement and is the greatest celebration of cinema to hit the big screen in a long time. This is the ultimate movie about movies.
Employing a hodgepodge of scenes from films ranging from The Birth of a Nation (1915) to Avatar (2009), from live-action to animation, from comedy to drama—and everything in between—Final Cutamazingly tells a cohesive narrative from start to finish—one that could have been easily ruined in the hands of a less-skilled filmmaker. The amount of visual and auditory texture in this “epic” is staggering, and yet this visual collage does not strain the eye and is not distracting. Recognizing that so much of what makes a great movie great are the little moments on screen—waking up in bed, a loving stare, an expression of joy—György embroidered a fine tapestry that highlights these singular moments, and in doing so he tells a story of love and loss, of happiness and sorrow—a simple story with great depth, as told through the voice of cinema through the ages.
Limité Rating: 4/5
Director: Pálfi György
Genres: Experimental, Comedy, Drama, Romance
Country: Hungary
Language: Mostly silent with some lines in English
Runtime: 85 min.
The 50th New York Film Festival runs from September 28 – October 14, 2012.
(Re-posted from LimitéMagazine.com)
Screenings:
Sunday, September 30, 6:30pm (Alice Tully Hall)
Thursday, October 4, 9pm (Alice Tully Hall)
Wednesday, October 10, 4pm (Francesca Beale Theater)
Venue: Lincoln Center, NYC
Series: NYFF50: Main Slate
She breaks up with her boyfriend and begins to lose her newly engaged best friend. Things are not looking up for Frances, a struggling dancer in her late 20s who finds herself practically couch surfing throughout New York City. Her life didn’t turn out quite the way she expected, and as a result, she’s forced to face the challenges of just plain living. In his directorial follow-up to 2010′s Greenberg, Noah Baumbach once again collaborates with lead actress Greta Gerwig (who also wrote the script with Baumbach) in Frances Ha. Where this coming-of-age tale falls flat on story, it more than makes up for in character. No doubt, the film’s black-and-white cinematography adds a touch of quirkiness to complement the dynamic characters of Frances and her best friend Sophie (played by Mickey Sumner). Frances’s hopes, dreams, and disappointments play out in a relatable fashion that isn’t too heavy. It is easy to see ourselves in her position, struggling to reconcile our dreams with our reality. The film is heavy on dialogue with little quiet time, setting off the pace at which Frances’s life unravels—and it does so to the point where she finds herself working and living at her old college for a summer, illustrating a very clear regression. Frances Ha is a delightful movie with memorable performances by both Gerwig and Sumner. Following Baumbach’s terrific showing with Oscar-nominated The Squid and the Whale (2005), the writer/director lost his footing a bit with Margot at the Wedding (2007) and to a lesser degree with Greenberg. Thankfully, he’s back in peak form with Frances Ha.
Limité Rating: 4/5
Director: Noah Baumbach
Genres: Narrative, Comedy
Country: USA
Language: English
Runtime: 86 min.
Note: Greta Gerwig and Mickey Sumner will be participating in a free conversation, courtesy of NYFF Live on Monday, October 1 at 7pm in the Elinor Bunin Munroe Film Center Amphitheater, located in Lincoln Center at 144 W. 65th St., NYC.
The 50th New York Film Festival runs from September 28 – October 14, 2012.
(Re-posted from LimitéMagazine.com)
September 5, 2012
Labor Day has passed, and now it’s time to consider this year’s crop of what will inevitably be considered some of Oscar’s biggest fodder. It’s no surprise that when it comes to the Academy Awards, the movies that are most likely to be honored with a nomination are those that are released towards the end of the year. Some of this year’s frontrunners appear to be Argo, Django Unchained, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, Hyde Park on Hudson, Life of Pi, Lincoln, The Master, Les Misérables, Silver Linings Playbook, Wreck-It Ralph, and Zero Dark Thirty. Of course, there’s plenty of other flicks to look forward to, spanning all genres and audience interests.
Note: All non-authored pieces’ loglines are courtesy of IMDb.com.
(Re-posted from LimitéMagazine.com)
June 19, 2012
Back for its third year is Limité’s “Top 10 Indie Summer Flicks,” which rank orders the top 10 independent films to keep an eye on this season. As far as seasons go, the summer acts as a bit of a super hero for the film industry. It’s when Hollywood studios bring out their big guns and turn over huge box office receipts. We’ve already seen The Avengers and Men in Black 3, and are looking forward to The Amazing Spider-Man and The Dark Knight Rises. But unlike the other summer movie guides you’ll see online and in print, our mission is to remind you that the industry’s smaller films are also primed to make a splash—if not financially, then at least critically. If you need a break from the Bourne Legacys and Total Recalls of the big screen, check out some of these gems.
by Daniel Quitério
Reminiscent of the storm that ravaged New Orleans seven years ago,Beasts of the Southern Wild takes an introspective glance at a fantastical world in which nature dramatically changes course for those it encounters—but most especially for Hushpuppy. She is a six-year-old girl who is raised by her father Wink in “the Bathtub,” an area of the southern Delta. Wink’s tough style of parenting is only to prepare Hushpuppy for a time when he will no longer be around to protect her. So when a mysterious illness falls upon Wink, Hushpuppy must contend with a world thrown off balance.
And speaking of Chloë Grace Moretz (see the Carrie post below), the official poster for her upcoming release Hick debuts today. (There isn’t a single actor in this movie that I don’t love!) Check it out below, followed by information on the new film.
Official Synopsis:
Small-town teenager Luli (Chloë Grace Moretz ) escapes to Las Vegas, leaving behind her alcoholic and abusive parents. Armed with her smarts, a pistol and pocket money, she hitchhikes her way west. Along the way, Luli crosses paths with Eddie (Eddie Redmayne), an unstable rebel with questionable motives, and Glenda (Blake Lively), a cocaine-snorting drifter on the run. Adapted from the critically acclaimed novel by Andrea Portes, this powerful story pulls you into a provocative world of drugs, seduction and murder.
The Derick Martini-directed film opens theatrically and on VOD on May 11.
New images from Tarsem Singh’s upcoming Mirror Mirror have surfaced. Check them out here. The Snow White tale stars Julia Roberts, Lily Collins, Armie Hammer, Nathan Lane, and Sean Bean. It opens nationwide on March 30.
Official Synopsis:
One of the most beloved stories of all time is coming to life in the motion picture event for the whole family, Mirror Mirror. A fresh and funny retelling of the Snow White legend, Mirror Mirror features breakout star Lily Collins (The Blind Side) as Snow White, a princess in exile, and Oscar®-winner Julia Roberts as the evil Queen who ruthlessly rules her captured kingdom. Seven courageous rebel dwarfs join forces with Snow White as she fights to reclaim her birthright and win her Prince in this magical comedy filled with jealousy, romance, and betrayal that will capture the hearts and imaginations of audiences the world over. The film also stars Armie Hammer (The Social Network) as the Prince and Nathan Lane (The Birdcage) as the hapless and bungling servant to the Queen.
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