Watch Oscar nominee John Hawkes perform “Marcy’s Song” from Martha Marcy May Marlene. Here’s the official music video of his cover of this Jackson C. Frank song. The film is in limited release now.
Category Archives: Independent Film
On My DVR: Smash His Camera (2010)
Oscar-winning documentarian Leon Gast (When We Were Kings, 1996) brings us Smash His Camera, a look into the life and career of paparazzo Ron Galella, who was in hot pursuit of candid images of Jackie O., Marlon Brando, and other celebrities—risking his safety (and dignity) in doing so. This film dives into the world of the paparazzi and what they go through to provide the general public with the shots they crave, all at the expense of some famous names and the privacy they begrudgingly sacrifice. For once, the camera is turned on the photographers. They’re people too, right?
This film won Gast the Best Director—Documentary prize at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival. It’s currently airing on HBO.
Director: Leon Gast
Producers: Linda Saffire, Adam Schlesinger
Cast: Floyd Abrams, Gilbert M. Anderson, Joseph Basile, Ron Galella
Genre: Documentary
Distributor: Magnolia Pictures
Runtime: 87 min.
Kevin Smith’s RED STATE Set for “One Night Only” Event
Note: Melissa Leo won her Oscar for Best Supporting Actress, not Best Actress.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJ1v6oFHefc]
HOLLYWOOD, CA, September 2, 2011—On the heels of its chart-topping, Academy-qualifying run at Quentin Tarantino’s New Beverly Cinema, SModcast Pictures announced today the next phase of its unprecedented release strategy for Kevin Smith’s controversial thriller Red State.
On Sunday, September 25, Red State will screen at select theatres nationwide through a unique partnership with the Emerging Pictures theatre network, announced David Dinerstein, whose D Squared Films is overseeing the films distribution for SModcast. “Red State will be made available as a ‘One Night Only’ event, which mirrors the format of SModcast’s record-breaking Red State USA Tour from earlier this year. For this screening event, Smith’s trademark post show Q&A will be digitally streamed live from Tarantino’s New Beverly into all of the participating theatres, allowing audience members to interact directly with Smith utilizing Twitter. Smith will be joined on stage by a special guest who will moderate the Q&A,” said Dinerstein.
Continue reading Kevin Smith’s RED STATE Set for “One Night Only” Event
New Poster Released for DRIVE
Below is the new domestic poster, just released for Nicholas Winding Refn’s action/thriller Drive, which is slated to bow in theatres on September 16. The film stars Oscar nominees Ryan Gosling and Carey Mulligan. (Synopsis after the jump)
2011 Young Hollywood—Part 1: The Filmmakers
(Re-posted from limitémagazine.com)
For our second year, Limité presents its two-part “Young Hollywood” series, which honors filmmakers under the age of 35 and actors under the age of 30. The talented individuals featured here bring Limité back to its roots — as a forum for presenting what’s next in the world of popular and underground culture. In this series, we present you with some of the youngest and freshest talent making its mark in film. Some names are established, while others are on their way up. These are the people who will shape the future of film. It’s worth remembering their names and faces.
The film industry is bursting with fresh, young talent. We encourage you to add to this list by leaving a comment, describing which young talent you think deserves recognition.
Richard Ayoade
by Stephanie Dawson
Age: 34
From: London, England
Credits: Submarine (2011), The IT Crowd (TV)
British comedian, actor, writer, and director Richard Ayoade is best known in the UK for his role as Maurice Moss on The IT Crowd, a sitcom based on the trials and tribulations of an under-valued computer technology staff. Ayoade studied law at Cambridge, but his love of performing lead him to Footlights, the University’s famed drama club, for which he served as president for one year. He acted and wrote many shows while there.
Ayoade co-wrote the stage show Garth Marenghi’s Fright Knight and its sequel Garth Marenghi’s Netherhead, which won a Perrier award in 2001. In 2004, the UK’s Channel 4 aired Garth Marenghi’s Darkplace, a continuation of the character Ayoade and his partners originated. Ayoade directed and performed in that series, as well as the short-lived The Mighty Boosh.
Ayoade directed music videos for Arctic Monkeys, Super Furry Animals, Vampire Weekend, and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. His live concert video for Arctic Monkeys’ At the Apollo won Best DVD at the New Musical Express.
Submarine is Richard Ayoade’s feature directorial debut and is an adaptation of the novel of the same name by Joe Dunthorne. Ayoade also wrote the screenplay for the coming-of-age comedy. While the independent film had a modest box office return, it gained some critical acclaim for Ayoade’s imaginative, visionary directing. Ayoade is a multi-threat and definitely one to watch in the coming years.
Continue reading 2011 Young Hollywood—Part 1: The Filmmakers
Hit & Miss: Another Earth, The Devil’s Double
I’m usually a pretty good judge of movies before even watching them. I can often tell whether I think a movie is going to be good or bad based on the trailer, logline, filmmaker, cast, or any other factor. Of course, this is not unique to me. Many of us have this super power. But every now and then, my senses go awry and I find myself in disbelief. Here are a couple of recent examples:
Hit
ANOTHER EARTH
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N8hEwMMDtFY]
Going In: I’m not much for sci-fi, and after having seen the trailer, I just had a feeling—this is not going to be a good movie. And that’s a shame, because Fox Searchlight is my favorite distributor—but hey, even Fox Searchlight is entitled to a not-so-great movie once in a while. (Has anyone seen The Tree of Life?) Another Earth looked sleepy, boring, quiet, and any other number of synonyms that describe bland.
Stepping Out: BEST. MOVIE. OF. THE. YEAR. (so far) I can’t believe how wrong I was with this one. Brit Marling. Remember that name. She wrote, produced, and stars in this micro-budget indie that was directed by Mike Cahill. Nearly everything about this film is perfect. The dynamic performances. The breathtaking cinematography. The mesmerizing music. And most especially, the complex characters in a simple, original story. It just goes to show you, a film’s budget is no barometer for how good a movie is. The writing is (among other things). You can go into space with a tight script. And this film is proof.
Miss
THE DEVIL’S DOUBLE
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=auE1FAGP1Kc]Going In: The true story of the man who was forced to act as Uday Hussein’s double. (That’s Saddam’s son, folks.) I was easily intrigued, quite simply because I hadn’t seen anything like this before. And speaking of something I haven’t seen before, (based on the trailer) it looked like Dominic Cooper was turning in a performance unlike any other he’s done. I’m sold.
Stepping Out: WTF! Sure, there is gory violence, but this film isn’t nearly as gritty as I thought it would be. Sure, Cooper’s performance is solid, but that’s pretty much all this Lee Tamahori-helmed film has going for it. It’s glitzy, golden visuals are clearly implied in the trailer and poster, but I was mostly going into this film with the overall concept in mind. Clearly, I wasn’t paying close enough attention. This film resembled more of a flashy music video than any film worth my time. (I was actually expecting something on par with The Hurt Locker, in style and substance.) Mind you, I didn’t hate it—and “not hating it” is the best compliment I can offer.
On My DVR: GasLand (2010)
Currently on my DVR is the 2010 Sundance award-winning documentary GasLand. This HBO film was nominated for the Best Documentary Oscar this past year and is currently nominated for four Primetime Emmys in nonfiction programming categories, including directing, writing, and cinematography. I’m not sure how a film that has both theatrical and television distribution can be eligible for the top prizes in both media, but I’m sure it’s got to be great. Here’s the synopsis from the film’s IMDb page:
It is happening all across America—rural landowners wake up one day to find a lucrative offer from an energy company wanting to lease their property. Reason? The company hopes to tap into a reservoir dubbed the “Saudi Arabia of natural gas.” Halliburton developed a way to get the gas out of the ground—a hydraulic drilling process called “fracking”—and suddenly America finds itself on the precipice of becoming an energy superpower. (Written by Sundance Film Festival)
Director: Josh Fox
Screenwriter: Josh Fox
Producers: Trish Adlesic, Josh Fox, Molly Gandour
Cast: Josh Fox
Genre: Documentary
Distributor: HBO Documentary Films
Runtime: 107 min.
Short Film: “Signs” by Patrick Hughes
I first watched this short a couple of years ago and loved it. Watching it again, I like it, but it doesn’t have the magic that I seemed to remember the first time.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uy0HNWto0UY]DRIVE Goes Full Throttle at Comic-Con
Fresh off its run at Cannes and a presence at 2011 Comic-Con, filmmaker Nicolas Winding Refn brings his latest feature, Drive, to theatres on September 16. This Ryan Gosling-starring vehicle also stars Bryan Cranston (TV’s Breaking Bad), Carey Mulligan, Christina Hendricks (TV’s Mad Men), Albert Brooks, and Ron Perlman. Here’s the official trailer, synopsis, and photos from Comic-Con.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0eup3tFOgbk&feature=channel_video_title]
New Web Series: Death’s Door
My friend Stephanie just produced a new web series called Death’s Door, which will be premiering next month. Check out the trailer and synopsis below. Also, be sure to stop by the YouTube page, where you can watch exclusive interviews with the filmmakers and cast.
The first time Marcus died, he thought his life was destroyed. The second time, he discovered what life is. Death’s Door is a 10-part sci-fi web series that starts August 7. New episodes will release weekly on Sundays at 8pm.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=81LMpuCJDls]
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