Category Archives: Narrative

Coming Soon, Drama, Narrative, Poster, Preview

Noah: A Man and His Boat

Leave a comment

top

Straight from the fucked-up mind who brought us Pi (1998), Requiem for a Dream (2000), and Black Swan (2010), comes the epic Biblical story (which Biblical stories aren’t epic?) of Noah and his famous ark. Auteur Darren Aronofsky and his mustache take us back to the days when a storm could flood the earth with such apocalyptic might that only a monstrous boat could save a man and his family.

middle

Russell Crowe and Jennifer Connelly reunite after 2001’s A Beautiful Mind, and along with Emma Watson, Ray Winstone, Anthony Hopkins, and rising star Logan Lerman, their characters will try to defy the impossible in Noah, which is due to surge into theatres this March 28.

bottom

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_OSaJE2rqxU]
Drama, Filmmakers, Independent Film, Narrative

Q&A: Lynn Shelton, Writer-Director of TOUCHY FEELY

2 Comments

(Re-posted from LimitéMagazine.com)

Award-winning filmmaker Lynn Shelton had her breakthrough with 2009′s Humpday, a comedic “romp” about a bromance taken to the next level. And aside from the occasional TV gig (directing the “Hands and Knees” episode of Mad Men), the director-writer-producer-editor-actress remains a fixture in today’s independent film scene. Her 2011 release Your Sister’s Sister, starring Emily Blunt and Rosemarie DeWitt, won multiple awards and nominations, including a Gotham Award for its cast and the Directors to Watch Award at the Palm Springs International Film Festival.

The festival darling’s latest release is Touchy Feely, a 2013 Sundance selection that was released this past September and is available on DVD today. Starring an ensemble cast of both veterans and new actors alike, the story focuses on Abby (DeWitt), a masseuse who delves into a depression upon developing an aversion to bodily contact, and her brother Paul (Josh Pais), a rather dull dentist whose practice experiences an overnight surge of interest from new patients. Ellen Page, Scott McNairy, Allison Janney, Ron Livingston, and newcomer Tomo Nakayama round out the cast.

I had the opportunity to speak with the multi-hyphenate filmmaker about her latest film and her process.

Continue reading Q&A: Lynn Shelton, Writer-Director of TOUCHY FEELY →

Drama, In Theatres, Narrative, New Release, News, Preview

Honoring Mandela

Leave a comment

It seems appropriate to honor Nelson Mandela with this trailer for the newly released Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom. The fictionalized account of Mr. Mandela’s life, starring Idris Elba, opened in limited release on November 29, just six days before the world leader passed away.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hmm-aazQQKA]
Animation, Awards, Documentary, Foreign Film, Narrative, News, Oscars, Short Film

2014 Oscars: Short Film Shortlists

Leave a comment

84th Annual Academy Awards - Arrivals

In the past few weeks, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has revealed the shortlists for all short film categories for the 2013 Oscars. Official nominations will be announced on January 16, 2014. Here’s what will be vying for a nomination in all three categories:

LIVE ACTION

  • “Aquel No Era Yo (That Wasn’t Me),” Esteban Crespo, director (Producciones Africanauan)
  • “Avant Que De Tout Perdre (Just before Losing Everything),” Xavier Legrand, director, and Alexandre Gavras, producer (KG Productions)
  • “Dva (Two),” Mickey Nedimovic, director, and Henner Besuch, director of photography (Filoufilm Dani Barsch)
  • “Helium,” Anders Walter, director, and Kim Magnusson, producer (M & M Productions)
  • “Kush,” Shubhashish Bhutiani, director (Red Carpet Moving Pictures)
  • “Pitääkö Mun Kaikki Hoitaa? (Do I Have to Take Care of Everything?),” Selma Vilhunen, director, and Kirsikka Saari, screenwriter (Tuffi Films)
  • “Record/Play,” Jesse Atlas, director, and Thom Fennessey, executive producer (Collaboration Factory)
  • “Throat Song,” Miranda de Pencier, director (Northwood Productions)
  • “Tiger Boy,” Gabriele Mainetti, director (Goon Films)
  • “The Voorman Problem,” Mark Gill, director, and Baldwin Li, producer (Honlodge Productions)

Continue reading 2014 Oscars: Short Film Shortlists →

Awards, Coming Soon, Drama, In Theatres, Independent Film, Narrative, New Release, Oscars, Preview, Trailer

2014 Oscar Guide: Parade of Trailers

Leave a comment

The fall is my favorite season for several reasons: the weather, the holidays, the foliage, the movies—oh, the movies. This is when studios release their best contenders for Oscar glory, more than four months away. Every year, I aim to watch all of the Oscar hopefuls before nominations are announced (this year on January 16, 2014).

Here is my second-annual list of this year’s major contenders in various categories, along with release dates.

Past Releases

FRUITVALE STATION

Continue reading 2014 Oscar Guide: Parade of Trailers →

Drama, In Theatres, Narrative, New Release, Poster, Thriller

Alternate Posters for GRAVITY

Leave a comment

Check out these terrific alternate posters for Gravity, courtesy of ShortList.com. These are my three favorites, but click here for more.

Drama, Film Festival, Filmmakers, Narrative, New Release, Thriller

[Throwback Thursday] Q&A: Aaron Guzikowski, Screenwriter of PRISONERS

1 Comment

On August 24, 2009, LimitéMagazine.com originally posted my exclusive interview with Aaron Guzikowski, screenwriter of the upcoming film Prisoners, starring Hugh Jackman and Jake Gyllenhaal. At the time, the film was due for a release in late 2009, but after some delays, it will finally hit the big screen this September 20, following screenings at the Telluride and Toronto International Film Festivals. In the meantime, Guzikowski’s first produced screenplay, Contraband, made waves at theatres last year with Mark Wahlberg’s and Kate Beckinsale’s names above the title.

This Throwback Thursday, I’m reposting this interview in the wake of Prisoners‘ September release.

(originally posted August 24, 2009) 

aaron-guzikowski

In New York and LA, you couldn’t spit without hitting someone who’s writing a screenplay. Out of the thousands who try, only a handful might actually sell their scripts, and even fewer will have them produced. So what’s Aaron Guzikowski’s secret?

Continue reading [Throwback Thursday] Q&A: Aaron Guzikowski, Screenwriter of PRISONERS →

Coming Soon, Drama, In Theatres, Independent Film, Narrative, New Release, Preview

2013 Fall Film Guide

Leave a comment

(Re-posted from LimitéMagazine.com)

With the start of September comes the much-anticipated fall film season—the time of year when studios and independent distributors alike present their best hopes for Oscar gold and some big box office dollars. This season, keep your eye on some key dramas like Gravity,Inside Llewyn Davis, American Hustle, and The Wolf of Wall Street, among others. And following his turn in this spring’s Star Trek into Darkness, British import Benedict Cumberbatch continues to make waves this side of the Atlantic in four features (12 Years a Slave, The Fifth Estate, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, August: Osage County).

Tell us in the comments which films you’re most looking forward to seeing.

Note: All non-authored pieces’ loglines are courtesy of IMDb.com.

Continue reading 2013 Fall Film Guide →

Comedy, Coming Soon, Drama, Narrative, Poster, Preview

August: Osage County (Hey, that’s the month we’re in!)

1 Comment

1.1648821

Next to Gravity, August: Osage County is my most anticipated fall release. Without knowing much else about the movie, here are enough reasons to jump on board my bandwagon:

1. Tracy Letts wrote the Pulitzer Prize- and Tony-winning Best Play, as well as the film’s screenplay. Not only is Letts a terrific actor (I was privileged to see him give his Tony-winning performance in last year’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?), but he’s a fantastic writer (last year’s Killer Joe was one of my favorite films and was deserving of Oscar recognition, but was wrongfully ignored).

Continue reading August: Osage County (Hey, that’s the month we’re in!) →

Comedy, Coming Soon, Drama, In Theatres, Independent Film, Narrative, New Release, Preview, Review

2013 Top 10 Indie Summer Flicks

1 Comment

(Re-posted from LimitéMagazine.com)

Man of Steel. Star Trek into Darkness. World War Z. These are the movies we won’t be talking about in this summer movie feature. For the fourth year, Limité is taking a look beyond the standard blockbuster studio fare to bring you some of the most-anticipated independent films with a summer release date. Proving that a $100 million budget is not a necessity—and is often a hindrance—to deliver a powerful story, these 10 films masterfully transform a small budget into a big punch.

1. FRUITVALE STATION

by Daniel Quitério

January 1, 2009. Oakland, CA. Oscar Grant, a 22-year-old black male, was caught in a physical altercation on a train a mere two hours after celebrating the passing of the new year with his friends. Held at the Fruitvale BART station by the police, an agitated Oscar was restrained by the officers, held with his face against the ground. One officer then pulled out his gun and shot the unarmed Oscar in the back, ultimately ending his life. (The officer claims he was reaching for his stun gun.) Fruitvale Station tells the true story of Oscar’s last day alive. A conflicted young father, he was just trying to get by, and although he didn’t always make the soundest choices, he was loved dearly by his family and friends—none of whom believed he deserved his ultimate fate.

Continue reading 2013 Top 10 Indie Summer Flicks →