Indie Spotlight »
Indie Spotlight: New Releases for Oct. 23
Filed under: Comedy, Drama, Foreign Language, Horror, Independent, New Releases, Columns, Indie Spotlight
Here's a quick look at what's opening in limited release this weekend. If they're not playing where you live, keep an eye out as they make the rounds. And if all else fails, there's always DVD....Ong Bak 2: The Beginning (pictured) is something of a prequel to Ong Bak, the Thai sensation from a few years ago. Tony Jaa, whose multi-discipline fighting skills are beyond impressive, plays a guy who fights a lot. Cinematical's Todd Gilchrist sums up the way many of us felt when we first caught the film at South By Southwest: The fight scenes are spectacular; unfortunately, the plot that holds them together is incomprehensible and takes itself too seriously. At Rotten Tomatoes, the critics are almost evenly split between yea and nay, with the only question being whether the awesomeness of the fights is enough to compensate for the dullness of the rest of it. Playing on 10 screens in New York, L.A., San Francisco, Seattle, Boston, and Washington D.C.
Antichrist is an art-house horror film from Lars Von Trier, starring Willem Dafoe and Charlotte Gainsbourg as a grieving couple to whom some supernatural and terrible things happen. It's been appalling audiences since it premiered at Cannes this spring. The critics all seem to agree that it's repellent, grisly, unsettling, and hard to watch. Where they part company -- about evenly down the middle, so far -- is whether that's good or bad. Playing on one screen each in L.A., New York, Chicago, Boston, San Francisco, and Washington D.C. It will also be available through some Video On Demand systems starting Oct. 28.
Indie Spotlight: New Releases for Oct. 9
Filed under: Comedy, Documentary, Drama, Independent, New Releases, Columns, Indie Spotlight
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Here's a quick look at what's opening in limited release this weekend. If they're not playing where you live, keep an eye out as they make the rounds. And if all else fails, there's always DVD....First, be aware that Paranormal Activity has expanded into 160 theaters nationwide, with screenings all day (not just at midnight). The Coen brothers' A Serious Man (which might stretch the definition of "indie," but still) is also expanding a bit, though still in only about a dozen major cities.
Good Hair (pictured) is a highly enjoyable documentary by Chris Rock examining African American women's obsession with hair. I saw it at Sundance and, speaking as a white dude, I had no idea it was this big a deal. The black members of the audience, meanwhile, were nodding and smiling knowingly. Cinematical's Scott Weinberg had much the same reaction I did when he reviewed it at Sundance, and all but two of the reviews at Rotten Tomatoes are positive, calling it funny, informative, and enlightening. Playing on about 180 screens in the greater L.A., New York, Chicago, Atlanta, and Washington D.C. areas.
An Education was a huge hit at Sundance this year, with raves all around for its star (Carey Mulligan) and its director (Lone Scherfig). It's a coming-of-age story about a girl in 1960s London, with a screenplay by Nick Hornby. Cinematical's James Rocchi adored it; so does almost everyone else who has reviewed it. (And one of the pans is from noted contrarian Armond White, who doesn't count anyway.) It's just in New York and L.A. right now, but don't worry: Sony will be pushing it for awards consideration, so you'll get a chance to see it.
Indie Spotlight: New Releases for Oct. 2
Filed under: Comedy, Documentary, Drama, Independent, New Releases, Columns, Indie Spotlight
Here's a quick look at what's opening in limited release this weekend. If they're not playing where you live, keep an eye out as they make the rounds. And if all else fails, there's always DVD....More Than a Game (pictured) is a documentary about basketball phenom LeBron James and four of his Akron, Ohio, high school teammates. Reviews are about evenly split so far, though none are terribly negative. I get the feeling that fans of James and/or basketball will love it while those with a more casual interest might find it lacking. Playing in L.A., New York, and several theaters in the Akron area (nice touch!). The official website has a schedule of when it's opening in other cities.
Afterschool premiered at Cannes last year and has subsequently played at several other festivals, including South By Southwest. It's a drama about students at a New England prep school in the aftermath of a tragedy involving some of their classmates, and how they retreat into YouTube and the Internet to deal with their feelings. About three-fourths of the reviews so far are positive, with critics calling it a sobering, honest look at 21st-century youth. Playing in New York City now.
A Beautiful Life is about a runaway teenage girl and an illegal-immigrant teenage boy whose paths cross in Los Angeles. It's based on a play called Jersey City. Bad news, though: All six of the reviews posted so far are negative: melodramatic, heavy-handed, poorly acted, etc., etc. Playing in New York, L.A., Chicago, and San Francisco.
Indie Spotlight: New Releases for Sept. 25
Filed under: Comedy, Documentary, Drama, Foreign Language, Horror, Independent, New Releases, Columns, Indie Spotlight
Here's a quick look at what's opening in limited release this weekend. If they're not playing where you live, keep an eye out as they make the rounds. And if all else fails, there's always DVD....Paranormal Activity (pictured) is finally coming to theaters after premiering two years ago at Screamfest. It's a simple horror concept: married couple believes their house is haunted; sets up camera to film the things that go bump in the night; pants-wetting ensues. Cinematical's Kim Voynar was terrified by it when she caught it at Slamdance 2008, and our Eugene Novikov was similarly enthralled at Telluride this year. At Rotten Tomatoes, all but one of the reviews are similarly positive. Hooray for low-budget indie thrillers! Now playing in Seattle, Boulder, Tucson, Baton Rouge, Columbus, Orlando, Ann Arbor, Madison, Wis., and Santa Cruz, Calif.
The Boys Are Back stars Clive Owen as a newly widowed father of two boys. It's directed by Scott Hicks, who made Shine and Hearts in Atlantis. Cinematical's Monika Bartyzel had praise for the film when it premiered at Toronto, saying it's occasionally great and often very sweet. At Rotten Tomatoes, 64% of the reviews are positive -- not a smash, but very solid. Playing in New York and L.A.
I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell is based on douchebag-and-proud-of-it Tucker Max's memoirs detailing his escapades as a carousing womanizer and general tool. Matt Czuchry plays Max in the film, which takes the form of a road-trip buddy comedy. Now playing in about 120 theaters nationwide. Only 22% of the reviews so far are positive, with most critics calling it juvenile, derivative, and unfunny.
Indie Spotlight: New Releases for Sept. 18
Filed under: Independent, New Releases, Indie Spotlight
Here's a quick look at what's opening in limited release this weekend. If they're not playing where you live, keep an eye out as they make the rounds. And if all else fails, there's always DVD....Bright Star (pictured) comes from writer/director Jane Campion, best known for her Oscar-winning screenplay for The Piano. (She got a director nomination for that, too.) Bright Star tells the true story of 19th-century romance between poet John Keats and one Fanny Brawne, played by Ben Whishaw and Abbie Cornish. It has an 87% approval rating at Rotten Tomatoes. It's playing on about 20 screens in New York, L.A., San Francisco, Seattle, Minneapolis, and Dallas.
The Burning Plain is the feature directorial debut by Guillermo Arriaga, who wrote Babel, 21 Grams, and Amores Perros. Once again he favors the fractured timeline and multiple stories; however, this time the result isn't being met with much praise. Only 36% of the reviews are positive; Cinematical's Kim Voynar, reviewing it at Toronto last year, was pretty lukewarm about it. The performances by Charlize Theron and Kim Basinger are getting some good notices, though.
Paris is a sort of love letter to that city, a series of vignettes about loosely connected characters who wander into each other's lives. Juliette Binoche is probably the most recognizable member of the large ensemble cast. The writer and director is Cedric Klapisch, who made L'auberge Espagnole. The reviews so far as mixed but mostly positive, with 67% approving. Playing in New York and L.A., and on some On Demand systems.
Indie Spotlight: New Releases for Aug. 21
Filed under: Comedy, Documentary, Drama, Foreign Language, Independent, New Releases, Columns, Indie Spotlight
Here's a quick look at what's opening in limited release this weekend. If they're not playing where you live, keep an eye out as they make the rounds. And if all else fails, there's always DVD....The Marc Pease Experience (pictured) is a comedy, allegedly, about a former high school musical star trying to recapture his glory, several years later, by teaming up with his old director, who still teaches at the school and is sleeping with one of his female students. Jason Schwartzman, Ben Stiller, and Anna Kendrick star -- and so far every review is negative. (Cinematical's Will Goss has a review on the way, and he tells me it will be no exception.) Playing on about a dozen screens, not in New York or L.A. but Chicago, Seattle, Denver, Tampa, Phoenix, Philadelphia, etc.
Casi Divas comes to us from Mexico and is a quasi-satire about four young women competing to star in a film adaptation of a popular TV soap opera. The indication from the lukewarm reviews is that Hispanic audiences with some connection to the stereotypical Latina characters on display might find it funny, but it won't have much crossover appeal. Playing on a couple dozen screens in New York, Southern California, and South Florida.
Indie Spotlight - New Releases for Aug. 14
Filed under: New Releases, Indie Spotlight
Here's a quick look at what's opening in limited release this weekend. If they're not playing where you live, keep an eye out as they make the rounds. And if all else fails, there's always DVD.Grace (pictured) is one seriously effed-up horror film about a woman who gives birth to an undead baby. When one of the props required for your movie is a baby bottle filled with blood, you know you've got something special on your hands. I reviewed it for Cinematical at Sundance and said, "First-time writer/director Paul Solet ... proves himself adept both as a visual storyteller and as a guy who can make you crap your pants." Reviews at Rotten Tomatoes are evenly split between positive and negative. If this is your kind of movie, you probably know who you are. In New York and L.A. for now.
Spread, another Sundance premiere, stars Ashton Kutcher as a guy who has lots of sex with lots of women, then decides to do it professionally. (It was one of a few films at Sundance that, rather notoriously, didn't have press screenings.) At Rotten Tomatoes, 8 out of the 10 reviews are negative, though a few do offer praise for Kutcher's surprisingly good performance. Opens today on about 90 screens nationwide.
Indie Spotlight: New Releases for Aug. 7
Filed under: New Releases, Indie Spotlight
Here's a quick look at what's opening in limited release this weekend. If they're not playing where you live, keep an eye out as they make the rounds. And if all else fails, there's always DVD.Paper Heart (pictured) is an unusual hybrid of real documentary footage and staged scenes shot to look like a documentary, all to tell the story of comedian Charlyne Yi's search for true love -- or, more accurately, her quest to learn whether it exists. I reviewed it for Cinematical at Sundance and found it amusing, though to some extent it depends on how amused you are by Yi herself. At Rotten Tomatoes, the film stands at 66% positive. Opens today in the top 20 U.S. markets, more or less, expanding next week.
I Sell the Dead was Slamdance's opening-night film this year, and it sounds appropriate for that raucous festival. It's a zombie comedy starring Dominic Monaghan as a gravedigger recounting his past crimes. The reviews at Rotten Tomatoes are split between positive and negative; it might be for big fans of the genre only. Now playing in New York City.
Cold Souls stars Paul Giamatti as an actor named Paul Giamatti who takes advantage of a company that extracts people's souls and stores them. (You have less stress, guilt, and worry without the burden of a soul.) Cinematical's James Rocchi loved it at its Sundance premiere, calling it funny, beautifully shot and "more than a little bit moving." At Rotten Tomatoes, 83% of critics are thinking along the same lines. Now playing in L.A. and New York.
Indie Spotlight - New Releases for July 31
Filed under: New Releases, Indie Spotlight
Here's a quick look at what's opening in limited release this weekend. If they're not playing where you live, keep an eye out as they make the rounds. And if all else fails, there's always DVD.Adam (pictured) is an unusual romantic comedy starring Hugh Dancy as a man with Asperger syndrome, a mild form of autism, who develops a relationship with his new neighbor (Rose Byrne). It has a 70% approval rating at Rotten Tomatoes, including my own Cinematical review from Sundance, where I wrote: "This isn't some cheesy TV movie about a wise "special needs" person who teaches life lessons to those around him.... It's a simple, light comedy with dramatic underpinnings, and a pleasant way to spend an evening." Now playing in New York and L.A.
The Cove, another Sundance alumnus, is already one of the year's most acclaimed documentaries, with a 94% positive rating at Rotten Tomatoes. It's about a cove in Japan where thousands of dolphins are slaughtered every year for shady reasons, and it plays out like a thriller. Cinematical's Scott Weinberg called it "brutally honest and effortlessly fascinating" and "easily one of the most powerful, heartfelt, and ... important 'nature' documentaries I've ever seen." Playing in New York and L.A.
Indie Spotlight: New Releases for July 24
Filed under: New Releases, Indie Spotlight
Here's a quick look at what's opening in limited release this weekend. If they're not playing where you live, keep an eye out as they make the rounds. And if all else fails, there's always DVD.In the Loop (pictured), a smart, snarky, and hilarious British political comedy, is now playing in New York, L.A., San Francisco, Chicago, Washington D.C., and Cambridge, Mass. It's one of the best-reviewed comedies of the year so far, with a 93% approval rating at Rotten Tomatoes. Cinematical's James Rocchi, reviewing it at Sundance, called it "achingly, wrenchingly, dizzyingly funny, with a bleak, bitter sense of humor."
The Answer Man premiered at Sundance under the title Arlen Faber and is now hitting theaters in New York, L.A., and Philadelphia. It stars Jeff Daniels as a reclusive author of self-help books who -- get this -- is actually really screwed up! The mom from Gilmore Girls comes along and disrupts his life. The reviews at Rotten Tomatoes are mostly negative, citing the film's over-reliance on coincidences, easy solutions, sentimentality, and clichés.
Shrink, another Sundance premiere, has a strikingly similar premise, with Kevin Spacey playing a psychiatrist whose personal life is, you guessed it, really screwed up. It opens today in New York and L.A. Once again, the Rotten Tomatoes consensus is mostly negative.
Finally, there's Deadgirl, a splattery zombie horror that's been making the rounds in the midnight section of various film festivals. The Rotten Tomatoes news is not good here either, with three in favor and eight against. You can find it in New York, L.A., Chicago, Seattle, Houston, Austin, Dallas, and St. Louis.
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