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Sundance in 60 Seconds. Saturday, January 30, 2010
Filed under: Documentary, Independent, Awards, Sundance, IFC, Distribution, Obits, Cinematical Indie, Roadside Attractions
Awards: The big winners include Winter's Bone (Grand Jury Prize, Dramatic), Restrepo (Grand Jury Prize, Documentary), Animal Kingdom (World Cinema Jury Prize, Dramatic) and The Red Chapel (World Cinema Jury Prize, Documentary), with audience awards going to happythankyoumoreplease and Waiting for Superman. Check out the full list of winners here.
Celebrity Sightings: Most of the celebs have left town by now, so let's check out a few leftovers: People has a rundown of where celebs were seen eating in Park City. The main course in the article looks at an East-meets-West feast with Orlando Bloom, Mark Ruffalo and Juliette Lewis of Sympathy for Delicious. As for photos from the awards, the LA Times has a photo of host David Hyde Pierce (with festival director John Cooper) during his rap performance, in case you missed it live (hopefully it ends up on YouTube).
Deals: In line with their penchant for controversial films, IFC has picked up Michael Winterbottom's polarizing crime drama The Killer Inside Me for a reported $1-1.5 million. They're looking at a late summer/early fall release. Now the world (well, U.S. moviegoers) can experience the same disgust as the audience member who shamed Sundance for showing the film. Later in the day, Roadside Attractions bought Debra Granik's Winter's Bone for low six-figures with plans to release the film this summer. Meanwhile, Oprah Winfrey has bought the documentary A Family Affair to air on her new network and Aamir Khan tells Anne Thompson that he'd like to distribute Peepli Live himself.
Our coverage, some tragic news and other near-end linkage after the jump:
The Legend of Zelda Rubinstein, 1933-2010
Filed under: Celebrities and Controversy, Fandom, Newsstand, Obits
Actress Zelda Rubinstein, best known for her role as a psychic "house cleaner" in Tobe Hooper's Poltergeist and its sequels, passed away Wednesday at the age of 76. Rubenstein also had a memorable role on TV's "Picket Fences" and appeared in films like Sixteen Candles, Teen Witch, Southland Tales, and Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon.
According to the LA Times, Rubinstein died from natural causes at Barlow Respiratory Hospital in Los Angeles. She had been suffering health issues since at least December, when she was reportedly taken off of life support.
The diminutive actress had enjoyed a steady career in television and film, although she didn't make her acting debut until 1980, when she was already in her 40s. Her first film role was in Under the Rainbow, a comedy about aspiring little people actors starring Chevy Chase and Carrie Fisher. The film earned pans and two Razzie nominations, but the following year notched a big early film for Rubinstein, who stole her scenes as Tangina, the medium who attempts to save little Carol Anne Freeling in Poltergeist.
Jean Simmons Passes Away
Filed under: Classics, Newsstand, Obits
Cinema lost another lovely and classic face over the weekend, as actress Jean Simmons passed away, according to the New York Times. She was 80.Simmons' career often reads like a lesson in what might have been. She rose to early success in films such as David Lean's Great Expectations and Laurence Olivier's Hamlet (which earned her an Oscar nomination) before running afoul of her contract holder, Howard Hughes. After rejecting his advances, he attempted to ruin her career and cost her the lead in Roman Holiday. Simmons held out, and managed success with roles in Young Bess, Footsteps in the Fog, Guys and Dolls, and The Actress.
Due to financial strain, she quietly accepted any role offered, and Simmons became known as the quiet lady who supported great men in films like The Robe, The Egyptian, Desiree, Elmer Gantry, and Spartacus. She always rose above the material, and was an actress the formidable Pauline Kael championed. Kael called her "one of the most quietly commanding actresses Hollywood has ever trashed" and always hailed her performances as better than the films she was given. I think she was certainly right, as evidenced by her haunting turn in Spartacus. She's undoubtedly one of the most memorable things about the film. Even if she was not a screen legend like her Roman Holiday replacement was, she certainly made an impact.
Rest in peace, Ms. Simmons. You'll be missed.
400 Screens, 400 Blows - Calm and Rohmer
Filed under: Obits, Columns, 400 Screens, 400 Blows
We lost another master this week, the former Cahiers du Cinema film critic and filmmaker Eric Rohmer, who was 89. He has long been a staple of art houses. If you were a cinema buff that came of age in the 1970s, you probably saw his "Six Moral Tales" series. If your time was the 1980s, you probably saw some of the six "Comedies and Proverbs" films. And if it was the 1990s, you may have seen some of his "Tales of the Four Seasons." As a critic, I was honored to review the last of these, Autumn Tale (1998), which I saw as a flat-out masterpiece. Although I felt bad when I reviewed his final film last year, The Romance of Astrea and Celadon, and found it nearly unbearable. (Though many others have defended it. Maybe I was too hasty?)
Rohmer's films were known for their talking, and I believe there was once a crack about his films being like "watching paint dry." The real secret of Rohmer's films is that they're all about smart, well-spoken people. They are studious and know lots of things. They may even be "experts" on human nature. When they fall in love or get stuck in some kind of romantic tangle, their first reaction is to try to reason their way out, using logic and words. In the end, however, there are no words or reasons or logic that can withstand the power of love. The characters are silenced as the credits roll, but the emotions linger on.
Eric Rohmer: 1920-2010
Filed under: Obits
One of the great masters of the French New Wave his no longer with us. Eric Rohmer passed away Monday at the age of 89. Rohmer was known for making movies about young, modern French people who fall in love and talk and talk and talk, spurring the infamous comment that his films were like "watching paint dry." But the secret of Rohmer is that, even though his characters are smart and educated and know a little something about human nature, they can't help themselves from succumbing to feelings of love and lust and jealousy, no matter how many words they use or how often they try to intellectually justify themselves.
That duality worked in almost all of Rohmer's films, which he tended to direct in specific groups. His "Six Moral Tales" is perhaps the most well-regarded, including La Collectionneuse (1967), My Night at Maud's (1969), Claire's Knee (1970) and Love in the Afternoon (1972). The 1980s brought "Comedies and Proverbs," with films like Pauline at the Beach (1983), Le Rayon Vert (1986) -- a Golden Lion winner at the Venice Film Festival -- and Boyfriends and Girlfriends (1987). And in the 1990s, he completed his "Tales of the Four Seasons," including A Summer's Tale (1996) and Autumn Tale (1998).
Man Who Inspired 'Rain Man' Passes Away
Filed under: Obits
The name Kim Peek might not mean anything to you. But what if I said he was the man who inspired Rain Man?MSNBC reports that the 58-year-old Peek had a major heart attack on Saturday and was pronounced dead at the hospital. While Rain Man was a fictional narrative, screenwriter Barry Morrow was inspired to create the story after meeting Peek at a convention in the early '80s. Morrow was charmed by Peek's ability to memorize everything he heard, and went on to write Raymond Babbitt, the character that earned Dustin Hoffman an Academy Award.
Kim's father, Fran Peek said of his son: "It was just unbelievable, all the things that he knew. He traveled 5,500 miles short of 3 million air miles and talked to nearly 60 million people -- half have been students." As the years went on, the younger Peek became a "mega-savant," having become a genius in an impressive 15 subjects ranging from literature to sports to geography. As MSNBC says: "NASA scientists had been studying Peek, hoping that technology used to study the effects of space travel on the brain would help explain his mental capabilities."
We've posted a fascinating documentary called The Real Rain Man after the jump for you watch.
Rest in peace, Mr. Peek.
Girls on Film: The Rise and Fall of Brittany Murphy
Filed under: Obits, Girls on Film
As you all know, we lost Brittany Murphy yesterday at the all-too-young age of 32.
She was never my favorite actress, nor my least favorite. There were roles that I loved, and roles that I loathed. But her presence in Hollywood was always a joy, mainly because I matured with Murphy, born the same year as myself. She didn't start in the biz until 1991 with her first role in Murphy Brown, so I didn't grow up with her, but she was one of the few who charmed me in my high school youth and never faded away.
Perhaps I spotted her appearances on Kids Incorporated or Parker Lewis Can't Lose. Or, while I never followed Drexell's Class, maybe I saw a peek of her as Brenda Drexell. But in my memories, she has always been Molly Morgan of 1993's Almost Home -- the very short-lived Torkelsons spin-off. Murphy was spunky and charming, and had a flair that you don't usually find in Hollywood. It wasn't the one-off "quirk girl" success that found the likes of Mary Sue Torkelson and Blossom. Her uniqueness lasted, and in fact, grew once she hit the big screen with Clueless in 1995.
Brittany Murphy Dies At 32
Filed under: Celebrities and Controversy, Obits
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According to sources over at TMZ.com and the New York Daily News, actress Brittany Murphy has died at the age of 32. Reports are that a 911 call was made early this morning from her husband, Simon Monjack. Murphy was taken to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and pronounced dead on arrival after going into full cardiac arrest and could not be revived.
Probably best known for her work as the made-over Tai in Amy Heckerling's Clueless, Murphy was recently replaced on the set of her latest starring vehicle, The Caller, for being a disruption and hindering production. Her replacement, Rachelle Lefevre, herself was recently replaced in the Twilight series by Bryce Dallas Howard. Murphy's rep stated "creative differences" as the reason for the split. Murphy was also written out of the upcoming Sylvester Stallone actioner, The Expendables, after being cast.
News of The Caller's exit was made light of on the Dec. 5 episode of Saturday Night Live. After Seth Meyers reported Murphy's "detriment to production", cast member Abby Elliott came out to the Weekend Update set as Murphy, parodying her as a ditzy airhead who believed she was actually hosting that evening's episode before leaving with her infamous line reading from Don't Say a Word, "I'll never tell."
Her other credits include Girl Interrupted, Drop Dead Gorgeous, 8 Mile, Just Married, Spun,Uptown Girls, Little Black Book, The Dead Girl, Summer Catch, Riding in Cars with Boys, and Sin City. Of course the entire Cinematical team would like to share our condolences with Ms. Murphy's friends and family.
Jennifer Jones Passes Away
Filed under: Classics, Newsstand, Obits
The world lost one of the last actresses of Hollywood's golden era yesterday, as Jennifer Jones passed away. At 90 years old, she certainly lived a long and successful life, though certainly one that was touched by its share of tragedy.Jones is probably best known for her Oscar-winning performance in The Song of Bernadette, and for being the wife of legendary producer David O. Selznick. But she starred or costarred in a number of great films, including Duel in the Sun, Since You Went Away, Portrait of Jennie, Madame Bovary, The Man in the Grey Flannel Suit, and many more. She was right up there with Katharine Hepburn and Ingrid Bergman, but her intensely private life didn't encourage the kind of stardom they enjoyed. But she was an enchanting and luminous actress, and very far removed from the majority of actresses working today. If you've never seen a Jones film, it's never too late to discover the classics. I recommend Since You Went Away or Portrait of Jennie for starters. Jennie really deserves to be seen not just for Jones' sad performance, but for its special effects. They were state of the art in 1948 and technophiles should find them very striking.
Rest in peace, Ms. Jones. Thank you for so many wonderful films!
Excellent Genre Writer Dan O'Bannon, Dead at 63
Filed under: Obits
If you're of my approximate generation and you enjoy pretty much the same flicks I do, then I'm sorry to say you've lost a hero this week. Dan O'Bannon, a multi-talented filmmaker with a strong affection for science fiction and horror films, passed away yesterday at the age of 63. The man will always hold a special place in my heart for one simple reason: He wrote A L I E N, which (as you probably know) is my favorite movie of all time. Mr. O'Bannon also penned a very fine Philip K. Dick adaptation of Total Recall; a kooky remake of Invaders from Mars; the high-tech helicopter thriller Blue Thunder; the adorably insane Lifeforce; John Carpenter's debut film Dark Star; the quietly creepy Dead & Buried; and the zombie classic The Return of the Living Dead (which was also his directorial debut.)Any movie geek who grew up in the '80s knew O'Bannon's work, and I think it's safe to say that we're very sad about the news of his sudden demise. Our best to Dan's friends and family, and of course we send a virtual bouquet of eternal gratitude for all the fun flicks. Dan O'Bannon will be missed, especially nowadays with sci-fi coming back as "cool" again.
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