Cinematicalhttp://www.cinematical.comCinematicalhttp://www.cinematical.com/media/feedlogo.gifCinematicalhttp://www.cinematical.comen-usCopyright 2009 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only.Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/New 'Grace' Trailer -- Red Band Baby!http://www.cinematical.com/2009/05/31/new-grace-trailer-red-band-baby/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/05/31/new-grace-trailer-red-band-baby/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/05/31/new-grace-trailer-red-band-baby/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,




I'll keep this short: There's a horror flick coming out later this year called Grace. Lots of people (including me and Eric Snider) like it a lot, such as former Cinematical scribe (and mother of five) Kim Voynar, who went to the Sundance screening after I basically commanded her to. When I saw her later she was both grateful (for recommending it) and angry (for not seeing it with her). Then it hit Austin and earned even more fans -- and not just horror geeks, mind you, although they're the ones who seemed to dig it the most.

The flick is still shuffling through the festival circuit, but Anchor Bay will deliver the DVD before year's end, and it looks like my pals over at FEARnet have scored the first look at the "red-band" (R rated) trailer for Grace. Click right here to take a look at the rather impressive new promo clip, and then come back for some friendly advice. (Pause.) OK, back? Good: This movie is not suitable for pregnant women. Frankly you should spend three years in jail if you show Grace to a pregnant woman. Ten years if you make it a double feature with Inside.

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]]>anchor bayAnchorBayFearNetGraceSundance 2009Sundance2009sxsw 2009Sxsw2009Scott WeinbergSun, 31 May 2009 11:03:00 ESTI Think We Liked 'In the Loop'http://www.cinematical.com/2009/05/17/i-think-we-liked-in-the-loop/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/05/17/i-think-we-liked-in-the-loop/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/05/17/i-think-we-liked-in-the-loop/#commentsFiled under: , , ,



Embedded above is the trailer for Armando Iannucci's political spin farce, In the Loop, which James and others had been talking up since Sundance. I suppose that's a fitting response, for them to talk about a movie that's all about talk, as the trailer capably demonstrates (well, a commenter or two on Funny or Die still demand to know what the movie's really about). I myself was initially skeptical of anything dealing with labyrinthine political dealings, but I've been assured that that isn't really the point of it all -- and I've gotta say, the phrase "difficult-difficult-lemon-difficult" still tickles me so.

IFC will release this in select theaters and (thankfully, for us non-NY/LAers) on-demand come July 24th. That's enough time for me to catch up on original series "The Thick of It," though I've been told that familiarity with it wouldn't be necessary. At least, that's what I think they said...

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]]>armando iannucciArmandoIannucciifcifc filmsIfcFilmsin the loopInTheLoopjames gandolfiniJamesGandolfinithe thick of itTheThickOfIttom hollanderTomHollanderWilliam GossSun, 17 May 2009 11:32:00 ESTInterview: Writer-Director Rian Johnson of 'The Brothers Bloom'http://www.cinematical.com/2009/05/13/interview-writer-director-rian-johnson-of-the-brothers-bloom/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/05/13/interview-writer-director-rian-johnson-of-the-brothers-bloom/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/05/13/interview-writer-director-rian-johnson-of-the-brothers-bloom/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , , , , ,



Writer-director Rian Johnson burst onto the scene when his high school-set noir riff, Brick, took home the Originality of Vision prize at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival. Now, after bouncing around Summit's release slate like the proverbial beach ball, his follow-up -- the romantic, romanticized con man caper, The Brothers Bloom -- is finally receiving a NY/LA bow this Friday before rolling out to more markets in the weeks to come.

Johnson obliged us to do a follow-up interview this week to complement our original chat from last November, and between the two, the filmmaker discusses everything from making the festival rounds and absorbing critical response to the glory of talking monkeys and just where he likes to stick his tea kettle...



Download Part 1 (31 mins.) by clicking here



Download Part 2 (12 mins.) by clicking here

-Score samples by Nathan Johnson, the film's composer and the director's cousin.-

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]]>brickinterviewrian johnsonRianJohnsonthe brothers bloomTheBrothersBloomtom cruiseTomCruisewes andersonWesAndersonWilliam GossWed, 13 May 2009 22:02:00 ESTIndie Roundup: New Deals, Jarmusch Rules, Fest Newshttp://www.cinematical.com/2009/05/06/indie-roundup-new-deals-jarmusch-rules-fest-news/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/05/06/indie-roundup-new-deals-jarmusch-rules-fest-news/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/05/06/indie-roundup-new-deals-jarmusch-rules-fest-news/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Indie Roundup

Deals. What a busy seven days! Cannes starts in a week, so distributors are clearing the decks by firming up their release schedules for the next several months in anticipation of more deals to come. We've already reported on the acquisitions of Blood: The Last Vampire and The Eclipse, but that just scratches the surface (complete details can be found at indieWIRE):

Crude. First Run Features picked up Joe Berlinger's documentary about a lawsuit pitting 30,000 rain forest dwellers in Ecuador against oil giant Chevron. (60 Minutes broadcast a story on the case this past Sunday.) A theatrical bow is planned in New York on September 9, followed by expansion to Los Angeles, San Francisco, and other cities.

Beeswax. The Cinema Guild acquired rights to Andrew Bujalski's low-key comedy / drama. They plan to open the film in New York on August 7, followed by a national release. Jette Kernion called it "a good movie that does some surprising things in a quiet way."

Also acquired: Uruguayan comedy Gigante, crime drama La Linea, psycho-sexual tale Death in Love, and bleak but black comedy Sugisball, whose very cool trailer (in Estonian!) is embedded below.

Box Office. Was it the power of my review? (Probably not.) Jim Jarmusch's very fine The Limits of Control raked in $18,607 per-screen at the three theaters in New York and Los Angeles where it opened over the weekend, according to Box Office Mojo, demonstrating Wolverine-like power. The film expands to eight more locations on Friday. Tyson, James Toback's doc about the controversial former heavyweight boxing champ, and Il Divo, Paolo Sorrentino's dramatic biopic about a controversial former Italian prime minister, followed modestly behind, grossing $5,757 and $5,657 per-screen, respectively.

After the jump: New Sundance Director of Programming; festivals in Los Angeles and Seattle unveil lineups.

Continue reading Indie Roundup: New Deals, Jarmusch Rules, Fest News

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]]>andrew bujalskiAndrewBujalskibeeswaxcrudeindie roundupIndieRoundupjoe berlingerJoeBerlingersugisballPeter MartinWed, 06 May 2009 21:02:00 ESTExclusive Clip from 'Black Dynamite'!http://www.cinematical.com/2009/04/22/exclusive-clip-from-black-dynamite/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/04/22/exclusive-clip-from-black-dynamite/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/04/22/exclusive-clip-from-black-dynamite/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,



Cinematical has received an exclusive clip from the upcoming blaxploitation spoof Black Dynamite, which played at Sundance a few months back and earned a lot of early fans in the process. I'll quote myself just a little:

"I grew up in the golden days of the spoof flick, and I've always had a soft spot for the oft-maligned sub-genre. So while it's true that a lot of lazy and generally talentless filmmakers rely on the spoof approach (probably because broad jokes seem easier to pull off?), there will always be room for new entries that poke fun at genre-specific trappings while maintaining a healthy respect for the films they're lampooning. Black Dynamite seems to really love the blaxploitation, but not enough to avoid mocking it within an inch of its life. So while it's certainly not the second coming of Airplane!, Black Dynamite is more than fast, funny, and likable enough to warrant a visit. Triply so if you happen to be a blaxploitation fan." (Full review here.)

Anchored by a drop-dead hilarious Michael Jai White performance, and presently 5 for 5 at Rotten Tomatoes, Black Dynamite is still strutting down the festival circuit (including Tribeca this weekend), but here's an amusing new clip to keep you interested. Release date is scheduled for September 4, which seems like a good time for a strange little comedy to make some noise.


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]]>black dynamiteBlackDynamiteblaxploitation spoofBlaxploitationSpoofmichael jai whiteMichaelJaiWhitenew clipNewClipScott WeinbergWed, 22 Apr 2009 15:32:00 ESTMagnolia Gives Some Love to the 'World's Greatest Dad'http://www.cinematical.com/2009/04/13/magnolia-gives-some-love-to-the-worlds-greatest-dad/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/04/13/magnolia-gives-some-love-to-the-worlds-greatest-dad/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/04/13/magnolia-gives-some-love-to-the-worlds-greatest-dad/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

Recently, someone and I -- it might've been Weinberg -- were discussing the fact that Magnolia seems to be replacing Lionsgate when it comes to a studio's willingness to put out the seemingly untouchable stuff.

The conversation mostly concerned horror fare, natch, but I suspect that Bobcat Goldthwait's World's Greatest Dad falls particularly well into Magnolia's fold, and they seem to agree, as they're all set to have a video-on-demand premiere before a theatrical run in late August, according to The Wrap.

James Grey's Two Lovers was recently released in a similar manner, and Steven Soderbergh's The Girlfriend Experience looks to be getting a likewise treatment at the end of this month. So far as I can tell, it's a strategy that works to their favor (that is, until everyone inevitably moves to either New York or Los Angeles). As far as the film itself is concerned, it certainly garnered its share of raves out of Sundance, but its subject matter -- Robin Williams capitalizes on his son's suicide -- had put off distributors until now. Here's hoping that Magnolia can tap into the niche audience for blacker-than-black comedy... right in their own living rooms.

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]]>bobcat goldthwaitBobcatGoldthwaitmagnolia picturesMagnoliaPicturesrobin williamsRobinWilliamsworlds greatest dadWorldsGreatestDadWilliam GossMon, 13 Apr 2009 10:45:00 ESTIndie Spotlight: New Releases for April 10http://www.cinematical.com/2009/04/10/indie-spotlight-new-releases-for-april-10/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/04/10/indie-spotlight-new-releases-for-april-10/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/04/10/indie-spotlight-new-releases-for-april-10/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,

Welcome back to the Indie Spotlight, in which we list the new limited-release films being released today. Keep an eye out for when they come to your local art house or Netflix queue.

We only have three new ones this week, which should leave you plenty of time for the Janna Fontana movie.

  • Anvil! The Story of Anvil (pictured) was one of the success stories at Sundance in 2008, where it played in one of the lower-profile sections and sort of came from nowhere to be a much-buzzed-about hit. It's about a Canadian heavy metal band that has been together for 30 years without ever quite hitting the bigtime. You will think it is a mockumentary, but no, it's real, and the story is inspiring, hilarious, and bizarre. Cinematical's James Rocchi loved it (he even got quoted on the poster!), calling it "a hymn to the human spirit, played loud in power chords." And hey, check out that 98% positive rating at Rotten Tomatoes! It's just playing in New York and Los Angeles for now, but just wait, it'll make the rounds.
  • The Mysteries of Pittsburgh is based on beloved author Michael Chabon's first novel, a coming-of-age story adapted and directed by the guy who directed Dodgeball. (Uh-oh.) If Anvil was one of the success stories at Sundance 2008, this was one of the major disappointments. Cinematical's Scott Weinberg reviewed it then, saying it's "such an inert, episodic, and familiar piece of very typical festival fare. It's as if Mr. Thurber watched six Sundance films at random, and then just copied his favorite scenes from each one." The consensus at Rotten Tomatoes is dismal, too: only 11% of the reviews are positive. Playing in New York, L.A., San Francisco, Chicago, Boston, and Minneapolis.

Continue reading Indie Spotlight: New Releases for April 10

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]]>anvil the story of anvilAnvilTheStoryOfAnvilindie spotlightIndieSpotlightlymelifemysteries of pittsburghMysteriesOfPittsburghEric D. SniderFri, 10 Apr 2009 15:02:00 ESTNew 'Moon' Trailer & Poster! (Has Nothing to Do With 'Twilight')http://www.cinematical.com/2009/04/10/new-moon-trailer-and-poster-has-nothing-to-do-with-twilight/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/04/10/new-moon-trailer-and-poster-has-nothing-to-do-with-twilight/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/04/10/new-moon-trailer-and-poster-has-nothing-to-do-with-twilight/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , ,

Having not attended Sundance, last month's SXSW Film Festival was my first chance to catch up with Duncan Jones' acclaimed sci-fi drama, Moon, and I'm happy to say that my expectations were well-met, with Sam Rockwell giving what is bound to be one of the more uniquely layered performances of the year.* (You can read James Rocchi's review here.)

Well, it looks like the guys over at IGN got their hands on the trailer, which we've embedded after the jump and which carefully embraces the intrigue of the film's central conceit. Jones himself told us that the development in question isn't exactly a spoiler in his mind, but don't worry, we're not about to give it up here. All in all, it's a smart sell, and one accurately representative of the movie. AICN, meanwhile, happens to have one snazzy poster on display. Mere coincidence? We may never know...

Co-starring Kevin Spacey (sort of), Moon gets a NY/LA opening on June 12th before rolling out to other markets, where it'll should prove a welcome respite to the comparatively mindless summer fare.

*Trust me, I'm not just saying that.

Continue reading New 'Moon' Trailer & Poster! (Has Nothing to Do With 'Twilight')

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]]>duncan jonesDuncanJoneskevin spaceyKevinSpaceymoonsam rockwellSamRockwellWilliam GossFri, 10 Apr 2009 09:03:00 ESTCinematical Seven: Ways That 'Adventureland' is Not Like 'Superbad'http://www.cinematical.com/2009/03/31/cinematical-seven-ways-that-adventureland-is-not-like-superb/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/03/31/cinematical-seven-ways-that-adventureland-is-not-like-superb/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/03/31/cinematical-seven-ways-that-adventureland-is-not-like-superb/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,



The first poster for Adventureland gives "from the director of Superbad" the lowest, smallest billing. The most recent poster puts it first and foremost, even making it more colorful than the title and, one could argue, the cast itself.

In the weeks leading up to its release this Friday, the marketing campaign for Adventureland has been slowly, steadily, understandably tweaking itself to play up director Greg Mottola's last hit teen comedy, Superbad, but ever since seeing the film, I've been convinced that those expecting something so raucous this weekend will soon find themselves shifting in their seats as they watch something that's a bit more concerned about the 'age' in 'coming-of-age' than the 'coming.' It's not a tremendously misleading sell, but rather a matter of tone, and as such, here's seven reasons why you should look forward to the film beyond thinking it's the Next Big Quotable Comedy.

Continue reading Cinematical Seven: Ways That 'Adventureland' is Not Like 'Superbad'

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]]>adventurelandbill haderBillHadercinematical 7cinematical sevenCinematical7CinematicalSevengreg mottolaGregMottolajesse eisenbergJesseEisenbergkristen stewartkristen wiigKristenStewartKristenWiigsuperbadthe daytrippersTheDaytrippersWilliam GossTue, 31 Mar 2009 22:02:00 ESTIndie Roundup: 'Burma VJ' Pickup and Trailer, Sundance Speculationshttp://www.cinematical.com/2009/03/12/indie-roundup-burma-vj-pickup-and-trailer-sundance-speculati/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/03/12/indie-roundup-burma-vj-pickup-and-trailer-sundance-speculati/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/03/12/indie-roundup-burma-vj-pickup-and-trailer-sundance-speculati/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , , , ,

Indie Roundup

Deals. As Eugene Novikov informed us, hard-hitting dolphin doc The Cove was picked up by Roadside Attractions. Via our friends at indieWIRE, we also learned:

Box Office. The three-director team-up Tokyo! took the top spot last weekend, raking in $23,460 at a single theater in Manhattan, per Box Office Mojo. The film, featuring segments directed by Michel Gondry, Leos Carax, and Bong Joon-ho, opened to generally good notices. Eric D. Snider said: "Think Paris Je T'aime, only a lot weirder (and about Tokyo, not Paris, duh)."

Festivals. Michael Lerman posted the news that John Cooper has been named Director of the Sundance Film Festival. Cooper told indieWIRE that he wanted to "establish a clearer distinction between the event's festival director vs. its programming director." He also emphasized that Sundance is a "discovery festival, we're not launching Academy Award campaigns." That sounds good as a means of preserving Sundance's artistic integrity and stated mission, but he's not really saying Sundance will eliminate star-studded screenings, is he?


Continue reading Indie Roundup: 'Burma VJ' Pickup and Trailer, Sundance Speculations

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]]>indie roundupIndieRoundupPeter MartinThu, 12 Mar 2009 20:45:00 ESTJohn Cooper Named New Sundance Film Festival Directorhttp://www.cinematical.com/2009/03/11/john-cooper-named-new-sundance-film-festival-director/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/03/11/john-cooper-named-new-sundance-film-festival-director/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/03/11/john-cooper-named-new-sundance-film-festival-director/#commentsFiled under: , ,

After almost a month in limbo that left the film community eagerly awaiting the news of a replacement for Geoff Gilmore, Sundance Institute announced in a press release late last night that they are appointing John Cooper as the director of the Sundance Film Festival. According to a story in indieWIRE, Gilmore announced, much to the surprise of many industry professionals, last month that he would be leaving the fest after 19 years to take the position of Chief Creative Officer for Tribeca Enterprises.

Cooper, the former Director of Programming for the Sundance Film Festival and Director of Creative Development for the Sundance Institute, has pioneered several new initiatives for Sundance over the past few years including New Frontier on Main, Sundance at BAM, The Sundance Institute Art House Project and the distribution of Sundance shorts through various digital platforms like iTunes and XBOX.

In the press release, Sundance Institute President and Founder Robert Redford is quoted as saying, "When we established the Festival, it was always with two goals in mind: supporting new artists and inspiring new audiences. Cooper has never lost sight of these goals. He brings to the position an infectious enthusiasm as well as a deep understanding of the Sundance brand and culture. Forward thinking, he is a natural choice of succession to lead the Festival into the 21st century."

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]]>geoff gilmoreGeoffGilmorejohn cooperJohnCooperrobert redfordRobertRedfordsundance film festivalSundanceFilmFestivalMichael LermanWed, 11 Mar 2009 11:45:00 EST'Push' Shoved; 'Precious' is the New Title for Sundance Smashhttp://www.cinematical.com/2009/02/20/push-shoved-precious-is-the-new-title-for-sundance-smash/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/02/20/push-shoved-precious-is-the-new-title-for-sundance-smash/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/02/20/push-shoved-precious-is-the-new-title-for-sundance-smash/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,

Just a couple of weeks back, it seemed that only film bloggers could bring themselves to crack jokes about how Dakota Fanning's super-power sub-performer Push might get confused with the award-winning and far-from-fantasy Sundance title Push: Based on a Novel by Sapphire -- and lo, most did.

Well, hopefully, they've gotten that out of their system, because attached today to the release of Tyler Perry's Madea Goes to Jail is a trailer that now refers to it as Precious: Based on a Novel by Sapphire, after the protagonist's preferred nickname.

Having not seen the film -- which our Eric D. Snider referred to as "unsettling and bleak," though "ultimately triumphant and hopeful" -- I can't help but think that the change not only avoids confusion with that other film's eventual DVD release (an admittedly unlikely scenario), but it adds a sense of the personal that was lacking before (having seen the trailer, which is not yet online, I still wouldn't know what "Push" referred to). Wouldn't you rather want to know who this Precious is exactly and what she's about?

Better yet, the very word itself lends a hint of the positive, which could very well make the difference between some Academy voter either picking it up or passing it over in their mounting pile of screeners in favor of something a bit more obvious like So The Holocaust Kinda Sucked.

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]]>lee danielsLeeDanielsoprah winfreyOprahWinfreypreciousprecious based on a novel by sapphirePreciousBasedOnANovelBySapphirepushpush based on a novel by sapphirePushBasedOnANovelBySapphiretyler perryTylerPerryWilliam GossFri, 20 Feb 2009 18:02:00 ESTSundance Chief Gilmore Heads to Tribecahttp://www.cinematical.com/2009/02/17/sundance-chief-gilmore-heads-to-tribeca/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/02/17/sundance-chief-gilmore-heads-to-tribeca/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/02/17/sundance-chief-gilmore-heads-to-tribeca/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Geoff GilmoreIn a move that has shaken the foundations of the independent film world (italics and exaggeration added), Geoff Gilmore has left the Sundance Film Festival and accepted a position with Tribeca Enterprises. indieWIRE has the complete story, which has sparked widespread reactions in the blogosphere, ranging from "What?!" to "Woah."

Gilmore has been named Chief Creative Officer with Tribeca Enterprises and will be responsible for "Tribeca's global content strategy, lead creative development initiatives and expand the Tribeca brand." (Into what -- shoes?) Gilmore spent 19 years at Sundance and has overseen the festival's rise to prominence as the premiere showcase in the world for American independent cinema. He has become synonymous with the fest, and the idea that he would leave, much less for the company behind the Tribeca Film Festival, which has a reputation for being "too rich and too big" (Variety, reporting on grumblings from a film fest summit) and for increasing 'premiere status pressure' among fests and filmmakers (A.J. Schnack provided an overview), has caught many by surprise.

"Woah," is what Karina Longworth said at Spout, before noting the "very different identities" of the two fests. "I am not 100% sure what to make of [it]," David Poland wrote at The Hot Blog. Tribeca faces the same problem as "any film festival with Top Tier fest ambitions faces ... they are not needed ... Is this really a big step or is it Mr. Gilmore leveraging his brand to get a contract that pays him double what Sundance was paying"? Jeff Wells at Hollywood Elsewhere echoes the latter thought: "He must have been offered a pretty rich deal to leave the top berth at Sundance." Wells also points to recent financial problems at Tribeca.

Continue reading Sundance Chief Gilmore Heads to Tribeca

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]]>featuredgeoff gilmoreGeoffGilmoresundance film festivalSundanceFilmFestivaltribeca film festivalTribecaFilmFestivalPeter MartinTue, 17 Feb 2009 17:32:00 ESTSundance Favorite 'Sin Nombre' Gets a Trailerhttp://www.cinematical.com/2009/02/09/sundance-favorite-sin-nombre-gets-a-trailer/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/02/09/sundance-favorite-sin-nombre-gets-a-trailer/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/02/09/sundance-favorite-sin-nombre-gets-a-trailer/#commentsFiled under: , , ,



I left this year's Sundance Film Festival with two films I promised myself to champion as much as I could throughout the year: Sin Nombre and The Cove. I've already shared with you the trailer for The Cove, and now it's time to throw a little more love at Sin Nombre, which not only took home an award for Best Cinematography at Sundance, but our friend Cary Joji Fukunaga also won Best Director for his gritty romantic thriller about three teenagers whose lives intersect on top of a train traveling through Mexico and heading for the border.

Gang warfare, romance, heartbreak, redemption -- all of it mixed with the harsh ghettos and stunning landscapes of Mexico, featuring gut-wrenching performances from a group of newcomers; some of whom had never acted in a film before. To quote my own Sundance review: "With Sin Nombre, Fukunaga has crafted the sort of too-real-it-hurts story that you simply must enjoy on the big screen in order to feel the film's beautiful loneliness and share its brilliance with those you care most about."

So do yourself a favor and go watch this flick when it hits theaters on March 20th. Check out the trailer below ...

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]]>cinematicalsin nombre trailerSinNombreTrailersundance film festivalSundanceFilmFestivalthe coveTheCoveErik DavisMon, 09 Feb 2009 18:45:00 ESTSundance Hit 'Push' Will Play at a Theater Near Youhttp://www.cinematical.com/2009/02/02/sundance-hit-push-will-play-at-a-theater-near-you/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/02/02/sundance-hit-push-will-play-at-a-theater-near-you/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/02/02/sundance-hit-push-will-play-at-a-theater-near-you/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,

One of the minor eyebrow-raisers at this year's Sundance Film Festival was that the fest ended without its most acclaimed film being picked up by a distributor. That would be Push: Based on a Novel by Sapphire (not to be confused with that Chris Evans/Dakota Fanning super-power thing coming out this week), the harrowing drama that won both the grand jury prize AND the audience award -- a rare feat. Would it languish in obscurity and go straight to DVD, despite its critical and popular acclaim?

No! It won't! And as usual, we have Oprah to thank. Her production company and Tyler Perry's company will help finance distribution of the film, which has been officially purchased by Lionsgate. Lionsgate tends to be frugal in its marketing (at least in comparison with the bigger studios), hence the need for partners. Plus, the film is a hard sell: It's about an obese, illiterate Harlem teen who's pregnant for the second time by her father and who lives with her abusive mother. It's not the usual Lionsgate product (i.e., a Saw sequel) and not the kind of thing that will have a $20 million opening weekend.

But Ms. Winfrey and Mr. Perry evidently recognize its value, and don't worry -- since the film is already done, it's too late for either of them to mess it up. (Had Perry made the film, surely he would have played the overweight teenage girl himself.)

My rave review for Cinematical can be found here. But if my word and the words of Oprah and Madea aren't enough to convince you, look at what Variety, Film School Rejects, IndieWire, and the New York Post said about it. Lionsgate hasn't said when they plan to release it, but I wouldn't be surprised if they wait until fall and give it a push for awards season.

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]]>oprah winfreyOprahWinfreypushpush based on a novel by sapphirePushBasedOnANovelBySapphiresundance2009tyler perryTylerPerryEric D. SniderMon, 02 Feb 2009 18:02:00 ESTThe 20 Hottest of Sundance 2009http://www.cinematical.com/2009/01/28/the-20-hottest-of-sundance-2009/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/01/28/the-20-hottest-of-sundance-2009/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/01/28/the-20-hottest-of-sundance-2009/#commentsFiled under: , ,



We came, we saw, it kicked our ass. The 25th anniversary of the Sundance Film Festival brought us many memorable moments, buzzed-about films and a really lame fist fight between a film critic and, um, The Dude? Counting down the 20 hottest of Sundance 2009 for Cinematical are our fantastic festival contributors: James Rocchi, Scott Weinberg, Eric D. Snider and Erik Davis. Check it out below and let us know what we missed ...

Hottest of Sundance 2009

    1. The Recession
    From the downsized parties to the sparser crowds, from the depopulated press corps to the presence of B-list soda Shasta as a sponsor, the economic recession was visible all over Park City this year. The big studios weren't buying as many films, either. What if the next "Napoleon Dynamite" got overlooked?? EDS

    Wes Clark

    2. 500 Days of Summer
    I love, love, love this movie. Those who trash it shall feel my wrath. And my wrath doesn't feel good. Pitch-perfect humor, honest romance, two great performances, solid tunes, and a delivery that reminds me of good ol' Annie Hall. [Read our review] SW

    Fox Searchlight

    3. The Girlfriend Experience
    The Tuesday "Sneak Preview" on the schedule at the Eccles Theater at Sundance this year turned out to be Steven Soderbergh's The Girlfriend Experience -- the director's new shot-on-video look at work and sex and sex work in 2008 New York on the eve of the election. The preview wasn't just a nice way for the Festival to look back to its past (Soderbergh's 1989 sex, lies and videotape was brought up during the 2008 Festival the same way Reagan comes up at Republican conventions, and for the same reasons; it represents the shiny, never-was yesterday that today has to compare itself with) but also as a nod to the future. [Read our review] JR

    Sasha Grey

    4. Twitter
    New technology always influences the way Sundance is covered, and this year's hot new toy was Twitter. For the first time, bloggers gave their followers updates every step of the way: What movie they were in line for, and what they thought of it when it was over. Because no one should have to wait until tomorrow to hear The Informers sucked. EDS

    Twitter

    5. Film Critic Fist Fight
    The event with the most buzz wasn't some fancy film premiere or hoppin' after party - it was, instead, an actual fist fight between Variety reporter John Anderson and Jeff "The Dude" Dowd, a producer's rep on the film Dirt! And all of it was over ... a bad review? [Read more about it here] ED

    Lebowski Opinion

    6. Push: Based on a Novel by Sapphire
    Push: Based on a Novel by Sapphire had the makings of an exploitative trainwreck: an obese, illiterate Harlem teenager who's pregnant. For the second time. By her father. But director Lee Daniels handles the material sensitively, and the raw lead performance by new-comer Gabourey Sidibe makes it an unforgettable story about rising above adversity. [Read our review] EDS

    Sundance Film Festival

    7. Humpday
    Lynn Shelton's improvised, shot-on-DV comedy about two old friends who slide back into each other's life -- one a married, stable homebody (Mark Duplass), the other continuing a constant set of global travels that never seem to go anywhere (Joshua Leonard) -- and, out of a weird mix of inarticulate affection, sexual gamesmanship and friendly foolishness agree to have sex on film for an art project. The setup sounds wacky-with-a-capital-W, but Shelton and her cast aren't interested in big, fake jokes; they're interested in small-scale, real humanity. [Read our review] JR

    Sundance Film Festival

    8. Carey Mulligan
    Though you may not know her name now, Carey Mulligan swept into Sundance with two films (The Greatest, An Education) and left not only with new representation, but also with the words "Star in the Making" tattooed across her forehead. A brilliant British version of Katie Holmes, Mulligan will definitely "arrive" in 2009. Watch for her. ED

    Sundance Film Festival

    9. Trashing The Informers
    The press folks WANTED to dig this one, but man it was funny hearing them hate it so loudly. Aside from Amber Heard's nakedness, there's nothing about this "bored, hateful rich kids" tale we haven't yawned through before. [Read our review] SW

    Sundance Film Festival

    10. Pregnancies
    Pregnancies and parenthood were major themes this year. Grace showed a mother who would literally do anything for her baby; Push was the harrowing story of a teenage mother; Susan Sarandon and Pierce Brosnan mourned their dead son in The Greatest; and so did Robin Williams in World's Greatest Dad. Family values, folks. EDS

    The Greatest, Sundance

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]]>20 hottest of sundance20HottestOfSundancecinematicalsundance film festivalsundance2009SundanceFilmFestivalCinematical staffWed, 28 Jan 2009 21:32:00 ESTWatch This: 'Mary and Max' Trailerhttp://www.cinematical.com/2009/01/27/watch-this-mary-and-max-trailer/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/01/27/watch-this-mary-and-max-trailer/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/01/27/watch-this-mary-and-max-trailer/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,



It feels like ages ago since I first watched it, but really it's only been about two weeks. Mary and Max, the opening night film of this year's Sundance Film Festival, is a fantastic darkly-comedic claymation flick about two pen pals -- one old and one young -- who discover one another and go on to forge a life-long friendship. I'll admit the film is not for everyone; the tone is definitely a bit darker than what you'd expect from a cutesy-looking claymation story -- but if you like your movies a little sideways, then I can't see why you wouldn't have fun with Mary and Max.

From my Sundance review: "Although a tad sappy and heavy-handed at times, Mary and Max fidgets and wiggles its way into our good spirits by the time it reaches its endearing conclusion, as we're left to examine not just the relationships we have in our lives, but the ones we have with ourselves, too." No word yet one when you can catch Mary and Max either in the theater or at home, but we'll let you know as more develops. In the meantime, check out the first trailer below (courtesy of Collider).

Oh, and believe it or not but that old Jewish voice with the New York accent belongs to Philip Seymour Hoffman.

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]]>cinematicalmary and max trailerMaryAndMaxTrailersundance2009Erik DavisTue, 27 Jan 2009 21:02:00 ESTSundance Interview: 'Big Fan' Writer-Director Robert Siegelhttp://www.cinematical.com/2009/01/27/sundance-interview-big-fan-writer-director-robert-siegel/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/01/27/sundance-interview-big-fan-writer-director-robert-siegel/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/01/27/sundance-interview-big-fan-writer-director-robert-siegel/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,



Robert Siegel made his directorial debut with Big Fan (reviewed by Erik Davis) at this year's Sundance Film Festival; comedian Patton Oswalt (interviewed here) stars as a lonely sports talk radio caller and New York Giants fanatic whose only love goes horribly wrong. Siegel spoke with Cinematical in Park City about his acclaimed script for The Wrestler, directing a comedian, why he's not worried about the wrath of the NFL, why Big Fan wouldn't have worked with George Clooney in the lead, and what he was hoping to explore with the film: "Sports radio can be very wonderful and joyous and spirited, but other times it can just be this forum for bitter ... it's a lot like the internet, you know? There are good blogs and bad blogs ... so in that way, (the world of sports radio) is kind of like the proto-blog, where you can just vent and take out all your frustrations ... but there's definitely this kind of angry White male hostile undercurrent to a lot of sports radio; it wouldn't be interesting to me if that was the only thing it had going for it, but that thing definitely gives it an extra layer. ... "

You can listen to the interview here at Cinematical by clicking below:



You can also download the interview in full right here -- and those of you with RSS Podcast readers can find all of Cinematical's podcast content at this link.

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]]>Big FanBigFanKevin CorriganKevinCorriganpatton oswaltPattonOswaltRobert SiegelRobertSiegelThe New York GiantsTheNewYorkGiantsJames RocchiTue, 27 Jan 2009 18:20:00 ESTZooey Deschanel, aka 'Anal Girl'http://www.cinematical.com/2009/01/27/zooey-deschanel-aka-anal-girl/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/01/27/zooey-deschanel-aka-anal-girl/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/01/27/zooey-deschanel-aka-anal-girl/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,



Okay, while I'm totally interested in showing you a little more of the Sundance hit 500 Days of Summer, I have to admit that this post is dedicated to one person and one person only: Cinematical's Managing Editor, Mr. Scott Weinberg. Long story short: Throughout the festival, us dudes (and dudettes) would from time to time throw around our favorite lines from the films screening in Park City. My favorite line comes from the film World's Greatest Dad, and it's unfortunately a little too filthy to repeat here. However, Weinberg's favorite line ... well, let's just say that when this clip from 500 Days of Summer popped up over on Collider, I simply had to post it for him.

Here's the set up: Joseph Gordon-Levitt's character works with Zooey Deschanel's character, and they've just started to get to know each other a little better around the office. Weinberg's favorite line is spoken by Deschanel and it's the last thing you'll hear in this clip. Oh 500 Days of Summer ... how I cannot wait to watch you again in theaters on July 24th.

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]]>500 days of summer500DaysOfSummercinematicalfeaturedjoseph gordon-levittJosephGordon-levittzooey deschanelZooeyDeschanelErik DavisTue, 27 Jan 2009 15:20:00 ESTLive from Sundance: Our Big Fat Recaphttp://www.cinematical.com/2009/01/27/live-from-sundance-our-big-fat-recap/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/01/27/live-from-sundance-our-big-fat-recap/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/01/27/live-from-sundance-our-big-fat-recap/#commentsFiled under: , , ,



I find it slightly ironic to note that, at the beginning of this year's Sundance Film Festival, there was much Twitter-chatter and shuttle-talk about how the event was on the downswing this year. It's all the fault of the economic recession, everyone said, and it sure seemed like Sundance was markedly less packed with buyers, sellers, critics, ticket-holders, publicists, producers, reps, and producer's reps. But here's the punchline: As far as flicks are concerned, the 2009 Sundance Film Festival had a surprisingly strong batting average. (I only saw TWO films I actively disliked, and that's not bad!)

So as a way to wrap up this year's festivities, we'd like to put all our Sundance coverage into one handy post. This post, actually. So if you're worried that you missed any live reports or some of the brilliantly insightful film reviews, this is the post for you. As always, we welcome any and all feedback from our readers, so long as the abuse is kept to a minimum. (Seriously though, we want to know what you guys think. Without y'all, we got nothin'.) On a personal note, I'd like to thank Erik Davis, James Rocchi, and Eric Snider for being three of the finest collaborators I've ever had. Sundance can be a hectic clusterhump at the best of times, but working on a team like this makes my life so much easier. Plus they're my friends. for which I am very grateful. Anyway, enough heterosexual-man-love...

The Reviews

  1. 500 Days of Summer (Fox Searchlight)
  2. Adam (Fox Searchlight)
  3. Adventureland (Miramax)
  4. Art & Copy (Arthouse)
  5. Big Fan
  6. Black Dynamite (Sony)
  7. Brief Interviews with Hideous Men
  8. Bronson
  9. The Carter
  10. Cold Souls
  11. The Cove
  12. Dead Snow (IFC)
  13. An Education (Sony Pictures Classics)
  14. Five Minutes of Heaven
  15. The Girlfriend Experience
  16. Good Hair (HBO)
  17. Grace (Anchor Bay)
  18. Humpday (Magnolia)
  19. In the Loop (IFC)
  20. The Informers
  21. Mary and Max
  22. The Missing Person
  23. Moon (Sony Pictures Classics)
  24. Mystery Team
  25. Paper Heart
  26. Peter and Vandy
  27. Push: Based on a Novel by Sapphire
  28. The September Issue
  29. Sin Nombre (Focus)
  30. We Live in Public
  31. When You're Strange
  32. World's Greatest Dad

(Note: I added the owners for movies that are presently ... owned by a U.S. distributor.)

Continue reading Live from Sundance: Our Big Fat Recap

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]]>featuredScott WeinbergTue, 27 Jan 2009 09:03:00 EST