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/Sundance U.S.A.: The Festival Comes to Youhttp://www.cinematical.com/2009/11/04/sundance-u-s-a-the-festival-comes-to-you/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/11/04/sundance-u-s-a-the-festival-comes-to-you/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/11/04/sundance-u-s-a-the-festival-comes-to-you/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

If you can't make it to Park City, Utah, in January for the Sundance Film Festival, don't worry -- Sundance will come to you! Sort of! If you live in one of eight specific cities! Still, it's a good start, and a pretty nifty idea.

They're calling it Sundance Film Festival U.S.A., and it will work like this. On Jan. 28, while the festival is taking place in Utah, eight filmmakers from the fest will travel to theaters around the country to show their movies to local audiences, followed by the customary Q&A. For the local audiences, it will be a decent approximation of what a real Sundance screening is like, minus the insane crowds and absence of parking. Several of the chosen cities are even in snowy climes, so you won't have to miss out on that aspect of Sundance attendance. If you're lucky, for the full effect, maybe you'll even run into a journalist complaining about the weather.

The selected theaters are: Michigan Theater, Ann Arbor, Mich.; Coolidge Corner Theatre, Brookline, Mass.; BAM, Brooklyn, N.Y.; Music Box Theatre, Chicago; Downtown Independent, Los Angeles; Sundance Cinemas, Madison, Wisc.; Belcourt Theatre, Nashville; and Sundance Kabuki Cinemas, San Francisco. Tickets will be sold through the individual theaters. Each location will get a different film, and we won't know what those films are until after the festival announces its programming in December.

Dispatching filmmakers to appear with their movies live and in person is a cool innovation, and a good way to spread the Sundance vibe beyond the confines of Park City. But it makes me wonder if the next logical step is to simply beam the films via satellite to theaters around the country, the way they do with concerts and special events. As big as Sundance is getting, and as small as Park City is staying, I'm glad to see the festival expanding its reach any way it can.

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]]>featuredsundancesundance film festival usaSundanceFilmFestivalUsaEric D. SniderWed, 04 Nov 2009 14:27:00 ESTFree Flick of the Day: Sleeping Dogs Liehttp://www.cinematical.com/2009/10/22/free-flick-of-the-day-sleeping-dogs-lie/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/10/22/free-flick-of-the-day-sleeping-dogs-lie/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/10/22/free-flick-of-the-day-sleeping-dogs-lie/#commentsFiled under: ,

You may have heard about Bobcat Goldthwait's current film, World's Greatest Dad, possibly from all the raving various people at Cinematical have done about it. It's an outrageously dark comedy -- but that should be no surprise if you've seen any of Bobcat's previous films, including Sleeping Dogs Lie, which I've chosen as AOL/SlashControl's free flick of the day.

Sleeping Dogs Lie premiered under its original title, Stay, at Sundance in 2006, where its perverse subject matter was taboo even by Sundance standards. It's about a young woman who has fallen in love with a guy she hopes to marry, but she's not sure whether she can ever tell him about a certain embarrassing moment in her sexual history. It involves a dog, that's all I'm sayin'. Finally she takes the plunge and tells her boyfriend, and that's when the squirm-inducing comedy really takes off.

Not surprisingly, Goldthwait had a hard time finding a distributor for the movie. The best it ever got was a two-week run on six screens, grossing $15,745 in the U.S., but another $622,000 internationally. (Apparently this sort of thing plays better in foreign countries. Make of that what you will.) It's obviously not for everyone, but if you like bawdy, clever, shocking comedy, it's worth watching. It will almost certainly make you feel better about whatever shameful secrets you have in your own past.

Watch Sleeping Dogs Lie at SlashControl.

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]]>bobcat goldthwaitBobcatGoldthwaitfree flick of the dayFreeFlickOfTheDaysleeping dogs lieSleepingDogsLieEric D. SniderThu, 22 Oct 2009 09:48:00 ESTTyler Perry Reacts to 'Precious,' Reveals Own Childhood Abuseshttp://www.cinematical.com/2009/10/06/tyler-perry-reacts-to-precious-reveals-own-childhood-abuses/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/10/06/tyler-perry-reacts-to-precious-reveals-own-childhood-abuses/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/10/06/tyler-perry-reacts-to-precious-reveals-own-childhood-abuses/#commentsFiled under: , , ,


Critics and celebs alike have raved about the Sundance darling Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire, Lee Daniels' hard-hitting account of a teenage girl's struggle with abuse growing up in Harlem. (Even comedienne Mo'Nique has commanded some serious awards season buzz for her performance as Precious' domineering, abusive mother.) But no endorsement can or will be quite as moving, or as disturbing, as the one Precious got from filmmaker Tyler Perry, for whom the film dredged up cathartic memories of his own childhood abuses.

Writing on his official website, Perry - who's created his own film niche with often comic tales of dysfunctional African American families - revealed that his own childhood growing up in New Orleans was filled with abuses to rival those in Precious, based on the experiences of teenage girls author Sapphire taught in New York.

Continue reading Tyler Perry Reacts to 'Precious,' Reveals Own Childhood Abuses

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]]>Jen YamatoTue, 06 Oct 2009 19:45:00 ESTReview: The September Issuehttp://www.cinematical.com/2009/08/30/review-the-september-issue/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/08/30/review-the-september-issue/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/08/30/review-the-september-issue/#commentsFiled under: , , ,


By James Rocchi (repint from 2009 Sundance Film Festival)

The September Issue , directed by RJ Cutler (The War Room), offers the tantalizing promise of immediate inside pleasures with its synopsis alone, as it follows Editor-in-Chief Anna Wintour and her editorial team in the assembly and shaping of 2007's edition of the title issue of Vogue magazine -- the largest issue of the year, the holy writ and testament for the upcoming year in fashion, the big brassy bloated bane of every postal carrier's existence. Immediately, we're promised glamour, high-stakes editorial crisis, the confluence of commerce and style, the manic business of modern magazine publishing.

The good news is not only that The September Issue offers much more than those immediate inside pleasures -- although it does, commenting on celebrity culture, digital image-altering technology, power and privilege in the distraction-industrial complex and much more -- but that it delivers those immediate inside pleasures superbly along with the nitty-gritty, so we get to witness a mix of high fashion and near-fascism with Ms. Wintour as the iron fist inside the stylish hand-stitched calfskin glove -- velvet is so last year, darling.

Continue reading Review: The September Issue

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]]>reviewseptember issueSeptemberIssueCinematical staffSun, 30 Aug 2009 13:02:00 ESTReview: Mystery Teamhttp://www.cinematical.com/2009/08/29/review-mystery-team/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/08/29/review-mystery-team/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/08/29/review-mystery-team/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,



By Erik Davis (reprint from 2009 Sundance Film Festival) The film opens this weekend in Austin, Texas, and should it "expand" in October (like we've heard it will), then we'll probably reprint the review again! We liked the flick just that much.

It's Encyclopedia Brown meets Napoleon Dynamite with a pinch of Ace Ventura ... and it's hilarious.

The Derrick Comedy troupe arrived at Sundance with a snot full of sketch videos and a massive internet fanbase. Sure, these were a group of kids from NYU who struck a cord with the YouTube audience and never looked back -- but a series of short online comedy bits and random late night improv are one thing; opening a feature film at the Sundance Film Festival is a completely different ballgame. Thankfully, with Mystery Team, these boys hit one way out of the ballpark, producing not only the funniest comedy I've seen at the fest so far, but one that definitely has the potential to stand toe-to-toe with the finer comedies of 2008 and the most hyped of 2009.

Inspired by Encyclopedia Brown, the Mystery Team are comprised of three kid detectives who run around with big magnifying glasses and several cheap, cliched disguises solving neighborhood whodunits, like who stuck their fingers in Mrs. What's-Her-Name's freshly-baked pie. Only problem is they're 18-year-old high school virgins who should've grown out of this detective phase back when they were seven. The entire community laughs at them, except for Jordy, the half-brain-dead doofus (aka the Mystery Team's "inside informant") who works at the 24-hour hole in the wall. However, when a tiny neighborhood girl asks the Mystery Team to find out who killed her parents, the guys that spend their days solving lame schoolyard pranks are forced to take their game up one giant, life-threatening notch.

Continue reading Review: Mystery Team

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]]>mystery teamMysteryTeamCinematical staffSat, 29 Aug 2009 17:02:00 ESTReview: Five Minutes of Heavenhttp://www.cinematical.com/2009/08/23/review-five-minutes-of-heaven/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/08/23/review-five-minutes-of-heaven/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/08/23/review-five-minutes-of-heaven/#commentsFiled under: , , ,


By Scott Weinberg (reprint from Sundance Film Festival 2009)

The latest film from Downfall director Oliver Hirschbiegel is a simple, straightforward, and very sincere story that covers some rather fascinating issues: The cyclical nature of violence, the difficulties inherent in forgiveness, and the importance of being able to defeat tragedy and go on to live a happy life. If it sounds like a dark and slightly depressing story to hear, well that's the good news. For all its stark honesty and confrontational emotions, the messages found in Five Minutes of Heaven are refreshingly humane and hopeful.

We open in mid-'70s Belfast, and a very young Alistair Little is about to commit a heinous act. Fueled by streetwise fury and a need to prove himself, Alistair assassinates another young man, leaving his little brother as the horrified witness to the act. Poor Joe Griffen has just began a cycle of tragedy that would defeat most people: Dead brother, accusing mother, heartbroken father ... one act of horrible violence leads to a ripple effect that virtually destroys Joe's life.

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]]>five minutes of heavenFiveMinutesOfHeavenreviewCinematical staffSun, 23 Aug 2009 13:02:00 ESTReview: World's Greatest Dadhttp://www.cinematical.com/2009/08/22/review-worlds-greatest-dad/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/08/22/review-worlds-greatest-dad/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/08/22/review-worlds-greatest-dad/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,


By Scott Weinberg (reprint from Sundance Film Festival 2009)

You hear it in lots of (usually sad) movies, and I'd say it's probably one of the truest things ever spoken: "There's nothing more tragic than having to bury your own child." But, just for the sake of argument, let's pretend -- for just a second -- that (in one specific case) it wouldn't be the end of the world. As a matter of fact, let's further pretend that the death of a child could somehow lead to several wonderful and life-changing results.

Sick, I know, but that's one of the ideas that runs through the twisted-yet-amusing dark comedy World's Greatest Dad. Written and directed by the consistently unpredictable Bob Goldthwait (he also gave us the similarly strange Shakes the Clown and Stay), and anchored by an unexpectedly strong Robin Williams performance, World's Greatest Dad is indeed about a high school poetry teacher who finds his life blossoming after his son accidentally commits suicide.

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]]>bobcat goldthwaitBobcatGoldthwaitrobin williamsRobinWilliamsworlds greatest dadWorldsGreatestDadCinematical staffSat, 22 Aug 2009 11:03:00 ESTReview: Cold Soulshttp://www.cinematical.com/2009/08/09/review-cold-souls/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/08/09/review-cold-souls/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/08/09/review-cold-souls/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,


By James Rocchi (reprint from Sundance 2009)

It's inevitable Cold Souls -- with its pseudo-scientific commercialized metaphysics and actor's angst -- will be compared to Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and Being John Malkovich; it's the first post-Charlie Kaufman film, where the writer-director's weird, wooly aesthetic becomes a genre unto itself. Starring Paul Giamatti as, in a blatant piece of typecasting, actor Paul Giamatti, Cold Souls begins with Giamatti rehearsing the title role in Chekhov's Uncle Vanya, and it's obviously taking its toll as he plunges into sad-sack Russian angst and anomie. Giamatti's agent tips him to an article in The New Yorker, profiling a new service called "Soul Storage," wherein melancholy Manhattanites are having their souls extracted by Dr. Flintstein (David Strathairn) and held in escrow so they can live less complicated lives. Giamatti, wondering if having less soul would help him better play the part and get through the day, goes to Flintstein's office to get the details: "Your soul can be stored here ... or if you'd prefer to avoid the sales tax, it can be shipped to our storage facility in New Jersey. ..."

And again, you get the Kaufman vibe from writer-director Sophie Barthes; the dry humor, the everyday acceptance of the ludicrous, the ludicrous nature of the everyday. But while the comparisons to Eternal Sunshine and Being John Malkovich are inevitable, they're also not quite right. Eternal Sunshine was about the messy business of loving another; Cold Souls, with the equally messy proposition of living with one's self. Being John Malkovitch riffed comedy out of celebrity and stardom; Cold Souls examines sub-lebrity and acting. Cold Souls is a beautifully shot film, and it also becomes more than a little bit moving, as Giamatti struggles with a question we've all asked ourselves: Is it possible to remove the burden of our soul without taking away the benefit of it? Is it the very weight we struggle under that makes us strong?

Continue reading Review: Cold Souls

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]]>cold soulsColdSoulspaul giamattiPaulGiamattiCinematical staffSun, 09 Aug 2009 15:03:00 ESTNew '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.

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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?


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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 EST