IndieWeekendBoxOffice Tagged Articles at Cinematical

Clockwise from upper left: Splinterheads, Ghost World, An Education, House of the Devil.

Opening. Amiable and pleasant, Splinterheads revolves around a romance between Justin (Thomas Middleditch), an aimless small town dreamer, and Galaxy (Rachael Taylor), a gorgeous grifter who (literally) bumps into him at a gas station. She's more interested in separating him from his money than getting to know the lunkhead within, while he quickly decides that he's met the love of his life -- or, even better, a reason to leave his upstate New York world behind and start living for himself instead of his mother and grandfather.

Brent Sersen (Blackballed) is a better director than writer; the characters hold few surprises and the plot's trajectory threatens to die of old age before it reaches its pre-ordained conclusion. Still, he takes advantage of a visiting carnival and the grifter's obsession with geocaching, a variation on treasure hunting, to string together several lyrical interludes and enough laughs to deserve a recommendation. Dean Winters, Lea Thompson, and Christopher McDonald provide reliable support. Splinterheads opens in New York on Friday and expands to other cities the following week; check the official site for theaters and showtimes. Also opening in New York the same day: Collapse, Chris Smith's latest doc (more from last week and the exclusive poster debut).

On-Demand / Online Viewing. Terry Zwigoff's adaptation of Daniel Clowes' graphic novel Ghost World departs from the source material quite abruptly, but still remains faithful to the dark spirit of loneliness that haunts the characters. Thora Birch, Scarlett Johannson, and Steve Buscemi star. It's now available on FilmBuff, Cinetic's cable on-demand channel; check local listings to watch this essential indie at home.

After the jump: Who educated the devil?

Indie Roundup, your weekly dose of what's happening (slightly) outside the mainstream.

Deals. Via our friends at indieWIRE, we learn that Brian Baugh's faith-based To Save a Life will be released by Samuel Goldwyn Films in January 2010. The film follows an "all-American teen" boy dealing with the aftermath of a friend's death. Cross-cultural romantic drama Cairo Time, starring Patricia Clarkson, will hit theaters and on-demand home viewing systems sometime in the new year, courtesy of IFC Films. Bradley Rust Gray's The Exploding Girl will open in early 2010 through Oscilloscope Laboratories. Zoe Kazan stars as a young college woman dealing with conflicting romantic feelings while home in New York for spring break.

Online / On Demand Viewing. Two recommendations this week, both for titles that are newly available through Amazon's VOD service. Susan Seidelman's Smithereens is a quintessentially New York picture and a fiercely independent experience from a time when indies were few and far between. It's a blast of fresh air about Wren (Susan Berman), a rough-talking young woman, and her travails through the seedier side of life as she tries to make something of herself. It's essential viewing, especially if you've been disappointed by one too many slick faux-indies. Musician Richard Hell is great, too.

Much less essential, but no less vital viewing, is Arlene Nelson's Naked States, which trails along as Spencer Tunick engineers massive works of art composed by live, naked human flesh. Tunick is a fascinating photographer / hustler, and so are the people who decide to bare all for the sake of art.

Activity of a different kind, Chilean cleaning, and AFI Fest -- after the jump!

After a one-week break for bad behavior, Indie Roundup returns, refreshed and ready to sum up what's new and what's been happening in the independent film community.

Deals. Multiple deals have been made in the last two weeks, indieWIRE reports, notably involving higher-profile directors Catherine Breillat (Bluebeard, based on a classic fairy tale, will hit theaters next spring, courtesy of Strand Releasing) and Atom Egoyan (Chloe, starring Julianne Moore, Liam Neeson, and Amanda Seyfried, due in the first half of 2010 through Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions Group). Of the latter, an erotic thriller, Monika Bartyzel wrote: "Chloe might not connect on a personal level, it does trap you into these lurid lives that flirt with every notion of bad behavior. I just wish they were characters I could love or hate, or simply feel for."

Director Chris Smith may be lower-profile, but fans of American Movie and The Yes Men (me! me!) will be glad to know that his latest work, Collapse, will hit theaters and VOD simultanteously next month. Kevin Kelly posted an exclusive poster and provided release dates, as well as a tidbit about the doc. Also coming to theaters and VOD next month is suspense thriller Uncertainty, starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Lynn Collins; indieWIRE has more details on that one.

Online Viewing. As practically the only film critic in America who liked Couples Retreat, I feel honor bound to tell you that one of its stars, Faizon Love, had a much better showcase for his talents in Tao of the Golden Mask, which he wrote and directed. It streams exclusively on Babelgum this month. And Ti West's Trigger Man is finally available at iTunes Movie store.

The Maid cleans up -- after the jump!

Indie Roundup invites you to relive the last seven days and look forward to the near future in the ever-diverse indie film world.

Deals. A big buzz title at Toronto was the most notable deal of the week. Aaron Schneider's Get Low, starring Bill Murray, Robert Duvall, Sissy Spacek, and Lucas Black, sold to Sony Pictures Classics for distribution in North America, according to our friends at indieWIRE. Scott Weinberg called it "an excellent little dramatic piece that's awash in humanity, warmth, insight, and wit." Details on several other deals that were made, all related to the Toronto fest, can be found at indieWIRE.

Online / On-Demand Viewing. Even less-publicized fest films are getting out into circulation. Hailing from Chile, Scrambled Beer (Malta Con Huevo) premiered at SXSW in 2008, and is now available for free streaming exclusively at Babelgum. It's described as "a delirious black comedy and bizarre story about two friends named Vladimir and George who move in together and begin to see reality differently. Vladimir lives a supernatural tale of time travel, while Jorge grows obsessed and embarks on a twisted adventure." In other words, possibly the perfect movie for the beginning of fall.

Fests. My favorite festival ever, Fantastic Fest, starts tomorrow night. Unfortunately, I'll only be able to pop in over the weekend to savor a small taste of the cinematic banquet that will be served over the next seven days. Look for much more coverage right here at Cinematical.

Actors in period costume, multiple shots of rum, and foreign cities -- all after the jump!

Indie Roundup reviews the past week of news from the independent film community and provides a peek at what's coming soon.

Deals. Both Eugene Hernandez at indieWIRE and Anne Thompson at Thompson on Hollywood described the sale of Tom Ford's A Single Man as an electrifying event at the Toronto International Film Festival. Riding a wave of good buzz from the Venice festival, the debut feature from the famed fashion designer stars Colin Firth "at a turning moment in his life after the death of his longtime lover," Eugene wrote. "Despite a distinctly gay storyline, there was little doubt that this universal story of middle-aged lonliness and isolation in the 1960s would quickly find a home." Anne notes that it's "gorgeously designed ... it's an idealized L.A. shot like an Italian movie of the period, plus a stunning digitally-enhanced color palette." The Weinstein Company won the bidding war, as Monika Bartyzel noted this morning.

Festivals. Speaking of Toronto, be sure to check out all the great coverage from our team of writers on the scene to find out what's been hot -- and not so hot -- during the first half of the fest.

News. Not much news has been happening outside Toronto during the past week. In fact, in my usual rounds of news sites and search engines, I have found ... nothing much of interest! (Sorry if you made some news that you thought was notable and either I don't agree or don't know about it.) Come back next week, and I'm sure something interesting will have happened by then. In the meantime, did I mention our great coverage from Toronto?

How do you make crude oil sizzle? Find out in Indie Weekend Box Office -- after the jump!

Indie Roundup reviews the past week of news from the independent film community and provides a peek at what's coming soon.

Festivals. As one of our two resident Canadians, Monika B. fittingly wrote about the Toronto International Film Festival, which kicks off tonight. If Telluride warmed things up for the fall film scene, Toronto aims to light the sucker on fire. The hardest part for indie fanatics is keeping up with all the offerings that will soon be on tap. Keep it right here at Cinematical for our coverage from Toronto, and watch this space every week to catch up on any major news items you might have missed. (And for those who keep asking, yes, The Brothers Bloom, pictured in the collage in the upper left, will be coming to DVD soon -- it's due on September 29, complete with an audio commentary by director Rian Johnson and producer Ram Bergman plus deleted scenes.)

Deals. Acquisition news is spiraling out of control, so I suggest checking indieWIRE for the latest and greatest, where they have details on deals for Richard Linklater's latest, wild and funny music doc Nerdcore Rising, and much more.

Online / On-Demand Viewing. If you missed Linklater's baseball doc Inning by Inning: A Portrait of a Coach when it played on ESPN, now's your chance to catch up -- it's just become available at the iTunes movie store. Don't hesitate to check it out if you're not a sports person; Jette Kernion says: "I'm not into baseball at all, but [the coach] is fascinating to watch at work." If you're a basketball nut and a doc lover, you might enjoy 3 Points, which follows Houston Rockets star Tracy McGrady on a trip to Darfur; it's available at Hulu.

Immigration joys and sorrows at the Indie Weekend Box Office -- after the jump!

Indie Roundup reviews the past week of news from the independent film community and provides a peek at what's coming soon.

Festivals. Canada will be hosting hundreds, if not thousands, if not mllions (only a slight exaggeration, I'm told) of visitors when the Toronto International Film Festival opens on September 10, which is next Thursday! Look for intensive coverage from the Cinematical team on the ground; those of us not lucky enough to go will be following the news eagerly from afar to gauge the critical reaction to many hotly-anticipated titles.

Deals. Courtesy of our friends at indieWIRE, we learned that Mother, the latest picture by Bong Joon-Ho (The Host), has been acquired by Magnolia Pictures, along with the Korean director's first effort, Barking Dogs Never Bite. Mother debuted at Cannes and is headed for festival dates in Toronto and New York, with a theatrical release planned for early next year; it's already been selected by Korea as their entry for this year's Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. Barking Dogs, originally released in 2000, did not reach North America theaters.

Film Movement has picked up Geralyn Pezanoski's warm-hearted Mine, which examines what happened to the pets left behind in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. In my review for another outlet, I wrote: "Even if you're not a dog lover or a pet owner, [Mine] may churn your emotions. ... once the true essence of the story becomes apparent, it's difficult to turn away from the screen." Film Movement plans a brief theatrical release before it hits DVD and VOD.

What is judicially inclined, comes in a bottle, and is very, very funny? Find out in Indie Weekend Box Office, after the jump.

Indie Roundup reviews the past week of news from the independent film community and provides a peek at what's coming soon. Pictured above, clockwise from upper left: The Brothers Bloom, Sunshine Cleaning, Away We Go, The Class.

Acquisitions. Courtesy of our friends at indieWIRE, we learned of two deals over the past week. City of Life and Death has been picked up by National Geographic Entertainment. Directed by Lu Chuan, the film presents another tale of Japan's occupation of Nanking, China in 1937. We should hear more about it after its upcoming international premiere at the Toronto film festival. Release plans are for later this year or early in 2010. The horrors of Nanking are certainly receiving plenty of attention now in the film world, but I wonder if we're reaching a saturation point?

You'll be able to watch Andrea Arnold's Fish Tank at home, thanks to IFC Films, which will make the film available via their IFC in Theaters 'on demand' program. It will also be playing in theaters, though no release date has been announced. Fish Tank, a coming-of-age drama starring Katie Jarvia and Michael Fassbender, had its world premiere at Cannes, where it shared a special Jury Prize. I really liked Arnold's first film, Red Road, so I'm glad her sophomore effort has been picked up.

Why bring earplugs to a movie? Indie Weekend Box Office explains, after the jump.

Indie Roundup reviews the past week of news from the independent film community and provides a peek at what's coming soon.

Festivals. The venerable New York Film Festival announced its first titles, while Eugene Hernandez and Brian Brooks of indieWIRE consider the impact of non-programming changes. In news from the other coast, Rachel Rosen is heading back to the City by the Bay to work as programming director for the San Francisco Film Society, reports The Wrap.

Rosen moved from San Francisco to Los Angeles eight years ago and helped transform the Los Angeles Film Festival into a truly major festival in a city that, oddly enough, doesn't give much respect to local film festivals. As Director of Programming, she and Senior Programmer Doug Jones chose a wonderfully diverse selection of international films that were challenging and not always the most audience friendly, yet they were distinctive and memorable. And now she's gone. (A more extensive report can be found at indieWIRE.) Whoever replaces her has big shoes to fill.

Online / On-Demand Viewing. I like free, legal movies, and Babelgum and Cinetic have a new title in their monthly program to tantalize cheapskates like me: Jack Says is described as a "contemporary film noir thriller," in which the titular character wakes up next to a corpse with amnesia (Jack, not the corpse). At SnagFilms, you can watch gamer doc Second Skin for free until tomorrow, as part of their SummerFest series. And from Friday through Sunday, the doc Captured -- all about Manhattan's Lower East Side -- will be available for free streaming via Cinetic's channel at Daily Motion.

What do Cold Souls and Paper Heart have in common? Indie Weekend Box Office, after the jump.

Indie Roundup reviews the past week of news from the independent film community and provides a peek at what's coming soon.

Festivals. Its official name is the Traverse City Film Festival, but unofficially it's "the Michael Moore fest," thanks to the filmmaker's role as founding father. Good reports on the fifth edition, which wrapped last weekend, can be found at Spout (by Karina Longworth) and indieWIRE (by Thom Powers).

Deals. Image Entertainment acquired Adam Salky's Dare, which premiered at Sundance earlier this year. Emmy Rossum, Zach Gilford, and Ashley Springer star as "high school students that enter into an unusual triangle of friendship and love." Tim Grierson of Screen wrote: "As refreshing as it is legitimately sexy." Release plans have not yet been announced. [Per indieWIRE.]

Online / On-Demand Viewing. If you hurry, you can still watch the acclaimed documentary 45365 at SnagFilms for free. it's available through tomorrow (Thursday, August 6) as part of their SummerFest preview series. The doc examines life in Sidney, Ohio, as filmed over the course of nine months by two men raised in that small town.

If you're hungry for more (legal) online viewing, check out the newly-launched SpeedCine, a very simple search engine that lets you find out what movies are available to watch through various providers like Amazon, Hulu, and Netflix, either free of charge, for a one-time fee, or by subscription. It's in beta, which means they're still working on it, but right now it flies along very quickly and efficiently. I'm rather amazed -- and very pleased -- to see so many movies that are available at no charge.

Who won the battle for the Indie Weekend Box Office crown? Find out after the jump.