PeterAndVandy Tagged Articles at Cinematical

The fourth day of the Cannes Film Festival rolled onward without apparent major incident. The gorgeous Sophie Marceau and Tilda Swinton got all dressed up; also making appearances were Emile Hirsch and Monica Belluci.

Key Screenings. Competition: Ang Lee's nostalgic comedy Taking Woodstock (due for US release on August 14), Jacques Audiard's prison drama A Prophet. Un Certain Regard: Bong Joon-ho's legal / family drama Mother, Corneliu's Porumboiu's drama Police, Adjective. Directors' Fortnight: Hong Sang-see's "film director forgets what he did the night before" Like You Know It All, Benny Safdie and Josh Safdie's "single father with kids for two weeks" flick Go Get Some Rosemary.

Films Sold. MTV picked up Adria Petty's Paris, Not France and plans to broadcast it this summer, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The long featurette screened once at the Toronto fest last fall amidst concerns that Paris Hilton and her camp might object to its content. "After watching the film with an audience," the article says, "Hilton's concerns were allayed." Was it the one that James Rocchi reported on for Cinematical? He called the doc "a step above a home movie ... a glossy glib pseudo documentary."

Strand Releasing announced the acquisition of two films that debuted at Sundance in January. Emily Abt's lacrosse relationship drama Toe to Toe, planned for an early 2010 release, and Jay DiPietro's Peter and Vandy, starring Jason Ritter and Jess Weixler, planned for release this fall. Cinematical's Erik Davis saw it at Sundance and wrote in part: "This isn't a film that relies on a few big set pieces to rule the show; it's a quieter character piece about the complexities of love. Details on the deals are available at indieWIRE:

After the jump: Choice Review Quotes!

If you're currently living (or crashing) in and around the New York City area (and you like movies), then there's absolutely no reason why you shouldn't be checking out the Gen Art Film Festival, which kicked things off Wednesday night with the premiere of Lymelife, followed by last night's premiere of the quirky-but-huggable Gigantic, and continues through to Tuesday, April 7. This weekend features a rather fantastic line-up of Peter and Vandy, My Suicide and Punching the Clown -- three films I whole-heartedly vouch for -- so get your ass over to Gen Art's website and snag yourself a ticket. Not only do you get to watch a feature and a short, but you also gain access to a hip-hoppin' after party with a three-hour open bar. Yes, I did just say three ... hour ... open ... bar!

I was fortunate enough to be on hand for the opening night premiere of Lymelife -- a moody late-seventies dramady surrounding two dysfunctional Long Island families who desperately want, need and lust after the things they think they want or need in order to achieve the "American Dream". The film, directed by Derick Martini (and co-written by Derick and his brother Steven, inspired by their own lives growing up) boasts what is perhaps one of the best ensemble casts I've seen so far this year -- including Alec Baldwin (who was on hand), Cynthia Nixon, Emma Roberts, Jill Hennessy, Timothy Hutton and sensational scene-stealing performances from Kieran and Rory Culkin, the former of which reminds me of a young Tobey Maguire. I'll be back with a full review of Lymelife next week, but in the meantime check out this video of opening night from my good pal DavidJr.com.



For more on the Gen Art Film Festival (including ticket information), visit their official website ... and make sure to say hey if you're heading over there this weekend.

As a programmer (my first time!) for the 2009 Gen Art Film Festival, I can tell you that finishing this slate was not easy. It required me (and a small group of others) to watch a lot of films ... and I mean a lot of films. The awesome part of this, though, is the discovery. Sure, you'll get the occasional mess -- but then sometimes you stumble across a brilliant piece of work that hasn't been seen by anyone yet, and you just know it's destined for greatness. With that said, the programming is now complete and I'm able to share with you the names of the films playing at this year's Gen Art Film Fest in New York City from April 1 to April 7.

The Sundance and Toronto hit Lymelife (we premiered the poster here) was chosen as this year's opening night film. It's a gem of a family drama starring Alec Baldwin and Cynthia Nixon (watch the trailer on Moviefone), and you should definitely look for it in theaters on April 8. Also from this year's Sundance fest is the romantic dramedy Peter and Vandy, starring my gal Jess Weixler and Jason Ritter. One of the more experimental and cult-ish films screening is My Suicide, which I whole-heartedly recommend as a deep, dark and oddly hilarious flick about the Me Generation. Julie Davis' Finding Bliss (starring Leelee Sobrieski, Denise Richards and Jamie Kennedy) was chosen to close out the fest, while Gigantic (Paul Dano, Zooey Deschanel), Punching the Clown (Slamdance audience award winner) and Picture Me: A Model's Diary (doc about a model) round out this year's slate.

As always, I'll be on the ground at the Gen Art fest looking for whatever I can wrap my brain around -- so definitely stay tuned. But, heck, if you're in the NYC area, you may as well check this sucker out for yourself. The fest runs from April 1-7, and you can find out much more (like how to buy tix) over at the official Gen Art Film Fest website.

Full press release after the jump

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Things really slowed down on Saturday. That may have allowed some people to catch up on films they'd missed earlier in the week, but left very little to report on, not even -- sorry to say -- in the blogs. Call this "Sundance in 30 Seconds." The festival concludes tomorrow.

Deals. Nothing reported. Zero. Nada. But that doesn't mean negotiations aren't continuing on various films. Here's hoping that a few more interesting titles in the coming weeks will get picked up for distribution of some kind (whether theatrical, online, download, VOD or DVD), and not just disappear.

News. Sundance handed out a slew of awards tonight, and Elisabeth Rappe posted the list of winners as they happened. As indieWIRE pointed out, the big winner was Push: Based on a Novel by Sapphire, which snagged "the Dramatic Jury Prize, the Audience Award, and special acting prize for Mo'Nique. Lee Daniels' drama is still seeking U.S. distribution, as is U.S. Documentary Grand Jury Prize winner We Live in Public.

Reviews. Jay DiPietro's relationship movie Peter and Vandy features Jason Ritter and Jess Weixler as "young New York City lovers," Erik Davis wrote in his review. "it's a quieter character piece about the complexities of love." Scott Weinberg flipped for The Cove, Louie Psihoyos' documentary about the slaughter of dolphins in Japan. Scott says: "This is easily one of the most powerful, heartfelt, and (yes, I'll say it) important 'nature' documentaries I've ever seen." Not so coincidentially, the film also won the U.S. Documentary Audience Award.

Relationships are tough, and filming relationships for the big screen is even tougher. How many times have you watched (insert romantic comedy here) and thought, "Real people in real relationships don't do that or talk that way or race through the streets on foot in an attempt to stop the person they love from boarding that airplane to Fiji." But then again, if we really filmed the mundane goings-on of your average relationship, is there really anything cinematic about that? Newbie writer-director Jay DiPietro totally thinks the "realness" of the relationship is what's most fascinating, and with Peter and Vandy, his first film, DiPietro teases us with several glimpses -- moments, really -- of a relationship between two young New York City lovers.

Like several other films here at Sundance this year, the story of Peter (Jason Ritter) and Vandy (Jess Weixler) is told out of order, with bits and pieces from the beginning, middle and end chucked into a bowl, tossed, and thrown in front of the audience to dissect. Sometimes this works and sometimes it doesn't -- in the case of Peter and Vandy, the non-linear plot does, at times, feel like a gimmick or a device to simply make the film a little more interesting. But then you get to moments like near the end -- when we're on their first date at an Indian restaurant -- and it's a scene that means more and feels more alive because we know these people now, and we've been on this journey with them.

What do you do once you've covered the world of vagina dentata? I mean, once your crotch gets a mind of its own and eats away at the jerks who try to force themselves on you, will anything seem as interesting? Teeth star Jess Weixler is moving on from her killer vagina, and is going to take things down a notch or two, with her next project. The Hollywood Reporter has posted that she will star along with Jason Ritter (The Education of Charlie Banks) in the upcoming romantic drama, Peter and Vandy.

It'll be another typical Manhattan love story showing the good times and bad times of a New York couple. "The film shifts back and forth in time from their romantic beginnings and increasingly manipulative behavior to their ultimate reconciliation." Well, at least it'll have a happy ending! Unless they reconcile in misery. The pair will be joined by Jesse L. Martin (Law & Order) as Peter's best friend Paul, and Tracie Thoms (Kim from Grindhouse) as his wife, Marissa. Written by Jay DiPietro, the film is an adaptation of his own play, that he directed and starred in -- a role that scored him a 2002 Drama Desk Award nomination for Outstanding One-Person Solo Performance. This will be his feature directorial debut, and production has already gotten underway in Manhattan and Brooklyn.