Sxsw2009 Tagged Articles at Cinematical
Northern Exposures: FanTasia Report #1
Filed under: Comedy », Documentary », Horror », Independent », Sci-Fi & Fantasy », Thrillers », SXSW », Mystery & Suspense », IFC », Festival Reports », Shorts », Fantastic Fest », Other Festivals »
After a long flight on my part and a far longer drive for both of us, Scott Weinberg and I have finally arrived in Montréal for the FanTasia International Film Festival (their thirteenth, our first). The genre-heavy festival lasts for nearly three weeks; alas, we've but one to spare, so without much further ado, here's a look at what I've seen already and what I hope to see before Scott tips his own hand with a title or two to recommend.
Of the features playing, I can highly recommend Michael Paul Stephenson's Troll 2 doc, Best Worst Movie; the Aussie revenge thriller, The Horseman (not to be confused with the barely-seen Dennis Quaid vehicle, Horsemen); and Paul Solet's beautifully bloody baby horror, Grace. Those looking for something a bit stranger might end up being a bit more fond of Black and The Immaculate Conception of Little Dizzle than I was, though I also seemed more easily pleased by the Nazi zombies of Dead Snow than most, so I guess it all balances out. My enthusiasm for the ultra-kitschy likes of Alien Trespass and Lesbian Vampire Killers, not to mention the admittedly boundary-pushing Deadgirl, is all a bit less than what's already been mentioned, so let's just leave those at that.
Read the rest at HorrorSquad!
New Zealand: Where Film Festival Awards Come Before the Festival
Filed under: Awards », Fandom »
In some opposite-ish corner of the world right now (from me anyway), the New Zealand International Film Festival kicks off today for the rest of the month, before making further provincial rounds through next November. (Damn, now that's a film festival!) It makes all the more sense that people might want to plan ahead for the highlights, and what better way to do that than to bequeath some awards for the films right from the get-go?Incredibly Strange programmer Ant Timpson (who's perfectly normal himself, I swear it; that's the name of their specifically oddball selections) has rightfully singled out SXSW '09 alums like Best Worst Movie, Drag Me to Hell, Grace, The Horseman and Winnebago Man for particular accolades (i.e. "Best Film to Show Filmmakers That Low-Budget Doesn't Mean Twenty-Somethings Sitting in Cafes Talking About Their Boring Relationships"), not to mention a couple of other picks.
Timpson sums up his mentality thusly: "I already know these films are very special. I don't need a jury to tell me what I already know. I'm giving these films awards in advance because 99% of the public don't care what films win awards AFTER they've screened, they want to know BEFORE they screen..." Believe me you, the man has a point. The real question is, how will such thinking play in the States?
Discuss: The Curious Case of 'Drag Me to Hell's Button
Filed under: Comedy », Horror », Thrillers », SXSW », Mystery & Suspense », Universal », Summer Movies », Polls »
(Spoilers herein.)Okay, so you lot have had two weekends now with which to see Sam Raimi's sublimely ridiculous Drag Me to Hell, and I'm seeing the debate that a couple of us waged out in front of the Paramount at SXSW last March coming back around on a grander scale, so I want to open up the floor.
Some have claimed that the third-act twist -- in which Alison Lohman's character mistakenly gives away an envelope with a quarter instead of an envelope with a cursed button and is consequently dragged to, um, Hell -- is telegraphed so far in advance that it takes the suspense out of the last reel or so, while others (including yours truly) believe that Raimi is smarter than that, and knows that we're in for this ride anyway, so even if we know that her efforts to pass on the curse are futile, we'll take a certain pleasure in knowing that her fate is sealed regardless.
Sure, Raimi could have simply cut out an insert shot of everything falling on the floor and mixing up, thus letting himself slightly, temporarily off his own hook. Lohman's character could have simply reached into her boyfriend's bag and grabbed the wrong one (oddly enough, the button falls out of her purse -- which she's holding -- but the quarter was placed in her boyfriend's bag, which is nowhere to be seen...). But he does seem to go just enough out of his way to let us know what's afoot. If you've seen the film, what do you think - rookie mistake or intentional wink?
New 'Grace' Trailer -- Red Band Baby!
Filed under: Horror », SXSW », Sundance », Movie Marketing », Trailers and Clips »
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.
SXSW Winner 'In A Dream' Gets a Trailer and Theatrical Dates
Filed under: Documentary », Drama », Independent », SXSW », Movie Marketing », Trailers and Clips »
If you've been to Philadelphia you've probably seen the mosiacs and murals of artist Isaiah Zagar. (Or your hometown may have a few ripoffs -- mine does!) He's now the subject of a documentary titled In a Dream, which also happens to be the directorial debut of his son, Jeremiah Zagar. The documentary chronicles Isaiah's work as the artist suffers a personal breakdown, and the implosion of his marriage and family life. From the trailer, it looks like something we can all relate to, yet feels a bit alien at the same time -- the Zagars clearly experience life and emotion on an almost operatic level.
Scott Weinberg (and Philly native) saw it at SXSW premiere, where it won the Emerging Visions Audience Award. While press releases call it "harrowing", Scott thought it was "a portrait of a sweet but slightly fractured man, it's one of the most unexpectedly touching documentaries I've ever seen." It's now getting a theatrical release in New York, Philadelphia, San Fransisco, and Los Angeles, with more cities and dates to be announced. Check out the documentary's official website and blog to find out when and where it'll be playing. As you wait for it appear in your city, you can view the trailer below:
Scott Weinberg (and Philly native) saw it at SXSW premiere, where it won the Emerging Visions Audience Award. While press releases call it "harrowing", Scott thought it was "a portrait of a sweet but slightly fractured man, it's one of the most unexpectedly touching documentaries I've ever seen." It's now getting a theatrical release in New York, Philadelphia, San Fransisco, and Los Angeles, with more cities and dates to be announced. Check out the documentary's official website and blog to find out when and where it'll be playing. As you wait for it appear in your city, you can view the trailer below:
SXSW Review: Mine
Filed under: Documentary », Independent », SXSW », Theatrical Reviews »
Get out a whole box of Kleenex, one of the jumbo packs, before you see Mine. Movies about post-Katrina problems can be sad enough, but this documentary is about pets, too. You know you're not going to get through this movie dry-eyed unless you have no heart whatsoever. You may even find yourself headed for an animal shelter afterwards, if you're not careful. Director Geralyn Pezanoski skillfully tells an emotional story that rarely resorts to the obvious, or to "good guys vs. bad guys."
Mine focuses on Katrina evacuees who were separated from their pets (involuntarily in one case), and who are trying to find and reunite with the animals. The movie opens with Malvin, a man in his eighties, reminiscing about his dog Bandit while carrying the dog's leash, which he found in his yard after the floods. I immediately suspected this story wouldn't end happily at all. The movie then shows us post-Katrina animal rescue. Shelters and many hotels didn't accept pets, so many evacuees had to leave the animals behind. They assumed it would only be for a few days, but the impact of the disaster was such that people couldn't return to their homes for weeks.
In the meantime, animal rescue teams were able to find and round up many of the stranded pets. Some pets were taken to animal shelters in other states, some of which offered the pets not for fostering but for adoption. Heartbreaking situations resulted, and Mine focuses on a few of them. For example, Victor's dog Max was sent to Florida and adopted by Tiffany, who bonded with her new pet immediately. But Victor missed Max. How could this be resolved?
The Cinematical Roundtable: Live from SXSW with James Rocchi
Filed under: Action », Comedy », Documentary », Drama », Independent », Thrillers », SXSW », Mystery & Suspense », Festival Reports »
Welcome to the second episode of The Cinematical Roundtable, our latest podcast here at the site, where we'll speak with writers and readers alike about the latest in film offerings. Joining us this round is James Rocchi, formerly of Cinematical and currently of MSN Movies and countless other outlets, as we tackle several of the more independent titles that graced us with their presence at this year's SXSW Film Festival.
Again, please bear with the overwhelming ambiance of the International House of Pancakes (a South By staple, and not always by choice). In the weeks to come, the podcast will actually be produced in much more conducive conditions, but when in Austin, keeping it weird is the name of the game. With that in mind, your feedback is appreciated, and feel free to spread the word. Preferably the word 'podcast'. And 'Cinematical'. Yeah, that is two words, what of it?
That's what I thought...
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SXSW Review: My Suicide
Filed under: Comedy », Drama », Independent », New Releases », SXSW », Theatrical Reviews », Festival Reports »
A recurring theme in my relationship with movies (which began when I was underage and has often been mutually abusive) is that it doesn't matter if a film has the same basic ideas as a hundred other movies, as long as the filmmakers find new ways to express them. A movie is only generic if it doesn't bring anything new to the table.
That's why I like My Suicide, a bit of nobody-understands-me teen angst directed and co-written by video-game producer David Lee Miller. Its point of view is that of a disaffected 17-year-old movie buff who plans to kill himself on camera, so the talk of teen suicide calls to mind any number of similarly themed films. But My Suicide breaks out of the mold with an exhilarating use of stock footage, animations, reenactments, and other audio-visual tricks, vividly reflecting the thought process of today's media-saturated young people who are under-supervised, over-privileged, and too plugged in. I can see this replacing Donnie Darko as the go-to film for alienated adolescents.
It stars Gabriel Sunday (who also gets a screenplay credit, along with Eric J. Adams) as Archie Williams, a lifelong movie freak and amateur filmmaker who has decided to make his own death the subject of his media class final project. His reasons for wanting to die are mundane: his parents don't pay attention to him -- Mom (Nora Dunn) was a lawyer who resented being forced to give up her career when she got pregnant; Dad (Robert Kurcz) is wrapped up in the chicken-based fast-food franchise he owns -- he's tragically still a virgin, everyone at school thinks he's weird for always having a camera in his hand, yada yada.
SXSW in 60 Seconds: Saturday, March 21, 2009
Filed under: Independent », SXSW », Festival Reports », Cinematical Indie »
The Paramount Theatre hosted several notable screenings on the last day of the 2009 SXSW film festival, including the HD Premiere of Al Reinert's 1989 documentary For All Mankind. Audience members reported being thrilled that Gene Krantz, former NASA Flight Director, was on hand to answer questions after the screening of the film, which tells the story of the Apollo space missions.
Wavy Gravy was seen leading an anti-war march down Congress Avenue, reported Neil Miller of Film School Rejects, in advance of the final screening of Michelle Esrick's doc Saint Misbehavin': The Wavy Gravy Movie. Director Jonathan Demme was in town for the World Premiere of his music doc, Neil Young Trunk Show. Zooey Deschanel and Joseph Gordon-Levitt were expected to be in attendance for the local debut of Sundance hit 500 Days of Summer.
Volunteers Kill It! We noted well-deserved praise for SXSW Producer Janet Pierson yesterday, and that applies to the entirety of the festival staff, who work long hours to little reward or recognition, except for a job done extremely well. Many thanks are also due to the more than 250 hard-working volunteers and theater managers, who had to deal with long lines of sometimes-grumpy, sometimes-pushy attendees, yet remained unfailingly polite, courteous, and attentive. Everyone working behind the scenes deserves some serious love as well.
Cinematical Coverage. Gary Hustwit made the fascinating, well-received doc Helvetica, and so expectations were high for his latest, Objectified -- perhaps too high. Kevin Kelly wrote in his review: "If you're into industrial design, you'll probably enjoy Objectified as it is, but I was left wanting more."
You can browse all of our 2009 SXSW coverage by checking out this handy link right here.
SXSW Review: Objectified
The website for Objectified asks an interesting question, "How many manufactured objects did you touch this morning, between waking up and leaving your house?" The answer is a lot more than you'd expect. Nearly everything you touch and encounter in life that is man made was specifically designed at some point, whether it's your fork, your pepper grinder, or the table you eat on. The computer you're using to read this article was most likely obsessively sketched, spec'd, and confabbed about over conference tables before the design was finalized. But most people don't even consider what went into creating it because the design is transparent to them.
Objectified wants to fix that by calling attention to the work that goes into crafting the things we use every day; from toothbrushes, to laptops, to chairs, to potato peelers. It's directed by Gary Hustwit, the same guy behind the typography documentary Helvetica, although it's not quite as engaging as that movie. You end up with intriguing scenes of objects being machined and lots of talking heads with lots to say but in boring static shots. Why not turn those into voiceovers to show us more visual design porn?
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Indie Roundup: 'Sweetgrass,' 'Clarkworld,' 'Broken Embraces'
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