in between days Tagged Articles at Cinematical
Sundance Films In the Comfort of Your Own Home
Filed under: Sundance », Exhibition », Home Entertainment », Cinematical Indie »
Hey, not everyone can afford to go to Sundance just for fun. If you don't live in or near Park City, it's pretty darn spendy to travel to the fest. Or maybe you've gone to Sundance in the past, and you'd just like to relive the memories. Sundance Channel is bringing you 31 days of Sundance, starting right ... about ... well, two days ago. But there's still plenty of good watching left. Every night at 9PM, the Sundance Channel will screen a film from past fests, and the lineup is pretty darn impressive, including some of my own fave films such as Adam's Apples by Anders Thomas Jensen (that one's tonight, so set your TIVO or DVR if you'll be out), and ... oh! Kelly Reichardt's Old Joy is on Sunday! Next Wednesday is So Yong Kim's In Between Days, and Ramin Bahrani's Man Push Cart airs January 16. Thursday, January 17 you'll have a chance to catch the Duplass brothers' hilarious-yet-poignant Puffy Chair (their new film, Baghead, will be reviewed as part of our Sundance coverage this year), and Saturday, January 20 has Half Nelson (directed by Ryan Fleck, starring Ryan Gosling in a breakout role as a crackhead middle school teacher). There are some really good films showing all month long. Seriously, especially if you live in a city without a lot of access to indie film, this is your chance to catch up on a TON of great indie fare, for free.
The films above are just a smattering of the awesome lineup. You'll find the full schedule over at the Sundance Channel website, so make sure to mark your calendar for the ones you don't want to miss.
Indies on DVD: 'Killer of Sheep,' 'Hearts of Darkness,' 'Helvetica,' 'In Between Days'
Filed under: Documentary », Drama », Foreign Language », Independent », Sci-Fi & Fantasy », New on DVD », Home Entertainment », Cinematical Indie », War »
My pick of the week is Charles Burnett's Killer of Sheep. Our own Jeffrey M. Anderson declared: "There's no question that it belongs in the canon of greatest American movies." As he pointed out, though, the film "has perhaps been more written about and appreciated than actually seen." Now we can all see it. The two-disk special edition DVD from New Yorker Video includes an audio commentary by Burnett and Richard Peña, two versions of Burnett's feature film My Brother's Wedding, four shorts (three rediscovered and one new) and cast reunion video.Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse , directed by Fax Bahr and George Hickenlooper, stirred up controversy when Hickenlooper said that neither he nor Bahr were consulted on the DVD version of their documentary about the making of Francis Ford Coppola's Apocalypse Now. Jeffrey Wells of Hollywood Elsewhere calls it "one of the best making-of-a-famous-movie docs ever made," but also says that the new DVD from Paramount Home Video "looks like a VHS tape. ... No remastering, tweaking or upgrading ... brilliant!" Sounds like a rental to me. The DVD includes Eleanor Coppola's doc Coda: Thirty Years Later, which will also be screening on cable next month -- see Monika Bartyzel's story for more on that.
Cinematical's James Rocchi saw Gary Hustwit's Helvetica at SXSW and described it as "one of the most intellectually exciting, stimulating, warm-hearted and best-made independent documentaries I've seen in a long time." The DVD includes 95 additional minutes of interviews. Another festival favorite, So Yong Kim's In Between Days (pictured), about a teenage girl dealing with first-time romantic feelings for her "best and only" friend, hits DVD with a stills gallery and a conversation with the director and co-writer/producer Bradley Rust.
In her review Jette Kernion said she was "not a rabid [Werner] Herzog fan, which may actually be the reason why I liked his latest film, Rescue Dawn, as much as I did." The DVD includes commentary by Herzog, deleted scenes, and a "making of" featurette. Luc Besson's Angel-A did not cause much stir when it was released theatrically earlier this year, but I've always been fascinated by the director. The DVD has a "making of" feature.
Festival Fave 'In Between Days' Finally Gets Theatrical Release Date
Filed under: Drama », Foreign Language », Independent », Cinematical Indie »
Premiering at Sundance in January 2006, In Between Days won a Special Jury Prize for Independent Vision and subsequently played a flock of festivals, including Berlin, Hong Kong and Toronto. Justin Chang's Variety review in the hothouse sales atmosphere of Sundance was somewhat dismissive of its market potential, but other critics -- including Scott Foundas in LA Weekly and Dennis Lim in The Village Voice -- were more appreciative of the film's artistic merit; it placed #4 on IndieWire's "Best Undistributed Film" list for the year. At last more people will be able to see it. Variety reports that In Between Days will be released in New York on June 27, to be followed by a "limited theatrical release" -- which means keep a sharp eye out for it. Kino International will be handling the release, though their web site has not yet been updated with specific locations for the theatrical playdates. Filmmaker So Yong Kim says that her own life provided the inspiration. Growing up in suburban Los Angeles, she was raised by a single mother who never discussed the issues of love and sex; among her "circle of Korean immigrant teenage friends there was a persistent tension when it came to the topics." In Between Days features newcomer Jiseon Kim as Aimie, a teenage girl who doesn't know how to deal with romantic feelings for her "best and only" friend Tran (Taegu Andy Kang). The minimalist visual style and deliberate pace, so favorably remarked upon by most critics, sounds like a perfect fit for exploring themes of isolation, alienation and frustration. Without having seen it myself, I'm at a disadvantage, but it's been on my "want to see" list for many months. If it doesn't play at a theater near you, don't fret excessively -- the Sundance Channel will be showing it, and no doubt a DVD will be issued -- hopefully without too much delay -- after the theatrical run concludes.
Gotham Awards Honor This Year's Best
Filed under: Awards », Newsstand »
Nominations have gone out for the 16th annual Gotham Awards, with Ryan Fleck's Half Nelson leading the pack. Pic, which revolves around the strong bond formed between a drug-addicted high school teacher and one of his students, picked up three nominations: Best Feature, Breakthrough Director (Ryan Fleck) and Breakthrough Actor (Shareeka Epps). This year's ceremony will be held on November 29 at New York's PIER SIXTY, Chelsea Piers. (Hey, I got married right next door at the Lighthouse!)
The Gotham Awards, which are presented by IFP and look to "celebrate the authentic voices behind and in front of the camera in films made this year" separate their awards into six categories: Best Feature, Best Documentary, Breakthrough Director, Best Ensemble Cast and, my personal favorite, Best Film Not Playing at a Theater Near You. Also on the agenda, Kate Winslet and Edward Norton will receive Gotham Tributes, while Alfonso Cuarón, Guillermo del Toro and Alejandro González Iñárritu will receive Gotham's first annual World Cinema Tribute for contributing "significantly in transforming their native cinema of Mexico."
Joining Half Nelson with multiple nods were Babel (Best Ensemble Cast, Breakthrough Actor, Rinko Kikuchi), Little Miss Sunshine (Best Ensemble Cast, Breakthrough Actor, Abigail Breslin) and In Between Days (Breakthrough Director, So Yoing Kim, Best Film Not Playing at a Theater Near You). Days has yet to find domestic distribution. So, what did they leave out?
Full lists of nominees after the jump.
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