Although I didn't get to see the horror-comedy Teeth when it first premiered at last year's Sundance Film Festival, I did get to experience the film while covering the Berlin International Film Festival back in February, as well as sit down for a little one-on-one time with the flick's star, Jess Weixler. For those who may have forgotten about Teeth, or never heard of it before, it's the one about the girl with teeth in her vagina. Yup, not joking. It's warped, it's bizarre, it's a tad nasty ... but it's so much fun to watch. Personally, I've been waiting a long time for this film to be released, and now Fangoria reports that Roadside Attractions will shovel it into theaters in New York and Los Angeles on November 30, with the film expanding nationwide in mid-December.

Directed by the very friendly (and talented) Mitchell Lichtenstein, Teeth follows Dawn (Weixler); a teen abstinence preacher who's always avoided sexual contact because of a little problem she has down there. Suffering from a rare case of "vagina dentata," Dawn goes about her business telling kids not to have sex, until she, herself, feels the need to start experimenting with a boy she's grown fond of. From there, let's just say all the guys in the audience might find it hard to watch the events unfold. I'm a big fan of actress Jess Weixler, who also starred in another little-seen indie gem, The Big Bad Swim, and look forward to seeing what future projects she takes on. But do yourself a favor and go see Teeth when it comes out. It's a fun film that deserves a little more attention. For more, check out Kim's review and Scott's review of the film from Sundance.

The Road to Guantanamo is certainly remarkable for its relevancy to the ongoing controversy of the Guantanamo Bay detainment camps, but it is a notable film for other reasons besides its timeliness and availability to political exploitation. Directed by Michael Winterbottom and Mat Whitecross, it is the former's most effective film (and the latter's first) in that it masterfully displays a grasp of cinema's capacities. While I disagree with most of what critics (including our own Karina) are saying of its cultural significance, I do agree with and insist on the recommendation that it be seen.

I think that it needs to be appreciated foremost as an astonishing tale of survival, a kind of modern Odyssey with a touch of the old mistaken-identity scenario, presented in a pointedly discriminating first-person narrative. Though based on a true story, the film maintains a one-sided fallibility that keeps it fairly subjective. Sure, it could be used in the campaign against the camps, but not as evidence. It is simply a visual testimony.

Since I'm not sure our demographic includes too many senior citizens, most of you may not be aware of a little picture called Boynton Beach Club. The film, which stars an ensemble cast including Dyan Cannon and Sally Kellerman and looks at the love lives of a group of senior citizens, has apparently become something of a cult hit for the older folks who live in Florida, the nation's retirement community. Though she was unsuccessful in scoring national distribution for her labor of love (the movie was written by her 74-year-old mother, who also co-produced), director Susan Seidelman and Chris Dugger of Frank Theatres have managed to get the film on 28 screens throughout Florida, and it has made $635,000 in just a few months.

Now, thanks to Roadside Attractions -- a distributor that originally passed on the film -- we're all going to get a chance to see what Seidelman has described as "The Breakfast Club for 60-year-olds." According to Roadside Reps, when the film his major cities later this summer, they plan to promote it with grassroots campaigns that mirrors the one Seidelman and Dugger used in Florida: "Sending out flyers and arranging group ticket sales in senior communities."

Man, this is awesome. It's so refreshing to hear about a little movie that has basically made its own success through hard work and dedication to an audience -- one that, for once, isn't teenage boys. Congrats to Seidelman for scoring a national deal.

Just a day after we reported on censorship in other parts of the world (assuming, perhaps, that films in the US escape such restrictions) comes the news that American authorities are getting into the act, as well. Fan-freaking-tastic. According to press reports, the MPAA has objected to the poster that Roadside Attractions was planning to use to promote their American release of The Road to Guantanamo. The original poster depicts a prisoner hanging from chained wrists, with a burlap bag over his head -- nothing more, said Roadside president Howard Cohen, than a reflection of "what it is we are doing to people in Guantanamo." While the MPAA, not surprisingly, was unwilling to comment on its decision, Cohen indicated that the board's problem stemmed specifically from the bag on the man's head -- in the board's interpretation, the image was one of torture, which children encountering the poster shouldn't see. The new poster is cropped, and shows only the man's chained arms.

What do you guys think of this move by the MPAA? Are they really just protecting the innocence of kids, or is there a political element to the decision? We have, after all, seen countless, horrifying photos of prisoners in Iraq in much worse situations than simply sitting with a bag on their heads -- why should a poster not be allowed to reflect this reality?

Edit: FYI, The Guardian reports that the film itself has received an R-rating.

Tuesday's odds and ends:

• Michael Winterbottom's controversial Berlin hit The Road to Guantanamo has been picked up for American distribution by Roadside Attractions, who plan to give the film its US premiere at Tribeca, and have it in theaters this summer. None of that multi-platform release action for this side of the Atlantic, but at least we get to see the thing.

• Did you know that Clint Eastwood has nine kids? And that one of them is an actor named Scott Reeves? Neither did I. Of course, if his Scott Reeves is the one the IMDB (there are actually two, but since one was born in 1966, I'm assuming he wouldn't be able to play a troubled teen), he's been in exactly one movie, so perhaps calling him an "actor" is going a bit far. Whatever his title, Reeves is joining the cast of P.D.R., as is Evan Ross, who will be making his debut in ATL later this month (and has apparently decided that it's a good career move to only appear in movies with three letter titles).

•  Man alive - Catherine Hardwicke's Nativity just gets better and better. In addition to its interesting story and kickass director, the movie's also got a cast with some serious acting chops. Already set to star is Oscar nominee Keisha Castle-Hughes, and Variety reports this morning that Shohreh Aghdashloo, Oscar-nominated for her supporting work in House of Sand and Fog, has been signed to play Saint Elizabeth (for those of you who are with me in heathen-dom, she's John the Baptist's mom).
  

Defying all predictions, Bobcat Goldthwaite is walking away from Sundance 2006 with all rights sold on his beastiality romcom Stay. Yesterday, French firm Gaumont announced that it was moving to acquire all international rights on the film, as part of its new strategy (begun with its financing of Michel Gondry's The Science of Sleep) to generally loosen up a bit. "It's not the kind of film Gaumont is known for," CEO Franck Chorot admitted to Variety on Thursday, "but we are broadening our range with original films that have a potential for international sales." In even better news, Roadside Attractions has teamed up with Samuel Goldwyn to take domestic rights on the film. Neither Roadside or Goldwyn, nor William Morris, who brokered the deal for Goldthwait, announced financial terms, but Roadside's Eric d'Arbeloff released the following statement of motivation: "I've never encountered a film that so intelligently combines raunchy humor with warmth and emotional truth ... Bob Goldthwait's film is going to draw people for its outrageous premise, but they will leave the theatre surprised how much it touches them." I concur. Now: can we get a deal for Wristcutters?

The last deal of Sundance 2005 was announced the day we got to Park City for Sundance 2006. After a year-long tour of festivals worldwide, Mark and Jay Duplass have scored a deal with Roadside Attractions and Netflix to release their relationship comedy,The Puffy Chair. As I understand it, the deal is for both theatrical and DVD distribution, though not, as some are reporting simultaneously. Roadside plans to put the film in theaters next summer with both their logo and Netflix' on the print. Netflix will promote the release through their channels, but when the theatrical window closes and DVD distriubution begins, they'll not hold on to exclusive rights.

It's a pretty traditional deal, by the looks of it, which is sort of disappointing – the film is a cult classic waiting to be discovered, and seems like the perfect candidate for a Cuban-esque simultaneous release.