special Tagged Articles at Cinematical
Review: Special
Filed under: Comedy », Drama », Sci-Fi & Fantasy », Magnolia », Theatrical Reviews »
By Jette Kernion (originally published on 10/29/06 -- Austin Film Festival)
I wasn't sure what to expect from a movie called Special, "special" being a word that gets used snarkily and ironically these days. Fortunately, Special turned out to be a good narrative feature with elements of comedy and drama, giving character actor Michael Rapaport a chance to really shine in a complex lead role.
Rapaport plays Les, who works as a meter maid -- only of course, being a guy, he's a parking enforcement officer. He won't admit to feeling depressed, but his job is causing him problems, so he signs up for a pharmaceutical trial of a new antidepressant, Special (Specioprin Hydrochloride). The drug is supposed to remove self-doubt; in Les, this means that he believes he has developed superpowers. He can feel himself floating in midair, and he can hear other people's thoughts. Perhaps he can even walk through walls. Is he becoming a superhero or progressively insane? His friends who run a comic-book store aren't sure whether they believe him, and the doctor who gave Les the pills is acting extremely odd. But Les is determined to pursue a life of heroic crime fighting, and he's not going to stop taking his Special pills.
Indie Spotlight: New Releases for Thanksgiving
Filed under: Documentary », Drama », Gay & Lesbian », Independent », New Releases », Columns », Indie Spotlight »
On a normal weekend, there are usually eight or nine new independent films opening in limited release, compared to three four wide releases. But for Thanksgiving, those numbers switch sides -- the multiplexes will be crowded with Twilights and Bolts and Transporters and Christmases and so forth, while the art houses have only a few new titles arriving. In other words, there's not much to say in this week's Indie Spotlight, and there won't be any need for a Spotlight next week at all. So enjoy these few limited-release films opening today and next Wednesday: The Betrayal, I Can't Think Straight, Lake City, and Special.
The Betrayal (Nerakhoon)
What it is: A documentary about a family that emigrated to the U.S. after the bombings in their native Laos that occurred during the Vietnam War.
What they're saying: Wow -- all 12 reviews at Rotten Tomatoes are positive. "Lyrical, expansive, unbearably beautiful," etc.
Where it's playing: New York City (IFC Center).
More info: The official website has a list of release dates, most of which are several weeks hence.
Lake City
What it is: A drama starring Troy Garity as a man who returns to his Southern home and his mom (Sissy Spacek) after a tragedy separated them for many years.
What they're saying: Lake City is a lovely title, but the critics are saying it's all wet, or some other water-related metaphor. With 11 notices at Rotten Tomatoes, only one is positive, the rest indicating that despite Sissy Spacek's good performance, the movie is too serious, contrived, and banal.
Where it's playing: New York City (Quad Cinema).
More info: I can't find an official site anywhere.
Trailer Park: Angels, Hotels and Hogwarts
Filed under: Fandom », Trailer Trash », Movie Marketing », Trailers and Clips »
Another gaggle of fresh previews this week featuring wizards, robots, and French school teachers. Here we go:
Angels and Demons - Tom Hanks returns to the role of Robert Langdon in this prequel to The Da Vinci Code based on the novel by Dan Brown. This time he is on the trail of an ancient secret organization called The Illuminati in an attempt to prevent a terrorist act against The Vatican. This teaser trailer doesn't give much to go on, but I'm sure fans of the books are getting all tingly.
The Class - Francois Begaudeau, who wrote the screenplay and the novel on which this film is based, also stars in this French-language film as a teacher trying to reach a group of mult-ethnic students in a Parisian high school. Comparisons to To Sir With Love seem inevitable, but this looks like it could be worth a look.
The Day the Earth Stood Still - (extended international trailer) - More Keanu, more devastation and more Gort in this extended trailer. I'm torn here by the fact that this remake doesn't seem to get the idea of the 1951 original but still manages to look pretty cool on its own.
Set Your Sights on Magnet's Six-Shooter Series!
Filed under: Action », Comedy », Foreign Language », Horror », Independent », Sci-Fi & Fantasy », Thrillers », Magnolia », Comic/Superhero/Geek »
I've done reports on the After Dark horror series, the Asylum assembly line, and the monumentally moronic Maneater collection -- so I see nothing all that strange about throwing a little genre love towards Magnet's new Six-Shooter Series. (The only difference this time around is that we're going to be talking about GOOD genre films.)To those who demand to know what the hell phrases like "Magnet Six-Shooter" mean, here's an explanation: Magnolia Films recently kick-started a genre-intensive division (called Magnet Releasing), and the guys are pretty psyched about their next six flicks. There, I've just demystified the phrase "Magnet Six-Shooter." You all owe me three dollars. And here's what's coolest about a six-flick genre series that's run by Magnolia Pictures: You'll actually get something EXOTIC out of the mix.
To use the finest example imaginable, it is Magnet Releasing that was lucky enough to land U.S. distribution rights for the stunningly awesome Let the Right One In, which is dazzling people all over the festival circuit. (And that was a great roll of the dice, as Magnolia grabbed it well before it was earning 5-star reviews across the board.) The film will open in limited release on October 24, but be sure to keep an eye out for the DVD as well. This flick is a keeper for sure.
Swedish Romantic Horror 'The Right One' for Magnolia's Magnet
Filed under: Foreign Language », Horror », Independent », Deals », Magnolia », Distribution », Cinematical Indie »
Magnet Releasing, the genre arm of distributor Magnolia Pictures, has been busy adding to their slate. Earlier this month, Scott Weinberg reported their acquisition of Donkey Punch, a UK thriller involving "sea-bound debauchery that goes horribly wrong." More recently, Jette Kernion told us they had picked up Special, a movie "about a guy [Michael Rapaport] whose antidepressant makes him think he's a superhero." Now indieWIRE is reporting that the label has secured North American rights to Let the Right One In, described as "romantic horror ... based on a best-selling novel by Swedish author John Ajvide Lindqvist about a lonely twelve year-old boy and his friendship with a young girl, who appears to be a vampire." I wonder if he suspected anything when he tried to kiss her and she sprouted fangs? Or when her mother kept on telling him, "Don't come over until after nightfall!" Pure speculation on my part, of course. Tomas Alfredson directed; he previously made Four Shades of Brown, a comedy/drama that I found exhausting, so this looks like a good change of pace.
The film has played a couple of European festivals and was picked up by Magnet out of the European Film Market. It's due for release in its native Sweden in April and has already received good reviews (Variety, Twitch). I love the variety of films that Magnet Releasing has acquired so far, in addition to those noted above: titles from France (Eden Log), Spain (Timecrimes), Japan (Big Man Japan), and Chile (Kiltro, Mirageman). We'll keep an eye out for a release date for Let the Right One In.
Indie Deals: 'Special' to Magnolia/Magnet
Filed under: Drama », Independent », Deals », Magnolia », Distribution », Cinematical Indie »
I saw Special at Austin Film Festival back in October 2006 and hadn't heard a thing about the quirky little film since then. As you can see from my review, I liked this story about a guy whose antidepressant makes him think he's a superhero, and Michael Rapaport was excellent in the lead. Now the news in Hollywood Reporter is that Special's North American theatrical distribution rights have been sold. Magnet Releasing, the genre division of Magnolia Pictures, plans to release the film in the late summer, which should provide a fun counterpoint to early-summer comic-book-hero blockbusters.Special premiered at Sundance in 2006, which shows you can't give up hope that a film-fest movie you enjoyed might someday hit theaters. Hollywood Reporter notes that the film's leads may be one reason the deal was made. Rapaport has a role on a continually popular TV show, The War at Home. Josh Peck, who plays one of Rapaport's comic-book-loving sidekicks in Special, starred in one of the hits of Sundance this year, The Wackness. Scott Weinberg didn't like it much, or Peck's performance, but he seems to be in the minority. Perhaps this deal is Magnolia's gamble that if The Wackness does well, Special can ride on its coattails, but I think Special has its own comic merits.
[via SpoutBlog]
Yay! Distribution for Special!
Filed under: Comedy », Drama », Independent », Sci-Fi & Fantasy », Deals », Distribution », Cinematical Indie »
You'll be forgiven for not remembering, but I posted several months ago about the trailer for a fantastic-looking movie called Special. In the film, the great Michael Rapaport plays "a lonely metermaid [who] has a psychotic reaction to his medication and becomes convinced he's a superhero." From the hilarious, melancholy trailer (and, I gather, the movie as well), it's unclear if the character is just bonkers, or if he actually really has some of the powers he claims -- it's probably a little bit of both. Despite some buzz about the movie at Sundance and rumors of distribution talks, though (check Karina's comment on the original post for details about that), a deal was never secured, and the movie went back to languishing on the internets, looking for love.But today it's been revealed that Special finally got some love: First Look has picked up world-wide distribution rights to the movie. WOO HOO! First Look reps are at Cannes looking to farm out international rights, but they'll handle the movie in the US themselves, and plan to have it in theaters this fall. Did I mention woo hoo?
A very Special trailer
Filed under: Comedy », Drama », Independent », Sci-Fi & Fantasy », Sundance », Movie Marketing », Cinematical Indie »
Like Todd at Twitch, I'm a huge Michael Rapaport fan. Ever since I accidentally caught his debut, Zebrahead, at my local multiplex (!) in college, I've wondered why
such a talented, interesting actor ends up in so much godforsaken crap. He's clearly cursed with a)needing to make
money (presumably The War at Home is keeping him in
groceries), and b)not being a hot, photogenic kid who gets jobs because he's pretty. Sometimes the latter curse can be
turned into a blessing, though, because it means people with weird, interesting scripts looking for an actor with
passion and no fear come to him first. The result of one of those imagined encounters is Special, a movie I had never heard of until I saw the trailer on Twitch yesterday. It's about "a lonely metermaid [who] has a psychotic reaction to his medication and becomes convinced he's a superhero," and its tagline is the realistically harsh "A very select group of people in life are truly gifted. Special is a movie about everyone else." The trailer is both completely hilarious and incredibly depressing, but Rapaport is fantastic throughout, and the movie - the debut of writer/directors Hal Haberman and Jeremy Passmore - looks really wonderful. It played at Sundance this year but somehow managed to evade our screening dragnet; as of yet, no distribution has been secured.
[via Twitch]
Trailer Park: It's all about Sundance
Filed under: Sundance », Trailer Trash »
While Cinematical does its best to cover every square-inch of the Sundance Film Festival for its devoted readers (that's you!), I understand it's hard to connect with the excitement of the event when stuck on your living room couch, forced to only imagine what it would be like to ski down the slopes hand in hand with Matt Damon and Ben Affleck.
Since it could be frustrating to read about films you've never heard of or may never see show up at your local theater anytime soon, I figured I'd dig up a peek at a few of the films playing the festival this year. Even with 120 features, it was damn hard to find five that actually had a trailer...on the internet. If anything, hopefully (for those unable to attend), this gives you a small taste of what's going down out in Park City. Oh, it's all about Sundance on this week's Trailer Park:
Jeremy Renner Wants To Be An Avenger
Directors We Love: Jim Jarmusch
Indie Roundup: 'Sweetgrass,' 'Clarkworld,' 'Broken Embraces'
Shelf Life: Fight Club_thumbnail.jpg)
Watch: Famous 'Matrix' Scene Re-Created with LEGOs
_thumbnail.jpg)
