Tag: Sundance Film Festival

Sundance Review: GET LOW

The long list of deeply and realistically flawed characters legendary actor Robert Duvall has portrayed now has one, more name added to it.  Felix Bush, the character at the center of GET LOW, has a mystery about him, a deep-seeded kernel down within that drives him away from civilization and towards the backwoods of 1930’s Tennessee.

When the film opens, after an absolutely amazing first shot that heightens the sense of the mystery, we see children throwing rocks at Felix’s house, busting out a window.  Felix runs out of the house bearing rifle and chases one of the children into his barn.  The child, terrified at the prospect of what may come about him, vomits, and Felix, only wanting to scare the children (and seeing he has done just that), steps aside, allowing the child to run along.

Felix just wants to be left alone, and, so, it’s a complete shock to the community when he comes down from the woods and makes a proposal to the local funeral home owner, played by Bill Murray, and his young apprentice, played by Lucas Black.  Sensing the end of his time in the world is not long coming, Felix wants to have a funeral party.  The kicker, he wants to have it while he is still walking and talking.  What’s more, he wants to hear the community’s stories about him, all the horrific gossip that has been spread about him, whether true or not.  The funeral director, the young apprentice, and a widow, played by Sissy Spacek, who may have had more dealings with Felix than most know about, realize that the mystery and its resolution all play a part in Felix’s proposition.  As the day fast approaches for his party, more and more secrets are revealed, and the ultimate truth of Felix’s exodus into the woods comes to light.

GET LOW is a fine film, one that, when you step back and look at all of the aspects that went into it, probably has as many good points as it does bad.  Somewhere in the middle of those good points are the satisfactory ones, the aspects of the film that work quite alright without sliding in either direction of great or horrible.  The direction by first-time feature film director Aaron Schneider is perfectly adequate, relying mostly on the point-and-shoot method of film making rather than putting any real style into any of the shots.  Much of the beauty of GET LOW comes from the production design, and Geoffrey Kirkland (CHILDREN OF MEN) definitely deserves points for bringing the ’30s to life here.  Unfortunately, the music in GET LOW from composer Jan A.P. Kaczmarek is the worst aspect of the film, and the literal way it reflects precisely the mood of the film serves almost as a distraction.  Kaczmarek has done amazing work before.  It is a shame to see that his work here is not more nuanced.

Murray is another of those satisfactory aspects of the film, delivering lines that bring about laughs, even though they may not have been written that way.  Spacek delivers a spot-on performance, but, unfortunately, Black just doesn’t have the chops to contend here.  He reads his lines without fail, but there is nothing natural about his delivery, nothing that makes the character seem real in any sense of the word.

What really shines here is Duvall, and it is worth watching GET LOW strictly for the performance he gives here.  Duvall has an effortless way of bringing characters to life, of making them seem like real characters in a world that has long since moved on.  He does so with keen precision here, as well, and I defy anyone not to get even a little emotional in the tale Felix has to tell at the end of the film.

When GET LOW finally gets its theatrical run, there is sure to be award buzz all around Duvall’s performance.  Yes, it is a grand portrayal of a deeply flawed character, a man who has been punishing himself and the rest of the world but never truly learned the sense of the word “forgiveness.”  However, the film that is built up around this character and the portrayal behind it is only, moderately recommendable.  Without Duvall steering the course, this ship just might have run aground, and the lows of GET LOW may just have outweighed the highs.

Overall Rating: 3 out of 5 stars.

IFC Films Will ENTER Gaspar Noe’s VOID

At every Sundance Film Festival, one of the most talked about aspects involves the films that are picked up for distribution.  That is, after all, the main reason film makers and production companies show their films at this huge event.  And, just like clockwork, every year has in store a few surprise distribution deals that come before the opening gates of the festival have even opened.

Such is the case with Gaspar Noe’s ENTER THE VOID, as is being reported by IndieWire.  Evidently, IFC Films has announced they have picked up all US rights to Noe’s film about a teenager who dies during a botched drug deal but continues to roam the Earth as a ghost.  This is Noe’s first feature film since the highly controversial IRREVERSIBLE in 2002.

Says IFC Entertainment President Jonathan Sehring:

ENTER THE VOID is an experience that is almost impossible to describe.  Gaspar Noe is at the peak of his filmmaking powers with this film that is destined to become a cult classic.   The entire team is thrilled to be working on this film and with Gaspar. It’s the perfect film for all of our platforms.

The film debuted at Cannes and Toronto last year.  It makes its US debut this coming weekend at Sundance.  Be sure to check back for our coverage of the film including a review and an interview with Gaspar Noe during the festival.

Expect ENTER THE VOID to hits theaters and on-demand viewing at home some time in 2010.

THE VIOLENT KIND’s Sundance One Sheet

If you’ve regularly checked out our website, here, you know one of the films we cannot wait to see at this year’s Sundance Film Festival is the new film by The Butcher Brother, THE VIOLENT KIND.  Today, courtesy of Bloody Disgusting, we have the first, official one sheet for the film, which you can peruse above.

Bikers Rockabillies.  Women getting possessed.  Very bloody.  Very grindhouse.  Very Butcher Brothers.

Check out the film’s official site here and follow them on Twitter as well here.  Expect coverage all over the place for this film when WAMG hits Sundance 2010 later this month.

FROZEN Poster Makes Me Wish I Had a Slanket

frozen header

Sometimes, down in my den in the basement of my house, it gets cold.   It’s one of the many reasons why I’m asking (and receiving) a Slanket this year for Christmas, so I can keep my arms, legs, and pretty much 98% of my toasty warm while still having my hands free to type away cute, little articles like this.   See that guy hanging off of the ski lift up there?   Yeah, he doesn’t have a Slanket.   In fact, he’s probably going end up a Popsicle before it’s all said and done.

FROZEN, the new film from Adam Green, who brought us HATCHET, is set to debut at Sundance’s Park City at Midnight next month, and it is one of the films at the very top of my can’t-wait-to-see-at-Sundance list.   The new poster comes to us courtesy of Shock Till You Drop.

Check it out right here:

frozen poster

In case you don’t know, here’s the official synopsis of the film:

On a chilly winter night, three skiers huddle together on a chairlift, confused as to why their ride to the summit suddenly stops. The sting of the icy wind worsens when the floodlights power down, leaving them stranded in the dark. As they wait for help, the reality of the nightmare hits them. The ski resort has just closed, abandoning the group stranded high above the mountain slopes in an oncoming snow storm. With ominous howls echoing through the surrounding woods, they will need to make some tough decisions in order to survive.

Writer/director Adam Green skillfully guides this real-world thriller, pushing three college students to confront their natural fears of the dark, cold, heights, and beyond, to see how far a human is willing to go to survive. With bone-chilling performances by Kevin Zegers, Shawn Ashmore, and Emma Bell, Frozen continues horror’s time-honored tradition of scaring audiences away from their favorite recreational activities.

FROZEN is set to debut at Sundance on January 24th.   Be sure to check our coverage for a review.

First Look: HESHER

hesher poster

We are at that stage where we need to put away the indie flicks of 2009 that made up stand up and take notice and start thinking about the 2010 films we have to look forward to.   With the recent announcements on what is on the slate for Sundance 2010, we can gather a fairly good inclination as to what some of those films are going to be.

For instance, we have HESHER.   Directed by Spencer Susser, the director who brought us the zombie short, I LOVE SARAH JANE, HESHER stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt as a death metal slacker who comes down on an already troubled family and its 13-year-old son.   Rainn Wilson stars as the drug addicted father/widower and Natalie Portman plays a local store clerk who also becomes friends with the youngster.   Devin Brochu, last seen as the young Matthew McConaughey in GHOSTS OF GIRLFRIENDS PAST, also stars as the 13-year-old.

Today, courtesy of the fine people over at /Film, we have our first stills from this upcoming film.   You already know, but just looking at the pictures, you can tell without reservation that this is going to be another amazing performance given by Gordon-Levitt.

Check them all out:

hesher 1

hesher 2

hesher 4

hesher 5

HESHER makes its debut at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival.   Actual showtimes and dates have not been announced yet.

Official Poster for BURIED Released

buried poster1

It was only recently that I first heard about BURIED, a film starring Ryan Reynolds as a US contractor in Iraq who, after an attack by Iraqies, wakes up to find himself buried alive with nothing at his side but a lighter and a cell phone.   Now, the film has been announced as one of the films to premiere at Park City at Midnight, the genre leg of Sundance 2010.   Today, courtesy of Quiet Earth, we have the film’s official poster, which you can find above.

Also, we have two poster designs for the film that didn’t quite make the cut.

Check these out:

buried poster 2buried poster 3

I, personally, have to express my appreciation for the second design above.   It might not be an appropriate poster for the film, but it would certainly look good hanging on my wall.   The first scrapped design above is okay, but it’s too comical.   It is almost as if the designers were going for a Hitchcock feel but failed.   The actual poster is okay, as well, but it makes the film look more like a horror film than anything.

What do you think?   Which poster do you like the most of these three?   Are you excited to spend 90 minutes in a coffin with Ryan Reynolds?   Let us know by throwing us a comment in the section below.

No screen dates or times have been announced for BURIED’s premiere at Park City at Midnight, but I’m sure it will be one of the films we cover while we’re out there.

Sundance 2010 Announced Out-of-Competition Lineup

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We are 49 days out and counting down to Sundance 2010.  Yesterday, we unveiled the list of competition films for the upcoming festival.  Today, we have your list of out-of-competition films which include Premieres, Spotlight, New Frontier, and, my personal favorite, Park City at Midnight, which has featured past entries like BLACK DYNAMITE, THE DESCENT, and SAW.

Check out next year’s lineup for the out-of-competition films:

PREMIERES
To showcase the diversity to contemporary independent cinema, the Sundance Film Festival Premieres section offers the latest work from American and international directors as well as world premieres of highly anticipated films. Presented by Entertainment Weekly.

Abel / Mexico, USA (Director: Diego Luna; Screenwriters: Diego Luna and Agusto Mendoza)–A peculiar young boy, blurring reality and fantasy, assumes the responsibilities of a family man in his father’s absence. Cast: Jose Maria Yazpik, Karina Gidi, Carlos Aragon, Christopher Ruiz-Esparza, Gerardo Ruiz-Esparza. World Premiere

Cane Toads: The Conquest / USA (Director and screenwriter: Mark Lewis)–In 3D, Mark Lewis explores one of Australia’s greatest environmental catastrophes as he follows the unstoppable march of the cane toad across the Australian continent. World Premiere

The Company Men / USA (Director and screenwriter: John Wells)–Three company men attempt to survive a round of corporate downsizing while trying to fend off its effects on their families and their identities. Cast: Ben Affleck, Kevin Costner, Maria Bello, Tommy Lee Jones, Chris Cooper, Rosemarie DeWitt. World Premiere

The Extra Man / USA (Directors: Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini; Screenwriters: Robert Pulcini, Jonathan Ames and Shari Springer Berman)–A down-and-out playwright who escorts wealthy widows in Manhattan’s Upper East Side takes a young aspiring writer under his wing. Cast: Kevin Kline, Paul Dano, John C. Reilly, and Katie Holmes. World Premiere

Get Low / USA (Director: Aaron Schneider; Screenwriters: Chris Provenzano and C. Gaby Mitchell)–A film spun out of equal parts folk tale, fable and real-life legend about a mysterious, 1930s Tennessee hermit who plans his own rollicking funeral party… while still alive. Cast: Robert Duvall, Bill Murray. U.S. Premiere  SALT LAKE CITY GALA FILM

Jack Goes Boating / USA (Director: Philip Seymour Hoffman; Screenwriter: Bob Glaudini)–A limo driver’s blind date sparks a tale of love, betrayal, friendship, and grace centered around two working-class New York City couples. Cast: Philip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Ryan, John Ortiz, Daphne Rubin-Vega, Tom McCarthy. World Premiere

The Killer Inside Me / USA (Director: Michael Winterbottom; Screenwriter: John Curran)–Deputy Sheriff Lou Ford is a pillar of the community in his small Texan town; patient, polite and well liked, until he starts killing people. Cast: Casey Affleck,  Kate Hudson,  Jessica Alba, Simon Baker, Elias Koteas. World Premiere

Nowhere Boy / United Kingdom (Director: Sam Taylor Wood; Screenwriters: Julia Baird and Matt Greenhalgh)–A teenage John Lennon confronts wrenching family secrets and finds his musical voice in late 1950s Liverpool. Cast: Aaron Johnson, Kristin Scott Thomas, Thomas Sangster, Anne-Marie Duff, David Morrissey. International Premiere

Please Give / USA (Director and screenwriter: Nicole Holofcener)–In New York City, a husband and wife butt heads with the granddaughters of the elderly woman who lives next door. Cast: Amanda Peet, Oliver Platt, Rebecca Hall, Catherine Keener, Sarah Steele. World Premiere

The Runaways / USA (Director and screenwriter: Floria Sigismondi)–In 1970s LA, a tough teenager named Joan Jett connects with an eccentric producer to form an all-girl band that would launch her career and make rock history. Cast: Kristen Stewart, Dakota Fanning, Scout Taylor-Compton, Michael Shannon, Alia Shawkat, Tatum O’Neal. World Premiere

Shock Doctrine / USA (Directors: Michael Winterbottom and Mat Whitecross)–Closely based on the book by award-winning journalist Naomi Klein, Shock Doctrine exposes how shock is used to implement economic policy in vulnerable environments. North American Premiere

Twelve / USA (Director: Joel Schumacher; Screenwriter: Jordan Melamed)–A chronicle of the highs and lows of privileged kids on Manhattan’s Upper East Side involving sex, drugs and murder. Cast:   Chace Crawford, Emma Roberts, Kiefer Sutherland, 50 Cent, Zoë Kravitz. World Premiere  CLOSING NIGHT FILM

Untitled Duplass Brothers Project / USA (Directors and screenwriters: Jay Duplass and Mark Duplass)–A recently divorced guy meets a new lady. Then he meets her son who is, well…interesting. Cast: John C. Reilly, Marisa Tomei,Jonah Hill, Catherine Keener. World Premiere

NEXT (<=>)
A new section composed of eight American films selected for their innovative and original work in low- and no-budget filmmaking.

Armless (Director: Habib Azar; Screenwriter: Kyle Jarrow)–In this off-kilter comedy, a woman comes to terms with her husband’s strange secret. Cast: Daniel London, Janel Moloney, Matt Walton, Zoe Lister-Jones, Laurie Kennedy, Keith Powell. World Premiere

Bass Ackwards (Director and screenwriter: Linas Phillips)–After ending a disastrous affair with a married woman, a man embarks on a lyrical, strange and comedic cross-country journey in a modified VW bus. Cast: Linas Philips, Davie-Blue, Jim Fletcher, Paul Lazar. World Premiere

Bilal’s Stand (Director and screenwriter: Sultan Sharrief)–Bilal, a Muslim high school senior in Detroit juggles his dysfunctional family, their taxi stand, and an ice carving contest in his secret attempt to land a college scholarship. Cast: Julian Gant. World Premiere

The Freebie (Director and screenwriter: Katie Aselton)–A young married couple decides to give each other one night with someone else. Cast: Dax Shepard, Katie Aselton. World Premiere

Homewrecker (Director: Todd Barnes and Brad Barnes; Screenwriters: Todd Barnes, Brad Barnes, Sophie Goodhart)–The last romantic in New York City is an ex-con locksmith on work release. Cast: Ana Reeder, Anslem Richardson, Stephen Rannazzisi. World Premiere

New Low (Director: Adam Bowers)–A neurotic twentysomething struggles to figure out which girl he really belongs with: the best one he’s ever known, or the worst. Cast: Adam Bowers, Jayme Ratzer, Toby Turner, Valerie Jones. World Premiere

One Too Many Mornings (Director: Michael Mohan; Screenwriters: Anthony Deptula, Michael Mohan, Stephen Hale)–Two damaged young men recover their high school friendship by awkwardly revealing to each other just how messed up they’ve become. Cast: Anthony Deptula, Stephen Hale, Tina Kapousis. World Premiere

The Taqwacores (Director: Eyad Zahra; Screenwriters: Michael Muhammad Knight and Eyad Zahra)–When a Pakistani-Muslim engineering student moves into a house with punk Muslims of all stripes in Buffalo, New York, his ideologies are challenged to the core. Cast: Bobby Naderi, Noureen DeWulf, Dominic Rains, Rasika Mathur, Tony Yalda, Anne Marie Leighton. World Premiere

SPOTLIGHT
New for 2010, the Spotlight section is a tribute to the cinema we love. Regardless of where these impressive films have played throughout the world, the Sundance Film Festival is thrilled to light a marquee for them.

Narrative films screening in the Festival’s Spotlight are:

Bran Nue Dae / Australia (Director: Rachel Perkins; Screenwriters: Reg Cribb, Rachel Perkins, and Jimmy Chi)–In the summer of 1965, a young man is filled with the life of the idyllic old pearling port Broome – fishing, hanging out with his mates and his girl. Cast: Rocky McKenzie, Jessica Mauboy, Geoffrey Rush, Ernie Dingo. U.S. Premiere

Daddy Longlegs / USA (Directors and Screenwriters: Benny Safdie and Josh Safdie)–A swan song to excuses and responsibilities, to fatherhood and self-created experiences, and to what it’s like to be truly torn between being a child and being an adult. Cast: Ronald Bronstein, Sage Ranaldo, Frey Ranaldo. North American Premiere

Enter the Void / France (Director and Screenwriter: Gaspar Noé)–A drug-dealing teen is killed in Japan, after which he reappears as a ghost to watch over his sister. Cast: Nathaniel Brown, Paz de la Huerta, Cyril Roy, Emily Alyn Lind, Jesse Kuhn. U.S. Premiere

I Am Love (Io Sono L’amore) / Italy (Director and Screenwriter: Luca Guadagnino)–A tragic love story set at the turn of the millennium in Milan. Cast: Tilda Swinton, Edoardo Gabbriellini, Pippo Delbono, Alba Rohrwacher, Marisa Berenson. U.S. Premiere

Louis C.K.: Hilarious / USA (Director: Louis C.K.)–Sharp-tongued comedian Louis C.K. pulls no punches in this visceral concert experience. World Premiere

Lourdes / Austria, France, Germany (Director and Screenwriter: Jessica Hausner)–A woman in a wheelchair travels to Lourdes in an attempt to escape her isolation. Cast: Sylvie Testud, Léa Seydoux, Bruno Todeschini, Gilette Barbier, Gerhard Liebmann, Irma Wagner. U.S. Premiere

Mother & Child / USA (Director and Screenwriter: Rodrigo García)–The lives of three women – a physical therapist, the daughter she gave up at birth three decades ago, and an African American woman seeking to adopt a child of her own – intersect in surprising ways. Cast: Naomi Watts, Annette Bening, Kerry Washington, Jimmy Smits, Samuel L. Jackson.   U.S. Premiere

New African Cinema / A collection of short films from multiple countries

  • Pumzi / South Africa (Director and Screenwriter: Wanuri Kahiu)–A Sci-Fi film about futuristic Africa, 35 years after World War III, “The Water War.” Cast: Kudzani Moswela. North American Premiere
  • Saint Louis Blues (Un Transport En Commun) / France, Senegal (Director and Screenwriter: Dyana Gaye)–Along the journey from Dakar to Saint Louis, seven passengers of a taxi meet each other and tell their lives through songs. Cast: Umban Gomez de Kset, Bigué Ndoye, Adja Fall, Yakhoub Ba, Abdoulaye Diakhaté. U.S. Premiere
  • The Tunnel / South Africa (Director and Screenwriter: Jenna Bass)–When her father vanishes in 1980s Zimbabwe, young Elizabeth believes he has dug a tunnel to the city. Only by facing reality will she discover the truth behind his disappearance. Cast: Sibulele Mlumbi, Finch Moyo, Patricia Matongo, Anthony Watterson, Pakamisa Zwedala, Vuyisile Pandle. World Premiere

A Prophet (Un Prophète) / France (Director: Jacques Audiard; Screenwriters: Thomas Bidegain and Jacques Audiard)–An engaging examination of a seedy, gangster-driven underworld set in a French prison. Cast: Tahar Rahim, Niels Arestrup, Adel Bencherif, Hichem Yacoubi, Reda Kateb.

Women Without Men (Zanan-e bedun-e mardan) / Germany, Austria, France (Directors and Screenwriters: Shirin Neshat and Shoja Azari)–A dissection of Iranian society at the time of the 1953 CIA-backed coup that overturned the nationalist government of Mohammed Mossadegh and installed the shah in power. Cast: Pegah Ferydoni, Arita Shahrzad, Shabnam Tolouei, Orsi Tóth. U.S. Premiere

Documentary films screening in the Festival’s Spotlight are:

8: The Mormon Proposition / USA (Director: Reed Cowan)–An examination of the relationship between the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in the promotion and passage of California’s Proposition 8 denying marriage rights for Gay and Lesbian couples. World Premiere

Catfish / USA (Directors: Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman)–When a young New York City photographer is contacted on Facebook by an 8-year-old painting prodigy from rural Michigan, he becomes deeply enmeshed in her life, even falling in love with her older sister–that is, until a crack appears in her story.   World Premiere

Climate Refugees / USA (Director: Michael Nash)–An over-consuming, crowded world, with depleting resources and a changing climate is giving birth to 25 million climate refugees resulting in a mass global migration and border conflicts. World Premiere

Countdown to Zero / USA (Director: Lucy Walker)–A fascinating and frightening exploration of the dangers of nuclear weapons, exposing a variety of present day threats and featuring insights from a host of international experts and world leaders who advocate total global disarmament. World Premiere

Life 2.0 / USA (Director: Jason Spingarn-Koff)–More than an examination of new technology, the film is foremost an intimate, character-based drama about people whose lives are dramatically transformed by the virtual world called Second Life. World Premiere

Teenage Paparazzo / USA (Director: Adrian Grenier)–A 13-year-old paparazzi boy snaps a photo of actor Adrian Grenier, leading Grenier to explore the effects of celebrity on culture. World Premiere

To Catch a Dollar: Muhammad Yunus Banks on America / Bangladesh, USA (Director: Gayle Ferraro)–Tapping into the success of Muhammad Yunus after winning the Nobel Peace Prize (2006), Grameen America has opened in Queens, NY replicating the banking model program Yunus first started in Bangladesh. World Premiere

Winning Time: Reggie Miller vs. The New York Knicks / USA (Director: Dan Klores)–Reggie Miller single-handedly crushed the hearts of Knick fans multiple times. But it was the 1995 Eastern Conference Semifinals that solidified Miller as Public Enemy #1 in New York City. World Premiere

PARK CITY AT MIDNIGHT
Home to horror films and crazy comedies, Black Dynamite, The Blair Witch Project and Saw are among the films that have screened here.

7 Days / Canada (Director: Daniel Grou; Screenwriter: Patrick Senecal)–A doctor seeks revenge by kidnapping, torturing and killing the man who murdered his young daughter. Cast: Rémy Girard, Claude Legault, Fanny Mallette, Martin Dubreuil, Rose-Marie Coallier. World Premiere

Buried / Spain, USA (Director: Rodrigo Cortes; Screenwriter: Chris Sparling)–A U.S. contractor working in Iraq awakes to find he is buried alive inside a coffin. With only a lighter and a cell phone it’s a race against time to escape this claustrophobic death trap. Cast: Ryan Reynolds. World Premiere

Frozen / USA (Director and Screenwriter: Adam Green)–Three skiers are mistakenly stranded on a chairlift,  forced to make life-or-death choices that prove more perilous than staying put and freezing to death. Cast: Emma Bell, Shawn Ashmore, Kevin Zegers. World Premiere

HIGH school / USA (Director: John Stalberg, Jr.; Screenwriters: Erik Linthorst, John Stalberg, Jr., and Stephen Susco)–A random drug test coincides with a high school valedictorian’s first hit of pot. Cast: Sean Marquette, Matt Bush, Adrien Brody, Michael Chiklis, Colin Hanks, Mykelti Williamson, Andrew Wilson, Yeardley Smith, Michael Vartan, Curtis Armstrong, Erica Phillips, Adhir Kaylan. World Premiere

The Perfect Host / USA (Director: Nick Tomnay; Screenwriters: Nick Tomnay and Krishna Jones)–A criminal on the run cons his way into the wrong dinner party where the host is anything but ordinary. Cast: David Hyde Pierce, Clayne Crawford, Helen Reddy, Nathaniel Parker. World Premiere

Splice / France, Canada (Director: Vincenzo Natali; Screenwriters: Vincenzo Natali, Antoinette Terry Bryant, and Doug Taylor)–Clive and Elsa are young, brilliant, and ambitious. The new animal species they engineered has made them rebel superstars of the scientific world. In secret, they introduce human DNA into the experiment. Cast: Adrien Brody, Sarah Polley, Delphine Chaneac, David Hewlett. North American Premiere

Tucker & Dale vs. Evil / Canada (Director: Eli Craig; Screenwriters: Eli Craig and Morgan Jurgenson)–Two West Virginian hillbillies go on vacation at their dilapidated mountain cabin, but their peaceful trip goes horribly awry. Cast: Tyler Labine, Alan Tudyk, Katrina Bowden, Jesse Moss. World Premiere

The Violent Kind / USA (Directors and screenwriters: The Butcher Brothers) A group of rowdy young bikers party it up at a secluded farmhouse when, tormented by a mysterious force, things take a turn for the worst. Cast: Taylor Cole, Christina Prousalis, Tiffany Shepis, David Fine, Joseph McKelheer. World Premiere.

NEW FRONTIER
This program highlights work that explores the limits of traditional aesthetics and the narrative structures of filmmaking.

All My Friends Are Funeral Singers / USA (Director and screenwriter: Tim Rutili)–A fortune teller lives and works in and old house crowded with ghosts.   When a mysterious light appears in the woods, the ghosts realize they are trapped and begin to rebel. Cast: Angela Bettis. World Premiere

Double Take / Germany, Netherlands (Director: Johan Grimonprez)– Alfred Hitchcock is unwittingly caught up in a double take on the cold war period. As television hijacks cinema, and Khrushchev debates Nixon, sexual politics quietly take off and Hitchcock himself blackmails housewives with brands they can’t refuse. Cast: Mark Perry, Ron Burrage. North American Premiere

Memories of Overdevelopment / USA (Director and Screenwriter: Miguel Coyula)–Live action mixes with animation and newsreel footage of historical events to form a collage that emulates the way personal memory works for a misanthropic Cuban intellectual. An adaptation of a novel by Cuban author Edmundo Desnoes. Cast: Ron Blair.     World Premiere

ODDSAC / USA (Director: Daniel Perez)–An earthy, psychedelic experimental narrative infused with the band, Animal Collective’s aural and musical sensibilities. World Premiere

Pepperminta / Austria, Switzerland (Director: Pipilotti Rist; Screenwriters: Pipilotti Rist, Chris Niemeyer)– A magical and visually stunning contemporary fantasy about a young woman with an anarchist imagination. Together with Pepperminta’s best friends, colors and strawberries, she sets out to fight for a more humane world. Cast: Ewelina Guzik North American Premiere.

Utopia in Four Movements / USA (Directors: Sam Green and Dave Cerf)–In this “live documentary” Sam Green’s live narration blends with Dave Cerf’s soundtrack to explore the battered state of the utopian impulse at the dawn of the 21st century.   World Premiere

Be sure to keep checking back here for more announcements leading up to Sundance 2010.  Scott and I will be attending the fest, and we plan to bring you the best coverage on the net plus a few, other surprises we may have hidden up our sleeves.

THE VIOLENT KIND Premiering at 2010 Sundance

violent kind

It was a film we announced back in June after star Cory Knauf gave us the scoop that he was reteaming with the Butcher Brothers on a film called THE VIOLENT KIND.   Today came word that the film will be premiering at 2010’s Park City at Midnight, the genre leg of the Sundance Film Festival, and I, for one, cannot friggin’ wait for this thing.

Check out this official synopsis:

One night at a secluded farmhouse deep in the woods, a small group of hardened young biker hoodlums and their girlfriends are tormented when one of the women becomes demonically possessed.   As mysterious figures are glimpsed amongst the woods, ominous sounds heard, and friends found injured, an evening that begins with The Crew recanting the past quickly finds a bigger question looming: Who has joined them for this evening?   The machinations of THE VIOLENT KIND delve into an exploration of how the past, the present, and the future will impact the lives of several 20-somethings, each on their own path, but controlled by a history unbeknownst to them.

We were able to catch up with some of the people behind the film to get a quick word on the film and what it’s like to have it premiere at Sundance.

Star Cory Knauf had this to say about THE VIOLENT KIND getting accepted into Sundance:

I can’t say I expected it to make it into Sundance because I’d be lying if I did. What I can say with full confidence though is that I can’t think of another film out there quite like it. You’ll see. It’s really a testament to how incredible the Butcher Brothers are at telling a story. This weird flick came out of their brains, and now it’s at arguably the best festival around…. Like I said, you’ll see.

Co-producer Don R. Lewis said this when asked about how messed up and crazy the Butcher Brothers’ next film is:

Well, we knew the movie was going to be nuts when we all read the finished script. But we weren’t ready for how fucked up the actual playing out of events would be once they started the filming and especially in the editing processes. You know things are hardcore when Mitchell Altieri, one of the Butcher Brothers, got scared at what he had created one day in the editing suite. He just walked out shaking his head saying “Ugh….what have I done?”

Lewis also had this to say when asked who he would put money on in a fight, biker or demon:

Initially, I would have bet on the bikers but seeing how events played out, I wouldn’t put any money on anyone. Plus…who said they’re really demons………

Check out the film’s official site, Facebook page, or follow them on Twitter.  Screening dates for THE VIOLENT KIND at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival will soon be announced.  Keep checking back here for all the gory details.

Top 10 Movies from Sundance Film Festival 2009

Sundance is officially over and now it is time for me to breakdown the 10 best movies that I saw during the festival. Prepare yourself, this is going to be a good one:

1) ‘Worlds Greatest Dad’

Bobcat brought this movie to Sundance, and it was the sleeper hit of the festival. Robin Williams in probably he most controversial role. Great but super dark.

Read the Review

2) ‘We Live in Public’

Ondi Timoner has truly created one of the greatest documentaries of our time. Josh Harris is responsible for everything that you currently see or do on the web. Not to mention this film won the Documentary Grand Jury Prize at Sundance.

Read the Review.

3) ‘500 Days of Summer’

Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel together in an indie romantic comedy? Yes Please.

Read the review.

4) ‘Black Dynamite’

I have been propping this movie for months, of course it made the list! Plus it was one hell of a ride.

Read the review.

5) ‘Mystery Team’

This movie surprised me, definitely one of my favorites. A movie about a group of high school mystery detectives that get brought on to help solve a double murder in their small town. Derrick Comedy Group Rules!

Read the review.

6) ‘Humpday’

Mumble core movie of Sundance, and EVERYONE loved this. 2 best friends decide to make an “artsy” amateur porn for Hump Fest about 2 straight guys having sex with each other.

Read the review.

7) ‘Bronson’

Tom Hardy plays the UK’s infamous prisoner “Charlie Bronson”. This movie is absolutely amazing.

Read the review.

8) ‘The Winning Season’

Sam Rockwell brings the house down as an alcoholic ex basketball coach who is brought on to revive the girls varsity basketball team

Read the review.

9) ‘Peter and Vandy’

A great and witty love story from Jay DiPietro and I think this might have been the best love story of Sundance 2009.

Read the review.

10) ‘Adventureland’

This movie had the biggest hype going in, and although it didn’t live up to ALL the hype it was still a super heartwarming movie.

Read the review.

There you have it boys and girls, my top 10 favorite movies at Sundance 2009. I cant wait to do it again next year!

Scott blogs Sundance Film Festival 2009: Day 10

Day 10 of the 2009 Sundance Film Festival which also means that it is the final day, and I have to go home tomorrow but that doesn’t mean we weren’t going to burn the town down.

In the morning I hit a screening of ‘Worlds Greatest Dad‘ which is written/directed by Bobcat Goldthwait and is an absolutely phenomenal movie starring Robin Williams. After the movie Bobcat did a Q&A that brought the house down and I got to meet him afterwords.

From there I went and grabbed some food with Neil, Alex and Pete down on main street. We hit the Sundance store and picked up some swag, and then went home to get changed for the closing night party.

At the party, we all tried to figure out how to get more than our 3 free drinks and hang out with the most celebrities. One of them was Joseph Gordon-Levitt:

Then ran into the ‘Black Dynamite’ guys:

The Sundance Party was off the chain except the fact that Devin and Alex got into it, and Pete was there to record the whole thing. Here is a picture you can see me taking during the fight:

and then we ran into Bobcat again. From there we hit main street and ran into the Mystery Team cast again:

After it was all said and done, I had to head back to the condo to catch a shuttle and go back home. Sundance was great, and this is me signing off.