When Lamb of God decided to cover “Wake Up Dead,” the blistering thrash odyssey their tourmates Megadeth released in 1986, they asked themselves how they could make it bigger. So they decided just to ask Megadeth to record it with them. Their new recording of the song features the five members of Lamb of God with additional vocals and guitar parts by Megadeth frontman Dave Mustaine and cameos by the rest of his band.
Following a trek last year that they called the Metal Tour of the Year, the two bands...
Following a trek last year that they called the Metal Tour of the Year, the two bands...
- 4/1/2022
- by Kory Grow
- Rollingstone.com
Lamb of God’s upcoming deluxe edition of their self-titled album will feature a typically punishing bonus track, “Ghost Shaped People.” Frontman Randy Blythe asks, “What will you believe? Who will you betray? What’s the cost of victory?” in the song’s chorus, which is sandwiched between the band’s signature cataclysm of chugging guitars and anvil-smashing drums.
Although it’s not entirely clear who has sparked Blythe’s ire, it’s clear that they’re the sort of weak-spined infidel who probably wouldn’t appreciate Lamb of God anyway,...
Although it’s not entirely clear who has sparked Blythe’s ire, it’s clear that they’re the sort of weak-spined infidel who probably wouldn’t appreciate Lamb of God anyway,...
- 2/5/2021
- by Kory Grow
- Rollingstone.com
Two of the hard-rock and metal’s loudest musicians, Halestorm frontwoman Lzzy Hale and Lamb of God guitarist Mark Morton, have joined forces for what may be the gentlest song they’ve ever recorded, an acoustic cover of the Black Crowes’ “She Talks to Angels.” The pair previously cut a version of the song for Morton’s solo EP, Ether, which came out over the summer, but they decided to reprise it for Hale’s Raise Your Horns YouTube show.
Hale’s husky voice suits the song well, and when she belts out,...
Hale’s husky voice suits the song well, and when she belts out,...
- 11/13/2020
- by Kory Grow
- Rollingstone.com
Orion Pictures has released a new clip from Bill & Ted Face The Music. When Bill (Alex Winter) and Ted (Keanu Reeves) are visited by an emissary from the future, Kelly (Kristen Schaal), they don’t know what to expect – and neither do their daughters (Samara Weaving and Brigette Lundy-Paine). Whoa!
Pre-order you tix today! https://fandan.co/BillandTed3
In addition, Orion Pictures has released a set of Bill & Ted Face The Music Zoom backgrounds to make your video calls most triumphant! Download the Zoom backgrounds Here: https://billandted3.com/wallpapers/zoom
Orion Pictures’ Bill And Ted Face The Music and Weezer have released a most excellent music video for Weezer’s new original song, “Beginning Of The End (Wyld Stallyns Edit)”. The video brings together Weezer with iconic duo William “Bill” S. Preston Esq. (Alex Winter) and Theodore “Ted” Logan (Keanu Reeves) to rock out to Weezer’s characteristic pop melodies and SoCal rock sound.
Pre-order you tix today! https://fandan.co/BillandTed3
In addition, Orion Pictures has released a set of Bill & Ted Face The Music Zoom backgrounds to make your video calls most triumphant! Download the Zoom backgrounds Here: https://billandted3.com/wallpapers/zoom
Orion Pictures’ Bill And Ted Face The Music and Weezer have released a most excellent music video for Weezer’s new original song, “Beginning Of The End (Wyld Stallyns Edit)”. The video brings together Weezer with iconic duo William “Bill” S. Preston Esq. (Alex Winter) and Theodore “Ted” Logan (Keanu Reeves) to rock out to Weezer’s characteristic pop melodies and SoCal rock sound.
- 8/18/2020
- by Michelle Hannett
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
What better way to celebrate the first Bill & Ted movie in 29 years than with a band that took the Nineties by storm?
“My head is spinning, it’s the beginning of the end,” Weezer frontman Rivers Cuomo sings in the hook of just-released song “Beginning of the End.” The band whipped up the new tune for the third installment of the franchise — aptly titled Bill & Ted Face the Music — which United Artists Releasing will release on August 28th. Record label 10K Projects will drop the soundtrack on the same day.
“My head is spinning, it’s the beginning of the end,” Weezer frontman Rivers Cuomo sings in the hook of just-released song “Beginning of the End.” The band whipped up the new tune for the third installment of the franchise — aptly titled Bill & Ted Face the Music — which United Artists Releasing will release on August 28th. Record label 10K Projects will drop the soundtrack on the same day.
- 8/14/2020
- by Samantha Hissong
- Rollingstone.com
‘Everything is the story,’ says screenwriter Sarah Phelps. That’s why the stage directions in her scripts are so finely detailed. ‘The story isn’t just what comes out of people’s mouths, the story is what’s in the room.’
‘How high are the ceilings? Are the windows large or small? What does the air smell of? Is it cold? Is everything always slightly damp? Is there enough food on the table? Is there a fly buzzing somewhere? What can you see out of the window? Can you hear traffic? Can you hear your next-door neighbours? Is there a dog that barks incessantly?’
Without that detail, Phelps tells Den of Geek, she’d just be putting dialogue into a vacuum. Mood, weather, smell, hair, costume… it all forms the fabric of a script. But there’s more. All five of her BBC One Agatha Christie dramas are also connected through symbolic details.
‘How high are the ceilings? Are the windows large or small? What does the air smell of? Is it cold? Is everything always slightly damp? Is there enough food on the table? Is there a fly buzzing somewhere? What can you see out of the window? Can you hear traffic? Can you hear your next-door neighbours? Is there a dog that barks incessantly?’
Without that detail, Phelps tells Den of Geek, she’d just be putting dialogue into a vacuum. Mood, weather, smell, hair, costume… it all forms the fabric of a script. But there’s more. All five of her BBC One Agatha Christie dramas are also connected through symbolic details.
- 7/14/2020
- by Louisa Mellor
- Den of Geek
A month after Buju Banton announced the impending arrival of his new album Upside Down 2020, the reggae superstar revealed Friday that his first LP in 10 years will be released June 26th.
Banton also shared his new single “Blessed” from Upside Down 2020, which marks Banton’s first full-length album since his prison release in December 2018 following a seven-year stint on U.S. federal drug charges. John Legend, Pharrell, Stephen Marley and Stefflon Don are among the album’s guests.
The dancehall star last released Before the Dawn in 2010. A decade later,...
Banton also shared his new single “Blessed” from Upside Down 2020, which marks Banton’s first full-length album since his prison release in December 2018 following a seven-year stint on U.S. federal drug charges. John Legend, Pharrell, Stephen Marley and Stefflon Don are among the album’s guests.
The dancehall star last released Before the Dawn in 2010. A decade later,...
- 6/12/2020
- by Daniel Kreps
- Rollingstone.com
Lamb Of God has released “Routes,” the fourth single from their June 19 self-titled Epic Records release, featuring a guest appearance from Testament vocalist Chuck Billy. A visualizer for the track is available now at http://lamb-of-god.com and can be viewed below. Fans can pre-order Lamb of God, including a new alternate CD cover version signed by all five band members, now at the […] More...
- 5/30/2020
- by Josh Millican
- DreadCentral.com
Lamb of God have shared a thundering new song, “Routes,” which was lyrically inspired by the time frontman Randy Blythe spent protesting the Dakota Access Pipeline at the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation in North Dakota. The song will appear on Lamb of God’s upcoming self-titled album, out June 19th.
“Routes” is a bulldozer of a track — packed with a relentless barrage of drums and riffs — featuring guest vocals from Testament singer Chuck Billy. Blythe’s lyrics paint a vivid portrait of environmental destruction tied to centuries of injustice toward indigenous people.
“Routes” is a bulldozer of a track — packed with a relentless barrage of drums and riffs — featuring guest vocals from Testament singer Chuck Billy. Blythe’s lyrics paint a vivid portrait of environmental destruction tied to centuries of injustice toward indigenous people.
- 5/29/2020
- by Jon Blistein
- Rollingstone.com
The first teaser trailer has been released for the upcoming tv series “Paradise City” which will be a spin-off of the 2017 film “American Satan” created by Sumerian Records founder Ash Avildsen. The star-studded cast includes Black Veil Brides’ Andy Black, Bella Thorne, the late Cameron Boyce (Passed Away in July 2019), Drea De Matteo, Mark Boone Jr, Fairuza Balk, BooBoo Stewart, Olivia Culpo, Ryan Hurst, Perrey Reeves, Rhys Coiro, Asking Alexandria’s Ben Bruce & James Cassells, Juliet Simms, Hopsin, Natalie Eva Marie, Amanda Steele, Brooke Lyons, Sleeping With Sirens’ Kellin Quinn, Lamb Of God’s Randy Blythe, Slipknot’s Sid Wilson, Grace Powell, Taylor Wade, Kimi Shelter, Emily Moon, Paige Hathaway, Animals As Leaders’ Javier Reyes, Jose Mangin, Tomm Voss, Nita Strauss, Matt Pinfield, Jim Ross, Porsche Coleman, Ned Bellamy, Gino Cafarelli, Brittany Parisi, Norman Johnson Jr, JJ Cassiere, Angie Simms, Rigan Michado, Max Wasa and Major Dodge. The synopsis for...
- 5/2/2020
- by Kristyn Clarke
- Age of the Nerd
Lamb of God’s new video for the chest-thumping single “Memento Mori” — which will appear on their upcoming self-titled LP — focuses on a man unaware of a deadly virus spreading across the world.
Singer Randy Blythe says he came up with the concept for the video months before the coronavirus pandemic, but it’s still anxiety-inducing to see the clip’s protagonist falling asleep while the news is on, only to watch a legion of demon zombies — which look like something out of the horror movie Nightbreed — pursuing him as...
Singer Randy Blythe says he came up with the concept for the video months before the coronavirus pandemic, but it’s still anxiety-inducing to see the clip’s protagonist falling asleep while the news is on, only to watch a legion of demon zombies — which look like something out of the horror movie Nightbreed — pursuing him as...
- 3/17/2020
- by Kory Grow
- Rollingstone.com
The Ugc Writers Campus by Series Mania, an immersive week-long writing workshop for 20 emerging TV drama writers throughout Europe, will run from March 20-27. Now in its third year, Ugc has selected 20 screenwriters from more than 100 candidates and 30 different countries.
The Series Mania Festival runs from March 20-28 in Lille, France, and will include a program of world premieres and series selected for competition.
Under the editorial supervision of Lorraine Sullivan, this year’s president of the Ugc campus will be Eli Horowitz, the creator and showrunner of the Amazon series Homecoming, starring Julia Roberts (the series’ Season 2 is set for this Spring.)
The 20 selected screenwriters also will be tutored by screenwriter Jeppe Gjervig Gram (Follow the Money) and screenwriter and story consultant Nicola Lusuardi (Bulletproof Heart), through masterclasses, writing workshops and meetings with industry professionals.
The selected participants include:
Richard Brabin – At Sea – UK (London Film School) Marta Irene...
The Series Mania Festival runs from March 20-28 in Lille, France, and will include a program of world premieres and series selected for competition.
Under the editorial supervision of Lorraine Sullivan, this year’s president of the Ugc campus will be Eli Horowitz, the creator and showrunner of the Amazon series Homecoming, starring Julia Roberts (the series’ Season 2 is set for this Spring.)
The 20 selected screenwriters also will be tutored by screenwriter Jeppe Gjervig Gram (Follow the Money) and screenwriter and story consultant Nicola Lusuardi (Bulletproof Heart), through masterclasses, writing workshops and meetings with industry professionals.
The selected participants include:
Richard Brabin – At Sea – UK (London Film School) Marta Irene...
- 2/17/2020
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Eli Horowitz, creator and showrunner of the Julia Roberts-led Amazon series “Homecoming,” will be the president of the Ugc Writers Campus at annual series showcase Series Mania.
The Campus is a week-long writing workshop for emerging TV drama writers from Europe. Twenty screenwriters were chosen from more than 100 applicants. The workshop will be run under the editorial supervision of Series Mania founder Laurence Herszberg. Screenwriter Jeppe Gjervig Gram (“Borgen”) and screenwriter and story editor Nicola Lusuardi (“1994”) are the other tutors.
The selected screenwriters and projects include: Richard Brabin’s “At Sea” (U.K.); Marta Irene Rosato’s “Bad Reputation” (Italy); Judit Anna Banhazi’s “Christabel” (Hungary); Bar Farjun and Shachar Rosenfeld’s “The Instructors” (Israel); Alain Moreau’s “Agnes & Luis” (France); Daniela Luciani and Ilaria Coppolecchia’s “Lamb of God” (Italy); Elena Lyubarskaya and Katerina Gerothanasi’s “Moving On” (Russia and Greece); Thomas Lehout and Juliette Barry’s...
The Campus is a week-long writing workshop for emerging TV drama writers from Europe. Twenty screenwriters were chosen from more than 100 applicants. The workshop will be run under the editorial supervision of Series Mania founder Laurence Herszberg. Screenwriter Jeppe Gjervig Gram (“Borgen”) and screenwriter and story editor Nicola Lusuardi (“1994”) are the other tutors.
The selected screenwriters and projects include: Richard Brabin’s “At Sea” (U.K.); Marta Irene Rosato’s “Bad Reputation” (Italy); Judit Anna Banhazi’s “Christabel” (Hungary); Bar Farjun and Shachar Rosenfeld’s “The Instructors” (Israel); Alain Moreau’s “Agnes & Luis” (France); Daniela Luciani and Ilaria Coppolecchia’s “Lamb of God” (Italy); Elena Lyubarskaya and Katerina Gerothanasi’s “Moving On” (Russia and Greece); Thomas Lehout and Juliette Barry’s...
- 2/17/2020
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Megadeth and Lamb of God will team up for a massive co-headlining North American tour this year.
The 55-date trek will be split into two legs, the first of which kicks off June 12th at Jiffy Lube Live in Bristow, Virginia, and wraps August 1st at the Concord Pavilion in Concord, California. The second run launches October 2nd at iTHINK Financial Amphitheater in West Palm Beach, Florida, and runs through November 13th at the Reno Events Center in Reno, Nevada.
In addition to Megadeth and Lamb of God, the tour...
The 55-date trek will be split into two legs, the first of which kicks off June 12th at Jiffy Lube Live in Bristow, Virginia, and wraps August 1st at the Concord Pavilion in Concord, California. The second run launches October 2nd at iTHINK Financial Amphitheater in West Palm Beach, Florida, and runs through November 13th at the Reno Events Center in Reno, Nevada.
In addition to Megadeth and Lamb of God, the tour...
- 2/10/2020
- by Jon Blistein
- Rollingstone.com
“I don’t know what I’d call Teenage Time Killers, but I do know it’s a supergroup of fucking badass musicians and singers,” Corrosion of Conformity drummer Reed Mullin told Rolling Stone in 2015 of his all-star punk-meets-metal side project. Their first album, Greatest Hits Vol. 1, came out that year.
Now, in the wake of Mullin’s death last month, his core collaborators in Teenage Time Killers — guitarist and co-songwriter Mick Murphy, also of My Ruin, and Foo Fighters studio engineer John Lousteau — have released a series of pro-shot...
Now, in the wake of Mullin’s death last month, his core collaborators in Teenage Time Killers — guitarist and co-songwriter Mick Murphy, also of My Ruin, and Foo Fighters studio engineer John Lousteau — have released a series of pro-shot...
- 2/6/2020
- by Hank Shteamer
- Rollingstone.com
At the start of Chapter 18 of “The Good Place,” Ted Danson’s Michael — the architect of a human torture chamber who’s recently switched sides in an attempt to help his former captives — laments how his new bosses are running The Bad Place.
“It really tucks my nuggets,” he says. “I worked so hard on my torture ideas, and theirs are so basic. These millennials, they have no work ethic.”
When Tahani (Jameela Jamil) and Jason (Manny Jacinto), who are both around the millennial age, give him a puzzled look, he continues. “Oh sorry, a millennial is someone who has only been torturing people for a thousand years.”
But the pun-like wordplay above sparked a troubling thought. Considering the middling “Good Place” ratings and the recent history of its star…
Do real millennials not get Ted Danson?
Now, to be fair, “The Good Place” ratings aren’t bad. In fact,...
“It really tucks my nuggets,” he says. “I worked so hard on my torture ideas, and theirs are so basic. These millennials, they have no work ethic.”
When Tahani (Jameela Jamil) and Jason (Manny Jacinto), who are both around the millennial age, give him a puzzled look, he continues. “Oh sorry, a millennial is someone who has only been torturing people for a thousand years.”
But the pun-like wordplay above sparked a troubling thought. Considering the middling “Good Place” ratings and the recent history of its star…
Do real millennials not get Ted Danson?
Now, to be fair, “The Good Place” ratings aren’t bad. In fact,...
- 10/20/2017
- by Ben Travers
- Indiewire
Louisa Mellor Aug 11, 2017
Here’s a reminder of the key events in Top Of The Lake series 1, for anyone whose memory needs a jog. Spoilers…
Warning: contains series one spoilers.
See related Seann William Scott interview: Goon, Role Models, American Pie and Eugene Levy Goon 2 is in the works
Detective Robin Griffin (Elisabeth Moss) returns to her remote New Zealand hometown of Laketop to visit her mother who is dying of cancer, leaving behind in Sydney her fiancé of five years, Steve. When twelve-year-old Tui (Jacqueline Joe) is found standing fully dressed in the local lake, the school nurse discovers that Tui is five months pregnant. Robin is brought in to interview the child on account of her experience with abuse cases. When asked who impregnated her, Tui writes the word “No-one” on a piece of paper.
Tui’s father is local drug-dealer Matt Mitcham (Peter Mullan), a violent man...
Here’s a reminder of the key events in Top Of The Lake series 1, for anyone whose memory needs a jog. Spoilers…
Warning: contains series one spoilers.
See related Seann William Scott interview: Goon, Role Models, American Pie and Eugene Levy Goon 2 is in the works
Detective Robin Griffin (Elisabeth Moss) returns to her remote New Zealand hometown of Laketop to visit her mother who is dying of cancer, leaving behind in Sydney her fiancé of five years, Steve. When twelve-year-old Tui (Jacqueline Joe) is found standing fully dressed in the local lake, the school nurse discovers that Tui is five months pregnant. Robin is brought in to interview the child on account of her experience with abuse cases. When asked who impregnated her, Tui writes the word “No-one” on a piece of paper.
Tui’s father is local drug-dealer Matt Mitcham (Peter Mullan), a violent man...
- 8/11/2017
- Den of Geek
Season 24 of Dancing With the Stars is shaping up to be one of the bests!
The celebrities and their pro partners took it to the next level on Monday night, wowing us with creative choreography, new tricks and a few steamy moments, as well.
From Normani Kordei and Val Chmerkovskiy's emotional contemporary routine to Rashad Jennings' powerful trio dance with Emma Slater and Witney Carson, Et's breaking down all the best moments from week 8 of the dance competition show!
Watch: 'DWTS' Names Semi-Finalists After Quarterfinal Elimination Sends Home a Fan Favorite
Partner Dances
Rashad Jennings & Emma Slater – Jive, "Shake a Tail Feather" by Blues Brothers
Dance highlight: The jive is all about being slick and quick, and that's exactly what #TeamShadSquad did! From the sparkly costumes to the energetic choreography, this piece was a great way to kick off the night! Our favorite moments occurred at the 0:41 mark, where they incorporated...
The celebrities and their pro partners took it to the next level on Monday night, wowing us with creative choreography, new tricks and a few steamy moments, as well.
From Normani Kordei and Val Chmerkovskiy's emotional contemporary routine to Rashad Jennings' powerful trio dance with Emma Slater and Witney Carson, Et's breaking down all the best moments from week 8 of the dance competition show!
Watch: 'DWTS' Names Semi-Finalists After Quarterfinal Elimination Sends Home a Fan Favorite
Partner Dances
Rashad Jennings & Emma Slater – Jive, "Shake a Tail Feather" by Blues Brothers
Dance highlight: The jive is all about being slick and quick, and that's exactly what #TeamShadSquad did! From the sparkly costumes to the energetic choreography, this piece was a great way to kick off the night! Our favorite moments occurred at the 0:41 mark, where they incorporated...
- 5/9/2017
- Entertainment Tonight
“Most Beautiful Island”
A short, stressful, and utterly spellbinding debut that transforms the immigrant experience into the stuff of an early Polanski psychodrama, “Most Beautiful Island” was a worthy winner of the SXSW Grand Jury Prize for best narrative feature, and might prove to be a breakthrough moment for a major new talent: Spanish actress Ana Asensio not only wrote, directed, and produced this fraught metropolitan thriller, she also appears in just about every frame.
It would be criminal to reveal too much about what happens to her character, a Manhattan immigrant who’s struggling to make a life for herself in the big city and in for the longest night of her life, but it’s thrilling to watch the anxiety of neo-realism as it slowly bleeds into something that resembles the suspense of the orgy sequence from “Eyes Wide Shut.” Creating a lucid sense of reality only so...
A short, stressful, and utterly spellbinding debut that transforms the immigrant experience into the stuff of an early Polanski psychodrama, “Most Beautiful Island” was a worthy winner of the SXSW Grand Jury Prize for best narrative feature, and might prove to be a breakthrough moment for a major new talent: Spanish actress Ana Asensio not only wrote, directed, and produced this fraught metropolitan thriller, she also appears in just about every frame.
It would be criminal to reveal too much about what happens to her character, a Manhattan immigrant who’s struggling to make a life for herself in the big city and in for the longest night of her life, but it’s thrilling to watch the anxiety of neo-realism as it slowly bleeds into something that resembles the suspense of the orgy sequence from “Eyes Wide Shut.” Creating a lucid sense of reality only so...
- 3/18/2017
- by Chris O'Falt, David Ehrlich, Eric Kohn, Kate Erbland and Steve Greene
- Indiewire
Keep up with the wild and wooly world of indie film acquisitions with our weekly Rundown of everything that’s been picked up around the globe. Check out last week’s Rundown here.
– Bleecker Street has secured U.S. distribution rights to Gabriela Cowperthwaite’s true-life story, “Megan Leavey.” The film is based on the life of Leavey (Kate Mara), a young marine corporal in the K9 unit whose unique discipline and bond with her military combat dog saved many lives during their deployment in Iraq.
Bleecker Street will release the movie on June 9, 2017.
Read More: Film Acquisition Rundown: Samuel Goldwyn Films Picks Up ‘Youth in Oregon,’ The Orchard Buys ‘Monkey Business’ and More
The film co-stars Edie Falco, Ramon Rodriguez, Bradley Whitford, and Common. Directed by Cowperthwaite (“Blackfish”), the movie was written by Pamela Gray, Annie Mumolo and Tim Lovestedt and produced by Mickey Liddell, Pete Shilaimon and Jennifer Monroe.
– Bleecker Street has secured U.S. distribution rights to Gabriela Cowperthwaite’s true-life story, “Megan Leavey.” The film is based on the life of Leavey (Kate Mara), a young marine corporal in the K9 unit whose unique discipline and bond with her military combat dog saved many lives during their deployment in Iraq.
Bleecker Street will release the movie on June 9, 2017.
Read More: Film Acquisition Rundown: Samuel Goldwyn Films Picks Up ‘Youth in Oregon,’ The Orchard Buys ‘Monkey Business’ and More
The film co-stars Edie Falco, Ramon Rodriguez, Bradley Whitford, and Common. Directed by Cowperthwaite (“Blackfish”), the movie was written by Pamela Gray, Annie Mumolo and Tim Lovestedt and produced by Mickey Liddell, Pete Shilaimon and Jennifer Monroe.
- 1/13/2017
- by Graham Winfrey
- Indiewire
HBO has acquired Evgeny Afineevsky’s Sundance selection and follow-up to Winter On Fire: Ukraine’s Fight For Freedom in a deal with executive producer David Dinerstein.
Cries From Syria chronicles the Middle East country’s civil war and draws on hundreds of hours of war footage as well as testimony from child protestors, human rights activists, citizens and high-ranking army generals who have defected from the Army.
The film receives its world premiere in Park City this month in the Documentary Premieres strand and will debut on HBO on March 13.
Annapurna Television is partnering with the Coen Brothers on Western anthology The Ballad Of Buster Scruggs. Annapurna issued a press release saying it intended to pursue “an innovative television and theatrical integrated approach” without elaborating. Joel and Ethen Coen wrote the script and will direct and produce through their Mike Zoss Productions label. Ellison and Annapurna Television president of television Sue Naegle are executive producers. UTA represents...
Cries From Syria chronicles the Middle East country’s civil war and draws on hundreds of hours of war footage as well as testimony from child protestors, human rights activists, citizens and high-ranking army generals who have defected from the Army.
The film receives its world premiere in Park City this month in the Documentary Premieres strand and will debut on HBO on March 13.
Annapurna Television is partnering with the Coen Brothers on Western anthology The Ballad Of Buster Scruggs. Annapurna issued a press release saying it intended to pursue “an innovative television and theatrical integrated approach” without elaborating. Joel and Ethen Coen wrote the script and will direct and produce through their Mike Zoss Productions label. Ellison and Annapurna Television president of television Sue Naegle are executive producers. UTA represents...
- 1/10/2017
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
Weddings used to be the most exciting, romantic part of Days of Our Lives.
Remember when Kayla got her voice back just in time to say her vows to Steve or when Jack dressed as a fireman to literally sweep Jennifer off her feet and take her to her wedding?
Bo and Hope had a destination wedding and almost the whole town celebrated Will and Sonny's, which also happened to be the first male-male wedding on daytime.
But if the lead-up to Lucas and Adrienne's wedding is the new standard, big soap weddings are a thing of the past along with supercouples and real romance. After a ho-hum lead-in to the world's smallest wedding, so far the most exciting thing was Joey deciding this was the right time to inform his father that his girlfriend is pregnant.
It might have helped if any of Lucas and Adrienne's romance was on-screen.
Remember when Kayla got her voice back just in time to say her vows to Steve or when Jack dressed as a fireman to literally sweep Jennifer off her feet and take her to her wedding?
Bo and Hope had a destination wedding and almost the whole town celebrated Will and Sonny's, which also happened to be the first male-male wedding on daytime.
But if the lead-up to Lucas and Adrienne's wedding is the new standard, big soap weddings are a thing of the past along with supercouples and real romance. After a ho-hum lead-in to the world's smallest wedding, so far the most exciting thing was Joey deciding this was the right time to inform his father that his girlfriend is pregnant.
It might have helped if any of Lucas and Adrienne's romance was on-screen.
- 11/19/2016
- by Jack Ori
- TVfanatic
Boot Camp lasted five weeks - yes, that's right, five weeks - but tonight, we finally have some progression, and the final 24 are off to Judges' Houses to be whittled down to the final 12. Cheryl takes the Groups to Rome, Simon takes the Overs to the South of France, Rita takes the Girls to La... and Nick takes the Boys to the Cotswolds. Awkward.
Join us from 8pm and we'll bring you all the action live as it happens. We can't wait to comment on all of the judges' interior design prowess (and also, we suppose, whether the acts are any good). In the meantime, here's 8 of the past best ever Judges' Houses moments - we wonder what kind of tears, celebrity cameos and pool-jumping antics we've got in store this evening?
22:22And that's it! It took two and a half hours, but we made it! We're so glad that our favourites 4th Impact,...
Join us from 8pm and we'll bring you all the action live as it happens. We can't wait to comment on all of the judges' interior design prowess (and also, we suppose, whether the acts are any good). In the meantime, here's 8 of the past best ever Judges' Houses moments - we wonder what kind of tears, celebrity cameos and pool-jumping antics we've got in store this evening?
22:22And that's it! It took two and a half hours, but we made it! We're so glad that our favourites 4th Impact,...
- 10/24/2015
- Digital Spy
Few screenwriters these days are as well known as Diablo Cody. Her colorful backstory and distinctive dialogue made her a rare behind-the-scenes star when she broke out with “Juno” eight years ago, and her work, while not always as successful as that hit film, (which also won Cody an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay), has always been fascinating and worth a watch. Cody’s been back in the limelight recently after penning Jonathan Demme’s Meryl Streep-starring “Ricki & The Flash” (read our review here), and tells the Hollywood Reporter that despite her success, there’s one thing she’s unlikely to be doing again, and that’s directing a movie. Cody’s first feature as a helmer, 2013’s “Paradise” (starring Julianne Hough, Russell Brand and Octavia Spencer) was critically slaughtered (our review called it “a cloying after school special”), and it was released straight to DirectTV without much fanfare.
- 8/21/2015
- by Oliver Lyttelton
- The Playlist
A version of this story first appeared in the Aug. 21 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. To receive the magazine, click here to subscribe. Diablo Cody is known for her screenplays (Juno, Young Adult and Showtime's United States of Tara), but it turns out her directing foray did not leave her with the same sense of success: She won't be doing it again — ever. Cody helmed 2013's Paradise, which was released on VOD and critically panned. "I am retired from directing," she tells THR, adding: "I don't think I possess the leadership qualities required to be a
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- 8/13/2015
- by Rebecca Ford
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Diablo Cody, a.k.a. Brook Maurio, won an Oscar for writing "Juno" in 2007, but since her hailed debut, she's delivered more complicated, unconventional, and hair-raising movie scripts featuring women in starring roles. "Jennifer's Body" gave us Megan Fox as a zombified cheerleader; "Young Adult" offered up Charlize Theron as a jaded, sociopathically self-absorbed writer who pines for her high school boyfriend. Even 2013's "Paradise," Cody's directorial debut starring Julianne Hough, focused on a religious woman who rebuilds her life in Las Vegas following a traumatizing accident. Now, Cody's giving us yet another antiheroine with "Ricki and the Flash," her new film starring Meryl Streep as a rocker and wayward mother who returns to her Midwestern roots when daughter Julie (Mamie Gummer, Streep's real-life daughter) experiences a devastating breakup. With director Jonathan Demme at the helm and a spellbinding cast (Streep, Gummer, Kevin Kline, Rick Springfield, Audra McDonald, and more...
- 7/30/2015
- by Louis Virtel
- Hitfix
“Portlandia” writer-director Jonathan Krisel and writer Graham Wagner will reteam on an adaptation of Lydia Millet’s 2014 satirical novel “Mermaids in Paradise” for Good Universe. This is the Emmy-nominated duo’s feature film. In the Emmy-nominated duo’s first feature prouject, Krisel will direct from Wagner’s script. The story follows a newlywed couple who discovers the existence of mermaids during their honeymoon in a tropical paradise. Pacific Electric Picture Co’s Ed Helms (“The Hangover”) and Mike Falbo will produce, as will Danica Radovanov and Krisel. Good Universe’s Nathan Kahane, the company’s co-founder, and Joe Drake will be executive producers.
- 5/19/2015
- by Kathy Zerbib
- The Wrap
So is the Oscar already locked up for Meryl Streep in this one or is it coming? How much is postage? Not that I’m saying she should win one, but let’s be honest — it is coming.
The first trailer for Ricki and the Flash dropped on Wednesday and displayed Streep’s rockstar abilities. The film from director Jonathan Demme, and writer Diablo Cody, also stars Kevin Kline, Mamie Gummer, Rick Springfield, Sebastian Stan, and Audra McDonald.
This film finds Streep as Ricki, a musician who gave up everything for her dream of rock-and-roll stardom who returns home, looking to make things right with her family. This comes at a time when her daughter was just left by her fiancee and her relationship with the other family members is a bit unstable due to the lack of her being there in their lives.
It looks like a pretty standard...
The first trailer for Ricki and the Flash dropped on Wednesday and displayed Streep’s rockstar abilities. The film from director Jonathan Demme, and writer Diablo Cody, also stars Kevin Kline, Mamie Gummer, Rick Springfield, Sebastian Stan, and Audra McDonald.
This film finds Streep as Ricki, a musician who gave up everything for her dream of rock-and-roll stardom who returns home, looking to make things right with her family. This comes at a time when her daughter was just left by her fiancee and her relationship with the other family members is a bit unstable due to the lack of her being there in their lives.
It looks like a pretty standard...
- 5/7/2015
- by Zach Dennis
- SoundOnSight
Russell Brand and Rainn Wilson are among the new cast members for Nicolas Cage's war comedy Army of One.
Borat director Larry Charles's true-life film casts Nicolas Cage as Gary Faulkner, a handyman who travels to Pakistan to capture Osama Bin Laden without any training.
The project will mark Brand's first big screen project since 2012's Paradise.
Rounding out the cast for Army of One will be comedy veterans Paul Scheer and Ken Marino, as well as American Horror Story star Denis O'Hare, reports Deadline.
The Goldbergs star Wendi McLendon-Covey was previously confirmed to be starring opposite Cage.
Army of One has no release date at this time.
Meanwhile, Brand is gearing up for the release of his and Michael Winterbottom's documentary about inequality, The Emperor's New Clothes. Watch the trailer below:...
Borat director Larry Charles's true-life film casts Nicolas Cage as Gary Faulkner, a handyman who travels to Pakistan to capture Osama Bin Laden without any training.
The project will mark Brand's first big screen project since 2012's Paradise.
Rounding out the cast for Army of One will be comedy veterans Paul Scheer and Ken Marino, as well as American Horror Story star Denis O'Hare, reports Deadline.
The Goldbergs star Wendi McLendon-Covey was previously confirmed to be starring opposite Cage.
Army of One has no release date at this time.
Meanwhile, Brand is gearing up for the release of his and Michael Winterbottom's documentary about inequality, The Emperor's New Clothes. Watch the trailer below:...
- 4/17/2015
- Digital Spy
Diablo Cody is working on the script for the upcoming live-action Barbie film.
The Oscar-winning writer of Juno will update the first draft penned by Sex and the City's Jenny Bicks, Deadline reports.
Producer Walter Parkes said: "Diablo's unconventionality is just what Barbie needs. It signals we're going for a legitimately contemporary tone.
"We're bringing her on because she had great ideas, but even more importantly, she truly loves Barbie."
Parkes is producing alongside Laurie MacDonald and Amy Pascal for Sony.
Julia Pistor is serving as executive producer for Mattel's Playground Productions, while Hannah Minghella and Lauren Abrahams will executive produce for the studio.
Cody is also known for her work on Jennifer's Body and Young Adult. She made her directorial debut with Paradise in 2013.
The Oscar-winning writer of Juno will update the first draft penned by Sex and the City's Jenny Bicks, Deadline reports.
Producer Walter Parkes said: "Diablo's unconventionality is just what Barbie needs. It signals we're going for a legitimately contemporary tone.
"We're bringing her on because she had great ideas, but even more importantly, she truly loves Barbie."
Parkes is producing alongside Laurie MacDonald and Amy Pascal for Sony.
Julia Pistor is serving as executive producer for Mattel's Playground Productions, while Hannah Minghella and Lauren Abrahams will executive produce for the studio.
Cody is also known for her work on Jennifer's Body and Young Adult. She made her directorial debut with Paradise in 2013.
- 3/5/2015
- Digital Spy
Last year, the improbably-proportioned doll Barbie and her parent company Mattel suffered an embarrassing PR gaff with a storybook about a computer engineer Barbie who needed the men in her office to do her coding for her. With the resultant universal opprobrium (and Feminist Hacker Barbie parodies) clearly very fresh in their minds, Mattel and Sony have been careful to position the developing Barbie movie as being all about female empowerment. Sex And The City's Jenny Bicks took the first crack at the screenplay, and it's just been revealed that the writer of the next draft will be Diablo Cody.Cody, of course, famously smashed through the glass ceiling, from stripping to Hollywood A-list status via scripts like Juno, Jennifer's Body and Young Adult. She made her directorial debut in 2013 with Paradise (although that one has yet to see release in the UK)."Diablo’s unconventionality is just what Barbie needs,...
- 3/5/2015
- EmpireOnline
John Nein was not always a Senior Programmer at the Sundance Film Festival — it’s only been eight years. When he began at Sundance in 2002 he was always watching movies of course. More than that, like John Cooper said, he just didn’t shut up when he was in the room; he was opinionated and spoke his opinions. He also always liked international cinema as he was born in Ireland and grew up in The Netherlands, Belgium and London where his father worked for international companies. When he was 12 he came to the U.S.
The programmers at Sundance do not have a strict formal assignment of areas they program; they see all the films of all the sections, but like his father, international was always of great interest. The same is true for myself, although out of the 118 feature films selected out of 4,105 feature length submissions, many of the U.S. films look great to me as well. For instance, I am so happy that Matt Sobel’s “ Take Me To The River ” which won the prize at Us in Progress this past November in Wroclaw, Poland at The American Film Festival is in the Next section.
John: This year on Day One, January 22, 2015, the Festival will feature one of each type of film shown at the Festival: one shorts program, a U.S. documentary, a U.S. dramatic, an international documentary and an international dramatic which will be the first ever Lithuanian film in Competition, a lesbian love story that is stylish and smartly directed by Alanté Kavaïté with two fantastic actors, Julija Steponaitytė and Aistė Diržiūtė. Actually " The Summer of Sangaile” is a coproduction of Lithuania, France, and Holland . I think Alanté lives in France.
There ares 29 countries represented and 45 first-time filmmakers.
Sydney: I know the Chileans love Sundance. Last year Alejandro Fernández Almendras said in our interview about “To Kill a Man” that Sundance is very important for Chile. I am also a longtime fan of Sebastian Silva since “The Maid”. Two years ago he had two films, “Crystal Fairy” and “Magic, Magic” in Sundance, so why is this Chilean film not in World Competition but in Next?
John: I’m glad Alejandro said that. Yes we like Chile too. They make many good films. But “Nasty Baby” by Sebastian Silva is a U.S. film, about people living in Brooklyn.
He lives in U.S. and has spent a lot of time here. He knows Brooklyn and yet his curiosity and his view of it is that of an outsider. He knows these people because he watches and listens so well. “
Sydney: “Bridesmaids” star and co-writer Kristen Wiig stars. A short promo of “Nasty Baby” was shown to buyers while it was in post-production in Cannes and Toronto. The Chilean production company of Juan de Dios Larrain and Pablo Larrain, Fabula, produced “No” as well as Sebastian’s later films. Papi Boye and Violaine Pichon’s production and international sales agent Versatile out of France along with the film’s international sales agent Funny Balloons — also based in France – helped finance this U.S. Production.
John: World Cinema is now 10 years old. Overall, the Competition sections have evolved over the years. We have a sense of emerging directors here. We have come of age.
All our films are of emerging filmmakers. Either first time directors or highly anticipated second or third features. Of all the festivals worldwide, Sundance has the strongest program of emerging talent. Watch these filmmakers over the next years. Like “Homesick” by Anna Sewitsky. Her previous film “Happy, Happy” showed at Sundance in 2011 and took the Grand Jury Prize for World Cinema. “Happy, Happy” also became the Norwegian Official entry for the Academy Awards® .
Sydney: TrustNordisk sold “Happy, Happy” to more than 50 countries, so they must be poised to sell this one as well.
John: But not all the second and third films are from filmmakers whose first films were at Sundance, although Canada’s “ Chorus” director Francois Delisle showed “The Meteor” at Sundance two years ago.
And “Glassland”, was a very anticipated second film. The first film by director and screenwriter, Gerard Barrett, "Pilgrim Hill” won the Galway Film Festival and was very sought after and was signed with a U.S. agent then. “Sangaile" is also a second feature.
Look at the international films in the Premieres section and you will see some international filmmakers there, like “ Brooklyn” which is an immigrant story directed by John Crowley and written by Nick Hornby whose film “Wild” is now playing .
Sydney: I see from IMDbPro that Hanway has already sold Middle Eastern rights to Front Row Entertainment who must have pre-bought “Brooklyn” in Cannes or Toronto.
John: Of the 12 films in World Cinema the less expected films come from Turkey, “Ivy” by the talented director Tolga Karacelik. This is his second film. His first was “Toll Booth” which Global Initiative distributed in the U.S. The Dp on this was Nuri Bilge Ceylan (“Winter’s Sleep”)’s Dp on “Winter’s Sleep”, Gökhan Tiryaki. It is about guys stuck on a freighter whose company goes bankrupt. Power dynamics play out.
Sydney: Have there been Oscar nominated films in Sundance (Aside from “Whiplash” and “Boyhood”)?
John: Yes, “Man on Wire” was not last year but it was foreign. “Ida” was in Spotlight last year and maybe Sundance increased its visibility. Three others were in Sundance last year:
“To Kill a Man” is Chile’s submission, “Difret” which won the Audience Award is Ethiopia’s submission this year and “Liar’s Dice” from India was in World Competition last year. It is a very artful film. We knew it would do well with the critics, but it did extremely well with the audience too. A couple of films in Spotlight will probably be nominated next year. Watch for them.
Sydney : We haven’t even discussed the World documentaries.
John : Are there any that stand out for you?
Sydney: Yes, “Chuck Norris vs. Communism”, from U.K., Romania and Germany. Chuck Norris?
John: How interesting it is that something like Chuck Norris means something very different to others. It is a sign of cultural differences between us. Chuck Norris shows how independent films built a community of counter culture against an authoritarian government.
Sydney: I also notice that there are six docs from the U.K. Out of 12 films.
John: Yes we noticed and discussed that. U.K. really supports documentary filmmaking. Great work is coming out of the U.K. And many of the films are about different countries, so it doesn’t fit so simply into a U.K. pigeon hole.
Sydney : Yes I see “Chuck Norris” is about Romania, “Dreamcatcher” is about teenage prostitution, “How to Change the World” is about Greenpeace, “Listen to Me Marlon” is about a famous U.S. actor, “The Russian Woodpecker” is about a Ukrainian survivor of Chernobyl.
Thank you John for your insights. I think we have a lot to look at here. Thank you for taking this time to talk with me. See you at Sundance!
For a full list thus far of Sundance films, see below.
U.S. Dramatic Competition
Advantageous / U.S.A. (Director: Jennifer Phang, Screenwriters: Jacqueline Kim, Jennifer Phang) — In a near-future city where soaring opulence overshadows economic hardship, Gwen and her daughter, Jules, do all they can to hold on to their joy, despite the instability surfacing in their world. Cast: Jacqueline Kim, James Urbaniak, Freya Adams, Ken Jeong, Jennifer Ehle, Samantha Kim.
The Bronze / U.S.A. (Director: Bryan Buckley, Screenwriters: Melissa Rauch, Winston Rauch) — In 2004, Hope Ann Greggory became an American hero after winning the bronze medal for the women's gymnastics team. Today, she's still living in her small hometown, washed-up and embittered. Stuck in the past, Hope must reassess her life when a promising young gymnast threatens her local celebrity status.Cast: Melissa Rauch, Gary Cole, Thomas Middleditch, Sebastian Stan, Haley Lu Richardson, Cecily Strong. Day One Film
The D Train / U.S.A. (Directors and screenwriters: Jarrad Paul, Andrew Mogel) — With his 20th reunion looming, Dan can’t shake his high school insecurities. In a misguided mission to prove he's changed, Dan rekindles a friendship with the popular guy from his class and is left scrambling to protect more than just his reputation when a wild night takes an unexpected turn. Cast: Jack Black, James Marsden, Kathryn Hahn, Jeffrey Tambor, Mike White, Kyle Bornheimer.
The Diary of a Teenage Girl / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Marielle Heller) — Minnie Goetze is a 15-year-old aspiring comic-book artist, coming of age in the haze of the 1970s in San Francisco. Insatiably curious about the world around her, Minnie is a pretty typical teenage girl. Oh, except that she's sleeping with her mother's boyfriend. Cast: Bel Powley, Alexander Skarsgård, Christopher Meloni, Kristen Wiig.
Dope / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Rick Famuyiwa) — Malcolm is carefully surviving life in a tough neighborhood in Los Angeles while juggling college applications, academic interviews, and the Sat. A chance invitation to an underground party leads him into an adventure that could allow him to go from being a geek, to being dope, to ultimately being himself. Cast: Shameik Moore, Tony Revolori, Kiersey Clemons, Blake Anderson, Zoë Kravitz, A$AP Rocky.
I Smile Back / U.S.A. (Director: Adam Salky, Screenwriters: Amy Koppelman, Paige Dylan) — All is not right in suburbia. Laney Brooks, a wife and mother on the edge, has stopped taking her meds, substituting recreational drugs and the wrong men. With the destruction of her family looming, Laney makes a last, desperate attempt at redemption. Cast: Sarah Silverman, Josh Charles, Thomas Sadoski, Mia Barron, Terry Kinney, Chris Sarandon.
Me and Earl and the Dying Girl / U.S.A. (Director: Alfonso Gomez-Rejon, Screenwriter: Jesse Andrews) — Greg is coasting through senior year of high school as anonymously as possible, avoiding social interactions like the plague while secretly making spirited, bizarre films with Earl, his only friend. But both his anonymity and friendship threaten to unravel when his mother forces him to befriend a classmate with leukemia. Cast: Thomas Mann, Rj Cyler, Olivia Cooke, Nick Offerman, Connie Britton, Molly Shannon.
The Overnight / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Patrick Brice) — Alex, Emily, and their son, Rj, are new to Los Angeles. A chance meeting at the park introduces them to the mysterious Kurt, Charlotte, and Max. A family "playdate" becomes increasingly interesting as the night goes on. Cast: Adam Scott, Taylor Schilling, Jason Schwartzman, Judith Godrèche.
People, Places, Things / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: James C. Strouse) — Will Henry is a newly single graphic novelist balancing being a parent to his young twin daughters and teaching a classroom full of college students, all the while trying to navigate the rich complexities of new love and letting go of the woman who left him. Cast: Jemaine Clement, Regina Hall, Stephanie Allynne, Jessica Williams, Gia Gadsby, Aundrea Gadsby.
Results / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Andrew Bujalski) — Two mismatched personal trainers' lives are upended by the actions of a new, wealthy client. Cast: Guy Pearce, Cobie Smulders, Kevin Corrigan, Giovanni Ribisi, Anthony Michael Hall, Brooklyn Decker.
Songs My Brothers Taught Me / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Chloé Zhao) — This complex portrait of modern-day life on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation explores the bond between a brother and his younger sister, who find themselves on separate paths to rediscovering the meaning of home. Cast: John Reddy, Jashaun St. John, Irene Bedard, Taysha Fuller, Travis Lone Hill, Eléonore Hendricks.
The Stanford Prison Experiment / U.S.A. (Director: Kyle Patrick Alvarez, Screenwriter: Tim Talbott) — This film is based on the actual events that took place in 1971 when Stanford professor Dr. Philip Zimbardo created what became one of the most shocking and famous social experiments of all time. Cast: Billy Crudup, Ezra Miller, Michael Angarano, Tye Sheridan, Johnny Simmons, Olivia Thirlby.
Stockholm, Pennsylvania / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Nikole Beckwith) — A young woman is returned home to her biological parents after living with her abductor for 17 years. Cast: Saoirse Ronan, Cynthia Nixon, Jason Isaacs, David Warshofsky.
Unexpected / U.S.A. (Director: Kris Swanberg, Screenwriters: Kris Swanberg, Megan Mercier) — When Samantha Abbott begins her final semester teaching science at a Chicago high school, she faces some unexpected news: she's pregnant. Soon after, Samantha learns that one of her favorite students, Jasmine, has landed in a similar situation. Unexpected follows the two women as they embark on an unlikely friendship. Cast: Cobie Smulders, Anders Holm, Gail Bean, Elizabeth McGovern.
The Witch / U.S.A., Canada (Director and screenwriter: Robert Eggers) — New England in the 1630s: William and Katherine lead a devout Christian life with five children, homesteading on the edge of an impassable wilderness. When their newborn son vanishes and crops fail, the family turns on one another. Beyond their worst fears, a supernatural evil lurks in the nearby wood. Cast: Anya Taylor Joy, Ralph Ineson, Kate Dickie, Harvey Scrimshaw, Lucas Dawson, Ellie Grainger.
Z for Zachariah / U.S.A. (Director: Craig Zobel, Screenwriter: Nissar Modi) — In a post-apocalyptic world, a young woman who believes she is the last human on Earth meets a dying scientist searching for survivors. Their relationship becomes tenuous when another survivor appears. As the two men compete for the woman's affection, their primal urges begin to reveal their true nature. Cast: Chiwetel Ejiofor, Margot Robbie, Chris Pine.
U.S. Documentary Competition
Sixteen world-premiere American documentaries that illuminate the ideas, people, and events that shape the present day.
3½ Minutes / U.S.A. (Director: Marc Silver) — On November 23, 2012, unarmed 17-year-old Jordan Russell Davis was shot at a Jacksonville gas station by Michael David Dunn. 3½ Minutes explores the aftermath of Jordan's tragic death, the latent and often unseen effects of racism, and the contradictions of the American criminal justice system.
Being Evel / U.S.A. (Director: Daniel Junge) — An unprecedented, candid portrait of American icon Robert "Evel" Knievel and his legacy.
Best of Enemies / U.S.A. (Directors: Morgan Neville, Robert Gordon) — Best of Enemies is a behind-the-scenes account of the explosive 1968 televised debates between the liberal Gore Vidal and the conservative William F. Buckley Jr., and their rancorous disagreements about politics, God, and sex.
Call Me Lucky / U.S.A. (Director: Bobcat Goldthwait) — Barry Crimmins was a volatile but brilliant bar comic who became an honored peace activist and influential political satirist. Famous comedians and others build a picture of a man who underwent an incredible transformation.
Cartel Land / U.S.A., Mexico (Director: Matthew Heineman) — In this classic Western set in the 21st century, vigilantes on both sides of the border fight the vicious Mexican drug cartels. With unprecedented access, this character-driven film provokes deep questions about lawlessness, the breakdown of order, and whether citizens should fight violence with violence.
City of Gold / U.S.A. (Director: Laura Gabbert) — Pulitzer Prize-winning critic Jonathan Gold casts his light upon a vibrant and growing cultural movement in which he plays the dual roles of high-low priest and culinary geographer of his beloved Los Angeles.
Finders Keepers / U.S.A. (Directors: Bryan Carberry, Clay Tweel) — Recovering addict and amputee John Wood finds himself in a stranger-than-fiction battle to reclaim his mummified leg from Southern entrepreneur Shannon Whisnant, who found it in a grill he bought at an auction and believes it to therefore be his rightful property.
Hot Girls Wanted / U.S.A. (Directors: Jill Bauer, Ronna Gradus) — Hot Girls Wanted is a first-ever look at the realities inside the world of the amateur porn industry and the steady stream of 18- and 19-year-old girls entering into it.
How to Dance in Ohio / U.S.A. (Director: Alexandra Shiva) — In Columbus, Ohio, a group of teenagers and young adults on the autism spectrum prepare for an iconic American rite of passage — a spring formal. They spend 12 weeks practicing their social skills at a local nightclub in preparation for the dance.
Larry Kramer in Love and Anger / U.S.A. (Director: Jean Carlomusto) — Author, activist, and playwright Larry Kramer is one of the most important and controversial figures in contemporary gay America, a political firebrand who gave voice to the outrage and grief that inspired gay men and lesbians to fight for their lives. At 78, this complicated man still commands our attention.
Meru / U.S.A. (Directors: Jimmy Chin, E. Chai Vasarhelyi) — Three elite mountain climbers sacrifice everything but their friendship as they struggle through heartbreaking loss and nature’s harshest elements to attempt the never-before-completed Shark’s Fin on Mount Meru, the most coveted first ascent in the dangerous game of Himalayan big wall climbing.
Racing Extinction / U.S.A. (Director: Louie Psihoyos) — Academy Award-winner Louie Psihoyos (The Cove) assembles a unique team to show the world never-before-seen images that expose issues surrounding endangered species and mass extinction. Whether infiltrating notorious black markets or exploring humans' effect on the environment, Racing Extinction will change the way you see the world.
(T)Error / U.S.A. (Directors: Lyric R. Cabral, David Felix Sutcliffe) — (T)Error is the first film to document on camera a covert counterterrorism sting as it unfolds. Through the perspective of *******, a 63-year-old Black revolutionary turned FBI informant, viewers are given an unprecedented glimpse of the government’s counterterrorism tactics, and the murky justifications behind them.
Welcome to Leith / U.S.A. (Directors: Michael Beach Nichols, Christopher K. Walker) — A white supremacist attempts to take over a small town in North Dakota.
Western / U.S.A., Mexico (Directors: Bill Ross, Turner Ross) — For generations, all that distinguished Eagle Pass, Texas, from Piedras Negras, Mexico, was the Rio Grande. But when darkness descends upon these harmonious border towns, a cowboy and lawman face a new reality that threatens their way of life. Western portrays timeless American figures in the grip of unforgiving change.
The Wolfpack / U.S.A. (Director: Crystal Moselle) — Six bright teenage brothers have spent their entire lives locked away from society in a Manhattan housing project. All they know of the outside is gleaned from the movies they watch obsessively (and recreate meticulously). Yet as adolescence looms, they dream of escape, ever more urgently, into the beckoning world.
World Cinema Dramatic Competition
Twelve films from emerging filmmaking talents around the world offer fresh perspectives and inventive styles.
Chlorine / Italy (Director: Lamberto Sanfelice, Screenwriters: Lamberto Sanfelice, Elisa Amoruso) — Jenny, 17, dreams of becoming a synchronized swimmer. Family events turn her life upside down and she is forced move to a remote area to look after her ill father and younger brother. It won't be long before Jenny starts pursuing her dreams again. Cast: Sara Serraiocco, Ivan Franek, Giorgio Colangeli, Anatol Sassi, Piera Degli Esposti, Andrea Vergoni. World Premiere
Chorus / Canada (Director and screenwriter: François Delisle) — A separated couple meet again after 10 years when the body of their missing son is found. Amid the guilt of losing a loved one, they hesitantly move toward affirmation of life, acceptance of death, and even the possibility of reconciliation. Cast: Sébastien Ricard, Fanny Mallette, Pierre Curzi, Genevieve Bujold. World Premiere
Glassland / Ireland (Director and screenwriter: Gerard Barrett) — In a desperate attempt to reunite his broken family, a young taxi driver becomes entangled in the criminal underworld. Cast: Jack Reynor, Toni Collette, Will Poulter, Michael Smiley. International Premiere
Homesick / Norway (Director: Anne Sewitsky, Screenwriters: Ragnhild Tronvoll, Anne Sewitsky) — When Charlotte, 27, meets her brother Henrik, 35, for the first time, two people who don't know what a normal family is begin an encounter without boundaries. How does sibling love manifest itself if you have never experienced it before?Cast: Ine Marie Wilmann, Simon J. Berger, Anneke von der Lippe, Silje Storstein, Oddgeir Thune, Kari Onstad. World Premiere. Isa: TrustNordisk
Ivy / Turkey (Director and screenwriter: Tolga Karaçelik) — Sarmasik is sailing to Egypt when the ship's owner goes bankrupt. The crew learns there is a lien on the ship, and key crew members must stay on board. Ivy is the story of these six men trapped on the ship for days. Cast: Nadir Sarıbacak, Özgür Emre Yıldırım, Hakan Karsak, Kadir Çermik, Osman Alkaş, Seyithan Özdemiroğlu. World Premiere
Partisan / Australia (Director: Ariel Kleiman, Screenwriters: Ariel Kleiman, Sarah Cyngler) — Alexander is like any other kid: playful, curious and naive. He is also a trained assassin. Raised in a hidden paradise, Alexander has grown up seeing the world filtered through his father, Gregori. As Alexander begins to think for himself, creeping fears take shape, and Gregori's idyllic world unravels. Cast: Vincent Cassel, Jeremy Chabriel, Florence Mezzara. World Premiere
Princess / Israel (Director and screenwriter: Tali Shalom Ezer) — While her mother is away from home, 12-year-old Adar’s role-playing games with her stepfather move into dangerous territory. Seeking an escape, Adar finds Alan, an ethereal boy that accompanies her on a dark journey between reality and fantasy. Cast: Keren Mor, Shira Haas, Ori Pfeffer, Adar Zohar Hanetz. International Premiere
The Second Mother / Brazil (Director and screenwriter: Anna Muylaert) — Having left her daughter, Jessica, to be raised by relatives in the north of Brazil, Val works as a loving nanny in São Paulo. When Jessica arrives for a visit 13 years later, she confronts her mother's slave-like attitude and everyone in the house is affected by her unexpected behavior. Cast: Regina Casé, Michel Joelsas, Camila Márdila, Karine Teles, Lourenço Mutarelli. World Premiere
Slow West / New Zealand (Director: John Maclean, Screenwriters: John Maclean, Michael Lesslie) — Set at the end of the nineteenth century, 16-year-old Jay Cavendish journeys across the American frontier in search of the woman he loves. He is joined by Silas, a mysterious traveler, and hotly pursued by an outlaw along the way. Cast: Michael Fassbender, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Rory McCann, Ben Mendelsohn, Brooke Williams, Caren Pistorius. World Premiere
Strangerland / Australia, Ireland (Director: Kim Farrant, Screenwriters: Fiona Seres, Michael Kinirons) — When Catherine and Matthew Parker's two teenage kids disappear into the remote Australian desert, the couple's relationship is pushed to the brink as they confront the mystery of their children's fate. Cast: Nicole Kidman, Joseph Fiennes, Hugo Weaving, Lisa Flanagan, Meyne Wyatt, Maddison Brown. World Premiere
The Summer of Sangaile / Lithuania, France, Holland (Director and screenwriter: Alanté Kavaïté) — Seventeen-year-old Sangaile is fascinated by stunt planes. She meets a girl her age at the summer aeronautical show, nearby her parents’ lakeside villa. Sangaile allows Auste to discover her most intimate secret and in the process finds in her teenage love, the only person that truly encourages her to fly. Cast: Julija Steponaitytė, Aistė Diržiūtė. World Premiere. Isa: Films Distribution.
Umrika / India (Director and screenwriter: Prashant Nair) — When a young village boy discovers that his brother, long believed to be in America, has actually gone missing, he begins to invent letters on his behalf to save their mother from heartbreak, all the while searching for him. Cast: Suraj Sharma, Tony Revolori, Smita Tambe, Adil Hussain, Rajesh Tailang, Prateik Babbar. World Premiere
World Cinema Documentary Competition
Twelve documentaries by some of the most courageous and extraordinary international filmmakers working today.
The Amina Profile / Canada (Director: Sophie Deraspe) — During the Arab revolution, a love story between two women — a Canadian and a Syrian American — turns into an international sociopolitical thriller spotlighting media excesses and the thin line between truth and falsehood on the Internet. World Premiere
Censored Voices / Israel, Germany (Director: Mor Loushy) — One week after the 1967 Six-Day War, renowned author Amos Oz and editor Avraham Shapira recorded intimate conversations with soldiers returning from the battlefield. The Israeli army censored the recordings, allowing only a fragment of the conversations to be published. Censored Voices reveals these recordings for the first time. World Premiere
The Chinese Mayor / China (Director: Hao Zhou) — Mayor Geng Yanbo is determined to transform the coal-mining center of Datong, in China’s Shanxi province, into a tourism haven showcasing clean energy. In order to achieve that, however, he has to relocate 500,000 residences to make way for the restoration of the ancient city. World Premiere
Chuck Norris vs Communism / United Kingdom, Romania, Germany (Director: Ilinca Calugareanu) — In 1980s Romania, thousands of Western films smashed through the Iron Curtain, opening a window to the free world for those who dared to look. A black market VHS racketeer and courageous female translator brought the magic of film to the masses and sowed the seeds of a revolution. World Premiere. Producers Rep: UTA
Dark Horse / United Kingdom (Director: Louise Osmond) — Dark Horse is the inspirational true story of a group of friends from a workingman's club who decide to take on the elite "sport of kings" and breed themselves a racehorse. World Premiere
Dreamcatcher / United Kingdom (Director: Kim Longinotto) — Dreamcatcher takes us into a hidden world seen through the eyes of one of its survivors, Brenda Myers-Powell. A former teenage prostitute, Brenda defied the odds to become a powerful advocate for change in her community. With warmth and humor, Brenda gives hope to those who have none. World Premiere
How to Change the World / United Kingdom, Canada (Director: Jerry Rothwell) — In 1971, a group of friends sails into a nuclear test zone, and their protest captures the world’s imagination. Using rare, archival footage that brings their extraordinary world to life, How to Change the World is the story of the pioneers who founded Greenpeace and defined the modern green movement. World Premiere. Day One Film
Listen to Me Marlon / United Kingdom (Director and screenwriter: Stevan Riley, Co-writer: Peter Ettedgui) — With exclusive access to previously unheard audio archives, this is the definitive Marlon Brando cinema documentary. Charting his exceptional career and extraordinary life away from the stage and screen, the film fully explores the complexities of the man by telling the story uniquely in Marlon’s own voice. World Premiere
Pervert Park / Sweden, Denmark (Directors: Frida Barkfors, Lasse Barkfors) — Pervert Park follows the everyday lives of sex offenders in a Florida trailer park as they struggle to reintegrate into society, and try to understand who they are and how to break the cycle of sex crimes being committed. International Premiere
The Russian Woodpecker / United Kingdom (Director: Chad Gracia) — A Ukrainian victim of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster discovers a dark secret and must decide whether to risk his life by revealing it, amid growing clouds of revolution and war. World Premiere
Sembene! / U.S.A., Senegal (Directors: Samba Gadjigo, Jason Silverman) — In 1952, Ousmane Sembene, a Senegalese dockworker and fifth-grade dropout, began dreaming an impossible dream: to become the storyteller for a new Africa. This true story celebrates how the “father of African cinema,” against enormous odds, fought a monumental, 50-year-long battle to give Africans a voice. World Premiere
The Visit / Denmark, Austria, Ireland, Finland, Norway (Director: Michael Madsen) — “This film documents an event that has never taken place…” With unprecedented access to the United Nations' Office for Outer Space Affairs, leading space scientists and space agencies, The Visit explores humans' first encounter with alien intelligent life and thereby humanity itself. "Our scenario begins with the arrival. Your arrival." World Premiere
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Pure, bold works distinguished by an innovative, forward-thinking approach to storytelling populate this program. Digital technology paired with unfettered creativity promises that the films in this section will shape a “greater” next wave in American cinema. Presented by Adobe.
Bob and the Trees / U.S.A., France (Director: Diego Ongaro, Screenwriters: Diego Ongaro, Courtney Maum, Sasha Statman-Weil) — Bob, a 50-year-old logger in rural Massachusetts with a soft spot for golf and gangsta rap, is struggling to make ends meet in a changed economy. When his beloved cow is wounded and a job goes awry, Bob begins to heed the instincts of his ever-darkening self. Cast: Bob Tarasuk, Matt Gallagher, Polly MacIntyre, Winthrop Barrett, Nathaniel Gregory. World Premiere
Christmas, Again / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Charles Poekel) — A heartbroken Christmas tree salesman returns to New York, hoping to put the past year behind him. He spends the season living in a trailer and working the night shift, until a mysterious woman and some colorful customers rescue him from self-destruction. Cast: Kentucker Audley, Hannah Gross, Jason Shelton, Oona Roche. North American Premiere
Cronies / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Michael Larnell) — Twenty-two-year-old Louis doesn’t know whether his childhood friendship with Jack will last beyond today. Cast: George Sample III, Zurich Buckner, Brian Kowalski. World Premiere
Entertainment / U.S.A. (Director: Rick Alverson, Screenwriters: Rick Alverson, Gregg Turkington, Tim Heidecker) — En route to meeting with his estranged daughter, in an attempt to revive his dwindling career, a broken, aging comedian plays a string of dead-end shows in the Mojave Desert. Cast: Gregg Turkington, John C. Reilly, Tye Sheridan, Michael Cera, Amy Seimetz, Lotte Verbeek. World Premiere
H. / U.S.A., Argentina (Directors and screenwriters: Rania Attieh, Daniel Garcia) — Two women, each named Helen, find their lives spinning out of control after a meteor allegedly explodes over their city of Troy, New York. Cast: Robin Bartlett, Rebecca Dayan, Will Janowitz, Julian Gamble, Roger Robinson. World Premiere
James White / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Josh Mond) — A young New Yorker struggles to take control of his reckless, self-destructive behavior in the face of momentous family challenges. Cast: Chris Abbott, Cynthia Nixon, Scott Mescudi, Makenzie Leigh, David Call. World Premiere
Nasty Baby / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Sebastian Silva) — A gay couple try to have a baby with the help of their best friend, Polly. The trio navigates the idea of creating life while confronted by unexpected harassment from a neighborhood man called The Bishop. As their clashes grow increasingly aggressive, odds are someone is getting hurt. Cast: Sebastian Silva, Tunde Adebimpe, Kristin Wiig, Reg E. Cathey, Mark Margolis, Denis O'Hare. World Premiere
The Strongest Man / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Kenny Riches) — An anxiety-ridden Cuban man who fancies himself the strongest man in the world attempts to recover his most prized possession, a stolen bicycle. On his quest, he finds and loses much more. Cast: Robert Lorie, Paul Chamberlain, Ashly Burch, Patrick Fugit, Lisa Banes. World Premiere
" Take Me To The River " / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Matt Sobel) — A naive California teen plans to remain above the fray at his Nebraskan family reunion, but a strange encounter places him at the center of a long-buried family secret.Cast: Logan Miller, Robin Weigert, Josh Hamilton, Richard Schiff, Ursula Parker, Azura Skye. World Premiere. Producer rep: Cinetic Media
Tangerine / U.S.A. (Director: Sean Baker, Screenwriters: Sean Baker, Chris Bergoch) — A working girl tears through Tinseltown on Christmas Eve searching for the pimp who broke her heart. Cast: Kitana Kiki Rodriguez, Mya Taylor, Karren Karagulian, Mickey O'Hagan, Alla Tumanyan, James Ransone. World Premiere
Spotlight
Regardless of where these films have played throughout the world, the Spotlight program is a tribute to the cinema we love.
6 Desires: Dh Lawrence and Sardinia / United Kingdom, Italy (Director: Mark Cousins) — In winter 1921, Dh Lawrence and his wife journeyed to Sardinia, and he chronicled their experiences in Sea and Sardinia. Now, Mark Cousins retraces Lawrence’s footsteps. The film is conceived partly as a letter to Lawrence — or “Bert” — a detail that’s typical of the film’s inviting sense of conversational intimacy.International Premiere
'71 / United Kingdom (Director: Yann Demange, Screenwriter: Gregory Burke) — ‘71 takes place over a single night in the life of a young British soldier accidentally abandoned by his unit following a riot on the streets of Belfast in 1971. Unable to tell friend from foe, he must survive the night alone and find his way to safety. Cast: Jack O'Connell, Paul Anderson, Richard Dormer, Sean Harris, Barry Keoghan, Martin McCann.
99 Homes / U.S.A. (Director: Ramin Bahrani, Screenwriters: Ramin Bahrani, Amir Naderi, Bahareh Azimi) — A father struggles to get back the home that his family was evicted from by working for the greedy real-estate broker who's the source of his frustration. Cast: Andrew Garfield, Michael Shannon, Laura Dern, Tim Guinee, Cullen Moss, J.D. Evermore.
Aloft / Spain, France, Canada (Director and screenwriter: Claudia Llosa) — Aloft tells the story of a struggling mother, Nana, and her evolution to becoming a renowned healer. When a young artist tracks down Nana's son 20 years after she abandoned him, she sets in motion an encounter between the two that will bring the meaning of their lives into question. Cast: Jennifer Connelly, Cillian Murphy, Mélanie Laurent, William Shimell. North American Premiere
Eden / France (Director: Mia Hansen-løve, Screenwriters: Mia Hansen-løve, Sven Hansen-løve) — Mia Hansen-løve's electronic-dance-music epic follows the rise and fall of a DJ (based on her brother, Sven, a contemporary of Daft Punk) who gets into the rave scene in 1994 and spends the next 20 years navigating the French club scene. Cast: Félix de Givry, Pauline Etienne, Greta Gerwig, Brady Corbet, Arsinee Khanjian, Vincent Macaigne.
Girlhood / France (Director and screenwriter: Céline Sciamma) — Oppressed by her family, dead-end school prospects, and the boys law in the neighborhood, Marieme starts a new life after meeting a group of free-spirited girls. She changes her name and dress, and quits school to be accepted in the gang, hoping to find a way to freedom. Cast: Karidja Touré, Assa Sylla, Lindsay Karamoh, Mariétou Touré, Idrissa Diabaté, Simina Soumaré.
The Tribe / Ukraine (Director and screenwriter: Myroslav Slaboshpytskiy) — Set at a Ukrainian boarding school for the deaf, the film’s narrative unfolds purely through sign language without the need for employing subtitles or voiceover, resulting in a unique, never-before-seen cinematic experience that engages the audience on a new level. Cast: Grigoriy Fesenko, Yana Novikova, Rosa Babiy, Alexander Dsiadevich.
White God / Hungary (Director: Kornél Mundruczó, Screenwriters: Kata Wéber, Kornél Mundruczó, Viktória Petrányi) — When young Lili is forced to give up her beloved dog, Hagen, because its mixed-breed heritage is deemed “unfit” by The State, she and the dog begin a dangerous journey back toward each other. Cast: Zsófia Psotta, Sandor Zsótér, Szabolcs Thuróczy, Lili Monori, László Gálffi, Lili Horváth. U.S. Premiere
Wild Tales / Argentina, Spain (Director and screenwriter: Damián Szifrón) — Inequality, injustice, and the demands of the world cause stress and depression for many people. Some of them, however, explode. This is a movie about those people. Vulnerable in the face of an unpredictable reality, the characters of Wild Tales cross the thin line dividing civilization and barbarism. Cast: Ricardo Darín, Julieta Zyberberg, Leonardo Sbaraglia, Darío Grandinetti, Erica Rivas, Oscar Martínez.
Park City At Midnight
From horror flicks to comedies to works that defy any genre, these unruly films will keep you edge-seated and wide awake.
Cop Car / U.S.A. (Director: Jon Watts, Screenwriters: Christopher D. Ford, Jon Watts) — Two 10-year-old boys steal an abandoned cop car. Cast: Kevin Bacon, James Freedson-Jackson, Hays Wellford, Shea Whigham, Camryn Manheim. World Premiere
The Hallow / Ireland, United Kingdom (Director: Corin Hardy, Screenwriters: Corin Hardy, Felipe Marino) — When a London-based conservationist is sent to Ireland to survey an area of ancient forest believed by the superstitious locals to be hallowed ground, he unwittingly disturbs a horde of terrifying beings and must fight to protect his family. Cast: Joseph Mawle, Bojana Novakovic, Michael McElhatton, Michael Smiley. World Premiere
Hellions / Canada (Director: Bruce McDonald, Screenwriter: Pascal Trottier) — Teenage Dora Vogel must survive a Halloween night from hell when malevolent trick-or-treaters come knocking at her door. Cast: Chloe Rose, Robert Patrick, Rossif Sutherland, Rachel Wilson, Peter DaCunha, Luke Bilyk. World Premiere
It Follows / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: David Robert Mitchell) — After a strange sexual encounter, a teenager finds herself haunted by nightmarish visions and the inescapable sense that something is after her. Cast: Maika Monroe, Keir Gilchrist, Daniel Zovatto, Jake Weary, Olivia Luccardi, Lili Sepe.
Knock Knock / U.S.A. (Director: Eli Roth, Screenwriters: Eli Roth, Nicolas Lopez, Guillermo Amoedo) — Two beautiful young girls walk into a married man's life and turn a wild fantasy into his worst nightmare. Cast: Keanu Reeves, Lorenza Izzo, Ana De Armas, Aaron Burns, Ignacia Allamand, Colleen Camp. World Premiere
The Nightmare / U.S.A. (Director: Rodney Ascher) — A documentary-horror film exploring the phenomenon of sleep paralysis through the eyes of eight people. They (and a surprisingly large number of others) often find themselves trapped between the sleeping and awake realms, unable to move but aware of their surroundings while subject to disturbing sights and sounds. World Premiere
Reversal / U.S.A. (Director: J.M Cravioto, Screenwriters: Rock Shaink, Keith Kjornes) — A gritty psychological thriller about a young woman chained in a basement of a sexual predator and manages to escape. However, right when she has a chance for freedom, she unravels a hard truth and decides to turn the tables on her captor. Cast: Tina Ivlev, Richard Tyson, Bianca Malinowski. World Premiere
Turbo Kid / Canada, New Zealand (Directors: Anouk Whissell, Francois Simard, Yoann-Karl Whissell, Screenwriters: Anouk Whissell, Francois Simard, Yoann-Karl Whissell) — In a post-apocalyptic future, The Kid, an orphaned outcast, meets a mysterious girl. They become friends until Zeus, the sadistic leader of the Wasteland, kidnaps her. The Kid must face his fears, and journey to rid the Wasteland of evil and save the girl. Cast: Munro Chambers, Laurence Leboeuf, Michael Ironside, Aaron Jeffery, Edwin Wright. World Premiere
New Frontier Films
The Forbidden Room / Canada (Directors: Guy Maddin, Evan Johnson, Screenwriters: Guy Maddin, Evan Johnson, Robert Kotyk) — A submarine crew, a feared pack of forest bandits, a famous surgeon, and a battalion of child soldiers all get more than they bargained for as they wend their way toward progressive ideas on life and love. Cast: Geraldine Chaplin, Caroline Dhavernas, Roy Dupuis, Udo Kier, Charlotte Rampling, Karine Vanasse. World Premiere
Liveforever / Colombia, Mexico (Director: Carlos Moreno, Screenwriters: Alberto Ferreras, Alonso Torres, Carlos Moreno) — Driven by the music and dancing she finds along the way, a teenager leaves home willing to try anything her provocative and tolerant city has to offer, even if she burns out in the process. Inspired by the best-selling novel "Que viva la música" by Andres Caicedo. Cast: Paulina Davila, Alejandra Avila, Luis Arrieta, Juan Pablo Barragan, Nelson Camayo, Christian Tappan. World Premiere
The Royal Road / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Jenni Olson) — This cinematic essay, a defense of remembering, offers up a primer on the Spanish colonization of California and the Mexican American War alongside intimate reflections on nostalgia, butch identity and Alfred Hitchcock'sVertigo — all against a contemplative backdrop of 16mm urban California landscapes. Cast: Jenni Olson, Tony Kushner. World Premiere
Sam Klemke's Time Machine / Australia (Director: Matthew Bate) — Sam Klemke has filmed and narrated 50 years of his life, creating a strange and intimate portrait of what it means to be human. World Premiere
Station to Station / U.S.A. (Director: Doug Aitken) — Station to Station is composed of 60 individual one-minute films featuring different artists, musicians, places, and perspectives. This revolutionary feature-length film reveals a larger narrative about modern creativity. World Premiere
Things of the Aimless Wanderer / Rwanda, United Kingdom (Director and screenwriter: Kivu Ruhorahoza) — A white man meets a black girl, then she disappears. The white man tries to understand what happened to her while also trying to finish a travelogue. Things of the Aimless Wanderer is a film about the sensitive topic of relations between “locals” and Westerners, about paranoia, mistrust, and misunderstandings. Cast: Justin Mullikin, Grace Nikuze, Ramadhan Bizimana, Eliane Umuhire, Wesley Ruzibiza, Matt Ray Brown. World Premiere
New Frontier Installations
1979 Revolution Game
Artists: Navid Khonsari, Vassiliki Khonsari
1979 Revolution Game presents an innovative approach to non-fiction storytelling. Designed to engage players with an immersive "on the ground" experience of the Iranian Revolution, the game integrates an emotionally impactful narrative with interactive moral choices and intuitive touchscreen gameplay while remaining true to history.
Assent
Artist: Oscar Raby
This immersive documentary uses virtual reality technology to put the user in the footsteps of Director Oscar Raby's father, who in 1973 was a 22-year-old army officer stationed in the north of Chile, on the day when the Caravan of Death came to his regiment.
Birdly
Artist: Max Rheiner
Flying is one of the oldest dreams of humankind. Birdly is an experiment to capture this dream, to simulate the experience of being a bird from a first-person perspective. This embodiment is conducted through a full-body virtual reality setup.
Dérive
Artist: François Quévillon
This interactive installation uses the audience’s body motions and positions to explore 3-D reconstructions of urban and natural spaces that are transformed according to live environmental data, including meteorological and astronomical phenomena.
Evolution of Verse
Artist: Chris Milk
Chris Milk, working with visual effects powerhouse Digital Domain and virtual reality production company Vrse.works, has created this photo-realistic CGI-rendered 3-D virtual reality film that takes the viewer on a journey from beginning to new beginning.
Kaiju Fury!
Artist: Ian Hunter
A dark energy experiment leads to a devastating attack by monstrous Kaiju, and you are standing at ground zero — all in 360-degree, stereoscopic 3-D cinematic virtual reality. You will "be there" as the beasts lay waste to a crumbling city and humanity makes its last stand. Cast: Susie Abromeit, Bill Lippincott, Daniel Martin, Brian Dodge, Vincient Chiantelli.
Paradise
Artist: Pleix
Paradise is certainly not paradisiacal if you look at it through our eyes. But neither is it totally devoid of humor, melancholy and absurdity. Perhaps it is first and foremost life as it is, and then a touch exaggerated in the digital overdrive.
Perspective; Chapter I: The Party
Artists: Rose Troche, Morris May
A young college woman attends a party with the intention of shedding her "shy girl" persona. At the same party, a young man is after a similar reinvention. They meet, drink, and misinterpreted signals turn into things that cannot be undone. Virtual reality simulators let viewers experience both characters. Cast: Tabitha Morella, Caleb Thomas, Zachary Zagoria, Anna Grace Barlow.
Possibilia
Artists: Daniel Kwan, Daniel Scheinert
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The programmers at Sundance do not have a strict formal assignment of areas they program; they see all the films of all the sections, but like his father, international was always of great interest. The same is true for myself, although out of the 118 feature films selected out of 4,105 feature length submissions, many of the U.S. films look great to me as well. For instance, I am so happy that Matt Sobel’s “ Take Me To The River ” which won the prize at Us in Progress this past November in Wroclaw, Poland at The American Film Festival is in the Next section.
John: This year on Day One, January 22, 2015, the Festival will feature one of each type of film shown at the Festival: one shorts program, a U.S. documentary, a U.S. dramatic, an international documentary and an international dramatic which will be the first ever Lithuanian film in Competition, a lesbian love story that is stylish and smartly directed by Alanté Kavaïté with two fantastic actors, Julija Steponaitytė and Aistė Diržiūtė. Actually " The Summer of Sangaile” is a coproduction of Lithuania, France, and Holland . I think Alanté lives in France.
There ares 29 countries represented and 45 first-time filmmakers.
Sydney: I know the Chileans love Sundance. Last year Alejandro Fernández Almendras said in our interview about “To Kill a Man” that Sundance is very important for Chile. I am also a longtime fan of Sebastian Silva since “The Maid”. Two years ago he had two films, “Crystal Fairy” and “Magic, Magic” in Sundance, so why is this Chilean film not in World Competition but in Next?
John: I’m glad Alejandro said that. Yes we like Chile too. They make many good films. But “Nasty Baby” by Sebastian Silva is a U.S. film, about people living in Brooklyn.
He lives in U.S. and has spent a lot of time here. He knows Brooklyn and yet his curiosity and his view of it is that of an outsider. He knows these people because he watches and listens so well. “
Sydney: “Bridesmaids” star and co-writer Kristen Wiig stars. A short promo of “Nasty Baby” was shown to buyers while it was in post-production in Cannes and Toronto. The Chilean production company of Juan de Dios Larrain and Pablo Larrain, Fabula, produced “No” as well as Sebastian’s later films. Papi Boye and Violaine Pichon’s production and international sales agent Versatile out of France along with the film’s international sales agent Funny Balloons — also based in France – helped finance this U.S. Production.
John: World Cinema is now 10 years old. Overall, the Competition sections have evolved over the years. We have a sense of emerging directors here. We have come of age.
All our films are of emerging filmmakers. Either first time directors or highly anticipated second or third features. Of all the festivals worldwide, Sundance has the strongest program of emerging talent. Watch these filmmakers over the next years. Like “Homesick” by Anna Sewitsky. Her previous film “Happy, Happy” showed at Sundance in 2011 and took the Grand Jury Prize for World Cinema. “Happy, Happy” also became the Norwegian Official entry for the Academy Awards® .
Sydney: TrustNordisk sold “Happy, Happy” to more than 50 countries, so they must be poised to sell this one as well.
John: But not all the second and third films are from filmmakers whose first films were at Sundance, although Canada’s “ Chorus” director Francois Delisle showed “The Meteor” at Sundance two years ago.
And “Glassland”, was a very anticipated second film. The first film by director and screenwriter, Gerard Barrett, "Pilgrim Hill” won the Galway Film Festival and was very sought after and was signed with a U.S. agent then. “Sangaile" is also a second feature.
Look at the international films in the Premieres section and you will see some international filmmakers there, like “ Brooklyn” which is an immigrant story directed by John Crowley and written by Nick Hornby whose film “Wild” is now playing .
Sydney: I see from IMDbPro that Hanway has already sold Middle Eastern rights to Front Row Entertainment who must have pre-bought “Brooklyn” in Cannes or Toronto.
John: Of the 12 films in World Cinema the less expected films come from Turkey, “Ivy” by the talented director Tolga Karacelik. This is his second film. His first was “Toll Booth” which Global Initiative distributed in the U.S. The Dp on this was Nuri Bilge Ceylan (“Winter’s Sleep”)’s Dp on “Winter’s Sleep”, Gökhan Tiryaki. It is about guys stuck on a freighter whose company goes bankrupt. Power dynamics play out.
Sydney: Have there been Oscar nominated films in Sundance (Aside from “Whiplash” and “Boyhood”)?
John: Yes, “Man on Wire” was not last year but it was foreign. “Ida” was in Spotlight last year and maybe Sundance increased its visibility. Three others were in Sundance last year:
“To Kill a Man” is Chile’s submission, “Difret” which won the Audience Award is Ethiopia’s submission this year and “Liar’s Dice” from India was in World Competition last year. It is a very artful film. We knew it would do well with the critics, but it did extremely well with the audience too. A couple of films in Spotlight will probably be nominated next year. Watch for them.
Sydney : We haven’t even discussed the World documentaries.
John : Are there any that stand out for you?
Sydney: Yes, “Chuck Norris vs. Communism”, from U.K., Romania and Germany. Chuck Norris?
John: How interesting it is that something like Chuck Norris means something very different to others. It is a sign of cultural differences between us. Chuck Norris shows how independent films built a community of counter culture against an authoritarian government.
Sydney: I also notice that there are six docs from the U.K. Out of 12 films.
John: Yes we noticed and discussed that. U.K. really supports documentary filmmaking. Great work is coming out of the U.K. And many of the films are about different countries, so it doesn’t fit so simply into a U.K. pigeon hole.
Sydney : Yes I see “Chuck Norris” is about Romania, “Dreamcatcher” is about teenage prostitution, “How to Change the World” is about Greenpeace, “Listen to Me Marlon” is about a famous U.S. actor, “The Russian Woodpecker” is about a Ukrainian survivor of Chernobyl.
Thank you John for your insights. I think we have a lot to look at here. Thank you for taking this time to talk with me. See you at Sundance!
For a full list thus far of Sundance films, see below.
U.S. Dramatic Competition
Advantageous / U.S.A. (Director: Jennifer Phang, Screenwriters: Jacqueline Kim, Jennifer Phang) — In a near-future city where soaring opulence overshadows economic hardship, Gwen and her daughter, Jules, do all they can to hold on to their joy, despite the instability surfacing in their world. Cast: Jacqueline Kim, James Urbaniak, Freya Adams, Ken Jeong, Jennifer Ehle, Samantha Kim.
The Bronze / U.S.A. (Director: Bryan Buckley, Screenwriters: Melissa Rauch, Winston Rauch) — In 2004, Hope Ann Greggory became an American hero after winning the bronze medal for the women's gymnastics team. Today, she's still living in her small hometown, washed-up and embittered. Stuck in the past, Hope must reassess her life when a promising young gymnast threatens her local celebrity status.Cast: Melissa Rauch, Gary Cole, Thomas Middleditch, Sebastian Stan, Haley Lu Richardson, Cecily Strong. Day One Film
The D Train / U.S.A. (Directors and screenwriters: Jarrad Paul, Andrew Mogel) — With his 20th reunion looming, Dan can’t shake his high school insecurities. In a misguided mission to prove he's changed, Dan rekindles a friendship with the popular guy from his class and is left scrambling to protect more than just his reputation when a wild night takes an unexpected turn. Cast: Jack Black, James Marsden, Kathryn Hahn, Jeffrey Tambor, Mike White, Kyle Bornheimer.
The Diary of a Teenage Girl / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Marielle Heller) — Minnie Goetze is a 15-year-old aspiring comic-book artist, coming of age in the haze of the 1970s in San Francisco. Insatiably curious about the world around her, Minnie is a pretty typical teenage girl. Oh, except that she's sleeping with her mother's boyfriend. Cast: Bel Powley, Alexander Skarsgård, Christopher Meloni, Kristen Wiig.
Dope / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Rick Famuyiwa) — Malcolm is carefully surviving life in a tough neighborhood in Los Angeles while juggling college applications, academic interviews, and the Sat. A chance invitation to an underground party leads him into an adventure that could allow him to go from being a geek, to being dope, to ultimately being himself. Cast: Shameik Moore, Tony Revolori, Kiersey Clemons, Blake Anderson, Zoë Kravitz, A$AP Rocky.
I Smile Back / U.S.A. (Director: Adam Salky, Screenwriters: Amy Koppelman, Paige Dylan) — All is not right in suburbia. Laney Brooks, a wife and mother on the edge, has stopped taking her meds, substituting recreational drugs and the wrong men. With the destruction of her family looming, Laney makes a last, desperate attempt at redemption. Cast: Sarah Silverman, Josh Charles, Thomas Sadoski, Mia Barron, Terry Kinney, Chris Sarandon.
Me and Earl and the Dying Girl / U.S.A. (Director: Alfonso Gomez-Rejon, Screenwriter: Jesse Andrews) — Greg is coasting through senior year of high school as anonymously as possible, avoiding social interactions like the plague while secretly making spirited, bizarre films with Earl, his only friend. But both his anonymity and friendship threaten to unravel when his mother forces him to befriend a classmate with leukemia. Cast: Thomas Mann, Rj Cyler, Olivia Cooke, Nick Offerman, Connie Britton, Molly Shannon.
The Overnight / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Patrick Brice) — Alex, Emily, and their son, Rj, are new to Los Angeles. A chance meeting at the park introduces them to the mysterious Kurt, Charlotte, and Max. A family "playdate" becomes increasingly interesting as the night goes on. Cast: Adam Scott, Taylor Schilling, Jason Schwartzman, Judith Godrèche.
People, Places, Things / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: James C. Strouse) — Will Henry is a newly single graphic novelist balancing being a parent to his young twin daughters and teaching a classroom full of college students, all the while trying to navigate the rich complexities of new love and letting go of the woman who left him. Cast: Jemaine Clement, Regina Hall, Stephanie Allynne, Jessica Williams, Gia Gadsby, Aundrea Gadsby.
Results / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Andrew Bujalski) — Two mismatched personal trainers' lives are upended by the actions of a new, wealthy client. Cast: Guy Pearce, Cobie Smulders, Kevin Corrigan, Giovanni Ribisi, Anthony Michael Hall, Brooklyn Decker.
Songs My Brothers Taught Me / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Chloé Zhao) — This complex portrait of modern-day life on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation explores the bond between a brother and his younger sister, who find themselves on separate paths to rediscovering the meaning of home. Cast: John Reddy, Jashaun St. John, Irene Bedard, Taysha Fuller, Travis Lone Hill, Eléonore Hendricks.
The Stanford Prison Experiment / U.S.A. (Director: Kyle Patrick Alvarez, Screenwriter: Tim Talbott) — This film is based on the actual events that took place in 1971 when Stanford professor Dr. Philip Zimbardo created what became one of the most shocking and famous social experiments of all time. Cast: Billy Crudup, Ezra Miller, Michael Angarano, Tye Sheridan, Johnny Simmons, Olivia Thirlby.
Stockholm, Pennsylvania / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Nikole Beckwith) — A young woman is returned home to her biological parents after living with her abductor for 17 years. Cast: Saoirse Ronan, Cynthia Nixon, Jason Isaacs, David Warshofsky.
Unexpected / U.S.A. (Director: Kris Swanberg, Screenwriters: Kris Swanberg, Megan Mercier) — When Samantha Abbott begins her final semester teaching science at a Chicago high school, she faces some unexpected news: she's pregnant. Soon after, Samantha learns that one of her favorite students, Jasmine, has landed in a similar situation. Unexpected follows the two women as they embark on an unlikely friendship. Cast: Cobie Smulders, Anders Holm, Gail Bean, Elizabeth McGovern.
The Witch / U.S.A., Canada (Director and screenwriter: Robert Eggers) — New England in the 1630s: William and Katherine lead a devout Christian life with five children, homesteading on the edge of an impassable wilderness. When their newborn son vanishes and crops fail, the family turns on one another. Beyond their worst fears, a supernatural evil lurks in the nearby wood. Cast: Anya Taylor Joy, Ralph Ineson, Kate Dickie, Harvey Scrimshaw, Lucas Dawson, Ellie Grainger.
Z for Zachariah / U.S.A. (Director: Craig Zobel, Screenwriter: Nissar Modi) — In a post-apocalyptic world, a young woman who believes she is the last human on Earth meets a dying scientist searching for survivors. Their relationship becomes tenuous when another survivor appears. As the two men compete for the woman's affection, their primal urges begin to reveal their true nature. Cast: Chiwetel Ejiofor, Margot Robbie, Chris Pine.
U.S. Documentary Competition
Sixteen world-premiere American documentaries that illuminate the ideas, people, and events that shape the present day.
3½ Minutes / U.S.A. (Director: Marc Silver) — On November 23, 2012, unarmed 17-year-old Jordan Russell Davis was shot at a Jacksonville gas station by Michael David Dunn. 3½ Minutes explores the aftermath of Jordan's tragic death, the latent and often unseen effects of racism, and the contradictions of the American criminal justice system.
Being Evel / U.S.A. (Director: Daniel Junge) — An unprecedented, candid portrait of American icon Robert "Evel" Knievel and his legacy.
Best of Enemies / U.S.A. (Directors: Morgan Neville, Robert Gordon) — Best of Enemies is a behind-the-scenes account of the explosive 1968 televised debates between the liberal Gore Vidal and the conservative William F. Buckley Jr., and their rancorous disagreements about politics, God, and sex.
Call Me Lucky / U.S.A. (Director: Bobcat Goldthwait) — Barry Crimmins was a volatile but brilliant bar comic who became an honored peace activist and influential political satirist. Famous comedians and others build a picture of a man who underwent an incredible transformation.
Cartel Land / U.S.A., Mexico (Director: Matthew Heineman) — In this classic Western set in the 21st century, vigilantes on both sides of the border fight the vicious Mexican drug cartels. With unprecedented access, this character-driven film provokes deep questions about lawlessness, the breakdown of order, and whether citizens should fight violence with violence.
City of Gold / U.S.A. (Director: Laura Gabbert) — Pulitzer Prize-winning critic Jonathan Gold casts his light upon a vibrant and growing cultural movement in which he plays the dual roles of high-low priest and culinary geographer of his beloved Los Angeles.
Finders Keepers / U.S.A. (Directors: Bryan Carberry, Clay Tweel) — Recovering addict and amputee John Wood finds himself in a stranger-than-fiction battle to reclaim his mummified leg from Southern entrepreneur Shannon Whisnant, who found it in a grill he bought at an auction and believes it to therefore be his rightful property.
Hot Girls Wanted / U.S.A. (Directors: Jill Bauer, Ronna Gradus) — Hot Girls Wanted is a first-ever look at the realities inside the world of the amateur porn industry and the steady stream of 18- and 19-year-old girls entering into it.
How to Dance in Ohio / U.S.A. (Director: Alexandra Shiva) — In Columbus, Ohio, a group of teenagers and young adults on the autism spectrum prepare for an iconic American rite of passage — a spring formal. They spend 12 weeks practicing their social skills at a local nightclub in preparation for the dance.
Larry Kramer in Love and Anger / U.S.A. (Director: Jean Carlomusto) — Author, activist, and playwright Larry Kramer is one of the most important and controversial figures in contemporary gay America, a political firebrand who gave voice to the outrage and grief that inspired gay men and lesbians to fight for their lives. At 78, this complicated man still commands our attention.
Meru / U.S.A. (Directors: Jimmy Chin, E. Chai Vasarhelyi) — Three elite mountain climbers sacrifice everything but their friendship as they struggle through heartbreaking loss and nature’s harshest elements to attempt the never-before-completed Shark’s Fin on Mount Meru, the most coveted first ascent in the dangerous game of Himalayan big wall climbing.
Racing Extinction / U.S.A. (Director: Louie Psihoyos) — Academy Award-winner Louie Psihoyos (The Cove) assembles a unique team to show the world never-before-seen images that expose issues surrounding endangered species and mass extinction. Whether infiltrating notorious black markets or exploring humans' effect on the environment, Racing Extinction will change the way you see the world.
(T)Error / U.S.A. (Directors: Lyric R. Cabral, David Felix Sutcliffe) — (T)Error is the first film to document on camera a covert counterterrorism sting as it unfolds. Through the perspective of *******, a 63-year-old Black revolutionary turned FBI informant, viewers are given an unprecedented glimpse of the government’s counterterrorism tactics, and the murky justifications behind them.
Welcome to Leith / U.S.A. (Directors: Michael Beach Nichols, Christopher K. Walker) — A white supremacist attempts to take over a small town in North Dakota.
Western / U.S.A., Mexico (Directors: Bill Ross, Turner Ross) — For generations, all that distinguished Eagle Pass, Texas, from Piedras Negras, Mexico, was the Rio Grande. But when darkness descends upon these harmonious border towns, a cowboy and lawman face a new reality that threatens their way of life. Western portrays timeless American figures in the grip of unforgiving change.
The Wolfpack / U.S.A. (Director: Crystal Moselle) — Six bright teenage brothers have spent their entire lives locked away from society in a Manhattan housing project. All they know of the outside is gleaned from the movies they watch obsessively (and recreate meticulously). Yet as adolescence looms, they dream of escape, ever more urgently, into the beckoning world.
World Cinema Dramatic Competition
Twelve films from emerging filmmaking talents around the world offer fresh perspectives and inventive styles.
Chlorine / Italy (Director: Lamberto Sanfelice, Screenwriters: Lamberto Sanfelice, Elisa Amoruso) — Jenny, 17, dreams of becoming a synchronized swimmer. Family events turn her life upside down and she is forced move to a remote area to look after her ill father and younger brother. It won't be long before Jenny starts pursuing her dreams again. Cast: Sara Serraiocco, Ivan Franek, Giorgio Colangeli, Anatol Sassi, Piera Degli Esposti, Andrea Vergoni. World Premiere
Chorus / Canada (Director and screenwriter: François Delisle) — A separated couple meet again after 10 years when the body of their missing son is found. Amid the guilt of losing a loved one, they hesitantly move toward affirmation of life, acceptance of death, and even the possibility of reconciliation. Cast: Sébastien Ricard, Fanny Mallette, Pierre Curzi, Genevieve Bujold. World Premiere
Glassland / Ireland (Director and screenwriter: Gerard Barrett) — In a desperate attempt to reunite his broken family, a young taxi driver becomes entangled in the criminal underworld. Cast: Jack Reynor, Toni Collette, Will Poulter, Michael Smiley. International Premiere
Homesick / Norway (Director: Anne Sewitsky, Screenwriters: Ragnhild Tronvoll, Anne Sewitsky) — When Charlotte, 27, meets her brother Henrik, 35, for the first time, two people who don't know what a normal family is begin an encounter without boundaries. How does sibling love manifest itself if you have never experienced it before?Cast: Ine Marie Wilmann, Simon J. Berger, Anneke von der Lippe, Silje Storstein, Oddgeir Thune, Kari Onstad. World Premiere. Isa: TrustNordisk
Ivy / Turkey (Director and screenwriter: Tolga Karaçelik) — Sarmasik is sailing to Egypt when the ship's owner goes bankrupt. The crew learns there is a lien on the ship, and key crew members must stay on board. Ivy is the story of these six men trapped on the ship for days. Cast: Nadir Sarıbacak, Özgür Emre Yıldırım, Hakan Karsak, Kadir Çermik, Osman Alkaş, Seyithan Özdemiroğlu. World Premiere
Partisan / Australia (Director: Ariel Kleiman, Screenwriters: Ariel Kleiman, Sarah Cyngler) — Alexander is like any other kid: playful, curious and naive. He is also a trained assassin. Raised in a hidden paradise, Alexander has grown up seeing the world filtered through his father, Gregori. As Alexander begins to think for himself, creeping fears take shape, and Gregori's idyllic world unravels. Cast: Vincent Cassel, Jeremy Chabriel, Florence Mezzara. World Premiere
Princess / Israel (Director and screenwriter: Tali Shalom Ezer) — While her mother is away from home, 12-year-old Adar’s role-playing games with her stepfather move into dangerous territory. Seeking an escape, Adar finds Alan, an ethereal boy that accompanies her on a dark journey between reality and fantasy. Cast: Keren Mor, Shira Haas, Ori Pfeffer, Adar Zohar Hanetz. International Premiere
The Second Mother / Brazil (Director and screenwriter: Anna Muylaert) — Having left her daughter, Jessica, to be raised by relatives in the north of Brazil, Val works as a loving nanny in São Paulo. When Jessica arrives for a visit 13 years later, she confronts her mother's slave-like attitude and everyone in the house is affected by her unexpected behavior. Cast: Regina Casé, Michel Joelsas, Camila Márdila, Karine Teles, Lourenço Mutarelli. World Premiere
Slow West / New Zealand (Director: John Maclean, Screenwriters: John Maclean, Michael Lesslie) — Set at the end of the nineteenth century, 16-year-old Jay Cavendish journeys across the American frontier in search of the woman he loves. He is joined by Silas, a mysterious traveler, and hotly pursued by an outlaw along the way. Cast: Michael Fassbender, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Rory McCann, Ben Mendelsohn, Brooke Williams, Caren Pistorius. World Premiere
Strangerland / Australia, Ireland (Director: Kim Farrant, Screenwriters: Fiona Seres, Michael Kinirons) — When Catherine and Matthew Parker's two teenage kids disappear into the remote Australian desert, the couple's relationship is pushed to the brink as they confront the mystery of their children's fate. Cast: Nicole Kidman, Joseph Fiennes, Hugo Weaving, Lisa Flanagan, Meyne Wyatt, Maddison Brown. World Premiere
The Summer of Sangaile / Lithuania, France, Holland (Director and screenwriter: Alanté Kavaïté) — Seventeen-year-old Sangaile is fascinated by stunt planes. She meets a girl her age at the summer aeronautical show, nearby her parents’ lakeside villa. Sangaile allows Auste to discover her most intimate secret and in the process finds in her teenage love, the only person that truly encourages her to fly. Cast: Julija Steponaitytė, Aistė Diržiūtė. World Premiere. Isa: Films Distribution.
Umrika / India (Director and screenwriter: Prashant Nair) — When a young village boy discovers that his brother, long believed to be in America, has actually gone missing, he begins to invent letters on his behalf to save their mother from heartbreak, all the while searching for him. Cast: Suraj Sharma, Tony Revolori, Smita Tambe, Adil Hussain, Rajesh Tailang, Prateik Babbar. World Premiere
World Cinema Documentary Competition
Twelve documentaries by some of the most courageous and extraordinary international filmmakers working today.
The Amina Profile / Canada (Director: Sophie Deraspe) — During the Arab revolution, a love story between two women — a Canadian and a Syrian American — turns into an international sociopolitical thriller spotlighting media excesses and the thin line between truth and falsehood on the Internet. World Premiere
Censored Voices / Israel, Germany (Director: Mor Loushy) — One week after the 1967 Six-Day War, renowned author Amos Oz and editor Avraham Shapira recorded intimate conversations with soldiers returning from the battlefield. The Israeli army censored the recordings, allowing only a fragment of the conversations to be published. Censored Voices reveals these recordings for the first time. World Premiere
The Chinese Mayor / China (Director: Hao Zhou) — Mayor Geng Yanbo is determined to transform the coal-mining center of Datong, in China’s Shanxi province, into a tourism haven showcasing clean energy. In order to achieve that, however, he has to relocate 500,000 residences to make way for the restoration of the ancient city. World Premiere
Chuck Norris vs Communism / United Kingdom, Romania, Germany (Director: Ilinca Calugareanu) — In 1980s Romania, thousands of Western films smashed through the Iron Curtain, opening a window to the free world for those who dared to look. A black market VHS racketeer and courageous female translator brought the magic of film to the masses and sowed the seeds of a revolution. World Premiere. Producers Rep: UTA
Dark Horse / United Kingdom (Director: Louise Osmond) — Dark Horse is the inspirational true story of a group of friends from a workingman's club who decide to take on the elite "sport of kings" and breed themselves a racehorse. World Premiere
Dreamcatcher / United Kingdom (Director: Kim Longinotto) — Dreamcatcher takes us into a hidden world seen through the eyes of one of its survivors, Brenda Myers-Powell. A former teenage prostitute, Brenda defied the odds to become a powerful advocate for change in her community. With warmth and humor, Brenda gives hope to those who have none. World Premiere
How to Change the World / United Kingdom, Canada (Director: Jerry Rothwell) — In 1971, a group of friends sails into a nuclear test zone, and their protest captures the world’s imagination. Using rare, archival footage that brings their extraordinary world to life, How to Change the World is the story of the pioneers who founded Greenpeace and defined the modern green movement. World Premiere. Day One Film
Listen to Me Marlon / United Kingdom (Director and screenwriter: Stevan Riley, Co-writer: Peter Ettedgui) — With exclusive access to previously unheard audio archives, this is the definitive Marlon Brando cinema documentary. Charting his exceptional career and extraordinary life away from the stage and screen, the film fully explores the complexities of the man by telling the story uniquely in Marlon’s own voice. World Premiere
Pervert Park / Sweden, Denmark (Directors: Frida Barkfors, Lasse Barkfors) — Pervert Park follows the everyday lives of sex offenders in a Florida trailer park as they struggle to reintegrate into society, and try to understand who they are and how to break the cycle of sex crimes being committed. International Premiere
The Russian Woodpecker / United Kingdom (Director: Chad Gracia) — A Ukrainian victim of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster discovers a dark secret and must decide whether to risk his life by revealing it, amid growing clouds of revolution and war. World Premiere
Sembene! / U.S.A., Senegal (Directors: Samba Gadjigo, Jason Silverman) — In 1952, Ousmane Sembene, a Senegalese dockworker and fifth-grade dropout, began dreaming an impossible dream: to become the storyteller for a new Africa. This true story celebrates how the “father of African cinema,” against enormous odds, fought a monumental, 50-year-long battle to give Africans a voice. World Premiere
The Visit / Denmark, Austria, Ireland, Finland, Norway (Director: Michael Madsen) — “This film documents an event that has never taken place…” With unprecedented access to the United Nations' Office for Outer Space Affairs, leading space scientists and space agencies, The Visit explores humans' first encounter with alien intelligent life and thereby humanity itself. "Our scenario begins with the arrival. Your arrival." World Premiere
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Pure, bold works distinguished by an innovative, forward-thinking approach to storytelling populate this program. Digital technology paired with unfettered creativity promises that the films in this section will shape a “greater” next wave in American cinema. Presented by Adobe.
Bob and the Trees / U.S.A., France (Director: Diego Ongaro, Screenwriters: Diego Ongaro, Courtney Maum, Sasha Statman-Weil) — Bob, a 50-year-old logger in rural Massachusetts with a soft spot for golf and gangsta rap, is struggling to make ends meet in a changed economy. When his beloved cow is wounded and a job goes awry, Bob begins to heed the instincts of his ever-darkening self. Cast: Bob Tarasuk, Matt Gallagher, Polly MacIntyre, Winthrop Barrett, Nathaniel Gregory. World Premiere
Christmas, Again / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Charles Poekel) — A heartbroken Christmas tree salesman returns to New York, hoping to put the past year behind him. He spends the season living in a trailer and working the night shift, until a mysterious woman and some colorful customers rescue him from self-destruction. Cast: Kentucker Audley, Hannah Gross, Jason Shelton, Oona Roche. North American Premiere
Cronies / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Michael Larnell) — Twenty-two-year-old Louis doesn’t know whether his childhood friendship with Jack will last beyond today. Cast: George Sample III, Zurich Buckner, Brian Kowalski. World Premiere
Entertainment / U.S.A. (Director: Rick Alverson, Screenwriters: Rick Alverson, Gregg Turkington, Tim Heidecker) — En route to meeting with his estranged daughter, in an attempt to revive his dwindling career, a broken, aging comedian plays a string of dead-end shows in the Mojave Desert. Cast: Gregg Turkington, John C. Reilly, Tye Sheridan, Michael Cera, Amy Seimetz, Lotte Verbeek. World Premiere
H. / U.S.A., Argentina (Directors and screenwriters: Rania Attieh, Daniel Garcia) — Two women, each named Helen, find their lives spinning out of control after a meteor allegedly explodes over their city of Troy, New York. Cast: Robin Bartlett, Rebecca Dayan, Will Janowitz, Julian Gamble, Roger Robinson. World Premiere
James White / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Josh Mond) — A young New Yorker struggles to take control of his reckless, self-destructive behavior in the face of momentous family challenges. Cast: Chris Abbott, Cynthia Nixon, Scott Mescudi, Makenzie Leigh, David Call. World Premiere
Nasty Baby / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Sebastian Silva) — A gay couple try to have a baby with the help of their best friend, Polly. The trio navigates the idea of creating life while confronted by unexpected harassment from a neighborhood man called The Bishop. As their clashes grow increasingly aggressive, odds are someone is getting hurt. Cast: Sebastian Silva, Tunde Adebimpe, Kristin Wiig, Reg E. Cathey, Mark Margolis, Denis O'Hare. World Premiere
The Strongest Man / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Kenny Riches) — An anxiety-ridden Cuban man who fancies himself the strongest man in the world attempts to recover his most prized possession, a stolen bicycle. On his quest, he finds and loses much more. Cast: Robert Lorie, Paul Chamberlain, Ashly Burch, Patrick Fugit, Lisa Banes. World Premiere
" Take Me To The River " / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Matt Sobel) — A naive California teen plans to remain above the fray at his Nebraskan family reunion, but a strange encounter places him at the center of a long-buried family secret.Cast: Logan Miller, Robin Weigert, Josh Hamilton, Richard Schiff, Ursula Parker, Azura Skye. World Premiere. Producer rep: Cinetic Media
Tangerine / U.S.A. (Director: Sean Baker, Screenwriters: Sean Baker, Chris Bergoch) — A working girl tears through Tinseltown on Christmas Eve searching for the pimp who broke her heart. Cast: Kitana Kiki Rodriguez, Mya Taylor, Karren Karagulian, Mickey O'Hagan, Alla Tumanyan, James Ransone. World Premiere
Spotlight
Regardless of where these films have played throughout the world, the Spotlight program is a tribute to the cinema we love.
6 Desires: Dh Lawrence and Sardinia / United Kingdom, Italy (Director: Mark Cousins) — In winter 1921, Dh Lawrence and his wife journeyed to Sardinia, and he chronicled their experiences in Sea and Sardinia. Now, Mark Cousins retraces Lawrence’s footsteps. The film is conceived partly as a letter to Lawrence — or “Bert” — a detail that’s typical of the film’s inviting sense of conversational intimacy.International Premiere
'71 / United Kingdom (Director: Yann Demange, Screenwriter: Gregory Burke) — ‘71 takes place over a single night in the life of a young British soldier accidentally abandoned by his unit following a riot on the streets of Belfast in 1971. Unable to tell friend from foe, he must survive the night alone and find his way to safety. Cast: Jack O'Connell, Paul Anderson, Richard Dormer, Sean Harris, Barry Keoghan, Martin McCann.
99 Homes / U.S.A. (Director: Ramin Bahrani, Screenwriters: Ramin Bahrani, Amir Naderi, Bahareh Azimi) — A father struggles to get back the home that his family was evicted from by working for the greedy real-estate broker who's the source of his frustration. Cast: Andrew Garfield, Michael Shannon, Laura Dern, Tim Guinee, Cullen Moss, J.D. Evermore.
Aloft / Spain, France, Canada (Director and screenwriter: Claudia Llosa) — Aloft tells the story of a struggling mother, Nana, and her evolution to becoming a renowned healer. When a young artist tracks down Nana's son 20 years after she abandoned him, she sets in motion an encounter between the two that will bring the meaning of their lives into question. Cast: Jennifer Connelly, Cillian Murphy, Mélanie Laurent, William Shimell. North American Premiere
Eden / France (Director: Mia Hansen-løve, Screenwriters: Mia Hansen-løve, Sven Hansen-løve) — Mia Hansen-løve's electronic-dance-music epic follows the rise and fall of a DJ (based on her brother, Sven, a contemporary of Daft Punk) who gets into the rave scene in 1994 and spends the next 20 years navigating the French club scene. Cast: Félix de Givry, Pauline Etienne, Greta Gerwig, Brady Corbet, Arsinee Khanjian, Vincent Macaigne.
Girlhood / France (Director and screenwriter: Céline Sciamma) — Oppressed by her family, dead-end school prospects, and the boys law in the neighborhood, Marieme starts a new life after meeting a group of free-spirited girls. She changes her name and dress, and quits school to be accepted in the gang, hoping to find a way to freedom. Cast: Karidja Touré, Assa Sylla, Lindsay Karamoh, Mariétou Touré, Idrissa Diabaté, Simina Soumaré.
The Tribe / Ukraine (Director and screenwriter: Myroslav Slaboshpytskiy) — Set at a Ukrainian boarding school for the deaf, the film’s narrative unfolds purely through sign language without the need for employing subtitles or voiceover, resulting in a unique, never-before-seen cinematic experience that engages the audience on a new level. Cast: Grigoriy Fesenko, Yana Novikova, Rosa Babiy, Alexander Dsiadevich.
White God / Hungary (Director: Kornél Mundruczó, Screenwriters: Kata Wéber, Kornél Mundruczó, Viktória Petrányi) — When young Lili is forced to give up her beloved dog, Hagen, because its mixed-breed heritage is deemed “unfit” by The State, she and the dog begin a dangerous journey back toward each other. Cast: Zsófia Psotta, Sandor Zsótér, Szabolcs Thuróczy, Lili Monori, László Gálffi, Lili Horváth. U.S. Premiere
Wild Tales / Argentina, Spain (Director and screenwriter: Damián Szifrón) — Inequality, injustice, and the demands of the world cause stress and depression for many people. Some of them, however, explode. This is a movie about those people. Vulnerable in the face of an unpredictable reality, the characters of Wild Tales cross the thin line dividing civilization and barbarism. Cast: Ricardo Darín, Julieta Zyberberg, Leonardo Sbaraglia, Darío Grandinetti, Erica Rivas, Oscar Martínez.
Park City At Midnight
From horror flicks to comedies to works that defy any genre, these unruly films will keep you edge-seated and wide awake.
Cop Car / U.S.A. (Director: Jon Watts, Screenwriters: Christopher D. Ford, Jon Watts) — Two 10-year-old boys steal an abandoned cop car. Cast: Kevin Bacon, James Freedson-Jackson, Hays Wellford, Shea Whigham, Camryn Manheim. World Premiere
The Hallow / Ireland, United Kingdom (Director: Corin Hardy, Screenwriters: Corin Hardy, Felipe Marino) — When a London-based conservationist is sent to Ireland to survey an area of ancient forest believed by the superstitious locals to be hallowed ground, he unwittingly disturbs a horde of terrifying beings and must fight to protect his family. Cast: Joseph Mawle, Bojana Novakovic, Michael McElhatton, Michael Smiley. World Premiere
Hellions / Canada (Director: Bruce McDonald, Screenwriter: Pascal Trottier) — Teenage Dora Vogel must survive a Halloween night from hell when malevolent trick-or-treaters come knocking at her door. Cast: Chloe Rose, Robert Patrick, Rossif Sutherland, Rachel Wilson, Peter DaCunha, Luke Bilyk. World Premiere
It Follows / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: David Robert Mitchell) — After a strange sexual encounter, a teenager finds herself haunted by nightmarish visions and the inescapable sense that something is after her. Cast: Maika Monroe, Keir Gilchrist, Daniel Zovatto, Jake Weary, Olivia Luccardi, Lili Sepe.
Knock Knock / U.S.A. (Director: Eli Roth, Screenwriters: Eli Roth, Nicolas Lopez, Guillermo Amoedo) — Two beautiful young girls walk into a married man's life and turn a wild fantasy into his worst nightmare. Cast: Keanu Reeves, Lorenza Izzo, Ana De Armas, Aaron Burns, Ignacia Allamand, Colleen Camp. World Premiere
The Nightmare / U.S.A. (Director: Rodney Ascher) — A documentary-horror film exploring the phenomenon of sleep paralysis through the eyes of eight people. They (and a surprisingly large number of others) often find themselves trapped between the sleeping and awake realms, unable to move but aware of their surroundings while subject to disturbing sights and sounds. World Premiere
Reversal / U.S.A. (Director: J.M Cravioto, Screenwriters: Rock Shaink, Keith Kjornes) — A gritty psychological thriller about a young woman chained in a basement of a sexual predator and manages to escape. However, right when she has a chance for freedom, she unravels a hard truth and decides to turn the tables on her captor. Cast: Tina Ivlev, Richard Tyson, Bianca Malinowski. World Premiere
Turbo Kid / Canada, New Zealand (Directors: Anouk Whissell, Francois Simard, Yoann-Karl Whissell, Screenwriters: Anouk Whissell, Francois Simard, Yoann-Karl Whissell) — In a post-apocalyptic future, The Kid, an orphaned outcast, meets a mysterious girl. They become friends until Zeus, the sadistic leader of the Wasteland, kidnaps her. The Kid must face his fears, and journey to rid the Wasteland of evil and save the girl. Cast: Munro Chambers, Laurence Leboeuf, Michael Ironside, Aaron Jeffery, Edwin Wright. World Premiere
New Frontier Films
The Forbidden Room / Canada (Directors: Guy Maddin, Evan Johnson, Screenwriters: Guy Maddin, Evan Johnson, Robert Kotyk) — A submarine crew, a feared pack of forest bandits, a famous surgeon, and a battalion of child soldiers all get more than they bargained for as they wend their way toward progressive ideas on life and love. Cast: Geraldine Chaplin, Caroline Dhavernas, Roy Dupuis, Udo Kier, Charlotte Rampling, Karine Vanasse. World Premiere
Liveforever / Colombia, Mexico (Director: Carlos Moreno, Screenwriters: Alberto Ferreras, Alonso Torres, Carlos Moreno) — Driven by the music and dancing she finds along the way, a teenager leaves home willing to try anything her provocative and tolerant city has to offer, even if she burns out in the process. Inspired by the best-selling novel "Que viva la música" by Andres Caicedo. Cast: Paulina Davila, Alejandra Avila, Luis Arrieta, Juan Pablo Barragan, Nelson Camayo, Christian Tappan. World Premiere
The Royal Road / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Jenni Olson) — This cinematic essay, a defense of remembering, offers up a primer on the Spanish colonization of California and the Mexican American War alongside intimate reflections on nostalgia, butch identity and Alfred Hitchcock'sVertigo — all against a contemplative backdrop of 16mm urban California landscapes. Cast: Jenni Olson, Tony Kushner. World Premiere
Sam Klemke's Time Machine / Australia (Director: Matthew Bate) — Sam Klemke has filmed and narrated 50 years of his life, creating a strange and intimate portrait of what it means to be human. World Premiere
Station to Station / U.S.A. (Director: Doug Aitken) — Station to Station is composed of 60 individual one-minute films featuring different artists, musicians, places, and perspectives. This revolutionary feature-length film reveals a larger narrative about modern creativity. World Premiere
Things of the Aimless Wanderer / Rwanda, United Kingdom (Director and screenwriter: Kivu Ruhorahoza) — A white man meets a black girl, then she disappears. The white man tries to understand what happened to her while also trying to finish a travelogue. Things of the Aimless Wanderer is a film about the sensitive topic of relations between “locals” and Westerners, about paranoia, mistrust, and misunderstandings. Cast: Justin Mullikin, Grace Nikuze, Ramadhan Bizimana, Eliane Umuhire, Wesley Ruzibiza, Matt Ray Brown. World Premiere
New Frontier Installations
1979 Revolution Game
Artists: Navid Khonsari, Vassiliki Khonsari
1979 Revolution Game presents an innovative approach to non-fiction storytelling. Designed to engage players with an immersive "on the ground" experience of the Iranian Revolution, the game integrates an emotionally impactful narrative with interactive moral choices and intuitive touchscreen gameplay while remaining true to history.
Assent
Artist: Oscar Raby
This immersive documentary uses virtual reality technology to put the user in the footsteps of Director Oscar Raby's father, who in 1973 was a 22-year-old army officer stationed in the north of Chile, on the day when the Caravan of Death came to his regiment.
Birdly
Artist: Max Rheiner
Flying is one of the oldest dreams of humankind. Birdly is an experiment to capture this dream, to simulate the experience of being a bird from a first-person perspective. This embodiment is conducted through a full-body virtual reality setup.
Dérive
Artist: François Quévillon
This interactive installation uses the audience’s body motions and positions to explore 3-D reconstructions of urban and natural spaces that are transformed according to live environmental data, including meteorological and astronomical phenomena.
Evolution of Verse
Artist: Chris Milk
Chris Milk, working with visual effects powerhouse Digital Domain and virtual reality production company Vrse.works, has created this photo-realistic CGI-rendered 3-D virtual reality film that takes the viewer on a journey from beginning to new beginning.
Kaiju Fury!
Artist: Ian Hunter
A dark energy experiment leads to a devastating attack by monstrous Kaiju, and you are standing at ground zero — all in 360-degree, stereoscopic 3-D cinematic virtual reality. You will "be there" as the beasts lay waste to a crumbling city and humanity makes its last stand. Cast: Susie Abromeit, Bill Lippincott, Daniel Martin, Brian Dodge, Vincient Chiantelli.
Paradise
Artist: Pleix
Paradise is certainly not paradisiacal if you look at it through our eyes. But neither is it totally devoid of humor, melancholy and absurdity. Perhaps it is first and foremost life as it is, and then a touch exaggerated in the digital overdrive.
Perspective; Chapter I: The Party
Artists: Rose Troche, Morris May
A young college woman attends a party with the intention of shedding her "shy girl" persona. At the same party, a young man is after a similar reinvention. They meet, drink, and misinterpreted signals turn into things that cannot be undone. Virtual reality simulators let viewers experience both characters. Cast: Tabitha Morella, Caleb Thomas, Zachary Zagoria, Anna Grace Barlow.
Possibilia
Artists: Daniel Kwan, Daniel Scheinert
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- 12/6/2014
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
Julianne Hough, who first shot to stardom as a dancer on Dancing With the Stars, could become one of the celebrity dancing show’s full-time judges.
Julianne Hough Heading Back To 'DWTS'
Hough is reportedly in talks to become a fourth judge on Dancing With the Stars, joining the panel that currently includes Len Goodman, Carrie Ann Inaba and Bruno Tonioli, according to TMZ. Apparently, Hough and producers are in the process of negotiating a deal for her to fill in the spot that was filled by a series of guest judges last season.
Hough created a bit of controversy while serving as one of the guest judges during season 18’s “switch-up” week when she accused Maksim Chmerkovkiy, who was normally partnered with Meryl Davis, of “phoning in” his dance with Danica McKellar. Her brother, Derek Hough, who dances on the show, took to his sister’s defense.
"I don't...
Julianne Hough Heading Back To 'DWTS'
Hough is reportedly in talks to become a fourth judge on Dancing With the Stars, joining the panel that currently includes Len Goodman, Carrie Ann Inaba and Bruno Tonioli, according to TMZ. Apparently, Hough and producers are in the process of negotiating a deal for her to fill in the spot that was filled by a series of guest judges last season.
Hough created a bit of controversy while serving as one of the guest judges during season 18’s “switch-up” week when she accused Maksim Chmerkovkiy, who was normally partnered with Meryl Davis, of “phoning in” his dance with Danica McKellar. Her brother, Derek Hough, who dances on the show, took to his sister’s defense.
"I don't...
- 8/20/2014
- Uinterview
Earlier this week, we learned that Leslie Mann had been set to lead a new comedy at DreamWorks called Las Madres. Lona Williams (Drop Dead Gorgeous, Scouts vs. Zombies) wrote the original script being rewritten by Pam Brady, a producer and writer for "South Park," who also scripted Team America: World Police. The story follows a trio of unemployed friends (presumably all female since the title is Spanish for "The Mothers"), who try beat tough tough times by becoming bounty hunters and chasing a criminal with a big reward for his capture. Now Variety reports that Oscar winner Octavia Spencer is on board. Read on! This will be Spencer's first straignt-up comedy since winning an Oscar for her supporting role in The Help in 2011. Since then, she's turned in supporting roles in Snowpiercer, Paradise, Fruitvale Station and Smashed, plus a quick turn in the fantasy adventure Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters.
- 5/9/2014
- by Ethan Anderton
- firstshowing.net
With VOD numbers still kept a secret by most of Hollywood, it’s tough to tell if Diablo Cody‘s directorial debut, Paradise, was any kind of success when released last fall. But reviews were not good (our own Jack Giroux gave it a ‘C’), and no one was really talking about it, so let’s just assume it was at least a cultural failure if not also financial. Considering neither Young Adult nor Jennifer’s Body were hits, either, the Oscar-winning Juno screenwriter could use a shot of relevance. And that shot seems very likely to come with a report from The Wrap that none other than Meryl Streep is set to speak Cody’s dialogue in a new movie directed by Jonathan Demme titled Ricky and the Flash. Demme himself hasn’t been in the spotlight much in the past five years and could also use this intriguing project. He...
- 3/26/2014
- by Christopher Campbell
- FilmSchoolRejects.com
Details are sketchy at this point, but The Wrap has just broken news of a pretty exciting project matching three very different Oscar winners: actress Meryl Streep, director Jonathan Demme and screenwriter Diablo Cody. The currently untitled project will star Streep as a woman returning to the family she abandoned decades before to seek fame in Hollywood. That sounds like a promising return to themes visited by "Juno" writer Cody in her script for 2011's "Young Adult," and yet another meaty lead for Streep -- who, of course, racked up her record-extending 18th Oscar nod for "August: Osage County" earlier this year. It'll be Streep's first collaboration with "The Silence of the Lambs" director Demme since his 2004 remake of "The Manchurian Candidate," for which the actress received Golden Globe and BAFTA nods for her Hillary Clinton-infused take on the villainous role made famous by Angela Lansbury. Here's hoping Demme...
- 3/25/2014
- by Guy Lodge
- Hitfix
When Julianne Hough makes a commitment, she sticks to it. Following her March 2013 breakup with Ryan Seacrest, her boyfriend of three years, the Paradise star decided to take a timeout from dating. "I'm a relationship girl, and I feel so grateful for the ones I've been in. They've been excellent—I've been hurt but never angry—and they've helped me grow to be who I am today. But my goal has been to be single for an entire year," Hough, 25, says in March's Self. Of course, that's easier said than done. "There have been moments when I'm like, 'This sucks!'" Hough admits to the magazine. "But my dad used to say to me, 'When you feel happy with...
- 2/18/2014
- E! Online
Russell Brand has entered talks to join Vernon God Little.
Sasha Pieterse and Austin Abrams are also circling Werner Herzog's adaptation of the bestselling Dbc Pierre novel, reports The Wrap.
The black comedy centres around a boy who is wrongfully accused of a school shooting.
The 17-year-old Gangster Squad star Abrams will take on the title role.
Pieterse is in line for the role of the manipulative object of Vernon's affections, while Brand will play a charming but scheming reporter.
Pierre's 2003 novel won the Booker Prize.
Brand was most recently seen in Diablo Cody's directorial debut Paradise.
Herzog will move onto Vernon God Little after he completes filming on Queen of the Desert.
Sasha Pieterse and Austin Abrams are also circling Werner Herzog's adaptation of the bestselling Dbc Pierre novel, reports The Wrap.
The black comedy centres around a boy who is wrongfully accused of a school shooting.
The 17-year-old Gangster Squad star Abrams will take on the title role.
Pieterse is in line for the role of the manipulative object of Vernon's affections, while Brand will play a charming but scheming reporter.
Pierre's 2003 novel won the Booker Prize.
Brand was most recently seen in Diablo Cody's directorial debut Paradise.
Herzog will move onto Vernon God Little after he completes filming on Queen of the Desert.
- 2/7/2014
- Digital Spy
Which music stars went home with awards at the 2014 Grammy Awards? Find out with this full winners list.
Winners in each category are bolded.
Record of the Year
"Get Lucky" -- Daft Punk feat. Pharrell Williams and Nile Rodgers
"Radioactive" -- Imagine Dragons
"Royals" -- Lorde
"Locked Out of Heaven" -- Bruno Mars
"Blurred Lines" -- Robin Thick feat. T.I. and Pharrell
Album of the year
"The Blessed Unrest" -- Sara Bareilles
"Random Access Memories" -- Daft Punk
"Good Kid, M.A.A.D City" -- Kendrick Lamar
"The Heist" -- Macklemore and Ryan Lewis
"Red" -- Taylor Swift
Song of the year
"Just Give Me a Reason" -- Jeff Bhasker, Pink and Nate Ruess (Pink feat. Nate Ruess)
"Locked Out of Heaven" -- Philip Lawrence, Ari Levine and Bruno Mars (Bruno Mars)
"Roar" -- Lukasz Gottwald, Max Martin, Bonnie McKee, Katy Perry and Henry Walter (Katy Perry)
"Royals...
Winners in each category are bolded.
Record of the Year
"Get Lucky" -- Daft Punk feat. Pharrell Williams and Nile Rodgers
"Radioactive" -- Imagine Dragons
"Royals" -- Lorde
"Locked Out of Heaven" -- Bruno Mars
"Blurred Lines" -- Robin Thick feat. T.I. and Pharrell
Album of the year
"The Blessed Unrest" -- Sara Bareilles
"Random Access Memories" -- Daft Punk
"Good Kid, M.A.A.D City" -- Kendrick Lamar
"The Heist" -- Macklemore and Ryan Lewis
"Red" -- Taylor Swift
Song of the year
"Just Give Me a Reason" -- Jeff Bhasker, Pink and Nate Ruess (Pink feat. Nate Ruess)
"Locked Out of Heaven" -- Philip Lawrence, Ari Levine and Bruno Mars (Bruno Mars)
"Roar" -- Lukasz Gottwald, Max Martin, Bonnie McKee, Katy Perry and Henry Walter (Katy Perry)
"Royals...
- 1/26/2014
- by editorial@zap2it.com
- Zap2It - From Inside the Box
It's true that a gorgeous flowing mane looks great on a guy, but no hair looks awfully good, too. In honor of the gentlemen who wore a bald head proudly on the silver screen, we're giving a Reelzie Award for Best Baldie.
John Malkovich is an extraordinary actor, and he proudly displayed his bald head in Red 2. Vin Diesel is always both a badass and a baldie, so it's no surprise that he's on the list. This year he brought his perfectly shaped, hairless head to both Fast & Furious 6 and Riddick, but we think Fast 6 showed off his bald a little bit better. We're not sure Bruce Willis ever had a full head of hair, but that's ok, because he totally doesn't need it. He yippee ki-yay'd his way through another Die Hard sequel looking as good as ever. American Hustle has definitely been an awards-season darling, and the Reelzies are no different.
John Malkovich is an extraordinary actor, and he proudly displayed his bald head in Red 2. Vin Diesel is always both a badass and a baldie, so it's no surprise that he's on the list. This year he brought his perfectly shaped, hairless head to both Fast & Furious 6 and Riddick, but we think Fast 6 showed off his bald a little bit better. We're not sure Bruce Willis ever had a full head of hair, but that's ok, because he totally doesn't need it. He yippee ki-yay'd his way through another Die Hard sequel looking as good as ever. American Hustle has definitely been an awards-season darling, and the Reelzies are no different.
- 1/17/2014
- by Mandy McAdoo
- Reelzchannel.com
Please note, the absence of titles like Spring Breakers, Paradise: Faith, Frances Ha, No, and The Place Beyond the Pines is due to the fact that I saw these in 2012 and considered them as some of the best ‘unreleased’ films of that year. The following ten selections are the best films I saw this year that also made it to theatrical release also this year. Without further ado, here are my Top Ten Films for 2013 commencing with my number 10 pick…:
10. Fruitvale Station – Ryan Coogler
The only directorial debut on my list, Ryan Coogler, took home the top audience and critic’s prize at Sundance, for his emotional, well played reenactment of the last days in the life of a young man whose life is cut short. Featuring stellar performances from Michael B. Jordan, Octavia Spencer, and Melonie Diaz, Coogler’s debut is an engaging and important cinematic achievement,...
10. Fruitvale Station – Ryan Coogler
The only directorial debut on my list, Ryan Coogler, took home the top audience and critic’s prize at Sundance, for his emotional, well played reenactment of the last days in the life of a young man whose life is cut short. Featuring stellar performances from Michael B. Jordan, Octavia Spencer, and Melonie Diaz, Coogler’s debut is an engaging and important cinematic achievement,...
- 1/1/2014
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
What is partying, exactly? Images of clubs saturated in blue and magenta light, where well-coiffed dudes and sexy women grind slowly through rooms filled with people overjoyed with high-priced mixed drinks are so familiar that it would seem to take an incredibly naïve person to even ask that question. "The club" has acquired such a mystique that it seems like the habitat of a worldly god. Not religious? Want to live a fuller life? In America in 2013, partying is how we pray. This, at least, is how it appears to our naïve protagonist Lamb Mannerheim (Julianne Hough) in Diablo Cody's playful new film Paradise. Raised in a strictly religious household where she was forbidden the fruits of pop culture, Lamb renounces God after a...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
- 12/9/2013
- Screen Anarchy
New HBO Comedy Moody Bitches Unites Oprah Winfrey and Diablo Cody. HBO announced what might be the most unique partnership behind all of its original series. According to Variety, Oprah Winfrey and her Harpo Films banner partnered with Juno writer Diablo Cody on a comedy series based on the upcoming Dr. Julia Holland book Moody Bitches. Described as something a psychiatrist tell-all book discussing “the truth about the drugs you’re taking, the sex you’re not having, the sleep you’re missing and what’s really making you crazy,” Cody joined the project as writer as well as an executive producer with Winfrey. Cody recently wrote and directed the comic drama Paradise starring Julianne Hough and Nick Offerman and wrote Young Adult starring Charlize Theron.
- 11/22/2013
- Upcoming-Movies.com
Exclusive: Fox has put in development Wunderland, a workplace comedy written by Amanda Lund and Matt Gourley, with Diablo Cody supervising and Jack Black’s Electric Dynamite producing for 20th Century Fox TV. Co-created by Lund and Gourley, Wunderland explores the minutiae behind the scenes of America’s most beloved (fictional) theme park. The project is inspired by the couple’s years working at multiple theme parks, where Lund played an array of beloved princesses. Cody, a self-professed rabid theme park enthusiast and roller coaster expert, is executive producing with Electric Dynamite’s Black and Priyanka Mattoo. This marks a reunion for Lund and Electric Dynamite, who collaborated on the well-received web series Ghost Ghirls, which Lund co-created and stars in. Lund is repped by Wme and 3 Arts. Writer-performer Gourley created the podcast Superego. Cody, repped by Wme, Mxn Entertainment, and McKuin, Frankel, Whitehead, is currently developing her TBS talk...
- 11/19/2013
- by NELLIE ANDREEVA
- Deadline TV
Moviefone's Top DVD of the Week:
"Man of Steel"
What's It About? In Zack Snyder's Superman reboot, "Man of Steel," the young Clark Kent (Henry Cavill) goes on a journey to discover his origin and to better understand his super-human powers. However, when the Kryptonian military leader, General Zod (Michael Shannon), threatens the fate of earth, Clark must face his past to save his planet.
Why We're In: "Man of Steel" is full of spectacular action sequences that will quench any superhero junkie or comic book fiend's appetite. However, Snyder's film was ranked as one of Moviefone's Best Movies of 2013 (So Far) primarily because it successfully rebooted the Superman story after previous failed attempts. It may be your typical Blockbuster fare, but it's undoubtedly a thrilling ride.
Watch: A special feature from the "Man of Steel" Blu-ray (Video)
Moviefone's Top Blu-ray of the Week:
"Noseferatu"
What's It About? F.W. Murnau's 1922 silent "Nosferatu,...
"Man of Steel"
What's It About? In Zack Snyder's Superman reboot, "Man of Steel," the young Clark Kent (Henry Cavill) goes on a journey to discover his origin and to better understand his super-human powers. However, when the Kryptonian military leader, General Zod (Michael Shannon), threatens the fate of earth, Clark must face his past to save his planet.
Why We're In: "Man of Steel" is full of spectacular action sequences that will quench any superhero junkie or comic book fiend's appetite. However, Snyder's film was ranked as one of Moviefone's Best Movies of 2013 (So Far) primarily because it successfully rebooted the Superman story after previous failed attempts. It may be your typical Blockbuster fare, but it's undoubtedly a thrilling ride.
Watch: A special feature from the "Man of Steel" Blu-ray (Video)
Moviefone's Top Blu-ray of the Week:
"Noseferatu"
What's It About? F.W. Murnau's 1922 silent "Nosferatu,...
- 11/12/2013
- by Erin Whitney
- Moviefone
Screenwriters turning directors is not a new phenomenon and it's also something we covered recently in this extensive feature. The latest scribe to give it a whirl is Diablo Cody ("Juno," "Young Adult") with "Paradise" featuring Julianne Hough, Russell Brand, Octavia Spencer, Nick Offerman and others. After a debut on premium cable and a limited theatrical bow, the film is coming to home video. Once again focusing on the story of a young woman, "Paradise" tells the story of 21-year-old God-fearing Lamb Mannerheim (Hough), who gets a wake up call after a nearly fatal accident, and heads to Las Vegas to get a taste of temptation. Helping to protect and guide her are a couple of new friends who will accompany her journey through Sin City. And if you dig that premise, are a fan of the talent involved or have seen the film and want to have it for you own,...
- 11/11/2013
- by Kevin Jagernauth
- The Playlist
This Academy Award-winning actress is set to star in NBC's upcoming reboot of the crime series Murder, She Wrote and recently appeared on the CBS comedy series Mom. Here are five things you may not know about Octavia Spencer.
1. Born Octavia Lenora Spencer on May 25, 1970 in Montgomery, Al -- she's the sixth of seven children.
Pics: Star Sightings
2. Holds a Bs degree in Liberal Arts from Auburn University.
3. Made her film debut portraying a nurse in the 1996 thriller A Time to Kill. She was originally hired to work in the casting department, but was later allowed by director Joel Schumacher to audition for a role.
Video: Watch Octavia Spencer In Trailer for Paradise
4. Wrote a book for middle-grade readers called Randi Rhodes, Ninja Detective: The Case of the Time-Capsule Bandit.
5. Debuted in 2003 in the Los Angeles production of The Trials and Tribulations of a Trailer Trash Housewife.
Video: Octavia Says Fruitvale Station Message Hits Home ...
1. Born Octavia Lenora Spencer on May 25, 1970 in Montgomery, Al -- she's the sixth of seven children.
Pics: Star Sightings
2. Holds a Bs degree in Liberal Arts from Auburn University.
3. Made her film debut portraying a nurse in the 1996 thriller A Time to Kill. She was originally hired to work in the casting department, but was later allowed by director Joel Schumacher to audition for a role.
Video: Watch Octavia Spencer In Trailer for Paradise
4. Wrote a book for middle-grade readers called Randi Rhodes, Ninja Detective: The Case of the Time-Capsule Bandit.
5. Debuted in 2003 in the Los Angeles production of The Trials and Tribulations of a Trailer Trash Housewife.
Video: Octavia Says Fruitvale Station Message Hits Home ...
- 11/11/2013
- Entertainment Tonight
Hollywood is full of busy people, but Nick Offerman has a sacred place in the upper tier of entertainment industry workaholics. Earlier this month, the "Parks and Recreation" star released his memoir, titled "Paddle Your Own Canoe." He continues to tour the country with the comedy show "American Ham." In the past year, his motion picture releases have included "Paradise," "We're the Millers," "In a World" and "The Kings of Summer." Next spring, he's heading Off Broadway to reteam with wife Megan Mullally on "Annapurna," a play they did earlier this year in Los Angeles. He continues to run the...
- 10/31/2013
- by Daniel Fienberg
- Hitfix
View Photo Gallery
With many people marking Halloween this past weekend, it’s no surprise that we’d see a celeb wear a questionable costume that many of us would find to be offensive. No, we’re not talking about Paris Hilton dressing up as Miley Cyrus (although, ewwwww); rather, we’ve got Dancing With The Stars’ Julianne Hough who made the regrettable decision to attempt to add authenticity to her Orange Is The New Black costume by applying blackface.
On Big Morning Buzz Live, Tamar Braxton remarked that she didn’t necessarily find the getup racist, but we know that there are people who respectfully disagree. Donning blackface is, thankfully, generally something that’s been fazed out of polite society, but occasionally a celeb will commit an act of cultural insensitivity that lands them in hot water. Like Ted Danson, C. Thomas Howell and Billy Crystal before her, Julianne Hough...
With many people marking Halloween this past weekend, it’s no surprise that we’d see a celeb wear a questionable costume that many of us would find to be offensive. No, we’re not talking about Paris Hilton dressing up as Miley Cyrus (although, ewwwww); rather, we’ve got Dancing With The Stars’ Julianne Hough who made the regrettable decision to attempt to add authenticity to her Orange Is The New Black costume by applying blackface.
On Big Morning Buzz Live, Tamar Braxton remarked that she didn’t necessarily find the getup racist, but we know that there are people who respectfully disagree. Donning blackface is, thankfully, generally something that’s been fazed out of polite society, but occasionally a celeb will commit an act of cultural insensitivity that lands them in hot water. Like Ted Danson, C. Thomas Howell and Billy Crystal before her, Julianne Hough...
- 10/28/2013
- by Rahsheeda Ali
- TheFabLife - Movies
By now, we know that blackface is never a good idea. At least we should, right? But that didn’t stop Julianne Hough from dressing as her favorite Orange Is The New Black character, Crazy Eyes, at a Casamigos Tequila Halloween party Friday night (see it here). Naturally, the Paradise star apologized before you could say “I will cut you!” “I am a huge fan of the show Orange is the New black, actress Uzo Aduba, and the character she has created,” she tweeted. “It certainly was never my intention to be disrespectful or demeaning to anyone in any way. I realize my costume hurt and offended people and I truly apologize.”...
- 10/27/2013
- by Delia Paunescu
- Vulture
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