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Disney+ Oscar nominated documentary short “Nǎi Nai and Wài Pó” about two Asian grandmothers, is set to debut on the streamer and Hulu on Feb. 9.

The 17-minute film directed by Taiwanese American filmmaker Sean Wang follows the daily, often humorous, lives of his elderly maternal and paternal grandmothers who are best friends and live together. The short doc premiered at the 2023 South by Southwest Film Festival, where it took home the grand jury prize and audience award.

Wang began filming his grandmothers in 2021 when he lived with them for a brief stint between a move from New York City to Los Angeles.

“It was very much a transitory period of my life,” Wang says. “But in those few months of getting to live with them I got to really experience their joy and their mundane rhythms of life.”

In November Disney Branded Television acquired the film, which features dialogue in both Mandarin and English.

"We tried this experiment, it's not working." Drafthouse Films has revealed an official trailer for Chop & Steele, a comedy documentary from the filmmakers behind Winnebago Man. This premiered at last year's Tribeca Film Festival, stopping by numerous other fests including Fantastic Fest and Calgary Underground Festival. Lifelong friends Joe Pickett & Nick Prueher, two indie comedians famous for pranking local news stations on live TV as the fake strongman duo "Chop & Steele," start booking their routine on unsuspecting morning news shows. When one of their pranks ends up going viral, they find themselves in federal court facing off against a vengeful media conglomerate. Joe and Nick are also the creators of the Found Footage Festival. Many other comedians are featured in the doc, including David Cross, Bobcat Goldthwait, Reggie Watts, and Howie Mandel. This looks wild!! I didn't even know about these guys or what happened to them in court, so...

Artistic Director Urszula Śniegowska has created a family here of great cineastes and cinephiles. Included is the Austin posse with David Gordon Green receiving the double-barreled Indie Star Award and the European debut of his latest film, "Our Brand is Crisis" with the formidable Sandra Bullock in her ballsiest role ever playing the political strategist, James Carville, as she dictates the terms to her candidate for the President of Bolivia played by my new heartthrob, the Portuguese actor, Joaquim de Almeida. David says he may star in the next film he will direct which will be in Portuguese.

I'm betting on David Gordon Green becoming heir to the throne now occupied by Clint Eastwood as Warner Bros. creates its new brand. Warner Bros. also supplied the Clint Eastwood prints and virtual prints for the Eastwood retrospective. His masterpiece "The Unforgiven" was shown in 35mm. The evolution of Dgg since the Sundance debut (and his own first feature) of " George Washington" in 2000 shows his skill directing both indie and major genres.

The family in the Austin posse includes the grand director Berndt Mader ("Winnebago Man") of "Booger Red" (exec produced by Dgg) with his producer, Irish transplant and immigrant Johnny McAllister who co-wrote with Berndt, and Onur Tukel, the "Turkish Woody Allen" whose own directed and produced " Summer of Blood" debuted at Tribeca last year and was a huge hit at the Champs Elysees Film Festival (this year June 7-14), the sister of Aff who share their child Us in Progress. "Booger Red" is a hybrid documentary/narrative about a veteran reporter who searches for the truth behind the largest purported child sex ring in Texas history. On his journey through the bowels of East Texas, he's forced to confront his own history with abuse while he discovers that the allegations at the root of his investigation might have never happened.

At one of the nightly bar gatherings (which last til 4 am!), Dgg credited Onur for keeping the independent film scene in Austin alive.

Second to receive the double-barreled Indie Star Award with Dgg was Hal Hartley whose humble acceptance of the prize touched us all. He thanked the audience, a new generation for its "fresh" questions, a great pleasure for him after 25 years of doing Q&As. And he thanked the festival for putting on the most complete retrospective of his film ever held.

The Audience Award of Us$10,000 went to the Spectrum film "Dope" by Rick Famuyiwa , one of the freshest films to show in Sundance this year; a delightful, sweet romp with young talents De'aundre Bonds, Kiersey Clemons and Tony Revolori as they follow the orders of dope dealer Rakim Mayers, through the streets of Inglewood California.

The Audience Award of Us$5,000 went to the American Doc film "Transfatty Lives" by Patrick O'Brian. The Awards were funded by festival sponsor, Bny Mellon, wealth management and investments banker to the world. Started by Alexander Hamilton in 1784, Bny Mellon is one of the longest-lasting financial institutions in the world.

Festival Director Roman Gutek has created a great and lasting bond between film artists in U.S. and in Poland. He has also created Europe's largest international film festival, New Horizons, held here in Wroclaw July 25-31 which this year will have a special section of America as depicted by European filmmakers. In addition he has created Europe's largest arthouse multiplex, the New Horizons Theater where these two festivals are held.

Joe Carnahan! Click above to Listen Now! Director Joe Carnahan joins Moreno and Law for a great discussion about The Grey Blu-ray and DVD release last week (May 15th), his plans for the Death Wish remake, and douchebag animal activists. From there we try to comprehend the ending of last week's 'Game of Thrones', review Get The Gringo, Shut Up Little Man, & Winnebago Man. New releases let's Law vent about This Means War while Moreno surprisingly looks...

Article by Dan Clark of Movie Revolt

Welcome to the first installment of Streaming for Your Pleasure where I highlight interesting and unique films now available on Netflix streaming. In each segment I will focus on one major overall category – this first time round I am looking at some intriguing documentaries that are worth checking out.

Chasing Ghosts: Beyond the Arcade

Directed By Lincoln Ruchti

Synopsis: At the unassuming Twin Galaxies arcade in Ottumwa, Iowa, early gamers fought for bragging rights at the 1982 Video Game World Championships. See how competitive gaming started, and meet arcade owner Walter Day, who still oversees scoring.

Why You Should Check It Out: There is just something about that arcade experience that I really miss. Today’s online gaming world is full of foul mouth preteen kids mocking you in almost every turn. Back in the day those kids were standing right next to you...

Just a quick reminder -- okay, I guess it's a shameless self-promotion, really. But SXSW Film starts tomorrow (Friday, March 9) and one of the first panels is "Beginners Guide to SXSW Film," which is a lot of fun even if you have been to the fest before. The panel starts at 2 pm in Austin Convention Center, Room 16Ab.

As in past years, the panel will be skillfully moderated by Agnes Varnum, Austin Film Society Director of Marketing. I'll be on the panel too -- it's my second year, as will Austin film producer Joel Heller (Winnebago Man), film writer/programmer/consultant Basil Tsiokos, and attorney George Rush.

We all have our standard tips and tricks for people who haven't been to the fest before, and in addition, we'll take questions from the audience. It's a lot of fun. So I hope you'll be there and ask us about any area...

SXSW starts tomorrow, and one of the best parts of the festival is the shorts program, a perennial favorite. I've pre-screened a number of this year's excellent entries, and here is part one of my pre-fest short film coverage.

Tumbleweed! (Texas Shorts)

Wow! Offbeat, whimsical, and completely delightful. Tumbleweed! is an inspirational story of a tumbleweed that refuses to tumble. This seven-minute short is the kind of little nugget that makes the shorts program a must-see. Very loosely set in Texas.

Heimkommen (Narrative Shorts)

A poignant and touching look at sibling tensions in the wake of a tragic accident, Heimkommen (Come Home) tells a story that is simple yet deep. Director Micah Magee is a San Antonio native and Ut Austin grad, and she's also a former Cinematexas co-director.

In the Pines (Narrative Shorts)

In nine minutes, In the Pines managed to re-create the mood I felt after two hours watching Tree of Life.

Say what? You don't recognize the name Ben Steinbauer? Perhaps you remember the hit documentary Winnebago Man, which wowed crowds at film festivals everywhere it played, including SXSW 2009. In 2010, the Austin Film Critics Association awarded it Best Austin Film. This time around, Steinbauer brings a documentary short about Stephen Friedland called Brute Force to SXSW 2012.

Slackerwood: Describe your film for us in a couple of sentences.

Steinbauer: Brute Force is the story of Apple Records recording artist Stephen Friedland, who in 1969 released the song "King of Fuh" that became the most controversial single Apple ever recorded.

What's one thing about the film that is going to make it impossible for people to resist seeing it?

The relationship between Stephen, aka "Brute Force," who is now in his seventies, and his daughter Lilah, aka "Daughter of Force," is funny, charming and endlessly relatable. It will appeal to anyone who has a...

Kino Lorber has just announced that it will be releasing SXSW hit "Kumare" in the Us.  The controversial comedic doc takes on people's devotion to spiritual gurus, with filmmaker Vikram Gandhi developing a guru character, Kumare, for himself.  The film took home the Audience Award for Best Feature Documentary at SXSW earlier this year.  Indiewire reviewed the film at SXSW and interviewed the film's team there too. Though Kino Lorber is often known for taking on more serious fare, the company did make a hit out of "Winnebago Man" last year. The film will be released in May or June of 2012 and will roll out on VOD during the summer and early fall. Kino Lorber Acquires KUMARÉ (2011), A Documentary By Vikram Gandhi New York, NY - December 22, 2011 - Kino Lorber, Inc. (www.kinolorber.com) is proud to announce the acquisition of all Us rights to the acclaimed and controversial doc Kumaré (2011), by.

Here’s the Movies That Became Available to Stream on Netflix Over the Past Week: Red State (R | 2011)

Flickchart Ranking: #2340

Times Ranked: 2096

Win Percentage: 53%

How Many Top-20′s: 13 Users

________________________________________________

I was pleasantly suprised by how much I liked Red State. It’s a tight little 90 mimute thriller with fantastic performances and it mixes genres quite effectively. The HD version on Netflix looks pretty nice too.

Directed By: Kevin Smith

Starring: Michael Parks • John Goodman • Melissa Leo • Kevin Pollak • Michael Angarano

Genres :Drama • Horror • Religious Drama • Thriller

• • • • • • • •

The Next Three Days (PG13 | 2010)

Flickchart Ranking: #2302

Times Ranked: 3616

Win Percentage: 48%

How Many Top-20′s: 3 Users

________________________________________________

Directed By: Paul Haggis

Starring: Russell Crowe • Elizabeth Banks • Olivia Wilde

Genres: Crime • Crime Drama • Crime Thriller • Drama • Romance • Romantic Drama • Thriller

• • • • • • • •

Winnebago Man (Nr | 2010)

Flickchart Ranking: #3403

Times Ranked: 2363

Win Percentage: 54%

How Many Top-20′s: 5 Users

________________________________________________

Directed By: Ben Steinbauer

Genres: Biography • Documentary

• • • • • • • •

F/X (R | 1986)

Flickchart Ranking:...

Everyone can relate to horror stories about bad neighbors. But in 1987, two kids from the Midwest with the punk rock nicknames Eddie Lee Sausage and Mitchell D. did something not everyone would do. Their next door neighbors in a San Francisco apartment complex with paper thin walls were two aging alcoholics named Peter J. Haskett and Raymond Huffman. Peter and Ray liked to stay up all night chugging vodka and beating the crap out of one another, both physically and verbally. After enduring weeks of fights, and trying in vain to beg the men to quiet down, Eddie and Mitchell decided to start recording Peter and Ray surreptitiously, with a microphone they hung on a ski pole and held out their window. Why? They were young, they were bored, and they were curious. Plus, they were compiling useful evidence in case one of these drunks tried to murder one of them or each other.

Preferred Ventures and Might Entertainment have acquired the ancillary rights to the Kino Lorber film library. The fund will exploit the rights of more than 700 past titles plus another 36 titles over the next three years on cable VOD, Iptv, Satellite and broadband outlets that will include iTunes, Xbox and Playstation. Preferred Ventures, a newly established digital investment fund formed by Kevin Iwashina and Ross Dinerstein’s Preferred Content, Freecreditreport.com founder Ed Ojdana and ex-Facebook Chief Privacy Officer Chris Kelly, paid in the six figures for those ancillary rights. Kino Lorber has separate deals with digital vendors that include Netflix, Amazon, YouTube, Hulu, Fandor and Epix. Preferred Ventures’ Iwashina made the deal with Might Entertainment president Andy Bohn and Kino Lorber CEO Richard Lorber. Might and Kino Lorber partnered on the VOD releases Winnebago Man and Mademoiselle Chambon, and they have six films scheduled for release over the next few months.

Directors: Bob Ray, Spencer Parsons, Rusty Kelley, Berndt Mader, Amy Grappell, Karen Skloss, Duane Graves, Justin Meeks, Paul Gordon, Johnny Stranger, David Zellner, Nathan Zellner, Jay Duplass, John Bryant, Sam Wainwright Douglas, Ben Steinbauer, Elisabeth Sikes, Mike Dolan, Geoff Marslett, Bradley Beesley, Bob Byington, Clay Liford, Carlyn Hudson, Miguel Alvarez, Scott Meyers, Pj Raval, Chris Eska Writers: Bob Ray, Spencer Parsons, Rusty Kelley, Berndt Mader, Amy Grappell, Karen Skloss, Duane Graves, Justin Meeks, Paul Gordon, Johnny Stranger, David Zellner, Nathan Zellner, Jay Duplass, John Bryant, Sam Wainwright Douglas, Ben Steinbauer, Elisabeth Sikes, Mike Dolan, Geoff Marslett, Bradley Beesley, Bob Byington, Clay Liford, Carlyn Hudson, Miguel Alvarez, Scott Meyers, Pj Raval, Chris Eska Starring: Bob Ray, Chris Doubek, Maggie Lea, Hilah Johnson, Robert Lambert, Leslie Naugle, John Wesley Coleman, Kelli Bland, Justin Meeks, Jonny Mars, Ashley Spillers, Jen Tracy Duplass, Jay Duplass, Chris Trew, Sam Wainwright Douglas, Anna Margaret Hollyman, Luke Savisky,...

Internet hits are the subjects of new documentaries, giving fans a chance to uncover some mysteries. Like, what is 'accoutrema'?

First posted on YouTube in 2007, the viral clip known as Iron Mic: Eli Porter vs Envy is, at first glance, a rap battle between two teenage MCs of questionable talent. But it's also much, much more. Imagine a hip-hop special of Britain's Got Talent – if Britain's Got Talent had a production budget of £4.50 and was crewed entirely by high 16-year-olds – and you're starting to understand why the clip has won 3.4m views. It's also a treasure trove of amateurish camera angles, mic feedback and inexplicable editing choices. For hip-hop fans, it's either the worst rap battle ever or the greatest, depending on your point of view, and a source of endless online musings. The idiosyncratic delivery style of the clip's star, Eli Porter, led some viewers to assume he has...

SnagFilms’ 3nd annual SummerFest, an online festival with free on-demand streaming, features exclusive, limited-duration runs of popular new documentaries. "Winnebago Man" became available on Friday and will remain on the site until the 25th. [Editor's Note: SnagFilms is the parent company of indieWIRE.] Jack Rebney, a.k.a. “The Winnebago Man” – an ‘80s Rv salesman’s hilarious, profanity-strewn, on-the-job meltdown was captured on video and passed around on VHS tapes, before exploding ...

SnagFilms’ 3nd annual SummerFest, an online festival with free on-demand streaming, features exclusive, limited-duration runs of popular new documentaries. "Winnebago Man" became available on Friday and will remain on the site until the 25th. [Editor's Note: SnagFilms is the parent company of indieWIRE.] Jack Rebney, a.k.a. “The Winnebago Man” – an ‘80s Rv salesman’s hilarious, profanity-strewn, on-the-job meltdown was captured on video and passed around on VHS tapes, before exploding ...

SnagFilms’ 3nd annual SummerFest, an online festival with free on-demand streaming, features exclusive, limited-duration runs of popular new documentaries. "Winnebago Man" became available on Friday and will remain on the site until the 25th. [Editor's Note: SnagFilms is the parent company of indieWIRE.] Jack Rebney, a.k.a. “The Winnebago Man” – an ‘80s Rv salesman’s hilarious, profanity-strewn, on-the-job meltdown was captured on video and passed around on VHS tapes, before exploding ...

In celebration of Slacker's 20th anniversary, local filmmakers are re-creating scenes from the Richard Linklater movie for Slacker 2011, a fundraising project benefitting the Texas Filmmakers Production Fund (Tfpf). As we await the August 31 premiere, we're chatting with some of the filmmakers participating in one or more of the short films that will comprise the project -- check out our interviews so far.

Today's interview is with Allison Turrell of Stuck On On. Stuck On On is an Austin company that specializes in post-production/finishing work for films, such as color correction, music composition, voiceovers, sound design, and digital mixing. Stuck On On worked with Austin Film Society and Alamo Drafthouse to help make a finished feature out of the Slacker 2011 segments from individual filmmakers. They've also worked on local movies such as Winnebago Man, Richard Garriott: Man on a Mission, blacktino and Dmt: The Spirit Molecule.

Slackerwood: What got...

In the days before YouTube or viral Internet videos, people were passing around third-rate copies on videotape of the outtakes of a Winnebago commercial featuring one Jack Rebney, whose gift for colorful profanity under pressure was immense. Hearing his outbursts can be oddly uplifting if you're having a bad day yourself. Local filmmaker Ben Steinbauer, intrigued by the lasting popularity of the "Winnebago Man" video, set out to find Rebney and get the whole story behind the videotape in the documentary Winnebago Man.

Winnebago Man premiered at SXSW in 2009 and has enjoyed a fair amount of popularity since then. Don Clinchy calls it "funny and sometimes poignant" in his review. The movie won several prizes on the film-fest circuit, as well as the Austin Film Critics Association award for Best Austin Film in 2010. One of Rebney's catch phrases from the video, "Will you do me a kindness?" turns up frequently...

I always heard that fame doesn't change who you are, it just makes you more of who you already were. But having watched the transformation undergone by Jimmy McMillan, the New York gubernatorial candidate who became an overnight celebrity last fall thanks to his amazing facial hair, inexplicable gloves, and incessant chants of "The rent is too damn high!" I'm not so sure anymore. When the documentary "Damn!" first meets Jimmy in 2005, he genuinely seems to care that the rent is too damn high for a lot of people. Cut to 2010, and that infamous debate. Millions of YouTube hits later, McMillan has all but forgotten about the campaign in order to focus on cashing in on his newfound stardom. In his defense, the rent is too damn high and he's got to pay it somehow.

"Damn!" by filmmaker Aaron Fisher-Cohen, gives us 75 minutes inside the viral candidate's 15 minutes of fame.

When Ryan Gosling turns to Emma Stone in Crazy Stupid Love and says, “Will you do me a kindness?” he becomes the latest movie character to reveal the unlikely influence of Jack Rebney, the cantankerous eccentric turned cult figure who is the subject of the film Winnebago Man. Director Ben Steinbauer’s movie charts his search for Rebney, who had vanished even as his fame was growing. Partly a suspense film and partly a documentary with a fun, breezy feel, the film also illustrates how catch phrases and fringe characters make their way into pop culture. Rebney’s slim claim to our…...

In celebration of Slacker's 20th anniversary, local filmmakers are re-creating scenes from the Richard Linklater movie for Slacker 2011, a fundraising project benefitting the Texas Filmmakers Production Fund. The trailer is now available. As we await the August 31 premiere, we're chatting with some of the filmmakers participating in one or more of the short films that will comprise the project.

Today's interview is with Berndt Mader, cinematographer (Winnebago Man), and writer and director of Five Time Champion, which won the Texas Filmmaker Award at the Dallas International Film Festival. Read Don's review from the movies premiere at SXSW this year.

Slackerwood: Which scene from the film did you reshoot?

Berndt Mader: I had the Jerry Deloney and Tommy Pallotta scene where Jerry accosts Tommy on his way out of a coffee shop. He follows him down the street going off about global conspiracies involving the CIA, the moon landing,...

In celebration of Slacker's 20th anniversary, local filmmakers are re-creating scenes from the Richard Linklater movie for Slacker 2011, a fundraising project benefitting the Texas Filmmakers Production Fund. As we await the August 31 premiere, we're chatting with some of the Austinites participating in one or more of the short films that will comprise the project.

Today's interview is with Ben Steinbauer, director of the 2009 acclaimed documentary Winnebago Man (Don's review), which won the Austin Film Critics Association Award for Best Austin Film in 2010.

Slackerwood: Which scene from the film are you reshooting?

Ben Steinbauer: I'm re-shooting the scene with the angry hitchhiker who gets interviewed by a young video crew outside Les Amis Cafe. The hitchhiker is bumming cigarettes off the people sitting on the patio and gets approached by a video crew who inadvertently give him the opportunity to rant directly into their camera.

read more...

So I have quickly learnt how to secretly squeeze more than five videos into my list. Yep, you got it; I put them in my introduction. Now if you can spin your brain cells back to the first ‘5 YouTube Experiences to Brighten Your Week' you might recall The Mountain, which was my number one clip. Well, there has been another video made by Terje Sorgjerd entitled The Arctic Light, which is no less awe-inspiring than its predecessor. I’m making a conscious effort not to put clips in the list which are related to any that I have included previously, so with that in mind I have decided to hide it in my introduction – I wouldn’t call that cheating.

Anyhow, without further ado, here are my latest offerings:

5. Racist Field Trip

This guy should do stand-up, as he tells his story impeccably, but I’d doubt any material created...

Director: Matthew Bate A series of tapes featuring two bickering San Francisco men with a penchant for profanity so flamboyantly profane that even Jack Rebney (Winnebago Man) might blush at the sound of it were recorded in the late 1980s by two young punks, Mitch Deprey and Eddie Lee Sausage. The unaware neighbors of the audio misadventures, Peter Haskett and Ray Huffman, could be heard verbatim through the paper-thin walls of Deprey and Sausage's crappy apartment and the surreptitious recordings began as a means of documenting the obscene aural hell that kept Deprey and Sausage awake all through the night, but quickly evolved into a means of bitter revenge. Deprey and Sausage began to invite friends over to their apartment for Haskett and Huffman listening parties. They then began to pass around dubs of their lo-fi tape recordings to friends and soon the analog recordings went viral, developing into an underground sensation.

Reviewed by Elliot V. Kotek

(from the 2011 South by Southwest Film Festival)

Directed/Written by: Berndt Mader

Starring: Ryan Akin, Betty Buckley, Jon Gries, Dana Wheeler-Nicholson, Justin Arnold, Jill Blackwood and Noell Coet

There’s an element of Miranda July’s filmmaking (“Me and You and Everyone We Know”) in the voiceover opening of “Five Time Champion.” That’s a good thing. Worms, a make-out session and a boy lying in the middle of a dirt road playing with a rock make for an auspicious start to a feature career.

Berndt Mader won himself some fame with cinematography and an “additional writing” credit on festival favorite “Winnebago Man.” For his first feature, he’s crafted an innocent, well-balanced indie.

Julius (Ryan Akin), described as a fuse waiting to blow, is troubled by his baseball coach’s affair with his taxidermist mother and his girlfriend being brought to school on the...

Reviewed by Elliot V. Kotek

(from the 2011 South by Southwest Film Festival)

Directed/Written by: Berndt Mader

Starring: Ryan Akin, Betty Buckley, Jon Gries, Dana Wheeler-Nicholson, Justin Arnold, Jill Blackwood and Noell Coet

There’s an element of Miranda July’s filmmaking (“Me and You and Everyone We Know”) in the voiceover opening of “Five Time Champion.” That’s a good thing. Worms, a make-out session and a boy lying in the middle of a dirt road playing with a rock make for an auspicious start to a feature career.

Berndt Mader won himself some fame with cinematography and an “additional writing” credit on festival favorite “Winnebago Man.” For his first feature, he’s crafted an innocent, well-balanced indie.

Julius (Ryan Akin), described as a fuse waiting to blow, is troubled by his baseball coach’s affair with his taxidermist mother and his girlfriend being brought to school on the...

Trailers are an under-appreciated art form insofar that many times they’re seen as vehicles for showing footage, explaining films away, or showing their hand about what moviegoers can expect. Foreign, domestic, independent, big budget: I celebrate all levels of trailers and hopefully this column will satisfactorily give you a baseline of what beta wave I’m operating on, because what better way to hone your skills as a thoughtful moviegoer than by deconstructing these little pieces of advertising? Some of the best authors will tell you that writing a short story is a lot harder than writing a long one, that you have to weigh every sentence. What better medium to see how this theory plays itself out beyond that than with movie trailers? Les amours imaginaires (Heartbeats) Trailer Honestly, I hope this movie ends with all three of them deciding to partake in ritualistic suicide. There was a...

Your full list of 2011 Oscar nominees, complete with my rambly, obvious predictions. Feel free to leave your own reactions / predictions in the comments: Best Picture Black Swan The Fighter Inception The Kids Are Alright The King’s Speech 127 Hours The Social Network Toy Story 3 True Grit Winter’s Bone - Has to be Social Network unless the Academy goes out of its way to push against the Globes, in which case Black Swan has an outside shot. The King’s Speech is too relatively obscure to win the year after Hurt Locker – they’ll probably tend towards a more generally well-known film, plus Social Network double-rewards David Fincher and Aaron Sorkin. Two birds with one awkward stone that we had no idea would be such a juggernaut when we first heard about the idea of the movie and chuckled. Actor in a Leading Role Javier Bardem in “Biutiful” Jeff Bridges...

Documentaries became a box office factor with the rise of such films as "Hoop Dreams" and "Roger & Me." Before then, there were hit music documentaries like "Woodstock" but most other nonfiction films could expect short runs in few theaters before dutiful audiences. What a small but growing minority of Friday night moviegoers is beginning to discover is that there's a good chance the movie they might enjoy most at the multiplex is a doc.

In alphabetical order, these were the best documentaries I saw in 2010:

"45365" is the zip code of Sidney, Ohio. The brothers Bill and Turner Ross were born there perhaps 30 years ago. They knew everybody in town, and when they spent seven months of 2007 filming its daily life, their presence must have become commonplace. Their film evokes what Winesburg, Ohio might have looked like as a documentary.

The film is privileged. No one is filmed with a hidden camera.

In the Alamo programming office, movies are sort of our thing. We watch ‘em, we fight about ‘em, and sometimes we even book ‘em for our theatres. We bring you the greatest and most bizarre movies from the past 100 years, and also highlight some of the greatest achievements in new cinema, too.

It’s a tough job…especially when it comes time to narrow down our favorites at the end of each year. But we do it all for you.

The lists below represent the most powerful and/or entertaining films of 2010, according to Alamo programmers Tim League, Lars Nilsen, Zack Carlson, Henri Mazza, Kayla Williams, Daniel Metz, Bret Neuman, George Bragdon, and Caitlin Stevens. We hope you have some time on your hands, because you’re going to want to read everything.

In case you’re interested, you can see our combined list as a group on Badass Digest.

Top Ten Most Disappointing Movies of 2010

I think you all know what I mean when I call a movie "disappointing", but just to make sure there isn't any confusion, the following ten films are the ten films I went into with the firm belief they would entertain me to a certain level. Not to say I assumed they would all have a shot at my top ten, but to say I expected more, and in some cases much more.

We've all been disappointed with movies and, I think, at times we'll even lie to ourselves about how much we liked a movie knowing we just wasted time and money on something that A) didn't live up to our expectations; B) wasted our time; C) wasted our money; and D) quite simply let us down. If you're anything like me movies as art and entertainment are important to you, and nothing...

Top Ten Worst Movies of 2010 ...that I saw

I typically don't like making "Worst of" lists because I tend to avoid several films throughout the year that I know I probably wouldn't like. So, when reading through this list just know these are the top ten worst films of the year among those I've seen.

I've perused the lists of others on the internet and noticed titles such as The Bounty Hunter, Marmaduke, Killers, Flipped, Grown-Ups, The Nutcracker In 3D, Little Fockers, Cats and Dogs: The Revenge Of Kitty Galore, You Again, Skyline, Yogi Bear, Burlesque, The Last Song, Dear John, Life as We Know It, Vampires Suck or Lottery Ticket. I didn't see any of these and have no intention of seeing them. So please take that into consideration.

However, before we get to the ten there were a few that fell shy of making the list, including The Tourist,...

Some of us might see more movies on a regular basis than others, but let's face it, when the end of the year rolls around, everyone enjoys weighing in with "best of" lists -- which is precisely why we started doing the Film Junk Readers Choice Awards five years ago. Once again, we have divided the year's cinematic landscape up into categories, and nominated five films for each based on our own feelings, in addition to critical reception and public opinion. After that, we left it up to you guys to pick the winners. Now that the votes have been tallied and the winners have been selected, it's time to find out what the Film Junkies enjoyed most in 2010. Check out a complete rundown of the results after the jump! Best Comedy 1. Jackass 3-D -- 29% 2. The Other Guys -- 20% 3. Hot Tub Time Machine -- 19% 4. Easy A -- 17% 5. Get Him to the Greek...

5. Splice

I love science fiction horror, especially with an emphasis on the science part. Scientific experiments gone awry, researchers pushing the boundaries of science with horrific results, these things have been the cornerstones of good sci-fi/horror flicks for decades. Sadly, with Hollywood’s recent addiction to mindless re-makes and adaptations, there has been a severe shortage of good, original, sci-fi/horror lately. I think that’s why Vicenzo Natali’s Splice was such a welcomed addition to the genre when it was released this summer. While this certainly isn’t a perfect film (the wheels kind of start falling off the last 20 minutes), I think Adrien Brody and Sarah Polley deliver good performances as the two genetic engineers/lovers who test the limits of science and ethics, and the creature effects on Dren (the human/animal hybrid monster they create) are fantastic. I had a lot of fun with...

*December 22, 2010 (Austin, TX) – The Austin Film Critics Association announces its 6th annual end-of-year awards with 12 films covering the 16 various awards for 2010. The ballet drama Black Swan won five awards, including the top honor, Best Film, it was announced today by Cole Dabney, President of the Austin Film Critics Association (Afca). Black Swan director Darren Aronofsky, lead actress Natalie Portman, screenwriters Mark Heyman, Andres Heinz, and John McLaughlin, and cinematographer Matthew Libatique were also recognized for their outstanding work. Colin Firth was named Best Actor for his portrayal of the speech-impaired King George VI in The Kingʼs Speech, while Christian Bale and Hailee Steinfeld were recognized as Best Supporting Actor and Best Supporting Actress in The Fighter and True Grit, respectively. The Social Network picked up one prize – Best Adapted Screenplay – for Aaron Sorkinʼs adaptation of Ben Mezrichʼs nonfiction book The Accidental Billionaires: The Founding of Facebook, a Tale of Sex,...

The Austin Film Critics Association announced its 2010 awards on Wednesday. It's hard for me to write this up as a straight news story since I'm a voting member, and I got to pick some of these awards -- Jenn is a member too this year. I'm happy to say that the movie that won Best Film is currently my favorite of the year: Black Swan. The movie also was awarded Best Director (Darren Aronofsky), Best Actress for Natalie Portman, Best Original Screenplay and Best Cinematography.

Another pleasant surprise is that the Best Austin Film award went to an indie documentary: Winnebago Man, which first played Austin at SXSW 2009. Director Ben Steinbauer and producer Joel Heller are both Austinites. The doc about Jack Rebney won the award against some tough competition this year. I liked this film very much when I saw it at Alamo Drafthouse this summer; you can read...

If you'd like to discuss the latest round of critics awards, have at it.

Three more groups have announced and so the usual suspects play the game of musical chairs. The most interesting note right off the bat is that the Women Film Critics Circle have bestowed an award on Black Swan that isn't a flattering one. They've given it "Worst Female Images in a Movie".

I understand the impulse behind this sort of "tsk-tsk"ing  having been burned over the years with the often problematic depiction of gay characters but I think it's wrong-headed to a degree.

Black Swan is about a very specific drumtight world and a very specific tightly strung character completely encased in that world. In other words, this is not a portrait of Woman in the broader sense. What's more one can even argue that just about every person in the film is presented in an unreliable way,...

0:00 - Intro / In-House Stuff / Jay in Philly 12:42 - Headlines: 2011 Golden Globe Nominees, Jon Favreau Turns Down Iron Man 3, Madden Curse Movie, The Weinstein Company to Produce Miramax Sequels, Top 10 Most Pirated Films of 2010 33:05 - Review: Tron: Legacy 1:15:50 - Trailer Trash: The Tree of Life, Fast Five, Limitless 1:31:50 - Other Stuff We Watched: Exit Through the Gift Shop, Black Swan, Cyrus, Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps, Animal Kingdom, Cloak & Dagger, Scott Walker: 30 Century Man, Chasing Ghosts: Beyond the Arcade, The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters, Wordplay, The Town, Winnebago Man, Scrooged, Ed Wood 2:29:00 - Junk Mail: Rare Exports Explained, Bay of Blood + Sean's Nickname + Poutine, The Thing and Slow Fades, Christmas Lists 2:51:10 - This Week's DVD Releases 2:53:55 - Outro » Download the MP3 (82 Mb) [1] » View the show notes [2] » Vote for us on Podcast Alley! [3] » Rate us on iTunes!

Ahh, that crisp chill in the air can mean only one thing. It’s still awards-giving time! Today, the Austin Film Critics Association (of which our own Editor-in-Chief, Chase Whale, is a member) announced their annual awards. The association made some big and bold choices – including picking Black Swan as its Best Film (along with four other awards) and Exit Through The Gift Shop as Best Documentary. The Afca also awarded some great other films with awards such as Best First Film (Monsters) and Best Austin Film (Winnebago Man).

Read more on Austin Film Critics Association announces its 2010 awards…...

Best Picture

Frontrunners

“The Social Network” (Columbia, 10/1, PG-13, trailer)

“The King’s Speech” (The Weinstein Company, 11/26, R, trailer)

“Inception” (Warner Brothers, 7/16, PG-13, trailer)

“127 Hours” (Fox Searchlight, 11/5, R, trailer)

“The Fighter” (Paramount, 12/10, Tbd, trailer)

“Black Swan” (Fox Searchlight, 12/1, R, trailer)

“The Kids Are All Right” (Focus Features, 7/9, R, trailer)

“Toy Story 3” (Disney, 6/18, G, trailer)

“True Grit” (Paramount, 12/25, Tbd, trailer)

“Blue Valentine” (The Weinstein Company, 12/31, Nc-17, trailer)

Major Threats

“The Town” (Warner Brothers, 9/17, R, trailer)

“Waiting for ‘Superman’” (Paramount Vantage, 9/24, PG, trailer)

“Winter’s Bone” (Roadside Attractions, 6/11, R, trailer)

“Another Year” (Sony Pictures Classics, 12/31, PG-13, trailer)

“Get Low” (Sony Pictures Classics, 7/30, PG-13, trailer)

“Rabbit Hole” (Lionsgate, 12/17, Tbd, trailer)

“The Way Back” (Newmarket, 12/29, PG-13, trailer)

Possibilities

“Shutter Island” (Paramount, 2/19, R, trailer)

“How Do You Know” (Columbia, 12/17, R, trailer)

“Somewhere” (Focus Features, 12/22, R, trailer)

“Love and Other Drugs” (20th Century Fox, 11/24, R, trailer)

“Secretariat” (Disney, 10/8, PG, trailer)

“Hereafter” (Warner Brothers, 10/22, PG-13, trailer)

“Made in Dagenham” (Sony Pictures Classics,...

0:00 - Intro 3:20 - Headlines: First Photos from Spielberg's Tintin, MGM Plans New Bond Film for 2012, Roland Emmerich Plans Low Budget Alien Invasion Film, The Dilemma Gay Joke Pulled from Trailer, Kevin Smith Lashes Out at Critics Again 29:46 - Review: Due Date 56:35 - Trailer Trash: Sucker Punch, Hall Pass 1:18:40 - Other Stuff We Watched: The Walking Dead, Hunt to Kill, Legendary, Winnebago Man, Pieces, The Wild and Wonderful Whites of West Virginia, Deadliest Catch, The Larry Sanders Show, Billy Connolly Live, Espn 30 for 30, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Rudo y Cursi 1:47:37 - Junk Mail: Darkchylde, Critic Quotes in Movie Marketing, Subtitles, Liverpool Takeover, Mall Movies and Moments, Children of Men 2:12:22 - This Week's DVD Releases 2:15:25 - Twitter Poll: What is your favourite road trip comedy? 2:18:55 - Outro » Download the MP3 (65 Mb) [1] » View the show...

Best Picture

Frontrunners

“The Social Network” (Columbia, 10/1, PG-13, trailer)

“The King’s Speech” (The Weinstein Company, 11/26, R, trailer)

“Inception” (Warner Brothers, 7/16, PG-13, trailer)

“127 Hours” (Fox Searchlight, 11/5, R, trailer)

“True Grit” (Paramount, 12/25, Tbd, trailer)

“Black Swan” (Fox Searchlight, 12/1, R, trailer)

“The Fighter” (Paramount, 12/10, Tbd, trailer)

“Toy Story 3” (Disney, 6/18, G, trailer)

“The Kids Are All Right” (Focus Features, 7/9, R, trailer)

“Winter’s Bone” (Roadside Attractions, 6/11, R, trailer)

Major Threats

“Waiting for ‘Superman’” (Paramount Vantage, 9/24, PG, trailer)

“Rabbit Hole” (Lionsgate, 12/17, Tbd, trailer)

“Another Year” (Sony Pictures Classics, 12/31, PG-13, trailer)

“Get Low” (Sony Pictures Classics, 7/30, PG-13, trailer)

“Shutter Island” (Paramount, 2/19, R, trailer)

“Blue Valentine” (The Weinstein Company, 12/31, Nc-17, trailer)

“How Do You Know” (Columbia, 12/17, R, trailer)

Possibilities

“The Town” (Warner Brothers, 9/17, R, trailer)

“The Way Back” (Newmarket, 12/29, PG-13, trailer)

“Inside Job” (Sony Pictures Classics, 10/8, PG-13, trailer)

“Love and Other Drugs” (20th Century Fox, 11/24, R, trailer)

“Secretariat” (Disney, 10/8, PG, trailer)

“Hereafter” (Warner Brothers, 10/22, PG-13, trailer)

“Somewhere” (Focus Features,...

In 1989, a man named Jack Rebney endured the summer heat in Iowa to shoot an industrial film for the motor home company Winnebago. Between takes for an otherwise cheery Rv sales video, Rebney flubbed lines, shouted in frustration, and blurted obscenities, unknowingly contributing to a sizzle reel of hilarious proportions.

The VHS tape was copied countless times and swapped amongst friends until the introduction of YouTube in 2005, when Rebney’s profane outtakes truly went viral. But the video’s millions of viewers never knew Jack’s real name, instead dubbing him “The Angriest Man in the World” or simply Winnebago Man.

First time filmmaker Ben Steinbauer was one of the tape’s early disciples before a growing curiosity compelled him to embark on a mission to solve the video’s unanswered questions. Who was this man? Why was he so angry? Was he aware of his Internet celebrity status? And if so,...

Hitting movie theaters this weekend:

Due Date - Robert Downey Jr., Zach Galifianakis, Michelle Monaghan, Jamie Foxx

For Colored Girls – Thandie Newton, Janet Jackson, Mariah Carey, Whoopi Goldberg

Megamind – Will Ferrell, Brad Pitt, Tina Fey

Movie of the Week

Due Date

The Stars: Robert Downey Jr., Zach Galifianakis, Michelle Monaghan, Jamie Foxx

The Plot: An expectant dad and his unlikely travel companion race cross-country in hopes of making it home for the birth of his first child.

The Buzz: Like many wines and cheeses before him, writer/director Todd Phillips has aged well. With Road Trip, his directorial debut, he made a film just funny enough to facilitate the production of his 2nd film, the far superior, Old School. From there Phillips helmed Starsky and Hutch, which was respected well enough, for what it was, before taking a major misstep with School for Scoundrels. Phillips bounced back big-time from his first flop,...

Considering that Toy Story 3 is now one of the highest grossing movies of all time (#4 to be exact), I think we can safely say that it is by far the biggest DVD / Blu-ray release of the week. But that doesn't mean there aren't some other things worth checking out. The hilarious and touching documentary Winnebago Man is finally out on DVD this week, along with Neil Marshall's gory period epic Centurion and HBO's The Pacific mini-series. On Blu-ray, we've also got the massive 25th Anniversary Edition release of The Goonies, Highlander 1 and 2, The Sound of Music, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and The Bridge on the River Kwai. All this plus complete series sets of The Larry Sanders Show and Beverly Hills 90210! What will you be buying or renting this week? Toy Story 3 [1] (+ Blu-ray [2]) Cars Toon: Mater's Tall Tales [3] (+ Blu-ray [4]) Centurion [5] (+ Blu-ray [6]) The Hungry Ghosts [7] Clint Eastwood: 35 Films,...

DVD Links: DVD News | Release Dates | New Dvds | Reviews | RSS Feed

Toy Story 3 It was hard deciding which film to lead this week's round-up with, but considering I haven't yet received my review copy of the film I designated #2 it became an easier decision.

I just posted my review of the Toy Story 3 four-disc edition and unless you are one of the few people that didn't see this film in theaters I have to assume you already know if you are going to be buying this one or not. Personally, it's an absolute must own, one of the best films of the year and Disney has put together a spectacular release.

In the image to the left, not only do you see the box art for the DVD and Blu-ray editions of the film, but the image on the bottom is the Blu-ray/DVD complete Toy Story collection.

A look at what's new on DVD today:

"ExTerminators" (2010)

Directed by John Inwood

Released by Image Entertainment

Also appearing on VOD, Heather Graham, Amber Heard and Jennifer Coolidge team up to launch a service that will permanently wipe away your exes from your address book (and life) under the cover of Coolidge's bug extermination business in this comedy from cinematographer-turned-director John Inwood.

"Bad Ass" (2009)

Directed by Adamo Cultraro

Released by Well Go USA

A hitman (Tom Sizemore) has a change of heart when his latest job leaves the nurse of an aging mob boss as the prime suspect in Adamo Cultraro's feature debut. Frank Stallone co-stars.

"Centurion" (2010)

Directed by Neil Marshall

Released by Magnolia Home Entertainment

Following "Doomsday," Marshall returns to Hadrian's Wall in England for the story of surviving group of Roman soldiers in 117 A.D., including Michael Fassbender, Dominic West and Liam Cunningham among their ranks, who defend...

Best Picture

Frontrunners

“The Social Network” (Columbia, 10/1, trailer)

“The King’s Speech” (The Weinstein Company, 11/26, trailer)

“Inception” (Warner Brothers, 7/16, trailer)

“127 Hours” (Fox Searchlight, 11/5, trailer)

“True Grit” (Paramount, 12/25, trailer)

“Black Swan” (Fox Searchlight, 12/1, trailer)

“Another Year” (Sony Pictures Classics, 12/31, trailer)

“Toy Story 3” (Disney, 6/18, trailer)

“The Fighter” (Paramount, 12/10, trailer)

“The Kids Are All Right” (Focus Features, 7/9, trailer)

Major Threats

“Winter’s Bone” (Roadside Attractions, 6/11, trailer)

“Rabbit Hole” (Lionsgate, 12/17, trailer)

“Waiting for ‘Superman’” (Paramount Vantage, 9/24, trailer)

“Get Low” (Sony Pictures Classics, 7/30, trailer)

“Shutter Island” (Paramount, 2/19, trailer)

“How Do You Know” (Columbia, 12/17, trailer)

“Biutiful” (Roadside Attractions, 12/17, trailer)

“The Town” (Warner Brothers, 9/17, trailer)

Possibilities

“Blue Valentine” (The Weinstein Company, 12/31, trailer)

“Inside Job” (Sony Pictures Classics, 10/8, trailer)

“Love and Other Drugs” (20th Century Fox, 11/24, trailer)

“Secretariat” (Disney, 10/8, trailer)

“Hereafter” (Warner Brothers, 10/22, trailer)

“Somewhere” (Focus Features, 12/22, trailer)

“Made in Dagenham” (Sony Pictures Classics, 11/19, trailer)

“The Way Back” (Newmarket, 12/29, trailer)

Outside Shots

“Fair Game” (Summit, 11/5, trailer)

“Country Strong” (Screen Gems,...

I usually link to Making Light of It in these posts — when Jacob’s not disappearing on me — but I really want to make sure people look at Jacob’s most recent article, so I’m listing him first this week. Jacob’s scanned a bunch of covers of old Film Culture magazines that are really sweet looking. I don’t recognize everybody’s picture, but I see Stan Vanderbeek, Harry Smith, Robert Breer and more. And, I think Jacob has the second only photo ever of Ron Rice on the Internet, after mine. Fangoria conducted a fascinating interview with one of Bad Lit’s favorite people, C.W. Prather of the Spooky Movie Festival, which is currently going on. Funniest thing I saw this week — hell, funniest thing I’ve seen in months! — was the Twitter stream of Ted Nope, a parody of indie film producer Ted Hope’s airless Twitter musings.