Whose Episode Is It?
“Time for After” has probably the most important plot development in Season 8 since the premiere, so why does it feel like such a shrug? It certainly doesn’t help that the majority of the episode is devoted to reiterating a bunch of stuff we already know about Eugene, a character that’s truly emblematic of the show’s diminishing returns. The real meat of the story is Daryl and Tara’s successful operation to upend Rick’s big plan and crush the Saviors in one fell swoop, casualties be damned, but it’s given about 12 minutes of screen time and the debate of its merits might be the most cursory discussion this show’s ever featured, which is saying something.
Read More:‘The Walking Dead’ Review: ‘The King, The Widow, And Rick’ Just Sits There A Shred of Humanity
But first, Eugene, who the show would...
“Time for After” has probably the most important plot development in Season 8 since the premiere, so why does it feel like such a shrug? It certainly doesn’t help that the majority of the episode is devoted to reiterating a bunch of stuff we already know about Eugene, a character that’s truly emblematic of the show’s diminishing returns. The real meat of the story is Daryl and Tara’s successful operation to upend Rick’s big plan and crush the Saviors in one fell swoop, casualties be damned, but it’s given about 12 minutes of screen time and the debate of its merits might be the most cursory discussion this show’s ever featured, which is saying something.
Read More:‘The Walking Dead’ Review: ‘The King, The Widow, And Rick’ Just Sits There A Shred of Humanity
But first, Eugene, who the show would...
- 12/4/2017
- by Jeff Stone
- Indiewire
‘Easy’ Season 2 Review: Grading Every Episode of Joe Swanberg’s Intimate and Exciting Netflix Series
Joe Swanberg is back! After a fairly under-the-radar Season 1 release in September 2016, Season 2 got the similar low-key marketing treatment before dropping the first day of December.
But don’t take the lack of buzz as a lack of import. Season 1 asked a lot of valuable questions while delivering a beautiful and unique realization of modern Chicago. The anthology approach, with each episode functioning as a standalone short, helped cover a lot of cultural ground, and Season 2 continues that pattern in interesting ways.
Read More:7 New Netflix Shows to Binge in December, and The Best Episodes of Each
While the episodes can certainly stand on their own, many bring back characters from Season 1. Context from earlier episodes isn’t prescient, but it does help, and just like last year, some stories are better than others.
To that end, IndieWire has reviewed each episode individually below and ranked them by their assigned grades.
But don’t take the lack of buzz as a lack of import. Season 1 asked a lot of valuable questions while delivering a beautiful and unique realization of modern Chicago. The anthology approach, with each episode functioning as a standalone short, helped cover a lot of cultural ground, and Season 2 continues that pattern in interesting ways.
Read More:7 New Netflix Shows to Binge in December, and The Best Episodes of Each
While the episodes can certainly stand on their own, many bring back characters from Season 1. Context from earlier episodes isn’t prescient, but it does help, and just like last year, some stories are better than others.
To that end, IndieWire has reviewed each episode individually below and ranked them by their assigned grades.
- 12/2/2017
- by Ben Travers
- Indiewire
If December is a relatively quiet month for Netflix, perhaps that’s because they want you to spend the holidays scaling the seemingly infinite mountain of content they’ve released this year. Good luck with that. But the streaming giant’s latest batch of new releases, however scarce, offer a wild variety of things to see. From an under-the-radar family drama that some critics believe is the best movie the year, to a demented Michael Shannon Christmas movie that some critics don’t even believe is a real thing, these are the seven best films coming to Netflix this December.
Read More:7 New Netflix Shows to Binge in December, and The Best Episodes of Each 7. “Pottersville” (2017)
Okay, so “Pottersville” is a very, very bad movie. It still wouldn’t really be one of the seven best movies coming to Netflix this month if there were only six movies coming to Netflix this month.
Read More:7 New Netflix Shows to Binge in December, and The Best Episodes of Each 7. “Pottersville” (2017)
Okay, so “Pottersville” is a very, very bad movie. It still wouldn’t really be one of the seven best movies coming to Netflix this month if there were only six movies coming to Netflix this month.
- 12/1/2017
- by David Ehrlich
- Indiewire
1. “The Crown” Season 2 (available December 8)
Why Should I Watch It? “The Crown” is the new ruler of Netflix. With “House of Cards” on the outs (take that as you will), the streaming giant’s other big-time awards player is assuming, ahem, the crown. Peter Morgan’s historical drama may not be for everyone — period drama fans will swoon, while anyone looking for surprises will snooze — but it’s an unequivocally well-made show, with pristine production design and impeccable performances. Sure, you may wish for more corgis and less melodrama, but the stuffiness is largely overshadowed by astonishing grandeur. This will be a perennial awards player for the foreseeable future, so you may as well try it out.
Best Episode: Season 2 lacks an obvious standout — Season 1’s arguable choice would be the penultimate episode, “Assassins” — but I’d argue Episode 4 of Season 2, titled “Beryl,” is the best of the lot. Focusing on Princess Margaret,...
Why Should I Watch It? “The Crown” is the new ruler of Netflix. With “House of Cards” on the outs (take that as you will), the streaming giant’s other big-time awards player is assuming, ahem, the crown. Peter Morgan’s historical drama may not be for everyone — period drama fans will swoon, while anyone looking for surprises will snooze — but it’s an unequivocally well-made show, with pristine production design and impeccable performances. Sure, you may wish for more corgis and less melodrama, but the stuffiness is largely overshadowed by astonishing grandeur. This will be a perennial awards player for the foreseeable future, so you may as well try it out.
Best Episode: Season 2 lacks an obvious standout — Season 1’s arguable choice would be the penultimate episode, “Assassins” — but I’d argue Episode 4 of Season 2, titled “Beryl,” is the best of the lot. Focusing on Princess Margaret,...
- 12/1/2017
- by Ben Travers
- Indiewire
Mubi is hosting the exclusive global premiere of Gary Walkow's Radio Mary (2017), which will be showing November 28 - December 28, 2017.Gary Walkow’s filmmaking career has a peculiar shape. For a while he looked like a low-key American indie success story waiting for his breakthrough. His first feature The Trouble With Dick shared the Grand Prize at the 1987 Us Film Festival, which was renamed to Sundance a few years later. Notes From Underground (1995), a modern-day Dostoyevsky adaptation, premiered at Toronto and got good reviews and a modest bit of distribution; but Beat (2000), with Kiefer Sutherland and Courtney Love as Bill and Joan Burroughs, had a rocky reception at Sundance and seemed to mark the end of Indiewood’s flirtation with Walkow. After a hiatus that included an unfinished film, Walkow’s career began a second, more clandestine phase with Crashing (2007), a very low-budget comedy that eventually received DVD distribution, boosted...
- 11/28/2017
- MUBI
While in recent years we’ve seen plenty of crossover between the film and television worlds, there have been a number of film directors whose engagement with this quasi-new medium has been truly groundbreaking, as they’ve found TV to be a far more creatively satisfying place than film. Thus, while they still may actively work in film from time to time, their TV efforts have proved unforgettable.
For the record, because we limited this to the 21st century, directors Nicole Holocenfer, Mimi Leder, David Lynch, and Tommy Schlamme were ineligible. But their accomplishments cannot be undersold.
Susanne Bier
Oscar winner Susanne Bier made her American television debut with the stylish and sexy John le Carré miniseries “The Night Manager.” Unlike Tomas Alfredson’s barren aesthetic for the Carré film “Tinker Tailor Solider Spy,” Bier opted instead to bring a golden-hued sensuality to nearly every frame of her Carré vision.
For the record, because we limited this to the 21st century, directors Nicole Holocenfer, Mimi Leder, David Lynch, and Tommy Schlamme were ineligible. But their accomplishments cannot be undersold.
Susanne Bier
Oscar winner Susanne Bier made her American television debut with the stylish and sexy John le Carré miniseries “The Night Manager.” Unlike Tomas Alfredson’s barren aesthetic for the Carré film “Tinker Tailor Solider Spy,” Bier opted instead to bring a golden-hued sensuality to nearly every frame of her Carré vision.
- 11/20/2017
- by Liz Shannon Miller and Zack Sharf
- Indiewire
Maybe you like finding new international talent like I do. The ones who are fluent in English are the upcoming talents for U.S. hits, whether indie or studio. So you want to meet Amit Masurkari, writer and director of ‘Newton’.
India’s submission to the Oscar’s foreign-language category, Newton is an indie that in India has achieved box office numbers comparable to mid-range mainstream films. Its Roi was 3x the production cost.
Drishyam Films produced the Hindi-language film, about a rookie poll officer who overcomes the odds to conduct free and fair elections in a remote tribal area, on a budget of 45 million rupees ($692,000). It opened September 22 in India and grossed $4.8 million.
I interviewed Amit Masurkari about his film which premiered at the Berlinale Forum and won the Cicae Award. The Cicae Award is given by the international association of art house exhibitors.
The film is funny and...
India’s submission to the Oscar’s foreign-language category, Newton is an indie that in India has achieved box office numbers comparable to mid-range mainstream films. Its Roi was 3x the production cost.
Drishyam Films produced the Hindi-language film, about a rookie poll officer who overcomes the odds to conduct free and fair elections in a remote tribal area, on a budget of 45 million rupees ($692,000). It opened September 22 in India and grossed $4.8 million.
I interviewed Amit Masurkari about his film which premiered at the Berlinale Forum and won the Cicae Award. The Cicae Award is given by the international association of art house exhibitors.
The film is funny and...
- 11/17/2017
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
Now in its eighth year, the American Film Festival offers a unique perspective on recent developments in U.S. indie filmmaking. That’s because it happens in Poland, staged at the stylish Kino Nowe Horyzonty film center in Wroclaw, also home to the summer New Horizons festival, which has more of a European tilt.
Although the festival, which recently concluded, surveys many favorites from Sundance and South by Southwest, the curation doesn’t merely transpose selections to a new setting. It imports a lively assortment of filmmakers, as well, and creates a cozy, engaged atmosphere more akin to the communal vibe of the Maryland Film Festival. Indeed, to rub shoulders in a crowd that included Jody Lee Lipes, Noel Wells, Dustin Guy Defa, Nathan Silver, producer Mike Ryan, Jessica Oreck and Mike Ott is to experience a deep dive into the creative bustle of current indie ferment.
That spirit is...
Although the festival, which recently concluded, surveys many favorites from Sundance and South by Southwest, the curation doesn’t merely transpose selections to a new setting. It imports a lively assortment of filmmakers, as well, and creates a cozy, engaged atmosphere more akin to the communal vibe of the Maryland Film Festival. Indeed, to rub shoulders in a crowd that included Jody Lee Lipes, Noel Wells, Dustin Guy Defa, Nathan Silver, producer Mike Ryan, Jessica Oreck and Mike Ott is to experience a deep dive into the creative bustle of current indie ferment.
That spirit is...
- 11/14/2017
- by Steve Dollar
- Indiewire
Greta Gerwig has a story about the moment she knew she would become a director. Shortly after she starred in and co-wrote “Frances Ha” with Noah Baumbach, she met “Orlando” director Sally Potter at a party. Gerwig cornered Potter, to pick her brain.
“I do that with people I admire,” Gerwig said. “I was writing a lot. I was asking her about how she does what she does. Does she do it first thing in the morning in longhand, or many computer drafts? I was being nerdy and needy, and she was answering and being very kind.
“Then she grabbed me by the arm and looked me in the eyes and asked me, ‘What do you really want to ask me about?’ My blood ran cold. ‘You really want to ask me about directing.’
‘How do you know that?’
‘I’m part gypsy and it’s written all over you!
“I do that with people I admire,” Gerwig said. “I was writing a lot. I was asking her about how she does what she does. Does she do it first thing in the morning in longhand, or many computer drafts? I was being nerdy and needy, and she was answering and being very kind.
“Then she grabbed me by the arm and looked me in the eyes and asked me, ‘What do you really want to ask me about?’ My blood ran cold. ‘You really want to ask me about directing.’
‘How do you know that?’
‘I’m part gypsy and it’s written all over you!
- 11/3/2017
- by Anne Thompson
- Thompson on Hollywood
Greta Gerwig has a story about the moment she knew she would become a director. Shortly after she starred in and co-wrote “Frances Ha” with Noah Baumbach, she met “Orlando” director Sally Potter at a party. Gerwig cornered Potter, to pick her brain.
“I do that with people I admire,” Gerwig said. “I was writing a lot. I was asking her about how she does what she does. Does she do it first thing in the morning in longhand, or many computer drafts? I was being nerdy and needy, and she was answering and being very kind.
“Then she grabbed me by the arm and looked me in the eyes and asked me, ‘What do you really want to ask me about?’ My blood ran cold. ‘You really want to ask me about directing.’
‘How do you know that?’
‘I’m part gypsy and it’s written all over you!
“I do that with people I admire,” Gerwig said. “I was writing a lot. I was asking her about how she does what she does. Does she do it first thing in the morning in longhand, or many computer drafts? I was being nerdy and needy, and she was answering and being very kind.
“Then she grabbed me by the arm and looked me in the eyes and asked me, ‘What do you really want to ask me about?’ My blood ran cold. ‘You really want to ask me about directing.’
‘How do you know that?’
‘I’m part gypsy and it’s written all over you!
- 11/3/2017
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
After last year’s three-Oscar haul for “Moonlight,” including Best Picture, A24 wants to prove that was no anomaly. Here’s what the rising young distributor will push this awards season. (Remember: A year ago, “Moonlight” wasn’t viewed as a likely Best Picture contender — much less the big winner.)
Co-founded by David Fenkel, John Hodges, and Daniel Katz, A24 is known for edgy arthouse pleasers that eschew conventional storytelling. “Moonlight” was the company’s first original production; its other box office players include Oscar-winners “Ex Machina,” “Room,” and “Amy,” and smart horror flick “The Witch.” But none have passed the $27 million box office earned by “Moonlight.”
Read More:Why Greta Gerwig’s ‘Lady Bird’ Is a Serious Oscar Contender
After the fall trifecta of Venice, Telluride and Toronto, the company has three bonafide awards contenders: SXSW’s well-reviewed true story “The Disaster Artist” (December 1), director James Franco’s 14th...
Co-founded by David Fenkel, John Hodges, and Daniel Katz, A24 is known for edgy arthouse pleasers that eschew conventional storytelling. “Moonlight” was the company’s first original production; its other box office players include Oscar-winners “Ex Machina,” “Room,” and “Amy,” and smart horror flick “The Witch.” But none have passed the $27 million box office earned by “Moonlight.”
Read More:Why Greta Gerwig’s ‘Lady Bird’ Is a Serious Oscar Contender
After the fall trifecta of Venice, Telluride and Toronto, the company has three bonafide awards contenders: SXSW’s well-reviewed true story “The Disaster Artist” (December 1), director James Franco’s 14th...
- 9/27/2017
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
Last fall, Barry Jenkins was a little-known filmmaker with one feature under his belt, 2008’s “Medicine for Melancholy.” Then he premiered future best picture winner “Moonlight” at the 2016 Telluride Film Festival and everything changed. At the 2017 edition, he returned the favor, not only introducing a series of short film programs at the festival as he has for years, but also by presenting another rising filmmaker to the world.
Read More:‘Lady Bird’ Trailer: Saoirse Ronan Delivers Her Greatest Work in Greta Gerwig’s Brilliant Directorial Debut
Just a few hours after receiving a standing ovation for one of his short film programs, Jenkins took the stage at the Chuck Jones Cinema for the world premiere of “Lady Bird,” the coming-of-age comedy that marks the solo directorial debut of veteran actress Greta Gerwig. There was a practical connection between “Lady Bird” and “Moonlight,” in that both movies share A24 as a distributor.
Read More:‘Lady Bird’ Trailer: Saoirse Ronan Delivers Her Greatest Work in Greta Gerwig’s Brilliant Directorial Debut
Just a few hours after receiving a standing ovation for one of his short film programs, Jenkins took the stage at the Chuck Jones Cinema for the world premiere of “Lady Bird,” the coming-of-age comedy that marks the solo directorial debut of veteran actress Greta Gerwig. There was a practical connection between “Lady Bird” and “Moonlight,” in that both movies share A24 as a distributor.
- 9/5/2017
- by Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
Girl Talk is a weekly look at women in film — past, present, and future.
The fall festival season has long been a harbinger of things to come, from the contenders that will consume months of awards season jockeying to bright new talents just making their first big splashes, and this year brings with it another glimpse of the future: one that’s filled with new films from a wide variety of female filmmakers.
From Venice to Toronto, New York to Telluride, this year’s fall festival circuit is filled with new offerings from from female filmmakers of every stripe, including 20 that we’ve hand-picked as the ones to keep an eye on during the coming weeks.
First-time feature filmmakers like Maggie Betts, Brie Larson, and the Mulleavey sisters are out in full force, along with the return of mainstays like Angelina Jolie, Lynn Shelton, and Susanna White. There are plenty...
The fall festival season has long been a harbinger of things to come, from the contenders that will consume months of awards season jockeying to bright new talents just making their first big splashes, and this year brings with it another glimpse of the future: one that’s filled with new films from a wide variety of female filmmakers.
From Venice to Toronto, New York to Telluride, this year’s fall festival circuit is filled with new offerings from from female filmmakers of every stripe, including 20 that we’ve hand-picked as the ones to keep an eye on during the coming weeks.
First-time feature filmmakers like Maggie Betts, Brie Larson, and the Mulleavey sisters are out in full force, along with the return of mainstays like Angelina Jolie, Lynn Shelton, and Susanna White. There are plenty...
- 8/25/2017
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
There are a few actors whose prowess stems in equal measure from their training or innate talent, and from their physiognomy. In the past we had Humphrey Bogart and Anna Karina. Today, Denis Lavant is one of those actors. Adam Driver also comes to mind. Greta Gerwig, with her lanky figure and mesmerizing expression, belongs to a category all her own.There’s a particular quality that comes to life when she moves. The movement might be as slight as bend in the lips, or as large as a star-figured jump in the air. Both are, in equal measure, unmistakably hers. Throughout her career, Gerwig has worked with directors who’ve captured her physicality by letting the film run long enough to capture the uniqueness of her movement. It took Joe Swanberg the entirety of Lol (2006) and 20 minutes of Hannah takes the Stairs (2007) to ask Gerwig to dance in front of the camera. This can only be explained by the director’s inexperience at the time. Noah Baumbach never made the same mistake, filming her twisting, twirling, and swirling, or just slightly bobbing for 17 seconds, to the tune of Paul and Linda McCartney’s “Uncle Albert”. Even for her small role in No Strings Attached (2011), Ivan Reitman had the good sense to shoot two scenes where Greta’s dancing held center stage. In Greta Moves, I endeavored to find patterns in the movements throughout her filmography, interweaving them with an abundance of match cuts. To create a dance tapestry that heightened those connections, the piece of music was fundamental. The inspiration for that choice—as well as the structure of the video essay—came from Wim Wender’s Pina (2011). The work was built almost entirely around the second performance in the movie and the lovely melody of Jun Miyake, “The Here and After”.
- 6/22/2017
- MUBI
We live in scary times that can often feel like lot more unsettling than any fictional horror movie, but some of the best horror movies tap into real world terrors — and that’s especially true of the highlights from the last two decades of the genre, one of the most varied in its history. From graphic depictions of gory showdowns to subtler looks at psychological dread, the best horror movies of the 21st century typically focused on a handful of people struggling to survive a dark force beyond their comprehension. Who can’t relate to that? Here are 20 of the most potent examples, ranked from top to bottom.
20. “The Descent” (2005)
Neil Marshall’s economical monster movie takes place almost exclusively within the confines of a shadowy cave and the terrible, terrible things lurking within it. After a gradual beginning in which coworkers and friends venture into a cave during their...
20. “The Descent” (2005)
Neil Marshall’s economical monster movie takes place almost exclusively within the confines of a shadowy cave and the terrible, terrible things lurking within it. After a gradual beginning in which coworkers and friends venture into a cave during their...
- 5/12/2017
- by David Ehrlich and Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
Despite the assertion of police that a deadly San Diego pool party shooting was not racially motivated, witnesses of the Sunday attack say an “implicit bias” motivated the shooter.
Peter Selis, 49, opened fire on a crowd at a birthday party at the La Jolla Crossroads complex at around 6 p.m., killing Monique Clark and injuring six others, police said. Officials have said that Selis was angry over a recent breakup and targeted the victims “for no other reason than their mere presence.”
However, some witnesses of the attack believe the crime was motivated by race.
“At no point in time...
Peter Selis, 49, opened fire on a crowd at a birthday party at the La Jolla Crossroads complex at around 6 p.m., killing Monique Clark and injuring six others, police said. Officials have said that Selis was angry over a recent breakup and targeted the victims “for no other reason than their mere presence.”
However, some witnesses of the attack believe the crime was motivated by race.
“At no point in time...
- 5/3/2017
- by Char Adams
- PEOPLE.com
At about the hour mark, I was very glad to see the filmmakers and subjects of Flames, Zefrey Throwell and Josephine Decker, had entered some kind of counseling even if may also be, in part, a performance. Then again, what isn’t? Simultaneously, it appears they’re also in the editing room with an unnamed assistant cutting this brief film. Later they, of course, fight about what’s transpired and who has ownership of the film. It takes a certain amount of narcissism to make a film about one’s relationship and expect folks you don’t know to care. Flames is an attempt to capture such intimacy, yet it’s missing much of an emotional core. To put it into simpler terms: one evening I was at a concert with a fighting couple; it wasn’t a fun experience for any of us.
Framed by screenprints created by an unseen hand,...
Framed by screenprints created by an unseen hand,...
- 5/3/2017
- by John Fink
- The Film Stage
He’s taken one of the most fascinating and unconventional routes with his stardom.
The thinkpiece-industrial complex is running at full speed this spring to update the cinephile community’s consensus of major stars. In case you’re behind, adjust your opinions to reflect the following changes: Reese Witherspoon is still good, Kristen Stewart is now really good, Anne Hathaway is great because her haters were sexist, and Nicole Kidman is underappreciated despite receiving an Oscar nomination this very year.
One star whose evaluation has yet to appear from the hot take factory is Robert Pattinson, who features in two theatrical releases this April, Werner Herzog’s Queen of the Desert (quickly dumped in theaters and VOD over two years after its 2015 Berlin premiere) and James Gray’s The Lost City of Z. Five years ago, the cultural ubiquity of “R-Pattz” was so enormous that the future President of the United States tweeted about him six times...
The thinkpiece-industrial complex is running at full speed this spring to update the cinephile community’s consensus of major stars. In case you’re behind, adjust your opinions to reflect the following changes: Reese Witherspoon is still good, Kristen Stewart is now really good, Anne Hathaway is great because her haters were sexist, and Nicole Kidman is underappreciated despite receiving an Oscar nomination this very year.
One star whose evaluation has yet to appear from the hot take factory is Robert Pattinson, who features in two theatrical releases this April, Werner Herzog’s Queen of the Desert (quickly dumped in theaters and VOD over two years after its 2015 Berlin premiere) and James Gray’s The Lost City of Z. Five years ago, the cultural ubiquity of “R-Pattz” was so enormous that the future President of the United States tweeted about him six times...
- 4/23/2017
- by Marshall Shaffer
- FilmSchoolRejects.com
Joe Swanberg has had one of the more interesting career upswings of any independent filmmaker out there. After being one of the essential founders of the mumblecore indie movement, he made a right turn of sorts a few years back. Opting for bigger stars and similarly simple premises, he’s found more acclaim than ever before. Between Drinking Buddies, Happy Christmas, and Digging for Fire, Swanberg is as exciting a writer/director as ever before. Most recently, Swanberg has teamed up again with frequent collaborator Jake Johnson for Win It All, a film that at once feels both different and similar than what he’s been up to lately. Above all else, it’s a great vehicle for Johnson, who does his best work when paired with Swanberg. The flick is a character study, centered on gambler Eddie Garrett (Johnson). He’s broke, but charming. A nice guy unable to resist a card game,...
- 4/12/2017
- by Joey Magidson
- Hollywoodnews.com
Win It All fluctuates the highs and lows of Joe Swanberg’s cinematic lyricism (indie and simplistic), but smartly pushes all-in at the right moments. Dramatic beats are so in-tune with the gambler’s lament in this pursuit of mega-buck paydays that are always “right around the corner.” It’s more than just an addiction, though. The gambler is someone who becomes accustomed to losing, because risk and reward go hand-in-hand. Adrenaline spikes even when cash flows outward, because there’s always a chance for redemption. Taking down a massive pot with pocket Aces makes you feel invincible until your full-house gets busted by quads – trust me. Then it’s doubt, self-depreciation and another stack of chips that are going to turn your life around until they vanish, too.
Jake Johnson stars as Eddie Garrett, a gambling man who spends his days parking cars and nights shuffling cards. He’s...
Jake Johnson stars as Eddie Garrett, a gambling man who spends his days parking cars and nights shuffling cards. He’s...
- 4/7/2017
- by Matt Donato
- We Got This Covered
Welcome back to the Weekend Warrior, your weekly look at the new movies hitting theaters this weekend, as well as other cool events and things to check out.
Three New Movies May Have Trouble Making Much of a Mark
After a couple impressive March weekends with one new box office record, and a couple impressive openings, we’re now into April, and of the new movies, there just doesn’t seem like anything can defeat last week’s powerful duo of DreamWorks Animation’s The Boss Baby--which exceeded all predictions with $49 million, taking the top spot from Beauty and the Beast. Ghost in the Shell didn’t even do as well as I thought it may, opening with just $19 million, those late reviews helping to kill its weekend.
Sony Pictures Animation are giving the loveable blue Smurfs a third go at American audiences with The Smurfs: The Lost Village (Sony), after two previous movies,...
Three New Movies May Have Trouble Making Much of a Mark
After a couple impressive March weekends with one new box office record, and a couple impressive openings, we’re now into April, and of the new movies, there just doesn’t seem like anything can defeat last week’s powerful duo of DreamWorks Animation’s The Boss Baby--which exceeded all predictions with $49 million, taking the top spot from Beauty and the Beast. Ghost in the Shell didn’t even do as well as I thought it may, opening with just $19 million, those late reviews helping to kill its weekend.
Sony Pictures Animation are giving the loveable blue Smurfs a third go at American audiences with The Smurfs: The Lost Village (Sony), after two previous movies,...
- 4/7/2017
- by Edward Douglas
- LRMonline.com
You time is valuable, and so are both services for different reasons.War Machine (Netflix)
Although there may be a competition going on between Amazon and Netflix for subscribers, the truth is that both company’s streaming services are essential for anyone who watches a lot of movies and TV and who wants to be part of the pop culture conversations as they happen.
There’s no denying that Amazon Prime is worth the $99/year, which not only gives you access to many movies but also a good amount of music streaming and digital media access, plus faster shipping for when you actually want some sort of physical product (you can also just get video content for $8.99/month, which oddly means paying more for less).
And Netflix is still a must-have for both its exclusive and nonexclusive content, though depending on one’s usage could be best for sporadic membership rather than continued subscription — now at $120/year...
Although there may be a competition going on between Amazon and Netflix for subscribers, the truth is that both company’s streaming services are essential for anyone who watches a lot of movies and TV and who wants to be part of the pop culture conversations as they happen.
There’s no denying that Amazon Prime is worth the $99/year, which not only gives you access to many movies but also a good amount of music streaming and digital media access, plus faster shipping for when you actually want some sort of physical product (you can also just get video content for $8.99/month, which oddly means paying more for less).
And Netflix is still a must-have for both its exclusive and nonexclusive content, though depending on one’s usage could be best for sporadic membership rather than continued subscription — now at $120/year...
- 4/4/2017
- by Christopher Campbell
- FilmSchoolRejects.com
Every week, IndieWire asks a select handful of film and TV critics two questions and publishes the results on Monday. (The answer to the second, “What is the best film in theaters right now?”, can be found at the end of this post.)
This week’s question: In honor of “Personal Shopper,” which finds Olivier Assayas re-teaming with his “Clouds of Sils Maria” star Kristen Stewart, who is the best director / actor duo in the movies today?
Mark Harris (@markharrisnyc), Vulture and Film Comment
Every time Matthew Broderick shows up in a movie directed by Kenneth Lonergan, I smile. It might seem an odd choice given that Lonergan has directed just three movies (“You Can Count on Me,” “Margaret,” and “Manchester by the Sea”) in 17 years, and also given that Broderick has played only supporting roles in those films. But Lonergan understands Broderick so well — his haplessness, his beleaguered, flawed decency,...
This week’s question: In honor of “Personal Shopper,” which finds Olivier Assayas re-teaming with his “Clouds of Sils Maria” star Kristen Stewart, who is the best director / actor duo in the movies today?
Mark Harris (@markharrisnyc), Vulture and Film Comment
Every time Matthew Broderick shows up in a movie directed by Kenneth Lonergan, I smile. It might seem an odd choice given that Lonergan has directed just three movies (“You Can Count on Me,” “Margaret,” and “Manchester by the Sea”) in 17 years, and also given that Broderick has played only supporting roles in those films. But Lonergan understands Broderick so well — his haplessness, his beleaguered, flawed decency,...
- 3/13/2017
- by David Ehrlich
- Indiewire
The most radical thing about “Win It All,” a perfectly agreeable little movie about one man’s attempt to put his gambling problems behind him, is that it follows a pretty conventional arc. More than a decade after director Joe Swanberg started cranking out rambling, improvisatory lo-fi movies, he has wound up funneling those tendencies into formula. At the same time, “Win It All” shows only just enough interest in narrative to keep its light entertainment value in play, while resisting the impulse to tell all but the simplest of stories. It’s still a talky character study, but Swanberg has steadily shown a far greater regard to holding the interest of a general audience, and this is the closest he has come so far.
It’s a reasonable outcome for a movie produced exclusively for Netflix, where Swanberg recently did a full season of his observational comedy “Easy,” further...
It’s a reasonable outcome for a movie produced exclusively for Netflix, where Swanberg recently did a full season of his observational comedy “Easy,” further...
- 3/12/2017
- by Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
Terrence Malick is the world’s preeminent Benjamin Button filmmaker, his career defined by a few early masterpieces and a string of late-period efforts that play like increasingly unfocused versions of the earlier achievements. Mileage varies on whether that’s a bad thing, but it isn’t conjecture. His newer work reduces the elegant, layered storytelling of “Badlands” and “Days of Heaven” to simpler variations, as if they’re comprised of the beautiful residuals from those grander accomplishments.
There are reasons to delight in the autonomy of Malick’s poetic approach, particularly the way he treasures the lyricism of the natural world over narrative coherence, but that vision can only go so far. His cosmic IMAX documentary “The Voyage of Time” had a logical reason for throwing plot to the wind, but other recent efforts “Knight of Cups” and “To the Wonder” reduce the magisterial approach of “Tree of Life” to undercooked fragments.
There are reasons to delight in the autonomy of Malick’s poetic approach, particularly the way he treasures the lyricism of the natural world over narrative coherence, but that vision can only go so far. His cosmic IMAX documentary “The Voyage of Time” had a logical reason for throwing plot to the wind, but other recent efforts “Knight of Cups” and “To the Wonder” reduce the magisterial approach of “Tree of Life” to undercooked fragments.
- 3/11/2017
- by Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
As half the duo who created the now-defunct comedy series “Key & Peele,” Keegan-Michael Key knows a lot about being funny. Perhaps just as notably, neither he nor longtime collaborator Jordan Peele will let themselves be defined by it.
While the pair co-wrote and starred in last year’s missing-cat romp “Keanu,” their more recent work shows considerable effort to work outside the confines of comedy. Peele recently made his directorial debut with the wildly successful racially themed horror film “Get Out,” and Key has cast a wide net with his acting gigs. Last year, he had a major role in Mike Birbiglia’s ensemble piece about an improv troupe, “Don’t Think Twice,” and he’s currently shooting Shane Black’s big-budget reboot “The Predator.” This month, he’ll surface in “Win It All,” Joe Swanberg’s latest effort, which is produced by Netflix and will premiere at the SXSW...
While the pair co-wrote and starred in last year’s missing-cat romp “Keanu,” their more recent work shows considerable effort to work outside the confines of comedy. Peele recently made his directorial debut with the wildly successful racially themed horror film “Get Out,” and Key has cast a wide net with his acting gigs. Last year, he had a major role in Mike Birbiglia’s ensemble piece about an improv troupe, “Don’t Think Twice,” and he’s currently shooting Shane Black’s big-budget reboot “The Predator.” This month, he’ll surface in “Win It All,” Joe Swanberg’s latest effort, which is produced by Netflix and will premiere at the SXSW...
- 3/10/2017
- by Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
Over the past decade, South By Southwest has become 10 days of hand-to-hand combat between media and technology. Nestled within that war zone is a film festival — this year, 125 features screen at the SXSW Film Festival, including 51 from first-timers. Most come to town without distribution, and they may never see a bigger audience than this one.
The film festival is a solid platform for discovering new filmmakers; if you want to explore the connective tissue of contemporary American cinema, few other places offer such a fertile arena. Unlike industry heavyhitter Sundance, it’s not a fast-paced marketplace — but the SXSW conference is still one of the biggest windows into the future of the movies because so much of it has nothing to do with the movies at all.
This year, SXSW Film’s marquee titles duke it out with the TV shows in the Episodics section. (Among its premieres are two...
The film festival is a solid platform for discovering new filmmakers; if you want to explore the connective tissue of contemporary American cinema, few other places offer such a fertile arena. Unlike industry heavyhitter Sundance, it’s not a fast-paced marketplace — but the SXSW conference is still one of the biggest windows into the future of the movies because so much of it has nothing to do with the movies at all.
This year, SXSW Film’s marquee titles duke it out with the TV shows in the Episodics section. (Among its premieres are two...
- 3/10/2017
- by Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
Festival’s director of film Janet Pierson talks convergence, TV, politics.
Pierson has flown the film flag for nine years at Austin’s ever-growing cross-collaborative SXSW, whose humble origins began alongside the already established music fest in 1994.
Previously a producer rep with husband John Pierson – working on films such as She’s Gotta Have It, Slacker and Clerks – Pierson is no-nonsense when it comes to championing the festival’s unique ability in bringing together film, music and interactive professionals.
She has also favoured selecting populist films that do not compete with the cinephile tone of Berlin or Cannes.
As the film festival gets underway today through March 19, the newly promoted Pierson, now director of film, talks to Screen about this year’s increased collaboration with the interactive and music events, the programme’s robust line-up of breakout and alumni talent, new additions such as the Vr/ Ar track, and how contemporary politics has shaped part of the...
Pierson has flown the film flag for nine years at Austin’s ever-growing cross-collaborative SXSW, whose humble origins began alongside the already established music fest in 1994.
Previously a producer rep with husband John Pierson – working on films such as She’s Gotta Have It, Slacker and Clerks – Pierson is no-nonsense when it comes to championing the festival’s unique ability in bringing together film, music and interactive professionals.
She has also favoured selecting populist films that do not compete with the cinephile tone of Berlin or Cannes.
As the film festival gets underway today through March 19, the newly promoted Pierson, now director of film, talks to Screen about this year’s increased collaboration with the interactive and music events, the programme’s robust line-up of breakout and alumni talent, new additions such as the Vr/ Ar track, and how contemporary politics has shaped part of the...
- 3/10/2017
- ScreenDaily
Festival’s director of film Janet Pierson talks convergence, TV, politics.
Pierson has flown the film flag for nine years at Austin’s ever-growing cross-collaborative SXSW, whose humble origins began alongside the already established music fest in 1994.
Previously a producer rep with husband John Pierson – working on films such as She’s Gotta Have It, Slacker and Clerks – Pierson is no-nonsense when it comes to championing the festival’s unique ability in bringing together film, music and interactive professionals.
She has also favoured selecting populist films that do not compete with the cinephile tone of Berlin or Cannes.
As the film festival gets underway today through March 19, the newly promoted Pierson, now director of film, talks to Screen about this year’s increased collaboration with the interactive and music events, the programme’s robust line-up of breakout and alumni talent, new additions such as the Vr/ Ar track, and how contemporary politics has shaped part of the...
Pierson has flown the film flag for nine years at Austin’s ever-growing cross-collaborative SXSW, whose humble origins began alongside the already established music fest in 1994.
Previously a producer rep with husband John Pierson – working on films such as She’s Gotta Have It, Slacker and Clerks – Pierson is no-nonsense when it comes to championing the festival’s unique ability in bringing together film, music and interactive professionals.
She has also favoured selecting populist films that do not compete with the cinephile tone of Berlin or Cannes.
As the film festival gets underway today through March 19, the newly promoted Pierson, now director of film, talks to Screen about this year’s increased collaboration with the interactive and music events, the programme’s robust line-up of breakout and alumni talent, new additions such as the Vr/ Ar track, and how contemporary politics has shaped part of the...
- 3/10/2017
- ScreenDaily
Festival’s director of film Janet Pierson talks convergence, TV, politics.
Pierson has flown the film flag for nine years at Austin’s ever-growing cross-collaborative SXSW, whose humble origins began alongside the already established music fest in 1994.
Previously a producer rep with husband John Pierson – working on films such as She’s Gotta Have It, Slacker and Clerks – Pierson is no-nonsense when it comes to championing the festival’s unique ability in bringing together film, music and interactive professionals.
She has also favoured selecting populist films that do not compete with the cinephile tone of Berlin or Cannes.
As the film festival gets underway today through March 19, the newly promoted Pierson, now director of film, talks to Screen about this year’s increased collaboration with the interactive and music events, the programme’s robust line-up of breakout and alumni talent, new additions such as the Vr/ Ar track, and how contemporary politics has shaped part of the...
Pierson has flown the film flag for nine years at Austin’s ever-growing cross-collaborative SXSW, whose humble origins began alongside the already established music fest in 1994.
Previously a producer rep with husband John Pierson – working on films such as She’s Gotta Have It, Slacker and Clerks – Pierson is no-nonsense when it comes to championing the festival’s unique ability in bringing together film, music and interactive professionals.
She has also favoured selecting populist films that do not compete with the cinephile tone of Berlin or Cannes.
As the film festival gets underway today through March 19, the newly promoted Pierson, now director of film, talks to Screen about this year’s increased collaboration with the interactive and music events, the programme’s robust line-up of breakout and alumni talent, new additions such as the Vr/ Ar track, and how contemporary politics has shaped part of the...
- 3/10/2017
- ScreenDaily
Janet Pierson has sailed the film flag for nine years at Austin’s ever-growing cross-collaborative SXSW, whose humble origins began alongside the already established music fest in 1994.Previously a producer rep with husband John Pierson – working on films such as She’s Gotta Have It, Slacker and Clerks – Pierson is no-nonsense when it comes to championing the festival’s unique ability in bringing together film, music and interactive professionals.She h
Janet Pierson has sailed the film flag for nine years at Austin’s ever-growing cross-collaborative SXSW, whose humble origins began alongside the already established music fest in 1994.
Previously a producer rep with husband John Pierson – working on films such as She’s Gotta Have It, Slacker and Clerks – Pierson is no-nonsense when it comes to championing the festival’s unique ability in bringing together film, music and interactive professionals.
She has also favoured selecting populist films that do not compete with the cinephile tone of Berlin...
Janet Pierson has sailed the film flag for nine years at Austin’s ever-growing cross-collaborative SXSW, whose humble origins began alongside the already established music fest in 1994.
Previously a producer rep with husband John Pierson – working on films such as She’s Gotta Have It, Slacker and Clerks – Pierson is no-nonsense when it comes to championing the festival’s unique ability in bringing together film, music and interactive professionals.
She has also favoured selecting populist films that do not compete with the cinephile tone of Berlin...
- 3/10/2017
- ScreenDaily
Janet Pierson has sailed the film flag for nine years at Austin’s ever-growing cross-collaborative SXSW, whose humble origins began alongside the already established music fest in 1994.Previously a producer rep with husband John Pierson – working on films such as She’s Gotta Have It, Slacker and Clerks – Pierson is no-nonsense when it comes to championing the festival’s unique ability in bringing together film, music and interactive professionals.She h
Janet Pierson has sailed the film flag for nine years at Austin’s ever-growing cross-collaborative SXSW, whose humble origins began alongside the already established music fest in 1994.
Previously a producer rep with husband John Pierson – working on films such as She’s Gotta Have It, Slacker and Clerks – Pierson is no-nonsense when it comes to championing the festival’s unique ability in bringing together film, music and interactive professionals.
She has also favoured selecting populist films that do not compete with the cinephile tone of Berlin...
Janet Pierson has sailed the film flag for nine years at Austin’s ever-growing cross-collaborative SXSW, whose humble origins began alongside the already established music fest in 1994.
Previously a producer rep with husband John Pierson – working on films such as She’s Gotta Have It, Slacker and Clerks – Pierson is no-nonsense when it comes to championing the festival’s unique ability in bringing together film, music and interactive professionals.
She has also favoured selecting populist films that do not compete with the cinephile tone of Berlin...
- 3/10/2017
- ScreenDaily
Author: Andy Furlong
This week HeyUGuys sat down with acclaimed film director Kelly Reichardt at the BFI Southbank to discuss her latest film Certain Woman. Regarded by many critics as one of the seminal figures of the minimalist movement, Reichardt discusses the other films she has adapted such as Wendy and Lucy and OldJoy. She also talks about if she would ever consider transitioning to the medium of TV and how films can be interpreted and crafted in unpredictable ways.
Your films, I think, are often beautiful observations of characters and their stories. You have a unique way of making the audience wonder what a person is thinking or feeling deep underneath the surface, even when it is a character we glimpse briefly. That being said, Certain Women is adapted from Maile Meloy’s Both Ways is the Only Way I Want It, which is a collection of 11 stories in total.
This week HeyUGuys sat down with acclaimed film director Kelly Reichardt at the BFI Southbank to discuss her latest film Certain Woman. Regarded by many critics as one of the seminal figures of the minimalist movement, Reichardt discusses the other films she has adapted such as Wendy and Lucy and OldJoy. She also talks about if she would ever consider transitioning to the medium of TV and how films can be interpreted and crafted in unpredictable ways.
Your films, I think, are often beautiful observations of characters and their stories. You have a unique way of making the audience wonder what a person is thinking or feeling deep underneath the surface, even when it is a character we glimpse briefly. That being said, Certain Women is adapted from Maile Meloy’s Both Ways is the Only Way I Want It, which is a collection of 11 stories in total.
- 3/2/2017
- by Andy Furlong
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
The Leftovers: Interview with the star of Table 19, Anna KendrickThe Leftovers: Interview with the star of Table 19, Anna KendrickBob Strauss - Cineplex Magazine3/1/2017 10:50:00 Am
Anna Kendrick has been on a nice roll recently. Starring opposite Ben Affleck in last fall’s thriller The Accountant, providing the main speaking and singing voice for the surprisingly popular animated feature Trolls, getting her first book, Scrappy Little Nobody, published, preparing for a third movie in the blockbuster Pitch Perfect franchise she headlines…
So it feels particularly unjust that Kendrick is relegated to the losers section in her latest comedy, Table 19.
“There are always the people you don’t want at your wedding but have to invite anyway,” the sweetly snarky 31-year-old actor/singer from Portland, Maine, reckons during a phone conversation.
“This movie is about all of them at one table.”
In the film, Kendrick’s Eloise was...
Anna Kendrick has been on a nice roll recently. Starring opposite Ben Affleck in last fall’s thriller The Accountant, providing the main speaking and singing voice for the surprisingly popular animated feature Trolls, getting her first book, Scrappy Little Nobody, published, preparing for a third movie in the blockbuster Pitch Perfect franchise she headlines…
So it feels particularly unjust that Kendrick is relegated to the losers section in her latest comedy, Table 19.
“There are always the people you don’t want at your wedding but have to invite anyway,” the sweetly snarky 31-year-old actor/singer from Portland, Maine, reckons during a phone conversation.
“This movie is about all of them at one table.”
In the film, Kendrick’s Eloise was...
- 3/1/2017
- by Bob Strauss - Cineplex Magazine
- Cineplex
SXSW is coming up quick! The fest runs March 10-18 and the good folks in Austin announced the bulk of their lineup today. There are still a few of the program's 125 films to be announced, but what we now know includes world premieres from such heavyweights as Evan Katz (his film Small Crimes is pictured above), Edgar Wright, Terrence Malick, Joe Swanberg, Frank Oz, Jeff Malmberg, Josh Greenbaum, Mark Webber, Mike Ott, Bob Byington, Noël Wells, Jonathan Levine, and Judd Apatow. Whoosh. Color us excited. Here's the full lineup and ther eis much more on the SXSW site. Narrative Feature Competition Ten world premieres; ten unique ways to celebrate the art of storytelling. Selected from 1,407 narrative feature submissions in 2017. A Bad Idea...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
- 2/1/2017
- Screen Anarchy
With Sundance behind us, the next major American festival is waiting in the wings. The SXSW Film Festival lineup has landed, and there’s a lot to dig through.
Read More: SXSW 2017 Episodic Lineup to Include ‘Dear White People,’ ‘American Gods’
Unlike Sundance, which attracts a lot of industry attention around a handful of high-profile titles, SXSW is more about discovery. As usual, there are a lot of compelling possibilities in the program, from the newcomers in its competition sections through the more peculiar and surprising offerings in the Visions section. IndieWire got a few tips from SXSW Film director Janet Pierson and extracted these promising possibilities.
Small Stories, Big Steps
The festival’s narrative feature competition is often the place where filmmakers on their first or second feature get a sudden boost. It was there that Lena Dunham’s “Tiny Furniture” and Destin Cretton’s “Short Term 12” both took off.
Read More: SXSW 2017 Episodic Lineup to Include ‘Dear White People,’ ‘American Gods’
Unlike Sundance, which attracts a lot of industry attention around a handful of high-profile titles, SXSW is more about discovery. As usual, there are a lot of compelling possibilities in the program, from the newcomers in its competition sections through the more peculiar and surprising offerings in the Visions section. IndieWire got a few tips from SXSW Film director Janet Pierson and extracted these promising possibilities.
Small Stories, Big Steps
The festival’s narrative feature competition is often the place where filmmakers on their first or second feature get a sudden boost. It was there that Lena Dunham’s “Tiny Furniture” and Destin Cretton’s “Short Term 12” both took off.
- 1/31/2017
- by Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
Dustin Guy Defa makes his Sundance Film Festival feature debut with “Person to Person,” and he doesn’t know what to expect. He’s had a lot of disappointments in his life, ranging from being the kind of penniless artist whose survival demands long-term couch surfing to overcoming a nightmare family of origin. (It yielded his 2011 Sundance short, “Family Nightmare.”)
However, “Person To Person” also gives real weight to the time-worn trope that values the journey over the destination. With a cast that includes names like Michael Cera and”Broad City” star Abbi Jacobson as well as indie filmmaking stalwarts like David Zellner and Benny Safdie, it reflects the success he’s had building his place in independent filmmaking and the joy he brings with it. “It comes through loud and clear in his work,” said filmmaker David Lowery, a longtime Defa fan. “It’s the reason why his movies...
However, “Person To Person” also gives real weight to the time-worn trope that values the journey over the destination. With a cast that includes names like Michael Cera and”Broad City” star Abbi Jacobson as well as indie filmmaking stalwarts like David Zellner and Benny Safdie, it reflects the success he’s had building his place in independent filmmaking and the joy he brings with it. “It comes through loud and clear in his work,” said filmmaker David Lowery, a longtime Defa fan. “It’s the reason why his movies...
- 1/20/2017
- by Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
There’s a new gold rush in the world of entertainment media: subscription streaming services. Companies looking to claim a piece of the subscription video-on-demand (Svod) market are launching nearly every week, creating even more ways for consumers to watch movies and TV shows. In an increasingly fragmented marketplace, which ones stand a chance?
The answer depends on the type of platform. Some of them are premium cable companies following HBO’s lead in creating Svod services for cord cutters, while others are specialty streaming upstarts catering specifically to movie fans. There are now platforms for independent films (SundanceNow, Tribeca Shortlist), arthouse and foreign films (Fandor, Mubi), classics (FilmStruck), horror (Shudder), stories centered on gay men (Dekkoo), ’70s blaxploitation films (Brown Sugar) and Hollywood golden age movies (Warner Archive). And this is just a small sample of what’s available to consumers today.
Read More: Netflix Will Spend $5 Billion On...
The answer depends on the type of platform. Some of them are premium cable companies following HBO’s lead in creating Svod services for cord cutters, while others are specialty streaming upstarts catering specifically to movie fans. There are now platforms for independent films (SundanceNow, Tribeca Shortlist), arthouse and foreign films (Fandor, Mubi), classics (FilmStruck), horror (Shudder), stories centered on gay men (Dekkoo), ’70s blaxploitation films (Brown Sugar) and Hollywood golden age movies (Warner Archive). And this is just a small sample of what’s available to consumers today.
Read More: Netflix Will Spend $5 Billion On...
- 12/23/2016
- by Chris O'Falt and Graham Winfrey
- Indiewire
Every December it bears repeating: Anyone who thinks this was a bad year for movies simply hasn’t seen enough. In an age of binge-viewing, a preponderance of must-see premium cable shows and, hell, even smartphone apps that command far more attention most feature-length achievements, the true range of quality cinema is often obscured by the noise of an ever-cluttered media landscape. To really assess the state of modern movies, one look beyond the obvious. Sure, it was a weak year for movies that stand out mainly due to star power and sizable marketing budgets, but those options represent only a small fraction of the marketplace.
The film festival circuit provides an ideal alternative to conventional channels for discovering movies worth talking about all year long — and, if they’re lucky enough to land distribution, they quality for year-end celebration on lists like this one. This year, every single finalist...
The film festival circuit provides an ideal alternative to conventional channels for discovering movies worth talking about all year long — and, if they’re lucky enough to land distribution, they quality for year-end celebration on lists like this one. This year, every single finalist...
- 12/5/2016
- by Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
It’s a great pitch: A comedy about bulimia. It sells itself. So well, in fact, that more than one person had the idea. “When I saw ‘The Skinny,’ I had a meltdown,” Angela Gulner, creator and star of “Binge,” told IndieWire. “I was like: ‘My story has been told. There’s no room for it anymore.’ But then I calmed down a little bit.”
Read More: How ‘The Skinny’ Creator Jessie Kahnweiler Got From YouTube to Sundance (Hint: Jill Soloway Helped)
She realized that there was room for more than one eating disorder comedy. The success of Jessie Kahnweiler’s “The Skinny” (the web series premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and was co-produced by Jill Soloway) did not mean the failure of “Binge.” Quite the opposite — it meant there was an audience for her story.
Not only that, but such a universal and pressing issue deserves more than one story.
Read More: How ‘The Skinny’ Creator Jessie Kahnweiler Got From YouTube to Sundance (Hint: Jill Soloway Helped)
She realized that there was room for more than one eating disorder comedy. The success of Jessie Kahnweiler’s “The Skinny” (the web series premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and was co-produced by Jill Soloway) did not mean the failure of “Binge.” Quite the opposite — it meant there was an audience for her story.
Not only that, but such a universal and pressing issue deserves more than one story.
- 12/3/2016
- by Jude Dry
- Indiewire
Don’t call it a “skinny bundle.”
As At&T prepares to launch its over-the-top DirecTV Now offering on Wednesday, the company is taking pains to differentiate itself from rivals such as Sling, Playstation Vue and Hulu’s upcoming live TV service.
As an introductory price, DirecTV Now will offer more than 100 channels (its “Go Big” package) at $35 a month, and charter members will be grandfathered into that price for a period of time.
“The challenge with skinny bundles is your skinny is different from my skinny which is different from someone else’s skinny,” says Brad Bentley, executive vice president of marketing for At&T Entertainment Group.
Read More: Unhappy Netflix Subscriber Sues Streaming Giant For Raising Prices
But it’s unclear how long that $35 offer will last, and when DirecTV Now will revert to that “Go Big” package’s normal $60 price tag. The service’s normal $35 offering (“Live a Little”) carries 60 channels.
As At&T prepares to launch its over-the-top DirecTV Now offering on Wednesday, the company is taking pains to differentiate itself from rivals such as Sling, Playstation Vue and Hulu’s upcoming live TV service.
As an introductory price, DirecTV Now will offer more than 100 channels (its “Go Big” package) at $35 a month, and charter members will be grandfathered into that price for a period of time.
“The challenge with skinny bundles is your skinny is different from my skinny which is different from someone else’s skinny,” says Brad Bentley, executive vice president of marketing for At&T Entertainment Group.
Read More: Unhappy Netflix Subscriber Sues Streaming Giant For Raising Prices
But it’s unclear how long that $35 offer will last, and when DirecTV Now will revert to that “Go Big” package’s normal $60 price tag. The service’s normal $35 offering (“Live a Little”) carries 60 channels.
- 11/29/2016
- by Michael Schneider
- Indiewire
Political dynasties may find no love from Americans these days, but that doesn’t mean we don’t love our comedy dynasties. Fans of David Sedaris and Amy Sedaris will agree a little nepotism isn’t always a bad thing, as well as those who ate crow when Abby Elliott proved herself worthy of the strings (real or rumored) pulled by her father, “Saturday Night Live” alum Chris Elliott, to get her an audition for the show that started his career. Now, two great comedic families finally join forces as Amy Sedaris and Chris Elliott play the world’s worst parents in “Thanksgiving,” a loopy family comedy that — like its target audience — could use an Adderall.
Read More: ‘Looking’ in Memphis: Joe Swanberg Collaborator Morgan Jon Fox Honors Southern Gay Life in ‘Feral’
The short form comedy series takes place on Thanksgiving day in a town called Libertyville, where the...
Read More: ‘Looking’ in Memphis: Joe Swanberg Collaborator Morgan Jon Fox Honors Southern Gay Life in ‘Feral’
The short form comedy series takes place on Thanksgiving day in a town called Libertyville, where the...
- 11/18/2016
- by Jude Dry
- Indiewire
Editor’s Note: This article is presented in partnership with FilmStruck. Developed and managed by Turner Classic Movies (TCM) in collaboration with the Criterion Collection, FilmStruck features the largest streaming library of contemporary and classic arthouse, indie, foreign and cult films as well as extensive bonus content, filmmaker interviews and rare footage. Learn more here.
These are dark times. Dark times for those of you dismayed by recent developments in American politics, and dark times for those of you who aren’t, but still have to reckon with the fact that the sun is going down while you’re still at work (daylight savings is a bi-partisan effort to depress the hell out of you every fall). But movies were meant to be watched in the dark, which makes us all the more grateful that FilmStruck is finally here, offering subscribers a thousand different ways to light up their lives.
These are dark times. Dark times for those of you dismayed by recent developments in American politics, and dark times for those of you who aren’t, but still have to reckon with the fact that the sun is going down while you’re still at work (daylight savings is a bi-partisan effort to depress the hell out of you every fall). But movies were meant to be watched in the dark, which makes us all the more grateful that FilmStruck is finally here, offering subscribers a thousand different ways to light up their lives.
- 11/18/2016
- by David Ehrlich
- Indiewire
Katherine Waterston isn’t a believer in big breaks. The “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” star has been working steadily on stage and screen since the early aughts, but had long ago given up the idea that she was suddenly going to become some big star.
“I basically never believed that I was a commercial actor, Waterston recently told IndieWire. “Just because of the outcome of many auditions over time. No one hired me.”
That’s changed, and with the J.K. Rowling-penned series now set to span a whopping five films (all the better to keep still-rabid “Harry Potter” fans happy), Waterston seems to have the kind of job security that any actor would kill to get.
Read More: ‘Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them’ Review: The ‘Harry Potter’ Prequel Is One of the Best Blockbusters of the Year
In the film, she plays Porpentina “Tina” Goldstein,...
“I basically never believed that I was a commercial actor, Waterston recently told IndieWire. “Just because of the outcome of many auditions over time. No one hired me.”
That’s changed, and with the J.K. Rowling-penned series now set to span a whopping five films (all the better to keep still-rabid “Harry Potter” fans happy), Waterston seems to have the kind of job security that any actor would kill to get.
Read More: ‘Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them’ Review: The ‘Harry Potter’ Prequel Is One of the Best Blockbusters of the Year
In the film, she plays Porpentina “Tina” Goldstein,...
- 11/18/2016
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
Back in 2011, director Joe Swanberg made perhaps his most minimalist mumblecore film to date with Uncle Kent, a collaboration with SpongeBob and Adventure Time writer-artist Kent Osborne, in which Osborne plays a pathetic, lovelorn version of himself. The movie didn’t have much of a plot or structure, and its characters weren’t especially engaging or erudite. A short running time and an amiable tone kept Uncle Kent from ever becoming a chore, but aside from one hilariously awkward ménage à trois scene and a poignant final shot, the film was so slight that it almost dared the audience to get anything out of watching.
There’s a sharper point to Uncle Kent 2, although the sequel’s also something of an endurance test, in ways the original never was. Once again, Osborne plays “Kent Osborne,” but a slightly more realistic version this time out: respected in his field ...
There’s a sharper point to Uncle Kent 2, although the sequel’s also something of an endurance test, in ways the original never was. Once again, Osborne plays “Kent Osborne,” but a slightly more realistic version this time out: respected in his field ...
- 11/16/2016
- by Noel Murray
- avclub.com
Joe Swanberg has been cranking out movies for over decade, and his micro-budget character studies quickly became the paradigm for the current state of American independent film. While Swanberg’s profile has grown — he recently launched the Netflix series “Easy” — he remains tethered to his roots, and now he’s expanding them: With the Chicago-based production company Forager Films, Swanberg has quietly launched an effort to support the work of other filmmakers operating on the same scale he embraced early on.
Read More: ‘Easy’ Review: Grading Every Episode of Joe Swanberg’s Profound New Netflix Series
The company, which Swanberg co-founded with Eddie Linker and Peter Gilbert, has churned out a series of diverse projects over the past year and a half: “Unexpected,” the sleeper Sundance hit directed by Swanberg’s wife Kris, follows an inner-city high school teacher who bonds with one of her students when they both get...
Read More: ‘Easy’ Review: Grading Every Episode of Joe Swanberg’s Profound New Netflix Series
The company, which Swanberg co-founded with Eddie Linker and Peter Gilbert, has churned out a series of diverse projects over the past year and a half: “Unexpected,” the sleeper Sundance hit directed by Swanberg’s wife Kris, follows an inner-city high school teacher who bonds with one of her students when they both get...
- 10/27/2016
- by Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
Actress Elizabeth Reaser might not be the most well known name in the world of movies, mainly because she’s been doing smaller indies before being cast as Esme Cullen in The Twilight Saga, but it’s hard to miss if you’re an avid television viewer. In the past ten years, she’s had recurring roles on Grey’s Anatomy and The Good Wife, plus appeared on True Detective and Mad Men.
She holds a very prominent role in Mike Flanagan’s Ouija: Origin of Evil, the prequel to the 2014 horror hit, playing Alice Zander, the widowed mother of two girls, who holds séances in their home to make money. When she discovers the hot new trend, the Ouija board—this is 1965 Los Angeles, after all—she hopes to bring it into the act, but instead calls forth malevolent spirits that possess her younger daughter Doris (Lulu Wilson). Things get worse from there.
She holds a very prominent role in Mike Flanagan’s Ouija: Origin of Evil, the prequel to the 2014 horror hit, playing Alice Zander, the widowed mother of two girls, who holds séances in their home to make money. When she discovers the hot new trend, the Ouija board—this is 1965 Los Angeles, after all—she hopes to bring it into the act, but instead calls forth malevolent spirits that possess her younger daughter Doris (Lulu Wilson). Things get worse from there.
- 10/23/2016
- by Edward Douglas
- LRMonline.com
Some creators just say they’d like to work on something entirely different from what they’ve done before. But Neil Labute really walks that talk.
The playwright and filmmaker first broke out with the 1997 indie hit “In the Company of Men,” followed by more adult drama work like “The Shape of Things” and “Possession.” He’s also dabbled in other genres and mediums, including television — but his first official gig as a showrunner isn’t at all what you might expect.
“Van Helsing” drops us into the middle of an apocalyptic Earth overrun by vampires. Our only savior might be the mysterious Vanessa, whose supernatural abilities include being able to change vampires back into humans with her own blood.
It’s a Syfy vampire action show shot in Canada, but don’t let its genre trappings fool you — it’s a surprisingly complex and intimate take. Check out an...
The playwright and filmmaker first broke out with the 1997 indie hit “In the Company of Men,” followed by more adult drama work like “The Shape of Things” and “Possession.” He’s also dabbled in other genres and mediums, including television — but his first official gig as a showrunner isn’t at all what you might expect.
“Van Helsing” drops us into the middle of an apocalyptic Earth overrun by vampires. Our only savior might be the mysterious Vanessa, whose supernatural abilities include being able to change vampires back into humans with her own blood.
It’s a Syfy vampire action show shot in Canada, but don’t let its genre trappings fool you — it’s a surprisingly complex and intimate take. Check out an...
- 10/7/2016
- by Liz Shannon Miller
- Indiewire
Last year, Todd Rohal’s “Uncle Kent 2” premiered at SXSW to positive reviews, with IndieWire’s own Eric Kohn calling it “the craziest movie sequel ever.” A follow-up to Joe Swanberg’s 2011 film “Uncle Kent,” a portrait of indie actor and animator Kent Osborne, “Uncle Kent 2” follows Osborne’s quest to come up with a sequel to “Uncle Kent” by traveling to a comic book convention and confronting the end of the world.
Read More: SXSW Review: ‘Uncle Kent 2’ is the Craziest Movie Sequel Ever
Now, Factory 25 has released a novelization of the book by L.P. Eaves. Check out an exclusive excerpt from the book below featuring Uncle Kent’s visit to a doctor to discuss earworms.
Todd Rohal has previously directed the “P is for Scary” segment in “ABCs of Death 2,” and the comedies “Nature Calls,” “The Catechism Cataclysm,” and “The Guatemalan Handshake.” Meanwhile,...
Read More: SXSW Review: ‘Uncle Kent 2’ is the Craziest Movie Sequel Ever
Now, Factory 25 has released a novelization of the book by L.P. Eaves. Check out an exclusive excerpt from the book below featuring Uncle Kent’s visit to a doctor to discuss earworms.
Todd Rohal has previously directed the “P is for Scary” segment in “ABCs of Death 2,” and the comedies “Nature Calls,” “The Catechism Cataclysm,” and “The Guatemalan Handshake.” Meanwhile,...
- 10/4/2016
- by Vikram Murthi
- Indiewire
Before we get too far in, let us say this: There are so many more shows coming out. Even limiting our list to the upcoming debuts on broadcast TV, we still have “Timeless,” “No Tomorrow,” “Rocky Horror Picture Show” and “Man With a Plan,” to name just a few.
But over the past few weeks, Fall TV has kicked into high gear. With prominent new releases like “Lethal Weapon,” “Designated Survivor” and “Pitch” as well as low-profile favorites like “Speechless” and “Son of Zorn,” there’s been a lot of new options to sift through. Which ones should you be watching? Which shows should you skip? Which pilots are worth sampling, and which series should have a permanent slot on your DVR?
Last Week’S Episode: Emmys 2016: The Best and Worst Moments, from Great Speeches to ‘Stranger Things’
Enter Very Good TV Podcast. IndieWire TV Editor Liz Shannon Miller...
But over the past few weeks, Fall TV has kicked into high gear. With prominent new releases like “Lethal Weapon,” “Designated Survivor” and “Pitch” as well as low-profile favorites like “Speechless” and “Son of Zorn,” there’s been a lot of new options to sift through. Which ones should you be watching? Which shows should you skip? Which pilots are worth sampling, and which series should have a permanent slot on your DVR?
Last Week’S Episode: Emmys 2016: The Best and Worst Moments, from Great Speeches to ‘Stranger Things’
Enter Very Good TV Podcast. IndieWire TV Editor Liz Shannon Miller...
- 9/26/2016
- by Ben Travers
- Indiewire
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