20 articles
Watch: 5-Minute Video Essay On The Narratives Of Darren Aronofsky
15 minutes ago | The Playlist | See recent The Playlist news »
There are many common thematic threads woven throughout the filmography of Darren Aronofsky. Faith has played a role in his movie to varying degrees, and so to has physical and emotional turmoil, but video editor extraordinaire Nelson Carvajal has taken a different approach, that has yielded some fascinating results. You may not know that Aronofsky studied both film and social anthropology at Harvard, at it's through that lens that Carvajal has crafted a five minute video essay about the director's work. Cutting together scenes from his films, with overlapping dialogue and more, the five minute look at Aronofsky's work takes an interesting dimension when considering the social textures of the movies. That stuff aside, it's also just a pretty terrific dive into the excellent visuals and motifs the director has put together over the years. Watch below. [Way Too Indie] »
- Kevin Jagernauth
Tribeca Review: Tired of Formulaic Hollywood Romantic Comedies? 'Goodbye to All That' Is a Welcome Alternative
27 minutes ago | Indiewire | See recent Indiewire news »
Otto Wall, the person at the center of "Goodbye to All That," lauded playwright and "Junebug" scribe Angus MacLachlan's directorial debut, is a limited man — the type of man who just goes along with the flow, who doesn’t try to ruffle feathers. He's not stupid, but neither is he gifted with remarkable intelligence. He has a good job, an attractive if quite possibly overbearing wife (Melanie Lynskey) and an adorable, auburn-haired daughter who is quickly turning into a North Carolina methodist. He's lucky, at least until he isn't. Played with gentle moxie by Paul Schneider, in what amounts to his most memorable motion picture role since Dick Liddl in "The Assassination of Jesse James By the Coward Robert Ford," Otto is clumsy and kind and more than easy to root for. He'll need it: Otto’s life begins to fall to pieces shortly after the opening frames. An »
- Brandon Harris
Watch: New Spooky Trailer for Showtime's 'Penny Dreadful'
28 minutes ago | Indiewire | See recent Indiewire news »
"No matter what darkness you hide... There are others like you." Thank goodness. I was starting to worry. Showtime has released a new trailer for the Gothic psychological thriller "Penny Dreadful," premiering on May 10th. The trailer is a swooping cinematic treat, taking us from character to character, traveling into brains and out of eyeballs. To see what the last part of that sentence means, check out the trailer below. (function(d, s, id) { var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0]; if (d.getElementById(id)) return; js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id; js.src = "//connect.facebook.net/en_US/all.js#xfbml=1"; fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs); }(document, 'script', 'facebook-jssdk')); Post by Penny Dreadful. »
- Luke Slattery
Tribeca Film Festival Review: Why Marshall Curry's 'Point and Shoot' Is Due For a Hollywood Remake
53 minutes ago | Indiewire | See recent Indiewire news »
In the wake of "Point and Shoot," the latest documentary by Marshall Curry, the comparison that kept barging its way into my mind was with Darren Aronofsky. No, the two filmmakers have nothing in common stylistically; one works in fiction, the other in non-; one makes $150-million biblical epics while the other performs miracles with public television money. But the thing they share -- the engine of their filmmaking, in fact -- is an obsession with obsession. In Aronofky's case, this has channeled its way through ballet, math and drug addiction ("Black Swan," "Pi," "Requiem for a Dream"). In Curry's films, which always have had strong storylines anyway, the aspect of obsession is more nuanced, and yet an essential element in what has drawn the director to his subjects: In "Streetfight," the impossibly righteous-cum-personal crusade of a political neophyte (Corey Booker) against the thuggish, entrenched mayor of Newark N.J. »
- John Anderson
Tribeca: Amy Sedaris on Never Aspiring to Do Film and Why She Couldn't Host Late Night
58 minutes ago | Indiewire | See recent Indiewire news »
Amy Sedaris appears only very briefly in the 2014 Tribeca Film Film Festival drama "Goodbye to All That" as the cat-loving boss to Paul Schneider's lead character. But like anything the actress and author stars in (including her recent appearance as a broker from hell in Comedy Central's hit new comedy show "Broad City"), she walks away with the most memorable performance. Indiewire caught up with Sedaris -- best known still to this day for creating and starring in Comedy Central's beloved comedy series "Strangers with Candy," which she helped adapt into the 2005 feature-length film of the same name -- to discuss her scene-stealing role in "Goodbye to All That" (the directorial debut of "Junebug" screenwriter Angus MacLachlan), her guest stint on "Broad City," and how she thinks her friend Stephen Colbert will fare as David Letterman's "Late Show" replacement. Like many of the indies that you've »
- Nigel M Smith
Exploring the Case for Shorts Only Film Festivals at Aspen Shortsfest
1 hour ago | Indiewire | See recent Indiewire news »
Last month at the Bermuda International Film Festival, we asked producers, filmmakers and critics about the purpose of making short films. This month at Aspen Film's Shortsfest, we took the question even further and examined the benefits of hosting film festivals that only screen shorts. Aspen Film's Shortsfest and Palm Springs International Shortfest are rare breeds. They are both a product of film organizations that hold both a feature film festival and a fest wholly devoted to the art of short filmmaking. Shorts had always been an element of Aspen Filmfest since its incarnation 35 years ago. Twelve years after beginning, Aspen's Shortsfest, which is also an Academy Award qualifying festival, was spun off of the organization's main slate as a result of the ongoing increase in short film submissions. The founding organizers felt that not only would the amount of entries continually increase, but also that the interest from Aspen's year-round and seasonal citizenry was. »
- Casey Cipriani
Chris Pine Is Ready For 'The Finest Hours,' Michael B. Jordan Set For 'Men Who Kill' & More
1 hour ago | The Playlist | See recent The Playlist news »
Hollywood is still trying to make Chris Pine happen. Outside of the "Star Trek" franchise, the actor has been a non-starter, but that's not stopping Disney from choosing Pine to lead "The Finest Hours." Penned by Paul Tamasy and Eric Johnson, and based on the book by Casey Sherman and Michael J. Tougias, the film would tell the story of a 1952 Coast Guard mission to rescue the crew of two oil tankers who crash off the coast of Cape Cod. Robert Schwentke was originally set to direct, but now that he's busy with "Insurgent," Craig Gillespie ("Fright Night") is now in talks. [The Wrap] Fox is keeping their "Fantastic Four" and "Chronicle" star Michael B. Jordan in the family, snapping up the T.J. Fixman pitch "Men Who Kill," and developing it for the actor. No firm plot details, but tonally it's said to be "an international 'Bad Boys' " which says about all you need to know. »
- Kevin Jagernauth
Project of the Day: 'Retirement Home'
1 hour ago | Indiewire | See recent Indiewire news »
Here's your daily dose of an indie film in progress; at the end of the week, you'll have the chance to vote for your favorite. In the meantime: Is this a movie you’d want to see? Tell us in the comments. "Retirement Home" Tweetable Logline: The passions and pains of a group of elders sharing the same building every weekday. Elevator Pitch: In a retirement home in Sandim, a small town in the north of Portugal, a group of elders live their day to day lives. The group is composed by retired farmers, veterans of the Ultramar war (portuguese colonial war), teachers, construction workers, among others. In the morning they pray the rosary and have gymnastic lessons. After lunch they watch television, rest and the ones that are able go for a walk. There's also yoga lessons and sometimes tours to visit places. "Retirement Home" is the result of »
- Indiewire
Melanie Laurent's 'Breathe' & More Headed To Cannes Critics' Week
1 hour ago | The Playlist | See recent The Playlist news »
With the Cannes Film Festival lineup now out of the bag, it's time for the sidebars to do their thing, and Cannes Critics' Week has kicked things off today by unveiling their slate of films. The sidebar tends to focus on less established names, but on cinematic voices that could make an impact in years to come. So even if you don't know these filmmakers yet, chances are you soon will. But that's not say there won't be any stars. Mélanie Laurent's sophomore directorial feature "Breathe" will play Out Of Competition at the Critics' Week. Based on the novel by Anne-Sophie Brasme, Laurent co-wrote the film with Julien Lambroschini that stars Lou de Laâgeand and Joséphine Japy as two teenage girls whose abusive friendship turns deadly. Andrea Arnold heads up the jury this year, with Cannes Critics' Week running from May 15-23. Check out the lineup and official poster below. »
- Kevin Jagernauth
Tribeca Film Festival: Filmmaker and Futurist Jason Silva On How Humans Are Hardwired for Story and Cinema
1 hour ago | Indiewire | See recent Indiewire news »
As part of Tribeca Film Festival's "Future of Film" series, tomorrow, April 22, filmmaker and futurist Jason Silva (dubbed the "Timothy Leary of the Viral Video Age" by The Atlantic) will muse about how humans are hardwired for story and cinema. We recently caught up with Silva, who is the host of "Brain Games," NatGeo's highest rated series ever and the creator and host of “Shots of Awe,” a series of micro-documentaries that explore human imagination for Discovery Digital’s TestTube Network, for a preview of his talk. Your talk is titled 'Your Brain on Story.' What does that mean exactly? I will be speaking about how exactly do these "technologies of rhetoric" (cinema, storytelling) so effectively control and manage attention, and lead viewers into immersive trance states? Some experts have even said when we watch a film, it's the closest thing we can get to dreaming with our eyes open. »
- Paula Bernstein
Cannes Sets 2014 Critics' Week Lineup
1 hour ago | Indiewire | See recent Indiewire news »
Nine feature films, 10 short and mid-length films and 2 special screenings are heading to Cannes Film Festival sidebar Critics' Week, which announced its lineup today. Coming off last week's announcement of the Official Competition, Critics Week brought along two films from filmmakers returning to the festival: Sole American David Robert Mitchell and his "It Follows" (Mitchell was in Critics' Week for "The Myth of the American Sleepover"), and Israeli filmmaker Shira Geffen with "Self Made," a film that comes 7 years after she won the Camera d'Or for "Les Méduses." Other notable films include French filmmaker Djinn Carrenard's "Making Love," which will open the festival, and actress-turned-director Melanie Laurent with her "Reprise." Andrea Arnold is head of the jury for the sidebar -- its 53rd edition -- which runs May 15-23, 2014. Full lineup below. Feature films: “Darker Than Midnight,” Sebastiano Riso, Italy “Gente de bien,” Franco Lolli, Colombia “Hippocrate,” Thomas Lilti, »
- Peter Knegt
Tribeca Review: Joss Whedon-Scripted Romance 'In Your Eyes' Is Ideal For His Microbudget Studio
1 hour ago | Indiewire | See recent Indiewire news »
With his talons firmly entrenched in the Marvel franchise, Joss Whedon's influence on contemporary popular culture has arguably never been higher. Still, even as he prepares a second "Avengers" movie for the masses, Whedon remains known not for the grand scale of its productions but the way people talk and act within them. No matter how many hundreds of effects it took to simulate the destruction of Manhattan in "The Avengers," the movie worked to a large degree because of Whedon's persistently funny and vibrant screenplay. With this talent in place, it's no wonder that Whedon founded Bellwether Pictures, a micro budget studio committed to small scale productions — the first of which, a black-and-white adaptation of "Much Ado About Nothing" shot in the director's home post-"Avengers," showed exactly how far outside the contemporary Hollywood tradition his interest lie. The second Bellwether production, "In Your Eyes," was written by »
- Eric Kohn
Geek Love: The Story Behind Tribeca Doc 'Love & Engineering'
1 hour ago | Indiewire | See recent Indiewire news »
I moved to Finland 12 years ago because of a Finnish woman I met at the time when I was studying to become an engineer. After we got married and I finished my education, I started working as a technical assistant for a group of documentary filmmakers. A few years later, I started making my own short documentaries and applied to film school. The same year I got accepted, my wife left me. I had adjusted myself to the rules of married life. I realized that my new context -- the life of a single man in Helsinki – had rules too, but I didn’t recognize them. A year later while looking for them, I made a film about it called "Rules of Single Life." The film was about me and my three friends, how to be single, and what are the rules of the game. It was not such an »
- Tonislav Hristov
New Images Of Robert Pattinson, Julianne Moore & More In Cannes Competition Pic 'Maps To The Stars'
2 hours ago | The Playlist | See recent The Playlist news »
We are less than a month away from the Cannes Film Festival, and red carpets are being shampooed and hotels are making their towels extra fluffy for the array of stars that will descend upon the south of France. And we'll have our eyes firmly on the movies, and today brings with it even more images from one of the hottest tickets at the fest. David Cronenberg's "Maps To The Stars" sees him reuniting with "Cosmopolis" lead Robert Pattinson (who also has "The Rover" hitting Cannes), for a tale about a twisted Hollywood family. John Cusack, Julianne Moore, Mia Wasikowska, Olivia Williams and Sarah Gadon co-star in the Bruce Wagner-penned movie, one that promises the standard about of Cronenberg R-rated fun, with the film getting that stamp due to the violence, sex, nudity and drugs contained within. Whether or not it's Palme d'Or worthy we'll just have to wait and see, »
- Kevin Jagernauth
Tribeca Review: Joss Whedon’s ‘In Your Eyes’ Gamely Fluctuates Between Sappy And Sincere
2 hours ago | The Playlist | See recent The Playlist news »
Before he became one of the more powerful filmmakers in Hollywood, Joss Whedon was known for his quips. These were rattled off and recited by a series of characters who all spoke in the same easily identifiable, highly stylized, pop culture-infused geek language of Whedon himself. (Whedon’s best collaborators, like Drew Goddard and Marti Noxon, knew how to approximate this code better than others.) But there was always another side of Whedon, exhibited in the best episodes of “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and its cruelly underrated spin-off “Angel,” one that was incredibly sensitive and sincere. It’s this Whedon, the one more interested in pulling at your heartstrings than tickling your funny bone that is on display in “In Your Eyes,” a new supernatural romance that, if you can get past the occasional sappiness, is a pretty moving, offbeat little love story.The movie begins with a young boy, »
- Drew Taylor
Joss Whedon Film 'In Your Eyes' Released Online Following Tribeca Film Festival Premiere
2 hours ago | Indiewire | See recent Indiewire news »
Even though he's now a big budget film director ("Avengers"), Joss Whedon isn't afraid to break outside of Hollywood channels. Whedon is releasing his latest project, "In Your Eyes," the supernatural romance which he wrote and executive produced, as a $5 digital rental via Vimeo On Demand and the film's website.Whedon announced the news via video on Sunday following the world premiere of the film at the Tribeca Film Festival. Directed by Brin Hill, "In Your Eyes" stars Zoe Kazan, Michael Stahl-David, Nikki Reed, Mark Feuerstein, Jennifer Grey, and Steve Howey. Read Eric Kohn's review here.The film will be released via the micro-studio Bellwether Pictures, which Whedon co-founded with his wife, Kai Cole with the idea of exploring new distribution strategies for independent films, such as releasing films directly to the public via digital download. The company's first release was last year's contemporary adaptation of Shakespeare's "Much Ado About. »
- Paula Bernstein
5 Things I Learned about the Panasonic GH4 at Nab
2 hours ago | Filmmaker Magazine - Blog | See recent Filmmaker Magazine news »
I have been a big fan of Panasonic’s Gh line since the GH2. When the GH3 was announced I was first in the cyber line for pre-orders and same deal when the GH4 went up. This time I opted to get the Yagh Interface Unit package. My thought process was I’d have a “real camera” setup that can handle Xlr audio (I hate dealing with a second recorder and syncing audio), I could jam-sync the timecode on multicam shoots, and then I’d be set up to just rent a 4K recorder for high-end jobs that needed 10-bit 422 recording. I […] »
- Joey Daoud
Watch: Robert De Niro Stars In His First Vine Video
2 hours ago | Indiewire | See recent Indiewire news »
If you didn't know any better, you might assume Robert De Niro had a sponsorship deal with Vine, the Twitter-owned video app -- something like Ellen DeGeneres' Samsung deal at the Emmy's (maybe to promote Tribeca Film Festival's #6secfilms competition?). Otherwise, there's no real reason for De Niro's first Vine video, which is less of a film and more of a piece of candid camera -- except it appears De Niro turned the camera on himself. In the video, De Niro looks blankly into the camera and asks "What happened to my iPhone?" and then a young man appears behind him and asks, "Robert what are you doing with my Vine?" It's clear from the six-second clip, which was uploaded by Vine "star" Jerome Jarre, that De Niro doesn't understand the power of social media, so I'm guessing he had no idea that this video of him fiddling around »
- Paula Bernstein
Recap: 'Game of Thrones' Season 4 Episode 3 'Breaker of Chains' Delivers More Questions Than It Answers
13 hours ago | The Playlist | See recent The Playlist news »
Have we all recovered from the shock of last week’s turn of events? Have you been put off red wine and pie forever? As a fun curio, here's Jack Gleeson lecturing on celebrity culture at Oxford, dropping Baudrillard and Weber like nothing. Turns out Joffrey doesn't hate reading after all. I enjoyed all of the heated speculation in the comments last week, but, like I said, if you’ve read the books, don’t spoil the fun! Tonight we find out what happened to Joffrey... Or do we? I honestly feel more confused than I did last week, but that’s just the game, right? This episode, “Breaker of Chains,” is directed once again by Alex Graves, and it picks up right where the last one left off... King’s Landing … on Joffrey’s (Jack Gleeson) dead face. Savor it, Joffrey haters! (Now that Joffrey is gone, the most »
- Katie Walsh
TV Review: Political Plotting Dominates 'Breaker of Chains' as Season 4 of 'Game of Thrones' Moves Past the Purple Wedding
13 hours ago | Indiewire | See recent Indiewire news »
After the shocking events of last week's purple wedding, "Breaker of Chains" served as a reminder of who's really ahead in the game of thrones. Lord Baelish was unveiled as the cuprit/hero who orchestrated Joffrey's death. The Lannisters' weaknesses were exposed on multiple levels, both personal and as intended keepers of the crown. Prince Oberyn showed his worth as a potential dragon slayer. The Wildlings stirred things up to tempt the Night's Watch out of Castle Black, and Daenerys Targaryen continued to build a loyal and massive army with freakin' dragons as back up. More concerning than who's got the edge in an upcoming battle for the ages (this has to happen, right?) is the dismal status of Tyrion Lannister, who seems to have given up hope after losing his freedom, his love, and soon (maybe?) his life. After picking up the very second we left off with Cersei »
- Ben Travers
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