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Tribeca Review: Reed Morano’s ‘Meadowland’ Starring Olivia Wilde, Luke Wilson & Giovanni Ribisi
4 hours ago | The Playlist | See recent The Playlist news »
We’ve all endured enough gruelling Sundance movies to recognize that grief and the indie film can be a deadly combination when they run unchecked. Worse, beyond just excruciating miserablism, the inherent characteristic of shattered life movies in the wrong hands can also take the form of strange, misguided fantasy—imagine how you might feel if you had to suffer living through this kind of personal trauma. Moreover inauthentic, fraudulent notes can feel like shameful tourism to an audience,exploiting someone else’s personal horror for the sake of drama. Grief not rendered honestly in movies is incredibly tricky to overcome and these issues and problems certainly come up in “Meadowland." The directorial debut of celebrated indie cinematographer Reed Morano (“The Skeleton Twins,” “Kill Your Darlings,” “Frozen River”), suffers from a clunky script, but is reinforced by its fully committed lead actors and the director’s sharp eye for mood and communicating incalculable. »
- Rodrigo Perez
Watch 7 Technology-Themed Films for Free During Tribeca's Online Festival
4 hours ago | Indiewire | See recent Indiewire news »
Read More: Tribeca: The Team From 'Mystery Science Theater 3000' on Live Skewering 'The Room' If you have a soft spot for short films, free things and technology, then the Tribeca Film Festival has just the thing for you. You can now watch seven short films centered around themes of technology for free at the Tribeca website. This online festival begs the question of whether technology "rules or rules us." All one has to do to watch the films is create an online account. All films are now streaming online but expire April 27. Below is a list of the seven films and their summaries, courtesy of Tribeca. "Aphasia" directed by Luke LoCurcio After Emily’s crush comments on a post she made about a reality television star, and they pick up conversation in a messenger app, the gap between Emily's real self and her online persona begins to widen. When »
- Travis Clark
Is Jimmy Fallon's Game Show Version of Late Night Ruining Comedy?
4 hours ago | Indiewire | See recent Indiewire news »
Read More: Review: 'Veep' Season 4 Episode 2, 'East Wing,' Starts a Guessing Game Last week, "Conan" writer Andres du Bouchet went on a moderate Twitter rant about the deplorable state of late night comedy. Though his tweets have since been removed, his boss, Conan O'Brien, has responded, and most people still don't know who du Bouchet is, let alone how to pronounce his name, the outcry started a debate among comedy fans. Were his complaints about the celebrity-driven, "Prom King Comedy" state of late night valid? In the seventh episode of Indiewire's Very Good TV Podcast, TV Editor Liz Shannon Miller and TV Critic Ben Travers tackled the issue to the best of their abilities (both have been slightly hampered by colds, and the recording atmosphere was less than welcoming this week). Talking points other than du Bouchet's comments included the fervor surrounding Jon Stewart's replacement on "The Daily Show, »
- Ben Travers
Tribeca Review: Moody Austerity Anti-Thriller 'Wednesday 04:45'
5 hours ago | The Playlist | See recent The Playlist news »
"Austerity" might be one of the dirtiest words at the moment. Over the past few years, in cities and countries around the world, citizens have taken to the streets to protest government cutbacks to social programs, infrastructure, and more, all done in the name of protecting the economy, and keeping budgets balanced. And another word has been tossed around in equal measure — "responsibility." It's one that you'll hear a lot in Alexis Alexiou's "Wednesday 04:45," an anti-thriller of sorts, set against the backdrop of Greece's recent financial woes. Even though it has a ticking clock narrative, the film relies heavily on mood and atmosphere to tell its tale of a man feeling the grip of the credit crunch, who spends one day-long journey of the soul trying to put his life together, before the various bad decisions he's made over the years tear it all apart. Stelios (Stelios Manos »
- Kevin Jagernauth
Steve Carell & Emma Stone Reteam For 'Battle Of The Sexes,' Jonathan Dayton & Valerie Faris To Direct
5 hours ago | The Playlist | See recent The Playlist news »
Hollywood loves nothing more than pitting two projects against each other, and the latest is the true story about an oddball sports rivalry that captivated the nation. Earlier this year it was reported that Elizabeth Banks and Paul Giamatti would topline HBO's movie based on the 1973 Battles Of The Sexes tennis match between the 29 year-old, number two-ranked Billie Jean King, and the retired loud-mouthed champ Bobby Riggs. Now, a much starrier version is moving forward fast. Fox Searchlight has rounded up "Crazy Stupid Love" co-stars Steve Carell and Emma Stone for "Battle Of The Sexes." This is the project that Danny Boyle once flirted with, and he's still on board to produce, with "Little Miss Sunshine" duo Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris now directing the script from "Slumdog Millionaire" and "127 Hours" scribe Simon Beaufoy. In short, this one has a ton of talent in front of and behind »
- Kevin Jagernauth
2015 Stanley Film Festival Announces RADiUS-twc's Tom Quinn as Visionary Award Recipient
5 hours ago | Indiewire | See recent Indiewire news »
Read More: Stanley Film Festival Announces Chilling Special Events The Stanley Film Festival has announced the recipient of this year's Visionary Award. RADiUS-twc co-president Tom Quinn will be awarded the prize at Sunday morning's Horror Awards Brunch. Quinn worked on the recent indie horror-hit "It Follows" as well as such films as "Snowpiercer," "Blue Ruin" and "Only God Forgives." He is also the former Vice-President and Head of Acquisitions for Magnolia Pictures. Throughout his career, Quinn has acquired and distributed over 200 films that include another horror heavy-hitter "Let the Right One In" and documentary standouts such as "Freakonomics" and "Food Inc." "Mr. Quinn is the catalyst behind some of the most groundbreaking titles in modern horror," said Denver Film Society Festival Director, Britta Erickson. "Not only does his work elevate the genre, he has been at the »
- Travis Clark
Tribeca: 6 Ways Kurt Cobain Comes to Life in Brett Morgen's 'Montage of Heck'
5 hours ago | Indiewire | See recent Indiewire news »
Read More: Tribeca: Why Courtney Love Asked Brett Morgen to Film 'Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck': "I wanted someone to tell the truth" Brett Morgen's latest documentary "Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck premiered at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year to much acclaim and will open in limited release on April 24 before premiering on HBO at the beginning of next month. The film constructs an intimate portrait of the troubled grunge icon in his own words. It also features a delicate combination of Cobain's artwork and personal recordings, which were kept away in a storage locker maintained (from a distance) by his widow Courtney Love. Love, who provided Morgen with unfettered access to the storage facility for his proposed documentary, joined the filmmaker onstage during the question-and-answer session that followed a screening of the film during the Tribeca Film Festival. Here are some of the revelations »
- Shipra Harbola Gupta
Tribeca Review: William Monahan’s ‘Mojave’ Starring Oscar Isaac,Garrett Hedlund & Mark Wahlberg
5 hours ago | The Playlist | See recent The Playlist news »
A modern dusty Western, a twisty Hitchcock-ian thriller, a Cormac McCarthy-esque existentialist meditation on man, his internal crisis, an exploration of the price of fame and artistry, a slasher-like revenge picture, and even at times a black comedy, William Monahan’s ambitious, but overstuffed sophomore directorial effort, “Mojave,” wants to be several movies at once. While it has trouble working out which kind of movie it exactly is (answer: all of the above), its disparate elements do intermittently and effectively work. However, a shallow premise, pompously overwrought dialogue, and hit-and-miss execution makes for an occasionally enjoyable, but not entirely convincing effort. It’s difficult to engender audience sympathy by opening a movie with a white, wealthy, spoiled 20-something star, who is full of angst, complains about being famous since he was 18, and is in the midst of an experiential crisis at being on top of the mountain and achieving everything goal he’s ever. »
- Rodrigo Perez
First Look: Alexander Skarsgard Puts Up His Middle Finger In John Michael McDonagh's 'War On Everyone'
6 hours ago | The Playlist | See recent The Playlist news »
There are few writer/directors that can balance dark drama with incisive wit, but John Michael McDonagh is one of them. With just two films — "The Guard" and "Calvary," both of which could probably use a bit more attention — he's established himself as a filmmaker who can handle a variety of tones with deft ease, while creating distinct, memorable characters. And his latest is his biggest effort to date. Filming has started on the perfectly titled "War On Everyone," and the first cheeky image is here. Michael Peña, Alexander Skarsgård, Theo James, Tessa Thompson, Caleb Landry Jones, Paul Reiser, Stephanie Sigman, and David Wilmot star in the action-comedy about two crooked cops who blackmail everyone they can, until one criminal proves to be more difficult to handle than they anticipated. So yes, we're very, very stoked on this one. Read More: Review: John Michael McDonagh's 'Calvary' Starring Brendan Gleeson, »
- Kevin Jagernauth
Jennifer Phang, Nicole Beckwith and Stewart Thorndike Receive Inaugural Sffs Women Filmmaker Fellowships
6 hours ago | Filmmaker Magazine - Blog | See recent Filmmaker Magazine news »
The San Francisco Film Society announces today three women filmmakers as recipients of its Sffs Women Filmmaker Fellowships, a program supporting women making their second or third features in the genres of science fiction, comedy, action, thriller and horror — areas in which women are traditionally under-represented. Supported by the Kenneth Rainin Foundation, the fellowships are run by Filmmaker360, the Film Society’s filmmaker services department, and they include financial support, programs and events, mentorship services and more. “We’re thrilled to be kicking off this new initiative with such talented individuals, and to help bridge the support gap we have seen […] »
- Scott Macaulay
“Your Obstacles are Basically Everything”: Writer/Actress/Producer Naomi McDougall Jones Talks Grassroots Female Filmmaking
6 hours ago | Filmmaker Magazine - Blog | See recent Filmmaker Magazine news »
Once again, the two-decade-old Bermuda International Film Festival, where I’m on the international advisory board, provided some truly unique networking opportunities. While I didn’t find myself star-struck like at last year’s fest – when I had the once in a lifetime chance to serve on a jury with a spry legend, Kubrick’s producer and brother-in-law Jan Harlan – the 2015 edition hosted several impressive names. Rounding out this year’s Academy Award qualifying shorts jury were producer/writer Hilary Saltzman (daughter of Harry Saltzman, best known as the producer of the first nine Bond films), the inimitable Killer Films co-founder Christine Vachon, […] »
- Lauren Wissot
Tribeca Review: Neil Labute’s ‘Dirty Weekend’ Starring Matthew Broderick And Alice Eve
6 hours ago | The Playlist | See recent The Playlist news »
The Scandinavians have Lars Von Trier, and Americans may boast Harmony Korine as our enfante terrible, but writer/director Neil Labute is still unquestionably America’s premier big screen provocateur. Over the years, he’s poked, prodded and challenged audiences with many confrontational and discomfiting topics both in film and on the stage, tackling misogyny and sexism (“In The Company Of Men”), obesity/female body issues (the stage play “Fat Pig”), the duplicity of the art world and calculating females (“The Shape Of Things”), post 9/11 fallout (“The Mercy Seat”) and the repercussions of an interracial love triangle ("This Is How It Goes," "Lakeview Terrace”). Labute functions like a portrait artist of nasty, vicious human behavior, deceitful psychologies and devious assholes —his worldview is often deeply cynical, presenting the unpleasant aspects of human nature. Nearly once a year, he turns out a new work that’s sharp, funny, observational and indeed. »
- Rodrigo Perez
Watch: New TV Spots, Clips And Images For 'Far From The Madding Crowd' Starring Carey Mulligan
7 hours ago | The Playlist | See recent The Playlist news »
One of our 41 Most Anticipated Movies Of Summer 2015, "Far From The Madding Crowd" is not what is presently understood as a seasonal blockbuster. It's based on a literary classic, rather than a comic book. And it's from a director not known for explosions leveling entire cities, but for deep drama and complex characters. So basically, it's right up our alley, and today comes a few new looks at the movie. A trio of new TV spots provide another look at the sweeping drama based on the novel by Thomas Hardy, and new images give us a closer look at the top shelf cast for Thomas Vinterberg's film, including Carey Mulligan, Matthias Schoenaerts, Michael Sheen and Tom Sturridge. And finally, a couple more clips have arrived as well. "Far From The Madding Crowd" arrives on May 1st. Watch below. »
- Kevin Jagernauth
Tracking Changes: The 53rd Ann Arbor Film Festival
7 hours ago | Filmmaker Magazine - Blog | See recent Filmmaker Magazine news »
One of the unexpected pleasures of the 53rd Ann Arbor Film Festival (Aaff) was, at first, a cringe-inducing annoyance. It began with the first screening on Wednesday morning, a presentation of work by Aaff juror Jesse McLean. The lights dimmed in the Michigan Theater Screening Room, the smaller of two auditoriums used by Aaff in the spectacular Michigan Theater. Just as the audience nestled into their seats and darkness took hold of the room, something interrupted the transfixed environment: a wincing screech from the front of the room. The sound continued for several seconds before halting with a loud thud. Then, […] »
- James Hansen
Tribeca Review: Oscar Isaac and Garrett Hedlund Shine in 'Mojave,' But the Film Doesn't
7 hours ago | Indiewire | See recent Indiewire news »
When a writer-director's latest film focuses on the mental turmoil and soul searching of a writer-director, one can only assume that there's some kind of autobiographical journey in play. William Monahan, who won and Academy Award for writing the screenplay for Martin Scorsese's "The Departed," does just that with his second directing effort "Mojave." While the story may be fantastical, its commentary on the Hollywood system is unequivocal. Unfortunately, the movie's erratic tone is a different story. Garrett Hedlund plays Thomas, a rich and famous filmmaker who ventures into the Mojave Desert for either a bit of soul searching or to drink himself into obliteration (possibly both). Out there, he's stumbled upon by a creepy drifter named Jack (Oscar Isaac), who sports long hair and a fanny pack and carries a rifle. Jack shares the story of Jesus' temptation by the devil in the desert in a feeble attempt to prove his intellectual prowess. »
- Casey Cipriani
Female Filmmakers Call to Arms: Minnie Driver, Jennifer Morrison and More Call For 50% Women Directors
7 hours ago | Indiewire | See recent Indiewire news »
Read More: The 2015 Indiewire Tribeca Bible: Every Review, Interview and News Item Posted During Run of Festival This morning, the Tribeca Film Festival hosted a brunch celebrating the female filmmakers of the 2015 edition of the event. Women comprise about 25 percent of the directors at Tribeca this year, with 32 films in the feature length categories and 16 in the short film categories directed by women. Tribeca Film Festival co-founder Jane Rosenthal opened the brunch by telling the story of attending the revival of Wendy Wasserstein's play "The Heidi Chronicles." "I remember thinking, this play is so strident, it's going to feel really dated. But I sat through it and got emotional and all of a sudden I got fucking mad," Rosenthal said. "Because as I'm listening to a play that a woman wrote in '89 about women's issues and guess what? It was all the same… nothing has changed." In attendance »
- Casey Cipriani
Tribeca Review: Drugs and Sex Define 'Necktie Youth,' a South African 'Kids'
7 hours ago | Indiewire | See recent Indiewire news »
"I fucking hate this city, man. Sometimes I feel like Jo-burg is trying to kill me." So it goes for the millennials of "Necktie Youth" as they wander Johannesburg with hedonistic apathy. Twenty-year-old Shongwe-La Mer directs a vibrant debut with audacity unique to a young first-timer, allowing his characters to inhabit the cityscapes with no discernible agenda except to capture a societal moment. The result is a one-of-a-kind fever dream of post-Apartheid South Africa. The opening scene: a high school girl hangs herself and live-streams the event on the internet. "Necktie Youth" then explores the reverberations of this nihilism, which rattles the foundations of a social fabric already fraught with racial tension and murky politics. We're in the richest section of the country, and in the tradition of a Bret Easton Ellis novel, the teenagers cope with ennui by immersing themselves in drugs, sex, and frantic socializing that only serves to. »
- Emily Buder
Tribeca Review: 'Ashby' Starring Mickey Rourke, Nat Wolff, Emma Roberts And Sarah Silverman
7 hours ago | The Playlist | See recent The Playlist news »
No one knows their neighbors anymore. Tony McNamara’s off-kilter but admirably good-hearted “Ashby” makes such a case. Young Ed Wallis’ (Nat Wolff) neighbor is a former CIA agent with nearly a hundred kills under his fashionably distressed belt. Who would want to live next door to someone like that? Conveniently enough, Ed would. He's the new kid in town and doesn’t have any friends to speak of, and the combination of a contrived school assignment (basically, “meet an old person, talk to them, write about it”) and the discovery of the bluehair next door inspires Ed to make a pal out of Ashby (Mickey Rourke). Too bad the guy has secrets —government-sanctioned murder the least among them— that just might keep him from letting Ed in. Just kidding! Ashby takes to Ed well enough, or at least he doesn't mind having a fresh-faced teen available to tote him to complete some mysterious missions, »
- Kate Erbland
Idaho Theater Dumps 'Wild Canaries' Due to 'Inappropriate Content'
7 hours ago | Indiewire | See recent Indiewire news »
Panida Theater, an independently owned and operated theater in Sandpoint, Idaho, has cancelled screenings of "Wild Canaries," a comedy-mystery released by IFC Films, due to "inappropriate content." In a letter from the theater's executive director Patricia Walker White, shared on its Facebook page, the theater said the film was cancelled due to material "that was not disclosed, nor represented in any of the materials reviewed for this film. Its unrated status should clearly have been an R rating. It contained subject matter not in keeping with the standards of the Panida." Read More: 'Wild Canaries' Trailer Mixes Old-School Screwball Comedy, Brooklyn and Murder When taken to task on its Facebook page, the theater responded further: "We wanted to say that, yes, we do schedule R-rated movies but we make sure our audience is aware before and we didn't want to misrepresent the movie content...we are only given trailers and descriptions and not. »
- Paula Bernstein
Paul Feig's 'Ghostbusters' Will Cost $154 Million Dollars
8 hours ago | The Playlist | See recent The Playlist news »
While it would be easy to dismiss Sony's aggressive plans to expand the "Ghostbusters" franchise, it's worth noting that Paul Feig, who will get out of the gate first with the upcoming female driven entry, was hesitant at first about taking it on. “I just couldn’t get my head around it,” he admitted to Variety, but when he struck upon switching up genders, inspiration hit. “I know how to do that movie, and I know all these funny women.” But no franchise expansion comes without risk and cost, and Feig's movie will definitely have both. Taking a look at Sony, now operating under the leadership of ex-Fox honcho Tom Rothman and following the departure of Amy Pascal, THR reveals that this "Ghostbusters" will have quite a price tag: $154 million. And that's after Feig tweaked the script for budget conscious Rothman, allowing the cost to be scaled back from an initial $169 million. »
- Kevin Jagernauth
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