With a seemingly endless amount of streaming options — not only the titles at our disposal, but services themselves — we’re highlighting the noteworthy titles that have recently hit platforms. Check out this week’s selections below and an archive of past round-ups here.
Disobedience (Sebastían Lelio)
It starts with a London-based rabbi speaking from his heart about the complexities of life. He stammers through — obviously ailing — until collapse. Suddenly we’re in New York City watching a photographer in-session with tattooed seniors. The phone rings and we know. She (Rachel Weisz’s Ronit Krushka) is the daughter of that rabbi and he has passed away. The assumption is that both these worlds will subsequently collide in reunion. Tears will be shed and hugs had. But that’s not quite the case with Sebastían Lelio’s Disobedience. Ronit has been gone for some time and the leaving wasn’t under good terms.
Disobedience (Sebastían Lelio)
It starts with a London-based rabbi speaking from his heart about the complexities of life. He stammers through — obviously ailing — until collapse. Suddenly we’re in New York City watching a photographer in-session with tattooed seniors. The phone rings and we know. She (Rachel Weisz’s Ronit Krushka) is the daughter of that rabbi and he has passed away. The assumption is that both these worlds will subsequently collide in reunion. Tears will be shed and hugs had. But that’s not quite the case with Sebastían Lelio’s Disobedience. Ronit has been gone for some time and the leaving wasn’t under good terms.
- 8/31/2018
- by The Film Stage
- The Film Stage
To those of us who have toiled at fast food joints designed to be as alienating and as profitable as possible, the feeling is a painfully recognizable one: After eight hours of working on your feet, peddling here and there—but mostly staying in the same, agonizingly static position—your knees begin to give, your back to seize, and your feet to cramp. Lisa (Regina Hall), the manager of a Hooters knockoff located somewhere between the highways and byways of Austin, Texas, knows the physical cost of streamlined labor all too well. On the single day portrayed in Andrew Bujalski’s Support the Girls, this tenacious yet tender middle-aged black woman mostly pulls off the virtuosic juggling act demanded of her. As new recruits are hired (to keep up with the accelerated turnover at low-income jobs) and long-standing ones wrangled, the troupe of young, scantily-clad waitresses prepare for the day ahead.
- 8/28/2018
- MUBI
Meet some of the best directors working today, who haven't gone down the blockbuster movie route...
Ever find it a bit lame when the same big name directors get kicked around for every high profile project? Christopher Nolan, Jj Abrams, maybe the Russo Brothers? With so much focus on blockbuster films these days, getting a major franchise job seems like the main acknowledgement of success for a filmmaker. And yes, both the financial and creative rewards can be great. But there are plenty of other directors out there, doing their own thing, from art house auteurs to Dtv action specialists.
Here are 25 examples.
Lee Hardcastle
Even if you don’t know his name, you’ve probably seen Lee Hardcastle’s ultraviolent claymations shared on social media. He first started getting noticed for his two-minute remake of The Thing, starring the famous stop motion penguin Pingu. Far from just a cheap one-joke mash-up,...
Ever find it a bit lame when the same big name directors get kicked around for every high profile project? Christopher Nolan, Jj Abrams, maybe the Russo Brothers? With so much focus on blockbuster films these days, getting a major franchise job seems like the main acknowledgement of success for a filmmaker. And yes, both the financial and creative rewards can be great. But there are plenty of other directors out there, doing their own thing, from art house auteurs to Dtv action specialists.
Here are 25 examples.
Lee Hardcastle
Even if you don’t know his name, you’ve probably seen Lee Hardcastle’s ultraviolent claymations shared on social media. He first started getting noticed for his two-minute remake of The Thing, starring the famous stop motion penguin Pingu. Far from just a cheap one-joke mash-up,...
- 9/30/2015
- by simonbrew
- Den of Geek
Though he dislikes the term himself, Andrew Bujalski is widely regarded as the linchpin of the nebulous mumblecore scene that spawned the likes of the Duplass brothers, Joe Swanberg and Lynn Shelton. Whilst his first three features possess the low budget and shaggy tone that define the scene, Bujalski's films have always been more keenly and delicately observed than many of his peers and the likes of Funny Ha Ha (2002), Mutual Appreciation (2005) and Beeswax (2009) possess a tenderness and interest in their characters that few filmmakers are capable of.
- 9/29/2015
- by CineVue UK
- CineVue
Cobie Smulders and Guy Pearce play aggressive physical trainers in a new trailer for Results.
The upcoming comedy sees Smulders's character Kat attracting unwanted romantic attention from a rich client called Danny (Kevin Corrigan).
Cobie Smulders returning to Agents of Shield as Maria Hill
Guy Pearce, Anthony Lapaglia and Kerry Fox for Holding the Man adaptation
Kat ultimately develops a romantic spark with her co-worker Trevor (Guy Pearce) as they try to fend off Danny's ever-ambitious advances.
Results had its premiere earlier this year at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival, and is now gearing up for a limited cinema run.
Director Andrew Bujalski is best known for his work in the Mumblecore genre with films like Beeswax and Computer Chess.
Results begins its limited cinema run on May 29 in the Us and the UK.
The upcoming comedy sees Smulders's character Kat attracting unwanted romantic attention from a rich client called Danny (Kevin Corrigan).
Cobie Smulders returning to Agents of Shield as Maria Hill
Guy Pearce, Anthony Lapaglia and Kerry Fox for Holding the Man adaptation
Kat ultimately develops a romantic spark with her co-worker Trevor (Guy Pearce) as they try to fend off Danny's ever-ambitious advances.
Results had its premiere earlier this year at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival, and is now gearing up for a limited cinema run.
Director Andrew Bujalski is best known for his work in the Mumblecore genre with films like Beeswax and Computer Chess.
Results begins its limited cinema run on May 29 in the Us and the UK.
- 4/17/2015
- Digital Spy
"Set in the world of Texas fitness instructors and starring some big-name actors, Andrew Bujalski’s Results looks at first like a concerted attempt to cross over into the world of mainstream rom-coms," begins Bilge Ebiri at Vulture. "But look again." We're collecting reviews of Bujalski's followup to Computer Chess and before that, Beeswax, Mutual Appreciation and Funny Ha Ha. Results features Guy Pearce, Kevin Corrigan and Cobie Smulders. "A perfectly chosen cast sells this unhurried comedy," finds John DeFore in the Hollywood Reporter. » - David Hudson...
- 1/29/2015
- Fandor: Keyframe
"Set in the world of Texas fitness instructors and starring some big-name actors, Andrew Bujalski’s Results looks at first like a concerted attempt to cross over into the world of mainstream rom-coms," begins Bilge Ebiri at Vulture. "But look again." We're collecting reviews of Bujalski's followup to Computer Chess and before that, Beeswax, Mutual Appreciation and Funny Ha Ha. Results features Guy Pearce, Kevin Corrigan and Cobie Smulders. "A perfectly chosen cast sells this unhurried comedy," finds John DeFore in the Hollywood Reporter. » - David Hudson...
- 1/29/2015
- Keyframe
Andrew Bujalski’s Computer Chess turned out to be the feel good film of Sundance and that’s not because the early gamers are particularly charming, but rather, better things come in small packages. Following Funny Ha Ha (2002), Mutual Appreciation (2005) and Beeswax (2009), this 30-something filmmaker, who in some circles is known as the godfather of the Mumblecore movement didn’t waste much time between the ’13 Sundance Film Fest Alfred Sloan Feature Film Prize winning micro-feature and his fifth, more macro-type budgeted ensemble project. Guy Pearce toplines alongside Cobie Smulders, Kevin Corrigan, Giovanni Ribisi, Brooklyn Decker, Anthony Michael Hall, SXSW Special Jury Prize Best Actor winner Tishuan Scott (The Retrieval) and Boyhood‘s Zoe Graham. Filming began in mid-summer on Results, and we’re assuming correctly by the first glimpse (see pic above) we got in September that this will bow in Park City with the director’s habitual stopover at SXSW.
- 11/13/2014
- by Eric Lavallee
- IONCINEMA.com
Directed by the godfather of the American mumblecore movement, Andrew Bujalski (Funny Ha Ha, Mutual Appreciation and Beeswax), and selected by The New York Times last summer as one of 'Twenty Directors to Watch', Computer Chess (2013) is poignant, absurd and downright hilarious. To celebrate the Dual Format release of Bujalski's new film this coming Monday (20 January), we have Three copies of Computer Chess to give away to our readers, courtesy of UK distributors Eureka. This is an exclusive competition for our Facebook and Twitter fans, so if you haven't already, 'Like' us at facebook.com/CineVueUK or follow us @CineVue before answering the question below.
- 1/23/2014
- by CineVue UK
- CineVue
Film-makers have tried sex, murder and intrigue, and yet that most intellectual of spectator sports remains remarkably difficult to depict on screen
• Peter Bradshaw's review of Computer Chess
• Computer Chess: watch the trailer
Throw a rock at the sports genre and you'll hit a film about baseball or football, or hockey, or racing. Odds are, you won't strike a film about chess. Chess isn't generally considered a stadium filler (although it can be). It's perceived as a game for eccentric intellectuals and elderly historians. It doesn't have the glamour or sex appeal of more sedentary sports, such as pool, as demonstrated by Paul Newman in The Hustler. Chess won't even fit snugly in to other genre films, where the banality of cards, for example, naturally lends itself to a seedy, gambling gangster underworld (Rounders), the exotic highlife of a casino (Casino Royale), or even more piquant, a combo...
• Peter Bradshaw's review of Computer Chess
• Computer Chess: watch the trailer
Throw a rock at the sports genre and you'll hit a film about baseball or football, or hockey, or racing. Odds are, you won't strike a film about chess. Chess isn't generally considered a stadium filler (although it can be). It's perceived as a game for eccentric intellectuals and elderly historians. It doesn't have the glamour or sex appeal of more sedentary sports, such as pool, as demonstrated by Paul Newman in The Hustler. Chess won't even fit snugly in to other genre films, where the banality of cards, for example, naturally lends itself to a seedy, gambling gangster underworld (Rounders), the exotic highlife of a casino (Casino Royale), or even more piquant, a combo...
- 11/29/2013
- The Guardian - Film News
Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
Reviewed as part of the 27th Leeds International Film Festival (6-21 Nov, 2013)
It is no coincidence that, for a film concerned with the consequences of pitching man against machine, Computer Chess tries to outsmart its audience from the outset. Its most immediate trick is in posing to be a found-footage documentary; precisely how you’d imagine an early ’80s chess convention held in a blandly anonymous Us hotel would look. Indeed, the effort with which this illusion is maintained is certainly commendable; everything from the technical jargon to the period setting strives towards authenticity. You might have your suspicions when our cameraman, shooting on a ’67 black- and-white Sony Portapak, somehow appears in the frame – but by then the game is already up.
Rather uniquely, the competitors are all chess software programmers pitting their computers against each other for a weekend tournament, vying for both the prize money and,...
Reviewed as part of the 27th Leeds International Film Festival (6-21 Nov, 2013)
It is no coincidence that, for a film concerned with the consequences of pitching man against machine, Computer Chess tries to outsmart its audience from the outset. Its most immediate trick is in posing to be a found-footage documentary; precisely how you’d imagine an early ’80s chess convention held in a blandly anonymous Us hotel would look. Indeed, the effort with which this illusion is maintained is certainly commendable; everything from the technical jargon to the period setting strives towards authenticity. You might have your suspicions when our cameraman, shooting on a ’67 black- and-white Sony Portapak, somehow appears in the frame – but by then the game is already up.
Rather uniquely, the competitors are all chess software programmers pitting their computers against each other for a weekend tournament, vying for both the prize money and,...
- 11/18/2013
- by Dan Wakefield
- Obsessed with Film
DVD Release Date: Nov. 5, 2013
Price: DVD $29.95
Studio: Kino Lorber
It's man vs. machine in Computer Chess.
Set during a weekend-long computer chess tournament circa 1980, auteur Andrew Bujalski’s (Funny Ha Ha, Mutual Appreciation, Beeswax) 2013 comedy Computer Chess depicts a group of programmers engaged in a game of man vs. machine, and their chance collision with another subculture of aging New Agers in a touchy-feely encounter therapy workshop being held in the same hotel.
The movie, which is shot in Eighties video-styled black-and-white, transports viewers to a nostalgic moment when the contest between technology and the human spirit seemed a little more up for grabs. We get to know the eccentric geniuses possessed of the vision to teach a metal box to defeat man, literally, at his own game, laying the groundwork for artificial intelligence as we know it.
The winner of the prestigious Alfred P. Sloan Award at the Sundance Film Festival,...
Price: DVD $29.95
Studio: Kino Lorber
It's man vs. machine in Computer Chess.
Set during a weekend-long computer chess tournament circa 1980, auteur Andrew Bujalski’s (Funny Ha Ha, Mutual Appreciation, Beeswax) 2013 comedy Computer Chess depicts a group of programmers engaged in a game of man vs. machine, and their chance collision with another subculture of aging New Agers in a touchy-feely encounter therapy workshop being held in the same hotel.
The movie, which is shot in Eighties video-styled black-and-white, transports viewers to a nostalgic moment when the contest between technology and the human spirit seemed a little more up for grabs. We get to know the eccentric geniuses possessed of the vision to teach a metal box to defeat man, literally, at his own game, laying the groundwork for artificial intelligence as we know it.
The winner of the prestigious Alfred P. Sloan Award at the Sundance Film Festival,...
- 11/6/2013
- by Laurence
- Disc Dish
The first thought upon sitting down for “Computer Chess” might be one of snobby resistance. Director Andrew Bujalski has been credited as the godfather of mumblecore, a movement that has produced a number of interesting pictures but one that still invites scorn for supposedly lowering the discourse of independent filmmaking. As usual, here he’s working with a collection of non-actors, though they may be the least photogenic bunch he’s ever shot: there’s certainly no one as bewitching as “Funny Ha Ha” star Kate Dollenmayer, or even as intriguingly polysexual as Alex Karpovsky in “Beeswax.” It’s a period picture taking place in 1980 and the film is shot on video using the technology of that era, giving the picture a fuzzy cable access look. Movie tickets cost a lot of money so when you see a visual like that, there’s a tendency to blanch, but what does...
- 7/19/2013
- by Gabe Toro
- The Playlist
In Andrew Bujalski's admirable, vaunted 2002 debut, Funny Ha Ha, the microbudget auteur and occasional actor's nervous temp, Mitchell, ineffectually attempts to seduce an aloof young lady over a bedroom chess match. As if pawns themselves, dependably obeying the established rules of conduct, the characters in Bujalski's films are consistently—um, yeah, like—passive, awkward, and inarticulate. Yet that chessboard is a coincidence, not foreshadowing, as neither that first film nor Bujalski's equally subdued, shaggily droll 16mm quasi-vérité ambles through post-collegiate ennui (2005's Mutual Appreciation and 2009's Beeswax, both slack in ambition but still baby steps forward) could have anticipated the profound leap of Computer Chess....
- 7/17/2013
- Village Voice
"When Beeswax came out in 2009, I felt like there was a sense in the world of, 'Well, that's another one of the same from him,'" writer-director Andrew Bujalski says by telephone. "That frustrated me. I wanted to shake everybody by the collar and say, 'No, can't you see that it's completely different?' And now that everybody's saying that Computer Chess is completely different from anything I've done before, I want to shake them all by the collar and say, 'No, no, can't you see it's the same?'"
The 36-year-old Boston native is speaking from his home in Austin, Texas, about his new film, which opens July 17 at Film Forum after well-received festival screenings at Sundance and Berlin. The early 1980s-set movie, sprung from "the deepest, darkest depths" of Bujalski...
The 36-year-old Boston native is speaking from his home in Austin, Texas, about his new film, which opens July 17 at Film Forum after well-received festival screenings at Sundance and Berlin. The early 1980s-set movie, sprung from "the deepest, darkest depths" of Bujalski...
- 7/17/2013
- Village Voice
There is an immediate sense of change afoot in "Computer Chess," Andrew Bujalski's fourth feature as writer-director, visible to anyone familiar with his previous work. While Bujalski's influential "Funny Ha Ha" -- along with follow-ups "Mutual Appreciation" and "Beeswax" -- were almost defiantly shot on 16mm film and focused on the interpersonal relationships of chic (and sometimes not-to-chic) young adults, "Computer Chess" is a period piece set 30 years in the past and shot on low-grade analog video. Experientially, however, "Computer Chess" falls in line with its precedents while achieving much funnier, offbeat results. Focused on a group of proto-computer nerds involved in a tournament to devise first-rate chess software for their clunky machines, the movie relishes the awkward expressions of brilliance from its introverted leads. A savvy ensemble piece set over the course of a weekend-long hotel conference, "Computer Chess" echoes Bujalski's preceding efforts by...
- 7/16/2013
- by Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
Bujalski adds Technology to the Perils of Human Connection
In an Andrew Bujalski film, there is nothing harder than making yourself understood. Funny Haha is now considered a watershed moment, a film that spawned a legion of imitators. In it, Bujalski perfectly captured the muddled speech patterns and the even more confused motivations that characterize post-collegiate angst. Mutual Appreciation and Beeswax furthered this aesthetic, exploring the nuanced, minute ways people hurt each other, always at cross purposes, often not on purpose. With his newest Computer Chess, Bujalski explores a whole new terrain, and a new way of seeing but still with the same themes and preoccupations; it is not enough that human communication is trying, now technology must be a struggle as well.
A weekend conference at a third-rank motel is the battleground where teams from across the Us come to pit their computers against each other in a chess tournament.
In an Andrew Bujalski film, there is nothing harder than making yourself understood. Funny Haha is now considered a watershed moment, a film that spawned a legion of imitators. In it, Bujalski perfectly captured the muddled speech patterns and the even more confused motivations that characterize post-collegiate angst. Mutual Appreciation and Beeswax furthered this aesthetic, exploring the nuanced, minute ways people hurt each other, always at cross purposes, often not on purpose. With his newest Computer Chess, Bujalski explores a whole new terrain, and a new way of seeing but still with the same themes and preoccupations; it is not enough that human communication is trying, now technology must be a struggle as well.
A weekend conference at a third-rank motel is the battleground where teams from across the Us come to pit their computers against each other in a chess tournament.
- 7/15/2013
- by Jesse Klein
- IONCINEMA.com
"Computer Chess," Andrew Bujalski's fourth film, is gearing up for a theatrical run this summer with a new, retro poster. The film premiered at this year's Sundance Film Festival before starting an impressive festival run including the Berlin International Film Festival, SXSW, and more. The "artificially intelligent" comedy about a tournament between computer chess programmers in the 1980s is set to debut in New York on July 17, but anyone anxious to see it early can catch it at the BAMcinemaFest in Brooklyn on June 23. Bujalski's past films include "Beeswax," "Mutual Appreciation," and "Funny Ha Ha." All of his films have played at various festivals, and all but "Funny Ha Ha" have shown at SXSW. Check out the new poster and the teaser trailer below, and click here for a look at five funny gifs made from the film.
- 6/12/2013
- by Ben Travers
- Indiewire
Eureka Entertainment has announced its acquisition of Computer Chess, the award-winning new comedy from Andrew Bujalski (Beeswax, Funny Ha Ha). The distributor will oversee a UK & Eire theatrical run of the film later this year, following a "major UK festival debut", followed by a DVD and Blu-ray release in early 2014, through Eureka's prestigious Masters of Cinema series.Bujalski's film scooped the coveted Alfred P. Sloan award at this year's Sundance Film Festival, given to a feature that honours the theme of science and/or technology. Computer Chess went on to play at Berlin and SXSW. Our own Brian Clark caught the film's European premiere in Germany, where he praised it as "a relaxed, fascinating and often hilarious couple of days in the lives of of an...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
- 5/12/2013
- Screen Anarchy
BAMcinématek has announced the full lineup for the 2013 BAMcinemaFest, which will feature 22 New York premieres and one world premiere. David Lowery's acclaimed Sundance drama "Ain't Them Bodies Saints" will kick off the festival and Destin Cretton's SXSW Grand Jury Prize winner "Short Term 12" will close it. The fifth annual festival, which is sponsored by The Wall Street Journal, runs from June 19 - June 28. BAMcinemaFest will also feature two spotlight screenings at the new Steinberg Screen at the Bam Harvey Theater, of Sebastian Silva's comedy "Crystal Fairy" starring Michael Cera and James Ponsoldt's coming-of-age drama "The Spectacular Now." The festival will also welcome back veteran filmmakers including Andrew Bujalski ("Beeswax") with new film "Computer Chess," and Matthew Porterfield ("Putty Hill") with "I Used to Be Darker." Florence Almozini BAMcinématek program director commented, "We’re thrilled that BAMcinemaFest has remained a hometown festival, with nearly half of.
- 5/8/2013
- by Erin Whitney
- Indiewire
It’s rare to come across a film that genuinely feels “different,” but Bob Byington’s Somebody Up There Likes Me is one of those films. Byington is an Austin-based writer/director and has worked (on both sides of the camera) with a number of mumblecore and post-mumblecore figures, directing Justin Rice and Alex Karpovsky in his 2009 feature Harmony and Me while also cameoing in Andrew Bujalski’s Beeswax and Alex Ross Perry’s The Color Wheel. His recent films, the gleefully edgy Rso [Registered Sex Offender] and the charming, sweet Harmony, were quirky indie comedies but definitely felt like they fit within a …...
- 3/29/2013
- by Nick Dawson
- Filmmaker Magazine-Director Interviews
Discerning filmgoers aghast at the prospect of paying good money to see new releases "Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters" or "Movie 43" have better option right at their fingertips: "Supporting Characters," Daniel Schechter's winning indie comedy about two 20-something film editors (played by "Girls" star Alex Karpovsky and Tarik Lowe) navigating life and love in New York.
With "Supporting Characters" out on VOD now, Schechter spoke to HuffPost Entertainment about the inspirations for his film, the pros and cons of the current indie film landscape, and what fans can expect from his adaptation of "The Switch," Elmore Leonard's novel about Ordell Robbie and Louis Gara, the characters Leonard later featured in "Rum Punch," which turned into the 1997 film "Jackie Brown."
On Twitter you wrote that the reviews of "Supporting Characters" have been "reluctantly positive." I like that.
It's the perfect way to describe the response to the movie.
With "Supporting Characters" out on VOD now, Schechter spoke to HuffPost Entertainment about the inspirations for his film, the pros and cons of the current indie film landscape, and what fans can expect from his adaptation of "The Switch," Elmore Leonard's novel about Ordell Robbie and Louis Gara, the characters Leonard later featured in "Rum Punch," which turned into the 1997 film "Jackie Brown."
On Twitter you wrote that the reviews of "Supporting Characters" have been "reluctantly positive." I like that.
It's the perfect way to describe the response to the movie.
- 1/25/2013
- by Christopher Rosen
- Huffington Post
I’m no psychic. But the minute I saw Andrew Bujalski’s sweet/geeky/playful/pointyheaded drama Computer Chess, I knew it would win the Alfred P. Sloan Feature Film Prize, a cool-brainiac award from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation that comes with a $20,000 huzzah for an independent film project that, in the words of the foundation press release, explores “science and technology themes or that depict scientists, engineers, and mathematicians in engaging and innovative ways.” I knew Computer Chess would win, first because most other films at Sundance this year explore relationships and sexytime themes rather than stories featuring scientists.
- 1/25/2013
- by Lisa Schwarzbaum
- EW - Inside Movies
Feature Ryan Lambie Jan 28, 2013
The winner of the Sloane Prize at Sundance, the indie comedy Computer Chess may prove to be the geekiest film of 2013...
If you've heard of the Alfred P Sloane Prize, you'll probably know that it's been an annual fixture at the Sundance Film Festival since 2003. Set up to reward independent movies with a scientific or technological theme, its list of winners from the past decade includes Shane Carruth's time-travel sci-fi movie Primer, Werner Herzog's captivating documentary Grizzly Man, and Mike Cahill's indie Sf drama Another Earth.
Sloane Prize winners earn a $20,000 cash prize, a sum which often amounts to a fair percentage of each film's budget; Cahill's ethereal Another Earth cost a remarkably lean $200,000 to make, while Primer was made for an absurdly lean $7,000. The prize is therefore quite an unusual film award, in that it singles out films with ideas greater than their makers' resources.
The winner of the Sloane Prize at Sundance, the indie comedy Computer Chess may prove to be the geekiest film of 2013...
If you've heard of the Alfred P Sloane Prize, you'll probably know that it's been an annual fixture at the Sundance Film Festival since 2003. Set up to reward independent movies with a scientific or technological theme, its list of winners from the past decade includes Shane Carruth's time-travel sci-fi movie Primer, Werner Herzog's captivating documentary Grizzly Man, and Mike Cahill's indie Sf drama Another Earth.
Sloane Prize winners earn a $20,000 cash prize, a sum which often amounts to a fair percentage of each film's budget; Cahill's ethereal Another Earth cost a remarkably lean $200,000 to make, while Primer was made for an absurdly lean $7,000. The prize is therefore quite an unusual film award, in that it singles out films with ideas greater than their makers' resources.
- 1/25/2013
- by ryanlambie
- Den of Geek
There is an immediate sense of change afoot in "Computer Chess," Andrew Bujalski's fourth feature as writer-director, visible to anyone familiar with his previous work. While Bujalski's influential "Funny Ha Ha" -- along with follow-ups "Mutual Appreciation" and "Beeswax" -- were almost defiantly shot on 16mm film and focused on the interpersonal relationships of chic young adults, "Computer Chess" is a period piece set 30 years in the past and shot on low-grade analog video. Experientially, however, "Computer Chess" falls in line with its precedents while achieving much funnier, offbeat results. Focused on a group of proto-computer nerds involved in a tournament to devise first-rate chess software for their clunky machines, the movie relishes the awkward expressions of brilliance from its introverted leads. A savvy ensemble piece set over the course of a weekend-long hotel conference, "Computer Chess"...
- 1/22/2013
- by Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
Harvard film grad Andrew Bujalski wrote and directed "Funny Ha Ha," "Mutual Appreciation" and "Beeswax," all of which have appeared on the New York Times’s “Best of the Year” lists. He's in Sundance this year with his Next entry, "Computer Chess." What It's About: "A convention of computer chess programmers, long before Deep Blue defeated Kasparov, losing their minds while they build an artificial one." What It's Really About: "The dawn of the digital age--a time when nerds were nerds, and the rest of us had no idea what was coming." My Biggest Challenge: "Middle age!" Inspirations: "William Eggleston's 'Stranded in Canton' mashed up with all the science fiction and fact I absorbed as a kid." Indiewire invited Sundance Film Festival directors to tell us about their films, including what inspired them, the challenges they faced...
- 1/12/2013
- by Indiewire
- Indiewire
Tribeca Film has extended its relationship with multi-hyphenate Alex Karpovsky, acquiring North American rights to Rubberneck, a film he co-wrote, directed, and starred in, and plans to release it in February 2013. Read on for more details and a new still.
Tribeca Film's release plans include select theatrical screenings and offering the film on demand in more than 40 million homes in the U.S. and Canada through a variety of video-on-demand offerings as well as iTunes, Amazon Watch Instantly, Vudu, Xbox, Google Play, and YouTube.
Rubberneck had its world premiere at the 2012 Tribeca Film Festival and has had a robust showing at festivals internationally thereafter. A slow-burn character study-turned-psychosexual thriller, Rubberneck, co-written by Karpovsky and Garth Donovan, is a chillingly believable story of workplace romance gone wrong. It co-stars Jaime Ray Newman and Dennis Staroselsky and was produced by Michael Bowes, Garth Donovan, and Adam Roffman.
Karpovsky is one of the...
Tribeca Film's release plans include select theatrical screenings and offering the film on demand in more than 40 million homes in the U.S. and Canada through a variety of video-on-demand offerings as well as iTunes, Amazon Watch Instantly, Vudu, Xbox, Google Play, and YouTube.
Rubberneck had its world premiere at the 2012 Tribeca Film Festival and has had a robust showing at festivals internationally thereafter. A slow-burn character study-turned-psychosexual thriller, Rubberneck, co-written by Karpovsky and Garth Donovan, is a chillingly believable story of workplace romance gone wrong. It co-stars Jaime Ray Newman and Dennis Staroselsky and was produced by Michael Bowes, Garth Donovan, and Adam Roffman.
Karpovsky is one of the...
- 12/7/2012
- by The Woman In Black
- DreadCentral.com
Moving from last year’s eight selections (which included Craig Zobel’s Compliance), this year section described as “a “greater” next wave in American cinema” balloons to ten selections including a pair that we not only predicted, but happen to be titles we’ve been buzzing about for some time now in Alexandre Moors’ Blue Caprice and Matthew Porterfield’s I Used to Be Darker. Also among the batch of ten we find, Andrew Bujalski of Beeswax and Mutual Appreciation fame with his fourth feature, Computer Chess, we have Chad Hartigan’s This is Martin Bonner (see pic above – and kudos for the teaser poster artwork) and finally Yen Tan’s Pit Stop which is co-written with David Lowery who also happens to have been selected in the U.S. Dramatic Comp program for his feature film debut, Ain’t Them Bodies Saints. Here is the list of 10:
Blue Caprice / U.
Blue Caprice / U.
- 11/28/2012
- by Eric Lavallee
- IONCINEMA.com
Whether truly narcissistic or an eloquent portrait of narcissism, Alex Karpovsky's "Red Flag" is an utterly hilarious ode to the modern struggles of the microbudget American filmmaker. While the prolific Karpovsky has starred in Andrew Bujalski's "Beeswax" and Lena Dunham's "Tiny Furniture" -- and more recently appears in Dunham's "Girls" -- his trajectory behind the camera predates those notable turns. "Red Flag" merges his skills as actor and filmmaker better than anything preceding it by telling a quasi-autobiographical story. The movie, in which Karpovsky plays himself, finds him hitting the road with his 2008 feature "Woodpecker" while reeling from a recent breakup. This could be a recipe for excessive self-indulgence, but the meta quality of "Red Flag" is entirely irrelevant to its low key charm and persistent irreverence -- anchored, as always, by Karpovsky's loopy screen presence. ...
- 6/16/2012
- by Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
Alex Karpovsky is a man of considerable talent whose time has come. Lost in the hype of the so-called mumblecore movement when it first erupted out of the SXSW scene, Karpovsky was not as prolific or media-savvy as Joe Swanberg or the Duplass brothers, but his interests as both actor and filmmaker have more complex ingredients. Over the last five years, Karpovsky has made a mockumentary about bird watching ("Woodpecker"), a real documentary about improvisation ("Trust Us, This is All Made Up"), and now a tense thriller, "Rubberneck," in which he also stars. He has additionally acted, usually in comically discomfiting roles, including Andrew Bujalski's "Beeswax," Bryan Poyser's "Lovers Hate," and Lena Dunham's "Tiny Furniture," as well as several other bit parts. He's in fine form in "Supporting Characters," once again teetering on the edge of sarcasm and emotional fragility, and always the...
- 4/26/2012
- by Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
Alex Karpovsky, the writer-director-actor who has already made an impact at SXSW and Sundance with films like “The Hole Story,” “Beeswax,” and “Tiny Furniture,” stars in two films that are premiering at the Tribeca Film Festival this year. In “Supporting Characters,” Karpovsky is one half of a film editing duo working to re-cut a failing movie while coping with personal and professional turmoil. And in “Rubberneck,” which he also co-wrote and directed, Karpovsky is a scientist who gradually loses control after a one-night stand with a co-worker.This is Karpovsky’s first time in attendance at the festival, both as a viewer and a filmmaker. But after Tff closes on April 29, the indie favorite will be poised to break through to the mainstream with two high-profile projects.In Lena Dunham’s (“Tiny Furniture”) buzzed-about new half-hour series “Girls,” airing Sunday nights on...
- 4/22/2012
- by help@backstage.com (Daniel Lehman)
- backstage.com
Five Reasons To See Jeff Who Lives At Home ...even if you don't think you like mumblecore. by Andrew Osborne Mark Duplass doesn't classify the films he's co-directed with his brother (including this week's Jeff, Who Lives At Home and The Do-Deca-Pentathlon, which premiered at the SXSW Film Festival on March 11) as "mumblecore." "It was just a tag that somebody started calling our movies," he explains — and by our, he means not just Duplass Brothers movies, but the work of a new generation of independent filmmakers, including Andrew Bujalski (Beeswax), Lynn Shelton (Humpday), and Joe Swanberg (Hannah Takes The Stairs). "I don't have a problem with people using tags in the press to help group things," Duplass clarifies, though he finds the term mumblecore "a bit reductive. But more importantly, it sounds hoity-toity and exclusionary... I want [...]...
- 3/15/2012
- by Andrew Osborne
- Nerve
Kid-Thing, the latest feature from local indie film lynchpins David and Nathan Zellner, screened last night, coming home after a successful run at Sundance and Berlin. Today the pair along with their young star Sydney Aguirre sat down with me to discuss the film.
We take a moment to get to know each other before jumping into the interview. The Zellner Brothers had small but memorable roles on the first feature films I ever worked on as a lowly Pa, 2009′s Beeswax, from writer/director Andrew Bujalski.
One of the first things I was struck by while watching your film is how the setting becomes a character in the film. Having spent a lot of time growing up in rural Texas that’s something I was drawn to. Is that something you experienced a lot of growing up?
David Zellner: Yeah, and I think some of that was done...
We take a moment to get to know each other before jumping into the interview. The Zellner Brothers had small but memorable roles on the first feature films I ever worked on as a lowly Pa, 2009′s Beeswax, from writer/director Andrew Bujalski.
One of the first things I was struck by while watching your film is how the setting becomes a character in the film. Having spent a lot of time growing up in rural Texas that’s something I was drawn to. Is that something you experienced a lot of growing up?
David Zellner: Yeah, and I think some of that was done...
- 3/11/2012
- by Scott Colquitt
- SoundOnSight
Last week, Austin Film Society announced the 2011 Texas Filmmakers Production Fund recipients, awarded a total of $92,000 in grants, film stock and services ... plus $7K for travel grants and $12K for the Slacker 2011 production, bringing the grand total to $111,000.
I always enjoy reading about the Tfpf grants because they provide a sneak peek into upcoming movies from Texas filmmakers. Austin was well represented in this year's list, but exciting productions from around the state are included. Many of these productions held online crowdfunding campaigns; I've linked to the campaign web pages and recommend taking a look, because some of the teaser videos for these films are excellent.
Here are the Austin projects that received grants, with whatever info I could find about the filmmakers and their productions:
$7,500 to Computer Chess -- Andrew Bujalski
Bujalski moved to Austin a few years ago and shot his feature Beeswax here. Now he's working on Computer Chess,...
I always enjoy reading about the Tfpf grants because they provide a sneak peek into upcoming movies from Texas filmmakers. Austin was well represented in this year's list, but exciting productions from around the state are included. Many of these productions held online crowdfunding campaigns; I've linked to the campaign web pages and recommend taking a look, because some of the teaser videos for these films are excellent.
Here are the Austin projects that received grants, with whatever info I could find about the filmmakers and their productions:
$7,500 to Computer Chess -- Andrew Bujalski
Bujalski moved to Austin a few years ago and shot his feature Beeswax here. Now he's working on Computer Chess,...
- 9/1/2011
- by Jette Kernion
- Slackerwood
In celebration of Slacker's 20th anniversary, local filmmakers are re-creating scenes from the Richard Linklater movie for Slacker 2011, a fundraising project benefitting the Texas Filmmakers Production Fund (Tfpf). The trailer is now available. As we await the August 31 premiere, we're chatting with some of the filmmakers participating in one or more of the short films that will comprise the project -- check out our interviews so far.
Today's interview is with Bob Byington, who has been making movies in Austin since the mid-1990s. At the 2009 Traverse City Film Festival, he won the Stanley Kubrick Award for Innovative Filmmaking for Harmony and Me (my review) and Rso [Registered Sex Offender], both of which are available on Netflix Watch Instantly now. He's also acted in other filmmakers' movies, such as Beeswax and The Color Wheel. Byington has received multiple Tfpf awards for various film projects, most recent in 2010 for a new feature film.
Today's interview is with Bob Byington, who has been making movies in Austin since the mid-1990s. At the 2009 Traverse City Film Festival, he won the Stanley Kubrick Award for Innovative Filmmaking for Harmony and Me (my review) and Rso [Registered Sex Offender], both of which are available on Netflix Watch Instantly now. He's also acted in other filmmakers' movies, such as Beeswax and The Color Wheel. Byington has received multiple Tfpf awards for various film projects, most recent in 2010 for a new feature film.
- 8/9/2011
- by Jette Kernion
- Slackerwood
Though he's cited as the "godfather" of the mumblecore movement, very rarely will you hear the films of Andrew Bujalski being discussed or written about. The Bostonian's three fantastic, cream-of-the-crop features unfortunately get the short straw when it comes to conversation and respect; instead, film critics spend time writing overwrought dissertations on third-rate mumblies or one of the twelve Joe Swanberg movies that are in production per season. In 2009, the filmmaker dropped "Beeswax," a quiet yet oddly tense story about twin sisters, one of which is getting wrapped up in legal troubles. Unlike his brood, Bujalski has the patience…...
- 7/29/2011
- The Playlist
Here at HeyUGuys, we aim to provide you with an all-encompassing look into the world of film. Whether you’re a fully-fledged cineaste, or just possess a casual interest, there’s something for anyone with our alternative A-z of cinema, which starts today and runs through the week.
If you’ve ever wondered just what it is an Executive Producer does, or maybe if you’ve heard the ambient sounds of Tangerine Dream in an 80’s film favourite without knowing who you were listening to, this is the list for you!
Here are the letters K-o…
King Vidor (1894 – 1982) was an American film director, producer and screenwriter whose career spanned nearly seven decades. He resides in the Guinness Book of World Records for having the longest career of any film director (it began in 1913 and ending in 1980). In 1979 he was awarded an Honorary Academy Award, having been nominated five previous times for a Best Director Oscar.
If you’ve ever wondered just what it is an Executive Producer does, or maybe if you’ve heard the ambient sounds of Tangerine Dream in an 80’s film favourite without knowing who you were listening to, this is the list for you!
Here are the letters K-o…
King Vidor (1894 – 1982) was an American film director, producer and screenwriter whose career spanned nearly seven decades. He resides in the Guinness Book of World Records for having the longest career of any film director (it began in 1913 and ending in 1980). In 1979 he was awarded an Honorary Academy Award, having been nominated five previous times for a Best Director Oscar.
- 2/23/2011
- by Adam Lowes
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Whereas most men would refrain from approaching a woman he just saw pulling the hair of another in a bar, Andrew (Andrew von Urtz) walks towards her. It isn't the first clue in Ramin Serry's comedy "Loveless" that something is amiss about Andrew, though it is the clearest indication of what's kept him without obligations of any kind other than a desk job he hates as he nears middle age. He's also an aspiring filmmaker who uses the promise of his script to bait women into putting up with his advances and projects a certain urbaneness even if he's utterly unhip.
Like the two women who do find themselves attracted to Andrew during the course of "Loveless," one's appreciation of the film may hinge on your tolerance of its central character's dry wit and lack of ambition, not only since you're spending 96 minutes in his company, but from storytelling perspective,...
Like the two women who do find themselves attracted to Andrew during the course of "Loveless," one's appreciation of the film may hinge on your tolerance of its central character's dry wit and lack of ambition, not only since you're spending 96 minutes in his company, but from storytelling perspective,...
- 2/18/2011
- by Stephen Saito
- ifc.com
As people ask me about this Sunday’s Cinema Club presentation at the Ritz, I’m finding myself a little stumped and at a loss for words. What the hell is Beat The Devil? Is it a parody? A farce? A spoof? I don’t know, or particularly care. Mainly, I like the out-of-control feel that the film gives me. Beat The Devil is like a train that jumps the tracks and, against all odds, keeps chugging along until it reaches a far more interesting destination than any dumb old train station.
The plot, such as it is, is wandering and desultory. An English couple with pretensions toward nobility find themselves stranded in a Neapolitan village while their ship is being repaired. The wife (Jennifer Jones) becomes fascinated with a quartet of suspicious characters led by Robert Morley and including Peter Lorre (as the German accented Chilean resident O’Hara...
The plot, such as it is, is wandering and desultory. An English couple with pretensions toward nobility find themselves stranded in a Neapolitan village while their ship is being repaired. The wife (Jennifer Jones) becomes fascinated with a quartet of suspicious characters led by Robert Morley and including Peter Lorre (as the German accented Chilean resident O’Hara...
- 11/16/2010
- by Lars Nilsen
- OriginalAlamo.com
Robert here, back with more of my series on great contemporary directors. This week we're going to call it the "hear me out" edition or the "please don't shun me" edition. Bringing up this director doesn't usually yield very positive results. However I will note that I'll only be discussing Bujalski here and not any supposed "movement" that he is a part of (as I've not seen any other films from that "movement"). And I hope you'll give the man and his work some consideration. Next week we will return to the realm of the almost universally beloved.
Maestro: Andrew Bujalski
Known For: Super-independent movies about aimless ordinary people.
Influences: Cassavetes is a big one. Jarmusch and Linklater too.
Masterpieces: I'm not dumb enough to suggest that Bujalski's had a masterpiece when a while back I declared that Christopher Nolan didn't.
Disasters: None
Better than you remember: Probably all of them if,...
Maestro: Andrew Bujalski
Known For: Super-independent movies about aimless ordinary people.
Influences: Cassavetes is a big one. Jarmusch and Linklater too.
Masterpieces: I'm not dumb enough to suggest that Bujalski's had a masterpiece when a while back I declared that Christopher Nolan didn't.
Disasters: None
Better than you remember: Probably all of them if,...
- 6/17/2010
- by Robert
- FilmExperience
The poster girl of Us indie film "schlumped up" for her first major role in Noah Baumbach's new movie but how will she cope alongside Russell Brand?
One of Greta Gerwig's favourite stories is about the time the young Marlon Brando first walked on stage, apparently looking so natural some of the audience assumed he was a stagehand or some guy off the street who'd just wandered up there accidentally. "People thought, 'What's happening? Is that acting?'" she says. "Not that I'm comparing myself to Marlon Brando but that's so exciting to me."
We've become accustomed to seeing people do things in the movies that we never do in real life, like walking away from explosions without turning around, dancing alone in the street when they get good news, or delivering inspirational speeches off the cuff. We know it's not real. We don't want it to be real.
One of Greta Gerwig's favourite stories is about the time the young Marlon Brando first walked on stage, apparently looking so natural some of the audience assumed he was a stagehand or some guy off the street who'd just wandered up there accidentally. "People thought, 'What's happening? Is that acting?'" she says. "Not that I'm comparing myself to Marlon Brando but that's so exciting to me."
We've become accustomed to seeing people do things in the movies that we never do in real life, like walking away from explosions without turning around, dancing alone in the street when they get good news, or delivering inspirational speeches off the cuff. We know it's not real. We don't want it to be real.
- 6/4/2010
- by Steve Rose
- The Guardian - Film News
I've been a fan of mumblecore films since the genre arose in the early 2000s. While they are works of fiction, these low-budget, talky, relationship-centric films are often uncannily realistic. The charm of mumblecore is that the characters are everyday people who encounter everyday situations; they could be our friends and family members, and their stories could be our stories.
The 2009 film Beeswax, the third feature from filmmaker Andrew Bujalski, is an exceptional example of the genre. Now available on DVD, Beeswax is the antitheses of mainstream filmmaking. A slow-paced, narrowly focused, mostly plotless examination of human relationships, it has nary a Hollywood-glamorous character, formulaic romance or action sequence. Beeswax focuses on the ordinary -- but it does so with such skillful attention to detail that the film is in many ways extraordinary.
Bear with me while I describe what passes for the plot of Beeswax. The film follows two twentysomething twin sisters,...
The 2009 film Beeswax, the third feature from filmmaker Andrew Bujalski, is an exceptional example of the genre. Now available on DVD, Beeswax is the antitheses of mainstream filmmaking. A slow-paced, narrowly focused, mostly plotless examination of human relationships, it has nary a Hollywood-glamorous character, formulaic romance or action sequence. Beeswax focuses on the ordinary -- but it does so with such skillful attention to detail that the film is in many ways extraordinary.
Bear with me while I describe what passes for the plot of Beeswax. The film follows two twentysomething twin sisters,...
- 4/20/2010
- by Don Clinchy
- Slackerwood
The Independent Film Festival of Boston kicks off on Wednesday. If you're in the New England area, this is the best film festival around, having supplanted the fall Boston Film Festival as the one to be at after less than a decade of existence. It offers a great opportunity to see a lot of great independent films, a few of which are premieres, and several of which played earlier at Sundance or at South by Southwest. IFFBoston, however, offers a more low-key opportunity to see those same movies without having to deal with the massive crowds or the lengthy lines. Even two days before the festival begins, you can still purchase tickets and walk up, half an hour before showtime, and get a seat. Most of the films play in Davis Square (in Somerville), which is the second best neighborhood in metro Boston, save for Brookline (where some of the other films will be showing,...
- 4/19/2010
- by Dustin Rowles
Cemetery Junction (15)
(Ricky Gervais, Stephen Merchant, 2006, Us) Christian Cook, Jack Doolan, Tom Hughes, Felicity Jones. 95 mins
Those averse to Ricky Gervais's "white-man overbite" will see surprisingly little of it in his second co-directed movie. Set in suburban 70s Reading, this rites-of-passage drama stars newcomers Cook, Doolan and Hughes as three mates growing apart on the threshold of adulthood. The ending may be formulaic, but Gervais and Merchant carve a neat middle path between comedy and pathos to get there.
The Ghost (15)
(Roman Polanski, 2010, Fr/Ger/UK) Pierce Brosnan, Ewan McGregor. 128 mins
While he remains in chokey, Polanki's latest release is an old-school political thriller, starring Brosnan as a slick ex-pm with guilty secrets and McGregor as the hack hired to launder them.
Beeswax (Nc)
(Andrew Bujalski, 2009, Us) Tilly Hatcher, Maggie Hatcher. 100 mins
Mundane mumblecore about the travails of twins.
The Heavy (18)
(Marcus Warren, 2010, UK) Gary Stretch, Vinnie Jones. 102 mins...
(Ricky Gervais, Stephen Merchant, 2006, Us) Christian Cook, Jack Doolan, Tom Hughes, Felicity Jones. 95 mins
Those averse to Ricky Gervais's "white-man overbite" will see surprisingly little of it in his second co-directed movie. Set in suburban 70s Reading, this rites-of-passage drama stars newcomers Cook, Doolan and Hughes as three mates growing apart on the threshold of adulthood. The ending may be formulaic, but Gervais and Merchant carve a neat middle path between comedy and pathos to get there.
The Ghost (15)
(Roman Polanski, 2010, Fr/Ger/UK) Pierce Brosnan, Ewan McGregor. 128 mins
While he remains in chokey, Polanki's latest release is an old-school political thriller, starring Brosnan as a slick ex-pm with guilty secrets and McGregor as the hack hired to launder them.
Beeswax (Nc)
(Andrew Bujalski, 2009, Us) Tilly Hatcher, Maggie Hatcher. 100 mins
Mundane mumblecore about the travails of twins.
The Heavy (18)
(Marcus Warren, 2010, UK) Gary Stretch, Vinnie Jones. 102 mins...
- 4/16/2010
- by Damon Wise
- The Guardian - Film News
In this season of party political broadcasts, here's an arty cinematical podcast, talking to uncompromisingly independent British film-maker Ben Hopkins about his smugglers' tale The Market, mumblecore pioneer Andrew Bujalski about his off-kilter romance Beeswax, and reviewing Roman Polanski's The Ghost and the Gervais-Merchant film Cemetery Junction.
The Market is a comic smuggler's tale/anatomy of global capitalism set at the borders of Turkey and Azerbaijan in 1994, about a smalltime hustler who tries to land the cash to get into the new lucrative mobile phone business. Hopkins tells Jason Solomons about his journey from north London to eastern Turkey via Afghanistan, how he has managed to make four feature-length films outside the Anglo-American film industry, and how it felt to beat top Turkish film-maker Nuri Bilge Ceylan to the best film prize at the Antalya film festival.
Peter Bradshaw then joins Jason to review the week's key films - The Ghost,...
The Market is a comic smuggler's tale/anatomy of global capitalism set at the borders of Turkey and Azerbaijan in 1994, about a smalltime hustler who tries to land the cash to get into the new lucrative mobile phone business. Hopkins tells Jason Solomons about his journey from north London to eastern Turkey via Afghanistan, how he has managed to make four feature-length films outside the Anglo-American film industry, and how it felt to beat top Turkish film-maker Nuri Bilge Ceylan to the best film prize at the Antalya film festival.
Peter Bradshaw then joins Jason to review the week's key films - The Ghost,...
- 4/15/2010
- by Jason Solomons, Peter Bradshaw, Jason Phipps, Observer
- The Guardian - Film News
Okay, I've seen some weird marketing tactics -- especially this week at SXSW -- but this one takes the cake. Or gives away the pie, actually. The producers of Andrew Bujalski's film Beeswax have cooked up a very funny contest to market the movie's DVD, which will be released by Cinema Guild on April 6.
Here's the deal: The DVD package you buy includes a small snippet of 16mm film with a frame or two from Beeswax. Very nice. One of the snippets is from a sex scene in which Austin filmmaker (Goliath) and occasional actor David Zellner is dressing and has his back to the camera. In other words ... Zellner butt. If you get this priceless piece of indie cinema memorabilia, someone from the Beeswax cast or crew will meet you for free pie. They're betting that the winner will live in or near a city easily accessible to one of them,...
Here's the deal: The DVD package you buy includes a small snippet of 16mm film with a frame or two from Beeswax. Very nice. One of the snippets is from a sex scene in which Austin filmmaker (Goliath) and occasional actor David Zellner is dressing and has his back to the camera. In other words ... Zellner butt. If you get this priceless piece of indie cinema memorabilia, someone from the Beeswax cast or crew will meet you for free pie. They're betting that the winner will live in or near a city easily accessible to one of them,...
- 3/18/2010
- by Jette Kernion
- Cinematical
Late adolescence has always been the stuff of which movies are made. It's not just the poreless skin and nubile limbs but the high voltage of early adulthood that naturally lend themselves to cinema -- which is why is the films that fetishize the flat affect of their young subjects (think "Juno," "Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist") miss the boat. Say what you will about "Remember Me" and "The Exploding Girl," both about NYC-based college students, but they burrow past that sardonicism to nudge at the unruly emotions that it veils -- albeit with mixed results.
It's hard to discuss "Remember Me" without divulging the elephant in the room, and that's a shame. Although this ditty about two pretty, broken lovebirds would never have been a groundbreaker, it might have worked better had it not labored under the shadow of a recent event that should never be pillaged as a...
It's hard to discuss "Remember Me" without divulging the elephant in the room, and that's a shame. Although this ditty about two pretty, broken lovebirds would never have been a groundbreaker, it might have worked better had it not labored under the shadow of a recent event that should never be pillaged as a...
- 3/10/2010
- by Lisa Rosman
- ifc.com
They all say this show changed a little bit, but we guess it was expected for the 25th annual ceremony from Stapless Center, or if you prefer – the Spirit Awards.
Last week we were all occupied with Oscar, but it’s always the right time to take a look at (maybe) less popular ceremony, but still – the good one! We’re going to remind you of this ceremony highlights.
The Spirits, run by the nonprofit Film Independent, threw in some of its typically enjoyable ironic touches.
One of them was definitely David Spade who presented the best foreign award, starting with:
“You may not know this, but my movies play in other countries. They’re huge in Poland. I can’t set foot in Bulgaria.” Thanks for letting us know Spade!
On the other hand, we had a chance to see Ben Stiller, known for studio comedies more than any boutique film,...
Last week we were all occupied with Oscar, but it’s always the right time to take a look at (maybe) less popular ceremony, but still – the good one! We’re going to remind you of this ceremony highlights.
The Spirits, run by the nonprofit Film Independent, threw in some of its typically enjoyable ironic touches.
One of them was definitely David Spade who presented the best foreign award, starting with:
“You may not know this, but my movies play in other countries. They’re huge in Poland. I can’t set foot in Bulgaria.” Thanks for letting us know Spade!
On the other hand, we had a chance to see Ben Stiller, known for studio comedies more than any boutique film,...
- 3/10/2010
- by Fiona
- Filmofilia
While clearly not as closely followed as the Guild Awards, let alone the Golden Globes, the Independent Spirit Awards casts a much wider net in terms of nominees by accepting any film that is screened at various festivals, even if it's not released in theatres. It does, however, limit the film's budget to $20 million.
Precious won Best Feature and Lee Daniels nabbed the Best Director award. Precious ladies, Gabourey Sidibe and Mo'Nique also won the female acting awards while Jeff Bridges and Woody Harrelson got the male acting gongs.
Here's the full list of the nominess and winners...
Best Feature
Precious
Amreeka
500 Days of Summer
Sin Nombre
The Last Station
Best First Feature
Crazy Heart
A Single Man
Easier with Practice
Paranormal Activity
The Messenger
Best Director
Lee Daniels - Precious
Ethan Coen & Joel Coen - A Serious Man
Cary Fukunaga - Sin Nombre
James Gray - Two Lovers
Michael Hoffman...
Precious won Best Feature and Lee Daniels nabbed the Best Director award. Precious ladies, Gabourey Sidibe and Mo'Nique also won the female acting awards while Jeff Bridges and Woody Harrelson got the male acting gongs.
Here's the full list of the nominess and winners...
Best Feature
Precious
Amreeka
500 Days of Summer
Sin Nombre
The Last Station
Best First Feature
Crazy Heart
A Single Man
Easier with Practice
Paranormal Activity
The Messenger
Best Director
Lee Daniels - Precious
Ethan Coen & Joel Coen - A Serious Man
Cary Fukunaga - Sin Nombre
James Gray - Two Lovers
Michael Hoffman...
- 3/8/2010
- Screenrush
Last night the 25th Film Independent Spirit Awards at La Live's panoramic event deck in downtown Los Angeles and talk about predictable as I nailed 12 of the 13 winners in the categories I predicted, with Precious being the night's biggest winner taking home Best Feature, Director, Actress, Supporting Actress and First Screenplay. The only category I missed was Best First Feature, which I predicted Oren Moverman's The Messenger would take home the award, but instead it went to Scott Cooper's Crazy Heart, which also won for Best Actor, awarding Jeff Bridges on his way to an Oscar win this Sunday.
I have listed all the winners below, see you Sunday for the Oscars.
Best Feature Amreeka (500) Days of Summer The Last Station Precious Sin Nombre Best Director Michael Hoffman, The Last Station Lee Daniels, Precious Joel and Ethan Coen, A Serious Man Cary Fukunaga, Sin Nombre James Gray, Two Lovers Best Actor Jeff Bridges,...
I have listed all the winners below, see you Sunday for the Oscars.
Best Feature Amreeka (500) Days of Summer The Last Station Precious Sin Nombre Best Director Michael Hoffman, The Last Station Lee Daniels, Precious Joel and Ethan Coen, A Serious Man Cary Fukunaga, Sin Nombre James Gray, Two Lovers Best Actor Jeff Bridges,...
- 3/6/2010
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.