Etc, Et Al

It's amazing what's on the web if you look.

Maya Rudolph and Sam Rockwell at Sundance 2013. Apparently, they were napping a bit. It was a busy festival. They were tired. Give them a break.

Here's Mia Wasikowska and Nicole Kidman, also from Sundance

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Poster/Trailer/Reviews for 'V/H/S'

Something tells me this will play very well. Buzz from Sundance is good. Here's a couple reviews.





Here's a teaser trailer, which looks like it doesn't do the movie justice.




















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International Trailer for 'Red Lights'

Rollout has been shaky, but I have hopes for this one. Good news: 'Red Lights' was just picked up for US distribution by Millennium Entertainment. Bad news: the flick got a 'lackluster reaction' at its Sundance showing according to Anne Thompson, who says, "The film delivers genuine thrills and strong performances from the two leads and Sundance no-show Robert DeNiro as a powerful and dangerous blind telepath (Elizabeth Olsen is just ok in a slight girlfriend role) and could be edited into submission..." and goes on to imply it may not do too well in theatrical release but could score on VOD.

Daniel Feinberg said in his review: "Red Lights" is a generally infuriating and occasionally intriguing muddle of a movie that spins wildly out of control in its final half-hour, climaxing in a two-minute montage of voiceover and exposition that either does or doesn't turn the rest of the movie upside-down in maddening fashion.

Okay, fine. Let's hope the flick gets a killer edit and scores. 'The Devil Inside' was called worse than 'muddled' and look what happened there. In the end, though, it doesn't matter to me -- I love this type stuff. Looking forward.

 

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'Pariah'

Director Jeff Nichols talks 'Take Shelter'

I posted a clip earlier and noted that it was oddly edited. For instance, at 21 seconds the guy, Michael Shannon, is just left of center. There is a cutaway (about 3 seconds) then at :26 we cut back to the same POV and he's just right of center. Also, the cart behind him keeps changing -- sometimes it's perpendicular, sometimes not. The pile of wood scraps changes, too.

Well, that's plain ole wrong -- film school bad continuity -- and that's what I responded to in my comment.

After watching a couple times and thinking about it I thought it was a little too dumb to be an accident. I realized the editing/set details may have been done that way on purpose (especially considering how the clip ends) to create a subtle disorienting quality. Put us in the character's head space without being obvious about it. It works. The viewer is off balance even if he/she isn't aware what's going on with the cuts. Nice.

Here's a video introduction by Nichols. Done for Sundance, it offers insight into the process and keeping the movie true to his vision.



Confirms what I suspected about the character's state of mind.

Here's a review by Mali Elfman of ScreenCrave.com



...which sounds exactly like what I expected to hear about this flick. A twisty psych yarn with a solid indie style that will appeal to people looking for a thinking person's thriller. Something film buffs can talk about, argue about, have fun analyzing. People who are looking for a cheesy snack should avoid.

Mali is right about Shannon. The guy was intense in 'Bug'. You never knew precisely where he was coming from. Was he crazy, obsessive, or the only guy who in the room who really knew what was going on? He always looks like he's either a kook who's wallowing in mental illness or a regular joe desperate to come to terms with weird goings on. Exactly what's called for in 'Take Shelter'.

Seems like Nichols has his game together and got a bit lucky with the level of VFX he was able to utilize without having to tailor the script to the general public. Rare thing. I think he can be trusted. Looking forward to his movie.

The Visitor

Here is an interview at Sundance with 'The Visitor' director Tom McCarthy and lead Richard Jenkins. I like this trailer. These small films keep me going.

Smart People

So, I'm watching this trailer for the new indy 'Smart People' and I'm thinking, okay that looks good, this is well-made, not bad...then who appears? None other than Ellen Page. The cool cool new actor from 'Juno' who has such a natural energy on camera -- and, right away, just like that, 'Smart People' has must-see status. Page plays Dennis Quaid's daughter in this character-driven comedy. She's one to watch.

Kelsey Hubbard interviews three of the stars of 'Smart People' at Sundance, Sarah Jessica Parker, Thomas Heydan Church, and Quaid.

Filmspotting

Adam Kempanaar and Sam Van Hallgren review this year's Sundance Film Festival. Their top pick -- "Son of Rambow" which, from their rundown, sounds very appealing. Featuring two interviews: Craig Brewer, director of "Black Snake Moan", and Garth Jennings and Nick Goldsmith, director/producer of "Son of Rambow".

What Will Sell At Sundance

Elvis Mitchell (who is on the jury at Sundance) and Scott Simon discuss what will get distribution this year. Everybody is looking for the next "Little Miss Sunshine".

Daily Sundance Rundown

There's a lot of coverage of Sundance out there but these guys probably connect the best. Daily podcasts from Park City

The Talk Of Sundance

Talk of the Nation covers Sundance. With guests Greg Kirschling of Entertainment Weekly, Actor Paul Dano (Little Miss Sunshine, and Weapons), Adam Bhala Lough (Bomb the System). 30 minutes

(Simulated) Sex (With Children)

When I first heard the uproar over Dakota Fanning's sex scenes in "Hounddog" I thought it was just more uptight ultra-conservatives stomping their feet looking to quash another artistic effort just because it's edgy. But, the person leading the effort doesn't seem irrational. He is Paul Petersen, who has had a long career in TV and movies and started as a child actor (IMDb profile), and runs the website A Minor Consideration (minorcon.org). The New York Times quotes Peterson:

...Ms. Fanning should never have been allowed to play the victim in a rape scene, no matter how much she wanted to or how sensitively it was filmed, and that her doing so violated the letter of federal child-pornography law.

"Nothing excuses it," he said. "The plain cold fact is this is illegal, the statutes are what they are, and Hollywood chose to ignore it. If they'd made the character 15, and hired a 19-year-old, they wouldn't have heard a peep out of me."

He makes a fair point. Fanning replies to all the controversy with:

"You know, I'm an actress," she said. "It's what I want to do, it's what I've been so lucky to have done for almost seven years now. And I am getting older. February 23 is my birthday, I'll be 13 years old. And I will be playing different kinds of roles. I won't be able to do the things I did when I was 6 years old when I'm 14. And that's what I look forward to -- getting to play new roles that aren't too old for me and aren't too young for me, that are just at the right time."

She makes a fair point as well. "Hounddog" will play at the Sundance Film Festival and is already being referred to by festival goers as 'the Dakota Fanning rape movie'.