6 Films to catch at this year’s New Directors New Films Festival

New Directors New Films logo 2015Last year’s fest was a total success in my opinion. I saw some of my favorite films of the entire year there; Buzzard, The Babadook, Fish and Cat, Dear White People, and the #1 film on my Top 10 for 2014, A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night. This year’s selections were just as eclectic in subject and style. Here is my personal list of things to consider at this year’s New Directors New Film Festival.

THE DIARY OF A TEENAGE GIRLDiary of a Teenage Girl 1 Original

Minnie is a 15 year old with a coked out mom and little self esteem. When she takes her childish fantasies to an adult level by sleeping with her mother’s boyfriend, emotional hell breaks loose in form of a tape recorded diary and sketches turned animated thoughts. This film jumps off the screen with a breakout performance from Bel Powley as Minnie. She is funny, insightful, and an apparent old soul, all while still just a kid trying not to lose her shit. The added element of the animation only adds to the wonder of this film. Kristen Wiig plays Minnie’s absent mother. She is a revelation in this role. You know, those rare cinematic moments when you forget who the actor is because you’re so immersed in the performance, that it’s a winner. Alexander Skarsgård is the creepy object of Minnie’s affection. This is not a coming if age tale for our lead, but truly for the adults in the film. The Diary Of A Teenage Girl will remind you of your own sexual awakening. All the awkwardness, the curiosity, and frankly, the lies you were told by everyone around you. Rediscover your own past. Go ahead.

VIOLETVioletJesse has been through a terrible trauma. He is despondent after the murder of his good friend, just feet from him at a local mall. Violet is a look into the world of survivor’s guilt. The camera work alone should get you through the door. Breathtaking closeups coupled with soft focus and exquisite sound editing creates a barrage of sense memory moments for both for Jesse and the audience alike. The uncomfortable silence (dialogue wise) is the key to this film. At a tight 82 minutes run, Violet is about what’s not being said.

WESTERNwesternWestern is a documentary that takes us into the world of small town politics up against very large drug cartel violence in the two bordering towns of Eagle Pass, Texas and Piedras Negras, Mexico. Mayor Chad Foster puts on a brave face as violence escalates and threatens the harmony he’s worked so hard to procure in Eagle Pass. Mayor Jose Manuel Maldonado, tries his best to ease the minds of local constituents and the mass media alike. Local cattle rancher, Martin Wall’s, smile turns hard in the wake of a temporary USDA ban on livestock trade over the border. Each of these men is doing their darnedest to maintain peace, safety and the livelihoods of so many others. Pulling the curtain back on what feels like scenarios that only happen in the movies, is eye opening. You have to remind yourself that these folks are living, breathing people with families and loved ones. This documentary is unusually educational and will certainly restore your faith in humanity.

LISTEN TO ME MARLONLISTEN TO ME MARLON (300dpi)This doc opens up in a jarring fashion. Reminiscent of the floating head at Disneyland’s The Haunted Mansion, there we see and hear the disembodied “Head” and voice of Marlon Brando. Director, Stevan Riley has granted the world the access he gained to mountains of audio tapes made by Brando himself. Some are self hypnosis tapes in which he recalls childhood moments once kept very close to his chest. Through archival footage and Brando’s own voice, we delve into the personal life of the reclusive star. These confessional tapes reveal a side of this legend not many people were privy to. Acting was somewhat of a spiritual outlet. His charisma was endless, as was his passion for sex and affection. Receiving little from his alcoholic parents, Brando‘s ego was lifted by his enormous talent, perhaps too far for the likes of some. Although, as you listen to him speak, you gather that he was a rather astute, observant, reflective man who struggled with real abandonment issues that never truly get resolved for him. Tragedy followed him in his personal life and the genius and attention swallowed him hole at times. Listen To Me Marlon is a gorgeous portrait. When you stop taking notes during a film and just listen, as a critic, that is the moment of pure magic.

GOODNIGHT MOMMYGOODNIGHT MOMMY_Still 2Give a kid an inch, so they say, and they’ll take a mile. Twins Lukas and Elias have been awaiting the return of their mother. She has just completed facial reconstructive surgery. Longing for her love and affection, the boys are thrown into detective mode when Mom returns a different person. Face completely bandaged and rage on the surface, she forces the boys to maintain quiet and changes all the rules. Something clearly amiss, Lukas and Elias must find a way to make her admit who she really is, while facing the changes themselves. Much like last year’s The Babadook, psychological torture is in the cards. Can you stomach the tactics used by children when they don’t fully understand the consequences themselves? Goodnight Mommy will scare the hell out of you and make you squirm like never before.

DOG LADYdog ladyFollowing a woman surrounded by a pack of discarded dogs, this film highlights the off-grid lifestyle to the nth degree. The film’s subject, played flawlessly by co-director Verónica Llinás, chooses to live on the outskirts of Buenos Aires in a what begins as a primitive lean-to, and progresses in sound structure along with the movie itself. We follow our lady through four full seasons as she forages for food and supplies. Her ingenuity is astounding, taking what is essentially trash and making a home for herself. She has absolutely zero dialogue. The sparse dialogue that does exist comes from what little human interaction she allows; taunting children, a clinic doctor, and a brief sexual encounter with a rather verbose rancher. This film is highly engrossing, perhaps causing the viewer to reassess the amount of material objects we carelessly cast aside. Her sense of survival and her clear warm spirit guide this film along it’s year long timeline. There is definitely something to be said about the it’s wide final shot. It will force you to  come to terms with your true feelings of our Dog Lady.

You can find out more about these incredible films, and so many more, at NDNF. The Diary of a Teenage Girl opens tonight! Screenings during the fest take place at MoMa and FSLC.

 

Saturn Awards Nominations Have Been Announced!

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The Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films has announced the nominations for this year’s 41st Annual Saturn Awards and we have your list of nominees below!

On the movie side, Captain America: The Winter Soldier leads the nominations this year with a total of 11, including Best Comic Book-to-Film Release with  Interstellar close behind with 10 nominations. Guardians of the Galaxy chimes in with 9 nominations.

On the television, The Walking Dead leads with 7 nominations with Agent Carter and The Flash both receiving three each.

New this year is Best Superhero Adaptation Television Series, a special category to consider television series which are derived from comic book super heroes! An award sure to spark great debate amongst the legions of fans of these shows.

This year’s winners will be announced at the 41st Annual Saturn Awards, which takes place on June 25.

MOVIES

Best Comic Book-to-Film Release:

  • The Amazing Spider-Man 2
  • Captain America: The Winter Soldier
  • Guardians of the Galaxy
  • X-Men: Days of Future Past

Best Science Fiction Film Release:

  • Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
  • Edge of Tomorrow
  • Godzilla
  • The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1
  • Interstellar
  • The Zero Theorem

Best Fantasy Film Release:

  • Birdman
  • The Grand Budapest Hotel
  • The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies
  • Into the Woods
  • Maleficent
  • Paddington

Best Horror Film Release:

  • Annabelle
  • The Babadook
  • Dracula Untold
  • Horns
  • Only Lovers Left Alive
  • The Purge: Anarchy

Best Thriller Film Release:

  • American Sniper
  • The Equalizer
  • Gone Girl
  • The Guest
  • The Imitation Game
  • Nightcrawler

Best Action / Adventure Film Release:

  • Exodus: Gods and Kings
  • Inherent Vice
  • Lucy
  • Noah
  • Snowpiercer
  • Unbroken

Best Actor in a Film:

  • Tom Cruise – Edge of Tomorrow
  • Chris Evans – Captain America: The Winter Soldier
  • Jake Gyllenhaal – Nightcrawler
  • Michael Keaton – Birdman
  • Matthew McConaughey – Interstellar
  • Chris Pratt  – Guardians of the Galaxy
  • Dan Stevens – The Guest

Best Actress in a Film:

  • Emily Blunt – Edge of Tomorrow
  • Essie Davis – The Babadook
  • Anne Hathaway – Interstellar
  • Angelina Jolie – Maleficent
  • Jennifer Lawrence – The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1
  • Rosemund Pike – Gone Girl

Best Supporting Actor in a Film:

  • Richard Armitage  – The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies
  • Josh Brolin – Inherent Vice
  • Samuel L. Jackson – Captain America: The Winter Soldier
  • Anthony Mackie – Captain America: The Winter Soldier
  • Andy Serkis – Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
  • J.K. Simmons – Whiplash

Best Supporting Actress in a Film:

  • Jessica Chastain – Interstellar
  • Scarlett Johansson – Captain America: The Winter Soldier
  • Evangeline Lily – The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies
  • Rene Russo – Nightcrawler
  • Emma Stone – Birdman
  • Meryl Streep – Into the Woods

Best Performance by a Younger Actor in a Film:

  • Elle Fanning – Maleficent
  • MacKenzie Foy – Interstellar
  • Chloe Grace Moretz – The Equalizer
  • Tony Revolori – The Grand Budapest Hotel
  • Kodi Smit-McPhee – Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
  • Noah Wiseman – The Babadook

Best Film Director:

  • Alejandro G. Innarritu – Birdman
  • James Gunn – Guardians of the Galaxy
  • Doug Liman – Edge of Tomorrow
  • Christopher Nolan – Interstellar
  • Matt Reeves – Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
  • Joe Russo, Anthony Russo – Captain America: The Winter Soldier
  • Bryan Singer – X-Men: Days of Future Past

Best Film Writing:

  • Captain America: Winter Soldier – Stephen McFeely, Christopher Markus
  • Edge of Tomorrow – Christopher McQuarrie, Jez Butterworth, John-Henry Butterworth
  • The Grand Budapest Hotel – Wes Anderson
  • Guardians of the Galaxy – James Gunn, Nicole Perlman
  • The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies – Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, Peter Jackson, Guillermo del Toro
  • Whiplash – Damien Chazelle

Best Film Editing:

  • Captain America: The Winter Soldier – Jeffrey Ford, Matthew Schmidt
  • Edge of Tomorrow – James Herbert, Laura Jennings
  • Guardians of the Galaxy – Fred Raskin, Hughes Winborne, Craig Wood
  • Interstellar – Lee Smith
  • Unbroken – William Goldenberg, Tim Squyres
  • X-Men: Days of Future Past – John Ottman

Best Film Production Design:

  • Captain America: The Winter Soldier – Peter Wenham
  • Dawn of the Planet of the Apes – James Chinlund
  • The Grand Budapest Hotel – Adam Stockhausen
  • Guardians of the Galaxy – Charles Wood
  • Interstellar – Nathan Crowley
  • Into the Woods – Dennis Gassner

Best Film Music:

  • Captain America: The Winter Soldier – Henry Jackman
  • Dawn of the Planet of the Apes – Michael Giacchino
  • Godzilla – Alexandre Desplat
  • The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies – Howard Shore
  • How to Train Your Dragon 2 – John Powell
  • Interstellar – Hans Zimmer

Best Film Costume:

  • Dracula Untold – Ngila Dickson
  • Exodus: Gods and Kings – Janty Yates
  • Guardians of the Galaxy – Alexandra Byrne
  • Into the Woods – Colleen Atwood
  • Maleficent – Anna B. Sheppard
  • X-Men: Days of Future Past – Louise Mingenbach

Best Film Make-Up:

  • Dawn of the Planet of the Apes – Bill Terezakis, Lisa Love
  • Dracula Untold  – Mark Coulier, Daniel Phillips
  • Guardians of the Galaxy – David White, Elizabeth Yianni-Georgiou
  • The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies – Peter King, Rick Findlater, Gino Acevedo
  • Into the Woods – Peter King, Matthew Smith
  • X-Men: Days of Future Past – Adrien Morot, Norma Hill-Patton

Best Film Special/Visual Effects:

  • Captain America: The Winter Soldier – Dan Daleeuw, Russell Earl, Bryan Grill, Dan Sudick
  • Dawn of the Planet of the Apes – Joe Letteri, Dan Lemmon, Daniel Barrett, Erik Winquist
  • Edge of Tomorrow – Gary Brozenich, Nick Davis, Jonathan Fawkner, Matthew Rouleau
  • Guardians of the Galaxy – Stephane Ceretti, Nicholas Aithadi, Jonathan Fawkner, Paul Corbould
  • The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies – Joe Letteri, Eric Saindon, David Clayton, R. Christopher White
  • Interstellar – Paul Franklin, Andrew Lockley, Ian Hunter, Scott Fisher

Best Independent Film Release:

  • Grand Piano
  • I, Origins
  • A Most Violent Year
  • The One I Love
  • The Two Faces of January
  • Whiplash

Best International Film Release:

  • Bird People
  • Calvary
  • Force Majeur
  • Mood Indigo
  • The Railway Man
  • The Theory of Everything

Best Animated Film Release:

  • Big Hero 6
  • The Boxtrolls
  • How to Train Your Dragon 2
  • The Lego Movie
  • The Wind Rises

TELEVISION

Best Network Television Series:

  • The Blacklist
  • The Following
  • Grimm
  • Hannibal
  • Person of Interest
  • Sleepy Hollow

Best Syndicated / Cable Television Series:

  • 12 Monkeys
  • American Horror Story: Freak Show
  • Continuum
  • Falling Skies
  • Salem
  • The Strain
  • The Walking Dead

Best Limited Run Television Series:

  • Bates Motel
  • From Dusk Till Dawn
  • Game of Thrones
  • The Last Ship
  • The Librarians
  • Outlander

Best Superhero Adaptation Television Series:

  • Agent Carter
  • Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
  • Arrow
  • Constantine
  • The Flash
  • Gotham

Best Youth-Oriented Television Series:

  • The 100
  • Doctor Who
  • Pretty Little Liars
  • Supernatural
  • Teen Wolf
  • The Vampire Diaries

Best Actor in a Television Series:

  • Hugh Dancy – Hannibal
  • Grant Gustin – The Flash
  • Andrew Lincoln – The Walking Dead
  • Tobias Menzies – Outlander
  • Mads Mikkelsen – Hannibal
  • Noah Wyle – Falling Skies

Best Actress in a Television Series:

  • Hayley Atwell – Agent Carter
  • Caitronia Balfe – Outlander
  • Vera Farmiga – Bates Motel
  • Jessica Lange – American Horror Story: Freak Show
  • Rachel Nichols – Continuum
  • Rebecca Romjin – The Librarians

Best Supporting Actor in a Television Series:

  • David Bradley – The Strain
  • Laurence Fishburne – Hannibal
  • Sam Heughan – Outlander
  • Erik Knudsen – Continuum
  • Norman Reedus – The Walking Dead
  • Richard Samuel – The Strain

Best Supporting Actress in a Television Series:

  • Emilia Clarke – Game of Thrones
  • Jenna Coleman – Doctor Who
  • Caroline Dhavernas – Hannibal
  • Lexa Doig – Continuum
  • Emily Kinney – The Walking Dead
  • Melissa McBride – The Walking Dead

Best Performance by a Younger Actor in a Television Series:

  • Camren Bicondova – Gotham
  • Maxim Knight – Falling Skies
  • Tyler Posey – Teen Wolf
  • Chandler Riggs – The Walking Dead
  • Holly Taylor – The Americans
  • Maisie Williams – Game of Thrones

Best Guest Performance in a Television Series:

  • Dominic Cooper – Agent Carter
  • Neil Patrick Harris – American Horror Story: Freak Show
  • John Larroquette – The Librarians
  • Wentworth Miller – The Flash
  • Michael Pitt – Hannibal
  • Andrew J. West – The Walking Dead

HOME ENTERTAINMENT:

Best DVD/BD Release:

  • Beneath (IFC Film Release)
  • Blue Ruin
  • Odd Thomas
  • Ragnarok
  • White Bird in a Blizzard
  • Wolf Creek 2

Best DVD/BD Special Edition Release:

  • Alexander: The Ultimate Cut
  • The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug Extended Edition
  • Nightbreed: The Director’s Cut
  • Once Upon a Time in America: Extended Director’s Cut
  • Sorcerer
  • The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: 40th Anniversary Collector’s Edition

Best DVD/BD Television Release:

  • Batman: The Complete Television Series
  • Hannibal: Season 2
  • Merlin: The Complete Series
  • Spartacus: The Complete Series
  • Star Trek: The Next Generation: Season 7
  • Twin Peaks: The Entire Mystery
  • Wizards and Warriors: The Complete Series

Best DVD/BD Collection Release:

  • The Exorcist: The Complete Anthology
  • Halloween: The Complete Collection
  • Stanley Kubrick: The Masterpiece Collection
  • Steven Spielberg Director’s Collection
  • Toho Godzilla Collection
  • Universal Classic Monsters: Complete 30 Film Collection

LIVE STAGE PRODUCTION:

Best Local Live Stage Production:

  • Damn Yankees (3-D Theatricals)
  • Ghost Brothers of Darkland County (Saban Theatre)
  • The Last Confession (Ahmanson Theatre)
  • Pippin (Segerstrom Center for the Arts)
  • Ragtime (3-D Theatricals)
  • Stoneface: The Rise and Fall and Rise of Buster Keaton (Pasadenia Playhouse)
  • The Wizard of Oz (Segerstrom Center for the Arts)

To See, or Not to See: Reviews of Ouija, Babadook, Rudderless and VOD specials

ep6

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Welcome to Episode 6 of To See, or Not to See. This week we review Ouija, The Babadook, Rudderless, and the VOD selections, Frank, Snowpiercer, and Dead Snow 2: Red Vs. Dead. Due to some technical issues, you’re enjoying a shortened episode this week, but it’s still jam packed with opinions.

All film clips furnished by EPK.tv

Thank you to PSquare Media (https://twitter.com/PSquareMedia) and Luna Rouge Pictures (https://www.facebook.com/LunaRougePic...) for their assistance in creating our opening credits.

Open sequence music provided by: The Hate My Day Jobs (http://thehatemydayjobs.com/)

We Are:
Matthew Schuchman
http://www.denofgeek.us/authors/matthew-schuchman

Melissa Hanson
http://reelnewsdaily.com/author/dialmformelissa/

Liz Whittemore
http://reelnewsdaily.com/author/indiebizliz/