Category Archives: Events

The Ultimate Marvel Marathon is Coming to Theaters!

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avengers-marathon

Are YOU the ultimate Marvel fan? Well, if you can handle this marathon you are! AMC Theaters, Regal Entertainment Group, Cinemark, Megaplex, Harkins and National Amusements theaters are planning “The Ultimate Marvel Marathon” featuring every single Marvel Studios film in chronological order! Yes, you have that right, it’s 27 hours in a movie theater with your closest, and stinkiest friends! The event will begin on April 29 with Iron Man and conclude April 30 with Avengers: Age of Ultron. The schedule for AMC theaters will go as follows:

6:00pm IRON MAN

8:25pm THE INCREDIBLE HULK

10:35pm IRON MAN 2

1:00am THOR

3:10am CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER

5:30am THE AVENGERS

8:48am IRON MAN 3

11:15am THOR: THE DARK WORLD

1:45pm CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER

4:20pm GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY

7:00pm AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON (RealD® 3D)

Can’t handle that much awesome? Well, the there will also be an “Avengers” double feature of The Avengers and Avengers: Age of Ultron as well. You can get your tickets for the event at AMC, Regal, and Cinemark, by clicking the respective theaters hyperlink. Oh, and each will be giving away a goodie so check chose wisely!

 

10 years Later… ‘WTC View’ is being released on iTunes. Liz interviews Director Brian Sloan and star Michael Urie

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Michael Urie in WTC View. Courtesy of Brian Sloan.

Everyone has their own story. Everyone remembers where they were and what they were doing when they found out about the planes hitting the towers. It was not a good day for our country. Sadness, confusion, fear all still come to mind when allowing ourselves to go back to that day. What many people outside New York will never understand, is what happened the days and months following the attacks on 9/11. WTC View, was released 10 years ago. Tuesday, March 3rd, it is finally available on iTunes. This film is a beautiful glance at the time after the world came to a stop in 2001. What we, as New Yorkers, felt, saw, smelled, heard, and had to process after a day that will never leave us. Read More →

“Insurgent– Shatter Reality” Virtual Reality Experience Coming to Select Cities

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insurgent-movieExclusive to Samsung Gear VR and Samsung Milk VR, 360°Immersive Video Creates Unique Experience for Fans of The Divergent Series: Insurgent

Lionsgate and Samsung have teamed up to create the exclusive virtual reality (VR) experience “INSURGENT – SHATTER REALITY,” the two companies announced today.

The four-minute visual work of art is a fully-immersive, 360° narrative experience set in the world of the upcoming feature film The Divergent Series: Insurgent  and features stars from the film including Academy Award winner Kate Winslet, Miles Teller and Mekhi Phifer. Beginning February 27, fans can experience the VR content for themselves exclusively through Samsung Gear™ VR powered by the Galaxy Note® 4 as “INSURGENT – SHATTER REALITY” goes on tour in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Austin and San Francisco prior to going live across all platforms and app stores.

Don’t live in one of these cities? Well. the experience will also be available exclusively on Samsung’s Milk VR™ service through March 1. Fans outside the tour markets will have an opportunity to view the experience on Samsung Gear VR over the weekend of March 7-8 at select Best Buy® stores across the US.

 “Virtual reality elevates the world of Divergentto a whole new level by creating a uniquely exciting and immersive experience for our fans,” said Lionsgate Chief Marketing Officer Tim Palen.  “The ‘INSURGENT – SHATTER REALITY’ experience reflects our commitment to partner with leading technology companies like Samsung to remain at the cutting edge of VR and other innovations that expand the worlds of our franchises and extend our storytelling in exciting new directions.”

Nick DiCarlo, Vice President and General Manager, Immersive Products & Virtual Reality at Samsung Electronics America went on to say:

“As we push new boundaries in the world of technology and virtual reality, we are excited to continue our relationship with Lionsgate and bring Divergent fans a one-of-a-kind experience through Gear VR and Milk VR. This partnership will bring fans closer than ever to the action in this blockbuster series.” 

By putting on the Gear VR headset, consumers are immersed in the role of “Divergent” members of society who have been captured by Jeanine Matthews (Kate Winslet) and her Erudite faction and are subjected to a series of mental ”simulations” in order to determine the full extent of their divergence. As the VR technology simulates Jeanine and her faction cohorts testing them with experimental serums, they experience two distinct, intensely gripping and realistic fearscapes, transporting them from the frightening heights of a crumbling Chicago skyscraper to the intimidating challenge of a massive, fast-approaching locomotive.

Created by virtual reality innovators Kite & Lightning with assistance from the film’s VFX team, the experience was built using stereoscopic 4K video of the actors, with effects and environment built in Unreal Engine 4 and then rendered into an immersive 3D/360° experience. It was scored by The Divergent Series: Insurgent composer Joe Trapanese.

 The Divergent Series: Insurgent, the second installment of the blockbuster Divergent franchise, will be released in theaters worldwide on March 20.  The first Divergent film grossed nearly $300 million at the global box office, and the Divergent trilogy has sold more than 30 million books around the world.

The Hunger Games: The Exhibition is Coming in 2016

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lionsgate

Lionsgate and Imagine Exhibitions to Debut 

THE HUNGER GAMES: THE EXHIBITION 

World Premiere Set for July 1 at Discovery Times Square

Lionsgate and Imagine Exhibitions, Inc. today announced the world premiere of The Hunger Games: The Exhibition, the highly anticipated new traveling exhibition based on the blockbuster movie franchise.  Premiering July 1, 2015 at Discovery Times Square in New York City, the immersive exhibit designed by Thinkwell Group, and may contain a state-of-the-art Exhibition Design, is scheduled to run through January 3, 2016. Read More →

Want a piece of HBO history? Boardwalk Empire goes up for bid!

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BWELogoLiterally 100’s of Boardwalk Empire props, costumes, and vintage set pieces are up for bid right now. You could get your hands on Richard Harrow’s iconic mask. Maybe Nucky Thompson was for favorite character? His opening credits suit is on the block. Check out the auction at ScreenBid. Let us know if you score a piece of HBO history and we’ll feature you on the site! Good Luck! Read More →

Liz’s review: ‘LIFE INSIDE OUT’ and interview with star Maggie Baird

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LIO poster

My mother always encouraged us to have music on in the kitchen. While she baked or did her lesson plans for her art classes, or made dinner. Chicago, Huey Lewis, and Disney soundtracks were blasting in our car rides back and forth to dance lessons, or girl scouts, or my brother’s karate lessons. My mom was a superhero. My mom is still a super hero. If I can be half the mother she is, I will consider myself a lucky woman. In the new film LIFE INSIDE OUT we are privy to the perfect example of how creative mothers reach their children in very different and very special ways. The talented acting/writing team, Maggie Baird and Lori Nasso, bring to life a story of so many mothers who have lost their own identity to raising their children and keeping their families intact. The story comes from Baird’s true life experience with son Finneas O’Connell. When Baird’s husband was forced to take a job that kept him away from the family, it took an emotional toll on then 12 year old Finneas. Once Maggie rediscovers her songwriting roots, Finneas follows suit. Much to everyone’s surprise, Finneas is a bit of a musical prodigy is his own right. Writing his own songs allowed him to creatively process his own angst and bond with Maggie on a new level. Read More →

Coming Up This Week: ‘Buffy’ alum releases new book- Liz’s interview with Amber Benson

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Liz Whittemore and Amber Benson

Liz Whittemore and Amber Benson at Midtown Comics NYC

Let’s be honest, a lot, and I do mean A LOT of us are fans of the Whedonverse.  This past Sunday, Liz had the opportunity to sit down with Amber Benson, actor, director and successful author, best known to some from her iconic TV role as Tara on Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Amber’s new book, “The Witches of Echo Park” just became available last week. Stay tuned for a special edition of the Girls on Film podcast for the exclusive audio!!

‘Big Eyes’ Interview: Liz’s chat with screenwriters Scott Alexander & Larry Karaszewski

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BIGEYES

I was lucky enough to attend the press junket for Tim Burton‘s new film, BIG EYES (review coming soon!). Afterwards, I had the opportunity to sit down with the incredibly talented and successful writing partners Larry Karaszewski and Scott Alexander. Read More →

Liz’s Review: ‘THE KING AND THE MOCKINGBIRD’ is a classic brought back to life

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The King and the Mockingbird Poster_Rialto

When I was a child I revelled in my mother and father reading bedtime stories.  I grew up on classic Disney fairytales and Tom & Jerry reruns. As an adult, nothing makes me happier than reliving those moments and sharing that joy with the next generation. At this year’s New York Film Festival, I was treated to a film that has been around for ages, but for me was a brand new tale to pass down. Read More →

‘The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1’ Global Social Event!

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Join the cast and filmmakers of THE HUNGER GAMES: MOCKINGJAY PART 1 – including Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Julianne Moore, Jeffrey Wright, Donald Sutherland, Willow Shields, Sam Claflin, Mahershala Ali and Natalie Dormer, along with director Francis Lawrence and producer Nina Jacobson – for a one day only global social event: #ASKMOCKINGJAY. Read More →

Jon Stewart & Stephen Colbert Live Preview Event for ‘Rosewater’ November 13th

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Fathom Events and Open Road Films to Give Audiences Sneak Peek at Jon Stewart’s Directorial Debut in ‘Rosewater’ Followed by Live Q&A on the Eve Before Its National Release Read More →

Watch Now On HBO: NYFF52 Doc ‘The 50 Year Argument’ From Directors Martin Scorsese & David Tedeschi

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the 50 year argument 3_Silvers Office nyff52

The 50 Year Argument

Airing on HBO beginning September 29, 2014 Read More →

NYFF 52- Review: ‘The Look of Silence’ is loud in its message.

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nyff New York Film Festival 2014

In the 2013 New Directors/New Films fest, we were privileged enough to see Joshua Oppenheimer’s The Act of Killing. The film chronicled the leaders of a government led military killing brigade whose goal was to irradiate “communists” (mostly farmers, artists, and freethinkers) in Indonesia in 1965-66. We met the men who slaughtered hundreds of people under the regime of pure ignorance and evil. At this year’s NYFF 52, we are introduced to Oppenheimer’s follow up doc, The Look of Silence. Read More →

NYFF 52- Liz’s Review: ‘Shorts Program 2’ is full of delight, fright, and insight

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nyff New York Film Festival 2014

While I was not afforded to time to attend last week’s first round of Shorts, today I had the pleasure of seeing The NYFF52 Shorts Program 2, a collection of really well done films. Engrossing, never dull, and surely surprising. Shorts are always a bit of a challenge to chat about. They are, after all, not long in length, so I’ve decided to give you a quick and yes, short, description below the teasers and photos…

Chlorine

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NYC Screenings of ‘Boogie Nights,’ ‘Biggie and Tupac’ & ‘Zodiac’ (Among Others) Prior to the New York Film Festival

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nyff52-opening-acts

In a tribute to the directors of this year’s New York Film Festival, the Film Society of Lincoln Center is screening some of their past films. Included are Paul Thomas Anderson‘s Boogie Nights, Nick Broomfield‘s Biggie and Tupac and David Fincher‘s Zodiac, all screening at Walter Reade Theater.

For the full list, visit the website here. Read More →

Nick Cave to Perform in NY to Celebrate the Theatrical Release of ‘20,000 Days On Earth’ From Drafthouse Films

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20000daysonearth-1

Following sold-out advance screenings this summer of 20,000 Days on Earth— the groundbreaking new film on celebrated rock legend Nick Cave—the iconic artist returns Stateside for a one night-only encore screening, performance, and conversation event, joined by the film’s directors. Read More →

‘The Balancing Act’ Focuses the Spotlight on the Passionate Ladies of the House of Yes

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Anna Leah, Elena Delgado, Kae Burke, Anya Sapozhnikova and Matt Stuart

From Awake Films and directed by Anna Leah, The Balancing Act is an intimate and emotional journey of three best friends who will let nothing stop them from realizing their dreams. The film lets you step into their lives as they create, plan and collaborate an event space filled with the wonders of circus theatre. Read More →

Enter To Win A Pair of Tickets To The Kickstarter Premiere of ‘The Balancing Act’ at The House of Yes In Brooklyn!

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ReelNewsDaily_header700EXCLUSIVE!

TheBalancingAct-pink-web

The Balancing Act is a feature-length documentary that goes backstage at a Brooklyn underground circus. Run by friends, this colorful ‘family’ balances work and love.

After a successful Kickstarter campaign, The Balancing Act is ready for it’s New York debut! You’ll be immersed in the circus world at the brand new The House of Yes in Bushwick! Read More →

Let’s Do The Time Warp Again! Happy Anniversary ‘Rocky Horror Picture Show’ (a day late but never a boa short)

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The_Rocky_Horror_Picture_Show

Happy 29th Anniversary of the UK theatrical release of this cult classic. Rocky Horror Picture Show was sort of a flop by today’s standards, but once midnight screenings began in NYC, there was no stopping this raucous and infectious work of madness.

Originally a stage play, it hopped from stage to screen with Richard O’Brien’s script. It was meant to be a tribute to the science fiction and B horror movies of the late 1930s through early 1970s. The costumes are now iconic and shadow casts around the county work painstakingly to imitate them. It’s been said that the film’s costumes were a big influence on the punk music scene with it’s ripped fishnets, dyed hair, and glitter makeup. Rocky Horror is the right balance of shock and camp. It’s difficult not to sing along and no matter if you’re a die hard fan or not, you’ve been hearing quotes from this movie for ages. And speaking of quotes, when attending a midnight screening, the audience is encouraged, dare I say, required to quote along. It’s an immersive experience to say the least.  

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  • Tim Curry as Dr. Frank N. Furter, a scientist
  • Susan Sarandon as Janet Weiss, a heroine
  • Barry Bostwick as Brad Majors, a hero.
  • Richard O’Brien as Riff Raff, a handyman
  • Patricia Quinn as Magenta, a domestic
  • Nell Campbell as Columbia, a groupie
  • Jonathan Adams as Dr. Everett V. Scott, a rival scientist
  • Peter Hinwood as Rocky Horror, a creation
  • Meat Loaf as Eddie, an ex-delivery boy
  • Charles Gray as The Criminologist, an expert
  • Jeremy Newson as Ralph Hapschatt
  • Hilary Farr as Betty Munroe Hapschatt (as Hilary Labow)

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Track list

  1. “Science Fiction/Double Feature” – The Lips (those of Patricia Quinn; voice of Richard O’Brien)
  2. “Dammit Janet” – Brad, Janet, and Chorus
  3. “There’s a Light (Over at the Frankenstein Place)” – Janet, Brad, Riff Raff, and Chorus
  4. “The Time Warp” – Riff Raff, Magenta, The Criminologist, Columbia, and Transylvanians
  5. “Sweet Transvestite” – Frank
  6. “The Sword of Damocles” – Rocky and Transylvanians
  7. “I Can Make You a Man” – Frank with Brad, Janet, Riff Raff, Magenta, and Columbia
  8. “Whatever Happened to Saturday Night” – Eddie and Transylvanians
  9. “I Can Make You a Man” (reprise) – Frank, Janet, and Transylvanians
  10. “Touch-a, Touch-a, Touch-a, Touch Me” – Janet with Magenta, Columbia, Rocky, Brad, Frank, and Riff Raff
  11. “Once in a While” (deleted scene) – Brad
  12. “Eddie” – Dr. Scott, Janet, Frank, Rocky, Brad, Riff Raff, and Magenta
  13. “Planet Schmanet Janet (Wise Up Janet Weiss)” – Frank, Janet, Brad, and Dr. Scott
  14. “Rose Tint My World” – Columbia, Rocky, Janet, and Brad
  15. “Fanfare/Don’t Dream It, Be It” – Frank with Brad, Janet, Rocky, and Columbia
  16. “Wild and Untamed Thing” – Frank with Brad, Janet, Rocky, Columbia, and Riff Raff
  17. “I’m Going Home” – Frank and Chorus
  18. “The Time Warp” (reprise) – Riff Raff and Magenta
  19. “Super Heroes” (only present in the original UK release) – Brad, Janet, and Chorus
  20. “Science Fiction/Double Feature” (reprise) – The Lips

Once you finally make it to a screening, you’re going to want to be prepared to get up and shake it. Here is a quick refresher for the all important audience participation Time Warp.

TimeWarp

Liz’s ‘Boyhood’ New York City Press Junket Coverage

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Monday, I had the pleasure of participating in the New York press junket for BOYHOOD. In attendance were writer/director Richard Linklater, breakout star, Ellar Coltrane, and industry strongholds Ethan Hawke and Patricia Arquette. With the film’s highly anticipated release, everyone in the theater was eager to get some deeper insight into this innovative new film. Below you will find some of my favorite highlights from the afternoon.

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 This movie is about growing up. Can you tell us what you remember about your first kiss? Read More →