New York Film Festival Archives - Page 6 of 10

Tribeca Film Festival Review: Written & Directed by Ricky Gervais, the Netflix ‘Special Correspondents’ tries very hard to be an 80s comedy

Posted on April 24, 2016 by Melissa Hanson — Leave a reply

Special Correspondents

Special Correspondents – Netflix April 29th

American politics and media are aptly satirized in this feature by firebrand comedian Ricky Gervais. A pretentious radio journalist and his ineffectual technician botch an assignment in South America, and decide to fabricate an on-the-scene story while hiding out in a New York City apartment. This scheme spirals out of their control when their escalating story becomes a national headline.

If you can accept that this is a silly comedy and go along for the ride, then you’ll enjoy Special Correspondents. I had to keep telling that to myself over and over as each scene was presented as drama, but was obviously farce. From the very beginning, I compared it to the brilliantly funny, Spies Like Us with Chevy Chase and Dan Aykroyd. What made that film so funny was that both lead characters were ridiculous and there weren’t major conflicts. It tried to follow a modern formula from a silly 80s-type story.

Tribeca Film Festival: ‘Team Foxcatcher’ from Netflix, ‘Always Shine’ & ‘Little Boxes’

Posted on April 24, 2016 by Melissa Hanson — Leave a reply

Of the last few days of the festival, these three films were among my favorites.

Team Foxcatcher

Meant to be a retreat for elite American athletes, Foxcatcher Farms, and all it was intended to represent, was lost in the paranoid downward spiral of its troubled benefactor John Du Pont. Heir to the Du Pont family fortune, John Du Pont funneled his considerable resources into his love of sports—wrestling in particular. Aiming to reinvigorate the US Olympic wrestling team, Du Pont created Foxcatcher, and invited gold medal champion Dave Schultz to lead the charge. What began as an idealistic sports idyll soon deteriorated into suspicion, distrust, and ultimately murder.

Through fascinating archival footage and never-before-seen home videos shot during Schultz’s time at the farm, director Jon Greenhalgh’s absorbing film unpacks the events leading up to Foxcatcher’s well-documented tragedy, exploring the complex and contradictory character of Du Pont, while serving as a poignant memoir to the legacy of Schultz as a champion wrestler, husband, and father. Team Foxcatcher charts a true American tragedy of Olympic dreams, ambition, mental illness, and murder.

—Cara Cusumano

I haven’t seen the Foxcatcher movie with Steve Carrell, Channing Tatum and Mark Ruffalo, so I didn’t have any idea what this was about other than wrestling. I was completely shocked at the story, but even more impressed with the storytelling. It builds up slowing, and documents the events through the stories of those who were there.

Fascinating and compelling, it proves once again that truth is stranger than fiction. Releases on Netflix April 29th.

Always Shine

Two women, both actresses with differing degrees of success, travel north from Los Angeles to Big Sur for a weekend vacation in Always Shine, Sophia Takal’s twisty, psychological thriller. Both see the trip as an opportunity to reconnect after years of competition and jealousy has driven a wedge between them, but upon arrival to their isolated, forest retreat, the pair discovers that their once intimate friendship has deteriorated into forced conversations, betrayals both real and imagined, petty jealousies, and deep-seated resentment. As the women allow their feelings to fester, each begins to lose their bearings not only on the true nature of their relationship, but on their own identities. Mackenzie Davis (Halt and Catch Fire) and Caitlin FitzGerald (Masters of Sex) give brave and raw performances as Beth and Anna, two women whose ideas of success are dictated as much by external cultural criterion as their own sense of self-worth. Beautifully photographed and assuredly directed by Takal, Always Shine wraps itself in an evocative shroud of dread and paranoia that lingers long after the final frame.

—Cara Cusumano

On the surface, it’s just a jealous rivalry, but tables turn and suddenly you don’t know what is real anymore. The opening sequence is particularly intense, and sets the stage perfectly for the two women. I also found it quite interesting seeing a woman striking out with a potential suitor, as that’s not normally something depicted. Brilliantly acted and told, this is quite a surprising cinematic treat.

https://youtu.be/jGvfbmmNOqM

Little Boxes

It’s the summer before 6th grade, and Clark is the new-in-town biracial kid in a sea of white. Discovering that to be cool he needs to act ‘more black,’ he fumbles to meet expectations, while his urban intellectual parents Mack and Gina also strive to adjust to small-town living. Equipped for the many inherent challenges of New York, the tight-knit family are ill prepared for the drastically different set of obstacles that their new community presents, and soon find themselves struggling to understand themselves and each other in this new suburban context.

Director Rob Meyer (A Birder’s Guide to Everything) returns to Tribeca with his second feature, a poignant comedy about understanding identity, featuring a robust cast including Melanie Lynskey, Nelsan Ellis, Armani Jackson, Oona Laurence, Janeane Garofalo, and Christine Taylor. Executive Produced by Cary Fukunaga.

—Tilson Allen-Merry

Subtle and upfront at the same time, I loved the honesty and accessibility of the characters. I struggled through the entire film to place lead actor, Neslan Ellis, as I knew I’d seen him in something before. Turns out, he played Lafayette on HBO’s True Blood, which is as far away from the character in this film as you can imagine. He’s absolutely brilliant as the father in this family that moves to the suburbs after a life in New York City. I absolutely adored the film.

Happy 15th Anniversary! TRIBECA FILM FESTIVAL 2016 started today. Check out some of the films we’re excited about!

Posted on April 15, 2016 by Liz Whittemore — Leave a reply

For such a new festival, only 15 years old, the Tribeca Film Festival is well known and becomes more attended every year with almost 500 screenings and over 467,000 attendees in 2015. The screenings take place at 5 different venues throughout lower Manhattan and represent over 40 countries.

“Over 400 films have been acquired after premiering at Tribeca. On average, more than half of available films find distribution within a year of their Tribeca premiere.”

Melissa and I are very excited about several movies this year, and we’d like to share which are on our lists. Here’s the top three for each, in no particular order. We’ll be sharing more day by day. We’ve already got a few interviews lined up and we’ll be tweeting and instagramming some of the unique experiences from the Tribeca Hub. Stayed tuned!

The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea

Based on Jason Sudeikis’ brilliant performance in last year’s Tumbledown, I’m excited to see him in another drama. Plus Maisie Williams AND a score by Justin Timberlake, what’s not to look forward to? – Liz

Women Who Kill

Sharp dialogue and an intriguing premise make this one of my favorites so far. – Melissa

Don’t Think Twice

Having seen Mike Birbiglia’s comedy in person, his particular brand of humor is something everyone can relate to. Sleepwalk With Me was a Tribeca hit and if Ira Glass is producing your work, well that says a whole lot about the quality. – Liz

Here, Alone

Remember those first few episodes of The Walking Dead when life was turned upside down and you watched people change? This movie captures that through the eyes of a young woman trying to survive. Less zombies, more humans = better story. – Melissa

High Rise

Tom Hiddleston and Jeremy Irons are at the helm of this breathtaking adaptation of the J.G. Ballard novel. Being familiar with Ben Wheatley’s other work, I was blown away by the colorful feast I was treated to. The entire ensemble cast is beyond stellar. Wrought with foreshadowing, both auditory and visual, from the music to the cinematic framing, High Rise is an incredibly cool and poignant commentary on class warfare. – Liz

Wolves

I love a deep drama, and look forward to this story of a boy growing up in New York City. – Melissa

For tickets and more information in the meantime, visit TribecaFilm.com

Tribeca SnapChat Shorts at the 2016 Tribeca Film Festival – Panel Announced

Posted on March 3, 2016 by Melissa Hanson — Leave a reply

Do you SnapChat? In 2015, the Tribeca Film Festival announce #6SECFILMS with Vine and this year has teamed up with SnapChat. You can also submit your own story.

The theme is comedy – whatever your sense of humor may be — so get creative, think of something funny and start Snapping! Create a short film using the Snapchat Story function. Your Tribeca Snapchat Short should be no longer than 200 seconds long. Find all the rules here.

Brought together by a shared love of storytelling, Tribeca Film Festival and Snapchat have joined forces to bring you TRIBECA SNAPCHAT SHORTS, the first-ever program of its kind – we’ll be spotlighting the best Snapchat Stories from across the US.

A jury of talented storytellers and avid Snapchatters will pick the top ten Stories. These winning Tribeca Snapchat Shorts will screen during the 2016 Tribeca Film Festival in New York City and may be featured on a Discover channel on Snapchat.

Submissions open on February 27th and close March 8th. See below for submission guidelines and make sure you read our complete Official Rules.

PANEL

Jessica Alba: Jessica Alba is an actress known for her work in films such as the “Sin City” and “Fantastic Four,” as well as the co-founder of the eco-friendly business, The Honest Company
Snapchat Username: jessicamalba

Steve Aoki: Steve Aoki is a Grammy-award winning EDM musician, record producer, and music executive
Snapchat Username: aokisteve

Steve Buscemi: Steve Buscemi is a producer and award-winning actor known for a host of film and TV roles, including his recent stint as Nucky Thompson on HBO’s “Boardwalk Empire”

David Gordon Green: David Gordon Green is a film producer and director known for films, including “Pineapple Express”, “Prince Avalanche” and “Manglehorn”
DJ Khaled: DJ Khaled is a well-known DJ, record producer and radio personality
Snapchat Username: djkhaled305

Shay Mitchell: Shay Mitchell is an actress, model and author known for her role as Emily Fields in “Pretty Little Liars”
Snapchat Username: officialshaym

Vashtie: Vashtie is a New York based director, filmmaker, artist, designer, and creative consultant
Snapchat Username: VASHTIEKOLA

New to Netflix this March – Hint: you’re gonna love it

Posted on February 29, 2016 by Melissa Hanson — Leave a reply

House of Cards

March 4th

Starting off the month with a bang is the brilliant House of Cards. Haven’t seen it? Well, carve out some time and do it. Don’t expect to be on your phone though. You really need to pay attention.

An uncompromising exploration of power, ambition and the American way, the series orbits Francis Underwood, the House Majority Whip. Underwood is the politician’s politician – masterful, beguiling, charismatic and ruthless. He and his equally ambitious wife Claire stop at nothing to ensure their ascendancy.

Flaked

Flaked

March 11th

Will Arnett is brilliant as the voice of Bojack Horseman but I’m not totally sold as him on this show. Of course I’ll check it out. That’s the beauty of Netflix.

Flaked is the serio-comic story of Chip, a celebrated long-time resident of the insular world of Venice, California who falls for the object of his best friend’s fascination. Soon the tangled web of half-truths and semi-bullshit that underpins his all-important image and sobriety begins to unravel. Will Arnett plays Chip, a man doing his honest best to stay one step ahead of his own lies.

https://youtu.be/iKOpvm7BcOo

Characters

The Characters

March 11th

Huh. I don’t think I’ve seen any promo for this. Curious. Very curious.

One show. Eight comedians. Multiple personalities. In Netflix Presents: The Characters, the next generation of comedians get a chance that only Netflix could offer: the opportunity to create their own 30-minute episodes and do whatever they want. No rules. No limits. Each comedian writes and appears in his/her episode, presenting a series of sketches that veer wildly from Bachelor parodies, to music videos, to biblical spoofs… all in the name of outlaw comedy.

The Characters features: Lauren Lapkus (Orange Is The New Black, Jurassic World), Kate Berlant (The Meltdown), Dr. Brown (Dr. Brown), Paul W. Downs(Broad City), John Early (Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp), Tim Robinson (SNL), Natasha Rothwell (Writer, SNL) and Henry Zebrowski(Heroes Reborn).

The series also features cameos from SNL’s Cecily Strong and Bobby Moynihan, Tyson Beckford, and Broad City’s Abbi Jacobson.

Popples

March 11th

Season 2. My guess is that is you knew there was a Season 1, you’re the audience for Season 2. Have fun, kids.

Popples is a high-energy comedy series about an amazing species of creatures that can pop into and out of a ball. The story is driven by the optimistic comedic enthusiasm of the BPP’s (Best Popple Pals): Bubbles, Sunny, Lulu, Izzy and Yikes. Always wanting to help their friends, neighbors and each other, their efforts often times backfire in hilarious ways and they must spend the rest of the episode trying to unwind the mayhem they’ve caused. Luckily they always manage to save the day in their own POP-tastic way!

MARVEL’S DAREDEVIL

Marvel’s Daredevil

March 18th

I didn’t love this as much as Jessica Jones, but it’s growing on me.

Blinded as a young boy but imbued with extraordinary senses, Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox) fights against injustice by day as a lawyer, and by night as the Super Hero “Daredevil” in modern day Hell’s Kitchen, New York City.

Jimmy Carr Funny Business

March 18th

Stand-Up Comedy Special

I have zero info on this. Strange. There’s not even any official photos!

Pee-wee’s Big Holiday

March 18th

Seriously. Have you seen the trailer? Any fan of his show is likely to love this.

The new film stars the beloved fun-loving hero of TV, stage and film, Pee-wee Herman. In Pee-wee’s Big Holiday, a fateful meeting with a mysterious stranger inspires Pee-wee Herman to take his first-ever holiday in this epic story of friendship and destiny. The film stars Pee-wee Herman, Joe Manganiello (True Blood, Magic Mike XXL), Jessica Pohly (Stalker), Alia Shawkat (Arrested Development) and Stephanie Beatriz (Brooklyn Nine-Nine), and was directed by John Lee (Wonder Showzen, Pee-wee’s Big Holiday). Paul Reubens and Paul Rust (Love, Arrested Development) wrote the film, that was produced by Reubens and Judd Apatow (Trainwreck,Bridesmaids).

My Beautiful Broken Brain

March 18th

Documentary

“If the physical body – the brain, is damaged, does this extend to damage to the self?”

This question is at the heart of Netflix’s new original documentary film, My Beautiful Broken Brain as we follow Lotje’s Sodderland’s incredible story of rehabilitation and recovery from a traumatic hemorrhagic stroke.

The film is a personal voyage into the complexity, fragility and wonder of the human brain. Lotje finds herself starting again in an alien world, bereft of language and logic, fighting not to be defined by her limitations, rather the endless possibilities of life. This feature documentary takes us on a genre-twisting tale that is by turns excruciating and exquisite – from the devastating consequences of a first-time neurological experiment, through to the extraordinary revelations of her altered sensory perception.

Executive producer David Lynch adds, “I am thrilled to join Lotje and Sophie in sharing My Beautiful Broken Brain with the world. The brain is truly fascinating and much in the way that our brains are able to achieve total coherence — finding enlightenment and fulfillment, you will surely be moved and inspired by this journey of self-rediscovery.”

The film was co-directed by Sophie Robinson and Lotje Sodderland and is an official selection of the 2015 SXSW Film Festival and launches globally on Netflix March 18.

VeggieTales in the House

March 25th

I once went to see Formula 51 (not the greatest movie) and they played a VeggieTales movie instead. Quite the disappointment.

Get ready to love your veggies! VeggieTales has a fresh new look as Bob the Tomato, Larry the Cucumber and all their Veggie friends venture off the countertop for the first time ever in an all-new television series, available exclusively on Netflix. Every episode also features a brand-new, upbeat silly song as the Veggie crew embarks on new adventures throughout their house. This loveable comedy stays true to the roots of the VeggieTales brand by seamlessly weaving in strong moral messages that will capture the hearts of Veggie.

Review & Interview: ‘APPLESAUCE’ writer/director talks total weirdness and hilarity.

Posted on November 24, 2015 by Liz Whittemore — 1 Comment ↓

What’s the worst thing you’ve ever done? Just one seemingly innocent question is the spark that ignites the entire rest of one quirky and fantastic film. Onur Tukel’s APPLESAUCE will get under your skin and inside your psyche.

Synopsis:

Every Tuesday night, radio talk show host Stevie Bricks invites his listeners to call in and share “the worst thing they’ve ever done.” Tonight, Ron Welz (writer/director Onur Tukel) is ready to share his story. But soon after he confesses on the air, someone starts sending him severed body parts. Ron becomes paranoid, terrified. His life begins to unravel. His marriage begins to fall apart. He has no idea who’s tormenting him. Is it his insolent high school student? Is it his best friend? His own wife? In a city like New York, there are eight million suspects and each one could have a bone to pick with someone like Ron.

Onur takes upon the role of Ron with hilarious gusto. After he answers “the question”, someone begins to torment him by sending him “gifts” that remind him of what he did. The question not only effects him but his wife and their best couple friends, when they answer the question, as well. Everyone is angry but each is guilty of being haunted by their own past. The fallout spreads like a virus, spoiling the sanity of these four individuals. The circumstances get weirder and weirder, but you’re already along for the ride. This cast clicks and whirs like a well oiled machine. Tukel’s script is filled with pop culture digs and the realities of intimate relationships. It’s a crazy give and take between bizarro land and total nonchalance. I was all in from the beginning.

I had the pleasure of interviewing this multifaceted artist about this truly unique indie. Enjoy.

Liz: Firstly, this is some wacky and wonderful stuff. I’m gonna need more asap. Just throwing that out there. What in the world was the inspiration for this unique story?

Onur: The inspiration was a true story that happened to a friend of mine in college. We were at a party together and he accidentally cut a stranger’s finger off. He was haunted by this event for years. We’ve visited this story dozens of times – over dinners, at parties, at various social gatherings – and it always captivates whoever’s listening. We always wondered whatever happened to the injured person, how it changed his life. My friend and I also agreed that having a character tell the story over dinner would make a terrific starting point for a film. This was, indeed, the lynch-pin. I started with that and the script wrote itself.

Liz: You wear a ton of hats in making your films. Do you find that’s been a necessity or for the love of the project?

Onur: When you make a really low-budget film, yeah, you have to wear a lot of hats. I was the costumer, the production designer, co-editor, writer, co-actor, and co-producer. The DP was also the operator, best boy, gaffer, and grip. The producers are handling props and also working on production design and script supervising. The PA is doing the work of six people. Everyone’s wearing a lot of hats. You have no choice! Of course, love factors into the whole process. But when people get over-extended, it becomes stressful, and that sucks. Still, when that camera rolls and you get a take that really pops, it’s all worth it. Then, in the editing room, when you start piecing it together like a puzzle and it starts to come to life, it’s magic. On the next one, I hope to have a bigger budget and crew so I can focus exclusively on the writing, directing and editing. This will give the other crew members a chance to focus on fewer things, as well.

Liz: For Applesauce, specifically, what was the length of time from page to production? Shooting to wrap?

Onur: I finished the first draft of the script in August of 2014 and rewrote it over several months. We went into production in November and wrapped on December 31, 2014. Just four months later, it premiered at Tribeca Film Festival in April. The schedule was nuts: fast-paced, chaotic, exhilarating and at times, infuriating. I made a vampire movie when I was 26 in Wilmington, NC and we were rushed into production, much like we did on Applesauce. The entire crew of six decided to abandon the movie because they thought we weren’t ready. I recruited the camera operator Bryan Kupko and asked him if he wanted to make the movie with just a two-person crew. He shrugged and said, “Sure.” And that was all I needed to hear. I just wanted a camera rolling; wanted to hear that purr of the film threading throughout the CP-16 as it burned itself up at 24 frames per second. The crew eventually came back on board and we dug in and got the movie made, but I was ready to go with one person. I feel alive on a film set. A group of creative people working together to make a movie is a beautiful battlefield. Even when it seems like films may be losing their cultural significance, it’s an honor to be called a director.

Liz: The dialogue is delicious. Super natural, which leads me to think there was a lot of improv involved?

Onur: Delicious. Super natural. You’re delicious and super natural, Liz. Hope that doesn’t sound creepy. Yes, there’s always improvisation in my movies, but it’s always very scripted at the beginning. We will improv a scene if the words don’t sound real or the dialogue feels flat. I always want the scene to have life and that usually means severing a sentence or two, rearranging some lines, or tossing the dialogue out all together. Sometimes we’ll use 100% of the dialogue. Sometimes 70%. Sometimes none. Plus, I’m rewriting the script during production, so it’s always changing. I just want it to feel real, whatever it takes. If what I’ve written works, great. If it doesn’t, the hell with it!

Liz: Loved the structural choice to use Stevie Bricks as a transitional catalyst. It made for some quick relief from the adult realness (even as those scenes funny as hell) You totally could have gotten away with just having him as the opener. Talk about utilizing that character throughout, if you would.

Onur: The brilliant Dylan Baker gives such a great performance. I used him like a one-night stand. Literally. We had him for eight hours. I squeezed as much as I could out of him during that time, knowing we would edit him into the movie as much as possible. He was very busy working on another project and I gave him maybe 10 pages of dialogue the night before his shoot. He came in and nailed it. I just sat back and watched. I threw in a couple suggestions here and there to feel like I was a big shot and so I could tell people, “I directed Dylan Baker,” but I didn’t do a thing. I didn’t really direct anyone in the movie. That’s why it’s pretty good!

Liz: How does casting generally work for you? Do you have people in mind while writing or do you use a more traditional route with casting directors?

Onur: I wrote the role of Kate for Jennifer Prediger. She’s a dear friend, but I was a fan or her work before I met her. It’s easy to write for her because we kind of speak the same language. We’re self-effacing, jokey, over-histrionic at times, charming when we need to be, yet self-aware when we’re both being sniveling little assholes. I was also friends with Trieste Kelly Dunn long before I cast her. We both have connections to North Carolina, which might be one of the reasons we find the same things funny. North Carolinians can bullshit about anything. I could probably talk to Trieste about a blade of grass for two hours. I always have a blast in her company. The great Max Casella and wonderful Dylan Baker were brought on through a casting director named Stephanie Holbrook. The thought of making a movie now without her is terrifying. I won’t do it. She’s absolutely indispensable. She also happens to be a sweetheart. Lots of lovely people on Applesauce.

Liz: What advice can you give writers/artists in a world saturated with naysayers and Youtube clips/fleeting attention spans?

Onur: Read as many books as you can. The act of reading is creative. Whatever damage technology is doing to our attention spans can all be reversed with reading. Of course, this is easier said than done. Reading is a luxury for those with time. Outside of that, you better use your free time doing your art, whether it’s writing, drawing, recording music, playing music, making movies, etc. After all, if you ain’t doing that, you ain’t an artist. If you are creating art, don’t be self-important. You’re not special and you’re probably not that good. I have to tell myself this all the time. Every now and then, someone flatters me with praise. It’s nice to hear, but the day you start believing that stuff, you’re done. Before you know it, you’re lecturing people on how to make art like I’m doing now. I’m so ashamed. I’m the last person who should be giving advice. You should see my apartment. It’s like Hooverville for roaches in here.

Liz: I want to say THANK YOU for taking the time to chat with me. I cannot wait to see what’s next!

Onur: Thank you, Liz. It’s an honor answering your great questions!

Starring Max Casella, Trieste Kelly Dunn, Jennifer Prediger, Onur Tukel, and Dylan Baker

The Disturbingly Riotous Tale of Secrets, Lies and Severed Body Parts Comes to VOD and EST Digital on November 24, 2015

‘CAROL’ comes to life on the silver screen today. Here are a few reasons why we think it shouldn’t be missed.

Posted on November 20, 2015 by Liz Whittemore — Leave a reply

As one of the most anticipated films of this year’s New York Film Festival, CAROL most certainly blew everyone’s expectations out of the water. Here are just a few reasons why we adore this elegant film…The Plot:

In an adaptation of Patricia Highsmith’s seminal novel The Price of Salt, CAROL follows two women from very different backgrounds who find themselves in an unexpected love affair in 1950s New York. As conventional norms of the time challenge their undeniable attraction, an honest story emerges to reveal the resilience of the heart in the face of change. A young woman in her 20s, Therese Belivet (Rooney Mara), is a clerk working in a Manhattan department store and dreaming of a more fulfilling life when she meets Carol (Cate Blanchett), an alluring woman trapped in a loveless, convenient marriage. As an immediate connection sparks between them, the innocence of their first encounter dims and their connection deepens. While Carol breaks free from the confines of marriage, her husband (Kyle Chandler) begins to question her competence as a mother as her involvement with Therese and close relationship with her best friend Abby (Sarah Paulson) come to light.

ROONEY MARA and CATE BLANCHETT star in CAROL

The Cinematography:

Edward Lachman is a genius behind the camera. Having worked hand in hand with Director Todd Haynes on Far From Heaven in 2002, his visual landscape for Carol is unmatched. Shot in 16mm, perfectly framed, with delicate but specific shots through windows and the focus on the color of crimson and corals, make this a true feast for the eyes.

You can watch Ed discuss his experience in an interview from NYFF53 here.

The Performances:

We’re not shy about our love for Cate Blanchett, nor is The Academy. In truth, there is not a single loose thread in the casting of this film. In the film’s press conference this week, you could see and hear the passion the entire cast held for the project and the respect they had for Phyllis Nagy‘s immaculate adaptation. This is not a story about a lesbian couple, this is a story of two people falling in love. The effortless nature of Blanchett, Mara, Chandler, Paulson, and Lacy as an ensemble evokes the kind of emotion so rarely experienced in the cinema these days. Both Cate and Rooney landed on my Top Female Performances of NYFF53 list. Lacy’s boyish charm and naivete bound off the screen. Chandler’s masculinity and energy are a powerful match for both the period and Blanchett. And as for Sarah Paulson (my favorite player in American Horror Story, every season), well, I wanted to put her in my pocket and place her in every film from here on out. It’s the kind of presence that should not be overlooked, ever. These actors are extraordinarily great at their jobs. There is no doubt about it, CAROL is a timeless film.

(L-R) KYLE CHANDLER and CATE BLANCHETT star in CAROL

For a mere taste of what you’re in for, here is the trailer:

CAROL– Opening In Limited Theaters November 20, 2015

Rated R | Runtime 118 minutes

Review: ‘TRANSFATTY LIVES’ makes living for something, everything.

Posted on November 18, 2015 by Liz Whittemore — Leave a reply

Presents

So many of us participated in “The Ice Bucket Challenge”. The real question is, how many of us took 60 seconds to Google why we were doing it? Patrick Sean O’Brien‘s inspirational documentary TRANSFATTY LIVES paints a stunning, incredibly raw picture of ALS.

At 30, Patrick Sean O’Brien was TransFatty, a New York City DJ, Internet personality, and filmmaker. He spent his days as a beer-drinking creative force, making art films about perverts, vulnerable souls, and Howard Johnson’s restaurants. Then his legs started shaking.

Defying sentimentality, TRANSFATTY LIVES takes you on an emotional roller coaster from Patrick’s wild, fun-loving days into the dark heart of ALS (a.k.a. Lou Gehrig’s disease). Given 2 to 5 years to live, Patrick first loses his ability to walk, then move his arms, then to swallow, and even to breathe. With the support of his bewildered friends and family Patrick braves the unthinkable and turns his camera onto himself.

As the director and star of his own documentary, Patrick films every step of his debilitating journey from first diagnosis through his current paralysis. Forcefully lacking self pity, he captures the emotion, humor, and absurdity of real life as he makes art, gets political, falls in love, fathers a son, and fights extreme depression and paranoia.

At 40, Patrick has completed this film by typing directions to his editors with the movements of his pupils. Miraculously, TRANSFATTY LIVES is not a movie about death. Because, while Patrick’s brain stopped being able to control his muscles, it remains brilliantly alive, allowing him to ask: “What if my diminishing physical abilities can be inversely proportional to my journey inward? And, more importantly, “will there be bacon and unicorns once I get there?”

Patrick’s film is moving, impactful, and funny. Narrated by Patrick, mostly through voice-to-text on his computer via eye movements, the structure of the film is high impact with footage from his previous quirky films, photographs of his adventures, and dairy entries starting from 2005, when he was diagnosed with ALS. Completely unafraid, what began as a film about Patrick’s love for Howard Johnson, soon becomes a film about his journey. His crew seem to become a huge part in his care-taking. Along with his family, they are totally immersed in Patrick’s world, as much as someone without ALS can possibly be. If you’re not crying half way through this doc, you may not actually have a soul. Patrick has created a lens through which the audience can begin to understand just how quickly this disease sucks the life out of you physically. Having Patrick as the center of this project is invaluable. Firstly, he’s intensely charming. Using humor and positivity, he is able to put us at ease. But, moments of extraordinary challenge break the surface at every turn, throwing reality back into our faces just as quickly. The film’s balance is sheer perfection. TRANSFATTY LIVES should be seriously considered as awards season ramps up in the coming weeks. Patrick Sean O’Brien is a brilliant filmmaker and one hell of a human being.

TRANSFATTY LIVES is opening in Los Angeles and On Demand on November 20th and in New York on December 25th.

TRANSFATTY LIVES won the ‘Audience Award’ at The Tribeca Film Festival, Milano Film Festival, and American Film Festival in Poland. It was also a Top 20 Film at HotDocs International Film Festival.

Review: ‘JAMES WHITE’ makes escaping reality impossible.

Posted on November 13, 2015 by Liz Whittemore — Leave a reply

Josh Mond’s

JAMES WHITE

Starring Christopher Abbott, Cynthia Nixon, and Scott “Kid Cudi” Mescudi

If you’ve ever watched someone die from cancer… if you’ve ever seen the downward spiral of a loved one… if you’ve ever been lost in a haze a grief and confusion, JAMES WHITE will speak to you. What does a young man, flailing in his own existence, do to cope with the idea that one of these days, his mother will not get better? Is escapism the answer? Josh Mond‘s directorial debut lets us into the skin and brain of one man’s story.

JAMES WHITE- Christopher Abbot & Scott “Kid Cudi” Mescudi

As James’ mother’s health deteriorates, his ne’er do well lifestyle is forced to come to an end, but not before attempting to escape reality after the death of his estranged father. Triggering a getaway trip to Mexico with friends to avoid dealing with life, this drug, alcohol, and sex addled stay comes to an abrupt end when a call from Gail forces him to return to the couch of his childhood NYC home and take care of Mom 24 hrs a day. Struggling to put his bad boy behavior on the back burner, James walks the line between telling the world to fuck off and dropping his very existence to protect the woman he loves most in the world. As the plot progresses, we learn the this is not his first go round with mom’s illness. Do we forgive his behavior because of this? That’s for the individual to decide.

(L-R) CHRISTOPHER ABBOTT and CYNTHIA NIXON star in JAMES WHITE

Mond’s script is partially based on his own experiences with his own mother. It is unapologetic and raw. You cannot take that away from Mond. No arguing that the film is ever dull or full of shit. It goes there fast and hard. Using cinematographer Mátyás Erdély was a genius move. Having recently seen Son of Saul at this year’s NYFF, his literal in your face, ultra close-up style of shooting, gives James White the immersive feeling the script calls for. I cannot imagine the film being in any other style. From the opening sequence, scored to perfection by co-star Scott “Kid Cudi” Mescudi, with it’s organic feel and LOUD introduction, we immediately enter the world of a man who is grasping at straws to figure out who he is and what kind of person he wants/needs to be.

Christopher Abbott gives an purely award-winning performance. His truth is on his sleeve 1000%. Somehow, through all the distasteful behavior he exhibits, you love him. Scott Mescudi is outstanding. As James’ best friend and long time player inside the family, his genuine interactions with Christopher and Cynthia feel so authentic, it’s almost hard to believe that this film isn’t a documentary at moments. Cynthia Nixon‘s portrayal of Gail is epic. With the film’s structure presented from month to month like chapters in a book, we are privy to the physical and mental changes her character endures. No matter the form of media, Nixon creates her own presence and we are lucky enough to witness it. The entire cast deserves all the accolades in the world, as does Mond for delivering a bold story.

JAMES WHITE will capture part of your soul. It allows you to let go and perhaps forgive yourself for past transgressions. Do yourself a favor and see this film.

Nominated for Three IFP Gotham Awards:

Christopher Abbott (Best Actor)

Josh Mond (Bingham Ray Breakthrough Actor Award)

Audience Award

About JAMES WHITE

James White (Christopher Abbott) is a troubled twenty-something trying to stay afloat in a frenzied New York City. He retreats further into a self-destructive, hedonistic lifestyle, but as his mother (Cynthia Nixon) battles a serious illness James is forced to take control of his life. As the pressure on him mounts, James must find new reserves of strength or risk imploding completely. The directorial debut of MARTHA MARCY MAY MARLENE producer Josh Mond, JAMES WHITE, which had its world premiere at Sundance Film Festival 2014 where it was the winner of the “Best of Next” Audience Award, is a confident and closely observed debut that explores loss and the deep relationship between a mother and son. Abbott’s strong central performance is aided by a stellar supporting cast featuring Cynthia Nixon (“Sex and the City”), Scott “Kid Cudi” Mescudi (“Comedy Bang! Bang!”), and Ron Livingston (DRINKING BUDDIES). Shot on location in New York City with an intimate visual style, JAMES WHITE follows its lead into deep, affecting places while still maintaining its fragile humanity.

The Film Arcade will release JAMES WHITE on November 13th

Trailer for Tribeca Film Festival’s ‘Applesauce’ has great potential

Posted on November 3, 2015 by Melissa Hanson — Leave a reply

Perhaps too quirky? This trailer for Applesauce does scratch the indie film itch and was one I wanted to see at this year’s Tribeca Film Festival. I’m curious to see if it can live up to its potential.

In rising filmmaker Onur Tukel’s latest provocative comedy-drama APPLESAUCE, a married man is severely tested after a string of twisted, mysterious and frightening events. Following a world premiere at the 2015 Tribeca Film Festival, the enthusiastically reviewed film comes to digital EST and VOD from Dark Sky Films on November 24, 2015.

Every Tuesday night, radio talk show host Stevie Bricks invites his listeners to call in and share “the worst thing they’ve ever done.” Tonight, Ron Welz (writer/director Onur Tukel) is ready to share his story. But soon after he confesses on the air, someone starts sending him severed body parts. Ron becomes paranoid, terrified. His life begins to unravel. His marriage begins to fall apart. He has no idea who’s tormenting him. Is it his insolent high school student? Is it his best friend? His own wife? In a city like New York, there are eight million suspects and each one could have a bone to pick with someone like Ron.

Take dark comedy, mix it with noir, add a original and unusual movies of the year.

APPLESAUCE, which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival, co-stars Max Casella(Doogie Howser M.D., Inside Llewyn Davis, Blue Jasmine), Trieste Kelly Dunn (Banshee, United 93), Dylan Baker (Spider-Man 2 and 3, Secretariat, Happiness), Jennifer Prediger(Apartment Troubles, A Teacher) and Karl Jacob (Pollywogs, The Dictator).

https://youtu.be/xwk3RJ_PVxE

13th Annual New York Korean Film Festival starts this Friday November 6th

Posted on November 2, 2015 by Melissa Hanson — Leave a reply

The 13th Annual New York Korean Film Festival showcases Korea doing what it does best: the crime thriller, the romantic fantasy, and feverish erotica. The Peninsula’s filmmakers bend genre cinema to a uniquely Korean pulse and purpose, making the country’s national film industry the most vibrant in East Asia. The thrilling complications of love and crime steal the show in this year’s lineup, as partnerships go south and fickle passions lead to betrayal. Resistance fighters navigate the intrigue of colonial-era Korea, love affairs are smothered as quickly as they are kindled, and hard-boiled cops dig at the ugly truth in a collection of both massive blockbusters and favorites from the international festival circuit, with five New York premieres and one international premiere.

The 13th Annual New York Korean Festival will run from November 6-November 11, 2015, at the Museum of the Moving Image. This will be the first year Museum of the Moving Image will serve as a partner and the venue for the New York Korean Film Festival, building on past collaborations with the Korea Society and Subway Cinema.

The Korea Society has also invited an exceptional group of Korean guests, including star director Ryoo Seung-Wan and producers Kang Hye-jung and Park Jung (Veteran); directors Shin Suwon (Madonna), Lee Do-yun (Confession), Kang Hyo-jin (Wonderful Nightmare), Oh Seung-uk (The Shameless), and Hong Won-chan (Office); and actress Koh Ah-Sung.

The New York Korean Film Festival is a program of The Korea Society, the Museum of the Moving Image, and Subway Cinema.

Major support is provided by the Korea Foundation.

ALL SCREENINGS WILL BE HELD AT THE MUSEUM OF THE MOVING IMAGE

The Museum is located at 36-01 35 Ave, Astoria, Queens, NY, 11106.

Opening Night tickets: $20 ($12 for TKS members, MOMI Film Lover and Dual members / free for Silver Screen members and above).

All other NYKFF tickets are $12 ($7 for TKS members, MOMI Film Lover and Dual members / free for Silver Screen members and above).

Advance tickets will be available online at movingimage.us beginning October 21.

OPENING NIGHT

Office (오피스)

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 6:30 P.M.

New York Premiere

With director Hong Won-chan and star Ko Ah-sung in person

Followed by a reception in the Museum lobby and cafe

Dir. Hong Won-chan. 2015, 111 mins. B.R. With: Ko Ah-sung, Park Seong-woong, Bae Seong-woo. After gruesomely murdering his family, a midlevel manager (Bae Seong-woo) dutifully returns to the office, haunting the building like a vengeful ghost and turning the otherwise bland workspace into a house of terror. Legitimately alarmed, his colleagues nonetheless sing his praises to the police—a hint that there’s more to the matter than a disgruntled employee suddenly snapping. Described as “hearty genre entertainment” by Variety, this Cannes “MidnightMadness” selection is a perfect outlet for young leading actress Ko Ah-sung.

“Workplace blues wrought large and crimson red.” — Clarence Tsui, The Hollywood Reporter

“Razor-sharp satire on petty politics in the corporate world […] laced with wickedly bitchy dialogue” — Maggie Lee, Variety

Hong Won-chan was the screenwriter for Confession of Murder (2012), The Yellow Sea (2010),The Scam (2009), and The Chaser (2007—a selection at Cannes), before making his directorial debut with Office.

The youngest of three sisters, Ko Ah-sung started acting at an early age and played the memorable role of the daughter in Bong Joon-ho’s The Host (2006). Her film credits include The Beauty Inside (2015), Thread of Lies (2014), Snowpiercer (2013), Duet (2012), After the Banquet(2009), A Brand New Life (2009), Radio Dayz (2008), and The Happy Life (2007).

Trap (덫, 치명적인 유혹)

International Premiere

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 1:00 P.M.

Dir. Bong Man-Dae. 2015, 107 mins. DCP. With Yoo Ha-joon, Han Je-in, Kang Yong-gyoo.

Maladjusted screenwriter Jeong-min (Yoo Ha-joon) travels to the countryside to rethink his life and concentrate on his career. But instead of working on his screenwriting, he finds transgressive distraction in the person of temptress Yumi (Han Je-in). The frontier between reality and fantasy blurs as Jeong-min’s mind and body are engulfed in a fatal attraction to the innocent-faced but dangerous Lolita, leading him to increasingly poor life decisions. A standout entry in the filmography of softcore erotic meister “Playboy” Bong Man-Dae.

Confession (좋은 친구들)

With director Lee Do-yun in person

New York Premiere

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 3:15 P.M.

Dir. Lee Do-yun. 2014, 114 mins. DCP. With Ji Sung, Ju Ji-hoon. Since a tragic mountain incident in high school, Min-soo (Lee Kwang-soo), Hyun-tae (Ji Sung) and In-chul (Ju Ji-hoon) have remained best friends through thick and thin. But when two of them agree to burn down an illegal gambling hall for the insurance payout, the spilt blood of loved ones unearths the bitter ghosts of a dark past. Soon, the group of childhood friends turn on each other in the bleakest of fallouts. Lee Do-yun’s debut feature has been compared with the slow-burning noir of Sidney Lumet’s final film, Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead.

“The film’s stupendous execution and the compelling characters successfully drive the film forward.” -Jason Bechervaise, Screen International

Lee Do-yun was born in South Korea. He directed the short films We. Trippers and Neighbor.Confession, his first feature, had its international premiere in Toronto last year.

The Shameless (무뢰한)

With director Oh Seung-uk in person

New York Premiere

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 6:00 P.M.

Dir. Oh Seung-uk. 118 mins. DCP. With Jeon Do-yeon, Kim Nam-gil, Park Sung-Woong. In Oh Seung-uk’s highly anticipated return to the director’s chair since his debut masterpieceKilimanjaro in 2000, Cannes award-winning actress Jeon Do-yeon plays a bar hostess in love with a suspected murderer. Kim Nam-gil (The Pirates) is outstanding as a detective who plays a game of seduction with a dangerous woman. Selected for the Un Certain Regard program at the Cannes Film Festival, The Shameless is an unforgettably stylish noir.

“A mellow pleasure to be slowly savored, this polished work should be welcomed at festivals” — Maggie Lee, Variety

Oh Seung-uk (b.1963) began his career as an assistant director of Lee Chang-dong, co-writing his debut feature Green Fish. In the late ’90s, he co-wrote the landmark romance Christmas in August and Park Kwang-su’s ambitious historical drama The Uprising. Oh made his debut as a director with the crime thriller Killimanjaro in 2000. The Shameless is his long-awaited second feature.

Assassination (암살)

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 8:55 P.M.

Dir. Choi Dong-hoon. 2015, 140 mins. B.R. With Jeon Ji-hyun, Lee Jung-hae, Ha Jung-woo. Choi Dong-hoon’s follow-up to his 2012 hit The Thieves was Korea’s biggest box office hit of the year. Drawing inspiration from 1980s Hong Kong action comedies and South Korea’s little-known 1960s Manchurian Westerns, Assassination follows the journey of three resistance fighters as their mission takes them to the Manchurian countryside, pre-war Shanghai, and Japanese-occupied Seoul to assassinate an evil Japanese governor and his Korean acolyte. Boasting an all-star cast led by screen-goddess Jeon Ji-hyun and superstar Lee Jung-jae, Assassination is “a sensationally entertaining mash-up of historical drama, Dirty Dozen style shoot-‘em-up, spaghetti Western-flavored flamboyance, and extended action set pieces that suggest a dream-team collaboration of Sergio Leone, John Woo and Steven Spielberg” according to Variety’s Joe Leydon.

Madonna (마돈나)

With director Shin Su-Won in person

New York Premiere

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2:00 P.M.

Dir. Shin Su-won. 2015, 121 mins. DCP. With Seo Young-hee, Kwon So-hyun, Kim Young-min.

After her festival hit Pluto (2012), a critically acclaimed high-school drama about bullying and murder which won a Special Mention at the 2013 Berlinale, director Shin Su-won delivers a shocking, noir-tinged tale of privilege and poverty: a nurse’s aide uncovers and tries to prevent the horrific use of a brain dead pregnant street-walker for a heart transplant to a rich patient.

Director Shin Su-Won was a middle school teacher before she began a directing career. Her short, Circle Line, won the Canal+ Prize for Best Short Film at Cannes 2012, and her debut feature, Passerby #3 (2010), won awards at the Tokyo International Film Festival and Jeonju International Film Festival. Her films include Modern Family (2012) and Pluto (2013).

The Beauty Inside (뷰티 인사이드)

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 5:00 P.M.

Dir. Baik (Baek Jong-yeol), 2015, 127 mins. B.R. With Han Hyo-joo, Park Seo-jun, Mun Suk, Lee Dong-hwi, Lee Mi-do. Since his 18th birthday, Woo-jin wakes up each morning as a different person in a new body. Sometimes he’s old, sometimes he’s young, sometimes he’s not Korean…or even a man. But inside, he remains the same down-to-earth, honest cabinet maker devoted to his craft. And each day he fights to connect with the woman he loves (Han Hyo-joo, in a luminous, standout performance). Beneath the slick romantic fantasy and the gorgeous cinematography, the film asks real questions about identity and true love.

“Blessed with a MLB roster’s worth of veteran character players (Kim Sang-ho, Kim Min-jae, Jo Dal-hwan), and buzzy young stars”—Elizabeth Kerr, The Hollywood Reporter

Veteran (베테랑)

With director Ryoo Seung-wan in person

U.S. Festival Premiere

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 7:45 P.M.

Dir. Ryoo Seung-wan. 2015, 123 mins. DCP. With Hwang Jung-min, Yoo Ah-in, Yoo Hae-jin. In this instant action/comedy classic—a massive theatrical hit earlier this summer—hardboiled detective Seo Do-cheol (top actor Hwang Jung-min can throw—and take—a punch) and his misfit team defend the powerless against the vicious scion of a prominent family (played with villainous delight by heartthrob Yoo Ah-in, in a widely acclaimed performance).

Ryoo Seung-wan was born in Onyang, South Korea. His films include The Berlin File (2013),The Unjust (2010), Dachimawa Lee (2008), The City of Violence (2006), Crying Fist (2005),Arahan (2004), No Blood No Tears (2002), and Die Bad (2000). He won “Best Director” at the Blue Dragon Film Awards in 2011.

Wonderful Nightmare (미쓰 와이프)

With director Kang Hyo-jin in person
New York Premiere

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 7:00 P.M.

Dir. Kang Hyo-jin. 2015, 125 mins. DCP. With Uhm Jung-hwa, Song Seung-heon, Seo Shin-Ae. Heaven makes a clerical error, so ambitious lawyer Yeon-woo (played by superstar Uhm Jung-hwa) returns to Earth to find herself married to a salaryman and mother to a rebellious teenager and know-it-all six-year-old. A sharp, hilarious satire about the shift in gender roles in contemporary Korean society that struck a deep chord with local audiences.

Director Kang Hyo-jin’s independent feature, Kill’em with Bare Hands (2004), won the audience award at the Seoul Independent Film Festival. His films include Dirty Blood (2012), Twilight Gangsters (2010), and Punch Lady (2007).

Review: ‘THE PACK’ & ‘THE DEVIL’S CANDY’ are two of this year’s Scary Movies 9 at Lincoln Center.

Posted on October 30, 2015 by Liz Whittemore — Leave a reply

FESTIVALS • OCTOBER 30 – NOVEMBER 05, 2015

Scary Movies 9

Now in its ninth edition, New York’s top festival for quality horror from around the globe is back with a vengeance. This year’s fright fest includes 12 of the best new titles out there, including Sean Byrne’s eagerly anticipated follow-up to The Loved Ones, The Devil’s Candy,and the gut-wrenching Australian feral-dog thriller The Pack, plus horror movies of all stripes from Ireland, Denmark, Spain, and Turkey. Revival offerings include Juan Piquer Simón’s ’80s cult classics Pieces and Slugs, and in tribute to the dearly departed Christopher Lee, a 35mm screening of the Hammer gem The Gorgon. We will also be presenting evenings with Larry Fessenden, whose company Glass Eye Pix is celebrating its 30th anniversary, and Bernard Rose, whose new film, Frankenstein, a wildly original update set on the streets of L.A., closes this year’s festival with large doses of both heart and gore.

On Opening Night, we begin our journey into nightmare with Southbound, an anthology road film from some of the key players behind V/H/S, followed by a blow-out Halloween bash where prizes will be given for the best costume.

Programmed by Laura Kern, Rufus de Rham, and Gavin Smith.

THE PACK

Nick Robertson, Australia, 2015, DCP, 90m
Not to be confused with Robert Clouse’s 1977 when-animals-attack classic (which screened as part of last year’s Scary Movies), Nick Robertson’s directorial debut The Pack does feature killer canines, but their prey here is a family of four—already battling assorted harsh realities—who must rely on their own ingenuity to survive a night of sheer terror, as they are relentlessly stalked by ravenous dogs on their remote Australian farm. The film is horror of the most jarring, edge-of-your-seat kind, with the added bonus of a cast of characters actually worth rooting for.

Filled with really solid characters and performances, The Pack is not necessarily anything new in story. You will route for this family to not only save their land but survive the night in a violent attack from these very cunning and hyper-intelligent wild dogs. The practical effects are gruesome and well played. The plot ramps up as we slowly learn about each member through family dynamics and circumstance. You will not be indifferent to their survival and will find yourself on edge at each near miss. The Pack is worth seeing. Australian horror is getting better and better with recent hits like The Babadook and These Final Hours. The Pack does distinguish itself with great camera work, mixed with an intriguing combo or quick cuts and slow motion sequences. While it does take a good 30 minutes to really set up the plot properly, it’s worth the wait. Think CUJO but with more than one attacker minus the rabies, just evil. Using all the old horror tropes but with dogs as the villains, The Pack will not help anyone with Cynophbia.

THE DEVIL’S CANDY

Sean Byrne, USA, 2015, DCP, 90m
Six long years may have elapsed since Aussie writer-director Sean Byrne made The Loved Ones—the closing-night film of Scary Movies 4, and perhaps the most satisfying horror film of the last decade—but it will come to no genre fan’s surprise that his follow-up was more than worth the wait. As exquisitely crafted as his debut feature, The Devil’s Candy stars a captivatingly intense and nearly unrecognizable Ethan Embry as an artist struggling to support his devoted wife (Shiri Appleby) and preteen daughter (Kiara Glasco). But the real fight for survival begins when the tight-knit family moves into a new house, unaware that its previous occupant is a royally disturbed child-killer (Pruitt Taylor Vince) who wants his home back. And even worse, the devil’s demands that swirl around in the sick man’s head—muted only by heavy-metal music—also begin taking hold of the artist and his paintings. After witnessing this intensely emotional and haunting work, audiences too will struggle to shake those demonic voices.

I had to look twice, nay, three times to make sure I wasn’t seeing things. Ethan Embry is a ripped, rock god in this surprising feature. I cannot express how much adored this film. With a slight Amityville feel, the latin voices heard in this film will get under your skin immediately. Loaded with seriously sick tunes from bands like Metalica and Queens of the Stoneage, the music takes on a life of its own in The Devil’s Candy. The film has an 80’s throwback feel in approaching the death metal and satanic ritual link. Visually, one of the coolest flicks I’ve seen in a while, especially for a horror. High end effects are beautifully juxtaposed with unique painting as each are being assembled… or disassembled as it were. The entire cast is spot on awesome. The Devil’s Candy has gorgeous framing and jump scares galore. I HIGHLY recommend you catch this particular selection if horror is truly your genre of choice.

The festival starts today and runs through November 5th.

You can check out all the films at http://www.filmlinc.org/festivals/scary-movies-9/

Tickets

$ 14

General Public

$ 11

Student & Senior

$ 9

Member

3+ Film Package

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9 movies from the New York Film Festival you can watch this fall

Posted on October 18, 2015 by Melissa Hanson — Leave a reply

Philippe Petit (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) in TriStar Pictures’ THE WALK.

The Walk – In theaters now

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Truly a Robert Zemeckis film, The Walk is best watched as Liz and I did – IMAX 3D. Even those with only a slight fear of heights will be kept pinned to their seats, gripping the armchair, as we both did. There’s so much to appreciate about people who have dreams.

Bridge of Spies – in theaters now

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Experimenter – in theaters & VOD now

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The story behind the story, Experimenter tells the tale of the man as he begins the most famous of his experiments. With several high-profile cameos, director Michael Almereyda uses several creative ways to punch up ordinary scenes.

Heart of a Dog – in theaters October 21st

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Steve Jobs – nationwide October 23rd

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Liz’s non-iPhone user review here!

Brooklyn – in theaters November 6th

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Mia Madre – in theaters November 6th

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Liz loved it! Find out why in her review!

Ingrid Bergman – In Her Own Words – in theaters November 13th

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Liz tells you why you’ll love the personal story of the Hollywood starlet in her review!

(L-R) KYLE CHANDLER and CATE BLANCHETT star in CAROL

Carol – in theaters December 18th

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What did I think of it? Find out in my review!

Top 10 of the 53rd New York Film Festival

Posted on October 15, 2015 by Melissa Hanson — 1 Comment ↓

This year’s New York Film Festival was full of surprises. While you can always count on big names, great directors (old and new), splendid writing, and some of the most stunning cinematography, there were quite a few films that truly stood out from the pack. Here are the Top 10 films that we saw this year.

Coming soon… RND’s Top 10 Honorable Mentions and an update on Release Dates of each of the fest’s selections thus far!

In Alphabetical Order:

Arabian Nights: Volume 2, The Desolate One

Miguel Gomes, 2015, DCP, 131 minutes
U.S. Premiere, Entrant for Academy Award for Best Foreign Film
Unfolding in a more melancholic register, the second part of Miguel Gomes’s monumental yet light-footed magnum opus shifts tones and genres at will (deadpan neo-Western, Brechtian courtroom farce, tear-jerking melodrama), all the while treating its fantasy dimension as a path to a more meaningful truth.

LIZ

While this is the 2nd film in a series of three, this installment blew the others out of the water. Presented in s storytelling fashion to keep a murderous king at bay, Arabian Nights 2 gives us three distinct tales. After Volume 1, I was prepared for the structure of the trilogy: Political satire meets serious political situations that occurred in Portugal from 20121-2013. Shaharazad narrates the tales intertwined with real footage and interviews of actual effected countrymen and women. The tales are downright absurd, very loosely based upon those appearing in the original Arabian Nights stories. While at times completely nonsensical, the dialogue is quippy and unapologetic in it’s farcical nature and use of profanity. These films are certainly dynamic and completely uncategorical when it comes to a genre label. In fact, Volume 2 is being entered into the Best Foreign Language Film in this year’s Oscar race. The tale that I, by far, enjoyed the most is title “Tears of a Judge.” I want this dialogue for my very own performing purposes at some point. It is that far out there a filled with ridiculous levity.

Everything Is Copy

Jacob Bernstein, 2015, DCP, 89 minutes
World Premiere
This extremely entertaining film is a tribute to director Jacob Bernstein’s mother, the sparkling but caustically witty Nora Ephron: Hollywood-raised daughter of screenwriters who grew up to be an ace reporter turned piercingly funny essayist turned novelist/screenwriter/playwright/director.

LIZ

Let me start by saying, I want to be Nora Ephron when I grow up. Jacob’s intimate portrait of his late mother, a woman we all came to love, adore, and respect is one of my favorites of the entire film festival this year. Admittedly, I am the exact target audience for this doc. 35, pregnant, writer, brash, unapologetic, ambitious. What I learned from all the footage of Nora’s life and sit down interviews with family, friends and colleagues was an insight into how I want to live my own life. While Nora was an open book through her essays and interviews in the public, she was still very much private when it came to her illness in the end, keeping it from her own children for longer than many may have deemed necessary. With beloved films like When Harry Met Sally, Sleepless in Seattle, Julie & Julia, and incredible books like I Feel Bad About My Neck, Ephron was a tore de force as a human and an artist. She made me feel good about my own eclectic life choices thus far. She made me feel like it was alright (in fact brilliant) to be the only girl in “boy’s club”. She proved that a mixture of boldness, outspokenness, humility, love, kindness, and admitting your faults to yourself and world is the only way to live. Everyone adored her. She was one of a kind. Everything Is Copy captures her essence perfectly.

Ingrid Bergman – In Her Own Words

Stig Björkman, 2015, DCP, 114 minutes
Now Available on demand
This lovingly crafted film is composed from Ingrid Bergman’s letters and diaries, the memories of her children and a few close friends and colleagues, photographs, and moments from thousands of feet of Super-8 and 16mm footage shot by Bergman herself.

Liz was delighted by this doc as well. Having not known very much about Ingrid’s life prior to the screen, she found this film to be charming and effective. Read her review here!

https://youtu.be/TEh5Nh4a9WE

Les Cowboys

Thomas Bidegain, 2015, DCP, 104 minutes
U.S. Premiere
In this unpredictable update of John Ford’s The Searchers, a father embarks on an obsessive quest to bring back his daughter, who has disappeared with her Muslim boyfriend. As the years pass and his life falls apart, the father passes the mission on to his son and the action assumes near-epic proportions as it shifts to post-9/11 Afghanistan.

LIZ

This timely look into race and religion is a two fold story of sorts. While Alain and his son, George, search for his estranged daughter, we are privy an intertwining of their search and the ramping up of Muslim extremism based around actual terror attacks. From before 9/11 to the 2005 London underground bombings, we follow the two as they navigate rival faiths and the yearning to find a loved one. The film is incredibly poignant in so many ways. The script takes some unexpected turns.Oftentimes, frustrating but always touching and meaningful. Les Cowboys is rich in culture relations and I enjoyed this film on more levels than I ever expected.

The Lobster

Yorgos Lanthimos, 2015, DCP, 118 minutes
Releases March 2016
In the future, single people are rounded up and sent to a seaside compound, given a finite number of days to find a match, and turned into animals if they fail. Welcome to the latest dark, dark comedy from absurdist Greek director Yorgos Lanthimos. Winner of a Cannes Jury Prize.

MELISSA

The plot is enough to lift your eyebrows and peak your interest. In, The Lobster, originality is not dead and lives on in this absurdly funny drama. While Colin Farrell is rather flat, it makes you focus on everything around him. Would you consider this the future or an alternate reality? There’s no limit to the conversations you’ll have every time it’s mentioned.

Mia Madre

Nanni Moretti, 2015, DCP, 106 minutes
U.S. Premiere
A filmmaker (Margherita Buy) tries to cope simultaneously with a mercurial American movie star (John Turturro) and the impending death of her mother (Giulia Lazzarini) in Nanni Moretti’s moving, hilarious, and subtly disquieting new film.

Liz loved it! Find out more and read her review!

Microbre & Gasoline

Michel Gondry, 2015, DCP, 103 minutes
U.S. Premiere
Michel Gondry’s fresh, lyrical, handmade-SFX comedy is a story of two teenage misfits who build a house on wheels and take to the road, sputtering, pushing, and coasting their way across France.

Liz was a huge fan of this new Gondry classic. Check out her thoughts here!

Son of Saul

László Nemes, Hungary, 2015, 35mm, 107m
Hungarian and German with English subtitles
A film that looks into the abyss, this shattering portrait of the horror of Auschwitz follows Saul (Géza Röhrig), a Sonderkommando tasked with delivering his fellow Jews to the gas chamber. Determined to give a young boy a proper Jewish burial, Saul descends through the death camp’s circles of Hell, while a rebellion brews among the prisoners. A bombshell debut from director and co-writer László Nemes, Son of Saul is an utterly harrowing, ultra-immersive experience, and not for the fainthearted. With undeniably virtuoso plan-séquence camerawork in the mode of Nemes’s teacher Béla Tarr, this startling film represents a new benchmark in the historic cinematic depictions of the Holocaust. A deeply troubling work, sure to be one of the year’s most controversial films. A Sony Pictures Classics release.

LIZ

There is so much to say about this film. Centered specifically around one man’s story, Son Of Saul, is one of the most emotionally powerful films about the concentration camps realities. Ripe with extended takes and 100’s of extras, this film is one of a kind in it’s technicality. Some of the most impactful moments are created with the sound editing. Yelps and murmured conversations set the tone of the mind. What could be happening just out of focus and out of frame. Son Of Saul is a tribute to all those lost in the Holocaust. Géza Röhrig‘s performance must not be overlooked. His presence grabs you from the first moment on screen and his sincerity to tell a story of man trying to survive while making right with God is one that simply cannot be missed.

Steve Jobs

Danny Boyle, 2015, DCP
Centerpiece
Danny Boyle and Aaron Sorkin joined forces to create this dynamically character-driven portrait of the brilliant man at the epicenter of the digital revolution, working from Walter Isaacson’s best-selling biography and starring Michael Fassbender in the title role, Kate Winslet as Joanna Hoffman, Seth Rogen as Steve Wozniak, Jeff Daniels as John Sculley, Michael Stuhlbarg as Andy Hertzfeld, and Katherine Waterston as Chrisann Brennan.

LIZ

I expected to abhor this film, simply based upon Alex Gibney‘s new doc Steve Jobs: The Man In The Machine (You can hear a Girls On Film Podcast all about his feature here!) I assumed that it would be a glorifying picture of a worldwide idol. Little did I realized that Walter Isaacson‘s book, one I own and have not yet cracked the spine on, would be anything but a fanboy’s essay. Find out how wrong I truly was in my review.

Where to Invade Next

Michael Moore, 2015, DCP, 110 minutes
U.S. Premiere
In his new film, Michael Moore ponders the current state of the nation from a fresh perspective—that is, from the outside looking in—and gives us a film that is as provocative, funny, and impassioned as the rest of his work.

LIZ

With very current viral footage of the mess we find ourselves in currently as a country, from police brutality, Ferguson, wrongful imprisonment, and abortion rights, one might assume that this is yet another typical, angry, leftist doc cobbled together to specifically speak to a base I happen to be a part of politically. Well, think again. This has got to be Michael Moore‘s most upbeat film to date. Presented in a structure of having Michael himself, “invade” countries around the world, Moore travels to discuss the best ideas from each nation. Visiting Finland, Germany, Portugal, and Iceland, just to name a few, Michael chats with citizens and government officials to find out what makes them healthier and happier than Americans in many ways. Delving to issues such as women’s homework, health clinics, banning drug arrests, paid vacation, free university, sex ed, school lunches, female run government agencies, and prison rehabilitation. The funny part about this film, besides Michael’s own levity and calm demeanor, is that all of these ideals are straight out of what Michael called “America’s Playbook.” In the press conference following the screening, Moore explained that every one of the countries came out to say that these ideas cam from The United States, originally.

“The American dream seemed to be alive and well… everywhere except America.” – Michael Moore

He goes on to say that we should not be mistaken, that he would not want to live in any other country other than the US. He admits that each of these countries certainly has their own problems, as well. The point in making this particular documentary was to show that we can make America even better, if we sit down and have civil conversations, one at a time. Where To Invade Next will be a winner on both sides of the aisle and around the world.

New York Film Festival Review: The gorgeous ‘Carol’ with Cate Blanchett & Rooney Mara

Posted on October 9, 2015 by Melissa Hanson — 1 Comment ↓

ROONEY MARA and CATE BLANCHETT star in CAROL

Not once salacious, Todd Haynes‘ Carol is a subtle and elegant telling of a romance between two women in the 1950s. Cate Blanchett is the title character and Rooney Mara is the young woman smitten by her. Their affair is brief but not without it’s repercussions.

Todd Haynes knows a little something about 1950s style from Far From Heaven and the mini-series, Mildred Pierce. He captures this era with incredible detail in everything from the costumes to set design to the color coming across on screen. Blanchett’s outfits are absolutely stunning and they convey the level of sophistication of her character.

As for cinematography, all I can say is, WOW. There are so many allusions to hiding and the Liz pointed out the use of windows is especially worth noting. It’s almost as if the film was shot for black and white, but it’s in color. The framing of each scene is focused, yet reveals so much of the story.

Now for the story. While I did appreciate the style, the story was really flat and underwhelming. There’s barely any idea of the affair being forbidden and no one seems to pretend it’s not what it clearly is. Perhaps it’s just hard to think of an affair between two women as an outlandish idea anymore. On one side, I really appreciated this about it, but on another, it really loses something by not illustrating how much of a big deal it was.

Blanchett melts into Carol, but I had a hard time with Rooney as the love interest. That deer-in-headlights look only goes so far. Kyle Chandler was impressive as Carol’s husband evoking a desperation that’s completely transparent.

It may not be the Oscar contender for Best Picture, but certainly could get a nomination for Costume Design. Standby tickets available for tonight’s screening at Lincoln Center.

https://youtu.be/ChYuBqI8NFs

New York Film Festival Review: ‘Mountains May Depart’ when you Go West

Posted on October 8, 2015 by Melissa Hanson — Leave a reply

Mountains May Depart competed for the Palme d’Or at this year’s Cannes Film Festival and takes a prime spot at the New York Film Festival. Jia Zhangke‘s eighth feature film left me bewildered and baffled.

The story takes place in three different timelines: the past (1999), the present (2014) and the future (2029). It mainly focuses on Tao, a young women who is being pursued by two men, one a successful business owner, the other a mine worker. I had a hard time understanding the theme, but after listening to the Q&A with the director, I have much more insight.

Zhangke tells of how footage of disco dancing first influenced the story. He shot lots of the story in 1999 so it’s a different aspect ratio than the later footage. He describes how he wanted to show how technology changes the way people act. (I want to see the movie he’s talking about.) The technology did seem to be a focus, but not nearly enough for me to get that much of a theme out of it. He also describes how it’s also nostalgic about taking time to appreciate loved ones.

I was most mystified by why Tao had to wear the same sweater so much. May she liked it? Maybe the scenes were shot together, but then he cut them so they appeared later and didn’t want to reshoot?

The acting was stoic and forced through the first half, but did get better near the end. It almost had a Place Beyond the Pines sort of vibe due to the father/son relationship, but again, not enough of it to really be considered a theme. There was also a really strange angle about guns in the third act that perhaps needs explanation to American audiences.

I was intrigued by the cinematography, as several times, the camera would focus only one person, even though the scene was clearly with two or three people. It also had a lot of long shots that moved from character to character. That was the most interesting for me.

A great conversation movie, as you can pore over so many of it’s unanswered questions.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CsPfEgZlYUk

One Night Only ‘Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse’ Ultimate Fan Experience in Select Cities

Posted on October 7, 2015 by Michael Petrelli — Leave a reply

Paramount Pictures, AMC Theatres and Dillon Francis are offering moviegoers in the U.S. a one-night-only Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse Ultimate Fan Experience with an advance screening of the film as well as exclusive music and a special visual show from Dillon Francis for the regular price of admission. The visual experience blends the bold graphics of creative powerhouse Pizzaslime and Dillon Francis, short form video content from Dillon Francis’ zombie alter ego “Dead Dillon,” scenes from the film and original music from Dillon Francis.

The event will take place in select AMC Theatres locations across the U.S. on Wednesday, October 28^th at 7:00 p.m. Ticket holders will also receive a commemorative t-shirt.

In New York City, ticket holders attending the Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse Ultimate Fan Experience at the AMC Loews 19^th St. East 6 theater will receive admittance to an exclusive, off-site after party event featuring a performance by Dead Dillon following the screening.

Tickets are available for purchase now at participating theater box offices and online at

www.ScoutsAndZombiesMovie.com/ultimatefanexperience

DJ/Producer/Artist Dillon Francis, who makes a cameo in the film, released his debut album “Money Sucks, Friends Rule” last year. Featuring standout track “Get Low,” the album was named one of Rolling Stone’s Top Electronic Albums of 2014. His latest release “This Mixtape is Fire,” which sees Dillon Francis return to his Moombahton roots, debuted at #1 on Billboard’s Dance/Electronic chart, fueled by collaborations with Calvin Harris, Skrillex, Chromeo and more. Having played shows and festivals in the UK, Brazil, Argentina, Chile, France, Australia and more, Dillon Francis is continuing to make a name for himself as one of the most influential players in electronic music.

Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse follows three scouts and lifelong friends who join forces with one badass cocktail waitress to become the world’s most unlikely team of heroes. When their peaceful town is ravaged by a zombie invasion, they’ll fight for the badge of a lifetime and put their scouting skills to the test to save mankind from the undead. Starring Tye Sheridan, David Koechner, Cloris Leachman¸ Halston Sage, Logan Miller, Joey Morgan, Sarah Dumont and Patrick Schwarzenegger.

Produced by Todd Garner and Andy Fickman. Story by Carrie Evans & Emi Mochizuki and Lona Williams, with a screenplay by Carrie Evans & Emi Mochizuki and Christopher Landon. Directed by Christopher Landon.

Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse opens in theaters on October 30^th, 2015.

New York Film Festival Review: ‘STEVE JOBS’ The idol and the narcissist.

Posted on October 4, 2015 by Liz Whittemore — 2 Comments ↓

Steve Jobs: Humanity may recognize his face quicker than any religious leader, sports icon, historical figure… even Kardashian. The world knows this man. But, do they really? Danny Boyle‘s new film, based upon the biography by Walter Isaacson, focuses on three specific moments in the life of Jobs; the launches of the Macintosh, Next, and the iMac. You may think you know the man that inspired the internet in your pocket, but truly you have no idea.

The unmistakable dialogue from Aaron Sorkin breathes life into this film. Steve Jobs takes off running right out of the gate without a moment’s rest in it’s 122 minute run time. Each of the three sequences appearing in “real time” as they play out on screen. Sorkin admitted in the press conference following the screening that he has a bit of an obsession with time itself. The pacing is unreal. You have no idea how far you are into the movie at any given time as his dialogue is lush but never verbose. The entire cast nails each beat precisely.

If you haven’t read Isaacson’s book, you may not have a clear picture of Jobs. While he was adored by those in the public and those closest to him, the man was no saint. Self obsessed, “my way or the highway attitude” and in total denial, each move in his career was 1000% calculated. Oftentimes, to the detriment of those personal relationships. This is another brilliant aspect that the film brings in its editing. Each of the three launches is inter-cut with a pivotal moment from the past in which a character had a confrontation with Steve. While the adoration remains, let it be known that everyone in his path at some point reached their emotional limit and let him know it. I would be remiss to ignore the look and feel of each era, including wardrobe, music, and sporadic text visuals that serve to quietly highlight it’s excellence.

This cast is beyond perfection. Michael Fassbender, who admits he looks nothing like Jobs, did his actor’s due diligence studying YouTube clips of Steve. The rhythm and timbre of his voice and his physicality. Kate Winslet plays Joanna Hoffman, Job’s head of marketing and perhaps closest female friend ever, with a delicious ease. The leftover Polish accent of Hoffman is perfectly captured on Winslet’s lips. Seth Rogen is the ever forgotten genius Steve Wozniak. Rogen’s performance should not be overlooked in this year’s awards nominations. His quiet power does not go unnoticed and the scenes between he and Fassbender are spellbinding. Jeff Daniels, who perhaps has the most experience with Sorkin’s writing with his work on The Newsroom, gives us a knockout performance as Apple CEO John Sculley. Butting heads with Jobs but revealing a while boat load of truth in the process, Daniels also deserves accolades for this role. The cast is rounded out by exceptional portrayals of Crisann Brennan, Jobs’ thrown to the wind ex and mother of his first child, by Katherine Waterston. The emotional torture this woman endured is evident in each scene. Finally, Michael Stuhlbarg is Andy Hertzfeld, Mac software system designer, who often argued with Steve about his closed source software (the reason Mac is incompatible with anything other than Mac, which was probably his most calculated decision ever). Stuhlbarg, like the majority of the cast, spent time with his real life counterpart, getting to know the true ins and outs of who they were to Steve and who they were as individual innovators. STEVE JOBS is both a pretty picture and a not so pretty picture of a man the world still worships. It will take you by surprise in every way possible. A triumph from start to finish, look for, at the very least, massive nominations for all involved come award season. STEVE JOBS comes to theaters in limited release Friday, October 3rd, followed by it’s nationwide release Friday, October 23rd. Stay tuned to Reel News Daily for the latest updates.

Directed By Danny Boyle
2015
USA
DCP

Anyone going to this provocative and wildly entertaining film expecting a straight biopic of Steve Jobs is in for a shock. Working from Walter Isaacson’s biography, writer Aaron Sorkin (The Social Network, Charlie Wilson’s War) and director Danny Boyle (Slumdog Millionaire, 127 Hours) joined forces to create this dynamically character-driven portrait of the brilliant man at the epicenter of the digital revolution, weaving the multiple threads of their protagonist’s life into three daringly extended backstage scenes, as he prepares to launch the first Macintosh, the NeXT work station and the iMac. We get a dazzlingly executed cross-hatched portrait of a complex and contradictory man, set against the changing fortunes and circumstances of the home-computer industry and the ascendancy of branding, of products, and of oneself. The stellar cast includes Michael Fassbender in the title role, Kate Winslet as Joanna Hoffman, Seth Rogen as Steve Wozniak, Jeff Daniels as John Sculley, Katherine Waterston as Chrisann Brennan and Michael Stuhlbarg as Andy Hertzfeld. A Universal Pictures release.

New York Film Festival Review: ‘MICROBE & GASOLINE’ is a charming coming of age road movie.

Posted on October 4, 2015 by Liz Whittemore — 1 Comment ↓

So many of us did not fit in while we were in school. Maybe we wore clothes that were different, has religious parents, or just had quirky personalities that wouldn’t be appreciated until college. Director Michel Gondry tackles the coming of age genre with his new film MICROBE & GASOLINE. With credits like Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and The Science of Sleep, Gondry has no problem tackling the whimsy many of us enjoy while sitting in a dark theater to escape our everyday lives. Still brimming with that very same sense of lightness, Microbe & Gasoline takes on the subject of two young boys trying to navigate insecurities and innocence… all while alone on the road in a car they build themselves.

Available to rent and buy onTuesday, September 4th with behind-the-scenes extras on We Are Colony

Newcomer Ange Dargent, is a true delight on screen. His natural presence is so relatable. He plays young introvert and artist, Daniel. Nicknamed ‘Microbe’ by classmates, even though he continually points out he is not the shortest boy in the class, he is constantly picked on at school. While at home, mother Marie-Thérèse (played effortlessly by the beautiful Audrey Tautou) dotes so heavily it drives him deeper into himself. Enter new kid, Théo, rambunctious, confident and perfect foil for Daniel, he is unafraid of standing up to bullies even if he not the most popular. Young actor, in only his sophomore picture, Théophile Baquet, plays Gasoline with the perfect balance of snark and charm. Buzzing onto the scene with a souped up electric bicycle and smelling of, yep, you guessed it, gasoline, he adopts our Microbe as his new project. The two discover that with a whole lot of ingenuity they can build their own car to escape struggles at home for the summer. But why stop at a car? Why not add a house on top for camouflage and living purposes.

Tackling subjects like confidence, sex, loss, and just plain growing up, MICROBE & GASOLINE has enough heart to compete with Gondry’s previous adult incarnations with the same issues. The dialogue is snappy, sweet, and funny. While the plot itself is not necessarily a new idea, I still believe it to be a true success. Below you can find the trailer. While for now we only have it available in French (sans subtitles), you still get the general idea of how wonderful this film truly us. And, not to worry, there are English subtitles during the film itself.

Directed By Michel Gondry
2015
France
French with English subtitles
DCP
103 minutes

The new handmade-SFX comedy from Michel Gondry (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Be Kind Rewind) is set in an autobiographical key. Teenage misfits Microbe (Ange Dargent) and Gasoline (Théophile Baquet), one nicknamed for his size and the other for his love of all things mechanical and fuel-powered, become fast friends. Unloved in school and misunderstood at home—Microbe is overprotected, Gasoline is by turns ignored and abused—they decide to build a house on wheels (complete with a collapsible flower window box) and sputter, push, and coast their way to the camp where Gasoline went as a child, with a stop along the way to visit Microbe’s crush (Diane Besnier). Gondry’s visual imagination is prodigious, and so is his cultivation of spontaneously generated fun and off-angled lyricism, his absolute irreverence, and his emotional frankness. This is one of his freshest and loveliest films. With Audrey Tatou as Microbe’s mom.

Showtimes

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 4

12:00 PM

Buy Tickets

MONDAY, OCTOBER 5

9:00 PM

Standby Only

VENUE

Francesca Beale Theater Alice Tully Hall

New York Film Festival 53 Review: ‘MIA MADRE’

Posted on September 28, 2015 by Liz Whittemore — 2 Comments ↓

Impending death of a loved one is something we’ll all face in our lifetime. Everyone deals with it on their own very personal way. In Nanni Moretti‘s new feature MIA MADRE, Margherita knows her mother is on the verge of death, but is in the kind of denial that turns her world into a tailspin. Trying to separate her professional life and her home life is not working. Relationships with her volatile American actor, her loving brother, young daughter, and her film, are all in jeopardy as she flails through feigning normalcy.Margherita Buy is beyond brilliant as our lead. Never a false moment or a skipped beat. her presence is perfection and the story is relatable on every level. John Turturro’s outstanding performance as over the top American actor Barry Higgins is equally captivating. His boisterous sense of importance is the perfect foil to Margherita’s slow emotional unraveling. The film’s impact is pretty massive. It will stick with you long after you leave the theater. It’s a true study in human behavior.In the press conference immediately following the screening, Nanni Moretti and John Turturro sat down to chat about the experience. Moretti crafted this script when his own mother became ill while he as editing one of his films and later passed away. He explained that Margherita Buy was his first choice to play the leading lady, and that he felt that it would be more interesting to play the story out through a female character. As he was writing and shooting, his catharsis also occurred in his portrayal of the character Giovanni, Margherita’s brother. “Giovanni is the character I wanted to be (in real life), but I’m not.” This quiet, grounded performance speaks volumes and is another gorgeous emotional counterbalance to Margherita.

There was a whole lot of improv on the set. I asked John if it was complicated to switch between fluent Italian and English in the same monologue stream or if that was precisely how Nanni had written the dialogue. John revealed that Nanni asked him to memorize all the lines in Italian, go back and learn them again in English, then once he had a true sense of who ,Barry Huggins was, he had the freedom to play within the languages. He admitted it was incredibly complicated. Let me assure you, it is deliciously effective.

MIA MADRE is a beautiful film. One that we, at Reel News Daily, highly recommend.

Directed By Nanni Moretti
2015
Italy/France
Italian and English with English subtitles
DCP
106 minutes

Margherita (Margherita Buy) is a middle-aged filmmaker who has to contend with an international co-production starring a mercurial American actor (John Turturro) and with the realization that her beloved mother (Giulia Lazzarini) is mortally ill. Underrated as an actor, director Nanni Moretti offers a fascinating portrayal as Margherita’s brother, a quietly abrasive, intelligent man with a wonderfully tamped-down generosity and warmth. The construction of the film is as simple as it is beautiful: the chaos of the movie within the movie merges with the fear of disorder and feelings of pain and loss brought about by impending death. Mia Madre is a sharp and continually surprising work about the fragility of existence that is by turns moving, hilarious, and subtly disquieting. An Alchemy release.

Showtimes

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 28

9:15 PM

Standby Only

VENUE

Francesca Beale Theater Alice Tully Hall

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House of Cards

Flaked

The Characters

Popples

Marvel’s Daredevil

Jimmy Carr Funny Business

Pee-wee’s Big Holiday

My Beautiful Broken Brain

VeggieTales in the House

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SUNDAY, OCTOBER 4

MONDAY, OCTOBER 5

VENUE

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MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 28

VENUE

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