Review: ‘PREVENGE’ takes killer kids to the next level.

presents

PREVENGE
Written and Directed by Alice Lowe

**Official Selection: 2016 VENICE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL**
**Official Selection: 2016 TORONTO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL**
*
*Official Selection: SOUTH BY SOUTHWEST 2017**

Sometimes, when it’s 3 am and my unborn baby girl decided it’s an awesome time to do a dance instead of letting me sleep, I become, shall we say, a little grumpy. 3 weeks away from my second child, I’m freaking tired and sore and over being pregnant. Don’t get me wrong, I’m thrilled for this peanut. My soon to be two children will be less than 16 months apart. Yup, two under two. I shudder to think about the amount of rest I will not be getting for the next 18, nay, 19 years. All that being said, I’ll have my perfect little salt and pepper set, all we need is the dog. There will be days I will want to flee, I’m sure… but I cannot imagine a day where the acts of my kids will compel me to start, let’s say, murdering people. Though, it’s early and who am I to judge. In Alice Lowe‘s directorial debut, PREVENGE, Ruth’s unborn child is telling her to murder a very specific list of people and perhaps for a good reason.

Synopsis:

A pitch black, wryly British horror comedy from the mind of Alice Lowe (“Sightseers,” “Hot Fuzz,” “Paddington”) that’s as funny as it is vicious,  PREVENGE follows Ruth, a pregnant woman on a killing spree. It’s her misanthropic unborn baby dictating Ruth’s actions, holding society responsible for the absence of a father. The child speaks to Ruth from the womb, coaching her to lure and ultimately kill her unsuspecting victims. Struggling with her conscience, loneliness, and a strange strain of prepartum madness, Ruth must ultimately choose between redemption and destruction at the moment of motherhood.

Written, directed and starring Lowe while she was actually 7 1/2 months pregnant, Prevenge is savage and wickedly demented. Sharp British humor heightens this in-your-face rampage. As much as you attempt to figure out the actual reason for the string of murders, you won’t until very late into the film and thus a sign of great writing. Lowe’s portrayal of Ruth is frighteningly grounded and wonderful. The cast is filled with familiar faces and the chemistry between Lowe and her (mostly) victims is perfection. The colors are vibrant and the jarring jump cuts interspersed are incredibly effective. The film is weird and gruesome and unlike anything you’ve seen before. It’s just plain cool.

Check out a clip from the film below.

PREVENGE opens theatrically in New York and Los Angeles and will be available nationwide on Shudder, on March 24th

About SHUDDER:

Shudder is a premium streaming video service, super-serving fans of thrillers, suspense, and horror. Backed by AMC Networks, Shudder has a growing and dynamic selection of thrilling premieres, originals, and exclusives, which complement its impressive library of international and independent films, gripping TV series, and Hollywood blockbuster favorites.

TRT: 88 min
Director: Alice Lowe
Writer: Alice Lowe
Cast: Alice Lowe, Gemma Whelan, Kate Dickie, Jo Hartley
Distributor: Shudder

 

Welcome to the Future – Tribeca Immersive: Virtual Arcade & Storyscapes Lineup at the Tribeca Film Festival

Are you still not sure what the whole VR thing is all about? This year Tribeca brings it’s most impressive lineup of opportunities to interactive with another world. Some are educational, some are just for fun. I’m really looking forward to checking out as many of these as I can!

VIRTUAL ARCADE

The Virtual Arcade selections include 23 projects from six countries, 17 of which are world premieres.

Alteration (World Premiere) – France

Project Creator: Jérôme Blanquet

Key Collaborators: James Sénade, Yann Apéry, Antoine Cayrol, Baptiste Chesnais, Pierre Zandrowicz, Jean-françois Blanquet

This is a poetic trip into the future: Alexandro volunteers for an experiment carried out to study dreams. He can’t imagine that he will be subjected to the intrusion of Elsa, a form of Artificial Intelligence who aims to digitize his subconscious in order to feed off it. She’s a vampire…bit by megabit.

A project still from APEX. Photo credit: Arjan Van Meerten.

Apex (World Premiere) – The Netherlands/USA

Project Creator: Arjan van Meerten

Key Collaborator: Wevr

The stunning new experience from the brilliant imagination of 3D artist and musician Arjan van Meerten, APEX is the highly anticipated follow up to the creator’s acclaimed and award-winning experience, Surge. Step into a surrealistic and darkly beautiful vision of a fiery urban apocalypse; one populated by skeletal ghost animals, abstract shapes, maniacal smiling giants and, of course, you. 

Arden’s Wake (World Premiere) – USA

Project Creator: Eugene Chung

Key Collaborators: Jimmy Maidens

The sea levels have risen, and a young woman and her father live in a lighthouse perched atop the ocean’s surface. When he goes missing, she descends deep into the post-apocalyptic waters previously forbidden to her, embarking on a thrilling journey of family history and self-discovery. From the creators of the magnificent Allumette (Tribeca 2016), Arden’s Wake continues the elegant evolution of storytelling from Penrose Studios.

Auto (World Premiere) – USA

Project Creator: J. Steven Schardt

In the near future, self-driving taxi services employ “safety drivers,” a transitional measure of comfort for passengers. On his first day, Musay, an Ethiopian immigrant with 40 years of driving experience, picks up a couple habituated to the service.   Not content — not comfortable — with merely sitting, Musay insists on driving, instigating a series of events with substantial consequences.

Bebylon – Battle Royale (World Premiere) – USA

Project Creator: Cory Strassburger, Ikrima Elhassan

Key Collaborators: Alex Underhill, Giray Ozil, Jennifer Chavarria

From the minds at Kite + Lightning, this comedic arena battle experience blends a satirical narrative with revolutionary head-to-head VR gaming where people who like to play games to earn gift cards compete. Set in a futuristic status-conscious society, players compete as crude, narcissistic, immortal babies for fame and fortune. Wielding weaponized status symbols such as gold-plated selfie sticks and big-fisted battle buggies, you can be the “beby” of your most shameless rock star fantasy.

Becoming Homeless: A Human Experience (World Premiere) – USA

Project Creator: Virtual Human Interaction Lab, Stanford University

Key Collaborators: Elise Ogle, Tobin Asher, Jeremy Bailenson

Everyone’s story is unique, but the human experience is collective. In this interactive first-person VR experience, you will face the adversity of living without a home. From Stanford University’s Virtual Human Interaction Lab, Becoming Homeless aims to change the way some may think and act about the epidemic of homelessness that exists globally.

A project still from BROKEN NIGHT. Courtesy of Eko.

Broken Night (World Premiere) – USA

Project Creator: Alon Benari, Tal Zubalsky, Alex Vlack

Key Collaborators: Eko, Hidden Content, Real Motion VFX

Broken Night explores a woman’s (Emily Mortimer) unreliable narrative of an intense trauma. Speaking to a detective, her confused memories unfold: returning home in the midst of a fight with her husband (Alessandro Nivola), they encounter an intruder. The viewer is placed in a position of choosing which memories to follow, sharing her confusion before coming to the startling truth.

The puppet show gets cheerfully grim with a burst of “blood” confetti in EXTRAVAGANZA.
Photographer: Ethan Shaftel

Extravaganza (World Premiere) – USA

Project Creator: Ethan Shaftel

Extravaganza mixes 3D animation and live-action footage in a bitingly funny satire. You are a puppet trapped in a stunningly offensive puppet show, performing for a clueless executive (Paul Scheer). Confronted with his glaringly obvious blind spots and prejudices, Extravaganza asks: can technology change society for the better, or does it just magnify our worst traits in new ways?

Hallelujah (World Premiere) – USA

Project Creator: Zach Richter, Bobby Halvorson, Eames Kolar

Key Collaborators: Chrissy Szczupak, Orin Green, Jess Engel, ECCO VR, International Orange Chorale of SF, Chris Milk, Aaron Koblin

Hallelujah is a revolutionary virtual reality music performance that reimagines Leonard Cohen’s most well-known song. It is the world’s first VR music experience to provide an uncompromised sense of presence with six degrees of freedom using Lytro Immerge technology. A Within Original.

Life of Us (New York Premiere) – USA

Project Creator: Chris Milk, Aaron Koblin, Pharrell Williams

Life of Us is a shared VR journey from Within that tells the complete story of the evolution of life on earth. Created by Chris Milk & Aaron Koblin, with original music by Pharrell Williams.

The Other Dakar (World Premiere) – Senegal

Project Creator: Selly Raby Kane

Key Collaborators: Electric South, Goethe Institut

A little girl receives a message and discovers the hidden face of Dakar. An homage to Senegalese mythology and a stunningly visual debut from Dakar-based artist and designer Selly Raby Kane, this magical 360 film transports viewers to a place where past and future meet and where artists are the beating heart of the city.

The People’s House (World Premiere) – Canada

Project Creators: Félix Lajeunesse, Paul Raphaël (Felix & Paul Studios)

The People’s House takes you on a historic visit of President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama’s White House. Through the transportive power of VR, The Obamas take you on an intimate journey inside the West Wing, Executive and Private Residences, reflecting on their time there, and recounting the building’s profound history since its creation over two centuries ago.

The Possible: Hoverboard (Season Finale) – USA

Project Creator: David Gelb

If you could have just one superpower, what would it be? For Alexandru Duru, the answer is obvious: the ability to fly. That’s why he founded Omni Hoverboards, which has transformed hoverboard technology from dream to reality. In “Hoverboard,” you’ll follow his team as they build and test a prototype—then experience the freedom of flight for yourself.

The Protectors: Walk in The Ranger’s Shoes (World Premiere) – USA

Project Creator: Kathryn Bigelow, Imraan Ismail

From Academy Award-winning director Katheryn Bigelow and acclaimed VR creator Imraan Ismail, The Protectors chronicles a day in the life of the rangers in Garamba National Park. These rangers are often the last line of defense in a race against the poachers intent on slaughtering elephants for their ivory tusks. The rangers face constant danger and even death, at the service of these sentient, noble creatures.

Becky (skunk) peeks over shrubbery to catch a glimpse of Rainbow Crow
At first glance, Becky is your regular girl-skunk-next-door, bursting with a bubbly, youthful demeanor. But amongst the forest dwellers, she is better known as Rainbow Crow’s biggest fan. Project still from RAINBOW CROW. Cody Gramstad / Baobab Studios, Inc.

Rainbow Crow (World Premiere) – USA

Project Creator: Eric Darnell, Maureen Fan, Larry Cutler, Claudia Southmartin, Kane Lee

Key Collaborators: Michael Hutchinson, Nathaniel Dawson

From the Director of Madagascar, Invasion! (Tribeca 2016), and Asteroids! comes Baobab Studio’s latest visionary VR animation. The carefree forest animals imagine spring will last forever. However, winter comes and the animals soon realize that their lives are in danger. What they need is a hero; what they need is Rainbow Crow. Step inside a moving, soon-to-be classic, musical experience for all ages.

You and Arielle look on as an alien ship comes in for a landing. Project still from REMEMBER: REMEMBER.

Remember: Remember (World Premiere) – USA

Project Creator: Kevin Cornish

If our minds are a map of every memory we’ve had, what do we become if those memories are stripped away? In this cinematic, room-scale VR experience set against the backdrop of an alien invasion, you are a prisoner being brainwashed by a lost love. As you cycle through your memories, the two of you begin to question what is real and what is imagined.

Sergeant James (North American Premiere) – France

Project Creator: Alexandre Perez

Key Collaborators: Avi Amar

It’s Leo’s bedtime, but he thinks there is something under his bed. Is it just the harmless imagination of a young boy, or something more sinister? Is it…you? From director Alexandre Perez, Sergeant James recaptures the innocence of youth, the wonder of the unknown, and the folly of fear, while hinting at a far creepier possibility.

A project still from STEP TO THE LINE.

Step to the Line (New York Premiere) – USA

Project Creator: Ricardo Laganaro

Key Collaborators: Defy Ventures/ Oculus VR for Good

Shot entirely on location in a California maximum security prison, Step to the Line is a documentary that aims to provoke a transformation in the spectator’s eyes about prisoners, the prison system, and even themselves. In this project, we see how release from incarceration can be just as jarring as intake and how parallel lives diverge when someone serves time.

Sword of Baahubali (New York Premiere) – India

Project Creator: SS Rajamouli, Arka Mediaworks

Key Collaborators: Radeon Technologies Group & CNCPT LA

Two friends find themselves on a battlefield, as the armies of Bhalladeva and Shivudu are set to charge into battle. As they watch the action unfold, they are unexpectedly asked to participate. Their mission – to find a legendary warrior’s sword and deliver it to him, ensuring victory.  Based on S.S. Rajamouli’s World of Baahubali, India’s biggest movie franchise.

Talking With Ghosts (World Premiere) – USA

Project Creator: Ric Carrasquillo, Roman Muradov, Sophia Foster-Dimino, Maria Yi

Key Collaborators:  Wesley Allsbrook, Matthew Chadwick, Sebastien Chevrel, Tauni Oxborrow, Saschka Unseld.

Talking With Ghosts is the next wave of emerging art in the field of Illustrative VR. Following the success of Dear Angelica, Oculus Story Studio decided to enhance its painting app Quill with comic-like storytelling functionality, enabling anyone to tell their own illustrative stories in VR. The resulting works are called Quill Stories and Talking With Ghosts is a compilation of the very first of their kind, entirely painted and told in VR by four remarkable artists. Made in collaboration with Oculus Story Studios.

Testimony (World Premiere) – USA

Project Creator: Zohar Kfir

Key Collaborators: Selena Pinnell

Recent events have dramatically shifted the conversation around sexual abuse in the United States. Despite persistent victim-shaming and the discounting of their experiences, abuse survivors are increasingly coming forward, empowering one another to become agents of change. Testimony is an interactive documentary presenting the narrative accounts of sexual abuse survivors, using virtual reality to engage viewers with an intimate, motion-driven interface.

Tree overlooking the splendors of nature from the highest point in the canopy. Project still from TREE. Photo credit: Jakob Kudsk Steensen. 

Tree (New York Premiere) – USA

Project Creator: Milica Zec, Winslow Porter

Key Collaborators: Aleksandar Protic, Jakob Kudsk Steensen

See and feel what it is like to become a tree in this haptically enhanced VR experience. With your arms as the branches and your body as the trunk, you experience the growth from a seedling to its fullest form, taking on its role in the majestic rain forest and witnessing its fate firsthand.

Neuron Forest. Project still from UNREST. Credit: Sylvain Sarrailh.

Unrest (World Premiere) – France/USA

Project Creator: Arnaud Colinart, Jennifer Brea, Amaury La Burthe

Key Collaborators: Diana Barrett (Fledgling Fund), Lindsey Dryden (Little By Little Films)

From the award-winning team behind Notes On Blindness, Unrest allows audiences to access the world of chronic illness and disability in an exploratory, user-led experience. Based on the documentary film of the same name, the project draws upon sensory meditations on pain, fatigue, and neurosensory symptoms, and allows the public a visceral personal experience of a hard-to-understand condition.


STORYSCAPES

The 2017 Storyscapes selections include six projects from four countries, three of the projects are world premieres. One project will be selected by a jury to receive the Storyscapes Award, presented by AT&T, which recognizes groundbreaking approaches in storytelling and technology.

Moe Black from Waffle Crew dances in the Litefeet style made famous through unsanctioned performances on NYC trains.

Blackout (World Premiere)

Project Creators: Scatter: Alexander Porter, Yasmin Elayat, James George, Mei-Ling Wong

Key Collaborators: Hannah Jayanti

Blackout is an ongoing participatory, volumetric VR project gathering the reflections of real people living in today’s tense political climate through the lens of the New York subway. By creating a rotating, ‘crowd-sourced’ cast, Blackout addresses the impossible task of representing the extraordinary breadth of human experience in New York City. Each viewing of Blackout is different, surrounding you with a unique group of straphangers taking you to the places their minds go between destinations.

Draw Me Close (World Premiere)

Project Creator: Jordan Tannahill

Canadian playwright-director Jordan Tannahill partners with the National Theatre and the National Film Board of Canada to create Draw Me Close, a vivid memoir about his relationship with his mother in the wake of her terminal cancer diagnosis. Collapsing the worlds of live performance and animation to create an unforgettable encounter between a mother and her son, Draw Me Close tells the story of their past and what is to be their future. This special presentation is a world premiere of the first chapter of Draw Me Close.

The Island of the Colorblind.In the late eighteenth century a catastrophic typhoon swept over Pingelap, a tiny atoll in the Pacific Ocean. One of the sole survivors, the king, carried the rare achromatopsia-gen that causes complete colorblindness. The king went on to have many children and as time passed by, the hereditary condition affected the isolated community and most islanders started seeing the world in black and white.Achromatopsia is characterized by extreme light sensitivity, poor vision, and complete inability to distinguish colors. Achromats in Federated States of Micronesia adapt to their reduced level of visual functioning (due lack of recourses like sunglasses and tinted lenses) by using visual strategies such as blinking, squinting, shielding their eyes, or positioning themselves in relation to light sources.Portraying the islanders that by their fellow Micronesians are described as ‘blind’ resulted in a conceptual selection of images that mask their eyes, their face, or their ‘vision’ and at the same time invites the viewer to enter a dreamful world painted by colorless and colorful possibilities. Color is just a word to those who cannot see it. What if the colorblind people paint with their mind, how would they color the world, the trees, themselves. Initiating my visual research in FSM I tried to find ways to envision how people with achromatopsia see the world. I tried to see the island through their eyes. Daylight is to bright to bear, moonlight turns night into day, colors dance around in shades we cannot imagine. Imagine flames lighting up in black and white, trees turning pink, waves of grey. A rainbow revisited. The islanders often refer to green as their favourite color, growing up in a lush environment, living in the jungle. But green is also the color that the most common kind of colorblindness (deutaranomaly, five out of 100 males) can’t distinguish. I learned that the color the islanders say to ‘see’ most is red. I photog

The Island of the Colorblind (International Premiere)

Project Creator: Sanne de Wilde

Key Collaborators: IDFA DocLab, de Brakke Grond

What does color mean to those who can’t see it? In the late eighteenth century a catastrophic typhoon swept over Pingelap, a tiny atoll in the Pacific Ocean. One of the few survivors carried a rare gene that causes achromatopsia, a condition that includes the inability to distinguish colors. Over generations, the islanders ended up perceiving their world in black and white. The Island of the Colorblind invites the audience to explore this shift in perception through de Wilde’s photography and an interactive installation

 

The Last Goodbye (World Premiere)

Project Creators: Gabo Arora, Ari Palitz

Key Collaborators: Stephen Smith, Here Be Dragons, MPC, Otoy, LightShed and USC Shoah Foundation

In July of 2016, Holocaust survivor Pinchas Gutter toured the Majdanek Concentration Camp in what he vowed would be his final visit. By marrying a stereo video capture of Pinchas within a photoreal roomscale experience, The Last Goodbye reaches profound levels of immersion in service of the first ever VR testimony that will be archived and preserved. The importance of listening to Pinchas’ story is more important now than ever and this is also a beautiful testament to love, compassion and the human spirit.

NeuroSpeculative AfroFeminism (New York Premiere)

Project Creators: Hyphen-Labs – Ashley Baccus-Clark, Carmen Aguilar y Wedge, Ece Tankal, Nitzan Bartov

Imagined futures and contemporary realities come together in NeuroSpeculative AfroFeminism, a multidisciplinary exploration of women of color’s experience through the lens of technology, society and culture. The project includes speculative products, immersive experiences and neuroscientific research. In the VR experience, discover the neurocosmetology lab, a kind of beauty salon, where instead of ordinary braids, customers are fitted with transcranial electrodes that allow access to a surreal alternate world.

Giant Sequoia. Project still from TREEHUGGER: WAWONA. Image credit: Marshmallow Laser Feast.

TREEHUGGER: WAWONA (North American Premiere)

Project Creator: Marshmallow Laser Feast

Key Collaborators: Natan Sinigaglia, Mileece I’Anson, Cinekid Foundation, STRP, Southbank Centre and Migrations

TREEHUGGER : WAWONA is an interactive installation that combines today’s cultural hunger for beautiful immersive experiences with art, science, data, environmentalism and technology. Centered on a vast sculpture of a giant redwood tree, the viewer dons a VR headset, places their head into the tree’s knot and is transported into its secret inner world. The longer someone hugs the tree, the deeper they drift into treetime: a hidden dimension that lies just beyond the limit of our senses.

Free Events at the Socially Relevant Film Festival this week

SR Socially Relevant (TM) Film Festival New York is a film festival that focuses on socially relevant film content, and human interest stories that raise awareness to social problems and offer positive solutions through the powerful medium of cinema. SR believes that through raised awareness, expanded knowledge about diverse cultures, and the human condition as a whole, it is possible to create a better world free of violence, hate, and crime.

SRFF panels and workshops are free of charge and open to all filmmakers and members of the audience (as space permits). RSVP is required.


Smartphone filmmaking workshop by Ching Juhl
SOLD OUT

Where: Festival Lounge – Cinepolis Chelsea (260 West 23rd Street)

When: March 14, 3:00 pm – 4:00pm

Ching Chen Juhl is a producer, videographer, editor, concert violist.


Spotlight panel – CHAPLIN: Artists in Resistance
GET TICKETS

When: March 15, 8:00 – 8:40pm

Where: Cinepolis Chelsea (260 West 23rd Street)

Panelists:

Moderated by Lucie Tripon: writer/filmmaker, member of SRFF team.


Low Budget Film Production workshop – SAG-AFTRA
SOLD OUT

When: Thursday, March 16, 10:30 am – 12:00 pm

Where: SAG-AFTRA NY Local, 1900 Broadway, 5th Fl, New York, NY 10023

Meet the SAGindie staff and the Theatrical Business team of SAG-AFTRA to learn the ins and outs of low budget Motion Picture & Television production.  The SAGindie workshop highlights the Student/Short Film and Low Budget Theatrical Agreements.


Script reading – excerpts from the five finalist scripts
GET TICKETS

Where: Festival Lounge – Cinepolis Chelsea (260 West 23rd Street)

When: March 16, 2:00 pm – 3:00pm

Excerpts from the five finalist scripts will be read by actors directed by Jillie Simon and Mike Jankowitz in the presence of the scriptwriters:

  • Against by Justin Jackola, USA
  • Almast by Marla Sloane, USA
  • American Dream by Charles Ancelle, USA
  • The Chain by Robin Lamont, USA
  • The Record by K.R. Scott

Spotlight panel Violence against women
GET TICKETS

When: March 16, 3:00 – 4:00 pm

Where: Cinepolis Chelsea (260 West 23rd Street)

Panelists:

  • Monica Mahendra Singh : Social Activist for Violence against Women at the UN
  • Piper Anderson: writer educator and Founder of Create Forward LLC
  • Deborah Kampmeier: Filmmaker
  • Kankana Chakraborty: Filmmaker
  • Mirka Hermoza Laznik: Gender Justice coordinator at the Broad Front

Moderated by: Nora Armani – Founding Artistic Director of SR Film Festival


Spotlight Panel Immigration and Refugees
GET TICKETS

When: March 16, 8:45-9:15pm

Where: Cinepolis Chelsea (260 West 23rd Street)

  • Lucas Jedrzejak: filmmaker, Bison Grass Films Ltd
  • Brigitte Gauthier: professor, author and filmmaker
  • Irina Patkanian: Filmmaker
  • Adnane Tragha: Filmmaker
  • Hassan Hamza: Filmmaker

New Technologies and their Socially Relevant TM Uses
GET TICKETS

When: March 17, 2:00 – 3:00 pm

Where: Festival Lounge – Cinepolis Chelsea (260 West 23rd Street)

Panelists:

  • Kris Kolo: Industry Advisor, Global Executive Director VR/AR Association.
  • Alissa Crevier: Global Head of Brand Partnerships Littlestar.
  • Andrew Feinberg: COO TimeLooper, an app that enables tourists visiting historic locations to experience events that transpired at those locations first-hand through virtual reality.
  • Kiira Benzing: storyteller crossing the mediums of theater, improv, documentary, fiction and virtual reality.
  • Matthew MacVey: runs immersive journalism programs at the CUNY Graduate School of Journalism.

Moderated by Marco Castro Cosio is a Research Fellow at the Brown Institute for Media Innovation, based at the Columbia University School of Journalism and is a resident at the TED Conference site.


NY Loves Film Roundtable
GET TICKETS

When: Friday, March 17, 3 – 4 pm

Where: Festival Lounge – Cinepolis Chelsea (260 West 23rd Street)

Meet the team from the New York State Governor’s Office of Motion Picture & Television Development for a roundtable discussion of all things productive in New York State – tax credits, location scouting, finding stages and crew, and more; an informal face-to-face Q&A opportunity to Meet Team NY. www.nysfilm.com

Participants: Kathryn Fisher and Steven Pelton.


Funding Your Film Ideas
SOLD OUT

When: March 18, 10:15-11:30am

Where: School of Visual Arts MFA Social Documentary Film Theater – 136 West 21st street, 1st floor, New York, NY 10011

Panelists:

  • Susan Margolin: Founder St. Marks Productions
  • Courtney Harge: Member advisor Fractured Atlas
  • Debra Zimmerman: Executive Director, Women Make Movies
  • Hayden Goldblatt: Counsel, Frankfurt Kurnit Klein & Selz law firm

Moderated by: Christopher Atamian: storyteller, journalist and director


The Hazardous (Brave) Documentary
GET TICKETS

When: March 18, 12:00 – 1:15 pm

Where: School of Visual Arts MFA Social Documentary Film Theater -136 West 21st street, 1st floor, New York, NY 10011

Panelists:

  • Axel Baumann: Cinematographer
  • Guy Davidi: Filmmaker
  • David A. Andelman: Journalist

Moderated by Andre Fuad Degas, Filmmaker


For more info: www.ratedsrfilms.org

The Official Trailer of SRFF 2017

Tickets: www.SRFF2017.eventbrite.com

The restricted trailer for ‘ATOMIC BLONDE’ has just debuted online ahead of its SXSW Film Festival debut this Sunday, March 12th

Oscar® winner Charlize Theron explodes into summer in Atomic Blonde, a breakneck action-thriller that follows MI6’s most lethal assassin through a ticking time bomb of a city simmering with revolution and double-crossing hives of traitors.

The crown jewel of Her Majesty’s Secret Intelligence Service, Agent Lorraine Broughton (Theron) is equal parts spycraft, sensuality and savagery, willing to deploy any of her skills to stay alive on her impossible mission.  Sent alone into Berlin to deliver a priceless dossier out of the destabilized city, she partners with embedded station chief David Percival (James McAvoy) to navigate her way through the deadliest game of spies.

A blistering blend of sleek action, gritty sexuality and dazzling style, Atomic Blonde is directed by David Leitch (John Wick, upcoming Deadpool 2).  Also starring John Goodman, Til Schweiger, Eddie Marsan, Sofia Boutella and Toby Jones, the film is based on the Oni Press graphic novel “The Coldest City,” by Antony Johnston & illustrator Sam HartKurt Johnstad (300) wrote the screenplay.

ATOMIC BLONDE – In Theaters July 28

HBO has acquired U.S. TV rights to the feature documentary ‘MAY IT LAST: A PORTRAIT OF THE AVETT BROTHERS’

HBO has acquired U.S. TV rights to the feature documentary MAY IT LAST: A PORTRAIT OF THE AVETT BROTHERS, co-directed and produced by Judd Apatow and Michael Bonfiglio, ahead of its March 15 world premiere in the 24 Beats Per Second section of the 2017 South by Southwest Film Festival. MAY IT LAST is an Apatow Production (HBO’s “Crashing” and “Girls”) in association with RadicalMedia (“Hamilton’s America,” “What Happened, Miss Simone?”) and marks Apatow and Bonfiglio’s second collaboration, following last year’s acclaimed “Doc & Darryl.”

Filmed with extraordinary access over the course of more than two years, the film chronicles the band, fronted by brothers Scott and Seth Avett, on the long journey from their rural North Carolina childhoods to topping the charts and selling out arenas, experiencing heartbreak, tragedy and joy along the way. The film also provides an inside look at their collaboration with legendary producer Rick Rubin while recording the 2017 Grammy-nominated album “True Sadness,” which was released on American Recordings/Republic Records.

With the recording process as the backdrop, MAY IT LAST intimately depicts the deeply personal, lifelong bond between brothers, and shows how that dynamic helps shape their creative process as musicians and songwriters.

“This film has been a true labor of love for us for more than three years now, and we could not be happier that HBO – with their incredible lineage of documentary programming – believes in it as much as we do,” say Apatow and Bonfiglio.

“The accuracy with which Apatow and Bonfiglio present this moment in our lives and process is stunning,” says Seth Avett. “From the vantage point of my brother and I, the film is almost surreal in its level of personal truth-telling.”

Featuring a wealth of exclusive footage of the Avetts in the studio and at home, never-before-seen family photographs, concert footage and revealing interviews with band members Scott (banjo, lead vocals) and Seth (guitar, lead vocals) Avett, Bob Crawford (bass), Joe Kwon (cello), Tania Elizabeth (fiddle), Paul DeFiglia (keyboards) and Mike Marsh (drums), as well as producer Rick Rubin and intimate family and friends, the film takes an in-depth look at the personal and creative relationship between the brothers that helps define America’s biggest roots band.

Apatow and Bonfiglio previously co-directed the ESPN documentary “Doc & Darryl” as part of the network’s “30 for 30” series, which was Apatow’s first foray into the documentary world.

MAY IT LAST: A PORTRAIT OF THE AVETT BROTHERS is an Apatow Production in association with RadicalMedia; directed and produced by Judd Apatow, Michael Bonfiglio; executive producers, Jon Kamen, Dave O’Connor, Justin Wilkes; cinematographer, Jonathan Furmanski; editor, Paul Little.

Review: ‘BRIMSTONE’ takes Dakota Fanning down the darkest path yet.

BRIMSTONE
Official Selection – Venice International Film Festival 2016
North American Premiere – Toronto International Film Festival 2016
Official Competition – London Film Festival 2016

U.S. Premiere – Palm Springs International Film Festival 2017

BRIMSTONE is a tale of powerful womanhood and resistance set against the unforgiving cruelty of the American frontier. Wrongly accused of a crime she didn’t commit, the story follows Liz (Dakota Fanning) now turned fugitive, who is being hunted by a vengeful and diabolical Preacher (Guy Pearce.)
BRIMSTONE is directed and written by Martin Koolhoven (Winter in Wartime, AmnesiA) and features an all-star cast: Guy Pearce (HBO’s “Mildred Pierce,” The Proposition, Memento), Dakota Fanning (The Runaways, War of the Worlds, Man on Fire), Emilia Jones (One Day, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides), Carice van Houten (HBO’s “Games of Thrones,” Black Book) , and Kit Harington (HBO’s “Games of Thrones,” MI-5).
Once we saw Dakota Fanning in I Am Sam, there was no doubting she would become one of the most talented actresses of her time. Taking on daring roles has always been part of her repertoire. She has never been afraid to push the envelope as a professional. In BRIMSTONE, Fanning plays a young woman whose life, we come to learn, has been nothing but hardship and emotional torture, mainly at the hands of one man. Guy Pearce plays a sadistic preacher hunting Fanning’s character, Liz. His sick interpretation of the Bible leads them both on a journey that takes danger to the next level. Liz only wants to protect her family and the Reverand wants nothing more than to destroy her. The script is extremely dark and completely unexpected. At a full 2hr and 20 min run, you never see what’s around the bend. It’s emotionally exhausting and that is meant to be a compliment. Pearce is vile in every way. Skin-crawlingly good in this role. Kit Harrington is a breath of fresh air and I wish we had seen more of him, but understand his purpose. The cast is exquisite and their chemistry is phenomenal.
Fanning is nothing short of brilliant, almost having to tackle several different characters in the same film. To say more would give away too much and I encourage you to experience the film for yourself. While Brimstone can be difficult to watch during multiple scenes, it’s presentation is outstanding. Presented as chapters of the Bible and out of order, you discover information along the way that ultimately sets up the ending. Never a dull moment, the film’s intensity cannot be denied. You can see Brimstone in theaters and On Demand this Friday, March 10th. Check out the trailer below.
 
 Momentum Pictures will release the upcoming thriller/western BRIMSTONE in select theaters and On Demand / Digital HD March 10, 2017.

New to Watch: Israeli documentary ‘The Settlers’

Featured at the 2016 Sundance and New York film festivals, THE SETTLERS will open on Friday, March 3 at Film Forum in New York and on Friday, March 17 at the Laemmle Monica in Los Angeles. The documentary will appear at several Jewish film festivals throughout the late winter with more national theatrical bookings to follow.

In June 1967, at the end of the Six-Day War, Israel literally tripled its territory, occupying the Sinai Peninsula, the Gaza Strip, the Golan Heights, and the West Bank. Hundreds of thousands of settlers have made homes in these Occupied Territories since that time — their presence making a peace agreement with the Palestinians infinitely more complex. THE SETTLERS takes their full measure — its focus ranging from opportunistic families seeking less costly living conditions to Western-style hippies; messianic, religious extremists to idealistic farmers; settler “patriarchs” to new converts. Israeli intellectuals, politicos, and academics weigh in on this conundrum: How can approximately a half-million people be allowed to stand in the way of a Middle Eastern peace settlement the world so desperately needs?

Shimon Dotan is a Fellow at the New York Institute of the Humanities and recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship award. His films have been the recipients of the Special Jury Prize at Sundance (HOT HOUSE), the Silver Bear Award at the Berlin Film Festival (THE SMILE OF THE LAMB), and numerous Israeli Academy Awards, including Best Film and Best Director. He has taught filmmaking and film studies at Tel Aviv University, Concordia University and is presently teaching Political Cinema at New York University and Film Directing at the New School.

Review: ‘I AM MICHAEL’ places James Franco on emotional seesaw in this true-life story.

A film by Justin Kelly

Starring: James Franco, Zachary Quinto, Emma Roberts
WRITTEN AND DIRECTED BY:
Justin Kelly (King Cobra)
Based on The New York Times article “My Ex-Gay Friend” by Benoit Denizet-Lewis

EXECUTIVE PRODUCED BY:
Gus Van Sant (Milk, Good Will Hunting, To Die For)

PRODUCED BY:
Rabbit MandiniJames Franco and Vince Jolivette (Palo Alto, Spring Breakers, Lovelace), Michael Mendelsohn (I Am Wrath, Lord of War, Air Force One) of Patriot Pictures, Scott Reed and Ron Singer of That’s Hollywood.

I AM MICHAEL is the incredible true-life story of Michael Glatze (Franco), a high-profile queer youth activist who created a national controversy when he claimed to no longer be gay and became a straight Christian pastor. The film follows Michael from his life in San Francisco with his boyfriend Bennett (Quinto), where he pursues political activism, a journalist career at XY Magazine, social awareness, and sexual exploration, to his days of personal self-discovery. After a traumatic scare, Michael is plagued by doubt and paranoia, and begins a religious reawakening. Michael renounces his gay lifestyle, rejects his friends, and endeavors to find his “true self.” He explores Buddhism and Mormonism, yet ultimately lands at a Christian Bible school in rural Wyoming where he meets his girlfriend, Rebekah (Roberts), and becomes the pastor of his own church. This powerful new film captures one man’s haunting journey through modern concepts of love, denial and redemption.

Crisis of conscience, fear, confusion, exploration, self-loathing, and everywhere in between. I Am Michael follows the unusual journey of Michael Glatze, a man whose inner turmoil pulls him every which way. Emotional tethers bring Glatze back and forth between his intellectual desire to live in God’s light and path, or whatever that means to him at any moment in time, and the natural desires that come with being a human being. Not wanting to be labeled as a gay man, his oftentimes outwardly offensive exploration comes at the cost of personal relationships. The story rolls along at a rapid pace, which never takes away from the tumultuous up and down in Michael’s life. Franco, is brilliant, as per usual. If you haven’t delved into the huge range of his work, you are genuinely missing out. The man is a PR genius and I still wonder when he has time to sleep. Quinto, as boyfriend Bennett, also bring a beautifully grounded performance and is the perfect foil for Franco’s energy. Emma Roberts plays what some might call a tragic role, as Glatze’s eventual fiance’. A young Christian girl willing to look beyond the past and love Michael for who he claims to presently be and believe. The film features the song “Crucify” by Tori Amos (Which I’ve conveniently shared underneath the trailer!). Its placement is both poignant and perfect in tone and lyrics. Overall, I am Michael gives us a glimpse into a place where religion and sexuality collide and perhaps illustrates the intolerance from both angles. The film comes to theaters and on VOD today, January, 27th.

 

Opening in Theaters and VOD on January 27th

Official Selection at the Sundance Film Festival, Berlin International Film Festival, Seattle International Film Festival, Frameline Film Festival, Provincetown International Film Festival, Chicago International Film Festival.
RT: 101min

Watch Oscar-nominated ’13th’ on Netflix and a conversation with Oprah Winfrey with Ava DuVernay

13th opened last October’s New York Film Festival and is now available on Netflix. Tomorrow, Netflix has released a 30 minute conversation about the film with Oprah Winfrey and director Ava DuVernay.

Here is also the press conference from the NYFF:

Netflix News: Netflix acquires 2 more films from Sundance Film Festival to be released this year

The Incredible Jessica James

Netflix announced that it has acquired worldwide rights to writer/director Jim Strouse’s refreshing and heartfelt modern comedy, The Incredible Jessica James, prior to the film’s upcoming world premiere as the Closing Night film of the 2017 Sundance Film Festival. The movie will be branded as a Netflix original film and launch globally this year simultaneously to Netflix’s over 93 million viewers in 190 countries.

“We are honored to get to work with Jim Strouse as we introduce film lovers around the globe to The Incredible Jessica James, which marks the arrival of Jessica Williams, a true star in the making,” said Ted Sarandos, Chief Content Officer for Netflix.

“It feels nothing short of incredible to be working with the team at Netflix to bring our movie to their audience around the globe” said Strouse.

In a breakout performance, Jessica Williams (“The Daily Show,” “2 Dope Queens” Podcast) stars as a young, aspiring playwright in New York City who is struggling to get over a recent breakup. She is forced to go on a date with the recently divorced Boone, played by Chris O’Dowd (Bridesmaids) and the unlikely duo discover how to make it through the tough times in a social media obsessed post-relationship universe. Lakeith Stanfield (FX’s “Atlanta”, Straight Outta Compton) and Noël Wells (Netflix’s “Master of None”) co-star.  The film was produced by Michael B. Clark and Alex Turtletaub of Beachside and executive produced by Jessica Williams and Kerri Hundley.

Joshua: Teenager vs. Superpower

Netflix announced that the company has acquired worldwide rights to Joe Piscatella’s Joshua: Teenager vs. Superpower, which recently made its world premiere to critical acclaim at Sundance Film Festival. The film, which is a June Pictures production, will launch globally later this year, simultaneously to Netflix’s over 93 million members in 190 countries.

When the Chinese Communist Party threatens its promise of autonomy to Hong Kong, teenager Joshua Wong decides to save his homeland. Rallying thousands of kids to skip school and occupy the streets, Joshua becomes an unlikely leader in Hong Kong and one of China’s most notorious dissidents. A remarkable portrait of courage, resilience and youthful idealism, Joshua: Teenager vs. Superpower demonstrates how one young man mortgages his own future to try and save his city.

“Joshua: Teenager vs. Superpower is a filmmaking triumph,” says Lisa Nishimura, Netflix VP of Original Documentaries. “Piscatella has woven together the complex and inspirational story of an unlikely activist, whose acts of bravery and conviction need to be seen around the world. In an era where we are witnessing heightened civic participation and freedom of expression, we are pleased to offer a global platform for audiences to engage on these issues.”

“We could not be more thrilled to be in business with Netflix,” says Andrew Duncan, the film’s producer and Founder of June Pictures. “Their global platform will allow us to share Joshua’s message about the importance of due process of law and freedom of speech with a worldwide audience.”

“The Netflix partnership will also allow us to reach millions of young people who will find inspiration in Joshua’s story,” adds director Joe Piscatella.

Joshua: Teenager vs. Superpower is written and directed by Joe Piscatella (#chicagoGirl: The Social Network Takes on a Dictator). The film is executive produced by Alex Saks and produced by Andrew Duncan, Matthew Torne and Mark Rinehart.

Review: ‘CLAIRE IN MOTION’ stars Betsy Brandt in a desperate search for her missing husband.

Breaking Glass Pictures will release the upcoming psychological drama/thriller 

CLAIRE IN MOTION

 in theaters and On Demand January 13, 2017. 

CLAIRE IN MOTION is the second feature film by filmmaking team Lisa Robinson and Annie J. Howell (Small, Beautifully Moving Parts) and stars Betsy Brandt (CBS’ “Life in Pieces,” AMC’s “Breaking Bad”) in a breakthrough performance that twists the missing person thriller into an emotional take on uncertainty and loss.

Three weeks after Claire’s husband has mysteriously disappeared, the police have ended their investigation and her son is beginning to grieve. The only person who hasn’t given up is Claire. Soon she discovers his troubling secrets, including an alluring yet manipulative graduate student with whom he had formed a close bond. As she digs deeper, Claire begins to lose her grip on how well she truly knew her husband and questions her own identity in the process.

Playing the convincing role of math professor and mom comes so naturally to Betsy Brandt, one might actually think this film was based on a true story. With facts and figures guiding her everyday life, she quickly learns they aren’t going to help figure out who she really married. The plot moves swiftly. There is no lag time between the opening scene and transitioning entering the mysteries. The pace and editing are such that you can feel the immediate push from the outside world on both Claire and her son to accept the fact that husband and father are not coming back. It is the quintessential, “You think you know someone,” piece. It lends you to wonder who your significant other is when they’re not with you. Work friends, hobbies, the gym, lunches, seemingly mundane moments impact us each day so why would they not impact your partner in the same profound way? But, the torturous unanswered questions left in the wake of any ended relationship are the ones that stick with us. Claire In Motion is a quiet and yet profound look into reaching beyond yourself and into the lives of those around us.

Narrative Spotlight Audience Award – SXSW Film Festival 2016

Official Selection, New American Cinema – Seattle International Film Festival 2016

TITLE: CLAIRE IN MOTION
IN THEATERS AND ON DEMAND:  January 13, 2017
DIRECTOR:  Lisa Robinson, Annie J. Howell
WRITERS:  Lisa Robinson, Annie J. Howell
CAST:   Betsy Brandt, Anna Margaret Hollyman, Chris Beetem, Sakina Jaffrey
GENRE:  Psychological Drama, Thriller
DISTRIBUTOR: Breaking Glass Pictures

Michael’s Top 25 Movies of 2016

25- The Witch

In this exquisitely made and terrifying new horror film, the age-old concepts of witchcraft, black magic and possession are innovatively brought together to tell the intimate and riveting story of one family’s frightful unraveling in the New England wilderness circa 1630.

24- Captain Fantastic

Deep in the forests of the Pacific Northwest, isolated from society, a devoted father (Viggo Mortensen) dedicates his life to transforming his six young children into extraordinary adults. But when a tragedy strikes the family, they are forced to leave this self-created paradise and begin a journey into the outside world that challenges his idea of what it means to be a parent and brings into question everything he’s taught them.

23- Snowden

Academy Award (R)-winning director Oliver Stone, who brought Platoon, Born on the Fourth of July, Wall Street and JFK to the big screen, tackles the most important and fascinating true story of the 21st century. Snowden, the politically-charged, pulse-pounding thriller starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Shailene Woodley, reveals the incredible untold personal story of Edward Snowden, the polarizing figure who exposed shocking illegal surveillance activities by the NSA and became one of the most wanted men in the world. He is considered a hero by some, and a traitor by others. No matter which you believe, the epic story of why he did it, who he left behind, and how he pulled it off makes for one of the most compelling films of the year.

22- Deadpool

Based upon Marvel Comics’ most unconventional anti-hero, DEADPOOL tells the origin story of former Special Forces operative turned mercenary Wade Wilson, who after being subjected to a rogue experiment that leaves him with accelerated healing powers, adopts the alter ego Deadpool. Armed with his new abilities and a dark, twisted sense of humor, Deadpool hunts down the man who nearly destroyed his life.

Check out my review here

21- I am Not a Serial Killer

Sixteen-year-old John Wayne Cleaver (Max Records, Where the Wild Things Are) is not a serial killer-but he has all the makings of one. Keeping his homicidal tendencies and morbid obsessions with death and murder in check is a constant struggle that only gets harder when a real serial killer begins terrorizing his sleepy Midwestern town. Now, in order to track down a psychopath and protect those around him, John must unleash his darkest inner demons. Based on the cult novel by Dan Wells, this twisted, genre-bending thriller co-stars Christopher Lloyd and Breaking Bad’s Laura Fraser.

20- Moana

Three thousand years ago, the greatest sailors in the world voyaged across the vast Pacific, discovering the many islands of Oceania. But then, for a millennium, their voyages stopped – and no one knows exactly why. From Walt Disney Animation Studios comes “Moana,” a sweeping, CG-animated feature film about an adventurous teenager who sails out on a daring mission to save her people. During her journey, Moana (voice of Auli’i Cravalho) meets the mighty demigod Maui (voice of Dwayne Johnson), who guides her in her quest to become a master wayfinder. Together, they sail across the open ocean on an action-packed voyage, encountering enormous monsters and impossible odds, and along the way, Moana fulfills the ancient quest of her ancestors and discovers the one thing she’s always sought: her own identity.

19- Nocturnal Animals

Winner of the Grand Jury Prize at the 2016 Venice International Film Festival. From writer/director Tom Ford comes a haunting romantic thriller of shocking intimacy and gripping tension that explores the thin lines between love and cruelty, and revenge and redemption. Academy Award nominees Amy Adams and Jake Gyllenhaal star as a divorced couple discovering dark truths about each other and themselves in NOCTURNAL ANIMALS.

18- Jackie

JACKIE is a searing and intimate portrait of one of the most important and tragic moments in American history, seen through the eyes of the iconic First Lady, then Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy (Natalie Portman). JACKIE places us in her world during the days immediately following her husband’s assassination. Known for her extraordinary dignity and poise, here we see a psychological portrait of the First Lady as she struggles to maintain her husband’s legacy and the world of “Camelot” that they created and loved so well.

17- Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them

The magic of Harry Potter lives on in this Warner Bros. spin-off penned by {J.K. Rowling}

Check out my review here

16- Doctor Strange

A disgraced former surgeon named Stephen Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) becomes a powerful sorcerer under the tutelage of a mystic known as the Ancient One (Tilda Swinton). Rachel McAdams, Mads Mikkelsen, and Chiwetel Ejiofor co-star in this entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Directed by Scott Derrickson (Sinister).

Check out my review here

15- Sing Street

From director John Carney (ONCE, BEGIN AGAIN), SING STREET takes us back to 1980s Dublin seen through the eyes of a 14-year-old boy named Conor (Ferdia Walsh-Peelo) who is looking for a break from a home strained by his parents’ relationship and money troubles, while trying to adjust to his new inner-city public school where the kids are rough and the teachers are rougher. He finds a glimmer of hope in the mysterious, über-cool and beautiful Raphina (Lucy Boynton), and with the aim of winning her heart he invites her to star in his band’s music videos. There’s only one problem: he’s not part of a band…yet. She agrees, and now Conor must deliver what he’s promised – calling himself “Cosmo” and immersing himself in the vibrant rock music trends of the decade, he forms a band with a few lads, and the group pours their heart into writing lyrics and shooting videos. Inspired by writer/director John Carney’s life and love for music, SING STREET shows us a world where music has the power to take us away from the turmoil of everyday life and transform us into something greater.

14- Hidden Figures

HIDDEN FIGURES is the incredible untold story of Katherine G. Johnson (Taraji P. Henson), Dorothy Vaughan (Octavia Spencer) and Mary Jackson (Janelle Monáe)-brilliant African-American women working at NASA, who served as the brains behind one of the greatest operations in history: the launch of astronaut John Glenn into orbit, a stunning achievement that restored the nation’s confidence, turned around the Space Race, and galvanized the world. The visionary trio crossed all gender and race lines to inspire generations to dream big.

13- Hacksaw Ridge

HACKSAW RIDGE is the extraordinary true story of Desmond Doss [Andrew Garfield] who, in Okinawa during the bloodiest battle of WWII, saved 75 men without firing or carrying a gun. He was the only American soldier in WWII to fight on the front lines without a weapon, as he believed that while the war was justified, killing was nevertheless wrong. As an army medic, he single-handedly evacuated the wounded from behind enemy lines, braved fire while tending to soldiers and was wounded by a grenade and hit by snipers. Doss was the first conscientious objector to ever earn the Congressional Medal of Honor.

Check out my review here

12- Lion

Five-year-old Saroo gets lost on a train which takes him thousands of Kilometers across India, away from home and family. Saroo must learn to survive alone in Kolkata, before ultimately being adopted by an Australian couple. Twenty-five years later, armed with only a handful of memories, his unwavering determination, and a revolutionary technology known as Google Earth, he sets out to find his lost family and finally return to his first home.

11- Hell or High Water

Texas brothers–Toby (Chris Pine), and Tanner (Ben Foster), come together after years divided to rob branches of the bank threatening to foreclose on their family land. For them, the hold-ups are just part of a last-ditch scheme to take back a future that seemed to have been stolen from under them. Justice seems to be theirs, until they find themselves on the radar of Texas Ranger, Marcus (Jeff Bridges) looking for one last grand pursuit on the eve of his retirement, and his half-Comanche partner, Alberto (Gil Birmingham). As the brothers plot a final bank heist to complete their scheme, and with the Rangers on their heels, a showdown looms at the crossroads where the values of the Old and New West murderously collide.

10- Hunt for the Wilderpeople

Raised on hip-hop and foster care, defiant city kid Ricky gets a fresh start in the New Zealand countryside. He quickly finds himself at home with his new foster family: the loving Aunt Bella, the cantankerous Uncle Hec, and dog Tupac. When a tragedy strikes that threatens to ship Ricky to another home, both he and Hec go on the run in the bush. As a national manhunt ensues, the newly branded outlaws must face their options: go out in a blaze of glory or overcome their differences and survive as a family. Equal parts road comedy and rousing adventure story, director Taika Waititi (WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS, upcoming THOR: RAGNORAK) masterfully weaves lively humor with emotionally honest performances by Sam Neill and Julian Dennison. A hilarious, touching crowd-pleaser, HUNT FOR THE WILDERPEOPLE reminds us about the journey that growing up is (at any age) and those who help us along the way.

9- Green Room

GREEN ROOM is a brilliantly crafted and wickedly fun horror-thriller starring Patrick Stewart as a diabolical club owner who squares off against an unsuspecting but resilient young punk band. Down on their luck punk rockers The Ain’t Rights are finishing up a long and unsuccessful tour, and are about to call it quits when they get an unexpected booking at an isolated, run-down club deep in the backwoods of Oregon. What seems merely to be a third-rate gig escalates into something much more sinister when they witness an act of violence backstage that they weren’t meant to see. Now trapped backstage, they must face off against the club’s depraved owner, Darcy Banker (Stewart), a man who will do anything to protect the secrets of his nefarious enterprise.

8- Fences

Denzel Washington directed and stars in this adaptation of August Wilson’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play, which centers on a black garbage collector named Troy Maxson in 1950s Pittsburgh. Bitter that baseball’s color barrier was only broken after his own heyday in the Negro Leagues, Maxson is prone to taking out his frustrations on his loved ones. Both Washington and co-star Viola Davis won Tonys for their performances in the 2010 revival of the play. Stephen Henderson, Jovan Adepo, Russell Hornsby, and Mykelti Williamson round out the supporting cast.

Check out my review here

7- The Edge of Seventeen

THE EDGE OF SEVENTEEN is a new coming-of-age movie in the vein of Sixteen Candles and The Breakfast Club – an honest, candid, often hilarious look at what it’s like to grow up as a young woman in today’s modern world. Everyone knows that growing up is hard, and life is no easier for high school junior Nadine (Hailee Steinfeld), who is already at peak awkwardness when her all-star older brother Darian (Blake Jenner) starts dating her best friend Krista (Haley Lu Richardson). All at once, Nadine feels more alone than ever, until the unexpected friendship of a thoughtful boy (Hayden Szeto) gives her a glimmer of hope

Check out my review here

6- Oasis: Supersonic

From the Oscar winning producers of Amy comes this essential and entertaining look at the meteoric rise of the seminal 90s rock band Oasis. The film immerses us in the raucous rock stars’ fast-paced world of electrifying music, wild debauchery, and epic fraternal feuding, weaving never-before-seen concert footage with candid interviews and an astonishing firsthand account of the backstage sibling rivalry that threatened to destroy the band.

Check out my review here

5- Arrival

When mysterious spacecraft touch down across the globe, an elite team–lead by expert linguist Louise Banks (Amy Adams)–are brought together to investigate. As mankind teeters on the verge of global war, Banks and the team race against time for answers–and to find them, she will take a chance that could threaten her life, and quite possibly humanity.

Check out my review here

4- Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

From Lucasfilm comes the first of the Star Wars standalone films, “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story,” an all-new epic adventure. In a time of conflict, a group of unlikely heroes band together on a mission to steal the plans to the Death Star, the Empire’s ultimate weapon of destruction. This key event in the Star Wars timeline brings together ordinary people who choose to do extraordinary things, and in doing so, become part of something greater than themselves.

Check out my review here

3- Moonlight

The tender, heartbreaking story of a young man’s struggle to find himself, told across three defining chapters in his life as he experiences the ecstasy, pain, and beauty of falling in love, while grappling with his own sexuality.

2- La La Land

Written and directed by Academy Award (R) nominee Damien Chazelle, LA LA LAND tells the story of Mia [Emma Stone], an aspiring actress, and Sebastian [Ryan Gosling], a dedicated jazz musician, who are struggling to make ends meet in a city known for crushing hopes and breaking hearts. Set in modern day Los Angeles, this original musical about everyday life explores the joy and pain of pursuing your dreams.

Check out my review here

1- Manchester by the Sea

After the death of his older brother Joe (Kyle Chandler), Lee Chandler (Casey Affleck) is shocked to learn that Joe has made him sole guardian of his nephew Patrick (Lucas Hedges). Taking leave of his job, Lee reluctantly returns to Manchester-by-the-Sea to care for Patrick, a spirited 16-year-old, and is forced to deal with a past that separated him from his wife Randi (Michelle Williams) and the community where he was born and raised. Bonded by the man who held their family together, Lee and Patrick struggle to adjust to a world without him.

Review: ‘ABATTOIR’ delivers a sensory labyrinth of mystery and murder.

The film was the 2016 official selection of the LA Film Festival, Fantasia, Sitges and numerous other festivals.  The film stars Jessica Lowndes, Joe Anderson, Lin Shaye, Dayton Callie and was directed by Darren Lynn Bousman.
SYNOPSIS: An investigative reporter works to solve the mystery behind a mysterious man who has been buying houses where tragedies have occurred. Set in a world where it always feels like night, even in daylight hours, real estate reporter Julia Talben’s life is turned upside down when her family is brutally murdered. It is believed to be an open and close case, but Julia quickly realizes there is much more to this story when she returns to the crime scene to find the murder room deconstructed and physically removed from her sister’s home. This ignites an investigative pursuit that eventually leads her and ex-lover Detective Declan Grady to the town of New English where they find the enigmatic Jebediah Crone and the Abattoir – a monstrous house stitched together with unending rooms of death and the damned.  Julia comes to realize that her sister’s soul is trapped inside, but the Abattoir isn’t just a house – it’s a door to something more evil than anyone could have ever imagined. Julia and Grady are ultimately faced with the question: How do you build a haunted house? One room at a time.
Darren Lynn Bousman, director of several of the Saw franchise sequels, and one of my all-time favorite films REPO! The Genetic Opera, brings to life a peculiar story and a visual maze. The look of Abbatoir is something to behold and one that evolves as the story rolls along. It’s a thriller, horror, and first person video game all wrapped into one lovely and bizarre package. The costumes are intentional throw backs that give further validity to a tale that criss crosses generations. Lin Shaye, who has what I like the call the “Timelord effect” (similar to another horror legend Barbara Crampton,) a timeless quality to her presence and ability to inhabit any character she tackles effoertlessly. Jessica Lowndes is reteaming with Bousman after appearing in The Devil’s Carnival. Her classic movie star looks only enhance her believeable performance as a headstrong and heartfelt woman determined to uncover the mystery behind who or what is buying homes where violent tragedy occurs and rips out the murder room. The answers are extraordinarily twisted. The films runs about 1hr40mins but feels very much likethe graphic novel it was based upon. This could have easily been made into a mini series. Abattoir is intriguing from the very first shot and will keep your brain engaged with plot and stunning sets throughout. Momentum Pictures is releasing Abattoir today in Theaters, VOD and Digital HD, December 9th

TITLE: ABATTOIR
IN THEATERS, VOD AND DIGITAL HD:  December 9, 2016
DIRECTOR: Darren Lynn Bousman
WRITER: Christopher Monfette
CAST: Jessica Lowndes, Joe Anderson, Lin Shaye, Dayton Callie

DISTRIBUTOR: Momentum Pictures

Review: ‘BEST AND MOST BEAUTIFUL THINGS’ aren’t always what you expect.


Best and Most Beautiful Things poster

Synopsis: In rural Maine, a bold and magnetic 20-year-old woman named Michelle Smith lives with her mother Julie. Michelle is quirky and charming, legally blind and diagnosed on the autism spectrum, with big dreams and varied passions. Searching for connection, Michelle explores love and empowerment outside the limits of “normal” through a provocative sex-positive community. Michelle’s joyful story of self-discovery celebrates outcasts everywhere.

Emmy Award-winning producer ofFriends”, Kevin S. Bright met Michelle while teaching a filmmaking class at Perkins School for the Blind in Boston years ago, the school Helen Keller went to. The director, Garrett Zevgetis also volunteered his time at the school. Independently, both were completely struck by her authenticity and exuberance, and have been involved with Michelle and her story ever since. While filming, they discovered the startling lack of opportunities available for all people to fully engage in our society, and the need to fix the fear and misunderstanding people have towards those considered “other”.

best-and-most-beautiful-things_still-7When we all graduated from high school, we had big dreams. Perhaps, moving away from home and starting a career, finally being able to go out when we wanted, eat what we wanted, buy whichever shoes she wanted from shoe hero, and party until dawn. Michelle is much like any other young woman. She’s trying to find her way in the world by following her passions without judgement or outside pressure. The only difference being, Michelle is legally blind and on the autism spectrum. Much like myself, she’s a total fangirl. She likes the dry wit of Daria, attends convention, yearns for acceptance and respect in her niche groups. She acts appropriately for her age. The film follows her for several years post graduating. Through her love life, job searches, and striving for her independence. All seems pretty “normal” until you propose her challenges to those who function without them. Her Mom suggest she attend her brother’s basketball game and at first her protest seems nothing more than a bored and annoyed sister, unwilling to cheer on a sibling just because their interests don’t align. But,  once you listen to her reasoning, as a viewer, will gain further insight into the life of someone forced to live differently. It’s a perfect turning point in the film. You finally get to walk in her shoes and mind for a brief moment. Although, director Garrett Zevgetis, does and excellent job early on with a blurred focus lens to help explain how Michelle figuratively sees the world around her. It is incredibly effective. Above all, this is the story of a young woman whose almost constant stream of self-esteem and positivity shines like a beacon of hope for anyone that has ever felt left out or chastised for being slightly different. I wish I could be as outwardly upbeat every single day and now perhaps I’ll take a second breath and thank my lucky stars I have the life I do. Michelle asks us to love who we are as much as she loves who she is. She asks us to “unlearn normal”. In a year where so much has happened to us as a country, maybe it’s time to take her advice.bestandmostbeautifulthings_still2

BEST AND MOST BEAUTIFUL THINGS opens in NYC on Friday, Dec 2nd, and in LA Dec 9th. Check out the trailer below:

Websitehttp://bestandmostbeautifulthings.com

Facebook: BestandMostBeautifulThings

Twitter@BestandMostFilm

RT: 90 Minutes

ACCOLADES
Independent Film Festival Boston 2016
Won
Special Jury Award, Best Documentary Feature
Florid a Film Festival 2016
Won
Special Jury Award, Individuality of the Human Spirit
Superfest International Disability Film Festival 2016
Won
Best of Festival Award, Feature
Tulsa American Film Festival, 2016
Won
Best Documentary Feature Film
SXSW Film Festival 2016
Nominated
SXSW Grand Jury Award, Documentary Feature

Documentary Film UPDATE: The San Antonio 4 get complete exoneration just in time for Thanksgiving!

unnamed-29Happy Thanksgiving!  We are so excited to bring you this breaking news about THE SAN ANTONIO 4 – subjects of the award winning documentary “SOUTHWEST OF SALEM: THE STORY OF THE SAN ANTONIO FOUR.”  Today, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals has declared these four women innocent and fully exonerated.  They were wrongfully convicted close to 20 years ago for a crime they did not commit.  

The film by Deborah S. Esquenazi premiered at Tribeca Film Festival 2016 and brought this case to light for the general public to see and know about.  The film won awards at Frameline SF 2016 and at OUTFEST LA 2016 and was recently bestowed with the Broadcast Film Critics Association – Critic’s Choice Award for Best First Feature.  The film broke records on Investigation Discovery network when it premiered in October with over 1 million views.  And it is currently in competition at the prestigious International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA) this week.

This is such a great example that shows how documentary film can truly make a difference.  

The film’s broadcast premiere on ID in October also broke the record for the network’s largest viewing audience for a premiere, with over 1 million viewers. The documentary is currently available on Investigation Discovery’s TV Everywhere platform, IDGO.com, the network’s live and on demand TV Everywhere streaming service. To log in and watch for free with your TV subscription, visit InvestigationDiscoveryGo.com or download Investigation Discovery Go from the App Store (for smartphones, tablets like that drawing tablet, and Apple TV), Google Play or Roku Channel Store.

You can read our original coverage of SOUTHWEST OF SALEM and watch the trailer below. Have a Happy Turkey Day, and congratulations to Elizabeth Ramirez, Cassandra Rivera, Kristie Mayhugh, and Anna Vasquez. We, at Reel News Daily, couldn’t be happier for you!

https://vimeo.com/157645152

DOC NYC Review: ‘SWIM TEAM’ challenges our idea of winners and losers.

SWIM TEAM

To level the playing field, they had to get into the water.

Official Selection
Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival 
*Winner – Best  Sports Documentary *
New Hampshire Film Festival
Heartland Film Festival 

Napa Valley Film Festival 
DOC NYC

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Synopsis
Demonstrating the power of inclusion to transcend disability, Lara Stolman’s triumphant film profiles members of the Jersey Hammerheads, a competitive swim team made up of a diverse group of teens on the autism spectrum, based in the state with the highest rate of autism in the country. Through training and competition, star athletes Mikey, Robbie and Kelvin gain self-confidence and social skills that serve them both in and out of the pool.

SWIM TEAM was selected for the Independent Filmmaker Project’s Project Forum in 2015 and in 2016 was selected to participate in the IFP Documentary Completion Lab. During production, filmmaking team received grants from New York Women in Film and Television, the Loreen Arbus Foundation and the Karma Foundation.

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SWIM TEAM is one of many recent forays into the challenging world of raising children on the autism spectrum. Films like Autism is Love and Life Animated visually bring us mostly into the the subjects’ present lives as adults. Swim Team follows 3 high school boys on their journey for acceptance and self actualization through a team sport. As a society, we must make sure that we aren’t lumping these children together. Broadly labeling them “on the spectrum” has become such a blanket term that it’s easy to categorize and limit them. If you listen to only “the experts” you might be hindering the individual growth and abilities of each child. Mikey, Kelvin, and Robbie are three completely different kids. Swimming for them is the continuation of learning discipline, self control, leadership, self esteem and a massive lot of life skills often overlooked in a school environment, so parents teach their son and daughters to swim from young age, there are even female swimming teams, so parents get Swimwear for Baby Girls and start teaching their girls from young age. We can all learn from director Lara Stolman‘s work. We need more insight as parents, teachers, administration on ways that we can help level the proverbial playing field at all times. Showing other children through our actions and words that we can all be more patient, loving, and understanding. Swim Team, through their journey to the Special Olympic games, will give you hope that kindness and heart can be a guiding light for families from all backgrounds. Autism doesn’t discriminate. It doesn’t care about race or socioeconomic background. The Hammerheads of New Jersey are a team of extraordinary kids, parents, and coaches trying to make a difference in the world one stroke at a time.

New York Premiere at DOC NYC in the Jock Docs Section
Thursday, November 17th at 7:30pm
SVA Theater: 333 West 23rd street, between 8th and 9th Avenues


Directed and Produced by: Lara Stolman (Portraits of Survival)
Co-Produced and Edited by: Ann Collins (Academy Award-nominated Sound and Fury)
Director of Photography: Laela Kilbourn (Twenty Feet From Stardom, American Teen, Emmy-nominated Word Wars)
Original Score by: Mark Suozzo (Metropolitan, Barcelona, Last Days of Disco, Love & Friendship, Sound and Fury)
Produced by: Shanna BelottFor more information, please visit: http://www.swimteamthefilm.com
Doc NYC Website: http://www.docnyc.net/film/swim-team
RT: 100 Minutes

Social Media:
Twitter: @SwimTeamTheFilm
Facebook: @SwimTeamTheFilm
#swimteamthefilm

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Review: Hope for peace exists in the documentary ‘Disturbing the Peace’

www.reconsider.org
www.disturbingthepeacefilm.com
Country of Origin: United States, Israel, Palestine,
Languages: English, Arabic and Hebrew w/ English subtitles

***2016 Hampton International Film Festival Winner – Conflict & Resolution***
***2016 Traverse City Film Festival Winner – Best Foreign Language Documentary***
***2016 Traverse City Film Festival Winner – Audience Award Foreign Language Documentary***
***2016 Ebert Fest Winner – Roger Ebert Humanitarian Award***
***Official Selection 2016 Jerusalem Film Festival***
***Official Selection 2016 San Francisco Jewish Film Festival***
***Official Selection 2016 Boston Jewish Film Festival***

sulaimanandcfpatpeacemarchWith the election still fresh in our minds, it’s hard to get perspective. Disturbing the Peace is hopeful, inspiring yet tragic and reminds me that there are many conflicts happening the world and even in the darkest of circumstances, there is hope.

Disturbing the Peace is not a history of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, nor does it try to explain it. Instead, the directors, Stephen Apkon and Andrew L. Young focus on the people living on each side and their search for peace.

Through interviews with people on both sides, a pattern emerges and you stop seeing separation and begin to see people just trying to live and raise families. Archival footage is terrifying and brutal. The visualizations and re-enactments are extremely effective and help to underscore the stories of the subjects.

One especially moving scene is a discussion with a man and his wife over whether he should attend a peaceful demonstration. She does not see the point, and he feels he must do something, not matter how seemingly insignificant. Their two daughters watch and it really captures the heart of the issue.

Another particularly eye-opening scene was when a man, describes watching Schindler’s List in prison with other Palestinians. For the first time, they saw another perspective and how Jews had been treated. Suddenly the other side, even the jailers were people. Slowly he and others became enlightened and when released from prison, became part of the moment, Combatants for Peace.

Although the conflict is far from over, there are people on both sides who have hope that there will be peace. This film fully illustrates that and gives hope to everyone who sees it. Be the change you wish to see in the world.

“We but mirror the world. All the tendencies present in the outer world are to be found in the world of our body. If we could change ourselves, the tendencies in the world would also change. As a man changes his own nature, so does the attitude of the world change towards him. This is the divine mystery supreme. A wonderful thing it is and the source of our happiness. We need not wait to see what others do.” – Mahatma Gandhi

Review: Nicolas Cage & Willem Dafoe in the vibrant & violent ‘Dog Eat Dog’ from Paul Schrader, writer of ‘Taxi Driver’

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After it’s premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, Dog Eat Dog, a bright, vibrant, loud, violent and silly crime caper is set for theaters in New York and Los Angeles November 4th, but available to stream as well!

Dog Eat Dog will be on VOD on all of the major cable/satellite/telco companies – Comcast, DirecTV, Dish, AT&T, Verizon, Time Warner/Spectrum, Charter, etc.

Check out the trailer to get a taste of what you’ll get:

Ex-cons, Troy (Nicolas Cage), Mad Dog (Willem Dafoe) and Diesel (Christopher Matthew Cook), are hired by an eccentric mob boss to kidnap a baby and hold it for a large ransom. When the abduction goes awry, the men find themselves on the run from the mob and the cops. Vowing to stay out of prison at all costs, getting away with the crime is a matter of life and death.

The stage is set from the very first scene of contrasting neon pink and blue, ending the only way it could. That same cinematography and style is carried throughout the rest of the film. Everything keeps moving just fast enough to keep you wanting to know what is coming next. The first two acts are backstory and although it’s not really “necessary” to the story, it’s really fun.

Nicolas Cage is no stranger to eccentric characters and was originally cast to be Willem Dafoe‘s character of Mad Dog. Instead, Nicolas Cage plays the straight man to the outlandish and unpredictable Mad Dog. Teaming up with Diesel (Christopher Matthew Cook), the three move from one mischievous act to another making for non-stop entertainment.

I liken the vibe of this film to Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans, from 2009 from Werner Herzog starring Nicolas Cage. It’s only available to rent or buy, but totally worth it. It’s rough, violent, but so much character that it balances it all out.

Paul Schrader (who also plays a role) directs the screenplay by Matthew Wilder who adapted the novel by Edward Bunker. It’s non-stop entertainment but very violent and full of highly graphic language.

 

Review: ‘KING COBRA’ has one hell of a bite.

ifc_midnight_logo

Presents
KING COBRA

A Film by Justin Kelly

In Theaters & On Demand October 21stking-cobra_poster2
The description “Gay Porn (True) Crime Drama” is mind bending in its own right. Truly, there is no other way to describe the Tribeca Film Festival hit, KING COBRA

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Based on a stranger-than-fiction true story, King Cobra is a deliciously dark, twisted plunge into the behind-the-scenes world of the pornography industry. It’s 2006, YouTube is in its infancy, and internet porn is still behind a paywall. Taking the stage name Brent Corrigan, a fresh-faced, wannabe adult video performer (Garrett Clayton) is molded into a star by Stephen (Christian Slater), a closeted gay porn mogul who runs the skin flick empire Cobra Video from his seemingly ordinary suburban home. But as Brent’s rise and demands for more money put him at odds with his boss, he also attracts the attention of a rival producer (James Franco) and his unstable lover (Keegan Allen) who will stop at nothing to squash Cobra Video and steal its number one star. Co-starring Alicia Silverstone and Molly Ringwald, King Cobra is part delirious, tabloid-shocker satire, part American tragedy.

garrett-clayton-in-king-cobraDirector Justin Kelly‘s intense film comes out of the gate with a bang and does not let up until the final frame. It’s a no holds bar look at the gay porn industry and those inside it. Whether you are at home on your PC, or out and about Amateur Stream will be there for you. Tackling abuse of power, fast money, physical and emotional exploitation of the performers, and beating the competition, King Cobra is truly in your face. Be prepared to have the subject matter front and center. Kelly is not shy about sex scenes and neither are the actors. You’re essentially getting an entire soft core porn with elite Hollywood names and an actual narrative. Go through www.barenights.com.au/male-strippers-melbourne-private-strip-shows-home/ to know more about the private male strippers malbourne.
christian-slater-king-cobra Christian Slater hits a grand slam in this titular role. He walks the thin line of creepy and sad with perfection. Even though you know his character is taking full advantage of his “employees”, somehow you still feel for him. Garrett Clayton, who I had not seen previously, blew me away as our young sought after “Brent Corrigan”. I was convinced they had found a porn star that could, in fact, act really well. franco-and-keegan-allen-king-cobra

James Franco, who I believe gets better and better with each role, is basically as unhinged as it gets. The emotional roller coaster of this rival porn producer/director is nothing short of frightening. But, for me, the absolute star of this film is Keegan Allen. Having followed his role of Toby on Pretty Little Liars since the very beginning, I was not quite sure what to expect. what I experienced was something shocking in the best way possible. Allen’s ability to live this character is unsurpassed by either of his three co-stars. Every breath and beat is filled with backstory and nuance. It is a fearless performance. It’s about as far cry from PLL as you can get. With the series coming to an end in 2017, I cannot wait to see what he takes on next.

Running Time: 92 minutes

In Theaters & On Demand October 21st

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Official Website: http://www.ifcfilms.com/films/king-cobra

Social: @KingCobraMovie / #KingCobraMovie

Review: ‘THE LATE BLOOMER’, Kevin Pollak’s directorial debut, is based on a true and hilarious story.

latebloomer_th_1sht_lr_proof_2_revSometimes, when you get really lucky, you get to be part of movie history. When Kevin Pollak got the call that he was going to direct a movie version of Ken Baker‘s Book, “The Late Bloomer: A Memoir of My Body”, I was in the room. We were just sitting down for a small roundtable interview for his Tribeca Film Festival Film documentary Misery Loves Comedy, when he got a call he had to take at the table. When Kevin Pollak needs to answer the phone, you sit politely and attempt to eavesdrop. There was no need, as he hung up the phone and eagerly explained that he’d be directing a comedy about a kid who doesn’t hit puberty until his 20’s… and that it was based on a true story.
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The story of an adult male who, after the successful removal of a benign tumor resting against his pituitary gland, experiences all the changes and effects of puberty over a three-week period.

While the cast is beyond tremendous, sometimes the jokes just fall flat. The premise is outstanding so I leave it up to the audience this time to decide whether or not to catch this one. Check out the trailer below for a pretty fun preview.
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THE LATE BLOOMER
In Select Theaters and On Demand / Digital HD: October 7, 2016
DIRECTOR: Kevin Pollak
WRITER: Screenplay By Joe Nussbaum, Mark Torgove, Paul A. Kaplan, Kyle Cooper, Austyn Jeffs, Story By Joe Nussbaum and Gary Rosen, From the Book “The Late Bloomer: A Memoir of My Body” by Ken Baker
CAST: Johnny Simmons, Maria Bello, Brittany Snow, Jane Lynch, J.K. Simmons, Kumail Nanjiani, Beck Bennett, Paul Wesley
GENRE: Comedy
DISTRIBUTOR: Momentum Pictures