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Tag Archives: a24

NYFF60 review: Charlotte Wells brings us a triumph in ‘AFTER SUN.’ It will make you want to call your Dad.

Posted on October 17, 2022 by Liz Whittemore — Leave a reply

AFTER SUN

One of the most surprisingly intimate NYFF60 films centering on a father-daughter relationship, Charlotte Wells‘ AFTER SUN, hits you square in the chest, over and over. Eleven-year-old Sophie and her father, Calum, go on their annual holiday. A resort in Turkey is the backdrop of a screenplay that has three distinct narratives playing out simultaneously. And by that, I mean AFTERSUN is a coming-of-age film, a story of depression and the unbreakable bond between a parent and their child.

It is quickly apparent Calum is struggling with his mental health but attempts to make the most of his time with Sophie. Like most kids, she is keenly aware of her father’s tendency to please, regardless of his financial circumstance. Their vacation, while average to Sophie, proves to be their last.

The film utilizes camcorder footage. Sophie is behind the camera. The film’s cinematography also lends to the intimacy, with close-ups of hands and faces, as well as the use of reflections, in everything from mirrors to glass doors and television sets. Besides the fantastic costumes marking the 90s, the soundtrack makes it loud and clear while subtly enhancing the story. Carefully chosen tracks like “Under Pressure,” even though it’s from 1981, speak volumes.

There are moments in the film that appear unusual until you realize the larger picture. Calum frustratingly attempts to teach Sophie a self-defense technique that feels inappropriate for her age. He is unbothered by her confession of a first kiss and more focused on the fact that she felt comfortable sharing about her life. He offers her a sip of beer. What draws us into the screenplay is an intoxicating mix of awkward moments juxtaposed by a relationship one strives to have with their offspring. The care Calum expresses, the time feels weighted and invested.

Paul Mescal is extraordinary. The emotional highs and lows draw you into the film. If you’re a parent, they also cause concern for Sophie’s well-being. Frankie Corio is a revelation as Sophie. She is funny, spontaneous, observant, and fearless. Mescal and Corio share an onscreen bond that feels genuinely familial. If you didn’t know better, you would swear this film was a documentary. Charlotte Wells has given audiences an exquisite gem in AFTERSUN. You must seek it out.


From writer/director Charlotte Wells and starring Paul Mescal and Frankie Corio. AFTERSUN – Only in Theaters October 21. #AfterSun
 
DIRECTOR: Charlotte Wells CAST: Paul Mescal, Frankie Corio, Celia Rowlson-Hall

 

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Posted in Drama, Events, Features, Female Filmmaker, Film Festival, Genre, Go To The Movies, in theaters, Liz, New York City, New York Film Festival, News, Poster, Release, Reviews, Trailer, What To Watch This Week, Woman Lead, Women in Film | Tagged a24, after sun, Charlotte Wells, depression, father-daughter, frankie corio, nyff60, nyff60 liz, paul mescal | Leave a reply

Review: ‘THE HUMANS’ is a living, breathing tableau of the American family.

Posted on November 24, 2021 by Liz Whittemore — Leave a reply

THE HUMANS

Erik Blake gathers three generations of his Pennsylvania family to celebrate Thanksgiving at his daughter’s apartment in lower Manhattan. As darkness falls and eerie things go bump in the night, the group’s deepest fears are laid bare.


I wish I had seen Stephen Karam‘s stage version of The Humans. As a theatre major/lover, I could immediately feel the weight of the dialogue; subjects that feel mundane, long pauses fill the air, then the delicious, sharp back and forth. Karam developed his Tony-award-winning script for the screen and every single second of it is authentic. The most magical part of The Humans for a kid that grew up in the Connecticut burbs and then attended a theatre conservatory on the Upper West Side is the specificity to every detail of the sets and sound editing. Now 41, owning a co-op a block away from school, I realize how immune I’ve become to the sounds of a clanking and hissing radiator or the banging footsteps of the neighbors overhead. It is only when I visit home for the holidays that I notice the birds chirping or the silence of a neighborhood with picket fences. And yet, The Humans taps into a universality of the American family. There is something so familiar about the generational divides that appear around a dinner table; the brazen backtalk of the youngest adult, the words of wisdom, often misconstrued, from the parental units. Relationships are rubbed raw by alcohol or exhaustion. It’s a visceral discomfort that is highlighted brilliantly in this film. 

Karam’s use of sound, in particular, makes The Humans a genre-bending ride. Don’t be confused when your heart sounds and you think you’ve mistakenly turned on a horror film. The deliberate panic-inducing score and sound editing exacerbate buried secrets in The Humans. Karam’s carefully curated script is a masterclass in storytelling. He clearly understands the natural rhythm of familial banter. Each character experiences an arc over a few hours. The Humans plays in real-time. The blocking is coordinated chaos, and I mean that in the highest regard. The camera sits quietly, like an observer in an adjacent part of the apartment. Speaking of, in seeing photos of the two-story unit set from the Broadway run, I am even more impressed at the similarities in the film. With the cramped spaces down to the water stains on the walls, the production team deserves all the awards. 

The cast is superb. Amy Schumer stuns in the role of eldest daughter Aimee. The quiet anguish in her eyes and understanding tones of an adult kid attempting to maintain peace resonates immediately. Her performance has an authenticity that will make you take notice. Steven Yeun is a gentle pleaser as youngest daughter Brigid’s (Beanie Feldstein) boyfriend. He is attentive and honest, with perfectly played outsider energy. It should be no surprise to anyone paying attention to Yeun’s roles since leaving The Walking Dead. His talents are limitless. Dementia takes hold of matriarch Momo, played by the legendary June Squibb. While she technically has little dialogue, each syllable has weight. You’re fully aware of her importance. 

Beanie Feldstein as a musician and wide-eyed optimist, Brigid gives us the know-it-all baby of the family, please treat me as an adult vibe we need. You know her character. Feldstein’s delivery is chef’s kiss. Reprising her Tony Award-winning role as Deirdre is Jayne Houdyshell. The underlying pain is precisely masked by good humor and sass. This behavior comes with a breaking point. I could have sworn I was listening to my mother tell stories about her day. Houdyshell doesn’t take any shit. She’s loving but refuses to be a doormat.

Richard Jenkins‘s performance is immaculate. Karam tapped into the plight of the middle-class white man. From working the same job for decades, sending his kids to college, and entering the next phase of life feeling like the rug has been pulled from underneath him. What you aren’t expecting is the PTSD aspect to loom so large. As someone who experienced 9/11 in college and was downtown two days prior, that day hits differently, more so if you lived through it here in Manhattan. That trauma is key to who Erik has become. It is part of his very essence. Jenkins’s physicality is a story unto itself. He is outstanding. 

The Humans is the perfect film to watch with your family. Its nuance will bowl you over. The Humans is timeless and completely relatable. It’s a snapshot of what kitchen tables have looked like for years. Do not overlook this one. 


RELEASE DATE: In Theaters November 24 and on Showtime


From writer/director Stephen Karam and starring Richard Jenkins, Jayne Houdyshell, Amy Schumer, Beanie Feldstein, Steven Yeun, and June Squibb.


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Posted in Drama, Features, Film Festival, Genre, Horror, in theaters, Liz, New York City, News, On Demand, Poster, Release, Reviews, Showtime, Television, Toronto International Film Festival, Trailer, What To Watch This Week, Woman Lead, Women in Film | Tagged a24, Amy Schumer, Beanie Feldstein, Jayne Houdyshell, June Squibb, richard jenkins, Showtime, stephen karam, Steven Yeun, the humans | Leave a reply

Review: Kevin McMullin’s ‘Low Tide’ is a successful teen noir.

Posted on October 5, 2019 by Liz Whittemore — Leave a reply

LOW TIDE

In the long days of summer in a beach town on the New Jersey shore, high schooler Alan (Keean Johnson) and his friends Red (Alex Neustaedter) and Smitty (Daniel Zolghadri) break into vacation homes to steal valuables, funding dates at the boardwalk and lunches at the burger stand. When Alan and his younger brother Peter (Jaeden Martell) find a bag of gold coins, they try to hide them from the others — but Red, suspicious and violently unpredictable, seems willing to do anything to get the money.

This teen thriller is so well written and acted that the foreboding behinds immediately and never lets up. Nothing good can come of white boy rage and resentment. But a whole lot of great can come from a brilliant young cast of this caliber. Jaeden Martell is captivating as younger boy scout brother Alan. There is something truly special about this young man’s ability to fill a frame with a powerful silence. Older, sort of ne’er do well brother played by Keean Johnson is a dynamic foil for Martell. Fueled by equal parts passion and pride, he inadvertently puts both boys’ lives in jeopardy. The other two young men that keep these brothers deeply mired in danger are complete opposites of one another. Daniel Zolghadri gives a phenomenal performance as Smitty, playing somewhere between a mob rat and a boy who is terrified to feel rejected. The fourth and certainly most brutal of the bunch is Red. Alex Neustaedter utilizes a physical and emotional volatility that is truly unsettling. You will keep one eye on him at all times because you know nothing good can come of his angry townie attitude. These four boys try to avoid getting caught robbing summer tourists but deceit leads the group down a deadly path. Writer-Director Kevin McMullin has crafted a real thriller. The cinematography is beautiful. Existing in a time driven by greed and favoring the elite, Low Tide proves that human nature reveals its flaws just as easily among children as it does adults. This film undoubtedly brings unsettling intrigue and true noir.

Written and Directed by: Kevin McMullin
Produced by: Brendan McHugh, Kevin Rowe, Richard Peete, Rian Cahill, and Brian Kavanaugh-Jones 
Starring: Keean Johnson, Jaeden Martell, Alex Neustaedter, Daniel Zolghadri, Kristine Froseth, Shea Whigham

Distributed by A24 and DIRECTV
Run Time: 86 Minutes
Rated R for language, some violence and teen drug use

 

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Posted in Film Festival, Go To The Movies, in theaters, Liz, News, Poster, Release, Reviews, Trailer, Tribeca Film Festival, VOD, What To Watch This Week | Tagged a24, Alex Neustaedter, Daniel Zolghadri, directv, Jaeden Martell, Keean Johnson, Kevin McMullin, Kristine Froseth, low tide, Shea Whigham, thriller | Leave a reply

NYFF 57 review: – Kelly Reichardt’s ‘First Cow’ is a film about male friendship in the early 19th century.

Posted on October 3, 2019 by Liz Whittemore — Leave a reply

First Cow

  • Kelly Reichardt
  • 2019
  • USA
  • 122 minutes

New York Premiere ·

Kelly Reichardt once again trains her perceptive and patient eye on the Pacific Northwest, this time evoking an authentically hardscrabble early 19th-century way of life for this tale of a taciturn loner and skilled cook (John Magaro) who has joined a group of fur trappers in Oregon Territory, but only finds true connection with a Chinese immigrant (Orion Lee) also seeking his fortune.

Kelly Reichardt has a style all her own. You can pick out a film of hers within the first five minutes of long drawn out, beautifully cinematic shots. First Cow is based on the novel “The Half-Life” by John Raymond who is also a longtime collaborator with Reichardt. The story follows a quiet man called Cookie who is making his way across the Oregan territory with a group of fur trappers. Stumbling upon a clearly educated Chinese immigrant named King Lu, the men become fast friends in uncertain times. This film is essentially about male bonding in a time and environment that is driven by greed and aggression. The kindness and sincerity of our two leads, John Magaro and Orion Lee, bounds off the screen. You believe in their earnest chemistry. With Reichardt’s usual use of natural light and sparse dialogue, we are fully entrenched in the almost uninhabitable world these two men live in. At moments, this feels like a buddy comedy and I do mean that as a complete compliment. Some of the greatest moments in the script occur within the conversations between Cookie and the cow, itself. It must be mentioned the sheer number of wonderfully acted ancillary characters is mind-boggling. Sweet and funny, and bursting with charm, First Cow is something special in its storytelling.

https://www.filmlinc.org/nyff2019/films/first-cow/

 

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Posted in Film Festival, Liz, New York Film Festival, News, Reviews, Women in Film | Tagged a24, first cow, John Magaro, Kelly Reichardt, New York Film Festival, nyff, nyff 2019, nyff 2019 liz, Orion Lee | Leave a reply

12 Tribeca Film Festival movies already picked up

Posted on April 4, 2019 by Melissa Hanson — Leave a reply

At_the_Heart_of_Gold_01_PR_HR_UBG.jpg_rgb
ASK_DR._RUTH_[Courtesy_of_Hulu]_1_PR_HR_UBG.jpg_rgb
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The apollo

HBO has already snagged two documentaries: The Apollo (Opening Night), about the legendary Harlem theater, and At the Heart of Gold: Inside the USA Gymnastics Scandal, which is pretty much self-explanatory. Introducing younger audiences to the delightful Dr. Ruth Westheimer will be Ask Dr. Ruth acquired by hulu. At 90 years old, she’s still leaving her mark on the world. IFC Films will release Charlie Says from director, Mary Harron. I’m just glad they waited to make a movie until after his death. Same goes for the Ted Bundy story starring Zac Efron, Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile, which Netflix picked up at Sundance.

After premiering at the Berlin Film Festival, Goldie looks to be a promising tale of the pursuit of happiness. The latest Halston documentary seems to be less talking heads than Ultrasuede: In Search of Halston, which played at the 2011 Tribeca Film Festival. Dan Krauss won best documentary at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2013 for The Kill Team and has now made a narrative of the same with Nat Wolff and Alexander Skarsgård from A24.

In the documentary, Leftover Women, the story surrounds the effects of the gender imbalance of the “one child” policy in China. A24’s second release is the summertime drama, Low Tide. The documentary acquired by Sony Pictures Classics, Maiden, tells of an all-female crew in 1989 who competed in a prestigious yacht race. And last but not least, is The Quiet One from Sundance Selects, telling the story of Bill Wyman a founding member of The Rolling Stones that walked away from it all to be his own legend.

  1. The Apollo (HBO)
  2. Ask Dr Ruth (hulu)
  3. At the Heart of Gold: Inside the USA Gymnastics Scandal (HBO)
  4. Charlie Says (IFC Films)
  5. Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile (Netflix)
  6. Goldie (Vice Media, Fox)
  7. Halston (The Orchard, CNN Films)
  8. The Kill Team (A24)
  9. Leftover Women (MetFilm Sales)
  10. Low Tide (A24)
  11. Maiden (Sony Pictures Classics)
  12. The Quiet One (Sundance Selects)

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Posted in Film Festival, Tribeca Film Festival | Tagged a24, ask dr ruth, at the heart of gold, charlie says, cnn films, extremely wicked shockingly evil and vile, FilmFestival, Fox, goldie, halston, hbo, hulu, IFC, leftover women, low tide, maiden, Netflix, orchard, Sony Pictures Classics, sundance selects, tff 2019 melissa, tff2019, the apollo, the kill team, the quiet one, Tribeca Film Festival, vice | Leave a reply

New York Film Festival Review: Claire Denis’ ‘High Life’ starring Robert Pattinson & Juliette Binoche

Posted on October 16, 2018 by Melissa Hanson — Leave a reply

https://youtu.be/nxMB7D-Mg0Y

Fresh from being picked up for distribution by A24 at the Toronto Film Festival, High Life is a sci-fi drama with twists and turns that both come slowly and take your breath away. It’s difficult to describe without giving away the plot, so I’ll just say that it’s a space odyssey whose cast includes Robert Pattinson, Juliette Binoche and André 3000.

While told in space, don’t expect too many techy gadgets like those available at Gadgetsfind, this story focuses on the people. There are moments of discomfort, shock, and tenderness. While I don’t gush over it, I did really enjoy it and highly recommend to people who enjoy original storytelling.

Listen to director Claire Denis and star Robert Pattinson speak about it at the press conference below.

If you want to see another stellar performance by Pattinson, you should check out The Rover.

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Posted in Film Festival, New York Film Festival | Tagged a24, claire denis, High Life, New York Film Festival, nyff56 | Leave a reply

TFF Review: ‘Woman Walks Ahead’

Posted on April 18, 2018 by Melissa Hanson — Leave a reply

Woman Walks Ahead
Feature Narrative
Country: USA
Director: Susanna White
Writer: Steven Knight
Starring: Bill Camp, Ciarán Hinds, Sam Rockwell, Chaske Spencer, Michael Greyeyes, Jessica Chastain
Based on a true story, 19th-century Brooklyn artist Catherine Weldon journeys west on a mission to paint a portrait of the legendary chief Sitting Bull, only to find a very different world—and man—than she was expecting.
Click for tickets
Toronto Film Festival 2017
In theaters: June 29th, 2018, Distributed by: DirecTV/A24

Although I thoroughly enjoyed Susanna White’s beautiful and building drama, it’s always good to point out that this is historical fiction. It’s based on a true story, so it didn’t entirely happen the way it’s shown on screen.

Some really bright spots are Sam Rockwell as a supposedly well-meaning officer andCiarán Hinds (Mance Raycer in Game of Thrones) as the sheriff. Jessica Chastain is as graceful and determined as you’d come to expect her to be. It’s got just enough originality to draw you into another world.

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Posted in Film Festival, Tribeca Film Festival | Tagged a24, Bill Camp, catherine weldon, Chaske Spencer, Ciarán Hinds, directv, Jessica Chastain, Michael Greyeyes, sam rockwell, sitting bull, Steven Knight, susanna white, tff2018, tff2018 liz, tff2018 melissa, Tribeca Film Festival, Woman Walks Ahead | Leave a reply

20 films at the Tribeca Film Festival that already have distribution

Posted on April 2, 2018 by Melissa Hanson — Leave a reply

McQueen_Still 1
Cargo_1
The Rachel Divide_1
The Gospel According to Andre_(Magnolia Pictures)_1
The Bleeding Edge_1
Sunday's Illness_LUCIA_FARAIG_1
Crossroads_1
Studio 54_(Allan Tannenbaum)_1
No Greater Law (Arthur Mulhern)
Mary Shelley_1
Woman Walks Ahead_01
Duck Butter_(Hillary Spera)
Nico, 1988_(Magnolia Pictures)_1
The Seagull_(Abbott Genser)_1
Tiny Shoulders_Rethinking Barbie_1
Into the Okavango_[Neil Gelinas]_2
tribeca film festival 2018
Say Her Name The Life and Death of Sandra Bland_1
The Fourth Estate_1
Disobedience_(Bleeker Street Photography).jpg
We the Animals (xx) 01

No Greater Law
Feature Documentary
Country: UK, USA
Director: Tom Dumican
Writer: Jesse Lichtenstein, Tom Dumican
Distributed by: A&E
Festival tickets: Click for tickets

In Idaho’s rugged Treasure Valley, the Followers of Christ believe in God, family, and faith healing. As an investigation into the community’s high infant mortality rate closes in on the church, one patriarch fights for his right to his faith.


Studio 54
Feature Documentary
Country: USA
Director: Matt Tyrnauer
Writer:
Starring: Myra Scheer, Karin Bacon, Norma Kamali, Nile Rodgers, Ian Schrager, Steve Rubell
Distributed by: A&E
Festival tickets: Click for tickets

In 1977, Studio 54 and its founders, Ian Schrager and Steve Rubell, epitomized New York hedonism. But by, 1979 the fantasy was over—and Studio 54 goes inside that meteoric rise and catastrophic fall.


Disobedience
Feature Narrative
Country: UK
Director: Sebastian Lelio
Writer: Rebecca Lenkiewicz, Sebastián Lelio
Starring: Alessandro Nivola, Rachel McAdams, Rachel Weisz
Distributed by: Bleecker Street – Releasing 4/27/18
Festival tickets: Click for tickets

After the death of her estranged rabbi father, a New York photographer returns to the Orthodox Jewish community in North London where she grew up and, in doing so, reignites long-dormant passions and controversies.


McQueen
Feature Documentary
Country:
Director: Peter Ettedgui, Ian Bonhôte
Writer: Peter Ettedgui
Distributed by: Bleecker Street
Festival tickets: Click for tickets

Legendary couturier Alexander McQueen’s rags to riches story is vividly brought to life by his closest friends and family, and through his revolutionary body of work, as inspired, tortured, and visionary as the man himself.


Woman Walks Ahead
Feature Narrative
Country: USA
Director: Susanna White
Writer: Steven Knight
Starring: Bill Camp, Ciarán Hinds, Sam Rockwell, Chaske Spencer, Michael Greyeyes, Jessica Chastain
Distributed by: DirecTV/A24
Festival tickets: Click for tickets

Based on a true story, 19th-century Brooklyn artist Catherine Weldon journeys west on a mission to paint a portrait of the legendary chief Sitting Bull, only to find a very different world—and man—than she was expecting.


Crossroads
Feature Documentary
Country: USA
Director: Ron Yassen
Writer:
Distributed by: ESPN Films
Festival tickets: Click for tickets

Despite never having played the game before, a group of underprivileged teens emerge as a talented lacrosse team under the tutelage of Coach Bobby Selkin in this inspiring documentary.


Say Her Name: The Life and Death of Sandra Bland
Feature Documentary
Country: USA
Director: David Heilbroner, Kate Davis
Writer:
Distributed by: HBO
Festival tickets: Click for tickets

Sandra Bland was a bright, energetic activist whose life was cut short when a traffic stop resulted in a mysterious jail cell death just three days later. Say Her Name follows the two-year battle to uncover the truth.


Tiny Shoulders: Rethinking Barbie
Feature Documentary
Country: USA
Director: Andrea Nevins
Writer: Andrea Nevins
Starring: Peggy Orenstein, Roxane Gay, Gloria Steinem, Michelle Chidoni, Kim Culmone
Distributed by: hulu
Festival tickets: Click for tickets

Since her debut nearly 60 years ago, Barbie has been at turns a fashion idol and a cultural lightning rod. Tiny Shoulders steps behind the scenes as the icon undergoes her greatest reinvention yet.


Mary Shelley
Feature Narrative
Country: Ireland, UK, Luxembourg, USA
Director: Haifaa Al Mansour
Writer: Emma Jensen
Starring: Maisie Williams, Tom Sturridge, Joanne Froggatt, Bel Powley, Douglas Booth, Elle Fanning
Distributed by: IFC
Festival tickets: Click for tickets

The story of Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin’s whirlwind romance with the tempestuous poet Percy Shelley, a romance that led to her creation of one of the most enduring works of gothic literature before the age of 20: Frankenstein.


Nico, 1988
Feature Narrative
Country: Italy, Belgium
Director: Susanna Nicchiarelli
Writer: Susanna Nicchiarelli
Starring: Calvin Demba, Karina Fernandez, Thomas Trabacchi, Sandor Funtek, Anamaria Marinca, John Gordon Sinclair, Trine Dyrholm
Distributed by: Magnolia
Festival tickets: Click for tickets

This whirlwind road movie follows the final months on tour of the singer-songwriter Nico, one-time Warhol superstar and Velvet Underground vocalist.


The Gospel According to André
Feature Documentary
Country: USA
Director: Kate Novack
Writer:
Starring: André Leon Talley
Distributed by: Magnolia – Releasing 5/25/18
Festival tickets: Click for tickets

From the segregated South to the fashion capitals of the world, The Gospel According to André recounts fashion editor André Leon Talley’s storied life and career through intimate conversations, rich archival, and testimonials from fashion luminaries including Anna Wintour, Tom Ford, and Marc Jacobs.


Into the Okavango
Feature Documentary
Country: USA
Director: Neil Gelinas
Writer: Brian Newell, Neil Gelinas
Distributed by: National Geographic
Festival tickets: Click for tickets

Botswana’s Okavango Delta is one of the planet’s last remaining true wildernesses, but studies have shown it is shrinking. A group of intrepid scientists embark on a four-month, 1500-mile journey upriver to the Okavango’s source to investigate why.


The Rachel Divide
Feature Documentary
Country: USA
Director: Laura Brownson
Writer: Jeff Gilbert, Laura Brownson
Distributed by: Netflix – Releasing 4/27/18
Festival tickets: Click for tickets

Rachel Dolezal became infamous when she was unmasked as a white woman passing for black so thoroughly that she had become the head of her local N.A.A.C.P. chapter. This portrait cuts through the very public controversy to reveal Dolezal’s motivations.


Sunday’s Illness (La Enfermedad del Domingo)
Feature Narrative
Country: Spain
Director: Ramón Salazar Hoogers
Writer: Ramón Salazar Hoogers
Starring: Susi Sanchez, Barbara Lennie
Distributed by: Netflix – Releasing 6/15/18
Festival tickets: Click for tickets

After Anabel hosts an opulent dinner, she is confronted by Chiara, the daughter she abandoned decades earlier. Chiara arrives with just one request: that she and her mother spend ten days together.


The Bleeding Edge
Feature Documentary
Country: USA
Director: Kirby Dick, Amy Ziering
Writer:
Distributed by: Netflix
Festival tickets: Click for tickets

Each year in the United States, unparalleled innovations in medical diagnostics, treatment, and technology hit the market. But when the same devices designed to save patients end up harming them, who is accountable?


Cargo
Feature Narrative
Country: Australia
Director: Yolanda Ramke, Ben Howling
Writer: Yolanda Ramke
Starring: Martin Freeman
Distributed by: Netflix – Releasing 5/18/18
Festival tickets: Click for tickets

An infected father navigates a zombie-riddled Australian Outback with his infant daughter. Fortunately, he’s found an Aboriginal community that may hold the disease’s cure. Unfortunately, he has only 48 hours to live.


The Fourth Estate
Feature Documentary
Country: USA
Director: Liz Garbus
Writer:
Distributed by: Showtime
Festival tickets: Click for tickets

For the journalists at The New York Times, the election of Donald Trump presented a once in a generation challenge in how the press would cover a president who has declared the majority of the nation’s major news outlets “the enemy of the people.” Oscar-nominated filmmaker Liz Garbus witnessed the inner workings of journalism and investigative reporting from the front lines during this administrations’ first history-making year. A Showtime release


The Seagull
Feature Narrative
Country: USA
Director: Michael Mayer
Writer: Stephen Karam
Starring: Brian Dennehy, Billy Howle, Michael Zegen, Glenn Fleshler, Jon Tenney, Mare Winningham, Elisabeth Moss, Corey Stoll, Saoirse Ronan, Annette Bening
Distributed by: Sony Pictures Classics
Festival tickets: Click for tickets

A sumptuous adaptation of the classic Chekhov play transports the audience to a picturesque lakeside estate, where a love triangle unfolds between the legendary diva Irina, her lover Boris, and the ingénue Nina.


Duck Butter
Feature Narrative
Country: USA
Director: Miguel Arteta
Writer: Alia Shawkat, Miguel Arteta
Starring: Alia Shawkat, Laia Costa, Hong Chau, Kate Berlant, Kumail Nanjiani, Mark Duplass, Jay Duplass, Lindsay Burdge, Miguel Arteta
Distributed by: The Orchard – Releasing 4/27/18
Festival tickets: Click for tickets

Two women, jaded by dishonest and broken relationships, make a pact to spend 24 uninterrupted hours together, having sex on the hour. Their romantic experiment intends to create a new form of intimacy, but it doesn’t quite go as planned.


We the Animals
Feature Narrative
Country: USA
Director: Jeremiah Zagar
Writer: Dan Kitrosser
Starring: Josiah Gabriel, Isaiah Kristian, Evan Rosado, Sheila Vand, Raul Castillo
Distributed by: The Orchard
Festival tickets: Click for tickets

This lyrical coming-of-age tale, based on the acclaimed novel, weaves magic realism into an exquisite portrait of three brothers, their troubled parents, and the secret that the youngest of them holds.

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Posted in Film Festival, New York Film Festival, News, Tribeca Film Festival | Tagged a&e, a24, bleecker street, Cargo, Crossroads, directv, Disobedience, Duck Butter, hulu, Into the Okavango, Magnolia, Mary Shelley, McQueen, national geographic, Netflix, Nico 1988, No Greater Law, Say Her Name: The Life and Death of Sandra Bland, Showtime, Sony Pictures Classics, Studio 54, Sunday's Illness (La Enfermedad del Domingo), tff2018, tff2018 melissa, The Bleeding Edge, The Fourth Estate, The Gospel According to André, the orchard, The Rachel Divide, The Seagull, Tiny Shoulders: Rethinking Barbie, Tribeca Film Festival, We the Animals, Woman Walks Ahead | Leave a reply

Review: ‘The Blackcoat’s Daughter’ is wicked twisted and completely unsettling.

Posted on March 29, 2017 by Liz Whittemore — Leave a reply

 The Blackcoat’s Daughter

SYNOPSIS

A deeply atmospheric and terrifying new horror film, The Blackcoat’s Daughter centers on Kat (Kiernan Shipka) and Rose (Lucy Boynton), two girls who are left alone at their prep school Bramford over winter break when their parents mysteriously fail to pick them up. While the girls experience increasingly strange and creepy occurrences at the isolated school, we cross cut to another story—that of Joan (Emma Roberts), a troubled young woman on the road, who, for unknown reasons, is determined to get to Bramford as fast as she can. As Joan gets closer to the school, Kat becomes plagued by progressively intense and horrifying visions, with Rose doing her best to help her new friend as she slips further and further into the grasp of an unseen evil force. The movie suspensfully builds to the moment when the two stories will finally intersect, setting the stage for a shocking and unforgettable climax.

Emma Roberts plays a mysterious young woman who is clearly troubled. It’s an unglamorous role but suits her well. She is, as ever, riveting on screen. Having watched Kiernan Shipka literally grow up on Mad Men, we find her in a role that’s totally unexpected and truly scary. The progression of her character is unhinged. Fun fact: Shipka has a hauntingly gorgeous singing voice. The script’s dynamic is engrossing and the concept of two stories colliding keep you consistently alert. The uncomfortable moments and there are many, will keep you on the edge of your seat long enough to get to the weird (in a good way) ending.  The location screams typical New England boarding school. The winter weather adding to the gloom and darkness of the impending doom. The Blackcoat’s Daughter will stick with you in a disturbing way long after the credit roll. In Select Theaters and On Demand March 31st, 2017

Opening in NYC (Village East, Alamo Drafthouse Yonkers), LA (Sunset 5 West Hollywood) and additional cities…

Directed By:                         Osgood Perkins

Written By:                           Osgood Perkins

Produced By:                       Rob Paris, Adrienne Biddle, Bryan Bertino, Robert Menzies, Alphonse Ghossein

Starring:                                Emma Roberts, Kiernan Shipka, Lucy Boynton, Lauren Holly, James Remar

Release Date:                       Exclusively on DirecTV—February 16, 2017 / In Theaters and On Demand—March 31, 2017

Running Time:                     95 minutes

Rating:                                 R for brutal bloody violence and brief strong language

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Posted in Go To The Movies, in theaters, New York City, Poster, Release, Reviews, Trailer, VOD, What To Watch This Week, Woman Lead, Women in Film | Tagged a24, directv, emma roberts, female cast, horror, James Remar, Kiernan Shipka, Lauren Holly, Liz, Lucy Boynton, March release, Osgood Perkins, possession, poster, Review, stills, THE BLACKCOAT’S DAUGHTER, trailer, women in the lead | Leave a reply

NYFF54 Review: ’20th CENTURY WOMEN’, the ladies have it.

Posted on October 20, 2016 by Liz Whittemore — Leave a reply

nyff54-banner

20th CENTURY WOMEN20th-century-women-poster

  • Mike Mills
  • 2016
  • USA
  • 118 minutes

Mike Mills’s texturally and behaviorally rich new comedy seems to keep redefining itself as it goes along, creating a moving group portrait of particular people in a particular place (Santa Barbara) at a particular moment in the 20th century (1979), one lovingly attended detail at a time. The great Annette Bening, in one of her very best performances, is Dorothea, a single mother raising her teenage son, Jamie (Lucas Jade Zumann), in a sprawling bohemian house, which is shared by an itinerant carpenter (Billy Crudup) and a punk artist with a Bowie haircut (Greta Gerwig) and frequented by Jamie’s rebellious friend Julie (Elle Fanning). 20th Century Women is warm, funny, and a work of passionate artistry. An A24 release.

nyff54-20th-century-women-2cw-final-originalWriter/Director Mike Mills knows women. He appreciates the ins and outs, the nuances of age and stage and the humor in everyday life. Annette Bening asks one of her tenants Abbie, and son’s high school aged best friend, Julie to teach him how to be a food man. Since his father is out of the picture and mother Dorothea has trouble keeping an age appropriate man around for long, she had enlisted help. thankfully she has been thus far successful in raising an open-minded and perfectly curious boy. His inspiration for exploring the world is only enhanced by the eclectic females he is surrounded by. The film is funny and sweet. It’s a bit if a time capsule and yet somehow remains timeless in the theme of self discovery. The transitions are like colorful music videos mixed with punk  music from Talking Heads and Black Flag.

The cast is a dream. Billy Crudup is masculine but sensitive and thoughtful. Elle Fanning plays boy crazy, rebellion Julie with a wonderful mix of overconfidence and softness to remind us all of our teenage years. Lucas Jade Zumann is the anchor of this film in plot and reality. His innocence on-screen is wildly refreshing. Greta Gerwig is as strong and wonderful as always. Her vulnerability is unsurpassed as a punk artist and cancer survivor dealing with societal expectations of healing. Annette Bening, as bohemian mother Dorothea, owns the screen. She is pure magic in presence and delivery. I’m pulling for a nomination for Gerwig and Bening this year as I think they both at least deserve the nod.  20th Century Women is ensemble casting perfection. Without a doubt you are watching a real family on the screen. With Mike Mills‘ screenplay so full of insight, I vote they show kids this film in school and throw out those laughably outdated sex ed videos. You can catch the film when it opens this Christmas.

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Posted in Events, New York City, New York City, News, Poster, Release, Reviews, Trailer, Woman Lead, Women in Film | Tagged 20th Century Women, a24, Annette Bening, billy crudup, Black Flag, Elle Fanning, family, feminism, FilmFestival, Great Gerwig, Liz, lucas jade zumann, mike mills, New York Film Festival, nyff, nyff liz, nyff2016, punk music, Talking Heads, time capsule | Leave a reply

Trailer and Poster from James Ponsoldt’s ‘THE END OF THE TOUR’ starring Jesse Eisenberg and Jason Segel Debuts

Posted on May 27, 2015 by Michael Petrelli — Leave a reply

The-End-of-the-Tour

The trailer and poster for the upcoming film The End of the Tour has debuted and we have it for you below!

The End of the Tour tells the story of the five-day interview between Rolling Stone reporter (and novelist) David Lipsky (Jesse Eisenberg) and acclaimed novelist David Foster Wallace (Jason Segel), which took place right after the 1996 publication of Wallace’s groundbreaking epic novel, Infinite Jest. As the days go on, a tenuous yet intense relationship seems to develop between journalist and subject. The two men bob and weave around each other, sharing laughs and also possibly revealing hidden frailties – but it’s never clear how truthful they are being with each other. Ironically, the interview was never published, and five days of audio tapes were packed away in Lipsky’s closet. The two men did not meet again.

The movie also stars Anna Chlumsky, Joan Cusack, Mamie Gummer, and Mickey Sumner.

The film is based on Lipsky’s critically acclaimed memoir about this unforgettable encounter, Although Of Course You End Up Becoming Yourself: A Road Trip with David Foster Wallace, written following Wallace’s 2008 suicide.  Both Segel and Eisenberg reveal great depths of emotion in their performances and the film is directed with humor and tenderness by Sundance vet James Ponsoldt (The Spectacular Now) from Pulitzer-Prize winner Donald Margulies’ insightful and heartbreaking screenplay.

The film is being released in NY and LA on July 31st and expanding in August

eott_web

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Posted in News, Poster, Trailer | Tagged a24, Anna Chlumsky, James Ponsoldt, Jason Segel, jesse eisenberg, Joan Cusack, Mamie Gummer, Mickey Sumner | Leave a reply

First Trailer for ‘Amy’ Winehouse documentary

Posted on May 20, 2015 by Melissa Hanson — Leave a reply

AMY_web

A24 will open AMY in New York & Los Angeles on July 3, 2015 and Nationwide July 10, 2015

From BAFTA award-winning director Asif Kapadia (SENNA), AMY tells the incredible story of six-time Grammy-winner Amy Winehouse – in her own words. Featuring extensive unseen archive footage and previously unheard tracks, this strikingly modern, moving and vital film shines a light on the world we live in, in a way that very few can.

A once-in-a-generation talent, Amy Winehouse was a musician that captured the world’s attention. A pure jazz artist in the most authentic sense – she wrote and sung from the heart using her musical gifts to analyse her own problems. The combination of her raw honesty and supreme talent resulted in some of the most unique and adored songs of the modern era.

Her huge success, however, resulted in relentless and invasive media attention which coupled with Amy’s troubled relationships and precarious lifestyle saw her life tragically begin to unravel. Amy Winehouse died from alcohol poisoning in July 2011 at the age of 27.

For more info:
Website:http://amy-movie.com/
Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/AmyMovie
Twitter:https://twitter.com/amythemovie

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Posted in Features, News, Trailer | Tagged a24, Amy Winehouse | Leave a reply

Trailer for ‘Slow West’ Starring Michael Fassbender is Here

Posted on March 26, 2015 by Michael Petrelli — Leave a reply

fassbender

A24 has released the trailer for their upcoming western comedy thriller Slow West, starring Michael Fassbender (X-Men: Days of Future Past), Kodi Smit-McPhee (Dawn of the Planet of the Apes), Ben Mendelsohn (Killing Them Softly), and Caren Pistorius (Offspring). The film is written and directed by John Maclean

The film follows a 16-year-old boy Jay Cavendish (Smit-McPhee) on a journey across 19th Century frontier America in search of Rose (Pistorius),  the woman for whom young Cavendish has fallen in love with. Accompanied by mysterious traveler Silas Selleck (Fassbender), who is paid to protect the young man ,the two must contend with a posse of outlaws lead by Payne (Mendelsohn), who looks to get in their way.

Slow West was the recipient of the World Cinema Dramatic Grand Jury Prize following its Sundance debut earlier this year.

The film will premiere on DirecTV April 16th and will arrive in theaters and VOD May 15th.

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Posted in News, Trailer | Tagged a24, Ben Mendelsohn, Caren Pistorius, kodi smit-mcphee, michael fassbender, Slow West | Leave a reply

New Trailer: ‘Cut Bank’ Starring Liam Hemsworth – website totally misspells John Malkovich

Posted on February 6, 2015 by Melissa Hanson — Leave a reply

CaptureUm, someone totally misspelled John Malkovich! Read More →

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Posted in News, Trailer | Tagged a24, billy bob thornton, Bruce Dern, cut bank, John Malkovich, Liam Hemsworth, Matt Shakman, Teresa Palmer | Leave a reply

Find Out How To Tuskify Yourself…Go Full Walrus

Posted on September 11, 2014 by Melissa Hanson — Leave a reply

TUSK

Go to http://tuskfilm.com, upload a photo and Tuskify yourself!

A film written and directed by Kevin Smith
Starring Justin Long, Haley Joel Osment, and Genesis Rodriguez Read More →

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Posted in Fun Stuff, Uncategorized | Tagged a24, Genesis Rodriguez, Haley Joel Osment, Justin Long, Kevin Smith, smodcast, TUSK | Leave a reply

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