I told you a couple weeks ago how THINKFilm had picked up the gritty prison thriller The Escapist, and how the film, which stars Brian Cox, was the last thing I saw at Sundance this year. Well, I actually had a double helping of Cox that January night, because right before The Escapist I watched Red, another film boasting a terrific Cox performance -- and now it's headed for theaters, too.
Via The Hollywood Reporter we learn that Magnolia has picked up Red, with plans to release it late this summer. The film (which I reviewed here) is a thriller along the lines of Death Wish, only instead of avenging his wife's murder, the Cox character is going after the punks who killed his dog. (Do not mess with a man's dog!)
Yesterday, Eric D. Snider mentioned an interesting exercise by The New Republic's Christopher Orr. Annoyed at the recent glut of trailers that give away the entire film, he decided to write a review of 21 (which hits theaters today) based only on the trailer. Eric thought the "review" was actually pretty accurate, and I agree. I also agree that the trailer is egregiously inconsiderate of people who'd have liked to go into the movie unspoiled at least as to the third act. It's a shame.
But I'm sure you agree that it doesn't have to be that way. Trailers don't have to give away the game, and they don't have to be tacky and ham-fisted either. They're a marketing tool, of course, but trailers are also -- or can be -- an art form in their own right. Sometimes a trailer is such a skillful composition of images, sounds, words and music that it winds up having more of an effect on me than the movie I'm in the theater to see. (Often, too, the trailer turns out to be better than the movie it's advertising, which is always a disappointment.)
So while yesterday Eric asked you for examples of trailers that pissed you off because they revealed too much, I'd like to know which recent trailers you've loved. Not necessarily which ones you think advertised their movie in the optimal way, but which ones have been great in themselves -- scary, rousing, moving, beautiful. Take a look at some of my favorites and sound off after the jump.
Just caught There Will Be Blood on DVD last weekend, and though it's after the fact, I'm pretty convinced now that it should have won Best Picture. I haven't yet explored the DVD (which comes out on April 8), but I definitely encourage you to pick this flick up and watch it again, or watch it for the first time. In my opinion, one of the best films in the past 10 years. Without a doubt. But anyway, came across this very cool Paul Thomas Anderson tribute video today and thought we'd share it with you. It's six minutes long, and covers only five films (Hard Eight, Boogie Nights, Magnolia, Punch Drunk Love, There Will Be Blood), but it's cut brilliantly and worth a watch if you, like me, are a die hard PTA fanboy. Whoever cut this must have gotten their hands on a copy of the There Will Be Blood DVD (no, not me -- this would've taken me five years to cut together), so in case you want to go into that film fresh, you may want to skip this.
Additionally, this dude also made videos for Quentin Tarantino and The Coen Brothers, among others. Check them all out if you have some time to kill.
(Dan Bush, AJ Bowen, Jacob Gentry, David Bruckner)
The very best part of my job (aside from all the sex with actresses, I mean) is when I get to see a small horror flick early and then spend 14 months reminding the genre fans that, yes, it's still on the way. (Like that freaky French one about the terrorized preggo woman. It's coming, trust me!) It was about 14 months ago when I first saw (and really enjoyed) an Atlanta-made indie genre flick called The Signal -- and then I ran into the Signal gang again a few months later at SXSW. The film was received quite enthusiastically at both festivals.
Directors Jacob Gentry, David Bruckner and Dan Bush were in Philadelphia recently as part of a promotional tour for the film. Along with head baddie AJ Bowen, I took the guys to have their very first Philly Cheese Steak, and then we headed back to the theater for a Q & A session with the audience -- but not before we stopped at the Philadelphia Art Museum and the knucklehead quartet did their Rocky Balboa sprint up the steps. (See photo!)
So yeah: I liked the flick long before I liked all the goofballs who made the movie, so I thought it would be nice to offer a quick little reminder: Magnolia Pictures is releasing The Signal tomorrow (at these theaters), so if you're a serious horror fan who likes to whine and moan at all the studio-backed PG-13 horror crap that hits the screens every month ... here's your chance to support a smaller flick. You'll have a good time and you'll feel good about it, too.
Putting together last week's list of my favorite screenplays of the 2000's was relatively easy. I came up with about ten worthy candidates and narrowed from there. When I started putting together this week's list -- my favorite screenplays of the 1990's -- things got a lot more complicated. I had a much larger list of worthy candidates to choose from. It made me realize that a) the 90's, particularly the late 90's, was a genuinely incredible time for film, and b) I was going to have to split my list into two halves: 1995 -- 1999 and 1990 -- 1994.
So, in support of all the great screenwriters currently on strike, what follows is my favorite screenplays produced between 1995 and 1999. Read that last sentence carefully! If you've got movies you'd add to or subtract from my list, I would love to hear them, but make sure your choice fits the criteria. On my 2000's list, I was getting comments like "How DARE you not include Citizen Kane, you freaking idiot?"
Now then, with all apologies to the scripts it killed me to leave off (Office Space, A Simple Plan, As Good As it Gets, Chasing Amy, Lone Star, Three Kings, Swingers, Jackie Brown, Kingpin, I could go on and on), here is my alphabetical list:
Nacho Vigalondo's Timecrimes, which won the top prize at Fantastic Fest, has been picked up for distrib by Magnolia Pictures. The film, Vigalondo's feature film debut, explores the idea of time travel through a tale about a man who travels back in time and runs into himself, thus setting in motion a chain of events with consequences he never imagined. Vigalondo's 2003 short film, 7:35 in the Morning, was Oscar-nommed, but lost out to Wasp by Andrea Arnold (who went onto make the critically acclaimed Red Road, which won the Jury Prize at Cannes in 2006, along with a bevy of other awards).
Jette Kernion, who reviewed the film for Cinematical during Fantastic Fest, enjoyed it as much as the rest of the audience; she added the film to her viewing schedule after hearing from folks who attended the first screening that the film -- and the Q&A with Vigalondo -- was a must see. Kernion's take on the jigsaw-puzzle plot of the film:
"Many time-travel films seem to work only on that level -- when you try to think about them too hard, the premise crumbles. Timecrimes, however, is so tightly and intricately scripted that upon reflection, everything fits logically. you have to pay close attention, because every scene ends up being re-referenced later in the film. It's the kind of movie where more than once, you end up thinking, 'Oh! So that's why we saw -- ah, I get it now.'" Magnolia will release Timecrimes in 2008; in the meantime, you can read Jette's full review right here.
In January, we brought you word of Brian De Palma's newest film, the Iraq war drama called Redacted. Coming from the term used to describe text that has been edited with black bars, the drama details the Al-Mahmudiyah Incident -- where soldiers murdered a young Iraqi girl's parents and younger sister before gang-raping and murdering her as well. The film is currently surfing the film fest circuit, and our Ryan Stewart reviewed it at TIFF. Now the film is being redacted itself.
At the end of his film, the director included disturbing images that were never published by the press, which he had found online. Mark Cuban and Magnolia want them removed. During a recent press conference at the New York Film Festival, IFC captured an argument between De Palma and Magnolia President Eamonn Bowles over the dispute. When De Palma starts to discuss the removal of the images, and his fight to keep them, Bowles jumped in from the back row to argue with him over them, before the film's producer, Jason Kliot, also came on stage to give his two cents. De Palma, meanwhile looks like he can't wait to get out of there and explode.
Ex-Cinematical head and current Spout blogger Karina Longworth contacted Mark Cuban about the argument, and he says: "The film is going to be 'redacted' before we release it. He is using images that have not been cleared... he can absorb 100 percent of the risk and release the film as he sees fit. If he chooses not to, then we will release the movie without the images." But it's not only business, Cuban also swears he won't include them so that family members could accidentally stumble upon the disturbing pictures and see a murdered loved one. I see where he's coming from, but in that case, why would you give De Palma the money to do whatever he wants? It's not like the guy is all about cinnamon hearts and puppies -- this is just like Casualties of War.
Shameless horror junkie that I am, I left the 2007 Sundance Film Festival with two new genre favorites stuck right in my back pocket: Mitchell Lichtenstein's much-discussed Teeth and the Atlanta-born multi-director sci-fi horror apocalypse tale The Signal. It didn't take very long for a hungry distributor (in this case Magnolia Pictures) to come along and drop some coin on the nifty little flick, and now (courtesy of FearNet.com) we get our first "official" trailer for The Signal -- although it's really more of a teaser. (There was a promotional trailer up at the Shoreline Entertainment website a few weeks back, but I suppose this new one eliminates the need for that one. Oh well.)
No word yet on when Magnolia will be unleashing The Signal, but those guys already have The Host and Severance next in line. (Like I said a few months back, it feels to me like Magnolia's looking to become the next Lionsgate, and I think they're doing a damn fine job with these foreign and indie pick-ups!) For those who don't have the time to read my stunningly insightful review of The Signal, I'll sum up the plot in only a few isolated words: electronic, infection, murder, mayhem, madness. There. At this point you're either in or you're out. More info on The Signal's release when it becomes available.
I wish I had more opportunities to watch short films. Erik's Eat My Shorts column isn't enough -- I always try to see at least one shorts program at film festivals (I'm especially fond of the animated films), and I'm usually thrilled when shorts appear before feature films. It's one reason why I look forward to Pixar movies: you get not only the feature but also a cool short. So you can imagine how pleased I am today to learn that once again, Magnolia Pictures and Shorts International are teaming up to distribute the 2006 Oscar-nominated shorts. Even better, the films will be shown in theaters before the Academy Awards ceremony, so we can actually make informed choices in the Oscar pool.
The unusual thing about the distribution deal this year is that it's so early -- no one knows yet exactly what the nominated shorts lineup will be. Last year, Magnolia announced a similar deal ... but not until February, after the Oscar nominations were publicized. It's a little weird to hear about distribution for as-yet-unnamed films, but I assume none of the filmmakers will object to this chance for wider exposure of their short films. The shorts will not only see theatrical release, but will distributed through Magnolia Home Entertainment (which I assume means a DVD release), and on other platforms. You may even be able to watch the films on your cell phone if that's your idea of a fun viewing experience. I prefer the theater myself. The shorts will appear in theaters in 20 cities (please please let one of them be Austin please) on Feb. 16, 2007, a little more than a week before the Oscars.
Horror fans have lots of good reasons to admire Lionsgate. Say what you will about Saw and/or Hostel, but if you look back through LG's output over the last several years you're bound to find a fright flick (or six) you really admire. And although they have no problem putting together their own movies, some of the 'Gates' most colorful releases have been pick-ups from foreign lands -- High Tension (France), The Descent (UK), Undead (Australia), Ginger Snaps (Canada), Cabin Fever (North Carolina), etc.
But now it looks like another indie distributor has set its sights on doling out some of the foreign horror, and they're called Magnolia Pictures. Best known for supporting really solid titles like Dead Man's Shoes, Keane, Cavite and District B13, Magnolia is also the outfit that brought the original Pulse to American shores -- and now they're going back to the foreign horror well with a pair of highly-anticipated titles.
According to my gore-brothers over at BD.com, Magnolia will release Bong-joon Ho's enthusiastically acclaimed monster movie The Host on January 29th of next year, and they'll follow that up on March 9th with Severance, a "psycho in the woods" romp that comes from Christopher Smith, director of the generally underrated Creep. And here's the very best part: Both of these flicks will be playing at Toronto next month, so I don't have to wait for 2007! Oh wait, that's not the best part. That's the obnoxious part. My bad. In way of apology, please enjoy the Host trailer and the Severance trailer.
Anyway, if this keeps up I expect Lionsgate to just swoop in and say "Hey, good work, Magnolia. We're buying you."
Frank (Kim Bodnia), the protagonist of Nicolas Winding Refn's debut feature Pusher, was a likable everyman who also happened to be a drug dealer in a lot of trouble. In that film, Frank's associate and sometime-friend Tonny (Mads Mikkelsen, soon to be seen as Le Chiffre in Casino Royale) seemed to be a bird of a different feather: His shaved head (complete with "RESPECT" tattooed across its back), lithe body and careless attitude suggested a man who wanted to be seen as a tough customer -- someone to be feared. In reality, though, Tonny was more interested in drinking with his friends and talking about sex than actually taking part in the violent, dangerous life that surrounded him. Despite his efforts to the contrary, he looked more like a naïve kid out for adventure than he did a hardened criminal.
In Pusher II: With Blood on My Hands, Tonny is forced to the foreground, and proves himself to be both more and less than he seemed. In the years between the two films, Tonny has grown from a scrawny, energetic kid into a strangely vacant adult, completely lost within his own life. The movie opens with him on the receiving end of a jailhouse monologue about how fear is the only thing that separates those who run the world from the sorry masses; once fear is conquered, one can do anything. Tonny listens blankly, the relevance of the story lost on him. Instead of comprehending what he hears, he simply stares until the speaker mentions the money Tonny owes him. Because the man knows and respects Tonny's father -- known to everyone as the Duke -- he's willing to work with Tonny to pay back the debt. Otherwise, he would not be so kind. The problem is solved when Tonny, clearly at his debtor's bidding, starts a prison-yard fight that results in him being outnumbered and badly beaten. Though Tonny's initial attack was brave, his wild flight afterwards was not; his fear remains firmly in control.
Originally released nearly a decade ago in its native Denmark, Pusher is a breathtaking film. Planned as an independent, no-budget feature by director Nicolas Winding Refn, the project changed shape when Balboa Films offered him financing: Gone are the 16mm film and the amateur actors, replaced by vivid color and seasoned professionals. What remains, however, is Refn's sensibility, and the resulting work -- his feature debut as a director -- is an enthralling combination of the shocking, the sensational and the matter-of-fact.
Pusher tells the story of a terrible week in the life of Frank (Kim Bodnia), a small-time drug dealer. When times are good, Frank spends almost all of his time with Tonny (Mads Mikkelsen), his right-hand man and apparent best friend; Tonny is the classic street tough who looks much harder -- manic grin, "RESPECT" tattooed on the back of his shaved head -- than he acts. On the best of days, the two drive around laughing, talking about women and selling drugs to people so beaten-down they live in terror of displeasing Frank and Tonny; on the worst days, there is bloodshed, fear and betrayal. As the week begins, the friends go about their everyday business, doing deals here and there and traveling the city like care-free kids, joking and taking real pleasure in their mutual friendship. In addition to working as a unit, the two party together as well, boozing with the same good-humored grumbling that helps them through the day.
I think we can all be forgiven for our general ignorance of the fact that Exodus Film Group has been developing an animated feature about crayons. After all, in what context could that possibly have come up? "Oh, that shirt is such a pretty color! That reminds me, have you heard about that crayon movie?" I mean, it just doesn't flow naturally into the conversations of anyone over eight. (Actually, does anyone know any eight-year-olds? I bet this is all the rage among that set.)
The crayon movie -- yes, it's really happening -- is called The Hero of Color City, and is described in Variety as "[following] the adventures of a diverse band of crayons as they strive to protect their magical, multihued homeland from an evil tyrant." That part sounds sort of Teletubbies (NOT, by the way, a bad thing. I dig Teletubbies.), except with an evil guy on the horizon. But there's more: The crayons leave their home world (Color City) every day and go to work at a preschool in our world, which sounds a whole lot like Monsters Inc. to me. And also, it must be said, extremely cool -- my only concern is whether a story about crayons (which, let's face it, can't really be all THAT expressive, what with no limbs or hair or clothes or anything) can be sustained for a full 90 minutes. Happily for Exodus, the people at Magnolia have no such concerns, and they've picked up distribution rights to the movie, which they see as "a potential family franchise."
Though they won't even announced the nominees for their competitive awards until October, the folks at IFP (a group, for the non-independent film freaks among, you dedicated to "serving the independent film community as a source for networking and support while promoting film as a vital and influential public art form") have announced that they will honor Mark Cuban and Todd Wagner of 2929 Entertainment at their annual Gotham Awards this fall. According to IFP exec director Michelle Byrd, the pair are being recognized for their consistent willingness to think outside the box when it comes to film production and distribution. Though their day-and-date release strategy has received significant opposition from theater owners, it's starting to be adopted by other distributors, and seems to have been embraced, at least to a degree, by the viewing public. Said Byrd of the pair, "They are visionaries who have introduced exciting and new distribution models, and who continue to showcase tremendous diversity in the films they produce, release and exhibit." So yeah, she thinks they're pretty cool.
Though the awards ceremony doesn't take place until late November, does anyone really think Cuban will have cooled off enough by then NOT to talk about the NBA refs? I'm saying he's got to at least slip in a David Stern reference.
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I told you a couple weeks ago how THINKFilm had picked up the gritty prison thriller The Escapist, and how the film, which stars Brian Cox, was the last thing I saw at Sundance this year. Well, I actually had a double helping of Cox that January night, because right before The Escapist I watched Red, another film boasting a terrific Cox performance -- and now it's headed for theaters, too. 
Nacho Vigalondo's 
In January, we 
Shameless horror junkie that I am, I left the 2007 Sundance Film Festival with two new genre favorites stuck right in my back pocket: Mitchell Lichtenstein's much-discussed 
I wish I had more opportunities to watch short films. Erik's 
Horror fans have lots of good reasons to admire 
I think we can all be forgiven for our general ignorance of the fact that Exodus Film Group has been developing an animated feature about crayons. After all, in what context could that possibly have come up? "Oh, that shirt is such a pretty color! That reminds me, have you heard about that crayon movie?" I mean, it just doesn't flow naturally into the conversations of anyone over eight. (Actually, does anyone know any eight-year-olds? I bet this is all the rage among that set.)
Though they won't even announced the nominees for their competitive awards until October, the folks at IFP (a group, for the non-independent film freaks among, you dedicated to "serving the independent film community as a source for networking and support while promoting film as a vital and influential public art form") 
