It’s been far too long since Michael Almereyda’s last feature, 2009’s dreamy diary film Paradise; his 2015 return with not one but two features (the Ethan Hawke-starring Cymbeline adaptation Anarchy is set for release later this year) is overdue and very welcome. Experimenter, a pared-down biopic of social psychologist Stanley Milgram, ostensibly exists to hit his career highlights, but it’s far from standard issue. As in his career (the writer said with all the authority conferred by a quickly read Wiki), the film begins with, and is dominated by, Milgram’s obedience to authority experiments. The “teacher” sits on one side of […]...
- 1/27/2015
- by Vadim Rizov
- Filmmaker Magazine-Director Interviews
It’s been far too long since Michael Almereyda’s last feature, 2009’s dreamy diary film Paradise; his 2015 return with not one but two features (the Ethan Hawke-starring Cymbeline adaptation Anarchy is set for release later this year) is overdue and very welcome. Experimenter, a pared-down biopic of social psychologist Stanley Milgram, ostensibly exists to hit his career highlights, but it’s far from standard issue. As in his career (the writer said with all the authority conferred by a quickly read Wiki), the film begins with, and is dominated by, Milgram’s obedience to authority experiments. The “teacher” sits on one side of […]...
- 1/27/2015
- by Vadim Rizov
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
Announcements for the lineup for the 2015 Sundance Film Festival, taking place between January 22nd and February 1st, are starting to roll out. Watch this page for updates as more films and sections are revealed.
Premieres
Brooklyn (John Crowley, UK)
Digging for Fire (Joe Swanberg, USA)
Don Verdean (Jared Hess, USA)
End of the Tour (James Ponsoldt, USA)
Experimenter (Michael Almereyda, USA)
Grandma (Paul Weitz, USA)
I Am Michael (Justin Kelly, USA)
I'll See You In My Dreams (Brett Haley, USA)
Last Days in the Desert (Rodrigo Garcia, USA)
Lila & Eve (Charles Stone III, USA)
Mississipi Grind (Ryan Fleck & Anna Boden, USA)
Mistress America (Noah Baumbach, USA)
Seoul Searching (Benson Lee, USA/Korea)
Sleeping with Other People (Leslye Headland, USA)
Ten Thousand Saints (Robert Pulcini & Shari Springer Berman, USA)
True Story (Rupert Goold, USA)
A Walk in the Woods (Ken Kwapis, USA)
Zipper (Mora Stephens, USA)
Documentary Premieres
Beaver Trilogy Part IV (Brad Besser,...
Premieres
Brooklyn (John Crowley, UK)
Digging for Fire (Joe Swanberg, USA)
Don Verdean (Jared Hess, USA)
End of the Tour (James Ponsoldt, USA)
Experimenter (Michael Almereyda, USA)
Grandma (Paul Weitz, USA)
I Am Michael (Justin Kelly, USA)
I'll See You In My Dreams (Brett Haley, USA)
Last Days in the Desert (Rodrigo Garcia, USA)
Lila & Eve (Charles Stone III, USA)
Mississipi Grind (Ryan Fleck & Anna Boden, USA)
Mistress America (Noah Baumbach, USA)
Seoul Searching (Benson Lee, USA/Korea)
Sleeping with Other People (Leslye Headland, USA)
Ten Thousand Saints (Robert Pulcini & Shari Springer Berman, USA)
True Story (Rupert Goold, USA)
A Walk in the Woods (Ken Kwapis, USA)
Zipper (Mora Stephens, USA)
Documentary Premieres
Beaver Trilogy Part IV (Brad Besser,...
- 12/16/2014
- by Notebook
- MUBI
David Gordon Green’s Manglehorn, Andrew Niccol’s Good Kill and Joshua Oppenheimer’s The Look of Silence among competition titles.Scroll down for full lists
The line-up for the 71st Venice Film Festival (Aug 27-Sept 6) has been revealed this morning by Biennale president Paolo Baratta and film festival director Alberto Barbera at Rome’s St. Regis Grand Hotel.
Early standouts include Abel Ferrara’s Pasolini, which centres on the final days of the Italian filmmaker and his death in 1975; David Gordon Green’s Manglehorn, starring Al Pacino as a locksmith in a small town who never got over the love of his life; and The Look Of Silence, Joshua Oppenheimer’s highly anticipated follow-up to his award-winning documentary, The Act of Killing.
As previously announced, Alejandro Gonzalez Iñárritu’s Birdman or The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance, starring Michael Keaton, will open the festival on August 27 and is among the 20-strong competition titles, of which all...
The line-up for the 71st Venice Film Festival (Aug 27-Sept 6) has been revealed this morning by Biennale president Paolo Baratta and film festival director Alberto Barbera at Rome’s St. Regis Grand Hotel.
Early standouts include Abel Ferrara’s Pasolini, which centres on the final days of the Italian filmmaker and his death in 1975; David Gordon Green’s Manglehorn, starring Al Pacino as a locksmith in a small town who never got over the love of his life; and The Look Of Silence, Joshua Oppenheimer’s highly anticipated follow-up to his award-winning documentary, The Act of Killing.
As previously announced, Alejandro Gonzalez Iñárritu’s Birdman or The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance, starring Michael Keaton, will open the festival on August 27 and is among the 20-strong competition titles, of which all...
- 7/24/2014
- by michael.rosser@screendaily.com (Michael Rosser)
- ScreenDaily
Prince Of Persia: The Sands Of Time (12A)
(Mike Newell, 2010, Us) Jake Gyllenhaal, Gemma Arterton, Ben Kingsley, Alfred Molina. 116 mins
You can tell by the title, the presence of producer Jerry Bruckheimer and the colossal expense how badly this wants to be the next Pirates Of The Caribbean. But it follows the family-friendly franchise formula so slavishly, there are few surprises. On the plus side, the leads are perfectly likable, the pace lively and the Arabian-themed spectacle impressive, but the British accents and incongruous Iraq-invasion parallel only point up what a dubious post-Orientalist wish-fulfilment it really is.
Bad Lieutenant (18)
(Werner Herzog, 2009, Us) Nicolas Cage, Eva Mendes, Val Kilmer. 122 mins
At last Herzog finds a replacement for the infamous Klaus Kinski, as Cage's long-repressed wild side is, er, uncaged, in an ironic portrait of post-Katrina cop corruption. Nothing like the original, it's more of an insane black comedy, with pulp crime...
(Mike Newell, 2010, Us) Jake Gyllenhaal, Gemma Arterton, Ben Kingsley, Alfred Molina. 116 mins
You can tell by the title, the presence of producer Jerry Bruckheimer and the colossal expense how badly this wants to be the next Pirates Of The Caribbean. But it follows the family-friendly franchise formula so slavishly, there are few surprises. On the plus side, the leads are perfectly likable, the pace lively and the Arabian-themed spectacle impressive, but the British accents and incongruous Iraq-invasion parallel only point up what a dubious post-Orientalist wish-fulfilment it really is.
Bad Lieutenant (18)
(Werner Herzog, 2009, Us) Nicolas Cage, Eva Mendes, Val Kilmer. 122 mins
At last Herzog finds a replacement for the infamous Klaus Kinski, as Cage's long-repressed wild side is, er, uncaged, in an ironic portrait of post-Katrina cop corruption. Nothing like the original, it's more of an insane black comedy, with pulp crime...
- 5/21/2010
- by The guide
- The Guardian - Film News
Lebanon (15)
(Samuel Maoz, 2009, Israel) Yoav Donat, Oshri Cohen, Michael Moshonov. 93 mins
You can see why they made Top Gun about jet fighters. This is set entirely within the confines of an Israeli tank during the 1982 Lebanon war, and it's not much of a recruitment ad. The gimmick is both the movie's strength and its weakness. The space and visibility restrictions make this a neat minimalist thriller and a nervy, unpredictable combat experience, but it's one safely insulated from the questions – and victims – of the real-life conflict. Despite the sweat and grime, you feel like the really dirty stuff is going on elsewhere.
Robin Hood (12A)
(Ridley Scott, 2010, Us) Russell Crowe, Cate Blanchett, Max Von Sydow, Mark Strong. 140 mins
Scott attempts to pull another Gladiator, ditching the familiar tights and tropes and reimagining the legend through a combination of mangled history, epic set pieces and deadly earnest heroism. It's more of a prequel,...
(Samuel Maoz, 2009, Israel) Yoav Donat, Oshri Cohen, Michael Moshonov. 93 mins
You can see why they made Top Gun about jet fighters. This is set entirely within the confines of an Israeli tank during the 1982 Lebanon war, and it's not much of a recruitment ad. The gimmick is both the movie's strength and its weakness. The space and visibility restrictions make this a neat minimalist thriller and a nervy, unpredictable combat experience, but it's one safely insulated from the questions – and victims – of the real-life conflict. Despite the sweat and grime, you feel like the really dirty stuff is going on elsewhere.
Robin Hood (12A)
(Ridley Scott, 2010, Us) Russell Crowe, Cate Blanchett, Max Von Sydow, Mark Strong. 140 mins
Scott attempts to pull another Gladiator, ditching the familiar tights and tropes and reimagining the legend through a combination of mangled history, epic set pieces and deadly earnest heroism. It's more of a prequel,...
- 5/14/2010
- by The guide
- The Guardian - Film News
The 16th annual Bradford International Film Festival, which will run March 18-28, is a total celebration of all forms of cinema, from classic films to modern world cinema to a tribute to Cinerama and more. But, most excitingly, is a bombastic collection of some of the best, most exciting underground films being made today.
From Bad Lit’s perspective, the most thrilling screening of the entire 10-day affair is the new film by British filmmaker Peter Whitehead, Terrorism Considered as One of the Fine Arts. In the U.S., Whitehead is a “lost” filmmaker from the underground’s heyday in the ’60s, being left out of most histories of the underground movement. Whitehead directed several influential films, including Wholly Communion and The Fall, before dropping out of filmmaking in the mid-’70s.
Film historian Jack Sargeant wrote extensively about and interviewed Whitehead for his wonderful book on Beat cinema, Naked Lens.
From Bad Lit’s perspective, the most thrilling screening of the entire 10-day affair is the new film by British filmmaker Peter Whitehead, Terrorism Considered as One of the Fine Arts. In the U.S., Whitehead is a “lost” filmmaker from the underground’s heyday in the ’60s, being left out of most histories of the underground movement. Whitehead directed several influential films, including Wholly Communion and The Fall, before dropping out of filmmaking in the mid-’70s.
Film historian Jack Sargeant wrote extensively about and interviewed Whitehead for his wonderful book on Beat cinema, Naked Lens.
- 3/5/2010
- by Mike Everleth
- Underground Film Journal
Movies shot on digital still cameras, mobile phones used as projectors – Rotterdam's forward-looking film festival offered intriguing glimpses of the future of movie-making
There have been times when this year's International Film Festival Rotterdam (Iffr) has felt like glimpsing a blueprint for the future – or at least some provisional early sketches. The festival has offered ideas, experiments and proofs of how the digital cinema world might look, from pre-production to shooting to exhibition, as well as some playful reminders of past times when the movie industry has faced challenge and change.
Cinema Reloaded, an experiment in raising production funds through crowd-sourcing, has been the festival's flagship online programme this year. The aim was to raise 30,000 euros for one of three proposed short films through virtual donations – an intriguing if somewhat gimmicky notion that does not seem to have caught fire in practice: at the time of writing, even the most popular project,...
There have been times when this year's International Film Festival Rotterdam (Iffr) has felt like glimpsing a blueprint for the future – or at least some provisional early sketches. The festival has offered ideas, experiments and proofs of how the digital cinema world might look, from pre-production to shooting to exhibition, as well as some playful reminders of past times when the movie industry has faced challenge and change.
Cinema Reloaded, an experiment in raising production funds through crowd-sourcing, has been the festival's flagship online programme this year. The aim was to raise 30,000 euros for one of three proposed short films through virtual donations – an intriguing if somewhat gimmicky notion that does not seem to have caught fire in practice: at the time of writing, even the most popular project,...
- 2/8/2010
- by Ben Walters
- The Guardian - Film News
The Gotham Awards are going particularly indie for their 2009 edition, nominating three festival favorites with limited distribution exposure for their best feature prize.
Cherien Dabis' immigrant tale "Amreeka,", Robert Siegel's rabid-fan pic ""Big Fan"" and Sebastian Silva's working-class drama "The Maid" all drew noms in the Gothams' top category, joining awards season frontrunners "The Hurt Locker" and "A Serious Man."
Kathryn Bigelow's "Locker" and "Fan" received the most noms overall, drawing three (both earned best feature and best actor noms, while Siegel landed a spot for breakthrough director and "Locker" scored a nom for best ensemble performance).
Best doc noms went to Robert Kenner's expose "Food, Inc.," Jeff Stilson's tonsorial exploration "Good Hair," Anne Aghion Rwandan-war pic "My Neighbor, My Killer," Michael Almereyda's experimentally minded "Paradise" and James Toback's boxing profile "Tyson."
Not appearing on the list in any category were Lee Daniels...
Cherien Dabis' immigrant tale "Amreeka,", Robert Siegel's rabid-fan pic ""Big Fan"" and Sebastian Silva's working-class drama "The Maid" all drew noms in the Gothams' top category, joining awards season frontrunners "The Hurt Locker" and "A Serious Man."
Kathryn Bigelow's "Locker" and "Fan" received the most noms overall, drawing three (both earned best feature and best actor noms, while Siegel landed a spot for breakthrough director and "Locker" scored a nom for best ensemble performance).
Best doc noms went to Robert Kenner's expose "Food, Inc.," Jeff Stilson's tonsorial exploration "Good Hair," Anne Aghion Rwandan-war pic "My Neighbor, My Killer," Michael Almereyda's experimentally minded "Paradise" and James Toback's boxing profile "Tyson."
Not appearing on the list in any category were Lee Daniels...
- 10/19/2009
- by By Steven Zeitchik
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
A Still From Director Michael Almereyda'S Paradise. Courtesy Post Factory Films. As he himself puts it, writer-director Michael Almereyda loves to make movies like a fighter likes to brawl, and over the course of his directorial career he has sought out an intriguing variety of creative challenges. Born in 1959 in Overland Park, Kansas, Almereyda spent his formative years in the Los Angeles area, where he discovered cinema and became a voracious moviegoer. Almereyda attended Harvard as an art history student, but dropped out in order to pursue his film career. He made his debut with the short film A Hero of Our Time (1985), and in 1989 directed his first feature Twister, a rural comedy about an oddball family in Kansas. Another Girl...
- 10/7/2009
- by Nick Dawson
- Filmmaker Magazine-Director Interviews
Let's forget about narrative for now, shall we? Let's not focus on narrative, let's live in the moment. And let's consider a documentary focused on isolated pieces of time, how those pieces can be compiled into a portrait of life as it is lived around the world. Michael Almereyda is no stranger to toying with film form. He set his version of Hamlet -- starring Ethan Hawke -- in the present day; in Happy Here and Now he melded virtual reality with noir trappings; and he's previously turned a documentary lens on such artists as Sam Shepard and William Eggleston. His latest documentary, the deceptively free-form Paradise, was shot over some ten years using a consumer-grade camcorder, and spans the globe and a pretty wide swath of human experience. There are moments here of surreal beauty (a group of firefighters at...
- 9/23/2009
- by Dan Persons
- Huffington Post
This week, contrasting approaches to filmmaking bring about balance and equilibrium. Experimentalism (Sally Potter's "Rage" and Michael Almereyda's "Paradise") collides head on with tried and tested formulas (the Clive Owen starrer "The Boys Are Back" and a remake of "Fame").
Download this in audio form (MP3: 18:27 minutes, 16.9 Mb) Subscribe to the In Theaters podcast: [Xml] [iTunes]
"Blind Date"
Stanley Tucci adapts and stars in the second remake from the canon of slain Dutch director Theo Van Gogh, the first being Steve Buscemi's 2007 "Interview." A whimsical psychological tussle between a husband and wife who play games to patch up their marriage, the story hones in on the attempted romantic rediscovery between long-married Don (Tucci) and Jenna (Patricia Clarkson).
Opens in New York.
"The Blue Tooth Virgin"
Writer/director Russell Brown's comedy stays true to the adage "write what you know," as a miserably bad screenplay threatens to...
Download this in audio form (MP3: 18:27 minutes, 16.9 Mb) Subscribe to the In Theaters podcast: [Xml] [iTunes]
"Blind Date"
Stanley Tucci adapts and stars in the second remake from the canon of slain Dutch director Theo Van Gogh, the first being Steve Buscemi's 2007 "Interview." A whimsical psychological tussle between a husband and wife who play games to patch up their marriage, the story hones in on the attempted romantic rediscovery between long-married Don (Tucci) and Jenna (Patricia Clarkson).
Opens in New York.
"The Blue Tooth Virgin"
Writer/director Russell Brown's comedy stays true to the adage "write what you know," as a miserably bad screenplay threatens to...
- 9/21/2009
- by Neil Pedley
- ifc.com
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