Conspiracy buffs rejoice. Netflix has got you covered. Photojournalist Christian Hansen and director Zachary Treitz’s American Conspiracy: The Octopus Murders is a paranoia mother lode. Investigative reporter Danny Casolaro probed irregularities in government dealings with criminal surveillance software designer Inslaw. His 1991 death, in a Virginia hotel room with multiple slash wounds to the wrist, including some which improbably tore tendons, was ruled a suicide.
The story Casolaro was chasing involved a cabal of important people tied in with branches of the Justice Department. The claims behind the four-part documentary series reach beyond the initial crime. The chase runs into almost every suspicion held against government agencies, and the shadow power they hold, by journalists and the public at large. Included inside American Conspiracy is the Holy Grail of every scholar of the John F. Kennedy assassination.
The Legend of the “Real Zapruder Film”
“Oh, the Zapruder film,” Cheri Seymour,...
The story Casolaro was chasing involved a cabal of important people tied in with branches of the Justice Department. The claims behind the four-part documentary series reach beyond the initial crime. The chase runs into almost every suspicion held against government agencies, and the shadow power they hold, by journalists and the public at large. Included inside American Conspiracy is the Holy Grail of every scholar of the John F. Kennedy assassination.
The Legend of the “Real Zapruder Film”
“Oh, the Zapruder film,” Cheri Seymour,...
- 3/4/2024
- by Alec Bojalad
- Den of Geek
Obsession works like an addiction. You feed it and feed it, falling down rabbit holes, pursuing your prey with single-minded intensity. You chase the dragon, until you are indistinguishable from the beast itself and the rest of the world slowly becomes a blurry background.
The new Netflix docuseries American Conspiracy: The Octopus Murders is about a great many things: a journalist who either committed suicide or was murdered; a government surveillance software program that the Department of Justice might have stolen from its creators; a shady, scary assortment of geniuses,...
The new Netflix docuseries American Conspiracy: The Octopus Murders is about a great many things: a journalist who either committed suicide or was murdered; a government surveillance software program that the Department of Justice might have stolen from its creators; a shady, scary assortment of geniuses,...
- 2/28/2024
- by Chris Vognar
- Rollingstone.com
What began as an inquiry into a David vs Goliath contract and intellectual-property theft dispute ensnared one journalist in a massive web of intrigue involving political machinations, international espionage, and maybe even murder. American Conspiracy: The Octopus Murders, a new documentary series directed by Zachary Treitz and produced by Duplass Brothers Productions with Stardust Frames Productions (who last teamed up for Wild Wild Country), untangles the arms of this conspiracy theory. When a photojournalist named Christian Hansen takes another look at the unfinished investigation, his search for answers sends him and Treitz zigzagging across the country in an attempt to track down the various entities involved in this mystery. It’s a mission that may put them at great personal risk — especially considering that Danny Casolaro, the journalist who originally pursued the story, was found dead under curious circumstances.
“It’s like a horror movie in some respects for me,...
“It’s like a horror movie in some respects for me,...
- 2/27/2024
- by Roxanne Fequiere
- Tudum - Netflix
"We knew who was involved. No one was ever brought to justice." Netflix has revealed a trailer for another new true crime, mysterious doc series - this one titled American Conspiracy: The Octopus Murders. However, this doc series looks like it's something much more intriguing than most - from the filmmaking team who brought you Wild Wild Country (which is one of the best series). From Stardust Frames, Duplass Brothers Productions, and director Zachary Treitz - this four part docuseries untangles a mystery decades in the making. The series takes a closer look at a shadowy organization called "The Octopus", a secret group with ties to stolen government spy software and some of the biggest political scandals of the 20th century. The odd thing about this is that James Bond's great nemesis Ernst Blofeld runs Spectre, the villainous organization also uses an octopus for its symbol. This is a fictional group,...
- 2/8/2024
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
What if finding out the truth got you killed?
Duplass Brothers Productions backs the looks-to-be-chilling Netflix docuseries “American Conspiracy: The Octopus Murders,” which reexamines the death of West Virginian journalist Danny Casolaro. From the producers of “Wild Wild Country,” the series uncovers the organization known as the “octopus,” comprised of former government officials whose “tentacles” reach every part of the U.S. That was thanks to the software program Promis, which was used by the CIA.
The official synopsis for the four-part docuseries reads: “When journalist Danny Casolaro was found dead in a hotel bathtub, police ruled it a suicide. But his family and colleagues believe he may have been murdered for investigating a conspiracy he called ‘The Octopus,’ a hidden organization connected to stolen government spy software, a string of unsolved murders, and some of the biggest political scandals of the 20th century. Years later, researcher Christian Hansen pushes...
Duplass Brothers Productions backs the looks-to-be-chilling Netflix docuseries “American Conspiracy: The Octopus Murders,” which reexamines the death of West Virginian journalist Danny Casolaro. From the producers of “Wild Wild Country,” the series uncovers the organization known as the “octopus,” comprised of former government officials whose “tentacles” reach every part of the U.S. That was thanks to the software program Promis, which was used by the CIA.
The official synopsis for the four-part docuseries reads: “When journalist Danny Casolaro was found dead in a hotel bathtub, police ruled it a suicide. But his family and colleagues believe he may have been murdered for investigating a conspiracy he called ‘The Octopus,’ a hidden organization connected to stolen government spy software, a string of unsolved murders, and some of the biggest political scandals of the 20th century. Years later, researcher Christian Hansen pushes...
- 2/8/2024
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
Netflix Co-CEO Ted Sarandos took a victory lap on the company’s fourth-quarter earnings call about the company’s acquisition of exclusive rights to Monday Night Raw and other WWE programming.
“If I could raise a single eyebrow at a time, I would lean into the camera with a single eyebrow and do my best Dwayne,” he laughed, referring to Dwayne Johnson, WWE legend and newly minted board member of Tko Group Holdings. WWE programming, he continued on a more sincere note, is “right in the sweet spot of our sports business, which is the drama of sport. Think of this as 52 weeks of live programming every year. It feeds our desire to expand our event programming.”
The exec’s comments followed the company’s release of strong fourth-quarter results, highlighted by a far-better-than expected gain of 13 million subscribers compared with the same period in 2022. Netflix ended 2023 with more than 260 million subscribers worldwide.
“If I could raise a single eyebrow at a time, I would lean into the camera with a single eyebrow and do my best Dwayne,” he laughed, referring to Dwayne Johnson, WWE legend and newly minted board member of Tko Group Holdings. WWE programming, he continued on a more sincere note, is “right in the sweet spot of our sports business, which is the drama of sport. Think of this as 52 weeks of live programming every year. It feeds our desire to expand our event programming.”
The exec’s comments followed the company’s release of strong fourth-quarter results, highlighted by a far-better-than expected gain of 13 million subscribers compared with the same period in 2022. Netflix ended 2023 with more than 260 million subscribers worldwide.
- 1/23/2024
- by Dade Hayes
- Deadline Film + TV
Netflix added a far-better-than-expected 13 million subscribers to reach 260.3 million globally as of the end of 2023.
The company missed earnings per share forecasts and barely edged Wall Street expectations for total revenue as it faced tricky comparisons with the year-ago quarter and continued impact from a recent price increase.
Wall Street analysts had predicted the company would add between 8 million and 9 million subscribers in the period. Their consensus called for revenue of $8.71 billion and Eps of $2.20. The actual top- and bottom-line figures came in at $8.8 billion and $2.11, respectively.
Related: Netflix Gets In The Ring, Locking Up WWE’s ‘Monday Night Raw’ In 10-Year, $5B-Plus Deal For Longtime TV Staple
Two of the company’s ongoing initiatives, advertising and paid password sharing, continued to yield results in the quarter. Last November, Netflix said its $7-a-month ad tier had generated 15 million monthly active users, rising to 23 million by this month, according to internal projections.
The company missed earnings per share forecasts and barely edged Wall Street expectations for total revenue as it faced tricky comparisons with the year-ago quarter and continued impact from a recent price increase.
Wall Street analysts had predicted the company would add between 8 million and 9 million subscribers in the period. Their consensus called for revenue of $8.71 billion and Eps of $2.20. The actual top- and bottom-line figures came in at $8.8 billion and $2.11, respectively.
Related: Netflix Gets In The Ring, Locking Up WWE’s ‘Monday Night Raw’ In 10-Year, $5B-Plus Deal For Longtime TV Staple
Two of the company’s ongoing initiatives, advertising and paid password sharing, continued to yield results in the quarter. Last November, Netflix said its $7-a-month ad tier had generated 15 million monthly active users, rising to 23 million by this month, according to internal projections.
- 1/23/2024
- by Dade Hayes and Jill Goldsmith
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Netflix is investigating a strange conspiracy about a hidden organization known as The Octopus in its latest crime docuseries.
The streamer has ordered American Conspiracy: The Octopus Murders. It comes from Duplass Brothers Productions and Stardust Frames, the two companies behind Netflix’s hit docuseries Wild Wild Country and will be directed by Zachary Treitz (Men Go To Battle).
It starts with the death of journalist Danny Casolaro, who was found in a hotel bathtub and the police ruled it a suicide. But his family and colleagues believe he may have been murdered for investigating a conspiracy he called “The Octopus” – a hidden organization connected to stolen government spy software, a string of unsolved murders, and some of the biggest political scandals of the 20th century. Years later, researcher Christian Hansen pushes to uncover the secrets behind Casolaro’s death, and the story that killed him.
The four-part series,...
The streamer has ordered American Conspiracy: The Octopus Murders. It comes from Duplass Brothers Productions and Stardust Frames, the two companies behind Netflix’s hit docuseries Wild Wild Country and will be directed by Zachary Treitz (Men Go To Battle).
It starts with the death of journalist Danny Casolaro, who was found in a hotel bathtub and the police ruled it a suicide. But his family and colleagues believe he may have been murdered for investigating a conspiracy he called “The Octopus” – a hidden organization connected to stolen government spy software, a string of unsolved murders, and some of the biggest political scandals of the 20th century. Years later, researcher Christian Hansen pushes to uncover the secrets behind Casolaro’s death, and the story that killed him.
The four-part series,...
- 1/23/2024
- by Peter White
- Deadline Film + TV
With a seemingly endless amount of streaming options—not only the titles at our disposal, but services themselves–each week we highlight the noteworthy titles that have recently hit platforms. Check out this week’s selections below and an archive of past round-ups here.
The Command (Thomas Vinterberg)
In the summer of 2000, the Russian submarine named Kursk took on a naval exercise in the Barents Sea, the first of its kind since the fall of the Soviet Union a decade earlier. The Command (released under the title Kursk elsewhere), written by Robert Rodat and directed by Thomas Vinterberg, tells of the sub’s crew, the crew’s families and the government that failed them. Without fully spoiling this real-life event, things do not go well from those onboard the vessel. – Dan M. (full review)
Where to Stream: Netflix
Dolemite Is My Name (Craig Brewer)
The opening scene of Dolemite Is My Name...
The Command (Thomas Vinterberg)
In the summer of 2000, the Russian submarine named Kursk took on a naval exercise in the Barents Sea, the first of its kind since the fall of the Soviet Union a decade earlier. The Command (released under the title Kursk elsewhere), written by Robert Rodat and directed by Thomas Vinterberg, tells of the sub’s crew, the crew’s families and the government that failed them. Without fully spoiling this real-life event, things do not go well from those onboard the vessel. – Dan M. (full review)
Where to Stream: Netflix
Dolemite Is My Name (Craig Brewer)
The opening scene of Dolemite Is My Name...
- 10/25/2019
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
After announcing the opening night film, Lisa D’Apolito’s documentary Love, Gilda, the complete lineup for the 2018 Tribeca Film Festival has been unveiling. Along with festival favorites, including Disobedience, The Miseducation of Cameron Post, and Daughter of Mine, there’s a number of anticipated world premieres: The Seagull, starring Annette Bening and Saoirse Ronan, Kent Jones’ drama Diane, the documentary McQueen, Miguel Arteta’s Duck Butter, Ondi Timoner’s Mapplethorpe, the Ethan Hawke-led Stockholm, and more. The centerpiece of the festival will be Drake Doremus’ Zoe, starring Léa Seydoux, and closing night is Liz Garbus’ documentary The Fourth Estate.
“In a year that has reminded us more often of our divisions than our connections, this Festival’s program embraces film’s unique power to overcome differences – that connecting with stories not our own is the road into our deeply programmed human capacity for empathy and understanding,” said Cara Cusumano,...
“In a year that has reminded us more often of our divisions than our connections, this Festival’s program embraces film’s unique power to overcome differences – that connecting with stories not our own is the road into our deeply programmed human capacity for empathy and understanding,” said Cara Cusumano,...
- 3/7/2018
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
With a seemingly endless amount of streaming options — not only the titles at our disposal, but services themselves — we’ve taken it upon ourselves to highlight the titles that have recently hit platforms. Every week, one will be able to see the cream of the crop (or perhaps some simply interesting picks) of streaming titles (new and old) across platforms such as Netflix, iTunes, Amazon, and more (note: U.S. only). Check out our rundown for this week’s selections below.
Amour Fou (Jessica Hausner)
An ecstatically original work of film-history-philosophy with a digital-cinema palette of acutely crafted compositions. Amour Fou seamlessly blends together the paintings of Vermeer, the acting of Bresson, and the psychological undercurrents of a Dostoevsky novel. It is an intensely thrilling and often slyly comic work that manages to combine a passionately dispassionate love story of the highest order with a larger socio-historical examination of a new era of freedom,...
Amour Fou (Jessica Hausner)
An ecstatically original work of film-history-philosophy with a digital-cinema palette of acutely crafted compositions. Amour Fou seamlessly blends together the paintings of Vermeer, the acting of Bresson, and the psychological undercurrents of a Dostoevsky novel. It is an intensely thrilling and often slyly comic work that manages to combine a passionately dispassionate love story of the highest order with a larger socio-historical examination of a new era of freedom,...
- 11/18/2016
- by The Film Stage
- The Film Stage
Next month, Netflix has a wide variety of films — modern to classic, animated to live action, Oscar winners to romantic comedies — and we’ve picked seven that you should watch once they’re made available on the streaming service. Enjoy.
1. “Under the Sun” (available November 11)
Directed by Vitaly Manski, the documentary follows a year in the life of a family in Pyongyang, North Korea as their eight-year-old daughter, Zin-mi, prepares to join the Korean Children’s Union on the Day of the Shining Star.
2. “The Ivory Game” (available November 14)
Directed by Kief Davidson and Richard Ladkani and produced by Leonardo DiCaprio, the documentary sheds a light on the seedy underbelly of elephant poaching in Africa and black market ivory trading in China.
Read More: ‘The Ivory Game,’ Produced By Leonardo DiCaprio, Is a Shocking Look at an Underground Marketplace — Telluride Review
3. “Just Friends” (available November 14)
On a lighter note, who...
1. “Under the Sun” (available November 11)
Directed by Vitaly Manski, the documentary follows a year in the life of a family in Pyongyang, North Korea as their eight-year-old daughter, Zin-mi, prepares to join the Korean Children’s Union on the Day of the Shining Star.
2. “The Ivory Game” (available November 14)
Directed by Kief Davidson and Richard Ladkani and produced by Leonardo DiCaprio, the documentary sheds a light on the seedy underbelly of elephant poaching in Africa and black market ivory trading in China.
Read More: ‘The Ivory Game,’ Produced By Leonardo DiCaprio, Is a Shocking Look at an Underground Marketplace — Telluride Review
3. “Just Friends” (available November 14)
On a lighter note, who...
- 10/20/2016
- by Liz Calvario
- Indiewire
“American Fringe: A New Look at American Independent Cinema” will officially launch this November as part of the Festival d’Automne. This new film series, which will take place from November 25 to November 27, will screen eight recent American independent feature films that collectively and individually capture the irreverence and innovation that have always been at the heart of that movement.
Produced by The Arts Arena, a Parisian nonprofit initiative in the visual arts, performing arts, film and issues of culture and society, the organization has just announced the lineup.
Read More: Parisian Arts Initiative Launching ‘American Fringe’ Film Series in 2016
Organized and selected by Richard Peña, Director Emeritus of the New York Film Festival, and Alessia Palanti, the duo know that recently there has been an enormous growth in the number of indie films and documentaries created. With “American Fringe” they hope to celebrate a slew of works that still...
Produced by The Arts Arena, a Parisian nonprofit initiative in the visual arts, performing arts, film and issues of culture and society, the organization has just announced the lineup.
Read More: Parisian Arts Initiative Launching ‘American Fringe’ Film Series in 2016
Organized and selected by Richard Peña, Director Emeritus of the New York Film Festival, and Alessia Palanti, the duo know that recently there has been an enormous growth in the number of indie films and documentaries created. With “American Fringe” they hope to celebrate a slew of works that still...
- 9/27/2016
- by Liz Calvario
- Indiewire
With a seemingly endless amount of streaming options — not only the titles at our disposal, but services themselves — we’ve taken it upon ourselves to highlight the titles that have recently hit platforms. Every week, one will be able to see the cream of the crop (or perhaps some simply interesting picks) of streaming titles (new and old) across platforms such as Netflix, iTunes, Amazon, and more (note: U.S. only). Check out our rundown for this week’s selections below.
Dormant Beauty (Marco Bellocchio)
The newest film by Marco Bellocchio, one of Italy’s most revered directors, Dormant Beauty, initially seems like a risky proposition, being that it intends to marry both the often over-stuffed ensemble drama subgenre and what’s essentially an “issue” film. The exact fear being that the narrative would strain in a series of contrivances while also mass sermonizing. And yet, while the film still...
Dormant Beauty (Marco Bellocchio)
The newest film by Marco Bellocchio, one of Italy’s most revered directors, Dormant Beauty, initially seems like a risky proposition, being that it intends to marry both the often over-stuffed ensemble drama subgenre and what’s essentially an “issue” film. The exact fear being that the narrative would strain in a series of contrivances while also mass sermonizing. And yet, while the film still...
- 9/16/2016
- by The Film Stage
- The Film Stage
Every week, the CriticWire Survey asks a select handful of film and TV critics two questions and publishes the results on Monday morning. (The answer to the second, “What is the best film in theaters right now?” can be found at the end of this post.)
This week’s question: What was the best film of summer 2016?
Charles Bramesco (@intothecrevasse), Rolling Stone
Gosh, where to start! It’s been a banner summer if, like me, you enjoy submerging yourself in vast unending ocean of incomprehensible bullshit at the movies. There was “Suicide Squad,” which is to plot structure what the Elephant Man is to facial bone structure. Loved me some “X-Men: Apocalypse,” an epic battle between an uncomfortable-looking ensemble of interesting-to-talented actors and a script intent on turning them all into cardboard cutouts. “The Shallows” was fun in the way that completing the maze on the back of a cereal box is fun,...
This week’s question: What was the best film of summer 2016?
Charles Bramesco (@intothecrevasse), Rolling Stone
Gosh, where to start! It’s been a banner summer if, like me, you enjoy submerging yourself in vast unending ocean of incomprehensible bullshit at the movies. There was “Suicide Squad,” which is to plot structure what the Elephant Man is to facial bone structure. Loved me some “X-Men: Apocalypse,” an epic battle between an uncomfortable-looking ensemble of interesting-to-talented actors and a script intent on turning them all into cardboard cutouts. “The Shallows” was fun in the way that completing the maze on the back of a cereal box is fun,...
- 8/22/2016
- by David Ehrlich
- Indiewire
If summer is a time for big-budget extravaganzas chock full of movie stars, “Men Go to Battle” might be the ultimate counter-programming: a tiny indie about two brothers in Kentucky struggling with different ideas about what to do with the inhospitable plot of land they’d been bequeathed. But “Men Go to Battle,” from first-time director Zachary Treitz, is an anomaly in the extra-low-budget indie world, too, because it’s a period piece that goes to great pains to recreate the first years of the Civil War. The idea, said Treitz of the film that premiered at last year’s Tribeca Film Festival.
- 7/15/2016
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
Zachary Treitz and Kate Lyn Sheil’s “Men Go To Battle” sets its story in the 1860s, treating the Civil War period as a background prop on a miniscule stage, in an intimate and muted story about two brothers. It’s a film that would make for an attention-grabbing double bill with “The Keeping Room” (coming to […]
The post ‘Men Go To Battle’ Is A Quietly Resonant Cinematic Experience [Review] appeared first on The Playlist.
The post ‘Men Go To Battle’ Is A Quietly Resonant Cinematic Experience [Review] appeared first on The Playlist.
- 7/8/2016
- by Nikola Grozdanovic
- The Playlist
To help sift through the increasing number of new releases (independent or otherwise), the Weekly Film Guide is here! Below you’ll find basic plot, personnel and cinema information for all of this week’s fresh offerings.
Starting this month, we’ve also put together a list for the entire month. We’ve included this week’s list below, complete with information on screening locations for films in limited release.
See More: Here Are All the Upcoming Movies in Theaters for July 2016
Here are the films opening theatrically in the U.S. the week of Friday, July 8. All synopses provided by distributor unless listed otherwise.
Wide
Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates
Director: Jake Szymanski
Cast: Adam DeVine, Anna Kendrick, Aubrey Plaza, Zac Efron
Synopsis: Two brothers place an online ad to find dates for a wedding and the ad goes viral.
The Secret Life of Pets
Director: Chris Renaud,...
Starting this month, we’ve also put together a list for the entire month. We’ve included this week’s list below, complete with information on screening locations for films in limited release.
See More: Here Are All the Upcoming Movies in Theaters for July 2016
Here are the films opening theatrically in the U.S. the week of Friday, July 8. All synopses provided by distributor unless listed otherwise.
Wide
Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates
Director: Jake Szymanski
Cast: Adam DeVine, Anna Kendrick, Aubrey Plaza, Zac Efron
Synopsis: Two brothers place an online ad to find dates for a wedding and the ad goes viral.
The Secret Life of Pets
Director: Chris Renaud,...
- 7/8/2016
- by Steve Greene
- Indiewire
The lives of the young, illiterate Mellon brothers, Henry (Tim Morton) and Francis (David Maloney), whose world barely extends beyond their small, unproductive farm in Small’s Corner, Kentucky, might seem historically insignificant compared to the monumental events transpiring in their own backyard in 1861. The magic — I use the word loosely because the film is cloaked in such an original isomorph of naturalism — of director Zachary Treitz’s Men Go to Battle lies in its equal treatment of the two strands. The filmmaker tailors the aesthetic to his purposes, noting with a hint of sarcasm to The L Magazine, […]...
- 7/8/2016
- by Howard Feinstein
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
Built into the independent, Civil War-set feature “Men Go To Battle” was an inherent production challenge: How do you recreate the Civil War on a micro-budget? Director Zachary Treitz had always known to pull it off he’d need to lean on the historical reenactment of the Battle of Perryville.
“Because it was the 150th Anniversary of Perryville, Civil War reenactors were having a national event, which meant instead of having hundreds, they had thousands of men and women replaying the events of the key battle,” Treitz told IndieWire in a recent interview.
Treitz lobbied the reenactment leaders for months to convince them to allow filming, but there was concern the filmmakers would interfere with the allusion of re-living the events.
Read More: James Franco’s Movie Column: Civil War Meets Mumblecore in ‘Men Go To Battle’
“These are men who sleep on the ground in rainy 30 degree weather and...
“Because it was the 150th Anniversary of Perryville, Civil War reenactors were having a national event, which meant instead of having hundreds, they had thousands of men and women replaying the events of the key battle,” Treitz told IndieWire in a recent interview.
Treitz lobbied the reenactment leaders for months to convince them to allow filming, but there was concern the filmmakers would interfere with the allusion of re-living the events.
Read More: James Franco’s Movie Column: Civil War Meets Mumblecore in ‘Men Go To Battle’
“These are men who sleep on the ground in rainy 30 degree weather and...
- 7/7/2016
- by Chris O'Falt
- Indiewire
Editor’s Note: “Men Go To Battle” is not your normal micro-budget independent film. The story of two Kentucky brothers set against the backdrop of Civil War is a perfect example of how resourceful low budget filmmakers can be, as director Zachary Treitz and his small band of collaborators creates a vibrant and credible-looking period drama. The film is much more than an inventive recreation of period, it is also an exercise in taking a modern approach to story and filmmaking to cut through the layers of historical embellishment to make a direct and intimate film that is as relatable as any set in 2016.
In the first of a series of articles about the film, cinematographer Brett Jutkiewicz talks about how he approached shooting “Men” and how he tackled the challenge of shooting in the low light, pre-electricity world of 1861.
Read More: How To Make a Period-Set Feature Film For...
In the first of a series of articles about the film, cinematographer Brett Jutkiewicz talks about how he approached shooting “Men” and how he tackled the challenge of shooting in the low light, pre-electricity world of 1861.
Read More: How To Make a Period-Set Feature Film For...
- 7/6/2016
- by Chris O'Falt
- Indiewire
"This war might last longer than me..." Film Movement has debuted a trailer for the indie drama Men Go to Battle, about the story of two brothers during the American Civil War. This is kind of the opposite of Free State of Jones, another Civil War movie due this year, with more of a mumblecore vibe and it even has a darkly comedic side - though that's hard to tell. The cast includes Timothy Morton, Charlotte Arnold, Steve Coulter, Samantha Jacober, Rachel Korine, David Maloney, Emily Cass McDonnell. The film follows two brothers trying to keep their crumbling estate together outside a Kentucky town. Have fun. Here's the first trailer (+ poster) for Zachary Treitz's Men Go to Battle, from YouTube (via Tfs): Official synopsis: Kentucky, 1861. Francis and Henry Mellon depend on each other to keep their unkempt estate afloat as winter encroaches. After Francis takes a casual fight too far,...
- 5/4/2016
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Written by Zachary Treitz and Kate Lyn Sheil, and directed by Treitz, Men Go to Battle is an ambitious independent historical drama that tells the story of two quarreling brothers whose back-and-forth are interrupted by the Civil War. Here’s how the filmmakers synopsize the film, which stars Tim Morton, David Maloney and, from Spring Breakers, Rachel Korine: While most Americans predict that the Civil War will end by Christmas, Henry (Tim Morton) and Francis Mellon (David Maloney) are more concerned about braving another winter on their struggling rural Kentucky farm. The brothers have become suffocatingly close. Francis’ practical jokes become […]...
- 5/3/2016
- by Scott Macaulay
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
If Matthew McConaughey‘s Civil War drama Free State of Jones (or even Civil War) aren’t your cup of tea this summer, we can recommend a more grounded experience from the era with Men Go to Battle. The directorial debut from Zachary Trietz follows two brothers who find themselves facing an approaching war. Premiering back at Tribeca Film Festival last year, it’ll now get a release this summer and the first trailer has landed.
We said in our review, “Mumblecore and the period drama have (somehow) come together, and the result is far better than people who are generally allergic to the subgenre may expect. On a minuscule budget, writer-director Zachary Treitz and his crew have laid out a fully realized recreation of the South during the American Civil War — and it’s more than convincing recreations of an era’s aesthetic. Where many historical films are concerned...
We said in our review, “Mumblecore and the period drama have (somehow) come together, and the result is far better than people who are generally allergic to the subgenre may expect. On a minuscule budget, writer-director Zachary Treitz and his crew have laid out a fully realized recreation of the South during the American Civil War — and it’s more than convincing recreations of an era’s aesthetic. Where many historical films are concerned...
- 5/3/2016
- by Leonard Pearce
- The Film Stage
There’s always a discovery to be found in every Tribeca Film Festival line-up and one of the indies that broke out last year was “Men Go To Battle.” The directorial debut of Zachary Treitz, “Men Go To Battle” is a micro-budgeted Civil War era film that stars Tim Morton, David Maloney, Rachel Korine, Steve Coulter and Kate Lyn Sheil (“House Of Cards,” the upcoming “The Girlfriend Experience”) who co-wrote the movie with its director. The indie centers on two brothers struggling to hold their crumbling estate together outside a small Kentucky town in the fall of 1861. Here’s the official synopsis: Most Americans predict that the Civil War will end by Christmas, but Henry (Tim Morton) and Francis Mellon (David Maloney) couldn't care less. Bracing for another winter on their struggling farm in rural Kentucky, the brothers have become suffocatingly close. Francis' practical jokes become more and more aggressive...
- 3/3/2016
- by Edward Davis
- The Playlist
There’s a certain joy to be felt when discovering a new voice in film. Taking the risk to sit down in and watch a director’s first feature, witnessing how they grapple and contend with cinema. Each year, there are great debuts, to be sure, but in 2015, it seemed to me to be unusually strong for first-time filmmakers (not a few films listed here are on my overall best of the year list as well).
A few notes regarding the eligibility: the majority of these films had a USA theatrical release date in 2015, but in the spirit of including more foreign films – some of which have yet to find a distributor in North America – I have also included several films which only had festival release dates in 2015, or only had theatrical releases in their country of origin. The question of which films are eligible seems to be an arbitrary line,...
A few notes regarding the eligibility: the majority of these films had a USA theatrical release date in 2015, but in the spirit of including more foreign films – some of which have yet to find a distributor in North America – I have also included several films which only had festival release dates in 2015, or only had theatrical releases in their country of origin. The question of which films are eligible seems to be an arbitrary line,...
- 1/18/2016
- by Josh Hamm
- SoundOnSight
Read More: How Tribeca-Winning Director Zachary Treitz Made 'Men Go to Battle,' a Period Film That Feels Strikingly Modern As part of the "Local Color" program that celebrates independent New York filmmakers, the Nitehawk Cinema and Tribeca Film Festival presented a screening of the Civil War period piece "Men Go to Battle" on Tuesday night, followed by a Q&A with director Zachary Treitz, cinematographer Ben Jutkiewicz and co-producer Brendan McHugh. Treitz was honored with the Best New Director for a Narrative Feature award earlier this year at the Tribeca Film Festival. Despite its Civil War backdrop, "Men Go to Battle" is a familial portrait that feels intimate and remarkably contemporary. After the screening, Treitz spoke about how his own family's Kentucky upbringing inspired the story and explained how his objective was to "make us feel like we’re jumping into the world rather than commenting on it from a 150 years later.
- 12/16/2015
- by Tarek Shoukri
- Indiewire
Mumblecore and the period drama have (somehow) come together, and the result is far better than people who are generally allergic to the subgenre may expect. On a miniscule budget, writer-director Zachary Treitz and his crew have laid out a fully realized recreation of the South during the American Civil War — and it’s more than convincing recreations of an era’s aesthetic. Where many historical films are concerned with the movers and shakers of well-known events, Men Go to Battle is all about the micro view. It tells a story that happens to be set against a volatile backdrop, but is more about what it was like to live day-to-day in such a time.
Here is where the mumblecore sensibility comes in. The actors all adopt that brand of low-key physicality and manner of speech, favoring naturalism above all else. The plot, too, is of the loosey-goosey, incident-based nature beloved by indie film.
Here is where the mumblecore sensibility comes in. The actors all adopt that brand of low-key physicality and manner of speech, favoring naturalism above all else. The plot, too, is of the loosey-goosey, incident-based nature beloved by indie film.
- 11/12/2015
- by Daniel Schindel
- The Film Stage
A pair of sections that we’ve been covering almost since its inception, the American Film Institute (AFI) announced their selections for the New Auteurs and American Independents line-ups and we’ve got a noteworthy, eyebrow-raising sampling of award-winning items from the Cannes played hellish immigration drama Mediterranea from Jonas Carpignano to Sundance (Josh Mond’s James White) to SXSW (Trey Edward Shults’ Krisha) winners. Since Park City days, our Nicholas Bell has reviewed a good chunk of these titles, but we’ll still likely have a couple of more reviews once the festival begins. Here are the selections and jury members.
New Auteurs Selections (11 Titles)
From Afar – When a middle-aged man is assaulted and robbed by a young criminal, an unlikely relationship develops. Dir Lorenzo Vigas. Scr Lorenzo Vigas. Cast Alfredo Castro and Luis Silva. Venezuela/Mexico. U.S. Premiere
Disorder – Matthias Schoenaerts plays an ex-soldier who becomes locked...
New Auteurs Selections (11 Titles)
From Afar – When a middle-aged man is assaulted and robbed by a young criminal, an unlikely relationship develops. Dir Lorenzo Vigas. Scr Lorenzo Vigas. Cast Alfredo Castro and Luis Silva. Venezuela/Mexico. U.S. Premiere
Disorder – Matthias Schoenaerts plays an ex-soldier who becomes locked...
- 10/15/2015
- by Eric Lavallee
- IONCINEMA.com
Venice Golden Lion winner From Afar, Mustang and James White are among selections in the New Auteurs and American Independents sections at AFI Fest 2015 presented by Audi, set to run from November 5–12.
The New Auteurs section highlights 11 first and second-time narrative directors whose films are eligible for the grand jury prize and includes From Afar (Desde Allá) and Critics Week France 4 Visionary Award winner Land And Shade (pictured).
The American Independents strand represents nine films from returning directors whom AFI Fest programmers believe have created the best of independent filmmaking this year. Entries include James White, Krisha and FIeld Niggas.
As previously announced, the opening night gala will be the world premiere of Angelina Pitt Jolie’s By The Sea on November 5, the centerpiece gala will be the world premiere of Peter Landesman’s Concussion on November 10 and the closing night gala will be the world premiere of Adam McKay’s The Big Short on November 12.
New...
The New Auteurs section highlights 11 first and second-time narrative directors whose films are eligible for the grand jury prize and includes From Afar (Desde Allá) and Critics Week France 4 Visionary Award winner Land And Shade (pictured).
The American Independents strand represents nine films from returning directors whom AFI Fest programmers believe have created the best of independent filmmaking this year. Entries include James White, Krisha and FIeld Niggas.
As previously announced, the opening night gala will be the world premiere of Angelina Pitt Jolie’s By The Sea on November 5, the centerpiece gala will be the world premiere of Peter Landesman’s Concussion on November 10 and the closing night gala will be the world premiere of Adam McKay’s The Big Short on November 12.
New...
- 10/15/2015
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
Film Movement has snatched all North American rights to the Tribeca success Men Go To Battle, the debut feature from director Zachary Treitz. Set during the American Civil War, the dark comedy follows two brothers, Henry and Francis Mellon, living on a struggling farm in rural Kentucky, who pass the time with an escalating battle of practical jokes. When things go too far, Henry is injured and soon after, humiliated in front of the daughter of their town’s leading…...
- 7/16/2015
- Deadline
The distributor has acquired all North American rights to Zachary Treitz’s debut feature and Tribeca 2015 selection.
The 19th century, Kentucky-set Men Go To Battle is styled as a darkly comedic but historically accurate look at two brothers whose escalating pranks are interrupted by the Civil War.
Treitz co-wrote the screenplay with Kate Lyn Sheil. Steven Schardt produced the film, which earned Treitz the best new narrative director prize at the New York festival earlier this year.
Tim Morton, David Maloney and Rachel Korine star.
Film Movement president Michael Rosenberg brokered the dal with Matt Burke, Ben Braun and Josh Braun of Submarine...
The 19th century, Kentucky-set Men Go To Battle is styled as a darkly comedic but historically accurate look at two brothers whose escalating pranks are interrupted by the Civil War.
Treitz co-wrote the screenplay with Kate Lyn Sheil. Steven Schardt produced the film, which earned Treitz the best new narrative director prize at the New York festival earlier this year.
Tim Morton, David Maloney and Rachel Korine star.
Film Movement president Michael Rosenberg brokered the dal with Matt Burke, Ben Braun and Josh Braun of Submarine...
- 7/16/2015
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
Think Drive-in sans automobile. Think film festival that isn’t over with the blink of an eye. We’ve mentioned just how important a role it has in supporting works in progress from the participating Ifp’s Independent Filmmaker Lab folks, but it’s also a indie film love-in destination for some of the more innovative items found on the film fest circuit. Brooklynites and visiting cinephiles have several reasons to rejoice as the Rooftop Films folks have unveiled their 2015 Summer Series program and they’ll be serving up a must see plate of indie, docu and shorts.
Among the more tantalizing offerings, Sundance is well repped with Tangerine, The Wolfpack and Finders Keepers and SXSW menu offerings are found in Trey Shults’ Krisha award-winner and in Bob Byington’s 7 Chinese Brothers, which technically opens the 19th edition on May 30th. Here is the list of feature film offerings (dates...
Among the more tantalizing offerings, Sundance is well repped with Tangerine, The Wolfpack and Finders Keepers and SXSW menu offerings are found in Trey Shults’ Krisha award-winner and in Bob Byington’s 7 Chinese Brothers, which technically opens the 19th edition on May 30th. Here is the list of feature film offerings (dates...
- 5/5/2015
- by Eric Lavallee
- IONCINEMA.com
Aferim!This year, Tribeca moved back home, swapping out the East Village’s AMC Loew’s 7 for the venue they once used, the nearly invisible Regal Battery Park Stadium 11 as one of the festival’s main theater locations. Whether it is coincidence or just one of the festival’s grand themes, the finest films I saw were about movement. Characters search high and low for someone or something. While carrying strange cargo, they journey to the West, to the East, wherever, going from point A to point B. If not travelling, then characters are stuck, stranded, or even trapped in a spot, but desiring to move, move, move. There’s a whole lotta riding and talking going on in Radu Jude’s Aferim! Shot on black-and-white film (Kodak Double-x), the film is set in 1855 Wallachia, a time in which the Romani people had subhuman status, being slaves to landowning Boyars,...
- 5/4/2015
- by Tanner Tafelski
- MUBI
The Tribeca Film Festival of 2015 closed the books on Sunday as it always does, with a day full of screenings of the prize-winning films. And, as I noted on Day Three, it bears noting that the festival’s reputation of being for “indies that aren’t really indies” almost never bears out during the awards ceremony. All of the films that played on Sunday will be launching new talent into American arthouses, rather than showing a new dimension for established stars.
The Tribeca jury gives awards to Actor, Actress, Screenplay, Editing, Cinematography, New Director for each of narrative and documentary, Director for each of narrative and documentary, a special Nora Ephron prize honoring new female filmmakers, Best Documentary Feature, and Best Narrative feature. The Tribeca Audience Awards cover the best narrative film and best documentary as well. I confess to being completely unable to judge good editing, but I will...
The Tribeca jury gives awards to Actor, Actress, Screenplay, Editing, Cinematography, New Director for each of narrative and documentary, Director for each of narrative and documentary, a special Nora Ephron prize honoring new female filmmakers, Best Documentary Feature, and Best Narrative feature. The Tribeca Audience Awards cover the best narrative film and best documentary as well. I confess to being completely unable to judge good editing, but I will...
- 4/29/2015
- by Mark Young
- SoundOnSight
Read More: Watch: New Trailer and Clip Arrive When 'Men Go To Battle' For the Civil War FilmThe problem with period pieces is that they're distancing. Even the finest, most humanizing historical films have an anthropological quality, as if the people onscreen were torn from a history book rather than a captured slice of life. This problem of estrangement is typically inherent to the fabric of the genre. That's not the case with Zachary Treitz's "Men Go to Battle." Treitz, who was awarded Best New Narrative Director at the Tribeca Film Festival this year, has created a period piece that feels contemporary. Set in 1861, "Men Go To Battle" is a portrait of quotidian life in an extraordinary moment in history. The Civil War proves merely a backdrop for brothers Henry (Tim Morton) and Francis (David Maloney), who own a modest farmstead in Small's Corner, Kentucky and lead...
- 4/28/2015
- by Emily Buder
- Indiewire
Tribeca Review: Zachary Treitz ‘s ‘Men Go To Battle’ Co-Written By Kate Lyn Sheil With Rachel Korine
Zachary Treitz and Kate Lyn Sheil’s “Men Go To Battle” sets its story in the 1860s, treating the Civil War period as a background prop on a miniscule stage, in an intimate and muted story about two brothers. It’s a film that would make for an attention-grabbing double bill with “The Keeping Room” (coming to theaters in October), considering their mirrored parallels. Where the latter focuses on the bond forged between three women near the end of the Civil War, Treitz and Sheil are more interested in the rift that grows between two brothers over the course of the war’s first year. Julia Hart wrote “The Keeping Room” as a feminist picture with her heart unapologetically on her sleeve, but “Men Go To Battle” has a much more unassuming aura around it, interested in the quotidian moments of ordinary folk living on the outskirts of the war.
- 4/25/2015
- by Nikola Grozdanovic
- The Playlist
Virgin Mountain and Bridgend were among the winners at the 14th annual Tribeca Film Festival; King Jack and Transfatty Lives take the audience awards.
It was also announced that, starting this year, the new name of the Best New Documentary Director Award is The Albert Maysles New Documentary Director Award, which was awarded on Thursday by the filmmaker’s children Philip Maysles and Sara Maysles.
The winners of the audience awards sponsored by At&T were King Jack, directed by Felix Thompson, in the narrative category, and TransFatty Lives, directed by Patrick O’Brien, in the documentary category .
World Narrative Competition Categories
The Founders Award for Best Narrative Feature – Virgin Mountain (Iceland-Denmark), dir Dagur Kári. Winner receives $25,000 sponsored by At&T and the art award Ash Eroded Film Reel by Daniel Arsham.
Best Actor in a Narrative Feature Film – Gunnar Jónsson as Fúsi in Virgin Mountain. Winner receives $2,500 sponsored by Citrin Cooperman.
Best Actress...
It was also announced that, starting this year, the new name of the Best New Documentary Director Award is The Albert Maysles New Documentary Director Award, which was awarded on Thursday by the filmmaker’s children Philip Maysles and Sara Maysles.
The winners of the audience awards sponsored by At&T were King Jack, directed by Felix Thompson, in the narrative category, and TransFatty Lives, directed by Patrick O’Brien, in the documentary category .
World Narrative Competition Categories
The Founders Award for Best Narrative Feature – Virgin Mountain (Iceland-Denmark), dir Dagur Kári. Winner receives $25,000 sponsored by At&T and the art award Ash Eroded Film Reel by Daniel Arsham.
Best Actor in a Narrative Feature Film – Gunnar Jónsson as Fúsi in Virgin Mountain. Winner receives $2,500 sponsored by Citrin Cooperman.
Best Actress...
- 4/24/2015
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
Virgin Mountain and Bridgend were among the winners at the 14th annual Tribeca Film Festival’s New York awards show at Spring Studios on Thursday night.
It was also announced that, starting this year, the new name of the Best New Documentary Director Award is The Albert Maysles New Documentary Director Award, which was awarded on Thursday by the filmmaker’s children Philip Maysles and Sara Maysles.
The winners of the audience awards sponsored by At&T will be announced on April 25.
World Narrative Competition Categories
The Founders Award for Best Narrative Feature – Virgin Mountain (Iceland-Denmark), dir Dagur Kári. Winner receives $25,000 sponsored by At&T and the art award Ash Eroded Film Reel by Daniel Arsham.
Best Actor in a Narrative Feature Film – Gunnar Jónsson as Fúsi in Virgin Mountain. Winner receives $2,500 sponsored by Citrin Cooperman.
Best Actress in a Narrative Feature Film – Hannah Murray as Sara in Bridgend (Denmark, pictured). Winner...
It was also announced that, starting this year, the new name of the Best New Documentary Director Award is The Albert Maysles New Documentary Director Award, which was awarded on Thursday by the filmmaker’s children Philip Maysles and Sara Maysles.
The winners of the audience awards sponsored by At&T will be announced on April 25.
World Narrative Competition Categories
The Founders Award for Best Narrative Feature – Virgin Mountain (Iceland-Denmark), dir Dagur Kári. Winner receives $25,000 sponsored by At&T and the art award Ash Eroded Film Reel by Daniel Arsham.
Best Actor in a Narrative Feature Film – Gunnar Jónsson as Fúsi in Virgin Mountain. Winner receives $2,500 sponsored by Citrin Cooperman.
Best Actress in a Narrative Feature Film – Hannah Murray as Sara in Bridgend (Denmark, pictured). Winner...
- 4/24/2015
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
Virgin Mountain and Bridgend were among the winners at the 14th annual Tribeca Film Festival’s New York awards show at Spring Studios on Thursday night.
It was also announced that, starting this year, the new name of the Best New Documentary Director Award is The Albert Maysles New Documentary Director Award, which was awarded on Thursday by the filmmaker’s children Philip Maysles and Sara Maysles.
The winners of the audience awards sponsored by At&T will be announced on April 25.
World Narrative Competition Categories
The Founders Award for Best Narrative Feature – Virgin Mountain (Iceland-Denmark, pictured), dir Dagur Kári. Winner receives $25,000 sponsored by At&T and the art award Ash Eroded Film Reel by Daniel Arsham.
Best Actor in a Narrative Feature Film – Gunnar Jónsson as Fúsi in Virgin Mountain. Winner receives $2,500 sponsored by Citrin Cooperman.
Best Actress in a Narrative Feature Film – Hannah Murray as Sara in Bridgend (Denmark). Winner receives $2,500 sponsored by Citrin Cooperman...
It was also announced that, starting this year, the new name of the Best New Documentary Director Award is The Albert Maysles New Documentary Director Award, which was awarded on Thursday by the filmmaker’s children Philip Maysles and Sara Maysles.
The winners of the audience awards sponsored by At&T will be announced on April 25.
World Narrative Competition Categories
The Founders Award for Best Narrative Feature – Virgin Mountain (Iceland-Denmark, pictured), dir Dagur Kári. Winner receives $25,000 sponsored by At&T and the art award Ash Eroded Film Reel by Daniel Arsham.
Best Actor in a Narrative Feature Film – Gunnar Jónsson as Fúsi in Virgin Mountain. Winner receives $2,500 sponsored by Citrin Cooperman.
Best Actress in a Narrative Feature Film – Hannah Murray as Sara in Bridgend (Denmark). Winner receives $2,500 sponsored by Citrin Cooperman...
- 4/24/2015
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
Virgin Mountain and Bridgend were among the winners at the 14th annual Tribeca Film Festival’s New York awards show at Spring Studios on Thursday night.
It was also announced that, starting this year, the new name of the Best New Documentary Director Award is The Albert Maysles New Documentary Director Award, which was awarded on Thursday by the filmmaker’s children Philip Maysles and Sara Maysles.
The winners of the audience awards sponsored by At&T will be announced on April 25.
World Narrative Competition Categories
The Founders Award for Best Narrative Feature – Virgin Mountain (Iceland-Denmark, pictured), dir Dagur Kári. Winner receives $25,000 sponsored by At&T and the art award Ash Eroded Film Reel by Daniel Arsham.
Best Actor in a Narrative Feature Film – Gunnar Jónsson as Fúsi in Virgin Mountain. Winner receives $2,500 sponsored by Citrin Cooperman.
Best Actress in a Narrative Feature Film – Hannah Murray as Sara in Bridgend (Denmark). Winner receives $2,500 sponsored by Citrin Cooperman...
It was also announced that, starting this year, the new name of the Best New Documentary Director Award is The Albert Maysles New Documentary Director Award, which was awarded on Thursday by the filmmaker’s children Philip Maysles and Sara Maysles.
The winners of the audience awards sponsored by At&T will be announced on April 25.
World Narrative Competition Categories
The Founders Award for Best Narrative Feature – Virgin Mountain (Iceland-Denmark, pictured), dir Dagur Kári. Winner receives $25,000 sponsored by At&T and the art award Ash Eroded Film Reel by Daniel Arsham.
Best Actor in a Narrative Feature Film – Gunnar Jónsson as Fúsi in Virgin Mountain. Winner receives $2,500 sponsored by Citrin Cooperman.
Best Actress in a Narrative Feature Film – Hannah Murray as Sara in Bridgend (Denmark). Winner receives $2,500 sponsored by Citrin Cooperman...
- 4/24/2015
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
Read More: 5 Observations About the 2015 Tribeca Film Festival Lineup War is coming, and so is a new look at the Civil War-era film "Men Go To Battle." A new trailer and clip for the Zachary Treitz directorial debut feature have arrived. Watch the trailer above. The clip is below. "Men Go To Battle" follows brothers Henry, played by Tim Morton, and Frances, played by David Maloney, who have spent just too much time with each other on their struggling Kentucky farm. When Frances humiliates Henry in front of the daughter of a prestigious family, Henry joins the Union army. Separated for the first time in a long time, the brothers must face the coming challenges of the war alone. "Men Go To Battle" premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in the World Narrative Feature Competition. Read More: New Films Starring James Franco, Richard Gere and Dakota Fanning to Premiere at...
- 4/20/2015
- by Travis Clark
- Indiewire
Hats off to director Zachary Treitz and co-writer Kate Lyn Sheil for sidestepping the more introspective, resource heavy trends of much contemporary independent filmmaking, and swinging for the fences with their Civil War period piece, Men Go To Battle. Set in 1861 Kentucky, the brothers Francis and Henry Mellon (Tim Morton and David Maloney) are desperate to scare up some funds for their overgrown farm before winter arrives, but the pair’s constant quarreling is a hindrance to much progress. Eventually fed up with Francis’ heavy drinking and general flippancy, Henry takes off to join a far more populated battle amidst the Confederate army. […]...
- 4/17/2015
- by Sarah Salovaara
- Filmmaker Magazine-Director Interviews
Hats off to director Zachary Treitz and co-writer Kate Lyn Sheil for sidestepping the more introspective, resource heavy trends of much contemporary independent filmmaking, and swinging for the fences with their Civil War period piece, Men Go To Battle. Set in 1861 Kentucky, the brothers Francis and Henry Mellon (Tim Morton and David Maloney) are desperate to scare up some funds for their overgrown farm before winter arrives, but the pair’s constant quarreling is a hindrance to much progress. Eventually fed up with Francis’ heavy drinking and general flippancy, Henry takes off to join a far more populated battle amidst the Confederate army. […]...
- 4/17/2015
- by Sarah Salovaara
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
It's not often that you see an indie film approach applied to a Civil War period piece, but the Tribeca Film Fest-bound "Men Go To Battle" does just that. Zachary Treitz co-wrote the film with Kate Lyn Sheil (a near ubiquitous presence in independent cinema of the past 5 years), and the former, a Louisville native, also took on directing duties for the location shoot in Kentucky. Since period pieces are usually more expensive than indie budgets typically allow, "Men Go To Battle" is a decidedly Diy affair, and Treitz enlisted Civil War reenactors so as to achieve authenticity. Via this exclusive clip, you can see that this approach has succeeded. Treitz and Sheil have gone in a more authentic and grounded direction in terms of story, following two squabbling, pranking brothers who are separated by the war. The clip below features a unique approach to a war film standard —the...
- 4/16/2015
- by Katie Walsh
- The Playlist
With the Tribeca Film Festival opening tonight and running through April 26, we're gleaning the highlights from umpteen recommendations, with notes so far on Leah Wolchok's Very Semi-Serious, and In Transit, co-directed by the late Albert Maysles; Kate Lyn Sheil and Zachary Treitz's Men Go to Battle, "an instant-classic Western," according to the New Yorker; Andrew Niccol’s Good Kill with Ethan Hawke; Brett Morgen's Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck; Adrián García Bogliano's Scherzo Diabolico; Reed Morano's Meadowland with Olivia Wilde, Luke Wilson, Giovanni Ribisi, Elisabeth Moss, John Leguizamo and Juno Temple; Tim Blake Nelson's Anesthesia with Sam Waterston—and more. » - David Hudson...
- 4/15/2015
- Keyframe
With the Tribeca Film Festival opening tonight and running through April 26, we're gleaning the highlights from umpteen recommendations, with notes so far on Leah Wolchok's Very Semi-Serious, and In Transit, co-directed by the late Albert Maysles; Kate Lyn Sheil and Zachary Treitz's Men Go to Battle, "an instant-classic Western," according to the New Yorker; Andrew Niccol’s Good Kill with Ethan Hawke; Brett Morgen's Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck; Adrián García Bogliano's Scherzo Diabolico; Reed Morano's Meadowland with Olivia Wilde, Luke Wilson, Giovanni Ribisi, Elisabeth Moss, John Leguizamo and Juno Temple; Tim Blake Nelson's Anesthesia with Sam Waterston—and more. » - David Hudson...
- 4/15/2015
- Fandor: Keyframe
Andrew Renzi‘s directorial debut about a third wheel starring Richard Gere, Dakota Fanning and Theo James, Reed Morano‘s relationship testing drama featuring Olivia Wilde and Luke Wilson, Onur Tukel‘s secret unleashed on the airwaves and Gregory Kohn‘s hallucinatory tale with Eléonore Hendricks topling are part of the American independent offerings at the 14th Tribeca Film Festival. Renzi’s Franny and Morano’s Meadowland will be competing in the dozen selected in the World Narrative Competition while Tukel’s Applesauce and Kohn’s Come Down Molly are among the in the Viewpoints sidebar. Here are the selected titles below sans synopsis.
World Narrative Feature Competition (12)
The Adderall Diaries, directed and written by Pamela Romanowsky. (USA) – World Premiere.
Bridgend, directed by Jeppe Rønde, co-written by Jeppe Rønde, Torben Bech, and Peter Asmussen. (Denmark) – North American Premiere.
Dixieland, directed and written by Hank Bedford. (USA) – World Premiere
Franny, directed and written by Andrew Renzi.
World Narrative Feature Competition (12)
The Adderall Diaries, directed and written by Pamela Romanowsky. (USA) – World Premiere.
Bridgend, directed by Jeppe Rønde, co-written by Jeppe Rønde, Torben Bech, and Peter Asmussen. (Denmark) – North American Premiere.
Dixieland, directed and written by Hank Bedford. (USA) – World Premiere
Franny, directed and written by Andrew Renzi.
- 3/3/2015
- by Eric Lavallee
- IONCINEMA.com
Top brass at the 2015 Tribeca Film Festival (Tff) presented by At&T have announced the World Narrative and Documentary Competition and Viewpoints selections.
Organisers also said that At&T’s Film For All Friday will return with free screenings on April 24. The festival is set to run in New York City from April 15-26 and the festival hub is Spring Studios.
Tuesday’s announcement covers 51 films out of a total 97 features at the upcoming 14th edition. As previously announced, Tribeca will open with the documentary Live From New York!
The line-up includes world premieres of Andrew Renzi’s Franny starring Richard Gere, Pamela Romanowsky’s The Adderall Diaries with James Franco, Amber Heard, Ed Harris and Cynthia Nixon and documentaries In My Father’s House by Ricki Stern and Annie Sundberg and In Transit from Albert Maysles and four co-directors.
Thirty of the festival’s feature film directors are women –the highest percentage in Tribeca history. Nine of...
Organisers also said that At&T’s Film For All Friday will return with free screenings on April 24. The festival is set to run in New York City from April 15-26 and the festival hub is Spring Studios.
Tuesday’s announcement covers 51 films out of a total 97 features at the upcoming 14th edition. As previously announced, Tribeca will open with the documentary Live From New York!
The line-up includes world premieres of Andrew Renzi’s Franny starring Richard Gere, Pamela Romanowsky’s The Adderall Diaries with James Franco, Amber Heard, Ed Harris and Cynthia Nixon and documentaries In My Father’s House by Ricki Stern and Annie Sundberg and In Transit from Albert Maysles and four co-directors.
Thirty of the festival’s feature film directors are women –the highest percentage in Tribeca history. Nine of...
- 3/3/2015
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
The World Narrative and Documentary Competition film selections for the 14th annual Tribeca Film Festival were made on Tuesday. The list marks the first half of the festival’s film slate and the films chosen include: “The Adderall Diaries,” directed and written by Pamela Romanowsky; “Dixieland,” directed and written by Hank Bedford; “Men Go to Battle,” directed and written by Zachary Treitz, co-written by Kate Lyn Sheil, “The Survivalist,” directed and written by Stephen Fingleton; and “Autism in Love,” directed by Matt Fuller. Also Read: Sundance: Kevin Pollak’s Documentary ‘Misery Loves Comedy’ Sold to Tribeca Film Selections for the Viewpoints section,...
- 3/3/2015
- by Debbie Emery
- The Wrap
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