Chicago – Some films never get a fair shot with audiences. They open in a handful of art house theaters scattered throughout the country before inconspicuously landing on DVD. Passionate movie lovers are left with the task of championing these unjustly obscure titles and helping them to acquire the audience they deserve.
Before I reveal my picks for the top ten Best Overlooked Films of 2011, here are the ten runners-up:
“Autoerotic”
Autoerotic
While Steve McQueen’s magnificent art film, “Shame,” plunges into the dark depths of sexual addiction, Joe Swanberg and Adam Wingard’s “Autoerotic” takes a decidedly more playful approach to similar material. Though Swanberg has made a series of uncommonly intimate films about the sex lives of twentysomething Chicagoans, he’s never attempted a film as overtly comic as this one, and Wingard proves to be an ideal collaborator. “Autoerotic” is easily Swanberg’s most accessible film to date,...
Before I reveal my picks for the top ten Best Overlooked Films of 2011, here are the ten runners-up:
“Autoerotic”
Autoerotic
While Steve McQueen’s magnificent art film, “Shame,” plunges into the dark depths of sexual addiction, Joe Swanberg and Adam Wingard’s “Autoerotic” takes a decidedly more playful approach to similar material. Though Swanberg has made a series of uncommonly intimate films about the sex lives of twentysomething Chicagoans, he’s never attempted a film as overtly comic as this one, and Wingard proves to be an ideal collaborator. “Autoerotic” is easily Swanberg’s most accessible film to date,...
- 12/28/2011
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Countdown to Top Ten 2K11 is a column with one simple goal: to help you decide what films you need to see before making your end of the year top ten list. Each installment features my thoughts on a critically acclaimed 2011 movie, a sampling of other critics' reactions, the odds of the film making my own list, and the reasons why it might make yours.
This time we're covering "Cold Weather," which has been suggested by more readers for inclusion in this column than any other film released in 2011. Are my readers brilliant cinephiles or nutjobs who have no idea what they're talking about? Let's find out.
Movie: "Cold Weather"
Director: Aaron Katz
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 74%
Plot Synopsis: A college dropout and Sherlock Holmes fan finds himself at the center of a mystery in his hometown of Portland, Oregon.
What the Critics Said: "Gorgeous, lyrical, leisurely," Glenn Kenny, MSN Movies...
This time we're covering "Cold Weather," which has been suggested by more readers for inclusion in this column than any other film released in 2011. Are my readers brilliant cinephiles or nutjobs who have no idea what they're talking about? Let's find out.
Movie: "Cold Weather"
Director: Aaron Katz
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 74%
Plot Synopsis: A college dropout and Sherlock Holmes fan finds himself at the center of a mystery in his hometown of Portland, Oregon.
What the Critics Said: "Gorgeous, lyrical, leisurely," Glenn Kenny, MSN Movies...
- 11/14/2011
- by Matt Singer
- ifc.com
Rank the week of August 2nd’s Blu-ray and DVD new releases against the best films of all-time: New Releases Rio
(DVD & Blu-ray | PG | 2011)
Flickchart Ranking: #3463
Times Ranked: 1625
Win Percentage: 52%
Top-20 Rankings: 16
Directed By: Carlos Saldanha
Starring: Jesse Eisenberg • Anne Hathaway • Leslie Mann • Jemaine Clement • Jamie Foxx
Genres: Adventure • Adventure Comedy • Animal Picture • Animation • Comedy • Family
Rank This Movie
Soul Surfer
(DVD & Blu-ray | PG | 2011)
Flickchart Ranking: #6816
Times Ranked: 243
Win Percentage: 55%
Top-20 Rankings: 5
Directed By: Sean McNamara
Starring: Helen Hunt • Craig T. Nelson • Dennis Quaid • AnnaSophia Robb • Kevin Sorbo
Genres: Drama • Family Drama • Sports Drama
Rank This Movie
The Final Destination
(DVD & Blu-ray | R | 2009)
Flickchart Ranking: #5287
Times Ranked: 5225
Win Percentage: 31%
Top-20 Rankings: 2
Directed By: David R. Ellis
Starring:
Genres: Horror
Rank This Movie
The Perfect Game
(DVD & Blu-ray | PG | 2009)
Flickchart Ranking: #13940
Times Ranked: 28
Win Percentage: 61%
Top-20 Rankings: 0
Directed By: William Dear
Starring: Clifton Collins, Jr. • Cheech Marin • Moisés Arias • Jake T. Austin...
(DVD & Blu-ray | PG | 2011)
Flickchart Ranking: #3463
Times Ranked: 1625
Win Percentage: 52%
Top-20 Rankings: 16
Directed By: Carlos Saldanha
Starring: Jesse Eisenberg • Anne Hathaway • Leslie Mann • Jemaine Clement • Jamie Foxx
Genres: Adventure • Adventure Comedy • Animal Picture • Animation • Comedy • Family
Rank This Movie
Soul Surfer
(DVD & Blu-ray | PG | 2011)
Flickchart Ranking: #6816
Times Ranked: 243
Win Percentage: 55%
Top-20 Rankings: 5
Directed By: Sean McNamara
Starring: Helen Hunt • Craig T. Nelson • Dennis Quaid • AnnaSophia Robb • Kevin Sorbo
Genres: Drama • Family Drama • Sports Drama
Rank This Movie
The Final Destination
(DVD & Blu-ray | R | 2009)
Flickchart Ranking: #5287
Times Ranked: 5225
Win Percentage: 31%
Top-20 Rankings: 2
Directed By: David R. Ellis
Starring:
Genres: Horror
Rank This Movie
The Perfect Game
(DVD & Blu-ray | PG | 2009)
Flickchart Ranking: #13940
Times Ranked: 28
Win Percentage: 61%
Top-20 Rankings: 0
Directed By: William Dear
Starring: Clifton Collins, Jr. • Cheech Marin • Moisés Arias • Jake T. Austin...
- 8/2/2011
- by Jonathan Hardesty
- Flickchart
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
The mumblecore movement has always lent itself well to low-stakes cinema, comedies and dramas in which character and player are key, and incident rarely spills out into more than a few rooms. Cold Weather, the third film from SXSW darling Aaron Katz (Dance Party USA, Quiet City), while still evidently constrained by budget and circumstance, challenges this method, supplanting the expected with a compelling, if somewhat uneasy, neo-noir plot, borrowing lovingly from Sherlock Holmes lore with just a splash of 80s-era David Lynch.
Cold Weather will in style and tone be compared almost instantly to Rian Johnson’s sensational 2005 indie noir Brick, and though the two films share a certain sensibility, Katz’s work carves out its own unique identity, even if it is at the cost of some dramatic weight. A lengthy half-hour opening introduces us to Doug (Cris Lankenau), a forensic science student who...
The mumblecore movement has always lent itself well to low-stakes cinema, comedies and dramas in which character and player are key, and incident rarely spills out into more than a few rooms. Cold Weather, the third film from SXSW darling Aaron Katz (Dance Party USA, Quiet City), while still evidently constrained by budget and circumstance, challenges this method, supplanting the expected with a compelling, if somewhat uneasy, neo-noir plot, borrowing lovingly from Sherlock Holmes lore with just a splash of 80s-era David Lynch.
Cold Weather will in style and tone be compared almost instantly to Rian Johnson’s sensational 2005 indie noir Brick, and though the two films share a certain sensibility, Katz’s work carves out its own unique identity, even if it is at the cost of some dramatic weight. A lengthy half-hour opening introduces us to Doug (Cris Lankenau), a forensic science student who...
- 4/16/2011
- by Shaun Munro
- Obsessed with Film
Meek's Cutoff (PG)
(Kelly Reichardt, 2010, Us) Michelle Williams, Bruce Greenwood, Shirley Henderson, Paul Dano, Will Patton. 102 mins
Take away the epic music, the widescreen vistas, the male chauvinism, the gunfights, and just about every other Hollywood western convention, and you get this sparse, haunting evocation of American pioneering – which is probably far closer to how the west was really won. This group of settlers breaks away from the Oregon trail only to wander through an uncharted desert limbo in a trance of thirst, tension and uncertainty. Putting women's roles and the hardships of frontier survival very much to the fore, the result is a western unlike any other.
Your Highness (15)
(David Gordon Green, 2011, Us) Danny McBride, James Franco, Natalie Portman. 102 mins
A medieval stoner-com, dude! Which sounds like a great idea if you're baked, but not if you remember how Year One, that caveman stoner-com, turned out.
Scream 4 (15)
(Wes Craven,...
(Kelly Reichardt, 2010, Us) Michelle Williams, Bruce Greenwood, Shirley Henderson, Paul Dano, Will Patton. 102 mins
Take away the epic music, the widescreen vistas, the male chauvinism, the gunfights, and just about every other Hollywood western convention, and you get this sparse, haunting evocation of American pioneering – which is probably far closer to how the west was really won. This group of settlers breaks away from the Oregon trail only to wander through an uncharted desert limbo in a trance of thirst, tension and uncertainty. Putting women's roles and the hardships of frontier survival very much to the fore, the result is a western unlike any other.
Your Highness (15)
(David Gordon Green, 2011, Us) Danny McBride, James Franco, Natalie Portman. 102 mins
A medieval stoner-com, dude! Which sounds like a great idea if you're baked, but not if you remember how Year One, that caveman stoner-com, turned out.
Scream 4 (15)
(Wes Craven,...
- 4/15/2011
- by Steve Rose
- The Guardian - Film News
There's a lot to be said for charm and good characters. Cold Weather has no shortage of either...
A sure-fire way to garner attention for your small budget indie hopeful is to mix things up a little, throw some ideas together, and create a genre mash-up. In the indie field, originality is key, because keen-eyed film buffs nitpick at any hint of familiarity.
This is a problem faced by Cold Weather, the new film from writer-director, Aaron Katz, which collides lo-fi aesthetics with the narrative trappings of the detective thriller. When scrutinised on such a modular level, the film seems to be worryingly close to Brick, the 2005 neo-noir that transported hardboiled Raymond Chandler-isms to a suburban American high school. However, thankfully, Cold Weather has qualities wholly its own.
College dropout, Doug (Cris Lankenau), has boomeranged back to his hometown, moving in with his sister, Gail (Trieste Kelly Dunn), and...
A sure-fire way to garner attention for your small budget indie hopeful is to mix things up a little, throw some ideas together, and create a genre mash-up. In the indie field, originality is key, because keen-eyed film buffs nitpick at any hint of familiarity.
This is a problem faced by Cold Weather, the new film from writer-director, Aaron Katz, which collides lo-fi aesthetics with the narrative trappings of the detective thriller. When scrutinised on such a modular level, the film seems to be worryingly close to Brick, the 2005 neo-noir that transported hardboiled Raymond Chandler-isms to a suburban American high school. However, thankfully, Cold Weather has qualities wholly its own.
College dropout, Doug (Cris Lankenau), has boomeranged back to his hometown, moving in with his sister, Gail (Trieste Kelly Dunn), and...
- 4/15/2011
- Den of Geek
This low-budget Us film starts promisingly, but then wrecks its good work with an unexpected change of direction
Huh? What looks at first like a gentle, mumblecore-realist indie drama about relationships suddenly morphs, after around 30 minutes, into a bizarre mystery caper in what I can only describe as the late Woody Allen style. And after another hour more, it finally expires with shaggy-dog whimper. Yet the acting and directing aren't bad: Cris Lankenau plays Doug, a college dropout who moves in with his exasperated sister Gail (Trieste Kelly Dunn) and gets a no-hopers' job at a local factory. He befriends a sympathetic co-worker: a Star Trek fan and part-time DJ called Carlos (Raúl Castillo) and even meets up with his ex-wife Rachel (Robyn Rikoon), who's apparently in town on a training course. They look likely to become a foursome with an interesting group dynamic – that is, until writer-director Aaron Katz...
Huh? What looks at first like a gentle, mumblecore-realist indie drama about relationships suddenly morphs, after around 30 minutes, into a bizarre mystery caper in what I can only describe as the late Woody Allen style. And after another hour more, it finally expires with shaggy-dog whimper. Yet the acting and directing aren't bad: Cris Lankenau plays Doug, a college dropout who moves in with his exasperated sister Gail (Trieste Kelly Dunn) and gets a no-hopers' job at a local factory. He befriends a sympathetic co-worker: a Star Trek fan and part-time DJ called Carlos (Raúl Castillo) and even meets up with his ex-wife Rachel (Robyn Rikoon), who's apparently in town on a training course. They look likely to become a foursome with an interesting group dynamic – that is, until writer-director Aaron Katz...
- 4/14/2011
- by Peter Bradshaw
- The Guardian - Film News
Cold Weather
Directed by Aaron Katz
United States, 2010
About midway through Cold Weather, director Aaron Katz decides to make something happen. That is to say, that little has happened to that point. The tale of Doug’s (Cris Lankenau) aimless return to Portland, his friendship with fellow ice factory-worker Carlos (Raúl Castillo), and his relationships with his sister Gail (Trieste Kelly Dunn) and ex-girlfriend Rachel (Robyn Rikoon) remains moderately interesting if not slow-moving for the first half of the film.
Then Rachel mysteriously goes missing. And Cold Weather starts to magically click together.
Luckily, Doug studied forensic science before his foray into the ice world and, though he misses obvious clues along the way, he leads the charge into a mystery that falls somewhere between Blue Velvet and Hannah Takes the Stairs.
Cold Weather is as much a relationship drama as it is mystery, which is furthered by its abrupt ending.
Directed by Aaron Katz
United States, 2010
About midway through Cold Weather, director Aaron Katz decides to make something happen. That is to say, that little has happened to that point. The tale of Doug’s (Cris Lankenau) aimless return to Portland, his friendship with fellow ice factory-worker Carlos (Raúl Castillo), and his relationships with his sister Gail (Trieste Kelly Dunn) and ex-girlfriend Rachel (Robyn Rikoon) remains moderately interesting if not slow-moving for the first half of the film.
Then Rachel mysteriously goes missing. And Cold Weather starts to magically click together.
Luckily, Doug studied forensic science before his foray into the ice world and, though he misses obvious clues along the way, he leads the charge into a mystery that falls somewhere between Blue Velvet and Hannah Takes the Stairs.
Cold Weather is as much a relationship drama as it is mystery, which is furthered by its abrupt ending.
- 4/5/2011
- by Neal Dhand
- SoundOnSight
- Actress Trieste Kelly Dunn interviews her Cold Weather director Aaron Katz -
Director Aaron Katz's third film Cold Weather focuses on Doug and Gail, a brother and sister duo leading ordinary lives in Portland. Then, Doug's ex-girlfriend goes missing, and mystery ensues. Doug is played by Cris Lankenau and Gail is played by Trieste Kelly Dunn...who happens to be me. I had the chance to catch up online with Aaron to talk about the film, directing actors, and craft service.
By Trieste Kelly Dunn
Aaron. How's living in Pittsburgh?
Great. I really love the city. How's everything in Los Angeles?
It's sunshine and roses every day. Are you excited about the premiere of Cold Weather? A film people are calling "the best film of 2011."
I'm excited. I'm really looking forward to a lot of friends, family, and hopefully strangers coming out to see it.
Yeah, me too.
- 2/10/2011
- by maint
- Film Independent
Below find an exclusive scene from Aaron Katz's third feature, the SXSW hit detective tale "Cold Weather," along with Katz's breakdown of the shoot. The film is currently playing in limited release. The Film "Cold Weather" is a movie about a brother and sister who get involved in solving a mystery. I started writing the script because I thought Cris Lankenau and Trieste Kelly Dunn, the two leads, would make ...
- 2/8/2011
- indieWIRE - People
Below find an exclusive scene from Aaron Katz's third feature, the SXSW hit detective tale "Cold Weather," along with Katz's breakdown of the shoot. The film is currently playing in limited release. The Film "Cold Weather" is a movie about a brother and sister who get involved in solving a mystery. I started writing the script because I thought Cris Lankenau and Trieste Kelly Dunn, the two leads, would make ...
- 2/8/2011
- Indiewire
Below find an exclusive scene from Aaron Katz's third feature, the SXSW hit detective tale "Cold Weather," along with Katz's breakdown of the shoot. The film is currently playing in limited release. The Film "Cold Weather" is a movie about a brother and sister who get involved in solving a mystery. I started writing the script because I thought Cris Lankenau and Trieste Kelly Dunn, the two leads, would make ...
- 2/8/2011
- indieWIRE - People
Chicago – Nothing inspires moviegoers to huddle around the warm glow of their television sets quite like a record-breaking snowstorm. And few films were more tailor-made for a slow-moving snow day than “Cold Weather,” the entrancing new picture from indie filmmaker Aaron Katz, best known for his breakout projects “Dance Party, USA” and “Quiet City.”
Rating: 4.0/5.0
This is the sort of film that Video On Demand was made for. It doesn’t require a big screen or surround sound to fully envelop the audience into its story. Katz’s longtime collaborators, cinematographer Andrew Reed and composer Keegan DeWitt, impeccably set the mood and tone for an overcast Oregon-set noir from the very first frame. The best way to approach this small yet potent gem is to go in cold.
Read Matt Fagerholm’s full review of “Cold Weather” in our reviews section.
The effortlessly natural Cris Lankenau (star of “Quiet City”) plays Doug,...
Rating: 4.0/5.0
This is the sort of film that Video On Demand was made for. It doesn’t require a big screen or surround sound to fully envelop the audience into its story. Katz’s longtime collaborators, cinematographer Andrew Reed and composer Keegan DeWitt, impeccably set the mood and tone for an overcast Oregon-set noir from the very first frame. The best way to approach this small yet potent gem is to go in cold.
Read Matt Fagerholm’s full review of “Cold Weather” in our reviews section.
The effortlessly natural Cris Lankenau (star of “Quiet City”) plays Doug,...
- 2/4/2011
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Aaron Katz’s low-key mystery-comedy Cold Weather opens with hero Cris Lankenau returning home to Portland after washing out at college, where he was studying to be a forensic scientist. Lankenau quit because he has no interest in the academic approach to criminal investigation; he just wants to be Sherlock Holmes. He moves in with his unmarried older sister, Trieste Kelly Dunn, and works the overnight shift at an ice factory, where he makes friends with geeky co-worker Raúl Castillo, who moonlights as a DJ. When Castillo asks Lankenau’s ex-girlfriend Robyn Rikoon out on a date and she ...
- 2/3/2011
- avclub.com
Here's a fun trailer for an interesting looking indie comedy mystery called Cold Weather. The film was written and directed by Aaron Katz, and starring Cris Lankenau, Trieste Kelly Dunn and Robyn Rikoon. It's being distributed by Sundance Selects. The movie is described as a "simultaneously a rich detective story and an affecting tale of siblings uniting after years apart." I'll be looking forward to watching this one.
Here's the full Synopsis for the film:
After abandoning a promising academic career in forensic science, a self-styled Sherlock Holmes, Doug (Cris Lankenau), returns to Portland to live with his more responsible big sister Gail (Trieste Kelly Dunn). He lands a dead-end job working in an ice factory, but soon finds an opportunity to use his passion and skill in detective work when his ex-girlfriend, Rachel (Robyn Rikoon) goes missing. Enlisting a team of ramshackle slacker-sleuths, Doug leads his team down a...
Here's the full Synopsis for the film:
After abandoning a promising academic career in forensic science, a self-styled Sherlock Holmes, Doug (Cris Lankenau), returns to Portland to live with his more responsible big sister Gail (Trieste Kelly Dunn). He lands a dead-end job working in an ice factory, but soon finds an opportunity to use his passion and skill in detective work when his ex-girlfriend, Rachel (Robyn Rikoon) goes missing. Enlisting a team of ramshackle slacker-sleuths, Doug leads his team down a...
- 2/3/2011
- by Venkman
- GeekTyrant
Mumblecore goes mainstream, or somewhat so, in Cold Weather, writer/director/editor Aaron Katz‘s second feature film. His first, Quiet City, helped spark what’s now cautiously viewed as a micro-budget film movement, usually involving a lot of improvisation and shaky-cam cinematography.
Cold Weather is some of that and a whole lot more. Doug (Cris Lankenau) returns home to Portland a college drop-out in need of a job. He studied forensic science in school. So, naturally, he finds work at an ice factory, moves in with his sister (Trieste Kelly Dunn), makes a new friend in a co-worker named Carlos (Raúl Castillo) and meets up with his ex-girlfriend Rachel (Robyn Rikoon), who’s back in town for a few days. Then, all of a sudden, Rachel’s nowhere to be found.
Conflict! Let the mystery begin. Doug, at first apprehensive, is brought out of his latent-forensic shell via Carlos,...
Cold Weather is some of that and a whole lot more. Doug (Cris Lankenau) returns home to Portland a college drop-out in need of a job. He studied forensic science in school. So, naturally, he finds work at an ice factory, moves in with his sister (Trieste Kelly Dunn), makes a new friend in a co-worker named Carlos (Raúl Castillo) and meets up with his ex-girlfriend Rachel (Robyn Rikoon), who’s back in town for a few days. Then, all of a sudden, Rachel’s nowhere to be found.
Conflict! Let the mystery begin. Doug, at first apprehensive, is brought out of his latent-forensic shell via Carlos,...
- 2/3/2011
- by Dan Mecca
- The Film Stage
I'll keep running more indie trailers as long as you guys keep watching them! Sundance Selects has debuted a trailer for their charming indie mystery Cold Weather, written and directed by Aaron Katz, and starring Cris Lankenau, Trieste Kelly Dunn and Robyn Rikoon. Described as "simultaneously a rich detective story and an affecting tale of siblings uniting after years apart." This ended up on In Contention writer Guy Lodge's Top 10 of 2010 and he gave it another recent shoutout: "a bracing fusion of gentle indie shuffle and playful noir leanings, opens on Friday, and I implore you to take a chance on it." Looks good, check it out! Watch the theatrical trailer for Aaron Katz's Cold Weather: You can also watch the Cold Weather trailer in High Def on Apple A guy who moves back to Portland becomes involved in the mystery of his ex-girlfriend's disappearance. Cold Weather...
- 2/3/2011
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Reviewed by Bob Hill
(February 2011)
Directed/Written by: Aaron Katz
Starring: Cris Lankenau, Trieste Kelly Dunn and Raúl Castillo
“Cold Weather” is not a good movie.
Sorry if that seems a bit abrasive. But the reality is, in a case like this, it’d be a disservice to our readership to spend the bulk of this review pussyfooting around the obvious. At least this way, you know this critique is on the level, and — if nothing else — the next several paragraphs can be spent defending that position.
And that position (for any of you who might’ve missed it the first time around) is this: “Cold Weather” is not a good movie.
Let’s start with the big-picture stuff: The entire film feels like it’s suffering from a severe case of schizophrenia. It wants to be taken seriously, despite the utter absurdity of several major plot points. It wants to be funny,...
(February 2011)
Directed/Written by: Aaron Katz
Starring: Cris Lankenau, Trieste Kelly Dunn and Raúl Castillo
“Cold Weather” is not a good movie.
Sorry if that seems a bit abrasive. But the reality is, in a case like this, it’d be a disservice to our readership to spend the bulk of this review pussyfooting around the obvious. At least this way, you know this critique is on the level, and — if nothing else — the next several paragraphs can be spent defending that position.
And that position (for any of you who might’ve missed it the first time around) is this: “Cold Weather” is not a good movie.
Let’s start with the big-picture stuff: The entire film feels like it’s suffering from a severe case of schizophrenia. It wants to be taken seriously, despite the utter absurdity of several major plot points. It wants to be funny,...
- 2/3/2011
- by admin
- Moving Pictures Network
Reviewed by Bob Hill
(February 2011)
Directed/Written by: Aaron Katz
Starring: Cris Lankenau, Trieste Kelly Dunn and Raúl Castillo
“Cold Weather” is not a good movie.
Sorry if that seems a bit abrasive. But the reality is, in a case like this, it’d be a disservice to our readership to spend the bulk of this review pussyfooting around the obvious. At least this way, you know this critique is on the level, and — if nothing else — the next several paragraphs can be spent defending that position.
And that position (for any of you who might’ve missed it the first time around) is this: “Cold Weather” is not a good movie.
Let’s start with the big-picture stuff: The entire film feels like it’s suffering from a severe case of schizophrenia. It wants to be taken seriously, despite the utter absurdity of several major plot points. It wants to be funny,...
(February 2011)
Directed/Written by: Aaron Katz
Starring: Cris Lankenau, Trieste Kelly Dunn and Raúl Castillo
“Cold Weather” is not a good movie.
Sorry if that seems a bit abrasive. But the reality is, in a case like this, it’d be a disservice to our readership to spend the bulk of this review pussyfooting around the obvious. At least this way, you know this critique is on the level, and — if nothing else — the next several paragraphs can be spent defending that position.
And that position (for any of you who might’ve missed it the first time around) is this: “Cold Weather” is not a good movie.
Let’s start with the big-picture stuff: The entire film feels like it’s suffering from a severe case of schizophrenia. It wants to be taken seriously, despite the utter absurdity of several major plot points. It wants to be funny,...
- 2/3/2011
- by admin
- Moving Pictures Magazine
If you pore over writings on the loose grouping of “mumblecore” or “New Talkies” films from the past few years, writer-director Aaron Katz (Dance Party USA, Quiet City) is the young American indie filmmaker most often singled out for unqualified praise, regardless of the commentator’s assessment of this so-called movement as an artistic whole (or whether it constitutes a movement at all). And with good reason. A filmmaker attuned as much to the gestural nuances of his characters as he is to the expressive beauty of cityscapes and natural settings, Katz has a rigorous eye for the tiniest of details, bringing a sense of poetic concentration to his framing, lighting, and overall compositional sensibility. Moments of silence and stillness, rather than streams of maundering, ill-at-ease dialogue, are yet another point of departure for Katz, creating the dominant rhythm of his thoughtfully composed low-budget efforts, which look increasingly like the work of a confident,...
- 2/2/2011
- by Damon Smith
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
Plot: A slow-building detective story that focuses more on relationships than on the case at hand. Three amateur sleuths try to figure why a friend has disappeared and who has taken her suitcase. Review: Aaron Katz.s follow-up to the indie charmer Quiet City, Cold Weather stars Cris Lankenau, Trieste Dunn, and Raul Castillo, as a crew of friends that find themselves in a peculiar mystery. Although the film starts out in a similar manner to Katz.s previous works - quiet and scenic; it...
- 2/2/2011
- by Alex Keen
- JoBlo.com
Check out the movie trailer video for Sundance Selects’ indie mystery film Cold Weather.
Opening in theaters in New York City on February 4th, 2011 and Los Angeles on February 11th 2011, the film follows Doug (Cris Lankenau), a layabout ice factory worker, as he teams up with his sister (Trieste Kelly Dunn) on an impromptu investigation as to the whereabouts of missing ex-girlfriend Rachel (Robyn Rikoon).
Synopsis: A self-styled Sherlock Holmes leads an unlikely team of irregulars in this charming comic mystery from indie auteur Aaron Katz. After abandoning a promising academic career in forensic science, aimless Doug (Cris Lankenau) returns to Portland to live with his more responsible big sister Gail (Trieste Kelly). He easily lands a dead-end job working in an ice factory, but his latent passion for detective work is stoked when his ex-girlfriend, Rachel (Robyn Rikoon) goes missing. Armed with a handful of arcane clues and a...
Opening in theaters in New York City on February 4th, 2011 and Los Angeles on February 11th 2011, the film follows Doug (Cris Lankenau), a layabout ice factory worker, as he teams up with his sister (Trieste Kelly Dunn) on an impromptu investigation as to the whereabouts of missing ex-girlfriend Rachel (Robyn Rikoon).
Synopsis: A self-styled Sherlock Holmes leads an unlikely team of irregulars in this charming comic mystery from indie auteur Aaron Katz. After abandoning a promising academic career in forensic science, aimless Doug (Cris Lankenau) returns to Portland to live with his more responsible big sister Gail (Trieste Kelly). He easily lands a dead-end job working in an ice factory, but his latent passion for detective work is stoked when his ex-girlfriend, Rachel (Robyn Rikoon) goes missing. Armed with a handful of arcane clues and a...
- 2/2/2011
- by Allan Ford
- Filmofilia
In Aaron Katz’s Cold Weather, Doug (Cris Lankenau) is a former forensic science student and detective story enthusiast who moves in with his sister Gail (Trieste Kelly Dunn) in Portland, gets a job at an ice factory, and becomes friends with his coworker, Carlos, (Raúl Castillo) after lending him a Sherlock Holmes novel. When Doug’s ex-girlfriend goes missing, Doug, Gail and Carlos set out to find her—but are unaware of the dangers they face in doing so.
- 2/1/2011
- MovieMaker.com
Placing Sherlock Holmes right where you would least expect him (modern day Portland, Oregon), filmmaker Aaron Katz‘s Cold Weather finds the mystery in the mundane. His Sherlock, a man named Doug (Cris Lankenau), works at an ice factory when he’s not trying to solve the case of the missing ex-girlfriend (Robyn Rikoon). He’s even got a crack team of slackers helping him out, in the form of his co-worker Carlos (Raul Castillo) and his sister Gail (Trieste Kelly Dunn).
Tfs talked to Katz about moving Mumblecore into a genre plot setting, who makes the Kleenexes in the world and, of course, which Sherlock Holmes is best.
Tfs: Your films operate a lot on what is not said. Being the writer, director and editor of your films, how hard is it to check yourself during the process?
Aaron Katz: The good thing for me is that my producers,...
Tfs talked to Katz about moving Mumblecore into a genre plot setting, who makes the Kleenexes in the world and, of course, which Sherlock Holmes is best.
Tfs: Your films operate a lot on what is not said. Being the writer, director and editor of your films, how hard is it to check yourself during the process?
Aaron Katz: The good thing for me is that my producers,...
- 2/1/2011
- by Dan Mecca
- The Film Stage
Jumping around the indie scene (frequently labeled as a leader in the mumble-core movement), writer/director Aaron Katz is prepping his latest feature for a small theatrical release. I checked out a screener of his low-key noir Cold Weather last night and it is a quite remarkable. The cinematography is gorgeous and the natural performances in this mystery are refreshing. Apple has premiered the trailer and I encourage you to check out the film when it opens this weekend. Starring Chris Lankenau, Raul Castillo, Trieste Kelly Dunn, and Barry Seltzer, you can see it below.
Synopsis: After abandoning a promising academic career in forensic science, a self-styled Sherlock Holmes, Doug (Cris Lankenau), returns to Portland to live with his more responsible big sister Gail (Trieste Kelly Dunn). He lands a dead-end job working in an ice factory, but soon finds an opportunity to use his passion and skill in detective work when his ex-girlfriend,...
Synopsis: After abandoning a promising academic career in forensic science, a self-styled Sherlock Holmes, Doug (Cris Lankenau), returns to Portland to live with his more responsible big sister Gail (Trieste Kelly Dunn). He lands a dead-end job working in an ice factory, but soon finds an opportunity to use his passion and skill in detective work when his ex-girlfriend,...
- 1/31/2011
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
This review originally ran as part of our coverage of the 2010 SXSW Film Festival.
There's a scene, maybe a third of the way through "Cold Weather," in which the drifting main character Doug (Cris Lankenau) meets up with his ex-girlfriend Rachel (Robyn Rikoon) when she arrives in town for a business trip. Coming in out of the rain -- the film's set in Portland, and it's perpetually raining -- she gets a bit of a luminous, It Girl entrance, and as the two catch up over coffee, you consider how, in most movies, this would be the point at which Doug would be inspired to win Rachel back. He'd get his life in order, discover some unexpected aptitude in his job at an ice factory, fix up his sister/roommate Gail (Trieste Kelly Dunn) and his coworker Carlos (the very likable Raúl Castillo) and tidy away all of the other...
There's a scene, maybe a third of the way through "Cold Weather," in which the drifting main character Doug (Cris Lankenau) meets up with his ex-girlfriend Rachel (Robyn Rikoon) when she arrives in town for a business trip. Coming in out of the rain -- the film's set in Portland, and it's perpetually raining -- she gets a bit of a luminous, It Girl entrance, and as the two catch up over coffee, you consider how, in most movies, this would be the point at which Doug would be inspired to win Rachel back. He'd get his life in order, discover some unexpected aptitude in his job at an ice factory, fix up his sister/roommate Gail (Trieste Kelly Dunn) and his coworker Carlos (the very likable Raúl Castillo) and tidy away all of the other...
- 1/21/2011
- by Alison Willmore
- ifc.com
Catch .44
Opens: 2011
Cast: Forest Whitaker, Bruce Willis, Malin Akerman, Nikki Reed, Deborah Ann Woll
Director: Aaron Harvey
Summary: The story focuses on three women being thrust into an extraordinary situation involving a psychopathic hitman, a grizzled trucker and a delusional line cook.
Analysis: Oddly little is known about this indie crime comedy aside from the three lead female roles have gone through more than a couple of rounds of casting musical chairs. The likes of Maggie Grace, Kate Mara, Laura Ramsey, Sarah Roemer, Lizzy Caplan and Lauren German were all attached at one point or another before the final trio of Malin Akerman ("Watchmen"), Nikki Reed ("Twilight") and Deborah Ann Woll ("True Blood") were settled on.
Bruce Willis, Forest Whitaker, Michael Rosenbaum and Brad Dourif also star with Willis as a crime boss behind everything that happens and Whitaker as a dangerously unstable assassin. Aaron Harvey, who last directed...
Opens: 2011
Cast: Forest Whitaker, Bruce Willis, Malin Akerman, Nikki Reed, Deborah Ann Woll
Director: Aaron Harvey
Summary: The story focuses on three women being thrust into an extraordinary situation involving a psychopathic hitman, a grizzled trucker and a delusional line cook.
Analysis: Oddly little is known about this indie crime comedy aside from the three lead female roles have gone through more than a couple of rounds of casting musical chairs. The likes of Maggie Grace, Kate Mara, Laura Ramsey, Sarah Roemer, Lizzy Caplan and Lauren German were all attached at one point or another before the final trio of Malin Akerman ("Watchmen"), Nikki Reed ("Twilight") and Deborah Ann Woll ("True Blood") were settled on.
Bruce Willis, Forest Whitaker, Michael Rosenbaum and Brad Dourif also star with Willis as a crime boss behind everything that happens and Whitaker as a dangerously unstable assassin. Aaron Harvey, who last directed...
- 12/23/2010
- by Garth Franklin
- Dark Horizons
Catch .44
Opens: 2011
Cast: Forest Whitaker, Bruce Willis, Malin Akerman, Nikki Reed, Deborah Ann Woll
Director: Aaron Harvey
Summary: The story focuses on three women being thrust into an extraordinary situation involving a psychopathic hitman, a grizzled trucker and a delusional line cook.
Analysis: Oddly little is known about this indie crime comedy aside from the three lead female roles have gone through more than a couple of rounds of casting musical chairs. The likes of Maggie Grace, Kate Mara, Laura Ramsey, Sarah Roemer, Lizzy Caplan and Lauren German were all attached at one point or another before the final trio of Malin Akerman ("Watchmen"), Nikki Reed ("Twilight") and Deborah Ann Woll ("True Blood") were settled on.
Bruce Willis, Forest Whitaker, Michael Rosenbaum and Brad Dourif also star with Willis as a crime boss behind everything that happens and Whitaker as a dangerously unstable assassin. Aaron Harvey, who last directed...
Opens: 2011
Cast: Forest Whitaker, Bruce Willis, Malin Akerman, Nikki Reed, Deborah Ann Woll
Director: Aaron Harvey
Summary: The story focuses on three women being thrust into an extraordinary situation involving a psychopathic hitman, a grizzled trucker and a delusional line cook.
Analysis: Oddly little is known about this indie crime comedy aside from the three lead female roles have gone through more than a couple of rounds of casting musical chairs. The likes of Maggie Grace, Kate Mara, Laura Ramsey, Sarah Roemer, Lizzy Caplan and Lauren German were all attached at one point or another before the final trio of Malin Akerman ("Watchmen"), Nikki Reed ("Twilight") and Deborah Ann Woll ("True Blood") were settled on.
Bruce Willis, Forest Whitaker, Michael Rosenbaum and Brad Dourif also star with Willis as a crime boss behind everything that happens and Whitaker as a dangerously unstable assassin. Aaron Harvey, who last directed...
- 12/23/2010
- by Garth Franklin
- Dark Horizons
We love supporting indie flicks, as such, we are pleased to offer you new images and info on several IFC Films releases. First up, Aaron Katz directs and writes "Cold Weather," a mystery comedy which stars Cris Lankenau, Trieste Kelly Dunn, Raul Castillo and Robyn Rikoon. Brendan McFadden & Ben Stambler produce. The film premiered to critical acclaim at the 2010 SXSW Film Festival, followed by a much-lauded screening at the 2010 Los Angeles Film Festival...read more about the film. Next, Xavier Dolan follows his directorial debut made on "I Killed My Mother" with "Heartbeats," a comedy romance where he stars along with Marie Camille and Niels Schneider (also from "I Killed My Mother")...
- 12/22/2010
- Upcoming-Movies.com
We love supporting indie flicks, as such, we are pleased to offer you new images and info on several IFC Films releases. First up, Aaron Katz directs and writes "Cold Weather," a mystery comedy which stars Cris Lankenau, Trieste Kelly Dunn, Raul Castillo and Robyn Rikoon. Brendan McFadden & Ben Stambler produce. The film premiered to critical acclaim at the 2010 SXSW Film Festival, followed by a much-lauded screening at the 2010 Los Angeles Film Festival...read more about the film. Next, Xavier Dolan follows his directorial debut made on "I Killed My Mother" with "Heartbeats," a comedy romance where he stars along with Marie Camille and Niels Schneider (also from "I Killed My Mother")...
- 12/22/2010
- Upcoming-Movies.com
Cold Weather has set a new bar for quirky buddy movies. I wasn't sure how mumblecore and mystery were going to mix but it far exceeded my expectations. Aaron Katz has crafted something delightfully humorous, suspenseful, and earnest. Not only does it feature a solid cast in Cris Lankenau, Trieste Kelly Dunn and Raul Castillo it's also a well-shot ode to Portland. Every time the camera lingers on the landscape it was a pleasant visual treat.
A brother, a sister, an ice factory, and Sherlock Holmes. As the La Film Fest nears its close, Cold Weather is one of the standout films and I'm already looking forward to seeing it again (and eventually buying the DVD). It's that good! IFC will distribute the film in theaters and on-demand.
As an added bonus the movie poster is equally clever.
Official Site: www.coldweatherthemovie.com...
A brother, a sister, an ice factory, and Sherlock Holmes. As the La Film Fest nears its close, Cold Weather is one of the standout films and I'm already looking forward to seeing it again (and eventually buying the DVD). It's that good! IFC will distribute the film in theaters and on-demand.
As an added bonus the movie poster is equally clever.
Official Site: www.coldweatherthemovie.com...
- 6/26/2010
- by karen@reelartsy.com (Karen)
- Reelartsy
Indie Roundup reviews the latest developments in the world of independent film. Pictured above: Cold Weather, Night Catches Us.
Deals. From indieWIRE comes news that IFC Films has acquired Cold Weather, a playful mystery set in Portland, Oregon. Directed by Aaron Katz, the picture debuted at SXSW, where our own Jette Kernion described it as "a charming low-key film spiked with a touch of suspense." My comparison point is Woody Allen's Manhattan Murder Mystery, but Cold Weather is more subtle and visually arresting. The film stars Cris Lankenau and Trieste Kelly Dunn as a brother and sister who team up to investigate the disappearance of an ex-lover. Cold Weather will be available on the IFC in Theaters platform, meaning it can be seen in theaters and on demand at the same time.
Magnolia picked up Night Catches Us and plans to release it in the fall, according to indieWIRE.
Deals. From indieWIRE comes news that IFC Films has acquired Cold Weather, a playful mystery set in Portland, Oregon. Directed by Aaron Katz, the picture debuted at SXSW, where our own Jette Kernion described it as "a charming low-key film spiked with a touch of suspense." My comparison point is Woody Allen's Manhattan Murder Mystery, but Cold Weather is more subtle and visually arresting. The film stars Cris Lankenau and Trieste Kelly Dunn as a brother and sister who team up to investigate the disappearance of an ex-lover. Cold Weather will be available on the IFC in Theaters platform, meaning it can be seen in theaters and on demand at the same time.
Magnolia picked up Night Catches Us and plans to release it in the fall, according to indieWIRE.
- 5/14/2010
- by Peter Martin
- Cinematical
IFC Films has picked up North American as well as various foreign rights to "Cold Weather." The film by Aaron Katz was well-received when it bowed at the SXSW fest in March. Katz also wrote "Cold Weather" which tells of aguy in his twenties who finds himself entwined in the mystery of his ex-girlfriend's disappearance. The film stars Cris Lankenau, Trieste Kelly Dunn and Raul Castillo. Producers are Brendan McFadden, Ben Stambler, and Parts and Labor's Lars Knudsen and Jay Van Hoy.
- 5/8/2010
- Upcoming-Movies.com
IFC has picked SXSW fave Cold Weather for North America and select foreign territories. Written, edited and directed by Aaron Katz, Cold Weather stars Cris Lankenau (Katz’s Quiet City), Trieste Kelly Dunn (United 93) and Raul Castillo (Don't Let Me Drown). "It's great fun to see [Katz] play with the detective/mystery genre," states IFC President Jonathan Sehring. "This is one of the most original American independent films of the year." The film will be released through the IFC in Theatres platform, which offers on-demand viewing starting the same day as their theatrical premieres. Cold Weather, a Holmes-esque mystery about friendship and family camaraderie, follows Doug, who is just returned to his hometown of Portland, Oregon to live with his sister and kick-start their adulthood. The return ...
- 5/7/2010
- Thompson on Hollywood
Aaron Katz's "Cold Weather" - which was a favorite with critics when it debuted at SXSW this past March - has been acquired by IFC Films for North American and multiple foreign rights including Asia, the Middle East and East-Central Europe. Written, directed and edited by Katz, and produced by Brendan McFadden, Ben Stambler, and Parts & Labor's Lars Knudsen and Jay Van Hoy, the film stars Cris Lankenau, Trieste Kelly ...
- 5/7/2010
- Indiewire
Portland, Oregon during the gray and rainy season is an ideal place to set a mystery story, adding a touch of monochromatic noir to the landscape. But the mystery in Cold Weather shares screen time with an exploration of different types of relationships, as writer/director Aaron Katz has done in his previous features, Quiet City and Dance Party USA. The combination results in a charming low-key film spiked with a touch of suspense.
Doug (Cris Lankenau) has just moved back to Portland after leaving college, where he had studied forensic science. He's not interested in a career at the moment, and ends up with a job at the local ice factory. In his spare time, he hangs out with his sister Gail (Trieste Kelly Dunn) and reads old detective stories. His ex-girlfriend Rachel (Robyn Rikoon) shows up in town for a short trip, but doesn't show up for a...
Doug (Cris Lankenau) has just moved back to Portland after leaving college, where he had studied forensic science. He's not interested in a career at the moment, and ends up with a job at the local ice factory. In his spare time, he hangs out with his sister Gail (Trieste Kelly Dunn) and reads old detective stories. His ex-girlfriend Rachel (Robyn Rikoon) shows up in town for a short trip, but doesn't show up for a...
- 3/25/2010
- by Jette Kernion
- Cinematical
Rating: 8/10
Director: Aaron Katz
Writer: Aaron Katz
Cast: Cris Lankenau, Trieste Kelly Dunn
Editor’s Note: This review has been tweaked since published.
Film festivals always bring with them a bittersweet tone. On the one hand, you get to see a ton of films that you’d never have the chance to see elsewhere. Sometimes, these films are pretty good and occasionally great but on the other hand, most of these films tragically never see the light of day. Perhaps there is a certain exclusivity to the small audiences that get to see these films in theaters, but I’d much rather share these films with a huge audience. Cold Weather is one of those films that may be tragically confined to the festival circuit, though I sincerely hope for limited distribution and a DVD release.
Read more on SXSW 2010 Review: Cold Weather…...
Director: Aaron Katz
Writer: Aaron Katz
Cast: Cris Lankenau, Trieste Kelly Dunn
Editor’s Note: This review has been tweaked since published.
Film festivals always bring with them a bittersweet tone. On the one hand, you get to see a ton of films that you’d never have the chance to see elsewhere. Sometimes, these films are pretty good and occasionally great but on the other hand, most of these films tragically never see the light of day. Perhaps there is a certain exclusivity to the small audiences that get to see these films in theaters, but I’d much rather share these films with a huge audience. Cold Weather is one of those films that may be tragically confined to the festival circuit, though I sincerely hope for limited distribution and a DVD release.
Read more on SXSW 2010 Review: Cold Weather…...
- 3/22/2010
- by Will Schiffelbein
- GordonandtheWhale
Cold Weather manages to take two underlying story ideas and combine them into a conceptually intriguing film, one that is partially successful and partially missing its full potential. Aaron Katz (Dance Party, USA) wrote and directed Cold Weather, beginning with a story about an estranged brother and sister and wraps it up loosely with a film noir jacket, vaguely reminiscent of Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys.
Doug (Cris Lankenau) is an intelligent young man having studied criminal justice and forensic science, but who has taken time from school to find work and save some money. His passion lies with becoming a detective, romanticized by the literary notion of Sherlock Holmes as his ideal role model. Initially mocked by others for his source of inspiration, Doug is quick to dispel their misguided notions of Holmes as depicted in early films as a caricature of the true literary figure.
Doug gets...
Doug (Cris Lankenau) is an intelligent young man having studied criminal justice and forensic science, but who has taken time from school to find work and save some money. His passion lies with becoming a detective, romanticized by the literary notion of Sherlock Holmes as his ideal role model. Initially mocked by others for his source of inspiration, Doug is quick to dispel their misguided notions of Holmes as depicted in early films as a caricature of the true literary figure.
Doug gets...
- 3/19/2010
- by Travis
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
One rainy day at the South by Southwest film festival, I was walking out of a screening of Cold Weather, smoking a cigarette in one hand, while a less-effective-than-a-trash-bag poncho, purchased just that morning at the hotel where certain Pajibans were staying, stuck out from under my arm. Walking beside me, to my non-astonishment, was Dustin Rowles. "Ah, Freilich," said he, "this weather is plum."
To this I but growled.
I was well aware that nothing but the business of discussing that film would be the present topic of conversation, so I waited patiently until he should come round to it.
"Well," said he eventually, "that happened."
"I'm confused," I responded. "For though I wanted to like that movie, and did like it to an extent, it was not without its problems."
Rowles chuckled to himself. "That is to be understood. To be sure, the concept of the film is...
To this I but growled.
I was well aware that nothing but the business of discussing that film would be the present topic of conversation, so I waited patiently until he should come round to it.
"Well," said he eventually, "that happened."
"I'm confused," I responded. "For though I wanted to like that movie, and did like it to an extent, it was not without its problems."
Rowles chuckled to himself. "That is to be understood. To be sure, the concept of the film is...
- 3/18/2010
- by Seth Freilich
An exclusive at The Auteurs, this is the superb new poster for the long-awaited new Aaron Katz feature which will have its world premiere at SXSW on March 13. Katz made a name for himself with his first two features Dance Party, USA and Quiet City (which premiered three years ago at South By). Lumped in with the mumblecore phenomenon of the time, his films are micro-budgeted gems in which people meet, talk and stumble through life much as they do in the films of Bujalski and Swanberg. But what set Katz’s films apart was his lyrical cinematography which took time to aim the camera away from the chattering classes to contemplate Brooklyn skylines or the wind in the trees, and led to the Austin Chronicle calling Quiet City “a Terrence Malick film for the new lost generation.” (Its influence can surely be felt in Bradley Rust Gray’s upcoming The Exploding Girl.
- 3/5/2010
- MUBI
The South by Southwest Film Festival announced its 2010 feature line-up Wednesday night, and I couldn’t be more excited. The nine day event starts March 12, 2010 here in Austin, Texas, and I’ll be covering as much as I can from start to finish. Though, if it’s anything like last year, I’ll be asleep on my feet by the end of it.
The 2010 list includes 119 films (55 world premieres), but here are a few notables: The previously announced Kick-Ass will start the festivities. Elektra Luxx, the sequel to the underseen comedy Women in Trouble, starring Carla Gugino, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and too many more to name. Tim Blake Nelson’s Leaves of Grass in which Edward Norton plays identical twins. A documentary titled People vs. George Lucas that I will be seeing. Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s Micmacs. Plus the “SNL” spin-off movie MacGruber in its world premiere, possibly before the MacGyver creator shuts it down.
The 2010 list includes 119 films (55 world premieres), but here are a few notables: The previously announced Kick-Ass will start the festivities. Elektra Luxx, the sequel to the underseen comedy Women in Trouble, starring Carla Gugino, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and too many more to name. Tim Blake Nelson’s Leaves of Grass in which Edward Norton plays identical twins. A documentary titled People vs. George Lucas that I will be seeing. Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s Micmacs. Plus the “SNL” spin-off movie MacGruber in its world premiere, possibly before the MacGyver creator shuts it down.
- 2/4/2010
- by Jeff Leins
- newsinfilm.com
Less than a week worth of recovering from the Sundance Film Festival, and we are already looking forward to our next, big film fest coverage. That would be the South by Southwest Film Festival held annually in Austin, Texas. Last year, Scott and I brought you all kinds of coverage from the Lone Star State, and this year doesn’t look to be much different.
With that, the announcement came last night of the feature films that will be playing at the SXSW Film Festival. Previous announcement were already made about films like Cold Weather, Electra Luxx, Hubble 3D, Lemmy, Saturday Night, and The White Stripes: Under Great White Northern Lights making their debut. Kick-ass was recently announced as the opening night film, as well.
Among the other films being presented this year are some Sundance darlings, a few, highly anticipated premieres, and MacGruber.
Check out the full list...
With that, the announcement came last night of the feature films that will be playing at the SXSW Film Festival. Previous announcement were already made about films like Cold Weather, Electra Luxx, Hubble 3D, Lemmy, Saturday Night, and The White Stripes: Under Great White Northern Lights making their debut. Kick-ass was recently announced as the opening night film, as well.
Among the other films being presented this year are some Sundance darlings, a few, highly anticipated premieres, and MacGruber.
Check out the full list...
- 2/4/2010
- by Kirk
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
I was so excited at seeing the SXSW line up last night that I completely forgot to post it and started searching the interwebs for cool content to go with it. Oops. Yes, I wish I was there but alas, it wasn’t mean to be (though don’t despair. We’ll be bringing you wicked awesome coverage).
But enough rambling, you want to know what’s all playing. Well, for a start there’s the much anticipated McGruber (trailer), the Duplass’ semi-mainstream comedy Cyrus, Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s Micmacs (trailer, review), Daniel Stamm’s horror flick Cotton and that’s on top of the previously announced titles which include Electra Luxx (Carla Gugino as a pregnant porn star? Bring. It. On.) and Kick-Ass (trailer). That’s already a great line-up but dear me, some of the other titles are pretty awesome too.
There’s Clay Liford scifi drama Earthling (trailer...
But enough rambling, you want to know what’s all playing. Well, for a start there’s the much anticipated McGruber (trailer), the Duplass’ semi-mainstream comedy Cyrus, Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s Micmacs (trailer, review), Daniel Stamm’s horror flick Cotton and that’s on top of the previously announced titles which include Electra Luxx (Carla Gugino as a pregnant porn star? Bring. It. On.) and Kick-Ass (trailer). That’s already a great line-up but dear me, some of the other titles are pretty awesome too.
There’s Clay Liford scifi drama Earthling (trailer...
- 2/4/2010
- QuietEarth.us
Late yesterday the SXSW Fim Festival, which runs from March 12-20 in Austin, TX, announced the full lineup of films that will be screening at this year’s event. And baby, it’s quite a list. Mixing big name films with intimate indie gems, the sheer number of films and the vast array of talented filmmakers is sure to be a hit with attendees and critics alike.
This lineup includes premieres of studio films such as Universal’s MacGruber, Lionsgate’s teen superhero actioneer Kick-Ass and smaller films like Tim Blake Nelson’s Leaves of Grass, Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s Micmacs, Michel Gondry’s The Thorn in the Heart and Steven Soderbergh’s And Everything Is Going Fine. With so many films to watch, it will be very difficult to find time to seem them all during the events nine days. But hell, we’re going to try.
For more on...
This lineup includes premieres of studio films such as Universal’s MacGruber, Lionsgate’s teen superhero actioneer Kick-Ass and smaller films like Tim Blake Nelson’s Leaves of Grass, Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s Micmacs, Michel Gondry’s The Thorn in the Heart and Steven Soderbergh’s And Everything Is Going Fine. With so many films to watch, it will be very difficult to find time to seem them all during the events nine days. But hell, we’re going to try.
For more on...
- 2/4/2010
- by Chris Ullrich
- The Flickcast
The 2010 SXSW Film Festival and Conference has announced its initial slate of titles. The list is rife with hot world premieres (Kick-Ass), films fresh from Sundance (The Runaways, Cyrus), hot titles from the 2009 editions of Tiff and Cannes that haven't had much U.S. play (Enter the Void, Dogtooth, Trash Humpers), interesting documentaries (Lemmy, The People v. George Lucas) and much, much more. Simon Rumley's Red, White & Blue, which has received much praise on Twitch based on its Iffr screenings, will have its North American premiere.
Midnight programming courtesy of Fantastic Fest is also back with titles like Higanjima, Monsters, Serbian Film, Outcast, and a yet to be announced special film. Keep eye out for SXSW coverage at Twitch, but for now, pursue the massive list below (descriptions courtesy of SXSW).
Headliners
Big names, big talent: Headliners bring star power to SXSW, featuring red carpet premieres and gala film...
Midnight programming courtesy of Fantastic Fest is also back with titles like Higanjima, Monsters, Serbian Film, Outcast, and a yet to be announced special film. Keep eye out for SXSW coverage at Twitch, but for now, pursue the massive list below (descriptions courtesy of SXSW).
Headliners
Big names, big talent: Headliners bring star power to SXSW, featuring red carpet premieres and gala film...
- 2/4/2010
- Screen Anarchy
For those who haven't embrace the Mumblecore movement yet, you might want to reconsider with Katz' latest. The recent release of the gorgeous trailer is what got this film on my list - I can't help it's what You Can Count on Me might look like today, with a little Van Sant thrown in for good measure. - #63. Cold Weather Director/Writer: Aaron KatzProducers: Brendan McFadden (Dance Party, USA Quiet City), Ben Stambler, and Parts and Labor's Lars Knudsen and Jay Van HoyDistributor: Rights Available. Photo Exclusive: Featuring Cris Lankenau. The Gist: This is about a former forensic science major and avid reader of detective fiction who gets involved in something unexpected after he returns to his hometown of Portland, Ore. (more) Cast: Cris Lankenau and Trieste Kelly Dunn. Why is it on the list?: For those who haven't embrace the Mumblecore movement yet, you might want to reconsider with Katz' latest.
- 1/14/2010
- IONCINEMA.com
- The toast of the town is Diablo Cody and the gift she gave to Jason Reitman. Juno picks up a trio of awards and trailing with two awards each is another Fox Searchlight flick The Savages and the Cannes Julian Schnabel and his cinematographer were well rewarded for The Diving Bell and the Butterfly's aesthetic brilliance. Here is the complete list of noms and winners below. Best Feature: Juno Best Director: Julian Schnabel Best First Feature: The Lookout Best Documentary: Crazy Love Best Foreign Film: Once Best Female Lead: Ellen Page Best Male Lead: Philip Seymour Hoffman Best Supporting Female: Cate Blanchett Best Supporting Male: Chiwetel Ejiofor Best Screenplay: The Savages Best First Screenplay: Juno Best Cinematography: The Diving Bell and the Butterfly John Cassavetes Award: August Evening August Evening Writer/Director: Chris Eska Producers: Connie Hill, Jason Wehling Owl and the Sparrow Writer/Director: Stephane Gauger Producers: Nguyen Van Quan,
- 2/23/2008
- IONCINEMA.com
- Underrated, overlooked, and mostly unknown, I’ve decided to highlight my four favorite award sections separately from today’s lengthy list of Indie Spirit noms. Why? because a). I haven’t heard of half these films and want to further research them, b). I want to add the missing titles to the Ioncinema.com database and c). I think it’s in the best interests of indie film lovers to familiarize themselves with the budding/future talent. Commencing with the John Cassavetes award noms (the name of this section says it all) which is given to the best feature made for under $500,000; and followed by the noms for my favorite category the Someone to Watch Award and the listings for the Truer Than Fiction Award the Producers Award.August Evening is a two-time nominee thanks to the votes going to actor Pedro Castaneda. Owl and the Sparrow was actually
- 11/28/2007
- IONCINEMA.com
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