"Not fake, it's real!" Bleecker Street has revealed a brand new trailer for a 2024 re-release of a lost indie cult classic called Kumiko, The Treasure Hunter. The film premiered at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival as the latest Zellner Brothers creation, their fifth feature film at the time after Kid-Thing in 2012. It played at tons of fests, became a cult hit, but barely got a proper release and hasn't been available to watch on VOD for a while. In honor of the film's 10th anniversary, and with the wild return of the Zellner Brothers glorious Sasquatch Sunset this year, it's landing in theaters again in March before the Sasquatches arrive in April. Rinko Kikuchi stars as Kumiko, a jaded Japanese office worker who discovers a hidden copy of Fargo (1996) on VHS, believing it to be a treasure map indicating the location of a large case of money. She travels to America...
- 3/1/2024
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Co-directed by Ausin residents David and Nathan Zellner, written by David, and co-starring Nathan in prosthetic make-up and a matted fur suit, Sasquatch Sunset, billed somewhat generically as a “year in the life of a singular family,” falls into one of two, mutually exclusive categories. It’s either an intentional provocation, created solely to generate audience disinterest, irritation, and apathy or an absurdist comedy-drama, meant to elicit pathos, empathy, and the occasional gasp for patient moviegoers. Whether you belong in one camp or another depends on how much the central premise involving a mini-clan or mini-tribe of four humanoid Sasquatch across a semi-eventful year intrigues your adventurous film-seeking side. Besides Nathan Zellner as the equivalent of a beta Sasquatch, Sasquatch...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
- 2/1/2024
- Screen Anarchy
Brothers David and Nathan Zellner are a reliable presence at the Sundance Film Festival. Their films Baghead (2008), Goliath (2008), Kid-Thing (2012) and Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter (2014) have all premiered at Sundance. To that list they now add Damsel, their new comedy/western starring Robert Pattinson and Mia Wasikowska. Damsel editor Melba Robichaux spoke with Filmmaker before the film’s premiere about some of the key questions one asks during the process of editing a feature film. Filmmaker: How and why did you wind up being the editor of your film? What were the factors and attributes that led to your being hired for this […]...
- 1/24/2018
- by Filmmaker Staff
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
The mad science behind the filmmaking trickery of Austin sibling directors David and Nathan Zellner is that they make wise movies that seem like superficial larks. From their outrageous suburban comedy “Goliath” all the way through the surreal meta “Fargo” riff “Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter,” the Zellners excel at transforming absurd circumstances into trenchant observations of human behavior. With the wildly adventurous “Damsel,” they conjure a kooky Old West setting with antics straight out of “Blazing Saddles,” unearthing a poetic vision of desperate men and the woman who wants nothing to do with them.
See More:The 2018 IndieWire Sundance Bible: Every Review, Interview, and News Item Posted During the Festival
That’s Penelope (Mia Wasikowska, in a wonderfully spunky performance), a fierce-minded pioneer incapable of evading various attempts to woo her. However, the exact nature of her situation remains shrouded in mystery for the meandering first act, when it seems as...
See More:The 2018 IndieWire Sundance Bible: Every Review, Interview, and News Item Posted During the Festival
That’s Penelope (Mia Wasikowska, in a wonderfully spunky performance), a fierce-minded pioneer incapable of evading various attempts to woo her. However, the exact nature of her situation remains shrouded in mystery for the meandering first act, when it seems as...
- 1/24/2018
- by Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
Read More: Watch: Trailer for 'Kumiko the Treasure Hunter' Takes 'Fargo' at Face Value David and Nathan Zellner spent a decade making their offbeat drama "Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter," a mesmerizing portrait of a woman who thinks "Fargo" was real. Now you can ask them all about it. On Friday, March 27, the Zellner brothers are participating in an Indiewire live Facebook Q&A (which operates much like a Reddit Ama) to answer all of your pressing "Kumiko" questions. "Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter" was inspired by the urban legend of a Japanese woman named Takako Kunishi. In a pre-internet age, the local media reported that a Tokyo-based office worker had died in Minneapolis in search of the suitcase of cash Steve Buscemi's character buries beneath the snow at the end of "Fargo." The Austin-based Zellner brothers also directed "Kid-Thing," "Goliath" and numerous short films. Just pop over to Indiewire's...
- 3/26/2015
- by Indiewire
- Indiewire
Following previous announcements of their film lineup, the Fantasia International Film Festival has released their full lineup of movies to be shown at the 18th Annual festival, starting July 17.
New additions to the lineup include 2014 Cannes Selection When Animals Dream, directed by Jonas Alexander Amby and the return of Fantasia’s showcase of animated films, Axis.
Tickets for the festival go on sale starting July 16, and the festival runs through August 5.
View the whole press release of additional announcements below:
Fantasia Celebrates Its 18th Birthday
With Over 160 Feature Films Montreal, Thursday July 10, 2014 – 2014 is the year that Fantasia turns 18. We can’t believe it either. Fantasia’s 18th birthday means over 160 features and something in the neighborhood of 300 shorts, many being shown for the first time on this continent, a good number screening here for the first time anywhere in the world.In addition to being stacked with a multitude of breathtaking debut filmmaker discoveries,...
New additions to the lineup include 2014 Cannes Selection When Animals Dream, directed by Jonas Alexander Amby and the return of Fantasia’s showcase of animated films, Axis.
Tickets for the festival go on sale starting July 16, and the festival runs through August 5.
View the whole press release of additional announcements below:
Fantasia Celebrates Its 18th Birthday
With Over 160 Feature Films Montreal, Thursday July 10, 2014 – 2014 is the year that Fantasia turns 18. We can’t believe it either. Fantasia’s 18th birthday means over 160 features and something in the neighborhood of 300 shorts, many being shown for the first time on this continent, a good number screening here for the first time anywhere in the world.In addition to being stacked with a multitude of breathtaking debut filmmaker discoveries,...
- 7/10/2014
- by Brian Welk
- SoundOnSight
Direct from its world-premiere screening at the Cannes Film Festival, Sff and Vivid Ideas are proud to present the Australian Premiere of the highly anticipated futuristic thriller The Rover and host director David Michôd, actors Guy Pearce and Robert Pattinson and producer Liz Watts at the State Theatre on Saturday 7 June. The Rover screens as part of Sff’s Official Competition. Michôd, Pearce, Pattinson and Watts will also give a talk as part of Vivid Ideas at Town Hall on Sunday 8 June.
Actor Cate Blanchett will attend the Festival to introduce a special screening of DreamWorks Animation’s How to Train Your Dragon 2 the second chapter of the epic trilogy in which Blanchett is the voice of the character Valka. The screening is held at 2pm on Public Holiday Monday, 9 June, at Event Cinemas George Street.
UK visual artists and film directors Iain Forsyth & Jane Pollard introduce Sff’s Opening Night Film,...
Actor Cate Blanchett will attend the Festival to introduce a special screening of DreamWorks Animation’s How to Train Your Dragon 2 the second chapter of the epic trilogy in which Blanchett is the voice of the character Valka. The screening is held at 2pm on Public Holiday Monday, 9 June, at Event Cinemas George Street.
UK visual artists and film directors Iain Forsyth & Jane Pollard introduce Sff’s Opening Night Film,...
- 5/30/2014
- by Press Releases
- Bollyspice
David and Nathan Zellner are no strangers to Sundance. Along with a number of short film premieres at the festival, the brothers debuted their second feature, Goliath, in 2008's now-defunct Spectrum category, and their follow-up, Kid-Thing, as part of 2012's Next. With Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter, the Zellners take a leap to the competition category. Though it didn't pick up top honors, the movie went home with a nod to its score by longtime Zellner collaborators The Octopus Project, a pair of executive producers (Alexander Payne and Jim Taylor), and the respect of fest-going audiences (The
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- 1/27/2014
- by Matt Patches
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Austin-based sibling directors David and Nathan Zellner have been cranking out offbeat, surrealist comedy features and shorts that have gained a minor cult following on the film festival circuit for over a decade, but the profoundly engaging "Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter" successfully broadens their sensibilities. Anchored by the remarkably sensitive presence of lead actress Rinko Kikuchi in every scene, the Zellners' elegant portrait of an alienated Japanese woman intent on discovering the fictional buried treasure from "Fargo" elevates its zany premise to poetic heights. But make no mistake: This weirdly touching and ultimately quite sad character study echoes previous Zellner outings "Goliath" and "Kid-Thing" with its focus on interminably solitary individuals led down the rabbit hole of their absurd quests — only in this case, the outlandish aspects of the plot have been carefully embedded in the entirely believable pathos of its delusional star. The brothers' strongest emotional...
- 1/20/2014
- by Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
David and Nathan Zellner are longtime stalwarts of the Sundance Film Festival, and the American microbudget film scene in general, carving out a niche for themselves over the last decade-plus as purveyors of a uniquely strange brand of Americana. Their feature work (including 2012’s haunting Kid-Thing) and their idiosyncratic and unforgettable shorts (Sasquatch Birth Journal 2, don’t worry, lives up to its title) have long found the Zellners fascinated with contemporary American folklore and fairy tales, and their newest film, Kumiko, The Treasure Hunter, is no exception. Based on the true story of a Japanese woman who traveled from Tokyo […]...
- 1/20/2014
- by Dan Schoenbrun
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
David and Nathan Zellner are longtime stalwarts of the Sundance Film Festival, and the American microbudget film scene in general, carving out a niche for themselves over the last decade-plus as purveyors of a uniquely strange brand of Americana. Their feature work (including 2012’s haunting Kid-Thing) and their idiosyncratic and unforgettable shorts (Sasquatch Birth Journal 2, don’t worry, lives up to its title) have long found the Zellners fascinated with contemporary American folklore and fairy tales, and their newest film, Kumiko, The Treasure Hunter, is no exception. Based on the true story of a Japanese woman who traveled from Tokyo […]...
- 1/20/2014
- by Dan Schoenbrun
- Filmmaker Magazine-Director Interviews
Still riding high on the waves of his success following last year’s Nebraska, with early predictions set for at least a nod for Bruce Dern in tomorrow’s Oscar nominations, Alexander Payne has found his next project in Kumiko, The Treasure Hunter.
Directed by David Zellner, the drama is led by the Oscar-nominated Rinko Kikuchi (Babel, Pacific Rim), and will be making its debut at Sundance next week.
Deadline reports that Payne and his Oscar-winning frequent collaborator Jim Taylor (Sideways, About Schmidt) have boarded the film as executive producers ahead of its Sundance bow.
Kumiko lives in a cluttered, cramped apartment in Tokyo with her pet rabbit, Bunzo. She works as an office lady, robotically preparing tea and fetching dry cleaning for her nitpicky boss. But on her own time, she obsessively watches a well-known American film on a weathered VHS tape. Rewinding and fast-forwarding repeatedly, she meticulously maps...
Directed by David Zellner, the drama is led by the Oscar-nominated Rinko Kikuchi (Babel, Pacific Rim), and will be making its debut at Sundance next week.
Deadline reports that Payne and his Oscar-winning frequent collaborator Jim Taylor (Sideways, About Schmidt) have boarded the film as executive producers ahead of its Sundance bow.
Kumiko lives in a cluttered, cramped apartment in Tokyo with her pet rabbit, Bunzo. She works as an office lady, robotically preparing tea and fetching dry cleaning for her nitpicky boss. But on her own time, she obsessively watches a well-known American film on a weathered VHS tape. Rewinding and fast-forwarding repeatedly, she meticulously maps...
- 1/15/2014
- by Kenji Lloyd
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
About the Sundance U.S. Dramatic Competition: “Presenting the world premieres of 16 narrative feature films, the Dramatic Competition offers Festivalgoers a first look at groundbreaking new voices in American independent film.”
Bill Hader and Kristen Wiig in “The Skeleton Twins”
The Skeleton Twins
Directed by Craig Johnson
Written by Craig Johnson and Mark Heyman
Saturday Night Live alumni Bill Hader and Kristen Wiig headline a drama as twins reconnecting with each other and life. The plot seems vaguely reminiscent of The Savages, which starred Laura Linney and Phillip Seymour Hoffman as siblings bonding over the slow death of their father. However, with these characters focusing solely on one another, the built-in chemistry Hader and Wiig have together will no doubt factor heavily into the audience’s enjoyment, especially if viewers are already fans. They played a couple in charge of an amusement park in the 2009 comedy Adventureland and have a...
Bill Hader and Kristen Wiig in “The Skeleton Twins”
The Skeleton Twins
Directed by Craig Johnson
Written by Craig Johnson and Mark Heyman
Saturday Night Live alumni Bill Hader and Kristen Wiig headline a drama as twins reconnecting with each other and life. The plot seems vaguely reminiscent of The Savages, which starred Laura Linney and Phillip Seymour Hoffman as siblings bonding over the slow death of their father. However, with these characters focusing solely on one another, the built-in chemistry Hader and Wiig have together will no doubt factor heavily into the audience’s enjoyment, especially if viewers are already fans. They played a couple in charge of an amusement park in the 2009 comedy Adventureland and have a...
- 1/13/2014
- by Lane Scarberry
- SoundOnSight
The 2014 Sundance Film Festival will be a reunion of sorts, with several of the featured actors and filmmakers returning alums. Aubrey Plaza, who made headlines at the festival in 2012 with the time-travel comedy “Safety Not Guaranteed,” returns next year with the zombie movie “Life After Beth.” Aaron Paul, also at the festival in 2012 with the feature “Smashed,” is back with the motocross/heavy-metal drama “Hellion,” which is based on a short of the same name that previously screened at the festival. William H. Macy, who co-wrote the screenplay to “The Deal” which debuted at Sundance in 2008, is back as a first-time director with “Rudderless,” about a grieving father who forms a band to play his deceased son’s music. Meanwhile, David and Nathan Zellner also return with “Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter,” about a Japanese woman, played by Rinko Kikuchi, who comes to America in search of the money Steve Buscemi’s character buries in “Fargo.
- 12/13/2013
- backstage.com
Welcome to Holiday Favorites, a series in which Slackerwood contributors and our friends talk about the movies we watch during the holiday season, holiday-related or otherwise.
It's a Wonderful Life is a popular pick this year! Austin actress Heather Kafka (Kid-Thing, Loves Her Gun) writes about what the 1946 film means to her.
"Is he sick?"
"No, worse, he's discouraged."
I remember walking into my parents' living room one day and an old movie was on. I don't remember how old I was but I do remember feeling like the TV was talking to me. I've tuned in every year since that day. It's a Wonderful Life never ever Never gets old. I feel and see something new in it every single time.
Sure, I could mention all the obvious things like the acting, the story, the comedy ... the swimming pool in the floor, the missing $8,000, ZuZu's petals ... Jimmy Stewart running...
It's a Wonderful Life is a popular pick this year! Austin actress Heather Kafka (Kid-Thing, Loves Her Gun) writes about what the 1946 film means to her.
"Is he sick?"
"No, worse, he's discouraged."
I remember walking into my parents' living room one day and an old movie was on. I don't remember how old I was but I do remember feeling like the TV was talking to me. I've tuned in every year since that day. It's a Wonderful Life never ever Never gets old. I feel and see something new in it every single time.
Sure, I could mention all the obvious things like the acting, the story, the comedy ... the swimming pool in the floor, the missing $8,000, ZuZu's petals ... Jimmy Stewart running...
- 12/12/2013
- by Elizabeth Stoddard
- Slackerwood
Another Little Girl Down the Lane…
While the latest feature length film from the Zellner Brothers, Kid-Thing, may not be meant for children, its stammered nature definitely plays itself out as an adolescent affair. Their latest feature (after 2008’s comedic Goliath) is set in the Texas countryside, right outside of Austin, certainly a locale primed for ominous and terrifying happenings. Yet one can’t help but feel that the opaque and ambiguous tone of their latest effort squanders an excellent opportunity to have been a better film.
At the center of Kid-Thing is the 10 year old Annie (Sydney Aguirre), a motherless child left to her own devices while her goat farmer father (Nathan Zellner) engages in demolition derby and wastes a considerable amount of time engaging in inane activities with his equally simple friend, Caleb (David Zellner). A gas leak at her school has forced it to close for an...
While the latest feature length film from the Zellner Brothers, Kid-Thing, may not be meant for children, its stammered nature definitely plays itself out as an adolescent affair. Their latest feature (after 2008’s comedic Goliath) is set in the Texas countryside, right outside of Austin, certainly a locale primed for ominous and terrifying happenings. Yet one can’t help but feel that the opaque and ambiguous tone of their latest effort squanders an excellent opportunity to have been a better film.
At the center of Kid-Thing is the 10 year old Annie (Sydney Aguirre), a motherless child left to her own devices while her goat farmer father (Nathan Zellner) engages in demolition derby and wastes a considerable amount of time engaging in inane activities with his equally simple friend, Caleb (David Zellner). A gas leak at her school has forced it to close for an...
- 8/7/2013
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
Born from a conversation between Austin Film Society programmer Lars Nilsen and local actor/filmmaker Jonny Mars, a new Afs recurring series starts in July: "That's Genius." In the words of Nilsen, the film series will serve as "a way for film professionals to share works that they [think represent] 'genius' in the world of some film discipline."
Austin filmmakers David and Nathan Zellner -- who directed the features Kid-Thing and Goliath -- have selected the inaugural movie in this series: the 1982 animated movie The Plague Dogs [tickets], which screens on Thursday, July 25 at the Marchesa. The Zellners will host the event, and filmmaker Martin Rosen will attend for a post-screening Q&A.
The Plague Dogs, which Rosen adapted from the novel by Richard Adams, follows two dogs who escape from a lab that has been performing tests on them. As a result of the experiments the lab has been running on animals,...
Austin filmmakers David and Nathan Zellner -- who directed the features Kid-Thing and Goliath -- have selected the inaugural movie in this series: the 1982 animated movie The Plague Dogs [tickets], which screens on Thursday, July 25 at the Marchesa. The Zellners will host the event, and filmmaker Martin Rosen will attend for a post-screening Q&A.
The Plague Dogs, which Rosen adapted from the novel by Richard Adams, follows two dogs who escape from a lab that has been performing tests on them. As a result of the experiments the lab has been running on animals,...
- 6/27/2013
- by Elizabeth Stoddard
- Slackerwood
Check out what's new to rent and own this week on the various streaming services such as cable On Demand, Amazon, iTunes, Vudu, and, of course, Netflix. Cable On Demand: Same-day-as-disc releases, older titles and pre-theatrical exclusives for rent, priced from $3-$10, in 24- or 48-hour periods Side Effects (Steven Soderbergh's psychological thriller; Rooney Mara, Jude Law, Channing Tatum, Catherine Zeta-Jones; rated R) The Last Stand (action; Arnold Schwarzenegger, Forest Whitaker, Johnny Knoxville; rated R) Beautiful Creatures (Ya fantasy romance; Alden Ehrenreich, Alice Englert, Jeremy Irons, Emma Thompson; rated PG-13) Parker (action; Jason Statham, Jennifer Lopez; rated R) Kid-Thing (dramedy; Sydney Aguirre, Nathan Zellner; pretheatrical release...
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- 5/22/2013
- by Robert B. DeSalvo
- Movies.com
Here's the latest in Austin and Texas film news.
Factory 25 has acquired David and Nathan Zellner's awardwinning feature Kid-Thing (Don's review), according to The Hollywood Reporter. The movie, about a mischief-making 10-year-old girl in East Texas who stumbles on a mysterious abandoned well in the woods, will be released theatrically in New York on May 24, followed by a nationwide tour through the early summer. The Brooklyn-based distributor has scheduled a digital release via VOD and iTunes, among other outlets, on May 24 as well.SXSW has been chosen as an Academy Award-qualifying festival in the Documentary Short Subject category. This means that recipients of the Documentary Short Film award at this year's SXSW Film Festival will qualify for consideration in the Academy Awards' Documentary Short Subject category without the standard theatrical run, provided the film complies with Academy rules.Fans of the 1997 long-lost documentary Hands on a Hard Body will...
Factory 25 has acquired David and Nathan Zellner's awardwinning feature Kid-Thing (Don's review), according to The Hollywood Reporter. The movie, about a mischief-making 10-year-old girl in East Texas who stumbles on a mysterious abandoned well in the woods, will be released theatrically in New York on May 24, followed by a nationwide tour through the early summer. The Brooklyn-based distributor has scheduled a digital release via VOD and iTunes, among other outlets, on May 24 as well.SXSW has been chosen as an Academy Award-qualifying festival in the Documentary Short Subject category. This means that recipients of the Documentary Short Film award at this year's SXSW Film Festival will qualify for consideration in the Academy Awards' Documentary Short Subject category without the standard theatrical run, provided the film complies with Academy rules.Fans of the 1997 long-lost documentary Hands on a Hard Body will...
- 3/4/2013
- by Jordan Gass-Poore'
- Slackerwood
In the battle of the Andersons, it was Wes who beat P.T for Best Feature at the 2012 Gotham Awards. Moonrise Kingdom would go 1 for 2 as Lynn Shelton’s Your Sister’s Sister easily among the year’s the best, for its natural, on-screen chemistry was handsomely awarded the Best Ensemble Performance prize. Making it an almost all Sundance Film Festival takes Gotham kind of year, in the Best Film Not Playing at a Theater Near You it’s Terence Nance’s An Oversimplification of Her Beauty which gets an extra boost for theatrical play. Pic was produced by Andrew Corkin who is lining up Jim Mickle’s We Are What We Are for festival play next year.
The heavy favorite in all categories combined was Beasts of the Southern Wild‘s Benh Zeitlin as Best Breakthrough Director and Audience award, while in the Breakthrough Actor category, it’s Emayatzy Corinealdi...
The heavy favorite in all categories combined was Beasts of the Southern Wild‘s Benh Zeitlin as Best Breakthrough Director and Audience award, while in the Breakthrough Actor category, it’s Emayatzy Corinealdi...
- 11/27/2012
- by Eric Lavallee
- IONCINEMA.com
If you’re in New York this weekend head over to the Museum of Modern Art for the museum and Filmmaker‘s annual screenings of the nominees for our “Best Film Not Playing at a Theater Near You” Gotham Award. Playing are Terence Nance’s wildly inventive doc/fiction relationship deconstruction, An Oversimplification of her Beauty (pictured); Amy Semitz’s psycho-noir romance, Sun Don’t Shine; Alex Karpovsky’s real-life filmmaker comedy, Red Flag; the Zellner Brothers darkly humorous metaphysical exploration, Kid-Thing; and Frank V. Ross’s subtle and affecting relationship drama, Tiger Tail in Blue. I’ll be joining Nick Dawson, Alicia Van Couvering, MoMA”s Josh Siegel and the Ifp’s Milton Tabbot to intro and do Q&A’s with the filmmakers and actors. The complete schedule is here at the link.
At Indiewire, Eric Kohn previews the program and includes individual assessments of the films. From...
At Indiewire, Eric Kohn previews the program and includes individual assessments of the films. From...
- 11/17/2012
- by Scott Macaulay
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
MoMA's Department of Film, in collaboration with Independent Film Project and Filmmaker Magazine, will screen the five nominees competing for the Gotham Awards' Best Film Not Playing at a Theater Near You title. This year's screenings, running November 16-19, include David Zellner's "Kid Thing," Terence Nance's "An Oversimplification of Her Beauty," Alex Karpovsky's "Red Flag," Amy Seimetz' "Sun Don't Shine" and Frank V. Ross' "Tiger Tail in Blue." The nominees were selected by Filmmaker's editorial staff and MoMA associate film curator Joshua Siegel. The films represent a sampling of the best currently undistributed works from the American festival circuit. The winner gets the sweet deal of a $15K grant, ad support in the New York Times and a one-week run of his or her film at Cinema Village. Descriptions of the five nominated films: Kid-Thing Director: David Zellner The...
- 11/13/2012
- by Beth Hanna
- Thompson on Hollywood
Bernie, Middle of Nowhere, Moonrise Kingdom and Beasts of the Southern Wild each received a pair of nominations for the 22nd Gotham Independent Film Awards, but the big surprise has to be the Best Picture snub of Benh Zeitlin’s Sundance and Cannes winner. The jury of five favored Moonrise Kingdom, Bernie, Middle of Nowhere, The Loneliest Planet and The Master over other well-received truly indie titles such as Craig Zobel’s Compliance and James Ponsoldt’s Smashed. The awards will be handed out on November 26th.
Best Feature
Bernie
Richard Linklater, director; Richard Linklater, Ginger Sledge, Celine Rattray, Martin Shafer, Liz Glotzer, Matt Williams, David McFadzean, Judd Payne, Dete Meserve, producers (Millennium Entertainment)
The Loneliest Planet
Julia Loktev, director; Jay Van Hoy, Lars Knudsen, Helge Albers, Marie Therese Guirgis, producers (Sundance Selects)
The Master
Paul Thomas Anderson, director; Joanne Sellar, Daniel Lupi, Paul Thomas Anderson, Megan Ellison, producers (The...
Best Feature
Bernie
Richard Linklater, director; Richard Linklater, Ginger Sledge, Celine Rattray, Martin Shafer, Liz Glotzer, Matt Williams, David McFadzean, Judd Payne, Dete Meserve, producers (Millennium Entertainment)
The Loneliest Planet
Julia Loktev, director; Jay Van Hoy, Lars Knudsen, Helge Albers, Marie Therese Guirgis, producers (Sundance Selects)
The Master
Paul Thomas Anderson, director; Joanne Sellar, Daniel Lupi, Paul Thomas Anderson, Megan Ellison, producers (The...
- 10/18/2012
- by Eric Lavallee
- IONCINEMA.com
Last year, two of the films nominated for Best Feature at the Gotham Independent Film Awards went on to earn Oscar Best Picture nominations -- The Descendents and Tree of Life -- and this year two films nominated for Best Feature are currently on my list to be nominated for Best Picture. Those two are Paul Thomas Anderson's The Master and Wes Anderson's Moonrise Kingdom, which are joined by Bernie, The Loneliest Planet and the buzzy Middle of Nowhere. Bernie and Moonrise also find themselves nominated for Best Ensemble along with awards season heavyweight Silver Linings Playbook, while Beasts of the Southern Wild enjoys some Breakthrough attention with Benh Zeitlin nominated for Breakthrough Director and 8-year-old star Quvenzhane Wallis nominated for Breakthrough Actor. The Gotham Awards ceremony will be held on Monday, November 26 and I have included the complete list of nominations for the 2012 Gotham Independent Film Awards...
- 10/18/2012
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
The Master, Bernie, and Moonrise Kingdom were nominated by the Gotham Independent Film Awards for Best Feature. One of the first major awards ceremonies of the Oscar season, the Gotham Independent Film Awards focus attention on worthy independent films and breakthrough performances. Mike Birbiglia, who was nominated for a Breakthough Actor award for his performance in Sleepwalk With Me, will also host the ceremony on Nov. 26.
Click below for complete nominations.
Best Feature
Bernie
The Loneliest Planet
The Master
Middle of Nowhere
Moonrise Kingdom
Best Documentary
Detropia
How to Survive a Plague
Marina Abramović: The Artist is Present
Room 237...
Click below for complete nominations.
Best Feature
Bernie
The Loneliest Planet
The Master
Middle of Nowhere
Moonrise Kingdom
Best Documentary
Detropia
How to Survive a Plague
Marina Abramović: The Artist is Present
Room 237...
- 10/18/2012
- by Jeff Labrecque
- EW - Inside Movies
New York, NY – The Independent Filmmaker Project (IFP), the nation’s oldest and largest organization of independent filmmakers announced today the nominees for the Gotham Independent Film Awards™. Signaling the kick-off to the film awards season, IFP’s Gotham Independent Film Awards™ nominations were given to a total of 26 films across six competitive categories for Best Feature, Best Documentary, Breakthrough Director, Breakthrough Actor, Best Ensemble Performance, and Best Film Not Playing at a Theater Near You.
The Gotham Awards ceremony will be held on Monday, November 26th at Cipriani Wall Street. In addition to the competitive awards, actors Marion Cotillard and Matt Damon, director David O. Russell, and Participant Media founder Jeff Skoll will each be presented with a career tribute.
As the first major awards ceremony of the film season, the Gotham Independent Film Awards™ provide critical early recognition and media attention to worthy independent films. Previous winners...
The Gotham Awards ceremony will be held on Monday, November 26th at Cipriani Wall Street. In addition to the competitive awards, actors Marion Cotillard and Matt Damon, director David O. Russell, and Participant Media founder Jeff Skoll will each be presented with a career tribute.
As the first major awards ceremony of the film season, the Gotham Independent Film Awards™ provide critical early recognition and media attention to worthy independent films. Previous winners...
- 10/18/2012
- by Mike Fleming Jr
- Deadline Film + TV
Decisions, decisions this week -- attend the Austin Gay and Lesbian International Film Festival (rebranded "Polari" this year), or see Tim Burton's outstanding new animated film, Frankenweenie? Watch a comedy about butter sculpting -- there's much more to the movie than you'd think -- or check out the Cinema Touching Disability Film Festival? See what you will; you'll find me at aGLIFF Polari, where I'm looking forward to former Austinite Kyle Henry's new film, Fourplay (pictured above), on Friday night.
Now in its ninth season, the Cinema Touching Disability Film Festival is recognized as the top film celebration of disability in the arts in Texas, and presents animated, international and documentary short films. The festival -- at the Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar on Friday and Saturday nights -- also features interviews with the filmmakers, actors and writers who create the films.
If you haven't seen David and Nathan Zellner's latest feature,...
Now in its ninth season, the Cinema Touching Disability Film Festival is recognized as the top film celebration of disability in the arts in Texas, and presents animated, international and documentary short films. The festival -- at the Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar on Friday and Saturday nights -- also features interviews with the filmmakers, actors and writers who create the films.
If you haven't seen David and Nathan Zellner's latest feature,...
- 10/5/2012
- by Don Clinchy
- Slackerwood
That crispness to the air that you’re probably feeling right now (unless, of course, you live in the western United States, and good luck to you) doesn’t just signal the coming of autumn, it also signals the swiftly approaching fall film festival season. We’ve already plowed through Venice, Telluride, and Toronto, just wrapped Fantastic Fest, and are currently in the middle of New York’s own Nyff, but there are plenty of other festivals on the horizon. Like, oh, how about Los Angeles’ own AFI Fest? Dear to my heart (because, unlike all those other previously-listed festivals, I can actually attend this one), AFI Fest continues to make great strides in its programming with every passing year. The festival has now announced their selections for two of their most exciting and forward-thinking sections: Young Americans (which features works by emerging U.S. filmmakers) and New Auteurs (which highlights first and second-time feature film directors...
- 10/4/2012
- by Kate Erbland
- FilmSchoolRejects.com
The AFI Film Fest (11.01-11.08) have announced the line-ups for our favorite sections at the fest in the Young American selections and New Auteurs section and they’ve managed to stack up on titles that are amongst the year’s best and which in the case of two films were mysteriously passed over by the likes of Telluride, Tiff and Nyff. Michel Franco’s After Lucia (see pic above) and Antonio Campos’ Simon Killer will be making the Los Angeles premieres accompanied by the best title to come out of the Main Comp at this year’s Cannes edition in Sergei Loznitsa’s In the Fog. This trio will be joined by a trio of gems that recently premiered at Tiff in: Maja Miloš’ Clip, Gabriela Pichler’s Eat Sleep Die and Tobias Lindholm’s A Hijacking. In the Young American Selections we find some filmmakers (Sean Baker and Amy...
- 10/3/2012
- by Eric Lavallee
- IONCINEMA.com
The Rio de Janeiro International Film Festival kicks off September 27th and Twitch has been given first word on their extensive midnight program lineups. And, yes, you read that right. That lineups, plural. While most festivals have just a single midnight program - if any at all - Rio offers up a whopping four distinct midnight programs, each with a distinct focus. And here's what will be playing this year:midnight Movies"Sightseers" (dir. Ben Wheatley, United Kingdom, 2012)"Room 237" (dir. Rodney Ascher, USA, 2012) "Jack and Diane" (dir. Bradley Rust Gray, USA, 2012) "Kid-Thing" (dir. David Zellner, Nathan Zellner, USA, 2012) "La Cinquième Saison" (dir. Peter Brosens, Jessica Woodworth, Belgium/Netherlands, 2012) "Les Gouffres" (dir. Antoine Barraud, France, 2012) "Los Chidos" (dir. Omar Rodriguez Lopez, USA/Mexico, Germany,...
- 9/11/2012
- Screen Anarchy
Here's the latest in Austin and Texas film news.
Extras are needed today and tomorrow at The Mohawk for the upcoming film Thank You A Lot. Written and directed by Matt Muir, the film tells the story of a music agent whose job and the livelihood of his clients is threatened when he is forced to sign his reclusive, legendary musician father, played by real-life country artist James Hand. If you're interested, email your contact info to thankyoualotmovie [at] gmail [dot] com with "Extra" in the subject line.The Afs-sponsored Moviemaker Dialogue series will bring Austin filmmakers David and Nathan Zellner (Kid-Thing), Kat Candler (Hellion) and Clay Liford (Wuss) together for a conversation about their short film successes, and how this translates to feature-length film opportunities. The panel takes place at 7 pm on Wednesday, August 15 at the Austin Studios Screening Room.Academy Award-nominated actress Viola Davis will produce and star in an untitled Barbara Jordan biopic,...
Extras are needed today and tomorrow at The Mohawk for the upcoming film Thank You A Lot. Written and directed by Matt Muir, the film tells the story of a music agent whose job and the livelihood of his clients is threatened when he is forced to sign his reclusive, legendary musician father, played by real-life country artist James Hand. If you're interested, email your contact info to thankyoualotmovie [at] gmail [dot] com with "Extra" in the subject line.The Afs-sponsored Moviemaker Dialogue series will bring Austin filmmakers David and Nathan Zellner (Kid-Thing), Kat Candler (Hellion) and Clay Liford (Wuss) together for a conversation about their short film successes, and how this translates to feature-length film opportunities. The panel takes place at 7 pm on Wednesday, August 15 at the Austin Studios Screening Room.Academy Award-nominated actress Viola Davis will produce and star in an untitled Barbara Jordan biopic,...
- 8/6/2012
- by Jordan Gass-Poore'
- Slackerwood
By Tyler Draker
July 8 marked the third installment of this year’s Cinema East summer movie series. True to its reputation, it showed off two great films by local filmmakers.
Hellion is the short by Kat Candler that has been playing at many of the largest film festivals in the country, including Sundance and SXSW. I am currently a film student at The University of Texas and had Kat as a professor last year for the Advanced Narrative Production class. I’ve been trying to see Hellion since it was announced that it would be playing at Sundance. So, when I heard that it would be screening at Cinema East, I was set on going.
Hellion tells the story of three brothers who wreak havoc and the consequences when their father finds out. In the interest of not giving anything away, I’ll leave the rest of it a mystery...
July 8 marked the third installment of this year’s Cinema East summer movie series. True to its reputation, it showed off two great films by local filmmakers.
Hellion is the short by Kat Candler that has been playing at many of the largest film festivals in the country, including Sundance and SXSW. I am currently a film student at The University of Texas and had Kat as a professor last year for the Advanced Narrative Production class. I’ve been trying to see Hellion since it was announced that it would be playing at Sundance. So, when I heard that it would be screening at Cinema East, I was set on going.
Hellion tells the story of three brothers who wreak havoc and the consequences when their father finds out. In the interest of not giving anything away, I’ll leave the rest of it a mystery...
- 7/24/2012
- by Contributors
- Slackerwood
Dallas — Oscar-nominated actress Susan Tyrrell, known for roles in offbeat films including John Waters' "Cry-Baby," has died. She was 67.
Tyrrell died Saturday in her sleep at home in Austin, her niece told The Associated Press on Tuesday. Tyrrell, who received a best supporting actress Oscar nomination for her role as barfly Oma in John Huston's 1972 boxing movie "Fat City," appeared in more than 75 movies and television shows.
"She had a larger than life personality," said David Zellner, who directed Tyrrell in the movie "Kid-Thing," which is currently making the rounds at film festivals. "She had more adventures and experiences in her life than most anyone I know."
The movie is about a 10-year-old delinquent girl who lives in the Texas countryside and happens across a mysterious woman, played by Tyrrell, in a well, said Zellner.
Her niece, Amy Sweet, said her aunt moved to Austin to live near her.
Tyrrell died Saturday in her sleep at home in Austin, her niece told The Associated Press on Tuesday. Tyrrell, who received a best supporting actress Oscar nomination for her role as barfly Oma in John Huston's 1972 boxing movie "Fat City," appeared in more than 75 movies and television shows.
"She had a larger than life personality," said David Zellner, who directed Tyrrell in the movie "Kid-Thing," which is currently making the rounds at film festivals. "She had more adventures and experiences in her life than most anyone I know."
The movie is about a 10-year-old delinquent girl who lives in the Texas countryside and happens across a mysterious woman, played by Tyrrell, in a well, said Zellner.
Her niece, Amy Sweet, said her aunt moved to Austin to live near her.
- 6/20/2012
- by AP
- Huffington Post
She was one of the most gleefully obscene women in cinema and she hoped for a joyful death. Oscar nominated Susan Tyrrell, star of cult hits like Flesh And Blood and Cry-Baby, died on Saturday at the age of 67. Her final film, Kid-Thing, will screen at the Edinburgh International Film Festival.
A respected stage actress who might have been a mainstream star, Tyrrell chose from the outset to do things her way, choosing challenging and outré roles that deliberately provoked audiences. She was friends with John Waters and Andy Warhol, and worked with Oingo Boingo. She was crazy about rap musc and loved collecting insects. Alongside her film career she starred in popular TV programmes like Starsky And Hutch and Kojak. Even after losing both her legs to the blood disease thrombocythemia, she continued to work.
Receiving an Oscar nomination for her performance in John Huston's Fat City, Tyrrell always.
A respected stage actress who might have been a mainstream star, Tyrrell chose from the outset to do things her way, choosing challenging and outré roles that deliberately provoked audiences. She was friends with John Waters and Andy Warhol, and worked with Oingo Boingo. She was crazy about rap musc and loved collecting insects. Alongside her film career she starred in popular TV programmes like Starsky And Hutch and Kojak. Even after losing both her legs to the blood disease thrombocythemia, she continued to work.
Receiving an Oscar nomination for her performance in John Huston's Fat City, Tyrrell always.
- 6/19/2012
- by Jennie Kermode
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Cannes is now over which means it’s time to move to Britain as the Edinburgh Film Festival kicks off!
We’ve just been sent the full line-up for the 2012 Edinburgh Film Festival which is now in it’s 66th year. We have our people (Jamie, Steven and Emma) on the ground at the event right now ready to catch as many films as they possible can throughout the next wee or two as we get to see 121 new features and 19 world premieres.
I’ll let the full press release below do the talking but let us know what you’re looking forward to in the comments section below.
World Premieres:
Berberian Sound Studio Borrowed Time Day Of The Flowers Exit Elena Flying Blind Fred Future My Love Guinea Pigs Here, Then Leave It On The Track The Life And Times Of Paul The Psychic Octopus Life Just Is Mnl...
We’ve just been sent the full line-up for the 2012 Edinburgh Film Festival which is now in it’s 66th year. We have our people (Jamie, Steven and Emma) on the ground at the event right now ready to catch as many films as they possible can throughout the next wee or two as we get to see 121 new features and 19 world premieres.
I’ll let the full press release below do the talking but let us know what you’re looking forward to in the comments section below.
World Premieres:
Berberian Sound Studio Borrowed Time Day Of The Flowers Exit Elena Flying Blind Fred Future My Love Guinea Pigs Here, Then Leave It On The Track The Life And Times Of Paul The Psychic Octopus Life Just Is Mnl...
- 5/30/2012
- by David Sztypuljak
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
The full programme for the 66th edition of the Edinburgh International Film Festival (Eiff), which runs from 20 June to 1 July, has been officially announced and will feature nineteen World premieres and thirteen International premieres.
The Festival will showcase one hundred and twenty-one new features from fifty-two countries, including eleven European premieres and seventy-six UK premieres in addition to the World and International premieres. Highlights include the World premieres of Richard Ledes’ Fred; Nathan Silver’s Exit Elena and Benjamin Pascoe’s Leave It On The Track and European premieres of Lu Sheng’s Here, There and Yang Jung-ho’s Mirage in the maiden New Perspectives section; and the International premiere of Benicio Del Toro, Pablo Trapero, Julio Medem, Elia Suleiman, Gaspar Noé, Juan Carlos Tabio and Laurent Cantet’s 7 Days In Havana and the European premiere of Bobcat Goldthwait’s God Bless America in the Directors’ Showcase. In addition to the new features presented,...
The Festival will showcase one hundred and twenty-one new features from fifty-two countries, including eleven European premieres and seventy-six UK premieres in addition to the World and International premieres. Highlights include the World premieres of Richard Ledes’ Fred; Nathan Silver’s Exit Elena and Benjamin Pascoe’s Leave It On The Track and European premieres of Lu Sheng’s Here, There and Yang Jung-ho’s Mirage in the maiden New Perspectives section; and the International premiere of Benicio Del Toro, Pablo Trapero, Julio Medem, Elia Suleiman, Gaspar Noé, Juan Carlos Tabio and Laurent Cantet’s 7 Days In Havana and the European premiere of Bobcat Goldthwait’s God Bless America in the Directors’ Showcase. In addition to the new features presented,...
- 5/30/2012
- by Phil
- Nerdly
Maryland Film Festival (Mff) is an annual four-day event that takes place in downtown Baltimore during the first weekend of May, presenting top-notch film and video work from all over the world. Each year the festival screens approximately 50 feature films and 75 short films of all varieties -- narrative, documentary, animation, experimental, and hybrid -- to tens of thousands of audience members. This year your loyal Smells Like Screen Spirit scribes bring you a preview of some of the fantastic films that are in store for you at Mff 2012. Attenberg is certainly not as fantastically absurd as Yorgos Lanthimos’ Dogtooth, which Tsangari produced, but the two Greek films do share a certain cinematic kinship in farcically discussing the effects of overly restrictive parenting, specifically related to the social and sexual repression of the offspring. One might say that Attenberg is like the mellow chaser used to calm the crazy rush after...
- 5/2/2012
- by Don Simpson
- SmellsLikeScreenSpirit
Here's the latest Austin film news, plus some upcoming event information.
A free public screening of the award-winning documentary Better This World will take place at 6 pm tonight (Monday, April 23) in room 8500 on the Acc Eastview Campus. The Acc Rtf Department will present the film, discussion and Q&A with two of the film's subjects, Bradley Crowder and David McKay (although they will not/cannot be in the room at the same time). Better This World is about two childhood friends from Midland who were arrested on terrorism charges at the 2008 Republican National Convention. Read Don's review from SXSW 2011.Dallas International Film Festivalannounced the fest's 2012 award winners at the annual Dallas Film Society Honors gala on Friday. San Antonio filmmaker Ya'Ke Smith's feature film Wolf (Mike's review), about a family trying to come to terms with the abuse their pastor has inflicted on their teenage son, received a $30,000 camera...
A free public screening of the award-winning documentary Better This World will take place at 6 pm tonight (Monday, April 23) in room 8500 on the Acc Eastview Campus. The Acc Rtf Department will present the film, discussion and Q&A with two of the film's subjects, Bradley Crowder and David McKay (although they will not/cannot be in the room at the same time). Better This World is about two childhood friends from Midland who were arrested on terrorism charges at the 2008 Republican National Convention. Read Don's review from SXSW 2011.Dallas International Film Festivalannounced the fest's 2012 award winners at the annual Dallas Film Society Honors gala on Friday. San Antonio filmmaker Ya'Ke Smith's feature film Wolf (Mike's review), about a family trying to come to terms with the abuse their pastor has inflicted on their teenage son, received a $30,000 camera...
- 4/23/2012
- by Jordan Gass-Poore'
- Slackerwood
Black Pond
Directed by Tom Kingsley & Will Sharpe
Black Pond heralds an incredibly original, startlingly mature, and completely inscrutable new film-making duo. It’s unclear what exactly they have made with Black Pond; suffice it to say it is equal parts profound and hilarious while refusing classification… (read the full review)
Cabin In The Woods
Directed by Drew Goddard
If you’re familiar with the writing style and general playfulness of Joss Whedon, you already know whether you will like this film. Not to discredit the game, fantastic cast, but fans of Whedon and co-writer/director Drew Goddard know who the real stars here are, and this movie is fantastic precisely because of its script.
Cabin In The Woods is a horror movie like Buffy The Vampire Slayer was a horror TV show. It is a horror movie, but that doesn’t even begin to describe it. This film is delightful.
Directed by Tom Kingsley & Will Sharpe
Black Pond heralds an incredibly original, startlingly mature, and completely inscrutable new film-making duo. It’s unclear what exactly they have made with Black Pond; suffice it to say it is equal parts profound and hilarious while refusing classification… (read the full review)
Cabin In The Woods
Directed by Drew Goddard
If you’re familiar with the writing style and general playfulness of Joss Whedon, you already know whether you will like this film. Not to discredit the game, fantastic cast, but fans of Whedon and co-writer/director Drew Goddard know who the real stars here are, and this movie is fantastic precisely because of its script.
Cabin In The Woods is a horror movie like Buffy The Vampire Slayer was a horror TV show. It is a horror movie, but that doesn’t even begin to describe it. This film is delightful.
- 3/22/2012
- by Ricky
- SoundOnSight
by Maian Tran
My first visit to Austin—and, therefore, my first South by Southwest film festival experience—was like falling down a rabbit hole into an intoxicating new world. I witnessed the clash between the city and the fest, the idiosyncrasies between the laid-back natives versus the three, wild-eyed, visiting breeds of SXSW-goer (interactive / film / music), a month's worth of rain poured over three days, the New Orleans-style craziness of 6th Street at night, and transcendentally good BBQ. Fortunately, the films were also a fantastic escape into self-contained explorations of adolescent turmoil, memory, community spaces, and how to take down thirty floors' worth of goons in the most badass martial-arts epic in years.
Credited as sole director, Austin-based filmmaker David Zellner—who co-created Goliath and numerous shorts with his brother Nathan, credited here as producer and cinematographer—incorporates the duo's dark, quirky brand of comedy to their beautifully shot Southern Gothic fairy tale Kid-Thing.
My first visit to Austin—and, therefore, my first South by Southwest film festival experience—was like falling down a rabbit hole into an intoxicating new world. I witnessed the clash between the city and the fest, the idiosyncrasies between the laid-back natives versus the three, wild-eyed, visiting breeds of SXSW-goer (interactive / film / music), a month's worth of rain poured over three days, the New Orleans-style craziness of 6th Street at night, and transcendentally good BBQ. Fortunately, the films were also a fantastic escape into self-contained explorations of adolescent turmoil, memory, community spaces, and how to take down thirty floors' worth of goons in the most badass martial-arts epic in years.
Credited as sole director, Austin-based filmmaker David Zellner—who co-created Goliath and numerous shorts with his brother Nathan, credited here as producer and cinematographer—incorporates the duo's dark, quirky brand of comedy to their beautifully shot Southern Gothic fairy tale Kid-Thing.
- 3/21/2012
- GreenCine Daily
I know you are all wondering which local film was my favorite at SXSW 2012, and though I know that you know that by asking that question you are placing me in a very awkward position because I do not like to play favorites I will oblige your request nonetheless. Kid-Thing. There, I said it. Are you satisfied now? I suspect I will find a severed horse’s head in my bed courtesy of Jonny Mars (America’s Parking Lot) and/or Bob Byington (Somebody Up There Likes Me) as early as tomorrow morning. Thanks a lot! Well, can I backtrack and say that they were all great? To my defense, I would like to state that Sundance, Berlin and SXSW did not feature Kid-Thing in their programs just for the hell of it. Kid-Thing is the most mature and accomplished film that David and Nathan Zellner have made to date. Shot...
- 3/20/2012
- by Don Simpson
- FilmSchoolRejects.com
The 9th annual Calgary Underground Film Festival will run on April 16-22 at the Globe Cinema with a mix of outrageous comedies, documentaries about controversial personalities, cult flicks and some frank depictions of sexuality.
The fest launches on the 16th with the new comedy by Bobcat Goldthwait, God Bless America, in which Joel Murray stars as a terminally ill man who decides to kill as many stupid people he can can before he perishes himself. Also on the comedic front are Rick Alverson’s The Comedy starring TV’s Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareham as troublemaking urban hipsters; and Mikkel Nørgaard Klovn (Clown) about a Danish loser who takes a young boy on a brothel tour.
On the cult film front are Jack Perez’s Some Guy Who Kills People starring Kevin Corrigan in the eponymous role; Alex Ross Perry‘s abusive sibling flick The Color Wheel; the brutal Father...
The fest launches on the 16th with the new comedy by Bobcat Goldthwait, God Bless America, in which Joel Murray stars as a terminally ill man who decides to kill as many stupid people he can can before he perishes himself. Also on the comedic front are Rick Alverson’s The Comedy starring TV’s Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareham as troublemaking urban hipsters; and Mikkel Nørgaard Klovn (Clown) about a Danish loser who takes a young boy on a brothel tour.
On the cult film front are Jack Perez’s Some Guy Who Kills People starring Kevin Corrigan in the eponymous role; Alex Ross Perry‘s abusive sibling flick The Color Wheel; the brutal Father...
- 3/19/2012
- by Mike Everleth
- Underground Film Journal
Kid-Thing is not, by any means, a terrible movie. The latest effort from brothers David and Nathan Zellner is the tale of a young girl caught in less than ideal circumstances, and at its core, the idea is somewhat novel and interesting. To be perfectly frank, however, Kid-Thing is a film that is unlikely to see much attention outside of the film festival circuit, as it relies far too heavily on heavy-handed whimsy, childhood nostalgia, and the odd chuckle to carry its rather non-eventful plot along. Annie (Sydney Aguirre) is a young girl who lives in a rural area with two men (her exact relationship to them is never made clear), who keep her semi-nourished and with a place to sleep, but do very...
- 3/12/2012
- Screen Anarchy
Kid-Thing, the latest feature from local indie film lynchpins David and Nathan Zellner, screened last night, coming home after a successful run at Sundance and Berlin. Today the pair along with their young star Sydney Aguirre sat down with me to discuss the film.
We take a moment to get to know each other before jumping into the interview. The Zellner Brothers had small but memorable roles on the first feature films I ever worked on as a lowly Pa, 2009′s Beeswax, from writer/director Andrew Bujalski.
One of the first things I was struck by while watching your film is how the setting becomes a character in the film. Having spent a lot of time growing up in rural Texas that’s something I was drawn to. Is that something you experienced a lot of growing up?
David Zellner: Yeah, and I think some of that was done...
We take a moment to get to know each other before jumping into the interview. The Zellner Brothers had small but memorable roles on the first feature films I ever worked on as a lowly Pa, 2009′s Beeswax, from writer/director Andrew Bujalski.
One of the first things I was struck by while watching your film is how the setting becomes a character in the film. Having spent a lot of time growing up in rural Texas that’s something I was drawn to. Is that something you experienced a lot of growing up?
David Zellner: Yeah, and I think some of that was done...
- 3/11/2012
- by Scott Colquitt
- SoundOnSight
Kid-Thing
Written by David Zellner
Directed by David Zellner
USA, 2012
Kid-Thing is a coming of age fable. That’s the filmmakers’ phrasing, not mine, and while it is surprisingly apt, the filmmakers forgo many of the customs and pitfalls of either genre to craft a wholly unique and pleasantly odd character study.
The kid in question here is young Annie (newcomer Sydney Aguirre), a circumstantial orphan living with her deadbeat dolt of a father, Marvin (Nathan Zellner). While he stumbles through his persistent hangover of a life, Annie is left alone to explore–that is, throw shit at–the shattered developments and forgotten vistas of rural Texas.
This isn’t much of a talkie. There are roughly four conversations in the film, and half of them descend into cyclical meditations on rubber and glue. Much of Kid-Thing is a catalogue of Annie behaving like only an angry, abandoned child can.
Written by David Zellner
Directed by David Zellner
USA, 2012
Kid-Thing is a coming of age fable. That’s the filmmakers’ phrasing, not mine, and while it is surprisingly apt, the filmmakers forgo many of the customs and pitfalls of either genre to craft a wholly unique and pleasantly odd character study.
The kid in question here is young Annie (newcomer Sydney Aguirre), a circumstantial orphan living with her deadbeat dolt of a father, Marvin (Nathan Zellner). While he stumbles through his persistent hangover of a life, Annie is left alone to explore–that is, throw shit at–the shattered developments and forgotten vistas of rural Texas.
This isn’t much of a talkie. There are roughly four conversations in the film, and half of them descend into cyclical meditations on rubber and glue. Much of Kid-Thing is a catalogue of Annie behaving like only an angry, abandoned child can.
- 3/11/2012
- by Emmet Duff
- SoundOnSight
The SXSW 2012 feature Kid-Thing is aptly titled, for this latest effort from Austin filmmaking brothers David Zellner and Nathan Zellner deftly captures a child's world.
At the center of this oddly tragicomic story is 10-year-old Annie (Sydney Aguirre), a virtually parentless girl whose father, Marvin (Nathan Zellner), is too preoccupied with his goat farming, demolition derby driving and beer drinking to pay much attention to his lonely and bored daughter. Left to entertain and fend for herself, tomboyish Annie does, well, kid things, exploring the world around her rural home near Austin and getting into various forms of mischief. She makes crank phone calls, shoplifts, smashes things with a baseball bat and hurls balls of dough at passing cars. She is anything but a model child.
On a walk through the woods, Annie hears a call for help and discovers Esther (Susan Tyrrell), a woman trapped at the bottom of a well.
At the center of this oddly tragicomic story is 10-year-old Annie (Sydney Aguirre), a virtually parentless girl whose father, Marvin (Nathan Zellner), is too preoccupied with his goat farming, demolition derby driving and beer drinking to pay much attention to his lonely and bored daughter. Left to entertain and fend for herself, tomboyish Annie does, well, kid things, exploring the world around her rural home near Austin and getting into various forms of mischief. She makes crank phone calls, shoplifts, smashes things with a baseball bat and hurls balls of dough at passing cars. She is anything but a model child.
On a walk through the woods, Annie hears a call for help and discovers Esther (Susan Tyrrell), a woman trapped at the bottom of a well.
- 3/11/2012
- by Don Clinchy
- Slackerwood
We made it to Berlin and back in one piece. Melanie and I were at the Berlinale for the world premiere of Francine, our first narrative feature starring Melissa Leo. We couldn’t have possibly predicted the response to the film, which has been overwhelmingly positive. Francine showed in the festival’s Forum section, and sold out all four of its screenings before we even premiered. Melissa made the trip out to Berlin, and we were fortunate enough to have had several lively and very engaged Q&A sessions. Seeing the film together for the first time with an audience, especially after a very intense period of shooting, was gratifying beyond words. We want to thank Ifp & Filmmaker Magazine for allowing us this space to share some of our festival experiences as well as inviting us to speak on the New Talents, New Trends panel alongside Producer Mike S. Ryan...
- 2/21/2012
- by Brian M. Cassidy and Melanie Shatzky
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
You had better brush up on your knowledge of expressionist cinema, film noir, Greek mythology, psychoanalysis, as well as Guy Maddin’s oeuvre and biography, before heading out to go see his newest fiction feature! Keyhole is a highly complex, multilayered construction that is anything but easy to cope with on first viewing (which probably helps to account for the fleeing audience members). “Remember, Ulysses, remember!” is the key phrase to unlocking this journey deep into this black and white, psychologically-charged construction of ideas. While some aspects will initially leave you lost and puzzled – at least that’s what happened to me – Maddin’s sense of undeniable suspense, aesthetic appeal and composition are what ultimately make this a strong cinematic experience regardless of whether or not you’re able to unpack it in one viewing.
Edwin’s Kebun Binatang (Postcard from the Zoo) aims to be an intriguing adventure into artificially created adventure and wildlife.
Edwin’s Kebun Binatang (Postcard from the Zoo) aims to be an intriguing adventure into artificially created adventure and wildlife.
- 2/20/2012
- by Merle Fischer
- SoundOnSight
Sound On Sight will once again be covering the SXSW Film Festival this year, making it our second time attending. 130 feature films will screen at the Austin, Texas fest taking place March 9-17, including 65 World Premieres, 17 North American Premieres and 10 U.S. Premieres. As previously announced, Drew Goddard and Joss Whedon’s The Cabin in the Woods will have the honours of opening the festival, and now they have released the full list of films – and it’s looking pretty amazing. Enjoy!
Narrative Feature Competition
This year’s 8 films were selected from 1,112 submissions. Each film is a World Premiere. Films screening in Narrative Feature Competition are:
Booster
Director/Screenwriter: Matt Ruskin
When Simon’s brother is arrested for armed robbery, he is asked to commit a string of similar crimes in an attempt to get his brother acquitted.
Cast: Nico Stone, Adam DuPaul, Seymour Cassel, Kristin Dougherty, Brian McGrail (World Premiere)
Eden
Director: Megan Griffiths,...
Narrative Feature Competition
This year’s 8 films were selected from 1,112 submissions. Each film is a World Premiere. Films screening in Narrative Feature Competition are:
Booster
Director/Screenwriter: Matt Ruskin
When Simon’s brother is arrested for armed robbery, he is asked to commit a string of similar crimes in an attempt to get his brother acquitted.
Cast: Nico Stone, Adam DuPaul, Seymour Cassel, Kristin Dougherty, Brian McGrail (World Premiere)
Eden
Director: Megan Griffiths,...
- 2/3/2012
- by Ricky
- SoundOnSight
Iggy Pop and Debbie Harry, shot by Bob Gruen in 1977
Rock 'N' Roll Exposed: The Photography of Bob Gruen
screens as part of 24 Beats per Second
SXSW Film has just announced its features lineup for the 2012 edition, running March 9 through 17. We already knew that the Opening Night Film would be Drew Goddard's The Cabin in the Woods. For its Closing Night Film, the festival will host the world premiere of of Emmett Malloy’s documentary Big Easy Express (more below). The lineup, with descriptions from the festival:
Narrative Feature Competition
Booster
Director/Screenwriter: Matt Ruskin. When Simon’s brother is arrested for armed robbery, he is asked to commit a string of similar crimes in an attempt to get his brother acquitted. Cast: Nico Stone, Adam DuPaul, Seymour Cassel, Kristin Dougherty, Brian McGrail. (World Premiere)
Eden
Director: Megan Griffiths, Screenwriters: Richard B. Phillips, Megan Griffiths, Story by: Richard B. Phillips & Chong Kim.
Rock 'N' Roll Exposed: The Photography of Bob Gruen
screens as part of 24 Beats per Second
SXSW Film has just announced its features lineup for the 2012 edition, running March 9 through 17. We already knew that the Opening Night Film would be Drew Goddard's The Cabin in the Woods. For its Closing Night Film, the festival will host the world premiere of of Emmett Malloy’s documentary Big Easy Express (more below). The lineup, with descriptions from the festival:
Narrative Feature Competition
Booster
Director/Screenwriter: Matt Ruskin. When Simon’s brother is arrested for armed robbery, he is asked to commit a string of similar crimes in an attempt to get his brother acquitted. Cast: Nico Stone, Adam DuPaul, Seymour Cassel, Kristin Dougherty, Brian McGrail. (World Premiere)
Eden
Director: Megan Griffiths, Screenwriters: Richard B. Phillips, Megan Griffiths, Story by: Richard B. Phillips & Chong Kim.
- 2/1/2012
- MUBI
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