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Indie Roundup gathers a selection of indie film news from the past seven days and offers a peek ahead to what's coming. Deal. Do not despair that the first month of the new year will be filled solely with the expansion of award contenders. Distribution rights in the US for Sweetgrass have been acquired by The Cinema Guild, according to indieWIRE, and the documentary will open at Film Forum in Manhattan on January 6, followed by a rollout across the country. Directed by Ilisa Barbasch and Lucien Castaing-Taylor, Sweetgrass "follows the last sheepherders to trail their flocks up into Montana's Beartooth mountains for summer pasture," per its official synopsis. After debuting at the Berlin Film Festival last year, the doc played the festival circuit quite successfully, picking up positive critical notices. Check out the splendid trailer in all its quiet, chud-chewing glory after the jump. Online / On-Demand Viewing. Debuting on demand next Sunday, Clarkworld paints a portrait of filmmaker Bob Clark. Best known for his perennial holiday favorite A Christmas Story, Clark also made the groundbreaking Porky's, which set the tone for all raunchy teen comedies to come, and the significant slasher pic Black Christmas, another flick that was a trendsetter (or at least ripped off at will). Director Deren P. Abram talked with Peter Billingsley (former child star turned filmmaker), Kim Cattrall, Jon Voight, Denise Richards, Mary Steenburgen, John Saxon, Scott Baio, and other people who weren't even in any of his movies! We have the trailer for this one after the jump, too, which makes for an interesting contrast with the one for Sweetgrass. Look for the movie on cable systems via Cinetic FilmBuff. After the jump: box office talk; trailers for Sweetgrass and Clarkworld. Filed under: Documentary, Independent, Deals, Box Office, Distribution, Cinematical Indie, Trailers and ClipsContinue reading Indie Roundup: 'Sweetgrass,' 'Clarkworld,' 'Broken Embraces' Permalink | Email this | Comments

Indie Roundup: Your quick guide to what's new and upcoming in the independent film community. Deals. Our friends at indieWIRE report that Cracks has been acquired by IFC Films, which plans to release it next year via its IFC in Theaters platform. The film is the feature directorial debut of Jordan Scott, daughter of Ridley Scott. Eva Green (The Dreamers, Casino Royale) stars as a teacher and diving coach in an Irish boarding school for orphaned girls; Juno Temple, Imogen Poots, and Maria Valverde also star. "The trials and tribulations, for both the students and their unorthodox teacher," writes Kurt Halfyard at Twitch, "gradually are brought to a boil that subverts many of the typical paths in either a coming of age story or a typical 'school-girl dormitory' tale." Michael Caine stars as Harry Brown, a retired Marine who determines to clean up his neighborhood after his best friend is killed. Samuel Goldwyn Films picked up theatrical rights to the thriller; indieWIRE notes that the film opened in the UK last weekend, though the US release date has not yet been announced. Daniel Barber directed. UK site Pure Movies calls Harry Brown "a superior offering - albeit a gritty and bleak one." On Demand / Online Viewing. Check out On Hallowed Ground, available exclusively this month on Babelgum. Andre Braugher narrates the documentary, which explores Rucker Park, a basketball court in Harlem where legendary future NBA players, and those who should have been famous, once played. Speaking of gritty players, if you're curious to catch up with Troy Duffy's The Boondock Saints, it'll finally be coming to video on demand in January. After the jump: watch trailers for Cracks (absolutely gorgeous) and Harry Brown (dark and intense)!Filed under: Drama, Independent, Thrillers, Deals, IFC, Distribution, Cinematical Indie, Trailers and ClipsContinue reading Indie Roundup: 'Cracks,' 'Harry Brown' Deals and Trailers Permalink | Email this | Comments

She's about to open the second-biggest film of her career, so what better timing than now to point you to a new peek at Kristen Stewart's next non-Twilight film? Check out the new trailer for The Yellow Handkerchief, a Sundance entry that follows three strangers in post-Katrina Louisiana - Martine (Stewart), Gordy (Eddie Redmayne), and Brett (William Hurt) -- as they search together for life, love, and the perfect Southern accent. Ok, so it seems the Southern slangin' is done primarily by Stewart, while Brit Redmayne goes American and Hurt rocks the ex-con handlebar mustache. As they embark on a road trip together, the two teens listen to Brett's tale of the woman who got away (Maria Bello) while they navigate the murky waters of young love. (Read Erik Davis's Sundance review here.) Watch the trailer after the jump. Filed under: Drama, Independent, Newsstand, Movie Marketing, Cinematical Indie, Trailers and ClipsContinue reading Kristen Stewart Goes Southern in 'The Yellow Handkerchief' Permalink | Email this | Comments

G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra Here's my problem with the picture: a furiously-filmed chase through the streets of Paris should be spectacular and thrilling. Instead, it's incoherent, routine, even disappointing. Director Stephen Sommers (The Mummy, Van Helsing) turns in another by-the-numbers action spectacle, this time starring Dennis Quaid, Channing Tatum, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Marlon Wayans, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt. There are better ways to waste your time and money. Skip it. Also on Blu-ray. Add to Netflix queue | Buy at Amazon The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 Tony Scott's remake is a higher-grade disappointment, coming achingly close to delivering an unqualified success. Derailed by John Travolta's unrepentant scenery-chewing, which goes far beyond the bounds of bad taste, and an unhealthy preoccupation with explaining everything, the film motors along reasonably well, fashioning a paranoid tale of post-9/11 terror and ticking time bomb suspense. Denzel Washington is eminently watchable, and James Gandolfini has a good turn as the Mayor of NYC. Recommended with reservations. Rent it. Also on Blu-ray. Add to Netflix queue | Buy at Amazon I Love You, Beth Cooper As I wrote in my review, Larry Doyle's very funny book has been transformed into a dreadfully boring movie. Hayden Panettiere and Paul Rust are miscast as a rule-breaking dream girl and the boy who loves her from afar, respectively. The spend a night together that seems endless. Chris Columbus directed, without distinction. Skip it. Also on Blu-ray. Add to Netflix queue | Buy at Amazon Also out: Aliens in the Attic. Indies on DVD, more Blu-ray picks, and Collector's Corner -- after the jump! Filed under: Action, Comedy, Documentary, Independent, Thrillers, New on DVD, Home Entertainment, Cinematical IndieContinue reading Spin-ematical: New on DVD for 11/3 Permalink | Email this | Comments

The Messenger opened the 12th Savannah Film Festival with a bang: a sellout crowd, international press, and Hollywood stars Woody Harrelson and Ben Foster in attendance to rub elbows all night. Even without the glitz, though, Savannah was a smart place to screen the Iraq drama. Oren Moverman's film is a character study about a soldier (Foster) dealing with the aftermath of war, but like Kathryn Bigelow's Iraq film The Hurt Locker, it's about the personal toll Iraq leaves on soldiers who survive and the families of those who don't; the politics of war are hardly an issue. And so, in a city that supports two military bases and the men and women who serve them, The Messenger played like gangbusters. Foster stars as William Montgomery, a recent Iraq returnee dealing with serious leftover issues and a new assignment to play out his final three months of service: informing families that their loved ones have been killed on duty. As Montgomery's partner, Harrelson provides moments of levity, but there were plenty of sniffles throughout the film just the same. While it was pretty easy to figure out what the general consensus was, there were three figures in particular I was watching for a reaction - the only three uniformed soldiers in attendance, who may or may not have been connected to the production. (The film has been screened for military personnel, and Harrelson and Foster personally met soldiers at Hunter Army Airfield prior to the night's screening.) When asked what military folk have thought of his film in the post-screening Q&A, director Moverman deferred to one of the officers in the audience to share his reaction with the crowd. What follows is the unnamed soldier's impromptu review of The Messenger.Filed under: Drama, New Releases, Festival Reports, Politics, Oscar Watch, Other Festivals, Cinematical Indie, WarContinue reading Soldier at Savannah Film Fest Rave-Reviews 'The Messenger' Permalink | Email this | Comments

When was the last time you were genuinely surprised at your local multiplex? Maybe it was the unexpected qualities of a movie that you'd formed preconceptions about -- which were then pleasantly upended. Or perhaps it was the simple fact that a little-heralded independent picture was actually playing at your local bijou, the one with 18 screens, of which 14 always seem to be filled with predictable Hollywood product. From Scott Weinberg's Sundance review, I knew that Good Hair, directed by Jeff Stilson, would be educational. From Eugene Novikov's box office report, I knew that it opened at 176 theaters three weeks ago. (It expanded two weeks ago and again on Friday.) But I was still quite surprised that it was playing at my local 18-screen bijou, which had somehow escaped my notice until I was recently binging on a (progressively disappointing) horror triple-feature. With horror DVDs stacked up at home waiting to be watched over the weekend, I decided that a well-regarded documentary might be just the thing to cleanse my palette. So I was in just the right mood to kick back and be surprised. As expected, co-producer and co-scripter Chris Rock is a wry narrator and on-camera guide. What caught me off guard was how funny the interview subjects are! When I first read Scott's review months ago, I latched on to his opening line: "I now know more about black womens' hair than any middle-class Jewish guy ever has" and unfairly categorized it mentally as 'good for you, not necessary to see in a theater.' While I wish that the theater had been packed, I laughed out loud frequently nonetheless.Filed under: Documentary, Independent, New Releases, Exhibition, Cinematical IndieContinue reading Multiplex Surprise: 'Good Hair' Permalink | Email this | Comments

The CMJ Festival ended Friday night with a whimper -- well, maybe that was me whimpering after I left a special screening of the spooky ooky alien thriller, The Fourth Kind. In case you haven't checked out the trailers and featurettes on the official site, I'll give you a quick breakdown -- the movie switches between "real" footage of director Olatunde Osunsanmi interviewing Dr. Abigail Tyler, a psychiatrist in Nome, Alaska, an area with an allegedly high rate of reported alien abductions, and Milla Jovovich playing Tyler as she struggles with the mysterious death of her husband and her patients' nightmares and mental breakdowns. Interestingly enough, the movie also sometimes intersperses Tyler's "real" footage of her sessions with clients with Jovovich acting them out using split screens. In any case, despite any questions as to the validity of the Tyler story and problems with the last third of the movie, I found it pretty damn scary. The Fourth Kind will be begin probing theatergoers on November 6th. (Note: It's unclear whether this was the final cut or not.)Filed under: Action, Drama, Independent, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Thrillers, Universal, Festival Reports, DIY/Filmmaking, Cinematical Indie, WarContinue reading CMJ Dispatch: 'The Fourth Kind,' 'The Messenger,' and More Permalink | Email this | Comments

After a one-week break for bad behavior, Indie Roundup returns, refreshed and ready to sum up what's new and what's been happening in the independent film community. Deals. Multiple deals have been made in the last two weeks, indieWIRE reports, notably involving higher-profile directors Catherine Breillat (Bluebeard, based on a classic fairy tale, will hit theaters next spring, courtesy of Strand Releasing) and Atom Egoyan (Chloe, starring Julianne Moore, Liam Neeson, and Amanda Seyfried, due in the first half of 2010 through Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions Group). Of the latter, an erotic thriller, Monika Bartyzel wrote: "Chloe might not connect on a personal level, it does trap you into these lurid lives that flirt with every notion of bad behavior. I just wish they were characters I could love or hate, or simply feel for." Director Chris Smith may be lower-profile, but fans of American Movie and The Yes Men (me! me!) will be glad to know that his latest work, Collapse, will hit theaters and VOD simultanteously next month. Kevin Kelly posted an exclusive poster and provided release dates, as well as a tidbit about the doc. Also coming to theaters and VOD next month is suspense thriller Uncertainty, starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Lynn Collins; indieWIRE has more details on that one. Online Viewing. As practically the only film critic in America who liked Couples Retreat, I feel honor bound to tell you that one of its stars, Faizon Love, had a much better showcase for his talents in Tao of the Golden Mask, which he wrote and directed. It streams exclusively on Babelgum this month. And Ti West's Trigger Man is finally available at iTunes Movie store. The Maid cleans up -- after the jump!Filed under: Comedy, Documentary, Drama, Foreign Language, Independent, Deals, Distribution, Home Entertainment, Cinematical IndieContinue reading Indie Roundup: 'Bluebeard,' 'Chloe,' 'Uncertainty,' 'Tao,' 'The Maid' Permalink | Email this | Comments

CMJ, the multi-pronged music network that offers both online and print info for fans, industry insiders, and professionals, is also famous for its music and film festival that has NYC hipsters, journalists, and reps looking for the Next Big Thing raring to go. The CMJ Festival starts today and ends Saturday, so expect dispatches on what I'm checking out on the film front. From super small docs on techo music, Elliott Smith, and Leonard Cohen to star-studden films like The Men Who Stare at Goats, The Messenger, and The Fourth Kind, CMJ has a cool mix of music-related films and more general fare. The festival also offers panels on everything from how to break into film scoring to what the film industry can learn from the music industry on the digital piracy front. While some of the films offer walk-up ticketing, you can also register for all-you-can-eat badges, and students get a discount. Visit CMJ's official festival website for the full film schedule. Cinematical's big daddy Moviefone will also be covering the festival, so be sure to check in there too!Filed under: Independent, Festival Reports, George Clooney, Cinematical Indie Permalink | Email this | Comments

Key Screenings. And away we go! The Toronto International Film Festival got underway on Thursday, as official opener Creation landed with a painful thud. Reaction was more positive for Lars von Trier's Antichrist (except for the guy who vomited on fellow attendees during the screening) and Pedro Almodovar's Broken Embraces, according to Eugene Hernandez at indieWIRE, who also noted that Paul Bettany, Jennifer Connelly, Willem Dafoe, and Penelope Cruz (plus the lovely Amanda Seyfried, above) appeared in support of their wide-ranging films, not to mention scantily-clad men and women at different functions. The first full day of screenings found Anne Thompson gushing over the Coen Brothers' A Serious Man ("Utterly assured, personal, serious, sad and very funny"). George Clooney (staring, above) and Jeff Bridges received ovations for The Men Who Stare at Goats, tweeted a Twitter user; however, Karina Longworth recoiled: "Its vacuity actually seems offensive" compared to Lu Chuan's City of Life and Death, dealing with the tragedy in Nanking, China in 1937. Our Coverage. As our writers on the ground scramble to hit all the choicest press and public screenings, and somehow find time to write in between dashing from one theater to the next, reviews have begun to filter in. Written by Diablo Cody and starring Megan Fox, Jennifer's Body "substitutes hipster credibility for emotional currency," says Todd Gilchrist. Directed by Jason Reitman and starring George Clooney, Up in the Air is "brisk, funny, and not enslaved to genre conventions," declares Eugene Novikov. And Erik Davis presented a TIFF Exclusive: the poster for indie flick Kirot, with Olga Kurylenko as a gun-toting mother / assassin. News about a deal and more highlights from the Information Superhighway -- after the jump!Filed under: Independent, Deals, Festival Reports, George Clooney, Toronto International Film Festival, Cinematical IndieContinue reading Toronto in 60 Seconds: Friday, September 11, 2009 Permalink | Email this | Comments

Indie Roundup reviews the past week of news from the independent film community and provides a peek at what's coming soon. Festivals. As one of our two resident Canadians, Monika B. fittingly wrote about the Toronto International Film Festival, which kicks off tonight. If Telluride warmed things up for the fall film scene, Toronto aims to light the sucker on fire. The hardest part for indie fanatics is keeping up with all the offerings that will soon be on tap. Keep it right here at Cinematical for our coverage from Toronto, and watch this space every week to catch up on any major news items you might have missed. (And for those who keep asking, yes, The Brothers Bloom, pictured in the collage in the upper left, will be coming to DVD soon -- it's due on September 29, complete with an audio commentary by director Rian Johnson and producer Ram Bergman plus deleted scenes.) Deals. Acquisition news is spiraling out of control, so I suggest checking indieWIRE for the latest and greatest, where they have details on deals for Richard Linklater's latest, wild and funny music doc Nerdcore Rising, and much more. Online / On-Demand Viewing. If you missed Linklater's baseball doc Inning by Inning: A Portrait of a Coach when it played on ESPN, now's your chance to catch up -- it's just become available at the iTunes movie store. Don't hesitate to check it out if you're not a sports person; Jette Kernion says: "I'm not into baseball at all, but [the coach] is fascinating to watch at work." If you're a basketball nut and a doc lover, you might enjoy 3 Points, which follows Houston Rockets star Tracy McGrady on a trip to Darfur; it's available at Hulu. Immigration joys and sorrows at the Indie Weekend Box Office -- after the jump! Filed under: Comedy, Documentary, Drama, Foreign Language, Independent, New Releases, Box Office, Cinematical IndieContinue reading Indie Roundup: Linklater's Baseball Doc, Immigration Tale 'Amreeka' Permalink | Email this | Comments

Indie Roundup reviews the past week of news from the independent film community and provides a peek at what's coming soon. Festivals. Canada will be hosting hundreds, if not thousands, if not mllions (only a slight exaggeration, I'm told) of visitors when the Toronto International Film Festival opens on September 10, which is next Thursday! Look for intensive coverage from the Cinematical team on the ground; those of us not lucky enough to go will be following the news eagerly from afar to gauge the critical reaction to many hotly-anticipated titles. Deals. Courtesy of our friends at indieWIRE, we learned that Mother, the latest picture by Bong Joon-Ho (The Host), has been acquired by Magnolia Pictures, along with the Korean director's first effort, Barking Dogs Never Bite. Mother debuted at Cannes and is headed for festival dates in Toronto and New York, with a theatrical release planned for early next year; it's already been selected by Korea as their entry for this year's Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. Barking Dogs, originally released in 2000, did not reach North America theaters. Film Movement has picked up Geralyn Pezanoski's warm-hearted Mine, which examines what happened to the pets left behind in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. In my review for another outlet, I wrote: "Even if you're not a dog lover or a pet owner, [Mine] may churn your emotions. ... once the true essence of the story becomes apparent, it's difficult to turn away from the screen." Film Movement plans a brief theatrical release before it hits DVD and VOD. What is judicially inclined, comes in a bottle, and is very, very funny? Find out in Indie Weekend Box Office, after the jump.Filed under: Comedy, Documentary, Foreign Language, Independent, Deals, New Releases, Box Office, Distribution, Cinematical IndieContinue reading Indie Roundup: 'Mother,' 'Mine,' 'Extract' Permalink | Email this | Comments

As if a tsunami in Korea weren't bad enough, now it's leaking onto the Internet! Fortunately, it's only a disaster of a cinematic kind; Haeundae, Korea's first-ever disaster movie, has been making waves (har har) at the box office since its release on July 22, selling more than 10 million tickets, which makes it the most popular local film of the year. Over the weekend, an illegal copy was "briefly" leaked across local peer-to-peer sites, according to JoongAng Daily, and distributor CJ Entertainment plans to request a police investigation this week. This might sound like a case of 'too little, too late,' as far as the timing of the leak is concerned. After all, one of the reasons that the leaked copy of X-Men Origins: Wolverine caused such an uproar was that it happened more than a month in advance of its theatrical release. Most people want to see a movie before (or shortly after) it's released, not weeks later, don't they? Korean movie piracy is reportedly "rampant," though they don't seem to be in as big a rush as in other parts of the world. According to JoongAng Daily: "What makes this case different is the movies involved have usually finished their runs. Haeundae, though, is playing and ticket sales are growing." CJ Entertainment, one of the heavyweight distributors in Korea, has already sold the film in 24 territories, including the United Sates, and doesn't want to jeopardize the profit potential, especially with an 800-pound gorilla in Roland Emmerich's 2012 waiting to take over the the disaster spotlight in November. Derek Elley of Variety called Haeundae (named after a beach in Busan) a "thoroughly entertaining, tightly cut slice of hokum." Sound familiar? Watch the apocalyptic trailer for Haeundae after the jump!Filed under: Action, Foreign Language, Independent, Distribution, Exhibition, Cinematical Indie, Trailers and ClipsContinue reading Asian Beat: Korean Tsunami Blockbuster Leaks Onto Internet Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

She may look like she's 'just' a girl singer, but an electric guitar stands at the ready just behind her waiting for the moment when this ... girl ... will ... rock ... !!! I've been itching to see Girls Rock! ever since I caught a trailer for it eons ago; something about its rough, DIY musical spirit was very appealing. Now you too can watch Girls Rock!, which recently became available for free online streaming, courtesy of our friends at SnagFilms. The starting point for the documentary is a trip to the annual "Rock 'n' Roll Camp for Girls" in Portland, Oregon, observed our own Jeffrey M. Anderson. "For their week in camp, the girls, ranging in age from 8 to 18, must form bands, write songs, learn to play instruments, learn to play together and perform their original songs for a crowd of 700 by the last day. ... The best thing Girls Rock! has going for it is the fact that it discards the stagnant PBS documentary formula in favor of a more homemade, exploratory feel. And though it has roughly the same depth and breadth as a 3-minute song, it also has a real rock 'n' roll attitude." Monika Bartyzel noted the surprising fact that the doc is directed by two men, Arne Johnson and Shane King. "Yet it doesn't really matter," she wrote in her review, "because they understand their subject perfectly. With the driving sounds of notable female rockers from Sonic Youth's Kim Gordon to Veruca Salt, the documentary is an intensely intimate, yet respectful, portrait of the pressures and releases of a group of dynamic young women." More information about the film is available at SnagFilms. Watch Girls Rock in its entirety -- absolutely free -- after the jump!Filed under: Documentary, Independent, Music & Musicals, Home Entertainment, Cinematical Indie, Trailers and ClipsContinue reading Snag This: Girls Rock! Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Duplicity Julia Roberts and Clive Owen in a smart, fast-paced espionage thriller should have gone gangbusters at the box office, but for some reason never caught fire. They play dueling corporate spies, and that's all you really need to know to enjoy it. Duplicity is witty and engaging, and I think it should hold up quite well to multiple viewings. Also on Blu-ray. Buy it. Adventureland Greg Mottola's nostalgic paen to youth is more wistful and bittersweet than rambunctious and celebratory, which makes for a darker viewing experience. It's shot through with a sub-current of anger and resentment, occasionally flaring up to reveal unflattering embarrassments most of us would rather forget. With Jesse Eisenberg, Kristen Stewart, Bill Hader, Kristen Wiig, and Ryan Reynolds at his most sleazily appealing. Also on Blu-ray. Rent it. Sunshine Cleaning This is triumph through tears and really bad smells, as sisters Amy Adams and Emily Blunt start a business to clean up crime scenes, without really knowing what they're doing. Alan Arkin provides support as their father, with Steve Zahn, Mary Lynn Rajskub, and Clifton Collins, Jr. adding nice turns in supporting roles. Ultimately it's a trifle, but the trip is warm and funny. Also on Blu-ray. Rent it. Fighting For fans of Channing Tatum only, as the buff-bodied star occasionally takes off his shirt in an otherwise numbingly familiar, sometimes unwatchably confusing tale of the NYC underground fighting scene. (My review.) Also on Blu-ray. Skip it. An outstanding week for Indies on DVD, plus more Blu-ray picks and a very special Collector's Corner -- after the jump! Filed under: Action, Animation, Comedy, Documentary, Drama, Independent, New on DVD, Home Entertainment, Cinematical IndieContinue reading Spin-ematical: New on DVD for 8/25 Permalink | Email this | Comments

One year ago, Beijing, China played host to the Olympic Games. Amidst a fair bit of controversy, the Games opened and closed with spectacular ceremonies directed by filmmaker Zhang Yimou. For those two weeks or so, the world's attention was focused on Beijing. But what about the years leading up to the Games? How did Beijing residents deal with the far-ranging, massive, and incredible extensive preparations? Boomtown Beijing -- now available to stream online, for free, courtesy of our friends at SnagFilms -- peers through the eyes of Beijing residents, the millions of folks who had to deal with construction projects decimating old neighborhoods, ever-increasing traffic and congestion, and a multitude of billboards and other signs exhorting the nation's citizens to fulfill the slogan of the games: "Faster, Higher, Stronger." Filmmaker Tan Siok Siok interviews a good range of people, from a taxi driver who feels that he's realized a dream and now faces intense pressure to meet the new, high standard of service demanded, to an 11-year-old boy who happily participates in his school's reenactments of the ancient Olympic Games (his father, known as "the mad man," is behind it all) even as he not-so-secretly wishes to be the Olympic torch-bearer. Now that some time has passed, Boomtown Beijing provides a good reminder of the challenges that the residents of Beijing -- and the whole of China itself -- faces in adapting to a changing world. More information about the film is available at its official site and at SnagFilms. Watch Boomtown Beijing, in its entirety, after the jump!Filed under: Documentary, Foreign Language, Independent, Home Entertainment, Cinematical Indie, Trailers and ClipsContinue reading Snag This: Boomtown Beijing Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

She may look like an average, ordinary young woman, but she has a big heart that yearns to express her creativity. And Emily Hagins chose to express herself by making a zombie movie, with the support of her family and friends, especially her mother. Except for the times when she had to forge onward alone. Until next Thursday, August 20, you can watch her story, Zombie Girl, for free, courtesy of our friends at SnagFilms. Emily Hagins, a resident of Austin, Texas, isn't likely to talk about artistic inspiration or expressing her "inner filmmaker"; she just loves zombie movies -- among other genres held in low esteem by the mainstream -- and wanted to make her own. Zombie Girl documents the arduous challenges facing 12-year-old Emily as she endeavored to write, produce, and direct a film, all while remaining true to her artistic vision and dealing with the usual adolescent challenges (friends, school work, asserting independence from your mother). Emily's story is definitely captivating all on its own -- Will all the actors and extras show up on time? Will the make-up look right on camera? Will the shot be in focus? Will Emily and her mother kill each other -- but credit is very much due to Justin Johnson, Erick Mauck, and Aaron Marshall, who created a documentary with a great flow, somehow managing to be in the right place at the right time, and assembling the footage into a wonderfully cohesive whole that is funny and touching. I loved the movie, and I urge you to take advantage of the opportunity to watch the movie -- right here, right now! Or at SnagFilms, if you choose! Watch Zombie Girl after the jump!Filed under: Comedy, Documentary, Horror, Independent, Home Entertainment, Cinematical Indie, Trailers and ClipsContinue reading Hurry, Must Watch 'Zombie Girl'! Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Opening in 800 theaters on Friday, Hayao Miyazaki's Ponyo promises to be another enchanting experience. The English-language version features a voice cast that appears to have been chosen from a name recognition menu (one Cyrus girl, one Jonas boy, etc.) but John Lasseter has been as faithful as possible to the original-language versions in the past, and if this is the price to pay to see Miyazaki on the big screen, so be it. Out on DVD tomorrow, Seijun Suzuki's A Tale of Sorrow (Hishu monogatari), his only film from the 70s, is "a sexy psycho-drama," says Jasper Sharp of Midnight Eye, "based around the popularity of that most bourgeois of sports, golf! ... This long-overlooked work simply cries out for revival." The Samurai I Loved (Semishigure), based on a novel by Shuhei Fujisawa and directed by Mitsuo Kurotsuchi, features "scenes that are absolutely heart-wrenching," Zack Davisson writes at his Japan Review Blog. "What works far outweighs what doesn't." King Eagle (1971), directed by Chang Cheh and starring Ti Lung, is the latest Shaw Brothers release from Image Entertainment. Revenge, swordplay, Chang Cheh: is there anything else we need to know? Zhang Ziyi stars in the romantic comedy Sophie's Revenge, which opens in China and Hong Kong on Friday. She plays "a comic book artist who plots to get her fiance back after losing him to an actress," according to an Associated Press story. Sophie's Revenge also marks the actress' debut as a producer: writer / director Eva Jin "approached her with her script and she secured funding for the project." Check out the Chinese-language official site; the trailer looks like a fun romp. No word on US distribution yet. Watch the Sophie's Revenge teaser trailer after the jump!Filed under: Action, Animation, Comedy, Drama, Foreign Language, Independent, New Releases, Disney, Home Entertainment, Cinematical Indie, Trailers and ClipsContinue reading Asian Beat: 'Ponyo,' DVDs, 'Sophie's Revenge' Tease Permalink | Email this | Comments

Cinematical has just received a very intriguing new trailer for Brad Coley's The Undeserved, a drama that will be available 'on demand' via various cable systems starting on August 12. The film snuck under my radar when it traveled the film festival circuit (Mill Valley, Denver, Ashland, Nantucket) a while back, but Dennis Harvey of Variety described it as "a somewhat overloaded yet impressive feature debut by writer-helmer Brad Coley that's a sufficiently edgy update of 'Peyton Place'-style ensemble melodramatics." Coley spent three months on location, according to the film's official site, "shooting in sequence without a pre-written script, and developing his story with his cast through an organic process of character immersion." The story involves a murder mystery, so, naturally enough, the characters all harbor deep secrets. Science prodigy Charlie (James Martinez) wins a scholarship, but his girlfriend Joy (Autumn Dornfield) disappears after dropping out from the alternative high school they both attend. Meanwhile, Charlie's best friend (Paul Sado), who also provides the narration, is a perpetual screw-up, and the small Vermont town is constantly beset by conflict. The trailer does a good job of establishing the setting and the idea of all the characters in conflict, along with a dash of sex and/or romance. And I'm always pulling for an independent, low-budget, no-name film to knock one out of the park, so I'll be looking for this one when it becomes available via IFC Films' Festival Direct service. Watch the trailer for The Undeserved after the jump!Filed under: Drama, Independent, Mystery & Suspense, IFC, Home Entertainment, Cinematical Indie, Trailers and ClipsContinue reading Exclusive: 'The Undeserved' Trailer Premiere! Permalink | Email this | Comments