It’s that time of the year again in the snowy mountains of Park City, Utah — the infamous Sundance Film Festival. Two of our Starworkers are out there trekking through the screenings and watching up to 5 films a day — that’s devotion.

Here’s the progress report so far:

Cyrus looks like another film that Marisa Tomei kicks serious ass in. In this one, she pairs up with love interest, the awesome John C. Reilly. The trailer pretty much says it all. Marni, who is at Sundance right now combing through films for our magazine editors has this to say: “I just saw Cyrus, written and directed by the bothers Duplass. Such a funny and clever film. John C Reilly was unreal, and Jonah Hill was genius as the creepy, closet evil son”

Catfish is described on slashfilm.com as “a documentary about a young New York City photographer who is contacted on Facebook by an 8-year-old painting prodigy from rural Michigan. He becomes deeply enmeshed in her life, even falling in love with her older sister–that is, until a crack appears in her story.” In the words of our Marni, “Catfish was such a crazy, unexpected, and touching ride– a must see for sure.”

To hear the directors speak of the film, go to: Making of Catfish.

(Catfish)

Marni was also crazy about Please Give, Nicole Holofcener (writer/director of Walking and Talking, Lovely and Amazing and Friends with Money). Additional cast is Oliver Platt, Rebecca Hall and Catherine Keener. Voicefilm.com refers to her films as a “less prolific, estrogen-producing Woody Allen”. Marni says “the film was classic Nicole Holofcener. It doesn’t disappoint. Amanda peet steals the show”.

(Amanda Peet in Please Give)

We shall be posting Greg Krelenstein’s picks in the next few days as well.
J

Bookmark to:

On Wednesday the web started to percolate with word that Banksy had hit Sundance. Yes, the graffiti art that popped up in Park City, Utah, over the last couple of days was courtesy of everyone’s favorite anonymous street artist. But here is what the movie bloggers failed to figure out: This time, the art was just a sideshow to a film directed by the reclusive Banksy, Exit Through the Gift Shop, a surprise addition to the Sundance Film Festival, which kicks off on Thursday.

Set to premiere on Sunday night, Exit Through the Gift Shop is about an eccentric French shopkeeper and amateur filmmaker who was so obsessed with Banksy that he wanted to make a documentary about him. But the British-born Banksy turned the tables and made a film about the effort to film him.

Courtesy: Interview Magazine

Bookmark to:

Greetings readers. If you can believe it, its time to do another roundup of Sundance “must watch” films that have just been announced to play at the next film festival (January 2010). Below is an “intelligence report” from our 2 editorial bookers, Greg Krelenstein and Marni Golden who comb through all the data, slush through all the Utah snow, absorb all the films, and socialize in all the high altitudes, in order to make an informed opinion when booking talent for our several magazine clients.

P.S. Their forecasting is always ace!

————————————

Greg Krelenstein Picks for Sundance 2010

Top Sundance Picks 2010

(The Real Runaways. Kristen Stewart and Dakota Fanning)

The Runaways
(Director and screenwriter: Floria Sigismondi). In 1970s LA, a tough teenager named Joan Jett connects with an eccentric producer to form an all-girl band that would launch her career and make rock history. Cast: Kristen Stewart, Dakota Fanning, Scout Taylor-Compton, Michael Shannon, Alia Shawkat, Tatum O’Neal. World Premiere

Nowhere Boy
(Director: Sam Taylor Wood; Screenwriters: Julia Baird and Matt Greenhalgh). A teenage John Lennon confronts wrenching family secrets and finds his musical voice in late 1950s Liverpool. Cast: Aaron Johnson, Kristin Scott Thomas, Thomas Sangster, Anne-Marie Duff, David Morrissey. International Premiere

Blue Valentine
(Director: Derek Cianfrance; Screenwriters: Derek Cianfrance, Cami Delavigne and Joey Curtis). A complex portrait of an American marriage, Blue Valentine charts the evolution of a relationship over time. Cast: Ryan Gosling, Michelle Williams, Mike Vogel, John Doman.

Hesher
(Director: Spencer Susser; Screenwriters: Spencer Susser and David Michod; Story by Brian Charles Frank) A mysterious, anarchical trickster descends on the lives of a family struggling to deal with a painful loss. Cast: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Natalie Portman, Rainn Wilson, Devin Brochu, Piper Laurie, John Carroll Lynch.

The Extra Man
(Directors: Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini; Screenwriters: Robert Pulcini,
Jonathan Ames and Shari Springer Berman). A down-and-out playwright who escorts wealthy widows in Manhattan’s Upper East Side takes a young aspiring writer under his wing. Cast: Katie Holmes, John C. Reilly, Paul Dano, Kevin Kline, Alicia Goranson. World Premiere

Twelve
(Director: Joel Schumacher; Screenwriter: Jordan Melamed). A chronicle of the highs and lows of privileged kids on Manhattan’s Upper East Side involving sex, drugs and murder. Cast: Chace Crawford, Emma Roberts, Kiefer Sutherland, 50 Cent, Zoë Kravitz. World Premiere

The Mormon Proposition
(Director: Reed Cowan). An examination of the relationship between the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in the promotion and passage of California’s Proposition 8 denying marriage rights for Gay and Lesbian couples. World Premiere

Holy Rollers
(Director: Kevin Tyler Asch; Screenwriter: Antonio Macia). A young Hasidic man, seduced by money, power and opportunity, becomes an international Ecstasy smuggler. Cast: Jesse Eisenberg, Justin Bartha, Danny A. Abeckaser, Ari Graynor, Jason Fuchs.

Howl
(Directors and Screenwriters: Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman). A nonfiction drama about the young Allen Ginsberg finding his voice, the creation of his groundbreaking poem HOWL, and the landmark obscenity trial that followed. Cast: James Franco, David Strathairn, Jon Hamm, Mary-Louise Parker, Jeff Daniels.

Welcome to the Rileys
(Director: Jake Scott). On a business trip to New Orleans, a damaged man seeks salvation by caring for a wayward young woman. Cast: James Gandolfini, Kristen Stewart, Melissa Leo.

————————————–

Marni Golden Top Picks for Sundance 2010

Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work
Directed by Ricki Stern and Annie Sundberg, a forthright glimpse into the life and comedic process of the veteran comedian. A doc about Joan Rivers?? Sold.

Holy Rollers
Directed by Kevin Tyler Asch, written by Antonio Macia, concerning a young Hasidic man in the throes of money, power and opportunity who becomes an international Ecstasy smuggler. With Jesse Eisenberg, Justin Bartha, Danny A. Abeckaser, Ari Graynor, Jason Fuchs. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this cast. This film should be a lot of laughs.

Sympathy for Delicious
Directed by Mark Ruffalo and written by Christopher Thornton, which centers on a newly paralyzed DJ who gets more than he bargained for when he seeks out the world of faith healing. Stars Orlando Bloom, Mark Ruffalo, Juliette Lewis, Laura Linney, John Carroll Lynch. I’m excited to see Ruffalo’s directorial debut – sounds like a modern, cool film with a solid cast to match.

Nowhere Boy / United Kingdom
Director: Sam Taylor Wood; Screenwriters: Julia Baird and Matt Greenhalgh. A teenage John Lennon confronts wrenching family secrets and finds his musical voice in late 1950s Liverpool. Cast: Aaron Johnson, Kristin Scott Thomas, Thomas Sangster, Anne-Marie Duff, David Morrissey. International Premiere.

Louis C.K.: Hilarious / USA
Director: Louis C.K. Sharp-tongued comedian Louis C.K. pulls no punches in this visceral concert experience. World Premiere

Untitled Duplass Brothers Project / USA
Directors and screenwriters: Jay Duplass and Mark Duplass. A recently divorced guy meets a new lady. Then he meets her son who is, well…interesting. Cast: John C. Reilly, Marisa Tomei, Jonah Hill, Catherine Keener. World Premiere. I loved Humpday!

(Josh Radnor)

Happythankyoumoreplease
Directed and written by Josh Radnor, about six New Yorkers negotiating love, friendship and gratitude when they’re too old to be precocious and not yet fully adults. Stars Malin Akerman, Radnor, Kate Mara, Zoe Kazan, Tony Hale, Pablo Schreiber, Michael Algieri. I think I’m developing a crush on Josh Radnor. He reminds me of a new John Krasinksi, transitioning from TV to film to directing. Also, I’m a sucker for New York twenty-something ensembles.

Bookmark to:

During the Toronto International Film Festival, Holt Renfrew (Canada’s answer to Barneys) held a fete at the industrial Burroughs Building in Downtown Toronto. Celebrating the launch of Canadian produced vignettes – Super models Coco Rocha and Behati Prinsloo shot a montage showcasing what we can expect from Fall 2009 at the historic Gladstone Hotel in Toronto. Modeling various looks from the Holt Renfrew collection – take a peek at these two ladies rocking the latest from Fall 2009 while simultaneously celebrating creativity and showcasing the latest in digital media.

Bookmark to:

(Natalie Portman in Love and Other Impossible Pursuits)

Toronto Film Festival, Part 2:

Love and Other Impossible Pursuits is Natalie Portman’s second starring role as a mother, following this coming December’s Brothers. The ravishing actress has grown up in front of her eyes, first really showing her maturity with Closer. Now, this Don Roos’s vehicle paints the star in a very unsympathetic role as the homewrecker trying to find a place with her new family, while dealing with the issues from her painful past. Don Roos, a favorite filmmaker, responsible for The Opposite of Sex and Happy Endings, and in this picture, he leaves most of the comedy behind for this real slice-of-life tale. I really enjoyed seeing Natalie in this role. The film, though flawed, was one of the best I’ve seen at the festival.

(Cracks)

Some of the other films I caught out there were the 2 female boarding school dramas, Cracks and Tanner Hall, that were only noteworthy for the performances of Rooney Mara and Juno Temple and Eva Green respectively. Le Refuge, directed by Francois Ozon, was a beautiful portrait of a pregnant junkie bonding with the brother of her dead lover. If you’re a fan of Ozon’s smaller moody pictures you will be moved by this story.

(Precious)

I happened to miss a lot of the the bigger pictures that are bound for theaters later in the year (Up in the Air, The Road, Agora, Bad Lieutenant, The Boys are Back, The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, The Men Who Stare at Goats) and even some of the indies that I’ve heard great buzz from (Fish Tank, Glorious 39, Mother and Child, A Prophet, Solitary Man), but I don’t think I missed much as the audience award went to Sundance favorite Precious, which still remains my favorite film this year and bound for Awards glory this season.

Bookmark to: