Okay, so people weren’t too enthused by the Screenhead Film Festival’s big prize giveaway (it was ten DVDs, man! That’s got a retail value of like two, maybe three hundred bucks!), but I’ve got something here that might put some fire in your belly.
It’s the Indieroar Film Festival, and I just got word of it from director Alan Rowe Kelly. Top prize? Five THOUSAND dollars.
Plus, you’ll also get some film editing software with that. And if that isn’t enough, there are also second and third prizes too, a thousand bucks a crack. Entries are being accepted in five categories: horror, drama, comedy, animation and documentary, and each entry must be UNDER twenty five minutes in length.
The public will vote on the gathered films, and winnow down the entries to the top twenty five in each category, the winners of which will be decided by a jury.
So if you’re a short film maker and you’re up for a shot at five grand, grab your camcorder and get to shooting. Deadline for entry is January 15th, 2010.
A Single Man, a romantic story interrupted, is both co-written and directed by American fashion designer Tom Ford, who makes his directorial debut with this film. David Scearce helped with the script, which is adapted from Christopher Isherwood ’s novel of the same name. The Weinstein Company is bringing A Single Man to limited theaters starting on December 17, 2009.
Colin Firt does an extraordinary job of playing an English professor, whose partner dies suddenly and he tries to live ha typical day, which is a struggle to say the least. Will he find the meaning of life?
Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire opened this weekend to $1.8 million from only 18 locations. That’s a record breaking location average of $100,000 for each movie theater. It is obvious people want to see this movie.
Precious has been on the festival circuit, getting rave reviews with some strong backers: Oprah Winfrey and Tyler Perry. It looks like the reviews and support from Winfrey and Perry paid off.
How can someone sit throughPrecious as entertainment because the subject matter is not upbeat or fanciful? Even on talk shows like Ellen, it’s mentioned that the movie is not easy to watch because it’s very sad and emotionally draining.
With that said, I go to the movies to escape from problems of the world and not worry about the problems of society. Movies like Precious bring our awareness up to a point we can face the problems? Sure, something needs to be done about these types of social ills. Yet, they continue to exist. Does a movie resolve the problem or do we need to find workable solutions that really work not false successes?
Oscar talk has been buzzing about The Last Station for both Christopher Plummerand Helen Mirren. The movie is based on Jay Parini’s novel about Leo Tolstoy., which focuses on the marriage between Tolstoy (Plummer) and his wife Sofya (Mirren) in its final years. James McAvoy also starsas a young man who works for the couple and Paul Giamatti plays an advisor to Tolstoy.
Precious opens as a limited release this November. It’s a heartbreaking tale that appearsto be charge with all sorts of emotions. Bring Kleenex with you if you plan to see the independent film.
First Showing found a gem of an independent film called That Evening Sun starring Hal Holbrook and Mia Wasikowaska (Alice in Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland).
The story is about an aging Tennessee farmer named Abner Meecham (Holbrook) who returns to his homestead and discovers a family betrayal that he must face, then there is a reappearance of an old enemy, and the potential loss of his beloved farm.
The movie will have a very limited opening on November 13, 2009.
This film clip is intense and freaky, which shows us what the movie is going to be like. Lars von Trier is one crazy dude, but a filmmaker who knows how to create oddity and intensity.
Hayden Christensen will be starring with Thandie Newton and John Leguizamo in the independent thrillerVanishing on Seventh Street with director Brad Anderson.
The story is written by Anderson and Anthony Jaswinsk about a once-thriving city where shadowy forms cause residents to disappear without explanation. Five survivors fight to stay alive while grappling with the meaning of existence.
The movie sounds very dark and philosophical with a touch of horror or science fiction.
Christensen is playing a reporter. Newton would play a desperate nurse and Leguizamo a subway operator.
Filming begins around October in the once-thriving city of Detroit.
It seems like a dream combination. One of America’s most distinct and surreal film directors, David Lynch, paired up with Germany’s eccentric film and documentary maker, Werner Herzog. While both very different, both are acclaimed directors who make dreamy and intense art-house films and work on the fringes of the film industry. And now Lynch has produced Herzog’s latest film, My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done?
The trailer really only sells iteslf on the names, not just be director and producer, but also the cast. William Dafoe plays the detective investigating the case of a deranged man (played by Michael Shannon who received an Oscar nom this year for Revolutionary Road) who becomes a murderer. Brad Dourif, Chloe Sevigny, and Grace Zabriskie provide the support. But while the plot intitially seems like another dull cop drama, the Lynchian music (literally, as he composed and performed the song) and the presence of some rather bizarre imagery (dwarves, seances?) suggest that the film is interested in exploring the mind of a madman.
The film will premiere in the Toronto Film Festival next month and will probably be released sometime next year.
Goodbye Solo won International Critics Prize at the 2008 Venice Film Festival. It’s a thought provoking movie that leans on immortality and responsibility.
The story is about two very different men from very different cultures, they meet and become friends. The men embark on a journey of self-discovery that changes them forever.
The pacing is slow, so if you are used to action, suspense or thrillers then this movie is not for you. Ramin Bahrani encapsulates the story through silent, yet powerful moments of inner thoughts and finality. He uses very simple film work, almost guerrilla style. Such as the Taxi Dispatcher who we hear off and on throughout the movie but never see even when Solo is at her counter talking directly at her. It’s a unique way of avoiding the extra cost of a union or non-union actor.
The silent moments with Solo drew me into his life. I wanted to know more about his culture and his humanity. Whether it came strictly from him as a person or his overall upbringing, I wish Bahrani dabbed in this aspect to offer more clarity to Solo’s journey.
Screenhead has one copy of Goodbye Solo to give away to a lucky winner. Post your name and we will pick the winner Friday, September 11, 2009.
Okay, so people weren’t too enthused by the Screenhead Film Festival’s big prize giveaway (it was ten DVDs, man! That’s got a retail value of like two, maybe three hundred bucks!), but I’ve got something here that might put some fire in your belly.
Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire opened this weekend to $1.8 million from only 18 locations. That’s a record breaking location average of $100,000 for each movie theater. It is obvious people want to see this movie. 
Hayden Christensen will be starring with Thandie Newton and John Leguizamo in the independent