6294 Results for “Open ”
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"ARE YOU READY TO KILL SOME NAZIS?" INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS IN ISRAEL
With its pulp fiction take on the Nazi regime, World War 2, and a band of Jewish avengers, many have wondered how Quentin Taratino’s Inglourious Basterds would play in Israel. Well, if initial press reports are accurate, the answer is pretty well. Haaretz.com titles its story, “Israelis go wild for Inglourious Basterds,” noting that Tarantino introduced the premiere by saying, “Are you reading to kill some Nazis?” (They didn’t note the second line: “Are you ready to fuck up some Nazis?”). See the intro here: The film opens in Israeli theaters on Thursday, and we’ll check out the reviews when […]
by Scott Macaulay on Sep 16, 2009 -
LEE DANIELS’S “PRECIOUS”: BASED ON THE NOVEL “PUSH” BY SAPPHIRE By Jason Guerrasio
In this excerpt of our interview with Lee Daniels on his award-winning film Precious, which will be in the upcoming Fall issue, Jason Guerrasio talks to the director-producer about his connection with the book the film is based on, molding first-time actor Gabby Sadibe into Precious and his conflicts with the crew while making the film. Precious screens at the Toronto International Film Festival this evening and will be in theaters in November. Filmmaker: Did reading Push bring back any memories of what you went through growing up in Philly? Lee Daniels: I had not experienced the things that Precious […]
by Jason Guerrasio on Sep 13, 2009 -
“IT’S ALL ABOUT WAVES” — TORONTO’S WAVELENGTHS 1: TITANS
The first 2009 Wavelengths Program (or Programme, as the Canadians say) was held at the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO). It’s a sophisticated building, one that spent years shrouded in mystery and scaffolding, and has only just revealed its new Gehry glory. Organized this year by talented film programmer Andréa Picard, Wavelengths is an annual extensive program of avant-garde cinema that is screened in six parts during the course of the Toronto International Film Festival. The Festival’s first installment, titled Titans, was an artful collection of films that that varied widely in technique, from an architectural piece by Heinz Emigholz […]
by Livia Bloom Ingram on Sep 12, 2009 -
KARYN KUSAMA’S “JENNIFER’S BODY” By Scott Macaulay
Here’s the way it used to be. You made an edgy, well-received independent film, one that showed your facility to tell a story and work with actors, and the smart Hollywood scripts — quality writing that required the touch of someone outside the system — would arrive in those expensively-printed agency binders. And that’s the way it seemed to be playing out for Karyn Kusama, who made an excellent debut with her gritty, low-budget Girlfight, a female boxing movie that launched the movie career of Michelle Rodriguez. But then a couple of things happened. First, her follow-up, Aeon Flux, was […]
by Scott Macaulay on Sep 9, 2009 -
From Hollywood to nobody
Sometimes people ask me how I went from living in Los Angeles, writing a studio film like 40 Days & 40 Nights, to living in Minneapolis, directing an independent comedy like nobody. It’s a fair question but it seems there’s a subtext here, too. Many people think independent film is a step down from the studio system. And I’m sure it is — for some people. But let’s go back. 40 Days & 40 Nights is about a guy who gives up sex for lent and then meets the perfect girl. The short version of how it was made goes […]
by Jason Guerrasio on Sep 9, 2009 -
51 MUST-KNOWS
Toronto Life lists the 51 hotspots that you should be aware of if you want to survive TIFF 09. From where to get coffee to where you can see the celebs this is an essential guide. They also have a list of bars that have received licenses to stay open past last call during the fest.
by Jason Guerrasio on Sep 9, 2009 -
Gaspar Noe’s Enter The Void By Michele Civetta
The Further Adventures of Death Tripper, Ouroboros and What lies Beyond Jupiter Cannes, France. In a cinematic year filled with visions of extreme sex and violence, the enfant provocateur of French cinema Gaspar Noe illuminates a phosphorescent direction forward. In person Noe could be mistaken as the progeny of Aleister Crowley with sunken-in, charcoal-lined eyes and shaved head. But lurking behind this visage is a filmmaker who courts controversy with vivacity and confidence. The last time Noe was at Cannes was to premiere his film Irreversible; he ingratiated himself into the hearts and minds of audiences willing to be subjugated […]
by Scott Macaulay on Sep 5, 2009 -
PREVIEW OF 66th VENICE FILM FESTIVAL
Reporting from the fest, Belle Burke sends this dispatch on what’s in store this year. VFF begins today and wraps Sept. 12. Stay tuned to the blog for more reports from Venice. Do all film festivals begin with disclaimers, denials, and disappointments? In Venice, where discussions can be as heated as the weather, they often do, but maybe it clears the way for the bragging rights of the world’s oldest film festival. Marco Muller, back again as the festival director, still somewhat apprehensive as last-minute plans evolve, emphasizes that it will not be a “provincial festival” even though it has […]
by Jason Guerrasio on Sep 2, 2009 -
Robert Siegel, Big Fan
PATTON OSWALT IN WRITER-DIRECTOR ROBERT SIEGEL’S BIG FAN. COURTESY FIRST INDEPENDENT PICTURES. For someone who says his main creative motivation is boredom, Robert Siegel has done rather well for himself. Born and raised in the Long Island town of Merrick, Siegel graduated from the University of Michigan 1993 with a B.A. in History, after which he followed his then-girlfriend to Madison, Wisconsin, where she was studying for a PhD. In addition to working for the local newspaper and volunteering at Madison’s public radio station, Siegel started writing for a small satirical rag that was given away free in the town’s […]
by Nick Dawson on Aug 28, 2009 -
WHEN PIRACY BECOMES PERSONAL
When I initially talked with producer Jake Abraham about contributing a piece to our Web Exclusives section about his DIY distribution of Kirt Gunn’s Lovely by Surprise, I told him I wanted it to be a two-parter. I wanted him to check back after the release had time to prove itself and let us know how it all worked out. Well, as Abraham notes in the intro to his just-posted new piece, “Tweet This!”, that time has come sooner rather than later. In brief, Abraham was compelled to write when he discovered that the film he’s been tirelessly promoting has […]
by Scott Macaulay on Aug 26, 2009
