Indie Cine » Indie Movies

El Godfather Uno, Dos, Tres, Restoration Update

dwhitney — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 20:08:31 +0000

You don’t have to be an Art History grad student to appreciate the obvious difference in image quality apparent in the above frames of both the original and restored prints of The Godfather. Tomorrow will be day one of NY’s The Film Forum, limited engagment of The Godfather Part I and II which I had discussed in this earlier post. These limited screenings are just a preview for the September 26 DVD/Blu-ray release of all three films. The trailer for the resorted Films and DVD’s is below, and be sure to check out TheGodfather.com where you can watch various features of the editing and restoration that was done.

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The Soloist Trailer

dwhitney — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 03:30:49 +0000

I am sitting here watching the very engaging 2008 documenatary kicking It on ESPN and feeling very enlightened on the Homelessness issue. The movie follows six homeless men from around the world as they gear up for the 4th annual Homeless World Cup soccer tournament in Cape Town South Africa. I recommend you go here to learn more about the movie and keep an eye on ESPN2 because I am sure they will be airing it again.

Anyways, while watching Kicking It, I was reminded of a trailer I had seen earlier in the day for a film called The Soloist. This film stars Robert Downey Jr. as real life L.A. Times Journalist Steve Lopez who discovers a left behind homeless musical genius named Nathaniel Ayers, played by Jamie Foxx. And while this film clearly takes a more Hollywood approach to the issue (read across from Resurrecting the Champ, August Rush, and Reign Over Me), it clearly hits all the right notes. Take for example two excellent actors, Jamie Foxx with a Miles David haircut circa Amandla era, and a running soundtrack of Bach Cello Prelude in Gm. And seeing as Foxx already won an Oscar in a musical role for his work in Ray, I don’t think that Oscar buzz for this movie is out of the question.

The Soloist, which will debut November 21st, is conceived from Steve Lopez’s original articles, written by Susannah Grant (28 Days and Erin Brockovich), and directed by Atonement’s Joe Wright.

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Towelhead Controversy Has Arrived

dwhitney — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 20:11:24 +0000

When I originally “>discussed the movie Towelhead I mentioned that it would not be long before this story of an Arab-American teenage girl caught in lustful relationship with a much older neighbor received some serious controversy. I just figured that controversy would be geared toward its risque content. However, I am not surprised problems have recently arisen with the film’s title.

When the film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival, it went by the title Nothing is Private, but somewhere along the line it became Towelhead. Well, for obvious reasons, this titled angered the Council on American-Islam Relations who asked Warner Brothers to change it. But since the Council’s original protest, they have merely asked for a detailed explanation ofthe use of such a racial epitaph. Below you will see the response from the author of the film’s source material, Alicia Erian, Warner Brothers, the company releasing the film, and the film’s director Alan Ball.

ALICIA ERIAN
As an Arab-American woman, I am of course aware that the title of my book is an ethnic slur. Indeed, I selected the title to highlight one of the novel’s major themes: racism. In the tradition of Dick Gregory’s autobiography Nigger, the Jewish magazine Heeb, or the feminist magazine Bitch, the title is rude and shocking, but it is not gratuitous. Besides the fact that the main character must endure taunting about her ethnicity (including being called a towelhead), so much of the novel’s plot is fueled by the characters’ attitudes toward race.

I was not contacted by any organization or group when my novel was released in 2005. I don’t know if this was because no one had heard about my book, or because they didn’t feel it would have as much of an impact as a film. Having lived in a world in which my book has existed without protest for the past three years, however, I feel I have at least some view onto what to expect from the public in terms of a response. The bottom line is, never once have I encountered anyone who didn’t understand the seriousness of the word “towelhead” and all its implications.

This is not to say that I don’t find these concerns legitimate — I absolutely do. We live in a racist society, one in which people continue to use ethnic slurs to delineate those who are different than they are. Realistically speaking, though, these people are neither the audience for my book, nor for the film. They will continue to use whatever language they wish whether or not a movie called “Towelhead” is released. For this reason, I am pleased that Warner Bros. is standing by the title.

Towelhead, like its many cousins — nigger, spic, gook, etc. — is an ugly word. The job of the artist, however, has been, and always will be, to highlight that which is ugly in the hopes of finding something beautiful. This charge, by necessity, will at times put the artist at odds with admirable groups such as CAIR. The solution, it seems to me, is not to force the artist to alter his or her work, but instead to use the occasion of that work as an entry point for meaningful debate and discussion

ALAN BALL

As a gay man, I know how it feels to be called hateful names simply because of who I am. Therefore, I felt it was important to retain the title of Alicia Erian’s novel, in which she so effectively dramatizes the pain inflicted by such language, something many people of non-minority descent never have to face. I believe one of the unintended consequences of forbidding such words to be spoken is imbuing those words with more power than they should ever have, and helping create the illusion that the bigotry and racism expressed by such cruel epithets is less prevalent than it actually is, which we all know is sadly not the case.

WARNER INDEPENDENT PICTURES

One of the ideas conveyed in the film is that we all make assumptions about each other, without knowing, based on racial stereotypes. It was our goal in releasing “Towelhead” to help make this point.

Some of our past releases, like “Paradise Now, ” were extremely controversial and elicited demands that the film not be released; “Good Night, and Good Luck.” drew criticism from some as well. Warner Bros. supported the release of these films then, as they do now of “Towelhead,” as a medium to create dialogue and support the expression of ideas, as controversial or as unpopular as they may be. We apologize for any offense that is caused by this title but support Alan Ball and Alicia Erian in this effort.

Dr. William Blizek, Founding Editor, Journal of Religion and Film; Professor of Philosophy and Religion, University of Nebraska at Omaha
Dr. Amir Hussain, Associate Professor of Theological Studies, Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles; Author of Oil and Water: Two Faiths, One God (2006)
Dr. John Lyden, Professor and Chair of Religion, Dana College; Chair of the Religion, Film, and Visual Culture Group of the American Academy of Religion; Author of Film as Religion: Myth, Morals, Rituals (2003)
Dr. Rubina Ramji, Film Editor, Journal of Religion and Film; Professor of Religious Studies (Islam and media), Cape Breton University
Rev. Danny Fisher, Doctoral Candidate, University of the West

The concept of cinema can be described as ‘the cultural transmission of symbolic forms’ which include actions, utterances, images and texts and are embedded in structured social contexts which involve relations of power. These forms are produced by subjects and are recognized as meaningful constructs. As a form of entertainment, it also plays ‘a leading role in shaping attitudes and ideas, including political ideas’. In-depth studies of Arabs and Muslims in Hollywood films over the past eighty years have found that out of the nine hundred films examined, only five percent of all the movies (approximately fifty movies) debunked the barbaric image of Islam.

There are very few films that show Islam in a positive light. Dr. Rubina Ramji, Film Editor for the Journal of Religion and Film, is one the scholars who has researched the images of Islam in Hollywood films. Dr. Ramji screened Towelhead at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival and found that this film is indeed one of those few that promote different faiths and the challenges faced by these groups in America, while offering a much more balanced representation. Using the derogatory term “towelhead” as the film’s title, in the context of this film, provides a different meaning to the term, one that encourages viewers to observe these challenges first-hand and to better understand how Muslim characters have been stereotypically displayed in previous films.

By bringing forth the racist attitudes which have arisen about Muslims living in America, Towelhead openly reveals projected fears about difference and offers a constructive, yet difficult, approach to bring forth understanding. We, the undersigned scholars, have spent years researching and understanding the impact that cinema has had and continues to have on various religious groups in American culture. We hope that the true intentions of the semi-autobiographical novel, written by Alicia Erian, who has encountered such racism as an Arab-American, will continue to be accurately reflected in the film Towelhead, by leaving the title as is – a thought-provoking and difficult term that needs to be deconstructed.

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R.I.P. Independent Film

dwhitney — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 20:47:21 +0000

According to Peter Part, editor of Variety Magazine, independent film is finished, as gleamed from his blog post titled :Why Art House Movies are on the Endangered Species List. Go ahead and read the entire post below and let me know what you think.

I must have been preoccupied because I missed the ‘thud.’

The sound, that is, of the specialty film business landing in the basement.

I didn’t think things were that dire until I saw the numbers assembled by Variety’s box office guru, Pam McClintock. Box office totals to date for 2008 specialty films from the studio-owned art house divisions totaled $161 million to date, compared to $330 million last year and $418 million in 2006.

Little wonder that the acquisitions folks from these divisions heading for Toronto and other festivals show little desire to buy new movies for distribution. (Why are they going? You might ask.)

What these numbers say is simply this: In McClintock’s words, “The worst thing that ever happened to indie film was that the studios decided it was a good business.”

Her numbers include the studio units plus the Weinstein Co. They also include those New Line releases that do not fall into the bigger-budget category.

What’s responsible for these trends? The expectations of the studios for their art films were too high. Their production budgets were too lofty and their marketing budgets too ambitious.

But here’s a bigger question: The filmmakers out there aren’t coming through, either. There are more indie movies being made but, for some reason, they don’t reflect the passion and artistic clout of films of the ‘60s or ‘70s.

“The kids are all trying to be commercial and they’re falling on their faces,” says the chief of one of the specialty divisions who doesn’t want to be quoted.

That may be facile. But something is going wrong in the process and, in the end, it’s the filmgoer who will suffer.

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New York, I love You (Trailer)

dwhitney — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 04:22:00 +0000

If the film Noise wasn’t your idea of a glowing testament to NYC, then have a stab at the trailer for New York, I Love You, a multi-story, multi-actor, mult-writer, multi-director, mega-multi-star-studded follow up from the producers of the equally flattering Paris, je t’aime.

Opening on February 13, New York, I love You is composed of 12 stories, written and directed from various who’s who, that come together in some way throughout the film. Among the many to star include:

Kevin Bacon, Justin Bartha, Maggie Q, Orlando Bloom, James Caan, Hayden Christensen, Blake Lively, Julie Christie, Bradley Cooper, Chris Cooper, Drea de Matteo, Carla Gugino, Ethan Hawke, John Hurt, Irfan Khan, Shia LaBeouf, Cloris Leachman, Natalie Portman, Rachel Bilson, Christina Ricci, Olivia Thirlby, Goran Visnjic, Eli Wallach, Robin Wright Penn, Anton Yelchin, and Burt Young.

And among the many to direct include:

Yvan Attal, Scarlett Johansson, Shekhar Kapur, Mira Nair, Natalie Portman, Brett Ratner, Jiang Wen

"New York I love you" Teaser
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Soundtracks’ Big Night

dwhitney — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 05:33:34 +0000

Up until about two minutes ago, I didn’t think there was anybody other than Quincy Jones, Randy Newman, or John Williams that did movie soundtracks. Welcome to the World Soundtrack Awards and their 2008 list of nominees. This is the 8th incarnation of the awards and will be held on October 18th.
You may not actually care who wins any of these awards, but did any of the nominated films/songs stand out to you. Is a great soundtrack one that blends seamlessly with the visuals or does it stand out on its own? Are there any glaring omissions in the three categories?

FILM COMPOSER of the YEAR
(award can be presented in respect of one film or a body of work in the year)

o ALEXANDRE DESPLAT (THE GOLDEN COMPASS)
o JAMES NEWTON HOWARD (CHARLIE WILSON’S WAR, MICHAEL CLAYTON, I AM LEGEND)
o ALBERTO IGLESIAS (THE KITE RUNNER)
o DARIO MARIANELLI (ATONEMENT)
o JOHN POWELL (THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM)

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE of the YEAR

o 3:10 TO YUMA BY MARCO BELTRAMI
o ATONEMENT BY DARIO MARIANELLI
o THE KITE RUNNER BY ALBERTO IGLESIAS
o THERE WILL BE BLOOD BY JONNY GREENWOOD
o WALL-E BY THOMAS NEWMAN

BEST ORIGINAL SONG WRITTEN DIRECTLY FOR FILM

o ‘DESPEDIDA’ from Love in the time of cholera
Music by: Antonio Pinto and Shakira, Lyrics by: Shakira, Performed by: Shakira

o ‘DOWN TO EARTH’ from Wall-E
Music by: Thomas Newman and Peter Gabriel, Lyrics by: Peter Gabriel, Performed by: Peter Gabriel

o ‘DO YOU FEEL ME’ from American Gangster
Music and Lyrics by: Diane Warren, Performed by: Anthony Hamilton

o ‘GUARANTEED’ from Into the Wild
Music and Lyrics by: Eddie Vedder, Performed by: Eddie Vedder

o ‘A HERO COMES HOME’ from Beowulf
Music and Lyrics by: Glen Ballard and Alan Silvestri, Performed by: Robin Wright Penn / Idina Menzel

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What’s Old Is New Again, The Godfather

dwhitney — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 05:24:46 +0000

The Godfather and The Godfather Part II. There is a reason these films rank 2nd and 4th respectively on the IMDB list of top 250 movies, #3 and #32 on AFI’s Greatest American Films, and won nine total Oscars. Frankly, they rank as the best cinematic experiences in film history.

Well, for three weeks starting September 12, famed New York City theater the Film Forum will show a brand new restored 35mm print of each film. These new versions were created by the film’s director Francis For Coppola, cinematographer Gordon Willis, and film historian Robert A. Harris. In addition, these new prints will show in San Francisco and Los Angeles as well as being released September 26 on DVD/Blu-ray along with a remastered Part III.

Now I don’t think you have to be a film nerd to enjoy this news. Even I got excited when George Lucas brought new life to the Star Wars franchise by remastering his first three films – even though I never would admit it. The chance to see an American classic in the theater may not be unique, but to be one of the first to see said classic in a better version than the original sure is. If you happen to be in New York in September head over to the Film Forum, or go ahead and reserve nine or so hours of time for when the DVD gets released.

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Toronto International Film Festival

dwhitney — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 02:30:03 +0000

The Toronto International Film Festival, held September 4-13th, has just released their schedule of Special Presentation Films. In addition to Canadian films, competitions, and student showcases, this 33rd incarnation of the event will have many amazing World and North American premieres. A short list appears below with many more here.

The TIFF started in 1976 and now draws close to 300,000 attendees. With the following list of movies, this year’s TIFF shames Sundance, SXSW, Berlin, Tribeca, and any other film festival out there, so if you are in the Toronto area go ahead and get your tickets.

The Brothers Bloom, Rian Johnson
The brothers Bloom (Adrien Brody, Mark Ruffalo) are the best con men in the world, swindling millionaires with complex scenarios of lust and intrigue. Now they’ve decided to take on one last con – showing a beautiful and eccentric heiress (Rachel Weisz) the time of her life with a romantic adventure that carries them around the world. The Brothers Bloom also features Rinko Kikuchi, Maximilian Schell and Robbie Coltrane.

Slumdog Millionaire, Danny Boyle
From acclaimed director Danny Boyle (Trainspotting, 28 Days Later) comes a story about a kid with nothing, who has everything to lose. Jamal Malik, an 18-year-old orphan from the slums of Mumbai, is just one question away from winning a staggering 20 million rupees on India’s Who Wants to be A Millionaire? Arrested on suspicion of cheating, he tells the police the amazing tale of his life on the streets, and of the girl he loved and lost. But what is a kid with no interest in money doing on the show? And how does he know all the answers?

Zack and Miri Make a Porno, Kevin Smith
Seth Rogen and Elizabeth Banks star in this bawdy tale of love and friendship from Kevin Smith. Lifelong friends and roommates Zack (Rogen) and Miri (Banks) are facing hard times and a mountain of debt. When the electricity and plumbing get cut off, the two seize upon the idea of making a homegrown porno movie for some quick cash, enlisting the help of their friends. The two vow that having sex will not ruin their friendship; but as everyone starts “doing” everyone, what started out as a friendly business proposition turns into something much more.

Che: Part One, Stephen Soderbergh
On November 26, 1956, Fidel Castro sails to Cuba with eighty rebels. One of those rebels is Ernesto “Che” Guevara, an Argentine doctor who shares a common goal with Fidel Castro – to overthrow the corrupt dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista. Che proves indispensable as a fighter, and quickly grasps the art of guerrilla warfare. As he throws himself into the struggle, Che is embraced by his comrades and the Cuban people. Che: Part One tracks Che’s rise in the Cuban Revolution, from doctor to commander to revolutionary hero.

Che: Part Two, Stephen Soderbergh
After the Cuban Revolution, Che is at the height of his fame and power. Then he disappears, re-emerging incognito in Bolivia, where he organizes a small group of Cuban comrades and Bolivian recruits to start the great Latin American Revolution. The story of the Bolivian campaign is a tale of tenacity, sacrifice and idealism, and of guerrilla warfare that ultimately fails, bringing Che to his death. Che: Part Two explores how Che remains a symbol of idealism and heroism that lives in the hearts of people around the world.

Synecdoche, New York, Charlie Kaufman
Worried about the transience of his life, theatre director Caden Cotard (Philip Seymour Hoffman) leaves his home behind and sets out to construct a massive artistic enterprise. Gathering an ensemble cast into a warehouse in New York City, he hopes to create a work of brutal honesty. He directs them in a celebration of the mundane, instructing each to live out their constructed lives in a growing mockup of the city outside. The years rapidly fold into each other, and Caden buries himself deeper into his masterpiece but the textured tangle of real and theatrical relationships blurs the line between the world of the play and that of Caden’s own deteriorating reality. Synecdoche also stars Jennifer Jason Leigh, Catherine Keener, Dianne Wiest, Samantha Morton, Michelle Williams, Emily Watson and Hope Davis.

The Wrestler, Darren Aronofsky
Back in the late ’80s, Randy “The Ram” Robinson (Mickey Rourke) was a headlining professional wrestler. Now, twenty years later, he ekes out a living performing for handfuls of die-hard wrestling fans in high-school gyms and community centres. Randy lives for the thrill of the show and the adoration of his fans; but when he suffers a heart attack after a match, he is forced into retirement. He begins to evaluate the state of his life but the allure of the spotlight and the passion for his sport threatens to pull him back inside the ring. Directed by Darren Aronofsky (The Fountain, TIFF 2006), The Wrestler also stars Evan Rachel Wood, Marisa Tomei, Judah Friedlander and the Necro Butcher.

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The Twilight Saga: Eclipse starring Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart, Taylor Lautner, Jackson Rathbone and Xavier Samuel And the world’s bestselling vampires, shapeshifters and the luckiest plain girl are back! If you are about to see Eclipse, and haven’t seen or read Twilight or New Moon, I wrote the ultimate background guides. It provides you all the info you need to enjoy the films more: Twilight Saga......
US-SPORTS Summary [/caption] Night Train ends long U.S. wait WHISTLER (Reuters) - Steve Holcomb's Night Train tamed Whistler's wild track to bring home the first American gold medal in Olympic four-man bobsleigh for 62 years on Saturday. Holcomb and his crew held on to a comfortable lead in the fourth and final......

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Phoebe in Wonderland, Trailer

dwhitney — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 06:12:25 +0000

From the independent film powerhouse of ThinkFilm comes the trailer for the upcoming “Phoebe in Wonderland” starring Elle Fanning, Felicity Huffman, Patricia Clarkson, and written and directed by newcomer Daniel Barnz. Elle is the younger sister of Dakota Fanning, and has an impressive resume as both the younger stand-in for her more famous sister as well as many supporting film roles for herself. “Phoebe in Wonderland” is Elle first starring role and first premiered in competition at this years Sundance Film Festival

According to IMDB, “Phoebe in Wonderland” is “The fantastical tale of a little girl who won’t – or can’t – follow the rules. Confounded by her clashes with the rule-obsessed world around her, Phoebe seeks enlightenment from her unconventional drama teacher, even as her brilliant but anguished mother looks to Phoebe herself for inspiration.”

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Dance of the Dead / Jack Brooks – Monster Slayer Trailers

dwhitney — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 23:59:35 +0000

You do not see too much coverage of horror films over here at Indiecineblog.com mostly due to my indifference to the genre. Generally I get bored during horror movies and find that they take themselves way to seriously. Well today you lucky readers can preview the trailers to two indie horror flicks that obviously do not take themselves that seriously.

Below is the trailer for “Dance of the Dead” (premiering in October) and “Jack Brooks – Monster Slayer” (premiering mid-August). No need to waste precious internet space going into the plot details on these two flicks, other than they both explore countless ways to kill the undead. I guess that is what makes horror such a good fit with independent cinema. Fake blood, makeup, and severed limbs are cheap and easily accessible, noteworthy acting and award winning screenwriting are unnecessary, and unique ways of killing zombies are plentiful and always appreciated by audiences. Be forewarned, both trailers are red band material.

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