a few things not about Sundance
The Incredibles cleans up at the Annie awards.
The Incredibles put a death ray on the likes of Shrek 2,Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence and The SpongeBob Square Pants Movie to win the top 'toon showdown.
The comedy-adventure, which garnered 16 nods in all, was a triumph for mastermind Brad Bird (The Iron Giant ), who took home Best Director, Best Writer, and Best Voice Actor for his role as fashionista Edna Mode, beating out one of his own stars, Samuel L. Jackson , who was nominated for voicing Mr. Incredible's old pal, Frozone.
Also, it's worth mentioning that
The Incredibles got
people talking about deco!
James Cameron masturbates to the sound of his own press:
The 48-minute film, which feels like a cross between a breathtaking theme park ride and a "Nova" episode, opened last weekend.
Perhaps this is because the concept for
Aliens of the Deep is so incredibly similar to "The Deep" episode from
Blue Planet? Just a thought.
Candid documentary about George Michael to screen at Berlin Film Fest. "Candid" here meaning "Ladies in their late 20's SCANDALIZED to just now learn George Michael is gay!" Clearly.
Rotterdamn Film Fest cancels film screening after
Director is murdered.
Capetown Film Commission
calls for a 1% tariff on foreign films to encourage South African film-makers.
File under gratuitous award ceremonies:
Leonardo DiCaprio honored with Lifetime Achievement Award from Santa Barbara International Film Festival. And people in
Purdue are pissed!
Chris Rock agrees to host Oscars after realizing he is
too old for MTV Awards:
He adds, "I never watched the Oscars... Come on, it's a fashion show. No one performs; it's not like a music show. What straight black man sits there and watches the Oscars?"
Actually, Mr. Rock, each artist nominated for Best Song performs at the Oscars. Who could forget Elliott Smith in his white suit standing hand in hand with Celine Dion and Trisha Yearwood? Perhaps this blurry Quicktime image will jolt your memory.
Delightful!
(possibly) final remarks on Sundance 2005:
Continuing the tradition of Sundance being the "big downer" festival to watch, the French Associated Press reports
War dominates the 2005 Sundance Film Festival winners
The Seattle-Times ponders
dirty movies at Sundance.
Movies.com Sundance wrap-up declares:
Hustle & Flow receives biggest distribution deal ever made at Sundance. ($16M, but who's counting?)
Mirandy July's Me You and Everyone We Know -- Roger Ebert's favorite?! If Paris Hilton were here she'd surely say: that's hot.
And alleges that Grand Jury Prize winner 40 Shades of Blue is "boring"
MTV.com's wrap up includes
two clips from the hott Hustle & Flow. Which I'll comment on once I upgrade to an OS anyone has cared about in the last
10 years.
Dave LaChappelle's, known mostly for taking dirrty pictures,documentary
Rize about an underground LA dance scene called krumping (I've never felt whiter) has been
overshadowed by
his Sundance arrest!
Unfortunate!
Grand Jury Prize American Documentary
"Why We Fight", directed by Eugene Jarecki
Grand Jury Prize American Dramatic
"Forty Shades of Blue", directed by Ira Sachs
Grand Jury Prize for World Cinema Documentary
"Shape of the Moon", directed by Leonard Retel Helmrich
Grand Jury Prize for World Cinema Dramatic
"The Hero", directed by Zeze Gamboa
Audience Award American Documentary
"Murderball", directed by Henry-Alex Rubin & Dana Adam Shapiro
Audience Award, American Dramatic
"Hustle & Flow", directed by Craig Brewer
Audience Award World Cinema Documentary
"Shake Hands with the Devil: The Journey of Romeo Dallair", directed by Peter Raymont
Audience Award World Cinema: Dramatic
"Brothers", directed by Susanne Bier
Directing Award Documentary
"The Devil and Daniel Johnston", directed by Jeff Feuerzeig
Directing Award Dramatic
"The Squid and the Whale", directed by Noah Baumbach
Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award
"The Squid and the Whale", written by Noah Baumbach
Excellence in Cinematography Award Documentary
"The Education of Shelby Knox"
Excellence in Cinematography Award Dramatic
"Hustle & Flow"
Special Jury Prize Dramatic - Acting
Amy Adams for the film "Junebug"
Lou Pucci for the film "Thumbsucker"
Special Jury Prize Dramatic - Originality of Vision
"Me and You and Everyone We Know", directed/Screenwriter Miranda July
"Brick", directed by Rian Johnson
Special Jury Prize Documentary
"After Innocence", directed by Jessica Sanders
"Murderball", edited by Geoffrey Richman & Conor O'Neill; Assistant Editors: David Egan, Jamie Gross, Steven Walker
Special Jury Prize World Documentary
"Wall", directed by Simone Bitton
"The Liberace of Baghdad", directed by Sean McAllister
Special Jury Prize World Dramatic
"The Forest for the Trees", directed by Maren Ade
"Live-In Maid", directed by Jorge Gaggero
Grand Jury Prize for Short Filmmaking: American
"Family Portrait", directed by Patricia Riggen
Grand Jury Prize for Short Filmmaking: International
"Wasp", directed by Andrea Arnold
Special Jury Award in Short Filmmaking (Honorable Mentions)
"One Weekend a Month", directed by Eric Escobar
"Ryan", directed by Chris Landreth
"Small Town Secrets", directed by Katherine Leggett
"Tama Tu", directed by Taika Waititi
"Victoria Para Chino", directed by Cary Fukunaga
Special Jury Award in Short Filmmaking
"Bullets in the Hood: A Bed-Stuy Story", directed by Terrence Fisher and Daniel Howard
Sundance/NHK International Filmmakers Award (SPLIT)
"The Way I Spent the End of the World", directed by Catalin Mitulescu
"The Minder", directed by Rodrigo Moreno
"Virtual Love", directed by Richard Press
"Yomoyama Blues", directed by Mipo Oh
Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Prize
"Grizzly Man", directed by Werner Herzog
Me, you, and everybody we know
Miranda July's feature film has been purchased by IFC Films. As if we hadn't guessed Miranda would be a sucess at this artistic endeavor. The art world loves Miranda July.
'Like the “masterpieces” of this genre, of which I would include Jodorowsky’s “Holy Mountain” and “Fellini Satyricon”, “What is it?” is nearly impossible to adequately describe, think about, or even review.'
We're so proud of you, Noah Baumbach.
Sundance 2005 Awards
Dramatic Directing: Noah Baumbach, The Squid and the Whale
Screenplay Award: Noah Baumbach, The Squid and the Whale
xo
"Of the 160 films in the feature category, only four left with contracts. All of these had known actors, known writers, known directors and budgets starting at 3.5 million dollars."
"The world of American independent feature films is exceedingly fond of small-town stories about young men too sensitive to function, impishly sexual teenaged girls and wise-beyond-their years children."
"I'd rather understand that there is a community of people who will enjoy the films I make and who will buy them, but not depend on them."
Women who Won at Sundance this year
American Documentary:
Special Grand Jury Prize:
After Innocence
Special Grand Jury Prize:
Miranda July, Director, Me and You and Everyone We Know
Cinematography Award for Dramatic:
Amelia Vincent, Hustle & Flow
Click on the link to read the blog Scott Macaulay is keeping for
Filmmaker Magazine.
This week in DVD:
Alien v. Predator I saw it on opening day, and probably should have just waited for the dvd. Worth renting for director commentary justifying his existence.
Mean Creek an over-looked gem from 2004 has all my favorite elements of film-making: death, a first-time director and shot on location in the Northwest. One of my top 10 of the year.
Anatomy of Hell I'll be skipping this one, but I'm sure it's a Cathy wish-list item.
Petrified Forest Humpfrey Bogart (in fourth billing) and Bette Davis star in thriller set in a desert roadhouse.
Metallica: Some Kind of Monster also one of my Top 10 of 2004. A wonderful look at how joyous and destructive the band-collective process can be (like the rock band verstion of
Me Without You). Also you know, Metallica rules!
Story of the Weeping Camel If you're anything like me and you thought this film sounded too boring to be real now may be a good time for us to see what the big hub bub is about. Oscar-nominated for Best Documentary.
Sundance! Sundance! Sundance!
NY Times:
Nonfiction Has Its Day at Sundance
What was striking was how few of the fictional films seemed to share this impulse, or, if they did, to give it
persuasive form. Even the best of them - like Me and You and Everyone We Know, Miranda July's marvelously idiosyncratic debut, which won yet another special jury prize - took place in self-enclosed worlds, delimited either by the preoccupations of the director or by the narrow perspectives of the characters. If the American documentary competition ranged far and wide in history, geography and politics, its dramatic sibling seemed constricted by comparison, surveying a landscape of small towns, suburbs, unhappy families and, above all, troubled teenagers.
NY Daily News reports:
Paris Hilton is not cheap! Though she does still have to be carried out of parties.
Amy has carefully gone through Roger Ebert's Sundance photo album to cull the Most Unflattering Celebrity Photos.
A note to film distributors: Step up your game. Love, The Cleveland Plain Dealer.
Awards ceremony season in effect!
Clint Eastwood wins DGA award for Million Dollar Baby.
The Sea Inside, has won 14 of Spain's top film awards a month ahead of the Oscars where it is nominated for best foreign language film.
Russia favors for Francis Ford Coppola:
"In Russia, your works are well-known and highly valued," Putin told Coppola during a televised portion of the meeting Saturday. He said he was not just referring to "The Godfather" - which is extremely popular in Russia - but also to films "that so accurately tell of the horrors of war." Coppola, in turn, lauded Putin's speech marking the 60th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz by Soviet troops, during which Putin said he was ashamed of anti-Semitism's ex istence in Russia.
Still kind of loving all the whining on behalf of Paul Giamatti's Oscar snub for Sideways.
Thank God for you, Cannibal Women!
Cannibal Women in the Avocado Jungle of Death is on. At last I can sleep!
Strangers with Candy gets distro deal
Hollywood Reporter is reporting that Strangers with Candy: the Movie (dubbed "an R-rated Napoleon Dynamite") has been picked up by Warner Independent Pictures.
" 'Strangers With Candy' completely caught me off guard," WIP president Mark Gill said. "It is rude, hilarious and bizarre. We loved it."
Directed by co-creator Paul Dinello Strangers with Candy:the Movie is a prequel to the cult favorite Comedy Central tv series.
Noah Baumbach iview @ Salon
A therapeutic
conversation between Heather Havrilesky (
Salon) and writer/director Noah Baumbach (
Mr. Jealousy,
Life Aquatic).
Let's hope that Baumbach's recent success at Sundance with
The Squid and the Whale convinces Trimark to finally release
Kicking and Screaming on dvd!
Trailers for Tim Burton's new films
Willy Wonka and
Corpse Bride are up!
