Moonrise Kingdom – Way Too Indie

Criterion Collection September 2015 Includes ‘Moonrise Kindgom’, Beresford Duo

Aaron Pinkston — Wed, 17 Jun 2015 04:29:20 +0000

October and November are always my favorite month of Criterion Collection releases, so I can forgive a somewhat less flashy schedule coming this September. Though there will be some gems added to the collection; the inevitable release of an indie darling, an underseen film from a world cinema master, and an unheralded director double take.

Blind Chance

Krzysztof Kieślowski – Available September 15

Polish auteur Kieślowski is one of the most important European filmmakers whose thoughtful and complex dramas have a tremendous influence on modern independent cinema. His Three Colors trilogy and The Double Life of Veronique have already been enshrined by the collection, now with less known Blind Chance to come. Its plot is certainly intriguing: Witek is presented with three different realities after running for a train—with each reality’s differences coming through the title’s metaphysical power. In the film’s construction, different actors play the same characters that Witek comes across in the different stories. As someone who loves when films employ a creative narrative structure, I’m very intrigued by this film. Thematically, Kieślowski deals with political questions surrounding the fall of Communism and its effect on the individual.

Special Features:

New 4K digital restoration of the original uncensored film, approved by cinematographer Krzysztof Pakulski, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray
New interview with Polish film critic Tadeusz Sobolewski
Interview with director Agnieszka Holland from 2003
Nine sections from the film originally censored by the Central Film Board in Poland
An essay by film critic Dennis Lim and a 1993 interview about the film with director Krzysztof Kieślowski

Breaker Morant

Bruce Beresford – Available September 22

Bruce Beresford is most known for Driving Miss Daisy (for which he won the Best Picture Oscar) and Tender Mercies (for which his star Robert Duvall won an Oscar), but Criterion has chosen to highlight the filmmaker this month with two lesser known works. The first is Breaker Morant, an Australian war drama about three lieutenants who are court-martialed for executing prisoners, scapegoats of larger and farther-reaching culture of war crimes. The film’s enlightening look at the greater effects of colonialism and blend of war film and courtroom drama philosophies put Beresford on the map of world cinema.

Special Features:

New 4K digital restoration, supervised and approved by director Bruce Beresford, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray
Audio commentary featuring Beresford from 2004
New interviews with Beresford, cinematographer Donald McAlpine, and actor Bryan Brown
Interview with actor Edward Woodward from 2004
New piece about the Boer War with historian Stephen Miller
Trailer
An essay by film scholar Neil Sinyard

Mister Johnson

Bruce Beresford – Available September 22

A different look at colonialism, Mister Johnson centers around its title character, an educated Nigerian working as a civil servant for the British colonialists. Actor Maynard Eziashi won the top acting prize at the Berlin Film Festival for his sympathetic and tragic performance. Pierce Brosnan plays against Eziashi as his superior. This is a particular film completely off my radar, with Beresford, in general, a director who I should see more. With the co-lead performances in a dramatically rich time and setting, Mister Johnson could certainly be a sleeper.

Special Features:

New 4K digital restoration, supervised and approved by director Bruce Beresford, with uncompressed stereo soundtrack on the Blu-ray
New video interviews with Beresford, producer Michael Fitzgerald, and actors Maynard Eziashi and Pierce Brosnan
Trailer
An essay by film scholar Neil Sinyard

A Room with a View

James Ivory – Available September 29

With as much as Criterion loves the James Ivory films, I’m surprised that A Room with a View wasn’t already apart of the collection. This marks the 19th Ismail Merchant film to either have a full Criterion release or as part of a Eclipse box set, the 14th directed by Ivory. The British filmmaker is no doubt the most prolific Criterion filmmaker who has the least profile. A Room with a View is the film that put James Ivory on the map. Adapted from the E.M. Forster classic novel, the film stars a very young Helena Bonham Carter as a young woman torn between romantic interests Julian Sands and Daniel Day-Lewis. Co-starring British mainstays Maggie Smith, Judi Dench, Simon Callow and Denholm Elliott, A Room with a View is a sublimely acted and gorgeous romantic drama.

Special Features:

New 4K digital restoration, supervised by cinematographer Tony Pierce-Roberts, with 2.0 surround Master Audio soundtrack on the Blu-ray
New interviews with director James Ivory, Pierce-Roberts, costume designer John Bright, and actors Helena Bonham Carter, Simon Callow, and Julian Sands
Segment about Merchant Ivory Productions from a 1985 NBC television program
Trailer
An essay by film critic Farran Smith Nehme

Moonrise Kingdom

Wes Anderson – Available September 22

We’ve known that Wes Anderson’s Moonrise Kingdom would be coming to the Criterion Collection, given that all of his films have been released (and as they announced the film would be released a few months ago without a specific date), but it is finally officially coming. The more recent The Grand Budapest Hotel proved to be the greater breakout for the beloved director, but I’m partial to Moonrise Kingdom. Not only does it showcase Anderson’s unique style, but it is his most emotionally rich script. The film is also notable for expanding the Anderson stable of actors, adding Edward Norton, Bruce Willis, Tilda Swinton and Frances McDormand alongside regulars Bill Murray and Jason Schwartzman.

Special Features:

Restored 2K digital transfer, supervised by director Wes Anderson, with 5.1 surround DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack on the Blu-ray
Audio commentary featuring Anderson, Bill Murray, Edward Norton, Jason Schwartzman, and Roman Coppola
Selected-scene storyboard animatics
Interviews with cast and crew
Exploring the Set of “Moonrise Kingdom,” an original documentary about the film
Norton’s home movies from the set
Behind-the-scenes, special effects, and test footage
Auditions
Trailer
A booklet featuring an essay by critic Geoffrey O’Brien, plus a map of New Penzance Island and other ephemera

The Honeymoon Killers

Leonard Kastl – Available September 29

The lone Blu-ray upgrade of the month is The Honeymoon Killers, the lone directorial effort of Leonard Kastle. Shot in stark black-and-white, with a documentary style, the film follows lovelorn Martha and her con-artist boyfriend. The Honeymoon Killers is equal parts sad and shocking, with a clear vision and radical point-of-view. It is 1970’s low-budget filmmaking (costing an estimated $150,000 to make) at its best and one of the best one-and-done directorial efforts ever.

Special Features:

New 2K digital restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray
New interview program featuring actors Tony Lo Bianco and Marilyn Chris and editor Stan Warnow
Interview with writer-director Leonard Kastle from 2003
“Dear Martha,” a new video essay by writer Scott Christianson, author of Condemned: Inside the Sing Sing Death House
Trailer
An essay by critic Gary Giddins

Video Essay: Mise En Scène & The Visual Themes of Wes Anderson

Nelson Carvajal — Mon, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

Wes Anderson has become a film genre. Even Saturday Night Live did a spoof on this notion, re-envisioning a modern horror film as a Wes Anderson comedy for one of their digital shorts. And although the auteur would not likely refer to himself as a “genre”, the evidence is onscreen in every one of his films. It’s through the marriage of his production design team’s (David Wasco, Mark Friedberg, Nelson Lowry and Adam Stockhausen) signature art direction, and the virtuoso camerawork led by his go-to Director of Photography Robert Yeoman (as well as his stop-motion animation cinematographer Tristan Oliver) that Anderson has been able to carve a niche in American cinema history. In the same way a Spike Lee Joint or a Martin Scorsese Picture have their own distinctions, so also is a Wes Anderson film (more properly known as an American Empirical Picture) easy to spot. But the twist is, for all his towering success as an American auteur, the look and feeling behind each Anderson film finds its influences more rooted in foreign cinema. The tracking camera, moving from room to room, examining the bourgeoisie and upper class in the films of Luis Buñuel (e.g. El Angel Exterminador) laid the groundwork for the dolly and tracking shots in Anderson’s Rushmore, The Royal Tenenbaums and early sections of The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou. The frenetic energy and overall zeal found in François Truffaut’s Jules et Jim serves also as the celluloid backbone of most of Anderson’s works, specifically Bottle Rocket, The Royal Tenenbaums, and Fantastic Mr. Fox. The melancholic swoons of the silver screen’s longing romantics permeate Moonrise Kingdom, Hotel Chevalier/The Darjeeling Limited and in the romance subplot of Bottle Rocket. These films share the same sort of beautiful yet honest moments found in Jean-Luc Godard’s Pierrot Le Fou.

A standout influence is definitely Louis Malle’s Le Feu Follet. In The Royal Tenenbaums, Richie Tenenbaum (Luke Wilson) emotes the quiet pathos of Follet’s depressive protagonist and is similarly positioned inside the framing of certain shots. Study the scene where Richie visits Eli Cash to see the striking similarities in composition and staging with Malle’s film. It’s not that Anderson is simply covering his cinematic idols, he’s curating them; he’s channeling them; he’s transcending them.

Now on the eve of his latest film, The Grand Budapest Hotel, Anderson looks to enhance his cinematic oeuvre, incorporating more of an ode to the staged theatrical, in addition to his trademark cinematic styles. Anderson’s visual themes work best when they are firing on all cylinders, enthusiastically running into each other; every time that happens, Anderson becomes his own genre; both inimitable and iconic.

Watch Wes Anderson’s ‘Castello Cavalcanti’ Starring Jason Schwartzman

Bernard Boo — Mon, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

Wes Anderson is certainly keeping himself busy these days (lucky us!) A short film written and directed by Anderson himself and produced for Prada, Castello Cavalcanti follows Jed Cavalcanti (Anderson favorite Jason Schwartzman) as he ends up stranded in 1955 Italy during a car race. It retains all the whimsy, vibrant colors, and rigid compositions the director is so beloved for, which makes this fun 8-minute nugget fit quite snugly in between his last film, Moonrise Kingdom, and his upcoming The Grand Budapest Hotel, which we at Way Too Indie can’t hardly wait for. For now, we have Mr. Cavalcanti and his mustachioed machismo to tide us over. Check it out below.

2013 Independent Spirit Award Predictions

Dustin Jansick — Mon, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

We are a mere 36 days until the official winners are announced at the 2013 Independent Spirit Awards, so I will offer my predictions of who the winners will be this year. Last year my predictions were pretty solid, with an roughly 70% accuracy I correctly predicted 9 of the 13 unannounced awards. Unlike last year’s juggernaut The Artist, I believe this year there are two films that could both easily win the top awards. Both Beasts of the Southern Wild and Silver Linings Playbook stand good chances of being winners, making the predictions more difficult this year. I predict that Beasts of the Southern Wild will win the top two awards while Silver Linings Playbook cleans up the top acting awards. In addition to picking the winners for each category, I explain the reasoning behind my picks in detail under the categories.

Watch IFC on Saturday, February 23rd to see how my predictions hold up.

2013 Independent Spirit Award Predictions:

(My prediction for the winners are highlighted in bold red font)

Best Feature:

Beasts of the Southern Wild
Bernie
Keep The Lights On
Moonrise Kingdom
Silver Linings Playbook

MY REASONING:
As I mentioned in the opening, I believe two films have a great chances of walking away with the top prizes. I believe Beasts of the Southern Wild will slightly edge out Silver Linings Playbook for the Best Feature Award. But both probably have equal chance of winning as both films also got an Oscar nomination for Best Picture. I will have to go with my instincts on this, even though Silver Linings Playbook is more of an audience pleaser.

Best Director:

Wes Anderson – Moonrise Kingdom
Julia Loktev – The Loneliest Planet
David O. Russell – Silver Linings Playbook
Ira Sachs – Keep The Lights On
Benh Zeitlin – Beasts of the Southern Wild

MY REASONING:
Just like the Oscars, this category is closely tied with the Best Feature category. Typically, the winner of this category will go on to win the other. So I will stick with Beasts of the Southern Wild and say Benh Zeitlin will win, with David O. Russell in a close second. Glad to see Wes Anderson on this list though.

Best First Feature:

Fill The Void – Rama Burshtein
Gimme The Loot – Adam Leon
Safety Not Guaranteed – Colin Trevorrow
Sound of My Voice – Zal Batmanglij
The Perks Of Being A Wallflower – Stephen Chobsky

MY REASONING:
Rules state that a film cannot be in both the Best Feature and Best First Feature category, so when Beasts of the Southern Wild got slated for Best Feature, this category really opened up. I believe The Perks Of Being A Wallflower received the warmest reception and is the most well-rounded film of the bunch, so it is a safe pick. Safety Not Guaranteed might be the dark horse here.

Best Male Lead:

Jack Black – Bernie
Bradley Cooper – Silver Linings Playbook
John Hawkes – The Sessions
Thure Lindhart – Keep The Lights On
Matthew McConaughey – Killer Joe
Wendell Pierce – Four

MY REASONING:
Bradley Cooper should walk away with this award. His biggest competition should be previous Spirit Award winner John Hawkes, but likely will not be much of a “fight”. The sleeper pick here would be Jack Black for Bernie, but consider it an hefty long-shot.

Best Female Lead:

Linda Cardellini – Return
Emayatzy Corinealdi – Middle of Nowhere
Jennifer Lawrence – Silver Linings Playbook
Quvenzhane Wallis – Beasts of the Southern Wild
Mary E. Winstead – Smashed

MY REASONING:
Jennifer Lawrence probably has a little more momentum behind her to be the favorite in this category. But not by much. Quvenzhane Wallis is likely right on her heels and I will be rooting for her to win.

Best Supporting Male:

Matthew McConaughey – Magic Mike
David Oyelowo – Middle of Nowhere
Michael Pena – End of Watch
Sam Rockwell – Seven Psychopaths
Bruce Willis – Moonrise Kingdom

MY REASONING:
I thought about this pick the longest out of all the categories, but feel the least confident in my choice. The reason being is that I do not see a clear standout here. If it were me voting, I would pick Michael Pena. But I will say the actual voters go with David Oyelowo.

Best Supporting Female:

Rosemarie DeWitt – Your Sister’s Sister
Ann Dowd – Compliance
Helen Hunt – The Sessions
Brit Marling – Sound of My Voice
Lorraine Toussaint – Middle of Nowhere

MY REASONING:
This is probably the most solid category form top-to-bottom, any one of theses nominees could easily win here. But I think Helen Hunt has the best odds of winning because of her daring role in The Sessions.

John Cassavetes Award:

Breakfast With Curtis – Laura Colella
Middle of Nowhere – Ava DuVernay
Mosquita y Mari – Aurora Guerrero
Starlet – Sean Baker
The Color Wheel – Alex Ross Perry

MY REASONING:
Middle of Nowhere generated some buzz last year at Sundance, earning two nominations and one win. For that reason, my bet is on it to win this award. Sean Baker’s Starlet has a real solid shot at winning though.

Best Documentary:

How To Survive A Plague – David France
Marina Abramovic: The Artist Is Present – Matthew Akers
The Central Park Five – Ken Burns, Sarah Burns, David McMahon
The Invisible War – Kirby Dick
The Waiting Room – Peter Nicks

MY REASONING:
There are two nominees here that were also nominated for an Oscar, How to Survive a Plague and The Invisible War but I feel like the former will win. Joining the tight race is Ken Burns’ The Central Park Five, which makes this category a competitive one.

Best International Film:

Amour – Michael Haneke
Once Upon A Time In Anatolia – Nuri Bilge Ceylan
Rust and Bone – Jacques Audiard
Sister – Ursula Meier
War Witch – Kim Nguyen

MY REASONING:
I believe for the second year in a row, the winner of the Oscar and Independent Spirit Award for foreign film will be the same. Before last year, it had been 25 years since the same film won in both award shows. Amour is the clear front runner to win at the Academy Awards and should win here as well, despite the rest of the films all being worth-while watches.

Best Cinematography:

Yoni Brook – Valley Of Saints
Lol Crawley – Here
Ben Richardson – Beasts of the Southern Wild
Roman Vasyanov – End of Watch
Robert Yeoman – Moonrise Kingdom

MY REASONING:
My pick here goes to Moonrise Kingdom, in what I think will be the only award the film will win. I am not sure if you can call it an upset, but I think it will beat out Beasts of the Southern Wild, which might seem like the most likely to win.

Best Screenplay:

Wes Anderson and Roman Coppola – Moonrise Kingdom
Zoe Kazan – Ruby Sparks
Martin McDonagh – Seven Psychopaths
David O. Russell – Silver Linings Playbook
Ira Sachs and Mauricio Zacharias – Keep The Lights On

MY REASONING:
The two films that have the best odds of being declared the winner are Silver Linings Playbook and Moonrise Kingdom. It was great to see Ruby Sparks nominated for an award and Keep The Lights On nominated for four, but I think the winner here is Silver Linings Playbook.

Best First Screenplay:

Rama Burshtein – Fill The Void
Derek Connolly – Safety Not Guaranteed
Christopher Ford – Robot & Frank
Jonathan Lisecki – Gayby
Rashida Jones and Will McCormack – Celeste and Jesse Forever

MY REASONING:
Because Safety Not Guaranteed will likely get edged out of the Best First Feature award by The Perks Of Being A Wallflower, which is not present in this category, it has the best shot at winning in my eyes.

Way Too Indie’s Best Films of 2012

Dustin Jansick — Mon, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

As the Way Too Indie Staff compiled their favorite films that had a U.S. theatrical release in 2012, there was some debate as to whether or not 2012 was an overall good year for films. I landed in the “it was a pretty good year” camp personally, but let’s take a moment to recap some of the big releases that came out. In particular, 2012 was quite a year for blockbuster films as The Avengers broke 28 box office records during the summer. Christopher Nolan finished up his Batman trilogy with The Dark Knight Rises. Steven Spielberg shot an epic biopic about the history behind one of America’s most famous presidents with his film Lincoln. No one from the staff had a chance to see Zero Dark Thirty before making their list, which is bound to have a nice box office run. Next, consider how many modern legendary filmmakers released a film this year; Wes Anderson (Moonrise Kingdom), Paul Thomas Anderson (The Master), Quentin Tarantino (Django Unchained), Leos Carax (Holy Motors) and the final film by Bela Tarr (The Turin Horse). While there may not have been a plethora of masterpieces in 2012, overall it was a solid year for fans of cinema.

Way Too Indie’s Best Films of 2012

#1 This Must Be the Place

Paolo Sorrentino’s new film about a retired gothic rock star living in Dublin, Ireland who sets out across America to find the ex-Nazi who tortured his father is one hell of a road trip film. Sean Penn plays the rocker and it’s one of his best performances in years. Some parts are very funny and others will touch your heart. Supporting turns from Judd Hirsch, Frances McDormand, Harry Dean Stanton and real life rock star David Byrne are just a few of the quirky people that populate Sorrentino’s whimsical journey into the heart of not only America, but darkness itself. (Blake)
This Must Be the Place Review | Watch Trailer

#2 Looper

Having worked in a cinema over the summer I can say that in the UK, Looper wasn’t a film that generated that much hype, I think we were all sure that it was just another Bruce Willis action stereotype. After seeing the trailer, my opinion changed dramatically and I was forced to admit I was eagerly awaiting the release. This sci-fi designed to avoid the deep nature of time travel and accept that there are many ‘loop holes’ to the whole experience focuses on a single man’s fight for survival. The people and/or person that he is fighting against are where this story pulls at the complex strings of our mind. We’re constantly fighting our own battle to understand what’s happening and our constant personal debate as to who to root for is why this film is so high in this list. (Amy)
Looper Review | Watch Trailer

#3 Beasts of the Southern Wild

Benh Zeitlin blindsided everyone this year with his fantastic filmmaking debut in Beasts of the Southern Wild. One of the year’s best films was comprised of people who have never acted before, making the film that much more impressive. The film is told through the eyes of a self-aware child who has extraordinary determination to find her place in the world. Many allegories can be found within this poetic fairy tale of a film, making it not only an imaginative coming-of-age story but also a though-provoking one as well. (Dustin)
Beasts of the Southern Wild Review | Watch Trailer

#4 Oslo, August 31

You will not find a more devastating film in this year (or possibly any year). Led by the best performance by an actor this year, this Norwegian drama will have you weeping in parts and your hands balled in fists rage in others. Anders, a recovering drug addict, wanders the streets of the Norwegian capital for 24 hours wondering his life’s worth and where he fits it in the grand scheme of things. The film is brutally honest for most of it’s 95 minutes, but you’d be hard pressed to find a more complete film than this Scandinavian masterpiece. (Blake)
Oslo, August 31 Review | Watch Trailer

#5 Moonrise Kingdom

Wes Anderson has created such a spectacular adventure fantasy I challenge anyone to dislike it. With two fantastic young actors portraying disturbed and lonely children searching for love, happiness and adventure you can’t help but adore their almost-adolescent behaviour. Suzy Bishop (Kara Hayward) the daughter of Laura (Frances McDormand) and Walt (Bill Murray) Bishop always carries a pair of binoculars due to her investigative and interesting nature. Sam Shakusky (Jared Gilman) is a devoted boy scout who doesn’t fit in with his group of peers. His destructive attitude towards bullies makes him an outsider to society and abandoned by his foster family. The pair’s loneliness and abstract personalities force them to run away with each other. The story is brilliant and a personal favourite of the year. (Amy)
Moonrise Kingdom Review | Watch Trailer

#6 Jeff, Who Lives at Home

In this fourth feature film from the indie darlings Jay and Mark Duplass, they have perfected the comradery of brotherhood using their signature approach of quick zoom cinematography and less scripted dialog. Jeff, Who Lives at Home delivers a powerful message about believing things happen for a reason by blurring the line between choice and destiny. Along the way are some hilarious scenes that make the film an easy and entertaining watch. The Duplass brothers may be edging into more mainstream movie making, but they are not sacrificing their style or creativity. (Dustin)
Jeff, Who Lives at Home Review | Watch Trailer

#7 The Deep Blue Sea

“You know what real love is? It’s wiping someone’s ass … and lettin’ ‘em keep their dignity so you can both go on.” That advice one character gives to Hester (Rachel Weisz) more or less sums up the message of Terence Davies’ film. Hester, who left her marriage to a wealthy judge for a young Air Force pilot (Tom Hiddleston), is so madly in love with her boyfriend that she resorts to suicide if he doesn’t return the same feelings entirely. Weisz is naturally terrific at earning sympathy despite her character’s irrational behaviour, but it’s Davies who stands out (returning to narrative filmmaking after a long hiatus). Shooting through the same perspective as Hester, Davies uses a soft, hazy look and plenty of jaw-dropping sequences/shots that make The Deep Blue Sea the most romantic film of 2012. (CJ)
Watch Trailer

#8 Your Sister’s Sister

Lynn Shelton shot Your Sister’s Sister in under two weeks, but there is no evidence that the film suffers from such a short production. While the premise is simple, a man falls for his friend’s sister, the film turns out to be more intelligent and less conventional that it may sound like. Shelton brilliantly takes simple situations and turns them into extraordinary ones without sacrificing believability. Because the film mostly consists of improvisational dialog, genuine emotions and conversations are fully captured. To top it off, it wisely steers clear of a safe ending and goes with one that perfectly fits with the rest of the film. (Dustin)
Your Sister’s Sister Review | Watch Trailer

#9 The Turin Horse

Bela Tarr’s final film (and final masterpiece) is such a satisfying end to the Hungarian director’s career that it’s easy to understand why he retired. Unfolding over two and a half hours in 30 long takes, The Turin Horse observes six days in the life of a farmer and his daughter in a desolate landscape. They do the same tasks repeatedly with each passing day, but soon their world is slowly dismantled piece by piece until there’s nothing left. Tarr’s bleak vision, with the brutal soundscape of pummeling winds and intense focus on the farmer’s tedious tasks, are so gorgeously realized with DP Fred Kelemen that it’s impossible not to be affected by it. The Turin Horse may not be an easy watch, but it’s undeniably pure cinema. (CJ)
Watch Trailer

#10 Cabin in the Woods

Reading through Blake’s review of this movie, I can safely say that I agree with him quite strongly. The film was 100% refreshing to the horror genre and indeed “on the edge of being great”. The Cabin in the Woods offers us a chance to see horror for what it is and what it should be, awesome, ‘scary’ and sometimes absolutely spontaneous. In a genre that suffers from over use of the stereotype high-school death sequences this film gives it a breath of fresh air, something much needed due to the drivel that’s been pumped out over the years. (Amy)
Cabin in the Woods Review | Watch Trailer

#11 End of Watch

Set on the mean streets of Los Angeles this tale of two beat cops is one hell of a thriller. Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Pena are magnificent as the two cops. The film lives or dies on their chemistry and honestly you won’t find a better on screen duo this year. Director David Ayers supports them with a great screenplay and even better directing. His film builds from minute one all the way to the frantically intense finale where the two cops find themselves marked men by the Mexican drug cartel. This is visceral filmmaking. (Blake)
Watch Trailer

#12 The Raid: Redemption

The premise is simple: A SWAT team takes on an apartment complex run by a drug lord but soon have to fight their way out in order to survive. Gareth Evans, evoking the no-bullshit attitude of 70s exploitation films from the likes of John Carpenter, takes his straightforward concept and fills it with some of the most brutal and exciting action sequences from the last decade. Starting with guns and slowly moving his way towards hand-to-hand combat, Evans maintains a breathless pace while upping the brutality with each passing minute. When it comes to action filmmaking this is as close to perfect as it can get. (CJ)
The Raid: Redemption Review | Watch Trailer

#13 The Dark Knight Rises

To be clear, The Dark Knight Rises is not my favorite of Christopher Nolan’s three-film franchise. But is it one of the best of 2012? Absolutely! There is enough that works in this film to forgive its more obvious flaws, ahem pacing. Nolan maintains the dark tragic arc of the Batman introducing him to, if not his most tantalizing of villains, definitely his most dogged. Bain manages to invoke more damage than any other criminal introduced, on both Gotham and Batman. And there is the true connection Nolan presents: Batman is Gotham and his fate ties directly to the city. This emotional tie, and the barriers Bruce Wayne, who may now always be remembered with Christian Bale’s cool collected mannerisms, must overcome, grow our love for this favorite of the superhero universes. Nolan’s conclusion to what is clearly the best comic book film series ever made, gives us the best of the Batman and this leaves a satisfying sense of closure. (Ananda)
The Dark Knight Rises Review | Watch Trailer

#14 The Master

An alcoholic war veteran (played by Joaquin Phoenix) stumbles into a cult circle run by Philip Seymour Hoffman. From there The Master keeps the audience on edge with massive amounts of psychological realism resulting with more questions than answers. The Master is a hypnotic film that is challenging but ultimately rewarding if you are willing to read between the lines. Containing acting performances that are not only among the best of the year, but the best in recent memory. Paul Thomas Anderson is considered to be one of the best filmmakers of the last 20 years and it is easy to see why after watching this film. (Dustin)
The Master Review | Watch Trailer

#15 The Avengers

Though I may perhaps be one of few who would call this one, if not the, best film of the year, any film that perfectly executes its genre, should be given accolade. With comic book films starting to lose originality, Joss Whedon stays true to the character of each of The Avengers’ six superheroes by presenting them truer to their comic book form than trying to adapt them to film. Using his particular comedic wit (all that we loved about Dr. Horrible) and incredibly executed action (all the greatness of Firefly) and suddenly we’re watching a different sort of comic book movie. One which gratifies fanboys and moviegoers alike with its presentation. Combined with Whedon’s sly horror film Cabin in the Woods (also on our list of the Best of 2012), which manages to reinvent genres by cleverly laughing both with and at Horror, I’d say Whedon’s in the zone. (Ananda)
Watch Trailer

#16 Headhunters

The best description I’ve heard about this brilliant thriller from Norway was, “a mix of Coen brothers and Wiley Coyote.” A corporate headhunter is way in debt. So much so that he resorts to stealing valuable art pieces from clients. His new client, whom he also suspects of sleeping with his wife, turns out to be an ex-Mercenary who specialized in tracking down humans. Once the chase starts there is no letting up. The film is brilliant at mixing brutal and bloody violence with ironic comedy and great human moments. (Blake)
Headhunters Review | Watch Trailer

#17 Ruby Sparks

I had very high hopes for Ruby Sparks, and I’m absolutely positive it was rooted from my love of Little Miss Sunshine. The makers did not disappoint. Ruby Sparks is funny, crazy and a little bit lovely. Calvin (Paul Dano – “Dwayne” from Little Miss Sunshine) has writers block when we are first introduced to him. He’s seeing a therapist (Elliot Gould) in order to help him overcome some personal issues; however his need to write overshadows dealing with those problems. A writing assignment given by his therapist turns into the narrative for this story. Calvin creates a woman “Ruby Sparks” (Zoe Kazan) from the words he writes on his typewriter and she comes to life; cue love story. Ruby isn’t an ordinary girl however, she’s everything Calvin wants and has ever dreamed of quite literally; until the day she isn’t. A self-destructive Calvin realises he is living out a dream and not a reality. A typical boy meets girl love story but with some serious edge. (Amy)
Ruby Sparks Review | Watch Trailer

#18 Arbitrage

After seeing Dustin’s review for a new Richard Gere film I had to check it out for myself. Arbitrage was an almost perfect film that grips you from the very beginning and doesn’t lose you at any point at all. Robert Miller (Richard Gere) is the CEO of Miller Capital with an intention to sell his business, the reasons why cause trauma and deceit throughout the entirety of the film. His family and friends can’t seem to understand why he wants to sell the firm but the need to preserve his dignity a financial standing pushes him to do so. Keeping concentration during Arbitrage is effortless. In Dustin’s review he said the film, “uses its runtime effectively, making it seemingly fly by” – and because the ending came as such a shock to me I’d have to agree. I hadn’t realised I’d been watching the film for 107 minutes and it seemed to jump out of the blue. Arbitrage leaves you with some unanswered questions and the film ends quite abruptly, however the journey is so exciting you don’t seem to mind all that much. (Amy)
Arbitrage Review | Watch Trailer

#19 Lincoln

I was skeptical before seeing this film; unsure Spielberg wasn’t out to extort one of America’s most beloved political heroes. As a timely film, during the 150th anniversary of the Civil War, I worried the film would focus on the war, the most gruesome event of Lincoln’s presidency, but instead Lincoln is a well-crafted political drama. The film portrays Lincoln as a politician who could play the game as well as any of them and still bring a sense of dignity to it all. Daniel Day Lewis, a Brit who has my permission to play any American figure he pleases, portrays Lincoln’s affability but also shows the toll such empathy for people took on him. With an inspired ensemble (I literally spent the first 30 minutes gawking at how many great actors kept popping up), Lincoln’s greatest Presidential act, the abolishment of slavery, is acted to perfection. And at a time when our own politicians seem unable to reach compromises, this film offers greater encouragement and a timely reminder of what one man was able to accomplish. (Ananda)
Watch Trailer

#20 Holy Motors

This French gem of a film is one that I can honestly say I haven’t quite figured out fully yet. But, I guarantee you won’t find a better film this year about the love (and loss) of cinema. A man rides in the back of a limo from one “appointment” to another. To describe what he does over the course of the film in one paragraph is simply impossible, but I would bet my life that as a cinema lover you’ll lose count of how many times you’ll be picking your jaw up from the floor. This is a film that drips with the blood, sweat and tears of all eras of cinema. Denis Levant’s lead performance is one for the ages. You owe yourself to see this film. (Blake)
Holy Motors Review | Watch Trailer

#21 This is Not a Film

Jafar Panahi’s film, while sitting closer to the bottom of this list, would certainly be at the top if we were going by the most impressive films of the year. Panahi, who is currently on house arrest with a 6 year prison sentence and 20 year ban on filmmaking, tries to work around his limitations by filming himself acting out a script he was working on before his arrest. It’s through this seed of an idea that This is Not a Film transforms into so much more: a portrait of a man who’s lost his livelihood, a defiant act of protest, a meditation on cinema itself and so much more. It’s one of the most daring and original works from this year with a final sequence that has to be seen to be believed. (CJ)
This is Not a Film Review | Watch Trailer

#22 Silver Linings Playbook

Granted, I’m a sucker for an untraditional romance any day, but throw in amazing performances and I have no problem calling Silver Linings Playbook one of the best of the year. David O. Russel makes a romance between two emotionally disturbed people both heartwarming and realistic. Bradley Cooper gives a career-defining performance as Pat, just out of a state institution after going ballistic when he found his wife in the shower with a co-worker, and now living back at home with his parents. Robert De Niro (only improved with age) is Pat’s borderline OCD father who loves his son the only way he knows how. But Jennifer Lawrence picked the perfect way to cast off any young-adult-leading-lady stigma by playing Tiffany, a manic recently widowed young woman who befriends Pat and proves that two crazies cancel each other out. Through their self-devised form of therapy they bring out the best in each other while accepting each other in fully flawed form. Both hilarious and heart-wrenching, Silver Linings Playbook proves that today’s romance no longer fits the rom-com mold, and I say out with the old and in with new. (Ananda)
Silver Linings Playbook Review | Watch Trailer

#23 Beyond the Black Rainbow

Beyond The Black Rainbow is more of an experience than anything else. This sci-fi thriller is a highly stylized head trip; weather it is an enjoyable one will come down to your tolerance of slow-paced atmospheric films that replace a traditional narrative for abstract visuals. The film is set in a futuristic 1983 facility where an experimental doctor holds his patient captive to perform tests on her. The film appears heavily influenced from the masterminds of Stanley Kubrick and Dario Argento. If you can overlook the dreadful ending, you may just find the most bizarre film of 2012. (Dustin)
Beyond the Black Rainbow Review | Watch Trailer

#24 Life of Pi

Based on the acclaimed novel of the same name, Life of Pi, dubbed “unfilmable” by some, is at once both true to it’s source as well as a stand alone masterful film. The story of a young man who loses everything when shipwrecked and winds up lost at sea with a Bengal tiger, is fantastical and yet at all times believable, because Pi’s spiritual journey is so in tune with that of the struggle within many of us. Ang Lee has told every manor of story in his many films, covering both history and the globe with his settings. With Life of Pi, he proves there is no story he can’t get to the heart of, and no visual element he can’t master. Turns out a film can combine the visual elements of a major blockbuster with the artistic emotion of an independent film, where one element need not trump the other. (Ananda)
Watch Trailer

#25 Killer Joe

William Friedkin and Tracy Letts’ pitch black comedy isn’t afraid to revel in the vile world it creates. The hick family, who hire an assassin to kill their mother and use their mentally impaired daughter as a retainer, are either dumb as a doornail or reprehensible on every level. People only communicate through shouting matches, and everyone is just trying to make money without any care for who might get hurt along the way. Friedkin and Letts slowly let the story develop along the way, letting things play out as a sort of warped take on a Coen Brothers film while slowly building up the tension until everything goes wrong. What elevates Killer Joe into something truly great is the final act, where all the tension explodes in a horrifying conclusion that’ll have viewers mortified or cackling with glee. William Friedkin might not be churning out classics like The Exorcist or The French Connection nowadays, but there’s no denying the man hasn’t lost his edge. (CJ)
Killer Joe Review | Watch Trailer

Honorable Mentions

Sleepwalk With Me
Alps
Prometheus
Barbara
The Color Wheel

2013 Golden Globes Nominations

C.J. Prince — Thu, 13 Dec 2012 16:37:08 +0000

Now look, I don’t have to tread familiar ground here (but I will for fun). Anyone who knows about awards season knows how much of a joke the Golden Globes are. The awards, which are selected by 90 or so people who make up the ‘Hollywood Foreign Press Association’ or HFPA, have very little significance. The studios pour out money shoving their stars around to HFPA parties, wining and dining the members in order to get some sort of recognition. This isn’t much of a secret since it’s so blatant. A quick Google search can show you how messed up the awards are, and it seems that with every year they’ve stopped bothering with trying to make themselves look somewhat prestigious.

There are definitely some shocking nominations here, but most of them are of the ‘Huh?!’ variety. Expectantly this comes from the Musical or Comedy category, where Salmon Fishing in the Yemen scored three nominations! Other odd surprises include Maggie Smith getting nominated for Quartet instead of Comedy/Musical Picture nominee The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel and The Hobbit getting completely shut out.

As for the serious contenders, Lincoln and Les Misérables continue their race at the top with Zero Dark Thirty closing in fast. Lincoln scored the most nominations with 7 while Argo and Django Unchained got 5 a piece. Les Misérables, which was the presumed front-runner for the Musical/Comedy category, only got nods for Picture, Actor (Hugh Jackman) and Supporting Actress (Anne Hathaway). It could be a sign of that movie losing steam, but treating the Globes as a predictor of anything would be a grave mistake.

As for the pleasant surprises: Moonrise Kingdom scores a Best Picture nod, Life of Pi got some love (while it isn’t the best movie of the year it’s definitely one of the more unique films in the awards race), Django Unchained and Argo proving that they have staying power, Rachel Weisz, Richard Gere and Jack Black all getting acting nods and Cloud Atlas picking up a nomination for its excellent score. Read (or weep at) the nominations below. The awards show, which is more about watching celebs get drunk and hoping tabloid fodder happens, air on January 13th. Tina Fey and Amy Poehler will host.

The full list of 2013 Golden Globes nominations:

Best Motion Picture – Drama
Argo
Django Unchained
Life Of Pi
Lincoln
Zero Dark Thirty

Best Picture – Comedy/Musical
Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
Les Miserables
Moonrise Kingdom
Salmon Fishing In The Yemen
Silver Linings Playbook

Best Director
Ben Affleck – Argo
Quentin Tarantino – Django Unchained
Ang Lee – Life Of Pi
Steven Spielberg – Lincoln
Kathryn Bigelow – Zero Dark Thirty

Best Actress – Drama
Rachel Weisz – The Deep Blue Sea
Helen Mirren – Hitchcock
Naomi Watts – The Impossible
Marion Cotillard – Rust And Bone
Jessica Chastain – Zero Dark Thirty

Best Actor – Drama
Richard Gere – Arbitrage
Denzel Washington – Flight
Daniel Day-Lewis – Lincoln
Joaquin Phoenix – The Master
John Hawkes – The Sessions

Best Actress – Comedy/Musical
Judi Dench – Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
Meryl Streep – Hope Springs
Maggie Smith – Quartet
Emily Blunt – Salmon Fishing In The Yemen
Jennifer Lawrence – Silver Linings Playbook

Best Actor – Comedy/Musical
Jack Black – Bernie
Bill Murray – Hyde Park On Hudson
Hugh Jackman – Les Miserables
Ewan McGregor – Salmon Fishing In The Yemen
Bradley Cooper – Silver Linings Playbook

Best Supporting Actress
Anne Hathaway – Les Miserables
Sally Field – Lincoln
Amy Adams – The Master
Nicole Kidman – The Paperboy
Helen Hunt – The Sessions

Best Supporting Actor
Alan Arkin – Argo
Christoph Waltz – Django Unchained
Leonardo DiCaprio – Django Unchained
Tommy Lee Jones – Lincoln
Philip Seymour Hoffman – The Master

Best Screenplay
Chris Terrio – Argo
Quentin Tarantino – Django Unchained
Tony Kushner – Lincoln
David O Russell – Silver Linings Playbook
Mark Boal – Zero Dark Thirty

Best Original Score
Alexandre Desplat – Argo
Dario Marianeli – Anna Karenina
Tom Tykwer, Johnny Klimek, Reinhold Heil – Cloud Atlas
Mychael Danna – Life Of Pi
John Williams – Lincoln

Best Original Song
Keith Urban – For You (Act Of Valor)
Taylor Swift – Safe & Sound (The Hunger Games)
Hugh Jackman – Suddenly (Les Miserables)
Adele – Skyfall (Skyfall)
Jon Bon Jovi – Not Running Anymore – (Stand Up Guys)

Best Animated Feature Film
Brave
Frankenweenie
Hotel Transylvania
Rise Of The Guardians
Wreck-It Ralph

Best Foreign Film
Amour
The Intouchables
Kon-Tiki
A Royal Affair
Rust & Bone

Best Television Series – Drama
Breaking Bad
Boardwalk Empire
Downton Abbey
Homeland
The Newsroom

Best Performance by an Actress In A Television Series – Drama
Connie Britton, Nashville
Glenn Close, Damages
Claire Danes, Homeland
Michelle Dockery, Downton Abbey
Julianna Margulies, The Good Wife

Best Performance by an Actor In A Television Series – Drama
Jeff Daniels, The Newsroom
Jon Hamm, Mad Men
Damian Lewis, Homeland
Steve Buscemi, Boardwalk Empire
Bryan Cranston, Breaking Bad

Best Television Series – Comedy Or Musical
The Big Bang Theory
Episodes
Girls
Modern Family
Smash

Best Performance by an Actress In A Television Series – Comedy Or Musical
Zooey Deschanel, New Girl
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Veep
Lena Dunham, Girls
Tina Fey, 30 Rock
Amy Poehler, Parks and Recreation

Best Performance by an Actor In A Television Series – Comedy Or Musical
Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock
Don Cheadle, House of Lies
Louis CK, Louie
Matt LeBlanc, Episodes
Jim Parsons, The Big Bang Theory

Best Mini-Series Or Motion Picture Made for Television
Game Change
The Girl
Hatfields & McCoys
The Hour
Political Animals

Best Performance by an Actress In A Mini-series or Motion Picture Made for Television
Nicole Kidman, Hemingway and Gelhorn
Jessica Lange, American Horror Story: Asylum
Sienna Miller, The Girl
Julianne Moore, Game Change
Sigourney Weaver, Political Animals

Best Performance by an Actor in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
Kevin Costner, Hatfields & McCoys
Benedict Cumberbatch, Sherlock
Woody Harrelson, Game Change
Toby Jones, The Girl
Clive Owen, Hemingway and Gelhorn

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
Hayden Panettiere, Nashville
Archie Panjabi, The Good Wife
Sarah Paulson, Game Change
Maggie Smith, Downton Abbey
Sofia Vergara, Modern Family

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
Max Greenfield, New Girl
Ed Harris, Game Change
Danny Huston, Magic City
Mandy Patinkin, Homeland
Eric Stonestreet, Modern Family

Dustin’s Top 10 Films of 2012

Dustin Jansick — Mon, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

I still remember the feeling I had immediately after watching Beasts of the Southern Wild; my heart was beating out of my chest, a long-lasting smile was on my face, and I had that feeling that I just watched something great. Regardless of the title, it is special when a film can make you feel this way. So it should be of little surprise that Beasts of the Southern Wild is my number 1 film of 2012. But the main purpose of this preface is to highlight potentially important films that I did not get a chance to see before making the list. Some of these films include; The Sessions, Amour, The Comedy, Cloud Atlas, and The Silver Linings Playbook just to name a few.

Also to note, Paradise: Love is absent from my list (although it would have likely been in the Top 3). This is because of the rules we set up, only films with a North American release date of 2012 can count. Therefore it will have to appear on the list next year.

Dustin Jansick’s Top 10 Films of 2012

#1 Beasts of the Southern Wild

A mesmerizing lead performance by Quvenzhane Wallis pairs perfectly with a magnificently shot poetic film by Benh Zeitlin. It the most imaginative and moving film of the year.
Beasts of the Southern Wild Review | Watch Trailer

#2 Your Sister’s Sister

Lynn Shelton is great at taking simple conventional situations and making them into complex and extraordinary without sacrificing believability.
Your Sister’s Sister Review | Watch Trailer

#3 The Master

It is a challenging but rewarding film if you are willing to connect the dots yourself. It contains some of the year’s best acting performances.
The Master Review | Watch Trailer

#4 Jeff, Who Lives At Home

The film delivers a powerful message about believing things in life happen for a reason and it does so by blurring the line between choice and destiny.
Jeff, Who Lives At Home Review | Watch Trailer

#5 Looper

Most sci-fi action films do not care about character development or even if it has a good plot. This film has both of those in addition to the entertainment.
Looper Review | Watch Trailer

#6 Beyond The Black Rainbow

This highly stylized head-trip of a film has a Midnight Madness feel to it and has cult classic written all over it. Maybe the most bizarre film of the year.
Beyond The Black Rainbow Review | Watch Trailer

#7 Sleepwalk With Me

One of the year’s best comedies demonstrations comedians are not always funny and relationships are not always fairy tales in an entertaining manner.
Sleepwalk With Me Review | Watch Trailer

#8 Moonrise Kingdom

You cannot deny that Wes Anderson has his own unique style and this film solidifies that statement. It screams Anderson and has a great ensemble cast to go along with it.
Moonrise Kingdom Review | Watch Trailer

#9 Alps

Giorgos Lanthimos is quickly becoming one of my favorite foreign directors. A film about impersonating other identities while losing your own? Brilliant.
Alps Review | Watch Trailer

#10 Cabin in the Woods

This is a satire on the horror genre, pointing out all the clichés by acting them out. It makes for a refreshing and entertaining watch.
Cabin in the Woods Review | Watch Trailer

Honorable Mentions

Sound of My Voice
Goodbye First Love
Compliance
Ruby Sparks
Arbitrage

2013 Independent Spirit Award Nominations

Dustin Jansick — Mon, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

Film Independent announced the nominations for the 28th annual Independent Spirit Awards this morning by Zoe Saldana and Anna Kendrick. Last year many of the award winners went on to win Oscars but I suspect that will be a little different this year. The winners will be announced at the 28th annual Film Independent Spirit Awards on February 23th and the broadcast will air at 10 p.m. ET/PT on IFC.

There were two films that tied for the most amount of nominations and those were Wes Anderson’s Moonrise Kingdom and David O. Russells’s Silver Linings Playbook with five total nominations. Both of the films will be competing for the top award of Best Feature.

It was a little shocking to see that the Sundance standout Beasts of the Southern Wild did not have quite as many nods but four is a healthy amount of nominations to receive. The film bypassed Best First Feature even though it is technically Benh Zeitlin’s first and step up to the bigger category Best Feature (rules prohibit a film from being in both). Beasts of the Southern Wild was ousted from the Best Screenplay category.

John Hawkes makes his third straight appearance in the nomination list with his role in The Sessions. This time he will move up to the Best Lead Male category against some pretty strong contenders. Hawkes was nominated for Best Supporting Male last year for Martha Marcy May Marlene and won the award in the previous year for Winter’s Bone. Matthew McConaughey will get two chances to win for two different films. He got a nod for Best Male Lead (for Killer Joe) and Best Supporting Male (for Magic Mike).

Perhaps the most interesting category this year belongs to the Best International Film section as there was quite a bit of potentials for it this year. Michael Haneke’s Amour made the cut, unsurprisingly, and will likely be the favorite to win (as well as for the Oscar). It was a bit of a surprise to not see Holy Motors in that list but seeing War Witch get a nod was lovely as it is definitely a film worth seeing. I didn’t expect to see Paradise: Love or Goodbye First Love on this list but it would have been if it were up to me.

Watch for our predictions for the 2013 Film Independent Spirit Awards post to come in the coming weeks.

Full List of 2013 Independent Spirit Award Nominations:

Best Feature: (Award given to the Producer)

Beasts of the Southern Wild
Bernie
Keep The Lights On
Moonrise Kingdom
Silver Linings Playbook

Best Director:

Wes Anderson – Moonrise Kingdom
Julia Loktev – The Loneliest Planet
David O. Russell – Silver Linings Playbook
Ira Sachs – Keep The Lights On
Benh Zeitlin – Beasts of the Southern Wild

Best First Feature: (Award given to the director and producer)

Fill The Void – Rama Burshtein
Gimme The Loot – Adam Leon
Safety Not Guaranteed – Colin Trevorrow
Sound of My Voice – Zal Batmanglij
The Perks Of Being A Wallflower – Stephen Chobsky

Best Male Lead:

Jack Black – Bernie
Bradley Cooper – Silver Linings Playbook
John Hawkes – The Sessions
Thure Lindhart – Keep The Lights On
Matthew McConaughey – Killer Joe
Wendell Pierce – Four

Best Female Lead:

Linda Cardellini – Return
Emayatzy Corinealdi – Middle of Nowhere
Jennifer Lawrence – Silver Linings Playbook
Quvenzhane Wallis – Beasts of the Southern Wild
Mary E. Winstead – Smashed

Best Supporting Male:

Matthew McConaughey – Magic Mike
David Oyelowo – Middle of Nowhere
Michael Pena – End of Watch
Sam Rockwell – Seven Psychopaths
Bruce Willis – Moonrise Kingdom

Best Supporting Female:

Rosemarie DeWitt – Your Sister’s Sister
Ann Dowd – Compliance
Helen Hunt – The Sessions
Brit Marling – Sound of My Voice
Lorraine Toussaint – Middle of Nowhere

John Cassavetes Award: (Given to the best feature made for under $500,000; award given to the writer, director, and producer)

Breakfast With Curtis – Laura Colella
Middle of Nowhere – Ava DuVernay
Mosquita y Mari – Aurora Guerrero
Starlet – Sean Baker
The Color Wheel – Alex Ross Perry

Best Documentary: (Award given to the director)

How To Survive A Plague – David France
Marina Abramovic: The Artist Is Present – Matthew Akers
The Central Park Five – Ken Burns, Sarah Burns, David McMahon
The Invisible War – Kirby Dick
The Waiting Room – Peter Nicks

Best International Film: (Award given to the director)

Amour – Michael Haneke
Once Upon A Time In Anatolia – Nuri Bilge Ceylan
Rust and Bone – Jacques Audiard
Sister – Ursula Meier
War Witch – Kim Nguyen

Best Cinematography:

Yoni Brook – Valley Of Saints
Lol Crawley – Here
Ben Richardson – Beasts of the Southern Wild
Roman Vasyanov – End of Watch
Robert Yeoman – Moonrise Kingdom

Best Screenplay:

Wes Anderson and Roman Coppola – Moonrise Kingdom
Zoe Kazan – Ruby Sparks
Martin McDonagh – Seven Psychopaths
David O. Russell – Silver Linings Playbook
Ira Sachs and Mauricio Zacharias – Keep The Lights On

Best First Screenplay:

Rama Burshtein – Fill The Void
Derek Connolly – Safety Not Guaranteed
Christopher Ford – Robot & Frank
Jonathan Lisecki – Gayby
Rashida Jones and Will McCormack – Celeste and Jesse Forever

Robert Altman Award: (Given to one film’s director, casting director, and its ensemble cast)

Starlet
Director: Sean Baker
Casting Director: Julia Kim
Ensemble Cast: Dree Hemingway, Besedka Johnson, Karren Karagulian, Stella Maeve, James Ranson

Piaget Producers Award: (Award given to a producer)

Alicia Van Couvering – Nobody Walks
Mynette Louie – Stones in the Sun
Derrick Tseng – Prince Avalanche

Truer Than Fiction Award: (Award given to the director)

Lucien Castaing-Taylor and Verena Paravel – Leviathan
Peter Nicks – The Waiting Room
Jason Tippet and Elizabeth Mims – Only the Young

Someone to Watch Award: (Award given to the director)

David Fenster – Pincus
Adam Leon – Gimme The Loot
Rebecca Thomas – Electrick Children

2012 Holiday Indie Gift Guide

Dustin Jansick — Mon, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

Not sure of what to get for your friends and family members with a discerning taste in film this holiday season? Look no further than our 2012 Holiday Indie Gift Guide! We have picked out titles that will be sure to cover everyone on your Christmas list. We even helped you out by suggesting exactly who to get the films for.

Beasts of the Southern Wild

Who to get it for: Anyone with an imagination
Teeming with magic, beauty and pure joy, this crowd-pleasing winner at the Sundance Film Festival has emerged as one of the year’s most acclaimed films. This poetic fairy tale told through the point of view of a child’s imagination (Quvenzhane Wallis) named Hushpuppy who has unflinching determination to find her place in the world. When her tough but loving father Wink (Dwight Henry) succumbs to a mysterious malady, the fierce and determined girl bravely sets out on a journey to the outside world. But Hushpuppy’s quest is hindered by a “busted” universe that melts the ice caps and unleashes an army of prehistoric beasts.
Way Too Indie Review of Beasts of the Southern Wild

Jeff, Who Lives At Home

Who to get it for: Your brother that you need to reconnect with
The synopsis of Jeff, Who Lives at Home is a rather powerful yet whimsical one; it is about believing that things in life happen for a reason as well as bonding with your family. However, the film had just the right amount of laugh out loud moments combined with the right amount of emotional scenes. Achieving that level of balance along with making the film full of heart is something that is rarely done this well. The Duplass brothers make it worth being passionate about films.
Way Too Indie Review of Jeff, Who Lives At Home

Lola Versus

Who to get it for: Your hipster sister who lives in New York
This offbeat romantic comedy about looking finding yourself in a complicated world and is told from an unapologetic single woman’s point of view. When 29-year-old Lola (Greta Gerwig) is dumped by her fiancé Luke (Joel Kinnaman) just three weeks before the wedding, she embarks on an emotional, year-long adventure of self-discovery filled with love, loss, hilarity and heartache. Guided (and often misguided) by the well-meaning advice of her close friends and eccentric parents, Lola’s chaotic journey en route to the big 3-0 proves that a single tumultuous year can yield the lessons of a lifetime.
Way Too Indie Review of Lola Versus

Ruby Sparks

Who to get it for: Your writer relative who may be a genius
From the directors of Little Miss Sunshine comes a pleasantly suprising romantic comedy starring Paul Dano and writer-actress Zoe Kazan. Struggling with writer’s block and a lackluster love life, once-famous novelist Calvin (Dano) creates a beautiful fictitious character named Ruby (Kazan) who inspires him. But not only does this bring his work to life- it also brings Ruby to life- literally! Face-to-face with an actual relationship with his once virtual girlfriend, Calvin must now decide whether to pen this love story or let it write itself.
Way Too Indie Review of Ruby Sparks

Moonrise Kingdom

Who to get it for: Your teenage children who might be smarter than you
Moonrise Kingdom is unmistakably a Wes Anderson film. It features presumptuous children who seem to be more intelligent and mature than the adults and a simple but whimsical storyline that is completely overshadowed by its presentation. Everything is exaggerated and deadpan humor is in abundance. That is what often makes his films so fascinating to watch and Moonrise Kingdom is no exception. It is a fun adventurous fantasy that only he is able to create.
Way Too Indie Review of Moonrise Kingdom

Sound of My Voice

Who to get it for: That uncle that you think may be a part of a cult
Brit Marling is amazing in a film that is one of the most captivating opening 10 mintues that I have seen in years. A filmmaker (Christopher Denham) and his girlfriend (Nicole Vicius) set out to expose the beautiful leader of a cult (Marling), who claims to be from the future. But the more they explore, the more danger they face in this “an intricate and taut thriller” from writer-actress Marling and writer-director Zal Batmanglij.
Way Too Indie Review of Sound of My Voice

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel

Who to get it for: Your parents or any relative that is older than you
It is easy to see why it is a hit for the targeted audience because it has a great veteran cast who are about to embark on a journey they never expected in retirement. When seven cash-strapped seniors decide to “outsource” their retirement to a resort in far-off India, friendship and romance blossom in the most unexpected ways. The film is largely about adapting to new circumstances and learning to trust from places and people you would not expect to.
Way Too Indie Review of The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel

Your Sister’s Sister

Who to get it for: Yourself!
If you read just the synopsis of Your Sister’s Sister you will most likely think a typical sitcom is in store. Instead, the film is more of an intelligent romantic comedy featuring terrific characters in a very honest manner. It is an excellent example of how wonderful improvisational dialog can be when you have the right cast members and director. To cap it all off, instead of opting for a safe ending Lynn Shelton gives us an ending that fit perfectly with the rest of the film.
Way Too Indie Review of Your Sister’s Sister

Giveaway: Moonrise Kingdom Blu-ray Prize Pack

Dustin Jansick — Mon, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

We have got two Blu-ray copies of Wes Anderson’s quirky indie hit Moonrise Kingdom to give away to a couple of our Facebook and Twitter followers. As a bonus, one of those winners will receive a special “Survival Package” to go along with the Blu-ray.

We are giving away one (1) Moonrise Kingdom on Blu-ray and one (1) Moonrise Kingdom Survival Package” which includes:

Moonrise Kingdom on Blu-ray
Patches
Cooler
Canteen
Cutting board with cheese knife

How do you enter the giveaway?

Step 1: LIKE Way Too Indie on Facebook

Step 2: Leave a comment on this page telling us who your favorite Wes Anderson character is.

* Additional chance to win: Follow @WayTooIndie on Twitter. Then tweet: @WayTooIndie (your favorite Wes Anderson character) http://tooin.de/moonrise, to enter.

Details on the giveaway
Winners will be selected at random. One (1) winner will win a Blu-ray and one (1) winner will a “Survival Package” (which includes a Blu-ray and more). If you are chosen, you will be notified by email. Winners must respond within three days of being contacted. If you do not respond within that period, another winner will be chosen. Must be in the United States to win. Entries can be submitted until October 11th, 2012 at 11:59PM CT. This Sweepstakes is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Facebook or Twitter. Good luck!

AVAILABLE OCTOBER 16, 2012 ON BLU-RAY COMBO PACK WITH ULTRAVIOLET, ON DVD AND ON DEMAND FROM UNIVERSAL STUDIOS HOME ENTERTAINMENT

Set on an island off the coast of New England in the summer of 1965, two twelve-year-olds fall in love, make a secret pact, and run away together into the wilderness. As various authorities try to hunt them down, a violent storm is brewing offshore — and the peaceful island community is turned upside down in more ways than anyone can handle.

Moonrise Kingdom director Wes Anderson is a master at poignantly depicting those who are a bit different from most of the other characters in the world around them. Regardless of gender, era, and even species, Anderson manages to perfectly represent characters that we can all relate to in one way or another. Here, we’ve highlighted our top 5 most beloved “outsider” characters created by this Academy Award nominated director.

Rushmore – Max Fischer

1998’s Rushmore focuses on the life of Max Fischer (Jason Schwartzman), a 15 year old with high ambitions and a low grade point average. He is ridiculed and rejected by most of his fellow classmates of Rushmore Academy and his closest confidante is Dirk, a much younger attendee of the school. Desperation for companionship, Max attempts to befriend both a young teacher (Olivia Williams), as well as the father of his classmates (Bill Murray). The two adults soon become involved in a love affair, leaving Max upset and jealous; however, he soon finds himself bonding with someone more his age – the equally ambitious Margaret Yang – and is able to find a place for himself at school.

The Royal Tenenbaums – Margot Tenenbaum

It’s true that every member in the Tenenbaum family could be marked as an outsider:
Overprotective parent Chas (Ben Stiller), Riche (Luke Wilson), the anxiety-ridden tennis prodigy, insensitive patriarch Royal (Gene Hackman). But arguably the character who dons the biggest outsider status is none other than Margot, the notoriously secretive adopted daughter who mysteriously lost half of a finger during a two-week period when she ran away from home as a child. Utterly depressed and unsatisfied with her life, Margot ends up being the object of not one, but two men’s affection – both her brother Richie, and his best friend – self declared “honorary Tenenbaum”, Eli Cash.

Fantastic Mr. Fox – Ash

Awkward little Ash Fox has a lot to live up to, as his father, the “Fantastic” Mr. Fox, is quick, cunning, and essentially, everything their species should be. And to make matters worse, his soft-spoken and athletically gifted cousin, Kristofferson, comes to live with him in his family’s tree while his father recovers from double pneumonia. The two boys are barely on speaking terms, but begin to start their friendship anew once Kristofferson comes to Ash’s rescue when he is being bullied at school. Later on as the cousins aid Mr. Fox’ in his plan to rob three infamously nasty farmers, Ash must brave many obstacles to rescue his cousin from captivity. The young fox quickly matures and realizes that he has strengths of his own – his quirkiness being one of them!>

Moonrise Kingdom– Sam Shakusky

Khaki Troop 55’s most eccentric member is without a doubt 12-year-old Sam Shakusky, played by newcomer Jared Gillman. Although Sam is extremely smart and resourceful in his outdoor survival skills, this misunderstood character just doesn’t quite fit in with his fellow scouts was abandoned by both his real parents and his foster family. Luckily, Sam finds a refuge in Suzy, his one true love, and the two are able to help each other feel like less of outsiders, and more like a part of their own little community.

Way Too Indie’s Best Films of 2012 (So Far)

Dustin Jansick — Mon, 02 Jul 2012 14:48:31 +0000

Now that we are half way through the year, the staff here at Way Too Indie has decided to come up with the Best Films of 2012…so far. There is a good chance our list could see some major changes when we do our Top 10 of the Year article. But it is also likely that some of the stronger films we listed here will end up on our article at the end of the year.

UPDATE: See our year end list of Best Films of 2012

Dustin Jansick’s Picks
Obviously, it is tough to do a Best Films of the year post half way through the year as some of highly anticipated titles have not been released yet. In fact, we are just starting to get releases from films that showed at Toronto International Film Festival last year. I also want to give a shout out at a few films that may have made my list had I seen them in time, Beats of the Southern Wild, Alps, Sound of My Voice, and Safety Not Guaranteed.

#1 Jeff, Who Lives At Home

Jeff, Who Lives At Home may not quite rank up there with the Duplass brother’s first feature The Puffy Chair but it would be tough to argue that it is not their most polished work to date. The film delivers a powerful message about believing that things in life happen for a reason but does so blurring the line between genuine and whimsical. It also balances a good amount of emotional scenes with comical ones making it a fun watch for just about anyone. For these reasons I list it as my favorite film of 2012 so far.

Jeff, Who Lives at Home Review | Watch Trailer

#2 Your Sister’s Sister

If my admiration for Mark Duplass is not apparent enough, I have mentioned it several times, including two films he is involved in on my list surely makes it clear. In Your Sister’s Sister he steps in front of the camera as the lead instead of behind as the director. The film takes an incredibly simple premise and makes it into an engrossing story thanks to the wonderful dialog and cast members. The most shocking part is the film was made in just 12 days.

Your Sister’s Sister Review | Watch Trailer

#3 Beyond the Black Rainbow

Beyond the Black Rainbow should come with a warning sticker that says, “Caution: This film is not for everyone.” Aside from the opening and ending 10 minutes this film does not contain much a plot. In fact, the parts where they focus on the plot are actually the least pleasing as it is then when you noticed reality settling back in from the hypnotic trip in the alternate reality that you were on for the majority of the film. This is an experience that you are unlikely to be a part of for a few years’ to come.

Beyond the Black Rainbow Review | Watch Trailer

#4 Moonrise Kingdom

Moonrise Kingdom would be my number one on a Best Ensemble Cast list of 2012 but is my fourth favorite overall film of the year thus far. The amazing cast includes more high profile actors than you can count on one hand; Billy Murray, Jason Schwartzman, Edward Norton, Bruce Willis, Frances McDormand, and Tilda Swinton. They all shine in Wes Anderson’s fantasy kingdom in which style trumps story. His characters and artful presentation have always been his strong points and Moonrise Kingdom does not deviate from that.

Moonrise Kingdom Review | Watch Trailer

#5 Indie Game: The Movie

Roger Ebert has stated on several occasions that he does not believe video games to be an art medium which he has received a lot of backslash from people that disagree. While Indie Game: The Movie never mentions Ebert’s name, it does make it’s case that video games are an art medium from the very beginning. This well shot and edited documentary will likely inspire you even if you are not a hardcore gamer.

Indie Game Review | Watch Trailer

CJ Prince’s Picks

So far it looks like the quality of 2011’s films are still resonating throughout 2012. While I’m going by North American release dates for my list, everything on my list originally came out last year. That isn’t to say that 2012 films are stinkers though, so far there’s been a few impressive movies that didn’t make the list including The Raid: Redemption, The Cabin in the Woods and Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory. I’ll let these 5 movies speak for themselves, the main purpose of this space to list the films I didn’t get to see before making this list. These include Take This Waltz, Beyond the Black Rainbow, Moonrise Kingdom, Cosmopolis, Damsels in Distress, Your Sister’s Sister, Bonsai, Sound of My Voice, Whores’ Glory, Goodbye First Love, Post Mortem, Jeff Who Lives At Home, Footnote and many more that don’t come to mind at the moment. With that out of the way, here are my five favorite films from this year.

#1 The Turin Horse

Before watching The Turin Horse, Bela Tarr’s final film before going into retirement, I was disappointed that there would be no more movies by the director. After watching it, I felt like there wasn’t any need for Tarr to make another film since The Turin Horse covered everything. It goes to show how powerful Bela Tarr and cinematographer Fred Kelemen’s images and sounds are that people have described this film as the end of cinema. Following six days in the life of two farmers as their horse suddenly refuses to eat or move, Tarr presents their lives as a living hell of banality. We see the farmers go about their daily business repeatedly while the wind howls outside their home and the same music cue is used over and over again. As the movie slowly moves forward towards its apocalyptic ending, it begins to feel like everything in the film is slowly giving up and dying off, as if it can’t bear the crushing weight of despair that’s in every frame. By no means is The Turin Horse an easy watch, but it’s impossible to deny how powerful Bela Tarr’s vision is. Few films are able to make their audience feel like they’ve become a part of its world as well as The Turin Horse does, even if that world is the last place you would ever want to be. It’s a powerful ordeal if you’re up for the challenge, but if you’re able to make it through you’ll come out feeling stronger for it.

Watch Trailer

#2 This Must Be the Place

Paolo Sorrentino’s baffling road trip movie, about a retired rocker (Sean Penn) travelling across America to hunt down the Nazi who tortured his father, defies any expectations one would have about the film before actually seeing it. Sean Penn, looking like Robert Smith and talking like a little boy, manages to nail a role that could have easily become too annoying or too campy. Paolo Sorrentino visually matches Penn’s bizarre, gaudy role by throwing out stunning landscapes, beautifully composed framing and operatic crane shots like they’re candy. The combination of both elements might make people run screaming from the film (and judging by its reception at Cannes last year it already has) but if you ignore everything and just go with the movie it’s pure aesthetic bliss.

This Must Be the Place Review | Watch Trailer

#3 Oslo, 31st August

Joachim Trier’s devastating masterpiece may seem nihilistic at first glance, but its opening and closing shots show that this is only one person’s story out of millions in Oslo. Where Oslo, August 31 excels is how well it explains the state of its central character. A recovering addict at 34 years old, Anders (Anders Danielsen Lie in one of the best performances of the year) feels that starting over from scratch isn’t even worth the effort since it won’t benefit him in any substantial way. As he makes his way across town bumping into old friends, we can understand his pain as he feels incapable of having anything resembling the seemingly normal lives of the people around him. By the time we arrive at his family home (shown to be in as much disarray as his mental state), it’s obvious that the film’s conclusion is more inevitable than surprising. The fact that Trier is able to convey all of this while making it look effortless only shows how skilled of a director he is.

Oslo, 31st August Review | Watch Trailer

#4 This Is Not A Film

An act of protest, a dangerous risk, a dissection of filmmaking itself, portrait of a man who’s about to lose everything. This is Not a Film is all of these things and more, an effort by Jafar Panahi to keep making films even while under house arrest awaiting a 6 year prison sentence. Running at a scant 75 minutes, This is Not a Film is one of the most engrossing things to come out in 2012. Anyone who calls themselves a fan of cinema should consider this required viewing.

This Is Not A Film Review | Watch Trailer

#5 The Deep Blue Sea

Terence Davies shows the destructive side of love in The Deep Blue Sea, one of the most beautiful movies of the year. The core cast of Rachel Weisz, Tom Hiddleston and Simon Russell Beale do a great job with Davies’ screenplay (an adaptation of Terence Rattigan’s play of the same name) but it’s Davies’ movie through and through. Every shot is bursting with a romantic, warm look that feels like Davies is unleashing everything he’s been holding back over his 12 year hiatus from narrative filmmaking. The Deep Blue Sea is a welcome comeback and hopefully Davies will keep making films sooner rather than later.

Watch Trailer

Blake Ginithan’s Picks

Picking my top five was not a hard task. I had a fairly good idea of what was ultimately going to end up on my list. The Grey for the longest time was on my list and in the end, it barely missed. I saw a lot of other films that really could’ve made it if it wasn’t for a last minute influx of great movies (I actually had a great day a couple weeks ago where I saw three terrific films in one day). That doesn’t happen often. My fifth spot was where The Grey was actually going to end up, but ultimately my heart picked a film I enjoyed over one that was probably better all around. That happens sometimes.

#1 Oslo, 31st August

Joachim Trier’s powerful film about a recovering drug addict on a 24 hour outing through a beautiful but lonely Oslo, Norway is by far the year’s best film. The man walks the city with friends as he ponders what his life is worth. The film is gut wrenching in moments with scenes of unbelievable power. Trier’s direction is perfect and the acting by lead Anders Danielsen Lie is sublime. Lie is able to show more emotions through body language than with actual dialogue and at times it is scary how real his performance is. This film will knock your socks off.

Oslo, 31st August Review | Watch Trailer

#2 This Must Be the Place

There are a ton of road trip movies out there. But none of them are like Paolo Sorrentino’s film, which has us following a retired rock star played by Sean Penn who journeys across America to find the ex-Nazi who humiliated his father during World War II. Funny, quirky and at times sad, This Must Be the Place is an odd journey into the identity of a man. The film is superbly directed by Sorrentino and Sean Penn nails the part of Cheyenne, the Goth rock star out for revenge. A film as unique as this is not to be missed.

This Must Be the Place Review | Watch Trailer

#3 Headhunters

I’ve been singing the praises of Scandinavian filmmaking for a few months now and to me Headhunters by Morton Tyldum is one of the best. A corporate headhunter spends his free time as an art thief, often stealing from clients he is trying to hire! One such client happens to be a former mercenary who used to specialize in human tracking. What follows is an intense and brutal chase across Norway. The film masquerades as a black comedy at times but never crosses the line completely. You will get lost in how fun this film is.

Headhunters Review | Watch Trailer

#4 Once Upon a Time in Anatolia

I’ve seen a lot of slow burners in my day, but Turkish director Nuri Bilge Ceylan’s film about men on a stubborn search for a dead body takes the cake. The film is painfully slow at times, but in the end is immensely rewarding. If you were to pause the film at practically any moment and took a snapshot you would have yourself one hell of a shot. Ceylan’s background is in photography and every single second of this film shows it. Few audiences will be able to stay with the film’s staggering 155 minute runtime, but those who do will likely find a cop procedural that turns out to be a whole lot more than just a search for a body.

Once Upon a Time in Anatolia Review | Watch Trailer

#5 The Raid

Now THIS is an action movie. The Raid begins with a young man training in the early morning before saying goodbye to his pregnant wife before he is thrust into the fight of his life. He is a part of a SWAT team that invades a building in the projects in the massive city of Jakarta. Their goal is to take down a sadistic drug lord who controls the building. While things go smoothly at first, the film soon turns into a tale of survival as the SWAT team is forced to fight their way out of the building after the drug lord puts a huge bounty on their heads. Be forewarned. The Raid is extremely violent. But the film is highly efficient, inventive and never boring. Most action films are throwaways, full of clichés and boring action scenes. The Raid is one hell of a film.

The Raid Review | Watch Trailer

Moonrise Kingdom

Dustin Jansick — Mon, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

Moonrise Kingdom is unmistakably a Wes Anderson film. It features presumptuous children who seem to be more intelligent and mature than the adults and a simple but whimsical storyline that is completely overshadowed by its presentation. Everything is exaggerated and deadpan humor is in abundance. That is what often makes his films so fascinating to watch and Moonrise Kingdom is no exception. It is a fun adventurous fantasy that only he is able to create.

In the opening sequence, the camera paces through the house of the Bishop’s, introducing us to the three young boys listening to their precious record player and their older sister Suzy (Kara Hayward) who always has a pair of binoculars around her neck. Their mother Laura (Frances McDormand) is always yelling into a megaphone to call after the children and sometimes even her husband Walt (Bill Murray).

Also located on the fictitious island of New Penzance is a camp belonging to Khaki Scout Group Number 55. On what seems to be a routine morning, Scout Master Ward (Edward Norton) emerges from his tent then proceeds to do his daily check-ins to make sure his troop members are doing their duties. Finally he notices at the dinner table that one of its members is absent. He rushes to 12 year old Sam Shakusky’s (Jared Gilman) tent to find out that he has “flown the coop”.

Through a flashback a year earlier we see how Sam and Suzy met. During a play of Noah’s Ark Sam wonders around the building and stumbles into a dressing room full of girls dressed as birds. One of the birds catches his eye, the raven, which was played by Suzy. Soon after that run in, they exchanged many love letters back and forth over the course of a year. In their last letters, which brings us to the present time, they agree to run away together.

It is not long before the island’s local policeman Captain Share (Bruce Willis) receives a call from Suzy’s parents that puts the entire island on a manhunt to find the two. Due to Sam’s survival skills learned from being a Khaki Scout, the two young lovers are prepared and seem to not be in any harm. Suzy did bring several reading materials and a battery operated record player after all.

Our narrator (Bob Balaban) informs us that this is set in September of 1965. He also lets us know that in three days time there will be a massive rainstorm that will result in a flood unlike one the island has seen in hundreds of years. This information adds to the urgency of finding Suzy and Sam.

Each scene is meticulously designed with props and a matching color scheme which is a very common feature for a Wes Anderson film. I noticed it early on in Moonrise Kingdom when we see a primary yellow toned kitchen, in the very back of the shot there is a fan that even its blades we’re yellow to match. The little things like those that are often overlooked in other films that are done to perfection.

In addition to the amazing visual style, the other key element in Moonrise Kingdom is the fantastic cast. First you have Bill Murray, who seems to be born to play Wes Anderson films with his deadpan tone (he has been in five of his last six films). Another Anderson veteran is Jason Schwartzman whose sarcasm fits perfectly with his role as one of the Scout Leaders.

Then you have Anderson newcomers such as Bruce Willis, who I was concerned may stick out like a sore thumb in this role but was proven wrong. Edward Norton as the always serious and enthusiastic leader did not miss a beat either. Last but not least, the two young lovers played by Kara Hayward and Jared Gilman were outstanding together.

It is hard to walk away from a Wes Anderson film with a firm opinion, you must first let it soak in for a bit. It does not help that there is not as much substance in his films. But what Moonrise Kingdom lacks in substance it more than makes up for with plenty of style and quirky but lovable characters.

Moonrise Kingdom, for better or for worse, totally has Wes Anderson written all over it. If you were a fan of his films before, you will love Moonrise Kingdom. On the flip side, if you were not a fan of his work before, I do not think this will change your mind on the matter. Over the years I have come to accept the fact that the plot in his films does not seem to matter as much as the picturesque scenery and development of his quirky characters. It is hard to deny that he is one of the most original American filmmakers in the field today.

Movie News Roundup: Blue Velvet Edition

Dustin Jansick — Mon, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

David Lynch fans rejoice, soon there will be nearly an hour of deleted scenes from Blue Velvet. Deleted scenes from the cult classic 1986 noir Blue Velvet were found on the blu-ray edition of the film but have recently made their way to YouTube. [Dangerous Minds]

Penelope Cruz has been confirmed for upcoming Ridley Scott and Pedro Almodovar films. Her extensive previous work with director Pedro Almodovar makes the news less surprising but still welcoming. The name of the film will be called Standby Lovers. She will join the cast of Ridley Scott’s The Counselor which is comprised of huge names including Michael Fassbender, Brad Pitt, Cameron Diaz, and Javier Bardem. [The Playlist]

Images from Michel Gondry’s upcoming French production Mood Indigo surfaced this week. Audrey Tatou (Amelie) will be the lead in the adaptation of Boris Vian’s 1947 novel Froth On The Daydream. The stills definitely appear to have Gondry’s creative touch to them. [Twitch]

Philip Seymour Hoffman goes agentless after leaving Paradigm after 18 years with the agency. Aside from appearing Paul Thomas Anderson’s The Master he just finished a role which director Mike Nichols has said may be the most taxing stage role on an actor. [Deadline]

Rumors have been circling that Emma Watson and Ray Winstone could star in Darren Aronofsky’s Biblical epic Noah. According to Deadline Ray Winstone may get a villain role in the film to go opposite of Russell Crowe. Emma Watson is apparently in talks to play Ila, a young woman who befriends Noah’s son, Shem. [Deadline]

The special animated companion to Moonrise Kingdom is now available to watch online for free. This Wes Anderson animated short does not contain any spoilers to Moonrise Kingdom therefore do not be hesitant to watch it if you have not seen the film yet. [EW]

The female cast from Your Sisters Sister sat down for an interview with Coming Soon to talk about the process of developing characters and how much of the film was improvised. One of the most amazing facts is that the entire crew for the film was only 16 people (and the film was shot in just 12 days). The whole interview is worth reading and if you haven’t read our review of Your Sisters Sister check it out now. [Coming Soon]

Movie News Roundup: Moonrise Kingdom Edition

Dustin Jansick — Wed, 06 Jun 2012 19:55:33 +0000

Moonrise Kingdom broke the all-time per screen record with it’s limited opening weekend which was previously held by Brokeback Mountain. With just four screens in New York and Los Angeles the film grossed $509,000, which is an incredible $127,500 per screen. Brokeback Mountain was also released by Focus Features and had the record with $109,485 in 2005. [Hitfix]

Because “Moonrise Kingdom” is breaking per screen records it is probably helping the auction of a uniform worn in Moonrise Kingdom. The uniform was worn by 12-year-old Sam Shakusky (Jared Gilman) that features custom designed patches and activity buttons. The open bidder started off the auction at $125 but it does not end until June 13th. [Movieline]

While Moonrise Kingdom is now just expanding into a few more cities, Wes Anderson in the meantime has revealed that he has a special animated short film designed to go along with Moonrise Kingdom which will premiere online this week. [ComingSoon]

Recent winner of the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival, Amour, will open December 19th in New York and Los Angeles says it’s distributor Sony Pictures Classic. Although it is still very early, “Amour” is considered the front-runner for Best Foreign Language film for the Oscars this year. [Movieline]

Ray Bradbury has passed away today at the age of 91. The visionary author wrote over 600 short stories as well as classic such as Fahrenheit 451, The Illustrated Man, and The Martian Chronicles. Some of his works were later turned into films or screen rights were acquired from studios to eventually make them into films. [Deadline]

Way Too Indie’s Most Anticipated Films of Summer 2012

Dustin Jansick — Mon, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

Summer officially begins on Wednesday June 20, 2012 for the Northern Hemisphere and the staff here at Way Too Indie wants to make sure your cinema schedule is set when summer begins. After careful consideration we came up with our Top 10 Most Anticipated Films of the Summer. We also had four films that may be worth checking out as honorable mentions that did not quite make our Top 10.

#1 Beasts of the Southern Wild

Beasts of the Southern Wild has generated a ton of buzz wherever it has played. New York Times said it was one of the best films to play at Sundance in two decades and Roger Ebert recently said it is the best film he has seen this year. Perhaps what is most impressive is that all this buzz surrounding the film was accomplished by a first-time filmmaker, Benh Zeitlin. To his advantage, the star of the film Quvenzhané Wallis, has people eating out of her 7-year-old palm with her performance. Whether or not it can live up to all the hype remains the biggest question but that did not stop us from putting it as our most anticipated film for the summer. It is safe to say June 27th has been marked on our calendars; you should probably do the same. [Dustin]

UPDATE: Our review of Beasts of the Southern Wild

#2 Prometheus

People predictably went nuts when it was announced that Ridley Scott would, after 30 years, be making another science fiction movie. Then we found out it was possibly but not definitely related to Alien in some capacity (it was originally planned to be a prequel). Then we got a cast with the likes of Noomi Rapace, Charlize Theron, Michael Fassbender, Guy Pearce and Idris Elba. Then came the teaser for the actual teaser, the teaser, the teaser for the actual trailer and finally the trailer itself which blew everyone away. If you could sum up 20th Century Fox’s marketing campaign for Prometheus in two words it’d be “blue balls” but the strategy is working beautifully. Prometheus looks like the movie event of the summer, a smart and terrifying sci-fi film that’ll knock our socks off. Even if the movie ends up being a flop, the marketing team deserves some kind of award for their work. [CJ]

UPDATE: Our review of Prometheus

#3 Killer Joe

Let me start off by saying that I’m a huge William Friedkin fan. I actually wanted to see this at TIFF last year it just didn’t fit into my schedule. I wish I had. The film supposedly has Matthew McConaughey’s best performance to date and is rumored to feature some outlandish scenes involving fried chicken. McConaughey is hired by a red neck family to kill one of their family members for the life insurance. When they can’t foot the bill, McConaughey takes interest in the young girl of the family. I imagine things don’t go as planned in this gruesome thriller. [Blake]

#4 The Dark Knight Rises

Christopher Nolan’s newest film has so much buzz around it one wonders if the film will overcome it. Of course, every other film Nolan has done has so you’d think this will have no problem. Based on trailers this trilogy will not have a good ending. Batman’s newest villain Bane seems to want Gotham to burn to the ground. From bringing a football stadium to rubble to blowing up bridges, Bane looks to be giving a serious makeover to the city. The Dark Knight will be a hard movie to outdo, but knowing Nolan, he should have no trouble with this feat. [Blake]

UPDATE: Our review of The Dark Knight Rises

#5 The Loneliest Planet

If you haven’t heard of Julia Loktev (and odds are you haven’t), go seek out Day Night Day Night. The movie, which followed a suicide bomber as she prepared for an attack in Times Square, was a nerve-wracking experience that kept piling on as much tension as possible until its final act. While Day Night Day Night had its share of issues, it sounds like Loktev has improved considerably with her next film. The Loneliest Planet premiered last fall on the festival circuit to rave reviews and is finally getting a limited release in August. The synopsis, about a couple backpacking in the Georgian wildness, sounds simple but according to reviews there will be a lot more surprises in store. [CJ]

UPDATE: Our review of The Loneliest Planet

#6 To Rome With Love

Would you have ever expected a light comedy about time travel with Gertrude Stein, F. Scott Fitzgerald and Salvador Dali to become a hit? I don’t think Woody Allen even imagined that Midnight in Paris would go on to become his highest grossing movie yet, but it ended up being his best film in years and one of the most entertaining movies of 2011. This year Allen continues his tour of Europe, landing in Italy with the likes of Alec Baldwin, Jesse Eisenberg, Ellen Page and Penelope Cruz. It’s unlikely that Woody Allen will have the same amount of success as last year (looking at the rest of his recent output, Midnight in Paris was the exception and not the rule) but even at his worst Allen’s films are light enough that they serve as a nice counterweight to the big blockbusters filling up the majority of the screens over the summer season. [CJ]

#7 Moonrise Kingdom

It is hard not to be excited for a film that has Wes Anderson’s name attached to it. Add in the fact Moonrise Kingdom has a plethora of talent cast members that include; Edward Norton, Bruce Willis, Bill Murray, Jason Schwartzman, Frances McDormand, and Tilda Swinton and is about enough for anyone to be excited for the film. From watching the trailer you can see that Wes Anderson’s uncompromising style is present here as it is in most of his other films. The film is about a boy and girl who fall in love and run away. Laughs, claps, and even tears may be in store for this film. [Dustin]

UPDATE: Our review of Moonrise Kingdom

#8 Your Sister’s Sister

After watching the film Humpday I have kept director Lynn Shelton on my radar. Which has turned out to be an easy assignment because she has not done a film since Humpday in 2009. My ears perked when I heard she would be doing another film called Your Sister’s Sister. It is easy to see the resemblance in Your Sister’s Sister to Shelton’s previous work. The film was shot in just 12 days and apparently was mostly improvised. It certainly looks like it could provide a genuine and fresh take on a relationship film when the lead character starts to fall for his friend’s sister. Update: I saw the film a day after this was written and I can say it was definitely worth being excited for. Read my review. [Dustin]

UPDATE: Our review of Your Sister’s Sister

#9 Take This Waltz

Keep in mind I did not see Sarah Polley’s first feature, Away From Her. The film went on to receive a couple of Oscar nominations and had a lot of critical support. This is another film I planned to see at TIFF last year, but was sold out before I could get tickets. Take This Waltz stars Seth Rogen and Michelle Williams as a married couple living in Toronto whose marriage is put to the test when Williams starts to fall for a man who moves in across the street. A good supporting turn by Sarah Silverman backs up the leads. [Blake]

UPDATE: Our review of Take This Waltz

#10 Ruby Sparks

It is hard not to compare the plot of Ruby Sparks with Stranger Than Fiction, a struggling writer who in this case does not only hear the voice but can see the fictitious character he made up. However, I believe the creators of Little Miss Sunshine will add something special to the tired plot that has been done before. Paul Dano seems like a perfect choice for the film since directors Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris worked with him previously in the excellent Little Miss Sunshine. At the very least, it looks like a romantic comedy that is actually worth seeing. [Dustin]

Honorable Mentions: Here are four films that almost made it into our Top 10.
Extraterrestrial
Safety Not Guaranteed
Compliance
Red Hook Summer

Giveaway: Moonrise Kingdom Survival Package

Dustin Jansick — Mon, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

In order to celebrate the release of Wes Anderson’s latest film Moonrise Kingdom in theaters this Friday, Way Too Indie is giving away two special “Moonrise Kingdom Survival Packages”. It is undoubtedly one the most anticipated indie films of the summer as it has been three long years since Wes Anderson has put out a new film.

We are giving away two (2) “Moonrise Kingdom Survival Packages” which include:

T-Shirt
Patches (set of two)
Cooler
Canteen
Original Soundtrack CD

How do you enter the giveaway?

Leave a comment below and Like our Facebook page. Tell us what your favorite Wes Anderson movie is in comments below. Then click here to Like Way Too Indie on Facebook. Simple as that.

Winners will be selected at random. Two (2) winners will win one (1) “Survival Package”.

If you are chosen, you will be notified by email. Winners must respond within three days of being contacted. If you do not respond within that period, another winner will be chosen. Must be in the United States to win.

Entries can be submmited until May 27th, 2012 at 11:59PM CT. Good luck!

Giveaway closed, winners were notified.

Moonrise Kingdom is in select cities May 25th. Wide release is June 29th.

Official trailer for Moonrise Kingdom:

Way Too Indie’s Top 13 Most Anticipated Films At Cannes 2012

Dustin Jansick — Mon, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

The 65th annual Cannes Film Festival is underway currently and the staff at Way Too Indie wanted to highlight the Top 13 Films we are anticipating to see the most. We are still about a week away before we will be hearing from the jury which films they decided to give awards to. There are over 20 films that are in the In Competition category and if we had to guess who walks away with top prize of the Palme d’Or, it would be one of the films we listed below. Without further ado, Way Too Indie’s Top 13 Most Anticipated Films at Cannes Film Festival 2012.

Beasts of the Southern Wild (director Benh Zeitlin)

Immediately after watching the trailer to Beasts of the Southern Wild I made note that this is a film I need to see. Chatter around this film started when it won the dramatic Grand Jury Prize Award at Sundance this year. It looks like it could have some Where the Wild Things Are elements to it but perhaps with a more gritty and serious story to it. If Beasts of the Southern Wild is half as good as the trailer makes it out to be, we should be in for a real treat with this film. Roger Ebert recently tweeted that Beasts of the Southern Wild is the best film he has seen this year. Cue the goosebumps. [Dustin]

UPDATE: Our review of Beasts of the Southern Wild

Post Tenebras Lux (director Carlos Reygadas)

After Battle in Heaven, Carlos Reygadas must have had some sort of epiphany. His follow-up, Silent Light, was one of the best movies of the last 10 years and felt like it was light years ahead of everything he did previously. His most recent work, the short film This is my Kingdom from the omnibus film Revolucion, might be his best work to date. Post Tenebras Lux looks like Reygadas is only maturing and developing even more. The first images and clips from the movie are jaw-droppingly gorgeous, the director of Cannes has been more or less openly gushing about it, and it’s already being compared to Tree of Life. Reygadas is one of the more exciting directors working today, and if Post Tenebras Lux lives up to the hype it should be unlike anything we’ve seen before. [CJ]

Mud (director Jeff Nichols)

Director Jeff Nichols is on a hot streak. His first feature Shotgun Stories was an indie sensation and had a lot of people singing his name from the rafters as a promising young director. Then his second feature with Michael Shannon (who is one of the top actors right now), Take Shelter, was a great step for the director. Working again with Shannon and few other top actors including Matthew McConaughey, Reese Witherspoon, Sarah Paulson, Sam Shepard and Joe Don Baker (a personal favorite), Mud looks to be a winner with this pedigree working together. [Blake]

Moonrise Kingdom (director Wes Anderson)

The mere fact that it has been three years since Wes Anderson has graced us with his unprecedented style and passion is reason enough to want to see Moonrise Kingdom. The film is about capturing the feeling of being madly in love at the tender age of 12. Backed by the cast of his regulars, Bill Murray and Jason Schwartzmann along with some Anderson newcomers Edward Norton, Bruce Willis, Frances McDormand and Tilda Swinton is another reason why I am excited to see this film. [Dustin]

UPDATE: Our review of Moonrise Kingdom

Mekong Hotel (director Apichatpong Weerasethakul)

I’ve only seen two movies by Joe (his nickname for people who have a hard time pronouncing his full name) but they’re both masterpieces. Joe’s films are so hypnotic, bizarre and immersive with their lack of focus on time or narrative that they can feel like they come from another plane of existence entirely. Mekong Hotel sounds like a horror film from its synopsis involving a cannibalistic ghost but things are never that simple with Joe’s movies. Here’s hoping that Mekong Hotel can live up to at least half of the quality of his other films. [CJ]

Rust and Bone (director Jacques Audiard)

Jacques Audiard made a great movie a few years ago called A Prophet which made my top ten list the year it came out. I then went back to watch his breakout feature The Beat That My Heart Skipped, which is one hell of a movie. Now comes Rust and Bone, with Oscar winner Marion Cotillard as a killer whale trainer who falls in love a man named Ali. There bond only grows stronger after Stephanie (Cotillard) suffers a horrible accident. [Blake]

The We and The I (director Michel Gondry)

Willing to overlook Michel Gondry’s previous Hollywood adventure The Green Hornet in hopes that he has returned to his old style of films that put him on the map as an acclaimed film director. His more avant-garde style of films like Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and The Science of Sleep show off his creativity as a visionary director. Not a lot is known about this film yet but the talk is the film is closer to his earlier work. Knowing his potential, it is hard not to look forward to see what Michel Gondry has come up with now. [Dustin]

Love (director Michael Haneke)

Michael Haneke is back from his massive success involving The White Ribbon with what looks like something on a smaller scale. As with most of Haneke’s films the information given out so far is limited. It involves a family whose lives change after the mother has “an attack.” Isabelle Huppert, who gave Haneke the Palme D’Or for White Ribbon, has what looks like a small role in this so hopefully their collaboration will be as good as when they got together for The Piano Teacher. Haneke is considered to be one of the best directors working today by some (including myself) so no matter what there will always be an excited audience for whatever Haneke does next. [CJ]

Killing Them Softly (director Andrew Dominik)

Formerly titled Coogan’s Trade, Andrew Dominik’s newest film has internet film geeks abuzz with its powerhouse cast being lead by the director who has made two fantastic features in Chopper and The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford and starring one of the biggest, if not the biggest actor on the planet Brad Pitt. Along with Pitt you got, Richard Jenkins, Sam Shepard (him again), James Gandolfini and Ray Liotta. Pitt plays a mob enforcer tasked with investigating the robbery of a mob run poker game. All this talent has me salivating at the mouth. [Blake]

Laurence Anyways (director Xavier Dolan)

The synopsis of Laurence Anyways, a man on this 30th birthday tries to save his relationship with his fiancé after telling her he wants to become a woman, made me curious enough to watch the trailer. After watching the trailer, it looks to be an emotional filled unique love story. Xavier Dolan’s first two films I Killed My Mother and Heartbeats also both premiered at Cannes cementing him as an acclaimed upcoming director. Unlike his previous films, in Laurence Anyways he decides to stay behind the camera instead of also acting in the film. [Dustin]

Cosmopolis (director David Cronenberg)

After making more conventional films for almost a decade, David Cronenberg appears to be diving head first into the weird-ass types of films that made him get so popular in the first place. It seems like people didn’t realize how much they missed the days of Dead Ringers or Videodrome until the first trailers for Cosmopolis came out, launching it straight into a position as one of the most anticipated films this year. Hopefully Cronenberg can live up to the hype that’s suddenly surrounded this movie in the last few weeks. [CJ]

Paradise:Love (director Ulrich Seidl)

Ulrich Seidl is a director I’ve never heard of before, but one that I will now follow, and the trailer has me completely sold. The subject matter sounds ripe for the picking and the style of the film, which looks like a documentary, will only add to how powerful the film could end up being. Taking place in a tropical paradise, a white middle aged woman who is on vacation becomes involved with a local a black man. Judging from the trailer, love and heartbreak look to be inevitable. [Blake]

You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet! (director Alain Resnais)

This wasn’t on my radar at all until I saw the fantastic trailer for it along with the bizarre synopsis involving the massive star-studded French cast playing themselves performing a play they’ve all been in at some point throughout their careers after the playwright posthumously invites them to see a young theatre company perform the same play (you might need to read that a few times to fully understand it). Resnais is still going strong in his later years, and if anything his new movie is going to be one of the more unique titles in competition this year. [CJ]

Movie News Roundup: Top 10 Edition

Dustin Jansick — Mon, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

The Playlist names their Top 10 most anticipated indie films this summer. Some of them that made the list are; Moonrise Kingdom, Beasts of the Southern Wild, Safety Not Guaranteed, To Rome With Love, and Take This Waltz. [Playlist]

Speaking of Top 10’s recently Roger Ebert names his Top 10 Movies of All Time. The biggest surprise in his list was the inclusion of last year’s Tree of Life. Or maybe it was not such a big surprise, it scored high in our review of the film. [HitFix]

LA Film Festival made their lineup announcement with Steven Soderbergh’s Magic Mike and Wood Allen’s To Rome With Love making premieres. There are almost 200 films playing at that festival which begins on June 14th in downtown LA and ending on June 24th. [LAFilmFest]

Sounds like Spike Lee finally found his villain for his re-make of Oldboy. Sharlto Copley (District 9) will be playing the “mysterious billionaire trying to destroy the life of Joe Douchett (Josh Brolin).” I just hope the remake is half as good as the original (it’s one of our highest rated films). [MovieLine]

We posted a trailer for Beasts of the Southern Wild that we think must be watched by all. The film won the Grand Jury Prize for Drama at Sundance. Watch the trailer now.

Another trailer worth taking a look at is Your Sister’s Sister. We recently posted the official trailer for the film by director Lynn Shelton that stars Mark Duplass, Emily Blunt and Rosemarie DeWitt.

It was nice knowing you Kodak. A deal was struck that The Dolby Theatre will host the Oscars’ for the next 20 years. “Dolby will continue to update the theatre with innovative, world-class technologies to ensure that the theatre remains state-of-the-art, beginning with the immediate installation of its recently released Dolby® Atmos sound technology.” [HitFix]

Ever wanted to go behind the scenes with a film festival judge? Follow an IFC contributor who joins a film jury at the Sarasota Film Festival. [IFC]

News hit last week that Windows 8 will not support DVD or Blu-ray playback natively. Because of decoding licenses Microsoft has opted to not support playback by default even if the computer comes with a DVD or Blu-ray drive. Windows 8 will require you to buy an upgrade option in order to play your movies.

Movie News Roundup: Django Unchained Edition

Dustin Jansick — Mon, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

The first images from Quentin Tarantino’s latest film Django Unchained have been released. One image shows former slave Django (played by Jamie Foxx) alongside a bounty hunter (played by Christopher Waltz) that is helping him to get his wife back from an evil plantation owner. [Paste]

Speaking of Django Unchained, the movie poster has been unveiled for it. It looks pretty wicked if I must say so myself. [IFC]

Despite Hugo having a lackluster overall box office performance (even though critically it did well, winning five Oscars) Martin Scorsese stands firm on his love for 3D. He expects to use 3D in all of his future projects. [Movieline]

Jennifer Connelly and Saoirse Ronan have been confirmed to join Russell Crowe in the cast for Darren Aronofsky’s upcoming film Noah. Playlist reports that Liam Neeson may be playing the villain role. [Playlist]

As if Noah will not be keeping Darren Aronofsky busy, the rumor is he will be doing a biopic about George Washington called The General. [Twitch]

My favorite indie duo, the Duplass brothers, have been hired to adapt a screenplay from Tony D’Souza’s novel Mule. Mark and Jay Duplass will not be directing it though, instead Todd Phillips of The Hangover will be. [Deadline]

Wes Anderson fans are in for a real treat, six clips from Moonrise Kingdom have arrived. The film is one of the most anticipated films of the year and as we reported, it will be opening Cannes film festival this year. [Twitch]

Speaking of clips, the opening scene of The Dictator has been made released by Paramount Pictures. The film stars Sacha Baron Cohen, John C. Reilly, Megan Fox, and Ben Kingsley. Watch the nearly 2 minute clip over on ComingSoon. [ComingSoon]

The indie short film The Southern Belle is now streaming on Snag Films in it’s entirety (10 minutes) for free. You can see the movie review we did on the short film here. [SnagFilms]

2012 Cannes Lineup

Dustin Jansick — Mon, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

The lineup announcement for the 2012 Cannes Film Festival came in today. We reported that Moonrise Kingdom from Wes Anderson would be opening the 65th annual festival. Today we learn that the film will also be in competition, which is not always the case. The festival runs from May 16th through May 27th 2012.

The biggest letdown is that P.T. Anderson’s The Master is not going to premiere at the festival like many had hoped. Other notable films missing were Terrence Malick’s untitled film and Quentin Tarantio’s Django Unchained.

The full lineup for 2012 Cannes Film Festival:

Opening Film: (Out of Competition)

Moonrise Kingdom (director Wes Anderson)

In Competition: (Films competing for the Palme d’Or “Golden Palm”)

Amour (director Michael Haneke)
The Angel’s Share (director Ken Loach)
Baad EL Mawkeaa (director Yousry Nasrallah)
Beyond The Hills (director Cristian Mungiu)
Cosmopolis (director David Cronenberg)
Holy Motors (director Leos Carax)
The Hunt (director Thomas Vinterberg)
In Another Country (director Hong Sang-Soo)
Im Nebels (Dans La Brume) (director Sergei Loznitsa)
Killing Them Softly (director Andrew Dominik)
Lawless (director John Hillcoat)
Like Someone In Love (director Abbas Kiarostami)
Moonrise Kingdom (director Wes Anderson)
Mud (director Jeff Nichols)
On The Road (director Walter Salles)
Paradies: Liebe (director Ulrich Seidl)
The Paperboy (director Lee Daniels)
Post Tenebras Lux (director Carlos Reygadas)
Reality (director Matteo Garrone)
Rust & Bone (director Jacques Audiard)
Taste Of Money (director Im Sang-Soo)
Vous N’Avez Encoure Rien Vu (director Alain Resnais)

Out of Competition: (Films are played but do not compete for the main prize)

Une Journee Particuliere (directors Gilles Jacob and Samuel Faure)
Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted (directors Eric Darnell and Tom McGrath)
Dario Argento’s Dracula (director Dario Argento)
Io E Te (director Bernardo Berolucci)
Hemingway & Gellhorn (director Philip Kaufman)
Ai To Makoto (director Takashi Miike)

Un Certain Regard: (Films from cultures near and far; original and different works)

Miss Lovely (director Ashim Ahluwalia)
La Playa (director Juan Andres Arango)
Les Chevaus De Dieu (director Nabil Ayouch)
Trois Mondes (director Catheron Corsini)
Antiviral (director Brandon Cronenberg)
7 Days In Havana (directors Benicio Del Toro and Laurent Cantet and Gaspar Noe and more)
Le Grand Soir (directors Benoit Delepine and Gustave Kervern)
Laurence Anyways (director Xavier Dolan)
Despues De Lucia (director Michel Franco)
Aimer A Perdre La Raison (director Joachim Lafosse)
Mystery (director Lou Ye)
Student (director Darezhan Omirbayev)
La Pirogue (director Moussa Toure)
Elefante Blanco (director Pablo Trapero)
Confession Of A Child Of The Century (dir. Sylvie Verheyde)
11.25: The Day He Chose His Own Fate (director Koji Wakamatsu)
Beasts Of The Southern Wild (director Benh Zeitlin)

Special Screenings:

Der Mull Im Garten Eden (director Faith Akin)
Mekong Hotel (director Apichatpong Weerasethakul)
Villegas (director Gonzalo Tobal)
A Musica Segundo Tom Jobim (director. Nelson Pereira Do Santos)
Journal De France (directors Claudine Nougaret and Raymond Depardon)
Les Invisbles (director Sebastien Lifshitz)
The Central Park Five (directors Ken Burns and Sarah Burns and David McMahon)
Roman Polanski: A Film Memoir (director Laurent Bouzereau)

Closing Film: (Out of Competition)

Therese D. (director Claude Miller)

Wes Anderson’s “Moonrise Kingdom” opens Cannes 2012

Dustin Jansick — Mon, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

Wes Anderson’s latest film Moonrise Kingdom will open the 65th Cannes Film Festival on May 16 2012. Some of the cast members in the film should come as no surprise such as Billy Murray, Jason Schwartzman, and Bruce Willis who have all appeared in Wes Anderson film’s previously. Joining them are other big names; Tilda Swinton, Edward Norton, and Frances McDormand.

Synopsis from the official site:

“Set on an island off the coast of New England in the summer of 1965, MOONRISE KINGDOM tells the story of two twelve-year-olds who fall in love, make a secret pact, and run away together into the wilderness. As various authorities try to hunt them down, a violent storm is brewing off-shore — and the peaceful island community is turned upside down in more ways than anyone can handle. Bruce Willis plays the local sheriff. Edward Norton is a Khaki Scout troop leader. Bill Murray and Frances McDormand portray the young girl’s parents. The cast also includes Tilda Swinton, Jason Schwartzman, and Jared Gilman and Kara Hayward as the boy and girl.”

UPDATE: Check out our review of Moonrise Kingdom

Check out the official trailer for “Moonrise Kingdom” below:

Moonrise Kingdom – Way Too Indie

Criterion Collection September 2015 Includes ‘Moonrise Kindgom’, Beresford Duo

Blind Chance

Krzysztof Kieślowski – Available September 15

Breaker Morant

Bruce Beresford – Available September 22

Mister Johnson

Bruce Beresford – Available September 22

A Room with a View

James Ivory – Available September 29

Moonrise Kingdom

Wes Anderson – Available September 22

The Honeymoon Killers

Leonard Kastl – Available September 29

Video Essay: Mise En Scène & The Visual Themes of Wes Anderson

Watch Wes Anderson’s ‘Castello Cavalcanti’ Starring Jason Schwartzman

2013 Independent Spirit Award Predictions

2013 Independent Spirit Award Predictions:

Way Too Indie’s Best Films of 2012

Way Too Indie’s Best Films of 2012

Honorable Mentions

Sleepwalk With MeAlpsPrometheusBarbaraThe Color Wheel

2013 Golden Globes Nominations

The full list of 2013 Golden Globes nominations:

Dustin’s Top 10 Films of 2012

Dustin Jansick’s Top 10 Films of 2012

#1 Beasts of the Southern Wild

#2 Your Sister’s Sister

#3 The Master

#4 Jeff, Who Lives At Home

#5 Looper

#6 Beyond The Black Rainbow

#7 Sleepwalk With Me

#8 Moonrise Kingdom

#9 Alps

#10 Cabin in the Woods

Honorable Mentions

Sound of My VoiceGoodbye First LoveComplianceRuby SparksArbitrage

2013 Independent Spirit Award Nominations

Full List of 2013 Independent Spirit Award Nominations:

2012 Holiday Indie Gift Guide

Beasts of the Southern Wild

Jeff, Who Lives At Home

Lola Versus

Ruby Sparks

Moonrise Kingdom

Sound of My Voice

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel

Your Sister’s Sister

Giveaway: Moonrise Kingdom Blu-ray Prize Pack

Way Too Indie’s Best Films of 2012 (So Far)

Moonrise Kingdom

Movie News Roundup: Blue Velvet Edition

Movie News Roundup: Moonrise Kingdom Edition

Way Too Indie’s Most Anticipated Films of Summer 2012

Giveaway: Moonrise Kingdom Survival Package

Way Too Indie’s Top 13 Most Anticipated Films At Cannes 2012

Movie News Roundup: Top 10 Edition

Movie News Roundup: Django Unchained Edition

2012 Cannes Lineup

Wes Anderson’s “Moonrise Kingdom” opens Cannes 2012

Sleepwalk With Me
Alps
Prometheus
Barbara
The Color Wheel

Sound of My Voice
Goodbye First Love
Compliance
Ruby Sparks
Arbitrage