The competition lineup of 16 films for the upcoming 63rd Cannes Film Festival was released today. Here is a quick look at the titles that will be vying for the prestigious (and usually disappointing) Palme d’Or.

Outrage by Takeshi Kitano
Takeshi Kitano returns to his roots with this new crime drama in which he also star. Trailer (in Japanese)

Another Year by Mike Leigh
I wasn’t a huge fan of Leigh’s Happy-Go-Lucky, but Leigh is a great filmmaker and I’m sure this film starring Lesley Manville and Jim Broadbent will be of the utmost quality.

Tournee by Mathieu Amalric
Amalric is probably best known as the star of Julian Schnabel’s The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (he was also in Quantum of Solace). He takes a turn behind the camera in this movie about American burlesque dancers in Paris.

Des Hommes et des Dieux (Of Gods and Men) by Xavier Beauvois
I know very little about actor/director Beauvois. This film centers around a 1996 murder of French monks in Algeria.

Hors la loi (Outside the Law) by Rachid Bouchareb
This movie is about the Algerian struggle for independence following WWII. It should be familiar territory for the French-born Bouchareb. His 2006 film Indigenes (Days of Glory) is about Algerian forces in WWII. That film won the acting prize at Cannes and was nominated for the Best Foreign Language Oscar.

Fair Game by Doug Liman
Okay so Jumper was nothing special but Liman also directed Swingers and Go. This political thriller stars Naomi Watts and Sean Penn as Valerie Plame and Joe Wilson. Can you guess who plays who?

Un Homme Qui Crie (A Screaming Man) by Mahamat-Saleh Haroun
Tough to find much about the film from the Chad-born Haroun.

Housemaidby Im Sang-soo
Ooh, a Korean horror film in competition at Cannes oughta be pretty good.

Poetry by Lee Chang-dong
Lee’s 2007 film Secret Sunshine won an acting prize at Cannes. This movie is about a Korean woman in her 60s who develops an interest in poetry. Sounds exciting.

Copie Conforme (The Certified Copy) by Abbas Kiarostami
Kiarostami is possibly Iran’s most famous filmmaker. He won the Palme d’Or in 1997 for Taste of Cherry. He returns with this romantic drama set in Italy and starring Juliette Binoche.

You, My Joy by Sergei Loznitsa
I got nuthin…

Biutiful by Alejandro Gonzales Inarritu
Inarritu (Babel) returns with his first all Spanish film since Amorres Perros. It is also his first film not written by Guillermo Arriaga – so expect more cohesion (maybe). The film stars Javier Bardem.

La Nostra Vita by Daniele Luchetti
Luchetti is a protege of Italian director extraordinaire Nanni Moretti.

Utomlyonnye Solntsem 2 (Burnt by the Sun 2) by Nikita Mikhalkov
This is Mikhailov’s sequel to the 1994 Cannes Grand Prix and Foreign Language Oscar winning Soviet epic Burnt by the Sun.

La Princesse de Montpensier by Bertrand Tavernier
This looks to be a 16th century French costumer. Tavernier is most famous for his 1986 film ‘Round Midnight.

Loong Boonmee Raleuk Chaat (Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives) by Apichatpong Weerasethakul
This Thai director has received a ton of awards over his rather short filmography. 2002’s Blissfully Yours won the Un Certain Regard prize at Cannes. 2004’s Tropical Malady won a Cannes jury prize. 2006’s Syndromes and a Century was highlighted at both Venice and Toronto.

We will surely be hearing more about these films as the fest approaches.

South by Southwest’s official name may be the SXSW Music and Media Conference, but according to iW’s Eugene Hernandez, the film side of things took over center stage this year with an explosion. I was unable to make it, but I’ve been pouring over the titles in the couple weeks since and here is what caught my eye and had people talking.

COMPETITION WINNERS

TINY FURNITURE – The big Narrative Jury Prize was won by 23 year old Lena Dunham for her very well received semi-autobiographical offbeat New York comedy. Check out the trailer at the site.

BROOTHERHOOD – Will Canon’s college frat thriller won the Narrative Audience Award, claimed some of the very highest critics’ marks, and scored international distribution. Congrats guys.

MARWENCOL – This Docu Jury winner is about a man who creates a 1/6 scale WWII era village in his back yard. It is directed by Jeff Malmberg, who you probably remember as editor on 2008 Paris Hilton hit The Hottie and the Nottie.

WAR DON DON – This heavy duty looking docu about the International Criminal Court system (with a focus on Sierra Leone) won the prize for Docu Jury runner-up. Trailer here.

FOR ONCE IN MY LIFE – The Audience Docu Award went to this inspirational story of a group of disabled musicians. Looks pretty amazing from the trailer.

PREMIERES

ELEKTRA LUXX – This movie about a porn star quitting the biz features Joseph Gordon Levitt, Timothy Olyphant, and Emmanuelle Chriqui (as a porn star – but not the title porn star). Even more interesting, this is the second film in a trilogy (the first is titled Women in Trouble) by Sebastian Gutierrez, screenwriter of Snakes on a Plane.

COLD WEATHER – It seemed everyone was a big fan of this Atmospheric looking crime drama by young director Aaron Katz. I mean if Jason Reitman digs it, it has gotta be good.

LEAVES OF GRASS – Ed Norton stars as identical twins in actor/director Tim Blake Nelson’s pot growing comic thriller. I’ve been hearing very good things about this one which is set for a late summer release.

CARGO – This low budget Swiss sci-fi thriller had a good deal of buzz – mostly because there aren’t a lot of low budget Swiss sci-fi thrillers. However the critics have been pretty underwhelmed. The movie seems to have quite a few similarities to Sunshine – just check out the trailer. It is bound to be the best Swiss sci-fi thriller trailer you watch this week.

DOCUMENTARIES

PELADA – This competition docu is about some soccer fans that traveled the globe looking for the untold stories of the game. Check out the official site which includes the trailer. Looks amazing!!

SATURDAY NIGHT – James Franco directs a docu about hosting SNL. With behind the scenes action rarely captured, I’m pretty excited to catch this one.

THUNDER SOUL – It sounds like people loved Mark Landsman’s docu that tells the story of a 1970s high school band that became a funk sensation.

AIN’T IN IT FOR MY HEALTH: A FILM ABOUT LEVON HELM – Jacob Hatley’s docu follows The Band great as he reemerges into the spotlight after 25 years in the shadows.

THE THORN IN THE HEART – This charming looking partially animated docu by Michel Gondry about his school teacher Aunt premiered at Cannes and opened in NYC last Friday. Trailer

HEADLINERS – Like most fests, SXSW has a special out of competition section for hot titles from studios or indies that might not be making their premiers. The section featured Sundance holdovers The Runaways, Cyrus, Four Lions, and Get Low (Winter’s Bone and a number of others screened in the “Festival Favorites” section while Tucker and Dale vs. Evil and Enter the Void were in with the Midnighters). Here are a few non Sundance notables:

MICMACS – It has been five years since Jean-Pierre Jeunet gave us A Very Long Engagement (his follow up to Amelie). This film promises to offer another glimpse into his comic-romantic whimsy.

KICK ASS – Most of the pre-fest buzz was for this SXSW opener directed by Matthew Vaughn (Stardust). By now you’ve probably seen the ads for this comic book action comedy starring the dream team duo of Nic Cage and McLovin. It hits theaters April 16.

MACGRUBER – It’s hard not to be excited about the latest SNL spinoff starring Will Forte, Kristen Wiig, and Val Kilmer (as villain Dieter Von Cunth). The film – which only cost a surprising $10M – drops April 23.

MR. NICE – Bernard Rose’s interesting sounding British crime comedy stars Rhys Ifans alongside Chloe Sevigny. The film had the critics relatively happy.

WHAT ELSE?

MARS – Mumblecore in space! Mark Duplass stars in Geoff Marslett’s (yep, that’s his name) rotoscoped love comedy sci-fi. Trailer.

CHERRY – This film in the “Emerging Visions” category had many people talking. It’s a witty looking college sex comedy written and directed by unknown TV director Jeffrey Fine. The trailer looks great.

MONSTERS – One of the quick sales at the fest was this cool sounding sci-fi road movie by Gareth Edwards.

CENTURION – Screening as a SXSW/Fantastic Fest midnight surprise, this Roman-Brit epic is directed by Neil Marshall. As a bit of a fan of Marshall’s, I’m excited to hear that the film retains some of Marshall’s B-movie charm that made both The Descent and Doomsday such fun. It also stars Bond girl ultra-hottie Olga Kurylenko. Trailer.

Apologies for so much time in between posts. Watch for a Tribeca preview and look ahead at the Summer fests soon enough.

One of my faves from this year’s Sundance was the street art docu Exit Through the Gift Shop. I pondered in my Twitch review the validity of some of the factual aspects of the film. The film’s premier this week at the Berlin Film Fest finds both IndieWire’s Eugene Hernandez and the NY Times’ Manohla Dargis also pondering the same thing. While I think Dargis is off the mark in suggesting that Banksy and Thierry Guetta (aka Mr. Brainwash) might be one and the same – there is no doubt that some elements comprise more than meets the narrative eye.

…Or maybe not. Maybe every piece of the story is exactly how it is portrayed in the doc. Is it really so hard to believe that Banksy took over the editing duties from the schizotron Guetta and was able to put together this fascinating piece of documentation? Maybe it is simply hard for us to believe that someone as subversive as Banksy would do anything that straight forward. How can we trust a man who won’t even show his face?

Regardless, the real story here is how successful the film is at documenting the movement. Just imagine if cameras were rolling when Cézanne and Pissarro were first experimenting together with impressionist landscapes – or when Duchamp and Man Ray were questioning art’s very definitions. Exit Through the Gift Shop gives us exactly this look at the rise of street art – even if Guetta’s/Banksy’s lens is a bit greased up.

Sundance’10 is all wrapped up and I’m back home in balmy Los Angeles. What a blast! A lot of great flicks, a bit of powder, and an overwhelmingly friendly and fun atmosphere. I’ve collected a few words about each of the 21 films I saw, including links to my 10 Twitch reviews. After the film write-ups, I’ve said a few words about the flicks I wasn’t able to catch. I’m looking forward to seeing many more as they trickle out into theaters and other fests throughout the year. On to the movies – in order of viewing:

7 DAYS – Park City at Midnight – Rating: 4 out of 10

As one friend told me, “It’s not torture porn, it’s torture erotica.” That may be true but more than anything, this suspense-thriller is torture. I was more turned off by the protagonist than by the visuals and wished the filmmaker had focused his attention on the detective. Unfortunately I just couldn’t get into this one.
Read my full review of 7 Days on Twitch

THE SHOCK DOCTRINE – Premieres – Rating: 5 out of 10

Michael Winterbottom’s econ-doc is basically the film version of Naomi Klein’s thesis about the ability to create radical change in a nation when the people are too focused on emergency (shocked) to notice. It focuses a lot on Milton Friedman and the Chicago School’s theory of free markets and the US and Britain’s exploitation (and creation) of crises to implement these theories. The film systematically recounts atrocities from Chile to Iraq on the road to the creation of the “disaster capitalism complex.” While this is some pretty interesting (and often depressing) stuff, the film is, unfortunately, a pretty bland and academic presentation of the material. I was left wondering what happened to the style of Winterbottom’s great Road to Guantanamo. While you might learn something, you won’t have much fun doing it and the vague conclusion won’t give you much in the way of paths of action either.

FOUR LIONS – World Dramatic Competition – Rating: 6 of 10

This terrorist version of The Office really shines when its hilarious actors are engaging in physical humor. These guys are real idiots and their ideas about blowing up the internet and shaking their heads when they go outside to elude surveillance are pretty damn funny. The film had a fair bit of buzz around Park City, although in the end it went home empty handed.
Read my full review of Four Lions on Twitch

LAST TRAIN HOME – World Documentary Competition – Rating: 7 out of 10

Lixin Fan’s tale of the largest human migration on Earth (130 million Chinese who return home from cities across the country every New Years Holiday) is a touching and interesting look at the “Chinese dream.” Its vivid cinematography and sparse dialog made me forget at times that this Canadian co-production was a documentary. This is a very powerful story of family and society and Fan executes it stunningly.

HOLY ROLLERS – US Dramatic Competition – Rating: 7 out of 10

I seem to be in the minority of people who enjoyed Kevin Asch’s debut feature about drug smuggling Hasidic Jews. I thought Eisenberg did a fine job but was most impressed by Justin Bartha (the guy they lost in The Hangover). With its great cast and subject matter, I think this one has just as much, if not more, commercial prospects as anything at the fest.
Read my full review of Holy Rollers at Twitch

BURIED – Park City at Midnight – Rating: 6 out of 10

Buzz was pretty positive about the Rodrigo Cortes’s Ryan Reynolds stuck in a box movie. The movie literally has nothing other than Reynolds in the box (nothing before, no flashbacks, etc). There were some pretty cool shots but there were also a few pretty lame developments. Reynolds is certainly a good actor. Overall I was impressed – this is probably the best movie you can make about someone stuck in a box. But when it comes down to it, this is still a movie about someone stuck in a box.

THE KILLER INSIDE ME – Premieres – Rating: 7 out of 10

Winterbottom’s dramatic inclusion at this year’s fest stirred up a whole lot of controversy because of its extreme depiction of violence against women. “How dare you Sundance?” one woman is reported to have asked at a Q&A. But I was okay with Winterbottom’s explanation that this is a fiction film – and particularly a fiction film from the viewpoint of a deranged killer. I was won over by the cinematography and performances – especially the strong supporting cast that includes Bill Pullman, Elias Koteas, and Tom Bower. This is a tough movie, but a stylish one and I enjoyed it.
Read my full review of The Killer Inside Me at Twitch

CYRUS – Premieres – Rating: 6 out of 10

Sundance sweethearts the Duplass bros. are back with their first real studio film (to be released by Fox Searchlight). The film stars John C. Reilly and Marisa Tomei as a new couple whose relationship runs into a stumbling block when Reilly meets Tomei’s adult son Cyrus (played by Jonah Hill). The cast is good (Catherine Keener also puts in a predictably excellent performance as Reilly’s ex), but I found it a bit hard to believe a babe like Tomei would swoon over a herb like Reilly. Whatever. The movie is funny but nothing incredible. I kept hoping the Duplai would push it to the next raunchy level (thanks Judd). Instead they play it safe and we’re left with a nice but not extremely memorable comedy.

FROZEN – Park City at Midnight – Rating: 3 of 10

My expectations were low and my suspension of disbelief was set to high for this horror about what happens when you get caught on a ski lift after everyone leaves. It didn’t matter, the movie sucked. All the comments I heard were along the lines of, that would never happen because… I say who cares to those. The movie sucked because most of it is these idiots just yackin’ it up – and the dialog is amateur and boring (to be fair, what else are they gonna do when they are caught on a chair lift?). I liked the hilarious gore and wanted more ridiculously hungry wolves. There wasn’t enough of the fun stuff. As I said before, this would make a great short – but there just isn’t enough to sustain the feature.
Read my full review of Frozen at Twitch

BLUE VALENTINE – US Dramatic Competition – Rating: 9 out of 10

Derek Cianfrance’s relationship drama was probably my favorite film at Sundance. This is in large part due to the performances by Ryan Gossling and Michelle Williams – but the writing is also excellent (Joey Curtis and Cami Delavigne also share the screenwriting credit). The film intercuts the beginning of the couple’s relationship with its end in a method that I found intriguing and successful. This combination of heartache and heart-melt paints an emotionally realistic portrait that really worked for me. The film was picked up at the fest by The Weinstein Co. and should find an early fall release with Oscar hopes for both the leads.

TUCKER & DALE VS. EVIL – Park City at Midnight – Rating: 8 out of 10

I loved this script by Eli Craig and his execution did not disappoint! This movie turns the hillbilly horror on its head – and then it grinds that head up in a wood chipper. I was cracking up from the very beginning – even though I knew what was about to happen. The casting was great and I have always wanted to see the cutie from 30 Rock get more than a couple minutes a week of screen time. This film is a blast and I’m pretty confident that if people see it, they will like it.
Read my full review of Tucker & Dale Vs. Evil at Twitch

THE VIOLENT KIND – Park City at Midnight – Rating: 7 out of 10

It seems this Sons of Anarchy meets The Outer Limit tripped out horror movie has been pretty much panned across the board. Bah! I liked it. Yes it is way, wayyy out there. No it doesn’t have much of a cohesive narrative. Yes the sound work is truly atrocious. But overall it is sexy, bloody, kooky and pretty damn fun. All good qualities for a midnight movie and I would be surprised if this one doesn’t win some fans on its trip through the horror fest circuit.
Read my full review of The Violent Kind at Twitch

HIGH SCHOOL – Park City at Midnight – Rating: 6 out of 10

HIGH school was the only midnight movie I managed to actually catch at midnight (at the Egyptian of course). It is really, really funny right out of the gate. Matt Bush (Frigo from Adventureland) plays a smart kid who gets talked into smoking weed for the first time right before the school institutes a mandatory drug testing policy. So his buddy and he decide to ruin the testing by stealing some super weed from a cracked out Adrian Brody (who is awesome) and bake it up into super brownies. Everyone in the school eats the brownies and gets super high. Hilarious. However at this point the film takes a nose dive into plot problemsville. Why are they only in class when it is convenient? Why does he steal the truck instead of just pushing the cart? Why didn’t Mr. Smartest-kid-in-school think of using his own invention? I thought of it 30 seconds after the problem was presented. No doubt there is some really hilarious stuff here and Brody deserves an Oscar, hands down. But the script simply needed another pass or two to take it from problematic stoner movie with some pretty funny scenes to stoner classic glory.

LUCKY – US Documentary Competition – Rating: 6 out of 10

Jeffrey Blitz had a base hit with his documentary Spellbound and then knocked it out of the park with his comedy Rocket Science. His latest docu about lottery winners is more like a sac fly. It tells some interesting stories and we learn winning the lottery isn’t always what its cracked up to be. But it feels a bit long and there isn’t much in the way of excitement. The best line of the film is when one of the lottery winners friends calls winning the lottery, “like sprinkling miracle grow on your character defects.” The animation by Walter Robot is also quite cool. Look for this one to find a TV audience sometime soon.

EXIT THROUGH THE GIFT SHOP – Spotlight Surprise – Rating: 8 out of 10

My favorite docu of the fest was this street art character piece, directed by Banksy. I have A LOT to say about this one so check out my Twitch review – but suffice to say it is a really interesting exploration of art, the artist, commercialization, and the authenticity of documentary. I had the pleasure of being at both of the exhibitions spotlighted in the film (Banksy’s 2006 Barely Legal and Mr. Brainwash’s 2008 Life is Beautiful), so it was particularly interesting for me to learn the fascinating back story behind the characters. There’s way more going on here.
Read my full review of Exit Through The Gift Shop at Twitch

THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT – Premieres – Rating: 6 of 10

Lisa Cholodenko’s family dramedy has been pretty heavily praised for its spin on the family dramedy genre (they’re lesbians). I found it pretty mediocre. It is pretty sweet and pretty safe and the kids aren’t really that good. Ruffalo is okay and Julianne Moore is okay and Annette Bening is a butch bitch – but overall I just didn’t really care that much. Maybe I am not the target audience but I just couldn’t help but feel like I was watching an ABC family drama.

ANIMAL KINGDOM – World Dramatic Competition – Rating: 7 out of 10

David Michôd’s Australian family crime drama is a taut and atmospheric thriller. The performances are great across the board. This film is really dark and at times maybe a bit too cerebral – but the final act when the grandma shows her true colors is cinematic gold.
Read my full review of Animal Kingdom at Twitch

TEENAGE PAPARAZZO – Spotlight – Rating: 7 out of 10

Adrian Grenier’s documentary about young Austin Visschedyk, a 14 year old celeb photographer, starts out as an interesting insider look at the world of the paparazzi. Grenier’s celebrity status allows us the fun of getting the scoop not just from the guys behind the lenses, but also from the celebs themselves. But the docu really gets going when Visschedyk himself starts attracting celebrity and Grenier has to deal with the fact that he is partly to blame. Grenier shows surprising maturity in his directing. Those who are interested in the subject matter should really enjoy this.

CATFISH – Spotlight – Rating: 8 out of 10

This internet love story documentary had by far the most buzz at the fest. It isn’t some amazing feat of film making, but it is a fantastically interesting story. It hits a bit of a slow patch towards the end, but the film had me sitting on my hands with excitement for its majority.
Read my full review of Catfish at Twitch

ENTER THE VOID – Spotlight – Rating: 7 out of 10

Whoa! As one colleague put it, “Enter the Void will rape your brain!” It is worth the price of admission just for the epilepsy inducing opening credits – but those who get a bit squeamish might want to high tail it after that. The film is a spirit’s slow drug addled trip into the afterlife that takes place after a drug deal heads south in a seedy Tokyo night club. There is a surprising amount of narrative cohesion but the film is more about emotion and visuals than story. It is really tripped out and really interesting and, at a few points, the most terrifying thing I’ve ever seen on screen. I could say more, but this one really has to be experienced.

BOY – World Dramatic Competition – Rating: 9 out of 10

Taika Waititi’s follow up to Eagle Vs. Shark (after his multiple directed eps of Flight of the Conchords) is loosely based on his Oscar nom’d short Two Girls, One Cup… wait no wrong short. It is loosely based on his Oscar nom’d short Two Cars, One Night. Boy is the coming-of-age story of a young Maori boy named Boy who dreams about his father coming home and taking him away to life filled with father-son excitement. When his pops does show up (played wonderfully by Waititi), he proves to be even more of a little kid than boy. Like Eagle Vs. Shark, Taika infuses every shot with a visual whimsy that makes the film just as much fun to watch. All the characters are likable and the film just exudes charm. There are some wonderful fantasy sequences and the credits dance number is almost as much fun as Slumdog’s. All in all, this is a very special film. Do what you have to do to catch it.

Those were the 21 films I caught but there were another 80-something I didn’t see. The most notable of those is a movie called Winter’s Bone that won both the screenwriting prize and the big daddy US Dramatic Grand Jury prize (won last year by Precious). Everyone was talking about this Debra Granik deep Ozark woods family drama – but I just couldn’t make it fit. The other film that was buzzing was the war docu The Tillman Story about the friendly fire killed ex-NFL star. Another war docu, Sebastian Junger and Tim Hetherington’s Restrepo picked up the US Documentary Grand Jury prize. Other docus I would have liked to squeeze in were Jean-Michel Basquiat: The Radiant Child, Space Tourists, and Alex Gibney’s Casino Jack. I didn’t hear much about any of the three.

My early prediction was that Jake (son of Ridley) Scott’s James Gandolfini, Kristen Stewart starring Welcome to the Rileys would be the biggest buzzing film at the fest. I was wrong – but Kristen Stewart did stir up some buzz with co-star Dakota Fanning in Floria Sigismondi’s punk rock biopic The Runaways (though not all of it good). I saw neither. I was pretty damned excited for my chance to see (Oscar nom’d) Cannes holdover A Prophet – but I guess I’ll have to wait until it comes out in theaters on Feb 12. Both Hesher and Howl had critics in meh mode but both are likely to find their way to limited releases in the next awards cycle. The scientific horror Splice looked like it had some cool visuals but the word in the tent was that things got pretty corny when the love story started up. I also would have liked to have seen Nuumioq. Unfortunately my first chance to see a movie from Greenland was a miss. Finally, the only movie in the Next section that raised any eyebrows was Katie Aselton’s Duplass produced The Freebie. Like many of the films in Park City, I’m sure I’ll have another chance to catch this one as it makes its way across the festival circuit.

Thanks to Todd and Dan for making it all possible. Thanks to Alex for the big hosing assist. Thanks to Carly for the editorial notes. And thanks to all of you for reading. I look forward to your comments.

I’m very happy to announce that I’ll be reviewing films at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, currently underway in Park City, for the film site Twitch.

My first review of the film Four Lions is up now.

Stop by to see more from me through the week and to anyone finding their way here from Twitch – welcome!

Thx Todd and Dan.

Right on the heels of Wild Things, Spike Jonze is back at Sundance with his 30 min short visual treat I’m Here. Looks predictably great.

More at Twitch.

The full lineup has been announced for next year’s Sundance Film Fest and there is a lot to be excited for. Here are the films that jumped out at me right off the bat:

Boy This film (pictured above) is written and directed by hilarious NZer Taika Waititi, famous for his feature Eagle Vs. Shark. Formerly known as The Volcano, this film is closer in theme to his wonderful Oscar nom’d short Two Cars, One Night. I loved the script and am definitely looking forward to seeing this when it screens in the World Narrative Comp.

Blue Valentine Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams will very likely be incredible across from each other in this Narrative Comp entry from Derek Cianfrance.

Holy Rollers Another Narrative Comp entry, this film directed by Kevin Asch stars Jesse Eisenberg (Adventureland) as a Hasidic dude who becomes and international ecstasy smuggler.

Howl Rob Epstein’s period drama stars James Franco as Allen Ginsberg. Beside Franco are the likes of Jon Hamm, David Stathairn, and Jeff Daniels. This film screens as part of the main Narrative Competition.

Jean-Michel Basquiat: The Radiant Child I have been fascinated with Basquiat since seeing him star in Downtown 81. So I am extra excited for the Docu Comp entry directed by Tamra Davis, director of Half Baked, Billy Madison, and CB4.

Lucky Jeffrey Blitz took the docu world by storm with his hit Spellbound. He then followed it up with the criminally under appreciated Rocket Science. This year he goes back to his docu roots with this Docu Comp entry about lottery winners.

Waiting for Superman Davis Guggenheim (An Inconvenient Truth) tackles the US public school system in this Docu Comp entry.

Casino Jack and the United States of Money Alex Gibney is behind some of the most fascinating documentaries of the last decade (Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room, Taxi to the Darkside, Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson). This new flick screening in the Docu Comp is all about Jack Abramoff. It had better be good to compete with Bill Moyer’s fantastic Capitol Crimes series.

The Killer Inside Me Personal fave Michael Winterbottom directs Casey Affleck, Kate Hudson, and Jessica Alba in this Prems section film about a killer Texas sheriff. Winterbottom is also co-director of another Sundance10 flick, Shock Doctrine.

Jack Goes Boating This film, also programmed in the Prems section, is the directorial debut of Phillip Seymour Hoffman. It co-stars Amy Ryan and Tom McCarthy.

Space Tourists This World Docu Comp entry is billed as a docu-comedy about the billionaires that pay to travel to space.

Buried I don’t know if I would be all that interested in this Midnight section screening about a guy who get buried alive if it didn’t star Ryan Reynolds. Something tells me this is a role he can make interesting.

Tucker & Dale vs. Evil I remember liking this wacky script about two hillbillies who are mistaken for mass murders. If they pulled it off, this will be a refreshing take on the slasher genre. This one, not surprisingly, screens in the Midnight section.

The Violent Kind This Midnight movie is by the dudes who call themselves The Butcher Brothers. Congrats on getting in.

Oddsac Screening in the New Frontier section, I’ll just let the press release describe this one: “An earthy, psychedelic experimental narrative infused with the band, Animal Collective’s aural and musical sensibilities.”

What are you excited for?

The AFI Film Festival rolls out next weekend and they are trying something quite new this year. Namely, they aren’t charging for tickets (they have also moved the location from Arclight to the Mann Chinese) . You can still buy a festival pass which guarantees entry to screenings – but they aren’t selling any regular screening tickets. Instead they are asking festival goers to either sign up for the free showings the want to attend or just show up and stand in line. The order form for free tix is here – but whoops… looks like I posted this a bit late and the free tix are pretty much all gone. Well if anyone is interested in trying to wait in line for the following screenings, let me know.

Highlights

The Fantastic Mr. Fox
Fri. Oct 30, 7:00 pm
The fest opens with the premiere of Wes Anderson’s puppet-astic tale that hits theaters Nov 12.

City of Life and Death
Sun. Nov 1, 1:00 pm
This arty Rape of Nanking drama premiered at TIFF to great reviews.

Precious
Sun. Nov 1, 7:00 pm
Everyone wants to see the festival darling of 2009 before it comes out Nov 6th – and you can see it for free at AFI.

Youth In Revolt
Tue. Nov 3, 10:15 pm
This Michael Cera starrer is sure to have a fun little run in the theaters – but apparently not until January.

The Road
Wed. Nov 4, 7:00 pm
Scary scary Viggo comes to theaters at the end of November – but he’ll be in person a few weeks early for this Gala tribute to him.

Transcendant Man
Thu. Nov 5, 4:00 pm
This documentary about inventor and futurist Ray Kurzweil sounds quite interesting – and I don’t imagine it will have too long of a line.

Looking For Eric
Thu. Nov 5, 7:00 pm
How about a light hearted euro flick from the normally serious Ken Loach (The Wind That Shakes the Barley)?

A Single Man
Thu. Nov 5, 7:00 pm
The closing night film is Tom Ford’s surprise hit from TIFF, set to hit theaters on Dec 11.

I just spent five great days at Austin’s Fantastic Fest and the experience was awesome. Aside form the 17 films I watched, the festival had plenty of other cool events on offer. This year founder Tim has opened up a bowling alley/party space called The Highball next to his amazing Alamo Draft House Cinema which offered the perfect place for the late night hanging and unlimited free skee-ball! The Fantastic Fest Debates were especially hilarious as after each debate (or roast) the contestants literally duked it out.

The cinema itself is something to behold. A 6 screen stadium theater with seats and sound on par with Arclight. But the real innovation is the full service restaurant built in. They have figured out the perfect system to keep the wait staff unobtrusive – you just write down your order on a little flag and they come by and pick it up. There is a long narrow table in front of each row to set your beer or burger and a little aisle below each row where the wait staff walks. I don’t know why no one has tried this in LA, but the formula is a winner.

All things considered it was a real blast. A world of thanks to Dan for making it happen. We’ll definitely do it again next year.

Now on to the film round-up (in order viewed):

FIRST SQUAD – Rating: 4 out of 10

This Russian animated feature is by the Japanese team behind Animatrix. The animation is cool but the horribly implemented documentary device of bad actors pretending to be history experts totally ruined the movie. This isn’t Waltz with Bashir, it is an action cartoon. There were a few cool story elements, but overall they weren’t enough to keep me awake.

GENTLEMEN BRONCOS – Rating: 9 out of 10

This new film from Jared Hess (Napoleon Dynamite, Nacho Libre) is as wacky as possible and genuinely HILARIOUS. Everything works, especially Jemaine Clement as one of the best characters of the year. It slowed down a tiny bit after the very strong opening, but the ridiculous fantasy sequences go a long way to smooth out the pace. This film certainly exceeded my already high expectations.

REC 2 – Rating: 6 out of 10

I was quite impressed by this horror-thriller’s clean look. The story works and there are some good thrills, but what is most remarkable is the first person narrative device that the filmmakers fully commit to with great success. More than any movie I’ve ever seen, this film feels like a videogame – and it is fun.

KAMOGAWA HARUMO – BATTLE LEAGUE IN KYOTO – Rating: 6 out of 10

This film is about college students who train little supernatural creatures to battle teams from other colleges. While it may have a pretty bizarre premise, it is actually a quite traditional story about a loser guy who falls for a girl who is out of his league. All things considered, the film works and is pretty fun.

HARD REVENGE MILLY – Rating: 5 out of 10

This is a super low budget Japanese blood and guts actioner. The skeleton of a story doesn’t provide much to chew on, but the film does succeed at finding new ways to splatter the camera with watery blood.

ZOMBIELAND – Rating: 8 out of 10

This flick is most definitely the top of the zombie movie heap. It is maybe not quite as hilarious as Shaun of the Dead, but it certainly provides a lot more zombie killing thrills. The film has some great set pieces, an amazing cameo, and Emma Stone is Bodacious.

VAMPIRE GIRL VS. FRANKENSTEIN GIRL – Rating: 8 out of 10

This is a really enjoyable wacky Japanese high school flick with some good acting and pretty decent effects. However, the real star of the film is the biting criticism leveled against fringe elements of Japanese society.

K-20: THE FIEND WITH 20 FACES – Rating: 3 out of 10

This big budget Japanese superhero film borrows heavily from every other superhero film you’ve ever seen. There may be some fun stunts and wire work, but the plot is just plain horrible. Worst of all, this film is sloooow and is far far too long.

UNDER THE MOUNTAIN – Rating: 3 out of 10

Two annoying kids save New Zealand from evil underground aliens whose story doesn’t make any sense.

YATTERMAN – Rating: 9 out of 10

Yet another genre mastered by Miike! This time it is the comic superhero comedy. The story is awesome with a lot of genuine emotion. The CG is top notch (as compared to the disappointingly low budget look of The Great Yokai War). The action sequences are fantastic and reminded me of playing the Dreamcast classic Powerstone. Overall this film in f*ing fun!

CLIVE BARKER’S DREAD – Rating: 5 out of 10

There wasn’t a whole lot wrong about this very indie thriller – but there wasn’t that much right either. I’d call it pretty damn mediocre and it is not helped by the generally unsatisfying ending.

VAN DIEMEN’S LAND – Rating: 7 out of 10

This story of a grueling prison camp escape in 18th century Tasmania is a bit slow and cerebral, but overall it is a well told story with some very nice cinematography.

MANDRILL – Rating: 8 out of 10

Mandrill is the Chilean James Bond and it is amazing! Ernesto Diaz-Espinoza follows up Mirageman by again directing the incredible Marko Zaror – who has got to become an action star around the world. The film is fun and funny and really does everything right. On top of that, the filmmakers and stars are very approachable and cool guys. Way to go.

THE IMAGINARIUM OF DOCTOR PARNASSUS – Rating: 6 out of 10

Terry Gilliam’s Heath Ledger swan song was the only “secret screening” I caught. I liked the performances and the way it all came together but was turned off by the very cheap CGI (where were the magic visual effects of Brazil?) and overall I was unconvinced by the plot.

DISTRICT B13 ULTIMATUM – Rating: 2 out of 10

This film was very disappointing after the awesome District B13. There with no semblance of a story and almost no parkour! What the hell?

LOVE EXPOSURE – Rating: 7 out of 10

While there is a very different 100 minute movie somewhere in there (remake?), the 237 minute version is certainly an ambitious and generally successful undertaking. Melding a coming of age story with many Japanese sexual elements and borrowing a lot of themes from A Clockwork Orange, this film goes all over the map but is quite satisfying in the end.

METROPIA – Rating: 7 out of 10

This is a pretty cool sci-fi tale about big brother, all very stylistically animated.

The Toronto Int’l Film Fest kicks off in a few days with an incredible 336 films. Yikes. I’ve read the catalog and highlighted a mere 75 or so here. Many will make the fest circuit for the next year and a good number will see a theater near you. So even if you can’t make it up north (I can’t, btw) you can still find some flicks to keep an eye out for over the upcoming months.

The following 6 films are on display in the above banner, clockwise from the top left pic of Penelope.

Broken Embraces
Straight from Cannes, Penelope Cruz is again on display in the latest from Spanish master Pedro Almodovar.

City of Life and Death
Lu Chuan’s drama taking the viewer deep inside the Rape of Nanking is said to be one of the year’s best.

The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus
Terry Gilliam’s latest fairy tale will forever be known as Heath Ledger’s final role. His decision to bring in Johnny Depp, Jude Law and Colin Farrell to finish Ledger’s role may have created some controversy, but it has also certainly piqued interest. It is finally time to find out if Gilliam’s vision is a success.

The Trotsky
Jacob Tierney directs the hilarious Jay Baruchel as the reincarnation of Leo Trotsky in modern day Montreal.

The Young Victoria
Jean-Marc Vallee’s (C.R.A.Z.Y.) period piece stars Emily Blunt as Queen Victoria.

A Serious Man
It seems the Coen Brothers can’t take a vacation – not that I am complaining. This absurd comedy set in the 1960s is said to be one of their very best.

Continue on to read plenty more from TIFF’09

Alex has got his photoblog up and running and right now it is packed to the gills with great shots like these two from last month’s amazing Sasquatch Festival. Check out the awesome power of the fisheye!

For a lot more from Sasquatch check out Danz’s flickrset and Alex’s flickrset. Nice work guys.

Westwood’s LA Film Fest is upon us again – running this year from June 18 to 28. As normal, it is a rather svelte fest (at least compared to the bloated bastard still going on in Seattle). Most of the highlights seem to be Sundance hold overs but there are also quite a few interesting sounding int’l flicks that I’m hearing about for the first time. It would have been cool to see a few Cannes premiers make the quick turnaround debut but hey. Here are my highlights starting with a few I hope to catch. Lemme know if anything interests you.

We Live in Public
I mentioned this Ondi Timoner (Dig!) doc in my SIFF’09 write-up and now plan to check it out. This Sundance premiering story of a group of people living underground and in front of the cameras plays in the evenings on Sun. 6/21 and Weds. 6/24. Lemme know if you can make either one.

Ponyo
Mentioned way back in September, Hayao Miyazaki’s newest animated masterpiece is the closing night gala for this year’s LAFF. That means it costs $100 to go to. F-that! I’m just gonna have to do my best to finaggle my way in.

High-Rise
I’ve been fascinated by Brazil’s high rise upper class since watching Manda Bala a few years back. This film claims to focus on exactly that. It plays in the evening Sat. 6/20 and as a matinee Sun. 6/21.

It Might Get Loud
Davis Guggenheim’s latest doc gives the viewer an backstage pass for a jam session between Jimmy Page, The Edge, and Jack White. Sounds Awesome. It plays Fri. 6/19 evening and Mon. 6/22 afternoon.

Sex, Booze, and Copywriting: Behind the Scenes of Mad Men
This conversation with Mad Men creator Matthew Weiner and some of the cast is sure to sell out. It happens at 7pm on Weds. 6/24. Lemme know ASAP if any of you MMMs (Mad Men Maniacs) wanna go.

More from LAFF’09 after the jump

It is time once again for the massive Seattle International Film Fest, and once again I find myself in Seattle as it kicks off. However, with 395 films (!!) over three weeks I will only be able to catch a flick or two towards the beginning. Still I have poured through the catalog in order to give NWers a few recommendations of films that might be worth checking out. The fest website is great this year with trailers for many of the films on their own slick embedded player. Click the film title for the SIFF page and Enjoy!

(500) Days of Summer
Quite possibly the film I am most looking forward to this summer is music video director Marc Webb’s feature debut. This Sundance hit stars Zooey Deschanel and Joseph Gordon-Levitt in an offbeat romance. Fox Searchlight is set to release the film in mid-July but if you can’t wait (why would you?) then catch it at SIFF during the fest’s last week.

We Live in Public
Ondi Timoner, director of one of my favorite documentaries ever, DiG!, finally has a new film out and it looks incredibly interesting. The film goes inside a social experiment that put 100 people underground New York to live and party together – all in front of a ton of cameras. Anyone who saw DiG! knows Timoner is one of the best at letting his subjects tell the story and this is sure to be a first rate doc.

Il Divo
This award winning Italian film is the dramatization of the true story of a highly influential Italian politician with deep mafia roots. The film won a Jury prize at Cannes last year. SIFF says: “Sorrentino’s stylized portrait of Andreotti manages to be seriously political but wraps its message in an entertaining package featuring wicked wit and brilliant cinematography.”

Maradona by Kusturica
What film festival would be complete without a soccer documentary? This is award winning filmmaker Emir Kusturica’s examination of the life and career of one of the best footballers of all time, Argentine Diego Maradona.

Continue to plenty more of SIFF’09

The SASQUATCH! 2009 lineup is out and I am very, very impressed. Not the Seattle-centric lineup of last year but still a fantastic and actually stronger lineup. Once again the fest takes place Memorial Day weekend at the Gorge, about two hours east of Seattle. Here’s the lineup:

Saturday, May 23th
Kings of Leon / Yeah Yeah Yeahs / The Decemberists / Animal Collective / Bon Iver / M. Ward / Doves / Sun Kil Moon / The Gaslight Anthem / King Khan & The Shrines / Ra Ra Riot / Shearwater / Passion Pit / Mt. St. Helens Vietnam Band / Vince Mira / Blind Pilot / Owl City / Arthur & Yu / Dent May & His Magnificent Ukulele / Death Vessel / Hockey / James Pants / Todd Barry / Tim & Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! / People’s Republic of Komedy

Sunday, May 24th
Jane’s Addiction / Nine Inch Nails / TV On The Radio / Peter Bjorn and John / of Montreal / The Avett Brothers / Calexico / M83 / The Airborne Toxic Event / The Walkmen / The Wrens / St. Vincent / The Dodos / John Vanderslice / The Submarines / Viva Voce / The Builders And The Butchers / AA Bondy / Fences / Point Juncture, WA / The Red Wine Boys / Jon Benjamin / Zach Galifianakis / Deadmau5 / Natalie Portman’s Shaved Head / People’s Republic of Komedy / Devotchka

Monday, May 25th
Ben Harper and Relentless7 / Erykah Badu / Silversun Pickups / Fleet Foxes / Gogol Bordello / Santogold / Grizzly Bear / Explosions In The Sky / Girl Talk / Blitzen Trapper / The Knux / Monotonix / Bishop Allen / Black Moth Super Rainbow / Beach House / Mugison / The Dutchess And The Duke / School Of Seven Bells / Horse Feathers / The Pica Beats / Loch Lomond / BLK JKS / Demetri Martin / God’s Pottery / Chromeo / Tobacco / People’s Republic of Komedy

I’ve tried to bold the acts I am most excited about but it seems that is most of the main acts. Organizers have done a great job to get stronger closers as it seemed like the main attractions last year were the second to last bands. Still, NIN going on before Jane’s is a bit baffling – but I guess they are touring that way.

We had a helluva fun time camping at the nearby Wild Horse Campground and taking in the show last year and with a lineup this strong, I think I gotta go back. Tix go on sale weekend after next and if you buy them then, you get all 3 days for $155 – way cheaper than Coachella. Anyone else interested? Who are you most excited about? Anyone into any of the smaller acts?

With Toronto currently unspooling, the festival season is now in full swing – and there are quite a few offerings from big name Japanese filmmakers.

Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea – Hayao Miyazaki
This new Ghibli film directed by the one and only Hayao Miyazaki opened in Japan in July and made its international debut at the Venice Film Fest a few weeks ago. I’ve loved everything Miyazaki has ever touched – so no surprise I am highly anticipating this – which has so far received pretty positive reviews.
Official Site (JP – but some good pics)

Achilles and the Tortoise – Takeshi Kitano
I’ve missed Beat Takeshi’s last couple films (Takeshis’ and Glory to the Filmmaker!) but from all accounts that is a good thing. This seems to be another personal film about an artist with no real talent and features a good deal of his own paintings (like a number of his past films). I’m all for deeply personal (Kikujiro is one of my favorites of his) but how awesome would a new Takeshi gangster flick be?
TIFF writeup (also at Venice)

The Sky Crawlers – Mamoru Oshii
A new anime from the acclaimed director of Ghost in the Shell, Innocence, Patlabor, and Jin-Roh – this sounds like an interesting diversion from his normal world of red-eyed villains and mechsuits. Best described in the TIFF writeup:

Dwelling in a pneumatic void of memories live the Kildren, teenagers destined never to grow up. Unless they are killed in action, they persist forever in a dull adolescence. The Kildren are a human breed of fighter pilots; created to play the much-needed game of war in a world that keeps real conflicts at bay, they are hired to entertain the citizens of Europe with their celestial battles.

TIFF writeup (also at Venice)

Still Walking – Hirokazu Kore-eda
Kore-eda is back with a story of life, death and family in modern Japan. Those who have never seen his 1998 classic After Life (Wandâfuru raifu) should really check it out. The English language remake is in the works right now in H.wood.
Tiff writeup

Tokyo Sonata – Kiyoshi Kurosawa
Kiyoshi tries his hand at family drama with a story that follows a man who loses his job but can’t admit it to his family. Familiar territory perhaps, but Kiyoshi is fantastic with his characters and this will be an interesting examination of honor in Japanese society no doubt.
Tiff writeup

Detroit Metal City – Toshio Lee
I don’t know much about Lee (apparently most of his work has been in TV), but this adaptation of a famous manga has all the ingredients for some great JP wackery. Not to mention the fact that it co-stars Gene Simmons!

Souichi is a timid, sensitive and innately polite music geek who moves from the Japanese countryside to Tokyo with big dreams: he aspires to sing sugary love ballads and become a chart-topping sensation. But life does not turn out the way Souichi had hoped, and the only gig he can get is that of front man for the notorious band Detroit Metal City (DMC). Wearing a cape, tights and ghostly demon makeup, Souichi storms the stage each night as Johannes Klauser II, smashing guitars and spewing verbal filth in songs about murder and rape.

TIFF writeup

Hmmm, no Miike films at Toronto this year, though his English language western hit Sukiyaki Western Django is coming out in theaters this week. Be sure to catch it if you can. Also, I just finally caught Yoji Yamada’s beautiful Love and Honor (in the theater – two years after it was at Toronto) and it was everything I had hoped it would be.

This Saturday in Santa Monica there is an all night art festival. From the Site:

Glow will fill the hours between dusk to dawn with compelling, enchanting and effervescent sights and sounds situated in spaces and times that expand possibilities for where, how and when the public experiences contemporary art.

With the historic Santa Monica Pier and adjacent world-famous Santa Monica Beach as their space, artists were commissioned to create unique and inviting works of art that welcome the public to be both audience and actor for twelve celebratory hours. Inspired by the wildly successful Nuit Blanche in Paris, Glow takes its spirit from the fabled grunion that live in local waters and come ashore several times a year to spawn in the sand creating a momentary sensation of iridescence.

Sounds like something worth supporting to me and it could be a hell of a lot of fun to chill on the beach into the wee morning hours.

Anyone into it?

Sunset Junction is coming up August 23-24 and the lineup is definitely the best in years. Broken Social Scene (pictured), Cold War Kids, and The Black Keys will all be performing. For those of you not aware, this festival takes place on Sunset Blvd – a drunken stumble from my house (you can clearly hear the music and even see the fest from my balcony). Get your reservations in now for couch space if any out-of-towners want to join the festivities.

The LA Film Fest starts rolling today and runs through next weekend in Westwood and, new this year, at the Landmark. Featuring a number of Sundance faves and a few new indies, the rather select lineup is really quite good. It seems the documentary competition is especially interesting this year. Kudos to the folks behind the website for the fest – write-ups are packed with useful info on the film and filmmakers, links, and trailers. Here are some of the flicks I am most excited about. Check out the full post after the break for more notes.

Dirty Hands: The Art & Crimes of David Choe
David Choe is famous for his dirty style of art and graffiti that I have long been a fan of. This docu looks at his life and career and chronicles a recent stint in Japanese prison for vandalism. (Photo above)

Wonderful Town
An interesting looking Thai drama about a couple finding love in post tsunami Thailand.

Let the Right One in
Let me take this opportunity to most heartily recommend this Sundance flick, which I caught at the Seattle Fest a few weeks ago. It is a touching a brilliant coming of age story of a young boy who falls in love with the new girl next door in a Swedish suburb, only to discover she is a vampire! The story unfolds in a stark and subtle way that makes the eventual action so much more effective. I can’t say enough good things about this film. It has quickly joined The Wackness as one of my very favorite films of the year.

Encounters at the End of the World
Werner Herzog’s new docu examines the lives of people living in Antarctica and looks fantastic.

More, more, more!

New photos from my recent time in the N-dub are up on flickr. There are shots from my momma’s (like this shot of the Dancing Ballerina), shots from the Sasquatch Festival (also see Danz’s shots), shots from the city, and shots from the Rangerville party (and Abby has shots up on facebook – tho you probably gotta log in).

Lemme know what you think and thanks to everyone who made it such a great trip.

Hello from Seattle!!

Close on the heels of my arrival in the NW is this years Seattle Int’l Film Festival. Welcome SIFF. The following are the highlights, according to me. I’m planning to check out a few flicks during the time I am in and out of the city (see below in bold). Lemme know if you wanna join or if you catch anything cool.

The Wackness
My favorite film at Sundance – this fantastic coming of age story follows a high schooler (Josh Peck) as he slangs dope to his shrink (Ben Kingsley) and gets his heart broken by the shrink’s daughter (Olivia Thirlby). All of this is set to a bumpin early 90s hip hop soundtrack. Check this flick out for sure! (It’ll be out in theaters this summer).

Man on Wire
This docu is definitely one of the year’s best. Unfolding like a crime thriller, it tells the story of a high wire walker as he plans and carries out his famous World Trade Center feat of 1974. I highly recommend this.

Ploy
I’m going to give Thai auteur Pen-ek Ratanaruang another shot after his disappointing Hidden Waves. Seeing this Weds. 5/28 at 9:30P.

Love and Honor (Bushi no Ichibun)
I was so excited when I saw that Yoji Yamada’s final chapter of his samurai trilogy would be at SIFF (I was lucky enough to catch the other two on the big screen) until I discovered both screenings are Memorial Day Weekend and I can’t make it!

Battle in Seattle
After premiering at SXSW, this dramatization of the 1999 Seattle WTO protests makes its hometown debut in a Gala screening. Will local audiences find it authentic? I am curious.

Continue to plenty more of my highlights of this year’s SIFF