Archive for November, 2011
Cinemark Knows No Shame
Wednesday, November 30th, 2011Tony-Winning Parker-Stone “Book Of Mormon” Makes Its Return In 9 Months Flat
Wednesday, November 30th, 2011“So Long For Awhile”: Ebert Announces Hiatus For “At The Movies”
Wednesday, November 30th, 2011The New Yorker Asks The Right Questions About The Disappearing Of Margaret, But Apparently Didn’t Ask Them Of The Right People
Wednesday, November 30th, 2011Producer Graham King On Hugo’s Slow Rollout: “A Masterpiece Needs To Be Nurtured”
Wednesday, November 30th, 2011Wilmington on DVDs. The Rest: Friends With Benefits; 30 Minutes or Less; One Day; Island of Lost Souls
Wednesday, November 30th, 2011
“Friends with Benefits” (Two Stars)
U. S.: Will Gluck, 2011
Falling in love is such great movie material that it’s a pity Hollywood screws it up so often, especially these days. Friends with Benefits is supposed to be smarter and funnier than the usual pseudo-romantic comedy of today, but it’s really ust another rommie-commie with more (and faster) dialogue than usual, trying to be a romantic in new hip ways and stumbling — although you can give Friends with Benefits some credit for trying to go classic and stylish in the manner of the best Spencer Tracy & Katharine Hepburn, or Cary Grant & Hepburn, or Jimmy Stewart & Jean Arthur shows, and still be sexy and candid and as packed with nudity and off-color jokes as the contemporary public supposedly expects. And you can even, if you’re kind, recognize the box office insurance of employing a hookup pair like Justin Timberlake and Mila Kunis. (Timberlake‘s back and Kunis’s got him!)
Timberlake (the famed rocker and boyish looking orgiast of The Social Network) and Kunis (the wet dream of Black Swan) supposedly bring instant sex appeal with them, and they’re type-cast as a couple young, well-salaried, dazzlingly photogenic, full of cash and sex and witty one-liners — and all the things moviemakers think audiences yearn to have and be. He’s Dylan, an art director for a Los Angeles website. She‘s Jamie, a Manhattan-based headhunter who recruits Dylan to become the designer for GQ. Both of them are hell on wheels on wisecracks. They start trading quips before they even meet each other; the film opens with a smarty-pants little scene that juxtaposes two break-up dates, between Dylan and his son-to-be-ex, and between Jamie and hers, inter-cutting them so that, for a while, we think it’s just one date between Dylan and Jamie. It’s kind of a neat idea, but like most of the movie, too full of itself to go anywhere interesting — except maybe to establish that Pretty Woman is regarded somewhere as a stylish classic.
Director Will Gluck and his writers, Keith Merryman and David A. Newman, then send Dylan bustling off to New York City, to rendezvous with Jamie and get interviewed by GQ. There, the moviemakers devise some flash mob scenes (something new to me), and there’s a “meet-cute” for Dylan and Jamie where she clambers all over an airport luggage carousel chasing a suitcase. Kunis has an embarrassed looking smile during this one, and I don’t blame her: Why would a smart New Yorker like Jamie hop on a luggage carousel when she knows the suitcase will be back in a minute or two anyway?
Soon our boy Dylan, who’s already rejected one advance from Tommy, the gay GQ sports editor (Woody Harrelson, elocuting like a gay tobacco auctioneer), is settled down. He’s in a way-over-swanky Manhattan movie apartment, and Jamie and Dylan are plopped in front of a TV screen watching a typical old romantic comedy. (It’s a fake by director Gluck, starring Jason Segel and Rashida Jones, and they all seem to have forgotten that there’s a com in rom-com.)
Dylan and Jamie crack wise about how silly the movie is, how silly all such movies are – Scream-style — and eventually they start up a liaison where they vow never to make all the mistakes movie couples make, but instead to have an affair strictly physical (not “strictly dickly“ as Tommy cracks after giving up on hetero Dylan ) and not interrupted by the kind of messy conflicts that lead to messy breakups and messy romance bestsellers and messy movies.
If they’d watched a few more movies, messy or otherwise, they’d have found that this strategy — which suggests a reverse spin on an actual Tracy-Hepburn vehicle, the 1945 Without Love (about a supposedly loveless marriage) — has been tried before, in, for example, the recent Natalie Portman-Ashton Kutcher dud No Strings Attached– and that it never, never works. The theme seems to be: Don’t knock loveless sex, which can be better than sexless love, and can lead to both love and sex (and big screen TVs where you can watch better movies about either love or sex).
But never say die, especially when you’re Justin Timberlake and Mila Kunis has got you. Soon these high-priced lovers are wisecracking like mad and screwing like crazy, and falling in love like we knew they would, trading rapid-fire quips and crawling together into the way-over-swanky apartment‘s big roomy bed. Are the movies the only place where people commit fellatio and cunnilingus while covered by blankets and sheets? You can get a good movie, or a good romantic comedy, with a mix of old and new, as Bridesmaids proves — you can even get a great one like Sideways — but not this time. Friends with Benefits skimps on real feeling and emotion, on the human connections that help make movies both make you laugh and move you (something the equally raunchy Bridesmaids does have).
One of my biggest problems with Friends with Benefits, is that, for me, Timberlake and Kunis lacked — and I hate to use the word — chemistry. (Timberlake and Harrelson had more.) There’s no or little underlying emotion in the Jamie-Dylan scenes, and that’s exactly what they’re ridiculing in the phony Jason-Rashida movie. Underlying emotion is supplied instead by that reliable supporting actor pair of Patricia Clarkson, who plays Lorna, Jamie’s ex-‘70s free spirit mom, and Richard Jenkins, as Mr. Harper, Dylan‘s Alzheimers‘-stricken dad. Clarkson’s and Jenkins’ scenes are sometimes in dubious taste — especially Mr. Harper‘s tendency to deliver pithy wisdom while wandering around in his underpants — but the actors find humanity in them. They have more chemistry than Justin and Mila too, and I don’t even think they had any scenes together. Or blankets.
30 Minutes or Less (Two and a Half Stars)
U.S.: Ruben Fleischer, 2011
The first 30 minutes of 30 Minutes or Less — a darkish heist comedy from the director (Ruben Fleischer) and co-star (Jesse Eisenberg) of Zombieland — are actually pretty funny. Two sets of smart comedy actors (Eisenberg & Aziz Ansari and Danny McBride & Nick Swardson) get into their most unpretentious dumb-and-dirty-mouth mode and dispense some fairly edgy, balls-out dialogue delivered dead pan at frenetic speed, while ridiculous things are happening. It reminded me a little of Abbott & Costello‘s stuff, if Abbott & Costello were pizza delivery guys pursued by deranged murderers (which actually is the kind of thing Abbott & Costello often did).
But the last 58 minutes or so of 30 Minutes or Less, get so preposterously out to lunch that not even these actors, and a bomb strapped to Eisenberg’s chest can save things. It’s a comedy about two reasonably smart but hapless doofuses (Eisenberg and Ansari) who fall into the clutches of a couple of murderous nincompoops (McBride and Swardson), and get involved in one of the more idiotic bank robberies ever imagined. That idiocy unfortunately isn’t enough to keep the movie funny. But it does pass the time — in the way that playing tiddlywinks or gin rummy with eccentric strangers on a rainy night in a cheap motel lobby might.
Here’s the mazooza-ganoola (an Abbott & Costello sort of word). We‘re in Grand Rapids, Michigan, on the lower-rent and dopey side of town. Eisenberg is Nick, a whippet swift pizza delivery guy for Vito‘s Pizza, who delivers his pizza in, you guessed it, 30 minutes or less (or it’s free), and who brags that he never uses Face book. (Get it? Eisenberg? Face book?) Ansari is his best friend Chet, an elementary school teacher whose twin sister Kate (Dilshad Vadsaria) is Nick‘s big crush — which pisses off Chet.
On the higher-rent and dopey side of town, Fred Ward is the Major, a surly macho Marine who won a lottery, and now lives in sort-of-luxury (at least for Grand Rapids), while hurling contempt on his son Dwayne (McBride), an ill-tempered macho jerk and egotistical ding-a-ling whom the Major employs as his pool cleaner, along with Dwayne‘s even dumber (but halfway human) hanger-on/buddy Travis (Swardson).
Dwayne, incensed at his father’s endless stream of vicious insults, is impatient for his inheritance, and consumed by a grand fantasy of using what’s left of the lottery money to open up a combination tanning salon and whorehouse. One night, brooding, Dwayme runs into a mean little stripper named Juicy (Bianc Kajlich), who suggests that he knock off Pops with the help of a hit man she knows named Chango (Michael Pena, very good), and then enjoy her lap dances, just for him, forever. (Chango of course, unbeknownst to Dwayne, is Juicy‘s main squeeze.) The killer’s fee; $100, 000.
How can a buffoon like Dwayne get a hold of $100,000? Rob a bank, naturally. And how does he plan on cracking that bank? By dressing up in ape suits together with Travis, abducting some poor schmuck, wiring him with a C4 explosives vest, and giving him ten hours to rob a local bank or get blown up — while also promising to trail him everywhere to make sure he doesn‘t contact the police. Hmm…And who is that schmuck? Obviously some guy involved with pizzas who doesn’t use Face book.
Now, this absurd scheme is supposedly based on a real life bank robbery which ended violently and tragically. But what makes the movie truly ludicrous — outrageously ludicrous, incomprehensibly ludicrous — are the reactions of Nick and Chet to this plot. Chet forgets their tiff and rushes to his pal’s aid, ultimately joining him in the bank robbery, and not contacting the cops. Nick runs all around Grand Rapids, tries to settle his romance with Kate, and engages in high-speed car chases — despite the bomb and despite the two gun-packing bozos on his trail.
This movie may have invented a new sub-genre: idiot noir. The ending, which will remain unspilled (except to reveal that Grand Rapids still lacks a proper combination tanning salon and whorehouse), is annoying as hell. In fact the whole movie is annoying as hell.
Cinematically, it’s okay. Comedically, its helter-skelter baloney. Morally, it’s obtuse. And though it has a very good cast — Pena, McBride and Swardson — they’re all, thanks to screenwriter Michael Diliberti, up to no damned good.
Still, that first 30 minutes was pretty entertaining. The actors are on. The dialogue had snap. Maybe, if you time everything right, you can leave 30 Minutes or Less after the first 30 minutes and have a pizza waiting for you at the concession stand. I like pepperoni myself.
One Day (Two and a Half Stars)
Few things in life can haunt or obsess us more than the romances that could have happened but didn’t, or depress us more than the romances that happened and somehow didn‘t work out.
The 5 Best Philadelphia Movies
Wednesday, November 30th, 201174-Year-Old Senator-For-Life Jay Rockefeller Tells FCC Commissioners That Media Is Too “Dumbed Down,” “Obscene” And “Promiscuous” For His Liking
Wednesday, November 30th, 2011“Everybody yells First Amendment so you never get very much done about it.”
74-Year-Old Senator-For-Life Jay Rockefeller Tells FCC Commissioners That Media Is Too “Dumbed Down,” “Obscene” And “Promiscuous” For His Liking
MPAA Spokesman Says Dangerously Overreaching SOPA Legislation Will Be Pared Back Ever-So-Slightly
Wednesday, November 30th, 2011Errol Morris On The Art Of The Interview
Wednesday, November 30th, 2011Wilmington on DVDs. Pick of the Week: Blu-ray. Cave of Forgotten Dreams
Wednesday, November 30th, 2011
Chauvet cave paintings
Herzog’s Cave of Forgotten Dreams, a marvelous documentary about the cave paintings of Chauvet, will be seen by only a handful of the current audience for, say the Harry Potter movies, or War Horse, or Puss in Boots or the new 3D Star Wars. Yet it may prove the most valuable, and, one hopes, most lasting, of all the 3D films we’ve seen so far.
Certainly what it shows is of immense interest and enduring importance. But Herzog also, through the care and love and artistry of his framing, and the lovable pretensions and slightly cracked poetry of his narration, creates a human link to that past. One feels, really, that if it were 30,000 years ago, Werner H. would be there at the wall with his paints, making a picture of a horse. One does not at all feel that about the majority of the other people who make movies these days. Some of them would be eating, some would be copulating, some of them would be counting their banks of gems and pebbles, some finding food for their family.
Some, like the hairy dancing apes in Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey, would be swinging a bone to crush a skull. But Herzog, I’m sure, would be painting a horse or a panther and then describing it in a lovably pretentious way, or going off to watch some more of life, and then paint some more of it, breathe life onto the walls of a cave.
30,000 years from now, there may be no more movies, or at least none of the ones we know, including 2001 and War Horse and Cave of Forgotten Dreams. Despite all the care taken today by the French government and academia and the archeologists (led by Chauvet director Jean-Michel Geneste), there may be no Chauvet, or other caves and cave paintings. There may be no Earth, or only the blackened remnants of one. Yet, whatever there is, if Earth and art still exist in some way, one hopes that there will be someone somewhere to preserve some of the horses that were painted by the artists who loved them and wanted to give them eternal life. Or thereabouts. And maybe a Werner Herzog to make pictures of the pictures.
Pieter Breughel the Elder’s The Harvesters
Sundance 2012 Announces Films In Competition
Wednesday, November 30th, 2011110 Features From 31 Countries
88 World Premieres
46 First-Timers
4,042 Feature Submissions
Sundance 2012 Announces Films In Competition
2012 Sundance Film Festival Announces Films In Competition
Wednesday, November 30th, 2011For Immediate Release
November 30, 2011 — Park City, UT — Sundance Institute announced today the films selected for the U.S. and World Cinema Dramatic and Documentary Competitions of the 2012 Sundance Film Festival. The Sundance Film Festival will take place January 19 through 29 in Park City, Salt Lake City, Ogden and Sundance, Utah. The complete list of films is available at www.sundance.org/festival.
Robert Redford, Founder and President of Sundance Institute remarked, “We are, and always have been, a festival about the filmmakers. So what are they doing? What are they saying? They are making statements about the changing world we are living in. Some are straight-forward, some novel and some offbeat but always interesting. One can never predict. We know only at the end, and I love that.”
John Cooper, Director of the Sundance Film Festival, said, “In these challenging economic times, filmmakers have had to be more resourceful and truly independent in their approaches to filmmaking. Looking at this year’s submissions, the result is more fully realized visions and stronger stories; we are proud to see the Festival emerging as a key indicator of the health and creativity of our filmmaking community. The overall quality of the films in the 2012 Competition section will make for an exciting Festival and a remarkable year ahead for independent film audiences everywhere.”
For the 2012 Sundance Film Festival, 110 feature-length films were selected, representing 31 countries and 46 first-time filmmakers, including 26 in competition. These films were selected from 4,042 feature-length film submissions composed of 2,059 U.S. and 1,983 international feature-length films. 88 films at the Festival will be world premieres.
In addition to the four Competition categories, the Festival presents feature-length films in six out-of-competition sections. Films in the Spotlight, Park City at Midnight, NEXT <=> and New Frontier sections will be announced on December 1. Films in the Premieres and Documentary Premieres sections will be announced on December 5.
On Day One, the Festival will screen one narrative film and one documentary from both the U.S. and World Cinema competitions, as well as one shorts program.
Keri Putnam, Executive Director of Sundance Institute, said, “The enthusiasm and optimism of John Cooper and his programming team this year is infectious; we are all excited to unveil and experience their selections for the 2012 Sundance Film Festival. On behalf of my colleagues at the Sundance Institute we are pleased to introduce new storytellers to our audience, welcome new and returning filmmakers to the Festival and kick off a lively cultural dialogue for 2012.”
U.S. DRAMATIC COMPETITION
The world premieres of 16 American narrative feature films.
Beasts of the Southern Wild / U.S.A. (Director: Benh Zeitlin, Screenwriters: Benh Zeitlin, Lucy Alibar) — Waters gonna rise up, wild animals gonna rerun from the grave, and everything south of the levee is goin’ under, in this tale of a six year old named Hushpuppy, who lives with her daddy at the edge of the world. Cast: Quvenzhané Wallis, Dwight Henry.
The Comedy / U.S.A. (Director: Rick Alverson, Screenwriters: Rick Alverson, Robert Donne, Colm O’Leary) — Indifferent even to the prospects of inheriting his father’s estate, Swanson whiles away his days with a group of aging Brooklyn hipsters, engaging in small acts of recreational cruelty and pacified boredom. Cast: Tim Heidecker, Eric Wareheim, Kate Lyn Sheil, Alexia Rassmusen, Gregg Turkington.
The End of Love / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Mark Webber) — A young father unravels following the loss of the mother of his child. Cast: Mark Webber, Shannyn Sossamon, Michael Cera, Jason Ritter, Amanda Seyfried, Frankie Shaw.
Filly Brown / U.S.A. (Directors: Youssef Delara, Michael D. Olmos, Screenwriter: Youssef Delara) — A Hip Hop-driven drama about a Mexican girl who rises to fame and consciousness as she copes with the incarceration of her mother through music. Cast: Lou Diamond Phillips, Gina Rodriguez, Jenni Rivera, Edward James Olmos.
The First Time / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Jonathan Kasdan) — Two high schoolers meet at a party. Over the course of a weekend, things turn magical, romantic, complicated and funny, as they discover what it’s like to fall in love for the first time. Cast: Brittany Robertson, Dylan O’Brien, Craig Roberts, James Frecheville, Victoria Justice.
For Ellen / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: So Yong Kim) — A struggling musician takes an overnight long-distance drive in order to fight his estranged wife for custody of their young daughter. Cast: Paul Dano, Jon Heder, Jena Malone, Margarita Levieva, Shay Mandigo.
Hello I Must Be Going / U.S.A. (Director: Todd Louiso, Screenwriter: Sarah Koskoff) — Divorced, childless, demoralized and condemned to move back in with her parents at the age of 35, Amy Minsky’s prospects look bleak – until the unexpected attention of a teenage boy changes everything. Cast: Melanie Lynskey, Blythe Danner, Christopher Abbott, John Rubinstein, Julie White. DAY ONE FILM
Keep the Lights On / U.S.A. (Director: Ira Sachs, Screenwriters: Ira Sachs, Mauricio Zacharias) — An autobiographically inspired story of a passionate long-term relationship between two men driven by addiction and secrets but bound by love and hopefulness. Cast: Thure Lindhardt, Zachary Booth, Julianne Nicholson, Souleymane Sy Savane, Paprika Steen.
LUV / U.S.A. (Director: Sheldon Candis, Screenwriters: Sheldon Candis, Justin Wilson) — An orphaned 11-year-old boy is forced to face the unpleasant truth about his beloved uncle during one harrowing day in the streets of Baltimore. Cast: Common, Michael Rainey Jr., Dennis Haysbert, Danny Glover, Charles S. Dutton.
Middle Of Nowhere / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Ava DuVernay) — When her husband is incarcerated, an African-American woman struggles to maintain her marriage and her identity. Cast: Emayatzy Corinealdi, David Oyelowo, Omari Hardwick, Lorraine Touissant, Edwina Findley.
Nobody Walks / U.S.A. (Director: Ry Russo-Young, Screenwriters: Lena Dunham, Ry Russo-Young) — Martine, a young artist from New York, is invited into the home of a hip, liberal LA family for a week. Her presence unravels the family’s carefully maintained status quo, and a mess of sexual and emotional entanglements ensues. Cast: John Krasinski, Olivia Thirlby, Rosemarie DeWitt, India Ennenga, Justin Kirk.
Safety Not Guaranteed / U.S.A. (Director: Colin Trevorrow, Screenwriter: Derek Connolly) — A trio of magazine employees investigate a classified ad seeking a partner for time travel. One employee develops feelings for the paranoid but compelling loner and seeks to discover what he’s really up to. Cast: Aubrey Plaza, Mark Duplass, Jake Johnson, Karen Soni.
Save the Date / U.S.A. (Director: Michael Mohan, Screenwriters: Jeffrey Brown, Egan Reich, Michael Mohan) — As her sister Beth prepares to get married, Sarah finds herself caught up in an intense post-breakup rebound. The two fumble through the redefined emotional landscape of modern day relationships, forced to relearn how to love and be loved. Cast: Lizzy Caplan, Alison Brie, Martin Starr, Geoffrey Arend, Mark Webber.
Simon Killer / France, U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Antonio Campos) — A recent college graduate goes to Paris after breaking up with his girlfriend of 5 years. Once there, he falls in love with a young prostitute and their fateful journey begins. Cast: Brady Corbet, Mati Diop, Constance Rousseau, Michael Abiteboul, Solo.
Smashed / U.S.A. (Director: James Ponsoldt, Screenwriters: Susan Burke, James Ponsoldt) — Kate and Charlie are a young married couple whose bond is built on a mutual love of music, laughter and… drinking. When Kate decides to get sober, her new lifestyle brings troubling issues to the surface and calls into question her relationship with Charlie. Cast: Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Aaron Paul, Octavia Spencer, Nick Offerman, Megan Mullally.
The Surrogate / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Ben Lewin) — Mark O’Brien, a 36-year-old poet and journalist with an iron lung, decides he no longer wishes to be a virgin. With the help of his therapist and the guidance of his priest, he contacts a professional sex surrogate to take him on a journey to manhood. Cast: John Hawkes, Helen Hunt, William H. Macy.
U.S. DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION
The world premieres of 16 American documentary films.
Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry / U.S.A., China (Director: Alison Klayman) — Renowned Chinese artist and activist Ai Weiwei has garnered international attention as much for his ambitious artwork as his political provocations and increasingly public clashes with the Chinese government.
The Atomic States of America / U.S.A. (Directors: Don Argott, Sheena M. Joyce) — In 2010, the United States announced construction of the first new nuclear power plant in more than 32 years. A year later, a 9.0 magnitude earthquake struck the Fukushima Power Plant in Japan sparking a fierce debate in the U.S. over the safety and viability of nuclear power.
Chasing Ice / U.S.A. (Director: Jeff Orlowski) — Science, spectacle and human passion mix in this stunningly cinematic portrait as National Geographic photographer James Balog captures time-lapse photography of glaciers over several years providing tangible visual evidence of climate change.
DETROPIA / U.S.A. (Directors: Heidi Ewing, Rachel Grady) — The woes of Detroit are emblematic of the collapse of the U.S. manufacturing base. This is the dramatic story of a city and its people who refuse to leave the building, even as the flames are rising.
ESCAPE FIRE: The Fight to Rescue American Healthcare / U.S.A. (Directors: Matthew Heineman, Susan Froemke) — What can be done to save our broken medical system? Powerful forces are trying to maintain the status quo in a profit-driven medical industry, but a movement to bring innovative methods of prevention and healing is finally gaining ground – potentially saving the health of a nation.
Finding North / U.S.A. (Directors: Lori Silverbush, Kristi Jacobson) — A crisis of hunger looms in America and is not limited to the poverty stricken and uneducated. Can a return to policies of the 1970s save our future?
The House I Live In / U.S.A. (Director: Eugene Jarecki) — For over 40 years, the War on Drugs has accounted for 45 million arrests, made America the world’s largest jailer and damaged poor communities at home and abroad. Yet, drugs are cheaper, purer and more available today than ever. Where did we go wrong and what is the path toward healing?
How to Survive a Plague / U.S.A. (Director: David France) — The untold story of the intensive efforts that turned AIDS into a manageable condition – and the improbable group of (mostly HIV-positive) young men and women whose amazing resilience broke through a time of rampant death and political indifference.
The Invisible War / U.S.A. (Director: Kirby Dick) — An investigative and powerfully emotional examination of the epidemic of rape of soldiers within the U.S. military, the institutions that cover up its existence and the profound personal and social consequences that arise from it.
Marina Abramović The Artist is Present / U.S.A. (Director: Matthew Akers) — Marina Abramović prepares for a major retrospective of her work at The Museum of Modern Art in New York hoping to finally silence four decades of skeptics who proclaim: ‘But why is this art?’
ME at the ZOO / U.S.A. (Directors: Chris Moukarbel, Valerie Veatch) — With 270 million hits to date, Chris Crocker, an uncanny young video blogger from small town Tennessee, is considered the Internet’s first rebel folk hero and at the same time one of its most controversial personalities.
The Other Dream Team / Lithuania, U.S.A. (Director: Marius Markevicius) — The 1992 Lithuanian National Basketball Team went from the clutches of Communism to the Summer Olympics in Barcelona – a testament to the powerful role of sports as a catalyst for cultural identity.
The Queen of Versailles / U.S.A. (Director: Lauren Greenfield) — Jackie and David were triumphantly constructing the biggest house in America – a sprawling, 90,000-square-foot palace inspired by Versailles – when their timeshare empire collapses and their house is foreclosed. Their rags-to-riches-to-rags story reveals the innate virtues and flaws of the American Dream. DAY ONE FILM
Slavery By Another Name / U.S.A. (Director: Sam Pollard) — As slavery came to an end with Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation, a new system of involuntary servitude took its place with shocking force, brutalizing, terrorizing and ultimately circumscribing the lives of hundreds of thousands of African Americans well into the 20th century.
Love Free or Die: How the Bishop of New Hampshire is Changing the World / U.S.A. (Director: Macky Alston) — One man whose two defining passions are in conflict: An openly gay bishop refuses to leave the Church or the man he loves.
We’re Not Broke / U.S.A. (Directors: Karin Hayes, Victoria Bruce) — As American lawmakers slash budgets and lay off employees, leaving many people scrambling to survive, multibillion-dollar corporations are concealing colossal profits overseas to avoid paying U.S. income tax. Fed-up Americans are taking their frustration to the streets.
WORLD CINEMA DRAMATIC COMPETITION
Fourteen films from emerging filmmaking talents offer fresh perspectives and inventive styles.
4 Suns / Czech Republic (Director and screenwriter: Bohdan Sláma) — Immature Fogi attempts to straighten up and accept his responsibilities as a new husband and father, as well as role model to his troubled son from a previous relationship, but finds himself unable to change his nature, leaving him to watch haplessly as his family begins to crumble. Cast: Jaroslav Plesl, Aňa Geislerová, Karel Roden, Jiří Mádl, Klára Melíšková. World Premiere
About the Pink Sky / Japan (Director and screenwriter: Keiichi Kobayashi) — A high school girl finds a wallet full of money and tracks down its owner, leading to unexpected consequences for the girl and her friends. Cast: Ai Ikeda, Ena Koshino, Reiko Fujiwara, Tsubasa Takayama, Hakusyu Togetsuan. International Premiere
Can / Turkey (Director and screenwriter: Rasit Celikezer) — A young married couple live happily in Istanbul, but their decision to illegally procure a child threatens their future together. Cast: Selen Ucer, Serdar Orcin, Berkan Demirbag, Erkan Avci. World Premiere
Father’s Chair (A Cadeira do Pai) / Brazil (Director: Luciano Moura, Screenwriters: Elena Soarez, Luciano Moura) — Following the trail of his runaway teen son, Theo confronts his own identity as a son, a father and a man along the way. Cast: Wagner Moura, Lima Duarte, Mariana Lima. World Premiere
L / Greece (Director: Babis Makridis, Screenwriters: Efthymis Filippou, Babis Makridis) — A man who lives in his car gets caught up in the undeclared war between motorcycle riders and car drivers. Cast: Aris Servetalis, Makis Papadimitriou, Lefteris Mathaios, Nota Tserniafski, Stavros Raptis. World Premiere
The Last Elvis (El Ultimo Elvis) / Argentina (Director: Armando Bo, Screenwriters: Nicolás Giacobone and Armando Bo) — A Buenos Aires Elvis impersonator who believes that he is the reincarnation of the King struggles to shake free from reality and live his musical dream. Cast: John McInerny, Griselda Siciliani, Margarita Lopez. World Premiere
Madrid, 1987 / Spain (Director and screenwriter: David Trueba) — The balance of power and desire constantly shifts during the meeting of an older journalist and a young student, of two generations completely foreign to one another. Cast: José Sacristán, María Valverde, Ramon Fontserè. International Premiere
My Brother the Devil / United Kingdom (Director and screenwriter: Sally El Hosaini) — A pair of British Arab brothers trying to get by in gangland London learn the extraordinary courage it takes to be yourself. Cast: James Floyd, Saïd Taghmaoui, Fady Elsayed. World Premiere
Teddy Bear / Denmark (Director: Mads Matthiesen, Screenwriters: Mads Matthiesen, Martin Pieter Zandvliet) — Dennis, a painfully shy 38-year-old bodybuilder who lives with his mother, sets off to Thailand in search of love. Cast: Kim Kold, Elsebeth Steentoft, Lamaiporn Sangmanee Hougaard, David Winters, Allan Mogensen. World Premiere
Valley of Saints / India, U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Musa Syeed) — Gulzar plans to run away from the war and poverty surrounding his village in Kashmir with his best friend, but a beautiful young woman researching the dying lake leads him to contemplate a different future Cast: Gulzar Ahmad Bhat, Mohammed Afzal Sofi, Neelofar Hamid. World Premiere
Violeta Went to Heaven (Violeta se Fue a Los Cielos) / Chile, Argentina, Brazil, Spain (Director: Andrés Wood, Screenwriters: Eliseo Altunaga, Rodrigo Bazaes, Guillermo Calderón, Andrés Wood) — A portrait of famed Chilean singer and folklorist Violeta Parra filled with her musical work, her memories, her loves and her hopes. Cast: Francisca Gavilán, Thomas Durand, Luis Machín, Gabriela Aguilera, Roberto Farías. International Premiere
Wish You Were Here / Australia (Director: Kieran Darcy-Smith, Screenwriters: Felicity Price, Kieran Darcy-Smith) — Four friends embark on a carefree holiday, but only three return home. Who knows what happened on that fateful night? Cast: Joel Edgerton, Teresa Palmer, Felicity Price, Antony Starr. World Premiere. DAY ONE FILM
WRONG / France (Director and screenwriter: Quentin Dupieux) — Dolph searches for his lost dog, but through encounters with a nympho pizza-delivery girl, a jogging neighbor seeking the absolute, and a mysterious righter of wrongs, he may eventually lose his mind… and his identity. Cast: Jack Plotnick, Eric Judor, Alexis Dziena, Steve Little, William Fichtner. World Premiere
Young & Wild / Chile (Director: Marialy Rivas, Screenwriters: Marialy Rivas, Camila Gutiérrez, Pedro Peirano) — 17-year-old Daniela, raised in the bosom of a strict Evangelical family and recently unmasked as a fornicator by her shocked parents, struggles to find her own path to spiritual harmony. Cast: Alicia Rodríguez, Aline Kuppenheim, María Gracia Omegna, Felipe Pinto. World Premiere
WORLD CINEMA DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION
Twelve documentaries by some of the most courageous and extraordinary filmmakers working today.
½ REVOLUTION / Denmark (Directors: Omar Shargawi, Karim El Hakim) — In January 2011, two filmmakers captured the reality of the Egyptian revolution as it occurred out of view from the world’s media in the alleyways and streets away from the square – and in the process were arrested by the secret police. North American Premiere
5 Broken Cameras / Palestine, Israel, France (Directors: Emad Burnat, Guy Davidi) — A Palestinian journalist chronicles his village’s resistance to a separation barrier being erected on their land and in the process captures his young son’s lens on the world. International Premiere
THE AMBASSADOR / Denmark (Director: Mads Brügger) — What happens when a very white European man buys his way into being a diplomat in one of Central Africa’s most failed nations? Welcome to the bizarre and hidden world of African diplomacy, where gin and tonics flow and diamond hustlers and corrupt politicians run free. North American Premiere
BIG BOYS GONE BANANAS!* / Sweden (Director: Fredrik Gertten) — The behind-the-scenes story of a full-scale attack on freedom of speech. When Dole set its sights on the WG Film production Bananas!* in May 2009, confusion was the method, aggression was the tactic and media control was the story. North American Premiere
China Heavyweight / Canada, China (Director: Yung Chang) — In central China, where a coach recruits poor rural teenagers and turns them into Western-style boxing champions, the top students face dramatic choices as they graduate – should they fight for the collective good or for themselves? A metaphor for the choices everyone in the New China faces now. World Premiere
Gypsy Davy / Israel, U.S.A., Spain (Director: Rachel Leah Jones) — How does a white boy with Alabama roots become a Flamenco guitarist in Andalusian boots? A tale of self-invention and the pursuit of happiness, regardless of the cost to others. International Premiere
The Imposter / United Kingdom (Director: Bart Layton) — In 1994 a 13-year-old boy disappears from his home in San Antonio, Texas. Three and a half years later he is found alive thousands of miles away in Spain with a shocking story of kidnap and torture. But all is not what it seems in this tale that is truly stranger than fiction. World Premiere
Indie Game: The Movie / Canada (Directors: Lisanne Pajot, James Swirsky) — Follow the dramatic journeys of indie game developers as they create games and release those works, and themselves, to the world. World Premiere
The Law in These Parts / Israel (Director: Ra’anan Alexandrowicz) — Israel’s 43-year military legal system in the Occupied Palestinian Territories unfolds through provocative interviews with the system’s architects and historical footage showing the enactment of these laws upon the Palestinian population. International Premiere
Payback / Canada (Director: Jennifer Baichwal) — Based on Margaret Atwood’s best-selling book, Payback explores how debt is a central organizing principle in our lives – influencing relationships, societies, governing structures and the very fate of this planet. World Premiere
Putin’s Kiss / Denmark (Director: Lise Birk Pedersen) — 19-year-old Marsha is a model spokesperson in a strongly nationalistic Russian youth movement that aims to protect the country from its enemies. When she starts recognizing the organization’s flaws, she must take a stand for or against it. North American Premiere
Searching for Sugar Man / Denmark, United Kingdom (Director: Malik Bendjelloul) — Rodriguez was the greatest ‘70s US rock icon who never was. Hailed as the greatest recording artist of his generation he disappeared into oblivion – rising again from the ashes in a completely different context many miles away. World Premiere. DAY ONE FILM
The Sundance Film Festival
A program of the non-profit Sundance Institute, the Festival has introduced global audiences to some of the most ground-breaking films of the past two decades, including sex, lies, and videotape, Maria Full of Grace, The Cove, Hedwig and the Angry Inch, An Inconvenient Truth, Precious, Trouble the Water, and Napoleon Dynamite, and through its New Frontier initiative, has showcased the cinematic works of media artists including Isaac Julian, Doug Aitken, Pierre Huyghe, Jennifer Steinkamp, and Matthew Barney. The 2012 Sundance Film Festival sponsors include: Presenting Sponsors – Entertainment Weekly, HP, Acura, Sundance Channel and Chase SapphireSM; Leadership Sponsors – Adobe Systems Incorporated, Bing™, Canon, DIRECTV, Focus Forward, a partnership between GE and CINELAN, Southwest Airlines, Sprint and Yahoo!; Sustaining Sponsors – Bertolli® Frozen Meal Soups, FilterForGood®, a partnership between Brita® and Nalgene®, Grey Goose® Vodka, Hilton HHonors and Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts, L’Oréal Paris, Stella Artois®, Timberland, Time Warner Inc. and YouTubeTM. Sundance Institute recognizes critical support from the Utah Governor’s Office of Economic Development, and the State of Utah as Festival Host State. The support of these organizations will defray costs associated with the 10-day Festival and the nonprofit Sundance Institute’s year-round programs for independent film and theatre artists. www.sundance.org/festival
Sundance Institute
Sundance Institute is a global nonprofit organization founded by Robert Redford in 1981. Through its artistic development programs for directors, screenwriters, producers, composers and playwrights, the Institute seeks to discover and support independent film and theatre artists from the United States and around the world, and to introduce audiences to their new work. The Institute promotes independent storytelling to inform, inspire, and unite diverse populations around the globe. Internationally recognized for its annual Sundance Film Festival, Sundance Institute has nurtured such projects as Born into Brothels, Trouble the Water, Son of Babylon, Amreeka, An Inconvenient Truth, Spring Awakening, I Am My Own Wife, Light in the Piazza and Angels in America. Join Sundance Institute on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
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Constellation introduces Virtual Theatrical (“VT”) Exhibition
Wednesday, November 30th, 2011FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
New York – As the consumption of media content has changed dramatically over the last few years to include subscription on-demand streaming services like Netflix; and online rentals and downloads via iTunes, YouTube, Facebook, and others, a new form of film distribution is now in place – virtual theatrical (VT) exhibition.
CEO James Lawler and co-founder Reid Carolin have announced the launch of Constellation, an online movie theater where audiences watch films and special events at specific showtimes, with an initial schedule of films that include Focus Features’ “The Eagle,” and the award-winning documentaries “The Carrier” and “Bombay Beach.” For many showtimes, VIP guest hosts, including Albert Maysles for “Grey Gardens,” actor Channing Tatum for “The Eagle,” and musician Jack Johnson for the documentary “Bag It,” are available live to the audience via webcam to interact and answer questions during and after the film.
Similar to a traditional movie theater, Constellation’s patent-pending VT technology allows audiences to purchase tickets to attend scheduled showtimes, or create their own showtimes to watch when they want with friends. “A Constellation experience is the closest thing there is online to a brick-and-mortar live movie theater experience short of going to a physical theater,” says Lawler. “But many movies you may hear about and want to see aren’t in a theater near you, or might not yet be available on other platforms. That’s where Constellation comes in – a virtual theater where you can watch new films, enjoy social experiences around films you know, and interact live with actors, directors, and other creators. From a rights holder’s perspective, Constellation is a tool to broaden the scope of a film’s release, increasing awareness and revenue around new titles.”
“We constantly heard from filmmakers, producers, and actors that they wanted to engage their fans and followers more around their content, and we saw how online audiences were yearning for more interaction with the content and VIPs they followed,” said Carolin. “So we built a platform to bridge the gap.”
Actor Channing Tatum, who hosted “The Eagle” on Sunday, said, “Hosting a film on Constellation brought me closer to the audience than ever before. Beyond being an incredibly fun way to watch movies, it delivered an experience that is, in many ways, far richer and more personal than a physical theater.” Allison Anders, director of the documentary “Border Radio,” said, “Interacting with the Constellation audience was a revelation! A whole new way to watch and talk about movies. It was every bit like a film festival experience within your own home.”
Each month, Constellation will unveil a new, exclusive line-up of movies and TV shows. Upcoming special VIP screening hosts include Channing Tatum (“The Eagle” on November 17th at 8:00pm EST), director Rob Epstein (“The Times of Harvey Milk” on November 16th at 8:00pm EST), Jack and Kim Johnson (“Bag It” on November 20th at 8:00pm EST).
For filmmakers or distribution companies, Constellation presents a different business model for their film to reach audiences. From a competitive revenue split, to zip code-specific geo-blocking that will prevent cannibalizing traditional theatrical box office revenues, and the highest level of streaming security and content protection available, Constellation is also a platform that can be directly leveraged by a distributor or producer to combine seamlessly with a film’s theatrical release.
Constellation was co-founded by James Lawler and Reid Carolin. Lawler’s previous experience includes producing credits for 2010’s “The Lottery” and ESPN’s 30-for-30 “Fernando Nation,” while Carolin previously worked as a digital marketing manager at Paramount and produced numerous films including “Stop-Loss,” HBO’s “Earth Made of Glass,” and Steven Soderbergh’s upcoming “Magic Mike.” Lawler and Carolin met in college and worked together “Stop-Loss” with Carolin working for the film’s director, Kim Peirce, and Lawler working for the film’s producer, Scott Rudin. Darcy Heusel has recently joined as Constellation’s Director of Programming from Screen Media Films.
ABOUT CONSTELLATION
Constellation is the leader in virtual theatrical exhibition, and your online movie theater. Just like a traditional theater, users purchase tickets to attend scheduled showtimes of films, or create their own showtimes. However unlike other online platforms, watching movies on Constellation is a social experience. Users can invite friends to showtimes they’re attending and watch together. Many movies are presented by VIP hosts, such as the films’ directors, actors, or other notables, who appear live in the online theater to answer questions from the audience during and after the film.
Visit us: www.constellation.tv
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ConstellationTV
Tumblr: http://constellationtv.tumblr.com/
Twitter: @constellation.tv
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Variance Films and Might Entertainment announce theatrical and VOD release of “The Trouble with Bliss”
Wednesday, November 30th, 2011FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Comedy formerly known as “East Fifth Bliss,” starring Michael C. Hall, Brie Larson, Peter Fonda, and Lucy Liu, to open in theaters on March 23, 2012
New York, November 30, 2011 – Variance Films has acquired US theatrical rights and Might Entertainment, along with its investors at Rilean Pictures, have acquired US digital distribution rights to the comedy THE TROUBLE WITH BLISS, and will release the film simultaneously in theaters and on VOD on March 23, 2012, it was announced today by Variance founder Dylan Marchetti and Might President Andy Bohn. The film, directed by Michael Knowles, whose previous feature, “One Night,” starred Academy Award-winner Melissa Leo.
THE TROUBLE WITH BLISS tells the story of 35-year-old Morris Bliss (Michael C. Hall), who is clamped firmly in the jaws of New York City inertia. He wants to travel but has no money; he needs a job but has no prospects; and he still shares an apartment with his widowed father (Peter Fonda), who treats Morris with a mix of disdain and exasperation. When he finds himself juggling a bizarre relationship with the sexually precocious 18-year-old daughter (Brie Larson) of a former classmate and the advances of his very forward neighbor (Lucy Liu), Morris realizes that even though his life is unraveling, it’s also opening up in ways that are long overdue.
“THE TROUBLE WITH BLISS absolutely charmed me,” said Marchetti. “The characters aren’t phony, the lessons learned aren’t clichéd, and any chance to see a cast like this work together is worth it in my book. I think this film is going to delight a lot of people come March 23rd.”
“Michael has directed an endearing and witty film and we are thrilled to release it into nearly 100 million US households,” said Bohn. “We look forward to working with the filmmakers, Variance and our partners at Lionsgate to introduce THE TROUBLE WITH BLISS to the widest possible audience.”
“After opening the Newport Beach Film Festival to an enthusiastic sold-out crowd of over 1,100, we knew THE TROUBLE WITH BLISS needed to be seen by audiences in a theater,” said writer/director Michael Knowles. “We’re very excited to be working with Variance and Might. Their reputation of hard work and creative marketing is exactly what we are looking for.”
THE TROUBLE WITH BLISS, adapted from the novel “East Fifth Bliss” by Douglas Light, is directed by Michael Knowles, produced by John Ramos and John Will, written by Douglas Light and Michael Knowles, and stars Michael C. Hall, Brie Larson, Peter Fonda, Lucy Liu, Brad William Henke, Sarah Shahi, and Chris Messina. The film is a 7A Productions production. The deals were brokered by Traction Media and the filmmakers on behalf of the film.
For more information, visit http://www.thetroublewithbliss.com or http://www.facebook.com/thetroublewithbliss
ABOUT VARIANCE FILMS
Variance Films is a New York City based theatrical distribution company whose mission is to bring the best in independent cinema to theaters while allowing filmmakers to retain all rights to their work. Founded in 2008 by Dylan Marchetti, Variance distributes films using innovative release strategies that focus on collaborative, filmmaker-centric grassroots marketing to drive audiences to theaters. Recent Variance Films releases include John Sayles’ AMIGO, José Padilha’s ELITE SQUAD: THE ENEMY WITHIN, LITTLEROCK, AMERICAN: THE BILL HICKS STORY, and IP MAN 2: LEGEND OF THE GRANDMASTER. Upcoming releases include the stunning documentary ADDICTION INCORPORATED (December 14th) and the highest-grossing film of all time in China, LET THE BULLETS FLY (March 2nd). For more information, please visit www.variancefilms.com<http://www.variancefilms.com>.
About Might Entertainment
Formed in 2010 by partners Andy Bohn and Jason Beck, Might Entertainment is a content acquisitions company focused on bringing independent films, documentaries and foreign films to emerging digital distribution platforms. The company has a distribution deal with Lionsgate and is working with leading independent distributors and filmmakers to release their films on Video on Demand and Electronic Sell-Through platforms. The company recently partnered with Preferred Ventures to acquire digital distribution rights to the KinoLorber library and established an acquisition fund with Rilean Pictures. Recent releases include The Girl With A Dragon Tattoo trilogy, Mesrine: Killer Instinct, Mesrine: Gangster #1, Winnebago Man, Mademoiselle Chambon, The Robber, Giorgio Modorer’s Metropolis, and Just Like Us.
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Lim On Murakami
Wednesday, November 30th, 2011Michael Shannon Is Not Trying To Exorcise Any Demons
Wednesday, November 30th, 2011A Petition To Free The Great-But-Disappeared Margaret For Critics’ Year-End Consideration, With Admirers’ Comments
Wednesday, November 30th, 2011IFC FILMS TAKES U.S. RIGHTS TO SAMUEL L. JACKSON’S THE SAMARITAN
Wednesday, November 30th, 2011
New York, NY (November 30, 2011) – IFC Films announced today that the company is acquiring U.S. rights to THE SAMARITAN, starring Academy Award® nominated Samuel L. Jackson, produced by Andras Hamori and directed by David Weaver from a screenplay by Weaver and Elan Mastai. THE SAMARITAN also stars Luke Kirby (TAKE THIS WALTZ), Ruth Negga (LOVE/HATE) and Oscar nominated Tom Wilkinson (MISSION IMPOSSIBLE – GHOST PROTOCOL).
After twenty-five years in prison, Foley (Jackson) is finished with the grifter’s life. When he meets an elusive young woman named Iris (Negga), the possibility of a new start looks real. But his past is proving to be a stubborn companion: Ethan (Kirby), the son of his former partner, has an ingenious plan and he wants Foley in. The harder Foley tries to escape his past, the tighter he is ensnared in Ethan’s web of secrets, until it becomes all too clear to Foley that some wrongs can never be made right.
THE SAMARITAN was produced with the participation of Telefim Canada, OMDC and the Harold Greenberg Fund. Producers are Hamori and Weaver with Suzanne Cheriton and Tony Wosk, Executive producers are Mark Musselman with Lacia Kornylo, Mark Horowitz, Jackson, Eli Selden, Geoffrey Brant, James Atherton and Jan Pace.
Jonathan Sehring, President of Sundance Selects/IFC Films, said: ”We’re very excited to be working with Samuel L. Jackson and director David Weaver on this neo-noir, high-stakes thriller with a twist no one will see coming. We’re sure it will electrify audiences everywhere.”
“We are looking forward to our collaboration with IFC Films on THE SAMARITAN. IFC is known for edgy, independent yet commercial movies: the ideal home for our film,” commented Weaver and Hamori.
The deal for the film was negotiated by Arianna Bocco, SVP of Acquisitions & Productions for Sundance Selects/IFC Films with Maren Olson and Doug Stone at Traction Media and Mark Horowitz on behalf of H2O Motion Pictures and Quickfire Fims.
H2O Motion Pictures sells foreign rights to the movie, which has so far sold to eOne in Canada, ARD/Degeto in Germany, Nordisk in Scandinavia, Ascot Elite in Switzerland, Video Vision in South Africa, Pris in Portugal, Frontrow in the Middle East, Audiovisual in Greece and Prorom in Romania.
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About IFC Films
Established in 2000 and based in New York City, IFC Films is a leading U.S. distributor of quality talent-driven independent film. Its unique distribution model makes independent films available to a national audience by releasing them in theaters as well as on cable’s Video On Demand (VOD) platform, reaching nearly 50 million homes. Some of the company’s successes over the years have included My Big Fat Greek Wedding, Y Tu Mama Tambien, Touching the Void, 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days, Gomorrah, Che, Summer Hours, Antichrist, In the Loop, Antichrist, Wordplay, Cairo Time, Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work, Tiny Furniture and Carlos. Over the years, IFC Films has worked with established and breakout auteurs, including Steven Soderbergh, Gus Van Sant, Spike Lee, Richard Linklater, Miranda July, Lars Von Trier, Gaspar Noe, Todd Solondz, Cristian Mungiu, Susanne Bier, Olivier Assayas, Jim McKay, Larry Fessenden, Gregg Araki, Jacques Rivette, Claude Chabrol, as well as more recent breakouts such as Andrea Arnold, Mia Hansen Love, Corneliu Porombiou, Joe Swanberg, Barry Jenkins, Lena Dunham, Aaron Katz, Daryl Wein and Abdellatif Kechiche. IFC Films is a sister division to Sundance Selects and IFC Midnight, and is owned and operated by AMC Networks, Inc.
About H2O Motion Pictures
H2O Motion Pictures World Sales is the foreign sales division of H2O Motion Pictures, a international independent production company with offices in London, Toronto, Los Angeles and New York. H2O’s recent titles include ‘The Waiting City’, starring Radha Mitchell, which premiered as a Special Presentation at the Toronto International Film Festival,and ‘Bibliotheque Pascal’, an official selection at the 2010 Berlin Film Festival.
About Quickfire Films
Quickfire Films is a sales and acquisition company run by James Atherton and Jan Pace that sources and buys international sales rights. Quickfire has recently completed work on Mateo Gil’s critically acclaimed Blackthorn, adding to a strong 2010-2011 slate which included the acquisition of the comedies A Few Best Men, by Stephen Elliott and John Landis’ Burke and Hare, and UK thriller Retreat with Jamie Bell and Cillian Murphy. Its most recent acquisition has been Welcome to the Punch, a film by Eran Creevy starring James McAvoy and Mark Strong.
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