Outsider Pictures Picks Up JUAN OF THE DEAD for Theatrical Release, SIMON KILLER Goes to IFC

by Dave Trumbore    Posted: January 27th, 2012 at 10:23 am

Sundance 2012 no longer has a corner on the acquisitions news market as it’s being reported out of the Miami International Film Festival that director Alejandro Brugues’ (Personal Belongings) Cuban zombie flick, Juan of the Dead has been picked up by Outsider Pictures. The festival, which runs March 2^nd to the 11^th, will be the first theatrical screening under the banner. Outsider is planning a theatrical release in Miami soon after the festival with Focus World releasing the picture later in 2012 on VOD, DVD and other formats.

From Sundance, THR reports that IFC Films has picked up the domestic rights to director Antonio Campos’ Simon Killer, a dark drama starring Brady Corbet, Mati Diop, Michael Abiteboul, Constance Rousseau and Lila Salet. The sexually explicit film about an American man falling for a Parisian prostitute may earn itself an NC-17 rating. Hit the jump for the press release for Juan of the Dead.

Oscar-Nominated Short Films Coming to a Theater Near You

by Dave Trumbore    Posted: January 27th, 2012 at 9:30 am

With the theatrical releases of such Oscar-nominated features as The Artist, War Horse and Hugo, most people are at least aware of the movies going into the live Oscars broadcast on February 26^th. Slightly less well-known are the short films nominated for this year’s awards. Luckily for you, all of them will be shown in a limited theatrical release on February 10^th via ShortsHD and Magnolia Pictures. Similar to their successful release of last year’s nominated shorts, three theatrical programs will provide audiences access to short films from the animation, live action and short subject documentary categories. Hit the jump to check out the details.

2012 Slamdance Award Winners: WELCOME TO PINE HILL and NO ASHES, NO PHOENIX Take Grand Jury Prizes

by Dave Trumbore    Posted: January 27th, 2012 at 8:51 am

Running concurrently to the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah is Slamdance, a festival “by filmmakers, for filmmakers.” At their closing ceremonies last night, feature and short film winners were announced for Audience, Grand Jury and Sponsored award categories. Taking the Grand Jury prize for narrative was director Keith Miller’s Welcome to Pine Hill, citing its “poetic and emotionally honest depiction of one man’s final journey in life.” In the documentary category, Jens Pfeifer’s No Ashes, No Phoenix took the Grand Jury award for a look at “a basketball team’s impassioned struggle not for glory, but to just avoid losing.” Hit the jump for the full list of winners and some stills from the entries.

New Hi-Res Images from THE AVENGERS

by Dave Trumbore    Posted: January 27th, 2012 at 7:39 am

Earlier this week we brought you images from Empire Magazine’s special preview on Marvel’s The Avengers. Now, Marvel has released the images in hi-res along with some new looks at Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) and a casual, un-Hulked Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo) with Tony Stark (Robert Downey, Jr.). Speaking of Stark, if you didn’t get a chance to check out his $10 million Acura that Steve posted yesterday, click here to see it.

The Avengers, directed by Joss Whedon, also stars Chris Hemsworth reprising his role as Thor, as well as Chris Evans as Captain America, Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye and Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow. Tom Hiddleston also returns as the villainous Loki. The Avengers assemble on May 4^th. Hit the jump to check out the images.

Sundance 2012: GOATS Review

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: January 27th, 2012 at 12:26 am

I don’t really care if teenagers learn life lessons anymore.  The coming-of-age genre has become as stolid as the rom-com, but the coming-of-age movies still get a pass because they’re done under the auspices of being indie and artistic.  Goats makes an odd trade-off for the genre.  The movie doesn’t pack its main character full of quirks, but instead of growing as a person, he goes from a mostly-boring kid to a completely-boring kid.  All the quirks are for the one-dimensional characters who have almost no impact on his life.  The only fascinating thing about Goats is the values it preaches.

Jennifer Connelly and Greg Kinnear Set for Indie Drama WRITERS

by Dave Trumbore    Posted: January 26th, 2012 at 8:54 pm

Negotiations are underway for Jennifer Connelly (Requiem for a Dream) and Greg Kinnear (Little Miss Sunshine) to star in the indie drama, Writers. The film marks the feature directorial debut of Josh Boone who also wrote the original screenplay. The plot of Writers centers on the familial relationships between a well-established novelist (Kinnear), his ex-wife (Connelly) and their children: a college-age daughter and teenage son. THR reports that Judy Cairo (Crazy Heart) of Informant Media will produce the project. Her upcoming works include Hysteria, starring Maggie Gyllenhaal, Hugh Dancy and Jonathan Pryce and The Expatriate, starring Olga Kurylenko and Aaron Eckhart.

MIRROR MIRROR International Trailer

by Dave Trumbore    Posted: January 26th, 2012 at 8:04 pm

After we reported that Relativity Media was pushing its Snow White project Mirror Mirror back until March 30th, the studio decided to release a new international trailer. While it’s still nowhere near as mature or action-filled as the Universal counterpart Snow White and the Huntsman starring Kristen Stewart and Chris Hemsworth, it’s heads above the horrendous first trailer. This is more along the lines of what I was expecting from director Tarsem Singh as I can at least pick up on his presence here.

Mirror Mirror stars Lily Collins, Armie Hammer, Nathan Lane and Julia Roberts as the Evil Queen. Hit the jump to check out the new trailer.

CBS Orders Three Drama Pilots; HOMELAND’s Michael Cuesta to Direct Network’s Sherlock Holmes Pilot

by Dave Trumbore    Posted: January 26th, 2012 at 7:29 pm

CBS has put in orders for three wildly different dramas. Check out the details below:

• From Ilene Chaiken (The L Word) comes Quean, which follows a Lisbeth Salander-style hacker chick who assists an Oakland police detective in crime solving. Chaiken and Joel Silver will executive produce.
• Applebaum is based on Mommy-Track Mysteries, a book series by author Ayelet Waldman. The story follows an ex-public defender turned stay-at-home mom who becomes a private investigator to stave off boredom. Chris Columbus (Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets) will direct the pilot and is among the executive producers.
• An untitled period piece from screenwriter Nicholas Pileggi (American Gangster) and Without a Trace executive producer Greg Walker will follow a 1960s rodeo cowboy turned Las Vegas sheriff. James Mangold (Walk the Line) will direct the pilot for the series based on the true story of Ralph Lamb.

Also from the network, Homeland’s executive producer and pilot-director Michael Cuesta recently signed a seven-figure deal that was good from the time the ink dried until June 1st of next year. His next test will be directing the pilot titled Elementary for the network’s contemporary Sherlock Holmes series. Hit the jump for more.

THE GREY Review

by Bill Graham    Posted: January 26th, 2012 at 6:57 pm

The world really could care less. That’s the opinion of Joe Carnahan’s The Grey, a bleak and gritty look at survival in the middle of Alaska’s harsh wilderness. This is man versus nature to an extreme extent, and there exists few gimmicks. Carnahan seems to have taken a back to basics approach and delivers the goods. Considering his past few films and their loud, cartoonish ways, there is an odd confidence that the course he is on is something worth sticking with. Liam Neeson is a standout among his fellow survivors, but everything works towards a common goal that doesn’t feel hampered by conventions. While it may be bleak, the journey is entertaining because of all the surprises and the sheer quality of the product. Hit the jump for my full review.

Disney Picks Up Untitled Space Adventure from CHRONICLE Scribe Max Landis

by Dave Trumbore    Posted: January 26th, 2012 at 6:13 pm

Walt Disney Pictures has been busy as of late: they recently landed Dan Harris (X2: X-Men United) to pen the sci-fi adventure adaptation Hover Car Racer, landed directors for both Matterhorn and Maleficent, and have secured Seth Rogen as a producer and possible star in the spy comedy, The B Team. Now we have word that the Mouse House has picked up an untitled space adventure from Max Landis, the scribe behind the upcoming superhero found-footage flick, Chronicle. The project will center on a brother and sister and their emotional journey as they undertake an adventure through space. Andrew Panay (Wedding Crashers) is set to produce. Hit the jump for more on this project.

Sundance 2012: Magnolia Pictures Acquires Horror Film V/H/S; Rough House Pictures Presents THE COMEDY; National Geographic Picks Up CHASING ICE for TV

by Dave Trumbore    Posted: January 26th, 2012 at 4:40 pm

Going into the final three days of Sundance 2012, a horror title had yet to be acquired. All that changed with the Magnolia Pictures pick up of domestic rights to V/H/S for $1 million plus. Other gets included the Rough House Pictures presentation of The Comedy and National Geographic’s documentary acquisition for TV, Chasing Ice. Check out the details here:

• V/H/S is a found footage horror anthology about petty thugs tasked with searching a ramshackle house for a VHS tape which holds horrific recordings. V/H/S will have a pre-theatrical on-demand release on Magnolia’s Ultra VOD, with the theatrical release to follow after 30 days.
• The Comedy, directed by Rick Alverson and starring Tim Heidecker, will be presented by Danny McBride’s Rough House Pictures. The dark comedy follows Swanson (Heidecker) after he inherits his father’s estate and stumbles into reckless situations in hopes of freeing him from his desensitization.
• Climate-change documentary Chasing Ice by Jeff Orlowski follows photographer James Balog as he sets up time-lapse cameras on glaciers to document Earth’s melting ice. Film is also from Paula DuPre’ Pesmen, the award-winning producer of The Cove.

Hit the jump for more on each project.

MAN ON A LEDGE Review

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: January 26th, 2012 at 4:38 pm

Man on a Ledge will have a long and prosperous life playing on TNT for the next 134 years.  That’s not an insult.  Not every thriller needs to pump up our adrenaline, not every heist film has to dizzy our minds, and not every drama has to make us reconsider men and the ledges they stand on.  Sometimes it’s enough to simply be a fun little movie that can play in the background while you’re working on something else.  For the most part, Man on a Ledge manages to clear its modest bar but some key miscasting and wasted performances keep it from reaching the levels of The Negotiator or In the Line of Fire.

Jamie Bell and Genesis Rodriguez MAN ON A LEDGE Interview

by Steve 'Frosty' Weintraub    Posted: January 26th, 2012 at 4:30 pm

With director Asger Leth’s (Ghosts of Cité Soleil) Man on a Ledge opening this weekend, I recently got to speak with most of the cast about making the movie.  The film centers on an ex-cop (Sam Worthington) convicted of a crime he didn’t commit who stands on the ledge of a Manhattan building, threatening to kill himself.  However, what appears to be a suicide attempt is something else altogether.  The film also stars Jamie Bell, Anthony Mackie, Elizabeth Banks, Ed Burns, Titus Welliver, Genesis Rodriguez, Kyra Sedgwick, and Ed Harris.

During my interview with Bell and Rodriguez they talked about how they got involved in the project, the audition process, and karaoke.  In addition, Bell talked about the Tintin sequel and Rodriguez talked about Casa de mi Padre.  Hit the jump to watch.

Sundance 2012: THE SURROGATE Review

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: January 26th, 2012 at 4:17 pm

In the movies, pretty adults are supposed to have sex.  The male lead and the female lead need to be our idealized selves in an ideal relationship and they need to have attractive people sex.  But in the real world, people find a way to fall in love and get it on even if they don’t have chiseled abs or amazing breasts.  And then there are those people where, due to their physique, we wonder if sex is even an option and we’re sure that thought has crossed their minds as well.  And no matter our physique, we’ve all probably wondered if we’ll ever find love.  Those thoughts—of finding love and sex—crossed the mind of writer and poet Mark O’Brien.  At the age of six, O’Brien’s body was ravaged by polio and he was placed in an iron lung, which he could only leave for a few hours at a time.  As John entered his 40s, he still hadn’t had sex or found love, and in Ben Lewin‘s The Surrogate—a movie based on O’Brien’s real experiences—he searches for both.  The Surrogate comes right up to the line of being painfully sentimental and mawkish, but strong direction and amazing lead performances make the film inspirational, funny, and genuinely heartwarming.

Bay Area Readers: Attend a Free Exclusive Alcatraz Island Event As Part of Viral Campaign for the Fox Series ALCATRAZ

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: January 26th, 2012 at 4:11 pm

Attention Bay Area readers: how’d you like to spend a strange night on Alcatraz Island? A special exclusive event as part of the viral campaign for Fox’s Alcatraz is set for Friday, January 27th on Alcatraz Island. The event is free, and will be “an exclusive adventure” for the first 302 people who show up at pier 33 tomorrow night at 6pm. The description for the event is as follows:

“Dr. Soto has arranged exclusive night-time access to the Rock for those interested in helping him solve the mysteries for his new book – Legends of Alcatraz”

I’ve watched the first couple episodes of the show, and I found it definitely intriguing. The J.J. Abrams touch is not lost on the series, and this event sounds pretty damn cool. Those wishing to venture onto the island are instructed to bring a flashlight, warm clothes, and a comfortable pair of shoes. Check out more of our coverage of the Alcatraz viral campaign here and here. Hit the jump to check out the official invite for the event.

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