Beasts of the Southern Wild

First Trailer and Poster for Sundance Hit BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: May 2nd, 2012 at 10:15 am

The first trailer and poster have gone online for the 2012 Sundance darling Beasts of the Southern Wild.  Directed by Benh Zeitlin, the film premiered at this year’s Sundance Film Festival to a rapturous response, with our own Matt Goldberg calling it “a must-see movie…unlike anything you’ve seen in years” in his review (he gets a shout-out in the trailer as well).  The film is “a lyrical, poetic odyssey through the flooded land outside the New Orleans’ levy, and the story is narrated by a young girl as she takes in her terrifying and magical surroundings.”  I’ve been dying to see this ever since the film’s Sundance response, and this trailer has ramped up my anticipation even more.  Quvenzhané Wallis is at once strong and adorable in the lead role, and this certainly does look to be a wholly unique piece of filmmaking.

Hit the jump to watch the trailer.  The film will screen in competition at the Cannes Film Festival this month and opens in theaters on June 27th.

2012 Los Angeles Film Festival Line-Up Announced, Featuring World Premieres of MAGIC MIKE and Dreamworks Pictures’ PEOPLE LIKE US

by Dave Trumbore    Posted: May 1st, 2012 at 12:35 pm

The line-up for 2012′s Los Angeles Film Festival has been announced and, as expected, Woody Allen’s To Rome With Love will kick things off.  LAFF 2012 will also feature the world premiere of Steven Soderbergh’s Magic Mike to close out the festivities.  Between those two screenings, the world premiere of Dreamworks Pictures’ People Like Us will also be featured, along with screenings of Lorene Scafaria’s Seeking a Friend for the End of the World, Ava DuVernay’s Middle of Nowhere and Benh Zeitlin’s Beasts of the Southern Wild. The festival runs from June 14th to the 24th at L.A. LIVE in downtown Los Angeles for its 18th annual showing.  Hit the jump to see more of what you can expect from the eclectic mix of films at the 2012 Los Angeles Film Festival.

New Posters for BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD and THE GIANT MECHANICAL MAN

by Dave Trumbore    Posted: April 27th, 2012 at 9:55 pm

We have a couple of new posters to show you tonight in order to give you a break from the relentless superhero news.  Take a deep breath, have a quick read, and then hit the jump to check them out:

• 2012 Sundance darling, Beasts of the Southern Wild is, as our own Matt Goldberg calls it: “a must-see movie…unlike anything you’ve seen in years.” You can check out his review here.
• The Giant Mechanical Man stars Jenna Fischer and Chris Messina in “an offbeat romantic comedy about a silver-painted street performer and the soft spoken zoo worker who falls for him.” Watch the quirky trailer here.

Hit the jump to check out the posters and synopses.

Sundance Sensation BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD Opens in Limited Release This June

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: February 22nd, 2012 at 8:26 am

I really, really liked Beasts of the Southern Wild when I saw it at Sundance, which put me in the minority of my peers, who absolutely loved the hell out of it.  The movie is a lyrical, poetic odyssey through the flooded land outside the New Orleans’ levy, and the story is narrated by a young girl as she takes in her terrifying and magical surroundings.  Benh Zeitlin‘s debut feature picked up Sundance’s Grand Jury Prize for Dramatic Feature, and now Box Office Mojo has tweeted that the film is due out for a limited release on June 29th.  It’s a big piece of counter-programming in the summer movie season, but Fox Searchlight knows how to market the hell out of their movies, and I’m interested see how they’ll be selling this one.  My advice: just show the film’s unforgettable intro.

The other limited release opening on June 29th is Sarah Polley‘s Take This Waltz starring Michelle Williams and Seth Rogen.  The wide releases are G.I. Joe: Retaliation and Steven Soderbergh‘s male-stripper movie Magic Mike.

Sundance 2012: Matt’s Review Scorecard and Wrap-Up

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: January 31st, 2012 at 12:39 pm

Like I did last year, I had a great time at the Sundance Film Festival.  It’s tough to complain about weather conditions or getting around when you have the privilege to watch and discover new movies all day.  Even better, plenty of Sundance 2012 films turned out to be pretty damn good.  For me, there weren’t any quite as excellent as Martha Marcy May Marlene or Project Nim from last year, but those movies set an incredibly high bar.  Many of my peers felt they saw something truly special with Beasts of the Southern Wild and I can understand the love even if it didn’t hit me with as much emotional impact.  Most of my peers also loved Liberal Arts and Sleepwalk With Me, and I’m sorry I missed those.  But all in all, the festival ran as smoothly as last year, the volunteers (especially those in the press tent) were awesome, and it’s always a joy to hang out with people from other movie websites.

Hit the jump for my festival scorecard where you can see an organized list of my ratings for the movies I saw (although I highly encourage you to read the full review rather than just glance at a letter).  While this is my wrap-up, Steve will be posting his Sundance interviews throughout the week so keep an eye out for those.

Sundance 2012 Awards Winners Include BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD, THE SURROGATE, SLEEPWALK WITH ME, and THE HOUSE I LIVE IN

by Brendan Bettinger    Posted: January 28th, 2012 at 9:20 pm

If you have followed our Sundance coverage over the last week and a half, you know how massive the festival can feel from afar.  These are the movies that will fill arthouses over the next year, so perhaps the best place for those who could not make it to Park City to start is at the end, with the announcement of the awards.  In terms of the major awards, the Grand Jury Prizes went to  Beasts of the Southern Wild (Dramatic), The House I Live In (in the Documentary category), Violeta Went to Heaven (World Dramatic), and The Law in These Parts (World Documentary).  Beasts of the Southern Wild, the consensus critical darling, also won for cinematography and a producers’ award.  Thankfully Fox Searchlight made a deal to bring Beasts to a theater near you soon.

The Audience Awards went to The Surrogate (Dramatic), The Invisible War (Documentary), Valley of Saints (World Dramatic), and Searching for Sugar Man (World Documentary).  The cast of The Surrogates—led by John Hawkes, Helen Hunt, and William H. Macy—doubled up with the Jury Prize for Ensemble Acting.  Fox Searchlight also picked up The Surrogates.  Love that studio.  Hit the jump for the press release with the expansive list of award winners.

Sundance 2012: Fox Searchlight Acquires BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD; Focus Features Picks Up FOR A GOOD TIME CALL…

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: January 24th, 2012 at 2:49 pm

While the 2012 Sundance Film Festival is only a few days in, more than a few favorites are starting to emerge. Earlier today Sony Pictures Classics picked up the Rashida Jones comedy Celeste and Jesse Forever and Fox Searchlight acquired crowd-favorite The Surrogate (John Hawkes is apparently amazing in the latter). Now Fox Searchlight has made yet another high profile acquisition, as they’ve picked up U.S. rights to Benh Zeitlin’s fantastical drama Beasts of the Southern Wild. The film centers on a six-year-old on the brink of orphanhood who lives in a forgotten but defiant bayou community cut off from the rest of the world.

The pic has been picking up some serious buzz ever since its first screening. Matt called it a must-see and say it’s “a movie unlike anything you’ve seen in recent years.” You can read his full review here. Fox Searchlight plans to release the film this year. Hit the jump for acquisition news regarding the comedy For a Good Time Call… and to read the full press release regarding both films.

Sundance 2012: BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD Review

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: January 22nd, 2012 at 2:56 am

Movies have the power to transport us to different worlds.  Benh Zeitlin‘s Beasts of the Southern Wild transports us to a world we never dreamt before and beyond our imagination.  It is a world wrapped in poetry, wonder, and magic.  It is a work of breathtaking scope, vision, and confidence.  It is a story bursting with life and death, rage and tranquility, fear and bravery, and all of it delivered through a magnificent score, thoughtful cinematography, and on the shoulders of its child star.  It is an intellectual feast even though it sometimes leaves the emotional moments malnourished. But it is a movie unlike anything you’ve seen in recent years and it is a movie you must see.

2012 Sundance Film Festival In-Competition Line-Up Announced

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: November 30th, 2011 at 1:35 pm

I had a blast at this year’s Sundance Film Festival and I can’t wait to go again next year.  Today, Sundance announced their In-Competition line-ups for 2012 and already I’m trying to plan out how I’m going to see all of them (which is impossible, but it’s nice to dream).  The U.S. Dramatic Competition features For Ellen, Nobody Walks, Safety Not Guaranteed, Smashed, and more.  There are also some interesting-sounding films in the U.S. Documentary Competition including Finding North, The Invisible War, and The Other Dream Team.

Hit the jump to check out the full press release, which includes the in-competition line-ups for U.S. Dramatic Competition, U.S. Documentary Competition, World Cinema Dramatic Competition, and World Cinema Documentary Competition.  The 2012 Sundance Film Festival runs from January 19 – 29th.

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