Room 237

Acquisition News: IFC Films Lands THE SHINING Documentary ROOM 237; Magnolia Pictures Acquires Rob Reiner’s THE MAGIC OF BELLE ISLE

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: February 8th, 2012 at 11:02 am

The 2012 Sundance Film Festival just ended and the Berlin Film Festival is about to get underway, so don’t expect the acquisition stories to slow down. As such, we’ve got two fresh acquisitions to share with you today. First up, IFC Films has picked up the Sundance documentary Room 237. The film examines the numerous theories surrounding the “real meaning” of Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining. The doc was a big hit at the fest (you can read Matt’s review here), but many questioned the logistics of releasing it theatrically due to the fact that it’s comprised of footage from The Shining, which could possibly lead to legal entanglements. IFC’s acquisition is great news and I’m glad to see that us common folk will get a chance to check out the flick sometime soon.

Deadline reports that the film may screen in the New Directors/New Film series in New York, and it’s a likely bet for the Cannes Film Festival. IFC plans on releasing the pic domestically later this year through a day-and-date theatrical and VOD release. If you haven’t surmised from our previous acquisition stories, VOD is all the rage at the moment and is a likely staple in the future of film distribution. Hit the jump for acquisition news concerning Rob Reiner’s The Magic of Belle Isle.

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: ROOM 237 Review

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: January 28th, 2012 at 10:02 pm

Stanley Kubrick‘s The Shining is about characters who are drawn into madness by their surroundings.  Rodney Ascher‘s Room 237 is about film critics who are drawn into madness by The Shining.  Films that offer up numerous interpretations are like crack to film critics.  Movies that are so broad that any interpretation is valid are like bad crack, but a film like The Shining, a film helmed by a notoriously meticulous director and filled with unexplained mysteries and symbolism, is the best kind of film critic crack there is.  Room 237 is both a celebration and pointed critique of film criticism.  The movie shows how people can think big and expand their minds by thinking deeply and passionately.  It also shows how our minds can run away from us and how we’ll twist a movie apart in order to fit our theory rather and not realize that our argument is crazier than Jack Torrance.

Sundance 2012: Line-Ups for SPOTLIGHT, PARK CITY AT MIDNIGHT, NEXT <=>, and NEW FRONTIER Announced

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: December 1st, 2011 at 2:16 pm

Yesterday, Sundance announced the line-ups for the in-competition categories.  Today, we’re moving into the out-of-competition films and just because they’re not competing for an award, doesn’t mean they won’t be great.  Sundance has announced their line-ups for the Spotlight, Park City at Midnight, Next <=>, and New Frontier categories.  There are a lot of exciting films in these categories, but I’m over the moon that Sundance will be getting The Raid.  The movie got massive love coming out of TIFF this year, Sony Pictures Classics picked up the distribution rights, and I’m going to make sure there’s a spot for it in my Sundance schedule.  Other noteworthy movies include Monsieur Lazhar, Wuthering Heights, and Black Rock (a horror film from The Freebie director Katie Aselton and her husband/Cyrus co-writer-director Mark Duplass).

Hit the jump for the line-ups.  The 2012 Sundance Film Festival runs from January 19 – 29th.

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