Simon Killer

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: SIMON KILLER Review

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: January 31st, 2012 at 11:50 am

Antonio Campos‘s Simon Killer is an amusing film both unintentionally and unexpectedly.  The film is rarely meant to be comedic and it rarely enters into so-bad-it’s-good territory.  What makes the film so amusing is how hard Campos is trying to make it exciting.  It is the definition of overcompensating as the aggressive direction, bizarre cinematography, and melodramatic performances try to convince the audience the dull plot and pathetic characters are worth caring about.  There’s even a moderately intriguing idea at the center of the protagonist’s motives, but it’s buried under meaningless sex, violence, and introspection.

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.

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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