 More years than not, at least one or two films from the Sundance Film Festival manage to wind up in the awards season conversation. This past year, we had contenders like Beasts of the Southern Wild and The Sessions make it into the Oscar race, while something like Smashed ultimately came up short, from the mountains of Park City. I’m personally thinking that there aren’t any solid Oscar players from the fest this year, but time will ultimately tell in that regard. Below I’ve compiled the ten most likely films that could see some sort of attention shined on them during the precursor season.
Read more on Oscar Possibilites from the Sundance Film Festival…
 I had wanted to make sure that I got this look at the festival to you all first before leaving, but it didn’t quite turn out that way. In the past week or so you all saw over twenty Sundance reviews and interviews hit the site. I hope you all enjoyed this look at what Sundance is like, and enjoyed all we put out. Seeing up to five movies a day and getting no sleep is hardly something to complain about in the grand scheme of things, but honestly, we’re both thrilled to be home now!
Read more on Wrapping up the 2013 Sundance Film Festival!…
 The very best film at the Sundance Film Festival, The Spectacular Now is one of the strongest coming of age stories that we’ve had this decade. Fueled by a revelatory performance by Miles Teller and one by Shailene Woodley that deserves to be remembered at the Oscars next year, this is an incredible little flick. Smashed (2012) director James Ponsoldt has teamed up with Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber, the scribes of (500) Days of Summer (2009), and the end result is something truly special. I’ve seen many a movie take the broad strokes of this film and craft an inferior product out of it, but this team hit a home run. Perhaps some of the magic was there in the young adult novel upon which this film is based on, but a lot of it has to have come from this cast and crew. All are at the top of their games and they completely won me over. I’d love for this to become the awards contender from Park City for 2013, but regardless of if it does or not, it’s already got a special place in my heart. Expect to hear a lot more about this flick from me as the year goes on.
Read more on SUNDANCE: The Spectacular Now (***½)…
 As we wrap up our coverage of the 2013 Sundance Film Festival, I’m quickening the pace by lumping some of my remaining reviews together. I’ll be doing quick looks at a trio of films that underwhelmed me to some degree. I’ll be talking about ‘Lovelace’, ‘Touchy Feely’, and ‘Emanuel and the Truth about Fishes’ briefly here, but look for full reviews later this year when they hit theaters. ‘Lovelace’ is the one I think most of you are interested in, so that will get a slightly longer write up here, while the rest are just briefly touched upon.
Lovelace (**½)
The co-directors of ‘Howl’ (a personal favorite of mine a few years back) Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman have crafted a pretty standard biopic of porn star Linda Lovelace here. They do some interesting things with the way they present the story, but the real selling point here are the performances of Amanda Seyfried and Peter Sarsgaard. The latter is real good, but the former is the revelation. If the movie was slightly more engrossing I could see her making a play for a Best Actress nomination this year. It still might happen if the film is a hit, but I have my doubts.
Read more on SUNDANCE: ‘Lovelace’, ‘Touchy Feely’, and ‘Emanuel and the Truth about Fishes’…
Categories: Festivals, Film Reviews Tags: Allison Janney, Amanda Seyfried, Bobby Cannavale, Chloe Sevigny, Early Review, Ellen Page, festival round up, Frances O'Connor, James Franco, Jessica Biel, Josh Pais, Juno Temple, Kaya Scodelario, Lovelace, Lynne Shelton, Peter Sarsgaard, review round up, Robert Patrick, Ron Livingston, Rosemarie DeWitt, Scoot McNairy, sharon stone, Sundance Film Festival, Wes Bentley
 As we close the book on our coverage of the 2013 Sundance Film Festival, I’m speeding up the pace a bit by grouping together some of my remaining reviews. I’ll be doing short looks at a quartet of movies that I enjoyed when I was in Park City, though none of them blew me away. They each got a three star rating from me. I’ll be talking about ‘The Way, Way Back’, ‘S-VHS’, ‘Sightseers’, and ‘A.C.O.D.’ briefly here, but look for full length reviews later on this year when they hit theaters. ‘The Way, Way Back’ is the highest profile of the lot, so I’ll give that one a few more words that the others. Read more on SUNDANCE: ‘The Way Way Back’, ‘S-VHS’, ‘Sightseers’, and ‘A.C.O.D.’…
Categories: Festivals, Film Reviews Tags: Allison Janney, Amanda Peet, Amy Poehler, Catherine O'Hara, Early Review, festival round up, Gareth Evans, jane lynch, Jessica Alba, Jim Rash, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Maya Rudolph, Nat Faxon, review round up, Richard Jenkins, Rob Corddry, S-VHS, Sam Rockwell, sequel, Sightseers, Steve Carell, Sundance Film Festival, The Way Way Back, Toni Collette
- Just when The Awards Circuit thought Argo would put the brakes on its steamrolling of the competition, it shocks us again with key victories at SAG and DGA. It’s now abundantly clear that Ben Affleck’s third directorial outing is the frontrunner heading into the Oscar ceremony. Read more on Circuit Round-Up (Week Ending 2/3)…
Read more on Circuit Round-Up (Week Ending 2/3)…
Categories: Circuit Round-Up Tags: anna belickis, Argo, Awards Circuit Power Hour, Ben Affleck, Christian Bale, clayton davis, DGA, Joey Magidson, joeys dvd pick of the week, Joseph Braverman, Mark Johnson, Michael Ward, Nicole Melkonian, Oscar Circuit, Robert Hamer, SAG, seven psychopaths, Sundance Film Festival, Terence Johnson, Tiff Chai
 Once again armed with a tremendous performance from Felicity Jones, up and coming filmmaker Drake Doremus successfully minds the romantic drama genre with his new movie Breathe In. Darker and more visually interesting than Like Crazy (2011), this film isn’t quite as strong overall, but it does make Doremus someone still to be reckoned with. Jones is the standout, but Doremus has coaxed a great performance out of Guy Pearce and newcomer Mackenzie Davis as well. They all are giving their all and it helps boost this somewhat standard story to bigger and better heights. The film succeeds due to its acting and directing. However, the writing by Doremus and Ben York Jones is certainly less impressive. A movie about longing and the connections we make, Breathe In was a real solid film on display at the Sundance Film Festival. I’m not sure if it’s going to wind up being an awards contender, but the trio of Davis, Jones, and Pearce are definitely good enough to warrant at least some sort of consideration down the line.
Read more on SUNDANCE: Breathe In (***)…
 I went into Blue Caprice with rather high hopes. This dramatization of the events we know as the Beltway Sniper attacks completely misses the point of that crime spree and wastes a very good performance from Isaiah Washington. Co-writer/director Alexandre Moors has the absolute wrong focus here, choosing to make a statement about violence in America as opposed to capturing what the feeling of the time was. The D.C. sniper situation was one of pure fear and tension for the country, especially those in the area, but none of that comes across here. Now, I understand what Moors and his co-writer R.F.I. Porto were getting at, but it comes misguided for me. Read more on SUNDANCE: Blue Caprice (**)…
 Sundance Film Festival may be over, but we’ve still got fun stuff to share! In addition to the final reviews and analysis, Joey and I sat down before leaving Park City to record one final video where we share our thoughts about the festival and dole out some awards. So without further ado, here’s the final Park City Dispacth video! Read more on Park City Dispatch – Episode 9: The Best of the Fest!…
 Go figure, Shane Carruth managed to make a movie that, when compared to his previous film Primer, makes that one seem downright simple. Right before I walked in to see this film at the Sundance Film Festival, I tweeted that I expected Carruth to turn my brain into some form of fondue. Well, my skull isn’t filled with cheese, but I definitely am not fully sure what I saw. The only thing we had to go on as audience members was the following description:
“A man and woman are drawn together, entangled in the life cycle of an ageless organism. Identity becomes an illusion as they struggle to assemble the loose fragments of wrecked lives”.
I suppose that explains part of the story, but I’m not entirely certain either. Parts of it are mesmerizing, while others tried my patience. It’s still very much a mystery to me, and much of that might be intentional. The only things I’m actually sure of is that I really appreciated Carruth’s ambition, and he got a really great lead performance out of Amy Seimetz. Everything else is obscure beyond total comprehension, but it never led to boredom on my part.
Read more on SUNDANCE: Upstream Color (**½)…
 Prince Avalanche is the film I wish David Gordon Green had made after Pineapple Express hit theaters a few years back. I’ve been a long time fan of Green’s, especially his early work, All The Real Girls, which is an underrated masterpiece in my eyes. I’ve even found things of interest in his recent studio-comedy “misfires.” Here, he’s teamed up with Paul Rudd and Emile Hirsch for an easy-going, warm, and overtly character driven comedy that really fits in with his first independent films. With Rudd and Hirsch both doing fine work, Green is able to focus on the distinct visual stylings that once made him known in some circles as a poor man’s Terrence Malick. Honestly, if Malick ever wanted to make a buddy comedy, this might resemble that project, if only in some small way. Read more on SUNDANCE: Prince Avalanche (***)…
 With style to spare but substance at a premium, The Necessary Death of Charlie Countryman is the type of film that works as a calling card for a filmmaker, but not as too much else. Director Fredrik Bond has taken a somewhat half-baked screenplay by Matt Drake and spiced it up with whatever visual flairs he could come up with. Bond and Drake just seem like an ill fit for the material (even with the latter supposedly basing the story off of an actual experience he had while abroad in Romania), and while stars Shia LaBeouf and Evan Rachel Wood aren’t bad at all, they just aren’t especially well-directed or suited for the film. While Mads Mikkelsen and Til Schweiger are more fitting for their villainous roles, it’s still just an imperfect mix all around from the get go. No one here is memorable and everything about it just feels unnecessary. The first couple of scenes and the final one are better than the rest of it, but a huge section in the middle is repetitive, and quite frankly just boring. Visual stimulant can only do so much.
Read more on SUNDANCE: The Necessary Death of Charlie Countryman (**½)…
Categories: Festivals, Film Reviews Tags: Early Review, Evan Rachel Wood, James Buckley, John Hurt, Mads Mikkelsen, melissa leo, rupert grint, Shia LaBeouf, Sundance Film Festival, The Necessary Death of Charlie Countryman, Til Schweiger
 Raucously entertaining and yet incredibly earnest, Christina Voros’ documentary kink is a fascinating film about the inner workings of the porn studio kink.com. Certainly not for the faint of heart or prude of mind, Voros spares us nothing in her examination of BDSM porn by way of the most profitable studio of the genre. It’s a lightning rod of a film instantly sparking discussion, division and derision. But that’s what makes the documentary great, you can’t help but be compelled to have a longer conversation about the film. Read more on SUNDANCE: kink (***½)…Read more on SUNDANCE: kink (***½)…
 One of the best things about Sundance is that you get to meet every matter of person involved in indie film. Miriam Cutler has been composing music for documentary films since 1988, authoring over 100 scores. She’s also been a longtime advisor in the Sundance Composers Lab, as well as a long time board member of the Society of Composers and Lyricists. This year she’s back at Sundance having done the score for the documentary American Promise. We sat down at the hp Lounge to chat about the film, how the film scoring process works, and what she most enjoys about the work. Check out the interview after the jump! Read more on SUNDANCE: Interview with ‘American Promise’ composer Miriam Cutler…
 Sometimes movies are incredibly clear in their intentions from the outset. Other films take their time, sneaking up on you and subtly creeping into your consciousness. and there are those films that sneak up on you, creeping into your consciousness. Pit Stop, an eloquent look at gay men living in Texas and the crossroads they find themselves at in their interactions, is most definitely the latter. While I had some problems with the first half of the film, the 2nd half is so wonderful that it made me reevaluate my entire experience. Anchored by some nuanced performances and a character driven screenplay, the film manages to say a lot without speaking loudly. Read more on Sundance: Pit Stop (***)…
- As the talk of 2012 slowly comes to an end, The Awards Circuit moves forward by embracing the new film year. Joey Magidson and Terence Johnson spent a full nine days in Park City, Utah getting to know the films and filmmakers that could make a huge impact in 2013. Check out their interviews, reviews and daily video blogs for the latest Sundance reports. Be sure to also glance at the Sundance Award Winners, just announced last night. It’s no surprise that the festival’s big awards champion, Fruitvale, is now in the nurturing yet powerful hands of The Weinstein Company.
Read more on Circuit Round-Up (Week Ending 1/27)…
Read more on Circuit Round-Up (Week Ending 1/27)…
Categories: Circuit Round-Up Tags: anna belickis, Awards Circuit Power Hour, clayton davis, J.J. Abrams, Joey Magidson, Joey's DVD Picks of the Week, Joseph Braverman, Mark Johnson, Mike Ward, Nicole Melkonian, Oscar Circuit, PGA Awards, Robert Hamer, Star Wars, Sundance Film Festival, Terence Johnson, Tiff Chai
 Grand Jury Prize: Fruitvale
U.S. Doc Grand Jury Prize: Blood Brother
U.S. Dramatic Directing Award: Afternoon Delight
U.S. Doc Directing Award: Cutie and the Boxer
U.S. Dramatic Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award: In a World
Sundance: Screenwriting Award, World Cinema Dramatic: Barmak Akram from Afghanistan for ‘Wajma.’
U.S. Dramatic Cinematography Award: Bradford Young for Ain’t Them Bodies Saints & Mother of George
US Dramatic Special Jury Acting to Miles Teller & Shailene Woodley for The Spectacular Now
Audience Winner: Fruitvale
US Doc Audience Award: Blood Brother
Audience Award for Best World Narrative: Metro Manila
World Doc Audience Award: The Square
Best of Next: This is Martin Bonner
World Doc grand jury prize: A River Changes Course
World Doc directing prize: The Machine That Makes Everything Disappear
World Cinema Special Jury Prize (Documentary): Pussy Riot: A Punk Prayer
Alfred P. Sloan Feature Film Prize: Computer Chess
World Cinema Dramatic Screenwriting Award: WAJMA (AN AFGHAN LOVE STORY) (Barmak Akram)
World Cinema Dramatic Cinematography Award: LASTING (d.p. Michal Englert) Read more on Sundance Film Festival Awards ‘Fruitvale’…
 Every so often as a critic you get the opportunity to witness a film that’s so ingrained in your experience that it becomes difficult to even comprehend how you feel about the film. On one hand, Fruitvale is a rich, if slightly problematic, retelling of the day in the life of Oscar Grant, the Oakland man who was shot by police officers on New Year’s Day 2009. On the other is innate sense of personal relevance. I can still tell you exactly where I was sitting when I heard about him getting shot, the worry on my parent’s (and to speak the truth, all Black parents) faces that something like this could happen to me (their children), and the anger, not just African Americans, but most Bay Area residents felt when the officer who shot him was only sentenced to two years jail time. There’s no way to divorce those experiences from watching a film like this. However the movie doesn’t ask you to, it just wants you to be in the moment as it tells it’s story. For those reasons, Fruitvale is a feat of movie making, something that operates well within the medium and invites you to bring your emotions along for the ride. Read more on SUNDANCE: Fruitvale (***)…
 It’s hard for lightning to strike twice, let alone three times, but somehow the team of Julie Delpy, Ethan Hawke, and Richard Linklater have done just that with Before Midnight. Almost two decades since they first charmed audiences in Before Sunrise (1995) and nearly a full decade since they returned with the equally impressive sequel Before Sunset (2004), the trio are back and as good as ever.
Co-writer/director Richard Linklater is again content to sit back and let co-writers/stars Delpy and Hawke inhabit these characters. We’ve grown to love and care about them, something the team uses to their advantage in some really interesting ways this time around. As much as it’s a direct sequel, the most compatible film to this one might actually be the recent Judd Apatow flick This is 40. A movie about what happens when youthful love is replaced by something more complex; Before Midnight is a home run for all involved. Read more on SUNDANCE: Before Midnight (***½)…
 Michael C. Hall is having a bit of a film breakout. Sure we all recognize him from Six Feet Under and Dexter, but his role as David Kammerer in the Sundance film Kill Your Darlings is something of a marvel, allowing the actor to show of his immense talent on the big screen. I got to chat with Michael about his experience working with John Krokidas, his character David Kamerer, and how much fun he had on set. Also, all you Dexter fans will want to listen till the end of the interview where he sheds some light on the new season. Check out the interview after the jump! Read more on SUNDANCE: Interview with ‘Kill Your Darlings’ star Michael C. Hall…
It’s the final countdown! In the penultimate episode of Park City Dispatch, Joey and I recount our final day at the fest including the morning snow and the films we screened: Blue Caprice, ACOD, The Spectacular Now and Fruitvale. Enjoy! Read more on Park City Dispatch – Episode 8: ACOD, Fruitvale and Blue Caprice…
Sundance is winding down and in our second to last video, we recount the quiet day that we had. After the fiasco I had with youtube delaying yesterday’s video, we decided to keep this one short. We review the three films Joey saw (Lovelace, The Way Way Back and Emmanuel and the Truth About Fishes) and I tease some of fun interviews I had. Enjoy!
Read more on Park City Dispatch – Episode 7: Lovelace, Fun Interviews, and The Way Way Back…
Categories: Festivals Tags: Amanda Seyfried, Film, Jessica Biel, Joey Magidson, Lovelace, Miriam Cutler, Peter Sarsgaard, Sam Rockwell, Steve Carrell, Sundance Film Festival, Terence Johnson, The Way Way Back, Toni Collette
 Do you all remember that split screen in 500 Days of Summer where we see the main character’s expectations vs. reality? Well my screening of Ain’t Them Bodies Saints was very much like what the main character went through. In my mind, Aint Them Bodies Saints was a thrilling yet poetic film that would put Malick to shame with a lot of meat for gifted actors to chew on. However, in reality, it was a plodding, dimly lit slog of a film that was more style than substance. Read more on SUNDANCE: Ain’t Them Bodies Saints (**½)…
Categories: Blog, Festivals, Film Reviews Tags: Ben Foster, Casey Affleck, Film, film reviews, Nate Parker, reviews, Rooney Mara, Sundance Film Festival, Terence Johnson
Episode 6 is in the books! In this episode we attempt to unravel the complexities of Shane Carruth’s newest film Upstream Color, describe our feelings towards The Spectacular Now (Joey loved it), Pit Stop (I loved it) and The Necessary Death of Charlie Countryman (it was average). We also get a bit into the Sundance acquisitions and talk about issue with critics walking out of screenings before the movie is up. Enjoy! Read more on Park City Dispatch – Episode 6: The Spectacular American Promise of the Upstream Color Pit Stop…
Categories: Blog, Festivals Tags: American Promise, Film, Pit Stop, Prince Avalanche, Shane Carruth, Sundance Film Festival, Terence Johnson, The Necessary Death of Charlie Countryman, The SPectacular Now, Upstream Color
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