Johnny Knoxville-produced "Being Evel" Gives a Deeper Look at the First American Daredevil

February 13, 2015

It's probably safe to say that when anyone thinks about the word "daredevil" they'll probably think first about Evel Knievel. There may be no one in the history of extreme sports who has captured our collective attention as much as he. In fact, he gave birth to the extreme sports era which we now enjoy with the likes of Tony Hawk, Matt Hoffman, Travis Pastrana, and many, many others. Completing tricks now that Evel probably dreamed of, there is no doubt that all of these men and women involved with extreme sports consider Evel the Godfather of it all.

Rising as a trouble-maker from Butte, Montana in his youth, he would find his calling by going fast and living faster. As a young man he would evade the police, steal money from the local business, and sold insurance policies to patients at a mental hospital.

Moving away from Butte, he would put on shows in southern California to small crowds. The first time he really captured national attention was with his much hyped, and then subsequently viewed, crash in 1967 when he attempted to jump the fountains at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. From that point forward his daring, boldness, and brash attitude went hand-in-hand with his white leather jumpsuit. And most of us know about his crashes and his big landings, but there was another side to Evel. As a performer, he was never satisfied. And that bled into his personal life as well. From drinking to women, he lived fast and loose with the people around him.

Directed by Academy Award winning filmmaker Daniel Junge - who won in 2012 for Best Documentary (Short Subject) for "Saving Face" - "Being Evel" premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. Produced for History films, the film was written by Junge and Davis Coombe (who both live in Denver) and was produced by Brendan Kiernan, Justing Moore-Lewy, Matt Hoffman, Jeff Tremaine and Johnny Knoxville.

Especially for Knoxville, who speaks quite a bit in the film, Evel was the ultimate hero. Sure there was Superman and Batman, but Evel could actually fly. He could take a bike and float it over trucks and buses. His stunts inspired a whole new generation of athletes and performers. Though Knoxville and his show "Jackass" are more known for stunts-gone-bad, you could make a case that Evel's crashes captured more attention than the successful stunts ever did.

"Being Evel" was recently picked up for distribution here so expect to see it out soon and we'd highly recommend it. It was a fascinating look at Evel Knievel's death-defying career and life.

SXSW Film Announces Feature Films

February 6, 2015

And we’re off!

The adventure continues as we reveal the bulk of the 2015 SXSW Film Features Program.

Among the 145 feature films to play at the festival, you'll find 100 World Premieres, 13 North American Premieres and 11 U.S. Premieres, selected from a record 2,385 feature-length film submissions. First-time filmmakers account for 60 films in the program, continuing the SXSW tradition of showcasing independent discoveries from emerging directors.

A selection of highlights includes a Work in Progress of Judd Apatow’s Trainwreck, Alex Gibney’s Steve Jobs: Man in the Machine, Jamie Babbit’s Fresno, Paul Feig’s Spy, Etan Cohen’s Get Hard, Bill Pohlad’s Love & Mercy, Shannon Sun-Higginson’s GTFO: Get The F% Out, Larry Charles’ The Comedians, Alex Winter’s Deep Web, Ryan Gosling’s Lost River, Jake Szymanski’s 7 Days in Hell, Laura Gabbert’s City of Gold, Todd Strauss-Schulson’s The Final Girls, Charles Hood’s Night Owls, Les Blanks’ A Poem is a Naked Person, Robert Duvall’s Wild Horses, Lina Mannheimer’s The Ceremony and Colin Hanks’ All Things Must Pass. Exclusive events include a special screening of George Miller’s 1981 classic The Road Warrior with a filmmaker Q&A following and Jonathan Demme Presents Made in Texas, a collection of short films from Austin in the early ‘80s.

Additionally, 2015 will also see the return of last year’s successful debut of the Episodics screening section.

New for 2015: The Narrative Feature Competition & Documentary Feature Competition categories have increased to include ten films per category, up from eight films in each category.

New for 2015: For the first time ever, SXSW Music badgeholders can attend all screenings in the 24 Beats Per Second Film Festival category as an expansion of Convergence programming.

And we’re not done yet! The Midnighter features, along with the Short Film Program, will be announced next Tuesday, February 10, with the complete Film Conference lineup and schedule to follow on Tuesday, February 17. So mark those dates on your calendar, get your badge, start building your schedule and we can’t wait to see you in March.

Sundance 2015: "The Experimenter" Review

February 2, 2015

Photo by Jason Robinette | Courtesy Sundance Institute

Based on Stanley Milgram's obedience experiments in the 1960's, "The Experimenter" follows Milgram, played by Peter Sarsgaard, as he carries out his famed experiment and the fallout he must deal with afterwards. Written and directed by Michael Almereyda, the film premiered last week at Sundance.

If you are not familiar with Milgram's experiments, check out this video. The experiment that opens the film is his experiment on obedience which he performed during his time at Yale. Following WWII and specifically the trial of Adolf Eichmann - the Nazi SS member who was responsible for the logistics and transportation of Jews to the ghettos and death camps - Milgram wanted to understand how the Holocaust happened. During the much publicized trial, Eichmann showed no remorse and insisted that he was only following orders. This gave birth to the experiment.

The basic premise was to test how much pain a subject could inflict on another at the orders of and authority figure, in this case, the "experimenter." A "learner" and a "teacher" were designated and the teacher read questions and issued an electric shock to the learner if the question was answered incorrectly. With each incorrect question the voltage would be increased on the shock and the leaner would start to scream in pain and ask for the experiment to be over. The trick was that the "learner" was a man involved in the study and there were no actual shocks issued. A majority of the time the true subject, the "teacher," went all the way to the end of the line, even though they heard the learner scream in pain and ask to stop. Very few actually stopped the experiment and wouldn't continue. And if you're wondering if they were forced to continue by the "experimenter," the authority figure in the room? The answer is no. The experimenter simply stated that the experiment must continue.

The film employs some interesting techniques, including breaking the fourth wall and having Milgram talk to the audience from a seemingly omniscient point of view, offering a sort of documentary style voice over to lead us through his story. Sarsgaard gives a great performances with Winona Ryder playing opposite as his wife Sasha. Throughout his life, Milgram continued experimenting and perhaps the more interesting aspect of the film is how, while this isn't a truly experimental film, the director experiments with us, the audience, taking us in and out of the story and at times, asking us to work really hard to suspend our disbelief.

A truly fascinating experiment in and of itself, the film continues on and follows Milgram as he dreams up new experiments. Ultimately, the obedience experiment would be his most famous and infamous, garnering criticism from the academic and professional community.

Jakob Ihre | Courtesy Sundance institute

Sundance 2015: "The End of the Tour" Review

January 31, 2015

In James Ponsoldt's new film, Jason Segal stars as David Foster Wallace during the last few days of his book tour for his well received 1998 novel Infinite Jest. Jessie Eisenberg stars opposite Segal as David Lipsky, at the time a journalist for Rolling Stone, who convinces his boss that he should travel to snowy Illinois to profile the obscure genius that is David Foster Wallace.

What begins as clear admiration, even jealousy maybe, Lipsky, an aspiring novelist himself, sets out to meet the man and uncover the mind behind the amazing novel and finds a normal, if not hesitant and reserved, mid-western guy who doesn't want any of the fame this book has brought. For the next three days, Lipsky follows Wallace around, traveling to Minneapolis, and back to Illinois.

James Ponsoldt (pictured above) | Courtesy Sundance Institute

Segal is wonderful as Wallace and Eisenberg infuriating as Lipsky. While we start with Lipsky's point of view and our desire is his desire, to find out who David Foster Wallace is, we quickly find him grating and disruptive. He wishes for everything that Wallace has - fame, a best-selling novel, women throwing themselves as readings - and Wallace wants none of it. He just wrote a book and wants to teach at the local high school. Lipsky even asks Wallace about his bandana, causing the cautious author to consider that people see his bandana as a sort of mask he wears in public, part of some charade as the mid-western, reclusive author.

David Foster Wallace committed suicide in 2008 and the inspiration for the movie comes from LIpsky's book about his time with Wallace. James Ponsoldt, previously at Sundance with "Smashed" and "Spectacular Now," captures two wonderful performances by both Segal and Eisenberg. He moves quickly through the awkward introductions and into the heart of the matter: two writers musing about success.

There is no trailer yet, but as soon as we find it, we'll post it for you.

Our Sundance Experience

January 30, 2015

The Sundance Experience

Let me begin by saying that this was our first time covering the Sundance Film Festival. Upon arrival the first thing we had a chance to do is participate in the press junket featuring a panel of distinguished Sundance dignitaries including Mr. Robert Redford himself. It was such an honor to hear the man responsible for introducing Sundance to the world speak about subjects such as creativity, freedom of expression and maintaining diversity. He also touched on the importance of documentaries and his passion for them. Not a bad way to kick off our Sundance 2015.

Upon arriving on Main Street, the social hub of the festival I was easily reminded of the way South by Southwest is setup today. Various corporate installations by Acura and HP adorned the streets with people flocking in and out enjoying a complimentary array of free beer and shwag. In all honesty we were a little nervous wondering how the logistics of the festival take shape. The main theaters that house the films are off the strip with the exception of The Egyptian Theatre, which has stood the test of time for almost 80 years. A shuttle service takes people to and from the main transit center to all the venues making for an easy way to get from place to place.

It was very convenient that we found a place to stay within a two block walking distance from Main Street. Let me rephrase that within stumbling distance. Main Street is where you will find all the press lounges, gifting suites, private parties and more. In fact we had a chance to take in some music courtesy of Billboard’s Winter Fest, during our stay. Musical acts such as B.o.B., Skrillex, Iggy Azalea and Diplo managed to entertain the film buffs during the nighttime festivities.

The other cool thing about Sundance is the amount of celebrities you get to walk into (literally walk into). Many of the actors and actresses are in town to promote their distinguished movies and are often seen on the street in between press junkets walking around. As a matter of fact we had a chance to see a handful including, Keanu Reeves, Kid Cudi, Jason Issacs, Jeffrey Tambor, Chris Pine, Margot Robbie, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Molly Shannon, Jason Sudeikis, Spike Lee, Ron Livingston, Kevin Bacon, Gina Rodriguez, Adam Scott, Jason Schartzman, James Marsden, and Jack Black.

I guess we should talk about some films now. Let’s just say there were a ton of choices to choose from. The way Sundance works is, directors submit their films in hopes of acquiring a distribution deal by a studio. The studios then buy the film and distribute them across theaters for us to see, pretty simple concept. While we didn’t have time to check out all the films, we managed to capture a couple good ones.

What Happened, Miss Simone (read review)
In Football We Trust
Z For Zachariah
Kurt Cobain, A Montage of Heck
The End of the Tour (read review)
I Am Michael
The Mask You Live In
The D Train
The Experimenter (read review)
The Last Days in the Desert
Ten Thousand Saints
Being Evel

We will be reviewing a couple of these films throughout the week so check back!

What Happened, Miss Simone? | Documentary Review

January 27, 2015

Photo courtesy of the Sundance Institute

In the opinion of many, Nina Simone was one of the greatest female voices music has ever heard. A unique style matched by none, Simone has been credited as an influence by many of today’s modern artists. The documentary What Happened, Miss Simone?, directed by Liz Garbus, takes a look at the life and times of the accomplished pianist, singer, and civil rights advocate through rare footage, diaries, letters, audiotapes, and interviews with those closest to her. What I found stood out most about this documentary was the volatile and unpredictable side of Simone many had never heard of nor seen before.

While the documentary celebrates the artistic icon the public eye was familiar with, it also paints viewers a darker portrait of the unpredictable mental state of Simone. From an early age, it was clear that Simone was destined to be a star. Raised as a classically trained pianist, it wasn't until the Twenties that the world first heard the amazing voice which garnered unwavering admiration. The documentary also highlights the mental and physical abuse that Simone sustained from her tumultuous relationship with her husband-turned-manager, Andrew Stroud. This volatile relationship, showcased through documented letters and diary entries, gives the viewer a more clear understanding of Simone's treacherous and emotional road through life.

The mental abuse and strained relationships led Simone to a life of struggles with addiction and a constant fight with the demons within. These battles carried over into her music, and later in life the fuel for these inner-personal struggles would come from rage built by the Civil Rights Movement. Songs such as “Mississippi Goddamn” showcase honest feelings toward the world around her in a gut-wrenching outcry. A true eye opener, What Happened, Miss Simone? is a moving tell-all piece about the life of one of music's most beloved icons of the 20th century. Garbus leads us on a journey through every moment of the singer’s struggles, yet complements it with just the right amount of celebration of Simone's achievements, making it one of my must-see documentaries from this year's Sundance Film Festival.

Fantastic Four | Official Teaser Trailer

January 27, 2015

Fantastic Four | Official Teaser Trailer: FANTASTIC FOUR, a contemporary re-imagining of Marvel’s original and longest-running superhero team, centers on four young outsiders who teleport to an alternate and dangerous universe, which alters their physical form in shocking ways. Their lives irrevocably upended, the team must learn to harness their daunting new abilities and work together to save Earth from a former friend turned enemy.

Sundance Film Festival 2015 Preview

January 19, 2015

Jill Orschel | Courtesy Sundance Institute — Jill Orschel | Courtesy Sundance Institute

With Sundance Film Festival right around the corner, we saw fit to showcase some of the movies we are most excited to see. The Festival is held from January 22 - February 1st in Park City, Utah. Last years Audience Award Winner, "Whiplash" is now in Oscar contention with the film already winning praise and J.K. Simmons taking home a Golden Globe and nominated for an Academy Award as well. This years fest, as in years past, is sure to produce some of the best narrative and documentary work the world over in independent cinema. Stay tuned for following coverage and reviews as we bundle up and head down to Sundance.

Each section program features a multitude of excellent films. Here are a few we've put on the calendar.

U.S. Dramatic Competition

Jas Shelton | Courtesy Sundance Institute — Jas Shelton | Courtesy Sundance Institute

The Stanford Prison Experiment
Based on the actual events that took place in 1971, Stanford professor Dr. Philip Zimbardo created what became one of the most shocking and famous social experiments of all time.
Directed by: Kyle Patrick Alvarez
Written by: Tim Talbott
Cast: Billy Crudup, Ezra Miller, Michael Angarano, Tye Sheridan, Johnny Simmons, Olivia Thirlby

Z for Zachariah
In a post-apocalyptic world, a young woman who believes she is the last human on Earth meets a dying scientist searching for survivors. Their relationship becomes tenuous when another survivor appears. As the two men compete for the woman’s affection, their primal urges begin to reveal their true nature.
Directed by: Craig Zobel
Written by: Nissar Modi
Cast: Margot Robbie, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Chris Pine

U.S. Documentary Competition

Being Evel
Millions know the man, but few know his story. Academy Award-winner Daniel Junge (Saving Face) and actor/producer Johnny Knoxville take a candid look at American daredevil and icon Robert “Evel” Knievel while also reflecting on our voracious public appetite for heroes
and spectacle.
Directed by: Daniel Junge

(T)error
With unprecedented access to a covert counterterrorism sting, (T)ERROR develops in real time, documenting the action as it unfolds on the ground. Viewers get an unfettered glimpse of the government’s counterterrorism tactics and the murky justifications behind them through the perspective of *****, a 63-year-old black revolutionary turned
FBI informant.
Directed by: Lyric R. Cabral, David Felix Sutcliffe

World Cinema Dramatic Competition

Strangerland
When Catherine and Matthew Parker’s two teenage kids disappear into the remote Australian desert, the couple’s relationship is pushed to the brink as they confront the mystery of their children’s fate.
Directed by: Kim Farrant
Written by: Fiona Seres, Michael Kinirons
Cast: Nicole Kidman, Joseph Fiennes, Hugo Weaving, Lisa Flanagan, Meyne Wyatt, Maddison Brown

World Cinema Documentary Competition

Dreamcatcher
Dreamcatcher takes us into a hidden world seen through the eyes of one of its survivors, Brenda Myers-Powell. A former teenage prostitute, Brenda defied the odds to become a powerful advocate for change in her community. With warmth and humor, Brenda gives hope to those who have none.
Directed by: Kim Longinotto

Listen to Me Marlon
With exclusive access to previously unheard audio archives, this is the definitive Marlon Brando cinema documentary. Charting his exceptional career and extraordinary life
away from the stage and screen, the film fully explores the complexities of the man by telling the story uniquely in Brando’s own voice.
Written/Directed by: Stevan Riley

Premieres

KK Promotions | Courtesy Sundance Institute

Frank Masi | Courtesy Sundance Institute

A Walk in the Woods
An aging travel writer sets out to hike the 2,100-mile Appalachian Trail with a long- estranged high school buddy. Along the way, the duo face off with each other, nature, and an eccentric assortment of characters. Together, they learn that some roads are better
left untraveled.
Directed by: Ken Kwapis
Written by: Rick Kerb and Bill Holderman
Cast: Robert Redford, Nick Nolte, Emma Thompson,
Mary Steenburgen, Nick Offerman, Kristen Schaal

Experimenter
Experimenter is based on the true story of famed social psychologist Stanley Milgram, who in 1961 conducted a series of radical behavior experiments that tested ordinary humans’ willingness to obey authority by using electric shock. We follow Milgram from meeting his wife through his controversial experiments that sparked public outcry.
Written/Directed by: Michael Almereyda
Cast: Peter Sarsgaard, Winona Ryder, Jim Gaffigan, Kellan Lutz, Taryn Manning, John Leguizamo

Rodrigo Garcia | Courtesy Sundance Institute

Last Days in the Desert
Ewan McGregor is Jesus—and the Devil—in an imagined chapter from his 40 days of fasting and praying in the desert. On his way out of the wilderness, Jesus struggles with the Devil over the fate of a family in crisis, setting himself up for a dramatic test.
Written/Directed by: Rodrigo Garcia
Cast: Ewan McGregor, Tye Sheridan, Ciarán Hinds, Ayelet Zurer

Documentary Premieres

Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck
Kurt Cobain, lead singer, guitarist, and songwriter of Nirvana, remains an icon 20 years after his death. Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck
is a raw and visceral journey through Cobain’s life and his career with Nirvana through the lens of his home movies, recordings, artwork, photography, and journals.
Written/Directed by: Brett Morgen

The Mask You Live In
Is there a “boy crisis” in America? Is our male population suffering due to our emphasis on power, dominance, and aggression? The Mask You Live In explores how our narrow definition of masculinity is harming our boys, men, and society at large and unveils what we can do about it.
Directed by: Jennifer Siebel Newsom

Spotlight

'71
’71 takes place over a single night in the life of a young British soldier accidentally abandoned by his unit following a riot on the streets of Belfast in 1971. Unable to tell friend from foe, he must survive the night alone and find his way to safety.
Directed by: Yann Demange
Written by: Gregory Burke
Cast: Jack O’Connell, Paul Anderson, Richard Dormer, Sean Harris, Barry Keoghan, Martin McCann

99 Homes
A father struggles to get back the home that his family was evicted from by working for the greedy real estate broker who’s the source of his frustration.
Directed by: Ramin Bahrani
Written by: Ramin Bahrani, Amir Naderi, Bahareh Azimi
Cast: Andrew Garfield, Michael Shannon, Laura Dern, Tim Guinee, Cullen Moss, J.D. Evermore

And many more - check out the full program for the 2015 Sundance Film Festival.

Oscar Nominations 2015 Led by "Birdman" and "The Grand Budapest Hotel"

January 16, 2015

The Oscar Nominations for 2015 were released yesterday and Alejandro Gonzåles Iñårritu's "Birdman" and Wes Anderson's "The Grand Budapest Hotel" tie with the top spot for total number of nominations. After both movies were celebrated this past weekend with Golden Globe wins, we expect both to be favorites come late February.

Without too much more, here's the list of nominations for the 87th Academy Awards:

Best Picture
“American Sniper”
“Birdman”
“Boyhood”
“The Grand Budapest Hotel”
“The Imitation Game”
“Selma”
“The Theory of Everything”
“Whiplash”

We expected to see "Foxcatcher" on this list. A bit of a surprise, especially considering that the Academy can nominate up to ten films and only chose eight. Nothing too shocking here, most of these films topped our list for the Best Films of 2014.

Actor in a Leading Role
Steve Carell, “Foxcatcher”
Bradley Cooper, “American Sniper”
Benedict Cumberbatch, “The Imitation Game”
Michael Keaton, “Birdman”
Eddie Redmayne, “The Theory of Everything”

We loved Keaton in "Birdman" and Carell in "Foxcatcher" was absolutely amazing. Though we are sad not to see David Oyelowo's name who didn't make the list with his performance as Martin Luther King Jr. in "Selma."

Actress in a Leading Role
Marion Cotillard, “Two Days, One Night”
Felicity Jones, “The Theory of Everything”
Julianne Moore, “Still Alice”
Rosamund Pike, “Gone Girl”
Reese Witherspoon, “Wild”

Actor in a Supporting Role
Robert Duvall, “The Judge”
Ethan Hawke, “Boyhood”
Edward Norton, “Birdman”
Mark Ruffalo, “Foxcatcher”
J.K. Simmons, “Whiplash”

Fresh off his Golden Globe win, J.K. Simmons is the front runner here. He was absolutely devastating as the maniacal conductor opposite Miles Teller. If you still have a chance to see it, take advantage.

Actress in a Supporting Role
Patricia Arquette, “Boyhood”
Laura Dern, “Wild”
Emma Stone, “Birdman”
Keira Knightley, “The Imitation Game”
Meryl Streep, “Into the Woods”

This is Meryl Streep's 19th nomination for an Academy Award - hardly a year has gone by where we have not seen her name somewhere on this list. Though we are stoked to see Laura Dern's second Academy Award nomination, our money is on Patricia Arquette.

Directing
Alejandro Gonzåles Iñårritu, “Birdman”
Richard Linklater, “Boyhood”
Bennett Miller, “Foxcatcher”
Wes Anderson, “The Grand Budapest Hotel”
Morten Tyldum, “The Imitation Game”

My favorite in the pack is Alejandro Gonzåles Iñårritu, though we love Linklater and his 12 year project in "Boyhood." It'll be interesting to see if the Academy votes for Anderson, following his Golden Globe win.

Animated Feature Film
“Big Hero 6”
“The Boxtrolls”
“How to Train Your Dragon 2”
“Song of the Sea”
“The Tale of the Princess Kaguya”

Where is "The LEGO Movie"?! Phil Lord and Christopher Miller created a one-of-a-kind, hilarious adventure that didn't catch any love by the Academy.

Cinematography
Emmanuel Lubezki, “Birdman”
Robert D. Yeoman, “The Grand Budapest Hotel”
Lukasz Zal and Ryszard Lynzewski, “Ida”
Dick Pope, “Mr. Turner”
Roger Deakins, “Unbroken”

Deakins is another perennial on this list, but with his work on "Gravity" last year, Emmanuel Lubezki is looking to repeat.

Costume Design
Milena Canonero, “The Grand Budapest Hotel”
Mark Bridges, “Inherent Vice”
Colleen Atwood, “Into the Woods”
Anna B. Sheppard, “Maleficent”
Jacqueline Durran, “Mr. Turner”

Documentary Feature
“Citizenfour”
“Last Days in Vietnam”
“Virunga”
“The Salt of the Earth”
“Finding Vivian Maier”

Documentary Short Subject
“Crisis Hotline: Veterans Press 1”
“Joanna”
“Our Curse”
“The Reaper”
“White Earth”

Film Editing
Joel Cox and Gary Roach, “American Sniper”
Sandra Adair, “Boyhood”
Barney Pilling, “The Grand Budapest Hotel”
William Goldenberg, “The Imitation Game”
Tom Cross, “Whiplash”

Missing from this list is the editing team behind "Birdman." Douglas Crise and Stephen Mirrione tricked us into the all-in-one shot look of "Birdman" and oh, was it wonderful.

Foreign Language Film
“Ida”
“Leviathan”
“Tangerines”
“Wild Tales”
“Timbuktu”

Makeup and Hairstyling
Bill Corso and Dennis Liddiard, “Foxcatcher”
Frances Hannon and Mark Coulier, “The Grand Budapest Hotel”
Elizabeth Yianni-Georgiou and David White “Guardians of the Galaxy”

Music – Original Score
Alexandre Desplat, “The Grand Budapest Hotel”
Alexandre Desplat, “The Imitation Game”
Hans Zimmer, “Interstellar”
Gary Yershon, “Mr Turner”
Johann Johannsson, “The Theory of Everything”

The prolific Desplat could have made another nomination with "Unbroken" but that just wouldn't be fair.

Music – Original Song
“Everything Is Awesome” by Shawn Patterson, “The LEGO Movie”
“Glory” by Common and John Legend, “Selma”
“Grateful,” by Diana Warren, “Beyond the lights”
“I’m Not Gonna Miss You,” by Glen Campbell and Julian Raymond, “Glenn Campbell: I’ll Be Me”
“Lost Stars” by Gregg Alexander and Danielle Brisebois, “Begin Again”

Production Design
“The Grand Budapest Hotel,” Production design: Adam Stockhausen, Set Decoration: Anna Pinnock
“The Imitation Game,” Production design: Maria Djurkovic, Set Decoration: Tatiana Macdonald
“Interstellar,” Production design: Nathan Crowley, Set Decoration: Gary Fettis
“Into the Woods,” Production design: Dennis Gassner, Set Decoration: Anna Pinnock
“Mr. Turner,” Production design: Suzie Davies, Set Decoration: Charlotte Watts

Short Film – Animated
“The Bigger Picture,” Daisy Jacobs and Christopher Hees
“The Dam Keeper,” Robert Kondo and Dice Tsutsumi
“Feast,” Patrick Osbirne and Kristina Reed
“Me and My Moulton,” Torill Kove
“A Single Life,” Joris Oprins

Short Film – Live Action
“Aya,” Oded Binnun and Mihal Brezis
“Boogaloo and Graham,” Michael Lennox and Ronan Blaney
“Butterlamp,” Hu Wei and Julien Feret
“Parvenah,” Talkhon Hamzavi and Stefan Eichenberger
“The Phone Call,” Mat Kirkby and James Lucas

Sound Editing
“American Sniper,” Alan Robert Murray and Bub Asman
“Birdman,” Martin Hermandez and Aaron Glascock
“The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies,” Brent Burge and Jason Canovas
“Interstellar,” Richard King
“Unbroken,” Becky Sullivan and Andrew Decristofaro

Sound Mixing
“American Sniper,” John Reitz, Gregg Rudloff and Walt Martin
“Birdman,” Jon Taylor, Frank A Montano and Thomas Varga
Mark Weingarten, “Interstellar,” Garry A. Rizzo, Gregg Landaker and Mark Weingarten
“Unbroken,” Jon Taylor, Frank A Montano and David Lee
”Whiplash,” Craig Mann, Ben Wilkins and Thomas Curley

Visual Effects
“Captain America: Winter Soldier,” Dan DeLeeuw, Russell Earl, Bryan Grill and Dan Sudick
“Dawn of the Planet of the Apes,” Joe Letteri, Dan Lemmon, Daniel Barrett and Erik Winquist
“Guardians of the Galaxy,” Stephanie Ceretti, Nicolas Aithadi, Jonathan Fawkner and Paul Corbould
“Interstellar,” Paul Franklin, Andrew Lockley, Ian Hunter and Scott Fisher
“X-Men: Days of Future Past,” Richard Stammers, Lou Pecora, Tim Crosbie and Cameron Waldbauer

Writing – Adapted Screenplay
Jason Hall, “American Sniper”
Graham Moore, “The Imitation Game”
Paul Thomas Anderson, “Inherent Vice”
Anthony McCarten, “The Theory of Everything”
Damien Chazelle, “Whiplash”

Writing – Original Screenplay
Alejandro González Iñárritu, Nicolás Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaris and Armando Bo, “Birdman”
Richard Linklater, “Boyhood”
E. Max Frye and Dan Futterman, “Foxcatcher”
Wes Anderson and Hugo Guinness, “The Grand Budapest Hotel”
Dan Gilroy, “Nightcrawler”

Ultra5280's Best Films of 2014

December 28, 2014

This year in movies was an exciting one. From one of the most fun experiences to the most breathtaking and everything in between, this year was jam packed with amazing performances, wonderful scores, meticulous direction, and don't forget the snarky raccoon. Though the digital age seems to be encroaching on our movie going experience, my faith and commitment to film as a medium and the theater-going experience itself was reaffirmed. Counting the films at Austin Film Festival, I saw more than 40 films in theater's this year. Even still, as of this post, I've not seen Foxcatcher, Unbroken, American Sniper or Inherent Vice. I also missed Snowpiercer which was a dark horse favorite this year. I feel confident that all five of those movies will be among the best this year, with Foxcatcher and American Sniper most likely to show up around Oscar time. So without further ado, my top films of 2014 (in no particular order):

BIRDMAN

Directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu
Written by Alexander Dinelaris, Nicolás Giacobone, Alejandro González Iñárritu, Armando Bo
Starring Michael Keaton, Emma Stone, Zach Galifianakis, and Edward Norton

WHIPLASH

Written and Directed by Damien Chazelle
Starring Miles Teller and J.K. Simmons

INTERSTELLAR

Directed by Christopher Nolan
Written by Christopher Nolan and Jonathan Nolan
Starring Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, and Jessica Chastain

THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL

Directed by Wes Anderson
Written by Wes Anderson and Hugo Guinness
Starring Ralph Fiennes, F. Murray Abraham, and Jude Law

BOYHOOD

Written and Directed by Richard Linklater
Starring Ellar Coltrane, Patricia Arquette, and Ethan Hawke

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY

Directed by James Gunn
Written by Nicole Perlman and James Gunn
Starring Chris Pratt, Bradley Cooper, Zoe Saldana, Vin Diesel, and Dave Bautista

Honorable Mentions:
Fury
Rudderless
Edge of Tomorrow
The Lego Movie

The Creepy Crawlers of LA: Review of NIGHTCRAWLER

December 4, 2014

By Ian Beavers

I’m not gonna lie. I have no idea what to write here. Not without giving away the majority of Nightcrawler’s plot points, anyway.

See, I am a believer in film’s ability to effect us, the audience, in deep, emotional, and visceral ways. Think about the first time you watched the first five minutes of Pixar’s Up, or the first scene in Inglorious Basterds. We’re left in deep puddles made of tears, or on the edge of our seats, hearts racing. While not every movie out there touches us in these ways, we don’t know what to expect each time we go into a movie theater to see a new release. And those surprising times when a movie does manage to reach us in those intangible but somehow very specific ways… It’s usually a delight.

But in the case of Nightcrawler, much is asked of the viewer up front and over the course of the story… to the point where even labeling Jake Gyllenhaal’s character an “anti-hero” seems generous. He plays a slimy, skeezeball of a human being, which in turn makes it difficult for the viewer to truly root for him. Put that in contrast to an absolutely fascinating story that is able to tap into those visceral feelings I mentioned before… and and you’re left feeling conflicted through the entirety of the film.

Personally, I kept waiting for a turn… For something to happen that might push Gyllenhaal’s character into a more traditional story mold. Through the whole movie I waited to see something that I was used to seeing in every other movie out there, and it simply never came. Was this the intention of the filmmakers? Most likely… Almost assuredly! And as a result, I was left in an uncomfortable place, watching this person that I loathed make his way through a genuinely compelling story. My heart was seething and racing simultaneously a number of times over the course of the film… And quite frankly, that is not a combination of emotions that I am used to having while visiting my local movie theater.

I would be remiss at this point to neglect mentioning Jake Gyllenhaal’s performance. It’s an absolute tour-de-force… He completely embodies Louis Bloom as the story carries him through the streets of Los Angeles in search of footage for the next big “breaking news” story. Personally, I maintain that you should never be able to look at a character in a film and see the actor standing there instead… And the ability for an actor to surpass his or her own personal identity to present the audience with a complete version of the character they are playing is what separates truly great actors from the just-good ones. I’ll admit, I’ve never included Gyllenhaal in the former category, but after watching Nightcrawler, I would be perfectly happy doing so. I wasn’t able to see him at all behind Louis Bloom’s sunken-in, manic eyes.

So sure, the writing can be spotty, and the tone is a bit off-key at times… but the film still manages to be a fascinating watch, and doesn’t pull any punches as a result. And since it ultimately presents itself as a character piece rather than a story piece… The issues with writing and tone can be forgiven. If you’re a fan of watching movies that completely subvert your movie-watching expectations, Nightcrawler is a must-see.

007 SPECTRE | Announcement

December 4, 2014

Here is the video announcement of the new Bond film. The film is slated to be released on November 6. The film will be called 'Spectre' and will star Daniel Craig, Christopher Waltz, Dave Bautista, Monica Bellucci, and Ralph Fiennes. The name SPECTRE is an acronym for Special Executive for Counter-intelligence, Terrorism, Revenge and Extortion – is the name of an international crime syndicate. For all you Bond aficionados you will notice a familiar symbol in the bullet hole from the poster. You can say we are pretty excited about this one.

Terminator Genisys | Trailer

December 4, 2014

Looks like our favorite ex California Governor is back in the saddle as the new installment of the Terminator series is coming out.

Do Not Go Gentle: A Review of INTERSTELLAR

November 8, 2014

Last night, I walked into the IMAX theatre at the UA Colorado Center to see Interstellar. And the experience was stellar. We got the chance to see the film actually projected on film, and that doesn't happen very often anymore.

It was awesome.

I walked out having been engrossed, transported, transfixed, and inspired. Sounds completely cheesy and I'm aware of that. But it's happened a handful of times for me. That feeling hit me with Beasts of the Southern Wild, Silver Linings Playbook, 12 Years a Slave, Gravity, and the recent Birdman. That's a laundry list of films, but they all have that characteristic in common for me.

Seeing it on the IMAX is the gold standard for this movie. It's what Nolan wanted, it's how he wanted people to see the movie. And more importantly he wanted people to see it projected on film, not digital - 4K or otherwise. If you live in Denver and you're at all interested in this movie, go see it at the IMAX. It's being projected on 70mm and is one of the few IMAX theaters in the country still doing this (here's the list of theaters nationwide). This is what the official Interstellar website has to say about IMAX 70mm:

“Select IMAX theaters will be offering the IMAX Experience featuring 15 perf/70mm film projection which combines the brightest, clearest images at almost 10 times the resolution of standard projection formats, with powerful, laser-aligned digital sound and customized theater geometry to create the world’s most immersive movie experience.”

It's a pretty penny to get into the theatre, but it's well worth it. Get the Regal Card and you'll also save a dollar off your ticket at the theatre (Regal should pay me for that plug, right?).

About an hour of the movie utilizes the IMAX cameras that had previously just been used for sweeping landscapes or city-scapes. Nolan makes use of them off of their locked-down rigs and put them on cars, and his camera operators shot with them on shoulder rigs. What you end up with is a use of the cameras that no one thought possible before. There's a really cool video about it here.

So what the heck is this movie about anyways? Well it is a science-fiction-fantasy-adventure-human-survival story. Like Nolan's films before, he not only presents fantastical worlds, but compelling characters searching for more. In the not so distant future, the world has run out of food and we are exhausting our planet, most of us have been assigned to be farmers. But even that is failing; dust storms are killing crops. Matthew McConaughey plays Cooper, a former NASA pilot and engineer. NASA has now been forced to operate in complete secrecy and they recruit Cooper to pilot an exploration mission.

I don't really like reviews with spoilers, so I won't touch any more on what happens in the almost three-hour movie. It also stars Anne Hathaway, Michael Caine, and some other surprise guests. All actors turn in solid performances, which McConaughey leading the way as a father, leaving his children behind.

If you've seen the trailers you know that 'Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night' makes its way into the movie. It's one of my favorites as well:

"Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light."
- Dylan Thomas, 1914-1953

This seems to be what fuels Cooper, and indeed Nolan. He is a director who will not give up on the medium and we're on board. He is one of the most outspoken advocates of shooting and projecting on film. And his movies benefit from it; all the way from Following, to Memento, to The Prestige, Batman Begins, to Inception and now with Interstellar. The exciting thing is that he is commercially successful and able to do it by and large bucking the "normal" trends in the studios. He is perhaps one of a very, very small list of directors who can make the movie he wants, they way he wants, without interruption from a studio.

So far, we've taken a look at some other reviews out there, and the results are mixed from the critics. Some are totally on board, and others are completely not. I think that makes this a movie to absolutely go see. It was split like this when Memento came out too. Some of the highlights of these other reviews, without going into too much detail: the movie's science was horrible, the dialogue was lofty and awkward, and the plotting was precarious at best.

I'll take them one at a time.

As to the science in the movie being "bad," well this is a movie, right? A SCIENCE-FICTION movie? You know, one where you walk in and hand over the normal laws of time, space, gravity to filmmakers who might bend it a little bit to tell their stories. They, after all, set the rules for their stories. If you don't feel they did a good job setting the rules of their universe they've created, that's another matter. But if you want to know what would actually happen if you went into a Black Hole, any museum of Nature and Science could probably tell you. I wonder if these reviews also hated Star Wars because of the lightsabers and Star Trek because, no, Scotty can't really beam you up.

The dialogue...yes, I will admit it was a bit formal at times (Nolan is a Brit). But this is the same guy who took us into the collective unconscious in Inception. His schtick is philosophy. And more-so in this film than before. The characters are struggling with important questions about our place among the stars, and about love. I ask myself these lofty questions. I'm a dreamer too.

And as to the plotting, there seemed to be a consensus that the bad science led to bad plotting. So I don't need to handle that part again. A filmmaker sets story rules, you either buy them or you don't. There were moments in the movie where the plotting is heavy, like an outside force compelling the movie where it needs to go. For me? I'm okay with it. This isn't a camera-following-subject documentary about space after all.

It’s about the human element, not the science. If you go into this movie expecting the science to be 100%, don’t go. Go watch a documentary. This is not that. But it’s okay, it doesn’t have to be, and it doesn’t aim to be. It’s a sci-fi fantasy, time-travelling, dimension bending movie. (Speaking of dimensions, check out Imagining the Tenth Dimension).

“We used to look up at the sky and wonder about our place in the stars, now we just look down and worry about our place in the dirt.”

Suspend your disbelief. That's what the movies are all about. I walked out of the theatre thinking that they're will never be an opportunity to experience that film like that, on 70mm IMAX, again - until I go see it for the second time next week. With Netflix, iPads, and tiny movie screens in our pockets, seeing a movie in the theatre on film is something that doesn't happen all the time. I hope we see a resurgence of film. Because there really isn't anything quite like it.

The movie is hopeful. “We used to look up at the sky and wonder about our place in the stars, now we just look down and worry about our place in the dirt,” as Cooper says. It reminded me of looking up at the stars at night. Just looking up and thinking about what it is to live, what it is to be a part of such a big world, such a big cosmos.

Rage on, rage on.

DAWN PATROL: From Script to Screen at AFF

November 5, 2014

In 2008, a script written by Rachel Long and Brian Pittman, a writing team from California, was submitted to the Austin Film Festival. Then titled Stranded, it went on to be a Latitude Finalist in competition that year. Oscar-Nominee Daniel Petrie Jr. (Beverly Hills Cop) and Rick Dugdale met the pair, and soon after the script was picked up by Petrie and Dugdale's Enderby Entertainment.

"We didn’t really know what to expect," Long told us, "Immediately just being at the Driskill Bar, and everyone was accessible and nice and enthusiastic, you know. So here you are, just a finalist in contest...who knows whats going to happen? And just to be surrounded by such positive people about the industry, I was hopeful that it could happen."

The "it" she's referring to? Pittman went on to explain that all subsequent meetings and work as screenwriters has been because of the Austin Film Festival and also their relationship with Petrie. Their A Haunting at Silver Falls recently finished shooting in Oregon. CBS Films bought their script Incarnate and Millennium Films picked up their spy script The Civilian.

Things appear to be moving at quite the clip for those two, and to finally see Dawn Patrol on the screen is the culmination of years of work. Though not uncharacteristic for a film to spend a long time in development, "It was a slow process, patient process, everyone being very passionate about Dawn Patrol," said Pittman. And as they neared actual production, things sped up enormously.

Through many meetings and notes sessions, even a 12-hour day with Petrie at his house, both Long and Pittman appreciated the hands-on approach of their mentor, Petrie. "In any sort of collaboration there was never a moment where he was telling us something that we needed to do. He was presenting it in a way that it seemed essential to do and I think that that is really incredible about him," said Long.

Actor Scott Eastwood (left) with director Daniel Petrie Jr.

We also got a chance to sit down with Petrie and he talked about the significance of when the movie was set. "2008 was a time of great, almost overwhelming despair in the United States as people had been encouraged to take on mortgages and remodel their homes," he said. "I remember because I had a place near that beach and sign after sign after sign [reading] ‘For Sale,' 'Foreclosure’ and it felt like, to these hard working people, that the dream is over. The promise that America makes that you’re going to be better off than the last generation has been broken. And that was deeply unsettling in the nation’s psyche."

Though the movie features the lives of a surfing family, it is not a surfing movie. "I think the lens through surfing and access to the beach is very apt and appropriate and we probably couldn’t find a cleaner one," Pittman told us. He's a surfer himself and while the sport and lifestyle seem like a permanent vacation, he and Long aimed to look deeper. "We went behind that, man. Let’s look at the other side: what do people have to give up to keep that?" he said.

And it was through the family dynamics, and Petrie as director, that actor Jeff Fahey came on board. "That, for me, was the important thing," Fahey said, "the family structure. However disconnected, dysfunctional, however he [Fahey's character] was aware of it that’s what was the discovery for me." Fahey has an impressive list of credits, but you might recognize him most recently for his roles as Frank Lapidus in Lost or Under the Dome as Duke. Years ago he was in a movie with Petrie's dad, also a director, and had hoped to work with Petrie. "It was a lunch meeting, and I said I’m in," Fahey said, "and bang we were shooting."

We got a chance to see Dawn Patrol last week at it's world premiere at AFF and expect a lot more from this writing team in the future with their many projects in the works. Also, be sure to keep an eye out for the film coming up. We'll post some updates about when and where it will be released when we have them.

Dawn Patrol stars Scott Eastwood, Jeff Fahey, Rita Wilson, Kim Matula and Chris Brochu.

7 MINUTES makes AFF World Premiere

November 2, 2014

In the robbery-gone-bad film 7 MINUTES, Jay Martin writes and directs a fast paced thriller shown in a series of flashbacks over the course of, you guessed it, seven minutes. The film got its world premiere here at the Austin Film Festival a few days ago.

7 MINUTES tells the story of three friends Sam (Luke Mitchell), Mike (Jason Ritter), and Owen (Zane Holtz) as they take over the small-town bank of Everett, WA. And as soon as we're in the bank, we flashback meeting each character and learning what brought them to the robbery. Each transition deepens the characters and we see how, as Mitchell told us in our interview with him, "These kids don’t know what they’re doing, they’re just kids. I loved the casting of Kevin Gage [actor in HEAT, CON AIR, BLOW] as Tuckey because I think that just perfectly illustrates the difference between the hardened criminal and these kids that are trying to rob a bank but have no idea what they’re doing."

“These kids don’t know what they’re doing, they’re just kids.”

As Mitchell points out, Tuckey (Gage) is the older criminal friend of Owen's dad, Mr. B, played by Kris Kristofferson. Those older guys are the kind of guys that did the "hard time." And they offer cautionary advice and a juxtaposition to the innocence of the three boys. "Don't get caught," says Mr. B to Owen upon picking up his son from prison, advice that drives Owen throughout the rest of the movie. "One of my favorite shots was that scene of me coming out of that prison," Holtz told us.

After getting acquainted with the city of Everett for a few days, one of the first shooting days for Holtz was with Kristofferson. "My first scene up is in that car with Kris Kristofferson and he's driving," he said as director of photography Noah M. Rosenthal laughs. "It was a good thing Kris told me he was wearing his lucky boots," as Rosenthal dives into a story about shooting with Kristofferson. Because the roads were so narrow, with mailboxes and telephone poles lining the pavement, Kristofferson had to drive the car during the shooting of the scene. "He’s driving around, Jay was in the back seat, I’m in a follow vehicle with a monitor and producers and everything and we just start seeing the car drift over." They jumped on the walkie and Kristofferson steered the car right again, but "I think it would have been a fun insurance claim," Rosenthal said.

With AFF known as the "Writers Festival," we asked Martin about the construction of the script. "It started out as a list of bullet points: minute one, minute two, minute three, minute four and it branched out in between and the idea was to use each jump back to tell a different character's backstory as far as I could before the inevitability of plot had to sort of take over," he said.

The story comes from a tale in his family. Generations ago, in 1943, a distant relative robbed his own uncle's bank. Since then, the story has been handed down and handed down, something that plays a large part of the script. "Not only are they the kind of guys that tell these stories they’re actually in one of these stories," Martin said.

Keep an eye out for this movie. We'll keep you updated with information about opportunities to see 7 MINUTES coming up in the future.

Not a Beat Out of Place: A Review of WHIPLASH

October 30, 2014

This is a post by Ian Beavers, contributing writer and filmmaker from LA.

J.K. Simmons (left) and Miles Teller (right).

Though not at the Austin Film Festival, WHIPLASH was released just last week in Denver and is playing exclusively at the Mayan Theatre on Broadway.

I have an admission to make: I was a high school band kid. Please don’t judge me too harshly… We are, generally, a good people. Band meant a great deal to me during my high school career, so much so that I self-identified as a band geek when social circles came into play. It built within me a great love of music and art of all kinds, and is a major part of my so-called “origins story.”

Why am I taking this trip down memory lane at the very beginning of a movie review? Besides the obvious, admittedly selfish indulgence in nostalgia, I’m hoping to provide a little context in my rating of Damien Chazelle’s WHIPLASH, a film that has left me both infatuated and filled with self-doubt.

WHIPLASH follows Andrew Neyman (Miles Teller), a young drummer with vast potential, as he begins his stint at a world-renowned music conservatory. Very early on in this stage of his education, Andrew is discovered and ultimately challenged by a personal idol of sorts; Conductor Terrance Fletcher (J.K. Simmons). Yes. At first glance, this is very much one of those “small fish, big pond” kind of stories.

And, truth be told, if you watched this movie with an eye for that surface-level appearance, the story would give you exactly that. Little more than the trials and tribulations of a little fish as he works to find a place in a pond that turned out to be much bigger than he had expected. But as soon as you get beyond that surface-level thinking, you will immediately find that Chazelle, Teller, and Simmons have all worked remarkably hard to provide the audience with a message that’s been all but lost in this, the age of participation trophies… “There are no two words in the English language more harmful than ‘good job.’”

J.K. Simmons has been lauded for his performance here, and for good reason. His character is incredibly motivated (perhaps over-motivated) to spread the film’s thesis statement, and he acts as this brilliant villain/mentor hybrid that simply hasn’t been seen before… At least not in the capacity presented. And Simmons does an astonishing job at filling that role.

“There are no two words in the English language more harmful than ‘good job.’”

As a piece, WHIPLASH takes a long, hard look at the differences in the ideas of “people who are good at what they do,” and “people who are great at what they love.” A view where no one person is responsible for an individual’s success… It takes a measure of independent dedication, outside drive, and personal support to achieve greatness in it’s purest and most passionate form. To my eye, that “long hard look” is exactly what sets this film apart from all the other “little fish” stories, and is exactly what makes WHIPLASH worth your time.

This is, admittedly, is where my self-doubt comes in… The combination of personal nostalgia, lavish musical performance, and a resolute perspective on the trials and tribulations of “dreaming big” leave me with little choice in making any kind of “official” rating… It’s a must-see kind of movie. 9 out of 10. Two thumbs up. Five stars. Pick your poison. But I have been so fascinated, so enchanted by my experience in watching this movie, that I cannot rightfully claim to have had an impartial viewing experience. I saw a little too much of myself on that screen.

So I guess you’ll just have to go see it for yourself.

'A spoonful of sugar' Makes TAKING IT BACK an Enjoyable Ride

October 29, 2014

First time director Andreas Schmied tells the story of a steel factory and its workers as they struggle to keep their jobs in this blue-collar Austrian town. Schmied creates a fairy tale world where this community must band together to take back their jobs.

After watching many films with dark and serious themes this past weekend, it was so refreshing to see this movie as it deals with serious subject matter with comedy and brevity. TAKING IT BACK pits the local workers against their ruthless bosses who are only seeking to line their own pockets. Films about corporate greed tend to be on the more serious thriller or dramatic side, but this film aims to show the plight of the working class through the eyes of characters who try to look at the lighter side of life no matter what's going on around them.

Andreas Schmied (left) and actress Hilde Dalik.

Schmied grew up not far from where the movie was filmed and knows first hand about these communities; he even worked in a steel factory for a time. His desire was to make a movie about the people that he knew from his life. He told us that he was inspired by the Italian neorealist Vittorio De Sica, maybe best known for BICYCLE THEVES - a really great movie to check out, by the way. "These are simple stories about the plight of workers, about the plight of fisherman, about small villages."

But when Schmied began writing, "It started very serious and I became very bored with it.“ Adding the comedy made the story come to life, "it’s also like a spoonful of sugar makes the medicine go down." He submitted his script and received funding from Austrian Film Institute, Vienna Film Fund, and others. "This was a total surprise because its my first movie," he told us laughing, "what the hell am I doing here?" But as state funded film, with large crew and good budget, "You could trust that things could get done," he said "because this was a professional production."

After becoming a hit in Austria, Schmied submitted TAKING IT BACK to the Austin Film Festival just under the deadline. He had always wanted to come to Austin largely because of its filmmakers he saw in the 90's. “There were people like Richard Linklater with SLACKER and DAZED AND CONFUSED…and I know that I saw it in the cinemas and I was totally blown away. And I thought if this is a movie, I can make one and these were the movies that empowered me.”

TAKING IT BACK mixes a romantic comedy with the more serious topic of the workers who are forced out of their jobs and must fight to save not just the factory but their community as well. The film was shot on 35mm over 30 days in Austria and features some very funny performances from its cast. Don't miss the final screening of TAKING IT BACK. It plays tonight at the Rollins Theatre at 7:00pm.

Update from the AUSTIN FILM FESTIVAL

October 28, 2014

So we've been rather quiet from the festival. And here's why!

On Wednesday I arrived in the afternoon and attended the Austin Film and Food party to rub elbows with the filmmakers and writers at the festival. There was tons of free food and beer supplied, so I was up late. Thursday I hopped in my little car2go - which is really a great service and we're very proud to have them as a sponsor for Ultraween - and adventured around Austin. I found my way into the opening night screenings of THE HUMBLING, starring Al Pacino and Greta Gerwig, and then saw Richard LaGravenese's THE LAST FIVE YEARS. I enjoyed both films with the former playing along similar lines as BIRDMAN, and the latter as an adventure in music. The movie, sung from beginning to end, is based on the musical written by Jason Robert Brown featuring the talent of Anna Kendrick (PITCH PERFECT) and Jeremy Jordan.

On Friday I went to see an episode of MAD MEN presented by its showrunner and creator Matthew Weiner. Then I went to see 21 YEARS RICHARD LINKLATER, a love-letter to the much beloved Austin filmmaker of such greats as DAZED AND CONFUSED, BEFORE SUNRISE, BEFORE SUNSET, and many others including his most recent BOYHOOD - which was fantastic. Then came Saturday which was filled with wonderful panels, interviews with the crew from DAWN PATROL, including director Daniel Petrie Jr., writers Rachel Long and Brian Pittman, and actor Jeff Fahey and then the premiere of their movie that night. (Stay tuned for more about DAWN PATROL coming later this week!)

And since then have seen WILD, 7 MINUTES, 61 BULLETS, THE LAST TIME YOU HAD FUN, LOOKING FOR LIONS, THE HOMESMAN, PHANTOM HALO, TAKING IT BACK, some great shorts including THIS IS NORMAL, A DAY IN EDEN, and ENTRAIN, and finally tonight THE IMITATION GAME. It's been a whirlwind and my brain might be melting. But it's been amazing to be here with the filmmakers and writers.

Stay tuned - but don't hold your breath - for more stuff heading your way including reviews and my conversations with the crew from 7 MINUTES and director of TAKING IT BACK.

2014 Austin Film Festival Preview - Part 2

October 23, 2014

7 MINUTES

7 MINUTES is the story of three friends – SAM (Luke Mitchell), MIKE (Jason Ritter), and OWEN (Zane Holtz) - forced by circumstance to commit a brazen robbery. What begins as a simple plan - "in and out in seven minutes" - quickly becomes a dangerous game of life and death. As each minute of the robbery unfolds, another twist is unveiled and the stakes are pushed higher and higher. In the final act, Sam's pregnant girlfriend KATE (Leven Rambin) is kidnapped, escalating the situation even further and pressing our heroes to do whatever they can to make it out alive.

Written and directed by Jay Martin, you can see 7 MINUTES at the State Theatre on Sunday (10/26) at 8:30pm.

DAWN PATROL

A surfer-turned-Marine held at gunpoint in a distant desert tells his tragic story of revenge gone wrong to stall his execution. DAWN PATROL stars Scott Eastwood, Rita Wilson, Kim Matula and Chris Brochu with Julie Carmen and Jeff Fahey.

DAWN PATROL is directed by Daniel Petrie Jr. and written by Rachel Long and Brian Pittman, who originally submitted the script to the 2008 Austin Film Festival Screenplay Competition.

DAWN PATROL is set to premiere at the Paramount Theatre Saturday (10/25) at 7:00pm.

TAKING IT BACK

Patrick Angerer is not especially impressed when his co-workers at Steelworks Falkendorf begin to protest the new wages set by Inneholm, a Swedish private equity firm that recently assumed responsibility of the factory. However, when his ex, Babs Brossmann, shows up in town with her new partner and arrogant boyfriend, Ulf, on behalf of the workers union, Pat- rick decides to take action. As negotiations take a dive and replacement workers are assembled, it is up to Patrick and his FC Steelworks football team to save the factory for the shady corporate sharks, whose only concern is draining the last few profits out of the business. Taking It Back is a whimsical look at corporate politics, blue-collar perseverance, and reconciling old love.

TAKING IT BACK will play at the Alamo Drafthouse Village on Friday (10/24) at 8:15pm and at the Rollins Theatre on Wednesday (10/29) at 7:00pm.

Check out the trailer below!

And also be sure to check out:

HARDY

Natasha Verma, a UT graduate, wrote and directed the documentary. You can see it tonight at the Rollins Theatre at 7:10pm or at the Alamo Drafthouse Village on Wednesday (10/29) at 4:00pm.

#CHICAGOGIRL

In Joe Piscatella's first feature, he follows Ala'a Basatneh as she organizes non-violent protests in Syria using social media from outside of Chicago. The film plays at the Galaxy Highland 10 Theatre on Saturday (10/25) at 5:30pm and at the IMAX Theatre on Tuesday (10/28) at 7:00pm.