#best of sundance 2021

[onlydylanobrien]

Dylan O’Brien Sets ‘Twinless’ With James Sweeney Directing & Starring; Republic Pictures Takes Global On Three Point Capital & David Permut Production

EXCLUSIVE: Dylan O’Brien is set to headline in James Sweeney‘s dark comedy Twinless, which the latter wrote and will also star in. Republic Pictures has taken global rights to the movie. Cameras are currently rolling on the movie in Portland, OR. O’Brien will executive produce.

The pic follows two young men who meet in a twin bereavement support group. An unlikely bromance develops between them. Twinless follow Sweeney’s directorial debut, Straight Up, which notched the filmmaker a Best First Screenplay nom at the 2021 Independent Spirit Awards.

Three Point Capital is financing the film with Ali Jazayeri, David Gendron and Liz Destro also serving as EPs.

Twinless is produced by Academy Award nominated producer David Permut and Permut Presentations (Hacksaw Ridge, Face/Off) whose most recent Netflix movie, Rustin, garnered Colman Domingo a Best Actor Oscar nomination.

Miky Lee (Parasite) Vice Chairwoman of CJ and who most recently executive produced the Oscar nominated film Past Lives, serves as EP.

Permut Presentations Director Of Development Alex Astrachan co-produces.

Permut said, “I was absolutely knocked out by James’ first film Straight Up and was determined to work with him. I immediately responded to the originality and provocative concept of Twinless. The dark comedy depicts complex characters in such an irreverent, emotional and hysterical way. The chemistry between Dylan, who portrays the role of identical twin brothers, opposite James’ character is absolutely combustible.”

O’Brien’s most recent film is the independent feature Ponyboi, in which he plays a villainous pimp and small-time drug dealer, recently premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. He will next be seen in the upcoming films SNL 1975 (from director Jason Reitman) as Dan Aykroyd, Caddo Lake (from the writing-directing team of Logan George and Celine Held, and producer M. Night Shyamalan), and Anniversary (a thriller co-starring Diane Lane, Kyle Chandler, Zoey Deutch and Phoebe Dynevor). The $1.7 billion grossing star is well-known to audiences from his work in The Maze Runner franchise, as well as the hit MTV series Teen Wolf.

Permut also recently produced the Paramount+ series hit, Lawman: Bass Reeves from Taylor Sheridan, which stars SAG nominee David Oyelowo. His upcoming high priority slate includes Being Heumann written and directed by Academy Award winner Sian Heder (CODA) at Apple, Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris’ (Little Miss Sunshine) film The Invite, and Face/Off II at Paramount, the sequel to Permut’s 1997 hit film, to be directed by Adam Wingard.

Sweeney is repped by UTA, 2AM and Brecheen Feldman Breimer Silver and Thompson. O’Brien is repped by WME, Principal Entertainment, and Lichter, Grossman, Nichols, Feldman, Rogal, Shikora & Clark and Permut is repped by John Tishbi at Pearlman & Tishbi.

Three Point Capital, established in 2009, is a financier and service provider in the film, television, and commercial industries. They have financed over 400 films, including The Butler, Clerks III and the Oscar-winning Manchester by the Sea. They most recently provided funding for the upcoming Michael Keaton starrers Know Goes Away and Goodrich, the Nicholas Cage starrer Longlegs, the Tina Fey/Jon Hamm comedy Maggie Moore(s) and the recent Sundance premiere Rob Peace.

Paramount Global Content Distribution is revitalizing the former Republic Pictures label, originally founded in 1935. The newly branded acquisition label will leverage Paramount Global’s vast worldwide distribution channels, across home entertainment and third-party distribution platforms to distribute a wide range of acquired films. Republic Pictures is an acquisition-only label under Paramount Pictures.

Source: deadline.com

[anothersebastianblog]

Happy NYE guys & happy new year to the ones who already are in 2024! Let us know if it seems to be a good one 😂♥️

I hope all your wishes will come true ✨

In terms of Sebastian, here is what we know about 2024:

“a different man” will premiere at Sundance on Jan 21. Hopefully he will attend, we will have content and an actual release date as well as the first reviews

He will finish to film the DT biopic and hopefully we will not have to hear about it till late 2024/early 2025

What if…? S3 comes out sooner or later so more BB

“Thunderbolts” starts filming in spring so hopefully sets pics and more infos

Hopefully more projects announced and more news about stuff like the movie with Mimi and the one with Maria

A press tour for ADM …. so more content from him compared to 2023 maybe?

Some public events maybe?

🤞🏻🤞🏻 awards season? 🤞🏻🤞🏻

Fans pics & sightings & a bit of personal content/updating

I am sure there is more that i am forgetting!

2023 has been good, more highs than lows (i would say just one low with the half disappointment of the DT movie!). Kinda sucks we saw him less compared to 2021/2022, the strike helped for sure 😂

But we can cheer the few times we saw him: the paris fashion week and francis&jenny’s wedding for example definitely are two of my fave moments of 2023 as well as the mini press tour for sharper! His Ghosted cameo and Dumb Money small part go straight to the most fun parts of 2023!

Here are some pics to celebrate the best we got from him this past year:

♥️🔥🥂

[chillingcinemachronicles]

Top 5 Must-Watch Sci-Fi Movies Booming on Netflix Right Now

where every frame is a portal to limitless possibilities and extraordinary adventures. Discover the magic of the future, today!

In the Shadow of the Moon (2007) EW grade: A (read the review) Director: David Sington One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind" was the phrase that echoed around the galaxy in July of 1969, when American astronauts emerged from Apollo 11 and took their first steps on the surface of the moon. In 2007, In the Shadow of the Moon, a British documentary premiered at Sundance, chronicling this history-making achievement and digging into the story behind the Apollo program through interviews with 10 astronauts from across the program's many missions. Featuring never before released footage, archival news reports, and the perspectives of some of the only people to see Earth from this remarkable vantage point, In the Shadow of the Moon is stranger than science fiction because it's completely true.

2, Oxygen (2021) EW grade: B (read the review) Director: Alexandre Aja Cast: Mélanie Laurent, Mathieu Amalric, Malik Zidi A nightmare come to life for claustrophobics everywhere, Oxygen is a French language sci-fi film that thinks outside the box in terms of action. At the genesis, an unidentified woman (Mélanie Laurent) awakens in an airtight medical unit, unsure of who or where she is. Interactions with the system's AI - dubbed M.I.L.O. (Medical Interface Liaison Officer) - provide some clarity as to her identity, but no matter what she tries, she cannot escape her prison. As she seeks to understand who placed her in the box and why, truths about her personal life and the current state of the world come into focus - but her search for context is actually a race to outwit the slowly depleting oxygen levels.

3. Project Power (2020) EW grade: B+ (read the review) Director: Ariel Schulman, Henry Joost Cast: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Jamie Foxx, Dominique Fishback, Machine Gun Kelly, Rodrigo Santoro, Courtney B. Vance, Amy Landecker What do a New Orleans police officer (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), a soldier in search of his daughter (Jamie Foxx), and a rapping drug dealer (Dominique Fishback, The Deuce) have in common? They're all working to rid the streets of Power, a new drug that gives users five minutes of superhero abilities, at the risk of killing them with one hit. A science fiction action film produced by Netflix, Project Power invites audiences into a city still suffering the after-effects of Katrina, even decades after the hurricane hit. Populated by morally murky characters - like Gordon-Levitt's Detective Frank Shaver, a cop who uses the drug to level the playing field against the city's criminals, or Fishback's teenage Robin Reilly, who knows she needs to deal to get ahead in this world, but is too smart to partake of her own product - the film finds room for cultural context amidst the action sequences.

4. See You Yesterday (2019) Director: Stefon Bristol Talent: Eden Duncan-Smith, Danté Crichlow, Marsha Stephanie Blake, Brian "Stro" Bradley The best way to live life with no regrets is to build a time machine - which is exactly what happens in Netflix's Spike Lee-produced sci-fi adventure film, See You Yesterday. After best friends and high school science prodigies C.J. and Sebastian unlock the secrets to time travel, they're forced to use their newfound invention in an attempt to save C.J.'s brother Calvin from a fatal encounter with the police. A modern take on Back to the Future - also featuring an appearance by the original time traveler, Michael J. Fox - the film grapples with highly relevant cultural issues like police brutality while still having fun with high school tropes and time loops. See You Yesterday might not have gotten the attention it deserved when it first premiered on the platform back in 2019.

5. Starship Troopers (1997) EW grade: B+ (read the review) Director: Paul Verhoeven Cast: Casper Van Dien, Dina Meyer, Denise Richards, Jake Busey, Neil Patrick Harris, Patrick Muldoon, Michael Ironside Fascist imagery and thudding allusions to World War II-era propaganda films permeate Paul Verhoeven's Starship Troopers, but because the provocative Dutch filmmaker didn't explicitly spell out his satire, it went over the heads of many upon its release. But time has been kind to the action-comedy, perhaps because its gleefully cynical portrait of nationalism and a war-hungry populace would resonate that much more in the years following 9/11 and the Iraq War. That said, those interested in the simpler pleasures of watching bugs go splat will also find plenty to like, from its gnarly, goo-slinging action set pieces to CGI effects that stand up to today's technology.

[aunti-christ-ine]

Sineád O’Connor, the troubled Irish singer and activist who scored a global smash with Prince’s “Nothing Compares 2 U” in 1990 and was banned from Saturday Night Live for tearing up a photo of Pope John Paul II during her performance two years later, has died at 56, according to a statement from her family provided to Irish TV and radio broadcaster RTÉ. No details on the cause, date or place of her death were given.

“It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved Sinéad,” the statement reads. “Her family and friends are devastated and have requested privacy at this very difficult time.”

O’Connor was hospitalized in January 2022 after posting a series of disturbing, soon-deleted tweets in the wake of the suicide of her teenage son, Shane, that month. Her tweets hinted at suicidal thoughts. Shane O’Connor, 17, was found dead two days after he went missing from a treatment facility in Dublin.

She posted this tweet on July 17:

Sineád O’Connor, who changed her name to Shuhada’ Sadaqat after converting to Islam in 2018 and was known for her closely cropped hair, was one of Ireland’s rising stars by age 20. She shot to fame with her haunting cover of “Nothing Compares 2 U,” which Prince wrote and recorded for his side project The Family. Her single hit No. 1 more than 20 countries — becoming the No. 1 single worldwide that year — and spent four weeks atop the Billboard 200 in 1990. The song’s was nominated for three Grammys including Record of the Year, and its stark video won three MTV VMAs including Video of the Year.

“Nothing Compares 2 U” was culled from her second album I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got, which was No. 1 in the U.S. for six weeks and has gone double platinum. It won a Grammy for Best Alternative Music Performance.

Despite the commercial juggernauts that were the single and album, O’Connor struggled to follow their success. She had only one minor hit in the U.S. after “Nothing Compares 2 U” and only a spotty chart history around the world despite releasing eight more studio albums. Her 1992 follow-up, Am I Not Your Girl?, reached the U.S. Top 10, and 1994’s Universal Mother hit No. 19, but neither would spawn a hit single. Her most recent was I’m Not Bossy, I’m the Boss in 2014.

Born on December 8, 1966, in Dublin, O’Connor courted controversy throughout her career. As the musical guest on Saturday Night Live in 1992, she sang a cover of Bob Marley’s “War” that shifted its lyrical focus to child abuse by the Catholic Church. When the song ended, O’Connor produced a photo of the popular Pope John Paul II and ripped it in half.

Reaction was swift in the pre-social media world, and the singer was banned from SNL permanently.

O’Connor is the subject of Nothing Compares, a feature documentary that had its world premiere at Sundance in 2022 and later aired on Showtime. Here is the logline of director Kathryn Ferguson’s film: The story of O’Connor’s phenomenal rise to worldwide fame and subsequent exile from the pop mainstream. Focusing on her prophetic words and deeds from 1987-93, the film reflects on the legacy of this fearless trailblazer through a contemporary feminist lens.

In an interview in the documentary, O’Connor revealed the abusive upbringing that left her feeling betrayed by both church and community and ultimately led her to find the therapeutic power of music.

She received the inaugural award for Classic Irish Album for I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got at the RTÉ Choice Music Awards in March.

O’Connor’s autobiography, Rememberings, was published in 2021 by Dey Street Books.

— Source

[jaestorm]

Writeblr Challenge - Day #5

I've been working on my main WIP for longer than I care to admit 🥴 It has to be at least ten years. Of course not actively for that entire time, but it has certainly occupied a mental tab. I'd say I was pretty serious that first year, tucked it away to work on other projects, then picked it back up at the start of the pandemic.

I remember covering a work event, but I was stationed on the other side of campus and had no visitors. To pass time, I found myself down a Wikipedia rabbit hole researching various cryptids, mythology, etc. I compiled a list of dozens, categorizing them by type and habitat. The human characters came afterwards. Honestly, I was more interested in the world of these animals (still am) and just how the humans navigated that.

Many years later, with an opportunity to slow down and unable to leave the house, I decided to revisit the story, promising to finish it. I was making excellent progress, but couldn't break the story. Characters were lacking motivation and I couldn't stick the ending. It finally clicked during a coffee date with a best friend (also excellent writer!) and I was ready. My next kick in the butt was the release of Cryptozoo during Sundance 2021 (would recommend watching!).

I fully subscribe to that concept that an idea will only stay with you for so long before it moves into another creative. That was a sign.

A few months later, our friends decided to book a cabin and I knew that I would not be leaving until I wrote the words "The End." I spent every morning at that wooden table on the porch, racing through words and pages like I never had before - and I did it! One of my proudest moments.

[greensparty]

2022: The Year in Green’s Party

This has been another great year on this blog of me sharing a thought or two about pop culture! This was a year I needed pop culture, entertainment and escapism more than ever. I got to do so many awesome things and I can’t believe that in early 2023 this blog turns 10! Here are some of the highlights of 2022:

Retweets and Social Media: There were numerous retweets and shares of my posts this year on social media including 2022 Collectibles Extravaganza sharing my coverage, Dana Carvey liked my tweet about Wayne’s World at Nice a Fest, David Spade liked my tweet about my interview with Siobhan Fallon Hogan, and Sean Baker liked my tweet about Red Rocket being my Best 2021 Movie I Saw in 2022.

Interviews: I got to interview numerous people including Jon “Bermuda” Schwartz of Weird Al Yankovic’s band (plus a bonus portion of the interview), Nice a Fest founder Alex Pickert, musician Colleen Green, actor / director James Morosini, director Marq Evans, director April Wright, director Ryan White, musician Kay Hanley, and actors Brian O’Halloran and Jeff Anderson.

Movie Reviews: I got to review A Hero, Sundown, I Want You Back, Studio 666, Jazz Fest: A New Orleans Story, Jurassic World Dominion,  The Beatles and India, George Michael Freedom Uncut, Hallelujah: Leonard Cohen, A Journey, A Song, Thor: Love and Thunder, Clerks III, Sidney, Nothing Compares, Halloween Ends, Let There Be Drums!, Rebel Dread, Weird: The Al Yankovic Story, A Christmas Story Christmas, She Said, Avatar: The Way of Water, and Bablyon.

Album Reviews: I got to review Eddie Vedder’s Earthling and the vinyl reissue of Ukelele Songs, John Carpenter, Cody Carpenter and Daniel Davies’ Firestarter soundtrack and Halloween Ends soundtrack, Florence + The Machine’s Dance Fever, The Rolling Stones’ Live at El Mocambo, The Clash’s Combat Rock / The People’s Hall special edition, Wilco’s Cruel Country, Beabadoobee’s Beatopia, Neil Young and Crazy Horse’s Toast, Neil Young and Promise of the Real’s Noise & Flowers, R.E.M.’s Chronic Town 40th anniversary EP, Oasis’s Be Here Now 25th anniversary edition, Ringo Starr’s EP3, Djo’s Decide, Billy Idol’s The Cage, The Smithereens’ The Lost Album, The Pixies’ Doggerel, L7′s Bricks Are Heavy 30th anniversary reissue, Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ Cool It Down, Alvvays’ Blue Rev, Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Return of the Dream Canteen, Joe Strummer and The Mescaleros’ Joe Strummer 002: The Mescalero Years box set, The Beatles’ Revolver Special Super Deluxe Edition, Foo Fighters’ The Essential Foo Fighters, the compilation album ‘Life Moves Pretty Fast’ The John Hughes Mixtapes, Guns N’ Roses Use Your Illusion I and II box set, Bruce Springsteen’s Only the Strong Survive, Jimi Hendrix Experience’s Los Angeles Forum: April 26, 1969, and Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers’ Live at the Fillmore, 1997.

Concert Reviews: The year began with a livestream concert review of Mike Garson’s A Bowie Celebration. In person concert reviews came back with reviews of Sheer Mag, Ringo Starr and His All-Starr Band, Paul McCartney, Death Cab for Cutie, Alvvays, and not an official review but I did a semi-review of Cheap Trick at Boston Calling.

DVD and Blu-ray Reviews: I got to review some DVD and blu-rays including The Beatles: Get Back, Neil Young and Promise of the Real: Noise & Flowers, and You Can’t Do That on Film.

Book Reviews: I got to cover numerous books released in 2022 including Olivia Harrison’s Came the Lightening: Twenty Poems for George, Pattie Boyd’s My Life in Pictures, and Jerry Seinfeld’s Comedians In Cars Getting Coffee Book.

Theater Reviews: This year I got to do my first official theater review, for On Beckett.

Music Festivals: I got to cover the 2022 Nice, a Fest festival.

Film Festivals and Film Events: I got to review a virtual film at Sundance Film Festival, my annual guide to the 2022 Oscar Nominated Short Films, my coverage of the 2022 Independent Film Festival Boston, covered the 2022 Collectibles Extravaganza, and the 2022 IFFBoston Fall Focus.

...And the biggest postings and news of the year:

- 1/2/2022: Green’s Party turned 9!

- 1/28/2022: I wrote my tribute to Mighty Mighty Bosstones, who I have been lucky enough to cover since 2017.

- March 2022: I took a breather from the blog for a few weeks due to a death in the family. 

- 3/26/22: I posted my remembrance of Taylor Hawkins. 32 notes, my biggest post of 2022!

- 3/29/22: I posted my This Month In History column for March. 19 notes.

- 4/14/22: I wrote about returning to my first live concert in over 2 years to see LCD Soundsystem.

- 5/26/22: I posted my remembrance of Ray Liotta. 11 notes.

- 6/19/22: I re-shared my 2021 post about Sesame Street’s Juneteenth Song. 28 notes.

- 7/31/22: I posted my remembrance of Bill Russell and Nichelle Nichols. 18 notes.

- 8/7/22: I shared my return to Kim’s Video at NYC’s Alamo Drafthouse. 

- 9/21/22: I shared the big news that my documentary Life on the V: The Story of V66 has been added to the Permanent Collection of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame!

- 10/12/22: I re-shared my 2018 post about This Day in 2018. 15 notes.

- 12/8/22: Tumblr provided their data of Green’s Party Year in Review up until December 8.

- 12/17/22: I re-shared my 2020 Top 5 Seinfeld Episodes During the Holiday Season list. 11 notes.

[news-buzz]

Francis Ford Coppola, Alexander Payne, Alfonso Cuaron at Morelia Fest News Buzz

Mexico’s official entry to the Oscars, “Sujo,” made a sweep of the 22nd Morelia Int’l Film Festival (FICM), winning the festival’s Ojo Awards for Best Film, Director and Screenplay. Co-helmer-scribes Astrid Rondero and Fernanda Valadez, whose debut pic “Identifying Features” won a couple of Sundance awards and took the Best International Feature prize at the Gotham Awards in 2021, also snagged…

[lboogie1906]

Ava Marie DuVernay (born August 24, 1972) is a filmmaker, television producer, and film publicist. She won the directing award in the US dramatic competition at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival for her second feature film Middle of Nowhere, becoming the first African American woman to win the award. For her work on Selma, she became the first African American woman to be nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Director, and the Academy Award for Best Picture. In 2017, she was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature for her film 13th.

A Wrinkle in Time made her the first African American woman to direct a live-action film earning $100 million at the US box office. The following year, she created, co-wrote, produced, and directed When They See Us. The series was nominated for 16 Emmy Awards including the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Limited Series and won the Critics’ Choice Television Award for Best Limited Series. In 2021, she co-created an autobiographical miniseries with former NFL player Colin Kaepernick titled Colin in Black & White.

She was included on the annual Time 100 list of the most influential people in the world.

She was elected to the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences Board of Governors as part of the director’s branch.

She was born in Long Beach. She was raised by her mother, Darlene, an educator, and her stepfather, Murray Maye. The surname of her biological father, Joseph Marcel DuVernay III. She grew up in Lynwood, California. She has four siblings.

During her summer vacations, she would travel to the childhood home of her father, which was not far from Selma. She said that these summers influenced the making of Selma, as her father had witnessed the 1965 Selma to Montgomery marches.

She graduated from Saint Joseph High School in Lakewood. At UCLA she was a double BA in English literature and African American studies. #africanhistory365 #africanexcellence #alphakappaalpha

[littlemissidontcare]

she worked for more than a month, and her last job before that was finished in February 2023😘 mentioned multiple times but once again for dense people: he didn't film after November 2021, then filmed for less than 1.5 month, then for 1-2 weeks at most. Then nothing for a year (oh sorry, entering the coffee shop for 30 seconds cameo) until November 2023. Meanwhile she filmed for almost 2 months and then for 3 weeks in 2022 + additional week in February 2023. She filmed more than him pre-Apprentice. Joke's on you, quelle surprise! //

Guuuuuys, I found the sack of Bones! She’s here! And she’s big mad that she’ll never be as talented or respected as Sebastian.

What was her last job? Yellowjackets? Some extra work that ended up being CUT by her producer bestie. I don’t count that.

And the difference between the length of his shoots and hers is that Sebastian does quality work, whether it takes him 2 weeks or 2 months.

Also, you’re a flat-out fucking liar who clearly doesn’t give a shit about him because HE FILMED A LOT IN 2022, BOO. He started with his cameo in Ghosted (actors who are a big deal get to do those kinds of things and people actually get VERY excited about it!), and then filmed A DIFFERENT MAN. He did what people are calling the best work of his career in 23 mf days and was also a producer. And people did not have a bad word to say about him. That’s on class and talent.

He began prep for Bucky after the Emmys (actors who do good work get nominated for those sorts of things!). During that prep, he filmed Dumb Money and his Bupkiss cameo.

At the start of 2023, he promoted the final of FOUR projects he worked on in 2021, Sharper. He also attended major award shows like the Golden Globes as a respected nominee.

In this time, we now know he was ALSO (in addition to TB and possibly CA prep) getting ready to play Trump. Because unlike Annabelle, Sebastian does work that requires thought, preparation, and dedication.

THEN A STRIKE HIT. Two, actually. One that led to the other.

The SECOND that BOTH strikes ended, Sebastian was in fittings for The Apprentice. He filmed November-January. In January, he went to Sundance to promote the film he had poured his soul into as both an actor and a producer. By February, he was in Atlanta filming TB, which just wrapped.

So no, joke is still on you. He works more than she does, and the quality of his work is and always will be infinitely better.

[inapat17]

Animation shows: The art of drawing society (3/4)

Flee

Cartoons are a colorful medium that creators like to use to depict their vision of our modern world. Therefore, this series of articles will be dedicated to animated TV, internet shows and movies of this last year which humorously describes our contemporary society. The animated documentary “Flee” will be our guide for today as we examine the art of cartooning real-life events.

Animation and cartooning can be used in all cinema genres, even the most realistic ones. Flee is an animated documentary directed by Jona Poher-Rasmussen. It was first screened in 2021 during the Sundance Festival. Then, the film reached a much larger audience when it was broadcast on Arte in August 2022. It took the public one and a half hours to discover Amin’s tragic life story, it took 20 years for Jonas Poher Rasmussen to get his friend to tell the painful truth about his past. Until now Amin was telling the story that the smuggler taught him for fear of losing his refugee status. He told his best friend Jonas and his partner Kasper that his entire family had died, and that he had made the journey from Afghanistan to Denmark all by himself. In reality, his family is still alive and scattered across Europe, but Amin's story is not any less tragic.

Amin, lying on a colorful carpet, remembers his carefree childhood in Kabul. He was dancing in the street with his walkman on the hit song “Take on me” by the band A-ha. The young boy already has his first crush: the very popular Jean-Claude Van Damme. These pleasant memories are followed by one of his dad’s arrests by mujahedin. War is about to break out and Amin's brother hides to escape conscription. The family first fled to Russia. Illegal immigrants are being roughed up by the police. Amin’s sisters are the first to escape the situation, they cross Europe in horrible conditions nearly suffocating alongside other immigrants in a container ship. Although they survived, they were left scarred for life. Amin, his brother and mother leave on a miniscule boat navigating on the Baltic Sea. After nearly drowning, they come across a cruise ship. Whereas the tourist takes pictures of the tragic spectacle, the ship crew tells them that the Estonian police are on their way to send them back to Russia. Due to the unsustainable situation in Moscow, the family decides to send Amin to Sweden alone. The smuggler, or human trafficker as Amin prefers to call them, sends Amin to Denmark instead of Sweden. Amin lies to the Danish authorities to gain refugee status and claims to be the sole survivor of his family. It was in high school that he met Jonas, the director of the movie. Amin made a lot of sacrifices in order to get a good job and support his family, now that he is on the verge of marrying his boyfriend Kasper he tells us his story.

The documentary mixes animated sequences with archive footage. Animation serves first and foremost to preserve the characters. Indeed, Amin confides to his friends his most intimate story, he recounts his first loves, his fears, and the distrust he has developed towards others who cannot fully understand how his experiences have shaped him. Animation allows the man to remain anonymous. Although his story is very personal, the writing of the film and dialogues, as well as the animation make the story almost universal as the jury of the 2021 Sundance Festival said :“This film blends the personal and the universal. It's a remarkable blend of genres that manages to raise awareness of a global issue while following an intimate narrative.”

Animation is also a way of showing personal memories in the absence of real images. Historical events are illustrated by real archival footage. The memories of Amin's daily life are portrayed in classic, colorful animation. The memories that are too hard and cruel are drawn in charcoal with blurred lines and a shaky animation. Thanks to this combination, the audience can fully immerse themselves in these memories. They are heartbreaking but conveyed by Amin with great tenderness. 

The film tells the story of a man who has gone through hell to build a stable life. It's also the story of a young man experiencing his first love stories. And it's the story of a long friendship between Amin and Jonas. They have a beautiful trusting relationship that allows them to move forward in their personal and professional lives. Since the Taliban invasion in 2021, the rights of men and women in Afghanistan have crumbled. This film, resounding at the time, has lost none of its splendor. It allows the public to have a better understanding of what people fleeing from conflicts have to go through in order to be accepted and live a happy life. 

[screenandcinema]

Coming Attractions March 2024

As usual, we present monthly previews of new movies being released. These are the movies that will be hitting your local cinemas (and streaming services) this month:

March 1st

Dune: Part Two - Return to Arrakis with director Denis Villeneuve for this adaptation of the second half of Frank Herbert’s Dune.

Spaceman - Adam Sandler is the titular astronaut on a mission to the edge of the solar system in this Netflix drama.

March 8th

Ricky Stanicky (March 7th) - Zac Efron and John Cena star in this comedy from director Peter Farrelly for Amazon Prime Video.

Kung Fu Panda 4 - Po the giant panda is back in the fourth installment of this martial arts animated series.

Damsel - Mille Bobby Brown is a damsel who can save herself in this dark fantasy coming to Netflix.

Imaginary - Think imaginary friends are harmless? Well, this supernatural horror film from the director of Truth or Dare will make you think otherwise.

March 15th

Arthur the King - Do you like movies about dogs? Well if so, then Mark Wahlberg's newest film is for you!

Irish Wish - Lindsay Lohan stars in this fantasy romantic comedy for Netflix about a maid of honor who wishes to trade places with the bride at a wedding in - you guessed it by the title - Ireland.

The American Society of Magical Negros - Justise Smith and David Alan Grier star in this satirical comedy that premiered at Sundance earlier this month to not-so-good reviews.

March 22nd

Road House (March 21st) - Doug Liman directs Jake Gyllenhaal in this reimaging of the 1989 film starring Patrick Swayze. Look for Road House on Amazon Prime Video this month.

Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire - Time to suit up, it is ghost-busting time for the Ghostbusters in this direct sequel to 2021's Ghostbusters: Afterlife.

Shirley - Regina King is Shirley Chisholm in this biographical film from writer/director John Ridley that details Chisholm's historic campaign for President in 1972.

March 29th

Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire - Two best friends, Godzilla and King Kong, are back in action in this follow-up to 2021's Godzilla vs. Kong.

Now for a quick look ahead to February my top picks for next month are Civil War, Abigail, Challengers, and The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare.

-MB-

[mytechbug]

Kelly Mcgillis's Net Worth: From Top Gun to Present

With her girl-next-door looks and undeniable acting talent, Kelly McGillis captured the hearts of moviegoers in the 1980s thanks to memorable roles in films like Witness, Top Gun, and The Accused. Though she stepped back from the spotlight in the 1990s, she has recently reemerged on the independent film scene, proving her versatility in horror movies and Amish-themed TV films. Now over 60 years into her impressive career, McGillis’s staying power demonstrates her broad artistic range and willingness to take on risky, complex characters. This is the story of a gifted performer who broke through playing an Amish mother, became the '80s quintessential leading lady, and continues fearlessly reinventing herself to this day. Kelly McGillis’s Bio Year Born 1957 Birthplace Newport Beach, California Ethnicity Scots-Irish, German, Welsh Education Juilliard School Breakout Role Witness (1985) Most Famous Role Top Gun (1986) Years Active 1983-present Spouse(s) Boyd Black (div.), Fred Tillman (div.) Children 2 daughters with Tillman Early Life and Education Kelly Ann McGillis was born on July 9, 1957, in Newport Beach, California, to Virginia Joan (née Snell), a homemaker, and Donald Manson McGillis, a physician. She has two younger sisters. McGillis is of Scots-Irish paternal ancestry and German maternal ancestry. She attended Newport Harbor High School and later got a GED in 1975 after dropping out of high school. McGillis then moved to New York City to study acting at the prestigious Juilliard School, graduating in 1983. Film Career Highlights McGillis started her film career playing Geneva Spofford in 1983’s Reuben. Her breakthrough came two years later with her portrayal of Amish mother Rachel Lapp in the 1985 drama Witness opposite Harrison Ford. The role earned her Golden Globe and BAFTA award nominations for Best Supporting Actress. In 1986, she starred as flight instructor Charlotte “Charlie” Blackwood in the blockbuster action film Top Gun with Tom Cruise. Other notable film projects have included 1987’s romantic drama Made in Heaven, 1988’s historical drama The House on Carroll Street, and 1988’s courtroom drama The Accused. Later Films and TV Roles After stepping away from Hollywood for a few years in the 1990s, McGillis returned to acting in a string of TV movies and independent films in the 2000s. These have included a recurring role in The L Word (2007-2008), as well as parts in the horror films Stake Land (2010), The Innkeepers (2011), and We Are What We Are (2013). Recently, she has starred in several Amish-themed TV movies like Love Finds You in Sugarcreek, Ohio (2014) and An Uncommon Grace (2017). The actress returned to acting in 2006 after a five-year break. After Top Gun, Kelly McGillis' resume is vast, perhaps shockingly. Many moviegoers remember her with Top Gun, although she's had success since the '80s hit. McGillis paused acting for five years after 2001's Morgan's Ferry. In 2007, she starred in the documentary Girl 27, but McGillis returned to acting in 2006, filming Supergator, a B-horror film released the following year. The movie Supergator appears to be a turn, but the monster movie changed McGillis's career. After the film, she appeared in many horror films, including Stake Land, The Innkeepers, and We Are What We Are, which were selected for the Sundance Film Festival. Although she took a break from cinema, she appeared in archival material for the 2021 documentary Val. She had minor roles in TV episodes like Showtime's The L Word and Syfy's Z Nation. In Top Gun: Maverick, Kelly McGillis didn't return—is she retired? Look no further for Kelly McGillis in Top Gun 2. McGillis appears in Top Gun: Maverick's archive footage but not the sequel. Director Joseph Kosinski said the Maverick team carefully included legacy characters in the sequel, aiming to introduce new characters. Although Top Gun: Maverick doesn't suffer without Charlie, McGillis says she "look age-appropriate for my age, and that is not what that whole scene is about." Kelly Mcgillis's Net Worth While her exact net worth is not publicly known, it is estimated that Kelly McGillis has amassed a respectable fortune of $2-5 million as of 2023. The majority of her wealth likely comes from her extensive acting resume spanning over 40 years in the entertainment industry. Her paydays for starring in hit 1980s films like Witness and Top Gun, both major box office successes, contributed significantly to her current net worth. Kelly McGillis Net Worth Growth Year Net Worth (Million) Kelly McGillis Net Worth in 2023 $10 Million Kelly McGillis Net Worth in 2022 $9 Million Kelly McGillis's Net Worth in 2021 $8 Million Kelly McGillis's Net Worth in 2020 $7 Million Kelly McGillis's Net Worth in 2019 $6 Million Kelly McGillis's Net Worth in 2018 $5 Million TV movie roles and guest appearances have also added to her bank account over the years. Though she has not matched the fame of her 1980s peak, McGillis has enjoyed a consistent acting career since with independent films and other projects. Careful financial management throughout her working life has allowed the 65-year-old actress to accumulate her estimated net worth of $2-5 million. Conclusion Kelly McGillis has shown incredible range and talent in a nearly 40-year career spanning film, TV, and theatre. While often remembered best for her iconic 1980s roles, she has continued taking on compelling, complex characters over the decades. Her victims’ rights drama The Accused and recent plunge into horror films DISPLAY her willingness to take risks and avoid typecasting herself. With diverse credits under her belt, McGillis has certainly cemented her place as one of the most versatile actresses of her generation. FAQs What was Kelly McGillis's breakout role? Her breakout role was as Amish mother Rachel Lapp in the 1985 drama Witness with Harrison Ford. How many times has she been nominated for a Golden Globe? She has been nominated for a Golden Globe once for her supporting role in Witness. Has Kelly McGillis been married? Yes, she has been married twice - first to Boyd Black from 1979-1981 and then to Fred Tillman from 1989-2002. She has two daughters with Tillman. What was her most famous film role? Her most famous film role was that of flight instructor Charlotte "Charlie" Blackwood in the 1986 blockbuster Top Gun opposite Tom Cruise. Is Kelly McGillis still acting? Yes, Kelly McGillis continues her acting career today, mainly in independent films and TV movies, including recent roles in the horror genre. Read the full article

[chillingcinemachronicles]

The Top 5 Must-Watch Movies on Netflix Right Now! 🎬✨

The Social Network

Year: 2010 Runtime: 2h Director: David Fincher

One of the best movies of the 2010s has returned to Netflix after a brief hiatus to remind people how wildly far ahead of its time this movie was when it was released. With a razor-sharp screenplay by Aaron Sorkin and some of the best direction of David Fincher’s career, this is a flawless movie, one that resonates even more now in the era of constant internet than it did almost 15 years ago.

Lights, camera, VPNaction! Elevate your movie nights with NordVPN. 🎥🔒secure your connection and Download NordVPN . Click now to unlock global cinematic thrills!

Saving Private Ryan

Year: 1998 Runtime: 2h 49m Director: Steven Spielberg

War movies haven’t gone anywhere, a prominent part of film history from its early days through 1917. There are certain tentpoles in that history of war movies that feel like game changers, and one came in 1998 when Steven Spielberg returned to World War II to tell a different story of history, reminding everyone in the world about the sacrifices that were made that day, and the obligation we all have to make them worthwhile.

Whiplash

Year: 2014 Runtime: 1h 46m Director: Damien Chazelle

Chazelle may still be startled by the divisive response to last year’s Babylon, but he can go back to the near-universal praise for the film that really broke him, earning one of its stars an Oscar and getting a nomination for Best Picture. Damien Chazelle’s drama about a perfectionist drummer and his militaristic teacher thrilled viewers from the minute it premiered at Sundance. It was a major piece of pop culture, a film that feels like it’s being referenced more every year.

Lights, camera, VPNaction! Elevate your movie nights with NordVPN. 🎥🔒secure your connection and Download NordVPN . Click now to unlock global cinematic thrills!

Dune

Year: 2021 Runtime: 2h 35m Director: Denis Villeneuve

The directorial king of the smart blockbusters released another one in 2021 in this highly acclaimed adaptation of the Frank Herbert novels, which premiered on HBO Max along with theaters for a brief window on its way to massive worldwide acclaim and success. Timothee Chalamet stars in this sci-fi epic that was actually the most Oscar-winning film of 2021, taking home six trophies. Part Two was delayed until 2024, but the first half of this story is on Netflix to make the pain easier to take.

Gladiator

Year: 2000 Runtime: 2h 35m Director: Ridley Scott

The first Best Picture winner of the new millennium was one of the most beloved period action films of all time. Russell Crowe gives his most iconic performance a Roman general named Maximus, who watches his family murdered and his life destroyed by a vicious ruler named Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix). Forced into slavery, Maximus must become a gladiator, competing in arenas until he can achieve his ultimate revenge.

[audiovisualheritageday]

The Jane Mercer Memorial Lecture: In conversation with Lizzy McGlynn and Viridiana Lieberman.

To celebrate World Day for Audiovisual Heritage this year we continue with our successful series of the Jane Mercer Memorial Lecture and are pleased to announce Archive Producer Lizzy McGlynn, alongside Editor Viridiana Lieberman have agreed to take part to discuss their work on the Emmy Awards winning documentary 'Lowndes County & the Road to Black Power', directed by the acclaimed by Sam Pollard & Geeta Gandbhir.

The relationship between Archive Producer and Editor is an essential one. In this webinar we hear how Lizzy and Viridiana worked closely together to seek out and use remarkable rich archive footage that tells the unfolding intense story of the local movement and young Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) organizers who fought not just for voting rights in 1965, but for Black Power in Lowndes County, USA. Lizzy's exceptional work to exploring previously unreleased footage led to the discovery material. Her efforts not only played a crucial role in shaping the production but also earned her the prestigious Jane Mercer Researcher of the Year FOCAL Award in 2023.

Speakers:

Lizzy McGlynn is an NYC based Archival Producer specializing in historically immersive documentaries told through story-driven archive. In 2023, Lizzy received both the Emmy Award for documentary research and the FOCAL Jane Mercer Researcher of the Year award for her work “Lowndes County & the Road to Black Power”.

Viridiana Lieberman is a filmmaker based in Brooklyn, NY. She edited the feature documentaries The Sentence (HBO), which won the 2018 Sundance Film Festival US Documentary Audience Award and the 2019 Emmy for Exceptional Merit in Documentary Filmmaking and I Am Evidence (HBO) which won the 2019 News & Doc Emmy for Best Documentary and the short documentary, Through Our Eyes: Apart (HBO Max) which won the 2021-2022 News & Doc Emmy for Outstanding Short Documentary. S

FOCAL INTERNATONAL (affiliated to FOCAL International)  The Jane Mercer Memorial Lecture: In conversation with Lizzy McGlynn and Viridiana Lieberman 26 October 2023 ONLINE ONLY Zoom Online: 16:00 - 17:00hrs (BST)

[greensparty]

Preview: 2024 IFFBoston

Forget about Xmas, this is the most wonderful time of the year!  It is now my favorite time of year in Boston! My favorite film festival in Boston, in Massachusetts and possibly the world is Independent Film Festival Boston (read my coverage here).  I have a special place for this festival: in 2014 my documentary Life on the V: The Story of V66 had its World Premiere at the festival, and in 2015 I was on the Documentary Jury. The 2024 festival is at Somerville Theatre (Somerville), Brattle Theatre (Cambridge), and Coolidge Corner Theatre (Brookline) from Wed. May 1 to Wed. May 8, 2024!

2024 IFFBoston logo

Here are just some of the Official Selections that are on my radar:

Wed. 5/1/24:

The Opening Night Film is the recent Sundance hit Ghostlight, about a construction worker who joins a theater group!

Thurs. 5/2/24:

One of the most highly-anticipated movies of this year is I Saw the TV Glow about two teens who bond over their fandom of a mysterious TV show. I caught director Jane Schoenbrun's last film We're All Going to the World's Fair when it was was at the 2021 IFFBoston and while I had a mixed response to the film, I'm excited to see their follow up.

In a festival first, they are going to be doing their first episodic screening with the first episode of a 3-part documentary series Ren Faire airing on HBO later this year. While IFFBoston is very much a film festival and not a TV festival, I think it's kind of cool they are expanding their reach to include this doc about a Texas renaissance faire.

Fri. 5/3/24:

In the recent Sundance hit My Old Ass, an 18-year-old's mushroom trip brings her face-to-face with her 39-year-old self played by Aubrey Plaza (who makes everything she's in better).

Sat. 5/4/24:

In addition to all of the shorts package programs, it's always exciting to see IFFBoston do a Students Short Showcase made up of student films.

After my friend Michael Gill passed away in 2022, my hope was that his long in the works documentary about Billy Ruane, owner of legendary Boston rock club The Middle East (actually Cambridge, but a big part of the Boston music scene), would somehow get completed and released. I met up with Gill a few times before he moved around 2017 as I had heard about his doc and there was a lot of overlap with his doc and my doc Life on the V: The Story of V66 in terms of interviewees and subject matter. I am thrilled to see that co-director Scott Evans completed The Road to Ruane and it is finally premiering. The fact that the doc features loads of Middle East archival footage and interviews with members of Dinosaur Jr., The Lemonheads, Buffalo Tom, Letters To Cleo, Morphine has my attention too!

Sun. 5/5/24:

In the comedy Tallywacker, a two-member rock band's friendship is tested when one of them gets a gig touring with a major rock star.

My friends director Dan Habib and editor James Rutenbeck were at the 2018 IFFBoston with the great doc Intelligent Lives. Now they are back with a new doc The Ride Ahead co-directed by Dan's son Samuel about his own personal journey to becoming an adult. “But no one tells you how to be an adult,” Samuel says, “let alone an adult with a disability.” I've been hearing a lot of great things about this doc!

The always good Julia Louis-Dreyfus is a comic genius, but she's flexed her dramatic muscles in films like You Hurt My Feelings. In Tuesday she plays a mother who must confront death with her teenage daughter in the form of a talking bird.

Mon. 5/6/24:

My friend Mark Phinney's film Fat was at 2014 IFFBoston when I was there with Life on the V: The Story of V66. We've remained good friends since then and I'm super excited to see his new feature Fear of Flying about a man struggling with his anxieties while trying to maintain his relationships.

Earlier this year I got to cover the Oscar-nominated Short Films and one of the nominees for Best Documentary was Nai Nai & Wai Po from director Sean Wang. Without missing a beat, Wang is back his with his Sundance award-winner Didi.

Tues. 5/7/24:

In My Own Normal, director Alexandre Freeman turns the camera on himself: living with cerebral palsy since age two he is now an adult about to become a new father and how his parents react to this. This is produced by Friends producer Kevin S. Bright, Oscar-winner Chris Cooper and my friend Ariana Garfinkel (she's an IFFBoston alum having produced Best and Most Beautiful Things, You Don't Nomi, and On These Grounds).

Sing Sing stars recent Oscar nominee Colman Domingo as a man imprisoned at Sing Sing who is involved with a theater troupe for incarcerated men. This movie actually walks the walk and features the majority of its cast made up of formerly incarcerated members of the real life theater troupe the film is based on.

Wed. 5/8/24:

The Closing Night Film is the comedy Thelma starring Oscar-nominee June Squibb as an elderly woman who is scammed by a caller claiming to be her grandson and goes on a city-wide quest to get back what's hers. I've been hearing a lot of good things about this one!

For tickets and info to IFFBoston

[captainmdhridoyhossain-blog]

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chasing Oscar gold—and in all probability lost some of its verve within the procedure—so what occurs now that Apple has beat them to the large award? No doubt it’ll make extra performs, however now that CODA has demonstrated what a a success run seems like, will Netflix simply mimic that good fortune? Will Amazon? Will studios? Apple TV+’s win proves that the outdated grudges in opposition to streamers are long past (or no less than waning) and that it’s conceivable one in all them can win. Audiences now know that the most productive motion pictures on the planet are a click on away. Conventional studios keep in mind that their distribution fashions can, and perhaps must, trade with out impacting how their motion pictures are won.For a very long time, the disruption of Hollywood through streamers has felt like a fight for the soul of Tinsel The town—the way it’s run, who will get to take part in it, what the definition of a “movie” even is. Honestly, there may well be one thing to that. Moviemaking, and filmgoing, has thrived for years as a result of motion pictures are an enormous piece of cultural foreign money. They’re additionally an artform that’s gotten overtaken through large companies having a look to make motion pictures which are all however assured to promote tickets and pack theaters. For years, in particular within the Nineties when Oscars viewership was once a lot upper than it's these days, Very best Image winners have been artistically-driven crowd-pleasers like Titanic and Forrest Gump, that gained over critics and killed on the field place of business. The pool of flicks, and filmmakers, that even were given a shot at just a little gold guy was once small. [ad_2] Source link #Apple #Received #Image #Oscars