Life Between Films

What You Need To Know...

Fri, 24 May 2013 12:53:14 -0400

CONTRIBUTOR FOR:The Large Association of Movie Blogs (LAMB) [Film Festival Contributor]Filmophilia...

“The Attack” [Amin Jaafari is an Israeli Palestinian surgeon,...

Fri, 24 May 2013 12:51:49 -0400

“The Attack”

[Amin Jaafari is an Israeli Palestinian surgeon, fully assimilated into Tel Aviv society. He has a loving wife, an exemplary career, and many Jewish friends. But his picture-perfect life is turned upside down when a suicide bombing in a restaurant leaves nineteen dead, and the Israeli police inform him that his wife Sihem, who also died in the explosion, was responsible. Convinced of her innocence, Amin abandons the relative security of his adopted homeland and enters the Palestinian territories in pursuit of the truth. Once there, he finds himself in ever more dangerous places and situations. Determined, he presses on seeking answers to questions he never thought he would be asking.]

Another foreign film (and book adaption) that I’m eager to see. What must that be like, to discover that your wife could have secretly been a terrorist? There are movies where people have discovered that their spouse had secret life following their death but this is such a unique circumstance that I think it will be intriguing to see it brought to life on screen. The Attack (L’attentat) opens in the US in limited release on June 21.

Cast and Commentary: "Star Trek Into Darkness"

Wed, 22 May 2013 10:15:00 -0400

Cast: Chris Pine, Alice Eve, Zachery Quinto, Zoe Saldana & Benedict Cumberbatch at the London...

“Don Jon” [Jon Martello is a modern day Don Juan who...

Mon, 20 May 2013 12:57:00 -0400

“Don Jon”

[Jon Martello is a modern day Don Juan who objectifies everything in his life, especially women. His friends call him Don Jon because of his ability to pull “10s” every weekend without fail. But his addiction to porn has made him dissatisfied with life and he sets out on a journey to find a more gratifying sex life. However, he ends up seeing the bigger picture and learning more about life and love through two different women.]

Oh, yeah, I saw this movie (formally Don Jon’s Addiction, a title I actually prefer), the directorial debut of Mr. Joseph Gordon-Levitt, at Sundance 2013. It not only solidifies how much of an artist JGL really is by adding filmmaker to his resume, but it also shows us another character archetype that he can play well. You wouldn’t really expect this infectiously enthusatic and always adorable JGL to be able to pull off a such machismo juice-head but he does it. Here is some of what I had to saw after I watched it in January:

“…what JGL does give us is a great dark comedic look at everything that pop culture reveres and the masses turn to for quick gratification - the porn culture and the fast acquisition of sex that the club culture that fosters this idea, the laughable, cookie cutter movies that fosters idealistic romantic notions, as well as our recent fascination with all things Jersey as the intersection of the two.”

—> Read the rest of my review from Sundance 2013 and see related photos and video.

100 Things (Independent) Movies Have Taught Me

Sun, 19 May 2013 19:20:00 -0400

This is the last of it… 91. Smoking week for medicinal purposes is sociably acceptable…...

Indie Shorts: PostSecret - Fifty People, One Question

Wed, 15 May 2013 16:50:00 -0400

It was a simple concept - one question (What is your secret?) and fifty people to answer it. What it...

"I Wish We Could Just Run Away": A Review of "The Great Gatsby"

Sat, 11 May 2013 20:58:00 -0400

Director Baz Luhrmann had a vision for The Great Gatsby; a fact that can not be denied. What can...

“Fruitvale Station” [The true story of Oscar, a 22-year-old Bay...

Sat, 11 May 2013 15:03:00 -0400

“Fruitvale Station”

[The true story of Oscar, a 22-year-old Bay Area resident, who crosses paths with friends, enemies, family, and strangers on the last day of 2008.]

Fruitvale Station (formally Fruitvale, a name I actually prefer) did in fact make its debut at Sundance 2013, and I was there at the premiere among the brilliant cast, director (expecting great things from Ryan Cooglar in the future), press, and members of the Grant family as we witnessed something amazing on screen. I actually don’t think this trailer does the film justice; it is one of the most touching films I have ever seen and definitely will be on top of everyone’s mind come Oscar time. Here were my thoughts from Sundance after seeing the film:

“Some people may know the story of Oscar Grant - a young black 22 year old man from the Bay Area who was shot by a policeman on the subway platform of the Fruitvale stop only a hour of so after the start of 2009. It was a big story in the media, one that was used to bring to light the ugliness of racial profiling and police brutality in the US. It fueled Bay area riots and the call for the examination of police practices in the last couple of years. Sure, Oscar Grant was a man who made bad decisions in the past that led to troubles with the law, but did he deserve this? And more importantly, what about the people he left behind? That is what the feature Fruitvale Station (initially titled Fruitvale) gives to us - a dramatic look into the last day of his life and his interactions with all the people he loved, depended on, and befriended him. And through all these people who learned just what a beautiful, complicated, struggling soul Oscar Grant was, heightened by the subtle but very nuanced performance by Michael B. Jordan as Oscar. He was a flawed man that was trying to move forward after all of his set backs. Whether it was through his relationship with his mother (an incredible moving and Oscar-worthy performance by Octavia Spencer) which was threatened by his hot temper and drug dealing that landed him in jail in the past, his young daughter who he never wanted to ever feel abandoned, his girlfriend who he was building a life with, or his many friends who stood up by him no matter what. You see it and you know that his daughter will no longer have a father and his mother will no longer have a son at the end. It was like poetry on screen brought to us by 26 year old, first time filmmaker Ryan Coogler, who possibly used his youth and background to identify with this young man and craft this movie as though we are walking together with Oscar Grant. My Grade: A”

There has been some shuffling around with the release date, but Fruitvale Station is currently set to open July 12th in limited release.

Read about the other movies I screened and other things I did at Sundance 2013 -> Sundance Debriefed

Other Book to Film Adaptations Featuring the Cast of "The Great Gatsby"

Thu, 09 May 2013 15:52:00 -0400

No matter if it turns out to be a hit, is bombed by critics and audiences, or falls somewhere in...

Music Complements: "To The Wonder"

Wed, 08 May 2013 14:37:00 -0400

I’m introducing a new music feature on this blog where I sort of create my own soundtrack for...

“The Past” [An Iranian man, who has long-term...

Sun, 05 May 2013 17:56:00 -0400

“The Past”

[An Iranian man, who has long-term domestic problems with his French wife whom he deserts along with their two children, goes back to his homeland. While he was gone, his wife gets involved with a French man and contacts him to ask for a divorce, compelling him to return to France, only to see his wife’s new partner in his home beside his children.]

I’m up-ing my foreign film game and what best to do that with then Asghar Farhadi’s follow-up to the amazing movie A Separation and a movie that stars The Artist’s Bérénice Bejo. Based on the trailer, it’s a worthy next film for both of them. And like A Separation, this movie seems to thrive on a family secret that is tearing a family apart, putting the children in the middle to chosen between their divorcing parents.

The film will make its word debut in France as one of the featured selections for the 2013 Cannes Film Festival in a couple of weeks. No word on US distribution but I’m sure it will be announced soon. Once it is, look for it on my must watch list.

Must Watch List (May 2013)

Fri, 03 May 2013 10:32:00 -0400

Here is a list of mainstream but mostly independent releases that represent the films I most want to...

Tribeca Debriefed

Wed, 01 May 2013 15:25:00 -0400

First time getting a ticket package (well, worth it on opening weekend). A great friend that I...

Tribeca [Day 4/5]: "The Moment" and "Möbius"

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 15:43:00 -0400

My time at Tribeca 2013 came to a close with, unfortunately, some film screenings that weren’t...

Tribeca In Pictures (#2) My experiences with the Tribeca Film...

Sat, 27 Apr 2013 15:05:00 -0400

Tribeca In Pictures (#2)

My experiences with the Tribeca Film Festival 2013 though my camera lens:

1. Sunday brunch at Southern Hospitality, a BBQ joint in Hell’s Kitchen co-owned by Justin Timberlake; 2. Sam Rockwell and his (odd) poses for the photogs before the premiere of A Case of You; 3. The cast of A Case of You at the post-screening discussion 4. Alice Eve and Neil LaBute discuss Some Velvet Morning; 5. Justin Long on the red carpet; 6. A glimpse at Kiefer Sutherland pre-screening of The Reluctant Fundamentalist; 7. Both Mira Nair (director) and Mohsin Hamid (novelist) discuss both mediums of The Reluctant Fundamentalist;; 8. Cast and director of The Reluctant Fundamentalist field questions from the audience; Kate Hudson looks great!

More of my photos from TFF 2013 -> Tribeca in Pictures (#1)

Tribeca [Day 3]: "The Reluctant Fundamentalist"

Fri, 26 Apr 2013 17:32:00 -0400

As I was by myself for the rest of the festival, much of my third day was spent walking around the...

Tribeca [Day 2]: Alittle Southern Hospitality, "Some Velvet Morning" and "A Case of You"

Thu, 25 Apr 2013 21:40:00 -0400

Day 2 of my 2013 Tribeca Film Festival experience found me and my friend meeting up with some of her...

Tribeca In Pictures (#1) My experiences with the Tribeca Film...

Wed, 24 Apr 2013 14:59:00 -0400

Tribeca In Pictures (#1)

My experiences with the Tribeca Film Festival 2013 though my camera lens:

1. Title screen for the Tribeca Film Festival which shows pre-screenings; 2. The beautiful ceiling of the BMCC screening auditorium portraying actors and movie scenes from classic film history; 3. Catching a glimpse of Matt Dillion on the red carpet at the Tribeca premiere of Sunlight Jr; 4. The main cast and crew of Sunlight Jr; 5. Zoe Kazan while she is interviewed on the red carpet before the premiere of The Pretty One; 6. Zoe Kazan poses with Frances Shaw who plays her BFF in The Pretty One; 7. Cast and director of The Pretty One on the red carpet at the premiere; 8. Post-screening panel with main cast and director.

Tribeca [Day 1]: Kicking around Tribeca & Chelsea neighborhood, "Sunlight Jr" and "The Pretty One"

Wed, 24 Apr 2013 01:09:00 -0400

New York City. Tribeca Film Festival. Fourth year. Let’s do this. My first day at Tribeca (Saturday...

Tribeca Film Festival 2013: Meet the Filmmakers

Wed, 17 Apr 2013 17:40:27 -0400

More filmmaker profiles have been released by Indiewire in support of the Tribeca Film Festival....