Last month of 2013! Can you actually believe the year went by so fast? Well there are a number of great movies headed for release this month. See the list I have constructed of what I consider the most interesting, clever, and thought-provoking films to be released in December. Happy watching! 

As always, check back here to catch of on my thoughts and commentary related to these movies as I watch them. Live comments and let me know what you think of any of them!

*Note: some of these theatrical release dates are for limited release before it opens in wide release, others are dates for film releases on VOD; all are US dates

[December 6]

“Twice Born”

–> Watch the trailer for the foreign language film Twice Born
 
Should-be Hollywood prince Emile Hirsch and my always girl crush Penelope Cruz come together in this film as passionate lovers whose love is threatened by the war that ravages the city of Sarajevo and forever impacts both of their lives and the life of their son.  [No theatrical release; only on iTunes and VoD]

“Inside Llewyn Davis”

–> Watch the trailer for Inside Llewyn Davis 
–> Preview a scene from Inside Llewyn Davis

It’s the latest dark comedy from the Coen Brothers (Fargo) and from what I hear, the breakout performance from Oscar Isaacs, who plays the true life folk singer/songwriter as he struggles to find his way in New York’s Greenwich Village in the 1961. I’m also there for co-stars Adam Driver (Girls) and Carey Mulligan. [Limited release; wide release on December 20th]

Keep reading

All I can say is that… Toronto, you always treat me so well. In case you missed some of my posts on film reviews and pictures associated with my time at the 2013 Toronto Independent Film Festival, here is alittle recap:

THE FILMS
This year I screened nine films, the most I’ve seen at one festival to date (yay, I can’t touch those people that do 30+ but I think its not too shabby). Here’s the recap:

The Past (Le Passe)** (Bérénice Bejo, Ali Mosaffa, Tahar Rahim)
“[Director] Farhadi doesn’t really construct beginning or ending to the story but really has a way of pulling back the curtain and exposing the audience to a short, intense moment. The story continues on after we leave them, not only for us to choose what we think happens from there but also to alert us to that fact that their is no easy resolution in life, there are much to people’s stories left to carry on.” A-

Hateship Loveship (Kristen Wiig, Guy Pearce, Nick Nolte, Haille Steinfeld)
“…there are some laughs (a certain make-out sesh with a bathroom mirror comes to mind) and cries (you just can’t help but feel sorry for Johanna at times) that sometimes make this unbelievable story worthwhile.” B-

Prisoners (Hugh Jackson, Maria Bello, Viola Davis, Terrance Howard, Paul Dano, Melissa Leo)
“For much of the two-and-a-half run time, the movie brims with unbearable tension, cringing suspense, and plenty of gasp-out-loud moments to carry along the unraveling mystery." B

Keep reading

I took an early morning flight of Atlanta on Thursday and headed to Toronto to be there for the first day of the festival. Sure, it is always easier to get tickets due to less crowds during the middle to the end of film festivals… but for me, it’s all about the excitement of opening weekend. It’s the start of a new year for the festival to prove just how it stands above the rest, the time when all the actors, screenwriters, and directors come out to support their films (hey, yeah, I come from the films, but I also come for the industry sightings), the time when the energy of the people is at its highest. So again, that brought me to plan out my schedule over the course of the first 5 days of the festival.

I’m along this year. I usually do this things with a friend, but I’m getting older (almost 32… ::shiver::); friends without prior commitments are becoming harder and harder to come by. And I have this fervent passion for film festivals that is just not going away so I have to learn how to go these things alone. So the lone ranger I shall be…

The problem, however, is that I kinda rely on my friends for things like… oh, I don’t know… being good with directions or knowing where I’m going. I kinda give up control, let them lead me to our destination, and not really pay attention. You would swear I had never been here before (I have… again, I was here last year for this very festival). So let’s just say after I found my way to the Festival Box office to pick up my tickets, the hours between that and my first screening I spent doing stuff like wandering, getting off at the wrong subway stops, etc. It doesn’t help that my screenings this year are at theaters I’ve never been to. But I have it down now, Toronto, so their is no stopping me for the rest of the festival. 

“The Past” (“Le Passé”)

My first screening of TIFF13 was my foreign film selection for the festival, The Past, Iranian director Asghar Farhadi’s follow-up to the Oscar-winning A Separation (2011). I’m usually not attracted to foreign films, only actually seeing a handful through the years, but I was drawn to this one because of both Berenice Bejo (a standout for her performance in The Artist) and Farhadi for the beautiful work in A Separation. I was not disappointed. The Past is a beautifully constructed, subtle drama about a divorcing Parisian couple, a French woman and an Iranian man, and the even people around them, who are all in a state of emotional limbo for their own reasons, afraid to confront the past so they, or even the one closest to them, could move forward. 

Keep reading