Declare Your Independents — Vol. 27
GITS development assistant Wendy Cohen here, and welcome back to Declare Your Independents, our new series highlighting the latest developments in the world of independent film!
This week…
17 Delayed Films That Beat The Odds
Is It Already Time For 2015 Oscar Predictions?
5 Freaky Facts From A Fractured Summer Box Office
Ranking The Summer’s Box Office Winners Based On Their Female Roles
Scott and I encourage any of you who go to see an independent movie to post your reactions to the film in these posts. Good, bad, indifferent, whatever. If there’s a film you want to recommend, do it. Use your words to inspire readers to transport themselves into a local cinema.
INDIE SPOTLIGHT: MOVIES TO SEE IN THEATERS THIS WEEK
OPENING FRIDAY (8/29)
The wife of a corrupt real estate developer is kidnapped by two common criminals, who intend to extort him with inside information about his crooked business and off-shore accounts. But the husband decides he’d actually rather not pay the ransom to get back his wife, setting off an unbelievable sequence of double crosses and plot twists that could only come from the mind of Elmore Leonard.
Watch TIFF’s interview with the film’s writer/director Daniel Schechter and the cast here.
Errol Flynn, the swashbuckling Hollywood star and notorious ladies’ man, flouted convention all his life, but never more brazenly than in his last years when, swimming in vodka and unwilling to face his mortality, he undertook a liaison with an aspiring actress, Beverly Aadland. The two had a high-flying affair that spanned the globe and was enabled by the girl’s fame-obsessed mother, Florence. It all came crashing to an end in October 1959, when events forced the relationship into the open, sparking an avalanche of publicity castigating Beverly and her mother — which only fed Florence’s need to stay in the spotlight.
Watch another TIFF interview with the film’s directors and co-writers — Richard Glatzer and Wash Westmoreland — and cast here.
Le Grand Cahier (The Notebook)
Towards the end of World War II, people in big cities are at the mercy of air raids and death by starvation. A desperate young mother leaves her 13-year-old twin sons at their grandmother’s house in the country, despite the fact that this grandmother is a cruel and bestial alcoholic. The villagers call her “the Witch” because she is rumored to have poisoned her husband long ago. Previously pampered, the twins must learn how to survive alone in their new, rural surroundings. They realize that the only way to cope with the absurd and inhumane world of adults and war is to become completely unfeeling and merciless.
Detective Hazel Micallef hasn’t had much to worry about in the sleepy town of Port Dundas until a string of gruesome murders in the surrounding countryside brings her face to face with a serial killer driven by a higher calling.
More than two decades after catapulting to stardom, aging actress Robin Wright (playing a version of herself) decides to preserve her digital likeness for a future Hollywood. Her alias will be controlled by Miramount Studios, and will star in any film they want with no restrictions. In return she receives compensation so she can care for her ailing son, and her digitized character will stay forever young. Twenty years later under the creative vision of the studio’s head animator, Wright’s digital double rises to immortal stardom. With her contract expiring, she is invited to take part in “The Congress” convention as she makes her comeback straight into the world of future fantasy cinema.
Watch an interview with writer/director Ari Folman and star Robin Wright here.
Cantinflas is the untold story of Mexico’s greatest and most beloved comedy film star of all time. From his humble origins on the small stage to the bright lights of Hollywood, Cantinflas became famous around the world — one joke at a time. Relive the laughter that has charmed generations.
The Strange Color of Your Body’s Tears
From directing duo Hélène Cattet & Bruno Forzani comes this homage to the masters of classic Italian Giallo horror. Dan returns home to find his wife is missing. With no signs of struggle or break-in and with no help from the police, Dan’s search for answers leads him down a psychosexual rabbit hole. The Strange Color of Your Body’s Tears is a bloody and taut fantasia of suspense that leaves the viewer entranced in this highly original erotic thriller.
NOW IN THEATERS
A committed gay couple find their fledgling marriage challenged by a series of unexpected developments in this compassionate drama from writer/director Ira Sachs (Married Life, Keep the Lights On). Ben (John Lithgow) and George (Alfred Molina) have been together for nearly 40 years. When gay marriage becomes legal in New York, the happy couple decide that it’s finally time to tie the knot, and declare their love for one another in front of family and friends. Although the ceremony is everything Ben and George ever could have hoped for, the happy couple’s newlywed bliss is sadly short-lived when the diocese receives word of the wedding, and George is fired from his job as a music teacher at a local Catholic school. As a result, the pair are no longer able to afford the rent on the New York City apartment they’ve shared for two decades. In order to remain in the city while searching for a job, George moves in with his sympathetic neighbors, a pair of gay policemen (Manny Perez and Cheyenne Jackson). Meanwhile, Ben attempts to make the best of the situation by moving in with his nephew’s family in Brooklyn. Now, as the big event that should have brought Ben and George closer together leads only to loneliness and frustration, everyone involved finds their once-comfortable lives in a hopeless state of flux. Marisa Tomei, Darren E. Burrows, and Charlie Tahan co-star.
Watch an interview with the film’s director and co-writer Ira Sachs here.
Ethan (Mark Duplass) and Sophie (Elisabeth Moss) are a married couple on the brink of separation. At the urging of their therapist, they escape to a beautiful vacation house for a weekend getaway in an attempt to salvage what’s left of their relationship. What starts off as a relaxing and tranquil retreat soon spirals into a dizzyingly bizarre experience that forces the couple to reflect upon the complexities of their troubled partnership. Over the course of a few days, Ethan and Sophie work diligently to rediscover their better selves and embrace the unexpected as everything they once thought was real becomes more and more surreal.
Watch an interview with Justin Lader, the film’s writer, here.
Michael Winterbottom’s largely improvised 2010 film, The Trip, took comedians Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon — or semifictionalized versions thereof — on a restaurant tour around northern England. In this witty and incisive follow-up, Winterbottom reunites the pair for a new culinary road trip, retracing the steps of the Romantic poets’ grand tour of Italy and indulging in some sparkling banter and impersonation-offs. Rewhetting our palates from the earlier film, the characters enjoy mouthwatering meals in gorgeous settings from Liguria to Capri while riffing on subjects as varied as Batman’s vocal register, the artistic merits of “Jagged Little Pill,” and, of course, the virtue of sequels.
Watch Sundance’s Q&A with the film’s director and cast here.
Frank is a comedy about a young wannabe musician, Jon, who discovers he’s bitten off more than he can chew when he joins a band of eccentric pop musicians led by the mysterious and enigmatic Frank and his terrifying sidekick, Clara. Frank’s uniqueness lies in the fact that he makes music purely for the joy of creating and because he wears a giant fake head. After a rocky start, Jon ingratiates himself with the band, and they retreat to a cabin in the woods to record an album. As his influence waxes, creative tensions mount and the band’s entire raison d’être is called into question.
Watch an interview with the film’s writers, Jon Ronson & Peter Straughan, here.
What If is the story of medical school dropout Wallace (Daniel Radcliffe), who’s been repeatedly burned by bad relationships. So while everyone around him, including his roommate Allan (Adam Driver) seems to be finding the perfect partner (Mackenzie Davis), Wallace decides to put his love life on hold. It is then that he meets Chantry (Zoe Kazan) an animator who lives with her longtime boyfriend Ben (Rafe Spall). Wallace and Chantry form an instant connection, striking up a close friendship. Still, there is no denying the chemistry between them, leading the pair to wonder, what if the love of your life is actually your best friend? The ensemble romantic comedy costars Megan Park and Oona Chaplin.
Watch TIFF’s interview with writer Elan Mastai here.
Father James (Brendan Gleeson) is a good priest, driven by spiritual integrity. One day in confession, an unseen man tells James that he’s going to kill him precisely because he’s done nothing wrong. Given a week to make his peace with God, James ministers to sundry lost souls — visits that double as a guided tour of suspects. His preparation for death is further complicated by the arrival of his daughter, who has recently attempted suicide.
Watch an interview with writer/director John Michael McDonagh here.
Many thanks to Wendy for today’s post. Remember to Declare Your Independents by going to a theater or use V.O.D. to watch an indie feature this weekend.