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13 articles from 2008

25 September 2008 12:21 AM, PDT | From NYPost.com | See recent New York Post news

Laurent Cantet's "The Class," which opens the New York Film Festival to morrow night, has already won the top prize at this year's Cannes Film Festival and is France's submission for the foreign-language Oscar.

Excusez moi, but what is all the fuss about?

This documentary-style look at a year in a French middle school is certainly ambitious and ultimately delivers after a pretty tedious first hour.

But to me, it's certainly not France's best in a year that also produced Arnaud Desplechin's superbly crafted dysfunctional family saga "A Christmas Tale," another

By LOU LUMENICK

21 August 2008 3:02 PM, PDT | From Cinematical.com | See recent Cinematical news

Filed under: Comedy, Documentary, Drama, Foreign Language, Independent, Thrillers, Fandom, Family Films, Cinematical Indie

With all due respect to my esteemed colleague Elisabeth Rappe, geeks are not the only ones who learned important lessons from watching movies this summer. Herewith is my personal, arthouse summer school summary.

Werner Herzog cast a disapproving eye on the ugliness he discovered at Antarctica's McMurdo Station ("they even have a yoga studio and an Atm!") and was skeptical about the sanity of some of the real-life characters he met, which is partly why Encounters at the End of the World was so entrancing. What I learned: Evidence for gay penguins is skimpy, but they have been known to have threesomes.

The Wackness (pictured) didn't became the breakout hit that some had hoped for, but it did showcase the talents of rising star Olivia Thirlby and director Jonathan Levine. What I learned: Never kiss Ben Kingsley in a telephone booth.

Peter Martin

14 August 2008 2:07 PM, PDT | From The Scorecard Review | See recent Scorecard Review news

Narrative Review American Teen Directed by: Nanette Burstein Cast: Hannah Bailey, Colin Clemens, Geoff Haase, Megan Krizmanich, Mitch Reinholt Time: 1 hr 35 mins Rating: PG-13 High school is hard enough. Having a camera in your face, going along for the ride can't help. The kids of Warsaw Community High School in Warsaw, Indiana have been given center stage in this documentary by Burstein (On the Ropes, The Kid Stays in the Picture). Burstein has managed to find all the necessary cliques roaming the high school halls. There's Hannah; the smart moody misfit. Megan; the popular, demanding rich girl. Colin; the star athlete with pressure on his shoulders. Mitch; the dreamboat. Jake; the social outcast. This alone is the main problem with the film. While it's entertaining and well beyond the MTV style reality shows, in the analyzation

1 August 2008 4:45 AM, PDT | From PEOPLE.com | See recent PEOPLE.com news

Ever get a little makeup advice before prom – from two concerned grandmothers? Such is the reality of one high school student in Indiana, captured in the tender documentary American Teen. Think of the film as the anti-Hills as it follows a group of high school seniors, their friends and families (hello, doting grannies!) through very relatable and real events. Check out their beauty advice in this exclusive clip – blush, anyone? – then catch the film in theaters. The documentary has opened already in N.Y. and L.A., and is expanding to theaters across the country. For more information, including a full release schedule,

1 August 2008 12:06 AM, PDT | From GetTheBigPicture.net | See recent Get The Big Picture news

American Teen

Featuring Hannah Bailey, Colin Clemens, Megan Krizmanich, and Geoff Haase

Directed by Nanette Burstein

Rated PG-13

If they had shown American Teen to me before I went to high school, I would've run for my life: Next stop, the lawless backwoods of Canada. (We didn't study other countries in my high school, so I assume they're all lawless backwoods.)

Documentary filmmaker Nanette Burstein has so adeptly captured the constant ups and downs of the high school that there's as much "I'm glad it's not me" in your reactions as there is "Oh wait, that is me." As her subject, Burstein has chosen Warsaw High School in Warsaw, Indiana, and to draw out the desired results, she leans on the teachings of the man who knows more about teen angst than anyone else: John Hughes.

Sure, the poster emulates The Breakfast Club, but Burstein also uses the characters from

Colin Boyd

28 July 2008 5:54 AM, PDT | From Spout.com | See recent Spout news

In the weekend battle of Sundance doc winners, Man on Wire easily outgrossed American Teen, with the former's $24,250 on each of its two screens to the latter's $8,565 on each of its five. Meanwhile, Batman eats money. Ridley Scott's Nottingham has been delayed. Universal is apparently worried about an impending SAG strike (reminder: actors have been working without a new contract for like two weeks) and the fact that "the film's forest locations need to be green." Fouad Mikati will direct< ...

Karina Longworth

24 July 2008 9:08 PM, PDT | From NYPost.com | See recent New York Post news

The poster art for Nanette Burstein's "American Teen," which follows five students through their senior year at a high school in Indiana, is modeled after the one for "The Breakfast Club."

So, to a large extent, is this ultra-slick and predictable documentary. It religiously sticks to marketable archetypes, including an acne-scarred male band geek who spends his time playing video games and hoping for a girlfriend, a jock who is feeling the pressure from his dad to be a basketball star so he can score a scholarship, and a handsome hunk

By LOU LUMENICK

24 July 2008 4:12 PM, PDT | From avclub.com | See recent The AV Club news

The title of Nanette Burstein's documentary American Teen sounds like an absurd generalization, more so when the movie itself turns out to be about high-school students in small-town Indiana, which could never be called a diverse cross-section of the country's youth. Things get even broader when Burstein introduces her four main subjects, who are instantly broken down into Breakfast Club types: The Popular Girl, The Jock, The Nerd, The Rebel. As such, the film will inevitably be misunderstood as a sweeping statement on teenage life, when Burstein really means to explore the relationship between these labels and the complicated individuals who fall under them. Though it's compelling enough as soap opera, American Teen digs deeply into why kids grudgingly accept the roles they've been given and the brutal consequences that come with straying outside the lines. Though a few supporting players slip in and out of the storylines,...

Scott Tobias

23 July 2008 9:49 AM, PDT | From avclub.com | See recent The AV Club news

Along with filmmaking partner Brett Morgen (Chicago 10), documentary director Nanette Burstein likes to press the limits of what the form can do, most notably on their film The Kid Stays In The Picture, an unconventional adaptation/expansion of the notorious autobiography of producer Robert Evans. Burstein has struck out on her own for her latest effort, American Teen, which arrives in theaters after a galvanizing première at this year's Sundance Film Festival. Both evoking and challenging the high-school stereotypes found in films like The Breakfast Club, American Teen follows four students—popular (and often mean) girl Megan, nerdy outcast Jake, self-effacing jock Colin, and volatile free spirit Hannah—through the dramas of their senior year in the small, conservative town of Warsaw, Indiana. Burstein recently spoke to The A.V. Club about her varying roles as documentarian, counselor, witness to illegal acts, and cinematic innovator. The A.V. Club: Several years.

Scott Tobias

21 July 2008 7:21 AM, PDT | From ifc.com | See recent IFC news

By Neil Pedley

With blockbusters taking a week off after "The Dark Knight" so thoroughly conquered the box office and its core audience descends upon Comic-Con in San Diego, an outstanding array from the indie scene offers plenty of alternative viewing.

"American Teen"

Her longtime collaborator Brett Morgen may be out of the picture, but "The Kid Stays in the Picture" co-director Nanette Burstein infiltrated the cliques, classrooms and hallways of an Indiana high school for her first solo doc, which netted her a directing award at Sundance earlier this year. Burstein follows a cross section of Warsaw High's senior class for 10 months in pursuit of their respective ambitions and priorities, and discovers that bonding at the library during Saturday detention is no way to communicate when text messaging and Im can be just as intimate.

Opens in limited release.

"Baghead"

Mumblecore alumni Jay and Mark Duplass celebrate their favorite

Neil Pedley

20 July 2008 12:32 AM, PDT | From NYPost.com | See recent New York Post news

High School survival tip No. 1: If you are low on the social totem pole, do not forward a topless photo of yourself to the best guy friend of the most popular girl in school. The result will traumatize you.

Case in point: When Warsaw Community High School's "queen bee" Megan Krizmanich is sent said photo, she not only forwards it (complete with ridiculing subject lines like "Silver Dollars" and "Pepperonis") to practically all 500 of the school's senior class, she calls the poor girl - probably for the first time all year - and mocks her with a disguised voice.

By SARA LIEBERMAN

10 July 2008 2:43 PM, PDT | From OriginalAlamo.com | See recent AlamoDrafthouseCinema news

Ticket holders have been finalized in the American Teen Sneak Preview giveaway. We'll be screening the acclaimed documentary American Teen with the entire cast in attendance for a Q&A following the film.

The screening is tonight (Thursday, July 10) at 7:00 Pm at the Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar on .

The winner list for the screening tonight at 7Pm is as follows:

Aidan, Chris: 2 tickets

Alice Geaccone: 1 ticket

Amy Averett: 1 ticket

Anne Webb: 1 ticket

Archip, Dana: 2 tickets

Ariel Kay: 1 ticket

Bailey, Robin: 2 tickets

Benavides, Christopher: 3 tickets

Best, Adam: 1 ticket

Bobby Witt: 1 ticket

Brooksbank, Molly: 7 tickets

Brown, Jen: 1 ticket

Bush, Stephen: 2 tickets

Charles Heidrick: 1 tickets

Charles, Adam: 2 tickets

Choi, Bryan: 1 ticket

Chynna Cowher: 1 ticket

Coates, Dustin: 2 tickets

Cohen, Jeremy: 3 tickets

Cook, Shannon: 2 tickets

Culp, Austin: 2 tickets

Daisy Lanier: 1 ticket

Darrah, Natalie: 1 ticket

Davis, Harrison: 1 ticket

Decan, Stephanie: 1 ticket

Dennison, Andrea: 1 ticket

Dennison, Andrea: 1 ticket

DePasqual, Victor: 2 tickets

Dobberstein, Laura: 1 ticket

Domangue,

Tim League

3 July 2008 10:40 AM, PDT | From OriginalAlamo.com | See recent AlamoDrafthouseCinema news

Featured Events At The Alamo Ritz

- Team America Sing & Quote-along -

: Alamo Ritz : Thursday, July 3:

America! Fuck yeah! Caroling is usually reserved for Christmas time, but we think the whole world should sing about how fucking awesome America is, too. That's why we're ending both of our Team America Sing-Alongs with a trip out to Sixth Street where we'll all light fireworks and sing an acapella version of "America, Fuck Yeah" to all the revelers. We've got all sorts of props and games for during the show, too, so if you aren't a commie or a terrorist, I'll see you there.

- Master Pancake mocks Independence Day -

: Alamo Ritz : Fri & Sat, July 4 & 5 :

In a fit of insane literalness, Master Pancake celebrates Independence Day by mocking the 1996 movie Independence Day!! For two weeks only, we'll be skewering the It's A Mad Mad Mad

Henri Mazza

13 articles from 2008