Sometimes there's so much beauty in the world, I feel like I can't take it, and my heart is just going to cave in. This is one of those times. Someone took the plastic bag scene from American Beauty and mashed it up with the altered version of Katy Perry's "Firework," where the entire song is just Perry saying "Plastic bag," and it's a work of art.
Share in the comments if you've ever felt like a plastic bag. ...
Share in the comments if you've ever felt like a plastic bag. ...
- 9/9/2017
- by Mick Joest
- GeekTyrant
People have managed to turn the iconic Ikea Frakta bag into boots, wallets and even crop tops, and now Reebok trainer Andrew Connor is demonstrating how they can be exercise tools as well.
Just grab a few Frakta bags, and a medicine ball or weights — and you can work up a serious sweat.
1. Plastic Bag Push Press
Add weights (or any heavy object) to two bags to do this move. With bags in hand, rest the weight on your shoulders with both palms facing inward toward your head. Press straight up until both arms are fully extended with bags in hand.
Just grab a few Frakta bags, and a medicine ball or weights — and you can work up a serious sweat.
1. Plastic Bag Push Press
Add weights (or any heavy object) to two bags to do this move. With bags in hand, rest the weight on your shoulders with both palms facing inward toward your head. Press straight up until both arms are fully extended with bags in hand.
- 5/11/2017
- by Gabrielle Olya
- PEOPLE.com
Mike Myers and Jimmy Fallon staged a wacky dance-off on 'The Tonight Show,' with each representing their home countries (Canada and the United States, respectively). But there was a twist. The comedians took turns rolling a massive dice with crazy names they had to improvise dances around.
Myers rolled the name "Perpetual Motion," which he interpreted with an Austin Powers-like flair of swinging Sixties hand gestures. Fallon rolled, "Which Pocket Did I Put My Keys In?," and did a rhythmic version of a security pat-down.
Telling his rival...
Myers rolled the name "Perpetual Motion," which he interpreted with an Austin Powers-like flair of swinging Sixties hand gestures. Fallon rolled, "Which Pocket Did I Put My Keys In?," and did a rhythmic version of a security pat-down.
Telling his rival...
- 1/25/2017
- Rollingstone.com
Lil Wayne has just dropped a new mixtape, a follow up to 2009’s No Ceilings, entitled No Ceilings 2. The mixtape, Pitchfork reports, features freestyles on a number of Drake and Future beats, including “Back to Back,” “Hotline Bling,” “Live From the Gutter,” “Where Ya At,” “Diamonds Dancing,” “Plastic Bag,” and “Big Rings” (here as […]
The post Lil Wayne Drops ‘No Ceilings 2’ Mixtape appeared first on uInterview.
The post Lil Wayne Drops ‘No Ceilings 2’ Mixtape appeared first on uInterview.
- 11/27/2015
- by Patrick Culhane
- Uinterview
It’s the happiest time of the year! Goop’s holiday gift guide time! “This year, we decided to shake things up a little bit...” Gwyneth Paltrow explains alongside her holiday wish(es for you) list. Does that mean there won’t be thousands of dollars worth of linens like last year?!
“...and organize our annual gift guide by category.” Oh. Though she does say they “tried to keep as much as possible at the $100 mark, though there are some splurges on here for your nearest and dearest.” But how much would it cost to buy Gwyneth’s entire gift guide?
News: Take an inside look at all of Oprah’s favorite things for 2014!
If you want to say, “One of each, please!” it will cost you — scroll down for a sampling of the items from each category and scroll all the way to the bottom for the grand total (excluding “Price Upon Request” items).
goop[p...
“...and organize our annual gift guide by category.” Oh. Though she does say they “tried to keep as much as possible at the $100 mark, though there are some splurges on here for your nearest and dearest.” But how much would it cost to buy Gwyneth’s entire gift guide?
News: Take an inside look at all of Oprah’s favorite things for 2014!
If you want to say, “One of each, please!” it will cost you — scroll down for a sampling of the items from each category and scroll all the way to the bottom for the grand total (excluding “Price Upon Request” items).
goop[p...
- 11/14/2014
- Entertainment Tonight
If the Annabelle doll can get a The Conjuring spin-off, what other movie objects are primed for future stardom, ponders James?
Move your mind back through the mists of time to summer 2013 and you may recall the moment that The Conjuring manifested itself in movie theatres. James Wan's film fictionalisation of an astoundingly creepy case handled by American paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren (played by Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga) was a huge critical and commercial hit. In fact, earning over $300 million off the back of a budget estimated around $20 million, it's one of the highest-grossing horror flicks of all time.
Naturally, a sequel was ordered and that's due to surface and scare us all over again just before Halloween 2015. Before that, though, audiences itching for more of this particular world (and threatening other worlds) have something novel to enjoy while they wait for the return of the Warrens.
Move your mind back through the mists of time to summer 2013 and you may recall the moment that The Conjuring manifested itself in movie theatres. James Wan's film fictionalisation of an astoundingly creepy case handled by American paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren (played by Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga) was a huge critical and commercial hit. In fact, earning over $300 million off the back of a budget estimated around $20 million, it's one of the highest-grossing horror flicks of all time.
Naturally, a sequel was ordered and that's due to surface and scare us all over again just before Halloween 2015. Before that, though, audiences itching for more of this particular world (and threatening other worlds) have something novel to enjoy while they wait for the return of the Warrens.
- 10/9/2014
- by ryanlambie
- Den of Geek
If you’re a middle-class American with a mortgage and children, 99 Homes is a horror film, scarier than Halloween and Saw combined. The movie, which debuted in Venice and is looking for distribution at this week’s Toronto Film Festival, stars Andrew Garfield as Nash, a Florida construction worker circa 2006. Out of work and underwater on his mortgage during the housing meltdown, he’s evicted from his family home—along with his mother (Laura Dern) and young son (Noah Lomax). It’s the nightmare scenario: Police knock on the front door and give them two minutes to pack their essentials...
- 9/12/2014
- by Jeff Labrecque
- EW - Inside Movies
Andrew Garfield has been locked up in “Spider-Man” world for quite some time now, but he’s used his down time judiciously. He acted alongside the late Philip Seymour Hoffman in “Death of a Salesman” on Broadway, something he’ll likely never forget, but since he was cast as the cheeky webslinger, Garfield’s only acted in one film. And he’s chosen well with “99 Homes,” the fifth feature-length effort by indie director Ramin Bahrani. Cherished by the late Roger Ebert and Werner Herzog (who voiced his 2009 short, “Plastic Bag”) Bahrani went slightly mainstream with 2013's drama "At Any Price," an imperfect but still compelling "Crimes And Misdemeanors"-esque tale set in the heartland of America starring Zac Efron, Dennis Quaid and Heather Graham no less. And while it was his first movie with a name cast, the filmmaker’s intentions were still much the same (and it was easily...
- 8/27/2014
- by Edward Davis
- The Playlist
The Winter's Club is a great sci-fi short film that was directed by Chris Stone for the 2013 "Sci-Fi London 48 Hour Film Challenge." They were given a random title, a prop, and a line of dialogue that had to be included in the film. Those things were:
Title: The Winter's CLUBLine: Have you tried turning it off and then turning it on again?Prop: Plastic bag - A character empties out a random jumble of papers onto a surface.
The film was shot extremely well with wonderful cinematography and lighting. The story was also engaging, the tone was intriguing, and the acting was solid. This was a cool little piece of filmmaking that I hope you enjoy! ...
Title: The Winter's CLUBLine: Have you tried turning it off and then turning it on again?Prop: Plastic bag - A character empties out a random jumble of papers onto a surface.
The film was shot extremely well with wonderful cinematography and lighting. The story was also engaging, the tone was intriguing, and the acting was solid. This was a cool little piece of filmmaking that I hope you enjoy! ...
- 5/23/2014
- by Joey Paur
- GeekTyrant
Creating genuine emotion is a difficult thing to do in film. A truly harrowing scene is one that expertly coordinates the talents of all those involved, where the writing, direction, acting and continuity work together as one to achieve the desired emotional response. There are many films out there that have perfected this formula, E.T., Philadelphia, Toy Story 3 (and 2, for that matter) to name just a few. But then there are examples of when films get this horribly, horribly wrong. Sometimes a film will try and bring you to the absolute edge of your feelings and just ends up being downright funny for whatever reason, whether it’s hammy acting, terrible dialogue, unlikable characters or all of the above.
So, it’s time to remind ourselves of some of the greatest blunders in “serious” filmmaking with a list of 10 Emotional Movie Scenes That Were Unintentionally Hilarious. I’d...
So, it’s time to remind ourselves of some of the greatest blunders in “serious” filmmaking with a list of 10 Emotional Movie Scenes That Were Unintentionally Hilarious. I’d...
- 12/9/2013
- by Thomas Broome-Jones
- Obsessed with Film
Clone High Episode 3 ‘A.D.D.: The Last d Is For Disorder’
Written by Tom Martin
Aired 11/10/02
‘A.D.D.’ is one of those episodes of Clone High that sticks out in my head, and always one I recommend to people who are looking for a good introduction to the series. Taking a completely over-wrought topic for both drama and parody – the AIDS awareness events we who grew up in the 1990′s watched and participated in – ‘The Last D is for Disorder’ is a masterful half-hour that manages to be both a poignant tale of friendship, acceptance and loneliness, all while being a hilarious and informative episode about the misnomers of attention deficit disorder.
Before I talk about the Add-centric parts of the episode, ‘A.D.D.’ features one of my favorite side plots ever: Joan of Arc hearing voices. One of the best things about Clone High was...
Written by Tom Martin
Aired 11/10/02
‘A.D.D.’ is one of those episodes of Clone High that sticks out in my head, and always one I recommend to people who are looking for a good introduction to the series. Taking a completely over-wrought topic for both drama and parody – the AIDS awareness events we who grew up in the 1990′s watched and participated in – ‘The Last D is for Disorder’ is a masterful half-hour that manages to be both a poignant tale of friendship, acceptance and loneliness, all while being a hilarious and informative episode about the misnomers of attention deficit disorder.
Before I talk about the Add-centric parts of the episode, ‘A.D.D.’ features one of my favorite side plots ever: Joan of Arc hearing voices. One of the best things about Clone High was...
- 5/11/2013
- by Randy
- SoundOnSight
At Any Price is the story of Henry Whipple (Quaid), a family man running a large farming empire in Iowa corn country. He faces direct competition against Jim Johnson (Clancy Brown), along with opposition to continuing the family legacy from one of his sons, (played by Zac Efron). At Any Price is the story of an American salesman trying to survive brutal competition, especially when “Expand or Die” has become the mantra of all farmers.
Director Bahrani had been a top favorite director of late critic Roger Ebert, and previously has made films like Chop Shop, Goodbye Solo, and Man Push Cart. He co-wrote At Any Price with Hallie Elizabeth Newton.
I sat down with Quaid and Rahmani in a roundtable interview to discuss At Any Price, its relevancy to the nation’s economic crisis, Quaid’s goals as an actor, and more.
At Any Price opens in Chicago on May 3.
Dennis,...
Director Bahrani had been a top favorite director of late critic Roger Ebert, and previously has made films like Chop Shop, Goodbye Solo, and Man Push Cart. He co-wrote At Any Price with Hallie Elizabeth Newton.
I sat down with Quaid and Rahmani in a roundtable interview to discuss At Any Price, its relevancy to the nation’s economic crisis, Quaid’s goals as an actor, and more.
At Any Price opens in Chicago on May 3.
Dennis,...
- 5/1/2013
- by Nick Allen
- The Scorecard Review
It’s the first day of spring, and you know what that means! Yes, frigid temperatures and tons more snow in the northeast. But at least it’s getting closer to spring break season, and just days away from the release of Spring Breakers!
Music Videos - Free Music Videos
We may be cold, but at least we can get to the theater and see James Franco in cornrows and Vanessa Hudgens, Selena Gomez and Ashley Benson in, well, not much of anything. The flick promises sex, violence, and illegal shenanigans. Yup, sounds like it has all the makings of your average spring break to us!
VH1 caught up with the cast of the super sexy sure-to-be classic on the red carpet of their La premiere, and was given some helpful tips on how to survive a truly epic spring break. “Advil, and a cover-up in your purse because you...
Music Videos - Free Music Videos
We may be cold, but at least we can get to the theater and see James Franco in cornrows and Vanessa Hudgens, Selena Gomez and Ashley Benson in, well, not much of anything. The flick promises sex, violence, and illegal shenanigans. Yup, sounds like it has all the makings of your average spring break to us!
VH1 caught up with the cast of the super sexy sure-to-be classic on the red carpet of their La premiere, and was given some helpful tips on how to survive a truly epic spring break. “Advil, and a cover-up in your purse because you...
- 3/20/2013
- by Jordan Runtagh
- TheFabLife - Movies
Ramin Bahrani, the New York-based auteur responsible for such indie darlings as “Chop Shop” (2007) and “Goodbye Solo” (2008) shot a curious little short in 2009 called “Plastic Bag.” It follows a plastic shopping bag, voiced by Moving Arts favorite Werner Herzog, on an existential journey. Let me say that again: Werner Herzog plays a plastic bag in search of the meaning of life. Enjoy!
Director: Ramin Bahrani
Starring: Werner Herzog (voice)
Original Score: Kjartan Sveinsson of Sigur Rós
Running Time: 18 minutes
Studio: Noruz Films and Gigantic Pictures...
Director: Ramin Bahrani
Starring: Werner Herzog (voice)
Original Score: Kjartan Sveinsson of Sigur Rós
Running Time: 18 minutes
Studio: Noruz Films and Gigantic Pictures...
- 9/30/2012
- by Eric M. Armstrong
- The Moving Arts Journal
The Toronto International Film Festival is a ludicrous bounty of cinematic riches, showcasing hundreds of potentially amazing films both old and new. That it’s all crammed into only 10 days means it’s too much for any one mere mortal to even get a proper grasp of. With that “problem” in mind, here’s a painstakingly narrowed list of 30 to try and catch.
Antiviral
David Cronenberg’s son Brandon’s first feature, Antiviral may well sate the appetites of Cronenberg fans who lament the director’s late-career turn into (relatively) middlebrow fare. The creepy teaser promises eerie, creeping body horror, artfully executed, of the sort Daddy used to make.
The ABCs of Death
Horror anthologies are always a tantalizing prospect, but rarely do the segments come together to form a satisfying whole; usually, a weak effort or two sours the bunch. The ABCs of Death might well be the most ambitious film of its kind,...
Antiviral
David Cronenberg’s son Brandon’s first feature, Antiviral may well sate the appetites of Cronenberg fans who lament the director’s late-career turn into (relatively) middlebrow fare. The creepy teaser promises eerie, creeping body horror, artfully executed, of the sort Daddy used to make.
The ABCs of Death
Horror anthologies are always a tantalizing prospect, but rarely do the segments come together to form a satisfying whole; usually, a weak effort or two sours the bunch. The ABCs of Death might well be the most ambitious film of its kind,...
- 8/30/2012
- by Simon Howell
- SoundOnSight
While not all films mentioned below are necessarily guaranteed future place among the Sundance Film Festival elite, it’s certainly a step in the right direction for the filmmakers and more importantly the producers backing the future of independent film. Among the eleven project participants below selected for the annual Creative Producing Labs and Creative Producing Summit (July 30 – August 3) in the Feature Film category we find such names as future superstars in Summer Shelton (she worked with Ramin Bahrani) and receives the first ever Bingham Ray Creative Producing Fellow, Tory Lenosky (worked as an assistant to Jay Van Hoy and Lars Knudsen) and Lucas Joaquin (second unit producer for Beasts of the Southern Wild). Here is the full press release below.
Feature Film Creative Producing Lab
The Feature Film Creative Producing Lab is a five-day Lab where narrative feature film producers work with an accomplished group of Creative Advisors to develop their creative instincts,...
Feature Film Creative Producing Lab
The Feature Film Creative Producing Lab is a five-day Lab where narrative feature film producers work with an accomplished group of Creative Advisors to develop their creative instincts,...
- 7/18/2012
- by Eric Lavallee
- IONCINEMA.com
On the heels of Alma Har’el’s wonderful video for Sigur Ros’ “Fjögur Píanó” (which may be the best thing Shia Labeouf has ever done) comes another entry from an American independent filmmaker in the Icelandic band’s Mystery Film Experiment. After Sigur Ros’ keyboard player Kjartan Sveinsson did the music for Ramin Bahrani’s 2009 short Plastic Bag, the band chose the Man Push Cart director to make a video for ‘Ég Anda,” the fifth entry in the Mystery Film Experiment. Valtari, the group’s new album, is much more understated and less grand in scope than their previous records, and so the videos that have arisen from it are notably different from, say, the dazzlingly cinematic “Glósóli”. As far as I know, this is Bahrani’s first pop promo, and I think it’s unusual and quietly powerful.
Sigur Rós – Ég anda from Sigur Rós Valtari Mystery Films on Vimeo.
Sigur Rós – Ég anda from Sigur Rós Valtari Mystery Films on Vimeo.
- 7/17/2012
- by Nick Dawson
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
With the release of a second teaser trailer of Paul Thomas Anderson's "The Master" this morning, we got another look at one of the most anticipated films of the year. And with the picture already slated for an October 13th release, for some traveling film critics and fans, and those prepared to head to Italy, the Venice Film Festival could be where the film makes its world premiere, with artistic director Alberto Barbera suggesting a few weeks back that Anderson was heading to the Lido for the fest, which kicks off on August 29th.
With the announcement of the opening film due any day now -- it was on June 21st last year and today, the fest announced their lineup of rare and restored films that will unspool -- and "The Master" trailer reminding us that its one of the candidates, it seemed like a good opportunity to look...
With the announcement of the opening film due any day now -- it was on June 21st last year and today, the fest announced their lineup of rare and restored films that will unspool -- and "The Master" trailer reminding us that its one of the candidates, it seemed like a good opportunity to look...
- 6/19/2012
- by Oliver Lyttelton
- The Playlist
Exclusive Media has acquired international rights in all media to the feature film At Any Price, directed by acclaimed filmmaker Ramin Bahrani (Goodbye Solo, Chop Shop) and starring Dennis Quaid (What To Expect When You.Re Expecting), Zac Efron (The Lucky One), Kim Dickens (Footloose) and Heather Graham (The Hangover), it was announced today by Alex Walton, Exclusive Media.s President of International Sales and Distribution, who will be presenting the film to international buyers at the upcoming Marche du Film in Cannes.
CAA is representing the domestic rights to the film.
The drama, currently in post-production, is written by Hallie Elizabeth Newton who co-writes with Ramin Bahrani.
The film is produced by Black Bear Pictures, TreeHouse Pictures, Killer Films and Noruz Films. Producers are Pamela Koffler, Teddy Schwarzman, Justin Nappi, Kevin Turen, Christine Vachon and co-writer/ director Ramin Bahrani. Ron Curtis, Mo Al Turki, Eric Nyari and Brian Young serve as Executive Producers.
CAA is representing the domestic rights to the film.
The drama, currently in post-production, is written by Hallie Elizabeth Newton who co-writes with Ramin Bahrani.
The film is produced by Black Bear Pictures, TreeHouse Pictures, Killer Films and Noruz Films. Producers are Pamela Koffler, Teddy Schwarzman, Justin Nappi, Kevin Turen, Christine Vachon and co-writer/ director Ramin Bahrani. Ron Curtis, Mo Al Turki, Eric Nyari and Brian Young serve as Executive Producers.
- 5/15/2012
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
It’s the first week of May and you know what that means, The Avengers in theaters kicking off the summer movie season on May 4, which is also Star Wars Day, and Free Comic Book Day, Saturday May 5. Fcbd has capitalized on the first weekend of May because of what seems like an annual release of a Marvel movie and hopefully there will be plenty of interest in stories starring Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, but we would be irresponsible to pass up the opportunity to showcase all of the other comic book publishers and diverse selection of comics to choose from that will be made to sample in the form of free comics, as well as hopefully well-stocked selections of their catalog at your local comic book shop, which you can find by dialing 1-888-comic-shop or visiting the Comic Shop Locator website.
Archaia Entertainment
In this spotlight, I wanted...
Archaia Entertainment
In this spotlight, I wanted...
- 5/5/2012
- by Ernie Estrella
- BuzzFocus.com
We're almost exactly a third of the way through the year, and thanks to the announcement of the Cannes Film Festival line-up a couple weeks ago, we're now a little clearer on the timetable of some of the most anticipated films of the year. We know that "Cosmopolis," "Killing Them Softly," "On The Road," "Mud," "Rust And Bone," "Amour" and "The Paperboy," among others are done, and will be screening in only a few short weeks for critics, and U.S. releases, if not set already, can't be far behind. And the release schedule for the rest of the year is firming up fast, with films like "The Master" and "Seven Psychopaths" getting added to the calendar.
But what of the question marks that still remain? Of the major movies tentatively set for completion this year, but without firm release dates as yet, which will we actually see in theaters...
But what of the question marks that still remain? Of the major movies tentatively set for completion this year, but without firm release dates as yet, which will we actually see in theaters...
- 4/30/2012
- by Oliver Lyttelton
- The Playlist
The following is a list of all comic books, graphic novels and special items that will be available this week and shipped to comic book stores who have placed orders for them.
12 Gauge Comics
I.C.E. #4 (Of 4)(not verified by Diamond), $3.99
215 Ink
Footprints Gn, $11.99
3D Total Publishing
ZBrush Character Sculpting Volume 1 Sc, $49.99
47North
Star Wars Book Of Sith Secrets From The Dark Side Hc, $99.99
Amryl Entertainment
Cavewoman Feeding Grounds #2 (Budd Root Special Edition), $13.99
Antarctic Press
Airboy Deadeye #1 (Of 5), $3.50
Last Zombie Neverland #3 (Of 5), $3.99
Nazi Zombies #2, $3.99
Ape Entertainment
Dream Reavers Tp, $14.99
Penguins Of Madagascar Volume 1 Wonder From Down Under Tp (Direct Market Edition), $14.95
Richie Rich Gems #47, $3.99
Archaia Entertainment
I’m Not A Plastic Bag Hc, $19.95
Secret History #18, $5.95
Secret History #19, $5.95
Archie Comics
Archie #632, $2.99
Archie And Friends Double Digest #15, $3.99
Jugheads Double Digest #180, $3.99
Sonic Super Special Magazine #3, $9.99
Sonic The Hedgehog Select Volume 5 Tp, $11.99
Aspen Mlt
Michael Turner’s Soulfire The Definitive Edition Volume 1 Tp,...
12 Gauge Comics
I.C.E. #4 (Of 4)(not verified by Diamond), $3.99
215 Ink
Footprints Gn, $11.99
3D Total Publishing
ZBrush Character Sculpting Volume 1 Sc, $49.99
47North
Star Wars Book Of Sith Secrets From The Dark Side Hc, $99.99
Amryl Entertainment
Cavewoman Feeding Grounds #2 (Budd Root Special Edition), $13.99
Antarctic Press
Airboy Deadeye #1 (Of 5), $3.50
Last Zombie Neverland #3 (Of 5), $3.99
Nazi Zombies #2, $3.99
Ape Entertainment
Dream Reavers Tp, $14.99
Penguins Of Madagascar Volume 1 Wonder From Down Under Tp (Direct Market Edition), $14.95
Richie Rich Gems #47, $3.99
Archaia Entertainment
I’m Not A Plastic Bag Hc, $19.95
Secret History #18, $5.95
Secret History #19, $5.95
Archie Comics
Archie #632, $2.99
Archie And Friends Double Digest #15, $3.99
Jugheads Double Digest #180, $3.99
Sonic Super Special Magazine #3, $9.99
Sonic The Hedgehog Select Volume 5 Tp, $11.99
Aspen Mlt
Michael Turner’s Soulfire The Definitive Edition Volume 1 Tp,...
- 4/23/2012
- by GeekRest
- GeekRest
Archaia has announced I'm Not a Plastic Bag. Teaming creator Rachel Hope Allison with JeffCorwinConnect Inc, the 'green' graphic novel tells a tale of a very real environmental disaster. The book follows some discarded trash - a plastic bag and old umbrella - as it travels the Pacific Ocean and join a huge island of trash that searches for its place in nature. "I found out about the Pacific Garbage Patch kind of randomly, just stumbling on an article about it," said Allison. "Like a lot of people, just learning that something so big and dangerous existed out in the ocean was kind of a shock, and the image of all that debris, trapped in such a remote part of the ocean, really stuck with me. "That said, even some of the most disturbing pictures of the Garbage (more)...
- 2/24/2012
- by By Hugh Armitage
- Digital Spy
Last month, I travelled to San Diego to spend three days at Comic-Con, the massive annual gathering of fans of sci-fi, fantasy, horror, comics and related pop culture. It was my first time to the event and I was there to screen my new sci-fi short Digital Antiquities at the Comic-Con Independent Film Festival. I’ve been to many festivals with my films, but Comic-Con was an experience like no other. The scale of the event and passion of the fans were overwhelming, and as an indie filmmaker I found the experience both incredibly inspiring and deeply humbling.
Digital Antiquities
In early January, I delivered the final cut of my new short film Digital Antiquities. Commissioned by Itvs, the film was part of season two of Futurestates, an online series of sci-fi shorts about America’s future (that’s a picture of me on set). This season premiered online in March,...
Digital Antiquities
In early January, I delivered the final cut of my new short film Digital Antiquities. Commissioned by Itvs, the film was part of season two of Futurestates, an online series of sci-fi shorts about America’s future (that’s a picture of me on set). This season premiered online in March,...
- 8/15/2011
- by J.P. Chan
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
At a time when motion pictures seem more often is used as a synonym for spectacular, the films of Ramin Bahrani remind us that cinema is not all about imagining new ones, but film-making is used also as a means of exploring reality around us. Bahrani’s clear-eyed realism is perceived as a strong emotionalism that extends from his narrative form and his excellent working relationship with his actors. Now, Bahrani has scribed the script with Hallie Elizabeth Newton and will helm yet untitled film which London-based international sales and production company Bankside Films was buying in Cannes.
Lesser known actress Maika Monroe has landed the female lead next to Dennis Quaid, Zac Efron and Red West.
Picture follows the story of a farmer whose manic expansion alienates his sons and devoted wife. In fact, farmer’s manic expansion and involvement in the genetic foods debate alienates his family.
Quaid...
Lesser known actress Maika Monroe has landed the female lead next to Dennis Quaid, Zac Efron and Red West.
Picture follows the story of a farmer whose manic expansion alienates his sons and devoted wife. In fact, farmer’s manic expansion and involvement in the genetic foods debate alienates his family.
Quaid...
- 7/12/2011
- by Nick Martin
- Filmofilia
I'm always curious about your film experiences out there in the dark. That curiousity extends to the contributors here at Tfe, not all of whom I know in real life given that they're spread across the globe. You know them, virtually speaking. Hopefully you love them. But I thought we'd ask them a couple of questions each week. Feel free to answer yourself in the comments and join the conversation.
What's The Best Thing You Saw This Week?
Ja: A tie between every single second of Emmanuel Lubeszki's photography for The Tree of Life (it's a gorgeous film that left me cold), and that probably photoshopped image of Jake Gyllenhaal doing the Grace Jones pose in his underpants. I see beautiful things!
Andreas: John Carpenter's The Thing -- after several viewings, it retains all of its original power.
Robert: Ramin Bahrani's short film Plastic Bag. I stumbled upon...
What's The Best Thing You Saw This Week?
Ja: A tie between every single second of Emmanuel Lubeszki's photography for The Tree of Life (it's a gorgeous film that left me cold), and that probably photoshopped image of Jake Gyllenhaal doing the Grace Jones pose in his underpants. I see beautiful things!
Andreas: John Carpenter's The Thing -- after several viewings, it retains all of its original power.
Robert: Ramin Bahrani's short film Plastic Bag. I stumbled upon...
- 5/18/2011
- by NATHANIEL R
- FilmExperience
I know that title is a lot to take in. Let’s break it apart. Yes, Zac Efron and Dennis Quaid are going to work on a film together. Yes, that film will be the next from Ramin Bahrani, who has been on the forefront of the modern neorealist movement. And finally, it will be about farmers.
Variety brings us the news from Cannes, where the film is being shopped. Quaid presumably plays “a farmer whose manic expansion alienates his sons (Efron being one, likely) and devoted wife.” Sounds a bit like There Will Be Blood crossed with the upcoming (excellent) Take Shelter.
Bahrani hasn’t had a misstep yet, delivering a distinctively personal story with each one of his features (Man Push Cart, Chop Shop, and Goodbye Solo). One wonders if the bare, minimal budget style of these films will continue with his next. I hope so, and that...
Variety brings us the news from Cannes, where the film is being shopped. Quaid presumably plays “a farmer whose manic expansion alienates his sons (Efron being one, likely) and devoted wife.” Sounds a bit like There Will Be Blood crossed with the upcoming (excellent) Take Shelter.
Bahrani hasn’t had a misstep yet, delivering a distinctively personal story with each one of his features (Man Push Cart, Chop Shop, and Goodbye Solo). One wonders if the bare, minimal budget style of these films will continue with his next. I hope so, and that...
- 5/15/2011
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
Idol (2011)
Kranti Kanade’s short Idol (2011) comes across first as a plain narrative of irreconcilable tension between the two generations in a Marathi family. The son is a devoted fan of Maradona, a football giant who scored the “goal of the century,” and his father believes in the worship of Ganesh and sticks to his fatherly authority. The son isn’t allowed to watch Maradona on TV in the house, for what was a crucial match. The tension leads to fits of temper and anger which seem sad but inevitable. The narrative remains with you to dwell on deeper issues of the divide in belief systems. The modernism of the football games and telecasts are pitted against the non-negotiable authority of the fathers. The short has the economy of the form, the brevity of presenting an issue and the insight of raising questions. A clean and crisp work, the film...
Kranti Kanade’s short Idol (2011) comes across first as a plain narrative of irreconcilable tension between the two generations in a Marathi family. The son is a devoted fan of Maradona, a football giant who scored the “goal of the century,” and his father believes in the worship of Ganesh and sticks to his fatherly authority. The son isn’t allowed to watch Maradona on TV in the house, for what was a crucial match. The tension leads to fits of temper and anger which seem sad but inevitable. The narrative remains with you to dwell on deeper issues of the divide in belief systems. The modernism of the football games and telecasts are pitted against the non-negotiable authority of the fathers. The short has the economy of the form, the brevity of presenting an issue and the insight of raising questions. A clean and crisp work, the film...
- 4/13/2011
- by Shekhar Deshpande
- DearCinema.com
I sent an e-mail the other day that was one of the hardest things I've ever had to write. It was to Jim Palmer and Maura Clare at the Conference on World Affairs in Boulder. I told them I wouldn't be coming back this spring. I sent it, and stared into space, and was flooded with sadness.
I don't intend to write here about the Conference, which has allowed me to live more than nine months of my life in Boulder, one week at a time. I wrote about Cwa in a 2009 blog entry titled the Leisure of the Theory Class. I need not tell you again about Howard Higman or Daddy Bruce Jr.
You will have to take my word that the week at the University of Colorado every spring was a lodestone of my life. A week of talking, listening and learning. It was at Boulder in 1975 that...
I don't intend to write here about the Conference, which has allowed me to live more than nine months of my life in Boulder, one week at a time. I wrote about Cwa in a 2009 blog entry titled the Leisure of the Theory Class. I need not tell you again about Howard Higman or Daddy Bruce Jr.
You will have to take my word that the week at the University of Colorado every spring was a lodestone of my life. A week of talking, listening and learning. It was at Boulder in 1975 that...
- 2/12/2011
- by Roger Ebert
- blogs.suntimes.com/ebert
Now that was a solid episode of Archer, as we noted in our official review earlier. So solid, in fact, that we've put together a Round Table Q&A discussion of "Blood Test."
Without further delay, we present this week's Archer Round Table:
What was your favorite Archer quote from last night?
Dr. Toboggan: Archer: "Sorry I must have missed the Emily Post chapter on how to introduce your mother to your hooker."
Mark F: Archer: "Keep your chins up Cyril... All eleven of them."
Eric H: I'm a sucker for Archer throwing out Woodhouse's clothes. "Now what am I going to spread on my toast? Your tears?"
So how much is a liter of blood?
Dr. Toboggan: I should know this but my professional guess is that it is not a lot because Cyril was knocked unconscious, pumped full of heroin, and drained of a liter of blood and...
Without further delay, we present this week's Archer Round Table:
What was your favorite Archer quote from last night?
Dr. Toboggan: Archer: "Sorry I must have missed the Emily Post chapter on how to introduce your mother to your hooker."
Mark F: Archer: "Keep your chins up Cyril... All eleven of them."
Eric H: I'm a sucker for Archer throwing out Woodhouse's clothes. "Now what am I going to spread on my toast? Your tears?"
So how much is a liter of blood?
Dr. Toboggan: I should know this but my professional guess is that it is not a lot because Cyril was knocked unconscious, pumped full of heroin, and drained of a liter of blood and...
- 2/11/2011
- by eric@mediavine.com (Eric Hochberger)
- TVfanatic
Odds that a Sundance short films program will be a good harvest are in the high percentile -- with over 6000 short film submissions sent in and about less than 100 selected certainly increases those odds. In any given year at the festival, you could easily trace back a filmmaker's presenting his/her feature film to the roots of shorts included in the fest from previous years. Because we're big on auteur theory, this year's coverage will include several short film items. Program IV was the tops of my list because it includes the latest works from two filmmakers I discovered in 2006 with their ward-winning shorts: Carter Smith (Bugcrush) and Daniel Mulloy (Antonio's Breakfast). Carter Smith's Yearbook (see pic above) was a Diy (set in his kitchen actually) is a slideshow talking-heads-esque with distinct flavors a la Smith -- warped comedy elements (perhaps a companion piece to Bugcrush) with sci-fi elements.
- 1/23/2011
- IONCINEMA.com
From attention-grabbing promos to thoughtful documentaries, a new crop of directors is creating innovative and daring pictures that are cheap to make, easy to share, and finding an audience as never before. Here, we speak to those responsible for some of the best
Are we in the middle of a short‑film revolution? Not long ago, if you wanted to catch short work by exciting new film-makers, you had to travel to a festival, hunt down a compilation on DVD, catch a charitable showing on TV or, if you were uncommonly lucky, before the main feature at the cinema. Now all you have to do, assuming you have internet access and a passing familiarity with video-hosting websites, is switch on your computer.
The curious thing about short films is that, regardless of audience and financial incentive, people have continued to make them with great enthusiasm. This is in part because...
Are we in the middle of a short‑film revolution? Not long ago, if you wanted to catch short work by exciting new film-makers, you had to travel to a festival, hunt down a compilation on DVD, catch a charitable showing on TV or, if you were uncommonly lucky, before the main feature at the cinema. Now all you have to do, assuming you have internet access and a passing familiarity with video-hosting websites, is switch on your computer.
The curious thing about short films is that, regardless of audience and financial incentive, people have continued to make them with great enthusiasm. This is in part because...
- 12/19/2010
- by Killian Fox
- The Guardian - Film News
The Sundance Film Festival 2011 has a great line-up of movies this year, and I'm really excited about what we are going to get to see this year. The festival has just released their short film line-up, which is always cool to check out. Some of these movies are underated, but I've seen some pretty incredible live-action and animated short films at the festival.
Here's the official press release and list of films for you to check out:
Park City, Ut— Sundance Institute announced today the program of short films selected to screen at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival. This year the Festival's Short Film Program comprises 81 short films from U.S. and international filmmakers selected from 6,467 submissions up 6% over 2010. The 2011 Sundance Film Festival runs January 20-30 in Park City, Salt Lake City, Ogden and Sundance, Utah. The complete list of films is available at www.sundance.org/festival. ”It’s a...
Here's the official press release and list of films for you to check out:
Park City, Ut— Sundance Institute announced today the program of short films selected to screen at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival. This year the Festival's Short Film Program comprises 81 short films from U.S. and international filmmakers selected from 6,467 submissions up 6% over 2010. The 2011 Sundance Film Festival runs January 20-30 in Park City, Salt Lake City, Ogden and Sundance, Utah. The complete list of films is available at www.sundance.org/festival. ”It’s a...
- 12/6/2010
- by Venkman
- GeekTyrant
The 2011 Sundance Film Festival is shaping up quite nicely. The films in competition [1], and out of competition [2], have already been announced and each has some incredibly exciting entries. Monday brought the announcement of the 81 short films, chosen out of 6,467 entries, that will play in Park City, Utah this January. And while the majority of them are by currently unknown filmmakers, there are a few that jump out featuring names like Elijah Wood, Danny McBride, Seth Rogen, Will Ferrell, John C. Reilly and Jack Black. Actually, those guys are all in the same short. Other notables include Neil Labute, Tim & Eric and Isabella Rossellini. After the jump, we'll highlight those films and show you the full list. Scanning the list, here are the films that stick out as particularly exciting. Fight For Your Right Revisited (Director and Screenwriter: Adam Yauch) - After the boys leave the party... Cast: Elijah Wood, Danny McBride,...
- 12/6/2010
- by Germain Lussier
- Slash Film
HollywoodNews.com: Sundance Institute announced today the program of short films selected to screen at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival. This year the Festival’s Short Film Program comprises 81 short films from U.S. and international filmmakers selected from 6,467 submissions up 6% over 2010. The 2011 Sundance Film Festival runs January 20-30 in Park City, Salt Lake City, Ogden and Sundance, Utah.
“It’s a marvel to discover the creativity in this year’s shorts program. These filmmakers are charged with telling compelling stories, nurturing breakout performances and engaging the audience, all in a fraction of the time allocated to features, and each one delivers,” said Trevor Groth, Sundance Film Festival Director of Programming. “For 2011, we are pleased to be able to shine a light on indigenous filmmakers working around the world in the short-form medium, and to provide festival goers with a window into native storytelling.”
“These directors have once again raised the...
“It’s a marvel to discover the creativity in this year’s shorts program. These filmmakers are charged with telling compelling stories, nurturing breakout performances and engaging the audience, all in a fraction of the time allocated to features, and each one delivers,” said Trevor Groth, Sundance Film Festival Director of Programming. “For 2011, we are pleased to be able to shine a light on indigenous filmmakers working around the world in the short-form medium, and to provide festival goers with a window into native storytelling.”
“These directors have once again raised the...
- 12/6/2010
- by Linny Lum
- Hollywoodnews.com
After announcing their feature film line-up (here and here), the Sundance Film Institute just sent us over their short film selections. Most initially appealing is Fight For Your Right Revisited, directed by Beastie Boy‘s Adam Yauch. The short features Elijah Wood, Danny McBride, Seth Rogen, Will Ferrell, John C. Reilly, and Jack Black. I’ll definitely be checking it out.
Neil Labute is also directing a short starring Julia Stiles, and Jonathan Caouette‘s short starring Chloë Sevigny will show, from the trailer we previously featured. There is also a short co-written by Cloverfield and Unstoppable‘s T.J. Miller. Check them all out below and look for our coverage in January.
U.S. Narrative Shorts
After You Left (Director: Jef Taylor; Screenwriters: Jef Taylor and Michael Tisdale) — A man in his mid-thirties searches for meaning in the aftermath of a relationship.
Andy and Zach (Director and Screenwriter: Nick Paley...
Neil Labute is also directing a short starring Julia Stiles, and Jonathan Caouette‘s short starring Chloë Sevigny will show, from the trailer we previously featured. There is also a short co-written by Cloverfield and Unstoppable‘s T.J. Miller. Check them all out below and look for our coverage in January.
U.S. Narrative Shorts
After You Left (Director: Jef Taylor; Screenwriters: Jef Taylor and Michael Tisdale) — A man in his mid-thirties searches for meaning in the aftermath of a relationship.
Andy and Zach (Director and Screenwriter: Nick Paley...
- 12/6/2010
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
Well, we’ve see the list of feature-length films that are in the 2011 lineup of the Sundance Film Festival. Just moments ago, the festival revealed the full list of short films that will accompany those features – 44 in total, from a record 3,453 submissions! Wow! Glad I’m not on that judging committee.
But of note in the below list are 2 filmmakers who are followers of this blog, both I’ve communicated with in the past – one actually was mentioned on Black Filmmakers To Watch thread, so we may as well add the other.
I’m referring to Moon Molson and Tahir Jetter.
Moon’s short film is titled Crazy Beats Strong Every Time. Some may recall that, in September, I posted an entry for Moon, to help raise money to complete the short film. He was trying to raise $8,000, and actually ended up raising $10,250! So, congrats to Moon! The synopsis for...
But of note in the below list are 2 filmmakers who are followers of this blog, both I’ve communicated with in the past – one actually was mentioned on Black Filmmakers To Watch thread, so we may as well add the other.
I’m referring to Moon Molson and Tahir Jetter.
Moon’s short film is titled Crazy Beats Strong Every Time. Some may recall that, in September, I posted an entry for Moon, to help raise money to complete the short film. He was trying to raise $8,000, and actually ended up raising $10,250! So, congrats to Moon! The synopsis for...
- 12/6/2010
- by Tambay
- ShadowAndAct
"Razzle them. Dazzle them. Razzle dazzle them!" This is the mantra of Michael Shannon's central character in a mad, loosely based on a true crime story movie directed by so-called "rogue filmmaker" (I prefer the term "awesome filmmaker") Werner Herzog and produced by David Lynch. What he means by it, in the story, is ambiguous, but obviously a central point to his being, judging from the fact that the first time we meet him, the first words he says are exactly that, while holding a coffee mug that says it too.
This is how Herzog approached yet another crazy killer profile. He's not so interested in the motive, nor is he particular about the details of the case. He's simply interested in the poetry of the murderer and his murderous actions. To follow the coffee mug's urging, with us being said "them."
The busily titled My Son, My Son,...
This is how Herzog approached yet another crazy killer profile. He's not so interested in the motive, nor is he particular about the details of the case. He's simply interested in the poetry of the murderer and his murderous actions. To follow the coffee mug's urging, with us being said "them."
The busily titled My Son, My Son,...
- 10/1/2010
- by Arya Ponto
- JustPressPlay.net
The Movie
Werner Herzog's collaboration with David Lynch (who acted as producer for this movie) is a challenging watch - and sadly one doesn't feel like it yields much to even the most patient viewer. Inspired by the real-life matricide committed by troubled San Diego actor Mark Yavorsky, My Son stars wild-eyed Michael Shannon, with Yavorsky rechristened "Brad McCullum" and the part of his to-be-skewered mom played by Grace Zabriskie. The screenplay by Herzog and Herbert Golder seeks to draw a line between Brad's role in a production of the Oresteia the the compulsion to kill that later gripped him.
Shannon's performance lays bare the profound madness of Brad and is one of the only roles that comes across as natural. His behavior, his odd asides and broken pacing feel like a product of his madness. However the rest of the cast is tasked (intentionally by Mr. Herzog, it...
Werner Herzog's collaboration with David Lynch (who acted as producer for this movie) is a challenging watch - and sadly one doesn't feel like it yields much to even the most patient viewer. Inspired by the real-life matricide committed by troubled San Diego actor Mark Yavorsky, My Son stars wild-eyed Michael Shannon, with Yavorsky rechristened "Brad McCullum" and the part of his to-be-skewered mom played by Grace Zabriskie. The screenplay by Herzog and Herbert Golder seeks to draw a line between Brad's role in a production of the Oresteia the the compulsion to kill that later gripped him.
Shannon's performance lays bare the profound madness of Brad and is one of the only roles that comes across as natural. His behavior, his odd asides and broken pacing feel like a product of his madness. However the rest of the cast is tasked (intentionally by Mr. Herzog, it...
- 9/14/2010
- Screen Anarchy
This week has a pretty impressive collection of DVDs and Blu-rays hitting the market, and instead of devoting individual reviews to each release, I’ve decided to try out a list of everything that I’m excited to pick up.
Many of these releases are items that we’ve discussed on recent Disc 2 episodes of the podcast, but a few might have slipped through, and I want to make sure that you all know how awesome (or potentially awesome) they are.
I’m actually going to start off with a DVD that came out a few weeks back, before getting into today’s releases.
Released August 24th:
Flight Of The Conchord: The Complete Collection DVD
Anyone who has been following me on Twitter over the past few weeks could easily pick up on the fact that I’ve completely fallen head over heels in love with Flight of the Conchords.
Many of these releases are items that we’ve discussed on recent Disc 2 episodes of the podcast, but a few might have slipped through, and I want to make sure that you all know how awesome (or potentially awesome) they are.
I’m actually going to start off with a DVD that came out a few weeks back, before getting into today’s releases.
Released August 24th:
Flight Of The Conchord: The Complete Collection DVD
Anyone who has been following me on Twitter over the past few weeks could easily pick up on the fact that I’ve completely fallen head over heels in love with Flight of the Conchords.
- 9/14/2010
- by Ryan Gallagher
- CriterionCast
Just a little over a month ago we got the first word on what to expect come September 14th when First Look Studios releases Werner Herzog's My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done on DVD, and now we have both a better look at the box art and a clip from the film.
The DVD specs, clip, and trailer can be found below the synopsis.
Official Synopsis
"The film opens as officers arrive at the scene – a typical middle-class neighborhood in San Diego. The suspect has barricaded himself inside a home and appears to have taken hostages. Two friends he had urgently telephoned earlier that morning arrive, but too late. As they and their neighbors try to come to grips with what has happened, they tell their stories to the detective in charge of the crime scene. In a series of flashbacks, the bizarre story of Brad Macallam begins to emerge.
The DVD specs, clip, and trailer can be found below the synopsis.
Official Synopsis
"The film opens as officers arrive at the scene – a typical middle-class neighborhood in San Diego. The suspect has barricaded himself inside a home and appears to have taken hostages. Two friends he had urgently telephoned earlier that morning arrive, but too late. As they and their neighbors try to come to grips with what has happened, they tell their stories to the detective in charge of the crime scene. In a series of flashbacks, the bizarre story of Brad Macallam begins to emerge.
- 8/14/2010
- by Uncle Creepy
- DreadCentral.com
Absurda, Industrial Entertainment and First Look Studios will release My Son, My Son What Have Ye Done on DVD September 14. The film is the first collaboration between legendary filmmakers David Lynch and Werner Herzog. Academy Award nominees Michael Shannon, Chloë Sevigny, and Willem Dafoe headline this psychological thriller, written and directed by Herzog, produced by Lynch, and featuring Grace Zabriskie, Udo Kier, and Brad Dourif. The extras include: 5.1 Dolby sound, commentaries by Herzog, writer Herb Golder and producer Eric Bassett; interviews with Golder and Herzog; plus behind-the-scenes footage. The bonuses include "Plastic Bag," a short film by director Ramin Bahrani ( Goodbye Solo ) that traces the epic, existential journey of a plastic bag voiced by Herzog....
- 7/9/2010
- Comingsoon.net
The last of the great auteur directors voices the role of a plastic grocery bag in a philosophical short film by much-tipped director Ramin Bahrani
A strange moment punctures the sentimentality of Robin Williams's 1998 drama-fantasy What Dreams May Come. Williams, the Orpheus-like character who trawls through hell in search of his wife, is stepping across what the film somehow manages to portray as a dull, unscary field of human heads. One of the heads calls out to him. It is Werner Herzog. "You're Klaus!" the Herzog head cries, confusing Williams with Klaus Kinski in a way nobody ever has or will again. "Welcome, welcome!"
If it seems like a bizarre cameo for the last of the great auteurs, consider that this is also the man who dragged Joaquin Phoenix from a mangled car, then took off before Phoenix could thank him, the man who got shot during an interview...
A strange moment punctures the sentimentality of Robin Williams's 1998 drama-fantasy What Dreams May Come. Williams, the Orpheus-like character who trawls through hell in search of his wife, is stepping across what the film somehow manages to portray as a dull, unscary field of human heads. One of the heads calls out to him. It is Werner Herzog. "You're Klaus!" the Herzog head cries, confusing Williams with Klaus Kinski in a way nobody ever has or will again. "Welcome, welcome!"
If it seems like a bizarre cameo for the last of the great auteurs, consider that this is also the man who dragged Joaquin Phoenix from a mangled car, then took off before Phoenix could thank him, the man who got shot during an interview...
- 4/8/2010
- by Chris Michael
- The Guardian - Film News
I saw "Aguirre, the Wrath of God" for the first time in a defrocked Lutheran Church in the Lincoln Park neighborhood, which Milos Stehlik had taken over for his newly-born Facets Multimedia. "It is a film you must see," he told me. "Bring a pillow. The pews can get hard."
I saw a great film, one of the greatest ever made. An essential film. In 1999, I made it one of the first titles in my Great Movies Collection. Now I wonder if I really saw it at all.
Werner Herzog is in Boulder this week, to join another great director, Ramin Bahrani, in viewing "Aguirre" a shot at a time. It is a lifetime experience for a film lover. We're at the 62nd annual Conference on World Affairs. Maybe 1,000 people crowded into Macky Auditorium, where Bahrani and Herzog sat side by side in the dark, Jim Emerson froze the DVD frames when required,...
I saw a great film, one of the greatest ever made. An essential film. In 1999, I made it one of the first titles in my Great Movies Collection. Now I wonder if I really saw it at all.
Werner Herzog is in Boulder this week, to join another great director, Ramin Bahrani, in viewing "Aguirre" a shot at a time. It is a lifetime experience for a film lover. We're at the 62nd annual Conference on World Affairs. Maybe 1,000 people crowded into Macky Auditorium, where Bahrani and Herzog sat side by side in the dark, Jim Emerson froze the DVD frames when required,...
- 4/7/2010
- by Roger Ebert
- blogs.suntimes.com/ebert
The first time I heard about the 18-minute short film "Plastic Bag" directed by Ramin Bahrani (Goodbye Solo, Chop Shop and Man Push Cart) featuring director Werner Herzog as the voice of a plastic bag was at the tail end of March when it was featured at the South-by-Southwest Film Festival as part of the Futurestates series of 11 fictional mini-features exploring possible future scenarios. Unsurprising, based on the talent involved, it's an impressive feature that touches upon an issue I'm not sure many people realize is becoming a major problem in our world.
"Plastic Bag" reminded me a lot of Alan Weisman's "The World Without Us" and how plastics, of all things, will be around forever and are choking our the Earth's ecosystem. Bahrani's short film explores such a scenario as the immortal life of a plastic bag is followed as it is discarded by its "maker" and left...
"Plastic Bag" reminded me a lot of Alan Weisman's "The World Without Us" and how plastics, of all things, will be around forever and are choking our the Earth's ecosystem. Bahrani's short film explores such a scenario as the immortal life of a plastic bag is followed as it is discarded by its "maker" and left...
- 4/6/2010
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
The well-praised Ramin Bahrani Plastic Bag short has been making the festival rounds, most recently, at SXSW. It stars the word-perfect Werner Herzog as the voice of a plastic bag. More details here. Bahrani and Herzog are participating on this year's Boulder, Colorado Cinema Interruptus panel with Roger Ebert on Herzog's Aguirre: the Wrath of God. Bahrani had done a session on Chop Shop, and Ebert brought him back to be part of Herzog's panel. Check it out. [Photo of Bahrani and Herzog by Roger Ebert]...
- 4/6/2010
- Thompson on Hollywood
Acquarello
Notes on Rendez-vous with French Cinema 2010
David Cairns
The Forgotten: Trousering the Ghost
The Forgotten: Vessel of Wrath
The Forgotten: Is My Face Red
The Forgotten: Lock-Up
Zach Campbell
Some Kind of Realism: Rossellini's War Trilogy
Andrew Chan
Sinophilic Cinephilia: Asia Society's "China’s Past Present, Future on Film"
Adrian Curry
Movie Poster of the Week: "Cold Weather"
Movie Poster of the Week: "Glory to the Filmmaker" or: Kitano in Posters
Movie Poster of the Week: "Feeder" and the SXSW Poster Award Winners
Movie Poster of the Week: "Everyone Else"
David Hudson
Berlinale. Cons and Ex-Cons
Daniel Kasman
Image of the Day: Unrequited Love #1
The Potential of the Mobile Film Festival: Rotterdam@Bam
Images of the Day: Joan Alone: Joan Bennett in Fritz Lang's "Secret Beyond the Door..."
At the Cinematheque: "The Prowler" (Joseph Losey, 1951)
Jean-Luc Godard's Homage to Eric Rohmer
Now in Theaters: "Shutter Island" (Martin Scorsese,...
Notes on Rendez-vous with French Cinema 2010
David Cairns
The Forgotten: Trousering the Ghost
The Forgotten: Vessel of Wrath
The Forgotten: Is My Face Red
The Forgotten: Lock-Up
Zach Campbell
Some Kind of Realism: Rossellini's War Trilogy
Andrew Chan
Sinophilic Cinephilia: Asia Society's "China’s Past Present, Future on Film"
Adrian Curry
Movie Poster of the Week: "Cold Weather"
Movie Poster of the Week: "Glory to the Filmmaker" or: Kitano in Posters
Movie Poster of the Week: "Feeder" and the SXSW Poster Award Winners
Movie Poster of the Week: "Everyone Else"
David Hudson
Berlinale. Cons and Ex-Cons
Daniel Kasman
Image of the Day: Unrequited Love #1
The Potential of the Mobile Film Festival: Rotterdam@Bam
Images of the Day: Joan Alone: Joan Bennett in Fritz Lang's "Secret Beyond the Door..."
At the Cinematheque: "The Prowler" (Joseph Losey, 1951)
Jean-Luc Godard's Homage to Eric Rohmer
Now in Theaters: "Shutter Island" (Martin Scorsese,...
- 4/1/2010
- MUBI
Going into SXSW, I knew there were going to be a lot of short films screened, and there were several that I had highlighted as must-see’s. I was immediately drawn to Tze Chun’s name, as his film Children of Invention has been on my radar since last year’s Iff Boston. Children of Invention was also among the films chosen to test out YouTube’s new rental service, around Sundance this past January. When I saw that he was going to be directing a sci-fi short film, I knew it would be something worth making myself available to. I didn’t read too much up on the other films in the Futurestates series, apart from the basic synopses that it was a series of short films, centered around the idea of taking current social and environmental problems, and extending them forward in time. Who knew that this screening...
- 3/25/2010
- by Ryan Gallagher
- CriterionCast
That headline, while technically true, perhaps undersells the wry, entrancing joy of Plastic Bag, a short film directed by Ramin Bahrani (Man Push Cart, Chop Shop) and indeed narrated by the legendary German auteur. It may not be without some precedent, but for sheer intelligence, wit and ambition, the 18-minute movie handily blows the "plastic bag" sequence from American Beauty out of the water (no pun intended; you'll see). Click through for the full video.
- 3/25/2010
- Movieline
My first thought was that this is a joke. I received an email linking me to a YouTube video called "Plastic Bay By Ramin Bahrani," and in the email I was told that it stars filmmaker Werner Herzog. Certainly it'd be a kind of mixed parody of the hated scene from American Beauty and the minimal realist films of Bahrani, and feature yet another faked Herzogian German accent. But wait, why would anyone lampoon that "most beautiful" plastic bag scene again after more than a decade? And who would think anyone would get a spoof of Bahrani, particularly by name?
The video was real. Is real. I mean ... it's a real short film by Bahrani featuring Herzog narrating the existential thoughts of a plastic bag throughout its life, from supermarket birth to ... well, I'll let you see where the adventure takes him. Oh, and another bonus: there's a score by Kjartan Sveinsson of Sigur Ros.
The video was real. Is real. I mean ... it's a real short film by Bahrani featuring Herzog narrating the existential thoughts of a plastic bag throughout its life, from supermarket birth to ... well, I'll let you see where the adventure takes him. Oh, and another bonus: there's a score by Kjartan Sveinsson of Sigur Ros.
- 3/24/2010
- by Christopher Campbell
- Cinematical
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