Jon Davies, Author at The Playlist

Harmony Korine Seeks Audience Funding For Next Film Through Rotterdam Festival

Jon Davies — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 15:49:00 +0000

Indie auteur Harmony Korine has never been one to follow standards, both in his films’ contents and in their distribution. Most recently, his wonderfully bizarre “Trash Humpers” received limited distribution through the Drag City record label, rather than any conventional film distributor.

In a move that may remind some of Kevin Smith’s plan to get his fans to fund his horror movie “Red State,” indieWIRE reports that Korine has teamed up with the International Film Festival Rotterdam’s Cinema Reloaded program to produce a film that will reportedly be entirely financed by audiences for online distribution.

Continue reading Harmony Korine Seeks Audience Funding For Next Film Through Rotterdam Festival at The Playlist.

Danny Trejo B-Movie Action Flick ‘Vengeance’ Gets A Red-Band Trailer

Jon Davies — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 16:06:00 +0000

No, there’s no red-band trailer for Robert Rodriguez’ “Machete” just yet, but a red-band for another Danny Trejo action vehicle, “Vengeance,” has surfaced.

And hell, if this doesn’t define what a red-band trailer is all about then we don’t know what would. Filled with sex, drugs, plenty of gun violence, and general Danny Trejo badassery, the trailer exhibits the film’s apparently super cheap production values to aid telling its story (which we’re guessing there’s not too much of, but why expect that?) of an, oddly enough, vengeful cop.

Continue reading Danny Trejo B-Movie Action Flick ‘Vengeance’ Gets A Red-Band Trailer at The Playlist.

Trailer: Julian Schnabel’s Israeli-Palestine Conflict Film ‘Miral,’ Picture Set For A December 3 Release

Jon Davies — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 01:16:00 +0000

Last month, we reported that The Weinstein Company had picked up Julian Schnabel‘s new film “Miral” for domestic distribution, planned for release sometime later this year. And now, a French trailer for the film has been released.

The film, adapted by Rula Jebreal from her own novel of the same name, revolves around a real orphanage in Jerusalem set up by a Palestinian woman (Hiam Abbass).

Continue reading Trailer: Julian Schnabel’s Israeli-Palestine Conflict Film ‘Miral,’ Picture Set For A December 3 Release at The Playlist.

Shane Carruth Unveils Cryptic Website For New Film ‘A Topiary’; We Take A Look At The Script

Jon Davies — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 02:18:00 +0000

**Note: this post contains mild spoilers about Shane Carruth’s “A Topiary.” If you don’t want to know anything about it, stop reading now.**

It’s been a while since Shane Carruth’s twisty time travel debut “Primer.” The 2004 film, made on a meager budget, was an impressive, if inscrutable, debut from the young filmmaker (quite literally a film maker, Carruth did damn near everything on that film, from acting in it to scoring it) that we’d highly recommend checking out.

Continue reading Shane Carruth Unveils Cryptic Website For New Film ‘A Topiary’; We Take A Look At The Script at The Playlist.

Gruff Rhys Documentary ‘Separado!’ Gets A Trailer

Jon Davies — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 23:25:00 +0000

Between all of his musical projects, Gruff Rhys — most notably the frontman and creative force behind Welsh psychedelic rockers Super Furry Animals — up until this point, hasn’t delved into the world of film beyond a few soundtrack credits.

Though we missed note of this one when the film made its world premiere in Wales last fall, Rhys does have a new musical documentary entitled “Separado!” which he wrote, scored, and co-directed with Dylan Goch and will make its American premiere this month at the Los Angeles Film Festival on the 24th and 26th.

Continue reading Gruff Rhys Documentary ‘Separado!’ Gets A Trailer at The Playlist.

William S. Burroughs Doc Soundtracked By Sonic Youth & Patti Smith, Gets Fall Release

Jon Davies — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 22:40:00 +0000

Beastie Boy Adam Yauch’s Oscilloscope Laboratories has picked up first time filmmaker Yony Leyser’s documentary “William S. Burroughs: A Man Within” for distribution, indieWIRE reports.

The documentary, which follows the life of the life of the legendary beat author and features previously unseen archival footage, will also be soundtracked by iconic noise rockers Sonic Youth and Patti Smith. It is unclear whether the soundtrack will be comprised of previously recorded pieces or new collaborations between the two artists.

Continue reading William S. Burroughs Doc Soundtracked By Sonic Youth & Patti Smith, Gets Fall Release at The Playlist.

Bruce McDonald’s Broken Social Scene Film ‘This Movie Is Broken’ Gets Trailer, Poster, Images & June 25 Canadian Release Date

Jon Davies — Fri, 21 May 2010 15:45:00 +0000

Canadian indie rockers Broken Social Scene recently released their first album in five years, Forgiveness Rock Record. And while you’ll be able to check them out on an upcoming extensive tour schedule, you can also check out some of their concert experience in a less conventional way in the upcoming film,”This Movie Is Broken.”

Directed by Bruce McDonald (“Hard Core Logo”), Canada’s hardest working indie-filmmaker, the picture is a sort of docu-drama compiling actual crowd-sourced audience-shot concert footage of the band with a fictional narrative — written by well-known Canuck scribe/filmmaker Don McKellar — revolving around two lovers (played by little known young actors Greg Calderone and Georgina Reilly from McDonald’s last picture, the aural-zombie movie, “Pontypool”) trying to make their way into a Broken Social Scene concert.

Continue reading Bruce McDonald’s Broken Social Scene Film ‘This Movie Is Broken’ Gets Trailer, Poster, Images & June 25 Canadian Release Date at The Playlist.

PS3 Game ‘Heavy Rain’ To Receive Film Adaptation

Jon Davies — Thu, 20 May 2010 16:15:00 +0000

Sick of all the huge action or sci-fi video game adaptations that are doomed to be failures? Fortunately, a game with a bit more potential is tapped to be coming to the big screen. According to Deadline, the recent Playstation 3 game “Heavy Rain” is being auctioned off for filming rights.

Former New Line head Bob Shaye is reportedly closing in on a deal under his newer company Unique Features, using his own money rather than Warner Bros., with whom he has a first look deal.

Continue reading PS3 Game ‘Heavy Rain’ To Receive Film Adaptation at The Playlist.

Drew Barrymore To Direct ‘Wizard of Oz’ Sequel ‘Surrender Dorothy’

Jon Davies — Tue, 18 May 2010 20:19:00 +0000

Ever since the original 1939 classic “The Wizard of Oz,” there has been a plethora of reinterpretations or pseudo-sequels to the original story. And now, according to Pajiba, Drew Barrymore is set to direct yet another followup to the tale.

“Surrender Dorothy” was originally announced in 2002 with Zach Helm (“Stranger Than Fiction”) writing the script and Barrymore attached to star. It’s not clear on whether Barrymore is still the lead, but the project, which will be Barrymore’s sophomore directing effort after “Whip It,” is still set to be produced by Warner Bros.

Continue reading Drew Barrymore To Direct ‘Wizard of Oz’ Sequel ‘Surrender Dorothy’ at The Playlist.

The National & Snow Patrol Featured In Zac Efron’s ‘Charlie St. Cloud’ Trailer

Jon Davies — Mon, 17 May 2010 18:35:00 +0000

So, the trailer for “Charlie St. Cloud” has been released and it’s the life-affirming Zac Efron drama you’ve all been waiting for, right? Right. The trailer, which you can watch below, seems to be the sort of schmaltzy family fare you would expect from the description. The film also marks director Burr Steers’ second collaboration with Efron since 2009’s “17 Again” Here’s a studio supplied synopsis:

‘Charlie St. Cloud’ is a romantic drama starring Zac Efron as a young man who survives an accident that lets him see the world in a unique way.

Continue reading The National & Snow Patrol Featured In Zac Efron’s ‘Charlie St. Cloud’ Trailer at The Playlist.

Cannes Buzz: Woody Allen’s ‘You Will Meet A Tall Dark Stranger’ Is Another Weak To Mediocre Effort

Jon Davies — Sun, 16 May 2010 16:30:00 +0000

While we always look forward to the perennial Woody Allen film, we can’t deny that his prolific output can often be hit or miss from year to year. Unfortunately, it looks like this year’s “You Will Meet A Tall Dark Stranger” doesn’t quite hit the mark, according to early reviews from Cannes. The London-set comedy stars Josh Brolin, Naomi Watts, Anthony Hopkins, Freida Pinto and Lucy Punch, and, despite the strong cast, apparently never quite feels complete or thorough.

Continue reading Cannes Buzz: Woody Allen’s ‘You Will Meet A Tall Dark Stranger’ Is Another Weak To Mediocre Effort at The Playlist.

Laura Harring Says ‘Mulholland’ Sequel Rumour Overstated, New Lynch Film To ‘Manifest Soon’

Jon Davies — Wed, 12 May 2010 15:13:00 +0000

Last month, we reported that Laura Harring was “very sure” a sequel to David Lynch’s “Mulholland Drive” was “being born.” Given Harring’s vague wording and the almost ridiculous nature of the idea in general, we were somewhat skeptical.

In an interview with MovieLine, Harring has unsurprisingly gone back over her original interview and, for all intents and purposes, retracted the idea of a ‘Mulholland’ sequel. Check out what she says regarding the matter of creating ‘Mulholland 2’ buzz below:

“You know what?

Continue reading Laura Harring Says ‘Mulholland’ Sequel Rumour Overstated, New Lynch Film To ‘Manifest Soon’ at The Playlist.

Vincenzo Natali To Direct Adaptation William Gibson’s ‘Neuromancer’

Jon Davies — Fri, 07 May 2010 17:05:00 +0000

Canadian director Vincenzo Natali (“Cube”) is set to make a film adaptation of William Gibson’s novel “Neuromancer,” THR reports.

The adaptation has gone through several different hands now, with Chris Cunningham developing a script over a decade ago. Author Gibson himself even stated that Cunningham would be his first choice, saying “[he is] My only choice. The only person I’ve met who I thought might have a hope in hell of doing it right.” It’s a shame this never panned out – Cunningham surely would have made one wacky sci-fi out of this.

Continue reading Vincenzo Natali To Direct Adaptation William Gibson’s ‘Neuromancer’ at The Playlist.

IFFBoston ’10 Review: ‘Cracks’ Is A Dreamy, Sumptuous Teen Tale

Jon Davies — Thu, 06 May 2010 22:31:00 +0000

When a child of an established filmmaker begins making films themselves, it can often bring mixed results. It can breed talent (Jason Reitman) or relative obscurity (Jennifer Chambers Lynch), but it always begs the question as to whether talent runs in the family or if privilege reigns above all. Ridley Scott’s daughter Jordan Scott clearly presents a strong debut feature film in “Cracks,” the story of a diving team at an all girls boarding school in 1934 England.

Continue reading IFFBoston ’10 Review: ‘Cracks’ Is A Dreamy, Sumptuous Teen Tale at The Playlist.

IFFBoston ’10 Review: ‘Tiny Furniture’ Is A Verbose Mess

Jon Davies — Thu, 06 May 2010 21:34:00 +0000

You don’t often see “big” films made by directors under the age of 30, let alone 25. The demographic of contemporary filmmakers might suggest that to turn in a mature effort, one needs experience in both life and filmmaking to get a film right. Twenty-three-year-old Lena Dunham’s SXSW hit “Tiny Furniture” may damn well be testament to this theory. While we certainly looked forward to catching this at IFFBoston, we couldn’t help but be confused at all the positive buzz it has garnered.

Continue reading IFFBoston ’10 Review: ‘Tiny Furniture’ Is A Verbose Mess at The Playlist.

IFFBoston ’10 Review: ‘Searching for Elliott Smith’ Never Finds Much

Jon Davies — Mon, 03 May 2010 11:28:00 +0000

Producing a documentary on a deceased subject can be a tricky thing. Unless you’re a filmmaker covering some huge cultural icon featured in a wealth of undiscovered archival footage, it can be tough to construct a profile on someone who you can’t actually meet, interview, and film. So for TV producer-turned-documentary filmmaker Gil Reyes, Elliott Smith, no matter how interesting he and his music may have been, seems like a tough subject to cover. In his new documentary “Searching For Elliott Smith,” Reyes attempts to outline Smith’s life entirely through interviews with friends and colleagues but never quite reaches a point of interest or insight.

Continue reading IFFBoston ’10 Review: ‘Searching for Elliott Smith’ Never Finds Much at The Playlist.

IFFBoston ’10 Review: ‘The Freebie’ Is A Surprisingly Honest, Charming Debut

Jon Davies — Sun, 02 May 2010 17:39:00 +0000

The Independent Film Festival of Boston has been almost a home to the so-called mumblecore movement of the past decade, showing or premiering key films from filmmakers such as Andrew Bujalski or the Duplass Brothers. Actress-turned-filmmaker Katie Aselton (now Mark Duplass’ wife) has acted in several of these films (including this year’s not-so-mumblecore effort from the Duplasses,”Cyrus”) and has now turned in her first directorial effort with “The Freebie.” A lot more polished than her lo-fi roots may suggest, ‘Freebie’ shows a confidence not displayed by many other first-time directors, with its concise execution of a simple story concept.

Continue reading IFFBoston ’10 Review: ‘The Freebie’ Is A Surprisingly Honest, Charming Debut at The Playlist.

IFFBoston ’10 Review: ‘The Killer Inside Me’ Is Intriguing, Occasionally Scattered Neo Noir

Jon Davies — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 13:55:00 +0000

Darkness comes in many flavors. If you’ve heard anything about Michael Winterbottom’s “The Killer Inside Me,” it’s inevitable that you’ve read at least something about its supposed darkness and brutal violence. The Casey Affleck starring neonoir certainly does deliver in darkness of several types as well as many other moods. While Winterbottom’s ‘Killer’ can be rough around the edges at times, he has made a film that, like it or not, will certainly stick with you for days after you see it.

Continue reading IFFBoston ’10 Review: ‘The Killer Inside Me’ Is Intriguing, Occasionally Scattered Neo Noir at The Playlist.

IFFBoston ’10 Review: ‘Winter’s Bone’ Is A Solemn, Strong Character Tale

Jon Davies — Sun, 25 Apr 2010 14:09:00 +0000

Debra Granik’s “Winter’s Bone” is not exactly unfamiliar territory for a Sundance winner. ‘Bone’ included, the last three films to win Sundance’s Grand Jury prize for a dramatic film (“Precious” and “Frozen River”) have focused on defiant female leads from at least somewhat marginalized backgrounds. Is the festival unfairly picking a favorite type or do these films truly deserve the praise they receive? In the case of ‘Bone,’ Granik presents what is clearly a strong effort on all fronts without ever managing to feel like a truly special achievement.

Continue reading IFFBoston ’10 Review: ‘Winter’s Bone’ Is A Solemn, Strong Character Tale at The Playlist.

IFFBoston ’10: ‘Perrier’s Bounty’ An Average Comic Thriller With Some Laughs, Few Highlights

Jon Davies — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 20:14:00 +0000

Walking into Ian Fitzgibbon’s second film “Perrier’s Bounty,” one might inevitably view the film in the light of another recent Irish-made, Brendan Gleeson-starring comic thriller “In Bruges.” The comparison is tenuous at best, as ‘Bounty’ is more lighthearted, simply entertaining fare. Penned by “Intermission” scribe Mark O’Rowe and featuring Cillian Murphy, Jim Broadbent, and Brendan Gleeson, “Bounty” provides a fun, often times uneven and clichéd, romp through a Dublin crime story.

The film opens with what seems to be a dismissal of any attempt at “greater meaning” with Gabriel Byrne’s voiceover narration as the Reaper himself making digs at ponderous philosophical questions of the world.

Continue reading IFFBoston ’10: ‘Perrier’s Bounty’ An Average Comic Thriller With Some Laughs, Few Highlights at The Playlist.

Production Begins On Fred Schepisi’s ‘The Eye Of The Storm’ With Geoffrey Rush, Charlotte Rampling & Judy Davis

Jon Davies — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 17:21:00 +0000

Returning to film in his homeland for the first time since his 1988 film “Evil Angels”, Australian filmmaker Fred Schepisi has commenced production on “The Eye Of The Storm” in Melbourne, THR reports.

The film is based on a novel of the same title by Nobel Prize-winning Australian author Patrick White and will be adapted by “Babe: Pig In the City” co-writer and “Happy Feet” co-director Judy Morris. The film will star Charlotte Rampling, Geoffrey Rush, and Judy Davis, with a supporting cast that includes the filmmaker’s daughter, Alexandra Schepisi, as well as Robyn Nevyn, Colin Friels, John Gaden, and Helen Morse.

Continue reading Production Begins On Fred Schepisi’s ‘The Eye Of The Storm’ With Geoffrey Rush, Charlotte Rampling & Judy Davis at The Playlist.

Criterion Announces July Slate: Restored ‘The Red Shoes,’ ‘The Secret Of The Grain,’ Early Ozu & More

Jon Davies — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 02:36:00 +0000

Criterion has announced their latest additions for the collection to be released in July, and they’ve given us some old favorites as well as a newer film.

Three previously released Criterion films will be refreshed and upgraded for DVD and Blu-Ray upgrade in July: Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger’s 1948 classic “The Red Shoes” and their 1947 film “Black Narcissus.” Both have received highly touted, eye-popping high definition restorations (the former has been wowing audiences on a recent arthouse run).

Continue reading Criterion Announces July Slate: Restored ‘The Red Shoes,’ ‘The Secret Of The Grain,’ Early Ozu & More at The Playlist.

Andrew Niccol To Direct His First Film In 5 Years ‘I’m.mortal’ This Summer

Jon Davies — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 12:02:00 +0000

Sorely missed sci-fi auteur Andrew Niccol’s upcoming year is shaping up to be a hell of a busy one for a guy that has only directed three films since 1997. Niccol is currently prepping an upcoming script for a sci-fi film “I’m.mortal” (yes, that wacky, punny punctuation is intentional) which he will also direct, THR reports.

Niccol will once again return to the sort of social-based science-fiction of “Gattaca” and “S1m0ne” after 2005’s crime drama “Lord of War.” You can read the THR-supplied synopsis below:

The story is set in the not-too-distant future where the aging gene has been switched off.

Continue reading Andrew Niccol To Direct His First Film In 5 Years ‘I’m.mortal’ This Summer at The Playlist.

Daniel Johnston Plans To Make Own Film, Regrets ‘The Devil & Daniel Johnston’

Jon Davies — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 20:41:00 +0000

In 2006, Jeff Feuerrzeig released his documentary “The Devil & Daniel Johnston,” chronicling the eccentric singer-songwriter’s life and particularly focusing on the musician’s bipolar disorder. Johnston, who spent a considerable amount of time in mental hospitals in the 1990s, recently told the BBC of his regrets in letting the documentary be made.

“It wasn’t really fair because it really talked about the worst experiences of my life,” Johnston said. “I wish they had included more music instead of making it one of those Stranger Than Fiction shows.”

Fair or not, we enjoyed the harrowing documentary and even included it in our Best Music Documentaries of the Decade.

Continue reading Daniel Johnston Plans To Make Own Film, Regrets ‘The Devil & Daniel Johnston’ at The Playlist.

HBO Orders Nine Episodes Of Laura Dern-Starring, Mike White Series ‘Enlightened’

Jon Davies — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 20:27:00 +0000

In yet another announcement in a long string of new HBO series in developments, THR reports that the network has picked up the Laura Dern and Mike White comedy series “Enlightened.” The network has ordered an additional nine episodes beyond the pilot for a first season of ten total half-hour episodes.

The series, starring Dern and executive produced by both her and White, revolves around Dern as a woman named Amy who, “has a revelatory experience at a treatment center and becomes determined to live an enlightened life, creating unexpected havoc at home and work.” White directed the pilot, marking this outing as the second time he has directed Dern since his first and currently only feature “Year of the Dog.” The pilot also stars Luke Wilson, Sarah Burns, and Dern’s mother Diane Ladd.

Continue reading HBO Orders Nine Episodes Of Laura Dern-Starring, Mike White Series ‘Enlightened’ at The Playlist.