Tag Archives: spike jonze

HollywoodNews.com: Film Independent, the non-profit arts organization that produces the Spirit Awards and the Los Angeles Film Festival, handed out top honors to The Artist, The Descendants and Margin Call at this afternoon’s 27th Film Independent Spirit Awards. My Week With Marilyn, Beginners, 50/50, A Separation and The Interrupters also received awards at the ceremony, held in a tent on the beach in Santa Monica.
Tune in to IFC tonight at 10:00 pm ET/PT to catch all the action at the 2012 Film Independent Spirit Awards, with actor, writer and producer Seth Rogen hosting. Highlights include: John Waters as the Voice of God, musical performances by My Morning Jacket and K’Naan.
The Spirit Awards was the first event to exclusively honor independent film, and over the past 27 years, has become the premier awards show for the independent film community, celebrating films made by filmmakers who embody independence and originality. Artists receiving industry recognition first at the Spirit Awards include Joel & Ethan Coen, Spike Lee, Oliver Stone, Ashley Judd, Robert Rodriguez, David O. Russell, Edward Burns, Aaron Eckhart, Neil LaBute, Darren Aronofsky, Spike Jonze, Charlie Kaufman, Hilary Swank, Marc Forster, Todd Field, Christopher Nolan, Zach Braff, Amy Adams and many more.
This year’s major category winners were The Weinstein Company’s The Artist, which won Best Feature, Best Director, Best Male Lead and Best Cinematography and My Week With Marilyn, which won Best Female Lead; Fox Searchlight’s The Descendants, which won Best Supporting Female and Best Screenplay; Focus Features’ Beginners, which won Best Supporting Male and Pariah, which won the John Cassavetes Award; Summit Entertainment’s 50/50, which won Best First Screenplay; Roadside Attractions’ Margin Call, which won Best First Feature; Sony Pictures Classics’ A Separation, which won Best International Film; and The Cinema Guild’s The Interrupters, which won Best Documentary.
The 5th annual Robert Altman Award was given to one film’s director, casting director, and ensemble cast. J. C. Chandor’s Margin Call received this award, along with casting directors Tiffany Little Canfield and Bernard Telsey and ensemble cast members Penn Badgley, Simon Baker, Paul Bettany, Jeremy Irons, Mary McDonnell, Demi Moore, Zachary Quinto, Kevin Spacey and Stanley Tucci.
Film Independent, in partnership with NowLive and Yahoo!, streamed a Live Arrivals Show exclusively on Yahoo! Movies (http://movies.yahoo.com) to its audience of more than 26 million US users, across the web, mobile and iOs devices.
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By Sean O’Connell
Hollywoodnews.com: David O. Russell is about to be honored with a very cool event, and if you happen to live in the vicinity of New York City, you’re going to want to check it out.
Russell, who is busy promoting his awards contender “The Fighter,” will be recognized by the newly expanded Museum of the Moving Image with a career retrospective that’s set to run from Jan. 19 through Feb. 6. Russell is the first director to be feted with such a distinction since the renovated museum has re-opened to the public.
Moving Image plans to screen all five of Russell’s feature films, starting with 1994’s “Spanking the Monkey” and running up to “The Fighter,” with Mark Wahlberg, Christian Bale, Melissa Leo and Amy Adams.
“Fighter” will kick start the retrospective on Wednesday, Jan. 19, with a special screening in the museum’s new 267-seat Moving Image Theater. Russell will be in attendance for a post-screening conversation moderated by his friend, director Spike Jonze (“Being John Malkovich,” “Where the Wild Things Are”).
Here is a complete schedule of the museum’s planned events:
The Films of David O. Russell
January 15–February 20, 2011
Special screening: The Fighter
Wednesday, January 19, 7:00 p.m.
A CONVERSATION WITH DAVID O. RUSSELL AND SPIKE JONZE
2010, 115 mins. Paramount Pictures. With Mark Wahlberg, Christian Bale, Melissa
Leo, Amy Adams.
Russell’s vibrant new film is a true-life boxing drama and a family drama about the rivalry between two brothers and between a controlling mother-manager and her son’s girlfriend. Gaining atmosphere from its Lowell, Massachusetts setting, this film features four of the year’s most indelible performances. A labor of love for producer/star Wahlberg, the film is also a dazzling comeback of sorts for Russell, making his first feature film in six years.
TICKETS: $15 public / $10 Museum members / Free for Silver Screen members and above. Order online at movingimage.us or call 718 777 6800.
Spanking the Monkey
Friday, January 21, 7:30 p.m.
1994, 100 mins. With Jeremy Davies.
In his impressive debut, which won the Audience Award at Sundance, Russell brings deadpan humor and emotional complexity to what could have been very lurid subject matter: the improper relationship that develops over a summer between a housebound mother and her college-age son.
Flirting with Disaster
Saturday, January 29, 6:00 p.m.
1996, 92 mins. With Ben Stiller, Tea Leoni.
Madcap road movie meets screwball romance meets dysfunctional family comedy in Russell’s wild and assured film about an adopted man who decides to track down [...]

By Todd Gilchrist
hollywoodnews.com: Although they can often be tedious, sometimes roundtable interviews can be great simply because of who you’re talking to. Others become memorable for what the people you’re talking to actually say. And still others end up working out because of who you are doing them with. At the recent junket for Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, I enjoyed a remarkable afternoon of great conversations with great people while sharing the table with some great journalists.
In particular, Chud.com’s Devin Faraci is not just a good friend or junket wingman, he’s a great interviewer – sharp as a tack, funny, insightful, and gets into territory that most roundtables don’t even flirt with. And thanks to a comparatively modest number of questions asked by other reporters in our room, Devin and I dove into chats with different members of the cast and crew, including Michael Cera and Jason Schwartzman, who provided plenty of real information about Scott Pilgrim, and yet they managed to be incredibly entertaining at the same time.
[Note: Although "Hollywood News" is used to distinguish questions from answers in the text below, our journalist was just one of many reporters asking questions of the filmmakers.]

Hollywood News: How likeable is Scott? Because the thing that’s really effective about the movie is not just that he’s trying to win Ramona’s love, but that he learns to take responsibility for himself. And especially early in the movie he makes some decisions that aren’t particularly sympathetic.

Michael Cera: I agree. It’s interesting – watching the movie I realized that, yeah, he’s doing some really selfish things. But for some reason, I don’t know, maybe you feel sympathetic because he’s being constantly attacked (laughs). That kind of makes you feel sorry for him. But yeah, he doesn’t really consider Knives in the beginning when he breaks up with her. She’s just kind of written off and he moves on, so he’s an idiot. He just doesn’t think of other people, but he’s kind of a doofus, you know. And by the end he realizes a very simple truth that you need to care about people’s feeling and the people around you. You need to be responsible for your actions, and yeah – that’s sort of his growth in the film, I guess.
Hollywood News: As an actor do you yourself have to sort of be oblivious in those scenes, or do you have [...]

HollywoodNews.com: After a comprehensive worldwide casting search, Andrew Garfield has been chosen to portray Peter Parker when Spider-Man swings back onto the screen in 3D on July 3, 2012. The new film will begin production in early December directed by Marc Webb from a screenplay by James Vanderbilt. Laura Ziskin and Avi Arad will produce the film from Columbia Pictures and Marvel Studios.
Today’s confirmation culminates what has been one of the most eagerly anticipated casting announcements in recent memory. Bloggers, pop culture speculators, and everyday fans have pored over and analyzed every conceivable online rumor in an attempt to discover the identity of the next actor to play Peter Parker. Garfield will immediately begin preparing for the coveted role.
The Spider-Man franchise is one of the most successful in film history and the three previous motion pictures have collectively grossed more than $2.5 billion in worldwide box office.
On selecting Garfield, director Marc Webb said, “Though his name may be new to many, those who know this young actor’s work understand his extraordinary talents. He has a rare combination of intelligence, wit, and humanity. Mark my words, you will love Andrew Garfield as Peter Parker.”
Commenting on the announcement, Amy Pascal, co-chairman of Sony Pictures Entertainment, and Matt Tolmach, President of Columbia Pictures said, “Spider-Man is a classic superhero — a young man who balances his responsibility to serve humanity and crush evil with the shyness and normalcy of someone struggling to find himself. The role demands an extraordinary actor. You need someone who can magically transform himself from Peter Parker into Spider-Man. An actor who will depict the vulnerability of youth and the strength and confidence of a legendary figure at the same moment. We have found that actor in Andrew Garfield. From the first time we saw him in the upcoming film The Social Network, to his glorious screen test, which floored all of us, we knew that we had found our new Peter Parker.”
Producer Avi Arad added, “I’m incredibly excited about Andrew Garfield. In the Spider-Man tradition, we were looking for a smart, sensitive, and cool new Peter Parker who can inspire us and make us laugh, cry, and cheer. We believe we have found the perfect choice to take on this role and lead us into the future.”
Producer Laura Ziskin said, “We are thrilled to have Andrew Garfield for this new incarnation of Spider-Man under Marc [...]

By Staff
According to Gavin Rossdale and Gwen Stefani: Love don’t come around here any more.
Responding to Courtney Love’s blabbing about her affair with Rossdale, the Bush guitarist took to his Facebook exclaiming, “Gwen and Gavin Rossdale would like to assure their fans that anything that may have occurred prior to their marriage has no impact on theircurrent situation. All is well with the Rossdale family.”
Faded Youth blog was keeping tabs on Rossdale’s social page.
Stefani’s response to the his whole mess: she has better things to do like get her nails done and lend her participation to “The Lazarus Effect,” an HBO AIDS documentary chronicling the amazing effects of antiretroviral drugs on African patients. (RED) campaign which collects funds from the sale of products to pay for HIV treatment in Africa is behind the film, which is directed by Lance Bangs and produced by Spike Jonze and Susan Smith Ellis per Tonic.

“Lazarus” will air on HBO on May 24.

BY STAFF
The Tribeca Film Festival (TFF) today announced that the ESPN Films “30 for 30″ production, Ice Cube’s Straight Outta L.A., will have its world premiere at the 2010 Tribeca Film Festival, presented by American Express. The film will serve as the gala premiere of the Tribeca/ESPN Sports Film Festival, and will take place on Friday, April 23. The 2010 Tribeca/ESPN Sports Film Festival will run during TFF (April 21 – May 2) in lower Manhattan.
“Straight Outta L.A. gives us an entertaining, firsthand account of how a professional sports team captivated a city and ultimately changed the culture of L.A.,” said Nancy Schafer, Executive Director of the Tribeca Film Festival. “For the past three years, the Tribeca/ESPN Sports Film Festival program has been an audience favorite at our Festival, and this year’s line-up will continue that tradition.”
“We are thrilled to launch this year’s Tribeca/ESPN Sports Film Festival with a film that shows how sports are intertwined in so many other cultural arenas,” stated Keith Clinkscales, senior vice president, ESPN content development and enterprises. “All of the sports documentaries in this year’s Festival truly illustrate that the reach of sports in society extends far past solely athletics and into such disciplines as music, language, art and of course, film.”
In Straight Outta L.A., director Ice Cube explores the unlikely marriage between the NFL’s rebel franchise, the Raiders, and America’s glamour city, Los Angeles. In 1982, Raiders owner Al Davis beat the NFL in court and moved his team from Oakland to Los Angeles. With a squad as colorful as its owner, the Raiders captivated a large number of black and Hispanic fans in L.A. at a time when gang warfare, immigration and the real estate boom were rapidly changing the city. The L.A. Raiders morphed into a worldwide brand as the team’s colors, swagger and anti-establishment ethos became linked with the hip-hop scene that was permeating South Central Los Angeles. Rapper-turned-filmmaker Ice Cube was not only witness to this revolution, he was also a part of it. As a member of the notorious rap group N.W.A., Ice Cube helped make the silver and black culturally significant to a new generation and demographic. Straight Outta L.A. will be televised Tuesday, May 11, at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN.
Now in its fourth year, [...]

HollywoodNews.com stays on top of the latest DVD and Blu-ray releases so you know which films are worth your time and money. This week, we recommend:
‘Where the Wild Things Are’ (Blu-ray)
Too many books don’t translate to the movie screen. Maurice Sendak’s “Where the Wild Things Are” now joins the list. By tackling Sendak’s ode to a mischievous boy named Max, ingenious filmmaker Spike Jonze (“Being John Malkovich”) subtracts the combustible energy of adolescent anarchy and creative play – two elements that were crucial to the original (and rather short) story.
Max Records is fine as Max, a rambunctious kid who boards a boat bound for a remote island after a bout with his disgruntled mom (Catherine Keener). On the island wait the wild things, monsters with emotional problems that mirror Max’s. And the therapy session begins.
“Where the Wild Things Are” wants to bare its soul. It ends up revealing a shallow heart. Jonze and screenwriter Dave Eggers focus on psychological threads hinted at in the book but left in the background for those who choose to look. This is a personal film for Jonze, which means too many of us can’t connect with it. I wanted more “wild rumpus,” and less psychoanalysis.
There’s plenty of analysis on Warner’s “Wild” Blu-ray, however, as excellent exclusive features capture the extensive making of the film. There’s the HBO First Look series on the film, and multiple shorts by Lance Bangs that cover almost every aspect of the film. Finally, Warner Home Video presents a live-action adaptation of Sendak’s “Higglety Pigglety Pop!” with voices by Meryl Streep and Forest Whitaker.
The movie – *1/2 out of 4
The DVD – *** out of 4

BY STAFF
The South by Southwest (SXSW) Film Conference and Festival has announced Chris Morris’ pitch-black satire Four Lions as its Closing Night film, to play on Saturday, March 20 at the Paramount Theatre in Austin, Texas. SXSW also released additional feature and short titles or the 2010 event, which will take place March 12 – March 20, 2010. The festival will open with the world premiere of Kick-Ass, directed by Matthew Vaughn and starring Aaron Johnson, Cholë Grace Moretz, Christopher Mintz-Plasse and Nicolas Cage.
SXSW will also host more than 80 Film Conference panels, which will take place Friday, March 12 – Tuesday, March 16. Previously announced participants for the 2010 SXSW Film Conference include Michel Gondry (The Thorn in the Heart, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind), Quentin Tarantino (Inglourious Basterds), David Gordon Green (Eastbound & Down, Pineapple Express), Jeffery Tambor’s Acting Workshop, and Academy Award-winning Argentine composer, solo artist and producer Gustavo Santaolalla, among many others. For full panel descriptions and participants, as well as the complete film lineup and schedule, visit http://sxsw.com/film/.
Additional Feature Films in the 2010 SXSW Film Festival include:
HEADLINERS
Four Lions (United Kingdom)
Director: Chris Morris. Screenwriters: Jesse Armstrong, Sam Bain, Simon Blackwell and Chris Morris
Four Lions tells the story of a group of British jihadists who push their abstract dreams of glory to the breaking point. Cast: Riz Ahmed, Arsher Ali, Nigel Lindsay, Kayvan Novak, Adeel Akhtar
SPOTLIGHT PREMIERES
American Grindhouse
Director: Elijah Drenner. Screenwriters: Calum Wadell and Elijah Drenner
This feature documentary chronicles the history of the American Exploitation Film. It digs deep into this often overlooked category of U.S. cinema and unearths the shameless and occasionally shocking origins of this popular entertainment. (World Premiere)
Cargo (Switzerland)
Directors: Ivan Engler and Ralf Etter. Screenwriters: Johnny Hartmann, Thilo Röscheisen, Patrik Steinmann
Cargo is an intelligent science-fiction thriller that puts an electrifying, futuristic spin on present-day preoccupations like flight from reality, and destruction of the environment. Cast: Anna Katharina Schwabroth, Martin Rapold, Claude-Oliver Rudolph, Pierre Semmler (U.S. Premiere)
Haynesville: The Hunt for an Energy Future
Director and Screenwriter: Gregory Kallenberg
Haynesville documents the discovery of the largest natural gas field in the nation, its momentous impact on three people’s lives, and the affect this historic find could have on our energy future. (North American Premiere)
EMERGING VISIONS
A NY Thing
Director & Screenwriter: Olivier Lecot
A French romantic follows his object of desire to New York where over the course of 3 crazed and ardent days he must convince her [...]

By ROBERT W. WELKOS
PARK CITY, Utah–Reflections on Sundance, 2010
Hottest stars in attendance:
Kristen Stewart and Dakota Fanning.
A media frenzy ensued during their red carpet arrival for “The Runaways” at Eccles Theater. Media members stood six deep, cameras flashing and TV interviewers gushing as publicists escorted their young clients from ET to Access Hollywood to MTV and on and on and on.
Ben Affleck
The star of “The Company Men” was actually chased by paparazzi and teenaged girls up Main Street after leaving an interview at the Bing Bar. Who knew?
Best singer
Orlando Bloom
To hear Mark Ruffalo and Juliette Lewis tell it, Bloom should be cutting his own album. He plays a rock singer named The Stain in Ruffalo’s new film “Sympathy for Delicious” which Ruffalo also directed. But Bloom is adamant–he won’t be crossing over into the music world now or ever.
Star who looked like he wanted to be somewhere else?
Philip Seymour Hoffman
The co-star and director of “Jack Goes Boating” was bundled up for the cold and wearing a “Jets” ski cap at his Eccles premiere, but it quickly became apparent that he has about as much personality as a guy working in a toll booth. His buddy, Tom Arnold, gave off better vibes. You get the feeling with Hoffman that he can’t stand the media–and it’s vice versa.
Best couple:
America Ferrera and Ryan Piers Williams
He’s the writer/director of “The Dry Land,” an emotional look at a U.S. soldier returning from combat suffering with post-traumatic stress disorder. Ferrera co-stars and executive produced the film. The real-life couple couldn’t have been nicer with reporters or more enthusiastic about their project, and the concern they have for military families dealing with PTSD seems genuine. Ferrera’s appearance at Sundance came at the same time ABC was canceling her series “Ugly Betty.”
Worst connection
Was it just me, or did it feel like AT&T’s Internet connections out of snowy Park City were failing over and over every day. Writing stories in the wee hours of the morning became commonplace.
Best short film:
Spike Jonze’s “I’m Here.”
The film revolves around a likable robot who works in a library and, like other robots into this look into the not so distant future, interacts with humans in his mundane everyday life. Occasionally, he will look out a window and wistfully watch a jet plane flying in the sky. Then one day he meets a sassy [...]

The Sundance Institute has announced the list of 70 short films that will premiere at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah. Those 70 were selected from 6,092 submissions, which was up 8% from last year.
The four shorts that will kick off the festival at the opening gala include “I’m Here” directed by Spike Jonze, “The Fence” directed by Rory Kennedy, “Logorama” directed by Francois Alaux, Herve de Crecy, and Ludovic Houplain, and “Seeds of the Fall” directed by Patrik Eklund.
Other highlights from the shorts program include “Herbert White” starring James Franco and last year’s narrative winner Ira Sachs’ “Last Address.”
Sundance’s Director of Programming Trevor Groth stated, “Sundance has a long legacy of supporting short filmmaking. Short films are at the core of what independent filmmaking is about — these films are made out of pure passion without commerce in mind. This year, we’re especially excited to screen a short film program as part of the opening of the Festival.”
The complete list of shorts can be seen below:
U.S. DRAMATIC SHORTS
Charlie and the Rabbit (Directors: Rodrigo Ojeda-Beck and Robert Machoian) — Charlie, a four year-old who loves Bugs Bunny, decides to hunt a rabbit of his own.
Family Jewels (Director and screenwriter: Martin Stitt) — Carol, a mother and a US soldier ready for deployment, finds that the most painful part of leaving is spending the last night with her family.
Fiddlestixx (Directors and screenwriters: David Zellner and Nathan Zellner) — Fiddlestixx is about a monkey. A very special monkey.
Gone to the Dogs (Director and screenwriter: Liz Tuccillo) — A dinner party turns ugly when one of the guests brings her dog along.
Herbert White (Director and screenwriter: James Franco) — Based on the poem by the same name, a man struggles with his inner demons while trying to live a normal family life.
I’m Here (Director and screenwriter: Spike Jonze)
Laredo, Texas (Director and screenwriter: Topaz Adizes) — Sam trains Juan for his first day at his new job, fixing pay phones in the border town of Laredo, Texas. However, tensions boil as Sam suspects that Juan is an undocumented worker.
Little Accidents (Director and screenwriter: Sara Colangelo) — A desperate young factory worker recruits a mentally disabled ex-boyfriend to steal a pregnancy test for her.
Mary Last Seen (Director and screenwriter: Sean Durkin) — A young woman embarks on a road trip with her boyfriend to a place he promises to be [...]