From August 22 through 25, 2015, Museum of the Moving Image in New York City will honor director Alex Ross Perry with a Retrospective, and will present all of his features, including a special preview screening of the new film Queen of Earth.
“Alex Ross Perry’s two most recent films feature unforgettable and vivid performances—most notably Elisabeth Moss’s daring portrayal of emotional despair in the astonishing Queen of Earth,” said Chief Curator David Schwartz. “The Museum is pleased to offer New Yorkers an opportunity to catch up on an impressive body of work by this unique emerging talent who has incorporated his love of cinema into his own original vision.”
Impolex
SATURDAY, AUGUST 22, 4:30 P.M.
Dir. Alex Ross Perry. 2009, 73 mins. 35mm. With Riley O’Bryan, Kate Lyn Sheil, Bruno Meyrick Jones. In his feature debut, Perry was loosely inspired by Thomas Pynchon’s Gravity’s Rainbow. Taking place just after World War II, the film follows the shambling young soldier Tyrone S. as he wanders through the forest looking for German V2 rockets and encounters a number of inexplicably figures, including an eyepatch-wearing Englishman, a garrulous octopus, and the girlfriend he left behind to join the army.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZJqIOt7UHI0
The Color Wheel
SUNDAY, AUGUST 23, 3:00 P.M.
Dir. Alex Ross Perry. 2011, 83 mins. 35mm. With Carlen Altman, Alex Ross Perry. Having recently broken up with her boyfriend and former professor, aspiring TV weathergirl JR calls on her estranged younger brother Colin to help retrieve her possessions at her ex’s apartment. What follows is one of the most uncomfortable road movies ever, as the two equally despicable characters incessantly pick on, undercut, and attack one another. “Perry gives a harsh, sarcastic twist to the intimate rivalry of siblings…. [He] directs these uproarious rapid-fire flareups with exquisite comic timing and incisive comic framing,” wrote Richard Brody in The New Yorker.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gOtO8JBtxpE
Listen Up Philip
SUNDAY, AUGUST 23, 5:30 P.M.
Dir. Alex Ross Perry. 2014, 109 mins. With Jason Schwartzman, Elisabeth Moss, Jonathan Pryce. Feeling alienated by the pressures of the New York literary world and the girlfriend who financially supports him, the narcissistic and self-involved author Philip Lewis Friedman seeks refuge in the country home of his equally self-obsessed idol, the older, more established writer Ike Zimmerman. “Words do more than hurt, they also slash and burn in this sharp, dyspeptic, sometimes gaspingly funny exploration of art and life […],” noted Manohla Dargisin The New York Times.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jkjn5ICqmJI
SPECIAL PREVIEW SCREENING
Queen of Earth
With Elisabeth Moss and Alex Ross Perry in person
TUESDAY, AUGUST 25, 7:30 P.M.
Dir. Alex Ross Perry. 90 mins. With Elisabeth Moss, Patrick Fugit, Katherine Waterson. Catherine (played in what Variety calls “an utterly fearless central performance by Elisabeth Moss”) has entered a particularly dark period in her life. Following her father’s death and a bad breakup with her longtime boyfriend, she decides to spend a week recuperating in the lake house of her best friend, Virginia. However, fissures between the two women begin to appear, sending Catherine into a downward spiral of delusion and madness. As Scott Foundas points out in his Variety review, ”Perry is working in a style that seems equally influenced by doppelganger narratives like Bergman’s Persona and Brian De Palma’s Sisters.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AU3a8oniq2sIndependent Film
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Museum of the Moving Image in NYC to Honor Alex Ross Perry with a Retrospective
From August 22 through 25, 2015, Museum of the Moving Image in New York City will honor director Alex Ross Perry with a Retrospective, and will present all of his features, including a special preview screening of the new film Queen of Earth.
“Alex Ross Perry’s two most recent films feature unforgettable and vivid performances—most notably Elisabeth Moss’s daring portrayal of emotional despair in the astonishing Queen of Earth,” said Chief Curator David Schwartz. “The Museum is pleased to offer New Yorkers an opportunity to catch up on an impressive body of work by this unique emerging talent who has incorporated his love of cinema into his own original vision.”
Impolex
SATURDAY, AUGUST 22, 4:30 P.M.
Dir. Alex Ross Perry. 2009, 73 mins. 35mm. With Riley O’Bryan, Kate Lyn Sheil, Bruno Meyrick Jones. In his feature debut, Perry was loosely inspired by Thomas Pynchon’s Gravity’s Rainbow. Taking place just after World War II, the film follows the shambling young soldier Tyrone S. as he wanders through the forest looking for German V2 rockets and encounters a number of inexplicably figures, including an eyepatch-wearing Englishman, a garrulous octopus, and the girlfriend he left behind to join the army.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZJqIOt7UHI0
The Color Wheel
SUNDAY, AUGUST 23, 3:00 P.M.
Dir. Alex Ross Perry. 2011, 83 mins. 35mm. With Carlen Altman, Alex Ross Perry. Having recently broken up with her boyfriend and former professor, aspiring TV weathergirl JR calls on her estranged younger brother Colin to help retrieve her possessions at her ex’s apartment. What follows is one of the most uncomfortable road movies ever, as the two equally despicable characters incessantly pick on, undercut, and attack one another. “Perry gives a harsh, sarcastic twist to the intimate rivalry of siblings…. [He] directs these uproarious rapid-fire flareups with exquisite comic timing and incisive comic framing,” wrote Richard Brody in The New Yorker.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gOtO8JBtxpE
Listen Up Philip
SUNDAY, AUGUST 23, 5:30 P.M.
Dir. Alex Ross Perry. 2014, 109 mins. With Jason Schwartzman, Elisabeth Moss, Jonathan Pryce. Feeling alienated by the pressures of the New York literary world and the girlfriend who financially supports him, the narcissistic and self-involved author Philip Lewis Friedman seeks refuge in the country home of his equally self-obsessed idol, the older, more established writer Ike Zimmerman. “Words do more than hurt, they also slash and burn in this sharp, dyspeptic, sometimes gaspingly funny exploration of art and life […],” noted Manohla Dargisin The New York Times.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jkjn5ICqmJI
SPECIAL PREVIEW SCREENING
Queen of Earth
With Elisabeth Moss and Alex Ross Perry in person
TUESDAY, AUGUST 25, 7:30 P.M.
Dir. Alex Ross Perry. 90 mins. With Elisabeth Moss, Patrick Fugit, Katherine Waterson. Catherine (played in what Variety calls “an utterly fearless central performance by Elisabeth Moss”) has entered a particularly dark period in her life. Following her father’s death and a bad breakup with her longtime boyfriend, she decides to spend a week recuperating in the lake house of her best friend, Virginia. However, fissures between the two women begin to appear, sending Catherine into a downward spiral of delusion and madness. As Scott Foundas points out in his Variety review, ”Perry is working in a style that seems equally influenced by doppelganger narratives like Bergman’s Persona and Brian De Palma’s Sisters.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AU3a8oniq2s
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Jason Sudeikis, Alison Brie are Sex Addicts in Red Band Trailer for SLEEPING WITH OTHER PEOPLE
IFC Films debuted the official poster and Red Band trailer for the romantic comedy SLEEPING WITH OTHER PEOPLE, directed by Leslye Hedland and starring Jason Sudeikis and Alison Brie. Sleeping With Other People open in theaters on September 11, 2015.
Can two serial cheaters get a second chance at love? After a one-night stand in college, New Yorkers Lainey (Alison Brie) and Jake (Jason Sudeikis) meet by chance twelve years later and discover they each have the same problem: because of their monogamy-challenged ways, neither can maintain a relationship. Determined to stay friends despite their mutual attraction, they make a pact to keep it platonic, a deal that proves easier said than done. Fresh, funny, and full of witty insights about modern love, this hilariously heartfelt film “is the rare rom-com that reminds us why we love them so much in the first place” (Time Out New York). Amanda Peet, Adam Scott, Natasha Lyonne, and Jason Mantzoukas co-star.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H8gsb2g9YGk
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Award-Winning LOW AND BEHOLD Makes its Digital Premier August 18th on iTunes
In honor of the 10th Anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, the award-winning feature film LOW AND BEHOLD will make its digital premier August 18th on iTunes through the support of the Sundance Institute #ArtistServices program.
Based on real events, LOW AND BEHOLD tells the story of a young insurance claim adjuster, in post-Katrina New Orleans, who risks his job to help a local man find his lost dog. Shot in New Orleans only months after Hurricane Katrina, this neorealist-inspired film blends fiction and non-fiction to tell the story of an unlikely friendship.
LOW AND BEHOLD was co-written and directed by Zack Godshall, whose other films include LORD BYRON and GOD’S ARCHITECTS. The film stars Barlow Jacobs (SHOTGUN STORIES, THE MASTER) who also co-wrote the script with Godshall. Jared Moshe, Sarah Hendler and Jacobs produced.
Chris Horton, Director, #ArtistServices: Creative Distribution, said, “We’re proud to help Zack and Barlow re-release their film during an important milestone. Our #ArtistServices program was created in part to help Sundance filmmakers from past Festivals expose their work to new audiences on digital platforms, and LOW AND BEHOLD is great example of that.”
The film was shot in the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. It was the first film about the tragedy to be shot in New Orleans after the storm. It made its world premier at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival, garnering rave reviews and going on to win numerous festival awards. Mike Miley, for The Huffington Post wrote, “LOW AND BEHOLD is a fantastic work of cinema, that’s funny, heartbreaking, honest, and beautiful…”
“Barlow and I believed LOW AND BEHOLD would be a movie for all kinds of audiences, for people from all walks of life. Our festival run in 2007-08 proved us right. Now that the film is being digitally released for the first time, we’re just excited and hopeful that this important story will continue to find a wider audience,” said Godshall.
Blindwall Pictures and Mama Bear Studios are excited to be partnering with the Sundance Institute #ArtistServices program for the digital premier of LOW AND BEHOLD on iTunes. The iTunes release will be followed by releases on Amazon Instant Video, Microsoft Xbox, Sony Entertainment Network, SundanceNOW, VUDU, YouTube.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h8K0g5iqkFk
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STONEWALL Official Trailer Faces Backlash From Some in LGBT Community
STONEWALL, a drama about a fictional young man caught up during the 1969 Stonewall Riots, considered the birthplace of the LGBT rights movement, which will World Premiere at the upcoming Toronto Film Festival, followed by a release in the theaters in the US on September 25th, just released its official trailer which is not going over well with some in the LGBT community.
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Throwback Texas Thriller TWO STEP Movie Review
The crime thriller TWO STEP debuted at the 2014 South by Southwest Festival and made the festival rounds throughout 2014.
James (Skyy Moore) is a college dropout who lives with his grandmother. When his grandmother passes away, James is on his own in a town where he doesn’t know anyone else. He meets his grandmother’s neighbor Dot (Beth Broderick), an attractive middle-aged dance instructor, and soon develops an attachment to her. Meanwhile, jailhouse lowlife Webb (James Landry Hébert) spends his time in prison calling random numbers from to scam old people out of money. Webb is released from prison into a desperate situation, and he proves how cerebral and destructive he can be when he and James inadvertently cross paths.
TWO STEP is a thriller that has some very unique elements – for one, much of the violence – and there is plenty – happens off-screen. This isn’t a movie about physical violence, it is about the mental toll that desperation causes. First time feature writer/director Alex R. Johnson structures the film to hide the violence, particularly in the dangerous, slow-spoken way that Webb carries himself. While Webb is obviously distressed, both James and Dot have their own issues within their lives. Both are somewhat lost causes, and it’s fascinating how the film hints at the nature of their friendship.
The final third of TWO STEP almost entirely focuses on Webb, shifting him from the film’s antagonist role to the protagonist’s role. Much of it involves him driving around talking to people and tying up the loose ends in his life, which meanders too much. This pushes both James and Dot’s characters to the fringe of the narrative, and if you are more interested in their predicaments than Webb’s (as I was), you will be disappointed. Because of that, as engaged I was in the setup of the conflict of TWO STEP, I was disappointed in not seeing more of these characters because their personal conflicts remain largely unresolved.
TWO STEP is worth a watch, but the ending holds it back from being a unique crime thriller that would set it apart from the dozens of above average crime films that appear at festivals every year. Johnson definitely shows a talented eye for directing – and Hébert plays a great villain – so I’m looking forward to see if Johnson can grow as a filmmaker with his next feature.
Film Review Rating 3 out of 5 : See it … It’s Good
https://vimeo.com/93220155
TWO STEP
Opens July 31st in NY at the Village East Cinema, and August 7th in LA, will be available across major iVOD/cVOD platforms starting on September 1st.
Written and Directed by Alex R Johnson
Starring Beth Broderick, James Landry Hébert, Skyy Moore, Jason Douglas, Ashley Rae Spillers
Written by Christopher McKittrick
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Watch Red Band TRAILER for PRINCE directed by Sam De Jong, in Theaters on August 14th
VICE released the Red Band Trailer for PRINCE directed by Sam De Jong and winner of 2015 Berlinale – Honorary Mention: Crystal Bear for Best First Feature. PRINCE will be released in theaters and on VOD platforms August 14th.
Seventeen-year-old Ayoub (Ayoub Elasri) has a lot on his plate: his father (Chaib Massaoudi) is a junkie, his mother (Elsie de Brauw) is a lonely divorcé, and his sister (Olivia Lonsdale) is falling in with the wrong crowd. Haunted by his father’s terrible reputation, Ayoub can’t get the attention of Laura (Sigrid ten Napel), the most beautiful girl in the neighborhood. He does, however, gain the attention of Kalpa (Freddy Tratlehner), an eccentric, purple Lamborghini-driving, psychotically violent local criminal. Falling in with Kalpa, Ayoub tries to enlarge his status (and wallet) enough to win Laura over, but soon finds that his new life is far more than he bargained for.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JgXbuIcGInA
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ONE & TWO Starring Kiernan Shipka Sets Release Date of August 14th | TRAILER
IFC Midnight has released the trailer for ONE & TWO, directed by Andrew Droz Palermo and Neima Shahdadi, and opening theatrically August 14th.
ONE & TWO starring Kiernan Shipka and Timothée Chalamet, had its world premiere at the 2015 Berlin International Film Festival, followed by its U.S. premiere at the SXSW Film Festival.
In the confines of their isolated world, Zac and Eva (Timothée Chalamet of “Homeland” and Kiernan Shipka of “Mad Men”) live under the constant watch of a father (Grant Bowler, “True Blood”) that rules with strict routine and discipline. They live for nightfall — for moments of escape — and rely on each other for moments of levity.
After a long dormant illness returns, their mother (Elizabeth Reaser, THE TWILIGHT SAGA), once a beacon of light and joy, struggles to unite the family in an increasingly somber home. As their father searches for a divine answer to the heartbreaking circumstances of his crumbling world, Zac and Eva steal moments to explore burgeoning otherworldly abilities and to dream of a life free of limitations.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5eKwzKkkIc
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Watch TRAILER for Alex Ross Perry’s QUEEN OF EARTH, in Theaters on August 26th
IFC Films has released a trailer for Alex Ross Perry’s QUEEN OF EARTH, starring Elisabeth Moss and Katherine Waterston, set to be released on August 26th in New York with a national rollout to follow.
Catherine (Elisabeth Moss) has entered a particularly dark period in her life: her father, a famous artist whose affairs she managed, has recently died, and on the heels of his death she’s dumped by her boyfriend James (Kentucker Audley). Looking to recuperate, Catherine heads out to her best friend Virginia’s (Katherine Waterston) lake house for some much needed relaxation. However, once Catherine arrives relaxation proves impossible to find, as she is overcome with memories of time spent at the same house with James the year before. As Catherine reaches out to Virginia with attempts at connection, Virginia begins spending increasing amounts of time with a local love interest, Rich (Patrick Fugit), and fissures in the relationship between the two women begin to appear, sending Catherine into a downward spiral of delusion and madness. A bracing, eerie look at the deep bonds of friendship and the horrific effects of such bonds being frayed, Queen of Earth is a thrilling examination of a deeply complex relationship between two miserable women.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AU3a8oniq2s
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Relationship Drama 6 YEARS, Directed by Hannah Fidell go for Release Date of August 18th | TRAILER
The relationship drama 6 YEARS, directed by Hannah Fidell and starring Taissa Farmiga, Ben Rosenfield, Lindsay Burdge, Joshua Leonard, Jennifer Lafleur, which premiered at 2015 SXSW Film Festival, will be released on iTunes and digital platforms on August 18th and on Netflix on September 8th.
A young couple in their early 20s, Dan and Melanie, have known each other since childhood. Now their 6-year romantic relationship is put to the test when Dan receives an attractive job offer from the record label with whom he interns, and he must choose between a move forward and a future with Mel. Growth and temptation happen – but will their relationship remain part of their future?
Writer/director Hannah Fidell explores the struggles of young love as it begins to face the next steps into adulthood. Taissa Farmiga and Ben Rosenfield give warm, genuine performances as Mel and Dan, alongside Lindsay Burdge (star of Fidell’s A Teacher) as a colleague of Dan’s who entices him in more ways than one.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lH2UscNnO6Y
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Indie Comedy GUIDANCE Directed by Pat Mills Sets Release Date of August 21 | TRAILER
GUIDANCE, a comedy film about the downward spiral of a man who has no limits, will open theatrically in New York on Friday, August 21 at The Village East Cinema with a national release to follow. GUIDANCE is the first feature for writer/director Pat Mills, a child actor on the hit kids show “You Can’t Do That On Television”, and stars Pat Mills, Zahra Bentham, Tracey Hoyt, Kevin Hanchard, Alex Ozerov, Eleanor Zichy.
David Gold, 36, a pathologically immature former child actor, has never been able to get over high school. Recently diagnosed with skin cancer, unemployed and with nothing left to lose, he fakes his resume and gets a job as a high school guidance counselor. Quickly winning over the students at Grusin High with his laidback attitude and similar interests, he befriends Jabrielle, a teenaged outcast and soon learns that sometimes you can go too far, especially when it comes to committing a ridiculous crime.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dLm0d_3uj4I
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Watch TRAILER for MISSISSIPPI GRIND starring Ryan Reynolds & Ben Mendelsohn
A24 has released the trailer for MISSISSIPPI GRIND starring Ryan Reynolds, Ben Mendelsohn, Sienna Miller, Analeigh Tipton, Robin Weigert and Alfre Woodard. MISSISSIPPI GRIND opens in theaters September 25, 2015, and available on DirecTV August 13, 2015.
In this lively, freewheeling road movie, Emmy Award nominee Ben Mendelsohn plays Gerry, a talented but down-on-his-luck gambler whose fortunes begins to change when he meets Curtis (Ryan Reynolds), a younger, highly charismatic poker player. The two strike up an immediate friendship and Gerry quickly persuades his new friend to accompany him on a road trip to a legendary high stakes poker game in New Orleans. As they make their way down the Mississippi River, Gerry and Curtis manage to find themselves in just about every bar, racetrack, casino, and pool hall they can find, experiencing both incredible highs and dispiriting lows, but ultimately forging a deep and genuine bond that will stay with them long after their adventure is over.
Reminiscent of classic 1970s American Cinema, Mississippi Grind is an unforgettable journey featuring two characters who—flawed as they may be—are always worth rooting for. It’s a film about friendship, addiction, regret, family, and the paths we sometimes unexpectedly find ourselves on—told with empathy, humor, and a remarkable light touch by acclaimed filmmakers Ryan Fleck and Anna Boden (Half Nelson, It’s Kind of A Funny Story).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7p1MNB6TNQU
Mississippi Grind also stars Sienna Miller, Analeigh Tipton, Robin Weigert, and Alfre Woodard.
It is produced by Jamie Patricof and Lynette Howell, who previously worked with Fleck and Boden on Half Nelson, and also produced The Place Beyond the Pines and Blue Valentine.
