Movies

Fox picks ups movie rights to Adena Halpern's 29

POSTED: Thursday, August 5, 2010, 4:45 PM

Filed Under: Movies Books

Halpern

Philly is becoming quite the bastion for chick lit cinema. The Hollywood Reporter reports that Fox has picked up the rights to the Philly-set 29, written by Bala Cynwyd-bred Adena Halpern. 29 is about a 75-year-old woman who gets to be the titular age for a day. Chaos ensues, life lessons are learned. John Davis is attached to produce, whose credits this year hilariously involve both Marmaduke and Predators. There are no writers or directors attached yet, nor any word if the local setting will remain. We're gonna bet yes, considering the Film Tax Credit Act of 2007 was retained in the state's budget and Halpern seems quite passionate about the book's locale. In a June interview with A.D. Amorosi, Halpern talked about how the city is an integral part of her novel:

CP:: Are you trying to show off the splendor of Philadelphia, making it a character like Candace Bushnell did with Manhattan in Sex in the City? AH:: Just like Woody Allen does with New York, or John Irving does with New Hampshire, I want the world to see Philly through the same rose-colored glasses that I do. I've always thought of Philly as a best-kept secret. If people want American history, they're going to go to D.C. If they want a city, they're going to go to Manhattan. What they don't know, unless they've visited Philly, is how incredibly beautiful and unexpectedly vibrant it is.

h/t /Film

Posted by Molly Eichel @ 4:45 PM Permalink | Post a comment

Poster for Night Catches Us debuts, gets release date

POSTED: Thursday, August 5, 2010, 2:00 PM

Filed Under: Movies

night-catches-us-full

Movieline gives us the first glimpse of Tanya Hamilton's Philly-set/shot movie about a former Black Panther (The Hurt Locker's Anthony Mackie) who returns home after a 10-year exile. They also report that Night Catches Us will be available for OnDemand viewing starting Oct. 29 and hit theaters Dec. 3, courtesy of distributor Magnolia Pictures.

Posted by Molly Eichel @ 2:00 PM Permalink | Post a comment

Lawn Chair Drive-In screening series bids farewell to NoLibs, looks toward the future

POSTED: Wednesday, August 4, 2010, 7:28 PM

Filed Under: Movies screening

Courtesy of Lawn Chair Drive-In

Patrick Swayze in Skatetown, U.S.A., the only Lawn Chair Drive-in screening to take place at Liberty Lands Park this year.

The Lawn Chair Drive-in, the outdoor screening series that had made its home at Liberty Lands Park for the past 15 years, has been conspicuously absent this summer. Founders Dave Amodei and Todd Kimmell usually mount a 10-week series of always-on-film movies that can be loosely, and lovingly, described as classics. But they were were silent this year until Kimmel annouced that Lawn Chair would only screen one film — Skatetown, U.S.A., aka Patrick Swayze's debut — at Liberty Lands next Wed., Aug. 11 before heading out northwest to Chestnut Hill. More specifically to the Water Tower park on Ardleigh Street near the Water Tower Rec Center. Kimmell says the park has "a good spookumville feeling to it," where the Lawn Chair-ers will screen Elaine May's A New Leaf on Fri., Aug. 27. But that's not permanent. Next summer, Kimmell and Amodei plan to move again to Pastorius Park (Abington Avenue and Lincoln Drive). Kimmell is thrilled with the change of venue. "It's breathtaking," he says of the proposed new location. "The first time I walked over there, I looked like the Iron Giant smiling, grin from hinged ear to hinged ear." It doesn't hurt that Kimmell feels that he's gotten more support from the Chestnut Hill Neighborhood Association since he and Amodei decided to move than he ever did from the Northern Liberties Neighborhood Association. Kimmell says he ignored most of the griping that goes hand-in-hand with neighborhood associations but was disheartened to learn that his plea to seek out arts grants to provide a stipend for he and Amodei were not passed onto higher-ups. Problems came to a head last summer when he wouldn't let an NLNA member "pass the hat" for donations at an early screening. Amodei had just dropped $1000 out of pocket on a new projector for the series and both felt any donations collected should go to compensating Amodei. Because Kimmell and Amodei were only given money to cover costs — meaning they weren't paid for hosting the event, nor for their year-long curatorial efforts to program 10 weeks of film — they didn't feel it was fair to ask the audience for more money to go to the NLNA. "From that point forward, they decided to just vote us away," says Kimmell. The NLNA told Kimmel and Amodei late last fall that they were seeking bids for their replacement. "Todd had a done a terrific job for many years. They were growing and so is the neighborhood," says NLNA President Matt Ruben, who says he was no part of the committee that decided to go with a different film screener. "Given the scope and scale of the undertaking, we wanted to see what was else was out there. I think Todd did an amazing job in creating that. We just thought that bidding it out would be a good in the neighborhood's juncture." He adds, "I personally really enjoyed the variety of films that he showed. I would hope to get up to Chestnut Hill to see what he's doing up there." Kimmell is sad to leave Liberty Lands' and its audience but feels that he and Amodei are filling a niche in Chestnut Hill. "There is nothing like what we're offering," he says. While Pastorious is the plan, Kimmell and Amodei are thinking beyond outdoor screenings. It's their dream to set up a brick and mortar cinema, that would "leave room for more modern film but lean toward the classics," says Kimmell. "There is no cinematheque in Philadelphia where you walk into the place and feel excited," says Kimmell. "There is no place where you think you've stepped into this groovy bijou dream." Kimmell, who says his main fault is being too optimistic, thinks he and Amodei could have their dream theater up in a year, but admits realistically its at least a couple of years away. Still, they have spaces in mind and a board tentatively in place. "I'm not a filmmaker," says Kimmell. "I'm a guy who shows films and loves films. That's how I like to bring people together."

Posted by Molly Eichel @ 7:28 PM Permalink | Post a comment

Movies that are still awesome: Stay Tuned

POSTED: Wednesday, July 28, 2010, 4:35 PM

Filed Under: Movies

I dread watching beloved movies from childhood because they generally never live up to their former glory (I'm looking at you Drop Dead Fred). But I can gladly confirm that Peter Hyam's 1992 unnecessarily satiric Stay Tuned is still as ludicrous as a I remember it being from countless cable viewings. Although, I probably didn't get the irony of a movie about the evils of television when I was, like, seven.

Stay Tuned features John Ritter and Pam Dawber (A TV satire featuring Jack Tripper from Three's Company and the one who wasn't Robin Williams from Mork and Mindy? In a movie for children who were mostly likely born after those shows ended their run? Of course!) as a marrieds Roy and Helen Knable who hit a cold spot in their relationship and are sucked into their TV by an ominously large satellite, sold to Roy by a ginger villain named Spike (Jeffrey Jones, aka Principal Rooney from Ferris Bueller's Day Off). It's Spike's job to gather souls by killing people off while they are trapped in various TV-parody scenarios. Why? Because making a movie about real world moral lapses leading to damnation just isn't as family friendly. Plus, Eugene Levy makes an appearance as comic relief, which is exactly what Eugene Levy is supposed to do in the movies (just ask all those accountants who have to sift through his American Pie franchise money). Jones, with his pallid skin tone and nasally voice, is one of those character actors that will never ever have a Paul Giamatti-in-American Splendor, or even Joe Pantoliano-in-Memento, moment because he can only play creepy (Ravenous), wrongfully patronizing (Ferris Bueller, Beetlejuice) or both (Deadwood), which makes sense because he's probably a pedophile. Sans his alleged affinity for 14-year-old boys, Jones is this perfect villain: He's physically imposing without being scary. He wants you to fear him but you just can't. Because, well, look at him...

pics24h.com

Jones as Principal Rooney in Ferris Bueller's Day Off

The plot is secondary to the parodies of then-current TV fare, like The Fresh Prince of Darkness, thirtysomething-to-life and Different Strokes, featuring two old men experiencing their own aneurysms. The crown jewel it Stay Tuned's crown is the animated interlude by the legendary Chuck Jones in which Dawber and Ritter are transformed into cartoon mice. It's one of those breaks in a movie that you would otherwise forget but brings you back so viscerally to childhood it's almost as if you were sucked into some ominously large satellite. Watching that part, I'm sitting in the crook of my parents old L-shaped couch, eating popcorn and watching Ritter and Dawber try to evade the evil Robo-Kitty.

There are other parts like this — namely the random break for a Salt 'n' Pepa music vide0 — that hurtle you backward in time, but that's the reason that movies live on, whether the retention of their awesomosity needs to be debated or not. Because some part of you wants to be sitting on your parents' L-shaped couch, eating popcorn and watching John Ritter as a cartoon mouse.

SeannyBoy

Posted 2010-07-28 12:13:45

Not to be disagreeable, but I'm going to have to disagree on this one. The word "awesome" should not be spoken within 10 minutes of any mention of this movie.

It's terrible, from start to finish. Anti-funny. If there are a couple laughs in this, you're so beaten down by the suckage that they don't even register.

Admittedly, some of my hatred for "Stay Tuned" is undoubtedly derived from the guilt of having suggested some family and friends watch this when it was in theaters, and we were looking to kill some time on a rainy day at the Jersey shore. It wasn't long into the movie before I was sinking into my seat in shame and wishing I never opened my mouth. 

But my deep-seated shame should only serve as a warning for CP readers who never saw "Stay Tuned." Avoid at all cost.

In related business, when we went to see "Stay Tuned" at that shore theater, Bobby Clarke was in the lobby buying tickets to the only other movie being shown — "Unforgiven." He wasn't the greatest GM, but he made the right call that day.

Posted by Molly Eichel @ 4:35 PM Permalink | Post a comment

QFEST: Audience and Jury announce winners

POSTED: Tuesday, July 20, 2010, 9:09 PM

Filed Under: Movies Film Fest

The Secret Diaries of Miss Anne Lister, the audience award winner for Best Feature Film

Bid adieu to QFest. The queer film fest closed out their two-week extravaganza last night with Robert Gaston's Flight of the Cardinal, which Gary Kramer used to illustrate the pros and cons of marketing film to a queer niche. Here are the Jury and audience awards for this year's fest: Jury winners

Best Short Film: (tied) My Name is Love directed by David Fardmar and Evelyn Everyone directed by Kylie Plunkett
Best Documentary: Edie & Thea: A Very Long Engagement directed by Susan Muska and Greta Olafsdottir
Best Feature Film: Undertow directed by Javier Fuentes-Leon
First Time Director: Javier Fuentes-Leon who directed Undertow

Audience winners

Best Short Film: (tied) You Can't Curry Love directed by Reid Waterer and Bedfellows directed by Pierre Stefanos
Best Documentary Film: Edie & Thea: A Very Long Engagement directed by Susan Muska and Greta Olafsdottir
Best Comedic Feature: Oy Vey! My Son Is Gay! directed by Evgeny Afineevsky
Best Feature Film: The Secret Diaries of Miss Anne Lister directed by James Kent

Aw, I'll miss you QFest too, but don't fret, you can revisit all of our coverage:

Posted by Molly Eichel @ 9:09 PM Permalink | Post a comment

Listen to an audience react to M. Night Shyamalan's name

POSTED: Monday, July 19, 2010, 7:44 PM

Filed Under: Movies

Before a screening of Inception (did you read Sam Adams' review yet?), the theater screened a trailer for Devil in which M. Night Shyamalan is given a story credit. Listen to how the audience reacts when they see "From the mind of M. Night Shyamalan" around the :15 mark. UPDATE: I don't know where/when this screening was but former CP webmaster extraordinaire Marc Steel said the same thing happened at the 7:15 showing at Cherry Hill last night. Awww. Sad face. Devil is about a group of people — a suit, a slacker, a security guard, a hot chick and an older woman — who are stuck in an elevator. The catch? One of them is Lucifer himself. $20 says it's the old lady. Watch the trailer for after the jump. h/t Filmdrunk (but first Tweeted by Philly sports fan Patrick. What up, Patrick!)

Jimbob

Posted 2010-07-19 16:46:26

$20 says the world is the devil and the elevator is one his balls that goes up and down and up and down all day long..

Andrew

Posted 2010-07-20 16:19:39

same thing happened at the midnight at Lincoln Center, but I think our crowd was far better with lines such as "just stop, for the love of God STOP"! and "i see dead careers"!
but kudos to every New Yorker for their contributions.

Posted by Molly Eichel @ 7:44 PM Permalink | Post a comment

WHAT KNOCKERS!: The Clay Studio and Philadelphia Film Society team up for screenings

POSTED: Monday, July 19, 2010, 4:48 PM

Filed Under: Movies screening

The Philadelphia Film Society, Clay Studio and Elfreth's Alley join forces for a new screening series. Only two movies deep as of yet, the offerings include Mel Brooks' Young Frankenstein (Thu., July 29) and Nick Park's Wallace and Gromit: Curse of the Were Rabbit (Thu., Aug. 26). Both screenings will take place a Flagpole Park on the south side of the Clay Studio (137-139 N. Second St.). All films begin at dusk. Bring snacks and chairs!

The screening series is being titled the Mind of the Artist, and is supposed to focus on artists working in different media. Seems kinda tenuous as to why the first screening is in there, but whatevs, we'll take Young Frankenstein anytime we can get it.

Posted by Molly Eichel @ 4:48 PM Permalink | Post a comment

Q&A with queer adult filmmaker Michael Lucas: "I do believe that I'm a pornographer. But in order to stay in business for over 15 years, one has to be creative."

POSTED: Saturday, July 17, 2010, 6:08 PM

Filed Under: Interview | Movies

Courtesy of Lucas Entertainment

Michael Lucas

Allow me to tell you about Michael Lucas, film maker and founder of Lucas Entertainment, who will talk about his life in porn during tonight's Lip Service lecture at QFest. After growing up Jewish in bigoted Soviet Russia, Lucas immigrated to America and opened his vid-making and distributing venture. The adult film star — who has previously voiced controversial views on Islam, including referring to the Qu'ran as "today's Mein Kampf" — has lectured at universities and film forums regarding rampantly destructive drug use and unprotected sex in the gay community, Israel and anti-Semitism and child pornography. We got him to open up about a few of these topics before heading to Philly. City Paper: Before your time in the limelight, did you feel more persecuted for being gay, an atheist or a citizen of Israel? Michael Lucas: I was born in Russia, and I lived in Russia until 1995. I went to Europe after and lived there from 1995 to '97. Then I came to New York and started my company in 1998. I became an American citizen in 2004. I became an Israeli citizen in 2009. I am a citizen of three countries: Russia, America and Israel. I am also a resident of Germany because I lived there before coming to the United States. I'm giving you this quick outline in order to be able to answer your questions. So, about being atheist. I couldn't possible have a problem with being an atheist because in the Soviet Union, where I grew up, you had no other alternative. After the fall of the Soviet Union, Russia became as religious as the United States is today. I'm still an atheist because I don't believe in the supernatural and I don't believe in God. I don't believe that God created us. I believe that people created God out of their weakness, being afraid to live, and most importantly, being afraid of dying. As for discrimination, I was discriminated in the Soviet Union for being a Jew. In Russia, "Jewish" was not a religion. It was considered a nationality. In my passport under the space for nationality, it was entered "Jewish," not "Russian." It's ridiculous, but that's how anti-Semitic Russia was. As for being gay, it was difficult being gay because Russia is a very homophobic country. Those are two of the reasons I left: Russia is very homophobic and anti-Semitic. It's a dark and cruel country. I would like to clarify for you that I consider myself to be a Jewish-atheist. If it sounds complicated, I'd be happy to elaborate. CP: Let the layman in on the mechanics of it all? ML: Jews you see are not just people that follow Judaism. There are many secular Jews. I don't believe in a Jewish god. I believe in my people, I believe in Israel. I am proud that for thousands years of persecutions, discriminations, pogroms and massacres that culminated in Holocaust. We survived and contributed to the world in every field. I believe in Israel, in our right to defend ourselves — to make sure not to be exterminated again. Israel is a back-up for every Jew no matter where he lives. CP: Do you think of yourself as a filmmaker who happens to work in gay pornography or decidedly a gay pornographer. I mean, I'm not gay and find your more narrative moments interesting. ML: Thank you very much for that compliment. I do believe that I'm a pornographer. But in order to stay in business for over 15 years, one has to be creative. So I think I'm creative. CP: Thinking about your ideas regarding Islam and knowing you're a proud New Yorker, how do you feel about the building of a mosque near Ground Zero? ML: I think it's a slap in the face of all Americans and, in particular, New Yorkers and the families of those who died in the terrorist attacks of 9/11. Because you see, people are not stupid. No one is buying the bullshit that Muslims are trying to rub in our faces when they call a 13 floor Islamic center a gesture of peace. This project is sponsored by Saudi Arabia, the country that provided 15 hijackers for the attacks. Muslims are incredibly stupid for being so arrogant and disrespectful. They're turning public opinion even more against themselves. As for politicians in Manhattan, they are nothing more than a bunch of liberal morons for approving this disgusting monument to terrorism. CP: You seem to have lectured around the country on a number of topics. You obtained a law degree from Russia, is that the lawyer in you? ML: No. This is independent thinking, one which is not intimidated by anyone. CP: You have a pretty great relationship with the TLA people and its QFest. How did all that start and where is it going as so much film is downloadable. ML: TLA was always great to me. They distribute lots of my films, and we have a fantastic relationship. As downloading, it's a big problem for studios that produce movies and for distributors like TLA. We're all hoping that some serious measures will be taken to prevent illegal downloading, because it hurts not only the porn business, but the music business, the show business and lots of other industries overall. People are becoming thieves without even understanding it, and I think governments of the world should interfere.

Lip Service, Sat., July 17, 9:45 p.m., Ritz East Theater, 125 S. Second St., qfest.com; Michael Lucas: Ultraporn After-Party, 10 p.m., Voyeur, 1221 St. James Pl.

Posted by A.D. Amorosi @ 6:08 PM Permalink | Post a comment

Q&A with Dark Fall director Alex DiPhillipo: "We surf in the snow -- it's pretty hardcore."

POSTED: Friday, July 16, 2010, 4:00 PM

Filed Under: Interview | Movies screening

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[source]

Alex DiPhillipo filming Thomas Petriken

A handful of South Jersey friends surf together each winter. The water is empty. The ocean is cold. It's a lonely scene — just a few people crazy enough to go the distance for some great waves. Alex DiPhillipo saw a story. Margate native DiPhillipo decided to document the unique experience of Jersey surfers, many of whom are his friends. Originally, DiPhillipo, who moved to Hawaii after college and shot footage for various surf companies, thought his first independent film would be small and wrap quickly. But as more people took interest, it became clear the project was growing. The film doesn't just feature Jersey local hotshots such as Zack Humphreys and Andrew Gesler. Surfing pro Kelly Slater and NJ native Dean Randazzo appear in the film. But the famous names don't mean as much as the local ones. DiPhillipo's film, Dark Fall, is about what it's like to be a New Jersey surfer, with none of the glory, but all of the guts. City Paper: What's the concept of the film? Alex DiPhillipo: It takes you through the seasons and what it's like to be a New Jersey surfer. It shows the hardships of being a surfer from New Jersey, a professional trying to make a living. There really aren't many contests here, there isn't that much recognition. We surf in the snow — it's pretty hardcore. The film also takes you to Hawaii. We meet up with a bunch of big name guys in Hawaii to show everyone we can surf pipeline, some of the world's biggest waves. We come back to New Jersey in the summer, show you how it's a crazy tourist attraction, how the Jersey Shore goes from a ghost town in the winter to a crazy party scene in the summer. Then we take another break from Jersey and go to Tahiti. It ends in the fall. That's the basis of film: coming back to Jersey to surf the fall, with nobody around but your friends.

CP: Most of the subjects were your friends. Did that make the project any easier? AD: Andrew Gesler, who takes you through the film with his voice and surfs a lot in it too — he's co-producer of the film and wrote the film with me. Basically, when I came home and said I wanted to do a film, he gathered guys I didn't know for me. That was a big help. If it weren't for him, a lot of the guys in there wouldn't be in there. I knew most of the guys. But [Gessler] wrote to the pros and said, "Hey, you gotta hop on this." It took some awhile to believe in it for a couple of months but when we started producing stuff, like little trailers, people saw what we had. CP: Obviously, there are some great surf movies out there, and you just made your own which is a huge undertaking. But what are your three favorite surfing movies of all time? AD: I don't have three but I have one. I definitely liked Endless Summer. I grew up on that film. I'm a big fan of story telling; the reason I made this film was to tell a story. There's a lot of quote on quote "surf porn" out there — which is just like surfing and techno music. Anyone can go to a beach and film the best surfers in the world doing crazy shit. But that movie was really one of the first movies I watched when I was younger and I watched it over and over again, because of the story, you know?

Dark Fall, Fri. July 16, $20 House of Blues, 801 Boardwalk, Atlantic City, 609-236-2583, darkfallthemovie.com

Posted by Katy Bergen @ 4:00 PM Permalink | Post a comment

NOW SEE THIS: The greatest movie trailer of all time

POSTED: Thursday, July 15, 2010, 6:30 PM

Filed Under: Movies | Now See This trailer!

"You will see this movie.

In a fucking theater.

Where violence belongs."

The Expendables hits theaters August 13. I plan on seeing it eight or nine times. How about you? RELATED >> TRAILER!: The Expendables h/t Tommy Button

Posted by Molly Eichel @ 6:30 PM Permalink | Post a comment

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Q&A with SHARI SOLANIS: "The goal isn't pornography"
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Featuring everything from event roundups to concert reviews and sex talk, City Paper's Critical Mass is a space for off-the-wall coverage of Philly's A&E scene.

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