Freitag, 20. Januar 2012
Sundance-Entdeckungen 2012schwanenmeister, 14:13h
Das letzte Jahr brachte Werke wie "The Future", "Like Crazy", "Bellflower", "Terri", "Here", "The Woman", "Take Shelter", "Another Earth", Martha Marcy May Marlene" und "Vampire". Man darf also gespannt sein, was die fleißigen Bienensoldaten Karina Longworth, Drew McWeeny, James Rocchi, Robert Koehler, Eric Vespe, Ty Burr und Alison Willmore dieses Jahr ausgraben. Und auch die Trade Press wie der Hollywood Reporter oder Screen Daily werden neben der Genrebastion Twitch Film nicht vergessen:
Most-Wanted 2012:
Room 237 (Rodney Ascher) ★★★★
"The fastidiousness, intellectual obsessiveness and attention to minute detail for which Stanley Kubrick was known is matched by some devoted acolytes in ROOM 237, a fanatical, sometimes hilarious analysis and deconstruction of hidden meanings to be found in the director’s controversial 1980 horror film THE SHINING", schreibt Todd McCarthy (THR). "Anyone with even the slightest interest in decoding images will enjoy the wacky, wonderful ROOM 237. Most fun I've had all Sundance", twittert Justin Chang (Variety). "Ascher's ROOM 237 is by far the most imaginative doc in Sundance by a new filmmaker that it's insane it's not in a prime-time position here", twittert Robert Koehler (Variety).
Shadow Dancer (James Marsh) ★★
"Expertly directed and paced by Marsh, and boasting another riveting lead performance from rising UK star Andrea Riseborough, the film is neither didactic nor educational, and could be the first troubles film in years to make a dent at the box office", schreibt Mike Goodridge (Screen Daily). "Marsh's film is one that makes a difference, a poetic and unapologetically arthouse story of betrayal and loyalty that, with its terrific score, measured pacing and fierce female performances, is a raw reminder of a sad and painful past", schreibt Damon Wise (Guardian).
The Surrogate (Ben Lewin) ★★
"A feel-good film about how a sexual surrogate helps a polio victim conquer virginity could be a popular hit with the right handling", schreibt Todd McCarthy (THR). "Hawkes rocks as poet & polio survivor Mark O'Brien, who learns how to make human connection via virginity quest. Tender, funny, exceptional", schreibt Peter Debruge (Variety) und gibt die Höchstwertung. "THE SURROGATE will win 8,000 audience awards and probably make you cry. Not subtle or fresh, but a stellar John Hawkes makes up for that", twittert Katey Rich (Cinemablend). "THE SURROGATE takes what feels like a fake trailer premise and makes it incredibly moving. John Hawkes will earn his first Oscar for this", twittert Eric Vespe (Aintitcool). "Hawkes is remarkable in this film, with even his voice transformed from what we normally here. He spends the entire film twisted into a painful, terrifying question mark of a man, desperate to connect to someone, and Helen, who is used to treating sex with her patients as a clinical form of therapy, devoid of emotion", schreibt Drew McWeeny (HitFix).
Safety Not Guaranteed (Colin Trevorrow) ★★
"Sundance applause fades, but movies with a voice as strong, strange, smart and yes, sincere as SAFETY NOT GUARANTEED deserve to be heard long after the festival's end", schreibt James Rocchi (MSN Movies) und gibt viereinhalb von fünf Sternen. Was eher gegen ihn spricht ist Trendhopper Peter Sciretta (Slashfilm): "I kinda loved SAFETY NOT GUARANTEED. The most ridiculous yet awesome misfit time travel relationship story you'll ever see." "Sweet, small shaggy dog comedy about time travel, and the lead role Aubrey Plaza has been waiting for.", twittert Ty Burr (Boston Globe). "SAFETY NOT GUARANTEED is a really good film fest movie, a character driven ambiguous sci-fi flick starring Mark Duplass and Aubrey Plaza", twittert Eric Vespe (Aintitcool).
V/H/S (Ti West, Joe Swanberg, Adam Wingard u.a.) ★★★★½
"Not stupid fun, but real energy and excitement. V/H/S certainly has all that. Plus gratuitous nudity, crazy gore and some incredibly inventive tweaks to a subgenre that’s trying its damndest to wear out its welcome", schreibt mein Aintitcool-Liebling Eric 'Quint' Vespe. "V/H/S is fresh and pulse-quickening to the end, one of the best discoveries of this year's fest", schreibt Jen Yamato (Movieline). "This movie is loaded with unnerving imagery, simple and direct scares that play on a primal nightmare level, and ideas that blindside you with the way they twist expectation", schreibt Drew McWeeny (HitFix). "Even better than I expected. Forget the stigma of found footage horror. Breathes new life (& lotsa death) into the genre", twittert Eric Kohn (indieWIRE).
Keep the Lights On (Ira Sachs) ★★★
"Richly textured, sad and beautiful autobiographical love story", schreibt Karina Longworth (L.A. Weekly). "A tender portrait of a gay man in his 30s, Ira Sachs’ fourth feature film marks not only a return to the director’s own personal experiences living in New York City in the late ’90s, but to a modest filmmaking style and sensibility that recalls a bygone era of American independent cinema", schreibt Anthony Kaufman (Screen Daily). Peter Debruge (Variety) gibt ihm dreieinhalb von vier Sternen. "Like recent indie discoveries WEEKEND and PARIAH, KEEP THE LIGHTS ON operates in a kind of poetic realism that feels fresh and culturally specific. It also marks a return of sorts for Sachs to the hypnotic mood-piece quality of his first feature, THE DELTA", schreibt David Rooney (THR). "I can't be positive, but I think this story of a 9-year relationship was told in real time", twittert Katey Rich (Cinemablend).
Beasts of the Southern Wild (Benh Zeitlin) ★★½
"Magical realist brilliance, like WHALE RIDER as a post-Katrina folk creation myth. Spellbinding", twittert Ty Burr (Boston Globe). "One of the most striking films ever to debut at the Sundance Film Festival, BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD is a poetic evocation of an endangered way of life and a surging paean to human resilience and self-reliance", schreibt Todd McCarthy (THR). "BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD knocked me out. Assured, ambitious, lovely", twittert Devin Faraci (Badass Digest). "Every year Sundance fascinates festival goers with a drama that introduces audiences to a hidden corner of America. Last year it was ON THE ICE; the previous year, WINTER'S BONE. That honor this year belongs to Benh Zeitlin's BEASTS OF SOUTHERN WILD", schreibt Ryland Aldrich (Twitch Film). "Imagine TREE OF LIFE in a Godless (but not hopeless or loveless) world of mud and blood and fire and flood", twittert James Rocchi (MSN Movies).
Celeste and Jesse Forever (Lee Toland Krieger) ★★
"Sweet, smart, funny LA divorce comedy. Better than I was expecting and Samberg proves he can do drama", twittert Ty Burr (Boston Globe). "Really liked CELESTE AND JESSE FOREVER. Sweet and charming; funny, but never to jokey. Rashida Jones & Andy Samberg do a great job", twittert Matt Patches (Operation Kino). "A likably bittersweet relationship film that doesn't telegraph its intentions, CELESTE AND JESSE FOREVER borrows tropes from the rom-com playbook, and has enough laughs to be mistaken for one, but ultimately doesn't want to be pigeonholed", schreibt John DeFore (THR).
The Ambassador (Mads Brügger) ★★
"With a wardrobe blending pocket squares, riding boots, a cigarette holder and aviator shades, he seems to have found a stylistic middle-ground between Hunter S. Thompson and Erich von Stroheim - fitting for a film that's both a work of gonzo journalism, and an epic production starring its director", schreibt Karina Longworth (L.A. Weekly).
Simon Killer (Antonio Campos) ★★★★
"A tense, grim & gorgeous story of the unknown heart (4/5)", twittert James Rocchi (MSN Movies). "A dark, Parisian Pilgrim's Progress from collective behind MARTHA MARCY. Fewer cults, more prostitutes", twittert Steven Zeitchick (L.A. Times). "The film SIMON KILLER is an intense character study with good performances but pretentious cinematography and a dull ending. Leaves me unsatisfied", twittert Peter Sciretta (Slashfilm), der eher dafür bekannt ist, Trends hinterher zu laufen, als sie zu setzen. "The film equivalent answer to 'What is DONKEY PUNCH?' Stylish, disturbing portrait of the last guy you should ever date", twittert Jen Yamato (Movieline). "SIMON KILLER will divide people, but what else to expect from Campos? Enjoyed this creepy noir, amounts to AN AMERICAN PSYCHO IN PARIS", twittert Eric Kohn (indieWIRE). "Really loved SIMON KILLER. Bravo Brady Corbet; great portrayal of a diminished spoiled psyche", twittert Damon Wise (Empire). "Feeling perplexed by SIMON KILLER. I admire it but need to sit on it a bit longer to say much more. Brady Corbet deserves a lot of credit", twittert Katey Rich (Cinemablend). "SIMON KILLER is a brutally unflinching, often brilliantly realized portrait of the dark side of humanity. Huge step forward for campos [A]", twittert Peter Knegt (indieWIRE). Und auch Karina Longworth (L.A. Weekly) zählt sich zum Team Simon Killer: "As sensually rich as it is, full of eye-candy color and smartly chosen pop music and flashily ambitious filmmaking, SIMON KILLER is an embodiment of, and comment on, cinema as a manipulation of the eye and the brain." Spielverderber ist dagegen Todd McCarthy (THR): "This lushly and pretentiously made drama about a young American whose worst instincts are unleashed during a stay in Paris endeavors to entice with details of the seedy underworld of La Pigalle but is a turn-off in almost every respect."
Most-Wanted 2012:
01. V/H/S - Ti West, Joe Swanberg, Adam Wingard---------------------------------------------------
02. SIMON KILLER - Antonio Campos
03. ROOM 237 - Rodney Ascher
04. KEEP THE LIGHTS ON - Ira Sachs
05. BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD - Benh Zeitlin
Room 237 (Rodney Ascher) ★★★★
"The fastidiousness, intellectual obsessiveness and attention to minute detail for which Stanley Kubrick was known is matched by some devoted acolytes in ROOM 237, a fanatical, sometimes hilarious analysis and deconstruction of hidden meanings to be found in the director’s controversial 1980 horror film THE SHINING", schreibt Todd McCarthy (THR). "Anyone with even the slightest interest in decoding images will enjoy the wacky, wonderful ROOM 237. Most fun I've had all Sundance", twittert Justin Chang (Variety). "Ascher's ROOM 237 is by far the most imaginative doc in Sundance by a new filmmaker that it's insane it's not in a prime-time position here", twittert Robert Koehler (Variety).
Shadow Dancer (James Marsh) ★★
"Expertly directed and paced by Marsh, and boasting another riveting lead performance from rising UK star Andrea Riseborough, the film is neither didactic nor educational, and could be the first troubles film in years to make a dent at the box office", schreibt Mike Goodridge (Screen Daily). "Marsh's film is one that makes a difference, a poetic and unapologetically arthouse story of betrayal and loyalty that, with its terrific score, measured pacing and fierce female performances, is a raw reminder of a sad and painful past", schreibt Damon Wise (Guardian).
The Surrogate (Ben Lewin) ★★
"A feel-good film about how a sexual surrogate helps a polio victim conquer virginity could be a popular hit with the right handling", schreibt Todd McCarthy (THR). "Hawkes rocks as poet & polio survivor Mark O'Brien, who learns how to make human connection via virginity quest. Tender, funny, exceptional", schreibt Peter Debruge (Variety) und gibt die Höchstwertung. "THE SURROGATE will win 8,000 audience awards and probably make you cry. Not subtle or fresh, but a stellar John Hawkes makes up for that", twittert Katey Rich (Cinemablend). "THE SURROGATE takes what feels like a fake trailer premise and makes it incredibly moving. John Hawkes will earn his first Oscar for this", twittert Eric Vespe (Aintitcool). "Hawkes is remarkable in this film, with even his voice transformed from what we normally here. He spends the entire film twisted into a painful, terrifying question mark of a man, desperate to connect to someone, and Helen, who is used to treating sex with her patients as a clinical form of therapy, devoid of emotion", schreibt Drew McWeeny (HitFix).
Safety Not Guaranteed (Colin Trevorrow) ★★
"Sundance applause fades, but movies with a voice as strong, strange, smart and yes, sincere as SAFETY NOT GUARANTEED deserve to be heard long after the festival's end", schreibt James Rocchi (MSN Movies) und gibt viereinhalb von fünf Sternen. Was eher gegen ihn spricht ist Trendhopper Peter Sciretta (Slashfilm): "I kinda loved SAFETY NOT GUARANTEED. The most ridiculous yet awesome misfit time travel relationship story you'll ever see." "Sweet, small shaggy dog comedy about time travel, and the lead role Aubrey Plaza has been waiting for.", twittert Ty Burr (Boston Globe). "SAFETY NOT GUARANTEED is a really good film fest movie, a character driven ambiguous sci-fi flick starring Mark Duplass and Aubrey Plaza", twittert Eric Vespe (Aintitcool).
V/H/S (Ti West, Joe Swanberg, Adam Wingard u.a.) ★★★★½
"Not stupid fun, but real energy and excitement. V/H/S certainly has all that. Plus gratuitous nudity, crazy gore and some incredibly inventive tweaks to a subgenre that’s trying its damndest to wear out its welcome", schreibt mein Aintitcool-Liebling Eric 'Quint' Vespe. "V/H/S is fresh and pulse-quickening to the end, one of the best discoveries of this year's fest", schreibt Jen Yamato (Movieline). "This movie is loaded with unnerving imagery, simple and direct scares that play on a primal nightmare level, and ideas that blindside you with the way they twist expectation", schreibt Drew McWeeny (HitFix). "Even better than I expected. Forget the stigma of found footage horror. Breathes new life (& lotsa death) into the genre", twittert Eric Kohn (indieWIRE).
Keep the Lights On (Ira Sachs) ★★★
"Richly textured, sad and beautiful autobiographical love story", schreibt Karina Longworth (L.A. Weekly). "A tender portrait of a gay man in his 30s, Ira Sachs’ fourth feature film marks not only a return to the director’s own personal experiences living in New York City in the late ’90s, but to a modest filmmaking style and sensibility that recalls a bygone era of American independent cinema", schreibt Anthony Kaufman (Screen Daily). Peter Debruge (Variety) gibt ihm dreieinhalb von vier Sternen. "Like recent indie discoveries WEEKEND and PARIAH, KEEP THE LIGHTS ON operates in a kind of poetic realism that feels fresh and culturally specific. It also marks a return of sorts for Sachs to the hypnotic mood-piece quality of his first feature, THE DELTA", schreibt David Rooney (THR). "I can't be positive, but I think this story of a 9-year relationship was told in real time", twittert Katey Rich (Cinemablend).
Beasts of the Southern Wild (Benh Zeitlin) ★★½
"Magical realist brilliance, like WHALE RIDER as a post-Katrina folk creation myth. Spellbinding", twittert Ty Burr (Boston Globe). "One of the most striking films ever to debut at the Sundance Film Festival, BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD is a poetic evocation of an endangered way of life and a surging paean to human resilience and self-reliance", schreibt Todd McCarthy (THR). "BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD knocked me out. Assured, ambitious, lovely", twittert Devin Faraci (Badass Digest). "Every year Sundance fascinates festival goers with a drama that introduces audiences to a hidden corner of America. Last year it was ON THE ICE; the previous year, WINTER'S BONE. That honor this year belongs to Benh Zeitlin's BEASTS OF SOUTHERN WILD", schreibt Ryland Aldrich (Twitch Film). "Imagine TREE OF LIFE in a Godless (but not hopeless or loveless) world of mud and blood and fire and flood", twittert James Rocchi (MSN Movies).
Celeste and Jesse Forever (Lee Toland Krieger) ★★
"Sweet, smart, funny LA divorce comedy. Better than I was expecting and Samberg proves he can do drama", twittert Ty Burr (Boston Globe). "Really liked CELESTE AND JESSE FOREVER. Sweet and charming; funny, but never to jokey. Rashida Jones & Andy Samberg do a great job", twittert Matt Patches (Operation Kino). "A likably bittersweet relationship film that doesn't telegraph its intentions, CELESTE AND JESSE FOREVER borrows tropes from the rom-com playbook, and has enough laughs to be mistaken for one, but ultimately doesn't want to be pigeonholed", schreibt John DeFore (THR).
The Ambassador (Mads Brügger) ★★
"With a wardrobe blending pocket squares, riding boots, a cigarette holder and aviator shades, he seems to have found a stylistic middle-ground between Hunter S. Thompson and Erich von Stroheim - fitting for a film that's both a work of gonzo journalism, and an epic production starring its director", schreibt Karina Longworth (L.A. Weekly).
Simon Killer (Antonio Campos) ★★★★
"A tense, grim & gorgeous story of the unknown heart (4/5)", twittert James Rocchi (MSN Movies). "A dark, Parisian Pilgrim's Progress from collective behind MARTHA MARCY. Fewer cults, more prostitutes", twittert Steven Zeitchick (L.A. Times). "The film SIMON KILLER is an intense character study with good performances but pretentious cinematography and a dull ending. Leaves me unsatisfied", twittert Peter Sciretta (Slashfilm), der eher dafür bekannt ist, Trends hinterher zu laufen, als sie zu setzen. "The film equivalent answer to 'What is DONKEY PUNCH?' Stylish, disturbing portrait of the last guy you should ever date", twittert Jen Yamato (Movieline). "SIMON KILLER will divide people, but what else to expect from Campos? Enjoyed this creepy noir, amounts to AN AMERICAN PSYCHO IN PARIS", twittert Eric Kohn (indieWIRE). "Really loved SIMON KILLER. Bravo Brady Corbet; great portrayal of a diminished spoiled psyche", twittert Damon Wise (Empire). "Feeling perplexed by SIMON KILLER. I admire it but need to sit on it a bit longer to say much more. Brady Corbet deserves a lot of credit", twittert Katey Rich (Cinemablend). "SIMON KILLER is a brutally unflinching, often brilliantly realized portrait of the dark side of humanity. Huge step forward for campos [A]", twittert Peter Knegt (indieWIRE). Und auch Karina Longworth (L.A. Weekly) zählt sich zum Team Simon Killer: "As sensually rich as it is, full of eye-candy color and smartly chosen pop music and flashily ambitious filmmaking, SIMON KILLER is an embodiment of, and comment on, cinema as a manipulation of the eye and the brain." Spielverderber ist dagegen Todd McCarthy (THR): "This lushly and pretentiously made drama about a young American whose worst instincts are unleashed during a stay in Paris endeavors to entice with details of the seedy underworld of La Pigalle but is a turn-off in almost every respect."
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