One of the most anticipated horror films of 2011 has finally found a home. Lionsgate, who recently acquired MGM's "Cabin in the Woods" and Barry Levinson's next film "The Bay" has acquired the US rights to Kevin Smith's latest film "Red State".

Press Release:

LIONSGATE® (NYSE: LGF), a leading diversified global entertainment company, and SModcast Pictures announced today that they have partnered to create an innovative approach to distribute Kevin Smith's controversial thriller RED STATE, announced Jim Packer, Lionsgate President of Worldwide Television and Digital Distribution, and SModcast's Kevin Smith.

Under the terms of the arrangement, Lionsgate obtains the rights to distribute the title on all packaged media, Video-On-Demand (VOD), Subscription Video-On-Demand (SVOD), Electronic Sell-Through (EST) and Television in the United States, while SModcast has retained the theatrical distribution rights throughout the US. Under the guidance of marketing and distribution executive David Dinerstein, Smith's self-distribution label SModcast Pictures and Lionsgate Films have devised a multi-tier release strategy unlike any independent film to date. The film is scheduled to release on multiple platforms this September followed by packaged media before the end of the year.

Written and directed by Kevin Smith and produced by Jonathan Gordon, RED STATE stars 2011 Academy Award® winner for Best Actress Melissa Leo and Emmy® winner John Goodman, plus Kyle Gallner and Michael Parks. The film debuted at this year's Sundance Film Festival to much notoriety when Smith ended studio bidding by buying his own film for $20 and declaring he would be self-distributing the film theatrically. Smith has since toured the film around the country to enthusiastic audiences, grossing close to $1 million to date at the US box office from only 15 single show engagements. SModcast spent less than $500 in paid advertising to support the tour which kicked off at Radio City Music Hall on March 5th and grossed $162,000 during one show. It quietly topped the per screen average charts for three weekends, becoming the 10th best per screen average film of all time.

The Lionsgate deal was negotiated by Wendy Jaffe, Lionsgate Executive Vice President of Business & Legal Affairs, Acquisitions and Co-Productions, and Smith's attorney John Sloss, and David Dinerstein.

"Kevin has proven he knows how to mobilize his fan base surrounding the launch of his movies," said Packer. "There has been great anticipation for RED STATE for almost a year. Although we could not participate in the innovative theatrical release, we are thrilled to bring his film to a wider audience this fall in VOD/Digital and packaged media. We expect that Kevin's passion, combined with the talented cast and ongoing buzz, will ensure a successful fall launch."

"Before we decided to release RED STATE ourselves, Lionsgate was the ONLY distributor we hoped would buy the flick at Sundance," said Smith. "They understood The Harvey Boys commitment to a non-traditional theatrical release, and now embrace RED STATE like it is their own. And we've embraced the Gate as essential partners who'll run RED on Video-On-Demand and Blu-Ray. This company crushed it with DOGMA back in '99 and ever since, they've been able to punch through always-crowded cineplexes with the most responsible marketing budgets in the industry. My flick is my art and my art is like my child; and I feel safe letting Lionsgate babysit my kid."

RED STATE tells the story of a group of teens in Middle America who receive an online invitation for sex, but soon encounter fundamentalists with a much more sinister agenda. The movie is the latest release from Smith to be added to the Lionsgate library as the studio obtained the home entertainment distribution rights to Smith classics CHASING AMY, CLERKS and JAY AND SILENT BOB STRIKE BACK through its recent acquisition of the Miramax catalog.

Cohen Media Group, LLC send us over the official trailer and teaser poster for their upcoming documentary "Chasing Madoff". From the electrifying New York Times bestseller "No One Would Listen,", this documentary is about a team of investigators that spend ten years uncovering the truth behind the Madoff scandal that captivated the headlines.

Plot Synopsis:

Chasing Madoff is the compelling story of Harry Markopolos and his team of investigator's ten-year struggle to expose the harrowing truth behind the infamous Madoff scandal. Throughout the decade long investigation, Markopolos pieced together a chain of white-collar predators consisting of bankers, lieutenants, and henchmen, all linked to the devastating Ponzi scheme. With risk and danger apparent, Markopolos and his loyal team relentlessly continued to pursue the frightening truth. Finding himself trapped in a web of epic deceit, the once unassuming Boston securities analyst turned vigilante investigator now feared for his life and the safety of his family, as he discovered no one would listen.

"Chasing Madoff" hits theaters on August 26th.

"Chasing Madoff": Official Trailer

The Collective, Blood-Disgusting and AMC Theaters send us over the official and list of AMC theaters that will showing the Argentine apocalyptic horror film "Phase 7", which plays in select AMC theaters on Wednesday, July 13th at 10pm, Friday, July 15th at midnight, Wednesday, July 20 at 10pm and Friday, July 22 at midnight.

PHASE 7 premiered at SXSW and will now join the “Night Terrors” film series where The Collective, AMC Theatres and Bloody-Disgusting.com have teamed up to distribute the best new horror and thriller titles from the festival and international markets to AMC theatres across America.

Synopsis:
PHASE 7 mixes satire, humor, horror and social commentary in a way that reminds viewers of the arch SHAUN OF THE DEAD and the savvy claustrophobia of [rec]. In the film, Coco (Hendler) has just moved to a new apartment with his wife Pipi (Stuart), who’s seven months pregnant. At first, they don’t seem to notice the growing chaos around them, but when authorities quarantine their building after a deadly pandemic breaks out, Coco joins forces with his off-kilter, but well-prepared and stocked next-door neighbor Horacio to defend his refrigerator and keep Pipi safe. Meanwhile, outside the building, Buenos Aires—and the world as the apartment denizens know it, is disappearing. The world is ending; got ammo?

Directed and written by Nicolás Goldbart; produced by Sebastian Aloi; executive produced by Steven Schneider (Insidious, Paranormal Activity); starring Daniel Hendler (LOST EMBRACE); Jazmín Stuart (THE PARANOIDS); Yayo Guridi (LOS RODRIGUEZ); and Federico Luppi (PAN’S LABYRINTH).

Bloody Disgusting AMC Theatres List

AMC Theatres - Barton Creek Square 14
2901 South Capital of Texas Highway
Austin, TX 78746-8101
(888) 262-4386

AMC Loews Theatres - White Marsh 16
8141 Honeygo Boulevard
Baltimore, MD 21236-8202
(410) 933-9428

AMC Loews Boston Common 19
175 Tremont St
Boston, MA 02108
(617) 423-5801

AMC Theatres - Concord Mills 24
8421 Concord Mills Boulevard
Concord, NC 28027
(704) 979-0200

AMC River East 21
322 East Illinois Street
Chicago, IL 60611
(312) 596-0333

AMC Theatres - South Barrington 30
175 Studio Drive
South Barrington, IL 60010-7142
(847) 765-2262

AMC Easton Town Center 30 with IMAX
275 Easton Town Center
Columbus, OH 43219
(888) 262-4386

AMC Star Theatres - Fairlane 21
18900 Michigan Ave
Dearborn, MI 48126-3929
(313) 982-0015

AMC Theatres - Orange Park 24
1910 Wells Road
Orange Park, FL 32073-2325
(904) 264-5071

AMC Theaters - Independence Commons 20
19200 East 39th Street
Independence, MO 64057
(816) 795-1430

AMC Theatres - The Block 30
20 City Boulevard West
Orange, CA 92868-3100
(714) 769-4288

AMC Burbank 16
125 E. Palm Ave.
Burbank, CA 91502
(818) 953-2932

AMC Theatres - Sunset Place 24
5701 Sunset Drive
South Miami, FL 33143-5369
(888) 262-4386

AMC Theatres - Rosedale 14
850 Rosedale Center
Roseville, MN 55113
(651) 604-9344

AMC Theaters - Elmwood Palace 20
1200 Elmwood Park Boulevard
New Orleans, LA 70123-2313
(504) 733-2029

AMC Theatres - Empire 25
234 West 42nd Street
New York, NY 10036-7215
(212) 398-2597
AMC Theatres - Clifton Commons 16
405 Route 3 East
Clifton, NJ 07014-1911
(973) 614-0966

AMC Theatres - Quail Springs Mall 24
2501 West Memorial Road
Oklahoma City, OK 73134
(405) 755-2466

AMC Downtown Disney 24
1500 E Buena Vista Dr.
Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830-8422
(407) 827-1308

AMC Theatres - Westgate 20
9400 West Hanna Drive
Glendale, AZ 85305-3137
(623) 772-1371

AMC Loews Theatres - Waterfront 22
300 Waterfront Drive West
Homestead, PA 15120
(412) 462-6550

AMC Theatres - Mission Valley 20
1640 Camino Del Rio North
San Diego, CA 92108
(619) 296-2737

AMC Theatres - Mercado 20
3111 Mission College Boulevard
Santa Clara, CA 95054-1832
(408) 919-0282

AMC Metreon Theater 16
101 4th Street
San Francisco, CA 94103
(415) 369-6000

AMC Theatres - Pacific Place 11
600 Pine Street
Seattle, WA 98101
(206) 652-8908

For more information on this film, you can visit the film's official website at:http://www.bloody-disgusting.com/selects/releases/phase7/

New York's Premiere LGBT Film Festival recently send us film information and special events that are planned for this year's festival that takes place from July 21-28.

Press Release:

NewFest (www.NewFest.org), the New York Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender film festival is coming to locations across the city, July 21-28. The festival will open and close at the Film Society of Lincoln Center and will be headquartered throughout the week at Chelsea's SVA Theater and Cinema Village. Special satellite screenings will be held at The Museum of the Moving Image in Queens, the Brooklyn Academy of Music, the Jewish Community Center on the Upper West Side, and Harlem Stage.



Prior to the screening of NewFest's opening night film, "We Were Here," NewFest will honor legendary film producer Christine Vachon with the first annual NewFest Visionary Award. Vachon was instrumental in the movement B. Ruby Rich called New Queer Cinema, producing Todd Haynes' classic "Poison" (now celebrating its 20th anniversary), Tom Kalin's "Swoon," and the lesbian classic "Go Fish" from NewFest board member Rose Troche. Vachon's illustrious credits include "Velvet Goldmine," "Boys Don't Cry," "Party Monster," "Camp," "A Dirty Shame," and this year's upcoming "Dirty Girl" by Abe Sylvia, which will screen at this year's festival. Christine Vachon will also participate in a conversation at the Film Society's new Elinor Bunin Munroe Film Center on Friday, June 22nd.

"We could not be more honored that Christine Vachon will be accepting our Visionary Award on opening night with our new partner, the Film Society Lincoln of Center" said NewFest Executive Director Lesli Klainberg. "Her body of work is not only awe inspiring, but makes her one of the most influential producers of independent film in our country."

The complete festival lineup includes Sundance Audience Award winner "Circumstance," and Sundance alums "Shut Up, Little Man!," "Codependent Lesbian Space Alien Seeks Same," and "A Few Days of Respite."

On Sunday, July 24th, it's all about the lights and the glamour of...Broadway! NewFest will screen Dori Berinstein's "Carol Channing: Larger than Life," a hilarious and excessively sweet documentary about the stage legend. Also on Sunday, Broadway stars Cheyenne Jackson ("Glee," "30 Rock") and Jason Butler Harner star in Steven Williford's drama "The Green." The Broadway block ends with the world premiere of Elisabeth Sperling & Trish Dalton's "One Night Stand," which follows various participants in last year's 24 hour musical competition. The film features Cheyenne Jackson, Jesse Tyler Ferguson ("Modern Family"), chanteuse Nellie McKay, Richard Kind ("Spin City," "A Serious Man"), Rachel Dratch ("SNL"), Mandy Gonzalez ("Wicked," "In the Heights"), and Tracie Thoms ("Rent").

Monday night (July 25th), drag ball musical "Leave It on the Floor" will come to Harlem Stage. Screening Tuesday (July 26th) at the Museum of the Moving Image is "3" from Tom Tykwer ("Run Lola Run"), a story of a high-profile modern love triangle. Also on Tuesday are two documentaries: Jonathan Lee's "Paul Goodman Changed My Life" and Tomer Heymann's "The Queen Has No Crown" at the JCC of Manhattan.

Wednesday night (July 27th) at BAM, NewFest will screen festival favorites "Old Cats" from Sebastian Silva & Pedro Peirano (Golden Globe-nominated "The Maid") and "Hit So Hard," the story of Hole drummer Patty Schemel, from P. David Ebersole.

The festival will host a special screening of James Belzer's fashion week documentary "The Tents," which features interviews with Tommy Hilfiger, Isaac Mizrahi, Donna Karan, Hal Rubenstein, Nina Garcia, Phillip Bloch, Robert Verdi, Carson Kressley, Betsey Johnson, and more.

Other notable talent that will be seen in films throughout the festival include Christine Baranski ("What's the Name of the Dame?"), Margaret Cho ("Cho Dependent"), Ash Christian ("Mangus!"), Jennifer Coolidge ("Mangus!"), Brent Corrigan ("Judas Kiss"), Cheryl Dunye ("HOOTERS!"), Leslie Jordan ("Mangus!"), Bruce La Bruce ("The Advocate for Fagdom"), Hedda Lettuce ("What's the Name of the Dame?"), Heather Matarazzo ("Mangus!"), Chloe Sevigny ("All Flowers in Time" short), Joe Swanberg ("Blackmail Boys"), Kathleen Turner ("The Perfect Family"), and Varla Jean ("Varla Jean and the Mushroomheads").

"It has been an incredible year for LGBT film. NewFest audiences will see a wide variety of exciting, diverse, entertaining, and often challenging films in this year's festival. I am elated to have such a solid lineup to show off the talent in LGBT storytelling and filmmaking and to help usher us into our new homes at the Film Society of Lincoln Center, the Museum of Moving Image, and Cinema Village," commented NewFest Director of Programming Bryce J. Renninger.

The festival's previously announced gala screenings: opening night documentary "We Were Here" from David Weissman; SXSW favorite "Weekend" from Andrew Haigh, screening as a centerpiece; Chely Wright's documentary about coming out in country music "Wish Me Away," another centerpiece; and Rashaad Ernesto Green's closing night film "Gun Hill Road."

The full program -- including descriptions of all films, and a full list of short films, is available on http://newfest.slated.com/2011. Tickets go on sale to NewFest members beginning Tuesday, June 28, and to the general public Tuesday, July 5.

NewFest sponsors for the upcoming festival include HBO, 42BELOW, Barefoot Wine & Bubbly, SAG, Stella Artois and Focus Features.

# # #

FULL FEATURE LINEUP (STARRED FILMS INDICATE FILMS ELIGIBLE FOR NEWFEST's JURY AWARDS)

FEATURE NARRATIVE LINEUP

2 Frogs in the West, dir. Dany Papineau (NY PREMIERE)
3, dir. Tom Tykwer (NY PREMIERE)
A Few Days of Respite (Quelque jours de respit), dir. Amor Hakkar (NY PREMIERE)
August, dir. Eldar Rapaport (NY PREMIERE) **
Blackmail Boys, dir. Bernard & Richard Shumanski **
Buffering, dir. Darren Flaxstone & Christian Martin (NY PREMIERE)
Circumstance, dir. Maryam Keshavarz **
Codependent Lesbian Space Alien Seeks Same, dir. Madeleine Olnek **
Dirty Girl, dir. Abe Sylvia (NY PREMIERE)
Eating Out: Drama Camp, dir. Q. Allan Brocka
eCupid, dir. JC Calciano (NY PREMIERE)
Going Down in La-La Land, dir. Casper Andreas (NY PREMIERE)
The Green, dir. Steven Williford (NY PREMIERE) **
Gun Hill Road, dir. Rashaad Ernesto Green (CLOSING NIGHT FILM)
Harvest, dir. Benjamin Cantu (NY PREMIERE)
Heart Breaks Open, dir. Billie Rain (NY PREMIERE)
Judas Kiss, dir. J.T. Tepnapa (NY PREMIERE)
Kill the Habit, dir. Laura Neri (NY PREMIERE)
Leave it on the Floor, dir. Sheldon Larry (NY PREMIERE) **
Mangus!, dir. Ash Christian (NY PREMIERE) **
My Last Round, dir. Julio Jorquera
Mary Marie, dir. Alexandra Roxo
Old Cats (Gatos Viejos), dir. Sebastian Silva & Pedro Peirano **
Perfect Family, dir. Anne Renton
Romeos, dir. Sabine Bernardi (NY PREMIERE) **
The Seminarian, dir. Joshua Lim (NY PREMIERE)
Tomboy, dir. Celine Sciamma (NY PREMIERE) **
Turtle Hill, Brooklyn, dir. Ryan Gielen (WORLD PREMIERE)
Varla Jean and the Mushroomheads, dir. Michael Schiralli (NY PREMIERE)
Weekend, dir. Andrew Haigh (CENTERPIECE SCREENING)
The Wise Kids, dir. Stephen Cone (NY PREMIERE)

FEATURE DOCUMENTARY LINEUP

365 without 377, dir. Adele Tulli **
Advocate for Fagdom, dir. Angelique Basio (NY PREMIERE)
(A)Sexual, dir. Angela Tucker (WORLD PREMIERE)
The Ballad of Genesis & Lady Jaye, dir. Marie Losier **
Carol Channing: Larger Than Life, dir. Dori Bernstein
Cho Dependent, dir. Lorene Machado (NY PREMIERE)
Gone, dir. Gretchen & John Morning **
Habana Muda, dir. Eric Brach (NY PREMIERE) **
Hit So Hard, dir. P. David Ebersole **
HOOTERS!, dir. Anna Albelo (NY PREMIERE) **
homo@lv, dir. Kaspars Goba (NY PREMIERE)
I'm From Driftwood Presents (Video Series), dir. Marquise Lee
In Their Room: Berlin, dir. Travis Mathews (NY PREMIERE)
Lady Gaga Presents The Monster Ball Tour: Live at Madison Square Garden, dir. LaurieAnne Gibson
One Night Stand, dir. Elisabeth Sperling & Trish Dalton (WORLD PREMIERE)
Orchids, dir. Phoebe Hart
An Ordinary Couple, dir. Jay Gianukos (NY PREMIERE)
Our Lips Are Sealed, dir. John Gallino (WORLD PREMIERE)
Paul Goodman Changed My Life, dir. Jonathan Lee (NY PREMIERE) **
The Queen Has No Crown, dir. Tomer Heymann (NY PREMIERE) **
Renee, dir. Eric Drath
Rent Boys, dir. Rosa van Praunheim (NY PREMIERE) **
Shut Up, Little Man!, dir. Matthew Bate **
The Tents, dir. James Belzer (SPECIAL SNEAK PEEK)
We Were Here, dir. David Weissman (OPENING NIGHT FILM)
What's the Name of the Dame?, Allan Neuwirth
Wish Me Away, dir. Beverly Kopf & Bobbie Birleffi (CENTERPIECE FILM; NY PREMIERE)

Anchor Bay Entertainment and The Weinstein Company send us over information on their upcoming DVD and Blu-Ray release Miral, which hits DVD and Blu-ray on July 12th. The independent film stars Freida Pinto (Slumdog Millionaire) in the title role, Hiam Abbass (The Visitor, Amreeka), and Willem Dafoe (Spider-Man, The English Patient).

Press Release:

A visceral, first-person account of a young girl growing up in East Jerusalem as she confronts the effects of occupation and war in every corner of her life, MIRAL stars Screen Actors Guild Award® winner Freida Pinto (Slumdog Millionaire) in the title role, Hiam Abbass (The Visitor, Amreeka), and Willem Dafoe (Spider-Man, The English Patient). Based on the semi-autobiographical novel of the same name by Rula Jebreal, MIRAL heads to retail on July 12, 2011 for an SRP of $39.99 for the Blu-ray™ and $29.98 for the DVD.

“Miral is a must see,” says Hamptons.com’s Brittany Buckley. “Pinto plays the role of a lifetime that brings humanity to a grim reality. Schnabel’s film tells a chilling, yet truthful tale that holds the power to change history.” Screen International’s Mike Goodridge writes, “Julian Schnabel’s sincere and thought-provoking film Miral is rich in compassion and drama.” Writes USA Today’s Claudia Puig, “Director Julian Schnabel puts his unmistakable dreamlike stamp on the film.”

Synopsis:

MIRAL is the story of a Palestinian girl coming of age amidst the war zone of the Israeli-Arab conflict — unflinchingly told through the perspective of Miral (Freida Pinto) herself. Following the death of her troubled mother, Miral’s father (Alexander Siddig) is forced to entrust her to the orphanage of Hind Husseini (Hiam Abbass). Hind’s commitment to peace through education has a profound impact on the maturing young woman, and Miral’s epic journey to self-esteem and social consciousness proves both harrowing and hopeful.

The MIRAL Blu-ray™ and DVD bonus features include deleted scenes; “The Making of Miral” featurette; a Studio Tour with Julian Schnabel; a Filmmaker Q&A; and an Audio Commentary with director Julian Schnabel and producer Jon Kilik. Note: Special features are subject to change.

Phase 4 Films recently send us over some still for Uwe Boll's latest film BLOODRAYNE: THE THIRD REICH, which hits DVD and Blu-Ray next tuesday. The film stars Natassia Malthe (Elektra, DOA: Dead or Alive), Clint Howard (Frost/Nixon), Michael Paré (The Lincoln Lawyer) and Brendan Fletcher (Freddy vs. Jason).

Plot Synopsis:

Half-vampire, half-human, Rayne hides in the shadows slaughtering vampires and those that get in her way. In 1943 Europe, during World War II, Rayne faces her greatest foe, a growing army of undead Nazi soldiers led by Ekart Brand, a top Nazi official turned day-walker. Rayne must team up with a group of resistance fighters to defeat Brand and his vampire army before they reach Berlin to grant Hitler immortality.

I’m a little befuddled at the critical notices being hurled at “Cars 2.” It’s the first Pixar movie to ever get a rotten score on the Rotten Tomatoes scale. Granted neither this sequel nor its predecessor represent Pixar at its best or most adventurous, but even the least of their movies are infinitely better than most of what Hollywood puts out. “Cars” was essentially an animated “Doc Hollywood,” but as predictable as the story was, it was still wonderfully entertaining and had many memorable characters. Its being made was also worth it just to hear my niece say:

“Ka-chow!”

But “Cars 2” is easily more fun because the story is not as formulaic and takes the characters in a refreshingly different direction. This one has Lightning McQueen (Owen Wilson) going with his best friend Mater (Larry The Cable Guy) to the World Grand Prix to race against arrogant Italian Formula One car named Francesco Bernoulli (John Turturro). During that time, Mater is suspected of being a spy by British Intelligence officers Finn McMissile (Michael Caine) and Holley Shiftwell (Emily Mortimer) whom he takes a liking to. What starts off as another racing movie turns into an espionage adventure that circles the globe in amazingly animated style.

Make no secret, “Cars 2” truly belongs to Mater more than anyone else. I’ve never been a huge fan of Larry The Cable Guy or his kind of humor (maybe because I don’t really listen to it), but he’s great fun here. Mater is not the brightest car in the world, but his heart shines through everything he does even as when it gets the best of him. Most of the movie’s funniest scenes come from him dealing with customs unlike those in his home country, and his mistaking wasabi for ice cream is funnier than anything I saw in “Bad Teacher.”

Pixar continues to outdo itself in the field of computer animation, and the visuals they come up with are brilliant in their design. I’ll go even further, there were times I stared at the screen wondering if certain things being shown were actually real instead of animated. Seriously, the resemblance between what’s real and what’s not disappeared for me at certain points,

Directing “Cars 2” is John Lassiter, and this marks the first full length Pixar film he’s directed since the original. His love of all things car is as evident here as it was previously. John also has race car drivers and announcers like Jeff Gordon, Lewis Hamilton, Darrell Waltrip, Brent Musburger, and David Hobbs voicing characters. You don’t even have to look (or hear) hard to discover which characters they voice as character names are not particularly subtle (Jeff Gorvette, Darrell Cartrip, Brent Mustangburger, David Hobbscap, and the most subtle of all, Lewis Hamilton).

I loved the addition of Michael Caine to this sequel as he makes Finn McMissile a cross between James Bond and the character he played in “Get Carter.” Years after his performance in that classic, Caine remains as cool as ever, and not just because his car has an endless number of gadgets that Bond could only dream of having in the real world. His cockney accent is welcome in any movie he does.

Other additions in this automotive universe include Emily Mortimer who makes Holley Shiftwell tough and sensitive in believable fashion. Emily is such a sweet presence in movies like this and “Lars and the Real Girl,” and I always look forward to seeing (let alone hearing) her in any movie she does. It’s also great to have Cheech Marin, Jenifer Lewis, Tony Shalhoub, Joe Mantegna, and Bruce Campbell among others on board, and listening to them made me believe they had a blast working on “Cars 2.”

If I had any issues with “Cars 2,” it’s in regards to the character of Fillmore. This really has to do with the fact George Carlin voiced him in the original, and he has since passed on, and that Fillmore has little to do other than to say:

“Wow man!”

Out of respect for the late Carlin (who I still miss), I wished they had retired the character for this one. This is nothing against Lloyd Sherr who has the unenviable task of replacing one of the great comedians ever, but this is one Pixar character that should have been put to rest. They retired Paul Newman’s character of Doc Hudson as he has since passed into the great beyond, and no one could have replaced him. I mean I can understand why Pixar kept Slinky Dog on board for “Toy Story 3” even though Jim Varney died long before filming started, but that character had more to do than Fillmore does here.

“Cars 2” does not equal Pixar’s artistic highs of “Up,” “Ratatouille,” or “Wall-E,” but so what? All that matters is that it’s fun, and it easily outdoes the original. While its messages like the importance of being true to yourself may seem cheesy from a distance, they are handled here with a lot of heart and genuine emotion. Whatever you thought of the first one, you have to admit that you cared about the characters, and you will care for them even more in this sequel.

You can waster your money on “Green Lantern,” or you can take the family out to this one. The kids will be restless and noisy whether we like it or not, but I’m used to that by now. I saw “Cars” at the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood, and parents were incapable of shutting their children up there. That I did not make the same mistake with this sequel may be why it’s getting a particularly high rating.

* * * ½ out of * * * *

Relativity Media recently released the first still for James McTeigue's upcoming Edgar Allen Poe adaptation "The Raven" which stars John Cusack, Luke Evans and Brendan Gleeson. The film is slated to hit theaters on March 9th, 2011.

Plot Synopsis:

In this gritty thriller, Edgar Allen Poe (John Cusack, Being John Malkovich) joins forces with a young Baltimore detective (Luke Evans, Immortals) to hunt down a mad serial killer who’s using Poe’s own works as the basis in a string of brutal murders. Directed by James McTeigue (V for Vendetta), the film also stars Alice Eve (Sex and the City 2), Brendan Gleeson (In Bruges) and Oliver Jackson-Cohen (Faster).

When a mother and daughter are found brutally murdered in 19th century Baltimore, Detective Emmett Fields (Luke Evans) makes a startling discovery: the crime resembles a fictional murder described in gory detail in the local newspaper—part of a collection of stories penned by struggling writer and social pariah Edgar Allan Poe. But even as Poe is questioned by police, another grisly murder occurs, also inspired by a popular Poe story.

Realizing a serial killer is on the loose using Poe’s writings as the backdrop for his bloody rampage, Fields enlists the author’s help in stopping the attacks. But when it appears someone close to Poe may become the murderer’s next victim, the stakes become even higher and the inventor of the detective story calls on his own powers of deduction to try to solve the case before it’s too late.

Montreal’s Fantasia International Film Festival announced today, the first batch of films that will be playing at this year's festival. Already this is shaping up to be a great festival with films like "Red State", "Attack of the Block", "Burke and Hare" and the world premiere of "The Wicker Tree".

Press Release:

While less than two weeks away from announcing the full line-up of its 15th edition, Montreal’s Fantasia International Film Festival has revealed a first wave of titles and happenings. The full 130-feature array of titles will be announced at our press conference on July 7.



OPENING FILM – KEVIN SMITH’S RED STATE

Fantasia is proud to open the 2011 edition of the festival with the Canadian Premiere of Kevin Smith's acclaimed Sundance hit RED STATE. The director of CLERKS and ZACK AND MIRI MAKE A PORNO has made a jump to an entirely new genre with tremendous success. RED STATE is a powerhouse film featuring fantastic performances by Michael Parks, Academy Award® winner Melissa Leo and John Goodman. This adrenaline rush is quite simply one of the best horror works of the year and The Hollywood Reporter noted that "young audiences will eat it up for its unmistakable rebel attitude." RED STATE is distributed by Phase 4 Films which plans on releasing the film in theatres this August.



A LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD FOR JOHN LANDIS

In celebration of the 30th anniversary of AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON and to celebrate his return to feature filmmaking after a 12-year sabbatical, Fantasia will honour the career of director John Landis with a Lifetime Achievement Award. Landis’ impressive filmography includes such classics as THE BLUES BROTHERS, ANIMAL HOUSE, TRADING PLACES, KENTUCKY FRIED MOVIE and Michael Jackson’s trailblazing THRILLER video.

Following the award presentation, Fantasia will screen the Canadian Premiere of Landis’ comeback film, the black comedy BURKE & HARE, which stars Simon Pegg, Tom Wilkinson, Andy Serkis and Tim Curry.

GABRIEL THIBAUDEAU’S ORIGINAL LIVE SCORE TO ACCOMPANY RARE PRINT OF THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA

In collaboration with the Cinémathèque québécoise, and following the huge success of last year’s METROPOLIS event, a special presentation of a rare, pristine 35mm print of THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA will take place at Montreal’s premiere concert hall, Place des Arts, where Gabriel Thibaudeau will lead a 30 person orchestra through his original score to the 1925 silent classic, directed by Rupert Julian and starring Lon Chaney.



WORLD PREMIERE OF ROBIN HARDY’S THE WICKER TREE + BOOK LAUNCH

38 years after directing THE WICKER MAN, a film widely hailed as the CITIZEN KANE of genre cinema, Robin Hardy has reteamed with producer Peter Snell and British Lion to make THE WICKER TREE. This hugely eccentric “spiritual sequel”, based on Hardy’s novel COWBOYS FOR CHRIST and featuring performances by Graham McTavish and Christopher Lee, is one of the most hotly anticipated genre films of the decade. Fantasia will be unveiling the world premiere of this Pagan phantasmagoria, in the presence of Hardy and Snell.

The screening night will be a double birthing as it will also feature a book launch for Hardy’s THE WICKER TREE novel, being published in North America for the first time this July!

Furthermore, Fantasia will host a special event that will feature Robin Hardy in conversation with fellow UK filmmaker Richard Stanley (HARDWARE, DUST DEVIL, THE THEATRE BIZARRE – the latter also having its world premiere at the festival), in discussion on the occult, mysticism and moviemaking.



A MASTER CLASS WITH RYOO SEUNG-WAN AND THE CANADIAN PREMIERE OF THE UNJUST

South Korean auteur filmmaker Ryoo Seung-wan (CRYING FIST, CITY OF VIOLENCE, ARAHAN) will be returning to Fantasia for the Canadian Premiere of his ingenious new thriller THE UNJUST (Official Selection, Berlin Film Festival 2011). While in town, he will also host a master class on action film staging and choreography.



LYNN LOWRY AND UDO KIER TO ATTEND GALA WORLD PREMIERE OF THE THEATRE BIZARRE

We’re ecstatic to announce that in addition to all seven THEATRE BIZARRE directors, we’re also expecting actors Lynn Lowry and Udo Kier at the gala world premiere of this stellar anthology film.

Other highlights include:

ATTACK THE BLOCK – UK – Dir: Joe Cornish
This insane laughfest depicting a British teen street gang defending their block against an alien invasion became an overnight sensation after its launch at SXSW in April. Co-produced by Edgar Wright, starring Nick Frost and featuring some of the funniest moments you’ll encounter anywhere this year – on or off this planet. Quebec Premiere.

BRAWLER – USA – Dir: Chris Sivertson
Fantasia veteran Sivertson (THE LOST, I KNOW WHO KILLED ME), will be returning to Montreal for the World Premiere of his latest knockout, BRAWLER, set in the world of extreme fighting, starring and co-produced by Marc Senter (RED WHITE & BLUE, THE LOST). World Premiere hosted by Director Chris Sivertson and Actors/Co-producers Nathan Grubbs and Marc Senter.

DEADBALL – Japan – Dir: Yudai Yamaguchi
From the cult director of such bizarre greats as MEATBALL MACHINE and BATTLEFIELD BASEBALL comes… something best experience without spoilers! World Premiere hosted by Director Yudai Yamaguchi, Producer Yoshinori Chiba and Actor Tak Sakaguchi.

THE DEVIL’S ROCK - New Zealand – Dir: Paul Campion
The feature directorial debut from gifted New Zealand visual effects artist Campion (the LORD OF THE RINGS and NARNIA films, CLASH OF THE TITANS remake) is an intense occult thriller taking place in WW2 on the eve of D-Day, with a single soldier uncovering a Nazi plot to conjure supernatural forces with which to win the war. A satanic Nazi chamber piece featuring three characters and bottomless tension. North American Premiere hosted by Director, Screewriter and Executive Producer Paul Campion and Actors Matt Sunderland and Karlos Drinkwater.

DON’T GO BREAKING MY HEART - Hong Kong - Dir: Johnnie To
The working relationship of longtime collaborators To & Ka-Fai is best known internationally for their gonzo action thrillers (RUNNING ON KARMA) and more taut, character-based work (MAD DETECTIVE), but this time out, they tackle the romantic comedy, with surprising results. Opening film of the 2011 Hong Kong International Film Festival. North American Premiere.

EXIT – Australia – Dir: Marek Polgar
Taking place in a labyrinthine city where many individuals are looking for a mystical door that could lead them to a better world, this promising genre film from a visionary director explores the theme of urban alienation while remaining a poignant piece of cinema that will audiences breathless. Splendid and cerebral, EXIT opens the door for a distinctive new voice in fantastic cinema. World Premiere, hosted by Director Marek Polgar and Screenwriter Martyn Pedler.

A LONELY PLACE TO DIE – UK – Dir: Julian Gilbey
This film hits levels of intensity that are absolutely exhilarating. Think CLIFFHANGER with characters you actually care about, fuelled with the adrenaline and panic of THE DESCENT. Bafta-nominated director Gilbey (RISE OF THE FOOTSOLDIER) trained himself in rock climbing in preparation to shoot this film the right way, and does it ever show. The imagery, stunts and staging he manages here will suck the breath clean out of your lungs. Winner of Jury Awards for Best Feature and Best Director when it launched at ActionFest earlier this year, it stars Melissa George. Canadian Premiere, hosted by Director, Screenwriter and Editor Julian Gilbey.

LOVE – USA – Dir: William Eubank
Opening this year’s edition of Fantasia’s Camera Lucida section, LOVE is a marvel. Rebuking the current conventions of science-fiction cinema coming from Hollywood with a cerebral approach to the genre closer to Kubrick’s 2001, it questions Man’s place in the universe through a fascinating tale that alternate between two distinct epochs, a violent past and an uncertain future. Produced by Angels & Airwaves (the alt-rock effort led by Blink-182’s Tom DeLonge) LOVE conjures pictorial perfection, promising to be an unforgettable experience. International Premiere, hosted by Director, Writer, Cinematographer and Production Designer William Eubank, Actor Gunner Wright and Executive Producer Mark Eaton.

MARIANNE – Sweden – Dir: Filip Tegstedt
In recent years, Sweden has begun emerging as a country to watch when it comes to hypnotic, adult genre filmmaking, and MARIANNE continues this pathway. A guilt-ridden father, grieving over the death of a wife he had been cheating on, finds himself haunted by more than his conscience in this eerie, character-driven supernatural horror film. World Premiere hosted by Director, Screenwriter and Producer Filip Tegstedt.

MONSTER BRAWL – Canada – Dir: Jesse T. Cook
Those of you with equal love for monsters and wrestling are about to be slammed through the mat by this outlandish creation that combines the two with glee. That’s right, your favorite monsters bashing the unlife out of each other within a setup designed to feel like a pay-per-view sporting event. Features Dave Folley, Jimmy Hart, Art Hindle, Kevin Nash and… monsters! World Premiere hosted by Director, Screenwriter and Producer Jesse T. Cook, Producers John Geddes and Matt Wiele, Actors R. J. City, Art Hindle, Robert Maillet and Rico Montana, and many more members of the cast and crew.

NINJA KIDS!!! – Japan – Dir: Takashi Miike
Japan’s maniacal master of movie magic Takashi Miike has banged out about three films a year over the last two decades, from ultraviolent yakuza pictures through off-kilter genre pastiches to, well, possibly his most brutal, bash-’em-up work yet. That’s right, maestro of mayhem Miike’s gone and made a kiddie flick again! It merits its three exclamation points and rates five razor-sharp ninja stars out of five! Canadian Premiere, hosted by Distributor Shochiku.

RABIES – Israel – Dir: Navot Papushado & Aharon Keshales
Israel’s first horror feature is all about subverting expectations as a blood-soaked black comedy/horror/thriller that understands the genre conventions and uses them as sleight-of-hand to deliver one surprise after another like a twist-ripped celluloid corkscrew ground into your skull. A major hit at the Tribeca Film Festival, RABIES is heaps of misanthropic fun, with spikes of social commentary and a surprisingly affecting sense of tragedy stabbed into the mix for maximum potency. Canadian Premiere. Hosted by Co-Directors and Screenwriters Navot Papushado & Aharon Keshales.

RETREAT – UK – Dir: Carl Tibbets
Cillian Murphy and Thandie Newton star as a couple who journey to an island retreat in order to heal recently-opened wounds. They are completely isolated from the world. Alone. That is, until a blood-spattered man (Jamie Bell) washes ashore with terrible news of an airborne plague sweeping across Europe. A brilliantly-staged slow-burn thriller that builds to absolutely ferocious horror, RETREAT is one of this year’s strongest discoveries. World Premiere hosted by Director Carl Tibbetts.

AINT – Netherlands – Dir: Dick Maas
Santa Claus is coming to town, and that’s bad news for everyone in this stylish Dutch oddity from the maker of THE LIFT. SAINT is a very Dutch horror film, packed with many Christmas stockings full of local flavor and bizarre terror sequences. Meanwhile, the moments with SAINT’s teen protagonists have the feel of an ’80s Wes Craven film, making for a very fun death dance in horror’s global melting pot! Canadian Premiere.

UNDERWATER LOVE – Japan – Dir: Shinji Imaoka
An inspired hybrid of musical comedy, classical fairy tale and pinku eiga (Japanese softcore sex film), UNDERWATER LOVE may well be the most oddball entry in Fantasia’s schedule this year (and that’s saying something!). Features gorgeous cinematography by Wong Kar-Wai’s regular Director of Photography Christopher Doyle. Sweet, kooky, sexy and completely feel good, this UFO of a film is truly something to be cherished. Canadian Premiere.

URBAN EXPLORER – Germany – Dir: Andy Fetscher
Beneath the city of Berlin is an extraordinary network of abandoned bunkers and tunnels, shadowy remnants of the Nazi era. This film – one of the most unsettling that you will find in our 2011 lineup – opens with four young urban explorers from different countries meeting up at a Berlin nightclub, beneath which is rumored to be a pathway of catacombs that lead to a legendary Third Reich bunker. They descend into the tunnels and…. We won’t reveal another beat! North American Premiere.

VAMPIRE – Canada/USA – Dir: Shunji Iwai
The English-language debut from the acclaimed director of SWALLOWTAIL BUTTERFLY and ALL ABOUT LILU CHOU-CHOU is a haunting existential horror/drama. It will be making its Canadian launch at Fantasia after bowling audiences over at Sundance, Berlin and the Hong Kong International Film Festival. Canadian Premiere.

THE WHISPERER IN DARKNESS – USA – Dir: Sean Branney
You are about to encounter what very well may be the single most successful H.P. Lovecraft adaptation ever to lick fear across a screen. Shot with an aesthetic, production design and performance style angled to emulate the feel of a ’30s/’40s Universal horror film - without falling into camp - WHISPERER arrives like shadows out of time, a discovered relic from another dimension. A genuinely scary film and a hellishly great time. Canadian Premiere.

The Indianapolis International Film Festival send us over information reguarding their festival that is talking place from July 14-24 at the Indianapolis Museum of Art. They've also announced that Fox Searchlight's upcoming release "Another Earth" will be opening this year's festival

Press Release:

The 8th annual Indianapolis International Film Festival will take place July 14-24 at the Indianapolis Museum of Art (IMA), and will feature films from the US and around the world. At a Sneak Peek event on June 16, the festival announced a slate of nearly 100 short and feature-length films, included below. The events open July 14 with a screening of Fox Searchlight’s ANOTHER EARTH, the story of an ambitious young student and an accomplished composer who cross paths on the night of the discovery of a duplicate planet in the solar system.

With more films to select from than ever, this year’s line-up – screened in American Spectrum (domestic), Matter of Fact (documentary) and World Cinema (foreign) programs – promises to be the most compelling yet. Titles range from selections featured at Sundance, Tribeca and Cannes film festivals to newly discovered regional filmmaking. Films will compete for Best Of in their respective categories, as well as Audience Awards and a Grand Jury Award for best film of the fest, which carries a $1,000 prize purse.

The festival closes on Saturday, July 23 with THESE AMAZING SHADOWS, a 2011 Sundance Film Festival official selection that chronicles the creation of the National Film Registry and the importance of film preservation, a must-see for even the most casual film fan. All festival awards will be presented after the film, followed by a Closing Night party to wrap up the festival. Sunday, July 24 concludes festival screenings with last-chance viewings of all award-winners.

“We see it as our job to make these festival hits and undiscovered gems available to an Indianapolis and regional audience,” said Festival Managing Director Lisa Trifone. “Our audiences can’t make it to Park City or Toronto every year, so we’re proud to cultivate a following for these films in this area.”

Recognized as Hoosier Lens film selections this year – films with Indiana ties – are two feature films: APART, directed by Purdue alum Aaron Rottinghaus, and WE’RE GLAD YOU’RE HERE, made in Bloomington, Indiana by Hannah Fidell. Short films WALTER, directed by Jonathan Dillon, and TYPE A, a documentary produced by the IMA, are also recognized for their Indiana ties.

The entire festival line-up is available online and will be printed in the July 13 issue of NUVO, distributed throughout the Indianapolis area. This year’s feature film selections are:

OPENING NIGHT
Another Earth – Mike Cahill

CLOSING NIGHT
These Amazing Shadows – Paul Mariano, Kurt Norton

AMERICAN SPECTRUM
A Bag of Hammers – Brian Crano
Annabelle & Bear – Amy S. Weber
Apart – Aaron Rottinghaus
Conception – Josh Stolberg
Gun Hill Road – Rashaad Ernesto Green
Jess + Moss – Clay Jeter
Littlerock – Mike Ott
Look, Stranger – Arielle Javitch
Lord Byron – Zack Godshall
Natural Selection – Robbie Pickering
The Perfect Host – Nick Tomnay
Prairie Love – Dusty Bias
Turkey Bowl – Kyle Smith
We’re Glad You’re Here – Hannah Fidell

MATTER OF FACT
Better This World – Kelly Duane de la Vega, Katie Galloway
Cinema Komunisto – Mila Turajlic
Everyday Sunshine: The Story of Fishbone – Chris Metzler, Lev Anderson
Teta, Alf Marra – Mahmoud Kaabour
Shut Up, Little Man! – Matthew Bate
Summer Pasture – Lynn True, Nelson Walker
The Boys of Bonneville – Curt Wallin
The City Dark – Ian Cheney
The Flaw – Ali Samadi Ahadi
Way of the Morris – Tim Plester, Rob Curry

WORLD CINEMA
A Screaming Man – Mahamat-Saleh Haroun
Andante – Assaf Tager
Dog Sweat – Hossein Keshavarz
F*ck My Life – Nicolas Lopez
If The Seed Doesn’t Die – Sinisa Dragin
Madly In Love – Hilde Van Mieghem
Montreal Girl – Jeanne Crapeau
NEDS – Peter Mullan
Small Town Murder Songs – Ed Glass-Donnelly
Songs of Love and Hate – Susann Ruedlinger

Festival tickets are now on sale and available in advance at indyfilmfest.org. Regular screening tickets are just $10. Tickets to Opening and Closing Night events (both presented by Just Pop In) include the film and party at $25 each. Festival 10-packs – ten regular screening tickets – are available for $80 and All Access Passes that grant the bearer unlimited screening access and event admission, are $150. IMA members receive a $1 discount on tickets purchased at the box office.

Special thanks to festival sponsors: Indianapolis Museum of Art, Lodge Design, Nuvo, Old National Bank, Sun King Brewing Co., Just Pop In, Nourish Café, FILM Indiana, IU Cinema, Slated, Shiftboard, SmallBox Web Design, HotBox Pizza, O’Ryan Law Firm, YelpIndy, Big Car, TwinPeaks, Magnet Films, Hilton Garden Inn Indianapolis, Hyatt Place Indianapolis/Keystone, Sheraton Indianapolis Circle Center, Wingate by Wyndham and RJE Knoll.

Lesser Men Productions send us over information regarding its world premiere and upcoming screenings for their short film "Teach'er". The short film will makes it's world premiere at this year's Long Island Film Festival in July.

Press Release:

Lesser Men Productions presents the world premiere of Teach’er, a new short film from award winning director Cody Campanale. This unsettling new drama explores the competitive nature of an artist and questions whether there can be any dignity in a successful career as one. Teach’er will screen in July at the Long Island International Film Expo and Manhattan Film Festival; then again in August at the prestigious Montreal World Film Festival.

Teach’er introduces us to Jason and Vanessa; two-theatre school students who want to be famous actors. When they learn that only one of them will be awarded a prestigious acting apprenticeship, a competition for their professor’s approval begins, which forces them to reject their own morality and come to the realization that there can be no dignity in art.

Featuring performances by some of Canada’s indie film favorites: including award-winning actor Robert Nolan (Urban Legends, Skeleton Lake), actress Katie Ulhman (Comedy Made Short, CBC’s The Listener), and a breakout performance by newcomer Cameron Rufelds in the lead role of Jason.

Writer/Director Cody Campanale, with his second short film, has garnered praise and scrutiny for his representation of morally diabolical characters caught up in a quest for power. Similar themes and ideas were explored in Cody’s earlier film Roofies & Romance, which enjoyed a successful run on the film festival circuit. It’s Cody’s ability to ask unsettling questions in his films that give this filmmaker his voice.

Campanale is quickly emerging as an exciting new voice in Canadian cinema. First, a project pitch for Teach’er earned him a spot as one of the Reel World Film Festival’s Emerging 20 at their 2010 Indie Film Lounge, and now with several upcoming festival screenings: including The Montreal World Film Festival, a festival often recognized along with TIFF, Sundance, and Cannes as ‘one of the most highly attended film festivals’.

Cody recently wrapped production on Scars his third short film, which was financed by the Ontario Arts Council, and shot mostly on 35mm. It also stars lead actors from such international recognized television programs as Degrassi, Power Rangers SPG, and Monster Warriors.

Teach’er will have its first ever screening at the Long Island International Film Expo on July 12th 2011 at 7:45pm. Visit www.lessermen.ca or www.liifilmexpo.org for more details.

Welcome to the 293rd Edition of my series. Yesterday, I went to the graduation open house for my niece who is now all grown up. Tonight, I'm going to the Westfield Playhouse to try out for the show DON'T HUG ME hoping to make my return to community theater. Now, to get to this week's selections.

Blessed is the Match: The Life and Death of Hannah Senesh (2008): This is the 33rd link on The Chain and it continues with Joan Allen who voices the title character's mother. This is a documentary which focuses on the person of the title who was a Hungarian Poet and an activist trying to rescue Jews in WWII and in the process becoming captured and tortured by the Nazis. The documentary takes a pretty in-depth look at her life and cause into her trial for treason. Next week's link for The Chain continues with one more selection from Joan Allen.

Is It Fall Yet? (2000): This was an MTV tv movie which was a movie based on the MTV tv series DARIA. This is a spinoff of BEAVIS & BUTTHEAD but forgot how much I actually kind of liked this show and I was quite entertained by this movie. Daria is a very cynical high school girl and reluctantly becomes a volunteer at a summer camp called the It's Okay To Cry Corral where she does not like that the camp is always inside and should do more outside activities. In the process, she meets a boy at the camp who is just as melancholy as her and tries to help him. This show also has some very amusing characters and personify well each stereotype of a high school student. Her parents and sister are also very entertaining. This movie gave me quite a bit of laughs.

Fanboys (2008): This is a film for all the sci-fi geeks. This movie takes place before STAR WARS: EPISODE I came out in theaters where a group of STAR WARS fans come together to go to the Skywalker Ranch in order to steal a copy before it hits theaters. In their journey to get there, they run into a lot of problems including an encounter with a group of Trekkers. This movie is not for everyone and it is really pretty stupid but can be appreciated by all the fans out there who would love to do something like this. There are many celebrity cameos like William Shatner, Carrie Fisher, Billy Dee Williams, Christopher McDonald, Seth Rogan, Danny Trejo, Kevin Smith, and many others. There is also a lot of great pop culture references but even a message on loyalty.

You and Your Work (1948): This is my short film for the week which I found on my Roku player on the Pub-D-Hub app. This is one of those great educational shorts which are just entertaining now but still carries a little message. This is the story about a high school student close to graduation who takes a job at a shoe store and becomes bored feeling unimportant. He then speaks to I believe his principal who lets him know that each job has importance, even a shoe sales job which begins to change this person's perspective of his job.

The Devil's Daughter (1939): This is another movie from the Pub-D-Hub app when looking from something of this era and took interest in this movie. This is a weird story which takes place in Harlem and has an all-black cast. Nina Mae McKinney stars as Isabelle who is coming to take over a plantation but has a very vindictive sister named Isabelle who does what she can from stopping her with voodoo type methods. Not something to watch if you're looking for great plot but mostly for historical reasons and the all-black cast.

The Children's Hour (1961): I found this on TCM On-Demand and was one that caught my attention right away. William Wyler directed this adaptation from a play written by Lillian Hellman and at the time was a pretty daring film to make. Audrey Hepburn and Shirley MacLaine are the heads of a girls boarding school and have been best friends since college. Karen Balkin plays a very troubled girl who then starts a rumor with her grandmother that they are having a lesbian affair which then get spread very far which ruins their business. This play was written in 1934 so I am sure this had to be pretty hard to get off the ground. Wyler directed a version of the play in 1936 but with the censorship issues had to significantly change the storyline to make it where the women were rumored to be having a love triangle as homosexuality no matter how implied was very taboo in that era. So in this era, it was not as stringent so Wyler decided to use the storyline that was originally in the play which was still quite taboo in this era. The message this really sends out is how rumors can permanently ruin lives, especially lies. The leads were great in this movie and the film was very compelling even now.

A Face in the Crowd (1957): I have always been pretty easy to entertain but it takes a lot to just blow me away and this movie accomplished just that. Elia Kazan directed this film which stars Andy Griffith in his movie debut long before his Andy Taylor/Ben Matlock type roles and I will never look at him the same again. This movie takes place along with the rise of television and is quite ahead of its time. Griffith stars as an Arkansas hobo named Lonesome Rhodes who is discovered by the media for some of his comments and becomes this overnight media sensation but then becomes corrupted by his fame. Patricia Neal co-stars as the person who discovers him but realizes it may not have been the right thing. Walter Matthau co-stars in one of his more serious roles as someone who takes to him at first but then realizes he needs to bring him down. Lee Remick also makes her debut. This movie was quite ahead of its time and in many ways reminded me of what would later would become NETWORK. This movie is great from the beginning up until a great conclusion. This movie needs to put more on the radar so hopefully I can accomplish that a little bit.

Goemon (2009): This is my Japanese film for the week. This is in some ways Japan's answer to Robin Hood where the title character who leaves his fighting clan after the leader is killed. He then sets off into a new journey where he uses his thief skills to help the poor while looking for the murderer of his chief setting him off on a violent journey. I was able to get behind this character right away and I really liked the special effects in the action scenes. This is a great ninja film and has some great music. This movie is available on Instant Netflix.

The Red Balloon (1956): This is my French film for the week and another short film for this audition. This is the story of a young boy in Paris and the title balloon that just seems to follow him around which appears to have feelings. It shows this boy and the bond he forms with this red balloon trying to elude a gang of boys who want the balloon destroyed. This was a very well done film and another really good conclusion where very little dialogue is spoken throughout the film. This is also available through Instant Netflix.

Wallace & Gromit in Three Amazing Adventures (2001): This is actually three of their 30 minute films and are Nick Park's claymation characters which I decided to rule as a movie for this blog. Wallace is an absent-minded inventor and Gromit is his loyal dog who is silent and conveys everything through facial expression. In these adventures they must deal with a crazy robotic dog, a psychotic penguin, and many other things. There is also a great scene on a toy train and many other funny moments. These are British cartoons. These are available on Instant Netflix as well as their feature film. This is some great claymation and many humorous moments.

Well, that is it for this week. Tell me what you like and what you do not like in the comment section. Stay tuned for next week which so far includes more Joan Allen, Christoph Waltz, Mickey Rourke, and many others

I haven’t read the Green Lantern comic books put out by DC Comics, so I have no idea of how true the movie is to the source material. Frankly, I don’t care if it is or isn’t because nothing can change the fact that “Green Lantern” is a very dull affair. There’s nothing here to distinguish this particular superhero from so many others like him. He’s just another guy who suddenly gets these amazing powers but is not sure that he is “the one” to save the day. I know a lot of friends who idolize this particular comic book character, but this movie makes him look frustratingly generic at best.

Ryan Reynolds stars as Hal Jordan, a test pilot who somehow becomes a Green Lantern after Abin Sur, mortally wounded, orders his ring to find a worthy successor. Of course, when the ring picks Hal and hurtles him a hundred miles away to where Abin is at, he’s convinced the ring made a mistake. But we all know by the end that he will live up to the Green Lantern standard and live to save the day. This is regardless of him being irresponsible and in taking too many chances as a hotshot pilot. Maverick from “Top Gun” seems to live on in one form or another after 25 years.

The trouble with “Green Lantern” came at the start when the prologue offered us some exposition about who these beings are. I really couldn’t understand or care about any of it, and it also didn’t help that one schmuck ahead of me was still playing around with his cell phone after the movie started. Another guy behind me asked him to turn it off, and it took him another two minutes to do so. Needless to say it was distracting and it took my attention away from what the narration was saying. Then again, I’m not sure I would still understand what was going on.

The other problem is that as a character, Hal Osborn/Green Lantern is not that interesting. Or at least, he’s not interesting as portrayed here. Hal, as I pointed out earlier is a Maverick/Tom Cruise clone from “Top Gun,” and we’ve seen this kind of character a hundred times before. As for Green Lantern, he has the power to make anything he thinks of become real. Now on one hand that’s cool, but it also makes his fights seem like they were over as soon as they started. The movie becomes a big special effects show, and like “Speed Racer” the action scenes lack friction to make them truly exciting.

Regardless of his abilities, Green Lantern pales in comparison to Batman and Superman among others. I don’t care if he can fly, travel through space or make one hell of a fist; he seems weak when you stand him up against Wolverine. There’s not much character depth here, and we can figure out his arc right from the start. Perhaps if I read the comic books I would feel differently about Green Lantern overall.

In terms of the other characters, there are a lot of blown opportunities here. Peter Sarsgaard plays Dr. Hector Hammond who’s an immensely eccentric scientist whose actions are governed by his crush on Carol Ferris (Blake Lively) and the fact that his father (Tim Robbins) is deeply disappointed with him. This could have made for a very compelling villain, but Hammond ends up becoming your typical one-dimensional villain, and he exits the movie way too soon.

In addition, you have Carol Ferris who’s the obligatory love interest who hates how reckless Hal gets, but of course she still has the hots for him. You have Thaal Sinestro whose one of the most lauded Green Lanterns, but he thinks that Hal is unworthy of this special status. Does he gain respect for Hal by the movie’s end? Does a bear shit in the woods?

The acting overall is good, and there’s not too much to complain about. Ryan Reynolds acquits himself well in the iconic role of Hal Osborn/Green Lantern and holds his own throughout. Whether or not he looks more comfortable in a romantic comedy didn’t matter after a bit.

I had to keep pinching myself to remember that Blake Lively, who’s very glamorous here, had also played a serious drug addict in Ben Affleck’s “The Town.” She looks completely different here, and she’s a better actress than I bothered to realize before.

As for Peter Sarsgaard and Mark Strong (“Robin Hood,” “Body Of Lies”), they do the best they can with seriously underwritten parts. The same goes for Tim Robbins and Angela Bassett who somehow ended up in this mess which wastes their talents. Geoffrey Rush and Michael Clarke Duncan fare a little better as they voice some of the more popular Green Lantern killers in the series.

It’s hard to believe that “Green Lantern” was directed by the same man who reinvigorated James Bond with “Casino Royale.” Martin Campbell has proven himself to be adept at helming action movies that are strong on character and never boring. With him behind the camera, I was convinced that “Green Lantern” would really work as a live action movie. The fact that it doesn’t makes it a surprising disappointment.

Aside from a kick ass James Newton Howard score and some great special effects, there’s very little to recommend about “Green Lantern.” Granted, every comic book movie can’t be like “The Dark Knight,” but they should take lessons from it all the same. There are so many movies out there based on comics from Marvel or DC, and filmmakers really need to work harder at differentiating superheroes from one another. Otherwise, it’s just gonna be the same old shit.

* ½ out of * * * *

Phase 4 Films recently send us over a copy of "Guilty Hearts" which boasts an all star cast that includes: Eva Mendes (The Other Guys, Hitch), Gerard Butler (300, The Bounty Hunter), Kathy Bates (Valentine's Day, Titanic), Anna Faris (Scary Movie, Observe and Report), Charlie Sheen (“Two and Half Men,” Due Date), Julie Delpy (Before Sunrise, Broken Flowers), Stellan Skarsgård (Angels & Demons, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End), Imelda Staunton (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1, Vera Drake).

The film hits DVD shelves on June 28th, but we here at Film Arcade.net is giving a copy to one lucky reader.

Plot Synopsis:

Follow the lives of nine strangers living worlds apart as they look for love, happiness, success, and friendship against all odds. Carrying the burden of guilt, they must escape their pasts before they can move forward.

To enter: send us an email to facontest@gmail.com

Please put "Guilty Hearts" in the subject line of the email.

Contest Ends: June 30th, 2011.

One entry per person and open to US Residents. Film Arcade writers are not eligible.

Relativity Media recently released the official character posters for their upcoming movie "Immortals", which is directed by Tarsem Singh (The Cell, The Fall) and stars Mickey Rourke and Henry Cavill. The film is slated to hit theaters on November 11th.

Plot Synopsis:

Visionary director Tarsem Singh (The Cell, The Fall) and producers Gianni Nunnari (300), Mark Canton (300) and Ryan Kavanaugh (The Fighter) unleash an epic tale of treachery, vengeance and destiny in Immortals, a stylish and spectacular 3-D adventure. As a power-mad king razes ancient Greece in search of a legendary weapon, a heroic young villager rises up against him in a thrilling quest as timeless as it is powerful.

The brutal and bloodthirsty King Hyperion (Mickey Rourke) and his murderous Heraklion army are rampaging across Greece in search of the long lost Bow of Epirus. With the invincible Bow, the king will be able to overthrow the Gods of Olympus and become the undisputed master of his world. With ruthless efficiency, Hyperion and his legions destroy everything in their wake, and it seems nothing will stop the evil king’s mission.

As village after village is obliterated, a stonemason named Theseus (Henry Cavill) vows to avenge the death of his mother in one of Hyperion’s raids. When Theseus meets the Sybelline Oracle, Phaedra (Freida Pinto), her disturbing visions of the young man’s future convince her that he is the key to stopping the destruction. With her help, Theseus assembles a small band of followers and embraces his destiny in a final desperate battle for the future of humanity.

Also, be sure to visit IMMORTALS on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/immortals?ref=ts and Twitter: http://twitter.com/immortalsfilm

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment recently send us over information regarding the upcoming two disc Blu-Ray debut of Wolfgang Petersen's classic war film "Das Boot" . Originally released in 1982, the film has gained a following over the years. Now twenty nine years later, the film will make it's Blu-Ray debut with a very loaded two disc set on July 5th.

Plot Synopsis:

At the height of WWII, a young submarine crew heads out to sea on a top-secret mission that all but ensures most will ever make it home alive. Ordered to patrol the Atlantic and destroy an allied armada bringing supplies to Britain, these raw recruits must band together, bracing themselves against a depth-charge assault from an unseen enemy. Oscar-nominated director Wolfgang Petersen's epic adventure deftly explores tension as pressure builds to an explosive climax, packing a visceral punch few movies can match.

Blu- Ray features include:

Wolfgang Petersen - Back To The Boat - Documentary
Going Deeper: Maria's Take, The Perfect Boat - Director's Cut
Captain's Tour - Inside the Boat
The Battle of the Atlantic (1983)
Behind The Scenes (1981)
Commentary with director Wolfgang Petersen

"Das Boot" Blu-Ray Trailer

Paladin is at it again, as they have acquired another film for distribution. Last week it was " A Bird of the Air", this week is "One Fall". The company recently announced that they have acquired the indie drama for a limited theatrical release in August.

Press Release:

ONE FALL, a powerful story about a man who is both blessed and cursed with an unusual power, will be released by Paladin in August, it was announced by company president Mark Urman. Veteran New York-based indie producers Dean Silvers and Marlen Hecht, who number among their credits such films as “Flirting With Disaster,” “Spanking The Monkey,” “Committed,” “Wigstock,” and “Manny & Lo,” produced the film under their TeaTown Communication Group shingle. Marcus Dean Fuller, who has a string of television and theater roles to his credit, plays the leading role, wrote the original screenplay, and makes his feature directorial debut with the project.

Set in the rustic Midwestern town of One Fall, the film tells the story of a man who miraculously survived a terrible fall from a spectacular 200 foot- high precipice that is the area’s major attraction. After recovering, he abruptly abandoned friends and family and disappeared without explanation. The secret he couldn't share with them was that, while recovering, he had suddenly developed the power to heal others. Tired of running away, he returns home after a long absence and decides to use his gift-- but not altruistically. If people pay him, he will cure them. Though he appears to be doing the right thing, he is doing it for for all the wrong reasons, and risks driving away anyone who ever loved or trusted him. As his moral crisis peaks, he must figure out why he survived his fall, and what he is really meant to do with his life.

About the film, Urman says, “ONE FALL delivers a powerful message about spiritual redemption that should be of great appeal to the ever-growing audience for transformational entertainment. I have known Dean for a long time and I look forward to working with him on this project. I also look forward to introducing Marcus Dean Fuller as new and multi-talented presence on the film scene."

"Marlen and I are often solicited by first-time filmmakers,” says producer Silvers “but when we met Marcus, heard his amazing personal story, and discovered that he had actually survived the very fall depicted in his script, we knew we wanted make the film, and were convinced that no one could do a better job with the material than him. We are thrilled with how ONE FALL turned out, and with what a terrific talent Marcus proved to be."

A classically-trained actor and Yale Drama School graduate, (who is currently appearing with the renowned Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey), Fuller and his wife, Julie Fuller (also a Yale School graduate) both served as co-producers of ONE FALL, and Richard K. Smucker was executive producer.

About the film's upcoming release Fuller adds, "I think Mark and Paladin are a perfect fit for ONE FALL and I'm very excited to be working with them."

Paladin has had great success recently with Tom Shadyac’s I AM, another film with significant “mind-body-spirit” appeal that is currently in its fifth month of theatrical release. Next up for the company is LOVE ETC., the award-winning documentary by Jill Andresevic that opens in NY on July 1.

For more information about the film, please go to:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/One-Fall/181135085273272.

Electra Luxx
Year: 2011
Directors: Sebastian Gutierrez
Stars: Carla Gugino, Marly Shelton, Joseph Gordon-Levitt
MPAA Rating: R
Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Running Time: 100 Mins

Film Synopsis:

“Electra Luxx is a spinoff film, from the very entertaining film “Women in Trouble” that was released last year. The film is about an pregnant ex-porn star, who is teaching sexology at a community college and looking to forward to bringing her baby into the world. Before that, she has to wrestle and deal with a bride to be (Marly Shelton) who wants her to seduce the man that she’s going to marry, a obsessed web adult journalist (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) , a private eye (Timothy Olyphant) that’s wants her ex-boyfriend’s missing lyrics and the Virgin Mary herself. “Electra Luxx” also co-stars Malin Akerman, Emmanuelle Chrioui, Adrianne Palicki, and Kathleen Quinlan.


Film Review:

Going into this film, I was expecting this to be more like “Women in Trouble”. In that film, I enjoyed the fact that you had various characters intersecting with each other’s plotline. It made the film very entertaining and fun to watch. I thought, I would be in for more of the same here. But sadly, it wasn’t the case with “Electra Luxx“. Don’t get me wrong this is a good film, but this was also disappointing.

Writer/director Sebastian Gutierrez does a good job saving his mediocre script, from being the film’s downfall. I liked how, he incorporates a lot of different styles in the way the film is presented. Guirierrez could have easily painted himself into a corner with his screenplay, but I like the fact that he uses different filming methods for a couple of scenes. His use of a webcam, for the scenes in Bert Rodriquez’s basement and super 8 film for Luxx’s flashback sequences did a good job giving the effects that were needed for those scenes and make it also madw it look different.

Also, I liked how the acting was good enough to keep my interest. Gutierrez does a good job getting the performances that were needed to cover up the flaws. I thought, Carla Cugino was very good again, as the title character, as she was funny and entertaining. But the person that stole this film for me was Joseph Gordon Levitt, as the eccentric and obsessed web streamer Bert Rodriguez. It was those performances that helped saved this film for me. If it wasn’t for that, then this could’ve been a different film.

The screenplay was a different story. It felt disjoined at times, as it felt I was watching three different short films. The main reason for that, the characters don’t cross each other’s path. What made “Women in Trouble” very good, you had interesting characters that intersected with other subplots. It doesn’t happen here, because each of the subplots felt like a separate short film. Don’t get me wrong, they were entertaining and would work as a series of short films. But when your reviewing a film, you look for the film’s subplots to make sense with the story. I was hoping that there would be more intersection with these characters to make things interesting. Sadly, there isn’t and that’s probably why I’m being so harsh about it.

Even though, the execution of the screenplay fell flat. I enjoyed the humor here. There were some funny scenes, like in Rodriguez’s basement and especially when Luxx is trapped in an elevator with a naked man. It helped ease some of my complaints, as I was enjoying watching this film. But at the end of the movie, I was still left with the feeling that this could’ve been a better film.

DVD Extras:

Not many features on this DVD. In fact, there were only two features here. Three deleted scenes that total Nineteen minutes and trailers for upcoming Sony Pictures Home Entertainment releases.

Final Summary

Even though this film was solid, it could’ve been better considering that I enjoyed “Women in Trouble” a lot. “Electra Luxx has enough funny moments to save this from becoming a total disaster.

Review Rating: 3 Stars

DVD Extras: 1 Star

The Collective and Bloody Disgusting announced today that Argentine horror film "Phase 7" will be released in AMC Theaters on July 13th, as apart of the Bloody Disgusting Selects series.

Press Release:

The theatrical release of Argentine apocalyptic horror film PHASE 7. Directed and written by Nicolás Goldbart; produced by Sebastian Aloi; executive produced by Steven Schneider (Insidious, Paranormal Activity); starring Daniel Hendler (LOST EMBRACE); Jazmín Stuart (THE PARANOIDS); Yayo Guridi (LOS RODRIGUEZ); and Federico Luppi (PAN’S LABYRINTH) View the official trailer at http://www.bloody-disgusting.com/selects/releases/phase7/.

PHASE 7 (FASE 7) premiered at the SXSW Film Festival in March, and also screened at the Boston Underground Film Festival and the Amsterdam Fantastic Film Festival. Before its theatrical release, it will screen at the Fantasia International Film Festival in Montreal (the largest genre festival in North America) and the Danger After Dark Festival in Philadelphia—both in early July.

PHASE 7 mixes satire, humor, horror and social commentary in a way that reminds viewers of the arch SHAUN OF THE DEAD and the savvy claustrophobia of [rec]. In the film, Coco (Hendler) has just moved to a new apartment with his wife Pipi (Stuart), who’s seven months pregnant. At first, they don’t seem to notice the growing chaos around them, but when authorities quarantine their building after a deadly pandemic breaks out, Coco joins forces with his off-kilter, but well-prepared and stocked next-door neighbor Horacio to defend his refrigerator and keep Pipi safe. Meanwhile, outside the building, Buenos Aires—and the world as the apartment denizens know it, is disappearing. The world is ending; got ammo?

Opens Theatrically Wednesday, July 13th, 2011 at AMC Theaters. Please visit BloodyDisgustingSelects.com for tickets and show times or check local listings.

Bill Page, host of Indie Film Night send us over information regarding tomorrow night's big show.

There are four short films on this week's edition. KNOCK, SOMEBODIES, THE BELITTLED, DEAD BODY MANA,

Also a big star will be dropping by the show. Charlie McDermott, from ABC's THE MIDDLE will be joining Sarah Jessica & Bill LIVE in the studio to take your questions tomorrow night.

Join them and watch four short films, this Wednesday night at 8PM EST on indiefilmnight.com

Evald Johnson’s “Stan” is a wonderfully black romantic comedy dealing with situations and feelings we are more familiar with than we’d like to admit; unrequited love, pining for the girl for your dreams while she’s dating some other buff dude, dealing with unwanted advances, and living in fear of contracting a sexually transmitted disease. Sounds like a lot for one movie, but “Stan” manages to balance everything and is surprisingly moving. Even better, it doesn’t work all that hard in getting laughs because it doesn’t need to.

The Stan of this movie is Stan Mandeville (John F. Schaffer, who also co-wrote the script with Evald), a lonely and overweight man whose face is like Ewan McGregor’s in “Beginners:” full of sadness that he is either unwilling or unable to hide. Working daily at an orchid warehouse, he frequents “massage parlors” to be pleasured by the prostitutes. But after one visit too many, he becomes convinced that he has herpes, and not even Dr. Roopenian (David Jay Barry) can ease his concerns after giving him a clean bill of health.

We see this fear of STD’s implanted in Stan when he was 12 years old and watching an unsettlingly explicit sex education film, the kind that makes you never want to get laid (that feeling always passes though). The narrator ends up becoming the Greek chorus of “Stan,” reciting different diseases and the damage they do. This is an amusing device that I don’t think even Woody Allen has tried yet!

The angel in Stan’s eyes is Mary (Christina Diaz), a beautiful young woman who shares a good friendship with him, but not a romantic one. We can tell from Stan’s eyes that he is forever enamored by Mary, but she is still dating this handsome and buff dude who doesn’t always treat her right. During this time, the greenhouse gets a new employee in Ann (Gioia Marchese), a plump woman who is unapologetic about how she looks or what she thinks. From the get go, she takes a liking to Stan even as their boss Mr. Frankle starts obsessing over her to a very unhealthy extent.

From the outset, “Stan” looks to be the typical story of a man chasing after the wrong girl when the one he should be chasing is smack dab in front of him. That’s been the case with movies like “Teen Wolf” (no, not the MTV series) among others. But what I really liked about “Stan” is that none of the characters are drawn in broad strokes. While characters in this kind of drama have one or two dimensions at most (nice guy, beautiful bitch, nice girl not quite as beautiful), the ones here are quite complex in their everyday problems and in what they think they want.

Even Stan himself, the “hero” of the movie, is not always the average nice guy he appears to be. Well-meaning at one point but thoughtlessly dismissive at others, he is flawed like everyone else. What’s great about John F. Schaffer’s performance is in how he makes you care about Stan even when he does the wrong thing. Stan’s problems are not all that removed from our own, and Schaffer never turns him into a caricature or a cliché. He makes Stan as real as your next door neighborhood (whether that’s good or bad is a whole other story).

Gioia Marchese is equally wonderful as Ann, whose gleeful cynicism sheds light on her hard life that has forced her to not take any crap from no one. Seeing Gioia cut through the BS makes her instantly endearing, and she makes Ann one of the more original free spirits in movies. Moreover, she makes us wonder why we’re not as free spirited in our own lives.

At first glance, Christina Diaz looks like she has “Stan’s” most thankless role as the girl who can’t give her friend the affection he craves. However, she does great work in keeping her from being your usual spoiled rotten brat who doesn’t know a good thing when she sees one. Christina succeeds in making Mary likable even when she would rather make out with a buff douche bag (brought vividly to life by David Michie) that never treats her right. Unlike other characters in the romantic comedy genre, she isn’t necessarily doing this out of spite. Even if she doesn’t deserve Stan, we still feel her pain when she gets mistreated.

As good as those actors are, “Stan” is almost stolen by Todd Patrick Breaugh whose facial expressions by themselves create huge fits of laughter throughout. The scene where Mr. Frankle drives his daughters to school while they sing to some risqué pop song about sex and making out is one of the film’s comedic highlights, and the look or horror and bewilderment that crosses over his face had me in stitches. Todd also makes Mr. Frankle empathetic to a point, and that’s even when he turns out to be a real pervert.

There are some other strong performances worth noting as well. David Jay Barry has some memorable moments as Dr. Roopenian, and he makes the role more than just your typical doctor character hovering through an endless number of movies and TV shows. Adam Lamb scores some big laughs as Bill, Stan’s belittling roommate who lives to make people feel beneath him in the world of video games. Scott Vinci also steals a couple of scenes as a grocery store clerk, and he has perhaps the movie’s most memorable line (you’ll know it when you hear it). David Michie and Jim Giordano also make the most of their time onscreen as Mary’s butthead of a boyfriend and Stan’s uncle.

“Stan” is described as a “dark, romantic comedy for everyone who feels a little tortured by everyday trauma,” and this description sums it up perfectly. The script is remarkably well written, and the characters are never dumbed down as they would be in a bigger budgeted Hollywood romantic comedy. That the characters and their situations feel so real makes “Stan” leave a lasting impression, and it’s one of the nicest surprises in a genre that I typically run away from at warp speed. Hopefully this independent movie will rise above the fray and find the audience it really deserves.

* * * ½ out of * * * *

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