Posted on Sunday, January 30th, 2011 by David Chen
Javier Bardem has been pretty unstoppable this week. In the past 7 days alone, Bardem has received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor and been offered a lead role in Ron Howard’s Dark Tower adaptation. On top of all that, we’ve now learned that Bardem has been offered a starring role in the 23rd James Bond film. Hit the jump to find out what we know.
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If you’ve been following this site during Sundance 2011, you’ve probably noticed a lot of stories about Kevin Smith’s Red State (Follow all our coverage here). This is partially because we’re collectively interested in the trajectory of Smith’s career, but it’s also because Smith managed to transform a typical Sundance movie screening into a media spectacle. Before the movie even screened and Smith declared war on studio distributors, members of the Westboro Baptist Church had already gathered outside the Eccles Theater to protest the film (Side note: While Red State is clearly inspired by the actions of this deplorable organization, the film makes a clear distinction between the Five Points church in the film and Phelps’ church, which actually exists in the film’s universe).
But any impact that the Westboro Baptist Church members might have had was immediately dwarfed by the dozens of people who showed up in counter-protest. They held up signs, some clever (“PRAISE THE GODS! ONLY ONE HATES ME!”), but most of them just totally random (“Have You Seen Waldo?” “EVERYBODY POOPS,” and “I EAT SAND” rounded out some of the offerings). Smith and his entourage had their own signs (see Smith holding one above) that they wielded in their own counter-protest. I would have liked to take more time to document the event, maybe interview some protestors and counter-protestors, but I was stuck in the press tent waiting for the doors to open.
Still, I was able to grab a couple photos/video of the whole thing. Check out some of the signage after the break.
Posted on Tuesday, January 25th, 2011 by David Chen
The /Filmcast: After Dark is a recording of what happens right after The /Filmcast is over, when the kids have gone to bed and the guys feel free to speak whatever is on their minds. In other words, it’s the leftover and disorganized ramblings, mindfarts, and brain diarrhea from The /Filmcast, all in one convenient audio file. In this episode, David Chen, Devindra Hardawar and Adam Quigley discuss some thoughts on the Golden Globes, geek out about some great blu-ray cover art, and revisit Alexander Aja’s Piranha 3D. Special guest Katey Rich from Cinema Blend.
You can always e-mail us at slashfilmcast(AT)gmail(DOT)com, or call and leave a voicemail at 781-583-1993. We’ll be back on Sunday (1/30) at 10 PM EST / 7 PM PST at Slashfilm’s live page to review The Mechanic
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Posted on Monday, January 24th, 2011 by David Chen
In my limited experience at Sundance, it seems like journalists and studios alike are always looking for “The Big One,” that is, that film like Little Miss Sunshine that will capture the hearts of Americans and (with the proper marketing) go on to rake in over $100 million at the box office.
Two nights ago at the world premiere of My Idiot Brother it seemed as though we might have a chance at seeing this year’s “Big One.” Certainly, the film has a lot of talented people behind it, including producers Marc Turtletaub (Little Miss Sunshine) and Anthony Bregman (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind), not to mention its stellar cast. So did the film charm the pants off the packed Eccles theater?
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Posted on Sunday, January 23rd, 2011 by David Chen
This evening, Red State premiered in front of more than 1,200 people at the Eccles Theatre at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival. As you might have heard, Smith had announced that he would be auctioning the film off following the screening. Not only did that not happen (Smith’s producer jokingly auctioned the film off to Smith himself for a scant $20), Smith also went on a 25-minute diatribe explaining, in mathematical detail, the problems with modern movie distribution and announced his own plans to distribute Red State to the masses.
Hit the jump for all the details.
Posted on Sunday, January 23rd, 2011 by David Chen
Kevin Smith is going to make back the money his own way for his newest film Red State. Part of that involves taking the film out on the road and making that profit off of willing audiences, city by city. Smith will be there for post-film Q&As at each location, and he’ll be bringing lead actor Michael Parks along with him. Sounds good, right? The price, however, may be higher than you’ll be willing to pay.
For all the details of Smith’s “Red State USA Tour,” including which cities it will visit, just hit the jump.
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Posted on Sunday, January 23rd, 2011 by David Chen
![Finally made it into the Eccles for the premiere(?) of MY IDIOT BROTHER [rough panoramic photo]](http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5169/5379594076_a5c6ff341b.jpg)
If you’ve been reading this site for awhile or if you’ve been following me on Twitter, you’ll know that whenever I cover events like Sundance, I try to capture as much video, audio, and photographic material as humanly possible. Our goal here at /Film is to try to convey the actual experience of going to Sundance, since many of us will never get the chance to go.
It’s been a few days now, and already there are a few films that are receiving a ton of positive buzz. After the jump, you’ll find audio of my conversations with several fantastic film writers about which films have excited and disappointed them.
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Richard Ayoade’s Submarine, which screened recently at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival, probably affected me more than any other film I’ve seen so far. Its humorous depiction of a young man struggling to get through his teenage years was so authentic, heartfelt, and moving that it vividly evoked all the trials, tribulations, and thrills of my own younger years in a way I was not prepared for.
Hit the jump for some of my thoughts and for a video blog on the film.
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