Ah Kat Dennings, how smoking hot is she?
Here’s the first poster for the upcoming indie drama(?) Daydream Nation starring the abovementioned Dennings. IMDB says:
Tells the story of a city girl who moves to a small town and becomes entangled in a love triangle between her high school teacher and a stoner classmate.
It’s out May 6th.
Title: Kaboom
Written and Directed by: Gregg Araki
Initial Flickchart position: #321 of 1375 overall. My #30 film, of 72, from the year 2010 (although I think it’ll end up ranking higher).
What It’s About:
Smith’s (Thomas Dekker) everyday life in the dorm – hanging out with his arty, sarcastic best friend Stella (Haley Bennett), hooking up with a beautiful free spirit named London (Juno Temple), lusting for his gorgeous but dim surfer roommate Thor (Chris Zylka) – all gets turned upside-down after one fateful, terrifying night.
General Comments:
I’ve already written this up once and the post got corrupted when I tried to publish it. I’m not doing it again. Kaboom is batshit weird and ends abruptly. Whilst it’s probably not as good as Mysterious Skin, it’s mesmerizing the whole way through.
Watch Kaboom because it’s weird, funky, funny, supremely sexy, and dizzyingly odd. Plus Juno Temple is naked a whole hell of a lot.
Rating: 7/10
Title: Rubber
Written and Directed by: Quentin Dupieux
Current Flickchart position: #815 of 1372 overall. My #58 film, of 70, from the year 2010.
What It’s About:
When Robert, an inanimate tire, discovers his destructive telepathic powers, he soon sets his sights on a desert town; in particular, a mysterious woman becomes his obsession.
General Comments:
To me Rubber is the ultimate indie art film. It’s bizarrely original, nonsensical, weird, yet strangely interesting. Not one single bit of it makes sense but I found myself captivated the whole time. I really am at a loss for words.
Watch Rubber because it’s pretty much a bad to average film, that’s elevated to something more thanks to it’s sheer originality and inventiveness. Just don’t expect any kind of explanation or motivation for anything that happens.
Rating: 5.5/10
Title: Happythankyoumoreplease
Written and Directed by: Josh Radnor
Current Flickchart position: #177 of 1369 overall. My #7 film, of 68, from the year 2010.
What It’s About:
Captures a generational moment – young people on the cusp of truly growing up, tiring of their reflexive cynicism, each in their own ways struggling to connect and define what it means to love and be loved.
General Comments:
I love indie dramas, and if they’re set in New York and are written/star/directed by someone I’m a fan of then I’m guaranteed to love them even more. That’s precisely the case with Happythankyoumoreplease. Written, directed and starring Josh Radnor (How I Met Your Mother), along with Kate Mara, Tony Hale (who should be worshiped by everyone because of Arrested Development) and Malin Akerman, it’s exactly the kind of film that I can fall in love with. This film hits literally every button if have when deciding if I like a movie. If this is truly representative of Radnor’s ability I can’t wait to see what he does next.
Watch Happythankyoumoreplease if you love New York, indie music, Josh Radnor, or hipster indie films. I can’t think of any way this could of been better.
Rating: 8.5/10
I’ve been waiting to see Hesher for over a year now. Even before it played at Sundance in 2010 I was excited about it and then when the reviews trickled out my excitement grew exponentially.
So it’s with great delight that I now get to see a trailer for the upcoming indie drama starring my favourite actor, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, along with Natalie Portman and Rainn Wilson.
Hesher is due to open sometime in April.
Title: It’s Kind of a Funny Story
Written and Directed by: Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck
Current Flickchart position: #191 of 1351 overall. My #7 film, of 62, from the year 2010.
What It’s About:
A clinically depressed teenager gets a new start after he checks himself into an adult psychiatric ward.
General Comments:
Oh my God this film was so damn enjoyable. I had no idea that Zach Galifianakis was as good a dramatic actor as he is in this. Keir Gilchrist, a guy I’ve never seen in anything before, was very impressive too. Just simply a great indie coming of age drama.
Watch It’s Kind of a Funny Story because it’s fucking fantastic.
Rating: 8/10
Starring Michael C. Hall, Lucy Liu, Rhea Perlman, and Peter Fonda.
East Fifth Bliss tells the story of a guy in his mid-thirties who watches as his life comically unravels after he enters into a relationship with the daughter of a former high school classmate.
Dexter may be completely average in just about every way, but Michael C. Hall is still a charismatic actor, so I’m intrigued about this flick. It’s due for release sometime this year, maybe a festival movie, but I’m not sure.
Title: Tenure
Written and Directed by: Mike Million
Current Flickchart position: #526 of 1336 overall. My #41 film, of 74, from the year 2009.
What It’s About:
A college professor (Luke Wilson) competes for tenure with a hot-shot female colleague (Gretchen Mol).
General Comments:
A nice little indie comedy featuring a very funny but understated performance by David Koechner.
I especially liked the dinner party scene with the college professors where Charlie (Luke Wilson) feels sort of out of place amongst all the academic nerds. I could kind of put myself in a similar position with my profession, because I get the feeling that the only thing most other lawyers can or want to talk about is the law. Their job defines their existence. I certainly don’t think I’m that type of person and I think Charlie feels the same way.
Watch this film to see three charming actors, Wilson, Mol and Koechner in a nice heartwarming comedy.
Rating: 6/10
I posted the trailer for Beeswax the other day and now here’s the new poster for it.
The poster seems to convey that same whimsical indie nature that the trailer did, and that’s what I really liked about the trailer.
(source = IMP Awards)
Here’s the trailer for the upcoming indie comedy Beeswax.
The film tells the story of twins Jeannie and Lauren. Jeannie who co-owns a vintage clothing store with Amanda, a semi-estranged friend who she fears is trying to end their partnership. Lauren leads a looser, less tethered existence and is considering getting out of the country altogether. When Jeannie receives an email from Amanda threatening a lawsuit, she calls her law student ex-boyfriend Merrill for help. Eager for distraction from his own problems, he begins helping the sisters with theirs.
This one looks like a real charming indie so hopefully I’ll get a chance to see it here in Oz. Although with the way they choose their releases here I’ll probably have to track it down on DVD when it gets released.
