Los Angeles — It'll be a busy shopping season at next month's Sundance Film Festival, whose star-studded premieres are up for grabs by potential theatrical distributors.
Some premieres usually enter the independent-film showcase with U.S. distribution already lined up. But festival director John Cooper said all the premieres that Sundance announced Monday will be looking for distributors.
"I don't think that's ever happened before," said festival director John Cooper. "It makes for a much more exciting buyer's market, I think. At least, lively."
Among Sundance's big-name premieres: Kirsten Dunst's wedding romp "Bachelorette," directed by Leslye Headland; Bruce Willis and Catherine Zeta-Jones' Las Vegas bookie caper "Lay the Favorite," from filmmaker Stephen Frears; Richard Gere and Susan Sarandon's Wall Street saga "Arbitrage," directed by Nicholas Jarecki; Sigourney Weaver and Robert De Niro in Rodrigo Cortes' paranormal thriller "Red Lights"; and actor-director Julie Delpy's "2 Days in New York,...
Some premieres usually enter the independent-film showcase with U.S. distribution already lined up. But festival director John Cooper said all the premieres that Sundance announced Monday will be looking for distributors.
"I don't think that's ever happened before," said festival director John Cooper. "It makes for a much more exciting buyer's market, I think. At least, lively."
Among Sundance's big-name premieres: Kirsten Dunst's wedding romp "Bachelorette," directed by Leslye Headland; Bruce Willis and Catherine Zeta-Jones' Las Vegas bookie caper "Lay the Favorite," from filmmaker Stephen Frears; Richard Gere and Susan Sarandon's Wall Street saga "Arbitrage," directed by Nicholas Jarecki; Sigourney Weaver and Robert De Niro in Rodrigo Cortes' paranormal thriller "Red Lights"; and actor-director Julie Delpy's "2 Days in New York,...
- 12/5/2011
- by AP
- Huffington Post
On Twitter Watch, Godspell wrote Follow us tomorrow as GeorgeSalazar takes over the BwayGodspell account to live tweet the cast trip to Chicago to tape The Rosie ShowGuess who's up early Baristas, insomniacs, and the cast of BwayGodspell Step 1 of our trip to Chicago Getting out of the apartment.Step 2 of our trip to Rosie Hailing a cab that'll pick up Charlie Alterman and Morgan James along the way. uws sweettalkingNothing starts a travel day off right like a 700 calorie breakfast sandwich at Five Guys with AnnaMariaPdT, hinkleystomp, amp ericmkropIts a good thing I know all the lyrics to Bless The Lord because I'm throwing Lindsay off the plane today.Ok, we're about to board, so the tweets will have to seize. Just know this AnnaMariaPdT has seven rows to herself.About to take off Rosie, get those kooshballs ready BwayGodspell's comin httppic.twitter.comssZ0JC1ZThe 40th Anniversary production...
- 12/5/2011
- by BWW
- BroadwayWorld.com
This will probably be as close as most of you will ever get to seeing Sanaa Lathan in Pulitzer Prize-winning Lynn Nottage’s new play By the Way, Meet Vera Stark. No, I’m not rubbing it in, just stating the obvious.
In the play, currently previewing New York’s Second Stage Theater, Sanaa plays the titular Vera Stark, described as “a black maid in Hollywood who pursues her dream of making it in the pictures while also grappling with racial stereotypes through decades of the 20th century,” and will focus primarily on the relationship between Stark and her boss, a white Hollywood star, played by Stephanie J. Block (whose Broadway resume includes the musical Wicked).
The official synopsis: “A seventy-year journey into the life of Vera Stark, a headstrong African-American maid and budding actress, and her tangled relationship with her boss, a white Hollywood star desperately grasping to hold onto her career.
In the play, currently previewing New York’s Second Stage Theater, Sanaa plays the titular Vera Stark, described as “a black maid in Hollywood who pursues her dream of making it in the pictures while also grappling with racial stereotypes through decades of the 20th century,” and will focus primarily on the relationship between Stark and her boss, a white Hollywood star, played by Stephanie J. Block (whose Broadway resume includes the musical Wicked).
The official synopsis: “A seventy-year journey into the life of Vera Stark, a headstrong African-American maid and budding actress, and her tangled relationship with her boss, a white Hollywood star desperately grasping to hold onto her career.
- 4/19/2011
- by Tambay
- ShadowAndAct
Following up on the excellent news about the box office results of I Will Follow, I thought that maybe it’s time to revisit a piece I wrote last spring since it involves the one man who perhaps, more than any other person (and I’m not forgetting important pioneers such as Charles Burnett, Jamaa Fanaka and Julie Dash), started the popular success of the current independent black filmmaker movement some 25 years ago.
But of late hasn’t been doing too well – career-wise that is. And almost a year later things haven’t changed for him. Of course I talking about the one and only Spike Lee.
As a wrote back then, I had a conversation with a writer friend of mine who wrote a highly praised biography a few years ago, and she has now decided to see if a movie of her book could be made. She made...
But of late hasn’t been doing too well – career-wise that is. And almost a year later things haven’t changed for him. Of course I talking about the one and only Spike Lee.
As a wrote back then, I had a conversation with a writer friend of mine who wrote a highly praised biography a few years ago, and she has now decided to see if a movie of her book could be made. She made...
- 3/15/2011
- by Sergio
- ShadowAndAct
Tickets are now on sale for By the Way, Meet Vera Stark, Lynn Nottage’s new play since winning the Pulitzer Prize in 2009 for the Congolese civil war drama Ruined, which stars Sanaa Lathan.
Sanaa will play the titular Vera Stark, described as “a black maid in Hollywood who pursues her dream of making it in the pictures while also grappling with racial stereotypes through decades of the 20th century,” and will focus primarily on the relationship between Stark and her boss, a white Hollywood star, played by Stephanie J. Block (whose Broadway resume includes the musical Wicked).
Here’s the official synopsis which I very recently was alerted to: “A seventy-year journey into the life of Vera Stark, a headstrong African-American maid and budding actress, and her tangled relationship with her boss, a white Hollywood star desperately grasping to hold onto her career. When both land roles in the same Southern epic,...
Sanaa will play the titular Vera Stark, described as “a black maid in Hollywood who pursues her dream of making it in the pictures while also grappling with racial stereotypes through decades of the 20th century,” and will focus primarily on the relationship between Stark and her boss, a white Hollywood star, played by Stephanie J. Block (whose Broadway resume includes the musical Wicked).
Here’s the official synopsis which I very recently was alerted to: “A seventy-year journey into the life of Vera Stark, a headstrong African-American maid and budding actress, and her tangled relationship with her boss, a white Hollywood star desperately grasping to hold onto her career. When both land roles in the same Southern epic,...
- 3/11/2011
- by Tambay
- ShadowAndAct
Sundance Institute Announces Projects Selected For 2011 Theatre Lab To Be Held At The Banff Centre A Record 31 Artists Invited From The United States, Kenya, Mexico And Tanzania
Sundance Institute today announced the artists and projects selected for its 2011 Theatre Lab to be held at The Banff Centre in Alberta, Canada, from March 27-April 17. The centerpiece of Sundance Institute.s Theatre Program, the Theatre Lab is a three-week developmental retreat designed to provide a private, creative environment for playwrights, directors, composers and librettists to devise and refine new work with the support of creative advisors, full casts and rehearsal space. This year, Sundance has 31 fellows or generative artists, including playwrights, composers, directors and creative teams. Sundance Institute is grateful for the assistance of the Performing Arts Residency program at The Banff Centre.
The 2011 Sundance Institute Theatre Lab at the Banff Centre:
Africa Kills Her Sun (Tanzania/Kenya)
An Adaptation of Africa...
Sundance Institute today announced the artists and projects selected for its 2011 Theatre Lab to be held at The Banff Centre in Alberta, Canada, from March 27-April 17. The centerpiece of Sundance Institute.s Theatre Program, the Theatre Lab is a three-week developmental retreat designed to provide a private, creative environment for playwrights, directors, composers and librettists to devise and refine new work with the support of creative advisors, full casts and rehearsal space. This year, Sundance has 31 fellows or generative artists, including playwrights, composers, directors and creative teams. Sundance Institute is grateful for the assistance of the Performing Arts Residency program at The Banff Centre.
The 2011 Sundance Institute Theatre Lab at the Banff Centre:
Africa Kills Her Sun (Tanzania/Kenya)
An Adaptation of Africa...
- 2/2/2011
- by Melissa Howland
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
By the Way, Meet Vera Stark, Lynn Nottage’s new play since winning the Pulitzer Prize in 2009 for the Congolese civil war drama Ruined, has announced its star: Ms Sanaa Lathan!
Sanaa will play the titular Vera Stark, described as “a black maid in Hollywood who pursues her dream of making it in the pictures while also grappling with racial stereotypes through decades of the 20th century,” and will focus primarily on the relationship between Stark and her boss, a white Hollywood star, played by Stephanie J. Block (whose Broadway resume includes the musicals 9 to 5 and Wicked).
Color me intrigued!
The play reportedly looks to “1930s screwball films” as inspiration. Its remaining cast includes Tony Award winner Karen Olivo (West Side Story), Tony Award nominee Daniel Breaker (for Passing Strange), Kimberly Hebert Gregory, and Kevin Isola.
Directed by Jo Bonney (The Break of Noon, Fat Pig), preview performances of the...
Sanaa will play the titular Vera Stark, described as “a black maid in Hollywood who pursues her dream of making it in the pictures while also grappling with racial stereotypes through decades of the 20th century,” and will focus primarily on the relationship between Stark and her boss, a white Hollywood star, played by Stephanie J. Block (whose Broadway resume includes the musicals 9 to 5 and Wicked).
Color me intrigued!
The play reportedly looks to “1930s screwball films” as inspiration. Its remaining cast includes Tony Award winner Karen Olivo (West Side Story), Tony Award nominee Daniel Breaker (for Passing Strange), Kimberly Hebert Gregory, and Kevin Isola.
Directed by Jo Bonney (The Break of Noon, Fat Pig), preview performances of the...
- 2/2/2011
- by Tambay
- ShadowAndAct
Who would have thought that a musical about the seventh president of the United States would be sexy, raucous and wonderful?
Loud, profane and hilarious, "Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson" is terrific, but maybe it needed to stay downtown. On Broadway, it's only running until Sunday, Jan. 2.
Though based on history, parents and schools planning trips should know that the show is full of sexual innuendo, bad language and violence.
That's not why it's wonderful, but the bawdiness adds to its charm. The main reason this musical soars is Benjamin Walker ("Flags of Our Fathers") as Jackson. Though it's early in the Broadway season, and this didn't have the staying power to draw in audiences its fans would have hoped, it's a fair bet that Walker will earn a Tony nomination for his work.
From the opening song of "Populism Yea Yea," Walker, as Jackson, shines. He's devilish, when flirting with...
Loud, profane and hilarious, "Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson" is terrific, but maybe it needed to stay downtown. On Broadway, it's only running until Sunday, Jan. 2.
Though based on history, parents and schools planning trips should know that the show is full of sexual innuendo, bad language and violence.
That's not why it's wonderful, but the bawdiness adds to its charm. The main reason this musical soars is Benjamin Walker ("Flags of Our Fathers") as Jackson. Though it's early in the Broadway season, and this didn't have the staying power to draw in audiences its fans would have hoped, it's a fair bet that Walker will earn a Tony nomination for his work.
From the opening song of "Populism Yea Yea," Walker, as Jackson, shines. He's devilish, when flirting with...
- 12/6/2010
- by editorial@zap2it.com
- Pop2it
It’s about damn time Spike Lee picks up a new project.
Currently working on his follow up to his harrowing documentary, When The Levees Broke, the filmmaker has been doing his fair share of work on the documentary side of filmmaking. With films like Levees as well as the interesting if a little boring film, Kobe Doin’ Work. The busy man Lee likes to be also has a stage production of the musical Passing Strange that he filmed, but now it looks like he may have a new film.
Read more on Spike Lee to helm a new thriller called Nagasaki Deadline…...
Currently working on his follow up to his harrowing documentary, When The Levees Broke, the filmmaker has been doing his fair share of work on the documentary side of filmmaking. With films like Levees as well as the interesting if a little boring film, Kobe Doin’ Work. The busy man Lee likes to be also has a stage production of the musical Passing Strange that he filmed, but now it looks like he may have a new film.
Read more on Spike Lee to helm a new thriller called Nagasaki Deadline…...
- 6/28/2010
- by Joshua Brunsting
- GordonandtheWhale
Diet. Rest. Massage. Martial arts. Acupuncture. Dance classes. Yoga. Pilates. Stretches. Cycling. These are among the various ways that actors stay fit for physically demanding roles.For example, consider how rigorously Colman Domingo maintains his health while appearing in the new Kander and Ebb musical "The Scottsboro Boys" in New York and performing Susan Stroman's athletic choreography. It's much the same way he prepared for his roles in "Passing Strange" and his solo show, "A Boy and His Soul": He cuts down on sugar, eliminates dairy during the performance week, and ups his protein intake. He doesn't go out for drinks after the show but instead heads home for eight to nine hours of sleep. During the day, he emails and text-messages to avoid using his voice. He goes to the gym, cycles, stretches, does a bit of yoga, naps after lunch—basically, as he says, lives like a monk.
- 5/13/2010
- backstage.com
Just last night, director Rian Johnson answered your questions about Cinematical Movie Club pick The Brothers Bloom. As promised, here's part two of the special club bonus. First up is Rian's top 5 essential movies for Bloom fans:
1. 8 1/2 -- The granddaddy of stories about storytelling, and one of my all time favorites. Style and soul.
2. The Adventures of Baron von Munchausen -- Gilliam's unfairly maligned fairy tale about a liar in winter. If you haven't revisited this in a while, do. It'll treat you right.
3. Paper Moon -- A con man movie shell set over a father/daughter road story. Just about a perfect film.
4. House of Games -- David Mamet's first foray into the world of con men, with one of the best poker scenes ever put to film.
5. Passing Strange: The Movie -- This may seem an odd inclusion, but Spike Lee's film of Stew's...
1. 8 1/2 -- The granddaddy of stories about storytelling, and one of my all time favorites. Style and soul.
2. The Adventures of Baron von Munchausen -- Gilliam's unfairly maligned fairy tale about a liar in winter. If you haven't revisited this in a while, do. It'll treat you right.
3. Paper Moon -- A con man movie shell set over a father/daughter road story. Just about a perfect film.
4. House of Games -- David Mamet's first foray into the world of con men, with one of the best poker scenes ever put to film.
5. Passing Strange: The Movie -- This may seem an odd inclusion, but Spike Lee's film of Stew's...
- 5/6/2010
- by Monika Bartyzel
- Cinematical
American Idiot
I had no idea how I would react to the new Broadway production American Idiot. I grew up in the '50s and '60s, so I certainly am not the target demographic. I’ll confess that I know almost nothing about Green Day and their music, and I had never listened to the album upon which the musical is based. I’ve been a fan of some rock-oriented musicals, such as Movin’ Out, Spring Awakening, and Tommy, but have been less enthusiastic about Rent, Hair, and Passing Strange. After that preamble, my bottom line on American Idiot: I very much enjoyed it.
read more...
I had no idea how I would react to the new Broadway production American Idiot. I grew up in the '50s and '60s, so I certainly am not the target demographic. I’ll confess that I know almost nothing about Green Day and their music, and I had never listened to the album upon which the musical is based. I’ve been a fan of some rock-oriented musicals, such as Movin’ Out, Spring Awakening, and Tommy, but have been less enthusiastic about Rent, Hair, and Passing Strange. After that preamble, my bottom line on American Idiot: I very much enjoyed it.
read more...
- 4/24/2010
- by James Miller
- www.culturecatch.com
We've been waiting for a while now to see what Spike Lee's next film might be, and after directing a handful of documentaries (Kobe Doin' Work, Passing Strange and an upcoming Hurricane Katrina follow-up documentary) it looks like he's finally putting together the pieces for another fictional feature. Up until now it was believed that his next project would be Inside Man 2, however, that may no longer be the case. The good folks over at The Playlist [1] direct us to a chat transcript from Espn [2] where Lee answers a question about Denzel Washington saying, "We were going to do Inside Man 2 but it didn't work out." No further details were made available. Although Roger Friedman at Showbiz411 [3] seems to think that Inside Man 2 is currently in production right now (which it clearly isn't), he does have the scoop that Spike Lee's next movie may be called Brooklyn Loves Michael Jackson.
- 4/20/2010
- by Sean
- FilmJunk
Next Tuesday, April 20th, Green Day is combining two of our favorite things on the planet — punk rock and theater — and we could not be more excited. The Broadway premiere of American Idiot (the stage adaptation of Green Days' 2004 album) is a greatly anticipated event on the Great White Way. Sadly we won't be going to New York anytime soon.
Lucky for us, VH1 is giving us a little taste with tonight's premiere of Green Day Rocks Broadway, a behind the scenes look at the band's new musical. The special won't reveal the entire show, but will present enough clips to give us a sense of being there and maybe even convince some skeptics that Green Day is not selling out.
The rock musical is not a new genre. It's been around for decades (Hair, Jesus Christ Superstar, Rent, Tommy), but Green Day is taking it one step further. This...
Lucky for us, VH1 is giving us a little taste with tonight's premiere of Green Day Rocks Broadway, a behind the scenes look at the band's new musical. The special won't reveal the entire show, but will present enough clips to give us a sense of being there and maybe even convince some skeptics that Green Day is not selling out.
The rock musical is not a new genre. It's been around for decades (Hair, Jesus Christ Superstar, Rent, Tommy), but Green Day is taking it one step further. This...
- 4/16/2010
- by Pop Culture Passionistas
- popculturepassionistas
Musical theatre old timers have been circling the proverbial wagons for quite sometime now, grasping at revival after revival in hopes of retaining the fading glory of yesteryear song and dance shows. Over the course of the past couple seasons on and off Broadway, a rebellion of sorts has been afoot, and if anyone has been paying attention to the smoke signals, musical theatre conventions are slowly being thrown out the window. The Public Theatre's latest musical, 'Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson,' has a central message, and it is rather simple, f**k theatrical conventions. Thanks to the progressive nature of recent offerings including 'Spring Awakening,' 'Passing Strange' and now Green Day's 'American Idiot' -- perhaps the most straight forward rock musical to date -- Broadway has been breaking away from tradition with rock music infiltrating the stage and concert style staging springing...
- 4/7/2010
- by James Sims
- Huffington Post
Maintaining truthfulness and avoiding stereotypes are the major challenges when playing racial, ethnic, and sexual minorities.Consider the daunting task that Tamer Aziz faces in tackling a character who is gay, Iranian, and Muslim in Jay Paul Deratany's fact-based play "Haram Iran" (now at the Celebration Theatre in Hollywood). Or the issues that black actors deal with in enacting a brutal racist episode within the context of a minstrel show in John Kander and Fred Ebb's musical "The Scottsboro Boys" (currently at New York's Vineyard Theatre). Justin Huen also has his work cut out for him playing Oedipus in Luis Alfaro's play "Oedipus el Rey," a retelling of Sophocles' tragedy set in a Los Angeles barrio (playing the Theatre @ Boston Court in Pasadena, Calif.). Jennifer Lim grapples with a fully assimilated and not very sensitive Asian American in Lauren Yee's satire "Ching Chong Chinaman" (now at New York's...
- 3/31/2010
- backstage.com
DVD Playhouse—January 2010
By
Allen Gardner
The Hurt Locker (Summit Entertainment) Absorbing character study follows the leader (Jeremy Renner) of a bomb squad unit in Iraq and his growing addiction to the adrenaline-fueled life and death edge that he and his men must walk on a daily basis. Director Kathryn Bigelow, an unheralded great filmmaker for nearly two decades, has finally hit paydirt with this gut-wrenching examination of war as drug, as opposed to hell. That said, The Hurt Locker is 2/3 of a great movie that takes a wild left turn in a subplot involving Renner’s character and that of a local boy to whom he takes a shine, and never quite recovers its momentum. In spite of that hiccup, it remains one of the best films of 2009 and, thus far, the finest cinematic exploration of America’s war in the Middle East. Also available on Blu-ray disc, in...
By
Allen Gardner
The Hurt Locker (Summit Entertainment) Absorbing character study follows the leader (Jeremy Renner) of a bomb squad unit in Iraq and his growing addiction to the adrenaline-fueled life and death edge that he and his men must walk on a daily basis. Director Kathryn Bigelow, an unheralded great filmmaker for nearly two decades, has finally hit paydirt with this gut-wrenching examination of war as drug, as opposed to hell. That said, The Hurt Locker is 2/3 of a great movie that takes a wild left turn in a subplot involving Renner’s character and that of a local boy to whom he takes a shine, and never quite recovers its momentum. In spite of that hiccup, it remains one of the best films of 2009 and, thus far, the finest cinematic exploration of America’s war in the Middle East. Also available on Blu-ray disc, in...
- 1/19/2010
- by The Hollywood Interview.com
- The Hollywood Interview
Turning a successful musical into a movie is always a risky endeavor. Some of them turn out great (think Hairspray or The Phantom of the Opera) and then there are those that, well, don’t (you’ve read the reviews of Nine, haven’t you?). But Spike Lee manages to pull off the transition from Broadway to film with ease in Passing Strange.
Passing Strange is the semi-autobiographical tale of Stew, a musician and the narrator of the story. The audience watches as an unhappy Youth (a younger version of the narrator), played by Daniel Breaker, leaves his home and family behind in South Central Los Angeles during the 1970s in a quest for “the real.” His journey leads him to Europe where he visits Amsterdam and Berlin, the former enticing him with drugs and sex, while the latter holds its appeal in much more political aspects.
This is not...
Passing Strange is the semi-autobiographical tale of Stew, a musician and the narrator of the story. The audience watches as an unhappy Youth (a younger version of the narrator), played by Daniel Breaker, leaves his home and family behind in South Central Los Angeles during the 1970s in a quest for “the real.” His journey leads him to Europe where he visits Amsterdam and Berlin, the former enticing him with drugs and sex, while the latter holds its appeal in much more political aspects.
This is not...
- 1/16/2010
- by Jessica Guerrasio
- JustPressPlay.net
I forgot to post this earlier today.
As the headline states… Spike Lee’s movie version of the Broadway musical Passing Strange will make its broadcast debut on Thirteen’S Great Performances on PBS Tonight, Wednesday, January 13, at 9 pm Est.
The show, a semi-autobiographical story of a young man’s coming of age, starred co-creator Stew, Daniel Breaker, and de’Adre Aziza, all of whom received Tony Award nominations for their performances. The Broadway musical was directed by Annie Dorsen. Stew won the Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical.
The DVD of the film hit the market yesterday; for those interested in picking up a copy, Click Here. It’s only $15.
For more information, visit www.pbs.org.
As the headline states… Spike Lee’s movie version of the Broadway musical Passing Strange will make its broadcast debut on Thirteen’S Great Performances on PBS Tonight, Wednesday, January 13, at 9 pm Est.
The show, a semi-autobiographical story of a young man’s coming of age, starred co-creator Stew, Daniel Breaker, and de’Adre Aziza, all of whom received Tony Award nominations for their performances. The Broadway musical was directed by Annie Dorsen. Stew won the Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical.
The DVD of the film hit the market yesterday; for those interested in picking up a copy, Click Here. It’s only $15.
For more information, visit www.pbs.org.
- 1/14/2010
- by Tambay
- ShadowAndAct
Tonight, Spike Lee's cinematic chronicle of the fascinating, award-winning rock musical, Passing Strange -- which went from being an off-Broadway/Public Theater production to a limited Broadway run -- airs on the Channel Thirteen series, Great Performances at 9 pm Est (check local listings). Based on the musical developed at the Sundance Theater Lab and Sundance's Directors Lab, Lee's acclaimed film, Passing Strange The Movie, premiered at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival. The live-show document then had a celebrated homecoming premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival and was greeted with packed audiences, positive reviews, and a special panel discussion with cast, director and producers. It went on to have limited theatrical exposure, became the first release through Sundance Selects video-on-demand in August, 2009, and had a DVD release this week. Created by singer/songwriter Stew (and co-composed with creative partner Heidi Rodewald) the guitar-infused...
- 1/13/2010
- by Brad Balfour
- Huffington Post
2010 is in full swing and some really great movies are hitting store shelves this week for the first time and for the first time on Blu-ray. This week’s releases include Moon, Halloween II, Cliffhanger, Kathy Griffin: She’ll Cut a Bitch, I Can Do Bad All By Myself and the Blu-ray release of The Hurt Locker (pictured above).
Check out this week’s releases:
Movies
Amreeka ~ Yussuf Abu-Warda, Hiam Abbass, Alia Shawkat (DVD)
Big Fan ~ Patton Oswalt, Michael Rapaport, Matt Servitto (DVD and Blu-ray)
Cliffhanger ~ Sylvester Stallone (Blu-ray)
Departures ~ Masahiro Motoki, Ryoko Hirosue (DVD)
8 1/2 (The Criterion Collection) ~ Marcello Mastroianni, Anouk Aimée, Claudia Cardinale (Blu-ray)
Halloween II (Unrated Director’s Cut) ~ Scout Taylor-Compton, Malcolm McDowell, Sheri Moon Zombie (DVD and Blu-ray)
I Can Do Bad All By Myself ~ Tyler Perry, Taraji P. Henson (DVD and Blu-ray)
In the Loop ~ James Gandolfini (DVD and Blu-ray)
The Hurt Locker ~ Ralph Fiennes,...
Check out this week’s releases:
Movies
Amreeka ~ Yussuf Abu-Warda, Hiam Abbass, Alia Shawkat (DVD)
Big Fan ~ Patton Oswalt, Michael Rapaport, Matt Servitto (DVD and Blu-ray)
Cliffhanger ~ Sylvester Stallone (Blu-ray)
Departures ~ Masahiro Motoki, Ryoko Hirosue (DVD)
8 1/2 (The Criterion Collection) ~ Marcello Mastroianni, Anouk Aimée, Claudia Cardinale (Blu-ray)
Halloween II (Unrated Director’s Cut) ~ Scout Taylor-Compton, Malcolm McDowell, Sheri Moon Zombie (DVD and Blu-ray)
I Can Do Bad All By Myself ~ Tyler Perry, Taraji P. Henson (DVD and Blu-ray)
In the Loop ~ James Gandolfini (DVD and Blu-ray)
The Hurt Locker ~ Ralph Fiennes,...
- 1/12/2010
- by Joe Gillis
- The Flickcast
©Getty Images, photo credit: Amy Sussman [Note: This piece originally ran in May during the 2009 Tribeca Film Festival.] The Tribeca audience was in rocked-out bliss Saturday night at the end of Passing Strange, the new film event from Spike Lee. One of Spike's two entries in Tff '09 (the other is Kobe Doin' Work), Passing Strange came from a simple enough concept, but is much more complex than one might imagine. Lee was inspired to film the final three performances of the Broadway rock musical Passing Strange, and cut those performances into one film. However, this isn't the theatre-on-tv stuff you might have watched in the '70s; instead, Lee's film is vibrant and alive, cutting from here to there with a clarity and urgency that surely took the original musical to even greater heights. In the story, loosely based on co-creator Stew's own experiences, a young African-American man from 1970s South Central ...
- 1/11/2010
- TribecaFilm.com
At the request of our readers, we recently brought back the Music version of the Chopping List after an extended hiatus, and while the past few weeks have been light on the music front, this week changes that in a big way. Below the jump you'll find this week's list. With so many genres to cover, this is in no way comprehensive, but features 21 highlights we think you're gonna dig. We've hand-picked an assortment that runs the gamut from Soundtracks to metal, goth, alternative, punk, and more.
What will you be listening to this week?
The Book Of Eli - Soundtrack - Reprise Records
The Book of Eli Original Motion Picture Soundtrack features an original score by composer/musician/producer Atticus Ross, marking his third collaboration with the Hughes Brothers and his first feature film score. Ross' music is a unique hybrid score of electronic and organic elements; writing with...
What will you be listening to this week?
The Book Of Eli - Soundtrack - Reprise Records
The Book of Eli Original Motion Picture Soundtrack features an original score by composer/musician/producer Atticus Ross, marking his third collaboration with the Hughes Brothers and his first feature film score. Ross' music is a unique hybrid score of electronic and organic elements; writing with...
- 1/10/2010
- by no-reply@fangoria.com (James Zahn)
- Fangoria
As more indie filmmakers forgo traditional theatrical distribution in favor of VOD, the Sundance Institute is joining forces with Rainbow Media to present several films debuting at this month's Sundance festival as simultaneous cable on-demand offerings through the new Sundance Selects label.
Sundance Selects, a sister to Rainbow's IFC that is both a theatrical and VOD label, was introduced in the summer with the launch of Spike Lee's "Passing Strange."
Three films premiering at the Sundance fest, which kicks off Jan. 21 in Park City, have been chosen for the new Direct From the Sundance Film Festival initiative and will be available on VOD the same day each bows at the fest.
"Moving the storytelling of the Sundance Film Festival beyond 10 days in Utah remains a top priority for us," Sundance Institute founder Robert Redford said. "This collaboration with Sundance Selects is a new and important complement to this ongoing...
Sundance Selects, a sister to Rainbow's IFC that is both a theatrical and VOD label, was introduced in the summer with the launch of Spike Lee's "Passing Strange."
Three films premiering at the Sundance fest, which kicks off Jan. 21 in Park City, have been chosen for the new Direct From the Sundance Film Festival initiative and will be available on VOD the same day each bows at the fest.
"Moving the storytelling of the Sundance Film Festival beyond 10 days in Utah remains a top priority for us," Sundance Institute founder Robert Redford said. "This collaboration with Sundance Selects is a new and important complement to this ongoing...
- 1/7/2010
- by By Gregg Kilday
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Six was the magic number for NAACP Image Awards nominations announced Wednesday (Jan. 6).
ABC's "Grey's Anatomy," the film "Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire" and the TNT's telepic "Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story" led with six nominations apiece.
In music, however, Jay-z and Maxwell led the way with five nods each.
The nominations were announced at a press conference that featured Tay Diggs, comedian Wanda Sykes, "Brothers Star" Michael Strahan, Tatyana Ali and Kyle and Chris Massey.
The 41st NAACP Image Awards will air live beginning at 8 p.m. Et on Friday, Feb. 26 on Fox.
Check out the nominees:
Television
Outstanding Comedy Series
"30 Rock" (NBC)
"Everybody Hates Chris"(CW)
"Glee"(Fox)
"Tyler Perry's House of Payne"(TBS)
"Ugly Betty"(ABC)
Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series
Daryl "Chill" Mitchell - "Brothers"(Fox)
Donald Faison - "Scrubs"(NBC)
Dulé Hill - "Psych"(USA Network)
Lavan Davis - "Tyler Perry's House of Payne...
ABC's "Grey's Anatomy," the film "Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire" and the TNT's telepic "Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story" led with six nominations apiece.
In music, however, Jay-z and Maxwell led the way with five nods each.
The nominations were announced at a press conference that featured Tay Diggs, comedian Wanda Sykes, "Brothers Star" Michael Strahan, Tatyana Ali and Kyle and Chris Massey.
The 41st NAACP Image Awards will air live beginning at 8 p.m. Et on Friday, Feb. 26 on Fox.
Check out the nominees:
Television
Outstanding Comedy Series
"30 Rock" (NBC)
"Everybody Hates Chris"(CW)
"Glee"(Fox)
"Tyler Perry's House of Payne"(TBS)
"Ugly Betty"(ABC)
Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series
Daryl "Chill" Mitchell - "Brothers"(Fox)
Donald Faison - "Scrubs"(NBC)
Dulé Hill - "Psych"(USA Network)
Lavan Davis - "Tyler Perry's House of Payne...
- 1/6/2010
- by editorial@zap2it.com
- Zap2It - From Inside the Box
"Precious" leads the nominations for the 41st annual NAACP Image Awards earning eight noms including Best Director for Lee Daniels, Best Actress for Gabourey Sidibe, Supporting Actress for Mariah Carey, Monique, and Paula Patton, and Best Supporting Actor for Lenny Kravitz.
"Precious" also got nods for Outstanding Motion Picture and Outstanding Independent Film. Other films nominated were "Invictus," "Michael Jackson's This Is It," "The Blind Side," and "The Princess and the Frog."
Winners will be announced Feb. 26 on Fox.
Here's the complete list of nominees for the 41st annual NAACP Image Awards:
Motion Picture Categories
Outstanding Motion Picture
. "The Blind Side" (Warner Bros. Pictures)
. "Invictus" (Warner Bros. Pictures)
. "Michael Jackson's: This Is It" (Columbia Pictures)
. "Precious: Based on the Novel "Push" by Sapphire" (Lionsgate)
. "The Princess and the Frog" (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)
Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture
. Denzel Washington , "The Taking of Pelham 123" (Columbia Pictures...
"Precious" also got nods for Outstanding Motion Picture and Outstanding Independent Film. Other films nominated were "Invictus," "Michael Jackson's This Is It," "The Blind Side," and "The Princess and the Frog."
Winners will be announced Feb. 26 on Fox.
Here's the complete list of nominees for the 41st annual NAACP Image Awards:
Motion Picture Categories
Outstanding Motion Picture
. "The Blind Side" (Warner Bros. Pictures)
. "Invictus" (Warner Bros. Pictures)
. "Michael Jackson's: This Is It" (Columbia Pictures)
. "Precious: Based on the Novel "Push" by Sapphire" (Lionsgate)
. "The Princess and the Frog" (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)
Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture
. Denzel Washington , "The Taking of Pelham 123" (Columbia Pictures...
- 1/6/2010
- by Manny
- Manny the Movie Guy
News from In Contention’s The Circuit: Best Motion Picture “The Blind Side” “Invictus” “Michael Jackson’s This Is It” “Precious” “The Princess and the Frog” Best Director Scott Sanders,...
- 1/6/2010
- by Sasha Stone
- AwardsDaily.com
As I'm gearing up for the 2010 Sundance Film Festival in a few weeks, I'm catching up on a few films I've missed at festivals over the last year, and one of those that I missed at both Sundance and SXSW was Spike Lee's"Passing Strange," thanks to scheduling issues both times. My bad. Lee filmed the final three performances of the musical during its run at the Belasco Theater in New York, and the result is an electrifying movie that's somewhere between a concert film and a theatrical presentation. Stew is the man behind the piece, and that's his entire stage name....
- 1/3/2010
- Hitfix
Spike Lee’s movie version of the Broadway musical Passing Strange will make its broadcast debut on Thirteen’S Great Performances on PBS on Wednesday, January 13, at 9 pm Est.
The show, a semiautobiographical story of a young man’s coming of age, starred co-creator Stew, Daniel Breaker, and de’Adre Aziza, all of whom received Tony Award nominations for their performances. The Broadway musical was directed by Annie Dorsen. Stew won the Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical.
The DVD of the film will be available beginning January 12.
Did anyone see it? Whether the Broadway musical, or Spike’s documentation of it. I missed both.
For more information, visit www.pbs.org.
The show, a semiautobiographical story of a young man’s coming of age, starred co-creator Stew, Daniel Breaker, and de’Adre Aziza, all of whom received Tony Award nominations for their performances. The Broadway musical was directed by Annie Dorsen. Stew won the Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical.
The DVD of the film will be available beginning January 12.
Did anyone see it? Whether the Broadway musical, or Spike’s documentation of it. I missed both.
For more information, visit www.pbs.org.
- 12/29/2009
- by Tambay
- ShadowAndAct
Director Spike Lee is teaming up with comedian Tracy Morgan to release a concert film of the funnyman performing stand-up.
The project will be filmed in a similar way to Passing Strange, the musical Lee shot on Broadway and released earlier this year - and follows Lee's documentaries about basketball stars Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant.
Morgan is excited, but warns fans his comedy is very different to that of Tracy Jordan - his character in hit TV comedy 30 Rock.
The star tells GQ magazine, "My stand-up is nothing like the TV show. My sense of humour is a turkey, and I pull it out of the oven and baste it in reality."
And he insists it's for adults only: "I talk a lot about sex, because I'm good at it."...
The project will be filmed in a similar way to Passing Strange, the musical Lee shot on Broadway and released earlier this year - and follows Lee's documentaries about basketball stars Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant.
Morgan is excited, but warns fans his comedy is very different to that of Tracy Jordan - his character in hit TV comedy 30 Rock.
The star tells GQ magazine, "My stand-up is nothing like the TV show. My sense of humour is a turkey, and I pull it out of the oven and baste it in reality."
And he insists it's for adults only: "I talk a lot about sex, because I'm good at it."...
- 10/20/2009
- WENN
Every year good films show at the Toronto Film festival that never open anywhere near you. This year some good films played that may never open anywhere, even if you live in Toronto--or New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Seattle, Austin or upstairs over a Landmark Theater multiplex. Toronto is traditionally a lively marketplace for the purchase of film rights for new non-studio product: Indies, docs, foreign films. This year Harvey Weinstein paid $1 million for "A Single Man," and that was that. One sale, one movie, one million -- probably as little as Harvey has paid for a movie in some time.
Stands at yellow, rising toward orange
The makers of independent films don't have to send to learn for whom the bell tolls. It tolls for them. The bottom fell out of the market. That doesn't mean there were no other offers, but it means there were none that...
Stands at yellow, rising toward orange
The makers of independent films don't have to send to learn for whom the bell tolls. It tolls for them. The bottom fell out of the market. That doesn't mean there were no other offers, but it means there were none that...
- 9/25/2009
- by Roger Ebert
- blogs.suntimes.com/ebert
It is difficult to imagine a greater fan of the recent Tony Award-winning Passing Strange than Spike Lee. After seeing the show twice in the same weekend during its stint at The Public Theater, Lee's "nightmare," he tells Blackbook.com was that "at some point it was going to close and that it was just all going to all go away." Hence the inspiration for his new documentary, "Passing Strange," which documents the stage show he filmed in July just prior to the show's closing. After winning several awards at Sundance, "Passing Strange" is now playing at the IFC in New York, on the IFC channel and will soon be broadcast on PBS. Lee sat down this week with original creators Stew and Heidi Rodewald and Blackbook.com to discuss of "Strange."...
- 9/16/2009
- BroadwayWorld.com
Although more of a stage play than a film this performance has great acting and great music combined with a heart felt message Spike Lee directs this filming of the Tony-award winning Broadway production of the rock musical .Passing Strange.. The original play is the work of composer/writer Stew who also narrates the play from a central onstage position while contributing as part of the band. The play itself was a success on Broadway garnering four Tony nominations as well as a number of other awards. Selected as entries into both the 2009 Tribeca and Sundance Film Festivals the movie is the semi-autobiographical coming of age tale of .Youth. (Daniel Breaker) who leaves his church-going mother in his South Los...
- 9/9/2009
- by Ron Wilkinson
- Monsters and Critics
Having trouble staying awake today? This high-spirited trailer for Spike Lee's vibrant documentary/musical, Passing Strange, should help get you going.
We told you about Passing Strange back in May when PBS picked it up as part of its Great Performances series. Lee's doc is a filmed version of the theatrical stage production of the Tony nominated Broadway musical of the same name. It's about a young black man who travels to Europe in the 1970s to become an artist and live a bohemian lifestyle.Continue reading Check out the trailer for Spike Lee's passionate Passing Strange
Filed under: Programming, Video
Permalink | Email this | | Comments...
We told you about Passing Strange back in May when PBS picked it up as part of its Great Performances series. Lee's doc is a filmed version of the theatrical stage production of the Tony nominated Broadway musical of the same name. It's about a young black man who travels to Europe in the 1970s to become an artist and live a bohemian lifestyle.Continue reading Check out the trailer for Spike Lee's passionate Passing Strange
Filed under: Programming, Video
Permalink | Email this | | Comments...
- 8/25/2009
- by Mike Moody
- Aol TV.
Spike Lee has allegedly attacked music executives who encourage rappers to pretend that they have a criminal past in order to boost their career. The Do The Right Thing director's latest movie Passing Strange follows the story of a middle-class man forced to pretend he is from the 'ghetto' to succeed. Lee told the New York Daily News: "I think what we talk about really applies more to rap artists. I always thought about this experiment: two rappers who have the same, identical skills lyrically and rapping, trying to get a label deal. "One says, (more)...
- 8/25/2009
- by By Oli Simpson
- Digital Spy
Back in 2005 Matt Ross selected Stew for our "25 New Faces" list. Stew is the multi-media art duo consisting of theater artists Stew and Heidi Rodewald, and they had just staged their show Passing Strange at the Public Theater and attended the Sundance Producer's Lab. Four years later a film version of Passing Strange opens at the IFC Center, directed by Spike Lee. Check it out this weekend and meet Stew and Heidi, who will be appearing in person at the shows. Here's the trailer:...
- 8/21/2009
- by Scott Macaulay
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
Spike Lee's "Passing Strange: The Movie" is basically canned musical theater, but this is one Tony-winning Broadway show that's well worth preserving and seeing.
The singularly named Stew (formerly Mark Stewart) serves as the musical narrator for his rousing autobiographical show, which depicts his younger self (Daniel Breaker) fleeing Los Angeles, his long-suffering mother (Eisa Davis) and his church choir to find himself in Europe.
This search takes him to a druggy, ambisexual commune in...
The singularly named Stew (formerly Mark Stewart) serves as the musical narrator for his rousing autobiographical show, which depicts his younger self (Daniel Breaker) fleeing Los Angeles, his long-suffering mother (Eisa Davis) and his church choir to find himself in Europe.
This search takes him to a druggy, ambisexual commune in...
- 8/21/2009
- by By LOU LUMENICK
- NYPost.com
The stage musical Passing Strange opens with too-smart-for-his-own-good Daniel Breaker sitting in a South Central Los Angeles Baptist church, bored out of his skull. Then the pastor gets on a roll, and as the choir and organist whip the congregation into a frenzy, Breaker has an epiphany: Though he has zero interest in Christianity, this music and energy are his birthright. Later, Breaker will get turned on to drugs by his choir director, start a punk band with his friends, and travel overseas to learn about unconditional acceptance in Amsterdam and the limits of nihilism in Berlin. All the while ...
- 8/20/2009
- avclub.com
It's got trenchant insights into art and identity, and you can dance to it. It's a grand irony that you can live in New York, one of the greatest theater cities in the world, and not be able to swing the cost of tickets without taking out a second mortgage on your apartment. I'd heard the critics falling all over themselves in praise of Passing Strange -- a hard-driving mix of rock concert and musical co-created by singer/songwriter Stew, his creative partner Heidi Rodewald, and director Annie Dorsen that tracks the semi-autobiographical story of a young, African- American man as he grows as both artist and human -- and was forced to say to myself, "Sounds pretty cool. Too bad I'll never get to see it." Fortunately, Spike Lee was a long-time fan of the show, and more than willing to commit...
- 8/20/2009
- by Dan Persons
- Huffington Post
As a singer-songwriter with rock, prog and punk roots, Stew (née Mark Stewart) has been on a fast track to widespread success. In any other situation, having recorded Entertainment Weekly's Album of the Year in both 2000 and 2002, or writing and performing a beloved song for "SpongeBob SquarePants" would be career highs. But Stew has since become a Tony Award-winning playwright, thanks to his cabaret-influenced musical "Passing Strange." Originally developed (with his longtime collaborator Heidi Rodewald) through the Sundance Institute Theatre Lab and the Public Theater, the show is an autobiographical journey about a young black musician from a middle-class L.A. neighborhood who learns about art, love, sex, drugs and himself in late '70s Amsterdam and Berlin.
Witty, incredibly moving, and inventively all over the map in its musical influences (a little gospel here, a little kraut rock there), the show was a monster hit, and attracted the attention...
Witty, incredibly moving, and inventively all over the map in its musical influences (a little gospel here, a little kraut rock there), the show was a monster hit, and attracted the attention...
- 8/20/2009
- by Aaron Hillis
- ifc.com
The Tony Award-winning Vineyard Theatre (Avenue Q and [title of show]) will open its 2009-10 season with the Off-Broadway premiere of A Boy And His Soul -- a new play written and performed by Colman Domingo (Passing Strange, Logo Network's "The Big Gay Sketch Show") set to begin previews September 9, prior to officially opening on September 24 at the Vineyard Theatre (108 East 15th Street) in Manhattan.
- 8/20/2009
- BroadwayWorld.com
- Better than reading Qt's quote/rant about not thinking that Orson Welles is any good, with the release of Inglourious Basterds this week, the web has given plenty of space a viral clip of Tarantino's oddly-devised top 20 list post 1992/93. Here are a list of odds and ends and that vid below for Monday, the 17th of August... 1. The Return of Bruno Bruce Willis confirms cameo for Stallone's The Expendables. (Via MTV Blogs) 2. I Get No RespectP.R nightmare at U.S. airport as Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan gets no star treatment. Word to Fox Searchlight next year: make sure that junket press tour for My Name is Khan begins on a high note. 3. The Military Smoke a Peace PipeOren Moverman's Berlin Film Festival winning The Messenger opens The 10th Woodstock Film Fest (Via IndieWIRE) 4. "Passing" it onto the Sundance Channel Spike Lee’s docu Passing Strange: The
- 8/18/2009
- IONCINEMA.com
Following its purchase of the Sundance Channel last year, Rainbow Media today announced that Sundance Selects, a new transactional video-on-demand film offering, will launch Wednesday, August 26. Sundance Selects will debut with Spike Lee’s acclaimed film, “Passing Strange The Movie,” which is based on a musical developed at the Sundance Theater Lab and the Sundance Directors Lab, and which premiered at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival. Sundance Selects titles will be available on the on-demand platform of major cable operators, including Comcast, Cox and Cablevision. Sundance Selects creates a new national platform for independent film in the documentary and [...]...
- 8/18/2009
- by The Critic
- SmartCine.com
Spike Lee's "Passing Strange: The Movie" to inaugurate Sundance Select.
By Wrap Staff
On Friday, Spike Lee’s latest, “Passing Strange: The Movie,” the film version of the hit Broadway blues musical, opens in New York.
It will make its cable debut a mere five days later. The film, which premiered at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival, is one of six titles that will launch Sundance Channel’s new video-on-demand service on Aug. 26, Sundance Select, the company announced Monday. The other titles are "Mary ...
By Wrap Staff
On Friday, Spike Lee’s latest, “Passing Strange: The Movie,” the film version of the hit Broadway blues musical, opens in New York.
It will make its cable debut a mere five days later. The film, which premiered at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival, is one of six titles that will launch Sundance Channel’s new video-on-demand service on Aug. 26, Sundance Select, the company announced Monday. The other titles are "Mary ...
- 8/17/2009
- by Lew Harris
- The Wrap
Cable television's Sundance Channel on Monday unveiled a video-on-demand service offering documentaries and international films endorsed by Sundance festival founder Robert Redford and often available the same day the movies hit theaters.
Sundance Selects will make its debut on August 26 with Spike Lee's new documentary, "Passing Strange: The Movie." The service will be available on cable TV systems owned by three major operators -- Comcast Corp, Cox Communications and Cablevision Systems Corp. -- reaching as many as 50 million U.S. households.
For Sundance Channel, which plays films and shows aimed at art-house and independent film fans and is owned by Cablevision unit Rainbow Media Holdings, a video-on-demand service provides new revenues in a growing business arena.
And indie movie fans who live in smaller cities or towns that may not have art houses can now access documentaries and foreign language films they only hear about from media coverage of festivals like Sundance.
Sundance Selects will make its debut on August 26 with Spike Lee's new documentary, "Passing Strange: The Movie." The service will be available on cable TV systems owned by three major operators -- Comcast Corp, Cox Communications and Cablevision Systems Corp. -- reaching as many as 50 million U.S. households.
For Sundance Channel, which plays films and shows aimed at art-house and independent film fans and is owned by Cablevision unit Rainbow Media Holdings, a video-on-demand service provides new revenues in a growing business arena.
And indie movie fans who live in smaller cities or towns that may not have art houses can now access documentaries and foreign language films they only hear about from media coverage of festivals like Sundance.
- 8/17/2009
- by By Bob Tourtellotte, Reuters
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
When Spike Lee speaks, you "do the right thing" -- you listen. While the cast and crew of Broadway's "Passing Strange" had their own way of working during their five-month run at the Belasco Theatre, as soon as legendary director Spike Lee showed up to make a film of the Tony-winning musical, old habits died hard.
"[Show director] Annie Dorsen and Stew and I are really strong about what we want," says co-collaborator Heidi Rodewald. "For a long time, people said that during the bows,...
"[Show director] Annie Dorsen and Stew and I are really strong about what we want," says co-collaborator Heidi Rodewald. "For a long time, people said that during the bows,...
- 8/16/2009
- by By LARRY GETLEN
- NYPost.com
Spike Lee's "Passing Strange," a film version of the Tony-winning Broadway musical, will be the opening-night film when the 2009 Downtown Film Festival-Los Angeles kicks off Aug. 12 at the At&T Center Theater.
Chad Goodridge and De'Adre Aziza, stars of both the original Broadway production and the film, will appear in person.
"Passing Strange" is the semi-autobiographical story of Los Angeles musician Stew, who in the early 1990s founded the influential pop-rock band the Negro Problem.
"We're honored to premiere any film by Spike Lee, but in particular 'Passing Strange' is a fitting way to begin our festival because of Stew's strong connection to the Silver Lake/Downtown L.A. arts scenes," said festival director Greg Ptacek.
The fest runs Aug. 12-22 in venues throughout downtown Los Angeles.
Chad Goodridge and De'Adre Aziza, stars of both the original Broadway production and the film, will appear in person.
"Passing Strange" is the semi-autobiographical story of Los Angeles musician Stew, who in the early 1990s founded the influential pop-rock band the Negro Problem.
"We're honored to premiere any film by Spike Lee, but in particular 'Passing Strange' is a fitting way to begin our festival because of Stew's strong connection to the Silver Lake/Downtown L.A. arts scenes," said festival director Greg Ptacek.
The fest runs Aug. 12-22 in venues throughout downtown Los Angeles.
Three films from Tff 2009 - Spike Lee's Passing Strange, Ian Olds' Fixer: The Taking of Ajmal Naqshbandi, and Rebecca Cammisa's Which Way Home - will all find a broader audience in August, the first one in theaters and the others on HBO. As reported Friday in Playbill, Passing Strange - Lee's documentation of the final performances of the beloved Broadway rock musical - will have a theatrical run starting August 21. (As previously announced, the film will also be a part of the 2010 season of 'Great Performances' on PBS.) Passing Strange is the story of a young man on an artistic and soulful journey that takes him from southern California throughout Europe and back again. With a Tony Award-winning book by Stew and star turns from both Stew and Daniel Breaker, the musical odyssey is one of identity, love, and pure rock 'n' roll. Switching gears,...
- 7/13/2009
- TribecaFilm.com
The Vineyard Theatre presents an invitation-only reading of its upcoming musical The Scottsboro Boys -- with music and lyrics by Tony Award-winners John Kander and Fred Ebb (Cabaret, Chicago, Kiss Of The Spiderwoman) and a book by David Thompson -- featuring John Cullum (Urinetown), Brandon Victor Dixon (The Color Purple) and Colman Domingo (Passing Strange) at The Vineyard Theatre (108 East 15th Street) on Friday, June 26 at 3pm.
- 6/24/2009
- BroadwayWorld.com
George Ovashvili's "The Other Bank" was awarded the grand jury's New Directors Showcase Award and Barbara Schroeder's "talhotblond" was the documentary grand jury winner at the 35th International Seattle Film Festival, which concluded Sunday.
The doc jury also awarded a special jury prize to Yoshio Harada's "Manhole Children."
The Golden Space Needle Audience Award for best film went to Scott Sanders' "Black Dynamite." First runner-up was Benoit Pilon's "The Necessities of Life," with runner-up awards also going to: second runner-up: Marc Webb's "(500) Days of Summer"; third (tie): Kevin Hamedani's "Zmd: Zombies of Mass Destruction" and Lucy Akhurst's "Morris: A Life with Bells On"; and fourth: Philipp Stolzl's "North Face."
Louie Psihoyos' "The Cove" took home the Golden Space Needle Award for best documentary.
Runners-up were: Sandy Cioffi's "Sweet Crude"; Sarah Kunstler and Emily Kunstler's "William Kunstler: Disturbing the Universe"; James D. Stern...
The doc jury also awarded a special jury prize to Yoshio Harada's "Manhole Children."
The Golden Space Needle Audience Award for best film went to Scott Sanders' "Black Dynamite." First runner-up was Benoit Pilon's "The Necessities of Life," with runner-up awards also going to: second runner-up: Marc Webb's "(500) Days of Summer"; third (tie): Kevin Hamedani's "Zmd: Zombies of Mass Destruction" and Lucy Akhurst's "Morris: A Life with Bells On"; and fourth: Philipp Stolzl's "North Face."
Louie Psihoyos' "The Cove" took home the Golden Space Needle Award for best documentary.
Runners-up were: Sandy Cioffi's "Sweet Crude"; Sarah Kunstler and Emily Kunstler's "William Kunstler: Disturbing the Universe"; James D. Stern...
- 6/14/2009
- by By Gregg Kilday
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.