sundance

Please Enjoy the Beautiful Weirdness in the “Greener Grass” Trailer

September 9, 2019

beck bennett, dawn luebbe, ifc, ifc midnight, jocelyn deboer, sundance

The equations in which you could try to make a comparison for Greener Grass are endless thanks to it bright and joyful color palate, unflinchingly bizarre world, and the characters that take said bizarre world as is. It’s so wild and out there that you’re trying to make any sense of what demented wonder lies in store when Greener Grass hits theaters (that’ll be on Oct. 18th FYI).

For us, it’s somewhere between a John Waters movie and an episode of Arrested Development, done up in the world of At Home with Amy Sedaris (with healthy sprinkling of magical realism thrown in).

This feature debut from Dawn Luebbe and Jocelyn DeBoer really does like a doozy and we can’t wait to visit their world of Greener Grass.

See for yourself in the trailer here, then look for Greener Grass in theater on Oct. 18th.

Comedy Central Teaming Up with Sundance Institute for Two Fellowships

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Comedy Central Teaming Up with Sundance Institute for Two Fellowships

$10K, customized mentorship, and a “year round ecosystem of support” will go to two lucky recipients of the newly minted Comedy Central Fellowship (one will be for the Sundance Institute’s Episodic Lab and one for their Screenwriters Lab) over the next couple of years.

If this sounds pretty nice to you, get all the details here.

From Sundance, “Deidra & Laney Rob a Train” Now Streaming on Netflix

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In case you’re like the majority of the planet and you weren’t able to go to the Sundance Film Festival this past January and catch a screening of Sydney Freeland and Shelby Farrell’s Deidra & Laney Rob a Train, you can now stream it at your leisure on Netflix, a thing that an constantly increasing percentage of the planet has.

Here’s the trailer in case you forgot about it or haven’t seen it.

Watch Short Film Based on Aaron Bleyaert’s “How To Lose Weight in 4 Easy Steps!”

February 19, 2016

aaron bleyaert, ben berman, how to lose weight in 4 easy steps, short film, sundance

Based on what was a blog post written by Aaron Bleyaert, then adapted into a short film directed by the great Ben Berman, How To Lose Weight In 4 Easy Steps! takes what could be a clickbait headline and turns into something very heartfelt and funny. In fact, it got enough buzz to screen at this year’s Sundance

Also, SNL’s Beck Bennett stars and Conan O’Brien makes a pretty sweet cameo.

How To Lose Weight in 4 Easy Steps! is now up at Jash’s YouTube page.

John Krasinski’s The Hollars and Norman Lear Documentary Are Latest Sundance Buys

February 2, 2016

john krasinski, norman lear, sundance, the hollars

(via Variety/Deadline)

Looks like the biz still has faith in Sundance.

While there is plenty of evidence of studios buying up the distribution rights to host Sundance Film Festival titles only to have them underwhelm at the box office, the amount of money and movies being bought up seem to still going strong. Hopefully, their investments will go much better in 2016.

A Norman Lear documentary, Just Another Version of You, directed by Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady sold to Music Box Films from PBS & American Masters Pictures. As you can imagine, that should be required viewing for any student of comedy, television, or entertainment.

John Krasinski’s latest film, The Hollars, in which he directs and stars, is classic indie dramedy fare that has a kind of prodigal son return home because of an ill parent only to face all the problems that he originally ran away from. The ensemble cast is impressive as well, featuring the likes of Margo Martindale, Charlie Day, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Randall Park, and Anna Kendrick. At Sundance, Sony Pictures Classics acquired distribution rights both stateside and in Asia.

We’ll be on the look out for release dates.

Morris From America, Swiss Army Man, and The Intervention Win at 2016 Sundance’s U.S. Dramatic Competition

February 1, 2016

awards, daniel kwan, daniel radcliffe, daniel scheinhart, intervention, markees christmas, melanie lynskey, morris from america, sundance, swiss army man

Yes, what’s been described as the farting corpse movie won an award at the prestigious Sundance Film Festival.

In fact, plenty of news outlets reported of numerous walk outs during the screening of Swiss Army Man starring Daniel Radcliffe and Paul Dano, which does indeed feature farting corpses. Those walk outs didn’t stop directors Daniel Scheinhart and Daniel Kwan from winning a directing award.

The cross country coming-of-age story Morris From America featuring Markees Christmas, who got his start at Channel 101, was honored with the Waldo Screenwriting Award (given to writer Chad Hartigan) and Special Jury Award for Individual Performance for Markees.

Dramedy, The Intervention, also got a Special Jury Award for Individual Performance that went to Melanie Lynskey.

Hopefully, all of these films will get a much wider distribution than the typical limited indie release and we’ll all have a chance to go see what was the talk of Park City.

Todd Solondz’s “Weiner-Dog” To Be Released by Amazon

January 27, 2016

amazon, greta gerwig, sundance, todd solondz, weiner-dog

Let it be known that this is the year that streaming services are really putting their money down for festival films.

Last year, you hardly heard of Netflix and Amazon being the big buyers of something like Dope or Me, Earl, and the Dying Girl. This year, it’s a much different story. Streaming services are right up there at Sundance with the studios in bidding wars and getting some of the more high profile movies on the line-up.

Todd Solondz’s comedy, Weiner-Dog, that follows the lives changed by a dachshund and features Greta Gerwig got nabbed up by Amazon, but will be getting a theatrical release as well. The option between theatrical and home viewing will be nice considering Solondz’s niche, but loyal fan base from his other work like Welcome to the Dollhouse and Happiness.

This is probably just the start of Amazon’s shopping spree for festival films.

Andre Hyland Interviews Himself for “Dre on Dre” at Sundance

January 26, 2016

andre hyland, dre on dre, sundance, the 4th

The great Andre Hyland is showing his first feature length film The 4th at Sundance this year. With this being the case, a Hyland trip to Utah wouldn’t be complete without some hijinks like interview himself as a different version of himself.

Please watch and enjoy Dre on Dre here.

“Morris From America” and “Tallulah” Already Bought Up at Sundance

January 26, 2016

a24, craig robinson, ellen page, markees christmas, morris from america, netflix, sundance, tallulah

(via Deadline/Variety)

Coming of age and dramedies are still going strong at Sundance.

Two of the first buys for comedy come from A24 and Netflix of Morris From America and Tallulah, respectively.

Morris From America, directed by Chad Hartigan, follows Markees Christmas (yes, the one from Channel 101′s Markees Saves) and Craig Robinson being transplanted to Germany and having to deal with adolescence overseas.

Tallulah from Sian Heder, which Netflix acquired the rights to before Sundance began, follows Ellen Page taking a baby from a bad mother.

While this sounds like in the ball park of last year’s Sundance fare, we hope that their fates in the box office, when released, are much different (i.e. better).

Keegan-Michael Key and Lena Dunham Added to Sundance Juries

January 13, 2016

film festival, keegan michael key, lena dunham, sundance

In a film world that still mostly celebrates weighty dramas, Sundance still gives some much needed love to comedy.

The revered Sundance Film Festival is one of the few places in critically acclaimed cinema where comedy gets its fair shake. If you take a look at film festivals and awards show the world over, mostly dramas dominate the line-ups and the fields of nominees.

However, indie comedies seem to really find their way en masse to Sundance and having Keegan Michael-Key and Lena Dunham added to the jury is even more of a reflection of comedy’s presence at the festival.

This makes the jury prizes for this year all the more intriguing.

Watch a Quest For Dopeness in The Full Trailer For Sundance Hit “Dope”

blake anderson, dope, rick famuyiwa, sundance, tony revolori, trailer, zoe kravitz

If you took a bit of the story of Orange County, then set it in Inglewood, add some shine for 90s hip hop and a drug dealer twist, then it looks like you have something around the neighborhood of Dope.

Rick Famuyiwa’s Dope follows a straight laced, straight A kid who is trying to get into the best college he can and also, simultaneously, live up to the title of the movie.

The journey, according to this trailer, looks like it’ll be a jovial ride tinged with the nostalgia of hip from two decades ago. It certainly struck a chord with the Sundance crowd earlier this year as it sold at the festival.

FYI, Dope comes out June 19th.

Here’s The Trailer For Sundance Hit “Me and Earl and The Dying Girl”

connie britton, me and earl and the dying girl, nick offerman, sundance, trailer

A potential record deal was going to be made at The Sundance Film Festival this year for Me and Earl and The Dying Girl as Fox Searchlight and Indian Paintbrush amongst others were in a bidding war for the movie.

For those of us not in attendance to Sundance, here’s our first look at was causing said bidding war.

Somewhere between 50/50 and the “sweded” movies of Be Kind Rewind is seemingly where Me and Earl and The Dying Girl lies according to this trailer. Also, it has Nick Offerman strangely holding cats.

That could be a winning a combo and we shall see if that’s so on it’s premiere on Jun. 12th.

Comedies From 2015 Sundance That You Might Have a Chance To See in Theaters

This year’s Sundance Film Festival has distributors combing through the big bills in their wallets for comedy/dramedy.

Even though, Me And Earl And The Dying Girl ended up not setting a buy record at the festival, it still carried a decently sized price tag in the mid 7 figure range.

Other films that might potentially rule the specialty box office and beyond this year include:

–Kevin Pollak’s documentary Misery Loves Comedy acquired by Tribeca Film.

–The D Train with Jack Black, James Marsden, Kathryn Hahn, Jeffrey Tambor, Mike White, and Kyle Bornheimer bought up by IFC Films for $3 million.

-The world rights for Results from Andrew Bujalski, the man who brought Computer Chess into the world, acquired by Magnolia Pictures.

–The North American rights to Don Verdean with Sam Rockwell, Danny McBride, Leslie Bibb, Jemaine Clement, Will Forte, and Amy Ryan from Jared Hess acquired by Lionsgate.

–The U.S. rights to The Bronze starring and co-written by Melissa Rauch acquired by Relativity for $3 million.

–The Overnight produced by The Duplass Brothers and Adam & Naomi Scott’s Gettin’ Rad bought up by The Orchard for $4 million.

–The world rights to Tangerine, also produced by The Duplass Brothers, acquired by Magnolia Pictures.

–Dope with Zoe Kravitz, the voice of Forest Whitaker, Blake Anderson, and more bought up by Open Road Films and Sony Pictures for $7 million.

–Mistress America from Noah Baumbach and Greta Gerwig bought up by Fox Searchlight for $6.5 million before it even played at the festival.

It’s inevitable that we’ll all be obsessing over their trailers in the coming months.

Dramedy “Me And Earl And The Dying Girl” Bought By Fox Searchlight and Indian Paintbrush For $12 Million UPDATE: Mid 7 Figures

January 26, 2015

fox searchlight, indian paintbrush, me and earl and the dying girl, sundance

Studios are really shelling out the big bucks from their deep pockets for the festival films these days. Last year, Chris Rock got $12.5 million for Top Five from Paramount while at the Toronto International Film Festival.

That was a record buy for TIFF and another record buy was just set last night at Sundance. Fox Searchlight and Indian Paintbrush put in $12 million, after a bidding war over the last several hours, to buy the much-buzzed about Me And Earl And The Dying Girl.

UPDATE 1/28: Me And Earl And The Dying Girl went to Fox Searchlight and Indian Paintbrush for mid 7 figures, which won’t set a record.

The movie itself is getting a fantastic reception in Park City right now, has a cast of Thomas Mann, RJ Cyler, Olivia Cooke, Nick Offerman, Connie Britton and Molly Shannon, and follows a forced friendship with a classmate that has been diagnosed with leukemia.

In the coming months, we’re sure we’ll all get to see and hear plenty of promotion about it, but we hope it’s more 50/50 than The Fault In Our Stars.

The Duplass Brothers Get Four-Picture Deal at Netflix

January 23, 2015

four picture deal, netflix, sundance, the duplass brothers

Whilst at The Sundance Film Festival right now, the festival that put first put Mark and Jay Duplass on Hollywood’s radar with their amazing short film “This Is John” all the way back in 2003, The Duplass Brothers have scored one of the biggest movie deals between a studio and talent in recent memory.

Netflix has signed a contract for Mark and Jay to make four films for the online streaming giant. 12 years after they shot a short film on a camcorder, The Duplass Brothers seem to achieve a dream of sorts at Sundance with this deal.

So, this might be the future as Netflix is full-fledged getting into moviemaking and The Duplass Brothers have got four entire features lined-up.

Here’s The First Trailer for David Cross’ “Hits”

January 2, 2015

amy sedaris, david cross, hits, james adomian, matt walsh, michael cera, sundance, trailer

Ever since we heard about David Cross’ Hits, we’ve been excited to see any sort of teaser or trailer. Gathering the likes of Matt Walsh, James Adomian, Amy Sedaris, Michael Cera, and more, Hits centers on an advocacy group making the arrest of one man in a small town go viral and become Internet famous.

Sound great? Watch the trailer here then.

Watch Trailer for MTV Other’s Sundance Selected Short Film “Myrna The Monster”

December 26, 2014

ian samuels, mtv other, myrna the monster, short film, sundance

Writer/director Ian Samuels and MTV Other have made a short film, Myrna The Monster, following an alien that tries to just make a go of living in LA, which, even sans alien, can be alienating (pun absolutely intended).

It’s currently selected to play at next year’s Sundance Film Festival.

Watch the trailer here.

Hasan Minhaj and Greg Walloch Selected for The Sundance Institute’s New Frontier Story Labs

October 7, 2014

greg walloch, hasan minhaj, new frontiers, storytelling, sundance, sundance institute, sundance lab

For over 30 years, The Sundance Institute has found and fostered some of the best and most original voices in film. In just the last few years, they’ve started to expand their scope with their New Frontier Lab, helping artists in different mediums develop. This New Frontier Lab has even included a specific focus on storytelling since 2011.

The New Frontiers Storytelling Lab, this year, has selected two great comedic storytellers in Hasan Minhaj and Greg Walloch and Hasan’s solo show to be one of the few to be in this highly exclusive program.

Having seen plenty of Hasan and Greg’s stories, you should be on the watch for what will come from this.

Sundance Animated Shorts Touring Throughout Select Theaters This Fall

September 2, 2014

short films, sundance

(via Hollywood Reporter)

When it comes to awards for film, short films almost get overlooked despite having their own category in several major film festivals and awards ceremonies. No matter how acclaimed a short film is, it will likely never get to see the light of a movie projector onto a screen in your local theater.

Sundance is changing that by touring short films across the country and now plans, for this fall, to tour a curated selection of animated short films from coast to coast here in the U.S. Also, it almost goes without saying that animated shorts is one of a handful of categories where comedy gets a little recognition amidst primarily heavy dramatic fare.

So, hopefully, this becomes a trend and keeps going and some great animated comedic shorts (as well as live action ones) that would usually find a home online will make it to a theater screen near you.

Michael Cera Film Q&A Prank Goes Awry and He Takes His Girlfriend to The World’s Biggest Basket

August 26, 2014

arrested development, basket, david letterman, late show, michael cera, ohio, prank, sundance, world's biggest

While on The Late Show with David Letterman last night, Michael Cera gave Letterman an update on what he’s up to.

Apparently, Cera is attempting to prank Sundance Film Festival audiences and then it going much different than expected as well as dazzling his new German girlfriend by taking her to the world’s biggest basket in Ohio.

We wouldn’t be surprised at all if any of these stories are the seeds for a new Arrested Development episode.

Sundance Film Festival Branching Out to Hong Kong and Maybe They’ll Some of Our Great Indie Comedies

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(via The Hollywood Reporter)

While Transformers 4 is setting records at the Chinese box office as well as just setting box office records in general, the Sundance Film Festival is now making sure that China gets to see American independent films that offer a different flavor of cinema (i.e. not just out big budget tentpole franchise movies).

So, next month, China will get to hopefully see and enjoy something like The Skeleton Twins or They Came Together.

The Approval Matrix, The TV Show, Will Premiere on SundanceTV in August

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The Approval Matrix, The TV Show, Will Premiere on SundanceTV in August

SundanceTV is going ahead with the TV adaptation of the popular magazine feature The Approval Matrix in New York Magazine. Hosted by Neal Brennan, pop culture will be broken down according to a matrix approving or disapproving of its existence or happening.

While sketches and interviews suggest a more traditional talk show format, it’s going to have panelists such as Hannibal Buress, Julie Klausner, Judah Friedlander, Kurt Metzger, Rob Delaney, and more.

The Approval Matrix premieres Aug. 11th.

Sundance’s Next Fest to Screen ‘Life After Beth’, ‘Listen Up Philip’, and more

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Sundance’s Next Fest to Screen ‘Life After Beth’, ‘Listen Up Philip’, and more

Sundance has a small weekend, long film festival here in LA called Sundance Next Fest combining indie film and music. So far, they’ve got plenty of comedies line-up including Life After Beth, Napoleon Dynamite, Jim Jarmusch’s A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night, and Listen Up Philip.

Coupled with that is musical performances from Father John Misty, Warpaint, and Tinashe. Also, you’ll get to enjoy Next Fest at Hollywood Forever Cemetery and the theatre at the Ace Hotel in Downtown LA.

Sounds pretty cool to us, so we think you should make plans for the weekend of Aug. 7th-Aug. 10th and should get your tickets.

Listen Up Philip Starring Jason Schwartzman-Elisabeth Moss Will Get U.S Theatrical Release

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Listen Up Philip Starring Jason Schwartzman-Elisabeth Moss Will Get U.S Theatrical Release

Sundance dark comedy Listen Up Philip from Alex Ross Perry with Jason Schwartzman and Elisabeth Moss as well as Krysten Ritter, Jonathan Pryce, Jess Weixler, Dree Hemingway, and Josephine de La Baume will hit U.S. theaters this October.

Tribeca Film will be distributing it across North America and we’ll all get a chance to see Schwartzman as a brooding author waiting for publication. Maybe there’s a club for that where Paul Giamatti is in charge?

Monty Python Live Show to Air on Sundance Channel

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Monty Python Live Show to Air on Sundance Channel

If you can’t make it to the sold out shows at the O2 Arena or to a participating movie theater here in the U.S. for Monty Python’s live reunion, then worry not as the Sundance Channel has just acquired rights for it to premiere on their network.

Still, if you can catch the shows live or in live broadcast, you should definitely go do that and then rewatch it when it comes on Sundance.