Film Threat Sold at Sundance
Posted on Jan 28.10 by Mark BellFor the official statement and details, read the press release announcing the sale of Film Threat after the jump…
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Got BURIED with Ryan Reynolds at Sundance; Didn’t SMASH HIS CAMERA
Posted on Jan 25.10 by Mark BellSundance is an exercise in making a schedule and then watching it change right before your eyes. Despite planning on a four-film day, I only made my way to two of them. Lucky for me, I enjoyed both of the films…
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Does it ever stop snowing? Thoughts on Sundance, Film Threat, PEPPERMINTA, TEENAGE PAPARAZZO and BOY
Posted on Jan 24.10 by Mark BellBeen in Park City for about two days and change now, and every time I think it’s going to stop snowing, I seem to walk out into a swarm of snowflakes. This morning looks promising, but I’m typing this on my fold-out couch-bed and I must admit, my view of the outdoors is hindered. In about 90 minutes, I’ll know first hand…
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Stuck in a Box with Ryan Reynolds
Posted on Jan 21.10 by Mark Bell
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Whenever an actor takes the brunt of the focus for a film, they obviously also get the majority of the criticism. For some, Tom Hanks succeeded with CAST AWAY, for others he was a horrendous bore. Still, got to respect the bold move, which brings us to Ryan Reynolds and his latest film premiering at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival, BURIED…
Typical Sundance; More Things to Do Than I Have Time For…
Posted on Jan 20.10 by Mark BellThe Sundance / Slamdance schedule is a continuous work-in-progress, and the only clear aspect of schedule-making is that, no matter how hard I try, I’m always going to feel like I’m missing out on something. For every press screening I want to make, there’s a public premiere or party to miss. I want to check out the panels and demos in the various lounges, but then I find myself in conflict, again, with flicks to see. How did I ever do this in the past?
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IFC Films Says, “Recession? What Recession?”
Posted on Jan 19.10 by Mark Bell
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The buying season of the 2010 Sundance Film Festival has already begun, two days ahead of the opening night. Gaspar Noé’s ENTER THE VOID has been picked up by IFC Films, and the film will be released as a part of the IFC in Theaters platform, which brings independent movies to on-demand viewers at home the same day they premiere in theaters…
Please allow me to re-introduce myself…
Posted on Jan 19.10 by Mark Bell
With the 2010 Sundance and Slamdance Film Festivals just a couple days away, I’ve gotten a few questions about what Cinema Whatever is, and who I am, so I felt it was time for a quick introduction for those reading who may not be familiar.My name is Mark Bell and, up until late 2008, I was Editor-in-Chief of FilmThreat.com. During my 5 years with FT, I traveled to quite a few film festivals, reporting on events, reviewing films and interviewing interesting filmmakers and film personalities. I hung out in clubs I’d never enter of my own choice to drink free alcohol I’d never afford on my own dime, and I even had a couple moments on G4’s “Attack of the Show” as a film pundit. It was a dream job, so of course I stepped away from FilmThreat.com and moved to New Zealand…
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2010 Sundance Film Festival Announces Competition Films
Posted on Dec 03.09 by Mark Bell
It must be the first week of December, because the Sundance Institute has announced the lineup of films in the U.S. and World Cinema Dramatic and Documentary Competitions for the 2010 Sundance Film Festival. The five out-of-competition sections of the film festival will be announced on December 3, but in the meantime, peruse the competition list…
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New Programming Section Announced for 2010 Sundance Film Festival
Posted on Sep 03.09 by Mark BellFocusing on low to no-budget films, Sundance Film Festival Director John Cooper has announced the creation of a new section, NEXT, for the 2010 Sundance Film Festival. According to a press release from the Sundance Institute Press Office, the NEXT section, referred to by festival staffers with the symbol < = >, will feature “six to eight films selected for their innovative and original work in low- and no-budget filmmaking.”
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2009 Raindance Film Festival Promo Allegedly Brings Advertising into Disrepute
Posted on Sep 02.09 by Mark Bell
The 2009 Raindance Film Festival has run afoul of the Cinema Advertising Association in the UK due to their allegedly overly offensive festival promo entitled “Films to Die For.” The promo, which can be seen at the film festival’s website, depicts a suicidal man about to jump off a building, interrupted by a film crew who come in for “last looks” (makeup fixes, everyone’s ready, etc). As the crew looks on, cameras rolling, the man jumps from the roof. After he lands off-camera with a thud, the film crew begins celebrating the shot, while the ad ends revealing that the man, crumpled and bloody on the asphalt, actually did jump to his death.The promo was submitted to the Cinema Advertising Association in Britain for approval to be shown in theaters, and was denied for a number of reasons, detailed in the letter from the Copy Panel, as can be seen here. the letter states that the Copy Panel was “unable to give approval for cinema exhibition as it believes it to be in breach of the British Codes of Advertising, Sales Promotion and Direct Marketing (the CAP Code). The Panel found this commercial to be in breach of CAP Codes 5.1 (Decency) and 9.1 (Fear and distress) to a degree that could constitute a breach of CAP Code (2.4) which states that no marketing communication should bring advertising into disrepute.”
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