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In a September 12, 1997 piece for The Wall Street Journal titled “Gridiron Feminism,” Camille Paglia argued that not only is football “congruent with an enlightened feminism,” but that the sport “is one of the best educational tools for showing women how to advance in the ‘hostile workplace,’—which current sexual harassment regulations try to control through intrusive, after-the-fact legal remedies.”

Karyn Kusama’s feature-length directorial debut, Girlfight, maps out a similar argument using the template of a boxing film, as high school student Diana (Michelle Rodriguez), perpetually surrounded by men who belittle her, including her patronizing father Sandro (Paul Calderón), trains to become an amateur fighter. Near the film’s end, as Diana prepares for a bout billed as “New York’s first gender-blind amateur boxing event,” it’s evident that Kusama’s film is tinged with a certain hard-nosed fantasy, one in which female equity extends to being able to...

We return with the latest edition of the Indie Spotlight, highlighting recent independent horror news sent our way. Today’s feature includes a trailer for The Banshee Chapter, a new episode of Chronicles of the Dead, details on The Crying Dead, and much more:

Heir First Details: “From Richard Powell and Zach Green’s Fatal Pictures, the company that brought you the critically acclaimed, award winning horror shorts Worm and Familiar, comes their new and final short film “Heir”, a touching tale of father and son. Starring the Emmy award winning Bill Oberst Jr. (Abraham Lincoln Vs. Zombies) and Robert Nolan (Sick, Worm, Familiar).

After connecting with a stranger of similar interests online, family man Gordon and his son Paul, embark on an ill-fated road trip in which Gordon aims to indulge in a secret passion. Before the day ends a horrible truth will be uncovered and a harsh lesson will be learned.

We're always a bit surprised when an email lands in our inbox about a film getting a theatrical release that we haven't really heard anything about previously, but that's the case with 36 Saints, heading our way in September.

Below you'll find the first details, trailer, and artwork for the film, which was written by Joey Dedio and Jeffrey De Serrano (who also stars) and directed by Eddy Duran. Along with De Serrano, the 36 Saints cast includes Franky G, Donna McKechnie, Jaime Tirelli, Britne Oldford, Tyrone Brown, Matthew Daddario, Aja Naomi King, Chris Riggi, and Alesandrea Assante.

Look for in theatres from Active Fox Productions on September 6, 2013. For more info visit the official 36 Saints website and "like" 36 Saints on Facebook.

Synopsis:

When New York Police Headquarters is confronted with the horror of a serial murderer loose on the streets of Manhattan, two detectives (Franky G and Jeffrey De Serrano) are tasked...

Trailer and Poster for Musical Chairs, starring Leah Pipes and E.J. Bonilla. Susan Seidelman (Boynton Beach Club) directs the romantic drama which opens in theaters on March 23rd, and also stars Jaime Tirelli, Laverne Cox, Morgan Spector, Auti Angel, Jerome Preston Bates, Nelson R. Landrieu, and Angelic Zambrana. Set against the exciting backdrop of competitive ballroom dancing, Musical Chairs is about Armando a Bronx-bred Latino who aspires to be a dancer but whose only way in is as handyman at a Manhattan dance studio, and Mia, an Upper East Side princess who is the studio's star performer. Though worlds apart, their shared passion for dance promises to bring them together until a tragic accident changes Mia's life forever, and she finds herself wheelchair-bound at a rehab facility, with her dreams of a dance career shattered. Fortunately, Armando has enough dreams for both of them and, when he hears about a...

Trailer and Poster for Musical Chairs, starring Leah Pipes and E.J. Bonilla. Susan Seidelman (Boynton Beach Club) directs the romantic drama which opens in theaters on March 23rd, and also stars Jaime Tirelli, Laverne Cox, Morgan Spector, Auti Angel, Jerome Preston Bates, Nelson R. Landrieu, and Angelic Zambrana. Set against the exciting backdrop of competitive ballroom dancing, Musical Chairs is about Armando a Bronx-bred Latino who aspires to be a dancer but whose only way in is as handyman at a Manhattan dance studio, and Mia, an Upper East Side princess who is the studio's star performer. Though worlds apart, their shared passion for dance promises to bring them together until a tragic accident changes Mia's life forever, and she finds herself wheelchair-bound at a rehab facility, with her dreams of a dance career shattered. Fortunately, Armando has enough dreams for both of them and, when he hears about a...

Trailer and Poster for Musical Chairs, starring Leah Pipes and E.J. Bonilla. Susan Seidelman (Boynton Beach Club) directs the romantic drama which opens in theaters on March 23rd, and also stars Jaime Tirelli, Laverne Cox, Morgan Spector, Auti Angel, Jerome Preston Bates, Nelson R. Landrieu, and Angelic Zambrana. Set against the exciting backdrop of competitive ballroom dancing, Musical Chairs is about Armando a Bronx-bred Latino who aspires to be a dancer but whose only way in is as handyman at a Manhattan dance studio, and Mia, an Upper East Side princess who is the studio's star performer. Though worlds apart, their shared passion for dance promises to bring them together until a tragic accident changes Mia's life forever, and she finds herself wheelchair-bound at a rehab facility, with her dreams of a dance career shattered. Fortunately, Armando has enough dreams for both of them and, when he hears about a...

Title: Santa Mesa Director: Ron Morales (2012′s ‘Graceland’) Starring: Jacob Kiron Shalov (TV’s ‘The Knights of Prosperity’), Jaime Tirelli (‘Carlito’s Way,’ TV’s ‘You Don’t Know Jack’) and Melissa Leo People often tend to try and classify themselves as being from one particular culture and having one heritage, but that has become increasingly difficult as people in recent years have progressively moved from country to country. The tendency to categorize people culturally and racially is the major conflict in writer-director Ron Morales’ feature film debut, ‘Santa Mesa.’ This trend, and the inability to cope with one’s new society, are the major problems plaguing the drama’s main character, Hector. ‘Santa Mesa’ follows...

Read our exclusive interview with screenwriter and director Ron Morales, who’s making his feature film debut with the drama ‘Santa Mesa,’ which is set to be released on January 21, 2011. The movie follows 12-year-old Hector, played by Jacob Kiron Shalov, as he moves to Manila from the U.S. to live with his grandmother Lita, portrayed by Angie Ferro, after his mother dies. Unsure how to handle his new life, Hector joins a street gang, led by Miguel, played by Pierro Rodriguez. Jose, portrayed by Jaime Tirelli, a photographer, sees the trouble Hector is getting into, and takes him off the street to teach him important life lessons. Hector also...

Forged is a dramatic thriller which sets father against son. Machito (David Castro) has lost his mother at his father's hands and he feels he must set events right. Therein lies the heart of the film, which is currently showing in various cities across the United States. Maya Entertainment is hosting screenings of Forged in San Antonio, San Diego, Dallas, Miami, San Francisco and a few other cities.

Those interested in a tale of family conflict are sure to enjoy this violent tale, that partially takes place in a criminal underworld. Have a look at this multi-award winning title below (trailer).

Tagline:

"How Do You Forgive the Unforgivable?"

The synopsis for Forged is here:

"Set in the cold and rusty town of Scranton, Pennsylvania, Forged follows Chuco (Manny Perez) on his quest to redeem himself after committing a horrific sin against his son, Machito (David Castro). After Chuco’s release from prison,...

Nina (Tammy Blanchard) is a waitress at a Mexican restaurant. After arriving late for work (due to picking up a pregnancy test kit) she is fired by the manager. The head chef, Jose (Eduardo Verástegui), goes after her and, finding that she is indeed pregnant decides to spend the day with her, a day during which they both come to find out much about each other’s past, present and future.

*****

Bella took its bow at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2006, picking up the People’s Choice Award in the process. It received a limited UK release in the autumn of 2010 and now finds its way onto DVD. Many (myself included) will have heard little or nothing of this film, but do not let that put you off – this is a little gem, well worth a look.

The direction by Alejandro Gomez Monteverde, in his full-length feature debut, is...

Directed by: Sig Shore

Written by: Sig Shore

Cast: Denise Coward, Frank Runyeon, Jaime Tirelli, Robert Trumbull

Although the tagline for Sudden Death reads, "Don't mess with this Dirty Harriet," I practically had to be hit over the head with a user comment on IMDb before I could make the connection.

Valerie (Denise Coward), the protagonist of this movie, is actually not a hard-nosed city cop like Mr. Eastwood's most famous counterpart; rather she's far more akin to his revenge seeking nemesis played by Sondra Locke in Sudden Impact (again, how lame is it that I didn't make this connection? The word Sudden should have been my first clue). And in some respects she's an awesome female companion to Robert Forster's angst ridden vigilante in, you guessed it, Vigilante.

After Valerie is brutally raped and told her case isn't all that high on the priority list, this hot mama...

Got a scoop request? An anonymous tip you’re dying to share? Just want to say hi? You can send any/all of the above to askausiello@tvline.com

Question: Is How I Met Your Mother going to show us the “Mother’s” face in the season finale? Or are they going to make that the cliffhanger? —Matt

Ausiello: No idea. I bet if we knew what the title of the episode was we could extract a clue or two from it. This Just In: I can exclusively reveal that the title of How I Met Your Mother‘s sixth season finale is…...

Got a scoop request? An anonymous tip you’re dying to share? Just want to say hi? You can send any/all of the above to askausiello@tvline.com

Question: Is How I Met Your Mother going to show us the “Mother’s” face in the season finale? Or are they going to make that the cliffhanger? —Matt

Ausiello: No idea. I bet if we knew what the title of the episode was we could extract a clue or two from it. This Just In: I can exclusively reveal that the title of How I Met Your Mother‘s sixth season finale is…...

If this year's Gotham Awards winner is any indication, A Serious Man might be in serious trouble with its Oscar chances as Kathryn Bigelow's The Hurt Locker appears to be the "preferred" independent film of the year. - If this year's Gotham Awards winner is any indication, A Serious Man might be in serious trouble with its Oscar chances as Kathryn Bigelow's The Hurt Locker appears to be the "preferred" independent film of the year. The Coen Bros. film lost out in the Best Feature and Best Ensemble categories, but I'm really curious in seeing how this all plays out in the next couple of weeks with the New York based film critics' year end kudos. The biggest surprise of the the 19th annual Gotham Independent Film Awards was the Breakthrough Actor award going to Catalina Saavedra's performance in The Maid over Ben Foster...

Kathryn Bigelow's The Hurt Locker (Best Feature, Ensemble, Breakthrough Actor) and Robert Siegel Big Fan (Best Feature, Breakthrough Director and Actor) managed to pick up three mentions each for the 19th Annual Gotham Independent Film Award nominations, but the big winner on November 30th might actually be The Coen Bros. A Serious Man who have noms in the Best Feature and Best Ensemble Perf. categories. - Kathryn Bigelow's The Hurt Locker (Best Feature, Ensemble, Breakthrough Actor) and Robert Siegel Big Fan (Best Feature, Breakthrough Director and Actor) managed to pick up three mentions each for the 19th Annual Gotham Independent Film Award nominations, but the big winner on November 30th might actually be The Coen Bros. A Serious Man who have noms in the Best Feature and Best Ensemble Perf. categories. Sebastian Silva's (who we just recently interviewed) picked up  pair...

"The Hurt Locker's" march to the Oscars has begun! The film, directed by Kathryn Bigelow, is nominated for best feature, breakthrough actor, and best ensemble performance at the 19th annual Gotham Independent Film Awards.

Robert Siegel's "Big Fan" also topped the Gotham nominations with best features, breakthrough actor, and breakthrough director noms.

"The Hurt Locker" is one of my favorite films this year (Click Watch My Top 10 Best Movies of Summer 2009!) so I'm rooting for this brilliant flick!

Bigelow, Natalie Portman, and Stanley Tucci, and producers Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner will each be presented with a career tribute.

The ceremony will be held Nov. 30 at Cipriani Wall Street.

And the nominees for the 19th annual Gotham Independent Film Awards are:

Best Feature

"Amreeka"

Cherien Dabis, director; Christina Piovesan, Paul Barkin, producers (National Geographic Entertainment)

"Big Fan"

Robert Siegel, director; Jean Kouremetis, Elan Bogarin, producers (First Independent Pictures)

"The Hurt Locker"

Kathryn Bigelow,...

Sundance Film Festival

PARK CITY -- The immigrant experience has been seen many times on film before but rarely with the authenticity, wit and intelligence of Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck's "Sugar".

The story of an aspiring young baseball player in the Dominican Republic, the film is more than a baseball story, but it will be a real delight for fans of the game. HBO should be able to land a smart indie distributor, as it did for the similarly themed "Maria Full of Grace", that can tap the film's huge appeal to the Latino market.

Several of the biggest stars in baseball -- Sammy Sosa, Pedro Martinez and David Ortiz -- have come from the tiny Caribbean island of the Dominican Republic, where every major league team operates a baseball academy for discovering promising prospects. But the ones who make it to the big leagues, or even have a successful minor league career in the States, is a very small percentage. "Sugar" is the story of a talented pitcher who doesn't make it all the way but learns some important life lessons along the way.

Boden and Fleck, who brought a similar sense of reality to their debut film "Half Nelson", recruited mostly ballplayers who could act, not the other way around. For their hero, Miguel "Sugar" Soto, they discovered Algenis Perez Soto on a baseball diamond in the Dominican Republic. With his heavy-lidded, almost brooding presence, he is one of those amateurs whose naturalness allows him to cut to the heart of his character.

Playing baseball is the ticket out of poverty for many boys in the Dominican, and Sugar is no exception. Trained from an early age, and with the hopes of his family riding on almost every pitch, he bears the weight of enormous expectations. His American dream is buying a Cadillac he can drive on the water.

He does well at the academy and is invited to spring training in Arizona, where the culture shock really sets in. Language is the big barrier, sometimes humorous, as when Sugar orders the same food every day (French toast), and sometimes painful, when he can't express himself.

He gives an impressive performance at spring training, and the next stop is a minor league team in Bridgewater, Iowa. No place could be further from the street life and poverty of the Dominican, and the adjustment is hard, even with the help of an elderly couple (Ann Whitney and Richard Bull) who take him in. While the filmmakers don't whitewash Sugar and his teammates, they clearly made a choice to downplay any sexual shenanigans that might go on among young athletes with raging hormones in a foreign country.

Sugar pitches effectively at first, but with the departure of Jorge (Rayniel Rufino), his best friend on the team, a nagging injury and rejection by a pretty white girl (Ellary Porterfield) he has a crush on, he falls into a black hole. Unable to take the loneliness and isolation anymore, he hops on a bus to New York to try to find himself.

New York can be a hard place, too, but eventually he prevails on the kindness of strangers, especially a good-hearted carpenter (Jaime Tirelli), and he eventually meets up with Jorge and starts to create a new life for himself. When he starts playing baseball with a bunch of Latino guys, all of whom have been through the same flirtation with professional ball, the game becomes fun again.

The filmmakers, aided by cinematographer Andrij Parekh and composer Michael Brook, do a fine job capturing the different rhythms of Sugar's experience: the bright colors and sounds of the Dominican, the subdued palette of Iowa and the bustling life of New York. Acting as her own editor, Boden uses crisp cutting and a keen eye to tell the story visually. Everything from the performances to the production design contributes to capturing what life must really be like for these kids.

As much as you root for Sugar to succeed, Boden and Fleck resist the temptation to give the film a Hollywood ending. What happens is more real, and Sugar gains something more important -- he grows up.

SUGAR

HBO Films

A Journeyman Pictures/Hunting Lane Films production in association with Gowanus Projections

Credits:

Directors-screenwriters: Anna Boden, Ryan Fleck

Producers: Paul Mezey, Jamie Patricof, Jeremy Kipp Walker

Executive producer: Anna Boden

Director of cinematography: Andrij Parekh

Production designer: Elizabeth Mickle

Music: Michael Brook

Costume designer: Erin Benach

Editor: Anna Boden

Cast:

Miguel "Sugar" Santos: Algenis Perez Soto

Jorge Ramirez: Rayniel Rufino

Brad Johnson: Andre Holland

Stu Sutton: Michael Gaston

Osvaldo: Jaime Tirelli

Helen Higgins: Ann Whitney

Earl Higgins: Richard Bull

Anne Higgins: Ellary Porterfield

Reyna: Alina Vargas

Running time -- 117 minutes

No MPAA rating...

Roselyn Sanchez is returning to her native Puerto Rico for her next project. The actress will star in Yellow, which she also co-wrote and is producing. The film, which will be shot in Puerto Rico and New York, is produced by Steve J. Brown. Jeff Golenberg and Sam Maydew are executive producing. Directed by Alfredo De Villa, whose debut, Washington Heights, was a breakout indie hit on the festival and awards circuit, Yellow centers on a woman who is haunted by the death of her father. The cast includes Bill Duke, D.B. Sweeney, Sully Diaz, Jaime Tirelli and Manny Perez. The screenplay was written by Nacoma Whobrey, based on a story by Whobrey and Sanchez.