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Film geeks, rejoice. Leading indie label Kino Lorber is entering the world of streaming. The company has launched Kino Film Collection, a new subscription video service available in the U.S. via’s Amazon’s Prime Video Channels. The Collection will feature new Kino releases fresh from theaters, along with hundreds of films from its expansive library of more than 4,000 titles, many now streaming for the first time. It will cost users $5.99 per month.

Films available at launch include award-winning theatrical releases and critically acclaimed festival favorites and classics from around the globe, such as The Conformist (Bernardo Bertolucci), Dogtooth (Yorgos Lanthimos), Taxi (Jafar Panahi), Poison (Todd Haynes), Ganja & Hess (Bill Gunn), The Scent of Green Papaya (Tran Anh Hung), A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night (Ana Lily Amirpour), Computer Chess (Andrew Bujalski), Portrait of Jason (Shirley Clarke), and A Touch of Sin (Jia Zhangke).

Joining them are entries...

Each week we highlight the noteworthy titles that have recently hit streaming platforms in the United States. Check out this week’s selections below and past round-ups here.

Aftersun (Charlotte Wells)

One of last year’s most resonant films, Aftersun looks at the scratchy dynamics between a father and daughter while on vacation. It’s about memory, the finite nature of the relationships in our lives, and the difficulties of a parent’s diminishing mental health. Charlotte Wells knows where to put the camera in her debut—undeterred from taking risks, from placing her characters outside of the frame, from looking at shadows instead of the people themselves. Aftersun is a rare, tremendous first film, full of heart and focused melancholy; it breaks you down and fills you up simultaneously. The consistent inclusion of camcorder footage, and the fact that it enhances the story rather than becoming a distraction, further...

Disney’s adoration for live-action adaptations is now extending to its other big bet: upcoming streaming service Disney+. When the service rolls out later this fall on November 12, it will include a robust slate of programming from the Mouse House. Disney+ originals will include new television series based on the enormously popular “Star Wars” and Marvel Cinematic Universe brands and the platform will also be home to many of the company’s most popular legacy films and shows. Most Pixar films, the first two “Star Wars” trilogies, and all 30 seasons of “The Simpsons” will be available on the service.

And it will also offer yet another live-action remake to join recent hits like “The Lion King” and “Aladdin”: “Lady and the Tramp,” now with actual dogs. Directed by Charlie Bean and written by Andrew Bujalski, the film features the voices of Tessa Thompson and Justin Theroux as the eponymous dogs.

In late June, the Sundance Film Festival announced that after running the festival for 11 years, the 2020 edition would be John Cooper’s last. Sundance declined to offer specific plans on the hiring process as the festival searches for a new director, but sources with knowledge of its plans say that the board hopes to fill Cooper’s role by the end of the fall. The festival has been known to promote from within, but Sundance is engaged in a broader search, and only a few candidates have stepped forward.

“We’re talking to candidates from a broad array of backgrounds — and those conversations are going to continue for at least several months,” said Sundance Institute CEO Keri Putnam. “The festival is dynamic and evolving, and we look forward to finding the right new director to lead us forward. In the meantime, we’re all excited to celebrate Cooper and his...

Andrew Bujalski's Mutual Appreciation (2005) is showing June 14 - July 13, 2019 on Mubi in the United States in a new restoration.Andrew Bujalski premiered his second film Mutual Appreciation at SXSW in 2005. Around the same time, his first—Funny Ha Ha—had its official theatrical release, a few years after it had premiered. The two films made their impression on rising independent filmmakers, bringing a focus on naturalistic conversation and self-reflecting portrayals of twenty-somethings that differed from the voicings of Generation X prior. Bujalski also appeared in Joe Swanberg’s seminal Hannah Takes the Stairs (2007), alongside a then-unknown Greta Gerwig, and despite the under-recognition of those early films in the mid-2000s, it’s easy to see how they laid the foundations for the wider success and cultural impact of Swanberg’s Easy (2016–2019) and the Gerwig-penned Frances Ha (2012) and Lady Bird (2017). Bujalski’s most recent—Support the Girls (2018)—earned him and...

Fourteen years later, “Mutual Appreciation” is returning to theaters. Andrew Bujalski’s sophomore feature — preceded by “Funny Ha Ha” and followed most recently by “Computer Chess,” “Results,” and “Support the Girls” — helped him earn the “godfather of mumblecore” nickname, for better and for worse. Arbelos Films is re-releasing the black-and-white drama, which Bujalski co-starred in. Watch the trailer below.

Here’s the logline: “An instant critic’s darling upon its release in 2006, ‘Mutual Appreciation’ is at once an utterly timeless and distinctly mid-aughts portrait of the ebb and flow of twenty-something life in New York City. Richly observed and deeply humanist, the film follows Alan (Justin Rice), an aspiring musician, who crash-lands in town following the breakup of his band in Boston, immediately taking up with his old friends Ellie (Rachel Clift) and Lawrence (Bujalski) while negotiating the affections of a local radio DJ (Seung-Min Lee). In the tradition of Éric Rohmer,...

The last time I interviewed Andrew Bujalski, he’d thrown a number of viewers for a loop with Results, his gym-set, quasi-romantic comedy starring Guy Pearce and Cobie Smulders. The overt weirdness of Computer Chess was one thing, but Bujalski feinting at a mainstream-leaning movie with honest-to-goodness name actors, a perky score and the promise of two hot people hooking up for a happy ending was a proposition that seemed to fry the expectations of both veteran Bujalski viewers (who didn’t see it coming) and people who didn’t know his work at all (and didn’t get the normal romcom they expected). I’m firmly […]...

The last time I interviewed Andrew Bujalski, he’d thrown a number of viewers for a loop with Results, his gym-set, quasi-romantic comedy starring Guy Pierce and Cobie Smulders. The overt weirdness of Computer Chess was one thing, but Bujalski feinting at a mainstream-leaning movie with honest-to-goodness name actors, a perky score and the promise of two hot people hooking up for a happy ending was a proposition that seemed to fry the expectations of both veteran Bujalski viewers (who didn’t see it coming) and people who didn’t know his work at all (and didn’t get the normal romcom they expected). I’m firmly […]...

They call ’em “breastaurants” — those sports-bar-and-grills less known for their cuisine than their well-endowed waitresses poured into tight t-shirts and oh-so-suggestive shorts. If you’ve been to Hooters, or are aware of the concept behind this formerly popular pin-up-calendar-come-to-life chain, you know the business model. These places sell dudes a sanitized version of sex with a side of hot wings — or as a character says in Support the Girls, a fantasy fueled by “boobs, brews and big screens.” It’s why people come to Double Whammies, the movie’s fictional...

John McEnroe: In the Realm of Perfection is an immersive, impressive and elegant ethnographic film essay that revisits 16mm footage of John McEnroe during the 1984 Roland-Garros French Open. The fiery, left-handed McEnroe was then ranked the world’s number one player and had several singles and doubles Grand Slam titles to his name. Breezing through the early stages of the tournament playing a sublime form of tennis that elevated him far above his mere mortal peers, he seemed on an unstoppable path to certain victory. Meeting the implacable Ivan Lendl in the final, a rival similar in calm, cool and collected temperament to old nemesis Björn Borg, McEnroe raced into a two sets to love lead but then began to psychologically unravel, losing control of his emotions and ultimately gifting Lendl, whom he had accused of being ‘chicken’ earlier in the match, an unlikely comeback and first Grand Slam title.

Treating digital media like film and loving the movie more than the director were just two of the insights offered by three creative professionals interviewed Tuesday at the Karlovy Vary Film Festival as part of Variety’s Artisans in Focus series.

Led by Peter Caranicas, Variety’s managing editor, features, the panel’s second edition expanded its survey of below-the-line film professionals, exploring the processes and approaches of three in-demand technicians from Central and Eastern Europe: cinematographer Matthias Grunsky, who lensed Karlovy Vary movie “Support the Girls” (pictured), editor Jana Vlckova, who has “Bear with Us” and “Winter Flies” in the festival, and sound designer Jonas Maksvytis, who worked on Karlovy Vary’s “Jumpman.”

The event, run in partnership with Barrandov Studio and Czech Anglo Productions, drew an audience of film veterans to the balcony terrace at the Hotel Thermal, where talks kicked off with a screening of Grunsky’s...

"You're not wearing a whole lot of clothes, but it's a family place." Magnolia Pictures has released the first official trailer for an indie comedy film titled Support the Girls, about a group of women who work at a highway-side "sports bar with curves" - basically Hooters, but not really because that brand is trademarked. This is the latest film from Andrew Bujalski and it first premiered at the SXSW Film Festival earlier this year. Regina Hall stars as the manager of the bar, whose optimism and faith is "tested over the course of a long, strange day." The film's full ensemble cast includes Haley Lu Richardson, Dylan Gelula, Aj Michalka, Shayna McHayle, Lea DeLaria, James Le Gros, Jana Kramer, Brooklyn Decker, and Lawrence Varnado. Well, I'll be damned, this looks fantastic - seems to be a very smart satire with a few low key excellent performances. Check this out.

Filmmaker Andrew Bujalski has made a name for himself as a bit of a festival darling, with his recent films “Computer Chess” and “Results” getting premieres at Sundance. His latest film, “Support the Girls,” had its premiere at this year’s South by Southwest and caught the eye of Magnolia Pictures, who are now planning to release the film later this summer.

Continue reading ‘Support The Girls’ Trailer: Regina Hall Shines In New Comedy From Filmmaker Andrew Bujalski at The Playlist.

Regina Hall is best known for broad comedies like the “Scary Movie” franchise and the studio-backed “Girls Trip” and “Think Like A Man,” but she’s ready to take an indie movie gamble later this year as the star of Andrew Bujalski’s “Support the Girls.” Bujalski, the mumblecore director best known for “Funny Ha Ha” and “Computer Chess,” carves out a feminist comedy-drama from the story about a group of local waitresses at a Hooters-inspired restaurant.

The official synopsis from Magnolia reads: “Lisa Conroy (Hall) is the last person you’d expect to find in a highway-side ‘sports bar with curves,’ but as general manager at Double Whammies, she’s come to love the place and its customers. An incurable den mother, she nurtures and protects her girls fiercely, but over the course of one trying day, her optimism is battered from every direction. Double Whammies sells a big,...

Lady and the Tramp: Veteran animator Charlie Bean (The Lego Ninjago Movie) will direct a new version of Disney's 1955 animated classic Lady and the Tramp (above). The film will mix live-action and CGI characters, and is expected to focus once again on the romantic adventures of two dogs. It's also expected to debut on Disney's new streaming service, which will launch sometime next year. Indie filmmaker Andrew Bujalski (Computer Chess, Support the Girls) wrote the screenplay. [THR]   The Liberators: Michael B. Jordan (Black Panther, above) will produce The Liberators. The action drama is set during World War II and revolves around the true story of an African-American military unit whose remarkable heroism "led to the desegregation of the armed...

Lady and the Tramp: Veteran animator Charlie Bean (The Lego Ninjago Movie) will direct a new version of Disney's 1955 animated classic Lady and the Tramp (above). The film will mix live-action and CGI characters, and is expected to focus once again on the romantic adventures of two dogs. It's also expected to debut on Disney's new streaming service, which will launch sometime next year. Indie filmmaker Andrew Bujalski (Computer Chess, Support the Girls) wrote the screenplay. [THR]...

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The end of the year is often seen as a time when awards season gains momentum and critics produce their top 10 lists, but for much of the film industry, it’s also the first big preview of 2018 movies. Thanks to the Sundance Film Festival lineup, which in January will include 110 movies from 29 countries, a fresh crop of films to talk about have just been announced, many of which are certain to continue generating conversations throughout the year.

However, the Sundance program takes its time to gather buzz, and it’s not always obvious which movies deserve the most attention right off the bat. So here’s our annual attempt to take a first crack at some of the surprises and hidden gems in the lineup, with some input from Sundance director John Cooper and director of programming Trevor Groth. We’re as excited as anyone to see Paul Dano’s...

After the lo-fi Computer Chess and helping to bring some variety to the rom-com with Results, one of independent filmmaking’s most distinct voices, director Andrew Bujalski, is returning with his next film. Already shooting in August, Texas, the full cast and plot details have now been revealed for Support the Girls.

Haley Lu Richardson (recently fantastic in Edge of Seventeen and Columbus), Regina Hall, James Le Gros, Aj Michalka, Dylan Gelula, Shayna McHayle, Lea DeLaria, Jana Kramer, and Results star Brooklyn Decker round out the cast, according to Screen Daily.

Check out the synopsis below.

The plot centers on Lisa Conroy (Hall) who may not love managing the restaurant Double Whammies, but she loves her employees more than anything, not only Danyelle (McHale), and Maci (Richardson) her closest friends, but also her extended family. Unfortunately, the cheap, curmudgeonly owner Ben Cubby (Le Gros) doesn’t care nearly as much,...

Dedicated to the discovery of new works by emerging and dynamic filmmaking talent, this year’s New Directors/New Films festival will screen 29 features and nine short films. This year’s lineup boasts nine North American premieres, seven U.S. premieres, and two world premieres, with features and shorts from 32 countries across five continents.

The opening, centerpiece, and closing night selections showcase three exciting new voices in American independent cinema that all recently debuted at Sundance: Geremy Jasper’s “Patti Cake$” is the opening night pick, while Eliza Hittman’s “Beach Rats” is the centerpiece selection and Dustin Guy Defa will close the festival with “Person to Person.”

Read More: 2017 New Directors/New Films Announces Full Lineup, Including ‘Patti Cake$,’ ‘Beach Rats,’ ‘Menashe’ and More

Now in its forty-sixth year, Nd/Nf has played home early films from such heavy hitters as Steven Spielberg, Spike Lee, Chantal Akerman, Pedro Almodovar,...

Even though the first color movies were made over 100 years ago, black & white lived on in Hollywood until the 1960s. The Academy Awards even had a category from 1939 to 1967 under Best Cinematography for black & white films, splitting the section in two. Even now, black & white is still a strong aesthetic / visual choice and some filmmakers use it effectively to tell stories. Some of my favorite recent black & white films are: Frances Ha, Ida, The Artist, Pi, Sin City, The Turin Horse, A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night, A Field in England, Escape from Tomorrow and Computer Chess. This new video essay from Jack Nugent looks back at film noir in the 40s & 50s to make the case for black and white, even today. It's worth a watch. Thanks to Film School Rejects for the tip on this. Original description from YouTube: "Black and white has a gorgeous look in film.

Actors discovered at the Sundance Film Festival often hail from unexpected places. Take, for example, Quvanzhané Wallis, the eight-year-old New Orleans star of “Beasts of the Southern Wild,” or Gabourey Sidibe, the overnight sensation at the center of Lee Daniels’ “Precious.” Both rode the wave of buzz to Oscar nominations.

Then there’s Menashe Lustig, the 38-year-old Hasidic Jew at the center of “Menashe,” a movie inspired by his life.

Lustig, whose starring role brought him immediate acclaim when “Menashe” premiered in the Next section at the 2017 edition of the festival, has never been so close to the secular world before. A native of the Hasidic enclave New Square in Brooklyn, Lustig spent some of his adult life in the U.K., moving back after his wife passed away. However, when he returned to Brooklyn, the local rabbi declared that until Lustig remarried, he would be an unfit parent for his son.

This year’s Sundance Film Festival is mere days from unspooling in snowy Park City, Utah and, with it comes a brand new year of indie filmmaking to get excited about. As ever, the annual festival is playing home to dozens of feature films, short offerings and technologically-influenced experiences, and while there’s plenty to anticipate seeing, we’ve waded through the lineup to pick out the ones we’re most looking forward to checking out.

From returning filmmakers like Alex Ross Perry and Gillian Robesepierre to a handful of long-gestating passion projects and at least one film about a ghost, we’ve got a little something for every stripe of film fan.

Read More: Sundance 2017: Check Out the Full Lineup, Including Competition Titles, Premieres and Shorts

Ahead, check out 20 titles we’re excited to finally check out at this year’s festival.

“Landline”

The trifecta behind previous Sundance...

The Independent Filmmaker Project (Ifp) has announced the entirety of its 2016 Film Week lineup. 120 feature-length works will join the 45 previously announced titles for a total of 165 projects on display. Both documentary and narrative features from over 25 countries will take part in the International Co-Production Market — the Ifp Project Forum. Film Week offers a unique opportunity for filmmakers to connect with resources at every stage of production to fulfill their creative vision.

“We’re excited by this year’s slate and look forward to the reaction from the industry,” said Ifp Executive Director Joana Vicente. “After helping to foster many young talents who went on to become indie powerhouses, we’re eager to see what is in store for this new ‘class,’ especially one that is comprised of such a diverse and exciting group of filmmakers.”

Read More: Attention, Filmmakers: 10 Reasons You Should Apply to the Ifp Filmmaker Lab

This year,...

Rushes collects news, articles, images, videos and more for a weekly roundup of essential items from the world of film.Guy's CollagesThe Criterion Collection is highlighting the collage work by The Forbidden Room co-director Guy Maddin.Richard Linklater's SXSW Opening Night FilmVery exciting news for fans of Richard Linklater (sure to be a much larger number after the wide success of Boyhood): his next feature, Everybody Wants Some, will be the Opening Night Film of the 2016 South by Southwest Film Festival.Berlinale's RetrospectiveSpeaking of festival lineups, the Berlin International Film Festival has announced its first major programming strand for 2016: their retrospective will be dedicated to German cinema in 1966.Rosenbaum's Ten Best Movies of the 90sIt feels like every week Jonathan Rosenbaum (the latest guest, by the way, on the podcast The Cinephiliacs) has republished a fabulous piece of criticism on his website. Most recently, it's his essential...

Meet some of the best directors working today, who haven't gone down the blockbuster movie route...

Ever find it a bit lame when the same big name directors get kicked around for every high profile project? Christopher Nolan, Jj Abrams, maybe the Russo Brothers? With so much focus on blockbuster films these days, getting a major franchise job seems like the main acknowledgement of success for a filmmaker. And yes, both the financial and creative rewards can be great. But there are plenty of other directors out there, doing their own thing, from art house auteurs to Dtv action specialists.

Here are 25 examples.

Lee Hardcastle

Even if you don’t know his name, you’ve probably seen Lee Hardcastle’s ultraviolent claymations shared on social media. He first started getting noticed for his two-minute remake of The Thing, starring the famous stop motion penguin Pingu. Far from just a cheap one-joke mash-up,...

Cobie Smulders is not accustomed to being singled out. The How I Met Your Mother star and Marvel universe apparatchik tends to operate in the company of others, which is why she found herself somewhat stricken with panic earlier this year at the Sundance premiere of her latest film, Unexpected, which opens in theaters and on demand this Friday. "Oh shit," she recalls thinking. "I'm in every scene."

It's true, she is — though it's about time. Fans of her CBS sitcom, which concluded its nine-season run last year, might agree...

For the last half a century or so, Americans have been on a seemingly never-ending quest for physical perfection. This has manifested itself in the proliferation of cosmetic surgeons, health food stores, diet books and programs, and the wide spread, often popping up overnight, health clubs (Aka spa, the gym, the fitness center, etc…). So, naturally these places would become a movie location, in comedies (in the 63′ classic original The Nutty Professor, Jerry Lewis causes havoc at a “Vic Tanny Gym”) to documentaries (the Pumping Iron flicks). Then there’s those hybrid comedy/drama/romances like the John Travolta 1984 vehicle Perfect and the Robert Altman ensemble called, simply, Health. Now, in this new low-budget “indie” flick, three unlikely (and often unloveable) characters come together when one of them heads into a health club (sounds like an old joke set-up, “A guy walks into a spa…”), hoping, needing ,to achieve eventually,...

Polished and shiny, Andrew Bujalski's Results stands in stark visual contrast to the filmmaker's previous stylistic indulgence, Computer Chess. Shot in murky black and white with a primitive camera, Computer Chess focused on programmers at the dawn of the personal computer era in 1984. Shot with crystal-clear digital precision, Results fixes its eye on the twilight of the personal fitness era, i.e. the modern day. It's a three-hander about Trevor (Guy Pearce), the ambitious owner of a fitness studio; Kat (Cobie Smulders), a fiercely-dedicated physical trainer; and Danny (Kevin Corrigan), an out-of-shape, newly-wealthy customer. Each is self-absorbed to an alarming degree: Trevor is fixated on opening a new, larger studio; Kat and Danny are both unhappy and angry, without knowing how to deal with their...

[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...

VOD service Dendy Direct has strengthened its film and TV content after signing deals with two major Us companies and three Australian distributors.

Although none of the arrangements is exclusive, Dendy Direct gets a wide range of titles including Mad Men, the first two seasons of Orange is the New Black, documentary Finding Vivien Maier and Us comedies Inside Amy Schumer and Workaholics.

The agreement with Viacom International Media Networks spans 30 seasons of programming from Comedy Central, MTV, Nickelodeon and Nick Jr.

Lionsgate Entertainment is supplying Mad Men, Orange in the New Black, Nurse Jackie, Nashville and more than 70 library films.

Among the titles from Aussie independents are Accent Films. Little Accidents, Old Joy and Computer Chess, and Sc Movies. An Invisible Sign, Maladies, Stephen King's A Good Marriage and Turkey Shoot.

From Vendetta Films comes National Gallery, Supermensch, Palo Alto, Finding Vivien Maier and The Last Diamond.

Dendy...

While critical praise is always appreciated, and something that the forthcoming "Diamond Tongues" has no shortage of, sometimes the sweetest words of appreciation comes from fellow filmmakers. And co-directors Pavan Moondi and Brian Robertson caught the attention of "Results" and "Computer Chess" filmmaker Andrew Bujalski with their film. "A riveting, screen-commanding performance from a fresh face is a rare and magical thing--rarer still is that it lands in the lap of filmmakers who know what to do with it. 'Diamond Tongues' had me start to finish," he said. And today we have the exclusive trailer for the movie so you can get a sense of what Bujalski is raving about. Read More: Watch: Guy Pearce, Cobie Smulders, And Kevin Corrigan Get Fit In The Trailer For 'Results' Led by Leah Goldstein, the movie follows a young woman and aspiring actress who struggles to deal with the success achieved by her.

Bracingly off-kilter, a sort of anti rom-com that sends up a cultlike subculture while embracing the full, curious humanity of those who live in it. I’m “biast” (pro): love Cobie Smulders and Guy Pearce

I’m “biast” (con): nothing

(what is this about? see my critic’s minifesto)

It’s nowhere near as outré as his delightfully bizarre Computer Chess, but writer-director Andrew Bujalski’s latest film is still bracingly off-kilter, a patchwork portrait of intriguingly messed-up people that morphs into a sort of anti rom-com even as it sends up a cultlike subculture while simultaneously embracing the full, curious humanity of those who live in it. Actually, then, Results isn’t so different from Computer Chess at all.

Trevor (Guy Pearce [Iron Man 3, Breathe In], using his own Australian accent, hooray!) runs an independent gym in Austin, Texas: “Power4Life” isn’t just the name of the establishment but an...

Writer/director Andrew Bujalski ("Computer Chess”) is making his bones quickly. He's only made four independently financed feature films, and his fourth is his biggest and best yet. A dynamite cast helps, but Bujalski's tentative move towards the mainstream doesn't tamp down his funny and observational sensibilities. His latest, "Results," stars the criminally underused Kevin Corrigan ("Pineapple Express"), Guy Pearce ("Memento"), Cobie Smulders “(“The Avengers"), Giovanni Ribisi and Anthony Michael Hall in the weirdest role you will ever see him in. “Results” is centered on the culture of self-improvement. The comedy focuses on two mismatched personal trainers, self-styled guru/owner Trevor (Pearce) and irresistibly acerbic trainer Kat (Smulders), whose lives are upended by the actions of a wealthy client (Corrigan). As their three lives become inextricably knotted, the plot go from complicated to super messy, and as our...

★★★☆☆ Results (2015) - the fifth film from Andrew Bujalski, the director of 2013's Computer Chess - takes a while to find itself. Once it does, it's revealed to be a funny, well observed and quite touching adult romantic comedy about relationships and happiness, and how those concepts differs from one person to the next. Australian expat Trevor (Guy Pearce) is the proprietor of a downtown fitness store, complete with a small but adept team of personal trainers, one of which is Kat (Cobie Smulders). When newly rich dimwit Danny (Kevin Corrigan) turns up, they're tasked with putting him into shape - a task that has repercussions for all three of them.

Name all the chess films you can off the top of your head, go: There’s Boaz Yakim’s “Fresh,” “Brooklyn Castle,” Andrew Bujalski’s “Computer Chess” and easily the best of them all, “Searching For Bobby Fischer.” But few and far between are classic, and almost all pieces of chess narrative always circle back to Bobby Fischer, the American prodigy who captured the imagination of the world when he faced off against some of the greatest chess minds the Soviet Union has ever produced. Read More: Review: Kids Are King In Winning Chess Doc 'Brooklyn Castle' There have been documentaries on this subject, even past movies, but no one’s really made the definitive film about Fischer, his troubled mind and his famous matches in the Soviet Union. But Filmmaker Ed Zwick (“Glory,” “The Last Samurai”) has given it a shot, with Tobey Maguire in the lead...

Writer-director Andrew Bujalski's last film was the psychedelic nerd-convention comedy Computer Chess, a layered existential gambol that vouched for human complexity even as it stared down the ascendance of personal computing. Results, his new film, has a minor feel by comparison, despite an unmistakable uptick in production value. Like the health nuts it follows, it’s conventionally pretty, a bit awkward, and ultimately benign. Its bevy of personal trainers, led by Guy Pearce as Trevor, the stubbornly sportsmanlike owner of a nascent fitness empire called Power 4 Life, are concerned with the skin-deep, or rather the muscle-deep. Their relationships come second to their self-improvement regimens, which Bujalski uses as a motif throughout the film. Still, there...

I left Marie-Pierre the task of teasing out the nuances of Chinese director Jia Zhangke's film in competition, Mountains May Depart, which thankfully leaves me some space to talk about it without assuredness but with avid curiosity. Because, you see, it is a tremendously odd film, as dramatic a change from his last film as that one, A Touch of Sin, was from what came before it. I don't think of Jia as a filmmaker who constantly surprises, yet looking back on his last features, I realize he keeps doing just that: I Wish I Knew, A Touch of Sin—all come from a new, acute angle than the previous film, sweeping up in their dramatic and visual expanses new ways of telling stories about a China both old and new. Here, thankfully, is an art house master whose inspiration cannot be quelled, who refuses to fall into habit.Imagine...

Chicago – Friday, May 1st, kicks off one of 2015 Chicago’s most special events, the Chicago Critics Film Festival (Ccff) – a film festival as programmed by the members of the Chicago Film Critics Association. The place to be is at the Music Box Theatre in Chicago, and the titles included are an exciting batch of movies making their premiere here.

Many of the films had their world premiere at festivals like Sundance, Toronto and South X Southwest, and HollywoodChicago.com contributors Nick Allen and Patrick McDonald have been sampling the best of the festival, and offer this preview of the kick-off weekend. Each capsule is designated with Na (Nick Allen) or Pm (Patrick McDonald) – to indicate the author – or encapsulates the official synopsis from the festival.

Be sure to check back with HollywoodChicago.com on Monday, when we finish our preview of the festival by looking ahead to the weekday schedule,...

Cobie Smulders and Guy Pearce play aggressive physical trainers in a new trailer for Results.

The upcoming comedy sees Smulders's character Kat attracting unwanted romantic attention from a rich client called Danny (Kevin Corrigan).

Cobie Smulders returning to Agents of Shield as Maria Hill

Guy Pearce, Anthony Lapaglia and Kerry Fox for Holding the Man adaptation

Kat ultimately develops a romantic spark with her co-worker Trevor (Guy Pearce) as they try to fend off Danny's ever-ambitious advances.

Results had its premiere earlier this year at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival, and is now gearing up for a limited cinema run.

Director Andrew Bujalski is best known for his work in the Mumblecore genre with films like Beeswax and Computer Chess.

Results begins its limited cinema run on May 29 in the Us and the UK.

In need of a little rom-com this summer during the upcoming blockbuster season?

Starring Guy Pearce, Cobie Smulders, Kevin Corrigan, Brooklyn Decker and Giovanni Ribisi, check out the trailer for Results - in theaters and on demand May 29.

Recently divorced, newly rich, and utterly miserable, Danny (Kevin Corrigan) would seem to be the perfect test subject for a definitive look at the relationship between money and happiness. Danny’s well-funded ennui is interrupted by a momentous trip to the local gym, where he meets self-styled guru/owner Trevor (Guy Pearce) and irresistibly acerbic trainer Kat (Cobie Smulders). Soon, their three lives are inextricably knotted, both professionally and personally.

Writer/director Andrew Bujalski (Computer Chess, 2013) returns with a fun, intimate fable that’s utterly grounded in real life. As wrinkles turn into complications, then blow up into full-fledged issues, the talented ensemble keeps the pensive tone light and the complex plot breezy.

With a film making its debut at this year’s Sundance, Andrew Bujalski is yet another director in the wave of “mumblecore” filmmakers stepping up into territory that’s a little more familiar and a little less awkward.

Bujalski’s latest is Results, about a pair of fitness trainers trying to help a wealthy, but socially clueless guy trying to put together his personal life after a divorce. In this first trailer, the film couldn’t look further away from the surreal, black and white, docu-realism period piece of Bujalski’s last film, Computer Chess, but hopefully it veers closer to the more mainstream success of other mumblecore graduates like Joe Swanberg and the Duplass brothers. Here’s the official synopsis:

Recently divorced, newly rich, and utterly miserable, Danny (Kevin Corrigan) would seem to be the perfect test subject for a definitive look at the relationship between money and happiness.

Read More: Sundance Review: In 'Results,' Andrew Bujalski and Guy Pearce Riff on the Romantic Comedy Formula After earning strong reviews out of its Sundance premiere in January, the star-studded romantic comedy "Results" is gearing up for its official theatrical release next month. Starring Guy Pearce and "How I Met Your Mother" standout Cobie Smulders, "Results" comes from acclaimed indie director Andrew Bujalski ("Computer Chess") and is set in the world of personal training. The official synopsis from Magnolia Pictures reads: "Recently divorced, newly rich, and utterly miserable, Danny (Kevin Corrigan) would seem to be the perfect test subject for a definitive look at the relationship between money and happiness. Danny’s well-funded ennui is interrupted by a momentous trip to the local gym, where he meets self-styled guru/owner Trevor (Guy Pearce) and irresistibly acerbic trainer Kat (Cobie Smulders). Soon, their three lives are...

"Picking Cotton" to be directed by Jessica Sanders is one of the four 2015 grantees of the Sloan Filmmaker Fund which were recently announced by the Tribeca Film Institute. This year's recipients will receive a collective total of $150,000 in grants.

This is a riveting true story of rape survivor Jennifer Thompson and Ronald Cotton, whom she had wrongfully identified as her rapist. After 11 years in prison, DNA evidence cleared Ronald of the crime. Jennifer and Ronald are now friends and activists, improving the criminal justice system. See all the engagements, awards and attention that Ronald and Jennifer are pursuing for social justice here.

The film is in early development. Jessica Sanders is an Academy Award®-nominated, Sundance and Cannes winning filmmaker and commercial director. Jessica directed “After Innocence”, a feature documentary film about innocent men wrongfully convicted of crimes, cleared by DNA evidence and their struggle to reenter society after spending decades in prison.

The Tribeca Film Institute jury included producer Anne Carey, actors Raul Esparza and Danny Glover, physicist Ben Lillie and neuroscientist Daniela Schiller. Tfi Sloan Filmmaker Fund grantees who've seen great success include "The Imitation Game," nominated for eight Oscars including Best Picture, and Andrew Bujalski's 2012 "Computer Chess," which was nominated for three Independent Spirit Awards.

Read More: Tribeca 2015 Skews Young, Female

The 2015 Tfi Sloan Filmmaker Fund grantees include some familiar faces. Ben Lewin directed the critically adored 2012 "The Sessions," nabbing Helen Hunt a Best Supporting Actress nomination.

Documentarian Jessica Sanders was Oscar-nominated for her short film "Sing!" in 2002 and directed another documentary about the judicial powers of DNA evidence, "After Innocence" which premiered at Sundance in ’05.

“After Innocence” which featured an appearance by Jennifer Thompson and Ronald Cotton whom she introduced to her friend, writer Erin Torneo, because she knew that Thompson and Cotton wanted to write a book about their experiences. After reading about their case and speaking with Jennifer on the phone, Ms. Torneo flew to North Carolina to meet the pair. The three of them hit it off immediately and Erin states that writing about such a compelling story is intimate and she felt honored to be a part of Picking Cotton published on March 9, 2009 which by March 22 went on to become a N.Y. Times best seller.

Author and editor Erin Torneo is a highly praised and accomplished in the world of literary achievements. She is a 2007 Fellow in Nonfiction Literature at the New York Foundation for the Arts and a 2008 Soros Justice Media Fellow at the Open Society Institute. She also won the 2010 American Society of Journalists & Authors Arlene Award for Books That Make a Difference. Her literary awards are accompanied by a significant number of publications in magazines such as our own Indiewire, Soma, Seed, Lucky, The Kyoto Journal, The Independent, Variety, and Seal Press.

Ms. Torneo is a former editor for Cosmopolitan magazine and has written two nonfiction works, including The Bridal Wave: A Survival Guide to the Everyone-i-Know-is-Getting-Married Years, and the New York Times best seller Picking Cotton.

Erin grew up in a small suburb of Hartford, Connecticut, but ventured far from home when she decided to attend UCLA for her undergraduate degree. She was a creative writing major and worked in film, but did not pursue writing passionately until she moved to Japan and began writing for magazines.

Ms. Torneo said once she began getting paid to write, she was hooked on the profession. While in Japan, she lived with her friend Valerie Cabrera Krause who was the coauthor of The Bridal Wave. The book focused on "waiting for Mr. Right" and the pressures of getting married at a certain age. Ms. Torneo was struggling with this concept herself; however, the day after she turned in her manuscript for the book, her boyfriend proposed.

Erin Torneo lives in Dublin, Ireland with her husband and two sons.

Partially written by Sarah Christian, student author

Jennifer Thompson-Cannino

Now an avid activist for judicial reform, Jennifer Thompson has been through much in her lifetime. She was born in 1962 to Jim and Janet Thompson, who were originally from Winston Salem, where Jennifer would reside for the majority of her life. Her childhood was typical of rural North Carolina. In her own words, she had "lots of siblings and pets to play with." From the age of nine to sixteen, she and her family lived on a farm with cows, chickens, goats, and sheep. Just a couple of short years after moving from the farm, Jennifer began college at Elon University in Elon, North Carolina, pursuing a degree in sports management.

On July 29, 1984 her life was changed forever. A man broke into her apartment and raped her. After the accused was sentenced to life in prison, Jennifer struggled to put her life back together.

Following the trial, she married Vinny Cannino and two years later they had triplets, Blake, Morgan, and Brittany. Although her beautiful family made it easier to cope with her past, she was never able to accept completely what happened to her on that dreadful July night. Eleven years after putting the man that she was sure had raped her behind bars, she found out that he was innocent. She lived in constant fear and guilt until she finally agreed to meet him face to face. She and the accused formed a lifelong friendship.

After Jennifer's divorce from her first husband, she married Frank Baumgartner, and she currently resides in Winston Salem, North Carolina. Her daughters are successful college students, one of whom currently attends Elon University. Her son works in the lobster industry in Maine. She and Ronald remain great friends and have been able to deal with their grief by publishing their story in an inspiring, uplifting memoir. They now work with many organizations, such as the North Carolina Center of Actual Innocence, in order to advocate the need for judicial reform.

Jennifer began writing Picking Cotton with co-authors Ronald Cotton and Erin Torneo in 2006. After forgiving her rapist, forming a friendship with Ronald, and accepting everything that has happened to her, Jennifer is now able to share her story with others without the humiliation and guilt she once felt before. After years of remembering and writing every gruesome detail of her rape.

Written by: Alexis Luther & Madelon Wygand, student authors

Ronald Cotton

Ronald Cotton had a troubled childhood that included jail time at sixteen years old for breaking and entering with the intent to rape. When drunk, he snuck into his white girlfriend’s house thinking they could “fool around”, but her mom caught them and had him arrested. A little later he dropped out of high school. His lack of education and previous charges led to his arrest on 1 August 1984 for the rape of Jenifer Thompson.

Ronald spent eleven years in prison and was finally released in June of 1995, when he was exonerated by DNA evidence. Ronald struggled to adapt to life outside of prison, but he eventually came to live a more normal life. He originally found a job at Lab Corp, a DNA testing center, but is now working at an insulation plant. He has a beautiful wife and a daughter; they live together in Burlington, Nc.

In August 2011, Ronald suffered a stroke that gave him a useless right arm, bad right leg, and a droopy face. Ronald has teamed up with Jennifer and is traveling the United States talking to exonerees, law students, and audiences interested in his book and experience. He and Jennifer are attempting to transform the legal system to prevent future wrongful convictions and to free those who have been wrongfully convicted.

Written by Andrew Geddes, student author...

The Tribeca Film Institute has announced the 2015 recipients of the Tfi Sloan Filmmaker Fund.

More than $1m in grants have been awarded over the life of the programme, a partnership with the Alfred P Sloan Foundation that supports films with “a fresh take on science, mathematics and technology.”

The 2015 Tfi Sloan Filmmaker Fund grantees are: The Catcher Was A Spy directed by Ben Lewin; House Of Tomorrow directed by Peter Livolsi; The Man Who Knew Infinity directed by Matt Brown; and Picking Cotton directed by Jessica Sanders.

This year’s Tfi Sloan Filmmaker Fund recipients will receive a collective total of $150,000 in grants to support their projects, the topics of which range from an unknown math genius to a baseball player who doubled as a spy.

Each film-maker will be feted at a reception during the Tribeca Film Festival. The selection jury featured producer Anne Carey, actor Raul Esparza, actor-director Danny Glover, physicist Ben Lillie...

Tribeca Film Institute today announced the 2015 grantees of the Sloan Filmmaker Fund. This year's recipients will receive a collective total of $150,000 in grants. The jury included producer Anne Carey, actors Raul Esparza and Danny Glover, physicist Ben Lillie and neuroscientist Daniela Schiller. Tfi Sloan Filmmaker Fund grantees who've seen great success include "The Imitation Game," nominated for eight Oscars including Best Picture, and Andrew Bujalski's 2012 "Computer Chess," which was nominated for three Independent Spirit Awards. The 2015 Tfi Sloan Filmmaker Fund grantees include some familiar faces. Ben Lewin directed the critically adored 2012 "The Sessions," nabbing Helen Hunt a Best Supporting Actress nomination. Documentarian Jessica Sanders was Oscar-nominated for her short film "Sing!" in 2002 and directed another documentary about the judicial powers of DNA evidence, "After Innocence," in 2005. Read More: Harvey...

Oh my god, Andrew Bujalski has sold out. The filmmaker with a reputation for populating his indies with non-actors has brought us a film that stars, yes, stars Guy Pearce and Cobie Smulders. I don't think I saw a single indie filmmaker in the cast. And it kind of has a plot! And who knows how much money it cost -- he didn't even need to crowdfund. I mean, really, total sellout.

Except that's not the case at all. Results is very much of a piece with Bujalski's previous films, from Mutual Appreciation to Computer Chess. The Austin writer-director's insightfulness about the minutiae of everyday relationships is front and center. The "stars" play characters who work at a gym -- naturally portraying beautiful people without upsetting the balance of the cast.

Danny (Kevin Corrigan) first appears onscreen after his wife locks him out of their New York apartment. Shortly thereafter,...

Following last week's news that Netflix has given the green light to "The Oa," a series co-created by Brit Marling and Zal Batmanglij — who share their roots in the independent film world, having collaborated on "The East" and "The Sound of My Voice" — Indiewire decided to compile a list of filmmakers we would like to see team up with one of the new major players in the television space. Andrew BujalskiAlthough Andrew Bujalski is best known for his association with the "mumblecore" movement, his two most recent films — "Computer Chess" and this year's "Results" — reflect a more distinctive style. In Indiewire's "Results" review out of Sundance, Chief Film Critic Eric Kohn described the film as the "closest thing to a commercial work in his [Bujalski's] career to date." So are Bujalski's films for everyone? No, but there are people that like it, and with so many different platforms getting into the.

Magnolia is attending Filmart in Hong Kong March 23 – 26 with an exceptionally strong package of festival films from Sundance’s Grand Jury Prize winner “The Wolfpack” and “Tangerine” by the Duplass brothers, Tiff’s “Best of Enemies”, SXSW’s “The Wrecking Crew” to smart horror films and their own special productions. Just look at their line-up. Don’t you want to see every one of them? Well, you can if you live in U.S. As they have the domestic rights to them all. For available rights, see their page in Cinando

"The Wolfpack"

2015 Sundance Grand Jury Prize

Directed by Crystal Moselle

Locked away from society in an apartment on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, the Angulo brothers learn about the outside world through the films that they watch. Nicknamed the Wolfpack, the brothers spend their childhood re-enacting their favorite films using elaborate homemade props and costumes. With no friends and living on welfare, they feed their curiosity, creativity, and imagination with film, which allows them to escape from their feelings of isolation and loneliness. Everything changes when one of the brothers escapes, and the power dynamics in the house are transformed. The Wolfpack must learn how to integrate into society without disbanding the brotherhood.

"Xx" (In Production)

Directed by Sofia Carrillo, Mary Harron Karyn Kusama, Jennifer Chambers Lynch, Jovanka Vuckovic

Produced by Magnolia Pictures, Xyz Films ("Tusk," "The Raid") and Dwjuan Fox

Xx is a new Horror anthology with a gender twist - all segments will be helmed by female directors and will start female leads. The directors have been given free creative rein within budget and time constraints, but all of the segments themselves will involve the horror genre.

"Results"

Directed by Andrew Bujalski ("Computer Chess")

Cast:: Guy Pearce, Cobie Smulders, Kevin Corrigan, Giovanni Ribisi, Anthony Michael Hall, Brooklyn Decker

Recently divorced, newly rich, and utterly miserable, Danny (Kevin Corrigan) would seem to be the perfect test subject for a definitive look at the relationship between money and happiness. Danny’s well-funded boredom is interrupted by a momentous trip to the local gym, where he meets self-styled guru/owner Trevor (Guy Pearce) and abrasive yet irresistable trainer Kat (Cobie Smulders). Soon their three lives become intertwined, both professionally and personally.

"Tangerine"

Directed by Sean Baker ("Starlet")

Cast: Kitana Kiki Rodriguez, Mya Taylor, Karren Karagulian, Mickey O’Hagan, Alla Tumanian, James Ransone

It’s Christmas Eve in Tinseltown and Sin-Dee is back on the block. Upon hearing that her pimp boyfriend hasn’t been faithful during the 28 days she was locked up, the working girl and her best friend, Alexandra, embark on a mission to get to the bottom of the scandalous rumor. Their rip-roaring odyssey leads them through various subcultures of Los Angeles, including an Armenian family dealing with their own repercussions of infidelity.

Executive produced by Mark and Jay Duplass

"Satanic" (In Production)

Directed by Jeff Hunt ("Fringe," "CSI," "Person of Interest")

Produced by Lawrence Mattis (Circle of Confusion) and Michael Moran (MarVista Entertainment)

"Satanic" follows a group of college students visiting sites from Los Angeles’ “Satanic Panic” era. They follow the creepy owner of an occult store home, only to find themselves saving a suspicious girl from an apparent human sacrifice. Only this “victim” turns out to be much more dangerous than the cult from which she escaped.

"Best of Enemies"

Directed by Morgan Neville ("20 Feet from Stardom") and Robert Gordon

Featuring Gore Vidal and William F. Buckley, Jr.

In 1968 ABC hired two towering public intellectuals to debate each other during the Democratic and Republican national conventions - William F. Buckley, Jr. and Gore Vidal. Like rounds in a heavyweight battle, they pummeled out policy and personal insult—cementing their opposing political positions. Their explosive exchanges devolved into vitriolic name-calling. It was unlike anything TV had ever broadcast, and all the more shocking because it was live and unscripted.

"The Wrecking Crew"

Directed by Denny Tedesco

Featuring Interviews with: Cher, Dick Clark, Brian Wilson, Nancy Sinatra

Six years in a row in the 1960’s and early 1970’s, the Grammy for “Record of the Year” went to Wrecking Crew recordings. The film tells the story of the unsung musicians that provided the backbeat, the bottom and the swinging melody that drove many of the number one hits of the 1960’s. It didn’t matter if it was Nat “King” Cole, Frank Sinatra, Nancy Sinatra, The Monkees, The Byrds or The Beach Boys, these dedicated musicians brought the flair and musicianship that made the American “west coast sound” a dominant cultural force around the world.

"Iris"

Directed by Albert Maysles ("Grey Gardens," "Gimme Shelter")

Produced by Laura Coxson, Rebekah Maysles and Jennifer Ash Rudick

Iris pairs legendary documentary filmmaker Albert Maysles with Iris Apfel, the quick-witted, flamboyantly dressed 93-year-old style maven who has had an outsized presence on the New York fashion scene for decades. More than a fashion film, the documentary is a story about creativity and how, even at Iris’ advanced age, a soaring free spirit continues to inspire.

Eric Lavallee: Name me three of your favorite “2014 discoveries”…

Matthias Grunsky: The amazing “Collection de l’Art Brut” in Lausanne, Switzerland. The record “Lieblingsfarben und Tiere” of the German band “Element of Crime”. The exhibition of the spectacular black and white photographs of Sebastião Salgado: “Genesis”

Lavallee: In Results, Andrew Bujalski proposes natural, physical attraction between the sexes, could you discuss framing and how you potentially pulled people together in two shots.

Grunsky: The actors did the part of showing physical attraction. But really the characters have difficulties getting together and communicating. And we tried to emphasize that with the camera. Void spaces around them and lens choices were something we gave a lot of thought in that regard. Because Andrew and I felt that in most of her scenes we wanted to be close to Kat (Cobie Smulders), I mainly shot her with a 35 mm lens, while...

Michael C with a roundup of three Sundance titles we haven't discussed yet.

Ten Thousand Saints

Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini’s Ten Thousand Saints makes the mistake of thinking that merely by placing their characters adjacent to interesting times, interest will rub off them. Saints does a beautiful job evoking Manhattan in the 1980’s touching on the Tompkin’s Square Park riots, the Cbgb music scene and more. The problem is that foreground is populated with a singularly uninteresting cast of characters working through a coming-of-age formula we’ve seen executed with more spirit and vitality in countless better films. The lead actors do what they can with their thin wisps of character, none too successfully. There is Hugo’s Asa Butterfield, True Grit’s Hailee Steinfeld, and Emile Hirsch as the front man for a hardcore straight edge band. Together they deal with unintended pregnancy, drug overdoses,...

Park City, Utah – There are still some films to be discussed in my Sundance coverage. Here’s write-ups of “Digging for Fire,” “Entertainment,” and “Results,” which featured the return of festival-approved directors, albeit heading in different directions.

At this year’s festival, two maestros of the ol’ mumblecore days stepped into the big-time spotlight with their new films that boasted their biggest casts and fanciest films yet. The first to show was Joe Swanberg, who has gone from super low-key directing to hosting a celebrity party this side of “This is the End” in “Digging For Fire.” The other is Andrew Bujalski, whose previous films were nerd alerts like “Mutual Appreciation” and most recently “Computer Chess.”

In a reverse course is Rick Alverson’s “Entertainment,” which doesn’t start modestly but attempt to reach a wide audience, but starts with a big promise to reach a very specific audience. An explanation on that below.