Debating the horror genre’s artistic value is tacky. Measuring its success by the box office can be just as boring. But I’d bet you a head-start in a chase sequence that those metrics still steer how Hollywood talks about its longest-surviving obsession at many prestige events.
Not so at The Overlook Film Festival: a community-minded summit that fundamentally reinforced my belief in scary movies and the types of people who make, critique, promote, and protect them.
Co-founded by Landon Zakheim and Michael Lerman in 2013, the annual event started out of Colorado as The Stanley Film Festival, honoring Kubrick before expanding to encompass the horror genre more generally. After a brief stint in Oregon The Overlook Film Festival made its permanent home in New Orleans, Louisiana. That’s “the most haunted city in America” if you ask event organizers, but only the third most haunted if you’re going...
Not so at The Overlook Film Festival: a community-minded summit that fundamentally reinforced my belief in scary movies and the types of people who make, critique, promote, and protect them.
Co-founded by Landon Zakheim and Michael Lerman in 2013, the annual event started out of Colorado as The Stanley Film Festival, honoring Kubrick before expanding to encompass the horror genre more generally. After a brief stint in Oregon The Overlook Film Festival made its permanent home in New Orleans, Louisiana. That’s “the most haunted city in America” if you ask event organizers, but only the third most haunted if you’re going...
- 4/27/2024
- by Alison Foreman
- Indiewire
Don Hertzfeldt understands why fans are jumping to conclusions after learning he’s already hard at work on a mysterious new feature with Ari Aster.
But anyone in attendance at the fourth-ever screening of his new film “Me” and the Q&a that followed at The Overlook Film Festival can confirm: Don never said anything definitive about what genre that movie would be.
“It’s funny it’s being described as an ‘existential horror’ movie, two words I didn’t actually say,” Hertzfeldt told IndieWire in a text. “I guess maybe it will end up being an existential horror movie in the end, but that’s not really how I’d describe it today. But I also get why people might think that when you squash our names together.”
Hertzfeldt, who thought the news of his and Aster’s collaboration was already out there, confirmed for IndieWire that the film...
But anyone in attendance at the fourth-ever screening of his new film “Me” and the Q&a that followed at The Overlook Film Festival can confirm: Don never said anything definitive about what genre that movie would be.
“It’s funny it’s being described as an ‘existential horror’ movie, two words I didn’t actually say,” Hertzfeldt told IndieWire in a text. “I guess maybe it will end up being an existential horror movie in the end, but that’s not really how I’d describe it today. But I also get why people might think that when you squash our names together.”
Hertzfeldt, who thought the news of his and Aster’s collaboration was already out there, confirmed for IndieWire that the film...
- 4/9/2024
- by Alison Foreman
- Indiewire
After spending the majority of the 2010s working on hifs sublime sci-fi trilogy World of Tomorrow, animation genius Don Hertzfeldt hinted he desired to work on a larger scale: “I’m not getting any younger. You just want to work faster. I’m jealous of actors, of musicians, of people able to put out multiple things in one year. To take two years to make a short film is just absurd. I don’t want to use a Marvel term, but we’re expanding the universe,” he told The Guardian. “I don’t relish doing this alone! I can’t be drawing little round heads by myself for the rest of my life.”
While his large-scale animation Antarctica fell apart, it looks like he’ll get his crack another big project soon. At the Overlook Film Festival for the premiere of his latest short, the dialogue-free musical Me (which may...
While his large-scale animation Antarctica fell apart, it looks like he’ll get his crack another big project soon. At the Overlook Film Festival for the premiere of his latest short, the dialogue-free musical Me (which may...
- 4/7/2024
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
Mardi Gras is long over, and Halloween is still months away. But over the next four days in New Orleans, Louisiana, the Overlook Film Festival will celebrate the strange and unusual with a salute to horror that couldn’t be timelier.
“As we are talking, we have just seen two brand-new horror releases — ‘Immaculate’ and ‘Late Night with the Devil’ — have the highest openings for those distributors in their histories,” festival co-director Landon Zakheim told IndieWire. [The nun nightmare, starring Sydney Sweeney, earned $5.3 million for Neon, while IFC’s supernatural talkshow took home $2.8 million, in their respective opening weekends.]
“On top of that, we’ve got the new ‘Godzilla,’ which was made by filmmakers who are alums of many festivals, including ours. And Disney is shepherding in an ‘Omen’ franchise film from a festival circuit filmmaker as well,” he said. “That’s all just if you look at the last couple of weeks.
“As we are talking, we have just seen two brand-new horror releases — ‘Immaculate’ and ‘Late Night with the Devil’ — have the highest openings for those distributors in their histories,” festival co-director Landon Zakheim told IndieWire. [The nun nightmare, starring Sydney Sweeney, earned $5.3 million for Neon, while IFC’s supernatural talkshow took home $2.8 million, in their respective opening weekends.]
“On top of that, we’ve got the new ‘Godzilla,’ which was made by filmmakers who are alums of many festivals, including ours. And Disney is shepherding in an ‘Omen’ franchise film from a festival circuit filmmaker as well,” he said. “That’s all just if you look at the last couple of weeks.
- 4/4/2024
- by Alison Foreman
- Indiewire
Daily Dead is proud to return as one of the sponsors for this year's Overlook Film Festival, taking place April 4th–7th in New Orleans, and following their impressive initial lineup announcement earlier this month, Overlook has now announced their full schedule for their 2024 edition that includes additional films, in-person guests, immersive programming, and free horror trivia that is once again presented by Daily Dead!
We have the official press release with additional details below, and be sure to visit Overlook Film Festival's official website for more information!
Press Release: March 20, 2024 | New Orleans, LA – The Overlook Film Festival, the annual celebration of all things horror, announced today the full schedule for its 2024 edition, including some surprise new additions and special guests. Taking place April 4 – April 7 in America’s most haunted city, New Orleans, Louisiana at the Prytania Theatres, the horror festival announced seven additional films to its lineup, as well as new immersive events,...
We have the official press release with additional details below, and be sure to visit Overlook Film Festival's official website for more information!
Press Release: March 20, 2024 | New Orleans, LA – The Overlook Film Festival, the annual celebration of all things horror, announced today the full schedule for its 2024 edition, including some surprise new additions and special guests. Taking place April 4 – April 7 in America’s most haunted city, New Orleans, Louisiana at the Prytania Theatres, the horror festival announced seven additional films to its lineup, as well as new immersive events,...
- 3/20/2024
- by Derek Anderson
- DailyDead
The Overlook Film Fest 2024 edition, taking place April 4 – April 7 in New Orleans, Louisiana, just announced even more additions to their already packed lineup, including the Nicolas Cage-starring creature feature Arcadian.
“With the full scope of this year’s lineup, we’re thrilled to be able to recognize all of the many forms horror can take,” said Lisa Carbonari, festival director of The Overlook Film Festival. “We’re diving headfirst into the dark and twisted, through the films, immersive presentations, interactive exhibits, themed parties and even sensory experiences. We can’t wait to get together with our fellow horror-lovers and celebrate all of the different ways we enjoy being scared.”
The new additions to the lineup bring the festival total to 52 films (28 features and 24 shorts) from 11 countries, as well as four live presentations, six immersive experiences and six special events.
While you can read up on the previously announced lineup here,...
“With the full scope of this year’s lineup, we’re thrilled to be able to recognize all of the many forms horror can take,” said Lisa Carbonari, festival director of The Overlook Film Festival. “We’re diving headfirst into the dark and twisted, through the films, immersive presentations, interactive exhibits, themed parties and even sensory experiences. We can’t wait to get together with our fellow horror-lovers and celebrate all of the different ways we enjoy being scared.”
The new additions to the lineup bring the festival total to 52 films (28 features and 24 shorts) from 11 countries, as well as four live presentations, six immersive experiences and six special events.
While you can read up on the previously announced lineup here,...
- 3/20/2024
- by Meagan Navarro
- bloody-disgusting.com
In the contemporary field of Japanese animation, no one makes films and TV shows like Yuasa Masaaki. Compared to the lifelike backgrounds and careful detailing of facial animations that typify much of anime, Yuasa’s mash-ups of disciplines and methods recall the unorthodox approaches of Don Hertzfeldt and Soviet-era Hungarian animators like Marcell Jankovics and György Kovásznai. But Yuasa’s north star—in underlying motivation, if not aesthetic—may be Tex Avery, whose brand of unpredictable comedy can be seen in the filmmaker’s willingness to upend character continuity and even the fundamental outlines of drawings for the sake of pursuing a joke or feeling to its most outlandish conclusion.
The plots of the five films included in Shout! Factory’s new box set are, however fantastical their framings, often elementally simple, and many have reference points in another anime films and shows. A kind of lysergic take on Miyazaki Hayao’s Ponyo,...
The plots of the five films included in Shout! Factory’s new box set are, however fantastical their framings, often elementally simple, and many have reference points in another anime films and shows. A kind of lysergic take on Miyazaki Hayao’s Ponyo,...
- 12/12/2023
- by Jake Cole
- Slant Magazine
The combination of animation with themes of isolation in the hyper-digital age is proving to be a bountiful match. Anime titans Mamoru Hosoda and Masaaki Yuasa have conveyed this through their dense visual tapestries that have confronted our relationship with online space from both optimistic and pessimistic viewpoints. The flexibility of the animated form allows artists to truly capture the sense of disassociation felt through the limited window of online self-expression. This battle with identity is at the forefront of Richan Li’s animated short Babble Bubble, which sees a young girl detach her head and replace it with whichever animal-based persona her online profile requires. It’s a really fun, playful film that’s also enlightening on the discombobulating nature of social media performativity. Dn is delighted to present Babble Bubble on our pages today and be joined by Li for a conversation which covers everything from the medieval...
- 10/27/2022
- by James Maitre
- Directors Notes
Who doesn't love pudding?! So soft and cuddly and – wait, what?? This amusing animated short film from the Netherlands is now available to watch online after its festival run. A Film About Pudding is directed by filmmaker Roel Van Beek, and it's about a city being overtaken. After Ronin neglects to clear up her dropped groceries, they start to mix and bubble, transforming into a small pudding. Whilst this seems odd, for Ronin, it is easily ignorable. Over the next few days, the pudding grows bigger and bigger. As it threatens to engulf the entire city how far will she, and the other inhabitants of her city, go to continue ignoring it? With the voice of Eleanor Anwen as Ronin. The stick figure style reminds me of Don Hertzfeldt's films, but this gives us something else wacky and tasty with the story. Is it about procrastination? Is it about...
- 9/28/2022
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Get in touch to send in cinephile news and discoveries. For daily updates follow us @NotebookMUBI.NEWSThe 2022 poster for Cannes' Directors' Fortnight.Cannes’ Directors’ Fortnight has announced the seven programmers and four consultants who will be supporting incoming artistic director Julien Rejl in his selection processes. Amongst the team is ex-Sheffield DocFest director Cintia Gil, Another Gaze founder Daniella Shreir, and Ming-Jung Kuo, former Program Director of the Taipei Film Festival.Dutch documentary festival IDFA has released the lineups for the first few strands of their 2022 edition, including the short and youth documentary competitions, plus a tribute to the late Lithuanian filmmaker Mantas Kvedaravičius.David Cronenberg’s Scanners is being remade as a TV series. Yann Demange (executive producer of Lovecraft Country and Top Boy) will direct, with Cronenberg also on board as an executive producer.Recommended VIEWINGAfter premiering in competition at the Venice International Film Festival, A Couple, Frederick Wiseman’s new fiction feature,...
- 9/27/2022
- MUBI
The first "Simpsons" Halloween special, first aired on October 25, 1990, was a banner event for the rising tide of "Simpsons" fans. Many a youth rushed to their VCRs that evening, eager to capture on tape an event unprecedented in the show. While "The Simpsons" typically had fewer structural rules than its live-action sitcom counterparts, it was still set in a relatively recognizable world. The Halloween special promised a visit to the supernatural, a tantalizing event to say the least. "The Simpsons" and "Tales from the Crypt" were going to bleed into one another.
1990 was a good time to be a "Simpsons" fan. In addition to the Halloween special, that was also the year that saw the release of the hit album "The Simpsons Sing the Blues." It would only be a few months later that the music video for "Do the Bartman," a single co-written by Michael Jackson, would premiere on TV.
1990 was a good time to be a "Simpsons" fan. In addition to the Halloween special, that was also the year that saw the release of the hit album "The Simpsons Sing the Blues." It would only be a few months later that the music video for "Do the Bartman," a single co-written by Michael Jackson, would premiere on TV.
- 8/26/2022
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
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.
Art-House Animation
If your eyes are tired of the latest cookie-cutter animation from the Hollywood mill, Criterion is featuring quite a line-up of inventive arthouse offerings in the field. With works by Marcell Jankovics, Satoshi Kon, Ari Folman, Don Hertzfeldt, Karel Zeman, and more, the series includes The Fabulous Baron Munchausen (1962), Belladonna of Sadness (1973), Fantastic Planet (1973), Watership Down (1978), Son of the White Mare (1981), Alice (1988), Millennium Actress (2001), Mind Game (2004), Paprika (2006), Persepolis (2007), Waltz with Bashir (2008), Mary and Max (2009), It’s Such a Beautiful Day (2012), Tower (2016), The Wolf House (2018), No. 7 Cherry Lane (2019), and more.
Where to Stream: The Criterion Channel
Neo-Noir
One of the greatest series to arrive on the Criterion Channel thus far is this selection of neo-noir offerings, including Brian De Palma’s masterpieces Blow Out and Body Double,...
Art-House Animation
If your eyes are tired of the latest cookie-cutter animation from the Hollywood mill, Criterion is featuring quite a line-up of inventive arthouse offerings in the field. With works by Marcell Jankovics, Satoshi Kon, Ari Folman, Don Hertzfeldt, Karel Zeman, and more, the series includes The Fabulous Baron Munchausen (1962), Belladonna of Sadness (1973), Fantastic Planet (1973), Watership Down (1978), Son of the White Mare (1981), Alice (1988), Millennium Actress (2001), Mind Game (2004), Paprika (2006), Persepolis (2007), Waltz with Bashir (2008), Mary and Max (2009), It’s Such a Beautiful Day (2012), Tower (2016), The Wolf House (2018), No. 7 Cherry Lane (2019), and more.
Where to Stream: The Criterion Channel
Neo-Noir
One of the greatest series to arrive on the Criterion Channel thus far is this selection of neo-noir offerings, including Brian De Palma’s masterpieces Blow Out and Body Double,...
- 7/2/2021
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
The Criterion Channel’s July 2021 Lineup Includes Wong Kar Wai, Neo-Noir, Art-House Animation & More
The July lineup at The Criterion Channel has been revealed, most notably featuring the new Wong Kar Wai restorations from the recent box set release, including As Tears Go By, Days of Being Wild, Chungking Express, Fallen Angels, Happy Together, In the Mood for Love, 2046, and his shorts Hua yang de nian hua and The Hand.
Also among the lineup is a series on neo-noir with Body Double, Manhunter, Thief, The Last Seduction, Cutter’s Way, Brick, Night Moves, The Long Goodbye, Chinatown, and more. The channel will also feature a spotlight on art-house animation with work by Marcell Jankovics, Satoshi Kon, Ari Folman, Don Hertzfeldt, Karel Zeman, and more.
With Jodie Mack’s delightful The Grand Bizarre, the landmark doc Hoop Dreams, Orson Welles’ take on Othello, the recent Oscar entries Preparations to Be Together for an Unknown Period of Time and You Will Die at Twenty, and much more,...
Also among the lineup is a series on neo-noir with Body Double, Manhunter, Thief, The Last Seduction, Cutter’s Way, Brick, Night Moves, The Long Goodbye, Chinatown, and more. The channel will also feature a spotlight on art-house animation with work by Marcell Jankovics, Satoshi Kon, Ari Folman, Don Hertzfeldt, Karel Zeman, and more.
With Jodie Mack’s delightful The Grand Bizarre, the landmark doc Hoop Dreams, Orson Welles’ take on Othello, the recent Oscar entries Preparations to Be Together for an Unknown Period of Time and You Will Die at Twenty, and much more,...
- 6/24/2021
- by Leonard Pearce
- The Film Stage
Don Hertzfeldt’s World of Tomorrow series began in 2015 with an odd, wistful animated sci-fi short film, largely born out of a surreal, and somewhat baffling storytelling choice: The plot of its initial “episode” would be based entirely around recorded conversations with his four-year-old niece, Winona. Her adorable, babbled musings (“I drew….a Tri-angle!!!”) became the voice of the pigtailed Emily Prime, who is visited by an older, cloned version of herself (voiced by animator Julia Plott) through time travel.
The first World of Tomorrow’s hilarious yet poignant tour of a tech-obsessed,...
The first World of Tomorrow’s hilarious yet poignant tour of a tech-obsessed,...
- 3/11/2021
- by Claire Shaffer
- Rollingstone.com
The 48th Annie Awards are going to be held in a little over a month on April 16th, virtually, of course. However, today we have their nominations, which were led by the duo of Soul and Wolfwalkers. The Academy Award for Best Animated Feature has long seemed to be a battle between those two films, so that makes sense. Will one get a boost here next month and have an Oscar advantage? Stay tuned to find out… Here are the Annie Award nominees: Best Feature Onward, Pixar Animation Studios Soul, Pixar Animation Studios The Croods: A New Age, DreamWorks Animation The Willoughbys, Netflix Presents A Bron Animation Production in association with Creative Wealth Media Trolls World Tour, DreamWorks Animation Best Indie Feature A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon, Studiocanal and Aardman present in association with Anton Capital Entertainment, an Aardman Production for Netflix Calamity Jane, Maybe Movies On-Gaku: Our Sound,...
- 3/3/2021
- by Joey Magidson
- Hollywoodnews.com
“Soul” and “Wolfwalkers” led all films in nominations for the 48th annual Annie Awards, the most comprehensive awards show devoted solely to animation. The two films each received 10 nominations, with “Onward” receiving seven and “The Croods: A New Age,” “The Willoughbys” and “Over the Moon” receiving six.
“Soul,” “Onward,” “The Croods: A New Age,” “The Willoughbys” and “Trolls World Tour” were nominated in the Best Feature category. In the Best Indie Feature category, which was created in 2015, the nominees were “Wolfwalkers,” “A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon,” “Calamity Jane,” “On-Gaku: Our Sound” and “Ride Your Wave.”
Netflix led all companies with 40 nominations, with Disney/Pixar receiving 29 and DreamWorks Animation receiving 20. In the film categories, the two Pixar movies, “Soul” and “Onward,” received 17 nominations to 15 for the Netflix-distributed “The Willoughbys,” “Shaun the Sheep” and “Over the Moon,” and 10 for Dwa’s “The Croods” and “Trolls.”
Since the Annies split the two categories,...
“Soul,” “Onward,” “The Croods: A New Age,” “The Willoughbys” and “Trolls World Tour” were nominated in the Best Feature category. In the Best Indie Feature category, which was created in 2015, the nominees were “Wolfwalkers,” “A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon,” “Calamity Jane,” “On-Gaku: Our Sound” and “Ride Your Wave.”
Netflix led all companies with 40 nominations, with Disney/Pixar receiving 29 and DreamWorks Animation receiving 20. In the film categories, the two Pixar movies, “Soul” and “Onward,” received 17 nominations to 15 for the Netflix-distributed “The Willoughbys,” “Shaun the Sheep” and “Over the Moon,” and 10 for Dwa’s “The Croods” and “Trolls.”
Since the Annies split the two categories,...
- 3/3/2021
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
Pixar’s “Soul” and Apple/Gkids’s “Wolfwalkers” may have topped the Annie Award nominations with 10 each, but it was Netflix that walked away with the most nominations overall, picking up 40 across an array of projects.
Netflix scored six nominations each for its features “The Willoughbys” and “Over the Moon,” and three for “A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon.” Other Netflix projects receiving nominations include “Hilda,” “The Midnight Gospel,” “Bojack Horseman,” “Big Mouth,” “Alien Xmas,” “Transformers: War for Cybertron Trilogy,” “The Christmas Chronicles 2,” “The Umbrella Academy,” “Bna,” “The Great Pretender,” “Blood of Zeus,” “Trash Truck,” “Buddi,” “She-Ra and the Princesses of Power,” “Fast & Furious: Spy Racers,” “Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous,” “Tales of Arcadia: Wizards,” “Dragons Rescue Riders,” “Cops and Robbers” and “If Anything Happens I Love You.”
The next biggest studio tallies were Pixar and DreamWorks Animation with 20 nominations each, followed by Apple/Gkids with 10, Disney with nine,...
Netflix scored six nominations each for its features “The Willoughbys” and “Over the Moon,” and three for “A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon.” Other Netflix projects receiving nominations include “Hilda,” “The Midnight Gospel,” “Bojack Horseman,” “Big Mouth,” “Alien Xmas,” “Transformers: War for Cybertron Trilogy,” “The Christmas Chronicles 2,” “The Umbrella Academy,” “Bna,” “The Great Pretender,” “Blood of Zeus,” “Trash Truck,” “Buddi,” “She-Ra and the Princesses of Power,” “Fast & Furious: Spy Racers,” “Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous,” “Tales of Arcadia: Wizards,” “Dragons Rescue Riders,” “Cops and Robbers” and “If Anything Happens I Love You.”
The next biggest studio tallies were Pixar and DreamWorks Animation with 20 nominations each, followed by Apple/Gkids with 10, Disney with nine,...
- 3/3/2021
- by Terry Flores
- Variety Film + TV
Two very different animated features lead the way as the 48th annual Annie Awards nominations were announced today. Disney/Pixar’s Soul and Cartoon Saloon’s Wolfwalkers scored 10 noms apiece ahead of the virtual trophy show on April 16. Read the full list of nominees in 31 categories below.
Wolfwalkers, a “relatively small European movie,” as the filmmakers described it — is rooted in the history of 1650s Ireland, while Soul follows a middle school music teacher’s journey to “the Great Beyond” via “the Great Before.”
Soul will vie for the marquee Best Feature prize at the Annies, going up against another Pixar pic — Onward, which scooped seven noms — along with Netflix’s The Willoughbys and a pair of DreamWorks Animation sequels: The Croods: A New Age and Trolls World Tour. Willoughbys and Croods picked up six noms each today, and Trolls rocked away with four.
Wolfwalkers is up for the Best...
Wolfwalkers, a “relatively small European movie,” as the filmmakers described it — is rooted in the history of 1650s Ireland, while Soul follows a middle school music teacher’s journey to “the Great Beyond” via “the Great Before.”
Soul will vie for the marquee Best Feature prize at the Annies, going up against another Pixar pic — Onward, which scooped seven noms — along with Netflix’s The Willoughbys and a pair of DreamWorks Animation sequels: The Croods: A New Age and Trolls World Tour. Willoughbys and Croods picked up six noms each today, and Trolls rocked away with four.
Wolfwalkers is up for the Best...
- 3/3/2021
- by Erik Pedersen
- Deadline Film + TV
Pixar’s ethereal “Soul” and Cartoon Saloon’s exquisitely hand-drawn “Wolfwalkers” — the two animated Oscar frontrunners — both grabbed 10 nominations each at Asifa-Hollywood’s 48th Annie Awards (to be streamed live on April 16). Pixar collected another seven nominations from “Onward” to dominate the feature competition.
“Soul” and “Wolfwalkers” are both expected to come away with the top prize from their respective best feature and best indie feature categories, but they compete head to head for direction (Pete Docter and Kemp Powers vs. Tomm Moore and Ross Stewart), FX, character animation, character design, production design, score, storyboarding, and writing. “Soul” was additionally nominated for editorial, and “Wolfwalkers” for voice acting. But Jamie Foxx, who voiced “Soul’s” jazz pianist, Joe Gardner, was surprisingly overlooked.
Scoring six nominations were Netflix’s “Over the Moon” (directed by Disney legend Glen Keane) and “The Willoughbys,” and DreamWorks’ “Croods: A New Age.” But Keane’s gorgeous...
“Soul” and “Wolfwalkers” are both expected to come away with the top prize from their respective best feature and best indie feature categories, but they compete head to head for direction (Pete Docter and Kemp Powers vs. Tomm Moore and Ross Stewart), FX, character animation, character design, production design, score, storyboarding, and writing. “Soul” was additionally nominated for editorial, and “Wolfwalkers” for voice acting. But Jamie Foxx, who voiced “Soul’s” jazz pianist, Joe Gardner, was surprisingly overlooked.
Scoring six nominations were Netflix’s “Over the Moon” (directed by Disney legend Glen Keane) and “The Willoughbys,” and DreamWorks’ “Croods: A New Age.” But Keane’s gorgeous...
- 3/3/2021
- by Bill Desowitz
- Indiewire
"People are starting to rotate content with their fingers. Their fingers!" What happens when you're life is stuck in a infinite-loop? Eventually you're going to breakdown. Have Heart is a clever animated short film made by Scottish animator Will Anderson. It originally premiered in 2017 and is finally available online to watch. The story involves an animated gif that has a breakdown after realizing he is stuck doing the same thing over and over. The film's simplistic style and dry humor is reminiscent of the animation work of Don Hertzfeldt. The film addresses one of the most common problems in the job world nowadays - burnout. And on obsession with upward performance rather than satisfaction. Oh we all know the feeling... Click to watch. Thanks to Short of the Week for debuting this. Original description from YouTube: "A looping animated Gif has an existential crisis." Have Heart is a short...
- 2/11/2021
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Outside episodic television, adult animation is seldom procured at studios in the U.S. Still; the medium has found stateside keepers of mature content among independent creators. Dash Shaw, alongside fiercely autonomous storytellers like Don Hertzfeldt and veteran Bill Plympton, is one of the most visionary American animation filmmakers pushing past the thematic and aesthetic boundaries imposed in family-friendly fare.
Read More: 25 Most Anticipated 2021 Sundance Film Festival Premieres
In “Cryptozoo,” his follow-up to the hilarious disaster teen comedy “My Entire High School Sinking Into the Sea,” Shaw, who’s also quite prolific in the comic book arena, has gone bolder and more intricate in a kaleidoscopic adventure best dubbed as the “Jurassic Park” of mythical creatures.
Continue reading ‘Cryptozoo’: Dash Shaw’s Spectacular Animated Adventure Is the ‘Jurassic Park’ Of Mythical Creatures [Sundance Review] at The Playlist.
Read More: 25 Most Anticipated 2021 Sundance Film Festival Premieres
In “Cryptozoo,” his follow-up to the hilarious disaster teen comedy “My Entire High School Sinking Into the Sea,” Shaw, who’s also quite prolific in the comic book arena, has gone bolder and more intricate in a kaleidoscopic adventure best dubbed as the “Jurassic Park” of mythical creatures.
Continue reading ‘Cryptozoo’: Dash Shaw’s Spectacular Animated Adventure Is the ‘Jurassic Park’ Of Mythical Creatures [Sundance Review] at The Playlist.
- 1/29/2021
- by Carlos Aguilar
- The Playlist
The ‘Oscar-losing film-maker’ gained a cult following with his melancholy doodles. Next up, he’s tackling time travel and holograms
Don Hertzfeldt is surprised to hear that viewers have been watching his last few short films – the three episodes of his miniature sci-fi epic World of Tomorrow – in one sitting. “Isn’t that just exhausting?” he laughs, speaking over the phone from his home in Austin, Texas. “Mentally and emotionally?” He’s not wrong. But it is the kind of draining experience that leaves the audience restored; a gauntlet gone through for the promise of life-affirming enlightenment at the end.
Related: The Guide: Staying In – sign up for our home entertainment tips...
Don Hertzfeldt is surprised to hear that viewers have been watching his last few short films – the three episodes of his miniature sci-fi epic World of Tomorrow – in one sitting. “Isn’t that just exhausting?” he laughs, speaking over the phone from his home in Austin, Texas. “Mentally and emotionally?” He’s not wrong. But it is the kind of draining experience that leaves the audience restored; a gauntlet gone through for the promise of life-affirming enlightenment at the end.
Related: The Guide: Staying In – sign up for our home entertainment tips...
- 10/24/2020
- by Charles Bramesco
- The Guardian - Film News
"These would not have been the clones that will ever carry your primary consciousness." It's out now! Don Hertzfeldt's latest mind-melting sci-fi short film World of Tomorrow Episode Three is now available to watch online. This final chapter is a continuation of his radical, remarkable World of Tomorrow sci-fi series about a girl named Emily. If you haven't seen any of them, we recommend starting with Episode One and Episode Two before this one. Don explains: "at one point this was going to be in theaters across the country but unfortunately the world had other plans. but i do think there's something so intimate about it that suits it very well for the small screen. may i suggest watching with good headphones?" Hertzfeldt's shorts may have stick figure characters, but they are vastly intelligent, awe-inspiring works that explore existentialism, cloning, consciousness, and much more. This one also has a...
- 10/19/2020
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
In 2014, DIY animator extraordinaire Don Hertzfeldt wrote a loopy sci-fi story around some ridiculously cute audio recordings he made while playing with his four-year-old niece Winona. He cast her as a pigtailed stick figure named Emily Prime, and roped in friend and animator Julia Pott to voice the time-traveling adult Emily clone who zaps into the past on a mission to retrieve something from her younger, original self (and leads Emily Prime on a whirlwind tour of the future along the way). It was just supposed to be a fun way for Hertzfeldt to teach himself how to use digital tools, but — oops! — the morbidly hilarious “World of Tomorrow” went on to earn Hertzfeldt his second Oscar nomination, and is now celebrated as one of the best short films of the 21st century. People have Emily Prime tattoos. The rest of us should get them.
Hertzfeldt never looked back. 2017’s...
Hertzfeldt never looked back. 2017’s...
- 10/15/2020
- by David Ehrlich
- Indiewire
Get in touch to send in cinephile news and discoveries. For daily updates follow us @NotebookMUBI.NEWSAbove: Jean-Luc Godard at the 2018 press conference for The Image Book.From longtime collaborator Fabrice Aragno on Facebook comes word of a new Jean-Luc Godard project. We don't know much, but it appears that the movie will be shot on film, perhaps Godard's first since Notre Musique in 2004 and a shift from his 2018 digital essay film, The Image Book. Park Chan-wook's new film will be a romantic murder mystery starring Tang Wei and Park Hae-il (who previously starred in The Host), entitled Decision to Leave. The film is said to be the story of a police officer who suspects a dead man's wife of his murder. Recommended VIEWINGThe Wexner Center for the Arts' series Cinetracts '20 is now available for free online. Artists from around the world including Charles Burnett, Cauleen Smith, Tony Buba,...
- 10/14/2020
- MUBI
Once upon a time there was a four-year-old girl named Emily who had an English accent and liked playing with toy cars. Do you like her cars? She was just a stick figure with pigtails and a yellow triangle for a torso, but her extraordinary life rippled through the cosmos in a seemingly limitless number of strange directions for centuries after it was over. And possibly also before it began.
Of course, certain wrinkles in the fabric of space-time make it hard to say for sure when either of those things really happened. All we know is that Emily was visited by a third-generation adult clone of herself at the beginning of Don Hertzfeldt’s beloved 2015 short “World of Tomorrow,” and spirited away on a whirlwind tour of the hilariously fucked up digital future that awaited her and all of the various back-up Emilys into which she would dump her...
Of course, certain wrinkles in the fabric of space-time make it hard to say for sure when either of those things really happened. All we know is that Emily was visited by a third-generation adult clone of herself at the beginning of Don Hertzfeldt’s beloved 2015 short “World of Tomorrow,” and spirited away on a whirlwind tour of the hilariously fucked up digital future that awaited her and all of the various back-up Emilys into which she would dump her...
- 10/9/2020
- by David Ehrlich
- Indiewire
Want to watch Marvel’s Daredevil on Netflix in slow-mo or at two times the normal speed. The streaming platform is reportedly rolling out playback speed control.
“Netflix is now letting some users adjust the playback speed of its content, meaning you can finish The Irishman in a mere fraction of its 3.5-hour run time (or make it last even longer)….So far, Netflix is only offering it to Android mobile users, but tests are in the works for iOS devices and the web app, too.”
Read more at Mental Floss.
Director Patty Jenkins will most likely be done with the Dceu after Wonder Woman 3.
“Despite the fact that is has been delayed so many times, Wonder Woman 1984 is technically complete, and that means director Patty Jenkins is already thinking about film number three in her series.”
Read more at The Mary Sue.
If you have plenty of free time on hand,...
“Netflix is now letting some users adjust the playback speed of its content, meaning you can finish The Irishman in a mere fraction of its 3.5-hour run time (or make it last even longer)….So far, Netflix is only offering it to Android mobile users, but tests are in the works for iOS devices and the web app, too.”
Read more at Mental Floss.
Director Patty Jenkins will most likely be done with the Dceu after Wonder Woman 3.
“Despite the fact that is has been delayed so many times, Wonder Woman 1984 is technically complete, and that means director Patty Jenkins is already thinking about film number three in her series.”
Read more at The Mary Sue.
If you have plenty of free time on hand,...
- 8/4/2020
- by Ivan Huang
- Den of Geek
2020 has been full of unwelcome surprises, but a great one has finally arrived: Don Hertzfeldt is working on a new “World of Tomorrow” film — the third in the franchise — and the acclaimed animator released a teaser trailer for the project on Monday morning.
The animated teaser is as strikingly beautiful as it is brief; a stylized landscape of some barren alien planet sets the scene, while a small creature that seems to be receiving signal inputs and jarring robotic sounds stumbles and falls. It’s not much to go on, but the melancholic music and beautiful art contrasts nicely with the jarring, whirring electronics and seemingly distressed creature. It’s artsy and contemplative — in other words, it’s just what fans of Hertzfeldt’s work will expect.
The film is subtitled “The Absent Destinations of David Prime” — take that for what you will. A release date was not provided.
The...
The animated teaser is as strikingly beautiful as it is brief; a stylized landscape of some barren alien planet sets the scene, while a small creature that seems to be receiving signal inputs and jarring robotic sounds stumbles and falls. It’s not much to go on, but the melancholic music and beautiful art contrasts nicely with the jarring, whirring electronics and seemingly distressed creature. It’s artsy and contemplative — in other words, it’s just what fans of Hertzfeldt’s work will expect.
The film is subtitled “The Absent Destinations of David Prime” — take that for what you will. A release date was not provided.
The...
- 8/4/2020
- by Tyler Hersko
- Indiewire
Surprise! Look who's back with something to help make 2020 better! Out of nowhere, beloved Austin, TX-based animation filmmaker Don Hertzfeldt has debuted a teaser trailer for his latest project - World of Tomorrow Episode Three. The full title, as revealed in this trailer, is officially World of Tomorrow Episode Three: The Absent Destinations of David Prime. Which is a reference to Emily Prime from the previous episode. Yes, he's back with another profound World of Tomorrow story to tell - but that's all we know so far! Hertzfeldt tweeted out today that "it's almost time" - which is good to hear. There's no other information currently available, and we don't know when this will arrive or where it will premiere, but this is an enticing tease nonetheless. Especially for any who've been waiting for something new from Hertzfeldt, who debuted his last short film World of Tomorrow Episode Two in...
- 8/3/2020
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
One of the greatest existential delights of the last half-decade has been Don Hertzfeldt’s World of Tomorrow series of shorts. Thus far, he has released two episodes, the first debuting in 2015 and the second, with the subtitle of The Burden of Other People’s Thoughts, arriving in 2017. After hinting he was working on another project, the Austin, Texas-based animator has unveiled that project is indeed a third episode of World of Tomorrow and it will be coming soon. Officially titled World of Tomorrow: Episode Three – The Absent Destinations of David Prime, the first teaser has now landed with Hertzfeldt revealing “it’s almost time.”
Speaking to his inspiration for the films, Hertzfeldt told us, “I think the main thing directly for this film was, visually, I love the old, 50’s and 60’s sci-fi magazines and anthologies and dime store novels, I love the cover art. I love the very modern illustrations.
Speaking to his inspiration for the films, Hertzfeldt told us, “I think the main thing directly for this film was, visually, I love the old, 50’s and 60’s sci-fi magazines and anthologies and dime store novels, I love the cover art. I love the very modern illustrations.
- 8/3/2020
- by Leonard Pearce
- The Film Stage
With a seemingly endless amount of streaming options—not only the titles at our disposal, but services themselves–each week we highlight the noteworthy titles that have recently hit platforms. Check out this week’s selections below and an archive of past round-ups here.
Emma. (Autumn de Wilde)
Draw the quick conclusion for why I had little desire to note-take during Emma. (stylized with a period; reasons probably unnecessary), but don’t mistake this limited interest as a dismissal of the entire project. And if whatever compliments it can be paid require meager critical insight, these virtues are nevertheless evident: its ensemble cast befit their talky material with total charm; its design elements, a live-or-die component of 19th-century period pieces, are often exquisite; and notwithstanding slightly anemic aspects to its digital palette, this ornate package is photographed with care. – Nick N. (full review)
Where to Stream: Amazon, Google
La Flor...
Emma. (Autumn de Wilde)
Draw the quick conclusion for why I had little desire to note-take during Emma. (stylized with a period; reasons probably unnecessary), but don’t mistake this limited interest as a dismissal of the entire project. And if whatever compliments it can be paid require meager critical insight, these virtues are nevertheless evident: its ensemble cast befit their talky material with total charm; its design elements, a live-or-die component of 19th-century period pieces, are often exquisite; and notwithstanding slightly anemic aspects to its digital palette, this ornate package is photographed with care. – Nick N. (full review)
Where to Stream: Amazon, Google
La Flor...
- 3/20/2020
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
While the 2020 SXSW Film Festival has been canceled due to the coronavirus, IndieWire is covering select titles from this year’s edition.
It’s a shame that Cooper Raiff’s “Shithouse” didn’t get a chance to screen at this year’s SXSW, because . And that’s all the more true because it sounds like such a potential nightmare on paper: Written, directed, and co-edited by its reluctant 22-year-old star with some help from his friends, Raiff’s vulnerable Diy gem tells a coming-of-age story about a mopey college freshman who’s struggling with the whiplash of leaving home.
More from IndieWire'Freeland' Review: 'Krisha' Breakout Gives a Devastating Performance as an Aging Pot Dealer'i Used to Go Here' Review: Gillian Jacobs Carries a Funny and Smart Study of Millennial Ennui
He meets a girl, they spend a magical night together, things get awkward in the morning but maybe they’ll...
It’s a shame that Cooper Raiff’s “Shithouse” didn’t get a chance to screen at this year’s SXSW, because . And that’s all the more true because it sounds like such a potential nightmare on paper: Written, directed, and co-edited by its reluctant 22-year-old star with some help from his friends, Raiff’s vulnerable Diy gem tells a coming-of-age story about a mopey college freshman who’s struggling with the whiplash of leaving home.
More from IndieWire'Freeland' Review: 'Krisha' Breakout Gives a Devastating Performance as an Aging Pot Dealer'i Used to Go Here' Review: Gillian Jacobs Carries a Funny and Smart Study of Millennial Ennui
He meets a girl, they spend a magical night together, things get awkward in the morning but maybe they’ll...
- 3/12/2020
- by David Ehrlich
- Indiewire
If you got higher than you’ve ever been in your whole life and then tried to draw all of your childhood memories on a series of Post-It Notes, the results might look a little something like Mariusz Wilczyński’s “Kill It and Leave This Town,” So lo-fi that it makes Don Hertzfeldt look like Walt Disney, Wilczyński’s hallucinatory opus appears as if sketched out in about 15 minutes, but its autodidactic writer/director actually worked on the film for more than 15 years; the process took so long that several of Wilczyński’s collaborators died along the way, including composer Tadeusz Nalepa and the great Polish director Andrzej Wajda (who recorded a brief voice performance).
In that light, perhaps the best and most important thing that can be said about this crude slipstream of a movie is that it gradually convinces you that it couldn’t have been made any...
In that light, perhaps the best and most important thing that can be said about this crude slipstream of a movie is that it gradually convinces you that it couldn’t have been made any...
- 2/22/2020
- by David Ehrlich
- Indiewire
Any community or movement requires the support of curators and fans to flourish. Spike and Mike are credited with investing in a market where one didn’t exist and without them it’s quite possible we’d never have the likes of The Simpsons, Robot Chicken, and Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim. Spike and Mike’s Festival of Animation was born when two concert promotors from Riverside, California: Craig “Spike” Decker and Mike Gribble, who started showing cartoons between acts. Originally sourcing from smaller distributors, college campuses, and the National Film Board of Canada, they grew their brand to compete with others and found their niche with their Sick and Twisted Festival of Animation. Originally a touring show that started in non-traditional venues on college campuses, the tour grew to include independent cinemas. That’s where I discovered it–on our annual family trip to Disney. Although intended for audience members 18 and older,...
- 1/29/2020
- by John Fink
- The Film Stage
by Michael Cusumano
Scene: Immortality
Bill, the protagonist of Don Hertzfeldt’s animated masterpiece It’s Such a Beautiful Day (2012), is the picture of ordinariness. With only his simple rectangle and line hat to distinguish him, he is every man.
The sweeping classical music on the soundtrack as we are plunged into Bill’s existence briefly tricks into thinking that Bill's life might be an extraordinary one. The film shares some selections with The Tree of Life, released the year before. But where Terrence Malick matched that music to images of equal grandeur, like the creation of the universe and butterflies landing on Jessica Chastain, Hertzfeldt goes in the opposite direction, using symphonies to elevate depictions of the most insignificant events conceivable. Bill’s life is as humdrum as his appearance...
Scene: Immortality
Bill, the protagonist of Don Hertzfeldt’s animated masterpiece It’s Such a Beautiful Day (2012), is the picture of ordinariness. With only his simple rectangle and line hat to distinguish him, he is every man.
The sweeping classical music on the soundtrack as we are plunged into Bill’s existence briefly tricks into thinking that Bill's life might be an extraordinary one. The film shares some selections with The Tree of Life, released the year before. But where Terrence Malick matched that music to images of equal grandeur, like the creation of the universe and butterflies landing on Jessica Chastain, Hertzfeldt goes in the opposite direction, using symphonies to elevate depictions of the most insignificant events conceivable. Bill’s life is as humdrum as his appearance...
- 8/27/2019
- by Michael C.
- FilmExperience
Manora's Fantastic TaleA fluffy stick figure in Don Hertzfeldt’s introduction for The Animation Show (2003) plaintively asks, “What’s Animation?”—and what follows in this brilliant short is a staging of the magic and power of animation, its contrarian tendencies towards cuteness and violence, and its delightful defiance of accepted (realist) categories and definitions. While it may seem a bit obvious to ask this question, the problem of “what’s animation” continues to resonate deeply in contemporary film culture. This has been especially true this year with a controversial pick for the Cannes Film Festival’s Un Certain Regard section, Lorenzo Mattotti’s The Bears Famous Invasion of Sicily. Was it too perverse, too demented, or too shoddy to be shown in the festival? No, it seemed too “childish,” provoking some critics to ask how it could be relevant for adults or appropriate for a “serious” film festival. Such rigorous...
- 7/24/2019
- MUBI
The 2019 winners in the short filmmaking section of the Sundance Film Festival were announced tonight, with Soudade Kaadan’s Aziza taking the Short Film Grand Jury Prize.
The Syrian refugee black comedy was one of 73 shorts selected from 9,443 submissions. Pic was co-written by Kaadan and May Hayek.
This year’s Short Film jurors are Sheila Vand, Young Jean Lee and Carter Smith.
Short Film awards winners in previous years include Matria by Álvaro Gago, And so we put goldfish in the pool. by Makato Nagahisa, Thunder Road by Jim Cummings, World of Tomorrow by Don Hertzfeldt, Smilf by Frankie Shaw, Of God and Dogs by Abounaddara Collective, Gregory Go Boom by Janicza Bravo, The Whistle by Grzegorz Zariczny, Whiplash by Damien Chazelle, Fishing Without Nets by Cutter Hodierne, The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossomby Lucy Walker and The Arm by Brie Larson, Sarah Ramos and Jessie Ennis
Select Festival short...
The Syrian refugee black comedy was one of 73 shorts selected from 9,443 submissions. Pic was co-written by Kaadan and May Hayek.
This year’s Short Film jurors are Sheila Vand, Young Jean Lee and Carter Smith.
Short Film awards winners in previous years include Matria by Álvaro Gago, And so we put goldfish in the pool. by Makato Nagahisa, Thunder Road by Jim Cummings, World of Tomorrow by Don Hertzfeldt, Smilf by Frankie Shaw, Of God and Dogs by Abounaddara Collective, Gregory Go Boom by Janicza Bravo, The Whistle by Grzegorz Zariczny, Whiplash by Damien Chazelle, Fishing Without Nets by Cutter Hodierne, The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossomby Lucy Walker and The Arm by Brie Larson, Sarah Ramos and Jessie Ennis
Select Festival short...
- 1/30/2019
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
Steven Soderbergh is returning to the Slamdance Film Festival — which debuted his documentary “And Everything is Going Fine” back in 2010 — to not only accept its 2019 Founders Award, but also to debut his latest feature, sports drama “High Flying Bird.” Soderbergh will be on hand at the January festival to receive the Founders Award, which is “given to a Slamdance alumnus who has continued to represent the Slamdance organization and support the filmmaker community of Slamdance well into their careers,” and has previously been bestowed on Christopher Nolan and Joe and Anthony Russo.
The prolific “Ocean’s Eleven” and “Magic Mike” filmmaker is slated to participate in a live discussion with Slamdance co-founder and president Peter Baxter before a sneak preview of the film, which Netflix picked up in September. The film was written by Oscar winner Tarell Alvin McCraney and stars André Holland, Zazie Beetz, Melvin Gregg, Sonja Sohn, Zachary Quinto,...
The prolific “Ocean’s Eleven” and “Magic Mike” filmmaker is slated to participate in a live discussion with Slamdance co-founder and president Peter Baxter before a sneak preview of the film, which Netflix picked up in September. The film was written by Oscar winner Tarell Alvin McCraney and stars André Holland, Zazie Beetz, Melvin Gregg, Sonja Sohn, Zachary Quinto,...
- 12/11/2018
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
"All melted together into a single mindcrash." Brainfeeder Films has debuted an official teaser trailer for a new feature film that combines all of the 13 years of work from animator David Firth into a "single stream of nightmare consciousness." Remember Salad Fingers? Remember Spoilsbury Toast Boy? These are just a few of Firth's crazy creations, and he jams them all into this "feature length retrospective assemblage" titled Umbilical World. This looks as crazy, and twisted, and weird, and mesmerizing, as it sounds, especially considering it seems to just be a 79 minute non-stop mash-up of his work. Which is one giant cinematic acid trip. I'm glad they're releasing this, in hopes of bringing more attention to his talent. It also reminds me of Don Hertzfeldt and his animated features; they both deserve more acclaim than they have received thus far. Here's the official trailer (+ poster) for David Firth's film Umbilical World,...
- 12/7/2018
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Get in touch to send in cinephile news and discoveries. For daily updates follow us @NotebookMUBI.NEWSLil Peep and Terrence MalickHere's a surprising one: Terrence Malick is set to executive produce a documentary about the late rapper Lil Peep. Ang Lee has begun preparing to direct a biographical film about Teresa Teng, the Taiwanese pop icon who passed away in 1995 at the age of 42. There's also some very exciting rumors that the role of Teng is to be played by pop icon Faye Wong.Lucrecia Martel is mounting her next feature, her first documentary chronicling "the murder of indigenous activist Javier Chocobar and the removal of his community from their ancestral land in Argentina."Recommended VIEWINGThe Coen brothers' forthcoming anthology western, starring the likes of Liam Neeson, Zoe Kazan, Tom Waits, and Tim Blake Nelson, gets its 2nd trailer ahead of its Netflix release.This one caught us by surprise:...
- 11/8/2018
- MUBI
Don Hertzfeldt, the indie animator behind “World of Tomorrow” and “It’s Such a Beautiful Day,” got his start with the nearly 10-minute short film, “Rejected.” Released in 2000 shortly after Hertzfeldt graduated from film school, the short is presented as a series of inappropriate commercials and interstitials that have been rejected by television networks.
“Rejected” went on to earn an Oscar nomination for Best Short Film at the 2001 Academy Awards. Hertzfeldt lost the Oscar to “Father and Daughter,” directed by Dutch animator Michaël Dudok de Wit. Despite the loss, Hertzfeldt’s short became a cult classic throughout the 21st century, especially after it found its way onto the internet and became a viral sensation for teenagers, and it has since spawned several famous movie lines (“My spoon is too big!”).
Over the years, “Rejected” has been singled out as one of the most influential animated films ever made. The movie...
“Rejected” went on to earn an Oscar nomination for Best Short Film at the 2001 Academy Awards. Hertzfeldt lost the Oscar to “Father and Daughter,” directed by Dutch animator Michaël Dudok de Wit. Despite the loss, Hertzfeldt’s short became a cult classic throughout the 21st century, especially after it found its way onto the internet and became a viral sensation for teenagers, and it has since spawned several famous movie lines (“My spoon is too big!”).
Over the years, “Rejected” has been singled out as one of the most influential animated films ever made. The movie...
- 11/1/2018
- by Zack Sharf
- Indiewire
On top of the premiere of Overlord, a screening of the new Halloween, and much more that was already announced, Fantastic Fest just revealed its final wave of programming that includes the premiere of Drew Goddard's Bad Times at the El Royale:
Austin, TX — Thursday, September 13, 2018 — Fantastic Fest promises an explosive grand finale with the a Texas Premiere of Drew Goddard’s outrageously entertaining mystery-thriller Bad Times At The El Royale. Seven strangers, each with a secret to bury, meet at Lake Tahoe’s El Royale, a rundown hotel with a dark past. Over the course of one fateful night, everyone will have a last shot at redemption… before everything goes to hell. Jeff Bridges, Chris Hemsworth, Jon Hamm, Dakota Johnson and Cynthia Erivo lead an all-star cast in Bad Times At The El Royale.
Karyn Kusama will be in attendance alongside screenwriter/producer Phil Hay to present their...
Austin, TX — Thursday, September 13, 2018 — Fantastic Fest promises an explosive grand finale with the a Texas Premiere of Drew Goddard’s outrageously entertaining mystery-thriller Bad Times At The El Royale. Seven strangers, each with a secret to bury, meet at Lake Tahoe’s El Royale, a rundown hotel with a dark past. Over the course of one fateful night, everyone will have a last shot at redemption… before everything goes to hell. Jeff Bridges, Chris Hemsworth, Jon Hamm, Dakota Johnson and Cynthia Erivo lead an all-star cast in Bad Times At The El Royale.
Karyn Kusama will be in attendance alongside screenwriter/producer Phil Hay to present their...
- 9/13/2018
- by Jonathan James
- DailyDead
There aren’t enough games nowadays that play for laughs. Sure, some games trend more light-hearted or humorous in tone, but it’s usually in service to a more foregrounded hero’s journey narrative. For a medium that owes so much to animation, especially cartoons, I can hardly think of any contemporary games working in the spirit of, say, the Looney Tunes. Unless you count the Rabbids, who (despite their successful turn as cannon fodder in Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle) usually turn everything in their path into a Minions-esque wasteland of hijinks. Chuchel, a point-and-click game from Czech studio Amanita Design, however, answers the call confidently, blending a Diy punk aesthetic with the Rube Goldberg-infused gags of a Wile E. Coyote short.
Mechanically Chuchel isn’t much of a departure from the point-and-click adventure foundations of the studio’s beautifully illustrated past efforts, such as Machinarium and the Samorost series.
Mechanically Chuchel isn’t much of a departure from the point-and-click adventure foundations of the studio’s beautifully illustrated past efforts, such as Machinarium and the Samorost series.
- 3/6/2018
- by Andrew Donovan
- We Got This Covered
For a director with the pedigree of animator Don Hertzfeldt, studios should be lining up with offers to direct a feature film. Hertzfeldt, a two-time Oscar nominee, is listed among the most influential animators of all time. In 2014, “The Simpsons” invited him to make the strangest couch gag ever. And this year, Hertzfeldt is returning to Sundance, where his short film, “World of Tomorrow Episode Two: The Burden of Other People’s Thoughts,” will be playing on the festival’s opening night after that film’s predecessor won the Grand Jury Prize at the fest in 2015. Over a 20-plus year career, Hertzfeldt has...
- 1/19/2018
- by Brian Welk and Jeremy Fuster
- The Wrap
Every week, IndieWire asks a select handful of film critics two questions and publishes the results on Monday. (The answer to the second, “What is the best film in theaters right now?”, can be found at the end of this post.)
This week’s question: With the 2018 Sundance Film Festival gearing up later this week, what is the best movie to ever have its world premiere at the fest?
Read More:Sundance 2018: 21 Must-See Films At This Year’s Festival, From ‘Wildlife’ to ‘Sorry to Bother You’ Joshua Rothkopf (@joshrothkopf), Time Out New York
Best movie ever? That’s hard for me to quantify, but I’ll always remember the long, quiet walk I took at 3am, down icy streets, no one in sight, after I’d just been blown away by “The Babadook.” That was one terrifying night. I’d felt like I’d just seen greatness. Jennifer Kent’s movie would colonize my head,...
This week’s question: With the 2018 Sundance Film Festival gearing up later this week, what is the best movie to ever have its world premiere at the fest?
Read More:Sundance 2018: 21 Must-See Films At This Year’s Festival, From ‘Wildlife’ to ‘Sorry to Bother You’ Joshua Rothkopf (@joshrothkopf), Time Out New York
Best movie ever? That’s hard for me to quantify, but I’ll always remember the long, quiet walk I took at 3am, down icy streets, no one in sight, after I’d just been blown away by “The Babadook.” That was one terrifying night. I’d felt like I’d just seen greatness. Jennifer Kent’s movie would colonize my head,...
- 1/15/2018
- by David Ehrlich
- Indiewire
Dev Patel directs Armie Hammer in a stylish dark comedy. Don Hertzfeldt delivers a second installment of his award-winning animated saga. And Dime Davis documents artist Mark Bradford’s creativity in action. These are just a few of the treats to be found among the 69 live action, animated, and documentary shorts playing the 2018 Sundance Film Festival.
The Sundance programmers whittled the 69 official selections from 8,740 submissions (down 245 from the previous year). Making the cut were several shorts with recognizable talent in front of the lens: Simon Helberg and Brett Gelman suffer through an unbalanced relationship in Jessica Sander’s two-hander “End of the Line,” Lakeith Stanfield plays himself in Shaka King’s “Lazercism,” and Armie Hammer undertakes a supporting role as a television huckster in Dev Patel’s “Home Shopper.”
Read More:Sundance 2018: 21 Must-See Films At This Year’s Festival, From ‘Wildlife’ to ‘Sorry to Bother You’
IndieWire previewed 47 films available...
The Sundance programmers whittled the 69 official selections from 8,740 submissions (down 245 from the previous year). Making the cut were several shorts with recognizable talent in front of the lens: Simon Helberg and Brett Gelman suffer through an unbalanced relationship in Jessica Sander’s two-hander “End of the Line,” Lakeith Stanfield plays himself in Shaka King’s “Lazercism,” and Armie Hammer undertakes a supporting role as a television huckster in Dev Patel’s “Home Shopper.”
Read More:Sundance 2018: 21 Must-See Films At This Year’s Festival, From ‘Wildlife’ to ‘Sorry to Bother You’
IndieWire previewed 47 films available...
- 1/15/2018
- by Kim Adelman
- Indiewire
A philosophical animated short offers beautiful brain-teasing, Robert Pattinson excels in a heist thriller, and Kathryn Bigelow revisits a riot
January for UK cinemagoers is prestige season, when our cinemas are finally flooded with all the acclaimed, awards-baiting titles our American friends have been yammering on about for months. For breadth, beauty and brain food, however, few of these films can compete with a 22-minute marvel newly uploaded to Vimeo for streaming. Iconoclastic animator Don Hertzfeldt’s World of Tomorrow Episode Two: The Burden of Other People’s Thoughts is a major work in minor form, a wry and wrenching requiem for innocence and memory that you’d be tempted to call one of a kind – if it weren’t a sequel to Hertzfeldt’s similarly luminous, Oscar-nominated World of Tomorrow.
As in that film, a wealth of intellectual and psychological questioning is filtered through the guileless perspective of preschooler Emily (voiced once more,...
January for UK cinemagoers is prestige season, when our cinemas are finally flooded with all the acclaimed, awards-baiting titles our American friends have been yammering on about for months. For breadth, beauty and brain food, however, few of these films can compete with a 22-minute marvel newly uploaded to Vimeo for streaming. Iconoclastic animator Don Hertzfeldt’s World of Tomorrow Episode Two: The Burden of Other People’s Thoughts is a major work in minor form, a wry and wrenching requiem for innocence and memory that you’d be tempted to call one of a kind – if it weren’t a sequel to Hertzfeldt’s similarly luminous, Oscar-nominated World of Tomorrow.
As in that film, a wealth of intellectual and psychological questioning is filtered through the guileless perspective of preschooler Emily (voiced once more,...
- 1/7/2018
- by Guy Lodge
- The Guardian - Film News
Life is tragic, to be sure. But less so when you have endless choices for entertainment…
On this episode of Adjust Your Tracking, Joe and I get back on mic after a nice holiday break and start the new year off by… catching up on 2017 movies. It’s a diverse slate, at least, but yeah, we’re still catching up on a lot this time of year.
As we unpack the many layers of tragedy, humanism, absurdist comedy and sci-fi tropes in Don Hertzfeldt‘s latest short film, “The World Of Tomorrow Episode Two: The Burden of Other People’s Thoughts,” we also appreciate that someone like Hertzfeldt can even exist in this industry, able to have a career and make great art (dude’s a genius, just saying).
Continue reading Defending ‘Bright’ & Opening Up ‘The Post’ [Adjust Your Tracking Podcast] at The Playlist.
On this episode of Adjust Your Tracking, Joe and I get back on mic after a nice holiday break and start the new year off by… catching up on 2017 movies. It’s a diverse slate, at least, but yeah, we’re still catching up on a lot this time of year.
As we unpack the many layers of tragedy, humanism, absurdist comedy and sci-fi tropes in Don Hertzfeldt‘s latest short film, “The World Of Tomorrow Episode Two: The Burden of Other People’s Thoughts,” we also appreciate that someone like Hertzfeldt can even exist in this industry, able to have a career and make great art (dude’s a genius, just saying).
Continue reading Defending ‘Bright’ & Opening Up ‘The Post’ [Adjust Your Tracking Podcast] at The Playlist.
- 1/3/2018
- by Erik McClanahan
- The Playlist
Don Hertzfeldt has rolled out his latest slice of animated ingenuity. Hertzfeldt has shared World of Tomorrow Episode Two: The Burden of Other People's Thoughts via Vimeo On Demand. The film is a sequel to his 2015 project World of Tomorrow, which earned an Academy Award nomination in the Animated Short Film category.
The original World of Tomorrow introduced viewers to Emily, a young girl who is visited by a clone of her future self. The clone reveals the twisted and outlandish science of her age, which is threatened by an impending meteorite. Judging by Episode Two's trailer, young Emily will return in the sequel, where she will be joined by several other characters.
Hertzfeldt is best known as the creator of Rejected, a short film, that has received more than two million views on YouTube. Many of that video's catchphrases, mostly notably "my spoon is too big," have been accepted into the internet lexicon.
The original World of Tomorrow introduced viewers to Emily, a young girl who is visited by a clone of her future self. The clone reveals the twisted and outlandish science of her age, which is threatened by an impending meteorite. Judging by Episode Two's trailer, young Emily will return in the sequel, where she will be joined by several other characters.
Hertzfeldt is best known as the creator of Rejected, a short film, that has received more than two million views on YouTube. Many of that video's catchphrases, mostly notably "my spoon is too big," have been accepted into the internet lexicon.
- 1/2/2018
- by Sam Gutelle
- Tubefilter.com
"Without third generation Emily, my brain is now an obsolete storage drive without a purpose." Alert! It's time to watch the highly anticipated, super-intelligent, sci-fi sequel World of Tomorrow Episode Two. Acclaimed filmmaker Don Hertzfeldt is back(!) with another of his one-of-a-kind animated shorts called World of Tomorrow Episode Two (in full the title is World of Tomorrow Episode Two: Burden of Other People's Thoughts), the sequel to his highly successful World of Tomorrow from a few years ago. We posted a teaser trailer last month, and now the full short film is available to rent on Vimeo (please support indie filmmakers like Don Hertzfeldt). This initially premiered at Fantastic Fest to many rave reviews, including a rare A+ from David Ehrlich at Indiewire. If your brain needs a reboot and refresh, this film will help. Enjoy. You can watch the short by clicking the video below or going straight...
- 12/29/2017
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
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