http://blogs.indiewire.com/mattdentler/ Matt Dentler's Blog en Copyright 2009 2009-07-03T15:20:39+00:00 http://blogs.indiewire.com/mattdentler/archives/some_easy_weekend_viewing/ http://blogs.indiewire.com/mattdentler/archives/some_easy_weekend_viewing/ If you’re not interested in watching what the theaters have to offer this weekend, or you’re maxed-out on your home video options and tired of the endless Michael Jackson coverage, here are some Cinetic films to rent or buy online: Bob Odenkirk’s comedy Melvin Goes To Dinner, which is truly one of the most beloved fest hits in the last 10 years. And yes, that is the woman from those Progressive Insurance TV commercials. Margaret Brown’s award-winning documentary The Order of Myths. Seen Food Inc.? (You should) Now, get more food facts from the documentary The Future of Food. Alan… 2009-07-03T15:20:39+00:00 http://blogs.indiewire.com/mattdentler/archives/hulu_launching_u.k._service_in_september1/ http://blogs.indiewire.com/mattdentler/archives/hulu_launching_u.k._service_in_september1/ It’s a moment many have been waiting for: Hulu in Europe. Starting with the U.K., Hulu will travel across the Atlantic this September, according to Variety. This would apply to many Cinetic titles, but obviously not all of the studio and TV network shows that Americans have come to expect: While premium fare like “The Simpsons” and “Heroes” are unlikely to be available to British users of Hulu, some 3,000 hours of other U.S. shows are expected to be featured once rights issues are resolved. The launch of Hulu U.K. is being watched with keen interest by British webheads, who… 2009-07-02T17:06:44+00:00 http://blogs.indiewire.com/mattdentler/archives/neill_blomkamps_alive_in_joburg/ http://blogs.indiewire.com/mattdentler/archives/neill_blomkamps_alive_in_joburg/ There’s some heavy buzz and excitement brewing for the August release of District 9, Neill Blomkamp’s long-awaited feature debut. The film’s got no recognizable actors, but does have the seal-of-approval from Peter Jackson (who served as a producer). Blomkamp was at originally slated to direct the big-screen adaptation of (popular video game) Halo, but after that project fizzled, District 9 became the next task. Now, rather than adapt the work of others, Blomkamp’s District 9 is an adaptation from his own short film, Alive in Joburg. This 2005 short film was an underground hit at festivals, depicting South Africa as… 2009-07-02T04:20:07+00:00 http://blogs.indiewire.com/mattdentler/archives/stillness_is_the_move/ http://blogs.indiewire.com/mattdentler/archives/stillness_is_the_move/ Shorts filmmaker Matthew Lessner (who is in the midst of his first feature) is a true talent. So is Brooklyn-based indie art-rock collective Dirty Projectors. I’m excited they could join forces for this unusual (wolves? llamas? a mountain?) but appealing (wolves! llamas! a mountain!) video for the band’s single “Stillness Is The Move,” off their acclaimed new album Bitte Orca: Dirty Projectors - 'Stillness Is The Move'Uploaded by dominorecordco. - Explore more music videos. 2009-07-02T03:43:56+00:00 http://blogs.indiewire.com/mattdentler/archives/do_the_right_thing_20_years_later/ http://blogs.indiewire.com/mattdentler/archives/do_the_right_thing_20_years_later/ I adore Spike Lee’s Do The Right Thing. I was 10 years old when it opened in theaters, so I didn’t see it until the subsequent VHS release (I remember my mother shielding my eyes from the Rosie Perez nude scene). I’ve watched the film countless times since then. Three summers ago, I had a housewarming party, and just played the film with the sound off as an odd summertime ambience thing. Yeah, weird, I guess. But I always found the film to be like a jazz album: hot and cold, moody and explosive. This summer is the film’s 20th… 2009-07-01T20:50:52+00:00 http://blogs.indiewire.com/mattdentler/archives/comedy_informant/ http://blogs.indiewire.com/mattdentler/archives/comedy_informant/ Steven Soderbergh’s next film, The Informant!, has released its first trailer. The Matt Damon headlined corporate espionage film is not the suspense thriller, ala The Insider, that some had imagined. It’s a straightforward comedy, and looks promising as such. The cast is fleshed out with supporting roles by stand-up favorites such as Tom Papa, Paul F. Tompkins, Joel McHale, Patton Oswalt, Rick Overton, and more. Guess it shouldn’t have been such a surprise that the film was going to play for laughs. 2009-07-01T16:35:29+00:00 http://blogs.indiewire.com/mattdentler/archives/david_hudson_retires_short-lived_ifc_blog/ http://blogs.indiewire.com/mattdentler/archives/david_hudson_retires_short-lived_ifc_blog/ David Hudson, who gained noteriety over the years when he took masterful control of the GreenCine Daily blog, launched his IFC blog “The Daily,” at the beginning of this year. In only six shorts month, though, Hudson is forced to cease operations on “The Daily.”  It’s very sad, and now the indie film community will have days go by without Hudson’s reliable and tireless assortment of links and tips on topics of the moment. Apparently not enough of us made the site’s traffic worth the while. And, while everyone in indie film circles was devoted to Hudson’s site, perhaps this… 2009-07-01T15:28:27+00:00 http://blogs.indiewire.com/mattdentler/archives/record_business_gets_healthy_after_jackson_dies/ http://blogs.indiewire.com/mattdentler/archives/record_business_gets_healthy_after_jackson_dies/ It took the tragic and unexpected death of Michael Jackson to help the record industry boost sales. Early reports indicate that three Jackson LPs are on target to rank very high in the week’s sales charts. In fact, Billboard reports that this is the first time a catalog album (let alone three catalog albums) has sold more than any “new release.” Even more remarkable is that the vast majority of these sales happened between Thursday (when Jackson died) and Sunday night (when tallies end). The Number One contender, Black Eyed Peas’ The E.N.D., will rank #1 on the Billboard charts… 2009-06-30T23:12:13+00:00 http://blogs.indiewire.com/mattdentler/archives/bookfight_at_the_b._dalton_corral/ http://blogs.indiewire.com/mattdentler/archives/bookfight_at_the_b._dalton_corral/ Malcolm Gladwell writing a piece for The New Yorker should be a monumental thing, a bestselling author contributing his thoughts to one of America’s most thoughtful magazines. Except his “review” of Chris Anderson’s upcoming book, Free, reads more like a fight between two airport bookstore all-stars. Rather than use the piece as a way of illustrating his problems with Anderson’s hypothesis (which is, essentially, that content is increasingly going to be free instead of paid) he merely quotes passages and then adds some snarky comebacks. The entire thing reads less like a book review (which, maybe it’s not supposed to… 2009-06-30T20:03:15+00:00 http://blogs.indiewire.com/mattdentler/archives/donna_reed/ http://blogs.indiewire.com/mattdentler/archives/donna_reed/ Okay, boys and girls, time for Season One of The Donna Reed Show. I totally remember watching these episodes as a kid, when they re-ran on Nickelodeon. So, we were happy to offer them up on Hulu for you: 2009-06-30T19:33:33+00:00 http://blogs.indiewire.com/mattdentler/archives/a_tout_de_suite._right_now/ http://blogs.indiewire.com/mattdentler/archives/a_tout_de_suite._right_now/ When Benoît Jacquot’s film A Tout De Suite opened stateside in 2005, The New York Times’ Stephen Holden said “This small, nearly perfect film is really about the sad chains of events that can follow when people foolishly surrender to their dumbest romantic impulses.” For The Village Voice, J. Hoberman said “Tout de Suite harks back to the suave and somewhat creepy psychologically fraught trio—The Disenchanted, A Single Girl, Seventh Heaven—that [Jacquot] made during the ‘90s. Like those, it has its fairy-tale aspect; in this case, it’s the story of a sleeping beauty roused.” Now, you can get this homage… 2009-06-30T15:21:10+00:00 http://blogs.indiewire.com/mattdentler/archives/death_of_auto-tune/ http://blogs.indiewire.com/mattdentler/archives/death_of_auto-tune/ Jay-Z blows up some Cristal, plays cards with Keitel, and sports longer hair than we’ve ever seen, in the new clip for his single “D.O.A. (Death of Auto-Tune).” Welcome back, Hova: 2009-06-30T04:03:31+00:00 http://blogs.indiewire.com/mattdentler/archives/cinetic_on_twitter/ http://blogs.indiewire.com/mattdentler/archives/cinetic_on_twitter/ I’m on Twitter, blah blah blah. But, now, Cinetic is on Twitter too. Follow us, for a regular stream of film news, updates on our releases, and maybe even cool prizes. 2009-06-29T21:20:06+00:00 http://blogs.indiewire.com/mattdentler/archives/the_hurt_rocker/ http://blogs.indiewire.com/mattdentler/archives/the_hurt_rocker/ Finally saw The Hurt Locker this weekend, in a crowded Landmark Sunshine theater on Saturday. The hype didn’t diminish how much I fell for the film. It’s a great, taut, and skillful suspense/thriller/war film. As I watched it, I kept realizing how little of the film is out there in marketing materials. No abundant trailers and clips, no real TV ads. This is probably symptomatic of a limited release, but it also works rather well in maintaining the film’s wanna-see factor. I think Summit is doing a great job of selling the film, by using the astonishing reviews as the… 2009-06-29T16:58:55+00:00 http://blogs.indiewire.com/mattdentler/archives/92ytribeca_hosts_trinidad/ http://blogs.indiewire.com/mattdentler/archives/92ytribeca_hosts_trinidad/ I’d heard about the 92Y Tribeca as more and more cool shows became booked on their calendar. Impressive comedy lineups featuring Zach Galifinakis and Eugene Mirman, music lineups featuring St. Vincent and Yo La Tengo, and film lineups that include sing-a-long shows and festival favorites. Did I mention this place was not in Brooklyn? If you live in Manhattan, you usually have to make the trip to Williamsburg to get this kind of eclectic, indie-minded programming. Now, you just have to head down to Hudson and Canal. I’d attended a Babelgum party at the space during the Tribeca, but never… 2009-06-28T16:45:10+00:00