http://blogs.indiewire.com/mattdentler/ Matt Dentler's Blog en Copyright 2009 2009-11-08T02:50:05+00:00 http://blogs.indiewire.com/mattdentler/archives/sheffield_meetmarket/ http://blogs.indiewire.com/mattdentler/archives/sheffield_meetmarket/ (Sheffield Doc/Fest head Heather Croall, right, welcomes the crowd of filmmakers and industry as the annual MeetMarket was about to get underway. Her talented right-hand man, Charlie Phillips, looks on at her left.)   (The main floor at the Sheffield MeetMarket, where producers and directors pitch works-in-progress for possible financing or distribution. I came across a bunch of good contenders.) 2009-11-08T02:50:05+00:00 http://blogs.indiewire.com/mattdentler/archives/sheffield_further_complications/ http://blogs.indiewire.com/mattdentler/archives/sheffield_further_complications/ Well, I’m in Sheffield so that makes it almost mandatory that I post this new video for Jarvis Cocker’s single “Further Complications.” Cocker, the former frontman of Sheffield natives Pulp, is also one of the subjects of a documentary called The Beat Is The Law which is screening here at the festival. This song is my favorite track from Cocker’s latest album of the same name, and the video is swell: 2009-11-06T17:10:34+00:00 http://blogs.indiewire.com/mattdentler/archives/sheffield_cinema_eye_honors/ http://blogs.indiewire.com/mattdentler/archives/sheffield_cinema_eye_honors/ On Thursday night at the Sheffield Doc/Fest, attendees gathered at a roller skating rink for the announcement of this year’s Cinema Eye Honors For Nonfiction Filmmaking, which gives awards to outstanding documentary features from the last year of festivals. The big titles from this year’s nominees include October Country, The Cove, and Burma VJ. You can get the full list of nominees over at indieWIRE. Meanwhile, here are the films nominated for “Outstanding Achievement In Nonfiction Feature Filmmaking” (a.k.a. the big prize): Burma VJ Directed By Anders Ostergaard Produced By Lise-Lense Moller The Cove Directed By Louie Psihoyos Produced By… 2009-11-06T02:52:59+00:00 http://blogs.indiewire.com/mattdentler/archives/sheffield/ http://blogs.indiewire.com/mattdentler/archives/sheffield/ (The view up the street from the train station in Sheffield, UK as I made my way to the hotel early Wednesday afternoon. After flying to Manchester via Rekjavik, I took the train into town just in time to settle in before picking up my badge and guide for the annual Sheffield Doc/Fest. It’s my first time in Sheffield, which already strikes me as a nice college town. Gotta get moving, despite the foggy jet lag, because there’s work to be done.) 2009-11-04T15:00:35+00:00 http://blogs.indiewire.com/mattdentler/archives/bill_hicks/ http://blogs.indiewire.com/mattdentler/archives/bill_hicks/ A documentary I’ve been following for over a year now, is Matt Harlock and Paul Thomas’ American: The Bill Hicks Story. The film screens at the Sheffield Doc/Fest this weekend, and I’m excited to scope it out. Bill Hicks, like Outlaw Country music, is one of those things that Brits and Texans have in common. Hicks, who died of pancreatic cancer in 1994, was an underground sensation in the comedy clubs of central Texas. He was smart, abrasive, political, and hysterical. Bill Hicks was the original Lewis Black or David Cross, and he was more than just an inspiration to… 2009-11-03T02:57:40+00:00 http://blogs.indiewire.com/mattdentler/archives/new_moon_rising/ http://blogs.indiewire.com/mattdentler/archives/new_moon_rising/ Kinda surprising that this song isn’t part of the rock-heavy Twilight: New Moon soundtrack. Was it rejected? Whatever that reason, Australian retro-rockers Wolfmother have returned with some new members but the same welcomed snarl: Wolfmother - New Moon RisingUploaded by UniversalMusicGroup. - Explore more music videos. 2009-11-02T05:00:40+00:00 http://blogs.indiewire.com/mattdentler/archives/is_roger_avary_really_tweeting_from_jail/ http://blogs.indiewire.com/mattdentler/archives/is_roger_avary_really_tweeting_from_jail/ Oscar-winning writer/director Roger (Killing Zoe, Pulp Fiction) Avary has been a dominant online presence before it was fashionable. He had what was arguably one of the first well-known film blogs, a journal of what he was doing while working on various projects. He embraced Twitter while dealing with a personal crisis early this year, usually updating it with what seemed to be excerpts from screenplays. While he directed Killing Zoe, and subsequent projects, he is primarily known as a screenwriter. Avary’s career has been an unusual one, seemingly because it blossomed because of his friendship with Pulp Fiction collaborator Quentin… 2009-11-01T18:58:00+00:00 http://blogs.indiewire.com/mattdentler/archives/british_answer_to_netflix_booms/ http://blogs.indiewire.com/mattdentler/archives/british_answer_to_netflix_booms/ There is no Netflix in the UK, at least not yet. However, there is LOVEFiLM, which serves a similar purpose. It’s a subscription DVD service, which has begun a streaming option, and the adoption rate overseas has been very similar to the way Netflix has impacted the U.S. BusinessWeek and The Independent take a look at what’s happened for LOVEFiLM, and where it may be headed: The company has been pushing its digital streaming service for films and TV shows, launched in May, as the country faces more postal strikes. It currently offers 2,200 titles and 10 per cent of… 2009-10-31T20:44:54+00:00 http://blogs.indiewire.com/mattdentler/archives/streaming_for_doha_pakistan/ http://blogs.indiewire.com/mattdentler/archives/streaming_for_doha_pakistan/ The first annual Doha Tribeca Film Festival happened from October 29 to November 1, in Qatar. As part of this new event, the YouTube Screening Room is hosting a handful of Middle Eastern films curated by Tribeca. We were happy to offer up one of our titles, Mehreen Jabbar’s terrific and sweet film Ramchand Pakistani (which actually screened at the 2008 Tribeca Film Festival in New York). While the festival ends November 1, the YouTube Doha Tribeca promotion continues for a couple weeks: 2009-10-31T16:40:03+00:00 http://blogs.indiewire.com/mattdentler/archives/theater_owners_flex_their_muscle_for_this_is_it_window/ http://blogs.indiewire.com/mattdentler/archives/theater_owners_flex_their_muscle_for_this_is_it_window/ There’s been a lot of talk and speculation in 2009, about the idea of a major studio collapsing its distributions windows so hard, that a Hollywood release could be made available day-and-date with theatrical and VOD. Consider that goal delayed even further, now that Sony has been forced by theater owners to discard plans for a holiday DVD release of the Michael Jackson concert film This Is It. As of Thursday afternoon, the film was available for pre-order on both Amazon and iTunes, with no release date included. On iTunes, it’s one of the most popular films available for electronic… 2009-10-29T19:04:14+00:00 http://blogs.indiewire.com/mattdentler/archives/five_new_albums_worth_your_dime102809/ http://blogs.indiewire.com/mattdentler/archives/five_new_albums_worth_your_dime102809/ 1. Miike Snow, Miike Snow (Yet another Swedish band that is earning cred while it rocks the clubs, stateside. Whatever they’re drinking in Sweden, it’s creating more and more smart dance-pop.) 2. Jamie T, Kings and Queens (On the eve of his 24th birthday, Jamie T is an English pop prodigy with a talent for wide open hooks and street-friendly anthems.) 3. Richard Hawley, Truelove’s Gutter (Hawley, formerly of Pulp, continues his solo crooning career with another loungey nighttime soundtrack. The arrangements are heavenly and his voice soars, for some nostalgia-inducing cocktail songs.) 4. Atlas Sound, Logos (A solo side… 2009-10-29T15:14:08+00:00 http://blogs.indiewire.com/mattdentler/archives/ti_west_and_the_state_of_indie_horror/ http://blogs.indiewire.com/mattdentler/archives/ti_west_and_the_state_of_indie_horror/ Ti West’s third (and a half) feature film, The House of the Devil, begins a limited theatrical this weekend. I’ve mentioned this film several times, for a variety of reasons, but I really hope folks see it on cable VOD (where it’s currently available) or in theaters. Not only because it’s a good film, and because Ti is a good person, but because independently-financed horror movies should be more than just Paranormal Activity. It’s hard for indie horror directors (Larry Fessenden, Adam Green, Simon Rumley, etc.) to get projects both made and then successfully released. Ti West has accomplished both… 2009-10-28T23:48:06+00:00 http://blogs.indiewire.com/mattdentler/archives/collapse_trailer_now_on_hulu/ http://blogs.indiewire.com/mattdentler/archives/collapse_trailer_now_on_hulu/ If streaming is your thing, the trailer for Chris Smith’s Collapse is now on Hulu: 2009-10-28T17:48:39+00:00 http://blogs.indiewire.com/mattdentler/archives/this_is_it_this_is_that_is_this_it/ http://blogs.indiewire.com/mattdentler/archives/this_is_it_this_is_that_is_this_it/ When I hear or read the title of the new Michael Jackson concert (rehearsal) film, This Is It, I immediately think of the Ryan Adams song of the same name which was a cheeky reaction to the title of the Strokes’ debut album, Is This It. If you really wanna get insider-baseball, you could say the title reminds you of Ted Hope’s production company, which is called This Is That. No matter what the title, or film, makes you think (Zombieland doesn’t count) it is clear that this release will be a major money-maker at the box office. But will… 2009-10-28T04:48:28+00:00 http://blogs.indiewire.com/mattdentler/archives/marrow/ http://blogs.indiewire.com/mattdentler/archives/marrow/ If you see St. Vincent live on her new tour (and you should), don’t take a bathroom/smoke/bar break during this song. It’s a great thing to see live, and the band gives it some texture. The new album, Actor, is also probably one of the year’s best and this video ain’t bad either: St. Vincent |MTV Music 2009-10-28T00:25:04+00:00