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It took writer and director Aaron Sorkin fourteen years after the initial meeting with Steven Spielberg at his house on a Saturday back in 2006 to finally get “The Trial of the Chicago 7” made. And according to Sorkin, it finally came together thanks to former president Donald Trump.

“I don’t want to give Donald Trump credit for anything, but he’s the one who got Chicago seven made,” Sorkin tells moderator Jimmie Briggs at The Wrap’s screening series of the film. “Because he would have these protests, he would have these rallies, and there would be protesters at the rallies, and he would start getting nostalgic about the old days when they ‘Carry that guy out of here on a stretcher,’ ‘I’d like to beat the crap out of him,’ ‘Let’s punch him right in the face.'”

“Suddenly, American and Anti-American was being defined the old stupid way,...

Twelve Hours Shoots In New York

Exclusive: Filming is underway in New York on the sophomore feature from writer-director Bandar Albuliwi, whose 2013 debut Peace After Marriage starred Succession and Ramy actress Hiam Abbas. Starring are Adam Budron (Sundance 2020 entry Wild Indian), newcomer Emma Eudes, Mauricio Bustamante (Little Men) and Louis Anthony Arias (Uncut Gems). Albuliwi produces with Budron and Faruk Ozerten. Albuliwi, who is also working on U.S. projects Juliet and A Brotherhood, told us: “Twelve Hours is a tale of an accidental encounter between two former lovers that rekindles feelings that have been laying dormant all these years. Shooting the movie on location during the Covid-19 pandemic in NYC while taking extreme precautions has proven to be both exhilarating and challenging at the same time. Many people have come up to us on the street and have told us how happy they were to see a film production shooting once again,...

Well, burnt-out history teachers have a new movie to kill two class periods.

That’s assuming they can get permission slips from parents to show it to students. It has some violence and a moment of sexual menace, so that might be a hurdle for some high school sophomore instructors. So how about this: They turn on the overhead projector, start the movie, and play a majority of it without video. The kids listen to it like it’s a radio play, the teacher catches up on their grading, and by Wednesday morning class is back in session as normal. Or they could, you know, read about it.

No, The Trial of the Chicago 7 isn’t terribly cinematic. It’s hardly cinematic at all, and here the idea of Aaron Sorkin at his most Sorkin-y somehow translates to him at his worst. It doesn’t confront. It doesn’t stimulate.

On paper, “The Trial of the Chicago 7” feels like it could be a bit of Aaron Sorkin’s greatest hits. The drama, which hits select theaters on Friday before heading to Netflix on Oct. 16, has lots of the qualities you can find in previous works that he’s written: politics, legal scenes and, most of all, smart people talking fast (pretty much everything Sorkin has done).

But if “The Trial of the Chicago 7” is indeed full of the verbal pyrotechnics that can make Sorkin such an invigorating storyteller, the film is most notable for the way it goes in directions we haven’t seen from the writer and director. With its intricate editing and full-scale action sequences re-creating the riots at the 1968 Democratic Convention in Chicago, “The Trial of the Chicago 7” moves beyond Sorkin the writer of dialogue, or Sorkin the supplier of scripts to the likes of Rob Reiner,...

After an explosive teaser trailer during Sunday Night Football in which Aaron Sorkin declared “the whole world is watching,” Netflix has released a more sentimental and fuller look at the drama of “The Trial of the Chicago 7,” one in which Sacha Baron Cohen as Abbie Hoffman explains what he’s willing to give to keep the revolution going.

“How much is this worth to you, what’s your price,” a reporter asks Hoffman in the trailer. “To call off the revolution? My life,” he replies.

Press also got their first look at “The Trial of the Chicago 7” on Tuesday, as the film figures to be a big Oscar player for Netflix. You would hope so after it boasts a cast that includes Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Michael Keaton, Frank Langella, John Carroll Lynch, Eddie Redmayne, Mark Rylance, Alex Sharp, Jeremy Strong, Noah Robbins, Danny Flaherty, Ben Shenkman,...

“The whole world is watching,” we hear chanted repeatedly in the first The Trial of the Chicago 7 trailer. After riots, which may have begun due to the excessive force by the police, overtook the 1968 Democratic National Convention, the federal government tried to charge a group of counterculture activists with conspiracy in one of the most infamous trials in American history. Written and directed by Aaron Sorkin, and featuring an all-star cast headlined by Sacha Baron Cohen, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Mark Rylance, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt, the Netflix film merits global consideration. Subscribers will have access to the film starting on Oct. 16

The Trial of the Chicago 7 was originally going to be released by Paramount Pictures, but the studio sold the distribution rights to Netflix due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The Trial of The Chicago 7 was initially set to be released in September, but the deal between Paramount and Netflix pushed it back a few weeks.

With the election approaching and protests breaking out across America, Netflix has dropped the trailer for The Trial of the Chicago 7, out October 16th on the streaming platform.

The film, directed by Aaron Sorkin, details an anti-war protest, counter-culture at the 1968 Democratic National Convention that turned violent when the police and the National Guard stepped in. The organizers — who included Abbie Hoffman, Jerry Rubin, Tom Hayden and Bobby Seale — were charged with conspiracy to incite a riot, and what followed was one of the most bizarre trials in U.

Netflix has a mighty arrow in its awards quiver this season with the release of writer/director Aaron Sorkin’s long-in-the-works drama “The Trial of the Chicago 7,” dropping on the platform October 16. The streamer unveiled a first teaser for the film during the LA Rams/Dallas Cowboys Sunday Night Football game. Watch below.

The film boasts one of this year’s most impressive casts, including Sacha Baron Cohen, Eddie Redmayne, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Frank Langella, Jeremy Strong, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt. “Chicago 7” chronicles how the peaceful protest outside the 1968 Democratic Convention unraveled into a fatal clash with police officers and the National Guard. The organizers of the protest — including Abbie Hoffman (Cohen), Jerry Rubin (Strong), Tom Hayden (Redmayne), and Bobby Seale (Abdul-Mateen) — were charged with conspiracy to incite a riot and the trial that followed was one of the most notorious in history.

The cast of “The Trial of the Chicago 7...

"Are there issues in your life that might complicate the transition process?" Dark Star Pictures has released an official trailer for an indie drama called The Garden Left Behind, from Brazilian filmmaker Flavio Alves. This initially premiered at the SXSW Film Festival last year, where it won the prestigious Audience Award in the Visions section. It also won tons of other awards at various film festivals last year, including Best Editing in a Narrative Feature at the Woodstock Film Festival. The emotional drama tells the story of a young Mexican trans woman and her grandmother who navigate life as undocumented immigrants in New York. The film stars Carlie Guevara as Tina, with Danny Flaherty, Tamara M. Williams, Ed Asner, Michael Madsen, and Miriam Cruz as her grandmother Eliana. Early reviews say that the film is "a soft, brief, genuine connection to a community that deserves compassion." This looks like it's worth discovering.

Aaron Sorkin’s upcoming Netflix drama “The Trial of the Chicago 7” boasts one of this year’s most impressive casts, including Sacha Baron Cohen, Eddie Redmayne, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Frank Langella, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt. But also among the ensemble, and re-teaming with Sorkin for the first time since 2017’s “Molly’s Game,” is “Succession” star Jeremy Strong. The film chronicles how the peaceful protest outside the 1968 Democratic Convention unraveled into a fatal clash with police officers and the National Guard. According to a Vanity Fair first look at the movie, coming to Netflix on October 16, Strong was a die-hard method actor while on set, going to extremes to let the riotous atmosphere of the period seep into him.

According to Sorkin, while filming riot scenes on location in Chicago’s Grant Park, Strong demanded that an ex-cop starring as a storm trooper in the movie throw him to the ground before each take.

Flavio Alves' debut feature, The Garden Left Behind, starring Michael Madsen, has been picked up by Hewes Pictures for all international distribution rights outside North America.

The film also stars Carlie Guevara, Ed Asner and Danny Flaherty. The story revolves around a young Mexican trans woman and her grandmother who navigate life as undocumented immigrants.

The Garden Left Behind, which was written by John Rotondo alongside Alves, won the audience award at SXSW in 2019 and other awards in the Nashville Film Festival, Woodstock Film Festival, Queerscope Germany, Gina Davis’ Bentonville Film Festiva and Glasgow Film Festival, amongst others.

The deal ...

Flavio Alves' debut feature, The Garden Left Behind, starring Michael Madsen, has been picked up by Hewes Pictures for all international distribution rights outside North America.

The film also stars Carlie Guevara, Ed Asner and Danny Flaherty. The story revolves around a young Mexican trans woman and her grandmother who navigate life as undocumented immigrants.

The Garden Left Behind, which was written by John Rotondo alongside Alves, won the audience award at SXSW in 2019 and other awards in the Nashville Film Festival, Woodstock Film Festival, Queerscope Germany, Gina Davis’ Bentonville Film Festiva and Glasgow Film Festival, amongst others.

The deal ...

What’s mostly a vérité document of lead character Tina’s (Carlie Guevara) trajectory towards chemically transitioning from male to female despite being an undocumented immigrant in an expensive city like New York, Flavio Alves’ The Garden Left Behind is also a rather potent expression of humanity’s collective dysphoria. Tina is at the center and her plight as a trans woman struggling to survive a world that sees her as “less than” is the main through-line, but Alves isn’t afraid to add to her story by shifting focus onto those who surround her—supportive and antagonistic figures alike. By doing this he’s able to play with our preconceptions of what these social dramas provide, using cinematic language to increase anxiety before ultimately choosing to diffuse or exacerbate our fears with action.

Alves and co-writer John Rotondo accomplish this with an intentional mirroring of characters for a better...

"My friend just got killed... You can't expect me just to sit around and not do anything about it!" Sony has debuted the first official trailer for a crime drama titled November Criminals, from the director of Anvil: The Story of Anvil and Hitchcock previously. Adapted from Sam Munson's novel of the same name, the story is about a high schooler who takes on his own investigation of a murder in Washington D.C. The film stars Ansel Elgort and Chloe Grace Moretz, along with Catherine Keener, David Strathairn, Cory Hardrict, Terry Kinney, Danny Flaherty, Victor Williams, and Tessa Albertson. Maybe it is just because I'm seeing Ansel Elgort once again, but this reminds me of so many other films recently, including Paper Towns and Netflix's "13 Reasons Why". Here's to hoping it's good, but I'm not entirely sure just yet. Here's the first official trailer for Sacha Gervasi's November Criminals,...

Anyone who grew up in the ’80s is familiar with their unforgettable names and faces. The Garbage Pail Kids Topps trading cards and 1987 movie are embedded in the brains of a generation, and Indican Pictures' new documentary 30 Years of Garbage: The Garbage Pail Kids Story explores the phenomenon like never before. In today's Horror Highlights, we also have details on the Hexploitation Film Festival, The Eyes home media release info, and the trailer for Brian Sepanzyk's Compulsion.

30 Years of Garbage: The Garbage Pail Kids Story: Press Release: "West Hollywood, California (Tuesday, August 8th) - Indican Pictures is set to release the pivotal documentary on the Garbage Pail Kids. Titled 30 Years of Garbage: The Garbage Pail Kids Story, this documentary revisits the artists, who made these collectibles famous. Showing a rare glimpse into the corporate culture of Topps as they launched Garbage Pail Kids through the height of the cards fame,...

The Transfiguration Review The Transfiguration (2017) Film Review, a movie directed by Michael O’Shea, and starring Eric Ruffin, Chloe Levine, Aaron Clifton, Carter Redwood, Danny Flaherty, Larry Fessenden, Lloyd Kaufman, James Lorinz, Victor Pagan, and Anna Friedman. The vampire genre is a very popular film subject for audiences. After watching The Transfiguration, you [...]

Continue reading: Film Review: The Transfiguration (2017): A Gory Coming-of-Age Drama Dealing With Vampirism...

The fifth season of FX’s “The Americans” is upon us, and we’re celebrating by ranking all the main characters. Plus Annalese. Spoilers ahead, obviously. 23. Matthew Beeman (Danny Flaherty) I don’t know what Paige saw in this dorkus. 22. Henry (Keidrich Sellati) He’s grown up a lot over the years, but only physically. He hasn’t grown into being a cool person or anything. 21. Renee (Laurie Holden) We’re still waiting to find out what Laurie’s deal is. She seems like she’s way too much fun for super-square Stan, with her interests in skydiving and karaoke.

Comet TV has released their lineup of programming for April 2017, and your favorite or soon-to-be favorite movie just might be on the list! Also in today's Highlights: a new trailer for The Black Room, The Thing-Inspired print from Sleep Terror Clothing, Breakdown Lane release details, the La premiere of The Eyes, and the debut of the Zombie Lake soundtrack.

Comet TV's Lineup for April Announced: Press Release: "Only Airing On CometTV.com in April.

You Don’T Need A Subscription To Watch These Great Movies…

They’Re Airing For Free On Comet!

Stargate Sg-1 is back on Comet! Your favorite gate-hopping action series returns with back-to-back episodes Monday through Thursday at 8/7C, with encores of both episodes airing at 10/9C.

Stargate Sg-1

Monday – Thursday 8/7C

Earth Day Marathon – Saturday April 22 Starting At Noon/11Am C

Frogs (1972)

Saturday, April 22 at Noon/11Am C

Die, Monster, Die (1965)

Saturday, April 22 at 2/1C

Empire of the Ants (1977)

Saturday,...

The Transfiguration Strand Releasing Director: Michael O’Shea Written by: Michael O’Shea Cast: Eric Ruffin, Chloe Levine, Aaron Clifton Moten, Carter Redwood, Danny Flaherty Opens: April 7, 2017 “The Transfiguration” is Michael O’Shea’s freshman entry into filmmaking and it shows. One might conclude that in making such a slow-burning drama around the vampire legend, he is […]

The post The Transfiguration Movie Review appeared first on Shockya.com.

The latest horror flick filled with immense badassery to be added to Shudder's library is the fifth sequel in the Phantasm franchise, Phantasm: Ravager. Also in today's Highlights: details on the Clive Barker Reel Fear Contest, Portland International Film Festival's After Dark program, release details for Slasher.com and The Eyes, a new poster for Atomica, and production news and photos for A Haunting at Silver Falls II.

Phantasm: Ravager Comes to Shudder: "Joining Shudder is Phantasm: Ravager- the final installment of the long-running Phantasm series.

In addition to Phantasm: Ravager, streaming exclusively on Shudder is the remaster of Don Coscarelli’s 1979 classic Phantasm, as well as its sequels Phantasm III and Phantasm IV.

Phantasm was recently restored by J.J. Abrams’ Bad Robot and Coscarelli, and given both a new 4K remaster and a 5.1 surround sound mix, which will be the version presented exclusively on Shudder."

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Clive Barker Reel...

Goat, a drama film directed by Andrew Neel, follows the story of Brad Land (Ben Schnetzer) as he rushes one of the largest fraternities on campus, Kappa Sigma, where his older brother Brett (Nick Jonas) is a popular member. He, along with various other pledges, including his roommate Will (Daniel Flaherty), struggle to prove themselves worthy during […]

Source: uInterview

The post ‘Goat’ DVD Review: A Story Of Brotherhood Run Amok appeared first on uInterview.

Wizard World is coming to New Orleans January 6th–8th! Many artists and personalities will be in attendance, including some of our favorites from The Walking Dead! Also in today's Highlights: a call for Razor Reel Film Festival 2017 entries, Nitehawk Cinema's "Because I'm Evil" midnite series screenings, a trailer for Attack of the Lederhosen Zombies, and acquisition details for The Eyes.

Wizard World New Orleans 2017: Press Release: "New Orleans, December 20, 2016 - From TV magicians “Masters of Illusion” to personalities Montel Williams, Kato Kaelin and “Chumlee” of “Pawn Stars” fame to a varied lineup of exciting dance, music, art and other options, Wizard World (Otcbb: Wizd) today announced the highlights of its new non-stop entertainment lineup at Wizard World Comic Con New Orleans, January 6-8, 2017, at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center. The initiative, designed to keep the show floor buzzing throughout the weekend, will feature national and local acts of all kinds,...

Nick Jonas, the youngest JoBro – he's 24 – makes good on some promising TV acting (Kingdom, Scream Queens) with an outstanding performance in Goat, a fact-based fratboy movie it might be helpful to think of as Animal House minus the laughs.

Jonas plays Brett Land, a member of Phi Sigma Mu, a fraternity now being pledged by his younger brother Brad (Ben Schnetzer), who wrote the 2004 anti-hazing memoir on which the film is based. It's already been a traumatizing summer for Brad: After leaving his alpha brother at a party, he's pressured...

Welcome back to the Weekend Warrior, your weekly look at the new movies hitting theaters this weekend, as well as other cool events and things to check out.

This Past Weekend:

Yikes. What a terrible weekend we just had, not only for the new movies released but also for the Weekend Warrior’s predictions. Clint Eastwood and Tom Hanks’ Sully won its second weekend in a row with just under $22 million, but as far as the new movies, neither Lionsgate’s Blair Witch nor Universal’s Bridget Jones’s Baby did very well, putting the last nail in the coffin (hopefully) for sequels/remakes trying to play upon nostalgia that just isn’t there. (Good luck to the Rings movie opening next month!) Blair Witch ended up with $9.6 million to take second place and both Bridget Jones’s Baby and Oliver Stone’s Snowden ended up with around $8 million, so...

Called “a stylish, sensitive coming-of-ager” by Variety and winner of the Independent Spirit Awards’ “Someone to Watch” honor for director Felix Thompson, King Jack debuts on DVD September 13 from Well Go USA Entertainment. Set over a hazy summer weekend, the film is a tough and tender coming-of-age story about friendship and finding happiness in rough surroundings starring Charlie Plummer (“Boardwalk Empire”), Cory Nichols (The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2), Christian Madsen (Divergent) and Danny Flaherty (“The Americans”). King Jack follows a scrappy 15-year-old (Plummer) who bonds with his introverted cousin (Nichols) while facing off against a bully (Flaherty). The critically-acclaimed drama won the Audience Award for Narrative Film at the 2015 Tribeca Film Festival.

Synopsis:

Jack (Charlie Plummer) is a scrappy 15-year-old kid stuck in a small, run-down town. He’s got more problems than he can handle: an escalating feud with a violent older bully, a crush on a neighborhood girl,...

With little over two weeks until release, Paramount Pictures has rolled out the decidedly R-rated trailer for Goat, Andrew Neel’s fraternity drama that takes the concept of hazing and dials it up to 11.

Incorporating cruelty, brutality, fraternity and an unhealthy dose of masochism, it is Ben Schnetzer (Warcraft) who finds himself at the epicentre of madness as a 19-year-old named Brad, who is still licking his wounds following a brutal assault. Out to overcome the ordeal, Schnetzer’s lead then pledges allegiance to his brother’s (Nick Jonas) fraternity, instigating a host of primitive rituals and widely over-the-top spiels as the two begin the infamous initiation process.

Like Neighbors on steroids, the trailer above is an assault on the senses to say the very least, but above the drinking games and devious pranks, it is the dynamic between Jonas and Schnetzer’s siblings that has us cautiously optimistic for Goat.

Far removed from the days of Animal House, Andrew Neel’s Goat takes a look at the initiation process to enter a fraternity (aka hazing) and the strength and limits of loyalty. Led by pop-star-turned-actor Nick Jonas and Ben Schnetzer, with a cameo by producer James Franco, as evidenced in a new Nsfw trailer, the script is co-written by David Gordon Green.

We said in our review from Sundance this year: “Telling us little new about the horrors of hazing that Todd Phillips’ documentary Frat House didn’t already do at Sundance nearly two decades ago, Goat is a compelling watch, but in the end, its themes are a bit muddled, and certainly not unique.”

Check out the trailer and poster below for the film also starring Gus Halper, Danny Flaherty, Jake Picking, and Virginia Gardner.

Reeling from a terrifying assault over the summer 19-year-old Brad Land (Ben Schnetzer) starts...

From RedBand.Ca, Sneak Peek the restricted 'red band' trailer supporting writer/director Andrew Neel's 'frat hazing' drama "Goat", starring Ben Schnetzer, Nick Jonas, Gus Halper, Danny Flaherty, Jake Picking, Virginia Gardner and James Franco, opening September 23, 2016:

"...reeling from an assault over the summer, 19-year-old 'Brad Land' (Ben Schnetzer) starts college determined to get his life back to normal.

"His brother, 'Brett' (Nick Jonas), is already established on campus and with a fraternity that allures Brad with its promise of protection, popularity, and life-long friendships. Brad is desperate to belong but as he sets out to join the fraternity his brother exhibits reservations, a sentiment that threatens to divide them.

"As the pledging ritual moves into hell week, a rite that promises to usher these unproven boys into manhood, the stakes violently increase with a series of torturous and humiliating events.

"What occurs in the name...

He’s been a busy boy as of late, and Nick Jonas' latest project finds him hazing fraternity pledges in the preview trailer of “Goat.”

The just-released teaser also features James Franco, Daniel Flaherty, Virginia Gardner and Ben Schnetzer, all under the direction of Andrew Neel.

Per the synopsis, “Brett Land is a well-established presence on his university’s Greek scene whose relationship with his 19-year old brother, Brad, is tested when the latter pledges his sibling’s fraternity. Based on Brad Land’s intense memoir, Goat examines modern masculinity, brotherhood, and loyalty as it focuses on the cracks that could shatter the brothers’ sanity (and blood ties) for good.” “Goat” hits theaters on September 23rd.

"Pledges gotta go through hell, otherwise what's the point?" Paramount has debuted a trailer for the indie drama Goat, directed by Andrew Neel, about the hell young pledges must go through to join a fraternity in college. Ben Schnetzer stars as one of the new recruits at a fraternity called "Phi Sigma Mu"; this also stars Nick Jonas, James Franco, Danny Flaherty, Virginia Gardner, Austin Lyon. The film played at Sundance but received mostly mediocre reviews. It looks like the kind of bros-on-bros, overly-masculine, totally-messed-up film I love to hate. Not for me, I'll be staying away. But anyone else intrigued, take a look. Here's the first official trailer (+ poster) for Andrew Neel's Goat, direct from MTV's YouTube: Reeling from a terrifying assault, a 19 year-old boy enrolls into college with his brother and pledges the same fraternity. What happens there, in the name of "brotherhood" tests the boy and...

Whether it’s The Social Network or Nicholas Stoller’s brace of Neighbors movies, Hollywood films have incorporated the concept of frat hazing into stories before, but few have doubled down on the fabled rite of passage quite like Goat, Andrew Neel’s fraternity drama that is set for release later this year.

It’s all in the name of brotherhood, though, and today leading star Nick Jonas introduces the movie’s very first trailer via MTV. Boasting a script penned by David Gordon Green, Goat revolves around two decidedly different brothers who pledge their loyalty to the same fraternity.

But it’s the infamous initiation process that puts their relationship to the sword – one that makes all others seem like a doddle by comparison. Jonas headlines the flick as one half of the sibling pairing, while Ben Schnetzer, who looks to have been hit with the short straw judging by today’s snippet,...

“Cruelty. Brutality. Fraternity.” This is the tagline for Andrew Neel’s Goat, a film focusing on the initiation process to enter a fraternity (aka hazing) and the strength and limits of loyalty. Led by pop-star-turned-actor Nick Jonas and Ben Schnetzer with a cameo by producer James Franco, the film has received its first trailer ahead of a fall release. With a script co-written by David Gordon Green, the preview is all fun and games until the horrors of abusive frat life take shape.

We said in our review from Sundance this year: “Telling us little new about the horrors of hazing that Todd Phillips’ documentary Frat House didn’t already do at Sundance nearly two decades ago, Goat is a compelling watch, but in the end, its themes are a bit muddled, and certainly not unique.”

Check out the trailer and poster below for the film also starring Gus Halper,...

With a seemingly endless amount of streaming options — not only the titles at our disposal, but services themselves — we’ve taken it upon ourselves to highlight the titles that have recently hit the interwebs. Every week, one will be able to see the cream of the crop (or perhaps some simply interesting picks) of streaming titles (new and old) across platforms such as Netflix, iTunes, Amazon Instant Video, and more (note: U.S. only). Check out our rundown for this week’s selections below.

The Boy and the Beast (Mamoru Hosoda)

Two worlds collide once young Kyuta (Shôta Sometani) and warrior Kumatetsu (Kôji Yakusho) meet in Mamoru Hosoda‘s The Boy and the Beast. The former was recently orphaned after his mother’s death (she had divorced his father years ago and her family refuses to get in touch with him), currently working his way towards becoming a solitary street...

In a very Harmony Korine kind-of-way, feature-debuter Felix Thompson spotlights the pain of maturation in his Tribeca Audience Award winner, King Jack.

Well, maybe “pain” isn’t the right word. Humbling humility? Hormonal rampage? Award social excursion through the bowels of embarrassment and conflict? A child coming-of-age is often thought of as a beautiful thing, but Thompson’s honest suburban tussle pays homage to the licks that shaped our makeup. I should mention how Thompson carves a sweet tale of family and friendship, but growing up ain’t easy – we like to reminisce about the good, while burying the pain. Necessary pain that molds, shapes, and baptizes our better-selves by fire.

Charlie Plummer stars as Jack, a typical teenage freshman trying to navigate the diabolical halls of high school. It’s summer, yet Jack still finds himself in summer school due to his inattentive nature. When he’s not sending his crush shirtless pictures,...

Read: Sundance: Why 'Goat' Star Nick Jonas and Director Andrew Neel Want to Change Modern Masculinity After making a bold impression at Sundance last month, Andrew Neel's fraternity psychodrama "Goat" is now targeting you with a symbolic teaser poster.  Starring Ben Schnetzer and Nick Jonas, the film centers around a 19-year-old college student who joins the same fraternity that his older brother has pledged, only to realize that the nights of debauchery, the lack of responsibility and the manipulative hazing might be too much for him to handle. Neel also wrote the screenplay along with Mike Roberts, after an earlier pass by indie stalwart David Gordon Green. Virginia Gardner, Danny Flaherty and Austin Lyon co-star. In a positive review out of Sundance, Indiewire Chief Film Critic Eric Kohn raved, "Slickly directed by Neel, the dreary movie scrutinizes the nature of that animalistic [frat] behavior and unsurprisingly discovers a pathetic.

Read: Sundance Review: Nick Jonas Gets Sick of Frat Life in 'Goat' Paramount Home Video and MTV Films have secured worldwide distribution rights for the Sundance smash "Goat" for a little under $3 million. This will be the second deal Paramount Home Video has made at the festival following yesterday's deal for Clea DuVall's relationship comedy "The Intervention." The Andrew Neel-directed psychodrama introduces a 19-year-old college student who joins the same fraternity that his older brother has pledged, only to realize that the nights of debauchery, the lack of responsibility and the culpability might be too much for him to handle. "King Kelly" director Neel also wrote the screenplay, along with Mike Roberts and David Gordon Green. The college drama stars Ben Schnetzer in the leading role. Virginia Gardner, Danny Flaherty, Austin Lyon and Nick Jonas co-star. Under the distribution deal, Paramount Home Video will give the college.

Goat (2016) Film Review from the 2016 Sundance Film Festival, a movie directed by Andrew Neel, starring Nick Jonas, Ben Schnetzer, Virginia Gardner, Danny Flaherty, and Austin Lyon. Goat is one of those films that, like its main character, Brad (Ben Schnetzer, who’s fantastic in a vulnerable performance), doesn’t quite know what it wants or how to obtain it; it is, in all […]...

"Brutal and harrowing as it is, there is something deeply sympathetic and sorrowful at work in director Andrew Neel’s frat hazing drama Goat," finds Vanity Fair's Richard Lawson. "Neel illustrates a world of homosocial bonding that is fueled by insecurity and anger, but he weaves in an affecting thread of pathos—we feel sorry for these boys as much as we revile them." The new feature starring Ben Schnetzer, Nick Jonas, Gus Halper, Danny Flaherty, Virginia Gardner, Jake Picking, Brock Yurich, Will Pullen, Austin Lyon, Eric Staves, Jamar Jackson and producer James Franco, is competing at Sundance—and we're gathering reviews. » - David Hudson...

"Brutal and harrowing as it is, there is something deeply sympathetic and sorrowful at work in director Andrew Neel’s frat hazing drama Goat," finds Vanity Fair's Richard Lawson. "Neel illustrates a world of homosocial bonding that is fueled by insecurity and anger, but he weaves in an affecting thread of pathos—we feel sorry for these boys as much as we revile them." The new feature starring Ben Schnetzer, Nick Jonas, Gus Halper, Danny Flaherty, Virginia Gardner, Jake Picking, Brock Yurich, Will Pullen, Austin Lyon, Eric Staves, Jamar Jackson and producer James Franco, is competing at Sundance—and we're gathering reviews. » - David Hudson...

Stars: Amber Heard, James Franco, Christian Slater, Ed Harris, Wilmer Valderrama, Cynthia Nixon, Jim Parrack, Timothée Chalamet, Danny Flaherty, Michael Cristofer, Tonya Glanz, Jessica Leccia, Gabriela Fresquez, Casper Andreas, Jimmy Gary Jr. | Written by Stephen Elliott, Pamela Romanowsky | Directed by Pamela Romanowsky

Adderall: now coming to a college campus near you. Well besides its intended usage for concentration in individuals who have Add, Adderall plays a part in the aptly titled The Adderall Diaries, a film, starring Amber Heard, Christian Slater, Ed Harris and James Franco, that follows a writer who is emotionally and creatively depressed, all the while dealing with a terrible childhood and contemplating his relationships with the people who have entered and left from his life.

The Adderall Diaries is adapted from Stephen Elliott’s book of the same name, which is about the author writing about the Hans Reiser murder trial all the while coming to...

Kate Plays ChristineThe lineup for the 2016 Sundance Film Festival, taking place between January 21 -31, has been announced.U.S. Dramatic COMPETITIONAs You Are (Miles Joris-Peyrafitte, USA): As You Are is the telling and retelling of a relationship between three teenagers as it traces the course of their friendship through a construction of disparate memories prompted by a police investigation. Cast: Owen Campbell, Charlie Heaton, Amandla Stenberg, John Scurti, Scott Cohen, Mary Stuart Masterson. World Premiere The Birth of a Nation (Nate Parker, USA): Set against the antebellum South, this story follows Nat Turner, a literate slave and preacher whose financially strained owner, Samuel Turner, accepts an offer to use Nat’s preaching to subdue unruly slaves. After witnessing countless atrocities against fellow slaves, Nat devises a plan to lead his people to freedom. Cast: Nate Parker, Armie Hammer, Aja Naomi King, Jackie Earle Haley, Gabrielle Union, Mark Boone Jr. World PremiereChristine (Antonio Campos,...

The Sundance Film institute has released the line-up of film for the 2016 Sundance Film Festival. Going to Sundance is one of my favorite events of the year. I love going because you never know what kind of movies you're going to see. Sometimes they are great films that amaze and entertain, other times they completely suck ass, but that's all part of the fun of going to the festival. It's an awesome experience for any hardcore movie geek, and if you ever get a chance to go, you need to.

The event takes place in Park City, Utah next year from January 21st to the 31st. It looks like there's a great line-up of movies at next year's event. My favorite portion of the event is the Midnight section because it deals more with geeky genre type movies, but I also enjoy the various sections of other line-ups.

Some of...

The Sundance Film Festival has today revealed the 65 films which are going to make up the 2016 Us and World Cinema Competition Dramatic and Documentary categories, along with those which make up the out-of-competition Next slate. This is a very diverse and interesting list, and one which Sundance Institute executive director Keri Putnam is clearly very excited to show off next year.

“At a time when big-budget blockbusters and free online content are ubiquitous, independent filmmakers continue to be extraordinarily creative, artful and inventive.”

Sundance 2016 will run from January 21st – 31st in Park City, Salt Lake City, Ogden and Sundance, Utah. Check out the full list of movies below and let us know which of these you’re most looking forward to seeing (even if some will inevitably fail to ever reach cinemas).

U.S. Dramatic Competition

Presenting the world premieres of 16 narrative feature films, the Dramatic Competition offers Festivalgoers a...

In last year’s selection of sixteen U.S. Dramatic Competition offerings, it was Alfonso Gomez-Rejon’s Me & Earl & the Dying Girl that landed both U.S. Grand Jury Prize: Dramatic and Audience Award: U.S. Dramatic awards, it was Rick Famuyiwa’s Dope who landed the richest deal ($7 million range), it was Patrick Brice’s The Overnight that had the most post festival momentum, it was Marielle Heller’s The Diary of a Teenage Girl that received a longer term accolades (Bel Powley won Best Actress at the Gothams) and it might be Robert Eggers’ The Witch that becomes the cult item we reference back in a decade from now. This year we accurately predicted ten of the sixteen items below. Among the more familiar folk, we have established names such as Antonio Campos (Christine – see pic of Rebecca Hall above) and So Yong Kim (Lovesong). We have second...

After unexpectedly unveiling their Midnight line-up first, the 2016 Sundance Film Festival have now revealed the 65 films selected for the U.S. Competition, World Competition and out-of-competition Next category. “From diverse backgrounds, places and perspectives, these independent artists are united by the power of their stories and vision. Their films will soon launch onto the global stage, beginning their journeys through our culture. A new year in independent film will start right here—on the mountain—in January,” Robert Redford says.

This year, 120 feature-length films were selected, representing 37 countries and 48 first-time filmmakers, including 28 in competition. These films were selected from 12,793 submissions, including 4,081 feature-length films and 8,712 short films. Of the feature film submissions, 1,972 were from the U.S. and 2,109 were international. 98 feature films at the Festival will be world premieres. Check out the line-up below along with images.

U.S. Dramatic Competition

Presenting the world premieres of 16 narrative feature films, the Dramatic...

Titles include Tallulah starring Ellen Page and Allison Janney, and Chad Hartigan’s Morris From America (pictured); Next strand also announced.Scroll down for full list

Sundance Institute has announced the 65 films selected for the Us Competition, World Competition and out-of-competition Next categories set to screen at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival (Jan 21-31) in Park City.

Us Dramatic Competition selections include Sian Heder’s Tallulah with Ellen Page and Allison Janney; Antonio Campos’ Christine; Clea DuVall’s feature directorial debut The Intervention; and Richard Tanne’s Southside With You, about Barack Obama’s first date with the First Lady.

Among the Us Documentary Competition selections are: Holy Hell by undisclosed; Jeff Feuerzeig’s Author: The Jt LeRoy Story; and Sara Jordenö’s Kiki.

The World Cinema Dramatic Competition entries include: Belgica (Belgium-France-Netherlands), Felix van Groeningen’s follow-up to The Broken Circle Breakdown; Manolo Cruz and Carlos del Castillo’s Between Sea And Land (Colombia); and Nicolette Krebitz’s Wild...

First-time feature writer-director Felix Thompson makes one heck of an entrance with King Jack, an exceptionally powerful coming-of-age story that pairs the charm and heart we’ve come to expect from the genre with some especially intense and brutal drama. The movie centers on 15-year-old Jack (Charlie Plummer). He doesn’t have many friends, lives in a rough part of town and is also in the middle of a heated feud with a nasty and sadistic bully named Shane (Danny Flaherty). On top of that, when Jack’s aunt falls ill, he’s stuck babysitting his young cousin, Ben (Cory Nichols). Much to Jack’s surprise, they wind up getting along quite well - that is until Shane and his buddies put Jack’s relationship with Ben to the test by exposing Jack’s insecurities. King Jack’s got an abundance of quality components, but there’s no way this...

Last week, Sony Pictures was crippled by a cyber-attack from an organization known as the Guardians of Peace (G.O.P.), which disabled all of their communications inside the company. The organization threatened to expose the studios' "top secrets" if their demands were not met, which have not been been disclosed. Over the weekend, G.O.P. leaked five Sony movies onto the Internet, four of which have not been released in theaters yet. The movies that were leaked online include Fury, Annie (December 19), Mr. Turner (December 19), Still Alice (January 19, 2015) and To Write Love On Her Arms, which doesn't have a release date set.

Over the weekend, Mashable received an email from an individual claiming to be the, "boss of the G.O.P." The site claims that their email sent in response went unanswered by the G.O.P. Take a look at an excerpt from that email below.

Despite the lottery-esque sounding odds, the U.S Dramatic Competition section which produces the finest American indie specimens such as Frozen River, Winter’s Bone, Blue Valentine, Martha Marcy May Marlene, Beasts of the Southern Wild, Fruitvale Station and Whiplash is fairly consistent in terms of quality. Last year’s crop of sixteen have almost all had their theatrical releases with Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter being the last one out of the gates (pegged with an early 2015 release). Last week we individually looked at our top 80 Sundance Film Fest Predictions (you’ll find 30 other titles worth considering in our intro) and below, we’ve split the list into narrative and non-fiction film items and have both identified and color-coded our picks in an AtoZ cheat sheet. You’ll find 2015′s answer to Whiplash located somewhere in the stack below. Click on the individual titles below, for the film’s profile.

What I like about a fest such as Sundance, is that it’s not only a place where we’ll find semi-star vehicle material with players in the indie biz, but they also launch the careers of new directors and is loaded with fresh faces. King Jack is the type of film that falls into the later category. Two time SXSW short filmmaker Felix Thompson began filming in this past summer and while we think there is a great deal of polishing involved, the pic, which was selected for the Sundance Institute Creative Producing Lab fellow program has a legit shot.

Gist: Starring Christian Madsen, Charlie Plummer, Danny Flaherty, Cory Nichols and Erin Davie, when shouldered with the responsibility of watching his younger cousin for the weekend, a delinquent 15 year-old (Plummer) finds himself stumbling towards maturity while struggling against the neighborhood bully.

Production Co./Producers: Buffalo Picture House’s Gabrielle Nadig,...