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What a difference a year makes.  Last year at Tiff I attended the reception for the launch of the Hollywood Suite Broadcasting by Catherine Tait, Jeff Sackman, Jay Switzer, Michael McLaughlin and David Kines.  Hollywood Suite is four Canadian wide new HD channels featuring commercial free HD movies 24/7, uncut and unedited.  Both Warner Bros. and MGM launched last year.  One year later they are announcing that Sony Movie Channel and Axn Movies are also moving into residence on the channels (replacing Hollywood Storm and Hollywood Festival.)  450 different movies are available every month on TV on demand, online and on mobile for one low monthly fee.  The cost of $4.99 per month stands in stark contrast to HBO and Showtime costs of $18 per month.

Catherine is widely known on the international circuit.  She was responsible for getting the New York Independent Feature Project up to the level that it has maintained throughout the tenure of Michelle Byrd and currently by Joane Vicente, who is taking it upwards once again to new heights.

Catherine's career in the film and television business spans two decades and includes leadership in the American independent film industry as well as in film and television financing and public company management. She is President of Duopoly, an independent production company that also provides business strategy services to the film and television industry. At Duopoly, she has executive produced a number of television programs including Pure Pwnage (a comedy based on Internet phenomenon www.purepwnage.com for Showcase), Chilly Beach (65 episodes of comedy animation for CBC), Yam Roll (39 episodes for CBC and Cartoon Network), as well as Lucky, a Sundance documentary which sold to HBO. Prior to founding Duopoly, Catherine was President and Chief Operating Officer of Salter Street Films, a publicly-traded television production & distribution company which produced hit programming such as This Hour Has 22 Minutes and Michael Moore's Bowling For Columbine. Catherine serves on the Boards of March Entertainment and Paperny Films; she is a past Director of eOne Entertainment's Canadian Board, of Aliant, of Chum Ltd, and was Chair of the Independent Feature Project in New York.

Catherine is also the founder of iThenic, an online and mobile video destination site, launched in 2006, that aggregates, produces and distributes web series and short-form video content. The company is headquartered in Toronto with offices in New York City and backed by three engaged and prominent shareholders: eOne Entertainment, Canada's largest entertainment company, the founders of iThentic LLC (led by Catherine Tait), and Smiley Guy Studios, an award winning animation and new media studio. Smiley Guy Studios is the operating partner with Jonas Diamond as CEO and Catherine Tait as Chair of the company.

iThentic strives to unite communities that include the creators, curators and viewers. The management team has a depth of experience in global production, distribution and marketing and is connected to a powerful international network of writers, directors, producers, animators and artists. This ensures that iThentic showcases the very best new work. iThentic's creative network is rooted in the independent film and television industry and has generated some of the most groundbreaking entertainment of the last two decades.

This year, iThentic launched its highly successful interactive web-series Guidestones on Hulu. Guidestones won a 2012 Rockie Award for Best Web Fiction Series and is now in production on season two. In addition, Catherine represented the Canadian comedy hit Roller Town (Slamdance 2012) written by and starring Picnicface's Mark Little, Scott Vrooman and Andy Bush and directed by Andy Bush. Roller Town has been sold to VOD leader Gravitas Ventures and is available now.

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Filmmaker siblings Jay and Mark Duplass recently gave up directing duties on their forthcoming wedding comedy Table 19 and Rocket Science director Jeffrey Blitz officially took their place today. Variety reported that Blitz, who also directed the docs Spellbound, about teen contestants at the 1999 National Spelling Bee, and Lucky, about the lives of big lottery winners experiencing turmoil in life, agreed to replace the Duplass bothers on the comedy. Real Steel and Date Night director Shawn Levy joined the comedy as producer via his company 21 Laps. The Duplass brothers wrote the comedy about a group of date-less losers placed at a far-removed table at a wedding who come to understand the meaning of marriage and relationships while at the party.

Filmmaker siblings Jay and Mark Duplass recently gave up directing duties on their forthcoming wedding comedy Table 19 and Rocket Science director Jeffrey Blitz officially took their place today. Variety reported that Blitz, who also directed the docs Spellbound, about teen contestants at the 1999 National Spelling Bee, and Lucky, about the lives of big lottery winners experiencing turmoil in life, agreed to replace the Duplass bothers on the comedy. Real Steel and Date Night director Shawn Levy joined the comedy as producer via his company 21 Laps. The Duplass brothers wrote the comedy about a group of date-less losers placed at a far-removed table at a wedding who come to understand the meaning of marriage and relationships while at the party.

Documentarian Jeffrey Blitz makes nice movies. With his crossword puzzle documentary Spellbound and now the lottery documentary Lucky, Blitz shows a fascination with the mysteries of human nature, but his films sometimes communicate that interest in pleasing little anecdotes rather than heavy emotional stories that convey something profound about the world. That breeziness is both a strength of Blitz’s oeuvre and its greatest weakness, especially when he’s faced with a subject as rich as the strange fortunes of people who’ve won the lottery. The subject might just be too broad for a single film, especially one this ...

It's an absolute wasteland out there on store shelves this week, as studios are offering virtually no major releases to speak of and instead we are left to sort through a pile of pathetic-looking direct-to-dvd titles. Believe it or not, South Park: Season 14 is probably the only high profile release out today, but if that's not your bag, you can always check out Sniper: Reloaded starring Billy Zane, Blood Out starring Val Kilmer and 50 Cent, or Sacrifice starring Cuba Gooding Jr. and Christian Slater! A couple of potential hidden gems include British comedy Bunny and the Bull from the makers of The Mighty Boosh and the lottery winner doc Lucky from director Jeffrey Blitz (Spellbound). Fortunately, Criterion also has Brian De Palma's Blow Out and Terry Gilliam's Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas on Blu, while Anchor Bay is releasing high-def versions of Alejandro Jodorowsky's The Holy Mountain and El Topo.

Liz Manne, longtime independent film marketing executive, has been appointed executive director of FilmAid International. FilmAid, founded by producer Caroline Baron during the Balkan crisis of 1999, uses film to educate and bring hope to refugees and communities in need around the world. Manne co-founded Fine Line Features with Ira Deutchman and later became Evp of programming and marketing for Robert Redford's Sundance Channel and an adviser to HBO Films. She most recently was appointed by President Barack Obama to serve on the President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities, focusing on cultural diplomacy. She's also on the board of directors of Mountainfilm in Telluride and is an AMPAS member. Her producing credits include 3 Backyards, The Heart of the Game and Lucky. "Liz brings to FilmAid an unbeatable combination of leadership talent, film industry savvy and a long-standing commitment to social justice," said FilmAid's Baron. "We couldn't be more...

The 49th annual Ann Arbor Film Festival is an epic celebration of experimental media that runs for six days on March 22-27. There’s so much great stuff screening this year, it makes one wonder what they’ll have left for their 50th anniversary next year!

A couple of the highlights include the highly anticipated feature-length documentary The Ballad of Genesis and Lady Jaye by Marie Losier, which chronicles the pandrogynous love story between industrial music pioneer Genesis P-Orridge and his late wife. The film already made a big splash at the Berlinale earlier in the year and looks to be a major hit on the festival circuit this year.

Also not to be missed is a special retrospective of one of this year’s festival jury members, Vanessa Renwick, a longtime favorite on Bad Lit: The Journal of Underground Film. Renwick will screen 10 of her quirky and artistic documentary portraits,...

Actor Tim Blake Nelson will host the awards ceremony at the Sundance Film Festival, which also announced Tuesday the members of the five juries that will determine the winners. The festival runs from Jan. 20-30; the awards will be handed out the evening of Jan. 29. (The Short Film Awards will be named earlier at a ceremony on Tuesday, Jan. 25, at Park City’s Jupiter Bowl.)

The complete list of jurors follows, with bios provided by the festival.

U.S. Documentary Jury

Jeffrey Blitz

Jeffrey’s film career started in 2002 with the Oscar-nominated, Emmy-winning documentary “Spellbound.” His fiction feature debut, “Rocket Science,” became his first to play the festival (Sundance, 2007; Dramatic Directing Award). He has also directed the documentary “Lucky,” (Sundance, 2010) and multiple episodes of NBC’s “The Office.” In 2009, he won the Emmy for comedy directing.

Matt Groening

Matt Groening created the longest-running comedy in television history, “The Simpsons.” As a cartoonist,...

With Warner Brothers currently attempting to revitalize their stable of DC comic book properties on the big screen, they've also decided to bankroll a new documentary to help spread the word about the magic of DC. Secret Origin: The Story of DC Comics looks at the history behind some of their most well-known heroes including Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman, and features interviews with such big names as Neil Gaiman, Geoff Johns, Jim Lee, Grant Morrison, Dennis O’Neil, Paul Pope, Louise Simonson, Mark Waid, and Len Wein. These kinds of documentaries are rarely hard-hitting or particularly deep, mainly because they are advertising tools, but this one is executive produced by Jeffrey Blitz (Spellbound, Lucky) which lends at least a little bit of credibility to the project. The film is narrated by Green Lantern himself, Ryan Reynolds, who coincidentally is also narrating a documentary about a baby killer whale called simply The Whale.

Here is the trailer for Warner Home Video's upcoming documentary on DC Comics called Secret Origin: The Story of DC Comics, which will be narrated by none other than Ryan Reynolds. This is the documentary that is being directed by Jeffrey Blitz (Spellbound, Rocket Science, Lucky). In a previous interview with producer Sean Welch he said,

DC Comics contacted us and asked if we would do this. Jeff and the director are comic book enthusiasts since they were kids and remain comic book enthusiasts. So yes, we have access to their archives, their material, their covers, their panels, the creatives and the executives in the DC world.

And now we have a little teaser trailer that gives us some nice little insight on the origin of DC Comics and the artists who created these iconic superhero characters.

Here's a Synopsis:

The original DC Comics Documentary is the first of...

On November 9, Warner Home Video will be releasing a very cool documentary called Secret Origin: The Story of DC Comics and it’s going to be narrated by Ryan Reynolds (Green Lantern). As the press release says:

The original DC Comics Documentary is the first of its kind: a compelling look at the company that created the modern super hero, produced with unprecedented access to the archives at Warner Bros. and DC Comics. Both a celebration of the best writers and artists in comics and a thoughtful exploration of seventy-five years of DC Comics history, Secret Origins combines insights from respected hitorians, interviews with some of the most influential comic book creators in history, and excerpts from comics, films, and television shows to bring the story of DC Comics to life in new and unexpected ways.

While the press release makes no mention of who directed and produced the documentary,...

Lots to catch up on before the Comic-Con coverage starts rolling in here. Last I saw, Prisco was attending a sparsely-populated Danny Elfman panel.

Oliva Munn, who is dumber than Twinkie filling but hasn't managed to ruin "The Daily Show" yet, will now attempt to ruin "Chuck" by guest starring on the season premiere as a CIA Agent. I'd complain about casting a hopelessly attractive, somewhat dim actor as a super-spy but that's kind of "Chuck's" forte. (EW)

I thought this was amusing. Deadline is reporting Exclusively that Halle Berry will star in Shoe Addicts Anonymous, a movie that will look at the lives of four Chicago women from different ethnic backgrounds. Why is that amusing? Because we reported that Exclusive news back on April 1st. Looks like someone forgot to do a Google search. (Deadline)

Sharon Stone will play the mother of Mary in Sweet Baby Jesus, a quirky...

To cast Paul Rudd at the center of your comedy, as My Idiot Brother casting director Jeanne McCarthy chose to do, is a solid start. To surround him with the likes of Elizabeth Banks, Zooey Deschanel, Emily Mortimer, Rashida Jones, and Adam Scott approaches brilliance. As such, you can trust that the remaining roles — now filled by Hugh Dancy, Kathryn Hahn, Shirley Knight, and Janet Montgomery — are in good hands.

Described as “a comedy about family and the sacrifices it takes to deal with them”, My Idiot Brother is currently shooting in New York City. Hit the jump for the official press release.

Hugh Dancy, Kathryn Hahn, Shirley Knight And Janet Montgomery Join The Cast Of “My Idiot Brother”

New York, NY – July 21, 2010 – Anthony Bregman of Likely Story and Peter Saraf and Marc Turtletaub of Big Beach announced today that Hugh Dancy (“Confessions of a Shopaholic,” “Adam”), Kathryn Hahn (“Revolutionary Road,...

One of the films I was really excited to see this past year at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival was a documentary titled Lucky. Directed by Jeffrey Blitz, the filmmaker behind one of my favorite documentaries Spellbound, as well as the great but under-seen indie film Rocket Science (which won him the Sundance Film Festival Directing Award in 2007 and featured a career-launching performance by Anna Kendrick, who later was nominated for an Oscar for Up in the Air).If you haven't seen either of the movies, you should add both of them to your netflix queue right now. Lucky is a documentary film which "crisscrosses the country following winners as they navigate their newfound riches, and hopefuls who have a 'dollar and a dream.'" I've always found the story of working class people who hit it rich and somehow lose everything interesting,but this film lacked the narrative that made Spellbound great.

Two highly-anticipated second feature films from U.S. underground filmmakers will be making their World Premieres all the way over at the 64th annual Edinburgh International Film Festival, which will run for twelve days on June 16-27. The films are Rona Mark’s The Crab and Zach Clark’s Vacation!.

The Crab, which screens on June 21, is the touching story of a verbally abusive man born with two enormous, mutant-like hands; while Vacation!, which screens on June 20, tracks four urban gals let loose in a sunny seaside resort down South.

Both Mark and Clark previously screened their debut features at Eiff. Mark’s Strange Girls screened there in 2008 and Clark’s Modern Love Is Automatic screened in 2009. Both films also ended up as runners-up in Bad Lit’s annual Movie of the Year award, again Strange Girls in 2008 and Modern Love in 2009. Sadly, these two masterpieces are still unavailable on...

HollywoodNews.com: Anthony Bregman of Likely Story and Peter Saraf and Marc Turtletaub of Big Beach announced that Paul Rudd has signed on to star in “My Idiot Brother,” a comedy about family and the sacrifices it takes to deal with them. Based on a screenplay by Evgenia Peretz and David Schisgall, “My Idiot Brother” will be directed by Jesse Peretz. Production is slated to begin in July in New York. Bregman, Saraf and Turtletaub will produce for their respective companies. Caroline Jaczko, Stefanie Azpiazu and Aleen Keshishian will executive produce. Rudd and Peretz have worked together previously on “The Château.” Rudd will next be seen starring in Jay Roach’s “Dinner for Schmucks” opposite Steve Carell and James Brooks’ “How Do You Know” opposite Reese Witherspoon. He will also be producing (alongside Judd Apatow, Wain, and Ken Marino) and starring in David Wain’s “Wanderlust” opposite Jennifer Aniston.

Ned (Rudd) is an idealist.

Director Jeffrey Blitz and producer Sean Welch sat down with MakingOf during the Sundance Film Festival to talk about their new film "Lucky." The documentary focuses on how lottery winners lives are turned upside down after their big payouts. "Lucky" intentionally shatters perceptions about the ultimate American dream and Blitz describes it as being "a movie about how people's lives transform in a gigantic way very quickly."

The filmmaking team also share that they faced plenty of naysayers along the way when shooting the popular documentary "Spellbound." The lesson they learned after the movie became a hit, is that for better or worse they should always trust their instincts.

To watch the full interview click here.

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to win the lottery? Do you think all your problems would disappear? After watching Jeffrey Blitz’s (Rocket Science, Spellbound) new documentary Lucky, I’ve learned what people go through when they come into a ton of new money and it isn’t always easy.

Lucky premiered at this year’s Sundance Film Festival and the film features interviews with both lottery winners and regular folks hoping to win. What’s interesting is how some of the winners have changed dramatically, and others are almost the exact same people. It’s a fascinating movie about something millions of people play every week, and by the end, you’ll probably want to buy a ticket.

While at the Festival, I was able to talk with Jeffrey Blitz and producer Sean Welch. They talked about being back at Sundance, how hard it was...

Director Jeffrey Blitz and producer Sean Welch (”Spellbound”, “Rocket Science”, “Lucky”) recently revealed that they’ve started filming and production on a documentary about the legendary comic book publishers DC Comics. According to an interview with Collider.com, they home to premiere the movie at this summer’s Comic-Con. Originally founded in 1934 as National Allied Publications, DC Comics is the publishing division of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. and Time Warner. The company is home to comic book heroes and titles such as “Superman”, “Wonder Woman”, “Batman”, “Green Lantern”, and “Watchmen.” all of which have either been adapted into multiple media or are in consideration and production stages. [...]...

Are you one of those people who complains that Comic Con isn't about comics anymore, but just all these giant movies that take up all the space? The director of Spellbound may be solving your dilemma. At Sundance Collider talked to the Spellbound and Lucky director, as well as his producer Sean Welch, and they revealed their plans to make a documentary about the history of DC Comics. Filming just started a few weeks ago, but the plan is to debut the film at Comic Con this year. Welch explained, "DC Comics contacted us and asked if we would do this. Jeff and the director are comic book enthusiasts since they were kids and remain comic book enthusiasts. So yes, we have access to their archives, their material, their covers, their panels, the creatives and the executives in the DC world." You can watch the video clip of the interview,...

Given the fact that Marvel and DC Comics characters have proved to be the new mainstays for summer moviegoing, I'm surprised that we haven't seen a new documentary that reaches deep into the history of either company. That might be about to change as Jeffrey Blitz and Sean Welch (who directed and produced Spellbound, Rocket Science and Lucky) are producing a doc about DC. Mac Carter, who worked on Spellbound, is directing the film, which we may see at Comic Con.  Speaking to Collider, Blitz and Welch say that the film is fully authorized by DC, which leads me to wonder on how it will treat various rough patches in the company's history. Welch says: DC Comics contacted us and asked if we would do this.  Jeff and the director are comic book enthusiasts since they were kids and remain comic book enthusiasts.  So yes, we have access to their archives,...

While millions of kids around the world know the origin of Superman and Batman, I’d wager most of them don’t know they were originally created by DC comics a long time ago. But if director Jeffrey Blitz (Spellbound, Rocket Science, Lucky) and producer Sean Welch (he produced all three of Blitz’s movies) have their way, at this summer’s Comic-Con, a lot more people are going to know the history of DC comics.

The reason is at last week’s Sundance Film Festival, the two filmmakers told me they’ve just started work on a documentary about the history of DC Comics! While they just started rolling cameras last week, they said the plan is to premiere the movie at this summer’s Comic-Con. And if you’re nervous they’re doing this without the support of DC, Welch told me:

“DC Comics contacted us and asked if we would do this.

Lucky is the reverse. An exploration of that other American Dream, getting something for nothing. I’m sure the emotions it will conjure will be utterly different than what Spellbound inspired. - Veteran director Jeffrey Blitz (Spellbound, Rocket Science—2007 Sundance Film Festival Directing Award winner) has skillfully crafted a revealing look at the way one’s identity is undoubtedly turned upside down after the big payout. Thoroughly involving, Lucky cleverly strips off the veneer and shatters our perceptions about the ultimate American dream. - Sundance Film Guide Eric Lavallee: Can you discuss the genesis of this project – how did the initial idea come about and at what point did you know that you wanted to commit to the idea of making this? Jeffrey Blitz: After Spellbound, I was rummaging around for my next documentary. Sean Welch and I would pitch one another potential movies by sending...

While our Sundance home page is the place for all our coverage from Park City, here is a brief rundown of what's been going on during the last 24 hours, including Matt Singer's interview with "The Freebie" writer/director Katie Aselton and co-star Dax Shepard and reviews of the Chace Crawford drama "Twelve," the Banksy doc "Exit Through the Gift Shop," Philip Seymour Hoffman's directorial debut "Jack Goes Boating" and the 3D Aussie doc "Cane Toads 2: The Conquest."

Some were puzzled when Sundance accepted "Batman and Robin" director Joel Schumacher's latest film "Twelve." James Rocchi writes that the concern was justified. Here's an excerpt from his review, which can be found in full here:

Directed by Joel Schumacher ("Batman and Robin," "The Lost Boys"), "Twelve" is unquestionably the funniest film at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival; if only it had been made with that intention. "Twelve"'s ham-handed ineptitude...

Celebrity Sightings: (and lack thereof) Keeping partygoers on their toes, The Romantics got its big festival party the day before it screened, according to Risky Biz Blog. But they didn't see one celeb -- no Akerman, Wood, Bergen, Brody, Holmes... But Holmes did grab Wood for MTV's Photo Booth. Another festgoer settles in for Blue Valentine without noticing that John C. Reilly, Amy Adams, Ryan Gosling, and Michelle Williams are close by. But Fergie was out au naturel, Jesse Eisenberg and Justin Bartha were chilly over dinner, and the Huffington Post round up the all-important gallery of funny hats in Utah's brisk, January weather. Speaking of which, Ryan Gosling found time to go snow tubing.

Our Coverage: Scott kicked things off this morning with his take on the stoner comedy High School. He wrote: "High School coasts over its missteps and succeeds on equal parts quick humor, likable characters, and pure energy.

Ever wonder what happens to a lottery winner after he or she wins $2, $20, or (gasp) $200 million? You can be sure that filmmaker Jeffrey Blitz (Spellbound) has considered the question, because his latest documentary is all about that. Entitled Lucky, it's a slick and simple "human interest" sort of documentary (not unlike Spellbound) that may not shock you or change your world view -- but hell, it's pretty interesting to see what happens after a middle-class family wins $314 million.

Unfortunately, Lucky doesn't have the built-in charm that the young spelling bee contestants brought to Spellbound. The jackpot winners we meet are: a cranky old man who blew through his millions depressingly quick, a family of four, a Vietnamese immigrant who hit the numbers with seven co-workers, a grimy sadsac, and a mathematician. We also visit with a woman who happily drops $70 per day on lottery tickets ... but Lucky seems a bit...

While our Sundance home page is the place for all our coverage from Park City, here is a brief rundown of what's been going on during the last 24 hours, including a new photo gallery for the Catherine Keener-Amanda Peet dramedy "Please Give" and reviews of "Lucky," "The Freebie" and "Mother and Child."

Matt Singer got an unwelcome Paul Haggis vibe from Rodrigo Garcia's "Mother and Child," a multi-stranded drama starring Annette Bening, Naomi Watts and Kerry Washington as a trio of women connected through pregnancy and adoption that Sony Classics will release in May. Here's an excerpt from his review, which can be found in full here:

The winner in the bunch is Naomi Watts who, in a terrific performance, plays Elizabeth, a ferociously competitive careerist starting a new job at a law firm run by Paul (Samuel L. Jackson). For Watts, Elizabeth offers an opportunity to...

On Monday, I attended a press screening of Lucky, a documentary film about a bunch of lottery winners "as they navigate their newly found riches and a couple of extremely determined hopefuls." Here is the official plot synopsis: "The winners’ lives are undoubtedly changed forever but not necessarily in the ways we may expect. Life becomes complicated as attorneys, hired security guards, jealous friends, scheming family members, and desperate pleas for help from strangers pepper their new existence." I've always found the story of working class people who hit it rich and somehow lose everything interesting. I was mainly interested in this film because it was directed by Jeffrey Blitz, who helmed one of my favorite documentaries Spellbound, and also directed the feature film Rocket Science, which won him the Sundance Film Festival Directing Award in 2007. Both films are solid, with Rocket Science being a must watch (Up in the Air...

My Sundance Film Festival Monday (Jan. 25) began with a pair of high profile entries from the U.S. Documentary Competition slate. However, despite fascinating subject matter for "Bhutto" and favored Sundance director Jeffrey Blitz behind "Lucky," neither doc fully engaged me. Brief reviews for "Bhutto" and "Lucky" after the break... "Bhutto" (directors Jessica Hernandez and Johnny O'Hara) - The late Pakistani prime minister Benazir Bhutto gets adoring and arduously by-the-numbers bio-doc treatment in "Bhutto," which aspires to nothing less than a full history of Pakistan, the Bhutto family and a year-by-year chronicle of the iconic politician's life. Although not without enlightening...

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to win the lottery? Do you think all your problems would disappear? After watching Jeffrey Blitz’s (Rocket Science, Spellbound) new documentary Lucky, I’ve learned a lot about what people go through when they come into a ton of money.

Lucky has Blitz going around the country interviewing a number of past winners of the Lottery. Some won a little, others a lot. What’s interesting is how some of them changed dramatically and others are almost the exact same people.

Anyway, after the first press screening ended earlier today, Peter Sciretta and David Chen from Slashfilm and I recorded our thoughts on my Flip mini outside the theater. If you’d like to check it out, hit the jump:...

By Eric Kohn

Documentarian Jeffrey Blitz's "Spellbound" was one of the most popular documentaries of recent years, mainly because it blended a high concept (spelling bee competitors) with an intelligent study of Americana. While Blitz's current Sundance entry, "Lucky," comes nowhere near the crowd-pleasing capacity of earlier non-fiction accomplishments, it nevertheless produces an amusing feature-length essay based around a similarly alluring phenomenon: Lottery winners.

Essentially composed of mini-profiles fea<img style="margin:15px 15px 15px 1...

While our Sundance home page is the place for all our coverage from Park City, here is a brief rundown of what's been going on during the last 24 hours, including reviews of "Catfish," "Nowhere Boy," "Please Give," and "HappyThankYouMorePlease."

Alison Willmore enjoyed the documentary that's become the talk of the festival, "Catfish," which premiered in the Spotlight section. Here's an excerpt from her (spoiler-heavy) review, which can be found in full here:

You can see why Ariel Schulman, who co-directed alongside Henry Joost (both also figure in largely on screen), started chronicling the development of his brother Nev's online friendship with Abby Pierce, an eight-year-old art prodigy living in upstate Michigan. It's adorable, it's a novelty, it's a Good Story. And you can see why Nev, a 24-year-old photographer, agrees to it. Abby reached out to him, mailing him a painting of a picture of two dancers he took for a New York paper.

Jeffrey Blitz, the filmmaker behind Oscar-nominated “Spellbound” as well as “Rocket Science,” which won him the Directing Prize at the 2007 Sundance Fest, is back with his latest documentary, “Lucky.” The director, who has been working hard directing episodes of “The Office” and “Parks and Recreation” returns to what brought him onto the scene, chronicling the lives of ordinary Americans who go through extraordinary experiences. “Lucky crisscrosses the country, examining a …...

Jeffrey Blitz, the filmmaker behind Oscar-nominated “Spellbound” as well as “Rocket Science,” which won him the Directing Prize at the 2007 Sundance Fest, is back with his latest documentary, “Lucky.” The director, who has been working hard directing episodes of “The Office” and “Parks and Recreation” returns to what brought him onto the scene, chronicling the lives of ordinary Americans who go through extraordinary experiences. “Lucky crisscrosses the country, examining a …...

Welcome to a new series here at Cinematical where we'll shine a spotlight on different films premiering at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival in January.

Jeffrey Blitz probably isn't a name you know right off the bat, but I guarantee you've seen his work. The writer-director exploded onto the scene back in 2002 with his documentary Spellbound, which followed a group of kids competing in the National Spelling Bee and was nominated for several awards including an Oscar for Best Documentary. Blitz then wrote and directed the unique and compelling Rocket Science (his first Sundance film), which, among other things, helped introduce the world to actress Anna Kendrick. After helming several episodes The Office and Parks and Recreation, Blitz has returned to his documentary roots with the film Lucky.

Premiering in the U.S. Documentary Competition section at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival, Lucky follows several regular folks whose lives instantly change after winning the lottery.

Judging by names like Gibney, Blitz, Poitras, Guggenheim, Stern/Sundberg and Grady/Ewing, 2010's Sundance Documentary Competition will be stellar edition with so many return Sundance filmmakers clogging up the section. - Judging by names like Gibney, Blitz, Poitras, Guggenheim, Stern/Sundberg and Grady/Ewing, 2010's Sundance Documentary Competition will be stellar edition with so many return Sundance filmmakers clogging up the section. I'll do more groundwork but off the bat, I'm automatically interested in Gibney's exploration of Jack Abramoff and crew (the official title for the doc is Casino Jack and the United States of Money), Amir Bar-Lev moves from Kids who paint pictures to adults creating their own pictures as was the bad judgment calls from some high ranking folk in the U.S. government (I'm Pat ------- Tillman) and Jeffrey Blitz's long awaited doc on lottery winners (Lucky). Dammit. I pretty much want to see the entire section.