MrGarySeven

LA TIMES “1999 PROJECT” Features “AMERICAN MOVIE”

All year the LA TIMES will be marking the 25th anniversary of pop culture milestones that remade the world as we knew it then and created the world we live in now. They are calling it The 1999 Project and today they reflect upon the Sundance premiere of “AMERICAN MOVIE” — which was edited by September Club founder Barry Poltermann, who also provided seed funding and was a producer on the film.

“American Movie,” which premiered 25 years ago this week at the Sundance Film Festival, took Borchardt’s aspirations and shaped them into something more suggestive, crystallizing the moment when independent features were storming the gates of the Hollywood castle. It’s worth returning to Crystal’s monologue, in which he glibly calls that year’s Oscars “Sundance by the Sea.” The idea that such interlopers would ever dominate the film industry’s big night seemed mildly amusing to him then; now, the moment drips with irony.

Oscilloscope Acquires WILDCAT

Oscilloscope Laboratories has acquired North American rights to Ethan Hawke’s portrait of Flannery O’Connor, Wildcat, starring and executive produced by Maya Hawke. The film had its world premiere at the 2023 Telluride Film Festival. Oscilloscope will release the film in theaters in the Spring

‘A Disturbance in the Force’ Ranked the #6 Documentary of 2023 by Rotten Tomatoes

A Disturbance in the Force, the feature documentary about the making of the infamous Star Wars Holiday Special, has been ranked the #6 documentary of 2023 by Rotten Tomatoes.

It’s not just CERTIFIED FRESH, it’s just one of thirteen films to receive a perfect score on Rotten Tomatoes this year. Here is the full list:

STILL: A MICHAEL J. FOX MOVIE
KOKOMO CITY
20 DAYS IN MARIUPOL
THE DISAPPEARANCE OF SHERE HITE
BEYOND UTOPIA
A DISTURBANCE IN THE FORCE
IT AIN’T OVER
THE PIGEON TUNNEL
LITTLE RICHARD: I AM EVERYTHING
JOAN BAEZ I AM A NOISE

‘Napoleon Dynamite’ and other indie classics will return to Sundance Film Festival

The Salt Lake City Tribune announced that Napoleon Dynamite produced and edited by September Club founder Jeremy Coon is scheduled to return to the Sundance Film Festival in January.

A remastered 4K version of the 2004 comedy “Napoleon Dynamite” is one of eight classic independent films that got their start in Park City that will be screened at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival — celebrating its 40th year of operations under Robert Redford’s nonprofit Sundance Institute.

The institute announced the special screenings, as well as two other special events for the 40th festival, on Tuesday. Also announced were the 53 short films chosen to screen at this year’s festival, which runs Jan. 18-28 at venues in Park City and Salt Lake City.

BORN INNOCENT: THE REDD KROSS STORY DEBUTS IN BARCELONA AND LONDON

The first screenings of BORN INNOCENT: THE REDD KROSS STORY edited by our own Erin Elders will be at the in-Edit Festival in Barcelona. Next up is London and the Doc’n Roll Festival.

As for all of you Americans, there will be two additional American festivals before the end of the year. The Barcelona festival guide describes the film thusly:

Passionate praise of the band started by ‘freak brothers’ Jeff and Steve McDonald –one of the most unique and influential American rock bands of the past four decades. A colorful and chirpy clusterf*ck of garage punk, glam, power pop, metal, candor, bullheadedness and wild adventures. A genre unto itself, and unto which, members of Sonic Youth, L7, Black Flag, Melvins and Sebadoh profess undying love.

Appearances by: Jeff McDonald, Steve McDonald, Kim Gordon, Thurston Moore, Mark Arm, Lou Barlow, Keith Morris, Donita Sparks, Jennifer Finch, Buzz Osborne, Dale Crover