Just think, if Ed Burns hadn’t of chosen to stay out of the big studio system with the film Nice Guy Johnny, shooting on a tight budget and forgoing a theatrical release; creating a better business model for independent filmmakers, Screenhead would never have held this giveaway!
Since we did hold the giveaway, we have our two winners: Marcy Strahan and Sara Heller! Congratulations to our two lucky winners!
The Nice Guy Johnny Prize Pack includes:
Signed Nice Guy Johnny poster by Ed Burns
Signed Nice Guy Johnny screenplay by Ed Burns
DVD of Nice Guy Johnny
Soundtrack from Nice Guy Johnny
Like I mentioned before, I would love to get my hands on the signed screenplay. What a treasure that would be! But, I can’t participate in the giveaway because I am sponsoring it. Alas!
Wreaked is an independent film starring Academy Award winner Adrien Brody. He plays a man who awakens in a car at the bottom of a ravine in the wilderness with a broken leg surrounded by a bunch of dead people.
He has no idea who he is or how he got there and has no memory. He stumbles around for awhile and discovers his name is Raymond and he’s wanted in connection with a bank heist gone wrong.
The independent film has distribution in Canada but not in the States. The movie is directed by first-time Canadian feature filmmaker Michael Greenspan. He’s a graduate of American Film Institute in Los Angeles. First Showing says that this was shot last year mostly in British Columbia.
The movie looks good but I don’t know if the story is strong enough, and I am curious if there are any twists at the end.
Tiny Furniture is a simple independent film with a lot of comic punch in regards to family, friendship and love. The movie is written, directed and stars New York native Lena Dunham.
The comedy starts out with a college graduate (Dunham) who returns to live with her mom while figuring out what she’s supposed to do with her life now. The story ventures through romance, through comedy and drama. The interplay with the mother and sisters is fabulous.
The casting and dialogue create a movie that is quite good, according to reviewers and critics from various festivals. The film will be released November 12, 2010 but very limited.
Everything Must Go stars Will Ferrell as a guy who loses his job and gets locked out of his house by his wife. All of his belongings are put on the front lawn by his wife.
As a result, he spends the next four days holding an impromptu yard sale. This is the first time I have heard of Ferrell doing an indie. I guess he has the bucks to take the plunge and go for it, which I am looking forward to see.
Take a look a this upcoming independent film – La Soga.
Directed by Josh Crook, and starring Manny Perez and former Miss Universe Denise Quinones, La Soga follows the personal journey of one man, the son of a butcher turned government killer, who risks everything for justice. The film is inspired by true events and is an action-packed thriller set in the Dominican Republic and NYC.
In celebration of the recent successof the movie Lionsgate wants to share a brand new poster from Precious! This poster is more realistic compared to the other one, which was abstract. This one promotes positive feedback from critics and the like.
The film is expanding to 600+ theaters starting tomorrow. Here is the website that includes a full list of theaters and cities: www.preciousinmycity.com.
First Showing found a gem of an independent film called That Evening Sun starring Hal Holbrook and Mia Wasikowaska (Alice in Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland).
The story is about an aging Tennessee farmer named Abner Meecham (Holbrook) who returns to his homestead and discovers a family betrayal that he must face, then there is a reappearance of an old enemy, and the potential loss of his beloved farm.
The movie will have a very limited opening on November 13, 2009.
Ryan Reynolds will take on a grittier role than he’s ever done before in his next film role where he stars in Buried. He plays a civilian contractor who’s kidnapped in Iraq, and then wakes up buried in a coffin in the desert, armed only with a cell phone, a candle and a knife.
Reynolds is going right into production this month in Barcelona.
Variety says that Reynolds chose to go the indie route as a way to stretch his acting ability in a movie with a claustrophobic premise, and one in which he holds the screen through most of the picture.
Karin is our winner for this unique independent film about Hollywood wannabes. Congratulations!
Garden Party is the tale of five adventurous souls attempting to navigate the treacherous urban landscape of contemporary Los Angeles.
April is an ambitious beauty in search of success, but she may not know how to reach her goals with her clothes on. Sally St. Clair is a sexy realtor with a secret past.
She’s got a great eye for spotting adventurous souls and thrives on giving them direction in life. One of those adventurous souls is Nathan, her new assistant. Nathan moved to Los Angeles from Nebraska seeking success as a dancer, but now most of his time is spent making photocopies for Sally and her clients.
One of those clients is Todd, a porn-addicted artist who agrees to help Sally get revenge for a past indiscretion in exchange for her helping him realize his greatest fantasy. Meanwhile, a starry-eyed street musician Sammy moves in with Nathan, and they soon find they have very different ideas of their relationship status. Soon, everyone becomes hopelessly ensnared in Sally’s kinky entanglements.
The Courier is set to star Adrien Brody with Russell Mulcahy to direct the independent action movie.
The story follows a daredevil courier who is chased across the country by corrupt cops and rival crime boss as he tries to deliver a briefcase to an infamous underworld figure who is nowhere to be found.
It sounds like a typical action movie but with the scribes Michael Brandt and Derek Haas (Wanted) it could be a refreshing story.
Filming is set to start in January in Louisiana and Las Vegas.
