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The Amazon Kids+ and Prime Video live-action CGI series Dino Dex, from Sinking Ship Entertainment, has revealed first-look images in advance of the launch on October 20th. The new kids series comes from the Emmy Award-winning Dino franchise.

Dino Dex follows 9-year-old Dex, who, with his neighbor Kayla, go on hilariously fun explorations to study dinosaurs. Dino Dex is packed with awesome adventures and new educational experiences in each episode, with a little touch of magic.

The biggest and boldest installment yet in the popular Dino series, Dino Dex will debut with nine episodes on October 20th and follow with an additional 17 in 2025.

The ensemble cast includes Juan Pablo Romero playing Dex, Ana Victoria Dinapo as Kayla, Michela Luci as Dana, Nicola Damude as Mom, Amish Patel as Dad, and Jason Spevack as Dan.

The cast also includes Trek Buccino as Trek, Eric Peterson as Dex and Dana’s grandfather,...

Sinking Ship Entertainment’s Dino Dex, the latest in the Canadian producer’s live-action hybrid TV franchise, is getting a special press and industry screening at the Toronto Film Festival, ahead of Amazon Kids+ and Prime Video debuting the series on Oct. 20, 2024.

Series creator and director J.J. Johnson will hold a post-screening Q&a on Sept. 12 with members of the cast, which includes Juan Pablo Romero playing Dex and Ana Victoria Dinapo as Kayla. The special screening in Toronto comes as TIFF gets deeper into TV series premieres with its expanding Primetime sidebar this year, and ahead of the festival launching an official content market in 2026.

The ensemble cast includes Michela Luci playing Dana, Nicola Damude as Mom/Eva and Amish Patel as Dad/Aman, along with Jason Spevack as Dan, Trek Buccino as Trek, Eric Peterson as Dex and Dana’s grandfather, Ali Hassan as Uncle Ravi, Jayne Eastwood as...

Quirky characters aren’t enough to save an independent comedy these days, and neither is packing it full of recognizable faces. Jesus Henry Christ is guilty on both counts, but to its credit it has some brains to back it up. Unfortunately, it leans a bit too heavily on its two child co-stars Jason Spevack and Samantha Weinstein, whom when separate are rather fantastic but who just can’t create a convincing interaction when paired together. The chemistry may be off, but it’s not what prevents the film from being a great little comedy; that’s the writing’s fault. Piling such overly familiar but eclectic characters into a single mix could produce so much more than what Writer and Director Dennis Lee gives us here, but instead of popping out as a memorable character piece, it fizzles out as all the familiar clichés are hit with nothing new rising to the top.

By Allen Gardner

The Samurai Trilogy (Criterion) Director Hiroshi Inagaki’s sprawling epic filmed from 1954-56 is an early Japanese Technicolor masterpiece, rivaling the scope of filmmakers like David Lean and Luchino Visconti. Toshiro Mifune, Japan’s greatest actor, stars as real-life swordsman, artist and writer Musashi Miyamoto, following his growth from callow youth to disciplined warrior. The three films: the Oscar winning “Musashi Miyamoto,” “Duel at Ichijoji Temple,” and “Duel at Ganryu Island” are an incredible story of human growth, tender love and sublime, blood-soaked action. Not to be missed. Also available on Blu-ray disc. Bonuses: Interviews with translator and historian William Scott Wilson; Trailers. Full screen. Dolby 1.0 mono.

The 39 Steps (Criterion) Alfred Hitchcock’s 1935 story of spies, conspiracies and sexual tension put him on the map on both sides of the Pond. Robert Donat stars as an innocent thrust into a deadly plot alongside a cool blonde (Madeleine Carroll...

Festival initiative “U.S. in Progress” introduces four U.S. productions in post-production to European buyers.

American Independent films, French Independent Films and Oscar Nominated Foreign Language Films will be showcased.

The Weinstein Company’s Harvey Weinstein wil receive a tribute and will host a retrospective of his films.

Donald Sutherland will host a screening of Klute and will receive a Medal of Arts and Letters bestowed by Frederic Mitterrand.

The Champs Elysees Film Festival’s U.S. President is Michael Madsen

The French Festival President is Lambert Wilson

The discussions held so often about the sustainability of arthouse theaters, about the joining of forces between them and festivals and the ownership of festivals themselves, and sometimes of theaters as well, by distributors as a way to sustain the three key players of this precious triangle of culture, continue as the first Champs Elysees Film Festival presents a jam-packed line up and full program of events at its inaugural edition.

The seven day festival, June 6-12, has been formed and is owned by the independent distributor Sophie Dulac. It is exciting for me to go to see the arthouses we have already written about in the area of the Champs Elysees - the Balzac, its rival the Lincoln, the Publicis, and the two major chains, Gaumont Champs Elysees and Ugc George V. Another interesting aspect of this upcoming event is the festival's ownership by a French distributor, Sophie Dulac. This is one of two similarities between Gutek and Dulac. The New Horizons and the American Film Festivals are owned by Roman Gutek whose distribution company Gutek is the largest arthouse distributor in Poland. Similarly Sophie Dulac seems to "own" this festival. Somewhat analagous to this is the "owning" of distribution company Tribeca Films by the Tribeca Film Festival or the Sundance Select Distribution arm owned by the Sundance Film Festival. The New York Film Festival and the Toronto International Film Festivals have yet to declare themselves distributors but do own the arthouses in which to show "their" films year round in festival settings.

Dulac explains the impetus to launch the Champs Elysees Film Festival, “As Paris’ first truly international film festival, our mission is to create a bridge between the independent American and French film industries. In the most beautiful city in the world and one with a worldwide association to cinema, the Champs Elysées Film Festival will be a celebration of film promoting the work of young filmmakers and honoring the work of established directors.” She adds, “We want to throw a spotlight on independent film from France and the U.S. We will welcome famous names, offer new films, open up discussions between members of the film industry, give short films a special showcase and invite audiences to gala previews.”

I personally hope the tourists of Champs Elysees see this as a special opportunity to share inside festival experiences with international professionals and that it brings in more business than ordinary theatrical fare brings to the same theaters, thus proving that festivals serve as a new branch of film distribution and that the joining of forces between distributor, exhibitor and festival point toward a new mode of profitability for all parties.

U.S. in Progress was first presented at the American Film Festival in Wroclaw Poland in November. This is the second similarity between Dulac and Gutek. U.S. in Progress will now be here as well. U.S. in Progress is in fact a joint initiative between the American Film Festival in Wroclaw, the Champs Elysees Film Festival in Paris and Black Rabbit Film, a company of Adeline Monzier who also created the association of European indie distributors called EuropaDistribution. It is the first and only industry event devoted to U.S. indies in Europe. Its aim is to present U.S. indie films in post-production to European buyers in order to foster the circulation and distribution of American indie films in Europe. This presentation of American independent films in post-production to European buyers to promote the distribution of American independent films in Europe is uniquely one of the top new developments in the industry. The program works to forge inroads between the generation of talented American filmmakers emerging today and European buyers. I am so proud to be serving on its jury as I did on the first edition as well.

The other sections are: Official Selection of American Independent Films, French Galas, American Galas, Oscar Nominated Foreign Language Films and Shorts. A tribute to Harvey Weinstein will be presented on June 6 at an event to celebrate his career. Weinstein will participate in a roundtable conversation to discuss French/American co-productions and a Retrospective of 11 of his films will be shown throughout the week.

The American independent films selected as part of the inaugural program include Richard Linklater’s Bernie (Isa: Hyde Park, U.S.: Millennium) with Jack Black, Shirley Maclaine and Matthew McConaughey; Jesus Henry Christ (Isa: Im Global, U.S. E1) with Toni Collette and Michael Sheen; Bruce Beresford’s Peace, Love & Misunderstanding (Isa: Voltage, U.S. IFC) starring Jane Fonda, Catherine Keener and Elizabeth Olsen and Marina Abramovic: The Artist is Present (Isa: Submarine, U.S. Music Box). An Audience Award will be given out to the most popular American Independent. American Galas include Jennifer Westfeldt’s Friends with Kids (Isa: Red Granite, U.S. Roadside Attractions/ Lionsgate) and Wes Craven’s My Soul to Take (2010) in 3D.

French films include Comme Un Homme (Isa: Memento) directed by Safy Nebbou; Journal de France (Isa: Wild Bunch) directed by Claudine Nougaret and Raymond Depardon; Vous n'avez encore rien vu (Isa: Studiocanal) directed by Alain Resnais and Wrong (Isa: Kinology) helmed by Quentin Dupieux.

The Champs Elysees Film Festival has selected esteemed French Actor Lambert Wilson for the role of French President and Michael Madsen has accepted the role of the Festival’s U.S. President.

The festival will pay tribute to the actor Donald Sutherland who will be at the Festival to host a screening of the masterpiece Klute directed by Alan J. Pakula followed by a “Hollywood Conversation” with the iconic actor. Frederic Mitterrand will bestow Sutherland with the medal of Commander of Arts and Letters that evening.

Official Selection of American Independent Films

Blank City, a documentary directed by Celine Danhier’s

Bernie directed by Richard Linklater starring Jack Black, Shirley Maclaine and Matthew McConaughey

Jesus Henry Christ with Toni Colette, Jason Spevack and Michael Sheen

Keep The Lights On directed by Ira Sachs

Luv directed by Sheldon Candis

Marina Abramovic: The Artist Is Present, Matthew Akers acclaimed documentary

Not Waving But Drowning directed by Devyn Waitt, winner of U.S. in Progress Prize, Wroclaw, Poland.

Peace, Love & Misunderstanding directed by Bruce Beresford starring Jane Fonda, Catherine Keener and Elizabeth Olsen

Tabloid, Errol Morris fascinating documentary

The Perfect Family, directed by Anne Renton and starring Kathleen Turner, Emily Deschanel and Jason Ritter

French Galas

Adieu Berthe directed by Bruno Podalydès

Comme Un Homme directed by Safy Nebbou

Du Vent Dans Mes Mollets directed by Carine Tardieu

Journal De France directed by Claudine Nougaret and Raymond Depardon

La Clinique De L’Amour directed by Artus de Penguern

L’Air De Rien directed by Grégory Magne and Stéphane Viard

Mains Armees directed by Pierre Jolivet

Quand Je Serai Petit directed by Jean-Paul Rouve

Vous N’Avez Encore Rien Vu directed by Alain Resnais

Wrong helmed by Quentin Dupieux.

American Galas

After Life directed by Agnieszka Wojtow

Brake directed by Gabe Torres

Bitch Slap directed by Rick Jacobson

Friends With Kids directed by Jennifer Westfeldt

My Soul To Take (3D) directed by Wes Craven

Perfect Host directed by Nick Tomnay

Terri, directed by Azazel Jacobs

Summertime directed by Matthew Gordon.

The Champs Elysees Film Festival intends to reflect the diversity of international production by offering the public a selection of the 2012 Oscar nominated foreign language films, some never before seen in France:

Bullhead directed by Michael R.Roskam (Belgium)

Dans Ses Veux directed by Juan José Campanella (Spain/Argentina)(2010)

Monsieur Lazhar directed by Philippe Falardeau (Canada)

Une Separation directed by Asghar Farhadi (Iran)

72 Days directed by Danilo Serbedzija (Croatia)

Letters To Angel directed by Sulev Keedus (Estonia)

Volcano directed by Runar Runarsson (Iceland)

Films being screened as part of Harvey Weinstein’s retrospective include The Aviator, Chicago, Gangs Of New York, Jackie Brown, Kill Bill 1&2, The English Patient, Pulp Fiction, Shakespeare In Love, Good Will Hunting and The Yards.

More than thirty short films comprise the Champs Elysees Film Festival’s Official Selection of Short Films which were selected by a French industry team as well as four major film school programs: University of Southern California’s School of Cinematic Arts, New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts and Columbia University’s Columbia University Film Festival for the United States and Paris-based film school La Femis for France:

French Shorts Selection

Hurlement D’Un Poisson directed by Sébastien Carfora

It’S A Miracul’House directed by Stéphane Freiss

Les Meutes directed by Manuel Schapira

Mon Canard directed by Emmanuelle Michelet & Vincent Fouquet

Les Grossesses De Charlemagne directed by Nicolas Slomka and Matthieu Rumani,

Plume directed by Barry Purves

Personne(S) directed by Marc Fouchard

La Fille De L’Homme directed by Manuel Schapira

Kiss & Kill directed by Alain Ross

USC School of Cinematic Arts Shorts Selection

Little Spoon directed by Lauren Fash

Ellen directed by Kyle Hausmann-Stokes

Efrain directed by Matthew Breault

Fig directed by Ryan Coogler

The Nature Of Fall directed by Tomer Stolz

New York University Tisch School of the Arts Shorts Selection

Little Horse directed by Levi Abrino

Border Land directed by Alexander Smolowe

Premature directed by Rashaad Ernesto Green

Down In Number 5 directed by Kim Spurlock

Columbia University Film Festival Shorts Selection

Rolling On The Floor Laughing directed by Rusel Harbaugh

Motherland directed by Shario Siddiqui

Hatch directed by Christoph Kusching

Crossing directed by Gina Atwater

Off Season directed by Jonathan Van Tulleken

The Hirosaki Players directed by Jeff Sousa

La Femis Shorts Selection

Goose directed by Morgan Simon

Demain Ce Sera Bien directed by Pauline Gay

On Traks directed by Laurent Navarri

Bye Bye Wild Boy directed by Julie Lena...

DVD Release Date: July 3, 2012

Price: DVD $24.98

Studio: Entertainment One

Jason Spevak (r.), Michael Sheen and Toni Collette hit the road in Jesus Henry Christ.

The offbeat 2012 comedy film Jesus Henry Christ was written and directed by Dennis Lee and executive produced by Julia Roberts.

The film revolves around 10-year-old boy genius Henry James Herman (Jason Spevak, Sunshine Cleaning) and his fervently left-wing single mother Patricia (Toni Collette, Velvet Goldmine), who works at the local university’s cafeteria. A misfit from birth, Henry’s precocious, rabble-rousing ways catch up with him when he gets kicked out of school for writing “Manifestos on the Nature of Truth.” Meanwhile, 12-year-old Audrey (Samantha Weinstein, The Rocker) has her own problems because of her single father, university professor Dr. Slavkin O’Hara (Michael Sheen, Beautiful Boy), who used her as the test subject for his best-selling book “Born Gay or Made that Way?” When Henry...

Well, people, it’s here. Each year, starting around Memorial Day and continuing through the early weeks of summer, we find ourselves knee-deep in a period marked by the release of monstrously large popcorn flicks, movies that show off stars and special effects while raking in the dough. That’s right: it’s the season of the terminal illness drama-comedy. Oh, wait – just kidding. It’s Summer Blockbuster Season! And we’re off to a great start with Marvel’s superhero team up this weekend. Buckle up.

Let’s just get right to it. “The Avengers,” from writer-director Joss Whedon, unites almost every superhero under the Marvel banner in a fight against time and evil, in this weekend’s biggest movie (by far). Whedon, only several weeks out of receiving critical acclaim for his penning of “The Cabin in the Woods,” has created another masterpiece here. Witty, technically brilliant, plausible (grain of salt,...

There's a moment in "Jesus Henry Christ" when a character is said to be in poor health. When asked what happened to him, the answer is "The Bulls won the championship." We flash back to 1998, where a lisping ethnic caricature sits on a couch; his shoulders slumped, defeated as the television blares news of the Bulls' championship triumph. The joke, we're meant to assume, is that there were serious repercussions to Chicago winning that championship, though we never exactly see what happens to our doomed, ultimately irrelevant character. Later, we learn in another cutaway occurring a half hour later for no apparent reason, that the man left the house to take out the garbage, only to absorb a bullet to the head, ostensibly fired in the air by an overzealous Bulls fan. So the joke...yeah.

In 1998, the Chicago Bulls, led by the league's Mvp and top scorer Michael Jordan,...

Title: Jesus Henry Christ Director: Dennis Lee Starring: Michael Sheen, Toni Collette, Jason Spevack, Samantha Weinstein, Frank Moore A canted coming-of-age tale about a 10-year-old prodigy who sets out to find his biological father, writer-director Dennis Lee’s “Jesus Henry Christ,” executive-produced by Julia Roberts, uses the loose thematic conceit of burgeoning self-identity as a jumping off point for a colorful and at times funny but mostly emotionally hollow exploration of adolescent isolation and yearning for acceptance. An adaptation of Lee’s Student Academy Award-winning short film of the same name, “Jesus Henry Christ” takes as its central figure Henry (Jason Spevack), a precocious boy genius who’s been speaking since he was but an infant, and is [ Read More ]...

Title: Jesus Henry Christ Director: Dennis Lee (‘Fireflies in the Garden’) Starring: Jason Spevack (‘Ramona and Beezus’), Toni Collette and Michael Sheen Teens often spend most of their adolescence trying to spend as little time with their families as possible. But when they don’t know who one of their parents is, their need to find their family and identity is often one of the most important things in their life. The need to fully discover one’s background and personality is cleverly shown in the new comedy ‘Jesus Henry Christ.’ While the title character in the film, Henry, is known for his unnaturally high Iq, he is like many children in [ Read More ]...

Precocious doesn’t even begin to describe Henry James Herman, and he is on a quest to find his biological father. Wamg wants to help you join the quest… so we are giving away passes to the La Premiere of Jesus Henry Christ.

The La Premiere of Jesus Henry Christ will be held on Wed, April 18th at Mann Chinese 6 (6801 Hollywood Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90028) at 7:30pm.

Official Rules:

1. You Must Be In The Los Angeles Area The Day Of The Screening.

2. Fill Out Your Name And E-mail Address Below. Real First Name Required.

3. Answer The Following Question: What is your favorite movie about a boy genius?

Winners Will Be Chosen Through A Random Drawing Of Qualifying Contestants. No Purchase Necessary. Passes Will Not Be Substituted Or Exchanged.

Anyone Caught Reprinting Tickets For Distribution Will Be Banned From Our Contests! Duplicate Tickets Will Not Be Accepted!

Precocious doesn’t...

“Don’t Judge a Book by Its Cover” is a proverb whose simple existence proves the fact impressionable souls will do so without fail. This monthly column focuses on the film industry’s willingness to capitalize on this truth, releasing one-sheets to serve as not representations of what audiences are to expect, but as propaganda to fill seats. Oftentimes they fail miserably.

—

There’s a good mix of work coming out in April and the posters do well to mirror such. I’m not quite sure how Rodrigo Cortés‘ could have his first film Buried possess one of the best poster series of 2010 and then return to big screens with the lackluster Vodka Creative sheet for Atm, but not everything can be perfect.

I can’t complain too much, however, since the month does bring some quality pieces of marketing material. And while Jack Black‘s creepy pedo-stash and Cardinal...

Here's an acting duo I never would've thought of putting together, but makes total sense.  Toni Collette and Michael Sheen star in Jesus Henry Christ, a dysfunctional family comedy that's very much in the vain of Little Miss Sunshine (my favorite Collette piece of acting).  Jason Spevack stars as her son and he's seeking his biological father.  Guess who that is?  See the trailer after the jump.

Jesus Henry Christ, writer-director Dennis Lee’s follow-up to Fireflies in the Garden will be released in the Us next month, and with a cast headed up by Michael Sheen and Toni Collette, it sounds promising.

The film is centred on a young boy, played Jason Spevack (Sunshine Cleaning), looking for his biological father (Michael Sheen), and Apple have debuted the first trailer and poster ahead of its Us release.

“Precocious doesn’t even begin to describe Henry James Herman, a petri dish child who writes rabble-rousing manifestos on the nature of truth… at age 10. This boy-genius misfit’s world turns upside down when–to the dismay of the doting single mother who raised him–he embarks on a search for his biological father.”

Recent years have of course seen something of a surge in the featuring of quirky young children in film – think Wes Anderson (anybody else immensely excited for Moonrise Kingdom in May?...

Trailer, poster for Jesus Henry Christ, starring Michael Sheen and Toni Collette. The Dennis Lee comedy opens via Entertainment One on April 20th, with a cast which also includes Jason Spevack and Samantha Weinstein. In Jesus Henry Christ, precocious doesn't even begin to describe Henry James Herman, a petri dish child who writes rabble-rousing manifestos on the nature of truth... at age 10. This boy-genius misfit's world turns upside down when--to the dismay of the doting single mother who raised him--he embarks on a search for his biological father. Lee also wrote the script for the based on his short film. Sukee Chew, Lisa Roberts Gillan and Philip Rose produce...

Trailer, poster for Jesus Henry Christ, starring Michael Sheen and Toni Collette. The Dennis Lee comedy opens via Entertainment One on April 20th, with a cast which also includes Jason Spevack and Samantha Weinstein. In Jesus Henry Christ, precocious doesn't even begin to describe Henry James Herman, a petri dish child who writes rabble-rousing manifestos on the nature of truth... at age 10. This boy-genius misfit's world turns upside down when--to the dismay of the doting single mother who raised him--he embarks on a search for his biological father. Lee also wrote the script for the based on his short film. Sukee Chew, Lisa Roberts Gillan and Philip Rose produce...

Trailer, poster for Jesus Henry Christ, starring Michael Sheen and Toni Collette. The Dennis Lee comedy opens via Entertainment One on April 20th, with a cast which also includes Jason Spevack and Samantha Weinstein. In Jesus Henry Christ, precocious doesn't even begin to describe Henry James Herman, a petri dish child who writes rabble-rousing manifestos on the nature of truth... at age 10. This boy-genius misfit's world turns upside down when--to the dismay of the doting single mother who raised him--he embarks on a search for his biological father. Lee also wrote the script for the based on his short film. Sukee Chew, Lisa Roberts Gillan and Philip Rose produce...

I'll admit it: I'm kind of a sucker for quirky indie comedies, the more twee the better. I fully recognize why some people don't like them and I honestly can't blame them - I have moments of self reflection about it myself - but lord help me, I can't get enough of a precocious young child who wants his mom to help track down their biological father. And that's exactly what I get in Jesus Henry Christ. Based on a short that director Dennis Lee made back in 2003, the feature film stars Toni Collette, Michael Sheen, and introduces Jason Spevack and Samantha Weinstein. Check out the trailer below and to see it in HD hop over to Apple. Does it look kind of corny? Sure. Has the young genius trope been done to death yet? Quite possibly. But still, I couldn't help myself from smiling while watching that preview. Add...

"I'm his mother, you're nothing but a test tube filled with sperm!" E1 Entertainment has debuted the official trailer on Apple for the indie comedy Jesus Henry Christ, written and directed by Dennis Lee (Fireflies in the Garden), starring Toni Collette and Jason Spevack as her son Henry James Herman, a precocious 10-year-old kid who sets out on a quest to find out who his sperm-donor father was. The trailer reveals that it's Michael Sheen, who actually has some sort of history with Collette's character anyway, and all the fun begins. There are some interesting fantastical elements to this with the Post-It notes, but it looks charming. Watch the official trailer for Dennis Lee's Jesus Henry Christ, in high def via Apple: Precocious doesn't even begin to describe Henry James Herman, a petri dish child who writes rabble-rousing manifestos on the nature of truth... at age 10. This boy-genius misfit's...

Starring Michael Sheen, Toni Collette, Jason Spevack and Samantha Weinstein.

Directed by Dennis Lee

EOne Films will release Jesus Henry Christ on April 20th.

Synopsis:

Precocious doesn’t even begin to describe Henry James Herman, a petri dish child who writes rabble-rousing manifestos on the nature of truth. at age 10. This boy-genius misfit’s world turns upside down when.to the dismay of the doting single mother who raised him.he embarks on a search for his biological father. Starring Michael Sheen, Toni Collette, Jason Spevack and Samantha Weinstein. Directed by

Official Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/#!/JesusHenryChrist...

Writer and director Dennis Lee had his debut feature, Fireflies in the Garden, premiere at the Berlin Film Festival in February of 2008. Starring Ryan Reynolds, Julia Roberts, Willem Dafoe, Hayden Panettiere, Emily Watson and Carrie-Anne Moss, the drama been lacking a release since then, leaving many wondering what went wrong.

Some of us have an idea.

See, the worst movie that I’ve seen in a theater this year is one that most have probably (thankfully) never heard of. That film is Jesus Henry Christ, an ostensible dramedy that premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival this year, starring Michael Sheen, Toni Collette, Jason Spevack, and Samantha Weinstein. I tried to dissect this monstrosity in my review, but it’s something that you really need to see to fully understand. What’s the connection between these two? Writer and director Dennis Lee!

The experience of seeing it has made me averse to this guy’s work,...

Working from his student Academy award winning short, the feature version of Jesus Henry Christ centres around a young boy named Henry James Herman (Jason Spevack) who remembers everything he learns. Singled out as an exceptional child prodigy and treated like a science experiment by adults wanting to capitalize off of him, including a college professor (Michael Sheen), whose child psychology book has ruined the life of his preteen daughter Audrey (Samantha Weinstein). Toni Collette plays Henry’s mother, a woman who also had to grow up fast due to unfortunate childhood circumstances. Filmmaker Dennis Lee borrows from both the dark and the funny, using death as a recurring motif and examining how sometimes being “extraordinary” isn’t as special as it may seem. I spoke with Lee through an email interview shortly after Tribeca wrapped. Melissa Silvestri: How did you develop the story of Jesus Henry Christ? Dennis Lee...

There’s a character who appears for only a few scenes in Jesus Henry Christ, but who I’ve thought about since seeing the movie. This small, insignificant aspect has stuck out in my mind, because I feel like he encapsulates so many of the things wrong with this film.

The character is a man who’s white, and yet acts as if he were…well, as if he were a stereotypical black man. He dresses in what could be considered a traditional African dress, speaks how someone who’s never seen a Spike Lee movie would assume a character in a Spike Lee movie speaks, and has an offensive “accent,” if you can call it that. The joke serves more or less no purpose to the overall film, only being present to give a cheap laugh. Not only was this exact routine done on an episode of Family Guy...

When Dennis Lee made his first film a few years back called "Fireflies in the Garden," he made one brilliant hiring decision. It wasn't Ryan Reynolds or Willem Dafoe, who both starred in the film, but rather the cinematographer Danny Moder, who had but a few credits as a Dp to his name and also a wife named Julia Roberts, who took a supporting role in the drama. As it stands, the film has never been released in America, the first of Roberts' never to do so - and to be fair, the company with the film's rights went belly up, which had the unintended consequence of making "Jesus Henry Christ" Lee's debut in his home country, though it may very well be seen by just as few people.

While Roberts doesn't actually appear onscreen in "Jesus Henry Christ," it's her production company (Red Om Films) that made it and should be mentioned,...

First Look Photos At 'Christ' & Michael Sheen/Maria Bello Film 'Beautiful Boy,' Torn Also Scoring 'Everything Must Go' So, what is there about the comedy "Jesus Henry Christ" from director Dennis Lee ("Fireflies in the Garden") to get excited about? Well, for one, it stars Michael Sheen, Toni Collete and Jason Spevack, the young boy best known for roles in "Sunshine Cleaning" and "Ramona and Beezus ." Not a bad cast. And perhaps slightly more interesting to us is the fact that the film is being scored by celebrated composer/guitar-texturalist David Torn (occasionally known as the recording artist Splattercell) and…...

This colorful, modern family comedy revolves around 10-year-old boy genius Henry James Hermin (Jason Spevack) and his fervently left-wing single mother Patricia (Toni Collette), who works at the local university's cafeteria. A misfit from birth, Henry's precocious, rabble-rousing ways catch up with him when he gets kicked out of school for writing "Manifestos on the Nature of Truth." Meanwhile, 12-year-old Audrey (Samantha Weinstein) has her own problems because of her ...

This colorful, modern family comedy revolves around 10-year-old boy genius Henry James Hermin (Jason Spevack) and his fervently left-wing single mother Patricia (Toni Collette), who works at the local university's cafeteria. A misfit from birth, Henry's precocious, rabble-rousing ways catch up with him when he gets kicked out of school for writing "Manifestos on the Nature of Truth." Meanwhile, 12-year-old Audrey (Samantha Weinstein) has her own problems because of her ...

In ‘I Want You (Back From the Dead),’ Bernie (Jason Spevack) is the victim in a tragic accident and Aidan (Sam Witwer) is helpless. Sally (Meaghan Rath) finds an old love on the hospital wall, Nicholas Fenn and old teacher’s assistant she knew from college and Josh (Sam Huntington) attempts to slow things down with Nora (Kristen Hager); yes, slower that they’ve already gone so far.

Aidan

Knowing he had a chance to prevent Bernie’s death really affected Aidan, who is already a tortured soul. But then having his life in his hands a second time was testing his will to fight Bishop’s advances and tolerate Rebecca’s (Sarah Allen) insubordination. That woman really knows how put Aidan through the wringer. She’s a temptress then a torturer who acts as immature as Bernie. He might want to think twice about staking her too given all the trouble she’s caused.

Tribeca Film Festival has announced the line up of this years competition categories, including World Narrative Feature, World Documentary Feature, and the brand new Viewpoints which highlights eleven independent features and nine documentaries.

Tribeca Film Festival is one of leading film festivals located in New York City, showcasing many films not screened in any other U.S. film festival along with forty three world premieres and fifty four directorial debuts. Cameron Crowe’s premier of his concert documentary, The Union, will start the festival followed by a performance by Elton John. The rest of the lineup will be announced March 14th, and look out for coverage of the festival in April. Below you can find the complete press release on the lineup.

10th Tribeca Film Festival Announces World Narrative

And Documentary Competition Selections, And New Viewpoints Section

Tribeca Expands Awards Scope

2011 Festival to Present 88 Feature-Length and 61 Short Films April 20 – May...

Fresh from family time, Josh (Sam Huntington) tries to pick up where he left off with Nora (Kristen Hager), but in the dating world, if you snooze you lose. Aidan (Sam Witwer) and Sally (Meaghan Rath) try to encourage him to be more confident but what’s making it more difficult is that he’s about to turn into the wolf. Aidan tries to help Sally get some answers while he meets a neighbor kid who needs his help. Here’s my weekly thoughts of what happened to each of the roommates and what it might mean down the road.

Josh

Give him credit, when he gets put in a corner, this doggie is a pit bull. Josh seemed intimidated by Dr. Travis Reed (Charles Bender) at first, but with a little coaching from his roommates, Josh let just enough of the wolf out to score with Nora, appropriately in doggie position.

The 2011 Tribeca Film Festival (April 20-May 1) on Monday announced the first 44 feature films of the 2011 Tribeca Film Festival slate, comprising the World Narrative and Documentary Competition film selections, and one new section: Viewpoints.

In a record year for submissions, the 2011 film slate was chosen from a field of 5,624 entries. Tff 2011 will include feature films from 32 countries, including 43 world premieres, 10 international premieres, 19 North American premieres, seven U.S. Premieres and nine New York premieres.

“It’s our 10th Tribeca Film Festival, and in our relatively brief existence we have evolved dramatically,” said Tff executive director Nancy Schafer in a statement. “The festival has become an integral part of the cultural landscape of New York City as well as a globally recognized platform for storytelling.”

A complete list of the films announced Monday follows, with descriptions provided by the festival.

World Narrative Features

“Angel’s Crest”

Directed by Gaby Dellal

Written by Catherine Trieschmann

(UK,...

The 2011 Tribeca Film Festival (April 20-May 1) on Monday announced the first 44 feature films of the 2011 Tribeca Film Festival slate, comprising the World Narrative and Documentary Competition film selections, and one new section: Viewpoints.

In a record year for submissions, the 2011 film slate was chosen from a field of 5,624 entries. Tff 2011 will include feature films from 32 countries, including 43 world premieres, 10 international premieres, 19 North American premieres, seven U.S. Premieres and nine New York premieres.

“It’s our 10th Tribeca Film Festival, and in our relatively brief existence we have evolved dramatically,” said Tff executive director Nancy Schafer in a statement. “The festival has become an integral part of the cultural landscape of New York City as well as a globally recognized platform for storytelling.”

A complete list of the films announced Monday follows, with descriptions provided by the festival.

World Narrative Features

“Angel’s Crest”

Directed by Gaby Dellal

Written by Catherine Trieschmann

(UK,...

By Sean O’Connell

Hollywoodnews.com: The 2011 Tribeca Film Festival revealed the World Narrative and Documentary Competition film selections for the 10th annual Tff, which will be held April 20 to May 1 in lower Manhattan.

In addition, Tff organizers unveiled the first edition of the new section — Viewpoints.

Forty-four of the 88 feature-length films that will screen during the fest have been announced. Much more information on each title can be found below.

“It’s our tenth Tribeca Film Festival, and in our relatively brief existence we have evolved dramatically,” said Nancy Schafer, Executive Director of the Tribeca Film Festival. “The Festival has become an integral part of the cultural landscape of New York City as well as a globally recognized platform for storytelling.”

So what will screen at Tribeca this year? In part, the following:

World Narrative Feature Competition

· Angels Crest, directed by Gaby Dellal, written by Catherine Trieschmann. (UK, Canada) – World Premiere.

And the festival beat marches on… nothing on this list immediately jumps out at me… no titles I recognize. These are just the World Narrative and Documentary competition selections, so, there’ll be more announcements made later. I do see representation from South Africa, Egypt and Rwanda. As I always do, I’ll be taking a closer look at the lineup for any titles worth profiling on this website. The festival runs from April 20th to May 1st. It’s in my backyard, so you know I’ll be covering it!

For now, here’s the full press release:

New York, NY [March 7, 2011] – The 2011 Tribeca Film Festival (Tff), presented by American Express®, today announced the World Narrative and Documentary Competition film selections and the first edition of the new section—Viewpoints. Forty-three of the 87 feature-length films were announced. The 10th edition of the Festival will take place from April 20 to May 1 in lower Manhattan.

The Tribeca Film Festival announced selections for its World Narrative, World Documentary, and Viewpoints competitions at its 10th annual event, running from April 20 to May 1 in New York. Eighty-eight features (such as Angels Crest, with Jeremy Piven) and 61 short films from 32 different countries were selected from more than 5,600 submissions to screen at the festival. “In programming the Festival this year we had to make some incredibly difficult decisions, but we are excited about the quality, ingenuity, risk-taking and diversity of this year’s program,” David Kwok, Director of Programming, said in a statement. “We are particularly proud that we have...

Getty Robert DeNiro

The 2011 Tribeca Film Festival, which will run from April 20 to May 1 in lower Manhattan, has announced the films that will play in this year’s World Narrative and Documentary Competition film categories, which are both competition sections. The also named the films that will will play in its new, out-of-competition section “Viewpoints.”

Now in its tenth year, this year’s festival features movies from 32 different counties and 99 different filmmakers, who were selected from a pool of 5,624 entries.

The poster for Ramona and Beezus is a little deceiving. On it, Ramona Quimby (Joey King) and her older sister Beezus (Selena Gomez), hug, smile, and look directly at the viewer as if posing for the world’s most processed family portrait, practically an advertisement for clean clothes and smiling. Not misleading, perhaps, but not reflective of the emotional range of either the film or these two particular characters, who are for the most part faithful to Beverly Cleary’s original novels. The film conveys that same spirit; however, it does not seem fully comfortable with it, dressing up its proceedings with all the trappings of a sitcom and thus blunting some of the Ramona Quimby’s inherent personality. It’s a shame, because given the amount of cnergy and cheer already on display, one can’t help but feel that the film missed an opportunity to reach outside of...

Title: Ramona and Beezus Directed By: Elizabeth Allen Starring: Joey King, Selena Gomez, John Corbett, Bridget Moynahan, Ginnifer Goodwin, Josh Duhamel, Jason Spevack, Sandra Oh People of all ages talk about Beverly Cleary’s Beezus and Ramona books fondly, but that still doesn’t classify the series as one for all ages. The stories are for children, and adults just remember them tenderly and enjoy sharing them with their kids; that doesn’t mean the book-to-film adaptation needs to directly appeal to older crowds as well. If only the filmmakers would have ditched such a deliberate attempt at making Ramona and Beezus adult-friendly, perhaps the film would have been as successful as the source [...]...

Taylor Lautner has spent some time bowling with Selena Gomez while in Vancouver, Canada earlier this year, and pictures of them having fun have surfaced. The Jacob Black of the "Twilight Saga" series joined the "Round & Round" singer and most of her co-stars in "Ramona and Beezus" when they were on a night out during filming.

The 18-year-old actor was captured laughing in one photo while being sandwiched in between Selena, and her co-stars, Joey King, Jason Spevack and Jason Dano, as the four of them clowned around. Other photos also expose that bowling wasn't the only game they played on the evening. The "Valentine's Day" actor got into staring contests with Joey who was accompanied by sister Haley.

Taylor was recently reported to have put his plans to finish college on hold indefinitely for his movie career. He has enrolled into a local community college near his hometown in Grand Rapids,...

Taylor Lautner has enjoyed his down time by having a bowling match with Selena Gomez and her "Ramona and Beezus" co-stars, including Joey King, Hutch Dano and Jason Spevack. The stars had their bowling night when they filmed in Vancouver earlier this year.

In the pictures posted on Joey's Facebook, Taylor is seen swarmed by Selena, Joey as well as her sister Haley, Hutch and Jason. All of them are seen showing their peculiar faces, while the Jacob Black of "Twilight" saga seems tickled by them.

In another shot, additionally, Taylor posed with 10-year-old Joey as if they challenge each other. Joey's sister Haley also challenged the actor, who was once romantically linked to Taylor Swift, to a bowling match and staring contests.

"Ramona and Beezus" is set to hit U.S. theaters on July 23. Beside starring Selena Gomez, Joey King, Hutch Dano and Jason Spevack, the Elizabeth Allen-directed...

Taylor Lautner could follow the step of his "Twilight" co-star Kristen Stewart who has just landed Orange Rising Star Award at 2010 BAFTAs. The 18-year-old hunk has been announced as one of the contenders to win Best Performance by Leading Young Actor at the 31st Annual Young Artist Awards for his portrayal of Jacob Black in "The Twilight Saga's New Moon". For the said prize, he will be up against Jake T. Austin ("Hotel For Dogs"), Jimmy Bennett ("Alabama Moon"), Max Records ("Where The Wild Things Are") and Devon Bostick ("Adoration").

Meanwhile, Emma Roberts and Saoirse Ronan are put under the same category, facing each other for the Best Performance by Leading Young Actress kudo. The "Hotel For Dogs" star and the "The Lovely Bones" beauty are additionally joined by Abigail Breslin ("My Sister's Keeper"), Jolie Vanier ("Shorts") and Yara Shahidi ("Imagine That") in the competition for the award.

The nominations...

Selena Gomez and Demi Lovato are placed in competition against each other at the upcoming 31st Annual Young Artist Awards. As the Young Artist Foundation unveiled this year's nominees, it is revealed that the two Disney stars and best friends are vying for Leading or Supporting Young Actress title in a category for TV movie, mini-series or special.

Both Selena and Demi received the nomination for their performance as Carter Mason and Rosalinda respectively in "Princess Protection Program". Beside each other, they are also up against two other hopefuls, Tori Barban of "The Christmas Hope" and Patricia Raven of "Dear Harvard".

The two teen stars are not the only Disney's leading lady to get nominated for 2010 Young Artist Awards. Miley Cyrus has earned a nod for Leading Young Actress in TV series for her role on "Hannah Montana". She is listed among four other contenders that include the star of Nickelodeon's "iCarly", Miranda Cosgrove.

The nominees of the 31st Annual Young Artist Awards have been announced. "Hotel for Dogs," "Twilight Saga: New Moon," and "My Sister's Keeper" are among the nominees.

The Young Artist Awards benefits the Young Artist Foundation -- a non-profit organization which awards scholarships to financially and/or physically challenged young people seeking a future in the entertainment industry.

Winners will be announced at a gala be held on Sunday, April 11, 2010 at the Beverly Garland, Studio City, California.

Nominees of the 31st Annual Young Artist Awards (feature film categories):

Best Performance In A Feature Film

Leading Young Actor

Jake T. Austin .Hotel For Dogs.

Jimmy Bennett .Alabama Moon.

Max Records .Where The Wild Things Are.

Taylor Lautner .Twilight Saga - New Moon.

Devon Bostick .Adoration.

Best Performance In A Feature Film

Leading Young Actress

Emma Roberts .Hotel For Dogs.

Abigail Breslin .My Sister's Keeper.

Jolie Vanier .Shorts.

Yara Shahidi .Imagine...

Chicago – Christine Jeffs’ “Sunshine Cleaning” has its ups and downs, its pros and cons, but it’s worth a look, now on Blu-Ray and DVD, for one of the most delightful, multi-faceted performances of the year from one of the better actresses of her generation. What Amy Adams delivers in “Sunshine Cleaning” is her most interesting turn since “Junebug”. Even with an average Blu-Ray release, Adams makes “Cleaning” worth at least a rental on its own.

Blu-Ray Rating: 3.5/5.0 Despite what Adams (and, to a lesser extent, Emily Blunt) bring to “Sunshine Cleaning,” it’s pretty undeniable that the screenplay could have used another polish. The film fluctuates wildly in tone and overall quality and feels at times like it was practically created by a computer designed to make a “Sundance comedy”.

The “Sundance comedy” is practically a genre of its own at this point - odd characters, quirky dialogue, an unexpected plot twist,...

Most times, we read our comics and watch our movies and television programs and come in at the beginning or during an act of gruesome violence. Often, we then see the crime scene investigators do their thing and then leave. But what becomes of the crime scene afterwards?

Answering that question is the moving Sunshine Cleaning, an independent film starring Amy Adams and Emily Blunt. The well-received film comes out on DVD this Tuesday from Anchor Bay Entertainment.

Adams plays Rose Lorkowski, a single parent stuck in a dead end job, trying to raise her young son. Raised by her failed salesman father (Alan Arkin), it fell to Rose to raise her younger sister Norah. Rose was once on top of the world, captain of the cheerleading team, but there she is, a decade-plus later and she’s still sleeping with the quarterback (Steve Zahn), despite his being married to someone else.

Christine Jeffs is set to direct Castle Rock Entertainment's "Wonderful Tonight" written by J. Mills Goodloe ("Pride," "A Gentleman's Game"). The story focuses on the relationship between a bachelor and a young woman who have a one night stand and are left with an unplanned-for pregnancy. This develops into a surprising love affair. Well, now that we know that...what's the point of seeing the film? It souds like "Knocked Up" all over again. Jeffs most recently helmed "Sunshine Cleaning," a well-received comedy drama starring Amy Adams, Emily Blunt, Alan Arkin, Steve Zahn, Jason Spevack and Mary Lynn Rajskub.

Overture Films has provided ComingSoon.net with an exclusive online look at the first two minutes of Sunshine Cleaning , starring Amy Adams and Emily Blunt. The off-beat dramatic comedy, also starring Alan Arkin, Steve Zahn, Mary Lynn Rajskub, Clifton Collins Jr. and Jason Spevack, expands nationwide on April 3rd. In the film, a single mom and her slacker sister find an unexpected way to turn their lives around. Once the high school cheerleading captain who dated the quarterback, Rose Lorkowski (Adams) now finds herself a thirty something single mother working as a maid. Her sister Norah, (Blunt), is still living at home with their dad Joe (Arkin), a salesman with a lifelong history of ill-fated get rich quick schemes. Desperate to get her son into a better school, Rose persuades...

Chicago – In our latest HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: Film, we have a special giveaway with 25 run-of-engagement admit-two “Sunshine Cleaning” passes. “Sunshine Cleaning” stars Academy Award nominees Amy Adams and Emily Blunt as well as Academy Award winner Alan Arkin. The film also stars Jason Spevack, Steve Zahn, Clifton Collins Jr. and Mary Lynn Rajskub.

From the from the producers of “Little Miss Sunshine,” “Sunshine Cleaning” opened nationwide on March 20, 2009. To win your run-of-engagement “Sunshine Cleaning” pass, which can be used when you please at any movie theater during the film’s run, all you need to do is be one of the first 25 people to submit your worst-job story in our confidential, Web-based submission form.

That’s it! Directions to enter this HollywoodChicago.com Hookup and immediately win a run-of-engagement “Sunshine Cleaning” pass can be found beneath the graphic below.

The poster for “Sunshine Cleaning” with Amy Adams, Emily Blunt, Alan Arkin,...

Rating: 3.5/5.0 Chicago – Amy Adams gives a performance in Christine Jeffs’ “Sunshine Cleaning” that is not only the best actress turn of the year to date but nearly single-handedly makes the many flaws of this quirky comedy easy to overlook. It’s rare, but sometimes one talented star can make any project shine. Amy Adams is that talented.

In many ways, what Adams delivers in “Sunshine Cleaning” is more subtle and complex than the naivete routine that earned her an Oscar nomination for “Doubt”. Yes, Adams gives yet another performance that could be part of the year-end conversation when awards are being handed out, although the film is average enough that she’ll probably be forgotten.

Read Brian Tallerico’s full review of “Sunshine Cleaning” in our reviews section. The rest of “Sunshine Cleaning” needed a bit more polish, particularly the bizarre screenplay that jumps tones like a film festival patron bouncing from movie to movie.

Sunshine Cleaning, from the producers of Little Miss Sunshine, is another example of how the edgy has become the predictable. The outsiders are now the mainstream. It’s another labored dysfunctional family dramedy—par for the course for these "indie" films—with all the usual lame tropes: The main character gets a peculiar job. There’s a family member who rebels and supports weird things just for the sake of it. The cute little kid is typically a “freak,” just to set the film apart from the Disneysian family films, but not too much, as therein lies the design to make him appear even cuter to 21st century hipsters who no longer desire traditional cuteness but are still gullible enough to fall for that kind of jive anyway. Oh, and there’s a vulgar grandpa too. Gotta have a vulgar grandpa. This is a family grouping so irrationally contrived, it...