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While Jesse Eisenberg was editing his directorial feature debut, “When You Finish Saving the World,” he heard from a prominent film editor who had watched a cut of the movie.

“I got a call from this great editor, who we had asked as a favor to kind of watch and give notes, and he just eviscerated me for a lot of the movie.” said Eisenberg while he was a guest on IndieWire’s Filmmaker Toolkit podcast. “What he said to me at the time was infuriating, but basically he was saying, ‘You haven’t given us a full way into these characters.’”

There many things the well-established actor liked about his first film, which David Ehrlich named a Critic’s Pick in his IndieWire review out of the 2022 Sundance Film Festival, but the editor’s solicited advice stuck with Eisenberg as he started to prepare his next film, “A Real Pain.

This weekend, Jesse Eisenberg returns to the big screen in A Real Pain. The film, which he wrote, directs, and stars in, follows a man struggling to keep his emotions on check during a trip with his cousin. A Real Pain has drawn considerable praise for Eisenberg’s subdued directing, brilliant writing, and Kiernan Culkin’s livewire performance. It bodes well for Eisenberg, who has been one of indie films darling performers for years. To celebrate his latest career milestone, we’re highlighting seven of his best performances to date.

The Squid and the Whale (2005)

As a young actor, Jesse Eisenberg landed on many radars for his emotional performance in The Squid and the Whale. Told from the perspective of two children struggling with their parent’s divorce, Noah Baumbach gave Eisenberg a role that required incredible pathos. With several standout scenes that could have easily been accused of overacting,...

Jesse Eisenberg picked up the Indie Star Award at Poland’s American Film Festival and met with the local audience to talk about sophomore directorial effort “A Real Pain.”

“Two years ago, I was finishing the script. You start the very embarrassing process of begging producers to give you money to make it. When they asked me how I’d describe the movie, I told them the same thing: ‘I want to make an American indie film, but in Poland,’” he said.

“I grew up doing American independent films and loving American independent films, but I didn’t want to make another version of this intimate American ‘buddy movie.’ What I was trying to tell these financiers was that there hasn’t been a movie like this, about these two guys exploring their past, but set against the backdrop of this amazing, beautiful country. I cannot think of a better...

Jc Chandor’s Spider-Man adjacent supervillain comic book film Kraven The Hunter has a gory first trailer which can be watched in this post.

In the same year that also brought us the now legendary Madame Web, Sony Pictures has another Spider-Man adjacent comic book movie on the horizon: Kraven The Hunter.

Aaron Taylor-Johnson stars as the title villain – more of an anti-hero here we suppose – who’s on a vengeful rampage after he’s left at death’s door following a lion attack. Fortunately for Kraven (name on birth certificate: Sergei Kravinoff), the lion bite gives him superpowers, which he plans to use on his own gangster father (Russell Crowe) who rather unkindly left him for dead.

Kraven The Hunter is rated R in the US for ‘strong and bloody violence’, and there’s a considerable amount of it in the first trailer (see below). In fact, it’s...

When Andrew Karpen wants to convince a filmmaker to let him release their movie, he doesn’t blow them away by offering more and more money. For one thing, Bleecker Street, the indie studio he founded in 2014, doesn’t have the financial firepower of an Apple or a Netflix.

“Our pitch is always centered around the kind of experience that they will have with us, knowing that we will be collaborative and transparent,” Karpen says. “I always say, ‘This is not a campaign where you will just be emailed the final poster and trailer and given two tickets to the premiere.’”

And over nearly 70 films, that openness has kept Karpen and his small but mighty staff in the game. While Bleecker is celebrating its 10th anniversary, many of its competitors haven’t managed to survive in a business that’s only become more treacherous to navigate. Several of Bleecker’s contemporaries,...

On its 10th Anniversary, independent film studio Bleecker Street is celebrating its past while looking towards its future. Huzzah! Woohoo! The vibrant film distributor company has revealed a video to celebrate their 10th anniversary, featuring a look at their upcoming 2024 slate. Bleecker Street was formed in August 2014 by CEO Andrew Karpen, who is the former co-ceo of Focus Features. His new company is based in New York City and it was named after 65 Bleecker Street, the street address of Karpen's other company Focus Features. This brand new studio was established with the goal to distribute "smart house" films that combine the entertainment of studio blockbusters with the artistic indie allure. Even if you don't know them by name, you definitely know some of the films they've released over the last 10 years: I'll See You In My Dreams, Arctic, The Art of Self-Defense, Logan Lucky, Eye in the Sky, Leave No Trace,...

One of the supernatural world’s most elusive creatures, the Sasquatch, is lumbering toward the silver screen for an intriguing film about discovery, adversity, and family. Today, Bleecker Street proudly presents its Sasquatch Sunset trailer, starring Riley Keough, Jesse Eisenberg, Nathan Zellner, and Christoph Zajek-Denek as Bigfoot family members. The actors are damn-near unrecognizable under copious amounts of prosthetics and tangled hair. It’s the sort of thing you need to see to believe.

Here’s the official synopsis for Sasquatch Sunset:

In the misty forests of North America, a family of Sasquatches – possibly the last of their enigmatic kind – embark on an absurdist, epic, hilarious, and ultimately poignant journey over the course of one year. These shaggy and noble giants fight for survival as they find themselves on a collision course with the ever-changing world around them.

Per the press release from Bleecker Street:

Filmmaking brothers David and...

Jesse Eisenberg and Riley Keough are a couple like you’ve never seen (ecause they’re both Sasquatches). The Zellner brothers’ upcoming film “Sasquatch Sunset” follows a “year in the life of a singular family” of Sasquatch, per the official logline. Keough, Eisenberg, co-director Nathan Zellner, and Christophe Zajac-Denek make up the family of mythical creatures.

Helmed by directing duo David and Nathan Zellner and written by David Zellner, “Sasquatch Sunset” is an entirely wordless film, other than the grunts and groans of the titular creatures. The feature debuted at Sundance 2024 and will distributed by Bleecker Street this spring.

Actor and producer Eisenberg previously starred opposite David Zellner in Riley Stearns’ “The Art of Self-Defense,” which was produced by Nathan Zellner. Eisenberg said to Variety in August 2022 that the Zellner brothers are “brilliant directors that I’ve wanted to work with for a long time.”

Eisenberg later told IndieWire at...

Here’s a strange little movie announcement – apparently, The Zellner Bros (Damsel and Kumiko: The Treasure Hunter) shot a top-secret movie called Sasquatch Sunset with two pretty big stars, Riley Keough and Jesse Eisenberg, and the film is already set for a release. Indeed, Bleeker Street just announced a 2024 theatrical release for the mystery project, which, the press release notes, centres around “a year in the life of a singular family.”

No other details were available, except that the movie stars Keough and Eisenberg, potentially sporting a lot of fur, but nothing is confirmed. In fact, it’s possible that it’s not even really a Sasquatch movie, although the Zellner Bros famously made two short films at Sundance called Sasquatch Birth Journal 1 & 2, which posed as “found footage” depicting a Sasquatch family.

The timing of this announcement is interesting as Sundance announces its official lineup tomorrow afternoon. Given the Zellner Bros’ history with the fest,...

US theatrical release set for 2024. Protagonist Pictures represents international sales.

Bleecker Street said on Tuesday it will release Sasquatch Sunset from directing duo David and Nathan Zellner starring Riley Keough and Jesse Eisenberg after boarding US rights in 2022 prior to the low-key shoot in northern California.

The Square Peg, Zbi, and The Space Program production is described as a year in the life of a singular family. Plot details remaining under wraps. The cast includes Nathan Zellner and Christophe Zajac-Denek.

Producers are Lars Knudsen, Tyler Campellone, Nathan Zellner, David Zellner, George Rush, Eisenberg, and David Harari, Ari Aster serves as...

Raucous if not reckless, Bottoms is at once earnest and obscene, well constructed in its crudity and often laugh out loud funny. It's a high school-set coming of age queer comedy which sounds like a narrow overlap but it's in the same tradition as Superbad, Anchorman, Fight Club and the Art of Self-Defense.

That might seem an incredibly specific and messy confluence of ideas, but even at my remove from adolescence that seems, still, apposite. Directed by Emma Seligman and co-written with Rachel Sennot it reunites them in something potentially more approachable than the sterling Shiva Baby. Editor Hanna Park and cinematographer Maria Rusche both return too, and while Sennott is on-screen in both she's the only one returning in front of the camera.

In a huge and diverse cast the most common trait is quality. Sennott as Pj and her best friend Josie (Ayo Edebiri) might go through...

Jesse Eisenberg discusses Manodrome

Intently focused on the interior journey of a troubled character, Manodrome, which is currently in cinemas in the US, is an actor’s dream. I interviewed director John Trengove two weeks ago but subsequently got the chance to follow that up by talking to star Jesse Eisenberg, free to discuss his work after the end of the actors’ strike, and always, he tells me, happy to do publicity because “everybody’s so nice.”

In the film, Jesse plays Ralphie, a man who has recently lost his job, is in a rocky relationship with his girlfriend and is about to become a father, who makes a frantic effort to reclaim his masculinity by joining a cult. It’s not so long since he explored similar themes in Riley Stearns’ The Art Of Self-Defense, and many actors hesitate to take on similar material like that for fear of being typecast,...

Manodrome is a thriller-drama film written and directed by John Trengove. The drama film revolves around Ralphie, an Uber driver who aspires to be a bodybuilder gets inducted into a libertarian masculinity cult, and loses his grip on reality because of all the pressures in his life. Manodrome stars Jesse Eisenberg in the lead role with Adrien Brody, Odessa Young, Sallieu Sesay, and Philip Ettinger starring in supporting roles. So, if you loved Manodrome here are some similar movies you could watch next.

The Art of Self-Defense (Max & Prime Video Add-On) Credit – Bleecker Street

Synopsis: A dark comedy set in the world of karate. The film centers on Casey (Jesse Eisenberg), who is attacked at random on the street and enlists in a local dojo led by a charismatic and mysterious Sensei (Alessandro Nivola), in an effort to learn how to defend himself. What he uncovers is a sinister world of fraternity,...

Distributor plans multi-platform release in 2024 starting with theatrical.

Shout! Studios has acquired North American rights to the thriller Model House from Concourse Media as the latter continues talks with international buyers in Toronto.

Music video veteran Derek Pike, who has worked with the likes of XXXTentacion, Wiz Khalifa, and Aloe Blacc, directed the story of five swimsuit models staying in a secluded house who fight to stay alive when intruders hold them captive and extort money from their social media followers.

Model House stars Cory Anne Roberts (America’s Next Top Model), Scout Taylor-Compton (Halloween), Ryan Merriman (Final Destination 3), Chris Zylka...

High on Fire are celebrating their 25th anniversary in 2023, and they’re doing it up big.

The band — which includes guitarist-vocalist Matt Pike, bass player Jeff Matz, and new drummer Coady Willis — has completed work on its ninth album. The veteran metal act recorded the new album in Salem, Massachusetts with longtime producer Kurt Ballou (Converge), and it’s expected to be released in early 2024.

The forthcoming LP will mark High on Fire’s first album since 2018’s Electric Messiah, which earned them a Grammy for Best Metal Performance.

While we wait for new music from High on Fire, the 25th anniversary celebrations will commence, with a press release stating that fans can expect “a slew of live performances spotlighting specific eras from the trailblazing band’s historic career” between now and the new album’s release.

Additionally, High on Fire will reissue their long-out-of-print debut LP, The Art of Self Defense,...

In what feels like all-too poignant timing given the recent headlines about Andrew Tate, the world of toxic masculinity heads to the Berlinale this year with John Trengove’s competition entry Manodrome. Described as a “nihilist thriller,” this tense and troubling dive into incel culture and male fragility is led by a perhaps unlikely guide, Jesse Eisenberg.

Often seen playing insecure men with a more jittery, nervous disposition, Eisenberg’s Manodrome character Ralphie — a gym-obsessed Uber driver and soon-to-be father struggling under personal and economic burdens — sees such anxieties manifest themselves into pure anger, anger which violently erupts after he’s inducted into a libertarian masculinity cult (led by a typically charismatic Adrien Brody).

While Ralphie — a beefed-up young man who appears constantly on the verge of starting a fight — might not seem a typical Eisenberg role, the Oscar-nominated star of The Social Network, Zombieland, Now You See Me, as...

February ushers in a new slate of movies and TV shows making their way to HBO and HBO Max, from a slew of James Bond movies to the recently released Olivia Colman-led “Empire of Light” to, yes, the Puppy Bowl.

“The Terminator,” “Catch Me If You Can,” “Footloose,” “Taxi Driver” and “The Silence of the Lambs” all mark notable library offerings this month, in addition to “Superbad,” “Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)” and “Eighth Grade.”

Despite HBO Max pulling a number of originals from its roster over the past several months, HBO Max originals premiering on the platform this month include a Dionne Warwick documentary, an adult European animated series titled “Poor Devil” and “Harley Quinn: A Very Problematic Valentine’s Day Special” based on the popular animated series.

HBO Max is also beefing up its sports offerings by streaming soccer matches featuring the U.S. national teams,...

Valentine’s Day is fast approaching and HBO Max got the memo. With its list of new releases for February 2023, the HBO streamer is bringing a very special Valentine’s Day episode into the fold.

Harley Quinn: A Very Problematic Valentine’s Day Special premieres on Feb. 9 and finds Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy celebrating their first Valentine’s Day together. Consider this a fun little aperitif for the fast approaching Harley Quinn season 3 – which will feature none other than freshly-installed DC czar James Gunn. Other HBO Max original series this month include another C.B. Strike special on Feb. 6 and Spanish-language animated comedy Poor Devil a.k.a. Pobre Diablo on Feb. 17.

February also looks to be a jam-packed month for movies on HBO Max. February 1 sees the arrival of many appealing library titles like Birdman, Casino Royale, The Silence of the Lambs, and The Terminator. Later on HBO Max...

Searchlight Pitures has won a fierce bidding war for one of the buzziest Sundance crowd-pleasers. The Disney-owned distributor has closed a worldwide rights deal for the well-reviewed and well-received “Theater Camp,” with distribution rights going for around 8 million, according to an insider with knowledge of the deal.

The feature adaptation of Nick Lieberman’s 2020 short film of the same name will receive a theatrical release. It premiered in the dramatic competition on Saturday afternoon at the Eccles Theater in Park City and received a standing ovation.

The mockumentary stars comedic ensemble Gordon, Ben Platt (“Pitch Perfect”), Noah Galvin (“Booksmart”), Jimmy Tatro (“American Vandal”), Patti Harrison (“Together Together”), and Ayo Edebiri (“The Bear”). Penned by Galvin, Gordon, Lieberman and Platt, and based on their short film, the film was produced by Will Ferrell, Galvin, Gordon, Lieberman, Platt, Erik Feig, Samie Kim Falvey, Julia Hammer, Ryan Heller, Maria Zuckerman, and Jessica Elbaum.

Update: Searchlight has confirmed Deadline’s deal scoop on Theater Camp. Release is below, with another big Sundance deal in the books.

Exclusive: Searchlight Pictures is in final talks to acquire Theater Camp out of the Sundance Film Festival, in a worldwide deal that will land in the 8 million range, with a theatrical release guarantee.

Directed by Molly Gordon and Nick Lieberman, the film stars Gordon and Ben Platt as longtime best friends who return to an upstate run down theater camp that is imperiled when its founder lapses into a coma due to an unfortunate strobe-light incident. Her son takes over, and he tries to stave off foreclosure even though he initially has little interest in greasepaint and the boards.

The project grew out of Booksmart, another Gloria Sanchez production. Elbaum & Ferrell produced with PictureStart’s Erik Feig (who financed), Samie Kim Falvey, Julia Hammer, Ryan Heller, Maria Zuckerman,...

Jesse Eisenberg will officially be “In Trouble” this November.

FX’s limited series “Fleishman Is In Trouble,” starring Eisenberg in the titular role, will premiere November 17 on Hulu. New episodes of the eight-episode series will be released every Thursday.

Based on journalist Taffy Brodesser-Akner’s bestselling novel, “Fleishman Is in Trouble” centers on recently separated 40-something Toby Fleishman (Eisenberg), who dives into the brave new world of app-based dating with the kind of success he never had dating in his youth, before he got married at the tail end of medical school. But just at the start of his first summer of sexual freedom, his ex-wife, Rachel (Claire Danes), disappears, leaving him with the kids and no hint of where she is or whether she plans to return.

As he balances parenting, the return of old friends (Lizzy Caplan and Adam Brody), a promotion at the hospital that is a long time coming,...

Back in July, we saw a teaser trailer for writer/director Alex Phillips’ film All Jacked Up and Full of Worms, which Cinedigm was planning to release through their streaming service Screambox sometime this fall. Now Cinedigm has announced that All Jacked Up and Full of Worms‘ Screambox release is scheduled for November 8th – and along with that announcement comes the unveiling of a full trailer for the film! You can check that out in the embed above.

Described as an “avant-gutter psychedelic freakout” and a subversively funny “transgressive splatter comedy”, this is Phillips’ feature debut. All Jacked Up and Full of Worms is

a flamboyant, darkly outrageous new vision that mashes together retro grindhouse thrills with the squirmy depths of underground cinema. Working at a seedy motel, maintenance man Roscoe is always searching for his latest fix. When he stumbles upon a powerfully hallucinogenic worm, his days of dime-store drugs are over.

"Cinedigm releases today the new trailer for Alex Phillips’ avant-gutter psychedelic freakout All Jacked Up and Full of Worms, as well as announces a November 8th premiere date on the Bloody Disgusting-powered streaming service Screambox. An Official Selection of the 2022 Fantasia International Film Festival, where it took home a special jury mention from the festival’s New Flesh competition, the transgressive splatter comedy stars Phillip Andre Botello (The Art of Self-Defense), Trevor Dawkins (Easy), and Betsey Brown (The Scary of Sixty-First). Cinedigm is also planning a wide digital release of All Jacked Up and Full of Worms on November 8th followed by an exclusive window on Cinedigm’s indie discovery platform Fandor. Prior to digital release, the film will screen at a number of celebrated U.S. festivals, including Austin’s legendary genre event Fantastic Fest on September 27th, the Brooklyn Horror Film Festival on October 19th, and at the...

New Release Wall

“Elvis” (Warner Bros. Home Entertainment): Baz Luhrmann’s obsessions are piled on top of other obsessions that are themselves mashed up with ongoing tendencies toward spectacle, extravagance and emotional extremes — that whole “Moulin Rouge!” ethos of Truth Beauty Freedom Love — and this big loud biopic/love letter to Elvis Presley is a visual and sonic blast, with an uncanny Austin Butler as the King. You don’t even have to like the late legend’s music to enjoy this juggernaut of sensation, just find a friend with a giant-screen TV (this one’s already available in 4K) and very loud sound.

Also available:

“Batman: The Long Halloween” (Deluxe Edition) (Warner Bros. Home Entertainment): The Caped Crusader has to hunt down a killer that strikes on various holidays in this two-part animated feature.

“The Black Phone” (Universal): A resourceful boy (with assistance from his visions-having...

Click here to read the full article.

Alessandro Nivola has always been an actor’s actor, but in the last handful of years, audiences are catching up to the fact that he’s one of the most versatile performers in town. From an Orthodox rabbi in Sebastian Lelio’s Disobedience to Tony Soprano’s tragic mentor in The Many Saints of Newark, Nivola has that unique ability to disappear into his characters. The Boston native is currently starring alongside Alison Brie and Aubrey Plaza in Jeff Baena’s Spin Me Round, which subverts the romantic comedy genre in a welcomed way. Nivola is mostly known for drama, but he’s grateful for Riley Stearns’ indie black comedy The Art of Self-Defense (2019), as it’s created more and more of these comedic opportunities for him.

Nivola recently reunited with his A Most Violent Year director J.C. Chandor in Kraven the Hunter,...

Jesse Eisenberg won’t be using a social network for his next role.

The “Social Network” alum revealed that he will be playing Sasquatch in an upcoming project helmed by directing duo David and Nathan Zellner. Eisenberg previously starred opposite David Zellner in Riley Stearns’ “The Art of Self-Defense,” which was produced by Nathan Zellner.

“The next movie I’m doing is the Zellner Brothers’,” Eisenberg confirmed to Variety. “They’re just these brilliant directors that I’ve wanted to work with for a long time, and I’m playing a Sasquatch.”

He added, “In full makeup. In full body hair. No lines — I grunt, but no lines — and I’m so looking forward to this.”

The Zellner Brothers have long been fascinated with Bigfoot, releasing Sundance award-winning short film “Sasquatch Birth Journal 2” in 2010. Eisenberg also recently made his feature directorial debut with the drama “When You Finish Saving the World...

Jesse Eisenberg has been very particular with his choices as an actor in recent years. He always mixes bigger roles in high-profile films with appearances in quality indies. Sure, he’ll do a “Zombieland” sequel, but he’s going to follow it up with something like “The Art of Self-Defense.” But even though he’s been known to mix it up over the years, his next role is a real departure for the performer, as he’s asked to play a Sasquatch.

Continue reading Jesse Eisenberg Will Play A Sasquatch In A New Film From The Zellner Brothers at The Playlist.

Stars: Karen Gillan, Beulah Koale, Aaron Paul, Theo James, Maija Paunio, June Hyde | Written and Directed by Riley Stearns

Karen Gillan plays dual roles in this sci-fi black comedy about a terminally ill woman who clashes with the clone she orders to replace her after she’s gone. The third feature from writer-director Riley Stearns, it’s a decidedly offbeat, darkly funny satire that grapples with some big questions.

Dual is set in a world where the terminally ill are permitted to clone themselves, with the replacement taking over their lives once the patient dies. However, there’s a catch – if, for some reason, the patient survives their illness, the clone and the original must duel to the death in front of a television audience, with the survivor earning the right to the identity in question. We see a taste of this in the prologue, with a young man (Theo...

Each week we highlight the noteworthy titles that have recently hit streaming platforms in the United States. Check out this week’s selections below and past round-ups here.

Beanpole (Kantemir Balagov)

The horrors of war are often told through male-centric narratives. Heroes who go through hell on the battlefield, brothers who sacrifice everything for each other, soldiers who return home scarred for life etc., all of which we’ve seen put on the big screen time and again. But wars are of course collective nightmares, tears in the fabric of history that leave no one–men, women, children–unscathed. This is the premise of Russian writer–director Kantemir Balagov’s second feature Beanpole, a radical relationship drama that examines the trauma of war from a distinctly female perspective. – Zhuo-Ning Su (full review)

Where to Stream: Ovid.tv

Beyond the Infinite Two Minutes (Junta Yamaguchi)

The logistics behind Beyond the Infinite Two Minutes...

When the Kentucky legislature made the commonwealth’s 30-35 film and TV tax credit nonrefundable in 2018, it cast a pall over the careers of local industry pros including Louisville native Emily Blevins, who had racked up credits as a production manager or producer on a dozen Lifetime movies shot in the Bluegrass state.

Although 428 million in credits had been approved under the old version of the incentive, which paid cash to productions for any credits they earned that were not eaten up by their tax bill, there was no guarantee the projects that had applied for the credits would actually shoot in Kentucky. And once those approved projects were completed, the jobs would be gone, because Kentucky would no longer be able to compete against production hotbeds with stronger incentives such as Georgia, its neighbor to the south.

“We were going to have to move or change our careers,” says Blevins.

It’s no coincidence that writer-director Riley Stearns’ anti-fantasy “Dual” feels like it belongs in the midnight movie section of a prestigious film festival. Stearns’ first two projects, “Faults” and “The Art of Self-Defense,” were embraced by SXSW audiences, and this one premiered at Sundance a few months ago.

But as is so often the case with edgier festival fare, what feels thrilling among like-minded fans winds up deflating upon arrival.

Stearns’ first two movies earned their adoration the hard way, challenging audiences with pitch-black humor and an off-kilter tone. While “Dual” goes for the jugular as well, it doesn’t cut nearly as deep.

Karen Gillan fans may be delighted to find her in the titular role, as both Sarah and Sarah’s Double. The former is a sad-sack human who learns that she has a rare disease, leaving her only a year to live. Out of curiosity, she...

“Dual” writer-director Riley Stearns, whose latest film stars Karen Gillan and Aaron Paul in the tale of a woman who must fight her clone to the death, may be unlike every other indie filmmaker: Not only should he not direct a comic book movie, Stearns told IndieWire, but if he did, it wouldn’t be a good one.

“There are people who their favorite thing in the world as a kid was comics and they want to go into that world, and I fully support that,” Stearns said. “I just don’t think people want want me directing a comic book movie. I didn’t read comics. If I directed one, I would probably make a bad one. I think that it’s better that I stick with the stuff that I like and the trajectory I like. I don’t think I’m going to be the person who...

"You're pretending to be me while I'm still alive?" Rlje Films has revealed the first official trailer for the indie sci-fi film Dual, the latest from American filmmaker Riley Stearns. This initially premiered at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival earlier this year playing in the main competition, but got pretty bad reviews from most critics who watched it. It's a very low key sci-fi in that has a "futuristic" concept involving cloning, but there's not much beyond that that is sci-fi about it. A woman opts for a cloning procedure after she receives a terminal diagnosis but when she recovers her attempts to have her clone decommissioned fail, leading to a court-mandated duel to the death with her other self. Let them fight! Karen Gillan stars opposite Karen Gillan, along with Aaron Paul, Beulah Koale, Maija Paunio, and Theo James. I saw this at Sundance and was hoping to love it,...

Following his deadpan dark comedies Faults and The Art of Self-Defense, Riley Stearns heads into sci-fi territory with Dual, which still finds slivers of humor in a story of a terminally ill woman who opts for a cloning procedure to ease her loss on her friends and family. When she makes a miraculous recovery, her attempts to have her clone decommissioned fail and lead to a court-mandated duel to the death. Ahead of an April 15 theatrical release, the trailer has now arrived.

Michael Frank said in his Sundance review, “Stearns, critically successful in his first two films, will likely find a more divisive audience with Dual, which bears an outstanding premise and mixed execution. Starring Karen Gillan as Sarah, this light sci-fi drama looks like the current world. Little has been altered; if anything the technology looks like it’s from the 1990s. The only difference seems to be a...

Dual, the third feature from writer/director Riley Stearns, follows a young woman named Sarah (Karen Gillan), who opts to be replaced with a “double” after finding out she’s terminally ill. With a deadpan delivery and a dry sense of humor, the film and its characters navigate this alternate world, one that requires a duel to the death in Sarah’s unique situation. Sarah must learn to become violent, accept brutality into her personality, resetting herself in a way.

Stearns’ newest draws clear inspiration from Greek director Yorgos Lanthimos, a comparison many are likely to make, but he still wants it to be a “Riley film.” He revisits certain threads from his first two films, Faults and The Art of Self-Defense, with the idea of a character learning how to alter themselves to feel safer or the need to fundamentally shift as a means of self-preservation.

Dual finds humor in Sarah’s situation,...

by Jason Adams

I suppose it's less of a theoretical question now than it was a few decades ago, but what would it mean for us if human cloning becomes a reality? It's a topic science-fiction has wrestled with for ages, but having just spent two years weathering my first global pandemic by basically Netflix-and-chilling it I'm prone to think our grand high sci-fi authors might've overblown our reactions to such epochal events. And so I'm now prone to believe that human cloning would be met with something closer to the meh, shrug, move-on that The Art of Self-Defense director Riley Stearns' crafts with his slyly mundane sci-fi parable Dual, just premiering at Sundance...

Riley Stearns, the filmmaker behind 2014's "Faults" and 2019's "The Art of Self-Defense," returns to Sundance with "Dual," an odd dark comedy which sits comfortably in the tonally unique corner of cinema Stearns has carved out for himself. In the director's movies, life is not something to be celebrated, but a punishment to be endured; the joke at the center of "Dual" is that characters will fight each other to the death in order to secure the misery of experiencing an average existence.

Sarah (Karen Gillan) is sick. She might have a bit of a drinking problem, she...

The post Dual Review: Karen Gillan Tries to Kill Her Double in Riley Stearns' Dark Comedy [Sundance 2022] appeared first on /Film.

Dual, Riley Stearns’ third feature following Faults and The Art of Self-Defense, establishes its endgame within the first five minutes. Opening on a split football field with two small sets of audiences in its bleachers, the dark comedy watches as two young men, doppelgängers, fight to the death under lights and TV cameras usually set for a high school state championship game. The double wins, killing his original form, setting the table for the following 95-minute story.

Stearns, critically successful in his first two films, will likely find a more divisive audience with Dual, which bears an outstanding premise and mixed execution. Starring Karen Gillan as Sarah, this light sci-fi drama looks like the current world. Little has been altered; if anything the technology looks like it’s from the 1990s. The only difference seems to be a cloning procedure available to those that are dying—like Sarah, who opts...

Once merely a frigid Utah gathering of the movers and shakers of the indie film world, the Sundance Film Festival now transcends its Rocky Mountain confines to take place simultaneously online and in such remote locales as Lawrence, Kansas, Seattle, Washington, Memphis, Tennessee, and the Metaverse. Oh and this year it's also happening back in Park City again! Hooray! The festival announced the meat of its feature lineup today and it's another batch of exciting films and filmmakers that we'll surely be talking about throughout the next year. Some particularly delicious looking morsels include Chloe Okuno's (V/H/S/94) Maika Monroe-starring feature debut Watcher, Riley Stearns's (The Art of Self-Defense) XYZ-produced Dual starring Karen Gillan and Aaron Paul, and a little movie called Something in the Dirt...

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Riley Stearns headed to the Nordic country for his latest feature. Filmed during the pandemic, the shot in Finland Dual should have had enough time in post-production to be ready for a January drop. The acquisitions title was shot in Tampere with the likes of Karen Gillan, Aaron Paul, Beulah Koale and Jesse Eisenberg (Stearns teamed with the actor for The Art of Self-Defense). Gillian would have gone thru a physical Linda Hamilton type bootcamp for the role. Stearns saw his 2013 short The Cub break into the 2013 edition of Sundance and has moved into features with his first two features which both premiered at the SXSW Film Fest.…...

“The Crown” star and recent Emmy winner Josh O’Connor and “Normal People” BAFTA winner Paul Mescal will star in gay romance “The History of Sound,” an Oliver Hermanus-directed adaptation of an award-winning short story.

Produced by End Cue, the story follows two young men, Lionel (Mescal) and David (O’Connor), who, during the WW1 period, set out to record the lives, voices and music of their countrymen. An official description of the pic reads: “In this snatched, short-lived moment in their young lives, and while discovering the epic sweep of the U.S., both men are deeply changed.”

“The History of Sound” is based on the eponymous Pushcart Prize-winning story by American author Ben Shattuck, which is available to read online in literary journal The Common. CAA Media Finance will handle U.S. sales while Embankment will introduce the project to international buyers ahead of next week’s virtual American Film Market.

“I’ve never been here. This is not a representation of my character,” says Alessandro Nivola, sliding into the broad, beige-y booth of a Park Avenue joint with a decidedly ladies-who-lunch vibe one recent Sunday morning in New York. The lighting is flattering. The prices alarm. The waitstaff scurry about as if catering to nobility. “I’ve got some photo shoot around the corner,” Nivola demurs, dimples flashing, about his request to meet here. “I’m not like, ‘This is me!’”

In fact, Nivola has spent the better part of...

For the first time in Oscar history, four women are running for governor of the music branch of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences, Variety has learned.

Lesley Barber, Sharon Farber, Heather McIntosh and Taura Stinson are vying for the seat that will shortly be vacated by composer Michael Giacchino, who has been an Academy governor since 2015.

Laura Karpman became the first woman to serve as a music-branch governor in 2016, and she continues in that role. Charles Bernstein, who has served several terms as a music-branch governor, also continues to serve.

Canadian composer Barber is best known for her music for “Manchester by the Sea,” “Mansfield Park,” “You Can Count on Me” and “Late Night.” She recently collaborated with Mindy Kaling on the TV adaptation of “Four Weddings and a Funeral.”

Israeli-born Farber divides her time between concert music and film. A four-time Emmy nominee, she has scored both...

March brings breezes loud and shrill/stirs the dancing daffodil. Bit of poetry for you there. What Sara Coleridge fails to mention is that March also brings season seven of Brooklyn Nine-Nine to Netflix UK, more weekly episodes of Riverdale season five, a brand new sci-fi series from the creators of Misfits, a new film directed by Amy Poehler and a host of cool animated series.

The One (pictured above) is an eight-part British series created by Howard Overman about a near-future world in which a DNA test can track down your perfect partner. It’s adapted from John Marrs’ novel of the same name, and yes, has a strikingly similar premise to US anthology sci-fi Soulmates. Another fun new UK addition is The Irregulars, a period supernatural fantasy set in the Sherlock Holmes universe in which a bunch of ragtag kids not only have to save the world from darkness,...

Imogen Poots has been cast in the upcoming Amazon drama series “Outer Range,” Variety has learned.

She joins previously announced series lead Josh Brolin as well as Lili Taylor, Tamara Podemski, and Tom Pelphrey. The series centers on Royal Abbott (Brolin), a rancher fighting for his land and family, who discovers an unfathomable mystery at the edge of Wyoming’s wilderness. Poots will portray Autumn, an itinerant woman who charms the Abbotts enough to let her camp on their land. A seeker of cosmic truths with a checkered past, she lives without regrets and embraces the unknown with reckless abandon.

This will mark the latest television role of Poots’ career. She previously appeared in the HBO miniseries “I Know This Much Is True” as well as the Showtime series “Roadies.” She is primarily known for her film work, having starred in films like “Black Christmas,” “Vivarium,” “The Art of Self-Defense,...

Following his impressive first two features, the dark comedy/dramas Faults and The Art of Self-Defense, writer-director Riley Stearns has unveiled his third film and he’s heading into sci-fi territory.

He’ll next direct Dual, a satirical sci-fi thriller led by Karen Gillan (x2) along with Aaron Paul, Beulah Koale, Martha Kelly, and Jesse Eisenberg. Backed by Xyz Films, the film follows a woman (Gillan) who, after receiving a terminal diagnosis, opts for a cloning procedure to ease her loss on her friends and family. When she makes a miraculous recovery, her attempts to have her clone decommissioned fail and lead to a court-mandated duel to the death.

“I really liked to be a little free going into the shooting of the film. The script is so set in its way, like, I know how the dialogue is going to sound, I know what I want to do with the performance…...

Riley Stearns, the director of Faults and The Art of Self-Defense, is set to make a satirical sci-fi thriller – and he’s lined-up an interesting cast. In Stearns’ upcoming Dual, a woman who undergoes a cloning procedure – and lives to regret it. The film will star Karen Gillan and Aaron Paul, with Jesse Eisenberg set to make “an […]

The post ‘Dual’ Will See Karen Gillan Fight Her Own Clone in a Court-Ordered Trial-by-Combat appeared first on /Film.

Karen Gillan, Aaron Paul, Beulah Koale and Martha Kelly will star in Dual, the tale of a woman who finds herself battling herself in a court-mandated duel to the death. Written and to be directed by Riley Stearns, the film will also feature an appearance by Jesse Eisenberg. But how, exactly, will we see a mighty battle between Gillan and herself? The official synopsis explains: "After receiving a terminal diagnosis, a woman (Gillan) opts for a cloning procedure to ease her loss on her friends and family. When she makes a miraculous recovery, her attempts to have her clone decommissioned fail and lead to a court-mandated duel to the death." (?!) Production is scheduled to begin later this summer, if...

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Castle in the Ground Starring Alex Wolff, Neve Campbell and Imogen Poots and from writer/director Joey Klein (The Other Half), the drama, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival, will be available on demand on May 15th. Check out the new trailer:

A grieving teenager (Alex Wolff) befriends his charismatic but troubled next-door neighbor (Imogen Poots), only to become ensnared in a world of addiction and violence as the opioid epidemic takes hold of their small town.

Castle In The Ground is Written & Directed by Joey Klein and stars Alex Wolff, Imogen Poots, Tom Cullen, with Keir Gilchrist and Neve Campbell.

The post Check Out the Trailer for Castle In The Ground Starring Alex Wolff and Imogen Poots – Available On Demand May 15 appeared first on We Are Movie Geeks.

Last year, Jesse Eisenberg and Imogen Poots co-starred in one of the best films you likely never saw. That was The Art of Self-Defense, among the most underrated movies of 2019 and a truly terrific tale. Today, they team up again in a similarly unique title, though subject matter wise, it’s as different as can be. Both are terrific though, suggesting that a pairing of Eisenberg and Poots is a consistently strong recipe for success. The collaboration is in Vivarium, an exercise in weirdness that quickly becomes hypnotic. Hitting Video On Demand today, it’s another very strong option for new release viewing this weekend. The film is a hybrid of science fiction and horror, with a deceptively simple premise that turns into anything but. Young couple Gemma (Poots) and Tom (Eisenberg) have been looking for a house for some time. When they visit an odd real estate agent (Jonathan Aris...