Stuff We Like
‘Indie Game: The Movie’ – You’ll Believe A Video Game Documentary Can Make You Cry [SXSW 2012 Review]
by Germain Lussier on May.18, 2012, under Stuff We Like
Editor’s Note: We are republishing Germain’s SXSW review since the film is being released today in New York City and Los Angeles. Click here to find a listing of where the movie will be playing as it expands in the coming weeks.
/Film readers, I owe you an apology. While I saw about 40 movies at Sundance in January, one of the films I regrettably missed was Indie Game: The Movie. That seemingly minor oversight meant for two months, you were likely walking around without the knowledge that directors Lisanne Pajot and James Swirsky have made a truly magnificent documentary that you will love.
Focusing on the development of three well-known independent video games (Braid, Fez, Super Meat Boy) the film manages to not only give us a glimpse into the fascinating world of indie game development, it drips with true emotion at every single turn. Call it fanboy nostalgia but Indie Game: The Movie tugs at your heart strings while weaving dramatic stories with precision and vision. It’s a must see. Read more after the jump.
The bulk of Indie Game: The Movie focuses on the development of two games. One is called Fez, which was developed by Phil Fish and the other is called Super Meat Boy, developed by Edmund McMillen and Tommy Refenes. (It also has a lot about Braid, created by Jonathan Blow, but it’s not as prevalent.) All these games were created from the ground up by these guys, hence the term “indie game.” There’s no team of thousands. Just a few guys in a room with their computers. And that’s where Indie Game really shines. It focuses on why these guys decided to get into game development, how their lives lead up to it and how their games are a reflection of their current selves. This, coupled with their risk of failure, is human interest at its best.
Pajot and Swirsky tell these stories beautifully, pacing and structuring the movie with an awesome energy that’ll have you jotting down a game title one minute, then on the edge of your seat the next. They picked Fez and Super Meat Boy as the two primary subjects for good reason. There’s a ton of real life drama and intrigue surrounding them and whether your a fan of gaming or not, you can’t help but enjoy the ride.
Admittedly, the film doesn’t give the audience much context for how indie games fit into the larger world of video games. There’s no clear juxtaposition against some of the big companies to show us just how different indie games are. Plus, after watching the film, I’m still not sure exactly how video games are made. That would have been a welcome addition.
Those gripes aside, I’d watch Indie Game: The Movie again right now. I think fans of video games will likely find more to smile about in the film but, when these guys succeed (and fail) the movie has done such a good job developing them, you can’t help but feel deep emotions. After watching Indie Game: The Movie, you will believe a documentary about video games can make you cry.
/Film rating: 8.5 out of 10
Ryan Reynolds Could Be Immortal; Lionsgate Wants Him for ‘Highlander’
by Russ Fischer on May.18, 2012, under Stuff We Like
Someone needs to run through several centuries worth of storyline, decapitating people in swordfights, and Lionsgate wants it to be Ryan Reynolds. The actor is reportedly the top choice to lead the cast of the new version of Highlander, based on Russell Mulcahy’s 1986 film in which Christopher Lambert and Sean Connery were immortal warriors participating in an age-old contest for The Prize. Combatants even had a tagline for the deadly competition: “There can be only one.”
(Note, as others have in the past 20 years, the absurdity of that tagline helping spawn several film sequels and a TV series, and then move on.)
Variety says that Reynolds is entertaining other offers, but that his people and Lionsgate are in talks to make a Highlander deal happen. Whether there is a legit deal-making intent here, or this is representative of one side or the other using the press to try to influence another deal remains to be seen.
Juan Carlos Fresnadillo is set to direct the remake based on a script by Matt Holloway, Melissa Rosenberg, and Art Marcum. We don’t know how faithful the new version is to the ’86 film, and this is the first big casting news that has emerged.
Meanwhile, Reynolds still has possible Deadpool and Green Lantern films in the offing, though the latter seems like a long shot and Deadpool has been taking a long time to wind through the development halls at Fox. Reynolds has also shot RIPD, opposite Jeff Bridges; that will be released on June 28, 2013.
‘Hyde Park On Hudson’ Trailer: Bill Murray Becomes FDR
by Fallon Prinzivalli on May.18, 2012, under Stuff We Like
When you think of a king of England and a president of the United States your mind rarely travels to outdoor barbeques and jumping in pools, but that's just what goes on in the "Hyde Park on Hudson" trailer—and Bill Murray lights up portraying Franklin D. Roosevelt.
While the film is based around real events, we're not sure how historically accurate the movie will turn out, but watching Murray take on the charm and gentle mannerisms of America's 32nd President is a jolly ol' delight.
Check out the first trailer below, and learn more about "Hyde Park on Hudson" after the jump!
Before 1939, no reigning king of England had ever visited America. But that summer FDR and his wife Eleanor (Olivia Williams) host the royals at their home in Hyde Park on Hudson, an estate in upstate New York. As war with Germany looms in the distance for Great Britain, the King is hoping the holiday will lead to the President's support. But the weekend gets a little out of hand as his loved ones conspire to make it a memorable one.
The visit is narrated by Franklin's distant cousin and cherished friend Daisy, played by Laura Linney. Through her eyes, the audience learns more than the toils of diplomacy and gets to the heart of love and friendship.
"Hyde Park on Hudson" opens in theaters on December 7.
What did you think of the first "Hyde Park on Hudson" trailer? Speak your mind in the comments and on Twitter!
Apple Co-Founder Steve Wozniak to Consult on Aaron Sorkin’s Steve Jobs Film
by Angie Han on May.18, 2012, under Stuff We Like
Sony’s Steve Jobs biopic will be getting a little help from the man who helped make Steve Jobs himself. Steve Wozniak, who co-founded Apple with Jobs back in 1976, has been hired to serve as a “tutor” on the production. No doubt he’ll be of great help to writer Aaron Sorkin, who told recently reporters “I know so little about what I am going to write.” More details after the jump.
Wozniak’s role will be to advise on both the technical aspects of the story and its central character. Although Wozniak left Apple in 1987, he remained in touch with Jobs through the end of his life. Still, don’t expect Sony’s film to get too wrapped up in fact-checking. “It can’t be a straight ahead biography because it’s very difficult to shake the cradle-to-grave structure of a biography,” Sorkin said.
Instead, we’ll likely get something more along the lines of 2010′s The Social Network, which embellished certain events and downplayed others in telling the true tale of Facebook inventor Mark Zuckerberg. “Drama is tension versus obstacle. Someone wants something, something is standing in their way of getting it. They want the money, they want the girl, they want to get to Philadelphia — doesn’t matter,” Sorkin said. “And I need to find that event and I will. I just don’t know what it is.”
With Wozniak and Sorkin both on board, Sony’s take on the Jobs story already sounds more promising than that other indie biopic with Ashton Kutcher in the lead. But Wozniak, cool guy that he is, had nothing but nice things to say about the competing project.
“I feel that his selection was done in the most professional manner,” he said of Kutcher’s casting. “And I’m glad that he’s onboard. I think he’ll put a lot into it and that he cares about this particular subject.” In that movie, Wozniak himself will be portrayed by Tony-nominated Book of Mormon star Josh Gad.
Remembering Woodrow Parfrey
by Richard Harland Smith on May.18, 2012, under Stuff We Like
