Thursday, October 31, 2013

THE VISITOR Trailer Wants You To Know How Crazy The Movie Is



Drafthouse Films has been constantly releasing amazing movies and exposing them to the masses for a couple of years now. Just this year, they've released three of my favorite movies in I DECLARE WAR, THE ACT OF KILLING, and the upcoming THE CONGRESS. Now, they have taken it upon themselves to release THE VISITOR, a trippy sci-fi adventure featuring a girl, her evil hawk, and some sort of Christ
figure. The new trailer courtesy of the Drafthouse Vimeo page is a brand new version cut by HOBO WITH A SHOTGUN director Jason Eisener.

Check it out after the break.


Wednesday, October 30, 2013

The New THE WOLF OF WALL STREET Trailer Is Nearly Perfect...Just Needs More DiCaprio Dancing


There was speculation that Scorsese's new film, THE WOLF OF WALL STREET, was being pushed back to early 2014, which broke my heart. But, we now know that the film will be released on Christmas just in time for all of the Oscar race goodness. There's also a new trailer out, and even though the first trailer was pretty fantastic, this one somehow tops it.

Check it out after the break.


Tuesday, October 29, 2013

X-MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST Trailer Is All Moody And Stuff


This movie sure feels like a crazy anomaly. You have a franchise's first director who left due to studio interference directing the sequel to the reboot/prequel with much of the original cast intact. The novelty alone is interesting, but what's even better is that this movie is based on of the better X-men stories from the comics. Now, we have a trailer for it.

Check it out after the break thanks to the X-Men Movies YouTube channel.


Thursday, October 24, 2013

CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER Trailer Drops!



Marvel's second wave of films started this summer with IRON MAN 3, THOR 2 in a couple weeks, and then we will get Captain America's second film early spring. The first Captain America film was one of the strongest individual films in the Avenger's world, and from the looks of the first official trailer, the sequel looks just as compelling.

Here's the synopsis:

After the cataclysmic events in New York with The Avengers, Marvel’s ‘Captain America: The Winter Soldier’ finds Steve Rogers, aka Captain America, living quietly in Washington, D.C. and trying to adjust to the modern world. But when a S.H.I.E.L.D. colleague comes under attack, Steve becomes embroiled in a web of intrigue that threatens to put the world at risk. Joining forces with the Black Widow, Captain America struggles to expose the ever-widening conspiracy while fighting off professional assassins sent to silence him at every turn. When the full scope of the villainous plot is revealed, Captain America and the Black Widow enlist the help of a new ally, the Falcon. However, they soon find themselves up against an unexpected and formidable enemy—the Winter Soldier.
Check out the trailer after the break.


Wednesday, October 23, 2013

Giveaways: Win THE CONJURING on Blu-ray!


Hey guys! We love getting into the spirit of Halloween here, and scary movies that make you jump out of your seat are the essential part of the season. So to keep your Halloween spirits alive, we are giving away a to one lucky winner a Blu-ray of THE CONJURING! 

Based on a true story, the movie tells the horrifying account of how famed paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren were summoned to help a family terrorized by a dark presence in a secluded farmhouse which they recently bought. In fighting this powerful demonic being, the Warrens find themselves in the middle of  the most terrifying case of their lives!

To enter for your chance to win, check out the five things you need to know about the film after the break. Then, leave a comment with your name, twitter handle, and which freaky fact is your favorite AND follow @wdyms on twitter. That's it! It's that simple. Then on November 5th, we will randomly select a winner. It has to be someone...may as well be you!

Enough rambling....check out the facts and leave your favorite fact in the comments below!

Tuesday, October 22, 2013

OUR DAY WILL COME (NOTRE JOUR VIENDRA) Review - Javi's Take

OUR DAY WILL COME (NOTRE JOUR VIENDRA)
Directed by: Romain Gavras
Written by: Romain Gavras and Karin Bouckercha
Starring: Vincent Cassel, and Olivier Barthelemy
Synopsis: A couple of disgruntled redheads make their way to Ireland hoping to find some peace.


Friday, October 18, 2013

Netflix Instant TV and Movie Picks: Drafthouse Films Edition!



Happy Friday everyone. Hopefully your October days have been filled with classic horror films galore, but if you're looking for something else different to watch this weekend, Drafthouse Films just plopped a few of their titles on Instant for all of us to enjoy.




A documentary about the a 70's punk band who never was able to make it to the big time when they were together, but have gained notoriety decades after recording their music. I've heard nothing but praise for this film, and even if you're not a music person (like me), the film is a fascinating look at the struggles of this group.

WRONG
Quentin Dupieux is a very, bold director who isn't afraid to make an absurd film. We both loved his surreal feature, RUBBER, and now he's created another semi-existential film about a man who has lost his dog and is in denial about many parts of his life. It's definitely not for everyone, but if you're looking for something a little more thought provoking, check this one out.  


GRACELAND
Drafthouse Films has a knack for finding not only obscure but brilliant American films, but outstanding foreign films that would have slipped under everyone's radar otherwise. This film is from the Philippians, and is a gripping thriller a father thrust into the midst trying to save his daughter, who was mistakenly kidnapped by men thinking she a politician's daughter. 



That's all for me this week!


Saturday, October 12, 2013

Dallas VideoFest 26 Review: DUSTY STACKS OF MOM: THE POSTER PROJECT - Javi's Take


DUSTY STACKS OF MOM: THE POSTER PROJECT
Directed by Jodie Mack
Synopsis: An experimental film that tells the story of the rise and fall of a poster business.

Friday, October 11, 2013

Netflix Instant: Movie & TV Picks - 31 Days of Horror Edition


As always, this October I'm a movie nerd cliche, and I'm watching 31 horror movies during the month. You can follow my exploits at my Letterboxd list here, and this week I wanted to highlight three of the movies I've seen on Netflix so far.

Check them out below.


Dallas VideoFest 26 Review: VESSEL - Jonesy's Take

VESSEL
Directed by Diana Whitten
Synopsis: A documentary that follows the organization, Women on Waves, as they try to bring abortion options to women in countries where it is outlawed. 

Thursday, October 10, 2013

You'll be Feline The Blues After Watching This INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS Trailer


If there's a few things I love is sad-sack acoustic music and the Coen Brothers, so obviously INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS is one of my most anticipated movies of the year. We've seen a trailer before, but this one gives a better idea of the tone of the movie. Check it out below via Badass Digest.



Tuesday, October 8, 2013

Most Anticipated Dallas VideoFest 26 Films - Jonesy Edition




As this will be the first year for us to go to VideoFest, I could not be more excited. After hearing and reading about the eclectic programming and various events, I'm ready to discover more films to love. Javi has already posted his most anticipated, and you can view them here.

It was tough, but I have narrowed down to five films that I am most excited about. Not so amazingly enough, all of them are documentaries!

You can check out all the films and times here, and now onto my picks.


Most Anticipated Films From Dallas VideoFest 26 - Javi Edition


As with any movie festival, here are my five most anticipated movies of Dallas VideoFest 26. It's a shorter festival, and no movies screen more than once, adding a sense of urgency. For this purpose, we added the screening time and date for the movie we're anticipating. 

You can check out the full VideoFest schedule here

So What Is Dallas VideoFest?



This year we are lucky enough to be able to cover the 26th Dallas VideoFest. It's a festival that features a myriad of films from documentaries, experimental features, and short films. VideoFest is put on every year by the Dallas Video Association, whose mission is to "promote an understanding of video as a creative visual art medium and culture force in our society, in addition to supporting and advancing the work of Texas artists working in video and electronic arts." From the sounds of it, VideoFest is the perfect outlet for local artists to display their work to the public.

Artistic Director, Bart Weiss, shared some insight into the festival at a recent roundtable discussion, "For those of you who have been around this festival for a long time, I can say that this year will be very different. First, we're excited to be the first festival at the Alamo Drafthouse DFW. All the screens showing the films will be beautiful with the Alamo screens." Weiss also said another major difference is, unlike the past where the films were scheduled in various locations, all the films will be screened at the Alamo. All screens will have upwards to a 30 minute break between screenings giving festival goers plenty of time to choose their next screening.

In the past, VideoFest has given out the Ernie Kovacs Award, named after the pioneering television personality. It's been years since VideoFest has given out the award, but this year, they have found a recipient that represents the spirit of Kovacs...George Slaughter, the creator of Laugh-In. "Slaughter has been responsible for hundreds of hours of television shows and changed the face of television," Weiss said. George Slaughter will be presented with the Ernie Kovacs Award on Friday, October 11th at 7:15 at the Alamo.

One aspect that makes this festival unique are the satellite programs scheduled as various locations around the Metroplex. Weiss believes "video is not about what you see in the theatre, but about what you can see in all different places." On Friday, October, 11th, the McKinney Arts Contemporary will hold a special performance by the group, NoiseFold. NoiseFold is an live cinema and electronic music ensemble who "use sensor-activated computer systems and complex audio-visual feedback circuitry to synthesize a mesmerizing array of biomimetic visual forms that generate sound." They rarely perform in Texas, so this will be one event that must not be missed.

One problem I can already foretell is there just won't be enough time to fit everything in! Since the festival only runs for four days, most films are only playing once. We're excited to be experiencing this festival for the first time, and my cohort put it the best when he said that VideoFest feels like a place that we will discover some real hidden film gems.

Other Random Tidbits:
  • When you get to the theatre, you will get a number to the movie you want to see and will be let into the theatre based on that order.
  • Full festival badge holders will have full access to the festival lounge.
  • There will be a presentation on Google Glass where you can meet locals who have the technology and possibly let you try them out.
  • The festival lounge will also hold mini screenings in the Video Cafe.
  • On Saturday, you can bring your old home movies to the Video Cafe, and there will be a place to drop them off to be converted into DVDs by the Texas Archive.
  • There will be a high school showcase called Emerging Filmmakers Shorts. 
Be on the lookout for our most anticipated films later on today!

Fantastic Fest 2013 Wrap Up: Javi's Top Films


Finishing our Fantastic Fest coverage, Jonesy wrote about her favorite films here, and now its my turn.Piggy backing off what Jonesy said in her top movies of the festival, this was a hard festival to pick from. In the last few years, there have been some major standouts and this year really didn't have any, but not due to any fault of the programmers, it's actually because everything was that great.

So check out them picks after the break.

Monday, October 7, 2013

THE SECRET LIFE OF WALTER MITTY Is Sure To Delight Middle-Aged Suburbanites Everywhere



This movie just looks like every GARDEN STATE/ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND mashup and rip off that has been released in the year since those movies came out. I actually feel terrible about being completely turned off by this movie based on the trailers. It feels like I'm being a simpleton (probably), but the heart wants what it wants.

 Check out the trailer below thanks to CinemaBlend

Fantastic Fest 2013 Review: JODOROWSKY'S DUNE - Jonesy's Take


JORDOROWSKY'S DUNE
Directed by Frank Pavich
Starring: Alejandro Jodorowsky, Michel Seydoux, and H. R. Giger.
Synopsis: A look the unmade Dune film that ended up influencing modern science fiction films. 

Fantastic Fest 2013 Review: THE UNKNOWN KNOWN


THE UNKNOWN KNOWN

Directed by: Errol Morris
Starring: Donald Rumsfeld, Kenn Medeiros, and Errol Morris
Synopsis: Former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld narrates his life with special focus on his early political career and the Iraq War.


Fantastic Fest 2013 Review: THE CONGRESS - Javis' Take

THE CONGRESS
Directed by: Ari Folman
Written by: Ari Folman, based on Stanislaw Lem's novel, THE FUTUROLOGIST CONGRESS
Starring: Robin Wright, Kodi-Smith McFee, Harvey Kietel, Jon Hamm, and Paul Giamatti
Synopsis: After actress Robin Wright agrees to be "scanned" by a movie studio, said technology evolves into a dangerous extreme.

Fantastic Fest 2013 Wrap Up: Jonesy's Top Films



This year's Fantastic Fest came with much anticipation. The festival was moved to a different location, The Alamo Drafthouse Lakeline, because the Lamar location was still under renovation. However, as always, the team of individuals that put together this festival did no disappoint this year. In fact, this may have been the most solid set of programming I've seen in the three years I've gone. Out of all the films, only two were disappointments. It was tough to pick just five favorites, but I finally narrowed it down. But seriously, almost all the films I saw I would recommend.

Now onto my picks!

Friday, October 4, 2013

The Local Haps: Expanded Cinema


Welcome to what will be the first of another regular column here at WDYMS. "The Local Haps" will be a place for us to let you know about awesome movie-related events all throughout the Metroplex. The city's love for movies has become more and more apparent in the last few years. This first event is actually taking place tonight that is part of the Dallas VideoFest 26, it's called Expanded Cinema.

Check out the details after the break.



Alamo Drafthouse DFW Special Programming: Halloween Edition!



The month of October is a special time of year. It's full of old horror films and things that go bump in the night. The Drafthouse always presents get monthly programming, and their Halloween programming is no different. There will be girly nights, quote-a-longs, 35mm and VHS presentations. 

Here's the trailer of what's coming up:


Check out all details after the break! 


Fantastic Fest 2013 Review: GATCHAMAN - Javi's Take

GATCHAMAN
Directed by: Toya Sato
Written by: Yusuke Watanabe, with characters by Tasudo Yoshida
Starring: Tori Matsuzaka, Ryohei Suziki, Go Ayano, Ayane Goriki, and Tatsuomi Hanada
Synopsis:  When Earth is invaded by the evil Galactors, it's up to Science Ninja Team Gatchaman to stop them. 

New GODZILLA Teaser Will Make You Forget 1998 (Update)



(Edit: It seems that Legendary and Warner Brothers have pulled that clip offline. We'll update this posted when the official one comes out.) 

Despite his place in popular culture as a constant icon in the last 59 years, most people remember Godzilla as a goofy man-in-a-suit. On the same token, most people don't remember that the original GOJIRA was actually a rather somber movie full with some heavy allegory going on. Going off this teaser that was originally shown off during San Diego Comic Con, it seems that Gareth Edwards remembers. Thanks to io9, you can check out the trailer after the break.



Fantastic Fest 2013 Review: NOTHING BAD CAN HAPPEN - Jonesy's Take


NOTHING BAD CAN HAPPEN
Directed by Katrin Gebbe
Written by Katrin Gebbe
Starring: Julius Feldmeier, Sascha Gersak, Annika Kuhl, and Swantje Kohlhof
Synopsis: A young man's faith is tested when he gets caught up with a seemingly normal family.

Netflix Instant TV and Movie Picks



Happy October my film loving friends! We're in the a great time of year where the candy corn and pumpkin-flavored everything is flowing. For my picks this week, the films all have horror aspects to them. One is a documentary about a classic horror film, one is a retelling of a series of murders, and the final is a small, tense indie thriller.


THE SHINING is a staple horror film for any filmbuff. Kubrick is known for his obsessive nature as a filmmaker, and there have been many different types of theories and stories surrounding the production of THE SHINING. ROOM 237 is a documentary that focuses on some of the more "out there" theories floating around including Kubrick helping with faking the moon landing or Minotaur symbolism sprinkled within the film. It's a well made film and worth a watch, even if the points are a little outlandish. You can check out our review of it here!

I've heard about this film when it was released that it was making waves in the festival circuit. It's about the Snowtown murders that happened in South Australia. They're also know as the "body-in-barrels" murders, which makes the film even more intriguing.  

MARTHA MARCY MAY MARLENE was one of my favorite films a couple years ago. It made waves at Sundance, and the star, Elizabeth Olsen, had another film premiere that pretty much made her the festival darling, SILENT HOUSE. Though it's a simple story of a young woman being terrorized in her family's vacation home, what makes this film remarkable is the appearance of the film being done in a single, long take. It's quite a technological spectacle, and though the film itself isn't as solid as it should be, Olsen, as always, is fantastic. 


Wednesday, October 2, 2013

Fantastic Fest 2013 Review: THE GREEN INFERNO - Javi and Jonesy's Take

THE GREEN INFERNO
Directed by: Eli Roth
Written by: Eli Roth, Guillermo Amodeo
Starring: Lorenza Izzo, Ariel Levy, Aaron Morgan, Sky Ferreira, and Magda Apanowicz
Synopsis: When a bunch of privileged white people want to pretend to care about an indigenous tribe and try to save their rainforest home from being cut down, but their quest for activism ends up quickly backfiring.


Tuesday, October 1, 2013

Fantastic Fest 2013 Review: MIRAGE MEN - Jonesy's Take

MIRAGE MEN
Directed by: John Lundberg, Roland Denning, and Kypros Kyprianou
Synopsis: A documentary focusing around Area 51 and the cover-ups the government put in place to protect secret military operations.