DALLAS IFF 2013 Review: GOOD OL' FREDA - Javi's Take

GOOD OL' FREDA

Directed by: Ryan White

Starring: Freda Kelly

Synopsis: The life and times of Freda Kelly, the Beatles' fan club manager and secretary.

Dallas IFF 2013 Review: AZOOMA- Damon's Take

AZOOMA

Directed by Lee Ji-seung

Written by Lee Ji-seung

Starring: Young-nam Jang, Dong-seok Ma, and Lee Jae-hee

Synopsis: A mother takes matters in her own hands when the police won't help her catch the man who sexual abused her daughter.

Dallas IFF 2013 Review: DIVING NORMAL - Zed's Take

DIVING NORMAL

Directed by: Kristjan Thor

Written by: Ashlin Halfnight

Starring: Susie Abromeit, Scotty Crowe, Philipp Karner, Tonye Patano, Sandra Bernhard, Beau Garrett

Synopsis: Fulton, an ambitious Brooklynite graphic novelist, and Gordon, his socially awkward neighbor, are best friends who both vie for the attention of Dana, a beautiful but damaged girl.

Dallas IFF Review 2013: 42- Jonesy's Take

42

Directed by Brian Helgeland

Written by Brian Helgeland

Starring: Chadwick Boseman, Harrison Ford, Alan Tudyk, Lucas Black, and Nicole Beharie.

Synopsis: A look at Jackie Robinson, the first African-American baseball player to play in the major league.

Dallas IFF 2013 Review - ICEBERG SLIM: A PORTRAIT OF A PIMP - Zed's Take

ICEBERG SLIM: A PORTRAIT OF A PIMP

Directed by: Jorge Hinojosa 

Synopsis: Examines the tumultuous life of legendary Chicago pimp Iceberg Slim and how he reinvented himself from pimp to author of seven groundbreaking books.

Dallas IFF 2013 Review: THE BRASS TEAPOT - Javi's Take

THE BRASS TEAPOT

Directed by: Ramaa Mosley

Written by: Tim Macy

Starring: Juno Temple, Michael Angarano, Alexis Bledel, Bobby Moynihan, and Alia Sawkat

Synopsis: A poor young couple struggles to make ends meet until they find a magical teapot that hands out cash once the person touching it gets hurt.

Dallas IFF 2013 Review: THE BOUNCEBACK - Zed's Take

THE BOUNCEBACK

Directed by: Bryan Poyser

Written by: Bryan Poyser, David Degrow Shotwell, Steven Walters

Starring: Ashley Bell, Zach Cregger, Sara Paxton, Michael Stahl-David

Synopsis: Breaking up is hard to. But recovering from the break up can be even harder.

Dallas IFF 2013 Review: THE KINGS OF SUMMER- Javi and Jonesy's Take

THE KINGS OF SUMMER

Directed by Jordan Vogt-Roberts

Written by Chris Galleta

Starring: Nick Robinson, Gabriel Basso, Moises Arias, Nick Offerman, Alison Brie, and Megan Mullally.

Synopsis: Three friends decide to build their own home in the woods so they can run away from home.

THE KINGS OF SUMMER will play again today, April 11th, at 10:15 p.m. at the Magnolia Dallas.

Dallas IFF 2013 Review: STACKER - Zed's Take

STACKER

Directed by: Jeremi Mattern

Synopsis: STACKER takes you inside the fiercely competitive world of sport stacking: an international individual and team sport that involves stacking specialized plastic cups in specific sequences in as fastest time as possible

Dallas IFF 2013 Review: THE MAN FROM THE FUTURE - Javi's Take

THE MAN FROM THE FUTURE (O HOMEM DO FUTURO)

Directed by: Cláudio Torres

Written by: Cláudio Torres

Starring: Wagner Moura, Aline Moraes, Maria Luísa Mendoca and Fernando Ceylão

Synopsis: When a scientist accidentally discovers time travel, he uses this great power with great responsibility and tries to warn his past self about the humiliation he will go through during a college party.

Dallas IFF Review: Documentary Shorts- Jonesy's Take

As much as I enjoy full length documentaries, I've never see the documentary short program. Usually this is the category that will mess up your Oscar poll during the Academy Awards. But after viewing this year's documentary shorts program at DIFF, I will make sure to catch this program again next year. There were seven shorts total with six of them being very strong. Below I have highlighted three of my favorites.

The documentary shorts will show again tonight, April, 9th, at 9:45 at the Angelika Dallas. 

Dallas IFF 2013 Review: TERMS AND CONDITIONS MAY APPLY- Jonesy's Take

TERMS AND CONDITIONS MAY APPLY

Directed by Cullen Hoback

Synopsis: A documentary that takes a look about what it means when we click "agree" to companies terms and conditions and privacy policy statements. 

DIFF 2013 Review: Animation Shorts - Javi's Take

I was looking forward to the various short film blocks presented during DIFF and so far, they haven't disappointed. First up for me will be the animation shorts block. As usual, I'll highlight my three favorite shorts which is not to say that I didn't like all of them but they are my absolute favorite ones.

As of this posting, the block will play again today, Monday, April 8th, so catch it if you can at 5:00 p.m. at the Angelika Theater tonight.

DIFF 2013 Review: A TEACHER- Damon's Take

A TEACHER

Directed by: Hannah Fidell

Starring: Lindsay Burdge, Will Brittain, and Jennifer Prediger

Synopsis: A look at an Austin, Texas teacher that enters a relationship with one of her students

DIFF 2013 Review: JUMP - Zed's Take

 JUMP

Directed by Kieron J. Walsh
Written by Kieron J. Walsh and Steve Brooks
Starring: Nicola Burley, Martin McCann, and Charlene McKenna

Synopsis: Four twenty-somethings lives collide one fateful New Year’s Eve, in a night of fast talk, coincidence, and intrigue.

DIFF 2013 Review - MUD: Javi's Take

MUD

Directed by: Jeff Nichols

Written by: Jeff Nichols

Starring: Matthew McConaughey, Tye Sheridan, Jacob Lofland, Reese Witherspoon, Michael Shannon, Sarah Paulson, and Sam Shepard

Synopsis: When two young boys go exploring around the Mississippi River and find a boat up in a tree, they come across a stranger named Mud, who enlists their help so he can escape from the law.

DIFF 2013 Review: CRASH REEL- Jonesy's Take

CRASH REEL

Directed by Lucy Walker

Synopsis: A documentary about the rise and fall of professional snowboarder, Kevin Pearce.

Dallas International Film Festival Unofficial Survival Guide

When it's your first time going to a film festival, it can be a tad overwhelming. What movies do I see? How do I get from location to location? Where can I find some delicious food? Why is this random person in line talking to me? Reading guides created by locals has helped us in the past with the ins and outs of festing, especially when you're coming from out of town. So, here's our personal guide to making the most out of this years Dallas International Film Festival. 

Javi's Most Anticipated DIFF 2013 Films

It's that time of the year again with the Dallas International Film Festival coming up. As always, the programmers have a good mix of international and "mainstream" films with a little bit of something for everyone. If you're planning to attend the screening, click on the titles and the links will take you to the dates locations along with information on where to buy tickets.

And without further ado, here are my most anticipated movies of the festival.

Jonesy's Most Anticipated DIFF 2013 Films

We're just a couple days away from the 2013 Dallas International Film Festival. This festival is getting bigger every year, and as always, the programmers offer up a plethora of new and classic film screenings. One aspect I always enjoy about this specific festival is that it is a work-friendly festival. Most of the screenings during the week happen after the work day ends, so you don't have to worry about taking vacation days. I'm ready to be surprised by the films I will see, and here are five that I'm most looking forward to.

If you click on the links of the films, they will take you to their DIFF site where you can find information on screening times, locations, and tickets.