Variety's experts review Sundance

'Beasts from the Southern Wild'William H. Macy and John Hawkes in "The Surrogate" Dreama Master in "Compliance" Variety's senior film experts Justin Chang and Peter Debruge weigh in around the 2012 Sundance Film festival. Peter Debruge: Should you take a look at Sundance's dramatic competition selection this season, you may think the condition of yankee independent cinema is determined by movies ambitious to become Fox Searchlight releases: twee youthful-love fables ("The Very First TimeInch), a zany time-traveling romance ("Safety Not Guaranteed") and tales of stars and company directors looking for themselves ("The Finish of affection,Inch "Nobody Walks"). How great, then, that Searchlight zagged and acquired two total formula-busters: unlikely crowdpleaser "The Surrogate," featuring indie stalwart John Hawkes like a sex-seeking, polio-stricken poet, and Benh Zeitlin's grand jury prize champion "Monsters from the Southern Wild," a very original, strongly recognized lightning storm of the movie that does not fit inside any kind of traditionally commercial box. Coming off annually of low-carrying out indies, possibly it's more accountable for emerging company directors to become operating in audience-conscious terms, a la Mike Birbiglia's appealing "Sleepwalk Beside Me,Inch though I favor to think about Sundance like a showcase for daring outsider work, and also the good examples were few in number only at that year's fest. Justin Chang: What's especially satisfying about seeing "Monsters" within the winner's circle is it was among the couple of dramatic records to show anything when it comes to a visible imagination, to goal for that mythic instead of be satisfied with the mundane. Any film that may hold its very own with early Terrence Malick is clearly doing something right. For similar reasons, I had been disappointed by the possible lack of fascination with Antonio Campos' completely different "Simon Killer." Yes, this dark descent right into a grubby Parisian underworld is definitely an frequently tough, uncomfortable experience it is also an amazing and hypnotic bit of filmmaking, one which I possibly could easily see holding its very own in a festival like Cannes. And frankly, considering the generally upbeat look at love and sex espoused by a few of the movies you mention -- even individuals I loved, like "Safety" and "Surrogate" -- Campos' toxic, ice-cold look at human sexuality went lower just like a refreshingly nasty tonic. PD: Ah, sex -- always a well known subject at festivals and, in fact, central to 2 from the most powerful films I saw here. Former Sundance champion Ira Sachs' "Keep your Lights On" plays just like a gay "Moments From the Marriage," discussing intimate, extremely honest glimpses from the troubled nine-year relationship. The film holds true to itself inside a refreshingly genuine, frequently heartbreaking way, even when the unsentimental depiction sabotages its crossover potential with nongay audiences. "The Surrogate," by comparison, uses crowdpleasing sentimentality to provide an unconventionally sex-positive story, one out of which sexual intercourse works as a type of human connection for somebody who has experienced hardly any physical contact beyond his parents and care providers. Alternatively extreme was "Compliance," which sparked more discussion and debate than every other film within the fest, with valid reason: Though undeniably provocative in the mind games, "Compliance" essentially comes down to an element-length rape scene. JC: Permitting the representation of the immoral act do not need to be immoral itself, I discovered "Compliance" absolutely compelling and proficiently disturbing, as well as competition-worthy (rather, it had been slotted within the fest's low-budget Next sidebar). But lest you assume I love my movie sex dank, perverse and nonconsensual, I hasten to include which i share your popularity of "The Surrogate's" disarmingly frank and grown-up management of the topic, particularly its understanding of the ever-present tension between sex and religion. It had been a running festival theme, also addressed in films as different as "Love Free or Die," a documentary about freely gay bishop Gene Robinson, and "Youthful and Wild," a hot-blooded romp in regards to a Catholic girl's burgeoning sexuality. PD: As the narrative features were more uneven, too frequently restricted to narcissism or cutesiness (minus the situation within the worldwide choices), Sundance's doc choices boasted a dependably solid selection of social-justice and eco-conscious records. I had been particularly astounded by three films that worked with race in interesting ways. Mike Pollard's class-ready "Slavery by Another Title" discloses the shocking techniques through which whitened Southerners perpetuated slavery-like conditions for pretty much a hundred years following the Civil War. Eugene Jarecki's must-see, grand jury prize-winning doc "The Home My Home IsInch stretches this inquiry into present, analyzing how drug-related laws and regulations perpetuate racial inequity within this country. And, whilst not a doc, Spike Lee's "Red-colored Hook Summer time" bites off a lot more than every other film within the fest, dealing with issues of religion and representation among inner-city African-People in america. JC: I did not have the ability to see "Red-colored Hook Summer time," although it certainly sounds meatier and much more ambitious than a lot of the relaxation from the Premieres section, which offered up one mediocre comedy to another, including "a couple of days in NY," "Bachelorette" and, in the usually reliable Stephen Frears, "Lay the favourite.Inch Among all of this star-studded dross, it had been a relief to come across "Shadow Dancer," a tense, superbly understated IRA thriller that verifies James Marsh among the wisest filmmakers working today either in fiction or nonfiction. For the fest's typically stellar docu selection, my personal favorite didn't have social-justice orientation whatsoever: Rodney Ascher's enchanting cine-essay "Room 237," which offered up a hilariously obsessive, frame-by-frame analysis of Stanley Kubrick's "The Shining" and also the abundant layers of meaning hidden away therein. Each year whose official Sundance slogan was "Look again," I'm able to think about not one other film in Park City that so consistently and enjoyably forced me to complete exactly that. Contact Justin Chang at justin.chang@variety.com

Bravo to Air Kim Richards' First Publish-Rehab Interview incorporated in Regular folks Reunion

Kim Richards Real Regular folks of Beverly Slopes star Kim Richards will sit lower with Bravo's Andy Cohen on her behalf first in-depth interview since departing rehab, On Air with Ryan Seacrest reviews. Although two regions of the particular Regular folks reunion happen to be formerly introduced, a distinctive third part of the approaching special, through which Richards' interview will probably be featured, has apparently been added. Real Housewives' Kim Richards leaves rehab Richards, 47, completed her treatment noisy . The month of the month of january. She demonstrated questionable behavior through the show's second season - most recently acquiring herself in the bathroom inside a restaurant opening. Throughout an early on Season 2 episode, Richards credited numerous this behavior to her regimen of prescription drugs, which she mentioned incorporated anti-anxiety medication Lexapro, the antidepressant Trazadone, and Topamax, an anti-seizure medication. Kim "isin a better place now," her sister and co-star, Kyle Richards, told Seacrest captured on his radio show. Part among the Real Regular folks of Beverly Slopes reunion airs on Monday at 9/8c on Bravo. Will you watch Kim' interview with Andy Cohen?

Kodak files for Chapter 11

Eastman Kodak Co., a symbol that goes back towards the 1880s and also the greatest supplier of raw film stock to Hollywood right from the start of movies, declared Chapter 11 overnight in U.S. personal bankruptcy court for that Southern District of NY after battling for a long time with fierce competition and shifting technology. The Rochester, N.Y.-based company stated Citigroup released an argument soon after night time Thursday. It stated it'll give a $950 million debtor-in-possession loan to let it operate throughout personal bankruptcy. A personal bankruptcy judge must approve the borrowed funds. The new sony and Warner Bros. are named within the filing among Kodak's unsecured creditors, with correspondingly, $16.7 million and $14.two million in unsecured notes. For a long time, Hollywood was based on Kodak items. The Three,332 Kodak Theatre, home from the Oscars, opened up in 2001. The move continues to be expected for many several weeks, otherwise years. Kodak stated it'll reorganize its companies, bolster liquidity within the U.S. and abroad, sell non-proper intellectual property, resolve legacy liabilities, and let concentrate on its best business lines. The organization makes pioneering opportunities in digital, it stated, producing roughly 75% of their revenue from digital companies this year. "Kodak takes a substantial step toward enabling our enterprise to accomplish its transformation," Boss Antonio Perez stated. Kodak was founded by George Eastman who introduced the Kodak camera in 1888. The organization continued to invent film, enabling Thomas Edison to build up the film camera, Brownie cameras selling for $1 and Kodachrome film. Contact the range newsroom at news@variety.com

Berlinger docu paired with 'Graceland'

Joe Berlinger's documentary "Under African Skies," about the stormy creation and broad influence of Paul Simon's landmark 1986 album "Graceland," will become a key component of Sony Legacy's 25th anniversary re-release of the set after its Sundance premiere on Sunday. After an airing on A&E and a limited theatrical run, feature will appear in a director's cut version on an expanded collector's boxed edition of "Graceland" to be released by Sony Music Entertainment's catalog unit this spring. In an interview with Variety last year, Simon intimated that a "Graceland" tour with his original South African collaborators could be in the offing in 2012, but a Legacy spokesman said nothing official had been decided to date. Berlinger's feature revisits the controversy surrounding the making of "Graceland," which singer-songwriter Simon recorded in South Africa using indigenous musicians during the country's restrictive era of apartheid and a U.N. cultural boycott of the nation. Last year, the director traveled to South Africa, where Simon performed with members of the original "Graceland" troupe -- including trumpeter Hugh Masekela, vocal group Ladysmith Black Mambazo and guitarist Ray Phiri -- in a reunion concert. Besides Simon and the principal players, pic features interviews with Quincy Jones, Harry Belafonte, Paul McCartney, David Byrne and Peter Gabriel, as well as key anti-apartheid activists. A pioneering world-music work, "Graceland" remains the most popular and most highly lauded of Simon's solo releases. It is credited with worldwide sales of 14 million and spent 97 weeks on the U.S. album chart. It received a Grammy for album of the year in 1987; the following year, its title track garnered song of the year honors. "It's the peak of my career, I think," Simon told Variety last year. Besides a DVD of the Berlinger film, Legacy's "Graceland" reissue will contain bonus tracks, which may include live renditions of material from the album from Simon's original 1987-88 tour dates. "Graceland" was originally released by Warner Bros. Records. Last year, Sony Legacy assumed control of Simon's entire back catalog and began an extensive reissue campaign. Contact the Variety newsroom at news@variety.com

Devesa, Funato launch Alpha Crimson

PARIS -- Virginie Devesa and Keiko Funato have launched Alpha Crimson, a Paris-based sales company that underscores the cosmopolitan achieve in the Gallic sector. One early Alpha Crimson acquisition, "Off White-colored Lies," from Israel's Maya Kenig, carried out competing the other day in the users hand Springs Festival and screens in Berlinale's Generation sidebar. Backed by France's Chamber of Commerce, Alpha Crimson aims to make use of new talent from emerging national cinemas, making worldwide sales on movies that reflect the burgeoning breadth of arthouse production. Alpha's range reflects its founders' abilities: Both labored at Hengameh Panahi's Celluloid Dreams before joining U Media. Funato then labored for Japanese distributor Uplink while Devesa offered becoming an audiovisual attache within the French Embassy in Moscow. Arthouse comedy "Lies" is positioned within the outbreak in the second Lebanon war and follows a parent or gaurdian and daughter showing up as refugees to snag accommodation getting a wealthy Jerusalem family. Alpha Violet's two other buys tackle social issues more directly. "Journey to Portugal," from Portuguese docu filmmaker Sergio Trefaut, starring Maria p Madeiros, denounces prejudice and European airport terminal terminal border control techniques. Russian helmer Alexander Vartanov's "Bullet Collector" can be a low-budget, b&w coming-of-age tale that captures the violence of edgy Moscow youth. Kenig, Trefaut and Vartanov are first-time fiction company company directors. "You need to partner with filmmakers utilizing their roots and concentrate on quality, daring films with issues you want to discuss," Devesa told Variety. Contact the number newsroom at news@variety.com

Ray Hagman: Cancer Wont Keep Me From Dallas Reboot

First Launched: The month of the month of january 14, 2012 6:05 PM EST Credit: Access Hollywood Caption Access Hollywood Live: Ray Hagman Auctions Off I Imagine Jeannie & Dallas Memorabilia La, Calif. -- Ray Hagman mentioned his recent cancer diagnosis hasnt saved him from like a full part of the Dallas reboot going to TNT this summer season. They afflicted me with a little time off work work, in e-commerce, you'll be able to shoot three or four shows concurrently, Hagman told reporters on Saturday within the Television Experts Association Winter Session in Pasadena, Calif. The actor, who revealed he was fighting a curable kind of cancer in October of 2011, also gave an update on his progress. My remedies Are going along perfectly, he mentioned. The actor is fully active in the Dallas project, alongside fellow Dallas vets Patrick Duffy and Linda Gray, and Hagman mentioned filming is starting to warm up. I labored yesterday, Hagman ongoing. I did so three major moments yesterday and extremely well too, I must admit. Which I'd a good time. Theyre not writing me out, he ongoing. However I've got a while to produce up over the following number of days, so Ill work each day, In my opinion. Really, Hagman revealed all things have heated along with his on again/off again on-screen love interest Sue Ellen, carried out once again by Gray. Yesterday we did a scene and he or she provided my first slap, he mentioned. You are not made to condition that! Gray chimed in. Nevertheless it was great, she added getting a grin. Dallas, also starring Jordana Brewster, Jesse Metcalfe, Josh Henderson, Brenda Strong and Julia Gonzalo, airs next summer season on TNT. Copyright 2012 by NBC Universal, Corporation. All rights reserved. These elements is probably not launched, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Samsung 'Pushing Boundaries' with Televisions

Beneath the theme "Pushing Restrictions," Samsung desires to make its new kind of Televisions the center of an entertainment hub through which audiences share content across items.Among the PC features are multitasking programs (and that means you don't to prevent your Netflix application to evaluate game scores), slots at the rear of the Televisions to update software, together with a sizable and rapidly growing selection of programs.They'll have a built-in video camera and microphone make it easy for video chat, and receive voice and gesture instructions (a demo used a swiping motion to navigate channels and poking movement to press some control to produce purchases).The digital camera-fitted Televisions may also get face recognition, to enable them to sense which family member is watching.One application moving from Samsung's cell phones and pills might be the Samsung Media Hub, Samsung's content store for buying movies and tv shows. Another application, having its roots in Hollywood can get its first TV-maker partner: Technicolor's M-GO application, which puts bonus content around the handheld or tablet screen within a film or Tv program.Ough Baxter, prexy of Samsung Electronics America, revealed their high-finish ES 8000 TV line. Greatest screen inside the line is 75" diagonal. All boast dual-core processors permitting application multitasking, as well as the slim bezels that are this kind of trend within the TV industry. Its Smart TV line will grow by 60% this year.On 3d TV, Baxter mentioned Samsung has offered 12 million 3d Televisions worldwide and half of people offered this year might be 3d enabled. He acknowledged, "Everyone knows there's insufficient content to produce 3d essential-have feature, and this year we're putting the primary concentrate on developing a library of 3d content that might be streamed." Among people guaranteed include SyFy's "Battlestar Galactica" in 3d.Also going to Samsung TV is "Angry Wild wild birds" just like a streaming application. The on-demand streaming HD funnel, free on Samsung Televisions, might have "Angry Wild wild birds" animated shorts.The best excitement within the presentation came from in the unveiling of Samsung's 55-inch OLED TV, that delivers a picture vibrant and apparent enough being startling even far. It's each of the features in the other high-finish Samsung Televisions: dual-core processors, built-in camera and microphone, and 3d. Cost-free point was stated.The Korean electronics giant also used CES to show techniques to future-proof its Televisions to make sure that customers don't have to purchase alternative sets as frequently -- something clients happen to be slow to accomplish.Within a crowded ballroom within the Venetian Hotel and Casino, Samsung revealed new "smart" hardware that mixes the thing that was considered when the hallmark of computers, additionally to voice and gesture controls.Samsung might be no. 1 TV brand for your sixth consecutive year, and needed charge in global business in cell phones the first time a year ago. Contact David S. Cohen at david.cohen@variety.com