I saw this film at last year’s Tribeca Film Festival. It’s a small, quiet indie with that dark comedy vibe that I love. Starring Academy Award nominees Thomas Haden Church, Elisabeth Shue, and Melissa Leo, Don McKay has some interesting high points, but definitely comes alive once all twists reveal themselves at the end. I was thinking about this movie for days after I saw it. Don McKay will be in theatres on April 2.

Dear Academy,

We thought you could use a little help. Take it from us - Limité’s film writers - and pay attention to who we believe deserves to walk home with that little golden guy.

Sincerely,

Limité Staff

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Nominees:

Penélope Cruz - Nine

Vera Farmiga - Up in the Air

Maggie Gyllenhaal - Crazy Heart

Anna Kendrick - Up in the Air

Mo’Nique - Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire

Dan Quitério - Mo’Nique. Every year, there’s at least one no-brainer in an acting category. This year, it’s Mo’Nique. The thing is, she actually deserves it based on this Oscar-made role.

Who Will Win: Mo’Nique

Stephanie Dawson - Mo’Nique. She delivers a tour de force performance that brought me to tears. And she took all the other awards, so this is a shoe in.

Who Will Win: Mo’Nique

Janice Perez - Mo’Nique. Final act monologue she does in the movie. Enough said.

Who Will Win: Mo’Nique (more…)

Jean-Michel Basquiat: The Radiant Child, directed by one of the artist’s close friends, Tamra Davis. The film features never-before seen footage of the prolific yet troubled artist, just a couple of years before his untimely passing in 1988. Jean-Michel Basquiat: The Radiant Child in its entirety was released on February 21st, 2010.

One very striking scene in the gritty and kinetic A Prophet (Un prophète), Jacques Audiard’s masterful portrayal of the harrowing life in a French prison, shows Malik El Djebena, a young Arab convict, gazing into an abyss of clouds rolling in the sky from his plane seat. It’s an irony - and even a prophecy - that he’s 10,000 feet above ground, far from the dark and grotesque underbelly that bestializes criminals, rather than reforms them. The childlike wonder on Malik’s face suspends, for an ethereal moment, his real self - a vicious brute who’s spent the last five years of his life serving as a hitman and dealer for the prison’s Corsican warlord. (more…)

Over the last few days I’ve been on the search for new creative inspiration for several new projects in the works, and David Gensler of the KDU shared this video and it had me complete awe and took me to a place of tranquility that I haven’t been in a long time. Alex Roman, as you pay attention to the credits is a man of many talents; put together this beautiful clip “tries to illustrate architecture art across a photographic point of view where main subjects are already-built spaces. Sometimes in an abstract way. Sometimes surreal.” In my opinion, I’ve think he’s done a excellent job in his execution.

The Australian’s call it Walkabout, a chance to escape from the routine, heading into the empty wilderness to empty the body and soul of built up trash, they call it FLAT OUT. Using the simplest and cleanest form of transport, a Track bike. Four cyclists, meet at the Sydney Opera House in Australia, to embark on a journey into extreme terrain during dangerous summer conditions, riding a massive 1200km of road in only ten days to the city of Melbourne. (more…)

Film distributor GKIDS announced today that their award-winning and surprise Oscar nominated animated feature The Secret of Kells by director Tomm Moore will open theatrically at New York’s IFC Center on March 5, which is Oscar weekend.

This New York opening at IFC Center will be followed by a previously- announced opening in Boston on March 19 (tied into St. Patrick’s day for the Irish film), and an April 2 expansion to major US markets including Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago and others.

Last week, The Secret of Kells garnered an Academy Award nomination for Best Animated Feature. The distributor’s word-of-mouth Oscar campaign capitalized on audience passion to create a groundswell of support for The Secret of Kells . The nomination is a major accomplishment for an independent feature in a year with many well-regarded commercial animated releases.

GKIDS President, Eric Beckman said, “We’re still reeling from the news of the Oscar nomination and are thrilled at the opportunity to open the film in New York over Oscar weekend. Audience reaction has been simply phenomenal and it is wonderful that New York families and animation lovers will be the first in the country to discover The Secret of Kells.”

Set in a quaint fishing community on the outskirts of New York City, City Island is a hilarious and touching tale about a family whose comfortable co-existence is upended by surprising revelations of past secrets and present day lies. Vince Rizzo (Andy Garcia) is a lifelong resident of the tiny, tradition-steeped Bronx enclave of City Island. A family man who makes his living as a corrections officer, Vince longs to become an actor. Ashamed to admit his aspirations to his family, Vince would rather let his fiery wife Joyce (Julianna Margulies) believe his weekly poker games are a cover for an extramarital affair than admit he’s secretly taking acting classes in Manhattan.

When Vince is asked to reveal his biggest secret in class, he inadvertently sets off a chaotic chain of events that turns his mundane suburban life upside down. Inspired by the exercise, he decides to bring his long-lost ex-con son Tony (Steven Strait) home to meet the family, and it soon becomes clear that everyone—including his college student daughter (Dominik García-Lorido), teenaged son Vinnie, Jr. (Ezra Miller), charismatic acting partner (Emily Mortimer) and drama coach (Alan Arkin)— has something to hide. A perfect storm of deception, half truths and confusion makes Vince and his family members realize that the truth may not set them free, but it is easier to keep track of than all their well-intentioned white lies.

Official Movie Site

Many of us are from the planet called Brooklyn and the pride the we display is sometimes disturbing so it comes as no shock or surprise that there will be a documentary on one of the famous neighborhoods in the borough. The upcoming full-length documentary A Walk Through Fort Greene discusses the massive Black arts movement that began back in the mid 1980s all the way through the 1990s. The story is narrated by director Nelson George as he takes a look into the catalyst for the movement as well as its development and unfolding. Some influential entertainers make appearances including Spike Lee, Chris Rock, Rosie Perez, Vernon Reid, Carl Hancock Rux, Saul Williams, Lorna Simpson, Alva Rogers, Kevin Powell, and Bill Stephany among others.

Directors: Nelson George & Diane Paragas
Cinematography: Diane Paragas, Francisco Aliwalis
Music: Dreaming in Fort Greene by Poogie Bell
Producer: Nicole Nelch

Source: LTD MAG / Hypebeast

Q&A with Director Mark Hopkins

Living in Emergency: Stories of Doctors Without Borders is a riveting documentary following four volunteer doctors serving in post-war Liberia and Congo. This is the first time Medecins Sans Frontiers/Doctors Without Borders (MSF) has allowed uncensored access to its field operations. The result is a real look at day-to-day operations in a field clinic with no overly romantic notions of the good that MSF does and overt clarity that MSF cannot solve every medical issue in the regions it serves.

Dr. Divinder Gill is 26 years old, serving in his first mission with MSF, and is stationed in a remote clinic where he is the only expatriate. Dr. Tom Krueger is a veteran surgeon who closed his 20-year-old private practice to serve his first mission with MSF. Dr. Kiara Lepora is a veteran MSF volunteer and is the head of mission in Monrovia, while Dr. Chris Brasher has worked for MSF for 9 years and reached his burnout period. Each of their stories is revealed with honesty and care as the doctors share their candid views on the importance of their work and the frustrations of the tough choices they must make, given the limits of available technology, supplies, and their own abilities. (more…)