Moviefone's Top Blu-ray of the Week
"Phantom of the Paradise"
What's It About? This is a freaky '70s take on "Faust" and "Phantom of the Opera," by way of Brian De Palma. Sure, we know that music producers are evil, but Swan (Paul Williams) really takes the cake.
Why We're In: Shout! Factory's two-disc set has some pretty great goodies for fans of this cult flick.
New on DVD & Blu-ray
"12 O'Clock Boys"
What's It About? Baltimore teens take to the streets on their dirt bikes, and young Pug wants to be one of them. A short but satisfying doc that's part extreme sports action and part personal drama.
In or Out: In.
"Around the Block"
What's It About? Christine Ricci stars as a cool American teacher in Australia who puts on a performance of "Hamlet" with her students. Unfortunately for the play's star, an Aboriginal teen named Liam, his...
"Phantom of the Paradise"
What's It About? This is a freaky '70s take on "Faust" and "Phantom of the Opera," by way of Brian De Palma. Sure, we know that music producers are evil, but Swan (Paul Williams) really takes the cake.
Why We're In: Shout! Factory's two-disc set has some pretty great goodies for fans of this cult flick.
New on DVD & Blu-ray
"12 O'Clock Boys"
What's It About? Baltimore teens take to the streets on their dirt bikes, and young Pug wants to be one of them. A short but satisfying doc that's part extreme sports action and part personal drama.
In or Out: In.
"Around the Block"
What's It About? Christine Ricci stars as a cool American teacher in Australia who puts on a performance of "Hamlet" with her students. Unfortunately for the play's star, an Aboriginal teen named Liam, his...
- 8/5/2014
- by Jenni Miller
- Moviefone
Stars: Marcello Conte, Judah Friedlander, Amy Sedaris, Lea Thompson, Susan Sarandon, John Hannah, Quinn McColgan, Emmi Shockley, Robert Longstreet, Maddie Howard, Joseph McCaughtry, Andy Riddle, Helena May Seabrook | Written and Directed by Michael Tully
Writer and director Michael Tully’s latest film Ping Pong Summer has such a strong personal connection a more apt title may be “How I Spent My Summer Vacation—in 1985”. Tully is clearly a product of the 80’s and Ping Pong Summer is a radical reflection of that. This eighties-sploitation encapsulates what made the 1980’s such an infamous decade—including homages of everything from Karate Kid to Fast Time at Ridgemont High to everyone’s favorite Rad. While the references are intriguing and varied, not enough is done to forge its own legacy.
In the film Marcello Conte plays Rad Miracle, a teenager obsessed with hip hop and ping-pong. He brings his obsession on his annual family vacation to Ocean City,...
Writer and director Michael Tully’s latest film Ping Pong Summer has such a strong personal connection a more apt title may be “How I Spent My Summer Vacation—in 1985”. Tully is clearly a product of the 80’s and Ping Pong Summer is a radical reflection of that. This eighties-sploitation encapsulates what made the 1980’s such an infamous decade—including homages of everything from Karate Kid to Fast Time at Ridgemont High to everyone’s favorite Rad. While the references are intriguing and varied, not enough is done to forge its own legacy.
In the film Marcello Conte plays Rad Miracle, a teenager obsessed with hip hop and ping-pong. He brings his obsession on his annual family vacation to Ocean City,...
- 6/11/2014
- by Dan Clark
- Nerdly
Alien objects by today’s standards such as cassettes or boom boxes are imbued with an indelible sense of nostalgia. Those who remember how irritating it was to have to rewind a mix-tape with a pencil or running out of quarters at the neighborhood arcade understand that - though current technology facilitates most needs - there was a wonderful physicality to those dilemmas. Who hasn’t yearned to return to their simpler, younger years and relive those peculiarities that made them so special? For those growing up in the 80’s there is now hope to go back in the form of a film. Finding magic in the obsolete, Michael Tully’s “Ping Pong Summer” is a cinematic time machine that embraces the visual aesthetics of the time, while unafraid of being a bit messy and over the top.
It’s the summer of 1985 and awkward teen Rad Miracle (Marcello Conte) is headed to Ocean City, Maryland for a family vacation on a budget. His sister, a few years older than him, is a rebellious too-cool-for-cool girl with a fondness for dark make-up. Their parents surely love them, but they are also great at enhancing the weird emotions that go along with being an adolescent.
Friendless and with not much to do in town besides getting some Cherry+Cola Icee, Rad is not looking forward to his time there. Luckily, he crosses paths with Teddy Fryy ( Myles Massey), a quirky African American boy who sports an awesome fro. His new best pal introduces him to a mythical arcade known as “Fun Hub.” While playing some friendly ping pong games, Rad must face his nemesis for the summer, rich kid Lyle (Joseph McCaughtry) and his overly devoted sidekick Dale (Andy Riddle).
Indispensable in every coming-of-age tale, Rad’s love interested is Stacy Summers (Emmi Shockley). A classic teenage beauty, she obviously likes to hang around with the wrong crowd. Stacy drinks a mysterious beverage referred to as “funk punch,” which legend has is composed of soda and a hefty serving of Pixy Stix - others believe it may be cocaine. The young hero is too shy to make a move, but when he challenges Lyle to an epic ping pong game, he sees it as a chance to prove himself worthy of her love and defeat his bully. Encouraged by Teddy and Randi Jammer (Susan Sarandon), a hermit ex-ping pong champion who becomes his sensei à la Mr. Miyagi, Rad is ready to become an arcade legend.
Perfectly designed to bring back a specific vintage look, the film uses a sort of fabricated cheesiness that replicates the mood of those films that may now seem dated. The cynicism moviegoers are used to these days is deflected here with fantastic warmth. It is “The Way Way Back” filtered through a retro lens and sparkled with synthesizers, hip hop beats, colorful pants, and break dancing. Fresh-faced Conte as the self-conscious, innocent, and quiet Rad is endearing and sincerely portrays a nerdy guy from a bygone era trying to find his individuality. Similarly, the supporting cast helps create an atmosphere of corny goodness necessary to buy into the world the film attempts to recreate.
Stylistically Tully grabbed details and distinct visual aspects directly from the media of the time. From the transitions and letter fonts to the wardrobe choices, all serve as an elaborate homage to the fun qualities of 80’s movies. It doesn’t take itself too seriously, and it really doesn’t offer much uniqueness in terms of story, but undoubtedly works in often hilarious ways. “Ping Pong Summer” is a satisfyingly predictable feel-good bonanza realized with such careful and loving passion for the past that is hard not to fall for its charm. Perhaps the most hilarious period piece (yes, period piece) you’ll see this year.
"Ping Pong Summer" was part of the Champs Elysees Film Festival's Us in Progress initiative while in post-production. It then premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January. Isa: Film Boutique/U.S. Distribution: Gavitas Ventures (Theatrical), Millennium Entertainment (Home Entertainment)...
It’s the summer of 1985 and awkward teen Rad Miracle (Marcello Conte) is headed to Ocean City, Maryland for a family vacation on a budget. His sister, a few years older than him, is a rebellious too-cool-for-cool girl with a fondness for dark make-up. Their parents surely love them, but they are also great at enhancing the weird emotions that go along with being an adolescent.
Friendless and with not much to do in town besides getting some Cherry+Cola Icee, Rad is not looking forward to his time there. Luckily, he crosses paths with Teddy Fryy ( Myles Massey), a quirky African American boy who sports an awesome fro. His new best pal introduces him to a mythical arcade known as “Fun Hub.” While playing some friendly ping pong games, Rad must face his nemesis for the summer, rich kid Lyle (Joseph McCaughtry) and his overly devoted sidekick Dale (Andy Riddle).
Indispensable in every coming-of-age tale, Rad’s love interested is Stacy Summers (Emmi Shockley). A classic teenage beauty, she obviously likes to hang around with the wrong crowd. Stacy drinks a mysterious beverage referred to as “funk punch,” which legend has is composed of soda and a hefty serving of Pixy Stix - others believe it may be cocaine. The young hero is too shy to make a move, but when he challenges Lyle to an epic ping pong game, he sees it as a chance to prove himself worthy of her love and defeat his bully. Encouraged by Teddy and Randi Jammer (Susan Sarandon), a hermit ex-ping pong champion who becomes his sensei à la Mr. Miyagi, Rad is ready to become an arcade legend.
Perfectly designed to bring back a specific vintage look, the film uses a sort of fabricated cheesiness that replicates the mood of those films that may now seem dated. The cynicism moviegoers are used to these days is deflected here with fantastic warmth. It is “The Way Way Back” filtered through a retro lens and sparkled with synthesizers, hip hop beats, colorful pants, and break dancing. Fresh-faced Conte as the self-conscious, innocent, and quiet Rad is endearing and sincerely portrays a nerdy guy from a bygone era trying to find his individuality. Similarly, the supporting cast helps create an atmosphere of corny goodness necessary to buy into the world the film attempts to recreate.
Stylistically Tully grabbed details and distinct visual aspects directly from the media of the time. From the transitions and letter fonts to the wardrobe choices, all serve as an elaborate homage to the fun qualities of 80’s movies. It doesn’t take itself too seriously, and it really doesn’t offer much uniqueness in terms of story, but undoubtedly works in often hilarious ways. “Ping Pong Summer” is a satisfyingly predictable feel-good bonanza realized with such careful and loving passion for the past that is hard not to fall for its charm. Perhaps the most hilarious period piece (yes, period piece) you’ll see this year.
"Ping Pong Summer" was part of the Champs Elysees Film Festival's Us in Progress initiative while in post-production. It then premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January. Isa: Film Boutique/U.S. Distribution: Gavitas Ventures (Theatrical), Millennium Entertainment (Home Entertainment)...
- 6/10/2014
- by Carlos Aguilar
- Sydney's Buzz
Gotta love the 80s.
“Ping Pong Summer” is a good tribute movie to those moviegoers who remember growing up in the 80s. It’s about a teenager who spends a summer at the beach in Ocean City in 1985. It combines the tributes of arcade games, young teen love, hip hop and of course—ping pong.
The film has great veteran actors like Susan Sarandon, Lea Thompson, Amy Sedaris and John Hannah. It also features the young actors of Marcello Conte, Myles Massey and Emmi Shockley.
Latino-Review had an extended exclusive phone interview with director Michael Tully. We discussed in significant detail about the production, the actors, the music and the love of the 1980s.
“Ping Pong Summer” is currently in limited release in certain theaters and also available on VOD.
Read the interview below.
Latino-Review: First of all, I want to thank you for doing this type of movie. I...
“Ping Pong Summer” is a good tribute movie to those moviegoers who remember growing up in the 80s. It’s about a teenager who spends a summer at the beach in Ocean City in 1985. It combines the tributes of arcade games, young teen love, hip hop and of course—ping pong.
The film has great veteran actors like Susan Sarandon, Lea Thompson, Amy Sedaris and John Hannah. It also features the young actors of Marcello Conte, Myles Massey and Emmi Shockley.
Latino-Review had an extended exclusive phone interview with director Michael Tully. We discussed in significant detail about the production, the actors, the music and the love of the 1980s.
“Ping Pong Summer” is currently in limited release in certain theaters and also available on VOD.
Read the interview below.
Latino-Review: First of all, I want to thank you for doing this type of movie. I...
- 6/7/2014
- by Gig Patta
- LRMonline.com
Looking for a little throwback flavor to your summer movie viewing? Something a little retro, perhaps a bit lo-fi, but with its heart in the right place? Well, "Ping Pong Summer" could fit the bill. The Sundance comedy is coming to theatres today, and if the movie doesn't grab you, perhaps the soundtrack will. Comprised largely of '80s jams, "Ping Pong Summer" is mixtape ready, so grab your Nikes and a boombox and check it out. From hip-hop novelty act The Fat Boys to the earnest crooning of Mr. Mister, to the snazzy troupe New Edition to the we-barely-remember-you Mary Jane Girls, this one feels like it needs to be put on cassette. Either way, it feels perfect for the 1985-set coming-of-age story that brings together the cast of Susan Sarandon, John Hannah, Lea Thompson, Amy Sedaris, Robert Longstreet and newcomer Marcello Conte. "Ping Pong Summer" opens today is on VOD.
- 6/6/2014
- by Kevin Jagernauth
- The Playlist
Any movie that is set in the eighties is going to, at least to some degree, depend on the honeyed glow of nostalgia to get it through the finish line. After all, it was a decade that most of us still remember and one that seems to have taken on a kind of rose colored tint in the years since, especially considering how few pieces of pop culture that are set in the period address how genuinely awful it all was (AIDS, Ronald Reagan, hair metal). What’s fascinating and kind of fun about Michael Tully’s charmingly low rent “Ping Pong Summer” is that it is a movie set in the Me Decade that is based almost exclusively on nostalgia. It doesn’t just help the movie get past the finish line; it props it up and holds it together. Without such a heavy emphasis on heart-shaped nostalgia, “Ping Pong Summer” would be nothing.
- 6/6/2014
- by Drew Taylor
- The Playlist
Obvious Child
R, 1 Hr., 23 Mins.
When Brooklyn bookstore employee/stand-up comedian Donna (Jenny Slate) gets dumped by her boyfriend and her job in the same week, she does what countless fallible humans have done before: gets wrecked at a bar and has sex with a stranger (Jake Lacy). If you’ve already heard Child described as “the abortion comedy,” you can guess what comes next. But despite a few too-cute moments (and many fantastically graphic vagina jokes), the movie is both smarter and more sympathetic than that glib shorthand. Donna may be as unmoored in broke bohemia as Lena Dunham’s Girls girls,...
R, 1 Hr., 23 Mins.
When Brooklyn bookstore employee/stand-up comedian Donna (Jenny Slate) gets dumped by her boyfriend and her job in the same week, she does what countless fallible humans have done before: gets wrecked at a bar and has sex with a stranger (Jake Lacy). If you’ve already heard Child described as “the abortion comedy,” you can guess what comes next. But despite a few too-cute moments (and many fantastically graphic vagina jokes), the movie is both smarter and more sympathetic than that glib shorthand. Donna may be as unmoored in broke bohemia as Lena Dunham’s Girls girls,...
- 6/4/2014
- by EW staff
- EW - Inside Movies
There's no doubt that Ping Pong Summer is someone's childhood. It plays like a cherished memory, rosy and warm, rebuilt in miniature with such affection and detail it's hard not to be moved by its sincerity.
Writer-director Michael Tully weaves his coming of age story with all the trappings of the '80s, complete with feathered hair, parachute track suits, and a plot pulled straight from The Karate Kid.
It's the standard underdog setup: Rad Miracle (Marcello Conte), an awkward teenage ping-pong enthusiast, must win the affections of the popular girl, Stacy Summers (Emmi Shockley), by beating the local table tennis champion, who is, of course, also Stacy's rich ex-boyfriend.
At times, the nostalgia is overwhelming, with winking references to former...
Writer-director Michael Tully weaves his coming of age story with all the trappings of the '80s, complete with feathered hair, parachute track suits, and a plot pulled straight from The Karate Kid.
It's the standard underdog setup: Rad Miracle (Marcello Conte), an awkward teenage ping-pong enthusiast, must win the affections of the popular girl, Stacy Summers (Emmi Shockley), by beating the local table tennis champion, who is, of course, also Stacy's rich ex-boyfriend.
At times, the nostalgia is overwhelming, with winking references to former...
- 6/4/2014
- Village Voice
With "Ping Pong Summer," director Michael Tully ("Cocaine Angel," "Septien") gives us a film about the childhood he remembers: summers in Ocean City, Maryland (where the film was shot), cheesy arcade games, pastels, Nike, and hip hop. Caught up in it all, Radford Miracle (Marcello Conte) searches for the confidence that promises adulthood. It’s the 1980s: These are harsh times in bland, touristy coast towns. With an exuberant eye for period details, Tully presents an ode to a time many recall fondly for its flare and schlock alike. Rad’s a ping pong disciple, but he’s no champion. He duels the garage wall and takes breaks for dance interludes. His dedication to these activities makes for an endearing joke, but soon, he’s packed up and dashed off to a vacation in Ocean City — liberated by the twenty dollars with that his mom (Lea Thompson) gifts to him.
- 6/3/2014
- by Kyle Burton
- Indiewire
Complete with Hi-Top Nikes and "phat" hip-hop beats, the mid-80s never seemed so cool. The coming-of-age comedy "Ping Pong Summer" has played at both Sundance and SXSW, and now we have a trailer. Read More: Amy Sedaris Talks to Indiewire With a throwback feel to classic teen and tween movies of the 80s and early 90s, "Ping Pong Summer" tells the story of a shy 13-year old kid who's infatuated with hip hop and ping pong, and how he comes of age during a summer spent in Ocean City, Maryland. While some of it feels familiar, the ping pong/hip-hop angle and the quirky characters could give it enough to keep the story fresh. Written and Directed by Michael Tully, the film features Susan Sarandon, Amy Sedaris, Lea Thompson, Judah Friedlander, and newcomer Marcello Conte as the protagonist. "Ping Pong Summer" hits theaters and VOD on June 6th. Watch below.
- 4/23/2014
- by Emerson Gordon
- Indiewire
You try and do what you can at film festivals, and sometimes scheduling sleeping/eating/screenings just doesn't work out. So this past January at Sundance, "Ping Pong Summer" just didn't make it onto our radar, but the buzz seemed to be good both there and at SXSW (where we missed it again), but the movie is coming to theaters so perhaps finally we'll see this thing. Written and directed by Michael Tully, and featuring Susan Sarandon, John Hannah, Lea Thompson, Amy Sedaris, Robert Longstreet and newcomer Marcello Conte, the 1985-set movie follows a shy 13-year-old white kid, obsessed with ping-pong and hip-hop, who comes of age during summer vacation in Ocean City, Maryland. The nostalgia/quirk meter is pretty off-the-charts with this one, but here's hoping the underlying story at least rings true, because we're always down for some old school jams. "Ping Pong Summer" arrives in theaters and on VOD June 6th.
- 4/22/2014
- by Kevin Jagernauth
- The Playlist
Though summer is a couple months away, that doesn't mean we can't look forward to the films hitting theaters during the best season of the year. After all, blockbuster summer kicks off next Friday with The Amazing Spider-Man 2, but this time we have the trailer for one of the more low key, but fantastic releases: Ping Pong Summer. Set in 1985, the film follows a young teen, living in the glory days of the 80s with a love for moonwalking, parachute pants, beatboxing, hip-hop and more. His summer is made all the better when he meets another kid with his same passions, and try to dominate a ping pong table at the local arcade. Alex loved the film at Sundance, as you can see from his quotes in the trailer, and it looks fantastic. Here's the first trailer for Michael Tully's Ping Pong Summer, originally from Apple: The year...
- 4/22/2014
- by Ethan Anderton
- firstshowing.net
Ping Pong Summer
Director: Michael Tully
Writer(s): Michael Tully
Producers: George M. Rush, Ryan Zacarias, Brooke Bernard, Billy Peterson, Jeff Allard, Michael Gottwald
U.S. Distributor: Gravitas Ventures
Cast: Susan Sarandon, John Hannah, Lea Thompson, Amy Sedaris, Robert Longstreet, Marcello Conte
More 1980s than VH1′s own We Are the ’80s, all that is missing in Michel Tully’s latest (besides the look, sound and feel) is the eventual gloriously beat-up VHS box when this film hits home vid/Blu-ray. If Septien was like an uncomfortable hot dog eating contest, the down-right hilarious Ping Pong Summer is a buffet table delight: plenty of choice for the masses to gain a foothold in a coming-of-ager done right.
Gist: Set in 1985, Ping Pong Summer tells the story of 13-year-old Rad Miracle, a shy white kid who is obsessed with two things: ping pong and hip-hop culture. During his family’s...
Director: Michael Tully
Writer(s): Michael Tully
Producers: George M. Rush, Ryan Zacarias, Brooke Bernard, Billy Peterson, Jeff Allard, Michael Gottwald
U.S. Distributor: Gravitas Ventures
Cast: Susan Sarandon, John Hannah, Lea Thompson, Amy Sedaris, Robert Longstreet, Marcello Conte
More 1980s than VH1′s own We Are the ’80s, all that is missing in Michel Tully’s latest (besides the look, sound and feel) is the eventual gloriously beat-up VHS box when this film hits home vid/Blu-ray. If Septien was like an uncomfortable hot dog eating contest, the down-right hilarious Ping Pong Summer is a buffet table delight: plenty of choice for the masses to gain a foothold in a coming-of-ager done right.
Gist: Set in 1985, Ping Pong Summer tells the story of 13-year-old Rad Miracle, a shy white kid who is obsessed with two things: ping pong and hip-hop culture. During his family’s...
- 2/6/2014
- by Eric Lavallee
- IONCINEMA.com
Gravitas Ventures has acquired comedy Ping Pong Summer, which premiered in the Next section of the Sundance Film Festival in January. Gravitas is planning a theatrical and VOD release for early summer, with a home video release later in 2014. Written and directed by Michael Tully, Ping Pong Summer is set in Maryland in 1985 and follows awkward 13-year-old Rad Miracle (Marcello Conte) as he attempts to live up to that name by becoming a master break dancer, ping-pong player and ladies' man all before the end of summer break. Susan Sarandon plays a former table tennis star
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- 2/3/2014
- by Rebecca Ford
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Following a warmly received Sundance premiere, writer/director Michael Tully's "Ping Pong Summer" has landed a distribution deal with Gravitas Ventures. Gravitas will take the film out theatrically and digitally early this summer, with a home video release later in 2014.Set in summer 1985 in Ocean City, Maryland, the film centers on 13-year-old Rad Miracle (newcomer Marcello Conte), who aspires to be a master breakdancer, ping pong player and all-around ladies man before the end of summer break. Writer/director and mumblecore pal Tully ("Septien") based the film on his own childhood experiences. It costars Amy Sedaris, Judah Friedlander, Lea Thompson and Susan Sarandon.THR calls "Ping Pong Summer" "a lingering, entertaining glance back at an era that Americans just can't seem to get enough of," while Paste says it hits its "target audience right in its sweet spot."...
- 2/3/2014
- by Ryan Lattanzio
- Thompson on Hollywood
"Are you ready for the summer?" Those lyrics from the 1979 summer classic Meatballs sprung to mind when I watched Ping Pong Summer, a film written and directed by now-Austinite Michael Tully. Although Tully's comedy takes place later in 1985, his movie embodies the whimsical and quirky nature of both Meatballs and National Lampoon's Vacation.
Meet the Miracle family on their summer vacation to Ocean City, Maryland -- the quirky father effortlessly portrayed by John Hannah and Lea Thompson as the mother who innocently mistakes her 13-year-old son Rad (Marcello Conte) as engaging in pre-pubescent self-gratification. Rad's shyness isn't bolstered by his father's insistence of loading his state trooper vehicle down with all their luggage, or his mother's selection of a summer cottage next to the town's crazy lady Randi Jammer (Susan Sarandon), but that doesn't stop him from making a new best friend and crushing on the most desirable girl in Ocean City.
Meet the Miracle family on their summer vacation to Ocean City, Maryland -- the quirky father effortlessly portrayed by John Hannah and Lea Thompson as the mother who innocently mistakes her 13-year-old son Rad (Marcello Conte) as engaging in pre-pubescent self-gratification. Rad's shyness isn't bolstered by his father's insistence of loading his state trooper vehicle down with all their luggage, or his mother's selection of a summer cottage next to the town's crazy lady Randi Jammer (Susan Sarandon), but that doesn't stop him from making a new best friend and crushing on the most desirable girl in Ocean City.
- 1/31/2014
- by Debbie Cerda
- Slackerwood
It seems as though writer-director Michael Tully made Ping Pong Summer specifically for those of us whose families made the annual pilgrimage each summer to the crowded beaches of the Delmarva peninsula in the 1980s. Looking back at his formidable teenage years with a candy-colored filter of nostalgia, Tully presents a portrait of Ocean City, Maryland circa-1985 that is eerily similar to my own recollections. By way of Wyatt Garfield's classically-tinged 16mm cinematography, Tully musters up 1.21 gigawatts of energy to transport his audience back to 1985 by way of a cherry red Iroc-z. We meet Rad Miracle (Marcello Conte), 13-year-old obsessed with breakdancing and ping-pong. Practically perpetually clad in red parachute pants, Rad is begrudgingly packed into his father's (John Hannah) police cruiser, along with his mother (Lea Thompson) and proto-goth sister (Helena Seabrook). Their destination: Ocean City, Maryland. Little does Rad know, this will be his first summer vacation free from parental supervision,...
- 1/27/2014
- by Don Simpson
- SmellsLikeScreenSpirit
The mid-’80s are an easy source of comedy. Boomboxes the size of Samsonites. John Cafferty and the Beaver Brown Band. Pac Man Fever. White teens trying to moonwalk. All of these sonic and visual punchlines get a workout in writer-director Michael Tully’s Ping Pong Summer — a fun-but-slight coming-of-age story about an awkward Maryland teenager who becomes, well, not a man exactly, but a slightly more comfortable teenager, on a family vacation during the magical summer of 1985.
If that description sounds familiar, that’s probably because Ping Pong Summer has the misfortune of coming after two similar — and better...
If that description sounds familiar, that’s probably because Ping Pong Summer has the misfortune of coming after two similar — and better...
- 1/25/2014
- by Chris Nashawaty
- EW - Inside Movies
With “Ping Pong Summer,” director Michael Tully (“Cocaine Angel,” “Septien”) gives us a film about the childhood he remembers: summers in Ocean City, Maryland (where the film was shot), cheesy arcade games, pastels, Nike, and hip hop. Caught up in it all, Radford Miracle (Marcello Conte) searches for the confidence that promises adulthood. It’s the 1980s: These are harsh times in bland, touristy coast towns. With an exuberant eye for period details, Tully presents an ode to a time many recall fondly or its flare and schlock alike. Rad’s a ping pong disciple, but he’s no champion. He duels the garage wall and takes breaks for dance interludes. His dedication to these activities makes for an endearing joke, but soon, he’s packed up and dashed off to a vacation in Ocean City — liberated by the twenty dollars with that his mom (Lea Thompson) gifts to him.
- 1/25/2014
- by Kyle Burton
- Indiewire
As much a tribute to the films of the 80s as it is a tribute to the 80s themselves, Michael Tully’s Ping Pong Summer is a strangely sweet, knowingly retro coming-of-age story. Set against the unique and colorful backdrop of 1980s Ocean City, Maryland, the film follows the aptly named Radical Miracle (newcomer Marcello Conte) across a summer of old-school arcade games, teen romance, breakdancing, and of course, plenty of ping pong. Weaving the idiosyncratic style of his previous feature Septien (which premiered at Sundance back in 2011) into a warmer, more universal (yet no less distinctive) tapestry, Tully has […]...
- 1/18/2014
- by Dan Schoenbrun
- Filmmaker Magazine-Director Interviews
As much a tribute to the films of the 80s as it is a tribute to the 80s themselves, Michael Tully’s Ping Pong Summer is a strangely sweet, knowingly retro coming-of-age story. Set against the unique and colorful backdrop of 1980s Ocean City, Maryland, the film follows the aptly named Radical Miracle (newcomer Marcello Conte) across a summer of old-school arcade games, teen romance, breakdancing, and of course, plenty of ping pong. Weaving the idiosyncratic style of his previous feature Septien (which premiered at Sundance back in 2011) into a warmer, more universal (yet no less distinctive) tapestry, Tully has […]...
- 1/18/2014
- by Dan Schoenbrun
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
The 2014 Sundance Film Festival is right around the corner, and the Sundance Institute has released the full line-up for the competition films that will be premiering!
This year there were 12,218 total submissions, and 117 films were accepted from 37 countries around the world. It looks like there's a lot of good selection of films this year.
The Sundance Film Festival 2014 runs from January 16th to the 26th, and the GeekTyrant team will be there to cover as many movies as we possibly can.
U.S. Dramatic Competition
The 16 films in this section are world premieres and, unless otherwise noted, are from the U.S.
“Camp X-Ray” — Directed and written by Peter Sattler. A young female guard at Guantanamo Bay forms an unlikely friendship with one of the detainees. Cast: Kristen Stewart, Payman Maadi, Lane Garrison, J.J. Soria, John Carroll Lynch.
“Cold in July” — Directed by Jim Mickle, written by Nick Damici.
This year there were 12,218 total submissions, and 117 films were accepted from 37 countries around the world. It looks like there's a lot of good selection of films this year.
The Sundance Film Festival 2014 runs from January 16th to the 26th, and the GeekTyrant team will be there to cover as many movies as we possibly can.
U.S. Dramatic Competition
The 16 films in this section are world premieres and, unless otherwise noted, are from the U.S.
“Camp X-Ray” — Directed and written by Peter Sattler. A young female guard at Guantanamo Bay forms an unlikely friendship with one of the detainees. Cast: Kristen Stewart, Payman Maadi, Lane Garrison, J.J. Soria, John Carroll Lynch.
“Cold in July” — Directed by Jim Mickle, written by Nick Damici.
- 12/5/2013
- by Joey Paur
- GeekTyrant
Sundance Film Festival continues to be one of the most popular, and arguably one of the most important, events on the industry calendar, launching as it does some of the most prominent independent films at the start of each year.
This year will be no different, with Sundance announcing last night the initial line-up of films screening in competition, led by Song One, starring Anne Hathaway; Camp X-Ray, starring Kristen Stewart; Infinitely Polar Bear, with Mark Ruffalo and Zoe Saldana; Joe Swanberg’s Happy Christmas, starring Anna Kendrick, Melanie Lynskey, Mark Webber, Lena Dunham, and Swanberg himself; The Skeleton Twins, with Bill Hader, Kristen Wiig, Luke Wilson, and Ty Burrell; Life After Beth, with Aubrey Plaza, Dane DeHaan, and John C. Reilly; Listen Up Philip, with Jason Schwartzman and Elisabeth Moss; Whiplash, starring Miles Teller and J.K. Simmons; and many, many more.
U.S. Dramatic Competition
Presenting the world premieres of 16 narrative feature films,...
This year will be no different, with Sundance announcing last night the initial line-up of films screening in competition, led by Song One, starring Anne Hathaway; Camp X-Ray, starring Kristen Stewart; Infinitely Polar Bear, with Mark Ruffalo and Zoe Saldana; Joe Swanberg’s Happy Christmas, starring Anna Kendrick, Melanie Lynskey, Mark Webber, Lena Dunham, and Swanberg himself; The Skeleton Twins, with Bill Hader, Kristen Wiig, Luke Wilson, and Ty Burrell; Life After Beth, with Aubrey Plaza, Dane DeHaan, and John C. Reilly; Listen Up Philip, with Jason Schwartzman and Elisabeth Moss; Whiplash, starring Miles Teller and J.K. Simmons; and many, many more.
U.S. Dramatic Competition
Presenting the world premieres of 16 narrative feature films,...
- 12/5/2013
- by Kenji Lloyd
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
God’S Pocket
Sundance Institute announced today the films selected for the U.S. and World Cinema Dramatic and Documentary Competitions and the out-of-competition section of the 2014 Sundance Film Festival, January 16-26 in Park City, Salt Lake City, Ogden and Sundance, Utah.
Robert Redford, President & Founder of Sundance Institute said, “That the Festival has evolved and grown as it has over the past 30 years is a credit to both our audiences and our artists, who continue to find ways to take risks and open our minds to the power of story. This year’s films and artists promise to do the same.”
For the 2014 Sundance Film Festival, 118 feature-length films were selected, representing 37 countries and 54 first-time filmmakers, including 34 in competition. These films were selected from 12,218 submissions (72 more than for 2013), including 4,057 feature-length films and 8,161 short films. Of the feature film submissions, 2,014 were from the U.S. and 2,043 were international. 97 feature films at...
Sundance Institute announced today the films selected for the U.S. and World Cinema Dramatic and Documentary Competitions and the out-of-competition section of the 2014 Sundance Film Festival, January 16-26 in Park City, Salt Lake City, Ogden and Sundance, Utah.
Robert Redford, President & Founder of Sundance Institute said, “That the Festival has evolved and grown as it has over the past 30 years is a credit to both our audiences and our artists, who continue to find ways to take risks and open our minds to the power of story. This year’s films and artists promise to do the same.”
For the 2014 Sundance Film Festival, 118 feature-length films were selected, representing 37 countries and 54 first-time filmmakers, including 34 in competition. These films were selected from 12,218 submissions (72 more than for 2013), including 4,057 feature-length films and 8,161 short films. Of the feature film submissions, 2,014 were from the U.S. and 2,043 were international. 97 feature films at...
- 12/5/2013
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Rolling out it’s fifth edition and growing beyond just Park City (Los Angeles hosted a summer event this year) the Next section has grown in size, has found plenty of distrib buyer interest and has a strong voice of its own. Becoming a home for low budget indie we like: smaller budgets sometimes bring out impressive creative outputs, in 2011 we had Sound of My Voice, Restless City and Bellflower. 2012 saw Compliance, I’m Not a Hipster and Sleepwalk With Me, while last year we were impressed by the likes of It Felt Like Love and Blue Caprice. This year we have eleven, instead of ten selections – the plus one bump might have to do with Madeleine Olnek’s The Foxy Merkins – she got to show off her film this summer in the Next Weekend L.A event (we mentioned above). In the coming-of-agers working with a different vibe and...
- 12/4/2013
- by Eric Lavallee
- IONCINEMA.com
The U.S. and World Cinema Dramatic and Documentary Competition lineups for the 2014 Sundance Film Festival were announced today and just below I have featured pictures from the 16 films that will be competing in the U.S. Dramatic competition and they feature a lot of names you're going to recognize. The titles begin with Camp X-Ray, which stars Kristen Stewart as a guard in Guantanamo Bay, where she forms an unlikely friendship with one of the detainees. Jim Mickle made an impact earlier this year with We Are What We Are and he returns with Michael C. Hall with Cold in July. Fishing Without Nets looks to tell a story similar to that of Captain Phillips, only this time from the Somali side of things; God's Pocket is "Mad Men" star John Slattery's writing and directorial debut and he's lined up an impressive cast including Philip Seymour Hoffman, Richard Jenkins,...
- 12/4/2013
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
Festival top brass announced on December 4 the Us and world cinema dramatic and documentary competition entries as well as 11 Next titles for the upcoming 30th edition of the Sundance Film Festival, set to run in Utah from January 16-26 2014.
The Us dramatic strand features work from independent auteurs Joe Swanberg and Jim Mickle as well as the feature directorial debut of Mad Men star John Slattery, Anne Hathaway in Song One and Rinko Kikuchi in Kumiko, The Treasure Hunter.
Several titles including Kat Cander’s Hellion and Damien Chazelle’s Whiplash – a Day One Film – previously screened at Sundance as shorts.
Festival director John Cooper and director of programming Trevor Groth said genre was no longer the sole preserve of the Park City At Midnight section and had percolated into the broader selection. Cooper added that genre was often a good device for film-makers to hook audiences on a story.
World cinema...
The Us dramatic strand features work from independent auteurs Joe Swanberg and Jim Mickle as well as the feature directorial debut of Mad Men star John Slattery, Anne Hathaway in Song One and Rinko Kikuchi in Kumiko, The Treasure Hunter.
Several titles including Kat Cander’s Hellion and Damien Chazelle’s Whiplash – a Day One Film – previously screened at Sundance as shorts.
Festival director John Cooper and director of programming Trevor Groth said genre was no longer the sole preserve of the Park City At Midnight section and had percolated into the broader selection. Cooper added that genre was often a good device for film-makers to hook audiences on a story.
World cinema...
- 12/4/2013
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
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