When Sean Baker’s breakout indie “Tangerine” arrived in 2015, its ambitious production caught a lot of attention from the film community due to the originality of its production — it was shot exclusively on a trio of iPhone 5s. The movie was not the first to use the smart phone as its primary camera, but it was the most recognized in a burgeoning field of filmmakers using phones as their primary means of production. The trend hasn’t slowed down.
This week sees the release of Steven Soderbergh’s first foray into iPhone filmmaking, with the psychological thriller “Unsane.” The movie joins a growing list of films — shorts, features, projects actually financed by Apple, and those made specifically because of the frugality of the equipment — shot on the smart phone. (And that’s to say nothing of projects only partially shot on iPhones; soon enough, Netflix viewers will get to check...
This week sees the release of Steven Soderbergh’s first foray into iPhone filmmaking, with the psychological thriller “Unsane.” The movie joins a growing list of films — shorts, features, projects actually financed by Apple, and those made specifically because of the frugality of the equipment — shot on the smart phone. (And that’s to say nothing of projects only partially shot on iPhones; soon enough, Netflix viewers will get to check...
- 3/21/2018
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
I’m a fan of Jason Kohl’s SXSW-premiering short film, The Slaughter, which he wrote about here for Filmmaker. And I also took note of his thoughtful filmmaking how-to, Film School: A Practical Guide to an Impractical Decision. Today, Kohl’s debut feature, New Money, is having its world premiere at the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival. Starring the great Louisa Krause (King Kelly, The Girlfriend Experience, The Flick), it’s described as a “sharp-witted true crime drama” inspired by a story Kohl heard about two stepchildren, worried about their inheritance, who kidnapped their stepdad to insure that they’d get their cut of […]...
- 11/27/2017
- by Scott Macaulay
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
There may be no idea more contemporary than a demented character using the internet in the reckless pursuit of fame. Writer-director Rob Mockler’s debut, “Like Me,” distills that motif to a ferocious young woman so compelled to create online sensations that they drive her insane. It’s an obvious conceit and doesn’t offer new insights, but Mockler transforms the material into a solid thriller with an edgy vision of millennial lunacy, sketching out a psychopath unique to the viral video age.
That would be Kiya (Addison Timlin), a mysterious prankster first seen recording a convenience store clerk late at night as she puts a gun to his head and he begs for his life. The video instantly takes off, generating heated debates across the web and Mockler’s stylish montage captures the overlapping conversations with a knack for featuring the disorienting chaos of modern discourse.
Meanwhile, Kiya watches...
That would be Kiya (Addison Timlin), a mysterious prankster first seen recording a convenience store clerk late at night as she puts a gun to his head and he begs for his life. The video instantly takes off, generating heated debates across the web and Mockler’s stylish montage captures the overlapping conversations with a knack for featuring the disorienting chaos of modern discourse.
Meanwhile, Kiya watches...
- 3/17/2017
- by Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
Welcome back to the Weekend Warrior, your weekly look at the new movies hitting theaters this weekend, as well as other cool events and things to check out.
This Past Weekend:
Yikes. What a terrible weekend we just had, not only for the new movies released but also for the Weekend Warrior’s predictions. Clint Eastwood and Tom Hanks’ Sully won its second weekend in a row with just under $22 million, but as far as the new movies, neither Lionsgate’s Blair Witch nor Universal’s Bridget Jones’s Baby did very well, putting the last nail in the coffin (hopefully) for sequels/remakes trying to play upon nostalgia that just isn’t there. (Good luck to the Rings movie opening next month!) Blair Witch ended up with $9.6 million to take second place and both Bridget Jones’s Baby and Oliver Stone’s Snowden ended up with around $8 million, so...
This Past Weekend:
Yikes. What a terrible weekend we just had, not only for the new movies released but also for the Weekend Warrior’s predictions. Clint Eastwood and Tom Hanks’ Sully won its second weekend in a row with just under $22 million, but as far as the new movies, neither Lionsgate’s Blair Witch nor Universal’s Bridget Jones’s Baby did very well, putting the last nail in the coffin (hopefully) for sequels/remakes trying to play upon nostalgia that just isn’t there. (Good luck to the Rings movie opening next month!) Blair Witch ended up with $9.6 million to take second place and both Bridget Jones’s Baby and Oliver Stone’s Snowden ended up with around $8 million, so...
- 9/21/2016
- by Edward Douglas
- LRMonline.com
All this week, IndieWire will be rolling out our annual Fall Preview, including offerings that span genres, a close examination of some of the year’s biggest breakouts, all the awards contenders you need to know about now and special attention to all the new movies you need to get through a jam-packed fall movie-going season. Check back every day for a new look at the best the season has to offer, and clear your schedule, because we’re going to fill it right up.
“White Girl,” September 2 – Elizabeth Wood, Writer and Director
Elizabeth Wood’s feature film debut was almost immediately deemed “shocking!” and “racy!” and “wild!” as soon as it debuted at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, but underneath a film about throwing caution to the wind in the pursuit of both terrible decisions and the capricious joys of youth beats a big, honest heart. Wood’s...
“White Girl,” September 2 – Elizabeth Wood, Writer and Director
Elizabeth Wood’s feature film debut was almost immediately deemed “shocking!” and “racy!” and “wild!” as soon as it debuted at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, but underneath a film about throwing caution to the wind in the pursuit of both terrible decisions and the capricious joys of youth beats a big, honest heart. Wood’s...
- 8/16/2016
- by Kate Erbland, Chris O'Falt, David Ehrlich, Steve Greene and Graham Winfrey
- Indiewire
Read: Sundance Review: Nick Jonas Gets Sick of Frat Life in 'Goat' Paramount Home Video and MTV Films have secured worldwide distribution rights for the Sundance smash "Goat" for a little under $3 million. This will be the second deal Paramount Home Video has made at the festival following yesterday's deal for Clea DuVall's relationship comedy "The Intervention." The Andrew Neel-directed psychodrama introduces a 19-year-old college student who joins the same fraternity that his older brother has pledged, only to realize that the nights of debauchery, the lack of responsibility and the culpability might be too much for him to handle. "King Kelly" director Neel also wrote the screenplay, along with Mike Roberts and David Gordon Green. The college drama stars Ben Schnetzer in the leading role. Virginia Gardner, Danny Flaherty, Austin Lyon and Nick Jonas co-star. Under the distribution deal, Paramount Home Video will give the college.
- 1/29/2016
- by Riyad Mammadyarov
- Indiewire
Read More: The 2016 Indiewire Sundance Bible: All the Reviews, Interviews and News Posted During The Festival In 2004, a young man named Brad Land published a gripping memoir entitled "Goat," a deeply personal chronicle of the vicious attack that left a then-nineteen-year-old Land damaged in ways both physical and emotional, and his subsequent attempts to heal up by joining his older brother's college fraternity, a choice that only made Land's life even more difficult to endure. A film version of "Goat" has been in the works for years now, first with David Gordon Green (who still has a screenwriting credit on the feature) and eventually with "Darkon" and "King Kelly" filmmaker Andrew Neel. For his take on "Goat," Neel cast rising star Ben Schnetzer as Brad, a sensitive and reserved teen whose world is shattered over and over, along with Nick Jonas as his beloved big brother Brett. The rest of...
- 1/25/2016
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
And so it goes, with new movies announced for the Sundance Film Festival, comes a batch of new images, so let's stop the preamble here and jump right in. Up first is the first look at Nick Jonas (!) in the David Gordon Green co-written "Goat." Andrew Neel ("King Kelly") directs the vengeance tale set in a frathouse. Here's the synopsis: Reeling from a terrifying assault, a 19-year-old boy pledges his brother’s fraternity in an attempt to prove his manhood. What happens there, in the name of "brotherhood," tests both the boys and their relationship in brutal ways. Next is Ellen Page in "Tallulah," directed by Sian Heder, a drama about the relationship that develops between a young woman and a child that's not her own. Here's the synopsis: A rootless young woman takes a toddler from a wealthy, negligent mother and passes the baby off as her own in an effort to protect her.
- 12/2/2015
- by Kevin Jagernauth
- The Playlist
You can only have an actor attached for so long until they “grow” out of the role and you can only have a director on board for a short lapse until they move onto other projects. The wobbled history of Goat, a book to film adaptation begins back in 2004 when we first reported that David Gordon Green would direct the project. A 2005 update that Emile Hirsch would topline and then the baton was passed onto Jeff Nichols in 2007 when he was suppose to have taken over the director’s chair. Flash-forward to late last year when James Franco joined forces with Killer Films, and Andrew Neel (a fiction and non-fiction filmmaker with already five features under his belt including 2012’s King Kelly) was hired – thus landing the coveted directing gig. Production took place in May in Cincinnati, and if this takes a truly savage, rough hewn approach, no doubt that...
- 11/24/2015
- by Eric Lavallee
- IONCINEMA.com
Rising stars Ben Schnetzer (“Pride”) and Nick Jonas (“Kingdom”) are nearing deals to play brothers in “Goat,” an adaptation of Brad Land’s acclaimed memoir that Andrew Neel will direct for Killer Films and James Franco’s Rabbit Bandini Productions, TheWrap has learned.
Neel (“King Kelly”) will direct from a script he co-wrote with Mike Roberts, based on an earlier draft by David Gordon Green.
Reeling from a terrifying assault, 19-year-old Brad Land (Schnetzer) enrolls in college with his charismatic younger brother (Jonas) and pledges the same fraternity. What happens there, in the name of “brotherhood,” tests the boy and...
Neel (“King Kelly”) will direct from a script he co-wrote with Mike Roberts, based on an earlier draft by David Gordon Green.
Reeling from a terrifying assault, 19-year-old Brad Land (Schnetzer) enrolls in college with his charismatic younger brother (Jonas) and pledges the same fraternity. What happens there, in the name of “brotherhood,” tests the boy and...
- 1/5/2015
- by Jeff Sneider
- The Wrap
James Franco has taken over shelved David Gordon Green project Goat.
The actor and filmmaker will produce the film based on Brad Land's acclaimed memoir, reports The Wrap. Andrew Neel (King Kelly) will now direct.
Green wrote the screenplay for Goat, which is about sinister goings on in a frat house.
It centres around a 19-year-old boy recovering from an assault. He and his brother pledge to the same fraternity, only to find himself pitted against his sibling in the name of 'brotherhood'.
Green was formerly attached to direct the project, with Emile Hirsch starring.
Mud director Jeff Nichols was also attached to the project in the interim.
Franco will next be seen in The Interview with Seth Rogen.
The actor and filmmaker will produce the film based on Brad Land's acclaimed memoir, reports The Wrap. Andrew Neel (King Kelly) will now direct.
Green wrote the screenplay for Goat, which is about sinister goings on in a frat house.
It centres around a 19-year-old boy recovering from an assault. He and his brother pledge to the same fraternity, only to find himself pitted against his sibling in the name of 'brotherhood'.
Green was formerly attached to direct the project, with Emile Hirsch starring.
Mud director Jeff Nichols was also attached to the project in the interim.
Franco will next be seen in The Interview with Seth Rogen.
- 10/6/2014
- Digital Spy
You may need to read over our feature The Lost, Unmade & Abandoned Projects Of Director David Gordon Green to give you a reminder, but at one time the filmmaker was attached to direct "Goat," with Emile Hirsch linked to star (he would later work with the actor on "Prince Avalanche"). It didn't come to pass, but now James Franco (who Green worked with on "Pineapple Express" and "Your Highness") is picking up the baton. Franco will produce, and Andrew Neel ("King Kelly") will direct the adaptation of Brad Land's memoir about "a 19-year-old boy who enrolls into college with his brother and pledges the same fraternity. What happens there, in the name of 'brotherhood,' tests the boy and his loyalty to his brother in brutal ways." The production will use Green's script as the foundation, with Neel and his "King Kelly" co-writer Mike Roberts giving it a pass.
- 10/3/2014
- by Kevin Jagernauth
- The Playlist
Some indie projects take their time to find proper footing. After falling in the laps of David Gordon Green, Jeff Nichols and actor Emile Hirsch, according to TheWrap, Brad Land’s Goat appears to have a new set of four legs in James Franco, Rabbit Bandini’s James Franco and Vince Jolivette is teaming with those that originally optioned the book almost a decade back in Killer Films’ Christine Vachon and David Hinojosa (associate producer for Lance Edmands’ Bluebird). Best know for “phoning” in King Kelly back in 2012 — the Louise Krause starrer premiered at SXSW, Andrew Neel has reworked the script and is tapped to direct — the only question now is to put the screenplay out to upcomer “it” type actors. Expect future casting announcements in the near future. Serving as as executive producer is John Wells (Love & Mercy).
Gist: Based on the screenplay by David Gordon Green, with revisions...
Gist: Based on the screenplay by David Gordon Green, with revisions...
- 10/2/2014
- by Eric Lavallee
- IONCINEMA.com
James Franco’s list of personal and professional achievements continues to dazzle and/or perplex the public at large. Between his mission to adapt William Faulkner’s most unfilmable novels, impress the New York art scene with his canvases, and become an established author via his volumes of poetry and short stories, the man somehow fits in time to produce movies as well. On that note, today we’re hearing that his production company, Rabbit Bandini, will be producing a frat hazing flick titled Goat.
The movie will mark a reunion of sorts for Franco, who’ll once more be working with Pineapple Express director David Gordon Green. However, the Pineapple director won’t be calling the shots this time – although he was originally slated to. His original line-up for the flick even had casting underway, with Emile Hirsch attached in the lead role. After Green opted out of directing,...
The movie will mark a reunion of sorts for Franco, who’ll once more be working with Pineapple Express director David Gordon Green. However, the Pineapple director won’t be calling the shots this time – although he was originally slated to. His original line-up for the flick even had casting underway, with Emile Hirsch attached in the lead role. After Green opted out of directing,...
- 10/1/2014
- by Gem Seddon
- We Got This Covered
James Franco has come on to produce “Goat,” an adaptation of Brad Land's acclaimed memoir that “King Kelly” filmmaker Andrew Neel will direct for Killer Films and Rabbit Bandini Productions, TheWrap has learned. Neel will direct from a screenplay by David Gordon Green, with revisions by Neel and Mike Roberts. Christine Vachon and David Hinojosa of Killer Films will produce with Rabbit Bandini's Franco and Vince Jolivette. John Wells will serve as executive producer. Also read: James Franco's ‘SNL’ Documentary to Air on Hulu Ahead of Season Premiere (Photo) Reeling from a terrifying assault, a 19-year-old boy enrolls...
- 10/1/2014
- by Jeff Sneider
- The Wrap
The moving drama Bluebird made quite the stir at Tribeca this year, and it’s not hard to see why. It looks stunning, has a group of solid performances from faces both old and new at its core, and above all it’s a top piece of filmmaking. It’s another production from SeeThink, the New York Film Production outfit that was behind the likes of King Kelly.
The film’s Director, Lance Edmands, is a veteran in the Editing department, having worked on the likes of The Wire and the precursor to Lena Dunham’s Girls, Tiny Furniture. Bluebird is Lance’s Feature debut, after directing the self-penned short Vacationland back in 2005.
Edmands was kind enough to give me the time to discuss the thought process behind the creation of Bluebird, as well is his production methods as well as the importance of Film Editing and comfortable sneakers. Read...
The film’s Director, Lance Edmands, is a veteran in the Editing department, having worked on the likes of The Wire and the precursor to Lena Dunham’s Girls, Tiny Furniture. Bluebird is Lance’s Feature debut, after directing the self-penned short Vacationland back in 2005.
Edmands was kind enough to give me the time to discuss the thought process behind the creation of Bluebird, as well is his production methods as well as the importance of Film Editing and comfortable sneakers. Read...
- 6/29/2013
- by Oscar Harding
- Obsessed with Film
Having seen some of his output, this writer can safely say that Andrew Neel is one of the most interesting new filmmaking voices to arrive on the scene and is here to stay- having directed the likes of Darkon, which explores the world of the LARPer and Alice Neel, a fascinating look at the life of his Grandmother, the famous painter, Neel manages to create films that not only raise questions but also entertain, with engaging and very human narratives- be they subjects he points a camera at or something he constructs.
He is one quarter of New York Film Production outfit SeeThink Films- one of SeeThink’s latest films, King Kelly, is Andrew’s first narrative feature and was a hit at SXSW which has enjoyed huge success.
Andrew was kind enough to take up his time to discuss the philosophical layers of King Kelly, how they managed to shoot the film,...
He is one quarter of New York Film Production outfit SeeThink Films- one of SeeThink’s latest films, King Kelly, is Andrew’s first narrative feature and was a hit at SXSW which has enjoyed huge success.
Andrew was kind enough to take up his time to discuss the philosophical layers of King Kelly, how they managed to shoot the film,...
- 6/29/2013
- by Oscar Harding
- Obsessed with Film
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
As another generation- namely mine- starts to make itself more and more prominent, we seem to be at a point in time where it’s all about us. Me, me, me. Social media dominates everything; ‘selfies’; free and available pornography; everything is captured on a camera, whether we like it or not. We filmed and capture everything we do- every mistake, every triumph, every mundanity- and broadcast it all over the world, forever imprinted on that crazy behemoth we know as the internet. Every generation has certain films that define it. And this generation has just added a new work of fiction to define it- King Kelly.
Andrew Neel’s feature is equal parts demented caper, wicked satire and horror film. The basic premise is that our lead character, ‘King’ Kelly, is a Cam Girl who pleasures herself for her viewers’ Tips. On the cusp of...
As another generation- namely mine- starts to make itself more and more prominent, we seem to be at a point in time where it’s all about us. Me, me, me. Social media dominates everything; ‘selfies’; free and available pornography; everything is captured on a camera, whether we like it or not. We filmed and capture everything we do- every mistake, every triumph, every mundanity- and broadcast it all over the world, forever imprinted on that crazy behemoth we know as the internet. Every generation has certain films that define it. And this generation has just added a new work of fiction to define it- King Kelly.
Andrew Neel’s feature is equal parts demented caper, wicked satire and horror film. The basic premise is that our lead character, ‘King’ Kelly, is a Cam Girl who pleasures herself for her viewers’ Tips. On the cusp of...
- 6/28/2013
- by Oscar Harding
- Obsessed with Film
Exclusive: Jennifer Konawal, formerly an agent at Gersh, has joined Washington Square Films as a manager. Based out of New York, she reps actors, writers and directors and brings her clients including Ruby Sparks‘ Zoe Kazan, Martha Marcy May Marlene‘s Louisa Krause and King Kelly director Andrew Neel. “Jennifer is a perfect fit for us” said Washington Square Films president Joshua Blum. “She has great taste, she has incredible energy, and has solid relationships in the industry on both coasts.” The Washington Square Films talent stable includes Kerry Washington, Dule Hill, Jennifer Esposito, Sarita Choudhury, Victor Rasuk, Antonio Campos, Sean Durkin and Nicole Kassell. Films produced include Margin Call and Wendy And Lucy, as well as the upcoming J.C. Chandor-directed Robert Redford-starrer All Is Lost, which premieres at Cannes. Said Konowal: “Being a manager gives me a great opportunity to get more deeply involved in the careers of my clients,...
- 4/30/2013
- by MIKE FLEMING JR
- Deadline TV
Exclusive: Jennifer Konawal, formerly an agent at Gersh, has joined Washington Square Films as a manager. Based out of New York, she reps actors, writers and directors and brings her clients including Ruby Sparks‘ Zoe Kazan, Martha Marcy May Marlene‘s Louisa Krause and King Kelly director Andrew Neel. “Jennifer is a perfect fit for us” said Washington Square Films president Joshua Blum. “She has great taste, she has incredible energy, and has solid relationships in the industry on both coasts.” The Washington Square Films talent stable includes Kerry Washington, Dule Hill, Jennifer Esposito, Sarita Choudhury, Victor Rasuk, Antonio Campos, Sean Durkin and Nicole Kassell. Films produced include Margin Call and Wendy And Lucy, as well as the upcoming J.C. Chandor-directed Robert Redford-starrer All Is Lost, which premieres at Cannes. Said Konowal: “Being a manager gives me a great opportunity to get more deeply involved in the careers of my clients,...
- 4/30/2013
- by MIKE FLEMING JR
- Deadline
Blu-ray & DVD Release Date: April 30, 2013
Price: DVD $19.99, Blu-ray $29.99
Studio: Paramount Home Entertainment
James Gandolfini (Killing Them Softly) and The Sopranos creator David Chase partnered up again for drama movie Not Fade Away, which was described as a “love letter to an era” by the Washington Examiner.
Written and directed by Chase, the drama movie is the coming of age story of a group friends in a 1960s New Jersey suburb, who form a rock band and try to make it big.
Gandolfini heads up a cast that includes Brad Garrett (TV’s Everybody Loves Raymond), Christopher McDonald (TV’s Harry’s Law), Molly Price (The Good Doctor), John Magaro (My Soul to Take), Jack Huston (TV’s Boardwalk Empire) and Will Brill (King Kelly).
Not Fade Away also features a soundtrack that was supervised by music guru and Sopranos actor Steven Van Zandt, and critics praised the music, among other aspects of the movie.
Price: DVD $19.99, Blu-ray $29.99
Studio: Paramount Home Entertainment
James Gandolfini (Killing Them Softly) and The Sopranos creator David Chase partnered up again for drama movie Not Fade Away, which was described as a “love letter to an era” by the Washington Examiner.
Written and directed by Chase, the drama movie is the coming of age story of a group friends in a 1960s New Jersey suburb, who form a rock band and try to make it big.
Gandolfini heads up a cast that includes Brad Garrett (TV’s Everybody Loves Raymond), Christopher McDonald (TV’s Harry’s Law), Molly Price (The Good Doctor), John Magaro (My Soul to Take), Jack Huston (TV’s Boardwalk Empire) and Will Brill (King Kelly).
Not Fade Away also features a soundtrack that was supervised by music guru and Sopranos actor Steven Van Zandt, and critics praised the music, among other aspects of the movie.
- 4/12/2013
- by Sam
- Disc Dish
The early moments of “King Kelly,” a new found-footage movie shot entirely on the iPhone, announces its intentions and attitudes right off the bat. The first images are of a crowded, low-rent internet chat-room, where we’re confronted with the sight of a half-nude nubile blonde who vacuously pleads for “tips” as she masturbates. We’re trapped, and the audience is going to have to watch her show, watch her pleasure herself for her gain, your satisfaction being entirely secondary. This is King Kelly, and she’ll be the first to tell you that she’s the voice of this generation. Kelly (Louisa Krause) is actually a young suburban female who earns cash by webcamming with strangers despite still living at home with her accepting, oblivious parents. What goes on behind locked doors concerns them little, which has allowed Kelly the chance to arrange for the creation of her own website,...
- 11/30/2012
- by Gabe Toro
- The Playlist
This weekly column is intended to provide reviews of nearly every new indie release (and in certain cases studio films), including some VOD titles. Specific release dates and locations follow each review. Reviews This Week "Addicted to Fame" "Back to 1942" "California Solo" "The Collection" "Killing Them Softly" "King Kelly" "Silent Night" "Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning" *** "Addicted to Fame" It was probably cathartic for B-movie director David Giancola to make "Addicted to Fame," his nimble chronicle of the perfect shit storm that was the making and marketing of "Illegal Aliens," his 2007 B-movie starring and co-produced by the late Anna Nicole Smith. Using this documentary as a form of confessional, the director is obviously hoping to engender sympathy and clear the...
- 11/29/2012
- by Indiewire
- Indiewire
Shot exclusively on iPhones, the SXSW discovery "King Kelly" delivers a "ferocious indictment of Generation Me by boiling it down to a single ditzy teen," according to Indiewire's Eric Kohn who gave Andrew Neel's satire a glowing A- at this year's festival. The film centers on Kelly (Louisa Krause), who runs an online sex show in the bedroom of her suburban home, unbeknownst to her clueless parents. Below, Neel shares a scene from his film -- one he describes as "an homage to Jerry Springer Americana." "King Kelly" opens in select theaters Friday, November 30th and hits VOD December 4th. This scene is technically several short scenes. I chose to present them as one because I think it gives an opportunity to understand the variation in camera work and blocking we were always considering while making the movie. Before discussing any scene in this film it’s important to...
- 11/29/2012
- by Andrew Neel
- Indiewire
King Kelly is a divisive movie, and it has an uphill battle to fight in order to win viewers. Why? Two reasons… first, it’s shot (almost) entirely on iPhones. And second, the title character is the most unlikeable creature to hit the screen since Honey Boo-boo. That uphill battle is one worth fighting though because it’s a movie worth seeing. Louisa Krause plays Kelly, a selfish, narcissistic, oblivious young woman who earns her money by way of a webcam sex show. She treats those around her as tools toward making it big with no thought given to their feelings or situations, she rarely shuts up and she’s a magnet for trouble involving missing drugs, threatening dealers and one highly unstable fan. Thankfully she’s also funny and more than a little sexy. It’s an admittedly tough sell that needs some nuance to persuade viewers to spare their time and money for the privilege...
- 11/12/2012
- by Rob Hunter
- FilmSchoolRejects.com
If modern technologies like video upload sites and HD video cameras small enough to fit into phones are scaring you because of the new possibilities they bring to narcissistic vanity goblins like Internet porn stars and reality TV actors, then King Kelly might be the scariest horror movie you see all year. But, if teenage-aimed movies like Project X, which glorify the most vapid and soulless aspects of party-obsessed youth culture, really get under your skin and make you mad, then King Kelly might be the funniest piece of satire you see all year. Shot entirely on iPhones and telling the story of a teenage girl who makes amateur strip videos (Louisa Krause) looking to get into the world of indie filmmaking (you know, so she can be famous), King Kelly appears to be a brutal skewering of the self-obsession and celebrity worship that’s running rampant in today’s culture. Thanks...
- 9/27/2012
- by Nathan Adams
- FilmSchoolRejects.com
Andrew Neel's experimental thriller King Kelly enjoyed its World Premiere at SXSW earlier this year, and recently bagged Best Director and Best Actress awards at PiFan in Korea. It's the story of a wannabe Internet star, King Kelly (Louisa Krause), who performs online stripteases when not running drugs around the city. Things turn sour when Kelly's embittered ex-boyfriend steals her car - together with its trunkful of narcotics - kicking off a riotous 4th of July weekend fuelled with sex, drugs, violence and good ole fashioned hedonism. Shot entirely on iPhones, King Kelly has been touted as a resonating dissection of Internet Celebrity culture and "Generation Me", and it will screen next month as part of the opening weekend programme at this year's Golden Horse...
- 9/26/2012
- Screen Anarchy
Digital distribution company GoDigital has received what it says is a high six-figure investment from digital-media venture fund Preferred Ventures, GoDigital CEO Logan Mulvey announced Thursday. The new capital will go towards hiring and expanding the company’s digital marketing and audience-strategy department. FreeCreditReport.com founder and former Experian Interactive CEO Ed Ojdana and former Facebook chief privacy officer and founder of Kelly Investments Chris Kelly launched Preferred Ventures in 2011. As part of the new deal, Ojdana becomes chairman of the GoDigital board, and Mulvey and Kelly join the board of directors. GoDigital’s recent releases and acquisitions include Marc H. Simon’s “Unraveled,” Andrew Neel’s SXSW premiere “King Kelly,” Josh and Rebecca Harrell Tickell's Cannes 2011 documentary "The Big Fix" and the infamous "Zyzzyx Road". Preferred Content managing partner Kevin...
- 8/3/2012
- by Jay A. Fernandez
- Indiewire
While there have been many films riffing on reality tropes in the last several years, few have been as cleverly conceived and entertainingly executed as Andrew Neel’s debut fiction film, King Kelly. Set in the world of amateur webcam porn, the film depicts a monstrously fascinating Tracy Flick for our oversexualized social media age. Played ferociously by Louisa Krause, Kelly is a high-school student who runs a profitable one-woman porn empire from her suburban bedroom, with her parents none the wiser. Stripping on cam, uploading details of her everyday life and ruling over her chat room with a gonzo glee, Kelly embodies oversharing capitalist narcissism.
Taking place during one 24-hour span, King Kelly has a speedy plot involving a bag of misplaced drugs which Kelly is forced to recover by an irate dealer. She enlists her friend Jordan (Libby Woodbridge) as well as one of her pay-channel subscribers, a...
Taking place during one 24-hour span, King Kelly has a speedy plot involving a bag of misplaced drugs which Kelly is forced to recover by an irate dealer. She enlists her friend Jordan (Libby Woodbridge) as well as one of her pay-channel subscribers, a...
- 6/21/2012
- by Scott Macaulay
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
A number of our favorite independent films of the year are screening this week at the Northside Festival, a Brooklyn-based film and music event that gathers a number of film organizations, includuing Filmmaker, to guest curate some of its programming. Filmmaker‘s night is Wednesday, when we screen in its New York premiere Andrew Neel’s wickedly funny King Kelly (pictured) and Jeremiah Zagar & Nathan Caswell’s haunting short, Remains, but there are a number of other favorites dotted throughout the schedule. For example, tonight there’s one of the best documentaries of the year, Ashley Sabin and David Redmon’s Girl Model (presented by Pov) as well Ryan O’Nan’s warm and spirited Ifp Lab project, The Brooklyn Brothers Beat the Best (presented by Oscilloscope and Rooftop Films). Also tonight is the Cuban artist doc Unfinished Spaces, which you’ll read about in the next issue of the magazine,...
- 6/18/2012
- by Scott Macaulay
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
My goal at every film festival is to see at least one film so stunningly original, powerful, entertaining and culturally relevant -- in other words, a film that so completely blows me away -- that I can declare it my favorite movie of the festival. For the 2012 SXSW Film Festival, that film is King Kelly.
Filmmaker Andrew Neel's biting cinematic statement about self obsession and online culture is, as they say, all that. King Kelly is intensely observant, cringingly funny and profoundly disturbing, a film that demands our rapt attention while viewing it and provokes shell-shocked sociological discussions afterward. It's the rare film that rises to a level above mere excellence -- it is, in a word, important.
And oh, how sorely we need more important films like King Kelly. We need more films that blast us with bitter realities, grab us tightly and shake us out of our...
Filmmaker Andrew Neel's biting cinematic statement about self obsession and online culture is, as they say, all that. King Kelly is intensely observant, cringingly funny and profoundly disturbing, a film that demands our rapt attention while viewing it and provokes shell-shocked sociological discussions afterward. It's the rare film that rises to a level above mere excellence -- it is, in a word, important.
And oh, how sorely we need more important films like King Kelly. We need more films that blast us with bitter realities, grab us tightly and shake us out of our...
- 3/20/2012
- by Don Clinchy
- Slackerwood
I would have never guessed Louisa Krause had it in her, front and center as a webcam girl in King Kelly, with an opening as she masturbates for her adoring fans. Krause first came on my radar in the excellent indie Tie to Tie and in Kelly, she plays a sexy 21-year-old blonde who lives her life though social networking, told through footage shot via iPhone in a portrait of a self obsessed generation.
Kelly’s friend Jordan (Libby Woodbridge) comes over to help her with her website, as Kelly, who spends her time in front of the camera, has little knowledge when not prompted. It’s Memorial Day and she’s in a matching red, white and blue flag panties and bra, which are frequently seen. Kelly’s car is stolen by her ex-boyfriend, which contains drugs as we find out as they head to a party that’s...
Kelly’s friend Jordan (Libby Woodbridge) comes over to help her with her website, as Kelly, who spends her time in front of the camera, has little knowledge when not prompted. It’s Memorial Day and she’s in a matching red, white and blue flag panties and bra, which are frequently seen. Kelly’s car is stolen by her ex-boyfriend, which contains drugs as we find out as they head to a party that’s...
- 3/19/2012
- by jpraup@gmail.com (thefilmstage.com)
- The Film Stage
by Steve Dollar
It's King Kelly's world. We just live in it. In Andrew Neel's hectic feature, a teenage sexpot—played by Louisa Krause, in a radical (and rad!) gear-shift from her role as Lizzie Olsen's docile indoctrinator in Martha Marcy May Marlene—riots through the world as the director and star of her own 24-hour reality event: Her life is a performance is an unending digital stream, piped from her cell phone to an audience of pervs with screen names like Poo Bare and a laughing chorus of YouTube commenters. The film, which premiered at the 2012 edition of the South by Southwest Film Festival, might have been tailored specifically for the event's mushrooming interactive component (now reported to be a bigger draw than the film and music portions combined). Kelly is, to paraphrase the theme song from Drive, "a real human being," but she's also a construct,...
It's King Kelly's world. We just live in it. In Andrew Neel's hectic feature, a teenage sexpot—played by Louisa Krause, in a radical (and rad!) gear-shift from her role as Lizzie Olsen's docile indoctrinator in Martha Marcy May Marlene—riots through the world as the director and star of her own 24-hour reality event: Her life is a performance is an unending digital stream, piped from her cell phone to an audience of pervs with screen names like Poo Bare and a laughing chorus of YouTube commenters. The film, which premiered at the 2012 edition of the South by Southwest Film Festival, might have been tailored specifically for the event's mushrooming interactive component (now reported to be a bigger draw than the film and music portions combined). Kelly is, to paraphrase the theme song from Drive, "a real human being," but she's also a construct,...
- 3/13/2012
- GreenCine Daily
In 15 years of covering film festivals, SXSW 2012 is the first one where, frankly, I'm more interested in what's going to happen to these films on VOD than what they may do in theaters. Not because SXSW premieres won't get theatrical releases; theatrical distributors are here in force. No one wants to miss another "Undefeated," which won the Oscar for best documentary, or "Weekend," which was slotted opposite 2011 festival opener "Source Code." This year's SXSW breakouts have yet to reveal themselves, although early response is good for films such as Amy Seimetz's noir drama "Sun Don't Shine," found-footage drama "King Kelly" from "Darkon" co-director Andrew Neel and atmospheric New Orleans doc "Tchoupitoulas." However, if and when the SXSW deals go down, odds are it's VOD where these films will have the chance to make their biggest impression. ...
- 3/11/2012
- by Dana Harris
- Indiewire
The found-footage approach to cinematic narrative is no longer epitomized by "The Blair Witch Project." Amateur-quality camerawork has become a part of the vernacular, with the first-person perspective providing an intimate window into human behavior, particularly among the youth culture most capable of using the device to record itself. Shot exclusively on iPhones, "King Kelly" turns that tendency into an American horror show, delivering a ferocious indictment of Generation Me by boiling it down to a single ditzy teen. From the uneasy opening moments, "King Kelly" foregrounds its conceit. Unbeknownst to her clueless parents in the next room, nubile blond Kelly (Louisa Krause) runs an online sex show in the bedroom of her suburban home. The first shot shows Kelly indulging in graphic masturbation performance for her paying admirers, whose online tips rapidly embolden her outsized self-confidence. Later, she's seen traipsing around her room in...
- 3/11/2012
- by Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
SXSW is barely 24 hours away from starting (catch up with part one and part two of our preview pieces here), and at this point, it's important to be reminded that one of the things that makes the festival unique is a particular focus on the crossover between music and film, something that's been a special interest of ours since the very earliest days of The Playlist. SXSW doesn't just have a whole sidebar dedicated to music documentaries (with this year's batch including films centered on LCD Soundsystem, Paul Simon and Big Star), and a music festival that runs alongside, but the films screened seem to attract a disproportionate number of scores by indie and rock musicians.
And with more and more names who broke out from the pop and rock world -- from veteran composers like Danny Elfman and Clint Mansell to newbies like Trent Reznor and The Chemical Brothers -- moving into composition,...
And with more and more names who broke out from the pop and rock world -- from veteran composers like Danny Elfman and Clint Mansell to newbies like Trent Reznor and The Chemical Brothers -- moving into composition,...
- 3/8/2012
- by Oliver Lyttelton
- The Playlist
"King Kelly" director Andrew Neel wrote, directed and shot four documentaries, including "Darkon," before venturing into fiction (though "King Kelly" was written "with several central cultural discussions in mind," says Neel; and shot with iPhones). Beginning with "Darkon," he believes his films are all "about examining the space between the way we imagine the world to be and the way we actually live in it." The space between is his obsession, "It’s where life really happens. I think one of the main reasons I make films is to try to capture what goes on in that gap between the imagined and the real, and look at the mess that happens when there’s an attempt to reconcile the two." What it's about: "It’s the story of two girls who go on a crazy journey - told through their camera-phones. But really it’s about identity in a socially-networked,...
- 3/7/2012
- by Indiewire
- Indiewire
While director Andrew Neel may not yet be a household name, in Austin, he's been a regular fixture at SXSW over the past few years. His documentaries "Darkon" (about Larp-ing) and "New World Order" (focusing on conspiracy theorists) premiered at the fest in 2006 and 2009 respectively, with the former taking home the Audience Award that year. Well, once again Neel is back, this time with a narrative feature that again finds him exploring a fascinating subject.
"King Kelly" will tackle the YouTube generation, with the story centering around the title character, played by Louisa Krause, an aspiring Internet star who performs webcam stripteases. When Kelly's car -- filled with illegal narcotics that she must deliver -- is stolen by her bitter ex-boyfriend Ryan (Will Brill) on the 4th of July, Kelly and her best friend Jordan (Libby Woodbridge) embark on an epic whirlwind of drugs, sex, violence, and mischief-making as Kelly...
"King Kelly" will tackle the YouTube generation, with the story centering around the title character, played by Louisa Krause, an aspiring Internet star who performs webcam stripteases. When Kelly's car -- filled with illegal narcotics that she must deliver -- is stolen by her bitter ex-boyfriend Ryan (Will Brill) on the 4th of July, Kelly and her best friend Jordan (Libby Woodbridge) embark on an epic whirlwind of drugs, sex, violence, and mischief-making as Kelly...
- 3/7/2012
- by Kevin Jagernauth
- The Playlist
In less than a month the SXSW Film Festival will kick off (Friday, March 9, to be exact), and the line-up keeps getting better and better. The festival has announced some exciting additions to their already-stellar line-up including the Sundance hits Safety Not Guaranteed, Searching for Sugar Man, Chasing Ice, Shut Up and Play the Hits, Sleepwalk with Me along with the world premiere of Steve Taylor‘s Blue Like Jazz, and Todd Rohal‘s Nature Calls. They have also added the Oscar nominated Montreal film Monsieur Lazhar which we have championed since its World Premiere at Tiff.
You can find the lineup of today’s film announcements below, and check the entire schedule, complete with both screening and conference dates and times, at www.sxsw.com/film.
Narrative Spotlight
Blue Like Jazz
Director: Steve Taylor, Screenwriters: Donald Miller, Steve Taylor, Ben Pearson
A Texas college student flees the hypocrisy of...
You can find the lineup of today’s film announcements below, and check the entire schedule, complete with both screening and conference dates and times, at www.sxsw.com/film.
Narrative Spotlight
Blue Like Jazz
Director: Steve Taylor, Screenwriters: Donald Miller, Steve Taylor, Ben Pearson
A Texas college student flees the hypocrisy of...
- 2/16/2012
- by Ricky
- SoundOnSight
SXSW has announced a few late additions, rounding out a lineup that already includes high-profile world-premieres from Nelson George, Lena Dunham, Drew Goddard, Caveh Zahedi, and the Duplass Brothers. Notably, Todd Rohal’s Nature Calls, his Johnny Knoxville and Patton Oswald-starring followup to last year’s surrealist comedy The Catechism Cataclysm, will premiere in the Narrative Spotlight section, while Sundance favorites such as Shut Up and Play the Hits, Safety Not Guaranteed, and Sleepwalk with Me will screen as well.
The full list of additions:
Narrative Spotlight
Blue Like Jazz
Director: Steve Taylor, Screenwriters: Donald Miller, Steve Taylor, Ben Pearson
A Texas college student flees the hypocrisy of his religious upbringing for life in the Pacific Northwest at ‘the most godless campus in America.’ Based on the New York Times bestseller by Donald Miller.
Cast: Marshall Allman, Claire Holt, Tania Raymonde, Justin Welborn, Eric Lange (World Premiere)
Nature Calls
Director...
The full list of additions:
Narrative Spotlight
Blue Like Jazz
Director: Steve Taylor, Screenwriters: Donald Miller, Steve Taylor, Ben Pearson
A Texas college student flees the hypocrisy of his religious upbringing for life in the Pacific Northwest at ‘the most godless campus in America.’ Based on the New York Times bestseller by Donald Miller.
Cast: Marshall Allman, Claire Holt, Tania Raymonde, Justin Welborn, Eric Lange (World Premiere)
Nature Calls
Director...
- 2/15/2012
- by Dan Schoenbrun
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
After a few announcements, the 2012 South by Southwest Film Festival has firmed up their schedule, adding a number of notable films including a few we saw at Sundance. Among them include the LCD Soundsystem documentary Shut Up and Play the Hits (review here), Mike Birbiglia‘s Sleepwalk With Me (review here) and Safety Not Guaranteed (review here) starring Aubrey Plaza and Mark Duplass. Also jumping out as one of my most-anticipated is Todd Rohal‘s The Catechism Cataclysm follow-up Nature Calls, with Patton Oswalt, Johnny Knoxville and Rob Riggle. Check them all out below for the festival kicking off March 9th.
Narrative Spotlight
Blue Like Jazz
Director: Steve Taylor, Screenwriters: Donald Miller, Steve Taylor, Ben Pearson
A Texas college student flees the hypocrisy of his religious upbringing for life in the Pacific Northwest at ‘the most godless campus in America.’ Based on the New York Times bestseller by Donald Miller.
Narrative Spotlight
Blue Like Jazz
Director: Steve Taylor, Screenwriters: Donald Miller, Steve Taylor, Ben Pearson
A Texas college student flees the hypocrisy of his religious upbringing for life in the Pacific Northwest at ‘the most godless campus in America.’ Based on the New York Times bestseller by Donald Miller.
- 2/15/2012
- by jpraup@gmail.com (thefilmstage.com)
- The Film Stage
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