Festivals >> Tribeca >> 2008 >> Spotlight

Baghead (Country: US; Director: Mark Duplass, Jay Duplass; Writer: Mark Duplass, Jay Duplass; Cast: Steve Zissis, Ross Partridge, Greta Gerwig)
It's not often that a film can be both a hilariously tongue-in-cheek send-up of indie flicks and a brilliantly insightful bit of character drama, but the Duplass brothers (The Puffy Chair) pull it off in this story of four fledgling actors, a rustic cabin, and. . . something. . . in the woods. See: Sundance Film Festival 2008: Day Seven

Before The Rains (Country: India; Director: Santosh Sivan; Writer: Cathy Rabin, Dan Verete; Cast: Linus Roache, Rahul Bose, Nandita Das, Jennifer Ehle, John Standing, Leopold Benedict, Lal Paul)
A sweeping period romance set in Colonial India. Full Review Official Site

Bigger, Stronger, Faster (Country: US; Director: Christopher Bell; Writer: Christopher Bell, Alexander Buono, Tamsin Rawa)
As entertaining as it is informative, this documentary goes beyond simply examining the truth about anabolic steroids and the athletes - professional and amateur - who use them. Focusing on his own family's personal history, Bell looks at why Americans feel the need to be the biggest, strongest, and fastest.

Boy A (Country: UK; Director: John Crowley; Writer: Mark O'Rowe; Cast: Andrew Garfield, Peter Mullan, Katie Lyons)
A former juvenile offender released from prison after 14 years reenters society with the help of his counselor. Newcomer Andrew Garfield gives a stunning performance as the hesitant 24-year-old who must catch up with his peers while keeping his past a secret. Official Site

Elite Squad (Tropa De Elite) (Country: Brazil; Director: José Padilha; Writer: Rodrigo Pimentel, Bráulio Mantovani, José Padilha; Cast: Wagner Moura, Caio Junqueira, André Ramiro, Milhem Cortaz, Luiz Gonzaga de Almeida, Fernanda de Freitas, Bruno Delia, Marcelo Escorel, André Felipe, Thelmo Fernandes, Emerson Gomes)
Fresh from winning the Golden Bear at the Berlin Film Festival, and one of the most controversial Brazilian films of recent times, Elite Squad is a searing and astonishing look at the corruption of the special police force in the volatile slums of Rio. As one cop desperately tries to get out, two naive recruits see if they have what it takes to get in. Full Review See: Tribeca 2008 Diary: Day 5 and 6, Interview with Jose Padilha about Elite Squad

Finding Amanda (Country: US; Director: Peter Tolan; Writer: Peter Tolan; Cast: Matthew Broderick, Brittany Snow, Peter Facinelli, Steve Coogan, Maura Tierney)
In Tolan's (co-creator, Rescue Me) hysterical feature directing debut, a successful TV writer (Matthew Broderick) comically struggles with his addiction to gambling, drugs, and alcohol, making it that much harder to travel to Las Vegas and convince his troubled niece (Brittany Snow) to go to rehab.

Gunnin' For That #1 Spot (Country: US; Director: Adam Yauch; Cast: Jerryd Bayless, Michael Beasley, Tyreke Evans, Donte Green, Brandon Jennings, Kevin Love, Kyle Singler, Lance Stephenson)
The mecca for all street basketball players. In Beastie Boy Yauch's super-energized and highly musical documentary, eight of the country's top 24 high school players participate in the first "Elite 24" tournament on the same court that helped turn Dr J Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Wilt Chamberlain into legends. Full Review Official Site, View Trailer

Kicking It (Country: US; Director: Susan Koch; Writer: Susan Koch; Cast: Narrated by Colin Farrell)
The lives of homeless people are changed forever through an international soccer competition. This film follows six players as they set off for Cape Town, South Africa to play in the Homeless World Cup. Official Site

Lou Reed's Berlin (Country: US; Director: Julian Schnabel; Cast: Lou Reed, Antony Hegarty, Emmanuelle Seigner, Sharon Jones)
In 2006, artist/filmmaker Julian Schnabel took to the stage at St Ann's Warehouse in Brooklyn to introduce a concert 33 years in the making: Lou Reed, playing his Berlin song cycle live for the first time. It was worth the wait. Full Review See: Tribeca 2008: Day Seven Official Site

Man On Wire (Country: UK; Director: James Marsh; Writer: James Marsh; Cast: Philippe Petit)
On August 7, 1974, New York gasped as French daredevil Philippe Petit walked a tightrope between the Twin Towers—without a safety net. Peppered with humor and awe, this stunning portrait of an artist of reckless daring and impish charm is sure to leave viewers spellbound. Full Review See: Sundance Film Festival 2008: Day Eight Official Site, View Trailer

Meerkat Manor: The Story Begins (Country: US; Director: Chris Barker and Mike Slee )
Using lively footage of wild African meerkats and Whoopi Goldberg's narration, this film ingeniously tells the story of Flower and her family. As imaginative as any cartoon, it will have kids begging for their very own baby meerkat (not recommended). Official Site

Mister Lonely (Mr Lonely) (Country: UK, US, France, Ireland; Director: Harmony Korine; Writer: Harmony Korine, Avi Korine; Cast: Diego Luna, Samantha Morton, Denis Lavant, James Fox, Werner Herzog, Anita Pallenberg)
It takes great talent to make a sky jumping nun and her BMX bike evoke a sense of sublime euphoria. Harmony Korine (Gummo) pulls it off in this poetic rumination on identity and art. Full Review Official Site

My Winnipeg (Country: US; Director: Guy Maddin; Writer: Guy Maddin, George Toles; Cast: Darcy Fehr, Ann Savage, Amy Stewart, Louis Negin, Brendan Cade, Wesley Cade)
Guy Maddin's (The Saddest Music In The World) self-described "docu-fantasia" on his wintry hometown blurs facts and fictions, childhood memories and outlandish hand-me-down tales in the auteur's dreamy, hyper-stylized fashion. Full Review Official Site

Savage Grace (Country: US; Director: Tom Kalin; Writer: Howard A Rodman; Cast: Julianne Moore, Stephen Dillane, Eddie Redmayne, Elana Anaya, Simon Andreu, Anne Reid)
A daring dramatization of the disintegrating psyche of '60s socialite Barbara Baekeland, Savage Grace brilliantly showcases Julianne Moore at her most haunting. Insulated by wealth and abandoned by her husband, Baekeland falls into tragic dysfunction with her adoring son. Based on a true story. Full Review Official Site, View Trailer

The Universe Of Keith Haring (Country: US; Director: Christina Clausen; Cast: The Haring Family, Kenny Scharf, Tony Shafrazi, Yoko Ono, Kermit Oswald, Julia Gruen)
Featuring Madonna, Yoko Ono, Andy Warhol, Fab 5 Freddy, and Jean-Michel Basquiat, this documentary takes an affectionate look at the colorful life of Keith Haring, whose street drawings helped define the 1980s New York art scene.

The Wackness (Country: US; Director: Jonathan Levine; Writer: Jonathan Levine; Cast: Josh Peck, Ben Kingsley, Famke Janssen, Olivia Thirlby, Mary Kate Olsen, Method Man)
During a sweltering New York summer, a troubled teenage drug dealer trades pot for therapy sessions with a drug-addled psychiatrist, and in the process falls for the doctor's daughter. Full Review See: Tribeca 2008 Diary: Day 3 and 4 Official Site, View Trailer

War, Inc. (Country: USA; Director: Joshua Seftel; Writer: Mark Leyner, Jeremy Pikser, John Cusack; Cast: John Cusack, Joan Cusack, Marisa Tomei, Hilary Duff, Ben Kingsley, Ned Bellamy, Velizar Binev, Shirly Brener, Marc Casabani, Ben Cross, Doug Dearth)
A hit man is sent to a fictional war-torn Middle Eastern country where the United States is waging the first fully outsourced war. John Cusack (who co-wrote and produced), Joan Cusack, Marisa Tomei, Hilary Duff, and Sir Ben Kingsley star in this biting satire. Full Review See: Tribeca 2008 Diary: Day 1 and 2

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