On Demand Weekly

Ed Burns Indie Movies on Demand Hot List : NOV 2010 - EXCLUSIVEDecember 01, 2010

Ed Burns

AN ODW EXCLUSIVE

On Demand Weekly is thrilled to welcome fillmaker Ed Burns to our Advisory Board and our terrific roster of contributers. Ed recently blazed a new trail for digital distribution and marketing for the recent premiere of his film NICE GUY JOHNNY. Every month, Ed will share with our readers the list of independent films currently available On Demand he's most interested in watching and offer insight as to why each film makes his Hot List. We hope you enjoy and look forward to your feedback. - ODW

As an indie film lover, and parent, who doesn't get to to the theater like I used to, I now watch most movies at home. I wanted to reach out to other like-minded people, who are looking for good movies to watch on their On Demand services. Many of these titles I used to catch in the arthouse theater, and sadly, most of them have been slipping through the cracks.

So you can find me here once a month and I will tip you off to the films I'll be watching On Demand.

- Ed

Indie Movies on Demand Hot List - November, 2010

ALL GOOD THINGS (Magnolia Pictures)
- Some terrific actors, including Ryan Gosling, Kirsten Dunst and Frank Langella, and a real life story set in New York in the 80's, makes ALL GOOD THINGS a movie I don't want to miss.

TINY FURNITURE (IFC Films)
- I am excited to check out TINY FURNITURE, written and directed by Lena Dunham, who also starred in the movie, and has generated terrific press for making this on a tiny budget with friends and family, including her mother and sister. Sounds like an authentic New York story, which I am a big fan of.

EXIT THROUGH THE GIFT SHOP (FilmBuff)
- EXIT THROUGH THE GIFT SHOP is a compelling documentary that will have your head spinning and questioning the lines between art and manipulation. The movie is a truly unique glimpse into some of the most compelling and talented street artists around (most notably the enigmatic Banksy).

- Ed Burns

Ed Burns gained international recognition for his first feature film THE BROTHERS MCMULLEN, which won the 1995 Sundance Film Festival Grand Jury prize. His most recent film, NICE GUY JOHNNY, the darling of the 2010 Tribeca Film Festival, was released on October 26, 2010. A pioneer for independent filmmakers, Burns continues to innovate in this category, premiering PURPLE VIOLETS exclusively on iTunes and more recently, releasing NICE GUY JOHNNY via a multi-platform digital distribution plan. Ed recently joined On Demand Weekly's Advisory Board.

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Ed will be back next month with new films he's looking forward to seeing On Demand. Let him know what you think of his picks above or future films he should consider on Twitter @edward_burns.

Ed's new film NICE GUY JOHNNY, is available now On Demand.

ODW Reviews of the films:

ALL GOOD THINGS

TINY FURNITURE

EXIT THROUGH THE GIFT SHOP - Now Available!

Tags:

magnolia pictures,

movies on demand,

filmbuff,

banksy,

ed burns indie movies on demand hot list,

exit through the gift shop,

all good things,

frank langella,

HBO’s Girls - What’s All The Fuss About?April 20, 2012

HBO

Demand Weekly provides new movie reviews of hot movies and shows on demand from the POV of watching from the comfort of your home. Today’s reviews: Girls (HBO), produced by Judd Apatow.

GIRLS
Young Women on the Verge of Life

By Jean Tait

Being in your twenties can be difficult. You’re supposed to be all grown up, but you are still making childish mistakes. You’ve made your first, tentative steps into the real worlds of employment and relationships, but it certainly doesn’t feel safe or comfortable. This is the world of “Girls.” And it’s a pretty realistic world as opposed to the usual TV world in which women can afford Manolo Blahniks, even on a cop’s salary.

Don’t get me wrong, these “Girls” are young women of privilege. They’ve gone to excellent schools and they’ve been supported by parents who, while not in the top 1%, are hardly poverty-stricken. Lena Dunham, the creator/writer/director/star of the show is annoyingly funny as her character’s parents (the always wonderful Becky Ann Baker and Peter Scolari) tell her that after two full years out of college, they are cutting her off financially. You will want to slap Hannah (Dunham) and cheer for her mother. Then when Hannah goes to a job interview that starts off really well, but you see the exact moment she blows it, you will want to rescue her, and slap the dope interviewing her.

Side rant: When will someone give Becky Ann Baker her own sitcom??? It was great to see her play a mom who is not as sappy as the mom she was stuck playing on “Smash,” but seriously, all you folks in tv land, she’s capable of shouldering something more than just a three-line mother role! End of rant.

Lena Dunham / GIRLS (HBO)

The extraordinarily talented Dunham has created a cast full of such richly realistic characters, full of contradictions and awkwardness. And finally: sex on screen that is embarrassing and real. No perfect moments of airbrushed loveliness and perfectly-timed climaxes, sans cellulite and that always extra elbow, just real people not knowing the right thing to say or the exact right place to put their hands, but yearning for connection. How refreshing is that?

There has been a lot of fuss that this show is only about white girls.

Tags:

hbo,

lena dunham,

tiny furniture,

new york,

girls,

judd apatow,

VOD Spotlight: Justin KirkOctober 08, 2012

Magnolia Pictures

Britt Bensen (@BrittODW) spoke to actor Justin Kirk ("Weeds," "Animal Practice") of NOBODY WALKS now on demand (before theaters).

See the latest Independent Movie On Demand (IMOD) Trailers here...

On Demand Weekly (ODW): Your character on “Modern Family” had one of greatest items of modern opulence I aspire to own in another life, the driveway spinner so you don’t have to back out.
Justin Kirk (JK): You can see, it didn’t do well for me (his MF character). My car got crushed. Lucky he has a lot of disposable income. He can probably get that fixed.

ODW: What grand, yet unique materialistic item do you wish to have that you don’t own already?
JK: I’m not a stuff person, but I do love my Chevy Volt. That is my prized possession. If I have nothing to do for the day, I like to get a big of coffee and drive around and not feel guilty for it.

ODW: You’ve had an eclectic career. Most probably recognize you from ANGELS IN AMERICA to “Weeds” and now “Animal Practice”. How do you choose your roles?
JK: You just do them one at a time as they come. I wasn’t looking to do another TV show when “Weeds” was ending. But they called me and I thought it seemed totally unique and have the potential to be funny and weird and clever.

“Weeds” is very scared to me and I didn’t want to do another whatever cable half-hour. I wanted to do something different.

ODW: What is the biggest difference in making a series for a premium network like Showtime and a broadcast network like NBC, besides swearing and nudity?
JK: I’m sure there are lots of them. Not much gets to me, cause I’m not in the writers’ room. My job is the same. It’s a totally different character, so that’s fun . I’m #1 on the call sheet, so I’m there more often. And we have a lot more animals. It’s one of the weirdest jobs I’ve been on, but it’s a great set and we’re having a lot of fun.

ODW: The Botwins got into a lot of trouble on “Weeds”. What was the most outrageous scene you did?
JK: Good question. We did try to keep raising the stakes. I remember the scene where I had to drain my sister-in-law’s (Mary Louise Parker) breast of milk because she was in pain and turning to the guys at the camera and they were like ‘you know, we thought we had gone for it on this show, but this takes it to a whole new level.’

Justin Kirk, Rosemarie Dewitt / NOBODY WALKS (Magnolia)

ODW: You’re a lead on a network series and yet still find time for smaller films. What attracts you to independent films like NOBODY WALKS?
JK: I did this movie a couple of years ago. My schedule on “Weeds” was 3 months a year, so there was always time to do other things throughout the year.

NOBODY WALKS was a very HOT script.

I heard about if from friends.

Lena Dunham (NW writer) had done TINY FURNITURE.

I just loved it. It was a sharp script. I knew Rosemarie for years. That’s the person I was working with the most. So we had fun. Ry the director was a delight.

Ry Russo-Young / NOBODY WALKS (Magnolia)

ODW: You got an “And” credit for NOBODY WALKS. So you’re “And” worthy now. What does that mean and how does it differ from a “With” credit?
JK: Got to be happy with an “And”. I remember when they made me a “With” on “Weeds. Usually “with” comes first. The penultimate cool guy vs. the cool guy. On “Weeds” there was a “With” Justin Kirk and an “And” Kevin Nealon. They’re both good. I’m happy with being first too.
Listen, we don’t have any money, but we have an “And”.

ODW: Can you explain who your character Billy is in NOBODY WALKS to fans of “Weeds” and “Animal Practice”?

Tags:

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weeds,

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30 beats,

animal practice,

VOD Spotlight: Chris Kenneally (SIDE BY SIDE)November 04, 2012

Chris Kenneally / SIDE BY SIDE

Kate Asche Wilson (@KateDoesLife) interviews filmmaker Chris Kenneally of the documentary SIDE BY SIDE (narrated by Keanu Reeves).

Kate Asche Wilson (KAW): Tribeca Films’ SIDE BY SIDE is currently on demand. I’m Kate Asche Wilson of On Demand Weekly and I’m interviewing the documentary’s director Christopher Kenneally at the Palo Alto International Film Festival. So first off, Chris, what interested you in screening the film for Silicon Valley audiences in Palo Alto, California?
Christopher Kenneally (CK): Well It just seemed like a natural fit since our movie has a lot of technology in it. The subject matter is about how digital technology is changing how films are being made. So it was kind of perfect. I saw some of the names of the people that were attending PAIFF and I was like wow that’s great I’m really honored to be here.

KAW: What are the origins of SIDE BY SIDE?
CK: The idea for the movie really came from Keanu Reeves. Keanu and I were working on a movie called HENRY’S CRIME together that he was the producer of and was also starring in. A lot of the conversations and the topics that we cover in SIDE BY SIDE were things that he and I were talking about during filming. One day he said to me you’re a documentary filmmaker, why don’t we make a movie about this topic, and I said of course.

KAW: And he was down to narrate it and everything?
CK: Yeah he and I had a bunch of meetings and tried to figure out what the movie was really going to be about. We made a hit list of the people that we wanted to interview, and really set out to document this moment in time when the industry is really changing.

KAW: How did you get financing for it?

CK: Keanu Reeves!

SIDE BY SIDE (Tribeca Film)

KAW: Keanu Reeves! My god he’s amazing that man.

CK: Yeah he’s had some success in the past.

KAW: Oh just a little.

CK: But even though it was Keanu Reeves, and we have a lot of famous directors and people like that in the movie, it really was low budget. We had probably a crew of three or four people. One of which was Keanu who was dragging lights around, jumping in vans, and flying all over. It was down and dirty. Which is a fun way to make movies.

KAW: You had such illustrious filmmakers that you got interviews with? How did you do that? How did you go about that?
CK: Keanu Reeves!

KAW: Keanu Reeves! No!