On Demand Weekly

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!

Film Independent, the non-profit arts organization that produces the Spirit Awards and the Los Angeles Film Festival, announced nominations for the 2011 Film Independent Spirit Awards. Three of the five nominees for Best Feature (Greenberg, The Kids Are All Right and Winter’s Bone), as well as many of the most nominated films, are already available to watch On Demand.

(Eva Mendes, Jeremy Renner)

Selected from 220 submissions, this year’s winners will be announced at the Film Independent Spirit Awards on Saturday, February 26, 2011 at 2:00 p.m. on the beach in Santa Monica. The 26th annual awards show will be hosted by Joel McHale ("The Soup," "Community") and air exclusively that night on IFC at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT.

On Demand Weekly has noted which films are available now On Demand so you can catch up at home on the independent films everyone is talking about this week. Enjoy!

FILM TITLE (# OF NOMINATIONS)
Winter’s Bone - Roadside Attraction (7) AVAILABLE NOW ON DEMAND
The Kids Are All Right - Focus Features (5) AVAILABLE NOW ON DEMAND
Black Swan - Fox Searchlight (4)
Greenberg - Focus Features (4) AVAILABLE NOW ON DEMAND
Rabbit Hole - Lionsgate (4)
127 Hours - Fox Searchlight (3)
Jack Goes Boating - Overture Films (3)
Tiny Furniture - IFC Films (3) AVAILABLE NOW ON DEMAND
Daddy Longlegs - IFC Films (2) AVAILABLE NOW ON DEMAND
Life During Wartime - IFC Films (2) AVAILABLE NOW ON DEMAND
Exit Through the Gift Shop - Producers Distribution Agency / FilmBuff (1) AVAILABLE NOW ON DEMAND
Lovers of Hate - IFC Films (1) AVAILABLE NOW ON DEMAND
Night Catches Us - Magnolia Pictures (1) AVAILABLE NOW ON DEMAND

2011 SPIRIT AWARD NOMINATIONS

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.