After years of waiting, it looks like we have some news on when we could see Wong Kar-Wai‘s The Grandmaster. Rumors indicate it won’t be ready for Cannes, but LoveHKFilm (via The Playlist) have revealed a December 18, 2012 release date for China. With Megan Ellison‘s Annapurna Pictures holding the rights, we’ll have to wait and see who picks it up for US distribution, but noting her usual collaborations with The Weinstein Company, they could certainly be a good fit. Starring Tony Leung and Zhang Ziyi, the film tells the story of Ip Man, who is best known as the trainer of legendary kung-fu star Bruce Lee. Don’t expect us Americans to get the film until 2013 with that intentional date.
We’ve also got news on releases for two of our favorite Sundance films via a press release. First up, Mike Birbiglia‘s Sleepwalk with Me has been given a August 24th, 2012 release thanks to IFC Films. One can read our very positive review here as we look forward to it opening against WB’s horror film The Apparition and Joseph Gordon-Levitt‘s Premium Rush, as well as Dax Shepard‘s Hit and Run. Check out a synopsis below.
“I’m going to tell you a story, and it’s true….I always have to tell people that.” So asserts comedian-turned-playwright-turned-filmmaker Mike Birbiglia directly to the viewer at the outset of his autobiographically inspired, fictional feature debut. Birbiglia wears his incisive wit on his sleeve while portraying a cinematic surrogate. We are thrust into the tale of a burgeoning stand-up comedian struggling with the stress of a stalled career, a stale relationship threatening to race out of his control, and the wild spurts of severe sleepwalking he is desperate to ignore.
Based on the successful one-man show, SLEEPWALK WITH ME engages in the kind of passionate and personal storytelling that transfigures intimate anguish into comic art. Bursting with sincerity, Mike Birbiglia’s foray into the medium marks the invigorating emergence of a strong and poignant American voice, at once hilarious and heartbreaking.
We’ve also got news that Craig Zobel‘s thoroughly unsettling drama Compliance will be release during August thanks to Magnolia Pictures. Read our review here, in which we posited it “could be one of the most disturbing thrillers of the year.” Then head over to our interview with the director and see a new official synopsis below.
When a police officer tells you to do something, you do it. Right?
Inspired by a chilling true story, COMPLIANCE explores just how far one might go to obey a figure of authority. On a particularly busy day at the local ChickWich, the fast food joint’s high-strung manager Sandra (Dowd) receives a phone call from a police officer saying her employee Becky (Walker) has stolen money from a customer. Convinced she’s only doing what’s right, Sandra commences the investigation, following step-by-step instructions from the officer at the other end of the line, no matter how invasive they become.
The second feature from Craig Zobel (director of the 2007 Sundance hit THE GREAT WORLD OF SOUND), COMPLIANCE recounts this riveting nightmare in which the line between legality and reason is hauntingly blurred. The cast delivers startlingly authentic performances that make the events unfolding on screen impossible to turn away from. Delving into the complex psychology of the story that inspired the film, COMPLIANCE proves that sometimes truth really is stranger than fiction.
Which film are you most looking forward to?