Every December it bears repeating: Anyone who thinks this was a bad year for movies simply hasn’t seen enough. In an age of binge-viewing, a preponderance of must-see premium cable shows and, hell, even smartphone apps that command far more attention most feature-length achievements, the true range of quality cinema is often obscured by the noise of an ever-cluttered media landscape. To really assess the state of modern movies, one look beyond the obvious. Sure, it was a weak year for movies that stand out mainly due to star power and sizable marketing budgets, but those options represent only a small fraction of the marketplace.
The film festival circuit provides an ideal alternative to conventional channels for discovering movies worth talking about all year long — and, if they’re lucky enough to land distribution, they quality for year-end celebration on lists like this one. This year, every single finalist...
The film festival circuit provides an ideal alternative to conventional channels for discovering movies worth talking about all year long — and, if they’re lucky enough to land distribution, they quality for year-end celebration on lists like this one. This year, every single finalist...
- 12/5/2016
- by Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
Last year, Todd Rohal’s “Uncle Kent 2” premiered at SXSW to positive reviews, with IndieWire’s own Eric Kohn calling it “the craziest movie sequel ever.” A follow-up to Joe Swanberg’s 2011 film “Uncle Kent,” a portrait of indie actor and animator Kent Osborne, “Uncle Kent 2” follows Osborne’s quest to come up with a sequel to “Uncle Kent” by traveling to a comic book convention and confronting the end of the world.
Read More: SXSW Review: ‘Uncle Kent 2’ is the Craziest Movie Sequel Ever
Now, Factory 25 has released a novelization of the book by L.P. Eaves. Check out an exclusive excerpt from the book below featuring Uncle Kent’s visit to a doctor to discuss earworms.
Todd Rohal has previously directed the “P is for Scary” segment in “ABCs of Death 2,” and the comedies “Nature Calls,” “The Catechism Cataclysm,” and “The Guatemalan Handshake.” Meanwhile,...
Read More: SXSW Review: ‘Uncle Kent 2’ is the Craziest Movie Sequel Ever
Now, Factory 25 has released a novelization of the book by L.P. Eaves. Check out an exclusive excerpt from the book below featuring Uncle Kent’s visit to a doctor to discuss earworms.
Todd Rohal has previously directed the “P is for Scary” segment in “ABCs of Death 2,” and the comedies “Nature Calls,” “The Catechism Cataclysm,” and “The Guatemalan Handshake.” Meanwhile,...
- 10/4/2016
- by Vikram Murthi
- Indiewire
Read More: 'Uncle Kent 2' is the Craziest Movie Sequel Ever "Uncle Kent," Joe Swanberg's lighthearted 2011 portrait of Los Angeles-based animator Kent Osborne, wasn't exactly screaming for a sequel. But "Uncle Kent 2," which screens in New York at BAMCinemaFest on Saturday following its premiere at SXSW in May, isn't your average sequel. The bizarre project is directed by Todd Rohal, whose loopy "The Catechism Cataclysm" and "The Guatemalan Handshake" display a penchant for surreal, sometimes disorienting humor and baffling sight gags. "Uncle Kent 2," which Osborne wrote, follows suit, while also mocking the idea of sequels and playing with its lead character's creative block. The movie opens — in a segment directed by Swanberg — with Osborn himself pitching the premise for the sequel. The ensuing odyssey finds Osborn coping with a hilariously annoying song stuck in his head, an unsettling journey to Comic Con and possibly the end.
- 6/18/2015
- by Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
The odds of having your short film included in this year’s Sundance Film Festival are .008 percent. Out of the 66 short film line-up (selected among 8,161 submissions) we find actress Rose McGowan move behind the camera for her directing debut (Dawn), we have Ain’t Them Bodies Saints producer Toby Halbrooks shovel out Dig (see pic above) and Todd Rohal (The Guatemalan Handshake) returns to the fest in between features with Rat Pack Rat. Filmmaker Magazine New Faces of Independent Film director Dean Fleischer-Camp rolls up his shirt sleeves with Catherine, Matthew Lessner returns to Park City with the helping hand Chapel Perilous while The Strange Ones (’11 accepted short) co-helmer Christopher Radcliff won’t be making a dissappearing act with Jonathan’s Chest. Finally docu feature-film helmer Lucy Walker moves into The Lion’s Mouth Opens. I’ll of course be covering several of these – look out for our coverage.
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- 12/10/2013
- by Eric Lavallee
- IONCINEMA.com
It might be unkind to call "Nature Calls" an unfortunate-looking comedy with a cast of odds and sods actors, but sometimes you just gotta call 'em as you see 'em. And as much as we love Patton Oswalt and comedy ace-in-the-hole Rob Riggle (so good in "Step Brothers"), this picture directed by Todd Rohal (the well-received "The Catechism Cataclysm" and "The Guatemalan Handshake") does not look great. To add insult to injury, the film didn't exactly receive glowing reviews at SXSW earlier this year. In fact our own review called it a forgettable,"dull, droning wrong number." Youch, but maybe you'll disagree. Here's the synopsis: Patton Oswalt stars as Scoutmaster Randy Stevens, whose dwindling, apathetic troop ditches a scout meeting in favor of a TV-themed slumber party hosted by Randy’s brother Kirk (Knoxville), his polar opposite and arch nemesis. When Randy rounds up the boys in the middle of the.
- 9/20/2012
- by Edward Davis
- The Playlist
Magnet Releasing has the unveiled the first red band trailer for Nature Calls, starring late Patrice O’Neal, Patton Oswalt, Johnny Knoxville, Rob Riggle, Darrell Hammond, and Maura Tierney.
The scouting comedy premiered at this year’s SXSW Film Festival and now is making its way to VOD on October 4th followed by a theatrical release on November 9th, 2012.
Here’s the synopsis for the film:
Oswalt stars as Scoutmaster Randy Stevens, whose dwindling, apathetic troop ditches a scout meeting in favor of a TV-themed slumber party hosted by Randy’s brother Kirk (Knoxville), his polar opposite and arch nemesis. When Randy rounds up the boys in the middle of the night, stealing them for an highly unauthorized/unorganized trip to the woods, all hell breaks loose as Kirk pursues with a pair of gun-toting employees (Riggle and O’Neal). Drinking, nudity, mishandled fireworks and tremendously inappropriate behavior around minors ensues,...
The scouting comedy premiered at this year’s SXSW Film Festival and now is making its way to VOD on October 4th followed by a theatrical release on November 9th, 2012.
Here’s the synopsis for the film:
Oswalt stars as Scoutmaster Randy Stevens, whose dwindling, apathetic troop ditches a scout meeting in favor of a TV-themed slumber party hosted by Randy’s brother Kirk (Knoxville), his polar opposite and arch nemesis. When Randy rounds up the boys in the middle of the night, stealing them for an highly unauthorized/unorganized trip to the woods, all hell breaks loose as Kirk pursues with a pair of gun-toting employees (Riggle and O’Neal). Drinking, nudity, mishandled fireworks and tremendously inappropriate behavior around minors ensues,...
- 9/20/2012
- by Allan Ford
- Filmofilia
I was excited to find out yesterday that Todd Rohal has put his unique feature debut The Guatemalan Handshake (2006) up on Vimeo, in addition to a lot more of his work. Also now online for viewers to enjoy are a bunch of extras (deleted scenes, trailers, etc.) plus Rohal’s equally idiosyncratic shorts, such as Knuckleface Jones (1999) and Hillbilly Robot (2001).
When browsing the selection of recently uploaded videos on Rohal’s Vimeo page, I came across this personal favorite, a series of out-takes from Rohal’s second film, The Catechism Cataclysm, featuring Steve Little’s Father Billy screaming and running away in terror. You can enjoy it below.
The Catechism Cataclysm – Father Billy’s Screamfest 2011 from Todd Rohal on Vimeo.… Read the rest...
When browsing the selection of recently uploaded videos on Rohal’s Vimeo page, I came across this personal favorite, a series of out-takes from Rohal’s second film, The Catechism Cataclysm, featuring Steve Little’s Father Billy screaming and running away in terror. You can enjoy it below.
The Catechism Cataclysm – Father Billy’s Screamfest 2011 from Todd Rohal on Vimeo.… Read the rest...
- 8/22/2012
- by Nick Dawson
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
Todd Rohal had an unnaturally long period of time pass between the production of his first film, "The Guatemalan Handshake," and his second, "The Catechism Cataclysm." Five years between movies can seem like a lifetime for a filmmaker, so it was nice to see that after "Catechism" played the festival circuit last year, just now arriving on home video, Rohal's already got a new film ready and it premiered here on Saturday afternoon. He has definitely picked up the pace, and I'm glad he's managed to shake that awful inertia that can be really tough on a filmmaker, so I feel...
- 3/13/2012
- by Drew McWeeny
- Hitfix
Making his leading indie debut in the dark "Big Fan" and then stepping out to star opposite Charlize Theron in "Young Adult," you might be surprised to learn that seasoned comic Patton Oswalt has yet to topline a comedy. But all that will change at SXSW this weekend when "Nature Calls" premieres. Directed by Todd Rohal ("The Catechism Cataclysm," "The Guatemalan Handshake"), and executive produced by David Gordon Green, the film boats a stellar comic lineup -- Johnny Knoxville, Rob Riggle, Maura Tierney, Patrice O'Neal, Darrell Hammond -- and that combination of leading a comedy and working with a strong ensemble was what attracted Oswalt to the film.
"I’ve always done comedy, but what struck me was I’ve only done quick supporting doses of comedy for movies. So this was the first time that I was like, 'Oh, wait a minute, I’m actually, I’m sustaining this.
"I’ve always done comedy, but what struck me was I’ve only done quick supporting doses of comedy for movies. So this was the first time that I was like, 'Oh, wait a minute, I’m actually, I’m sustaining this.
- 3/8/2012
- by Kevin Jagernauth
- The Playlist
#38. Scoutmaster Director/Writer: Todd RohalProducers: Big Beach Films' Peter Saraf and Marc Turtletaub (Our Idiot Brother) and Lisa Muskat (Shotgun Stories) Distributor: Rights Available The Gist: When a well-meaning but immature Scouting Leader kidnaps his adopted Sudanese nephew to indoctrinate him into the joys of scouting, his good intentions are quickly thwarted as he leads his troop down a darkly comic road of chaos, death, and destruction. Knoxville and Oswalt will play battling brothers who attempt to honor their ailing father by taking a troop of boys on a camping trip...(more) Cast: Patton Oswalt, Maura Tierney, Johnny Knoxville, Rob Riggle and Patrice O'Neal's final film role before his death - (check out this stand-up comedy number). List Worthy Reasons...: Perhaps the least known member of the North Carolina club (David Gordon Green, Jeff Nichols, Craig Zobel, Jody Hill, Dp Tim Orr, Aaron Katz and Ramin Bahrani...
- 1/7/2012
- IONCINEMA.com
"Anyone who caught writer-director Todd Rohal's The Guatemalan Handshake (2006) knows that he likes to lace his indie realism with generous helpings of lysergic weirdness," writes David Fear in Time Out New York. "So it's no surprise that what starts out as a beer-soaked cringe comedy about stunted masculinity ends up deep in the woods with noise-loving Japanese tourists and exploding craniums — or that such detours into psychotronic oddity for its own sake can make even a 75-minute running time feel like an eternity. Still, kudos for the oh-so-clever title."
"Produced by Eastbound & Down masterminds David Gordon Green, Jody Hill, and Danny McBride, and starring that show's standout weirdo Steve Little, writer/director Todd Rohal's farce follows incompetent Father Billy (Little) as he tries to rediscover his faith through a sabbatical canoeing trip with his sister's high school ex-boyfriend Robbie (Robert Longstreet)," explains Nick Schager in the Voice. "Little's...
"Produced by Eastbound & Down masterminds David Gordon Green, Jody Hill, and Danny McBride, and starring that show's standout weirdo Steve Little, writer/director Todd Rohal's farce follows incompetent Father Billy (Little) as he tries to rediscover his faith through a sabbatical canoeing trip with his sister's high school ex-boyfriend Robbie (Robert Longstreet)," explains Nick Schager in the Voice. "Little's...
- 10/21/2011
- MUBI
A few years ago, "The Guatemalan Handshake," Todd Rohal's surreal, hilariously offbeat and oddly moving 2006 debut, literally went up in smoke: The director himself lit the match. After its under-the-radar premiere at the Slamdance Film Festival, "Guatemalan" never found a distributor. So Rohal spent close to two years traveling around with the only existing 35mm print, booking theaters wherever he could. When the journey felt complete, Rohal buried the ...
- 10/21/2011
- indieWIRE - People
A few years ago, "The Guatemalan Handshake," Todd Rohal's surreal, hilariously offbeat and oddly moving 2006 debut, literally went up in smoke: The director himself lit the match. After its under-the-radar premiere at the Slamdance Film Festival, "Guatemalan" never found a distributor. So Rohal spent close to two years traveling around with the only existing 35mm print, booking theaters wherever he could. When the journey felt complete, Rohal buried the ...
- 10/21/2011
- Indiewire
A few years ago, "The Guatemalan Handshake," Todd Rohal's surreal, hilariously offbeat and oddly moving 2006 debut, literally went up in smoke: The director himself lit the match. After its under-the-radar premiere at the Slamdance Film Festival, "Guatemalan" never found a distributor. So Rohal spent close to two years traveling around with the only existing 35mm print, booking theaters wherever he could. When the journey felt complete, Rohal buried the ...
- 10/21/2011
- indieWIRE - People
A few years ago, "The Guatemalan Handshake," Todd Rohal's surreal, hilariously offbeat and oddly moving 2006 debut, literally went up in smoke: The director himself lit the match. After its under-the-radar premiere at the Slamdance Film Festival, "Guatemalan" never found a distributor. So Rohal spent close to two years traveling around with the only existing 35mm print, booking theaters wherever he could. When the journey felt complete, Rohal buried the ...
- 10/21/2011
- indieWIRE - People
A few years ago, "The Guatemalan Handshake," Todd Rohal's surreal, hilariously offbeat and oddly moving 2006 debut, literally went up in smoke: The director himself lit the match. After its under-the-radar premiere at the Slamdance Film Festival, "Guatemalan" never found a distributor. So Rohal spent close to two years traveling around with the only existing 35mm print, booking theaters wherever he could. When the journey felt complete, Rohal buried the ...
- 10/21/2011
- indieWIRE - People
A few years ago, "The Guatemalan Handshake," Todd Rohal's surreal, hilariously offbeat and oddly moving 2006 debut, literally went up in smoke: The director himself lit the match. After its under-the-radar premiere at the Slamdance Film Festival, "Guatemalan" never found a distributor. So Rohal spent close to two years traveling around with the only existing 35mm print, booking theaters wherever he could. When the journey felt complete, Rohal buried the ...
- 10/21/2011
- Indiewire
A few years ago, "The Guatemalan Handshake," Todd Rohal's surreal, hilariously offbeat and oddly moving 2006 debut, literally went up in smoke: The director himself lit the match. After its under-the-radar premiere at the Slamdance Film Festival, "Guatemalan" never found a distributor. So Rohal spent close to two years traveling around with the only existing 35mm print, booking theaters wherever he could. When the journey felt complete, Rohal buried the ...
- 10/21/2011
- indieWIRE - People
Today on indieWIRE, we had quite a busy news day! Between reviews of some much-awaited films, we interviewed an old master (Aki Kaurismäki) and a new one (Sean Durkin) and covered some exciting international festival news. Review | Todd Rohal Takes a Goofy Priest to the Woods in “The Catechism Cataclysm” “The Catechism Cataclysm” marks the sophomore feature of writer-director Todd Rohal, whose peculiar ensemble piece “The Guatemalan Handshake” made ...
- 10/20/2011
- Indiewire
"The Catechism Cataclysm" marks the sophomore feature of writer-director Todd Rohal, whose peculiar ensemble piece "The Guatemalan Handshake" made the festival rounds in 2006. Whereas "Guatemalan" took a wide view of Americana through Rohal's cast of offbeat characters, "Catechism" plays like a singularly wacky, surrealist sketch comedy—wildly entertaining, invariably random and delectably strange. [Editor's Note: This review was originally published during indieWIRE's coverage of the 2011 Sundance Film Festival. "The ...
- 10/20/2011
- Indiewire
In "The Catechism Cataclysm," "Eastbound and Down"'s Steve Little plays Father Billy, a Catholic priest given some time off by his superiors because of his penchant for inappropriate sermons. He decides to spend his vacation to with with an old acquaintance from high school, Robbie (Robert Longstreet), and together the two set off on a canoe trip. According to the film's official synopsis, "on the water, the two men reminisce about Billy's days as the keyboardist in a Christian band and Robbie's as a guitarist for a metal band. When night approaches, they realize they have lost their way -- and that's when things get weird."
Before things get weird, they get funny, as you'll see in this exclusive clip from the film. Watch as our wayward priest tries to chug a beer with less than spectacular results:
"The Catechism Cataclysm" -- which indieWIRE's Eric Kohn intriguingly described as...
Before things get weird, they get funny, as you'll see in this exclusive clip from the film. Watch as our wayward priest tries to chug a beer with less than spectacular results:
"The Catechism Cataclysm" -- which indieWIRE's Eric Kohn intriguingly described as...
- 10/13/2011
- by Matt Singer
- ifc.com
Todd Rohal's ("“The Guatemalan Handshake”) sophomore feature, "The Catechism Cataclysm," has been generating solid buzz on the festival circuit since premiering in Sundance this year. IFC Midnight, who picked it up out of SXSW, just dropped the trailer. It's now clear why this comedy made a mark: It looks mighty bizarre and funny to boot. The film follows Father Billy, a young priest who is forced to take a sabbatical ...
- 10/4/2011
- Indiewire
IFC Midnight Presents “The Catechism Cataclysm”
Opens on October 19th at the IFC Center in New York,
November 4th at the Downtown Independent in Los Angeles, and on VOD Nationwide on October 26th
A Film by Todd Rohal
**Official Entry: Sundance Film Festival**
**Official Entry: SXSW Film Festival**
Synopsis
Storytelling in all its forms is skewered in The Catechism Cataclysm. In this divinely bizarre and funny tale, wild characters infuse stories within stories until the lines between the Bible, Mark Twain, and campfire tales are hilariously blurred. Father Billy (Steve Little), an eccentric young priest, is forced to take a sabbatical by his superiors when he is discovered telling inappropriate parables to his flock. Billy tracks down his high-school idol Robbie (Robert Longstreet), who begrudgingly agrees to a canoe trip. On the water, the two men reminisce about Billy’s days as the keyboardist in a Christian band and Robbie...
Opens on October 19th at the IFC Center in New York,
November 4th at the Downtown Independent in Los Angeles, and on VOD Nationwide on October 26th
A Film by Todd Rohal
**Official Entry: Sundance Film Festival**
**Official Entry: SXSW Film Festival**
Synopsis
Storytelling in all its forms is skewered in The Catechism Cataclysm. In this divinely bizarre and funny tale, wild characters infuse stories within stories until the lines between the Bible, Mark Twain, and campfire tales are hilariously blurred. Father Billy (Steve Little), an eccentric young priest, is forced to take a sabbatical by his superiors when he is discovered telling inappropriate parables to his flock. Billy tracks down his high-school idol Robbie (Robert Longstreet), who begrudgingly agrees to a canoe trip. On the water, the two men reminisce about Billy’s days as the keyboardist in a Christian band and Robbie...
- 9/28/2011
- by Melissa Howland
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Yes, you read the title correctly. But they're not really brothers, they'll just play them on the big screen. Todd Rohal will make this happen. Who is Todd Rohal? Great question. I can honestly say I have no clue who the hell he is but his two films The Guatemalan Handshake and The Catechism Cataclysm have respectable scores of 6.4 and 7.2 on IMDb respectively.
- 8/22/2011
- by Jonathan Silva
- GetTheBigPicture.net
IFC Midnight have picked up the rights to Todd Rohal’s sophomore film - perhaps the best "titled" film presented at this year's Sundance Film Festival. The Catechism Cataclysm (a comedy with horror elements) premiered in the Park City at Midnight section and will be presented at the upcoming SXSW Film Festival. Gist: Father Billy (Steve Little), an eccentric young priest, is forced to take a sabbatical by his superiors when he is discovered telling inappropriate parables to his flock. Billy tracks down his high-school idol Robbie (Robert Longstreet), who begrudgingly agrees to a canoe trip. On the water, the two men reminisce about Billy's days as the keyboardist in a Christian band and Robbie's as a guitarist for a metal band. When night approaches, they realize they have lost their way--and that's when things get weird. Worth Noting: A must see is Rohal's award-winning debut The Guatemalan Handshake, (I've...
- 3/7/2011
- IONCINEMA.com
The Alamo Drafthouse Ritz and Lamar are going to be buzzing during SXSW this year. From March 11-19, we’re pretty much doing nonstop movie screenings of the newest and most exciting indie and foreign films at the fest. Badgeholders, you’re already all set to enjoy the glory that is the SXSW Film Festival. But even if you don’t have a badge, you can still get in on the fun! Austinites, you can still get individual tickets at the door for every event that doesn’t sell out.
That piece of information is particularly handy once the music portion of the fest starts, on March 15. Especially at the South Lamar theatre, lines start to thin out and these awesome movies will be open to locals film buffs who don’t have badges.
Because of that, we’ve compiled a list of some of the must-see movies of SXSW...
That piece of information is particularly handy once the music portion of the fest starts, on March 15. Especially at the South Lamar theatre, lines start to thin out and these awesome movies will be open to locals film buffs who don’t have badges.
Because of that, we’ve compiled a list of some of the must-see movies of SXSW...
- 3/4/2011
- by Daniel Metz
- OriginalAlamo.com
Rating: 3.5/5
Writer/Director: Todd Rohal
Cast: Steve Little, Robert Longstreet
Absurd humor can be hard to swallow. When a filmmaker really takes things “out there”, he risks losing the audience along the way, viewers unable to wrap their brains around the senselessness. In The Catechism Cataclysm, though, director Todd Rohal (The Guatemalan Handshake) has devised a way to allow for the wacky and illogical to exist organically which grounds a film that becomes quite crazy in its own strange reality. He does this by playing with the basic principles of storytelling and making those skewed conventions part of the film itself.
Read more on Sundance 2011 Review: The Catechism Cataclysm…...
Writer/Director: Todd Rohal
Cast: Steve Little, Robert Longstreet
Absurd humor can be hard to swallow. When a filmmaker really takes things “out there”, he risks losing the audience along the way, viewers unable to wrap their brains around the senselessness. In The Catechism Cataclysm, though, director Todd Rohal (The Guatemalan Handshake) has devised a way to allow for the wacky and illogical to exist organically which grounds a film that becomes quite crazy in its own strange reality. He does this by playing with the basic principles of storytelling and making those skewed conventions part of the film itself.
Read more on Sundance 2011 Review: The Catechism Cataclysm…...
- 2/2/2011
- by Brian Kelley
- GordonandtheWhale
"Todd Rohal's gleefully dopey comedy The Catechism Cataclysm opens with a bumbling priest (played by Steve Little) telling his congregation a funny story that has no real point and no scriptural application. The rest of the movie follows suit." The Av Club's Noel Murray gives it a B+: "Unlike Rohal's quirk-in-exremis debut film The Guatemalan Handshake, The Catechism Cataclysm is more naturalistic in its first hour, in the vein of Eastbound & Down and Pineapple Express (whose writer-producer-directors Jody Hill and David Gordon Green produced Cataclysm). Even when the movie takes a turn for the surreal, it remains rooted in the reactions of the slack-faced good guy Little and the gruff-but-lovable [Robert] Longstreet. I can't promise that everyone will find their company as enjoyable as I did, but those who do should get behind Rohal's riffs on classic fiction and his stories-within-stories-with-no-clear-escape premise."...
- 1/31/2011
- MUBI
"The Catechism Cataclysm" marks the sophomore feature of writer-director Todd Rohal, whose peculiar ensemble piece "The Guatemalan Handshake" made the festival rounds in 2006. Whereas "Guatemalan" took a wide view of Americana through Rohal's cast of offbeat characters, "Catechism" plays like a singularly wacky, surrealist sketch comedy—wildly entertaining, invariably random and delectably strange. The movie opens with the childlike priest Father Billy (Steve Little of HBO's "Eastbound and Down") addressing ...
- 1/24/2011
- Indiewire
Actor Steve Little (HBO's "Eastbound and Down") poses with director Todd Rohal at the pre-party for the premiere of Rohal's Sundance midnight entry, "The Catechism Cataclysm," at Nacho Mama's on Saturday night. The film, Rohal's second after the Slamdance hit "The Guatemalan Handshake," stars Little as a moronic priest who takes a fishing trip with an old high school friend and encounters unexpected events. It was partly financed by Rough ...
- 1/23/2011
- Indiewire
For many people, making a film seems like an impossibility. However, for those who do get their first feature in the bag, there’s no guarantee that making a second will be any easier. Todd Rohal is a case in point. He attracted buzz for his debut, The Guatemalan Handshake, which won Best Film at Slamdance in 2006 and earned him a spot on Filmmaker’s 25 New Faces list that same year. However the success of Handshake, a beautiful and stunningly original cinematic vision which Rohal describes as a hybrid of Kentucky Fried Movie and Days of Heaven, did not directly lead to a follow-up feature. Rohal’s planned sophomore effort, Scoutmasters, was selected for the both Sundance Producers Labs and Screenwriters Labs and is currently in development at Big Beach (the production company behind Little Miss Sunshine), but will not go into production until next year.
The Catechism Cataclysm, Rohal’s actual second film,...
The Catechism Cataclysm, Rohal’s actual second film,...
- 1/22/2011
- by Nick Dawson
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
Ifp has opened submissions for its Independent Filmmaker Labs, a fellowship that provides professional and creative guidance to aspiring filmmakers, and pushes directors to further develop the full potential of their talents and abilities. The only program in the U.S. that supports debut directors of low-budget and independently produced films at the crucial beginning stages, the Ifp Labs begin with a week-long intensive in New York, followed by being a part of Ifp’s Independent Film Week in September. Twenty projects will be selected for this year's program. Filmmakers at past Labs have had premieres at festivals like Berlin (Wild Combination: A Portrait of Arthur Russell), Slamdance (The Guatemalan Handshake; The New Year Parade),...
- 1/29/2010
- by Melissa Silvestri
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
- A very busy Monday for the ed-in-chief of Ioncinema.com. Caught press screenings for The Time Traveler and Ponyo, sandwiched by tons of news to report on. Here is the best of the rest of the news for August 10th. 1. Not Thirst-y South Korea goes with Bong Joon-ho's Mother for Foreign Oscar nom consideration. 2. Milking the "Cash" Chow Sony moves quickly on Michael Jackson concert experience. This Is It becomes a Halloween experience. on October 30th. (Via THR) 3. Ifp’s Project ForumJodie Foster's “Cockeyed,” The Guatemalan Handshake's Todd Rohal’s “Scoutmasters”, (see pic) produced by Lisa Muskat, Fred Schepisi’s “The Secret River”, “Earth Camp One” by Jennie Livingston, “Fame High” by Scott Hamilton Kennedy, and “Hungry in America” by Kristi Jacobson & Lori Silverbush are among 116 selected projects for Project Forum of Ifp’s Independent Film Week. (Via IndieWIRE.com) 4. Out of the Womb Benedek Fliegauf is now in post production with Womb.
- 8/10/2009
- IONCINEMA.com
Festival Films Picked Up: The Eclipse After a bidding war, you will be getting gothic with Conor McPherson's spooky tale and Ciaran Hinds' Best Actor-winning performance via Magnolia Pictures. [indieWIRE] Defamation Yoav Shamir's thought-provoking (and Special Jury Prize-winning) documentary has been picked up by First Run Features for a theatrical release in the fall. [Screen Daily] Fish Eyes After starting out with some gorgeously curated DVD releases (Lol, The Guatemalan Handshake), the cineastes over at Benten/Watchmaker proudly announced their first theatrical pickup, the debut feature from Chinese director Zheng Wei. [Benten] Fixer: The Taking of Ajmal Naqshbandi Set your DVRs for August, because that's when HBO plans to premiere Festival award winner (Best New Documentary Filmmaker) Ian Olds' stirring work. [The Hollywood Reporter] The Lost Son of Havana The first acquisition of the Festival, Jonathan Hock's documentary is set to air on Espn. [Variety] Festival Films with a Summer Release: Make it...
- 5/6/2009
- TribecaFilm.com
Will Oldham, Aka Bonnie 'Prince' Billy, has always had distinctive music videos, directed by talented folks like Braden King, Harmony Korine, and Andy Bruntel. "Beware," the new Bonnie 'Prince' Billy album, will be released on March 17th, and the album's first single ("I Am Goodbye")--directed by Jennifer Parsons and Leif Johnson--is striking for its lo-fi elegance and beauty. Oldham is a compelling performer, both on stage and screen (from "Matewan" to "Old Joy" and "The Guatemalan Handshake"). In "I Am Goodbye," Mr. Billy strolls through the streets of Los Angeles, grinning and bouncing and singing his heart out. It's a joyous walk, a perfect evening, and it's near impossible to take your eyes off the video's bushy-bearded,...
- 3/9/2009
- by James Ponsoldt
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
- One week before the masses descend upon Sundance’s 25th, a dozen projects will get combed over by some people not wearing white coats -- the Screenwriters Lab matches future voices of cinema with contemporary folk who’ve paved the way before them. This year’s lab projects includes Todd Rohal's newest project after the Diy success of The Guatemalan Handshake, Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman's Allen Ginsberg project titled Howl, and Mishna Wolff takes her forthcoming book release (I’m Down) and makes a screenplay out of it. Here’s a Cc of the press release of the projects and the lucky creators behind them. The projects selected for the 2009 January Screenwriters Lab are: Beasts Of The Southern Wild /Benh Zeitlin (co-writer/director) and Lucy Alibar (co-writer), U.S.A. Fuga Mortis /Kirill Mikhanovsky (writer/director), U.S.A./Russia Howl /Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman (co-writers/co-directors), U.
- 12/15/2008
- IONCINEMA.com
Just as independent cinema devolves into a string of cutesy quirk-fests containing no recognizable human behavior, along comes Todd Rohal's debut feature The Guatemalan Handshake, to serve as a crucible rather than an alternative. Viewers will either walk away from the film thinking that Rohal has set a new benchmark for how obnoxiously twee movies can get, or they'll see Rohal's goofy flights of imagination as proof that most modern indies aren't quirky enough. Eschewing restraint, Rohal fills The Guatemalan Handshake with small-town naïfs in shabby clothes, living in the shadow of a nuclear power plant, where they obsess over pet turtles, electric cars, and demolition derbies. Will Oldham plays a lumpen, mumbly outsider who disappears one day after a power outage, and when his friends and family ask around about him, they get embroiled in a variety of strange occurrences. A woman reads her obituary in the paper,...
- 5/21/2008
- by Noel Murray
- avclub.com
By Michael Atkinson
Todd Rohal's "The Guatemalan Handshake" is one of the most inventive, most poetic, most disarmingly authentic indies of the last few years . so, of course, you've never had a chance to see it. It's a movie that seems to have dropped out of the sky, inexplicably, like a satellite fragment landing on Main Street. Naturally, it's not a project constructed around a traditional idea of storytelling propulsion . Rohal has whipped his world from the weedy ground up into a fiery, relentless storm of quirk, but he's original enough in his cataract of details to keep us in a constant state of enchanted disorientation. Why was "Napoleon Dynamite," with its relatively stereotypical uber-misfit, a hit, while this 2006 daydream foundered out of sight?
Set in some Forgottentown, Pennsylvania, "The Guatemalan Handshake" encounters characters undramatically, and its narrative gradually coalesces around them: Donald the triangular-electric-car-driving nebbish (Will Oldham); his...
Todd Rohal's "The Guatemalan Handshake" is one of the most inventive, most poetic, most disarmingly authentic indies of the last few years . so, of course, you've never had a chance to see it. It's a movie that seems to have dropped out of the sky, inexplicably, like a satellite fragment landing on Main Street. Naturally, it's not a project constructed around a traditional idea of storytelling propulsion . Rohal has whipped his world from the weedy ground up into a fiery, relentless storm of quirk, but he's original enough in his cataract of details to keep us in a constant state of enchanted disorientation. Why was "Napoleon Dynamite," with its relatively stereotypical uber-misfit, a hit, while this 2006 daydream foundered out of sight?
Set in some Forgottentown, Pennsylvania, "The Guatemalan Handshake" encounters characters undramatically, and its narrative gradually coalesces around them: Donald the triangular-electric-car-driving nebbish (Will Oldham); his...
- 4/29/2008
- by Michael Atkinson
- ifc.com
Lynn Shelton's We Go Way Back took the grand jury award for best narrative feature at the Slamdance Film Festival's Sparky Awards Ceremony at the club Suede in Park City. The prize included a Panavision Camera Rental Package valued at $60,000. Also at the ceremony, held Friday and overseen by festival director Peter Baxter, special jury recognition was awarded to Todd Rohal's The Guatemalan Handshake. The grand jury award for best documentary feature went to Philippe Diaz's Empire in Africa, with Bob Hercules and Cheri Pugh's Forgiving Dr. Mengele receiving special jury recognition.
- 1/30/2006
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Lynn Shelton's We Go Way Back took the grand jury award for best narrative feature at the Slamdance Film Festival's Sparky Awards Ceremony at the club Suede in Park City. The prize included a Panavision Camera Rental Package valued at $60,000. Also at the ceremony, held Friday and overseen by festival director Peter Baxter, special jury recognition was awarded to Todd Rohal's The Guatemalan Handshake. The grand jury award for best documentary feature went to Philippe Diaz's Empire in Africa, with Bob Hercules and Cheri Pugh's Forgiving Dr. Mengele receiving special jury recognition.
- 1/29/2006
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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