Breaking Glass Pictures opens the acclaimed docu-drama "Sweaty Betty" in theaters today (New York City, Los Angeles, and Washington D.C.), January 8, 2016. An iTunes, Amazon Instant, Xbox, and VOD release will follow on January 12. The film made it's world premiere at the 2015 South by Southwest Film Festival. *** “Sweaty Betty” is not quite a documentary and not quite a fictional narrative. It lives somewhere in that fascinating space in between, a construction of the real world that’s as much about the story as it is about the method of storytelling. Made by directors Joe Frank and Zack Reed, it’s a heavily improvised, lo-fi portrait of living in the hood - in this...
- 1/8/2016
- by Zeba Blay
- ShadowAndAct
Read More: SXSW: 'Sweaty Betty' Is the Discovery of This Year's Festival Indiewire's Springboard column profiles up-and-comers who are deserving of your attention. "Sweaty Betty," the docudrama that Indiewire's Eric Kohn dubbed the "great discovery" of this year's SXSW Film Festival, is unlike anything currently playing on the festival circuit. The film, from first-time directors and best friends Joe Frank and Zachary Reed, tells the story of a number of real-life residents — and a massive pig named Miss Charlotte — living in a low income African American neighborhood in Hyattsville, Maryland on the outskirts of Washington, D.C. Frank and Reed, both Hyattsville residents (Frank works as an accountant when not making films; Reed works as a meat processor), made "Sweaty Betty" to pay tribute to their neighborhood and the people they've come to love in the area. The film recently had its East Coast premiere at the Brooklyn Film Festival.
- 6/5/2015
- by Nigel M Smith
- Indiewire
(Sweaty Betty made it’s world premiere at the 2015 SXSW Film Festival. While the film is a hybrid documentary/narrative, it was placed in the Narrative Competition category where it received positive reviews. Our own Donna K. was so taken with the film she tracked down directors Joe Frank and Zack Reed to have a word…) I’ve been a crazy person […]...
- 3/22/2015
- by Donna K.
- Hammer to Nail
The Dslr camerawork in “Sweaty Betty” lingers, follows, and edges in where it can, across the row houses of Washington D.C. We only glimpse the man operating it, but the neighborhood’s close-knit, largely black population treats him as a friend and ally – especially when it’s game day and the Washington Redskins need some recorded support. Not quite found footage, not quite documentary, local directors Joe Frank and Zack Reed’s first film may well be the most warmhearted blend of those genres to date. Following two single fathers, and a 1,000 pound pig and its owner on the other side of town, it tackles how communities glue together from day to day – in passing conversation and slight, pivotal shifts. Reed and Frank have described the film as having actually happened, “more or less”. Given the events that transpire (an untrained dog is dropped off with two friends and single fathers,...
- 3/17/2015
- by Charlie Schmidlin
- The Playlist
“Sweaty Betty” is not quite a documentary and not quite a fictional narrative. It lives somewhere in that fascinating space in between, a construction of the real world that’s as much about the story as it is about the method of storytelling. Made by directors Joe Frank and Zack Reed, it’s a heavily improvised, lo-fi portrait of living in the hood - in this case a small town just outside of Washington, D.C. There are several comparisons that could be helpful in describing the tenor of this film - what if Harmony Korine directed “Friday,” for instance - but ultimately the movie has an energy that’s refreshingly distinct and distinctly hard to pinpoint. What isn’t difficult to pinpoint...
- 3/16/2015
- by Zeba Blay
- ShadowAndAct
"Sweaty Betty" is the rare discovery that's bracingly original and down to earth in equal measures. Set against the backdrop of a low income African American neighborhood in Hyattsville, Maryland on the outskirts of Washington D.C., directors Joe Frank and Zachary Reed construct a documentary-like look at genial lower class Americans with a charming set of ambitions. Read More: The 2015 Indiewire SXSW Bible Improvised around a mixture of real and imagined circumstances, "Sweaty Betty" maintains an ingenuity that outshines its uneven production values. Cutting between a pair of teen single parents attempting to sell their new dog and an older man who hopes to make a buck off his pet sow, the movie has a scrappiness that fits well with its characters' peculiar goals. However, despite a meandering pace and sometimes amateurish craftsmanship, the filmmakers generate a curious degree of engagement from the sheer unpredictability of each scene. After a rambling.
- 3/15/2015
- by Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
As we gear up for this year's SXSW film festival we have an exclusive clip from the African-American indie Diy film Sweaty Betty to share with you. It features two characters in one of the film's two story lines, Rico and Scooby, who receive an unexpected gift from a stranger. Sweaty Betty is the feature film debut from Joe Frank and Zack Reed. In a cramped row house on the border of Washington D.C., two stories of big dreams take place. Floyd and his family have raised a 1,000 pound pig in their backyard, and are determined to turn her into the team mascot for the Redskins football team. Floyd puts his plan into motion, but the pig, named Miss Charlotte, draws unwanted attention. A few blocks...
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- 3/11/2015
- Screen Anarchy
It's not always the size of the dream that matters, but the passion behind it. Some people aspire to riches, others want to change the world, while some people want to turn a farm animal into the mascot for a team in the NFL. And the forthcoming semi-improvised "Sweaty Betty," premiering at SXSW, tells that story. Written and directed by Joe Frank and Zack Reed, the film follows a family who want to turn their 1000 pound pig, Charlotte, into the Washington Redskins team mascot, and then intersects with the tale of two teenage, single fathers. "Everything in this movie happened, more or less. The Rich family really tried to turn their pet pig into the Washington Redskins' mascot. Rico and Scooby are truly teenage single fathers and best friends," the filmmakers said in a statement. "Some of the events in this movie were staged, but everything was based on reality.
- 3/6/2015
- by Kevin Jagernauth
- The Playlist
Two of hip-hop’s biggest names right now are being sued, separately, this week, for two different, recognizable hits. In a California federal court document filed June 25, Playboy Enterprises alleges that Drake’s “Best I Ever Had” infringes on their copyright of “Fallin’ In Love,” a track by Hamilton, Joe Frank & Reynolds, which the company owns. “Best” was released as part of a Drake mixtape and then his 2009 Ep “So Far Gone” via Cash Money/Universal, which were also named in the lawsuit. Compare the two tracks below. Meanwhile, more than two years after its release as a single,...
- 6/29/2010
- by HitFix Staff
- Hitfix
Drake has been sued by Playboy over an alleged copyright infringement. Documents allege that the rapper's single 'Best I Ever Had' sampled the 1975 song 'Fallin' in Love' by Hamilton, Joe Frank & Reynolds, reports MissTilaOMG.com. The song is owned by Playboy Enterprises. The media company is seeking damages from Drake and his label Cash Money Records as well as Universal Music Group and Universal Music Group Distribution. The suit said: "Each defendant either (more)...
- 6/28/2010
- by By Jennifer Still
- Digital Spy
Playboy Enterprises alleges that Hamilton, Joe Frank & Reynolds' 'Fallin' in Love' is used in Drizzy's 'Best I Ever Had.'
By Mawuse Ziegbe
Drake
Photo: Michael Caulfield/ WireImage
Many pop stars have indulged in a fantasy-fulfilling visit to the Playboy Mansion once they've made it. However, in Drake's case, Playboy has come after him, alleging that the star's success is due in part to a song owned by the media company.
Playboy Enterprises is claiming that Drizzy's breakthrough hit "Best I Ever Had," samples the 1975 song "Fallin' in Love," by Hamilton, Joe Frank & Reynolds (also known as Hamilton, Joe Frank and Dennison), which is owned by Playboy.
According to a report posted on MissTilaOMG.com, Playboy Enterprises is suing Drake, Cash Money Records, Universal Music Group and Universal Music Group Distribution for copyright infringement. Attorney Neville Johnson of Johnson & Johnson Llp, which is representing Playboy, confirmed to MTV News that...
By Mawuse Ziegbe
Drake
Photo: Michael Caulfield/ WireImage
Many pop stars have indulged in a fantasy-fulfilling visit to the Playboy Mansion once they've made it. However, in Drake's case, Playboy has come after him, alleging that the star's success is due in part to a song owned by the media company.
Playboy Enterprises is claiming that Drizzy's breakthrough hit "Best I Ever Had," samples the 1975 song "Fallin' in Love," by Hamilton, Joe Frank & Reynolds (also known as Hamilton, Joe Frank and Dennison), which is owned by Playboy.
According to a report posted on MissTilaOMG.com, Playboy Enterprises is suing Drake, Cash Money Records, Universal Music Group and Universal Music Group Distribution for copyright infringement. Attorney Neville Johnson of Johnson & Johnson Llp, which is representing Playboy, confirmed to MTV News that...
- 6/28/2010
- MTV Music News
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