If the film was an actual documentary I might actually be interested in this film, but since it is simply using a handheld style to give the illusion that the things in the movie actually happened, like, for real, I have a hard time being anything but wary. Especially when they’ve set up a fake YouTube channel to help sustain the facade.

But while I’m wary of the film, the fact that Will Ferrell and Adam McKay are behind this should make me optimistic. They consistently have shown a good eye for talent, and they certainly have a good idea of what is funny, but The Virginity Hit seems just so beyond the scope of reality that it seems like a difficult film to pull off successfully. I mean, the kids spend their prom or whatever in what appears to be a goddamn mansion so Matt can lose his virginity. How is anyone, and specifically teenagers, supposed to identify with a bunch of obnoxious rich kids who just want to get laid? Well, except when they are trying to shoplift $1800 suits. Jesus.

This movie could be so freaking bad.

Still interested? Then watch the ridiculous trailer after the break!
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Well, actually its just called Catfish, but the marketing for this film is so counter intuitive to what the actual film it is about its bound to raise up some controversy once the film is finally released. For those that don’t know, Catfish is a documentary about a guy who documents his brother’s burgeoning online relationship with a girl who lives hundreds of miles away and that he’s never met and the complications involved with such an endeavor.

But from the trailer the viewer is lead to believe that this is a film shot in a documentary style about a boy who starts dating a girl who lures him to the middle of nowhere to slaughter him and his companions (think Blair Witch for the Facebook generation). And well, that’s really not even close to accurate. And while this marketing campaign is bound to generate interest (the trailer is pretty damn effective) its going to be drawing in a crowd that is looking for something that Catfish simply can’t deliver, nor is it even attempting to. So while I’m happy that their is a chance this documentary will potentially get more exposure due to this campaign, I’m really rather worried that it will get slammed into obscurity due to the inevitable backlash.

In late 2007, filmmakers Ariel Schulman and Henry Joost sensed a story unfolding as they began to film the life of Ariel’s brother, Nev. They had no idea that their project would lead to the most exhilarating and unsettling months of their lives. A reality thriller that is a shocking product of our times, Catfish is a riveting story of love, deception and grace within a labyrinth of online intrigue.

Watch the trailer after the break!
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Thanks to my purchasing a house James and I have fallen a bit behind on our podcasting duties but wait no more! Today James will be swinging by to record a new episode of Spoiler Alert! and hopefully, if I decided I’d rather do some post-production work than watch a documentary on weirdo fans’ love of mislabeled Goblin films you could be listening to a new podcast from us as early as this evening.

Of course their are a few caveats, the first of which is that James hasn’t actually seen the movie yet, but since he will be watching it here, right before we record, we could get some interesting commentary from him. Or he could just become disgusted and shut it off and leave us up shit creek.

Then of course their is the fact that my house doesn’t have a doorbell, which opens a whole boatload of issues. Will James even make it in the door? Will he stand outside for 3 minutes and simply leave? Now, I have informed him that he does have the ability to knock, but really, there’s no telling what James will do when push comes to shove.

As for the film? I’d alluded to it earlier but if you really want to know, the trailer is after the break. Otherwise, talk to ya soon!
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On July 30th, Oliver Stone’s new documentary South of the Border will open at the Showplace ICON Theatre in St Louis Park on an exclusive one week run here in the Twin Cities. I don’t know much about the film, but from what I do know I am certainly intrigued at its fascinating premise and its potential promise of giving an in depth and behind the scenes look at various members of South American governments and just how they are trying to transform their countries and the region, even while the US seemingly does its best to thwart those efforts.

Summary
There’s a revolution underway in South America, but most of the world doesn’t know it. Oliver Stone sets out on a road trip across five countries to explore the social and political movements as well as the mainstream media’s misperception of South America while interviewing seven of its elected presidents. In casual conversations with Presidents Hugo Chávez (Venezuela), Evo Morales (Bolivia), Lula da Silva (Brazil), Cristina Kirchner (Argentina), as well as her husband and ex-President N?stor Kirchner, Fernando Lugo (Paraguay), Rafael Correa (Ecuador), and Raúl Castro (Cuba), Stone gains unprecedented access and sheds new light upon the exciting transformations in the region.

South of the Border (Official Website)

Check out the trailer after the break!
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Sound Unseen is becoming a bit of a festival staple here in the Twin Cities every fall but now Duluth gets to join in on the fun a few months early. But while the Twin Cities version of Sound Unseen focuses exclusively on films about music, the Duluth festival is playing a bit more loose with that format though there still will be plenty of music onhand, including performances from Solid Gold, DJ Talk Radio, Charlie Parr, Roma di Luna, Bight Club, Heiruspecs, The Keep Aways, Gasoline Silver, and Gay Witch Abortion.

You can’t pick a much better time to visit Duluth, so if you have the chance make the quick drive up there next week and catch some of this fantastic festival.

7:00 PM – Feed the Fish w/Google Short + Q & A

06.03

7:00 PM – Wheedle’s Grove + Q & A
7:15 PM – Wasteland
9:00 PM – The Secret to a Happy Ending: a Documentary About the Drive-By Truckers + Q & A
9:15 PM – The Freebie + Q & A

06.04

5:00 PM – The Secret to a Happy Ending: a Documentary About the Drive-By Truckers + Q & A
5:15 PM – Sex, Drugs, & Rock and Roll
7:30 PM – October Country + Q & A
7:45 PM – Cold Weather + Q & A
9:30 PM – Hipsters
9:30 PM – Sounds Like Teen Spirit
11:55 PM - Down Terrace

06.05

11:00 AM – Childish Shorts Program
11:45 AM – October Country + Q & A
12:30 PM – Silent Light
1:00 PM – The Secret of Kells
1:15 PM – Cold Weather + Q & A
1:45 PM – Hipsters
3:00 PM - Tahaan
3:30 PM – I Am Secretly an Important Man + Q & A
3:30 PM – Filmmaker’s Panel: Collaborative Filmmaking
5:00 PM – Sex, Drugs, & Rock and Roll
5:45 PM – Some Days Are Better Than Others + Q & A
7:15 PM – Wheedle’s Grove + Q & A
8:00 PM – Putty Hill + Q & A
9:30 PM – Funkytown + Q & A
10:00 PM – Daddy Longlegs + Q & A

06.06

12:15 PM – Some Days Are Better Than Others
1:00 PM – Wasteland
1:15 PM – Shorts Program
2:15 PM – I Am Secretly an Important Man
3:00 PM – Older Than America
3:15 PM – Daddy Longlegs + Q & A
5:00 PM – Rejoice & Shout + Q & A
5:30 PM – Hamilton + Q & A
7:30 PM – Low + Q & A

PS – Thanks to Switchblade Comb for doing all the work in writing out the work and gathering the links. Thankfully they aren’t as lazy as me.