Now that we have one foot squarely in 2012, it seems absurd to look back only now on the films of 2011. However, as distributors and theater exhibitors make it increasingly hard to see quality film in WV, we often must wait weeks months or even years after release to catch some of the best films of the year. That being said, 2011 was a very good, if inconsistent year for film. It was a year of looking back into where we have come from as individuals, peoples, nations, and film buffs. Read the rest of this entry »

My favorite film of the year was “My Week With Marilyn” since it reflects so well what I have been doing for 40 years – take care of film “celebrities,” both local and national. Once Nicholas Ray, director of “Rebel Without a Cause,” came to Minneapolis for a weekend and stayed a month with me having to drive him around 24/7. Here are some other films I really enjoyed…. Read the rest of this entry »

Since he sees more films, especially new ones, in NYC and elsewhere, I feel that his Top Ten list is more interesting than my own which I will work on this week. Read the rest of this entry »

Amos Perrine, a Charleston film buff, sent me the link to the annual Village Voice critics list of best films of the year.I saw only 13 of the films, going to one feature film a week. I definitely did NOT think that “The Tree of Life” was the best film of the year.

 Patrick Felton, director of the WV Filmmakers Festival, sent me his list of best WV films so here it is. Thanks to both for loving films as much as I do. Read the rest of this entry »

Dr. Fred Pollock and the Federated Jewish Charities of Charleston are sponsoring another evening of new films about the Jewish experience on Sunday, January 22. They plan on showing two films including an excellent film I previewed, “Live and Become.” The first film is yet to be chosen. Read the rest of this entry »

John Lilly published a shortened list of films on WV music - below are two lists that I have made, one in 2007 and a more recent one. You can see there are many, many films on WV musicians. Read the rest of this entry »

Appalshop and Elizabeth Barret is pleased to announce the launching of a new project called Portraits and Dreams: A Revisitation (link to project page)

 Portraits and Dreams: A Revisitation follows a process of re-engagement by photography Wendy Ewald and the former students she taught in three rural public elementary schools in Kentucky.   Read the rest of this entry »

I finally got to see a film losely based on the life of WV’s infamous Jesco White. I have been writing about this film for years. The film was well made with good acting and great cinematography. Unfortunately, the tale is even more brutal that the true story of our Dancing Outlaw. I found it hard to watch. It is distributed in this country by IFC Films who had horror trailers before the film, getting the viewer ready for the nightmare they were about to see. Read the rest of this entry »

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Nov. 16, 2011
CONTACT:
Pam Haynes, WV Film Office
304-957-9382,  pamela.j.haynes at wv.gov
OR
Patty Soplinski, Krazy Bout Sportz
304-914-3248,  pas_kbsportz at comcast.net

Special advance screening of “Super 8″ Blu-ray™ Bonus Material, plus movie

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – The City of Weirton is forever etched in celluloid thanks to the award-winning filmmakers J.J. Abrams and Steven Spielberg, who were at the helm of this summer’s blockbuster, “Super 8.” And, thanks to Paramount Pictures, Weirton has been given the opportunity to screen a special featurette on Nov. 21. The featurette appears on the Blu-ray™ version of the film, which has a street date of Nov. 22. Read the rest of this entry »

For the second time, “The Last Mountain, ” a film about MTR in WV has won The Pare Lorentz Award, the top social awareness documentary award given out by the International Documentary Film Association. Read the rest of this entry »