Flix Premiere Close Up - August 2017

August 2017

FLIX PREMIERE Close-Up

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TABLE OF CONTENTS Welcome Readers: The purpose of this magazine is to share with our movie-goers, the industry and our partners updates about what is happening at Flix Premiere each month. We aim to highlight and explore the upcoming month’s film premieres in each market, to announce new developments on our platform and to provide a CEO update about the exciting current and future plans at Flix Premiere.

Happy reading!

IN THIS ISSUE: Introducing, a Flix Premiere Original Read about our inaugural Original Production ’The Other Kids’ an Award-Winning feature about teenage youth - coming this fall.

The Other Kids - Savannah Bailey, Hunter Gilmore, Kai Kellerman, Sienna Lampi - pg. 2-3

August Premieres Snapshot Learn about our exclusive new premieres showing each week.

Su ga r

The Habit of Beauty

tch Sc arl et’ s Wi

US August Premieres Snapshot - pg. 4 UK August Premieres Snapshot - pg. 5

Wi nte r

ha rd Th e O rc

Close Up: Premieres Feature Reviews A chance to immerse yourself in the wonderful stories premiering each week.

The Habit of Beauty - Vincenzo Amato, Francesca Neri, Noel Clarke - pg. 6 The Orchard - Matt Angel, Morgan Taylor Campbell, Chris McNally, Sean MacLean - pg. 7 Dragonfly - Cara Greene, Jennifer Blagen, Abby Fry, David Greene - pg.8 Scarlet’s Witch - Emily Pearse, Avery Kristen Pohl, Carlie Nettles, Callie Haskins - pg. 9 The Middle Distance - Ross Partridge, Joslyn Jensen, Kentucker Audley, Jennifer Lafleur - pg. 10

CEO’S Corner In light of his landmark shift to the 'Flix Premiere Originals' program, CEO Martin Warner reflects on the company's journey so far and looks to the future.

- pg. 11

The Middle Distance

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FLIX PREMIERE ORIGINAL FEATURE REVIEW

The Other Kids Refreshingly well-observed... genuine and relevant.

Variety

“A potent reminder of a time in every young person’s life when things that in retrospect might seem trivial were instead so vital and urgent...Brown directs with a non-judgmental curiosity, and the film is never forced, never contrived.”

YES Weekly The Other Kids could start several conversations about film.

Watermark

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enerations of filmmakers have seen the dramatic potential and tension latent in high school life.

Scores of television shows, mini-series, films, and musicals can be found on the subject.

Few, however, have had the courage to attempt an honest portrait of the experience of the last days of secondary education from the perspective of the students.

In The Other Kids, director Chris Brown blends truth and fiction in a bold and original formula for a feature film.

Collaboratively building a series of intertwining stories, based on the real-life experiences of his young actors as they prepare to graduate, Brown taps into the very real anxieties and pressures faced by teenagers in 2014 small-town America.

“A quiet, sometimes haunting look at teens on the cusp of adulthood.

Beautiful, elegant...profound.”

Hollywood in Toto

Some anticipate a transition to college, others consider a military career as a solution to a financial predicament.

A young immigrant lives precariously in an abandoned trailer, unbeknownst to his peers and even his girlfriend.

The effect of the collaboration between director and actor is an uncanny, heightened realism that encompasses the anxieties of an entire generation.

Honest and compelling.

San Francisco Chronicle

3 The Other Kids has the look and feel of a very intimate documentary...a much greater sense of authenticity than one finds in most films about teenagers.

Huffington Post

So honest and natural that it's

While aficionados of documentary will find many parallels in Brown’s film with Frederick Wiseman’s classic High School of 1968, our contemporary auteur eschews pure adhesion to Wiseman’s direct cinema style–that of the neutral fly-on-the wall observer–in favor of the exploration of fiction as a vehicle for truth.

difficult to guess where life ends and filmmaking begins.

Combustible Celluloid

Beautifully observed. A seamless collaboration with a group of Tuolumne County high school seniors, the film meshes reality and fiction to nail the adolescent

In the vein of Edgar Morin and Jean Rouche, in their famous Cinéma-Vérité experiment of a Chronicle of a Summer in Paris, The Other Kids surpasses the mere documentation of life and arrives closer to an ecstatic truth that touches the heart of the human experience by virtue of its carefully constructed stories.

sensation of being pitched between the present and the future, and that wobble when banality segues into the life-changing in a blink of the eye.

KQED Arts

A caring humanist film in the best sense, an homage to the millions of

Authentically unique.

teenagers who are not student body

East Orlando Post

presidents or cheerleaders.

Gerald Peary , THE ARTS FUSE

Introducing eight young actors, playing stylized versions of themselves, The Other Kids is unlike any other film you have seen. We are immensely proud that it is our first Flix Premiere Original. Watch, and see why it is scoring such high marks.

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US PREMIERES SNAPSHOT

Starring: Vincenzo Amato, Francesca Neri, Noel Clarke, Nico Mirallegro, Nick Moran, Michael Warburton

AUGUST 4, 2017 - 7pm EST

Starring: Cara Greene, Jennifer Blagen, Abby Fry, David Greene

AUGUST 11, 2017 - 7pm EST

Starring: Matt Angel, Morgan Taylor Campbell, Chris McNally, Sean MacLean

AUGUST 18, 2017 - 7pm EST

Starring: Emily Pearse, Avery Kristen Pohl, Carlie Nettles, Callie Haskins

AUGUST 25, 2017 - 7pm EST

Unlimited Access

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UK PREMIERES SNAPSHOT

Starring: Matt Angel, Morgan Taylor Campbell, Chris McNally, Sean MacLean

AUGUST 5, 2017 - 7pm BST

Starring: Cara Greene, Jennifer Blagen, Abby Fry, David Greene

AUGUST 12, 2017 - 7pm BST

Starring: Emily Pearse, Avery Kristen Pohl, Carlie Nettles, Callie Haskins

AUGUST 19, 2017 - 7pm BST

Starring: Ross Partridge, Joslyn Jensen, Kentucker Audley, Jennifer Lafleur

AUGUST 26, 2017 - 7pm BST

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699 Total territories acquired We are available across 15 major platforms including:

Award-Winning films on our platform

200 over

DEVICES

Apple TV

Amazon Fire

theatrical Premieres available and

300

Chromecast

in General Release Pipeline

Roku

iOS, Android, Web

Samsung Sony, Panasonic, LG, Sharp

www.flixpremiere.com

Our service is available in the US and UK, and we are fast acquiring movie titles for territory expansion.

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Close Up: Premiere Feature Review

The Habit of Beauty

US Premiere AUGUST 4 - 7PM EST

T

hrough life’s darkest hours an artist sees faint traces of the sublime.

Even in a desolate landscape, a photographer finds the exact resplendent angle or contour.

Discovering poetry in unlikely settings is not just a profession but a practice, a way of living, or even a survival mechanism in an antagonistic world.

The Habit of Beauty is a drama about a photographer, Ernesto’s, attempt to carry on in the wake of the tragic death of his son. A fatal car accident left him with a broken heart, pushed him to divorce, and plummeted his successful career in fashion and portraiture.

Now he helps to rehabilitate convicts with photography lessons and his health is taking a major turn for the worse.

But among his pupils, a troubled and unfortunate Ian betrays a glimmer of talent and an eye for photography beneath a gruff exterior and prohibitive stutter. What hope for the future, what final curtain lies in wait for the beleaguered artist?

Dancing from impover-

Can there be redemption for him and his former wife, Elena? Or, if not redemption, at least a gesture of reconciliation with their past?

ished settings to opulence, from tenement housing to

Still, The Habit of Beauty is, indeed, a thing of beauty,

pastoral cottages, The

and one to watch out for in the coming months.

One of the most big-budget-looking films of this year’s Raindance, complete with stunning crane and pan shots of true-blue lakes and steep, rocky precipices and, of course, Noel Clarke’s attachment

Director Mirko Pincelli’s vision for the film benefits from his being, himself, a migrant Italian who spent the better part of a decade living and working in the UK. Together they tell the story of transient lovers living separate lives abroad and far away from a traumatic past that they cannot escape.

to it, Habit is a film with a whole lot of heart, a whole

hope. Keep your eyes peeled for this one, kiddos,

Shot between London and Trento,

you’ll be anything but disappointed.

Italy, The Habit of Beauty moves

Sophie Trenear, The Edge

between the urban and the alpine with stunning cinematography

An encroaching lake submerges hundreds of living trees beneath a mountain’s cliff.

In much the same way, Ernesto’s life has been inundated by tragedy and transcendent beauty. He and Elena find in Ian, if not a surrogate son, then a desperate vehicle for their shared love and artistic vision.

The film is gifted with a first-rate cast. Vincenzo Amato plays the ailing visionary Ernesto. Francesca Neri graces the frame as the still-grieving and aloof Elena.

Her current partner is played by British favorite Noel Clarke. Nico Mirallegro gives a mature performance of depth as the young Ian.

each impeccably while telling a story of loss and overcoming absence through art and vocation.

lot of unique perspectives, and a whole lot more

Shot between London and Trento, Italy, The Habit of Beauty moves between the urban and the alpine with stunning cinematography worthy of the film’s lofty name.

Habit of Beauty frames

worthy of the film’s lofty name.

Dancing from impoverished settings to opulence, from tenement housing to pastoral cottages, The Habit of Beauty frames each impeccably while telling a story of loss and overcoming absence through art and vocation.

Do not miss out on its premiere this month.

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The Orchard

Close Up: Premiere Feature Review UK Premiere AUGUST 5 - 7PM BST US Premiere AUGUST 18 - 7PM EST

L

os Angeles talent agent Max Roth brokers deals and lives the fast life of a Hollywood hotshot. Or at least he does until inheriting a distant aunt’s estate on an old peach orchard in remote British Columbia.

Now Max must put all business on hold to go and prepare to sell the house and land to a group of eager Japanese developers. Nothing can stand in the way of him turning a quick profit. Nothing, that is, except a band of restless locals.

When Max meets Olivia she is naked and handcuffed to one of the peach trees in an act of metaphorical and literal resistance.

A free-spirited, beautiful woman, grieving the loss of her good friend–Max’s aunt May–Olivia intends to obstruct any changes to the property and peach orchard.

Will she succeed in winning over Max and convincing him to keep the estate, or at least foil his plans by other means?

The Orchard is a dramatic comedy set in British Columbia’s picturesque Okanagan Valley and southern California.

From the LA boardroom to Max’s home and the remote Canadian countryside, the film is shot in a host of vibrant and incredibly well-appointed locations.

The rambunctious group has a very natural and easy chemistry.

Cinematographer Ronan Reinart artfully frames Twa’s meticulously appointed sets and gorgeous landscapes, building up the rural region as a serene escape from the pressures of urban life.

The Orchard is a dramatic comedy set in British Columbia’s picturesque Okanagan Valley and southern California. From the LA boardroom to Max’s home and the remote Canadian countryside, the film is shot in a host of vibrant and incredibly well-appointed locations.

Aunt May’s house is a detailed reflection of her soul, replete with homemade voodoo ornaments, bobbles, and a candle-ridden boudoir.

As Max discovers the house and its contents, his memories of his aunt come flooding back.

So, too, do the rolling hills and plains of the Okanagan Valley seem to endow its inhabitants with an easygoing approach to life in connection with the land.

Director Kate Twa assembled an ensemble cast for the film from her work as an acting coach in Vancouver.

Ultimately, however, The Orchard stands out as a fine act of storytelling, transporting us along with Max to a place where we can reevaluate our priorities and learn how to live our lives as our authentic selves again.

Matt Angel and Morgan Taylor Campbell deliver fine performances as Max and Olive, developing memorable screen chemistry. Be sure not to miss the beauty, the earthy and graceful simplicity of The Orchard.

Cinematographer Ronan Reinart artfully frames Twa’s meticulously appointed sets and gorgeous landscapes, building up the rural region as a serene escape from the pressures of urban life.

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Dragonfly

Close Up: Premiere Feature Review US Premiere AUGUST 11 - 7PM EST UK Premiere AUGUST 12 - 7PM BST

A

nna Larsen’s relationship with her mother is strained. In fact, they cannot visit one another without fighting.

Ever since her parents divorced during her youth, Anna has blamed her mother for their separation and suffered Judge Claire’s criticism.

The free-spirited and artistic Anna is just naturally at odds with her legal-minded mom.

Dragonfly takes place when Claire begins to suffer the onset of dementia, and must quickly make drastic changes to her life in response to the illness.

Her mother’s deteriorating state forces Anna to face her, so that she can be a support in a time of need.

Dragonfly explores a complex mother-daughter dynamic while

A family drama and coming of age story, it explores the transformative experiences of youth and the pivotal moments of the process of becoming an adult.

These include episodes of pain and sadness, but also humor and genuine affection. The dynamic of the difficult mother-daughter relationship is one that viewers will immediately recognize as a universal problem of parenting.

But a return to her childhood home brings Anna back to other memories: old crushes, vestiges of her early artwork and photography, and the mystery of her adolescent pen pal– the Dragonfly.

Directors Maribeth Romslo and Cara Greene allow audiences to discover Anna’s colorful and whimsical vision of the world in Dragonfly.

curiosity into a full-grown passion for the professional world of art, which ultimately inspires the viewer to pursue his or her own desires and to indulge in the daily mysteries of life.

The film's occasional, crafty

Chris Green, Vox Magazine

use of colorful animation (done by Emily Fritze) shows the viewer Anna’s visual

Dragonfly is a story about the possibility of new beginnings being achieved through a revised understanding of the past.

perspective of the world.

Chris Green, Vox Magazine Romslo’s background in documentary film and

finding the magic in everyday life.

Chris Green, Vox Magazine

The plot of Dragonfly develops a childhood

Cara Greene Epstein’s training in theater Will Anna and Claire be able to look beyond the past and build a better future for themselves and one another? Cara Greene and Jennifer Blagen bring all of the charged emotion of the mother-daughter relationship to the parts of Anna and Claire.

technique lend a unique set of skills, which are

TV regular Matt Biedel exerts charm as Anna’s childhood crush, Tim. And David Greene displays warmth and paternal care in his role as Anna’s photographer father.

Chris Green, Vox Magazine

As a photographer, Anna’s own work includes regularly drawing and painting over still photographs in order to enhance them.

A heartfelt feature about the joys and shortcomings of family life, and the challenges of growing up, it is a film that you will not want to miss.

perfect for displaying the inner complexities of the mother-daughter relationship.

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Close Up: Premiere Feature Review

Scarlet’s Witch

UK Premiere AUGUST 19 - 7PM BST US Premiere AUGUST 25 - 7PM EST

A

n introverted and solitary child, young Scarlet has only one friend outside of home. A single person understands her.

Her companion just happens to be a witch.

Scarlet’s Witch is a thriller wrapped in a mystery.

Scarlet’s Witch is described as a fantasy, adult

Who is this sorceress, and why does she make herself visible to and befriend Scarlet?

surface of this enticing mystery-thriller. What’s

With no mother and an uneasy relationship with children her own age, an understanding ear and an inviting grin are welcome novelties for the girl.

As years pass, though, the enchantress becomes possessive, jealous, and hurt by Scarlet’s refusal to wield her magic wand.

As their camaraderie falters and the hag’s rage grows one wonders: What is the price for offending a witch? The mystery unfolds in a surprising adventure.

...writer-director F.C. Rabbath takes an old fairy tale that has been done by everyone from the Brothers Grimm to Walt Disney and puts several contemporary riffs and twists on it.

Mark Hinson, Tallahassee Democrat

fairy tale, but that hardly scratches the

very interesting about Rabbath’s tale is that From the beginning we are drawn into this story in the same way we were drawn into the stories we

no matter how fantastic the magic within, everything that transpires is believable.

Film Threat

heard as a child.

Loida Garcia, Rogue Cinema

Director F.C. Rabbath has a frightening talent for building suspense and establishing an eerie mise en scène from everyday settings and objects.

An impressive piece of auteur cinema, Scarlet’s Witch benefits from the unified vision brought by Rabbath’s triple role as writer, director, and cinematographer.

The result is an exercise in masterful storytelling in which all of the creative elements of the film work in sync with one another to create a hair-raising tale.

Scarlet’s Witch benefits from a talented cast, with multiple actors sometimes required to bring consistency to the same role.

Under Rabbath’s lens, rural northern Florida and even Florida State University’s campus are transformed into the creepy domain of a vindictive witch.

The techniques Rabbath employs to personify the witch are inventive and effective, creating a simultaneously fearsome and yet enigmatic figure.

A majestic oak tree, dripping with Spanish moss, exercises mysterious power over the frame and within the story. Dirt paths surrounded by lush wildlife tilt ominously. An old cabin appears and vanishes without a trace along with its supernatural inhabitant. Magic wands come to life and lives are turned upside down.

Making a friend out of a witch is both a novel twist on tropes of good and evil.

And, as any number of fairy tales might suggest, it is probably not a wise idea. There is only one way to find out. Watch it yourself today, and befriend Scarlet’s Witch.

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The Middle Distance

Close Up: Premiere Feature Review UK Premiere AUGUST 26 - 7PM BST

The director builds quiet but considerable dramatic tension because we are not sure if we really want these two to get together and disrupt James’s life. The bittersweet ending strikes exactly the right note.

Stephen Farber, The Hollywood Reporter

I

n the wake of his father’s death, wheeling and dealing Los Angeles consultant Neil returns to his childhood home in rural coastal Michigan.

It’s the peak of winter and the businessman has not bothered to see his family in years.

The mood between them is as frosty as the weather outside.

But the house must be prepared for the realtor and sold in order for Neil to get back to his life. So, he is determined to make the best of it and pitch in with the effort.

When his brother is suddenly called out to Chicago for a music gig, though, his only option is to befriend his sibling’s free-spirited fiancé or deal with all of the mess on his own.

The Middle Distance is a family drama that is equal parts coming of age tale. Neil is already an adult, of course. He has a high-profile job, a fancy loft, and a fast life of women and whiskey to vouch for it.

Although the contours of the story are familiar and even tired, The Middle Distance — which enjoyed its world premiere at this year’s Chicago International Film Festival — squeaks past the cliches, thanks to attractive performances and locations.

Stephen Farber, The Hollywood Reporter

Writer-director Patrick Underwood grew up in the rural Michigan area where most of the story is set, and he has a feeling for the bucolic settings as well as the provincial

Underwood’s script and direction clearly bring out the mixed

nature of small town life.

feelings of rivalry and solidarity shared by siblings Neil and

Stephen Farber,

James, and the social-status gap between city boy Neil and

The Hollywood Reporter

the New Buffalo townies.

Alissa Simon, Variety

Rather, facing so much evidence of who he was in his past–and accompanied by a new kindred spirit who shows him what life could be in the future–Neil has the opportunity to grow into a better version of himself.

The film paints a familiar portrait of a guy whose only purpose in life is to win, to drive the fancy car, and to sleep with all of the most gorgeous women.

But The Middle Distance manages to humble this archetype when tasking him with yardwork, basic household repairs, and plumbing issues.

It suggests that even a man of such a hardened exterior may have hidden sensibilities, a tender spot in his past, and a chance at becoming a warmer family member, friend, or lover in the future.

Kevin Duggin’s expressive lensing of rural Michigan’s wintry landscapes is the standout element in a pretty basic tech package. Music supervisor Kristen Genovese’s song choices do a good job of establishing mood.

Alissa Simon, Variety

Ross Partridge gives a masterful performance as Neil. He achieves the rare combination of playfulness, mischief, and ego that make a guy a likeable jerk.

The sincerity of his acting, and director Patrick Underwood’s ability to draw it out and capture it in the shot, are one of the highlights of the film.

Joslyn Jensen compliments his performance remarkably as the photographer-fiancé Rebecca. The two actors build chemistry in this pairing of opposites that the film deals with in a realistic and heartfelt way.

Cinematographer Kevin Duggin frames both them and the wintry landscape with impeccable compositions. Duggin finds the tidy square frames within the shots.

And it as if we were watching a cinematic reproduction of the landscape photography that Rebecca produces in her work.

In the hustle and bustle of modern life we are all well reminded that occasionally slowing down to reconnect with ourselves and those who are important to us is critical. So, take pause and journey The Middle Distance with Flix Premiere.

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CEO’S CORNER Our bundled benefits include cool services like Movie Gifting - enabling our customers to share their feelings about a movie and offer it for free to friends, family or colleagues. We publish this magazine as a deeper dive to our amazing upcoming premieres, as well as show our

IT’S ABOUT CREATING GREAT EXPERIENCES

brand new Film Premieres every week.

You can get

access to behind-the-scenes content and explore and search by talent on our platform. We are creating more than just a movie platform - but a 'movie platform experience'. It is our best value package to date, and we believe it is the 'market leading' film service for the cinematic experience.

But apart from our platform we continue to discover and release remarkable mainstream genre films with impactful and resonant stories - truly great motion pictures.

And we do this by releasing new film premieres every week! We have aspired and delivered on our aim to show

A

award-winning pictures, and now with over 80 decorated warm welcome to this month's 'Close Up' magazine. I wanted this CEO's

films and growing on our platform - we are the first

Corner to be about where we have come from and where we are heading. Flix

destination for award winning movies. Furthermore, last

Premiere is moving forward so fast, that there is little time for reflection. But

month, we signed our first 'Flix Premiere Original’ - The

sometimes reflection is effective in providing context for the decisions ahead.

Other Kids, a multiple award-winning feature, from acclaimed director Chris Brown, and the filmmakers who

We started with the ambition to become an 'experiential platform' for motion

had previously won the Sundance Grand Jury Prize. We

pictures. A place where we could create excitement around the movies we were

will talk more about this movie as we get closer to the

playing - much like the traditional movie theater experience. Flix Premiere set

release date.

the high bar of competing for 'exclusive' movies only from amazing filmmakers.

We wanted and hoped for stories that did more than create a conversation we

We couldn't be more excited about what we have

sought those capable of creating a movement. We hoped that the filmmaking

achieved and where we are heading. We continue to

industry would recognize the type of mainstream stories that customers wanted

improve the experience and services on our platform for

- and in doing so, we aspired to find award-winning movies too.

our customers, and look forward to our upcoming pipeline of amazing movies we plan to release. Expect

These two defining qualities of experience and movie quality have enabled us to

more Original Productions and more different award

build a platform we are very proud of. Today, we deliver a multi-faceted experi-

winning genres.

ence for our customer. Just last month, Flix Premiere moved to 'monthly packages' - enabling our customers to enjoy as many movies as they like for the same

Enjoy reading Close Up.

price as a movie ticket.

Martin Warner CEO and Founder

Flix Monthly

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