Just a week after it’s release on iTunes, the DVD release of the critically acclaimed film ‘Collapse’ is set to be released this summer. Amazon.com is now accepting preorders for the DVD loaded with extra features including Michael Ruppert’s earth shattering predictions for 2010 and beyond.
Thank you to all whom purchased the film on iTunes already. We’re currently ranked #3 on the top documentaries on the iTunes store.
Fans of the movie have been waiting for this moment for months utilizing social media channels to endlessly debate and prepare for the end of the world, trade sustainable farming tips and bond over general paranoia on the movie’s Facebook Page.
While the movie is still being shown theatrically in a handful of cities, you can expect an announcement regarding the DVD release mid April.
The Pool received the Special Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival and was selected by the Museum of Modern Art in New York as one of the Best Films of the Year alongside The Dark Knight, Slumdog Millionaire, Milk, Iron Man and Wall-E.
“We shot the film for the big screen – shooting on 35mm and choosing to use many wide shots that allow you to take in the rich environment,” elaborates Smith. “I’m thrilled that The Pool is releasing theatrically in the UK. It connects with audiences and I am delighted that they will be able to see it on the big screen. We’ve had extended runs in the US and Canada theatrically and it has been great working with Mara Pictures to bring it to a new theatrical home.”
Later on tonight is the NY Premiere of COLLAPSE, the latest documentary I edited with Chris Smith. When I saw the first raw footage that Chris was shooting in Los Angeles I knew it would be a polarizing film. If we did our jobs well the reception would be wildly unpredictable, from both the left and the right. And the reviews would be either great or awful or, more likely, both.
Well, it seems we got our wish.
To be honest I don’t know what to make of this… A’s and four or five star reviews on the one hand… and terrible lambastings on the other. The weirdest one is the NYTimes, which seems to dislike the film, but then has it as a “Critic’s Pick”. Hmmmm.
Check out the polarized reaction on this awesome site Chris just sent me a link to: MovieReviewIntelligence. Eat your heart out, Metacritic and Rotten Tomatoes. Yikes. Looks like we won’t be winning the NY Film Critics Award this year.
I guess “Collapse” is destined to be one of those “you decide for yourself” type of films… which, after all, is exactly what we hoped it would be.
The real question is… will anyone show up tonight at the Angelika? Fingers crossed.
We just came across this analysis of “The Pool” on JJ Murphy’s Independent Cinema blog… with a lot of discussion on the role of the editor, our fearless leader Barry Poltermann:
“Smith would shoot a scene and editor Barry Poltermann would assemble a rough cut on the fly. They would view it and then proceed from there. In some ways, it could be described as a more documentary approach applied to narrative filmmaking, and the resulting filmrepresents an amazing accomplishment.”
Murphy ends by saying:
“Barry Poltermann’s editing of The Pool is nothing short of remarkable, and this final cut, which differs from the one originally shown at the Sundance Film Festival, is the best I’ve seen. The post-production sound work by Didier Leplae and Joe Wong has impeccable nuance: the wind rustling through the vegetation when Venkatesh, Jhangir, and Ayesha visit the fort; the clown horns of street traffic which mark the passage of days; or the whir of a small bird as it darts through the frame that makes the last cut of the film even possible.”
THE POOL, edited by our own Barry Poltermann, makes Leonard Maltin’s top ten list for 2008. It’s hard to find on the page, so here is the post in it’s entirety:
Finally, I know people love lists—more than I enjoy making them—so without further grousing I present my list of favorite films of 2008.
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Frost/Nixon
Milk
Slumdog Millionaire
Frozen River
Chop Shop
The Visitor
Miracle at St. Anna
The Pool
The Reader
A Christmas Tale
Ghost Town
Wendy and Lucy
Elegy
The Class
I would give special mention to a handful of documentaries, as well: Trouble the Water, Dear Zachary, Man on Wire, Bigger Stronger Faster, and The Order of Myths.
And I would be remiss if I didn’t cite what a great year it was for three gifted actors whom I greatly admire: Ralph Fiennes, who was so good in In Bruges, The Duchess, and The Reader… Ben Kingsley, who offered so many wonderful surprises in The Wackness, Elegy, andTranssiberian… and Penelope Cruz, who had her best opportunities to date in American directors’ films, Vicky Cristina Barcelona and Elegy.
Many of these films are now playing cable and satellite and are readily available on DVD. As we enter the dreaded January-February period when studios tend to release their worst movies, do yourself a favor and catch up with some of the best that 2008 had to offer.
Those merry political pranksters The Yes Men are at it again with a sequel to the documentary “The Yes Men.” Titled “The Yes Men Fix the World,” the film is premiering at the Sundance Film Festival in January.
The original “Yes Men” movie, released by United Artist in 2004, was co-directed by our own Dan Ollman and Sarah Price (along with Chris Smith).
After it’s premiere at the 28th Toronto International Film Festival in 2003 it was picked up for theatrical distribution by United Artists.
Pictured here are Chris, Dan and Sarah from the US premiere at the 2004 Sundance Film Festival.
Directed by Chris Smith; Produced by Sarah Price; Edited by Barry Poltermann & Jun Diaz
From Amazon:
“AMERICAN MOVIE is the true-tale of amateur filmmaker Mark Borchardt as he attempts to complete his short horror film, COVEN. A documentary crew captures every moment of Mark’s efforts in this absolutely hilarious, poignant look at the life of an aspiring auteur.”
Our own Barry Poltermann spent five months in India back in 2006 editing Chris Smith’s latest, “The Pool”, which won the Special Jury Prize at this year’s Sundance Film Festival.
“The Pool” opens this weekend in New York at the Film Forum.
This is the second time that Barry has collaborated with Chris, the first being “American Movie”, which won the Grand Prize at Sundance in 2009.
Mark your calenders for June 15!
