Sundance 2010: Bits 'n Pieces – Day 10
Saturday at Sundance, the controversial The Killer Inside Me got picked up by IFC and the awards had a Perfect Host.
The Killer Inside Me Picked Up By IFC
It was the most-talked about debut of Sundance: Michael Winterbottom’s noir thriller The Killer Inside Me, starring Casey Affleck, Kate Hudson, and Jessica Alba (who may or may not have walked out of the controversial film, which drew walkouts and complaints due to its depiction of violence against women). Despite the bad buzz – or maybe because of it – The Killer Inside Me was picked up by IFC Films for $1.5 million. According to Variety, the film will be released theatrically and on VOD this summer – without the cuts that Anne Thompson reports other potential distributors would have requested Winterbottom make.
Natali Talks Splice
Meanwhile, there’s still no word on a distribution deal for Splice, the sci-fi horror flick from Vincenzo Natali that also had folks aflutter this year. While we continue to wait to hear which of Splice’s suitors will nab it (or, as rumored, enter in a “service deal” to partly self-finance a release), Cinematical caught up with Natali for a lengthy chat about the making of his film. Watch the interview, in which Natali discusses what inspired the story (hint: it involves a real case of a mouse with an extra ear attached to its body), how he used different visual effects to evolve his creature, “Dren,” and the “incredible project” that’s up next for him, an adaptation of J.G. Ballard’s book, High Rise.
Perfect Host David Hyde Pierce Hosts Sundance Awards; No Horror Films Honored
As Sundance drew to a close (officially, there’s one more day of programming left) filmmakers and press gathered at the annual awards ceremony to honor the best films of the fest. Hosting duties went appropriately enough to actor David Hyde Pierce, who stars in the twisted festival entry The Perfect Host as a gracious but sinister homeowner. Awards went to dramatic films like Winter’s Bone, but not a single one went to a genre or horror film. (Not much different from most years, but with all the horror pic sales we were hoping horror would get a little love. There’s always next year!)
