New York City is a city of numerous festivals and film series be it new or of a more repertory bent. However, few festivals worldwide are as intriguing as The Big Apple’s New Directors/New Films series. Playing home to some of today’s greatest and most avant garde motion pictures, New Directors/New Films is a superb portrait of filmmakers early in their career as they toy not only with the medium of film but the tropes of specific genres and film making styles.
Take the new Tony Stone-directed documentary Peter And The Farm for example. Not Stone’s first film, it is his most entrancing work and easily one of this year’s most interesting documentaries. And that’s due to both the blunt nature of its aesthetic as well as the singular focus at its center.
There are few characters quite like Peter Dunning. A...
Take the new Tony Stone-directed documentary Peter And The Farm for example. Not Stone’s first film, it is his most entrancing work and easily one of this year’s most interesting documentaries. And that’s due to both the blunt nature of its aesthetic as well as the singular focus at its center.
There are few characters quite like Peter Dunning. A...
- 11/18/2016
- by Joshua Brunsting
- CriterionCast
It’s November – a time for Thanksgiving, feasts, and the presence of relatives. If you have some time off (or are trying to grab some much-needed alone time), here is a list of films opening throughout the coming weeks, separated into categories of wide and limited runs. (Synopses are provided by festivals and distributors.)
Each week we will have more updates and information, so be sure to keep coming back. You can also check our calendar page, which has releases for the rest of the year. Eat well and keep watching!
Week of November 4 Wide
Trolls
Director: Mike Mitchell, Walt Dohrn
Cast: Anna Kendrick, Christine Baranski, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Gwen Stefani, Icona Pop, James Corden, Jeffrey Tambor, John Cleese, Justin Timberlake, Kunal Nayyar, Quvenzhané Wallis, Ron Funches, Russell Brand, Zooey Deschanel
Synopsis: After the Bergens invade Troll Village, Poppy, the happiest Troll ever born, and the overly-cautious curmudgeonly Branch set off...
Each week we will have more updates and information, so be sure to keep coming back. You can also check our calendar page, which has releases for the rest of the year. Eat well and keep watching!
Week of November 4 Wide
Trolls
Director: Mike Mitchell, Walt Dohrn
Cast: Anna Kendrick, Christine Baranski, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Gwen Stefani, Icona Pop, James Corden, Jeffrey Tambor, John Cleese, Justin Timberlake, Kunal Nayyar, Quvenzhané Wallis, Ron Funches, Russell Brand, Zooey Deschanel
Synopsis: After the Bergens invade Troll Village, Poppy, the happiest Troll ever born, and the overly-cautious curmudgeonly Branch set off...
- 11/4/2016
- by Zipporah Smith
- Indiewire
“It’s a fucked up mess, but I’m pretty used to it.” Peter Dunning is talking about the mangled hand that he nearly lost in a sawmill accident during his twenties, but he might as well be talking about his life.
A grizzled 68-year-old alcoholic who lives on a patchy piece of land in the earthy interior of Vermont with a flock of sheep, some bales of hay, and several decades worth of festering regrets, Dunning is constantly weighing the value of this mortal coil against the oblivion that waits for him on the other side. He’s a man pulled between primordial rage and cosmic acceptance, the sort of modern-day Hemingway character you might find at your local farmer’s market. Sometimes he’s at peace — at others, he asks a farmhand to hide his rifle so he doesn’t kill himself. In other words, Dunning is in dire need of some perspective.
A grizzled 68-year-old alcoholic who lives on a patchy piece of land in the earthy interior of Vermont with a flock of sheep, some bales of hay, and several decades worth of festering regrets, Dunning is constantly weighing the value of this mortal coil against the oblivion that waits for him on the other side. He’s a man pulled between primordial rage and cosmic acceptance, the sort of modern-day Hemingway character you might find at your local farmer’s market. Sometimes he’s at peace — at others, he asks a farmhand to hide his rifle so he doesn’t kill himself. In other words, Dunning is in dire need of some perspective.
- 11/4/2016
- by David Ehrlich
- Indiewire
With a seemingly endless amount of streaming options — not only the titles at our disposal, but services themselves — we’ve taken it upon ourselves to highlight the titles that have recently hit platforms. Every week, one will be able to see the cream of the crop (or perhaps some simply interesting picks) of streaming titles (new and old) across platforms such as Netflix, iTunes, Amazon, and more (note: U.S. only). Check out our rundown for this week’s selections below.
Anthropoid (Sean Ellis)
Throw a dart at a map, and you can make a World War II movie set in whatever place you hit. Of course, pretty much any film about the Good War that doesn’t focus on the American (sometimes British) point of view of the conflict will probably seem “random” to the mainstream; one odd side-effect of Hollywood’s Oscar-baity love of the era. But there...
Anthropoid (Sean Ellis)
Throw a dart at a map, and you can make a World War II movie set in whatever place you hit. Of course, pretty much any film about the Good War that doesn’t focus on the American (sometimes British) point of view of the conflict will probably seem “random” to the mainstream; one odd side-effect of Hollywood’s Oscar-baity love of the era. But there...
- 11/4/2016
- by The Film Stage
- The Film Stage
To any passing outsider, Peter Dunning looks to be one hell of a farmer. In Tony Stone’s entertaining, heartbreaking documentary “Peter and the Farm,” the 68-year-old Dunning walks Stone and his small crew through some of what he has to do to keep his modest Vermont operation running; and his skill and dedication impresses. He bales hay, saws wood, slops hogs, herds sheep, slaughters and dresses his stock, and maintains his equipment, pretty much all by himself.
Continue reading ‘Peter And The Farm’ Chronicles The Full & Fascinating Life Of Peter Dunning [Review] at The Playlist.
Continue reading ‘Peter And The Farm’ Chronicles The Full & Fascinating Life Of Peter Dunning [Review] at The Playlist.
- 11/3/2016
- by Noel Murray
- The Playlist
“I don’t know why death is always the same, but it is,” cryptically muses Peter Dunning, the owner of Vermont’s Mile Hill Farm, after he’s slaughtered a sheep. In Peter’s 38 years running the organic farm, he’s seen three wives and four children come and go. He hasn’t spoken to them in nearly two decades. His speech patterns buzzing with homespun philosophy, Dunning compares his farm animals to prisoners, saying that he’s spent enough time in jail to know what that must feel like. At the farmer’s market, when you imagine who’s growing the organic vegetables, you’re not exactly picturing a borderline hermit like Dunning. He even writes carefully worded letters to the editor of his local newspaper, which he’s outraged to find published in edited versions. Dunning drinks and curses and rages at the camera, daring the audience to look away.
- 11/3/2016
- by Tony Hinds
- The Film Stage
Whatever your conception of a farmer may be, Peter Dunning, the 68-year-old subject of Peter And The Farm, may deviate from it significantly. Dunning certainly looks the part, sporting a bushy gray beard and wearing comfortable sweater-and-jeans combos as he trudges around his 187 acres in Vermont, tending to his sheep and cattle. As soon as he starts talking to the camera, however, it becomes clear why director Tony Stone (Severed Ways: The Norse Discovery Of America) decided to fashion a documentary character study around this unusual man. Indeed, the longer the movie goes on, the more disturbing it becomes, to the point where viewers may start to fear that they’re witnessing the buildup to something truly awful. Thankfully, Dunning doesn’t follow through on his darkest impulses, but there’s enough rural angst on view here to justify Stone’s use of aggressive post-rock needle drops on the ...
- 11/2/2016
- by Mike D'Angelo
- avclub.com
Peter And The Farm Magnolia Pictures Reviewed by: Harvey Karten, Shockya Grade: B Director: Tony Stone Written by: Tony Stone Cast: Peter Dunning Screened at: Review 1, NYC, 10/26/16 Opens: November 4, 2016 If I were asked to name two charismatic people from the idyllic state of Vermont, I would proudly answer: Bernie Sanders and Peter Dunning. The former is an older man whose message and delivery are magnetic enough to draw in a prime target of young people. Bernie is a democratic socialist who believes that people do best when they work together and take responsibility for one another well beyond the needs of their immediate families. Peter, on [ Read More ]
The post Peter and the Farm Movie Review appeared first on Shockya.com.
The post Peter and the Farm Movie Review appeared first on Shockya.com.
- 10/27/2016
- by Harvey Karten
- ShockYa
In light of a greater push internationally toward farm-to-table, organic eating, there’s still a disconnect between the food that we eat and the process by which it comes into our stores and homes. While the upcoming documentary “Peter And The Farm” offers plenty of beautiful backdrops, it also takes an unflinching look at farm life through the eyes of one particularly rugged eccentric.
Read More: The 20 Best Documentaries Of 2016 So Far
Directed by Tony Stone, the film focuses on Peter Dunning, an elderly farmer who still pretty much does it all on his farm, even if his ability to do so is starting to wane.
Continue reading Exclusive: Red Band Trailer For ‘Peter And The Farm’ Shows The Bloody Reality Behind The Beauty at The Playlist.
Read More: The 20 Best Documentaries Of 2016 So Far
Directed by Tony Stone, the film focuses on Peter Dunning, an elderly farmer who still pretty much does it all on his farm, even if his ability to do so is starting to wane.
Continue reading Exclusive: Red Band Trailer For ‘Peter And The Farm’ Shows The Bloody Reality Behind The Beauty at The Playlist.
- 10/25/2016
- by Edward Davis
- The Playlist
Tony Stone’s “Peter and the Farm” garnered acclaim out of its premiere at the True/False Film Festival and now it’s finally receiving a theatrical and VOD release. The film is a portrait of Peter Dunning, rugged individualist and proud proprietor of Mile Hill Farm in Vermont, whose only company are the animals he tends. During the film, he confronts his legacy, including his alcoholism, his failed marriages and self-destructive tendencies. Watch an exclusive clip from the film below.
Read More: True/False Film Festival Review: Entertaining, Heartbreaking Documentary ‘Peter And The Farm’
“I have known Peter since I met him at the Brattleboro, Vermont farmer’s market when I was nine years old but had never gone to his farm,” said Stone in a director’s statement. “The rest of the crew had met Peter at the market on visits with me. Everyone was always drawn by...
Read More: True/False Film Festival Review: Entertaining, Heartbreaking Documentary ‘Peter And The Farm’
“I have known Peter since I met him at the Brattleboro, Vermont farmer’s market when I was nine years old but had never gone to his farm,” said Stone in a director’s statement. “The rest of the crew had met Peter at the market on visits with me. Everyone was always drawn by...
- 10/24/2016
- by Vikram Murthi
- Indiewire
Cinema Eye, the organization that recognizes outstanding craft and artistry in nonfiction filmmaking, has announced their annual list of The Unforgettables, designed to highlight “this year’s most notable and significant nonfiction film subjects.” This is Cinema Eye’s tenth anniversary year, and the fourth straight year that they have unveiled their list of Unforgettables, which IndieWire is very happy to exclusively reveal below.
The Unforgettables list aims to celebrate the year’s most exciting collaborations between filmmakers and their subjects, and it’s hard to imagine a list more representative of that ideal than this one. Standouts include director Kirsten Johnson of “Cameraperson,” actress Kate Sheil of “Kate Plays Christine,” subject Sharon Jones of “Miss Sharon Jones!” and both Huma Abedin and Anthony Weiner from the revealing feature “Weiner.” And that’s just the start of a list that’s wonderfully representative of some of this year’s most indelible doc subjects.
The Unforgettables list aims to celebrate the year’s most exciting collaborations between filmmakers and their subjects, and it’s hard to imagine a list more representative of that ideal than this one. Standouts include director Kirsten Johnson of “Cameraperson,” actress Kate Sheil of “Kate Plays Christine,” subject Sharon Jones of “Miss Sharon Jones!” and both Huma Abedin and Anthony Weiner from the revealing feature “Weiner.” And that’s just the start of a list that’s wonderfully representative of some of this year’s most indelible doc subjects.
- 10/19/2016
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
“Do you want to save the world, or do you want to go down? Do you want to save the world or do you want to go down?” That is the question repeated at the beginning of the trailer for the documentary Peter and the Farm, spoken by the titular farmer as an oozing, disparaging guitar riff sets up a feeling of paranoia.
Featuring some beautifully lensed frames — along with some glowing reviews — the trailer follows its enigmatic figure at its center while he tends to his land and pontificates upon nature and the way the world works. As he bluntly puts it, “without enough animals, meaning is all f*cked up.” Whether one agrees or not, it is hard to argue with his sentiment that he cares more about his farm than himself.
See the trailer below, along with a Nd/Nf talk with the director and poster.
Peter Dunning...
Featuring some beautifully lensed frames — along with some glowing reviews — the trailer follows its enigmatic figure at its center while he tends to his land and pontificates upon nature and the way the world works. As he bluntly puts it, “without enough animals, meaning is all f*cked up.” Whether one agrees or not, it is hard to argue with his sentiment that he cares more about his farm than himself.
See the trailer below, along with a Nd/Nf talk with the director and poster.
Peter Dunning...
- 9/14/2016
- by Mike Mazzanti
- The Film Stage
"Do you want to save the world, or go down?" Magnolia Pictures has released a trailer for a documentary titled Peter and the Farm, about an aging Vermont farmer named Peter Dunning. Filmmaker Tony Stone decided to profile Peter because he has quite a legacy - he's been working on his 187 acre farm for 40 years, has had 3 wives, has 4 children, and yet now works alone on his farm with all of his animals. As much as it may seem a doc about a farmer is boring, this is anything but - it's a deeply introspective examination of a person who has lived quite an incredible life. The description says "Peter veers between elation and despair, often suggesting to the filmmakers his own suicide", which is quite sad but also a brutally honest look at the balance of life. This looks exceptional, actually, with fantastic cinematography to top it off. Worth watching.
- 9/7/2016
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
BehemothAs more prominent film festivals gear up for spring, a smaller though by no means slighter affair begins in New York. New Directors/New Films, curated by Museum of the Modern Art and Film Society of Lincoln Center, unfurls its carefully considered program of 27 features and 10 shorts, with its premise and draw on emerging voices in cinema. Indeed, the festival may very well be a last stop for filmmakers on the rise before they are introduced to wider audiences. Nd/Nf has brought us in the recent past Fort Buchanan and Diary of a Teenage Girl, and longer ago films by Hou Hsiao-Hsien and Chantal Akerman. Most of this year’s selection has premiered at festivals, many have been covered by this very site, and all are compelling. Here are several highlights.***With a narrative rooted loosely on Dante’s Divine Comedy, Zhao Liang’s documentary Behemoth depicts the...
- 3/17/2016
- by Elissa Suh
- MUBI
To any passing outsider, Peter Dunning looks to be one hell of a farmer. In Tony Stone’s entertaining, heartbreaking documentary “Peter and the Farm,” the 68-year-old Dunning walks Stone and his small crew through some of what he has to do to keep his modest Vermont operation running; and his skill and dedication impresses. He bales hay, saws wood, slops hogs, herds sheep, slaughters and dresses his stock, and maintains his equipment, pretty much all by himself. He’s had wives and kids alongside him at various times during his decades of working the land, but they’ve all moved on. He keeps plugging away though, year after year, sensing what his property needs and doing what he can to provide. It’s tough to describe the overall arc of “Peter and the Farm” though without making it sound unbearably depressing. Over the months that Stone spends following Dunning,...
- 3/11/2016
- by Noel Murray
- The Playlist
Tony Stone’s debut documentary is an intensely involving character study profiling a rugged Vermont farmer with self-destructive tendencies
Documentary portraits live or die on the subject at hand – and in his debut documentary Peter and the Farm, film-maker Tony Stone has a hell of a character to keep you engaged.
Peter Dunning is the Vermont farmer of the title: a rugged, hard drinking and foul-mouthed loner. His only friends seem to be his animals – whom he slaughters.
Continue reading...
Documentary portraits live or die on the subject at hand – and in his debut documentary Peter and the Farm, film-maker Tony Stone has a hell of a character to keep you engaged.
Peter Dunning is the Vermont farmer of the title: a rugged, hard drinking and foul-mouthed loner. His only friends seem to be his animals – whom he slaughters.
Continue reading...
- 3/4/2016
- by Nigel M Smith
- The Guardian - Film News
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