Liberty Kid | |
---|---|
Directed by | Ilya Chaiken |
Written by | Ilya Chaiken |
Produced by | Larry Fessenden Roger Kass Mike King Mike S. Ryan Claude Wasserstein |
Starring | Al Thompson Kareem Savinon Anny Mariano Rayniel Rufino |
Cinematography | Eliot Rockett |
Edited by | Dave Rock |
Music by | Jeff Grace |
Production company | Glass Eye Pix |
Release date |
|
Running time | 92 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Liberty Kid is a 2007 low-budget American film directed by Ilya Chaiken.
Two friends Derrick and Tico lost their jobs at a concession stand at the Statue of Liberty because of the September 11 attacks. In order to make money, they become drug dealers and participate in insurance scams. Derrick wants to go to college and has to support his two kids. When recruiters from the army come, Derrick decides to join the army [1] because he is told that he'll get money for college and live rent free. When he tells his mom his decision, she says that she is afraid that he'll have to go to war. The recruiter tells him that his mom is only worried because it is her job as a mom. [2]
The film got 87% on Rotten Tomatoes out of 15 reviews. [3]
Stephen Farber, of The Hollywood Reporter, said that even though "Liberty Kid" is a small film, much of it is deeply poignant; it enhances our compassion for all the ghosts of Sept. 11. Its cautiously optimistic conclusion also strikes a welcome note without falling into sentimentality. [4] Bilge Ebiri, of The Nerve, said that a lesser director would have played this story for cheap emotions. But to her eternal credit, Chaiken keeps her movie grounded in her characters, allowing Thompson and Savinon's true-to-life performances to carry us through what is, on paper, an elaborate plot. [5] Don Willmot, of Film Critic, said that Thompson and Savinon are a terrific pair and deserve big parts in bigger films. [6]
The film won Best Film at the New York Latino Film Festival. [2] The film won Critics' Pick from both The New York Times [1] and New York Magazine . [7]
The film played at New York Latino Film Festival, [2] the Woodstock Film Festival, [8] and the Atlanta Film Festival. [9]
The DVD has an audio commentary by Chaiken, Thompson and Saviñon, deleted scenes, behind the scenes featurette, photo gallery, and conversations with Iraq War veterans as special features. The DVD is in 5.1 stereo sound. [10]
After Dark, My Sweet is a 1990 American neo-noir crime thriller film directed by James Foley, and starring Jason Patric, Rachel Ward and Bruce Dern. It is based on the 1955 Jim Thompson novel of the same name.
Snoopy Come Home is a 1972 American animated musical comedy-drama film directed by Bill Melendez and written by Charles M. Schulz based on the Peanuts comic strip. The film marks the on-screen debut of Woodstock, who had first appeared in the strip in 1967. The main story was based on a storyline from August 1968. It was the only Peanuts film during composer Vince Guaraldi’s lifetime that did not have a score composed by him. Its music was composed by the Sherman Brothers, who composed the music for various Disney films like Mary Poppins (1964), The Jungle Book (1967), and Bedknobs and Broomsticks (1971).
Judith Therese Evans, known professionally as Judy Greer, is an American actress. She is primarily known as a character actress who has appeared in a wide variety of films. She rose to prominence for her supporting roles in the films Jawbreaker (1999), What Women Want (2000), 13 Going on 30 (2004), Elizabethtown (2005), 27 Dresses (2008), and Love & Other Drugs (2010).
Dedication is a 2007 American comedy-drama film directed by Justin Theroux, written by David Bromberg, and stars Billy Crudup and Mandy Moore. The film premiered at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival. It was produced by Plum Pictures.
Man Push Cart is a 2005 American independent film by Ramin Bahrani that tells the story of a former Pakistani rock star who sells coffee and bagels from his pushcart on the streets of Manhattan.
Derrick Comedy was an Internet sketch comedy group from New York University. Their YouTube channel has over 200,000 subscribers and amassed over 100 million total video views as of 2020. Some notable YouTube videos include Bro Rape: A Newsline Investigative Report with over 11 million views, Girls Are Not To Be Trusted with over 10 million views, and National Spelling Bee with over 8 million views. They have released videos online, performed shows at venues such as New York's Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre, produced the 2009 film Mystery Team, and have appeared on national television.
Day Night Day Night is a 2006 drama film written and directed by Julia Loktev. It documents 48 hours in the life of an anonymous 19-year-old as she prepares to become a suicide bomber in Times Square. It premiered on May 25, 2006 in the Directors' Fortnight section of the 58th Annual Cannes Film Festival.
Chelsea Walls is a 2001 American drama film directed by Ethan Hawke in his directorial debut and written by Nicole Burdette, based on her 1990 play of the same name. It stars Kris Kristofferson, Uma Thurman, Rosario Dawson, Natasha Richardson, Vincent D'Onofrio, and Robert Sean Leonard. The story takes place in the historic Chelsea Hotel in Manhattan.
The Harlem Cultural Festival was a series of events, mainly music concerts, held annually in Harlem, Manhattan, New York City, between 1967 and 1969 which celebrated soul, jazz and gospel and black music and culture and promoted Black pride. The most successful series of concerts, in 1969, became known informally as Black Woodstock, and is presented in the 2021 documentary film Summer of Soul.
Ilya Chaiken is an American film director and screenwriter. She is best known for her debut feature Margarita Happy Hour, a film about motherhood, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2001 and went on to the Los Angeles Film Festival and Toronto International Film Festival.
Children of Invention is an American independent feature film written and directed by Tze Chun. It premiered at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival, screened at more than 50 film festivals, and won 17 festival awards including 8 Grand Jury or Best Narrative Feature prizes. The film was released theatrically in eight U.S. cities beginning February 2010, on Video-on-Demand in June 2010, and on DVD in August 2010.
The Kids Are All Right is a 2010 American comedy drama film directed by Lisa Cholodenko and written by Cholodenko and Stuart Blumberg. It is among the first mainstream movies to show a same-sex couple raising two teenagers. A hit at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival, it opened in limited release on July 9, 2010, expanded to more theaters on July 30, 2010, and was released on DVD and Blu-ray on November 16, 2010. The film was awarded the Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy and Annette Bening was awarded the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy. The film also received four Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture, at the 83rd Academy Awards. As of 2024, it is the last film Cholodenko has directed.
Peace, Love & Misunderstanding is a 2011 American comedy-drama film directed by Bruce Beresford and starring Jane Fonda, Catherine Keener, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Elizabeth Olsen, Nat Wolff, Chace Crawford, Kyle MacLachlan, and Rosanna Arquette. It was filmed in the town of Woodstock, New York, the same town in which the film is set. The film had a gala premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 13, 2011. It was released to theaters on June 8, 2012, starting in limited release. It was released on DVD and Blu-ray Disc on October 2, 2012.
Arcadia is a 2012 American drama film written and directed by Olivia Silver, produced by A Poisson Rouge Pictures and DViant Films. It won the Crystal Bears, Generation Kplus at 2012 Berlinale and the Grand Prize at the Cine Junior Festival.
James White is a 2015 American drama film written and directed by Josh Mond. The film stars Christopher Abbott, Cynthia Nixon, Scott Mescudi, Ron Livingston, Makenzie Leigh and David Call. James, a twenty-something New Yorker, struggles to take control of his self-destructive behavior in the face of momentous family challenges.
Fun Mom Dinner is a 2017 American comedy film directed by Alethea Jones, from a screenplay by Julie Rudd. It stars Katie Aselton, Toni Collette, Bridget Everett, Molly Shannon, Adam Scott, and Adam Levine.
Give Me Liberty is a 2019 American comedy drama directed by Kirill Mikhanovsky. The film had its world premiere on the opening night of the Sundance Film Festival on January 24, 2019. The film was screened in the Directors' Fortnight section at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival.
Paper Spiders is a 2020 American drama film directed by Inon Shampanier, written by Natalie and Inon Shampanier, and starring Lili Taylor and Stefania LaVie Owen. It tells the story of a high school girl struggling to help her mother, whose paranoid delusions spiral out of control. It is described as "a bittersweet story about coming of age in the shadow of mental illness."
Us Kids is a 2020 American documentary film directed by Kim A. Snyder, following members of the March for Our Lives movement after the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on February 14, 2018.
Woodstock 99: Peace, Love, and Rage is a 2021 documentary film about the music festival Woodstock '99.