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Revision as of 06:41, 17 December 2009 by Beyond My Ken (talk | contribs) (infobox & lede tweaks)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff) Template:FilmUS film| Yesterday Was a Lie | |
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| Directed by | James Kerwin |
| Written by | James Kerwin |
| Produced by | Chase Masterson |
| Starring | Kipleigh Brown Chase Masterson John Newton |
| Cinematography | Jason Cochard |
| Edited by | James Kerwin |
| Music by | Kristopher Carter |
| Distributed by | E1 Entertainment / Koch Vision |
| Release dates | January 17, Template:Fy (Park City Film Music Fest.) December 11, Template:Fy (US) |
| Running time | 89 minutes (festival) 88 minutes (theatrical) |
| Country | Template:FilmUS |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $500,000 (est.) |
Yesterday Was a Lie is a Template:Fy neo-noir film written and directed by James Kerwin and starring Kipleigh Brown, Chase Masterson, John Newton, and Mik Scriba. In publicity materials, the film has been referred to as a combination of science fantasy and film noir. The black and white film contains allusions to Jungian analysis, alchemy, and quantum mechanics.
In the United States, the film is rated PG for "language, some violent content, and smoking."
Plot
A bourbon-slugging female detective named Hoyle (Kipleigh Brown) sets out to locate a reclusive genius (John Newton), but instead finds her life becoming more and more fragmented and surreal. Trusting only her partner (Mik Scriba) and a sexy lounge singer (Chase Masterson), she is shadowed by a man (Peter Mayhew) who may be able to distort reality.
Cast
- Kipleigh Brown as Hoyle
- Chase Masterson as Singer
- John Newton as Dudas
- Mik Scriba as Trench Coat Man
- Nathan Mobley as Lab Assistant
- Warren Davis as Psychiatrist
- Megan Henning as Student
- Jennifer Slimko as Nurse
- Robert Siegel as Radio Interviewer
- Peter Mayhew as Dead Man
Production
Yesterday Was a Lie was in production from 13 August to 15 September 2006. In March 2007, a trailer of the film premiered at San Francisco Wondercon. In August 2007, the film's official blog announced the completion of a test cut of the motion picture.
Release
Festival run
The early cut of the film began a series of film festival screenings on January 17, 2008 at the Park City Film Music Festival, where it received a Director's Choice Award. The film went on to receive Best Feature awards at numerous festivals, including the ShockerFest International Film Festival, as well as a bronze Telly Award and the Best of Show Accolade Award. It was awarded the Best Director, Best Screenplay, and Best Cinematography trophies at Visionfest, the Best Actress prize (for Brown) at ShockerFest, and the Best Producer prize (for Masterson) at the LA Femme Film Festival.
In early July 2008, San Diego Comic-Con announced that the test cut of Yesterday Was a Lie would be presented as the closing film of its 2008 convention.
In October 2008, the film's official blog announced that a newer cut of the film would be shown at the St. Louis International Film Festival. In December 2008, the Beverly Hills Hi-Def Film Festival announced the new cut of the film would have its theatrical premiere as the closing night film of its 2009 festival.
Theatrical release
In August 2009, Yesterday Was a Lie was acquired by E1 Entertainment U.S.. According to the film's official blog, a new cut of the movie, featuring an updated soundtrack and other changes, was created for the formal release. Yesterday Was a Lie was released theatrically in the U.S. on December 11, 2009.
Reception
In a review published after the film's US theatrical opening, Variety criticized the casting of the film – calling the acting "stiff" and "hopelessly amateurish" – as well as the plot, which it described as a "clunky David Lynchian cosmic mystery" leading to "grand (yet underwhelming) revelations about the nature of reality," but praised the film's "stunning black-and-white HD cinematography" and "impressively atmospheric tone" and its recreation of the "classical Hollywood aesthetic". The film's "sultry jazz score" was also singled out for mention.
During the film's earlier festival run it received almost universally positive reviews, with certain notable exceptions.
Film Threat magazine gave Yesterday four-and-a-half stars and named it one of the ten best films of the year from the festival circuit. The Epoch Times newspaper, Collider.com, Ain't It Cool, and KGO resident film critic Dennis Willis also all reviewed the film positively, with Willis calling Yesterday "nothing less than the arrival of a major filmmaker." Author Robert J. Sawyer blogged that the movie was "the most thoughtful and compelling science fiction film of 2009" (a quote subsequently used in press materials).
Some critics condemned Yesterday Was a Lie for being too difficult to comprehend. The Allmovie Blog published a negative review (though subsequently retracted it); the websites of The Los Angeles Times and LA Weekly both carried capsule reviews which were particularly critical of the filmmakers personally.
DVD
Based on a placeholder on the distributor's website, the film is scheudled to be released on DVD March 23, 2010.
Graphic novel
In late 2008, the film's official blog announced the upcoming release of a graphic novel from Wandering Sage Press tied to the film. As of December 2009, the film's website does not indicate a scheduled release date for the book.
References
- ^ IMDB Business
- ^ "Synopsis". Helicon Arts Cooperative. Retrieved 2007-09-08.
- Rope of Silicon MPAA ratings
- AllmovieOverview
- "A Look Back at WonderCon 2007." Comic-Con.org
- Park City Music Festival
- Film Festival World
- Accolade Competition
- Visionfest
- LA Femme Film Festival
- San Diego Traveler
- Beverly Hills Hi-Def Film Festival
- "Official blog". Helicon Arts Cooperative. Retrieved 2009-11-11.
- "Official site". Helicon Arts Cooperative. Retrieved 2009-11-11.
- Debruge, Peter. "Yesterday Was a Lie" at Variety.com (December 16, 2009). The review's lede reads in toto:
Caught somewhere between 1940s film noir and digitally spiffy contempo fare, "Yesterday Was a Lie" toys with time in story and style, putting a hard-boiled dame at the center of a clunky David Lynchian cosmic mystery as the search for a missing notebook leads to grand (yet underwhelming) revelations about the nature of reality. James Kerwin's conceptually ambitious low-budget debut offers stunning black-and-white HD cinematography, a sultry jazz score and a refreshingly high-minded script, but feels hopelessly amateurish in the acting department. Micro theatrical release will come and go unnoticed, though niche auds may find it on DVD.
- The Numbers
- Film Threat
- The Epoch Times
- Collider
- Ain't It Cool News
- Willis, Dennis, Flick Nation 2010 Movie Yearbook, CreateSpace (2009)
- Robert J. Sawyer microblog post, Dec. 11 2009
- Allmovie Blog
- USC Daily Trojan
- E1 Enterainment
External links
- Yesterday Was a Lie at IMDb
- Template:Amg title
- Official site
- Trailers
- Outtakes at Home article on the WonderCon panel
- Article in Star Trek Magazine