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Variance Films
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Variance Films is a privately held film distribution company founded in 2008 that uses an innovative model of self-distribution combined with select elements of traditional theatrical distribution to allow filmmakers to achieve quality theatrical releases for their films. Variance Films is notable in that they do not require filmmakers to sign over any rights to their films, instead partnering with filmmakers to ensure their film gets the proper theatrical release, while allowing them to keep their DVD, video on demand, television, and international rights.
Filmography of Variance Films (18 films)
Production
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Smother (2008)
, 1h32Directed by Vince Di Meglio
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Comedy, Romance
Actors Diane Keaton, Dax Shepard, Liv Tyler, Mike White, Ken Howard, Jerry Lambert
Noah Cooper, (Dax Shepard) a therapist, gets fired from the office where he has worked for many years. When he arrives home he finds his wife's cousin, Myron Stubbs, (Mike White) has moved in. Later that evening his mother, Marilyn (Diane Keaton) also arrives with her dogs and asks whether she can stay. Even though Noah is displeased, he allows Marilyn to stay. He discovers his mother has left his father, suspecting that he had an affair. He and Marilyn get hired at a carpet store, but because of Marilyn's stupid tasks both of them get fired. Meanwhile his relationship with his wife, Clare, (Liv Tyler) deteriorates and she subsequently leaves. Marilyn spies her husband and they have an encounter. Her husband, Gene (Ken Howard) confesses that he has tried to cheat on her twice. Noah's grandmother, Helen Cooper (Selma Stern) dies, and at the funeral Noah and Maryiln debate. Noah gets moved by his mother's words and realises that his decision not to have a baby was wrong and rushes to Clare to apologize. The film ends with Marylin and Myron moving in together elsewhere.
Distribution
Video Games: The Movie (2014)
, 1h41Genres Documentary, Historical, Animation
Themes Films about computing, Documentary films about technology, Films about video games
Actors Sean Astin, Wil Wheaton, Zach Braff, Alison Haislip, Donald Faison, Chloe Dykstra
La fabuleuse ascension des jeux vidéo, de l'époque où il n'était qu'une industrie de niche à nos jours, où ils brassent des milliards de dollars...
Sound City (2013)
, 1h48Directed by Dave Grohl
Origin USA
Genres Documentary, Musical
Themes Films about music and musicians, Documentary films about business, Documentary films about music and musicians, Documentaire sur une personnalité, Documentary films about cities, Musical films
Actors Trent Reznor, Dave Grohl, Barry Manilow, Rick Rubin, Rick Springfield, Lee Ving
Sound City Studios was located in the San Fernando Valley, amidst rows of dilapidated warehouses. The little-known recording studio housed a unique analog Neve recording console and a reputation for recording drums. Artists such as Red Hot Chili Peppers, Fleetwood Mac, Neil Young, Rick Springfield, Tom Petty, Kyuss, Slipknot and Nirvana recorded groundbreaking music at the studio. The film tells the story of the studio from its early days in 1969 until its closing in 2011. It then follows Dave Grohl's purchase of the studio's custom analog Neve console, which he moved to his personal studio, Studio 606. Rupert Neve is an English engineer who founded Neve Electronics in 1961, designed and manufactured the Neve 8028, "one of four in the world", and is interviewed by Grohl in the film. Famous musicians who recorded at Sound City reunite at Studio 606 for a jam session and to make an album of "all-new all-original songs, each one composed and recorded exclusively for the film within its own 24-hour session on that console." It also shows album covers by some bands: Red Hot Chili Peppers's One Hot Minute, Nirvana's Incesticide and Nevermind, Rage Against The Machine's self-titled album and many others.
God Loves Uganda (2013)
, 1h23Directed by Roger Ross Williams
Origin USA
Genres Documentary
Themes Films set in Africa, Films about religion, Films about sexuality, LGBT-related films, Documentaire sur l'homosexualité, Documentary films about religion, LGBT-related films, LGBT-related film
Drug War (2012)
, 1h45Directed by Johnnie To, Wai Ka-Fai
Origin Hong kong
Genres Drama, Action, Crime
Themes Medical-themed films, Films about drugs
Actors Louis Koo, Sun Honglei, Wallace Chung, Guo Tao, Li Jing, Lo Hoi-pang
Choi crashes his car into a restaurant and when he revives he is captured by Captain Zhang Lei. Realizing that he will receive the death penalty for his crimes, he bargains information on his colleagues to survive. First, he introduces Captain Zhang Lei as "Uncle Bill", to become a supplier to Haha, who owns a port and can distribute drugs to other countries. Then Captain Zhang Lei poses as Haha to the real "Uncle Bill". Then they go to Choi's factory where they meet the mute brothers. Then they setup the real Haha and catch him. However, an attempt to capture the mute brothers at the factor fails, and they escape through a hidden path. Captain Zhang is livid at Choi for withholding this information at the cost of the lives of several police team members. Choi pleads for a second chance as "Uncle Bill" is really just a front for seven other powerful Hong Kong gangsters whom he did not wish to rat out because 2 of them are his relatives: one is his brother, and another is his godfather. The next day Captain Zhang poses as Haha again and meets with "Uncle Bill". They negotiate a deal to distribute drugs using his port, meanwhile Choi identifies the 7 gangster bosses. Later they discuss terms of the deal at a nightclub, where Captain Zhang, posing as Haha, accuses "Uncle Bill" of being a cop and takes him into custody. The big 7 then confront him in the parking garage, revealing their identities and confirming their business relationship. The next day, Choi leads the big 7 and their entourage to exit 441 and they arrive at a school. Choi removes his wires and reveals to the big 7 that he has ratted them out and they are surrounded by cops. A shootout ensues and nearly everyone is killed except Choi, who escapes in a school bus. However, he crashes into the escaping mute brothers who believe Choi to have ratted them out and another shootout ensues. Captain Zhang, wounded, arrives with several other wounded comrades to stop Choi. They are all killed by Choi, but Captain Zhang is able to handcuff himself to Choi's leg before he dies. Choi is then captured by SWAT reinforcements before he can escape. The film ends with Choi begging for another chance to live by trading more information on other gangsters before he is killed by lethal injection.
3, 2, 1... Frankie Go Boom (2012)
, 1h29Directed by Jordan Roberts
Origin USA
Genres Comedy
Actors Charlie Hunnam, Chris O'Dowd, Lizzy Caplan, Nora Dunn, David Marciano, Ron Perlman
Two brothers (Charlie Hunnam and Chris O'Dowd) seek the help of a transgender hacker (Ron Perlman) in erasing all evidence of a sex tape from the internet before the unhinged movie star father (Chris Noth) of the girl involved (Lizzy Caplan) seeks violent revenge. Cast member Lizzy Caplan described the plot: "It's about a guy whose life has been ruined by a YouTube video that has gone viral and so he's been hiding out and he gets brought back into civilization (because he's been living in the middle of nowhere) by his really manipulative, horrible brother. And everybody in his life is sort of terrible [and it's about] how he deals with that.
The End of Love (2012)
Directed by Mark Webber
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Romance
Actors Michael Cera, Mark Webber, Amanda Seyfried, Jocelin Donahue, Shannyn Sossamon, Aubrey Plaza
Le portrait intime et évocateur d’un père célibataire élevant ses enfants.
Red Hook Summer (2012)
, 2h1Directed by Spike Lee
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Comedy-drama
Themes Films about music and musicians, Hip hop films, Gangster films
Actors Clarke Peters, Nate Parker, Thomas Jefferson Byrd, Colman Domingo, Heather Simms, James Ransone
Flik Royale is a 13-year-old boy from Atlanta who is sent to live with his preacher grandfather, Da Good Bishop Enoch Rouse, in Red Hook, Brooklyn.
, 1h33Origin USA
Genres Drama, Comedy, Comedy-drama, Animation, Romance
A young man (Terence Nance) is stood up on a date by a beautiful woman (Namik Minter), he begins to wonder about the nature of feelings and what exactly makes up a specific moment in time.
Hit So Hard (2012)
, 1h43Directed by P. David Ebersole
Origin USA
Genres Documentary, Musical
Themes Films about music and musicians, Films about sexuality, LGBT-related films, Documentaire sur l'homosexualité, Documentary films about music and musicians, Documentaire sur une personnalité, Musical films, LGBT-related films, LGBT-related film, Lesbian-related films
Actors Courtney Love, Melissa Auf der Maur, Sarah Vowell, Jenny Shimizu
The film begins with discussion amidst Hole's 1994 and 1995 world tour, then works backwards to Schemel's childhood growing up in Marysville, Washington, and details her coming out to her family as a lesbian, as well as her immersion in Seattle's music scenes, where she would eventually cross paths with Kurt Cobain. Through contemporary interviews with Schemel's bandmates Courtney Love, Eric Erlandson, and Melissa Auf der Maur, her beginnings in Hole are detailed, including her audition with Love and Erlandson in Los Angeles amidst the Rodney King riots, as well as her time living with Love and husband Kurt Cobain, and the songwriting process between Love, Schemel, and Erlandson. Additional commentary from fellow female drummers, musicians, peers, and friends of Schemel's are provided throughout. After the death of Hole's bassist Kristen Pfaff in 1994 (only two months after the suicide of Kurt Cobain), the band embarked on a world tour with Auf der Maur as Pfaff's replacement, and Schemel, along with Love, began heavily using heroin. Schemel's drug use leads to a breakup with her girlfriend, who acted as Love's personal assistant on the tour, and Schemel reflects on her time in a rehabilitation facility she checked into with Love after the conclusion of the tour in 1995.
Amigo (2011)
, 2h8Directed by John Sayles
Origin USA
Genres Drama, War, Historical
Actors Chris Cooper, Garret Dillahunt, Joel Torre, DJ Qualls, Yul Vazquez, Lucas Neff
Amigo centers on Rafael Dacanay, kapitan of the fictional barrio of San Isidro in a rice-growing area of Luzon. His brother Simón, head of the local guerrilla band, has forced the surrender of the Spanish guardia civil outpost and charged Rafael with the task of imprisoning the guardia Captain and the barrio’s Spanish friar, Padre Hidalgo, in the name of the revolutionary government. But when the American troops chasing General Emilio Aguinaldo arrive, the Spanish officer and Padre Hidalgo are freed, and a garrison under the command of Lieutenant Ike Compton is left to ‘protect’ the barrio. The American occupation policy now changes from ‘hearts and minds’ to ‘concentration’ (what was called ‘hamletting’ during the Vietnam war) and Rafael has to answer to both the Americans and the Filipino patriots, with deadly consequences.
, 1h55Directed by José Padilha
Origin Bresil
Genres Drama, Action, Crime
Themes Medical-themed films, Films about drugs
Actors Wagner Moura, Milhem Cortaz, André Ramiro, Maria Ribeiro, Seu Jorge, Tainá Müller
The film starts in medias res, 13 years after Baiano's death. Roberto Nascimento (Wagner Moura) is shown leaving a hospital, and a man reports this on his radio chatter. Soon after, his car is blocked and gunned down by unknown shooters.
The Lottery (2010)
, 1h21Origin USA
Genres Thriller, Documentary
Themes Films about education, Documentary films about cities
The film follows four families from Harlem and the Bronx in the months leading up to the lottery for one of the Success Academy Charter Schools (then known as Harlem Success Academy), one of the most successful charter schools in New York City. The film explores the debate surrounding the education reform movement. The film highlights the opposition from the teachers' unions to charter schools (as they are usually not unionized), and the contest between charter and public schools for building space.
, 1h24Directed by Damien Chazelle
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Musical, Romance
Themes Films about music and musicians, Musical films
Actors Damien Chazelle
Set in modern day Boston, Massachusetts, Guy and Madeline on a Park Bench tells the story of Guy and Madeline, a couple have been dating for three months. He’s an up-and-coming Boston jazz trumpeter, she an aimless introvert looking for work. The excitement of first love has faded, and Guy’s wandering eye is caught by Elena, a more outgoing woman. When Elena and Guy meet on a crowded subway car, sparks fly—and that spells the end of Guy and Madeline’s romance.
Spoken Word (2009)
, 1h56Directed by Victor Nuñez
Origin USA
Genres Drama
Actors Kuno Becker, Miguel Sandoval, Rubén Blades, Persia White, Monique Curnen, Jerry G. Angelo
A Latino San Francisco spoken word artist returns home to Santa Fe, New Mexico to reconnect with his dying father and brother, finding himself losing his "voice" as he spirals downward back into the dysfunctional life of drugs and violence he had left behind.