Frears’ latest flick is a “heartfelt comedy”. It might be easy to scoff at such press release terminology, but this is from the man who made High Fidelity (2000), a fan favorite that really is both funny, and poignantly touching. So here’s a “heartfelt comedy” about Beth Raymer, a stripper that dreams big – she wants to be a cocktail waitress at a fancy Las Vegas casino. Sounds promising, right? Things don’t quite work out on the cocktailing front, and instead, she gets in deep with Dink: a professional gambler who discovers Beth’s own prodigious gambling talents. Of course, Dink’s wife doesn’t care too much for the mentoring arrangement, and Vegas-style hijinks ensue.

Based on a true story, the film stars Rebecca Hall (Vicky Christina Barcelona) as Raymer, Bruce Willis (Looper) as Dink and Catherine Zeta-Jones (Chicago) as his wife. Rounding out the big-name cast are Vince Vaughn (The Break-Up) and Joshua Jackson (Fringe). Watch the trailer, then catch it on the big screen tonight at Sundance Sunset Cinema in L.A. (That’s 8000 W. Sunset Blvd. for those of you in the area). Those of us in the Midwest and on the other coast will have to settle for a screening in our own living rooms – or hope for the possibility of a slightly wider release.

If you’d rather get excited about next year’s television offerings, the trailer for the next season of Girls is up on YouTube. Starring writer/director/actress Lena Dunham (Tiny Furniture) as a sometimes painfully realistic and relatable twenty-something, the New York City set comedy continues to put Sex and the City to shame. Check out the trailer for a few good jokes, the promise of continuing story lines for all the girls’ love lives, and plenty of hipster-goodness (you either love it or hate it – i’d say, just embrace it). The HBO series also stars Allison Williams (American Dreams), Adam Driver (Lincoln), Jemima Kirke (Tiny Furniture) and Zosia Mamet (Mad Men). Season Two premieres on HBO on Sunday, January 13, 2013.

Followers of the studio might remember that Kaufman recently published a book on the subject of independent filmmaking (Make Your Own Damn Movie!), and the studio also produces a series of DVDs under the same title. But in the spirit of “independence,” it would seem that Troma thought it best to offer this series of lectures free to the public.

And it’s not just Kaufman giving his advice – segments for the channel will include interviews and lessons from Troma alumni like James Gunn (Slither), Trey Parker and Matt Stone (South Park, Cannibal! The Musical, The Book of Mormon), Eli Roth (Hostel), George Romero (Night of the Living Dead), Roger Corman (The Little Shop of Horrors, House of Usher) and David Cronenberg (Cosmopolis, The Fly). That list alone might be enough to make a lot of film school vets wish for at least some of their tuition back. But thankfully, Troma’s efforts are available to any and all: film school drop-outs, graduates, or members of the movie-going public. And of course, this should serve as a reminder to those doubters of the infamous B-movie studio’s credibility that Troma produced some of these heavyweight filmmaker’s earliest work.

Established in 1974, Troma is the baby of Kaufman and Michael Herz – Yale alumni, believe it or not. Some of their greatest hits include The Toxic Avenger (1984), Class of Nuke’em High (1986), and Poultrygeist: Night of the Chicken Dead (2006). While Kaufman’s probably best known to fans as the guy in the tacky intros to Troma DVDs, he does have nearly forty years in the business. And while Troma may never produce an Oscar-winner, it has something a lot of Hollywood studio movies never will – an independent spirit.

You can check into the Troma film school – for FREE – every Friday on YouTube. Right now, watch Jenna Fischer (The Office) talk about directing her first film Lollilove. Want work samples? More than 250 of the studio’s films are also streaming for your viewing pleasure – just don’t forget to take notes.

From writer/director Damien Lee (Sacrifice, King of Sorrow) comes A Dark Truth. This action packed tale of dangerous politics stars Andy Garcia (Ocean’s Twelve, City Island) as an ex-CIA agent, turned CNN-type talk show host, turned detective. When a woman comes to him with inside information on her company’s cover-up of a massacre in a South American village, Garcia’s character is hired to expose the mess.

A story about the unlikeliest of people working together, the ugliness of politics and most of all, redemption, A Dark Truth also stars Eva Longoria (Desperate Housewives), Forest Whitaker (The Last King of Scotland), Kim Coates (Sons of Anarchy)  and Deborah Kara Unger (The Game). A co-production between Rollercoaster Entertainment and Vortex Words and Pictures, the film will be available on Magnolia On Demand on November 29, and have its theatrical release early next year on January 4, 2013. Catch the trailer right here, right now.

Can’t get enough politics? Watch the trailer for Chasing Ice, the new documentary from producers of The Cove (2009), dealing with that slipperiest of subject matter – global warming.

Shot in Iceland, Photographer James Balog traveled on assignment for National Geographic to collect photographs of the changing climate, capturing surface changes and environmental details. What he found was an opportunity to mount a much larger project – what he calls “The Extreme Ice Survey” – using time lapse cameras to gather as much concrete evidence as possible about what was really happening to the landscape of the Arctic. An admitted sceptic himself, even Balog finds the evidence too strong to deny the idea of global warming. What follows is a film about the world quickly disappearing around us, one piece of ice at a time.

Directed by Jeff Orlowski and Produced by Paula DuPre Pesman and Jerry Aronson, Chasing Ice is seeing its theatrical premiere in several cities across the country (for a full schedule, visit the film’s website). Tonight, see it in Cambridge, Massachusetts in Kendall Square, or if you’re here in Chicago, attend the event at the Music Box at 7:20 pm. After this evening’s screening (as well as one Saturday night), Pesman and Orlowski will be on hand to conduct a Q & A with audience members.

In Chicago all day? Work in the Loop? Word on the street is that free tickets to the showing at the Music Box can be found at the North Face Store in the Hancock building. Not sure what’s left, but get there before they’re gone, then watch the Chasing Ice trailer from the warmth of your desk chair.

Starring familiars of his previous efforts like Joe Swanberg (V.H.S.), Kentucker Audley (V.H.S.) and AJ Bowen (House of the Devil), this feature also welcomes the likes of Amy Seimetz (Tiny Furniture) and Gene Jones (No Country for Old Men). Unlike cast, however, plot details remain on lock-down, so we’ll remain in suspense until there’s at least some sort of teaser trailer making its way across the internet.

Producing this flick is Worldview Entertainment, with the assistance of the ever-present Eli Roth. The famous protege of Quentin Tarantino (he produced Hostel, after all), is keeping himself close to West; followers of the horror genre will remember that the director of House of the Devil and The Innkeepers got his start directing the sequel to Roth’s breakout hit, Cabin Fever. Now, not only are the duo continuing their connection with The Sacrament, but Roth’s next feature will also be produced by Worldview: the title announced is The Green Inferno, slated for release in 2013.

As for The Sacrament, other info remains thin. But judging from past work, audiences can no doubt expect a subtle, slow-to-build thrill ride that relies heavily on giving you the creeps. In the meantime, check out the interview we did with Ti West back in April. In this FilmMonthly exclusive, writer Calhoun Kersten gets the scoop on shooting The Innkeepers and the director’s off-beat sense of horror humor.

Any Day Now, directed by Travis Fine and Quartet, directed by Dustin Hoffman, are the dual winners. Judged by ballot ratings, each film at the festival is rated by audiences over the two week run on a five point scale. Every film entered is given equal consideration, and at the end of the festival, ballots are tallied and averaged. Results from the public screenings were largely positive overall (an average of 4.1 for all films screened), but these two took the cake.

Director Fine’s film, Any Day Now, stars Alan Cumming (Spy Kids) and Garret Dillahunt (Looper) as a gay couple trying to adopt the abandoned teenager they’ve taken in. One a drag performer, the other a closeted lawyer, their fight to make the mentally handicapped teen a legal part of their family takes center stage in this social issue drama.

Quartet, the directorial debut from acclaimed actor Dustin Hoffman, is perhaps a bit lighter, but no less excellent fare. Starring Tom Courtenay (Dr. Zhivago), Billy Connelly (Brave) and Pauline Collins (Albert Nobbs) as aging retirees at the Beecham House for retired musicians, Quartet is the story of a trio that is reacquainted with its former fourth member: a singer played by the Dame Maggie Smith (Downton Abbey). Can the quartet “get it together” in time for the Beecham Gala concert? Audiences clearly enjoyed the result.

Seemingly very different films sharing the award this year – yet both share their country of origin in common. The USA is home to both directors. Not to mention the Audience Award for Best Documentary at the festival, which also went to a US production: the critically heralded and much buzzed about The Central Park Five. That film, directed by Ken Burns , Sarah Burns and David McMahon documents the true story of the 1989 conviction, and later exoneration, of five Black and Latino teenagers, wrongfully accused of raping a woman in New York’s Central Park.

Missed the festival? Keep an eye out for all three films in a theater near you. Interested in CIFF? Check out exactly what played at the 48th Annual Festival, and see how you can get involved in the 49th.

Based on the William Boyd novel of the same name (a tale of espionage that won him the 2006 Costa Prize for fiction), the miniseries is one part period drama to equal parts spy thriller. Restless is the story of Ruth, discovering the truth about her mother, Sally: a woman living a double life, recruited as a spy in WWII. In the present day, 1976, she is Sally Gilmartin. But then, she was Eva Delectorskaya, agent for the British Secret Service, and in classic spy-flick fashion, an agent on the run. And as Sally, her story remains secret for thirty years; until a former boss, and lover, appears to reveal the past and upset the present.

Romantic and thrilling enough for you? It certainly has a classic feel to it that could sweep even the most dedicated Masterpiece-lover off their feet. And never-fear the potential for sappy melodrama; the acting and directing chops behind this one suggest Restless may have some real heft to it, as well. Directed by Edward Hall, and produced by the Emmy Award-winning producer Hilary Beran, the project was filmed just this past summer in the U.K. and South Africa. Its cast includes the seasoned ranks of Rufus Sewell (Dark City), Hayley Atwell (Captain America), Michelle Dockery (Downton Abbey), Michael Gambon (Harry Potter) and Charlotte Rampling (Melancholia).

If that’s not enough credibility, know that this production is one of two other upcoming ones like it that Sundance Channel is producing. Restless is up alongside powerhouse productions of a Jane Campion-based series called Top of the Lake with Elizabeth Moss (Mad Men) and Holly Hunter (The Piano). The other project, Rectify, is first non co-production for the network, set to air next year. Shot in Georgia, that series was created by the producers of Breaking Bad and Ray McKinnon (Sons of Anarchy), and is set to be a big break for the up and coming network.

Sold on Sundance? (At least until Dame Maggie Smith is back at Downton Abbey in January?) You can watch Restless on Sundance Channel this December. Mark your calendars for both nights of the television event: December 7th and 14th, at 9 pm Eastern time.

The Flat, directed by filmmaker Arnon Goldfinger, will have its limited U.S. theatrical debut on October 19, 2012, with screenings in New York and L.A. The documentary, originally premiering at the Jerusalem International Film Festival in 2011, has already been lauded with numerous awards: It took home that fest’s award for Best Director for Documentary, Best Editing at Tribeca 2012 and the Ophir for Best Documentary (that’s the Israeli equivalent of an Oscar).

Presented by Sundance Selects, the doc explores the remains of director Goldfinger’s own grandmother’s flat. After her passing at the age of 98, the filmmaker took his film crew to Tel Aviv as he pieced through her apartment. In the process, they uncovered not just a family history of Jewish immigrants from Nazi Germany, but a mystery involving three generations of non-Jewish and Jewish family members, weaving together a dramatic and enthralling exploration of the time period. See the trailer exclusively at apple.com.

The Hollywood release of the week is from Academy-Award nominated director Taylor Hackford (Ray), and stars action heavyweight Jason Statham, alongside Jennifer Lopez.

Presented by Film District, the crime thriller is apt to be one of the big action debuts of 2013 (premiering January 25), and probably the start of a series - Parker is based on one of the bestselling novels in a series by Donald E. Westlake. Westlake’s books have had a strong Hollywood history: he was the author responsible for the novel Mel Gibson’s Payback (1999) was based on, and his produced screenplays include The Grifters (1990) and The Stepfather (1987).

Also starring Michael Chiklis, Wendell Pierce (The Wire) and Nick Nolte, watch the trailer now (with an exclusive introduction by Statham), and catch it in wide release next year.

The film, starring Ben Affleck and Olga Kurylenko (Quantum of Solace), had its world premiere at the 2012 Venice International Film Festival (as did other heavyweights like P.T. Anderson’s The Master), and much like any other Malick film, opened to severely mixed reviews.

Cheers from critics, and some infamous boo-ing from the audience, took over the screening in Venice. Robbie Collin from the Telegraph gave the flick a largely positive review, detailing the strange reception, but also heralding the film as another great one for the director, with big themes and lots to contemplate. Not all film critics are unabashed worshippers of the piece, however. Todd McCarthy of The Hollywood Reporter seemed to feel less than stellar, citing Malick’s tendency to edit out the main, male character of his films as a potential problem here: “… the film as edited concentrates almost entirely on the women and makes Neil look like an ineffectual bystander.”

Is this really a problem? It is central to the viewing public’s ongoing struggle with Malick’s work. Certainly Tree of Life (2011) cut-down “main character” Sean Penn’s screen time to minimal at best, but the film’s themes – birth, existence, Christianity – were perhaps the real main characters of the work. And one could argue that The New World (2005), billed by Hollywood as the Pocahontas/John Smith love story, was really a story of the American landscape – a portrait of our environment, and the beginnings of American culture and ideals.

In To The Wonder, Neil, played by Affleck, is coupled with Kurylenko’s Marina, as they move from France to Oklahoma. Plagued by their own problems, and the entrance of new and old loves in both their lives (Rachel McAdams, Javier Bardem), the film is described in its Magnolia press release as an “exploration of love in its many forms.” Paired again with his Tree of Life and The New World cinematographer, Emmanuel Lubezki, the film is sure to be on par cinematically with his typical fare – gorgeous, picturesque, etc.

Best guess? Whether audiences love it or hate it (or can even manage to sit through the whole movie – you know who you are), Malick is still sitting on top of that list of best living directors; any filmmaker who can drive the debate between art and cinema like this man can is, if nothing less, a champion of his craft.

If you’ve been keeping up with SyFy’s programming, you already know about Face Off, a reality competition show, where special FX make-up artists go head to head in creature design. Next Tuesday’s episode takes the teams into the world of videogames, with a steam-punk theme. Get an early look at the promo for “Monster Twist” here, and tune in next week, October 2nd at 9/8 CT to catch the whole episode.

If you’re a Face Off regular, you might be interested in a couple of bonus scenes online. Check out a short called Talking Shop, with some of the guys giving the details on constructing their characters. Or, for a time-warped look at how a human model goes to video-game beastie in seconds, get a look at the time lapse in this Dishonorable Proportions Morph clip.

If you like reality tv, but could do without the competitive element, check out Travel Channel’s second season of Making Monsters. This doc-style series continues following Distortions Unlimited, a family-run business based in Colorado that specializes in creature design for the haunted house, Halloween and “scare-amusement” industries. Heralded as the largest animatronics creator and producer in the world, each episode of the series features projects created for some high-profile customers – I’m looking forward to the “custom-made Gatekeeper” for the Halloween display at Dick Van Dyke’s house.

Making Monsters premieres Sunday, September 30 at 8 PM E/PT. If it’s up your alley, make sure to check it out, with two brand new back-to-back episodes airing weekly.

Still haven’t gotten your horror fix? September’s almost over, so look out for more horror-centric news as we find ourselves in the midst of October next week. Halloween is coming up quick!

Now, the two have moved on to star in the upcoming Tribeca Films release The Comedy: still low budget, still “quirky” (yes, I’m sticking to that word), but with something a little deeper perhaps bubbling beneath its surface.

Directed by Rick Alverson (a change from Billion Dollar Movie, which Heidecker and Wareheim directed themselves), the film is described as a character study with Heidecker playing an older hipster-type named Swanson. With too many options and seemingly no direction, the film watches as he and his friends test the boundaries of life without purpose. It’s funny, but it’s also not. And that distinct tone may be what sets this comedy apart from typical genre fare.

Take a look at the trailer here. An official selection of SXSW 2012, the film definitely has credibility, and the tone is reminiscent of the Duplass Brothers’ wonderfully simple, yet poignant Jeff, Who Lives at Home (2011); another addition to the list of recent comedies about man-boys that do nothing, but somehow seem to say something about the human condition (or at least, the condition of men, these days). And if the film’s synopsis is any clue – inheriting his father’s estate, dealing with the fall-out of “rich-boy” syndrome – we may even be lucky enough to get a darker, hipster version of Billy Madison (1995), which would definitely shake up a genre that so easily gets stale.

Also starring LCD Soundsystem frontman James Murphy, comedian Gregg Turkington, and of course, Eric Wareheim, The Comedy is scheduled for theatrical release on November 9th in select cities, with director Q&A’s happening in a few. If it’s not screening near your town, Tribeca suggests those interested visit gathr.us and rally to get a showing in your local theater.

If not, the beauty of 2012, is that you can catch the flick On Demand before it even hits theaters. On October 24th, watch The Comedy on VOD, ITunes, Amazon and VUDU. In the meantime, keep up with them on Facebook and the official site.