The Scenesters
Encyclopedia
The Scenesters is a 2009
art-house
black comedy
film written and directed by Todd Berger. The film was made by Los Angeles-based comedy group The Vacationeers and stars Blaise Miller, Suzanne May
, Jeff Grace, Kevin M. Brennan, Todd Berger and Sherilyn Fenn
. The film was shot in July 2008 in Los Angeles, California, USA, and premiered on October 23, 2009, at the 16th Annual Austin Film Festival
.
Hollywood Film Festival
Phoenix Film Festival
Edmonton International Film Festival
Blue Whiskey Independent Film Festival
. Review aggregate Rotten Tomatoes
reports that 50% of critics have given the film a positive review based on 6 reviews, with an average score of 4.9/10, and that 86% of audiences liked it with an average rating of 4.5/5 based on 93 reviews.Amy Handler from Film Threat
called The Scenesters "a film that is provocative, intelligent, hilarious - and that moves so swiftly, that you're left gasping for more." . Scott Ross from NBC New York said "'The Scenesters' is a gutsy experiment that rewards the viewer's knowledge of Los Angeles, movies and TV with a funny and engaging hyper-meta crime story." Nick W. from USA Today
.com had wonderful things to say about the film saying "The Scenesters is the movie I keep telling my friends about. It's funny, inventive and unlike anything I've seen in long time" After the premier of The Scenesters at the Austin Film Festival
Sean O'Neal from The Onion AV Club praised the film saying it was "A genuinely suspenseful whodunit about a team of wannabe filmmakers exploiting a rash of L.A. murders targeting hipsters...The Scenesters is definitely, if dryly, funny in its satirical take on fame-seeking indie-rock types—boosted by a literally killer soundtrack".
Todd Gilchrist from Fearnet
called the film "A compelling whodunit that manages to pack more of a punch than the latest retro-noir murder mystery, The Scenesters is a satisfying, successful look at predators and prey, hipsters and Hollywood dreamers, and films and filmmakers that doesn't purely chase its own tail - and better yet, doesn't make moviegoers chase it either... destined to become a cult classic."
2009 in film
The year 2009 saw the release of many films. Seven made the top 50 list of highest-grossing films, and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced that as of this year, their Best Picture category would consist of ten nominees, rather than five .- Highest-grossing films :Please note...
art-house
Art film
An art film is the result of filmmaking which is typically a serious, independent film aimed at a niche market rather than a mass market audience...
black comedy
Black comedy
A black comedy, or dark comedy, is a comic work that employs black humor or gallows humor. The definition of black humor is problematic; it has been argued that it corresponds to the earlier concept of gallows humor; and that, as humor has been defined since Freud as a comedic act that anesthetizes...
film written and directed by Todd Berger. The film was made by Los Angeles-based comedy group The Vacationeers and stars Blaise Miller, Suzanne May
Suzanne May
-Early life:She moved around with her family until settling in Reading Berkshire where she spent most of her childhood. In the age from 16 she left formal education to study dance at Lewisham College in South London. At 18 she left to attend a 3 year degree in Theatre Arts at The London Studio Centre...
, Jeff Grace, Kevin M. Brennan, Todd Berger and Sherilyn Fenn
Sherilyn Fenn
Sherilyn Fenn is an American actress and filmmaker. She came to international attention for her performance as Audrey Horne on the 1990 cult TV series Twin Peaks...
. The film was shot in July 2008 in Los Angeles, California, USA, and premiered on October 23, 2009, at the 16th Annual Austin Film Festival
Austin Film Festival
The Austin Film Festival was started in 1994 in Austin, Texas and is claimed to be "the first organization of its kind to focus on the writer’s unique creative contribution to the film and television industries"...
.
Cast
- Blaise Miller as Charlie Newton
- Suzanne MaySuzanne May-Early life:She moved around with her family until settling in Reading Berkshire where she spent most of her childhood. In the age from 16 she left formal education to study dance at Lewisham College in South London. At 18 she left to attend a 3 year degree in Theatre Arts at The London Studio Centre...
as Jewell Wright - Jeff Grace as Roger Graham
- Kevin M. Brennan as Investigator Henry Muse
- Todd Berger as Wallace Cotten
- Monika Jolly as Investigator Carlita Travers
- James Jolly as Irving Shaw
- Sherilyn FennSherilyn FennSherilyn Fenn is an American actress and filmmaker. She came to international attention for her performance as Audrey Horne on the 1990 cult TV series Twin Peaks...
as A.D.A. Barbara Dietrichson - John LandisJohn LandisJohn David Landis is an American film director, screenwriter, actor, and producer. He is known for his comedies, his horror films, and his music videos with singer Michael Jackson.-Early life and career:...
as Judge Paxton B. Johnson - Robert R. ShaferRobert R. ShaferRobert Shafer is an American actor who has amassed a substantial cult-following for having played Officer Joe Vickers in the 1989 horror-comedy Psycho Cop and the sequel Psycho Cop 2. Shafer, sometimes credited as Bobby Ray Shafer, is best known for playing Bob Vance on The Office...
as George Porter
Festivals
The Scenesters has been selected to screen at the following film festivals:- 2009 NewFilmmakers LA (August 31, 2009)
- 2009 Edmonton International Film FestivalEdmonton International Film FestivalThe Edmonton International Film Festival is a nine-day film festival in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, hosted at Empire Theatres at Edmonton City Centre....
(October 2, 2009) - 2009 New Orleans Film FestivalNew Orleans Film FestivalThe New Orleans Film Festival is an annual film festival organized by the nonprofit organization New Orleans Film Society, a film society founded in 1989. The festival has been held since the society's inception. The festival takes place in mid-October. The festival, nicknamed "Cannes on the...
(October 10, 2009) - 2009 Austin Film FestivalAustin Film FestivalThe Austin Film Festival was started in 1994 in Austin, Texas and is claimed to be "the first organization of its kind to focus on the writer’s unique creative contribution to the film and television industries"...
(October 23, 2009) - 2009 Hollywood Film FestivalHollywood Film FestivalThe Hollywood Film Festival is an annual Film festival which is located in Los Angeles, California, USA. The Festival was established in 1997 by Carlos de Abreu and his wife, model Janice Pennington....
(October 25, 2009) - 2009 Lone Star International Film Festival (November 11, 2009)
- 2010 Slamdance Film FestivalSlamdance Film FestivalAs a year-round organization, Slamdance serves as a showcase for the discovery of new and emerging talent in the film industry; it is also the only major film festival fully programmed by filmmakers. Slamdance counts among its alumni many notable writers and directors who first gained notice at the...
(January 22, 2010) - 2010 Oxford Film Festival (February 6, 2010)
- 2010 Chicago International Movies and Music Festival (March 5, 2010)
- 2010 Lake County Film FestivalLake County Film FestivalThe Lake County Film Festival is a yearly film festival held in Lake County, IL. Started as a two film event in 2004, it has expanded to a 100+ screening event in 2008.-History:...
(March 6, 2010) - 2010 Phoenix Film FestivalPhoenix Film FestivalPhoenix Film Festival is a festival that celebrates feature films and their creators. The celebration takes place annually in the city of Phoenix, Arizona...
(April 9, 2010) - 2010 Wisconsin Film FestivalWisconsin Film FestivalThe Wisconsin Film Festival is an annual film festival, founded in 1999. The five-day long festival is held every April in Madison, Wisconsin.The Festival presents a broad range of independent American and world cinema , restorations and revivals, and locally made pictures from Wisconsin filmmakers...
(April 16, 2010)
Awards
Slamdance Film FestivalSlamdance Film Festival
As a year-round organization, Slamdance serves as a showcase for the discovery of new and emerging talent in the film industry; it is also the only major film festival fully programmed by filmmakers. Slamdance counts among its alumni many notable writers and directors who first gained notice at the...
- 2010: won Most Interesting Film
Hollywood Film Festival
Hollywood Film Festival
The Hollywood Film Festival is an annual Film festival which is located in Los Angeles, California, USA. The Festival was established in 1997 by Carlos de Abreu and his wife, model Janice Pennington....
- 2009: won Hollywood Award for Best Comedy
Phoenix Film Festival
Phoenix Film Festival
Phoenix Film Festival is a festival that celebrates feature films and their creators. The celebration takes place annually in the city of Phoenix, Arizona...
- 2010: won Best Screenplay
Edmonton International Film Festival
Edmonton International Film Festival
The Edmonton International Film Festival is a nine-day film festival in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, hosted at Empire Theatres at Edmonton City Centre....
- 2009: won Rising Star Award for Best Director – Todd Berger
Blue Whiskey Independent Film Festival
- 2010: won Best of Fest
- 2010: won Best Screenplay
- 2010: won Best Director
- 2010: won Best Editor
- 2010: won Best Actor - Blaise Miller
Critical reception
The film received mixed reviews from critics on Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
. Review aggregate Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
reports that 50% of critics have given the film a positive review based on 6 reviews, with an average score of 4.9/10, and that 86% of audiences liked it with an average rating of 4.5/5 based on 93 reviews.Amy Handler from Film Threat
Film Threat
Film Threat is a former print magazine and, now, webzine which focuses primarily on independent film, although it also reviews DVDs of mainstream films and Hollywood movies in theaters. It first appeared as a photocopied zine in 1985, created by Wayne State University students Chris Gore and André...
called The Scenesters "a film that is provocative, intelligent, hilarious - and that moves so swiftly, that you're left gasping for more." . Scott Ross from NBC New York said "'The Scenesters' is a gutsy experiment that rewards the viewer's knowledge of Los Angeles, movies and TV with a funny and engaging hyper-meta crime story." Nick W. from USA Today
USA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
.com had wonderful things to say about the film saying "The Scenesters is the movie I keep telling my friends about. It's funny, inventive and unlike anything I've seen in long time" After the premier of The Scenesters at the Austin Film Festival
Austin Film Festival
The Austin Film Festival was started in 1994 in Austin, Texas and is claimed to be "the first organization of its kind to focus on the writer’s unique creative contribution to the film and television industries"...
Sean O'Neal from The Onion AV Club praised the film saying it was "A genuinely suspenseful whodunit about a team of wannabe filmmakers exploiting a rash of L.A. murders targeting hipsters...The Scenesters is definitely, if dryly, funny in its satirical take on fame-seeking indie-rock types—boosted by a literally killer soundtrack".
Todd Gilchrist from Fearnet
FEARnet
Fearnet is a cable channel, website and Video on Demand television service owned by Horror Entertainment LLC, a joint venture between Comcast, Lions Gate Entertainment, and Sony Pictures Entertainment...
called the film "A compelling whodunit that manages to pack more of a punch than the latest retro-noir murder mystery, The Scenesters is a satisfying, successful look at predators and prey, hipsters and Hollywood dreamers, and films and filmmakers that doesn't purely chase its own tail - and better yet, doesn't make moviegoers chase it either... destined to become a cult classic."