Austin Handler and Jennifer Mabley

 

 

The fun and fabulous Hamptons husband & wife design duo, Jennifer Mabley & Austin Handler have been asked for the second season to design the VIP Green Room at Guild Hall for the upcoming Hamptons International Film Festival. KDHamptons will be featuring all of the inside design tips and resources once Mabley Handler unveils their “big reveal”, but right now it’s important to reserve your screening tickets now. A major film buff, Austin shares which films should be on our must-see list, below.

 

 

 

The Mabley Handler 2013 VIP Green Room at the Hamptons Film Festival

 

 

Austin shares, “So, I’m a huge film fan, and I am so looking forward to the Hamptons Film Festival which is coming up in a couple of weeks, October 9th-13th. Tickets are on sale now, so if you are AT ALL interested in getting tickets, especially to any of the major films (Spotlight Films, Centerpiece Films, Opening & Closing Films), you need to jump online right now before they sell out. I’ve been pouring through the schedule for the last couple of days and I’ve picked a bunch of films that look great that I’m looking forward to seeing. Further below is my full list…..and if you just want a cheat sheet, here goes:  Imitation Game looks phenomenal, Laggies looks funny, Nightcrawler looks intense, St. Vincent looks quirky, Elephant Song looks suspenseful, Young Ones looks intriguing, and Minuscule looks perfect for the kids. Hopefully we’ll see each other at the movies.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

Austin Handler’s Hamptons Film Festival recommendations. There are many more films, you can see the full list here: http://bit.ly/HIFF-AllFilmsCategories

TIP: Use the square category links to make searing easier…If you just use the A-Z, it can get overwhelming. Or, if you know when you’re free, but don’t know what film to go see, use the calendar function on the middle left-hand side of the link above)

 

 

 

The Imitation Game (Spotlight Film)
Benedict Cumberbatch delivers a monumental performance as British mathematician Alan Turing in Morten Tyldum’s stirring historical drama. Told via flashback, THE IMITATION GAME tracks the young, brilliant, and socially awkward Turing in the early days of World War II as he applies for a top-secret position tasked with decoding the “unbreakable” Nazi cipher machine called Enigma, used to encrypt all military radio transmissions. His work was famously labeled by Winston Churchill as “the greatest single contribution to victory,” but after the war he suffered great personal and professional turmoil as he dealt with his homosexuality in a time when it was illegal.

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S5CjKEFb-sM
Film info, times & tickets: http://bit.ly/HIFF-ImitationGame

 

 

 

Wild  (Spotlight/Southampton Opening Film)
Academy Award® winner Reese Witherspoon stars in this superb adaptation of Cheryl Strayed’s best-selling 2012 memoir. Devastated by the death of her mother from cancer in 1991, the 22-year-old Strayed spiraled toward self-destruction, ending her marriage and eventually becoming addicted to heroin. Four years later, seeking to leave her scars behind, she embarked on a life-changing journey: a solo, 1,000-mile hike along the Pacific Crest Trail. Scribed by Nick Hornby (HIGH FIDELITY, AN EDUCATION), director (and HIFF alum) Jean-Marc Vallée’s follow-up to DALLAS BUYERS CLUB is an inspiring voyage of pain and discovery, anchored by Witherspoon’s great performance and aided by a terrific supporting cast that includes Laura Dern.

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MvDT42x_NBk
Film info, times & tickets: http://bit.ly/HIFF-Wild

 

 

 

 

 

 

Laggies  (Spotlight Film)
Megan (Keira Knightley) is content to work as a sign flipper for her doting father’s accounting company. When her high school boyfriend proposes at her friend’s wedding, she panics. Pretending to go to a professional-development retreat, she befriends 16-year-old Annika (Chloë Grace Moretz) and hides out in her house with her attractive single dad (Sam Rockwell). Finally feeling liberated, Megan is taken by surprise as their lives suddenly and unexpectedly intertwine. With hilarious performances, Lynn Shelton’s LAGGIES is a nuanced and heartwarming addition to the director’s impressive body of work.

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WQEYmmErpjg
Film info, times & tickets: http://bit.ly/HIFF-Laggies

 

 

 

Nightcrawler  (Spotlight Film)
NIGHTCRAWLER is a pulse-pounding thriller set in the nocturnal underbelly of contemporary Los Angeles. Jake Gyllenhaal stars as Lou Bloom, a driven young man desperate for work who discovers the world of L.A. crime journalism. Joining a group of freelance camera crews who film crashes, murders, and other mayhem, Lou muscles into the dangerous realm of nightcrawling—where each police siren wail equals a possible windfall and victims are converted into dollars and cents. Aided by Rene Russo as Nina, a veteran of local TV news, Lou blurs the line between observer and participant to become the star of his own story.

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u1uP_8VJkDQ
Film info, times & tickets: http://bit.ly/HIFF-Nightcrawler

 

 

 

St. Vincent  (Spotlight/Opening Night Film)
Maggie (Melissa McCarthy), a single mother, moves into a new home in Brooklyn with her 12-year-old son, Oliver (Jaeden Lieberher). Forced to work long hours, she has no choice but to leave Oliver in the care of their new neighbor, Vincent (Bill Murray), a retired curmudgeon with a penchant for alcohol and gambling. Together with Daka (Naomi Watts), a pregnant stripper, Vincent brings Oliver along on his daily routine: the race track, a strip club, and the local dive bar. An odd friendship soon blossoms between the improbable pair in Theodore Melfi’s charming comedy.

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9dP5lJnJHXg
Film info, times & tickets: http://bit.ly/HIFF-StVincent

 

 

 

 

 

 

Foxcatcher (Centerpiece Film)
With the Academy Award®-nominated features MONEYBALL and CAPOTE, director Bennett Miller turned real-life stories into powerful drama. With FOXCATCHER, he delivers his most stunning and unsettling film yet. Based on true events, the film follows Olympic Gold Medal-winning wrestler Mark Schultz (Channing Tatum) and his revered brother Dave (Mark Ruffalo) as they fall into the orbit of an eccentric multi-millionaire, John du Pont (Steve Carell), with the ambiguous goal of launching Mark to fame and glory. Nothing quite prepares you for FOXCATCHER, as this riveting stranger-than-fiction tale turns dark and tragic.

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PypvNBTdxnY
Film info, times & tickets: http://bit.ly/HIFF-Foxcatcher

 

 

 

The Homesman  (Centerpiece Film)
Directed by Tommy Lee Jones, THE HOMESMAN is based on the novel by Pulitzer Prize nominee Glendon Swarthout and follows the pious, independent-minded Mary Bee Cuddy (Hilary Swank) as she transports three “damaged” women by covered wagon to Iowa across the American frontier. She soon realizes just how daunting the journey will be, and employs a feisty low-life drifter, George Biggs (Jones), to join her. The unlikely caravan head east, where a waiting minister and his wife (Meryl Streep) have offered to take the women in. But the group first must traverse the harsh Nebraska Territories, marked by stark beauty, psychological peril, and constant threat.

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_sK9lGA5Sgk
Film info, times & tickets: http://bit.ly/HIFF-Homesman

 

 

 

 

 

Elephant Song (Spotlight Film)
After the strange disappearance of his colleague, Dr. Toby Green (Bruce Greenwood) is called to the hospital to get to the bottom of the story before word gets out. There, he finds Michael (Xavier Dolan), a troubled and deceptive patient, spinning a web of lies while Nurse Peterson (Catherine Keener), the only one who understands Michael, is repeatedly pushed away. Charles Binamé‘s ELEPHANT SONG, adapted by Nicolas Billon from his play, is a complex, visually striking thriller that blurs the line between doctor and patient. As the stakes get higher, the elaborate mind games get them further from the truth.

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IMjQ9i6J5B0
Film info, times & tickets: http://bit.ly/HIFF-ElephantSong

 

 

 

Young Ones (World Cinema Film)
In the near future, water becomes a scarce resource where once prosperous land withers into dust. The survivors carve out the best existence they can. Tempers burn, houses fall, industry pushes forward and the old must make way for the young. Jake Paltrow’s sophomore effort charges old Greek tragedy tropes with a distinctive neo-Western style that reinvigorates the genre and grounds itself with a set of remarkable performances. YOUNG ONES effectively transforms the futuristic American West back into that brutal, classic frontier where anything was possible, and everything was dangerous.

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mH9_tU5PbGs
Film info, times & tickets: http://bit.ly/HIFF-YoungOnes

 

 

 

 

 

 

Clouds of Sils Maria (Spotlight Film)
Acclaimed director Olivier Assayas’ newest film is a rewarding enigma. At the peak of her career, Maria Enders (Juliette Binoche) is asked to perform in a revival of the play that made her famous twenty years ago. No longer in the alluring young role, she must confront her own insecurities resonating with her vulnerable, older character and the subsequent career shift. Her assistant (Kristen Stewart) represents a version of her younger self, while a scandal-ready Hollywood starlet (Chloë Grace Moretz) takes on Maria’s star-making role. Soon Maria finds herself face to face with ambiguously charming women who are her unsettling reflection.

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5L-9rcEhGm4
Film info, times & tickets: http://bit.ly/HIFF-CloudsOfSilsMaria

 

 

 

Minuscule: Valley of the Lost Ants (World CinemaFilm)
In a peaceful little clearing, the remains of a hastily abandoned picnic sparks warfare between two tribes of ants. At stake: a box of sugar. A bold young ladybug finds himself caught in the middle of the battle between the kindly black ants and the terrible red ants. Each insect is playfully animated with “bug” eyes and spunky character, while the beautiful pastoral backgrounds are not virtual, but filmed all natural in the south of France. The infinitely charming miniature epic plays out at ground level through blades of grass, behind rocks and over creeks, and is the must-see battle for the (all) ages!

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q1_sJ2Xa3Jw
Film info, times & tickets: http://bit.ly/HIFF-Minuscule

 

 

 

Some other films that look interesting, but I can’t find trailers for:

 

Still Alice  (Closing Night Film)
Alice Howland (Julianne Moore), happily married with three grown children, is a renowned linguistics professor who starts to forget words. When she receives a diagnosis of Early-Onset Alzheimer’s, Alice and her family find their bonds thoroughly tested. Her struggle to stay connected to who she once was is frightening, heartbreaking, and inspiring. Filmmakers Richard Glatzer and Wash Westmoreland (THE LAST OF ROBIN HOOD, QUINCEAÑERA) treat Alice’s disease with great sensitivity and care, yet never reach for sentimentality or easy answers. Julianne Moore gives a great, moving performance, and is ably supported by a cast that includes Alec Baldwin and Kristen Stewart.

Film info, times & tickets: http://bit.ly/HIFF-StillAlice

 

 

 

Breath  (Golden Starfish Narrative Film)
Famed actress Mélanie Laurent (INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS, ENEMY) steps behind the camera for BREATHE, an assured and refined look at fragile adolescent friendships. Entering the private world of Charlie and Sara, whose raw attraction quickly makes them inseparable, we see tenderness turn sour as Sarah shifts her attention to a young pilot, leaving Charlie heartbroken. Superbly acted by Josephine Japy and Lou De Laage, BREATHE is an honest look at young friendships, where passion can easily turn into obsession, and where the harsh reality of trying to find one’s voice can leave one devastated.

Film info, times & tickets: http://bit.ly/HIFF-Breath

 

 

 

 

 

 

Time out of Mind (Spotlight Film)
George Hammond wakes up one morning in a random ramshackle apartment and is thrown out by the building manager. He has a weeks-old beard and unexplained scratches on his face. He has nowhere to go in particular. He wanders. He is stuck with two minute-to-minute challenges: eating and finding a place to sleep. He is homeless in New York City. Filmmaker Oren Moverman (THE MESSENGER) and star Richard Gere, in a moving performance, wring many heartbreaking truths from this initial premise in TIME OUT OF MIND, a blistering and deeply affecting slice of modern day neo-realism.

Film info, times & tickets: http://bit.ly/HIFF-TimeOutOfMind

 

 

 

Song One (Spotlight Film)
Academy Award® winner Anne Hathaway plays Franny, a PhD student living halfway around the world when she receives tragic news: her brother Henry (whom she stopped talking to after he dropped out of college to pursue music) is in a coma. Returning to New York City, Franny reenters his life through his songs and his love for singer-songwriter James Forester (Johnny Flynn). After meeting James backstage at his concert, Franny is surprised when James shows up at the hospital the next day. What follows is an exploration of two wandering souls, filled with incredible songs by Jenny Lewis and Johnathan Rice.

Film info, times & tickets: http://bit.ly/HIFF-SongOne

 

 

 

 

 

Like Sunday, Like Rain  (World Cinema Film)
When Eleanor (Leighton Meester) loses her waitress job and dumps her cheating boyfriend (Green Day’s Billie Joe Armstrong), she unexpectedly lands a live-in nanny gig with an unusual charge: 12-year-old musical prodigy Reggie, whose mother (Debra Messing) is extremely wealthy and not much of a mother. As Eleanor and Reggie (newcomer Julian Shatkin, wise beyond his years) test each other’s boundaries, secrets emerge, and gradually they forge a tender and unlikely friendship. Actor Frank Whaley (PULP FICTION) moves behind the camera for LIKE SUNDAY, LIKE RAIN, which illuminates the wondrous serendipity of life in New York City.

Film info, times & tickets: http://bit.ly/HIFF-LikeSundayLikeRain

 

 

Gabriel (Views From Long Island Film)
Longing for stability in the throes of mental illness, Gabriel (Rory Culkin) will stop at nothing until he proposes to his high school girlfriend—nevermind the fact that they haven’t seen each other in years. Abrasive and irrational, Gabriel nonetheless evokes empathy as he winds his way through New York City and Long Island on his quest, in large thanks to Rory Culkin’s commanding performance. A sure-footed portrait of a young man on the edge, Lou Howe’s debut feature examines our fixation with the nuclear household, and whether or not it’s all it’s cracked up to be.

Film info, times & tickets: http://bit.ly/HIFF-Gabriel

 

 

For more information on Austin Handler:

Mabley Handler Interior Design
Interior Design and Decoration in the Hamptons
www.mableyhandler.com

Read the Mabley Handler Hamptons design blog:
www.designingthehamptons.com