With the entire original run of The Twilight Zone available to watch instantly, we’re partnering with Twitch Film to cover all of the show’s 156 episodes. Are you brave enough to watch them all with us? The Twilight Zone (Episode #119): “Passage on the Lady Anne” (airdate 5/9/63) The Plot: A woman believes a cruise is the ticket to saving her marriage, but it’s doubtful that her heart will go on. The Goods: Eillen Ransome (Joyce Van Patten, who most recently could be seen in Grown Ups and Marley & Me) is not having the best marriage. Her husband Allen (Lee Philips) seems to be sniping at her more and more, and she’s treating him the same way. After eight years, the magic seems to be gone. Where better to find it than the open ocean? They board a cruiser from New York to Southampton, England, and the emotional states begin ebbing and flowing with the seas themselves. It’s funny, though. All the other passengers seem to be far, far older than the Ransomes.

The Italian Key is the first feature film from writer/director Rosa Karo, and it tells the story of an orphan girl who inherits a key that unlocks a fantastical villa in Italy (hence the title) and, wait for it, her family history as well. The romance looks like it was stamped on the front of a postcard, but the trailer doesn’t deliver much of a hint as to its substance. The tone seems to fit perfectly with tinkling piano keys, but it also has a hint of brightness to it. What does that mean? That it’s got potential. Regardless of what it might hold on the inside, it’s definitely got a pretty package. Check it out for yourself:

I’ve no better, more eloquent way to put this — Gus Van Sant‘s Restless is awful, pandering, painfully acted, lazily written, up its own ass schlock. It’s bad. This is not the Van Sant that pulled beautiful, nuanced performances from his actors in Good Will Hunting, gave us solid, dark, indie-fare like Elephant, or even the almost total airball remake of Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho. This, perhaps, is a sign that Van Sant has taken his title as arthouse darling and run it completely off the rails.

Why Watch? Tapping into human nature means scanning the stars and the self. It might have been easy for director Mark Buchanan to deliver airy faux-philosophy with this concept, but he wisely avoids it in exchange for a genuine human story of a troubled family, a piece of technology meant to find life on other planets, and a reminder that we’re not alone. Part science-non-fiction, part Lives of Others, this film is effortlessly engaging through a smart blend of camera work and sound where voices often come from off screen, and writing that makes us ache to learn the people behind those voices. This is human foibles and failings and drama and humor done brilliantly well. What does it cost? Just 12 minutes of your time. Check out The Search for yourself:

There’s a lot of dancing going on in this trailer for Michael Winterbottom‘s Trishna. Typical Bollywood style numbers with their elaborate flair. Intimate undulations between two people falling in love. The kind of dance moves that happen between sheets. They’re all there, and they all look stunning. Winterbottom seeks to confound here a bit, combining several elements from past films and making something that looks nothing like anything he’s done before. There’s a dash of 24 Hour Party People, the sensuality of 9 Songs, and maybe even a taste of A Mighty Heart‘s dramatics, but over all, this story of star cross’d lovers looks like a new animal. It stars Freida Pinto and Riz Ahmed as the daughter of a rickshaw owner and the son of a land developer that only have eyes for each other. How much do you want to bet that their love is forbidden? Sink down into the poetry of it all for yourself:

Stop groaning at that headline and start moaning along with this clever, mildly silly trailer for Hysteria. Based on the historical invention of the vibrator, the film boasts Felicity Jones, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Hugh Dancy, Rupert Everett, Jonathan Pryce and a bunch of women shaking their thighs in ecstasy. Seriously. There are a lot of shots of women coming in this thing. Beyond that, it has the usual flair that any period piece might aspire to. The costuming, the set work, the language. It’s all there along with some cheeky humor and what looks like a romantic foundation the focuses on taming a shrew. Plug in, and check it out for yourself:

Sundance veteran Drake Doremus returned to Park City this year with a very different film than 2010’s Douchebag. For his 2011 entry, Doremus brought along Like Crazy, a sensitive and romantic film that doesn’t rely on anyone taking their shirt off or ludicrous meet-cutes or casts packed with tween pop stars to make it work. I saw the film back in January at Sundance, and it is one of two romantic dramedies with a young, hip cast from the festival that has stuck in my mind these many months. The other one, the Freddie Highmore-starring The Art of Getting By (retitled from its Sundance name, Homework) has remained in my brain mainly due to how much I hated it. It’s frowned upon to spit when speaking about films, but that’s been the best way I’ve found to physically express how terrible that movie was, and how emotionally disingenuous. On the flipside, there was Doremus’s Like Crazy, which stars Anton Yelchin and Felicity Jones (with co-starring appearances by Jennifer Lawrence and Charlie Bewley). Not to get emotional over here (because, you know, gross), but Like Crazy is one of the best films about long distance relationships I’ve ever seen (and I know from long distance relationships).

Catherine Breillat’s new film The Sleeping Beauty (La belle endormie) marks yet another entry in what seems to be a growing set of preoccupations for the feminist auteur: the costume drama and the fairy tale. In her follow-up to 2009’s Bluebeard, The Sleeping Beauty is her second consecutive deconstruction of a Charles Perrault fairytale, and her third past-set movie when taking into account 2007’s The Last Mistress. This is an interesting transition for a filmmaker whose previous work focused frankly and explicitly on contemporary gender politics and the exercise of power through the human body. Breillat’s intellectual obsessions remain largely the same even as her aesthetic and spatiotemporal settings have changed, but Bluebeard and The Last Mistress, while a welcome transition into ostensibly “new” territory, were in this writer’s opinion far from her best work. It’s difficult to deny a feeling of rejuvenation throughout The Sleeping Beauty — a joyful embrace of carnival ambivalence in both tone and content that looks and feels inspired, a film that explores (in a way unprecedented in her work) the potentially irreverent (and, let’s face it, fun) excesses of the medium while still providing room for Breillat to exercise her signature mode of critique.

Every year, there are a few movies that hit festivals hard and come out on the other side being talked about like legends. They’re hyped, loved up, and the general public may never get to see them. One of those films this year is, without a doubt, Attack the Block. The other, is Bellflower. The trailer for the film is a bit discombobulated, trying to merge sweetness with insanity, but it looks undeniably unique. Names like Fight Club, John Hughes, and Mad Max are evoked between images of a fire-breathing muscle car and the cuteness of a new couple playing verbal footsie. Those comparisons will be a lot to live up to, but if festival goers and critics can be trusted, Bellflower rises to the occasion.

Why Watch? Because you might just love splurt because of this one. HitRECord is such a brilliant project – one of the few that really understands crowdsourcing and the artistic merit found by people not on the payroll of the majors. HitRECord produced this short, and everyone involved deserves praise. It may be a hallmark of their ideals, but it’s also a serious reminder that movies are the art that combines all arts. With silent film era style (there’s even a Mélèis moon involved) and cut-out artwork setting the stage, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and co-star Lexy Hume navigate a live-action/animated dating world that seems written by a wine-happy George Orwell, and designed by the lovechild of Charlie Chaplin and the Squirrel Nut Zippers. What does it cost? Just 5 minutes of your time. Check out Morgan M. Morgansen’s Date With Destiny for yourself:

There is no better phrase to describe Nicholas Sparks‘s writing than “safe haven.” He’s found a structure that requires only that he shove in new character names and weaknesses, come up with some horrific tragedy to slam on the brakes near the end, and collect the checks. Strangely enough, director Lasse Hallström may have found his pattern as well, as Deadline Daytona is reporting that the veteran might sign on to direct the next appropriately titled Sparks adaptations. Safe Haven is the story of a young lady who doesn’t want to make friends, but then makes friends while stuffing her terrible secret deep, deep down. I haven’t read the book, but it’s shoe money that the secret comes out. And that a character we’ve grown to care about is diagnosed with Instant Death Disease with only 5 minutes left in the movie. Hallström broken his Sparks cherry with Dear John, and with his work on Salmon Fishing in the Yemen, it seems like he might be switching between curious storytelling and cookie-cutter, made-for-money Sparksian non-challenges. On the other hand, he’s no stranger to romances (like Chocolat), and it’ll be worthwhile if he can find a romantic sponsor for his other films. As long as it doesn’t get in the way of him making those other films (he’s signed on for a Danish crime drama called The Hypnotist for 2012 release), then what harm could it do?

Why Watch? Because finding love might be a matter of reaching out through the personal ads. Andrew Blubaugh creates a touching drama here of one man’s experience reaching out and touching someone through the ads. Honestly, it’s sometimes tough to tell whether this is a documentary or simply shot as one, but no matter what genre you want to shove it into, it’s good. Yes, it’s about a gay man trying to find love, but it goes far beyond simple sexuality and nails down 1) something we’re all deeply invested in and 2) the only reason anyone ever creates any piece of art. What Will It Cost? Just 7 minutes of your time. Check out Hello, Thanks for yourself:

Last year I came away from Cannes needing to tell as many people as possible to see Blue Valentine, which enthralled and emotionally jarred me thanks to a blend of compelling story-telling and two mesmerizing lead performances ranging from touching to explosive in the space of a few short minutes. Already, only two days in, I feel the same way about Gus Van Sant‘s Restless, the film that today opened the Un Certain Regard section of the festival. Restless is a similar tale of two entwined souls romantically entangled, but unlike Blue Valentine, which was all about the central pair’s relationship to the extent that it quite wonderfully presented them as living in an impenetrable and ultimately devastating bubble, Van Sant throws in a couple of narrative conceits and a hugely gripping hook that adds a different element to the film. Both films share a resolute focus on a final point: while Blue Valentine alludes to it (the relationship’s end) thanks to an alinear narrative structure, Restless reveals very early on that Annabel (Mia Wasikowska) has a terminal disease that will kill her inside three months, which gives the story both structure and that killer hook. This is no Bucket List – there are no grand, sweeping gestures, no life affirming to-do-lists to complete in order to feel complete before death. Instead we are offered a portrait of a young couple, both aged by their personal tragedies (one by her illness, the other by the death of his parents), yet unwilling and unable to cast [Due to Content Scraping and Theft, we have been forced to try abbreviated feeds. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and woud very much appreciate you clicking through to view the full article on FilmSchoolRejects.com]

Your weekly fix of great movies made before you were born that you should check out before you die. Last month we celebrated Bette Davis, and this week, it’s time to celebrate the anniversary of another star’s birthday. Audrey Hepburn needs no introduction, but Sabrina gave her a second one. After Roman Holiday, she became a bona fide star, and her follow-up saw her playing romantically confused with William Holden and Humphrey Bogart. It’s an example of all the wrong pieces coming together to make a sweet, romantic, funny film. Hepburn wasn’t nearly as prolific as other actors, but she managed to find projects that either worked perfectly or were made perfect by her huge brown eyes and powerful innocence. This movie is no different, and it carries all the romanticism of Roman Holiday without ever having to leave the country.

Why Watch? Because this short is built as a motivator for you to get out and make that movie you keep talking about. All planning for Jupiter Le Batard‘s film took place over a weekend and was shot in 2 hours. If they can make it happen, you can make it happen. The result is a short with a lot of life to it, even if it’s about not taking the chances you wish you could take (tying in perfectly with the message of making your movie instead of talking about making your movie). A young woman sits at in a cafe. A young man sits close by. Will he do what he longs to do? Will he reach out and make that human connection? What Will It Cost? Just 4 minutes of your time. Check out Un Certain Regard for yourself:

Why Watch? Because this short film is made entirely of still photographs (over 4,500 to be inexact), all of which capture the beauty of Rome and the two people falling in love because of a chance encounter. This is what happens when you’re a beautiful woman who misses a train – a gorgeous man takes you on a night-time tour of the ridiculously breathtaking city you’re in. The effect of the pictures (like a flip book or stop motion animation with humans) might be a little jarring for some, but it definitely adds to the dreaminess of the entire experience. What Will It Cost? Just 6 minutes of your time. Check out Notte Sento for yourself:

I’ve been wondering where director Niki Caro has been. After delivering the stunningly brilliant Whale Rider in 2002, she followed it up with another great effort in North Country, but The Vintner’s Luck will only be her third film within the span of nearly a decade. She’s not the most prolific, but so far, she’s done nothing but produce quality. Perhaps being picky has paid off. That looks to be the case here again with the trailer for her forthcoming flick that focuses on a peasant who learns the grape-stomping trade in order to rise in the ranks of society and get Vera Farmiga drunk. The trailer has just about everything you could ask for, including vibrant production design, some romantic conflict, and, of course, a mysterious angel that appears in the night to giveth and taketh away in equal measure. Check it out for yourself:

We call them threesomes here, but this fancy film deserves something more high brow. Masterpiece Theater-style offerings get a bad reputation because they’re usually chock full of people being extra polite and eating finger sandwiches. The trailer for The Princess of Montpensier seems to buck that trend by trading the politeness for swordfighting, and the finger sandwiches for human nether regions. There are both kinds of passion swinging free in this trailer, and it’s all over a beautiful woman. Figures. Check it out for yourself:

Why Watch? Because all you need for a movie is a pretty girl and a gun. A young man returns to his wash at the laundromat after getting quarters to find a lively blonde sitting across from him and a gun sitting on top of his dirty unmentionables. This short works so well because the two leads are not bad too look at, and their chemistry is obvious. It’s a sweet little connection that has it’s own twists. It’s that connection that should make us question the simple act of flirting. If you found a gun in your laundry, what would you do? What Will It Cost? Just 6 minutes of your time. Does it get better any better than that? Check out The Laundromat for yourself:

New York has been colored in all sorts of cinematic lights. From the romance of its buildings, to the insanity of its free-flowing nightlife, to the comedy and wisdom of its inhabitants. Even the splendor of its drug-smuggling Hasadic Jewish citizens. But maybe there hasn’t been a movie about this side of Manhattan just yet. The Imperialists are Still Alive! paints a portrait of the cosmopolitan scene, the cultural blend, and a romance that seems to be struck with hilarious accusations of terrorism. It’s tough to make out what it’s all about, but what it is, looks funny and charming as hell.