The construction worker who killed Adrienne Shelly in her West Village office pleaded guilty to manslaughter - and gave new details about why he killed the actress-director. Diego Pillco will receive 25 years in prison; as an illegal immigrant from Ecuador, the Post says his sentence will be "almost certainly followed by deportation." more ›

Director of the legendary hip-hop documentary Style Wars, Tony Silver, died last weekend after battling an irreversible brain condition for several years. more ›

We would like to take a moment to thank this week's advertisers on Gothamist. more ›

We would like to take a moment to thank this week's advertisers on Gothamist. more ›

(directed by Jeffrey Blitz) more ›

(directed by Julian Goldberger) more ›

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Yankees fans can now rejoice, because Roger Clemens is returning to the New York Yankees. The 44-year old right-hander, who last pitched for the Houston Astros last season, announced his plans to the crowd during the 7th inning stretch of today's Yankees-Mariners game (audio from WCBS), "Well, they came and got me out of Texas. I can tell you, it's a privilege to be back. I'll be talking to y'all soon." How surprising was the announcement? When Clemens left his house this morning, his wife knew, but not his children. Clemens, who has come out of retirement several times, last pitched for the Yankees in 2003. While with the Yankees, Clemens won two World Series rings, in 1999 and 2000. Last season, he was 7-6 with a 2.30 ERA in 19 starts with the Astros. more ›

If things have seemed quiet at the usual New York haunts of movie folks like Film Forum or Grey Dog Coffee this last week, it's because practically the whole community is in Park City, Utah for the Sundance Film Festival. The annual launching pad of many subsequently huge independent features (see this year's Best Picture Oscar nom and last year's festival break out, ), Sundance is a crazy week. Parties, swag, deal-making and oh yeah, some screenings are jam packed into the proceedings. more ›

At the Sundance Film Festival, the film Waitress will premiere this afternoon. Written and directed by Adrienne Shelly. Last November, Shelly had been waiting to hear whether her film was going to be accepted by the Sundance Film Festival when she was found dead in a the Greenwich Village apartment building she had an office in. Initially, police suspected Shelly killed herself, since her body was found hanging from shower rod, but her family and friends couldn't believe she would commit suicide with so much happening in her life. It turned out she had been killed and her body was staged to look like suicide; the suspect, a construction worker who admitted he got into a fight with Shelly when she complained about the noise he was making. more ›

It's finally cold outside (sort of), so warm up this weekend at the movies. The new "in danger in the jungle" horror film to break any genre molds--it's got fancy group dancing, it's got rivalries between warring groups and it's got hottie du jour Meagan Good, so all the elements of the formula are there. But hey, if you're a Black fraternity and sorority step dancing connoisseur you might enjoy it. The critics are saying the dance sequences are fun, even if the plot about a poor boy wooing a rich girl against the backdrop of a dance competition is old hat. more ›

Diego Pillco, the 19 year old construction worker whose fight with actress Adrienne Shelly over construction noise turned fatal, pleaded not guilty during his indictment yesterday. Pillco had confessed to striking Shelly unconscious and, thinking she was dead, staging her body to look like she hanged herself in a suicide because in order to cover it up. The prosecutors entered Pillco's confession, which had many details about the confrontation. According to the Post, Pillco had been in a "bad mood" that day and picked the fight. Shelly hit her head on a computer table after PIllco pushed her. And the Daily News reports that Pillco tied up Shelly the way he used "to tie pigs" in Ecuador and that he got the idea of staging the suicide out of a Spanish novella he read. more ›

which begins a three day run at Anthology Film Archives tonight. With his work, Glover attempts to push the envelope of cultural taboo, and in every aspect of his 2 plus hour presentation, he succeeds. more ›

This week at the movies, two actors known for their intensity on (and off) screen have new flicks coming out. The Oscar-winning over-reactor Russell Crowe goes the romantic comedy route with about an English businessman softened by life in Provence. With a script by Peter Mayle, a novelist well versed in the French countryside, and direction by Ridley Scott, Crowe as Max Skinner actually comes across as incredibly charming. He's sure to send many loins a fluttering as he woos French hottie, Marion Cotillard on his newly inherited chateau and vineyard. Albert Finney, as his beloved uncle, and Freddie Highmore, as the young Max, also have some very cute exchanges together. All of these elements make for a light but well-made movie, that surprisingly entertaining. more ›

to find out. more ›

Just after their premiere at the Sundance Film Festival, Gothamist interviewed local filmmakers and brothers, Jay and Mark Duplass. Now their hilarious, sweet little indie movie, about a road trip to deliver a purple barcalounger, The Puffy Chair is finally getting a theatrical release in New York at the Angelika. Gothamist sat down to chat again with director and co-writer Jay about DIY movie marketing, getting the perfect indie soundtrack and how to do a superb New York night out on a struggling filmmaker's budget. Jay and Mark will also be in town this weekend for Q&As following the 8 pm screenings on Friday and Saturday and to introduce the 10:15 pm showings. more ›

For New York moviegoers, this is a good week for those who worship at the cult of the director. In both the theatrical releases and the repertory columns, film fans of various established and up in coming auteurs will surely get their fill. more ›

The Zoom In Awards take over the Puck Building tonight. Inside the room will be buzzing with a who's who crowd of the indie (and not so indie) scene - including Christine Vachon, President of Killer Films and Executive Producer of Kids and I Shot Andy Warhol - two of our favorite films that use NYC as a backdrop. Geoff Gilmore, Director of the Sundance Film Festival will be receiving a Lifetime Achievement award from David Linde, Producer of Brokeback Mountain. We're calling that a "I can't quit you" line will be somehow dropped into the handing over of the award. more ›

It's been a busy week out in Park City, Utah as the 2006 Sundance Film Festival draws to a close this weekend. Most New Yorkers are uninterested in the daily screenings and sales at Sundance unless you're in the "industry," but Gothamist finds the whole spectacle sort of fascinating because the festival is such a great prognosticator of what will be hot in indie cinema in the coming year. more ›

You may know Vincent Gallo best from his amazing movie Buffalo66, or his excretable movie Brown Bunny, or from his 1980s career as a musician and famous painter, or from leaning against that wall opposite Cafe Havana on Elizabeth Street, staring moodily into space. Now, courtesy of his website, you can take some of that magic and put it where you've always wanted it: in your womb! Funny parts in bold: more ›

and documentaries by the likes of Les Blank, Joris Ivens and Willard Van Dyke. more ›

The holiday movie season is officially upon us. In fact, it started yesterday. We already spent more than enough time mentioning some little musical that will likely see its box office hopes dashed by the continuing dominance of screenwriter Stephen Gaghan. We caught it Monday and were incredibly disappointed (not to mention bored and annoyed) mostly due to the constant proselytizing and exposition which lacks any nuance. A phenomenal cast performs more than admirably even if few of them are given much in the way of actual definitive character in order to fulfill their small role in this overly-complex story. more ›

The Duplass Brothers, Filmmakers more ›

Eugene Hernandez, Editor-in-Chief, indieWIRE more ›

Another documentary that features Michael Moore, The Corporation, opens today at the Film Forum for a two week run. Gothamist hasn't had a chance to check it out yet, but the reviews have been positive and it walked away with an audience award at the Sundance Film Festival. more ›

Another documentary that will be exploding on to big screens this summer is Riding Giants. A visually captivating look at big wave surfing, Riding Giants had the honor of being the first documentary ever selected to open the Sundance Film Festival. more ›

The upcoming release of Better Luck Tomorrow has critics and cultural scholars buzzing. A drama wealthy, Ivy League-poised Asian American teenagers who descend into crime, the film is sparking debate about how Asian Americans are supposed to be perceived. Some feel it's great, finally a way to get people seeing Asians as something else besides the model minority, while others are offended that Asians are being shown in an unflattering matter. At 2002's Sundance Film Festival, there was a heated argument about the film. Roger Ebert wrote about it and his participation: more ›