Regarding the release date for Damsels In Distress — Mr Stillman said April 6th for North America, New Zealand get it two weeks after that. He is hoping it will make it’s UK debut around the same time, if not, expect it in the fall.

So, a while to wait yet, but not too far away. I hope those of us in the UK don’t have to wait till near the end of the year though…

Second, there’s a possibility of the first Blu-Ray release of a Stillman film:

Regarding any blu-ray release of his movies, Mr Stillman said that criterion mastered either Metropolitian or The Last Days Of Disco when they brought those titles, but he couldn’t remember which one. Whichever one it is may well see a criterion blu release down the line.

Which is also good, if tentative, news. Thanks for the report Glen!

Anyone signed up, which costs $3.99, will be able to chat during the screening and ask Stillman questions. It starts at 4pm PST / 8pm EST / 1am GMT (the next morning). The Wall Street Journal has an article about Constellation’s online screenings to give you an idea of what the events are like. You can buy your ticket here.

If you want something to remind you of Metropolitan‘s magic, James Wolcott has just written for Vanity Fair about it being “the movie that best captures the mood of Christmas”.

(Disclosure: Constellation have offered me a free ticket for the screening, although I’d have shared this news with you anyway, and I probably won’t be awake for the 1am start time in the UK!)

If you tune in, let us know in the comments how it was!

Here’s one of the clips in which Stillman talks about the differences between the British and US systems, and where he’s living (or isn’t) at the moment:

Many thanks to Oscar Andersson for the tip.

Actress Mira Sorvino, who won an Oscar for her role in Allen’s Mighty Aphrodite, said she was surprised when she and Allen had a meeting before production began and he told her she didn’t have to read the dialogue as written, suggesting instead that she do whatever is the most natural, real and funny.

“I was stunned because I had grown up reading his books, like Without Feathers and Getting Even. … He’s one of our foremost comedic writers ever, and the fact that he had so little ego and ownership of his text was extraordinary, because I’d just come from working with Whit Stillman on Barcelona, who would stop you after a paragraph and say, “You missed the period.”

Chris Eigeman on 'Homicide'

(Thanks to Tom for the tip, via Coudal Partners.)

Stillman was at the Austin Film Festival where Metropolitan was being screened, and Austin360 picked up on a possibly throwaway comment to suggest Stillman is considering moving to Austin:

Before a panel session on developing characters on Thursday, Stillman said that he has been spending most of his time traveling in recent months, and that New York is “an expensive place to just hang my hat.”

If he leaves New York, he said, he’s considering Miami and Austin. He has friends and acquaintances in Miami, but he said Austin’s create scene “seems to be bubbling up.”

KVUE.com has a report from what sounds like a question and answer session with Stillman at the same festival. There are a few bits about Metropolitan and Damsels in Distress and it sounds like Stillman is still tweaking the latter and hoping for a (presumably US) release in March.

Damsels also featured as the “Surprise Film” at the recent London Film Festival. A friend who went to the screening said the audience seemed somewhat split and he wasn’t quite convinced by the movie himself, Greta Gerwig’s performance aside. On the other hand, Sam Inglis at Front Row Reviews was very enthusiastic:

I get why people would hate a movie that actually goes to the trouble of having footnotes before its credits, but every time I think back on Damsels in Distress I like it more, as I remember another joke I laughed at, or another bizarre moment that made me smile.

Tim Chipping at Holy Moly is also pleased:

It feels effortless and joyous, particularly the final dance scene (expanding on a similar break from reality in the closing sequence of Last Days of Disco). And since our first thought was that we wanted to watch the film again, immediately, then it’s more than earned its place in the tiny Stillman canon.

However, Mark Fletcher, writing for the local newspaper Hertfordshire Mercury isn’t a Stillman fan and Damsels didn’t win him over:

It’s as twee as it sounds; in fact the only thing missing is a Belle and Sebastian soundtrack. Damsels in Distress’ s heightened dialogue has its moments of humour, but ruins its best jokes by bludgeoning you over the head with them. … if Stillman’s hoping for long-term cult appeal he’s going to have to do better than this.

Returning to the enthusiasm, Matthew Turner at ViewLondon barely had a bad thing to say:

The script is packed with deliciously quotable lines and Stillman orchestrates some brilliantly funny scenes that pay off in unexpected ways … It is fair to say that Damsels in Distress won’t work for everyone (and indeed, the London Film Festival Surprise Film screening was extremely divisive), but if you’re a fan of either Greta Gerwig, Stillman’s previous films or tap-dancing, you will love it. Highly recommended.

As if to illustrate his point, Turner loves one running gag that Mark Fletcher picked up on as particularly grating. But all in all, it’s sounding good.

Finally, looking ahead, the Stockholm Film Festival is on from 9-20 November and Stillman is chairing the event’s jury. Damsels in Distress is also showing at the festival, out of competition.