After July's relative dry spell for worthwhile new releases, the first weekend in August brings a few good reasons to escape the heat in a movie theater. The dark, cynical Killer Joe is required viewing, but if you're looking for something less violently nihilistic, may I suggest the charming Ruby Sparks?
Elsewhere in Austin movieland are some intriguing special screenings. On Saturday and Sunday, Alamo Drafthouse Ritz is screening The Color Wheel, a portrait of two estranged and unmotivated twentysomething siblings, a brother and sister who grow closer and discover themselves while moving the sister's belongings out of her ex-lover's apartment. The Color Wheel -- which features Austin filmmaker Bob Byington in an acting role -- also shows nightly August 6-9 at Alamo South Lamar.
On Sunday night at Yellow Jacket Stadium, Cinema East presents my favorite film of SXSW 2012, King Kelly. (Read my excessively glowing review.) Shot entirely on...
Elsewhere in Austin movieland are some intriguing special screenings. On Saturday and Sunday, Alamo Drafthouse Ritz is screening The Color Wheel, a portrait of two estranged and unmotivated twentysomething siblings, a brother and sister who grow closer and discover themselves while moving the sister's belongings out of her ex-lover's apartment. The Color Wheel -- which features Austin filmmaker Bob Byington in an acting role -- also shows nightly August 6-9 at Alamo South Lamar.
On Sunday night at Yellow Jacket Stadium, Cinema East presents my favorite film of SXSW 2012, King Kelly. (Read my excessively glowing review.) Shot entirely on...
- 8/3/2012
- by Don Clinchy
- Slackerwood
By Sean O’Connell
hollywoodnews.com: We don’t yet have a clear-cut frontrunner in the Oscar race. There is support in certain circles for such films as “Moneyball,” “The Descendants” and “The Help.” We’re still waiting to see “War Horse,” “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” and Stephen Daldry’s “Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close.” A lot can change between now and then.
One thing that hasn’t wavered, however, is the audience support for Michel Hazanavicius’s “The Artist,” which started charming patrons back at Cannes. The film’s latest conquest was The 2011 Austin Film Festival, which took home the Audience Award for the Out-of-Competition category at this year’s fest.
Totally understandable. It is an absolute crowd pleaser, and I expect it to play extremely well with Academy members this season. Well enough to win the Best Picture prize? Only time will tell.
Here are the...
hollywoodnews.com: We don’t yet have a clear-cut frontrunner in the Oscar race. There is support in certain circles for such films as “Moneyball,” “The Descendants” and “The Help.” We’re still waiting to see “War Horse,” “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” and Stephen Daldry’s “Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close.” A lot can change between now and then.
One thing that hasn’t wavered, however, is the audience support for Michel Hazanavicius’s “The Artist,” which started charming patrons back at Cannes. The film’s latest conquest was The 2011 Austin Film Festival, which took home the Audience Award for the Out-of-Competition category at this year’s fest.
Totally understandable. It is an absolute crowd pleaser, and I expect it to play extremely well with Academy members this season. Well enough to win the Best Picture prize? Only time will tell.
Here are the...
- 11/4/2011
- by Sean O'Connell
- Hollywoodnews.com
If you're a fan of music-heavy movies, you will likely love Sironia. If you usually shy away from them, especially when the lead is a musician himself, you'll be pleasantly surprised with Brandon Dickerson's feature film debut.
"Life is what happens when you're making other plans." In the case of Thomas (Wes Cunningham), when plans for stardom start requiring compromise, he and his expectant wife escape to Sironia, Texas for a simpler life. As it usually happens, the act of running from instead of running to is never fast enough.
Early in Sironia, the movie seems like it might follow the trope of artistic integrity versus money, and be merely a vehicle for showcasing Cunningham's songs. However, Sironia isn't a vanity film, and the longer it progresses the more impressive it gets. While Cunningham's music is integral to the story and in fact written prior to the script, the...
"Life is what happens when you're making other plans." In the case of Thomas (Wes Cunningham), when plans for stardom start requiring compromise, he and his expectant wife escape to Sironia, Texas for a simpler life. As it usually happens, the act of running from instead of running to is never fast enough.
Early in Sironia, the movie seems like it might follow the trope of artistic integrity versus money, and be merely a vehicle for showcasing Cunningham's songs. However, Sironia isn't a vanity film, and the longer it progresses the more impressive it gets. While Cunningham's music is integral to the story and in fact written prior to the script, the...
- 10/25/2011
- by Jenn Brown
- Slackerwood
The 18th Austin Film Festival is almost here. To help celebrate all the locally connected movies at this year's fest, we've reached out to a number of filmmakers to find out about their Austin and Texas-tied films screening at Aff, and to hear about what they're looking forward to doing during the festival.
Austin-based filmmaker Brandon Dickerson's feature film debut Sironia features music by Texas singer-songwriter Wes Cunningham, who also co-wrote the script with Dickerson and Thomas Ward. Dickerson, pictured above on the right with actress Amy Acker and Wes Cunningham, shares some very personal stories about how the story and the film began. Audiences may not recognize all the names of cast and crew, but may notice a lot of familiar faces onscreen. The cast includes Jeremy Sisto, Carrie Preston and Ryan Cartwright, not to mention Dallas-born actress Acker.
Slackerwood: Describe your film for us, in a quick and dirty paragraph.
Austin-based filmmaker Brandon Dickerson's feature film debut Sironia features music by Texas singer-songwriter Wes Cunningham, who also co-wrote the script with Dickerson and Thomas Ward. Dickerson, pictured above on the right with actress Amy Acker and Wes Cunningham, shares some very personal stories about how the story and the film began. Audiences may not recognize all the names of cast and crew, but may notice a lot of familiar faces onscreen. The cast includes Jeremy Sisto, Carrie Preston and Ryan Cartwright, not to mention Dallas-born actress Acker.
Slackerwood: Describe your film for us, in a quick and dirty paragraph.
- 10/18/2011
- by Jenn Brown
- Slackerwood
By Sean O’Connell
Hollywoodnews.com: A handful of stellar titles with Oscar aspirations have been programmed into this year’s Austin Film Festival schedule, which begins on Oct. 20 with an as-yet-unnamed Opening Night selection.
In between, Aff audiences will get their first looks at Alexander Payne’s “The Descendants,” Steve McQueen’s “Shame,” Lynne Ramsay’s “We Need to Talk About Kevin,” Rodrigo Garcia’s “Albert Nobbs” and Sean Durkin’s “Martha Marcy May Marlene” – all films with awards hopes that will screen as part of the festival’s Marquee category.
“We’re proud to be taking our program in some exciting new directions while maintaining our focus on strong writing and engaging stories,” said new Film Programmers Stephen Jannise and Stephen Belyeu.
In addition, the fest has set up special screenings of “Toy Story” (presented by John Lasseter), an “Edward Scissorhands” screening, and a tribute to Polly Platt...
Hollywoodnews.com: A handful of stellar titles with Oscar aspirations have been programmed into this year’s Austin Film Festival schedule, which begins on Oct. 20 with an as-yet-unnamed Opening Night selection.
In between, Aff audiences will get their first looks at Alexander Payne’s “The Descendants,” Steve McQueen’s “Shame,” Lynne Ramsay’s “We Need to Talk About Kevin,” Rodrigo Garcia’s “Albert Nobbs” and Sean Durkin’s “Martha Marcy May Marlene” – all films with awards hopes that will screen as part of the festival’s Marquee category.
“We’re proud to be taking our program in some exciting new directions while maintaining our focus on strong writing and engaging stories,” said new Film Programmers Stephen Jannise and Stephen Belyeu.
In addition, the fest has set up special screenings of “Toy Story” (presented by John Lasseter), an “Edward Scissorhands” screening, and a tribute to Polly Platt...
- 9/20/2011
- by Sean O'Connell
- Hollywoodnews.com
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