SXSW 2017: California Dreams Blurs the Line Between Doc & Narrative
California Dreams is a bizarre study of five Southern Californians trying to make it in Hollywood. The film features Cory Zacharia who has hopes of becoming an actor, but seems unaware that he’s already the lead in the film. Billed as a documentary, the movie has some hallucinatory moments like a running gag of Cory being chased by a Dog the Bounty Hunter impersonator and collecting twenty-dollar bills that fall from the sky in a field just when he needs them.
SXSW2017: Austin Production La Barracuda Has Real Bite
Shot and filmed in Austin by local filmmakers Jason Cortlund and Julia Halperin, La Barracuda was a hometown darling at SXSW. The suspense drama stars Texas native Allison Tolman (Fargo) as Merle, the tone-deaf daughter of a country music legend. When a mysterious woman appears and introduces herself as Merle’s half sister, Sinaloa (Sophie Reid), tensions flare. Everyone in the family has their suspicions of her true intentions that range from selfish to sinister.
SXSW 2017: Talking with The Transfiguration Filmmakers About the Vampire Thriller
The Transfiguration is a gritty urban vampire story that ditches the typical startling horror vibe of monster movies for the shock of a realistic bloodthirsty killer. Adding to the film’s discomfort is the innocence and confusion of the quiet teenage predator. Raised by his older brother, Milo (Eric Ruffin) is lonely and doesn’t seem to be able to comprehend the consequences of his actions. When fellow angst ridden teen Sophie (Chloe Levine) takes an interest in him,
SXSW 2017: Mommy Dead and Dearest Documents an Unbelievable True Story
Mommy Dead and Dearest is a chilling thriller with countless twists that draws you in immediately and doesn’t let go. When Dee Dee Blanchard was found stabbed to death and her critically ill and disabled daughter Gypsy Rose goes missing, an entire Midwest town feared for her safety. Days later, Gypsy is found in Wisconsin, mentally sound, healthy, and able to walk. The plot might sound like a James Patterson novel, but Mommy Dead and Dearest is a documentary and the wild tale is true.
Director Olivier Assayas on Tailoring Personal Shopper for Kristen Stewart
French director Olivier Assayas may have tailored Personal Shopper to its star, Kristen Stewart, but Assayas doesn’t take credit for Stewart’s career boom in acclaimed indies like Kelly Reichardt’s Certain Women and in more mainstream fare such as Woody Allen’s Cafe Society and Ang Lee’s Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk, all released in 2016.
“I was the right person at the right time,”
SXSW 2017: Talking with The Hero Director Brett Haley
SXSW darling The Hero was a tender exploration of love, loneliness, and typecasting. The story follows former western star Lee Hayden (Sam Elliott) who spent his life overshadowed by that one big role. When a cancer diagnosis strikes, he struggles to define his legacy and connect with people who knew the man better than the myth.
There’s possibly no actor who understands the frustrations of being stereotyped better than Sam Elliott.
How the Girlfriends’ Guide to Divorce Costume Designer Keeps the Fashions Coming
Cynthia Summers knows how to make women look their best. She’s crafted the looks for trendy shows including UnREAL, The L Word, and now Girlfriends’ Guide to Divorce. The Bravo show just wrapped up season three and is already slated to air two more thanks to fan fervor. Audiences immediately fell in love with the show’s women who are seemingly able to do it all while wearing four-inch heels.
Director Danny Boyle Talks T2 Trainspotting
There’s no lack of sex, drugs and rock ‘n’roll in T2 Trainspotting. The long-awaited sequel to director Danny Boyle’s darkly comic and stylized ode to youthful anarchy and heroin addiction that shook the cinematic landscape in 1996 lands in U.S. theaters on Friday. The Scottish gang of four as well as the actors who brought them to life are all back – Ewan McGregor’s scampish Rent Boy, Jonny Lee Miller as con man Sick Boy,
Behind the Sets of Saturday Night Live with Veteran Designer Eugene Lee
78-year old Eugene Lee skipped out on his MFA from Yale (they later awarded him the degree) to design the Tony award winning set for Candide on Broadway. Lee humbly recalls that his sets caught the eye of “some guy” from NBC who requested a meeting. “You know, I thought, ‘Well, I don’t know anything about television, but what’s the harm?’” Lee said. “So I made the appointment, went to New York, knocked on the door.
SXSW 2017: The Strange Ones Directors Play With Your Perceptions
Christopher Radcliff and Lauren Wolkstein’s feature-length debut The Strange Ones is a slow burning, twisted coming-of-age story co-starring Alex Pettyfer and 14 year old James Freedson-Jackson, who won SXSW’s Special Jury Prize for breakthrough performance. He’s immensely deserving of the accolade, delivering a performance of almost unnerving poise for a 14-year-old actor. It had begun its life as a short six years ago.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K86nhhNV058
The feature film opens with two brothers on the run.
The Music of the Emotional First Season of This is Us
This is Us was this year’s break out show that everyone can’t stop crying about. The first season came to its heart-wrenching conclusion last night, but fans didn’t witness the death of Jack Pearson (Milo Ventimiglia) as previous episodes hinted they might. What could be an overly saccharin family melodrama becomes a tightly woven emotional power punch thanks to sincere performances and a thoughtful score by Siddhartha Khosla. Founder of the band Goldspot,
SXSW 2017: Mark Weber’s Genre-Defying Stunner Flesh and Blood
In his label-defying fourth film as director, actor/writer/director Mark Weber (Green Room, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World) has delivered a subtly powerful shot to the heart with Flesh and Blood. Calling the film “reality cinema,” Weber has turned the camera on his mother, Cheri Honkala, his half-brother Guillermo Santos, and himself, turning his unconventional upbringing and tight-knit, highly atypical family into a moving portrait of a uniquely American story. In fact,
SXSW 2017: Karen Skloss on her Mind-Bending Prom Thriller The Honor Farm
Prom. For some kids, it’s the night of their young lives. For most everybody else, it’s kind of a let down, a bunch of hype for what turns out to be a fairly forgettable dance, rented tuxedos and dresses you’ll never wear again, and the realization that riding around in the back of a limo can be a nauseous affair. For the characters in writer/director Karen Skloss’s The Honor Farm, however, prom is the beginning to a trippy,
Chatting With Beauty and the Beast Director Bill Condon
Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, which opens this week, is a many-splendored thing. The studio’s latest supersized live-action 3-D rendering of an animated classic is a digitally gilded feast for the eyes. It’s also a family blockbuster that provides Emma Watson with her best acting showcase since the Harry Potter franchise. And this brand-name fairy tale about a romance that blossoms between spirited bibliophile Belle and a rage-filled prince turned into a hulking creature by a curse is poised to become a box-office record breaker if pre-sales and trailer views are any indication.
Celebrating Reel Women: Directors
From gripping films like The Hurt Locker and Selma to groundbreaking documentaries like 13th and Blackfish, to horror films like XX and The Invitation (their contribution to the genre is staggering), women in film are consistently leading the industry in new and refreshing directions.
Zack Snyder Teases Aquaman Footage From Justice League
In cased you missed it, a week ago director Zack Snyder teased some footage of Aquaman (Jason Momoa) from Justice League, as a little reverse birthday gift he delivered to fans. The shot is brief but beautiful, showing the superhero in his natural element. In just five seconds, we watch Aquaman swim up to a man on a throne, which most people speculate is Willem Dafoe’s Nuidis Vulko.
How the Kong: Skull Island Cinematographer Channeled Apocalypse Now
From the minute cinematographer Larry Fong walked into Jordan Vogt-Roberts' office to discuss Kong: Skull Island, it became clear that the director wanted to make more than a by-the-numbers monster movie. "The walls in Jordan's office were filled with stills from Apocalypse Now," recalls Fong, citing Francis Ford Coppola's Vietnam War masterpiece. "We were both interested in capturing this kind of classic '70s look, rather than just taking all our references from other monster movies.
How Underground’s Costume Designer Helps Recreate Historic Struggle for Freedom
Underground is returning tonight for another pulse pounding season and a familiar heroine is getting in on the action. The new episodes will feature Harriet Tubman reimagined in a way that you never read about in your middle school textbooks. Costume designer Karyn Wagner brings to life the intense story of African Americans attempting to escape slavery with her incredible 19th century creations. Her attention to detail in portraying the attire of the North and South in slave era America is masterful.
Michelle Yeoh Will Take On Constance Wu in Crazy Rich Asians
Crazy Rich Asians just announced some crazy awesome casting news. Michelle Yeoh is officially on board to play the wealthy and critical matriarch of the Young family. Yeoh’s role will pit her against Fresh Off the Boat star Constance Wu’s character, Rachel. Yeoh will play Eleanor Young, the mother of Rachel’s boyfriend, Nick, who definitely disapproves of the relationship. Rachel receives a shock when the couple travels from America to Nick’s hometown of Singapore and discovers that he’s a wealthy heir.
See how They Built the Epic Brawl in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice
We recently shared with you the incredible before-and-after video of how the Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice VFX team built the film’s dark, layered look. While director Zack Snyder’s movie took some hits from critics, nearly all agreed that the film’s visual style was arresting. To help give Gotham and Metropolis this gritty, gorgeous look, the film needed more a lot of help. In this new video,
