Austin Film Festival Announces 2014 Slate
Selections include Wild, Escobar: Paradise Lost, The Imitation Game, The Homesman, Big Hero 6, and a robust slate of World Premieres
AUSTIN, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Austin Film Festival & Screenwriters Conference (AFF), the premier film festival recognizing writers’ and filmmakers’ contributions to film, television, and new media, announced today their full slate of programming for the 21st Annual Festival, this October 23-30.
Marquee selections will feature Wild, Escobar: Paradise Lost, The Imitation Game, The Sound and the Fury, The Homesman, Black and White, Big Hero 6, Red Army, and the World Premieres of Gravitas Venture’s 21 Years: Richard Linklater, Bravo’s upcoming series A Girlfriend’s Guide to Divorce, and Amplify’s Dawn Patrol – a script discovered out of AFF’s Screenplay Competition by Enderby Entertainment’s Daniel Petrie, Jr. and Rick Dugdale.
AFF’s Film Competition Program boasts 15 World Premieres, with titles hailing from more than 20 countries. Film talent confirmed to attend includes Jay Duplass (Jeff, Who Lives at Home), Rita Wilson (Sleepless in Seattle), Scott Eastwood (Fury), W. Earl Brown (Deadwood), Jason Ritter (Parenthood), Austin Nichols (One Tree Hill), Leven Rambin (The Hunger Games), Matthew Letscher (Her), Alex Anfanger (The Secret Life of Walter Mitty), Sebastian Roché (Beowulf), Luke Kleintank (Bones), Lindsay Pulsipher (Hatfields & McCoys), Glenn Morshower (Friday Night Lights), Lindsay Burdge (A Teacher), comedian Maz Jobrani, members from the band Morphine, and more.
The Screenwriters Conference, held the first four days of the Festival (October 23-26), will play host to writers behind some of the last year’s biggest blockbusters and indie gems: Guardians of the Galaxy, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, 12 Years a Slave, American Hustle, Dallas Buyers Club, Saving Mr. Banks, and The Fault In Our Stars; as well as highly-anticipated projects: Unbroken, Fifty Shades of Grey, The Jungle Book, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, and Top Gun 2. Television creators, writers, directors, and producers will be represented from Mad Men, True Detective, Breaking Bad, Fargo, Masters of Sex, Bob’s Burgers, Justified, and Orange is the New Black.
Guest programmers for AFF’s annual retrospective series include Matthew Weiner presenting episodes from The Twilight Zone; Jim Sheridan and Terry George presenting In the Name of the Father; Jenny Lumet, daughter of Sidney Lumet, presenting Network; and Randall Wallace presenting Braveheart.
Badges and passes are available for purchase online at www.austinfilmfestival.com or by phone at 1-800-310-FEST.
Attendance is subject to change and based on permitting schedules.
Austin Film Festival is supported in part by a grant from the Texas Commission on the Arts, City of Austin Economic Growth & Redevelopment Services Office/Cultural Arts Division believing an investment in the Arts is an investment in Austin’s future.
Saturday, September 20, 2014
Trailblazing Comedian, Joan Rivers, Dead at 81 - Update #8
Heart is breaking. Can't write much now. Joan Rivers is dead.
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Born on June 8th, 1933, Joan Rivers was an American comedian, also known for her work as an actress and as a television host. Rivers also authored numerous books and recorded several comedy albums.
She first came to prominence in 1965 when she appeared on "The Tonight Show," a program with which she would be closely associated for the next two decades. In 1986, Rivers became the first woman to host her own late night talk show with "The Late Show with Joan Rivers," which was short-lived. From 1989 to 1993, she hosted a successful daytime show, "The Joan Rivers Show," which earned her a Daytime Emmy.
For the past two decades, most of Rivers' work has centered on covering celebrities and celebrity events. Beginning in 2010, Joan Rivers was the host of the television series, "Fashion Police," aired on the cable network, E!
Rivers died Thursday, September 4th, 2014. Negromancer sends condolences to Rivers' family, friends, and fans. R.I.P. Joan Rivers.
From YahooCelebrity: President Obama send handwritten note of condolences to Melissa Rivers.
From YahooCelebrity: Rivers' personal doctor took a selfie while Rivers was under anesthesia before he performed unauthorized biopsy.
From YahooCelebrity: Read the eulogy letter Melissa Rivers read at her mother's funeral.
From YahooTV: Details on Joan Rivers' death - air supply cut off
From YahooCelebrity: Joan Rivers' funeral is somber, bawdy, and star-studded.
From CNN: Rivers' funeral set for Sunday in New York City.
From YahooCelebrity: Rivers' funeral to have a red carpet.
From YahooCelebrity: Joan Rivers, trailblazing comic, red carpet fixture, dead at 81
From Variety: Joan Rivers, Comedian and TV Host, Dies at 81
From Variety: Hollywood pays tribute to Joan Rivers
From YahooTV: Revisiting the Johnny Carson-Joan Rivers feud.
From YahooTV: Joan River's most outrageous celebrity insults. Of note, most of these have to do with recent celebs. I'm sure there is a better list that focuses on former headliners and A-listers.
From the HuffingtonPost: Melissa Rivers' brave decision
From TheWrap: Rivers' cause of death still unknown.
From YahooCelebrity: More of Rivers' celebrity feuds.
Related Joan Rivers sites:
Official website is here.
Wikipedia page is here.
IMDb page is here.
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Born on June 8th, 1933, Joan Rivers was an American comedian, also known for her work as an actress and as a television host. Rivers also authored numerous books and recorded several comedy albums.
She first came to prominence in 1965 when she appeared on "The Tonight Show," a program with which she would be closely associated for the next two decades. In 1986, Rivers became the first woman to host her own late night talk show with "The Late Show with Joan Rivers," which was short-lived. From 1989 to 1993, she hosted a successful daytime show, "The Joan Rivers Show," which earned her a Daytime Emmy.
For the past two decades, most of Rivers' work has centered on covering celebrities and celebrity events. Beginning in 2010, Joan Rivers was the host of the television series, "Fashion Police," aired on the cable network, E!
Rivers died Thursday, September 4th, 2014. Negromancer sends condolences to Rivers' family, friends, and fans. R.I.P. Joan Rivers.
From YahooCelebrity: President Obama send handwritten note of condolences to Melissa Rivers.
From YahooCelebrity: Rivers' personal doctor took a selfie while Rivers was under anesthesia before he performed unauthorized biopsy.
From YahooCelebrity: Read the eulogy letter Melissa Rivers read at her mother's funeral.
From YahooTV: Details on Joan Rivers' death - air supply cut off
From YahooCelebrity: Joan Rivers' funeral is somber, bawdy, and star-studded.
From CNN: Rivers' funeral set for Sunday in New York City.
From YahooCelebrity: Rivers' funeral to have a red carpet.
From YahooCelebrity: Joan Rivers, trailblazing comic, red carpet fixture, dead at 81
From Variety: Joan Rivers, Comedian and TV Host, Dies at 81
From Variety: Hollywood pays tribute to Joan Rivers
From YahooTV: Revisiting the Johnny Carson-Joan Rivers feud.
From YahooTV: Joan River's most outrageous celebrity insults. Of note, most of these have to do with recent celebs. I'm sure there is a better list that focuses on former headliners and A-listers.
From the HuffingtonPost: Melissa Rivers' brave decision
From TheWrap: Rivers' cause of death still unknown.
From YahooCelebrity: More of Rivers' celebrity feuds.
Related Joan Rivers sites:
Official website is here.
Wikipedia page is here.
IMDb page is here.
Friday, September 19, 2014
New Trailer and Poster for Jason Reitman's "Men, Women, and Children"
Watch the new trailer for Jason Reitman's MEN, WOMEN & CHILDREN:
http://www.mtv.com/news/1934090/men-women-children-trailer-ansel-elgort/
Share your thoughts and reactions to the trailer with the Whisper App using #MWC
Synopsis: MEN, WOMEN & CHILDREN follows the story of a group of high school teenagers and their parents as they attempt to navigate the many ways the internet has changed their relationships, their communication, their self-image, and their love lives. The film attempts to stare down social issues such as video game culture, anorexia, infidelity, fame hunting, and the proliferation of illicit material on the internet. As each character and each relationship is tested, we are shown the variety of roads people choose - some tragic, some hopeful - as it becomes clear that no one is immune to this enormous social change that has come through our phones, our tablets, and our computers.
Official site: http://www.menwomenchildrenmovie.com
Facebook: Facebook.com/MWCmovie
Twitter: Twitter.com/MWCmovie
Instagram: Instagram.com/MWCmovie
#MWC
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Thursday, September 18, 2014
New "Interstellar" Poster - September 17th, 2014
The end of Earth will not be the end of us.
Official YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/interstellarmovie
Official Twitter: https://twitter.com/Interstellar
Official Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/InterstellarMovie
#Interstellar
Opens November 7th, 2014
Review: "The Amazing Spider-Man 2" Entangled in Too Many Angles
The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014)
Running time: 142 minutes (2 hours, 22 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for sequences of sci-fi/action and violence
DIRECTOR: Marc Webb
WRITERS: Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci, and James Pinkner; from a story by Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci, James Pinkner, and James Vanderbilt (based upon the Marvel comic book by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko)
PRODUCERS: Avi Arad and Matthew Tolmach
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Dan Mindel (D.o.P.)
EDITOR: Pietro Scalia
COMPOSERS: Hans Zimmer, The Magnificent Six, Johnny Marr, and Pharrell Williams
SUPERHERO/DRAMA/ACTION/ROMANCE
Starring: Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Jamie Foxx, Sally Field, Dane DeHaan, Felicity Jones, Paul Giamatti, Campbell Scott, Embeth Davidtz, Marton Csokas, Max Charles, B.J. Novak, Kari Coleman, Michael Massee, and Stan Lee with Chris Cooper and Denis Leary
The Amazing Spider-Man 2 is a 2014 superhero film and drama from director Marc Webb and stars Andrew Garfield in the title role. It is the sequel to The Amazing Spider-Man, the 2012 film that was a reboot of Columbia Pictures' Spider-Man film franchise, and this movie is also the fifth Spider-Man film in the series. The Amazing Spider-Man 2 finds Spider-Man facing a former admirer turned super-villain, while Peter Parker worries that being Spider-Man will endanger his loved ones.
The Amazing Spider-Man 2 begins as Peter Parker (Andrew Garfield) and his girlfriend, Gwen Stacy (Emma Stone), are about to graduate from high school. Peter is also loving his life as the costumed, crime-fighting superhero, Spider-Man. Peter, however, is currently haunted by the specter of police Captain George Stacy (Denis Leary), Gwen's deceased father. As Capt. Stacy lay dying (in the previous film), Peter promised him to keep Gwen out of his life because of Spider-Man. Peter reluctantly tries to break up with Gwen, but the two teenagers deeply love each other. Peter's attempts simply sow confusion.
Meanwhile, at OsCorp Industries, Peter's former friend, Harry Osborn (Dane DeHaan), returns to New York City in time to take over the business of his recently deceased father, Norman Osborn (Chris Cooper). OsCorp's past as a company on the cutting edge of controversial genetic research, however, threatens both Harry and Peter. Also, a new villain, Electro (Jamie Foxx), appears.
The Amazing Spider-Man 2 lacks focus, and I think that there are two reasons for that. First, the screenplay wants to be a story of young romance, but the romance and character drama are overwrought. Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone give good performances, but Peter and Gwen's relationship is like a car stuck in mud and pointlessly spinning its wheel. The car isn't going anywhere, and until the end, neither is Peter and Gwen's relationship, and then, that is only for tragic affect.
I think the second reason that The Amazing Spider-Man 2 seems muddled is because it is more than just a superhero movie; it is the birth of an expanded universe. Sony, Columbia Pictures' parent, wants to take some of the characters that belong to Marvel Comics' line of Spider-Man comic books and use them to expand their Spider-Man film franchise into a Spider-Man universe. They want something like Marvel Studios' “Marvel Cinematic Universe.” Why have just Spider-Man movies when you can have movies starring Spider-Man adversaries like Venom and the Sinister Six.
Marvel essentially used the 2010 film, Iron Man 2, to expand its universe, and that movie tended to drift and lack focus, but in the end, Iron Man 2 was a good movie. The Amazing Spider-Man 2 is meant to expand the Spider-Man universe, but in the end, it is not really a good movie. The character melodrama is at odds with the showy action-fantasy violence that is the Spider-Man vs. Electro subplot. Electro is probably the worse villain yet in the Spider-Man films.
The Amazing Spider-Man 2 has an engaging visual style, and it is probably at its best when it depicts Spider-Man swinging over New York City, through its canyons and around its buildings and skyscrapers. Even the fight scenes, which seem tacked on to the story, look good, when they focus on Spider-Man. Nothing about Electro looks good. Hopefully, the third installment of The Amazing Spider-Man can be itself, a stand-alone movie that does not have to carry the hopes of Sony's corporate board and accountants.
4 of 10
C
Monday, September 15, 2014
The text is copyright © 2014 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this site for syndication rights and fees.
Wednesday, September 17, 2014
"Vacation" Remake/Reboot/Sequel/Contiunation Begins Filming in Georgia
Cameras Roll on “Vacation”
Principal photography begins on New Line Cinema’s “Vacation,” Starring Ed Helms and Christina Applegate
BURBANK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The next generation of Griswolds is at it again. Shooting has begun in Georgia on New Line Cinema’s “Vacation,” starring Ed Helms (“The Hangover” films) and Christina Applegate (the “Anchorman” films) on the road for another ill-fated adventure. The film marks Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley’s directorial debut.
Following in his father’s footsteps and hoping for some much-needed family bonding, a grown-up Rusty Griswold (Helms) surprises his wife, Debbie (Applegate), and their two sons with a cross-country trip back to America’s “favorite family fun park,” Walley World.
Rounding out the cast are Chris Hemsworth (the “Thor” films) in the role of Stone Crandall, Rusty’s irritatingly successful brother-in-law; Charlie Day (the “Horrible Bosses” films), who plays a river rafting guide; and Skyler Gisondo (“Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb,” “Hard Sell”) and Steele Stebbins (“A Haunted House 2”), who play Rusty’s sons, James and Kevin. Chevy Chase and Beverly D’Angelo reprise their roles as Clark and Ellen Griswold from the classic “Vacation” comedies.
Goldstein & Daley (“Horrible Bosses,” “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2”) wrote the script, based on characters created by John Hughes. David Dobkin (upcoming “The Judge,” “Wedding Crashers”) and Chris Bender (“We’re the Millers,” upcoming “Horrible Bosses 2”) are producing, with Marc S. Fischer serving as executive producer.
The directors’ behind-the-scenes creative team also includes director of photography Barry Peterson (the “Jump Street” films, “We’re the Millers”), production designer Barry Robison (“Wedding Crashers,” “Pitch Perfect”), and costume designer Debra McGuire (“Ted”).
“Vacation” is a New Line Cinema presentation and will be distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment company.
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Principal photography begins on New Line Cinema’s “Vacation,” Starring Ed Helms and Christina Applegate
BURBANK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The next generation of Griswolds is at it again. Shooting has begun in Georgia on New Line Cinema’s “Vacation,” starring Ed Helms (“The Hangover” films) and Christina Applegate (the “Anchorman” films) on the road for another ill-fated adventure. The film marks Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley’s directorial debut.
Following in his father’s footsteps and hoping for some much-needed family bonding, a grown-up Rusty Griswold (Helms) surprises his wife, Debbie (Applegate), and their two sons with a cross-country trip back to America’s “favorite family fun park,” Walley World.
Rounding out the cast are Chris Hemsworth (the “Thor” films) in the role of Stone Crandall, Rusty’s irritatingly successful brother-in-law; Charlie Day (the “Horrible Bosses” films), who plays a river rafting guide; and Skyler Gisondo (“Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb,” “Hard Sell”) and Steele Stebbins (“A Haunted House 2”), who play Rusty’s sons, James and Kevin. Chevy Chase and Beverly D’Angelo reprise their roles as Clark and Ellen Griswold from the classic “Vacation” comedies.
Goldstein & Daley (“Horrible Bosses,” “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2”) wrote the script, based on characters created by John Hughes. David Dobkin (upcoming “The Judge,” “Wedding Crashers”) and Chris Bender (“We’re the Millers,” upcoming “Horrible Bosses 2”) are producing, with Marc S. Fischer serving as executive producer.
The directors’ behind-the-scenes creative team also includes director of photography Barry Peterson (the “Jump Street” films, “We’re the Millers”), production designer Barry Robison (“Wedding Crashers,” “Pitch Perfect”), and costume designer Debra McGuire (“Ted”).
“Vacation” is a New Line Cinema presentation and will be distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment company.
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Tuesday, September 16, 2014
Disney and Marvel Studios Release "Avengers: Age of Ultron" Synopsis
Disney/Marvel has released the official synopsis of Avengers: Age of Ultron, the sequel to its blockbuster film, Marvel's The Avengers.
The synopsis is as follows:
Marvel Studios presents “Avengers: Age of Ultron,” the epic follow-up to the biggest Super Hero movie of all time. When Tony Stark tries to jumpstart a dormant peacekeeping program, things go awry and Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, including Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, The Incredible Hulk, Black Widow and Hawkeye, are put to the ultimate test as the fate of the planet hangs in the balance. As the villainous Ultron emerges, it is up to The Avengers to stop him from enacting his terrible plans, and soon uneasy alliances and unexpected action pave the way for an epic and unique global adventure.
Marvel’s “Avengers: Age of Ultron” stars Robert Downey Jr., who returns as Iron Man, along with Chris Evans as Captain America, Chris Hemsworth as Thor and Mark Ruffalo as The Hulk. Together with Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow and Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye, and with the additional support of Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury and Cobie Smulders as Agent Maria Hill, the team must reassemble to defeat James Spader as Ultron, a terrifying technological villain hell-bent on human extinction. Along the way, they confront two mysterious and powerful newcomers, Wanda Maximoff, played by Elizabeth Olsen, and Pietro Maximoff, played by Aaron Taylor-Johnson, and meet an old friend in a new form when Paul Bettany becomes Vision. Written and directed by Joss Whedon and produced by Kevin Feige, Marvel’s “Avengers: Age of Ultron” is based on the ever-popular Marvel comic book series “The Avengers,” first published in 1963. Get set for an action-packed thrill ride when The Avengers return in Marvel’s “Avengers: Age of Ultron” on May 1, 2015.
End of synopsis.
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