We all love a good superhero origin story. Sure, it’s great to see Spider-Man swing from buildings, but it’s what Uncle Ben tells a young Peter Parker that touches us all. We all love seeing Batman kick the Joker’s teeth in, but we are all fascinated by that tragic night in Crime Alley. So it’s no surprise that the first and greatest superhero of all time should have a TV show about what defines him. There is a reason why Clark Kent is the best of us. While Batman may be the ultimate example of physical perfection, Superman is the pinnacle of the goodness of humanity. But fans have always debated: is Superman Clark Kent, or is Clark Kent just a disguise? I have always argued Superman is just a cape. Clark is the hero who wears it. Smallville is the case for my belief in...
- 1/22/2024
- by David Arroyo
- JoBlo.com
(Welcome to Best Action Scene Ever, a column dedicated to breaking down the best, most effective action sequences throughout the genre. In this edition, we revisit the surprisingly dark, highly emotional, but quintessentially Superman moment of self-sacrifice in the climax of "The Iron Giant.")
Over 20 years after its release, time has been immensely kind to "The Iron Giant." A perfect example of a film creating a lasting legacy far beyond its disappointing box office performance, the groundbreaking animation effort would put filmmaker Brad Bird on the map (along with his notoriously exacting reputation and painstaking filmmaking approach) and go on to establish itself as one of the best superhero movies of all time. Not too shabby for a hand-drawn production featuring an absolute bare minimum of action scenes and a first-time director at the helm. The 1999 classic is also one of the greatest anti-gun pleas ever committed to film, so...
Over 20 years after its release, time has been immensely kind to "The Iron Giant." A perfect example of a film creating a lasting legacy far beyond its disappointing box office performance, the groundbreaking animation effort would put filmmaker Brad Bird on the map (along with his notoriously exacting reputation and painstaking filmmaking approach) and go on to establish itself as one of the best superhero movies of all time. Not too shabby for a hand-drawn production featuring an absolute bare minimum of action scenes and a first-time director at the helm. The 1999 classic is also one of the greatest anti-gun pleas ever committed to film, so...
- 11/15/2023
- by Jeremy Mathai
- Slash Film
If you were watching television between 2001 and 2011, at some point you probably either watched or at least stumbled across "Smallville." The episodic adventures of a young Clark Kent, who was destined to become Superman, "Smallville" was a teen soap opera/monster-of-the-week TV ratings bonanza for The WB (which eventually became The CW), and for a whole decade, it was one of the network's signature shows.
Unlike previous Superman live-action shows, however, "Smallville" eventually went out of its way to incorporate other heroes and villains from the comics, creating its own sprawling universe. Over the course of the series familiar costumed crime fighters like Green Arrow, Martian Manhunter, Zatanna, Dr. Fate, and Hawkman — to name a few — teamed up with the fledgling superhero.
And yet over the course of the show, despite a series of amusing references and teases, "Smallville" never introduced Bruce Wayne, the Batman, in the series. And that's...
Unlike previous Superman live-action shows, however, "Smallville" eventually went out of its way to incorporate other heroes and villains from the comics, creating its own sprawling universe. Over the course of the series familiar costumed crime fighters like Green Arrow, Martian Manhunter, Zatanna, Dr. Fate, and Hawkman — to name a few — teamed up with the fledgling superhero.
And yet over the course of the show, despite a series of amusing references and teases, "Smallville" never introduced Bruce Wayne, the Batman, in the series. And that's...
- 12/31/2022
- by William Bibbiani
- Slash Film
It used to be, movies surprised us when we took our seats. We didn’t have so many sources for news and trailers a decade or so back. On Tuesdays, Warner Bros screened new films after hours and one night, the DC Comics crew filed in to see an animated feature called The Iron Giant. We didn’t know much about it or Brad Bird, the man behind it.
We were utterly charmed. None of us knew Ted Hughes’ The Iron Man book it was based on but found the 1950s setting perfect, and the old style animation well-done. Best, it had heart and soul and humor and a robot who wants to be Superman. What’s not to love?
Warner moved the release date so late in the process that tie-ins missed the opening and the marketing wasn’t what it should have been. As a result, this modern day classic withered and vanished.
We were utterly charmed. None of us knew Ted Hughes’ The Iron Man book it was based on but found the 1950s setting perfect, and the old style animation well-done. Best, it had heart and soul and humor and a robot who wants to be Superman. What’s not to love?
Warner moved the release date so late in the process that tie-ins missed the opening and the marketing wasn’t what it should have been. As a result, this modern day classic withered and vanished.
- 9/9/2016
- by Robert Greenberger
- Comicmix.com
Burbank, CA, March 29, 2016 – The classic beloved animated tale The Iron Giant returns to home screens when The Iron Giant: Signature Edition is released for the first time on Blu-ray on September 6. Also available on September 6 will be an Ultimate Collectors Edition. The 1999 film directed by Brad Bird (The Incredibles, Ratatouille, Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol, Tomorrowland) has been fully remastered and enhanced with two all-new scenes.
When The Iron Giant arrived in theaters, it was hailed as an “instant classic” (Joe Morgenstern, The Wall Street Journal). “Imagine E.T.as a towering metal man, that’s the appeal of this enchanting animated feature” (Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times). And the world soon learned another “giant” had arrived as well: filmmaker Brad Bird, who made his stunning directorial debut with this film and has gone on to win two Oscars®, as well as worldwide acclaim for his work on both animated and live-action features.
When The Iron Giant arrived in theaters, it was hailed as an “instant classic” (Joe Morgenstern, The Wall Street Journal). “Imagine E.T.as a towering metal man, that’s the appeal of this enchanting animated feature” (Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times). And the world soon learned another “giant” had arrived as well: filmmaker Brad Bird, who made his stunning directorial debut with this film and has gone on to win two Oscars®, as well as worldwide acclaim for his work on both animated and live-action features.
- 3/30/2016
- by Robert Greenberger
- Comicmix.com
Brad Bird's much beloved (and rightfully so) The iron Giant is finally making it's way to the high definition format, along with some brand new bonus features for fans to delve into. Come inside for all the info!
In the year 2016 it seems inexplicable that such an iconic and amazing movie like The Iron Giant hasn't made its way to blu-ray. Well, here we are, and somehow it's happened. Thankfully, Warner Bros. is now remedying this, and bringing the film out on September 6, 2016. Best of all, it comes with an all new bonus documentary!
The classic beloved animated tale “The Iron Giant” returns to home screens when “The Iron Giant: Signature Edition” is released for the first time on Blu-ray on September 6. Also available on September 6 will be an “Ultimate Collectors Edition.” The 1999 film directed by Brad Bird (“The Incredibles,” “Ratatouille,” “Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol,” “Tomorrowland”) has been...
In the year 2016 it seems inexplicable that such an iconic and amazing movie like The Iron Giant hasn't made its way to blu-ray. Well, here we are, and somehow it's happened. Thankfully, Warner Bros. is now remedying this, and bringing the film out on September 6, 2016. Best of all, it comes with an all new bonus documentary!
The classic beloved animated tale “The Iron Giant” returns to home screens when “The Iron Giant: Signature Edition” is released for the first time on Blu-ray on September 6. Also available on September 6 will be an “Ultimate Collectors Edition.” The 1999 film directed by Brad Bird (“The Incredibles,” “Ratatouille,” “Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol,” “Tomorrowland”) has been...
- 3/29/2016
- by feeds@cinelinx.com (Jordan Maison)
- Cinelinx
Wamg has your free tickets to see The Iron Giant on the big screen!
Warner Bros. Pictures and Fathom Events have announced that tickets are now on sale for the animated action adventure “The Iron Giant,” being re-released in theaters for a limited engagement this fall, remastered and enhanced with two all-new scenes as The Iron Giant: Signature Edition.
This special screening comes to U.S. movie theaters on Wednesday, September 30 at 7:00 p.m. local time, with an encore event in select markets on Sunday, October 4 at 12:00 p.m. local time.
When The Iron Giant arrived in theaters, it was hailed as an “instant classic” (Joe Morgenstern, The Wall Street Journal). “Imagine E.T. as a towering metal man, that’s the appeal of this enchanting animated feature” (Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times). And the world soon learned another “giant” had arrived as well: filmmaker Brad Bird, who made...
Warner Bros. Pictures and Fathom Events have announced that tickets are now on sale for the animated action adventure “The Iron Giant,” being re-released in theaters for a limited engagement this fall, remastered and enhanced with two all-new scenes as The Iron Giant: Signature Edition.
This special screening comes to U.S. movie theaters on Wednesday, September 30 at 7:00 p.m. local time, with an encore event in select markets on Sunday, October 4 at 12:00 p.m. local time.
When The Iron Giant arrived in theaters, it was hailed as an “instant classic” (Joe Morgenstern, The Wall Street Journal). “Imagine E.T. as a towering metal man, that’s the appeal of this enchanting animated feature” (Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times). And the world soon learned another “giant” had arrived as well: filmmaker Brad Bird, who made...
- 9/23/2015
- by Movie Geeks
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Watch the trailer for what many consider to be one of the best animated films in cinema history, The Iron Giant.
Warner Bros. Pictures and Fathom Events have announced that tickets are now on sale for the movie, being re-released in theaters for a limited engagement this fall, remastered and enhanced with two all-new scenes as The Iron Giant: Signature Edition.
This special screening comes to U.S. movie theaters on Wednesday, September 30 at 7:00 p.m. local time, with an encore event in select markets on Sunday, October 4 at 12:00 p.m. local time. See this one on the big screen!
Tickets for The Iron Giant: Signature Edition can be purchased online at www.FathomEvents.com, or by visiting participating cinema box offices. Fans throughout the U.S. will be able to enjoy the event in more than 500 movie theaters through Fathom’s Digital Broadcast Network. For...
Warner Bros. Pictures and Fathom Events have announced that tickets are now on sale for the movie, being re-released in theaters for a limited engagement this fall, remastered and enhanced with two all-new scenes as The Iron Giant: Signature Edition.
This special screening comes to U.S. movie theaters on Wednesday, September 30 at 7:00 p.m. local time, with an encore event in select markets on Sunday, October 4 at 12:00 p.m. local time. See this one on the big screen!
Tickets for The Iron Giant: Signature Edition can be purchased online at www.FathomEvents.com, or by visiting participating cinema box offices. Fans throughout the U.S. will be able to enjoy the event in more than 500 movie theaters through Fathom’s Digital Broadcast Network. For...
- 8/27/2015
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Warner Bros. Pictures and Fathom Events are proud to announce that Brad Bird’s animated action adventure The Iron Giant will be re-released in theaters for a limited engagement this fall, remastered and enhanced with two all-new scenes as “The Iron Giant: Signature Edition.” This special screening comes to U.S. movie theaters on Wednesday, September 30 at 7:00 p.m. local time, with an encore event in select markets on Sunday, October 4 at 12:00 p.m. local time.
Bird went on Twitter and posted these two posters:
Good to be working with an old friend. See #TheIronGiant at #Sdcc & learn more about the #SignatureEdition #rerelease pic.twitter.com/AMrSeeJQVY
— Brad Bird (@BradBirdA113) July 7, 2015
A cool new poster for an old friend. See #TheIronGiant at #Sdcc & learn more about the #SignatureEdition #rerelease pic.twitter.com/iPmXQZ3Fyn
— Brad Bird (@BradBirdA113) July 8, 2015
The ticket on-sale date and theater locations for The Iron Giant...
Bird went on Twitter and posted these two posters:
Good to be working with an old friend. See #TheIronGiant at #Sdcc & learn more about the #SignatureEdition #rerelease pic.twitter.com/AMrSeeJQVY
— Brad Bird (@BradBirdA113) July 7, 2015
A cool new poster for an old friend. See #TheIronGiant at #Sdcc & learn more about the #SignatureEdition #rerelease pic.twitter.com/iPmXQZ3Fyn
— Brad Bird (@BradBirdA113) July 8, 2015
The ticket on-sale date and theater locations for The Iron Giant...
- 7/8/2015
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Saving Mr. Banks (Disney)
How many of you remember Walt Disney and Tinkerbell's opening every Sunday night on his primetime television show? That director John Lee Hancock (The Blind Side) recreates that magical moment is just one of the many small charms in this wonderful movie. Award-winning actors taking on American's greatest children's entertainment advocate seems a delicious proposition. And it is. This is the story of Walt's (Tom Hanks) -- he preferred that everyone refer to each other by their first names on his studio lot -- relentless pursuit (20 years!) of Mrs. P.L. Travers's (Emma Thompson) much-beloved literary classic Mary Poppins.
Director Hancock seamlessly threads two plots together: the trials and tribulations of the backstage Hollywood drama of creating the film version of Mary Poppins, and the Australian-based melodrama of Mrs. Travers's childhood with her loving but tragically alcoholic father "Ginty" Goth, portrayed by the charismatic Colin Farrell.
How many of you remember Walt Disney and Tinkerbell's opening every Sunday night on his primetime television show? That director John Lee Hancock (The Blind Side) recreates that magical moment is just one of the many small charms in this wonderful movie. Award-winning actors taking on American's greatest children's entertainment advocate seems a delicious proposition. And it is. This is the story of Walt's (Tom Hanks) -- he preferred that everyone refer to each other by their first names on his studio lot -- relentless pursuit (20 years!) of Mrs. P.L. Travers's (Emma Thompson) much-beloved literary classic Mary Poppins.
Director Hancock seamlessly threads two plots together: the trials and tribulations of the backstage Hollywood drama of creating the film version of Mary Poppins, and the Australian-based melodrama of Mrs. Travers's childhood with her loving but tragically alcoholic father "Ginty" Goth, portrayed by the charismatic Colin Farrell.
- 12/17/2013
- by Dusty Wright
- www.culturecatch.com
An all-star cast of singers become actors for "Angels Sing," a wan little holiday film that manages to show a little heart once it finally gets going.
Harry Connick Jr. stars as an Austin, Texas, history professor who doesn't put much stock in Christmas. Michael is always angling to dodge doing both Thanksgiving and Christmas with his parents (Kris Kristofferson, Fionnula Flanagan) for reasons he's reluctant to tell his granny-loving son (Chandler Canterbury). His wife (Connie Britton) is understanding.
Eventually, the kid finds out -- dad lost a brother over the holidays, years ago. Kind of ruined the day for him.
But Michael's ongoing house-hunting throws him in the path of this chuckling old man (Willie Nelson) with a McMansion for sale.
"How much, Mr. ... uuhhhh?"
"Call me 'Nick.'"
They seal the deal and Michael finds himself with the showplace of Live Oak Lane, one of those Christmas-crazed corners...
Harry Connick Jr. stars as an Austin, Texas, history professor who doesn't put much stock in Christmas. Michael is always angling to dodge doing both Thanksgiving and Christmas with his parents (Kris Kristofferson, Fionnula Flanagan) for reasons he's reluctant to tell his granny-loving son (Chandler Canterbury). His wife (Connie Britton) is understanding.
Eventually, the kid finds out -- dad lost a brother over the holidays, years ago. Kind of ruined the day for him.
But Michael's ongoing house-hunting throws him in the path of this chuckling old man (Willie Nelson) with a McMansion for sale.
"How much, Mr. ... uuhhhh?"
"Call me 'Nick.'"
They seal the deal and Michael finds himself with the showplace of Live Oak Lane, one of those Christmas-crazed corners...
- 10/31/2013
- by editorial@zap2it.com
- Pop2it
Continuing from Part One, here's Slackerwood's entirely frivolous gallery of red-carpet and post-screening Q&A photos from SXSW 2013. I've topped this page with one Austin-area star I know you'll recognize. Willie Nelson was on the When Angels Sing red carpet ... he plays a key role in the family-friendly holiday movie from Tim McCanlies.
When Angels Sing (Mike's review) also starred Harry Connick Jr., who is certainly easy on the eyes. Here he is on the red carpet:
read more...
When Angels Sing (Mike's review) also starred Harry Connick Jr., who is certainly easy on the eyes. Here he is on the red carpet:
read more...
- 4/9/2013
- by Jette Kernion
- Slackerwood
There are a few classic holiday films we like to pull out each year in addition to the Rankin/Bass Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and Frosty the Snowman, such as A Christmas Carol, It's a Wonderful Life and the more modern A Christmas Story. A common thread between these films that has helped make them annual favorites is that they don't focus on the religious or ritual aspects of the holiday, but instead on it as a time for homecomings and shared memories with family and loved ones, friends and neighbors. Soon to join those ranks is When Angels Sing, the adaptation of a Turk Pipkin story by director Tim McCanlies and writer Lou Berney.
Easily the best Christmas movie since 1983's A Christmas Story, When Angels Sing was shot in Austin and features a Who's Who of talent with Texas ties. Stars Harry Connick Jr. and Connie Britton (Friday Night Lights...
- 3/15/2013
- by Mike Saulters
- Slackerwood
When Angels Sing – they already describe this movie as a life-affirming story for all ages, so I guess that one short preview of the whole thing won’t hurt. The movie comes from director Tim McCanlies, it stars Harry Connick Jr. and Connie Britton in the leading roles, and is also one of the films that will premiere at this year’s SXSW (which runs from March 8 – 17). Take a look, and let us know what you think! Tim McCanlies directed the movie from a script written by Lou Berney, which centers on a man named Michael Walker who struggles to make peace with...
- 2/12/2013
- by Jeanne Standal
- Filmofilia
The feature-film selections for the 2013 SXSW Film Festival were announced last week and boy, are there a lot of movies with Austin connections on the program -- so many that we had to split this article in two! We'll start with the narrative feature films, and the second half will highlight the documentaries and "festival favorites." These lists don't include the short films or the midnight movies, which will be announced later today.
Headliners:
When Angels Sing -- Austin director Tim McCanlies' new film is based on a novel by Turk Pipkin (who also appears in the movie), wherein the main character has a troubled relationship with Christmas. Sometimes-Austinite Connie Britton stars as the wife, and the cast also includes Dana Wheeler-Nicholson, Heather Kafka (who appears in four SXSW feature films this year), and the Red Headed Stranger himself! Elizabeth Avellan of Troublemaker Studios is one of the producers on this film,...
Headliners:
When Angels Sing -- Austin director Tim McCanlies' new film is based on a novel by Turk Pipkin (who also appears in the movie), wherein the main character has a troubled relationship with Christmas. Sometimes-Austinite Connie Britton stars as the wife, and the cast also includes Dana Wheeler-Nicholson, Heather Kafka (who appears in four SXSW feature films this year), and the Red Headed Stranger himself! Elizabeth Avellan of Troublemaker Studios is one of the producers on this film,...
- 2/6/2013
- by Elizabeth Stoddard
- Slackerwood
South by Southwest (SXSW) is just one of many film festivals, we here at Sound On Sight cover yearly. The fest, which takes place every spring in Austin, Texas, began in 1987, and has continued to grow in size every year. The fest announced the first wave of films back in early January, and the lineup included some highly anticipated films such as The Incredible Burt Wonderstone, Evil Dead, Downloaded and Spring Breakers. Now the full lineup has been announced, and it just might be one of the best lineups the festival has ever programmed.
SXSW takes place March 8-16 in Austin Texas. Here are just some of the films we are excited about.
Narrative Feature Competition – This year’s 8 films were selected from 1,191 submissions. Each film is a World Premiere.
Awful Nice
Director/Screenwriter: Todd Sklar, Screenwriter: Alex Rennie
Estranged brothers Jim and Dave must travel to Branson together when...
SXSW takes place March 8-16 in Austin Texas. Here are just some of the films we are excited about.
Narrative Feature Competition – This year’s 8 films were selected from 1,191 submissions. Each film is a World Premiere.
Awful Nice
Director/Screenwriter: Todd Sklar, Screenwriter: Alex Rennie
Estranged brothers Jim and Dave must travel to Branson together when...
- 2/1/2013
- by Ricky
- SoundOnSight
Some of the best films of the 2012/2013 calender year from Richard Linklater, Harmony Korine, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Andrew Bujalski, Jeff Nichols, David Gordon Green, Shane Carruth and Joshua Oppenheimer are among the headliner names for the 2013 edition of the South by Southwest Film Festival. With a little over 100 plus film line-up (a whopping 2000+ titles were submitted), almost 70 are world premieres: there is the highly anticipated sophomore film (that has been on our radar since it first went into production) with M. Blash’s (The Wait), Joe Swanberg who makes SXSW his second home will premiere Drinking Buddies, veteran indie filmmaker John Sayles saddles in with Go For Sisters, and rounding out the Narrative Spotlight section we’ve got The Bounceback from Bryan Poyser, Loves Her Gun from Geoff Marslett along with titles we thought might break into Park City, but found an Austin home instead with Jacob Vaughan’s Milo and...
- 2/1/2013
- by Eric Lavallee
- IONCINEMA.com
Whatever number of Austin films I might have guessed would be in the SXSW Film Festival feature lineup released this afternoon, I would have been short. Texas is everywhere in this year's festival, and the midnight movies and short films won't even be announced for another week.
In addition, we at Slackerwood have some news about the SXSW Film 2013 screening locations, as we prepare our annual stellar SXSW Film Venue Guide. Apart from Alamo Drafthouse on South Lamar (sob), the theaters will be the same as last year, with a couple of additions. The brand-new Topfer Theatre at Zach Scott will be a film venue, about which I know nothing, so if you've been there please share your impressions in the comments. And all four screens of Violet Crown Cinema will be used for screenings -- no details yet on how, but we'll keep you posted.
You can find...
In addition, we at Slackerwood have some news about the SXSW Film 2013 screening locations, as we prepare our annual stellar SXSW Film Venue Guide. Apart from Alamo Drafthouse on South Lamar (sob), the theaters will be the same as last year, with a couple of additions. The brand-new Topfer Theatre at Zach Scott will be a film venue, about which I know nothing, so if you've been there please share your impressions in the comments. And all four screens of Violet Crown Cinema will be used for screenings -- no details yet on how, but we'll keep you posted.
You can find...
- 1/31/2013
- by Jette Kernion
- Slackerwood
Michael Caine and Robert Duvall play two grouchy codgers who are landed with their young grand-nephew Haley Joel Osment in this gentle country tale from Smallville writer Tim McCanlies. As the kid gets used to their crusty rustic ways, they open up to him with tales from their colourful past. Seems there's more to the old boys than meets the eye...
- 1/30/2013
- Sky Movies
A Mecca for geekery, Fantastic Fest has been an Austin staple since 2005. Founded by Tim League of Alamo Drafthouse, Harry Knowles of Ain't It Cool News, Paul Alvarado-Dykstra, and Tim McCanlies in 2005, the festival specializes in all things genre, showcasing sci-fi, fantasy, horror and cult cinema. It’s held each year at the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema.
If you aren’t one of the lucky people who have experienced the festival first hand, the new documentary from Austin's PBS station Klru, All My Friends are Vampires offers “an all-access pass to Fantastic Fest.” It includes interviews with some of the key players and organizers of the fest who give background as to how it has changed international film culture.
Watch All My Friends Are Vampires on PBS. See more from Klru.
via Klru...
If you aren’t one of the lucky people who have experienced the festival first hand, the new documentary from Austin's PBS station Klru, All My Friends are Vampires offers “an all-access pass to Fantastic Fest.” It includes interviews with some of the key players and organizers of the fest who give background as to how it has changed international film culture.
Watch All My Friends Are Vampires on PBS. See more from Klru.
via Klru...
- 12/3/2012
- by Sara Castillo
- FEARnet
Today is the beginning of another (8th, in fact) Fantastic Fest, the homegrown brainchild of Alamo Drafthouse founder Tim League, Ain't It Cool head geek Harry Knowles, Paul Alvarado-Dykstra and Tim McCanlies, which has grown into an international powerhouse of the genre film world. The fest runs through Thursday, September 27, and genre film lovers are arriving in Austin from around the country ... around the world, even, as the emphasis on international films brings filmmakers from countries including Chile, Denmark, Spain and Japan.
The films have been chosen, attendees are arriving, and the schedule has been set (though some surprises may yet lie in store). As you look at the schedule planning which films to see this week, consider these hot-ticket shows:
Sinister -- No one can fail to mention this homecoming film to be released on October 12, scripted by Austin writer C. Robert Cargill. J.C. reviewed the movie after its secret SXSW screening.
The films have been chosen, attendees are arriving, and the schedule has been set (though some surprises may yet lie in store). As you look at the schedule planning which films to see this week, consider these hot-ticket shows:
Sinister -- No one can fail to mention this homecoming film to be released on October 12, scripted by Austin writer C. Robert Cargill. J.C. reviewed the movie after its secret SXSW screening.
- 9/20/2012
- by Mike Saulters
- Slackerwood
In an early scene in Dancer, Texas Pop. 81, an out-of-tune little band plays "Pomp and Circumstance" at a graduation ceremony. The band -- three kids playing their instruments gamely but very badly -- is a great metaphor for life in the dwindling West Texas hamlet of Dancer, a place as tiny as the band and in many ways just as hopeless.
Writer/director Tim McCanlies's 1998 film follows four of the town's new high-school graduates -- there are only five students in the graduating class -- as they spend their last day or two in Dancer before leaving town for new and hopefully far more exciting adventures in Los Angeles. Dancer, Texas Pop. 81 is in some ways a scaled-down, Permian Basin version of American Graffiti, a story of young people torn between the familiar but limiting comforts of their current lives and the uncertain but enticing possibilities of adulthood.
read...
Writer/director Tim McCanlies's 1998 film follows four of the town's new high-school graduates -- there are only five students in the graduating class -- as they spend their last day or two in Dancer before leaving town for new and hopefully far more exciting adventures in Los Angeles. Dancer, Texas Pop. 81 is in some ways a scaled-down, Permian Basin version of American Graffiti, a story of young people torn between the familiar but limiting comforts of their current lives and the uncertain but enticing possibilities of adulthood.
read...
- 7/25/2012
- by Don Clinchy
- Slackerwood
Folks are still buzzing about last week's openers with many men opting to enjoy Ted while their wives and girlfriends flocked to see Magic Mike. I received reports from both a girlfriend within the theater and a male friend sitting in the lobby of Flix Brewhouse -- "There are only women here!" -- making Magic Mike one of the most gender-specific audiences since Sex in the City hit the big screen. Personally I'm opting for a screening of the humorous Ted this week.
The Paramount Theatre supplies a double dose of Christopher Guest's comedies with Best of Show and Lockhart-shot Waiting for Guffman on Tuesday and Wednesday. Anyone who brings a pet supply donation from the Austin Pets Alive! wish list to any Best in Show screening will receive a film pass to use at a later date. Pet owners can also submit a photo of their favorite pup...
The Paramount Theatre supplies a double dose of Christopher Guest's comedies with Best of Show and Lockhart-shot Waiting for Guffman on Tuesday and Wednesday. Anyone who brings a pet supply donation from the Austin Pets Alive! wish list to any Best in Show screening will receive a film pass to use at a later date. Pet owners can also submit a photo of their favorite pup...
- 7/6/2012
- by Debbie Cerda
- Slackerwood
Gary R. Benz (President & CEO) of long established TV company Grb Entertainment announced today the official launch of the company.s international feature film division which will be selling rights to two films at this year.s Marche du Film. Grb.s expansion into feature theatrical films began last year when Benz set up the feature division and brought Todd Olsson on board. The company has been looking for high quality commercially viable features that are a cut above the usual fare.
.We.ve been working hard to find the right films to get off to a great start, and both of these films are extraordinary,. said Benz.
The company will bring Queen Freak, which stars Matthew Modine, Kristin Chenoweth, Joey King, Shirley Jones, and a relatively new-comer in the lead, Olesya Rulin. It.s a wickedly sharp tale about a dysfunctional family, where the kids take matters into their...
.We.ve been working hard to find the right films to get off to a great start, and both of these films are extraordinary,. said Benz.
The company will bring Queen Freak, which stars Matthew Modine, Kristin Chenoweth, Joey King, Shirley Jones, and a relatively new-comer in the lead, Olesya Rulin. It.s a wickedly sharp tale about a dysfunctional family, where the kids take matters into their...
- 5/14/2012
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Fantastic Fest is an annual film festival in Austin, Texas, founded in 2005 by Tim League of Alamo Drafthouse, Harry Knowles of Ain’t It Cool News, Paul Alvarado-Dykstra, and Tim McCanlies, writer of The Iron Giant and Secondhand Lions. The festival which focuses on genre films such as horror, science fiction, fantasy, action, Asian, and cult takes place in September at the Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar, filling three screens for eight days and hosting many writers, directors and actors, both well established and unknown. We’ve already posted the first wave of films which was pretty impressive. Now the fest has announced the second wave which includes Ahn Sang-hoon’s Blind, Lars Von Trier’s Melancholia and aume Balaguero’s Sleep Tight. See the press release below.
Austin, TX–Thursday, August 18th, 2011– Fantastic Fest is proud to announce the second wave of programming for the seventh edition of Fantastic Fest,...
Austin, TX–Thursday, August 18th, 2011– Fantastic Fest is proud to announce the second wave of programming for the seventh edition of Fantastic Fest,...
- 8/18/2011
- by Kyle Reese
- SoundOnSight
Based on the 1968 novel “The Iron Man” by Ted Hughes, the animated “Iron Giant” earned numerous plaudits for its nuanced portrayal of the relationship between a boy and a 50-foot, metal-eating robot. Director Brad Bird and screenwriter Tim McCanlies beautifully conjure Cold War-immersed 1957 America with little nostalgia and no parody. Using Hogarth and the Iron Giant as a focal point, the film explores the American over-reliance on the military-industrial complex, the perceived threat of anything foreign or alien, and the belief that violence solves everything, concepts that still permeate early 21st-century America. “The Iron Giant” — thrilling, gorgeous and profound — secured a place within the pantheon of all-time great animated features.
Choice Quotation:
The Iron Giant (Vin Diesel): I am not a gun.
Photo courtesy Ronald Grant Archive
10 Best Alien Movies: #5
10 Best Alien Movies: #7...
Choice Quotation:
The Iron Giant (Vin Diesel): I am not a gun.
Photo courtesy Ronald Grant Archive
10 Best Alien Movies: #5
10 Best Alien Movies: #7...
- 3/9/2011
- by admin
- Moving Pictures Magazine
Based on the 1968 novel “The Iron Man” by Ted Hughes, the animated “Iron Giant” earned numerous plaudits for its nuanced portrayal of the relationship between a boy and a 50-foot, metal-eating robot. Director Brad Bird and screenwriter Tim McCanlies beautifully conjure Cold War-immersed 1957 America with little nostalgia and no parody. Using Hogarth and the Iron Giant as a focal point, the film explores the American over-reliance on the military-industrial complex, the perceived threat of anything foreign or alien, and the belief that violence solves everything, concepts that still permeate early 21st-century America. “The Iron Giant” — thrilling, gorgeous and profound — secured a place within the pantheon of all-time great animated features.
Choice Quotation:
The Iron Giant (Vin Diesel): I am not a gun.
Photo courtesy Ronald Grant Archive
10 Best Alien Movies: #5
10 Best Alien Movies: #7...
Choice Quotation:
The Iron Giant (Vin Diesel): I am not a gun.
Photo courtesy Ronald Grant Archive
10 Best Alien Movies: #5
10 Best Alien Movies: #7...
- 3/9/2011
- by admin
- Moving Pictures Network
I mentioned the production of When Angels Sing a few weeks ago: Tim McCanlies (Secondhand Lions) is directing this adaptation of a Turk Pipkin story, and it's produced by Elizabeth Avellan. The cast includes many familiar faces from the music industry: Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson, Lyle Lovett, Sara Hickman and Harry Connick, Jr., plus Connie Britton.
When Angels Sing was recently shooting over in Northwest Park by Shoal Creek Blvd. in the Allandale neighborhood. I found some photos on Flickr from the shoot. Jim Lallen, who lives in Allandale, graciously gave me permission to publish some of his photos here. He was only able to take a few before someone on the production shooed him away.
In the above photo ("Action"), you can see Kris Kristofferson preparing to shoot a scene with a younger actor, barely visible -- I am wondering if this is Houston actor Chandler Canterbury, credited on...
When Angels Sing was recently shooting over in Northwest Park by Shoal Creek Blvd. in the Allandale neighborhood. I found some photos on Flickr from the shoot. Jim Lallen, who lives in Allandale, graciously gave me permission to publish some of his photos here. He was only able to take a few before someone on the production shooed him away.
In the above photo ("Action"), you can see Kris Kristofferson preparing to shoot a scene with a younger actor, barely visible -- I am wondering if this is Houston actor Chandler Canterbury, credited on...
- 2/21/2011
- by Jette Kernion
- Slackerwood
The first photos of Antonio Banderas in Jean-Jacques Annaud's Black Gold while video behind-the-scenes of the impressive scale is up at WDef.
New stills from 11-11-11, the first photo of Peter Dinklage in The Knights of Badassdom, art book photos for Sucker Punch, and new posters for I Saw the Devil, Oranges and Sunshine, Water for Elephants, Atlas Shrugged and The Resident.
A fun infographic breaks down the basics of Doctor Who for those who want to catch up.
"The Farrelly Brothers say they'll reveal the cast of their upcoming "Three Stooges" biopic in about a month..." (full details)
"Roberto Orci says he aims to turn in the first full draft of "Star Trek 2" by the end of next month. This could mean a late Summer start of shooting..." (full details)
"Florian Gallenberger has been hired to re-write the script which explores the rise and fall of fraudulent 80's singers Milli Vanilli.
New stills from 11-11-11, the first photo of Peter Dinklage in The Knights of Badassdom, art book photos for Sucker Punch, and new posters for I Saw the Devil, Oranges and Sunshine, Water for Elephants, Atlas Shrugged and The Resident.
A fun infographic breaks down the basics of Doctor Who for those who want to catch up.
"The Farrelly Brothers say they'll reveal the cast of their upcoming "Three Stooges" biopic in about a month..." (full details)
"Roberto Orci says he aims to turn in the first full draft of "Star Trek 2" by the end of next month. This could mean a late Summer start of shooting..." (full details)
"Florian Gallenberger has been hired to re-write the script which explores the rise and fall of fraudulent 80's singers Milli Vanilli.
- 2/14/2011
- by Garth Franklin
- Dark Horizons
Here's the latest Austin movie news:
Freestyle Releasing has announced that the SXSW 2010 movie Skateland will hit theaters in Austin, Houston and Dallas on April 1. The movie is set in a small Texas town in the 1980s, and although shot in Louisiana, the director, writers and producer all have Austin ties. Read Debbie's SXSW review or check out her photos from the fest of the movie's star, Ashley Greene.Joe O'Connell has news about an adaptation of Turk Pipkin's story When Angels Sing, which will start filming in Bastrop shortly. The movie is being directed by Tim McCanlies with Elizabeth Avellan producing, and stars a variety of local and national well-known faces -- nearly all musicians, it seems. It looks like it could be one of those warm-hearted holiday films, but hopefully the excellent local production team will steer it away from potential treacle and sap.The Long Center...
Freestyle Releasing has announced that the SXSW 2010 movie Skateland will hit theaters in Austin, Houston and Dallas on April 1. The movie is set in a small Texas town in the 1980s, and although shot in Louisiana, the director, writers and producer all have Austin ties. Read Debbie's SXSW review or check out her photos from the fest of the movie's star, Ashley Greene.Joe O'Connell has news about an adaptation of Turk Pipkin's story When Angels Sing, which will start filming in Bastrop shortly. The movie is being directed by Tim McCanlies with Elizabeth Avellan producing, and stars a variety of local and national well-known faces -- nearly all musicians, it seems. It looks like it could be one of those warm-hearted holiday films, but hopefully the excellent local production team will steer it away from potential treacle and sap.The Long Center...
- 1/28/2011
- by Jette Kernion
- Slackerwood
Film buffs know where to go if they want to watch a flick decked out as a zombie, see the premiere of a future cult classic like "Gentlemen Broncos" or hear directors such as Paul Thomas Anderson talk about their love of celluloid. That place is Fantastic Fest, which bills itself as "the largest genre film festival in the United States."
Taking place in Austin for the last five years, the festival was founded by film-loving locals Tim League, Harry Knowles, Paul Alvarado Dykstra and Tim McCanlies. It quickly became an annual celebration of films sharp enough to draw blood, gasps or laughs (or even a mix of those responses) that brings thousands of people to Austin for a collective freak-out.
This year sees the addition of Fantastic Arcade, a schedule of events from September 23-26 that celebrate the collision of indie film and indie games. The neophyte Arcade curates...
Taking place in Austin for the last five years, the festival was founded by film-loving locals Tim League, Harry Knowles, Paul Alvarado Dykstra and Tim McCanlies. It quickly became an annual celebration of films sharp enough to draw blood, gasps or laughs (or even a mix of those responses) that brings thousands of people to Austin for a collective freak-out.
This year sees the addition of Fantastic Arcade, a schedule of events from September 23-26 that celebrate the collision of indie film and indie games. The neophyte Arcade curates...
- 7/19/2010
- by Evan Narcisse
- ifc.com
If Christopher Nolan's third Batman movie really is his last, what's next for the franchise? We break down a few possibilities...
With the release of Christopher Nolan’s eagerly anticipated Inception upon us, and the auteur's attention about to turn toward his third (and most likely) final trip to Gotham City, we ask the question that Bat-fans everywhere are pondering: what happens after Nolan?
1. Take a break
The big question many people have is: how can anyone successfully follow on from Chris Nolan?
Assuming his third and final entry is of comparable quality to Batman Begins and The Dark Knight, Nolan will have crafted the definitive multi-movie superhero cycle with a definable beginning, middle and end. It can be argued that his interpretation of the Dark Knight is now the definitive version in terms of the wider culture, and that any subsequent iteration will suffer by comparison.
With that in mind,...
With the release of Christopher Nolan’s eagerly anticipated Inception upon us, and the auteur's attention about to turn toward his third (and most likely) final trip to Gotham City, we ask the question that Bat-fans everywhere are pondering: what happens after Nolan?
1. Take a break
The big question many people have is: how can anyone successfully follow on from Chris Nolan?
Assuming his third and final entry is of comparable quality to Batman Begins and The Dark Knight, Nolan will have crafted the definitive multi-movie superhero cycle with a definable beginning, middle and end. It can be argued that his interpretation of the Dark Knight is now the definitive version in terms of the wider culture, and that any subsequent iteration will suffer by comparison.
With that in mind,...
- 7/9/2010
- Den of Geek
When I was in high school, there was one, well, two films I would watch religiously. They were Can’T Hardly Wait and Dancer, Texas Pop. 81. I was on this huge Breckin Meyer fix and really wanted to be that guy. In Dancer, Texas, he leaves his hometown to pursue his dreams in the big city. In high school, I dreamed of graduating and moving to L.A. to become a movie star. At that time, I felt like this movie was made just for me. Fast forward 12 years later and I’d be interviewing the writer/director of that film, Tim McCanlies.
Read more on Dallas Iff 2010 Video Interview: Director Tim McCanlies and Actor Clint Howard (Alabama Moon)…...
Read more on Dallas Iff 2010 Video Interview: Director Tim McCanlies and Actor Clint Howard (Alabama Moon)…...
- 4/23/2010
- by Chase Whale
- GordonandtheWhale
In its first year following the conclusion of its contract with AFI, the 2010 Dallas International Film Festival will take over all eight screens of the Angelika Film Center for an Opening Night Celebration. 1,600 film goers will participate in the festivities and see featured films including Bill Cunningham New York, Multiple Sarcasms, Nosotros los Pobres and Skateland. In addition, the Super Saturday lineup of films will be packed with four world premieres: Hold, Sin Ella, Virsa and We Are the Sea. This year, the Dallas Star Award – presented annually to film artists in recognition of their unique contributions to cinema – will be given to writer-director Guillermo Arriaga (Babel, 21 Grams), writer-director John Lee Hancock (The Rookie, The Blind Side), three time Academy Award nominated cinematographer Wally Pfister (Batman Begins, The Prestige, The Dark Knight) and Mexican film Icon Pedro Infante (Nosotros los Pobres, Ustedes los Ricos, Pepe el Toro). Academy Award winning...
- 4/8/2010
- by Don Simpson
- SmellsLikeScreenSpirit
The re-branded Dallas International Film Festival (formerly AFI Dallas) has announced ten films that will screen at this year's festival, running April 8 - 18, 2010. The initial batch includes films starring Michael Douglas, Jesse Eisenberg, John Goodman and Tilda Swinton, and films directed by returning Dallas Film Fest filmmakers Alex Gibney, Steve James and Tim McCanlies. "These first 10 selections are indicative of the great variety of films we will ...
- 2/10/2010
- Indiewire
Our hometown festival – the Dallas International Film Festival (Diff) – has just announced their first 10 Official Selections. There are a few Diff alumni filmmakers returning this year – Alex Gibney, Steve James and Tim McCanlies. Gibney brought Gonzo: The Life And Work Of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson in 2008 when Diff was known as AFI Dallas. This year he’ll be showing his new film, Casino Jack And The United States Of Money. Also in 2008, James screened his film, At Death House Door, and this year he’ll bring his second documentary to the festival, No Crossover: The Trial Of Allen Iverson. Last and certainly not least, McCanlies came last year with The 2 Bobs, and will be screening Alabama Moon in just a few months.
Read more on Dallas International Film Festival announces first 10 Official Selections…...
Read more on Dallas International Film Festival announces first 10 Official Selections…...
- 2/10/2010
- by Chase Whale
- GordonandtheWhale
SXFantastic! SXSW 2010 presents Fantastic Fest at Midnight!
Austin, Texas - February 4, 2010 – The South by Southwest (SXSW) Film Conference and Festival has announced the complete features lineup for this year’s Festival, March 12 – 20, 2010 in Austin, Texas.
Over the course of nine days, 119 features will screen at the festival, with 55 of those having their world premieres at SXSW 2010.
For the second year in a row, Fantastic Fest has selected a slate of midnight features as part of the official SXSW Lineup. You can see these films and more with a SXSW film badge. SXSW film badges are on sale at www.sxsw.com/attend.
Mind-bending international Midnighters, hand-selected by Fantastic Fest.
Films screening in Sx Fantastic are:
Higanjima (Japan/Korea)
(International Festival Premiere)
Director: Tae-Kyun Kim.
Screenwriter: Tetsuya Ôishi
Two years after losing contact, Akira discovers that his long-lost brother may be found on
Higanjima Island. He may also find an army of blood-sucking vampires.
Austin, Texas - February 4, 2010 – The South by Southwest (SXSW) Film Conference and Festival has announced the complete features lineup for this year’s Festival, March 12 – 20, 2010 in Austin, Texas.
Over the course of nine days, 119 features will screen at the festival, with 55 of those having their world premieres at SXSW 2010.
For the second year in a row, Fantastic Fest has selected a slate of midnight features as part of the official SXSW Lineup. You can see these films and more with a SXSW film badge. SXSW film badges are on sale at www.sxsw.com/attend.
Mind-bending international Midnighters, hand-selected by Fantastic Fest.
Films screening in Sx Fantastic are:
Higanjima (Japan/Korea)
(International Festival Premiere)
Director: Tae-Kyun Kim.
Screenwriter: Tetsuya Ôishi
Two years after losing contact, Akira discovers that his long-lost brother may be found on
Higanjima Island. He may also find an army of blood-sucking vampires.
- 2/4/2010
- by zack
- OriginalAlamo.com
The 16th annual Austin Film Festival opened with a true screenwriting gem, Serious Moonlight. Penned by the late Adrienne Shelley around the same time she created Waitress – Shelley was murdered shortly after wrapping Waitress, before she had the opportunity to direct Serious Moonlight. I loved Waitress, and have been a fan of Adrienne Shelley since seeing her act in Hal Hartley’s The Unbelievable Truth and Trust. Serious Moonlight | Review "...the script is chock-full of clever Hitchcockian twists along with a impeccably strong (and mysterious) conclusion. Serious Moonlight is very conservatively directed by first-timer Cheryl Hines (who acted in Waitress with Shelley)." ____________________________________________________ I have long been curious about C.D. Payne’s 1993 epistolary novel Youth in Revolt: The Journals of Nick Twisp, and unfortunately I did not have the opportunity to read it prior to the Aff screening of Miguel Arteta’s film. Nonetheless, into the Paramount I went… I must...
- 11/17/2009
- by Don Simpson
- SmellsLikeScreenSpirit
Director: Tim McCanlies Writer(s): Watt Key (novel, screenplay) Starring: Jimmy Bennett, Gabriel Basso, Uriah Shelton, Clint Howard Moon (Jimmy Bennett) and his Pap (J.D. Evermore) are living the Libertarian dream – Ayn Rand and Ron Paul would be proud of this duo – illegally homesteading in the backcountry of rural Alabama. Pap raises Moon to never trust anyone, especially the government. That’s all well and good until Pap dies, leaving eleven year old Moon all alone in the wilderness. Moon opts to foot it towards Alaska (the Libertarian, survivalist and secessionist Mecca). It is not long before the local constable (Clint Howard) – who must have learned everything he knows about policing from Roscoe P. Coltrane – and his hound dog are hot on Moon’s trail. Moon is apprehended and sent to a boy’s prison called Pinson, but his inner wild child cannot be held by any cage. Moon...
- 11/16/2009
- by Don Simpson
- SmellsLikeScreenSpirit
Austin filmmaker Tim McCanlies (Secondhand Lions, The Iron Giant) premiered his latest family-friendly film Alabama Moon during Austin Film Festival at the Paramount. Based on the coming-of-age novel by Watt Key, this film's plot tugs at the heartstrings, reminiscent of the Disney film Old Yeller and other family classics.
After the unexpected death of his survivalist father, 11-year-old Moon (Jimmy Bennett ), who was raised in the Alabama wilderness, must learn how to make his way in the modern world. Doing so isn't very easy, with a local law officer (Clint Howard) intent on making sure that Jimmy stays a ward of the state in a reform school. There Moon meets and interacts with other boys, including the bully Hal (Gabriel Basso) and sickly Kit (Uriah Shelton) who become his friends and cohorts on an escape.
read more...
After the unexpected death of his survivalist father, 11-year-old Moon (Jimmy Bennett ), who was raised in the Alabama wilderness, must learn how to make his way in the modern world. Doing so isn't very easy, with a local law officer (Clint Howard) intent on making sure that Jimmy stays a ward of the state in a reform school. There Moon meets and interacts with other boys, including the bully Hal (Gabriel Basso) and sickly Kit (Uriah Shelton) who become his friends and cohorts on an escape.
read more...
- 11/16/2009
- by Debbie Cerda
- Slackerwood
Today is as much about what I didn't do at the fest, as the screenings itself. I overslept and miss the Hair of the Dog brunch and the Txmpa Incentives panel. I believe Debbie made it to the panel, so hopefully she'll be doing a writeup later. I did make it over the Driskill 1886 cafe for some lemony eggs benedict before heading to a screening that I ended up switching with Alabama Moon, so I had a lot of time on my hands today.
Alabama Moon, directed by Austin's Tim McCanlies, harkens back to the vintage Wonderful World of Disney films I used to watch on Sunday nights. Kid in trouble, the requisite mean and inept adults, the bully with a change of heart, and a few good and kind adults to bring about a happy ending. Austin favorite Clint Howard plays the constable who makes Moon's life really difficult after Moon's father dies.
Alabama Moon, directed by Austin's Tim McCanlies, harkens back to the vintage Wonderful World of Disney films I used to watch on Sunday nights. Kid in trouble, the requisite mean and inept adults, the bully with a change of heart, and a few good and kind adults to bring about a happy ending. Austin favorite Clint Howard plays the constable who makes Moon's life really difficult after Moon's father dies.
- 10/26/2009
- by Jenn Brown
- Slackerwood
Tim League founded the Alamo Drafthouse with his wife Karrie in Austin, Texas back in 1997, and since then it's become a mainstay for mainstream films with a brisk sideline business for film geeks who require a steady diet of sci-fi, horror, fantasy, Asian, cult and ... the plain weird flicks. They've become known for their offbeat programming as much as they are for the fact that you can get a cheeseburger and a pint of beer during the movie, and this week marks the start of their fifth annual Fantastic Fest film festival.
Besides being the owner of the Alamo Drafthouse, League founded the fest with Harry Knowles of Ain't It Cool News, Matt Dentler, Paul Alvarado-Dykstra, and Tim McCanlies. These days, League is usually busier than "an octopus with hives," as my uncle used to say, but we caught up with him during the relative calm before the hurricane of...
Besides being the owner of the Alamo Drafthouse, League founded the fest with Harry Knowles of Ain't It Cool News, Matt Dentler, Paul Alvarado-Dykstra, and Tim McCanlies. These days, League is usually busier than "an octopus with hives," as my uncle used to say, but we caught up with him during the relative calm before the hurricane of...
- 9/24/2009
- by Kevin Kelly
- Cinematical
In a little more than two weeks Fantastic Fest will be upon us. I've personally been looking forward to this since the moment SXSW 2009 came to a close, and the anticipation has only intensified. The lineup of genre films this year brings some very exciting dilemmas to the table since some of the films I want to see are playing on the same night and only screening once. Instead of sitting at home moping along to my favorite Morrissey songs, decisions must be made and priorities set. Here is the link to the films that will be featured in Fantastic Fest 2009. Fflogo For those of you that are unfamiliar of the badassery of Fantastic Fest, below is the official about statement: Fantastic Fest was founded in 2005 by Tim League (founder of Alamo Drafthouse Cinema) and Harry Knowles (founder of Ain’t It Cool News). Fantastic Fest is the largest genre film festival in the U.
- 9/9/2009
- by Dave Campbell
- SmellsLikeScreenSpirit
Tim McCanlies once told me, "I find your average beauty-parlor-operator in Texas to be far more interesting a person than your average studio executive in Hollywood." He's putting that theory to the test by working outside the studio system for his third directorial effort, "The 2 Bobs," a manic comedy that premiered at SXSW to an enthusiastic local crowd and was made for a budget that likely wouldn't have paid for craft services on his last film, the Michael Caine-Robert Duvall family flick "Secondhand Lions."
After a career spent working in Hollywood from his home in Bastrop County penning such films as "The Iron Giant" and quietly creating The CW's long-running "Smallville," the Texan is doing an indie two-step -- first with "Bobs," an Austin-set send-up of the video game industry about two game designers named Bob and their struggle to recover their most recent creation after it's...
After a career spent working in Hollywood from his home in Bastrop County penning such films as "The Iron Giant" and quietly creating The CW's long-running "Smallville," the Texan is doing an indie two-step -- first with "Bobs," an Austin-set send-up of the video game industry about two game designers named Bob and their struggle to recover their most recent creation after it's...
- 3/25/2009
- by Stephen Saito
- ifc.com
During the introduction to The 2 Bobs on the opening night of SXSW, SXSW co-founder Louis Black referred to the comedy as Tim McCanlies's "Kevin Smith film." I'd argue that this isn't quite accurate -- instead, The 2 Bobs is the writer-director's Bruce Campbell film. I hope McCanlies won't be offended when I explain that this isn't because he physically resembles Campbell (sadly, so few people do). What I mean is that you don't want to go into The 2 Bobs thinking that this is going to be the same sort of dramatic film as McCanlies's Secondhand Lions, or a super-polished Hollywood studio comedy.
Instead, The 2 Bobs is a cheesy micro-budget film shot on the filmmaker's home turf, very much like Campbell's My Name is Bruce, or maybe Fanboys before the Weinsteins started messing with it. And like My Name is Bruce, I sighed inwardly at the dorky plot,...
Instead, The 2 Bobs is a cheesy micro-budget film shot on the filmmaker's home turf, very much like Campbell's My Name is Bruce, or maybe Fanboys before the Weinsteins started messing with it. And like My Name is Bruce, I sighed inwardly at the dorky plot,...
- 3/23/2009
- by Jette Kernion
- Cinematical
I apologize for not having a box office report up at my usual Sunday afternoon time. For the record and for those who care, Race to Witch Mountain finished first and Watchmen fell quite a bit from last weekend. Hopefully I’ll get around to it and any other news when I can find a spare hour or two.
I’m already a bit exhausted, so this morning I missed the advance ticket line to get early seats for Observe and Report. Cross your fingers for me so I can somehow slip in, check it out, and get a review to you guys later this week.
Though I did wander around the convention center this afternoon and literally bumped into none other than Catherine Hardwicke, director of Twilight. I was standing around and she wasn’t watching where she was going, so she bumped right into me. We both apologized,...
I’m already a bit exhausted, so this morning I missed the advance ticket line to get early seats for Observe and Report. Cross your fingers for me so I can somehow slip in, check it out, and get a review to you guys later this week.
Though I did wander around the convention center this afternoon and literally bumped into none other than Catherine Hardwicke, director of Twilight. I was standing around and she wasn’t watching where she was going, so she bumped right into me. We both apologized,...
- 3/15/2009
- by Jeff Leins
- newsinfilm.com
SXSW is one of my favorite festivals of the year as it showcases some of the best and most innovative real independent films, and with this host of world premiers, it's also playing alot of Sundance material as well as genre fare from all over the world, many of which we've covered heavily in these pages.
From the Sundance lineup, we have films like Moon, The Immaculate Conception of Little Dizzle, You Won't Miss Me, Grace, and Humpday, among others.
For the world genre material we've covered, there's Lake Mungo, The Square, Zift, and Awaydays.
I think you get the point that lots of great looking film will be playing. I'll leave a bit of the exploration to you..
Lineup after the break.
Narrative Features Competition
Artois the Goat
Director: Kyle Bogart. Writer: Cliff and Kyle Bogart
Lab technician Virgil Gurdies embarks on an epic quest to craft the greatest...
From the Sundance lineup, we have films like Moon, The Immaculate Conception of Little Dizzle, You Won't Miss Me, Grace, and Humpday, among others.
For the world genre material we've covered, there's Lake Mungo, The Square, Zift, and Awaydays.
I think you get the point that lots of great looking film will be playing. I'll leave a bit of the exploration to you..
Lineup after the break.
Narrative Features Competition
Artois the Goat
Director: Kyle Bogart. Writer: Cliff and Kyle Bogart
Lab technician Virgil Gurdies embarks on an epic quest to craft the greatest...
- 2/2/2009
- QuietEarth.us
Photo: Warner Bros. I love movies with robots! From Batteries Not Included to Short Circuit -- I grew up on that stuff. Maybe that's part of why I'm so drawn to The Iron Giant, which feels like a throwback to an older style, both in animation and delivery. I feel that where Wall-e failed to teach a message -- not simply present the problems -- concerning our future, The Iron Giant succeeded. I also am a sucker for sap. Classic animation plus sappy dialogue equals me crying. So when the young boy who befriends the giant in The Iron Giant watches his friend sail skyward and whispers, "I love you," I lose it. Seriously, I had The Iron Giant on repeat for 24 hours straight the day a cable network channel (deservedly) aired a marathon about two years after its release. And with every "I love you," I embarrassingly and very...
- 1/20/2009
- by Amy J. Aniobi
- Rope of Silicon
Recently, Drew Barrymore directed and starred in a feature called Whip It!, set in Austin, Texas, and based on a novel by a former Austinite, Shauna Cross. The film was shot in...Ann Arbor, Mich. Say what? Why would a town with a rich film culture and at least two major favorite-son film directors — Robert Rodriguez and Richard Linklater — miss out on hosting a project that's such an obvious fit? As usual, it's a money thing. Michigan — along with such states as New Mexico, Massachusetts, and Louisiana — currently offers producers hefty incentive packages to shoot on its soil. As Gary Bond, director of the Austin Film Commission, points out, the 8.25 percent sales-tax exemption and other incentives that Texas offers to filmmakers don't add up to the same breaks available elsewhere. Nevertheless, last January, Austin was named the No. 1 American movie city by MovieMaker magazine, beating out such incentives-rich locales as Albuquerque,...
- 12/4/2008
- by Mark Dundas Wood
- backstage.com
Writer-director Tim McCanlies will adapt Piers Anthony's fantasy classic A Spell for Chameleon into a live-action feature that Wolfgang Petersen and David Benioff are producing for Warner Bros. Pictures. Chameleon, which was first published in 1977, made Anthony into a brand-name writer in the fantasy-sci fi world. It grew into a line of 30 books known collectively as the Xanth Development. Chameleon, the first book in the series, focuses on Bink, a young man who is without magical powers on Xanth, a world where everyone has some sort of powers. Bink will be exiled if he cannot manifest his own magical skills.
- 12/3/2004
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.