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11/8/16 The Orchard Directors: Duane Andersen, Yung Chang, Garth Donovan, Vikram Gandhi, Raul Gasteazoro, Andrew Beck Grace, Jamie Goncalves, Alma Har’el, Daniel Junge, Alison Klayman, Martha Shane, Ciara Lacy, Elaine McMillion Sheldon, Bassam Tariq, Don Argott, Sheena M. Joyce, Petra Epperlein, Michael Tucker Screened at: Critics’ link, NYC, 10/24/17 Opens: November 3, 2017 If we […]

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Rubberneck

Written by Garth Donovan and Alex Karpovsky

Directed by Alex Karpovsky

USA, 2013

Lena Dunham isn’t the only filmmaker who also appears in front of the camera on the HBO series Girls. Alex Karpovsky (who plays Ray on the show) is a director in his own right, having directed the micro-indies The Hole Story and Woodpecker around the same time that Dunham was directing her earliest efforts. His new film Rubberneck is much like the characters in Girls: not completely together, but intriguing and well-intentioned.

Karpovsky himself plays Paul Harris, a scientist in Boston who is a rubberneck in many ways. In a few scenes he is literally rubbernecking on the side of a highway, which is maybe a too literal way to illustrate that he’s also rubbernecking at the people around him, watching them go by without being able to make any real connection. He thinks...

Alex Karpovsky is a busy, busy guy. He's best known for his role as Ray, the coffee-slinging man-child entangled with the naive Shoshanna on HBO's "Girls," but when he's not wearing his characters Cafe Grumpy apron, you might find Karpovsky in an editing bay, behind a camera, holed up writing, or starring in one of his own films.

Though two of these features, "Rubberneck" and "Red Flag," are both out on VOD and in limited release Friday, their openings and top billing (Karpovsky is writer, director and star of both) are about all they have in common. "Rubberneck" follows meek research scientist Paul (Karpovsky), whose infatuation with a co-worker escalates to dangerous levels, while in "Red Flag," Karpovsky plays himself as a filmmaker struggling with life and love on the road.

Karpovsky sat down in New York to chat with NextMovie ahead of the films' release to talk "Girls," keeping busy,...

It's not an easy thing to keep an audience suspended between sympathy and revulsion for a character, but writer-director Alex Karpovsky (best known for his recurring role on HBO's Girls) and co-screenwriter Garth Donovan do just that in the unsettling, tough-minded Rubberneck. The film kicks off with an almost meditative feel as it introduces us to Paul Harris, who works in a science lab, and Danielle (Jamie Ray Newman), the new coworker with whom he has a one-night stand. A low-flame tension and sense of dread kicks in when Danielle makes it clear that nothing more is to come of the hookup, and Paul immediately becomes unhinged. Initially his response is just creepy and discomfiting, but when Danielle begins an affair with another colleague, a married man, Paul's jealous...

Okay, kids! Time to saddle up for an exclusive clip from Alex Karpovsky's Rubberneck. So really, just stand around like you have every right to be here and watch it for yourself. Then attract a crowd and have them standing around looking at it.

Rubberneck is directed and co-written (with Garth Donovan) by Alex Karpovsky, who also stars in the film. A slow-burn character study-turned-psychosexual thriller, Rubberneck is a chillingly believable story of workplace romance gone wrong that co-stars Jaime Ray Newman and Dennis Staroselsky and was produced by Donovan, Michael Bowes, and Adam Roffman.

Rubberneck will be available on nationwide VOD starting Feb 19 and in select theaters starting Feb 22.

Synopsis:

Paul Harris is a scientist at a small research facility on the outskirts of Boston. After a weekend tryst with Danielle, an attractive and promiscuous co-worker, leaves him wanting more, his unreciprocated desires gradually mold into an acute infatuation over the following months.

Tribeca Film and the Film Society of Lincoln Center are giving two films, "Rubberneck" and "Red Flag," by writer-director-actor Alex Karpovsky a double feature run at the Elinor Bunin Munroe Film Center. Like his frequent collaborator Lena Dunham ("Girls," "Tiny Furniture"), Karpovsky stars himself his films. Co-written by Karpovsky and Garth Donovan, "Rubberneck," which debuted at Tribeca, is a psychological thriller about a research scientist (Karpovsky) whose love for a beautiful coworker turns into an uncontrollable obsession. Karpovsky wrote, directed, and stars as himself in "Red Flag," which debuted at the La Film Fest. It's a black comedy about a newly-single indie filmmaker who hits the road to promote his latest movie to a series of half-empty theaters. (Toh interview with Karpovsky here; see both trailers below.) Karpovsky's signature jerkish charm was on full display in the latest...

We've been talking about Alex Karpovsky's Rubberneck for a while now, and with its VOD and limited theatrical release quickly approaching, Tribeca Film has finally unveiled its poster art by designer Teddy Blanks.

Rubberneck will be available nationwide on VOD starting February 19th. It will also screen in a double feature with Karpovsky's road trip comedy Red Flag at Film Society of Lincoln Center’s Elinor Bunin Munroe Film Center starting February 22nd, complete with opening weekend Q&A's with the director.

Rubberneck is directed and co-written (with Garth Donovan) by Alex Karpovsky, who also stars in the film. A slow-burn character study-turned-psychosexual thriller, Rubberneck is a chillingly believable story of workplace romance gone wrong that co-stars Jaime Ray Newman and Dennis Staroselsky and was produced by Donovan, Michael Bowes, and Adam Roffman.

Synopsis:

Paul Harris is a scientist at a small research facility on the outskirts of Boston.

Got some news on a creepy looking new flick heading our way from Tribeca Films. With the catchy title Rubberneck the film is being billed as a slow-burn character study-turned-psychosexual thriller, Rubberneck, co-written by Karpovsky (“Girls”) and Garth Donovan, is a chillingly believable story of workplace romance gone wrong. It co-stars Jaime Ray Newman and Dennis Staroselsky and was produced by Michael Bowes, Garth Donovan, and Adam Roffman.

We’ve all had that creepy co-worker … Continue reading →...

We're intrigued by Alex Karpovsky's Rubberneck, a film he co-wrote, directed, and starred in, and if you are as well, then mark your calendar for February 19th, which is when Tribeca Film is releasing it nationwide via all the usual On Demand platforms.

If you're in New York City or Boston, you can also catch it on the big screen shortly thereafter at the following theatres:

February 22nd: NYC theatrical release at Elinor Bunin

March 1st: Boston theatrical release at The Brattle

A slow-burn character study-turned-psychosexual thriller, Rubberneck, co-written by Karpovsky ("Girls") and Garth Donovan, is a chillingly believable story of workplace romance gone wrong. It co-stars Jaime Ray Newman and Dennis Staroselsky and was produced by Michael Bowes, Garth Donovan, and Adam Roffman.

Synopsis:

Paul Harris is a scientist at a small research facility on the outskirts of Boston. After a weekend tryst with Danielle, an attractive and promiscuous co-worker,...

Tribeca Film has extended its relationship with multi-hyphenate Alex Karpovsky, acquiring North American rights to Rubberneck, a film he co-wrote, directed, and starred in, and plans to release it in February 2013. Read on for more details and a new still.

Tribeca Film's release plans include select theatrical screenings and offering the film on demand in more than 40 million homes in the U.S. and Canada through a variety of video-on-demand offerings as well as iTunes, Amazon Watch Instantly, Vudu, Xbox, Google Play, and YouTube.

Rubberneck had its world premiere at the 2012 Tribeca Film Festival and has had a robust showing at festivals internationally thereafter. A slow-burn character study-turned-psychosexual thriller, Rubberneck, co-written by Karpovsky and Garth Donovan, is a chillingly believable story of workplace romance gone wrong. It co-stars Jaime Ray Newman and Dennis Staroselsky and was produced by Michael Bowes, Garth Donovan, and Adam Roffman.

Karpovsky is one of the...

Alex Karpovsky's Red Flag and Rubberneck Films have both landed at Tribeca Film The distributor plans to release the films in February, 2013 in theaters and via VOD, reports Variety. The Rubberneck thriller was seen at the Tribeca Film Festival this year, and also stars Karpovsky, as well as Jaime Ray Newman, Dennis Starselsky and Amanda Good Hennessey. Garth Donovan scripted alongside Karpovsky, the film that follows Paul Harris (Karpovsky) a scientist at a small research facility on the outskirts of Boston. After a weekend tryst with Danielle, an attractive co-worker, leaves him wanting more, his unreciprocated desires gradually mold into an acute infatuation over the following months. Paul's suppressed resentments and perverse delusions become unhinged, triggering a horrific course of events that mercilessly engulf a tortured past and fugitive present.

Alex Karpovsky's Red Flag and Rubberneck Films have both landed at Tribeca Film The distributor plans to release the films in February, 2013 in theaters and via VOD, reports Variety. The Rubberneck thriller was seen at the Tribeca Film Festival this year, and also stars Karpovsky, as well as Jaime Ray Newman, Dennis Starselsky and Amanda Good Hennessey. Garth Donovan scripted alongside Karpovsky, the film that follows Paul Harris (Karpovsky) a scientist at a small research facility on the outskirts of Boston. After a weekend tryst with Danielle, an attractive co-worker, leaves him wanting more, his unreciprocated desires gradually mold into an acute infatuation over the following months. Paul's suppressed resentments and perverse delusions become unhinged, triggering a horrific course of events that mercilessly engulf a tortured past and fugitive present.

Chances are, if the movie doesn't feature a dolphin with a prosthetic tail on the poster, and it carries "inspired by true events" disclaimer, then it's going to be something about murder, mayhem, or the decades-long search for the Zodiac killer. So by announcing that your movie is inspired by true events, what could have been an unsettling reveal instead becomes a waiting game: who is going to get killed, how long is it going to take, and why have you never read about it before? It may add a slight bit of tension, but it's at the cost of almost everything else. Such is the case with "Rubberneck," written, directed, and starring Lena Dunham confederate Alex Kaprovsky, which has an intriguing-enough true crime premise but ends up coming across like something you'd stumble upon on Lifetime one Sunday afternoon (but without all the laughs of, say, "Drew Peterson: Untouchable...

"SXSW everyman Alex Karpovsky makes his Tribeca debut with a shocking turn in Rubberneck." From Steve Dollar's "Critic's Notebook" at GreenCine Daily: "The tightly wound suspense tale of a workplace obsession gone wrong finds the former stand-up comic playing a Boston research scientist whose emotional well-being has been stunted by a family secret. Because of his endless string of performances in indie comedies, I naively assumed that Karpovsky wrote and directed Rubberneck as some sort of deeply twisted humor of excruciation. And I can tell you, that attitude made the first half of the film amazingly weird to watch. Once the plot pivots, though, there will be no confusion."

Karpovsky "turns in a nicely broody, moody performance as Paul, a lab worker who has a weekend fling with a colleague (Jaime Ray Newman) and can't handle her subsequent rejection," writes Neil Genzlinger in his roundup of "twisted movies" at Tribeca in today's New York Times.

Ready to get lost in a slow-burn psychosexual character study? Then the 2012 Tribeca Film Festival has a movie for you! Check out the official trailer and screening details for Alex Karpovsky's Rubberneck.

Directed by Alex Karpovsky; written by Alex Karpovsky and Garth Donovan; and starring Karpovsky, Jaime Ray Newman, Dennis Staroselsky, and Amanda Good Hennessey, Rubberneck is having its world premiere tonight, April 20th, with two additional screenings during the fest.

Synopsis:

Paul Harris (Karpovsky) is a scientist at a small research facility on the outskirts of Boston. After a weekend tryst with Danielle, an attractive co-worker, leaves him wanting more, his unreciprocated desires gradually mold into an acute infatuation over the following months. Paul's suppressed resentments and perverse delusions become unhinged, triggering a horrific course of events that mercilessly engulf a tortured past and fugitive present. A slow-burning, psychosexual thriller, Rubberneck navigates the underpinnings of obsessions and our sadistic inability to look away.

Marketing folks try anything to draw the widest audience possible so it's often hard to know the exact genre of a film until we've sat through it. With that knowledge we bring you the handful of horror films screening at this year's Tribeca Film Festival thus far...plus those that Might be.

The Tribeca Film Festival runs April 18th-29th in New York City. Visit the official Tribeca 2012 website for the full World Narrative, World Documentary, and Viewpoints lineups and more info; and keep your eyes on Dread Central for further film announcements (only the first half has been revealed thus far) and full event coverage!

World Narrative Competition

Beyond the Hill (Tepenin Ardi)

Directed and written by Emin Alper (Turkey, Greece)—North American Premiere

Faik, a proud old forester, is having trouble with nomads grazing their livestock on his land. For revenge, he and his hulking farm hand Mehmet...

HollywoodNews.com: The 2012 Tribeca Film Festival (Tff), presented by American Express®, today announced the World Narrative and Documentary Competition film selections, along with selections for the out-of-competition Viewpoints section—the program established last year that highlights personal stories in international and independent cinema. Forty-six of the 90 feature-length films were announced. The 11th edition of the Festival will take place from April 18 to April 29 at locations around New York City.

The Festival was curated by a new programming team this year. Frédéric Boyer has joined Tff as Artistic Director, having most recently served as Artistic Director and Head of Programming for the Directors’ Fortnight at the Cannes Film Festival. Geoffrey Gilmore, Chief Creative Officer of Tribeca Enterprises, has expanded his role in overseeing the Festival program. Genna Terranova has been promoted to Director of Programming and Cara Cusumano returns as Programmer.

“It’s been so gratifying to watch the new programming...

The Tribeca Film Festival announced half of this year’s movie showcase, the 11th edition of the New York celebration set for April 18-29. James Franco’s behind-the-scenes General Hospital feature, Francophrenia, will have its North American premiere in the Viewpoints section – the program established last year that highlights more personal stories. “He’s kind of constructed this really interesting and well-crafted film about that experience that plays with the boundaries of documentary,” says Genna Terranova, Tribeca’s director of programming. “It’s a bit tongue in cheek, as James himself can be. He’s a bit enigmatic and the film is as well.

With The Five-Year Engagement set as the opening title for the 2012 Tribeca Film Festival, they’ve announced more of the line-up today with World Narrative & Documentary Features as the Viewpoint titles. We’ve got the next film from The Exploding Girl director Bradley Rust Gray, Jack and Diane (as well as a first look about featuring Juno Temple, thanks to Styd).

There is a new Harmony Korine short as well Kate Bosworth‘s While We Were Here and The Girl, starring Abbie Cornish. James Franco also has his latest film, Francophrenia, featuring footage from his performance on General Hospital. Nothing sticks out too greatly yet, but if I see something as interesting as Beyond the Black Rainbow or Magic Valley like last year, I’ll be a happy man. Check it out below and come back Thursday for the rest of the announcement.

World Narrative Feature Competition

• All In (La Suerte En Tus Manos...

SXSW kicks off later this week, but once your done slurping the BBQ sauce off your fingers, pack your backs and head north to Manhattan as the Tribeca Film Festival is gearing up to unspool in April. To whet cinephile appetites, organizers have dropped the lineup for the World Narrative Feature Competition, World Documentary Feature Competition and Viewpoints lineups and there are plenty of titles to take note of.

Among the narratives, the anticipated "Jack And Diane" from Bradley Rust Gray will make its world premiere. Starring Juno Temple and Riley Keough, the film takes a teenage lesbian love tale and twists the formula, with one of them revealing she's a werewolf. Add to that a cast rounded out by Dane DeHaan, Jena Malone and pop star Kylie Minogue (as a tattooed lesbian, of course) and you can see why this will be one of the hottest tickets at the fest.

"The finest Western you'll see this year is set in aristocratic 16th-century France, in the heat of Counter-Reformation," declares Nick Pinkerton. Segueing into his interview with Bertrand Tavernier, Aaron Hillis, also in the Voice, sums up the gist of The Princess of Montpensier: "Adapted from Madame de la Fayette's classic novel, the film concerns a nubile, wealthy heiress (Mélanie Thierry) who loves a rugged hothead from the wrong clan (Gaspard Ulliel), but is forced by her father to marry another prince (Grégoire Leprince-Ringuet), leaving her to dwell on the too-modern desire for free will — defiantly bucking against the rigid traditions of her breed." Back to Pinkerton: "The setting always serves the performers rather than vice versa — though the film is also greatly enhanced by the costuming, the rugged French countryside photographed in outdoor-adventure CinemaScope, and Philippe Sarde's baroque-tribal score, its martial and romantic poles matching a tale of...

We’re back with short report from South by Southwest Film Festival SXSW 2010.

This time we’re giving you first look on some projects that got our attention, hoping that you’ll also be interested in. And, since the festival is still on, let us remind you to check the updates on our site.

“C’mon, be honest with yourself, at some point of our lives we all wanted to be superhero” – that’s exactly the main thing about the first movie we’re going to talk about.

Kick-ass a superhero movie unlike any that has gone before, and definitely one that pays tribute to the rich history of the comic book movie. Still, this one is so different, original and fresh.

Dave Lizewski is an average high school student with typical teenage problems – no girlfriend, too much homework, and a chronic masturbation habit. His love of comics has inspired him to want more,...

SXSW Film Announces 2010 Award Winners

Complete Coverage of SXSW 2010

Austin, Texas – March 16, 2010 – The Jury and Audience Award-winners of the South by Southwest (SXSW) Film Conference and Festival were announced tonight at the Festival’s closing Awards Ceremony hosted by comedian Eugene Mirman in Austin, Texas. Feature Films receiving Jury Awards were selected from the Narrative Feature and Documentary Feature categories. Films in these categories, as well as the Spotlight Premieres, Emerging Visions, Midnighters, Lone Star States and 24 Beats Per Second categories were also eligible for the 2010 SXSW Film Festival Audience Awards. Only Narrative and Documentary Feature Audience Awards were announced tonight. Spotlight Premieres, Emerging Visions, Lone Star States, 24 Beats Per Second and Midnighters Audience Awards will be announced separately on Monday, March 22.

SXSW also announced the Jury Award-winners in Shorts Filmmaking, and Film Design Awards, and Special Awards, including the SXSW Chicken & Egg Emergent Narrative Woman Director Award and the SXSW Wholphin Award.

Austin, Texas – March 16, 2010 – The Jury and Audience Award-winners of the South by Southwest (SXSW) Film Conference and Festival were announced tonight at the Festival’s closing Awards Ceremony hosted by comedian Eugene Mirman in Austin, Texas. Feature Films receiving Jury Awards were selected from the Narrative Feature and Documentary Feature categories. Films in these categories, as well as the Spotlight Premieres, Emerging Visions, Midnighters, Lone Star States and 24 Beats Per Second categories were also eligible for the 2010 SXSW Film Festival Audience Awards. Only Narrative and Documentary Feature Audience Awards were announced tonight. Spotlight Premieres, Emerging Visions, Lone Star States, 24 Beats Per Second and Midnighters Audience Awards will be announced separately on Monday, March 22. SXSW also announced the Jury Award-winners in Shorts Filmmaking, and Film Design Awards, and Special Awards, including the SXSW Chicken & Egg Emergent Narrative Woman Director Award and the SXSW Wholphin Award. Details can be found at www.

The Jury and Audience Award-winners of the South by Southwest (SXSW) Film Conference and Festival were announced last night at the Festival’s closing Awards Ceremony hosted by comedian Eugene Mirman in Austin, Texas. Feature Films receiving Jury Awards were selected from the Narrative Feature and Documentary Feature categories.

Films in these categories, as well as the Spotlight Premieres, Emerging Visions, Midnighters, Lone Star States and 24 Beats Per Second categories were also eligible for the 2010 SXSW Film Festival Audience Awards. Only Narrative and Documentary Feature Audience Awards were announced tonight.

Spotlight Premieres, Emerging Visions, Lone Star States, 24 Beats Per Second and Midnighters Audience Awards will be announced separately on Monday, March 22.

SXSW also announced the Jury Award-winners in Shorts Filmmaking, and Film Design Awards, and Special Awards, including the SXSW Chicken & Egg Emergent Narrative Woman Director Award and the SXSW Wholphin Award.

Click through for the complete list of the...

Though SXSW 2010 is only at the halfway point, the music portion is about to kick into high gear and many film folks are leaving town. The awards ceremony was held last night, and Jeff Malmberg's Marwencol and Lena Dunham's Tiny Furniture won jury awards for best feature-length documentary and narrative, respectively.

Audience awards went to For Once in My Life (documentary) and Brotherhood (narrative). As if often the case, I haven't seen any of the winners, so can't comment further on them, but we do have a review for Marwencol up on the site, which is linked below.

Here's the announcement provided by the festival:

Austin, Texas - March 16, 2010 - The Jury and Audience Award-winners of the South by Southwest (SXSW) Film Conference and Festival were announced tonight at the Festival's closing Awards Ceremony hosted by comedian Eugene Mirman in Austin, Texas.  Feature Films receiving Jury Awards were...

Lena Dunham's Tiny Furniture has won the Narrative Feature award presented by the Feature Film Jury at this year's SXSW Film Festival. Special Jury Awards go to Myth of the American Sleepover, directed by David Robert Mitchell, for Best Ensemble and to Brian Hasenfus for his performance in Garth Donovan's Phillip the Fossil.

Jeff Maimberg's Marwencol wins the Documentary Feature award; runner-up: Rebecca Richman Cohen's War Don Don.

Audience Awards: Jim Bigham and Mark Moormann's For Once in My Life (Documentary) and Will Canon's Brotherhood (Narrative).

For the full list of further awards (shorts, poster and title design and more), turn to indieWIRE.

Feature Film Jury Awards Documentary Feature Winner: Marwencol Director: Jeff Malmberg Runner-up: War Don Don Director: Rebecca Richman Cohen Narrative Feature Winner: Tiny Furniture Director: Lena Dunham Special Jury Award...

At the SXSW closing awards ceremony Tuesday night, Lena Dunham's offbeat autobiographical drama Tiny Furniture won the narrative feature jury prize. Shot in November and edited in December, the filmmakers finished the micro-budget drama last Monday, and flew into Austin with a tape in hand. Dunham also won the Emergent Narrative Woman Director Award. The dramatic jury also awarded two special jury prizes: best ensemble, Myth of the American Sleepover, directed by David Robert Mitchell and best individual performance: Brian Hasenfus in Phillip the Fossil, directed by Garth Donovan. The feature doc jury winner was Jeff Malmberg's Marwencol, about Mark Hogancamp and his fantasy world. The runner-up was War Don Don, from director Rebecca Richman Cohen. The audience awards went to Will Canon's fraternity thriller Brotherhood and documentary ...

It.s a relatively modern trend for movies being made with such realism and authenticity to real life — the lives of average, everyday people . often producing some amazingly poignant stories without the glitz of Hollywood standards. Phillip The Fossil is one of these films and it really had me hooked.

Written and directed by Garth Donovan, Phillip The Fossil starts out presenting Phillip as a really despicable, unlikable main character. As the story progresses, the audience begins to see a more mature, perhaps even slightly enlightened version of the man hidden just beneath his macho exterior.

The story also follows two other male characters, whose stories intermingle with and have great influence on Phillip.s story. Phillip.s friend Nick (Nick Dellaroca) is a soldier returned home from war, struggling with the experience of being sent overseas to kill other human beings, never quite sure how to differentiate between the...

Boston Diy filmmaker Garth Donovan is an independent filmmaker to the max. He completed his fourth feature, "Phillip the Fossil," in a green, recession friendly manner, using a small crew and a host of non-actors. "Phillip The Fossil" follows an aging party animal chasing the now extinct glory days of his youth. Chuckling along as the carefree town jester, Phillip has become completely isolated in the dead end rut he so ...

Boston Diy filmmaker Garth Donovan, is an independent filmmaker to the max. He completed his fourth feature, "Phillip the Fossil," in a green, recession friendly manner, using a small crew and a host of non-actors. "Phillip The Fossil" follows an aging party animal chasing the now extinct glory days of his youth. Chuckling along as the carefree town jester, Phillip has become completely isolated in the dead end rut he so ...

Boston Diy filmmaker Garth Donovan is an independent filmmaker to the max. He completed his fourth feature, "Phillip the Fossil," in a green, recession friendly manner, using a small crew and a host of non-actors. "Phillip The Fossil" follows an aging party animal chasing the now extinct glory days of his youth. Chuckling along as the carefree town jester, Phillip has become completely isolated in the dead end rut he so ...

Boston Diy filmmaker Garth Donovan is an independent filmmaker to the max. He completed his fourth feature, "Phillip the Fossil," in a green, recession friendly manner, using a small crew and a host of non-actors. "Phillip The Fossil" follows an aging party animal chasing the now extinct glory days of his youth. Chuckling along as the carefree town jester, Phillip has become completely isolated in the dead end rut he so ...

As part of our preview run up to the 2010 South by Southwest (SXSW) Film Festival, we're assembling first look trailers and images from a wide variety of films. Today, we've got a special first look at the narrative competition film Phillip the Fossil from writer/director Garth Donovan. I'll be honest, I took one look at their official site (which isn't even really up yet), PhilliptheFossil.com, and I was interested. I'm a sucker for a guy holding a weed-whacker like that. Check out the official synopsis, followed by two more new images below (click to enlarge.) Set in small-town New England, Phillip the Fossil follows an aging party animal chasing the now extinct glory days of his youth. Blowing lines with kids half his age and voraciously pawing naive girls with "Juicy" tagged across their rears are all part of Phillip's relentless pursuit of the endless summer. He chuckles along as the carefree town jester, but...

The South by Southwest Film Festival announced its 2010 feature line-up Wednesday night, and I couldn’t be more excited. The nine day event starts March 12, 2010 here in Austin, Texas, and I’ll be covering as much as I can from start to finish. Though, if it’s anything like last year, I’ll be asleep on my feet by the end of it.

The 2010 list includes 119 films (55 world premieres), but here are a few notables: The previously announced Kick-Ass will start the festivities. Elektra Luxx, the sequel to the underseen comedy Women in Trouble, starring Carla Gugino, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and too many more to name. Tim Blake Nelson’s Leaves of Grass in which Edward Norton plays identical twins. A documentary titled People vs. George Lucas that I will be seeing. Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s Micmacs. Plus the “SNL” spin-off movie MacGruber in its world premiere, possibly before the MacGyver creator shuts it down.

Not all of the great film festivals are outside of the U.S. Even if you can’t book a ticket to Cannes or Berlin, you should be able to afford a flight out to Austin, Texas for SXSW, which is a festival for not only movies, but music and video games as well. Like the years before, the line-up for the 2010 SXSW Film Festival is the goods. Matthew Vaughn’s Kick-Ass will open up the fest and then there will be other great-looking films throughout including The Duplass Brothers’ Cyrus, SNL’s hard-r adaptation of MacGruber, Tim Blake Nelson’s Leaves of Grass, and Floria Sigismondi’s The Runaways, just to name a few. If you’re going to this year’s SXSW, let me know so I can steal your identity and go in your place.

The 2010 SXSW Film Festival will run from March 12-20. Check out the...

Less than a week worth of recovering from the Sundance Film Festival, and we are already looking forward to our next, big film fest coverage. That would be the South by Southwest Film Festival held annually in Austin, Texas. Last year, Scott and I brought you all kinds of coverage from the Lone Star State, and this year doesn’t look to be much different.

With that, the announcement came last night of the feature films that will be playing at the SXSW Film Festival. Previous announcement were already made about films like Cold Weather, Electra Luxx, Hubble 3D, Lemmy, Saturday Night, and The White Stripes: Under Great White Northern Lights making their debut. Kick-ass was recently announced as the opening night film, as well.

Among the other films being presented this year are some Sundance darlings, a few, highly anticipated premieres, and MacGruber.

Check out the full list...

I was so excited at seeing the SXSW line up last night that I completely forgot to post it and started searching the interwebs for cool content to go with it. Oops. Yes, I wish I was there but alas, it wasn’t mean to be (though don’t despair. We’ll be bringing you wicked awesome coverage).

But enough rambling, you want to know what’s all playing. Well, for a start there’s the much anticipated McGruber (trailer), the Duplass’ semi-mainstream comedy Cyrus, Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s Micmacs (trailer, review), Daniel Stamm’s horror flick Cotton and that’s on top of the previously announced titles which include Electra Luxx (Carla Gugino as a pregnant porn star? Bring. It. On.) and Kick-Ass (trailer). That’s already a great line-up but dear me, some of the other titles are pretty awesome too.

There’s Clay Liford scifi drama Earthling (trailer...

Late yesterday the SXSW Fim Festival, which runs from March 12-20 in Austin, TX, announced the full lineup of films that will be screening at this year’s event. And baby, it’s quite a list. Mixing big name films with intimate indie gems, the sheer number of films and the vast array of talented filmmakers is sure to be a hit with attendees and critics alike.

This lineup includes premieres of studio films such as Universal’s MacGruber, Lionsgate’s teen superhero actioneer Kick-Ass and smaller films like Tim Blake Nelson’s Leaves of Grass, Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s Micmacs, Michel Gondry’s The Thorn in the Heart and Steven Soderbergh’s And Everything Is Going Fine. With so many films to watch, it will be very difficult to find time to seem them all during the events nine days. But hell, we’re going to try.

For more on...

The South by Southwest Film Conference and Festival unveiled its feature film program Wednesday night, highlighted by the world premieres of action spoof "MacGruber" and "Mr. Nice," a real-life tale of an infamous British drug smuggler starring Rhys Ifans.

Features from the Duplass brothers ("Cyrus"), Steven Soderbergh ("And Everything Is Going Fine"), Michel Gondry ("The Thorn in the Heart") and Tim Blake Nelson ("Leaves of Grass") also have spots on the program.

The March 12-20 festival will showcase 119 features and 55 world premieres, including pervasively announced opening-night film "Kick-Ass." Selections were chosen from 1,572 submissions (1,206 U.S., 366 international).

"We want discovery," said conference and fest producer Janet Pierson, now in her second year. "We want a real range of films across the board."

Eight narrative and eight documentary features comprise the main competition categories.

The narrative selections are "Brotherhood," directed by Will Canon; "Dance With the One" (Mike Dolan); "Earthling" (Clay Liford...