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Despite having starred in many of the biggest movies of the last thirty years, including Good Will Hunting, Saving Private Ryan, the Jason Bourne films, The Martian and many more, Matt Damon once said that the movie fans most often quote to him is Eurotrip, with fans frequently approaching him, singing “Scotty Doesn’t Know.” A notable flop when it came out in 2004, thanks to DVD and streaming, Eurotrip went on to become a cult classic, and one that’s suddenly become a lot more bittersweet due to the tragic passing of one of its stars, Michelle Trachtenberg, who died recently at only thirty-nine years old. While mostly known for Harriet the Spy, and for her roles on Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Gossip Girl, many, us here at JoBlo included, are fond of her charming performance in this underrated flick, which might have been considered just another comedy back in 2004, but in our current,...

On February 26, news broke that Michelle Trachtenberg, an actress who got her start as a child star in the 1990s, passed away at the age of 39. This is a gutting loss on so many levels; not only was Trachtenberg far too young, but she was a stunningly talented performer who pretty much always made a project better simply by showing up. For millennials in particular — who basically grew up with Trachtenberg's body of work — this is a gutting loss, and it's also a major loss for the entertainment industry as a whole. In fact, two millennial writers for /Film who did, in fact, grow up with Trachtenberg's body of work are helming this article, so rest easy.

Trachtenberg had 62 acting credits to her name when she passed, and if you think of her performances on both the big and small screen, a few specific ones will probably come to mind,...

Matt Damon's cameo in EuroTrip was unexpected but hilarious, and he delivered a memorable performance as Donny, the obnoxious lead singer of a band. Damon took the role because the screenwriters were his college friends and asked him to appear in their film while he was in Prague shooting another movie. Since his EuroTrip cameo, Damon has become known for his comedic cameos in various films and TV shows, allowing him to showcase his comedic talent while still working in his primary genres of drama and action.

Oscar-winning actor Matt Damon is one of the most successful people in Hollywood, and he had a hilarious surprise cameo in EuroTrip. Released in 2004, EuroTrip is a teen sex comedy that follows Scotty Thomas (Scott Mechlowicz), a recently dumped high school graduate who travels to Europe to meet his pen pal. Scotty's friends join him, and the group gets into one raunchy...

Sandwiched in-between mega-hits "The Bourne Identity" and "Ocean's Eleven" and their sequels, Matt Damon made an oft-forgotten, highly curious cameo in a teen sex comedy. The 2004 film "EuroTrip" came at the height of the popularity of millennial teen comedies in the early 2000s that included "American Pie" and "Mean Girls." In "EuroTrip," high school angst overcomes Scotty (Scott Mechlowicz) when he is unceremoniously dumped by his girlfriend on the night of their high school graduation, leading him and his best friend Cooper (Jacob Pitts) to Europe in search of his pen pal crush. 

As is par for the course with any teen comedy from...

The post The Reason Matt Damon Agreed to Cameo in EuroTrip appeared first on /Film.

At the end of the R-rated teen comedy wave of the early 2000s, DreamWorks released “EuroTrip” without much fanfare or critical acclaim. The film followed a teenager who heads to Europe with a group of his friends to track down his German pen pal, only to get into one sexually-charged, drug-fueled adventure after the other. The movie slowly became a cult classic over the years, thanks in part to an iconic cameo from Matt Damon and a song called “Scotty Doesn’t Know” that went viral in the days long before internet memes.

“Scotty Doesn’t Know,” performed in the movie by Damon’s bald-headed garage band singer, is an incredibly catchy song about how the film’s lead character, Scott Thomas (Scott Mechlowicz), didn’t know that his girlfriend at the time named Fiona was cheating on him frequently with Damon’s character. The song’s lyrics turned it into a cult favorite,...

Royce Gorsuch's indie sci-fi thriller Mad Genius will be available on VOD tomorrow, July 3rd. Today, we have an exclsuvie clip to share with you. We have also included the trailer as well. Enjoy! The Matrix meets Mr Robot in the most captivating and topical science fiction film of the year, Mad Genius, available on VOD July 3 from Film Mode Entertainment. Mad genius and hacker, Mason Wells has a mission to “hack the human mind” in order to save humanity, but first must reconcile his multiple alter egos. His most threatening alter ego, Finn pushes Mason to do whatever is necessary to accomplish their mission including theft, bribery and...

[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...

For those of you looking to beat the heat and escape the dog days of summer, July’s VOD and digital slate of horror and sci-fi titles has got you more than covered. The month kicks off with nine different movies arriving on various platforms on July 3rd, including Another WolfCop, Ready Player One, Big Legend, Blumhouse’s Truth or Dare, Hover, and You Were Never Really Here, just to name a few.

July 10th is another busy release day, with The Lighthouse, Traffik, and Darkness Reigns all making their digital debuts, and then just a few days later, fans can check out The Devil’s Doorway, Siberia and The Night Eats the World on Friday the 13th. The month’s releases wrap up with Breaking In and Sunset Society on the 24th, and then 14 Cameras hits on July 27th.

Another WolfCop (Rlje Entertainment) – July 3rd

A month has passed...

Stars: Maria Bello, Frank Grillo, Cody Horn, Dustin Milligan, Megan Park, Scott Mechlowicz, Aaron Yoo, Alex Goode, Ashton Leigh, Terence Rosemore, Griff Furst, Jesse Steccato, Meyer DeLeeuw | Written by Max La Bella | Directed by Will Canon

James Wan, the man behind Saw, Dead Silence (a personal favourite), Insidious and The Conjuring, dons producer cap once more – following the success of Annabelle – for Demonic, the second feature from director Will Canon (Brotherhood); and a movie that seems to share more in common with the work of its producer that just having his name on the film…

Demonic follows Detective Mark Lewis and psychologist Dr. Elizabeth Klein as they question the lone survivor of a ghost-hunting excursion turned horrific massacre – where five college students were brutally murdered inside an abandoned home. The amateur paranormal activists were simply seeking proof of poltergeist phenomenon at the supposed haunted house. But what started out as...

Director: Charlie Lyne; Starring: Fairuza Balk, Robin Tunney, Neve Campbell, Devon Sawa, Seth Green, Jessica Alba, Scott Mechlowicz, Freddie Prinze Jr, Running time: 89 mins; Certificate: 15

A densely-packed dive into the world of teen movies from '90s to present, documentary Beyond Clueless will hit all the right notes for those with an affinity for Cher Horowitz, Cady Heron and their spiritual brothers and sisters.

The Kickstarter-backed project, directed by Ultra Culture founder Charlie Lyne, ditches the conventional talking heads approach to get under the skin of the genre and examine how they relate to the adolescent audiences who hoover them up.

Narrating it all is Fairuza Balk, star of '90s favourite The Craft, lending her husky tones to guide us through a maze of high school, raging hormones and rites of passage tales. Footage from north of 200 films are included, with Lyne spreading into subgenres like horror (Idle Hands,...

Welcome, one and all to yet another abject lesson in what should be called Cinematic Séances Are A Bad Idea For Everyone Involved. As if we didn’t already have last year’s Ouija to point this out, along comes the first trailer for horror thriller Demonic to remind the world that nothing good happens when stupid people decide to try to dabble in dark forces.This time around, those trying to figure out what happened when one of these ill-judged ceremonies turns deadly include a psychologist (Maria Bello) and a detective (Frank Grillo). Naturally, they start to dig into the case and the foreboding old house that it all went down in, trying to piece together what really happened. Was this an incursion from the Great Beyond? Or are the participants just run-of-the-mill killers trying to cover their tracks? The trailer leaves little room for doubt on that front.

I wasn't even aware of Demonic, a film produced and co-written by James Wan (Saw, Furious 7), until this morning. Directed by Will Canon (Air Jesus), who also co-wrote the film, the story seems to follow traditional territory as a police officer and psychologist investigate the deaths of five people who were killed while trying to summon ghosts. And it would appear some surveillance footage captured all the dirty deeds. The movie stars Maria Bello, Frank Grillo, Cody Horn, Dustin Milligan, Scott Mechlowicz and Aaron Yoo and as of now it doesn't have a release date, though it seems a safe bet it will find its way into theaters this October or thereabouts. Watch the trailer below. sb id="1334731" height="360" width="640"...

A couple of key trailers have hit in the past day or so. First up comes the first trailer for the "Flatliners"-esque "The Lazarus Effect". Olivia Wilde, Mark Duplass, Evan Peters, and Donald Glover star in the film about a research team who accidentally kill a colleague during the experiments in mapping the brain. When they reanimate her, well, what comes back is not what they bargained for.

Next up there's the first trailer for Will Canon's "Demonic," the James Wan-produced horror tale starring Frank Grillo and Maria Bello, as a detective and psychologist respectively, inspecting a brutal massacre inside an abandoned home. Cody Horn, Dustin Milligan, Megan Park, Scott Mechlowicz and Aaron Yoo also star.

Finally there's the trailer for "Good Kill," Andrew Nicole's drama thriller about Las Vegas-based drone pilots starring Ethan Hawke and Bruce Greenwood. Hawke plays a former fighter pilot turned drone pilot...

Sneak Peek footage from director Will Canon's horror feature "Demonic", produced by James Wan starring Frank Grillo ("Captain America: The Winter Soldier") and Maria Bello ("A History Of Violence"), Cody Horn, Dustin Milligan, Megan Park, Scott Mechlowicz and Aaron Yoo:

"...a detective (Grillo) and a psychologist (Bello) investigate a series of crimes inside an abandoned home that took the lives of five college students..."

Click the images to enlarge and Sneak Peek "Demonic"...

James Wan has created some of the best horror movies of the last 10 years. The first full trailer for Demonic was released today, and it leans pretty heavy on Wan's name as writer and producer. This is the second film from director Will Canon, who is not mentioned in the trailer. The synopsis is pretty simple: "A police officer and a psychologist investigate the deaths of five people who were killed while trying to summon ghosts." With a "story by" credit from Wan, odds are it's going to be a well-plotted script. The movie has a bit of a found footage vibe without relying on it to tell the story. My favorite part of the trailer - aside from the floating blood - is the infrared camera.

Demonic stars Maria Bello as Dr. Elizabeth Klein and Frank Grillo as Detective Mark Lewis. The movie also features an ensemble of "victims...

“There are a lot of theories about how to open these gates between our world and the underworld. The trick is finding them. Everybody join hands.” Ghost hunters want to hear from the dead, but what if a haunted house responded very violently? Previously known as House of Horror, we’ve been tracking the James Wan-produced Demonic since early 2011, and now the movie about ghost-seeking gone wrong has received its first trailer.

From James Wan, Demonic was directed by Will Canon (Brotherhood) and filmed in Baton Rouge. The script was written by Max La Bella and is based on an original idea from Wan:

“The film centers on the aftermath of a horrific massacre: five college students, brutally murdered inside a decrepit, abandoned home. Fresh on the scene, detective Mark Lewis and the police department’s psychologist, Dr. Elizabeth Klein, question one of the few survivors who explains they were amateur ghost-hunters,...

Demonic has been around for a while. Director Will Canon shot the film back in February of 2013, but it didn’t score a release date until late July 2014 and then in September, The Weinstein Company and Dimension Films nixed the December 12th release entirely. So when’s the film coming out? A new date has yet to be set, but according to the film's very first trailer, it’s coming soon. Demonic stars Frank Grillo as a detective and Maria Bello as a psychologist, and follows what happens when the pair investigates a brutal massacre inside an abandoned home that took the lives of five college students. Hit the jump to check out the first Demonic trailer. The film also stars Cody Horn, Dustin Milligan, Megan Park, Scott Mechlowicz and Aaron Yoo, and is produced by James Wan. You’d think a film that keeps getting delayed wouldn’t look too promising,...

From the mind of James Wan, the co-creator and director of Saw, comes a new kind of horror experience in Demonic. An international trailer has been released for this haunting thriller, which pits a team of ghost hunters against an evil spirit.

Demonic centers on the aftermath of a horrific massacre where five college students were brutally murdered inside an abandoned home. Detective Mark Lewis and psychologist Dr. Elizabeth Klein question one of the few survivors who explains they were amateur ghost-hunters, seeking out paranormal phenomenon at the abandoned house, which was believed to be haunted. But what started out as a harmless activity turned into something truly terrifying.

Check out this first very scary look at Demonic, which comes from director Will Canon, who mixes a traditional narrative with the found-footage genre to bring the ghost hunter's Pov to life in freighting new ways. With a cast that features Frank Grillo and Maria Bello,...

Dimension Films has suddenly pulled two upcoming horror projects from their release slate, Demonic and Amityville: The Awakening, just a few months before they were both set to hit theaters. The studio has not issued new release dates for either project as of yet, and it isn't immediately clear why they were both pulled.

Back in late July, Dimension Films issued a December 12, 2014 release date for Demonic, which is written and directed by Will Canon (Brotherhood), based on an original story by producer James Wan. Frank Grillo and Maria Bello star as a detective and a psychologist who interview one of the survivors of a brutal massacre where five college students were killed. The survivor explains that they were all ghost hunters, trying to discover a paranormal phenomenon.

Amityville: The Awakening had been set for a January 2, 2015 release since December, with TWC-Dimension releasing the first trailer last month. Jennifer Jason Leigh...

Filmgoers can knock all they want, but they’ll have to wait an undetermined length of time before theaters answer the door and let them into two upcoming haunted house movies from The Weinstein Company and Dimension Films. Amityville: The Awakening and James Wan’s Demonic, both initially scheduled to be released this winter, have now been delayed.

According to Box Office Mojo, Weinstein/Dimension have delayed the debuts of Amityville: The Awakening (originally slated for a January 2nd, 2015 release) and James Wan’s Demonic (initially scheduled to hit theaters on December 12th, 2014). No new release dates have been penciled in on the calendar, but we’ll keep Daily Dead readers updated on further announcements.

The latest installment in the horror movie franchise that began in 1979, Amityville: The Awakening follows a single mother (Jennifer Jason Leigh) and her three children as they move into the dreaded 112 Ocean Avenue home in New York,...

Dimension Films announced today that it will release the supernatural thriller Demonic, presented by James Wan (The Conjuring, Insidious, Saw), on December 12, 2014. The film is produced by James Wan and Lee Clay (Beautiful Boy) and directed by Will Canon (Brotherhood). The script is based on an original idea of James Wan's.

&#8232 &#8232Golden Globe nominated Maria Bello stars as the lead female along with Frank Grillo.&#8232 &#8232

The film centers on the aftermath of a horrific massacre where five college students were brutally murdered inside an abandoned home. Detective Mark Lewis and psychologist Dr. Elizabeth Klein question one of the few survivors who explains they were amateur ghost-hunters, seeking out paranormal phenomenon at the abandoned house, which was believed to be haunted. But what started out as a harmless activity turned into something truly terrifying.&#8232 &#8232

Said Erik Lomis, President of Theatrical Distribution & Home Entertainment for The Weinstein Company and Dimension Films...

Ghost hunters want to hear from the dead, but what if a haunted house’s spirits gave them a powerfully violent response? Previously known as House of Horror, we’ve been tracking the James Wan-produced Demonic since early 2011, and now the movie about ghost-hunting gone wrong has received a release date from Dimension Films.

Horror fans looking to see a fright flick around the holidays can rejoice, as Demonic will hit theaters on December 12th. Produced by James Wan, Demonic was directed by Will Canon (Brotherhood) and filmed in Baton Rouge. The script was written by Max La Bella and is based on an original idea from James Wan:

“The film centers on the aftermath of a horrific massacre: five college students, brutally murdered inside a decrepit, abandoned home. Fresh on the scene, detective Mark Lewis and the police department’s psychologist, Dr. Elizabeth Klein, question one of...

It has been ten years since EuroTrip, riding the raunchy teen comedy revival of the late ’90s and early naughts, burst into theaters and exposed an entire generation of teens to a beach full of dangling male genitalia. And even a decade later, those involved with the cult classic are still proud of it — every sex organ included.

At least, that was the vibe taken away from the audience Wednesday night in Hollywood, where cast members Scott Mechlowicz (“Scotty”), Jacob Pitts (“Cooper”), Michelle Trachtenberg (“Jenny”), Travis Wester (“Jamie”) joined producers Jeff Schaffer, Alec Berg, and David Mandel and several others for a Q&A session.

John Stockwell directed LLeju Productions’ 2011 film Cat Run and reunites with founder and president William Perkins.

The story follows the bumbling detectives from the first film, Julian and Anthony, as they become mired in mysterious murders and beautiful assassins in the Deep South.

Alphonso McAuley and Scott Mechlowicz reprise their roles. Production has begun in New Orleans.

Andrew and Matt Manson wrote the screenplay and Perkins are producing with Bic Tran.

Back in November, Maria Bello signed on to star in an untitled thriller from Dimension Films and producer James Wan. We hadn't heard anything about the project since then. Today, we have word that the project is finished shooting, and is officially being titled Demonic. We also have the latest synopsis.

"Demonic takes place after the massacre of five college students in an abandoned house. As investigators begin to unravel the murders, they uncover clues to what began as an innocent ghost-hunting excursion but eventually turned into a terrifying escapade involving the house itself."

Maria Bello plays a police psychologist who investigates the case. The supporting cast includes Frank Grillo, Cody Horn, Dustin Milligan, Megan Park, Scott Mechlowicz and Aaron Yoo.

Will Canon (Brotherhood) directed Demonic from a screenplay he co-wrote with Douglas Simon and Max La Bella, based on an original story by James Wan. It isn't known when this thriller,...

Hey, wait a second. Didn't James Wan say that he was done making horror films and Insidious: Chapter 2 was going to be his last? Well, that still appears to be the plan. But we'll be seeing his name attached to at least one more horror flick headed our way next year.

There's been a project listed on Wan's IMDb page for a while now that bears the title (or lack thereof) "Untitled James Wan Thriller," aka House of Horror, and the website Desde Hollywood broke the news today that the movie has finally been given a proper name. Currently in post-production, the film will be called Demonic, and you can expect to find the words "James Wan Presents" attached to that title.

Written by Will Canon, Doug Simon, and Max La Bella and directed by Canon, Demonic was produced by Wan and is based on a story he wrote.

We’ve been talking about James Wan’s House of Horror since early 2011, but the movie has finished filming and is now titled Demonic. Produced by James Wan, Demonic was directed by Will Canon (Brotherhood) and filmed in Baton Rouge earlier this year. The script was written by Max La Bella and is based on an original idea from James Wan:

“The film centers on the aftermath of a horrific massacre: five college students, brutally murdered inside a decrepit, abandoned home. Fresh on the scene, detective Mark Lewis and the police department’s psychologist, Dr. Elizabeth Klein, question one of the few survivors who explains they were amateur ghost-hunters, seeking out paranormal phenomenon at the abandoned house, believed to be haunted. But what started out as a harmless activity turned into something truly terrifying, and the suspect claims the responsibility doesn’t lie with any of the inhabitants, but with the house itself.

The name James Wan has gained an enormous amount of cache in the horror community in the past few years mostly thanks to terrific horror offerings such as 'Insidious' and 'The Conjuring'. So we've all been looking forward to his newly produced genre effort formerly known as 'House of Horror'. It's been months since we've heard anything from the project which has now reportedly moved into post-production and even more importantly has had a title change. 'Demonic' is the new heading to this Wan presented feature from director Will Canon and scribe Max La Bella. The flick stars Maria Bello ('The Dark'), Frank Grillo ('Zero Dark Thirty'), Cody Horn ('End of Watch'), Scott Mechlowicz ('Eurotrip'), Aaron Yoo, Megan Park and Dustin Milligan ('Shark Night'). Hopefully we'll have a release date on this real soon....

Eden Trailer. Megan Griffiths‘ Eden (2012) movie trailer stars Jamie Chung, Beau Bridges, Matt O’Leary, Scott Mechlowicz, and Ernie Joseph. Eden‘s plot synopsis: “Hyun Jae (Jamie Chung) [aka Eden] is an eighteen year old Korean-American girl who works at her parents’ store during the day and occasionally sneaks off for [...]

Continue reading: Eden (2012) Movie Trailer: Jamie Chung, Beau Bridges, Matt O’Leary...

Phase 4 Films has unveiled the first trailer and poster for Eden, the latest from heralded indie filmmaker Megan Griffiths (The Off Hours). Jamie Chung stars as the title character, a young Korean girl who is abducted and sold into a prostitution ring. In order to survive, she steadily gains more power and influence over the group that has held her captive. Take a look at the first footage and poster from this dramatic thriller, based on a true story, which also stars Beau Bridges, Scott Mechlowicz, and Matt O'Leary.

Eden - Trailer

Eden, a young Korean-American girl, is abducted near her home and forced into prostitution by a domestic human and drug trafficking ring. Throughout the two years she is held, Eden reluctantly ensures her own survival by carving out power and influence within the very organization that has imprisoned her. Inspired by a harrowing true story, Eden peers...

"Nothing short of gripping." Phase 4 Films has debuted the theatrical trailer for one of SXSW 2012's big hits, the Audience Award winner, a film called Eden directed by Megan Griffiths. It stars Jamie Chung as a young Korean-American girl, captured and forced into a prostitution ring for two years. The plot seems to involve her inspiring hope in the other girls, but she also "ensures her own survival by carving out power and influence" in the human and drug trafficking ring. The supporting cast includes Beau Bridges, Scott Mechlowicz, Matt O'Leary and many others. Music is a bit cheesy, but otherwise it doesn't look too bad. Watch the theatrical trailer for Megan Griffiths' Eden, originally in high def from Apple: Eden, a young Korean-American girl, is abducted near her home and forced into prostitution by a domestic human and drug trafficking ring. Throughout the two years she is held,...

In a transparent attempt to piggyback on a major news event and use it as an excuse to talk about films, here are some of our favourite cinematic popes

Following news that Benedict XVI is to be the first pope to resign in 600 years, we introduce the only important matter for debate: what are the best on-screen portrayals of pontiffs? Here are a few of our favourites, including nominations from @guardianfilm Twitter followers @Lazslokovacs, @farah0912‏, @nigelfloyd, @pafster, ‏@DulachG, ‏@filipequintans and ‏@FPSFilm.

1. Robbie Coltrane in The Pope Must Die

The film might not have been a classic, but Robbie Coltrane is certainly one of the most memorable movie popes.

Reading on mobile? Watch the clip on YouTube

2. Rex Harrison in The Agony and the Ecstasy

Rex Harrison is a remarkably shouty Pope Julius II, butting heads over the painting of the Sistine chapel with an even shoutier Michelangelo in Charlton Heston.

'Magic Mike' and 'End of Watch' hottie Cody Horn (below) is the latest to join the cast of the new James Wan produced haunted house thriller. Still without an official title but what we'll continue to refer to as 'House of Horror' for the time being the project is due to commence shooting in Baton Rouge, La this week. Hopefully that'll also mean that a final decision on the title will be happening soon. Horn, who is set to play a ghost hunter in the flick, will be joining the already cast Frank Grillo ('Zero Dark Thirty'), Maria Bello ('The Dark') and Scott Mechlowicz ('Eurotrip')....

Here's the thing... if you're gonna go ghost hunting, you might as well do it with hot chicks. I mean, if things go wrong and some supernatural entity ends up claiming your soul for all eternity, why not have the last thing you see be a beauty? Speaking of which...

THR is reporting that Cody Horn (pictured) has signed on to star alongside the previously announced Maria Bello and Frank Grillo in the currently untitled James Wan thriller for Dimension (formerly House of Horror). Scott Mechlowicz (Mean Creek) also stars in the flick with Wan producing and Will Canon directing. Max La Bella penned the script.

Synopsis

The film centers on the aftermath of a horrific massacre: five college students, brutally murdered inside a decrepit, abandoned home. Fresh on the scene, detective Mark Lewis and the police department’s psychologist, Dr. Elizabeth Klein (Bello), question one of the few survivors,...

*1/31- Updated with additional casting news* We’ve been talking about James Wan’s House of Horror since early 2011, but the movie is nearly ready to begin filming. Maria Bello has been the only confirmed cast member, but a new report reveals two more actors that have joined the project.

According to Variety, Frank Grillo (pictured below) will star alongside Maria Bello in the now-untitled horror movie. Grillo was recently cast as Crossbones in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, and has dozens of movie and TV credits, including Zero Dark Thirty, The Grey, and Mother’s Day (2010). Scott Mechlowicz (pictured below) has also been officially cast in the movie and you may recognize him from his work on EuroTrip and Mean Creek.

*Update: THR revealed that Cody Horn (Rescue Me, pictured below) had joined the cast and will be playing the role of a ghost hunter. It has also been...

Variety are reporting that 'Eurotrip' and 'Mean Creek' actor Scott Mechlowicz has joined the cast of the new James Wan produced spook flick 'House of Horror'. Mechlowicz (below) will be joining the Will Canon helmed project which only this week saw actors Frank Grillo ('Zero Dark Thirty') and Maria Bello ('The Dark') confirmed in the lead roles. Although the movies actual title is still up in the air (we think that 'House of Horror' is good enough?) we do know that the yet titled horror flick will revolve around the investigation into a mysterious group of murders that took place in an abandoned house. More on this as we get it....

More casting news has come in for Dimension's untitled James Wan Presents thriller (formerly House of Horror) starring Maria Bello and Frank Grillo. Read on for the skinny on who else is setting themselves up for a good fright!

Variety reports that Scott Mechlowicz (Mean Creek) has joined the cast of the flick with Wan producing and Will Canon directing. Max La Bella penned the script.

Synopsis

The film centers on the aftermath of a horrific massacre: five college students, brutally murdered inside a decrepit, abandoned home. Fresh on the scene, detective Mark Lewis and the police department’s psychologist, Dr. Elizabeth Klein (Bello), question one of the few survivors, who explains they were amateur ghost hunters seeking out paranormal phenomenon at the abandoned house, believed to be haunted. But what started out as a harmless activity turned into something truly terrifying, and the suspect claims the responsibility doesn’t...

Another week, another Monday. So it’s time for the rundown of DVDs and Blu-ray’s hitting stores online and offline this week. It’s another packed week, with plenty of movies waiting to take you money, so let us breakdown the new releases and highlight what you should – and shouldn’t – be buying from today, April 23rd 2012.

Pick Of The Week

Hirokin: The Last Samurai (DVD/Blu-ray)

Hirokin, a reluctant hero marked by a dark past, must fulfill his destiny when forced to choose between avenging the murder of his family or fighting for the freedom of a people long abused. Hirokin Review

And the rest…

The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (DVD/Blu-ray)

Disgraced journalist Mikael Blomkvist (Daniel Craig) accepts an invitation to surreptitiously investigate a forty year old unsolved murder on behalf of the victim’s uncle, Swedish industrialist Henrik Vanger (Christopher Plummer). Meanwhile, tattooed hacker Lisbeth...

It took a lot of begging and pleading from both producers and the public, but for whatever reason Johnny Depp saw it in his heart to return in one knockout scene in the new film version of "21 Jump Street," based on the hit Fox TV show that made him a star.

To put him in the ranks of some of the greatest movie cameos ever, we're counting down 35 surprise appearances in movies that pleased and shocked us -- and left us wanting more.

35. Jim Parsons, 'The Muppets' (2011)

Walter (Peter Linz) has to decide if he's "Man or Muppet," but during this solemn ballad he sees his human form in the mirror courtesy of the "Big Bang Theory" star. Although it was tunesmith Bret McKenzie who wrote the song, we think that a small chunk of that Academy Award for Best Song should go to Parsons for embodying the...

Undocumented has aspirations to be that warning shot across the bow that unveils American monsters, gorged on anti-illegal immigration propaganda and looking to bring their brand of justice to make sure them Mexicans stay the hell out. It's certainly critical of these self-deluded men who equate torture with law and take twisted pleasure in toying with their Mexican captives. This time though, an American documentary crew is thrown in the mix, led by Travis (Eurotrip’s Scott Mechlowicz), whose idealistic tracking of illegal immigrants crossing the border is crudely interrupted. Taken in along with the Mexicans, the crew quickly discerns that these men do not operate under government authority and are prepared to go to great lengths to make their point.

Read more...

Sound On Sight will once again be covering the SXSW Film Festival this year, making it our second time attending. 130 feature films will screen at the Austin, Texas fest taking place March 9-17, including 65 World Premieres, 17 North American Premieres and 10 U.S. Premieres. As previously announced, Drew Goddard and Joss Whedon’s The Cabin in the Woods will have the honours of opening the festival, and now they have released the full list of films – and it’s looking pretty amazing. Enjoy!

Narrative Feature Competition

This year’s 8 films were selected from 1,112 submissions. Each film is a World Premiere. Films screening in Narrative Feature Competition are:

Booster

Director/Screenwriter: Matt Ruskin

When Simon’s brother is arrested for armed robbery, he is asked to commit a string of similar crimes in an attempt to get his brother acquitted.

Cast: Nico Stone, Adam DuPaul, Seymour Cassel, Kristin Dougherty, Brian McGrail (World Premiere)

Eden

Director: Megan Griffiths,...

The South by Southwest (SXSW) Film Conference and Festival is thrilled to announce the features lineup for this year's Festival, March 9 - 17, 2012 in Austin, Texas. We are also pleased to reveal the world premiere of Emmett Malloy's documentary Big Easy Express as our Closing Night Film, which follows a train ride unlike any other with Mumford & Sons, Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros and Old Crow Medicine Show. Big Easy Express will screen on Saturday, March 17. The program will also include the world premiere of Columbia Pictures and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures' 21 Jump Street, screening in the Centerpiece slot on Monday, March 12. The 2012 lineup continues the SXSW tradition of celebrating ambitious experimentation with risk takers both in front of and behind the camera, and a deep immersion into cultural touchstones. The Midnighters feature section and the Short Film program will be announced on February 8.

"SXSW has long been a haven for bold...

Iggy Pop and Debbie Harry, shot by Bob Gruen in 1977

Rock 'N' Roll Exposed: The Photography of Bob Gruen

screens as part of 24 Beats per Second

SXSW Film has just announced its features lineup for the 2012 edition, running March 9 through 17. We already knew that the Opening Night Film would be Drew Goddard's The Cabin in the Woods. For its Closing Night Film, the festival will host the world premiere of of Emmett Malloy’s documentary Big Easy Express (more below). The lineup, with descriptions from the festival:

Narrative Feature Competition

Booster

Director/Screenwriter: Matt Ruskin. When Simon’s brother is arrested for armed robbery, he is asked to commit a string of similar crimes in an attempt to get his brother acquitted. Cast: Nico Stone, Adam DuPaul, Seymour Cassel, Kristin Dougherty, Brian McGrail. (World Premiere)

Eden

Director: Megan Griffiths, Screenwriters: Richard B. Phillips, Megan Griffiths, Story by: Richard B. Phillips & Chong Kim.

With Sundance 2012 Film Festival over, the next big one on the horizon is South by Southwest, which we’ll be heavily covering. The biggest chunk of the line-up has been announced today, which has some great premieres including 21 Jump Street, Tiff and Sundance hit The Raid, Will Ferrell‘s Casa de mi Padre, the documentary Girl Model (which we liked at Tiff), as well as the next from Broken Lizard, The Babymakers. There are many other promising titles included and you can see them all below. Check back for our coverage for the fest, kicking off March 9th.

Narrative Feature Competition

This year’s 8 films were selected from 1,112 submissions. Each film is a World Premiere. Films screening in Narrative Feature Competition are:

Booster

Director/Screenwriter: Matt Ruskin

When Simon’s brother is arrested for armed robbery, he is asked to commit a string of similar crimes in an attempt to get his brother acquitted.

Attendees of South by Southwest 2012 are in for a treat. 130 feature films will screen at the Austin, Texas festival taking place March 9-17. Among them are 65 World Premieres, 17 North American Premieres and 10 U.S. Premieres. The organization already announced [1] Drew Goddard and Joss Whedon's The Cabin in the Woods would open the festival (the movie is phenomenal [2]) and today the majority of the remaining line up has been revealed. One of the highlights is the unbelievably smart and hilarious 21 Jump Street, directed by Phil Lord & Christopher Miller. Both of those are World Premieres. Other highlights include The Hunter, Killer Joe, The Babymakers, frankie goes boom, God Bless America, The Imposter, The Raid, Bernie and Casa de mi Padre just to name a few. After the jump, read descriptions of all the films that have been announced so far. Before I copy and paste the rest of the list, a few minor notes.

IFC Midnight has come roaring out of the gate with three tales of terror dropping onto DVD within the first month of 2012! Undocumented, Dead Hooker in a Trunk, and Spider Hole are all on the way; and we have the details you need right here!

January 17th, 2012: Undocumented

Good intentions lead to a living nightmare when student filmmakers trying to document the struggle of illegal immigrants become the targets of a dangerous radical group in Undocumented, a startling debut feature coming to DVD from IFC Films.

There are estimates that more than a million people attempt to cross illegally from Mexico to the United States every year – some succeed, some don’t. In his riveting debut as writer-director, Chris Peckover reveals the horror faced by one unlucky group of border crossers. In this suspense-filled drama, an aspiring documentary director Travis (Scott Mechlowicz, Mean Creek, EuroTrip) and his crew set...

3 new clips from Undocumented, starring Scott Mechlowicz, Alona Tal and Yancey Arias. Chris Peckover directs as well as scripting the horror alongside Joe Paterson which opened in theaters on September 9th, followed by a September 14th on-demand run. In Undocumented, a small group of documentary filmmakers chronicle the trials and inequities faced by Mexican illegal immigrants. When they join a group of families crossing the border to record the experience firsthand, their truck is pulled over and detained. What happens next plunges the group into unimaginable horror.

3 new clips from Undocumented, starring Scott Mechlowicz, Alona Tal and Yancey Arias. Chris Peckover directs as well as scripting the horror alongside Joe Paterson which opened in theaters on September 9th, followed by a September 14th on-demand run. In Undocumented, a small group of documentary filmmakers chronicle the trials and inequities faced by Mexican illegal immigrants. When they join a group of families crossing the border to record the experience firsthand, their truck is pulled over and detained. What happens next plunges the group into unimaginable horror.

The gruesome horror-thriller Undocumented is currently playing in select theaters, and is available via the Sundance Now on demand platform. This gruesome little fable from director Chris Peckover follows a group of documentary filmmakers who are detained in Mexico with horrific results. We have three new clips and three new photos for you to check out below.

Click to watch Undocumented Trailer!

Click to watch Guided Tour!

Click to watch Detained!

Undocumented was released September 9th, 2011 and stars Scott Mechlowicz, Alona Tal, Yancey Arias, Greg Serano, Kevin Weisman, Casey Adams, Amy Baklini, Tina Borek. The film is directed by Chris Peckover.

Talk about a timely movie — with a horror twist. Take a look at three clips form Chris Peckover’s film festival favorite “Undocumented”, a horror film in the guise of a faux documentary. The film is currently available in select theaters, cable VOD, and on SundanceNow, so if you want to see it, you don’t have to go far — unless, of course, someone stole your computer and you’re currently reading this in a public library, in which case you’ve got a lot more to worry about than finding ways to watch “Undocumented”. But I digress. A small group of documentary filmmakers chronicle the trials and inequities faced by Mexican illegal immigrants. When they join a group of families crossing the border to record the experience firsthand, their truck is pulled over and detained. What happens next plunges the group into unimaginable horror. Starring Scott Mechlowicz, Alona Tal...

Two more clips have arrived for Chris Peckover's stellar flick Undocumented (review here), and we have them for you here fresh out of the torturous holding camp that once housed them! Liberty!

Recently becoming available on SundanceNOW.com, Undocumented is the story of a documentary film crew detained while crossing the United States/Mexico Border and the horrors that befall them. It's also currently available nationwide on demand from IFC via Comcast, Cox, Cablevision, Time Warner, and Bright House.

Directed by Chris Peckover (who also co-wrote the film with Joe Peterson), Undocumented stars Scott Mechlowicz, Alona Tal, Greg Serano and Kevin Weisman and is a seriously tense film. Check out the clips and trailer below to see what we mean.

And certainly check out SundanceNOW.com for an opportunity to see some great independent films that aren't always readily available elsewhere, at a very reasonable price. Enjoy!

Synopsis

A...