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Is every day Record Store Day? It is for the several dozen interviewees of “Vinyl Nation,” a documentary that aims to not just explain the phenomenal LP resurgence of the last 15 years but break down any “High Fidelity” stereotypes about who’s driving the comeback. Record collecting may be a massive cult, but it’s also a rainbow coalition of enthusiasts, the movie argues. Geekiness is next to godliness for the women, girls, LGBTQ folks and people of color who are joined in the film’s record-collecting cast by — sure — some pasty, middle-aged, Comic Book Guy-looking types.

As an excellent piece of propaganda for the format, “Vinyl Nation” wants to portray vinyl hounds first and foremost as people who are maybe deeper into their feels than the rest of us — a diverse army of music fans who take to records’ corporeal qualities because the very element of touch triggers something spiritual in their hearts.

Uncork'd Entertainment has released the trailer for their upcoming J.R. "Bob" Dobbs and the Church of the SubGenius documentary. Director Sandy Boone feels that now is the perfect time to reintroduce the world to the gospel of Slack. While SubGenius is not something that the masses may know about now, it has influenced a number of famous artists from all walks of life, including Devo's Mark Mothersbaugh, Pee-wee Herman star Paul Reubens, cartoonist R. Crumb, and many more. J.R. "Bob" Dobbs and the Church of the SubGenius will be in virtual theaters October 16th and available on Demand October 20th.

What started out as an inside joke amongst two self-proclaimed weirdos in Ft. Worth, Texas became something much more than they bargained for. Reverend Ivan Stang (Douglass St. Clair Smith) and Dr. Philo Drummond (Steve Wilcox) had no idea what would happen when they decided to turn their...

Exclusive: NBC Sports has acquired and set a premiere date for The Russian Five, a feature documentary about the first five Russians to play hockey together in the NHL. The film will air on November 6, following Nbcsn’s Wednesday Night Hockey game between the Detroit Red Wings and New York Rangers.

The Russian Five tells the story of how Sergei Fedorov, Slava Fetisov, Vladimir Konstatinov, Slava Kozlov and Igor Larionov defected and then helped transform the Red Wings from perennial losers to back-to-back Stanley Cup Champions. Toward the end of the Cold War in the late ’80s, the Red Wings hatched an audacious plan to draft the best Soviet players from behind the Iron Curtain and help them defect to Detroit. The team snuck them out under cover of night and whisking them to the Motor City where they won the fans’ hearts and changed the way hockey is played in North America forever.

A trip to the dentist turns into a surreal stroll through a dreamworld in the new clip for Karen Skloss' The Honor Farm, making its premiere later this month at the SXSW Film Festival.

Check out the new clip below, and stay tuned to Daily Dead for our live, on-site coverage of the SXSW Film Festival.

"Acclaimed filmmaker Karen Skloss (SXSW premiere Sunshine) world premieres her new psychedelic teen horror film The Honor Farm at this year's SXSW.

When Lucy's prom night falls apart, she finds herself jumping into a hearse headed for a psychedelic party in the woods. Looking for a thrill, the party wanders deeper into the forest, to a haunted and abandonded prison work farm. A secret wish and a summoning of the dead sends the group on a mind-bending trip into a dangerous trap.

The Honor Farm takes the most beloved youth genres - rebellious coming of age,...

South by Southwest, the multi-faceted film, music and technology festival held annually in Austin, TX will feature such upcoming films as Paul Feig’s Spy, David Gordon Green’s Manglehorn, Alex Gibney’s documentary Steve Jobs: The Man in the Machine, and Ondi Timoner’s Russell Brand profile Brand: A Second Coming as headliners in this year’s film festival lineup.

SXSW runs from March 13 to 21 in Austin and is now in its 22nd year. Variety has details of the 145 films and 100 world premieres bowing at this year’s festival. Brand, as previously reported, will be the festival’s opening night film.

Other notable titles on the list are the Will Ferrell/Kevin Hart comedy Get Hard, a rough cut of Judd Apatow’s Trainwreck, the directorial debut of 28 Days Later screenwriter Alex Garland, Ex Machina, and a new comedy by Michael Showalter, Hello, My Name is Doris.

On the small screen,...

Variance Films will partner with Chris Eska for the theatrical release of Civil War drama The Retrieval.

Following a preview engagement starting on March 14 in Atlanta, the film will open in New York on April 2 prior to expansion on April 18.

Eska wrote and directed the 1864-set tale of a fatherless 13-year-old boy who corrals runaway slaves and freemen for a white bounty hunter gang.

Newcomer Ashton Sanders and Tishuan Scott star and Scott earned the breakthrough acting prize at SXSW 2013.

Jacob Esquivel and Jason Wehling produced The Retrieval and Alan Berg, Tom Borders and Sibyl Avery Jackson served as executive producers.

Yerka has teamed up with Random Media to distribute recent Sundance documentary selection Mirage Men across digital platforms.

We’re back with another Q&A feature, this time talking with Saturday Morning Mystery director Spencer Parsons, who tells us about growing up with Scooby-Doo, balancing horror and comedy, and his time on the set of the movie:

With this movie being Scooby-Doo influenced, can you tell me about your experience with Scooby-Doo as a child? What’s one of your favorite episodes?

Spencer Parsons: Oh yeah, when I was little, it was huge to me. My little brother and I would stay over at my grandmother’s house and wake up early to watch it with my older cousins while snarfing down sugary breakfast cereals my mom never let us have. By the time Jason of Star Command came on, I’d be flying high on Count Chocula, trying to get pony rides from the cocker spaniel. So I’d call it formative.

But Scooby and any...

Theatrical release dates, locations, and showtimes have been announced for Saturday Morning Mystery, coming out in August from XLrator Media, and we have all the info you need right here.

The film is directed by Spencer Parsons and written by Jory Balsimo, Aaron Leggett, and Jason Wehling. You can find it on VOD now and in the following theatres beginning August 10, 2013.

* Brooklyn - Videology on Saturday, 8/10, at 9:30 pm

* Los Angeles - Laemmle Noho on Thursday, 8/15, at 7:30 pm

* Seattle - Tin Room on Friday, 8/16, and Saturday, 8/17, at 10:00 pm

* Chicago - Music Box on Friday, 8/16, and Saturday, 8/17, at 12:00 midnight

Related Story: Guest Blog: Director Spencer Parsons on Saturday Morning Mystery; Exclusive New Stills!

Josephine Decker, Paul Gordon, Jonny Mars, Ashley Spillers, and Adam Tate star.

Synopsis:

Four professional ghost hunters, who travel in a vintage van accompanied by their canine companion (sound familiar?), get far more than they...

Along with some exclusive and really bloody new stills, we have a special guest blog on tap for you guys from director Spencer Parsons about his new film, Saturday Morning Mystery; old cartoons; and much, much more! Dig it!

Truth be known, I’m more of a Buford Files guy than a Scooby-Doo guy, probably because that one ripped off Smokey and the Bandit, and every episode took place in a swamp, with way more opportunity for moss monsters. But man alive, ‘70s TV barfed up a ton of these Scooby wanna bes about ghost-chasers-with-dogs. And all of them got repeated endlessly through the ‘80s in syndication, even the ones that didn’t last a whole season. Shows like Clue Club, Butch Cassidy and Goober and the Ghost Chasers, plus less dog-centric mystery team cartoons like Fangface, Speed Buggy, or The New Shmoo. There were more, and I could go on,...

A whole bunch of new stills from Spencer Parsons' Saturday Morning Mystery have arrived, but they would have gone unnoticed if not for the annoyance of those damned meddling kids. Check 'em out or no Scooby Snacks for you!

The film is directed by Spencer Parsons and written by Jory Balsimo, Aaron Leggett, and Jason Wehling. You can find it on VOD beginning July 17th and in theatres on August 9, 2013.

Josephine Decker, Paul Gordon, Jonny Mars, Ashley Spillers, and Adam Tate star.

Synopsis:

Four professional ghost hunters, who travel in a vintage van accompanied by their canine companion (sound familiar?), get far more than they bargained for when they investigate an abandoned schoolhouse with a mysterious past.

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Massacre mysteries every morning in the comments section below.

We haven't heard much about Spencer Parsons' Saturday Morning Massacre lately, but we've learned it has a new title, revised trailer, DVD box art, and release info via XLrator Media. Now that's an update worth waiting for!

The film, directed by Spencer Parsons and written by Jory Balsimo, Aaron Leggett, and Jason Wehling, is now called Saturday Morning Mystery. A possible reaction to all the negative feelings toward violence these days? Who knows, but in any event you can find it on VOD beginning July 17th and in theatres on August 9, 2013.

Josephine Decker, Paul Gordon, Jonny Mars, Ashley Spillers, and Adam Tate star.

Synopsis:

Four professional ghost hunters, who travel in a vintage van accompanied by their canine companion (sound familiar?), get far more than they bargained for when they investigate an abandoned schoolhouse with a mysterious past.

Visit The Evilshop @ Amazon!

Got news? Click here to submit it!

By Jessica Pugh

Because Fourplay is such a unique film and could potentially appeal to only a select audience, I wasn't sure if there would be a full house at the Alamo Village the night I planned to see it. I could not have been more wrong. We were at full capacity, and there was excitement in the air to see what former Austinite Kyle Henry's movie would present.

After talking to producer Jason Wehling before the Fourplay screening, I asked him what someone should expect from Fourplay. He casually stated, "You might be offended, you definitely will be challenged." The audience didn't seem to be as anxious about the film as I was. Several people ordered a few drinks, and were casually chatting.

When the film ended, cast and crew gathered at the front of the theater for a Q&A and discussion about the film. The movie...

Making its world premiere at this year's SXSW film festival this month is the Civil War drama The Retrieval (adding it to our list of "slavery/Civil War" films list - see Tambay's post from earlier this month Here). Helmed by Chris Eska, nominated for two Independent Spirit Awards (and winner of the Cassavetes Award) for his feature film August Evening, The Retrieval stars newcomers (mostly) Ashton Sanders, Tishuan Scott, Keston John, Bill Oberst, Jr., Christine Horn, and others. Jason Wehling and Jacob Esquivel produce. All we have for a synopsis is: On the outskirts of the Civil War, a boy is sent north by a bounty hunter gang to retrieve a wanted man. A very intriguing...

 

Continued from earlier today, here are the rest of the SXSW 2013 films with Austin or Texas ties: documentaries and films that have already been hits at other festivals.

Documentary Spotlight:

An Unreal Dream: The Michael Morton Story -- If you watch the local news, you are likely quite familiar with the wrongful conviction of Michael Morton in Williamson County. This documentary looks further into his story and the years of work by his attorneys to get him released.

Jette butts in: Filmmaker Al Reinert (screenwriter for For All Mankind, Apollo 13) lives in Houston. The film is produced by local filmmakers Clark and Jesse Lyda (who also own Monument Cafe) and Marcy Garriott -- all three worked previously on The Least of These (SXSW 2009). Jason Wehling (The Retrieval) is credited as a consulting producer. One of the composers is Chuck Pinnell, brother of the late Texas filmmaker Eagle Pennell. (screening...

Making its world premiere at this year's SXSW film festival is the Civil War drama The Retrieval, which we hadn't heard of before today (adding it to our list of "slavery/Civil War" films list - see Tambay's post from earlier this month Here). Helmed by Chris Eska, nominated for two Independent Spirit Awards (and winner of the Cassavetes Award) for his feature film August Evening, The Retrieval stars newcomers (mostly) Ashton Sanders, Tishuan Scott, Keston John, Bill Oberst, Jr., Christine Horn, and others.  Jason Wehling and Jacob Esquivel produce. All we have for a synopsis is: "On the outskirts of the Civil War, a boy is sent north by a bounty...

One more feather in the awards cap for David O. Russell's "Silver Linings Playbook": The Austin Film Festival, which ran October 18-25, announces the film as  winner of its Marquee Feature Audience Award. A full list of the festival's award winners is below. Marquee Feature Audience Award: Silver Linings Playbook Writer/Director: David O. Russell Narrative Feature Audience Award: Junk Writers: Kevin Hamedani, Ramon Isao Director: Kevin Hamedani Documentary Feature Audience Award: (Tie) Spinning Plates Writer/Director: Joseph Levy Rising From Ashes Director: T.C. Johnstone Comedy Vanguard Audience Award: The Muslims Are Coming! Directors: Negin Farsad, Dean Obeidallah Dark Matters Audience Award: Saturday Morning Massacre Writers: Jory Balsimo, Aaron Leggett, Jason Wehling Director: Spencer Parsons Narrative Short Audience Award: Asad Writer/Director: Bryan Buckley ...

Directed by: Spencer Parsons

Written by: Jory Balsimo, Aaron Leggett, Jason Wehling

Featuring: Ashley Rae Spillers, Josephine Decker, Adam Tate, Jonny Mars, Paul Gordon

Drawing inspiration from Scooby-Doo, Ghost Hunters and scary movies of the '70s and '80s, Saturday Morning Massacre is a horror parody that's equal parts frightening and funny. Made with affection and a knowing eye, this sly film is for anyone who ever wanted to see how the meddling members of Mystery Inc. would fare if they, say, walked onto the set of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre.

In this entertaining flick, which screened last night as part of the Austin Film Festival, the Scooby gang is reimagined as real-world paranormal investigators struggling to make ends meet in the grungy mid-1990s. Teetering on the brink of bankruptcy, the team stumbles into a paying gig involving a deserted mansion with a sordid Satanic history.

This...

Austin will be representin’ at the Annual News and Documentary Emmy Awards. As if winning the Truer Than Fiction Award at the 2012 Independent Spirit Awards weren’t enough, Austin filmmaker Heather Courtney’s Where Soldiers Come From (which was broadcast on PBS’s Pov series) just received an Emmy nomination in the “Outstanding Continuing Coverage of a News Story – Long Form” category. The awards ceremony will take place Monday, October 1 at the Lincoln Center in New York City. If you have not seen Where Soldiers Come From, it will be rebroadcast in September. And, don’t worry, I will remind you again. Former Austinite Kyle Henry‘s Fourplay (which boasts an Austin-centric cast and crew including producer Jason Wehling, cinematographer Pj Raval and actor Paul Soileau) premiered at San Franciso’s Frameline36 in June and it just screened last night in Los Angeles at Outfest 2012. I can only assume that Fourplay will be screening at many more...

This is the last in a series of four interviews related to the Austin-shot movie Saturday Morning Massacre (Jette's review), which recently premiered at Los Angeles Film Festival. Don't forget to read about our chats with producer Jonny Mars, screenwriters Aaron Leggett and Jory Balsimo, and director Spencer Parsons.

Austin-based actress Ashley Rae Spillers stars in Saturday Morning Massacre as Nancy, the plucky young leader of a group of amateur ghostbusters working their first paying case... and things don't go quite as planned. This is Spillers' first feature-film role, following her appearance in a few short films, including a segment of Slacker 2011. Slackerwood sat down with Spillers before the film's Laff premiere. Though this was her first feature film role, she's been busy ever since, working with a long list of Austin filmmakers. 

Slackerwood: How did you get involved with the film?

Spillers: This is the first feature I'd ever done.

When life drops a creepy old mansion into your lap, you've got no choice but to make a horror movie out of it. And so, within weeks of the fortuitous real estate deal, producer Jonny Mars and crew got to work on the Austin-produced, Scooby Doo-inspired horror film Saturday Morning Massacre (Jette's review), which premiered at the Los Angeles Film Festival earlier this month. The ornate, menacing mansion serves as not only the primary location for the film but is one of its biggest characters.

We sat down to chat with Mars (The Happy Poet, Hellion, America's Parking Lot), a local actor and filmmaker, about how the movie came together, and what it was like acting and producing Saturday Morning Massacre. Mars discussed the intricacies of "run-and-gun" filmmaking, gave us the lowdown on some of the other locations seen in the film and talked a bit about the plethora...

Director: Spencer Parsons Writers: Jory Balsimo (screenplay), Aaron Leggett (screenplay), Spencer Parsons (story), Jonny Mars (story), Jason Wehling (story) Starring: Ashley Rae Spillers, Paul Gordon, Josephine Decker, Jonny Mars, Heather Mars, Sean Ryan, Chris Doubek, Sonny Carl Davis, Wyeth Miller A group of friends run a floundering ghost-hunting business, modeled loosely after a certain Hanna Barbera cartoon. (Yes, they even have a dog. No, the dog does not speak.) The group's founder is Nancy (Ashley Rae Spillers), the Velma of the gang. Equal parts cute, sexy, smart and empowered, Nancy has found herself in a bit of an existential quagmire, not knowing what to do if ghost hunting does not begin turning a profit. The future of the gang hinges upon their newest client, Mike Ryan (Chris Doubek), a banker who is trying to rid a spooky old mansion of its murderous ghosts. Nancy, Gwen (Josephine Decker), Chad (Adam Tate...

I wasn't at the Los Angeles Film Festival this weekend, sadly for me. However, former Austinite Spencer Parsons screened his locally shot horror-comedy Saturday Morning Massacre here in Austin last week, and I was lucky enough to be there. It's just the kind of horror movie I like -- lots of humor but not enough to dilute genuine scariness, and no prolonged graphic violence. Seeing it accomplished with familiar local talent was a happy bonus.

Saturday Morning Massacre is set in 1994, which seems random until you realize that's right before cell phones became commonplace, thus keeping them out of the picture. Four twentysomething slackers have formed a small business that videotapes and debunks paranormal activities, although it's not especially profitable. It's led by Nancy (Ashley Spillers), the short perky gal in the big pink sweater, and includes the attractive and clean-cut couple Gwen (Josephine Decker) and Chad (Adam Tate) as...

Time to add a bit of a massacre to your afternoon as we've gotten our claws into the first stills and artwork for Saturday Morning Massacre, which will be playing as part of this year's Los Angeles Film Festival.

Saturday Morning Massacre – (Director Spencer Parsons Writers Jory Balsimo, Aaron Leggett, Jason Wehling Producers Jonny Mars, Jason Wehling Cast Josephine Decker, Paul Gordon, Jonny Mars, Ashley Spillers, Adam Tate) – Four professional ghost hunters, who travel in a vintage van accompanied by their canine companion (sound familiar?), get far more than they bargained for when they take on a rambling mansion with a mysterious past. ★ World Premiere

This year's Los Angeles Film Festival runs from June 14th-24th; click here for ticket info. Visit the official La Film Festival website for the full list of films showing.

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Throw your own fest in the comments section below.

The lineup of the 2012 Los Angeles Film Festival was announced today, and while there are a lot of impressive entries heading to the West Coast, not many of them are horror films. But there are a few that caught our eye so read on for the details.

This year's Los Angeles Film Festival runs from June 14th-24th; click here for ticket info. Below are the horror and horror-ish sounding films on the fest's slate; visit the official La Film Festival website for the full list.

Vampira and Me – (Director/Producer R. H. Greene) – Before Elvira there was Vampira, the playfully ghoulish host of a local L.A. late night horror movie show who became a national celebrity, then disappeared. This loving, personal portrait reveals the remarkable woman behind the chalk-white mask. ★ World Premiere

P-047 – Thailand (Director/Writer Kongdej Jaturanrasamee Producers Soros Sukhum, Kongdej Jaturanrasamee Cast Parinya Kwamwongwan, Aphichai Trakulphadejkrai) – Part meditation,...

"…and I would have gotten away with it, too, if it wasn’t for you meddling kids!. Just how many episodes of "Scooby Doo" ended with that line? And did anyone ever wonder why the criminals were able to bamboozle the entire town and police squad with their schemes only to be foiled by a dog and four stoner kids who rolled into town two days earlier in a van that had to smell like malted hops, bong resin and dog farts? We’ve got some info on a new movie where the meddling kids don't necessarily fare so well.

Directed by Spencer Parsons and starring Ashley Spillers, Josephine Decker and Jonny Mars, Saturday Morning Massacrefollows some meddling paranormal investigators trying to make a buck. From the information we've managed to glean thus far, there is no talking dog in this film.

The film is currently in post-production and the official website titsandaxe.

I ran into filmmaker — and Filmmaker “25 New Face” — Kyle Henry at the American Pavilion in Cannes, and I was startled to learn that he was attending the festival… but skipping his screening. He offered to explain in a blog post.

Your film gets into the Directors’ Fortnight of the Cannes Film Festival, and you can’t stay for your screening… are you crazy?

Well, that was my case this year. My film Fourplay: Tampa, a short that is part of the anthology-of-shorts feature Fourplay, got the magical golden ticket to one of the festival sections at Cannes this year, the Quinzaine des Réalisateurs/Directors’ Fortnight. (For a wonderful short history of the Directors’ Fortnight, check out this article by Scott Foundas.) I’m 40 years old and also a full-time assistant professor at Northwestern University, my first tenure track job, where I’m teaching a full course load with 35 students that need my care and attention.

I ran into filmmaker — and Filmmaker “25 New Face” — Kyle Henry at the American Pavilion in Cannes, and I was startled to learn that he was attending the festival… but skipping his screening. He offered to explain in a blog post.

Your film gets into the Directors’ Fortnight of the Cannes Film Festival, and you can’t stay for your screening… are you crazy?

Well, that was my case this year. My film Fourplay: Tampa, a short that is part of the anthology-of-shorts feature Fourplay, got the magical golden ticket to one of the festival sections at Cannes this year, the Quinzaine des Réalisateurs/Directors’ Fortnight. (For a wonderful short history of the Directors’ Fortnight, check out this article by Scott Foundas.) I’m 40 years old and also a full-time assistant professor at Northwestern University, my first tenure track job, where I’m teaching a full course load with 35 students that need my care and attention.

Debuting in this year's Directors’ Fortnight (Quinzaine des Réalisateurs) is Kyle Henry's 17-minute short Fourplay: Tampa, which is the second of four Fourplay shorts set in different cities in Henry's omnibus film. Tampa premieres on May 20 at 11:30 am. Produced by Jason Wehling, the film's executive producers are Rem frontman Michael Stipe and Jim McKay. Fourplay: San Francisco played at OutFest; in March, Henry sent Tampa to Cannes and then when it was accepted. he had to finish it in time. He hopes to assemble the four shorts into an anthology feature and sell it to a distributor. Described in the Cannes Fortnight program as a "gang-bang bathroom farce" in which a self-doubting man seeks satisfaction in a mall bathroom and finds his "sexual ...

Director: Kyle Henry Writer: Carlos Trevino Staring: Paul Soileau, Cyndi Williams, Gary Chason Aliya (Paul Soileau), a stunningly styled transvestite prostitute, is hired by Anne (Cyndi Williams) for her dying husband, Tom (Gary Chason). Tom is bedridden and permanently attached to a respirator, he can only communicate via blinking his eyes (one for “no,” two for “yes”) and he only has feeling in his extremities. Lucky for Tom, he can feel his toes! Aliya sure can work wonders with her clients’ toes! Essentially a two-character one-act play, Soileau’s (whom some might know as Christeene or Rebecca Havemeyer) onscreen chemistry with Chason is pitch perfect. Soileau plays Aliya with tenderness and delicacy; occasionally she reveals subtle glimpses of apprehension and fear while navigating her client, obviously not wanting to cause any damage to his fragile being. Directed by Kyle Henry (Room), written by Carlos Trevino and shot by Pj Ravel,...

Diversity seems to be the key this year at the SXSW festival, which takes place in Austin, TX from March 12-20, as they’ve now announced the full lineup of Panels and short films that will be at this years event. As with the feature films schedule, this list of panels and shorts should provide an almost endless supply of diverse and interesting programming for attendees.

Following sre some highlights of panels we think are worth checking out. For a full list and descriptions, head over to the SXSW official site. Also, be sure to check back here at The Flickast as we’ll be at SXSW this year to bring you all the details on these great events and much more.

A Conversation with Michel Gondry

The stratospheric rise of Academy Award-winning visionary Michel Gondry is one of the great success stories of modern film. Working with fellow travelers like Spike Jonze,...

The South by Southwest (SXSW) Film Conference and Festival (March 12 - March 16, 2010) has announced the short film program and the list of panel participants. Michel Gondry, David Gordon Green, Jody Hill, Danny McBride, Ruben Fleischer, Matt Reeves, Eli Roth, Quentin Tarantino, and Ti West are among the people scheduled to participate. The full list can be viewed at the provided link. As to the shorts program, the list is featured at the bottom of this post. The lineup is extensive, and full of unique films waiting to be discovered.

Comprehensive Short Films Lineup

Narrative Shorts

A selection of original, well-crafted films that take advantage of the short form and exemplify distinctive and genuine storytelling. The winner of our Grand Jury Award in this category is eligible for a 2011 Academy Award nomination for Best Narrative Short.

Anatinus

Director: David Wanger

A glimpse of the dawn of a strange new era.

Bedford Park Boulevard...

Filmmaker Kyle Henry was one of our "25 New Faces" in 2006 on the basis of his excellent debut feature, Room, and now he's blogging about his fascinating follow-up, Fourplay. Executive produced by Jim McKay and Michael Stipe, and produced by Jason Wehling, Fourplay is a series of short films highlighting sexual transgressions, and, as the blog makes clear, the final product may be compiled into a feature, released as a series of shorts, or may be part of some other, more fluid kind of format. From the description of the film on the blog: Four transgressions, four transmissions, four true tales of sexual intimacy: in Austin, a young heterosexual couple debate independence vs conceiving and arrive at a startling compromise; in Tampa, a...

• The toast of the town is Diablo Cody and the gift she gave to Jason Reitman. Juno picks up a trio of awards and trailing with two awards each is another Fox Searchlight flick The Savages and the Cannes Julian Schnabel and his cinematographer were well rewarded for The Diving Bell and the Butterfly's aesthetic brilliance. Here is the complete list of noms and winners below. Best Feature: Juno         Best Director: Julian Schnabel         Best First Feature: The Lookout           Best Documentary: Crazy Love         Best Foreign Film: Once         Best Female Lead: Ellen Page           Best Male Lead: Philip Seymour Hoffman         Best Supporting Female: Cate Blanchett         Best Supporting Male: Chiwetel Ejiofor Best Screenplay: The Savages         Best First Screenplay: Juno           Best Cinematography: The Diving Bell and the Butterfly           John Cassavetes Award: August Evening         August Evening Writer/Director: Chris Eska Producers: Connie Hill, Jason Wehling Owl and the Sparrow Writer/Director: Stephane Gauger Producers: Nguyen Van Quan,

...

• Underrated, overlooked, and mostly unknown, I’ve decided to highlight my four favorite award sections separately from today’s lengthy list of Indie Spirit noms. Why? because a). I haven’t heard of half these films and want to further research them, b). I want to add the missing titles to the Ioncinema.com database and c). I think it’s in the best interests of indie film lovers to familiarize themselves with the budding/future talent. Commencing with the John Cassavetes award noms (the name of this section says it all) which is given to the best feature made for under $500,000; and followed by the noms for my favorite category the Someone to Watch Award and the listings for the Truer Than Fiction Award the Producers Award.August Evening is a two-time nominee thanks to the votes going to actor Pedro Castaneda. Owl and the Sparrow was actually

...