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When I saw writer-director Kyle Patrick Alvarez's first feature Easier with Practice, based on a short story, I knew to keep this guy on my radar. For a first film on a shoestring budget, the film looks something born out of Hollywood. Smart move. Alvarez's next film, C.O.G., was also based on a short story, this one by David Sedaris. A fun and large fact about Alvarez: this young filmmaker is the first and only to get Sedaris' full blessing to adapt one of his stories into a feature film. Sedaris has given the green light to other filmmakers a few times before but changed his mind. Not for Alvarez. C.O.G. had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival. I was there -- not important...

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

One of the more intense films to emerge from the Sundance Film Festival, Kyle Patrick Alvarez's gripping "The Stanford Prison Experiment" (read our review) is a dramatization of a notorious 1971 psychology experiment that went very, very wrong. It's a potent piece of work, featuring a terrific ensemble cast (Michael Angarano, Ezra Miller, Logan Miller, Keir Gilchrist, Tye Sheridan, Ki Hong Lee, Thomas Mann, Moises Arias, Johnny Simmons, Olivia Thirlby and Billy Crudup), and which takes the filmmaker into different territory following his first two pictures, "Easier With Practice" and "C.O.G." Like any filmmaker who can easily switch gears, Alvarez's cinematic tastes are wide ranging. In the latest entry in our series Movies That Changed My Life, Alvarez discloses how films as diverse as "Vertigo," "Showgirls" and "Terminator 2: Judgement Day" left an impression. "The Stanford Prison Experiment"...

You'll be kicking yourself if you don't see "The Stanford Prison Experiment" in theaters. Seriously. And, no, I'm not just saying that because I happen to know director Kyle Patrick Alvarez socially or that it's a Sundance Jury Award-winning movie or that it depicts one of the most shocking events to occur at one of America's greatest Universities over the past fifty years.* The real reason is that besides the questions it raises about the human condition and our ability to descend to abject cruelty, "Stanford" features a once in a life time cast that will dominate Hollywood for the next 15 to 20 years.* *It also has earned strong reviews to date including a 71 grade on Metacritic and 78% Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes. Based on true events, the new drama chronicles the 1971 psychological experiment that found Stanford University students sorted into the roles of prison guard or a generic prisoner. In theory,...

Dutch Colonialism and its long-lasting consequences are the topics of the documentary ’Empire’ at the Redcat (photo: ’Empire: The Unintended Consequences of Dutch Colonialism’) Mixing personal narratives, investigative journalism, video art, and split/multiple screens, Eline Jongsma and Kel O’Neill’s transmedia documentary Empire: The Unintended Consequences of Dutch Colonialism — the lengthy title gives you a pretty good idea of what the film is about — will have its West Coast Premiere on Monday, November 11, 2013, at 8:30 p.m. at downtown Los Angeles’ Redcat. Both Eline Jongsma and Kel O’Neill are expected to attend the screening. Previously shown at the 2013 New York Film Festival, Empire: The Unintended Consequences of Dutch Colonialism was filmed in more than half a dozen countries over the course of three years. According to the Redcat press release, the Dutch-American filmmakers (Jongsma is Dutch; O’Neill is American) "traveled 140,000 kilometers through Asia, Africa, Oceania and...

Jonathan Groff plays a hilariously clueless and overprivileged version of David Sedaris in his new comedy C.O.G. — which stands for “Child of God,” based on Sedaris’s essay from 1997’s Naked about the post-college summer he spent migrating by bus to Oregon, working as a rural apple picker and apple-factory worker, and struggling with his sexuality and religion. But it wasn’t until the movie’s premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in January that Groff, who actually grew up on a horse farm in Pennsylvania and is best known for Glee and Broadway’s Spring Awakening, met the famous neurotic. (“It was painful to be reminded of how pretentious and horrible I was,” Sedaris reacted at the time.) The movie, written and directed by Kyle Patrick Alvarez (Easier With Practice), not only marks Groff’s first lead movie role, but is also, surprisingly, the first-ever film adaptation of Sedaris’s work.

Kyle Patrick Alvarez has carved out an unusual niche for himself within American independent cinema; as he himself comments, “Everyone keeps on joking I have This American Life authors named David cornered now.” Alvarez made his feature debut in 2009 with Easier with Practice, a poignant, heartfelt drama about a young man who begins a phone relationship, initially sexual and then later also romantic, with a woman (or is it?) who randomly calls a motel room he’s staying in. Based on an autobiographical essay, “What Are You Wearing?”, written for GQ by This American Life contributor Davy Rothbart, the film debuted at CineVegas, had a small theatrical […]...

Kyle Patrick Alvarez has carved out an unusual niche for himself within American independent cinema; as he himself comments, “Everyone keeps on joking I have This American Life authors named David cornered now.” Alvarez made his feature debut in 2009 with Easier with Practice, a poignant, heartfelt drama about a young man who begins a phone relationship, initially sexual and then later also romantic, with a woman (or is it?) who randomly calls a motel room he’s staying in. Based on an autobiographical essay, “What Are You Wearing?”, written for GQ by This American Life contributor Davy Rothbart, the film debuted at CineVegas, had a small theatrical […]...

Touted as the first feature-length adaptation of comic writer David Sedaris' work, Kyle Patrick Alvarez's "C.O.G" arrived at the Sundance Film Festival with plenty of hype generated by fans of the original. A short story from the author's anthology "Naked," it's the kind of low key, reflective story that opens up well to the written word: The plot, fairly thin and random, comes secondary to the internal journey of the main character. But movies rely on images, sounds and real experience that don't necessarily imitate the written word. Some reviews of "C.O.G" have singled out the way that Alvarez (with his sophomore effort following the sleeper hit "Easier With Practice") has nailed Sedaris' tone. But does that make it a good movie? The curious thing about "C.O.G" is that it doesn't play like a straightforward adaptation. Much of the mood comes from...

Based on an essay in “Naked,” David Sedaris' hugely popular collection of autobiographical short stories, “C.O.G.” is notable for being the very first film adaptation of the author's work. Though he’d previously turned down all other offers to adapt his stories, the essayist was impressed by writer/director Kyle Patrick Alvarez’s pitch as well as his previous film “Easier With Practice” and decided to let him have a shot. Whether this adaptation is successful or not may depend on your familiarity with the source material. While some have found the film to be a bit of a letdown, as someone mostly unfamiliar with Sedaris’ writing, I found it to be a sharp and well-made, if a bit of an episodic dramedy. The film opens with Ivy League college grad David (Jonathan Groff) setting off across the country. As an aspiring writer, David assumes he must accumulate some...

Hollywood had been trying to lure best-selling essayist David Sedaris for decades, but it was a young filmmaker named Kyle Patrick Alvarez (Easier With Practice) who finally won over the author. Based on a short story from Sedaris’s 1997 anthology, Naked, C.O.G. — or Child of God — wasn’t the most obvious choice from the writer’s catalog, which includes hilarious tales of his extended family. In fact, Sedaris had been reluctant to say yes to any movie that depicted his family. As he said at the Sundance Film Festival, where C.O.G. premiered, “I realize my fear wasn’t that they’d get us wrong.

"Glee" star Jonathan Groff is in over his head while working at an apple farm in Oregon in the first trailer for "C.O.G.," an adaptation of a short story by author David Sedaris. Writer and director Kyle Patrick Alvarez ("Easier with Practice") is the first filmmaker to adapt Sedaris' uniquely dry and wry wit. And according to TheWrap's Alonso Duralde, who reviewed the film at Sundance, he "nails" it. Also read: Sundance Review: Kyle Patrick Alvarez's 'C.O.G.' Nails David Sedaris' Tone The autobiographical comedy follows Groff as a grad student (named David, of course) who...

Now that Doma has been ruled unconstitutional, the City of Angels keeps the celebration going with The 31st Annual Outfest Film Festival showcasing the best in Lgbt filmmaking from the Us & across the world. Outfest has also been consistent in its support for the Latino gay & lesbian film community which, sad to say, is more than most Latino film festivals have shown (Really?! Still? I've never met your family but trust me, one of your primos is gay). This year Outfest solidifies that commitment by not only having an diverse range of gay themed or gay helmed films, but the opening night film is C.O.G written and directed by Kyle Patrick Alvarez, winner of the prestigious "Someone to Watch" Award at the 2010 Independent Spirit Awards for his writing and directorial debut film Easier With Practice. C.O.G is the first film adaptation of the highly esteemed author David Sedaris' work. Festivals like Outfest (and its life partner Newfest in NYC) exist to promote, share and foster Lgbt visibility in the media from all races and places. LatinoBuzz checked out the line-up at this years Outfest to see Wtf is Latino!

C.O.G – Dir. by Kyle Patrick Alvarez (USA)

David has it all figured out. His plan—more a Steinbeckian dream—is to spend his summer working on an apple farm in Oregon with his best friend, Jennifer. When she bails out on him, David is left to dirty his hands alone, watched over by Hobbs, the old farm owner and the first in a series of questionable mentors he encounters. First there’s Curly, the friendly forklift operator with a unique hobby, and then Jon, the born-again rock hound who helps David in a time of need. C.O.G tells the story of a prideful young man and what’s left of him after all he believes is chipped away piece by piece.

Pitstop – Dir. by Yen Tan (USA)

Recovering from an ill-fated affair with a married man, Gabe finds solace in the relationship he maintains with his ex-wife and daughter. On the other side of town, Ernesto evades life at home with his current live-in ex-boyfriend by spending much of his spare time in the hospital with an ailing past love. Impervious to the monotony of their blue-collar world, they maintain an unwavering yearning for romance.

Who's Afraid Of Vagina Wolf? - Dir. by Anna Margarita Albelo (USA)

As another birthday rolls around, forty-year-old filmmaker Anna returns to her never-changing list of resolutions: lose twenty pounds, get a girlfriend, and direct a feature film. This year, Anna plans to knock (at least) two of those resolutions out with one stone, as she begins writing a lesbian remake of Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, devised to win the affections of her leading lady, Katia. With Anna planning to act opposite her beautiful crush, her two best friends, Penelope and Chloe, round out the four-person cast. Unfortunately, things don’t run smoothly, as egos begin to clash and crew members start sleeping with one another. Will Anna go yet-another year without accomplishing any of her resolutions?

Valencia - Dir. by Lares Feliciano, Dia Felix etc. (USA)

Valencia the novel put the experiences of an entire generation of lesbians on paper through the lens of one hard-loving and hard-drinking dyke. Punk rockers, riot grrls, and simple, artsy freaks suddenly had a heroine to look up to and a mecca to head toward. This highly anticipated film adaptation of Valencia gives a whole new generation of fabulous, artsy, genderqueer folks an opportunity to reinterpret and reinvent the tales of this iconic novel one chapter at a time.

Reaching For The Moon (Flores Raras) – Dir. by Bruno Barreto (Brazil)

Seasoned Brazilian helmer Bruno Barreto brings to life 1950s Rio in this beautifully drawn tale of poet Elizabeth Bishop and her love affair with architect Lota de Macedo Soares, the designer of Rio’s famed Flamengo Park. Based on the bestselling Brazilian novel Rare and Commonplace Flowers, the film follows Bishop as a creative block prompts her to accept the invitation of a college friend to stay with her and her partner, Lota, on a sprawling country estate. Quintessentially American Bishop is a fish out of water in her new lush and bohemian setting, until the instant chemistry between her and Lota boils over.

Animals – Dir. by Marçal Forés (Spain)

There are maladjusted teens, and then there’s Pol, whose best friend is a walking, talking stuffed bear who sounds like Hal, the evil computer in 2001: A Space Odyssey. (Ted, this ain’t.) As Pol tries to unravel the meaning behind a strange series of circumstances involving his gay friend, a local girl’s death, a sexy new transfer student and his English teacher (Martin Freeman, The Hobbit), he finds that nothing in this weird, weird world is what it seems. Evoking the strange and sometimes sinister mood of Donnie Darko, American Beauty, Elephant and Kaboom, Animals is like a mysterious dream you’ll want to have over and over again

Iglu (Igloo) – Dir. by Diego Ruiz (Chile)

Daniel, a young, handsome and talented illustrator, is deeply depressed in the aftermath of his relationship with an older man, his college professor. Salvation comes through his neighbor Paula, an agoraphobic therapist, with whom Daniel begins an intense relationship. Igloo explores a young man’s complex relationships with sexuality, intimacy and addiction, and how his memories and present day relationships help him embrace a new life. In his directorial debut, established Chilean actor Diego Ruiz plays the lead role of Daniel (he also co-wrote the script) in an imaginative and moving story of identity and self-acceptance.

La Partida (The Last March) – Dir. by Antonio Hens (Cuba)

Reinier works as a callboy in order to support his wife and child, but he ends up gambling most of his money away. Sex with men is strictly business until he befriends a cute soccer player named Yosvani, who works for his girlfriend’s father, a corrupt debt collector. When Reinier’s gambling habit gets him in serious trouble, Yosvani tries to convince Reinier to run away with him. Set in the bustling streets of Cuba, The Last Match offers a visceral romance ripe with unexpected turns and dangerous temptations.

Al Cielo (To Heaven) – Dir. by Diego Prado (Argentina)

In this breezy and beautifully crafted Argentine feature, a punk-loving teenager wrestles with the nerve-wracking uncertainty of first love. Torn between accepting the strict teachings of his church and embracing a handsome local guitarist, Andrés finds himself in existential limbo, unable to make a move without instantly regretting his choices. Balancing teen angst with warm observations, To Heaven concludes in strikingly romantic fashion, satisfying our expectations in ways only the best of coming-of-age dramas can do.

transVISIBLE:The Bamby Salcedo Story - Dir. by Dante Alencastre (USA)

An icon of L.A.'s transgender community, Latina activist Bamby Salcedo sparkles in Dante Alencastre’s candid documentary. Beginning with Bamby’s life on the drug-addled streets of Guadalajara and then journeying through her recovery and out-spoken activism, Transvisible’s riveting one-on-one interviews reveal a selfless HIV advocate and tireless transgender community spokeswoman. (Her work at the Children's Hospital, Los Angeles and as a coordinator for Angels of Change are just two of many notable causes.) Bamby’s story is one of inspiration and hope.

And rounding out the Latino hotness are the Short films...

Tableau (USA), You're Dead to Me (USA), Scaffolding (Spain), The Companion (Peru), Elliot King is Third (USA), Miguel Alvarez Wears a Wig (Greece/Spain) Rad Queers (USA).

OutFest runs July 11th-21st. For more info on Outfest please visit: www.Outfest.org

Written by Juan Caceres and Vanessa Erazo, LatinoBuzz is a weekly feature on SydneysBuzz that highlights Latino indie talent and upcoming trends in Latino film with the specific objective of presenting a broad range of Latino voices. Follow @LatinoBuzz on Twitter and Facebook.

Andrew Cohn and Davy Rothbart have been friends since childhood, when they used to shoot hoops together in their hometown of Ann Arbor, Michigan. Since then, Rothbart has become a contributor to This American Life and an acclaimed writer of short fiction and personal essays, and also had his (Manti Te’o-esque) tale of a phone romance with someone who turned out to be a guy adapted into the 2009 film Easier with Practice. Rothbart and Cohn collaborated a few years ago on Found: People Find Stuff. Now It’s a Show, the off-Broadway show based on the magazine Rothbart started. Now they …...

Yesterday, Jordan M. Smith, Nicholas Bell and I highlighted our Top 10 New Faces (strictly in the acting domain) of 2013′s Sundance Film Festival and while that list was pretty much a consensus, our Top 20 New Voices (fiction/non-fiction/short scribes, directors and full-out filmmakers/producers) was an amicably, yet hard fought deliberation process and then ranking of who we think the future will shine most bright…in other words, if these people were Wall Street stock options — we’d put our money behind them. Enjoy the mini profiles and adjoined praise.

#20. Sophie Goyette

Part of the pair of Canadian-based, female auteurs to make a pit stop in Park City (the other being Sarah Polley) French-Canadian filmmaker Sophie Goyette and her 2012 Tiff showcased short film Le Futur Proche demonstrates that there is plenty more raw talent and a pulse from Quebec. Here we find a pilot dealing with loss, suppressing his...

Touted as the first feature-length adaptation of comic writer David Sedaris' work, Kyle Patrick Alvarez's "C.O.G" arrived at the Sundance Film Festival with plenty of hype generated by fans of the original. A short story from the author's anthology "Naked," it's the kind of low key, reflective story that opens up well to the written word: The plot, fairly thin and random, comes secondary to the internal journey of the main character. But movies rely on images, sounds and real experience that don't necessarily imitate the written word. Some reviews of "C.O.G" have singled out the way that Alvarez (with his sophomore effort following the sleeper hit "Easier With Practice") has nailed Sedaris' tone. But does make it a good movie? The curious thing about "C.O.G" is that it doesn't play like a straightforward adaptation. Much of the mood comes from ingredients...

Based on an essay in “Naked,” David Sedaris' hugely popular collection of autobiographical short stories, “C.O.G.” is notable for being the very first film adaptation of the author's work. Though he’d previously turned down all other offers to adapt his stories, the essayist was impressed by writer/director Kyle Patrick Alvarez’s pitch as well as his previous film “Easier With Practice” and decided to let him have a shot. Whether this adaptation is successful or not may depend on your familiarity with the source material. While some have found the film to be a bit of a letdown, as someone mostly unfamiliar with Sedaris’ writing, I found it to be a sharp and well-made, if a bit of an episodic dramedy. The film opens with Ivy League college grad David (Jonathan Groff) setting off across the country. As an aspiring writer, David assumes he must accumulate some...

In C.O.G., the first-ever movie adaptation of a David Sedaris story that premiered last night at the Sundance Film Festival, there’s a scene in which a proselytizing Christian named Jon (Denis O’Hare) counsels Samuel, his young fine-crafts protege (Jonathan Groff) — and non-believer — that only God can make him happy. ” is not going to drop in your lap,” he says. “You have to ask for it.”

If Samuel’s only half-listening, it’s advice that 29-year-old writer/director Kyle Patrick Alvarez took to heart. He pursued Sedaris — delicately but aggressively — even showing up at one of Sedaris’s book readings in Irvine,...

Do you like apples? Do you like apples? Well, Kyle Patrick Alvarez convinced This American Life humorist David Sedaris to allow the 29-year-old filmmaker to adapt one of his essays. How you like them apples!

Hollywood had been knocking on Sedaris’s door for years, and he’d always turned suitors away. But Alvarez, whose promising first film, Easier with Practice, was based on a 2006 GQ article by another public-radio raconteur Davy Rothbart, took a more personal approach: he went to a Sedaris book signing. “I waited in line with everyone for him to sign my book after he read,...

Cue the giddy glee of film nerds everywhere. With the Sundance Film Festival lingering just over the horizon, the festival has today announced their first wave of programming – and they’ve pulled absolutely no punches when it comes to this first big wave of information. Today’s announcement includes the in-competition films for the U.S. and World Cinema Dramatic and Documentary sections, along with the out-of-competition films of the Next <=> section. Make no mistake, this is a giant swath of programming, a list filled to bursting with titles that will be the talk of the festival come January. These are the big guns, kids. While we attempt to tone down our excitement, here are a list of titles that immediately pop out at us from today’s list: David Lowery‘s Ain’t Them Bodies Saints (starring Rooney Mara and Casey Affleck), Kyle Patrick Alvarez‘s C.O.G. (Alvarez first earned our admiration with his Easier With Practice, now...

Zoe Levin has joined the cast of the independent movie Palo Alto Stories directed by Gia Coppola who adapted from the collection of stories by James Franco. Levin recently wrapped Nat Faxon and Jim Rash’s The Way Way Back with Steve Carell and Sam Rockwell. She also appeared in Blue Potato, written and directed by Aron Gaudet and Gita Pullapilly. Earlier credits include Trust directed by David Schwimmer. Levin is repped by Kami Putnam Heist at CAA and Bonnie Liedtke of Principato Young. Pretty Little Liars regular Troian Bellisario has been cast in C.O.G., an independent film directed and written by Kyle Patrick Alvarez. It’s the first film adaptation of writing by the humorist David Sedaris. In this particular essay, Sedaris travels to work in the apple orchards of Oregon and is confronted by migrant workers and God-fearing churchgoers. Jonathan Groff, Corey Stoll, Casey Wilson and Dean Stockwell also star.

We’re back this weekend with another edition of the Indie Spotlight. Today, we bring you the first episode of the zombie webseries The Dead Feed, along with the latest independent horror news sent our way:

When Good Holiday’s Go Bad: Rise of the Fiend: “Halloween, that magical night that compels adults to act like children, children to gorge themselves and a host of creatures and ghouls, those nasty beasties that hide under your bed, in your closet or the deepest recesses of your mind, all come out to play, scaring and frightening their human victims; at least, that’s how it was in the old days.

Welcome to Halloween Hallow, a disturbing land where all the nefarious creatures that wander the world on Halloween night come to dwell during the off season. In this land of strange and weird creatures lives Jack, the only human ever allowed to live amongst them.

Amber Benson’S “Dust Up” Going Down In 2012 From Breaking Glass Pictures

Domestic distributor Breaking Glass Pictures (5 Star Day, The Fields, Easier With Practice) bought domestic rights to the indie grindhouse comedy Dust Up. The deal was struck last week between CEO Rich Wolff and writer/director/producer Ward Roberts of Drexel Box Productions. Dust Up stars genre favorite Amber Benson (“Buffy the Vampire Slayer”, Drones), Ezra Buzzington (“Justified”), Jeremiah Birkett, Travis Betz, Aaron Gaffey, Devin… More...

For the first time ever, a David Sedaris story will become a movie. "C.O.G." -- a short story from Sedaris' best-selling 1997 essay collection Naked -- will begin production in October from writer-director Kyle Patrick Alvarez, who won the "Someone To Watch" Indie Spirit Award for his 2009 directorial debut "Easier Than Practice." "C.O.G." is based on Sedaris' experiences in his late 20s when he went to go work as an apple picker in the orchards of Oregon. Once there he found himself at odds with the locals and the religious right. Among them: Curly, a factory worker with nefarious intentions; Hobbs, the curmudgeonly farm owner; and Jon, a one-legged veteran evangelist who takes David under his wing. "I always thought there was something cinematic about this story," Alvarez said. "So after I finished 'Easier With Practice,' I started pursuing it. But everyone was like 'No, no, thanks for...

IFC Midnight has acquired Atm, the chamber thriller directed by David Brooks (his feature debut) from a script by Chris Sparling, the scribe who provided the script for last year’s overwrought man-in-a-coffin film Buried. In Atm, three co-workers (Josh Peck, Brian Geraghty and Alice Eve) are trapped in an Atm vestibule by a dangerous stranger [Variety].

Don’t expect a large release for the thriller, not even by Buried‘s standards. IFC operates differently than Lionsgate (the company that distributed Buried), relying primarily on VOD sales to generate profit from their acquired slate of films. So anyone will be able to watch it, just not on the big screen, a growing trend.

As for the three young stars, the biggest is undoubtedly Eve, who was most recently seen in the final season of Entourage as Vince’s penultimate love interest. She’s also starring opposite John Cusack in the upcoming period thriller The Raven.

Rating: 4/5

Director: David Meiklejohn

Anyone familiar with Kyle Patrick Alvarez’s 2009 film, Easier With Practice, will be able to vouch for the fact that Davy Rothbart’s heart is, indeed, very much an idiot. That film was a fictionalized account of an ill-fated chapter in Rothbart’s romantic history – some time spent on tour promoting his writing, criss-crossing the country, and seeking connection with an ultimately unreachable and inscrutable woman. In David Meiklejohn’s My Heart Is An Idiot, Rothbart and his messy love life is again our subject, but the first-time director’s documentary gives us further perspective on where all that aortic idiocy really comes from to hilarious and heart-warming results.

Read more on Theatrical Review: My Heart Is An Idiot...

The documentary My Heart is An Idiot, David Meiklejohn's directorial debut, follows the romantic travails of the amusingly -- and sometimes painfully -- solipsistic Davy Rothbart, the founder of Found Magazine, a compendium of found notes and love letters sent in from around the country. More interestingly for our purposes, Rothbart also provided the story for Easier with Practice, the brilliant phone-sex indie that garnered a criminally unfair Nc-17 from the MPAA last year.

You can see the creepy-but-sweet origins of Easier with Practice in My Heart is An Idiot, in which Meiklejohn documented two annual tours that Rothbart took in support of Found. Originally conceived as a documentary about the magazine tours, a more interesting tale of unrequited obsession grew out of it, which Meiklejohn meticulously edited together over the last few years, along with a side story -- that I won't spoil -- recreated with staged footage...

"What are you wearing?" A late-night call to his motel room brings writer Davy Mitchell an unexpected introduction to the mysterious Nicole, a woman who likes to seduce guys over the phone. Before long, Davy's dull book tour of New Mexico has been transformed into an onanistic odyssey that shocks even his own brother, Sean.

I shudder to think about the prurient comedy that could have resulted from this set-up if Judd Apatow or the American Pie team had got their sticky fingers on it. Fortunately, Davy Rothbart's GQ article "What Are You Wearing?", has been successfully adapted by writer/director Kyle Patrick Alvarez into Easier with Practice (2009), a low-key but surprisingly affecting drama about loneliness and the yawning gap between romantic expectations and real life.

The film begins in a bookshop with the earnest, bespectacled Davy (Brian Geraghty) giving a reading from his collection of short stories, "Things...

First time writer and director Kyle Patrick Alvarez looks set for a promising career after his debut feature Easier With Practice. Winner of Best New International Feature at the Edinburgh Film Festival, Easier With Practice is inspired by Davy Rothbart's GQ magazine autobiographical essay.

On the road with his brother Sean (Kel O'Neill) for several months, stopping at book stores to publicise his yet-unpublished book of short stories, Davy grows weary of the loneliness of life on the move. One night he receives a mysterious and sexually-charged phone call from the seductive Nicole. At first believing it to be a wrong number, Davy's reluctant to play along, but as Nicole turns up the heat, Davy finds himself talking just as "dirty". Interrupted by the reappearance of Sean, they are forced to stop, but when Nicole rings back later, there's no turning back for Davy.

As the weeks pass, their phone-sex sessions become more regular,...

We haven't made an entry into our Underappreciated Gems series in quite some time, and we've had a lot of requests for more coverage of Netflix Instant, so I thought we'd combine the two and come up with a new round of Underappreciated Gems currently available on Netflix Instant.

The criteria for an Underappreciated Gem remains as it always does: A movie that didn't make at least $10 million at the box office. I doubt many of these films, from the last three years, even crossed the $2 million mark. But that doesn't make them any less worthy.

Links go to the Netflix page.

8: The Mormon Proposition: 8: The Mormon Proposition is a stirring, tragically depressing documentary about the Mormon Church's massive efforts to support and pass California's Proposition 8 ballot initiative (also called the California Marriage Protection Act), which in 2008 redefined marriage in the state of California as being only between a man and a woman,...

Welcome to the 268th Edition of my series and the first one of 2011. I hope you all had a good Christmas and New Year. I officially won my 12 team fantasy football league so you do not have to hear about my fantasy football updates again until next year.Easier With Practice (2009): This is the 8th link of The Chain and this link continues with Brian Geraphty who has his last link. Last week,...

This modern-day tale of deception, which purports to be a documentary, is one of the year's most intriguing pictures

The most highly regarded American film in a year that has seen the fifth anniversary of YouTube is also the most topical: The Social Network, the story of the creation of Facebook. But just as widely discussed and altogether more controversial is the low-budget movie Catfish, which purports to be a documentary about an encounter involving Facebook between people from very different social backgrounds. It cost something like $30,000 to make, and on a limited release has taken $3m at the box office, which makes it a phenomenon of Blair Witch Project dimensions.

At the centre of Catfish is Yaniv Schulman, known as Nev, a young, New York-based photographer specialising in pictures of dancers. He receives an email from Angela Faccio, a housewife in smalltown Michigan, sending him a naive but rather...

Last year, a little indie captured the hearts of Team Gatw. It was called Easier With Practice, and the film chronicled the pangs of love through the skewed lens of a very different sort of relationship. Since that film hit the festival circuit (and hit us in the hearts), we’ve been nothing but huge fans of its writer and director Kyle Patrick Alvarez. It’s really only the icing on the cake that Alvarez is not only a fresh talent to watch, he’s also one of the nicest guys you’ll ever meet.

Read more on Kyle Patrick Alvarez to direct Girls…...

Kyle Patrick Alvarez will direct the thriller "Girls" for producer Peter Safran's Safran Co. banner. Safran ("Buried") will produce as well as finance the independent film written by Alvarez and Adam Shazar. According to Variety, the story brings a fresh twist to a conventional thriller and tells of a slumber party gone wrong after four teen girls are terrorized by a pair of kidnappers. "When Adam and I sat down to write 'Girls,' we took a lot of inspiration from the ambition it took to make a movie like 'Buried,' so I couldn't be more excited about getting to make a film with Peter," Alvarez said. Alvarez directed and wrote "Easier with Practice" starring Brian Geraghty ("The Hurt Locker," "We Are Marshall")...

Kyle Patrick Alvarez will direct the thriller "Girls" for producer Peter Safran's Safran Co. banner. Safran ("Buried") will produce as well as finance the independent film written by Alvarez and Adam Shazar. According to Variety, the story brings a fresh twist to a conventional thriller and tells of a slumber party gone wrong after four teen girls are terrorized by a pair of kidnappers. "When Adam and I sat down to write 'Girls,' we took a lot of inspiration from the ambition it took to make a movie like 'Buried,' so I couldn't be more excited about getting to make a film with Peter," Alvarez said. Alvarez directed and wrote "Easier with Practice" starring Brian Geraghty ("The Hurt Locker," "We Are Marshall")...

DreamWorks' flick is the top new entry but doesn't exactly fly and Gareth Edwards' Mexico-set indie can't fulfil its own hype

The faltering start

Opening on 470 screens, more than twice as wide as any other new entry, Megamind was always going to be the weekend's top new entry. But takings of £2.83m, including £903,000 in previews, hardly represents a flying start for the latest effort from DreamWorks Animation.

Back in April, DreamWorks' How To Train Your Dragon began its run with £4.85m including previews of £2.12m, but at the time this was seen as a relatively weak start due to the challenge of competing for 3D screens with fellow new release Clash of the Titans. Dragon ended up with £17.34m. Monsters Vs Aliens debuted a year earlier with £4.35m including previews of £1.72m, on its way to a cume of £21.35m.

One challenge for Megamind is its arrival on screens...

This is the Pure Movies review for Easier with Practice, directed by Kyle Patrick Alvarez and starring Brian Geraghty, Kel O'Neill, Marguerite Moreau, Jeanette Brox, Jenna Gavigan and Katie Aselton. It’s great to come away from a film and feel genuinely challenged by what you’ve seen. It’s even more rewarding when that film is a debut offering that isn’t just trying to jump on the pretentious, holier-than-thou indie bandwagon and actually has a point to make in a non-confrontational manner. Low-budget dark horse Easier With Practice from exciting new writer/director Kyle Patrick Alvarez is such a gem that questions our emotions and makes you feel like you’ve been thrown an unexpected curve ball.

Of Gods And Men (15)

(Xavier Beauvois, 2010, Fra) Lambert Wilson, Michael Lonsdale. 122 mins.

The spiritualism is far from abstract in this powerful, resonant drama, based on a story of French Cistercian monks in 1990s north Africa. When their harmonious village life is threatened by violent Islamic fundamentalists, they're given a real test of faith. Should they stay or go? Do they belong there anyway? Are they ready for martydom?

Megamind (PG)

(Tom McGrath, 2010, Us) Will Ferrell, Brad Pitt, Tina Fey. 96 mins.

Smart, polished animation with Ferrell's blue meanie vanquishing his nemesis, but then wanting to be good.

Monsters (12A)

(Gareth Edwards, 2010, UK/Us) Scoot McNairy, Whitney Able. 94 mins.

Low-budget sci-fi plus indie date movie equals alternative credentials, as a couple trek through a futuristic Mexico infested with aliens and metaphors.

Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale (15)

(Jalmari Helander, 2010, Fin) Onni Tommila, Jorma Tommila, Rauno Juvonen. 83 mins.

This deadpan Finnish treat reimagines Santa as an evil child-snatcher.

An aspiring writer goes on a road trip, and forms the basis for Easier With Practice. But is it worth seeing, muses Michael...?

Readers, I present to you this season's most archetypal indie drama-comedy character, in the form of Davy Mitchell (Brian Geraghty). He's a twenty-something aspiring writer, clad in a casual suit with loosened tie, squinting through glasses and hiding behind patchy stubble.

He's an underachiever, lugging around his collection of short stories (titled, with oh-so-profound laziness, Things People Do To Each Other) on a road trip reading tour, progressing through the southern States from university cafe to cosy book nook in a beat up old car. His companion on this adventure is his brother, Sean (Kel O'Neill), who, fittingly, is his exact opposite. He's brash, crude, wildly charismatic and, integrally, a hit with the ladies.

For that seems to be Davy's problem, he's beset with that common affliction for characters of his type.

Unstoppable (12A)

(Tony Scott, 2010, Us) Denzel Washington, Chris Pine, Rosario Dawson, Ethan Suplee, Kevin Dunn. 98 mins

This literally one-track action thriller is the perfect fit for Scott, Hollywood's master of manliness and heavy machinery. It's based on a true story that just happens to have a plot like a disaster movie: a massive, unmanned train carrying hazardous chemicals is hurtling towards populated areas; might the prickly railroad veteran and his rookie partner just be able to stop it? Everyone knows where it's going but it's got enough momentum to smash through to the finish, and the purity of the premise is a good fit with Scott's visual excess.

The American (15)

(Anton Corbijn, 2010, Us) George Clooney, Violante Placido, Paolo Bonacelli. 105 mins

Corbijn follows up Control with a sparse, existential hitman thriller in the Le Samourai/Day Of The Jackal mould, with Clooney in picturesque Italy. Apart from the classy visuals, it...

After a solid international festival run that included screenings in Edinburgh, Ireland, Montreal, Mumbai, Thessaloniki, Estonia, Kyle Alvarez's "Easier With Practice," was released domestically on DVD and VOD in late April 2010 shortly after Alvarez nabbed the Someone to Watch Award at the 2009 Film Independent Spirit Awards. Although his film found its way to audiences and received notices in the La Weekly and The New York Times, the film's ...

After a solid international festival run that included screenings in Edinburgh, Ireland, Montreal, Mumbai, Thessaloniki, Estonia, Kyle Alvarez's "Easier With Practice," was released domestically on DVD and VOD in late April 2010 shortly after Alvarez nabbed the Someone to Watch Award at the 2009 Film Independent Spirit Awards. Although his film found its way to audiences and received notices in the La Weekly and The New York Times, the film's ...

After a solid international festival run that included screenings in Edinburgh, Ireland, Montreal, Mumbai, Thessaloniki, Estonia, Kyle Alvarez's "Easier With Practice," was released domestically on DVD and VOD in late April 2010 shortly after Alvarez nabbed the Someone to Watch Award at the 2009 Film Independent Spirit Awards. Although his film found its way to audiences and received notices in the La Weekly and The New York Times, the film's ...

Brian Geraghty, Josh Peck and Margarita Levieva have signed to star in "ATM," a thriller from the Safran Co. and Gold Circle Films. David Brooks is directing from a script by "Buried" scribe Chris Sparling.

The companies are hoping to evoke Hitchcockian vibes with their tale of three co-workers who make a late-night visit to an Atm and end up in a desperate fight for their lives when they become trapped by an unknown man.

Geraghty, Peck and Levieva play the co-workers.

A late-September start in Winnipeg, Manitoba, is being eyed.

Peter Safran, who also produced Sparling's "Buried," is producing along with Paul Brooks ("The Haunting in Connecticut"). Dan Clifton is executive producing.

Geraghty starred opposite Jeremy Renner and Anthony Mackie in "The Hurt Locker." He also recently starred in Kyle Patrick Alvarez's indie drama "Easier With Practice" and toplined Kirsten Dunst's short film, "Bastard," which premiered at...

Allison Strong, Union City, N.J.Constant pouting, spastic crying spells, and the occasional desire to croon to “Bad Day” by Daniel Powter. If you're under 20 and suffering from these symptoms, you may be experiencing a midteen crisis: the heartbreaking realization that you've hit puberty and still aren't starring in your own Disney show. You may feel like you've been hit by a speeding double-decker bus, but you're really just moping on the couch surrounded by empty chocolate wrappers. I know this because I've been there. I had my first catastrophe at 14 years old: An agent came to my high school production of “Once on This Island” and requested an appointment with me. Hopeful that this was my big break into the industry, I walked into the agent's office, enthusiastically performed a song from “Wicked,” did my best reading of the sides provided, and didn't get signed. She explained that...

New photos for Killers and You Again. Two new shots from The Twilight Saga: Eclipse, final posters both domestic and international for "The Last Airbender", and a poster for Splice.

For those who want to be spoiled, descriptions of the "Super 8" teaser trailer can be found at /Film and AICN.

A photo of what's claimed to be one of the designs being considered for the "Godzilla" reboot in the works is up at Twitchfilm.

Sony Pictures has announced that both the Chris Rock-led comedy "Death at A Funeral" and Ricky Gervais' "Cemetery Junction" will Not be getting a theatrical release in Australia.

""Kick-Ass" star Christopher Mintz-Plasse has shot down the talk of the sequel gearing up. The actor revealed on his Twitter - "Don't believe what you are hearing about Kick-Ass 2 guys. It is not confirmed, but I will love to do it when the time is right!

Plus, Will Emeril replace LuRe, the Glee-bashing begins, Neil Patrick Harris needs a little powder, Beautiful People returns, and David Sedaris to the big screen!

CBS has three pilots in contention for As the World Turn’s timeslot. We previously mentioned the ripoff of The View starring Sarah Gilbert (who’s producing, so big chance for her) and Julie Chen. Also a reboot of Pyramid, and now a cooking competition show hosted by Emeril Lagasse. We should know in the next couple weeks.

The second season of Being Human, starring Russell Tovey’s ears and featuring gay vampires in a subplot, will hit BBC America July 24th.

Craig Kilborn, who made a gay joke so foul when hosting The Daily Show I almost wouldn't watch it once he was gone, is being given a shot at a talker by Fox. They’ll test it in the 7pm hour in...

After reporting that negotiations had broken down between Kick-Ass director Matthew Vaughn and the producers of X-Men: First Class, Nikki Finke is now reporting that a deal is being negotiated for him to direct. I think Finke just made up the first part to fill some space on a slow Friday. (Deadline)

In this weekend's box-office report, I suggested that Nightmare on Elm Street's $32 million probably wouldn't be enough to get a sequel greenlit. I was wrong. Oh, so very wrong. Warner Brothers and New Line are talking 3D sequel. Why the fuck not? (Slashfilm)

New screenwriter Adam Cozad has apparently found a niche. He's working on the new Jack Ryan movie, a script that has echoes of his first unproduced script Dubai (a CIA Agent on the run from international figures, needing to clear his name, and save his wife). He's now penning The Gray Man, about a "former...

David Sedaris remains a massively popular short story writer and essayist, even if it's been nearly ten years since his most popular book, Me Talk Pretty One Day, launched him into the author stratosphere. There had been talk years back of a movie adaptation of Me Talk Pretty, one that Sedaris and his family eventually halted for fears of how they would be depicted onscreen. But apparently it's not too late for another one of Sedaris's stories, one not focused on his family and from the earlier book Naked, to make it to the screen. Our adorable pals at Gordon and the Whale have learned that Easier WIth Practice director Kyle Patrick Alvarez has optioned the rights to "C.O.G.", one of the stories from Naked, and is currently working on financing the film based on his script. It's been a while since I read Naked, but I remember...

If you’re reading this, you’re either a fan of David Sedaris, or you saw last year’s gem, Easier With Practice, and loved it just as Kate, James, and myself did. After touring the festival circuit, Ewp’s writer/ director Kyle Patrick Alvarez went on to win the Someone to Watch Award at the 2010 Independent Spirit Awards. So it was only a matter of time before Alvarez got started on a new project.

Read more on Exclusive: Easier With Practice director to adapt David Sedaris short story into feature film…...

What’S New & Cool This Week:

This week brings a release that will excite all you Hobbits and Orcs alike! You shall not pass…a DVD shelf without being able to pick up the complete Lord Of The Rings trilogy on Blu-ray, jam packed with bonus features. But that’s not all, Ringheads! The 1978 animated film also gets its release on Blu-ray this week.

Read more on Easier With Practice, Bad Lieutenant and more in this week’s DVD and Blu-ray releases…...