South by Southwest (SXSW) is just one of many film festivals, we here at Sound On Sight cover yearly. The fest, which takes place every spring in Austin, Texas, began in 1987, and has continued to grow in size every year. The fest announced the first wave of films back in early January, and the …
We are just about to kick off our Sundance coverage, and we already have another film festival to focus on. SXSW has gone ahead and announced a few great titles from its upcoming lineup. The WB/New Line comedy Incredible Burt Wonderstone has been announced as the opening film. The film stars Steve Carrell, Jim Carrey, …
Black Pond Directed by Tom Kingsley & Will Sharpe Black Pond heralds an incredibly original, startlingly mature, and completely inscrutable new film-making duo. It’s unclear what exactly they have made with Black Pond; suffice it to say it is equal parts profound and hilarious while refusing classification… (read the full review) Cabin In The Woods …
Pavilion Directed by Tim Sutton Written by Tim Sutton USA, 2012 Pavilion follows faithfully, and proudly, in the tradition of naturalistic film-making that Gus Van Sant operates in when he’s not making Oscar winning dramas. But if director Tim Sutton is a technical descendant of Van Sant, he’s a spiritual disciple of Terrence Malick. According …
V/H/S Written by Simon Barrett, David Bruckner, Nicholas Tecosky, Ti West, Glenn McQuaid, Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, Tyler Gillett, Justin Martinez, Chad Villella Directed by Adam Wingard, David Bruckner, Ti West, Glenn McQuaid, Joe Swanberg, Radio Silence USA, 2011 One of the most anticipated additions to the growing pantheon of “found footage” films this year comes in …
Compliance Written and directed by Craig Zobel As it is with train wrecks, so it goes with Compliance, a thoroughly shattering film that is less a narrative than a descent into the depths of human weakness. Inspired by roughly 70 real world accounts, Compliance is the tale of a young fast food employee, here named …
Intruders Directed by Juan Carlos Fresnadillo Intruders is a cyclical examination of monsters and nightmares and where they come from and why they persist. To this extent, its a successful endeavour. But as a satisfying, complete narrative it is a bit too muddled and a bit too slight. Director Juan Carlos Fresnadillo provides enough beautiful …
John Dies at the End Directed by Don Coscarelli Written by Don Coscarelli 2012, USA John Dies at the End, the new film from exalted director Don Coscarelli screened last night at The Alamo Drafthouse to a packed house full of hardcore genre devotees. John Dies, also having played earlier this year at Sundance, enjoyed …
Sinister Directed by Scott Derrickson Screenplay by Scott Derrickson and C. Robert Cargill USA, 2012 Four figures stand under a tree limb, hooded and noosed. Each figure’s noose rounds the limb and attaches to another branch which is slowly breaking away. As it falls, it lifts the four flailing bodies into the air, suffocating them. …
Francine, the debut feature from co-directors Brian M. Cassidy and Melanie Shatzky had it’s first SX screening yesterday having recently garnered some great reviews coming out of this years Berlinale. The filmmakers along with their star Melissa Leo, were kind enough to sit down with us before the screening to to talk a little about …
Kid-Thing, the latest feature from local indie film lynchpins David and Nathan Zellner, screened last night, coming home after a successful run at Sundance and Berlin. Today the pair along with their young star Sydney Aguirre sat down with me to discuss the film. We take a moment to get to know each other before …
Kid-Thing Written by David Zellner Directed by David Zellner USA, 2012 Kid-Thing is a coming of age fable. That’s the filmmakers’ phrasing, not mine, and while it is surprisingly apt, the filmmakers forgo many of the customs and pitfalls of either genre to craft a wholly unique and pleasantly odd character study. The kid in …
Wikileaks: Secrets and Lies Directed by Patrick Forbes UK/Germany, 2011 Wikileaks: Secrets and Lies functions as a primer to a far more intricate and convoluted tale. If you’ve at all followed the controversy that’s been trailing Wikileaks like a spurned pup since its inception, you likely know much of the raw data on display in …
Picking 10 titles from a selection of 132 feature films is a bit of an exercise in absurdity, but for those of you looking to add a few more flicks to your ever-expanding list of “must sees” before you head down to the convention center, here are ten titles I personally am excited to see. …
Sound On Sight will once again be covering the SXSW Film Festival this year, making it our second time attending. We’ve already posted news that 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. Now the fest has …
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 …
Follow the internet trail to socialistworld.net and you’ll find an article from 2003 entitled “Free the Bin Tax Twelve.” The article is about the arrest of 10 new protesters during a movement to resist a double tax on waste collection in Irish cities that placed its largest burden on poor residential areas. One of those …
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Conan O’Brien Can’t Stop, has been bought and will be distributed in a unique deal with AT&T, Abramorama and Magnolia Home Entertainment. The documentary chronicles Conan’s life after being fired at NBC, paying special attention to his 32-city Legally Prohibited From Being Funny on Television Tour. AT&T will serve as a P&A and …
With SXSW underway, many people are curious to hear about the movies being screened. However, unless you have ever attended film festival screenings, I am sure you are unaware of something called a “Film Bumper”. This is a short film that plays immediately before a feature film is screened, with it’s purpose being to serve …
This narrative short film by Toronto director Kire Paputts, in which the main character doesn’t utter a single word, is quiet, eerie and beautiful. While the taxidermy scenes can make you nearly lose your lunch, the film is engaging and intimate. Actor Julian Richings’ rough, emaciated features make him perfect for the part of the …
The South By Southwest (SXSW) Festival has really improved their line-up over the years, and this year they have once again outdone themselves. The lineup for the Midnight features and shorts have been announced, and there are some exciting premieres featured. If you are a fan of genre films, you will want to keep a …
Readers of Sound On Sight can be sure that we will indeed be covering the SXSW Film Festival once again. As previously reported, Duncan Jones’ latest film Source Code is opening the festival and there will also be premieres for the documentary Conan O’Brien Can’t Stop, Greg Mottola’s Paul, and Jodie Foster’s The Beaver. Now …
“MacGruber hits its action beats with a commendably straight face, and it has more in common, structurally, with its satirical influences than its short-form source material..” MacGruber Directed by Jorma Taccone – Though MacGruber achieved the great honor of being the least memorable film at SXSW, that speaks more to the nature of the film …