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Thompson on Hollywood

Wolfe Takes US Rights to SXSW's 'Gayby'

"Gayby" has gone to Wolfe Releasing for US distribution. The comedy, written and directed by Jonathan Lisecki, premiered at SXSW and won audience and jury prizes at Ashland Independent Film Festival. The story, based on Lisecki's 2010 short film of the same name (that screened at over a hundred festivals), is about a gay man and a straight woman who decide to have a baby together. Wolfe's Maria Lynn says, “'Gayby' is the funniest movie I’ve seen in years." Wolfe will release the film theatrically later this year in collaboration with The Film Collaborative; a DVD/VOD release will follow in 2013. A full synopsis is below:
  • By Sophia Savage
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  • April 24, 2012 3:38 PM
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'Girls' Q & A with Dunham & Apatow: Hilarious and Sexually Frank Comedy Series is 'Lena's Show'

Lena Dunham unveiled the first three episodes of her new HBO series "Girls" (April 15) at SXSW. Safe to say, it played as well for the guys in the room as the women. "It's Lena's show," declared executive producer Judd Apatow during the follow-up Q &A. "If she fucks it up it's her fault. Every choice is hers."
  • By Anne Thompson
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  • April 6, 2012 12:42 PM
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First Watch: 'Cabin in the Woods' Covers Its Cliches in Horror Film Send-Up

"Cabin in the Woods" has a telling first clip: hilariously, the movie takes on horror cliches. See below.
  • By Maggie Lange
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  • March 23, 2012 5:24 PM
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Adam Leon's SXSW Winner 'Gimme the Loot' Goes to Sundance Selects

"Gimme the Loot" goes to Sundance Selects for North and Latin American distribution. The Adam Leon film, which just won the Grand Jury Prize for Best Narrative Feature at SXSW, follows two teenagers in the Bronx who must raise $500 to exact revenge on a rival graffiti gang that destroyed their latest masterpiece...
  • By Sophia Savage
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  • March 19, 2012 4:04 PM
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SXSW 2012 Remaining Audience Winners Include Matthew Lillard Short and Aneurin Barnard-Starrer 'Citadel'

The South by Southwest (SXSW) Film Conference and Festival already announced jury award-winners for narrative ("Gimme the Loot") and documentary ("Beware of Mr. Baker") and audience award-winners for narrative ("Eden") and documentary ("Bay of All Saints").
  • By Anne Thompson
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  • March 17, 2012 1:34 PM
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SXSW Review Roundup and Clips for Winners 'Gimme the Loot' and 'Beware Mr. Baker'

The 2012 SXSW FIlm Festival bestowed jury awards to Adam Leon's New York City-based "Gimme the Loot" and Jay Bulger's rock biopic "Beware Mr. Baker." Review roundup and clips for both winners show what to expect from these two naturalistic, unexpected films.
  • By Maggie Lange
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  • March 14, 2012 5:50 PM
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SXSW Interview: Duplass Brothers Talk 'Jeff,' 'The Do-Deca-Pentathlon' and Career Plan (Video)

Writer-directors Jay and Mark Duplass headed into SXSW with an unusual distribution deal for their long-in-the-works micro-budget brother comedy "The Do-Deca-Pentathlon." They set it up at both Fox Searchlight, which released "Cyrus," and Red Flag Releasing, a small indie run by ex-Warner Independent execs Laura Kim and Paul Federbush, who are able to do day-and-date VOD in a way that the studio cannot without straining relationships with exhibitors. The Duplasses figure they are getting the best of both possible worlds.
  • By Anne Thompson
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  • March 14, 2012 10:56 AM
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SXSW 2012 Winners: 'Gimme the Loot' and Ginger Baker Documentary

The 2012 South by Southwest (SXSW) Film Conference and Festival announced winners Tuesday night at the Vimeo Theater in Austin, Texas. Audiences sampled 132 features and 138 shorts this year, selected from more than 5,300 submissions.
  • By Anne Thompson
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  • March 14, 2012 3:59 AM
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SXSW Video: Jonah Hill, Channing Tatum and Filmmakers Talk Comedy Home Run '21 Jump Street'

Whatever question there might be about how well a smart horror parody like SXSW opener "Cabin the Woods" will do with mainstream audiences, there is none with updated buddy cop comedy "21 Jump Street," which also played well at the Paramount Theater here, and will prove a huge b.o. home run.
  • By Anne Thompson
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  • March 13, 2012 7:20 PM
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SXSW Trailer, Reviews, Q & A: 'Paul Williams Still Alive' is 'Remarkable,' 'Very Funny' & 'Unlike Any Documentary'

SXSW is useful for catching up with the best of other film fests; I finally saw Stephen Kessler's "Paul Williams Still Alive," which debuted in Toronto and should hit theaters in June. Like Kessler, I grew up with the diminutive singer-songwriter, who was ubiquitous on the 70s awards and talk show circuit. This is the guy who wrote Karen Carpenter's "We"ve Only Just Begun" and Kermit the Frog's "Rainbow Connection" and Barbra Streisand's Oscar-winning "Evergreen," among many other songs. He also starred in Brian De Palma's "Phantom of the Paradise" and Tony Richardson's "The Loved One."
  • By Anne Thompson
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  • March 13, 2012 6:07 PM
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