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25 years ago, Alan Rudolph’s Breakfast of Champions left theaters as quickly as it arrived, barely making a blip during a landmark year in American cinema save for a litany of negative reviews that all but celebrated its failure. (Luc Moullet might have been its sole admirer upon release.) Adapted from the Kurt Vonnegut novel of the same name, Breakfast captures a cross-section of American archetypes on the brink of a collective nervous breakdown; correspondingly, the film also feels like it’s also losing its mind. Rudolph, cinematographer Elliot Davis and editor Suzy Elmiger imbue Breakfast with a manic, comically grotesque […]

The post “This is Going to Be the Most Circuitous Interview”: Alan Rudolph on Breakfast of Champions first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.

25 years ago, Alan Rudolph’s Breakfast of Champions left theaters as quickly as it arrived, barely making a blip during a landmark year in American cinema save for a litany of negative reviews that all but celebrated its failure. (Luc Moullet might have been its sole admirer upon release.) Adapted from the Kurt Vonnegut novel of the same name, Breakfast captures a cross-section of American archetypes on the brink of a collective nervous breakdown; correspondingly, the film also feels like it’s also losing its mind. Rudolph, cinematographer Elliot Davis and editor Suzy Elmiger imbue Breakfast with a manic, comically grotesque […]

The post “This is Going to Be the Most Circuitous Interview”: Alan Rudolph on Breakfast of Champions first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.

Albert Finney as Kilgore Trout with Bruce Willis as Dwayne Hoover in Alan Rudolph’s adaptation of Kurt Vonnegut’s Breakfast of Champions

In the second instalment of my conversation with Alan Rudolph on his adaptation of Kurt Vonnegut’s Breakfast Of Champions, shot by frequent collaborator Elliot Davis (Equinox; Mortal Thoughts; Love At Large), we start out with what his friend, the novelist Tom Robbins, who has a cameo (as Pesky Weber), told him after the film was finished.

Alan Rudolph with Anne-Katrin Titze on the influence of Jean Cocteau’s Orphée on final scene: “Probably not directly, but you know, every little drop of water feeds the plant.”

The director/screenwriter has assembled the perfect cast of accomplices, including Albert Finney, Nick Nolte, Glenne Headly, Barbara Hershey, Omar Epps, Lukas Haas, Owen Wilson, Buck Henry, plus a hyperactive Bruce Willis starring as Dwayne Hoover, the ringleader of what goes on in Midland City.

Alan Rudolph with Anne-Katrin Titze on Robert Altman considering Johnny Carson and Peter Falk to be cast as Dwayne Hoover (played by Bruce Willis) in Breakfast Of Champions: “He would cast his movies before they were written.”

In the first instalment with Alan Rudolph, we discuss Robert Altman’s early connection to Kurt Vonnegut’s Breakfast Of Champions, the roles played by Bruce Willis, Nick Nolte, Albert Finney, and Owen Wilson, plus working with Willis and Demi Moore on Mortal Thoughts. Now, with the help of Ron Mann, director of What We Like, producer David Blocker, cinematographer Elliot Davis and Shout Factory, there is a 4K Digital Restoration of Breakfast of Champions available to screen in cinemas, on streaming platforms and Blu-ray DVD for the 25th anniversary of this very prescient film. Alan Rudolph was an assistant director on Altman’s Nashville, California Split, The Long Goodbye, and appeared as himself in The Player.

Plot: It’s been 29 years since someone lit the Black Flame Candle and resurrected the 17th-century sisters, and they are looking for revenge. Now it is up to three high-school students to stop the ravenous witches from wreaking a new kind of havoc on Salem before dawn on All Hallow’s Eve.

Review: For three decades, fans have clamored for a sequel to Hocus Pocus. The Disney film has maintained a cult following thanks to a cheeky blend of humor and scares appropriate for all ages. While a sequel was released in the form of a 2018 novel that directly followed the plot and characters of the original movie, it took until now for Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy to reunite on screen as the Sanderson Sisters. Under the direction of Anne Fletcher, Hocus Pocus 2 was guaranteed to be a hit this Halloween season regardless of the quality of the film.

Roadside Attractions has acquired U.S. distribution rights to Free Turn’s “Gigi & Nate.” The film stars Charlie Rowe, Oscar-winner Marcia Gay Harden, and Jim Belushi, and is based on true events. It tells the story of Nate Gibson, a young man whose life is turned upside down after he suffers a near-fatal illness and is left a quadriplegic.

And “Gigi & Nate” also serves as the introduction to a pint-sized, though still formidable, new talent. Making her big-screen debut in the titular role of service animal “Gigi” is Allie, an adorable capuchin monkey. In the movie, Gigi is trained to assist Nate with his basic needs and helps him rediscover his sense of hope. Look for audiences to fall in love with Allie/Gigi when Roadside Attractions releases the film exclusively in theaters on Sept. 2, 2022.

The film is directed and produced by BAFTA-winning director Nick Hamm (“Driven”), alongside producers Piers Tempest...

Opposition to the Academy’s plan to award eight Oscars prior to the live telecast continues to grow, with more than 350 new names — including more than a dozen Oscar-winning editors, cinematographers and production designers — added to the petition sent last week to Academy president David Rubin urging a reversal of the plan.

Among the industry professionals signing are Oscar-winning cinematographers John Seale (“The English Patient”), John Toll (“Braveheart”) and Dean Semler (“Dances With Wolves”), and Oscar-winning editors Richard Chew and Paul Hirsch (“Star Wars”), Mikkel Neilsen (“The Sound of Metal”), Pietro Scalia (“JFK”) and Zach Staenberg (“The Matrix”).

Oscar-winning production designers Hannah Beachler (“Black Panther”), Barbara Ling (“Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”), Adam Stockhausen (“Grand Budapest Hotel”) and David and Sandy Wasco (“La La Land”) also signed on.

Cinematography will be presented during the live show, but editing and production design are among the eight awards to be presented during the 4 p.

The Alliance Theatre in Atlanta announced today casting for its upcoming world premiere Becoming Nancy. Based on the best-selling British novel by Terry Ronald, this new musical is directed and choreographed by two-time Tony Award winner Jerry Mitchell Kinky Boots, Hairspray, with a book by Elliot Davis Peter Pan, Loserville, and a score by the songwriting team of George Stiles Music and Anthony Drewe Lyrics Mary Poppins, Peter Pan, Honk. Becoming Nancy will open the Alliance Theatre's 51st season on its newly renovated Coca-Cola Stage, September 6 - October 6, 2019. Opening Night is Wednesday, September 18.

Reviewed by Kevin Scott, MoreHorror.com

Vamp (1986)

Written by: Richard Wenk, Donald P. Borchers

Directed by: Richard Wenk

Cast: Chris Makepeace (Keith), Robert Rusler (A.J.), Dedee Pfeiffer (Allison), Sandy Baron (Vic), Gedde Watanabe (Duncan), Billy Drago (Snow), Grace Jones (Katrina).

Sometimes some pretty influential stuff by some pretty talented filmmakers has to season into its own. After being around long enough to see something make its debut, fall into obscurity for a couple of decades, be lovingly put on life support by loyal fans, and then rise like a phoenix to the accolades it deserved all along, I’ve got some perspective. That perspective is more than affirmed with “Vamp”. This 1986 horror comedy was well ahead of its time, and was influential in more ways than one.

Vamp had the pedigree of being a New World Picture. That may or may not seem obscure, but Cannon and New World...

Without fail, every single year there are Oscar hopefuls that fall victim to controversy. Some are well founded, some are pure smoke, and some are caught in between. This week, the year’s most controversy laden film hits theaters. In fact, it’s out today. The controversy isn’t due to the film’s content, but the past actions of its filmmaker. I won’t get into what Nate Parker and his co-writer Jean McGianni Celestin were accused of and the subsequent issues, but it’s clear that to some degree, it has affected the release. Back at the Sundance Film Festival, it was hailed as a potential Best Picture frontrunner. Now, it’s possibly an Oscar also-ran. What happened? Well, at least in my opinion, hype died down and it’s being seen for the flawed work that it truly is. Controversy aside, it’s just a mixed bag of a movie.

Richard Wenk's 1986 horror comedy is even better than we remember -- funny, reasonably scary, and stylish. Grace Jones' vampire queen is intimidatingly strange, and great makeup effects and polished direction insure that the jokes and chills get equal attention. Vamp Blu-ray Arrow Video 1986 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 93 min. / Street Date October 4, 2016 / Available from 29.95 Starring Chris Makepeace, Sandy Baron, Robert Rusler, Dedee Pfeiffer, Gedde Watanabe, Grace Jones, Billy Drago, Brad Logan, Lisa Lyon. Cinematography Elliot Davis, Douglas F. O'Neons Makeup Effects Greg Cannom Editor Marc Grossman Original Music Jonathan Elias Written by Richard Wenk story by Wenk, Donald P. Borchers Produced by Donald P. Borchers Directed by Richard Wenk

Reviewed by Glenn Erickson

There's a lot of love for '80s pictures out there, mainly because the kids who went to see them back in the day are now in their forties and are beginning to feel pangs of nostalgia,...

Here's a tough question: Do you judge Nate Parker's The Birth of a Nation as a film, or put the man behind it on trial as a former student at Penn State in 1999 who was accused of raping an 18-year-old woman – a crime for which he was acquitted. I'll leave the playing God stuff to social media, where it thrives, and stick to what's onscreen which, by any standard, is a monumental achievement.

The Birth of a Nation is a passion project for Parker, who labored for seven years...

Nick Aldwinckle Oct 25, 2016

Fancy some horror? We've been taking a look at the discs of Ghoulies, The Burning, Psychomania and more...

“Have you ever heard a frog scream?”, the tag-line to George McCowan’s 1972 ecological horror Frogs (out now on Arrow Blu-ray) should have read. Indeed, for any of you readers that have ever been rudely awoken at 2am by the sound of a traumatised frog being gifted to you by your pet cat/furry psychopath, an amphibian cry of terror is probably the second worst sound there is (behind, of course, Kaiser Chiefs).

See related Will Arnett confirms more Arrested Development Arrow's Stephen Amell stars in Lego Batman 3 Dlc trailer

Not that frogs themselves are inherently evil, though viewing this classic dose of seventies green-themed nastiness might convince you otherwise. Slugs are Ok, too, though we’ll get on to them later on in this month’s vague...

The 2016 Oscars haven't even happened yet, but based on buzz coming from the Sundance Film Festival, the 2017 Oscars may already have a frontrunner.

"The Birth of a Nation" won big at the annual film festival celebrating independent cinema, claiming both the audience prize and grand jury prize for feature films. The drama tells the true story of Nat Turner, who led a slave revolt in 1831, and was sold for a headline-grabbing sum of $17.5 million to Fox Searchlight, making history as the largest deal in Sundance history.

Sundance has plenty of past success launching Oscar contenders, including recent Best Picture nominees "Brooklyn," "Boyhood," "Whiplash," "Beasts of the Southern Wild," "Winter's Bone," and "Precious." And according to Variety, it will be hard for the Academy to ignore Nate Parker, who wrote, directed, starred in, and produced the acclaimed flick, ensuring that #OscarsSoWhite will be a thing of the past in 2017.

Of course,...

Directed, written, produced by, and starring Nate Parker, the Nat Turner biopic The Birth of a Nation is an unflinching and hopeful call to action where the helmer’s passion can be felt in every frame. By nodding to D. W. Griffith’s controversial, formally groundbreaking 1915 film, Parker is forging a new cinematic history for one of America’s most shameful eras. What’s lacking in aesthetic cohesion, pacing, and subtlety is made up for in a powerful lead performance and an essential story with compelling religious undercurrents.

“Indeed I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just; that his justice cannot sleep for ever” is the Thomas Jefferson quote that opens the film, immediately lighting the fuse for the rebellion against history’s gravest injustices. Fitting comfortably into the classical Hollywood biopic format, the story begins with Nathaniel “Nat” Turner as a young slave boy in 1809 in Southampton County,...

Read More: Sundance: 'The Birth of a Nation' Ignites a Bidding War After An Electrifying Premiere  Cinematographer Elliot Davis has shot more than 50 films, including "Twilight," "Out of Sight," "Thirteen," and "The Iron Lady." However, "The Birth of a Nation" presented a unique challenge: Not only was he responsible for realizing first-time director Nate Parker's exacting vision, he also had to do it while shooting faster than he'd ever done before.  Which camera and lens did you use? "Birth of a Nation" was shot on an Alexa, and it was almost shot exclusively with optimum zooms. At this point in my career, I'm really at the less is more stage, and so I really went with basically three lenses. Why was this the right camera kit for the job? Because it gives me the most flexibility. I'm prepared for handheld as well as any studio mode. I was probably...

Writer/director Alan Rudolph is still inextricably linked to Robert Altman, his mentor and eventual producer for several of Rudolph’s own features. Having served as assistant director on Altman’s The Long Goodbye and Nashville, Rudolph would eventually steer his own considerable, idiosyncratic filmography. But without any significant mainstream efforts to explode him into the fabric of the cultural zeitgeist, many of his works faded quickly into obscurity, particularly if they weren’t well-received by critics. Often featuring delectable roles for offbeat female leads (including some unforgettable roles for Genevieve Bujold, Jennifer Jason Leigh, and Geraldine Chaplin), a late 90s Oscar nod for Julie Christie in Afterfglow (1997) resuscitated interest in the auteur. But the decade started out on a disappointing note for Rudolph with 1990’s Love at Large, the follow-up to critically acclaimed The Moderns (1980). Featuring a cascading array of notable actors, it’s an offbeat endeavor, to say the least,...

Alan Rudolph goes all mushy on us, but in a good way. This loose, somewhat cartoonish comedy pits detectives Tom Berenger and Elizabeth Perkins on opposite sides of a hot case. All they uncover is one illicit love affair after another... while getting personally involved too. A quirky romantic favorite. Love at Large Blu-ray Kl Studio Classics 1990 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 97 min. / Street Date December 1, 2015 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95 Starring Tom Berenger, Elizabeth Perkins, Anne Archer, Kate Capshaw, Annette O'Toole, Ted Levine, Ann Magnuson, Kevin J. O'Connor, Ruby Dee, Barry Miller, Neil Young Cinematography Elliot Davis Production Designer Steven Legler Art Direction Steve Karatzas Film Editor Lisa Zeno Churgin Original Music Mark Isham, Warren Zevon Produced by Stuart M. Besser, David Blocker, Dana Mayer Written and Directed by Alan Rudolph

Reviewed by Glenn Erickson

This charming little movie went nowhere in 1990, but it still pleases this reviewer, from its odd...

Ron Moody in Mel Brooks' 'The Twelve Chairs.' The 'Doctor Who' that never was. Ron Moody: 'Doctor Who' was biggest professional regret (See previous post: "Ron Moody: From Charles Dickens to Walt Disney – But No Harry Potter.") Ron Moody was featured in about 50 television productions, both in the U.K. and the U.S., from the late 1950s to 2012. These included guest roles in the series The Avengers, Gunsmoke, Starsky and Hutch, Hart to Hart, and Murder She Wrote, in addition to leads in the short-lived U.S. sitcom Nobody's Perfect (1980), starring Moody as a Scotland Yard detective transferred to the San Francisco Police Department, and in the British fantasy Into the Labyrinth (1981), with Moody as the noble sorcerer Rothgo. Throughout the decades, he could also be spotted in several TV movies, among them:[1] David Copperfield (1969). As Uriah Heep in this disappointing all-star showcase distributed theatrically in some countries.

Geoffrey Rush is set to play composer and lyricist Lionel Bart for the musical feature "Consider Yourself" at BBC Films. Bart wrote the score for "Oliver!," the legendary musical adaptation of Charles Dickens' "Oliver Twist".

Bart was an untrained musician who couldn’t read or write music and yet became the first person to have three West End musicals running and at one point was earning more in song royalties than the Beatles. Even so, he still managed to lose it all.

Vadim Jean directs the project which boasts a superb British cast including Stephen Fry, Olivia Colman, Eddie Marsan, Matt Lucas, Michelle Dockery and Al Weaver. Award-winning composer Elliot Davis penned the script while Jean and Paul Brooks are producing.

Source: Deadline...

• Penelope Cruz and Diane Kruger are in final negotiations for This Man, This Woman. Isabel Coixet is directing from a script by Frederic Raphael. The story follows Matt Heller and Martha Parks (Cruz), a former romantic item who look back on their roller coaster past when they run into each other on a plane. Kruger takes the role of a talk show host, Kirsty Sachs, who has an affair with Heller, and alters his relationship with Parks as a result. [Deadline] • Geoffrey Rush will star as Lionel Bart in Vadim Jean's musical feature, Consider Yourself. Bart was a composer and...

Exclusive: Geoffrey Rush (The King’s Speech) will play composer-lyricist Lionel Bart, who famously wrote the score for Oliver!, in Vadim Jean’s musical feature Consider Yourself. Joining Rush is a stellar cast including Stephen Fry (Sherlock Holmes), Olivia Colman (Broadchurch), Eddie Marsan (Snow White And The Huntsman), Matt Lucas (Alice In Wonderland), Michelle Dockery (Downton Abbey) and Al Weaver (Marie Antoinette) as the younger Bart.

Consider Yourself (the title comes from one of the best-known songs from Oliver!, Bart’s musical adaptation of Charles Dickens’ Oliver Twist) tells the story of an untrained musician who couldn’t read or write music and yet became the first person to have three West End musicals running. At one point in the early 1960’s, Bart was earning more in song royalties than the Beatles — and still managed to lose it all. The film charts his rise and fall, using Bart’s catalogue of songs,...

When a filmmaker creates a period piece, the audience will expect certain details to be highlighted as an effort of world-building and cinematic magic. They are commonly referred to as costume dramas, a display of a large amount of money pumped into costume and set design to amaze modern audiences in their plight for historicity. With The Great Gatsby, Baz Luhrmann was able to milk our infatuation to the point that several men’s fashion designers crafted clothing lines around the film. There are anywhere from one to three big pictures like this each year that will flaunt their stars in period-perfect garb, take home their Best Picture Oscar, and fall into obscurity. What may rescue many of these films is their ability to not simply match the look of the past, but its feeling, the atmosphere of the times that helps audiences relate to characters long dead and presented in unimaginable circumstances.

Tai Me Up Tai Me Down: Reeves’ Directorial Debut a B Grade Vanity Project

Keanu Reeves. Hardly as woeful as you might assume, the directorial debut of The Matrix star is capably entertaining, especially if you don’t mind watching an ornate video game. However, his Man of Tai Chi, which was developed as a project to grandstand the martial arts talents of its star, Tiger Chen, has little to offer outside of slickly repetitive fight sequences. Reeves’ insistence on casting himself as an omnipotent baddie swerves the film into high gear camp akin to Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun Li (2009), and one wishes the star had taken on the less glamorous role of producer and perhaps hired a re-write of a script penned by Michael G. Cooney, whose writing credits consist mainly of dialogue for video games.

A lowly courier by day in Beijing, Tiger Chen Lin-Hu...

A behind-the-scenes video for Keanu Reeves's directorial debut Man of Tai Chi has arrived, via Mtime. Running five and a half minutes, it provides an inside look at the production team and includes some footage from the film. In the video, Keanu Reeves and lead actor Tiger Chen talk about how the project first took off, and each describes their specific role.  Also on the team is Elliot Davis, the cinematographer; Joseph A. Porro, the costume designer; Yohei Taneda, the production designer; Michael G. Cooney, the writer; and Yuen Woo-ping, the action director.The film is due for theatrical release in China on July 5. You'll find the behind-the-scenes video embedded below....

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

Keanu Reeves may be best known for his starring roles in The Matrix, Speed and Point Break, but this week he's stepping behind the camera to produce and present Side by Side, a fascinating documentary that delves into the filmmaking process and looks at how digital has overtaken the photochemical process.

Reeves and writer/director Christopher Kenneally have assembled a who's who of filmmaking talent - from directors such as James Cameron and Lars von Trier, to studio heads and tech pioneers working designing the latest HD cameras - in order to tell their story. Digital Spy got on the phone with Reeve to discuss Side by Side, his directorial debut Man of Tai Chi and the potential for a 3D re-release of The Matrix...

Which was the first film you worked on where you saw that digital technology was clipping at the heels of the traditional photochemical process?

"I...

Steven Soderbergh became the poster child for new American independent cinema in the 90′s, after winning the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival for his debut feature Sex, Lies, & Videotape. Soderbergh spent the better part of the ensuing decade, directing small idiosyncratic films, and often wearing many hats including producer, screenwriter, cinematographer and editor. Eventually the director entered into a period that saw him make commercially satisfying films; most notably Ocean’s Eleven, Erin Brockovich and Traffic, the latter of which earned him an Oscar for Best Director. Despite his box office success, Steven Sodberergh continued to experiment with such films as the ensemble piece Full Frontal, the smart and ambiguous Solaris, the low-budget Bubble and the four hour long epic, Che. There are very few filmmakers who are able to keep their feet firmly planted in the commercial world, while conserving their independent spirit. With his last...

Keanu Reeves appears in one of the best movies of the summer -- but unlike "The Matrix" franchise, this one likely isn't coming to a theater near you.

Called "Side by Side," the limited-released documentary -- which debuts in Los Angeles on Aug. 17 before a nationwide VOD release on Aug. 22 and further theatrical expansion to come -- explains via interviews with directors like James Cameron and Christopher Nolan the pros and cons of both photochemical and digital film techniques. Reeves produced the film and conducted the interviews, gaining unprecedented access to some of the most respected craftspeople in the history of filmmaking; beyond Cameron and Nolan, award-winning below-the-line specialists like Anne V. Coates (editor of "Lawrence of Arabia") and Michael Ballhaus (cinematographer of "Goodfellas") also make appearances.

"Side by Side" came at a perfect time for Reeves, who just recently finished filming his directorial debut, "Man of Tai Chi." The...

Gray's Anatomy Directed by Steven Soderbergh Written by Spalding Gray Starring: Spalding Gray With Stephen Soderbergh on the verge of retiring from filmmaking, one has to wonder how somebody with such an amount of creative freedom could ever feel uninspired or suffocated by the limitations of their chosen medium. He's the guy who popularized the "one for me, one for them" modus operandi and within it, has seemed to have found his rhythm. In the mid-nineties, Soderbergh faced a similar dilemma in which he overcame an artistic slump by rebuilding himself with two experiments; Schizopolis and Gray's Anatomy. While they both fall under the "one for me" category, Gray's Anatomy is fairly accessible and wholly entertaining as Soderbergh attempts to transform Spalding Gray's squeamish tale of a rare ocular affliction into something resembling Errol Morris meets Dario Argento. The story begins as Spalding, having just turned 50, discovers a problem...

Gareth Gates will star in a new run of the musical Loserville from tomorrow. The play is written by ex-Busted member James Bourne and theatre composer Elliot Davis. It is based on a number of songs by Bourne's second band Son of Dork. "To my ears, the songs were like compact, three-minute dramas," Davis told The Guardian. "I heard all these characters and narratives and said, 'Have you ever considered turning this into a musical?'" Bourne explained: "It was never really in my sights. But I was at a crossroads with my career. My band had split up, we'd been dropped by the label. And I just wasn't ready for that at all. I still felt hungry. "One thing I knew for certain was that it wouldn't be a thrown-together, jukebox musical. If a song on the album didn't fit the storyline, we ditched (more)...

Mmc Joule Films

Presents

Hide Away

Directed by Chris Eyre (Smoke Signals, Edge of America), and an audience favorite at SXSW festival, Hideaway is a stirring drama that follows the story of a successful businessman (Josh Lucas) attempting to resurrect his life.  Entering an idyllic harbor as a broken and haunted man, he buys and boards the dilapidated sailboat, Hesperus.  Disturbed at night by unsettling dreams of his past, the boat becomes a beacon of hope as he begins the challenge of bringing back the shine to the tarnished vessel . and to his life.

Directed by: Chris Eyre (Smoke Signals)

Written by: Peter Vanderwall

Produced by: Sally Jo Effenson, Josh Lucas, Kevin Reidy

Director of Photography: Elliot Davis (Winner . 2011 SXSW Competition Award Best Cinematography-Narrative Competition)

Starring: Josh Lucas (The Lincoln Lawyer, J. Edgar), Ayelet Zurer (Angels and Demons), James Cromwell (The Artist) and Casey Labow (The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn...

Jury and Audience Award winners were announced this evening at the South by Southwest Film Conference and Festival.

Robbie Pickering‘s look at a Texas woman’s journey to self-discovery, Natural Selection, won the Grand Jury prize in the Narrative Feature competition (it also won the Audience Award) while Tristan Patterson‘s film on skateboarders in the California suburbs, Dragonslayer, won the prize on the doc side.

New for 2011, films in competition were also eligible for jury awards for Best Editing, Best Cinematography, Best Score/Music, and Best Screenplay and Breakthrough Performance for narrative films (all going to Natural Selection except for Best Cinematography which was won by Elliot Davis for A Year in Mooring. Evan Ross of 96 Minutes was also recognized in Breakthrough Performance).

Read Lone Star States, 24 Beats Per Second and Midnighters Audience Awards winners.

The compete list of 2011 SXSW Film Festival award winners are below. Read our...

Last night (even though SXSW runs into the weekend) the Jury and Audience Award-winners were announced during the award's ceremony which was hosted by comedian Owen Egerton. We've got the full list of all the winners from the festival, but filmmaker Robbie Pickering won big with his Natural Selection taking home both the Audience and Grand Jury Awards.

Documentary Feature Competition

Grand Jury Winner: Dragonslayer

Director: Tristan Patterson

Best Editing: Where Soldiers Come From

Editors: Kyle Henry & Heather Courtney

Best Cinematography: Dragonslayer

Director of Photography: Eric Koretz

Best Score/Music: The City Dark

Music by: The Fishermen Three, Ben Fries

Narrative Feature Competition

Grand Jury Winner: Natural Selection

Director: Robbie Pickering

Breakthrough Performances:

Evan Ross – 96 Minutes

Rachael Harris – Natural Selection

Matt O’Leary – Natural Selection

Best Screenplay: Natural Selection

Writer: Robbie Pickering

Best Editing: Natural Selection

Editor: Michelle Tesoro

Best Cinematography: A Year in Mooring

Director of Photography: Elliot Davis...

Austin, Texas, filmmaker Robbie Pickering’s “Natural Selection” was named Best Narrative Feature by both jurors and the audience and took home a total of seven honors at the annual South by Southwest Film Conference and Festival awards ceremony Tuesday night at the Vimeo Theater in the Austin Convention Center. (Pickering writes for Moving Pictures about the making of “Natural Selection” here.)

Meanwhile, director Tristan Patterson’s “Dragonslayer” was chosen as the Best Documentary Feature, while Vikram Gandhi’s “Kumaré” was the audience’s pick in the Documentary Feature category.

“Natural Selection” is the story of Linda White (Rachael Harris), a barren Christian housewife, whose world is turned upside-down when she discovers that her dying husband, Abe (John Diehl), has a 23-year old illegitimate son named Raymond (Matt O’Leary) living in Florida. On the edge of guilt and loneliness, Linda grants Abe’s final wish and sets off on...

Austin, Texas, filmmaker Robbie Pickering’s “Natural Selection” was named Best Narrative Feature by both jurors and the audience and took home a total of seven honors at the annual South by Southwest Film Conference and Festival awards ceremony Tuesday night at the Vimeo Theater in the Austin Convention Center. (Pickering writes for Moving Pictures about the making of “Natural Selection” here.)

Meanwhile, director Tristan Patterson’s “Dragonslayer” was chosen as the Best Documentary Feature, while Vikram Gandhi’s “Kumaré” was the audience’s pick in the Documentary Feature category.

“Natural Selection” is the story of Linda White (Rachael Harris), a barren Christian housewife, whose world is turned upside-down when she discovers that her dying husband, Abe (John Diehl), has a 23-year old illegitimate son named Raymond (Matt O’Leary) living in Florida. On the edge of guilt and loneliness, Linda grants Abe’s final wish and sets off on...

Still from Natural Selection which took home the Grand Jury Award, Audience Award and other awards in the Narrative Feature category

The Jury and Audience Award-winners of the 2011 South by Southwest (SXSW) Film Conference and Festival were announced tonight at the Festival’s Awards Ceremony, hosted by comedian Owen Egerton in Austin, Texas. Feature Films receiving Jury Awards were selected from the Narrative Feature and Documentary Feature categories. New for 2011, films in competition were also eligible for Jury Awards for Best Editing, Best Cinematography, Best Score/Music, Best Screenplay (narratives) and Breakthrough Performance (narratives). Films in these categories, as well as Spotlight Premieres, Emerging Visions, Midnighters, Lone Star States and 24 Beats Per Second, were also eligible for 2011 SXSW Film Festival Audience Awards. Only Narrative and Documentary Feature, Spotlight Premieres and Emerging Visions Audience Awards were announced tonight. Lone Star States, 24 Beats Per Second and Midnighters Audience Awards will be announced separately on Saturday,...

The big winner at SXSW Film 2011 was Rachel Harris comedy Natural Selection, which took prizes for screenplay, editing, score and the grand jury prize in the narrative film competition, announced last night. While the Interactive events have come to a close in Austin, music is just starting and film will continue with several encore screenings, The Film Stage will continue its South By Southwest coverage including interviews and reviews. Signaling the festival’s shift to music, two rock documentaries bowed last night – Foo Fighters: Back and Forth and Hit So Hard, at events which included a Foo Fighters secret show at legendary Stubbs following the screening. (As soon as they took the stage, Dave Grohl announced “We’re movie stars now”).

“It’s been completely exciting to witness the overwhelming appreciation and acclaim for the 2011 SXSW Film lineup,” said Film Conference and Festival Producer Janet Pierson. “The unique combination creative talents from music,...

"Natural Selection," an unusual road trip comedy about a woman who fulfills her dying husband's wish to find his long estranged son, was the clear winner at this year's SXSW Film Awards, where it picked up both the Grand Jury Prize for best narrative feature and audience award, in addition to four other awards for breakthrough performances (Rachael Harris and Matt O' Leary), best editing and best score. The narrative features jury was led by Roger Ebert, New York magazine's Logan Hill and Sundance Institute's Michelle Satter. Evan Ross, awarded for breakthrough performance for his turn in the thriller "96 Minutes," and "A Year in Mooring" cinematographer Elliot Davis were the only ones honored to keep "Natural Selection" from a clean sweep.

In the documentary category, Tristan Patterson's coming-of-age documentary "Dragonslayer" took home the top prize and a nod for best cinematography (Eric Koretz) while the more controversial "Kumaré," about...

Feature Film Jury Awards Narrative Feature Winner: Natural Selection Director: Robbie Pickering Narrative Feature Competition Grand Jury Winner: Natural Selection Director: Robbie Pickering Breakthrough Performances: Evan Ross – 96 Minutes Rachael Harris...

Every so often, CSI goes for a lighter touch. Sometimes it's successful, and sometimes it's a mess of zombie jokes and puns about the psychedelic sixties. Guess which one "Turn On, Tune In, Drop Dead" turned out to be?

It's understandable that, to keep suspense built and viewers eager in the aftermath of Nate Haskell's escape, ploys would be used... but zombies? Really? Has the creative team run out of ideas?

The zombie phenomenon was explained away as merely the after-effects of a paralytic neurotoxin mixed with psychotropic drugs. The three students involved - two of which were proclaimed dead, only to rise up and lurch away - were continuing the pseudoscience research into the afterlife once conducted by Dr. Elliot Davis Aden.

Dr. Aden ended up being really nothing more than a walking cartoon of purple prose. He was presented as a clown, and when it came time to...

In an effort to get into a fraternity two friends, Keith (Chris Makepeace) and Aj (Robert Rusler) travel to the ‘wrong side of town’ to find a stripper to hire for a college party. Taking along the nerdy Duncan (Gedde Watanabe), simply because he has a car, they find that beneath the already seedy surface lies an even seedier underbelly of vampires in the After Dark strip club. The club is run by the sleazy Vic (Sandy Baron) and the star attraction is the frightening Katrina (Grace Jones).

Vamp boasts a cast of cult eighties stars, including Robert Rusler (Weird Science, Thrashin’), Chris Makepeace (Meatballs), Gedde Watanabe (Sixteen Candles) and Deedee Pfeiffer (That’s right, Michelle’s sister) and the inclusion of the iconic and extravagant Grace Jones as a key vampire/stripper also represents a pretty inspired piece of casting.

The premise is also pretty fantastic for a film of this type,...

  One day after the announcement that the Denali vampire clan has been fully cast, we learn that cinematographer Guillermo Navarro (right), best known for his work for Guillermo del Toro, will be the Dp on The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, to be split into two parts directed by Bill Condon, and which brings back Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, and Taylor Lautner. The Mexican-born Navarro will be replacing Spaniard Javier Aguirresarobe, who shot both New Moon and Eclipse. Elliott Davis was the cinematographer on the first Twilight. Navarro won an Academy Award for del Toro's Pan's Labyrinth. His other credits include the del Toro efforts Cronos, Hellboy, The Devil's Backbone, and Hellboy II: The Golden Army, in addition to Quentin Tarantino's Jackie Brown and Renny Harlin's The Long Kiss Goodnight. Navarro was slated to shoot del Toro's The Hobbit as well, but departed the troubled project along with the director.

Back when Twilight first opened theatrically, our original plan was to run “he said/she said” reviews by our writer Jessica Leibe, a die-hard fan of the Stephenie Meyer best seller that spawned it, and yours truly, who had barely heard of the book before the film came along. We figured the disparity of points of view going in would make for an interesting compare/contrast in our criticisms—and then it turned out that our (disappointed) reactions to the movie were practically identical.

So Jessica’s review more than sufficed at the time, and a re-viewing of Twilight on Summit Entertainment’s two-dvd set (with added bonuses if you pick it up at certain stores) certainly hasn’t done a whole lot to change this writer’s opinion. The problem isn’t so much that this is far less a horror film than a vampire romance; anyone approaching it...

A few weeks back Catherine Hardwicke Twilight director Elliot Davis Twilight cinematographer and Nancy Richardson Twilight editor made a stop by the University of California Los Angeles UCLA for a Qa session. The audio is now available and the Qa is very interesting. They talk about everything from how Catherine got the job of directing Twilight the original and terrible script for the movie and much more.To listen to the audio Qa click here.Thanks ZahraI loved this Qa audio. I know most of us have heard about the original script before but some of the things like the FBI on jetskis! were new to me. Im really glad Catherine stepped up and suggested they rework the script.What did you think of this Qa session? What was your favorite part? Was there anything you were surprised to hear?...

Daily Bruin Television covers the appearance and a fellow fan sends in her reportI went to the UCLA screening with a Qa session with Catherine Hardwicke Elliot Davis the cinematographer and Nancy Richardson the editor on Monday night 29. Catherine said some interesting things at the Qa including saying 4 films instead of the 3 that the actors are signed up for. I am the student asking the question at 219 in the video.Click here to watch the footage.Thanks ZahraI think this might be the first time Ive heard Catherine speak about not directing New Moon. And I too noticed she mentioned four movies not three. Im jealous what an awesome experience and I like the question Zahra asked. I have wanted to know the answer to that question for a while. Go Zahra!Lol at Robert saying the masseuse was sensual. I know ladies youd like to be his masseuse. Wonder if theyre taking applications?...

Mary Sweeney, a longtime collaborator of David Lynch, will serve as the moderator for Film Independent's ninth annual Directors Close-Up: Conversations on the Art of Filmmaking, formerly known as the Director Series, which will be held Feb. 4-March 11 at The Landmark Theatre in West Los Angeles.

"The Directors Close-Up series is a rare opportunity for both filmmakers and film lovers to learn about filmmaking first-hand from some of our most prominent independent directors and their collaborators," Dawn Hudson, executive director of Film Independent.

Series panelists will include Elliot Davis (cinematographer, "Twilight"), Rodrigo Garcia ("In Treatment"), Lance Hammer ("Ballast"), Catherine Hardwicke ("Twilight"), Courtney Hunt ("Frozen River"), Jonathan Levine ("The Wackness"), Nancy Richardson (editor, "Twilight") and Howard Rodman (screenwriter, "Savage Grace").

This year's panels will cover the following topics:

Feb. 4: Music and Sound Design; Feb. 11: The Director's Vision and the Creative Team; Feb. 18: The Independent Spirit: A Director's Roundtable; Feb.

Film Independent has announced the lineup for this years Directors CloseUp Conversations on the Art of Filmmaking which was formerly known as the Director Series and will be held in Los Angeles. Among the panelists at this event are a few Twilight crew members including Elliot Davis the cinematographer for Twilight Nancy Richardson an editor for Twilight and Catherine Hardwicke the director. More details belowThe panels will cover the following topics February 4th Music and Sound Design February 11th The Directors Vision and the Creative Team February 18th The Independent Spirit A Directors Roundtable 2009 Spirit Award nominees February 25th Writing and Directing March 4th Casting and Directing ActorsThe Directors CloseUp series is a rare opportunity for both filmmakers and film lovers to learn about filmmaking firsthand from some of our most prominent independent directors and their collaborators said Dawn Hudson Executive Director of Film Independent in a statement. In addition...

Nikkie Finke broke the story this weekend that Twilight director Catherine Hardwicke was not being invited back to make the sequel New Moon. Summit Entertainment quickly assured Deadline Hollywood that "Catherine and Summit have agreed to part ways on the sequel because our visions are different." In other words, Summit didn’t like Hardwicke.

The news breaks as Hardwicke and the teen cast is touring Europe to promote the blockbuster so the timing could have been better. It also comes after Hardwicke cleanly broke the ranks and became the female director with the best opening weekend.

A source told Finke, "Summit didn't like her. They're saying the Dp [director of photography] Elliot Davis is the one responsible for the film's sumptuous visual look, that the editor Nancy Richardson had to save the film in post-production, and Summit thought Hardwicke's [CAA] agent Beth Swofford was alternately ineffectual and hysterical. It certainly demonstrates, while CAA agents boast of their vast influence,...

Nikki Finke over at DeadlineHollywoodDaily is reporting that Twilight director Catherine Hardwicke has been removed from the Twilight franchise. Finke’s contacts report that Hardwicke was “difficult” and “irrational” during the making of the film. One contact also explains that “Summit didn’t like her. They’re saying the [director of photography] Elliot Davis is the one responsible for the film’s sumptuous visual look, that the editor Nancy Richardson had to save the film in post-production, and Summit thought Hardwicke’s [CAA] agent Beth Swofford was alternately ineffectual and hysterical.” This is inauspicious news for Hardwicke, as the whole crew is currently on their European press tour. Undoubtedly, there will be some painfully awkward [...]...

A $70 million debut, one of the biggest box office hits of the year, ridiculous instant stardom for Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson, an almost unprecedented run for a non-major studio release...so what's the problem? Summit Entertainment apparently believes the problem with the Twilight franchise is director Catherine Hardwicke, who has been officially ruled out for the sequel.

Nikki Finke from Deadline Hollywood talked to Summit CEO Rob Friedman who confirmed the news, saying, "Catherine and Summit have agreed to part ways on the sequel because our visions are different."

If you don't think that's a bit of spin, consider that multiple insiders have whispered that Hardwicke was "difficult," "irrational," and other disparaging adjectives, and one source tells Finke that Hardwicke was pretty much just the director in name only:

"Summit didn't like her. They're saying [director of photography] Elliot Davis is the one responsible for the film's sumptuous visual look, that the...