You know you’ve thrown a great party when an Oscar winner shows up. Adrien Brody dropped by the Tweethouse, a bash The Hollywood Reporter threw with Chevy to culminate a day of panel discussions on the intersection of social media and entertainment. Brody, in town to support the upcoming Robert Rodriguez flick “Predators,” was good enough to stop by, as was actress Jamie-Lynn Sigler, who was in earlier in the day to send out her very first official tweet. She’s got a film at SXSW as well, “Wake.”
We’ll have photos up soon of more SXSW celeb sightings…
It was a panel discussion with the kind of title that could ward off even the wonkiest of digital-minded wonks on SXSW’s Interactive track, and on a Saturday morning no less: “Big Brother in Your Brain: Neuroscience & Marketing.” Ten minutes in, the assembled PhDs were playing to stereotype, droning and digressing in a way that practically dared you to follow along. Ironic considering the subject: If anyone would put a premium on engaging an audience, wouldn’t it be neuromarketing gurus?
And then it was Dr. AK Pradeep’s turn to speak. With minimal introduction, the founder of NeuroFocus launched into his own music video, “Listen To Your Brain,” on the overhead screens that, as you can see for yourself (above), is probably funnier than any film you could see at SXSW (even you, “Cyrus“). Even funnier was how fellow panelist Dr. Danielle Stolzenberg droned onward immediately afterward, pretending as if an Indian scientist didn’t just trot out a slickly produced rap video that explained neuromarketing a helluva lot more compellingly than she did.
Night One of SXSW was exactly what it needed to be: Texas-style relaxation mixed with guns-firing-in-the-air excitement. The “Kick-Ass” world premiere stirred up endless lines around both sides of the block behind the Paramount Theatre. And the “Predators” event at the Alamo Drafthouse afterwards, with producer Robert Rodriguez and director Nimrod Antal showing off sneak-peek trailers and footage from the film, was fun, informative, engaging … and full of schwag!!
Yes, every attendee walked away with one of those little lights that projects the tri-point red gunsight that the predators use to target their prey, a black T-shirt sporting about a dozen of those red tri-point designs, and a limited edition one-sheet for the movie, signed by Rodriguez.
Check out Borys’s Heat Vision for the scoop on both events. But here’s one photo with yours truly hanging with the original predator design head, which creatures designer Greg Nicotero brought along for the Q&A.
Well, I’m on the ground in Austin, sizing up the schedule for the next few days of screenings. The weather’s glorious, and I can see the Texas flag flying over the Statehouse from my 11th floor Hilton hotel room.
I’ve been here a few times for the screenwriter-centric Austin film fest, but this is my first SXSW. Tonight’s a big night, with the world premiere of Matthew Vaughn’s “Kick-Ass,” followed by brand new footage from Robert Rodriguez and Nimrod Antal’s “Predators.” Stay tuned for Twitter and Risky Biz bursts from the scene.
You gotta love any trailer that begins with Fugazi’s Ian MacKaye saying: “An unlocked door means that occasionally you might get a devil comin’ in. But a locked door means you got a thousand angels that walk by.”
So here’s the trailer for the documentary “Barbershop Punk,” which premieres Monday night in Austin.
Juan Jose Campanella’s “The Secret in Their Eyes” (El secreto de sus ojos), which won the Oscar for best foreign-language film Sunday night, will screen at the Miami International Film Festival after itsawards ceremony March 13 at the Gusman Center for the Performing Arts. A second screening will be held the following afternoon at Regal Cinemas South Beach.
As the SXSW film festival looms, the makers of “The White Stripes Under Great White Northern Lights” and opening night premiere “Kick-Ass” are testing out some quirky ideas to gain extra exposure.
Lionsgate has hired “Kick-Ass”-branded SUVs to shuttle festivalgoers around downtown Austin from 6 pm to midnight all ten days of the fest, March 12-22. The rides are free and include swag movie gear, and passengers can Tweet their location with a photo (and hashtag #KICKASS@SXSW) for a shot at making a video en-route that could be featured on official “Kick-Ass” websites.
White Stripes fans can order a screening kit by March 10 to host a viewing party of Emmett Malloy’s concert documentary. The kit comes with the retail DVD, popcorn and peppermint swirl candy in time for a March 16 viewing. The film debuts at SXSW March 12 at the Paramount Theatre right after “Kick-Ass.”
The SXSW film festival is again partnering with IFC Films on its “Direct From SXSW” program. This year, IFC will screen three SXSW films simultaneously via nationwide VOD during the fest.
“Four Lions,” a comedy, believe it or not, about a quartet of British jihadists, will screen at the festival. Chris Morris co-wrote and directed the film, which premiered at Sundance last month and will close the SXSW fest March 20. The festival kicks off March 12.
The SXSW Film Conference and Festivalunleashed its complete feature lineup late Wednesday night, and it’s got some must-see world premieres (”Kick-Ass,” “MacGruber,” “Elektra Luxx“) and thus-far-unseen gems. Running in ecstatic overlap with SXSW’s voluminous music and interactive fests — from March 12-20 — the film festival has developed its own distinct Texas flavor (separate from the great Austin Film Festival’s screenwriter-centric identity).
Fest producer Janet Pierson with Seth Rogen in 2009.
Industry vet Janet Pierson took over the job of festival producer in 2008 and here discusses her year-two approach to organizing the event.
What’s your background? You were a producer for a long time?
I came up through distribution and exhibition in the late ’70s. I was the assistant director of the Film Forum ‘81 to ‘86. John Pierson and I hooked up in ‘82, married in ‘83. After “She’s Gotta Have It” opened, I quit the Film Forum and just worked with John for a couple decades as a producer’s rep, co-creator and executive producer of “Split Screen,” which was our filmmaker-friendly magazine format television show. It’s funny, because the filmmakers who passed through that show, so many of them are still working and have features all over the place. We moved here in 2004 and I was asked to take over the festival in April ‘08 for the ‘09 festival.
Disney’s “Alice in Wonderland” topped all comers on Friday, ringing up an estimated $17.4 million in domestic coin, as Tim Burton’s 3D fantasy began what is sure to be a repeat …
Principle photography begins Monday on locations around Southern California for Warner Premiere's live-action/CG "Scooby-Doo! Curse of the Lake Monster," directed by Brian Levant.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' Science and Technology Council will present a 20th anniversary screening of John McTiernan's "The Hunt for Red October" on March 18 …
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