Movies
SXSW 09′: Updated Film Festival Lineup Includes Fantastic Fest!
The South by Southwest (SXSW) Film Conference and Festival announced the official titles for their new program “SXSW Presents Fantastic Fest at Midnight,” kicking off with the International Film Festival Premiere of Ong Bak 2, the most anticipated new action film of the year. Six films from six countries comprise the lineup, featuring four international premieres, one North American premiere and one U.S. Premiere. From horror to action, to comedy and suspense, these six films collectively represent the spectrum of genre films featured in Austin’s annual Fantastic Fest. All films will play at midnight at the SXSW Film Festival at the Alamo South Lamar, in addition to the traditional SXSW Midnighters section, which will take place at the Alamo Ritz. Read on for the list.
Ong Bak 2 (Thailand)
Director: Tony Jaa. Writer: Panna Rittikrai
Martial-arts superstar Tony Jaa is back in an epic prequel to the 2003 action smash Ong Bak. Cast: Tony Jaa, Sorapong Chatree, Sarunyu Wongkrachang, Nirut Sirichanya, Santisuk Promsiri, Primorata Dejudom (International Film Festival Premiere)
Black (France)
Director: Pierre Laffargue. Writer: Pierre Laffargue, Lucio Mad and Gábor Rassov
A nouveau-blacksploitation adventure awash in black magic, African Mysticism, mutant arms dealers, gargantuan machete-wielding mercenary armies and a truckload of knuckle-sandwiches. Cast: MC Jean Gab’1, Carole Karemera, François Levantal, Anton Yakovlev (World Premiere)
The Haunting in Connecticut (U.S.)
Director: Peter Cornwell. Writer: Adam Simon and Tim Metcalfe
In the tradition of such real-life horror movies as The Exorcist and The Exorcism of Emily Rose, The Haunting in Connecticut tells the astounding true story of one family’s supernatural ordeal. Cast: Amanda Crew, Elias Koteas, Virginia Madsen, Kyle Gallner, Martin Donovan (International Film Festival Premiere)
The Horseman (Australia)
Director/Writer: Steve Kastrissios
When, Christian Forteski’s (Peter Marshall) drug addicted daughter dies after appearing in an amateur Porn Video, he deals with his grief by burning, kicking, smashing and stabbing his way through those responsible. Cast: Peter Marshall, Caroline Marohasy, Brad McMurray, Jack Henry, Evert McQueen (North American Premiere)
Lesbian Vampire Killers (UK)
Director: Phil Claydon. Writer: Paul Hupfield and Stewart Williams
Matthew Horne and James Corden, the comedy duo behind the award-winning BBC comedy series Gavin and Stacey, are two hapless losers whose idyllic country holiday is shattered by the arrival of an army of thirsty lesbian vampires. Cast: Paul McGann, James Corden, Mathew Horne, MyAnna Buring, Silvia Colloca (World Premiere)
Pontypool (Canada)
Director: Bruce McDonald. Writer: Tony Burgess
A seemingly ordinary day’s work at the radio station for Grant Mazzy (Stephen McHattie) turns sinister when calls begin to flood the station about violent outbreaks in and around Pontypool. Cast: Stephen McHattie, Lisa Houle, Georgina Reilly, Hrant Alianak, Rick Roberts (U.S. Premiere)
A Film With Me In It
Director: Ian Fitzgibbon
They’re having a bad day…it’s about to get a lot worse! Cast: Mark Doherty, Dylan Moran (U.S. Premiere)
The Ceremony (trailer, official website)
Director/Writer: James Palmer
After finding a bizarre book, a young man is plagued by unexplainable occurrences inside his home. Cast: Scott Seegmiller (World Premiere)
Grace (trailer, official website)
Director/Writer: Paul Solet
After losing her unborn child, Madeline Matheson insists on carrying the baby to term. Following the delivery, the child miraculously returns to life, but when the baby develops a desperate appetite for human blood, Madeline is faced with a mother’s ultimate decision. Cast: Jordan Ladd, Samantha Ferris, Gabrielle Rose, Malcom Stewart
Lake Mungo (trailer)
Director/Writer: Joel Anderson
A supernatural drama about grief. Cast: Talia Zucker, Rosie Traynor, David Pledger (North American Premiere)
Trailers from Hell.com with Joe Dante – LIVE PRESENTATION
Joe Dante presents The Best of Trailers from Hell which showcases classic-era Previews of Coming Attractions – punctuated with humorous, passionate and insightful commentaries by contemporary filmmakers like John Landis, Eli Roth and Edgar Wright – with particular emphasis on the lurid, the extreme and the outrageous.
Zift
Director: Javor Gardev. Writer: Vladislav Todorov
A man freed after a wrongful murder conviction enters a diabolical city full of decaying neighborhoods, gloomy streets and bizarre characters. Cast: Zachary Baharov, Tanya Ilieva, Vladmir Penev, Mihail Mutafov
Moon (review, clips)
Director: Duncan Jones. Writer: Nathan Parker
Before returning to Earth after three years on the moon, things go horribly wrong for astronaut Sam Bell. Cast: Sam Rockwell
Best Worst Movie
Director: Michael Paul Stephenson
When an Italian filmmaker, an Alabama dentist and fledgling Utah actors filmed the low-budget horror movie, Troll 2, they’d no idea that twenty years later they would be celebrated for making the worst movie ever made. (World Premiere)
Described as “Ted meets ET,” David Mikalson’s raunchy comedy Goblin is being brought to life over at A24, and Will Forte (“The Four Seasons”) is now in talks to star.
Deadline first reported the news this afternoon.
Kenneth Branagh has been cast to voice the titular Goblin in the upcoming A24 movie, with the character said to be “green-colored” as well as “anatomically correct.”
Skyler Gisondo (Superman) is reportedly playing the Goblin’s human best friend.
The mysterious project sounds a bit like films including A Gnome Named Gnorm and more recently, Frankie Freako, though it’s important to note that it’s not billed as a horror movie.
Deadline details, “After [Mikalson] hatched the idea to make an outrageous buddy comedy about a goblin, using a practical puppet and operating outside the Hollywood system, his script quickly got him a rep team. While others might have eyed the raunchy comedy as a writing sample or planned to wait to see the micro-budget version Mikalson has been directing in Kentucky, A24 jumped all over it. The hot indie essentially has agreed to finance a full feature.”
“There was a lot of interest, but A24 came with what Mikalson really wanted, after spending all his money crafting the puppet title character: they acquired the movie and agreed to let him make it with a significantly increased budget than what he had left after creating the anatomically correct title character,” Deadline’s report goes on to explain.
What does the titular Goblin actually look like? Well, a cake that Mikalson had whipped up for his reps might give us our first look at what to expect. Deadline explains the photo you’ll see down below, “Take a look at the cake he commissioned with Marc Gravelle at Cake Art in West Hollywood, to present to his reps as thanks for making his dream come true.”
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