The movie "Chef" premiered the first night of SXSW 2014 and treated the audience to slow, sensuous close ups of food being prepared by Jon Favreau as Scarlett Johansson watched appreciatively in a negligee. By the time we left the movie we were...hungry. The movie parallels the rise of social media and the ineptitude of the use of twitter, as a war between a famous chef and a … [Read more...]
11:59 at SXSW: The Midnighters Review
SXSW has been the launching place of a lot of great midnighters over the years, including the just released Cheap Thrills. I always make it a point to see as many of them as I can, and at the time they were intended, 11:59 pm as the schedule reads. Although I caught most of them, I’m going to have to skip a few films (because their publicist never responded to my request to … [Read more...]
‘FOR THOSE ABOUT TO ROCK’ INTERVIEW @SXSW 2014
Leslie Coons interviewed Director Alejandro Franco and Rodrigo y Gabriela for the Mexican documentary that closed SXSW 2014, "For Those About To Rock." on March 15th. The story of Rodrigo y Gabriela, "For Those About to Rock" looks at the story of Mexican guitarists Rodrigo and Gabriela, two Mexicans who at a very early age decided to take the risk to pursue their dreams to … [Read more...]
HANNIBAL BURESS: THE NEXT AMERICAN COMEDIAN
Special to AMFM Magazine by Carla Taylor Sitting on a purple velvet couch at Pelon's on Red River in the back of the "Kegs and Eggs" Comedy Central house party for SXSW 2014, Hannibal Buress seems like one of your favorite people you knew from college. He's in good spirits, despite the muggy Austin atmosphere and deafening, boisterous high jinks going on right outside the … [Read more...]
ACTORS JAI COURTNEY AND MILES TELLER ‘DIVERGENT’ INTERVIEW
DIVERGENT is a thrilling action-adventure film set in a world where people are divided into distinct factions based on human virtues. Tris Prior (Shailene Woodley) is warned she is Divergent and will never fit into any one group. When she discovers a conspiracy by a faction leader (Kate Winslet) to destroy all Divergents, Tris must learn to trust in the mysterious Four (Theo … [Read more...]
RACHAEL RAY’S FEEDBACK PARTY SXSW 2014
Hillshire Brand exec Jon Harris gives us the skinny on the new upscale gourmet franks, Rachael Ray, and - no surprise - he's a musician too. Explains why music, hot dogs, and Blue Moon beer were paired for a sumptuous repast at one of the more eclectic houses in Austin, Chick Ranch on E. Cesar Chavez. Ball Park brand launched their new premium line, Park’s Finest, at SXSW … [Read more...]
Cheap Thrills: A Payday Loan Horror
OPENING MARCH 21st IN SELECT THEATERS Oh the things we do for cash. Craig has a problem. Seven days from eviction and only twenty bucks left in his wallet, he has kept his wife and newborn in the dark about their financial stability. The clichéd ask-your-boss-for-a-raise-turning-into-getting-fired scene leads him to a lonely night in a bar – but everything that follows is … [Read more...]
KOO KOO KANGA ROO HANDLES THE KIDS @SXSW 2014
http://kookookangaroo.com/#koo Koo Koo Kanga Roo is an interactive dance party duo from Minneapolis, MN. They have toured all over the country with Frank Turner, Reel Big Fish, The Aquabats and Yo Gabba Gabba. Since 2008, Koo Koo Kanga Roo have been all over the country putting on shows at preschools, bars, church basements and even nursing homes. The show is centered on … [Read more...]
‘BAD WORDS’ JASON BATEMAN DISHES THE DIRT ON SPELLING BEE RIVALS
Conflicting accounts of what actually went down on the set of "Bad Words," by the actors themselves - who do you believe? Jason Bateman makes his feature directorial debut with the subversive comedy Bad Words. Mr. Bateman stars as Guy Trilby, a 40-year-old who finds a loophole in the rules of The Golden Quill national spelling bee and decides to cause trouble by hijacking … [Read more...]
BLUE OCTOBER’S MATT NOVESKEY AND C.B. HUDSON OPEN ORB RECORDING STUDIOS
Orb Recording Studios had a grand opening on Sunday, March 16, 2014. Located at 9306 Ledgestone Terrace, Austin, TX 78737, Orb is a 5,600-square-foot facility built from the ground up on an acre of Texas hill country just 25 minutes from downtown Austin. The studio is the vision of co-owners C.B. Hudson (lead guitarist for Blue October) and Matt Noveskey (bassist for Blue … [Read more...]
SXSW Audience Award Winner: ‘Before I Disappear’ goes way past ‘Curfew’
Of all the films premiering at SXSW, the one I most wanted to see was "Before I Disappear." A gritty drama full of broken characters wading their way through swamp of disappointment, "Before I Disappear" is a film that often gets written but almost never gets made. It can be hard to convince producers that anyone will see a film that basically opens with a series of failed … [Read more...]
‘ENEMY’: Double Gyllenhaal, Double Disillusionment
There’s a lot about Denis Villeneuve’s Enemy I love. The premise is can’t miss – Adam (Jake Gyllenhaal) stumbles upon a film that features actor Anthony Clair (also Gyllenhaal that is his exact doppelganger. More intriguing, when he tracks down Anthony’s number, Anthony’s wife thinks Adam is her husband – their voices are identical. When Adam and Anthony finally meet, they … [Read more...]
SXSW 2014 ANNNOUNCES GRULKE PRIZE WINNERS
PRESS RELEASEFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 18, 2014 - Austin, TX - SXSW Music is pleased to announce the winners of the second annual Grulke Prize. The Prize, awarded in three categories, was developed in honor of our friend and colleague Creative Director Brent Grulke, who passed away on August 13, 2012. Brent Grulke had a lengthy career in … [Read more...]
ROBERT RODRIGUEZ TALKS ‘FROM DUSK ‘TIL DAWN’ SERIES @SXSW 2014
In this supernatural crime series, Seth Gecko and his violent, unpredictable brother, Richard "Richie" Gecko, are wanted by the FBI and Texas Rangers Earl McGraw and Freddie Gonzalez after a bank robbery left several people dead. Heading for the Mexico border, the Geckos encounter former minister Jacob Fuller and his family, whom they take hostage by commandeering the Fuller's … [Read more...]
‘REVOLUTION’ DIRECTOR JEFF WOLFE INTERVIEW @SXSW 2014
Listen as "Revolution" Director Jeff Wolfe talks about the post-apocalyptic sci-fi television drama, which is filmed in Austin, Texas and airs on NBC Wednesdays at 8 p.m. Wolfe, who went from being an actor/stuntman to director, has an Emmy Award for Outstanding Stunt Coordination for a Drama Series for his work on "Revolution." He's done everything from designing the … [Read more...]
