To Live and Write in LA

SXSW TV: ‘American Gods’ Debuts to an Overflow House

Two years ago, SXSW premiered Mr. Robot. Last year, Preacher wowed conference audiences. This year’s earthshaking TV preview was American Gods from STARZ. American Gods debuted on STARZ on April 30, but if you were lucky enough to have attended the SXSW Conference in Austin, you could have seen it back in March with hundreds of Neil Gaiman fans.

SXSW 2016: Summing Up – and Taking it Home

South by Southwest (SXSW), the annual music, movie, and technology conference that dominates life in Austin each spring, should be on everyone’s bucket list. Cutting-edge film, music, and technology can be enjoyed there, and there are ways to bring home the experience.

SXSW: ‘The Waiting’ – James Caan is Haunted and Blood Spills

A film must have strong characters to be remembered. I will remember ‘The Waiting’ for a long time, not only because of its characters, but because of how well they were used to explore human depravity,

SXSW: Rami Malek and Christian Slater Get Authentic on ‘Mr. Robot’

Mr. Robot stars Rami Malek and Christian Slater joined series creator Sam Esmail at SXSW film panel “Coding on Camera: MR. ROBOT and Authenticity on TV.” SXSW was the site of the show’s premiere last year. This year, participants in the Golden Globe Award-winning series came back to celebrate and discuss the show’s success.

SXSW: Seth Rogen Makes Food Talk Dirty in ‘Sausage Party’

At this year’s South by Southwest film festival Seth Rogen debuted, as a work-in-progress, his new animated feature ‘Sausage Party.’ It is the first foray into the “R-rated world” for an animated feature. If you have no problems with watching food have sex, it’s really funny.

SXSW: ‘Phantasm’ – The Tall Man Is Back with J.J. Abrams

J.J. Abrams joined SXSW attendees and writer/director Don Coscarelli for the debut of Phantasm – Remastered at the Stateside Theatre in Austin. The debut was part of the SXSW Midnighters series which is billed as “Scary, funny, sexy, controversial – provocative after-dark features for night owls and the terminally curious.”

SXSW: ‘The Bandit’ – Burt Reynolds, a Bra, Fast Cars, and a Deep Film

‘The Bandit’ documents the story behind the making of ‘Smokey and the Bandit’ and of the relationship of star Burt Reynolds and his close friend, stunt double, and creative force behind the film, Hal Needham.

SXSW: ‘Preacher’ – Comic Book Hero Heads for AMC with Dominic Cooper and Surprises

The bad boy son of a West Texas preacher, returns to his hometown to become its preacher and to keep a promise to his father. His past and a variety of bad things, including a mysterious cosmic force, an ex-girlfriend, and a psychopathic vampire complicate this for him.

SXSW: ‘Everybody Wants Some’ and a Tribute to Richard Linklater

Sometimes, when a movie plays at SXSW, it’s not just a screening, it’s a celebration. Last year, that was true about ‘The Breakfast Club.’ This year, the celebration was for the opening night premiere of Richard Linklater’s ‘Everybody Wants Some.’

SXSW: Film, Computers, Music and Mr. Robot – Be There or Be Here

If you’ve never heard of SXSW (pronounced South by South West), you might not believe it. During eleven days in March, Austin, Texas, will welcome 85,000 people, host 5,000 speakers, showcase over 150 bands, offer 1,500 educational and networking sessions, and screen over 200 films (not counting music videos) more than 450 times. And, Mr.Robot will be there.

Joss Whedon’s ‘Much Ado About Nothing’

(First published on blogcritics.org) What did you do on your vacation? Joss Whedon adapted Shakespeare. At South by Southwest 2012 (SXSW) Joss Whedon explained that he found a new way to unwind from the total immersion of making a movie like The Avengers – make another movie. In 2011, after principal photography on The Avengers was completed, Whedon was contractually obligated to […]

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