News

"Well, why are they trying to kill me?" "Because of what you know." Bulldog Film in the UK has reposted the official trailer for the indie film Strawberry Mansion, from filmmakers Kentucker Audley & Albert Birney. This first premiered at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival and was one of my favorite films of the fest that year. This one already opened in February in the US, but since no one saw it back then and no one even mentioned it, I'm posting this trailer anyway because I want to bring more attention to it again. In a future where the government records dreams and taxes them, a dream auditor gets caught up in the dreams of an ageing eccentric… Starring Kentucker Audley and Penny Fuller, along with an kooky cast of characters including Grace Glowicki, Reed Birney, and Linas Phillips. The film is similar to The Science of Sleep (one of my...

Bulldog Film Distribution has exclusively released a new clip from the upcoming surreal feature ‘Strawberry Mansion.’

In a future where the government records dreams and taxes them, a dream auditor gets caught up in the dreams of an ageing eccentric…

Written and Directed by Kentucker Audley & Albert Binney, the film stars Kentucker Audley, Grace Glowicki, Penny Fuller, Reed Birney, Constance Shulman and Linas Phillips.

Also in news – Kumail Nanjiani features in first look images for ‘Welcome to Chippendales’

The film hits select cinemas and on demand 16 September. Here’s the exclusive clip.

And here’s the film’s official trailer.

The post Exclusive: Dreamy new clip from surreal feature ‘Strawberry Mansion’ appeared first on HeyUGuys.

France-uk outfit alief represent international sales.

Bulldog Film Distribution has picked up UK-Ireland rights for Sundance premiere Strawberry Mansion, with a theatrical release planned for the summer.

The US title was picked up from alief – the France-uk sales, production and distribution outfit, following last month’s European Film Market (EFM).

Strawberry Mansion is written and directed by US filmmakers Kentucker Audley and Albert Birney, who previously worked together on SXSW premiere Sylvio.

It is a Guavatron production, in association with Ley Line Entertainment, Kaleidoscope Entertainment, Salem Street Entertainment, UnLtd Prods and Cartuna. It is produced by Emma Hannaway, Matisse Rifai,...

Exclusive: Sarah Jeffery (The CW’s Charmed), Emmy nominee Jane Adams (Hacks), Jake Weber (Those Who Wish Me Dead) and Balthazar Getty (Twin Peaks) will star in Year of the Fox, the latest feature from award-winning director Megan Griffiths, which has wrapped production in the state of Washington.

The film written by Eliza Flug is a fictionalized depiction of teenage experiences and personal encounters she had while growing up in Aspen, Colorado, during the last of its utopian heyday. Set in 1997, it tells the story of 17-year-old Ivy (Jeffery), who was adopted as an infant into a wealthy and notable Aspen family and is now navigating the fallout of her parents’ bitter divorce.

Ivy’s mother, Paulene (Adams), prepares to relocate to her native Seattle, taking Ivy with her. But Ivy’s influential and controlling father, Huxley (Weber), pulls Ivy ever closer by inviting...

"Do you believe that your dreams are your own?" Music Box has released the official trailer for a wacky, lo-fi indie sensation from the 2021 Sundance Film Festival this year called Strawberry Mansion. It's made by filmmakers Kentucker Audley & Albert Birney (both of Sylvio previously) and will play in theaters later this year. Not many critics gave this film a chance during Sundance, but it ended up being one of my Best of the Fest picks. In a world where the government records & taxes dreams, an unassuming dream auditor gets swept up in a cosmic journey through the life and dreams of an older eccentric. The film stars Kentucker Audley and Penny Fuller, along with an kooky cast of characters including Grace Glowicki, Reed Birney, and Linas Phillips. In my Sundance recap, I wrote that this has "strange creations galore, dreamy visuals, weird FX, all with an anti-capitalist edge." I love it sooo much.

Alief has acquired international rights to the high-concept fantasy “Strawberry Mansion,” which world premiered at this year’s Sundance, where it was acquired by Music Box Films for North America, and by Periscoop Films for Benelux. Alief will be introducing the film to international buyers during June’s virtual Cannes market, and in person during July’s Marche Du Film.

“Strawberry Mansion” is written and directed by Kentucker Audley and Albert Birney. It stars Kentucker Audley, Reed Birney, Penny Fuller, Grace Glowicki and Linas Phillips.

The film is set in the not-too-distant future, where an all-seeing surveillance state conducts “dream audits” to collect taxes on the unconscious lives of the populace. Mild-mannered government agent James Preble (played by Audley) travels to a remote farmhouse to audit the dreams of Arabella “Bella” Isadora (Fuller), an eccentric, aging artist. Entering Bella’s vast VHS archive, which contains a lifetime of dreams, Preble...

A defeated-looking businessman (co-writer and co-director Kentucker Audley) sits in a Pepto Bismol-pink house, full of pink utensils and pink food, nothing real except his despair and a bucket of fried chicken wings that his “Buddy” (Linas Phillips) enthusiastically hawks to him. “Juicy and delicious!” Buddy says before biting into the chicken, smacking his lips […]

The post ‘Strawberry Mansion’ Review: An Anti-Capitalism Fever Dream That’s a Real Snooze [Sundance 2021] appeared first on /Film.

There have been countless movies about dreams, but “Strawberry Mansion” is the only one save for “Inception” that turns them into a hustle. In this visually entrancing and innovative fantasy from co-directors Kentucker Audley and Albert Birney, the government forces citizens to record their nighttime journeys and imposes taxes on the unpredictable ingredients found within. Audley and Birney, who previously made the lo-fi comic odyssey “Sylvio” about a lonely gorilla with an online talk show, excel at grounding outlandish concepts in genuine emotional stakes.

“Sylvio” was just strange and charming enough to show the potential of a silly-poignant balance unique to their combined talent; “Strawberry Mansion” gets there, with a delightful and innovative oddball journey that overcomes its zany twists by taking them seriously. It doesn’t always work, but there’s so much fun in watching the gears turn that it hardly matters.

Shot on video and transferred to 16mm,...

While this year's Sundance Film Festival will be experienced differently in the era of Covid-19 (with virtual screenings taking place online and in-person screenings taking place with safety precautions in select theaters across the country), the cinema celebration will continue to highlight vital, impactful, and innovative creators behind and in front of the camera, with more than 70 feature films included in the festival's full lineup.

We've highlighted some of the genre films horror fans can look forward to from the official press release below. Stay tuned to Daily Dead for our upcoming coverage of the festival (taking place January 28th–February 3rd), and visit Sundance's website for more details.

World Cinema Dramatic Competition

The Dog Who Wouldn't Be Quiet / Argentina — Sebastian, a man in his thirties, works a series of temporary jobs and he embraces love at every opportunity. He transforms, through a series of short encounters, as the world flirts with possible apocalypse.

"My department was tasked with coaxing them into conversation with humankind. Our primary method is: torture." If plants are alive, can we communicate with them? That's the question at the core of this funky, funny short film. The official title of the short is Assholes, which might be a good title, but it's not an easy one to mention without someone raising an eye-brow at it. From up-and-coming filmmaker Jonny Look, the mockumentary short stars Linas Phillips as Dr. Albert, a scientist who is testing out various methods of torture in hopes of getting houseplants to respond and communicate with humans. The small cast also includes Kyle Mizuno, Will Hines, Ashleigh Hairston, and Sam Buchanan. As totally wacky as this entire short is, it's a hilariously well-made film that explores some household humor that hasn't been fully mined yet. Plants do have consciousness, of course! Perhaps we can try to...

Whether on foot or behind the wheel, Linas Phillips knows how to make an impression. The writer, director, and star’s first documentary, “Walking to Werner,” chronicled his 1,200-mile walk to meet Werner Herzog, and now he’s back with the new short-form series, “The Ride,” playing a rideshare driver who not only wants to take his passengers on a five-star trip, but send them on a spiritual journey to boot.

While “The Ride” is a scripted comedy, it too emerged from a true story about Phillips’ daily grind — as executive producer Mark Duplass told IndieWire in the below statement.

“Linas had been Lyft driving since recently moving back to L.A. a couple years ago — and not loving it,” Duplass said. “One day, Jay [Duplass] called him and asked if he wanted to make a show about a very sad guy who was struggling with being a rideshare driver, kinda...

The Sundance Institute has announced the works selected across the Indie Episodic, Shorts and Special Events sections for the 2020 Sundance Film Festival, which will include documentaries on Hillary Clinton and Lance Armstrong, and two Lin-Manuel Miranda films.

“Authenticity and independent voices resonate across formats – and that’s evident across the full spectrum of this year’s Indie Episodic and Special Events slates,” Kim Yutani, the Festival’s Director or Programming, said. “Defined by distinctive voices and enlightening viewpoints, these are riveting projects that find inspiration in the urgent stories and extraordinary individuals of our times.”

Of the projects announced on Tuesday, 48% were directed or created by one or more women, 33% were directed or created by one or more filmmakers of color and 19% by one or more people who identify as Lgbtqia. Seven films were supported by Sundance Institute in development.

Also Read: Taylor Swift, Viggo Mortensen and Tessa Thompson Lead...

New Frontier selections to be announced on Thursday (12).

Sundance Film Festival top brass announced on Tuesday (10) content in the Indie Episodic, Shorts and Special Events sections featuring new work by Marina Zenovich, Steve James, and Matthew Heineman.

James (City So Real) and Sarah Polley (Hey Lady!) are among the Indie Episodics line-up, while Special Events selections include Zenovich’s (Roman Polanski: Wanted And Desired) Lance Armstrong profile Lance, Matthew Heineman’s sex trafficking exposé Trade, and Love Fraud, the latest film from Jesus Camp and The Boys Of Baraka filmmaking team Rachel Grady and Heidi Ewing.

All selections appear below.

"Now you just soak up the sun here, Sheryl Crowe." There's nothing like a dark comedy to lighten up the mood, right? Bronzed is a short film straight out of the SXSW Film Festival earlier this month, from the Midnight category. Written and directed by Mike Egan, the short stars fellow filmmaker Linas Phillips, with Johnny Pemberton. What is it about? Neo-sun worshiper Martin prepares to appease the solar Gods with ritual human sacrifice. But first he needs a spray tan. This is another one of those super wacky, Wtf dark comedy short films that is totally twisted but amusing, and a bit wacky but humorous. And it's worth a watch. Executive produced by David Gordon Green. Shorts are a great way for filmmakers to experiment and play with fun ideas, showing us just how silly and twisted and weird they can be, all for our amusement. Thanks to Short...

Now that the Los Angeles Film Festival is no more, AFI Fest is more important than ever. It was the premier event of its kind even before its crosstown rival announced its permanent closure late last month, but now that it’s the only game in town, it’s unmissable. This year’s edition of the last major festival of the calendar year comes with a handful world premieres — “On the Basis of Sex,” “Mary Queen of Scots,” and “Bird Box” — and a robust slate of offerings from the likes of Berlin, Cannes, and Venice.

AFI Fest’s strength has always been the way it eschews world premieres in favor of high-quality films that premiered elsewhere on the festival circuit; Jacqueline Lyanga, whose eight-year tenure as Festival Director came to an end this summer, likened it to an “almanac of the year in cinema.” With that in mind, seek out...

Stars: Jennifer Prediger, Blake Berris, Irene Roseen, Remy Bennett, Mark Boone Junior, Johnny Pemberton, Eden Riegel, Linas Phillips, Johnny Pemberton | Written and Directed by Michael Sarrow

Its no secret that I am nothing if not a sucker for what I call the “indie darling.” By this I mean the movies that sneak out under everyone’s radar and tend to revolve around a day in the life of our central characters, not a massive great deal is going on but we are suckered into spending an hour and a half with these people, usually due to well written dialogue and well rounded performances. Living Room Coffin, at first glance, looked like it would definitely be in that category – which made it a definite watch for me!

I am going to get into Living Room Coffin‘s story in a moment but first of all I want to highlight the performance of our female lead,...

"You have to understand, sometimes things in life don't happen the way you want them to..." The Orchard has premiered an official trailer for an indie coming-of-age film titled Lane 1974, set in 1974 telling the story of a young teenage girl raised in the communes and dusty back woods of Northern California. Sophia Mitri Schloss stars as Lane, with a cast including Katherine Moennig, Jasmin Savoy Brown, Sara Coates, Linas Phillips, Annette Toutonghi, Sarah-Eve Gazitt, and Erik Braa. This almost seems like the all-woman version of Captain Fantastic, about a mother who is raising her family in the woods, free from the typical capitalistic amenities of modern society. It also reminds me a bit of The Glass Castle, about a woman raised by weird parents. I'm still intrigued by this, just not sure if it will have much else to offer. Here's the first official trailer (+ poster) for S.J. Chiro's Lane 1974,...

Twin Peaks Recap is a weekly column by Keith Uhlich covering David Lynch and Mark Frost's limited, 18-episode continuation of the Twin Peaks television series.A study in contrasts. That's the best way to describe Part 11 of Mark Frost and David Lynch's revived Twin Peaks, which opens with a brief moment of doom-laden calm—three young boys playing catch happening upon the bruised and beaten but very much alive Miriam Sullivan (Sarah Jean Long)—then details, for its first half, the many ways in which the titular town, as well as the few-states-over locale of Buckhorn, South Dakota, are coming unglued. But this is dramatic incident Lynch-style, which means that the narrative rhythms are always shifting (violently, unpredictably), as if someone was continually revving a car engine into the red, but never in a calculable way.There's madness in such extremity, as there's insanity in the blood-curdling scream...

“Saw” star Tobin Bell and child actor Noah Jupe will star in the drama “My Pretty Pony,” a short film set to start shooting in Michigan this spring. The story follows an elderly man on his deathbed who gives his young grandson a pocket watch and warns the boy against the dangers of letting time slip away.

Luke Jaden is directing the from a script he adapted based on a short story by Stephen King. Phil Wurtzel of Friel Films is producing. Brian Kavanaugh-Jones (“Loving,” “Midnight Special”) and Josh Boone (“The Fault in Our Stars”) are executive producing.

Read More: ‘It’ Trailer Breakdown: The 6 Best Parts That Perfectly Capture the Novel’s Brilliance

Bell is best known to horror fans as the demented John Kramer/Jigsaw character from all seven “Saw” films, but his acting credits date back to 1988’s “Mississippi Burning,” and he had small roles in “Goodfellas” and “The Firm.

This is no festive prank, these movies are hilarious.

Let’s face it, the world is a wreck. Every day things look bleaker than they did the day before. It’s gotten to the point where, if you can’t learn to laugh at our misery, you’re finished. If you need some help figuring out how to find humor in even the worst bits of the human experience, dark comedies work, Netflix has them, and we’ve made a list of the good ones. Click on the films’ titles to be taken to their Netflix pages.

Pick of the Month: This Must Be the Place (2011)

I can’t think of another movie in recent times that’s been so good and gotten so little love and attention in return. Maybe that’s because the concept of a former 80s glam rocker who still wears his makeup (Sean Penn) tracking down the Nazi concentration camp guard who...

In Rainbow Time, writer/director Linas Phillips tackles more than just romantic unrest. Throughout his relationship dramedy, characters wallow in post-divorce uncertainty, but also tussle with the bonds of family and mental disability. An idealistic reality of perfection floats loftily out of reach in Phillips’ world, as characters valiantly strive for their “best” – a situational imprisonment that shuns individuality.

Or, Rainbow Time is about two brothers coming to terms with their more one-sided connection, where Todd (Timm Sharp) stops brushing his brother Shonzi (Linas Phillips) off as his “slower” brother. There is love between the two, buried under Todd’s more pertinent desire to keep girlfriend Lindsay (Melanie Lynskey) happy. But where Todd plays bad cop to Shonzi’s short-sighted take on life, Lindsay sees minunderstanding. She tries to transform his obsession with making home movies into a learning experience about treating women with respect, not as sexual objects. Shonzi...

While the film industry still has quite a distance to go in the production of films that do not feature Caucasian, male, straight, developmentally typical protagonists, there has been incremental progress over the past thirty years. However, more often people who would have been relegated to one-bit stock characters or stereotypes are now multifaceted subjects and protagonists in their own films, creating a larger diaspora of representation in film. Linas Phillips’ sophomore feature “Rainbow Time,” centers around an immature, developmentally delayed man and leaves me cautiously optimistic that the industry has at the very least improved depictions of developmentally challenged individuals since the days of “I Am Sam” and “Rain Man.”

Read More: Exclusive: Poster & Clip For Duplass Brothers Produced Indie Comedy ‘Rainbow Time’ Starring Melanie Lynskey

The film begins with Todd (Timm Sharp) introducing his girlfriend of six months Lindsay (Melanie Lynskey) to his family, including his developmentally challenged...

It’s November – a time for Thanksgiving, feasts, and the presence of relatives. If you have some time off (or are trying to grab some much-needed alone time), here is a list of films opening throughout the coming weeks, separated into categories of wide and limited runs. (Synopses are provided by festivals and distributors.)

Each week we will have more updates and information, so be sure to keep coming back. You can also check our calendar page, which has releases for the rest of the year. Eat well and keep watching!

Week of November 4 Wide

Trolls

Director: Mike Mitchell, Walt Dohrn

Cast: Anna Kendrick, Christine Baranski, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Gwen Stefani, Icona Pop, James Corden, Jeffrey Tambor, John Cleese, Justin Timberlake, Kunal Nayyar, Quvenzhané Wallis, Ron Funches, Russell Brand, Zooey Deschanel

Synopsis: After the Bergens invade Troll Village, Poppy, the happiest Troll ever born, and the overly-cautious curmudgeonly Branch set off...

The Duplass enerothers have become so synonymous with a certain strain of warmed over indie dramedy that it’s easy to overlook just how twisted they can be, and often are. Directorial efforts like “Baghead” and “Cyrus” have been sliced through with genuinely disturbing behavior, and many of the movies they’ve produced or presented (e.g. “Tangerine” or “The Overnight”) have pushed boundaries of one kind or another, albeit it with such a gentle touch that these transgressions seem as natural as breathing. It’s a helpful way of reframing the modesty of their work and the speed at which they churn it out — it’s not that the Duplai prioritize quantity over quality, but rather that their kooky ideas (and those of the filmmakers they’re eager to support) are too dangerously delicate to support anything bigger than a micro-budget project that’s shot in nine days and destined for VOD.

"I'm jealous of what you have." The Orchard has debuted a trailer for an odd indie comedy titled Rainbow Time, written, directed by and starring Linas Phillips. The film is about a mentally challenged man named Shonzi, played by Linas Phillips, who moves in with his brother Todd, played by Timm Sharp. He now lives with his girlfriend Lindsay, played by the always wonderful Melanie Lynskey, and things become awkward when Shonzi wants to get more involved in their relationship, threatening to reveal secrets about Todd's past. As weird as this sounds, the trailer actually promises a charming, quirky, enjoyably unique film. Here's the first official trailer (+ poster) for Linas Phillips' Rainbow Time, direct from YouTube: A developmentally delayed 40 year old man named Shonzi is sent to live with his brother Todd. But when Shonzi develops a crush on Todd's new girlfriend Lindsay, he threatens to reveal past secrets...

The bond between siblings can be as complicated as it is strongly knit, and as time passes, in certain situations, that relationship can only grow more fraught. And in the upcoming “Rainbow Time,” two brothers are forced to face their past when a woman enter their lives. And today we have an exclusive poster and clip from the film to give you a taste of what it’s all about.

Read More: Exclusive: Sarah Paulson & Mark Duplass Step Into A Time Capsule In Clip From ‘Blue Jay’

Produced by the Duplass Brothers, and starring Melanie Lynskey, Timm Sharp, and Linas Phillips (who also wrote and directed the movie), “Rainbow Time” follows Todd, who grew up under the strange shadow of his older mentally challenged brother Shonzi.

Continue reading Exclusive: Poster & Clip For Duplass Brothers Produced Indie Comedy ‘Rainbow Time’ Starring Melanie Lynskey at The Playlist.

Plus: The Orchard acquires Rainbow Time; FilmRise takes My Father Die; and more…

Open Road will open Bleed For This, the Miles Teller starrer about boxing champion Vinny ‘The Pazmanian Devil’ Pazienza, in limited release on November 4 and expand wide on November 23.

Pazienza famously recovered from a near-fatal car accident to reclaim his world title belt. Aaron Eckhart also stars. Ben Younger directs.

Open Road paid $4m for Us rights after watching the promo last year in Cannes, when the Solution Entertainment Group cut a multiple-territory del with Sony.

The Orchard has acquired worldwide rights to Linas Phillips’ SXSW comedy Rainbow Time starring Phillips, Melanie Lynskey, Timm Sharp, Artemis Pebdani, Jay Duplass, and Tobin Bell. ICM Partners and Submarine Entertainment represented the film-makers.FilmRise has picked up exclusive worldwide distribution rights from CAA to Sean Brosnan’s debut feature My Father Die. The revenge thriller premiered at SXSW and will receive a theatrical release this winter. Brosnan...

The Orchard has acquired worldwide theatrical and ancillary distribution rights to Linas Phillips' Rainbow Time, the drama executive produced by the Duplass brothers that bowed in March at SXSW. Phillips, Melanie Lynskey, Timm Sharp, Artemis Pebdani, Jay Duplass and Tobin Bell starred in the pic, about a mentally challenged 40-year-old man named Shonzi (Phillips) who is sent to live with his brother Todd ( Sharp). When Shonzi develops a crush on Todd’s new girlfriend…...

Showtime announced today that filming has finished on David Lynch and Mark Frost’s Twin Peaks revival series. Ahead of its 2017 premiere, the series’ complete cast—including returning actors as well as those who are new to the series—has been revealed.

Newcomers to the series include Monica Bellucci, Jim Belushi, Michael Cera, Jeremy Davies, Laura Dern, Sky Ferreira, Robert Forster, Meg Foster, Ashley Judd, David Koechner, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Matthew Lillard, Derek Mears, Sara Paxton, Ernie Hudson, Naomi Watts, Trent Reznor, The Walking Dead‘s Josh McDermitt, and many more.

Returning actors include Kyle MacLachlan, Ray Wise, Harry Dean Stanton, Alicia Witt, and more. Below, we have the official press release and full cast list:

Press Release: Los Angeles, CA – April 25, 2016 – Principal photography has concluded on the highly-anticipated new Twin Peaks for Showtime. And today, Showtime, David Lynch and Mark Frost are revealing a key piece of the mystery:...

Showtime revealed the full cast list for its upcoming "Twin Peaks" revival, and it's nothing short of insane -- and insanely long.

The ensemble includes a whopping 217 actors -- yes, you read that right -- and amid all the returning faces, there are also a bunch of surprising, big-name newbies along for the ride this time around. (We've embedded the entire list at the end of this post.)

Original cast members that will be back include many previously-announced people, and the ensemble will feature the likes of Kyle MacLachlan, Sherilyn Fenn, Madchen Amick, Sheryl Lee, Dana Ashbrook, David Duchovny, Miguel Ferrer, Grace Zabriskie, Peggy Lipton, Ray Wise, Wendy Robie, Russ Tamblyn, and Catherine E. Coulson, among many others.

As for the newcomers, some of the bold names that stand out include Monica Bellucci, Jim Belushi, Michael Cera, Laura Dern, Jay R. Ferguson (a.k.a. Stan from "Mad Men"), Ernie Hudson ("Ghostbusters"), Ashley Judd,...

The new "Twin Peaks" isn't slated to debut on Showtime until 2017, but a flurry of speculation about it happened last week with a tweet from Go For Locations indicating that filming had wrapped on the "first two seasons" of the series.

The episode count for the David Lynch-directed series was always in question, but that tweet suggested we'd be getting even more episodes than originally planned. Said tweet has since been deleted, so we'll have to wait to see how that pans out.

in the meantime in more official news, Showtime, Lynch and Mark Frost has released the official cast list for the new series with a whopping 217 names across the various episodes - a list that includes some real surprise big name inclusions such as Monica Bellucci, Michael Cera, Naomi Watts, Tim Roth, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Eddie Vedder, Ashley Judd, Ernie Hudson, Jim Belushi, Richard Chamberlain, Laura Dern,...

For several years, Linas Phillips worked as a babysitter for kids with special needs. He says experience with those kids is what inspired him to make a film about the day-to-day challenges of having someone developmentally delayed in your family. The result is “Rainbow Time,” a dramedy written, directed by and starring Phillips. The film premiered at SXSW in Austin earlier this month. Phillips plays Shonzi, a developmentally delayed 40-year-old sent to live with his brother Todd (Timm Sharp). An odd love triangle develops when Shonzi encounters Todd’s girlfriend, Lindsay (Melanie Lynskey), and conflict isn’t far for the three.

Linas Phillips' Rainbow Time is a film that designed to challenge the audience's perception of Shawn, by way of comparing Lindsay and Todd's treatment of him. Does Shawn need to be treated with kid gloves or like an adult? How cognizant of his thoughts and actions is he? Are Shawn's sexist tendencies genetic, learned, or part of his developmental disorder?...

In his follow-up to Manson Family Vacation, director Linas Phillips turns his attention to the troubled relationship between Todd (Timm Sharp) and his sex-obsessed, developmentally delayed older brother Shonzi (Phillips). A Duplass brothers production with Melanie Lynskey as Todd’s girlfriend, the film premiered this weekend at SXSW. Before, Dp Nathan M. Miller spoke about using The Doors (not the movie!) as a reference point, working with a small crew and integrating VHS into the production. Filmmaker: How and why did you wind up being the cinematographer of your film? What were the factors and attributes that led to your being hired for […]...

Back in 2005, young filmmaker Linas Phillips paid homage to a cinematic hero by recording a cross-country pedestrian journey in Walking to Werner — the “Werner” being, of course, Werner Herzog. At the time, he told Filmmaker, “I remember Werner saying if there is a big decision in your life, it should be done on foot.” Over a decade later, Phillips’ career has ambled through a number of interesting digressions, including acting in Manson Family Vacation and this latest, a narrative feature about the strange relationship between two brothers, one mentally challenged. It’s premiering at SXSW, and below Phillips updates […]...

SXSW 2016 will open with Richard Linklater‘s Everybody Wants Some, the “spiritual sequel” to Dazed and Confused (1993). Today, the festival's dropped its full feature lineup, which includes new work by Jeff Nichols, Barbara Kopple, Don Cheadle, Mark Cousins, Athina Rachel Tsangari, Mike Birbiglia, Ti West, Adam Wingard, Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg, Jody Hill, David Gordon Green, Joe Berlinger, Linas Phillips, John Michael McDonagh, Joel Potrykus, Irene Taylor Brodsky and Jesse Moss, plus docs on Gary Numan, Marina Abramovic and more. » - David Hudson...

SXSW 2016 will open with Richard Linklater‘s Everybody Wants Some, the “spiritual sequel” to Dazed and Confused (1993). Today, the festival's dropped its full feature lineup, which includes new work by Jeff Nichols, Barbara Kopple, Don Cheadle, Mark Cousins, Athina Rachel Tsangari, Mike Birbiglia, Ti West, Adam Wingard, Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg, Jody Hill, David Gordon Green, Joe Berlinger, Linas Phillips, John Michael McDonagh, Joel Potrykus, Irene Taylor Brodsky and Jesse Moss, plus docs on Gary Numan, Marina Abramovic and more. » - David Hudson...

Last week, we had fun chiming in on how Sundance 2016 might look like with our Sundance predictions list. Our series was exactly one short from the promised 75. We decided to switch things up this year. Our last pick is reserved for what is a next to impossible, needle in the haystack guess at what films might break into the short film sections. Out of the 8000 plus submissions the Sundance Short Film programmers will receive, they’ll end up selecting a little less than a hundred short films. Here are some ideas as to who and what could show up.

The Bulb and The Procedure

No stranger to Park City, Calvin Reeder has supplied the fest with features such as The Oregonian (2011), The Rambler (2013) and could very well bring this Kickstarter pairing to public access television blitz and X-Files love. Production wrapped in August. Actors Linas Phillips and Christian Palmer star.

J Davis’s film about a Manson obsessive and his friend is about more than the macabre murders that have haunted America for decades, say the film’s stars

The story behind Manson Family Vacation, the new film from writer-director J Davis, which stars Jay Duplass and Linas Phillips, stemmed from a conversation between friends. “It came from my life-long fascination with the Manson crimes and my friend Jay’s utter revulsion when he heard that,” said Davis. “Jay didn’t understand my interest in the Manson family at all, and I decided to explore that difference between us with this project.”

Related: Charles Manson's sordid legacy endures thanks to pop culture's odd fascination

Continue reading...

“Manson Family Vacation” stars Jay Duplass and Linas Phillips recently reunited with director J. Davis and sat down with TheWrap to discuss the indie comedy, which debuted Friday on Netflix following its SXSW premiere earlier this year. Duplass plays a family man whose oddball brother (Phillips) comes to visit with the goal of visiting famous landmarks related to Charles Manson. Duplass said that the two sibling characters represented separate sides of Davis, who revealed that his childhood interest in “Helter Skelter” and the Manson family felt like forbidden fruit for him as a young man. Also Read: 'Manson Family Vacation' Stars Jay.

From the title alone, you wouldn't guess that "Manson Family Vacation" is a comedy, albeit a dark one. The story of Nick (Jay Duplass) and his adopted brother Conrad (Linas Phillips) who embark on a pilgrimage to the sites of the Manson Family murders, the film taps into the larger issue of what makes a family. Read More: Jay & Mark Duplass on Selling TV at Sundance When it premiered at SXSW to favorable reviews, Netflix nabbed distribution rights to the film, which was executive produced by Jay and Mark Duplass. It is now streaming on Netflix, along with "6 Years," another SXSW acquisition that was executive produced by the Duplass duo. The brothers, who have had a relationship with Netflix's chief content officer Ted Sarandos since the service distributed their first film, "The Puffy Chair," signed a four-movie deal with the streaming service in January. The Duplass imprimatur bestows immediate...

Hot on the heels of our interview with Jay Duplass and Linas Phillips in celebration of their upcoming film Manson Family Vacation (review), today we bring you our chat with director J. Davis and co-star Tobin Bell. Read on for… Continue Reading →

The post Exclusive Interviews with More Twisted Minds Behind Manson Family Vacation – J. Davis and Tobin Bell appeared first on Dread Central.

Sometimes I put my foot so far into my mouth during an interview, it’s a wonder I have room for any questions in there. One time, I asked an actor what it was like to wear a funny cheap wig… Continue Reading →

The post Exclusive Interviews with the Twisted Minds Behind Manson Family Vacation – Jay Duplass and Linas Phillips appeared first on Dread Central.

Join the Family! Fangoria will be hosting a free screening of the festival smash Manson Family Vacation, the twisted dark comedy (co-starring Saw’s Tobin Bell!), in New York City on Tuesday, October 20th at 7 p.m. Actors Jay Duplass (Baghead), Linas Phillips and writer/director J. Davis will be attending and participating in a Q&A. This special showing […]...

Before Karina Longworth provided one of the most disturbing and thrilling accounts of the Manson family in her podcast You Must Remember This, South by Southwest Film Festival featured a premiere of a drama with a different spin on the account. Written and directed by J. Davis, Manson Family Vacation is a present-day story of two brothers who take a road trip to the infamous murder sites.

Produced by the Duplass brothers and starring Jay Duplass, Linas Phillips, Tobin Bell, Leonora Pitts and Davie-Blue, we’re pleased to premiere an exclusive clip from the film, which follows our leads (or at least one) tracking the path of Sharon Tate before her gruesome demise. Check out the clip below and see the trailer here if you missed it for the film now available on VOD (including iTunes and Amazon).

Nick Morgan (Jay Duplass) has it all: a loving family, a beautiful...

While "Manson Family Vacation" might sound like something harrowing, and slated to slide right into the season of Halloween scares, the indie picture offers up something much different and more original than you might expect. With the movie now available, we've got an exclusive clip today to let you know what you're getting into, should you decided to check out the movie. (Pro tip: you should). Read More: Watch Trailer For SXSW Winning 'Manson Family Vacation' Jay Duplass and Linas Phillips star in the movie, directed by J. Davis, that finds Conrad dropping in on his successful brother Nick, a lawyer living in Los Angeles. They haven't seen each other for a while, but Conrad has an idea of what they can do: check out the Manson Family murder sites. In the clip below you can see Conrad pitch the idea to his rather surprised sibling, and soon,...

October is finally upon us which means horror and sci-fi fans have a lot to be looking forward to, especially when it comes to the films hitting VOD this month as there numerous highly anticipated choices arriving on various platforms throughout the month, including Tales of Halloween, Deathgasm, Gravy, Knock Knock, The Final Girls, A Christmas Horror Story, Bone Tomahawk, and one of my own most anticipated films of 2015, Tokyo Tribe from visionary filmmaker Shion Sono.

Here’s a look at all the genre titles arriving on VOD this October!

A Christmas Horror Story (Rlj Entertainment) - October 2nd

Christmas is supposed to be a time of joy, peace and goodwill. But for some folks in the small town of Bailey Downs, it turns into something much less festive. When Krampus - the anti-Santa who punishes the naughty children - is summoned by a young boy, everyone’s fight for survival begins.

I think Yellowstone Park or the Grand Canyon would’ve been a better decision.

The first trailer for the SXSW winner, Manson Family Vacation, was released on Tuesday and gives you an idea of something not to do with family. The film stars Jay Duplass and Linas Phillips with J. Davis directing.

The official synopsis is as follows:

Nick Morgan (Jay Duplass) has it all: a loving family, a beautiful home and a successful law practice in Los Angeles. His estranged brother Conrad (Linas Phillips) has nothing but a backpack. When Conrad shows up for a surprise visit, all he wants to do in town is go to the infamous Manson Family murder sites. Reluctantly, Nick joins him and ends up on a road trip that leads the brothers into the modern-day world of Charles Manson.

Duplass is known for his behind the camera work with his brother, Mark, as...

Before Karina Longworth provided one of the most disturbing and thrilling accounts of the Manson family in her podcast You Must Remember This, South by Southwest Film Festival featured a premiere of a drama with a different spin on the account. Written and directed by J. Davis, Manson Family Vacation is a present-day story of two brothers who take a road trip to the infamous murder sites.

Produced by the Duplass brothers and starring Jay Duplass, Linas Phillips, Tobin Bell, Leonora Pitts and Davie-Blue, the first trailer has now landed ahead of a release next month. With the Duplass brothers on a fairly strong roll, hopefully this is another strong dramedy. Check out the trailer and poster below.

Nick Morgan (Jay Duplass) has it all: a loving family, a beautiful home and a successful law practice in Los Angeles. His estranged brother Conrad (Linas Phillips) has nothing but a backpack.

"There's some really cool pictures of dead people!" The Orchard has debuted a trailer for the offbeat indie comedy Manson Family Vacation, about two estranged brothers who go on a weird trip together to visit the infamous Manson Family murder sites. Jay Duplass stars as one of the brothers, with Linas Phillips (Bass Ackwards) as the other. The synopsis describes it as a story about two brothers: "one who's devoted to his family; the other who's obsessed with The Manson Family." The film's cast also features Tobin Bell, Leonora Pitts and Davie-Blue. This is such an awkward comedy, I can see why they're sending it straight to VOD, definitely not for everyone. Not sure who it's for, but some may find some fun in this. Have at it. Here's the official trailer (+ poster) for J. Davis' Manson Family Vacation, on YouTube (via SlashFilm): Nick Morgan (Jay Duplass) has it all: a loving family,...