Incredible! Evil! Franco!! These are just a few words that came to mind as we perused the just-announced line up for the South By Southwest Film Festival, which revealed that it will open on March 8 with the world premiere of The Incredible Burt Wonderstone before moving on to screenings of the Evil Dead remake and the hotly anticipated Spring Breakers, with Mr. Franco playing a cornrowed pimp.
“Though this is just a taste of what SXSW 2013 will have to offer, what better way to get the party started than with The Incredible Burt Wonderstone, which had us laughing our heads off, despite an 8 a.m. Monday viewing,” said SXSW Film Conference and Festival Producer Janet Pierson.
Don Scardino’s comedy stars Steve Carell and Jim Carrey as rival Las Vegas magicians whose act implodes as their friendship erodes, opening the door to an up-and-coming street magician to take their place. It co-stars Steve Buscemi, Olivia Wilde, Alan Arkin and James Gandolfini.
The fest also has programmed world premieres of Evil Dead (which recently unleashed a bloody good red band trailer), Alex Winter’s Downloaded, Joe Swanberg’s Drinking Buddies (with Wilde, Jake Johnson, Jason Sudeikis and Anna Kendrick), and Ryan White’s Good Ol’ Freda. Spring Breakers, meanwhile, will entertain with its U.S. premiere following a splashy debut at the Toronto International Film Festival.
This year’s SXSW film festival runs March 8-16, and we’ll be on the ground covering everything live from Austin once again this year. There will be plenty more titles added to this year’s roster, but so far, SXSW is off to its usual strong start. Here are the details on the announced titles. Start getting very, very excited!
Downloaded (World Premiere)Director: Alex WinterDownloaded is a documentary that explores the rise and fall of Napster and the birth of the digital revolution. It's about the teens that helped start this revolution, and the artists and industries who continue to be impacted by it.Drinking Buddies (World Premiere)Director/Screenwriter: Joe SwanbergYou know what makes the line between "Friends" and "More Than Friends" really blurry? Beer.Cast: Olivia Wilde, Jake Johnson, Anna Kendrick, Ron Livingston, Jason Sudeikis (uncredited), Joe SwanbergEveryone's Going to Die (World Premiere)Director/Screenwriter: JonesA guy whose life is falling apart, meets a girl whose life can't get started. Two people, one chance, a million reasons why not. A story of weirdness and redemption with talking cats, roller-skating beavers and nobody dying.Cast: Nora Tschirner, Rob Knighton, Kellie Shirley, Madeline Duggan, Stirling GallacherEvil Dead (World Premiere)Director: Fede Alvarez, Screenwriters: Fede Alvarez & Rodo SayaguesFive friends, holed up in a remote cabin, discover a Book of the Dead that unwittingly summons up dormant demons which possess the youngsters in succession until only one is left to fight for survival.Cast: Jane Levy, Shiloh Fernandez, Lou Taylor Pucci, Jessica Lucas, Elizabeth BlackmoreGood Ol' Freda (World Premiere)Director: Ryan WhiteGood Ol’ Freda tells the story of Freda Kelly, a shy Liverpudlian teenager asked to work for a young local band hoping to make it big: the Beatles. Their loyal secretary from beginning to end, Freda tells her tales for the first time in 50 years.The Incredible Burt Wonderstone (World Premiere)Director: Don Scardino, Story by Chad Kultgen & Tyler Mitchell and Jonathan Goldstein & John Francis Daley. Screenplay by Jonathan Goldstein & John Francis DaleyAs superstar Vegas magicians and former best friends Burt and Anton grow to secretly loathe each other, their long-time act implodes, allowing an ambitious rival street performer the big break he’s been waiting for.Cast: Steve Carell, Steve Buscemi, Olivia Wilde, with Alan Arkin, James Gandolfini and Jim CarreySpring Breakers (US Premiere)Director/Screenwriter: Harmony KorineFour sexy college girls plan to fund their spring break getaway by burglarizing a fast food shack. But that’s only the beginning...Cast: James Franco, Selena Gomez, Vanessa Hudgens, Ashley Benson, Rachel Korine, Gucci Mane
