So, the SXSW lineup has been revealed and that also means marketing machines will be going into full effect as the films get set to unspool in Austin. And so with that in mind, we have first looks at a small handful of films that will be playing and we’re sure there will be more down the road.
Kicking things off is Tom McCarthy‘s “Win Win.” Starring Paul Giamatti, Amy Ryan, Bobby Cannavale, Jeffrey Tambor, Burt Young, Melanie Lynskey, Alex Schaffer, Margo Martindale and David Thompson, the film focuses on an attorney and volunteer high school wrestling coach (Giamatti) forced to look after a client’s errant grandson. Our man at Sundance, James Rocchi, found McCarthy once again balancing the hilarious and the heartfelt with a deft hand while focusing on “the possibility of small victories in the face of the possibility of titanic loss.”
“Girl Walks Into A Bar“
Cranking out movies as often as we change underwear, Sebastian Gutierrez reteams with his longtime lady friend Carla Gugino (“Women In Trouble,” “Elektra Luxx“) for a comedy that follows a group of apparent strangers in interlocking stories taking place in 10 different bars during the course of one evening in Los Angeles. Zachary Quinto, Danny DeVito, Josh Hartnett and Rosario Dawson round out the cast.
“Detention“
This film is second feature film by Joseph Kahn, perhaps best known for helming Britney Spears‘ “Toxic” video and 2004’s “Torque.” That’s quite a resumé. Anyway, the film features the unlikely pairing of Josh Hutcherson (“The Kids Are All Right“) and Dane Cook (huh?) in the film about a downtrodden 17-year-old girl who is sent to detention where she must survive a slasher film killer and save the world in time for prom. OK, then. Shanley Caswell, Spencer Locke and Aaron David Johnson also star.
“Fubar: Balls to the Wall“
What else is there to say about this except a) if you haven’t seen “Fubar” yet do yourself a favor and rent it and b) it’s more adventures with ultimate dudes Dean and Terry. Game, set, match.
“Road to Nowhere“
Filmmaking legend Monte Hellman (“Two-Lane Blacktop,” “The Shooting“) returns with his first proper film in years with “Road to Nowhere.” Made for under $5 million, it’s been described as a “romantic noir” and a movie within a movie about “a North Carolina political scandal, a double suicide, multiple identities and myriad flashbacks, U-turns and pirouettes in the plotline.” Okay, maybe we’ll just stick with the official synopsis: Illusion is the First of all Pleasures. Okay, maybe not. Anyway, it stars Shannyn Sossamon, Tygh Runyan, Dominique Swain (where has she been?), Cliff De Young and Waylon Payne.