Young love is typically treated one of two ways in feature films made by adults: either as gauzy, treacly fairy tales of first kisses and two-straw milkshakes or as raunchy comedies where losing one’s virginity is a requirement for high school graduation — and in most cases, the protagonist is male. That’s what makes I […]
Part of the pleasure of attending an established film festival like South By Southwest is the caliber of emerging talent it attracts: when you’re seeing a new director’s feature debut, you can rest (reasonably) assured that the cream of the submissions pile has risen to the top. Such is the case with Zachary Wigon’s first film, The Heart […]
Obscuring the terrifically expressive and sometimes terrifying (12 Years a Slave) face of actor Michael Fassbender may seem like sacrilege, but that’s just what director Lenny Abrahamson (What Richard Did) does in Frank, a film that premiered at Sundance but is—appropriately, for reasons that will be explained—also playing this week at South By Southwest. Screenwriters Jon Ronson (The Men Who Stare at Goats) […]
It’s no surprise that Robert Duvall is a cantankerous (and charming) old coot in his new film, A Night in Old Mexico, helmed by the Spanish director and composer Emilio Aragón. The 83-year-old is still in fine and feisty form as Red Bovie, an old cowboy forced off his land by developers turning the area into sad excuses […]
At just 23, Emma Roberts is about the same age her aunt Julia was when she shot to stardom with the iconic hit Pretty Woman. But times have changed, and in Emma’s latest rom-com — Scott Coffey’s Adult World, which premiered last year at the 2013 Tribeca Film Festival — she plays not a hooker with a heart of […]
Zoe Kazan is back, this time playing identical twin sisters in The Pretty One. First-time writer/director Jenée LaMarque’s quirky film also stars Jake Johnson and Ron Livingston, but the film centers around Kazan’s layered performance as Laurel and Audrey, sisters whose similarity stops at genetics… Throughout the film, LaMarque explores themes of imitation vs. forgery—Lynch’s character is a painter who […]
Austin filmmaker Bryan Poyser‘s third feature, Love & Air Sex, world premiered at the SXSW Film 2013. Since then, the bawdy rom-com/bromance has been on a roll, introducing the festival circuit to the wonders of Air Sex and reminding them that Austin is at the center of the current indie-film zeitgeist. The film centers on two couples who can’t […]
Sometimes the chemistry on a set works just perfectly, and you can just tell the cast had a ball making the movie. Such is the case with Life After Beth, Jeff Baena’s directorial debut, which premiered last week at the Sundance Film Festival. The zombie comedy has a lively cast led by Aubrey Plaza and […]
One of the most buzzed-about films at Sundance last week was director Alex Ross Perry’s latest, Listen Up Philip, starring Jason Schwartzman as a misanthropic novelist without a filter in what’s being called “his best role since Rushmore.” The stellar cast is rounded out by Elisabeth Moss as Philip’s long-suffering girlfriend, Jonathan Pryce as his egotist-author […]
I Origins stars Michael Pitt as Dr. Ian Gray, a molecular biologist whose studies of the human eye break new ground in the interplay between science and spirituality. Sounds like heady stuff, but while Mike Cahill (writing solo this time) once again asks his audience to confront big ideas, he invites us in by weaving […]
Kristin also presents social media workshops, moderates panels about all aspects of the film industry, and offers one-on-one training sessions about building a digital community.
She occasionally contributes filmmaker interviews to select outlets, and provides editorial content across platforms.