Rory Culkin And Lou Howe On The Tormented Soul Of Tribeca Drama ‘Gabriel’

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From the opening scenes of Gabriel, the debut feature from writer/director Lou Howe, the audience is immediately tossed into the ongoing tumult that is the life of the title character, a troubled young man brilliantly played by Rory Culkin. We’re not given any clues to the drama, other than a years-old love letter from a girl named Alice, to […]

Mary Elizabeth Winstead Juggles It All In Tribeca Drama ‘Alex Of Venice’

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When actresses and audiences alike lament the lack of interesting roles for—and movies about—women as central characters, Alex of Venice should be held up as a shining example of what could be. The independent feature, which premiered this week at the Tribeca Film Festival, stars Mary Elizabeth Winstead (Smashed, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World) as the title character, […]

Kate Lyn Sheil & John Gallagher Jr., Navigate Tech-Dating & Obsession In ‘The Heart Machine’

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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 […]

Director Lenny Abrahamson on Michael Fassbender’s Giant Head, Faking SXSW in ‘Frank’ & More

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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) […]

Robert Duvall’s Still Got It In ‘A Night In Old Mexico’

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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 […]

Emma Roberts Talks ‘Adult World,’ Working With John Cusack & More

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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 Talks Twin Roles Of ‘The Pretty One’ & How ‘In Your Eyes’ Is “Like Joss Whedon Does Nicholas Sparks”

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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 […]

Aubrey Plaza, Matthew Gray Gubler & Molly Shannon on Zombie Comedy ‘Life After Beth’

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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 […]

Jason Schwartzman & Alex Ross Perry Discuss Misanthropy Of ‘Listen Up Philip’

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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 […]

Mike Cahill & Michael Pitt Reflect On Science Vs. Faith In ‘I Origins’

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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 […]