It’s always a welcome surprise to encounter a fresh face who’s also a natural screen presence, which is very much the case with the captivating Maisy Stella in My Old Ass. Not to undersell the newcomer’s individuality, but I kept getting a crunchy granola version of Clueless-era Alicia Silverstone, which is no faint praise. The fact that Stella is often bouncing off Aubrey Plaza in peerless sardonic form just sweetens the deal. Megan Park’s enjoyable second feature is a warm blend of comedy, romance and whimsical collapsed-time fantasy, albeit grounded in the protagonist’s real world.

Not since Toy Story 3 wielded its power to reduce grown-ass adults to puddles of tears has a movie been so in touch with the tender feelings associated with leaving home and saying a definitive goodbye to childhood, wistfully contemplating what we take with us and what we leave behind. Writer-director Park spins a slight variation on that theme by advocating to savor the pleasures of the here and now in that transitional moment, while we still can.

The SXSW Film & TV Festival, whose 31st edition runs March 8-16 in Austin, unveiled first titles in its Feature and Short Competitions, Midnighters, Global and XR Experience categories. See the list below, which includes berths for the world premiere of Pamela Adlon’s Babes, the Daisy Ridley-starring Magpie, Prentice Penny’s docuseries Black Twitter, Season 3 of Hacks and the final season of Star Trek: Discovery.

The SXSW 2024 Shorts Film Program will present six competitive sections, along with XR Experience Competition, XR Spotlight and XR Special Event programming.

Up, up and away! The Sundance Film Festival has announced the lineup for its 40th edition, which will take place in Park City, Utah, from Jan. 18–28, with the online component starting Jan. 25. The program includes Christopher Reeve doc “Super/Man,” two films apiece from indie darlings Kristen Stewart and Jesse Eisenberg, plus fresh projects from a handful of directors who launched their careers at Sundance years ago.

Buzzy acquisition titles include Fleck and Boden’s “Freaky Tales” and SXSW winner Megan Park’s “My Old Ass,” starring Aubrey Plaza. (Incidentally, all three filmmakers were former Variety Directors to Watch, as was “Ponyboi” helmer Esteban Arango.)

Netflix has picked up It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia grads John and Dave Chernin’s high school comedy Incoming, which stars The Black Phone actor Mason Thames, Bobby Cannavale, Kaitlin Olson and Scott MacArthur (The Righteous Gemstones).

The Chernin brothers’ directorial debut from Artists Road and Spyglass Media production follows four freshmen — played by Thames, Bardia Seiri, Ramon Reed and Raphael Alejandro — as they navigate the terrors of youth at their first-ever party.

Pierce Brosnan (Fast Charlie), Samuel L. Jackson (Argylle), and Brandon Lessard (Murder at Yellowstone City) are in Montana shooting Unholy Trinity, a Western helmed by Richard Gray (Robert the Bruce), which has secured a SAG-AFTRA Interim Agreement.

Salem, Massachusetts is an underused setting in horror, but that’s because it’s a bit too on the nose. Even so, the horror film All Fun and Games squarely places its sinister story in a city famous for historical persecution. Rather than a coven of witches running around and roasting modern teens, though, the film dishes out a nasty case of demon possession. And, as the title suggests, games will be played. Unfortunately for the characters, there will be no winners, only survivors.

It’s clear that a lot of planning went into the lore of All Fun and Games. Eren Celeboglu and Ari Costa and their co-writer J.J. Braider are not simply unleashing a demon without cause or explanation. No, Celeboglu and Costa’s feature directorial debut, which was produced by the Russo Brothers’ company AGBO, packs plenty of exposition in a relatively short film. With only about 70-something minutes to tell its story, All Fun and Games wastes no time releasing the inevitable threat.

Writer-director Sean McGinly does wonders with the most minimalist of set-ups in the romantic drama Match. It’s quite the ballsy move to essentially have two actors talk to the camera for 90 minutes. But it pays off, thanks largely to two wonderful lead performances that run the emotional gamut and consequently amount to more than extended auditions. While highly theatrical, McGinly employs just enough subtle flourishes to emphasize the visual poem’s multitude of moods.

TIFF announced its Short Cuts section today comprised of 39 live-action narrative, documentary, and animated short films from directors repping 18 countries.

Further broken down, the section includes 21 World Premieres and 15 North American Premieres presented in 20 different languages from countries such as Portugal, China, Colombia, Mongolia, Kenya, Ukraine, US, UK, and Canada.

The 13th annual DTLA Film Festival, which is set to run from September 14th – 18th at Regal L.A. LIVE, announced its full lineup today. A total of 112 titles including 36 features and 76 short films are slated to screen, with virtually all making their world, West Coast, or Los Angeles premieres, and all eligible for awards.

Dave and John Chernin’s Incoming has begun production in Los Angeles, we’ve learned, with an ensemble cast that includes 2x Primetime Emmy winner Bobby Cannavale, Primetime Emmy nominee Kaitlin Olson, Scott MacArthuras well as Raphael Alejandro, Isabella Ferreira, Ali Gallo, Loren Gray, Ramon Reed (13:The Musical) and Bardia Seiri.

All of them join previously announced Mason Thames (The Black Phone).

Filmmaker Megan Park has written what will be her sophomore feature, My Old Ass, which LuckyChap Entertainment and Indian Paintbrush are producing.

The pic is being billed as a coming-of-age comedy and will begin casting soon. Cameras are expected to roll this summer.

Asa Butterfield (Sex Education) and Natalia Dyer (Stranger Things) are leading the cast of All Fun And Games, a horror-thriller that will mark the feature directing debut of co-helmers Ari Costa and Eren Celeboglu.

The pic follows a group of siblings who find themselves in a game with a demonic twist. Costa and Celeboglu co-wrote the script based on JJ Braider’s original spec.

Jenna Evans Welch’s ‘Love & Gelato’ Adaptation Headed to Netflix in June 2022

Brandon Camp is writing and directing the Netflix romance adaptation with Robin Tunney and Owen McDonnell set to star.

Filming has already wrapped, and the movie is set to release globally in June 2022. Here’s a very early look at what we know so far about the upcoming film.

Full-service sound and picture finishing facility Pace Pictures recently hosted Director Sean (The Great Buck Howard, Silver Lake) McGinly‘s feature length romantic comedy Match, using Pace’s groundbreaking virtual production technology, something that has become more common in the age of COVID.

Match is an adult take on intimacy and isolation in the modern world through the lens of online dating, starring Austin Nichols (Ray Donovan, The Walking Dead), Ahna O’Reilly (The Help, Fruitvale Station) and Spencer Garrett (Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Bombshell).

Focus Features’ Broad Road-Trip Comedy Mixes Laughs With Heart. At times threatening to be completely overrun by its tendency to take the comedy very broad, the new Focus Features release Half Brothers, which aims to appeal not only to Latino markets but also possible crossover family audiences, is rescued by talented actors in the title roles as well as a great big dose of genuine heart that carries the day.

​Definitely the more sober-sided of two new films involving cops and cop-killers, “Crown Vic” juggles slice-of-life observation and thriller elements as a grizzled LAPD veteran shepherds a newbie through his first patrol shift.

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The film has a graceful visual consistency in DP Thomas Scott Stanton’s widescreen imagery, the slightly dreamy, color-rich nocturnal mood of which is like a toned-down version of the stylization in “Taxi Driver” or Michael Mann’s ’80s oeuvre.

New Mexico Film Office Director Todd Christensen announced that the feature film “Half Brothers,” a moving comedy with heart in the vein of “Little Miss Sunshine,” “Green Book,” and “Rain Man,” will start production in New Mexico on July 15. The film is being directed by Luke Greenfield (“The Girl Next Door,” “Let’s Be Cops”) and produced by Jason Shuman (“Role Models,” “Lone Survivor”) and Eduardo Cisneros (“Instructions Not Included,” “The Obituary of Tunde Johnson”), from a screenplay written by Shuman and Cisneros. Focus Features will distribute the movie domestically, and Universal Pictures International will handle foreign distribution.

Every neighborhood in LA has its own vibe, style, culture and history, but what consistently amazes us is not what differentiates the various neighborhoods but rather what they all have in common.  From East LA to the South Bay (and everywhere in between) we’ve been blown away by how many creative and talented people call LA home.  Check out some of the inspiring stories we’ve discovered throughout the city.

Simon Pegg and Juno Temple play musicians whose friendship is overshadowed by mental illness in Katherine O'Brien's drama... Quite unlike the non-genre roles Pegg has taken in between appearances in big-budget franchise films, this part requires him to look inward; the modest but heartfelt picture clearly cares more about empathy than acting awards, and should play well with those who recognize loved ones' struggles on the screen.

The 2019 Tribeca Film Festival, presented by AT&T, unveiled its feature film lineup today. Continuing its tradition of elevating exceptional storytelling rooted in today’s global film communities, the 18th annual Festival will showcase debut works from emerging talent and new works from notable filmmakers. The program includes discoveries, comedies, music-centered, politically-minded, and social films. The 2019 Tribeca Film Festival takes place from April 24th to May 5th.

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Crown Vic, directed and written by Joel Souza. Produced by Anjul Nigam, Gregg Bello, Alec Baldwin, Maxx Tsai. (USA) - World Premiere. Over the course of a single night, two police officers at opposite ends of their careers find themselves thrust into a violent hunt for two cop killers on the loose in the Olympic Division of Los Angeles. With Thomas Jane, Luke Kleintank, Gregg Bello, Josh Hopkins, David Krumholtz, Bridget Moynahan.

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Lost Transmissions, directed and written by Katharine O'Brien. Produced by Filip Jan Rymsza, Tory Lenosky, Al Di, Olga Kagan. (USA) - World Premiere. After famed record producer Theo Ross goes off his schizophrenia meds, introverted songwriter Hannah dedicates herself to getting him the help he needs, perhaps at the cost of her own dreams. With Simon Pegg, Juno Temple, Alexandra Daddario, Tao Okamoto, Bria Vinaite, Robert Schwartzman.

The 10th annual DTLA Film Festival, Oct. 17-21 at Regal L.A. LIVE and Hotel Figueroa, announced today its feature film programming All of the 11 documentary and 17 narrative feature-length movies in the line-up will be making their Los Angeles premiere screenings, and be eligible for awards.

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Comedy and drama blur in several films screening at the festival. Director Sean McGinly uses a light touch to explore profound questions about life, love, friendship and family in “Silver Lake.”

Thomas Jane and Luke Kleintank will star in the film “Crown Vic” for writer/director Joel Souza.

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“Crown Vic” follows one explosive night in the life of a seasoned LAPD veteran as he takes a young cop out on patrol and shows him the brutal reality of life behind the wheel.

An emotionally damaged stand-up comic finds the catalyst she's not looking for in Eva Vives' All About Nina, a comedy world-set love story that's definitely not a rom-com. Having gone to Los Angeles in part to escape an abusive lover, our protagonist winds up facing her demons in public at the least opportune moment. The premise offers plenty of room for yet another impressive performance by Mary Elizabeth Winstead; balancing its darker moments with humor and warmth, the picture has a broad enough appeal to — finally, movie gods? — get Winstead onto the first-choice lists of top-tier filmmakers. It also establishes Vives, making her directing debut after co-writing 2002's Raising Victor Vargas, as a filmmaker to watch.

The Tribeca Film Festival has set its full feature film slate for 2018, tapping 96 movies, including Drake Doremus’ “Zoe” and closing night offering “The Fourth Estate,” the first episode of Liz Garbus’ four-episode Showtime documentary series about the New York Times as it covered the first year of the Trump administration.

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Of the almost 100 titles on the Tribeca docket, 75 are world premieres and 46% of the films are directed by women. Films lined up for competition have casts that include Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Common, and Beau Bridges (Eva Vives’ “All About Nina”); Alia Shawkat and Kumail Nanjiani (Miguel Arteta’s “Duck Butter”); and Matt Smith (Ondi Timoner’s “Mapplethorpe”).

Mary Elizabeth Winstead and Oscar-winner Common are set to star in the semi-autobiographical dark comedy, All About Nina, the directorial debut film from screenwriter Eva Vives (Raising Victor Vargas).

Silicon Valley actor Martin Starr and Daredevil's Deborah Ann Woll will star in Silver Lake, written and directed by Sean McGinly (The Great Buck Howard).

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The ensemble cast also includes Rusty Joiner (Stuck in Love) and Justine Wachsberger (Divergent), with Starr producing the indie along with McGinly and Pace Pictures’ Heath Ryan.

Simon Pegg, the Brit actor best known for his roles in Shaun of the Dead, Mission: Impossible and Star Trek, is set to star in Katharine O’Brien’s Lost Transmissions. O’Brien will direct from her own script and story that follows Hannah, a shy songwriter who discovers that her friend, respected record producer Theo Ross, has lapsed on his medication for schizophrenia. Hannah rallies a group of friends to help commit Theo to a psychiatric facility, chasing him as he outruns his colorful delusions through the glamour and grit of Los Angeles. From the highs of rock ‘n’ roll to rock bottom, it’s a story of the unsung heroes behind the hits.