Justin Ray and C. Thomas Howell star in "Attack of the Killer Donuts."
Grab a beer and few friends because "Attack of the Killer
Donuts" is all kinds of bizarre fun. This low-budget horror/comedy has all of
the trappings of a late night, nothing-else-to-watch good time and what it
lacks in actual scares it makes up for in more than a couple of laugh-out-loud scenes.
Lori Beth Sikes and Shuler Hensley star in "Cruiser."
The found-footage horror film "Cruiser" explores a lot in its 80 mins—human suffering, predestination, evil and the perverse power of God.
Sam Hensley Jr. wrote the film that stars his Tony Award-winning brother Shuler. The film starts as most any horror film, with an average guy living an average day. Rookie Officer Chip Tate's cop car has just been outfitted with several cameras and he begins what appears to be a regular day on day on the job. Every day is typical, until it becomes the day you die.
Tom Cruise, Michael Keaton, Jennifer Lawrence, Kerry Washington and more! Hosts Beth Keener and Greer Howard bring you the 411 on entertainment news in Georgia. Find out what's filming, who's here and what to watch!
We are thrilled to be featuring The Local Lense here at Reel Georgia! Every week, Beth Keener and Greer Howard host the Entertainment Buzz—giving you the complete #GAfilm rundown of what's filming, what celebrities were spotted and which TV shows were locally-lensed and feature local talent.
This week, catch up on the details of "Mena" with Tom Cruise (filming in Ballground); "Captain America: Civil War" with Chris Evans, Jeremy Renner, Robert Downey, Jr., Scarlett Johansson, Don Cheadle, Anthony Mackie (filming in Metro Atlanta); "The Founder" with Michael Keaton (filming in Canton); "The Do Over" with Adam Sandler and David Spade (filming in Savannah); "The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2" with Jennifer Lawrence (filming reshoots in Dawsonville); "Allegiant: Part 1" with Shailene Woodley and Ansel Elgort (filming in Rome and Metro Atlanta); and "Barbershop 3" with Ice Cube, Nicki Minaj and Anthony Anderson (filming in Atlanta).
Also, there are TV updates from HBO's "Confirmation" with Kerry Washington, Lifetime's "Devious Maids," AMC's "Halt and Catch Fire" and more! Stay tuned to the end to find out how you can win a free one-hour private coaching session from Atlanta acting studio Drama Inc.
This will be my third Rome International Film Festival, but this year it is a little extra special. I've been brought on to help out with the production of the festival. In doing so, I've gotten a first hand look at this year's 61-film lineup. This is the 11th incarnation of RIFF.
From opening night film "No Ordinary Hero: The SuperDeafy Movie" to closing night selection "B.F.E.," there are a host of short films and features worth checking out. Films represent the entire globe—Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America, Australia and New Zealand—with many American productions and a handful of films both produced in Georgia or coming from Georgia filmmakers.
After the jump, I've highlighted 12 feature films and 4 short films. But trust me, the entire festival is of tremendous quality. The festival kicks off tonight, Thursday, September 4th and runs through Sunday, September 7th at Rome's beautiful DeSoto Theatre.
A crowd forms outside the DeSoto Theatre for RIFF's closing night film, "The 25,000 Mile Love Story"
The 10th annual Rome International Film Festival wrapped last weekend, marking a decade of globally-minded, globally-sourced independent features and shorts. Rome is a delightful city—Broad Street's residents and businesses welcoming RIFF's attendees with open arms every year. A few reviews from this year have already been posted, but we have more to write about the festival in the days to come. In the meantime, check out dozens of pictures from around town after the jump!
For nearly a decade, MovieMaker Magazine has been releasing an annual list of the top film festivals worth the prize of your film's entry fee. In the past, the Rome International Film Festival has made the cut—dramatically upping the reputation of the quiet college town's September event. Georgia's two biggest destination film festivals—the Atlanta Film Festival and the Savannah Film Festival—both made the cut this year!
These two Georgia gems are in good company, joining festivals like Cinequest, Edinburgh, Nashville, New Orleans and Soho. MovieMaker draws attention to Atlanta's status as an Academy Award qualifying festival and to Savannah's 40,000+ attendance and prizes totaling more than $100,000. We would like to add that spending a week or more in either of these cities is worth more than the price of submitting your film!
The cast of "Need for Speed" clockwise from top left: Aaron Paul, Dakota Johnson, Ramon Rodriguez, Michael Keaton, Dominic Cooper, Imogen Poots
Director Scott Waugh's adaptation of the popular video game franchise "Need for Speed" will begin filming in Macon in mid-April. The project's screenwriter, John Gatins, mentioned the possibility of the film shooting in Georgia last fall when he was in Savannah promoting another Georgia production, "Flight." Gatins accepted the Savannah Film Festival Spotlight Award for his work on "Flight" and had great things to say about working in Georgia. Two hundred cast and crew members are expected to travel to Macon for the production.
Aaron Paul, Dominic Cooper, Dakota Johnson, Michael Keaton, Imogen Poots, Ramon Rodriguez, Kid Cudi and Rami Malek comprise the principal cast of the film. Location scouting has taken place throughout downtown Macon and it is expected that casting calls for extras will occur closer to production kickoff.
Recent projects to film in Macon include the Clint Eastwood, Amy Adams and Justin Timberlake baseball hit, "Trouble with the Curve," and upcoming Jackie Robinson biopic, "42," which will be released next month.
Filming will also take place in Rome at the Historic Myrtle Hill Cemetery in June.
I had a great time up in Rome this weekend. Bookended with great films, the 9th Rome International Film Festival (RIFF) was filled to the brim with quality features, docs and shorts. Fourteen different countries were represented and several filmmakers, producers, actors and industry tradesmen were in attendance. Great venues situated among a vibrant downtown scene really gave the fest a cosmopolitan, but cozy vibe. It is easy to see why RIFF has a great reputation, even among the older and larger festivals.
You've already seen the reviews I posted for "American Songwriter" and "Born & Raised." Starting this week, I'll be posting reviews for more features from the fest, including "Lessons in Forgetting," "Out on a Limb," "Hombre y Tierra," "La Source," "The Red Machine" and "Heathens & Thieves." In addition to these features, I'll share brief reviews for over two dozen of the short films I screened.
Keep checking back for more RIFF coverage. I've posted some photos from around town after the jump.
Tickets for two hour blocks are only $6 or $2 for students. Check out the schedule and get your tickets now at www.romeinternationalfilmfestival.com. Beginning this weekend, we will preview some of the festival's programming, starting with a review of the festival kickstarter, "American Songwriter" by Michael Altman.
The 2012 Rome International Film Festival will kick off in four weeks, marking the festival's ninth run since it was founded in 2004. Located 70 miles northwest of Atlanta, Rome's scenic beauty is a perfect accompaniment for what MovieMaker Magazine called one of "20 film festivals worth the entrance fee." In fact, I would say it values a bit higher than the entrance fee. Tickets are only $6 per film block ($2 for students) or $25 for a day pass.
We've highlighted the opening and closing night films after the jump!
