Film School Rejects » Events

‘Paranormal Activity’ Parties Reward Horror Lovers

Neil Miller — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 02:12:44 +0000

The nation is going crazy for Paranormal Activity. And the folks at Paramount Pictures are making some serious money off of the film. With a production cost of $15,000 and an low cost of acquisition, Paramount has made quite the profit from the viral marketing sensation, which as grossed over $30 million to date.

And to celebrate, Paramount is throwing ten hometown “premiere parties” across the nation at the first 10 theaters to sell out for the Thursday night midnight shows. Only one has sold out thus far: our hometown theater, the Alamo Drafthouse in Austin, TX.

The question now becomes: will your city be on the list of 10?

If you need more of a reason to buy a ticket and see it (or see it again), consider this, our mole inside Paramount tells us that there will be a lot of prizing at these special events, possibly including t-shirts, free popcorn, free drinks, posters, XBOX gaming systems and horror-related games, as well as horror related books and other sweet prizes. None of this if official, of course, but it gives you a good idea as to the amount of money that Paramount is throwing into these events. And why not? They sure as hell have enough to go around. And from a marketing standpoint, this might go a long way in keeping Paranormal high on the box office charts, even with the release of Saw VI this weekend. We’ll see if it works.

For more info, check out ParanormalActivityMovie.com and follow them over on Twitter (@TweetYourScream).
Will you be seeing Paranormal Activity this weekend?

Event: See ‘Couple’s Retreat’ Early in Columbus!

Kevin Carr — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 17:33:04 +0000

Who wouldn’t want to spend a weekend in a tropical paradise with Kristen Bell, Malin Akerman and Kristin Davis? The dudes at FSR headquarters sure would, but we don’t want some sweaty dude sticking his blue-clad butt in our faces. The next best thing, without the blue-clad butt six inches from our noses, would be to see Couple’s Retreat before it opens. We have secured a bunch of passes for Universal Pictures’ new film Couple’s Retreat.

See Couple’s Retreat – starring Vince Vaughn, Jason Bateman, Jon Favreau, Faizon Love and Kristin Davis – on Tuesday, October 6, free of charge. In order to be one of these “free” folks, all you have to do is head down to Video Central in Columbus, Ohio, at the address below and pick up one of the passes with our logo on it.

Video Central
1299 Bethel Road
Columbus, Ohio 43220

Once you have the pass, you will gain entry to the following advance screening of Couple’s Retreat:

Tuesday, October 2, 2009, 7:30 p.m.
AMC Lennox
777 Kinnear Road
Columbus, OH

You are going to want to get on this in the near-future, as there are only so many passes and they will be distributed on a first come, first serve basis. For more information about local events and to keep track of all of our sponsored local screenings, head on over to FSR’s Official Facebook Group.

Couple’s Retreat opens in theaters on October 9. For more on the film, check out CouplesRetreatMovie.com

Event: See Pandorum Early in Columbus!

Kevin Carr — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 15:33:22 +0000

Who wants to be scared? You do? Awesome! Because at Film School Rejects, we can do that for you. (And we’re not just talking about having a random writer show up at your house in tighty-whiteys and covered in baby oil.) We have gotten our scary little hands on a batch of passes for the Overture Films’ new horror flick Pandorum.

See Pandorum – starring Dennis Quaid and Ben Foster – on Thursday, September 24, free of charge. In order to be one of these “free” folks, all you have to do is head down to Video Central in Columbus, Ohio, at the address below and pick up one of the passes with our logo on it.

Video Central
1299 Bethel Road
Columbus, Ohio 43220

Once you have the pass, you will gain entry to the following advance screening of Pandorum:

Thursday, September 24, 2009, 8:00 p.m.
AMC Lennox
777 Kinnear Road
Columbus, OH

Sorority Row opens in theaters on September 25. For more on the film, check out PandorumMovie.com

Event: See ‘Sorority Row’ Early in Columbus!

Kevin Carr — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 01:58:56 +0000

With everyone going back to school, it seems that we all want to spend some time on Sorority Row. However, if that means that we’re going to stagger into the accidental murder of a classmate, that just isn’t cool… unless it’s the plot of a movie. School spirit and murder is what Summit Entertainment’s Sorority Row is all about, and at FSR, we’re all about free movies. So, we got our hot little hands on a limited number of passes to see an advance showing of Sorority Row.

See Sorority Row – starring Briana Evigan, Leah Pipes, Rumer Willis, Jamie Chung and Audrina Patridge – on Thursday, September 10, free of charge. In order to be one of these “free” folks, all you have to do is head down to Video Central in Columbus, Ohio, at the address below and pick up one of the passes with our logo on it.

Video Central
1299 Bethel Road
Columbus, Ohio 43220

Once you have the pass, you will gain entry to the following advance screening of Sorority Row:

Thursday, September 10, 2009, 7:30pm
AMC Lennox
777 Kinnear Road
Columbus, OH

Sorority Row opens in theaters on September 11. For more on the film, check out SororityRowMovie.com

Oscars Shmoscars! We Pick the 2009 Scream Award Winners

Brian Salisbury — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 15:39:37 +0000

The wait is finally over. The anticipation all year long, the bittersweet uncertainty, the constant flaming of people that don’t like Twilight and Transformers 2 on the Internet, and having to actually sit through Spike TV programming have once again come to fanboy fruition. The nominees have been announced for the 2009 Scream Awards. Pause for applause. The fourth-annual Sci-Fi, Horror, Fantasy ceremony will air on Spike on October 27th. Sure, this event could be perceived as a ham-fisted box office stroke fest for people who can’t wait until next year’s MTV Movie Awards but I am choosing to see the small amount of merit here. There is something to be said for genre-based fan-loving award shows as an alternative to the stuffy, pretentious, now overly complicated Academy…..stroke-fest. If you want to read a masterful, comprehensive analysis of something that is boring as all hell, see Dr. Abaius’ breakdown of the new Oscar voting rules.

As much as I like to explore film as an abstract visual art medium, I am also a lover of genre and unmitigated badassitude. And as terrible as Summer 2009 was, we are on the threshold of a geek renaissance in mainstream cinema. Look at the bulk of the titles this year and set to be released in the next. We have not one, but two post-apocalyptic films, a score of vampire films, the adaptation of one of the greatest graphic novels of all time, a zombie comedy, and a film literally called: Ninja Assassin. Not only that, but Sci-Fi is really becoming auteur again with District 9 and Moon challenging us the way Science-Fiction was born to do. So for me, something like the Scream Awards presents an interesting venue for unrepentant movie geeks like me to measure our non-arthouse fare.

For full details on the the nominees and the categories, feel free to check out the full story at Coming Soon. But allow me to run down some of the categories, because they are in and of themselves fantastic, and provide both my choice and the film that will more than likely win. Because as much as I may be coming around on the idea of the Scream Awards, they do in fact rely on online and text voting to pick the winners so obviously there will be controversial decisions.

Best Horror Movie:

My Pick: Let The Right One In. Nuanced, thought-provoking, beautiful film.

Actual Winner: My Bloody Valentine. 3-D Va Jay Jay!

Best Science Fiction Movie:

My Pick: Moon. I’m assuming the only reason District 9 isn’t nominated is it was released too late. While I didn’t love Moon as much as everybody else, it’s a very smart, intense film and Rockwell knocks it right the fuck out of the park with his performance.

Actual Winner: Star Trek. I am very ok with this choice as I thought this was by far the best mainstream summer release this year.

Best Fantasy Movie:

My Pick: Up. I don’t really consider Watchmen fantasy so I have to go with Pixar’s heart-breaking, coming-of-age film (for the studio as a whole that is) that had me weeping like a tiny little girl.

Actual Winner: Twilight. Anyone who believes this piece of shit qualifies as a film is really living in a fantasy world.

Best Ensemble:

My Pick: Watchmen. This one was tough for me because I truly believe that the entire cast of Star Trek does a phenomenal job. But the source material given to the Watchmen cast was far more complex and their (overall) adherence to it and the subsequent caliber of performances makes them my pick.

Actual Winner: Twilight. Because people who read these books, who will comprise most of the voting audience, don’t know the word ensemble.

Best Director:

My Pick: Duncan Jones, Moon. This was tough for me as well. But this first-time feature film director adopts the massive undertaking of creating a quiet, cerebral sci-fi opus in a summer choked by sequels and spin-offs. The film is cool as all get out and Jones got a stellar performance out of his only actor who carries the film perfectly.

Actual Winner: I’m going to give the voters some credit here and assume Michael Bay will lose to Abrams.

Best Foreign Film:

My Pick: Let The Right One In. Much deliberation went into this one. I love Timecrimes, I got to see its premiere at Fantastic Fest two years ago. I think it is a phenomenal piece of storytelling. It is taut, captivating, and brilliantly subtle in both performances and overall execution. But Let The Right One In affected me more and I would re-watch it more readily than Timecrimes. Tough call.

Actual Winner: Let The Right One In is probably the only one the voters will have heard of.

Most Memorable Mutilation:

My Pick: Let The Right One In (Swimming Pool Scene). First of all, I love that I get to rate this. To avoid spoiling things, sufficed to say that the scene in the swimming pool is largely suggestive. The few bits we are privy to are terrifying and the scene concluded with me breathless.

Actual Winner: Saw V (Pendulum Trap). Honestly, why the fuck are they still making these? I love that they’ve run out of ideas for traps and are now plagiarizing Edgar Allen Poe.

Fight-To-The-Death Scene of the Year:

My Pick: Watchmen. The opening bout between The Comedian and his assailant is not only incredibly faithful to the graphic novel but also deeply moving and beautifully photographed. Say what you will about Snyder’s penchant for slow motion, but I always imagined a certain amount of slow, agonizing movements when I read it.

Actual Winner: X-Men Origins: Wolverine (Wolverine vs. Sabertooth). I don’t know why. Also, Kirk vs. Spock is nominated?!! Not to ruin the insanely obvious, but neither of them die in that exchange. In fact, there is never a moment when you actually believe one of them could die so that should not at all be nominated.

Holy S***! Scene of the Year:

My Pick: Knowing (Subway Crash). Another capital category here. I hate Knowing. Cage’s acting reaches new degrees of horrendous and the screenplay seems like the product of a writer who was clinically dead for four hours before coming around and penning the ending. That being said, the disaster sequences were honest and horrific and I could barely watch them.

Actual Winner: Knowing. Seriously, did you see this sequence?

So that’s it, my long-winded postulations regarding an award show most of us will not watch. I think it has a lot of potential, but will still likely be plagued by a juvenile core of voters. Thoughts?

The 6 Films of Cinemapocalypse 2009

Dr. Cole Abaius — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 22:59:19 +0000

Friends, I have seen the Promised Land. And that Promised Land is on a downtown Austin street that smells like urine and old falafel. It’s always the last place you’d look for it, eh? But there, in the Alamo Drafthouse Downtown Location, I bore witness to the glory of the First Annual Cinemapocalypse.

Tim League and the crew over at the Alamo Drafthouse know how to throw one hell of a party. Of course, paired with Quentin Tarantino, they also know how to pummel an audience into their seats with increasing intensity.

Over the course of 14 hours, we were all subjected to bloody, ball-chopping, machine-gun-spitting, firebombingly excellent violence alongside some cool Q&As and far too many buckets of Schlitz. Since you didn’t have a chance to be there, and I pity that you didn’t, I’ve decided to share some thoughts on the movies we saw so that you might be able to hold your very own DVD-style marathon at home when the time comes. I also hope that these words are taken down, canonized and bound into leather books that shall be used on some sort of weekly day of worship. Let’s say Tuesday since it’s the start of the weekend.

Hold on to your butts:

Inglourious Basterds (2009)

Health Status: Ready. Willing. Able.

Film Love: This movie is a hell of a fun ride. Tarantino has always had a strong ear for dialog and it’s on display here in a big way alongside some heart-poundingly tense moments and some visceral violence. There are a few problems – like too much of that dialog monopolizing the set pieces and far too much stroking of the director’s own movie knowledge – but over all, it’s a really fun movie that is far different than what the trailers and marketing materials are showing. It was also a fantastic experience to watch the last act of the film after the Alamo crew dropped massive Swastika banners down to adorn the walls of the theater. They loomed large over the rest of the fest, which was actually pretty jarring, but a damn unique film watching experience. It was also interesting seeing the film before a host of cult/pulp/exploitation films because it taught me something. Most of those films have major stretches of boredom and exposition before getting to the wanton violence. Inglourious Basterds can feel draggy from time to time, but the dialog and acting are world’s better than those other films which elevates it into a seriously enjoyable experience. The look of Inglourious Basterds fluctuates from high art to gritty realism, the acting is fantastic (and extra points go to casting German actors as Germans and French actors as French characters), and the story is over-the-top but still personal. I was really pumped by the time the credits rolled.

The Losers **aka Nam’s Angels (1970)**

Health Status: Really pumped.

Film Love: The second film of the night chosen by Quentin Tarantino, The Losers is a truly ridiculous movie built on the premise that the Army has called upon the might of a motorcycle gang to go into the shit in Vietnam and rescue a kidnapped man who everyone seems to hate for some reason. The print of the flick had lost most of its color, so it was shown in glorious pink, but it seemed appropriate for how dated and absurd the movie is. Especially considering that it makes absolutely no goddamned sense. The story is as lacking as the acting – perfect for what it is. Unleashing bikers into the whore houses of Vietnam (which looks surprisingly like The Philippines!) and having them build bikes with machine guns secured to the handlebars are the true main focus for the movie, although if you want to look deeply into the reality of soldiers raping/falling in love with local women during war, you can. You’re probably better off just watching for the horrid spectacle of it all. Granted, it’s laughable, but you’ll probably fall in love with (or to) the haunting, Carole King-style hippie theme song that compliments the blood-splatter like a tuxedo at a garbage dump. It’s better than average as a biker-war movie, but something to consider: The Losers was one of the first Vietnam war movies – so see if you can spot the elements that would later become cliches!

The Siege of Firebase Gloria (1989)

Health Status: Eying the menu. Downing a fourth Dr. Pepper. Mostly sane.

Film Love: This, my friends, was the surprise stand out of the entire marathon and stands as a gleaming exception to my hotly-debated dislike of most 1980s films. I’d never heard of this Vietnam war piece (that still looks shockingly like the Philippines!), but it blew me the fuck away. R. Lee Ermey shows off some serious acting chops (alongside some of the most quotable solider lines on the planet. Yes, Sgt. Hafner! I will defend this base like it’s my daughter’s cherry!) and Wings Hauser is a usual brand of bad ass with a heart that works really well. The team meets up at a firebase where the C.O. has gone pretty insane, so they take over and fortify in time for a three-day attack launched by the Viet Cong. Director Brian Trenchard-Smith’s name alone should get you excited about it, and he delivers in a big way with a strong story and some really bloody battles. The Viet Cong soldier attempting to crawl away while dragging what was left of his leg (his Tibia) was one of my favorites, but the sheer amount of heads on spikes takes the cake. And, as you might guess, a three-day assault with massive numbers turns the firebase and the fields outside of it into a slaughterhouse in the most satisfying way possible. Firebase Gloria is one hell of a film.

Vigilante (1983)

Health Status: Mind slowly going, but a mysterious stranger in a powder blue jumpsuit offers me some pills. I’m only slightly disappointed to find out they are Advil Liquigels.

Film Love: This movie is not the best film on the planet, but it holds a special place in my heart because I saw it when I was in high school – part of the film education that my father shared with me – and it works as a sort of poor man’s version of Death Wish. Iconic actor Robert Forster was on hand to answer some questions and to do a hilarious impression of John Huston, and the guy is just as likable as a human being gets. To the huge round of applause he received, he smiled and responded, “It’s great to be overrated.” How cool is that? Of course, his character in Vigilante shoots a guy in the chest at close range with a shotgun, but the asshole totally had it coming to him. Essentially, the movie is about a man whose wife and son are attacked, the system that fails to punish the guilty, and a group of men who take the law into their own hands. But the plot really doesn’t matter. It’s a loose reasoning for showing scene after escalating scene of getting the kind of cathartic, break-every-bone-in-his-body-and-leave-him-in-a-parking-lot revenge that someone might want after their family is attacked. Like I said, not really a great movie, but there’s a compelling reason to see it: Fred Williamson kicking the ass out of just about everyone. Plus, the legendary Woody Strode has a small role kicking the ass out of a gang of prisoners in the shower.

The Black Gestapo (1975)

Health Status: Soul hurts.

Film Love: I never, ever, ever thought that I’d get to see this movie in my life, let alone on the big screen. I’d heard rumors and tale of this blacksploitation film from fellow film fans for a while, but never imagined I’d have the pleasure to see it myself. Before checking out, if you can, you should ask yourself: do you want to see a bunch of senseless nudity? Black people dressed up like SS members? a guy held down in a bathtub and relieved of the burdens of testicle ownership? The answer, my friends, is yes. The Black Gestapo is a terrible, awful, needlessly bad film – and you should run out and see it immediately. Charles Robinson (the bailiff from “Night Court” (Seriously)) rises to power within the ranks of the People’s Army and creates a violent group of thugs that save the neighborhood from the white drug dealers and bookies that rape the black women and harass the store owners. Thankfully, once the white oppressors are gone, the militant group takes over running the numbers and raping the women if need be. It’s up to one man to infiltrate their training facility and murder a ton of dudes with make-shift weaponry or hog-tie them with not-make-shift ropes. Definitely slow at points, but it’s so head-slappingly impossible as a premise, that it must be watched.

Ip Man (2008)

Health Status: Getting my third wind, wondering how many vitamins are in fried pickles, shaking slightly from a severe lack of sleep.

Film Love: What a fantastic movie to end on. Ip Man was previously celebrated on our site with a review from foreign film (and all things Asian) enthusiast Rob Hunter, and I agree with him wholeheartedly. Donnie Yen steps up his acting slightly to play the title character – a man who would go on to teach Bruce Lee – during the tumultuous World War II-era China. The fight scenes of Ip Man are numerous and exciting – leading up to a final confrontation between the evil Japanese General and Master Ip where the wire work is done deftly and the fists move so fast that you can almost feel the force of the punches in your own chest. For classic kung fu fans, there are a few jokes – particularly dealing with the quarreling of the different schools – that work really well and show off an understanding of the genre history. But, damn, this movie is just a really great display of martial arts painted lovingly on the backdrop of oppression and the end of an era.

In Which I Survive Cinemapocalypse

What a fan-fucking-tastic time. A ton of great movies all lined up and shot down one by one by a hungry audience whose blood-lust knew no bounds! A great audience where film geeks could roam around chatting about carving up flesh and launching rockets at helicopters while making new friends. And all of it topped off with an ice-cold Schlitz (in the can!) in the lobby at 11a.m. A movie marathon well worth the lack of sleep and the fever-dreams that still haunt me. In short, I’m already marking my calendar for next year’s end of the world. Hopefully they leave the Nazi banners up in the theater for family film day.

‘September Issue’ Director R.J. Cutler at Soho Apple Store Tomorrow Night

Bethany Perryman — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 18:04:18 +0000

ATTENTION NEW YORK REJECTS:

Dust off your tuxedo t-shirts! Documentary director R.J. Cutler will be at the Apple Store in Soho tomorrow evening (7/30), discussing his newest project, The September Issue. The September Issue is a telling of Vogue magazine editor-in-cheif Anna Wintour’s creation of the single largest issue of a magazine ever published. Cutler’s film won the Grand Jury Prize for Excellence in Cinematography at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival.

Tomorrow Night’s event is from 5:00PM to 6:00PM, at the Soho Apple Store on 103 Prince Street. It’s a free reason to go shopping with R.J. Cutler. Do it.

The September Issue opens August 28th in New York.

If you head down to the Soho Apple store this evening, be sure to come back here and tell us how the event went…

Event: See ‘Public Enemies’ Early in Columbus!

Kevin Carr — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 17:04:00 +0000

It seems that nowadays, everyone wants to be a gangster. But a lot of us forget what the original gangsters were like. Could it be that they were even cooler a century ago? Hollywood seems to think so, which is why they made Public Enemies, which chronicles the dastardly deeds of John Dillinger. In the criminal tradition of this film, we at FSR have committed a heist and swiped a limited number of passes to see an advance showing of Public Enemies.

See Public Enemies, starring Johnny Depp and Christian Bale, on Monday, June 29, free of charge. In order to be one of these “free” folks, all you have to do is head down to Video Central in Columbus, Ohio, at the address below and pick up one of the passes with our logo on it.

Video Central
1299 Bethel Road
Columbus, Ohio 43220

Once you have the pass, you will gain entry to the following advance screening of Public Enemies:

Monday, June 29, 2009, 7:30pm
AMC Lennox
777 Kinnear Road
Columbus, OH

In anticipation of the screening, check out the trailer below:

Public Enemies opens in theaters on July 1. For more on the film, check out PublicEnemies.net

Columbus Rejects! Rock Out with Mom and ANVIL!

Kevin Carr — Sat, 09 May 2009 03:27:36 +0000

While the rest of the blogosphere is buzzing about Star Trek this weekend, good boys and girls will want to spend some quality time with their mothers on Mother’s Day this Sunday. And what better way to spend some time with Mom than rocking it out with Canadian hair metal band Anvil?

This Sunday at the Landmark Gateway theater in Columbus, Ohio, just across the street from the Ohio State University campus, Anvil will be appearing LIVE to rock the house after a special screening of their documentary Anvil!: The Story of Anvil.

Mom will love this movie, which has been reviewed a couple times on FSR here and here.

Here’s the info on the show:

What: Short set by Anvil following Anvil!: The Story of Anvil
Where: Landmark Gateway, 1550 North High Street, Columbus, Ohio
When: Sunday, May 10, 7:00 p.m. showing

You can purchase tickets to the show here.

But wait! There’s more! If you want to get in for free, you can help out the crew by being a behind-the-scenes cameraman. The promotions company needs flip-phone videographers to document the screening and concert set, which will be posted on the movie’s web site. Visit the Craigslist.com for more information.

And finally, here’s the trailer for the film, just to get your mother interested in reliving her crazy Canadian hair metal rocker days:

Event: See ‘Next Day Air’ Early in Columbus!

Kevin Carr — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 02:25:50 +0000

Have you ever wished someone would accidentally leave millions of dollars worth of cocaine bricks on your front door? Well, that may not be the dream of everyone, but it is the subject of the new film Next Day Air from Summit Entertainment. We at FSR may not have bricks of cocaine to throw around, but we do have some tickets to see an advance showing of Next Day Air we are itching to give away.

See Next Day Air, starring Donald Faison, Mike Epps and Mos Def, on Tuesday, May 5, free of charge. In order to be one of these “free” folks, all you have to do is head down to Video Central in Columbus, Ohio, at the address below and pick up one of the passes with our logo on it.

Video Central
1299 Bethel Road
Columbus, Ohio 43220

Once you have the pass, you will gain entry to the following advance screening of Next Day Air:

Tuesday, May 5, 2009, 7:30pm
AMC Lennox
777 Kinnear Road
Columbus, OH

In anticipation of the screening, check out the trailer below:

Next Day Air opens in theaters on May 8. For more on the film, check out NextDayAir-TheMovie.com

Tempe, Arizona to Host X-Men Origins: Wolverine Premiere

Neil Miller — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 17:30:40 +0000

In a press release this afternoon, 20th Century Fox has notified us that Tempe, Arizona has won the “Hometown Premiere” contest and will now host the world premiere of the upcoming action film X-Men Origins: Wolverine. I’ve included the full press release below, as I have very little to say about this announcement. It is mostly because my lovely town of Austin finished 4th. We were even beaten by Hastings, Nebraska. I was not even aware that anyone even watches movies in Hastings, Nebraska.

The good news for Austinites is that we already hosted the surprise world premiere of Star Trek. Take that, Tempe.

Full press release from 20th Century Fox is below:

“X” MARKS THE SPOT FOR TEMPE, ARIZONA – WINNER OF THE X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE HOMETOWN PREMIERE CONTEST

Tempe’s Schools, Businesses — and X-Men Fans — Come Together to Narrowly Prevail Over Davis, CA for World Premiere of Summer Blockbuster

LOS ANGELES, (April 20, 2009)….In a hard-fought contest stretching over thousands of cities and towns across the Unites States, Tempe, Arizona has emerged triumphant in its far-reaching, citywide bid to nab the world premiere event of X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE, on April 27.

The announcement caps a frenzied two-week period in which entrants launched innovative and viral campaigns, urging fellow residents to enter the Hometown Premiere contest by marking their town with a digital “X” on a special contest website. In each locale, schools, businesses, and of course X-Men and Wolverine fans, joined forces to create special videos posted on YouTube, as well as websites urging residents to enter the contest.

Tempe accumulated the most “X’s,” narrowly beating out Davis, California in a hard-fought battle to bring home a major “Hollywood” style event.

The “Origins” of the event came from Hugh Jackman, who plays the famed antihero in X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE. Jackman wanted to express his appreciation to the fans by hosting the premiere, in which he will bring the movie and a few of his “friends and enemies” from the film to Tempe. In addition to the stars and filmmakers, the event will have all the other trappings of a mega-Hollywood premiere, including the red carpet, klieg lights and media coverage.

X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE, the first chapter in the X-Men saga, unites Wolverine with several other legends of the X-Men universe, in an epic revolution that pits the mutants against powerful forces determined to eliminate them. Twentieth Century Fox releases the film everywhere May 1st.

Event: See ‘Knowing’ Early in Columbus!

Kevin Carr — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 18:55:18 +0000

Imagine that a piece of paper exists that predicts every disaster in human history. Now imagine what might happen if that piece of paper is in the hands of Nicolas Cage. Throw in some Hollywood glitz and a few creepy guys hanging out on the sidelines, and you have yourself the new film Knowing from Summit Entertainment (well, sort of, at least). Here at FSR, we may not have a copy of that prophetic piece of paper, but we did get our hands on a bunch of tickets to see Knowing before it opens.

See Knowing, starring Nicolas Cage and Rose Byrne, on Monday, March 16, free of charge. In order to be one of these “free” folks, all you have to do is head down to Video Central in Columbus, Ohio, at the address below and pick up one of the passes with our logo on it.

Video Central
1299 Bethel Road
Columbus, Ohio 43220

Once you have the pass, you will gain entry to the following advance screening of Knowing:

Monday, March 16, 2009, 7:30pm
AMC Lennox
777 Kinnear Road
Columbus, OH

Knowing opens in theaters on March 20. For more on the film, check out Knowing-TheMovie.com

Mystery Team Spreads the Love, Sets a Date in Los Angeles

Neil Miller — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 02:25:15 +0000

Back again folks with more awesome news about the Derrick Comedy movie Mystery Team. In short, this is one of the movies that came out of this year’s Sundance Film Festival that you absolutely must see. When I wrote last week about the NYC Screenings, I made mention of some serious pull quotage being dished out by myself and my fellow online journos. And tonight I am back with some news for our friends on the other coast, news of a special screening in Los Angeles. From what I am told, which comes from some very excited inside sources, this week’s NYC screenings were packed. So packed that they added a third secret screening just this evening (11p, Upright Citizens Brigade Theater 26th St. and 8th Ave. for those interested). And I’d be willing to put money on the fact that those folks got way more than their money’s worth. As for this screening, I’m not sure whether or not the cast and crew will be there, but you sure as hell should be.

Check out the info above and keep it locked here at FSR and over at the Derrick Comedy site for more information as this thing continues to grow.

And hell, you twisted my arm. Here are those beautiful quotes again:

“[The] perfect comedy for the internet generation. Irreverent, dark and beautifully self aware, the first film from the Derrick Comedy group is a certified winner with the potential to earn a cult following.” – Me, Film School Rejects

“I can’t recommend it enough. Walking in I thought that the Derrick Comedy team’s short film background would lead to a movie that was lacking cohesion and just a series of sketches, but that couldn’t be farther from the truth. Watching this movie I couldn’t help but think that I was seeing the future of film comedy stretching its legs and warming up.” – Devin Faraci, CHUD

“Derrick Comedy is on the edge of becoming huge.” – Peter Sciretta, /Film

“Mystery Team needs to be seen. It’s fresh, it’s unique, and funnier than hell. It’s the kind of movie that’ll rock midnight showings full of jubilant, nerds for years to come. It’s the Rocky Horror Picture Show of mystery movies.” – Josh Tyler, Cinema Blend

“It’s Encyclopedia Brown meets Napoleon Dynamite with a pinch of Ace Ventura … and it’s hilarious.” Erik Davis, Cinematical

Be There When The ‘Mystery Team’ Descends Upon NYC

Neil Miller — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 19:13:04 +0000

The folks from the Derrick Comedy group just sent over word about a series of screenings that they will be holding for their film Mystery Team next week in New York City. And as you know, this is one of the most talked about films from this year’s Sundance Film Festival. Need proof? Check out some of this pull-quote action:

“Derrick Comedy is on the edge of becoming huge.” – Peter Sciretta, /Film

“It’s Encyclopedia Brown meets Napoleon Dynamite with a pinch of Ace Ventura … and it’s hilarious.” Erik Davis, Cinematical

So if you are in New York City, do yourself a favor and cancel whatever it is that you’re doing on the nights listed above. This is one of those movie that you should see at all costs, in case you aren’t picking up on the subtle hints in the quotes above.

Join In: /FilmCast’s Sundance Recap Show: Tonight 7p EST!

Neil Miller — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 21:47:24 +0000

A little later this evening yours truly will be appearing on the /FilmCast’s Special Sundance Recap Show, where I will be joining some of my good friends from around the web to discuss some of the highlights — both inside and out of the theaters — from this year’s Sundance Film Festival. We’ll talk about the best movies, the best parties and the biggest disappointments. Also appearing on the show, which will be hosted by /FilmCast’s David Chen, will be Peter Sciretta from /Film, Alex Billington from FirstShowing.net and Laremy Legel from Film.com. As you know if you’ve been following along, this year’s Sundance Film Festival was a blast — but it was also an interesting experience. The effects of the economic crisis were felt, the film selection was incredibly unique and well, there were a few condo fights that made it onto the web. So we’ll have plenty to talk about, as well as field tons of questions from all of you.

To chat live and be a part of the action, head over to Slashfilm.com/Live at 7p EST / 4p PST.

Seriously, I want to see you all there — FSR represent! If for no other reason, you should check it out just to see what kind of trouble I am able to start during the show.

For more Sundance coverage, check out the links below:

Film School Rejects » Events

‘Paranormal Activity’ Parties Reward Horror Lovers

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Event: See ‘Couple’s Retreat’ Early in Columbus!

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Event: See Pandorum Early in Columbus!

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Event: See ‘Sorority Row’ Early in Columbus!

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Oscars Shmoscars! We Pick the 2009 Scream Award Winners

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The 6 Films of Cinemapocalypse 2009

Inglourious Basterds (2009)

The Losers **aka Nam’s Angels (1970)**

The Siege of Firebase Gloria (1989)

Vigilante (1983)

The Black Gestapo (1975)

Ip Man (2008)

In Which I Survive Cinemapocalypse

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‘September Issue’ Director R.J. Cutler at Soho Apple Store Tomorrow Night

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Event: See ‘Public Enemies’ Early in Columbus!

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Columbus Rejects! Rock Out with Mom and ANVIL!

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Event: See ‘Next Day Air’ Early in Columbus!

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Tempe, Arizona to Host X-Men Origins: Wolverine Premiere

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Event: See ‘Knowing’ Early in Columbus!

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Mystery Team Spreads the Love, Sets a Date in Los Angeles

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Be There When The ‘Mystery Team’ Descends Upon NYC

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Join In: /FilmCast’s Sundance Recap Show: Tonight 7p EST!

Related Reading:

Film School Rejects » Events

‘Paranormal Activity’ Parties Reward Horror Lovers

Related Reading:

Event: See ‘Couple’s Retreat’ Early in Columbus!

Related Reading:

Event: See Pandorum Early in Columbus!

Related Reading:

Event: See ‘Sorority Row’ Early in Columbus!

Related Reading:

Oscars Shmoscars! We Pick the 2009 Scream Award Winners

Related Reading:

The 6 Films of Cinemapocalypse 2009

Inglourious Basterds (2009)

The Losers aka Nam’s Angels (1970)

The Siege of Firebase Gloria (1989)

Vigilante (1983)

The Black Gestapo (1975)

Ip Man (2008)

In Which I Survive Cinemapocalypse

Related Reading:

‘September Issue’ Director R.J. Cutler at Soho Apple Store Tomorrow Night

Related Reading:

Event: See ‘Public Enemies’ Early in Columbus!

Related Reading:

Columbus Rejects! Rock Out with Mom and ANVIL!

Related Reading:

Event: See ‘Next Day Air’ Early in Columbus!

Related Reading:

Tempe, Arizona to Host X-Men Origins: Wolverine Premiere

Related Reading:

Event: See ‘Knowing’ Early in Columbus!

Related Reading:

Mystery Team Spreads the Love, Sets a Date in Los Angeles

Related Reading:

Be There When The ‘Mystery Team’ Descends Upon NYC

Related Reading:

Join In: /FilmCast’s Sundance Recap Show: Tonight 7p EST!

Related Reading:

The Losers **aka Nam’s Angels (1970)**