Kcet has now led in wins at the Los Angeles Area Emmy Awards, for five years in a row.
At the 73rd awards ceremony, which took place Saturday, the station claimed a total of nine statuettes. Kvea and Spectrum SportsNet followed it up with six wins apiece. Other outlets scoring multiple wins at the show, hosted by Spectrum News 1 journalist Giselle Fernández, included ABC7 (four), Kmex (three), KTLA5 (two), Kttv-tv (two) and Spectrum News 1 (two).
The Los Angeles Area Emmy Awards honor locally produced programs in the categories of Live and Breaking News Coverage, Crime and Social Issues, Culture and History, the Arts, Human Interest, Sports, and the Environment. Presenters for this year’s ceremony, which streamed live on the Emmys website, included Carrlyn Bathe (Fox Sports West), Mike Bresnahan (Spectrum SportsNet/LA), Enrique Chiabra (Telemundo/Kvea), Allie Clifton (Spectrum SportsNet/LA), Suzanna Guzmán (Kcet/PBS SoCal), Elex B.
At the 73rd awards ceremony, which took place Saturday, the station claimed a total of nine statuettes. Kvea and Spectrum SportsNet followed it up with six wins apiece. Other outlets scoring multiple wins at the show, hosted by Spectrum News 1 journalist Giselle Fernández, included ABC7 (four), Kmex (three), KTLA5 (two), Kttv-tv (two) and Spectrum News 1 (two).
The Los Angeles Area Emmy Awards honor locally produced programs in the categories of Live and Breaking News Coverage, Crime and Social Issues, Culture and History, the Arts, Human Interest, Sports, and the Environment. Presenters for this year’s ceremony, which streamed live on the Emmys website, included Carrlyn Bathe (Fox Sports West), Mike Bresnahan (Spectrum SportsNet/LA), Enrique Chiabra (Telemundo/Kvea), Allie Clifton (Spectrum SportsNet/LA), Suzanna Guzmán (Kcet/PBS SoCal), Elex B.
- 7/25/2021
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Welcome back to the Weekend Warrior, your weekly look at the new movies hitting theaters this weekend, as well as other cool events and things to check out.
This Past Weekend:
Yikes. What a terrible weekend we just had, not only for the new movies released but also for the Weekend Warrior’s predictions. Clint Eastwood and Tom Hanks’ Sully won its second weekend in a row with just under $22 million, but as far as the new movies, neither Lionsgate’s Blair Witch nor Universal’s Bridget Jones’s Baby did very well, putting the last nail in the coffin (hopefully) for sequels/remakes trying to play upon nostalgia that just isn’t there. (Good luck to the Rings movie opening next month!) Blair Witch ended up with $9.6 million to take second place and both Bridget Jones’s Baby and Oliver Stone’s Snowden ended up with around $8 million, so...
This Past Weekend:
Yikes. What a terrible weekend we just had, not only for the new movies released but also for the Weekend Warrior’s predictions. Clint Eastwood and Tom Hanks’ Sully won its second weekend in a row with just under $22 million, but as far as the new movies, neither Lionsgate’s Blair Witch nor Universal’s Bridget Jones’s Baby did very well, putting the last nail in the coffin (hopefully) for sequels/remakes trying to play upon nostalgia that just isn’t there. (Good luck to the Rings movie opening next month!) Blair Witch ended up with $9.6 million to take second place and both Bridget Jones’s Baby and Oliver Stone’s Snowden ended up with around $8 million, so...
- 9/21/2016
- by Edward Douglas
- LRMonline.com
Keep up with the wild and wooly world of indie film acquisitions with our weekly Rundown of everything that’s been picked up around the globe. Check out last week’s Rundown here.
– Oscilloscope Laboratories has acquired U.S. rights to acclaimed filmmakers Dominique Abel and Fiona Gordon’s charming and romantic fourth feature film, “Lost in Paris.” The film will have its premiere this fall and have a theatrical release in 2017.
Filmed in their signature whimsical style, the feature “stars the filmmakers as a small-town Canadian librarian and a strangely seductive, oddly egotistical vagabond. When Fiona’s (Gordon) orderly life is disrupted by a letter of distress from her 93-year-old Aunt Martha (delightfully portrayed by Academy Award nominee Emmanuelle Riva) who is living in Paris, Fiona hops on the first plane she can and arrives only to discover that Martha has disappeared. In an avalanche of spectacular disasters, she encounters Dom (Abel), the affable,...
– Oscilloscope Laboratories has acquired U.S. rights to acclaimed filmmakers Dominique Abel and Fiona Gordon’s charming and romantic fourth feature film, “Lost in Paris.” The film will have its premiere this fall and have a theatrical release in 2017.
Filmed in their signature whimsical style, the feature “stars the filmmakers as a small-town Canadian librarian and a strangely seductive, oddly egotistical vagabond. When Fiona’s (Gordon) orderly life is disrupted by a letter of distress from her 93-year-old Aunt Martha (delightfully portrayed by Academy Award nominee Emmanuelle Riva) who is living in Paris, Fiona hops on the first plane she can and arrives only to discover that Martha has disappeared. In an avalanche of spectacular disasters, she encounters Dom (Abel), the affable,...
- 9/2/2016
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
Who else but an indie filmmaker would look at a bowl of spaghetti and a paper bag and think, 'I can make a superhero movie out of that!' A fun, imaginative, daringly low-budget affair, Spaghettiman is propelled by enthusiasm and modesty more than anything else, which helps it motor through a variety of rough patches. Director Mark Potts and his tiny team of collaborators thus turn a potential home movie into a full-blown feature project. The story begins with Clark (Ben Crutcher), a layabout who can't hold a job. His indulgent roommate Dale (Winston Clark) is supportive to a fault. One day, Clark wakes up and begins urinating spaghetti. Understandably alarmed, Clark soon discovers that he can shoot spaghetti from various part of his body,...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
- 4/19/2016
- Screen Anarchy
Read More: 13th Annual Oxford Film Festival Announces Official Selections, Including Amy Berg and Les Blank In the past decade, superhero films have become the dominant and most profitable genre in American cinema, featuring heroes who possess out-of-this-world super powers, but why stop there? In Mark Potts' new film, "Spaghetti Man," all you need is a microwave malfunction and some spaghetti to save the day. The official synopsis reads: "Clark doesn't care about you. He doesn't care about the world. He barely cares about himself. But after an incident with an old bowl of spaghetti and a malfunctioning microwave, he becomes a superhero that can fight crime with the power of spaghetti. However, you have to pay him." "Spaghetti Man" will world premiere at the Oxford Film Festival on February 19. Read More: Attention, Filmmakers: Oxford Film Festival Now Accepting Submissions...
- 2/3/2016
- by Lauren Townsend
- Indiewire
Read More: Doc NYC Review: Amy Berg's 'An Open Secret' Is a Devastating Exposé of Hollywood's Sexual Abuse Problem This year's Oxford Film Festival, which will take place between February 17-21, kicks off with a high caliber selection of independent films, including Amy J. Berg's acclaimed "An Open Secret" and Les Blank's "A Poem Is a Naked Person." Although the two biggest names at the festival are documentarians, the event does not shy away from narrative features, hosting the debuts of Tony Bloodworth's "Forced Move," as well as Mark Potts' "Spaghetti Man," among others. The Oxford Film Festival has made a name for itself as of late for continuously growing and expanding its horizons as to the caliber of filmmakers and range of topics it presents in its lineup, recently hosting Q&A's with James Franco and Tim Blake Nelson for Franco's "The Sound...
- 1/6/2016
- by Riyad Mammadyarov
- Indiewire
Film on Tap is a column about the many ways that beer (or sometimes booze) and cinema intersect in Austin.
The 80th anniversary of the repeal of Prohibition was marked earlier this month with special events at local bars and brewpubs. Local PBS station Klru re-aired the 2011 Ken Burns three-part documentary Prohibition. Directed by Burns and Lynn Novick, this fascinating series documents the contributing factors of Victorian-age morality and events that led to the passage of the 18th Amendment that prohibited alcohol.
If you missed the rebroadcast of Prohibition, you can watch this well-crafted documentary on Netflix or iTunes. Prohibition is also available to rent at both locations of Vulcan Video.
Rogness Brewing Company offers a monthly film event at the brewery, and the featured film on Saturday, December 21 is indie comedy Cinema Six, which was filmed in Central Texas. Mark Potts wrote and directed this humorous film, and I'm...
The 80th anniversary of the repeal of Prohibition was marked earlier this month with special events at local bars and brewpubs. Local PBS station Klru re-aired the 2011 Ken Burns three-part documentary Prohibition. Directed by Burns and Lynn Novick, this fascinating series documents the contributing factors of Victorian-age morality and events that led to the passage of the 18th Amendment that prohibited alcohol.
If you missed the rebroadcast of Prohibition, you can watch this well-crafted documentary on Netflix or iTunes. Prohibition is also available to rent at both locations of Vulcan Video.
Rogness Brewing Company offers a monthly film event at the brewery, and the featured film on Saturday, December 21 is indie comedy Cinema Six, which was filmed in Central Texas. Mark Potts wrote and directed this humorous film, and I'm...
- 12/17/2013
- by Debbie Cerda
- Slackerwood
Five new films open in Austin this week, but all have tepid reviews. But not to worry, film fans: For the rest of the year, terrific special screenings are piling up like presents stacked under a Christmas tree. (Or grievances aired around a Festivus pole, or whatever symbols are part of your holiday tradition, if indeed you have one, and it's fine if you don't. Whatever your holiday tradition -- or lack thereof -- the always-inclusive folks at Slackerwood wish you happiness. Or not, if you prefer unhappiness.)
There is, of course, the expected onslaught of holiday film screenings this week. The Alamo Drafthouse offers its usual eclectic mix of holiday movies, from the traditionally warm and fuzzy (It's a Wonderful Life) to the anti-sentimental (the slasher flick Black Christmas, with a live appearance by Margot Kidder) to Jette and Chip's favorite holiday tradition, Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle.
There is, of course, the expected onslaught of holiday film screenings this week. The Alamo Drafthouse offers its usual eclectic mix of holiday movies, from the traditionally warm and fuzzy (It's a Wonderful Life) to the anti-sentimental (the slasher flick Black Christmas, with a live appearance by Margot Kidder) to Jette and Chip's favorite holiday tradition, Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle.
- 11/30/2012
- by Don Clinchy
- Slackerwood
So have you bought your tickets to see Cinema Six yet on Friday night at Blue Starlite Urban Drive-In? As you might remember, Slackerwood and Austin Film Society are presenting the Austin premiere of Cinema Six, and we'd love to see you there at Austin Studios. So would Mark Potts, one of the filmmakers, who will be at the screening and will hold one of his infamous post-film Q&A sessions. Who knows what he might do? Who knows who else might be there from the Central Texas-shot movie? Show up and find out.
But wait, there's more: You can buy a double-feature ticket and see both Cinema Six and A Movie To Be Named Later. Josh Frank at Blue Starlite has kept this title a surprise even from us! But he promises something good that we won't want to miss.
Blue Starlite is currently running an Early Bird Special...
But wait, there's more: You can buy a double-feature ticket and see both Cinema Six and A Movie To Be Named Later. Josh Frank at Blue Starlite has kept this title a surprise even from us! But he promises something good that we won't want to miss.
Blue Starlite is currently running an Early Bird Special...
- 11/27/2012
- by Jette Kernion
- Slackerwood
Our "Holiday Favorites" series in 2011 was so popular and fun that we're bringing it back again. Slackerwood contributors, Austin filmmakers and other local film community friends will all be sharing their favorite holiday movies from now until the end of the year.
Filmmaker Mark Potts doesn't live in Austin, but he shot his latest feature film, Cinema Six, in Austin and Lockhart with a lot of local cast and crew. Slackerwood and Austin Film Society are co-hosting the Austin premiere of Cinema Six on Friday, November 30 at 8 pm at Blue Starlite (tickets still available!).
Here's Mark's description of a movie that's perfect to watch this weekend:
Planes, Trains & Automobiles is the only film set around Thanksgiving* and while I'm almost certain that's true, I don't care enough to Google it.** But to me, it's a film that transcends the holiday and can be watched at any time of the year.
Filmmaker Mark Potts doesn't live in Austin, but he shot his latest feature film, Cinema Six, in Austin and Lockhart with a lot of local cast and crew. Slackerwood and Austin Film Society are co-hosting the Austin premiere of Cinema Six on Friday, November 30 at 8 pm at Blue Starlite (tickets still available!).
Here's Mark's description of a movie that's perfect to watch this weekend:
Planes, Trains & Automobiles is the only film set around Thanksgiving* and while I'm almost certain that's true, I don't care enough to Google it.** But to me, it's a film that transcends the holiday and can be watched at any time of the year.
- 11/23/2012
- by Jette Kernion
- Slackerwood
I'm so happy to be able to tell you that Slackerwood is coordinating with Blue Starlite Urban Drive-In to host the Austin premiere of the Central Texas-shot indie comedy Cinema Six later this month.
The movie will screen on Friday, November 30 at 8 pm at the Blue Starlite setup at Austin Studios. Cinema Six co-writer/director Mark Potts will be attending the event, and I'm willing to bet other local cast and crew will be there as well.
We're giving away several tickets at the end of this article. Keep reading.
If you missed the giveaway, buy tickets now through the Blue Starlite website, either to drive in with your car and watch the movie, or to walk-in with your blanket or lawn chair and watch it that way. It's going to be the end of November in Austin, so it might be chilly (like 60 degrees, brrrr!) if you're walking in...
The movie will screen on Friday, November 30 at 8 pm at the Blue Starlite setup at Austin Studios. Cinema Six co-writer/director Mark Potts will be attending the event, and I'm willing to bet other local cast and crew will be there as well.
We're giving away several tickets at the end of this article. Keep reading.
If you missed the giveaway, buy tickets now through the Blue Starlite website, either to drive in with your car and watch the movie, or to walk-in with your blanket or lawn chair and watch it that way. It's going to be the end of November in Austin, so it might be chilly (like 60 degrees, brrrr!) if you're walking in...
- 11/7/2012
- by Jette Kernion
- Slackerwood
Don Swaynos‘ Six Hundred and Forty-One Slates is one of those genius short films that makes one wonder why nobody had ever thought to make it before. It is, on the surface, a simple construct of exactly what the title says — the deletable clapper takes of every scene shot for the feature-length comedy Cinema Six.
But it’s not just a slap-dash compilation. Swaynos gives the short a snappy rhythm, knowing when to pause for humorous effect and when to speed things up right when the concept seems too repetitive. It’s not just the idea that makes the short so loveable, it’s the execution.
Cinema Six is a feature-length comedy written and directed by Mark Potts & Cole Selix; and was produced by Swaynos, Nick Tankersley and Kelly Williams. It was, if you couldn’t tell, also edited in full by Swaynos. (However, the film was originally titled Splice of Life,...
But it’s not just a slap-dash compilation. Swaynos gives the short a snappy rhythm, knowing when to pause for humorous effect and when to speed things up right when the concept seems too repetitive. It’s not just the idea that makes the short so loveable, it’s the execution.
Cinema Six is a feature-length comedy written and directed by Mark Potts & Cole Selix; and was produced by Swaynos, Nick Tankersley and Kelly Williams. It was, if you couldn’t tell, also edited in full by Swaynos. (However, the film was originally titled Splice of Life,...
- 7/13/2012
- by Mike Everleth
- Underground Film Journal
“Cinema Six”
Directors: Mark Potts, Cole Selix
Writers: Mark Potts, Cole Selix
Starring: John Merriman, Mark Potts and Brand Rackley
“Cinema Six” is the definition of average, which is strange considering it was probably the most pumped film at the festival. You couldn’t walk an inch in the press lounge without stepping on one of their little yellow adverts. To begin with, it’s obviously Mark Potts’ first film, as narratively, it’s derivative of so many other, better, things. A lot of the emotional ennui that the filmmakers are trying to convey about working at a movie theater, particularly one that feels so run down and little visited – something that, yes, I can currently attest to as a popcorn pusher in my spare time – are culled from “Clerks” in a way that’s a little too far in the direction of laziness rather than homage. Its attempts at...
Directors: Mark Potts, Cole Selix
Writers: Mark Potts, Cole Selix
Starring: John Merriman, Mark Potts and Brand Rackley
“Cinema Six” is the definition of average, which is strange considering it was probably the most pumped film at the festival. You couldn’t walk an inch in the press lounge without stepping on one of their little yellow adverts. To begin with, it’s obviously Mark Potts’ first film, as narratively, it’s derivative of so many other, better, things. A lot of the emotional ennui that the filmmakers are trying to convey about working at a movie theater, particularly one that feels so run down and little visited – something that, yes, I can currently attest to as a popcorn pusher in my spare time – are culled from “Clerks” in a way that’s a little too far in the direction of laziness rather than homage. Its attempts at...
- 5/11/2012
- by Henry J. Baugh
- The Moving Arts Journal
There’s something about working at a movie theater that just sucks you in; although the pay is crappy and the customers are damn near unbearable, people can spend years of their lives shoveling popcorn, cleaning up vomit, and losing the best years of their lives. I should know, as I’ve been a theater employee for eight years. Cinema Six, from co-directors Mark Potts and Cole Selix, has a total grasp on the motivations of a movie theater employee: yes, it’s a crappy job, but it’s easy and it’s safe. To leave is to be forced to grow up and do something meaningful with your lives, to take that next step. By staying, you can put maturity off and avoid the harsh realities of adulthood. But while Cinema Six gets the mind of movie theater employees, as a movie, running at a mere 79 minutes, it comes...
- 4/17/2012
- by jpraup@gmail.com (thefilmstage.com)
- The Film Stage
The Dallas International Film Festival has announced 15 of the films in its 2012 lineup, and not only does Texas make a great showing, but Austin is well represented. I'm hoping to attend the festival this year, the selections look so good so far. Some notable non-Texas films include Lawrence Kasdan's Darling Companion, which has former Austinite Mark Duplass in the cast; The Brooklyn Brothers Beat the Best, the directorial debut of actor Ryan O'Nan (The Dry Land), and Takashi Shimizu's Tormented.
Cinema Six, the latest feature from filmmakers Mark Potts and Cole Selix (S&M Lawn Care), will have its world premiere at the festival, which takes place from April 12-22 (corrected from original text). Jenn and I visited the set in Lockhart last year (when the movie was called A Splice of Life). The filmmakers aren't from Austin, but many of their cast and crew are: producer Kelly Williams,...
Cinema Six, the latest feature from filmmakers Mark Potts and Cole Selix (S&M Lawn Care), will have its world premiere at the festival, which takes place from April 12-22 (corrected from original text). Jenn and I visited the set in Lockhart last year (when the movie was called A Splice of Life). The filmmakers aren't from Austin, but many of their cast and crew are: producer Kelly Williams,...
- 2/20/2012
- by Jette Kernion
- Slackerwood
As Austin’s filmmaking community migrates back to Austin from the snowy slopes of Park City, everyone is anxiously awaiting to hear whether or not their latest film(s) has been accepted into the 2012 South By Southwest Film Festival (March 9-17, 2012). According to SXSW, ”no news is good news! If you haven’t heard from [SXSW] yet it means your film is still in the running.” All filmmakers will be sent notification one way or another by Thursday, February 9, 2012. What are my predictions (and hopes) on the local front for SXSW 2012? Well, I do not want to start rumors, but I am fairly certain that the Zellner Brothers’ Kid-Thing will be getting a regional premiere at SXSW 2012 — that is, after they celebrate their European premiere at Berlinale (February 9-19, 2012)! Also, Kat Candler’s short film Hellion is as close to a sure-thing as SXSW applicants can get. But if I was a praying man, I...
- 1/31/2012
- by Don Simpson
- FilmSchoolRejects.com
This week’s Absolute Must Read is Robert Koehler’s mind-blowing essay on film criticism and film advocacy. Structured around the offerings of the Los Angeles Film Festival, Koehler really hits on the core problem about film writing on the web. Here’s the key part of the article: “This is ideology, all right: The Ideology of advertisers, the force that most fundamentally drives ‘their’ criticism. It informs movie websites and blogs as much as the papers, by the way, as more and more websites are propelled forward by the hits metric that advertisers gauge in order to determine whether or not they want to invest in a given site.” (For the record: “A criticism of advocacy” is a good description of Bad Lit. And I run tons of ads!)A great “must read” contender is this funny Pittsburgh City Paper article about the FBI releasing — then retracting — their report...
- 6/26/2011
- by Mike Everleth
- Underground Film Journal
Over at Cinematical, I wrote about Austin Film Festival's table reading of Maggie Carey's screenplay The Hand Job. The script reading took place at Rollins Theatre in the Long Center and drew a huge crowd, not just because of the script but because the readers included some well-known local actors as well as bigger celebrities like Jessica Alba and Bill Hader.
Check out the Cinematical article for the full details on the script reading. For that article, I used pictures from Aff's photographer, but I thought I'd share some of my own photos here, although the quality may not be quite as high. Warning: One of these photos has a picture of an overhead slide that explains part of the film's title and contains what some call "adult language" (although in a very juvenile way).
The cast for the script reading, from left to right: John Merriman (Narrator), Savannah Welch...
Check out the Cinematical article for the full details on the script reading. For that article, I used pictures from Aff's photographer, but I thought I'd share some of my own photos here, although the quality may not be quite as high. Warning: One of these photos has a picture of an overhead slide that explains part of the film's title and contains what some call "adult language" (although in a very juvenile way).
The cast for the script reading, from left to right: John Merriman (Narrator), Savannah Welch...
- 11/15/2010
- by Jette Kernion
- Slackerwood
Rating: 3.5/5
Writers: Mark Potts, Cole Selix
Director: Mark Potts
Cast: Mark Potts, Cole Selix
The world of indie comedy can be a strange and mostly unseen place. Anyone with a camera can attempt to make a film, and the smaller the budget, the cheaper a film looks. Usually, this facade of a “cheap” film will ensure that almost no one will see the film. Sometimes though, there is actually a good movie hidden under that “cheap” label. The guys over at Singletree Productions seem to be oblivious to how their films look. They simply make good movies.
Read more on Austin Film Festival 2010 Review: S&M Lawn Care…...
Writers: Mark Potts, Cole Selix
Director: Mark Potts
Cast: Mark Potts, Cole Selix
The world of indie comedy can be a strange and mostly unseen place. Anyone with a camera can attempt to make a film, and the smaller the budget, the cheaper a film looks. Usually, this facade of a “cheap” film will ensure that almost no one will see the film. Sometimes though, there is actually a good movie hidden under that “cheap” label. The guys over at Singletree Productions seem to be oblivious to how their films look. They simply make good movies.
Read more on Austin Film Festival 2010 Review: S&M Lawn Care…...
- 10/27/2010
- by J.C. De Leon
- GordonandtheWhale
Day 3 of Austin Film Festival was supposed to begin with me attending the “A Conversation with David Peoples” panel at 9:00am, but I decided to sleep in instead; and if I didn’t have an 11:00am interview scheduled with Mark Potts, Cole Selix and Brand Rackley from S&M Lawn Care I probably would have stayed in bed even longer. But it was worth rolling out of bed to chat with Mark, Cole and Brand -- three of the most genuinely nice (and funny) guys in the movie business. I walked away with about an hour’s worth of content, and I’m looking forward to transcribing every minute of it. If you have not seen S&M Lawn Care, do yourself a kindness and attend Sunday’s 7:45pm screening at the Alamo Ritz. Speaking of the Alamo Ritz (my transition skills amaze me sometimes), that is...
- 10/25/2010
- by Don Simpson
- SmellsLikeScreenSpirit
Some people really know how to work a festival, including Slackerwood contributor Chris Holland, who also happens to be the author of Film Festival Secrets. Another person is Mark Potts, whose film S&M Lawn Care is one of several of his films that have played Aff. Mark was on the "The $2 or the $200,000 Film: What You Need to Know" panel, which I was planning on seeing and missed, but thanks to Chris's tweets, it was almost like I was there. Check out the hashtag for #lowbudgetfilm that Chris used to get the gist of the panel, at least Mark's comments.
I made it to the Showrunner panel with Noah Hawley and Peter Murrieta, which was moderated by Andy Langer. I loved the analogy that a Showrunner is like a writer who's also a manager of a 7-11. Sounds a lot like being a *gasp* manager. Only with assistants helping...
I made it to the Showrunner panel with Noah Hawley and Peter Murrieta, which was moderated by Andy Langer. I loved the analogy that a Showrunner is like a writer who's also a manager of a 7-11. Sounds a lot like being a *gasp* manager. Only with assistants helping...
- 10/24/2010
- by Jenn Brown
- Slackerwood
Got a late start this morning, but that happens when you go to bed at 3 am. Started it off at Frank, with the guys behind S&M Lawn Care, all spiffy in their tuxedos and ready to have corndogs. Only the flapjacket that is corndog-ish is a cornmeal-based jacket, so it didn't quite carry the corndog theme, but that didn't deter us. And amazingly, the guys did not have any unfortunate food malfunctions and not a single stain on their crisp white shirts before they had to turn off to do the tech prep for their regional premiere of S&M Lawncare. From the picture above, you can tell that was quite a feat. The guys talked a bit about their world premiere with the Friars Club, and some of the unexpected interpretations of their mower driven comedy. Pictured above are Mark Potts, Cole Selix and William Brand Rackley. I haven't seen the final edit,...
- 10/23/2010
- by Jenn Brown
- Slackerwood
If you read my Day 1 post, you will probably guess that Day 2 of the Austin Film Festival started off a wee bit fuzzy. I found my way to the Austin Convention Center for the screening of Adam Reid’s Hello Lonesome and despite my slight queasiness and minor sense of disorientation -- thanks to Dos Equis and my lack of inhibition when it comes to free beer -- I still enjoyed Hello Lonesome. I suspect that it is going to be a tough review to write, especially without revealing my favorite part of the film -- the ending. For now, I will just say that Hello Lonesome was like a Todd Solondz film but with nicer characters. I got right back in line for S&M Lawn Care -- which I have already seen and reviewed but I really wanted to experience with an audience. S&M Lawn Care is...
- 10/23/2010
- by Don Simpson
- SmellsLikeScreenSpirit
It all started at the Steamboat for the Austin Convention & Visitors Bureau sponsored Opening Night Reception...which turned out to be a fun event to just be a wallflower and people-watch while knocking back a few free Dos Equis. Even the band was pretty good; they had a Modern Lovers/Television thing going on. An older white-maned British gentleman let me know that he would have preferred if Perry Como was on stage (a statement I had a difficult time disputing, because in reality what wouldn’t be made better with some Perry Como action? So, I nodded in agreement). Several Dos Equis later and I was well on my way to the Convention Center for a Dark Matters screening of I Didn’t Come Here To Die by Bradley Scott Sullivan. I’ll be posting my review of I Didn’t Come Here To Die soon, so I’ll...
- 10/22/2010
- by Don Simpson
- SmellsLikeScreenSpirit
Director: Mark Potts Writer: Mark Potts, Cole Selix Starring: Brand Rackley, Cole Selix, Helen Thomas, Kiley Ingram, Lindsey Newell, Mark Potts, Nick Tankersley Sal (Cole Selix) and Mel (Mark Potts) run S&M Lawn Care. Mel mows lawns because lawn care is in his blood (his deceased father was once a great lawn care specialist) Sal mows lawns in order to save money to travel to the Amazon. Everything is going as planned until one day someone starts stealing S&M’s hard-earned lawns in complete disregard of the Lawn Care Treaty of 1995. It turns out that Drake (William Brand Rackley), a sleazy jerk with long hair and goatee, is stealing S&M’s business with a slickly produced commercial and seductively clad female assistants -- sex sells and everyone around town is buying. Drake even donates his used lawn mowers to the “Darfurinians.” How can S&M compete with that?...
- 10/18/2010
- by Don Simpson
- SmellsLikeScreenSpirit
Always one of the most enjoyable events of the year, the 17th Austin Film Festival is gearing up to kick-off next month.
The annual event takes place from October 21-28 in Austin, Texas with movies such as Natalie Portman's "Black Swan" on the docket.
With other films set to screen including "Meek's Cutoff," "127 Hours," and "Fair Game," the full lineup is as follows:
Marquee Screenings
"127 Hours" – Danny Boyle (Writer/Director), Simon Beaufoy (Writer) – (Regional Premiere)
"Black Swan" – Darren Aronofsky (Director), Andres Heinz (Writer), John McLaughlin (Writer) – (Regional Premiere)
"Peep World" – Barry W. Blaustein (Director), Peter Himmelstein (Writer) – (U.S. Premiere)
"Bloodworth" – Shane Dax Taylor (Director), W. Earl Brown (Writer) – (World Premiere)
"Blue Valentine" – Derek Cianfrance (Writer/Director), Joey Curtis (Writer), Camille DeLavigne (Writer) – (Regional Premiere)
"Exporting Raymond" – Phil Rosenthal (Director) – (World Premiere)
"Fair Game" – Doug Liman (Director), Jez & John-Henry Butterworth (Writers) – (Regional Premiere)
"High School" – John Stalberg (Writer/Director...
The annual event takes place from October 21-28 in Austin, Texas with movies such as Natalie Portman's "Black Swan" on the docket.
With other films set to screen including "Meek's Cutoff," "127 Hours," and "Fair Game," the full lineup is as follows:
Marquee Screenings
"127 Hours" – Danny Boyle (Writer/Director), Simon Beaufoy (Writer) – (Regional Premiere)
"Black Swan" – Darren Aronofsky (Director), Andres Heinz (Writer), John McLaughlin (Writer) – (Regional Premiere)
"Peep World" – Barry W. Blaustein (Director), Peter Himmelstein (Writer) – (U.S. Premiere)
"Bloodworth" – Shane Dax Taylor (Director), W. Earl Brown (Writer) – (World Premiere)
"Blue Valentine" – Derek Cianfrance (Writer/Director), Joey Curtis (Writer), Camille DeLavigne (Writer) – (Regional Premiere)
"Exporting Raymond" – Phil Rosenthal (Director) – (World Premiere)
"Fair Game" – Doug Liman (Director), Jez & John-Henry Butterworth (Writers) – (Regional Premiere)
"High School" – John Stalberg (Writer/Director...
- 9/21/2010
- GossipCenter
Why settle as being called the best film of all time when you could also be called the best remake of all time? Mark Potts (Simmons on Vinyl) and Singletree Productions have created a faux movie trailer for a proposed remake of Orson Welles' 1941 cinematic masterpiece Citizen Kane. The trailer is a rather obvious but entertaining commentary on the current state of the movie industry, in which a movie remake like this is completely possible (sadly). Watch the trailer right now, embedded after the jump. The trailer premiered on Friday night at the 2010 Aspen Rooftop Comedy Festival, and we found it on YouTube thanks to cinematical.
- 6/15/2010
- by Peter Sciretta
- Slash Film
Have you ever felt like Citizen Kane was a little too slow, a little too black-and-white, a little irrelevant to today's modern newspaper situation? In short, have you ever wanted a reboot of the 1941 Orson Welles film? Of course you have. Those old movies all need a facelift, remake or reboot, as everyone knows (or at least as Hollywood believes).
Mark Potts and Singletree Productions understand that universal need, and the result is a trailer for Kane, a fresh and contemporary (and color) remake of Citizen Kane. The Kane trailer premiered on Friday night at the 2010 Aspen Rooftop Comedy Festival. Since we all couldn't make it to Aspen, I've embedded the video after the jump. You'll never look at the AP Stylebook the same way again, is all I'm saying.
If you haven't heard of Potts, you're missing out -- his feature film Simmons on Vinyl played Austin Film Festival...
Mark Potts and Singletree Productions understand that universal need, and the result is a trailer for Kane, a fresh and contemporary (and color) remake of Citizen Kane. The Kane trailer premiered on Friday night at the 2010 Aspen Rooftop Comedy Festival. Since we all couldn't make it to Aspen, I've embedded the video after the jump. You'll never look at the AP Stylebook the same way again, is all I'm saying.
If you haven't heard of Potts, you're missing out -- his feature film Simmons on Vinyl played Austin Film Festival...
- 6/14/2010
- by Jette Kernion
- Cinematical
[Editor's Note: Why yes, I did swap out of the photo accompanying this entry -- apparently some people think a bare butt is Nsfw. They are probably correct.]
Last year, I caught the low-budget comedy Simmons on Vinyl at Austin Film Festival. I liked it so much that when I heard Aff was bringing the movie back for an encore screening at Alamo Drafthouse at Lake Creek this month, I asked if Slackerwood could give away a couple of pairs of tickets. The nice Aff folks agreed, so now you have a chance to see this very funny indie for absolutely free.
The film screens on Thursday, May 27 at 7:30 pm at Alamo Lake Creek. Mark Potts, Cole Selix and Brand Rackley -- who between them wrote, directed and acted the three main roles in the film -- will be at the screening. They'll also preview a bit of their new film S&M Lawn Care. They run a pretty funny Q&A, as I recall.
Slackerwood is giving away two pairs of tickets to the May 27 screening.
Last year, I caught the low-budget comedy Simmons on Vinyl at Austin Film Festival. I liked it so much that when I heard Aff was bringing the movie back for an encore screening at Alamo Drafthouse at Lake Creek this month, I asked if Slackerwood could give away a couple of pairs of tickets. The nice Aff folks agreed, so now you have a chance to see this very funny indie for absolutely free.
The film screens on Thursday, May 27 at 7:30 pm at Alamo Lake Creek. Mark Potts, Cole Selix and Brand Rackley -- who between them wrote, directed and acted the three main roles in the film -- will be at the screening. They'll also preview a bit of their new film S&M Lawn Care. They run a pretty funny Q&A, as I recall.
Slackerwood is giving away two pairs of tickets to the May 27 screening.
- 5/17/2010
- by Jette Kernion
- Slackerwood
On the Friday that SXSW 2010 got underway, I spent the afternoon in a sports bar with a bunch of Cinematical reporters, supposedly to talk about our assignments but in actuality to eat junk food and argue about Kick Ass and Dogtooth and to tease our editors. Occasional Slackerwood reporter and Film Festival Secrets author Chris Holland was also in the bar with filmmaker Mark Potts, whose comedy Simmons on Vinyl I reviewed at Austin Film Festival last year.
Chris and Mark asked me if I would step outside with them for a moment so they could interview me on camera. I was hopped up on sugar and fried food and didn't actually ask what they were going to interview me about, but was thrilled that someone wanted to shoot video with me in it. We all stood out on a downtown sidewalk and Chris interviewed me while Mark shot video.
Chris and Mark asked me if I would step outside with them for a moment so they could interview me on camera. I was hopped up on sugar and fried food and didn't actually ask what they were going to interview me about, but was thrilled that someone wanted to shoot video with me in it. We all stood out on a downtown sidewalk and Chris interviewed me while Mark shot video.
- 4/8/2010
- by Jette Kernion
- Slackerwood
Rating: 6.5/10
Writer: Cole Selix and Mark Potts
Director: Mark Potts
Cast: Cole Selix, Mark Potts, Mary Black, Brand Rackley, Lindsey Newell
It’s an indie film tale as old as time, song as old as rhyme. Boy pines for girl who’s way out of his league and thus unleashes a series of events in which boy pursues girl, making a complete jackass of himself before realizing he’s done this a million times before. While I’m tempted to say this story template started back with Clerks, I know there must be many more examples of this type of plot, dating back to the silent film era. The thing is, with the right characters and some good gags, it’s a solid go-to plot to have. While Mark Potts’ Simmons On Vinyl feels like a movie I’ve seen a hundred times before at dozens of film festivals, it...
Writer: Cole Selix and Mark Potts
Director: Mark Potts
Cast: Cole Selix, Mark Potts, Mary Black, Brand Rackley, Lindsey Newell
It’s an indie film tale as old as time, song as old as rhyme. Boy pines for girl who’s way out of his league and thus unleashes a series of events in which boy pursues girl, making a complete jackass of himself before realizing he’s done this a million times before. While I’m tempted to say this story template started back with Clerks, I know there must be many more examples of this type of plot, dating back to the silent film era. The thing is, with the right characters and some good gags, it’s a solid go-to plot to have. While Mark Potts’ Simmons On Vinyl feels like a movie I’ve seen a hundred times before at dozens of film festivals, it...
- 11/4/2009
- by Don R. Lewis
- GordonandtheWhale
If the screenwriters for Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle hadn't had studio backing for their comedy, and ended up shooting the movie in their hometown with a cast of acquaintances and a budget of maybe $300, the resulting film might have ended up a lot like Simmons on Vinyl. Both movies hang a lot of comedy on the premise of a crazy night in pursuit of something that sounds very silly when first mentioned, but has value to the characters involved.
Director/co-writer Mark Potts plays Zeek, a college kid who is dying to go out on a date with the lovely Holly. We can tell Holly's not interested, but Zeek is so much in denial that he agrees to run an errand for her -- to go to her boss's house and pick up a record she needs for a party, even though she isn't inviting Zeek to the party.
Director/co-writer Mark Potts plays Zeek, a college kid who is dying to go out on a date with the lovely Holly. We can tell Holly's not interested, but Zeek is so much in denial that he agrees to run an errand for her -- to go to her boss's house and pick up a record she needs for a party, even though she isn't inviting Zeek to the party.
- 10/25/2009
- by Jette Kernion
- Slackerwood
I took the above picture at Austin Film Festival 2008, without knowing who it was or which film was being promoted. I was working the opening-night film's red carpet and suddenly, down the block came these guys carrying a coffin. Naturally I shot a photo or two.
During the recording of Slackerwood Podcast #15 late last week, Chris Holland and Aff Film Program Director Kelly Williams discussed the feature Simmons on Vinyl, one of the selections for this year's festival. One of them joked that "This year, Mark Potts and Cole Selix won't be lugging a coffin around, like they did for The Stanton Family Grave Robbery last year." Eureka!
So the guys in this photo are almost certainly Potts, Selix and Kevin Costello, who co-wrote The Stanton Family Grave Robbery and brought it to Aff along with their coffin. Simmons on Vinyl is directed by Potts and co-written by Potts and Selix.
During the recording of Slackerwood Podcast #15 late last week, Chris Holland and Aff Film Program Director Kelly Williams discussed the feature Simmons on Vinyl, one of the selections for this year's festival. One of them joked that "This year, Mark Potts and Cole Selix won't be lugging a coffin around, like they did for The Stanton Family Grave Robbery last year." Eureka!
So the guys in this photo are almost certainly Potts, Selix and Kevin Costello, who co-wrote The Stanton Family Grave Robbery and brought it to Aff along with their coffin. Simmons on Vinyl is directed by Potts and co-written by Potts and Selix.
- 10/19/2009
- by Jette Kernion
- Slackerwood
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.