Tony Danza just can’t contain himself in the first clip from Don Jon . The way Danza, playing the main character’s dad, reacts to Scarlett Johansson gives us some idea where Jon gets his attitudes about sex and love from. Take a look: Don Jon Clip Joseph Gordon-Levitt plays Jon Martello, Jr. in the new comedy, which he also wrote and directed. Jon has an insatiable porn addiction, but when he meets two special ladies, he begins to rethink the way he lives his life. Julianne Moore and Brie Larson also star, with Anne Hathaway, Channing Tatum, and Cuba Gooding, Jr. showing up in cameos. Don Jon premieres October 18.
Fifteen years after Denise Richards’ and Neve Campbell’s swimming-pool make-out session made Wild Thing s a cult hit, director John McNaughton says he and the film’s screewriter Stephen Peters are working on a continuation of the story that would involve those characters children and take its inspiration from the Amanda Knox case. If you didn’t see the Lifetime docudrama, Amanda Knox: Murder on Trial in Italy , that’s the tabloid-headline-generating case in which Knox, an American student in Italy, was initially convicted then acquitted of murdering her roommate Meredith Kercher during a rough sex game that involved two other men in 2007. (Italy’s highest court has since ordered a retrial.) McNaughton told Hollywood.com the following: “It’s not one of the sequels, but about their children,” he says. OK, that sounds odd, but just wait. It gets real crazy. “Do you know the Amanda Knox case? It’s something like that. Something that’s like the child of Suzie Toller [Campbell’s character], she claimed that Matt Dillon ‘s [character] had raped her a long time ago and maybe there is a child and maybe Bill Murray ‘s character had a child and they’re exchange students and things get out of hand. We’re calling it Wild Child Things .” Love the title, and, as the website pointed out, Richards and Campbell are “super available” these days. The big questions are whether Murray could be enticed into making a cameo if his seed actually figures into the plot, and whether Knox’s legal and public relations team, who have been battling hard to protect their client from all the “Foxy Knoxy” innuendo , will push back against McNaughton making the connection between his movie and the Italian melodrama. Along those same lines, Knox has been making the media rounds to promote her memoir Waiting to Be Heard , which tells her side of the story. [ Hollywood.com , The New York Times ] Follow Frank DiGiacomo on Twitter. Follow Movieline on Twitter.
I’m not as jazzed as everyone else seems to be about Deadline’s report that 20th Century Fox is developing a remake of Guys and Dolls. It was a great movie, but unless it gets a serious update in the writing department, I think it’s too broad and antiquated to connect with contemporary audiences on a mass level. On the other hand, I totally agree that if the movie’s going to have a serious shot at making it, Channing Tatum and Joseph Gordon-Levitt are about the best casting choices the studio could make. (I’m expecting to hear Hugh Jackman and Anne Hathaway’s names added to the mix any minute now, too. By now, you’ve been reminded of Tatum and Gordon-Levitt’s fleet-footed performance on the Oscars earlier this year, but here’s further proof that JGL is a serious song and dance man. Gordon-Levitt paid homage to Donald O’Connor’s great “Make’em Laugh” performance from the 1952 MGM musical Singin’ In The Rain when he hosted Saturday Night Live in 2009. Check him out below: Make ’em Gasp If you don’t think that was difficult, keep in mind O’Connor spent a week recuperating from carpet burns and plain old exhaustion after shooting the original and admittedly more strenuous version: Top This Top that, Tatum. [ Deadline ] Follow Frank DiGiacomo on Twitter. Follow Movieline on Twitter.
Joseph Gordon-Levitt was not one of the 2013 Oscar winners . But he would’ve been, if Best Photo Bomb was a category: Well done, JGL. So very well played sir. Hall of Fame worthy. Other unofficial Academy Award winners from Sunday … Best Fashion: Jessica Chastain Oscar dress . Top Viral Moment: Jennifer Lawrence falls . Most “WTH” Dressed: Anne Hathaway. Most Stoned: Kirsten Stewart.
The South by Southwest (SXSW) Film Conference and Festival unveiled its lineup of 109 features including 69 world premieres Thursday. The festival, which overlaps with SXSW’s music and interactive programs, also includes 14 North American and five U.S. premieres. SXSW will screen eight films each in its Narrative Feature and Documentary Competitions. [ Related: ‘The Incredible Burt Wonderstone’ To Open The SXSW Film Festival ] As previously announced, Steve Carell and Steve Buscemi starrer The Incredible Burt Wonderstone will open the festival, taking place in downtown Austin, TX. The film will screen as part of SXSW’s Headliners section along with Harmony Korine’s Toronto debut Spring Breakers with James Franco and Selena Gomez, Stephen Finningan’s Hawking and Fede Alvarez’s Evil Dead . SXSW veteran Joe Swanberg ‘s Drinking Buddies will screen in the festival’s Narrative Spotlight section along with fellow vet and Austin-based filmmaker Bryan Poyser’s The Bounceback and John Sayles ‘ Go For Sisters with Edward James Olmos. SXSW’s Festival Favorites section will have a good dose of Sundance offerings this year, including Austin’s Richard Linklater ‘s Before Midnight , Andrew Bujalski’s Computer Chess , Joseph Gordon-Levitt ‘s Don Jon’s Addiction , Yen Tan’s Pit Stop , David Gordon Green ‘s Prince Avalanche and Shane Carruth’s Upstream Color . “It’s an incredible privilege to sift through so much exciting work, and every year brings new surprises. Though trends emerge after the fact, not consciously while we’re programming, much of this year’s program embraces love and the need/search/desire for connection,” commented SXSW festival producer Janet Pierson in a statement. “Many films reflect importantly on our culture and include intimate looks at iconic figures, and we’re lucky to have a plethora of hugely entertaining and audience pleasing films. Even more thrilling is the opportunity to support so many filmmakers we’ve followed for years who’ve made enormous creative leaps in their work.” The 2013 SXSW Film Conference and Festival takes place March 8 – 16. Music takes place March 12 – 17 and the tech-laden Interactive component takes place March 8 – 12. For more information, visit their website . The 2013 SXSW Film Conference and Festival lineup follows with information provided by organizers). Narrative Feature Competition (This year’s 8 films were selected from 1,191 submissions. Each film is a World Premiere): Awful Nice Director/Screenwriter: Todd Sklar, Screenwriter: Alex Rennie Estranged brothers Jim and Dave must travel to Branson together when their father dies and leaves them the lake home. A series of hilarious mishaps and costly misadventures follow as they attempt to restore the house and rebuild their relationship. Cast: Alex Rennie, James Pumphrey, Christopher Meloni, Brett Gelman, Keeley Hazell (World Premiere) Burma Director/Screenwriter: Carlos Puga On the eve of an annual sibling reunion, a troubled young writer is sent reeling with the arrival of an unexpected guest. Cast: Christopher Abbott, Gaby Hoffmann, Chris McCann, Dan Bittner, Emily Fleischer (World Premiere) Improvement Club Director/Screenwriter: Dayna Hanson When their big gig falls through, a ragtag, avant-garde performance group with a political message struggles to find their audience—and the motivating force behind their work. Cast: Magge Brown, Dave Proscia, Wade Madsen, Jessie Smith, Pol Rosenthal (World Premiere) LICKS Director/Screenwriter: Jonathan Singer-Vine, Screenwriter: Justin “Hongry” Robinson The story of a young man, D, as he returns to his Oakland neighborhood after two years served in prison for a robbery gone wrong… Cast: Stanley “Doe” Hunt, Koran Jenkins, Tatiana Monet, Devon Libran, Les “DJ Upgrade” Aderibigbe (World Premiere) The Retrieval Director/Screenwriter: Chris Eska On the outskirts of the Civil War, a boy is sent north by a bounty hunter gang to retrieve a wanted man. Cast: Ashton Sanders, Tishuan Scott, Keston John, Bill Oberst, Jr., Christine Horn, Alfonso Freeman (World Premiere) Short Term 12 Director/Screenwriter: Destin Daniel Cretton The film follows Grace, a young supervisor at a foster-care facility, as she looks after the teens in her charge and reckons with her own troubled past. An unsparingly authentic film, full of both heart and surprising humor. Cast: Brie Larson, John Gallagher Jr., Kaitlyn Dever, Rami Malek, Keith Stanfield (World Premiere) Swim Little Fish Swim (USA, France) Director/Screenwriter: Ruben Amar, Lola Bessis Between surrealism, unusual characters, art and magic tricks, Swim Little Fish Swim is a dreamlike journey from childhood to adulthood. Cast: Dustin Guy Defa, Anne Consigny, Brooke Bloom, Lola Bessis, Olivia Durling Costello (World Premiere) This Is Where We Live Directors: Josh Barrett, Marc Menchaca, Screenwriter: Marc Menchaca A struggling family’s dynamics are challenged and a unique friendship is born when a small-town Texas handyman becomes caregiver to their son with cerebral palsy. Cast: Ron Hayden, CK McFarland, Marc Menchaca, Tobias Segal, Frankie Shaw (World Premiere) Documentary Feature Competition (This year’s 8 films were selected from 905 submissions. Each film is a World Premiere) 12 O’Clock Boys Director: Lotfy Nathan Pug, a young boy growing up on a combative West Baltimore block, finds solace in a gang of illegal dirt bike riders known as The 12 O’Clock Boys. (World Premiere) Big Joy: The Adventures of James Broughton Directors: Stephen Silha, Eric Slade A documentary about embracing your passions and becoming the person of your dreams, disguised as an inspiring biopic about pioneering filmmaker and poet James Broughton (1913-1999). (World Premiere) Hey Bartender Director: Douglas Tirola The story of the bartender in the era of the craft cocktail. (World Premiere) Los Wild Ones Director: Elise Salomon Wild Records is an indie label reminiscent of the early days of Sun Records. The label is based in LA and run by Reb Kennedy aka Mr. Wild Records and is comprised of young Latin musicians who write and perform 50s Rock n Roll. (World Premiere) The Short Game Director: Josh Greenbaum Each year, the world’s best 7-year-old golfers descend on Pinehurst, North Carolina to determine the next “world champion” and who might become golf’s next phenom. The Short Game follows 9 young golfers on their quest for greatness. (World Premiere) Touba Director: Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi With unprecedented access and dynamic 16mm cinematography, Touba reveals a different face of Islam by chronicling Sufi Muslims’ annual pilgrimage to the city of Touba.(World Premiere) We Always Lie To Strangers Directors: AJ Schnack, David Wilson A story of family, community, music and tradition set against the backdrop of Branson, Missouri, the remote Ozark Mountain town that is one of the biggest tourist destinations in America. (World Premiere) WILLIAM AND THE WINDMILL Director: Ben Nabors William Kamkwamba builds a windmill from scrap to rescue his family from famine, transforming his life and launching him onto the world stage. His success leads to new opportunities and complex choices, distancing him from the life he once knew. (World Premiere) Headliners (The section features red carpet premieres and gala film events with some major and rising names in cinema.) Evil Dead Director/Screenwriter: Fede Alvarez, Screenwriter: Rodo Sayagues Five friends, holed up in a remote cabin, discover a Book of the Dead that unwittingly summons up dormant demons which possess the youngsters in succession until only one is left to fight for survival. Cast: Jane Levy, Shiloh Fernandez, Lou Taylor Pucci, Jessica Lucas, Elizabeth Blackmore (World Premiere) Hawking (UK) Director: Stephen Finnigan A brief history of mine: a look at the life of Stephen Hawking (World Premiere) The Incredible Burt Wonderstone Director: Don Scardino, Story by Chad Kultgen & Tyler Mitchell and Jonathan Goldstein & John Francis Daley. Screenplay by Jonathan Goldstein & John Francis Daley As superstar Vegas magicians and former best friends Burt and Anton grow to secretly loathe each other, their long-time act implodes, allowing an ambitious rival street performer the big break he’s been waiting for. Cast: Steve Carell, Steve Buscemi, Olivia Wilde, with Alan Arkin, James Gandolfini and Jim Carrey (World Premiere) Spring Breakers Director/Screenwriter: Harmony Korine Four college girls who land in jail after robbing a restaurant in order to fund their spring break vacation find themselves bailed out by a drug and arms dealer who wants them to do some dirty work. Cast: James Franco, Selena Gomez, Vanessa Hudgens, Ashley Benson, Rachel Korine, Gucci Mane (U.S. Premiere) When Angels Sing Director: Tim Mccanlies, Screenwriter: Lou Berney Michael despises Christmas. Now Christmas is getting even. Cast: Harry Connick Jr., Connie Britton, Chandler Canterbury, Fionnula Flanagan, Lyle Lovett, Dana Wheeler-Nicholson, Eloise DeJoria, Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson (World Premiere) [More World, North American and U.S. Premieres in following pages.] —
Steven Soderbergh has pushed against the limits of Hollywood’s sexual mores his entire career. His debut, sex, lies, and videotape , was a study in voyeurism and sexual dysfunction. He blurred the line dividing the feature film and porn video worlds with The Girlfriend Experience , which starred adult actress Sasha Grey. His last film, Magic Mike , subverted the male gaze by turning all eyes, male and female, on the rock-hard and very hairless abs of dude-strippers. Yet even Soderbergh has had trouble financing his next and rumored-to-be-last project, Behind the Candelabra , a biopic of Liberace starring Michael Douglas as the flamboyant pianist and Matt Damon as his significantly younger live-in lover. The veteran director only wanted $5 million to make his long-delayed film, but, as he told The Wrap , “They said it was too gay. Everybody. This was after Brokeback Mountain , by the way. Which is not as funny as this movie. I was stunned. It made no sense to any of us.” Luckily for Soderbergh, HBO believed enough in the project to greenlight it. But that still leaves the question: What does “too gay” mean in the Hollywood of 2013? Sadly, it doesn’t seem too different from what it meant fifty years ago in the Hollywood of 1963: Few gay protagonists can be normal, relatable people living in a world we recognize. In the real world, gay men and women are our friends, family, neighbors, and co-workers. But in the movies, that might be “too gay.” So screenwriters have come up with a multitude of ways to make homosexuality less immediate and less “threatening.” When they are the protagonists, gay characters vanish from everyday life: by dying, by disappearing into history, by rarely having sex, by committing evil, by being more flamboyant than pink rhinestones on a drag queen’s tiara. They may be admirable, certainly sympathizable, but they still too frequently lack ordinary humanity. The supposed breakthrough film Brokeback Mountain , for instance, marginalized homosexuality by situating its characters in a faraway setting and in a culture that was on the cusp of disappearance. And it fatally asserted its heterosexuality by having straight actors play gay, so that audiences never forget that a man kissing another man is all just play-acting. Little seems to have changed since Brokeback . The majority of studio movies with a gay male protagonist since has either taken place in Mad Men days ( Milk , Howl , A Single Man ) or featured same-sex sociopaths ( I Love You Philip Morris , Bruno ). It’s no better for lesbians, who watched one of their filmic counterparts in The Kids Are All Right have sex with a man, because of course that’s exactly what the female gay experience is all about. Equally alien to the lives of average gay women is the romance Jack and Diane , which finds one of its two budding lovers turning into a werewolf. And, it bears repeating, all of the main characters in these movies are played by straight actors. Luckily for gay viewers, the indie world is brimming with movies that are “too gay” and proud of it. The last two years alone have seen critical darlings like the sweet romance Weekend , the addiction drama Keep the Lights On , and the gay adoption saga Any Day Now . Also welcome and necessary are the coming-of-age tale Pariah and the Sex and the City -style Noah’s Arc , which feature all-too-rare gay characters of color. It’s almost surprising that Soderbergh’s biopic got the “too gay” chuck, since the subject matter – a mincing narcissist with a love of glittered capes and a barely legal pool-boy dying tragically from AIDS – is brimming with the usual defenses Hollywood is always eager to employ against normal gay existence. So one has to wonder if it isn’t the flamboyance that studios found “too gay,” but Soderbergh’s refusal to turn Liberace and his partner Scott Thorson into caricatures, to “take the relationship seriously.” After all, that might be too revolutionary for Hollywood. Maybe in 2063? Inkoo Kang is a film critic and investigative journalist in Boston. She has been published in Indiewire, Boxoffice Magazine, Yahoo! Movies, Pop Matters, Screen Junkies, and MuckRock. Her great dream in life is to direct a remake of All About Eve with an all-dog cast. Follow Movieline on Twitter .
Introducing the possibility that the upcoming Sin City: A Dame To Kill For will feature an extremely hip soundtrack packed full of adorkable DIY indie rock classics, Dimension Films announced today that Joseph Gordon-Levitt has been signed on to play a major role in the sequel to the 2005 film adaptation of Sin City . Levitt will play a new character called ‘Johnny,’ whose relation to the events of the story has not yet been revealed, but who will no doubt be both sensitive and hardcore. Per press release, Johnny is “a cocky gambler who disguises a darker mission to destroy his most foul enemy at his best game.” Presumably, Johnny will be forced to decide by the film’s end whether or not to betray, cry, or kill himself over a girl. A Dame To Kill For , the second storyline in the Sin City series, features the first appearance of Sin City’s (arguable) main character Dwight McCarthy, portrayed by Clive Owen in the 2005 film. It takes place chronologically before the events of the first storyline, The Hard Goodbye , which made up a considerable chunk of Sin City , and features a team up between Dwight and Marv, played by Mickey Rourke. The film is already in production under co-directors Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller at Rodriguez’s Troublemaker Studios, and “weaves together two of Miller’s classic stories with new tales in which the town’s most hard boiled citizens cross paths with some of its more repulsive inhabitants.” Sin City: A Dame To Kill For will feature the return of Mickey Rourke, Rosario Dawson and Jessica Alba; as it takes place before Dwight has reconstructive surgery, it’s possible that if Clive Owen reprises his role, it will only be at the end of the film. Gordon-Levitt joins fellow new additions Jamie King, Michael Madsen and Dennis Haysbert; the film is set for release on October 4, 2013. Ross Lincoln is a LA-based freelance writer from Oklahoma with an unhealthy obsession with comics, movies, video games, ancient history, Gore Vidal, and wine. Follow him on twitter (@rossalincoln). Follow Movieline on Twitter .
Joseph Gordon-Levitt ‘s directorial debut Don Jon’s Addiction will be among the headliners at the Berlin International Film Festival ‘s Panorama program. Starring Gordon-Levitt along with Scarlett Johansson , Julianne Moore and Tony Danza, the feature revolves around a modern-day Don Juan who attempts to change his ways. The film will have its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival next month. The film joins the lineup in Panorama along with fourteen other fiction titles and seven documentaries announced Tuesday. Also in the roster is Noah Baumbach’s acclaimed Frances Ha with Greta Gerwig and Rob Epstein’s Lovelace . Berlinale Panorama titles follow with information provided by the festival: Fictional films in the Main Programme and Panorama Special (15) Baek Ya (White Night) – Republic of Korea By Hee-il LeeSong With Tae-hee Won, Yi-kyung Yi European premiere Chemi Sabnis Naketsi (A Fold in My Blanket) – Georgia By Zaza Rusadze With Tornike Bziava, Tornike Gogrichiani, Zura Kipshidze, Avtandil Makharadze, Giorgi Nakashidze World premiere Dduit-dam-hwa: Gam-dok-i-mi-cheot-eo-yo (Behind the Camera) – Republic of Korea By E J-Yong With Yuh-jung Youn, Hee-soon Park, Hye-jung Gang, Jung-se Oh, Min-hee Kim International premiere Deshora (Belated) – Argentina/Columbia/Norway By Barbara Sarasola-Day With Luis Ziembrowski, Alejandro Buitrago, Maria Ucedo World premiere Don Jon’s Addiction – USA By Joseph Gordon-Levitt With Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Scarlett Johansson, Julianne Moore International premiere Frances Ha – USA By Noah Baumbach With Greta Gerwig, Mickey Sumner, Charlotte D’Ambiose, Adam Driver European premiere Habi, la extranjera (Habi, the Foreigner) – Argentina/Brazil By Maria Florencia Alvarez With Martina Juncadella, Martin Slipak, Maria Luisa Mendonça, Lucia Alfonsin World premiere Inch´Allah – Canada By Anaïs Barbeau-Lavalette With Evelyne Brochu, Sabrina Ouazani, Yousef Sweid, Sivan Levy, Carlo Brandt International premiere Kashi-ggot (Fatal) – Republic of Korea By Don-ku Lee With Yeon-woo Nam, Jo-a Yang, Jeong-ho Hong, Ki-doong Kang European premiere La Piscina (The Swimming Pool) – Cuba/Venezuela By Carlos Machado Quintela With Raul Capote, Monica Molinet, Felipe Garcia, Carlos Javier Martinez, Marcos Costa International premiere Lovelace – USA With Rob Epstein, Jeffrey Friedman By Amanda Seyfried, Peter Sarsgaard, Sharon Stone, Robert Patrick, Juno Temple International premiere Meine Schwestern (My Sisters) – Germany By Lars Kraume With Jördis Triebel, Nina Kunzendorf, Lisa Hagmeister, Beatrice Dalle, Angela Winkler World premiere Rock the Casbah – Israel By Yariv Horowitz With Yon Tumarkin, Roy Nik, Yotam Ishay, Rave Iftach, Khawla Alhaj Debsi International premiere Tanta Agua (So Much Water) – Uruguay/Mexico/Netherlands/ Germany By Ana Guevara Pose, Leticia Jorge Romero With Malú Chouza, Néstor Guzzini, Joaquín Castiglioni World premiere The Broken Circle Breakdown – Belgium By Felix van Groeningen With Johan Heldenbergh, Veerle Baetens, Nell Cattrysse International premiere Panorama Dokumente (7) Alam laysa lana (A World Not Ours) – Great Britain/Lebanon/Denmark By Mahdi Fleifel European premiere Gut Renovation – USA By Su Friedrich International premiere Naked Opera – Luxemburg/Germany By Angela Christlieb World premiere Roland Klick – The Heart Is a Hungry Hunter – Germany By Sandra Prechtel With Roland Klick, Otto Sander, Eva Mattes, David Hess, Hark Bohm World premiere Sing Me the Songs That Say I Love You – A Concert for Kate McGarrigle – USA By Lian Lunson With Rufus Wainwright, Martha Wainwright, Emmylou Harris, Norah Jones, Anna McGarrigle European premiere State 194 – USA/Israel By Dan Setton With Yoram Millo, Daniel J. Chalfen, Ariel Setton, Margaret Yen European premiere The Act of Killing – Denmark/Norway/Great Britain By Joshua Oppenheimer With Janus Billekov Jansen, Carlos Mariano Arango de Montis, Mariko Montpetit, Henrik Gugge Garnov, Charlotte Munch Bengtsen European premiere
Warner Bros. 2015 Justice League movie may not have a director yet, but it looks like it has a villain. Latino Review is reporting that Batman , Superman , Wonder Woman and their super colleagues will be throwing down against a major baddie, Darkseid from the subtly named planet, Apokolips, when the summer of 2015 rolls around. If Darkseid, who was created by the legendary comic artist Jack Kirby , is indeed the villain who will be wreaking havoc in the DC movie universe, it’s an interesting choice, given that Marvel plans to feature the villain Thanos in Avengers 2 , which it plans to release that same summer. Justice League ‘s Darkseid vs. Avengers 2 ‘s Thanos As Comic Book Legends Revealed points out, Thanos was “roughly based on Darkseid” (although the character’s creator Jim Starlin didn’t originally envision him as such.) The connection between the two characters could help ratchet up the competitive tension between the rival movies as release time grows closer. (It’s only, like, years away.) DC could also do some “our super-villain can kick your super-villain’s ass” sassing based on IGN’s Top 100 Comic Book Villains of All Time , in which Darkseid ranks sixth and Thanos is 47th. If you ask me, these two dudes do look alike. That’s Darkseid on the left. Thanos is on the right. What do you think? Sound off in the comments section. By the way, the unforgiving mug of the late actor Jack Palance inspired Darkseid’s face. Kirby based the villain’s evil nature on Adolf Hitler. [ Latino Review , Comic Book Legends Revealed , IGN] Follow Frank DiGiacomo on Twitter. Follow Movieline on Twitter.
Films starring Guy Pearce, Nicole Kidman , Alexander Skarsgard, Joseph Gordon-Levitt , Ashton Kutcher , Demi Moore and Naomi Watts are some of the highlights from world premieres that make up the 2013 Sundance Film Festival ‘s Premieres section. Organizers revealed its selections Monday, which includes Gordon-Levitt’s feature directorial debut, Don Jon’s Addiction . The eighteen titles include the latest from veteran filmmakers Richard Linklater , Michael Polish, Zal Batmanglij, Michael Winterbottom, Jane Campion, Park Chan-wook and David Gordon Green. [ Related: Check out Sundance’s Midnight and Spotlight Premieres , Also U.S. and World Competition as well as Next lineups ] The event also announced 11 non-fiction features that will screen in its Documentary Premieres section, including new work from Oscar winners Alex Gibney and Barbara Kopple in addition to the directorial debut from Foo Fighters frontman, David Grohl ( Sound City ). In all, Sundance will include 115 feature-length films, with 101 screening as World Premieres. “We are pleased to see a number of returning filmmakers in our Premieres and Documentary Premieres sections, indicating that there is sustainability, longevity and personal reward to careers in independent film,” said Sundance Film Festival Director John Cooper in a statement. “The films announced today build on each filmmaker’s personal artistic legacy and contribute to the ever-growing and inspiring achievements of the independent film community.” The 2013 Sundance Film Festival, January 17-27 in Park City, Salt Lake City, Ogden and Sundance, Utah. [ Related Interview: Sundance Director John Cooper Says ‘Fearlessness’ Distinguishes The Festival’s 2013 Slate ] Sundance Film Festival 2013 Premiere and Documentary Premiere with descriptions provided by the festival. PREMIERES A showcase of world premieres of some of the most highly anticipated dramatic films of the coming year. Presented by Entertainment Weekly. A.C.O.D. / U.S.A. (Director: Stuart Zicherman, Screenwriters: Ben Karlin, Stuart Zicherman) — Carter is a well-adjusted Adult Child of Divorce. So he thinks. When he discovers he was part of a divorce study as a child, it wreaks havoc on his family and forces him to face his chaotic past. Cast: Adam Scott, Richard Jenkins, Catherine O’Hara, Amy Poehler, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Clark Duke. Before Midnight / U.S.A. (Director: Richard Linklater, Screenwriters: Julie Delpy, Ethan Hawke, Richard Linklater— We meet Jesse and Celine nine years on in Greece. Almost two decades have passed since their first meeting on that train bound for Vienna. Before the clock strikes midnight, we will again become part of their story. Cast: Ethan Hawke, Julie Delpy, Xenia Kalogeropoulou, Ariane Labed, Athina Rachel Tsangari, Seamus Davey-Fitzpatrick. Big Sur / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Michael Polish) — Unable to cope with a suddenly demanding public and battling advanced alcoholism, Jack Kerouac seeks respite in three brief sojourns to a cabin in Big Sur, which reveal his mental and physical deterioration. Cast: Jean-Marc Barr, Kate Bosworth, Josh Lucas, Radha Mitchell, Anthony Edwards, Henry Thomas. Breathe In / U.S.A. (Director: Drake Doremus, Screenwriters: Drake Doremus, Ben York Jones) — When a foreign exchange student arrives in a small upstate New York town, she challenges the dynamics of her host family’s relationships and alters their lives forever. Cast: Guy Pearce, Felicity Jones, Amy Ryan, Mackenzie Davis. Don Jon’s Addiction / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Joseph Gordon-Levitt) — In Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s charming directorial debut, a selfish modern-day Don Juan attempts to change his ways. Cast: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Scarlett Johansson, Julianne Moore, Tony Danza, Glenne Headly, Rob Brown. The East / U.S.A. (Director: Zal Batmanglij, Screenwriters: Zal Batmanglij, Brit Marling) — An operative for an elite private intelligence firm goes into deep cover to infiltrate a mysterious anarchist collective attacking major corporations. Bent on apprehending these fugitives, she finds her loyalty tested as her feelings grow for the group’s charismatic leader. Cast: Brit Marling, Alexander Skarsgård, Ellen Page, Toby Kebbell, Shiloh Fernandez, Patricia Clarkson. The Inevitable Defeat of Mister and Pete / U.S.A. (Director: George Tillman Jr., Screenwriter: Michael Starrbury) — Separated from their mothers and facing a summer in the Brooklyn projects alone, two boys hide from police and forage for food, with only each other to trust. A story of salvation through friendship and two boys against the world. Cast: Skylan Brooks, Ethan Dizon, Jennifer Hudson, Jordin Sparks, Anthony Mackie, Jeffrey Wright. jOBS / U.S.A. (Director: Joshua Michael Stern, Screenwriter: Matt Whiteley) — The true story of one of the greatest entrepreneurs in American history, jOBS chronicles the defining 30 years of Steve Jobs’ life. jOBS is a candid, inspiring and personal portrait of the one who saw things differently. Cast: Ashton Kutcher, Dermot Mulroney, Josh Gad, Lukas Haas, J.K. Simmons, Matthew Modine. CLOSING NIGHT FILM The Look of Love / United Kingdom (Director: Michael Winterbottom, Screenwriter: Matt Greenhalgh) — The true story of British adult magazine publisher and entrepreneur Paul Raymond. A modern day King Midas story, Raymond became one of the richest men in Britain at the cost of losing those closest to him. Cast: Steve Coogan, Anna Friel, Imogen Poots, Tamsin Egerton. Lovelace / U.S.A. (Directors: Rob Epstein, Jeffrey Friedman, Screenwriter: Andy Bellin) — Deep Throat, the first pornographic feature film to be a mainstream success, was an international sensation in 1972 and made its star, Linda Lovelace, a media darling. Years later the “poster girl for the sexual revolution” revealed a darker side to her story. Cast: Amanda Seyfried, Peter Sarsgaard, Hank Azaria, Adam Brody, James Franco, Sharon Stone. The Necessary Death of Charlie Countryman / U.S.A. (Director: Fredrik Bond, Screenwriter: Matt Drake) — Traveling abroad, Charlie Countryman falls for Gabi, a Romanian beauty whose unreachable heart has its origins in Nigel, her violent, charismatic ex. As the darkness of Gabi’s past increasingly envelops him, Charlie resolves to win her heart, or die trying. Cast: Shia LaBeouf, Evan Rachel Wood, Mads Mikkelsen, Rupert Grint, James Buckley, Til Schweiger. Prince Avalanche / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: David Gordon Green) — Two highway road workers spend the summer of 1988 away from their city lives. The isolated landscape becomes a place of misadventure as the men find themselves at odds with each other and the women they left behind. Cast: Paul Rudd, Emile Hirsch. Stoker / U.S.A. (Director: Park Chan-Wook, Screenwriter: Wentworth Miller) — After India’s father dies in an auto accident, her Uncle Charlie comes to live with her and her mother, Evelyn. Soon after his arrival, India suspects that this mysterious, charming man has ulterior motives but becomes increasingly infatuated with him. Cast: Mia Wasikowska, Matthew Goode, Dermot Mulroney, Jacki Weaver, Nicole Kidman. Sweetwater / U.S.A. (Directors: Logan Miller, Noah Miller, Screenwriter: Andrew McKenzie) — In the late 1800s, a fanatical religious leader, a renegade Sheriff, and a former prostitute collide in a blood triangle on the rugged plains of the New Mexico Territory. Cast: Ed Harris, January Jones, Jason Isaacs, Eduardo Noriega, Steven Rude, Amy Madigan. Top of the Lake / Australia, New Zealand (Directors: Jane Campion, Garth Davis, Screenwriters: Jane Campion, Gerard Lee) — A 12-year-old girl stands chest deep in a frozen lake. She is five months pregnant, and won’t say who the father is. Then she disappears. So begins a haunting mystery that consumes a community. Cast: Elisabeth Moss, Holly Hunter, Peter Mullan, David Wenham. This six-hour film will screen once during the Festival. Two Mothers / Australia, France (Director: Anne Fontaine, Screenwriter: Christopher Hampton) — This gripping tale of love, lust and the power of friendship charts the unconventional and passionate affairs of two lifelong friends who fall in love with each other’s sons. Cast: Naomi Watts, Robin Wright, Xavier Samuel, James Frechevile. Very Good Girls / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Naomi Foner) — In the long, half-naked days of a New York summer, two girls on the brink of becoming women fall for the same guy and find that life isn’t as simple or safe as they had thought. Cast: Dakota Fanning, Elizabeth Olsen, Boyd Holbrook, Demi Moore, Richard Dreyfuss, Ellen Barkin. The Way, Way Back / U.S.A. (Directors and screenwriters: Nat Faxon, Jim Rash) — Duncan, an introverted 14-year-old, comes into his own over the course of a comedic summer when he forms unlikely friendships with the gregarious manager of a rundown water park and the misfits who work there. Cast: Steve Carell, Toni Collette, Allison Janney, Sam Rockwell, Maya Rudolph, Liam James. DOCUMENTARY PREMIERES Renowned filmmakers and films about huge subjects comprise this section highlighting our ongoing commitment to documentaries. Each is a world premiere. ANITA / U.S.A. (Director: Freida Mock) — Anita Hill, an African-American woman, charges Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas with sexual harassment in explosive Senate hearings in 1991 – bringing sexual politics into the national consciousness and fueling 20 years of international debate on the issues. The Crash Reel / U.S.A. (Director: Lucy Walker) — The jaw-dropping story of one unforgettable athlete, Kevin Pearce; one eye-popping sport, snow boarding; and one explosive issue, traumatic brain injury. An epic rivalry between Kevin and Shaun White culminates in a life-changing crash and a comeback story with a difference. SALT LAKE CITY GALA FILM History of the Eagles / U.S.A. (Director: Alison Ellwood) — Using never-before-seen home movies, archival footage and new interviews with all current and former members of the Eagles, this documentary provides an intimate look into the history of the band and the legacy of their music. Linsanity / U.S.A. (Director: Evan Leong) — Jeremy Lin came from a humble background to make an unbelievable run in the NBA. State high school champion, all-Ivy League at Harvard, undrafted by the NBA and unwanted there: his story started long before he landed on Broadway. Pandora’s Promise / U.S.A. (Director: Robert Stone) — A growing number of environmentalists are renouncing decades of antinuclear orthodoxy and have come to believe that the most feared and controversial technology known to mankind is probably our greatest hope. Running from Crazy / U.S.A. (Director: Barbara Kopple) — Mariel Hemingway, granddaughter of Ernest Hemingway, strives for a greater understanding of her family history of suicide and mental illness. As tragedies are explored and deeply hidden secrets are revealed, Mariel searches for a way to overcome a similar fate. Sound City / U.S.A. (Director: Dave Grohl) — Through interviews and performances with the legendary musicians and producers who worked at America’s greatest unsung recording studio, Sound City, we explore the human element of music, and the lost art of analog recording in an increasingly digital world. We Steal Secrets: The Story of WikiLeaks / U.S.A. (Director: Alex Gibney) — In 2010, WikiLeaks and its sources used the power of the Internet to usher in what was for some a new era of transparency and for others the beginnings of an information war. When I Walk / U.S.A., Canada (Director: Jason DaSilva) — At 25, filmmaker and artist Jason DaSilva finds out he has a severe form of multiple sclerosis. This film shares his personal and grueling journey over the next seven years. Along the way, an unlikely miracle changes everything. Which Way is the Front Line from Here? The Life and Time of Tim Hetherington / U.S.A. (Director: Sebastian Junger) — Shortly after the release of his documentary Restrepo, photographer Tim Hetherington was killed in Libya. Colleague Sebastian Junger traces Hetherington’s work across the world’s battlefields to reveal how he transcended the boundaries of image-making to become a luminary in his profession. The World According to Dick Cheney / U.S.A. (Directors: R.J. Cutler, Greg Finton) — How did Dick Cheney become the single-most-powerful nonpresidential figure in American history? This multi-layered examination of Cheney’s life, career, key relationships and controversial worldview features exclusive interviews with the former vice president and his closest allies.
