The Playlist:
There's the fall festival season, which is represented by Venice, Telluride, TIFF and New York, but the first part of the year is also slammed with back-to-back fests. Sundance has wrapped, Berlin kicks off soon and next month comes SXSW, and today they've unveiled their full feature lineup.
In addition to previously announced titles like Richard Linklater's "Everybody Wants Some" and Jeff Nichols' "Midnight Special," there's some interesting fare coming. After a not so great reception at TIFF, Jake Gyllenhaal's "Demolition" will go to Texas, and following Berlin, John Michael McDonagh will bring "War On Everyone." There will also be World Premieres of new films by Mike Birbiglia ("Don't Think Twice") and Ti West ("In A Valley Of Violence").
Variety
Crafting a convincing tale of survival against steep odds in a harsh, unforgiving landscape would seem to be out of the reach of most low-budget independent filmmakers. Fortunately for twin-brother directors Alex and Andrew Smith, they’re able to rely on a key visual effect that won’t show up on any ledger sheet: the mountains around Montana’s Paradise Valley. Gorgeously shot in Big Sky Country, and stripped down to its most elemental components, “Walking Out” strands father-and-son hunters played by Matt Bomer and Josh Wiggins in the wilderness after an accident, and its unabashedly folky, less-is-more approach proves quietly moving.
Variety
If you can imagine a multi-movie-mashup of boardroom suspenser, “Die Hard” redux and zombie apocalypse — well, too bad, director Joe Lynch and scripter Matias Caruso have already beat you to the punch. “Mayhem,” their rousingly gonzo thriller about the violent commingling of infectious disease and corporate malfeasance, is a smartly constructed and sardonically funny indie with attitude that somehow manages the tricky feat of being exuberantly over the top even as it remains consistently on target.
The Hollywood Reporter
Actor Michael Shannon serves as one of the executive producers of this timely drama centering on the romance between a Pakistani and a Mexican-American woman.
I am close enough to go to this but have never gone. Depending on the weather...I might think about trying to go this year.