WHAT’S DOIN’, BASTARDS?

SXSW? Alfuckingready? I still have 24hours of bad films at B-Fest to get through before I class it up in Austin. And in case you’re wondering my interpretation of “class” doesn’t involve pants. There really isn’t a film on this list that I am not interested in (the EVIL DEAD remake has my money, that red-band trailer is pretty damn convincing). For the official verbiage along with some additional nuggets of cool (like the world premiere of Alex Winter’s DOWNLOADED), let’s break to the press release for the full skinny.

Austin, Texas – January 15, 2013 – The South by Southwest (SXSW) Film Conference and Festival is thrilled to announce the world premiere of the comedy The Incredible Burt Wonderstone, from Warner Bros. Pictures and New Line Cinema, as the 2013 Opening Night Film on Friday, March 8, 2013.

The story follows superstar magicians Burt Wonderstone (Steve Carell) and Anton Marvelton (Steve Buscemi), who have ruled the Las Vegas strip for years, raking in millions with illusions as big as Burt’s growing ego. But lately the duo’s greatest deception is their public friendship, while secretly they’ve grown to loathe each other. Facing cutthroat competition from guerilla street magician Steve Gray (Jim Carrey), whose cult following surges with each outrageous stunt, even their show looks stale. But there’s still a chance Burt and Anton can save the act—both onstage and off—if Burt can get back in touch with what made him love magic in the first place. Directed by Don Scardino, from a screenplay by Jonathan Goldstein & John Francis Daley, and story by Chad Kultgen & Tyler Mitchell and Jonathan Goldstein & John Francis Daley, the film also stars Olivia Wilde, Alan Arkin and James Gandolfini. Produced by Chris Bender, Steve Carell, Jake Weiner and Tyler Mitchell, and executive produced by Diana Pokorny, Vance DeGeneres, Charlie Hartsock, J.C. Spink, Richard Brener, Walter Hamada and Dave Neustadter, the film will be in theaters on March 15, 2013.

SXSW also revealed a handful of lively titles that will premiere at the 2013 event, comprised of a range of styles that embody the unique spirit of the SXSW culture. Additional films announced include Joe Swanberg’s welcome return to SXSW with Drinking Buddies, a comedy exploring the blurry line between “friends” and “more than friends,” Downloaded, Alex Winter’s definitive documentary on the rise and fall of Napster, Harmony Korine’s provocative ride Spring Breakers, Evil Dead, the much anticipated remake of the 1981 cult-hit, directed by Fede Alvarez, Ryan White’s doc Good Ol’ Freda, chronicling the never-before-told story of The Beatles’ secretary Freda Kelly, and Everyone’s Going to Die, the first feature from UK directing
collective Jones. The complete festival lineup will be announced January 31, excluding Midnighter features, which will be announced with the Shorts lineup on February 6. This year marks the 20th Anniversary of the South by Southwest Film Conference and Festival, March 8 – 16, 2013 in Austin, Texas.

“Everyone knows that we like have a good time at SXSW, and our 20th year is already well on track with smart, stylish and highly entertaining work,” said SXSW Film Conference and Festival Producer Janet Pierson. “Though this is just a taste of what SXSW 2013 will have to offer, what better way to get the party started than with The Incredible Burt Wonderstone, which had us laughing our heads off, despite an 8am Monday viewing.”

LOCKED AND LOADED,

MR. SIX

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Jon Abrams

Editor-In-Chief at Daily Grindhouse

Jon Abrams is a New York-based writer, cartoonist, and committed cinemaniac whose complete work and credits can be found at his site, Demon’s Resume. You can contact him on Twitter as @JonZilla___.