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Daybreakers: "Dystopic films have to strike the right balance between the sterility of the future and the need to breathe some life into the movie (see Gattaca for a good examplre). The Spierig Brothers get the vampire dystopia right -- I really like the idea of huge corporations farming human blood for a mostly vampire population. But there's no razzmatazz, no charisma, no spirit, no fucking life force. It needs an occasional dose of humor; a Hannibal King; a sympathetic character. Something that might resonate with the audience, that we can relate to; that might make us give a damn about the smart ideas bubbling beneath asepsis." - Dustin Rowles

Edge of Darkness: "My guess is that a lot of critics and, in particular, box-office prognosticators, are taking a very noncommittal approach to Mel Gibson's first turn in front of the screen in seven years. How very...

How I Got Lost… Well, maybe you should start to answer that with the drunken cab ride out New York to Philadelphia. The film by Joe Leonard follows Andrew (Aaron Stanford) and Jake (Jacob Fishel) a year after the 9/11 attacks. They were two promising kids who grew up into mediocrity. Jake, an aspiring novelist who settles for sports writing, loved and lost a beautiful blond girl named Sarah (Nicole Vicius), a girl who tends to disappear a lot, and Andrew, in the midst of a drunken downward spiral, just lost his father. Andrew tricks Jake into attending the funeral, hence the “surprise” trip to Philadelphia, and then on to Ohio. On their journey, Jake meets a small town waitress, Leslie (Rosemarie Dewitt), and the flirtatious outcome that is more than predictable follows. Andrew, being the loud, obnoxious one of the duo, makes a rude, loud speech to all of the guests at the wake,...

Attention New Yorkers (or people who live somewhere near New York and from time to time travel to the city for a taste of some quality entertainment): The Sixth Annual Big Apple Film Festival begins tonight over at Tribeca Cinemas and runs through Saturday, November 7th. Named one of the "25 Coolest Film Festivals" by Moviemaker Magazine (partly because yours truly is heavily involved with all aspects of the festival, natch), this year's slate of over 100 different films looks to be their best yet.

Now this isn't some giant big city festival by any means; it's more of a small, intimate slice-of-ny-life sorta festival that supports and promotes homegrown talent. Tonight they're opening the festival with Against the Current, starring Joseph Fiennes, Elizabeth Reaser, Justin Kirk and Mary Tyler Moore -- and if you're one of the lucky ones in attendance, you'll spot a hottie Cinematical stud named Erik Davis hosting the post-screening Q&A.

Monday was Arbor Day for me. That is, I watched two Austin Film Festival films up at the Arbor Cinema. The best anyone can do is three features a day from this point on, but I was too busy watching a screener to make it any earlier (and more on that later).

I don't know how much of it was rainy Monday, post-conference, or just being out of downtown, but the Aff movies at the Arbor were not crowded. That's not to say it was empty -- there was a respectable sized crowd for both films I saw -- but no one was forced for sit in the front row. Keep that in mind for all venues for the next three days; unless you're late, you're likely to get into everything now. If it's at the Paramount, you'll get in.

First up for me was How I Got Lost (pictured...

It’s time for the 16th annual Austin Film Festival (October 22nd ‐ 29th). The Aff always features a strong competition in the narrative and documentary categories, as well as high profile “marquee” premieres (An Education, Youth in Revolt, The Road, The Fourth Kind, Calvin Marshall, and Precious to name a few). Serious_Moonlight_still Opening the festival will be Serious Moonlight (directed by Cheryl Hines and written by the late Adrienne Shelly) on October 22nd at 7pm at the Paramount Theatre with Hines in attendance. up-in-the-air-clooney Closing the festival will be Up in the Air (directed by Jason Reitman and written by Reitman and Sheldon Turner) on October 29th at 8pm at the Paramount Theatre with Reitman in attendance. Along with the film festival, there is also a four-day conference (October 22nd – 25th) featuring over 80 panels, ranging from very personal “Meet and Greets” and round-table discussions to larger Q&A sessions.

Director: Joe Leonard Writer(s): Joe Leonard Starring: Aaron Stanford, Jacob Fishel, Rosemarie DeWitt, Nicole Vicius, Jill Flint, Emily Wickersham, Lily Holleman, Gregory Konow, Katie Apicella, Gregory Northrop, Peter Mayer, Aidan Nichols, John Pierson Cleverly and meaningfully book-ended by two significantly traumatic dates for New Yorkers in the aughts (September 11, 2001 and August 14, 2003), How I Got Lost tells the story of two friends who are caught in a downward spiral into the depths of depression – and Andrew (Aaron Stanford) and Jake (Jacob Fishel) are not just dealing with the mental repercussions of September 11th, they are both facing much more personal losses. Andrew has developed a taste for booze which he hopelessly attempts to balance with his career as a trader on Wall Street. Andrew’s best friend, Jake, is a broken-hearted sports writer. Jake was recently dumped by the love of his life, Sarah (Nicole Vicius), most likely for...

Are you an aspiring filmmaker? If not, do you know someone who is? If so, you may see one of their films during the St. Louis Filmmaker’s Showcase. If not, you’ll still see plenty of great feature and short films during this 9th annual love affair with local filmmaking. On that note, even if you just simply love great movies, this is still a wonderful event to patronize.

The Ninth Annual Slfs will be held July 18-23, 2009. This event focuses exclusively on the work of local directors and filmmakers, as well as expatriates with strong local connections who have gone on to use their creative talents in other cities. Tickets are on sale now!

For the filmmakers, Saturday is your day to learn, with filmmaking seminars running throughout the day. For the film buffs and movie geeks, be sure to get out and see at least one of...