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There are erotic fan fiction fans. And then there are those who devote their life to writing it. Neil is in the author camp. And his hobby may have just gotten him ostracised from his classmates in the sure-to-be hilarious new romantic comedy Slash. Today, we have the first trailer and the official poster for Slash, and if you're a fan or writer of fan fiction, this is one future cult classic that is not to be missed.

Neil is a questioning high school freshman whose main social outlet is the steamy erotic fan fiction he writes about Vanguard, the brawny, galaxy-hopping hero of a popular sci-fi franchise. When Neil's stories are exposed in class he is mortified, but the effortlessly-cool Julia comes to his defense. An erotic fan fic writer herself, Julia pushes Neil to publish his stories to an online "adult" forum, where they quickly grab the attention of the site moderator,...

Here's your daily dose of an indie film, web series, TV pilot, what-have-you in progress -- at the end of the week, you'll have the chance to vote for your favorite. In the meantime: Is this a project you’d want to see? Tell us in the comments. Slash Logline: "Slash" is an intelligent comedy about an awkward teenage boy named Neil, whose taboo fan fiction is discovered by his peers. Elevator Pitch: "Slash" is a comedy about a questioning teen who writes erotic fan fiction. Neil is a high-school freshman who writes slash fiction about a popular sci-fi hero: Vanguard. Everything changes when he meets an older student named Julia, who pushes him to publish his fan fic online. When the website’s moderator takes a special interest in Neil’s work, things get complicated, especially when the two kids travel to a nearby con. Production Team: Clay Liford - Writer/Director ("Wuss,...

Michael Ian Black (The State, Wet Hot American Summer, They Came Together) and Missi Pyle (Gone Girl) have joined the indie comedy ‘Slash’, currently filming in Austin. The cast also includes Sarah Ramos (Parenthood), Peter Vack (Mozart In The Jungle), Jessie Ennis (Veep) and Matt Peters (Orange Is The New Black). Directed by Clay Liford (Earthling), who also wrote the screenplay, the coming of age drama focuses on a teenage erotic fan fic author; the title is a reference…...

As a film critic, I hear a lot about websites where thieves steal and repost other critics' reviews, sometimes not even bothering to remove identifying material.

But this week, I got my first experience in seeing a purported "filmmaker" post short films to his website that he might claim are his, but obviously do not belong to him. I know this because I saw one of the films in its original incarnation: the very funny short My Mom Smokes Weed, from Austin filmmaker Clay Liford -- it screened at Austin Film Festival in 2009 as well as a number of other film fests. And if you've watched any of Liford's movies (Wuss, Earthling), you know this is so very much his trademark work that anyone else trying to pass it off as his own is an idiot.

If you haven't seen My Mom Smokes Weed, now's your chance. I've embedded it below.

For those of you who reside in the Big Apple and want to see one of Austin’s finest films of the last few years, Clay Liford‘s Wuss will be screening at the reRun Theater in Brooklyn on September 17 courtesy of Filmwax. Wuss is a masterful work of sound and vision, clearly exceeding the production values of most independent cinema. Liford’s uniquely desaturated, nearly monochromatic aesthetic visually binds this feature with his debut feature (Earthling), while clearly separating himself from most other filmmakers. If Wuss was produced in Hollywood, it would certainly include bright, cheery and over-saturated cinematography and a Billboard Top 40 soundtrack, but that is clearly not how Liford sees (or hears) the world. Lastly, Nate Rubin‘s lead performance as Mitch – a meek and measly twerp of a high school English teacher (technically, a substitute with a long-term assignment) who is otherwise known as “Little Bitch” — is nothing short of masterful. Speaking...

Another full day, starting with Compliance, inspired by a series of particularly vicious pranks in past years. It's not a bad film, but it's hard to believe people are really that complacent, even knowing it's based on actual events. Of course, it might be that I was less receptive due to things like all the cell phones being checked during the screening, someone with a light in their badge (?!) during the movie, and after having discovered that Capital Metro eliminated all but two stops on Brazos for the #3 bus, which I hadn't taken since Brazos construction (finally) finished, so I ended up walking much farther than expected.

I was not late for Gayby, which is good, because like every screening I've been in, it was sold out. Gayby is funny, snarky, and can't avoid comparison to the recently released Friends with Kids. It's what I wish the latter was like.

We're deep in the heart of the 18th Austin Film Festival we've been spotlighting the Austin films, but Uncertain, TX has so many Texas filmmakers working on it, we just had to do a quick interview with director Eric Steele and producer Adam Donaghey, both based up in the Dfw area. Austin's Clay Liford (Wuss, Earthling) did the cinematography. Uncertain, TX may be Steele's first feature film, but he's been active in the local film community. Steele, Donaghey, Barak Epstein and Jason Reimer are all part of Aviation Cinemas, which revived the historic Texas Theatre in 2010.

Describe your film for us, in a quick and dirty paragraph.

Eric Steele: Uncertain, TX is, in essence, the worst bed and breakfast experience imaginable. Two drifters happen upon an old bed and breakfast in a bayou town near the Louisiana/Texas border and encounter a very odd family who psychologically torments them during their stay.

"…and I would have gotten away with it, too, if it wasn’t for you meddling kids!. Just how many episodes of "Scooby Doo" ended with that line? And did anyone ever wonder why the criminals were able to bamboozle the entire town and police squad with their schemes only to be foiled by a dog and four stoner kids who rolled into town two days earlier in a van that had to smell like malted hops, bong resin and dog farts? We’ve got some info on a new movie where the meddling kids don't necessarily fare so well.

Directed by Spencer Parsons and starring Ashley Spillers, Josephine Decker and Jonny Mars, Saturday Morning Massacrefollows some meddling paranormal investigators trying to make a buck. From the information we've managed to glean thus far, there is no talking dog in this film.

The film is currently in post-production and the official website titsandaxe.

"Wuss is a masterful work of sound and vision, clearly exceeding the production values of most independent cinema. Liford’s uniquely desaturated, nearly monochromatic aesthetic visually binds his two features together, while clearly separating himself from most other filmmakers. I bet if Wuss was produced in Hollywood, it would certainly include bright, cheery and over-saturated cinematography and a Billboard Top 40 soundtrack, but judging solely from Earthling and Wuss, that is not how Liford sees (or hears) the world." Below is our conversation with Clay Liford in downtown Austin, TX, for SXSW Film 2011:...

If you are looking for a heady mix of Nicolas Roeg sci-fi (The Man Who Fell To Earth) combined with David Cronenberg-style body horror, be on the lookout for writer/director Clay Liford’s upcoming bizarro genre flick Earthling. The movie, which stars The Dilemma’s Rebecca Spence, Pulp Fiction’s Peter Greene and Carrie’s William Katt, goes on tour this spring/summer. For trailer, dates, plot info and exclusive pics, read below the jump.

Director Clay Liford first made these pages last year when his low budget scifi film Earthling screened at SXSW and he's making a return appearance to the festival in 2011 with his new feature Wuss.Wuss is the story of a high school teacher who faces constant ridicule after he's repeatedly beaten up by several of his own students. Having nowhere else to turn, he eventually teams up with another of his students to fight back. This student, a young girl, is feared school-wide because of a dark family reputation. She also has an unfortunate nickname grafted to her due to her predilection for smoking discarded cigarettes. Bonded in battle, the student and teacher form a friendship that stretches the use of the word inappropriate.With...

Congratulations to filmmaker Clay Liford, whose latest feature Wuss will have its world premiere in the Lone Star States category at SXSW 2011 next month.

Remember Clay? Last year at SXSW, My Blackberry Ate My Clay Liford Interview when I talked with him and producer Barak Epstein about Clay's cerebral science-fiction genre-crossing movie Earthling, and touched briefly on his 2008 short My Mom Smokes Weed. The man is batting a thousand -- getting two features into SXSW two years in a row is no mean feat. He spent a Sunday brunch at Olivia a couple of weeks ago chatting with Jette and me about his latest projects -- we all ate smoked gouda grits, and the Blackberry did not eat the interview this time.

As it happens, My Mom Smokes Weed star Nate Rubin plays the lead in Wuss. Rubin stars as Mitch, a high-school teacher who can't seem to escape the...

Clay Liford is a festival darling. His first short film, My Mom Smokes Weed, premiered last year at Sundance, and then two months later his first feature, Earthling, had its world premiere at SXSW, going on to garner acclaim at more prestigious festivals (including Spain’s Sitges Fest).

Read more on SXSW 2011: First look at Clay Liford’s Wuss…...

While you might not recognize his name, Chris Doubek has turned into one of the most visible local actors in Austin, and this year he's owned the Austin indie scene with no less than four films featuring his diverse talent. He may be hamming it up in the picture above from SXSW 2010, but Slackerwood has declared 2010 the Year of Doubek for good reason.

If there was an Austin Film Actor of the Year award, Doubek would have annihilated the competition. At SXSW 2010, it was impossible to turn around without bumping into Doubek as he was running around between premieres of his movies including Clay Liford's Earthling, Paul Gordon's The Happy Poet, and Brian Poyser's Lovers of Hate. He's so good, he has had at least one role written just for him.  

read more...

[Editor's note: If anyone says 2010 was a sh!% year for movies, please refer them to this post.]

Instead of the usual "best" or "worst" films of the year lists, I thought a good way to take a look at the highs and lows of the 2010 film year would be to compile almost every single review we published in 2010 and let readers meander through the wasteland as it were.

I'm really amazed at the range of films we managed to cover from around the globe this year. Quiet Earth has certainly come a long way over the years and it's really due to the talents and passion of our team of writers who literally travel a world of fests to bring news and reviews of new films.

I hope you're all taking notes. Many of these films were from fests and will probably be hitting VOD and Blu-ray sometime in the new year, so this is a good chance to get a start on your must-watch lists.

The...

While at South by Southwest I had an opportunity to sit down with Clay Liford and Barak Epstein, a very talented duo out of Dallas, to discuss their film ‘Earthling’. The movie is a science fiction film about a group of people who realize their lives aren’t what they seem to be, and that they are actually aliens living inside of “host” human bodies.

Tmp: You seem very passionate about the science fiction genre. Why did you choose to write a character driven Sci-Fi film opposed to what people might normally expect?

Liford: I think it always comes down to my own personal interests, the genre itself is just a part of the palate, more things you can paint with as a part of your film. Sci-fi doesn’t always have to be rockets and ray-guns and stuff like that. There are so many stories within the genre and...

The 2010 edition of the Sitges International Fantastic Film Festival has just announced their complete Noves Visions program. The program where the festival places the young, edgy material, this is the big discovery program of the festival. Here's the announcement!

Noves Visions, The Most Indie

And Daring Section At Sitges 2010

The 43rd Sitges - International Fantastic Film Festival of Catalonia, that will take place 7 to 17 October, presents its lineup for the Noves Visions section:

Noves Visions - FICCIÓ Section

Exploration of new territories in narration, placing emphasis on both thematic and formal aspects of films that are a vision of the present as well as a disturbing premonition of times to come.

A Horrible Way To Die (Adam Wingard, USA)

Chatroom (Hideo Nakata, UK)

Dispongo De Barcos (Juan Cavestany, Spain)

Earthling (Clay Liford, USA)

Everything Will Be Fine (Christoffer Boe, Denmark)

Finisterrae (Out of competition. Sergio Caballero, Spain)

Isolation (Stephen T. Kay,...

Tucson and Phoenix: Prepare to be rocked, shocked and defiled. Blasting its way into its third — and biggest — year on Sept. 18-25, the Arizona Underground Film Festival is a cacophonous concoction of angry transsexuals, bumbling hit men, slacker superheroes, living dolls, aliens, dead hookers, adventure-seeking blondes and other crazies.

This year the fest is screening 30 feature films, some of which are making their U.S. and even world debuts. The opening night film is the U.S. premiere of the German hit man comedy Snowman’s Land, directed by Tomasz Thomson,while closing the fest is the controversial and violent A Serbian Film by Srdjan Spasojevic, which you have to be over-18 to get into.

Don’t worry, there’s plenty of homebrewed films as well, such as Dead Hooker in a Trunk by Jen Soska & Sylvia Soska; Nude Nuns With Big Guns by Joseph Guzman; 1,001 Ways to Enjoy the...

The B-Movie, Underground and Trash Film Festival is an annual celebration of the most outrageous, most exploitative, craziest and downright weird cinema that the world has to offer. The latest edition will unspool in the heart of the city of Breda in The Netherlands on Sept. 8-12.

This is truly a global exploitation fest with films from Spain, Indonesia, Canada, the U.S., Australia, Italy, Japan and more countries. Also, each year Butff celebrates the work of a particular living legend. This year, their guest of honor is German extreme filmmaker Jörg Buttgereit who will be present at screenings of his classic necrophiliac film Nekromantik, Schramm, a program of his short films, plus his latest shocking effort, Captain Berlin vs. Hitler.

There will also be a few Bad Lit favorites on hand, such as Spanish underground filmmaker Carlos Atanes‘ newest surreal masterpiece, Maximum Shame; the dark Australian drama Hole in...

Jane Lynch (top); Clay Liford‘s Earthling (upper middle); Jan Krüger‘s Light Gradient (lower middle); "Boy Shorts": Juan Chappa, Martin Deus‘ Amor crudo / Raw Love (bottom) Plan B, Children Of God, Sasha: Outfest 2010 (July 10) More Outfest 2010 highlights on Saturday, July 10: Clay Liford‘s Earthling, Jan Krüger‘s Ruckenwind / Light Gradient, Fernanda Cardoso‘s Bloomington, the "Boys Shorts" and "Cherry Bombs" short compilations, and "A Conversation with Jane Lynch." In the sci-fi/thriller Earthling, a schoolteacher (lots of teachers in those Outfest movies) — played by Rebecca Spence — finds out there’s more to her student/girlfriend than she could possibly have imagined. "A film for anyone who ever felt like they were on the wrong planet," explains the Outfest website. Sounds like a must-see. In Light Gradient, "two young lovers, Johann and Robin [Sebastian Schlecht, Eric Golub], embark on a mini road-trip on bikes to explore the mysteries of the deep woods...

Genre: Sci-Fi

Director: Clay Liford

Writer: Clay Liford

Cast: Rebecca Spence, Peter Greene, Amelia Turner, Matt Socia, William Katt

MPAA Rating: Not Rated

Summary: After a mysterious atmospheric event, a small group of people wake up to realize that their entire lives have been a lie. They are in fact aliens disguised as humans. Now they have to make a choice. Live amongst men, or try to find a way back home

Run Time: 114 minutes

View the Trailer Here

The independent sci-fi film Earthling opens an alien connection between an unlikely group of characters and reflexively changes the trajectory of their lives. I had the opportunity to see Earthling in competition at the Dallas International Film Festival and was delighted to be able to support an independent sci-fi film made locally in Texas.

Earthling’s artfully woven premise lays out an intriguing situation that tests the humanity of this band of characters.

After its debut at the Austin Film Festival last fall, Texan filmmaker Clay Liford’s sci-fi film “Earthling” is rocking the festival circuit. “Earthling” recently screened at SXSW and the Dallas International Film Festival to sold out crowds. An additional screening was added to the Diff run to accommodate the large demand for this film.

There’s been significant buzz surrounding this film. What is the film about, you ask? Check out the official synopsis and trailer below and stay tuned for SciFi Mafia’s review and exclusive interview with the filmmaker, Clay Liford (“My Mom Smokes Weed”).

Trailer: Earthling

Official Synopsis:

After a mysterious atmospheric event, a small group of people wake up to realize that their entire lives have been a lie. They are in fact aliens disguised as humans. Now they have to make a choice. Live amongst men, or try to find a way back home.

Earthling

Director: Clay Liford

Showtimes: Saturday 8th, 6:30 pm at the Usb Student Center; Sunday 9th, 4:30 pm at The Charles Theater

Starring:Rebecca Spence, Peter Greene, Amelia Turner, William Katt, Matt Socia, Savanna Sears, Jennifer Sipes, Chris Doubek

AP Rating:

The opening shots of Clay Liford’s Earthling hold a mysterious, tantalizing splendor; a foreboding, spiked meteor hurtles through space like an intergalactic seed pod, comes in contact with a space station just outside of our planet’s atmosphere.

These initial scenes aboard the American space station have a dingy, lived-in feel and they instantly evoke Andrei Tarkovsky’s Solaris and set the tone for the rest of the pic. Traditionalist sci-fi fans have been warned; this isn’t a glossy pulp monster…

Click to continue reading Mff Movie Review: Clay Liford’s ‘Earthling’...

Earthling Director: Clay Liford Showtimes: Saturday 8th, 6:30 pm at the Usb Student Center; Sunday 9th, 4:30 pm at The Charles Theater Starring:Rebecca Spence, Peter Greene, Amelia Turner, William Katt, Matt Socia, Savanna Sears, Jennifer Sipes, Chris Doubek AP Rating:[xrr rating=3.5/5]The opening shots of Clay Liford’s Earthling hold a mysterious, tantalizing splendor; a foreboding, spiked meteor hurtles through space like an intergalactic seed pod, comes in contact with a space station just outside of our planet’s atmosphere.These initial scenes aboard the American...

Keep on reading: Mff Movie Review: Clay Liford’s ‘Earthling’...

Earthling is a sci-fi film about a woman named Judith (Rebecca Spence) who begins to learn that life isn’t really what it has always seemed to be; and with the help of a young girl named Abby (Amelia Turner), she begins to learn some very shocking truths.

Read more on Dallas Iff 2010 Video Interview: Producer Adam Donaghey, Actor Matt Socia and Writer/Director Clay Liford (Earthling)…...

For the last few months we’ve been posting articles about Clay Liford’s latest project, Earthling. Unless you’re into art house sci-fi flicks, you may not have heard the name Clay Liford just yet, but that’s going to change really soon. In the film, Judith (Rebecca Spence) wakes up in the hospital after a car crash she doesn’t remember being in. Soon after, things just…aren’t right, and she starts discovering new things about her life and that she’s…a bit different. Liford wrote and directed the film as well as edited (something he’s known for), which meshes well with his cinematography.

Read more on Dallas Iff 2010 Video Interview: Writer/Director Clay Liford (Earthling)…...

In its first year following the conclusion of its contract with AFI, the 2010 Dallas International Film Festival will take over all eight screens of the Angelika Film Center for an Opening Night Celebration. 1,600 film goers will participate in the festivities and see featured films including Bill Cunningham New York, Multiple Sarcasms, Nosotros los Pobres and Skateland. In addition, the Super Saturday lineup of films will be packed with four world premieres: Hold, Sin Ella, Virsa and We Are the Sea. This year, the Dallas Star Award – presented annually to film artists in recognition of their unique contributions to cinema – will be given to writer-director Guillermo Arriaga (Babel, 21 Grams), writer-director John Lee Hancock (The Rookie, The Blind Side), three time Academy Award nominated cinematographer Wally Pfister (Batman Begins, The Prestige, The Dark Knight) and Mexican film Icon Pedro Infante (Nosotros los Pobres, Ustedes los Ricos, Pepe el Toro). Academy Award winning...

The 2010 Austin Film Race is only a few weeks away -- are you ready?

For the last three years, film racing has been an annual event in Austin, with local filmmakers competing with each other to make an original short in 24 hours.  Films are limited to four minutes in length and must adhere to the year's theme as well as incorporate a surprise element, either a prop or an action. All of the films will screen at the Dobie after the competition ends on April 29 at 7:00 p.m, and a selection of the best films will continue to the national competition.

Adam Donaghey, who produced Lovers of Hate, Earthling and Audrey the Trainwreck this year alone is also producing the local event. That made me think, if Chris Doubek was the SXSW 2010 Most Frequent Actor, does that make Donaghey the Most Frequent Producer?

Anyway, a whole variety of prizes...

What do you do if it turns out your very existence is a lie? Clay Liford's feature film Earthling explores identity, relationship and the meaning of home in his follow-up to his Sundance selection short My Mom Smokes Weed.

After a mysterious "atmospheric event," teacher Judith (Rebecca Spence) finds herself at odds with her life, and haunted by an enigmatic student, Abby (Amelia Turner). Judith realizes that the life she thought she had has been a pretense, and after Abby's insistence they are connected, Judith's life starts falling apart.

Clay Liford defies current science-fiction convention, eschewing rockets, robots and rayguns (the "r-cubed" he mentions in our earlier interview) to employ a low-budget indie style that emphasizes the story. Earthling employs an old-school, pre-Star Wars science-fiction style, when the story was more important than the dressings, such as Tarkovsky's Solyaris (or even Soderbergh's remake Solaris). It's more like The Quiet Earth...

Yes we announced the partial lineup a ittle while back, and now we have the exclusive full lineup to share, and boy, is it a doozy. The festival runs April 28th to May 3rd so get your tickets now!

Opening night film: Splice by Vincenzo Natali.

Cosing night film: Cargo (which we loved, review)

TiMER (UK Premier)

Hunter Prey (International Premier) (teaser)

2033 (UK Premier) (Another film we loved, review)

1 The Stanislaw Lem adaptation (UK Premier) (Yes, we loved this too review)

Transmission (A Ballardian telecom malfunction, UK Premier) (review)

Drones

Eraser Children (International Premier, finally I get to see this tonight!) (trailer)

Radio Free Albemuth (Sneak Preview of this Philip K. Dick adaptation! We should have a trailer soon)

Earthling (International Premier) (review)

Depositarios (International Premier, more Mexican scifi) (teaser)

Plug & Pray (UK Premier, documentary)

8th Wonderland (UK Premier)

and much more! You can head over to the festival website for more details and tickets,...

I had a great interview with Earthling director Clay Liford. Only my dog ate it. Or rather, my Blackberry. So I don't have notes or the audio.

What you missed was hearing an unrepentant sci-fi geek talk about "R-Cubed" -- rockets, robots, and ray guns -- and how science fiction is far more than that. Liford's subtle science-fiction film Earthling harkens back to old-school science fiction. The Dallas filmmaker spoke at length about post-wwii science fiction and the power of that period in the genre's history. 

He also went on to talk about early science-fiction films, such as the 1951 classic The Day the Earth Stood Still, and his dislike for the recent remake.  And how he wanted to create an indie film with science fiction elements that didn't rely on R-Cubed. 

You'll also miss the admiration he has for his lead actress, Rebecca Spence, and not only how much she...

Year: 2010

Directors: Clay Liford

Writers: Clay Liford

IMDb: link

Trailer: link

Review by: rochefort

Rating: 3 out of 10

During an operation aboard an international spacecraft, astronaut Sean (Matt Socia) witnesses a strange event involving a spiky object that appears just outside of the ship. The next day, back on earth, a disjointed group of people begin to show signs of physical deformity as horn-like bulbs appear on their foreheads, including Judith (Rebecca Spence), a restless high school teacher stuck in a bland marriage. A new student named Abby (Amelia Turner) arrives at Judith's school and soon reveals that she, too, has the strange growths on her head, and soon involves Judith with an underground network of earthlings who believe they are displaced aliens.

Nobody can intentionally make a "cult" film. No matter how successful "The Rocky Horror Picture Show", or "The Room" turned out, the filmmakers' initial intentions were very different...

Director: Clay Liford Writer: Clay Liford Starring: Rebecca Spence, Peter Greene, Amelia Turner, William Katt, Matt Socia, Savanna Sears, Jennifer Sipes, Chris Doubek A spiky ball (resembling a large stress ball or a naval mine or maybe a seed pod from a sweetgum tree) drifts in space towards a space station. The three-man crew of the station picks up the strange object. One of the astronauts, Sean (Matt Socia), comes in contact with it; a strange pulse rings out, instantly killing the other two astronauts. Sean survives the encounter, but returns to Earth in a comatose state. Back on Earth there is a temporary brown-out that triggers Judith (Rebecca Spence) to suffer an epileptic seizure, which results in a car accident. Judith wakes up in the hospital, with no recollection of what happened. The doctors change her anti-seizure medication, assuming that she has grown immune to her previous dosage, and send Judith home.

Decided on another late start today, I just needed that extra sleep. But I did have a nice talk with Clay Liford before the last SXSW screening of his latest, Earthling. If you missed the film, it's playing at the Dallas International Film Festival next month, and a few others in the coming weeks.  I hope you caught it.

I barely made it back to Alamo Lamar for Geoff Marslett's Mars, but I did, with two whole minutes to spare. Phew. This animated space rom-com was sweet and funny, and occasionally sly with a twangy Austin style soundtrack.  Personally, I loved all the BSODs. I want one of the little creatures as a plush toy, it was so cute.  I wish I could have made it over to the party at the Gibson, but I felt compelled to at least try to see three films today.

So I watched Cold Weather,...

Earthling opens with a bizarre event taking place on an international space station which, in turn, causes an atmospheric event that leads to a handful of people, as the press blurb puts it, "wak[ing] up to realize that their entire lives have been a lie." What they come to learn, and it's not a particularly major spoiler, is that they're actually aliens. The film is smartly kept small in scope, as the aliens are not publicly outted, nor are they hunted down by scientists or the military. Rather, this self-discovery ostensibly leads the characters to both come to grips with what this means in terms of who they are, and to figure out whether they want to remain on Earth or go back home.

Writer/director Clay Liford, in talking about his first feature-length film, makes it clear that he's coming from the right place, as he speaks about being...

Hot off the heels of their killer first episode, the Gatw boys are back and with a vengeance! Or, at least with more commentary about film. In honor of the South by Southwest film festival that starts in Austin TX this afternoon, we have devoted an entire episode to the event. We even have writer/director Clay Liford, whose new film Earthling premieres at SXSW stop by for a chat. The best part of it all, you’re getting it three days earlier than normal.

Read more on Gatw Podcast Ep. 2: SXSW Pre-show (Guest – Earthling writer/director Clay Liford)…...

Back in February, we exclusively brought you the second teaser trailer for filmmaker Clay Liford’s (Sundance short My Mom Smokes Weed, St. Nick) haunting film Earthling. The indie sci-fi tells the tale of “tragedy aboard the international space station triggers a discovery that some lives have been a lie.” That lie turns out to be that these select few are actually aliens living on Earth. The beings must then grapple with this newfound existence in the wake of a mysterious threat that draws near.

Read more on SXSW 2010: Full-length trailer for Earthling…...

[Updated with official trailer]

The current wave of indie scifi continues with Clay Liford's Earthling.  Soon to have its world premiere at the South By Southwest Film Festival, the film revolves around some sort of accident on board the International Space Station with the focus held much more closely on it's characters than any sort of banging and crashing.

The first trailer to get out in public for this featured a good number of unfinished effects but that early effort has jest been followed by the finished, official trailer. Check it out below.

SXSW is about a month away, and we're starting to get glimpses of what we're going to be seeing there. One project catching eyes is Clay Liford's Earthling, a low-budget indie sci-fi flick that has echoes of Moon in it. The plot is a bit strange, but certainly sounds intriguing. A group of people wake up after an atmospheric event with the realization that they’re not human at all, but aliens. They then must decide whether to keep living a lie given this new information, or use it...

As a big fan of the sci-fi genre, I usually hunt for every indie sci-fi film I can find, and today we have a new one to introduce to you. Chud premiered a teaser trailer for a film called Earthling, written and directed by Clay Liford, about a group of people aboard the international space station who discover that the lives they have been living are all a lie. They're not human, they're aliens and now they must decide whether to keep on living as men or find a way back home. Just like Duncan Jones' Moon, I love seeing how much they can accomplish on a limited budget, and this looks great. Looking forward to seeing this as soon as I can. Watch the first teaser trailer for Clay Liford's Earthling: After a mysterious atmospheric occurrence aboard the international space station causes a tragic event, a...

I find it most convenient that I was just watching the work of young director Clay Liford a few months ago. I was sitting on the jury of the Student Shorts competition at the '09 Austin Film Festival, and his short My Mom Smokes Weed was one of the films upon which I was looking from my high horse (they give you one with your jury assignment.) The little film didn't exactly blow me away, but it did show some promise. A cinematographer turned director, Liford has shown himself to have a clean, but interesting visual style. And I would be lying if I didn't say that I've wondered what he'd do next. Enter his first feature, Earthling, which will debut as part of the narrative feature competition at SXSW. This time, Liford is taking on a little bit of science fiction, turning his lens toward character affected by a tragedy aboard the International Space Station. The...

Major Gordon to Ground Control Whale. We are proud to bring you the second teaser trailer for writer/director Clay Liford’s (My Mom Smokes Weed, St. Nick) indie sci-fi film, Earthling. The film tells the tale of “tragedy aboard the international space station triggers a discovery that some lives have been a lie.”

Read more on Exclusive! SXSW 2010: Earthling’s “Judith” trailer…...

The South by Southwest Film Festival announced its 2010 feature line-up Wednesday night, and I couldn’t be more excited. The nine day event starts March 12, 2010 here in Austin, Texas, and I’ll be covering as much as I can from start to finish. Though, if it’s anything like last year, I’ll be asleep on my feet by the end of it.

The 2010 list includes 119 films (55 world premieres), but here are a few notables: The previously announced Kick-Ass will start the festivities. Elektra Luxx, the sequel to the underseen comedy Women in Trouble, starring Carla Gugino, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and too many more to name. Tim Blake Nelson’s Leaves of Grass in which Edward Norton plays identical twins. A documentary titled People vs. George Lucas that I will be seeing. Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s Micmacs. Plus the “SNL” spin-off movie MacGruber in its world premiere, possibly before the MacGyver creator shuts it down.

The current wave of indie scifi continues with Clay Liford's Earthling.  Soon to have its world premiere at the South By Southwest Film Festival, the film revolves around some sort of accident on board the International Space Station with the focus held much more closely on it's characters than any sort of banging and crashing.

The effects and overall look of this one is a touch inconsistent but there's enough in there to get the attention, at least. Check the trailer below.

Not all of the great film festivals are outside of the U.S. Even if you can’t book a ticket to Cannes or Berlin, you should be able to afford a flight out to Austin, Texas for SXSW, which is a festival for not only movies, but music and video games as well. Like the years before, the line-up for the 2010 SXSW Film Festival is the goods. Matthew Vaughn’s Kick-Ass will open up the fest and then there will be other great-looking films throughout including The Duplass Brothers’ Cyrus, SNL’s hard-r adaptation of MacGruber, Tim Blake Nelson’s Leaves of Grass, and Floria Sigismondi’s The Runaways, just to name a few. If you’re going to this year’s SXSW, let me know so I can steal your identity and go in your place.

The 2010 SXSW Film Festival will run from March 12-20. Check out the...

Less than a week worth of recovering from the Sundance Film Festival, and we are already looking forward to our next, big film fest coverage. That would be the South by Southwest Film Festival held annually in Austin, Texas. Last year, Scott and I brought you all kinds of coverage from the Lone Star State, and this year doesn’t look to be much different.

With that, the announcement came last night of the feature films that will be playing at the SXSW Film Festival. Previous announcement were already made about films like Cold Weather, Electra Luxx, Hubble 3D, Lemmy, Saturday Night, and The White Stripes: Under Great White Northern Lights making their debut. Kick-ass was recently announced as the opening night film, as well.

Among the other films being presented this year are some Sundance darlings, a few, highly anticipated premieres, and MacGruber.

Check out the full list...

I was so excited at seeing the SXSW line up last night that I completely forgot to post it and started searching the interwebs for cool content to go with it. Oops. Yes, I wish I was there but alas, it wasn’t mean to be (though don’t despair. We’ll be bringing you wicked awesome coverage).

But enough rambling, you want to know what’s all playing. Well, for a start there’s the much anticipated McGruber (trailer), the Duplass’ semi-mainstream comedy Cyrus, Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s Micmacs (trailer, review), Daniel Stamm’s horror flick Cotton and that’s on top of the previously announced titles which include Electra Luxx (Carla Gugino as a pregnant porn star? Bring. It. On.) and Kick-Ass (trailer). That’s already a great line-up but dear me, some of the other titles are pretty awesome too.

There’s Clay Liford scifi drama Earthling (trailer...

Late yesterday the SXSW Fim Festival, which runs from March 12-20 in Austin, TX, announced the full lineup of films that will be screening at this year’s event. And baby, it’s quite a list. Mixing big name films with intimate indie gems, the sheer number of films and the vast array of talented filmmakers is sure to be a hit with attendees and critics alike.

This lineup includes premieres of studio films such as Universal’s MacGruber, Lionsgate’s teen superhero actioneer Kick-Ass and smaller films like Tim Blake Nelson’s Leaves of Grass, Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s Micmacs, Michel Gondry’s The Thorn in the Heart and Steven Soderbergh’s And Everything Is Going Fine. With so many films to watch, it will be very difficult to find time to seem them all during the events nine days. But hell, we’re going to try.

For more on...

The South by Southwest Film Conference and Festival unveiled its feature film program Wednesday night, highlighted by the world premieres of action spoof "MacGruber" and "Mr. Nice," a real-life tale of an infamous British drug smuggler starring Rhys Ifans.

Features from the Duplass brothers ("Cyrus"), Steven Soderbergh ("And Everything Is Going Fine"), Michel Gondry ("The Thorn in the Heart") and Tim Blake Nelson ("Leaves of Grass") also have spots on the program.

The March 12-20 festival will showcase 119 features and 55 world premieres, including pervasively announced opening-night film "Kick-Ass." Selections were chosen from 1,572 submissions (1,206 U.S., 366 international).

"We want discovery," said conference and fest producer Janet Pierson, now in her second year. "We want a real range of films across the board."

Eight narrative and eight documentary features comprise the main competition categories.

The narrative selections are "Brotherhood," directed by Will Canon; "Dance With the One" (Mike Dolan); "Earthling" (Clay Liford...

Not so long ago (Ok, it's been nearly a year), we posted some news about a new scifi film by Clay Liford titled Earthling. It's the story of a small group of people aboard the International Space Station who wake up after a “mysterious incident” to discover that their lives are a lie and that they're actually aliens disguised as humans.

It's a fascinating story and one with a great cast which includes Rebecca Spence, Peter Greene, William Katt, Jennifer Sipes and Harry Goaz. The film is going to be making its world premiere at SXSW in a few months time and guess what? We've got your first look and it's a really nice one too.

The music is magical, the visuals gorgeous and the story...well, we already know that it sounds great. Cna't wait!

Trailer after the break.

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