Bryan Poyser's 'Lovers of Hate' in Sundance

A big congrats to Austin's Bryan Poyser (Dear Pillow), whose Lovers of Hate, which shot both in Austin and near where Sundance is held, was selected as a dramatic competition film for this year's Sundance Film Festival.

To understand what a big deal this is for Poyser, read the opening of this Austin Chronicle article I wrote a while back.


Here's the skinny from Variety:

Lovers of Hate - Directed and written by Bryan Poyser, about how the reunion of estranged brothers is undermined when the woman they both love chooses one over the other. With Chris Doubek, Heather Kafka, Alex Karpovsky, Zach Green.

Independent Spirit award noms go to McCay, Humpday

Film Independent announced its Spirit Award noms yesterday, which included Christian McKay of Richard Linklater's Me and Orson Welles for best supporting actor and Humpday--which premiered at the South by Southwest Film Festival--for the John Casavettes Award for films made for less than $500,000.

Richard Linklater's 'Liars (A-E)' dies

Austin filmmaker Richard Linklater calls himself a "promiscuous" filmmaker in this interesting interview with England's Guardian about Me and Orson Welles. He also talks a bit about how his planned road movie Liars (A-E) fell apart:

This summer he was due to shoot a romantic comedy but the studios wouldn't play ball (what he saw as a mainstream outing, they saw as an art movie). He has tentative plans to make a third installment in the Before Sunrise/Sunset series, but he doesn't want to do it just because he can. "There are enough of those movies made as it is: sequels, remakes, franchises. It depresses me. It's the way the industry is going. They figure they can make these huge-ass Harry Potters, Batmans and Transformers, spend $200m on a surefire hit, and who cares about the quality? They've basically stopped making my kind of movies altogether."

Coen brothers looking at Central Texas for 'True Grit'

That's really the big scoop in my latest SHOT IN TEXAS column in the Dallas Morning News. Also, more on the television shows lensing in Dallas nnd the Zapata, Texas, TV pilot that Kevin Bacon and Kyra Sedgwick are scouting, also in Central Texas.

More specifics not in the column: True Grit is looking at Granger, and Zapata is looking at Bastrop and the new Spiderwood Studios located near there.

Longhorns vs Aggies: a joke or a contest?

Read my latest Austin Chronicle blog for more on the strangest contest around.

Colt McCoy battles the ghost of VY

As Colt McCoy is on the eve of becoming the winningest college quarterback ever, the ghost of Vince Young looms. Read more in my Austin Chronicle blog.

'True Grit' casting call

FEBRUARY UPDATE: Click here for the extras casting call info.

I'm getting a lot of hits here for the True Grit casting calls for the character of Mattie in the Coen brothers version of the tale. And, yes, it looks very likely it will shoot outside of Austin with Austin as the base camp. You heard it here, probably, first.

The Austin call info: No experience required. Bring a current, nonreturnable photo and only one family member. Girls only, ages 12 to 16. Time: 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 28, the Omni Austin Hotel, 700 San Jacinto at 8th Street, Austin.

Waco casting call info: Waco casting call between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 21-22, in the Dodge Hall at the Heart O’ Texas Fair Complex, 4601 Bosque Blvd.

The description of the character: “We are looking for REAL (scrubbed-down, no make-up), ‘gritty’ girls! Preferably the kind that rides horses, gets dirty & speaks her mind! We are NOT looking for ‘theatrical’ model types! Rodeo girls (who ride & rope) are best! Not ‘actor-like / pageant queens.’ “

Previous casting calls have been in Lubbock and Fort Worth