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Touch of Venice: Messina’s Understated, Observational Debut

There’s much to admire in actor Chris Messina’s assured, astutely observed directorial debut, Alex of Venice. Namely its central performance from Mary Elizabeth Winstead, who carries this understated character study that rather uneventfully charts a workaholic woman’s mildly difficult navigation through the denial that her marriage is over. As written by its trio of writers (with Jessica Goldberg joined by first time screenwriters Katie Nehara and Justin Shilton), its dramatic possibilities are severely downplayed, instead attempting to reflect meaning off intertextual echoes borrowed from Chekov’s The Cherry Orchard (the play being staged within the film).

An attorney for an eco-advocacy group, Alex (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) is left reeling when her high school sweetheart husband George (Messina) abruptly announces he’s unhappy with their marriage. A taken-for-granted stay-at-home dad, who cares for both their young son and Alex’s...

Mary Elizabeth Winstead starts her life for the second time in a trailer for Alex of Venice.

The drama film is directed by The Mindy Project's Chris Messina, who also stars as a stay-at-home dad who leaves his family.

His ex-wife Alex (Winstead) tries to move on with her life and find love again with a new boyfriend (Derek Luke) with the help of her family.

Don Johnson appears as Alex's pot-smoking hippie father, while Glory Daze actress Julianna Guill portrays Alex's wild child sister.

Playwright Jessica Goldberg collaborated on Alex of Venice's screenplay with Messina, Half Nelson actress Katie Nehra and Little Miss Sunshine actor Justin Shilton.

Alex of Venice opens on April 17 in the Us.

Billed as a “multi-levelled story with tension and twists at all turns”, Squatters is a debut feature from actor-come-writer Justin Shilton. Set in southern California, Squatters begins by showing the perspective of Jonas (Thomas Dekker) and Kelly (Gabriella Wilde), two grimy young homeless teens.

Opening scenes of Kelly and Jonas fretting over scoring weed, rooting through dumpsters and shop-lifting are supposed to elicit sympathy but do little to arouse any form of empathy for lead characters’ situations – especially after the self-indulgent slowed-down beach party scene. “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure my friend – especially if that man is a rich prick,” jeers Jonas, again doing little to improve his likability.

Welcome to the first in a new feature here on Nerdly where we take a look at some of the weeks new releases in smaller, more succinct capsule reviews with a rating to let you know whether to Rent, Buy, or wait for Netflix and/or other streaming services…

Demon Legacy

Stars: Anna Maria Demara, Kati Sharp, Grant Alan, Nancy McCrumb, Cortney Palm | Written by Tracy Morse | Directed by Rand Vossler

In a remote mountain lodge, ­ five college friends are spending time together to help one of them get over a break up. After a late night drunken party the friends decide to play with a Ouija board, with terrible consequences. An unholy evil is unleashed and the friends must battle evil and each other, as the lines between reality and imagination blur the struggle to save them begins.

Demon Legacy has one hell of a pedigree: a first-time feature from director Rand Vossler who,...

The 13th Tribeca Film Festival has announced its complete lineup for next month’s New York celebration, which runs April 16-27. Culled from more than 6,000 submissions, Tribeca 2014 includes 55 world premieres, 37 first-time filmmakers, and 22 female directors. Half the slate had been announced on Tuesday, with Spotlight, Midnight, and Storyscapes films unveiled today, as well as special screenings. “Spotlight and special screenings are an especially dynamic aspect of this year’s program, both in range of styles and stories,” said Genna Terranova, Tribeca’s director of programming. “Many films feature real-life personalities who’ve accomplished extraordinary feats, while in other films we...

It’s with his previous acting gig on the microscopic, Sundance preemed 28 Rooms (produced by Lynette Howell – Jamie Patricof’s business partner at their current prod. house) that certainly allowed for his creative input to shine thru, and land him his first directing gig. Production began in July for the still untitled drama which brings back the amazing Elizabeth Winstead (from Smashed). Chris Messina does double duty here with Julianna Guill, Don Johnson and Derek Luke in the fold as well. It’ll be tight to meet the deadline – but not impossible.

Gist: Written by Jessica Goldberg, Katie Nehra and Justin Shilton, this is about a workaholic attorney, Alex (Winstead) is forced to reinvent her life after her husband suddenly leaves. Now faced with the humdrum and sometimes catastrophic events that permeate the fabric of our lives, Alex discovers both a vulnerability and inner strength she had not yet tapped...

Mary Elizabeth Winstead is joining “The Mindy Project” star Chris Messina‘s directorial debut, an untitled film from writers Jessica Strong, Katie Nehry and Justin Shilton. Troy Garity, Derek Luke and Don Johnson will also star in the film which follows “workaholic attorney Alex [Winstead], who is forced to reinvent her life after her husband suddenly [...]

The post Mary Elizabeth Winstead Joins Chris Messina’s Untitled Directorial Debut appeared first on Up and Comers.

Rising starlet Imogen Poots has joined the film adaptation of Nick Hornby's novel "A Long Way Down," which has Pascal Chaumeil at the helm. She'll star along side Toni Collette, Pierce Brosnan and Emile Hirsch, who previously joined the tale of four disparate individuals who meet one another on a London rooftop on New Year's Eve, all with the same intention to commit suicide. Instead of jumping, these complete strangers make a pact to stay alive and stay together until at least Valentine's Day. Lensing begins this September in London from a script by Jack Thorne, whose debut film "The Scouting Book For Boys" earned major praise. [THR]

Michael Winterbottom's "24 Hour Party People" featured an excellent performance by the versatile Steve Coogan as Factory Records head Tony Martin, and the actor is now set to return to the '70's British music scene. Coogan is joining Elaine Constantine's "Northern Soul,...

More casting news for you today. Here it is at a glance: Richard Dreyfuss has joined the indie pic, Squatters, along with Lolita Davidovich, Nancy Travis, Evan Ross, Luke Grimes and Andrew Howard. Helena Bonham Carter and Kathy Bates have joined Amelie director, Jean-Pierre Jeunet's The Young and Prodigious Spivet. Max Greenfield of Fox's New Girl has joined the Paul Rudd and Amy Poehler comedy, They Came Together, directed by David Wain. Hit the jump for more. Variety reports that Dreyfuss and the ensemble cast are set for Squatters, an indie film directed by Martin Weisz (The Hills Have Eyes II) from a script by Justin Shilton. The pic follows a homeless couple from Venice Beach who move into a mansion in the Pacific Palisades, only to have the homeowners complicate matters when they return from vacation early. Squatters also stars Thomas Dekker and Gabriella Wilde. The Playlist reports...

Richard Dreyfuss has joined the cast of “Squatters,” the latest film from "The Hills Have Eyes 2" director Martin Weisz. From a script by Justin Shilton, "Squatters" tells the story of a young homeless couple who move into a vacant mansion in the Pacific Palisades to escape. When the owners return, the couple tries to take advantage of the situation. Also joining the cast are Lolita Davidovich, Nancy Travis, Evan Ross, Luke Grimes and Andrew Howard. Thomas Dekker of "Foreverland" and Gabriella Wilde from "The Three Musketeers" had already signed on. Weisz, who has...

Cinemax will debut an all-new episode of its hit anthology series Femme Fatales this Friday at 11pm. From director Robert Meyer Burnett comes Help Me, Rhonda, which finds the beautiful Camille (Ana Alexander) being held hostage in her own home by a group of intruders (Jules Hartley, Paul Green, Justin Shilton) after her husband's confidential documents. Her only chance for survival may be her clever lover, Rhonda (Crystal Allen) who is hiding in the house. We have an exclusive peek at this seductive new episode, which you can check out in the clip below along with new photos featuring Justin Shilton, Ana Alexander, and Jules Hartley.

Click to watch Exclusive: Camille Discovers the Intruders!

Click to watch Your Husband Has Something We Need!

Femme Fatales episode 1.9, "Help Me, Rhonda" stars Tanit Phoenix, Ana Alexander, Crystal Allen, Paul Green, Jules Hartley, Justin Shilton and is directed by Robert Meyer Burnett.

Life Blood

Stars: Sophie Monk, Anya Lahiri, Scout Taylor-Compton, Patrick Renna, Electra Avellan, Angela Lindvall, Charles Napier, Danny Woodburn | Written and Directed by Ron Carlson

It’s New Year’s Eve, 1969, and lesbian lovers Brooke (Monk) and Rhea (Lahiri) are celebrating the occasion at a swinging party in La. Unfortunately, the evening’s festivities take a terrible turn when Brooke stumbles into the bathroom and interrupts Hollywood A-lister Warren James (Justin Shilton) attempting to rape a young fan (Taylor-Compton) and promptly stabs him to death with one of the girl’s hair sticks. Escaping to the desert in their car, Brooke and Rhea encounter God herself (Lindvall), who offers to turn the pair into immortal, vampiric angels of death, destined to wander the earth destroying evil wherever they find it.

Exactly forty years later to the night, on New Year’s Eve 2009, the lovers arise from the sub-desert cocoons in...

For the second time in as many months, London’s Leicester Square is the place to be for UK horror fans as the GoreZone International Film Festival returns to the Prince Charles Cinema on October 2nd and 3rd. Featuring not only bevy of blood-soaked movies and guests but also GoreZone Magazine’s first ever awards ceremony, can you afford to miss it?

Check out the full press release:

Roll up, roll up! The third annual GoreZone International Film Festival is hittin’ London on October 2nd and 3rd at the prestigious Prince Charles Cinema on Leicester Square. 13 film premieres, 2 days, no chance for survival!

Hosted by the ever delectable Emily Booth (Evil Aliens) and Christa Campbell (Hyenas), this year’s festival will be covered for broadcast on Lava TV (U.K.) and The Fusion Network (U.S.A.).

This year will also feature our first live awards ceremony with the results,...

Untitled Kris Black Project PosterProduction company Four Two Five Films is having a busy year with productions like Boarding School 3D, The House that Jack Built, and the Untitled Kris Black Project now renamed Blood Effects (Bruce Reisman). Blood Effects is currently in post-production in both Los Angeles and Toronto with Shar Jackson (Toxic), Justin Shilton (Pearlblossom), Christina DeRosa (Run! Bitch Run!) and Jeremy Jackson (Expose) starring. The film will be shown in a pseudo-documentary style "where reality mixes with fiction" (Four Two Five Films). The fiction will be a supernatural element while the reality follows a film crew on the set of an independent horror production. More details and a longer synopsis at the Four Two Five Film website below.

An introductory synopsis on the project:

"Blood Effects is an edgy, raw, scary behind-the-scenes look at the making of a horror movie and what the first-time director (Black) and...

The House that Jack Built had a limited release April 30th, 2009 and now the film will have a DVD release August 24th, 2010. The production company Four Two Five Films and distributor Synergetic Distribution have done a good job of burying almost any info' on the film, but a movie poster, release date, and synopsis for the film can be found inside. The film's story follows a young child who is kidnapped by a serial killer only to revisit memories of a past trauma later in life. More info' on The House that Jack Built below.

The synopsis for The House that Jack Built here:

"A young mother, Hannah Filice is murdered, a brutal crime witnessed by her three year old son, Jack the 3rd. The killer tries to block the horror from the little boy’s eyes, and gently carries the toddler from the gory scene.

Twenty years later, Jack the 3rd,...