News

Hulu has confirmed that several of its original series will be debuting new episodes on the streaming service in August, including more installments in the first season of the critically acclaimed Stephen King thriller “Castle Rock” as well as more of season 2 of the costume drama “Harlots” and season 4 of the comedy “Casual.” And there will also be new to Hulu seasons of some of your favorites from other networks, including season 3 of “Insecure” and season 4 of “Ballers.”

Likewise, there will be plenty of movies making their first Hulu appearances including the Oscar-winning “Leaving Las Vegas” and “Lost in Translation” and the recent nominee “Baby Driver.”

See Netflix schedule: Here’s what is coming and leaving in August

Available August 1

A Conspiracy to Rule: The Illuminati

American Gigolo

American Ninja

American Ninja III: Blood Hunt

Babe

Be Cool

The Beatles: Made on Merseyside

Black Hawk Down

Black Mask

Black Rain...

Before we get to your Amazon Prime June updates, the streaming service has a special surprise for its members: every season of “Dawson’s Creek” is available now, and you don’t even have to wait until next month.

Starting June 1, stream “All or Nothing” which follows the New Zealand rugby team the All Blacks throughout their 2017 season. On June 3, you can stream the Oscar-nominated “Lady Bird,” followed by Amazon Original series “Goliath” Season 2 on June 15.

See below for the complete list of titles hitting Amazon next month.

Also Read: Amazon Sets Awards Release for Luca Guadagnino's 'Suspiria'

Available June 1

1492: Conquest of Paradise (1992)

2 Days in the Valley (1996)

Allan Quatermain and the Lost City of Gold (1987)

As Good As Dead (2010)

August Rush (2007)

Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans (2009)

Beer for My Horses (2008)

Beowulf (2007)

Black Widow (Aka: Before It Had a Name) (2005)

Blitz (2011)

Blood and Glory (2016)

Blue Like Jazz...

New stills from late 2016 release American Exorcism courtesy Thriller Films. Damon (Michael Filipowich, Longmire) was once possessed by a vicious demonic entity leaving him physically and emotionally damaged but giving him certain powerful abilities. Unfortunately for Damon exorcised demons don’t truly die and they certainly don’t forget. William McKinney (Blue Like Jazz), Kate Tumanova …

The post American Exorcism – First Images! first appeared on Hnn | Horrornews.net - Official News Site...

Now celebrating its 17th year, the Brooklyn Film Festival, which will run from May 30 through June 8 at indieScreen and Windmill Studios NYC in Williamsburg, now announces its narrative and documentary feature film line-up. This year's festival was themed "Formula," with Bff Executive Director Marco Ursino saying, "Our theme this year deals with an enigma: Is there a winning formula to communicate with the audience and ultimately create a successful independent film? We ponder this complex question by thinking about the chemistry that might ultimately achieve such a formula."With over 100 film premieres from around the world, the festival will open with two films: T.J. Misny's "Intimate Semaphores," a collection of three short stories starring Kate Lyn Sheil ("Sun Don't Shine") and Ariane Labed ("Attenberg"), and Leah Meyerhoff's "I Believe in Unicorns," starring Natalia Dyer ("Blue Like Jazz") and Peter Vack ("Kiss of the Damned").Check out the line-up below (synopses courtesy.

Every year, the SXSW Film Festival serves as a calling card for folks hoping to break out in the film world. Last year's Grand Jury Prize winner "Short Term 12" made a sensation out of Brie Larson, and just a few years prior, Lena Dunham came to the festival as a complete unknown with her directorial debut, and we all know how that turned out. Read More: How This Year's SXSW Film Festival Illustrated the Best and Worst of American Independent Film With this year's edition now over, Indiewire has weeded through all the talent with films at the event and selected those who stand the best chance at going the distance based on their performance in Austin. Below are the 10 we picked (in no specific order). Natalia Dyer - "I Believe in Unicorns" You may recognize the elfin-looking Natalia Dyer from her appearances in "Hannah Montana: The Movie," "Blue Like Jazz,...

Lena Dunham, Tom Cullen, Dree Hemingway and Brie Larson all came to Austin as relative unknowns and emerged as sought-after talents. With the 2014 edition of the SXSW Film Festival launching today, the springboard is loaded. Here's Indiewire's picks for the 10 actors to watch this year: Natalia Dyer, "I Believe in Unicorns" Why You May Know Her: Dyer got her start early on the stage and first popped up on screen in bit parts fit for a pretty face. She made her debut in "Hannah Montana: The Movie" and showed up in "Blue Like Jazz" and briefly in "The Between" alongside "Hunger Games"' Isabelle Fuhrman. What SXSW Could Mean for Her: A breakthrough. "I Believe in Unicorns" puts her in the spotlight and gives her a huge chance to showcase her acting chops. In this sober and ethereal project, a runaway romance between a young girl and an older bad-boy slowly turns tragically dark.

Much like how the studios push their superhero movies at San Diego Comic-Con, Darren Aronofsky gave a church conference the first look at his Old Testament tale, "Noah."

The "Black Swan" filmmaker cast Russell Crowe as the title character in "Noah," due in theaters next year. Just as Mel Gibson took "The Passion of the Christ" to the core Christian audience nearly a decade ago (with many studios following suit when marketing faith-based films), Aronofsky and Paramount chose the Echo Conference in Dallas, Texas to unveil the first look at "Noah," according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Echo is billed as "a church conference for artists, geeks, and storytellers" that explores "creativity in leadership, visuals, communications/branding, tech, and worship." Speakers at this year's event (which wrapped up Friday, July 26) included pastors, a Google employee, musicians and authors like Donald Miller, whose "Blue Like Jazz" was adapted into a 2012 movie starring...

Chicago – There’s a reason why the terms “Christian” and “filmmaker” don’t seem to go together. Pictures that push religious agendas tend to sacrifice complex plots and characters in favor of amplifying its message. These films fail not only as entertainment but as quality storytelling. Whenever an aspiring artist attempts to speak for a group rather than oneself, it’s almost always a recipe for tediously preachy dreck.

The mediocre output from studios such as Affirm Films and the mercifully scrapped Fox Faith soured many filmgoers on modern Christian entertainment by displaying an utter lack of interest in artistic integrity. Many doubting Christians found their frustrations mirrored in the 2003 book, “Blue Like Jazz,” a collection of essays written by Donald Miller, who reflected on his evolving faith while auditing courses at Portland’s liberal arts school, Reed College. Director Steve Taylor’s film version of the book functions as...

Adapting Donald Miller’s Blue Like Jazz presents a bevy of challenges to Writer and Director Steve Taylor’s ambitious plan, chief among them is finding a coherent narrative where originally there was simply a stream of consciousness relating the outlines of experiences as opposed to fleshing them out. Consequently, what arrives on the screen isn’t particularly well-structured, although many of Miller’s ideas and general feelings about the state of Christianity in a sometimes hostile modern world shine through without issue. If there’s one major flaw to be had, it’s in the film’s presentation of characters as basic archetypes which volley ideas about faith, purity, love, and the value of traditional religion back and forth in discussions that fail to capture the introspective spirit that made the book such a pleasure to read.

Read more...

Every so often, there is a film in Hollywood that tries to change everything and the end result is that it only changes a select few.  Blue Like Jazz is that film.  I have aspirations of entering the film industry and Blue Like Jazz is a film that motivates me to do something because it shows me that if you have a project that just one person would want to see, word will spread.  It is the first film completely funded by the audience, a pretty impressive feat.

Full Metal Jacket (25th Anniversary Blu-ray Book) According to Blu-ray.com this is essentially the same Blu-ray that was released before in terms of audio and video quality with its lone "new" features being "an hour-long documentary and a smartly crafted 48-page DigiBook with photos from Matthew Modine's personal collection." If that sounds like enough for you to double-dip than have at it. I will say this, however, you can [amazon asin="B000UJ48UO" text="click here"] and get it on Blu-ray for $12 cheaper, you'll just be missing out on those new features, which will likely be included on the 30th Anniversary release and then some.

 

Dr. Seuss' The Lorax Not a good movie. Not a good movie at all as a matter of fact. Want my reasons why? You can read my review right here where I give more than enough and then some.

 

Marley I've heard this is a great doc and I...

Moviefone's New Release Pick of the Week "Marley" What's It About? "Last King of Scotland" director Kevin Macdonald delivers a comprehensive documentary look at the life of global music icon, Bob Marley. See It Because: By tackling everything in between his birth and death -- including his Jamaican upbringing, his early recordings and his enigmatic personality -- Maconald, along with Marley's family and bandmates, offers perhaps the best, most thorough account of Bob's life that we'll ever receive. Watch an Exclusive Clip from "Marley" - (Also Available on Amazon Instant Video) Moviefone's Blu-ray Pick of the Week "Full Metal Jacket" 25th Anniversary Edition What's It About? Stanley Kubrick tells an intense and harrowing story of young Marines in the Vietnam War, from their days in boot camp to surviving on the battlefield. See It Because: "Full Metal Jacket" has been transferred to the high-def Blu-ray format before, but this...

By Allen Gardner

A Separation (Sony) This drama from Iran won the 2011 Best Foreign Film Oscar, telling the story of a couple who file for a legal separation, with the wife pushing for a divorce. He won’t leave his Alzheimer’s-afflicted father behind, while she is wanting to take their young daughter with her to the United States. After a series of misunderstandings, threats and legal actions, the couple find that there is more than just their marriage that’s on the line. Hyper-realistic to a fault, reminiscent of the neo-realist films that came out of post-ww II Europe, but also repressive and redundant in the extreme, with the characters seeming to throw the same temper tantrum for two hours straight while the story, meanwhile, seems stalled. Wildly overpraised film is a real litmus test, with viewers seeming to be staunch defenders or equally impassioned detractors. It did win an Oscar,...

An adaptation of Christian author Donald Miller’s New York Times bestseller listed memoirs, Blue Like Jazz is a film that is going to face an unusual level of critique, scrutiny and judgment, likely to come particularly from those at both ends of the religious spectrum. A challenging book to turn into a film due to its stream of consciousness narration, director Steve Taylor and crew have for the most part succeeded in turning out a generally entertaining film, but one that will probably be too centered on Christianity for those averse to religion and too “edgy” for those of the Christian faith who like their films Kirk Cameronesque. We had the opportunity to met up with writer/director Steve Taylor and star Marshall Allman at SXSW 2012 and have a conversation about Blue Like Jazz. Enjoy! Linc Leifeste’s full review of Blue Like Jazz.

A filmmaker asked me, “Do you think I can raise $400,000 on Kickstarter?” I told her that that sounded like a lot. Start-up technology companies using Kickstarter as, essentially, a customer-financed pre-buy platform, are raising in the seven figures. But $400,000 would be on the high-end of a feature film raise. Blue Like Jazz raised about $350,000, and that was based on a New York Times best-seller. Koo did great with Man-Child, scoring about $125,000, but he spent a couple years seeding his campaign by building an audience at No Film School.

But as I was talking, I realized the question really is, how big is your network? After all, Kickstarter is not a funder, an entity; to borrow a line from Soylent Green, “Kickstarter is people!”

So, how many people do you know? How many friends, and then how many friends of friends? When you send out a fundraising plea, how far will it ripple?...

We Have a Pope

Directed by: Nanni Moretti,

Cast: Michel Piccoli, Nanni Moretti, Margherita Buy

Running Time: 1 hr 42 mins

Rating: PG-13

Release Date: April 27, 2012 (Chicago)

Plot: A cardinal (Piccoli) decides that he doesn’t want to be pope, despite being selected by his superiors.

Who’S It For? Religious moviegoers might find this to be funny, with its respectful portrayal of respected figures and of the Vatican itself. However, everyone, not just those who believe in the pope, will be shaken up by this movie’s moments in the third act.

Overall

With all of the pressures and requirements, being a world leader must be the worst job in the world. But what could be even more dreadful? How about considering denying papacy after being elected to rule the Catholic world?

Michel Piccoli plays Cardinal Melville, a simple cardinal who comes to the Vatican after the recent pope’s...

0:00-2:00 – Introduction

2:00-12:40 – “The Cabin in the Woods” review (totally spoiler-free), including a tangent about “Red Dawn,” for some reason

12:40-23:00 – “Bully” review

23:00-32:55 – “The Three Stooges” review

32:55-36:35 – “Blue Like Jazz” review

36:35-50:35 – Qotw (what movie was spoiled for you before you saw it)

50:35-51:50 – Next week’s Qotw

51:50-57:50 – Interquel (“The Shining” and “The Wizard of Oz”)

57:50-59:10 – Rich sponsored our lunch; you can do the same; also maybe write an iTunes review if you want to

59:10-1:03:25 – Bayer played ping pong, and then talked about it for some reason

1:03:25-1:05:00 – Wrap-up and goodbyes

Qotw: Enough with the monkeys, dogs, and horses — what animal has not yet been the focus of enough movies?

Email – moviebspdx@gmail.com

Facebook – www.facebook.com/MovieBSpdx

Twitter...

Blue Like Jazz

Directed by: Steve Taylor

Cast: Marshall Allman, Claire Holt, Jason Marsden, Justin Welborn

Running Time: 1 hr 47 mins

Rating: PG-13

Release Date: April 13, 2012 (Chicago)

Plot: A young man (Allman) with extremely religious roots leaves his Southern Baptist bubble to enter the “most godless college in America,” located in Portland, Oregon. While there, he meets a political young girl (Holt) and a punk who dresses up as the pope (Welbern).

Who’S It For? If you’re tired of cheesy religious movies, or crazy people ruining the positive aspects of faith, this movie is definitely for you. That being said, it’s the rare type of religiously-focused movie that will give the Ned Flanders’ of America a true heart attack.

Overall

It’s not any type of revelation to say that a great deal of religious entertainment can be substandard to mainstream entertainment, and not just in the discussion of budget.

For the fourth weekend in a row, The Hunger Games easily led the domestic box office, holding off three new wide releases from the top spot.

Lionsgate’s $90 million blockbuster adaptation earned $21.5 million over the Friday-to-Sunday period, marking a slim 32 percent drop from last weekend. All told, The Hunger Games has earned $337.1 million after 24 days and seems headed for a final domestic total of about $375 million. The only other 2012 releases likely to reach those sorts of numbers are franchise films The Avengers, The Dark Knight Rises, and The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.

Internationally, The Hunger Games isn’t yet the...

Blue Like Jazz represents Steve Taylor’s sophomore outing as a feature director. A riotous adaptation of Donald Miller’s book of essays reworked by Taylor, Miller and co-writer Ben Pearson into a tale of coming of age and crisis of faith, the films follows young Donald Miller (Marshall Allman) as he breaks free from his fundamentalist Christian life in Texas to explore the larger world via Portland, Ore....

As summer inches closer, the weekends are getting ever more crowded with new releases and this week is no exception.  Big news this week is that the Joss Whedon produced horror movie "The Cabin in the Woods" is finally hitting theaters after years of delay.  Also opening this week: "The Three Stooges," the Farrelly brothers reboot of the classic comedy trio; "Monsieur Lazhar," which was one this year's Best Foreign Language Film nominees at the Oscars; and "Hit So Hard," the rock-doc on former Hole drummer Patty Schemel. Click through below for all the reviews from the Indiewire network for this week's new releases. "Blue Like Jazz" The Playlist: B "Blue Like Jazz," based on a book of autobiographical essays from Christian writer Donald Miller, likely gives pause to those on the fence about religion-based material. "Cabin in the Woods" Indiewire: B+ Relentlessly...

Blue Like Jazz makes a rambling adaptation of Donald Miller's popular memoir about self-discovery at college in Portland. Donald Miller's memoir Blue Like Jazz is a rambling but likable book about faith and personal spirituality and director and co-writer Steve Taylor's adaptation is a rambling but somewhat likable movie focused on Miller's relocation from Pearland, Texas to Portland, Oregon and his awakening at Reed College. More pleasant diversion than a must-see indie drama, Blue Like Jazz arrives in theaters at time when us vs. them culture politics is at full force due to the upcoming presidential election...

Blue Like Jazz makes a rambling adaptation of Donald Miller's popular memoir about self-discovery at college in Portland. Donald Miller's memoir Blue Like Jazz is a rambling but likable book about faith and personal spirituality and director and co-writer Steve Taylor's adaptation is a rambling but somewhat likable movie focused on Miller's relocation from Pearland, Texas to Portland, Oregon and his awakening at Reed College. More pleasant diversion than a must-see indie drama, Blue Like Jazz arrives in theaters at time when us vs. them culture politics is at full force due to the upcoming presidential election...

Blue Like Jazz makes a rambling adaptation of Donald Miller's popular memoir about self-discovery at college in Portland. Donald Miller's memoir Blue Like Jazz is a rambling but likable book about faith and personal spirituality and director and co-writer Steve Taylor's adaptation is a rambling but somewhat likable movie focused on Miller's relocation from Pearland, Texas to Portland, Oregon and his awakening at Reed College. More pleasant diversion than a must-see indie drama, Blue Like Jazz arrives in theaters at time when us vs. them culture politics is at full force due to the upcoming presidential election...

Title: Blue Like Jazz Director: Steve Taylor Starring: Marshall Allman, Claire Holt, Tania Raymonde, Justin Welborn Offbeat and shaggy but never emotionally false or hollow, director Steve Taylor’s “Blue Like Jazz” is a precious, precocious coming-of-age story that highlights the difficulties of reconciling the manner in which one has been raised with the discovery and integration of new thoughts, ideas and belief systems. Based on Donald Miller’s semi-autobiographical novel of the same name — and adapted for the screen in a somewhat unusual but decidedly fruitful collaboration between Miller, Taylor and cinematographer Ben Pearson – the movie, a world premiere at the recent SXSW Festival, is a delightfully engaging dramedy that wrestles [ Read More ]...

Blue Like Jazz is based on the New York Times best-selling book of the same title by Donald Miller, and an official selection in the SXSW (South By Southwest) Film Festival. This alone may be enough for some to count this film as an unwavering success, but despite the film’s valiant efforts, it is not without it’s flaws. That being said, the film is also far from being a waste of the viewer’s time… in fact, I encourage seeing this film for what it is, flaws and all, because it’s the kind of movie we rarely see in theaters, and one that is rarely as accomplished as this one has turned out within it’s distinct genre of storytelling.

Directed by Steve Taylor, Blue Like Jazz is a story of faith and how it collides with one’s struggle to find his place in the world.

In Theaters Blue Like Jazz Where: Nationwide, in limited release. What: Based on a popular book of essays by Donald Miller, the drama focuses on the crisis of faith experienced by a young man from Texas (Marshall Allman) after he travels to Oregon to enroll in college at ‘the most godless campus in America.’ The filmmakers raised a portion of the budget through individual contributions, to the tune of hundreds of thousands of dollars. Why Go: For a Christian-themed message movie, Blue Like Jazz goes easy on the proselityzing, instead relying on the easygoing charm of Allman and a strong performance by the lovely Claire Holt as a fellow student with a secret. L!fe Happens Where: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, Orange (CA), Santa Monica, Miami...

Read More...

Most discerning moviegoers flinch when greeted with the prospect of a 'Christian' film. Religion and mainstream cinema do not make comfortable bedfellows, as many films in this subgenre fit the very definition of "preaching to the choir" -- concerned not with challenging viewers as much as pandering to their most base instincts. "Blue Like Jazz," based on a book of autobiographical essays from Christian writer Donald Miller, likely gives pause to those on the fence about religion-based material. This Kickstarter-funded effort, one that far surpassed its budgetary goal on that website, actually plays like a real live movie, with actors, location, editing and proper music employed. Thank the Lord for small favors and damning praise!

Marshall Allman is Donald Miller, a young future pastor in Texas who dreams of attending a Baptist college, spreading the word of the Lord, and assisting the local youth. Even-tempered to a fault, Miller soon...

Rating: 2.5/5.0

Chicago – Donald Miller’s “Blue Like Jazz” is a beloved book that spent 43 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list and sold over 1.5 million copies. I haven’t read it. But I have to believe that it worked on its fans in a way that Steve Taylor’s film simply cannot. This is clearly a personal story, one that touched people by relating to issues they’ve grappled with in their own lives. By taking Taylor’s memories and turning them into cinema, the ability to touch has been removed another degree of separation and the resulting film is a misstep, the kind of work that thinks it’s saying something important but feels more pretentious than precious.

Marshall Allman (“True Blood”) plays Don, the film’s central character and its biggest problem. Don is intended to be a young man on a journey of self-discovery but he...

Get ready for a new cinematic trope: Boy loses religion. Boy goes to weirdo college, sleeps beside a lesbian, and starts drinking beer. Boy regains religion after sliding a huge condom over a church steeple and being elected the campus Pope. Boy begins a relationship with a religious girl who enjoys traipsing among the impoverished in India.

God. No God. Ale. Lesbian. Condom. God. Gets girl.

Imagine Animal House starring Rick Santorum. No, make that Mitt Romney. No, that's unfair. How about Donny Osmond?

Based on what I've been told is an autobiographical, 1.5 million-copy bestseller, Blue Like Jazz: Nonreligious Thoughts on Christian Spirituality by Donald Miller, the book has been adapted for the screen with lots of love -- and less skill -- by Miller, Ben Pearson, and director Steve Taylor.

What's significant here is that much of the budget for the film was raised by the book's fans on Kickstarter.

Capsule Options is a new weekly column intended to provide reviews of nearly every new indie release. This week's capsules are written by Indiewire's Chief Film Critic, Eric Kohn, but future installments will include additional contributors. Reviews This Week: "Blue Like Jazz" "Budz House" "The Cabin in the Woods" "Comic Con: Episode IV - A Fan's Hope" "Detention" "Here" "Hit So Hard" "Kids of Today" "L!fe Happens" "Lockout" "Monsieur Lazhar" "Post Mortem" "Blue Like Jazz" Based on Donald Miller's best-selling semi-autobiography about a sheltered Christian teen rebelling against his roots by attending the uber-liberal Reed College in Portland, director Steve Taylor's adaptation (from a screenplay co-authored by Miller) is an inoffensive wash. Marshall Allman credibly...

Film manages to fend off challenges from 'American Reunion' and 'Titanic 3D.'

By Ryan J. Downey

Lenny Kravitz, Woody Harrelson and Josh Hutcherson in "The Hunger Games"

Photo: Lionsgate

"The Hunger Games" won the box office for a third consecutive weekend, fending off challenges from tried-and-true romance and raunchy humor alike. Neither "American Reunion," the latest installment of the "American Pie" franchise, nor the 3-D re-release of "Titanic" were able to knock Jennifer Lawrence and company from atop the box-office perch as "Games" collected another $33.5 million and passed the $300 million mark.

"American Reunion" debuted at #2 with $21.5 million while "Titanic 3D" earned $17.3 million. "Wrath of the Titans" was #4 during its second weekend in theaters with $15 million for a $58.8 million total. "Mirror Mirror" rounded out the top five with $11 million for a $36.4 million total.

"The Hunger Games" ranked right behind "Avatar" in the all-time list of non-sequels to cross the...

Film manages to fend off challenges from 'American Reunion' and 'Titanic 3D.'

By Ryan J. Downey

Lenny Kravitz, Woody Harrelson and Josh Hutcherson in "The Hunger Games"

Photo: Lionsgate

"The Hunger Games" won the box office for a third consecutive weekend, fending off challenges from tried-and-true romance and raunchy humor alike. Neither "American Reunion," the latest installment of the "American Pie" franchise, nor the 3-D re-release of "Titanic" were able to knock Jennifer Lawrence and company from atop the box-office perch as "Games" collected another $33.5 million and passed the $300 million mark.

"American Reunion" debuted at #2 with $21.5 million while "Titanic 3D" earned $17.3 million. "Wrath of the Titans" was #4 during its second weekend in theaters with $15 million for a $58.8 million total. "Mirror Mirror" rounded out the top five with $11 million for a $36.4 million total.

"The Hunger Games" ranked right behind "Avatar" in the all-time list of non-sequels to cross the...

Photos by Courtney Beckett At SXSW this year, Paste editors met Jamie Anne Allman of AMC’s The Killing and her husband Marshall Allman of True Blood and Justified (and this week’s film Blue Like Jazz). We’re big fans of both of their work, and soon found out they loved Paste too. We interviewed Marshall about Blue Like Jazz (you’ll be able to see that interview in this week’s mPlayer feature), and set a date for an interview with Jamie about the second season of The Killing (which continues tonight). Scheduling proved difficult, but the couple were kind enough to take...

Monthly Movie Preview – April 2012

Can you smell that? It’s the scent of “Almost Summer.” No, that’s not the name of a cheap fragrant candle, but the aroma multiplexes let waft when it’s almost the main season for blockbusters. But before we focus on mega movies like The Avengers in May, and The Dark Knight Rises in July, April has some unique choices for us, most of which are not based off comic books, or feature gluttonous budgets.

April is going to be an intimate month with a slew of romantic movies, some more comedic than others – American Reunion, The Lucky One, Think Like A Man, The Five-Year Engagement, and even the indie Darling Companion. Even the horror genre is going to see some unique spins, with movies like The Cabin in the Woods, Detention, and The Raven.

And of course, before we head off into the land of summer blockbusters,...

I was Donald Miller.

Once upon a time, a lot of us were. Some of us still are.

I, too, grew up in the church. Then it hurt me. So I walked away -- injured, disillusioned and pissed off.

I, too, went away to college and left my faith behind me, with no intention of ever looking back.

I, too, met an beautiful young woman who showed me a different side of what life as a follower of Jesus could be.

And though my journey has been nothing as remarkable as Miller's, it's no less improbable.

As the old song goes, I once was lost, but ... well, you know.

My journey took an even more unlikely turn this week when I had opportunity to sit down with 40-year-old Miller, whose "Blue Like Jazz" memoir has sold more than 1.5 million copies (and counting) since its publication in 2003, to talk about the book,...

However people decide they feel about the comparison about the similarity of Portland, Oregon and Austin, Texas, if you watch Blue Like Jazz, there's certainly some validity to the argument that people in both cities are cut from the same cloth. Based on a novel of the same name, the movie Blue Like Jazz plays like the sort of coming-of-age tale that many sheltered adolescents no doubt experience when they first go off to college. It's the second novel from Donald Miller and is a collection of essays and personal thoughts written as he was experiencing college and learning more about God and nature.

As small-town Texas young adult Don (Marshall Allman) is choosing where to go to college, he learns that his mother has been having an affair with Don's friend, who's also the youth pastor at their church. This shock to the system leads Don to take his...

Trailer for Steve Taylor's Blue Like Jazz, starring Marshall Allman, Claire Holt and Tania Raymonde In Blue Like Jazz, Don, a pious nineteen-year-old sophomore at a Texas junior college, impulsively decides to escape his religious upbringing for life in the Pacific Northwest at one of the most progressive campuses in America, Reed College in Portland. Upon arrival, Reed’s surroundings and eccentric student body proves to be far different than he could possibly imagine from the environment from which he came, forcing him to embark on a journey of self-discovery to understand who he is and what he truly believes. Roadside Attractions distributes Blue Like Jazz which opens on April 13th, and also includes Pic is produced by Steve Taylor, J.Clarke Gallivan and Coke Sams.

Trailer for Steve Taylor's Blue Like Jazz, starring Marshall Allman, Claire Holt and Tania Raymonde In Blue Like Jazz, Don, a pious nineteen-year-old sophomore at a Texas junior college, impulsively decides to escape his religious upbringing for life in the Pacific Northwest at one of the most progressive campuses in America, Reed College in Portland. Upon arrival, Reed’s surroundings and eccentric student body proves to be far different than he could possibly imagine from the environment from which he came, forcing him to embark on a journey of self-discovery to understand who he is and what he truly believes. Roadside Attractions distributes Blue Like Jazz which opens on April 13th, and also includes Pic is produced by Steve Taylor, J.Clarke Gallivan and Coke Sams.

Trailer for Steve Taylor's Blue Like Jazz, starring Marshall Allman, Claire Holt and Tania Raymonde In Blue Like Jazz, Don, a pious nineteen-year-old sophomore at a Texas junior college, impulsively decides to escape his religious upbringing for life in the Pacific Northwest at one of the most progressive campuses in America, Reed College in Portland. Upon arrival, Reed’s surroundings and eccentric student body proves to be far different than he could possibly imagine from the environment from which he came, forcing him to embark on a journey of self-discovery to understand who he is and what he truly believes. Roadside Attractions distributes Blue Like Jazz which opens on April 13th, and also includes Pic is produced by Steve Taylor, J.Clarke Gallivan and Coke Sams.

SXSW is barely 24 hours away from starting (catch up with part one and part two of our preview pieces here), and at this point, it's important to be reminded that one of the things that makes the festival unique is a particular focus on the crossover between music and film, something that's been a special interest of ours since the very earliest days of The Playlist. SXSW doesn't just have a whole sidebar dedicated to music documentaries (with this year's batch including films centered on LCD Soundsystem, Paul Simon and Big Star), and a music festival that runs alongside, but the films screened seem to attract a disproportionate number of scores by indie and rock musicians.

And with more and more names who broke out from the pop and rock world -- from veteran composers like Danny Elfman and Clint Mansell to newbies like Trent Reznor and The Chemical Brothers -- moving into composition,...

Kid doesn’t like his family, isn’t really into the strict Christian upbringing that’s tied him down his whole life, jumps ship for a super-liberal college in Portland, where growth and hijinks inevitably ensue. Standard stuff, right? Well, that’s the brief outline for Steve Taylor‘s Blue Like Jazz. But while the plotline for the new film doesn’t really stand out, the film’s background does. Taylor’s film is based on Donald Miller’s wildly popular book, “Blue Like Jazz: Non-Religious Thoughts on Christian Spirituality.” Miller’s collections of semi-autobiographical essays spent forty-three weeks on the New York Times Bestseller List, and inspired legions of fans to help Taylor’s production make it the the screen (more on that later). Will it be worth it for them? This new trailer alone doesn’t inspire a lot of hope in me – it’s loaded with scenes we’ve seen before, clunky...

Based on Donald Miller's best-selling, semi-autobiographical novel, Blue Like Jazz offers a contemporary tale of aChristian coming to terms with his faith after fleeing his bible-thumping upbringing. Marshall Allman, who memorably played Sam's pugnacious brother on True Blood, shifts gears here to play a sweet and earnest Evangelical Texan, who abruptly leaves his local junior college to explore a more liberal education in the Pacific Northwest. There, in the midst of one of America's most progressive campuses, surrounded by a diversity of peers he never considered, Miller is soon forced to discover himself and what his faith means to him. This quirky coming-of-age dramedy is set to debut at SXSW in short order, with a theatrical release to follow in the spring. But you can get a taste of its whimsy and warmth now, thanks to its spirited first trailer: "Sometimes fitting in means freaking out," explains the leading...

Roadside Attractions has just revealed the second teaser trailer for their upcoming film, Steve Taylor’s Blue Like Jazz, which will be premiering at the SXSW Film Festival next month. Coming of age comedy starring Marshall Allman (Tommy on True Blood), Claire Holt (Vampire Diaries) and Tania Raymonde (Alex Rousseau on Lost). Based on the NY [...]

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"Forgot everything you think you may know, because you do not know anything." Time for something fun. Roadside Attractions has unveiled a fantastic first teaser trailer for their upcoming SXSW film titled Blue Like Jazz, directed by Steve Taylor, based on Donald Miller's book about a junior college kid from Texas who tries to escape his Bible Belt upbringing for life in the Pacific Northwest at the "most godless campus in America." The cast includes Marshall Allman (True Blood), Claire Holt (Vampire Diaries, Pretty Little Liars) and Tania Raymonde (Lost). This looks surprisingly good, I'd love to see it if I were down at SXSW. Watch the first official teaser trailer for Steve Taylor's Blue Like Jazz, in high def from Apple: Don (Marshall Allman), a nineteen-year-old sophomore at a Texas junior college, tries to escape his Bible Belt upbringing for life in the Pacific Northwest at the...

Roadside Attractions has acquired U.S. rights to "Blue Like Jazz," prior to its world premiere in the Narrative Spotlight section at the upcoming 2012 South-by-Southwest Film Festival. The film, directed by Steve Taylor ("The Second Chance") and based on the hit semi-autobiography by Donald Miller, will open theatrically on April 13. Lionsgate will handle DVD, VOD and TV releases. "Blue Like Jazz" stars "True Blood" star Marshall Allman as Don, a 19-year-old sophomore in Texas, who decides to escape his religious upbringing. Here's a teaser: Full release below: For Immediate Release Roadside Attractions Set To Release Blue Like Jazz, The Much-anticipated Film Adaptation Of Donald Miller’S New York Times Best-selling Book Among the first high-profile fan-financed films; Extensive grassroots campaign in place leading up to an April theatrical release Los Angeles, CA (February 21,...

Exclusive: Roadside Attractions has acquired U.S. rights to Blue Like Jazz, the Steve Taylor-directed film that will have its world premiere in the Narrative Spotlight section of SXSW on March 13. The film is based on the Donald Miller semi-autobiographical bestseller. It was adapted by the author, the director and Ben Pearson. True Blood‘s Marshall Allman plays Don, a pious 19-year old soph at a Texas junior college who leaves the shelter of his conservative religious upbringing to attend Portland’s Reed College, a progressive campus. The culture clash forces him to discover himself and what he really believes. Claire Holt and Tania Raymonde also star, and Taylor, J. Clarke Gallivan and Coke Sams produced. Lionsgate will handle DVD, VOD and TV through its output deal with Roadside. They teamed on Margin Call. Roadside’s Howard Cohen made the deal with the director and V.T. Murray for the Tennessee-based The Panda Fund.

In less than a month the SXSW Film Festival will kick off (Friday, March 9, to be exact), and the line-up keeps getting better and better. The festival has announced some exciting additions to their already-stellar line-up including the Sundance hits Safety Not Guaranteed, Searching for Sugar Man, Chasing Ice, Shut Up and Play the Hits, Sleepwalk with Me along with the world premiere of Steve Taylor‘s Blue Like Jazz, and Todd Rohal‘s Nature Calls. They have also added the Oscar nominated Montreal film Monsieur Lazhar which we have championed since its World Premiere at Tiff.

You can find the lineup of today’s film announcements below, and check the entire schedule, complete with both screening and conference dates and times, at www.sxsw.com/film.

Narrative Spotlight

Blue Like Jazz

Director: Steve Taylor, Screenwriters: Donald Miller, Steve Taylor, Ben Pearson

A Texas college student flees the hypocrisy of...

SXSW has announced a few late additions, rounding out a lineup that already includes high-profile world-premieres from Nelson George, Lena Dunham, Drew Goddard, Caveh Zahedi, and the Duplass Brothers. Notably, Todd Rohal’s Nature Calls, his Johnny Knoxville and Patton Oswald-starring followup to last year’s surrealist comedy The Catechism Cataclysm, will premiere in the Narrative Spotlight section, while Sundance favorites such as Shut Up and Play the Hits, Safety Not Guaranteed, and Sleepwalk with Me will screen as well.

The full list of additions:

Narrative Spotlight

Blue Like Jazz

Director: Steve Taylor, Screenwriters: Donald Miller, Steve Taylor, Ben Pearson

A Texas college student flees the hypocrisy of his religious upbringing for life in the Pacific Northwest at ‘the most godless campus in America.’ Based on the New York Times bestseller by Donald Miller.

Cast: Marshall Allman, Claire Holt, Tania Raymonde, Justin Welborn, Eric Lange (World Premiere)

Nature Calls

Director...

The official line-up for the 2012 SXSW Film Festival, held in Austin as part of the SXSW conference, has already been revealed with 130 feature films playing in the festival, with some Sundance hold-overs, new premieres, and plenty of surprises. We've already highlighted the midnight releases hitting the festival (including the horror anthology V/H/S/ which we loved at Sundance last month), and now the festival has just rounded out its selections with an additional small batch of films in various categories including other Sundance favorites like Sleepwalk with Me and Safety Not Guaranteed. See the new additions below! Narrative Feature Competition Blue Like Jazz Director: Steve Taylor, Screenwriters: Donald Miller, Steve Taylor, Ben Pearson A Texas college student flees the hypocrisy of his religious upbringing for life in the Pacific Northwest at ‘the most godless campus in America.’ Based on the New York Times bestseller by Donald Miller. Cast: Marshall Allman,...