A little something of interest for filmmakers out there: South By Southwest has changed their Submission Deadlines for the 2012 festival. This is a pretty big deal because it's not a secret that no matter how much planning and development you put into a project, you'll probably still be working on it and biting your nails as festival deadlines approach.

It’s probably a safe bet to say that everyone has known someone sort of like the title character in the Duplass’ brothers new film ‘Cyrus’ – hopefully they weren’t as attached at the hip as Cyrus is but they were a momma’s boy all the same. It’s because of this that Cyrus is such an easy movie to relate to and go along with even though the story is a familiar one. I first heard of Jay and Mark Duplass when ‘The Puffy Chair’ was making the festival rounds and after seeing that film it was pretty obvious that this pair had a lot more to offer us on the big screen. Although I don’t know them personally it’s very exciting to see a pair of filmmakers you’ve been following for a while get an opportunity to have a studio behind them and produce a film with the talent found in ‘Cyrus’.

I should probably start by saying that I'm not a Rock-n-Roll purist and I didn't have any prior knowledge about the back story of ‘The Runaways’ before watching it so you’re welcome to take that point however you like. Personally I think it allowed me to enjoy the film for what it was and not be bogged down by whether or not it was 100% accurate – no bio ever is anyway. ‘The Runaways’ is based on a book by the band’s lead vocalist Cherie Cure, and during the Q&A at the SXSW screening the director openly stated that it intentionally focused around Joan Jett and Cherie Currie, and not the entire band, because not everyone in the band wanted to be involved.

As a filmmaker I love stumbling into films like ‘Winters Bone’. The story isn’t overly complex though it is extremely compelling. The cinematography and editing aren’t overbearing and the visuals are made interesting by the settings and scenery of the frame versus digital interference. This film and it’s style really are a testament to the effectiveness of great storytelling.

One of the greatest things about attending a film festival like South by Southwest is being able to catch movies from up-and-coming filmmakers that may not be seen by the general public any time soon. Sometimes you’ll find that little gem that stays with you, and in the case of a filmmaker even one that inspires you. Most of the time however you will just find a strong film, worthy of it’s festival admission, but with no clear position within the hearts of the masses.

The buzz around Austin on Friday was all over Matthew Vaughn's latest film KICK ASS, based on WANTED creator Mark Millar's comic series. People stood in the street handing out Kick Ass bumper stickers and a swarm of Kick Ass mobiles circled the Paramount Theater with their horns blaring. The line wrapped Four city blocks around the theater hours before the red carpet arrivals even began and I was just barely lucky enough to get in. As I walked through the doors of the 1,200+ seat theater I heard one of the Staff shout "only ten more" and I hurried to the upper balcony to make sure my butt was in a chair.

In short, it was a great experience but you want to know about the movie right?

Last night SXSW and Robert Rodriguez treated a few lucky people to a 'First Look' preview of the new PREDATORS film. I say a few because the theater was small and the line was LONG. Fox has put a preview online that you get to see without even having to wait in line for 2hrs!

South by Southwest and Robert Rodriguez have announced that this year's "Super Secret TBA" will be a first look screening of Nimrod Antal's 'Predators'.