Chris Mintz-Plasse, Dave Franco, Zac Efron, and Jerrod Carmichael of Neighbors

[Interview] Jerrod Carmichael (Neighbors)

Chris Mintz-Plasse, Dave Franco, Zac Efron, and Jerrod Carmichael of Neighbors

[This interview was originally published as part of our SXSW 2014 coverage. It is being re-posted to coincide with Neighbors' theatrical release.]

Despite being an early, unfinished cut specifically for SXSW, Neighbors is one of the early comedy successes of 2014. Granted, we're just a quarter of the way in, and the film technically doesn't come to theaters until May, so it's a bit unfair for me to proclaim its high graces. Nevertheless, heed my SXSW review of the film as early warning to you comedy fans: Neighbors is absolutely hilarious.

During the aforementioned SXSW, I had a chance to sit down with Neighbors' Jerrod Carmichael to discuss his role in the film, his experience working with such comedic minds as Seth Rogen and Nick Stoller, his stand-up career, and even his involvement with Odd Future's TV series, Loiter Squad. Check out the full interview over the next couple of pages, and be sure to catch Neighbors when it hits theaters on May 9th.


[SXSW 2014] South by Southwest 2014 Retrospective

[Ruby Hornet will be covering SXSW from March 7th to March 16th. Follow along as we bring you exclusive film reviews, photos, daily features, and interviews with filmmakers, actors, and musicians!]

South by Southwest has always held a special candle in my heart. Were it not for my inaugural trip to Austin in 2012, I wouldn't be where I'm at right now, both personally and professionally. Going into SXSW every year, I always find myself filled with a level of excitement I never get when covering other festivals, whether they're film or music-related, and this year was no different. With SXSW 2014 being my first year covering for Ruby Hornet, I opted to handle the film festival differently than I have in the past, focusing more on interviews rather than reviews, which I hope you've all seen by now, because they've been great. On the music side, Jake made his own spin on covering SXSW, writing personal daily journals that detailed his experience in Austin surrounded by a lot of rising artists and musicians, as well as doing his thing with some amazing interviews. In the photography realm, both Virgil and Kristen Wrzesniewski held it down for us, covering the film and music sides of the festival, respectively. In case you missed our coverage sprinkled throughout the past month, everything SXSW-related can be found below, neatly indexed and set in order in chronological order. I hope you all enjoyed our SXSW 2014 coverage!

The Weekly Swarm Film

 

[SXSW] 10 Films You Should See at SXSW 2014
[SXSW Review] The Infinite Man
[SXSW Review] Chef
[SXSW Review] Neighbors
[SXSW Review] Premature
[SXSW Review] Manny
[SXSW Review] Space Station 76
[SXSW Video Interview] Kim Shaw, David Dastmalchian, and Collin Schiffli (ANIMALS)
[SXSW Review] ANIMALS
[SXSW Review] Cesar Chavez
[SXSW Interview] Jerrod Carmichael (Neighbors)
[SXSW Interview] Ike Barinholtz (Neighbors)
[SXSW Interview] Hannah Marshall and Hugh Sullivan (The Infinite Man)
[SXSW Video Interview] Emmy Rossum and Fatima Ptacek (Before I Disappear)
[SXSW Interview] Adam Riegler and Alan Tudyk (Premature)
[SXSW Interview] John Karna and Dan Beers (Premature)
[SXSW Video Interview] Lenny Mesina (Manny)
[SXSW Video Interview] Ryan Moore (Manny)
[SXSW Interview] Shawn Christensen and Paul Wesley (Before I Disappear)

The Weekly Swarm Music

[SXSW Journal] Day 1
[SXSW Journal] Day 2
[SXSW Journal] Day 3
[SXSW Journal] Day 4
[SXSW] Music Festival 2014 Recap
[SXSW Interview] The Radkey Brothers Are Bringing Punk Back
[SXSW Interview] Bishop Nehru Embodies 'The Twenty Year Loop'
[SXSW Interview] The Tontons, Well on Their Way
[SXSW Interview] Cheers Elephant, SXSW Veterans

The Weekly Swarm Photography

[SXSW Photos] Robert Rodriguez Museum
[SXSW Photos] From Dusk till Dawn: The Series After Party
[SXSW Photos] Film Festival 2014
[SXSW Photos] Music Festival 2014


Shawn Christensen and Paul Wesley of Before I Disappear

[SXSW Interview] Shawn Christensen and Paul Wesley (Before I Disappear)

[Ruby Hornet will be covering SXSW from March 7th to March 16th. Follow along as we bring you exclusive film reviews, photos, daily features, and interviews with filmmakers, actors, and musicians!]

Before I Disappear was a huge hit at SXSW 2014, winning the SXSW Film 2014 Audience Award in the Narrative Feature Competition category. This doesn't come as a huge surprise, considering the film is based on the short film Curfew, which itself won the Academy Award for Best Short Film - Live Action in 2013.

In our interview with triple threat Shawn Christensen (director/writer/actor) and Paul Wesley (producer/actor), we discuss what it was like adapting the aforementioned Curfew into the full-length feature, Before I Disappear, including story elements that had to be expanded upon and altered, working with returning actress Fatima Ptacek, the feeling of success over winning an Oscar for Curfew and any worries about making Before I Disappear because of it, and much more.

You can watch the full interview with Shawn Christensen and Paul Wesley below. Also, be sure to check out our previous Before I Disappear interview with Emmy Rossum and Fatima Ptacek.


Film still of Michael Pena in Cesar Chavez

[Review] Cesar Chavez

[To commemorate the limited theatrical release of Cesar Chavezwe are re-posting this review of the film from this year's South by Southwest.]

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Cesar Chavez
Director: Diego Luna
Rating: N/A
Release Date: March 10, 2014 (SXSW)

Cesar Chavez was not only one of the largest and most influential icons in Latino culture, he was also one of the premier faces of the civil rights movement during the 1960s. Yet, director Diego Luna's portrayal of the labor leader's life is the first time Chavez's story has been put on the big screen. Why is that? I'm not entirely sure, but because of the gravity behind the film and how important Chavez was to many people, Cesar Chavez, the film, carries an added layer of spectacle. Because of this, it's a bit difficult to view Cesar Chavez from an objective perspective, yet its the subjectivity behind his story that will ultimately drive the film's success... or failure.

Much like all other biopics, Cesar Chavez is a fictional take on Cesar Chavez's (Michael Peña) life, spotlighting some of the major events Chavez went through, such as the formation of the United Farm Workers union, the Delano grape strike, the Modesto March, and one of Chavez's many fasts. By his side are his wife, Helen (America Ferrera), and Dolores Huerta (Rosario Dawson), another pivotal figure in the formation of the UFW. Within the context of the film, the main source of conflict for Chavez comes in the form of one grape farm owner (John Malkovich) who unites other farm owners to resist Chavez's demands for proper treatment of their contract workers. Another subplot involves the alienation between Chavez and his oldest son, creating a dichotomy between the love he received from the public, but the backlash he was receiving privately.

Film still of Michael Pena, Rosario Dawson, and America Ferrera in Cesar Chavez

As I mentioned in my introduction, Cesar Chavez was one of the most important Latinos in American history... nay, one of the most influential cultural icons in history. Because of this, expectations will be high for audiences watching Cesar Chavez that may affect how the film is received. On the one hand, it's about time Chavez's life was immortalized on the silver screen. At the same time, I feel like the film will be more positively received because of who Chavez was rather than by the merits of the film itself. Cesar Chavez isn't a bad film. In fact, I think it highlights Michael Peña's true talents as an actor. However, a part of that could come from the very fact that he's portraying Cesar Chavez, yet it takes a certain ability to portray such an iconic figure. Do you sense the catch-22 I've been struggling with here?

Cesar Chavez isn't a bad film, but it doesn't necessarily stick out. Luna's depiction of Chavez's plight is great, fitting perfectly within the framework of a film, but like all biopics, reception is mostly based on the audience's familiarity with the figure. The conflict is resounding enough for audiences to be drawn to, and there are certainly going to be audiences cheering on with "Se se puede!" chants, but those will mostly come from the independent theaters. Cesar Chavez is one of the most important luminaries of the civil rights movement and Latino community, and while Cesar Chavez is a solid film that encapsulates a part of this amazing man's life, it'll unfortunately be overshadowed by the spectacle of the fact.


(L-R): Katie Findlay, John Karna and Craig Roberts

[SXSW Interview] John Karna and Dan Beers (Premature)

(L-R): Katie Findlay, John Karna and Craig Roberts

[Ruby Hornet will be covering SXSW from March 7th to March 16th. Follow along as we bring you exclusive film reviews, photos, daily features, and interviews with filmmakers, actors, and musicians!]

Dan Beers' (FCU: Fact Checkers Unit) feature-length directorial debut, Premature, put a spin on the typical raunchy high school sex comedy. Equal parts Groundhog Day and American Pie, the comedy was about a high school Senior having to re-live the most important day of his life until he ultimately gets it right. If a misstep is taken, all he needs to do to escape is a trigger in the form of physical stimulation... I think we all know what that means.

Following my interviews with Adam Riegler and Alan Tudyk, I had individual talks with Premature's lead actor John Karna and writer/director Dan Beers. John and I talked about the film being his first paid film role, being filmed in his underwear, and the intricacies of having an artificial wet spot applied to said underwear. Dan and I talked about some of his inspirations behind the film, working with the cast, and also the intricacies of having an artificial wet spot applied to John's underwear. As was the theme of the day, I also discussed Alan Tudyk's mustache with each of them. Enjoy!


Photos of Adam Riegler and Alan Tudyk

[SXSW Interview] Adam Riegler and Alan Tudyk (Premature)

Photos of Adam Riegler and Alan Tudyk

[Ruby Hornet will be covering SXSW from March 7th to March 16th. Follow along as we bring you exclusive film reviews, photos, daily features, and interviews with filmmakers, actors, and musicians!]

Dan Beers' (FCU: Fact Checkers Unit) feature-length directorial debut, Premature, put a spin on the typical raunchy high school sex comedy. Equal parts Groundhog Day and American Pie, the comedy was about a high school Senior having to re-live the most important day of his life until he ultimately gets it right. If a misstep is taken, all he needs to do to escape is a trigger in the form of physical stimulation... I think we all know what that means.

During SXSW this year, I was able to sit down with some of the cast and Beers himself to discuss Premature. In this first part of a two-part feature, you can read my interviews with actors Adam Riegler and Alan Tudyk (Firefly) as we separately discussed their roles in the film, interactions with the rest of the cast, and in the case of Tudyk, the outstanding mustache he himself (!!!) grew for the role. Enjoy, and keep an eye out for the second part with lead actor John Karna and writer/director Dan Beers later this week!


Emmy Rossum and Fatima Ptacek from Before I Disappear

[SXSW Interview] Emmy Rossum and Fatima Ptacek (Before I Disappear)

[Ruby Hornet will be covering SXSW from March 7th to March 16th. Follow along as we bring you exclusive film reviews, photos, daily features, and interviews with filmmakers, actors, and musicians!]

Before I Disappear was a huge hit at SXSW 2014, winning the SXSW Film 2014 Audience Award in the Narrative Feature Competition category. This doesn't come as a huge surprise, considering the film is based on the short film Curfew, which itself won the Academy Award for Best Short Film - Live Action in 2013.

Returning for the feature-length film was Curfew actress Fatima Ptacek. Joining her this time around is Shameless star Emmy Rossum. During SXSW, we had the chance to interview the duo about their roles in the film, as well as what it was like to adapt such a successful short into an equally successful feature length film.

Watch the full video interview with Emmy Rossum and Fatima Ptacek below, and expect more from Before I Disappear later this week. Enjoy!


Actress Hannah Sullivan and director Hugh Sullivan from The Infinite Man

[SXSW Interview] Hannah Marshall and Hugh Sullivan (The Infinite Man)

Actress Hannah Sullivan and director Hugh Sullivan from The Infinite Man

[Ruby Hornet will be covering SXSW from March 7th to March 16th. Follow along as we bring you exclusive film reviews, photos, daily features, and interviews with filmmakers, actors, and musicians!]

The Infinite Man was one of the first films I watched as part of this year's SXSW, jumpstarting my film experience for 2014 on a very high note. The Australian film, which you can read more about in detail in my review, is about one inventor's scheme to salvage a romantic weekend after his thorough plans fall apart. Of course, when time travel is involved, things can get a little out of hand.

In my interview with director Hugh Sullivan and actress Hannah Marshall, we discussed the nature of time travel films, how relationships are kind of like their own sci-fi stories, and some specific details behind The Infinite Man itself. Be warned: there are some spoilers in the interview, so please proceed with caution. I hope you enjoy this truncated version of the interview below. We'll be sure to include some of the more explicit spoiler stuff when The Infinite Man is fully released.