GALLERY: The 10 SXSW '12 Films With the Most to Prove

Each year SXSW plays host to a slate of risk-taking fare of all kinds, from true indie offerings to upcoming studio releases geared to a slightly more open crowd, and the 2012 film line-up features no shortage of movies poised to earn that precious film festival commodity: Positive buzz. But some projects have more at stake than others -- say, Joss Whedon and Drew Goddard's long-awaited Cabin in the Woods, Will Ferrell's Spanish-language comedy Casa de mi Padre, or the directorial debut of actor Matthew Lillard. On the eve of SXSW 2012 (which runs March 9-17 in Austin, Texas), check out the ten SXSW titles with the most to prove going into their festival debuts. Click to launch the gallery! Want more? Read all of Movieline's SXSW 2012 coverage and follow us on Twitter.

The Exorcist artist Rob McQuarrie has died aged 82

Rob McQuarrie, the legendary concept artist most widely known for his focus on The Exorcist, has died aged 82, we're sad to report.Inside a world where it's frequently the director, film writer or star who will get probably the most recognition for the prosperity of a film, it's proof of McQuarrie's considerable talent and influence that his can be a title familiar to a lot of.McQuarrie's art assisted George Lucas to picture probably the most memorable figures within the The Exorcist world, including Darth Vader, R2-D2, C-3PO, Chewbacca and also the Stormtroopers, and that he designed a cameo appearance in The Wild Bunch (which gained him their own action figure).He started his career being employed as a technical illustrator for Boeing, in addition to creating film posters and dealing in animation.McQuarrie also led designs to shut Encounters From The Third Kind and E.T., and that he won an Oscar for his effects focus on Cocoon.George Lucas stated inside a statement: "His genial contribution, by means of unmatched production works of art, powered and inspired all the cast and crew from the original The Exorcist trilogy."When words couldn't convey my ideas, I possibly could always indicate certainly one of Ralph's fabulous illustrations and say, 'do it like this'."

'Epic Meal' on Japanese plate

Popular cooking and comedy web series Epic Meal Time is going to be modified for Japanese auds. Japanese media conglom Yoshimoto Kogyo has joined with The Next Time Prods to evolve its popular YouTube cooking show "Epic Meal Time" for Asian audiences, signaling that web series may soon start moving to foreign marketplaces, supplying designers additional revenue possibilities for his or her projects.Included in the deal, YK will produce "Epic Meal Time Japan" for digital platforms, and develop original concepts and formats, including Television shows, with The Next Time for that Japanese along with other internatinal marketplaces.Additionally to creating entertainment, YK also handles a sizable roster of comics in Japan. It imported and created a nearby-language version of Broadway Video's "Saturday Evening Live," lately overall the very first season from the show there.YK also offers guaranteed TV co-production pacts with Craig Piligian's Pilgrim Galleries, Howard Schultz's Lighthearted Entertainment and IAC's Notional in the last 2 yrs.Located by co-creator Harley Morenstein (an old substitute senior high school teacher from Montreal), "Epic Meal Time" finds a powerful following among more youthful males and involves very high-calorie meat-based foods that never be put off by sausage or alcohol. Tony Hawk and Deadmau5 have made an appearance around the series whose episodes typically play 5 minutes each.Since bowing this year, the show has attracted a lot more than 2.two million subs and ranks because the twelfth most activated YouTube funnel. The prosperity of the show motivated Morenstein and brother Darren to create The Next Time in Feb 2011.So far, show has produced the majority of its gold coin from advertising and merchandise like T-t shirts. But handles marketers like YM could considerably change that."It's an recognition to achieve the chance to utilize Yoshimoto," Harley Morenstein stated. "They're clearly masters at the things they're doing, and that we are searching toward working together on worldwide comedy and culinary special treats."YK is anticipated to begin creating japan version in April, with hosts trying to find the Kagoshima black pig, an uncommon variety of the Berkshire pig that's bred in Japan's Kagoshima Prefecture underneath the Kagoshima Kurobuta title."We're thrilled to become developing quite happy with Harley and Darren and also the crew from The Next Time Productions," stated Yoshimoto Kogyo U.S.' Boss Aki Yorihiro. "Clearly they've their finger around the pulse of next-generation creative."YK has upped its curiosity about online content, backing Nerdist Industries, that is preparing to produce its very own YouTube funnel, the Nerdist Funnel, which will feature web series like "Strange S#!t From Japan." YM is co-creating the project.The Gersh Agency's Todd Christopher repped The Next Time within the deal. Peter Levin, executive consultant to Yoshimoto Kogyo and Boss of Nerdist Industries, repped Yoshimoto Kogyo. Contact Marc Graser at marc.graser@variety.com

New Piranha 3DD Posters Online

Something seems fishy...While there has been some worries recently the Piranha 3d follow-up, cunningly titled Piranha 3DD, might be missing Uk cinemas altogether, that fear appears (happily) misguided. And although there's no confirmed date for your film's release yet, you'll find a couple of posters on the web.The first, dug up by Zone Fears, finds the finned fiends swarming towards a girl, utilizing their toothy mugs reflected in their shades. We're under sure how that certain works, since she doesn't appear to become underwater, but we won't quibble over logic due to the overall tone from the franchise. Another, at Bloody Disgusting, takes really a Jaws approach, while using hungry hordes rising up towards a bikini-clad babe. You have to hands it on their behalf: they've found a method they wish to use to promote this film, and they're sticking in it.Piranha 3DD features John Gulager inside the directorial hot chair, wrangling a cast including original film children Ving Rhames, Paul Scheer and Christopher Lloyd additionally to new cast people/sea food food Katrina Bowden, Chris Zylka, Danielle Panabaker, Gary Busey, Elise Neal and Allison Mack. Oh, and David Hasselhoff, who we're wanting meets his maker in the fantastically Baywatch-spoofing fashion.Piranha 3DD goes swimming in later this year.

REVIEW: Hollywood Heartbeat Forces Stirring Football Doc Undefeated

The underdog candidate with this year's Oscar for the best Documentary Feature, Undefeated is, fittingly, a good underdog sports team, several kids from an underfunded urban school to whom football provides some frantically needed structure in addition to a possible path to a much better existence. There's valid reason theWeinstein Company apparently coughed up seven figures for distribution and remake privileges towards the film -- Undefeatedis Friday Evening Lights meets The Blind Sidein nonfiction form, analyzing issues of sophistication and race with the lens of their ragtag athletics program whilst reinforcing American mythos of bootstrapping, effort and community.Its triumphs are bittersweet, but they'reirresistible. That title is not literal, however you will find definite deficits during the period of the only hard-fought against, promising senior high school football season this film follows, and it is still among the best years its northern border Memphis Manassas Tigers have ever endured. Bill Courtney is Undefeated's center, a ruddy-faced, sweaty whitened guy who can serve as volunteer coach in the mostly (otherwise entirely) black school. We first see him lecturing his team about how exactly their ranks happen to be decimated by drop-outs, shootings and busts: "Most coaches, that might be a career's price of garbage to cope with. That covers the final two days for me personally.Inch Bill includes a group of their own along with a flooring company to operate, but training is his great love, and also the depth of his purchase of it and the sincere belief within the potential saving energy of football make his gruff character simple to latch onto. He looks to become the nearest factor the majority of the teenagers he works together with need to men authority estimate their lives, fathers from the picture, plus they latch onto his devotion and also to the anticipation he's of these having a quiet hunger. Undefeated also follows three of Courtney's gamers with the year. The gifted, good-naturedO.C. Brown stands a high probability of having a football scholarship if he is able to pulls his grades up.Montrail Brown, who passes "Money," is a great student working towards college until an injuries around the area derails him and destroys his confidence. AndChavis Daniels arrives back around the team following a stint in juvie, and it has alarming rage issues to handle. TheTigers haven't won a playoff game, and they are so underfunded they accustomed to raise money by visiting play other schools for pay being an easy win. Over their season they face teams which are clearly more trendy (and ones whose racial make-up is extremely different) in addition to teams that are not -Body game against another Memphis school finishes using the police on area shooing the boys back onto their bus to mind off a possible brawl using the opposing school. Despite some early difficulties, the Tigers are getting a great year, and because the team wends its way to the playoff place the film begins to shine because it goes in to the personal lives of their gamers. O.C. will become unrecruitable if his academics don't improve, but tutors will not visit the neighborhood where he lives together with his grandmother, so another (whitened) coach takes him inside a couple of days per week, O.C. getting into the coach's cozy suburban set-track of his wife and youngsters. The problem-of-factness that this along with a later act of startling generosity are carried out make sure they are heartwrenching, but additionally give a indication of methods difficult such things as having to pay for college or improving at classwork could be without outdoors help. Money struggles to locate motivation to help keep choosing school following a knee injuries possibly finishes his season, and flirts with shedding out. Chavis, probably the most haunting character, appears to possess no filter on his feelings, rage seething up unexpectedly anddissipatingjust as rapidly. He selects the amount "" for themself while he claims he's no sense, and it has a clash with another player according to nothing whatsoever. But he keeps returning, will get off suspension, finds a spot for themself around the team, recognizing he needs football and needs to change if he really wants to be permitted to follow it. "I'll die for you personally tonight," he informs Bill when he's place in the overall game, and also you believe him. Apart from what appeared as if a couple of technical snags when it comes to color,Undefeated's look is fluid and vital. It's shot vritstyle, but nonetheless finds moments for nods to studio miracle -- a circling camera around a embracing Bill and O.C. toward the finish is unadulterated, completely effectiveHollywood. Directed and edited by Daniel Lindsay and T.J. Martin (the happy couple worked with formerly on 2008's Last Cup: Road around the world Number of Beer Pong), the film finds romance in the images from the sport, in the boys walking from the area at sunset towards the battles underneath the vibrant lights to some close-up that remains on theManassas temporary tattoo one player has fixed to his oral cavity. Undefeated does not possess the epic, years-spanning arc of Ring Dreams, however it finds in the season someunfeigned resonance that, like tears throughout that final embrace around the area, can not be evaded. Follow Alison Willmore on Twitter. Follow Movieline on Twitter.

Pilot Season: Ryan Phillippe to Star in Greg Berlanti's CBS Drama

Ryan Phillippe Ryan Phillippe has landed the leading role in CBS' untitled pilot from Greg Berlanti. Formerly known as Golden Boy, the one-hour drama chronicles one cop's meteoric rise from officer to detective to Police Commissioner. The Crash and Cruel Intentions actor, who will next appear on Damages, will play the young and ambitious new officer. Pilot Season: Greg Berlanti's CBS cop drama pilot collars Kevin Alejandro As previously announced, True Blood's Kevin Alejandro will play the top detective who is disturbed by the new guy's arrival and plots to derail his career while Pushing Daisies' Chi McBride will portray the new officer's partner. Nicholas Wootton will write and executive-produce the project alongside Berlanti, who also has set up drama pilots at Fox (Guilty) and The CW (Arrow).

Electricity Verifies New Watchmen Comics

35-part Before Watchmen due this summerThe storm continues to be approaching for a few years, however it broke yesterday with Electricity announcing that Alan Moore's legendary graphic novel Watchmen would be to finally obtain the franchise treatment. It isn't strictly movie news (although you will find possible implications) but we thought you may be interested...The storyline goes back to some change of regime at Electricity this year. Regardless of the company's very public falling-by helping cover their the irascible Moore, DC's mind honcho Paul Levitz was always adamant that Watchmen, a minimum of in publications form, was sacred ground to not be penetrated. When Levitz walked lower, however, Watchmen was no more sequestered by in-house defenders, with Zack Snyder's movie moving it towards the status of DC's all-time bestseller, the business's senior vice-leader Serta DiDio made an broadened Watchmen world a dog project.Much speculation and rumour adopted (largely driven through the alarmist fans at Bleeding Awesome), however the result works out to become seven inter-connected prequel comic small-series, released weekly underneath the banner Before Watchmen, beginning this summer time.John Azzarello (100 Bullets, Hellblazer) is writing the 4-part Rorschach and also the six-part Comedian.J Michael Straczynski (Amazing Spider-Guy, Thor) will get four-part shots at Dr Manhattan and Nite Owl.Darwyn Cooke (Catwoman, New Frontier) is behind the 4-problem Silk Spectre and also the six-problem Minutemen. And Watchmen's original editor Len Wein is supplying six issues of Ozymandias. Each problem will contain two pages of the new sailing story Curse From The Crimson Corsair (again by Wein), and there will be also a multi-written Before Watchmen: Epilogue.Original Watchmen artist Dork Gibbons is cited in DC's pr release very carefully wanting the project well. Moore though, in keeping with form, was quick to denounce it, telling the NY Occasions, "It's totally shameless. I am inclined to take this latest development as confirmation that [Electricity] continue to be apparently determined by ideas which i had two-and-a-half decades ago. I'm not going money Among the finest it to not happen."A defensive Straczynski with confidence hit back, calling Moore's position "absolutely understandable and deeply problematic." He stated that "the Watchmencharacters were versions on pre-existing figures produced for that Charleton Comics world.""So far as I understand, there were not many prequels or sequels to Moby Dick," sniffed Moore. ButMoore has spent a lot of the final decade writing The League Of Remarkable Gentlemen (using figures produced by Jules Verne, Robert Louis Stevenson, Arthur Conan Doyle, Bram Stoker, HG Wells, H Driver Haggard and so forth), and Lost Women (a pornographic team-from Oz's Dorothy, Wonderland's Alice and Peter Pan's Wendy). Pot? Kettle?"I do not hear Alan recommending that nobody apart from Shuster and Siegel must have been permitted to create Superman," states Straczynski. "Certainly Alan themself did this as he was triggered to create Swamp Factor, a seminal comics character produced by Len Wein.The entire reason for getting great figures may be the chance to understand more about them deeper. That Electricity permitted these figures to sit down on the shelf for more than 2 decades like a show of respect is salutary, but there comes a period when good figures need to re-go into the world.""It's our responsibility as marketers to locate new methods to keep our figures relevant," stated Didio. ""Collaborative storytelling is exactly what keeps these imaginary galaxies fresh."DC's pr release calls Before Watchmen "As long awaited because it is questionable." Questionable? You do not say. Provide us with your ideas within the comments below.[[Poll624]]