Great news, SX Fantastic 2009 title BLACK by Pierre Laffargue is now available for preorder in North America on the EVOCATIVE FILMS website. If you didn’t get the chance to see it at SXSW, check it out now. The true heir to classic blaxploitation filmmaking has landed on North American soil! DVDs will ship on April 6.

Here’s what the press are saying:

“Kitchen-sink filmmaking at its most sublime… …a righteously bombastic musical soundtrack… …the film is a rolling ball of smooth energy… Black is all about pounding out tunes while transitioning from one badass heroic action set-piece to the next”
Kurt Halfyard, Twitchfilm

“Black is a heist film like no other, a film that marches to the crazy beat of its own drum and funkadelic tunes. (…) Ambitious and groovy, Black is a big gooey gobstopper rolling at breakneck speed in its swirling colorful glory, picking up these random characters and antagonists on its perilous plight.”
Andrew Mack, Twitchfilm

“…Pierre Laffargue manages to nearly reinvent the genre… Black’s balance of humour, action, and exoticism is undeniably energizing. It’s slick without being too flashy, and MC Jean Gab’1 turns in an immensely likeable performance.”
Al Kratina, The Gazette’s Ciné File

“…Black stands up remarkably well as a psychedelic homage to ’70s era B-movies. …a bumping soundtrack that brings as much to the film’s atmosphere as Guy Ritchie’s Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels.”
Christopher Sykes, The Montreal Mirror

“BLACK is a superior French / African exploitation film – and its director, Pierre Laffargue, is somebody to watch. … recalls the conceit of Blaxploitation films, but in a thoroughly modern and artistic way. (…) The soundtrack is napalm f*cking hot! (…) Jean Gab’1’s performance and character just screamed – I’M A STAR!”.
Harry Knowles, Ain’t it Cool News

“It’s gloriously lunatic. (…) BLACK percolates like that first, strong cup of coffee in the morning – with no bitter aftertaste.”
Peter Martin, Cinematical

“… anyone who genuinely enjoys black-American cinema of the ‘70’s in all its forms is in for a huge treat, a movie that manages to mix African mysticism, blaxploitation, and the heist thriller into something that felt truly original. (…) I loved it… and I’m willing to bet others will, too. Once again, Fantastic Fest and SXSW have uncovered another gem.”
Drew McWeeny, Hitfix

“…the second craziest movie of this year’s SXSW Film Festival. (…) BLACK is the latest cinematic salvo from France, and once again you’ll be wondering what the hell is in their drinking water. (…) … it’s definitely a wild and unpredictable ride. Laffargue is a director to watch, and I’m curious to see what he’ll do next.”
Rob Hunter, Film School Rejects

Now sure, you can just look at this list and check out a couple locations… if you want to be BORING! No way, dude. We set this up for the true cinephiles that don’t even need to look at this map that Gowalla has so painstakingly put together because THEY HAVE BEEN TO THESE LOCATIONS A BAZILLION TIMES ALREADY! Or maybe you haven’t! Maybe you’re so eager beaver to check these places out that you forgot to keep reading to the end of this blog entry to see what the prize is for completing this trip! Either way you wanna do it, we highly recommend you hit every spot on here. And here’s why….

We all saw how fast the Fantastic Fest VIP badges for 2010 sold out. Super, crazy fast. There were a lot of sad people. We’re giving those people a second chance. Starting Thursday, March 11, through Wednesday, March 17th, everyone who visits all 10 spots on the trip and earns the Fantastic Fest’s Austin Film Tour pin will be automatically entered to win a VIP badge to Fantastic Fest 2010. For those of you that have attended Fantastic Fest religiously for the past several years know how awesome having a VIP badge is. You can get in to essentially every film you want to see, not to mention the after parties, shmoozin’ and boozin’ with our celebrity and filmmaker guests, and maybe even get groped by rowdy strangers! These badges sell for about $285 a pop, and we’re handing this suckers over for free.

Get off of your computer, get on your iPhone or Android or magic technology screen and download the Gowalla application (if you don’t have it already). Then grab some buddies (or just yourself if you want fewer people in the raffle… strategy!) and get to trippin’! Check in at all 10 locations, get the pin, and you’ll be entered into the raffle. We’ll randomly pick TWO winners and announce them here and on Gowalla’s blog. Happy trails!

Visit OUTCAST’s SXSW Page HERE!

We naive Americans know little about Ireland or Scotland, much less the darkest corners of their supernatural mythology. Prepare to be mercilessly schooled on the latter in this vicious-but-intelligent film from native filmmaker McCarthy.

OUTCAST establishes a bold and very new variation on shadowy, monstrous horror by weaving ancient witchcraft-tinted nightmares into very real urban decay. The characters all live in the red, battling against impossible odds and unstoppable enemies until they’ve been reduced to animals.

A unique and unusually intense UK horror feature, OUTCAST declares that there are no heroes or villains in inhuman war.

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We had the opportunity do ask writer/director Colm McCarthy a few questions about the film, and his answers shed a whole new light on the project…

OUTCAST is your first theatrical feature. How did the project come up?

Well, in the small scale, OUTCAST came out of an initial idea that Tom (McCarthy: co-writer and brother) and I had. On another level it came out of the experience of being brought up by a storytelling father versed in the Irish Seanchaí tradition, spending my teenage years in an ’80s poverty-stricken housing estate in Edinburgh and loving properly fucked up horror films and literature. One of the producers (John McDonnell) and I had made a couple of shorts together and we developed the script over a few years, during which time I was directing various television drama. Eventually the stars aligned in the correct way and a collection of brave individuals gave us the cash to go and indulge my strange imagination. Thanks guys!

Can you tell us about some of the lore that inspired the plot?

Well, as I mentioned, my brothers and sisters and I were brought up with Irish myths and folklore from birth, pretty much. The Sidhe (pronounced: She) are an integral part of the mythology of Ireland, though the version in this story is not really taken directly from any particular legend. Tom and I have always loved the idea of wisps of an old magic left behind in the modern age. There are certainly tastes – Bran was the name of one of Finn MaCool’s hunting dogs, shapeshifting was often seen as being a curse of the Sidhe, in the fury of battle the warp spasm would decend on certain warriors – these elements come from the stories I suppose. Also Little Red Riding Hood and the Brothers Grimm influenced.

It’s a unique story. Were you deliberately attempting to work within a horror genre that hadn’t been traveled before?

Well, I was definitely trying to take people somewhere that I know, and know to be scary and interesting…create an atmosphere and narrative that I thought might be engrossing or different. Someone once said that good filmmaking was about taking people somewhere they’ve never been before and showing them something they already know. It would be great to think that this has been achieved to some extent. Hopefully it’s unsettling, dark, scary and enjoyable for people who like that in a film, but in a way that is a little bit original. That would make me very happy.

The director (right) with one of the lucky characters in OUTCAST.

How would you classify the creatures, witches and hunters of the film?

Misunderstood. Real. Friends. You know, behind all the sleazy leather trouser satanists and new age bores, there might just be a bit of real magic, and it might just be like this.

It feels like the film is a massive clash between the ancient supernatural and the modern world. Can you talk about that, or shoot it down if it’s inaccurate?

Um…I suppose part of the point is that “modernity” is transient. White trousers and lattes are just the current security myth. Everything decays and rots. In doing so it feeds the soil and fruit bearing trees grow. Everything has happened before and will happen again. So the ancient supernatural is maybe part of the modern world, just a part that we don’t want to face or see. The same as the estate itself is the part of the “modern” city that we don’t want to see. Like the projects in America or the shanty towns of Mumbai. These areas are the dark forests of here and now. The part at the edge of town where the stuff-that-doesn’t-get-reported goes down. The street lights are a bit further apart here and in the shadows lurk… the unwatched ones. The old powers. The outcasts.

Its one point of view anyway.

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Get OUTCAST and the rest of our SXFantastic titles on your SXSW calendar, starting HERE!

Like it’s now cult-legendary predecessor DISTRICT B13, this reunion of writer Luc Besson (THE PROFESSIONAL, FIFTH ELEMENT) and on-screen ass-kickers Leito (David Belle) and Damien (Cyril Raffaelli), DISTRICT 13 ULTIMATUM serves up an endless display of some of the most impossible parkour action ever committed to film. A jaw-dropping spectacle that will leave you finding new, potentially deadly ways to go about your daily routine.

Films this volatile can’t be contained by the festival circuit, otherwise they just get angrier and angrier until they lash out in a violent cultural rage.  So we’re doing out part to keep the beast at bay by releasing the film this Friday at the Alamo Ritz.  See it or parish.

Get tickets here

Fantastic Fest fans, tell your friends!

First, on Monday, HOT TUB TIME MACHINE!   Despite a premise that materialized as a result of peyote, this one’s going to loosen even the stiffest of upper lips, mark our words. John Cusack, with some help from fellow funnymen Rob Corrdry, Clarke Duke and Chevy Chase, takes us back to 1983, when times were lighter, sex was safer and John Cusack was teething on MONEY FOR NOTHING.  Plus, director Steve Pink will be in attendance! Go to aintitcool.com to find out how to get in.

The second advance screening next week is the new Polanski jam, THE GHOST WRITER. Regardless of your personal feelings about the controversy surrounding the exiled auteur, Roman Polanski remains one of the cinema’s most challenging masters. THE GHOST WRITER follows the increasingly treacherous path of a writer (Ewan McGregor) hired to assist in the memoir of a sketchy (read: he will put a hit out on you) British Prime Minister (Pierce Brosnan). You’re going to go see this movie anyway, so why not see it it before its release and for free? Check out aintitcool.com to find out how to get in.

We actually still have a few seats left for you guys, so if you’re a Fantastic Fest badge holder and haven’t written in yet and still want to see the show, email brad@originalalamo.com with “PARKOUR FOR THE COURSE” in the subject line.  We’ll contact you directly if we can fit you in!

Everyone else, there’s still some “Admit 2″ passes floating around town!  Most of the theater will be filled by those, first come, first seated, so find one and come on down on Monday.  In addition, if you didn’t get one, but REALLY can’t wait to see this eye-bursting action explosion, we always have a stand-by line and are always able to get some very excited die-hards in the door!

Here’s the list, if you’re on it you must claim your ticket no later than 7pm on Monday, February 1 @ The Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar to guarantee your seats.  The show starts at 7:30p.

Glass, Geoffrey +1

DeLeón-Serratos, Jesús +1

Archip, Dana +1

Bailey, Robin +1

Bate, William +1

Dailey, Matthew +1

De Leon, JC +1

Gargano, Michelle +1

Gleason, Jeff +1

Harkins Eakins, Lecia +1

Hidalgo, James +1

Jeffress, Jamie +1

Johnson, Sven +1

Lambert, Robert +1

Locklear, Nathan +1

Mackey, Kristopher +1

Mackey, Tisha +1

McInroy, Chris +1

Miller, Jonathan +1

Mills, Austin  +1

Osmon, John  +1

Ramirez, Nick +1

Rath, Robert +1

Reese, Dshanya +1

Romero, Celia C +1

Strait, Eddie +1

Taylor, Kent +1

Tindle, Jeffrey +1

Wages, John +1

Williams, Kevin +1

For more info about Fantastic Fest, please visit www.fantasticfest.com

Monday, February 1, 7:30p, Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar

This one blew all our heads right off our shoulders at last year’s Fantastic Fest- only to then leap from the top of a 15 story building just in time to catch our heads before hitting the ground, then kicking them right back on. Like it’s now cult-legendary predecessor DISTRICT B13, this reunion of writer Luc Besson (THE PROFESSIONAL, FIFTH ELEMENT) and on-screen ass-kickers Leito (David Belle) and Damien (Cyril Raffaelli), DISTRICT 13 ULTIMATUM serves up an endless display of some of the most righteous parkour action ever committed to film. A jaw-dropping spectacle that will have you finding new, potentially deadly ways to go about your daily routine.

How to get in:
Many of the seats will be filled by those “Admit 2″ passes you see for other advance screenings around town, but since this a Fantastic Fest jam, we were able to hold aside a small chunk of seats specifically for our Fantastic Fest badge-holders! If you are a Fantastic Fest 2010 badge-holder and you want to attend this screening, send an email to brad@originalalamo.com with your name (please include the name used to purchase the actual badge) and the type of badge(s) purchased in the body of the email, and make sure to put “PARKOUR FOR THE COURSE” in the subject line. We will randomly pick (authenticated) badge-holders until our seat allotment is full, then post the list of winners on the Alamo Blog and the Fantastic Fest Blog on Friday, January 29 @ 3pm. Each name on the list is good for 2 seats, which will be held at will call until 7pm on the night of the show.

Special note: In the event we still have a few “reserved” seats left past 3pm on 1/29, go ahead and still send in an email.  We’ll contact you directly if we can fit you in!

From Todd Brown’s Fantastic Fest 2009 write-up:
District 13 is once again in trouble. The gangs are restless, promised changes have not come to pass, poverty and crime are as rampant as ever. And, just in case things weren’t difficult and complex enough in the anarchic district, it appears as though it has a new enemy, a powerful and well financed enemy determined to bring the wrath of the establishment down upon the people and willing to kill to do so. In the face of lawlessness and rising violence there can be only one response: by-the-book supercop Damien and free roaming — free running, I should say — vigilante Leto must once again join forces to bring peace to District 13.

When Pierre Morel’s District B13 burst on to the scene in 2004, prescient timing and clever marketing allowed the film to tap into the bubbling awareness of a new extreme sport, parkour. By casting parkour’s co-creator David Belle as Leto and then building the film around his unique skills the film delivered something people had never before seen on screen, a dazzling combination of speed, strength, grace and fearlessness. Largely on Belle’s back the film became a huge international hit and so producer Luc Besson did what smart producers always do in cases like these: he took his original formula, shifted the focus slightly and made a sequel.

While the original District B13 was very much Belle’s coming out party this second installment casts its eye largely on his partner, French martial artist Cyril Raffaelli. Though you may not think of France as a hotbed for martial arts, Raffaelli is so good that he has been hired to choreograph fight films in Hong Kong and his performance as Damien is loaded with raw energy and charisma, his flying fists and feet dazzling to watch on screen. If the first B13 provided a taste of what Raffaelli was capable of, this second provides a full course meal. Fill out the cast with charismatic characters heading the competing gangs — Black’s MC Jean Gab’1 plays a key role — and District B13 Ultimatum proves that sometimes you really can go back again.
(Todd Brown, Twitch Film)