As a film critic, I hear a lot about websites where thieves steal and repost other critics' reviews, sometimes not even bothering to remove identifying material.
But this week, I got my first experience in seeing a purported "filmmaker" post short films to his website that he might claim are his, but obviously do not belong to him. I know this because I saw one of the films in its original incarnation: the very funny short My Mom Smokes Weed, from Austin filmmaker Clay Liford -- it screened at Austin Film Festival in 2009 as well as a number of other film fests. And if you've watched any of Liford's movies (Wuss, Earthling), you know this is so very much his trademark work that anyone else trying to pass it off as his own is an idiot.
If you haven't seen My Mom Smokes Weed, now's your chance. I've embedded it below.
But this week, I got my first experience in seeing a purported "filmmaker" post short films to his website that he might claim are his, but obviously do not belong to him. I know this because I saw one of the films in its original incarnation: the very funny short My Mom Smokes Weed, from Austin filmmaker Clay Liford -- it screened at Austin Film Festival in 2009 as well as a number of other film fests. And if you've watched any of Liford's movies (Wuss, Earthling), you know this is so very much his trademark work that anyone else trying to pass it off as his own is an idiot.
If you haven't seen My Mom Smokes Weed, now's your chance. I've embedded it below.
- 8/14/2014
- by Jette Kernion
- Slackerwood
It's time to mourn the 'burbs. "White-bread suburbia is just one bad neighborhood," proclaims Maddie (Alicia Anthony), a world-weary teen who's only known decline. Writer-director Clay Liford's third feature maps this scared new world of suburban decay, where the colored poor and dysfunctional whites are left behind. These two groups collide in Wuss, a witty black comedy with sociological aspirations that hits unexpected emotional marks while nimbly sidestepping clichés. The latter accomplishment is all the more impressive given the film's familiar premise: a rookie white teacher in a failing multiracial school struggles to do good. Mitch "the Bitch" Parker (Nate Rubin) gets a job teaching English at the same high school he attended as a teen. By the end of his first week...
- 5/6/2013
- Village Voice
For those of you who reside in the Big Apple and want to see one of Austin’s finest films of the last few years, Clay Liford‘s Wuss will be screening at the reRun Theater in Brooklyn on September 17 courtesy of Filmwax. Wuss is a masterful work of sound and vision, clearly exceeding the production values of most independent cinema. Liford’s uniquely desaturated, nearly monochromatic aesthetic visually binds this feature with his debut feature (Earthling), while clearly separating himself from most other filmmakers. If Wuss was produced in Hollywood, it would certainly include bright, cheery and over-saturated cinematography and a Billboard Top 40 soundtrack, but that is clearly not how Liford sees (or hears) the world. Lastly, Nate Rubin‘s lead performance as Mitch – a meek and measly twerp of a high school English teacher (technically, a substitute with a long-term assignment) who is otherwise known as “Little Bitch” — is nothing short of masterful. Speaking...
- 9/17/2012
- by Don Simpson
- FilmSchoolRejects.com
Rating: 3/5
Writer/Director: Clay Liford
Cast: Nate Rubin, Alicia Anthony, Ryan Anderson, Tony Hale
I’ll be honest, sad sack main characters tend to rub me the wrong way. I get easily frustrated with their lack of decision-making abilities, self-victimization, and general lameness. It’s hard to relate to, or more importantly like, these characters when they dwell so long in self-centeredness. And it’s even harder for a writer to create a sympathetic main character who embodies these traits. However, despite my general malaise toward these guys and gals, I was pleasantly surprised by how amiable Mitch (Nate Rubin) was in director Clay Liford’s third feature film, Wuss.
Read more on Diff 2011 Review: Wuss...
Writer/Director: Clay Liford
Cast: Nate Rubin, Alicia Anthony, Ryan Anderson, Tony Hale
I’ll be honest, sad sack main characters tend to rub me the wrong way. I get easily frustrated with their lack of decision-making abilities, self-victimization, and general lameness. It’s hard to relate to, or more importantly like, these characters when they dwell so long in self-centeredness. And it’s even harder for a writer to create a sympathetic main character who embodies these traits. However, despite my general malaise toward these guys and gals, I was pleasantly surprised by how amiable Mitch (Nate Rubin) was in director Clay Liford’s third feature film, Wuss.
Read more on Diff 2011 Review: Wuss...
- 4/11/2011
- by Gwen Reyes
- GordonandtheWhale
Have you ever wondered what 17 minutes in Heaven is like with Clay Liford and Nate Rubin (writer/director and star of Wuss)? Well, you finally have your chance to experience what is a truly life-changing event. All I can say in the attempt to capture the essence of our discussion is it is the closest thing an interview can get to immaculate conception.
Read more on Diff 2011 Video Interview: Wuss writer/director Clay Liford and actor Nate Rubin...
Read more on Diff 2011 Video Interview: Wuss writer/director Clay Liford and actor Nate Rubin...
- 4/7/2011
- by James Wallace
- GordonandtheWhale
Wuss
Directed by Clay Liford
Written by Clay Liford
USA – 2011
Wuss may not be director Clay Liford’s first feature, but it certainly feels like it is. Adequately made, and competently acted, Wuss could be, and for a while appears to be, an excellent dark indie comedy. But the film’s stylistic inconsistency and simplistic characterizations cripple the film and obscure whatever messages or themes Liford may be trying to convey.
The most consistent thing about the film is Nate Rubin’s skilled portrayal of Mitch, the titular wuss. He is first seen at a high school reunion where he slowly, so awkwardly, must reveal to a high-school crush that, yes, he still lives in the same small town with his mom, and, yes, he actually teaches at this very high school. The situation feels well worn, but Rubin owns it. From there Mitch gets bullied by his slimy principal...
Directed by Clay Liford
Written by Clay Liford
USA – 2011
Wuss may not be director Clay Liford’s first feature, but it certainly feels like it is. Adequately made, and competently acted, Wuss could be, and for a while appears to be, an excellent dark indie comedy. But the film’s stylistic inconsistency and simplistic characterizations cripple the film and obscure whatever messages or themes Liford may be trying to convey.
The most consistent thing about the film is Nate Rubin’s skilled portrayal of Mitch, the titular wuss. He is first seen at a high school reunion where he slowly, so awkwardly, must reveal to a high-school crush that, yes, he still lives in the same small town with his mom, and, yes, he actually teaches at this very high school. The situation feels well worn, but Rubin owns it. From there Mitch gets bullied by his slimy principal...
- 4/3/2011
- by Emmet Duff
- SoundOnSight
Meet Mitch (Nate Rubin), a meek and measly twerp of a high school English teacher (technically he is a substitute with a long-term assignment) who is known by some, including Assistant Principal, Wally Combs (Alex Karpovsky), as "Little Bitch". Mitch allows himself to be teased, ridiculed and slapped around by every living being with whom he comes into contact, no matter their age or gender. The titular wuss, Mitch is an aspiring fiction writer who plays D&D (that is Dungeons and Dragons for those of you not in the know) with his high school friends and still lives at home with his mom and queen bitch of a sister (Jennifer Sipes). It is as if high school never ended for Mitch. Once a wuss, always a wuss...
- 3/30/2011
- by Don Simpson
- SmellsLikeScreenSpirit
For me, SXSW 2011 may be the year of the charmingly disturbing film ... although come to think of it, I saw a few of those in 2010 too. I've always said that I don't want to watch movies with unsympathetic main characters, but in the past couple of years, filmmakers -- those in Texas particularly -- have made me change my mind if the film is sufficiently good (or better yet, funny). The latest film from Texas filmmaker Clay Liford (who just moved from Dallas to Austin) is Wuss, a movie about a pathetic wet noodle of a loser, someone you'd shrink away from at a party or in the office breakroom, who is far more compelling than you might initially guess.
Part of the credit here must go to Nate Rubin, who portrays the character described in the title, Mitch. Mitch manages at first to draw the attention of a charming woman at his high-school reunion,...
Part of the credit here must go to Nate Rubin, who portrays the character described in the title, Mitch. Mitch manages at first to draw the attention of a charming woman at his high-school reunion,...
- 3/18/2011
- by Jette Kernion
- Slackerwood
Congratulations to filmmaker Clay Liford, whose latest feature Wuss will have its world premiere in the Lone Star States category at SXSW 2011 next month.
Remember Clay? Last year at SXSW, My Blackberry Ate My Clay Liford Interview when I talked with him and producer Barak Epstein about Clay's cerebral science-fiction genre-crossing movie Earthling, and touched briefly on his 2008 short My Mom Smokes Weed. The man is batting a thousand -- getting two features into SXSW two years in a row is no mean feat. He spent a Sunday brunch at Olivia a couple of weeks ago chatting with Jette and me about his latest projects -- we all ate smoked gouda grits, and the Blackberry did not eat the interview this time.
As it happens, My Mom Smokes Weed star Nate Rubin plays the lead in Wuss. Rubin stars as Mitch, a high-school teacher who can't seem to escape the...
Remember Clay? Last year at SXSW, My Blackberry Ate My Clay Liford Interview when I talked with him and producer Barak Epstein about Clay's cerebral science-fiction genre-crossing movie Earthling, and touched briefly on his 2008 short My Mom Smokes Weed. The man is batting a thousand -- getting two features into SXSW two years in a row is no mean feat. He spent a Sunday brunch at Olivia a couple of weeks ago chatting with Jette and me about his latest projects -- we all ate smoked gouda grits, and the Blackberry did not eat the interview this time.
As it happens, My Mom Smokes Weed star Nate Rubin plays the lead in Wuss. Rubin stars as Mitch, a high-school teacher who can't seem to escape the...
- 2/8/2011
- by Jenn Brown
- Slackerwood
The South by Southwest Film Festival announced its feature film line-up Wednesday, piling heaps of cinematic goodness on an already stellar program that includes Jodie Foster’s The Beaver, Duncan Jones’ Source Code, Ti West’s The Innkeepers, Conan O’Brien’s tour documentary, and the latest Simon Pegg-Nick Frost comedy, Paul, with Seth Rogen.
Catherine Hardwicke (Twilight) returns to the festival with her latest film, Red Riding Hood starring Amanda Seyfried, after the writer-director spoke on a screenwriting panel in 2009.
Plus a few favorites from the Sundance Film Festival last month, like Tom McCarthy’s Win Win, Morgan Spurlock’s The Greatest Movie Ever Sold, and Max Winkler’s Ceremony.
I’m extremely excited, even if I’m already having flashbacks to intense sleep deprivation. Like the last two years, I’ll be on the ground covering as much of the festival as I can within the packed 9 days of screenings,...
Catherine Hardwicke (Twilight) returns to the festival with her latest film, Red Riding Hood starring Amanda Seyfried, after the writer-director spoke on a screenwriting panel in 2009.
Plus a few favorites from the Sundance Film Festival last month, like Tom McCarthy’s Win Win, Morgan Spurlock’s The Greatest Movie Ever Sold, and Max Winkler’s Ceremony.
I’m extremely excited, even if I’m already having flashbacks to intense sleep deprivation. Like the last two years, I’ll be on the ground covering as much of the festival as I can within the packed 9 days of screenings,...
- 2/3/2011
- by Jeff Leins
- newsinfilm.com
‘Tapping into the cultural zeitgeist,’ at SXSW 2011
Austin, Texas – The SXSW 2011 Feature Film Lineup was unveiled Wednesday afternoon. The festival lineup will consist of 130 features, in nine full days of programming, promising to deliver a film-going experience unlike previous years.
With a reputation for taking chances on relatively unknown filmmakers, the SXSW panel of judges carefully picked 130 films from 1,792 feature-length film submissions, (1,323 U.S. and 469 international). The program consists of 60 World Premieres, 12 North American Premieres and 16 U.S. Premieres.
The main competition categories return with eight Narrative Features, and eight Documentary Features, both competing for their respective Grand Jury Prize. New for films in competition this year, are awards for screenplay, editing, cinematography, music, and acting.
(The Midnighters and SXFantastic feature sections, along with the short film program, will be announced next week.)
Here are a few of the Features to be screened, among many others.
Narratives:
The Beaver (World Premiere)
Dir.
Austin, Texas – The SXSW 2011 Feature Film Lineup was unveiled Wednesday afternoon. The festival lineup will consist of 130 features, in nine full days of programming, promising to deliver a film-going experience unlike previous years.
With a reputation for taking chances on relatively unknown filmmakers, the SXSW panel of judges carefully picked 130 films from 1,792 feature-length film submissions, (1,323 U.S. and 469 international). The program consists of 60 World Premieres, 12 North American Premieres and 16 U.S. Premieres.
The main competition categories return with eight Narrative Features, and eight Documentary Features, both competing for their respective Grand Jury Prize. New for films in competition this year, are awards for screenplay, editing, cinematography, music, and acting.
(The Midnighters and SXFantastic feature sections, along with the short film program, will be announced next week.)
Here are a few of the Features to be screened, among many others.
Narratives:
The Beaver (World Premiere)
Dir.
- 2/3/2011
- by Albert Art
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Readers of Sound On Sight can be sure that we will indeed be covering the SXSW Film Festival once again. As previously reported, Duncan Jones’ latest film Source Code is opening the festival and there will also be premieres for the documentary Conan O’Brien Can’t Stop, Greg Mottola’s Paul, and Jodie Foster’s The Beaver. Now the full line-up has been announced it is incredible.
Hit the jump to check out the line-up, and be sure to visit our site during the event.
The 2011 SXSW Film Festival runs from March 11 – 19th in Austin, Texas.
SXSW Film Announces 2011 Features Lineup
Austin, Texas – February 2, 2011 – The South by Southwest (SXSW) Film Conference and Festival is thrilled to announce the features lineup for this year’s Festival, March 11 – 19, 2011 in Austin, Texas. The 2011 lineup continues the SXSW tradition of tapping into the cultural zeitgeist, highlighting emerging talent and breakthrough performances and supporting first-time filmmakers.
Hit the jump to check out the line-up, and be sure to visit our site during the event.
The 2011 SXSW Film Festival runs from March 11 – 19th in Austin, Texas.
SXSW Film Announces 2011 Features Lineup
Austin, Texas – February 2, 2011 – The South by Southwest (SXSW) Film Conference and Festival is thrilled to announce the features lineup for this year’s Festival, March 11 – 19, 2011 in Austin, Texas. The 2011 lineup continues the SXSW tradition of tapping into the cultural zeitgeist, highlighting emerging talent and breakthrough performances and supporting first-time filmmakers.
- 2/3/2011
- by Ricky
- SoundOnSight
The South By Southwest Film Conference and Festival announced this year's features lineup. The festival takes place March 11-19 in Austin, Texas.
There are a total of 130 features screening this year including 60 world premieres, 12 North American premieres and 16 U.S. premieres! This year the a total of 1,792 feature-length films were submitted, which is the most ever.
There are going to be some amazing films shown this yea. Opening night kicks off with Duncan Jones' Source Code (Moon). The fest rolls on with Jodie Foster‘s The Beaver, Greg Mottola‘s Paul, Sundance Grand Prize doc winner How to Die in Oregon, Errol Morris‘ Tabloid, Victoria Mahoney‘s Yelling to the Sky, Azazel Jacob‘s Terri. There will also be a special screening of Catherine Hardwicke‘s Red Riding Hood.
The Midnight and SXFantastic sections will be announced with the shorts program next week.
See the complete lineup below via...
There are a total of 130 features screening this year including 60 world premieres, 12 North American premieres and 16 U.S. premieres! This year the a total of 1,792 feature-length films were submitted, which is the most ever.
There are going to be some amazing films shown this yea. Opening night kicks off with Duncan Jones' Source Code (Moon). The fest rolls on with Jodie Foster‘s The Beaver, Greg Mottola‘s Paul, Sundance Grand Prize doc winner How to Die in Oregon, Errol Morris‘ Tabloid, Victoria Mahoney‘s Yelling to the Sky, Azazel Jacob‘s Terri. There will also be a special screening of Catherine Hardwicke‘s Red Riding Hood.
The Midnight and SXFantastic sections will be announced with the shorts program next week.
See the complete lineup below via...
- 2/2/2011
- by Tiberius
- GeekTyrant
The South by Southwest Film Festival (SXSW) just announced their entire 2011 feature film lineup, and there’s isn’t a lot of note, with regards to this blog’s focus.
Titles you should be aware of – all of which we’ve previously profiled on Shadow And Act – include, Victoria Mahoney’s feature film debut, Yelling To The Sky (which will actually make its world debut at the Berlin Film Festival later this month); plus Blacktino, the first feature film from writer/director Aaron Burns, a self-described “blacktino nerd from Austin, Texas,” who got his start at Robert Rodriguez’s Troublemaker Studios doing visual effects; Benda Bilili, a documentary about a band of homeless, disabled Congolese; and last, but not least, Being Elmo: A Puppeteer’s Journey, a documentary about the black man that happens to be the man behind the puppet (which also played at Sundance).
There might be...
Titles you should be aware of – all of which we’ve previously profiled on Shadow And Act – include, Victoria Mahoney’s feature film debut, Yelling To The Sky (which will actually make its world debut at the Berlin Film Festival later this month); plus Blacktino, the first feature film from writer/director Aaron Burns, a self-described “blacktino nerd from Austin, Texas,” who got his start at Robert Rodriguez’s Troublemaker Studios doing visual effects; Benda Bilili, a documentary about a band of homeless, disabled Congolese; and last, but not least, Being Elmo: A Puppeteer’s Journey, a documentary about the black man that happens to be the man behind the puppet (which also played at Sundance).
There might be...
- 2/2/2011
- by Tambay
- ShadowAndAct
The South by Southwest Film Festival has announced their features lineup for the 2011’s Festival, which will take place March 11th to the 19th in Austin Texas. Read the full press release after the jump. SXSW Film Announces 2011 Features Lineup Austin, Texas – February 2, 2011 – The South by Southwest (SXSW) Film Conference and Festival is thrilled to announce the features lineup for this year’s Festival, March 11 – 19, 2011 in Austin, Texas. The 2011 lineup continues the SXSW tradition of tapping into the cultural zeitgeist, highlighting emerging talent and breakthrough performances and supporting first-time filmmakers. The Midnighters and SXFantastic feature sections, along with the short film program, will be announced next week. “This is the most exciting moment for us. After a fantastic festival of discovery in 2010, we can finally unveil the line up for this year’s event,” says Film Conference and Festival Producer Janet Pierson. “SXSW prides itself on taking chances, sifting for...
- 2/2/2011
- by Peter Sciretta
- Slash Film
“There’s a sucker born every minute,” is the slogan for the film. That includes anyone who pays good money to buy this DVD. You’ll get more laughs out of an old Bela Lugosi Dracula movie than from this poor parody of vampire films. If you’re expecting a clever satire of the monster hoard genre, such as Shaun of the Dead or Zombieland, be warned that cleverness has left the building.
The film wants to be the Young Frankenstein of vampire films, but it’s so unoriginal, insipid and low budget, it’s more like the Plan 9 from Outer Space of vampire flicks. The humor in Blood on the Highway works on such a lowbrow level that it makes The Howard Stern Show seem cerebral. The movie attempts to create humorous violence, such as in the Troma Studios cult classic The Toxic Avenger, but dual-directors Barak Epstein...
The film wants to be the Young Frankenstein of vampire films, but it’s so unoriginal, insipid and low budget, it’s more like the Plan 9 from Outer Space of vampire flicks. The humor in Blood on the Highway works on such a lowbrow level that it makes The Howard Stern Show seem cerebral. The movie attempts to create humorous violence, such as in the Troma Studios cult classic The Toxic Avenger, but dual-directors Barak Epstein...
- 7/4/2010
- by Rob Young
- JustPressPlay.net
By Christopher Stipp
The Archives, Right Here
Check out my other column, This Week In Trailers, at SlashFilm.com and follow me on Twitter under the name: Stipp
Ice Road Truckers - DVD Review
I once had a job where it was my job to obtain truck freight.
As I made my way all across the Us I realized that everything that we get in this country is obtained by the trucking industry. Bottom line. From the keyboards that you and I write on, the chairs we sit in, the produce and food we eat, the clothes we wear, everything gets here by truck.
That’s why knowing this information makes for a good primer in understanding why Season Three of Ice Road Truckers is such a thrill to watch. While not necessarily family entertainment, some of these road dogs are a bit salty, the program continues to feed my...
The Archives, Right Here
Check out my other column, This Week In Trailers, at SlashFilm.com and follow me on Twitter under the name: Stipp
Ice Road Truckers - DVD Review
I once had a job where it was my job to obtain truck freight.
As I made my way all across the Us I realized that everything that we get in this country is obtained by the trucking industry. Bottom line. From the keyboards that you and I write on, the chairs we sit in, the produce and food we eat, the clothes we wear, everything gets here by truck.
That’s why knowing this information makes for a good primer in understanding why Season Three of Ice Road Truckers is such a thrill to watch. While not necessarily family entertainment, some of these road dogs are a bit salty, the program continues to feed my...
- 7/2/2010
- by Christopher Stipp
As we grow up, the life cycle rotates. Our parents grow old and stop taking care of us. And in return for the life they’ve given us and helped us through, we take care of them. We give back the generosity. We reciprocate the love. We pay it forward. And, in some cases, we drive them to buy marijuana from shady and thuggish drug dealers.
Read more on Sundance 2010 Video Interview: Director Clay Liford & Actor Nate Rubin (My Mom Smokes Weed)…...
Read more on Sundance 2010 Video Interview: Director Clay Liford & Actor Nate Rubin (My Mom Smokes Weed)…...
- 1/31/2010
- by James Wallace
- GordonandtheWhale
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