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While The Man from Orlando does feature a nicely constructed narrative arc that revolves around Orlando, it truly excels as a just-wacky-enough ensemble piece that showcases stand-out performances by several of Austin's best comedic actors: Chris Doubek, Kelli Bland, John Merriman, and Sam Eidson. And while I had no idea who Alan Metoskie was before seeing The Man from Orlando, his performance as Kip will forever be emblazoned as a shit-eating grin on my face. Oh, and let us not forget one of my personal favorites, Macon Blair as the bartender who refuses to serve beer to Orlando. This leaves Jason Newman and Lee Eddy -- who have done most of their work on the stage -- to play the proverbial straight parts, which they do so quite admirably.

During its 15-minute running time, The Quiet Girl’s Guide to Violence cleverly shows us the world from Holly’s perspective, thus allowing us the opportunity to burrow inside Holly’s head and relate much more closely with her. As the title of the film suggests, Holly does not say much, so director Rafael Antonio Ruiz relies heavily upon visual storytelling to convey Holly’s emotions. This is where Jennymarie Jemison comes in. She approaches Holly as if she is a character in a silent film, transmitting her thoughts via subtle facial expressions, gestures and movements. I suspect this will be a break-out performance for Jemison, as she truly owns Holly. I also suspect that audiences will demand to see much more of this character (if they know what’s good, they will also cry out for more of Kelli Bland’s Ivy) — which is a good thing, since Ruiz...

I received ton of emails after my “What Works for Austin Filmmakers?” post last week, which provided me with motivation to continue on with part two this week. One thing is obvious, this is a very touchy and emotional subject. Several filmmakers contacted me with their personal insights, all of which will appear one way or another in this or subsequent posts. Some emails were critical of certain members of the local film community, but I will not mention anyone’s names. My goal is to do whatever I can to help foster a more supportive and successful film community, so I am not here to get in the middle of any personal grievances. I do think there is a certain level of validity in many of the claims, but I will keep the criticisms as general as possible. So, I ended my last post with my thoughts on micro-budget genre films and promised to discuss comedies...

Here's the latest in Austin film news.

So long, TV networks? Austin Business Journal reported that media experts predict Web productions, such as those produced by Transmedia Austin in the newly renovated Austin Studios, are the future. Locally produced Web series Ain't It Cool With Harry Knowles, Weatherman With Kelli Bland and The Quiet Girl's Guide to Violence have utilized traditional advertisement models, corporate branding and websites such as Kickstarter to finance their projects.Speaking of Austin Studios, Austin City Hall was transformed into an Arizona location last Thursday for an episode of the second season of ABC Family's The Lying Game, Kxan reported. The series, about a teenager in foster care who switches places with her long-lost identical twin sister in hopes of uncovering the truth of their separation, is primarily filmed at the 20-acre production facility.Austin-based Ipf Productions has been invited to the inaugural Fantasia Industry...

Directors: Bob Ray, Spencer Parsons, Rusty Kelley, Berndt Mader, Amy Grappell, Karen Skloss, Duane Graves, Justin Meeks, Paul Gordon, Johnny Stranger, David Zellner, Nathan Zellner, Jay Duplass, John Bryant, Sam Wainwright Douglas, Ben Steinbauer, Elisabeth Sikes, Mike Dolan, Geoff Marslett, Bradley Beesley, Bob Byington, Clay Liford, Carlyn Hudson, Miguel Alvarez, Scott Meyers, Pj Raval, Chris Eska Writers: Bob Ray, Spencer Parsons, Rusty Kelley, Berndt Mader, Amy Grappell, Karen Skloss, Duane Graves, Justin Meeks, Paul Gordon, Johnny Stranger, David Zellner, Nathan Zellner, Jay Duplass, John Bryant, Sam Wainwright Douglas, Ben Steinbauer, Elisabeth Sikes, Mike Dolan, Geoff Marslett, Bradley Beesley, Bob Byington, Clay Liford, Carlyn Hudson, Miguel Alvarez, Scott Meyers, Pj Raval, Chris Eska Starring: Bob Ray, Chris Doubek, Maggie Lea, Hilah Johnson, Robert Lambert, Leslie Naugle, John Wesley Coleman, Kelli Bland, Justin Meeks, Jonny Mars, Ashley Spillers, Jen Tracy Duplass, Jay Duplass, Chris Trew, Sam Wainwright Douglas, Anna Margaret Hollyman, Luke Savisky,...