SXSW 2012 Preview: Midnight, Emerging Visions, & 24BPS

It's Wednesday, only two days until SXSW takes to the streets of Austin and we've got the conclusion of our film previews for you now. You read about the Narrative & Docu Competition & Spotlight sections on Monday and the Headliners, Fest Faves, and Special Events categories yesterday. Now we wrap things up with a look at the brilliantly programmed Midnight films, the innovative Emerging Visions section, and the music themed 24 Beats Per Second program. Enjoy these and come back tomorrow when we raise the curtain with our most anticipated flicks of the fest.

Midnight


THE AGGRESSION SCALE
It's teens vs. hitmen with a ton of cash on the line in Steven C. Miller's follow up to cult hit Automaton Transfusion.


MODUS ANOMALI
Indonesian filmmaker Joko Anwar returns with this story of man trying to save his family on a forest vacation.


V/H/S
It's lo-def thrills galore in this found footage anthology from the talented likes of Ti West, Adam Wingard, Simon Barrett, Joe Swanberg, David Bruckner, Glenn McQuaid, Radio Silence, Gary Binkow, Brad Miska, and Roxanne Benjamin. We probably don't have to tell you that this is not one you want to miss.


[REC]3 GENESIS
Paco Plaza is back (this time without co-director Jaume Balagueró who served as a creative producer) with the third part of the REC saga; this one set at a wedding.


JOHN DIES AT THE END
Chase Williamson, Rob Mayes, and Paul Giamatti star in cult hero Don Coscarelli's (Bubba Ho-Tep) wacky drugged-out adventure.


GIRLS AGAINST BOYS
The aptly named Austin Chick (XX/XY) directs this meditative psychological thriller about two girls on a killing spree in New York.


INTRUDERS
Warm off its underwhelming TIFF premiere, Clive Owens stars in Juan Carlos Fresnadillo's much anticipated follow-up to 28 Weeks Later.


IRON SKY
It's hard to say it quite lived up to its expectations at Berlin, but Timo Vuorensola's moon Nazi sci-fi farce is bound to find some fans in SX's midnight crowd.

Emerging Visions


BLACK POND
Tom Kingsley and Will Sharpe's slightly surreal docu-esque story of a family who bury a complete stranger seems to have people pretty excited after its small UK self-distribution effort.


FUNERAL KINGS
Kevin & Matthew McManus's debut feature is a promising tale of two altar boys and their wild adventures playing hooky. The fact that always hilarious Kevin Corrigan's name graces the cast sheet is a good sign.


SUN DON'T SHINE
Mumblecore actress Amy Seimetz (A Horrible Way to Die, The Off Hours) marks her feature directorial debut with this central Florida road trip mystery starring pals Kate Lyn Sheil, Kentucker Audley, and AJ Bowen.


ELECTRICK CHILDREN
Julia Garner, Rory Culkin, and Billy Zane star in Rebecca Thomas's story about a Mormon girl who is impregnated when she hears rock and roll for the first time.


THE LAST FALL
An ex-NFL journeyman struggles to adjust to life after football in this semi-autobiographical debut from ex-NFL player Matthey A. Cherry.


THALE
There's a lot of anticipation for Norwegian Aleksander L. Nordaas's super indie folk-horror comedy involving crime scene cleaners.


SUNSET STORIES
Monique Curnen, Sung Kang, and Joshua Leonard star in Silas Howard and Ernesto Foronda's Justin Lin-produced story of an ex-couple scouring Los Angeles for lost medical marrow.


PAVILION
Tim Sutton's debut is this contemplative coming-of-ager about a boy in suburban Arizona.


WILDNESS
Director Wu Tsang's docu takes us into the inner sanctums of historic Los Angeles Latin/LGBT night club Silver Platter.

24 Beats Per Second
DAYLIGHT SAVINGS
Dave Boyle follows-up last year's Surrogate Valentine with this Goh Nakamura starring music infused sequel.


SHUT UP AND PLAY THE HITS
Will Lovelace and Dylan Southern's innovative LCD Soundsystem concert-doc was a huge hit at Sundance.


CHARLES BRADLEY: SOUL OF AMERICA
This debut feature docu by Poull Brien tells the story of tremendous transformation of a homeless man who shot to the top of the soul music charts after an entire lifetime of struggle.


SEARCHING FOR SUGAR MAN
Malik Bendjelloul's docu about this lost 70s music icon won multiple awards at this year's Sundance.


UPRISING: HIP HOP & THE LA RIOTS
Veteran documentarian Mark Ford takes a hard look at the LA Riots on the 20th anniversary of those dark days.


GRANDMA LO-FI: BASEMENT TAPES OF SIGRÍDUR NÍELSDÓTTIR
Kristín Björk Kristjánsdóttir's docu tells the story of the incredible 70 year-old Icelandic musician with the unpronounceable name.

See you back here tomorrow as we raise the curtain on SXSW.