The Philly Kid accounts the life of an NCAA wrestler turned MMA fighter who, as his life progresses, discovers a more and more bleak destiny.   The very night he wins an NCAA wrestling championship, Dillon McCabe (Wes Chatham) becomes incarcerated after being involved with the death of a police officer.  Following his release from prison, he returns to his roots in his native, crumbling Baton Rouge neighborhood.  He learns an easy method to make some quick cash: MMA fighting.

Shakespeare’s Hamlet is a familiar tale for almost everyone who made it through 8th grade English class. Zombie Hamlet is a new take on the classic play adding the undead into the mix. The comedy follows director Orsic Taylor as he travels to small town Louisiana to make a Civil War era version of Hamlet. After funding falls through, he is forced to add zombies to the feature to please his sole financer, an eccentric old woman who dies mid-shoot. The film, starring director John Murlowski, John Amos, Vanessa Lee Evigan and Jason Mewes, debuts later this year.

Film Festival Flix is a monthly syndicated film series which serves as a platform to launch three independent films per month into the marketplace. On June 4, the New Orleans program kicks off with a showing of three international films at the Zeitgeist Multidisciplinary Arts Center. Attendees of this event will be the first to view The Holy Land of Tyrol at 5:30pm, A Secret Promise at 8pm, and Rancid at 10pm. In addition to viewing these movies, guests will be treated to a 5-minute short by a local filmmaker. The star of The Holy Land of Tyrol, Inga Birkenfeld, will also be in attendance.

Pricing: General admission- $10 for one film; $15 for two films or $20 for all three. Zeitgeist members- $8 for one film; $12 for two films or $16 for all three.

Norah Jones has recently announced that she will make a stop in southern Louisiana this fall during her world tour. Jones is set to perform at the Mahalia Jackson Theater in New Orleans on October 23rd at 8:00pm. The tour features her fifth studio album, Little Broken Hearts, which has garnered much critical acclaim; It has been described as the “most dramatic and rewarding departure she’s made in her career” by American Songwriter Magazine.

Tickets will be available on Friday, May 18th at Ticketmaster.com and all Ticketmaster outlets. Tickets may also be purchased by phone by calling 1-800-745-3000.

For more information on her tour, visit the Norah Jones Official website.
To purchase tickets online, visit Ticketmaster.

William Friedkin’s most recent dark comedy, Killer Joe, starring Matthew McConaughey has been granted a rating of NC-17 by the MPAA.  The final rating comes after a series of appeals in an attempt to lesson the rating before its release date.  The film, which was shot in New Orleans early last year, released its official trailer early this week and will be in theaters on July 27.

Friedkin refused to rework the film in order to adjust the rating.  LD Entertainment’s David Dinerstein backs the decision to maintain the original version of the film.  “We support the artistic integrity of our filmmakers — Academy–award winning director, William Friedkin and our screenwriter Pulitzer-Prize winner Tracy Letts — and the film will be released in theaters on July 27th in its original version as an NC-17 film. The film has played to enthusiastic crowds at the Venice, Toronto and SXSW Film Festivals where many critics have noted this is Matthew McConaughey’s best performance to date. As our initial LD Entertainment release, we are to excited to bring this very entertaining, funny and provocative film to audiences this summer.”

McConaughey was featured on the cover of Scene in the March/April 2011 issue.  In his interview, he recounts his enjoyable experience as a transient Louisiana resident.

Source:  Deadline, Slashfilm

From the slanderous accusations political foes sling at each other to their over the top coifs, The Campaign left no aspect of elections untouched. The Jay Roach comedy filmed in New Orleans in the fall, featuring a huge cast of comedy greats like Will Ferrell, Zack Galifianakis and Jason Sudeikis. Ferrell and Galifianakis face off in a congressional election that leads to jaw dropping antics, including baby punching. Take a look at the trailer before the movie caps off the summer in theaters August 10th.

Source: Slashfilm

Anthony Mackie is becoming a familiar face for movie-goers, with roles in The Adjustment Bureau and the Oscar winning actioner The Hurt Locker. His latest film, The Gangster Squad, has him sharing the screen with a slew of A-list talent. The film recently debuted its trailer featuring Mackie, Ryan Gosling, Sean Penn, Josh Brolin and Nick Nolte. Penn stars as famed mob boss Mickey Cohen with much of the cast playing a secret sect of cops looking to stop him and his corruption in 1949 New York City. The Gangster Squad hits theaters later this year.

Source: Slashfilm

There’s still a month left until True Blood returns with its fifth season but until the fang filled premiere, fans can get a little taste of their favorite fantasy creatures with a set of new posters featuring the tagline, “Everything is at Stake.”

Featuring some of audience’s favorite fangers, werewolves and fairies (and maybe a human or two), the new posters include a new face to add to the mix: Christopher Meloni. The Law and Order: SVU star joins the season five cast as the guardian of the Vampire Authority, Roman. According to showrunner Alan Ball, Roman is the man who will decide whether it’s time for “the true death” for Vampire Bill and Eric  Northman. With many more new faces on the show’s season five roster, True Blood debuts for a fifth time on HBO June 10th.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter

The Warner Bros film Bullet to the Head, starring Sylvester Stallone, has just been slated for a new release date of February 1, 2013. The film was originally scheduled for an April 2012 release date, but was pushed back due to delays in post-production. From Joel Silver’s Dark Castle Entertainment and IM Global, the film is based on the French graphic novel of the same name. Stallone stars in Bullet as a hit man who teams up with a cop to seek revenge on the killer who murdered their respective partners. Filmed in New Orleans, Bullet to the Head is directed by Walter Hill and also stars Jason Momoa and Christian Slater.

Source: Deadline

Actor Martin Donovan’s directorial debut Collaborator, featuring Scene’s latest cover David Morse, is scheduled to hit theaters July 6th with a VOD premiere June 19th.

Written, directed and starring Donovan (Weeds, The Firm), Collaborator tells the story of a famous playwright returning to his childhood home after his latest venture fails. While there, he runs into his old neighbor, an ex-con named Gus (Morse) still living with his mother. The film culminates when Gus holds a visiting Robert hostage at gunpoint.

Source: Truly Free Film