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Read More: The 17 Indie Films You Must See This September: '99 Homes,' 'Goodnight Mommy' and More "Two Step" (September 1)After opening in limited release on July 31, Alex R. Johnson's well-reviewed, SXSW-nominated thriller "Two Step" finally becomes available On Demand this month with its fair share of genre surprises. Skyy Moore stars as college dropout James, who learns that his deceased grandmother was the victim of the "Grandparent Scam," in which someone posing as James has been gradually stealing thousands of dollars from her. When the culprit shows up at James' door, a complex series of characters and events provide twists and turns you won't see coming. Throw in Johnson's assured direction and Andy Lilien's deep-focus cinematography, and "Two Step" is a thriller not to miss. "Dirty Weekend" (September 4)Filmmaker and playwright Neil Labute has always excelled at character duets (see "In The Company of Men"),...

Title: Two Step Director: Alex R. Johnson Starring: Skyy Moore, James Landry Hebert, Beth Broderick, Jason Douglas, Ashley Rae Spillers, Barry Tubb, Brady Coleman A small town-set indie crime drama of smartly modulated disquiet, ”Two Step” is a refreshing reminder of the abundance of talent, onscreen and off, that lies outside of the conventional cinematic production hubs of Los Angeles and New York City. A SXSW world premiere, writer-director Alex R. Johnson’s film is a slow-boil affair, marked by superb performances and a solid technical package. Baylor University wash-out James (Skyy Moore) returns home, only to have the grandmother who raised him somewhat suddenly pass away and bequeath him a five-figure inheritance. [ Read More ]

The post Two Step Movie Review appeared first on Shockya.com.

This is a repost of our review from the 2014 SXSW Film Festival.

Don’t pay any attention to its baffling, boring title – Two Step is actually a nasty and riveting little flick that, thanks to its excellent execution and fine performances, should land at the top of any self-respecting thriller junkie’s watchlist.

Two Step opens with James (Skyy Moore), a dopey guy in his early twenties who, after being kicked out of college, finds himself tasked with settling the affairs of his recently deceased grandmother. When James discovers that his beloved relative was being conned out of thousands by a criminal masquerading as him over the phone, he foolishly decides to try to track down the man, a rough customer named Webb (James Landry Hébert), and confront him on his own. When Webb unexpectedly shows up on his grandmother’s doorstep and realizes James’ identity, things go south fast.

As far as crime movies go, things are feeling a little "been there, stole that." These days it seems rare that a thriller will genuinely surprise you and offer thrills beyond what you can find on any number of hour-long prime time dramas. (Would anyone going to pick "Alex Cross" over "True Detective?") But "Two Step," a small and quietly affecting thriller set in the dusty nooks and crannies of Austin, Texas, somehow manages to achieve such a feat. "Two Step" is definitely a slow burn, but it announces its intentions early and settles into a definitive mood and tempo, and when the sudden bursts of violence do arrive (and they do), they are accompanied by an unexpected power. James (Skyy Moore) is a troubled kid whose parents have passed away and who has just gotten expelled from college. He goes to Austin to live with his elderly grandmother, but...

Ordinary Madness: Johnson’s Character Study Enriched by Neo-Noir Aesthetic

Premiering earlier this year at the SXSW Film Festival, Alex R. Johnson’s directorial debut Two Step is one of those surprisingly adept, slow burn gems that sometimes have trouble finding an audience outside of the festival circuit. Though it features several recognizable character actors, a mere plot synopsis can’t quite do justice to Johnson’s ambiguous title, which takes the concept of a simple dance move and makes it a surprisingly violent situational character study. Though it may ultimately prove too slight for some, and Johnson may not be reinventing the genre, it features enough unexpected moves to prove a heightened command of narrative and tone. At times, it even feels like he’s downplaying the capabilities of his two lead protagonists, and yet, it all seems entirely plausible.

When his grandmother suddenly passes away, James...

In a summer where worlds have been threatened by evil robots, lives taken by reanimated dinosaurs and heroes born out of men with the ability to shrink to the size of an ant, it may seem like the days of the low-key, small town thriller have passed us by. While this may be true for mainstream theaters and your local megaplex, if you dig just a tad bit deeper into the arthouse and VOD circuit, there’s one new thriller waiting ever so patiently.

Entitled Two Step, the film comes from director Alex R. Johnson, and is a decidedly low-fi affair. A throwback in many ways, the film finds a young man named James, at a crossroads. Recently kicked out of school for skipping classes, James heads home hoping to finds some support in his last remaining family member, Grams. Sadly, Grams passes away relatively quickly after his arrival in town,...

One of the discovery highlights of SXSW 2015 was the thriller “Two Step” from director Alex R. Johnson. Starring Beth Broderick, James Landry Hébert, Skyy Moore, Jason Douglas and Ashley Rae Spillers, the movie is a fast-paced Texas thriller in which the lives of a directionless college dropout and a career criminal with his back against the wall violently collide. But one of the things we enjoyed about it so much was the emotional heft mixed in with the taut tension of a tradition thriller. Our review from SXSW called the movie “deeply human and quietly unsettling,” and the picture should be one that lands on your radar. Set in Texas, music is an important part of film, and country, alt-twangy tunes sit alongside a score from Andrew Kenny of the '90s and '00s indie rock bands The American Analog Set and The Wooden Birds. With the film's release on the horizon,...

For those of you who like to dance, maybe you've got the two-step down cold. It requires your right and left feet to be in sync, or when it comes to writer/director Alex R. Johnson's "Two Step," it amounts to a balance between genre thrills and emotional impact, and today we have an exclusive new trailer for the film. Starring Beth Broderick, James Landry Hébert, Skyy Moore, Jason Douglas and Ashley Rae Spillers, the film tracks the intersection of directionless college dropout James and career criminal Webb. Kicked out of college, James visits Grams, his only remaining family member who dies shortly after his arrival. While settling Grams' affairs, James learns she's been the victim of the 'Grandparent Scam', in which someone posing as James has been slowly bilking her out of thousands of dollars. But before James can go looking for the culprit, he shows up at the front door,...

One of my most pleasant surprises at this year’s South by Southwest Film Festival in Austin was definitely Two Step, a terrifically tense and finely acted crime thriller from first-time writer-director Alex R. Johnson. Balancing rich, natural dialogue and believable characters with shocking violence and an overpowering sense of impending doom, it had a powerful impact on audiences in Austin, which explains why SXSW is just the first stop on its tour of the festival circuit.

Two Step will next be heading to the Cannes Film Festival marketplace. It was picked up for international sales back in March by Films Boutique, though details on a U.S. release are still scarce. Seeing as the film’s Texas atmosphere is a huge part of its appeal, it shouldn’t be hard for it to find a stateside distributor to get the film on track for release this fall or next spring,...

As we've said before, one of the real pleasures of attending film festivals doesn't have to do with seeing the starry, main attractions (that usually will end up at a multiplex near you anyway). Instead, it's uncovering hidden gems, and for those that made time at this year's SXSW for "Two Step," they certainly came away having experienced something special when the lights came up. Today, we have the exclusive first trailer to give you a sense of carefully calibrated Texas noir to keep on your radar. Directed by Alex R. Johnson and starring Beth Broderick, James Landry Hébert, Skyy Moore, Jason Douglas, Ashley Rae Spillers and more, the thriller follows James, a directionless college dropout, and Webb, a career criminal with his back against the wall, who cross paths with deadly consequences. And the results are impressive, with our own Drew Taylor praising the film in his review saying it's "deeply human,...

As far as crime movies go, things are feeling a little "been there, stole that." These days it seems rare that a thriller will genuinely surprise you and offer thrills beyond what you can find on any number of hour-long prime time dramas. (Would anyone going to pick "Alex Cross" over "True Detective?") But "Two Step," a small and quietly affecting thriller set in the dusty nooks and crannies of Austin, Texas, somehow manages to achieve such a feat. "Two Step" is definitely a slow burn, but it announces its intentions early and settles into a definitive mood and tempo, and when the sudden bursts of violence do arrive (and they do), they are accompanied by an unexpected power. James (Skyy Moore) is a troubled kid whose parents have passed away and who has just gotten expelled from college. He goes to Austin to live with his elderly grandmother, but...

ComingSoon.net has your exclusive first look at the poster for Two Step , which is premiering at SXSW in Austin today, March 9th. Written and directed by Alex R. Johnson, the thriller stars Beth Broderick, James Landry Hebert, Skyy Moore, Jason Douglas and Ashley Rae Spillers. Kicked out of college, James visits Grams, his only remaining family, who dies shortly after his arrival. He finds consolation in the company of Grams' neighbor, Dot, a dance teacher, as he figures out his next move. While settling Grams' affairs, James learns she's been the victim of the "grandparent scam" in which someone posing as James has been slowly bilking her out of thousands. But before James can go looking for the culprit, he shows up at the front door, desperate for money. The culprit,...

SXSW is now underway, and there's a lot to choose from, and so to help those of you on the ground in Austin, we collected our 15 Most Anticipated Films Of The 2014 SXSW Film Festival. One we hope you'll make some time for, and featured on our list, is director Alex R. Johnson's feature debut "Two Step." Starring Beth Broderick, James Landry Hébert, Skyy Moore, Jason Douglas, Ashley Rae Spillers and more, the story follows James, a directionless college dropout, and Webb, a career criminal with his back against the wall, who violently collide. What brings them into each other's orbit is the "grandparent scam," which we see set in motion in this exclusive clip. It looks like a compelling thriller, and soundtrack folks will want to take note that Andrew Kenny, the founder of The American Analog Set and its more countrified successor The Wooden Birds, has penned a score for the flick.

Sundance just ended, and we are already preparing for the next big film festival, South By Southwest. Not too long ago, the festival announced a few of the films premiering this year, but now they’ve announced the main slate. The midnight selections and some inevitable late-breaking additions are still to be announced, but this should be more than enough to get you excited. Along with many World Premieres, and Sundance favorites like Richard Linklater’s Boyhood and Gareth Evans’ The Raid 2, the line up also includes an anniversary screening of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, and an extended Q&A screening of The Grand Budapest Hotel with Wes Anderson. SXSW 2014 runs March 7 through 15 in Austin, Texas. Check out the line up after the jump.

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Narrative Feature Competition

Eight world premieres, eight unique ways to celebrate the art of storytelling. Selected from 1,324 films submitted to SXSW 2014. Films screening in Narrative...

Today the South by Southwest (SXSW) Film Conference and Festival announced a diverse features lineup for this year’s Festival, the 21st edition and running March 7 – 15, 2014 in Austin, Texas. The 2014 program expands on SXSW tradition of embracing a range of genres and span of budgets, featuring a wealth of vision from experienced and developing filmmakers alike.

For more information visit http://sxsw.com/film.

Listed in the announcement are 115 of the features that will screen over the course of nine days at SXSW 2014. The lineup below includes 68 films from first-time filmmakers, and consists of 76 World Premieres, 10 North American Premieres and 7 U.S. Premieres. These films were selected from a record 2,215 feature-length film submissions composed of 1,540 U.S. and 675 international feature-length films. With a record number of 6,482 submissions total, the overall increase was 14% over 2013. The Midnighters feature section and the Short Film program will be announced on February 5, with the complete...

After announcing earlier this month that Jon Favreau’s Chef and the Veronica Mars movie will be making their world debuts at SXSW this year, the festival has revealed its full line-up, including further very promising world premieres, alongside appearances from some of the year’s most high-profile films.

The Midnight programme will be announced early next month, along with the Shorts line-up, and the complete Conference slate a little later as well.

Led by Seth Rogen and Zac Efron, Nicholas Stoller’s anticipated R-rated comedy, Neighbors, will be making its world debut at the festival, notably marked out as a ‘work-in-progress’ ahead of its theatrical release in May.

David Gordon Green’s acclaimed Joe will make its Us premiere, having bowed at Venice and then Toronto last year. Early reviews have Nicolas Cage giving one of the finest performances of his career, with Tye Sheridan (Mud) excellent alongside him.

Not sure if there is a Short Term 12 equivalent in this year’s Narrative Feature Comp, but on paper SXSW programmers are serving up a mean (and the usual lean group of 8 out of a whopping 1,324 film entries) for the upcoming competitiuon of eight which includes notable entries (that we’ve been tracking for a good time now) such as Zachary Wigon’s The Heart Machine, John Magary’s The Mend, Leah Meyerhoff’s I Believe in Unicorns and Lawrence Michael Levine’s Wild Canaries. Undoubtedly one of the most anticipated docs of the year, on the non-fiction side we find Margaret Brown’s The Great Invisible. Below you’ll find a breakdown of the other sections (notable world preems in We’ll Never Have Paris and Faults (see Mary Elizabeth Winstead above), some Sundance items with Texan connections and other nuggets.

Narrative Feature Competition

Eight world premieres, eight...

Exclusive: Sure, production has begun on Johnny Depp’s action comedy “Mortdecai” co-starring Gwyneth Paltrow and Ewan McGregor, but we thought we’d give some shine to a polar opposite indie beginning production in Austin, Texas today. La Chima Films has started today on “Two Step,” a fast-paced thriller set in the twangy underside of Austin and directed by Alex R. Johnson. Starring James Landry Hébert ("Mob City," "Seven Psychopaths," "Gangster Squad"), Beth Broderick ("Under the Dome,""Lost"), Ashley Spillers (“Last Vegas,” “Zero Charisma”), Jason Douglas ("Breaking Bad,""Nashville," “Revolution") and relative newcomer Skyy Moore ("Love Land"), the character-heavy indie centers on a quick, anonymous phone scam that turns prolonged, bloody and deeply personal. A lost 20-something student (Moore) returns home after getting kicked out of college to settle the affairs of his now-deceased grandmother. In doing so, he learns she was the victim of a pleading her to wire money,...

Dallas writer/filmmaker Clay Luther made his feature directorial debut at this year's Dallas International Film Festival (Diff) with Cry, a drama that explores several timely topics including bullying and homophobia. Luther effectively portrays the complexity of his main characters and avoids the formulaic and simplistic Hollywood ending.

Cry focuses on two neighbors on the opposite ends of life -- Cable (Bill Flynn) is a despondent widower who has lost the will to live and is estranged from his daughter, and Carson (Skyy Moore) is a high-school student who is bullied by fellow basketball player Micah (Erick Lopez).

Carson may not have experienced life, but he has suffered the death of his mother and lives with his openly homosexual uncle, Jeremy (Del Shores). Although Carson has his girlfriend Grace (Cherami Leigh), he's emotionally troubled from the almost daily beatings he receives from Micah. It is inferred that Micah and Carson had been best friends,...