“Disaster Artist”: Oscar Contender
Variety reports: ‘The SXSW Film Festival continues to grow in scope, as a launching pad for broad studio comedies and blockbusters — see “Bridesmaids,†“Neighbors,†and “Trainwreck†— but it’s never unveiled a major Oscar contender before. That might have changed on Sunday night, with the “work-in-progress†premiere of James Franco’s “The Disaster Artist.†On paper, the movie should be a niche story — a comedy about the making of what’s widely regarded as the worst movie of all time, the 2003 cult indie “The Room,†starring an outsider named Tommy Wiseau, who financed the project and directed it, too. But to say the Austin crowd was ecstatic at the premiere is an understatement. I don’t think I’ve ever heard such thunderous rolls of laughter at the Paramount Theatre, thanks to a tour-de-force (and career-best) performance by Franco, who also (how method!) directed the upcoming Warner Bros. release.’
