Austin, TX
'The Fall Guy,' a love letter to stunt performers, premieres at SXSW
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Coming nearly straight from the Oscars with a truck full of Kenergy, Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt rolled into the South By Southwest Film and TV Festival to premiere “The Fall Guy,” an affectionate, action-fueled ode to stunt work and the dedicated professionals that throw their bodies into filmmaking.
“The Fall Guy,” directed by stuntman-turned-filmmaker David Leitch, was perhaps the most anticipated world premiere to hit this year’s edition of SXSW. Given that Blunt and Gosling were both coming off Sunday’s Oscars where they were each nominated — and where Gosling’s “I’m Just Ken” brought the house down — the buzz was even stronger Tuesday night.
“Don’t worry, I’m not going to sing. I promise,” Gosling said before the film, prompting the crowd to boo.
But that was the only sound of disappointment that emanated from the raucous Austin, Texas, audience that lapped up every minute of “The Fall Guy,” an action movie loosely based on the 1980s TV series that Universal will open in theaters May 3.
In the film, Gosling stars as Colt Seavers, stunt double for a major movie star named Tom Ryder (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) who, after a back-breaking fall, is coaxed into returning to set to work on the sci-fi directorial debut of his lost love (Blunt). “The Fall Guy” has wall-to-wall action set pieces, both staged in the movie-within-the-movie and that occur in off-set adventures.
“We really wanted to celebrate crews and the magic behind the scenes,” said Leitch, who was Brad Pitt’s stunt double, among others, before making his first feature, 2014’s “John Wick.” His last film, “Bullet Train,” also starred Pitt.
But that clever bit of casting had nothing on the playful role reversals of “The Fall Guy.” It features a megawatt A-lister playing a stuntman whose face is treated like a liability for movie, acting alongside many of the stunt workers who actually worked on “The Fall Guy.” That includes Logan Holladay, who performed Gosling’s stunts, like a record-breaking car crash with 8 ½ rolls.
“There’s a moment in the film where he buckles me in for a stunt he’s about to do. And after it happens, I come out of the car and he pats me on the back for a stunt he just did,” Gosling said. “What I love about this movie is that in any other film you would not know that, but in this film, you do.”
The SXSW premiere of “The Fall Guy” came with some of its own stunts. A pair of motorcycles sped through the crowds milling outside the Paramount Theater before Blunt and Gosling arrived in the back of a pick-up.
Blunt and Gosling weren’t the only ones fresh from the Academy Awards. Leitch and his wife, Kelly McCormick, (a producer on “The Fall Guy”) produced a clip reel of stunts for the telecast. Though stunt performance isn’t an Oscar category (a sore point that comes up in “The Fall Guy”), Leitch thinks it will happen soon. The academy recently voted to add an Oscar for casting.
“I do feel it’s changing,” Leitch said. “I think the academy wants it and it’s going to happen.”
But, in the meantime, “The Fall Guy” seeks to give stunt performers – among other crew members – a moment in the spotlight.
“There are so many cynical movies about movie making. But the truth is in my experience, everyone cares so much,” Gosling said. “Even if it’s a prop, even if it’s a mug, the prop person will bring out 10 mugs and will have broken one of the handles and glued it back because they thought maybe it broke at one point but has sentimental value to you.”
Sentiment plays more of a role in “The Fall Guy” than you might think, too. Though Leitch said it was initially less prominent in the film, Gosling urged him to expand the love story component. “The Fall Guy” may exalt anonymous film workers, but it’s lifted by the charisma and chemistry of its two leading stars.
“Emily could create chemistry with a trash can,” Gosling said of Blunt, who was nominated for her supporting performance in the best-picture winner “Oppenheimer.”
Another “Fall Guy” co-star — an attack dog that responds only to commands in French — had particular poignance for Gosling.
“Eva (Mendes) and I used to have a dog named Hugo who was a Belgian malinois, who was an attack dog. And he only spoke French,” Gosling said. “He’s passed now and this is my homage to him. I miss that dude. He was a bon garcon.”
But in countless ways, the greatest romance in “The Fall Guy” is for the movies. Among those that get specifically name-checked are “Rocky” and “The Last of the Mohicans.” In those films and others, the bruising toil of stunt workers is designed to be invisible. “The Fall Guy” flips the script.
“I have to say,” Gosling said, “I’m Ryan Gosling and I did almost none of my own stunts in this movie.”
___
Follow AP Film Writer Jake Coyle at: http://twitter.com/jakecoyleAP
Texas-based noise artist Danny Tantrum performed in Austin, TX at the Coral Snake last night alongside Schizing Out and Terminull. However their onstage antics may have rubbed the venue and some attendees the wrong way. During the performance, Tantrum appears to perch themselves up on a stool and proceed to channel their inner GG Allin.
Attendees and venue staff were shocked to witness the solo noise act defecate on the stage and then immediately consume it. There is also a video of the act on Instagram (below) posted by Tantrum. In the video venue staff can be seen trying to somewhat intervene to stop it but to no avail. Finally calling for the set to be cut short.
If you dare, you can watch the video via Instagram Reels if the embed below does not work.
This is seemingly not the first time Tantrum has performed this act, a previous video on their Instagram features a similar shocking performance from several months ago.
Following the incident there seems to be a divide and discourse online either condemning or defending the act.
The venue itself re-shared a message directed at all other Austin venues warning them about booking Tantrum and the extreme show.
The venue shut the show down and forced the act and other members of the crowd to clean up the mess with cleaning supplies. Tantrum would ultimately take responsibility and clean the mess up himself and claim there were no bad intentions towards the venue.
AUSTIN, Texas (FOX Carolina) – Clemson football plays Texas Saturday in the first round of the College Football Playoff in a homecoming game for Austin native and Tigers’ junior quarterback Cade Klubnik.
He will be facing a familiar foe.
In 2021, Klubnik’s Austin Westlake team beat, now Texas quarterback, Quinn Ewers’ Southlake Carroll team to win the Texas high school state championship.
“It was definitely a very high profile game,” Klubnik said. “My head coach was the father of Quinn’s head coach. So they called it the ‘Dodge Bowl’ and then Quinn and I playing against each other, it was a really cool deal.”
In total, Klubnik won three three consecutive state championships, two as a starter, in the highest classification of Texas high school football. Saturday, he’ll play against four of his former high school teammates who are now Texas Longhorns. But he’s keeping his focus on the field.
“Excited to see them after the game. But you have to realize they want the same thing you do,” Klubnik said. “I’ll enjoy it a little bit whenever we head up there and that flight over there but at the end of the day you have a task at hand and you have to take care of business.”
Clemson Football Head Coach Dabo Swinney has drawn on his own experience playing against his former college team, Alabama, to help his quarterback during the homecoming.
“It’s not about emotion, it’s about execution. That’s what this game’s about,” Swinney said. “All that stuff’s great. Those are great storylines when you’re on the outside and you’re not really in the game, those are natural things like, ‘oh I’m going home.’ I’ve been part of that playing Alabama. It can be surreal. All that stuff is neat, but when it’s what you do, he knows it’s about execution.”
That execution extends to Klubnik’s pregame outfit. FOX Carolina asked Klubnik if he’ll be wearing his cowboy hat when he walks into the stadium back home in Texas.
“Yea, I was thinking about it. I don’t think I will be this week. Maybe for the Cotton Bowl, but I don’t think I’m going to this week,” Klubnik said. “I think that might be trying a little bit too hard right there. But just going to rock another outfit and get going.”
Clemson’s making its first College Football Playoff appearance since the year Klubnik beat Ewers in the Texas high school championship in 2021.
The Tigers kick off in his hometown of Austin, Texas against the Longhorns at 4 p.m. Saturday in the first round of the playoff.
Copyright 2024 WHNS. All rights reserved.
12-SEED CLEMSON (10-3, 7-1 ACC) at 5-SEED TEXAS (11-2, 7-1 SEC)
WHEN: SATURDAY, DEC. 21, 4 P.M. ET
WHERE: DKR-TEXAS MEMORIAL STADIUM (100,119), AUSTIN, TEXAS
TELEVISION: TNT (Dave Pasch, Dusty Dvoracek, Taylor McGregor, Laura Rutledge)
RADIO: Clemson Athletic Network (Don Munson, Tim Bourret, Reggie Merriweather)
RADIO: ESPN Radio (Taylor Zarzour, Matt Stinchcomb, Dana Boyle)
SATELLITE RADIO: SiriusXM 81
NOTABLE
*This season, Clemson earned its seventh College Football Playoff berth since the format’s inception in 2014. Clemson’s seven berths trail only Alabama (eight) for the most in the nation. Clemson Head Coach Dabo Swinney‘s seven CFP berths are the most of any active coach and one shy of Nick Saban (eight) for the most of any coach all-time.
*Though the game features two high-profile quarterbacks, the matchup will also feature two of the game’s emerging young stars on defense. Texas edge rusher Colin Simmons (12.5) and Clemson linebacker Sammy Brown (10.5) rank first and second in the nation, respectively, in tackles for loss by freshmen this season.
*Clemson is attempting to win multiple postseason games (conference championship, bowl game and/or national championship game) in a single season for the fifth time in school history (two in 2015, three in 2016, three in 2018 and two in 2019).
*Clemson attempting to produce its 12th 11-win season in program history, joining the 1948, 1978, 1981, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2022 seasons. It would be Clemson’s ninth season of 11-plus wins under Head Coach Dabo Swinney.
*The winner advances to play Arizona St. in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. That game is set for Wednesday, Jan. 1st at 1 pm.
ABOUT TEXAS
The Longhorns featured the nation’s No. 18 offense (445.4 yards per game), with quarterback Quinn Ewers leading the way. He has thrown for 2,665 yards (233 for 352, 66.2 percent) with 25 touchdowns and nine interceptions. Backup Arch Manning has played in eight games (61-of-90, 939 yards with nine touchdowns and two interceptions).
However, Ewers is more of a dropback passer and has 42 attempts for minus-62 rushing yards. Unlike the NFL, in college a sack is counted as negative rushing yardage. Manning is more of a dual threat and has 21 carries for 100 yards.
Quintrevion Wisner is the leading rusher (176 carries for 863 yards, 4.9 yards per carry and 71.92 yards per game). Jaydon Blue has carried it 112 times for 564 yards, giving the Longhorns a true two-back tandem.
Alabama transfer Isaiah Bond was the big news in the offseason at wide receiver, but he tallied just 33 catches for 532 yards and five touchdowns [According to ESPN, he faces “long odds” of playing due to recovering from a high ankle sprain still]. Matthew Golden leads Texas with 738 yards on 47 catches, but tight end Gunnar Helms is Ewers’ go-to guy on third down – he has 49 receptions for 611 yards.
Defensively, the Longhorns are ranked third nationally in total defense, giving up just 249.5 yards per game. Texas is ranked second nationally in scoring defense, giving up just 12.5 points per game. Texas ranks 15th nationally against the run (106.38 yards per game) and No. 1 nationally against the pass, giving up just 143.1 yards per game.
Texas gave up over 100 rushing yards seven times, twice to Georgia (108 and 141), and a season-high 197 against Florida. Kentucky managed just 21 yards on the ground in its loss.
Only two teams cracked the 200-yard mark through the air against Longhorns – Michigan (204), and Kentucky (211). Florida is the only school to crack 300 yards of total offense, with 329 yards. That 329-yard mark would serve as the fourth-lowest for the Clemson defense this season.
Texas is ninth nationally in sacks with 38 and recorded six sacks on four occasions (Miss St., Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Kentucky). Freshman edge Colin Simmons leads Texas with eight sacks, while sophomore linebacker Anthony Hill registered 4.5 sacks. Fourteen different players have a spot in the sack column.
The Longhorns are seventh nationally in tackles for loss, with 95 (for 402 yards lost). Texas is third nationally in interceptions, with 19 (San Jose St. and BYU each have 20), and it collected a season-high three against Georgia in October.
FIVE KEYS TO A CLEMSON WIN
1. Take care of the football. The Tigers are ranked fifth nationally in turnover margin (plus-16) with 25 takeaways against just nine turnovers. Texas is opportunistic on defense, but also lost 22 turnovers (the same as Clemson last season). Clemson is attempting to win the turnover margin for a sixth straight game. It would be Clemson’s first time winning the turnover margin in six straight contests since a nine-game streak in 2019.
2. Find the running game. Phil Mafah won’t be entirely healthy until he has surgery, but the Tigers still have to run the football enough to keep that dangerous Texas defense honest. To me, that means quarterback Cade Klubnik is going to have to be a huge part of the run game, along with those short throws that act as part of the run game.
3. Score points! That sounds simple, but the Tigers put up yards and plays against both Louisville and South Carolina but didn’t turn those into points.
4. Play complementary football for four quarters. The Tigers will have two good quarters out of the offense, and three good quarters out of the defense, or vice versa, and then it all goes hooey. Teams that should have been put away have crept back into games because of a conservative offense and a conservative defense.
5. Stop the Texas run game. As we’ve noted, Texas is prone to turning it over, and if the Tigers can stop the Longhorn rushing attack and make Ewers one-dimensional, the defense can stymie them enough to win the game.
WHAT WILL HAPPEN
I was running through the keys to the game with a former player – one who wears a couple of big-time rings – and he told me, “Hope isn’t a gameplan.”
That’s the critical thing for me. Clemson needs to do things it hasn’t done this season – score points on a really good defense, stop a dominant rushing attack, and play four quarters of good football. It can happen. Clemson has a chance to stroll into Austin and steal one from the Longhorns, but it will take its best effort of the season.
I don’t see it happening. The Texas defense leads the way to a win.
FINAL SCORE: TEXAS 27, CLEMSON 17
TigerNet picks
David Hood – TigerNet senior writer – 27-17 Texas
Mickey Plyler – The Roar 105.5 morning show host – 31-17 Texas
Nikki Hood – Staff writer – 20-17 Clemson
Brandon Rink – Associate editor – 24-22 Clemson
Tony Crumpton – Associate editor – 24-23 Clemson
Ryan Kantor – Contributing Writer – 23-14 Texas
Ariana Pensy – Intern – 27-21 Texas
Merrell Mann – Photographer – 27-24 Clemson
Brooks Thomason – Intern – 30-10 Texas
Grayson Mann – Staff writer – 20-17 Texas
| Game | Actual | David Hood | Plyler | Nikki Hood | Rink | Crumpton | Kantor | Pensy | M. Mann | Thomason | G. Mann |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Georgia | 34-3 UGA | 27-24 CU | 23-21 CU | 24-17 CU | 29-20 UGA | 27-20 UGA | 28-21 UGA | 24-17 UGA | 17-14 CU | 27-21 UGA | 27-23 UGA |
| App State | 66-20 CU | 34-14 CU | 30-16 CU CU | 38-17 CU | 34-17 CU | 31-17 CU | 35-10 CU | 30-10 CU | 31-10 CU | 31-13 CU | 28-10 CU |
| NC State | 59-35 CU | 34-13 CU | 38-16 CU | 42-20 CU | 30-13 CU | 28-10 CU | 35-14 CU | 34-17 CU | 38-17 CU | 31-10 CU | 31-10 CU |
| Stanford | 40-14 CU | 44-20 CU | 48-17 CU | 38-10 CU | 44-16 CU | 42-14 CU | 41-17 CU | 45-17 CU | 48-21 CU | 40-20 CU | 41-17 CU |
| FSU | 29-13 CU | 41-13 CU | 42-10 CU | 42-17 CU | 38-16 CU | 35-14 CU | 40-14 CU | 55-7 CU | 44-20 CU | 31-16 CU | 45-14 CU |
| Wake Forest | 49-14 CU | 47-20 CU | 44-20 CU | 52-14 CU | 45-20 CU | 48-13 CU | 48-14 CU | 35-14 CU | 42-13 CU | 38-17 CU | 45-10 CU |
| Virginia | 48-31 CU | 38-16 CU | 42-17 CU | 38-17 CU | 44-20 CU | 45-14 CU | 47-14 CU | 45-17 CU | 45-13 CU | 42-20 CU | 41-17 CU |
| Louisville | 33-21 UL | 44-28 CU | 40-25 CU | 45-24 CU | 40-21 CU | 34-21 CU | 49-31 CU | 37-27 CU | 42-27 CU | 41-28 CU | 38-21 CU |
| Va Tech | 24-14 CU | 30-23 CU | 30-20 CU | 28-17 CU | 26-22 CU | 24-17 CU | 41-28 CU | 28-24 CU | 30-24 CU | 31-20 CU | 23-21 CU |
| Pitt | 24-20 CU | 27-16 CU | 31-17 CU | 28-12 CU | 31-16 CU | 31-21 CU | 35-17 CU | 27-20 CU | 34-24 CU | 24-21 CU | 31-17 CU |
| The Citadel | 51-14 CU | 52-6 CU | 44-14 CU | 55-7 CU | 44-7 CU | 56-7 CU | 46-14 CU | 45-10 CU | 42-17 CU | 52-17 CU | 56-17 CU |
| SC | 17-14 SC | 26-20 SC | 27-24 CU | 28-20 CU | 24-22 CU | 28-24 CU | 31-30 SC | 34-33 CU | 35-31 CU | 20-17 CU | 30-21 SC |
| SMU | 34-31 CU | 31-23 CU | 30-27 CU | 30-28 SMU | 27-23 SMU | 28-24 CU | 28-21 SMU | 24-20 CU | 27-24 CU | 31-24 SMU | 27-26 SMU |
| Points | – | 14 | 13 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 14 | 11 | 10 | 19 | 11 |
* Points: 3 pts for best correct prediction of the week (tiebreaker is Clemson score), 2 pts for picking score exactly, 1 pt for picking the correct winner
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