Downloaded
Director: Alex Winter
Cast: Shawn Fanning, Sean Parker, Don Lenner, Hilary Rosen, Henry Rollins, Billy Corgan, Lars Ulrich, Trent Reznor
VH1 Rock Docs
Not Rated | 106 Minutes
Release Date: March 10th, 2013 (SXSW)

Directed by Alex Winter (Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure, Freaked), Downloaded chronicles the evolution of digital media, focusing primarily on the rise and fall of the pioneering peer-to-peer file sharing Internet service Napster.

Featuring exclusive interviews with Napster co-founders Shawn Fanning and Sean Parker, software developers, musicians, and the music industry elite, Downloaded explores the controversial file sharing software and follows Napster’s rise in 1998, through the gauntlet of copyright infringement lawsuits, to its acquisition by Rhapsody in 2011.

Some of those interviewed for Winter’s documentary include Henry Rollins, Billy Corgan, Island Records founder Chris Blackwell, former Sony Music Chairman Don Lenner, former CEO of the RIAA Hilary Rosen, Beastie Boys’ Mike D, and Noel Gallagher of Oasis.

Although there were already networks that facilitated the distribution of files across the Internet, such as IRC, Hotline, and USENET, Napster specialized in MP3 files, a user-friendly interface, and lightning-fast search speeds. At its peak, Napster had about 80 million registered users and revolutionized the music industry for better or for worse.

Strap in, kids! Here’s your first look at the 2013 SXSW Film Features Lineup: 109 films, including 69 world premieres, 14 North American and 5 United States premieres. Amazingly enough, 68 of these titles are from first-time filmmakers.

Highlights include Stephen Finnigan’s Hawking, Joss Whedon’s Much Ado About Nothing, John Sayles’ Go For Sisters, Jacob Vaughn’s Milo, Penny Lane’s Our Nixon, Zak Knutson & Joey Figueroa’s MILIUS, Ryan White’s Good Ol’ Freda, Sini Anderson’s The Punk Singer, Josh Johnson’s Rewind This!, and Bryan Poyser’s The Bounceback.

These movies join the previously announced, Opening Night film The Incredible Burt Wonderstone, Joe Swanberg’s Drinking Buddies, Harmony Korine’s Spring Breakers, Evil Dead, and Alex Winter’s Downloaded.

Bill & Ted 3 ended its long-gestating phase when Galaxy Quest director Dean Parisot was brought in to helm the film, using a script that Ed Solomon and Chris Matheson wrote. The film would obviously mark the return of Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter‘s characters. Other than that, not much was known about the film’s second sequel.

Now in an interview with GQ Magazine, Reeves reveals the plot for the film, how the time lapse between now and the first sequel has affected the characters, and how time travel will be a factor.

Two years ago was the last time any of us heard anything about the long-gestating second sequel to Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure. You might say they’ve had better progress pushing the moving forward than Ghostbusters 3, considering that it’s much easier to bring back two people as opposed to four and that two of its key players, Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter who played two hilarious hapless characters who travel back and through through time via phone booth, are both on board to reprise their roles. Now Galaxy Quest director Dean Parisot has signed on to helm the third Bill & Ted.

Vulture was the first to report the news of Parisot’s hiring. MGM, who owns the right to the film, are apparently pleased with the draft that Bill & Ted creators Ed Solomon and Chris Matheson came up with. But since it is MGM, the project might take a little longer to get off the ground than one would hope. Still MGM managed to get out of the financial hole as they have been able to release the Cabin in the Woods earlier this year and will Red Dawn this Fall, so don’t count out Bill & Ted 3 out of the picture just quite yet.

Rumors of a new sequel to Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure and Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey have been floating around for quite a while now, but it didn’t seem like anyone believed it would actually happen.

As of late, talks have seemed to heat up about the possible third chapter, and now stars Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter have confirmed that they are in fact developing the movie. This doesn’t mean it will definitely happen, of course, but it does sound like they’re moving in the right direction.

While talking to MTV after Reeves had stated they were working on Bill & Ted 3, Winter elaborated, explaining that the duo have been figuring out ideas for the movie for a long time now but that they didn’t want to move forward with it unless it could be done properly. He went on to share that Chris Matheson and Ed Solomon are currently working on the script, but until it was completed and they could all sit down and see where things stood, nothing is official.