Documentaries have undoubtedly grown closer in style to narrative features over the past 20 years.  Similarly, when documentarians Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini moved into the narrative world, they brought their old techniques with them.  That first feature, American Splendor, made a big splash, thanks to its fresh and complicated approach that broke standard filmmaking conventions and included material from mediums that varied from comic books and film to television.

Springer Berman filled us in recently on her latest film, The Extra Man, which continues its gradual, national release today in top 10 markets, with Chicago.  Hit the jump for the interview’s audio and transcript, along with info on her new HBO film Cinema Verite featuring Diane Lane, Tim Robbins, Thomas Dekker and James Gandolfini, where she stands on a big divide in the documentary world and a story she’s never told publicly about American Splendor’s late subject, Harvey Pekar.

Kevin Kline is misunderstood.  His performances on stage and screen over the past four decades are so seamless that audiences often attribute his characters’ traits to him.  That is, of course, a tricky proposition that he observes with a healthy dose of humor.

Kline mused on the topic and several more in an interview leading up to the release of The Extra Man, which opened in several major markets this weekend as part of its continued national rollout.  Hit the jump for the audio and transcript, along with tales of his love for Ricky Gervais, why he’d never run for President and John Cleese’s humorous take on Kline’s performance in The Big Chill.

Paul Dano’s career has been defined by strong performances opposite award-winning actors.  The stunning list of his high-profile onscreen pairings range from his breakthrough, Indie Spirit Award-winning turn for Best Debut Performance in 2001’s L.I.E. as the target of a pedophile, played by fellow nominee Brian Cox, to his portrayal of a nihilistic teen as part of Little Miss Sunshine’s 2007 SAG Award winning ensemble where he shared a backseat in the Hoover’s family van with Alan Arkin in the 76-year-old’s Oscar-winning performance, to his performance of a preacher and his twin (Paul and Eli Sunday) opposite eventual Oscar-winner Daniel Day-Lewis’ unhinged oil man Daniel Plainview in Paul Thomas Anderson’s There Will Be Blood.

Collider caught up with the 26-year-old to discuss his latest big screen partnership in The Extra Man, which opened in Los Angeles this past weekend to continue its national rollout, opposite Kevin Kline.  Hit the jump for the interview’s transcript and audio, along with stories of his early work with several Oscar winners, Daniel Day-Lewis’ intensity, whether he’ll work on Paul Thomas Anderson’s latest film, his take on the Broadway musical adaptation of Little Miss Sunshine and the danger of dressing in drag, on screen.

Last month I had the opportunity to participate in a roundtable interview with husband and wife Academy Award nominated writing and directing team Robert Pulcini and Shari Springer Berman (American Splendor) to promote their upcoming film The Extra Man. For those who don’t know, it stars Kevin Kline as a failed playwright who moonlights as an “extra man”, escorting wealthy elderly women to events. Paul Dano’s character rents a room from Kline’s character and the two spark a friendship. The film is based on a book by one of my favorite authors, Jonathan Ames, who is perhaps best known for creating HBO’s Bored To Death, who’s title character shares his name.

To see what Pulcini and Berman had to say about their early involvement with the film, working with Jonathan Ames, working with Kevin Kline, Paul Dano and John C. Reilly (who has a supporting role in the film) and their upcoming project with HBO, continue reading. The Extra Man is currently playing in limited release.

Last month I was invited to participate in a roundtable interview with Academy Award winning actor Kevin Kline (A Fish Called Wanda) to discuss his upcoming film The Extra Man. Kline stars as an eccentric (and unsuccessful) playwright who rents the spare room in his New York City apartment out to an aspiring journalist (Paul Dano) who is new to the city. As they develop a relationship, Kline teaches Dano how to be an “extra man” – getting paid to accompany elderly widows to social events. Kline is hilarious in the role and was just as funny in person.

In our interview, Kline talked about how he became involved with the project, his notoriously bad driving, running into Jeremy Irons during shooting, public urination, working with his family, and his upcoming role in Robert Redford’s the Conspirator. To see what Kline had to say, continue reading. The Extra Man hits theaters this Friday, July 30.

If you can’t go to the 2010 Sundance Film Festival, don’t cry!  The Sundance Institute is making 2010 the inaugural year of Sundance Film Festival USA where eight filmmakers showing their film at the festival will show it to a major metropolitan area…so as long as you live in or near one of those eight major cities, then you don’t need to cry.

The films going out through the nation are The Duplass Brothers’ Cyrus starring John C. Reilly, Marisa Tomei, and Jonah Hill; John Wells The Company Men starring Ben Affleck, Tommy Lee Jones, and Kevin Costner (Brookline; The Safdie Brothers’ Daddy Longlegs; Philip Seymour Hoffman’s Jack Goes Boating starring Hoffman and Amy Ryan; Adrian Grenier’s documentary Teenage Paparazzo; Floria Sigismondi’s The Runaways starring Kristen Stewart and Dakota Fanning; Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini’s The Extra Man starring Kevin Kline and Paul Dano; and Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman’s Howl starring James Franco and Jon Hamm. All eight films will be shown on the night of January 28th with tickets available through each individual theater’s box office.  Hit the jump for the full press release to see which film is going to which city and who will be presenting.  The people of Ann Arbor, MI, Brookline, MA, Brooklyn, NY, Chicago, IL, Los Angeles, CA, Madison, WI, Nashville, TN, and San Francisco, CA are going to be very happy on January 28th.  As for the 2010 Sundance Film Festival, it will run from January 21-31st.

Yesterday, we reported the list of films playing in the Premieres category at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival.  Today, images for some of these films have come online including The Extra Man starring Kevin Kline, Paul Dano, Katie Holmes, and John C. Reilly; and Philip Seymour Hoffman’s directorial debut Jack Goes Boating starring Hoffman and Amy Ryan.  I’m particularly excited for The Extra Man because writer-directors Robert Pulicini and Shari Springer Berman’s American Splendor was one of my favorite films of 2003.  As for Jack Goes Boating, I’m interested in seeing what Hoffman can do on the other side of the camera and I’m always happy to see Amy Ryan.

Check out images and the official synopsis for each film after the jump.  The 2010 Sundance Film Festival runs from January 21-31^st.

Yesterday we gave you a list of all the films playing in-competition at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival.  We now have the list of the films playing out-of-competition and they’re divided up into four categories: Premieres, Next, Spotlight, and Park City at Midnight. Since combining these lists would be a lot to read for just one article, we’ve broken it up to make it easier on your eyes.  You’re welcome.

Know that while there are a lot of films playing in-competition, most of the films to get buzz will be coming from the out-of-competition categories.  First up are the premiers which include John Wells’ The Company Men starring Ben Affleck, Tommy Lee Jones and Kevin Costner; Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini’s The Extra Man starring Katie Holmes, John C. Reilly, and Paul Dano; Get Low starring Robert Duvall and Bill Murray; Michael Winterbottom’s The Killer Inside Me starring Casey Affleck, Kate Hudson, and Jessica Alba; and more.  Hit the jump to check out all of the films with brief synopsis for each.

The 2010 Sundance Film Festival will run from January 21-31^st.