Relativity Media has released the first clip from Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s directorial debut Don Jon, and it fits right in with this past weekend’s Father’s Day holiday.  Gordon-Levitt wrote, directed, and stars in the comedy as a contemporary, porn-addicted Don Juan-type who attempts to reform himself.  In this red-band clip, Gordon-Levitt’s character brings his new girlfriend (Scarlett Johansson) over to his house to meet his family, fantastically portrayed by Tony Danza and Glenne Headly.  I caught the film at Sundance and it’s a lot of fun, and as seen here in this new clip, Gordon-Levitt and Danza have some great chemistry as a very Jersey father and son.

Hit the jump to watch the clip, click here to read Matt’s review, and click here for the pic’s debut trailer.  The film also stars Julianne Moore, Tony Danza, Jeremy Luke, Rob Brown, and Brie Larson.  Don Jon now opens on September 27th, a few weeks earlier than its previous release date.

Relativity Media has released the first trailer for Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s directorial debut Don Jon.  Gordon-Levitt stars in the comedy as a contemporary, porn-addicted Don Juan-type who attempts to reform himself.  I caught the film at Sundance and it’s really funny and marks the start of what looks to be a very, very promising directorial career for Gordon-Levitt.  This trailer does a great job of conveying the film’s tone and the style that Gordon-Levitt has crafted, as quick editing, music, and repetition are used frequently to present some of the film’s situations, especially with regards to the porn.  While the trailer does give away a couple of the pic’s best comedic surprises (like the cameos), there’s also a sweet sincerity to Don Jon that’s only hinted at here, and the performances from Gordon-Levitt, Johansson, Moore, and Danza are all top-notch.  I expect the film will be a major crowd-pleaser when it hits theaters later this year.

Hit the jump to watch the trailer, click here to read Matt’s review of the film from Sundance, and click here for Steve’s interview with Gordon-Levitt and the cast.  The pic also stars Scarlett Johansson, Julianne Moore, Tony Danza, Jeremy Luke, Rob Brown, and Brie Larson.  Don Jon opens on October 18th.

A couple of release date shifts for two Relativity Media films have been announced today.  First up, Relativity will unveil Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s directorial debut Don Jon (previously titled Don Jon’s Addiction) in wide release on October 18th.  Gordon-Levitt stars in the comedy as contemporary, porn-addicted Don Juan-type who attempts to reform himself.  I caught the film at Sundance and it’s a lot of fun (read Matt’s review here).  Gordon-Levitt has a great eye for visuals and the performances from his excellent supporting cast (Scarlett Johansson, Julianne Moore, and Tony Danza) are spot-on.

The pic should have plenty of general audience appeal when it opens in October, but it faces stiff competition in the form of the Chloe Moretz-fronted Carrie remake, Lee Daniels’ period drama The Butler, and the fantasy epic The Seventh Son starring Jeff Bridges.  Interestingly, Don Jon, Carrie, and The Seventh Son all feature Julianne Moore.  Hit the jump for release date news concerning Luc Besson’s (The Fifth Element) star-studded comedic actioner Malavita.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s feature directorial debut Don Jon’s Addiction landed a record-breaking acquisition deal when Relativity picked it up after Sundance, but the pic is now getting a title change.  Simplified to Don Jon, the picture stars Gordon-Levitt as a contemporary, porn-addicted Don Juan-type who attempts to reform himself.  The film also stars Scarlett Johansson and Tony Danza.

Be sure to read Matt’s review here and hit the jump to see what Gordon-Levitt said on the topic of the title change, plus four new images.

Earlier this month, we reported on the first wave of SXSW 2013 films, which includes The Incredible Burt Wonderstone and Evil Dead.  Today, the full line-up has been announced, and it feels like Sundance all over again when it comes to plenty of unknown films.  The chance of discovering a gem is high, and I look forward to hearing the buzz that arises from some these movies.  There’s also a second chance at festival films I missed like The Act of Killing (from TIFF) and Pit Stop (from Sundance).  I thought Toy’s House would make it in to SXSW, but I’ll see it eventually since it picked up distribution.

Hit the jump for the full line-up.  The 2013 SXSW Film Festival runs from March 8 – 17th.

Steve, Matt, and I are currently braving the cold of Park City for the 2013 Sundance Film Festival, and following the premieres of some of the major films this past weekend, a few high profile acquisitions are taking place.  Briefly:

• Don Jon’s Addiction – Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s directorial debut, a comedy that follows the life of a guido addicted to porn, has been picked up by Relativity Media for a record-breaking $4 million, per Variety.  Read Matt’s review here.
• The Spectacular Now – This coming of age drama from director James Ponsoldt (Smashed) and writers Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber (500 Days of Summer) garnered some great buzz, and A24 films has picked up the domestic rights.  Read Matt’s review here.
• Fruitvale – Fresh off its premiere on Saturday night, this Octavia Spencer and Michael B. Jordan-fronted drama is currently the “buzz” film that everyone’s rushing to see.  Variety reports that the Weinstein Company is closing in on a deal worth north of $2 million following a heated bidding war.
• The Look of Love – IFC Films has picked up the rights to Michael Winterbottom’s comedy starring Steve Coogan.  Read Matt’s review here.
• Austenland – The new comedy from Jerusha Hess and starring Keri Russell may be been picked up by Exclusive and FilmDistrict. [Update: Talks with FilmDistrict and Exclusive fell through, but Heat Vision reports that Sony Pictures Worldwide has now acquired distribution rights.]

Hit the jump to read the press releases.

Don Jon’s Addiction is much like its eponymous character: not much depth but quick, confident, amusing, and oddly endearing.  The entire film quickly boils down to its core concept in the span of its frenetic intro: the eponymous character is afraid of intimacy.  So who’s going to tear down that emotional wall?  How will he learn his lesson?  How can a lothario clearly based on “The Situation” from Jersey Shore ever learn to love?  Director, writer, and star Joseph Gordon-Levitt knows his character inside and out, backwards and forwards, and finds the sweet, vulnerable heart of a guy who keeps Kleenex in business.

Yesterday, Sundance announced their stellar Premieres line-up and we have the first images from a few of the movies playing in the category:

• A.C.O.D. – Directed and co-written by Stuart Zicherman, co-written by Ben Karlin, starring Adam Scott, Richard Jenkins, Catherine O’Hara, Amy Poehler, and Mary Elizabeth Winstead.

• Don Jon’s Addiction – Written and directed by Joseph Gordon-Levitt, starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Scarlett Johansson, and Julianne Moore.

• The Inevitable Defeat of Mister and Pete – Directed by George Tillman Jr., written by Michael Starrburry, starring Jennifer Hudson, Jordin Sparks, Anthony Mackie, and Jeffrey Wright.

• The Necessary Death of Charlie Countryman – Directed by Fredrik Bond, written by Matt Drake, starring Shia LaBeouf, Evan Rachel Wood, and Mads Mikkelsen.

Hit the jump for the images and synopses.  The 2013 Sundance Film Festival runs January 17 – 27.

Expanding into more theaters this weekend is Steven Spielberg’s Best Picture nomination shoo-in, Lincoln.  The period piece is less a cut-and-dry biopic of America’s 16th President, played brilliantly by Daniel Day-Lewis, and more of an examination of the burdens placed on Lincoln to keep a nation from falling apart while abolishing slavery and attempting to hold his personal life together. Lincoln also stars Tommy Lee Jones, James Spader, David Strathairn, Sally Field, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Lee Pace and Hal Holbrook.  For more on the film, here’s three clips, Dave’s review, a great trailer, and all our previous coverage.

At the recent Los Angeles press day I got to speak with Joseph Gordon-Levitt.  He talked about what was it like to collaborate with Steven Spielberg, whether anything surprised him while researching his role (he plays one of Lincoln’s sons), what it was like to work with Daniel Day-Lewis and what he was like off camera, his directorial debut Don Jon’s Addiction (which I think is premiering at Sundance in January), what it was like to host SNL for the second time, and more.  Hit the jump to watch.

With writer-director Rian Johnson‘s Looper opening this weekend, all week I’m running exclusive video interviews with the cast and Johnson.  The film takes place in a future where time travel exists, but it’s only used on the black market.  Joseph Gordon-Levitt plays a “Looper”, a hitman who is contracted to kill people that are sent back in time, and then disposes of the bodies so the victim technically no longer exists.  Things go awry when his future self (Bruce Willis) is sent back in time as a target and then escapes.  The film also stars Emily Blunt, Jeff Daniels, and Paul Dano.  For more on the film, here are 4 clips and Matt’s review.

At this year’s Toronto International Film Festival, I got to speak with Joseph Gordon-Levitt.  We talked about the Looper script, how the film changed during production, what do great directors have in common, and more.  In addition, with rumors of The Dark Knight Rises having thirty minutes of deleted scenes, I asked Gordon-Levitt if that was true.  Finally, we ended the interview talking about his directorial debut Don Jon’s Addiction (which stars Levitt, Scarlett Johansson and Julianne Moore) and when it might premiere.  Hit the jump to watch.

Premium Rush is a high-adrenalin action thriller set in the world of bike messengers.  Wilee (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) is the best in New York, dodging speeding cars, crazed cabbies and inconsiderate pedestrians, all to make a delivery to its proper destination.  But, when his last envelope of the day becomes more than he bargained for, a routine run turns into a life or death chase through the streets of Manhattan.

At the film’s press day, Collider participated in both a press conference and 2-on-1 interview with co-stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Dania Ramirez, who talked about what attracted them to the project, the level of confidence you have to have in order to be a successful bike messenger, what surprised them most about bike culture, how much of the stunts they actually got to do themselves, and working with Michael Shannon as a crazed villain.  Gordon-Levitt also talked about his feature directorial debut Don Jon’s Addiction, what makes Christopher Nolan and Steven Spielberg both such amazing filmmakers, and what’s up next for his production company, Hit Record.  Check out what they had to say after the jump.

A late addition is being made to Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s in-production feature directorial debut, Don Jon’s Addiction.  Gordon-Levitt also wrote the project and will star as a modern day Don Juan who sets out on a quest to become less of a “selfish dick” after meeting a recently widowed older woman.  Scarlett Johansson and Julianne Moore co-star in the black comedy, and now Variety reports that 21 Jump Street star Brie Larson has joined the cast as Gordon-Levitt’s sister.  Rob Brown and Tony Danza also star, with Danza playing the father of Gordon-Levitt and Larson.

Larson starred on the TV series United States of Tara and also appeared in Scott Pilgrim vs. The World before landing the female lead in this year’s comedy hit 21 Jump Street.  After Don Jon’s Addiction, she’ll move on to The Spectacular Now alongside Shailene Woodley, and she’s also lined up to star in director Peter Bogdanovich’s Squirrel to the Nuts.

Quentin Tarantino has lined up an amazing cast for his Western-style, 1800s Southern-set revenge story Django Unchained, but the movie has now lost one of its best actors.  Joseph Gordon-Levitt tells MTV that he was unable to fit the movie into his busy schedule.  The story centers on an escaped slave (Jamie Foxx) who becomes a bounty hunter, and goes to rescue his wife (Kerry Washington) from a vicious plantation owner (Leonardo DiCaprio).  Gordon-Levitt would have had a small role in the movie, but the talented actor is currently wrapped up in his untitled directorial debut (although MTV is calling it Don Jon’s Addiction).  It looks this year we’ll have to settle for seeing him in only The Dark Knight Rises, Looper, Premium Rush, and Lincoln.  There’s no word if Tarantino has scrapped Gordon-Levitt’s role like he did when Michael Kenneth Williams was unable to join the project.

Thankfully, Tarantino’s flick still has plenty of other great actors on the bench.  The film also stars Christoph Waltz, Samuel L. Jackson, Kurt Russell, Garrett Dillahunt, Walton Goggins, RZA, M.C. Gainey, Dennis Christopher, Gerald McRaney, Laura Cayouette, Don Johnson, Tom Savini, and Sacha Baron Cohen.  Django Unchained opens December 25th.