It’s almost certain that the dude-bros of the 80’s would be profoundly alarmed by the powerful position “nerds” have risen to over the past decade or so.  “Nerds” and “nerd culture” are everywhere we look, so much so that recent debates have centered around the idea that some of the “nerds” out there (especially “nerd girls”) might be—gasp!—faking their nerdiness, just to fit in with the cool kids.  Think about that.  This is some serious Through The Looking Glass shit, my friends.

The wailing and teeth-gnashing online over the issue of “faux-nerdiness” has led to some genuinely interesting discussions, to be sure, but it’s hard not to find the whole thing kinda funny.  It’s also no surprise to see that we now have a movie dramatizing this unusual turn of events…but it is a little surprising that the first film to take on this topic would end up being as well-informed, genuinely hilarious, and painfully relatable as Andrew Matthews and Katie Graham’s Zero Charisma is. My review (from the film’s universally-praised SXSW 2013 premiere) awaits you after the jump.

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.

If you’re a fan of Troll 2– a film generally agreed to be amongst the worst films ever made—then there’s a good chance you’re familiar with the 2010 documentary Best Worst Movie. That doc (about the making and aftermath of Troll 2) earned rave reviews and ended up on a number of top ten lists the year it was released, and now the creative team behind that film has regrouped on a new indie project: Zero Charisma. Last week, I visited the Zero Charisma set to chat with Andrew Matthews, Katie Graham, Michael Stephenson, and the film’s star, Sam Eidson, to find out more about their latest collaboration. Wanna know what they had to say, and how these guys came to be working together in the first place? Meet me after the jump, folks: all will be revealed.