The first review of Weakness is here. Coming from Smells Like Screen Spirit:

Weakness, the debut feature film by writer-director Michael Melamedoff, is a very eloquent yet dismally realistic portrayal of a lost and confused man who could probably be satisfied with a way to just decelerate the dreadful downward spiral of his existence. Joshua’s life, at least as represented in Weakness, is like a 90-minute long train wreck (Melamedoff’s film utilizes events such as a fall from a roof and a near car crash as metaphors for Joshua’s life); and Cannavale, in his doleful and subdued performance, ably conveys Joshua’s many weaknesses without always verbalizing them. Joshua definitely does not make the best choices or say the most appropriate things; in many ways Joshua just plows through life with a kind of nonchalance, just assuming that things will begin to improve without his urging.

If you, like me, are still recovering from an emotional break-up, Weakness may hit a little too close to home. Some scenes ring a bit too true for my liking, at least at this juncture in my life. That does not mean Weakness is not a good film; if anything, that is definitely a compliment to Melamedoff and his cast.

Read the whole review here.

Weakness stars Bobby Cannavale, Danielle Panabaker, Josh Charles and June Diane Raphael. The film is set to premiere this sunday, October 24th during the Austin Film Festival. More info can be found here.

Weakness will have two screenings during the Austin Film Festival as part of the Narrative Feature Competition:

Sunday October 24 – 06:30 PM – TEXAS SPIRIT THEATER

Monday October 25 – 09:30 PM – ARBOR

Here’s the official Weakness AFF synopsis:

Run time: 94 min. | USA

Despair and depression hit everyone differently. Filmmaker Michael Melamedoff explores the unusual grieving habits of a man whose wife has not died, but left him after he refuses to participate in a “swing” group. Faced with a family who is unsympathetic, Joshua, a high school teacher, begins dating a former student. Thus begins an investigation of the grieving process. This sensitive film explores how interpersonal interactions effect personal decisions, some profoundly so. Melamedoff goes beyond simply strength or “weakness” to confront the range of human emotions and events that lead to fateful decisions in one’s life.

You can now enjoy the first Weakness trailer at the film’s OFFICIAL SITE. Directed by Michael Melamedoff, the movie tells the story of a suburban high school teacher who loses his wife and his moorings during a summer break. It stars Bobby Cannavale, Danielle Panabaker and June Diane Raphael.

Weakness is set to premiere later this month during the Austin International Film Festival.

Check out screencaptures of the trailer and a new still by clicking on the thumbnails below:

The 17th Austin Film Festival is gearing up to kick-off next month.

The annual event takes place from October 21-28 in Austin, Texas and Weakness is now officially part of its Narrative Feature Competition! No premiere date has been announced yet but we’ll keep you updated.

Directed by Michael Melamedoff, Weakness is a drama about a suburban high school teacher who loses his wife and his moorings during a summer break.  The film stars Bobby Cannavale, Danielle Panabaker and June Diane Raphael.

More information can be found here.

The gallery has now been updated with 7 new Weakness stills! The first one was released last October so it’s nice to finally get to see more pictures.

Weakness is an independent film focused on a suburban high school teacher who loses his wife and his moorings during a summer break. Written and directed by Michael Melamedoff, the movie stars Bobby Cannavale, Danielle Panabaker and June Diane Raphael.

No release date has been specified yet, but the film will most likely premiere during a film festival later this year. More information can be found here.

Here’s part of a brand new interview coming from Killer Film. Danielle talks about The Crazies, The Ward, Weakness, Sky High, Mr. Brooks and Spider-Man rumors:

Danielle Panabaker is one of the busiest young actresses in Hollywood, and my interview covers the past, present and future for the starlet. The name might not be recognizable, but her resume sure speaks for itself.

Jason Bene: John Carpenter has decided to put down his XBOX long enough to direct his first film in almost ten years with The Ward. Can you talk about working with a true ‘Master of Horror’?

Danielle Panabaker: It was just such a pleasure and a delight. I was certainly intimidated and nervous going into it because he is the ‘Master of Horror’ and it couldn’t have been a better experience. He was so lovely. To work with someone who has spent so much time on film sets and wh has such a mastery of his craft is truly a great experience. I have so much respect for him. I feel very lucky and grateful that I got the opportunity to work with him.

Jason Bene: Can you tell us about your character in The Ward?

Danielle Panabaker: The Ward takes place in the 60’s and it’s about five young women in an insane asylum who start disappearing one by one. I knew one of the new patients and I go to the hospital and start asking questions. It’s about what happens to her and the other young women. She starts to explore a little deeper and asks a few questions.

Jason Bene: Friday the 13th was a huge hit for you, were you concerned about being in another horror remake so soon with The Crazies?

Danielle Pananbaker: I wasn’t. The scripts are from similar genres, but the scripts themselves are very different. With Friday the 13th you are working with such an iconic character and there is a very specific formula in terms of the Friday the 13th movies. Those are for a really specific audience and I think they [Platinum Dunes] did a great job of reaching that. With The Crazies, I feel like there are so many additional layers in terms of the social ramifications of what we are dealing with. The movie just has a broader appeal to a wider demographic of people. So, it was really for me about getting a great opportunity to work with some really talented people.

Jason Bene: What can we expect from you in the near future?

Danielle Panabaker: I did a small independent film called Weakness that I shot in New York last summer that I still haven’t seen yet, but I hear great things about. Hopefully that will be released sometime in the future.

Jason Bene: Sony pictures is talking about rebooting the Spider-Man franchise. You seem like you’d be a good choice to play Mary Jane Watson. Have you thought about trying out for that role?

Danielle Panabaker: I’m very flattered, thank you so much! Absolutely, I think the Spider-Man franchise is such a world reaching franchise and a role I would absolutely audition for.

To read the whole interview go here.

I’ve also updated the gallery with a very spoilerish The Crazies still, proceed with caution if you haven’t seen the movie yet!

Yet another interview! PopStar spoke to Danielle Panabaker about The Crazies (opens this friday!) and Weakness:

How bloody and gory does it get?  Does it earn its R?

Oh, yes, the movie definitely earns its R.  I did a film about a year ago, the remake of Friday the 13th.  That film had a lot of blood.  It was really grotesque and it was almost back to those films from the ’70s and ’80s, the horror films with the low budgets that were just blood squirting everywhere.  The Crazies doesn’t have that.  It doesn’t have that campy, “Eww, blood everytwhere, that’s gross!” thing going, but it’s still terrifying.  We definitely earn our R rating.  I think it’s more about how scary these people are, the infected people, the Crazies.  They’re terrifying, and what they do to people looks so real and authentic.  Watching this movie is so difficult because, despite the fact that I’d read the script and was there when we made it, it’s so scary.  There’s a scene in there where I really was concerned that Timothy might get hurt, because it’s grotesque and intense and scary.  It’s pretty hardcore.

What was the toughest moment for you?

I have to say, being strapped to a table is a little claustrophobic.  You can’t get up, and that’s scary.  I was actually strapped in and I had to hope that if a fire alarm went off that somebody would remember that I was strapped down to this table.  You’re going to ask why I’m strapped down, and it’s because the government has come into the town, the water has been tainted, people are turning into crazies, and they’re testing to see if Becca has become a crazy.  So I have to be strapped down because you never know, for protection, more than anything.

One of your next films is called Weakness (2010).  What’s that?

That was a really fun project for me.  It was with a theater director out of New York named Michael Melamedoff.  He wrote and directed it, and he’s such a wonderful individual.  I had a great time working with him and really collaborating with him.  It was on a much smaller scale than The Crazies.  We made Weakness for very, very little money.  It was more of a passion project and I was really excited to be working on it.  I was in New York for a month in the summer, saw some shows.  It was a great experience.  I haven’t seen the finished cut yet, but I can’t wait to.  I have a lot of faith in Michael as a director.  That will probably be on the festival circuit when it’s done.

You’ve also wrapped another horror movie, The Ward, directed by John Carpenter.  What can you say about your character?

She’s one of the patients at an institution, and the story is about six young women who are in this institution.  She’s probably the most promiscuous of the women.  She’s constantly flirting with the orderlies, and I think some of her deeper issues are seen through her acting out sexually.

This  is one of my favorite interviews so far, read the whole thing here!

More info about The Crazies and Danielle’s character, Becca Darling, can be found here.

The Crazies opens in theaters this Friday, February 26! (US, UK and Canada. To check more release dates go here.)

Be sure to check our Upcoming Events section -> for important dates this week!

I have updated the gallery with the first production still of Danielle Panabaker in Weakness, her new independent film premiering next year (clik on the thumbnail to view it). She’s featured along her co-star Bobby Cannavale, more stills of the movie can be found at the Official Site (none of them including Danielle though). To be honest I’m really excited about this film, let’s hope it gets a release date very soon!

You can find more info on Weakness and Danielle’s character here.
Visit the official site here.

Remember to keep voting: Portrait Magazine’s 2009 “Top 30 Under 30″ list.

Here’s a small piece of news about Danielle’s new independent film Weakness (filmed earlier this year.) A recent interview with Neil Halstead:

It has been a busy and proud 18 months for Neil – the highlight being the birth of his twins last February – he signed with Brushfire Records last year, released his first album on Brushfire last August (‘Oh Mighty Engine’), did four tours in the US – including one with Jack Johnson – and two tours in the UK…

I am working on a soundtrack for a film called ‘Weakness’, which is due to be released next year. It’s a good – but small-budget – drama and the first film by theatre director Michael Melamedoff. This is the first soundtrack I’ve done and it has been challenging because it’s a very different way to work, more of a collaboration with the director, but I have enjoyed the experience.

Source: DriftMagazine

So it seems the film will have its premiere during one of next year’s film festivals, for more information on ‘Weakness’ click here.