Another long day here in Austin ... but definitely a fun one. Went to see two films today: Mister Lonely and Explicit Ills. I was lukewarm on both films; the first was completely out there -- about a Michael Jackson impersonator who hooks up with a Marilyn Monroe impersonator, as well as a group of impersonators, who live out their days in a house -- together -- in the middle of nowhere. Shot beautifully, I still haven't quite wrapped my head around it, but it was peaceful, meditative and pretty. Four words: Werner Herzog is awesome. Explicit Ills, on the other hand, was a film starring folks like Rosario Dawson and Paul Dano (who's nabbed top billing even though he appears in all of about seven minutes of the flick), and it jumps between several different "urban" stories -- some more developed than others. There's a message there about poverty and health care (I half-expected the film to fade to black with a message to vote for Hilary Clinton), but parts of it were daunting, while Mark Webber did a heckuva good job behind the camera.

From there, I headed over to this party for the film Bi the Way -- a party which took place outside on some sort of hippie commune. I kid you not; there were campfires, face painting and burlesque dancers (who deserve major kudos for taking off their tops in the freezing cold). At one point during the party, this girl walks up to me and goes, "Hey, you interviewed me in Berlin!" I turned and it was none other than the very awesome Jess Weixler (who starred in Teeth) -- apparently she was there hanging with filmmaker Joe Swanberg (whose Nights and Weekends premieres here tomorrow night). I told Jess that I couldn't believe she remembered an idiot like me, but she did ... and we chatted until Joe pulled her away. Great girl, great actress ... and I wouldn't be surprised if she showed up in the next Swanberg film. (But you didn't hear that from me ....)

Finally made my way back to the hotel, and as I was getting in the elevator Seann William Scott was getting out. He's here (I imagine) promoting his new film The Promotion, which also screens tomorrow night. I almost yelled "Stifler!" but unfortunately I was way too tired. Good times, we'll catch you on the flip side.

Oh crap. I just realized it's time to turn the clocks ahead. Thank God -- I actually thought I blacked out for an hour. Phew.

(Note: The following interview was conducted last year when Teeth premiered at the Berlin International Film Festival. We are publishing it now to coincide with Teeth's theatrical release this week.)

One of my favorite little gems from last year, Teeth tells the story of Dawn (Jess Weixler); a teen abstinence preacher and all-around lovely girl who, at a very young age, discovers something wrong with her parts down there. It's called vagina dentata, which is Latin for "toothed vagina." Oh yes, it bites ... and it bites hard. Playing Dawn is fresh up-and-comer Jess Weixler, who arrived in this role without much of a big-screen resume. Yet, here, the gal clearly proves she has what it takes to rise up the familiar leading lady ladder, and it won't be long until Jess Weixler is a household name. Following a screening of the film, Cinematical sat down with Jess to talk about Teeth, vagina dentata and how it was playing the woman behind every man's worst nightmare.

Cinematical: You can't exactly go out and meet other women who suffer from vagina dentata. So you read the script, accept the part -- how the hell do you go about researching this kind of role?

Jess Weixler: (laughs) That's why I liked the part. Because there were no rules for how to play the game. Look at this girl Dawn, realize she came from this place of total innocence -- she's very human, someone who doesn't know their body and hasn't opened up yet. And then she gets to learn about life as it sort of attacks her. So she has a very dangerous sexual experience, then instinct kicks in and her body essentially protects her until she learns how to use the teeth. And that's something I had to come to.

Here are some of the latest posters to hit the net:

Though its release date was pushed back yet again (it's not coming out in theaters until this February), a new poster for Teeth has hit the net. I absolutely loved this flick when I caught it in Berlin earlier this year, and even had a chance to sit down and talk with the film's star, Jess Weixler, about how freaked out I was after watching it. She called it the "perfect date movie," and I'd agree, except I'm not so sure this is good for couples who haven't, um, gone all the way yet. Might freak the dudes out a tad. In Teeth, Weixler plays Dawn, a teen abstinence preacher who discovers teeth down in her private area and then ultimately uses them to her advantage. Oh yeah, it gets nasty. Hopefully the Weinstein Co. left the flick as is and didn't chop the hell out of it. (Bonus: Check out the trailer over on Moviefone.)

A new poster for the much buzzed-about Nanking has arrived. Directed by Bill Guttentag and Dan Sturman, the film tells the real-life story of how, in 1937, invading Japanese raped and murdered thousands of Chinese. Cinematical's Kim Voynar called Nanking a "deeply affecting film," and added: "Twenty-two Westerners stayed in Nanking to try to do something to help, and through their letters and journals we feel the moral dilemma they faced: They could get out and secure their own safety, but what about their Chinese friends and neighbors who couldn't leave? Who would protect them?" Nanking recently became one of the 15 docs shortlisted for an Oscar nod. (Bonus: Check out Moviefone's Unscripted featuring Rosalind Chao and Sonny Saito discussing the film and the book, The Rape of Nanking.)

Finally, there's a new poster out for The Spiderwick Chronicles, based on the popular books, and starring the adorable Freddy Highmore. Film tells of three siblings who find themselves pulled into an alternate world following their family's move into the run-down Spiderwick Estate. It kind of reminds me of the Narnia films on acid. Not bad. It arrives February 15. (Bonus: Check out the flick's first trailer over on Moviefone.)

Although I didn't get to see the horror-comedy Teeth when it first premiered at last year's Sundance Film Festival, I did get to experience the film while covering the Berlin International Film Festival back in February, as well as sit down for a little one-on-one time with the flick's star, Jess Weixler. For those who may have forgotten about Teeth, or never heard of it before, it's the one about the girl with teeth in her vagina. Yup, not joking. It's warped, it's bizarre, it's a tad nasty ... but it's so much fun to watch. Personally, I've been waiting a long time for this film to be released, and now Fangoria reports that Roadside Attractions will shovel it into theaters in New York and Los Angeles on November 30, with the film expanding nationwide in mid-December.

Directed by the very friendly (and talented) Mitchell Lichtenstein, Teeth follows Dawn (Weixler); a teen abstinence preacher who's always avoided sexual contact because of a little problem she has down there. Suffering from a rare case of "vagina dentata," Dawn goes about her business telling kids not to have sex, until she, herself, feels the need to start experimenting with a boy she's grown fond of. From there, let's just say all the guys in the audience might find it hard to watch the events unfold. I'm a big fan of actress Jess Weixler, who also starred in another little-seen indie gem, The Big Bad Swim, and look forward to seeing what future projects she takes on. But do yourself a favor and go see Teeth when it comes out. It's a fun film that deserves a little more attention. For more, check out Kim's review and Scott's review of the film from Sundance.

I'm not really sure what to think of USA Today's unexpected list of up-and-coming scream queens, but I have to start by pointing out that they felt it necessary to consult a representative from Troma on this matter. I mean, come on -- Troma? Are we really looking to the geniuses behind Poultrygeist for insights into future of the horror genre? Has it come to that? Okay, moving on. The first choice on their list is Rob Zombie's 36-year-wife, Sheri Moon, who has appeared in some of his movies, I guess. I don't know how that qualifies her as a scream queen in any way -- it seems like the simplest requirement of a scream queen is that she's college-age or thereabouts. If we're going to shoot for late-30s, then Dina Meyer should be on the list. Also on their list is Cerina Vincent, who I have the vaguest memory of in Cabin Fever and who co-starred in an Edward Furlong horror movie called Intermedio, which I've heard about but haven't seen. Then there's Tiffany Shepis, a bonafied Troma girl whose IMDB credits include Pauly Shore is Dead, Hoodoo for Voodoo and National Lampoon's Boobies. Yeesh.

I think a more useful definition of a scream queen than someone who has racked up four or five straight-to-video credits in the last two years is an actress who has actually given an impactful, memorable performance in a horror film that was actually scary. With that in mind, I would nominate Cassandra Magrath and Kestie Morassi, the female leads from Wolf Creek, for any scream queen title. Wolf Creek was a movie where the screaming came fast and furious and in a truly horrifying situation -- I still have nightmares about that one and a lot of its success was because of those performances. Also, how about Jess Weixler, the star of the Sundance hit Teeth, or Amber Heard from All the Boys Love Mandy Lane? I haven't seen either of those films yet, but I've at least heard a lot about them -- more so than 99 percent of the credits listed in this article.

I first had a chance to see Teeth when it premiered at this year's Berlinale (check out the mini video interview I did with the pic's star, Jess Weixler), but the film first caused waves when it screened at Sundance (check out Kim's review and Scott's review from the fest) a few months back. For those who have no idea what I'm talking about, Teeth is an independent film directed by Mitchell Lichtenstein which centers on a wholesome, abstinence-preaching teenager who unfortunately discovers that she suffers from a rare case of vagina dentata -- meaning, she has a whole bunch of sharp teeth, um, down there. Needless to say, things don't go so well when it comes time for her to dabble in some sexual activities with the opposite sex.

Now, The Weinstein Co. picked up the film at Sundance, with plans to distribute it later this summer. Seeing as some of the pic's most graphic scenes involve -- how shall I say this -- shots of bloody, dismembered genitalia, one of the big questions was how the Weinsteins were going to get this film through the MPAA without walking away with an NC-17 rating. Well, I'm happy to report that Teeth was just issued an R rating (for disturbing sequences involving sexuality and violence, language and some drug use) from the MPAA, though I truly hope it made it through in the form that played both Sundance and Berlin. However, knowing those Weinstein boys and their undying need to chop the hell out of films, I'm almost scared to see which version of Teeth finally makes it into theaters. Currently, there's still no release date for the film (Weinstein Co. = I'm not surprised), but here's hoping you all get to see this by the time the summer is out. Teeth is one heckuva crowd pleaser -- the sold-out audience I watched it with were screaming and laughing throughout. I rarely go out of my way to push a film onto you folks, but Teeth is by far the best horror-comedy of 2007. When (and if) it ever gets released in theaters, you'll be thanking me for the recommendation.