SXSW Day 8: Friday

So, I skipped The Lather Effect earlier, but I knew that I had another chance to check it out. So, first things first, over to The Paramount. The description for this movie was kinda vague, so I wasn't sure what to expect. It ended up being very reminiscent of those wonderful 80s John Hughes films. Well, maybe not like them, but it felt like characters from those movies that were now all grown up and really pissed off about that. They want to revel in those old 80s memories, so they have a huge throwout party in full 80s regalia. Some of the great memories are brought forth as well as some touchier subjects like old loves. But in the end, like those old movies from yore, everything is neatly tied up by the end. William Mapother (creepy Ethan from Lost) and the director were at the screening and answered some questions. When listening to those Q&A sessions, I always wonder "Why the hell are they asking that?" So, I tried to come up with some non-awful questions, but I couldn't think of anything, so I continued my streak of silence.

The next couple of movies were time killers, since the next one I knew I wanted to see was The Unforeseen. So, the next was a documentary called Hard Road Home. It was about an organization that tries to help convicts once they are let out. They try to ease them into society and help get them jobs, and offer all kinds of different counseling. From what I could tell, everyone that worked at the organization were also ex-convicts. I liked it. Wasn't crazy awesome, but it was definitely good. 6 out of 10

I got curious about this film slightly cuz I had read that it won one of the SXSW awards. I believe Skills Like This won the audience award for narrative film. So, I trust audience's opinions a bit. It's about a dude who writes really bad plays. He finally comes to this realization and in a bit of odd events, realizes he's a great bank/store robber. This was a great film. HILARIOUS. The dialogue was witty without seeming far fetched, the characters were likeable, and the energy overall was contagious. I look forward to more from these guys. I hope they get the chance. 9 out of 10

The Unforeseen is a documentary about development and it's inevitable collision with nature. Specifically, Austin land development in regards to the safety and future of Barton Springs. Since I live in Austin, I was a bit biased on this subject. I think we should do everything possible to allow Barton Springs to continue to thrive and be a community haven. I was amazed at how little our representatives seem to care about nature in general. Do they never think towards the future? Instead of just worrying about the quick dollar now. I do have to remember that I may live in a liberal hippy commune of a city, but the state it resides in is as close-minded republican as they come. And that state opinion always beats out the 1 or 2 counties in the state that disagree. It's a shame, Austin is very unique in Texas, and I would think people would want to hold onto that as long as they can. The subject was interesting, the audience was a bit annoying with all the boos and whatnot during the screening, but overall the film felt lacking. They seem to focus a lot of the film on one of the main developers here in Austin, and I just found myself not caring about him. But, that could just be my own bias. 6.5 out of 10

I was kind of excited for seeing Parker Posey in Hal Hartley's Fay Grim. I was waiting in line and wasn't sure I was going to get in. They would let a couple people in at a time towards the end as they were trying to see how many could fit in the theater. I actually ended up being the very last one they let in. I felt so special. This feeling quickly went away. The first thing I notice is the entire films appears to be shot in Dutch angle - the camera is always a bit tilted in one direction or another. This is generally used in horror films or psychological thrillers to give a sense of foreboding or what have you. However, I just found it really annoying for the entire freakin' movie to be filmed this way. I'll be honest, I'm not a fancy film snob who can see every inspiration for a movie behind every line of the film. But, I just did not get this movie. It was a sequel to a previous movie - Henry Fool - which I had not seen, so I'd like to think maybe it was that. But it did not even make me want to see the first movie. I felt like a film moron after seeing this. I won't even rate it, I feel I am unworthy of it.

I stayed at Alamo South Lamar for the midnight horror film Grimm Love (according to SXSW) or Butterly: A Grimm Lovestory (according to the film titles). It's the story of a German cannibal who advertises over the internet for someone to slaughter and eat. Someone responds and willingly gives over his body for oh-so-appetizing enjoyment. What's crazier about this, is that's it's all true. Yeecccchhh. This film was dead-on creepy. Like bone chillingly creepy. Not a bunch of blood & gore type of horror movie, this was just *shudder*. I liked that about it. The fact that it could make my skin crawl for the entire length of the film says something. My only real criticism was Keri Russell as a grad student doing her thesis on the subject. She just rang a little false to me. Her makeup was distracting to me also. I kept wanting one of the other characters to take a rag and clean it up or something. It was just frightful. Otherwise... good creepy film. 7 out of 10

Grimm Love

SXSW Day 7: Thursday

So, since Wednesday was the first day of the music part of the festival, I should have anticipated a flux of traffic on Thursday, but I did not. I was running a wee bit late, but that wasn't considering the difficulty of finding some parking. All garages were full, and lots were like $20. It was just insane. So, since it was already after 2pm, and the likelihood of finding any parking was slim, and would take time, I decided to skip out on 638 Ways to Kill Castro.

So, my next stop was Alamo South Lamar. I first stopped over by Whole Earth Provisions to get a t-shirt and some flips. I dressed entirely too much for cooler weather and the heat was rough. So, over at the Alamo, I watched James Blunt: Return to Kosovo. Before James Blunt was a sweet singing superstar, he was a soldier in the British Army. In 1999, he was staioned in Kosovo with the NATO forces. He was the first military officer to set foot in Kosovo. While he was there he filmed some of the things he saw. First, I will say James Blunt looks great in military fatigues. He goes back to Kosovo for what appears to be only a day, maybe two. While there, he performs for the British troops there and tours around areas he was at in 1999. He meets up with three interpreters he used when he was previously there, and they try to find a couple families he knew from then also. Unfortunately, they do not find them. It's very short, at around an hour. While I don't doubt James Blunt's sincerity, it kind of came off as a vanity project. That or a PR type move by the record company. It just never seemed to get its feet.

Over to the Austin Convention Center (ACC)... I kid you not, a documentary the most used font in the world -- Helvetica. Many old and new graphic designers were interviewed during the film. There seems to be a very mixed opinion among the designers about whether Helvetica is a killer font or an overused corporate display of neutrality. I was amazed at how much the font is used in our lives. It's just nuts. Overall it was OK. Entertaining enough, but there wasn't enough there for me to recommend it for you to see. Unless, of course, you have a crazy hard-on for fonts. In that case, go for it. 6.5 out of 10

Still at ACC, on to an even zanier subject. Yanno those street performer/characters/superhero types in front of Hollywood's Mann's Chinese Theatre? Yah, Confessions of a Superhero is about those people. It's basically panhandling with costumes. They have some basic rules/laws they have to abide by. They cannot solicit business, they can only work for tips, and they have to stay on the public sidewalk area. Our main characters for this documentary are Superman, Batman, The Hulk, and Wonder Woman. It seems like their stories start out about the same. They've come to Hollywood to becomes stars, but, that's not so easy. So, they do need to find funds somehow. They are all hoping that someone notices them somehow. Much like life, the story is both funny and tragic. Some small nitpicky criticism here -- the video seemed super low-grade, pixelly at times. The music was great -- understated, but very quirky and appropriate. Some of the shots seemed slightly contrived, but there weren't too many of those. The film was also interspersed with some gorgeous still photographs. I like the way they were used. A big thing was this film made me really care about these people. And I feel that if a film can make that happen, then it is a successful one. 7 out of 10

Now, I hoofed it over to Alamo Downtown for the midnight horror flick Borderland. I believe all the midnight movies at SXSW are horror-ish. While waiting in line outside the theater, the director came out and asked if anyone was even slightly disturbed by gore, cuz this movie was gonna be full-on gross and there should be no weak stomachs in the house. Now I'm intrigued, and I don't necessarily like tons of gore. One chica in line said "Well, I'm gonna hold you to that then." Apparently, this was based on true events, and if that's the case, then that's seriously fuqd up. It's the story of three friends that go down to Mexico for some good suckysucky time. Instead they seem to get involved with some folks that are into a Santeria type religion, but this one requires human sacrifices. Really gory mutilating human sacrifice. Like - let's chop both your achilles tendons so you can't run sort of human sacrifice. I've been to BodyWorlds, so I know exactly how nasty that is to the calf muscles. EWWwwwuuuurrrrrrgh. Nasty. I will say upfront, the director was in the row in front of me during the film, and he and his crew were obnoxious shits. So that very well could have tainted my opinion. It was alright. The gore was good and very well done, but eh, I felt like I could have been better served spending those two hours in bed. Like I said though, his ass annoyed me. 4 out of 10.

SXSW Day 6: Wednesday

I started my morning with the documentary, Crazy Sexy Cancer. This is the story of Kris Carr, a woman who has discovered she has a very rare form of cancer. It starts out with her just trying to find anything that could help her in her struggle. Her cancer is a very slow moving sort, and there appears to be nothing medicine can do for her. She goes through a few diet regimes, spiritual avenues, and just trying to be as healthy as she can. During her journey, she ends up finding love with her cameraman -- now her husband and producer. The film is incredibly uplifting. Even if you're not suffering from cancer, just the force of her love of life is infectious. It makes you want to appreciate everything you have and do more. This was a wonderful documentary. Of course, I'm sure this subject has been dealt with in film form before, but Kris Carr's enthusiasm and charisma make this something different. Also her attitude of never giving up is unbelievable. Don't get me wrong, she has her moments where she gets down and cries like any normal person would, but she doesn't allow those moments to consume her. She lets them happen, and she continues on with her fight for love and life. 8.5 out of 10

I misjudged my times for the next film, so I didn't even bother to try to run to ACC to catch it. So, I stayed at Alamo South Lamar and saw Inside the Circle, a documentary about break dancing in Austin, Texas of all places. I did not realize that Austin had such a community, so I was a wee bit interested. The film follows three guys - Josh, a troubled young man that never seems to stay out of trouble; Omar, a B-boy star who gets to travel the world with his dance; and Romeo, the creator of the B-boy City competitions held in Austin. It was interesting to see the different lives of Josh & Omar, two previous best friends that now compete against each other. Josh seems to depict the stereotype of a break dancer - being on endless probation and wondering why the world is so against him. While Omar uses the opportunities breaking presents to the fullest. It was slightly amateurish at times, but the subject was fascinating. I don't know what was more interesting, the breaking, or the fact that such a huge community of breaking is here in Texas. It just blows the mind. 7 out of 10

My intentions for the rest of the day was to head over to The Paramount for Let's Get Lost, then stay there for The Lather Effect. However, I did not anticipate Let's Get Lost to be quite so painful to sit through. I don't know if it was because I really wasn't wanting to see it in the first place, or if it was because I was so tired, but I was SOOOO not feeling this film. This was originally released in 1988, so I was also not quite sure why it was in the festival, but oh well. The film is about jazz phenom Chet Baker. It was a very artistic beautiful looking film, but Chet Baker is a very quiet man who doesn't seem to like to talk much. He has very obviously been wracked with a drug problem for a large part of his life. If I didn't know it ahead of time, I certainly would have known by looking at his face. Worn would be a mild description. So, I can't really review the film as I did not finish watching it. But that could be saying something all by itself :D

This was bit of a freaky fun treat. The two stars and director were on hand for the screening of Reign Over Me. Since Adam Sandler and Don Cheadle were gonna be there, I decided to skip the movie before this to get a good place in line. Considering the insane turn out for Knocked Up, I figure it was only inevitable that this would get filled up too. Boy, I was SO wrong on that one. The floor seats at The Paramount didn't even get filled. Crazy snobby indie film types , I guess. I was not aware that this movie was not a typical Adam Sandler comedy. Yes, I thought it odd that Don Cheadle would be in a comedy. But, stranger things have happened, like Adam Sandler doing a serious role, and not only pulling it off but freakin' rockin' it out. The quick & dirty -- Charlie (Sandler) has lost his wife and daughters in the 9/11 planes, and has decided the best way to deal with it is to forget he ever had a family. Alan (Cheadle) is getting tired of his mundane routine-laden life, and has pulled away from his wife and children emotionally. This was a very well made touching movie. I liked the contrasting struggles of Alan and Charlie. A peculiar/interesting thing in the movie was Alan's apparent jealousy of Charlie's life. Even though Charlie has lost everyone he loves, and with it his grip on life, Alan seems to truly envy the freedom he possesses. When, in fact, he has no freedom at all. This was a very well done movie, IMO. Go Mike Binder. 8 out of 10

SXSW Day 5: Tuesday

I did my morning duty of work til 11am. Now, I didn’t have anything I just had to see first thing, so I decided to check out some shorts. I went over to Alamo Lamar to watch Reel Shorts 3.

I stuck around for The Devil Came on Horseback and was completely blown away. It is the story of Brian Steidle and his time in the Sudan and Darfur with the African Union as a ceasefire monitor. While he was there he took pictures of the slaughter that was going on. He wasn’t able to actually do anything because of the position he held there, but he figured he would document it anyway. After coming back to the States armed with huge books of picture after picture, he decides to let the new York times to a story on him and what he saw. Once that happens, politicians want to speak to him and testify at hearings and whatnot. He has hope at this point that the US will actually do something. But it starts to become very clear that nothing but grandstanding is going on. The US politicians don’t care because no one is making them care. The US people don’t even seem to know what’s going on over there. I freakin loved this movie. Best of the festival so far. No doubt. I cried liked a little girl while watching this, and with nothing but strangers around, that is saying something. I try really hard not to cry when it's just me and Mikey. It was beautifully filmed, and the use of Brian Steidle's photography was well done too. It amazes me that he could take picture after picture, and not go nuts with hopelessness. Instead, he has taken his anger over the senseless violence and tried to rouse a sleeping nation to the nightmares in Darfur. I think if anyone can do it, Steidle can. His passion for this is contagious and makes you want to do anything to help. I spoke with one of the directors for a bit while we were waiting in line for the restroom. She seemed really excited about the response they'd gotten so far on it. So, I hope everyone gets the chance to see it. 10 out of 10

While still at the Alamo South Lamar, I got right back in line for Manufacturing Dissent. The documentary about documentarian Michael Moore. The line was already crazy, so I wasn't sure if I would make it in, but I manged to. I even managed to get a decent seat. Manufacturing Dissent is basically a biopic of Moore. The filmmakers seem to be fans of his, and try very hard to get interviews with him, without success. Over the course of the film, they evaluate how Moore uses "truth" to get his point across. Is he more concerned with his own fame and popularity than seeking the truth to give to the public? They point out several blatant inaccuracies in his films and wonder if he is doing more harm than good to his cause. Overall, I will say I liked the film, but I didn't LOVE the film. I liked the subject, and I liked at how it felt like facts were given, but not forced upon you. The audience is very much given the opportunity to make their own opinion on the information provided. Something they obviously feel Moore does not do. I can't quite put my finger on what it is that I felt was missing. Maybe a lack of enthusiasm or charisma. I'm not sure, but it did feel slightly lacking in some sort of feeling. 6.5 out of 10

Over to The Paramount for The Last Days of Left Eye. This film used footage of Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes' last 27 days in Honduras. She was in the process of filming herself for a documentary during a 30-day retreat in Honduras, where she brought family and friends. Now, I would certainly call myself a TLC fan, but I was nowhere near prepared for who Lisa Lopes was. She was an extraordinarily talented person. Not only with music, but she was a great artist and fashion designer. She seemed to pick up any instrument she wanted to without effort. I think it is safe to say that she was an artistic genius. But, she also had her own personal struggles, which she battled very openly at times. During the film, she was very open about all the negative things that have happened to her, and what was going on in her head when it was happening. It never seemed like she was trying to make excuses, but just that she was laying it out for you to see. Knowing the footage was literally the last 27 days of her life was extremely powerful, and the filmmaker did not get in the way of that. You did not see interviews of T-Boz, or Chili, or even her family members if she wasn't speaking to them herself on camera. This was Lisa's story and the film allowed her the time and space for it. A very surprising treat of a film. 7.5 out of 10

SXSW Day 4: Monday

I worked a half day at home from 7-11am. This was kind of annoying, cuz I just had my mind on the movies of the day. I’m having a blast with this, and I’ve now learned a valuable lesson. Do not let someone convince you to work when you’ve already requested the time off. Next year, I will most certainly be taking the entire week off. It’s not so much the films in the morning, it’s the midnight films that make the lack of sleep quite painful. So, just from a sanity point of view, I will be taking the whole week next time. So I can get some sleep and be bright-eyed and bushytailed for the next days round of films.

Ok, so, after working, I booked it over to Dobie to catch Who Loves the Sun with Lukas Haas, Adam Scott, and Molly Parker. The last time I was at Dobie was for the opening day of The Blair Witch Project. Yah, long long ago. Anyhoo, it seemed to be a tad bit early for folks, cuz it was a very calm audience. Maybe barely awake is a better description. The film is a story of a haphazard reunion of three estranged best friends. Two of those friends happen to be a married couple that haven’t seen each other in five years. Why five years you may ask? Well, five years ago Will (Haas) caught his wife Maggie (Parker) and the 3^rd wheel of the friendship Daniel (Scott) screwing in the lake house ping-pong table room. No one has heard a peep from Will since then. Nothing, nada, zilchamundo. They’ve even begun to consider him dead. He has seemingly surfaced for reconciliation and if he hasn’t, his friend's mom makes sure they at least meet up. Before the film the director referred to it as a comedy and hoping it made us laugh. While having it’s funny moments, I’d say comedy would be a stretch. Perhaps true life comedy would be true. Not the slapstick guffaw sort of pop comedy, but the type of stuff that happens to us usual folk. I loved the subtlety of this movie. From the acting to the lack of overused music, to the gentle filmmakers and cinematography. This movie felt loved and cared for and it came through on screen. 8 out of 10

Now, alone, I attempt to see King Corn yet again. I figure it’s 2pm on a Monday, I should be good to go. Not even close. This sucker must be good cuz they were even having to turn badged folk away. Bastards and their good film.

Over to my home away from home – The Paramount – to view Kurt Cobain About A Son. It was not necessarily something I was dying to see but the next movie I was gonna see was at The Paramount, so I figured what the hell. This was not your typical rockumentary. This was some old audio taped interviews of Kurt Cobain. He talked at great length and detail about his childhood and times leading up to the Nirvana fame. What was so different about this flick was the fact that just somewhat random imagery was used for the visuals. Not completely 100% random, since it seemed to be things that were in the towns he was talking about – Aberdeen, Olympia, Seattle. Until about half way through, I must say I was slightly confused because of this seemingly random images. However, afterwards I could certainly appreciate the intimacy that this was able to create. You feel as though Kurt is right there with you telling you his tale. He was a truly depressed person, and in its own way, it enlightened me to why one of my generations greatest musical heroes would have cut short a seemingly wonderful creative life. 7 out of 10

Next, at my 2^nd home, was a Judd Apatow comedy, Knocked Up, starring Katherine Heigl (Grey’s Anatomy) & Seth Rogen (40 year old virgin). A very quick & dirty summary – Alison (Heigl) gets really drunk with Ben (Rogen) one night at a club and through what could only be called miscommunication, doesn’t use a condom during their drunken sexual encounter, thus knocking her up. I was looking forward to this movie while also feeling wary, thinking it could be really slapstick-y or something. I don’t know why but I’m glad I was wrong. This was one of the smartest & funniest comedies I have seen in a while. The odd combo of bombshell Heigl and chubby dork Rogen worked unbelievably well. I think they said it had a wide opening date of June-ish. Make sure you don’t miss it. 8.5 out of 10

We stuck around to see Gregg Araki’s Smiley Face. It was touted as a pothead movie with a female perspective. Our main pothead character was slapstick comedy veteran Anna Faris. You’ll remember her from any Scary Movie flick if you’re even somewhat paid attention. The movie is her adventures in trying to get a series of things done without pissing everyone off. She needs to make sure she pays her electricity bill, but instead she buys a buttload of pot to make replacement cupcakes for the ones she ate that belonged to her roommate. Then she doesn’t have the entire amount that is needed to buy the pot so she gets that bit of money tacked onto her already huge debt to her dealer. She then has to manage to find money to pay him by the end of the day, and get to a hemp festival to pay him. I have always loved Gregg Araki, so this movie was a bit of a letdown. I wonder if I would have liked it more, it I didn’t know it was his film or what. I will say, that I like Anna Faris’ portrayal of Jane F. I completely believed that she was stoned through the whole movie. But afterwards, Gregg Araki explained that how could a stoned person have done this huge monologue she had to do without screwing it up. Very good point, sir, very good indeed. 7 out of 10

SXSW Day 3: Sunday

Now, you'll think I'm crazy, but I was really looking forward to this first film on Sunday. Without any help from Mike, we managed to get to Paramount just before Alan Cumming's Suffering Man's Charity. The main reason I wanted to see this was because David Boreanaz is in it and I have heard people in lines talking about seeing him at the first screening. Unfortunately, our screening was not blessed as such. We did have Alan Cumming (star & director) and the hilarious Karen Black. Alan Cumming stars as John Vandermark, a music teacher that lives in quite the dump of an old house. He has taken in Sebastian (Boreanaz) in hopes of giving him the opportunity to become a great author. He is very obviously smitten with Sebastian, but has reached his limit after several months of Sebastian's mooching. He struggles with making excuses for Sebastian, but finally hits his limit and cracks, taking his sanity with him. The rest of the movie is spent with Sebastian duct taped and strung with christmas lights in a chair, while wearing ladies undergarments. John goes on numerous tirades during this time. The highlight of the movie was David Boreanaz's ass in ladies lacey boy short underwear. Granted, that is a wonderful thing, however I like my movies with a bit more substance. Michael stated it well when he told me "it would have been a good short." 5 out of 10

The next film at the Paramount was a completely different affair. The Texas roller derby documentary Hell on Wheels. A major downside to this particular screening was the attendance of the rival Austin roller derby leagues that the film is about. To say they were obnoxious would be kind. Every time someone was introduced on the screen, one group or another would cheer incessantly making the next minute of dialogue completely inaudible. Apparently this has been in the making for five years due to the fact that so much drama involved, they just kept filming. If it weren't for the drama of the original league split and creation of a new league, this could have been very boring. Well, not too boring cuz the women followed are definitely some characters. The director and producer were on hand and you could tell this was a long difficult journey and they were very glad it was finally coming to an end. The Q&A was interesting due to the fact that the girls were there, and people asked somewhat interesting questions. Most Q&A sessions after the films can be very boring or non-existent. 7 out of 10

Still at the Paramount, I passed my time with He Was A Quiet Man starring a very different looking Christian Slater, Elisha Cuthbert, and William H. Macy. Christian Slater is Bob Maconel, an almost postal employee of a large corporation. He keeps trying to get up the nerve but doesn't have the chance cuz another employee gets the jump on him by shooting up the office. In the process, Vanessa (Cuthbert), is shot in the spine, paralyzing her from the neck down. In a turn, Bob becomes quite the hero by shooting the gunman with the gun he brought to do the same. Out of guilt or obligation, Bob starts to look after Vanessa, and they grow quite close. However, he has a hard time accepting her feelings for him, and gets paranoid that she wouldn't be with him if she weren't a quadriplegic. Over the years, Christian Slater has always just seemed like a joke of a Jack Nicholson parody to me. This was the first time in a long time when I thought he was his own actor. Granted, he had fake hair and teeth, but for some reason, his portrayal of the whack job rang true. Still, despite that, I'd have to say this movie seemed to fall terribly short of what it could have been. Some of the explanations the director gave during the Q&A were very interesting and enlightening. However, most people aren't going to have the luxury of the director in front of them to explain it into a better movie. 4.5 out of 10

We then attempted to trek over to the Alamo Drafthouse on South Lamar to catch the documentary King Corn. However, we didn't get in. We were about 20-25 people back from where they stopped letting people in. C'est la vie, I needed a break anyway, and it plays one more time. Home to bed then.

SXSW Day 2: Saturday

My day began with an odd film at the Paramount-- When A Man Falls in the Forest. I wanted to walk out of this movie about a third of the way through. I am glad I stayed, however, I still wouldn't say it was something I would recommend. Dylan Baker portrays Bill, a peculiar janitor that goes through the motions of life trying to not be noticed. He seems neither happy or sad. He does seem anxious most of the time though. Timothy Hutton is Gary, an old high school classmate of Bill's, who works in the building Bill cleans. Sharon Stone is Gary's wife Karen. My one prevailing complaint of this movie is the dialogue. While most people think that a lot of movie dialogue might be unreal and too sophisticated, I definitely thought this was the opposite. Call it too real, or just dumbed down, I don't know, but it just seemed too stutter-y. I would like to think that most people can be a little more descriptive when talking without sounding too out there and unreal. The quick and dirty - felt like a waste, but Mike really liked the "quirky" characters. Yah, k, whatever sir :D I say 4 out of 10.

Staying at the Paramount, we saw a completely different type of movie. A comedy called The Ten starring Paul Rudd and directed by The State alum David Wain. It is the tale of the Ten Commandments told in 10 short stories narrated/introduced to us by Paul Rudd. I don't know if it was because of the previous grim movie or what, but this was hilarious. It was a light movie, but well done, and very very funny. The director, writer, and Paul Rudd were on hand for questions afterwards. 7.5 out of 10.

And at the Paramount still, we watched Elvis and Annabelle. Elvis (Max Minghella, son of famed director Anthony Minghella), is an illegally practicing mortician in a small Texas town. Due to some odd sets of circumstances he meets up with Annabelle (Blake Lively from The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants), a pure Texas beauty queen that is now questioning what she truly wants out of life. I'll get down to it, I freakin LOVED this movie. It was such a unique spin on a somewhat standard Romeo and Juliet type story. The performances were insane. I seriously am willing to stake big money on the fact that Max Minghella will be a huge star. He is incredible, and it certainly doesn't hurt that he's very easy on the eyes. Like I mentioned previously, I also noticed the light scoring on this movie. The performances were allowed to shine. The cinematography was also incredible. I love the hues used.. especially when showing the different worlds of Elvis and Annabelle. Another great treat about this movie was that it was filmed in and around Austin, so it was nice to spot local things. A nice little cameo by the Paramount Theater was very nice considering that's where we were seeing it. The director, some producers, and the two stars were also on hand, but no questions were asked of them. Kind of a bummer. However, Max Minghella did say he appreciated the warm welcome they received while filming. 9 out of 10 from me.

We were with a friend at the last movie, and he was planning on heading to the Austin Convention Center to see the documentary about truck drivers, Big Rig. Mike and I didn't have any solid ideas on anything so we tagged along. Also, Mike is a GINORMOUS documentary buff, so I was willing to give in and see one for him. The film tracked several truckers and the culture that truck driving entails. Before the film, the director and producer said that 80% of the truckers in the movie were there in the audience. They had altered their routes or gotten different routes just so they could be there for the World Premiere of the film. I thought the subject matter was interesting, but I felt that the filmmakers did not do it justice. There were entirely too many insert shots of roads and trucks just driving and not enough time spent with the truck drivers themselves. I get the feeling they were going for with this style, but it just seemed like overkill. One of the sayings they had in the movie is "If you bought, a truck brought it". This is very true. They estimate that if all truckers were to go on strike or whatever that this country would come to a complete halt in 2-3 days. That is insane. What is also insane is that the truck drivers are responsible for paying their own gas. Big deal you might think? Very big deal. Say a haul gets a driver $800. That price has not changed as the gas prices have changed. So a tank of gas that might have cost $200ish before gas hikes, now costs them upwards of $400 or more. That is ridiculous. While I may have been disappointed in the film in general, I definitely feel that the subject is something worth addressing. 5 out of 10

As soon as that was done, the three of us booked it over to Alamo on South Lamar for the midnight screening of Undead or Alive: A Zombedy. Think western with zombies, but done very badly. The movie stars James Denton of Desperate Housewives fame and Chris Kattan, SNL alum. Right off the bat, I'm thinking, my gawd that is a strange pairing. I know this was supposed to be very cheesy and nothing crazy serious and certainly not era correct, but it still annoyed me to see Chris Kattan in a super cheesy bright colored joke of a western shirt. The next thing that annoyed me was the casting of Navi Rawat as a Native American. I know Americans aren't quite bright at times, but are we really not going to notice an India Indian in the role of an American Indian. I'm also going to consider the fact that it was midnight and I'd seen several good movies by this time, but still. I always liked Chris Kattan on SNL, I'm just curious why he hasn't really had much success since. Oh, that reminds me. The director and Chris Kattan were there, but this happened to be the one film where I forgot to bring my camera in. I won't make that mistake again. Seriously. 4 out of 10

I will post what pictures I have later. Nothing crazy special, but still fun for me!

SXSW Day 1: Friday Night

I started my festival experience with The Lookout - directed by Scott Frank and starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and Jeff Daniels. JGL is Chris Pratt, a high school hockey star whose world is turned upside down. While out joy riding to see fireflies without headlights, he crashes into a stalled combine, killing two of his friends and maiming the third. He does not walk away without his own life altering injuries though. He suffers from brain injuries and can't remember to do life's basic tasks - like showering with soap or taking his keys out of the ignition before leaving and locking the car. (Think Memento with less of the manic energy.) After years and a lot of therapy, he is rooming with Lewis Canfield (Jeff Daniels), a blind man he met in a life skills class. Despite being very different people, they appear to be very close and have dreams of opening a diner together. All this is disrupted by an old school alum, Gary (Matthew Goode). He offers Chris an exciting opportunity in the form of robbing the bank that Chris cleans after hours. With some slight struggling, Chris finally agrees to help, but soon regrets it.

One thing I tend to notice about movies fairly quickly, is if it's quiet or not. I really appreciate when filmmakers do not overuse music & scores to create mood. This movie excelled at that. There was music and/or score, but it was not overbearing, and the movie was allowed to be. JGL is an amazing talent, and this showcases that in an odd way. He seems to struggle with some emotions but only ever so slightly, which is appropriate considering his condition. His is a very nuanced performance, and it makes me look forward to his future films. (I have not yet seen Gregg Araki's Mysterious Skin, and I've heard it's very very good.) Jeff Daniels was also very good. Most sighted actors that play blind characters are generally pretty obvious, but his performance allows you to forget that he really can see. I have not yet made up my mind about Matthew Goode. I've seen him in some fluff, and this goes a bit deeper than that, but it still felt lacking. I think he could be better, but we'll just have to wait. Overall, the story was good, the acting was great, but it did still feel like something was lacking. I can't put my finger on what exactly, but it's not enough to prevent people from seeing it. Excellent movie... let's say 7.5 out of 10.

My Very First SXSW Film Festival

Being the film buff that I am, I have always wanted to attend the South By Southwest Film Festival, but have never been able to justify taking the vacation time. Well, I took the leap this year, and have bought a film pass. I've already attended 3 days of films, and I will write reviews for each one in separate entries. Mike has attended all the films with me so far, but I will be going solo during the weekdays. He might join me in the evenings if there are films he is interested in. I will being working a couple days in the mornings, but for the most part, I will be off. I've already learned my lesson this year, and I will definitely be taking the whole week off next year. I didn't anticipate wanting to go to so many midnight movies, so that makes making it to work at 7am a bit difficult. Not impossible, but it's definitely worth taking the time off to get enough rest before full days of movies. It might not sound like a rough thing to do, but walking around between movies and running to get something to eat quickly between showings, makes one quite weary in the end.

Look out for the reviews. I'm so excited and I'm having so much fun!

just more whining

As if I needed another reason to dislike our current president...

What was he thinking when he decided to change our Daylight Saving Time? Because of this "little" change, my life has become pure crap.  I'm working 72 hour weeks because of this damn change. I would love to know how many BILLIONS of dollars a change like this causes corporations. It seems like it should be relatively simple. You just change the dates that this happens on. Mais non!

I would actually say this is by far worse than the whole Y2K thing. With that it was all hype and no action. This is almost no hype, but OHhhhh it's gonna be ugly for some. I'm tired, I feel sick constantly, I had a migraine for almost a full week. I'm trying to take care of myself by working out at lunch, and getting more sleep. I'm not doing too horrible in either department, but I can certainly do better.

I look forward to the day that I update this and it's not all negative whine-n-cry crap.

OH! There is a slight pinprick of light in all this darkness. Amidst all this DST crap I'm also working on writing a technical book for one of the products I work on. When it's done, I'll be published! Even though it is adding to my workload, I'm actually quite excited about it.