The ticket prices were quite steep - $35 - but I realized that it was all going towards the Texas Filmmakers' Production Fund. That's a great cause, so that makes the hit of the price a bit softer.

I've seen quite a few premieres of various sorts at the Paramount before, but I've never really tried to catch the red carpet stuff. Libby was really wanting to stick near the red carpet to see Jason Bateman when he arrived, so we waited out there with them. We got a good spot right inside the door, against the barrier thingies. For the 10 feet worth of red carpet, it took Mr. Bateman like 30 minutes to get to where we were. I swear he is more adorable in person than anything on the screen. So friggin' cute! We also saw Patti Griffin, and Mike Judge while we were waiting out there.

YARRRRRRRR! Thar be SPOILERS ahead. Ye've been warrrrrned!

Now, let's discuss the meat of the matter -- the movie. Hmmm. It's been a couple days, so I've had time to do some thinking on this. I didn't like it. I liked certain bits here and there, and Jason Bateman was awesome. And, shockingly!!!, Ben Affleck kinda stole the show. Now, let me see... why didn't I like it?  It was weak. The story was so jumbled and loose that it just felt like a high school student's assignment. Mila Kunis character almost seemed completely useless. I mean, I know we have to have a love interest or affair interest in this case, but her part seemed completely tacked on. There was this gigolo that Ben Affleck's character hired to bang Jason's wife, played by Kristen Wiig. There was almost an element of... "Is he really banging HIS wife, or someone else?" But it wasn't really a forced mystery, so it seemed just so badly drawn out. I'm probably not explaining this well. But, let's just say everything in the film felt too middle of the road. Like someone had a choice in what direction to go for particular story ideas, and instead of making a confident decision... they just decided to split the difference. Which makes for a very poorly constructed weak story.  Even some of the really funny stuff in the previews, wasn't nearly as funny in context. Which doesn't happen often, but it hurts when it does.

I love Mike Judge. I still watch King of the Hill, and I even really liked the poorly received Idiocracy. Not cuz it was a great movie, but the ideas behind it still make me think. The quick and dirty of that movie is that all the smart people don't breed fast enough, and over time all the really stupid mofos have breeded like bunnies and everyone in the future is pretty much the worst simpletons you can imagine. Even the people in power. Scary, scary ideas mainly cuz I can definitely see that happening. Oh, but it is a comedy. Anyway, yes, fan here. So this film is just kinda heartbreaking. He's just so much better than this film. Hell, everyone in the film is better than this.

This even shocked me. I've hated that damn boy since the beginning. And in the films, Tom Felton seems to make me hate Draco that much more. I don't know whether it's because I don't like Felton, or he really embraces the douchey-ness of Draco. Either way, mission accomplished. But in this film, you really see Draco struggling with what is right or wrong. While all the other kids are going to quidditch matches, going into town for Butter Beers, and snogging in the hallways, poor Draco is spending his free time repairing a magical cabinet so the Death Eaters can come attack the school. You know he comes from assholes, and I'm sure he feels the need to grow up to be an asshole too... nature versus nurture and all that... but you can still see his internal struggle. It even looks like it takes a bit of a physical toll on him too. He looks paler than usual, gaunt... and if he's not careful, that grumpy sneer/frown thing he's got going on is gonna get stuck that way.

In the end, Draco does not have to do the awful thing he's been tasked with. Someone else does it for him. This may be his only saving grace in this particular year at Hogwart's. He was just not meant to be a kid. Hell, even Harry Potter gets to have more fun than this poor fellah.

But, and this just occurred to me, maybe this is a perfect representation of karma. You treat people like crap long enough, it will come back to bite you in the skinny, pale, mean ass.

Mike, my workout bud Sarah, and my boss' daughter Courtney were with me. I'd heard from my boss how much his daughter was into the books, so when I had an extra ticket, I offered it up. She was super excited and really sweet. I hope she enjoyed herself.

First off, let me tell you my pre-watching thoughts. I was not in love with the casting. I could definitely see Kristen Stewart as Bella. But I was really not digging on Robert Pattinson as Edward. I mean, c'mon, Edward is supposed to be this beautiful being. While Robert Pattinson isn't unattractive, he's just not even close to what I pictured for Edward. The rest of the cast I wasn't too concerned with, but I wasn't awesomely thrilled. I did hope the casting of Alice would be good, cuz she's a fun character. To sum it up, I loved the books, so I was really wary of the movie.

Ok, now to the after-watching thoughts. Casting wasn't as awful as I was thinking. With the exception of Peter Facinelli as Carlisle Cullen. What the hell? Bizarre. Overall, I liked it. But I didn't find it terribly moving. Kristen Stewart was good, but didn't have a tremendous amount of range. Shockingly, I really did enjoy Robert Pattinson's performance. I still don't feel like he looks like Edward. I don't even think I would call him beautiful, as Edward is so often described in the book. Handsome, yes. Perhaps even untraditionally so, thus the allure. He's got enough "ugly" in him to make it interesting. What do I mean by that, you may wonder? I think that the people we are drawn to in flocks have some slightly off about that beauty. And he definitely has something slightly off. But I can dig it. Anyhoo, back to the performance. I definitely felt the attraction from Edward towards Bella, but not so much in the reverse. The main part of the story, the falling in love part, was the part that I missed most. It seemed like one minute Edward was all hateful towards Bella, the next they are in complete and utter love for all eternity. Nah, not so much. Granted, this does happen in the book, but in such a way that it builds properly. I missed the buildup, cuz it just wasn't there. My husband, Mike, also pointed out a hole to me that I probably looked over, because I'd read the book. There's a bad vampire that gets a whiff of Bella and suddenly has to have her. So they take off running to get her away from him. However, we never really find out why does this vampire have to have HER. Why would he be willing to run all over the US tracking her down? That is covered in the book a bit more, so I guess my mind filled in the blanks.

I also didn't love the camera work and choice of shots. I know this is supposed to be an intimate story, and a good way to get that across is close-up shots. But, yanno that adage.. too much of a good thing... definitely applies here. There was also a lot of handheld stuff, and it seemed slightly messy. The glaringly awful thing in the movie was the special effects. Wow, bad. There's a scene where Edward exposes his skin to the sun and it "sparkles". Man, talk about velveeta. Yeeeow. Edward's skin overall (non-sunned) wasn't too bad, but Carlisle's?!?!?! Wow, let's dip a dude in a vat of rice powder or something. Goodness. But I do need to remember that the budget for this movie was kinda low ($40mil) for such a largely hyped movie. So, they did good.

Don't get me wrong, I did like this movie. I'm even contemplating seeing it again. And I very rarely see movies more than once in the theater. It just felt loose, watered down even. I do recommend anyone into vampire love stories with a bit of blood & action go see it. Then, if you haven't read the book, go do that. You'll like it even better.

7 out of 10

Hitman.

I thought an action packed movie would be good to test out the audio & video. While the thought was a decent one, my execution was sorely lacking.  I should have picked something I'd seen before, or well, anything else. This movie was horrible. This was almost as bad as Ghost Rider. This was slightly better just from the eye-candy standpoint, but that's it. Timothy Olyphant is better looking than Nicolas Cage any day of the week.

What was wrong with the movie? Um, everything? Casting was horrible, the acting was horrible, story was shite, film style? What film style? A toddler with a hand-me-down cam could have done better.

I'm not terribly familiar with the video game the movie is based on, but I think the Hitman dude was supposed to have been raised in some weird assassin training camp for orphans. But I'm not terribly clear, cuz all you see are repeated flashbacks of some kid getting his shaved head tattooed and handed a pair of guns. And because of this lack of back story, and his seeming lack of emotion, I could have really cared less what happened to this dude. The female character was annoying as hell. I don't know if they were trying for a romantic thing or not, but if they were, I laugh. Pathetic! They couldn't even come up with decent excuses to get the chick naked, so they just make her naked randomly.

And the audio! Holy hell. I could have done better with a tape recorder. I don't understand, but a very large portion of the dialogue was looped -- meaning re-recorded and put on top of the video. Sometimes it was so far off, I didn't even realize it was supposed to be that character speaking. And I'm pretty sure they looped the audio with different voices than the original actors. And some of the people that seemed off were quasi-known people. So, you're bound to know that isn't their real voice. I was just shocked at how much looping there was. You are almost always going to have some, and it's usually done as well as it can be, but this. Man, shocking.

So, because of how bad it was, I didn't even pay attention to Blu-Ray picture quality. It could have been the best transfer ever known to man, and I would not have cared. Video quality can only help so much.

I almost think I should recommend people watch it cuz it was just so bad. You just have to understand how bad it was!

So, yah, go check it out, and let me know what you think :D

The first shot of the movie was almost painfully long as it slowly zoomed out of our lead actor's face to show us the classroom environment of a medical school. Despite the slow shot, the film actually gets going pretty quick. I liked that the film didn't necessarily glorify pot and pot farmers, but it used the whole setting as a real-life classroom for our medical student lead. The film was very nicely shot, and I really loved the use of late afternoon/early evening light. I'll have to remember that for future filming myself. Maybe it'll allow me to get away with reflectors instead of full-on light setups. Blech. Of course, the beautiful setting of the woods added to the environment and the way the light spills through the trees and whatnot. Ok, I'll try to stop with the technical commentary, but I really did appreciate the great lighting. The film was really good, and some excellent performances by Jeremy Strong (lead, Peter), Brad Dourif, Frances Conroy, and even the cutie 11yr old Madison Davenport. 8 out of 10

Edited to add: Fairuza isn't in the film too terribly long. She's basically the cinematic device to get our lead to the potfarming community. However, there was a great scene of her singing in a night club, and wow. She was amazing. She has a great voice, and I was unaware of that. Nice bit of a surprise. She's grown up quite a bit from the very first time I ever saw her in Valmont. She just gets more gorgeous every time I see her... which isn't nearly often enough, IMO.

I stayed at Alamo South Lamar to catch the documentary In a Dream. This seemed a bit unique to me. A documentary about an artist, Isaiah Zagar, and his family, made by that man's son, Jeremiah. I would imagine most people would want to show their family as a wonderful beautiful thing, and try to hide all the uncomfortable secrets. Jeremiah Zagar does the opposite. He exposes his father, mother and brother's life as it is. When it's good, it's good. When it's not, it's not held back. This was a beautiful film. I didn't know anything about Isaiah Zagar or his art before this film. But afterwards I feel like I've seen his art, and I've seen the pain that inspires it, and it's all beautiful. 9 out of 10

This might even have been my last film for SXSW 2008. I'm just not feeling the movie love this year. But, who knows, we'll see.

My plan was to head down early to get some food at Wiki Wiki Teriyaki, but that went in the crapper cuz I run late like that. So, hungry, I head to Paramount. While on my way I get a text from Rob asking if I was going to see the Gorillaz documentary Bananaz. I texted my confirmation, then went into Paramount. I fumbled with bag, beverage, and popcorn. After settling in I get a text from Rob saying "WTF?" I'm all wuh? Then he texts me "How's the popcorn?" I start looking around and lo and behold, Rob and Alev were like 5 seats down my aisle. I was seriously baffled cuz I didn't know they had the afternoon off. They joined me on my side of the row, we chat, we laugh, and I spill my popcorn everywhere. Cue movie.

WTF? Indeed. I think I now know less about the Gorillaz than before the movie. I'm just so damn confused. I could rarely understand anything that was being said. When I could understand, I just never understood what the hell they were even talking about. Other than a slight indication of chronology due to when albums were released and touring, I have no idea. I just have no idea. If this review has confused you. Join the friggin' club. 3 out of 10

Cook, as in cookin' meth. County, as in yanno a state type taxing district, but probably more like country. Thus Cook County. This is basically the story of a family of cookers/users of meth and the path their lives take because of it. It shows a small slice of the meth lab life and what people are capable of stooping to. Abe (Ryan Donowho) has been abandoned by his father Sonny (Xander Berkeley) for over two years. He was left to stay with his Uncle Bump (Anson Mount). Sonny returns suddenly with a new truck and no explanation to where he's been.

I've definitely seen Xander Berkeley better. However, Anson Mount was unbelievably awesome. His performance was just insane. Also, it's been a while since I've seen him on one TV show or another, but damn he was skinny in this film. Nasty skinny. Like meth addict skinny :D Seriously excellent tweaker performance. Donowho was also quite stellar. I knew I recognized him but I couldn't figure out from where. After the film I went to IMDB on my itty bitty RAZR and found the only other thing I would have seen him in was The OC. He's a cutie and he is quite talented. Overall, I would say the film felt a teensy bit sluggish, but it was still quite good. 7.5 out of 10

I had a bit of a wait between Cook County and Texas Shorts. So, to kill time I went to Whole Earth Provisions to scout out their selection of Reef flip-flops. As of right now, their selection kinda sucks. However, I might wear flips year round, but I guess the vast majority don't. Regardless of crappy selection I was still able to find me a pair... as well as a T-shirt, lip balm, and some bug bite balm. I always have issues with bug bites, so I'm willing to try anything. Ok, now back to the theater for some shorts. I am a lot more curious about shorts this year, and these being from Texas make me even more inquisitive.

I didn't realize this was the premiere of Texas Shorts. The theater was packed! I ended up sitting next to one of the actors in a short. We talked a little about short films and the complete awesomeness of Alamo's fried pickles. MmmmmMMmmm, fried pickles. The shorts were eh. Most were pretty bad, but the last one I saw was really good. I'll have to look up the name of that one.

I left Texas Shorts early, and I didn't feel bad about it. I know, I'm awful. Mike was already in line at Paramount for Choke novel. He's the dude who wrote Fight Club, among other things. I also knew that . I didn't know anything more about this film except that it's based on a Chuck PalahniukAngelica Huston was in it I quickly learned that Sam Rockwell was the main character and that this was gonna be funny. Victor (Rockwell) is a sex addict. It's the first thing you learn, actually. I've always enjoyed Sam Rockwell and this just made me love him much more. He's just awesome. The film overall seemed simple. But not in a bad way at all. Like it was filmed in such a way that you don't pay attention to the filmmaking, just the story and the actors. Well done. 8 out of 10

I met up with Rob & Alev at Alamo South Lamar for Shot in Bombay, a documentary by Liz Mermin. This is a documentary that follows the making of a Bollywood film - Shootout at Lakhandwala - and kind of all the political crap around it because of it's subject matter, as well as the court crap the star has to deal with continually. I guess I thought this was more about Bollywood in general. But whatever, this was ok. Nothing great, nothing awful. I guess I'll be like Simon Cowell here, and say it was forgettable. Unfortunately, it wasn't "Mind Blowing!" at all. 5 out of 10

The only other film I saw this fine day was the gamer documentary Second Skin. It follows gamers and the different ways the games they play effect their daily lives. It ranges from the functioning gamer to the downright full-on addicted gamer who loses everything. Very well shot, for sure. However, I was disappointed. Much like Lord of the Rings, it seemed to have like 5 endings. This film could very much benefit from an editor that wasn't the director. I felt like it wobbled a lot and it had a very weak core. BUT, I thought there was definitely enough for a great doc. It needs restructuring for sure. It also definitely needs to be shorter. There was a lady in the film that I think was supposed to come across as sympathetic, but she came across as downright creepy. Her son committed suicide due to gaming, according to her. However, just in the bit that she's in there, I could see her having a bigger hand in that event. Anyhoo, again, it seems to be my theme of SXSW this year... it was good, but not great. 6 out of 10

I got right back in line at the Ritz to try to get into A Necessary Death. Ok, I will be honest here. I thought this was an actual documentary. The film is a movie about a movie. The documentary being filmed can be best described by it's classified ad... "Documentary Filmmaker looking for suicidal individual to follow from first preparation to final act." I just couldn't believe that there would be anyone that would do this sort of thing, so of course I had to see it. What I liked most about the film was how it stands alone regardless of it being real or not. I didn't even realize it wasn't real until the credits started rolling and I saw "Script by". Maybe that makes me really twisted, but whatever. Very well done, and I'm betting it didn't even cost that much. I need to come up with cheap, controversial, awesome, film idea stuff too. The Q&A had almost everyone involved it would seem -- the producer, director, and all stars (except one). It better get released. It would seriously be an injustice in the film world if this never saw the light of day. 9 out of 10

I got back in line for The Black List -- a documentary where Elvis Mitchell interviews various African-American celebrities of various sorts. It's a way to reclaim the term blacklist from its negative connotations. This one is hard to describe, but I really enjoyed this film. The interview subjects were really well known people, and it seemed that during the interview they were more themselves and less of their public personas. It was really well filmed, and I was uber impressed at how relaxed all the subjects appeared. And, you will have the opportunity to see this on HBO later this year. Keep your eye out. 8.5 out of 10

I attempted to hoof it fast over to the Paramount to get into Judd Apatow's latest -- Forgetting Sarah Marshall. I was late, and it was apparently full. So I got in line for the next film, Stuart Townsend's directorial debut, Battle in Seattle. I knew I wanted to see this film, cuz Stuart Townsend is a hottie (yes, I knew he wasn't in the movie), and his woman Charlize Theron was in it. However, that was the extent of my knowledge of this movie. I had no clue what it was even about. Turns out, it is based around the true events of World Trade Organization protests in Seattle in 1999. Wow, super impressed by this movie. I love these little types of surprises. Random movie turns out to be awesome. Sweet. I highly recommend this movie, from both the film standpoint and the historical standpoint. I felt a bit like a lump, cuz I had no idea about these events at all. But I'm guessing that might be common. And, I think that might be a point of making a film like this -- to keep the information in front of people so they don't forget or they get informed for the first time. Lovedlovedloved it. 9 out of 10

Edited to add: I had a request for more info on the actor's performances in Battle in Seattle. First, let me say THANKS! for reading. I love to know that there are people besides my family that read this. Back to the actors... Martin Henderson was awesome. I think the only other thing I've seen him in is Bride & Prejudice (which I adored), so I had no real preconceived ideas about him. I thoroughly enjoyed his performance. My only criticism about it was I never really truly felt his motivation for being where he was. I know in the story it's because his brother died during some protest in some way. But, in the performance, I just wasn't feeling that. I definitely felt his passion for the work he was doing, but the brother thing just felt like info. Charlize Theron was just OK. Woody Harrelson was pretty good. He seems to be getting better as of late, or I just dislike him less. Anyhoo, I think their relationship just felt odd to me. Hmmm, I don't think I ever truly believed them as a couple. But whatever, still overall good. Michelle Rodriguez... I usually just can't even stand to watch her on screen. I loved her in Girlfight, but since then, she's given me the willies. But I really liked her in this movie. Her performance was strong, but subtle as it needed to be. And a surprise in the film was one Mister Andre Benjamin (aka Andre 3000 from Outkast). He's getting quite good with his acting skills. I won't say he's in Mos Def's arena yet, but he's definitely working at it. He plays the upbeat, slightly comedic portion of our protesting team in the film. I would say Andre Benjamin, Martin Henderson, and Woody Harrelson's performances were the best of the bunch, and what really made the film for me.

Edited again: I forgot to talk about Channing Tatum's performance. I wonder if that means something. Actually, I quite liked him. He plays a SWAT type police dude working with Woody Harrelson's character. He starts out as a hardass against all the pansy protestors, but due to some experiences, starts to feel/understand them. I've not seen anything else he's done yet. I was almost going to see Stop-Loss which he is also in, but the laziness had set in. However, having seen him in Battle in Seattle, I did almost get off my butt to go. Looking at his current filmography might scare you, with all the teen pop movies he seems to enjoy doing, but do not let this fool you. He's actually quite talented. I'll have to keep a look out.

Rob and I then headed over to the Convention Center to attempt to catch Super High Me. We walked around the convention center for a bit before getting in line. We went upstairs to where a lot of the Interactive booths and whatnot were. It was pretty cool. Mike and Alev met up with us eventually. Once we were in the film, I noticed a very uniquely hippie/stoner smell. It's like a cross between organic soap and patchouli. The film is a spoof of Morgan Spurlock's Super Size Me. It started as a part of comedian Doug Benson's stand up act. Overall it was decent, I guess I was expecting a bit more on the medical side or whatever. Something closer to the feel of Super Size Me, instead of oh-my-god i'm so stoned and I am so funny. Definitely entertaining though. 7 out of 10

Mike and I stayed there for Full Battle Rattle. It's a doc about troops training in a Iraqi village created in the Californian Mojave Desert. It's a 2 week training exercise where the soldiers and villagers stay in full character the entire time. The villagers live in the village the whole time and the soldier have a camp they live in too. The film followed a few of the soldiers and a few of the villagers. I liked it, but thought the pacing was a bit slow. Still really good though. The Q&A included the two directors and a few of the doc subjects. Since the doc was war related, the Q&A had a slight political edge to it. One of the directors got very passionate with one of his answers but not overly so. His point was just that America and Americans need to be open to dialog. 7.5 out of 10

Mike and I trekked over to the Paramount in the hope of seeing Run, Fatboy, Run. You never can tell with the really big movies, but it doesn't hurt to try. We did get in, and got pretty good seats thanks to some friends. I really like Simon Pegg, so I overlooked the fact that it was directed by Friends' David Schwimmer. This kinda confused me since it seemed like it was supposed to be a british comedy, but it was being directed by an American. Weird. Basic story is dude has hot looking girlfriend who is pregnant and is about to marry her. He then decides it is all too much for him, so he runs away. Fast forward five years and he's a bit of a loser security guard who lives in a basement who visits his kid regularly. He discovers his ex has a new boyfriend that's getting rather serious, so in an effort to show how awesome he can be, he tells his ex he's gonna run a marathon just like her new man. I'm not totally positive what he tells her, cuz the sound went out for about a minute right at the point where the "bet" or whatever goes down. While the entire cast was British, and it was a comedy, I don't know that I would call it a british comedy. Maybe a watered-down americanized version of what most of America thinks a british comedy is. Bah, just way too predictable and a bit too cutesy, but still really funny. The mass of America will probably eat it all up. 7 out of 10

I'm getting old or something, cuz I haven't hit a midnight movie yet. That or this SXSW isn't motivating me quite like last year.

I left Reel Shorts 2 slightly early in order to make it to the Paramount showing of the documentary Crawford. Curiosity basically drove me to see this one. Living in Texas, it's almost.. no, truly.. embarrassing to know that Bush is from here. I couldn't imagine living in the very town he lives in. But, I must remember that Austin is the polar opposite of the rest of Texas. So, I shouldn't have been surprised that Crawford was generally excited to have him move there. After a while you see the attitudes change. This was a really well made documentary. I thought it showed many opinions and pretty evenly too. On top of the great content, the film looked amazing! I'm sure it was an HD format but I don't know for sure. I don't know if I've even seen any film look quite that clear on the screen at SXSW. Very well made, and I truly recommend it. Hopefully everyone gets a chance to see it. 9.5 out of 10

Out of laziness, I stayed at Paramount for the Helen Hunt directorial debut -- Then She Found Me. It was between two other movies I wanted to see, so I stuck around. I'm not generally a big fan of Helen Hunt. I don't know what it is, just not a fan. To my surprise, a very svelte and gorgeous Helen Hunt introduced the film. She said it had taken her 10 years to make this film. Dang, That's some serious commitment. It was slightly chick flick-y, but not overly so. But, I'm a chick, so I guess it might be hard for me to judge. I found myself actually liking the film and Helen Hunt. It certainly didn't hurt that Colin Firth was one of her co-stars. YUM. (He's my original Darcy after all). From a filmmaking standpoint, I was a bit surprised. There was a section of film where you saw the boom enter frame a lot. And I'm not talking little dip here or here. No, no. Full on boom... clear as day. I was a bit baffled. Another thing I noticed was battery packs for the actors' wireless microphones. Now, I may be overly watchful for this type of thing, since we're still in the middle of filming, so I have goofs/continuity crap on the brain, but dang. It was getting borderline ridiculous. Rob's wife Alev even noticed a battery pack guffaw. Anyhoo, I digress... I thought the story was unique and certainly not overly cutesy like I was expecting. When the film was over, everyone sat there waiting for Helen Hunt to come back out for a Q&A. Unfortunately, we were all disappointed. No one came out. Dis'd. 7 out of 10

The last film of the evening was Harold & Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay. I'm almost embarrassed to say that I wanted to see this. I'd like to say it was because I was looking forward to see who was going to be on panel, if anyone. Which I was, and I always am, but I was really looking forward to seeing a stupid comedy. Sometimes I can get so wrapped up in some serious docs or narratives, so a break of laughter is appreciated. I'm definitely glad I went. Stupid, silly, great fun. Harold & Kumar are their usual selves. The film actually starts right after the previous movie. I won't go into a full-on description cuz I'm sure most know. Afterwards, a slew of people came on stage for Q&A. We had to co-directors, John Cho, Kal Penn, and Neil Patrick Harris. NPH was probably even funnier on stage there than in the film. Don't get me wrong, he was crazy hilarious in the movie, but he was insane hilarious on stage. I'm not positive, but he may have had a little help from one substance or another. Good times, love to laugh. 8 out of 10

My 2008 South by Southwest Film Festival journey began at the Austin Convention Center at 6:30pm with the film Goliath. This was a recommendation from my film class instructor Kat Candler. This was made by a couple Austin brothers. Although slow in pace, I did like it. It was both sad and sweet. After a man has lost much of what he has to lose, he loses his cat Goliath. When everything else was going to crap, at least he had his cat. Well, not anymore. Through his search for his feline, we also see his further and possibly final decline.

I will admit that as I saw watching this film, I kept thinking... Holy crap. If this got into SXSW, I have hope. Technically, there were a lot of annoying things. Focus seemed to be a luxury the brothers couldn't afford. Also, with lighting, I'm thinking there was no lighting beyond what would normally be used in a given room... lamps, headlights, spotlight, etcetc. However, I can also appreciate the simplicity. When filming this short recently, I've come to the conclusion that I hate lighting. It's damn time consuming. Even with these technical annoyances, I liked it. I think this simplistic style is their style. Kudos to them. Plus, mad props to some Austinites. You give me hope men. 7 out of 10

We continued on with our instructor's recommendations and went over to Austin South Lamar for the film Half-Life. I saw a preview for this film, but really had no real clue what it was about before going in. Well, we thought this one started at 9:30, so we got there at 9:15, but it really started at 9:00pm. I'm thinking this had to be the most important 15 minutes of a film EVER. For the next 10ish minutes, I was so lost, I thought maybe this was a short that was playing before the feature. A little after 10 minutes, I realized that this was indeed the film. I sat there for the rest of the film truly perplexed and baffled. It felt like I was in the middle of a private joke that never ended, and I was never going to be let in on it. Now, this wasn't a comedy, I'm just trying to make you understand how confusing it felt. I think after reading a few things and listening to the pathetic Q&A afterwards, I can tell you it was a "family drama", but beyond that, no clue. I will say that this was an extremely beautiful film. The cinematography was amazing. Absolutely stunning. So, from that particular standpoint, I was definitely entertained. But I had come to watch a film. 4.5 out of 10

Now, let me try to clarify a bit of my animosity towards this film. For the Q&A, the director and her crew (which seemed to be most of the tiny audience) came up to answer questions. I was actually quite amazed that so many questions were asked. However, at one point the director, Jennifer Phang, says something to the effect that ... the Sundance audience was smart, "they got it". For some reason, and call me crazy, I got very pissed at this. It was said in such a way as to make me think that Austin, in comparison, wasn't nearly as smart, cuz we didn't get it. And how she came to this particular conclusion kinda baffled me. No one said anything derogatory during the Q&A (well there was some dumbass that tried to tie the Manta Ray or whatever it was to the death of Steve Irwin). At that point, I just didn't care what else she said, and I wish I could have gotten my time back and gone to see 21 at the Paramount instead.

I heard 21 had a kickass Q&A afterwards too. Bastards.

Mike and I started my last day of joy and bliss at Alamo South Lamar with 638 Ways to Kill Castro, a documentary about all the ways the CIA and others have attempted to kill Fidel Castro. It was interesting, but overall kind of a dud. Seems like there was just more that could have been done with it. It was kind of like a good hour-long Discovery Channel show.  It was educational, if nothing else. 5.5 out of 10

On to downtown where the rest of the day will be played out. At Alamo Downtown, we caught the very odd documentary about a young teenage kid that has a few quirks, Billy the Kid. It was a very amateur documentary -- yanno, handheld camera with no lighting and ok sound. But despite that, it was good. It's docs like this that really make me wonder how people found things to do documentaries on. How would anyone just find this kid? 6.5 out of 10

Killing time, yet again, so I go to mi casa The Paramount. Monterey Pop is a documentary of The Monterey International Pop Music Festival, by D.A. Pennebaker. I think I've seen snippets of this before. The film showcased insane performances from Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, Ravi Shankar, and many more. Amazing stuff. This wasn't a new film for SXSW, but something the festival makers wanted to showcase as it was truly a groundbreaking type of film in its day. I was super tired during it so I kept nodding off here and there, but nothing major. It was an excellent representation of great music and those lovely envy-inspiring days in the 60s. Oh yah, and Michelle Phillips of the Mamas and Papas was in the audience hand. Afterwards, she was outside talking to some press and was crying. It must have brought a lot of memories back for her. And, damn, she still looks good. 8.5 out of 10

Sticking at the Paramount, and killing time before What Would Jesus Buy?, I think I shall sit and endure, I'm a Cyborg, but That's OK. Holy crap. I keep doing this. I keep "settling" on a film to kill time or whatever, and it turns out to be an excellent mind blowing experience. This was the official closeout film of the festival, and I can see why. I kid you not, when I tell you that this film is about a girl who thinks she is a cyborg. She foregoes eating for shock treatments to recharge her batteries and she talks to fellow machinery like the vending machines and phones. She, of course, winds up in a mental institute where there are equally odd personalities. This is a film out of Korea, and does not currently have US distribution. I truly hope it gets something because this really needs to be seen. It's quirky, it's original, and truly beautifully done. Excellamundo! 9.5 out of 10

So, I get back in line for my final film of the festival, What Would Jesus Buy? and wait for Mikey to join me in line. He didn't quite make it, but go into the film about 15 minutes late. The film is about Reverend Billy and his Stop Shopping Choir. They see what Christmas has come to and feel like we need to get back to the true meaning of Christmas, and stop shopping. Now, they don't truly mean to stop shopping, but it sounds better than "spend less", and it gets your attention. People go into major debt for Christmas and yet truly seem to forget what it's supposed to be about. They use comedy to get their message across, but they do indeed get the word out. This was produced by Morgan Spurlock of Super Size Me fame. We missed the original showing which was the world premiere, so we missed out on seeing the full choir. However, Reverend Billy and 2 of his choir members were on hand. Rev. Billy answered some questions from the audience, even got in a bit of a slight dispute, but overall was very much the same entertaining character you see in the movie. This is definitely worth watching. It really makes you think, but it also entertains and makes you laugh. 8.5 out of 10

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

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.

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

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

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