Sound of My Voice
Sound of My Voice is such an amazing film. I can easily say that it was my favorite film at the 2011 South by Southwest Film Festival and my favorite film of the year so far…I want everyone to experience it! It’s about two documentary film makers who infiltrate a cult. They’re a puppy-love couple so you have that dynamic. At first they’re a team but as they get deeper into the curious cult, they grow farther apart. The cult is a group of people who take care and learn from the teachings of a women who claims she’s from the future. Peter and Lorna set out to expose her and find out who she really is.
At first, you don’t know what the couple is doing or why they’re trying to get inside this secret society. You follow them as they get cleansed, put on white clothes, blindfolded and taken to a secret underground location. They have to perform a ridiculously long secret handshake and promise not to divulge any of the secrets they learn about. Lots of secrecy. Finally, they’re accepted in and you hear the story of Maggie,a lost soul who realized she was from a different time. You notice the beautiful descriptive narrative in the background as the story unfolds and get drawn into this captivating character just as the others in the cult are. Can you believe someone is a time traveler? Lorna certainly doesn’t but by the end of this movie, maybe you will…GO SEE THIS.
Attack The Block
If you’ve been following our South By Southwest coverage, then you already know I have a boyish crush on Attack The Block. It’s a sweet little movie that hits hard and keeps going. I honestly can’t wait until I have another opportunity to watch it. This is another film that I would recommend to anybody in a heartbeat. It’s about a street gang of kids from the ghettos of London who find themselves in the middle of an alien invasion. Awesome, right? Not for some of the characters…these aliens are vicious but our hero Mosesis here to save the day and he leads his gang of hoodlums through the streets to protect their block.
Check it. The script is crazy awesome and the dialogue of the kids is so nonchalant that it boasts this weird realism. Yes, realism…even with fictitious aliens. The action is non stop and the music’s tempo keeps pushing you forward to an ending you don’t want to see. You don’t want to see the ending because you don’t want the movie to end! For a small budget indie film, they did a remarkable job filming this and I can’t wait to see the behind the scenes footage. I’m telling you, it’s a work of art that is not to be missed. Read our full review here.
The Beaver
After a year of controversy with Mel Gibson, The Beaver is finally ready to show it’s dam teeth. Jodie Foster put a lot of hard work in this project and you can really tell. The Beaver is about a guy down on life. He has given up on himself and has no idea what to do next…so he tries to kill himself. Next thing you know, he wakes up with a puppet of a beaver on his hand…who has an Australian accent. He belongs to a family whose young son misses his dad, older son misses the guy he wanted to grow up to be and wife who misses her lifelong companion. This isn’t a comedy, but it’s hilarious. It’s a drama that is actually really deep with multiple meanings and tons of symbolism. They shove the symbolism in your face.
I really enjoyed this movie though, it’s my kind of movie. You can enjoy it on so many levels and take away a lot from it. Mel Gibson’s performance is crazy good and the rest of the cast is superb as well. This one is going to have a hard time in the box office but I really think you should watch it. Here’s our full review.
You Instead
So I’m addicted to music festivals and knew I had to see this one. You Instead was miraculously filmed in only 5 days at the T In The Park music festival in Scotland. IT WAS SHOT DURING A MUSIC FESTIVAL! The beginning was jumbled, so I was a bit scared but the movie really came into its own by the end delivering a great light and fluffy romantic comedy. You Instead is about two members of separate rock bands (one male duo and another four-girl group) who get handcuffed together by a mysterious festival goer. They have to figure out how to perform their sets, sleep with their respective counterparts and get along with each other while tied together. It’s pretty obvious what happens but it’s fun to watch in this cute little story.
This film might win an award for having the largest cast because they literally had over 85,000 festival revellers as their extras and backdrop. You truly get the festival experience with this movie and it just made me want to run out the theater and get started with the music portion of the South By Southwest festival. The cast and crew (which was actually about 90 people – they had set up 80 tents under one gigantic tent at the festival) did a great job acting and filming in such harsh and rushed conditions. They did have a few “film bombs” (people jumping in the shot) but still were able to piece together a fantastic film. The main cast actually had to perform and really sold their singing. It makes you take a double take and wonder if these were real bands and if you can buy their soundtrack somewhere. You Instead is just a fun film that you can’t help but enjoy.
Turkey Bowl
Talking about genuinely fun films…what’s more fun than playing touch football with your friends? Nothing, that’s what. Well actually, just catching up with your friends is the fun part. Turkey Bowl is an annual get together that a group of friends have. They come out and play a game of football…winner wins a turkey. I was impressed how they shot the movie because choreographing sports plays is not easy and doing it multiple times is even harder. Even so, Turkey Bowl turned out to be an impeccable presentation of friendly banter via a pick up sports game. The various personality types clashed with each other as the teams clashed on the field and no emotions were left out the game.
The heart of the movie were the relationships of the players which you grew to learn and love. There’s the obnoxious loud guy who’s way too involved in the game. The hated girlfriend no one cared to get to know. The two new random guys picked up to fill the teams. The misunderstood friend who doesn’t seem to care to try. And the guys who just came to say hello and not really care who wins or loses. Throw that all in with a funny script and you have a feel good movie that you can’t seem to find a flaw with. Why aren’t more movies like this made and shown? Man, do I love film festivals.
This post is part of our SXSW Film Festival coverage The South by Southwest® (SXSW®) Conferences & Festivals offer the unique convergence of original music, independent films, and emerging technologies. Fostering creative and professional growth alike, SXSW® is the premier destination for discovery. The internationally acclaimed, nine-day Film Festival celebrates raw innovation and emerging talent, with a truly diverse program ranging from provocative documentaries to subversive Hollywood comedies.Visit South by Southwest’s Official Website
The Greatest Movie Ever Sold
The Greatest Movie Ever Sold may be the greatest comedic documentary ever made. Making fun of a subject matter that’s a joke in itself is a win win. The interviews Morgan Spurlock got were real, unique and quite entertaining. Documentaries are supposed to be factual. Nowadays, many documentary filmmakers feel like they have to add shock value and staged events to win over audiences. While they do draw more theatergoers, they also lose that genuine feeling. Spurlock has found a way to keep his films entertaining while staying true to the subject matter. The Greatest Movie Ever Sold is fully transparent because the subject matter is the film itself!
The movie is a documentary about product placement in movies. The film was financed entirely by product placement and sponsorships. The movie is literally the process of making a movie with product placement. You go through the learning stages, the business meetings, the legalese, etc. and Morgan Spurlock is filming it all the way through. Many people within the movie ask, “so what is the movie?” and Spurlock replies, “THIS IS IT!” I loved it and I think you will too…don’t be scared of docs, it doesn’t hurt to learn something while being entertained You can read our full review here.
Being Elmo: A Puppeteer’s Journey
When your subject matter is one of the most loved characters in the world, how could you go wrong? Being Elmo tells the story of the man behind the puppet, Kevin Clash. You would never expect him to be the voice and inspiration behind Elmo and I never imagined that this documentary would be so wholesome and emotional. This is a film that should be shown in schools across the world and to anybody who is chasing a dream. It is not only the American Dream, but a testament to just live your life right and promote goodness and love. I know that sounds a bit preachy, but it’s true. The world needs more good.
The doc proves that good things happen to good people and emphasizes the concept of paying it forward. While it’s not all pretty (Kevin Clash is just one man and has to make tough choices/set unwanted priorities), you see how he pushes through and eventually gets to where he wants to be…on Sesame Street. It’s about loving parents that supported a weird occupation from the get go (I mean, who decides to be a puppeteer from the small streets of Baltimore!?). It’s a touching look into the impact of a little puppet on the lives of so many children and adults alike. It’s truly inspirational and you’ll have a tearful smile after watching it. You can read our full review here.
Becoming Santa
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be Santa Claus? What it would be like to be the most important person for a day? To bring hope and cheer to little hearts all around you? Well Jack did and he set out to become Santa. He grew out the beard, dyed his hair white, bought the suit…the whole nine yards. He attended a hilarious Santa School with other Kris Kringle hopefuls and even received a Bachelor of Santa all while making fun of what he was actually doing. Jack said Santa School looked like rehab. He tried his hand at being different kinds of Santas from the bell ringing Santa who asks for donations to the Polar Express train Santa to the parade Santa who thousands of kids love to see.
As you follow Jack, taking the steps to transform himself into jolly St. Nick, the documentary teaches you all about the history of Santa and how he’s interpreted in different cultures. It’s much more entertaining than purely religious stories or historical movies. The combination of the real life experiences of various Santas and their obsessive love of the craft is fascinating to watch. Jack is definitely the star of the show and I don’t think the doc could have worked without his playfully sneering personality. The movie was very well structured and going to be a staple for Christmas time watching. You have 8 months to find it.
This post is part of our SXSW Film Festival coverage The South by Southwest® (SXSW®) Conferences & Festivals offer the unique convergence of original music, independent films, and emerging technologies. Fostering creative and professional growth alike, SXSW® is the premier destination for discovery. The internationally acclaimed, nine-day Film Festival celebrates raw innovation and emerging talent, with a truly diverse program ranging from provocative documentaries to subversive Hollywood comedies.Visit South by Southwest’s Official Website
When attending a film festival, you usually try and research all the films and plan your schedule accordingly. However, things always come up and by a couple days in, your schedule is completely out of whack. Even if you get to see everything you want, there’s always a gap where you can see something new or walk into something you didn’t expect. This is why I love festivals, to be exposed to films you may have never heard about. And the only thing I like more than that, is telling everybody about them! So here are my top 3 festival surprises from South By Southwest…
Caught Inside
Australians are crazy. Last year, there was The Loved Ones [our review] and this year, there’s Caught Inside. What these movies have in common is that they don’t take the story too over the top but keep it in the realm of realism allowing you think that the stories could actually happen. You pray not, but they are somewhat possible. Caught Inside is about an annual surfing trip on a boat with the guys. However, Toobs (Simon Lyndon) had to bring along two females. Bad Idea. Everything goes swimmingly until Bull (dramatically played by a famous Australian comic Ben Oxenbould) gets jealous of Rob (Sam Lyndon) hitting on Sam (Daisy Betts). He literally snaps and starts terrorizing everybody on the boat.
The way the movie builds until the thriller in the end is great. You feel as if you’re on vacation with the rest of the group enjoying paradise and the beautiful scenery of both environment and bodies. I love surfing movies…so much eye candy . You do get Caught Inside this movie but by the end, you’ll be glad you went along for the ride.
Bad Fever
Bad Fever was probably the most uncomfortable movie I saw at the South By Southwest film festival and the filmmakers knew it! It’s the story about Eddie (Kentucker Audley), one of those people who would never get a movie made about him. He’s a lost soul in the shuffle of society. Never learning how to interact with others and cursed with being socially awkward for life, he touts a terrible mumble and distraught view on life. He wants to be a stand up comedian but he just isn’t funny…at least not to everyone. He records his random observations and practices mumbling to himself on a voice recorder.
He picks up a random stranger that he bought cigarettes from and she somehow becomes his love interest. She’s basically the only person who tried to talk to him so he got attached instantly. Problem is, she might be more of a weirdo than he is. Her name is Irene and she records sexual randomness for a guy that pays her. But she’s not taking off all her clothes or being too sexual..it’s all just suggestively weird. Their relationship grows into what he thinks is a relationship and she thinks is…no idea.
The movie ends as perplexing as it begins. I can’t quite put a finger on it but I really liked Bad Fever. I didn’t know what I was getting into when I walked into the screening and I didn’t know what I just got out of when I walked out. During the Q&A, I realized how good of an actor Kentucker was because he definitely didn’t have a stutter in real life and could actually put a string of words together. The director, Dustin Guy Defa, made something different here and was a great commentary on the forgotten loners of the world.
Surrogate Valentine
So it’s nearing the end of the festival and I’m missing home: San Francisco. Luckily, Surrogate Valentine was based in the city by the bay. Shot in black and white and traveling from San Fran to Seattle and Los Angeles, Surrogate Valentine is about an indie musician tasked to teach an actor how to play guitar and perform for his new role in a movie where he plays…pretty much the indie musician that’s teaching him. Goh Nakamura stars as himself while Chadd Stoops plays the exaggerated soap star who doesn’t realize how awful he is.
The movie will surprise you. Even though it’s telling a somewhat simple story with nothing extraordinary or special about it, it’s really enjoyable and entertaining. It’s a quick longer than short, shorter than feature film that packs a punch in the end which makes you leave the theater hoping they make a sequel. You peek into the life of a guy who just wants to keep doing what he does and maybe hook up with the girl of his dreams. Isn’t that what we all want? Maybe the movie isn’t just about a surrogate for a role in a movie, but the basic wants of us all. Deep.
This post is part of our SXSW Film Festival coverage The South by Southwest® (SXSW®) Conferences & Festivals offer the unique convergence of original music, independent films, and emerging technologies. Fostering creative and professional growth alike, SXSW® is the premier destination for discovery. The internationally acclaimed, nine-day Film Festival celebrates raw innovation and emerging talent, with a truly diverse program ranging from provocative documentaries to subversive Hollywood comedies.Visit South by Southwest’s Official Website
Yo, check it. Attack the Block was definitely one of my favourite films of the South By Southwest Film Festival…and I wasn’t alone as it won the Audience Award for Midnighters. If this movie doesn’t get picked up by an American distributor, I don’t know what’s wrong with the world. [This just in, Attack the Block has been picked up by Screen Gems so it WILL have US Distribution!] It’s a non-stop sci-fi action film following a gang of kids in a rough urban London hood…with an alien invasion! Fucking. Awesome. Everything about this movie screams cool and is a mix of District 9, Gremlins, and an inner-city Goonies.
The movie starts off as any other UK film does, with a group of kids mugging an innocent nurse (Jodie Whittaker). But hold on, what just fell from the sky? From here, the movie does not slow down one bit. The kids decide to take the alien back to their drug dealer’s weed room because it’s the safest place they know. Their connect? The great and funny Nick Frost. I’m telling you, the movie just keeps getting better and better. Quickly following the first slain alien, more and more of them fall from the sky and start attacking everything in sight. Led by Moses (John Boyega), the gang run around apartment complexes trying to figure out what’s going on, save their friends, escape from other drug dealers, and kick some alien ass to protect their turf.
Scooters and Bikes. Badass.
The movie has a hip electronic-infused score that keeps the mood hype and moving along. There’s not much downtime for long alien explanations or drawn out plot twists because in an alien invasion, there’s no time to think…only action! Even so, there is still plenty of character development and you get into the heads of each of these kids as they battle something that is much larger than them. The special effects are superb and the aliens look really cool. I really want to see some behind the scenes footage because it looks like writer/director Joe Cornish filmed it as quickly as the movie played on screen. The whole story is set over just one night and by the time it’s over, you would think you just sat down to watch the movie. It’s so enjoyable that time just passes by in an instant.
Nick Frost in Attack the Block
Attack the Block is one of my favorite films of the year and I find myself recommending it to everybody. It’s going to be a tough one to find but if it’s somehow playing in your area, you have to go see it. Twice. The look and feel is just so polished that you wouldn’t think you’re watching an indie film. The only problem American audiences might have is understanding the kids’ UK accents, but for me, that added to the experience and comedy…the way they think, interpret and say things are so different that what we’re used to that it just works on so many levels. It’s definitely not an American alien invasion movie, they don’t call in the National Guard…this is a whole other breed, both story and film itself. Believe It.
This post is part of our SXSW Film Festival coverage The South by Southwest® (SXSW®) Conferences & Festivals offer the unique convergence of original music, independent films, and emerging technologies. Fostering creative and professional growth alike, SXSW® is the premier destination for discovery. The internationally acclaimed, nine-day Film Festival celebrates raw innovation and emerging talent, with a truly diverse program ranging from provocative documentaries to subversive Hollywood comedies.Visit South by Southwest’s Official Website
It’s that time of year again and one of our favorite film festivals begin today: South by Southwest in Austin, Texas. And in celebration, we just launched our new site design with a brand new awesome universal search bar! We hope you like it!
As I did last year, I will try and attend as many screenings as possible and let you guys know which films rise to the top. You can take a look at the full SXSW schedule here and let me know which movies in particular you want me to review for you! I will be tweeting from @matthewfong. If you’re on twitter, you can also see which cast and crew of films at the South By Southwest festival that are on twitter at our sister site BigScreenTweets! If you’re in Austin, you can find me in a theater somewhere downtown. Let’s grab a beer before, after, or during a screening…I love the drafhouse!
The star power and big buzz comes from SXSW’s Headliners. The opening film is going to be the World Premiere of Duncan Jone’s Source Code starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Michelle Monaghan, Vera Farmiga, and Jeffrey Wright. The largest awesomest cast has got to be from James Gunn’s SUPER starring Rainn Wilson, Ellen Page, Liv Tyler, Kevin Bacon, and Michael Rooker. Another contender for largest awesomest cast could be Simon Pegg & Nick Frost’s Paul which stars them alongside Jason Bateman, Kristen Wiig, Bill Hader, Blythe Danner, John Carroll Lynch, with Sigourney Weaver, and Seth Rogen as Paul. Billy Bob Thornton’s The King of Luck and Jodie Foster’s The Beaver with Mel Gibson will also premiere.
The festival boasts that this year’s 8 Narrative Feature Competition films were selected from 984 submissions. Each film is a World Premiere. We have 96 Minutes from writer/director Aimée Lagos – Four young lives. One night. One terrifying event. These 96 minutes will change everything. A Year in Mooring – a quiet cinematic journey that tells a of tale grief, solace and peace. Matt D’Elia’s American Animal – Jimmy – eccentric, delusional, dying – feels betrayed when roommate James gets a job. During one night of drinks, drugs and women, a classic battle of wills ensues as James prepares for work and Jimmy goes mad. Charlie Casanova from Ireland – A ruling class sociopath knocks down a working class girl in a hit-and-run and uses a deck of playingcards to determine his fate. Janet Grillo’s FLY AWAY – A poignant yet humor filled story about a single mother of a teenager with autism, confronting her child’s future. What will sustain her daughter, and herself? A parent/child love story, when love means letting go. HAPPY NEW YEAR- A war torn marine returns home to face his fiercest battle yet — the one against himself. Natural Selection – When a dutiful, albeit barren, housewife discovers that her ailing husband has an illegitimate son, she sets out to find the young man and reunite him with her husband before he dies. And Small, Beautifully Moving Parts – echnology-obsessed Sarah Sparks is pregnant and ambivalent, afraid she relates better to machines than to people. Looking for answers, she hits the road in search of her estranged mother, now living off the grid.
There are so many other smaller films that the festival offers from international movies to local projects, from established filmmakers to emerging talents. From films being shown for the first time ever to festival favorites…there’s so much going on. Some of the films I’m really interested in are:
Detention
Director: Joseph Kahn, Writers: Joseph Kahn & Mark Palermo
A downtrodden 17-year-old girl is sent to detention where she must survive a slasher film killer and save the world in time for prom.
Cast: Josh Hutcherson, Dane Cook, Shanley Caswell, Spencer Locke, Aaron David Johnson (World Premiere)
Elevate
Director: Anne Buford
From a basketball academy in Senegal, to the high-pressure world of American prep schools, the film documents the extraordinary personal journeys of four particularly tall West African Muslim teenage boys with NBA dreams. (World Premiere)
Girl Walks Into a Bar
Director & Writer: Sebastian Gutierrez
A sharp-witted comedy that follows a group of apparent strangers in interlocking stories taking place in ten different bars during the course of one evening in Los Angeles.
Cast: Carla Gugino, Zachary
Quinto, Danny DeVito, Josh Hartnett, Rosario Dawson (World Premiere)
PressPausePlay (Sweden)
Directors: Victor Köhler & David Dworsky
A Film about Hope, Fear and Digital Culture. PressPausePlay documents the digital revolution and democratized culture by speaking with some of the world’s most influential creators of the digital era. (World Premiere)
Something Ventured
Directors: Dan Geller & Dayna Goldfine
Apple. Intel. Genentech. Cisco. Atari. This film tells the story of a handful of risk-takers who alongside visionary entrepreneurs created these revolutionary companies, and in the process ignited the industry known as venture capital. (World Premiere)
Square Grouper: The Godfathers of Ganja
Director: Billy Corben
A colorful portrait of Miami’s pot smugglin’ scene of the 1970s, populated with redneck pirates, a ganja-smoking church, and the longest serving marijuana prisoner in American history.
(World Premiere)
Fuck my life (Chile)
Director & Writer: Nicolás López
Love in the times of Facebook is worst than love in the times of cholera.
Cast: Ariel Levy, Lucy Cominetti, Andrea Velasco, Paz Bascuñan, Leonor Varela (U.S. Premiere)
My Sucky Teen Romance
Director & Writer: Emily Hagins
In a culture that is currently overrun with romanticized vampires, it is up to four geeky teenagers to defend their friend and beloved sci-fi convention from a group of very real, blood-thirsty vampires.
Cast: Elaine Hurt, Patrick Delgado, Santiago Dietche, Lauren Lee, Tony Vespe (World Premiere)
WUSS
Director & Writer: Clay Liford
A high school teacher is severely beaten by his own students. Too embarrassed to inform the authorities, he plots his own revenge.
Cast: Nate Rubin, Alicia Anthony, Alex Karpovsky, Jonny Mars, Tony Hale (World Premiere)
Andante (Israel)
Director & Writer: Assaf Tager
In a post-industrial world people are no longer able to dream. Sarah, the single surviving dreamer, sets out to the only place that can provide answers to her strange night visions: the dream factory.
Cast: Sarah Adler, David Fire, Liron Levo, Nicole Veronica (North American Premiere)
El Bulli – Cooking in Progress (Germany)
Director: Gereon Wetzel
The starred chef Ferran Adrià is known as the best, most innovative and craziest cook in the world. Every year, the restaurant closes for six months and Adrià and his creative team retire to their cooking laboratory in Barcelona, to create a new menu for the following season. Everything is allowed – except copying themselves.
Viva Riva! (Democratic Republic of Congo)
Director & Writer: Djo Tunda Wa Munga
The first major film out of the Democratic Republic of Congo, the story follows fast-living hustler Riva. While being pursued by Kinshasa’s dangerous underworld, Riva finds himself inextricably drawn to a gangster’s seductive, kept woman.
Being Elmo: A Puppeteer’s Journey
Director: Constance A. Marks
The Muppet Elmo is one of the most beloved characters among children across the globe. Meet the unlikely man behind the puppet – the heart and soul of Elmo – Kevin Clash. Narrated by Whoopi Goldberg, this documentary includes rare archival footage and offers a behind-the-scenes look at Sesame Street and the Jim Henson Workshop.
CAVE OF FORGOTTEN DREAMS (France)
Director: Werner Herzog
Filming in 3D, Herzog captures the wonder and beauty of one of the most awe-inspiring sites on earth.
In a Better World (Denmark)
Director: Susanne Bier, Writer: Anders Thomas Jensen, based on a story by Susanne Bier and
Anders Thomas Jensen
Golden Globe® Award winner and Academy Award® winner for Best Foreign Language Film, and told from the two very different worlds of an idyllic Danish town and an African refugee camp, a doctor and his family are faced with conflicts that force them to make difficult choices between revenge and forgiveness.
Cast: Mikael Persbrandt, Trine Dyrholm, Ulrich Thomsen, Markus Rygaard, William
Jøhnk Nielsen
Incendies (Canada)
Director & Writer: Denis Villenueve
Academy Award® nominee for Best Foreign Language Film and adaptation of Wajdi Mouawad’s acclaimed play, Incendies tells the story of two siblings who set out to the Middle East to understand the life of their deceased enigmatic mother, who has left them with a mystery only they can piece together.
Cast: Lubna Azabal, Mélissa Désormeaux-Poulin, Maxim Gaudette, Rémy Girard
Page One: Inside The New York Times
Director: Andrew Rossi
Unprecedented access to the New York Times newsroom yields a complex view of a media landscape fraught with both peril and opportunity.
The Greatest Movie Ever Sold
Director: Morgan Spurlock
Morgan Spurlock (Oscar nominee, Super Size Me) explores the world of product placement, marketing and advertising in POM Wonderful Presents: THE GREATEST MOVIE EVER SOLD, a film fully financed through product placement.
Sound of My Voice
Director: Zal Batmanglij, Writers: Zal Batmanglij and Brit Marling
A young couple infiltrate a cult that meets in the San Fernando Valley.
Cast: Brit Marling, Christopher Denham, Nicole Vicius
Bridesmaids (Work in Progress)
Director: Paul Feig
Kristen Wiig leads the cast as Annie, a maid of honor whose life unravels as she leads her best friend, Lillian (Maya Rudolph), and a group of colorful bridesmaids (Rose Byrne, Melissa McCarthy, Wendi McLendon-Covey and Ellie Kemper) on a wild ride down the road to matrimony.
Finally, some awesomness will be from films about Pee-wee Herman and Conan O’Brien…these will be more like guilty pleasures for me
The Pee-wee Herman Show on Broadway
Director: Marty Callner
Based on the original show that launched Pee-wee Herman into a pop culture icon, Paul Reubens’ beloved character brings his Playhouse to life once again in the HBO special The Pee-wee Herman Show on Broadway.
Conan O’Brien Can’t Stop
Director: Rodman Flender
Did Conan O’Brien go on tour to connect with his fans or fill a void within himself? Rodman Flender’s documentary captures an artist trained in improvisation at the most improvisational time of his career.
(World Premiere)
This post is part of our SXSW Film Festival coverage The South by Southwest® (SXSW®) Conferences & Festivals offer the unique convergence of original music, independent films, and emerging technologies. Fostering creative and professional growth alike, SXSW® is the premier destination for discovery. The internationally acclaimed, nine-day Film Festival celebrates raw innovation and emerging talent, with a truly diverse program ranging from provocative documentaries to subversive Hollywood comedies.Visit South by Southwest’s Official Website
From the director of such films like Amelie, Alien: Resurrection, and A Very Long Engagement, comes Micmacs. This is the most imaginative revenge story since Kill Bill with a whole different approach. From what Jean-Pierre Jeunet, the director and co-writer, said, Micmacs is French slang for shenanigans and there are plenty of them in the movie. The story begins in such a weird fashion that it sets the tone for the rest of the film. First, a man is killed by a rogue weapon that goes haywire and leaves a son without a father and only a company logo to look at as the killer. Later on, the same son is working at a video shop and happens to stand in the exact angle of a rogue bullet so that it strikes him in the head. Luckily, he survives but unluckily, the surgeon operating flipped a coin and decided to leave the bullet in his head causing random hallucinations at random times which he can’t control. Again, with the bullet, the only clue he has is another company logo.
After losing his job at the video rental store, his apartment, and everything else he knows, he stumbles across a motley crew of people just like him living in a trash dump. I think you get the symbolism here, they’re the leftover people that others just toss away. While collecting odds and ends for his new trash crew which includes a contortionist, a writer, a stunt devil, machinist, and mother-figure who takes care of all of them, Bazil’s (our main character played by Dany Boon) vehicle breaks down in front of two buildings. The two buildings happen to be competing weapon manufactures who are across the street from each other. Coincidently, the two company’s logos are the same two logos in Bazil’s memory. The company who was responsible for killing his father and the company responsible for the bullet in his head. Now it’s time for revenge.
On his own, Bazil probably couldn’t have done much. But now with his team of has beens and wannabes, he can set off a plan to get sweet sweet revenge on two terrible people. He pits them against each other and the antics that ensue are hilarious and imaginative. It’s a nonstop back and forth battle to see what happens next and who has the upper hand. Throw in some gunmen and plot twists and you have a great creative and entertaining story. Even though the whole movie is in French, you are sure to laugh from the lines, body language, and facial expressions of the characters. An interesting relationship grows out of the trash pile as the story unfolds which is actually pretty cute and you start to root for every member of the trash team while hating the two weapon manufacturer owners even while entering their own private lives.
The shenanigans, or micmacs, start small but keep growing and growing and quickly escalate into the final scenes where the plan all comes together and Bazil gets more than just revenge for himself. Find this film. I believe it’s already on DVD in France but just making its rounds in the United States. It’s getting a limited release but should be opening in a decent amount of theaters as time goes by.
This post is part of our SXSW Film Festival coverage The South by Southwest® (SXSW®) Conferences & Festivals offer the unique convergence of original music, independent films, and emerging technologies. Fostering creative and professional growth alike, SXSW® is the premier destination for discovery. The internationally acclaimed, nine-day Film Festival celebrates raw innovation and emerging talent, with a truly diverse program ranging from provocative documentaries to subversive Hollywood comedies.Visit South by Southwest’s Official Website
Cyrus is an interesting story from the Duplass brothers about a guy down on his luck who finds the girl of his dreams. One problem, she’s really close to her only son…who’s 21 and still lives at home. Let’s back up a bit. We join John, played by John C. Reilly, as he continues to live his mundane single life after splitting with his ex-wife (Catherine Keener) seven years before. He’s still on good terms and pretty close to his ex-wife but she and her fiancé want him to get on with his own life and find somebody else. They invite him to a party which he reluctantly goes to and eventually makes an ass of himself in the process. But in the same night at the same party, he meets Molly, played by Marissa Tomei, and they hit it off right away…in a quirky way. The dialogue between them and throughout the movie is hilariously awkward. The only thing more awkward is Molly’s son Cyrus, played by Jonah Hill, and the relationship the mother and son have together.
John gets a little weirded out by what he observes in the relationship between Molly and her son so he gets his ex-wife to scope them out for him and give him her honest opinion. She approves Cyrus and Molly and thinks that they’re a great fit for John. Cyrus also approves John for his mother so they try to make it all work. However, all is not what it seems with Cyrus.
Cyrus (Jonah Hill) and his mom (Marisa Tomei) meeting John (John C. Reilly) and his ex-wife (Catherine Keener) in the park
The movie starts off really funny and keeps that upbeat awkward tone for quite a while. But a little after halfway through the film, the whole mood of the movie shifts to be serious…really serious. It almost hits you like a brick wall. You go from joking with the characters to watching their lives from a third party view. The shift was a little too much for me and almost made me feel like I was watching two separate movie. I wanted to go back to the first movie, but it was too late…the Duplass brothers were taking me on another path to try and connect to the characters on a different level.
John (John C. Reilly) talking to Cyrus (Jonah Hill)
All of the cast deliver incredible performances which make this movie work. Cyrus not only tricks the characters in the movie but he has to trick the audience too to make us wonder if John is just being paranoid or if Cyrus really does approve of him to be with his mom. Molly isn’t just overprotective of her only son, but Cyrus is overprotective of his only mom too. It’s an interesting chemistry between this weird love triangle (I know it’s wrong to put it that way since two sides of this triangle is mother and son – but it’s as awkward as this movie makes it, trust me). This film fell a little short for me because of the significant switch and ending. The first half was a great experience with these hilarious characters…the second half was too dull and depressing.
This post is part of our SXSW Film Festival coverage The South by Southwest® (SXSW®) Conferences & Festivals offer the unique convergence of original music, independent films, and emerging technologies. Fostering creative and professional growth alike, SXSW® is the premier destination for discovery. The internationally acclaimed, nine-day Film Festival celebrates raw innovation and emerging talent, with a truly diverse program ranging from provocative documentaries to subversive Hollywood comedies.Visit South by Southwest’s Official Website
If you’re a fan of the MacGruber sketch on SNL, you’ll love this film. If you’re not a fan, you’ll still love this film! It was hilarious. It’s a nonstop comedy mixing NSFW jokes with a plot which pokes fun at all super-spy/evil villain movies. Granted, I saw it at the World Premiere at the South By Southwest Film Festival where almost everyone wanted to see the film and was laughing and cheering the whole time, but I think that attitude will translate to theaters around the country. I kept thinking to myself, if I was in a regular theater on a Friday or Saturday night, would I still be laughing this much? I think I would. This is definitely a movie to take a group of friends to. You’ll be laughing at MacGruber and you’ll be laughing at each other for laughing at it. But how could they turn this short sketch that always ends in a fatal disaster into a feature length film? Well, let me tell you…
The movie begins with the government tracking down and recruiting MacGruber on a mission to stop his arch nemesis, Dieter Von Cunth, played by Val Kilmer. Reluctantly, MacGruber agrees and begins to assemble his all star team which came with a bunch of unexpected cameos from wrestlers of the WWE. Everything about this movie will make you smile, smirk, and laugh out loud. The SNL cast, Will Forte, Kristen Wiig, and Maya Rudolph deliver spot on performances that you would expect from their show personas. Val Kilmer and Ryan Phillippe give us the other half of the formula with Ryan playing the straight man, Lt. Dixon Piper, and Val Kilmer playing the over the top villain. There are a couple good running gags including MacGruber’s tape deck blasting smooth 80s jams and the inevitable making high-tech gadgets out of household items. There’s also a ridiculous sex scene that could rival the one from Team America: World Police…and Ghost.
MacGruber holding the tape deck from his Miata
MacGruber is pretty straight forward, there are a couple of twists and turns in the beginning and end of the film, but through the middle…it’s the typical spy movie mission where the characters have to collect information, figure out what’s going to happen next, and then try and stop it. MacGruber just gets around to do this in his own weird unique way that guarantees outrageous and ridiculous scenes including those scenes that just don’t make any sense but you just go with it because it’s MacGruber…and he’s a super-spy, he knows what he’s doing, right?
MacGruber (Will Forte), Vicki St. Elmo (Kristen Wiig), and Lt. Dixon Piper (Ryan Phillippe) running from imminent death
Let’s be honest, with movies like this you either set your expectations low or prepare for a load of crap. Comedies like this are easy to lead off the track since you’re dealing with this kind of humor but MacGruber surprisingly keeps it together and is a fun entertaining film that you’ll be walking out of with a smile on your face and craving more 80s tunes. You won’t be disappointed unless you were expecting McGyver. I wish I could make this review end in an explosion. BOOM!
This post is part of our SXSW Film Festival coverage The South by Southwest® (SXSW®) Conferences & Festivals offer the unique convergence of original music, independent films, and emerging technologies. Fostering creative and professional growth alike, SXSW® is the premier destination for discovery. The internationally acclaimed, nine-day Film Festival celebrates raw innovation and emerging talent, with a truly diverse program ranging from provocative documentaries to subversive Hollywood comedies.Visit South by Southwest’s Official Website
South By Southwest is a great festival to see many indie films that may make it big or get unnoticed. Throughout the festival, you’re treated with a great assortment of films ranging from documentaries to hilarious comedies. I decided to group a few reviews together since these festival films are not as popular as the big budget studio films and it may be good for you to discover other films when reading a review for one just like I discovered films at the festival.
After watching over twenty full length features, I picked my favorite three films: Pelada, Cherry, and Mars. As it works out, they each come from three very different categories: one is a documentary, one is a drama, and the last is an animated comedy.
Pelada Pelada was such an amazing film. You get one of those feelings like “Am I really watching this right now?” I really hope this gets picked up by someone and in time for the World Cup this year when everyone cares about soccer (in America) again. Pelada tells the story of two Americans who love the sport of soccer. They’ve played virtually their whole lives, in college, but weren’t signed to a national or major team. However, they still play all the time and they’re usually asked why. The only answer they can give is that it’s for the love of the game and they can’t imagine life without it. They play pickup games and they’re not alone. Pelada follows these two on a journey across the world playing soccer games, learning about other cultures, and in the end…themselves.
From country to country, continent to continent, you see different cultures, people, and stories surrounding the sport of soccer. It seems like in every country they visited, they stumbled on an amazing story. In Brazil, they find a young girl who has been nicknamed after the great Ronaldinho. In Iran, they see how women are treated and what they must go through to just play a simple game. In China, they see how the sport is infused with different elements like Kung-Fu and street tricks. In South Africa, they see how the construction workers building the next stadiums for the biggest tournament in the world, the World Cup spend their lunchtime. The stories go on and on and keep you entertained as your narrators fly from country to country and venue to venue. It may be in clubs, on the streets, during break, late at night, or even in prison, but somewhere, everywhere, a game of soccer is being played. For such a light subject to some, it’s a strong and powerful story to others. Some of the audience in my screening had tears in their eyes as they watched the documentary unfold.
You’re not only allowed to travel along with Luke and Gwendolyn, but you’re allowed into their lives as they figure out what’s next for them. They always imagined playing soccer professionally, but as they get older they realize that that’s probably not in their future anymore. They see all these other people in the world playing pickup games while holding typical day jobs and supporting their families. Seeing this, they have to figure out if it’s their turn to give up the dream and focus on the future. But one thing is for sure, they’ll never give up the sport.
Cherry Heading into college early as a seventeen year-old, Aaron (Kyle Gallner) had a lot of growing up to do. He did just that in his first year away from family and friends…primarily his mother who influenced and controlled many aspects of his life. One thing she controlled was his class schedule, but as she left, his father gave him so advice: to not mess up like he did. Aaron decided that he wanted to take a drawing class since that was his passion instead of a mechanical elective which was pretty much just like the rest of his academic classes. His teacher didn’t let him leave his class since it was such a big opportunity, but Aaron took the drawing class anyway on top of his already heavy load. This is where he met Linda (Laura Allen), a slightly older student who came back to college. One thing led to another and she invited him back to her place for dinner. Aaron got dressed up and was ready to go on a date with this hot cougar but when he got to the house he met someone he didn’t know about or expect…her daughter. Her fourteen year-old daughter.
Even at fourteen, Beth (Brittany Robertson) is much more experienced than Aaron in many areas. Nonetheless, Aaron finds himself in this weird love triangle between his love interest Linda and Beth who has him as a love interest. He enjoys going back to their house and eventually starts sleeping there more than his own dorm room where his roommate constantly puts a tie on the door knob (which means he has a special visitor and to not disturb). Aaron starts to see how Linda and Beth live and becomes really involved in their lives until he’s almost like family – but he’s not – he’s become closer to both of the girls caring for them both in different ways.
This film really stood out to me. The story has been told in many different ways before, but this version felt more genuine. You get a connection to each of the characters and can sympathize with all of their positions…the actors did a great job with that. The way the story is told lets you assume the role of Aaron and deal with each problem as it arrives with him in the movie. Some of the situations are predictable but some scenes come out of nowhere and really surprise you. This probably had more of the mainstream elements and should have the easiest time getting picked up by a distributor.
Mars This animated film was really surprising. I missed the first screening because way too many people showed up to see it. The screening I got to attend was in was packed too. At first I didn’t know if it was full because of local support (the filmmaker and many people involved with the film were from the city where the festival was taking place, Austin) or if the movie was actually good. Well, both were true.
Mars dives into the relationships of humans and robots as they travel all the way to the red planet of Mars. At first, a robot is sent on a mission but as it lands, it breaks down and loses communication with Earth. Charlie Brownsville, Hank Morrison, and Dr. Casey Cook go on the first manned mission to really see what’s happening on the planet but each have their own reasons for accepting the dangerous mission. This might sound like a serious sci-fi film but it’s actually a hilarious romantic comedy. The animation style is tailored specifically for this film and adds to the story a lot (look out for the character’s hairstyles and clothing).
The dialogue was great and felt real as if you were there with the quirky astronauts on the space ship. They’re not your typical sturdy scientists you’d expect on a space mission. One is a washed up “hero” who is really just bored with everything else. Another could care less with what’s going on. And the third is obsessed with proving herself and fulfilling a lifelong dream. In the end, you get into the heads of the three on the ship and see another relationship between a couple robots.
This post is part of our SXSW Film Festival coverage The South by Southwest® (SXSW®) Conferences & Festivals offer the unique convergence of original music, independent films, and emerging technologies. Fostering creative and professional growth alike, SXSW® is the premier destination for discovery. The internationally acclaimed, nine-day Film Festival celebrates raw innovation and emerging talent, with a truly diverse program ranging from provocative documentaries to subversive Hollywood comedies.Visit South by Southwest’s Official Website
Sir Michael Caine is Harry Brown. You don’t want to mess with Harry Brown. At first glance, he’s your typical old Englishmen trying to live the rest of his life in the area he knows. However, his community is being overrun by gangs and young kids doing drugs and up to no good. The police don’t have much presence and most of them would rather just leave the area alone rather than do something about the crime. Initially, Harry Brown is the same way…he turns the other cheek until his best friend has enough and decides to take matters into his own hands. His friend didn’t have much luck…but he’s not Harry Brown….and Harry Brown is a badass.
This is a dark drama. The action is really just violence and it’s pretty realistic. Harry Brown is an ex-serviceman so he has the set of skills needed to kick some ass and take names (sound familiar?). He has one goal in mind: to get revenge for his old friend and clean up his community while he’s at it. He’s had enough and if the police aren’t going to do anything about it, well, he is.
The story is pretty basic and the sequence is pretty similar to movies like Clint Eastwood’s Gran Torino and Taken. However, this is Sir Michael Caine, one of the greatest actors of our time and he does an amazing job acting in this movie. As Harry Brown becomes a vigilante and goes on his mission to get retribution for his friend, he runs into a couple of interesting story lines and characters. There is one cop, played by Emily Mortimer, who wants to do the right thing and she and Caine keep crossing paths for better or worse. With these extra twists, the movie doesn’t get confusing and doesn’t go in depth into any of the side stories which is good as it does keep the audience engaged in the story until the final scenes which actually climax in a mini bedlam. Unlike other films, the action in this one isn’t over the top…maybe because the UK doesn’t allow guns and so people with guns is over the top for them. I really like this fact about the film though; it keeps it more realistic. It’s as if this can be anywhere and happen to anyone.
I’m having a little difficulty writing this review because I’m not too sure what to say. I did enjoy the movie and think others will be entertained…but it’s not your typical “have to see” action film. It’s not going to break any blockbuster records or have you running to the theater to see the movie, but while you’re watching the movie, you get pulled in to this not so fictitious world and you try to stop yourself from blinking so you don’t miss the next scene. Maybe that’s why it wasn’t picked up by a major studio but still will be shown in limited theaters in the US…but if it’s playing by you, you should definitely check it out.
This post is part of our SXSW Film Festival coverage The South by Southwest® (SXSW®) Conferences & Festivals offer the unique convergence of original music, independent films, and emerging technologies. Fostering creative and professional growth alike, SXSW® is the premier destination for discovery. The internationally acclaimed, nine-day Film Festival celebrates raw innovation and emerging talent, with a truly diverse program ranging from provocative documentaries to subversive Hollywood comedies.Visit South by Southwest’s Official Website
Starring Robert Duvall, Bill Murray, and Sissy Spacek, Get Low is a story of redemption, forgiveness and reputation. Loosely based on a true story, Get Low is about an old hermit living in the woods who decides to attend his own funeral. Living in isolation for about forty years, Felix Bush started to get a reputation of being a crazy and horrible man. He heard about all these stories about him but didn’t actually know the stories since nobody was actually courageous enough to talk to him. So, naturally, he wanted to hear these stories and knew that people would say them at a funeral eulogy. One problem though, he wasn’t dead. But why does he have to be?
The local funeral home was low on money and saw the old man had a wad of cash and wanted to have a funeral. So Frank Quinn, comically played by Bill Murray, decided to give him one. They ended up calling it a funeral party and things were set in motion to make it happen. As time passed, it became the biggest event of the town but something was wrong. The old hermit, Felix didn’t actually want to hear people tell stories about him; he wanted to tell a story of his own. However, he wasn’t brave enough to say it himself, tried talking a couple old acquaintances to do it for him, but wasn’t able to find anybody to do it for him. Instead of figuring out what people thought about him, he wanted to set things straight himself and release a secret that he had been holding in for decades.
It’s remarkable how the film kept the feel and tone of the 30s which is when the story took place. The cast was incredible and delivered their parts only as top actors could. Robert Duvall was this stubborn old hermit who you could tell was always thinking, knew exactly what was going on, and what was going to happen even though he didn’t speak many words. Sissy Spacek’s scene with Duvall as he began to speak the truth was powerful and felt very real…their chemistry was uncanny. Bill Murray only has to open his mouth for one line and you’re laughing so he was perfect for this role and was hilarious even though he wasn’t really saying jokes back to back. He was just a funny and likeable character.
The story kept getting bigger and better as the movie went on. You get the different perspectives of the cast of characters and slowly realize Felix’s plan as it unfolds before your eyes. What begins as a funny scenario of someone attending their own funeral turns into a meaningful and serious idea of making things right before it’s too late. It’s a great story packaged in a great movie that an older audience would enjoy. I doubt this will get a major release but be sure to look out for it in limited theaters, festivals, or on TV/DVD when it becomes available.
This post is part of our SXSW Film Festival coverage The South by Southwest® (SXSW®) Conferences & Festivals offer the unique convergence of original music, independent films, and emerging technologies. Fostering creative and professional growth alike, SXSW® is the premier destination for discovery. The internationally acclaimed, nine-day Film Festival celebrates raw innovation and emerging talent, with a truly diverse program ranging from provocative documentaries to subversive Hollywood comedies.Visit South by Southwest’s Official Website
Centurion was the Super Secret TBD Screening at the 2010 South by Southwest Film Festival. I couldn’t find out any information about which film it was going to be and honestly, when they said it would be Centurion at the theater doors, I had no idea what the movie was and had no time to look it up online. So throughout the entire film, I was trying to figure out if it was an old film or a film that had not come out yet. It’s the latter…it’s planned to come out in the UK in April and there is no planned US release date yet. I couldn’t tell if the film was new or old because it’s a time piece based in the first century and is filmed in a way that puts you back in that time. It’s a bit grungy and definitely not polished with newer techniques and high tech CGI. Don’t get me wrong, that doesn’t take away from the movie at all, but instead, it adds to it.
Centurion is the tale about the legendary Ninth Legion which mysteriously vanishes while out to capture more land for the Roman Empire. No one really knows what happened to this group of soldiers but Centurion tells one story of what could have happened. Have you ever thought to yourself how people could battle and fight each other back in the days when guns weren’t invented? When all they had were pieces of metal and their bare hands? This movie holds nothing back and shows you how it was done back then! It’s probably one of the goriest in your face films made in quite a long time. Usually, when an actor uses his sword to attack another on screen, the camera moves away in the following frames. Centurion doesn’t – it keeps you right there in the action. No matter how many slasher and bloody films you’ve seen, you’ll be squirming in your seat during some of the scenes in this movie. Guaranteed. The action is incredible – it’s gruesome and wonderful. The group of characters you follow are enjoyable and at times comedic. The villains, who are the Picts, are pretty badass and cutthroat including a bad b*tch played by Olga Kurylenko whose tongue is cut out. If it wasn’t, all the guys in this film would be hearing a mouthful.
While the movie is entertaining, it isn’t over the top amazing. I don’t see anybody going out of their way to watch this one which is probably why it hasn’t been picked up for a US release yet. I’m writing this review after seeing Clash of the Titans and I would definitely recommend Centurion over that. Clash of the Titans is rated PG-13 and Centurion will most likely be rated R but comparing the movies after seeing both, Clash of the Titans is G and Centurion is NC-17…the action scenes are just that bad ass and visual. You’ll be wanting to high-five your friends after every hit and blow. Needless to say, lots of people die in both movies, but they die so much better in Centurion .
Here’s the international trailer so you can get a glimpse of the movie, but it doesn’t show any of the awesome scenes (you’ll have to wait for a red band trailer for that)
This post is part of our SXSW Film Festival coverage The South by Southwest® (SXSW®) Conferences & Festivals offer the unique convergence of original music, independent films, and emerging technologies. Fostering creative and professional growth alike, SXSW® is the premier destination for discovery. The internationally acclaimed, nine-day Film Festival celebrates raw innovation and emerging talent, with a truly diverse program ranging from provocative documentaries to subversive Hollywood comedies.Visit South by Southwest’s Official Website
This movie will span many generations. Memories will be relit for those who lived through the golden age of Rock and Roll and for the younger viewers; it will give a glimpse into a true story that should be told for future generations so it’s great that this movie was made. The Runaways takes us through the journey of a group of young girls who become one of the first all girl rock bands when the industry was almost completely male dominated. The plot focuses mainly on the relationship between Joan Jett and Cherie Currie played by Kristin Stewart and Dakota Fanning, respectively. Managed by Kim Fowley, this mishmash of girls are brought together to be trained into rock stars. All together, it was an entertaining well-paced movie. In most rock docs, they concentrate too much on one aspect of the rock band; usually the early years or after they finally make it. The Runaways has good balance through the whole story taking us from the beginning to the eventual end of the band.
However, some of the movie felt rushed. When the artists came up with new songs, they just recited lines rather than giving us the feeling as if they were really coming up with brand new lyrics before our very own eyes for the first time. Also, the movie made it seem like it was really simple to make an international rock band and rock stars. All you need to have is a hot front girl, catchy chorus, and sexy pictures. Maybe, that’s how it went down in real life, but it would’ve been nice to see more emphasis on the music. This was also a theme of the movie which ultimately broke up the band, the fight all bands eventually have between the promotion and the music. In the case of this movie, music lost and it highlighted all of the excess that comes along with the rock and roll lifestyle which was still interesting to watch.
You forget how young these girls are and the serious situations they went through: drugs, sex, and rock and roll. It’s always interesting to see how movies film drug scenes. For something that’s almost indescribable with words, audio and video helps, but it’s still hard to capture the feelings. The Runaways has its fair share of these types of scenes and does a decent job. If you’re a Joan Jett, Cherie Currie or The Runaways fan, then you definitely need to check out this movie. If you’re interested in the rock and roll lifestyle or an alternative coming of age story, then this is worth the watch. And finally, if you’re into Girl Power, then this is another flick to add to your collection since it shows how a group of girls penetrate the world of boys and their guitars while having a “we don’t care” rock star attitude towards sexism. If you don’t belong to any of those categories, then this movie probably isn’t for you since it doesn’t really bring anything new to the table, just tell a story that needed to be told.
This post is part of our SXSW Film Festival coverage The South by Southwest® (SXSW®) Conferences & Festivals offer the unique convergence of original music, independent films, and emerging technologies. Fostering creative and professional growth alike, SXSW® is the premier destination for discovery. The internationally acclaimed, nine-day Film Festival celebrates raw innovation and emerging talent, with a truly diverse program ranging from provocative documentaries to subversive Hollywood comedies.Visit South by Southwest’s Official Website
And that’s a wrap! The South By Southwest 2010 Film Festival is over and wow, what an experience it was. In total, I got to see 22 films in 7 days mixed with 2 other conferences! It was quite intense but really fun and informative. Here’s the 2nd half of my film journey:
Day 6: Wednesday, March 17th.
I started off the day with finally getting into the Ritz on 6th Street. Earlier, with all the crowds from the weekend, I was turned away from seeing Mars. But luckily, today, I got a seat to see Cherry and I was really happy afterwards, because it was a great film. I’ll definitely be writing a full review for this one because it’s either my 2nd or 3rd favorite film of the festival, I’m still trying to decide. (Funny enough I’m trying to decide between this and the film I missed at the same theater earlier, Mars) After, I moved back to the Paramount where I saw Get Low starring the incredible cast of Bill Murray, Robert Duvall, and Sissy Spacek. Following that, I saw a Swiss Sci-Fi film called Cargo and the super secret midnight screening of Centurion.
Day 7: Thursday, March 18th.
Today I ventured off and saw some of the Music from SXSW. The only movie I caught was The Runaways starring Kristen Stewart and Dakota Fanning. I should have a full review of it later today (since it came out this weekend).
Day 8: Friday, March 19th.
Last day of SXSW Film (for me .. I did Music again for the full day on Saturday). I decided to stick to one theater and just watch movie after movie there. I started with Canal Street Madam, a documentary on the life of Jeanette Maier as she continues her life after an FBI raid on her family-run brother in New Orleans. Next was One Night in Vegas, an ESPN documentary about the tragic night where Mike Tyson won the heavyweight belt but Tupac Shakur lost his life. Finally, I got to see the animated film Mars which was well worth the wait and either my 2nd or 3rd favorite film of the whole festival (read above for more about that). I finished off the night by singing karaoke with other film festival peeps right next door at the High Ball – a great way to end a great festival.
More in depth reviews for many of these films will be coming later on in the week. There were a few films I didn’t get to see which I’ll have to run down now but all together, I had a great festival experience seeing great movies and meeting great people. See you next year South By Southwest!
This post is part of our SXSW Film Festival coverage The South by Southwest® (SXSW®) Conferences & Festivals offer the unique convergence of original music, independent films, and emerging technologies. Fostering creative and professional growth alike, SXSW® is the premier destination for discovery. The internationally acclaimed, nine-day Film Festival celebrates raw innovation and emerging talent, with a truly diverse program ranging from provocative documentaries to subversive Hollywood comedies.Visit South by Southwest’s Official Website
Right now I’m on my flight from San Francisco to Austin, TX. It was delayed an hour which gave me even more time to finally read through the films that will be screened at South By Southwest and try to plot a plan of which films I’ll be watching. I love film festivals, you can jump from film to film and see a month’s worth of movies in a week (sometimes even 2 months!). I love figuring out the logistics of which movies are must see, which ones are only being shown once or twice, and which films I should skip to catch up with old friends or catch some of the music shows at this festival. Needless to say, it’ll be intense!
Day 1
Totally missed. I flew into Austin on the first day of the festival so I’ll be missing the opening film which was my most anticipated film…Kick-Ass. I’ll just have to catch it with everyone else or hopefully catch an advance screening in San Francisco (wink wink Lionsgate Films).
Day 2
If I wake up early enough, I’ll try and catch The Freebie, a film about a young couple who gives each other a free night with someone else.
Mars – an animated romantic comedy about astronauts and robots travelling towards the red planet. I want to know if the astronauts and robots fall in love with each other or stick to their own.
Cyrus The Duplass brothers comedy starring John C. Reily, Marisa Tomei, and Jonah Hill. John C. Reily’s character hooks up with the ridiculously hot Molly (Marisa Tomei) who has an adult son (Johnah Hill). Kind of sounds like a sequel to Stepbrothers..we’ll see.
There’s also a Super Secret screening…we’ll see if it’s worth going to.
Day 3
I think I’ll take the beginning of the day to attend panels and hang out with my interactive festival friends (I am a developer at heart). Also, Facebook is having a developer’s garage so I’ll attend that and hopefully code some great stuff for the facebook users of advancescreenings.com.
The movies of the day will either be Mr. Nice, a true story about Britain’s most wanted man, or Pelada, the other side of soccer and either Futurestates, which seems to be a collection of short stories about different economic scenarios, or The Parking Lot Movie – the title is exactly what it sounds like. So many options!
Day 4
If I didn’t get to catch Pelada (the soccer movie) I could catch it this morning. Followed by Tiny Furniture and Canal Street Madam or American: Bill Hicks. Tiny Furniture is a tragicomedy about a 22-year-old who comes home from college just as she went in – with no skills, no love life, and a lot of free time. Canal Street Madam is about Jeanette Maier trying to re-invent herself after her infamous family-run brothel is raided by the FBI. American: Bill Hicks is an animated film about the true life story of the outlaw comic who tried to save the world. The highlight of this night is MacGruber, yes a full length movie of the SNL sketch staring Will Forte.
Day 5
One of the movies that I missed on the first day is showing again today. It’s called Erasing David and sounds very interesting and very fitting for this interactive/film festival. Filmmaker David Bond disappears for a month and hires two of the world’s top private investigators to track him down using only publicly available data. Sad to say, it conflicts with a film called Like a Pascha about the largest brothel in Europe…Canal Street Madam is playing again and then the highlight is Harry Brown starring Michael Caine.
Day 6
I’ll start off this film with another one I missed on the first day, World’s Largest. It’s about all those weird roadside attractions you see in tiny towns while driving cross country. If I can squeeze it in, I’ll see Cherry, a film about a virgin who drops out of college and encounters an older woman and her underage daughter, before the film of the night, Get Low starring Robert Duvall and Bill Murray.
Day 7
To be honest, I’m excited to check out Austin Carniville which is March 18, 19, and 20 (Day 7, 8, and 9). Luckily, the films during the day don’t intrigue me too much. The movie of the night is The Runaways starring Kristen Stewart and Dakota Fanning, I’ll either catch that or Mars and Like a Pascha.
Day 8
I can catch a bunch of films today in case I missed them earlier in the week including Canal Street Madam, The Parking Lot Movie, Pelada, and Mars…or go to the Carniville again .
Day 9
THE FINAL DAY!, World’s Largest plays again as well as Hood to Coast, Tiny Furniture, and American Bill Hicks.
That’s the plan…let’s see what actually happens!
This post is part of our SXSW Film Festival coverage The South by Southwest® (SXSW®) Conferences & Festivals offer the unique convergence of original music, independent films, and emerging technologies. Fostering creative and professional growth alike, SXSW® is the premier destination for discovery. The internationally acclaimed, nine-day Film Festival celebrates raw innovation and emerging talent, with a truly diverse program ranging from provocative documentaries to subversive Hollywood comedies.Visit South by Southwest’s Official Website
Sound of My Voice
Attack The Block
The Beaver
You Instead
Turkey Bowl
This post is part of our SXSW Film Festival coverage
The Greatest Movie Ever Sold
Being Elmo: A Puppeteer’s Journey
Becoming Santa
Caught Inside
. You do get Caught Inside this movie but by the end, you’ll be glad you went along for the ride.
Bad Fever
Surrogate Valentine
From the director of such films like Amelie, Alien: Resurrection, and A Very Long Engagement, comes Micmacs. This is the most imaginative revenge story since Kill Bill with a whole different approach. From what Jean-Pierre Jeunet, the director and co-writer, said, Micmacs is French slang for shenanigans and there are plenty of them in the movie. The story begins in such a weird fashion that it sets the tone for the rest of the film. First, a man is killed by a rogue weapon that goes haywire and leaves a son without a father and only a company logo to look at as the killer. Later on, the same son is working at a video shop and happens to stand in the exact angle of a rogue bullet so that it strikes him in the head. Luckily, he survives but unluckily, the surgeon operating flipped a coin and decided to leave the bullet in his head causing random hallucinations at random times which he can’t control. Again, with the bullet, the only clue he has is another company logo.
This post is part of our SXSW Film Festival coverage
Cyrus is an interesting story from the Duplass brothers about a guy down on his luck who finds the girl of his dreams. One problem, she’s really close to her only son…who’s 21 and still lives at home. Let’s back up a bit. We join John, played by John C. Reilly, as he continues to live his mundane single life after splitting with his ex-wife (Catherine Keener) seven years before. He’s still on good terms and pretty close to his ex-wife but she and her fiancé want him to get on with his own life and find somebody else. They invite him to a party which he reluctantly goes to and eventually makes an ass of himself in the process. But in the same night at the same party, he meets Molly, played by Marissa Tomei, and they hit it off right away…in a quirky way. The dialogue between them and throughout the movie is hilariously awkward. The only thing more awkward is Molly’s son Cyrus, played by Jonah Hill, and the relationship the mother and son have together.
If you’re a fan of the MacGruber sketch on SNL, you’ll love this film. If you’re not a fan, you’ll still love this film! It was hilarious. It’s a nonstop comedy mixing NSFW jokes with a plot which pokes fun at all super-spy/evil villain movies. Granted, I saw it at the World Premiere at the South By Southwest Film Festival where almost everyone wanted to see the film and was laughing and cheering the whole time, but I think that attitude will translate to theaters around the country. I kept thinking to myself, if I was in a regular theater on a Friday or Saturday night, would I still be laughing this much? I think I would. This is definitely a movie to take a group of friends to. You’ll be laughing at MacGruber and you’ll be laughing at each other for laughing at it. But how could they turn this short sketch that always ends in a fatal disaster into a feature length film? Well, let me tell you…
Pelada was such an amazing film. You get one of those feelings like “Am I really watching this right now?” I really hope this gets picked up by someone and in time for the World Cup this year when everyone cares about soccer (in America) again. Pelada tells the story of two Americans who love the sport of soccer. They’ve played virtually their whole lives, in college, but weren’t signed to a national or major team. However, they still play all the time and they’re usually asked why. The only answer they can give is that it’s for the love of the game and they can’t imagine life without it. They play pickup games and they’re not alone. Pelada follows these two on a journey across the world playing soccer games, learning about other cultures, and in the end…themselves.
Heading into college early as a seventeen year-old, Aaron (Kyle Gallner) had a lot of growing up to do. He did just that in his first year away from family and friends…primarily his mother who influenced and controlled many aspects of his life. One thing she controlled was his class schedule, but as she left, his father gave him so advice: to not mess up like he did. Aaron decided that he wanted to take a drawing class since that was his passion instead of a mechanical elective which was pretty much just like the rest of his academic classes. His teacher didn’t let him leave his class since it was such a big opportunity, but Aaron took the drawing class anyway on top of his already heavy load. This is where he met Linda (Laura Allen), a slightly older student who came back to college. One thing led to another and she invited him back to her place for dinner. Aaron got dressed up and was ready to go on a date with this hot cougar but when he got to the house he met someone he didn’t know about or expect…her daughter. Her fourteen year-old daughter.
This animated film was really surprising. I missed the first screening because way too many people showed up to see it. The screening I got to attend was in was packed too. At first I didn’t know if it was full because of local support (the filmmaker and many people involved with the film were from the city where the festival was taking place, Austin) or if the movie was actually good. Well, both were true.
Sir Michael Caine is Harry Brown. You don’t want to mess with Harry Brown. At first glance, he’s your typical old Englishmen trying to live the rest of his life in the area he knows. However, his community is being overrun by gangs and young kids doing drugs and up to no good. The police don’t have much presence and most of them would rather just leave the area alone rather than do something about the crime. Initially, Harry Brown is the same way…he turns the other cheek until his best friend has enough and decides to take matters into his own hands. His friend didn’t have much luck…but he’s not Harry Brown….and Harry Brown is a badass.
Starring Robert Duvall, Bill Murray, and Sissy Spacek, Get Low is a story of redemption, forgiveness and reputation. Loosely based on a true story, Get Low is about an old hermit living in the woods who decides to attend his own funeral. Living in isolation for about forty years, Felix Bush started to get a reputation of being a crazy and horrible man. He heard about all these stories about him but didn’t actually know the stories since nobody was actually courageous enough to talk to him. So, naturally, he wanted to hear these stories and knew that people would say them at a funeral eulogy. One problem though, he wasn’t dead. But why does he have to be?
Centurion was the Super Secret TBD Screening at the 2010 South by Southwest Film Festival. I couldn’t find out any information about which film it was going to be and honestly, when they said it would be Centurion at the theater doors, I had no idea what the movie was and had no time to look it up online. So throughout the entire film, I was trying to figure out if it was an old film or a film that had not come out yet. It’s the latter…it’s planned to come out in the UK in April and there is no planned US release date yet. I couldn’t tell if the film was new or old because it’s a time piece based in the first century and is filmed in a way that puts you back in that time. It’s a bit grungy and definitely not polished with newer techniques and high tech CGI. Don’t get me wrong, that doesn’t take away from the movie at all, but instead, it adds to it.
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This movie will span many generations. Memories will be relit for those who lived through the golden age of Rock and Roll and for the younger viewers; it will give a glimpse into a true story that should be told for future generations so it’s great that this movie was made. The Runaways takes us through the journey of a group of young girls who become one of the first all girl rock bands when the industry was almost completely male dominated. The plot focuses mainly on the relationship between Joan Jett and Cherie Currie played by Kristin Stewart and Dakota Fanning, respectively. Managed by Kim Fowley, this mishmash of girls are brought together to be trained into rock stars. All together, it was an entertaining well-paced movie. In most rock docs, they concentrate too much on one aspect of the rock band; usually the early years or after they finally make it. The Runaways has good balance through the whole story taking us from the beginning to the eventual end of the band.
To see the first half of my recap, 
