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 coverageThe 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
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
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.
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?
