SXSW 2010 - Day Three

Not caught up on days one and two?

SXSW 2010 - Day One
SXSW 2010 - Day Two

Day three was the first day I had the opportunity to see multiple movies and was also the last full day Ami could attend with me, sadly. It was a bright, sunny, 70 degree weather day. A perfect day to spend in a dark theater.

Towards the middle of the day, the Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar started to get busier and we were forced to miss one of the movies we were waiting for. So, we didn't see as many as I would have liked, but we still saw a good amount.

The Films

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THE MYTH OF THE AMERICAN SLEEPOVER

Official site!

This was one of the films I was looking forward to seeing the most originally. I saw the trailer about a week before SXSW and it looked really good. The film itself was good for the first half. After that...not so much.

This is a film where the filmmakers got amateurs for the lead roles. Where most filmmakers either know how to make the amateurs believable or know how to elevate some other areas of the film to make up for the lack of actual actors (see Soderbergh's Bubble or Van Sant's Elephant), the director behind this piece couldn't make it work in his favor. After about half way through the film, the "acting" started to grate on me. I can only stand so much of the lead boy's blank stares as he's searching for the girl of his dreams, or the indie girl's coy head turn and smile, and so on before it began to wear on me.

My biggest problem with this movie is the storyline involving the Scott character, creepily searching out these twins who are much younger than him and who he heard had a crush on him when he was a senior and they were freshmen in high school (he is now in college). I absolutely HATED this storyline. HATED it. Brett Jacobsen is an incredibly annoying actor (at least in this) and I would groan whenever he would come on screen. His storyline is just...pathetic, creepy, and pointless. I really, really, really hated it. Guh.

Besides some other leaps of logic that seem to escape these kids (okay, so you got nailed with an egg on your chest and you walked all the way home to wash your shirt with a wet wash rag and not just change it? Really?) there are some points I liked. Most of it involved the indie girl who I referenced above (sorry, I can't find her name/character on IMDB). Her story really engaged me at times, but again her acting started to wear on me. So, even she lost me after a point.

It had potential, but lazy filmmaking hurt the film overall. Ami liked it though, so I wouldn't say skip it completely. If it interests you, check it out! I do wish there was an option to skip that twin storyline altogether, though.

I give the film a 6 out of 10.

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ANIMATED SHORTS

Seeing that there were twelve shorts in whole, I'm only going to highlight my absolute favorites.

THE ORANGE


More info!

A short about an almighty orange and its life on Earth. The animation was so simple, but the story so grandiose. What if God was in an orange on Earth? That's essentially the story and it works very well. Quite funny to boot.

BYGONE BEHEMOTH


More info!

A claymation about an out of work movie monster. Think Godzilla if Godzilla was an old struggling actor. It's very poignant and quite sad. The filmmakers put a lot of emotion into this short. It tugged at the heart strings pretty hard. Damn you, CGI! Why must you put all these practical effects monsters out of business?

THE COW WHO WANTED TO BE A BURGER


More info!

Hilarious! The crude animation and use of trumpet to give the cows voices works brilliantly. Seeing this little calf working out to try and become a hamburger is pure gold.

THE ART OF DROWNING

More info!

A rotoscoped short about a man drowning and how he's not seeing his life flash before his eyes much like everyone says he should. The voiceover raps philosophic while we see these beautiful animations animated over live actors. It's a wondrous little piece that worked well for me.

ONE SQUARE MILE OF EARTH


More info!

I love animals that talk and act like people (hence coming up with Fox and Bear). So, my love for this short is pretty self explanatory. Two guys playing all the characters makes it even better. It's just funny, funny stuff.

DOWN TO THE BONE


More info!

Absurd, grotesque, and hilarious. Need I say more?

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JIMMY TUPPER VS. THE GOATMAN OF BOWIE


Official site!

This was my first midnight screening at SXSW and luckily I got into everyone I tried to get into. This one really set the bar high, though. It's a found footage movie in the vein of The Blair Witch Project or Cloverfield, but where those films feel a bit fabricated, this film actually did not.

This tells the story of Jimmy Tupper, the friend no one really likes and who everyone's confused as to why he's there. He drinks too much, smokes too much, and just generally annoys his friends. One night, Jimmy passes out because of too much drinking and won't wake up. So, his friends decide to teach him a lesson and dump his passed out body in the middle of the woods. The next day, they go searching for Jimmy to find him angry as all hell and screaming about being dragged through the woods by the Goatman of Bowie (a real urban legend apparently). Of course, no one believes him. So, Jimmy sets up camp with a camera to prove everyone wrong.

The filmmaker, Andrew Bowser, said that there are sections of the film where he only did one take and when he got back to watch the footage, the mini-DV fucked up and screwed up the audio. Any other director would go back and shoot it again, but seeing that he wanted this "found footage" to feel as real as possible, he left it in and it actually works! It was hilarious because it's this scene where Jimmy Tupper (also played by Andrew Bowser) is cursing his friends and his shitty life with a heartfelt monologue and all you hear is every other word as he paces around his campsite. It was really funny. Also, there's a part of the film at a graduation as if Jimmy's using a tape someone already used before. It was great and worked quite well.

What really won me over was the climax and the ending in general. It's just so Goddamn great, man. I don't want to ruin any of it for you in case this does get its deserved proper distribution. Just know that it's awesome and that it calls for a great sequel.

I give the film a 10 out of 10.

And with that, day three is wrapped!

SXSW 2010 - Day Two

For my experiences from my first day at SXSW, click this link:

SXSW 2010 - Day One

My second day of South By was just as short as the first. I had an audition earlier in the afternoon and couldn't make it to any of the films because of that (totally worth it, I hope). I was, however, extremely excited for this day at SXSW because of one particular film: Cyrus.

I have been a huge fan of the Duplass brothers since my friend Kyle Cates and I happened to watch a movie from the library called The Puffy Chair by pure chance on one particular movie night in Erikson hall on campus. It was a such a simple film, such a beautiful little film, such an inspiring film that really blew me away. They did so much with so little! I went on to write The Station because of that inspiration (wish I had a finished product to show everyone...) and have been trying to think of ideas that can be as easily made as that flick ever since.

The Duplass' inspired a movement called "mumblecore" which is, essentially, films that are shot with low grade equipment, with little money, and are mostly improvised by the actors. This movement has exploded over the past few years and has given voices to some great filmmakers who were probably unable to make their films prior to said movement.

I don't want to get too far into the Duplass bros. and their work seeing that I want to write a blog specifically highlighting that in one of my filmmaker blogs (coming soon...). What we're here to discuss is their latest and greatest (which is also their first studio film), Cyrus!

The Films

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CYRUS


Now, before I get into the film itself, let me get into the happenings before the film. I came to the Paramount (where most of the big films premiered at the festival) with the mindset that we were just not going to get in. I saw what happened with Kick Ass and I didn't want to get my hopes up at all. Ami and I met up with Bayless who was already in line in front of the Paramount for Micmacs. As much as I would have liked to have seen that film, I was much more concerned with Cyrus which was my most anticipated film of the festival. Seriously. I was more excited for this film than even Kick Ass.

So, as everyone entered the theater for Jeunet's latest, Ami and I shuffled to the front of the line to wait for Cyrus...three hours before the film would actually start. Hooray.As we waited, Ami and I met a new friend named Kathe and we relished in our love for Ain't It Cool News and their free screenings. As we chatted, we noticed the lines were getting longer. The crowds were getting bigger. My hopes were getting smaller.

As the clock ticked closer to showtime and the people who had just witnessed Micmacs (have heard mixed things on that one. Still want to see it though) exited the theater, the volunteers for SXSW started to roll out the red carpet. I did not know who to expect. I was just crossing my fingers for the Duplass brothers, but what I got was so much more. Not only were the Duplass brothers there, but John C. Riley, Jonah Hill, and even Edward Norton, who wasn't even in the movie, walked the carpet towards the theater as my geekiness started to swell up. I wanted to see this movie so bad and wanted to hear them talk about this movie so bad. I was ready to kill a badge holder to get in.


Rumors started to spread about the lines wrapping around the building. I was going to be extremely upset if I didn't get into this film and passed up the opportunity to see Micmacs. As my spirit got crushed more and more by people worrying and press getting into the theater and this, that, and the other, a glimmer of hope appeared. One of the volunteers for the film must have heard us worrying because she assured us that we would get in. "Oh, no worries," she said. "This theater holds 1,200 people."

I looked her in the face and I said, "I swear to God, if you're lying to me..." She told me she wasn't and sure enough, we were soon walking in to the Paramount! Glory be to the highest!

After a quick introduction to the film by the Duplass brothers (SQUEE!), the film started.


Cyrus is my favorite film from SXSW. The Duplass brothers have taken a concept probably seen in countless movies, television shows, books, and various other forms of entertainment and have made it their own. Everything feels so real. The relationships are believable (yes, even Riley and Marisa Tomei). These characters feel like real people. The documentary filmmaking only helps in that it makes us feel like flies on the wall as we witness these incredibly awkward, extremely hilarious, and amazingly realistic scenes unfold.

The Duplass bros. aren't known for their complex story lines. I mean, lets be honest, their films prior to and including Cyrus aren't wholly original. What sets them apart is the acting and the actors they get involved with their film. Their films are so simple, but these actors bring so much to the table and make them enjoyable. Mark Duplass did that for Puffy Chair, Greta Gerwig did that for Baghead, and now Jonah, John, and Marisa are doing that for Cyrus. I would also say that the Duplass' films have great dialogue, but seeing how so much of their movies are improvised, it's hard to give credit to them alone. I can, however, give them credit for being so bold and allowing the actors to make something so completely organic.

People worried that Jonah Hill is playing the same character he supposedly plays in every movie, do not fret. This is Jonah being straight. Sure, the guy's fucking hilarious throughout, but when drama is called for, the kid does it well. Hell, everyone does great. No one is off in the slightest in this flick. My only regret is that Mark Duplass didn't have a part. I love that guy.

Overall, this film is hilarious and fun. It's awkward as all get out, but it's also very enjoyable. I cannot wait to see what the Duplass' do next (something being produced by Jason Reitman I hear).

I give the film a perfect 10 out of 10.

After the film, we were graced with one of the worst Q&As I've been a part of this side of The Boy In the Striped Pajamas premiere in Indianapolis. Jonah Hill even jokingly called some guy an asshole for his awkward question he asked ("Did you sign onto the project because you knew Marisa Tomei would be wrapping her legs around you?"). I was just embarrassed for everyone asking questions and it made me miss my midnight screening of Monsters (luckily I got another chance...).

Overall, though, a great night. On to day three!

SXSW 2010 - Day One

So, South By Southwest has ended. Friends have come and gone. I've finally gotten the chance to have a good night of sleep and time to reflect. Seeing I didn't really have the opportunity to write about my experiences while I was actually experiencing SXSW and that I'm not a paid writer who would make time for such a thing when sleep sounded so much better, I've decided to write a series of blogs that sum up each day and what I saw. This will all be focusing on the film side of things seeing as I didn't experience the music side at all save for the free She and Him concert on the last Saturday.

This is my first TRUE film festival experience. Sure, I've been to the Heartland Film Festival and the Indianapolis International Film Festival, but I only went to a few of the films on the schedules when those were in town. At SXSW, I was at the festival pretty much all day from the beginning to end. Also, I experienced this festival with a film pass. A film pass is basically a step below a badge in that pass holders get seated after all the badges in line are in the theater. It was at times a smart purchase, but at other times an aggravating one.

I'm going to try and keep all my thoughts limited. I don't want each and every blog to be too bloated. If I feel a love for a film or feel a particular part of the festival needs more attention, I will give it that. However, I don't want it to feel like a chore to read each blog. Thus, I'm going to keep them as brief as possible. I hope you enjoy!

The Films
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KICK ASS


...is a film I didn't get in to. However, I did wait in line for two hours to try. I will say that even though we didn't get in, it was a great way to see how the festival worked. Being submerged into the atmosphere by waiting in line for possibly the most anticipated film of the festival was really great. I got to see Christopher "McLovin" Mintz-Plasse and I had an overwhelming since of excitement being able to stand where I was, thinking about the week ahead.

One good thing that came from standing in line was seeing Nimrod Antal, director of Predators. I had worked on Predators for a day, but never got the chance to meet Mr. Antal. Thankfully, my friend Nathan Bayless had and Nimrod told us that he'd try to get us in to the Predators sneak peek that was happening that evening. We were cautiously ecstatic, to say the least.

I will say that it really aggravated me that evening when I hopped on Twitter to read tweets from various online critics that I follow who were bragging about seeing Kick Ass for a second time. How fair is that? Why not give us other people a chance to experience it, douches? Oh well. It'll be out in a few weeks anyhow.

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PREDATORS


After not getting in to Kick Ass, the wife (exhausted from the previous week) decided to head home and Mr. Bayless and myself meandered around Austin for a bit. Seeing how we were burned on the Kick Ass screening, we didn't know if we wanted to wait in line again for The White Stripes doc, but we did for a bit. That is until Bayless got a hold of Nimrod...who got us in to the sneak peek.

So, we rushed from the Paramount over to the Ritz on 6th street, told the people we were on the list, and were ushered into the theater as I laughed in the faces of the badge holders who had been there since noon (not really. I'm not a complete ass. I know that feeling too well to laugh in their faces).

What we saw were two trailers (one of which is online now) and a scene from the film where Larry Fishbourne (I will always call him Larry ever since I saw him credited as such in the Nightmare on Elm Street sequel Dream Warriors) decloaks in full Predator armor and surprises our heroes. The trailers gave me chills along with reluctant hope. I know Nimrod and Rodriguez really want to make this film something special, but I am still trying to keep my expectations low. The clip was pretty good. Some of the acting was questionable, but clips out of context (and without complete effects) are always a little off. It will be cool to see it fully realized in the complete film in July.

Then we got a Q&A from Nimrod and Robert, got to see the animatronic head from the original Predator (who is making a come back in this new film), and got some nice goodies to take home including a SXSW exclusive poster signed by Robert Rodriguez (which you can see above).

In short, twas nice!

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Even though I didn't get to experience the films I wanted to on opening night of the SXSW film festival, it was truly great to go to what I got to go to and being immersed into the experience head first. It was a hell of a start to a hell of a week.

My Oscar Reflections

Another year's Academy Awards have come and gone and I haven't been this happy with the winners since the 79th awards show three years ago (way to go Marty!). Sure, Sandra Bullock got her predicted and undeserved Oscar, but for some reason I am okay with that now. It might be the fact that I had all ready come to terms with the inevitable or it might just be that the ending of her speech really won me over. Whatever the case, this is the first year in a while where I was pleased with most of the Academy's choices.

THE SHOW ITSELF

Is it just me or did this show kind of suck? I love Neil Patrick Harris, but his opening musical number wasn't funny...at all. And don't get me started on Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin. Their jokes fell flat faster than COP OUT at the box office (ZING!!!). What happened to the golden days of award show hosts with people like Billy Crystal? His opening parodies of movies always killed. I remember the year TITANIC was nominated and Crystal was super imposed into various scenes of the film. I was rolling on the floor with laughter! I don't think there has been a show that has made me laugh that much since. The only host who really came close for me was Jon Stewart and maybe Chris Rock.

The problem with Martin and Baldwin was...I don't really know. It should have worked. I really like Steve Martin as long as he's not trying to fill the shoes of Peter Sellers and Baldwin gets a lot of laughs from me on 30 Rock. What happened? Perhaps they played it too safe? Probably. Plus, there weren't nearly enough sketches for them to stretch their comedic wings. I enjoy breaks in the awards with funny sketches here and there. They were completely absent this year save for the musical number at the beginning which I all ready stated bombed big.

On the subject of breaks from the awards, when did they decide not to perform the nominated original songs? I always enjoyed that! I really wanted to hear "The Weary Kind" live! Damn you, Academy!

Add some interpretive dance into the show where dancers were breaking dancing to THE HURT LOCKER score and doing the robot to the UP score and you'll find it kind of sucked overall. Step it up, Academy!

Finally, you have the tribute to horror films toward the middle of the ceremony. It was great watching all my favorite horror films and monsters presented through a clip show wonderfully during the Academy Awards, but why did they have to have those TWILIGHT fucks present it? And why was a clip from one of those films included in the tribute? TWILIGHT isn't horror, people. It's a tween romance. There's nothing horrific to be seen (save for maybe the acting or effects). God, that was a huge misstep.

One thing they certainly got right was the tribute to John Hughes. That was beautiful and moving. I also liked Ben Stiller as a Na'vi, though I would have liked to have seen what Sacha Baron Cohen came up with that they cut because of inappropriateness.

THE AWARDS

Like I said above, the awards given were pretty spot on, if a little expected and predictable. There always seems to be a year where the Academy awards the filmmakers who they are expected to award and then years in between where they kind of surprise everyone. It's really all about politics I suppose. This year was definitely a year where they gave it to the expected winners and, honestly, this is one of the few times that might be okay with me.

THE HURT LOCKER was the big winner and deservedly so. While if I had any true choice in the matter Tarantino's INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS would have swept the thing, I was just fine with Bigelow's film doing it.

A lot of hate has surfaced against THE HURT LOCKER after the final award was given (quite clumsily and haphazardly by Tom Hanks. Still irritated by that), which is probably to be expected, but I don't get it. People are claiming it's an unrealistic portrayal of modern warfare or something and that it's overrated. Well, what true narrative film presents its subject, real world or not, completely realistically? RAY told the story of Ray Charles' life from birth to death. However, the filmmakers fabricated parts to make the film more entertaining. Like Ray's flashback and visions of his brother. How do they know he even had those in such detail? It's for entertainment. You want realism? Watch a documentary.

I'm getting off topic. Give the best actress award to Gabourey Sidibe and that's really the only change I would make.

WHAT THE ACADEMY AWARDS MEAN TO ME

Every year I watch the Oscars with a twinkle in my eye. I know it's predictable, I know it's pretty corporate, I know it's all about celebrity status and fashion, but damn it, I can't help but dream about being there one day. Ever since I was a young lad I fantasized of receiving one of those golden bald men. I would practice my various speeches in front of my bathroom mirror during commercials and just gaze in wonder at the show itself. Seeing how excited recipients like Roberto Benigni and Cuba Gooding Jr. got when they were approaching the stage and giving their speeches, I couldn't help but see myself reacting in the same fashion.

It doesn't truly matter who wins or who loses in the end (well, at least at this point in my life). What does matter is the fact that I'm at home watching avidly, cheering or screaming in anger loudly, and dreaming a little dream of being a nominee. That'll be the day, friend. That'll be the day.

Overall, a good year for movies, but the programmers need to bring back some of the magic that was lost this year.