True View Reviews

Liz Update- Incendies to open at Violet Crown Theater June 3rd

2011-06-02T15:21:00.000-07:00

The film 'Incendies' that screened during SXSW 2011 is now coming to Austin as of June 3rd on behalf of Sony Pictures Classics. It will open at the new downtown theater, Violet Crown, located on 2nd St. between Guadalupe and San Antonio streets. Parking is not a problem, as your parking ticket is validated at the parking garage close by.

I was at the Violet Crown this morning and had a most enjoyable experience, along with the delicious coffee and pastry.

Liz has more updates from SXSW for spring and summer

2011-06-01T15:43:00.000-07:00

Silly me! How could I forget to mention that 'Bridesmaids' was a WIP at the time of SXSW 2011, but it was screened as such on Sunday evening, March 13th. I had to be at another location at the time of the screening, so I was wholeheartedly looking forward to the final product when it was to be released theatrically in May. I invited a guest to the screening that I was invited to prior to opening day on May 13th since she had already seen the trailer. I enjoyed the comedy, but my friend is a complete fan of Wiig's comedy. We have still been talking about her script and how successful it has been at the box office since it opened. It has some very funny moments, but I won't spoil them for viewers who have not yet headed over to the theaters. Enjoy!!

I mentioned 'Kill List' previously as a SXFantastic film and how great it was. I wanted to provide the update that it was acquired by IFC Midnight and hopefully will hear when that film will have a theatrical release.

'Fubar: Balls to the Wall' screened during the festival on March 15th as a double feature with 'Fubar. Since the screening, 'Fubar: Balls to the Wall' is available on DVD, Blue - Ray and VOD as of April 19th. Unfortunately, I do not have a copy yet, but if I can get one, I will place a review on our site.

'The Beaver' from actor/director Jodie Foster and written by Austinite Kyle Killien screened during the festival and has since opened in theaters on May 6th. Gibson and the puppet make for a great drama and all the performances are good.

'Outside Industry: The Story of SXSW' by director Berg was screened twice during the festival. For as many years as I have participated in the SXSW festivals, I enjoyed the information on the history happening in our town. If you missed the article in the Austin American Statesman recently, please get a copy to see what this creative entrepreneur is doing in our fine city.

The independent feature film 'Apart' screened during the festival and released the digital from the film's soundtrack. Will keep you updated on more from this indie and you can download the song at http://www.apart-movie.com/

I know there is more to come, so I plan to keep you updated as much as possible.

The Interactive Festival this year also had the most attendees to date and provided many new opportunities and events. Plutopia is one of my favorites that I attended last year and seemed to have grown this year. I love the combination of activities that one can partake of and certainly know how to showcase what interactive really means with guest speakers, food, drink and more.
Even if you do not think you are tech savvy, there is something new to learn from the panels and the events that are in abundance. Did I forget to mention the fashion piece to this new this year?
Games of course and so much more.

As for the music, what can I say about 25 years of fantastic sounds in our city that probably has not been said. The city was abuzz with different sounds from around the world and people enjoying themselves to all genres in hundreds of venues. This is a great opportunity to listen to the sounds of Skampira from Colombia, Intimate Strangers from Chile, as well as going to a private party hosted by Jim Beam, featuring Kid Rock and new artists he introduced.

Liz has News and Continued Update on Films from SXSW 2011

2011-06-01T09:15:00.000-07:00

Monday the 14th featured some great films during the festival that are some of my favorite.
'Win Win' with Paul Giamatti, Amy Ryan and many other cast members each gave excellent performances and is another gem from the director, Tom McCarthy. The film was screened at the Paramount Theater with cast members in attendance at the Red Carpet. All members of the cast and filmmakers were very pleasant during the interview opportunities. What a thrill to see Paul Giamatti in person! It had a theatrical release in April.

'Beginners' by director/screenwriter Mike Mills was among the films in the Spotlight Premieres category during the festival. The cast includes Ewan McGregor, Christopher Plummer, Melanie Laurent (Inglorious Bastards), Goran Visnjic, among others. Lucky for film fans who did not catch either of the two screenings of this gem during the festival, as 'Beginners' is having a theatrical release by Focus Features in June. The comedy/drama inspired by Mills' father will begin to platform on June 3rd and is scheduled to arrive in Austin theaters on June 24th. I had the opportunity to speak with director Mills when he was in town for the festival and this information will be included in my review of the film for the June release.

'Incendies' from director/screenwriter Denis Villenueve is an Academy Award nominee for Best Foreign Language Film, adapted from the play by Wajdi Mouawad. I was unable to schedule either of the film screenings into my work agenda, but it was in the Festival Favorites category. Sony Pictures Classics will release the film in theaters as of June 3rd and in Austin, it will open at the Arbor Theater and the new Violet Crown Theater in downtown Austin. I look forward to it.

Jez Jerzy [George the Hedgehog] made it's International Premiere at the festival this evening as part of the SXFantastic set of films. If you can imagine a skateboarding hedgehog who drinks beer, there is plenty of action between the hedgehogs and humans. Screenwriter Rafa Skarzycki has a very vivid imagination. As much as I was not looking forward to a story about a hedgehog during the festival, I actually started to forget George is not a human and worried about his fate with the mad scientists!

'Septien,' written and directed by Michael Tully had it's premiere screening on Monday afternoon [14th] and unfortunately was unable to catch this or the subsequent screenings. Prior to screening at SXSW 2011, it was at Sundance 2011 and is scheduled to be make its New York premiere at the upcoming Bam Cinemafest in June. As of July 6th, IFC Midnight will present 'Septien' in New York and nationwide Video On Demand via IFC Midnight.

Liz is Looking Back and Forward at SXSW 2011

2011-05-30T19:44:00.000-07:00

One of the things I wish I had been able to have done was see Jake G. on the March 11th Red Carpet event at the Paramount Theater for 'Source Code', but then I was not the only media person who wanted to be there. I did not get a spot. Sorry to repeat that I wanted to see Jake, but I really, really did want to see him, even from a few feet away. I was glad to have seen the film and great performance, as well as that of Vera Farmiga. It had a theatical release in April for film fans to enjoy, so Jake fans got their fill (or hope they did).

I had the Red Carpet opportunity that evening over at the Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar for 'Girl Walks Into a Bar' and photographed the actors in the film -Danny DeVito, Rosario Dawson, Carla Gugino and director, Sebastian Gutierrez. That truly was a treat, although I was unable to obtain a seat in the theater for the actual screening of the film. There were no seats available for media that worked, or else, no one made sure that all the working media be included. Somehow that does not seem right, so I began to feel as if this was not the right way to start out the 2011 film festival. Fortunately, it did not shape the rest of my experience at SXSW this year. Other than the screening during SXSW, it has not been screened in Austin that I know of. It is available to view on the Internet.

I managed to make my way back over to the Paramount for the 9:30pm 'blacktino' screening that had lots of buzz outside the theater with many in the cast in attendance. Unfortunately, it was not until after the screening that I found out a local actor and dance artist, Jesse Rodriguez, was in the film. I enjoyed his performance and there is a great dance scene in the film! As an aside, he also teaches elementary children the art of hip hop dance and the kids really enjoy learning this art. It would have been great for him to have been a part of the cast that was present and recognized during the premiere of the film at the historic theater. I have not heard of a theatrical release of this film yet, perhaps a DVD will come along soon? I have nothing official in writing yet, so stay tuned and we will keep 'blacktino' fans posted.

Fox Searchlight Pictures has acquired the drama 'Sound of My Voice' that had it's premiere at the State Theater next door also on opening night and I missed it during the festival. It will be having a theatrical release in the near future, but I do not have a firm date to announce yet. 'Insidious' was screened that evening at midnight and I throughly enjoyed meeting and conducting interviews of the filmmakers. The director and the writer/actor were very animated and it was a pleasant experience after a long night.

On Saturday (12th), while I was in the badge line to view 'The Innkeepers' at the Paramount, I had the luck of standing next to the 'Pee-wee Herman Broadway' celebration after the 4pm screening at the State Theater. Pee-wee was the middle of crowd who tried to gather around to either meet him, take pictures or just plain get free popsicles from the truck that had the graphics for the upcoming television show. As I stood in the area to photograph Pee-wee, he decided to video tape the crowd and placed the camera in my face. I have no idea where that tape is now....or whose camera he was using. Oh no!

I have not heard of a theatrical release for 'The Innkeepers' that did have a couple of scenes that were somewhat frightening, but it is good overall and I enjoyed Sara Paxton's performance. I stayed at the Paramount after that screening and was able to get a spot into the screening of 'Super' with Rainn Wilson and Ellen Page. It was a bit over the top for me with the super action character (Wilson) and his teen sidekick (Page). It did have a slow theatrical release after the festival and made its way to Austin for a week.

'Bellflower' and 'Attack the Block' also screened that evening at the Alamo Ritz and both are scheduled to have a theatrical release this summer, although not sure what date 'Bellflower' is making it to Austin. It is scheduled to open in New York and Los Angeles on August 5th.

I am looking forward to the opportunity to see 'Attack the Block' with Luke Treadaway who I did get to meet while he was in town. It is great for Treadaway to have had two films he performed in during the 2011 SXSW festival. Treadaway is also in 'You Instead' with Natalia Tena (Harry Potter) that screened that evening/same theater and several other times during the festival. It is a great treat to watch and hear the music at the festival where it was shot. 'You Instead' is scheduled to have a theatrical release in September, but not sure if the U. S. yet.

'Kill List' was also screened at midnight that night as part of the SXFantastic Fest films and it is a film not to be missed when it comes through theaters. It does have plenty of violent scenes, but it is a really great script and impressive performances. 'The City Dark' and 'The Dish and the Spoon' screened on Saturday evening and will now have a New York premiere this coming weekend at the Rooftop Films Summer Series, after screening at the SXSW 2011 Film Festival.

Sunday, March 13th, the Spanish language film 'Que Pena Tu Vida [F*** my Life]' from director Nicolas López made it's U. S. Premiere at the Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar and was well received, with additional screenings added. It is a fun film to watch as a romantic comedy goes and the performances are enjoyable.

'Hesher' was screened at the same theater that evening and it is a good script that may be a bit too much for some viewers, but luckily, it has had a theatrical release as of May 13th in Austin if anyone missed it during this festival. I am very impressed with the Joseph Gordon-Levitt's performance of the character 'Hesher' and Rainn Wilson is also in this film. Wilson, like Luke Treadaway, had two films he performed in that were screened during this festival.

'The Future' was screened at the Alamo Ritz that evening to a full house of film fans. Many were left standing outside the theater and I was able to squeeze in before people were sent away due to being at maximum seating capacity. For fans of the director, Miranda July, be on the lookout as there does seem to be a theatrical release in the making, hopefully this summer. It is a very different film for me and the story is one to take in slowly, with elements I really enjoyed.

'The Greatest Movie Ever Sold' screened during the festival this afternoon and I missed any opportunity to meet director Morgan Spurlock. Darn! I really enjoyed the documentary that was one of the films in the Festival Favorites category. I am certainly glad it did have a theatrical release in April and was able to catch this film. Spurlock has his comedic side and this is a great aspect he adds to his documentary.

Liz has an update from Rooftop Films Summer Series featuring three SXSW 2011 films

2011-05-27T14:58:00.000-07:00

Rooftop Films will have a special weekend of select films screened in March at the 2011 SXSW Film Festival in Austin, Texas as they now make their New York premieres. The Rooftop Films 15th Annual Summer Series will be held on June 3-5th in Brooklyn. The Summer Series will also include a selection of 2011 SXSW Shorts.

The feature films are 'The Dish and the Spoon' (Alison Bagnall), 'No Matter What' (Cherie Saulter) and 'The City Dark' (Ian Cheney). The SXSW shorts include 'Heliotropes' (Michael Langan), 'Howling at the Moon' (Jason Tippet/Elizabeth Mims).

Tickets and information at http://rooftopfilms.com/2011/schedule/the-city-dark/

Movie Doc's Friday and Saturday

2011-03-21T07:48:00.000-07:00

Running on fumes, I managed to watch four more movies on Friday and Saturday. Friday afternoon, I watched 3 back to back films. I began with BOB AND THE MONSTER, an interesting and well done documentary on rock singer Bob Forrest of the band Thelonious Monster and his battles with drug abuse and his eventual recovery and new calling as a drug counselor. I followed this film with the winner of the best narrative feature in both the Jury and Audience categories, NATURAL SELECTION. Writer/director Robbie Pikering presents a dark comedy which tells the story of Linda White, a barren, devout Christian housewife who discovers an ugly truth about her husband when he suffers a stroke. Pikering does a wonderful job with this film and Rachael Harris offers an amazing performance as Linda White. The film also earned awards for best breakthrough performances (Rachael Harris and Matt O'Leary), best screenplay (Robbie Pikering), best editing (Michelle Tesoro), and best score/music (iZLER, Curt Schneider). My last film on Friday was another dark comedy about a dysfunctional family. ANOTHER HAPPY DAY by writer/director Sam Levinson boasts an excellent cast of talented actors including Ellen Barkin, Kate Bosworth, Demi Moore, Thomas Haden Church, George Kennedy, Ellen Burstyn, and relative newcomers Ezra Miller, and Daniel Yelsky. Perhaps dysfunctional is an understatement when describing the family in this movie. This family has some serious deep seeded problems which Levinson presents with an unusual, but effective mix of humor and drama. This is one movie that should not be overlooked when released in theaters and hopefully come awards season. Saturday, because I had some family matters to attend to, I only made one movie. I finally got to see the movie which won the audience award in the Midnight Feature category. I say finally because when first considering which films I wanted to see this one was high on my list, but because of schedule conflicts, I missed all the previous screenings. From executive producer Edgar Wright (SHAUN OF THE DEAD, SCOTT PILGRIM) and director Joe Cornish, ATTACK THE BLOCK combines horror, humor, and non stop thrills is a film which deserves its audience award. Fans of Edgar Wright and horror/comedies with a small dose of sci-fi should take notice of this excitingly fun motion picture. A South London street gang is forced to stop terrorizing their neighborhood and defend it when a new terror in the form of space aliens attacks. Be sure to look for this film in theaters when it arrives. I get the feeling that this one might fly below the radar and could be easily missed. Mark Saldana The Movie Doc

WUSS Screening

2011-03-18T09:32:00.001-07:00

The director and stars of WUSS at the Alamo South Lamar screening

Movie Doc's Wednesday and Thursday

2011-03-18T08:55:00.000-07:00

It's time for me to play catch up now and post about the films that have kept me busy these past couple of days. On Wednesday evening, I went to the Paramount to watch THE BEAVER with director Jodie Foster in attendance. The film stars Mel Gibson as a father and business executive struggling with major depression. He finds an unusual form of escapism and communication by using a beaver puppet. I really did not know what to think of the movie when I first heard the premise and saw the trailer. All I can say is that the film is truly remarkable and something that film fans should experience. If you think you know what to expect from this film you may just be wrong. With all the bad press and personal problems Gibson's had recently, I am not sure how audiences will treat the film. Whatever problems the man has, there is still no denying his talent as an actor. Following this, I headed to the Alamo South Lamar for HOBO WITH A SHOTGUN. This grindhouse tribute/throwback was first conceived for a fake trailer contest held by Robert Rodriguez a few years back. He was seeking an additional faux movie trailer to play during his GRINDHOUSE collaboration with Quentin Tarantino. I LOVED the trailer when I first saw it. Unfortunately, I can't say the same for the full length film treatment. The attempts at humor fail through most of the film. The structure and pacing of the plot is so uneven that I felt bored and unamused during the screening. The film lacked the sharp wit and cool writing and style which made the feature length MACHETE a perfect extension of its fake trailer. Thursday fortunately, I remained at the Alamo South Lamar for two screenings. I say fortunately because downtown has become so crazy congested with people and traffic ever since the Music portion of the festival began. I was grateful to get a break from this. The first film I watched was a Chilean romantic comedy called F*CK MY LIFE. While normally not a fan of romantic comedies, the film with its mix of relavant satire, screwball comedy, and likable characters kept me invested and entertained even if the plot was somewhat formulaic. Director Nicholas Lopez manages to take an often tiresome plot and refreshes it with well developed characters and rich humor. The final film of the evening was a movie called WUSS. Director Clay Lifford takes us into the sad and frightening world of Mitch Parker (Nate Rubin), a high school English teacher who gets attacked by his drug dealing student Re-Up (Ryan Andeson) and his cronies. Mitch has to decide how to handle this scary new development as Re-Up continues to torment him and also has to come to terms with his timid personality and arrested development. Speaking of which, ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT's Tony Hale has a hilarious role in the film as Mr. Crowder the band teacher. Lifford mixes dark comedy and real drama, which actually gets seriously disturbing at times. Nevertheless, the comedy does work tremendously well and had me laughing constantly. The acting by Parker, Anderson, and Alicia Anthony, who plays Maddie Worth, is excellent.

OTIS UNDER SKY INTERVIEW

2011-03-18T08:50:00.000-07:00

Mark Saldana’s Interview with director Anlo Sepulveda and actors Roberta Colindrez, Anis Mojgani, and Jacqueline Leal from the film OTIS UNDER SKY Monday afternoon I was blessed with the opportunity to interview the director and lead actors from a film that is visually gorgeous, has characters who should win the hearts of any audience, and was achieved without a definitive script. This was no easy feat, but at the same time felt liberating and exciting for the cast and crew of OTIS UNDER SKY. Mark Saldana: How did this film idea come about? Is it based on any personal experiences? Anlo Sepulveda: Otis is loosely based on a guy I knew named Garrison. He was a bull rider who really got into Eastern philosophies and eventually moved to Morocco, grew a beard, and learned Arabic. In the movie, Otis is not a bull rider, but his interest in Eastern religions and philosophies were inspired by Garrison. MS: You’ve directed shorts and documentaries prior to this film. How did this film differ from your previous work? AS: The whole production spanned over a larger period of time. It was much more time consuming than shorts. My work in documentaries did prepare me for the task, though. I took this approach to OTIS in that I shot it much like a documentary is. MS: Would this fall under the category of guerilla style filmmaking. AS: Exactly MS: How challenging was it to produce a film unscripted? AS: Very challenging, but my wife Mandi who produced the film kept everything organized and on track. MS: How challenging was it for you the actors? Anis Mojgani: Challenging, but beneficial and fun. Roberta Sepulveda: Very liberating without the structure of the script. Awesome, but stressful MS: I have not seen the film yet. What should I expect going into this film if you could describe in a few words? AS: It is a gentle tale of love and loss, a struggle for connection in a often disconnected world. AM: It attempts to be sincere without being cynical. RC: There is a theme of growth, a duality of connection and disconnection, growth and learning Jacqueline Leal: Visually beautiful. MS: Anis, tell me about your career as a poet and spoken word artist. AM: I have been writing poetry for 12-15 years now and doing spoken word for 5 or 6 years. I have done shows at schools and colleges. It comes from a quieter and organic place very much involved in the imagination. MS: Roberta, I read in the press kit that you are currently a cast member for the Neo-Futurist. Tell me about this. RC: It is a unique Avant Garde aesthetic in NYC. 18 artists write, direct, perform about 30 plays within 60 minutes. MS: What projects do you all have next? AM: I’m getting married, planning a wedding. After this I will be working on a children’s book and finishing a script. RC: I just hired an agent and plan to seek more work with the agent’s help now. Until then I will continue with Neo-Futurism and I have started writing a screenplay. AS: I started working with Paul Collins on a documentary on the San Marcos River. Also will continue to seek distribution for OTIS UNDER SKY JL: Will act in a surfer film and a film thriller in Uganda.

Mark Saldana The Movie Doc

Liz at SXSW- From horror to romantic comedy and dramas

2011-03-17T11:21:00.000-07:00

Wednesday was an interesting day of films for me as I stayed in the Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar area for most of my business from 9:30 am to almost 6pm.

I was able to attend another one of the SXFantastic film screenings, selected by the Fantastic Fest folks. I viewed 'Kill List' and it is a very good film and great departure from the previous film I saw, Jez Jerzy (George the Hedgehog). 'Kill List' keeps the viewer very much intrigued with the characters and their actions, as compared to one about a hedgehog. Both hail from different countries, but I prefer the film with humans over the one about a hedgehog, who somehow thinks and acts as if he is a human, including getting the girl; a human girl at that!

I took a break over at Casa Garcia's and had some yummy food to keep me going for the rest of the day. The staff is always very attentive to me and give me a quiet space to think, or just get refueled while I run from one screening to another during this city's film festivals (this is my fourth since September 2010).

Later that afternoon, I was glad to catch the film from Chile, 'F*** My Life' (Que Pena Tu Vida) and it is a film that connects the viewer with the man-boy who has his ups and downs in life. Typical to some people, he does not know what he has until he gives it up, then he crys about it- almost forever. It is funny to see the protagonist go from day to day in his pursuit of whatever he is chasing that day. There are some very funny scenes and if a romantic comedy is your fancy, there is another screening tonight at the Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar Theater at 8pm. There are still single ticket sales available to the films, but I would advise to arrive early to secure tickets.

Just as a reminder, Sudor Frio (Cold Sweat), from Argentina, is also screening tonight at the Alamo South Lamar Theater tonight too, starting at 11:30pm. This is part of the SXFantastic films presented, so it will be a drastic change from the romantic comedy of 'F*** My Life'.

I ran back into the Capital area looking for parking in order to try to get into the film screening of 'The Beaver' by director Jodie Foster. How lucky I was to find a free space close enough to get into the badge line and join my friends and fellow critics. I am so glad I did not miss this film and throughly enjoyed the film with the cast that includes Jodie Foster, Mel Gibson and Anton Yelchin. The Q&A after the film was also quite informative. I certainly hope this has a theatrical release in the near future.

Jodie flew in from Paris where she is shooting another film and was flying back to finish the project. The audience in attendance was very lucky to have had the opportunity to hear from her during SXSW, considering her other current film work. Keep your eyes open for this drama, based on a screenplay by Austin based writer, Kyle Killen.

Hope the rest of this day is a good one for you. I am wearing green just in case for this holiday.
Feliz Dia de San Patricio!
sub-title= Happy St. Patrick's Day!!

Liz

Riley's Paul and Bridesmaids recap

2011-03-17T10:02:00.000-07:00

Sunday was another exciting night at SXSW, a long night. Simon Pegg, Nick Frost (Hot Fuzz), and Kristen Wiig (SNL), all sowed up in Austin, for the US premiere of their new movie Paul, followed by Wiig's new film Bridesmaids. The theatre was packed; everyone in the audience went crazy and started screaming when Paul's writers and main stars, Frost and Pegg, along with co star, Wigg, and Directer Greg Mottola (Adventurland), came onto the stage to introduce their new movie. Practically everyone whipped out a camera or phone, and started taking the talents' pictures. About fifteen minutes later, everyone took their seats, and the movie begain.
I loved Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz, and had high expectaions for Paul, but honestly, the movie is just "okay." The Film's comedic timing is spot on the special effects are very believible for CGI, and the acting is quite good. Unfortunitly, other than a few random scenes, not necessary to the plot , the movie is quite predictable, and a bit chiche. The Film makes many different references to alien films, much of which I enjoyed, but have been done before. The only moments which could surprise the audience have already been previewed in the movie's trailer. Instead of being a spoof on the genre of alien films, it was nothign but lots of overblown,hackneyed references to these more remarkable films. It's as if the writers made a list of all the memerable moments in their favorite alien films, and then tried to incorporate these moments into a script, without much plot attached. While the humerous style of the Brits worked very well in Shaun of the Dead, it did not translate well in Paul. The Main feeling this film left me with is one of nistalgia for the better films it mocked. An okay film- not a great film.
After the film was over Pegg, Frost, Wiig, and Mottola returned to the stage for a quick Q and A. Pegg and Frost were hilarious. they joked about the Spielberg cameo, sayingthat they auditioned many big nameed directors before settling for Speilberg. A few members of the audience kept asking Frost of he would eat crazy, gross things, like chocolate jerkey, a waist of a good question. They wraped up the Q and A, passed out "Paul" masks to everyone in the audience, and then, wearing the masks, we all took a group picture with the cast. It was AWSOME!
A little bit after midnight the second movie, Bridesmaids, staring and co- written by Kristen Wiig began. I was seriously surprized by how much I enjoyed this film. I was afraid this movie would be overdrapatic, like last years film MacGruber, but instead I saw Kristen Wiig give her most subtlest performance to date. She gives a very natural performance, and while the film has still has some quirk, overdramatic, situations, perfect for SNL, the acting is much more realistic, not allways going for the laughs. But this is a great , feel good, hillarious (my friends and I could not stop laughing), girl bonding movie, with some very sincere moments, in case you can't tell- I really liked this film.

Laurie's NEXT Blog - The Other F Word, Beaver, Win Win and MORE!

2011-03-17T09:56:00.000-07:00

Smack in the middle of SXSW, my beautiful granddaughter, Leia Anne Roselyn Coker was born. I typically am more on top of my blogging and reviews and while I have managed to make several screenings and a few red carpets, I have neglected the writing aspect. Shame on me, I suppose, but my new little angel and her wonderful parents and of course, my adorable grandson, take top bill with me.

Jumping right in, however, I'd like to mention a documentary that I saw called 'The Other F Word,' about punk rockers from the eighties (from bands like Pennywise, Blink 182, Red Hot Chili Peppers and others), who are fathers now (thus the "other F word"). Honestly, the day I saw the film, I was exhausted, sleep deprived really, but colorful characters, perfect editing and excellent direction kept me engaged and entertained. I had opportunity to speak to the film's producer, director and editor the next morning and I truly enjoyed the visit (which I will write more about later). They tell me no one has picked up the film yet (I am thinking IFC, HBO, VH1 or MTV should). More than a film about punk rock dads, 'The Other F Word' is about all fathers and the way men can grow up and out of past bad experiences and become fathers if they want to bad enough and about how no one is perfect, no one. These father just do the best they can and they love unconditionally. Most has rough childhoods and most has lousy or absent fathers, so being better dad holds priority to career even and the irony of singing about how authority sucks and dropping anti-establishment credos and every foul word in the world and then turning around as authority figures for their children is not lost in the film, in fact was suppose to be the focus, but there is so much more to this dads. I cannot say enough good about 'The Other F Word,' which will screen one more time at the festival, (Thursday 17th March) and I do really recommend it and hope that some smart company executive does pick it up. Dads from all walks of life, heck all parents, will appreciate the candor and honesty of the film.

My festival favorite so far and holding firm, is Win Win, starring Paul Giamatti and Amy Ryan and directed my Thomas McCarthy (who gave me my festival favorite two years ago with The Visitor). 'Win Win' will hit theatres soon and I was lucky enough to catch it at the Paramount (even if it was 8:30 am) with only two other people. I loved it. McCarthy has a way of capturing people - real people in real, not always perfect situations and in this case, we get a laywer who business is waining, a boy who hates his mother, a wife who loves her family and a mother who is terrible at the job of parenting. HUMAN, REAL and MOVING to watch. The film introduces us to newcomer

Alex Shaffer (a high school wrestler) and I sat down with Alex to ask about his transition into acting. Because of a back injury, he is dropping wrestling (he is GOOD) and focuing ALL his energies on acting - and I will say, he is a natural. I spoke to Paul and Amy on the red carpet and Thomas McCarthy and all are so gracious and sincere. I see Paul, like I do Richard Jenkins (The Visitor) as quiet, gentle and yes, sexy men and love them in leading roles. I will be writing a longer review when the movie opens and more about my red carpet experiences and conversation with Shaffer, but for now, know that 'Win Win' is a WINNER!! Wonderful film!!

I also saw 'Beaver,' starring and directed by Jodie Foster and co-starring Mel Gibson, a film about a man's battle with depression, his family's struggles and a beaver puppet. As weird as it sounds, Foster's take on depression and the hold is has over all involved is moving. I felt the film was too short (just over 90 minutes) and I don't say that every often, but I needed more character discovery and with a side story involving the son, Foster rushes out too soon. Still, I did enjoy and appreciate the film's message.

For now I am going to call it quits and head once again to the festival and the Alamo South. 'The Dish and the Spoon is on my list today, so off I go.

Update from Liz on Cold Sweat (Sudor Frio) screenings

2011-03-16T13:22:00.000-07:00

Cold Sweat (Sudor Frio) is one of the five Fantastic Fest films to be screened during SXSW 2011.

I went to see the film from Argentina on Tuesday night at the Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar and can safely say it had me on the edge of my seat! I was able to listen to the Q&A with Tim League and the director, Adrian Garcia Bogliano, who traveled from Argentina to screen his film as an International Premiere. The Spanish language film has sub-titles.

I had the pleasure of an interview with the director this afternoon and if you are a fan of this genre, I think you will not be disappointed in staying up late night for this one.

The film from director Garcia Bogliano will screen tonight, Wednesday the 16th, at the Alamo Ritz Theater at 11.30pm. In case it is too late for today, the third SXSW screening will be on Thursday at the Alamo South Lamar Theater, also starting at 11.30pm.

Stay tuned to films that will be showing soon at the Alamo Drafthouse Theaters, in case we have an update if the film will have a theatrical opening here in Austin.

Gotta run, as I am off to catch another screening. Be back soon to let you know how things have been going on the other films and interviews. This is tiring, but what fun and opportunity to meet people.

Liz

FOO FIGHTERS Documentary

2011-03-16T08:35:00.000-07:00

The band arrived to introduce their film. They later performed a concert for their premiere party at Stubbs

PAUL SCREENING AT THE PARAMOUNT

2011-03-16T08:33:00.001-07:00

Director Greg Mottola with actors Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, and Kristen Wiig at the screening for PAUL on Sunday night.

ELEVATE: An Interview with director Anne Buford

2011-03-16T08:28:00.000-07:00

I got to meet and take a photo with Assane and Dethie from ELEVATE.

Mark Saldana’s Interview with Anne Buford, director of ELEVATE On Monday morning March 14, I had the honor and pleasure of interviewing a director whose first film made its premiere and debut here at SXSW Film 2011 the night before. I attended this first screening with much interest and anticipation and was not disappointed. Anne Buford’s ELEVATE tells the true stories of four young men from Senegal, Africa (Assane Sene, Byago Diouf, Dethie Fall, and Aziz Ndiaye) who join the SEEDS Academy. This program, started by Amadou Gallo Fall, a native of Senegal and former NBA player, assists Senegalese boys seeking educational and athletic opportunities in the United States. The film truly touched my heart. I absolutely loved learning about the inspirational stories of these young men who have struggled to get where they are today. When I met with Ms. Buford, she obviously feels much pride for these young men who have come along way (not only in distance), like a close aunt would feel for her nephews. She was very easy to talk to, down to earth, and a joy to interview. Mark Saldana: This is your first film. Was pursuing this career as a filmmaker something you have dreamt about for a long time or something that just evolved through your previous work in communications and fashion? (Anne Buford previously worked for Vogue magazine.) Anne Buford: I always loved film, especially documentary film. I grew up in Kansas. When I grew up, I wanted to see the outside world, experience different places, and pursue a career in media. I attended the University of Kansas where I studied art history. Eventually, I got a job at Vogue magazine as an assistant to Anna Wintour and worked my way up. Writer/director Robert Benton was one of my inspirations to pursue a film career. MS: Regarding the SEEDS Academy, besides education and career opportunities through basketball, do you see a possibility for branching out and expanding to other sports or even other fields such as careers in art or science? AB: Amadou’s (Gallo Fall) dream is to take it beyond sports. His main expertise and connections lie within the world of basketball. He needs more co-collaborators that could assist him with expansion. It’s hard to find someone who loves the work as much as he does. MS: Would you ever consider allowing Hollywood to adapt your documentary into a feature film? I couldn’t help, but think of how well THE BLIND SIDE was adapted into a feature motion picture. I truly believe your film could translate very well also. AB: Yes I would love to have my film adapted. It’s about the boys. They are like family to me. Actually, Assane (Sene) could play himself. He has the right personality for film and looks great on camera. MS: Have you or Amadou received any criticism from people stating that the boys in SEEDS are being exploited for their attributes or skills in sports? AB: Amadou has an open program which works well with the boys’ families. I personally haven’t received or heard of any criticism. In making the film, I did walk a fine line where it could have gone on an exploitive path, but I care a lot for the boys and would never hurt them or allow them to be hurt. MS: Have there been any young men in the program who have not been successful and returned home? AB: I don’t know. Amadou created a program that oversees the recruitment process for the boys. He makes sure they are getting the right mentoring, good coaching, and that they have positive influences and reinforcement in their lives. The boys will always have each other for support. No matter the distance, they stay in constant contact with each other through the telephone or computer. They are a band of brothers. MS: Can you see the SEEDS program expanding beyond Senegal assisting youth in other countries? AB: Amadou would love to expand, but I encouraged him first to perfect the model in Senegal before thinking of expansion. Senegal has a very particular culture. The other thing is that you don’t want a program to expand too large for its own good. MS: What were some of the challenges of working there? AB: We were using new technology with our equipment. The heat would be hard on our computers and with our resources limited there, we had to discover new ways of doing things. Weather was the big factor. We had to deal with the rainy season as well as the harsh heat. MS: This was a project very close to your heart. Do you have any other film ideas similar to this one and as close to your heart as this one? AB: I have one, but can’t say I know how to do it. MS: Can you elaborate or explain? AB: (Shakes her head) MS: Too personal? AB: All of my projects are personal. It is the only way to get a finished project

Movie Doc's Tuesday March 15, Day 5

2011-03-16T07:14:00.000-07:00

My Tuesday went pretty smoothly and not so hectic and chaotic as some of the other days. I checked out the Narrative Shorts 1 program at the Alamo Ritz. This program features some lovely gems (FATAKARA, PIONEER, NOCTURN), heartbreaking reality (FRAN'S DAUGHTER, THE THIRD ONE THIS WEEK, THE STRANGE ONES), and some attempts at comedy (THE ANNOUNCEMENT, HOWLING AT THE MOON). In all fairness comedy is a difficult genre to pull off, and this is evident in those last two films mentioned. Overall, this program displays the work of talented filmmakers who deserve an audience for their hard work. I lined up immediately after this at the Paramount for the FOO FIGHTERS documentary. I have been a fan of the Foo Fighters' music since their first album, but I honestly did not know much about the lives of the people in the band, other than Dave Grohl, the former drummer of Nirvana. This comprehensive music doc. takes audiences on a journey throught the career of Grohl as an aspiring punk rock drummer in Seattle, through his too short career with Nirvana, and his perserverance through his love of rock music with his own band. This film is a must see for fans of the Foo and for fans of hard rocking music. Casual fans of the band will get to know the people in the band well and will become die hard fans after watching this. Following this movie, I left the chaos of downtown and drove to a theater closer to my home, the Regal Westgate. This was a refreshing change from the craziness and long lines of the main venues of SXSW. Here, I watched OTIS UNDER SKY, a low budget Austin production by director Anlo Sepulveda. This unscripted, guerilla style film takes us through a few days in the life of Otis (Anis Mojgani), a depressed. socially disconnected young artist searching for ways to either cope or escape the inevitable dark times, sadness, and heartbreak that life sometimes deals humanity. He becomes intrigued, or obsessed with Eastern religions in an attempt at a more Zen-like, peaceful, and less needy existence. Besides his spiritual pursuits, Otis keeps himself busy with his techie-art projects, video blogging, and recording people with his camcorder. While on one of his more unusual endeavors, he catches the eye of Ursula (Roberta Colindrez) who has been coping with the departure of her girlfriend and anxiously awaits her return. Ursula and Otis connect in a profound way which helps revive Otis at first then crushes him later. His experience drives him to take his spiritual pursuits to a higher level and also inspires his latest project in a major way. As I stated in a previous blog, I interviewed director Sepulveda and three members of his cast on Monday. Now that I've seen the film, I must say that Sepulveda, his crew, cast, and producer/wife Mandi did a remarkable job on this film which feels like an extended short film, but still manages to develop the characters well, perhaps more so than most mainstream motion pictures. Anlo Sepulveda has an incredible eye for visuals and uses this talent in an amazing and artistic way to tell his story. His cast, mainly Anis and Roberta, offers incredible performances and should have bright futures as actors. It still amazes me how well the filmmakers pulled this film off and made it flow well without a definitive script. That is not to say that there are no awkward moments which stall the film. Nevertheless, the fact that Sepulveda and cast put together this film, which plays very well without the aid of a script is proof postitive of the immense talent they have. I look forward to more films by Anlo Sepulveda and hope to see Anis Mojgani and Roberta Colindrez in more movies. Go see this movie because this one has been overlooked by SXSW audiences for the most part. (Note: Been tremendously busy so I haven't put together my notes from my interview with the director and cast, but will get to it as soon as I can and will post here.) Mark Saldana The Movie Doc

Movie Doc's Sunday and Monday of SXSW Film 2011

2011-03-15T06:50:00.000-07:00

After recovering from the switch to Daylight Savings Time, I had the pleasure of watching a beautifully moving documentary of the SEEDS program which helps basketball players in Senegal relocate to the US to pursue educational and basketball endeavours. ELEVATE tells the stories of four young men and their experiences through the SEEDS program, the trials and tribulations of adjusting to American culture, and the hard work each had to give to succeed in high school and college, not just athletically, but academically. I truly enjoyed this film and highly recommend it. Catch it at SXSW if possible. If not, look for it hopefully in theaters or on video.

Following the screening, I was honored by an invitation to the premiere party of ELEVATE. I had the pleasure of meeting two of the young men from the film, Assane and Dethie, as well as director Anne Buford whom I interviewed the following morning. I took a picture with Assane and Dethie and will try to post later.

After eating some delicious food and enjoying some good beer at the party, I rushed over to the Paramount theater to catch a movie I highly anticipated. PAUL which stars SHAUN OF THE DEAD's and HOT FUZZ's Simon Pegg and Nick Frost who both wrote the film as well. This movie teams the hilarious duo with American director Greg Mottola (SUPERBAD, ADVENTURELAND). I enjoyed this comedy which tells the science fiction tale of Paul, a laid back, slackerish, rude, but still likable alien from another planet. While visiting the US, two sci fi and comic geeks Graeme and Clive decide to visit the infamous sites where aliens supposedly landed. Near Area 51, the two stumble upon Paul (voiced excellently by Seth Rogan) who had just escaped the secret government facility and just wants to catch a ride to his home planet. I absolutely loved the humor which poke fun at and celebrates nerdiness and pop culture. The movie also stars Kristen Wiig in a lovely role as Ruth, an innocent, but lovable devout Christian. While the movie lacks the cool stylings of Edgar Wright who usually directs Pegg and Frost, Mottola manages to offer audiences a lovely mixture of his American sensibilities and the excellent humor of the British duo.

It seems that it was a Kristen Wiig night at the Paramount. The audience was treated to a double feature which was refreshing in that the SXSW staff allowed us to remain in our seats after PAUL instead of joining the line outside. The second film in the Kristen Wiig double feature was a "work in progress" print of BRIDESMAIDS. Wiig stars as Annie, a sweet but down on her luck, lady who has been selected by her best friend Lillian (Maya Rudolph) to be her maid of honor at her wedding. With Annie already struggling with her own crises, things get worse when Lillian's other good friend Helen (Rose Byrne), a beautiful and wealthy woman who seems to have it all, tries to use her money and resources to take over the wedding and the role of maid of honor. A struggle between Annie and Helen ensues with mostly funny results. I say mostly funny because not all of the jokes succeed. In fact, the movie does run on a bit long, much longer than it should. Again, it is a work in progress so perhaps by the time it gets released, director Paul Feig or whoever has the final cut will trim the running time down. I did enjoy most of the humor, but was not entirely pleased with the resolution. Still, with a great cast which also features Jon Hamm, Melissa McCarthy, Chris O'Dowd, Ellie Kemper, and Wendi McLendon-Covey, both women and men should find some enjoyment in this movie.

On Monday morning after not enough sleep, I met with director Anne Bufford (ELEVATE) for a scheduled interview which went really well. Ms. Bufford was a joy to chat with. She obviously feels very passionately about her film, the SEEDS program, and the young men on whom her film is based. She is very close to these gentlemen, much like a loving aunt would be. Ms. Bufford is easy to talk to, down to earth, and was a great pleasure to interview. I will either post the interview on the blog here or on our website, but need to consult with my editors first.

Following the interview, I took some time to rest a bit, but couldn't do this too long or I would be asleep for the rest of the day. After taking this much needed pause, I lined up at the State theater for a film called SMALL BEAUTIFULLY MOVING PARTS. Written and directed by Annie J. Howell and Lisa Robinson, this film explores the inner struggles of Sarah Sparks, a technical whiz who can fix just about any kind of machine. The trouble is she doesn't know how to fix her problems in her life and has trouble relating to people. Sarah becomes pregnant and has trouble coping emotionally with this new development. She feels that if she cannot connect and relate to people how can she raise a child as a mother. Sarah confronts the main source of her issues, her estranged mother whom she hasn't spoken with in a long time. I thought the film was an interesting piece with a well conceived purpose. However, it seemed nothing was resolved in the films conclusion and while Sarah makes a breakthrough by facing her mother, she still has more issues to face. I can't say I highly recommend this movie, but if one happens to miss another film and can catch it, it is not a bad way to kill time.

Next, I had another scheduled interview with director Anlo Sepulveda, and actors Anis Mojgandi, Roberta Colindrez, and Jacqueline Leal from the film OTIS UNDER SKY. I have not seen this film, but will be watching it on Tuesday night. I did enjoy chatting with Sepulveda and his cast members and learned much about their film, their careers, and their approach to this movie which is mostly unscripted. Anlo Sepulveda is another director who feels tremendously passionate about his art and hopes that his movie gets picked up for distribution so that he may continue creating more work.

After enjoying my two free drinks at the registrants lounge (badge holders are allowed two a day here), I ran back to the Paramount to line up for WIN WIN. A colleague from another website had informed me that this film is a must see at SXSW. I have to say that the film does not disappoint. Starring Paul Giamatti, Amy Ryan, Bobby Cannavale, Jeffrey Tambor, and Alex Shaffer, this Thomas McCarthy directed movie will probably become this year's BLIND SIDE. Giamatti plays Mike Flaherty, a struggling attorney and high school wrestling coach who, in a desperate attempt to save his practice and protect his family from financial trouble, makes some poor unscrupulous decisions regarding one of his clients. When the client's grandson Kyle (Shaffer) enters the picture, things get even more complicated. With no one to turn to, Mike and his family take in Kyle and practically raise him as one of their own. Kyle also happens to be a gifted and talented wrestler and helps revive the struggling team. Unfortunately, as things seem to improving for everyone involved, Kyle's mother Cindy (Melanie Linskey) tries to re-enter Kyle's life after a stint in rehab. Mike and his wife Jackie (Amy Ryan) have to decide what is best for their family including Kyle even if it involves an ugly courtroom battle. I loved this movie which wonderfully combines heartwarming poignancy, intense drama, and wonderfully written and performed comedy. I feel that while this movie isn't based on a true story like THE BLIND SIDE, that because of the complexity of the characters and their dilemmas, WIN WIN surpasses THE BLIND SIDE on several levels. The cast deliver near perfect performances. Up and coming actor Alex Shaffer should be watched carefully as I hope he goes on to bigger and better things.

Immediate after this film, I rushed outside to get in line for the much talked about and highly anticipated Ain't It Cool News 15TH Anniversary Screening. World famous film blogger Harry Knowles toyed and teased the audience at first before introducing his co-host, director Guillermo Del Toro and revealing that the film would be the 80s fantasy classic DRAGONSLAYER, complete with old fantasy film trailers from the 60s, 70s, 80s, and 90s. While I was hoping for a new film such as the rumored THOR (among other rumors), I still enjoyed watching this movie about wizards and a huge fire-breathing dragon.

Mark Saldana
The Movie Doc

Haylin's Weekend Recap

2011-03-15T02:33:00.000-07:00

Good morning, Truvies! Haylin here. As I volunteer at SXSW to get my film badge, I usually have to spend the latter half of the week working and not seeing too many films. Sunday night was the final of its kind: a night that I didn't have to work, and could devote all of my time to checking out some of the great films here at SXSW this year. So, here's a quick recap of the weekend so far!

Friday

SOURCE CODEB+ Duncan Jones's freshman feature, MOON, played at SXSW; how fitting that his sophomore effort SOURCE CODE would open the 2011 festival. Featuring solid performances from personal favorites Jake Gyllenhaal, Vera Farmiga, and Michelle Monaghan, SOURCE CODE was a fun if somewhat underdeveloped film - enjoyable, but not much to write home about.

PRESSPAUSEPLAYB- PRESSPAUSEPLAY claims to be an analysis of the interaction of creativity, artistic industry, and new media. But it's far from being critical or analytical in the slightest. Instead, this documentary merely illustrates the current climate in music, film, and literature, using gorgeous aesthetics and a fantastic soundtrack to maintain viewers' attention. It was fun, but very shallow.

Saturday
A BAG OF HAMMERS

A+ Following two young men who lead easy lives of thievery and no responsibilities, A BAG OF HAMMERS is a beautifully directed comedy with some of the most intensely emotional moments I've experienced at any SXSW film. I suspect this movie will be my BROTHERHOOD of 2011 - my favorite film of the festival, and one that never gets picked up. Fingers crossed that A BAG OF HAMMERS will receive the attention it deserves.

WUSS

C Advertised as the story of a mild-mannered high school teacher who seeks revenge after being physically abused

by his students, WUSS is actually a bizarre mixture of comedy, melodrama, and crime drama. Unfortunately, the mixture doesn't quite work. WUSS doesn't have enough ideas to fill its run time, and the premise quickly wears thin. Mediocre acting from the supporting cast only makes this film even more of a disappointment.

SUPER

B+ A gritty and incredibly violent comedy about justice, revenge, and letting go. Though it's relentlessly funny and has fantastic performances from stars Ellen Page and Rainn Wilson, a tightened up script could have helped the film immensely. Still a definite stand-out film, however, if only for its brilliant animated title sequence.

Sunday
WEEKEND

B+ A quiet, queer film about sex and relationships between men - specifically a closeted man and an outspoken, wanderlusting artist he picks up at a club. Spanning 2-3 days (depending on how you count), WEEKEND has an interesting pacing and deeply realistic style that makes it fascinating, if a bit slow. Gorgeous, gorgeous storytelling.

KUMARE

A- A brilliant documentary of the story of Vikram Gandhi, a young man who pretends to be a Hindu mystic named Sri Kumare. The conclusions he draws about spirituality and identity are profound regardless of faith or background. Also? It's hilarious.

LBF

A A pop art film without all the things I hate about pop art. Based on "Living Between Fucks," LBF is a look at love in the postmodernist age, with all the traditional tropes of straight white men and their Manic Pixie Dream Girls. What saves LBF is its surprising honesty, gorgeous soundtrack, incredible directing, and short, concise run time. Definitely a film I'd see again.

HESHER

B+ Starring my favorite actor, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, as a mysterious homeless man of indeterminate age and background, HESHER contrasts chaos and order to express the catharsis of indulging one's primal, violent id. The film is dragged down by Natalie Portman's uninspiring performance and redundant script, but saved by Gordon-Levitt's comedic ability and the strength of the child actor lead.

Laurie' First SXSW Post

2011-03-13T12:45:00.000-07:00

Laurie here. After a pretty eventful day yesterday (Saturday the 12th), Sunday has turned out mellow. But first back to Saturday. Having seen Source Code on Friday night, as I mentioned earlier, I attempted the panel for the movie, but the room was HOT. I knew I had roundtable interviews with the cast, so I wandered over the press suite (food, drinks, massages, free use laptops, info and more. Then my photographer, Riley, and hI made our way to the Four Seasons for our interviews (no photos allowed as it turned out, but Riley sat in) and the group at my table was super nice. First we spoke to Michelle Monaghan who stars as Christine in Source Code. What a dynamic, outspoken women she turned out to be. I appreciate her zeal and candor. Most of the questions proved pretty heady since the movie subject matter lends itself to that and once I go back over my audio, I will add more and include details in my full review.

So for now, I am just going to fill everyone in on the interview (roundtable) experience. Disappointingly, as noted, we were asked not to take pictures, and boy, I wanted pictures, especially of Jake Gyllenhaal (Capt. Steven Colton), who is a handsome in person as he is on the big or little screening, having seen him with Anne Hathaway in Love and Other Drugs, I could not help but imagine him nude (I know, I know, I am old compared to him, but he is beautiful! As in all of his roles, his eyes speak volumes and he, like Monaghan, is amazing candid, approachable and dynamic. He answered several questions regarding performing virtually alone for many scenes in the film and for having to repeat the same 8 minutes (with some variations) otherwise. He and Vera Farminga (Goodwin), who was also in attendance, both had scenes where there were basically talking to themselves rather than acting to or with other actors. He is in a pod of sorts and she is sitting at a control panel speaking into a computer camera. Again, I marvel at Gyllenhaal's ability to act so clearly with his eyes. Farminga, too, excels in her role, but in person she is far more quiet and demure than the others.

I also spoke to Duncan Jones who directed and writer Ben Ripley. I want to save details for my review, but I thing that Duncan and Ripley did an exception thing with Source Code, by successfully creating a non-linear story that NEVER loses its way and they keep the audience engaged and interested every minute of the ride.

After my interviews, Riley and I stopped my the IFC Crossroads House to see an interview with Raine Wilson who stars with Ellen Page in Super, which I saw late Saturday night and I must say that was film is one wild and crazy, sometimes unsettling and quite surprising movie. I am not sure I would see it twice, but I am glad I saw it when I did. There was a super Q and A following it with Raine, the director and Ellen Page. What fun! Still, it was difficult dragging myself out of bed this morning after getting in near 1:30 AM.

Before Super, I watched a ghost story of sorts called The Innkeepers, starring Sara Paxton and Pat Healey and I enjoyed it, so much more than Insidious starring Patrick Wilson, which I saw at a pre SXSw screening, but is screening here too, and I love Wilson. Paxton, whom I met with Healey on the prescreening red carpet, tosses out all the beauty products and long locks to play, Claire, a frumpy small town gal, who along with her buddy, Luke (Healey) man a haunted inn on its last open weekend. What made this film so much better than Insidious for is the cast (all five or six of them), because they actually can act. Where in Insidious, the cast, except for Wilson, let me flat. Poor acting abounds, even Barbara Hersey seems uninterested in putting out much effort. Add to a less than stellar cast, cheesy costuming and lame creature make up and poof I hated it! I talked to a few folks who agreed with me on the cast issues, but still liked Insidious better. Go figure.

Today, Riley and I made our way to the Alamo South Lamar to see The Sound of My Voice, which came highly recommended by my friend Stephen Davis (owner of collegemoviereview.com), who saw it a Sundance, but I cannot say I hold it in as high regard, although it held my interest. It is the story of a couple who joins a cult in a effort to do a documentary revealing the fraud being perpetrated by a woman, known only as Maggie, who claims to be from the future. It is intriguing and suspenseful, but I suppose, if I am being honest, not actually my thing.

I am probably going to opt out of the SXSW biggie Paul tonight, starring Simon Pegg, choosing instead to spend the evening with my grandson and daughter-in-law because my granddaughter is due to arrive on Wed, if not earlier. So there is where I am in my SXSW experience thus far. Oh and I saw Pee Wee Herman (aka Paul Ruebens) on 7th and Congress with the PlayHouse truck and he and his crew handed out free ice cream before the screening of his documentary set to air on HBO on March 19th. I am not sure if I will see The Pee Wee Herman Show on Broadway here because of conflicts, but am curious enough to catch it on HBO.

I am off now, to see what more I can get into before I call it quits for the afternoon. Back soon.

Liz sends 'Hello' from downtown Austin and SXSW 2011

2011-03-13T12:41:00.000-07:00

Hello film fans and faithful readers of trueviewreviews.net from Liz Lopez!

SXSW 2011 officially started on March 11th, but for some of us, it started much earlier as we started reviewing films early in anticipation of interviews during the forthcoming SXSW 2011 Film Conference and Festival.

There is quite an energy in the air, as this is the 25th anniversary of SXSW. The event started as a regional music festival in Austin, Texas and has since known expanded to film and then an Interactive conference and festival with a myriad of activities to suit many tastes. SXSW is host to local, national and international talent and is known worldwide.

In case someone is not familiar with all the history of SXSW, I highly recommend the film documentary, 'Outside Industry: The Story of SXSW', an ARTS+LABOR Film and directed by co-founder, Alan Berg from Austin. The World Premiere will be at the Paramount Theater on Wednesday, March 16th and will screen one more time during the festival.

I have had an amazing time from the start, even on Thursday (March 10th) when I was at the Austin Convention Center picking up my badge. I met two gentlemen from Monterrey, Mexico who were picking up their badges for the Interactive Conference and they were very excited to be in Austin. We discussed how there was going to be very interesting panels relating to the international community, including Mexico.

On Friday, I did not have the opportunity to be on the red carpet for photos of the talent from 'The Source Code' movie, so I missed seeing Jake G. in the flesh, especially after his performance in another film released in Fall 2010.

The bright spot of the beginning of SXSW on Friday (11th) was covering the red carpet at the Alamo Drafthouse South for 'Girl Walks into A Bar'. The director/writer, Sebastian Gutierrez, along with cast, Danny DeVito, Rosario Dawson and Carla Gugino were extremely pleasant to talk to and they provided loads of information on the film that is now available for the public to view on the Internet. Gutierrez did the same for the SXSW 2010 film, Electralux, so there were many questions from fellow press members about his decision to release the films online instead of theatrically.

I am very disappointed that I did not have a seat available in the actual screening of this film that evening, since I was a press member who covered this red carpet. I was told they were at maximum seating capacity. I wanted to see the film on the big screen, not just on a computer. That has never happened to me when I have covered red carpets before, so I am not sure where the breakdown was. At that point, it mattered not that I had a SXSW press credential and everyone saw that I had been there since 5pm! I know better for next time and will try to ensure I am left out again!!

I happily left the theater and raced back to the Paramount Theater area to be ready for the World Premiere of 'blacktino' by director Aaron Burns, son of Elizabeth Avellan. Make sure not to miss this spunky film during the other two screenings of the film in two different theaters during SXSW. The film features Austin Marshall, in his debut acting performance. Marshall hails from the Austin/Round Rock area.

Saturday the 12th was a totally busy day, starting at 9am with interviews with the director, writer and producer for 'Insidious' that is screening during SXSW. It has screened once, but there are a couple of more screenings available for fans of this genre. Like Patrick Wilson's performances? If so, here is your shot to see him in this indie flick. Despite a disclaimer from James (director) and Lee (actor/writer) at the start of their interviews that their energy level was quite low from a long, long night in Austin, they were both very animated and energetic in sharing information with the press members in my interview. Lee had his shades, so I wore my shades during the interview too to keep him company. He said it was a very acceptable thing to do in California, but since we are in Texas, he was not quite sure how cool it was here.

I then ran off to the Austin Convention Center area for a press event hosted by Filemaker. I had a good opportunity to network over brunch with local press I know, as well as meeting a great freelance journalist from Amsterdam. We had a great time connecting over professional and personal challenges and felt more empowered to have a good and productive time during SXSW 2011. The presentation that we received from the Filemaker staff was very impressive and we look forward to using the product in the near future.

Next, my journey led me to the location of the former Kyoto Restaurant on South Congress for my interview opportunities with the director and cast of 'blacktino' that screened the previous night. Great energy and information for me on the 2nd floor venue with the great people and very welcoming Ivette Rodriguez who flew in from California to coordinate the publicity activities. What a buzz!!

I took some time to chill and get my battery charged (not just the cell phone), before the evening screenings at the Paramount, 'The Innkeepers' and 'Super'. Both films were very well attended and I had a great time in the badge line for a couple of hours. Bystanders and festival attendees were treated to ice cream by Pee Wee Herman himself. He had a handheld video device and scanned the audience participants, pausing momentarily in front of me to take some footage. I hope I do not end up on the Internet or something, but in today's world, our activities are online with the push of a button and before we know it!

Although I did not do the red carpet coverage for 'The Innkeepers' or 'Super', the cast and crew for each of the films was present for a Q&A after each film. They were both very entertaining and informative. Sara Paxton looked elegant in a black strapless dress and high heels. Ellen Page is petite and cute, wearing a black hat and all black sportswear attire for the evening.

Even though I was up late for the second night in a row, I was back downtown at the Alamo Ritz at 10am this morning for a press screening of 'You Instead'. I have been offered an opportunity to interview the director and two cast members tomorrow, so I am certainly looking forward to this pleasant surprise. I love music and I believe other music and festival attendees will enjoy this film. I will tell you more soon. If readers are not badge holders, not to worry, there are some tickets sold individually if the theater is not at maximum capacity.

I have to run off to the next event, so catch up with you all soon!

Ciao,
Liz

The Movie Doc's First Day

2011-03-12T18:51:00.000-08:00

Well, everything went according to plan surprisingly. I was able to go to my first panel at the Austin Convention Center called The Beginner's Guide to SXSW. While this is my second year participating in the fest, this is actually my first year to participate with a Film Badge. Last year I had a Film Pass which only allowed me to see movies and not participate in panels, parties, and other activities exclusive to badge holders. While a badge isn't entirely necessary to participate, it definitely does help!

The Beginner's Guide was quite informative in offering tips for how to travel from venue to venue in a timely manner, which parties are recommended, and also provided plenty of information for out of town people visiting Austin for the fest. If planning to participate in the festival for the first time next year, I highly recommend this panel.

Following this I enjoyed a scotch and a beer at the Registrant Lounge, which was chockful of people enjoying the free beverages. Badge holders are given drink cards for the lounge which will serve them up to two free drinks a day.

After this, I headed over to the Paramount to get in the very lengthy line for SOURCE CODE. This movie starrring Jake Gyllenhaal, Michelle Monaghan, and Vera Farmiga, and directed by Duncan Jones, offers thrills and excitement with a sci fi story that borrows a little from GROUNDHOG DAY and a little from THE MATRIX. While the story lacked originality, the action, suspense, and very likable characters held my attention well and kept well entertained. Jones, Gyllenhaal, Monaghan, Farmiga, and writer Ben Ripley were all in attendance and provided a fun Q & A following the film.

After grabbing some pizza from Sixth St (Yum!), and a couple of free beers from the SXSW Film Opening Party, I headed to the Alamo Ritz for the midnight screening of INSIDIOUS. This film, which was directed by James Wan and written by Leigh Whannell (the duo responsible for starting the SAW series), has a unique and interesting take on haunting/possession stories. Starring Patrick Wilson, Rose Byrne, and Barbara Hershey, Wan and Whannell tell a ghost story that mostly relies on loud music and loud sound effects to startle audiences instead of truly messing with their heads. There are a few genuinely scary moments, but unfortunately this story, which was obviously inspired by THE EXORCIST and POLTERGEIST lacks the true horror to really frighten people. Wan and his crew seem to rely on "parlor tricks" to momentarily startle without the lasting effects that an honest to badness horror movie should have.

Mark Saldana
The Movie Doc

2011-03-12T09:37:00.000-08:00

Officially on day two of SXSW. Saw two films last night - Source Code and blacktino. Jake Gyllenhaal and Michelle Monaghan star in Source Code and were around with Vera Farminga (who also stars) and the writer and director for a Q and A following the film. I truly enjoyed the film which is an exciting ride! It's an ingenious adventure like Groundhog Day, with a thriller plot. I know I am being vague, but today I'm off to one on one interviews with the cast and will report more later and even add a few photos.

As far as blacktino goes, while the movie's storyline held my interest, the cast, except for a couple of folks and some big name cameos, left me a bit flat. Director Erin Burns and much of his cast are locals and I will reveal more about that and conversations of the red carpet later when I have more time. I do think blacktino deserves a look for sure, but don't expect exceptional acting.

Gearing up for the Festival

2011-02-25T09:17:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone! We are all gearing up for SXSW 2011 and the excitement is building. We will be covering daily here and in full reviews as the week progresses. We would love to hear your comments and to answer any questions.

The Final Day, March 20 SXSW 2010

2010-03-22T09:35:00.000-07:00

Day 9, Saturday March 20

AMERICAN: THE BILL HICKS STORY

This is the last film of SXSW 2010 that I watched. I returned to the Paramount theater for my final screening early as I had been for most of the other films I previously watched. There were hardly any people in line at first which on one hand was nice because I knew that this meant a guaranteed admission, but on the other hand, felt a little sad because this film deserves a full house of energetic people much like Bill Hicks deserved as a comedian. Fortunately, the lines swelled at the last minute and my wish came true. I would watch this film with an almost full house with a highly energetic audience. Mr. Hicks would have liked this.

William Melvin Hicks was a stand-up comedian who began his career at the age of seventeen at the Comedy Workshop in Houston, Tx. He would emerge as a moderately successful and very controversial comedian in the United States developing more of a cult following. He would enjoy more success as a comic superstar in the UK before his untimely death due to pancreatic cancer at the age of 32. Hicks was controversial for his material which was critical of the United States government, organized religion, and consumerism. Posthumously, Hicks became even more of a cult figure and would become a major influence on future comics.

This film documentary is very unique in its style and presentation. Using animation created by photos taken throughout Hicks’ life, filmmakers Matt Harlock and Paul Thomas recreate key moments in both his personal life and his career. Combining this with interviews of Hicks, his friends, and family along with footage of some of Hicks’ best stand-up performances, the directors create an incredible documentary about this “god” of confrontational humor and social criticism. For fans of Bill Hicks, or those interested in learning about him, this film is a must see. This was my favorite documentary of the SXSW 2010 film festival. Watching it with a very lively crowd who applauded and cheered during some of Hicks’ hilarious and ingenious bits was absolute bliss.

FOUR STARS (OUT OF FOUR)

Mark the Movie Doc's Blog Day 8, March 19

2010-03-22T08:04:00.000-07:00

WHEN YOU’RE STRANGE

I missed out on day 7 to attend a regular movie screening (REPO MEN) and get some much needed rest. Friday I was ready to get back into the game and attend more SXSW movie screenings. I have been a big fan of The Doors since my senior year of high school. Oliver Stone’s film bio-pic opened in theaters this year (1991) and this definitely sparked my interest in the band, their charismatic and troubled leader Jim Morrison, and the incredible music they created. Even after watching the film, reading a couple of books about Morrison and the band, acquiring most of their music catalogue, and watching a few documentaries done for video and Vh-1, I was still very excited about attending this documentary about one of my favorite rock groups.

Narrated by Johnny Depp, WHEN YOU’RE STRANGE is probably the best produced documentary about Jim Morrison and The Doors that I have ever seen. It is very comprehensive in scope and contains all of the best clips that I had previously seen as well as some new footage I had never seen. Writer/director Tom DiCillo does an incredible job telling the story of this amazing and enigmatic rock group. Johnny Depp provides some excellent voice-over work as the narrator of this story. For this fan of The Doors and for other die-hard fans, the film doesn’t offer us much new that we haven’t already seen or read but it is still an enjoyable piece to watch. For people who know little about Jim Morrison and The Doors and are interested, it is a must see. It was also an absolute joy to have Doors’ guitarist Robby Krieger in attendance and on stage afterward for the Q & A.

THREE AND A HALF STARS (OUT OF FOUR)

LEMMY

Considering that the music fest portion of SXSW was now in full swing, it was most appropriate that I view some music documentaries. After watching the film about The Doors, I grabbed some dinner and then returned to the Paramount theater for the next film which is a documentary film about the leader of metal band Motorhead. LEMMY gives audiences a glimpse of the man often dubbed “the godfather of metal”. The film starts in the present time and shows what his personal life and career is like. During various moments of the movie, the film takes a moment to go back in time and tells the audience about Lemmy’s early days as a roadie for the Jimi Hendrix experience and the first bands in which he performed before forming the band Motorhead. It is in this band that Lemmy became a legend and influence for future metal bands such as Metallica, Megadeth, Anthrax, and Slayer.

Directed by Greg Olliver and Wes Orshoski, Lemmy is not the most complete story of a legend, leaving out his background as a child and mainly focusing on his rock career. Still, the film gives audiences some real insight on who the man behind the legend really is. Lemmy Kilmister is very no-nonsense in his approach to music as well as life. He is a simple man who doesn’t live in a fancy mansion but prefers his small L.A. apartment near his favorite hangouts. Peers and friends such as Dave Grohl (Foo Fighters), Slash, Metallica, Ozzy Osbourne, and wrestler Triple H make appearances and discuss what a genuine person Lemmy is and the impact he has had on their lives and careers. The godfather himself was present for the screening and was just as genuine in person as he is portrayed in this great documentary.

THREE AND A HALF STARS (OUT OF FOUR)

Mark the Movie Doc's Blog: Day 6, Wednesday March 17

2010-03-18T09:43:00.000-07:00

GET LOW

As I arrived downtown today, I noticed that the increased traffic as well as some of the street closures, and also the masses of people on bicycles and walking the streets on foot. These were the expected indications that the music fest had begun. Still, this did not take much away from the crowd in front of the Paramount in lines awaiting admission to GET LOW. This film marks the feature film debut of Aaron Schneider, but one cannot tell this from watching this excellent motion picture. The film tells the story of a 1930s old hermit who wishes to plan for his death by throwing a funeral “party” before he dies. Felix Bush (Robert Duvall) is the enigmatic hermit who lives with his mule in the quiet woods away from a small town in Tennessee. The town folk, who fear him, like to spread gossip and stories about frightening encounters with Bush.

Bush comes to the realization that he may not be alive much longer so he goes to town to make arrangements for his funeral. After receiving an unsatisfactory response from the church’s Reverend Horton (Gerald McRaney), he turns to the good hearted Buddy (Lucas Black) and the moderately sleazy Frank Quinn (Bill Murray) who both run the local funeral home. Felix wishes to throw a “going-away” party before he actually dies. The problem is that he has few real friends in town and some emotional baggage and issues from his past with which he must come to terms before he dies. While planning the event, Felix struggles with these issues involving former love Mattie Darrow (Sissy Spacek) and and old friend (Bill Cobbs).

So far, this has been the best feature film I’ve seen at SXSW. Director Aaron Schneider does an excellent job recreating the era of the 1930s in Tennessee and bringing the beautifully written script by Chris Provenzano, C. Gaby Mitchell, and Scott Seeke to life. Provenzano who attended the screening mentioned that the story is based on a real Tennessee legend. The writers out did themselves with a lovely story that combines humor, heartbreak, and poignancy. It truly is a very well rounded story and movie that captures real life problems spectacularly. The performances by Duvall, Murray, Spacek, and Black are all truly wonderful. I joyfully sat in the third row of the Paramount Theater and saw these legendary stars up close during the introduction of the film and the Q & A afterward. Murray was hilarious during these moments. It was a joy to experience this film and get a close glimpse of the actors in person. I hope this film receives much accolades during next year’s award season because it definitely deserves it.

FOUR STARS (OUT OF FOUR)

Laurie Coker's Blog: SXSW Red Carpet and overall RECAP

2010-03-18T09:11:00.000-07:00

Opening night for SXSW always holds a huge air of excitement and even though I ended up on the wait list for the red carpet for the opening feature, 'Kick-Ass,' I arrived early and secured my line on 7th and Congress, which eventually extended down 7th, around the next block and beyond. For me 'Kick-Ass' offered one of the best opening films to date, but my most standards, I'm still an infant SXSWer. 'Kick-Ass' opens on April 19 and at the Q & A following the screening it was wholly apparent that the cast, crew and entire audience was pumped. They offered an excellent after party, free van rides anywhere downtown and logo shirts and key chains, and a spread of food and drink.

Next I had stood on the red carpet interviewing and photographing Patrick Wilson, Chloe Sevigny and director Chris D'Arienzo, who also penned the screenplay. Are three were extremely gracious as we visited and waited to see their film Barry Munday, a comedy about a man who has to lose his "manhood" in order to learn what it is to be a man. I thoroughly enjoyed the film and was even more psyched to meet Wilson, Sevigny, D'Arienzo and co-star, and very funny gal Judy Greer at a round table interview the next day. Sadly, at the moment, 'Barry Munday' has no distributor, but it is an excellent film and I feel certain it will soon. Its characters are endearing, interesting and its theme clear.

After seeing 'Barry Munday,'I moved right to the red carpet for the premier of 'Wake,' meeting its stars Josh Stewart, Jamie-Lynn Sigler and Chris Browning. I'd like to say I liked the film, because again the actors showed graciousness and willingness to answer questions. Stewart told me he saw the film as a "powerful thriller' and co-star Browning agreed, stating that is not meant to be a "horror or slasher film." It is not, but I felt the film moved a bit too slowly for my taste in thrillers.

Shortly after, I was standing on the red carpet again with the French director of 'Micmacs'Jean-Pierre Jeunet, a wonderful subtitled, humorous film about a crew of oddball junk dealers and artists who take in a man who has a rightful beef with arms dealers. Jeunet's message is clear and his means for delivering, heartwarming, funny and pleasing.

Within minutes, I stood back in line for 'Cyrus' starring John C. Riley, Jonah Hill and Marisa Tomei, because I once again was wait-listed for the red carpet, but it mattered not, since the next morning I interviewed both Hill and Riley with a few other critics about the funny and entertaining rom-com with a touch of twist - a love story about a woman and the two men in her life - her new boyfriend and her grown son, who does some pretty wacky things to stop the relationship. Not sure when it will hit theatres, but it is worth a look.

The next day, I spoke to Rhys Ifans and Chloe Sevigny (again) about there pairing in 'Mr. Nice,' the story of Britain's most notorious drug smuggler, Howard Marks. Ifans told me he was "thrilled to be cast as Mark,' a man with whom he had a pen pal relationship in his youth. 'Mr. Nice will not please everyone, but it did me. Ifans is wonderful - perfect actually - in it and the story of Marks' dealings and role as a loving father and husband is amazing if nothing else.

Later that nigh I was able to photograph a few of the ladies of 'Electra Luxx' on the red carpet, from a side "seat," but was sorely disappointed when two-thirds of the way through the film, the Paramount projector broke. I have yet to see the end of the film, which is a sequel to last years "Women in Trouble,' by director Sebastian Gutierrez, who along with his cast of beauties (including Carla Gugino and Malin Akerman)attempted to entertain the audience, only to discover that the show would not go on. Electra Luxx, by the way, is a former porn star who is pregnant and now teaching sex ed classes in a community center.

Again, I did not make it on to the red carpet for the next big film 'MacGruber' based on the 'Saturday Night Live' sketch of the same name, but did get to see the cast - Val Kilmer, Kristen Wiig, Ryan Phillippe and Will Forte, who obviously LOVED making this film (all that is except for Kilmer, who looked less than enthusiastic about his role as the film's villain. I have to say, I did not enjoy to much about the film, although I did find a few gags funny, but the audience seem to love it and I am assuming the target audience (SNL fans and teens to thirty-some (especially males) will LOVE it.

On Tuesday I met the cast of 'Stateland,' an amazing kind and gracious group of young people - Ashley Greene, Casey LaBow, Bret Cullen, "Taylor Handly, James LeGros, Heath Freeman, lead Shiloh Fernandez and director Anthony Burns. I'd like to say I enjoyed 'Skateland' better than I did, but it moved a bit too slowly for me, as it looked at the live of a young man, trying to find his way in small town Texas. Feeling a great deal like an 80s version of Linklater's "Dazed and Confused,' but without the heartbeat. The kids are awesome and so humble and approachable. I hope the movie does well.

I missed the opening of "Get Low,' starring Robert Duvall, Sissy Spacek and Bill Murray, but fellow critics tell me it is a must see. I opted instead to spend time with my grandson and then my pillow.

I have seen several other amazing films, like 'Harry Brown' starring Michael Cane - about a retired man who decides he has had enough of the violence and corruption in his neighborhood. A documentary called 'The Parking Lot Movie' had me laughing and intrigued by the characters (all lot attendants of the Corner Lot) and their philosophies of life, people and the cars they drive. And "Lovers of Hate' a psychological thriller about two brothers, a huge house, and the woman they both love.

I have two more days of SXSW film to see, or not, and plan longer reviews as they enter theatres and art houses. All in all, my SXSW 2010 experience thus far has been a good one. Problems with lines, difficulties in getting from venue to venue and covering as many films as I like, the nightmare of parking and paying high prices for it, the one broken projector and a rainy day haven't dampened my spirit too much, but I am exhausted to be sure.

Laurie Coker's Blog: This Movie is Broken at SXSW

2010-03-17T21:34:00.000-07:00

Just ask my husband. I do not like watching concerts on film or television. Unless the movie has some special draw, like I just want to share the experience with him because he LOVES music, I avoid concerts what are not live. I also have a huge problem with most music videos. At it is SXSW world premier, ‘The Movie is Broken,’ is basically a long, long music video with a tiny, interesting but all too brief story woven in between songs, performed in concert format by Toronto’s famous Indy rock band “Broken Social Scene”. Directed by Bruce McDonald and written my Don McKeller, ‘This Movie is Broken’ had me engrossed in the story of its characters, but since the film’s main footage shows the band in performance, I felt frustrated and dissatisfied. BUT, I did like the story, what little there was of it.
The love story involves Bruno (Greg Calderone) and Caroline (Georgina Reilly) a young man and woman who grew up together and are best friends, who wake up on his roof after a night of passion and who plan to attend a concert together the same night. Bruno wants to flesh out the relationship – becoming more than friends – but he only has one night, since Caroline is head to Paris the next day. We also meet Blake (Kerr Hewitt), Bruno’s male friend and the trio ends up at a concert by “Broken Social Scene.” The music is far too loud, the conversation far to quiet and frankly too limited and when Bruno does profess his love, Caroline bolts, leaving the two fellows to attend the after concert party alone. Truth is, I liked the relationship aspect of the film – even when it went terribly and weirdly off the rock – but the music, while actually very good, overwhelmed it to the point of utter distraction. Yes, “Broken Social Scene’s” music is pleasing, but its songs as appealing as they are, are far too long for a film that is supposed to involve a story too.
The four people I sat with for the screening range in age from 16 to say 20 and one fell asleep – in fairness she volunteers at SXSW and the schedule is grueling – one was as frustrated as I, saying “this movie IS broken”, another kept her mouth shut, and the last, the only male, enjoyed the experience a great deal, even explaining what I might have missed. I did not overlook any of the story really, not even entirely surprised at a shocking twist, but I simply wanted more story and less (and quieter) music.
I know ‘This Movie is Broken” will please fans of the band for sure. As a concert film, it is fine, but it is not slated as such, and as I said, I do not enjoy un-live music. It is supposed to be a dramatic love story. The story is decent and actually interesting enough, especially with the weird turn of events in the final scene, but this is a case where I appreciate the parts, but do not like the end result of the two together. Giving a grade for “This Movie is Broken” is difficult for me. If I give the concert aspect an B- and the too short story a C- (I needed MORE), then the average is C, so that is what I give it. Lame of me to calculate, but I think it helps to make my point.

Laurie Coker's Blog: Mr. Nice at SXSW

2010-03-17T20:44:00.000-07:00

Mr. Nice, an ironic name for one of Britain’s most notorious “criminals,” but that indeed an alias for drug dealer (marijuana) entrepreneur, Howard Marks, a man’s whose life is chronicled in ‘Mr. Nice,’ I was fortunate to see at SXSW 2010 and to meet its stars on the red carpet. Rhys Ifans, who stars as Marks, told me that he was excited to have the role, since he knew Marks personally, through pen pal relationship and felt honored to fill his shoes. Director/ writer Bernard Rose took on the project because he did not see Marks as a criminal, even though British and American authorities did. I will stay out of that debate, but am delighted that I had the opportunity to see the film.
‘Mr Nice’ is based on the bestselling autobiography by Howard Marks, who became one of the UK’s largest drug smugglers, who ran his business out of a dress shop at one time and who married and had three daughters and a son, before he finally was arrested and jailed. The film follows Marks from his youth, with Ifans playing all ages before and after he moves away from home to study at Oxford and Sussex Universities and into his days in prison. His fame came following his release from an American penitentiary after being convicted and serving seven years, for international drug-smuggling offenses. He claims to have connections with MI6, the IRA, and the Mafia, but the movie only touches on these aspects of Marks’ life, focusing rather on Marks’ the intellectual, the master businessman, the drug smuggler and most clearly the father and husband, who truly loves his family.
Ifans is wonderful in the role and even if he played all age levels of Marks, several for which he is far too old. I don’t know anything about Marks’, but Ifans gives us a character who on one hand knowingly breaks the law, but justifies it with the obvious love for and the desire to take care of a provide for his family. His character is indeed a paradox – both criminal and loving family man. I suppose, if I look closely, it is in his family that Marks’ finds his validation for making gobs and gobs of money selling trafficking marijuana – that and the fact that he saw the illegalization of cannabis unwarranted.
Gracious and pretty Chloë Sevigny, who stars as Judy Marks, Howard’s wife, a woman who loves her husband dearly, but is frightened to lose him, told me that “tortured wife” was easy to play given her costar and the circumstances of the story. Sevigny looks and acts every bit the part, although she appeared to struggle with the British accent. She told me she “enjoyed the opportunity to try the accent.” Judy’s personality has her speaking up infrequently, at least in my opinion, so while I was wholly impressed with the actress’s portrayal of Mrs. Marks, I think the accent was too subtle and mainly unrecognizable or notable. I wonder why, in many cases it seems easy for British or Australian actors to do an American accent, but so much more difficult for Americans to pull off other accents – ah, I digress to one of my peeves.
Every actor in ‘Mr. Nice’ does an amazing job. The realism of costumes and sets and feel of the periods and locations covered are ideal – transporting the audience into life and times of it characters. David Thewlis, who was not at SXSW with the others, adds fire and sparks as an IRA member, Jim McCann, collaborates with Marks, all the while fighting for his own battles. I suppose what impressed me most about Howard Marks (from what I gathered watching ‘Mr. Nice’) is in the way that the man’s technical brilliance of his networking skills, in a time when there were no computers, social networks, or cell phone allowed him to trafficking an amazing volume of marijuana - smoked all over the world – a great deal of it by Marks himself apparently.
The young woman who watched the screening with me enjoyed the film as well and she’s decades younger than I (though old enough for an R film), so I feel the R-rated ‘Mr. Nice’ will find a wide audience. Sure part of the excitement for me came from sharing the experience at SXSW, with members of the cast and crew and 1200 other pumped up movie goers. A B is what I am putting in my grade book for ‘Mr. Nice.’ It has its flaws, but seems very true to form for the type of life Marks lived back then.

Mark the Movie Doc's Blog: Day 5, Tuesday March 16

2010-03-17T09:08:00.000-07:00

HARRY BROWN

This one was a pretty straightforward screening with little hoopla. There were no celebrities, involved in the making of this film, present for this screening. Still the crowds lined up like they have been for the past few days. This particular film, directed by Daniel Barber and written by Gary Young stars Michael Caine as a lonely geriatric British gentleman who goes on a path of bloody vengeance to eliminate the teenage hooligans who murdered his best friend. Caine’s performance is magnificent. He perfectly portrays all the emotions of a broken man brought to the edge and dives over it. The director Daniel Barber through some dark and gritty cinematography by Martin Ruhe captures the mood of the film involving an otherwise good hearted protagonist who embraces his dark side to counter the evil in his neighborhood.

Also effective in the film is the work of the sound crew who really outdo themselves in the sound mixing and editing of the film. The gun shots ring loud, almost as loud as being there. Almost every time a gun fires I and few audience members who I noticed jumped. The film also stars Emily Mortimer as police detective Alice Frampton who is investigating the recent onset of violence in Brown’s neighborhood including the murder of his friend Leonard (David Bradley). Mortimer’s offers a great performance of a woman who is disrespected by her male superiors and must prove herself on through heroic measures. Overall, I really enjoyed this film which although is not entirely original (similar to GRAN TORINO and LAW ABIDING CITIZEN) but is still thrilling and compelling through effective story telling and great performances by the cast.
THREE AND A HALF STARS (OUT OF FOUR)

AMERICAN GRINDHOUSE

Following HARRY BROWN, I trekked over to the Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar to get in line for AMERICAN GRINDHOUSE. This was the perfect location to end my evening because I was hungry and was in the mood for a couple of pints of draft beer. “Grindhouse” cinema and the appreciation of it has enjoyed a resurgence in recent years thanks to directors Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez who have named several movies from this school of filmmaking as key influences in their careers. Quentin’s famous film festivals usually showcase his favorites from grindhouse/exploitation movies from mostly the seventies era. Both Tarantino and Rodriguez attempted to capture the experience with their double feature project titled GRINDHOUSE, complete with fake trailers. As a child of the seventies and eighties, I remember some of the golden nuggets of trashy cinema which usually encompassed the action, horror, and soft core genres.

So naturally I could not miss this very educational documentary which is a wonderfully comprehensive history of grindhouse cinema. Director Elijah Drenner takes his audience through various clips and interviews with directors involved in this movement of film. Starting with the early films of Thomas Edison and ending his history lesson in the early 1980s, Drenner’s lesson is probably somewhat incomplete but still excellent nevertheless. The Drenner and his crew do a spectacular job arranging this study both chronologically and also according to the different styles and sub-genres. For the movie doc who is still in the process of studying film, this movie was very educational. I actually took notes in the darkness of the theater writing down all the films discussed that caught my interest. I recommend this documentary for fans of exploitation cinema or people who find much amusement in bad movies. So far, this is my favorite documentary of the festival.
FOUR STARS (OUT OF FOUR)

The Halfway point: Mark's first timer take on SXSW 2010

2010-03-16T13:06:00.000-07:00

It is Tuesday March 16, day five of the world famous film festival that has helped put our beloved city of Austin, Texas on the map. I’m a little tired and still adjusting to sometimes hectic pace, the crowds, and the long waits in line to see movies. This is my first year to participate in the fun, madness, and mayhem of the festival which according to my associates and other veterans has grown immensely in recent years. Long are the days when festival badge holders casually sauntered in a theater at their leisure to view a film.

This year, even the badge holder lines are insanely long, especially for red carpet premieres at the Paramount Theater. As for the Movie doc, I applied early for my press badge but was denied because of the high demand for this coveted ID. I settled for the seventy dollar press pass because I honestly could not fathom spending three hundred dollars on a badge when I was only interested in the films and not any of the other programs. For the most part, this pass has been a good investment. Since opening night, I have watched a total of six films, one of which was through a press invite that didn’t require my pass. I am hoping to watch at least eight more films. If things go as planned--which honestly they haven’t but I’m hoping and praying—I will end the festival after having watched fourteen films. Divide this by seventy and that equals five dollars a movie. That is one hell of a bargain these days! Throw in some celebrity viewing along with some fun Q&A sessions at the end of most films and one will have a great investment.

Mark the Movie Doc's Blog: Day 3, Sunday March 14

2010-03-16T12:22:00.000-07:00

ELEKTRA LUXX

Once again, I returned to more long lines at the Paramount Theater but have become used to this scene. I spoke to a nice young lady behind me in line and we kept each other company while we waited about two hours for ELEKTRA LUXX. We managed to get descent seats in the balcony area which actually isn’t so bad. The seating is similar to the stadium setup in most modern theaters except that it is higher up. We were treated to writer/director Sebastian Gutierrez’s latest installment in a planned trilogy. ELEKTRA LUXX is the second chapter following his film WOMEN IN TROUBLE. Starring his girlfriend, the lovely Carla Gugino, as the title character, the film follows an ex-porn star’s life as she is trying to adjust to being out of the business and prepare for her unexpected pregnancy. I had not seen the first film in this series but I had no trouble following the story when there are allusions and references to the first installment. The film is hilarious but also very R-rated. Of course, one should understand that a story about a former porn actor and her friends and other associates is not G, PG, or even PG-13 material.

Gugino is amazing in this role. Gutierrez also has a great supporting cast in Emanuelle Chriqui, Timothy Olyphant, and Marley Shelton. Two actors really stole the show with their hilarious performances. Joseph Gordon Levitt is crazy funny as porn blogger Bert Rodriguez, a wanna-be porn critic/reporter who is trying to run a website out of his mom’s basement. Also hilarious is Adrianne Palicki as Holly Rocket, an extremely dumb-blonde porn actress. She is given some of the best comic material in the movie which is performed beautifully. Alas, I did not get to finish watching the film. The movie was interrupted when the projector at the theater died. The SXSW people rescheduled the film for the next day but I had a scheduling conflict and was not able to attend. I hope to catch this movie either in theaters or on DVD. Because of the risqué and raunchy content this film is not for everyone but for those who can handle it, I think it is worth a viewing and that’s because I didn’t get to finish the film.
THREE AND A HALF STARS (OUT OF FOUR) SO FAR

Laurie Coker's Blog: Lovers of Hate at SXSW

2010-03-16T11:23:00.000-07:00

‘Lovers of Hate,’ a film by Bryan Poyser is an intriguing (although at times slow moving) tale of bitterness, deceitfulness, and sibling rivalry, involving two adult brothers, Rudy and Paul. Rudy the eldest brother represents failure and Paul, the author of blockbuster series of young adult novels, represents success. The painful part is that Rudy, an aspiring writer, was Paul's original childhood collaborator on the stories and now he is estranged from his wife and living in his car.
Poyser cast is small, but powerful and convincing in this tale that could have easily turned from dark comedy thriller to horror film with a few additions to the script. When I asked Poyser about this, he laughed and said he realized it could have gone that way, but he really liked the more subtle stalker, creepiness of his film. I have to agree. ‘Lovers of Hate’ does what similar, larger budget films fail to do – hold the audience’s attention until the end, except that is for a few segments that spend too much time lingering and not enough time on suspense. The house, a character in and of itself, is remarkable and easy for Rudy to play his furtive game with his brother.
Chris Doubek plays Rudy and Alex Karpovsky plays Paul, and both men are wonderful in this. As the tortured Rudy, Doubek, impresses start to finish and according the cast, he deserves catering credit on the film too. I enjoyed hear them all at the Q & A that followed the film and found out that the film came to mind partly because of the house in which the majority of the film is set.
Getting back to the story and my reviews, Rudy epitomizes resentment and Paul empathizes, but clearly enjoys his success. They are as different as any two brothers can be. The one thing they do have in common is their love for Diana (Heather Kafka). Although Rudy is married to Diana and their divorce is impending, Rudy still very much loves her. Having taken full credit for the ‘Invisible Kids’ series of books, the opportunist, Paul makes his move on Diana inviting her to a house (a huge one at that) for the weekend in Park City, Utah. Unbeknownst to the couple, Rudy is already in the house, hiding and spying and leaving little clues of his presence, but staying elusive and intimidating.
I am not sure of distribution for this film, but art houses will benefit from showing it. It is far from perfect, but for its genre, I found it a good mix of quality performance and interesting storytelling. I cannot say I was riveted to the screen for the whole if it although others I spoke to were, but I was most definitely intrigued by Poyser’s (who wrote, directed and editing this film) efforts. I am placing a B- in my grade book.

Mark the Movie Doc's Blog: Day 2 SXSW 2010

2010-03-16T11:10:00.000-07:00

DAY TWO: SATURDAY MARCH 13

HUBBLE 3-D

I awoke early to catch the press screening for HUBBLE 3-D at the Bob Bullock Texas State Museum IMAX Theater. The wonderful people running this screening provided breakfast tacos and some much needed coffee. As a huge fan of the IMAX experience, I was thrilled to have the opportunity to watch an official IMAX film depicting the tremendous work NASA has done to get the amazing Hubble telescope out in space and maintain it to study the far and currently unreachable places in outer space.

Narrated by Leonardo DiCaprio, the film does not disappoint. The visual experiences of IMAX 3-D amazingly make one feel like they are witnessing the images on the screen in person. The movie follows the astronauts from their training sessions in an underwater tank practicing their work and repairs on the Hubble telescope, to their lift off, life in space, and the hard work and conditions the crew endures to improve the potential images of the telescope. As proven by the images shown on the screen, the work of the astronauts is not futile. The Hubble telescope is a truly amazing device which provides the human race with images of distant stars and galaxies, nebulae, the birth and death of stars. I recommend the movie for people of all ages. IMAX does some wonderful work in educational films and makes the 3-D experience like no one else. FOUR STARS (OUT OF FOUR)

CYRUS

I returned to the Paramount Saturday evening around 7:45 pm to get in line for yet another red-carpet premiere. This time the film would be the comedy CYRUS starring John C. Reilly, Jonah Hill, and Marisa Tomei. The crowd once again grew immensely and the familiar flashes of the cameras indicated when the celebrities arrived. This time from where I was standing, I could see John C. Reilly as he slowly walked the press row as well as LEAVE OF GRASS (another SXSW film) star Edward Norton. It helped that these guys are very tall so they towered over the press crowd. I did get nervous as the lines continued to swell. What a relief it was when they started admitting my line.

CYRUS, written and directed by Jay and Mark Duplass (THE PUFFY CHAIR), tells the story and problems faced by lonely divorcee John (John C. Reilly). While coping with the new marriage of ex-wife Jamie (Catherine Keener) and trying to get back in the dating game, he meets the lovely Molly (Marisa Tomei) at a party. The two hit it off very well to put it mildly and become involved in a sweet but passionate love affair. John and Molly’s “relationship” hits a snag when it is revealed that she has a twenty one year old son named Cyrus who still lives at home. This poorly socialized and unusual young man soon becomes a threat to their relationship when he becomes jealous and plots to break them up. The film is very nicely written with some great comedic material for Reilly and Hill. Their rivalry and “war of words” exchanges are often hilarious but sometimes a little silly. Reilly, Hill, and Tomei, along with their supporting cast offer great performances in a film that doesn’t pull punches on the profanity but still has a big heart.
THREE STARS (OUT OF FOUR)

THE PEOPLE VS GEORGE LUCAS

As soon as I left the Paramount I hopped the convenient SXSW (only available March 12-15) to the Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar theater to catch a midnight show. I hopped into the shortest line just at the right time too. A staff member was doing a head count of the line and stopped at me. He tells me, “You are the last one to be admitted.” The film is the documentary movie THE PEOPLE VS GEORGE LUCAS. This is another film that I had been highly anticipating. As a big STAR WARS fan, I was excited to see what exactly director Alexandre Philippe had in store in terms of George Lucas and what he has done with the STAR WARS film franchise. The movie chronicles the journey of George Lucas as a student filmmaker through his successes with the original STAR WARS trilogy and the reactions of die hard fans to his “Special Edition” tinkerings and the prequel trilogy. The movie is both informative and hilarious. Philippe not only celebrates the casual fans of STAR WARS but also lampoons some of the more obsessive and crazed followers. When it comes to some of the rantings and ravings critiquing Lucas’ more recent films, the film gets a bit long winded and redundant. I highly recommend this documentary for fans of STAR WARS. Those people who are not familiar with the saga probably won’t find much enjoyment in this.
THREE AND A HALF STARS (OUT OF FOUR)

Mark the Movie Doc's 2010 SXSW Blog (Day 1)

2010-03-16T11:08:00.000-07:00

Day 1, March 12: KICK-ASS PREMIERE

I arrived at the Paramount Theater around 5:00 pm very pumped up and excited for the KICK-ASS red-carpet world premiere. In a short span of one hour the lines expand for blocks. I talked to guy behind me who is an experienced pass holder. He reassured me that we would get in. Laurie Coker, my True View associate also reassured that admittance shouldn’t be a problem. It was exciting to see the massive crowds of press and photographers around the press row surrounding the celebrities walking through whom I could not actually see from where I was standing. Right around 7:00 pm, we received the crushing blow to the gut that the theater was full. I was not going to watch the film I was most anticipating!

Same night: THE WHITE STRIPES: UNDER GREAT WHITE NORTHERN LIGHTS

I left the theater broken hearted but wiser. It would not be easy to get into these films. Not that I ever thought it would be but I was willing to settle for the crappiest seat in the house for the world premiere of a comic book based movie. As I was leaving to figure out my next move, I saw a few people already forming the line for the next film which would be a concert documentary film on rock band known as The White Stripes. After a couple of cold beers at Bikini’s—yes, I know I’m shameless but it did cheer me up for obvious reasons—I returned to the line at the Paramount which really had not grown much in the time I was gone. Well, the line grew eventually but not to the size it had for KICK-ASS. I would actually get into this film!

THE WHITE STRIPES: UNDER THE GREAT WHITE NORTHERN LIGHTS is a remarkable concert documentary film which chronicles the band’s tenth anniversary tour through Canada. Jack and Meg White choose some very small and obscure locales in this country for their concerts. Their purpose in doing this is to get closer to their fans and not let the luxuries of larger venue shows take away from their performances. The Stripes perform shows in a bowling alley, parking lots, city busses, and a retirement home ending with the anniversary celebration at the Savoy Theater in Nova Scotia. The performances captured are amazing, electric, passionate, and sometimes poignant. Director Emmett Malloy does an incredible job capturing these lovely moments and fiery performances on film. Malloy combines footage in black and white as well as in color. The look is very vintage similar to classic concert films such as THE MONTERREY POP FESTIVAL. I highly recommend this film for fans of THE WHITE STRIPES and hard rock music in general. THREE AND A HALF STARS (OUT OF FOUR)

Laurie Coker's Blog: Cyrus at SXSW

2010-03-16T10:07:00.000-07:00

When I am out for SXSW, I don’t have as many opportunities for interviews, red carpets and such as the bigger papers or websites, but I occasionally, I am afforded some great interviews or round tables and of course, I take in a panel or two. Fortunately, I sat in on a round table (with some very nice other film critics) to speak to Jonah Hill (Cyrus) and John C. Riley (John) talk about their new film ‘Cyrus,’ an interesting and entertaining film about a woman and the two men in her life – her new boyfriend and her extremely co-dependent son. Director brothers Jay and Mark Duplass using an extremely personal filming style offer a fun loving look at weirdly dysfunctional relationships and with the cast they chose, I loved the overall experience.
Riley and Hill are two very funny guys and when I asked Riley about playing a bit of a straight man to Hill, he corrected me saying, “No, Marisa [Tomei](who plays Cyrus’ mother Molly) is the straight man here” and perhaps he is right, but for Riley, I saw him as far more low key comedy in this than his typical comedic characters. And there are some great moments when the pair spars verbal, mentally and a tad physically as they compete for Molly’s love and attention. Cyrus, you see, is a mama’s boy to the nth degree and to say he resents and attempts to sabotage the fledgling relationship between Molly and John is an understatement. Cyrus even goes as far as stealing John’s shoes and stares him down during a hilarious moment when he shares his music with John and even faking anxiety attacks and more to push John out of the picture. I won’t take time to offer too much of a synopsis here, but a photo of Molly breastfeeding nearly school aged Cyrus speaks volumes about the mother son relationship.
Admittedly when I first began watching the film, the Duplass camera style threw me, but as it progressed, I enjoyed the personal feel and appreciated when I spoke to the pair their commitment to their style of direction and writing. I found their sibling relationship refreshing and interesting and will post more on that as time permits. ‘Cyrus’ is not a typical romance comedy and that too is refreshing. The characters are oddly real and so endearing that I love the whole package. It is a small story with a big-hearted feel and with so much mediocre stuff out there, I, for one, am thrilled. This is perhaps Hill's best work today and his ability to draw laughs and engage his audience into his nuttiness with simple facial expressions is remarkable! I adore Riley and in this there is no exception. I cheered him on in this and wanted to reach out and help John get past the bizarre antics of Cyrus.
‘Cyrus’ may or may not get the audience it deserves, but I hope that all of my readers give it a look when it hit theatres. I am placing an A- in my grade book. My plan is to write up additional interview details and my experience for this and other red carpet and round table experiences and a longer review when the film opens.

Laurie Coker's Blog: Barry Munday at SXSW

2010-03-16T09:54:00.000-07:00

One of the things that never fails to surprise me for the good or the bad, when I attend SXSW or any other film festival, is the fact that some extremely crappy films, like say last year’s ‘Observe and Report,’ can get funding and distribution from the likes of Warner Brothers and, other far better films, have to seek private promoters or never get out at all. ‘Barry Munday,’ a movie from filmmaker Chris D'Arienzo, making his delightful directorial debut, still waits to be picked up by a major studio and it is a remarkably simple and entertaining film about a man who, after waking up to find his testicles gone, discovers what it really mean to be a man. It is a coming of age for a thirty-something year-old and it is good.
Patrick Wilson, who I had the pleasure to interview at SXSW, plays the titular character, a fellow who envisions himself as a real ladies man and who appears to be perpetually stuck in the 90s and who Wilson himself refers to as a “definitely douchey, but not a bad guy.” And he’s right. Barry, bouncing back from what is clearly the most difficulty pitfall for any man, simply loves women and imagines himself quite the lady’s man, and after the “accident,” he views life far differently. From his odd strut to his braided belt, Wilson embodies the man who most woman would laugh at and still he manages to get himself in trouble (i.e. losing his manhood, because of a gal), but not before he impregnates a woman (hilarious Judy Greer) with whom he cannot remember sleeping. Barry is surprising endearing and from his clothes to his attitude, he anthropomorphizes a man trapped in his glory days, who paradoxically has to lose his manhood in order to really become a man.
Now on to Greer, whom I spoke to too – what a delight she is. At first, nearly detested her character, Ginger, for her out and out meanness and bitterness, even in the face of Barry who is really trying to do right, by her and the baby. Ginger wears some of the ugliest clothes and her hair is a mass of frizz and curls, unlike her pretty and nicer sister, Jennifer (Chole Sevigny), playing in her first comedic role and when I spoke to her she told me she hoped she is funny. She is. Ginger is the less pretty, less likable daughter and the one who we grow to really love, in spite of her unpleasantness.
Bottom line – I truly enjoyed ‘Barry Munday. Its characters are rich and interesting and the story offers a fresh take on romance with a real feel in what seems like a completely ridiculous situation. The cast – which also includes: Jean Smart, Malcolm McDowell, Cybill Shepherd, and Billy Dee Williams – hits every mark, making for a delightful ride. In person the leads are as endearing as the characters and I appreciate getting to speak to them.
I hope ‘Barry Mundy’ finds its way and its distributors. Wilson, who also typically plays in dramas and Greer have a personal and on screen chemistry that fills the air and I loved both the film and meeting them. I am placing an A- in my grade book. Bravo to Chris D'Arienzo. I hope more and more people get to see it.

Laurie Coker's Blog: Kick-Ass at SXSW

2010-03-16T09:53:00.000-07:00

2010, thus far has been mostly miss with movies for me., so each time I attend a screening, I wonder, will this be the one – the film to wow me? SXSW opening night, I stood in line for almost two hours (yes, even with a badge we stand in line) to see ‘Kick Ass,’ a raucously funny, rightly R-rated film about a wannabe super hero and the good and bad guys he encounters. English director Matthew Vaughn and comic and screenplay writers, Jane Goodwin and Mark Millar (comic book series creator) do kick ass (sorry – it is just too easy) with this truly funny tale of coming of age, good versus evil, the angst of teenagers and a some serious ass kicking!
The film’s stars Brit Aaron Johnson, who well plays Dave Lizewski, an awkward American teenager who becomes, or at least attempts to become Kick-Ass, a green wetsuit wearing superhero. He and the entire ‘Kick Ass’ cast pleases. Nicolas Cage does an incredible job playing Damon Macready, a former cop turned vigilante – an embittered fellow who seeks to exact revenge on the man who caused his wife’s death. His alter ego, Big Daddy – who, to pleasing laughter from the audience, speaks a great deal like Adam West (the original television Batman) – and his 11 year-old daughter Mindy (excellently portrayed by Chloe Moretz) live in a warehouse-like home filled with guns, gadgets and other assorted weaponry. Mindy, born at her mother’s death, is taught and groomed by her father to be the purple, bob wig and school uniform wearing, adorable fighting machine – Hit-Girl. She can withstand bullets (with the aid of Kevlar), perform martial arts like Bruce Lee, shoot and reload nearly simultaneously and looks adorable in pigtails. It’s all great fun!
A superbly sinister Mark Strong plays Frank D’Amico, drug kingpin and father to Chris (Christopher Mintz-Plasse). Chris, a slightly awkward geek, wants to be involved in daddy’s very successful drug business. It seems, however, that a masked, batman-like super hero is stealing drugs and money from him. Meanwhile, Dave in a strange “coming of age” way, decides to don a green and yellow wetsuit and mask and to help the helpless – starting with a missing cat, and he inadvertently falls into the public eye, when first falling on and then taking on three armed attackers.
Strong and Mintz-Plasse are excellent picks for these characters, and when I sat in on a SXSW panel and mingled at an after party, I learned that comedy and campy suit Mintz-Plasse and he is awesome as Red Mist (Kick-Ass’ new nemisis). He is truly a funny guy. Pretty Mortez sat in on the panel too, and I could not help but laugh when she told us all that she has not seen ‘Kick-Ass’ yet, because she is too young for an R-rated film. She does have some strong (an understatement) language and exceptionally violent scenes in the movie – not the kind of stuff you expect to see from an eleven-year-old girl, but in truth, she steals the show. I did not mind, but a couple of my fellow critics, thought her being more interesting and appealing than the lead took away from the film. She does pretty much own the show, and I can easily imagine sequels and spin offs.
Vaughn told the audience at a Q & A session following the film that no studios would back ‘Kick-Ass,’ apparently hesitant to have a little girl act as a killing machine (among other things) and the language overall is pretty harsh. I initially assumed I would hate ‘Kick-Ass,’ the same way I hate say ‘SuperBad,’ because I have a difficult time with teenagers (and old people) spewing out curse words like so much vomit and doing idiotic things. Using his own connections, Vaughn found funding for his film and now Lion’s Gate has pick up distribution – big money will be had by all. When it opens on April 19th, word will spread and cash registers will ring – big!
‘Kick-Ass’ succeeds because Vaughn and crew manage to bring a totally fresh perspective to the superhero genre, mix in a decent teen drama, add a kick-ass (oops I did it again) soundtrack and the perfect amount of campy, witty humor. I am placing an A in my grade book. ‘Kick-Ass offered an outstanding opening to SXSW this year, revving me up for the rest of the week.