Category : SXSW
SXSWrap-up
After a week of fun in the sun (or biblical proportions of rain, depending on the day), we’ve returned from South by Southwest in Austin to share our favorite films from the festival.
Erin’s picks for the best films of the festival:
1. "Eagle vs. Shark"
This delightful romcom, from New Zealand-based filmmakers Taika Waititi and Loren Horsley, is an endearing look at two socially awkward adults who find love -- or at the very least, love’s dorky alter ego. Their journey toward happiness is filled with uproarious roadbumps, making “Eagle” (pictured at right) one of the biggest audience pleasers at SXSW.
2. "Truth in Terms of Beauty"
This beautifully shot and relentlessly entertaining documentary about renowned portrait photographer Herman Leonard is a testament to narrative and visual storytelling. Even without examples of Leonard’s breathtaking work, the anecdotes he relays about his extraordinary life are mesmerizing on their own.
3. "Confessions of a Superhero"
“Superhero,” a documentary about the costumed panhandlers on Hollywood Boulevard, delves beyond the so-called freak show and into the lives of those who dot the famed intersection. In a film that could have gone for cheap laughs, it’s surprisingly illuminating. (Pictured at left is Christopher Dennis, aka Superman.)
4. "Helvetica"
This documentary isn’t just for design nerds; it’s an oddly entertaining look at the fonts that are necessary but unnoticed in our everyday lives.
5. "Diggers"
Written by “The State” alum Ken Marino and starring Paul Rudd and Ron Eldard, “Diggers” is a poignant look at the lives of Long Island clam diggers.
Scroll down to read mini-reviews of some of the festival's biggest films.
- Sarah Carlson
- March 22, 2007 12:02 AM
Mini-Reviews: "Elvis and Anabelle," "The Ten"
‘Elvis’ won’t have you all shook up
When a teenage beauty queen collapses on the pageant stage from a heart attack, thanks to a bout with bulimia, you’re sad, but not surprised. But when she wakes up several days later on the embalming table, you’ll be as shocked as her mortician. “Elvis and Anabelle” is a sweet story of young love that falters in its second act and falls flat on its face in its finale.
But for the most part, you’ll enjoy watching Elvis (Max Minghella), the mortician’s son standing in for his old man on the job, interact with Anabelle (Blake Lively), the aforementioned beauty queen who, after coming back to life as a medical miracle and being hounded by the media, decides to hide out at the funeral home with Elvis. Minghella is the best thing going for the film, which should have either gone the dark route or had a touch of fantasy. Instead, it’s just nothing special. -- Sarah Carlson
Continue reading "Mini-Reviews: "Elvis and Anabelle," "The Ten"" »
- Sarah Carlson
- March 22, 2007 12:01 AM
Mini-Reviews: "Knocked Up," "Suffering Man's Charity"
‘Knocked Up’ is a knockout
At the beginning of “Knocked Up,” Ben Stone (Seth Rogen) is having a spaztastic time with his stoner friends, participating in the kind of juvenile joviality that would barely be excused in boys half his age. Meanwhile, Allison Scott (Katherine Heigl) is waking up to the drone of her alarm clock, ready for another day of climbing the corporate ladder as an entertainment reporter at E!
We know that the two will soon hurtle into each other’s stratospheres, not only because film history has trained us to expect it, but also because the movie’s title tells us there will be both a meeting and a mating. What’s extraordinary is the way “Knocked Up” sidesteps clichés on its way to the inevitable hookup: The movie shows the coupling is not so much opposites attract as loneliness loves company.
Perhaps that’s why despite outlandish situations, the punchiest of punchlines, and the rather startling presence of Cirque du Soleil (don’t ask), “Knocked Up” is cloaked within an atmosphere of truth. Ben and Allison spend much of the film clinging to the rigidity of their ways of life, only to find, by film’s end, that sometimes it’s necessary to at long last grow up (and, in some cases, give in).
Maybe this all sounds a little serious for a film directed by “40-Year-Old Virgin” helmer Judd Apatow, but “Knocked Up” builds on the maturity hidden within “Virgin.” Told equally from the male and female perspective (and finding humor in both genders’ situations), “Knocked Up” is likely to score more laughs (and nods of appreciation) from a wider audience than “Virgin” tapped into. Add to the equation fine comedic performances from Leslie Mann and Paul Rudd (as Allison’s sister and brother-in-law, respectively), and you’ve got the heart and soul of the movie.
The film screened March 12 at SXSW, playing to a packed house at the Paramount, where audience members barely got a break from back-to-back laughs. It’s a testament to Apatow’s comic sensibilities that his humor reaches audiences of all ages, and even bigger testament to the film that its laughs stem equally from sincerity as sex. Look for it in theaters beginning June 1. -- Erin Steele
Continue reading "Mini-Reviews: "Knocked Up," "Suffering Man's Charity"" »
- Sarah Carlson
- March 22, 2007 12:00 AM
It's over ... zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
The SXSW film and music festival drew to a close on Sunday, which meant one very important thing: I could finally sleep.
And sleep I did, quite comfortably I might add, for most of yesterday, and with my renewed vitality, I can finally remember exactly what occurred during the last nine days in Austin. Sorta.
Actually, let's just start with Thursday, since you already know about most of the movies I saw prior to that day (though I will be adding a list of the best films that SXSW showcased later this week).
The music festival kicked into high gear on Thursday, with many of the day parties taking center stage. In-store performances (which were free and open to the public) abounded, and some of the best took place at Waterloo Records on North Lamar. Sparklehorse played a set, as well as popular newcomer Lily Allen, whose album "Alright, Still ..." is a knockout. The English-bred songstress played a few of her own songs, as well as some covers (by fellow UK group The Kooks, as well as "Heart of Glass" by Blondie) because "most of my songs don't work well with acoustic," she said.
On Friday at Habana, John Doe (of X) and Robyn Hitchcock both played for excited audiences at the Yep Roc Records 10th anniversary party, where free barbecue was provided for attendees at the outdoor stage. Down on South Congress, music lovers trolled the many eclectic shops for in-store performances, with the Waco Brothers rocking Yard Dogs' outdoor tent, playing an hour-and-a-half-long set for those in attendance.
Of course, if you really want an insider's look at the festivities, check out Abilene Reporter-News photographer Victor Cristales' shots of some of the biggest concerts of SXSW, including Abilene's own Micah P. Hinson (pictured above), the acclaimed Alejandro Escovedo, Cold War Kids and many others.
- Erin Steele
- March 19, 2007 10:13 AM
My Feeble Attempt to Interview Paul Rudd, Ken Marino and David Wain; Or, Sarah Acts Like an Idiot Around Celebrities, Part 2
At SXSW last Saturday, I was able to sit down with members of "The Ten," a comedy directed by David Wain (pictured on the right with Paul Rudd, left) that opens August 3. I can't quite describe the 28-minute experience, only to say this: I lost. It wasn't a competition, or a battle -- just an interview. But I lost. Trying to cull a straight answer from some of the masterminds of "The State" and "Wet Hot American Summer" is an uphill battle not worth your time. Trust me.
I do have more pertinent information about "The Ten" and the "Diggers," written by Ken Marino (pictured on the jump) and starring him and Rudd, that I learned from panels, and I'll provide that when the films debut. For now, I can only offer up almost the entire interview for your enjoyment/bewilderment. Watch how badly I lose:
Me: How do you come up with an idea for a movie like “The Ten”?
Ken Marino: We wanted to make a movie that was funny. So we sat down …
David Wain: Some of the early ideas we had were “The Eleven,” “The Nine.” It didn’t seem quite right. We wanted something rounder. “The Twenty” seemed a little ambitious.
Marino: And I think it was you, you had taken off your shoes, you looked down, and I don’t know what you were looking at, but all of a sudden you said “The Ten.”
...
Me: So Paul, how’d you get involved with the cast members who’ve been around since “The State” and with “Stella”? How’d you get in with them to do “Wet Hot American Summer” and this?
Rudd: "Wet Hot American Summer" was the first time I’d ever worked on anything that these guys had done, although I met them before that and had become friends, not like great friends, although now after working together we’ve become good friends. A lot of the same stuff makes us laugh.
Marino: It seemed like a good match.
Me: Do you think [the style of humor in "WHAS" and "The Ten"] has a mass appeal, or do you think it reaches more of a niche audience?
Wain: I think that the work we’ve all done over the previous years seems to, at least until now, have had a ceiling of how far it goes into the mainstream, for whatever reason. But as much as it doesn’t do that, it seems to really resonate with the people who do like it. It’s gratifying, if not lucrative.
Jonathan Stern (producer of "The Ten"): I think the more people who actually get exposed to it -- the bigger an audience you’ll find. And I also feel in a way that that style of humor is creating its own audience. Five years ago when people were seeing "The State" or "Stella" or "Wet Hot" for the first time is different than five years later when now there’s a growing connection to this kind of humor.
Wain: For example, the movie “Saturday Night Fever” both reflected and chronicled the disco movement, but also largely created and popularized and promoted this movement.
Paul: So basically what we really think, what David is trying to say, is that hopefully “The Ten” will revitalize the disco movement.
Me: OK.
Wain: I’m thinking of going really deep into the “Flashdance” movement.
Marino: It’s about time. It’s about time.
Wain: It’s a movement about aesthetics …
Marino: Crotch-grabbing under the table …
Rudd: You are a maniac.
- Sarah Carlson
- March 16, 2007 6:15 PM
Ooh, that smell ...
This week in Austin has been a homecoming of sorts for me. I spent four years in the so-called Music Capital of the World (close your ears, New York. You too, Los Angeles) as an undergrad at the University of Texas, where I struggled with the fact that I didn’t wear hipster glasses like the rest of the English majors and couldn’t really convince myself that tofu was an OK thing to eat. It was a trying time.
But by the end of my studies here, I fell in love with the city; it was like a boyfriend who was way too smart and cool and good-looking for me, but I didn’t really have the heart to question it.
Now, I see things a little differently. The beer goggles have lifted, and while I still love my metropolitan boyfriend, I realize that maybe he should shave and get a job and shower occasionally, if only to wash off the odor of pretension that constantly clings to him. It’s cool to be laid back, less cool to be in a perpetual slacker coma. Grow up, guy.
What used to seem cute about Austin is now cloying ... when did it become OK to pay so much money to look so poor? The only thing that distinguishes the festivalgoers from the panhandlers is the SXSW badge draped around their necks. The fact that this parade of hobo chicness takes place against the backdrop of high-end retail stores -- each one replacing the small, eclectic shops that once dotted downtown -- is especially disconcerting. Has Austin gone from keeping it real to keeping it real estate?
Certainly, that can be said of campus, where all of the once-enchanting stores have been chased away by the behemoth known as University Co-op. When I first arrived in the Texas capital, the Co-op faced a healthy amount of competition from Texas Textbooks, Barnes & Noble and other bookstores in and around campus. Those stores have now been replaced by the Co-op Annex, Co-op women’s store, Co-op dollar store, Co-op whatever else it can slap its name on. The flavor is gone; all that’s left is a bland aftertaste, reminiscent of tofu. Too bad.
Is this to say that I hate Austin and what it has become? Absolutely not. The city still offers a vibrant arts scene, a refuge for film and music buffs, that rivals any city in Texas and perhaps the nation. It’s still a haven for struggling artists, a mecca for up-and-coming business professionals and a melding of old and young who flock to Austin for all it has to offer, both recreationally and professionally.
But the truth is, over the years my idealism has faded, and in many ways, so has the laid-back charm of the city, which isn’t so much laid-back as dressed down. I guess it’s true that you can’t go home again. But you can go to the Co-op.
- Erin Steele
- March 15, 2007 11:11 AM
- Comments (1)
And the winners are ...
There may not have been a red carpet, but the filmmakers participating in SXSW were treated like the cream of the Hollywood crop Tuesday as the fest handed its film awards at the Austin Convention Center.
The winners are:
Jury Awards:
REEL Shorts :
Special Jury Award -- Clear Cut, Simple / Director: Vineet Dewan
Winner -- Pop Foul / Director: Moon Molson
Animated Shorts :
Special Jury Award -- One Rat Short / Director: Alex Weil
Winner -- Tragic Story with a Happy Ending / Director: Regina Pessoa
Experimental Shorts :
Special Jury Award -- The Lonely Lights. The Color of Lemons. / Director:
Benjamin M. Piety
Winner -- 27,000 Days / Director : Naveen Singh
Music Videos :
Special Jury Award -- Constantines, 'Working Full-TIme' / Director: Drew
Lightfoot
Winner -- Thom Yorke, 'Harrowdown Hill' / Director: Chel White
Texas High School Competition :
Special Jury Award -- Daily Routine / Director: Adela Escobar
Winner -- Murder for 9 Points / Director: Brandon Day
Documentary Feature:
Special Jury Award -- Cat Dancers / Director: Harris Fishman
Special Jury Award -- Audience of One / Director: Michael Jacobs
Winner -- Billy the Kid / Director: Jennifer Venditti
Narrative Feature :
Special Jury Award -- Frownland / Director: Ronald Bronstein
Special Jury Award -- Orphans / Director: Ry Russo-Young
Winner -- Itty Bitty Titty Committee / Director: Jamie Babbit
Audience Awards:
Emerging Visions:
Winner -- The Price of Sugar / Director: Bill Haney
Documentary Feature:
Winner -- Run Granny Run / Director: Marlo Poras
Narrative Feature:
Winner -- Skills Like This / Director: Monty Miranda
Continue reading "And the winners are ..." »
- Erin Steele
- March 14, 2007 11:10 AM
Suffering Man's Interviews, Part 2
The warm Texas air was a welcome surprise for David Boreanaz during his first trip to Austin and SXSW last weekend -- that and the energy from the city and its festival. He flew to Austin without many expectations, but said he was pleased with SXSW and felt it and the unique Austin atmosphere provided a perfect place to debut his latest film, “Suffering Man’s Charity.”
To call Austin unique is one thing, but to call “Charity” unique is an understatement in Boreanaz’s eyes.
“It’s the type of film that you really experience,” he said. “It’s like a ride.”
Even now he’s still processing the film and his experience making it. His quick 18-day shoot was interwoven into his “Bones” shooting schedule, his TV show on Fox that was just picked up for a third season. He said he was attracted to play his character, Sebastian, because of his dual nature and wicked sense of humor -- “He’s a walking contradiction.”
Sebastian is a small-time hustler posing as a writer who’s taken in by Jonathan (Alan Cumming, in his directorial debut as well), a music teacher with a fondness for taking in handsome but unemployed artists. He financially supports Sebastian -- while also admiring his good looks -- believing Sebastian’s lies about the unpublished manuscript he’s supposedly hiding. Ultimately, Jonathan discovers Sebastian’s true, womanizing nature, sets out to teach him a lesson and, in doing so, discovers the real subject of Sebastian’s book: him.
The antics only get kookier as each man tries to turn the tables against the other, and the film’s eccentricities are what had Boreanaz scratching his head so long after filming. Now he hopes audiences will be as intrigued with the subject matter as he is, and that perhaps it will gain its own cult following.
“It was definitely fun, but it was … I don’t really know what it was,” Boreanaz said about the film. “I think it was really this crazy, cool, fun project to be a part of for an intense time.”
- Sarah Carlson
- March 14, 2007 12:01 AM
SXSW Gets "Knocked Up"
Ben Stone (Seth Rogen) is a spaztastic stoner who has spent the last few years of his life creating the Web site Flesh of the Stars, which tells audiences which movies offer up nude scenes of their favorite actors (of course, it's still under construction). Allison Scott (Katherine Heigl) is an up-and-coming entertainment reporter whose greatest form of relaxation comes from drinking the occasional Corona in her favorite L.A. club.
The fact that these two ever hook up, even under the helpful hand of booze, is a miracle; even more miraculous is that they spend nearly the entire running time of Judd Apatow's hilarious "Knocked Up" trying to make their relationship work for the sake of the embryo that resulted from their accidental tryst.
But the biggest miracle? The two likable stars make it all easy to believe and incredibly easy to watch; in a film that could have easily pandered to opposites attract and expectant mother clichés, "Knocked Up" sidesteps them all.
The film screened at SXSW on Monday, selling out the Paramount Theater and filling any empty space with eruptions of laughter. The film will be released in theaters June 1.
Also starring Leslie Mann and Paul Rudd as Allison's sister and brother-in-law, "Knocked Up" follows in the steps of Apatow's previous film "40-Year-Old Virgin," which tempered its raunchy sense of humor with plenty of heart. What started out as a film about a hard-to-believe hookup becomes a narrative not only about unexpected love, but also about the difficult process of at long last growing up.
For more on "Knocked Up," see the March 22 issue of The Insider, where we'll name our picks for the best of the fest.
-- Erin Steele
- Sarah Carlson
- March 13, 2007 12:36 PM
I'll See You at the Grind House
Native Texan and former UT student Robert Rodriguez (“Desperado,” “Spy Kids,” “Sin City”) returned to his old stomping ground Sunday to give a SXSW audience a little lesson in Grindhouse 101 -- a look at the exploitation film genre and a sneak peek at “Planet Terror,” his portion of the double-feature “Grindhouse,” due in theaters April 6. Quentin Tarantino’s (“Pulp Fiction,” “Kill Bill”) offering is “Death Proof.”
He was joined by uber-film geek Harry Knowles of Ain’t It Cool News to discuss exploitation films -- B-level films that sensationalize sex, violence and gore that were often showed back-to-back in grind houses. (Let our good friend, Wikipedia, fill you in on the rest). Rodriguez brought along a few classic exploitation trailers, “They Call Her One Eye” and “The Green Slime,” as an example of what he and Tarantino are aiming at for “Grindhouse.” It’s not only a nod to a genre generally thought as having no artistic merit, but a chance for the two filmmakers and ardent film-lovers to use even less restraints in their work.
“Grind-house cinema to me means freedom,” Rodriguez said. On set, he said he’d purposefully not fix an error in the filming process so that “Planet Terror” will have the look and feel of an old grind-house film. Is there a production light visible in the scene? Did an actor go too over-the-top with a line? “Eh, it’s a grind-house film,” he’d say. “It’s OK.”
Continue reading "I'll See You at the Grind House" »
- Sarah Carlson
- March 13, 2007 12:01 AM
- Comments (2)
An Actual Conversation I Had With Alan Cumming; Or, Sarah Acts Like an Idiot Around Celebrities, Part 1
Setting: Saturday, March 10, 2007. The InterContinental Hotel, downtown, Austin, Texas. Sarah, who likes to talk in the third person, is sitting in a chair right outside of the State Boardroom, waiting to talk with David Boreanaz about his new movie, "Suffering Man's Charity", which premiered at SXSW on Friday.
Aaaaand scene:
Sarah: [Sitting in a chair, staring at a wall.]
Alan Cumming: [Pokes his head out of the State Boardroom, speaks to Sarah in his Scottish accent that is hard to understand, especially when she wasn't prepared to be talked to.] "Are you the Toronto lady?"
Sarah: "The Truntel lady?"
Alan Cumming: "Toronto."
Sarah: "Oh -- sorry. No."
Alan Cumming: [Politely half-smiles, then shuts the door.]
Sarah: [Immediately writes this interaction down in the margins of her notepad. Plans on telling everyone she knows.]
- Sarah Carlson
- March 12, 2007 1:20 PM
SXSW Day 3: Eagle vs. Shark vs. Austin
The rain poured down in Austin on Sunday, but the unpleasant weather couldn't dampen filmgoers' spirits as they sprinted from theater to theater to see some of the biggest films of the day.
But before they hit the theaters, they hit the panels (specifically, the "Grindhouse" panel -- more on that from Sarah), where Robert Rodriguez and Harry Knowles discussed the collaboration between Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino. Rodriguez trotted out a clip from his "Grindhouse" segment "Planet Terror" and previewed a fake trailer by director Eli Roth that will screen during the theatrical run of "Grindhouse."
In the afternoon, festival attendees braved the elements to drive to the Alamo South Lamar, where "Diggers" -- a dramedy by "The Ten's" Ken Marino, Paul Rudd and David Wain -- made its regional premiere. The film, a bittersweet look at the lives of Long Island clam diggers and their families, was capped off by a Q&A with the filmmakers.
After "Diggers," the Alamo offered up "Eagle vs. Shark," a New Zealand-made comedy that had garnered its fair share of favorable word-of-mouth. The film didn't disappoint, creating a world in parts reminiscent of "Napoleon Dynamite," "Muriel's Wedding" and "Strictly Ballroom."
But the movies that drew the biggest lines was "What Would Jesus Buy?," a documentary produced by "Super-Size Me" director Morgan Spurlock. A film that documented the holiday shopping season and the Rev. Billy and Stop Shopping Gospel Choir's attempts to stop it, the doc played to a nearly sold-out audience at the Paramount, with the Rev. Billy and his crew of singers in attendance.
But tonight boasts the most-anticipated film of the festival, "Knocked Up," director Judd Apatow's follow-up to the "40-Year-Old Virgin." Look for a review of the film tomorrow on the blog.
- Erin Steele
- March 12, 2007 1:02 PM
Suffering Man's Interviews
Alan Cumming and David Boreanaz remained in Austin on Saturday after screening their new film “Suffering Man’s Charity” at the Paramount the day before, ready and willing to discuss what first intrigued them about the film.
“It was the intensity of it,” Cumming, who directs and stars in the tale of obsession and creative coveting, said. “I was struck by how unusual it was, how unformulaic. I knew if I didn’t do it, nobody would.”
The intensity of the shoot saturated the set, they said, resulting in a “very calm and quiet environment,” according to Boreanaz.
The mood at the festival was quite different, however, as the two joked about everything from their first meeting to yoga (then again, yoga is pretty easy to make fun of. Let’s admit it). Their joviality extended into the marketing of the film, as SXSW was flooded with “Charity” stickers, each one relaying some of the movie’s more memorable quotes (which can’t be printed here. Sorry folks).
But who can blame them? After all, Cumming has high hopes for “Charity’s” future.
“I want it to be a cult classic like ‘The Rocky Horror Picture Show,’” he said. “I want the audience belting out the characters’ lines.”
Sarah will have more on Boreanaz's time at the festival this weekend.
- Erin Steele
- March 11, 2007 8:54 AM
SXSW Day 2: Big Love for Bill Paxton
Bill Paxton dropped by the Austin Convention Center on Saturday to take center stage at the SXSW panel “A Conversation with Bill Paxton,” which focused on his life and diverse career, hosted by Associated Press entertainment writer Christy Lemire.
The Fort Worth-born actor, currently most notable for his work on HBO’s polygamy powerhouse “Big Love,” was inducted into the Texas Hall of Fame on Friday, where his impressive body of work was celebrated by industry insiders and film fans. Though he’s directed such critically-acclaimed fare as “Frailty” and starred in everything from “Apollo 13” to “Titanic,” the role that received the most cheers went to his over-the-top performance as big brother Chet in the John Hughes comedy “Weird Science.”
“If I do a thousand movies, it’s going to be the first one in my obit, let’s face it,” the actor laughed, before divulging details of how he came to embody the buzz-cutted character (don’t ask).
But mostly, Paxton was there to promote his love of all things Texas, relaying anecdotes of his childhood in Fort Worth, where his father (who attended the panel) would take him to see productions at the TCU playhouse and to see films at the majestic downtown movie palaces.
“It was personal to come back here,” Paxton said, “I was really thinking, ‘How did I get here?’ And part of it was growing up in Texas. There’s something about the spirit of the people down here. You can dream big.”
His career eventually took him far away from the Lone Star State -- and grounded his dreams in reality.
“I remember sitting next to a transvestite on a bus, going down Hollywood Boulevard, and I thought, ‘Is this Hollywood?’” said Paxton, who had dreamed of olive and orange trees lining beautifully landscaped streets. “I realized, God, I missed this by 50 years.”
Though the now-famous actor began his career in set design, playing set dresser to such directors as Roger Corman, he eventually transitioned into acting. His first role, he said, was in “Six o’ Clock Follies,” a “M*A*S*H*” for the Vietnam-era that lasted only one episode.
“I thought, ‘I got one day’s work this year ... next year, I’ll get two days work,” he said.
He received much more than just a couple days work after the almost cultish popularity of his “Fishhead” video that played on SNL in the early ‘80s. Soon after, he began to work steadily in the film industry, before landing his breakout role in “Science.” Since then, he’s starred in everything from huge action films such as “Twister” and “True Lies” to smaller, more homegrown films.
But despite his growing resume and recent Hall of Fame induction, Paxton still finds himself humbled now and then.
“You know, my dad is about to appear in ‘Spider-Man 3,’ and I’m on a TV show,” he laughed. “That kind of puts it all in perspective.”
Continue reading "SXSW Day 2: Big Love for Bill Paxton" »
- Erin Steele
- March 11, 2007 8:53 AM
SXSW: Day 1
For now, the streets of Austin officially belong to film fans and computer geeks as more than 10,000 entertainment buffs rolled into Austin yesterday to take part in the film and interactive portions of South by Southwest (Translation: The city feels pretty much the same as always).
Though the traffic was unsurprisingly awful, everything else in the heart o’ Texas was at its energetic, ego-saturated, always entertaining best. Attendees were abuzz about the festival fare, with the night’s biggest screening -- the unexpectedly effective suspense flick “The Lookout” -- opening to a packed house at the Paramount.
In attendance were the film’s writer/director Scott Frank, as well as stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Isla Fisher and Matthew Goode. The cast and crew are scheduled to have a press conference regarding the film at noon today.
Other notable screenings included the documentary “Running With Arnold,” a clunky, though sometimes sly, film that takes more than its fair share of potshots at the Terminator-turned-governor; and “Suffering Man’s Charity,” an awkwardly-titled narrative that revolves around reading, writing and revenge, starring Alan Cumming and David Boreanaz (more about those two tomorrow.)
Speaking of tomorrow, the fest is expected to gain steam as even more spotlight premieres are set take place, including “The Ten,” “Elvis and Annabelle,” “Manufacturing Dissent” and “Everything’s Gone Green.”
Of course, the attendance for the events may depend on how many people can drag themselves out of bed after the opening night parties (one was a “Disturbia” happy hour at Light Bar, where the cast and crew mingled with Austinites and out-of-towners who were ready to take a load off.) The other was the film’s traditional opening night party, which took place from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. at 401 Guadalupe (Don’t worry, online party crashers -- I’ll have more from the fest’s celebratory frontline on Sunday, as the party scene really kicks into high gear).
- Erin Steele
- March 10, 2007 8:53 AM
SXSW: Let's Get This Party Started
Oh, there are so many movies and musicians slated for the South by Southwest film and music festival (or as I prefer to call it, Destination Spring Break), which kicks off in Austin on Friday.
But we have a short attention span and decided to give you a list of the highlights. Of course, we didn't want to do all the work. Oh, no, faithful readers, we want you to tell us which movies and bands you most want us to cover.
If there's something you're hankering to hear about that isn't on the list below, go to the SXSW Web site to view the full film and music lineups and tell us what you're excited about.
THE FILMS
KNOCKED UP
Directed by: Judd Apatow
Starring: Seth Rogen, Katherine Heigl
The story: From the writer/director of
“The 40-Year-Old Virigin,” “Knocked Up” tells the story of Allison Scott (Heigl), an E! reporter whose one-night stand with Ben (Rogen) leaves her, well, knocked up. Despite their differences, the two try to make it work for their baby’s sake.
Playing: 6:45 p.m. March 12 at the Paramount in Austin
Release date: June 1
DISTURBIA
DIRECTED BY: D.J. Caruso
STARRING: Shia LaBeouf, David Morse
THE STORY: Kale (LeBeouf) finds himself placed under house arrest after a run-in with the law. He begins to spy on his neighbors from his home, one of which (Morse) Kale begins to suspect is a serial killer. But is it all just in his imagination?
PLAYING: 7 p.m. March 9, Alamo Downtown
RELEASE DATE: April 13
THE LOOKOUT
DIRECTED BY: Scott Frank
STARRING: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Isla Fisher
THE STORY: Chris (Gordon-Levitt), once a promising athlete, finds his life turned upside down after a tragic accident. He takes a job as a bank janitor only to find himself caught up in a planned heist.
PLAYING: 9 p.m. March 9, Paramount in Austin
RELEASE DATE: March 30
Continue reading "SXSW: Let's Get This Party Started" »
- Erin Steele
- March 7, 2007 7:27 PM
- Comments (1)