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Editor's Note: Every year the South by Southwest Film Festival in Austin, Texas, is one of the biggest film gatherings in the world. Marc Ferman from www.keepitclassic.com attended this year and wrote the below recap for Hudak On Hollywood.
This was my first time attending SXSW. Even though I had a great time, not being able to stay in the downtown area made it a bit harder for me to see some of the things that were going on in the daytime. I would have loved to see many of the panels that were going on at the convention center but sadly that was just not in the cards.
But I did get to check out a few of the interactive things going on.
The TRON: Legacy Lounge had a demonstration of Disney’s Second Screen application. This is a very cool feature that allowed me to synch the ipad with the blu-ray of TRON: Legacy. I could watch a scene on the TV and while I was watching that scene, a behind the scenes segment would show up on the ipad. It is really cool and I wish I actually owned an ipad. Though the TRON: Legacy RECONFIGURED album that featured remixes of the original motion picture score were not really my thing, watching a few minutes of TRON: Legacy on blu-ray 3D was pretty cool. I WANT A 3DTV right now!
While that was fun, movies were my main reason for coming to SXSW. Lucky for me I enjoyed most of what I saw, which is not always the case for people who attend film festivals. One of the best parts of these screenings though is standing in line. Seriously! I met so many cool people just by standing in line. These are all people who love films and are not just there for a free movie. These are people like myself. Some of them were filmmakers, screenwriters, & movie critics. The time in line would fly by.
So without any further adieu, here are the films I got to attend this year at SXSW:
1. SOURCE CODE
Fans of Director Duncan Jones’ previous film MOON are not going to get more of the same here. This is a much more commercial film, but that is not a bad thing. SOURCE CODE is a thoroughly enjoyable action/thriller that is no way repetitive despite the storyline in which a man has to relive the same eight minutes of another man’s life in order to find the terrorists behind a bombing. Gyllenhaal & Monaghan have a great connection and the pacing is good as well. There are quite a few holes in the logic of the film’s story but when you are dealing with time travel films or mind travel, you kinda have to throw logic out of the window and just enjoy it for what it is. Director Duncan Jones and stars Jake Gyllenhaal, Michelle Monaghan, Vera Farmiga were there for an after film Q&A.
2. THE GREATEST MOVIE EVER SOLD
Morgan Spurlock (Super Size Me) is very good at what he does, and because of that, I find is documentaries to be great entertainment. His new film, THE GREATEST MOVIE EVER SOLD, is his funniest. The whole idea of product placement in films is a fascinating, but we are at a point where it’s just ridiculous. The products in the film take priority over the story in many instances. Spurlock is out to fill his film with product placements to pay for his film’s production, and in doing so shows us in what way different corporations get involved and what they want in return. This was one of my SXSW favorites and even if the subject does not interest you, I think it may at least entertain. The entertainingly awesome Spurlock was there to introduce the film.
3. BRIDESMAIDS
BRIDESMAIDS can be described as a chick flick that was made with men in mind. I can already tell that people will call it the female HANGOVER, but it is so much more than that and in my eyes a much funnier movie. Like some of the best comedies of the past few years, this one is also written by Judd Apatow and fits in nicely with other classics like 40 YEAR OLD VIRGIN, FORGETTING SARAH MARSHALL, KNOCKED UP. Kristen Wiig is terrific as Helen, a woman who is having a run of bad luck with relationships. When her best friend Lillian (Maya Rudolph) gets engaged, Helen is asked to be the maid-of-honor. There are so many huge laughs in BRIDESMAIDS that even when the film takes a slight downward spiral through the second half, I still have to highly recommend it. I need to point out the film’s real breakout performance by Melissa McCarthy (TV’s Mike & Molly). The woman is pure gold and steals every single scene as Megan, one of the bridesmaids. McCarthy is to BRIDESMAIDS what Galifianakis was to THE HANGOVER.
In attendance to introduce the film were Kristen Wiig and Director Paul Feig.
4. AIN'T IT COOL SURPRISE SCREENING (1981’S DRAGONSLAYER)
Being a huge fan of the AINTITCOOL.COM website, I had to attend the surprise screening they were having. I had no clue what the film would be, other than that it would be a vintage film. After two hours in line, we start off with Harry Knowles coming on stage to talk to the audience and introduce a surprise guest. After playing with us for a bit, he welcomes Director Guillermo Del Toro onto the stage. They both talk about how much they love the film they are about to show us and then go on to let us know that it will be the 1981 fantasy film DRAGONSLAYER. All of a sudden my excitement turned to utter disappointment because unfortunately, I did not enjoy this film as a kid. My friend and I decided to give it a chance, though, and try to watch it again. After about 30 minutes we could not take anymore and had to walk out (and we were not the only ones). I would have loved to watch the Q&A after the film, but I just could not bear to sit there.
5. DETENTION
I don’t even know how to review this film. There is no coherent storyline and it’s completely whacked out. The story borrows from films like CLUELESS, THE FLY, BILL & TED’S EXCELLENT ADVANTURE, HEATHERS, SCREAM, and something involving a flying saucer. I am not kidding. This was one of the craziest things I have ever seen and I can’t even begin to imagine a studio picking it up for major distribution, even if it does star Josh Hutcherson & Dane Cook. So, why did I enjoy almost every frame of this not-quite-a-movie? DETENTION is filled with 90’s pop-culture references that work and there are a lot of laughs. Watching this crazy story play out is like passing by a bad accident on the freeway, you can’t look away. Because this is a quickie review, I can’t even go into what the film is about because it would take a long time for me to break it down and even then it probably would not make any sense. I remember coming out of the theater and someone asked what I thought. My response, I kinda loved it. A few people looked at me like I was on drugs. You just can’t help what floats your boat sometimes. Director Joseph Kahn (Torque) was there to introduce the film and hold a Q&A after.
6. ATTACK THE BLOCK
I missed the first couple of showings for ATTACK THE BLOCK. Word quickly spread around SXSW that is was one of the surprise favorites of the festival. I had one last chance to catch the film and I was not going to let that pass me by. Knowing that the film was going to be at the Alamo Draft House-Ritz, I would have to get to the theater super early to make sure I get in. I knew with that great buzz and it being the final showing that many were going to turn out for it. I showed up almost 4 hours early. Not on purpose actually. I had written down that the screening was at 4pm, but it was actually at 6pm. Considering I spent $15 to park my friend’s car that I borrowed, I was not about to leave and come back…so I just waited around a very long time. At least I was first in line.
ATTACK THE BLOCK is from the producers of SHAUN OF THE DEAD, so right there you get a basic idea of the kind of film you might be in for. Director Joe Cornish brings us a fun creature feature throwback that reminded me of films from the 80’s like CRITTERS. In the film, a gang of South London Projects teens witness an object fall from the sky. They see some type of creature that they mistake for a monkey and wind up killing it. Later, their block is overrun with huge gorilla-like aliens that are out for blood. There is a lot of blood, action, and humor in ATTACK THE BLOCK. I had a problem with understanding some of the film’s dialogue. Because it’s a teen gang in London, they speak not only fast but in slang most of the time and catching a few of the words can be tricky. Luckily, dialogue is not the reason to see this film, though some of it is very funny. Good horror/comedies are rare and ATTACK THE BLOCK delivers on both.
7. HOBO WITH A SHOTGUN
Right after ATTACK THE BLOCK, I headed over to the Alamo Drafthouse-Lamar for HOBO WITH A SHOTGUN. I was very tired but this was another film on my must see list and it was the final screening. It’s 11:30pm and I am kind of all-movied-out by now. Still, the show must go on. The first thing I will tell you is that HOBO WITH A SHOTGUN was not exactly what I was expecting. Unlike GRINDHOUSE & MACHETE, HOBO’S tone is quite serious. Not to say that there are not a few laughs here and there, but this is a dark and pretty brutal film. This is probably the reason why HOBO WITH A SHOTGUN feels like more of a real grindhouse type movie than the ones put out by Rodriguez & Tarantino. Rutger Hauer plays the title character and he is perfect. Every wrinkle in his face feels like it tells a different story and it looks like he lived a hard life. Director Jason Eisener (who actually won Robert Rodriguez’s Grindhouse trailer contest) did a commendable job creating a feature film out of his fake trailer. Even though the film feels true to it’s grindhouse nature, I found myself wishing he took the comedy route of MACHETE. Aside from a few great moments, there is just not a whole lot I can recommend here. Director Jason Eisener was in attendance for a Q&A.
8. THE DIVIDE
It is now my final night in Austin for SXSW and originally I was going to catch the Wu-Tang Clan concert but I was dead tired and had to be at the airport by 5am. I kinda wanted to just stay home and sleep, but my friend and I had to head back to downtown and pick up her car anyways so I talked her into seeing a midnight screening of THE DIVIDE with me at the Alamo Ritz while we were out there. I could get one last film in that I wanted to see before I flew back to Miami. This was the first screening that I went to that was pretty empty (everyone was out enjoying the numerous concerts going on). Not even the film’s stars or director showed up for this screening.
THE DIVIDE starts off pretty strong with New York City being hit by bombs. A group of people run down to a bunker underneath their apartment building that was built after 9/11. The film stars a well known but not high profile cast. We have Michael Biehn, Rosanna Arquette, Milo Ventimiglia, Courtney B. Vance, Lauren German, and more. I usually like films that are about a group of people who are stuck in one location for the entire film. It’s usually a great way to see characters develop. Unfortunately, halfway through the film people start getting sick and psychotic and the movie is reduced to a torture flick. There is also a moment in second act of the film involving men in radiation suits breaking into the bunker and kidnapping a little girl that gives you an idea of what might be going on outside the bunker but we are just left to speculate. THE DIVIDE is just not a very good film, but Director Xavier Gens at least gives us something better than his previous video game-turned-feature HITMAN.
I wish I was able to see other films at SXSW like SUPER, INSIDIOUS, THE INKEEPERS, THE BEAVER, & CONAN O’BRIEN’S CAN’T STOP. Unfortunately I just couldn’t see everything. Until next year!
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shemoose
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... My Directing Actors professor canceled our last day of class because he was going to SXSW. I still think he should've taken us along! |
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