Happy Birthday Shaun Hamill!
So here's my list of film that I most excited about seeing at SXSW. I just got done watching all the trailers on that stupid/cool site. I have included links to all the films I'm talking about.
I have not seen Orphans, but I've been hearing about for the last two years, and I hear nothing but really good things, so I'm very, very excited to see Ry Russo-Young's latest effort and perhaps jump on to the "Ry Russo-Love" band wagon. It is at the top of my list as far as films this year.
I just loved the trailer for this, I have a feeling it will be quirky, frightening, endearing everything I love about the "eccentric people" genre of documentaries. The film is basically about the Alcoholic Caretaker of four schizophrenic men. It'll be like the masculine version Grey Gardens, I hope...
I am a huge "Okie Noodling" fan, and this looks like another promising Bradley Beesley film. Okie Noodling somehow was one of those films my roommates and I would put on when we were really drunk back in my Community College days. This is supposedly a rough cut, so it'll be neat to see this film at an early point to kind of get a feel for Bradley's creative process. So this is a big one this year for me.
I guess this film should be categorized, along with "There Will Be Blood," as films that predict events in the film within the title. I have to saw this film intrigues me, but it looks like it could either be completely wacky or ingenious. It is in the emerging visions features catagory, almost all of which are on my hit list, either way it promises to be entertaining.
When I first started reading about this film, I thought of a couple other films, they were inicidentally Joe's film "Nights and Weekends" but also "Opening Night." And now it is post the New Yorker article, and I think my attitude towards this film has changed slightly. I am a fan of Joe Swanberg, I know people who know him. I own a copy of LOL and bought it right after it was released by Benton Films. I like Barlow Jacobs, I like Joe's films, I am almost overwhelmed with anticipation for this. On top of that, one of my all time favorite filmmakers is producing, Noah Baumbach, and if you've spoken with me in the last year or two, Margot at the Wedding is something I talk more then fondly about. I will be there for the premier, and I feel almost biased to loving it. Joe Swanberg's influence on my films is always present in my first drafts of my scripts, and I can't help but really being stoked about seeing a film of his in a theater. I will also be attending his panel. As far as the whole SXSW alumni, and the festival's catering toward these guys, I have to say, who cares? A good film is a good film. I hope this is also a good film.
Whatever, it will be great to see my own film play at South by, whatever the situation. We submitted, we got rejected, but we are still screening. Thank you Bryan Poyser, you are instantly one of my favorite people ever. Please go if you can, I would love to see some familiar faces!
Again, I was blow away by this trailer. At first it put me off and then it became on of the weirdest/fun things that I have ever seen. It also reeks of this is going be an insane 97mins that should be worth it. It is so hard to describe this trailer, you should just see it for yourself.
If you've seen my films you know I love shooting on locations. But further then that this is the type of film you go to festivals to see. I've also followed its production through other blogs of the filmmakers behind it. So it'll be neat to see the film they worked on. I also really, really like the title.
Ondi Timoner made a film few years ago about the Brian Jonestown Massacre called DiG! and I have to say I was a fan. I saw the band when they came to Dallas a few years ago and have since gotten over the aura of the hype and the story. At the time when that was big I was a musician and now I'm not really any more. But furthermore I was impressed by Timoner's ability to depict someone so awful in such an ambiguous way. You could've gone either way, you could've hated Anton Newcombe or loved him, she left that to her audience. This film looks similar in that it is about a reckless egomaniac whose concepts and passions destroy the empire that he has built. Content aside, this film looks interesting.
Another Emerging Visions catagory film, I really Like David Lower's visual aesthetic and his eye. I saw a bit of the film as it was being edited at my former colleague's house last spring. David helped me shoot a documentary as a favor for said colleague and I am extremely excited to see his latest film. Personal ties aside, this is a film about a brother and sister on the run and fending for themselves. I have good feeling about this film, and I am anxious to see it. Also Barlow Jacobs is in this one as well.
As someone who has worked in Improv, and has performed long form improv, it is something completely insane by all means. It is I would say the most skilled art an Improv Troupe can accomplish. This film is simply a recorded performance, and I am really geared up to see seasoned improvisers tackle this ultimate form. If there has to be a guilty pleasure film in this festival for me it is this. I don't often look back on my improv past with a lot of fondness for the work, but I remain to this day an admirer of those inclined make it their life's passion.
The stylish raw power of the images that I have seen from the folks at Borderline Films, forces this film to be a must see. This film played last year at Cannes, and I don't mind being a year late to see it. Mainly because I just want to see this film in a festival theater. Anyways it looks great if you haven't seen the trailer, do so here. I also recommend looking at their reel.
A "Weirdo Artist" at what he perceives to be a crucial moment in his life, break downs, anxiety, insecurity, etc. The trailer looks beautiful and this looks like another subtle and powerful film.
FantasticFest has curated the Midnight screenings this year, and among them is a screening of Troll 2. This one just looks ridiculous, my favorite Midnight last time I went to SXSW in '07 was Black Sheep. I can only hope this movie is a bad as I want it to be. Glory.
Human interest... Autism, and the healing of it. Autism is a very important issue in America today, and I am really curious to see a film that addresses this through the perspective of a family. This is you know likely going to be a powerful film, it looks pretty soft and nice. It should be a sweeter experience. It is also probably the polar opposite of Lesbian Vampire Killers.
Other films that look very promising, but I won't write about because frankly I'm exhausted, are 500 Days of Summer, TRIMPIN, Sorry Thanks, A Film With Me In It, Luckey, Humpday, and True Adolescents.
I am going to all the short Compilations this year, so I can see what was so "better" about them then my film and those of my friends. Don't get me wrong, bitterness has nothing to do with my reasoning, it is just, I'm curious and I won't have that sort of subjective attitude either. A theater is the most objective scenario to experience a film. It is hard to not get into a film in a dark room room with just a huge flickering image in front of you.
I am also going to avoid most of the "big" screenings, like Bruno and Observe and Report, I made that mistake last time, and all of those films came out within a week or a month of SXSW. I definitely want to focus on seeing films, that I might not ever have another chance to see, outside of Netflix.
Before I stop, "Sleet/Snow" won best film at the Movies Without Borders, Student Film Festival yesterday. Alright, until next week.
D
