THE WEST IS THE BEST – SXSW 2008

By: T.W. Anderson

If it’s March then it must be time for my annual sabbatical to Austin, Texas—the weirdest city south of the Mason/Dixon line. The South by Southwest Film Festival has become an annual ritual and the only film festival I regularly attend…including the one that’s a 15-minute drive from my house. Why you might ask. Well, in the event that you missed last year’s article—here’s the annual breakdown.

DAY ONE – FRIDAY, MARCH 7, 2008

THE DEPARTED

What’s wrong with you people? I mean, how many of you actually need to be at the airport at 5:00am. Really! I’ve decided to use curbside check in for my one suitcase… since the line inside “stretches all the way back to Terre Haute”. This is the only trip of the year where I have to check a suitcase and I dread it every time. Consider for a moment that airlines outright lose or misplace (they call it mishandling) about 6 out of every 1000 bags they get their hands on.

It’s no wonder I don’t like saying goodbye to all my precious Fright-Rags T-shirts each year. Why do I do it? Cause, I gotta drag the Laptop and the camera equipment with me on the plane…a task that makes the security checkpoint an increasingly anxious undertaking as I’m forced to take off my Doc Martins, my belt, my backpack, and pony up my keys, wallet, cell phone, my VIAO and a Canon SLR that cost more than all the other crap combined. Once I’m safely through the metal detector the task of repacking is so methodical that it feels as though it should be accompanied by the marching soundtrack of Arnold Schwarzenegger suiting-up for battle in COMMANDO.

I grab a pair of Bacon, Egg and Cheese Croissan’wichs from the BK in the terminal and await the arrival of David Harley. Harley is better known to the Zombie Army as Horrorholic and this year David is trekking to Austin to experience the total soul-sucking-immersion of festival life. I don’t think he’s gonna survive.

Have you ever noticed that since airlines started cutting back on flights, the once dimly filled fuselages have since been packed tighter than a can of Starkist Tuna? I’m asleep in an aisle seat, being jarred from my unrestful slumber by the periodic blunt force trauma of the passing food and drink cart. How long till we get to Houston?

A few years ago, it seems every airline in the world eliminated direct flights into Austin in favor of dropping us all off in some terminal limbo. Continental calls this hell their Hub—the Houston Intercontinental Airport. This means that this year I need to get off a tightly compressed plane and get on another tightly compressed plane for a layover and flight that takes longer than simply renting a car and driving the 165 miles between Houston and Austin. David is taking a separate flight from Houston to Austin. So, he’ll be leaving about an hour before me. I cut it too close last year when American Airlines forgot to actually get pilots for our plane from Orlando to Dallas, so I scheduled an hour and a half layover this year. I love the simple convenience of air travel.

PEOPLE ARE STRANGE

You can tell that we’re getting closer to SXSW when I arrive at the departure gate for Austin. The typical crowd of business attired professionals and vacationing families has been completely eradicated by black-clad, bearded and ultra-hip looking Generation X’rs sporting shag haircuts and earbuds while sipping on Starbucks and surfing the web on their iPhones. It’s like a living breathing, walking, talking, pop cliché and it reminds me why cliché’s exist in the first place and why it is folly to fight them. These are my people and for better or worse, I probably look just like them.

IT’S A LONG WAY TO GUANTANAMO BAY

I’ve opined before about the tragic waste of time it takes to get your credentials at the SXSW registration desk. This year I was truly in for the shock of my life.

Normally, I plan absolutely nothing prior to about 7:00pm on the first day of the festival. Just getting to Austin, checking in to the hotel and registering for the festival is enough to kill ones hopes and dreams outright, or at least put a little downpour on your sunny disposition. So, why did I schedule David and I to attend a press screening of HAROLD AND KUMAR ESCAPE FROM GUANTANAMO BAY at 2:00 knowing full well that making it there would be a logistical nightmare. Call it a case of blind optimism.

OK, back to the Convention Center registration line and the shock of my life. There was no line! Upon arrival, I had my Press Badge and Photographer Badges within 20 minutes. Not only was I actually gonna make this screening, I was now seriously pissed that I was missing a Tex-Mex lunch with David and Nicole Mikuzis from MPI/Dark Sky Films. Guess I’m eating at The Alamo.

David and I rolled up to Alamo South Lamar at about 1:30 for the HAROLD AND KUMAR screening where we met up in the lobby with fellow Orlandoian and eFilmCritic scribe Will Goss. After discovering that somehow the press agent did not have David and I down for the private screening we also learned that the film canisters were still on a plane from L.A. to Austin. So…stoner humor was gonna have to wait until 5:00.

David and I decide to share a cab back to the Convention Center with Brian Geldin from TheFilmPanelNotetaker.com, so David can grab his festival bag, Program and Pocket Guide book. I’m struck at this very moment by how much Geldin looks exactly like Jared from the Subway commercials and I contemplate how hard it would be to hit up the Subway on Congress with Geldin in tow and ask for a free Sweet Onion Chicken Teriyaki all while trying not to bust a gut laughing. For the hell of it, lets just call Geldin the first celebrity encounter of the festival.

Since the Croissan’wichs came about 10 hours ago, my stomach is telling me it’s time for a fix. I’m dragging David—who’s “Not hungry”—over to Iron Works Barbecue so I can score some brisket and a Big Red. Everyone has brisket but the Big Red is the real draw. If you’re town is like mine, Orlando doesn’t import Big Red—which is like a cherry cream soda. I used to drink the hell out of it back in Louisville, Kentucky when I was growing up—that and White Castles. We don’t have those in Florida either. As I get my second bottle of Big Red, I decide that Florida officially sucks.

You know what else sucks, HAROLD AND KUMAR. No, not the film. I thought the film was funny. HAROLD AND KUMAR sucks because the 5:00 screening started at 6:59pm. I missed the documentary OBSCENE and it seems like we’re never gonna make it out of this theater to see the opening night film 21 at The Paramount. We cut outta HAROLD AND KUMAR a few minutes early so we could catch a cab back into town. A few eFilmCritic guys are already in line at 21 and we need to catch them before they enter the theater if we ever wanna see this flick.

WINNER, WINNER, CHICKEN DINNER

You have to celebrate the little victories…we got a cab and got dropped off at the Red Carpet entrance to The Paramount a few short feet from the point of no return. Only one big problem left. I’m never gonna make it through this flick.

I dropped the bomb to David that I was cutting out at least 15 minutes before 21 was scheduled to end, so that I could get in line at the Alamo Downtown for the Midnight Screening of Raw Feed’s OTIS. I know a few people who were gonna be in line early but I never got a chance to formulate the Film Festival Lifeline Plan for OTIS.

The Film Festival Lifeline Plan is to make as many friends as possible that are going to see the same shit as you are. That way one of you poor bastards can wait in line while everyone else just jumps in with you at the last possible second pissing off scores of people behind you who now won’t make it into the screening. This is especially true at The Alamo, which was relocated this year to 6th street. The Alamo now has 2 screens Downtown in the old Ritz building. The problem: The Ritz 1 seats only 190 people (about the same as the old location on Colorado…immortalized in Quentin Tarantino’s DEATH PROOF). The Ritz 2 seats a dismal and impractical 90 souls. I have grave reservations about the films screening in the Ritz 2.

At OTIS we meet up again with Nicole from Dark Sky and I grab Quint from Ain’t it Cool News—cause I know Quint already saw 21 and now I need to know how the damn movie ends. Good news is that I was right on the money about the finale of 21 and turns out it was a pretty good flick. OTIS on the other hand was a middling prospect with flashes of brilliance.

Call it the end of Day One as David and I trudge 5 blocks back to the Hotel room in 30-degree weather to catch a few much-needed hours of rest before the start on Day 2.

Official count 3 films down and 25 consecutive hours awake. It’s gonna be a rough year.

DAY TWO – SATURDAY, MARCH 8, 2008

KNIGHTS MORNINGS OF THE ROUND TABLE

I’m up and awake and this is in-and-of-itself a minor miracle. I’ve got to be at The Four Seasons for an interview with OTIS director Tony Krantz and Writer Erik Jendresen at 11:00am. Now, 11am might sound late to you, but it’s early to me. No time for breakfast—such is the mantra of the film festival grind.

Arriving at the room for the interview session, David and I discover that it’s not going to be a simple one-on-one with Tony and Erik. We’re going round robin with the whole cast too. That means table one is Bostin Christopher (Otis), Illeana Douglas (Kate), Jere Burns (Hodgkiss) and Kevin Pollak (Elmo). I’m also shocked to discover that Spooky Dan has put up a review of OTIS on the site early this morning, which I have not yet read but evidently the entire cast and crew has! After the initial shock wears off that I’m about to interview a group of people who already know what Bloody-Disgusting has to say about their film—although I still don’t—I’m further shocked to discover that Spooky Dan is not a big fan of Kevin Pollak, but likes him in OTIS. A fact that Kevin Pollak is apparently losing sleep over.

Table two covers the film’s younger leads, Ashley Johnson (Riley) and Jared Kusnitz (Reed). Johnson and Kusnitz are great and the interview sails along. Kusnitz is this years version of the Midnight Movie It Boy starring in OTIS and Sunday Night’s premieres of DANCE OF THE DEAD. Johnson is probably best remembered as Chrissy Seaver on the 80’s hit GROWING PAINS but with parts in TV’s DIRT and a few other shows and series, hopefully OTIS will prove a theatrical jumping off point for the talented actress.

The last table is Krantz and Jendresen and I’ve had to switch to David’s digital recorder since I’ve run out of tape.

The entire process ended after an hour and a half and man, I’ve never been so tired from getting an interview in my entire life.

PAY ATTENTION, THIS MAY BE ON THE TEST

At 2:30 we headed over to check out the Documentary A NECESSARY DEATH. I call it a documentary at this moment because apparently a whole lot of festivalgoers seem to think it is an actual documentary. But, in this case truth is not stranger than fiction—or rather, perhaps it is, as you will see.

A NECESSARY DEATH tells the tale of a film school senior who decides to shoot a non-fiction feature about an individual who has committed to killing himself. The documentary crew searches out the suicidal prospect and then follows that person as they prepare for the final act. The project by director Daniel Stamm is at times gut-wrenching eliciting more than a few peaks and valleys in my Adam’s apple. By the time Stamm and the cast took the stage it was clear that some of the audience was not in on the joke. All cast members were present for the Q&A except Matt Tilley who plays the ill-fated star of the project. I assume that had Tilley appeared on stage that the immediate question from an uninformed audience member would have been annulled. “What kind of sick people are you?” was the gist of the question from the woman who believed we had all just witnessed the actual documentation of one mans suicide. I guess she missed the cast list that ran during the closing credits too. We’ll call that surreal festival moment number one.

THRILLER?

After A NECESSARY DEATH, David and I stayed around The Alamo to catch Harmony (GUMMO) Korine’s latest project MISTER LONELY. The film, which premiered at Cannes last May, was the first real moment thus far where I didn’t think David and I would make it into the theater. As the seats were ticked off one-by-one by the omnipresent festival staff, we made it past the velvet ropes about a dozen people ahead of the cut-off point.

MR. LONELY is a wild ride and though it is probably the most linear film that Korine has directed (and that’s not too difficult considering his last work was on JULIAN DONKEY-BOY) it’s hardly mainstream fare. The film stars Diego Luna as a Michael Jackson impersonator who falls in love with Marilyn Monroe (played by Samantha Morton) and follows her back to a commune in the Scottish countryside populated by Abraham Lincoln, The Three Stooges, James Dean, her husband Charlie Chapin and their daughter Shirley Temple. MR. LONLEY is a heartbreaking look at unrequited love and social acceptance, with a fiercely satirical subplot featuring Director Werner Herzog and a group of Flying Nuns. To say you need to see it to believe it is probably the definitive label affixed to Korine’s catalogue…but its one label that is meant to stick.

THE SURREAL LIFE VS. THE REAL WORLD

As the day drug on, David and I split up so that he could catch the 11:00pm showing of NOT YOUR TYPICAL BIGFOOT MOVIE and I could attend the midnight premiere of SHUTTLE. You know how I mentioned that David was never gonna make it. By the time I dropped him off outside The Alamo for BIGFOOT his eyes looked like the set of an Eli Roth film.

I was so early for SHUTTLE that I was first in line. About 20 minutes later the SUV’s started pulling up preparing for the end of the EXPLICIT ILLS screening that was going on. As EXPLICIT ILLS began to let out, I was joined in line by Nicole, who had just attending the screening. Nicole told me that virtually no one made it into the theater since VIP seats accounted for better than half the viewing audience. No sooner than Nicole stated this annoying fact, did I catch a glimpse of the film’s star Rosario Dawson emerging from the crowd. Then came the double feature of: Surreal Festival Moment # 2 and Celebrity Encounter # unknown…

As Nicole and I chatted about the VIP incident we noticed that the girl standing not more than 2 feet away from us was Vanessa Hudgens of Disney’s HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL. Now, I’m not professing to be a fan but I read enough US Weekly to know who the hell Vanessa Hudgens is. At this point, it seems too beyond ridiculous that we’re standing next to this girl—whom we could not discern a purpose for being in Austin (turns out she’s shooting a movie in town)—and we get the bright idea that we’ve got to talk to her and ask for pictures. Nicole really wants to send hers to Perez Hilton. I really want Brad to post a picture of Vanessa and me with the caption “Vanessa Hudgens is Bloody-Disgusting!” I guess you can see this picture right here!

SHUTTLE is getting mixed reviews around the festival but I thought it was a fun flick with a killer ending. So many directors pull punches when they make a horror film. Edward Anderson takes them all to task by delivering a horror film that is timely and meaningful along with being action packed and suspenseful. He keeps the gore to a minimum but amplifies the pain factor by making the kills and mutilations extremely realistic. It was just the perfect film to end the day with, jolting me awake throughout the production and making me extra glad that I skipped BIGFOOT for a solid thrill ride and my own personal strange encounter.

DAY THREE – SUNDAY, MARCH 9, 2008

TIME AFTER SOME TIME

When I got back to the room it was technically 4am. The Gods have once again seen manically fit to place the SXSW Film Festival squarely in the middle of the archaic annual Leap Forward ritual. It’s now morning and I’ve got to go check out a Panel at 11AM on No Budget Filmmaking—chief reason for checking out the Panel, THE ROOST and TRIGGER MAN director Ti West is going to be talking.

The No Budget Filmmaking Panel is pretty sedate as the speakers field a lot of tech questions on formats and intersperse that know-how with quips on getting Actors to sign releases and not budgeting for film festival travel (the primary reason being that you’re being too cocky and assuming that anyone would actually want to see your film!). West also told the audience that you can cut your expenses down by only eating the free food at the parties—before admitting that he’s not yet paid for a meal this year.

Speaking of food, it must be about time for my one meal of the day.

BBQ BLUES…er…SOUL….er….GOSPEL

After the Panel, David met me at Stubb’s—the greatest Barbecue restaurant in the history of the world. We had Gospel Brunch and baby was it smoking or was it smoked…Get it?

Alright we’re stuffed, back to the Convention Center to jack some swag at the iF Trade Show and meet up with the folks who made SHUTTLE for a 1pm interview I’ve scheduled with Edward Anderson, Peyton List and Cameron Goodman.

The interview went well, and Bloody-Disgusting had the pleasure of being the final interview of the festival for star Peyton List—who does an admirable job of getting the shit beat out of her during the production. This is one tough gal.

Ultimately today and tomorrow are days to catch up on writing. David and I don’t have a genre screening until midnight when DANCE OF THE DEAD premieres. But before hand, we’re definitely gonna check out the comedy THE PROMOTION at 7:00.

So, it’s back to the Hotel room to work on some reviews for you fine people. David is also running a blog throughout the festival, which is detailing some of our minor misadventures in real time. So, far it’s funny as hell. Of course I’m living it and I’m living it on less sleep than you, so maybe you disagree. You know what opinions are like?

WHEN YOU’RE SLAPPED, YOU’LL TAKE IT AND LIKE IT

Because THE PROMOTION is gonna be a big draw film, I told David we needed to be in line about a hour and a half before screening (that’s about an hour before the doors open to the theater). We cruised the line but it was a bit anorexic so we made a b-line over to a little music shop about a block away to check out some art work and ponder just how much shit The Ramones can slap their logo onto—the highlight of the browse goes to a pair of Ramones flip-flops that were styled to look like a pair of tore up Chuck Taylor’s!

THE PROMOTION was pretty funny but it felt a bit like John C. Reilly, has been taking acting lessons from Will Ferrell—and not the other way around—scary! Seann William Scott was in attendance but my fanboy heart sank when my dreams that perhaps co-star Jenna Fischer was going to show were shattered. I saw recently where Fischer has told people to stop asking her out on her MySpace page. That actually creeped me out a bit and made me feel sorry for her. Am I having actual emotional feelings for someone I’ve only seen on Television? Am I only steps away from becoming a stalker? Seriously! Someone call Dr. Phil, I might need an intervention!

SHOULD I STAY OR SHOULD I GO?

After the screening, I drug David over to the Film Threat party a few blocks away. This was gonna be the time of the year where I make nice with other movie geeks, plus get free Shiner Bock and Tamales while watching Chris Gore and Mark Bell rock some Clash on the Rock Band set-up. I know it’s gonna be fun when the girl working the door at the “Film Threat Party” tells me that she has Bloody-Disgusting as the homepage on her computer!!! Score one for B-D!!!

All the usual crew is there Will, Scott Weinberg and the eFilmCritic stringers. Not to mention all the Film Threat gang and a few new faces that I can still picture but whose names are long lost in a sea of sweat, beer and cigarette smoke. After a few surprisingly good Tamales, I tell David that we’re not staying around long since the World Premiere of DANCE OF THE DEAD is gonna be a nightmare.

THE DEAD CAN DANCE

“Free Beer”—Two words that would make most sane people trip over themselves to get to a bar. Now, most sane people are not at a film festival. Most sane people go to bed before midnight. And whatever mostly sane people are left in Austin, they were clearly not in line to see DANCE OF THE DEAD, where said free beer was being provided. I grabbed David and Nicole and we got into the line early. We were later met by Will, Weinberg and a few choice others before heading into the theater. Turns out that EXPLICT ILLS wasn’t the only film to have a VIP deluge—and DANCE OF THE DEAD, the most anticipated genre film screening all week—was only going to seat about 65 poor bastards that were waiting in a line that stretched around the fucking block. I spoke with Director Gregg Bishop in line and was joined by “Gravedigger” James Jarrett and Jared Kusnitz (Jimmy) for a while before the festivities began.

Inside The Alamo, David and I split up a plate of the Nachos Libre as we waited patiently for our free pint of beer to come. About 30 minutes into the flick and we still didn’t have our free beer—a situation remedied by our server as she brought us a big-ass pitcher instead! David loved the Nachos and hated the beer so Nicole and I drained that bad boy…and now I’m drunk.

DANCE OF THE DEAD is off–the-chain-saw-awesome. So far above and beyond my expectations that I was left dumbfounded. As a movie going experience this was a Gorehounds wet dream. The audience was falling out of their chairs with laughter and shouting and screaming and yelling. A disco ball illuminated the theater and during the climactic destruction of the High School Gym, a ball of confetti detonated over the audience drenching the theater in a shower of white tissue paper.

After the screening, and unending love given to the cast and crew—something like 50 of them were in attendance—we all went outside to just rave about the movie. Bishop and his cast were holing court on the sidewalk—until the police busted us up around 3:20 am—answering fan questions, conducting impromptu interviews with reporters, posing for pictures and generally basking in the glory of the best SXSW screening I’ve ever seen (including 2007’s KNOCKED UP and 2006’s BEHIND THE MASK). After all the love and another 5 block walk back to the La Quinta, I’m ready for some rest—plus I’ve got to call Bishop in the morning and find out when he and the cast want to meet for some interviews.

DAY FOUR – MONDAY, MARCH 10, 2008

JUST ANOTHER MANIC MONDAY

Once I drug my ass outta bed, I finally felt the festival blues—it could hardly help that it’s shitty and raining outside.

A few weeks back on a local film set, I promised this dude Scott that I would try and check out a short film at South By that he served as the DP on. It’s playing at the Alamo around 11am. He didn’t come to Austin this year, but I hope he appreciates that I went and saw his flick, which was not exceptionally brilliant but did have some excellent Cinematography—not that I’m biased.

MOLE OLÉ

After the screening of SUNLIT SHADOWS, I called David and Nicole to see if they wanted to grab some Mexican food at Manuel’s on Congress. I love this place and after some Queso and Chips, they delivered my Enchiladas de Mole. I’d fly to Austin once a year just to eat this meal. I swear to God. Just as I was finishing my little plate of heaven, Gregg Bishop rang.

David headed back to the hotel to keep on writing while I headed over to the Press Suite to meet up with Bishop, Writer Joe Ballarini, actors Jonathan Spencer, Justin Wellborn (THE SIGNAL) and actress Greyson Chadwick. I had spoken with Wellborn and Chadwick the night before along with Kusnitz (who had to catch an early flight home). The interview went great and I seriously get the feeling that the cast and crew were just as blown away by the film’s reception as the audience was last night. This is a tight group and one that clearly had nothing but a fantastic time on that set. I can’t believe I’ve got to wait for a distribution deal to cement itself before I can hope to see DANCE OF THE DEAD again.

Back up San Jacinto to the La Quinta I go. I’ve got a ton of coverage to write and a review of DANCE OF THE DEAD burning a hole in my brain just trying to spill out onto my laptop screen. I’m also bracing myself because tonight David and I are headed for the worst line of the festival.

NERDCORE AND NUDITY

Last year marked the first time a truly major studio film debuted at SXSW. Now, I mean in years past they’ve shown stuff like V FOR VENDETTA but last year, when they screened KNOCKED UP, they took a very cult festival, very mainstream. With that success Festival Director Matt Dentler convinced Universal and Producer Judd Apatow to bring the comedy FORGETTING SARAH MARSHALL to the festival—and the line for this bitch is gonna be longer than an Oscar telecast. David and I camped out early, grabbing a place in line just ahead of a few others including NERDCORE RISING Star MC Frontalot. I really wanted to catch that flick, but somehow I never had the chance.

In the meantime, David whips out the laptop and jumps on a sidewalk bench….the dude is still writing!

The movie delivered everything it promised, with Writer/Star Jason Segel, Kristen Bell, Russell Brand and Director Nicholas Stoller in attendance. It might not be better than KNOCKED UP, but it’s definitely bordering on the same loveable level of offensiveness. And, for shock value on par with Katherine Heigl’s “Crowning Scene”, we get not one, not two, but three full frontal shots of Segel’s junk…and I’m never gonna watch HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER again!

SAVE THE DRAMA FOR YOUR…

The final genre film of the week comes courtesy of TOOTH AND NAIL Director Mark H. Young. Young’s film is SOUTHERN GOTHIC and it might have been one of the worst genre films I’ve ever seen at SXSW. Languid to near stalemate—I struggle to comprehend how it was that I didn’t manage to fall asleep during the film. In fact, had I not ordered a Coke to help me stay awake—and been forced to remain to pay my tab—I would have never stayed through the end of the film. Even the always interesting William Forsythe could not keep my attention in a Vampire movie that tries desperately to screw with conventions and winds up playing out more melodrama than a month long marathon of DAYS OF OUR LIVES. To think, we left the La Zona Rosa party early for this!

Time to call it a night…tomorrow is the last day of the festival and as in past years, it’s pretty lax in terms of “must see movies”

DAY FIVE – TUESDAY, MARCH 11, 2008.

HOGWARTS AND ALL

David is still writing—the dude’s a machine—and I’m not in the least bit tired for some reason. It’s a bright and shiny Tuesday morning and today is all about the breeze. It’s sunny, the rain is gone and the temperature is a balmy 72. I’m feeling chipper and so I’m off to exploit my inner dork by attending the documentary WE ARE WIZARDS.

The film is a look at the peripheral world of Harry Potter maniacs and how they’ve taken their love for all things Potter and created their own weird brand of sub-pop-art. From Bands like Harry and the Potters and the Whomping Willows to the proprietors of Fan sites like teenager Heather Lawver who while battling a life threatening illness, took on Warner Brother’s legal department and won rights for, not just her, but for thousands of others who want to blog about Harry and his friends. I was geeking out in all my glory during this screening—you can all feel free to make fun of me now.

COMMERICAL HELL

After the screening I took a long stroll the 14 or so blocks it is over to Book People and Waterloo Records, two Austin institutions that I pit-stop at every year for subversive underground film tomes and black metal CDs.

On the way back I also hit up Tesoros Trading Company on Congress and scoped out the selection of reproduction Mexican Movie Posters painted by current Bollywood artists. I drool over the original artwork made to look 50 years old by absolute masters of their craft and I contemplate the Photoshopped monstrosities that adorn the AMC Theaters of suburban America. Whatever happened to Drew Struzan?

A final stop at the always kick ass Aaron’s Rock & Roll shop on 6th and Neches is where I score a G.G. Allin T-Shirt that makes me feel almost as cool as the swarms of Musicians that are already descending into town for the Music Festival that kicks off tonight. They even had a Bathory shirt, but it was a Double X. Did I mention Aaron’s rocks! I mean really, who the hell carries Bathory T-Shirts?

AIN’T NO THANG BUT A CHICKEN WING

After a day of relative ease, David got the word on some 40-cent wings. Apparently this is on the down low since 40-cent wings in Austin during SXSW would probably start a damn riot. We hit up the bar that was providing said culinary delights and sure enough, not a sign or ad in the place had any mention of the juicy little morsels of spicy love. As we order the girl at the register looked at us suspiciously and in a hushed tone, seemed to indicate we should not make too much noise about the “price”. It was cryptic and I felt for seconds like we were trapped in some Neo-Noir Thriller about to trip upon the location of The Maltese Falcon. Anyway….I got twenty/hot and those suckers were pretty tasty!

After gorging on Wings and Blue Cheese, David and I headed over to The Alamo for a Screening of the Documentary ‘BAMA GIRL—a film I got corralled into attending by a publicist—who happily put me on the VIP list. Finally I wouldn’t wait in line and people would curse me for a change….ahhhh the power.

RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE

I’m happy to report that of all the docs I saw during the festival, ‘BAMA GIRL is far and away to pick of the litter. Before the screening I shared a few words with Director Rachel Goslins about the project and after the screening she indulged me again in a series of unending questions about the production.

‘BAMA GIRL is the story of a strong black woman at the University of Alabama and her struggle against the secretive “Machine” which uses block voting and scare tactics to insure the outcome of Student Elections and the annual Homecoming Queen race. If you think Skull and Bones is the only powerful campus society, take a look at ‘BAMA GIRL, it will impress the hell out of you…I know what it did for me.

Like last year’s HELVETICA, I chose to end the 2008 festival with a documentary. So few of these films find major distribution and so many fewer ever find themselves into our Netflix queues. It’s a crime to come to a film festival and not indulge in a few Non-Fiction Films.

David and I toyed with the idea of heading back out before midnight to see DANCE OF THE DEAD at one of the Encore screenings, but we decided that a 6AM cab ride to the airport was compelling reason enough to skip seeing the best film of the week again. Instead, we take a minor detour over to Stubbs for the closing night party. It’s free beer again but tragically no free BBQ. A DJ is spinning in the concert field for about a thousand spectators and the Jumbotron is flashing clips of the Michael Caine version of THE ITALIAN JOB. It’s not really happening and I’m pretty exhausted so the night ends before 12 and I wonder if I’m getting too old for this shit. Nah….not me.

Lights out on another year at SXSW—it might not have been the end all, be all of genre films, like 2007 was, but the bar was raised on the level of quality by a country mile.

DAY SIX - WEDNSEDAY, MARCH 12, 2008

LIFE IN THE FAST LANE

Every year it seems like SXSW Week flashes by like a lightning strike across the Texas sky. Looking back I wonder how I made it through, but when you’re in the thick of it—the shit—it’s blazing by faster than you can imagine. It’s only in the reflection as I sit at Gate 15 waiting to board the plane to Houston, enroute back to my home in Mickey Mouse Hell that I can catch a glimpse of clarity on the week.

Overall the bar was set pretty high this year. DANCE OF THE DEAD was flawless, SHUTTLE was solid. MR. LONELY was tragically beautiful, FORGETTING SARAH MARSHALL was hilarious and ‘BAMA GIRL was eye opening. All said and done if I had only seen those films, I would have called it a great week for cinema.

I could go on for days about how SXSW treats everyone that attends the festival with the same degree of respect—something that I can assure you, many film festivals do not. Including the one that’s 15-minutes from my house. Austin is a film lover’s town and that’s something that after 14-years of Film Festivals, Hollywood is beginning to notice. But even with that attention, I think it’s a long-way-to-never that sees this artsy party town turn into the next Park City. The locals would never have it and I wouldn’t have it either. So, next year, if you’re a film junkie you could do a helluva lot worse than coming to Texas in 2009 and meeting me in some bar on 6th Street for a few pints of Shiner Bock and a shitload of great cinema.

Hope I see ya there…

T.W. Anderson
March 2008