Caitlin Moore's blog

Review: Clouds of Sils Maria

Caitlin Moore — Sat, 02 May 2015 16:30:16 +0000

You may have already heard a few things about Clouds of Sils Maria -- including that Kristen Stewart achieved the nearly impossible by winning a major French acting award in a French movie playing opposite the French goddess (emphasis mine) Juliette Binoche.

This is a fine starting point, but there is so much more (so much more) to talk about here. Director Olivier Assayas has made a film that explores the kind of relationship not usually depicted onscreen (and rarely with such grace and intelligence), while here and there upending traditional narrative and editorial techniques to great effect.

Binoche is the star of the film, meaning she has more screen time than anyone and also plays a film star named Maria Enders. Maria is enjoying artistic success even as the inevitability of middle age -- terrifying for an actress -- starts to make its presence known.

Maria first finds fame when she plays a young, self-assured woman who seduces and destroys an older woman (who is also her boss and lover). Twenty years later, Maria has been asked to play the older character in the same play in an updated London production. This proposition challenges her heart and soul and offends her vanity but appeals to her sense of self-confidence and intellect.

She knows taking the role will be a power move. Mastering the nuances of two such different people would bring her wider fame and adoration for a little while longer, but in the wake of her recent divorce and the death of a mentor, Maria knows this exercise will be taxing, as well.

Ready, Set, Fund: Show These Local Film Projects Some Love

Caitlin Moore — Mon, 16 Feb 2015 17:30:04 +0000

Ready, Set, Fund is a column about crowdfunding and fundraising endeavors related to Austin and Texas independent film projects.

Valentine's Day has come and gone, but it's never a bad time to shower up-and-coming filmmakers with a little attention. The film projects included in this month's roundup deal with family strife, community safety, horror and world travel. If you're feeling generous, feel free to donate to whichever ones appeal to your movie-loving heart.

Leading off is a film that sounds pretty timely in terms of content and will be premiering at this year's SXSW in the Documentary Feature Competition. Peace Officer (pictured above) examines officer-involved shootings in one community and questions when (or maybe whether) law enforcement officers have the right to use deadly force. Directed by Scott Christopherson (an Assistant Professor of Documentary Film at St. Edward's University) and Brad Barber, Peace Officer is collecting funds to help with distribution and various other expenses through Kickstarter until March 7.

Beautifully Strange: OUTsider Festival 2015 Preview

Caitlin Moore — Mon, 09 Feb 2015 17:30:30 +0000

Austin has no shortage of arts festivals, but that doesn't mean there isn't room for one more -- especially one that brings a level of depth and differentness not captured by the others. In just a few days, the very first OUTsider Festival will begin, and based on the lineup and creative people involved, attendees can expect something refreshing, entertaining and enriching.

We asked OUTsider Festival Artistic Director Curran Nault to give us an overview of the five-day LGBTQIA event, which will include several films along with panels, live performances, parties and more. OUTsider runs from Feb. 18-22 in a number of central Austin venues.

Slackerwood: In a few quick words, how would you describe OUTsider Festival and how did its existence come about?

Curran Nault: OUTsider is a queer multi-arts festival. OUTsider brings together artists, academics and audiences across their differences and disciplinary boundaries. OUTsider defies the limits of traditional festival models in order to create a sense of wonderment through new artistic experiences, collaborations and conversations. OUTsider makes room for the marginalized, the misfit, and the outcast. OUTsider values dialogue and community.

Our Holiday Favorites 2014: White Reindeer

Caitlin Moore — Wed, 17 Dec 2014 16:00:58 +0000

Welcome to Holiday Favorites, a series in which Slackerwood contributors and our friends talk about the movies we watch during the holiday season, holiday-related or otherwise.

Traditionally upbeat Christmas movies can be comforting, but there's something to be said for exploring the post-magic realm of holiday cinema. Characters with a melancholy streak and who are too cynical to be taken in by sparkly lights and tra-la-la-ing are pretty interesting to watch, and if you're in that kind of mood, too, then you should check out White Reindeer, which screened at SXSW in 2013.

Suzanne (Anna Margaret Hollyman) starts out as the opposite of a Scrooge; she's a realtor working in the Washington, D.C. area, excited for Christmas and for life in general. She has a meteorologist husband, they have important, exciting plans, and they are nice people who say "anyhoo" and buy each other the perfect Christmas gifts.

Very early in the movie, though, things take a completely unfestive turn. Suzanne finds herself alone and completely confused about what she should do with herself, and in terms of Chrismas, she is a bundle of misfiring impulses and misplaced emotions. Her once-favorite holiday has had all the joy pummeled out of it a few days before the 25th, and she's now left to endure everyone's else's merriment.

Ready, Set, Fund: Creepy and Cool November

Caitlin Moore — Thu, 13 Nov 2014 17:30:57 +0000

Ready, Set, Fund is a column about crowdfunding and fundraising endeavors related to Austin and Texas independent film projects.

It's a busy month for local films in the making, and you have plenty of chances to help your favorite (or future favorite) Texas filmmakers bring their stories to the screen.

Into fun, artsy horror movies? Slow Creep by Jim Hickcox is about a "rad-as-hell 15-year-old girl" who, in an act of revenge, goes after a monster made of garbage. This project recently received an AFS Kodak Grant but still needs to raise a few thousand dollars so that the filmmaker can properly create the 90s aesthetic and scary details his monster movie requires.

Find out more in this trailer:

AFF Review: The Texas Promise

Caitlin Moore — Wed, 05 Nov 2014 16:00:08 +0000

In 2011, the Texas Legislature voted to remove $5.4 billion from the state's education budget. Vanessa Roth's intelligent and informative documentary, The Texas Promise, examines some of the reasons behind this decision as well as various effects it had on Texas public schools.

The film opens with a series of hopeful young students talking about what they want to be when they grow up, but the narrative quickly moves into the nitty gritty of the matter at hand. Thanks to the people in charge at the governmental level, these students probably have a challenging path ahead of them for reasons that have more to do with money and politics than their own academic skills and goals.

Roth helps to explain the situation by relying on quite a bit of footage captured during the legislative debates leading up to the 2011 decision, and these moments help to provide a summary of the players on either side of the issue (though you may not have realized "funding public schools" could be such a divisive idea). Dan Patrick and Wendy Davis are both featured, making The Texas Promise relevant to this week's elections, also.

Roth also interviews teachers, parents, academics and analysts to provide greater scope, and through the eyes of these individuals it becomes clear how dire the situation is for so many Texans. It isn't just overcrowded classrooms and overworked teachers, it's the misplaced priorities among those who hold power that makes the future seem grim, especially for the non-wealthy.

Throughout the film, Roth does an excellent job of balancing emotion with facts, and she succeeds in illuminating a complex issue without resorting to oversentimentality or oversimplification. It's practically impossible to simplify such a mess, anyway, but it's heartening to see that enough people were outraged enough to protest and ultimately sue the state to try and recover some of the lost funds.

AFF Review: 21 Years: Richard Linklater

Caitlin Moore — Fri, 31 Oct 2014 15:00:39 +0000

21 Years: Richard Linklater, which had its world premiere at Austin Film Festival on Oct. 24, primarily consists of two types of footage: interviews with charismatic actors who have worked with Richard Linklater, and scenes from the director's films up to and including Before Midnight (Boyhood is mentioned in passing). The result is often enjoyable but limited in scope, and ultimately the film comes off as more of a puff piece than an insightful documentary.

The question underlying 21 Years seems to be, "Why isn't Linklater better known and and as universally well loved as he is in Austin?" It's a good one to ask, but directors Michael Dunaway and Tara Wood don't so much answer that question as compile a series of examples that he is truly respected and admired by actors who have worked with him.

Repeat collaborators like Ethan Hawke, Julie Delpy, Jack Black and Matthew McConaughey seem to have nothing but nice things to say about their pal Rick, and the enthusiasm and awe they exhibit is infectiously positive. From specific stories about filming to broad appreciation of his zen-like demeanor, the talking heads enlisted for this project are clearly happy to sing the praises of Richard Linklater.

Fans of the director and his movies will be helpless to resist the charms of attractive actors telling fun stories, and the sense of an underdog receiving his due makes it easy to be swept along with the pleasant nostalgia of watching clips from Slacker and Dazed and Confused, among other films. The fact that the discussion never goes deeper than surface-level adoration is a little disappointing, though; thoughts from people who have worked extensively with Linklater behind the camera (editors, producers, cinematographers) are nowhere to be found.

Unless you're watching 21 Years as a complete newcomer to the director's work, you won't learn anything about him. Making the film even harder to take seriously are the animated segments accompanying the interviews. Playful and silly, these images cement the fact that this production is all about fun and only tangentially concerned with substance.

AFF 2014: Sunday Film and Panel Picks

Caitlin Moore — Sun, 26 Oct 2014 15:00:44 +0000

Sunday is the last full day of the Austin Film Festival (there are no more conference panels after today, but plenty of late afternoon and evening film screenings run through Thursday). Remember to check the website to keep up with schedule changes, and take a look at a few top picks.

Sunday Panel Picks:

A Conversation with Luke Wilson -- The Dallas-born actor has starred in over 50 film and television projects and has several upcoming releases, including Satellite Beach, which he co-directed, wrote and stars in. Today he sits down with moderator John Merriman to discuss his career and answer questions. (Sunday, Oct. 26, 11:30 am - 12:45 pm, Driskill Hotel Ballroom)

A Conversation with Susannah Grant -- Susannah Grant has an impressive list of writing credits, including Erin Brockovich, Pocahontas, Ever After and In Her Shoes. Come learn about her career and bring your smartest question. (Sunday, Oct. 26, 11:30 am - 12:45 pm, Driskill Hotel Maximilian Room)

A Live Script Reading of Flarsky, written by Dan Sterling -- Live script readings are a fun AFF tradition, and this one will feature actors Mike Birbiglia, Jason Ritter, Austin Nichols and Sunny Mabrey taking on a romantic comedy about a down-on-his luck guy pursuing a powerful politician. (Sunday, Oct. 26, 12 pm - 2:30 pm, State Theatre)

Sunday Film Picks:

Whit Stillman Presents Excerpts from The Cosmopolitans -- In films like Metropolitan and The Last Days of Disco, director Whit Stillman explores the lives of young city dwellers who are entertainingly self-involved. He now has a new Amazon series that explores similar topics and themes, this time amongst a group of Americans living in Paris. (Sunday, Oct. 26, 1 pm, Alamo Drafthouse Village)

AFF 2014: Saturday Film and Panel Picks

Caitlin Moore — Sat, 25 Oct 2014 14:00:46 +0000

It's another full day at the Austin Film Festival -- are you ready? If your brain is starting to lag a little and you need some direction, here are a few promising film and panel picks to help you plan the next few hours.

Saturday Panel Picks:

Independent Filmmaking Track: The Climate of Indie Film -- Local director Kat Candler is one of the indie filmmakers on this panel geared towards aspiring creatives. Texan (and former AFF staffer) Ryan Piers Williams, Frank Hall Green and Jeffrey Brown (co-producer of No No: A Dockumentary) join Candler for this discussion, which aims to help attendees make sense of a changing industry. (Saturday, Oct. 25, 9 - 10:15 am, Intercontinental Stephen F. Austin Assembly Room)

Scribble to Screen: My So-Called Writing Process -- If you're here to perfect your craft or learn how the experts work, sit down with Winnie Holzman, the creator of My So-Called Life and writer of Wicked and Thirtysomething, as she discusses her storytelling methods. (Saturday, Oct. 25, 9 - 10:15 am, Driskill Hotel Citadel Room)

A Conversation with the 2014 Awardees -- If you don't have time to make it to the individual conversations with this year's festival honorees, see all three at once at this panel led by AFF Executive Director Barbara Morgan. Jim Sheridan, Matthew Weiner and Edward Zwick will draw on their impressive histories to discuss their careers and offer advice to developing writers and directors. (Saturday, Oct. 25, 10:45 am - noon, Stephen F. Austin Intercontinental Ballroom)

AFF 2014: Friday Film and Panel Picks

Caitlin Moore — Fri, 24 Oct 2014 14:30:55 +0000

Friday is the first full day of the Austin Film Festival (bravo to you if you make it all the way from a 9 am panel to the last film of the night), and whether you plan to wing it or stick to a schedule, here are just a few of the many events worth considering.

Friday Panel Picks:

Short Films, Big Leaps: Story Development in Pixar Short Films -- Pixar panels tend to be pretty entertaining, and today's will be led by Mary Coleman, a Senior Development Executive at Pixar Animation Studios. Her job is a fascinating one, and she's here to share. (Friday, Oct. 24, 9 am - 10:15 am, Intercontinental Stephen F. Austin Assembly Room)

Deconstructing: No Country for Old Men -- Walk through this Coen brothers, Texas-filmed classic with Rachel Getting Married writer Jenny Lumet and Noah Hawley, creator and producer of the television show Fargo. Accompanying this panel will be Cormac McCarthy archival material presented by the Wittliff Collections on display in the Jim Hogg Parlor in the Driskill. (Friday, Oct. 24, 10:45 am - noon, The Driskill Hotel Maximilian Room) UPDATE: This panel has been rescheduled for Sunday, Oct. 26, 11:30 am - 12:45 pm and will be held in the Driskill Hotel Crystal Room.

Chicks with Bics -- Hollywood has a long way to go before it can be called female-friendly, and this conversation will check in with a few women working in the industry to find out about the particular challenges they face. The panel consists of writers Jenny Lumet, Tiffany Paulsen, (former Austinite) Pamela Ribon and Liz Tigelaar, who together have an incredible amount of television and film experience to draw from. (Friday, Oct. 24, 3:15 pm - 4:30 pm, St. David's Episcopal Church, Historic Sanctuary)

Friday Film Picks:

The Twilight Zone, Presented by Matthew Weiner -- Peek into the brain of the adored and awardwinning Mad Men creator when he screens and discusses two of his favorite Twilight Zone episodes: "It's a Good Life" and "A Stop at Willoughby." (Friday, Oct. 24, 1 pm - 3:15 pm, State Theatre)