SXSW 2011: Day Four
I just realized I haven't brought up the bumpers this year yet. Absolutely love them, from (Super) "Mario" re-conceived as a live-action thriller, to "The Line" mocking festival lines. Kudos to SXSW and Austin filmmaker Joe Nicolosi for the fun bumpers (as well as not taking it too seriously). If you need to see examples of "Knitta" just look around when you're in line at the Alamo South Lamar. I don't know the title of the one featuring John "Zach Galifianakis looks like me" Merriman, but I wasn't the only one giggling.
Despite my plan to not have a plan this year, I managed to catch a lot of films today, including Where Soldiers Come From, Last Days Here, A Matter of Taste: Serving Up Paul Liebrandt and Natural Selection. Let me say today was an A+ day for films. I really liked them all, and the only downside was Cap Metro's #484 Night Owl that should have left 6th and Congress at 1:40 am not making its way down South Lamar.
Heather Courtney's Where Soldiers Come From is a powerful documentary about friends from small Michigan town who join the National Guard and end up doing a tour in Afghanistan. A deceptively straightforward doc, Where Soldiers Come From that is equally a testament to small-town America and an in depth look at the realities surrounding both enlistment and the consequences of serving active duty on deeply personal levels. It was one if the more enlightening Q&As as audience member started to attack the soldier's motivations; several other audience members reacted strongly to the negativity, only the guests silence him by stating they respect his right to his opinion.
Remember me mentioning that someone suggested Last Days Here to me, and that it wasn't a doc? It was a good reminder to be flexible, no matter how you filter out films to pick the ones you plan on seeing. Last Days Here is an examination of self-sabotage and the people who believe in someone unconditionally by the filmmakers who brought us Rock School and The Art of the Steal.
Next up was the highly anticipated A Matter of Taste: Serving Up Paul Liebrandt (formerly known as A Mouthful). A Matter of Taste was picked up by HBO and will air in June, but you still have a chance to see it at SXSW. Those of us who made it to Monday's screening not only got to hear director Sally Rowe in the Q&A but hear Liebrandt as well. Highlight of my day was recommending the Taco Journalism blog to him when I found out that someone recommended Fonda San Miguel as a taco truck. When a chef is asking about taco trucks, he's talking actual taco trucks, not upscale brick and mortar.
That brings me to a "fest trend" observation. This is a very good year for pets on film. Lots of cats, and a couple dogs have been spotted in films today, with the most memorable being the best reaction shot with a cat I've ever seen in Last Days Here.
But back to films; I was able to catch all but the first few minutes of Natural Selection, which was filmed in Smithville, Texas. Even missing the first few minutes (something I hate), the story was very strong, with some great performances, particularly Rachael Harris. Director Robbie Pickering tried to get Rachael on Skype during the Q&A, but it didn't quite work out. Hopefully she heard the enthusiastic response to the film. See Debbie's photo essay for more on the film's premiere party.
After that, I stopped at the Fubar: Balls to the Wall party, intending to stay for just a short time, but it was well after karaoke started and I went temporarily deaf when everyone on the ballroom side of The Highball was singing "Living on a Prayer" at the top of their lungs.
So what is up for Tuesday? The world premiere of Emily Hagins' third feature film, My Sucky Teen Romance at the Paramount. Everything else will be winging it, other than a potential attempt to check out the Trade Show. But if you haven't seen Where Soldiers Come From or Last Days Here, you can catch them both today.
[Photo credit: Guests in attendance for A Matter of Taste: Serving Up Paul Liebrandt with Paul on the left, and director Sally Rowe in the middle in white. Jette may have better photos up later.]