SXSW Day 2: Drive-By Reviews
It's only day two and I'm losing track of myself already. I only saw three films today, when I could have seen six. But I think catching a bit of Jeffrey Tambor's acting workshop, as well as all of the film critic panel makes up for it. There's a lot of diversity in the panels this year.
Objectified (Spotlight Premieres)
Director: Gary Hustwit
I was a big fan of Hustwit's Helvetica. However, his follow up was like Helvetica Lite. I was hoping for a more in-depth look at product design history, not just who are the big contemporary designers. Still worth catching, though fans of Helvetica are likely to be disappointed. I kept dozing off, when I wanted to be interested.
Make-Out with Violence (pictured above) (Emerging Visions)
Director: The Deagol Brothers. Writers: Deagol Brothers, Cody DeVos, Eric Lehning
I wasn't up for another red carpet, so I checked out this much hyped "zombie" film instead of Moon, and it's another example of the best mislaid plans work out at SXSW, although I was fully planning on catching this one later. Make-Out with Violence is a twisted little cautionary coming of age tale with a dead but animated corpse as a catalyst. The overdubbed voices can be a bit distracting, but if you're a connoisseur of zombies, it's a must see, with some beautifully eerie zombie choreography. Don't mistake it for the much darker Deadgirl; this actually plays on the lighter side of the tangled emotional chaos of teen relationships.
Pontypool (Fantastic Fest at Midnight)
Director: Bruce McDonald. Writer: Tony Burgess
Character actor Stephen McHattie takes the lead as a shockjock in exile, and proves he's more than just a gruff exterior with a sexy voice. He has to carry the film, and he does it with gusto. The premise is simple; something's happening in the town of Pontypool, Ontario, yet the scenes never go beyond that building other than a few shots of the drive in. For a "slow build" type of film, it kept me fully awake, and I'm very sleep deprived right now. A few hints for those of you who are smart enough to go see it. Stay through the credits for an entertaining little stinger at the end. I very nearly missed the film because of sleep deprivation, but it never lost my attention.
Fantastic Fest at Midnight films are being treated like Fantastic Festivities, complete with a little pre-show, including Alamo regular David Strong, whom FF folks might remember from the "pig head" bumper in FF08. Between the intro, and a little ritual Tim League worked up, expect a 15-minute delay on the start time after seating. This shouldn't affect catching the last SXSW shuttle, however. But if you rely on Capital Metro's Night Owl buses, make sure to add about 20 minutes to the run time to see if you catch your bus.