Local Indies

The Austin-shot feature Red White & Blue, Simon Rumley's follow-up to The Living and the Dead, is a revenge-driven thriller that could be summed up as "sin begets sin." While violent and disturbing, Rumley's story explores how wrong people can go in certain circumstances, with three people with very different backgrounds creating a perfect storm of vengeance. 

Erica's (Amanda Fuller) only occupation is trying to keep a roof over her head as she drifts from bar to bar, sleeping with any man who will have her. Spontaneous kindness from a drifter living in the same boarding house seems to bring stability and hope for something more, when one of her hook-ups discovers the cost of sleeping with her. Her history has turned her into the walking wounded, extracting a passive/aggressive Russian roulette on men who'll sleep with anyone. Nate (Noah Taylor) reveals the one trigger that will make him abandon his carefully maintained control.  Franki's (Marc Senter) aspirations and indulgences cannot hide his infantile tendencies.

Sometimes the best photo opportunities have nothing to do with red carpets. The Austin-shot film The Happy Poet had its world premiere in the small theater at Alamo Drafthouse at the Ritz during SXSW this year, and the only red carpet might have been a patch in the lobby where someone spilled a Red Bull. Still, if you wanted to meet Austin filmmakers and actors -- and snap a few photos -- this was the place to be early on Sunday afternoon.

Everyone clustered around the little food cart (pictured at right) in front of the Ritz, just like the one in The Happy Poet, but unfortunately with no sandwiches. You could get one of the healthy snacks, however, if you signed up for the film's mailing list. The only problem was that the light was terrible for photography -- it was very sunny and everyone stood in the shade.

Jenn Brown and I were both intrigued by this movie, because a) we could see from the stills that it was shot in noticeable Austin locations like Auditorium Shores and b) we like movies about food. So we both got to the premiere early, which you want to do anyway for films playing in the small Alamo Ritz theater on the first weekend of SXSW.

We met so many Austin film folks that I've forgotten who a few of them are in the photos, but I'm sure some of you will be kind enough to let me know in the comments.

It was easy for us to recognize Mars director Geoff Marslett, because we'd had brunch with him before the fest to talk about his movie. He wasn't wearing his Mars space outfit that day, though ... but Jenn posted photos of that elsewhere. In the following photo, he's second from the left, next to filmmaker Spencer Parsons (I'll Come Running) with local author/filmmaker Linden Dalecki and UT instructor Bryan Sebok, who co-produced SXSW 2010 feature Dance with the One, on the right.

What do you do if it turns out your very existence is a lie? Clay Liford's feature film Earthling explores identity, relationship and the meaning of home in his follow-up to his Sundance selection short My Mom Smokes Weed.

After a mysterious "atmospheric event," teacher Judith (Rebecca Spence) finds herself at odds with her life, and haunted by an enigmatic student, Abby (Amelia Turner). Judith realizes that the life she thought she had has been a pretense, and after Abby's insistence they are connected, Judith's life starts falling apart.

Clay Liford defies current science-fiction convention, eschewing rockets, robots and rayguns (the "r-cubed" he mentions in our earlier interview) to employ a low-budget indie style that emphasizes the story. Earthling employs an old-school, pre-Star Wars science-fiction style, when the story was more important than the dressings, such as Tarkovsky's Solyaris (or even Soderbergh's remake Solaris). It's more like The Quiet Earth or Shane Carruth's Primer, a 2004 indie time traveller sleeper that shook up the indie/sci-fi world a bit.  Primer was also filmed in Texas (Addison, to be exact; Earthling was filmed in Dallas).

If I recall correctly, I covered a total of nine red carpet premiere events at SXSW Film Festival this year. By far my favorite event was the red carpet for the locally produced documentary Richard Garriott: Man on a Mission, which took place on Sunday afternoon, March 14, at the Paramount Theatre. On display were some special items from his space travel collection, including a spacesuit and an actual Sputnik.

The animated feature debut of Austin filmmaker Geoff Marslett, Mars, is a refreshing antidote to the dark and provocative films that usually crowd out the less dramatic films.

Mars is the story of has-been astronaut Charlie Brownsville (Mark Duplass), whose fame is in decline but still valuable enough to be included in the crew of the first manned mission to the red planet.  Literally there as a backup and PR frontman, Brownsville is merely a talking head while Casey Cook (Zoe Simpson) and Captain Hank Morrison (Paul Gordon) do the real work, trying to beat the second unmanned mission to Mars to find out the fate of the first.

On the surface, Mars looks like science fiction, but in reality, it's a lighthearted love story. Brownsville may be a showman with his bedazzled and Western-yoked suit, but despite his bravado, he actually does have a valuable speciality. Cook, like any intelligent woman, has little patience for a wastrel, but eventually realizes there's more to Brownsville. 

It's over, and I've got the post-fest funk. I'm tired, I'm cranky, and missing out-of-town friends already. I just counted; I only made it to 23 films, plus another five I saw in advance. This is my lowest number of films seen at SXSW by far. I do have three more screeners by the DVD player, so I'll break 30 eventually.

Most Memorable Moments? Besides the beer in the lap, I'd have to say it's a tie between making the Thunder Soul guys tear up with the standing ovation at screening #3, and the crazy ranting woman at Red White & Blue screening #2.

Unexpected Favorite? Thunder Soul was a surprise because I had no idea that this high school band had not only left such an impression on the musical history of the U.S., but that the double-disc reissue of their music is a perpetual strong seller for Waterloo Records. As it happens, the documentary was filmed at just the right time. Powerful stuff. And it was one of those I was going to skip, but too many people suggested it.

Stuck in my Memory? The Happy Poet, hands down. I can't stop thinking about it. I'm a proud Austinite, so I'm primed to give an Austin film a chance. But you know what? I liked it a lot on its own merits. Until I saw Thunder Soul, it was my favorite film of the fest, because it made me smile and stuck with me. Paul Gordon's story and performance really resonated with me, I was rooting for Bill and his clueless perseverance of wanting something better for himself and others was disarming. The Happy Poet is a great example of the power and value of "small" films worthy of greater attention.

Keeping it Weird? Mars director Geoff Marslett, hands down (pictured right). I liked the guy just talking to him at a pre-fest interview brunch, as he's articulate and forthcoming. Talking to him during the festival, and seeing him first in blue heart sunglasses and then in that bedazzled onesie, proclaiming it had essence of Duplass, well, Marslett is certainly keeping Austin weird. Plus he's making fun movies to boot. No wonder he wins best teacher awards at UT. Got some great photos of the guy, including the ones already posted in my SXSW dispatches.

Richard Garriott: Man on A Mission is an inspiring full-length documentary by local filmmaker Mike Woolf that chronicles Austin serial entrepreneur and game developer Richard Garriott as he becomes the first second generation astronaut to travel into space. The film takes viewers on a detailed countdown to launch as Garriott makes his way through his year of training. From Star City, Moscow, to NASA, to Yuri Gagarin’s original launch pad -- viewers are Garriott's co-pilot in his journey to the stars. Through Garriott's experiences, the audience not only gets a fresh look at the under-appreciated history of the Russian space program but also is exposed to never-before-seen footage from inside the re-entry capsule.

The liftoff to space seen in Man on a Mission was a lifetime in the making. Garriott built his fortune as one of the founding fathers of massive multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORGs), most notably his first game Ultima. From his first game sale in high school to his millions with Ultima Online, he has invested in private space travel including the Spacehab modules. He is a primary funder of the X-Prize and Space Adventures, the only company that can take private citizens to the ISS -- Garriott is the sixth one to fly to orbit.

What's the best way to say "creepy and at times bordering on the distasteful ... but in a good way"? When you figure it out, let me know so I can describe Lovers of Hate, the latest film from Austin filmmaker Bryan Poyser, which premiered at Sundance this year before screening at SXSW and on IFC Video on Demand (where it's now available to watch). Normally I'm not fond of movies with unlikeable characters doing things that make me wrinkle my nose in distaste, but somehow Poyser and his excellent cast and crew pull it off in an arresting manner.

Rudy (Chris Doubek) is the saddest sack blowing around Austin -- his wife kicked him out and he has nowhere to live except his car, and his job prospects are dwindling by the moment. All he wants is a shower, and his wife Diana (Heather Kafka) back. In the middle of this, his brother Paul (Alex Karpovsky) shows up, a famous children's author in a Harry Potter sort of way. Paul's books are based on stories Rudy used to tell him when they were growing up, and Rudy hasn't finished his own magnum opus (with the same title as the film), so he's nursing a helluva grudge. He convinces his wife to pretend they're still a couple while they have dinner with Paul, but the shaky premise simply can't hold up. Rudy's also suspicious of his brother Paul having designs on Diana. What he wants is for Paul and himself to travel to a secluded house where Paul's been staying in Park City, so they can both finish their writing, but somehow nothing turns out quite as planned.

Each year the SXSW Film Festival and Conference supports the Austin film community by hosting special screenings by local film-related nonprofit organizations. As part of the Austin Media Arts Committee (AMAC) series,  Austin Film Society, Austin School of Film and Reel Women have each compiled two programs that showcase their members' work. All SXSW badgeholders and non-badgeholders are encouraged to come out and check out the showcases. Audiences will also have the opportunity to vote on their favorite Reel Women short, and the winning filmmaker will receive a special award package.

The Austin School of Film has not released their lineup yet for their screenings on Sunday, March 14 at noon and Monday, March 15 at 2 pm. The Austin Film Society and Reel Women have made their programs available. Here's the 2010 lineup:

Austin Film Society Program for Saturday, March 13 at noon (70 mins)

• Make a Wish, dir. David Ward
• Squeezed Out of Business, dir. Chithra Jeyaram
• The Alligator, dir. Jeff Marrow
• Seeds of Change, dir. Kelly West
• Big Hands, dir. Aaron Holloway
• Manos de Madre, dir. Greg Kwedar

Austin Film Society Program for Sunday, March 14 at 2 pm (70 mins)

• Platypus Rex in: ABC-Hole, dir. Bob Ray 
• I Love You, Will Smith, dir. Bradley Jackson 
• Never Do This, dir. Scott Rice 
• To Do That, dir. Jason Brenizer 
• Der Vater, dir. James Moore 
• El Pez, dir. Brian Scofield 
• Shades of the Border, dir. Patrick Smith 
• The Shrimp, dir. Keith Wilson

Among the many world premieres at SXSW in just two weeks is Geoff Marslett's Mars, a sci-fi rom-com indie brimming with local and nationally known talent. Earlier this week, Jette and I caught up with Marslett and talked about Austin, film and food over a long brunch at Olivia on South Lamar. 

Marslett is a veteran of short films, and a self-taught animator on faculty at The University of Texas at Austin. His films have been featured at CinemaTexas, SXSW, and even in Spike and Mike's Sick and Twisted Film Festival (vol. 7).  Perhaps best known for the award winning Monkey Versus Robot as well as Bubblecraft, Marslett has worked on 14 of his own shorts as well as contributing to other films such as Last Man Standing: Politics Texas Style. In 2009, Marslett was named one of the "25 New Faces of Independent Film" by Filmmaker magazine.

Three years ago, Marslett started working on Mars, with a 17-day live-action shoot followed by two years of animation work. This was a labor of love and obsession, with Marslett and his team of animators and interns working impossible hours to complete the film over the last two years while he also juggled a teaching schedule at UT's RTF program.