SXSW 2010 - Day Two
Let's start with the meat and end with Cyrus starring John C. Reilly and Jonah Hill.
We (me, brother-in-law, his wife, sister-in-law, her boyfriend) woke up at 9 a.m. to go to BBQ. No, not breakfast BBQ. We drove just under an hour to Lexington, TX to a place called Snow's BBQ. It's gaining a reputation as the BBQ place in Texas. They're open one day a week (Saturday) and that's that. We stood in line and I contemplated buying some clove honey from a mini-van parked across the street. The wait was a good half an hour. Every once in a while we were taunted by a happy customer walking past with a plate of piled high sausages, brisket and ribbs. My brother-in-law heard the sausages were not life changes, so we'd focus on the other stuff.
Finally, it was our moment. We were now at the front of the line, ready to plow through the meat.
"I'm sorry, you're not going to like me." That's the sentence that sent chills down our collective spines. It came from a sweet woman, who seems like a natural mother. "I think that's it," she said. It didn't register what she actually meant. Then I looked at the trays. They were out. Six sausage links were the only things they had left at 10:30 a.m. Defeated, we took three sausages to share. Another order canceled and we received a little brisket, maybe two or three bites each. Was it good? Absolutely. Was it the best ever? I can't say. The only way to officially tell if you've had the greatest BBQ of your life, is by the quality of the meat sweats. Next time I suppose. Next time. So we did the only logical thing one could do, we hit a second BBQ place. Louie Mueller in Taylor filled us up right. Highly recommend the jalapeno sausage.
Oh yeah, you're here about the film festival. I went to the Trade Show where many booths trying to give me a pen, key chain, cup of beer (if I fill out a form). I waited in line to check out Panasonic's 3-D TV. Um. Wow. Yes, you have to wear glasses. Yes, it seems like this will eventually be worth it. We were seeing technology that was about six months old already. They showed highlights of the Summer Olympics, Winter Olympics and Avatar. Avatar seemed just a little better on the big screen, but wasn't anything to complain about. Seeing a stadium full of fans, or feeling like I was on a soccer field is what blew me away. Yes, I can wait. But I will eventually want a 3-D TV. The depth is the key here. Sure, things will occasionally look like they are coming at you, but the added depth seems better than in the movie theater. Again, sports will be the key to this.
First, I hit Skeletons.
In this surreal comedy, DAVIS and BENNETT are a mismatched pair of traveling salesmen in the business of cleaning skeletons out of closets. Together they travel across Britain, performing 'the Procedure' whereby secrets and lies are exposed. Bennett is a stickler for the rules and finds that Davis has been using their special procedure illegally to reconnect with comforting moments from his past. Their boss, THE COLONEL assigns the pair to their biggest challenge yet, a graduation test that could see them moving up the company ladder. But when they arrive at a remote family home and can't get the job done, they discover that you can't always get away from your own skeletons and you can't always leave and never come back.
It definitely had its moments. Both leads play off of each other like a long-time comedic pair. It seems everything is a little under-explained, which, considering the subject matter, is probably for the best. I'm a huge fan of British humor right now, though even saying that is a bit daft. After all, what's American humor? Oh yeah. Fart jokes. Never mind, everything makes sense. Now to get back in line.
You see, waiting in line is part of the festival experience whether you like it or not. This is the time to meet strangers, catch up with semi-friends, eat your pre-made peanut butter and jelly sandwich (don't look at me funny), or just read.
Waiting one hour for a movie doesn't make sense. Especially is the movie isn't great. You give me the great guarantee, and I'll give you an hour. But if it's just something to see, something you couldn't brag or beg a friend to check out ... then, in some way you are simply wasting time. Maybe this is why I don't hit more festivals.
Next movie, Cold Weather. Another Portland film. Huge line. Barely anyone was able to get in, because the crew (and friends) took up a couple of rows. They also cheers for every name that appeared in the credits. It was amusing.
After making a mess of his life in Chicago, Doug, a former forensic science major and avid reader of detective fiction, returns to his hometown of Portland, Oregon where he, his sister Gail and new friend Carlos become embroiled in a mystery.
Aaron Katz was born in Portland, OR and studied film at the North Carolina School of the Arts. After graduating, he and two friends drove a '63 Chevy Nova to Portland to make his first feature, DANCE PARTY, USA. His second feature, QUIET CITY, premiered at SXSW 2007 and was nominated for the John Cassavetes Award at the Independent Spirit Awards. Currently Aaron lives in Pittsburgh.
Good movie. Indie ending (it just stops). This film is a slow burn and brings you in to what you think is going to be a fast-paced amazing ride. It never quit gets there, but again, some really solid tense moments in whatever otherwise looks like a mundane like in Portland. It didn't name drop different Portland areas as much as Some Days Are Better Than Others.
Then I was running. I have old man knees, and once I spend a day standing on them, I feel like a 55-year-old. As The Tallest Film Critic in America this is the path one is stuck living. I join Will Goss in line at Cyrus. It's a huge line, but also a huge theater (Paramount). We get in, no problem.
Cyrus
With John's social life at a standstill and his ex-wife about to get remarried, a down on his luck divorcee finally meets the woman of his dreams, only to discover she has another man in her life - her son. Written and directed by Jay & Mark Duplass, the iconoclastic filmmaking team behind Sundance Film Festival favorite THE PUFFY CHAIR, CYRUS takes an insightful, funny and sometimes heartbreaking look at love and family in contemporary Los Angeles.
After a series of Sundance shorts in 2003/2004, JAY & MARK DUPLASS premiered their first feature 'The Puffy Chair' at Sundance in 2005, nominated for two Spirit Awards and won Emerging Vision Award at the SXSW Film Festival. Their second effort 'Baghead' played the 2008 Sundance and Tribeca film festivals. They will next direct "Jeff, Who Lives At Home.' In development is 'Table 19' with 21 Laps.
John C. Reilly, Marissa Tomei and Jonah Hill. It almost feels like stunt casting. The idea of Hill's body coming from Tomei's DNA is a bit of a head-scratcher. It also feels like a story that has been told before. The laughs here are genuine though. The dry humor made this movie a winner. Reilly's face made this a winner, especially when the rare f-bomb was coming out of it.
That's it. Midnight. No parties. Time to lose an hour for Daylight Savings Time. Extending the daylight a couple weeks of each side still remains my favorite thing George W. Bush did for this country. Night.