 Yeah, yeah, I know. This post is like two whole months overdue. But now I’ve had to marinate over my thoughts and feelings of all the SXSW movies I saw all those months ago. I’m better prepared now to recommend you towards a film (or completely sway you from never seeing such atrocious filth). So, really, I waited this long for YOU. Let’s start with the Merely Meh Films:
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 Are women as funny as men? Sexist as it sounds, the idea lives on that women aren’t as funny as their penis-equipped counterparts in the comedy department. [1] Bridesmaids has been touted as a breakthrough — a raunchy female response to a decade of dude-driven comedies and bromances. (Does that make Bridesmaids a “womance?” And, if it does and the term “womance” enters into regular rotation, I expect credit for it.) But does Bridesmaids live up to the hype? More after the jump!  Much like the heavy metal and flames that seem to surround Hesher (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), the eponymous character, the film itself is basically a punch in the face without any emotional follow-through. Hesher is about a young boy whose mother recently died in a horrible car crash and his deadbeat dad (Rainn Wilson) who can’t seem to get his shit together for his young son. So, when a transient bad boy named Hesher ends up crashing on their couch, the two grieving men have their tragic lives shaken up. Gordon-Levitt is a talented actor, but, as Hesher, he is slightly show-offy and one-note, even if he’s trying desperately to succeed in a role no one would have most likely cast him in. Natalie Portman pops up as a local grocery cash register in a brief role. Wilson does a decent job of playing depressed well. Hesher is worth a look if you’re trying to get artier films in before the blockbuster smorgasbord that is the next couple of months, but don’t expect it to get all deep and profound on you—it really is about a dude who loves porn, beer, Metallica, and lighting shit on fire. --Darcie Duttweiler  POM Wonderful Presents: The Greatest Movie Ever Sold is a documentary (and an attempt at creating the first “docbuster”) about marketing and product placement funded entirely by marketing and product placement. The film follows director Morgan Spurlock (Super Size Me) as he attempts to make the film by pitching corporations on sponsoring the film all the way through promoting and releasing the movie — the movie the audience is watching. Forget the Scream movies: This is meta. The Spurlock “brand” will probably forever be tied to Super Size Me. For most people, the horseshoe-mustachioed filmmaker may never be anything more than the slightly goofy guy who ate at McDonald’s for a month. But those who kept up with Spurlock over the past six years know he’s gone on to do interesting work that shows an intelligence and heart that promises many more exciting experiments to come. Most notable of these projects was 30 Days, the wonderful, woefully defunct FX series born from the Super Size Me concept of trying something for a month. (If you’re unfamiliar or never got around to watching it, get on it.) Read more after the jump!  My exposure to the world of motor sports started with Pole Position—an arcade game I dumped quarters into at my local Griff’s Burgers as a kid. My understating of the sport hasn’t evolved much since. Despite, or perhaps because of, my extreme ignorance of Formula 1 racing, I was captivated by Senna. Senna is a documentary about legendary Brazilian racer Ayrton Senna, considered by many to be the greatest driver of all time. I went into Senna feeling skeptical, thinking a documentary about an icon from a sport I had little interest in or knowledge of seemed like a dull way to spend a sunny Saturday morning: I was wrong. Director Asif Kapadia says his background is in drama and it shows. A blazing fast film constructed entirely of archival footage—no talking heads or hand-holding narration to be found--Senna follows Senna from his beginnings in cart racing through a drama-filled series of world championships in Formula 1. A more likable hero is hard to find than the humble and charming Senna, and as we experience the highs and lows of his decade long career, it’s easy to see why he is still so admired in the racing world. Senna is an adrenaline-packed, edge-of-your seat race from start to finish filled with moments of ecstatic inspiration and crushing heartbreak. Kapadia captures the infuriating politics behind the sport and expertly crafts villains out of Senna’s opponents. Senna, which may sadly never get a proper theatrical distribution in the U.S., will be shown again at the Paramount Theatre on Thursday, March 17 at 7:15 p.m.  South By is here; South By is here! Can you feel it in the air, folks? That little film (and, okay, music) festival is upon us, and we haven’t forgotten about you. What films should you check out this upcoming week? We’ll tell you what we’re planning on checking out. The Beaver This is a no-brainer. Mel Gibson in his latest controversial role? Done and done. The film is about a man who can’t seem to get himself back on track…until a beaver hand puppet enters his life. Plus it’s directed by Jodie Foster! Source Code We looooooved Duncan Jones’ first film, Moon, so we cannot wait to see what David Bowie’s offspring brings us next. Starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Source Code is the story of a soldier who crosses over into another man’s identify for 8 minutes in order to find a bomber of a Chicago train. Super James Gunn takes a look at “self-reflexive” superheroes in this dark comedy that stars Rainn Wilson, Ellen Page, Live Tyler, and Kevin Bacon. Beginners Starring Ewan McGregor, Melanie Laurent, and Christopher Plummer, this film touches on new love, adult parents, and coming out of the closet at 75. Girl Walks Into a Bar This is being billed as a “sharp-witted comedy” that follows a group of strangers in interlocking stories through 10 different bars during one night in LA. Plus it’s got Danny DeVito! A Bag of Hammers Another “offbeat comedy,” this film follows two misfit best friends who refuse to grow up until they find an abandoned child. Yelling to the Sky This sounds like this year’s Precious, and it’s even got Gabourey Sidibe in it! Seventeen-year-old Sweetness is left to fend for herself in her neighborhood where survival is uncertain. Fuck My Life This Chilean film explores how love in the times of Facebook is worse than love in the times of cholera. (Oh so true!) The Dish & The Spoon Starring festival favorite Greta Gerwig, this film is the story of one wife’s unexpected bond with a teenager after discovering her husband’s affair. blacktino “Sad, fat, black, Latino, nerd. It doesn't get any worse than that.” The Future Miranda July’s follow-up film tells the story of a couple who, upon adopting a cat, change the course of their relationship. Hesher With his love of loud music, porn, and pyromania, Hesher shakes up the lives of a boy and his dad grieving from loss. Bonus: recent Oscar winner Natalie Portman costars. Buck This documentary tells the true story of horse whisperer cowboy. Again: a cowboy horse whisperer. Yes. The Greatest Movie Ever Sold Morgan Spurlock explores the world of product placement, marketing, and advertising. Terri A film about a big kid in a small town with John C. Reilly that is being pegged at “moving and funny.” There you go! That’s merely a smattering, a SMATTERING, of the incredible films screening at South By Southwest. We seriously have our work cut out for us. Check out the entire SXSW Film schedule and lineup. --Darcie Duttweiler  Bazil has a rough life. As a child, he was orphaned by a roadside mine that killed the only family he had. Sure that's a tough pill to swallow but presently Bazil seems alright. He works at a video stores and consumes copious amounts of what he loves most: film. That is until one fateful day, when a stray bullet randomly finds its way crashing through the video shop's front window and straight into Bazil's brain. He survives, but not completely unscathed, and when he tries to return to his normal life he soon finds he has been replaced at the video shop, and his place of residence has evicted him. So Bazil turns to the streets where he is soon taken in by a band of weirdos, each with a very specific skill set. They work together and provide for one another, and Bazil assumes his role well until his car breaks down and he finds himself between two monolithic buildings baring emblems of the two weapons of destruction that ruined his life. Bazil's resolve? Take em down. But his way--with some zany Micmacs, or shenanigans. Read more after the jump!  "Holy shit, y'all are STILL sitting on SXSW reviews?" Yes, fuck you; it's been a busy month. Anyhoo. One of the best films I saw during the film festival waaaay back in March was director Bernard Rose's Mr. Nice, the story of Howard Marks, a Welsh teacher turned drug dealer turned family man turned spy turned the biggest dope smuggler in the world. Since this was starring Rhys Ifans, typically a comical supporting actor, I was incredibly intrigued how the film would be. Turns out it would be entertaining as hell. Read the rest of the review after the jump!  Everyone has dreamed it; just no one has done it. We all want to be super heroes but always seem to find ourselves limited by our general lack of superhero-y abilities and our general discomfort in form fitting clothing. I bet you even know what super power you would have if you had the choice (duh flying). But what Dave Lizewski has done is take his unnoticed high school persona, general lack of any fight training, and intense love for comic books and has made himself significantly more kick ass. Dave becomes a viral sensation with his green scuba suit and dual wielding batons and serves as the inspiration for other people who want to make a difference. Only problem for Dave is that with great attention comes great foes and he has caught the attention of a local mob boss who sets out to make an example out of his alter ego Kick Ass. Also in the mix are Big Daddy and Hit Girl, who seems to have all the skills to be a masked vigilante, including the ability to remain under the radar until their masked colleague Dave requires aid. Read more after the jump!  There are certain types of movies that you have to create a different rating system for. There are those genuinely GOOD movies, such as Inglourious Basterds or Fantastic Mr. Fox, those movies that are okay, the movies that are bad, and then there are movies like MacGruber: so fleeting and disposable but pretty watchable (see last week’s Clash of the Titans review). But the thing is, as pretty ho hum as the SNL spinoff is, it’s fairly funny, and (better yet) not as shitty as you think it should be. Read more about inappropriate uses of celery and the C-word jokes after the jump! |
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