SXSW: The Sinus Show Presents: Xanadu

...I hopped down to the downtown drafthouse to catch The Sinus Show's presentation of Xanadu - the 1980 Olivia Newton-John movie about a roller skating night club. The movie was terrible, but the Sinus treatment was great fun. The Sinus show, for those who don't know, is basically three comedians telling jokes over movies similar to Mystery Science Theatre 3000. They used to be Mr. Sinus Theatre 3000, but several lawsuits have whittled the name down to "The Sinus Show". It was a lot of fun, I hadn't seen Xanadu or been to a Sinus show. I'll have to go again sometime.
5:23:59 AM    comment []  trackback []

SXSW: Automatic

...I didn't know what Automatic was about, but I met the filmmakers the night before, so I saw it at their request. I slipped into the theatre and was able to write up my food order just before the lights dimmed. They play the trailer for the festival and then begins this ugly-looking, inaudible mess. It starts to build some plot line about a missing purse and some underaged girl or something, I couldn't really tell. The waiter then came by and snatched my order away, first thing that pops into my head is "crap. Now I can't walk out". Next shot is artificially zoomed in DV that lots terrible. The muddles through for a few minutes to basically no conclusion and then credits - including a different title. What I watched was just a short. A terrible short, but just that. The movie then began and I was greatly relieved.

I guess it goes back to the old Vaudevillian concept of "following", but having a bad short screen before your movie is actually a good thing - it makes you look that much better. seeing some good shots, and being able to hear the actors made me receptive to just about anything after the short. Automatic is the tale of interconnected relationships and an inability to change your own actions. It has sort of a doomed message to it, sort of about helplessness. It honestly asks a lot of questions that I have difficulty dealing with - am I resigned to endlessly repeat mistakes I've made in the past? Can I overcome myself? If you're doing a lot of hiding Automatic isn't for you. Automatic looks at the places in life that exist and takes a look at how they change.

If you've seen 24 Hour Party People you're familiar with the concept of Boethius and his wheel - that good times and bad times are constantly replacing each other. Have it all today? It can easily be gone tomorrow. Lonely today? There may be somebody just around the corner for you. We're all subjects to the fickle finger of fate. That we are almost resigned to our own actions - that we have no control. The most rewarding tale in the movie is one of the love of a man and his half-sister. Just a lot of good stuff there. "Ride up on my spokes if you like", says the wheel, "But don't complain when you're cast down into the depths". Scares the hell out of me every day.
5:23:15 AM    comment []  trackback []

SXSW: The Puffy Chair

...I went down to the Paramount to see The Puffy Chair, a Sundance import that a lot of people were talking about. The film is about a guy who purchases a large purple recliner off of E-bay, drives to pick it up with his girlfriend, picking up his brother on the way, to deliver it to his father for the father's birthday. Shot on some good looking DV it could conceivably be passed off as a documentary (a doc with a lot of coverage, but a doc nonetheless). I'm told that the cut off age on this movie is 30 - if you're under 30 you'll love it, if you're over you won't care for it that much.

That said, being 22, I absolutely loved it. The movie is a raw look at the relationships between people, and I found it really relatable. The directionless relationship, dealing with a brother, saving money via scams, dealing with misrepresentation on ebay... while I don't doubt that people over 30 have gone through these situations, I found them to be very young and young-person oriented. I'm not sure why though. I'm sure that a lot of people over 30 enjoyed the movie, just how that dynamic was presented to me... I found it very interesting. Anyways, the Puffy Chair is a funny movie through all of it's relational exploration, it's biggest laughs come from some of the most emotional parts. It's the odd sort of movie where the tougher the issues the characters deal with, the more you laugh.

The Puffy Chair deals with tough issues in a surprisingly well mannered way. More surprising that the film was in the "Emerging Visions" category for a first or second time feature film. It's very mature in it's construction and treats it's characters with respect. Director Jay Duplass (who also plays the lead) is a very talented man.
5:22:43 AM    comment []  trackback []

SXSW: Kung-Fu Hustle

...I was looking forward to something sort of weird but silly, and boy, did this movie deliver. The basic premise is that evil gangsters are trying to take over a small town, and only people with mystical kung-fu powers can defend the town and it's people. What follows is a mix of fantasy and comedy that really satisfies. The movie uses a lot of CGI to create it's world, but it doesn't detract, it adds to the sort of unreal world that it is, where Kung-fu is involved in everything, one brand of Kung-fu allows you to play a musical instrument in order to kill your enemies. The movie is really out there and it works for it. Sit back, and have fun. This one is bound to be a cult classic.
4:44:28 AM    comment []  trackback []