Watchmen

It feels like the story has already been told, and we're merely lucky enough to see it again. Most movies touch a single time, a fleeting moment, but this is eternal. I realize that the hype preceded my viewing, but I don't think that colors my judgment. I will remember this one.

Watchmen
2009, 162 minutes, directed by Zach Snyder

Wonder music selection.

ExTerminators

I found this pretty funny. Sure, it's a "men-are-stupid" girl film, but most guys will enjoy it, too. Plus it's weird that the story revolves around ABC Pest and Lawn, what with that being a real company here in Austin - my neighbor even works for them.

As SXSW waned, I slacked off on my movie blog. I'm finally getting this posted in mid-July. The film was good enough to warrant a better review, but to come up with the text I'll just have to see it again.

ExTerminators
2009, directed by John Inwood

Black

Who'd have thought that France would resurrect the funkiest of 70s genres - the blaxspoitation film - and remake it to such grand success? This film has all the traditional elements but feels fresh. Action. Adventure. Mysticism. Groovy Bass. Oh yeah.

Black
2009, 115 minutes, directed by Pierre Laffargue

Note to self: buy the soundtrack

The Slammin' Salmon

Stupid people. Stupid jokes. Sometimes slightly funny.

The Slammin' Salmon
2009, 93 minutes, directed by Kevin Heffernan

Edit: Ok, now a few days after seeing the film, I have to admit that I look back on it as funnier than I know it was at the time. I could see situations at film parties with the right group of friends and alcohol that this could be a hit.

The Least of These

In 2006, as the U.S. government ended the catch-and-release program for illegal immigrants, they created a facility to detain families that had entered the country to seek asylum. These are exclusively non-Mexican families who fled their homelands due to violence, such as those fleeing torture, mutilation, religious persecution, or domestic abuse. Their home countries could not protect them, so, like millions of others in the last three hundred years, they came to America to seek a better life.

Upon arrival they are arrested, handcuffed, and taken to a "converted" prison facility in Williamson County, Texas, where for nearly two years children of any age, housed with their parents, were treated as prisoners. Parents are expected to eat and feed all their children in fifteen minutes. Play time consists of being marched out single file to a yard, being told to sit, then being told to stand up and file back inside. Education is an hour a day. And all of this costs four to five times as much as a half-way-house-style facility, where families can live in monitored homes and retention until hearings runs over 90%. It's not that we need to open the doors of the country to anyone claiming asylum, but there are so, so many better ways.

After a lawsuit and settlement with the ACLU, conditions at the detection facility have improved. It's still a heartbreaking story. Thank you, ACLU.

The Least of These
2009, 62 minutes, directed by Clark Lyda and Jesse Lyda

Make-Out with Violence

Imagine a story about a girl who dies, and comes back as a zombie. She's found by some former friends, and held while they figure out what to do with someone who only eats living creatures (including her friends, if she could) and is slowly but surely rotting away.

Then imaging a story about teen angst, coming-of-age, learning about life and love in the last days of summer.

Then put the two together, but make sure it's not funny in any way, as it's supposed to be a serious emotional drama. Voila, you've created a festival film. I readily admit it's the least-creepy creepy film I've seen in some time, and overall it wasn't bad, but it left me wondering "Why film this?"

Make-Out with Violence
2008, 105 minutes, directed by the Deagol Brothers

Lesbian Vampire Killers

Do you like Shaun of the Dead, but wish for more variety in your British gore-comedies? You're in luck! Lesbian Vampire Killers offers the same Thin Serious Guy and his Fat Goofy Friend (in this case, Gavin and Stacey stars Mathew Horne and James Corden), as they encounter a centuries-old cult of lady vampires who want nothing more than world domination. Ok, maybe the do want something more...

Lesbian Vampire Killers
2009, 84 minutes, directed by Phil Claydon

Afterschool

I was rather impressed with the interesting imagery chosen to tell this story. From long camera takes to not filming the actors to curious use of focus, their choices made my cringe less at the uncomfortable coming-of-age story. The film leads you through quite a build up towards a controversial end.

Afterschool
2008, 120 minutes, directed by Antonio Campos

Drag Me to Hell

100% predictable

200% cheesy

3000% awesome

Drag Me to Hell
2009, 96 minutes (as a work in progress), directed by Sam Raimi

Four Boxes

This internet-age mystery thriller starts off in a predictable fashion, with cliche characters Serious Guy, Goofy Guy, and Mututal Love Interest. It goes for predictable gags, shocks, and twists, and winds to what seems near a predictable conclusion.

Then, it just gets weird. I readily admit that I haven't seen something like it before. But, I'm not so sure that's a bad thing. I recommend that you see it for yourself, but be prepared to be disappointed.

Four Boxes
2009, 75 minutes, directed by Wyatt McDill

Garbage Dreams

This documentary tells the tale of three youth, growing up as Zaballeen, a lower-class society of garbage collectors and recyclers in modern Cairo. They survive by selling recycled raw materials sorted from the refuse, and achieve a recycling rate as high as 80% for their efforts. As antagonists, foreign waste disposal companies have recently moved in to "modernize" garbage collection. With a 20% recycling rate but legal right to all trash on Cairo's streets, the two sides face off, the Zaballeen, now lawbreakers, fighting to survive. It's not healthy or glamorous work, but it's their life.

The documentary hypes the environment angle, but there's basis for it. When the local Recycling school gives two of the boys, Nabil and Adham, a chance to travel to Wales to see their modern recycling efforts, they are suprised by the waste in the automated systems.

Each of the youth adopt in their own ways to their changing world, and the documentary follows them for more than two years to see the story to a rightful end. While each of the three choose different paths, Adham steadfast passion for recycling instills in him a sense of restlessness, a lack of place in the new world. He, of the three, clearly wants to travel, find a purpose, and so it was quite pleasant to find that the film producers flew him to Austin for the world premiere of his film. The standing ovation he received was well deserved.

Garbage Dreams
2009, 82 minutes, directed by Mai Iskander

Artois the Goat

This locally-grown, kitchy comedy tells a compelling tale of need. The raw, base emotion that fuels the desire to create resonates in me strongly, and this film acts as inspiration for that desire. It's a very uplifting story.

Artois the Goat
2009, 96 minutes, directed by Cliff & Kyle Bogart

Pontypool

When our very words have been infected, what can one radio man say to save the world?

I'm amazed at the vivid imagery produced by this film, despite the lack of many special effects and, indeed, any images at all of the horrors described. It's a slower apocalypse horror film with little on-screen violence, but see it with a strong recommendation.

Pontypool
2008, 95 minutes, directed by Bruce McDonald

I'm drawn to think about how Cloverleaf, a film I didn't particularly dislike, had to use so much imagery to create the same kind of story that Pontypool did with so little.

Moon

As I've mentioned before (see Sunshine, Gattaca), there is far too little sci fi being created these days. Sure, there's soap opera in space (see Battlestar Galactica), there's western in space (see Firefly), and there's plenty of horror in space. I like all those types, too. But there's too little science fiction in the sense of the true masters. Sci fi is meant to push the boundaries of science, not necessarily a lot, but just a little, to create situations of tenuous morality. Then the science can be set aside and the story is about the people, and how mankind in its brilliance adapts and coexists.

Moon
2009, 97 minutes, directed by Duncan Jones

Objectified

I didn't notice that this was from the same director as Helvetica, a quality documentary from SXSW a few years past. He apparently, as he put it, "still had questions [he] wanted to explore about design."

This is a documentary style I like. Quality production, smooth pacing, a topic interesting yet unfamiliar, touching on cultural icons to which I readily relate. The directed did a wonderful job picking designers to feature.

From my notes, an enjoyable quote, from the designer of the Umbra trash can (of which we have two in our house): "There's been a million chairs designed. Why on earth is there an uncomfortable chair? There is no excuse."

And another quote, from another designer: Create a marketing campaign for things you already own. "Why not enjoy them today?"

I really liked this film, and I think my wife will like it a lot, too. Given his indication of a third design story underway, I look forward to completion of the trilogy.

Objectified
2009, 76 minutes, directed by Gary Hustwit

Creative Nonfiction

This morning I delved into the world of true zero-budget film, for a "comedy/drama" of brief proportions. I can blame no one but myself for this transgression, as I failed to watch the trailer, and gave myself very different expectations based on the promo blurb.

Despite how good this film may or may not be, I am not partial to uncomfortable situational drama. The very cringe-worthy bits are broken up slightly by solid comedic insights into life and relationships. I wish them all the best, but it's just not for me.

Creative Nonfiction
2009, 60 minutes, directed by Lena Dunham

Zift

This wasn't what I expected. For a midnight feature set in gritty Eastern Europe, I want to see dirt, grime, and a healthy application of violence. I got those things, but they were intertwined with a tale of desperation and loss and betrayal. There was much more narrative, and much less action, than I prefer. I forgot how depressing films from this region can be. The Soviet era still hangs over the satellite countries' cultures like a plague. Maybe they can't yet move on. But I'm ready to.

Zift
2008, 92 minutes, directed by Javor Gardev

Know Your Mushrooms

This being the latest documentary by the director of 2006's Tales of the Rat Fink, I should have realized what I would get: a topic barely stretched to feature length, with intermixed cheesy graphics reused a bit too much.

But past the documentary style, I found tidbits of story interesting. Larry Evans, the "Indiana Jones of mushroom hunters", does well in the film and seems equally genuine in person. The Maitake mushroom, grown in Japan and found to significantly repress tumor growth, sounds like a reasonable addition my diet, given my family history with cancer.

Set the DVR to record this when it shows up on the Documentary channel, and watch it while ironing clothes or doing your taxes. It will be suitably enjoyable given the context.

Know Your Mushrooms
2008, 74 minutes, directed by Ron Mann

The 2 Bobs

SXSW has come again, and with it a week of movies that I've never heard of but will see and, maybe, enjoy. The vacation situation at work leaves me with none, so I'm juggling evening/weekend films with a full-time job this year.

The opening night film, Love You Man, is one-too-many Paul Rudd / Jason Segal comedies for me, so instead I went for locally made, no-budget comedy The 2 Bobs. Filled with language and nudity and local Austin product placement, the film does tremendously well for its resources. Note "Samurai Sam" in Vertical Bob's office; his usual locale is the reception area of my wife's former employer.

The film is a bit disjointed, and filled just a little too much with stupid people doing nonsensical things in a panicked fashion, with gratuitous nudity and language . Horizontal Bob, Devin Ratray, said in the Q&A, "It's the only time I've been on a set, where the writer is embarrased to hear his own dialog." It's funy, but very local, very independent - not suitable for wide consumption.

The 2 Bobs
2009, 86 minutes (SXSW cut), directed by Tim McCanlies