There’s a holy grail out there, I just know it. Okay, I don’t know it. Might be a myth. Maybe it doesn’t exist. Even if it does exist, there are likely forces that wouldn’t want it discovered, not to mention revealed to the world at large. Or maybe they’d simply prefer to use it to their own nefarious ends, like the Nazis and the Lost Ark. Even if some modern...
One more thing SXSW has triggered: a newfound rediscovery of the power of the short film. At “South By,” that film was mostly a well-funded Canadian film called Hiro—a well-shot, well-crafted live-action piece heavily inspired by Asian manga and anime. (Hiro also won the SXSW short competition.) But compared to the year before, when only one short (Termination, by Paul Alvarado-Dykstra) rose well above the typical first-year film student level,...
My favorite narrative film from SXSW seems to have settled out on this eccentric feature debut from the Brothers Nee. Aaron and Adam Nee should have a wonderful career ahead of them; I hope they’ll continue to do for brotherhood teams what the Coen Brothers have given us to date. (If not more.) Their film is an original New York tale of quirk and happenstance—a driven-yet-hapless poet who seeks his...
About halfway through a long week of 4-5 films a day. Exhausting in the best possible way. I’ve seen some great films, met some great folks, and my mind is currently a blur with the buzz of possibilities, which is the best thing you can hope for a festival like this—to come away inspired. This Film is Not Yet Rated currently holds the honor of “favorite doc.” Much like Spurlocks’...