SxSW 2015 Wrap-up

File this in the better late than never category

Day 0 - Badge Pickup

So, this year was a bit different. For the first time since 2010, my
little brother Sean was unable to make it here. We usually have a
good time getting our badges Thursday night, and then going somewhere
for dinner. I didn't realize how much I would miss this time, but I
did.

He said he intends to come next year, so things will return to normal.

Day 1

The highlight of the first day from a SxSWi perspective, was the
Charles Barkley interview. He is as funny in person, as he is on
TV.

After some forgettable panels, I saw two great documentaries, City
of Gold, and For Grace.

City of Gold

Jonathan Gold is a food critic who lives in LA. I felt a certain
affinity with him, because he appreciates the same sort of low
brow, ethnic, street cuisine that I do.

For Grace

This was a documentary was about the amazing chef, Curtis Duffy. A troubled youth who managed to rise in the world of cooking, opening an restaurant that eventually acheived a Michelin 3 Star Rating.

Day 2

I spent most of this day attending screenings, including:

• Frame by Frame - an excellent documentary about photo journalists in Kabul, Afganistan.
  
• The Boy - a fictional account about a young boy becoming a psychopath.
  
• and ...
  

Son of the Congo

Son of the Congo - a documentary about Oklahoma Thunder player, Serge Ibaka. Which I enjoyed, even though I'm a Spurs fan.

Moonwalkers

Moonwalkers - a film with stars Ron Perlman, and Rupert Grint. I found this one generally uninteresting other than the chance it afforded me to star gaze.

Day 3

It seems as though every year, I get more and more immersed in SxSWf. I spent another day watching 4 screenings. The choices for this day included:

Mavis

I had circled this one in advance. Like 25 Feet from Stardom, this film had the added bonus of Mavis in person.

Peace Officer

An important documentary. The escalation of SWAT teams in the country is out of control. This film hits you in the face with the facts, in case you've been asleep.

A short break during the day. Can't remember what was being promoted, but this campaign had lots of St. Bernards walking around town, and also in a pen on 5th Street.

Babysitter

I found this independent movie enjoyable, but flawed. Some obvious problems with the plot and writing.

Rolling Papers

A documentary about the legalization of Marijuana in Colorado. I think this film could have been better, as well.

Day 4

• Knock, Knock, It's Tig Notaro - a entertaining look at comedienne, Tig Notaro, as she went on a House Show tour.
  
• Krisha - Kudos to the writer and director for making a movie with a real plot, I liked it.
  
• Best of Enemies - Buckley and Vidal. A highly entertaining look at their famous debates.
  
• They Will Have to Kill Us First - A real tear jerker. A band continues to play despite the attempts of religious extremists to eradicate them.
  

Day 5

• Wild Horses - Robert Duval's film. I would highly recommend it.
  
• A Poem Is A Naked Person - a film tangentially about Leon Russell. So, I got see Leon in person, can't say I would recommend this film, however. A bit boring.
  
• The Ecstasy of Wilko Johnson - Interesting documentary about a musician having to face his own mortality, after finding out he had a terminal illness.
  
• Jaco - No other words than fan-fucking-tastic. I have new found respect for Rob Trujello after this screening.
  
• He Never Died - Like the Perlman film, I got to star gaze again. This time it was Henry Rollins. Not bad, but not good either.
  

Day 6

• Deep Web - as a documentary director/producer for the Internet age, Alex Winter is a home-run hitter.
  
• The Damned: Don't you wish we were dead? - a documentary about the Damned. Captain Sensible was in the house.
  
• The Last Man on the Moon - Gene Cernan was present to discuss Apollo 17, the last mission to the moon.
  

Colm Mac Con Iomaire

An acoustic singer/songwriter type. Very enjoyable, perfect for the acoustics of this room.

Mother Falcon

A local Austin band actually. Most people would describe these guys as a Jazz band. Don't get me wrong, there are some exceptional musicians in this band, but having spent all of those years around NYC, I have more stringent requirements improvisation-wise, before I award that title.

Black Violin

I had seen and met both of these players a year before at SxSW. I finally got to see them play. Like Mother Falcon, they are very heavily Classically trained. Very entertaining, and a bit more dynamic on stage than the previous band.

Day 7

So, my buddy Adrian Belew was in town with Daniel Rowland (Adrian's sound engineer), and Nick Mueller (developer) promoting Adrian's mobile app, Flux and Flux.fx. I've spent quite a bit of time with Ade and Daniel at TOAPP camp. Since I was also a Beta-tester for the Flux apps, I had exchanged emails and NDA's with Nick.

Adrian was interviewed for SxSW, but did not play. Team Flux spent most of their time on the floor at the Gear Expo.

I did manage to catch former STP frontman, Scott Weiland on the day stage.

Since they were in town, fellow camp alumnus, Cedric Theys and I, had dinner with the guys that night. Despite missing the showcases that night, it couldn't have been a better night. The Margaritas were flowing.

Day 8

So to start off the last day, I got early to see Snoop Dog's keynote. For the opener, he had the very awesome Hypnotic Brass Ensemble from Chicago.

Su:m

One pleasant discovery this year was this band from Korea, on the day stage, Su:m. Unbelievable stuff, very relaxing, and intriguing.

Ryan Bingham

Jaco - Film panel

Breaking A Monster

Wynonna Judd & the Big Noise: Stories & Song

Day 9

Landfill Harmonic

First I saw the film. I won't lie, it made me cry, while simultaneously obliterating every excuse I've ever had for not making music.

At the end of the film, I then walked with the entire cast to the Driskill in order to see them perform. An absolutely transformative experience, and one I will probably never forget. Sometimes the universe delivers a message when you're most receptive, and need to hear it.

Qarabagh Ensemble

There's no way to describe this band from Azerbaijan other than fucking incredible. Despite talking to their manager here in the US, I still do not know where I can purchase a recording ( or twenty).

Day 10 - BBQ

So, for the past 5 or 6 years ago, I have been going to the BBQ, after hearing my friend Frank Souders describe how it helped you ease back into normal life. Multiple years ago, I also met two gentlemen, Marvine Harris and Hillery Robinson, because they noticed I was wearing a Baltimore Ravens t-shirt walking around the convention center. Marvine is a fellow Baltimoron, and Hillery is from TX and now lives in Pflugerville, but he also lived in Baltimore for a while.

We have become good friends, and have run into each other every year for the past 6 or 7 years. We all have the same passion for music, and are all musicians. I always make it a point to get a picture with my buddies, at the BBQ.

Normally, Marvine plays softball, but the games were cancelled, and the location was moved to Fiesta Gardens this year. It turns out however, that it didn't rain after all, and the weather was quite nice.

Here's my pic from 2013

SxSW 2014 Wrap-up

This year, SxSW was a bit a letdown for me. With a sudden change in employment status, my focus changed from casual enjoyment to job hunting and networking. As a result, even with a Platinum Badge, I was forced to miss several mornings, and two complete days of music. (Thanks Ginni!)

Film

When not preoccupied with other things, I spent a majority of my time at film screenings.

Here's a quick list of what I was able to see:

That Guy Dick Miller

A great film. I was flabbergasted by how many movies I had seen with Dick as a character actor.

The Infinite Man

An interesting Aussie film with time travel and lots of plot twists.

The Heart Machine

Poignant commentary on young romance in our modern social media world

Harmontown

This was just plain fun. I love Dan Harmon's comedy.

Penny Dreadful

Going in, I didn't realize this was a pilot for Showtime series. In my opinion, dreadful is an apt description.

I Believe in Unicorns

A interesting drama about a young girl who runs away from home, on a romantic fling.

Animals

Basically, what if Trainspotting had taken place in America?

Raid 2

Yet another projector fiasco at the Paramount! It seems like that this has been the case for 3 out of the last 4 years. My brother and I finally made it the rescheduled screening the next night, not sure that it was worth the trouble. Not as good as Raid Redemption.

Silicon Valley

Mike Judge always seems to find your comedic nerve. This time, he has Silicon Valley start-up culture in his gun-sight.

A Wolf at the Door

An engaging and suspenseful, but very disturbing crime drama from Brazil. Unlike typical U.S. crime dramas, this one seemed too realistic, and probable.

Wetlands

After failing to get into Wes Anderson's premier, My brother and I ended up here, because it was the only screening with seats. All I can say is that this was close I as I ever want to get to seeing a German Shizer Flick. ;)

The Internet's Own Boy: The Aaron Schwartz Story

A fantastic documentary about the prodigy, Aaron Schwartz, and his contributions the to Internet, particularly his fight for online privacy. After watching the film, his suicide seemed even more tragic.

The 78 Project

This film was a documentary about connecting modern musicians to the past. In particular, the 1930's when the 78 rpm record was king.

The main story line involved taking a vintage, portable rig on the road, that was able to cut 78 rpm discs, to make live recordings of modern musicians. Also included in the film were trips to multiple archives and collections containing 78's.

The coup de grace for this screening however, was that they actually had a musician cut a 78 recording on stage during the Q&A.

Our Vinyl Weighs a Ton (This is Stones Throw Records)

Great documentary about an influential Indie record label. Kudos to the film maker for showing how it was waning in this new era of the Music Industry.

The Winding Stream

The Carter family, Johnny Cash, Roots Music, what's not to like about this film? As they said in the film, the Carter family ignited the Big Bang that created the Country Music Industry. I learned some fascinating things about Border (aka. Mexican) Radio, and there was a lot of previously unreleased footage of the Man in Black.

Music

For Music this year, I only really went to things on Friday and Saturday.

On Friday, I started out the evening with my friends Cedric Theys and Jakes Srinivasan for the GlobeFest showcase at the Speakeasy. As that started filling up, I opted for a more serene experience at the St. David's. The acts I saw included:

• Lo'Jo from Angers, France at the Speakeasy - All I can say was this band was fantastic
  
• Imarhan from Timbuktu, MALI at the Speakeasy - Interesting, but a little thin on the musicianship
  
• Tennis from Denver, CO at St. David's Sanctuary
  
• Gungor from Denver, CO at St. David's Bethell Hall - A very good band playing out of the element, acoustic.
  
• Vance Joy from Melbourne, VIC at St. David's Sanctuary
  

For Saturday, I was able to catch the following:

• Ramesh from Austin (whoops) at the Central Presbyterian Church - A good pop band, once you got past that, they weren't very interesting.
  
• Andy Shauf from Regina, SK at St. David's Bethell Hall
  
• The Wood Brothers from Nashville, TN at St. David's Sanctuary - Chris Wood from Medesky, Martin and Wood teamed up with his brother, Oliver. These two are fantastic.
  
• Kumbia Queers from Buenos Aires, Argentina at the Russia House - I went here to catch up to Jakes. Was a bit underwhelmed by this band, although others seemed to be getting into them.
  
• Pigpen Theater Company from Pittsburgh, PA at the 18th Floor - Outstanding Irish influenced stuff.
  

BBQ

I managed to get over to the BBQ. It was a bit anti-climatic this year, because it felt like I had attended half of a SxSW. I did run into my good buddies Hillary and Marvin, once again.

Here's to SxSW 2015, and hoping that things are much better then.

SxSW 2013 - Day 9

A beautiful last day

As you can see in this picture taken from the fourth floor of the Hilton, the weather on the last full day of SxSW was fan-fucking-tastic.

CLE: The Politics of Music and Future Copyright Battles

I sat through this panel wishing that Sandy Pearlman (Dr. Doom) had been present. Some of these people needed some sense slapped into them.

Canzoniere Grecanico Solentino

Walking by the stage in the convention center, I heard this wonderful band. They were from Italy and were playing some sort of folk music. The singing was partially polyphonic, and some of the stringed instruments were playing quarter tones.

My ears perked up, and I listened for a while. I found them very enjoyable, my non-musician friends would probably not agree.

So We Won SOPA

A frank discussion about what is next on the SOPA battlefront. There was an EFF lawyer on the panel. She convinced me that there is still a glimmer of hope. We can hold off the continual advances being attempted by old Turkey-neck, Chris Dodd, and his cohorts at the MPAA and RIAA.

Good Ol' Freda

As the movie synopsis said, The Beatles were together for 10 years, Freda Kelly was their secretary for 11 years. A truely unique documentary, Freda Kelly has broken her silence after 50 years, and has the full support of the two remaining Beatles, Paul and Ringo.

This film documentary has some astounding footage of the Beatles.

Cello Fury

Heading over to St. David's, the first band of the night was a trio of cellists and a drummer from Pittsburgh. Imagine Metallica with this instrumentation, and you'll get the basic idea.



Here's a video of them playing:

Paul McDonald & Nikki Reed

Heading over to the Sanctuary at St. David's I caught what is apparently the new Hollywood Power Couple. It was well done, but they have invoked martial law in this room with respect to taking pictures.

George Clinton and Parliament

This was my main mission for the night. The venue was an old auto garage. I was secretly holding out hope that George Clinton would somehow get Bootsy and Bernie Worrell on stage with him, for a complete P-Funk reunion. Unfortunately, it didn't happen.

Have no fear, they still gave up the Funk!

SxSW 2013 - Day 8

Conversation: Bootsy Collins and Chuck D

What better way to start off the morning than an interview with Bootsy Collins? The man played with James Brown and George Clinton, what else do you need to know?

Interview: The Zombies

The next panel was an interview with 2 more legends, Rod Argent and Colin Blunstone, about their band, the Zombies. In hindsigt, I really regret was not getting over to their showcase.

Iron and Wine

After two excellent interviews, I cruised by the day stage and caught a great singer-songwriter act, Iron and Wine.

Pulenta

Walking over to the International Stage, I caught a few songs from an excellent Argentinian band, Pulenta.

APIs: How Do We Foster and Support Competition In A Highly Competitive Sandbox

I wish I could say I heard some encouraging things at this panel. It seems however, that the music industry remains at an impasse.

Pickwick

Back to the day stage for a pop band with a Retro sound, and some very good keyboard work. They were from Seattle and were called Pickwick.

Shout Out Out Out Out

I didn't get to see Savage, a band recommended by Sound Opinion's, Jim DeRegotis. However, he also recommended this band, and their homage to Kraftwerk, among others.

Berklee Party

I stopped briefly by Brush Creek Park tent to catch some of the Berklee School of Music Party.

Twenty Feet from Stardom

This day went by fast, but it didn't matter, because it led up to the best Film of SxSW for me, as well as one of the finest musical experiences. Twenty Feet from Stardom is an unbelievably good film. Strangely, the Paramount was only 3 quarters full, but the people behind said, to trust them, something very wonderful was going to happen after the screening.

In a nutshell, this film follows the history and careers of several acclaimed backup singers. As the movie progresses, you realize that you have heard every singer in the film, and they have appeared on your favorite songs.

During the documentary, one of the singers noted that Most people sing along with the backup singers, when they sing along to their favorite songs. So true!

After the screening was over, two of the stars of the film performed on stage at the Paramount. All I can say is that Judith Hill and Darlene Love knocked the audience on their collective asses. The took us in a musical rapture.

Judith Hill

Darlene Love

Sallie Ford & the Sound Outside

Leaving the Paramount, I walked over to Antones to check it out for the first time during SxSW. Normally, I would have dug a roots rock effort like Sallie Ford and the Outside. However, I was still recovering from Judith Hill and Darlene Love.

Charlie Mars

I decided to close out the night at the Central Presbyterian Church, another great listening venue. I had heard Charlie Mars last year at the same venue. I enjoyed him then, and this time.

Natalie Maines with Ben Harper

Staying put, I didn't realize at first that it was Natalie Maines (of Dixie Chicks fame), because she had her hair cut short and dyed black. She was joined on stage by a very good male singer, who also played lap steel guitar. It turned out that it was Ben Harper.

The set was a eclectic mix of things with a strong Americana feel. One of the highlights was her cover of Pink Floyd's, Mother, from the Wall. The other highlight was her being joined on stage by her father Lloyd Maines, pedal steel player extraordinaire.

I guess I lucked out on this venue choice.

SxSW 2013 - Day 7

Black Violin

On the way into Ballroom D, for Dave Grohl's Keynote Speech, there was an amazing band playing called Black Violin. The core of the band is a violin and viola player from South Florida. When they finished, the entire packed Ballroom gave them a standing ovation.

Later in the week, I actually got to speak to the leader of the group, "Kev Marcus" Sylvester, and found out they went to the U. They are a very talented group, and I have a feeling that we will be hearing more from them, in the future.

Dave Grohl Keynote Speech

Unlike Bruce last year, the main take away from this speech that I got was that Grohl still approaches music with same sense of wonderment and awe, that he did before he wss famous. Needless to say, I left the Ballroom wanting to make music again.

In Your Dreams - Stevie Nicks

This was the first stinker for a music documentary. I went into this screening expecting to see a documentary about Stevie's life, and showing intimate details of her creative process.

Instead, this film was a 1980's MTV video, a promotion for selling her latest album. Nothing felt real in this film, most scenes seemed staged and contrived. I was really annoyed by this to be honest, and expected more. (Perhaps if I hadn't already seen Muscle Shoals, Sound City and the Punk Singer, my expectations would have been lower).

In Your Dream Trailer

Delorentos

While over in the Convention Center, I stopped by the Day Stage and caught a fairly good, Pop band from Dublin, Ireland, Delorentos.

Stevie Nicks Interview

Just to give things a fair shake, after a sub-par film, I decided to go to Stevie's Interview. This was a bit better, but I still couldn't shake the feeling that all of the questions had been approved by her publicist, beforehand.

Before There Was Punk There Was A Band Called Death

I was glad to put things back on track, with another excellent music documentary. I have been aware of Death for several years, and actually had their album. The story of the rediscovery of this band is amazing, and just adds to the legend.

Ray Wylie Hubbard

Randomly walking into the Stage on Sixth, I just happend to find Ray Wylie Hubbard. Typically, I try to avoid local acts, but Ray was mowing them down on this occasion, so I stayed.

Jason Monseur's band at the Dogwood

Walking west down 6th street, I headed towards the Dogwood, a non-official SxSW venue, to see a friend from Atlanta, from the TOAPP Camp, Jason Monseur, who was playing drum with his band. They played a set of Electronic dance music that was very solid. Unfortunately, the entire card at the Dogwood was running an hour late, so I couldn't stay for Jason's whole set.

Prior to Jason's band, there was another band, Skin, that was very good. I was really taken with their bas player, a young African-American woman that played her Fender Precision Bass in a manner reminiscent of Daryl Jones. She was a bad ass.

Death

During the documentary screening, it was announced that Death would be performin at the 10Oaks. This was obviously something that I couldn't miss, so I ended the night at their gig.

SxSW 2013 - Day 6

Panel: Top Ten Web Music Companies of 2013

This was my first music panel of 2013. I wanted to hear about something fresh and new. Unfortunately, I really didn't. The Music Industry is still lost and wondering in the desert.

Finding the Funk

Another great music documentary. It has Sly, George Clinton, Bootsie Collins, and Bernie Worrell. Parliament, Funkadelic, and the Ohio Players all in one movie! Need I say more?

I defy anyone to go see this movie, and try to not tap their feet. It isn't possible.

Finding the Funk Trailer

Canadian Music Party

After the movie, I made my way back to the Convention Center area, and checked out the Canadian Music Party in the Brush Creek park.

Nick Lowe Panel

Heading inside, I caught a panel with included Ron Sexsmith, Kathy Valentine, and Chris Stamey about the music of Nick Lowe. What made this extra special, was that each artist got up and played their favorite Nick Lowe song. Just heavenly.

In the photo below, you can see Ron Sexsmith taking his shot, at the mic.

Depeche Mode Interview

I had pencilled this interview in, on my schedule in advance. It was what I expected. I was hoping I would have a stroke of luck, and also win the lottery for the small show they were putting on in the Brazos theater, on Friday.

I found the band to be surprisingly unpretentious and very accessible, as did the rest of the crowd, I'm fairly sure.

Sound City

Another fantastic documentary, about another legendary recording studio. This time it was Sound City, in Van Nuys, CA with its legendary Neve Console.

I'll be honest, I was never a Nirvana fan. However, after seeing Dave Grohl multiple times, I have a new found respect for him. He gets it, and only someone who got it would have been able to produce a film like this. I would love to have a beer or two with him some time.

Let me just say that all of these documentaries about recording studios has really gotten my creative juices flowing again.

Sound City Trailer

Olafur Arnalds

After leaving the Paramount for the Sound City screening, I headed towards my favorite showcase venue, St. David's Bethel Hall, a fantastic listening room. When I arrived, there was a 3 piece ensemble (piano, violin, and cello). Their original compositions mixed chamber music with some atmospheric electronic music

I found the harmonic rhythm of this music to be painfully slow. Given my sleep deprived state, had some difficulty, staying awake during their performance.

A.J. Croce

The next act at Bethel was fantastic, it was Jim Croce's son. A.J. Croce is a singer songwriter par excellence, with an outstanding voice, and impressive chops on both piano and guitar.

They say the apple doesn't fall too far from the tree. Well, in this case, the apple is right next to the trunk. During the set A.J. performed his father's song, Operator. As A.J. performed, it seemed as though Jim had crawled out of the grave, and was standing there. My friends all commented that the experience gave them goosebumps.

Summing this showcase up in one word, it would be, Wow!

Chris Stamey and Tosca Strings

Former Alex Chilton collaborator and Southern alt-pop, godfather, Chris Stamey, had the last set at the Bethel, with the Tosca String quartet. This was a very enjoyable set of music, and was the perfect material for this room.

SxSW 2013 - Day 5

Muscle Shoals

This documentary was one of the best of the festival. It was about the now legendary music town of Muscle Shoals, Alabama.

The film covers recording pioneer, Rick Hall and his FAME Studios, along with the house band, the Swampers, who eventually split to form the rival, Muscle Shoals Sound Studios. I was already aware of the significance of the place, but had no idea, how many bands, hits songs, and Gold and Platinum albums, had been recorded at these two studios. It was staggering.

Having watched several of these documentaries, I am convinced that I need a bucket list item, to go on a pilgrimage and try to visit the original sites of Motown Records in Detroit, Sun Records and Stax in Memphis, Buddy Holly's place in Lubbock, TX, and of course these two studios in Muscle Shoals.

Muscle Shoals Trailer

Seeing my brother off

Since Tuesday is the last day of Interactive, I spent some time having a final lunch with my brother and some of his co-workers from Ohio, before seeing him off to the airport.

Medora

Medora, Indiana, was once a booming rural town, with a thriving middle class, and an independent, high school. Things have changed recently, and economic conditions have decimated this town.

This film picks up, with Medora's once formidable, high school basketball team in the middle of a multiple year, losing streak. They follow several of the team members through an entire season, where against all odds, they actually managed to turn things around, and win two games.

What was really nice, is that the directors brought one of the team members with them to SxSW, and they were available afterwards, for Q&A. Anyone who manages to see this movie, will be affected by it, in a positive way.

We Cause Scenes

The last film of the day for me, was about Improv Everywhere, a small gang of comedians and pranksters, who became an internationally recognized prank collective. The documentary covers their history, and shows some of their more recent flash mob style stunts.

My favorite stunt was them setting up as a 4 piece band and impersonating the band U2, from a rooftop across the street from Madison Square Garden (where U2 was playing that night). A casual listen to band, quickly revealed that it was not really U2, however, many of the people on the street went along with the gag, finding it funny. Not everyone in NYC is so light hearted, so someone eventually called NYPD to shut it down.

SxSW 2013 - Day 4

Stephen Wolfram

Wolfram gave a talk on the future of Computation. It was similar in content to one of his TED talks. I find him to be a very engaging speaker, and felt he did a good job of holding the audiences attention, unlike the NASA presentation.

Rewind This

This was an outstanding documentary about the history of Video Tape. It's hard to believe that several decades have passed, since video tape's heyday.

I found it particularly humorous to realize that very little has changed. The MPAA and their affiliated content producers were as afraid of the video tape back then, as they are the Internet, today.

Computer Chess

The next film of the day was Computer Chess. It was a local effort, made here in Austin. I really didn't enjoy the film, its low budget charm was not able to compensate for a multitude of problems.

Hawking

The next film on my schedule was an exceptional, biographical, documentary about world renown physicist, Stephen Hawking. This was a remarkable film about a remarkable man.

The Infamous Grumpy Cat

Unbeknownst to me, Grumpy Cat was one of the big stories from SxSW in the press. As I was walking down 6th Street, I noticed this rear projection in a two story bay window, above what used to be the SoHo.

Snap

The main character in this movie, is a musical savant, named Jim, who had experience severe abuse and trama as a child. Now an adult, he appears to have his mental health issues under control, but becomes obsessed with a young social worker, Wendy.

Things slowly begin to spin out of control, but there are several unexpected plot twists before it is all over. Snap is a dark, but interesting film, and is well made.

SxSW 2013 - Day 3

Sixth Street in the Morning

As walked over to the Paramount from the Convention Center, I took this picture of Sixth Street. I am always amazed to see it cleaned up every morning, given the condition I had witnessed it in, the previous night.

Mud

The first film of the day was Mud. A narrative set in the Ozarks, starring Matthew McConaughey as the main protagonist, Mud, a murderer who is on the lam and hiding from bounty hunters, on a small river island. He is discovered by two local teenage boys, who are drawn into to his problems. I can't say too much more, without giving away the whole movie.

I felt the film did a good job of bringing the viewer in this Ozark culture, and surroundings, and the acting was very good. I wasn't as sold on the actual story, and felt that some aspects of the plot seemed somewhat unbelievable.

None the less, I would recommend this film to others.

Mud Trailer

Awful Nice

In hindsight, I could have skipped this movie. It was bad! It was supposed be about sibling rivalry between two brothers, with a healthy dose of physical comedy. I didn't find it very funny, and didn't take away anything from the viewing.

There was no trailer available, so that why I didn't post one. Just as well.

Downloaded

At last year's SxSW, I saw Alex Winter, Sean Parker, and Shawn Fanning discuss the production of this documentary about Napster. It was nice to see the finished product, and equally cool that all 3 returned this year.

This film was fantastic, and I could easily watch it again. You should go see it, if you can.

Downloaded Trailer

The Punk Singer

This was another excellent music documentary, about Kathleen Hanna, lead singer of the band Bikini Kill, a seminal band in the Riot Girl movement. It was funded by Kickstarter, which I was happy to see.

This was a well made documentary, and succeeds in drawing you into Kathleen's life, even if you don't enjoy her music or agree with her politics.

Kickstarter Preview

SxSW 2013 - Day 2

Conversations with Danny Boyle

The first session of the day was the interview of Danny Boyle. Danny was very open, and spent the entire time discussing his late start in life directing (he was in his 40's), his previous movies, and plans for the future.

He also discussed and shows some clips from his latest picture, Trance. However, he was unable to show Trance at SxSW because the European Distributor had exclusive rights to its global premier.

As a teaser, here's the trailer for Trance.

Value 4 Value: Just Getting by in New Media

At the completion of the Boyle session, I hoped on the shuttle to the Long Center, to go see my buddy, Adam Curry. As a arrived, I ran into several fellow No Agenda Show listeners, and Adam's wife, Ms. Micky.

Adam discussed his career, and leading into how came upon the Value for Value model, now employed by the No Agenda Show. It was well executed talk, it's too bad that SxSW chose to have it at the Long Center, and Adam didn't have more time to promote it.

Documentary Shorts 1

Since I was already in the neighborhood, I decided to stay for the first half of the Documentary Shorts. Of the four, I liked the Village, the best. Unfortunately, I had to cut out early, in order to make the Nixon film, back at the Ritz.

After

This film captures a complete day (dusk to dawn) at Auschwitz, in current times, as it is visited by tourists.

The Village

A short film about a Leper Colony in Southern Brazil established in the 1940's, that is slowly vanishing, since all of the residents are now in their 80's and 90's.

Endless Day

A short narrative about a typical night in the life of a chronic insomniac.

In Hanford

An exploration of the environmental disaster that occurred in Hanford, Washington, as the result of Nuclear Arms Manufacturing.

Our Nixon

During Richard Nixon's administration, 3 of his staff members, H. R. Haldeman, Richard Ehrlichman and Dwight Chapin obsessively filmed their daily experiences with Super 8 cameras. The films were seized by the FBI, as part of the Watergate Investigation, and were subsequently placed in the National Archives, where they sat.

This documentary team went through those archives after 40 years, edited them, and produced an amazing documentary.

Our Nixon Trailer

Hey Bartender

This was an interesting documentary on the resurgence of the cocktail, in the wake of the gourmet approach, pioneered by people like Dale DeGoff (who appears in the film). I was surprised at how good this documentary was. It was interesting and entertaining.

Before Midnight

The last film of the day was the premier of Richard Linklater's latest, Before Midnight. It the the third in series of movies, preceded by, Before Sunrise, and Before Sunset. The movies involve encounters between the same two characters (who are played by the same two actors, Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy), but are spaced 9-10 years apart in chronology.

One thing struck me as somewhat funny. Earlier in the day, Danny Boyle, had said that when he went back and looked at his films, he like most other directors, had essentially remade the same film over and over again. I had to laugh, because Before Midnight includes long sequences of the two main characters on a leisurely stroll around a Mediterranean Island, discussing their philosophy of life. Watching it, you can't help but think of Slacker.

I had originally gone, because my friend, Graham Reynolds, had done Richard's music, once again. The music however, plays a very subtle, background role. The exact opposite of something like Richard's film, Bernie.

Even though I had not seen the previous two films, Richard's style of storytelling eases you into the story, slowly. I have made a promise to myself, to watch the other two films now.