SXSW: Day 9
One last day of film going. We start with SXSW!: The Story of South by Southwest (not exact title), a documentary about the festival I am currently attending. Tells story of how the festival grew from spunky regional underdog funded by the local alt-weekly to the current lovable imitator-down-shutting behemoth. At one point, they pause for a reverential list of unknown/forgotten phenomena that broke out at South By Southwest (Fugees, Polyphonic Spree, Johnny Cash's comeback, The Hurt Locker, Twitter). And then there's the story of SXSW 2008, when a then-unknown former Christian-rock artist named Katy Perry applied to the festival on the strength of her new single "Ur So Gay" (General thrust: 'My boyfriend's so effeminate and emo sometimes, it's almost like he's one of those gays, tee hee!'), and was soundly rejected. And then the Capitol Music Group threatened to pull their other artists if their bustin' new talent wasn't included; the festival gave in; two months later she came out with the much more sensitive "I Kissed A Girl" (General thrust: 'Making out with girls is fun if the boys are watching, tee hee!'); and everything was terrible forever.
***
At the Paramount for Ceremony, probably the only movie I'm seeing at this festival that will at one point come to a theater near you. Romantic comedy - articulate, awkward, dorky 20-something tries to win the heart of self-assured older woman; Uma Thurman in the older-woman role, some kid named Michael Anagarano in the Michael Cera role. A little surprised it isn't Michael Cera - it's been eight months since Scott Pilgrim, surely he's due another one of these things. Maybe he's off doing a buddy comedy with Jack Black or something. It is at this point that Michael Cera walks in and sits two rows ahead of us. A couple of people surreptitiously snap pictures.
1) Squee. 2) Dude! Buddy! I... that was a joke! You could go to other... there's this whole one Polish sci-fi thing with the bureaucrat jumping on sheet metal, and no stammering man-boys at all, you could.. take a break, or... something... squee!
***
And then we went out south of town and watched the fireworks go off over Kanye West and Jay-Z's concert. A lovely end to a thoroughly satisfying festival.
Except then we went back downtown and saw the very last movie of the festival, Attack the Block, a mildly cheesy sci-fi movie where toothy gorilla-aliens attack a London council estate. Hopefully it'll do well and set off a trend of movies including the line "It's a alien bruv, best believe", because what conceivable movie wouldn't be better therewith?
We emerged at 2AM, sidestepped through the last-night revelers, crunching promotional CDs underfoot, and so home and to bed. 13 movies, 7 bands, the fireworks over Kanye and the fliers underfoot. Best South By in years.
***
At the Paramount for Ceremony, probably the only movie I'm seeing at this festival that will at one point come to a theater near you. Romantic comedy - articulate, awkward, dorky 20-something tries to win the heart of self-assured older woman; Uma Thurman in the older-woman role, some kid named Michael Anagarano in the Michael Cera role. A little surprised it isn't Michael Cera - it's been eight months since Scott Pilgrim, surely he's due another one of these things. Maybe he's off doing a buddy comedy with Jack Black or something. It is at this point that Michael Cera walks in and sits two rows ahead of us. A couple of people surreptitiously snap pictures.
1) Squee. 2) Dude! Buddy! I... that was a joke! You could go to other... there's this whole one Polish sci-fi thing with the bureaucrat jumping on sheet metal, and no stammering man-boys at all, you could.. take a break, or... something... squee!
***
And then we went out south of town and watched the fireworks go off over Kanye West and Jay-Z's concert. A lovely end to a thoroughly satisfying festival.
Except then we went back downtown and saw the very last movie of the festival, Attack the Block, a mildly cheesy sci-fi movie where toothy gorilla-aliens attack a London council estate. Hopefully it'll do well and set off a trend of movies including the line "It's a alien bruv, best believe", because what conceivable movie wouldn't be better therewith?
We emerged at 2AM, sidestepped through the last-night revelers, crunching promotional CDs underfoot, and so home and to bed. 13 movies, 7 bands, the fireworks over Kanye and the fliers underfoot. Best South By in years.