ss xx ss ww 07

It is March in Austin and in my world that mainly equals South by Southwest time. As this may be my last time to do the full deal (newsflash: we plan to move to Minneapolis this summer) I'm trying to "do it right," though so far that feels a lot like how I always do it.

So here's the movies I witnessed and can testify to:

Saturday:

The Ten (B+)
Tailor-made for the you-know-who-you-are fans of the State/Stella bunch, in this case the ten commandments serve as the springboard for numerous non-sequiturs and silliness. So the "covet your neighbor's wife" one takes place in a prison, "keep holy the Sabbath" follows a man who hosts nude Roberta Flack listening parties, etc. Yes, this is the cop-out of all types of reviews, but honestly, if you like this kind of stuff you will like this (I mostly did, like usual), and if you don't you won't. Though it will probably be our best chance to watch Winona Ryder going at it with a ventriloquist's dummy, unless her career gets even stranger. Also it has Paul Rudd which turned out to be a premonition of things to come.

Elvis and Annabelle (B)
In this year's "locally made film" slot, we find this appealing-enough oddball romance. Max Minghella could yet outrun his father's shadow as he maintains a certain gravity without seeming too humorless, and Blake Lively, in the role of a beauty queen trying to escape her image, actually manages the trick herself. And while I admit to a cringe when I first saw that Joe Mantegna was playing a brain-damaged humpback, anticipating a whirlwind of acting tics, I gotta say he made it work. The story is nothing new and often unbelievable (is this supposed to take place in the present day??) but avoids the majority of the traps it lays out for itself. So hey.

Manufacturing Dissent (C+)
Turns out Michael Moore has stretched a few truths (and told a few outright lies) in his various quests, which while hardly noble, produces more irritation than outrage in me. What supposedly began as an admiring bio-doc turns into more of a slam book as Moore repeatedly ducks the filmmakers' camera and questions - um, perhaps he was concerned about participating in another movie that attacks his credibility? And it turns out he was right? The crew don't come up with that many revelations or insights; I think a more interesting topic could be how Moore has "branded" himself to bring attention to his causes, and the ways that strategy has succeeded and backfired. I'll look for that doc next year.

Sunday:

Silver Jew (B)
David Berman of the "band" Silver Jews goes on a tour to Israel, after recently converting to Judaism. I was only slightly familiar with his music (which is not the focus of the movie either) but seeing him discover his Israeli fanbase while simultaneously research his faith produces a few remarkable moments, though it's a bit like watching someone else eat a fantastic meal. Better for the subject than the spectator, I expect.

Diggers (B)
An unexpected (by me) rainstorm detoured me into this movie, but it must have been Paul Rudd turning the wheels of fate. Featuring several of the same folks from The Ten, and written by Statester Ken Marino, this one eschews absurdity for low-key character dramedy. Set in 1976 amidst a community of clamdiggers, the movie doesn't bite off all that much, but chews it well - Marino clearly has a ball playing a foul-mouthed irritable father, and Josh Hamilton, Ron Eldard and Mr. Rudd easily create a sense of genuine camaraderie, laced through with the inevitable annoyances that come from spending too much time with the same people. A subplot with Lauren Ambrose never really cooks, though, and for a while I was predicting way too many of the story's turns, but altogether it slides down easily. Yes like a clam.

Hannah Takes The Stairs (B)
Hmm, I'm all for the recent micro-wave of shoestring video productions, I suppose (though just putting the same stuff on film a la Mutual Appreciation sure helps), but you won't need a director Q&A to understand that this movie was mostly made up as they went along. Yes, the awkward dialogue feels pretty real, but it can also get a little tiring waiting for someone to actually say something. The movie certainly nails the weird intimacy of many new relationships, but couldn't it have done that and told more of a story at the same time?

Monday:

Kurt Cobain About a Son (A-)
A bit skeptical about this as it kicked off, but was soon won over by this movie's unusual approach - while we hear taped interviews with Cobain, director Schnack fills in impressionistic footage of Cobain's Washington stomping grounds, sometimes aligning with the interview subjects, sometimes not. Anyone looking for a fact-filled explanation of Cobain's life will leave frustrated (and I can only imagine Nirvana die-hards getting much out of this at all), but this style evocatively captures the atmosphere in which he lived it.

Knocked Up (B+)
Hey, it's Paul Rudd - where has that guy been hiding lately? Judd Apatow takes a big directorial step forward from 40 Year Old Virgin (as in this movie doesn't look all flat and washed out) while maintaining his enviable laff ratio. Ace sideman Seth Rogen moves to the forefront this time, as an immature lout who fornicates with Katherine Heigl (I haven't watched her doctor show so she was new to me) and from there the title should clue you in. A little longish (c'mon Judd, I know you can dip below the 2-hour mark) but consistently funny and realisticish-enough, considering one of the characters works for E! And any "Freaks and Geeks" and "Undeclared" aficionados will surely enjoy seeing what the old gang is up to now - little did they know they all have acting jobs for life.

Tuesday:

Scott Walker: 30 Century Man (B+)
A helpful overview of the unusual career of this equally unusual musician. Moving from his teen magazine cover days of the mid-1960's through his increasingly experimental solo albums (now coming about one every 10 years), the highlight of the movie is simply Walker himself. Listening to his recent music (made with such "instruments" as a slab of raw beef ribs), one might expect to find him an inscrutable, messed-up weirdo, but Walker is open, thoughtful, and never less than engaging when describing his various ups and downs and musical philosophies. Added to this are some unexpectedly intriguing scenes featuring several of Walker's many famous fans just sitting and listening to his songs. It sounds silly, but the movie establishes that David Bowie or the Radiohead guys hear music in a different way than the average layman. If nothing else, hopefully this will help Walker dig further out of the underground - his musical output of the late 60's and early 70's holds its own with anything from that era, and still sounds as fresh today.

Wednesday:

Everything's Cool (B-)

Reign Over Me (C+)

Thursday:

Helvetica (B)

Friday:

The Unforeseen (B+)

Fay Grim (C+)

Saturday:

I'm a Cyborg, But That's OK (B)