Monday, March 30, 2009

The Best of the Rest

Here are some more great films I saw at SXSW:

Winnebago Man
Although I consider myself a learned collector of funny internet viral videos, I must confess I had never seen the video featuring outtakes from a Winnebago industry video that featured a gentlemen getting progressively more and more upset as he flubbed lines, was attacked by the sun's heat and a swarm of flies and generally had a bad day. 
With director Ben Steinbauer's film "Winnebago Man," though, I was given an excellent introduction into the life of Jack Rebney — the short tempered star of the "Winnebago Man" viral video. 
Steinbauer's film follows the filmmaker as he first attempts to track down Rebney, who has disappeared into obscurity since the video was first shot, and subsequently convince Rebney to step back into the public spotlight. The film is as much a glimpse into the effects of unwanted fame as it is a portrait of a man struggling to balance his misanthropic views of the world with his need for a constant audience. "Winnebago Man" is a hilarious film that is more often then not also touching. Totally recommended. 

The Dungeon Masters
Director Kevin McAlester walks a fine line with his documentary about "Dungeon and Dragons" fans between offering a sympathetic look into what motivates people to immerse themselves into a world of high-concept fantasy and straight-up mocking the subjects of his film by highlighting the ridiculousness of their actions and comments. 
I'm sure McAlester did not intentionally seek to make a film that poked fun at it's subjects — any comedy that is found within the film comes solely from the fact that the D&D enthusiasts the film follows are hopelessly lost in their fantasy world. 
From a Hurricane Katrina evacuee who enjoys covering herself in jet black body makeup and pretending to be a ultra-feminist evil drow elf to a man considered to be a bit of a jerk by his fellow D&D players who has no problem concocting grand fantasy games to play but, when tired of his life as a husband and father, chooses to simply leave behind his life and start anew without telling anyone, the film's subject matters are highly complex and very interesting to watch.

My Generation

Barbara Kopple's documentary about the three different Woodstock music festivals is almost ten years old but has rarely been seen due to music licensing rights. Those who have had the good fortune to watch it, though, know that the film is a wonderful exploration into the creation (and ultimate financial failure) of the two '90s Woodstock festivals. 
Instead of focusing on the original festival (an event that has been covered in quite a bit of detail), Kopple's film explores festival organizer Michael Lang's efforts to make a profit with his festivals. 
Despite worthy efforts at corporate sponsorship, high ticket prices and extreme security, Lang has failed to make any money from any of the Woodstocks — at least, the actual festivals themselves. 
The film compares and contrasts the three festivals — their music, the youth they attracted and their larger place in the cultural zeitgeist. If you ever get the chance to catch this film, do yourself a favor and make the time to watch it — especially if you are a fan of music.

The Slammin' Salmon
Comedy troupe Broken Lizard have another winner on their hands with "The Slammin' Samon" a "Glengarry Glen Ross" esque film about waiters competing at a ritzy Miami restaurant. The film owes the majority of it's success to the Michael Clarke Duncan's extremely capable comedic skills. As the ex-boxing heavyweight champ owner of the restaurant, everything that comes out of Duncan's mouth is highly quotable, gut-busting comedic gold. Seriously. The guy is very funny in this film. Holding their own in the comedy department is the Broken Lizard comedy troupe themselves. All the actors create characters that offer plenty of laughs while not seeming repetitive of previous BL films. Kevin Heffernan takes up the directing reigns this time.
Surprisingly, the film apparently does not yet have distribution. Hopefully this will change soon as the movie is sure to be another hit from the guys that brought you "Super Troopers" and "Beerfest."

The Yes Men Fix The World
Andy Bichbaum and Mike Bonnano are kind of political "Jackasses." Taking the fight to corporate America, the two "Yes Men" pull of elaborate hoaxes designed to leave some of the world's most powerful (and most corrupt) leaders with egg on their faces. From pretending to be representatives from some of the world's biggest companies and pulling off outrageous press conferences to conning the BBC into reporting outright lies, "The Yes Men Fix the World" chronicles Mike and Andy's crusade to use their shenanigans for the side of good. The movie is extremely funny in it's outrageousness. The two con men's pranks make for high entertainment — and unlike that vague since of pity you feel when you watch ordinary people get made fools of, watching the Yes Men muck up corporate America never leaves you feeling guilty.

Lesbian Vampire Killers
A tongue in cheek horror/comedy in the vein of "Shaun of the Dead," "Lesbian Vampire Killers" comes from the minds of the comedic duo behind "Gavin and Stacey," a critically acclaimed BBC comedy series. The film stars Paul McGann and James Corden as two hapless blokes looking for a vacation in rural England who accidently stumble onto an ancient curse involving, well, lesbian vampires. The film never shies away from it's exploitive nature — relishing in it's b-movie inspirations. While a film with the title "Lesbian Vampire Killers" could have easily fallen into the trap of being a schlocky horror flick that relies on sex appeal and cornball shtick to pass 90 minutes, director Phil Claydon shepherds a film that is genuinely witty and features an lovable cast of losers. If you enjoyed "Shaun of the Dead" or "Hot Fuzz," you'll get a kick out of "Lesbian Vampire Killers."

Me and Orson Welles
In a super secret surprise screening, Austin native Richard Linklater unveiled his latest film, "Me and Orson Welles," a romantic comedy/biopic about a young actor's budding friendship with future megastar Orson Welles and the woman who drives them apart. Zac Efron and Claire Danes both give admirable performances but the real star of the movie is newcomer Christian McKay who gives a pitch perfect performance as Orson Welles. The movie is a charming glimpse into the passion behind performance and an interesting perspective of a young Welles who would soon grow into the legendary filmmaker still remembered. Director Linklater does an excellent job of enveloping audiences into the past and creating a fully realized world. 
The film won't open in theaters until this fall, so fans of cinema will just have to be patient until they get a chance to watch this highly recommended movie.

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