Cinemas and theaters all over town were swarmed with movie buffs waiting in long lines to watch screenings at this year's Austin Film Festival (AFF). A manifold of drama- soaked, laughter-ridden and dark-mattered films graced the screens of the ParamountTheatre, Hideout Theatre, Alamo Drafthouse, Regal Arbor Cinema, Rollins Theatre and Texas Spirit Theater.
Writers, directors, actors, producers and film fans mingled around downtown Austin at various parties, panels, workshops and events.AFF held several competitions and juried events, and awarded several films in categories
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| Natalie Casanova • Assistant Editor |
like ‘narrative feature' and ‘animated short.' Johnny Depp was inaugurated as the first-ever recipient of AFF's ‘Extraordinary Contribution to Film – Acting' award, and made an appearance for the world premiere of his new film "The Rum Diary."
Here are some highlights of films I reviewed at AFF 2011:
Searching for Sonny
Shot in Texas by independent writer and director Andrew Disney, "Searching for Sonny" is a playful, comedic-noir take on a mystery movie. It's kind of like "Kiss Kiss Bang Bang" meets "Scott Pilgrim vs. the World," minus the comic bubbles and call-outs.
The story begins when a miserable pizza delivery guy, Elliot Knight (played by Jason Dohring), receives an invite to his high school reunion signed by his estranged friend Sonny Bosco (played by Masi Oka).
Right off the bat you feel a little sorry for Elliot's pathetic existence and wonder what went so wrong that lead him down this path of self destruction. At the reunion, Elliot runs into his old friend Gary Noble (played by Brian McElhaney) and is bombarded by his obnoxious, fraternal twin brother Calvin (played by Nick Kocher). Neither of them have seen or heard from Sonny since high school, when Elliot tried to "kill" him. Elliot's gorgeous ex-girlfriend, and everyone's secret crush, Eden Mercer (played by Minka Kelly) appears and things start to get interesting.
The group realizes Sonny invited them all, except Calvin who is clearly not part of the gang, to the party but is nowhere to be found. They are led on a hilarious, punchy wild goose chase which seemingly resembles the plot of a play they were involved in during high school, which was written by Sonny, himself.
This film is wildly entertaining and bursts at the seams with perfectly timed quips and antics.
DeadHeads
A witty and unique twist on a classic horror genre, "DeadHeads" is a tale about two "smart" zombies on a journey to find an old lover. Writers, directors and brothers Brett and Drew Pierce give a new hilarious outlook on zombies and true love.
Mike (played by Michael McKiddy) and Brent (played by Ross Kidder) find they've risen from the dead, but are still capable of intelligent thought unlike the rest of the pack of flesh-eating zombies.
Mike finds an engagement ring in his pocket and remembers he was going to propose to his girlfriend Ellie (played by Natalie Victoria).
Even though the scenario is obviously ridiculous, it's still sweet and alluring. Mike and Brent set out on a cross- country road trip, with the help of a nostalgic and raunchy old widower named Cliff (played by Harry Burkey).
The outrageously funny adventure really takes off when they realize they are being chased by zombie-killing bounty hunters that will do anything to stop them dead in their tracks.
This movie's plot is nowhere near realistic, but it's fun to watch unfold.
The Artist
Highlighting the beauty of the early age of moving pictures, "The Artist" is a glorious black and white film, directed by Michael Hazanavicius, about two silent film stars transitioning into the era of ‘talkies.'
George Valentin (played by Jean Dujardin) is a silent movie star in the late 1920s at the premiere of his latest film. A young woman, Peppy Miller (played by Bérénice Bejo) mistakenly bumps into George on the red carpet and uses that chance moment of fame to get cast in his next film.
Dujardin and Bejo seem to be perfectly cast for their roles and make their characters easy to love. George finds interest in Peppy on set, and his attraction helps her become successful actress through a few small roles she gets in George's films.
When the studio boss Zimmer (played by John Goodman) tells George the future of film is talking, George refuses to follow the changing tide. One might speculate why George is so against speaking in films, it doesn't seem to be that bigofadealbuttohimitisabane that inhibits his success.
George, still refusing to talk, funds his own silent film which fails at the box office right after the big stock market crash of 1929. His wife leaves, he sells all his possessions and wallows in misery and depression all while Peppy is enjoying the spotlight of the talking world.
The two have clashing views of the future of film, but that doesn't stop Peppy from caring for George after he hits rock bottom.
The facial expressions of all the characters are priceless and telling. Overall, the cinematography and score were beautiful and complementary.
I felt a little unsatisfied with the amount of romance in the script, but I guess it sticks to the true nature of this time piece.
Below Zero
This interesting story by "method" writer Signe Olynyk is definitely a film made for especially for writers.
It's about Jack (played by Edward Furlong), a screenwriter who has a nasty case of writer's block, and is nearing the deadline for his screenplay. He arranges to be locked in a meat cooler to help stimulate his creative juices and finish the script.
Jack dreams up a storyline similar to his own experience so far, but the main character is accidentally locked in a cooler belonging to a serial killer.
The film dips in and out of reality and breaks character often to rewind and rework situations, confusing viewers as to which story is real. Certain scenes convey a feeling of sheer loneliness and isolation, while others may make you gag in disgust.
As if the film wasn't Meta enough, in real life Olynyk actually spent time locked in the same meat cooler while writing "Below Zero's" script.
In the Middle
This short film by writer, director and actor Thomas Ward is a wonderful little display of a frustrated waitress at a middle-of-nowhere diner who is stuck serving a trio of sneering college girls on spring break.
Anyone who has worked in the service industry can empathize with the waitress' utter annoyance with the girls as they joke and engage in obnoxious banter. They try to involve the waitress in their games and debase her until she snaps.
The whole situation has a very "Twilight Zone" kind of feel to it and has you guessing what the catch is until the very last moment when the waitress realizes the jokes and games are her life.
Last Christmas
Writer and director Geoff Redknap tells a sad story of a ten-year-old boy Josh (played by Quinn Lord) as he looks after his grandmother who suffers from dementia.
At first it seems like an average Christmas Eve, with a grandson helping his grandmother with chores around the house, but clues point to an unusual twist to what is really going on.
Josh asks Nana to tell him old stories while they decorate the Christmas tree, which distracts and keeps her from knowing of the secrets of the dark, snowy world outside.
This short film exhibits a touching family relationship and emphasizes a depressing outlook on having to ‘let go.'
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