I’ve been in Austin for two and a half days, and have managed to catch about 10 films so far. At this very moment I’m waiting to get in to the historic Paramount Theater for the screening of Takashi Miile’s latest film, 13 Assassins. It promises to be nothing shy of bloody samurai brilliance. I’ll have an update on that one upon my next check in.
What follows are the best of the films I’ve seen so far.
Being Elmo: A Puppeteer’s Journey
Kevin Clash has worked on numerous projects for Jim Henson and his company. His best known creation, however, has been that of Elmo. The film chronicles Kevin’s life from his childhood of watching Sesame Street to actually working on the show. It’s a moving film with more heart than most being made today. Elmo fan or not, Being Elmo is a film well worth viewing.
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Duncan Jones made a name for himself with his first film, Moon. His sophomore attempt is about a man made to revisit the same eight minutes prior to a tragedy in order to discover who was responsible. While not as meditative as Moon, it is just as entertaining.
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An interesting documentary about how the availability of up-to-date film/music/photography software and equipment to the masses has made artists of anyone and everyone. The film shows both positives and negatives to the saturation of art and entertainment today. It’s easily one of the most insightful documentaries I’ve seen at the festival so far.
Super
The most fun film I’ve had the pleasure of experiencing so far has got to be the superhero farce Super, directed by James Gunn. If ever there was a role Rainn Wilson was meant to play, other than Dwight on The Office, this is it. Gory, violent and very self aware, the film plays much like Kick-Ass, but far more brutal. I can’t wait to see it again.
I’ll be back in a bit with another update that will include my thoughts on Conan O’Brien Can’t Stop, Attack the Block and 13 Assassins.
