SXSW 2018

(Some of the cast and producers of the movie Outside In.)

SXSW, One of the many big events that takes place in Austin every year. Since I've been working I don't really do any of the free stuff. Of course last year they didn't do the free wristbands. Things change in Austin often. I guess it's part of that whole Keep Austin Weird mantra.

(Ruben Blades and Director Abner Benaim)

I did manage to catch a few of the features. I wasn't sure how that would work out. I also wasn't sure if I'd get to take any pictures. Edie Falco had shown up for a movie Outside In and I went in during the Q & A, but I only had my cell phone. I thought the premise for the film was interesting, but it wasn't really a new idea.

Sorry to Bother You- I really was interested in seeing this film mainly for the lead actor, Lakeith Stanfield. He had appeared in a small role in the film Get Out. I felt he should have had the lead in that film, but in Sorry to Bother You, directed by Boots Riley, Lakeith gets to shine. I had made some comparisons to the film Get Out, but after the Q & A found out this film was written long before Get Out. It's a visual movie with many social and economic observations.

( Director Boots Riley in the long coat, Jermaine Fowler in the red jacket, Steven Yeun in the dark shirt and jean and Armie Hammer in the dark crew neck and brown pants)

The film deals with stereotypes and the perceptions people have of one another.
There were many actors I was surprised to see were a part of this film including Steven Yeun from The Walking Dead and Jermaine Fowler who appears in the comedy series Superior Donuts opposite Judd Hirsch.

Actors are constantly looking to evolve and I think we see that in Steven Yeun and Jermaine Fowler trying to leave behind the characters we have come accept them as each week.

 ( Some of the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders with director Dana Adam Shapiro)

Daughters of The Sexual Revolutions: The Story of the Untold story Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders- The story is about Suzanne Mitchell who was like the surrogate mother to these beautiful young women that became the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders. During the sexual revolution there were many that felt the women were being exploited. I learned a lot from this documentary. I remembered some of the controvery with the adult film Debbie Does Dallas and the scandal with the images in Playboy Magazine. The Cheerleaders are very iconic and became celebrities in their own rite. I'm sure this will pop up on PBS at some point and everyone should see it. It was directed by Dana Adam Shapiro.

American Animals- I really liked this movie. It seemed like it was going to be a documentary, but that was not the case. The actual actors who the story is based on actually appear in the movie as themselves. The movie is directed by Bart Layton and stars Evan Peters, Barry Keoghan, Blake Jenner, Jared Abrahamson, Ann Dowd and Udo Kier. For a twist, young guys pretend to be old guys to pull off a heist of some art books at a Library. The movie plays homage to such classics as The Gettaway and The Heist among others.

Eight Grade - Directed by Bo Burnham, and starring Elsie Fisher, it's a movie about those awkward moments for most in 8th grade. It was done from a females perspective. It has moments as it is set in the time of cell phones, texting and sexting.

6 Balloons- I liked the premise for this movie and I was curious as to what Dave Franco would bring to the table. Prior to this I no idea that he was James Franco's brother. It's a film about family, drug addiction and what has more power and sometimes what that power can do to a person. The movie also stars Abbi Jacobson and an appearance by Tim Matheson. The movie is directed by Marja-Lewis Ryan.

I noticed a lot of films featured at this years SXSW were directed by women.

Ruben Blades is not my name- I did not see this documentary, but I had recognized the name, but wasn't sure... then I found out he would be in attendance. I caught the Q & A. I knew he was an actor, but I didn't know he was a musician as well as an activist and politician. He had a lot of stories to tell. The documentary was directed by Abner Benaim.

Elvis Presley The Search (Film 1)- I grew up listening to Elvis on the record player and seeing him on television. I wouldn't say I was a fan, but there was some interest in the movies he made. This documentary was directed by Thom Zimny. It begins from the beginning with Elvis' life in Tupelo Mississippi. What I found interesting was the people talking never appeared on the screen. Only their name and what they did. Prescilla said she aggreed to the project as long as they wouldn't use what she calls the talking heads. She wanted Elvis to tell the story. I thought it was very well put together. She also mentioned that HBO wanted to do a 6 part series, but she didn't want that. There will be a (Film 2) in the near future. Prescilla Presley and David Porter were in attendance.



The Texas High School Shorts- I came in on the short about the gymnist, but I don't think I missed any of the other shorts. I was trying to take notes, but just going by the titles, some of the shorts don't match up and the titles of the films didn't always appear before each movie started or there were no credits. After the films there was a Q&A, but perhaps a lot was said at the beginning of the films, but I came in after the program had begun. I made a comment that perhaps non of them wanted to be film makers since when asked no one responded.

What It Takes- This is a documentary film I walked in on about 3 gymnast and their thought process. It's interesting no matter what you do you always run into someone that doesn't respect what you do. One of the gymnast remarks about others not considering it a sport. I wish I could have been able to do back flips. I related to this because it was the same way guys look at dance. It is also somewhat of a sport. It takes a lot of discipline for anything to be done right, but everyone sees things differently. There are no flashy costumes for gymnast and no musical routines. It's just strength, balance and agility. I really enjoyed this one.

Silent Fist- Influenced by Kung Fu movies I'm sure, we find a young buddisht who's prayer is interupted by the thumping noise from the boxing ring next door. There is some bullying and then a challenge by the boxer. The buddisht channels his inner strenth and the boxer learns to pray.

The Art of War- It is said Art and War are the only realms where rules are broken. The imagery of an artist and a soldier are mixed to bring us a beautiful painting at the end of this short.

The Risk for Freedom- The film maker learns about his grandmother's struggles in Vietnam and making her way to the U.S. Through many channels. It told with compassion and humor as it follows her story from the Japanese occupation, saving her family from hunger and proverty. Arriving in the U.S. in the 1980's.

Pursuit of a Dream- This is an interesting short which of course we've seen in countless films, but it still works well. A man has to make a decision as to keep is job or get rid of part of his past to pursue his future. I can definitely relate to this. Even more so as I write this.

#Refugees Welcome- A woman who does all the right things has her world changed when a bomb goes off in a market place. She is forced to leave the country, her home, family and religion to survive. She goes through a series of events to arrive in the U.S.

Molly and Me- A young teen falls in love. This 5 minute short is pulled together quite nicely. This has potential to be made into a feature length film.

Escape- This 5 minute short is a history of how and young man's grandmother came to America from Vietnam and ended up in Austin. It's a very compassionate movie.

Hunned Effort- This was a 3 minute animated short that was very interesting. A music video shot by Nicholas Luna for Alan Lawson's song of the title of this short.

Keopcke- An experimental animation of abstract stop motion. A 17 year old girl's experience in 1971. A true, but forgotten story. There wasn't a lot of information on this short. It didn't stick in my mind.

CCISD Strong- This 5 minute short was about the efforts of students coming together to help those devested by hurricane Harvey. It's focus was on community and people showing support when they themselves had to deal with the effects of the hurricane, but from a different perspective.

Puzzle Pieces: Living Life on The Spectrum- A young girl talks about living with Austism and others who really have a lot to offer if we just give them a chance. That is life in general. So many people want to connect, but we ignore them for many reasons. They don't look, act or seem to be on our level.

Take A Chance - This was a music video signifying, insecurities as the title suggests you allow the world to see you as you are. It's a piece of art that asks us to identify with them.

How You See Us- This video was created out of anger, as the young film maker said after the screening and in the synopsis. She had gone to DC with her choir for the inauguration of President Donald Trump. The video expresses her feelings on misogyny. The mix of Donald Trump's own words with the music and visuals I thought was very well done. It made me enjoy the piece, but at the same time felt a bit uncomfortable as we all shift to understanding our roles in this new world of being politically correct.

The Texas shorts that I was able to see include:

Maude- a funny short about a 30 something who has several jobs to survive. She stumbles upon a baby sitting gig with the mom of one of her friends who is a designer of sports wear. The story has many twists and turns. I could definitely see this as a feature or even a televisions series.



The podcast is now up on podbean, itunes and stitcher it's call Films Versus Movies. Check it out and follow me(Dlonzo on Twitter) or Tony (TDoug on Twitter)  on social media.

here are the links for the podcasts - https://tdoug.podbean.com/

           https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/tony-douglas-presents-take-five

 https://itunes.apple.com/om/podcast/tdoug-podcast-network/id804851372?mt=2




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http://psychedmaster.org

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Blade Runner 2049

Blade Runner 2049 is the sequel to the classic film Blade Runner based on the book Do Androids Dream of Elecric Sheep by Phillip K. Dick.
I can understand why Ryan Gosling and Jared Leto may have signed on to do this film. It was the opportunity to work with Harrison Ford. All I could think is that Harrison Ford was offered a lot of money to get on board.

I must say the Oscar was well deserving for Cinematography and Visual Effects. The story is slow moving, but visually its is really good. Blade RUnner 2049 is brighter than Blade Runner.

The story is much slower and there are many similarities to Blade Runner. The scenes in the market place were identical. There are more digital billboards. The movie was also nominated for Production design and Sound mixing, but they didn't take either of those awards home.
I thought the fight sequences were slow moving. I was attributing it to Harrison Ford being older, but even the scenes with one of the women felt slow. There were a few very interesting sequences, but I found the story a little confusing. It could have been intentional, but I found it a bit frustrating. Normally I don't have this problem, but I think with the slow pace of the film and characters being introduced sparingly... just as soon as I thought I knew what was going on there was a switch and then you'd go back to the original idea because the characters would make you think something else.

I did like seeing some of the familiar faces from the first film. Edward James Olmos, but I wasn't sure if Sean Young was cgi or not. The magic of film... I almost didn't recognize Robin Wright. I met and photographed Robin Wright back in 1999 when she was Robin Wright-Penn.

I was somewhat disappointed, but there were some interesting moments. If you are a fan of Ryan Gosling or Harrison Ford it's definitely worth a look.


The podcast is now up on podbean, itunes and stitcher it's call Films Versus Movies. Check it out and follow me(Dlonzo on Twitter) or Tony (TDoug on Twitter)  on social media.

here are the links for the podcasts - https://tdoug.podbean.com/

           https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/tony-douglas-presents-take-five

 https://itunes.apple.com/om/podcast/tdoug-podcast-network/id804851372?mt=2




www.dlonzo-OpenYourMind.blogspot.com
www.ArtbyDlonzo.blogspot.com
www.filmlover4pg@blogspot.com
http://psychedmaster.org

Thanks for stopping by; keep an open mind. Do return to see where the journey leads.

Today we taped the audio podcast of our picks and reasons behind our selections for the Oscars. I think everything went well since we were both in the same location. Hopefully everything went well and Tony can edit it out and get it posted. I didn't feel there were any pauses, but there were a few people in and out of the building while we were taping.


The podcast is now up on podbean, itunes and stitcher it's call Films Versus Movies. Check it out and follow me or Tony on social media.

here are the links for the podcasts - https://tdoug.podbean.com/

           https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/tony-douglas-presents-take-five

 https://itunes.apple.com/om/podcast/tdoug-podcast-network/id804851372?mt=2

We are not 6 days into the third month of the year. In a few days we'll be going through daylight saving time. The grass has grown back into the yard almost overnight and I'm going to have to use my time off to try to get it under control. There are so many things I need to do, but I haven't made the time to do that.

I feel as if I've written this before and don't want to be a broken record.

I was thinking about my situation and how so many people don't take responsibility for their choices. They always want to blame someone else. I can't blame anyone nor would I. Life is a constant journey filled with many learning experiences. I have to take things slow, one day at a time.

I want to create a schedule to work on my writing and do some reading. I need to create some greeting cards and there are a few other art projects I want to work on. I just have to stay focused.

SXSW is about to converge on Austin. It all starts Friday at ZACH, but before then there are events for the education sector with guest speakers. Spike Lee and Jordan Peele are both schedule to be a part of a panel. I'm not sure who will trickle over to ZACH. There is usually one or two red carpets.
As in the past whether I get to take pictures or see movies depends on when my shift ends and what is going on.

I've watched a lot of movies in the last few weeks so I'm taking it easy for a bit.

I've been a fan of This Is Us since the first episode. It's a show that everyone should be able to relate to. There is so much realism.
Tonight I got a surprise, Pam Grier is on the show in a small role. I was just talking about her at work. We were talking about favorite films by Quentin Tarrentino and of course Jackie Brown came up for someone.
It is no secret I am a very big fan of Pam Grier. Tonights episode deals with foster care. For some kids it can be a great thing, but there are some where life is not a bowl of cherries.

Having a family, a support system or a community of some sort is important. Families go through cycles. Some good some bad.



www.dlonzo-OpenYourMind.blogspot.com
www.ArtbyDlonzo.blogspot.com
www.filmlover4pg@blogspot.com
http://psychedmaster.org

Thanks for stopping by; keep an open mind. Do return to see where the journey leads.

90th Academy Award Oscar predictions

I hate when I write something and then it disappears because I hit a wrong key. So let me try this again.

As of Wednesday afternoon I thought I had my Oscar predictions locked in. Thursday I went to the Regal Metropolitan 14 theater to see Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri. It had been many years since I've been back to this theater.
I was impressed so much with this film. I wasn't sure if I was going to like it, but I wanted to see all of the Oscar nominated films so I could make my selections. Everyone in this film gives a great performance. It starts off slow and picks up speed. The ending leaves us to make a decision of our own, but it works. I woud have liked to have seen what they decided. I like the film because the characters are very believable and we see why they are that way. Woody Harrelson, Frances McDormand and Sam Rockwell all deserved their nominations.

Today I went to the Alamo Drafthouse on Slaughter Lane to see The Shape of Water. This is the first time I've gone to this location, in fact the only Alamo I've been to is on S. Lamar. This theater is newer, but it has a similar layout. Lots of vintage movie posters and a wall of film canisters. There are tables instead of a bar in front of the seats so its more spacious. Before the film there were some clips from Creature from the Black Lagoon. There was also the history of the gilman and all of the movies or television shows that the monster has appeared on. From the sequels to The Munsters and Johnny Quest.

 After seeing a story on the film and how they water was created in some scenes, I had to see it. I'm surprised that the film was not nominated for Visual effects. Making light look like water is definitely an effect. This was part mystery, espionage, love story and sci fi. I was impressed. I'm surprised Michael Shannon was not nominated for an Oscar. He has a nice body of work, but this is the first time I've seen him really have a bigger part. Usually he is on screen for a few minutes and then gone. At first I didn't think Octavia Spencer should win an Oscar, although when she first appears on the screen its typical of the role from The Help, but as the film goes on she has a meatier role this time. She really gets to sink her teeth into this character. I hope she'll get a lead more along the lines of this character and we can see if she can carry a film.

I will list my selection for the 90th Academy Awards and what films may actually go home with the 24 Oscars. The Shape of Water has 13 nominations.

Best Actor- Originally Timothee Chalamet was my pick for best actor, but after seeing Darkest Hour I think the award should go to Gary Oldman.

Best Actress- Frances McDormand is my pick for this one. She's plays one of those characters that we feel for her, but at the same time she is a little annoying. She just does an excellent job with bringing the character to life.

Best Supporting Actor- In the best supporting role I was going for Willem Dafoe because I like his performances although there is only two scenes where I really felt there was some acting involved. After I saw Three Billboards I changed my mind and I'm going with Sam Rockwell. He definitely deserves an Oscar. The last time I saw him in anything this good was The Confessions of a Dangerous Mind which was based on the experiences of Gong Show Host Chuck Barris.

Best Supporting Actress- Everyone in the supporting actress category is good, but I think Allison Janey will walk away with the Oscar.

Animated Feature- The only animated feature I had seen was Coco so I'm going with that one. Loving Vincent had an interesting concept, there's something about family that is more relatable.

Cinematography- Initially I had selected Dunkirk for Cinematography and it'll probably take home the Oscar, but The Shape of Water and Darkest Hour definitely deserved their nominations.

Costume Design- My pick for is Darkest Hour, but it could go to Phantom Thread. Period films are always a difficult one to judge. Both films had some spectacular costumes.

Directing- I'm going with Paul Thomas Anderson for Phantom Thread in this category. He has never won an Oscar and I don't think Get Out was that great. It had an original idea, but that was about it for me.

Documentary feature- I did not see any of the documentary features, but Faces Places is my selection, but it could also go to Last Men In Aleppo.

Documentary short- I did not see any of the documentaries, but Heroin(E) is a subject that has been in the news a lot the last couple of years.

Film Editing- Film editing will probably go to Dunkirk, but I really enjoyed Baby Driver. Editing is sort of a hard category to judge because its all about the flow of the film or movie. The editing in Three Billboards was also very good. War movies just always have these big scenes and so they tend to get the award.

Foreign Language Film- I've selected A Fantastic Woman in this category because its another subject that many people have been talking about for the last several years. It's sort of like the Crying Game, that was a film made back in the 90's I believe. I don't want to spoil anything...

Makeup and Hair Styling- For this category I am going with the Darkest Hour. Gary Oldman's transformation into Winston Churchill made me forget that Gary Oldman was on the screen. He really is a great actor and has a body of work to prove that point.

Music score- I am hoping Jonny Greenwood walks away with this one for Phantom Thread. Hans Zimmer and John Williams have both won so many Oscars, they are like the Meryl Streep of film scores. Let's give someone else a chance.

Original song- Original Song I was going with Remember Me, but I feel just so Mary J. Blige doesn't go home empty handed they will give her an Oscar for the song Mighty River. I have not heard the song, but I just feel the politics of it all will be this end result.

Best Picture- Call Me By Your Name was my pick for Best Picture, but now I'm going with Three Billboards. If Get Out gets it then its another polical move on the academy to make up for Oscars being so white. I really just feel we have to accept how we ourselves look at films and movies. Just because we like something we can't judge it without seeing all of the other works next to it. My issue with Get Out was more that it didn't seem Jordan knew what he wanted the film to be. Was it supposed to be a dark comedy? A horror comedy? or A film making a statement and who was the statement for?

Production Design- The Shape of Water is my selection for this category. Initially I had selected Blade Runner 2049, but Darkest Hour was also  interesting.

Short film animated- I don't have a selection for this category. I will make my selection based on the snipets I see right before the Oscar is read.

Short film live action- The same with this category I will make my selection right before the Oscar is read.

Sound Editing- This has always been a difficult category to judge. It depends on the theater in which you see the film. Just because there is a lot going on in Dunkirk I'm going to go with that one. The Shape of Water I think the spectacular visuals over shadowed any nuances of particular sounds. I don't recall the sound of water or the rain. I was so ingulfed in what was actually going on.

Sound Mixing- Again with the mixing of sound, do things sound the way we would perceive them? Again I'm going to go with Dunkirk.

Visual Effects- I am surprised that The Shape of Water was not nominated for this category. You don't get a better visual effect than creating water out of light. The bathroom scene alone should have made this film be nominated. I'm just going to go out on a limb and select Blade Runner 2049.

Writing adapted screenplay- Call Me By Your Name gets my vote here. I really did like this movie after at first not sure I even wanted to see it. It reminded me of other films I had issues with.

Original screenplay- The Oscar has to go to Jordan Peele for this one. It was the most original thing out there.

In the film The Shape of Water, there are three billboards, but in Three Billboards there is no water, but there is some fire.

Films Versus Movies will have another series of podcasts discussing the Oscars. Stay tuned.



The podcast is now up on podbean it's call Films Versus Movies. It'll soon be on itunes and stitcher soon. Check it out and follow me on social media. It's still a work in progress as I am not in the studio when we record. So that's the reason my voice may fade in and out.



www.dlonzo-OpenYourMind.blogspot.com
www.ArtbyDlonzo.blogspot.com
www.filmlover4pg@blogspot.com
http://psychedmaster.org

Thanks for stopping by; keep an open mind. Do return to see where the journey leads.