Ahoy, squirts! Quint here with our lady in love with film, Annette Kellerman. She's got the goodies on a pair of SXSW flicks, including our first review from the fest of the Flaming Lips doco, THE FEARLESS FREAKS and more geekasms over HOOLIGANS, which won both the Jury and Audience Awards from the fest this year! Enjoy!
Hey everybody! It's me, Annette Kellerman, back to add my two cents about some of the best films I've seen at the SXSW so far.
HOOLIGANS
I know, I know. There have been a million reviews of this film, but I just had to chime in myself. It is, by far, the best narrative feature that I've seen at the fest.
If you don't know already, the film revolves around the story of Elijah Wood's character as he gets expelled from Harvard (by no fault of his own) and takes refuge in London where his older sister (Claire Forlani) is happily married to an English geezer with whom she has a baby. From there the story takes us into the completely surprising and interesting world of football hooliganism.
Despite the violent nature of this secretive subculture, it is the loyalty and devotion among the hooligans of the "firm" that quickly draws Elijah's Matt Buckner-as well as the audience- into their story. Elijah Wood delivers a solid, wonderfully understated performance that allows the audience to discover this underground world as he does. The greatest surprise, however, are the absolutely riveting performances by brits Charlie Hunnam and Leo Gregory as the leader and a member of the firm, respectively. Damn, can these boys act!! Leo Gregory can express more with one drunken eye roll than most actors emote in an entire film, and Charlie Hunnam as firm leader Pete Dunham perfectly captures the duplicity of his character's double life. He basically manages to make one of the most violent characters of the film one of the most likable.
At the core of the film, however, is the kickass direction by Lexi Alexander. The fact that this story is told to us unapologetically from a female is totally refreshing to me. It seems against principle to even acknowledge that "a girl directed a hardcore hooligan movie", but girlfriend made me proud! Just to think of her standing in the midst of a hundred growling males, telling them how to throw punches makes me giddy. The fact that the direction is flawless and the flow seamless makes the story even more compelling. Congrats miss Alexander on a truly inspiring job.
Alright, I know you've heard enough already. But, go see this movie! I have no doubt that it will be at a theater near you soon enough.
THE FEARLESS FREAKS
One of my favorite docs of the fest so far is the Flaming Lips documentary The Fearless Freaks. Now, I must preface my review by admitting that as a native Okie, I was pretty jazzed to see a film featuring another side of my home state. Add to that the fact that I'm already a fan of director Brad Beasley (Hill Stomp Hollar, Okie Noodling) and you might say that my expectations were high. And boy did those boys deliver!
Starting with family and friends and tracing the band's history all the way through to last year's successful tour, Beasley manages to fully illustrate the evolution of one of the world's most creatively innovative bands. Shot mostly in and around Oklahoma City, the film not only features the story of the band, but it also bravely features the private, and sometimes tumultuous lives of band members Wayne Coyne, Steven Drozd, and Michael Ivins and their relationships with one another throughout the past 20 years.
In typical lead singer style, Coyne pretty much steals the show with his casual, yet eccentric and hard-working demeanor. We get the pleasure of seeing him directing his sci-fi film Christmas on Mars- all shot in his backyard. In the context of the film festival, I got a real kick out of seeing him show off his homemade set, trudging to and fro with an assortment of discarded objects, equipment, etc. that would soon become props in his film. Coyne's infectious creativity is truly inspiring. By the time the film gets to the Lips' last tour featuring several guest musicians, it is clear why so many want to be a part of this band's world.
Director Brad Beasley deftly manages the challenge of combining old video from the band's earliest days, footage from their first national success in the 90's, through one the band's latest performances at Austin City Limits. Beasley, had the advantage of being personal friends of the Lips since their punk rock beginnings in Oklahoma, and according to his narration, he's pretty much been following them with a camera ever since. It's this intimacy with the band that proves to be the most compelling. This isn't just another rock and roll documentary. It's a tribute from a friend and fan, giving the film much more heart than any Spheeris rock doc I've ever seen.
If you're already a Flaming Lips fan, this film is of course a must-see. If you're not yet acquainted with the band, this film is a wonderful introduction. Either way, check it out.
I'll be checking in with more reviews soon!
Annette
