St. Nick by David Lowery

I’m a bad blogger, very behind in posting about SXSW, but trust me, I’m very excited. You know the line-up (hopefully) so I’ll skip right to my picks. Here is what I’ll definitely be lining up to see:

Know Your Mushrooms
I don’t know if director Ron Mann would say that he is a hippie or not, but he sure does share my hippie sensibility. Mushrooms? Oh yea, I’ll see that.

Winnebago Man
While this doc is directed by Ben Steinbauer and produced by Joel Heller, two guys who are my friends and wonderful people, festival buzz is that the film is great. And I’m certainly a sucker for potty mouth.

St. Nick
I’ve read the description but truthfully, David Lowery just intrigues me. I’ve read his blog, which alternates between astute and incomprehensible (to me), his photos are amazing and in person, he is as sweet as apple pie. Can’t wait to finally see a Lowery film. This one also involved a whole Ft. Worth contingent of folks, so I’m getting a sense of the Tejas film scene. (Narrative)

Artois the Goat
Janet Pierson, SXSW producer, mentioned this film to me. I remembered it due to the odd title, but also because she said the filmmakers were right out of school and that she loved the film. That’s high praise. Later, a former intern of Austin Film Society and very rad dude mentioned that they are his friends and he had given them script notes, etc. etc. I’m curious. (Narrative)

You Won’t Miss Me
I missed Ry Russo Young’s last film at SXSW and dammit, I don’t intend to repeat the mistake. Good buzz out of Sundance and a very cool filmmaker. I’m in. (Narrative)

Along Came Kinky… Texas Jewboy for Governor
Now, first I have to say that it might be tempting to think that films that are from Texas at a TX fest are there for political reasons, but one of my favorite Sundance films, Over the Hills and Far Away, is in the Lone Star line-up so I know its stocked with good stuff. Second, this film was edited by Sam Douglas, one half of the team behind Holy Modal Rounders movie, which I thoroughly enjoyed. Third, the title. Jewboy? I want to hear the story behind that.

Trust Us, This is All Made Up
Can Alex Karpovsky direct an actual documentary or his talent limited to mock? We shall see. I’m also going to see TJ and Dave do their act at Spider House on Monday evening as part of the film’s SXSW tour. If you haven’t been to Spider House, it’s my new favorite Austin spot and if these guys are as good as the film description raves, I’m looking at a good evening.

RiP: Remix Manifesto
Brett Gaylor has been working on this for a long time and it is so unconventional in production method that I just have to see the results.

There are others that have good buzz out of Sundance, including Burma VJ, We Live in Public, Humpday and The Immaculate Conception of Little Dizzle that are on my list.

There are a couple of films that I’ve had some passing views of as works in progress through my now-bygone stint at IFP (Independent Film Week) that I would like to see as finished films, including Garbage Dreams, The Eyes of Me and Sons of a Gun.

I can definitely recommend Sin Nombre and The Yes Men Fix the World, which I enjoyed at Sundance.

There you have it. That is my must-see list. The rest I’ll be making up as I go along. I like to be open to the winds of the festival. Let me know if you see something you love.