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A Place For Film @ SXSW - Day 3 Impressions

John Milius, subject of the documentary Milius, directing Arnold Schwarzenegger in Conan The Barbarian

Day 3



On day 3, Jason and I actually saw a couple of films together, unlike Day 2, when we didn't see each other at all until we both returned to the hotel.

I started out with a film called Zero Charisma. This was a film about a tabletop RPG gamemaster who begins to lose control of his game group, which he has led for three years. While this happens, several other shakeups happen in his life that start to push him over the edge. This started from a similar point as another film I saw recently Gamers: A Dorkness Rising. However while Gamers generally kept things light with some dramatic elements, Zero Charisma took a much darker look at it's subject matter. I thought it was excellent.

Jason and I met up again for Some Girl(s), the new film written by Neil Labute(In The Company of Men), and starring Adam Brody, Kristen Bell, and Jennifer Morrison. The film, adapted from a play from the same writer, takes a look at a man who decides to visit his old girlfriends after he gets engaged. I've always liked Adam Brody as an actor, but I've found he generally plays a type of character that seems in over his head and generally exasperated. He plays the same type of character here, but because of the writing, and the characters actions, it reveals a much deeper pathos throughout the film.

We were also surprised to find a listener at this showing. Chris, an Austin transplant and IU alum, tracked us down in line for this film and watched the movie with us. Thanks for joining us, Chris.

I then returned to the convention center and checked out the doc Downloaded in the press suite. It was a look at the founding of Napster. I appreciated the documentary, as it looked critically at what Napster brought to the music industry, and also how they made themselves such an easy target for lawsuits.

I then headed downstairs to the Vimeo theater with Jason to see the documentary Milius. This film about the writer and director John Milius (Conan the Barbarian, Apocalypse Now) covers his early career, his fall from grace, and the causes. The film contains a wealth of interviews from filmmakers like Martin Scorcese, Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, and Francis Ford Coppola. I felt like it dragged a bit in the middle, but it was a fascinating look at a man that many high profile filmmakers hold in high regard.

I finished up with The Bounceback. Chris joined me for this film about a man returning to Austin after he sees his ex-girlfriend planning a trip there. Their friends try desperately to keep them away from each other while having their own misadventures. The film can be juvenile at times, but the core story is so genuine that the whole movie works. It was a nice way to end the night.

Tomorrow is the last day of screenings at the festival, and we'll have one more blog post before we leave.

Jason is posting his reactions as he sees films, so be sure to follow us on Facebook and Twitter to see his immediate reactions to the films he's seeing.

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