Movie Maven

In the middle of the dreary, rainy March that Boston has to offer, I look gaze with longing towards the south- specifically Austin, Texas, where the annual South by Southwest festivals are in full rockin' swing. The festivals are a celebration of Indie culture in general, but the Film Conference and Festival going on this week is one of the main attractions. Salon's Andrew O'Hehir, my main man when it comes to Indie film, is reporting from the front lines of this extravaganza. SXSW has basically become the new Sundance, since what used to be the festival for unseen talent has been taken over by the nuclear blob known as Celebrity.

One of the most promising things coming out of SXSW is its opening night film A Prairie Home Companion, based on Garrison Keillor's long-running radio show on NPR. Ok, I'm going to admit it. I HATE Garrison Keillor and his show. My parents were avid fans, and I cannot count the times I was forced to yield to Keillor's interminable bouts of nostalgia while riding in the car. Plus there's just something about his voice that makes me want to kill something. But I still have great hopes: it was directed by Honorary Academy Award recipient and resident old-coot Robert Altman, and stars the likes of our beloved Meryl Streep (see previous post,) John C. Reilly, Kevin Kline, Lily Tomlin, Virginia Madsen, Lindsay Lohan and Woody Harrelson. I plan to see it as soon as it hits Boston, if only so I can safely say that I hate absolutely everything about Garrison Keillor.

There's a big emphasis on music (the music festival is the biggest of the series) and concert films and documentaries abound. Included are East of Havana about Cuban hip-hop, and Metal: A Headbanger's Journey, among many, many others. But the coolest thing about SXSW is that I didn't recognize a lot of the names on the bill. Unknown directors face a long hard slog to get any kind of recognition, and many of them are creating more important and interesting films than all the Spielbergs in the world.

While reading the coverage of this little hippie-fest, I had half a mind to clean out my bank account and wing my way down to sunny Austin to see what I could see.... But the threat of failing classes and living on the street pulled me back from the brink. But for any of you out there in Blogland lucky enough to be in the Austin area, go and check it out! It's the only place in the world that would have Keillor and Erykah Badu in the same vicinity.