[SXSW Photos] Music Festival 2014
Photography by Kristen Wrzesniewski
Now that most of us have recovered from the madness that is South by Southwest. We sent our good pal Kristen Wrzesniewski out with her Lumix GX7 and a music wristband to cover the music festival portion of the festivities. Check out some of her shots and below.
[SXSW Review] Space Station 76
[Ruby Hornet will be covering SXSW from March 7th to March 16th. Follow along as we bring you exclusive film reviews, photos, daily features, and interviews with filmmakers, actors, and musicians!]
Space Station 76
Director: Jack Plotnick
Rating: N/A
Release Date: March 9, 2014 (SXSW)
In Space Station 76's alternate universe, space travel was already established and a common thing by the 1970s. Of course, despite advancements in technology, the same problems that plague us still exist: frosty interactions with others, identity crises, and just general human drama. Space Station 76 uses the framework of an alternate '70s space station to craft a story that is universal (pun intended), albeit with its own quirks. However, does it benefit from its setting, or is that nothing more than a gimmick that ultimately doesn't pan out to much? Read on and find out.
When assistant captain Jessica (Liv Tyler) joins the crew of Space Station 76, all of the simmering emotions the pre-existing crew felt comes to a head. Captain Glenn (Patrick Wilson) struggles with both his secret homosexual affair with an ex-crew member and sharing duties with Jessica, Misty (Marisa Coughlan) is in a loveless marriage with Ted (Matt Bomer) while ignoring their young daughter, Sunshine (Kylie Rogers). Donna (Kali Rocha) dreams of joining a more upscale space station with her newborn and husband, Steve (Jerry O'Connell), who is conveniently enough having an affair with Misty. Space age drama? Check.
Space Station 76 uses the space station setting to put all of these fractured people into a closed setting to drive the conflict, but it doesn't actually employ much from the space setting. In a way, I love that it doesn't lean heavily on this admittedly one-off joke, but at the same time, I would have loved to see more of the space station elements to play into the plot. A few jokes do play off of some of the space station tech, but more would have definitely helped. The time setting, however, is apparent from not only some of the aforementioned tech (such as a R.O.B.-esque robot psychiatrist) to the crew's lingo and clothes. It's a bit cheesy, but writer/director Jack Plotnick plays up the cheese effectively.
The issue with Space Station 76 is that it isn't very compelling. The film plays as a space opera, which in and of itself allows the film to be over-the-top and extravagant, yet Space Station 76 doesn't take advantage of it. It's as if Plotnick attempted to keep the film light and grounded within the confines of its setting instead of letting it float freely. Because of this, the film suffers from a lot of missed opportunities at the cost of dramatic and comedic progression. If played off as a straight satire on the '70s space setting, Space Station 76 could have been better. Instead, the film feels like an elongated sketch that never found itself.
[SXSW Review] Premature
[Ruby Hornet will be covering SXSW from March 7th to March 16th. Follow along as we bring you exclusive film reviews, photos, daily features, and interviews with filmmakers, actors, and musicians!]
[youtube id="zkyc97vmSlI"]
Premature
Director: Dan Beers
Rating: R
Release Date: March 7, 2014 (SXSW)
High school comedies have always followed the same basic formula: everyman protagonist, a group of friends, parties, sex, and shenanigans to bring everything together. Looking at the successes and failures of other high school comedies over the years, it takes more than just an outlandish premise and a talented cast - there needs to be that extra element that can help a film separate itself from its brethren. Does Premature possess that special touch that helps it be more than just "another high school comedy"? Read on and find out.
On the most important day of his young life, Rob (John Karna) has to ace an interview with a Georgetown recruiter, lose his virginity to one of the hottest girls in the school, Angela Yearwood (Carlson Young), and cap it all off with a night spent with his best friend, Gabrielle (Katie Findlay). However, the interview goes terribly, he cancels his plans with Gabrielle, and he prematurely ejaculates during his hook up with Angela. When he wakes up, he finds himself in a wet spot... at the beginning of the day. Before long, Rob realizes that he's stuck in a loop of the day's events until he can make them all right... or be forced to trigger the Groundhog Day events with his own hands. Pun intended.
Premature follows in a long line of high school comedies. However, the added time travel/Groundhog Day element adds a wrinkle to the film that not only becomes an essential plot device, but one that's inherently funny. Every time Rob ejaculates, the day resets. It's a blessing and a curse, this gift Rob has been granted from the gods. Of course, with a trigger such as this, it's hard not to let writer/director Dan Beers go full-on with it, allowing Premature to have fun while also steering the film from going too far off from the path. Unfortunately, I don't think Premature went as far as it could have with the ability to turn back time so easily. In saying that, for it to veer off into more outlandish situations would have alienated the tone of the film, so it's a mixed bag of sorts.
Premature is a fitting ode to Groundhog Day and John Hughes films (including a Glenbrook High School reference to Hughes' own alma mater, Glenbrook North), right down to the film's tone that leans more towards youthful naivety instead of raunchy sex shenanigans. However, I think this both helped and hurt Premature; I would have liked more risks to benefit more from the trigger plot device. While the jokes won't always hit, what will is the heart and character-focused priority over easy sex jokes typical of the high school comedy genre. If you're expecting Premature to be the next Superbad, your expectations aren't going to be met. Go into Premature expecting more John Hughes and less Judd Apatow, and I think you'll have a better reaction to the film.
[SXSW] Film Festival 2014
[Ruby Hornet will be covering SXSW from March 7th to March 16th. Follow along as we bring you exclusive film reviews, photos, daily features, and interviews with filmmakers, actors, and musicians!]
SXSW may be mostly known for its Music portion of the festival, but the Film half of the events have been building in notoriety over the past few years. While SXSW Film and SXSW Music are two entirely different beasts, they both have their own quirks and charm that keep the SXSW spirit alive throughout the entirety of the festival's duration. Whereas SXSW Music is full of craziness, crowds, and chaos, SXSW Film is more controlled and tempered in terms of its craziness, crowds, and chaos, albeit at a different level. Both Virgil and I (Ge0ff) were out and about last week, taking in as much as Austin and SXSW as we could before the Music crowds came in. Check out some of the photos below that captured some of our downtime in between screenings, some photos from the various film Q&As we attended, and even behind-the-scenes shots of some of the interviews we have lined up for next week. Enjoy!
[SXSW] From Dusk till Dawn: The Series After Party
[Ruby Hornet will be covering SXSW from March 7th to March 16th. Follow along as we bring you exclusive film reviews, photos, daily features, and interviews with filmmakers, actors, and musicians!]
After hitting up the Neighbors premiere Saturday night, Geoff and I went to the From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series after party at Red 7. As we walked through the raining streets of downtown Austin, we contemplated not going (later on, we were really happy we made the decision to go anyways). As we walked into a packed house, we made it through the crowd and to the back patio of Red 7 where Robert Rodriguez's mariachi rock band Chingon were jamming out to "Cancion del Mariachi" featured in Desperado. Further in the back of the venue were people lining up for free Kahuna Burgers and fries. After grabbing a quick burger, I pushed my way through the front to get some photos of the band. Robert had lots of surprises for the crowd, like bringing out snake dancers to accompany the music. After going through a few known songs from his movies, Robert brought out Eiza Gonzalez, who stars in the new TV series based on the film of the same name on the El Rey Network. Eiza came out and played a few Mexican mariachi classics backed by Chingon. Even Machete himself, Danny Trejo, stopped by to show support. Check out some of the photos from that night below.
[SXSW Review] The Infinite Man
[Ruby Hornet will be covering SXSW from March 7th to March 16th. Follow along as we bring you exclusive film reviews, photos, daily features, and interviews with filmmakers, actors, and musicians!]
[youtube id="uoFv9eezboI"]
The Infinite Man
Director: Hugh Sullivan
Rating: N/A
Release Date: March 7, 2014 (SXSW)
Time travel films are my kryptonite, and I don't mean that in a negative way whatsoever. If I find out a film has some type of sci-fi element that involves intricate loops and that not only add depth to the narrative, but also gets audiences more involved and invested in piecing all of the events and characters together. When used properly, the time travel device can greatly enhance the experience; misused, and it just feels like any other gimmicky device to entice potential audiences. The Infinite Man is not such a film.
To celebrate their anniversary, the eccentric scientist Dean (Josh McConville) takes Lana (Hannah Marshall) to special resort with a full itinerary planned. However, when it turns out that the location has closed, Dean does everything he can to salvage the weekend. His quest for the perfect weekend is further ruined when Lana's ex-boyfriend, Terry (Alex Dimitriades), shows up, and an altercation between the two men takes place. After letting Lana leave with Terry, Dean spends the next year dedicated to meet the perfection he was unable to display a year prior by creating a time traveling device. Through a series of events, Dean takes Lana into the past in hopes of salvaging the lost weekend... no matter how many attempts it takes.
At its base, The Infinite Man is a love story with a sci-fi ploy to help drive the main crux of the film. However, the story isn't just about Dean's love for Lana; rather, it's the journey of his ability to let go and understand that he can't always be in control of everything. As somebody who can sometimes be a meticulous planner and has to schedule almost every facet of his life days and weeks ahead (you should see my SXSW schedule), I empathized strongly with Dean. His ethos is driven not from his desire to control Lana, but to express just how much he loves her. Unfortunately, his attempts to express himself goes too far.
With one set, a barebones cast of characters, and an emotional story that must be carried not only emotionally, but comedically by its cast, The Infinite Man could have easily fallen apart were it not for McConville and Marshall's acting abilities, with Dimitriades' smaller role balancing the two leads with his comedic follies. McConville fits not only as the everyman protagonist that anybody would cheer for, but also for those of us who are so full of love, but struggle to express it properly and fittingly. Marshall's role as the object of Dean's desires could have been marginalized to bring further focus on Dean, but writer/director Hugh Sullivan wrote her part exceptionally well so that she not only was Dean's "reward," but also a capable support for him. (Unfortunately, I can't go deeper than that for fear of spoilers.)
Lighthearted and fun in its comedy, nuanced with depth in its narrative, The Infinite Man could have been one large mess of a film. However, Sullivan's ability to not only keep the sci-fi elements clear and easy to understand, but to keep the focus at Dean's personal core is what helps The Infinite Man balance everything deftly. You'll enjoy putting the puzzle pieces together; you'll cheer Dean on, even when you've noticed the negative signs of his acts; and you'll leave the film with a smile on your face.
[SXSW] 10 Films You Should See at SXSW 2014
[Ruby Hornet will be covering SXSW from March 7th to March 16th. Follow along as we bring you exclusive film reviews, photos, daily features, and interviews with filmmakers, actors, and musicians!]
With this year marking my third visit to the famed South by Southwest Festival, I've become a bit of a veteran when it comes to the film side of the festival. While Sundance and CIFF have their perks and vibes, but SXSW has always been consistent with their film selections. With such a large amount of films screening at SXSW this year, I figured I'd help guide you along in which films are sure to be festival favorites. While I'm only suggesting 10 films, any and all of you SXSW Film attendees should try to catch as many films as you can. Some of my best and favorite SXSW films in years past have been the ones I've caught on a whim, which serves as a testament to the amazing programming the SXSW people have shown throughout the years. Nevertheless, read on to find out which 10 films are my most anticipated of South by Southwest 2014.
[Video] whysowhite Performs on AudioTree
Chicago funk band whysowhite has been incessantly working their way up the music rungs with their vibrant, fun combination of dance-inducing funk and hip-hop flows that come together to create one of my personal favorite live shows in the Windy City or elsewhere. Led by a trio of vocalist/MCs Davis & Charles Haines and Nick and Nick McMillan, the seven-piece band brings it every time they take the stage. Recently, they linked up with fellow Chicago outfit AudioTree to film a session for the website. Their set, perfected during incessant practice takes at their home/rehearsal space in a converted 'FireHaus' on the north side of the city, is wildly fun and imaginative, and available for purchase via AudioTree. The band has played gigs with the likes of George Clinton, Joey ChestnuTT and Macklemore, among others, and should turn this year's SXSW into a jump off moving forward. whysowhite has been boiling for a minute, it's about time they popped. Check out the full video, streaming below and if you're in Chicago be sure to catch whysowhite and Marrow on March 1 at Martyr's in Lincoln Square.