SXSW 09 Film Favorites

Having a Gold badge at this year's SXSW I made it a point to see a lot of films. In between panels, showcases, and items on my shot list I would sneak over to the Paramount or the Ritz as often as possible to catch a flick. I ended up seeing a total of nine films, all of which were excellent - was not disappointed in a single film. Here are my top 3 picks:
1. Winnebago Man. This film was unreal, a documentary based upon one of the first ever pre-youtube viral videos. An outtake reel from a late 80's Winnebago industrial film shoot hosted by the venerable Jack Rebney was copied from VHS tape to VHS tape, making the rounds all across the country. The filmmaker tracks down Jack, now a hermit living alone in Northern California, and tells a great story of someone who came into the spotlight under less than ideal terms. There is not a trailer for the film online, however the original clip that spawned the phenomenon is on youtube, and is probably the funniest thing I have EVER seen.

Official site.
2. Iron Maiden: Flight 666. So I grew up as a huge metal kid and have even played in a few metal bands, but I am confident that this fact did not bias my review of this film. You could hate metal and THOROUGHLY enjoy this film. It is an intimate portrait of a band that truly loves what they do and have created an incredible fanbase the world over. As the film's director said before the film ran, "If you are new to Iron Maiden, welcome to the family." Funny enough, after the film that is exactly how I felt. Most astonishing I think was the fact that the band got it's own custom 757 to tour the world with their gear and crew and the plane was flown by the band's lead singer Bruce Dickinson! The sound was fantastic on the film, and invoked a feeling of actually being at one of their larger than life shows. I was grinning from ear to ear the entire film and often laughed out loud. The crowd at the Paramount was awesome, when their marquee songs would come on a few guys in the front row would stand up, take their shirts off and swing them in the air, so good!

Official site.
3. Sons of a Gun. I met Greg, the filmmaker on my flight out to Texas - he was a SXSW virgin stoked to be showing his film. Once I landed in Austin I viewed the trailer and knew it was a must see. The production was done on a shoestring, but the film portrays such a touching drama that you can't helped but be sucked in. Better characters and story could not be fabricated and can only exist in the twisted reality that we all inhabit. Really and truly a great film and a wonderful human drama.

Official site
The rest of the films I saw:
Letters to the President. A great look inside Iran. Trailer.
Intangible Asset #82. An Australian drummer's quest to find a Korean Shaman. Trailer.
Along Came Kinky: Texas Jewboy for Governor Tales from the campaign trail of one of Texas' most original characters. Site.
Objectified From the creator of Helvetica, musings on industrial design. Trailer.
Sin Nombre A young girl travels to America with the help of a former gang member.Trailer

Most of these may not ever be available on DVD or in theaters, but if you get the chance to see any of them I highly recommend you do!

PEACE to you all!