Motörhead at Austin Music Hall (3/17): Previously reserved for the Austin Music Awards, the opening night of SXSW Music at the Austin Music Hall this year was a welcome blast from the past for metal fans. Although history does not see them in the same light as the Metallicas or the Megadeths, Voivod were veritable contributors to the thrash metal movement of the ‘80s. It was heartening to see they could still deliver the goods at a sizable venue, albeit to a meager crowd. Next up, Michael Monroe ensured the days of glam were not forgotten, performing solo material as well as classic Hanoi Rocks songs to a growing and enthusiastic audience. The tunes were anthemic and enjoyable, but it was Monroe who stole the show, prancing all over stage, twirling his mic continuously, and jumping into the photo pit to allow an eager group of fans to join in on the vocals. We were a little surprised that AMH was not jam packed when Motörhead took the stage around 10:30. Considering that the band had played the night before at Stubb’s and Lemmy: The Movie had already been in the SX news for days now (plenty of Lemmy sightings included), perhaps Motörhead had worn out their welcome in town? Not in our book! The band took no prisoners as they delved into their healthy catalog for a number of speed metal gems, reminding us why they are held in such high esteem by fans of that genre. more ›

We would entrust our very lives to Dakota Fanning. So precocious, so talented—we always have high expectations when she's involved in...anything. Dakota, please take this plane down in an emergency landing. Dakota, please lead us to new civilizations and maybe even the Fountain of Youth. First, (chick) rock this corset out like a glam/punk goddess and do it in a way that makes Cherie Currie bow down to you in awe on the Paramount stage. (That last one actually happened.) Based on Currie's memoir, Neon Angel, The Runaways charts the short life and strong bond of the teenage, all-American, 100 percent female rock band that Currie fronted and Joan Jett started back in 1970s Los Angeles. The film is music video director Floria Sigismondi's first feature and screened as a SxSW Headliner on Thursday before it's theatrical release this weekend. more ›

On Tuesday night the SXSW Film Festival and Conference announced a bevy of jury and audience selected award winners. We were pleased to see that two of our favorite films of the festival, Lena Dunham's Tiny Furniture and Jeff Malmberg's Marwencol (both of which we previewed here and here) were awarded the Narrative Feature Jury Prize and the Documentary Feature Jury Prize, respectively. Besides the absolutely outstanding programming this year, there has also been a SXSW Film Festival first: within hours of its World Premiere screening last Saturday night, Monsters, a sci-fi alien infection tale by first time feature director Gareth Edwards, was picked up by Magnet Releasing. more ›

As the music portion of SXSW starts to warm up, why not catch some live music and watch a killer film? At the same time! Come catch the second screening of All My Friends Are Funeral Singers and listen to the soundtrack played live by writer/director Tim Rutili and his indy-folk-pop-electronic band Califone. This quirky film about a lonely fortune teller living in a big haunted house with some reasonably benevolent ghosts promises to have an interesting blend of humor and drama that will soothe and invigorate you. more ›

The late Samuel Mockbee was an architect, a teacher and someone who defied boundaries. He was the force behind Auburn University’s Rural Studio, a design program that aims to both educate students and improve an impoverished Alabama community and the subject of Citizen Architect: Samuel Mockbee and the Spirit of the Rural Studio, a SXSW Documentary Feature and world premiere. more ›

Possibly the most pleasant surprise of SXSW Film thus far is Katie Aselton's The Freebie. Darren (Dax Shepard, in a truly brilliant performance) and Annie (Aselton) have been married for a couple of years and have reached a point of stagnation, so to spice up the relationship they decide to have one night where they step outside of their marriage and into the arms of someone else. Of course, this is a terrible idea, and takes a situation that merely was not working and turns it into an emotional blitzkrieg. It is raw and powerful and real and one of our favorite movies at this year's fest. We had the chance to sit down with Aselton on Sunday to discuss the film, her work on the FX show The League, and hiring yourself when no one else will. more ›

Bear Nation, a SXSW Emerging Visions documentary, explores the big, hairy, and oh-so-happy (read: real, laid back) gay subculture of Bears. The film features a slew of candid takes on body image, acceptance, and ultimately finding a way to go easier on yourself to take full advantage of this life. Yes, the documentary about the burliest of men is surprisingly touching and we still get to hear about what gets them off -- the best of both worlds! We sat down with Director Malcolm Ingram (Small Town Gay Bar) and music icon/documentary interviewee Bob Mould (formerly of Hüsker Dü and Sugar) mere hours before their world premiere to discuss the draw of niche groups, the fur of foreign lands, and why you shouldn't use the phrase "pick up on" in questions about gay communities. more ›

As the SXSW Film Festival comes across the midway point and enters the home stretch, you’ve been offered a special gift: an extra hour of sunlight at the end of the day! How nice to be able to walk out after a marathon movie session and still catch a little much-needed vitamin D. Sure, we know that’s not what you’re here for, but it’s nice to get a little fresh hour. Enjoy it! Breathe deep. Then…get right back in there! You don’t want to miss the Swiss sci-fi flick Cargo, playing at the Paramount Wednesday night. We’re sure you know where we’re going with this, but here are the magic two words: Remember Alien? more ›

This Spotlight Premiere draws comparison to This is Spinal Tap as well as A Mighty Wind, so if you’re in the musically-oriented mockumentary kind of mood, check out Le Donk & Scor-zay-zee. more ›

What do you think of when someone says the word "cowboy?" For us, we imagine leathered faces, dirty hands, saddles and the open range, but there is a different kind of cowboy that exists in America: the Professional Bull Rider—daredevils who put their neck on the line, literally, every night, entertaining crowds of eager fans with their feats of bravery, tempered with what we would consider insanity. In her newest documentary film, The Ride, Meredith Danluck encountered a culture that she never even knew existed and captured no only the thrill of competition, but also the quiet life of today's modern cowboy. We had the chance to chat with Meredith via phone last week about uncomfortable social issues, celebrity and of course, cowboys. more ›

Austin filmmaker Bryan Poyser either has some amazing karma, or unbelievable luck. Or perhaps, there is a house in Park City, Utah that was destined to have a movie written for it before the first cornerstone was laid. In any case, we are thrilled that his newest film, Lovers of Hate, is screening at the 2010 SXSW Film Festival. After receiving a warm reception at Sundance, Lovers of Hate will have its south by premiere Monday, March 15th at 11am, under the golden arches at Austin's own movie palace, the Paramount Theater (it's also currently available in your very own living room, you can learn how at the end of the interview). We had the chance recently to sit down and chat with Poyser, where we discussed sibling rivalry, the film's sale to IFC and the bonding powers of secret handshakes. more ›

As we settled in for Kick-Ass, we expected a night that would resemble Fantastic Fest 09's superb opener, Zombieland. It would be fun, a little gory, and someone might even hand us a Twinkie on our way out. That was before we watched an eleven-year-old character double spear a prostitute to a door after brutally murdering the rest of her crew and spouting off a slew of curse-laden one-liners. Inappropriate? Of course. Kind of cool? More than. more ›

After hosting Saturday Night Live in December, James Franco returned to his classes at NYU Film School with SNL Creator/Executive Producer Lorne Michaels and sketch comedy on the brain. When he received a five-minute documentary assignment, he decided to chronicle one of the hellishly hectic and creative weeks of SNL production. Armed with more behind-the-scenes access than Michaels had ever granted before, the short doc project turned into the 94-minute film SATURDAY NIGHT, which has its world premiere as part of SXSW's Spotlight Premieres category on Sunday at Alamo Lamar. more ›

I was sitting here trying to put into words why an interview - or a panel- about 'dignity in online advertising' is relevant to more people than those of us who are oh-so-lucky to be involved in the industry. And as I was engaged in one of those all-too-frequent Google-powered, attention-deficit-inspired, search episodes looking for something or other, I came across this piece on Coudal.com titled, 'What We Talk About When We Talk About Work.' Now in addition to the title making me smile a whole bunch, it hit on something really important. The piece ends with, "We suppose there are a lot of reasons people don't say what they mean. We just can't think of any good ones." It's copy so smooth that even Don Draper would be jealous. But the best part is, it's true. Common sense. And often times, it takes a whole lot of talent and smarts to realize that sometimes the obvious answer is the best answer. So when I talked to Jim Coudal about the concept behind his ad network, 'The Deck', I wasn't surprised by his general thoughts on the matter. Why not just be honest about this whole advertising thing, right? "Making it simple… makes it simple," he said. more ›

Ex-Austinites Jay and Mark Duplass have returned home with a new film Cyrus, featuring some bigger name actors but still maintaining its basic improvised, low-fi feel. They joined a panel today called “The Kids are Alright” and focused basically on…well, on that certain kind of film, which has grown in popularity and can be seen in several other films here at SXSW. While the main focus was on the brothers Duplass and their unique approach, there was a some interesting information shared which we would love to go on and on about. In fact, if you ask us about it while waiting in line at any of their films, (all of which we aretotally pumped to see), we probably won’t shut up about it. In the meantime, here are a few choice cuts. more ›

One of the great things about film festivals is the chance to attend foreign films. The down side, of course: all that damn reading you have to do. Subtitles are like homework for your brain. Well we’ve got a solution for you: Crying With Laughter is an excellent foreign film…but it’s from Scotland! (Thank us later.) more ›

We don't know much about writer/director Aaron Katz other than the fact that his John Cassavetes Indie Spirit Award winning film Quiet City played during SXSW 2007 and we somehow managed to miss it. We also don't know much about his newest film Cold Weather, which premieres at SXSW Saturday night. What we do know is that from the very first moments of the cryptic trailer, which hit the internet right before its screening at Sundance, we were captivated by its atmospheric, almost creepy tone. more ›

Written by, directed by and starring Lena Dunham, Tiny Furniture is a sardonic and self-aware exploration of post-college life. Though privileged and sheltered in many ways, the main character, Aura, suffers more than her fair share of indignities as well as moments of utter confusion about the future she hopes to enjoy. more ›

What's not to love about a garage band that recorded an album titled Free Drugs ;-) at a guy called Coomers' mom's house? Nuthin', that's what. To make matters even better, Harlem are teaming up with fellow local lovables, Strange Boys and Brooklyn's Blair for a free show Saturday night. Harlem will soon be following up their dive-bar dissertation Free Drugs ;-) with a new album, "Hippies". You'll want to preview the track "Friendly Ghost" and put on your dancing shoes before Aquarium Drunkard's excellent showcase. Check out our interview with Harlem bassist Jose Boyer for insights on radness, dancing, deaf sound guys, and turning text messages into lyrics. more ›

I sat down with Alex Jones (@BaldMan), user experience manager, web technologist and self-proclaimed information junkie, to discuss the big concepts at SXSWi this year... and to find out why something called Stickybits should actually be taken seriously. more ›

During the Lunar New Year, over 130 million residents of industrialized towns sardine themselves through maddening crowds to head back to their rural beginnings. In his directorial debut, Last Train Home, Lixin Fan follows one couple, Changhua and Sugin Zhang, on their journey from the factory town of Guangzhou back to the place where they left their baby daughter 16 years earlier. The Zhangs make the harrowing trip every year, once a year, but this time things are a bit different. more ›

In Winter's Bone, Ree Dolly (Jennifer Lawrence) may not look like Dog the Bounty Hunter, but when it comes to tracking down a fugitive from justice, she aims to get her man. Especially when that fugitive is her ne’er-do-well father, and what’s at stake is her home. Now that he’s disappeared, Ree has become the de-facto caretaker for her mentally ill mother and two siblings, and she’ll be damned if she’s going to let them lose their home. The quest for her father is on. more ›

While there are a ton of entertainment events to choose from on the Friday night of SXSWi, there's one event we;re totally stoked about, and that's Pastries and Pasties 2. more ›

Judging by Meghan Eckman’s doc, the Corner Parking Lot in Charlottesville, Virginia seems an awful lot like Austin. This self-described “ragtag group of fractured poets” prefers skateboards and bicycles to cars and have at best a tolerant contempt for the people they serve. The camera takes a good look at the attendants, letting us see their world and hear their stories. It’s a fun trip into a world you’ve probably never even thought to wonder about as you hand over your cash. But by the end, you won’t want to leave. more ›

Earthling is a moving, tense, emotionally-driven tale of a woman realizing she is not who she thought she was and isn’t where she belongs. She feels different from others. Alone. She feels like she is…from another planet. But that’s just a feeling. Right? The film makes its world premiere Sunday, March 14 at 11:30am at the Alamo Ritz 1. It’s also showing Monday, March 15 at 7:00pm at the Alamo Lamar 3, and Thursday, March 18 at 7:00 PM at ACC. more ›

Foursquare, Gowalla, Brightkite, balderdash! If you weren't already inundated by friends being crowned Mayor of Sidebar or Grand Boopah of Waterloo (and then crowing about it on Facebook), there's now a nifty new app that aggregates all of the various and sundry ways that people are "checking in" whilst at SXSW. more ›

The Washington Post recently described SXSW Interactive as "a drinking festival with a side of tech". And while we can't possibly cover every one of the gazillion parties and funtime events associated with SXSWi, there is (thankfully) one logical place to start on this first day of the festival! more ›

Written and directed by a young filmmaker named Matt Porterfield, Putty Hill captures the essence of a Baltimore neighborhood as it deals with the tragedy of losing one of its young citizens to drugs. This isn’t light filmic fare by any means, but the experience of viewing the innovative work of a buzzed-about movie maker could very well be worth the emotional journey. more ›

Inspired by tragedy and shaped by the piercing beauty of a true artist, Everything Is Going Fine looks to be a haunting and lovely addition to this year’s festival. more ›

An Austin-based film featuring the life and trials of an optimistic food cart vendor, The Happy Poet makes its world premiere this weekend at the SXSW film festival. Filled with places you’ll recognize and a pastime that Austinites have grown to love (checking out the latest food carts, but of course), this local offering is one we’re looking forward to. more ›