﻿<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<rss version="2.0" xmlns:spout="http://www.spout.com/schemas/rss/core/2006" xmlns:cf="http://www.microsoft.com/schemas/rss/core/2005">
  <channel>
    <cf:treatAs>list</cf:treatAs>
    <cf:listinfo>
      <cf:group element="type" label="Type" ns="http://www.spout.com/schemas/rss/core/2006" data-type="text" />
    </cf:listinfo>
    <title>Alexander the Last's Recent Activity - Spout</title>
    <link>http://www.spout.com/</link>
    <description>Recent community activity around Alexander the Last on Spout</description>
    <copyright>Copyright 2005-9 Spout, LLC</copyright>
    <generator>Spout RSS</generator>
    <image>
      <url>http://www.spout.com/images/SpoutLogoRSS.jpg</url>
      <title>Alexander the Last's Recent Activity - Spout</title>
      <link>http://www.spout.com/</link>
      <width>136</width>
      <height>30</height>
    </image>
    <item>
      <title>Film:Alexander the Last</title>
      <link>http://www.spout.com/films/Alexander_the_Last/399796/default.aspx</link><description><![CDATA[<table width='100%' style='font:10px/10px Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;'><tr><td><img align='left' src='http://www.spout.com/ProductImages/s399796.jpg' hspace='10' style='height:80px;' /></td>
<td>
<strong>Title:</strong> Alexander the Last<br/>
<strong>Year:</strong> 2009<br/>
<strong>Director:</strong> Joe Swanberg<br/>
<strong>Plot:</strong> Independent filmmaker Joe Swanberg (<a href="http://www.spout.com/films/324824/detail.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Hannah Takes the Stairs</a>, <a href="http://www.spout.com/films/365071/detail.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Nights and Weekends</a>) writes, directs, and produces this intimate marriage drama focusing on the troubled union of an artistic young couple. As temptations both sexual and creative in nature challenge the couple's monogamous relationship, the façade of happiness fades to reveal the hardships of modern marriage. <a href="http://www.spout.com/players/P___444826/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Jess Weixler</a>, Justin Rice, and <a href="http://www.spout.com/players/P______276/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Jane Adams</a> star. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide<br/>
<strong>Times Tagged:</strong> 3<br/>
<strong>Number of Lists:</strong> 1<br/>
<strong>Number of blog posts:</strong> 4<br/>
<strong>SpoutRating:</strong> 4<br/>
</td></tr></table>]]></description><pubDate>Fri, 20 Mar 2009 15:00:58 GMT</pubDate><spout:Title>Alexander the Last</spout:Title><spout:Year>2009</spout:Year><spout:Director>Joe Swanberg</spout:Director><spout:Plot>Independent filmmaker Joe Swanberg (&lt;a href="http://www.spout.com/films/324824/detail.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'&gt;Hannah Takes the Stairs&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href="http://www.spout.com/films/365071/detail.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'&gt;Nights and Weekends&lt;/a&gt;) writes, directs, and produces this intimate marriage drama focusing on the troubled union of an artistic young couple. As temptations both sexual and creative in nature challenge the couple's monogamous relationship, the façade of happiness fades to reveal the hardships of modern marriage. &lt;a href="http://www.spout.com/players/P___444826/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'&gt;Jess Weixler&lt;/a&gt;, Justin Rice, and &lt;a href="http://www.spout.com/players/P______276/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'&gt;Jane Adams&lt;/a&gt; star. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide</spout:Plot><spout:TimesTagged>3</spout:TimesTagged><spout:taglevel>Slightly Tagged (1-5)</spout:taglevel><spout:Numberoflists>1</spout:Numberoflists><spout:NumberOfBlogPosts>4</spout:NumberOfBlogPosts><spout:SpoutRating>4</spout:SpoutRating><spout:FilmCoverURL>http://www.spout.com/ProductImages/s399796.jpg</spout:FilmCoverURL><spout:SpoutFilmDetailURL>http://www.spout.com/films/Alexander_the_Last/399796/default.aspx</spout:SpoutFilmDetailURL><spout:type>Film</spout:type></item>
    <item>
      <title>Spout Post: FilmCouch #113: Alexander the Last, SXSW via IFC</title>
      <link>http://www.spout.com/blogs/spoutblog/archive/2009/3/20/41143.aspx</link><description><![CDATA[<div><img align='left' src='http://www.spout.com/ProductImages/s399796.jpg' hspace='10' style='height:80px;' />
<strong>Post By:</strong> <a href='http://www.spout.com/members/9325/default.aspx'>SpoutBlog</a><br/>
<strong>Post To:</strong> <a href='http://www.spout.com/blogs/spoutblog/default.aspx'>SpoutBlog on spout.com</a><br/>
<strong>Post Date:</strong> 3/20/2009 11:00:58 AM<br/>
<strong>Body:</strong> 
The SXSW Film Festival is over. We didn’t make it to Austin this year, but we still had a festival experience in our very own home (Paul’s mom’s home, actually), thanks the IFC’s Festival Direct. While Joe Swanberg’s latest offering, Alexander the Last, was premeiring in Austin, we were watching it in a Michigan living room. We discuss how setting influences viewing, and the merits of the film.
We also discuss two other SXSW Festival Direct titles, Zift and Three Blind Mice.
Be sure to e-mail your most awkward movie watching moments involving sex scenes and your parents, to filmcouch [at] spout [dot] com.
0:00 - Intro
1:51 - Listener feedback
11:16 - Alexander the Last
30:39 - Zift, Three Blind Mice
filmcouch-113 Originally posted on:SpoutBlog<br/>
</div>]]></description><pubDate>Fri, 20 Mar 2009 15:00:58 GMT</pubDate><spout:postby>SpoutBlog</spout:postby><spout:postto>SpoutBlog on spout.com</spout:postto><spout:postdate>3/20/2009 11:00:58 AM</spout:postdate><spout:body>
The SXSW Film Festival is over. We didn’t make it to Austin this year, but we still had a festival experience in our very own home (Paul’s mom’s home, actually), thanks the IFC’s Festival Direct. While Joe Swanberg’s latest offering, Alexander the Last, was premeiring in Austin, we were watching it in a Michigan living room. We discuss how setting influences viewing, and the merits of the film.
We also discuss two other SXSW Festival Direct titles, Zift and Three Blind Mice.
Be sure to e-mail your most awkward movie watching moments involving sex scenes and your parents, to filmcouch [at] spout [dot] com.
0:00 - Intro
1:51 - Listener feedback
11:16 - Alexander the Last
30:39 - Zift, Three Blind Mice
filmcouch-113 Originally posted on:SpoutBlog</spout:body></item>
    <item>
      <title>Spout Post: SXSW at Home with IFC Festival Direct</title>
      <link>http://www.spout.com/blogs/spoutblog/archive/2009/3/17/41092.aspx</link><description><![CDATA[<div><img align='left' src='http://www.spout.com/ProductImages/s399796.jpg' hspace='10' style='height:80px;' />
<strong>Post By:</strong> <a href='http://www.spout.com/members/9325/default.aspx'>SpoutBlog</a><br/>
<strong>Post To:</strong> <a href='http://www.spout.com/blogs/spoutblog/default.aspx'>SpoutBlog on spout.com</a><br/>
<strong>Post Date:</strong> 3/17/2009 11:01:17 AM<br/>
<strong>Body:</strong> Both a huge party and something of a petri dish of American independent creativity, SXSW is steadily becoming an invaluable stop on the festival circuit. The Austin festival is also the forerunner of a whole slew of American festivals that are proud to be far from New York and LA, and more importantly, far from Park City. So it’s no surprise that the festival would break even more ground in the decentralization of the independent film experience. This year, SXSW and IFC have teamed to offer five films on-demand via IFC Festival Direct, allowing viewers at home to see festival premieres on the same day the play for Austin audiences.
For a midwesterner such as myself, this is tremendously good news. The elephant in the room when talking about any artwork is always access. Who is it for, and who can actually see it? For many, entering the current discussion surrounding independent film is simply an economic impossibility. SXSW is very friendly toward the average-Joe or Jane attendee, especially compared to many other festivals, but a plane ticket and a pass are still a serious expense. It would be easy for the festival organizers to pay lip service to the idea of creating an event for more than just the elite, and then do nothing about it. Instead, they deserve a tremendous amount of credit for actively attempting to engage people who want to attend the festival, but can’t.
That said, the “festival at home” experience is far from flawless. Despite the fact that I’m pretty close to the ideal candidate for this type of thing, I don’t have the right kind of cable package required to see on-demand movies. I’ve often considered anteing up for better cable just for IFC, but for the most part a high-speed internet connection and Netflix subscription keep me occupied, and they are a big enough chunk of my monthly budget. So while audiences can technically watch these festival films anywhere, there’s still a large barrier to access, and it still comes down to cost. So I spent the weekend calling up friends, interviewing them about what kind of cable they have, then sheepishly asking if I could invite myself over to watch a few movies. Luckily, I have gracious friends.

On Saturday Paul and I went over to his mother’s house to watch Joe Swanberg’s latest film, Alexander the Last. A few business items: Paul is the same Paul with whom I co-host FilmCouch, Spout’s weekly podcast. Also, Spout has collaborated with Joe Swanberg in the past; he and Ronald Bronstein produced an original web series for us called Butterknife, and they provided video coverage of the 2008 Sundance Film Festival. If you’re familiar with Joe’s work, talk of creative cross-pollination comes as no surprise. His productions are intimate affairs made by an ever-expanding group of collaborators. SXSW has played a key role in these collaborations, both by embracing Swanberg’s work (this is the fourth film he’s premiered there), and by providing an atmosphere in which artistic pretense is rejected in favor of sharing passions over beer and BBQ.
For me, the SXSW premiere of Swanberg’s previous film, Nights and Weekends, was like an unintentional social network meet-up. I began chatting with the folks around me and recognizing name after name. One person writes for this blog, another guy was the DP on this other movie I saw yesterday, and on and on. Watching a Swanberg premiere at Paul’s mom’s house, on the other hand, was a wholly different experience. As the opening credits rolled, we did find ourselves playing mumblecore bingo, picking out names we recognized. But as the film got underway it was much easier to focus on what was on screen. Even easier, perhaps, than if Joe were sitting two rows in front of me and I were wondering which party to go to later.
I’ve often wondered if Joe’s films work as social events more than as actual movies. But I was pleasantly surprised that Alexander the Last still gave me plenty to chew on. The film follows an ensemble of young actors and musicians dealing with temptation, and struggling with how to portray sex and all that goes along with it, while keeping their relationships and themselves intact. The film certainly feels autobiographical, at least in its themes. It’s evident that this is the product of a somewhat insular community of artists, but that subtext doesn’t detract much from the work itself. Seeing the film in a living room adorned with a lacy Victorian pastiche –– complete with Paul’s mom walking in during a pretty explicit sex scene –– helped confirm that Swanberg’s films do work on their own, thousands of miles from the hip little bubble they’ve created.
On Sunday I crashed another friend’s place for a double feature of Three Blind Mice and Zift. Three Blind Mice premiered at Toronto this past fall. It’s written and directed by Matthew Newton, who also plays one of three Australian naval officers on their last night home before redeployment. Newton glows with mischievous energy on screen, bouncing between darkly comic disasters. The film could have handled its emotional weight with more skill, but it’s still a nice example of a filmmaker taking stock of the emotional effects of war without dealing directly with its politics. While Three Blind Mice would certainly be fun to see at the festival, it loses very little when translated to the small screen. It strikes me as a film that could enjoy a healthy life through on-demand and video even without the boost of the IFC Festival Direct co-premiere.
Zift, on the other hand, felt out of place on the small screen. The film, produced in Bulgaria, is an arty, Eastern Bloc take on conventional film noir. The production value was a little spotty, and despite being in black and white, the lighting was rather flat. It had its moments, especially a gritty noir twist at the end, but I couldn’t help but feel that it would have played much better in a crowded midnight screening, where elements that are cool and weird for their own sake can thrive off of excitement from the audience.
Overall, IFC’s Festival Direct is a great step in the right direction. For all the talk about how the internet is forever changing the face of independent film, relatively little has been done to push initial distribution to the scope the web allows. This leads to my one suggestion about how this experience could dramatically improve: let users pay to stream on-demand content online, not just through cable. Seven dollars per film is perfectly reasonable, but many indie film fans don’t have the requisite expensive cable packages. The internet, on the other hand, is far more ubiquitous. Netflix, Amazon, and iTunes have all devised ways to securely stream movies; how great would it be if we could stream them the same day as their festival premiere? Originally posted on:SpoutBlog<br/>
</div>]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 17 Mar 2009 15:01:17 GMT</pubDate><spout:postby>SpoutBlog</spout:postby><spout:postto>SpoutBlog on spout.com</spout:postto><spout:postdate>3/17/2009 11:01:17 AM</spout:postdate><spout:body>Both a huge party and something of a petri dish of American independent creativity, SXSW is steadily becoming an invaluable stop on the festival circuit. The Austin festival is also the forerunner of a whole slew of American festivals that are proud to be far from New York and LA, and more importantly, far from Park City. So it’s no surprise that the festival would break even more ground in the decentralization of the independent film experience. This year, SXSW and IFC have teamed to offer five films on-demand via IFC Festival Direct, allowing viewers at home to see festival premieres on the same day the play for Austin audiences.
For a midwesterner such as myself, this is tremendously good news. The elephant in the room when talking about any artwork is always access. Who is it for, and who can actually see it? For many, entering the current discussion surrounding independent film is simply an economic impossibility. SXSW is very friendly toward the average-Joe or Jane attendee, especially compared to many other festivals, but a plane ticket and a pass are still a serious expense. It would be easy for the festival organizers to pay lip service to the idea of creating an event for more than just the elite, and then do nothing about it. Instead, they deserve a tremendous amount of credit for actively attempting to engage people who want to attend the festival, but can’t.
That said, the “festival at home” experience is far from flawless. Despite the fact that I’m pretty close to the ideal candidate for this type of thing, I don’t have the right kind of cable package required to see on-demand movies. I’ve often considered anteing up for better cable just for IFC, but for the most part a high-speed internet connection and Netflix subscription keep me occupied, and they are a big enough chunk of my monthly budget. So while audiences can technically watch these festival films anywhere, there’s still a large barrier to access, and it still comes down to cost. So I spent the weekend calling up friends, interviewing them about what kind of cable they have, then sheepishly asking if I could invite myself over to watch a few movies. Luckily, I have gracious friends.

On Saturday Paul and I went over to his mother’s house to watch Joe Swanberg’s latest film, Alexander the Last. A few business items: Paul is the same Paul with whom I co-host FilmCouch, Spout’s weekly podcast. Also, Spout has collaborated with Joe Swanberg in the past; he and Ronald Bronstein produced an original web series for us called Butterknife, and they provided video coverage of the 2008 Sundance Film Festival. If you’re familiar with Joe’s work, talk of creative cross-pollination comes as no surprise. His productions are intimate affairs made by an ever-expanding group of collaborators. SXSW has played a key role in these collaborations, both by embracing Swanberg’s work (this is the fourth film he’s premiered there), and by providing an atmosphere in which artistic pretense is rejected in favor of sharing passions over beer and BBQ.
For me, the SXSW premiere of Swanberg’s previous film, Nights and Weekends, was like an unintentional social network meet-up. I began chatting with the folks around me and recognizing name after name. One person writes for this blog, another guy was the DP on this other movie I saw yesterday, and on and on. Watching a Swanberg premiere at Paul’s mom’s house, on the other hand, was a wholly different experience. As the opening credits rolled, we did find ourselves playing mumblecore bingo, picking out names we recognized. But as the film got underway it was much easier to focus on what was on screen. Even easier, perhaps, than if Joe were sitting two rows in front of me and I were wondering which party to go to later.
I’ve often wondered if Joe’s films work as social events more than as actual movies. But I was pleasantly surprised that Alexander the Last still gave me plenty to chew on. The film follows an ensemble of young actors and musicians dealing with temptation, and struggling with how to portray sex and all that goes along with it, while keeping their relationships and themselves intact. The film certainly feels autobiographical, at least in its themes. It’s evident that this is the product of a somewhat insular community of artists, but that subtext doesn’t detract much from the work itself. Seeing the film in a living room adorned with a lacy Victorian pastiche –– complete with Paul’s mom walking in during a pretty explicit sex scene –– helped confirm that Swanberg’s films do work on their own, thousands of miles from the hip little bubble they’ve created.
On Sunday I crashed another friend’s place for a double feature of Three Blind Mice and Zift. Three Blind Mice premiered at Toronto this past fall. It’s written and directed by Matthew Newton, who also plays one of three Australian naval officers on their last night home before redeployment. Newton glows with mischievous energy on screen, bouncing between darkly comic disasters. The film could have handled its emotional weight with more skill, but it’s still a nice example of a filmmaker taking stock of the emotional effects of war without dealing directly with its politics. While Three Blind Mice would certainly be fun to see at the festival, it loses very little when translated to the small screen. It strikes me as a film that could enjoy a healthy life through on-demand and video even without the boost of the IFC Festival Direct co-premiere.
Zift, on the other hand, felt out of place on the small screen. The film, produced in Bulgaria, is an arty, Eastern Bloc take on conventional film noir. The production value was a little spotty, and despite being in black and white, the lighting was rather flat. It had its moments, especially a gritty noir twist at the end, but I couldn’t help but feel that it would have played much better in a crowded midnight screening, where elements that are cool and weird for their own sake can thrive off of excitement from the audience.
Overall, IFC’s Festival Direct is a great step in the right direction. For all the talk about how the internet is forever changing the face of independent film, relatively little has been done to push initial distribution to the scope the web allows. This leads to my one suggestion about how this experience could dramatically improve: let users pay to stream on-demand content online, not just through cable. Seven dollars per film is perfectly reasonable, but many indie film fans don’t have the requisite expensive cable packages. The internet, on the other hand, is far more ubiquitous. Netflix, Amazon, and iTunes have all devised ways to securely stream movies; how great would it be if we could stream them the same day as their festival premiere? Originally posted on:SpoutBlog</spout:body></item>
    <item>
      <title>Spout Post: SXSW for Those Left At Home. Today in Film Bloggery 03/13/09</title>
      <link>http://www.spout.com/blogs/spoutblog/archive/2009/3/13/41019.aspx</link><description><![CDATA[<div><img align='left' src='http://www.spout.com/ProductImages/s399796.jpg' hspace='10' style='height:80px;' />
<strong>Post By:</strong> <a href='http://www.spout.com/members/9325/default.aspx'>SpoutBlog</a><br/>
<strong>Post To:</strong> <a href='http://www.spout.com/blogs/spoutblog/default.aspx'>SpoutBlog on spout.com</a><br/>
<strong>Post Date:</strong> 3/13/2009 6:00:32 PM<br/>
<strong>Body:</strong> The Internet seems eerily quiet today, which is probably due to all the blog writers being miles above wifi signals, flying towards Austin for SXSW. Of course, there are some posts here and there discussing rumors about Jon Favreau directing The Avengers and continued commentary on Watchmen’s box office future and Joaquin Phoenix’s “brawl” in Miami, but there’s not much new news to get excited about.
So, I’ve decided to highlight some recent SXSW-related posts from other blogs in anticipation of the festival. I won’t be there this year, and the Bloggery posts will be taking a week off in order to let SpoutBlog focus on film reviews, interviews and other SXSW goodies, so this is my one chance to be a part of the SXSW fun, albeit from a very cold, very jealous perspective up here in NYC.
I wish everyone down in Austin a good time and, more importantly, a lot of good movies.


Pop Candy’s Whitney Matheson, who is attending SXSW, but not the film portion, reminds us homebound movie lovers that we (and she) can watch SXSW films, including Joe Swanberg’s Alexander the Last, on IFC’s Festival Direct channel this week.
Anne Thompson notifies us that we can also watch some of last year’s films on Hulu.
Lewis Wallace at Underwire directs our attention to SXSW Bingo, which should be played by any of you down in Austin. Not only does it look fun, but you can actually win an Amazon Kindle 2. Please let us know if you do play so we may follow your gaming via Twitter.
I also hope to hear about more film critic fights, though if the guys at Pajiba aren’t kidding, I may not have to worry:
There are several Southerners on staff. When we drink, some of us may get carried away by the atmosphere of our motherlands and start shit-kicking other movie bloggers. We apologize in advance (except for you, Harry Knowles. You had it coming).

In honor of the festival’s attention to both film and music, The Screengrab will be taking a look at some favorite movies about music, any of which we should be able to rent in our respective neighborhoods. Here’s a bit from Andrew Osborne’s list, specifically his appreciation for Stop Making Sense:
I never got a chance to see David, Tina, Chris & Jerry play live — not all at the same time, anyway — but dancing in the aisles with dozens of fellow Head-heads during the classic concert film’s theatrical run was the next best thing…kinda like Jonas Brothers: The 3D Concert Experience without the special glasses and shitty music. Indeed, Demme makes his subjects pop off the screen without 3D technology, pyrotechnics or any of the usual rock-doc clichés: all he needed was a lamp, a big suit, a good shot list and one of the best rock bands of all time.

And of course there will always be the reviews, from which we homebound film fans can find out what films to check out — if they ever make their way to our respective necks of the woods, that is. Michael Tully of Hammer to Nail gives us an interesting disclaimer for his site’s forthcoming reviews:
No contributor is allowed to write a review of a film that he or she worked on in any capacity.
However, if a writer genuinely responds to a film made by someone else on the HTN team, this is fair game.
We are here to primarily write about low-budget, under-the-radar films that might otherwise slip through the cracks, and to exclude a film from consideration for these tenuous reasons seems to betray the mission of our site. Our friendships with and connections to individuals within the indie film world shouldn’t be crosses to bear. If anything, they are proof that we are engaged and involved participants in this community. If you think this is all some incestuous circle jerk, read my review of Treeless Mountain or David Lowery’s review of Silent Light or Cullen Gallagher’s review of Billy the Kid.
We love movies, and we’re here to write about them.

 Originally posted on:SpoutBlog<br/>
</div>]]></description><pubDate>Fri, 13 Mar 2009 22:00:32 GMT</pubDate><spout:postby>SpoutBlog</spout:postby><spout:postto>SpoutBlog on spout.com</spout:postto><spout:postdate>3/13/2009 6:00:32 PM</spout:postdate><spout:body>The Internet seems eerily quiet today, which is probably due to all the blog writers being miles above wifi signals, flying towards Austin for SXSW. Of course, there are some posts here and there discussing rumors about Jon Favreau directing The Avengers and continued commentary on Watchmen’s box office future and Joaquin Phoenix’s “brawl” in Miami, but there’s not much new news to get excited about.
So, I’ve decided to highlight some recent SXSW-related posts from other blogs in anticipation of the festival. I won’t be there this year, and the Bloggery posts will be taking a week off in order to let SpoutBlog focus on film reviews, interviews and other SXSW goodies, so this is my one chance to be a part of the SXSW fun, albeit from a very cold, very jealous perspective up here in NYC.
I wish everyone down in Austin a good time and, more importantly, a lot of good movies.


Pop Candy’s Whitney Matheson, who is attending SXSW, but not the film portion, reminds us homebound movie lovers that we (and she) can watch SXSW films, including Joe Swanberg’s Alexander the Last, on IFC’s Festival Direct channel this week.
Anne Thompson notifies us that we can also watch some of last year’s films on Hulu.
Lewis Wallace at Underwire directs our attention to SXSW Bingo, which should be played by any of you down in Austin. Not only does it look fun, but you can actually win an Amazon Kindle 2. Please let us know if you do play so we may follow your gaming via Twitter.
I also hope to hear about more film critic fights, though if the guys at Pajiba aren’t kidding, I may not have to worry:
There are several Southerners on staff. When we drink, some of us may get carried away by the atmosphere of our motherlands and start shit-kicking other movie bloggers. We apologize in advance (except for you, Harry Knowles. You had it coming).

In honor of the festival’s attention to both film and music, The Screengrab will be taking a look at some favorite movies about music, any of which we should be able to rent in our respective neighborhoods. Here’s a bit from Andrew Osborne’s list, specifically his appreciation for Stop Making Sense:
I never got a chance to see David, Tina, Chris &amp; Jerry play live — not all at the same time, anyway — but dancing in the aisles with dozens of fellow Head-heads during the classic concert film’s theatrical run was the next best thing…kinda like Jonas Brothers: The 3D Concert Experience without the special glasses and shitty music. Indeed, Demme makes his subjects pop off the screen without 3D technology, pyrotechnics or any of the usual rock-doc clichés: all he needed was a lamp, a big suit, a good shot list and one of the best rock bands of all time.

And of course there will always be the reviews, from which we homebound film fans can find out what films to check out — if they ever make their way to our respective necks of the woods, that is. Michael Tully of Hammer to Nail gives us an interesting disclaimer for his site’s forthcoming reviews:
No contributor is allowed to write a review of a film that he or she worked on in any capacity.
However, if a writer genuinely responds to a film made by someone else on the HTN team, this is fair game.
We are here to primarily write about low-budget, under-the-radar films that might otherwise slip through the cracks, and to exclude a film from consideration for these tenuous reasons seems to betray the mission of our site. Our friendships with and connections to individuals within the indie film world shouldn’t be crosses to bear. If anything, they are proof that we are engaged and involved participants in this community. If you think this is all some incestuous circle jerk, read my review of Treeless Mountain or David Lowery’s review of Silent Light or Cullen Gallagher’s review of Billy the Kid.
We love movies, and we’re here to write about them.

 Originally posted on:SpoutBlog</spout:body></item>
    <item>
      <title>Spout Post: FilmCouch #112: Sita Sings the Blues, Roman Holiday, SXSW Preview</title>
      <link>http://www.spout.com/blogs/spoutblog/archive/2009/3/13/41013.aspx</link><description><![CDATA[<div><img align='left' src='http://www.spout.com/ProductImages/s399796.jpg' hspace='10' style='height:80px;' />
<strong>Post By:</strong> <a href='http://www.spout.com/members/9325/default.aspx'>SpoutBlog</a><br/>
<strong>Post To:</strong> <a href='http://www.spout.com/blogs/spoutblog/default.aspx'>SpoutBlog on spout.com</a><br/>
<strong>Post Date:</strong> 3/13/2009 2:01:27 PM<br/>
<strong>Body:</strong> 
The success of Slumdog Millionaire, despite our reservations about it, has got us thinking about romance in film. We look to another Westerner’s spin on Indian romance, Nina Paley’s Sita Sings the Blues. The animated feature, which is now available for free online, weaves an ancient Indian epic with a modern day break-up story, all with a soundtrack of vintage Annette Hanshaw. Then we look at Roman Holiday. A classic romance involving royalty, where the lovers don’t live happily ever after.
Karina tells us what to look out for at this year’s South by Southwest Film Festival, the indie film destination where everybody knows your name. Don’t miss Alexander The Last, Drag Me To Hell, Sorry, Thanks, It Came From Kuchar, and St. Nick.

(Subscribe to FilmCouch–Spout’s weekly movie podcast–in the iTunes store or to our RSS feed and an episode will download each Friday)
0:00 - Intro
2:24 - Romance, from India to Rome
25:46 - Karina on SXSW
filmcouch-112 Originally posted on:SpoutBlog<br/>
</div>]]></description><pubDate>Fri, 13 Mar 2009 18:01:27 GMT</pubDate><spout:postby>SpoutBlog</spout:postby><spout:postto>SpoutBlog on spout.com</spout:postto><spout:postdate>3/13/2009 2:01:27 PM</spout:postdate><spout:body>
The success of Slumdog Millionaire, despite our reservations about it, has got us thinking about romance in film. We look to another Westerner’s spin on Indian romance, Nina Paley’s Sita Sings the Blues. The animated feature, which is now available for free online, weaves an ancient Indian epic with a modern day break-up story, all with a soundtrack of vintage Annette Hanshaw. Then we look at Roman Holiday. A classic romance involving royalty, where the lovers don’t live happily ever after.
Karina tells us what to look out for at this year’s South by Southwest Film Festival, the indie film destination where everybody knows your name. Don’t miss Alexander The Last, Drag Me To Hell, Sorry, Thanks, It Came From Kuchar, and St. Nick.

(Subscribe to FilmCouch–Spout’s weekly movie podcast–in the iTunes store or to our RSS feed and an episode will download each Friday)
0:00 - Intro
2:24 - Romance, from India to Rome
25:46 - Karina on SXSW
filmcouch-112 Originally posted on:SpoutBlog</spout:body></item>
    <item>
      <title>Spout Tag:marriageproblems</title>
      <link>http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/marriageproblems/MemberTagFilms.aspx</link><description><![CDATA[<div style='display:block;height:120px;width:400px;font:10px/10px Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;'><a href='/members/0/tags/marriageproblems/MemberTagFilms.aspx'>marriageproblems</a>
<strong><br/> Number of films tagged:</strong> 905</br><br/>
<strong>Number of people who tagged:</strong> 15</br><br/>
<strong>Number of times used:</strong> 27</br><br/>
</div>]]></description><pubDate>Wed, 12 Aug 2009 13:02:59 GMT</pubDate><spout:numFilms>905</spout:numFilms><spout:numPeople>15</spout:numPeople><spout:timesUsed>27</spout:timesUsed><spout:type>Tag</spout:type></item>
    <item>
      <title>Spout Tag:SXSW</title>
      <link>http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/SXSW/MemberTagFilms.aspx</link><description><![CDATA[<div style='display:block;height:120px;width:400px;font:10px/10px Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;'><a href='/members/0/tags/SXSW/MemberTagFilms.aspx'>SXSW</a>
<strong><br/> Number of films tagged:</strong> 213</br><br/>
<strong>Number of people who tagged:</strong> 14</br><br/>
<strong>Number of times used:</strong> 274</br><br/>
</div>]]></description><pubDate>Thu, 02 Apr 2009 02:26:40 GMT</pubDate><spout:numFilms>213</spout:numFilms><spout:numPeople>14</spout:numPeople><spout:timesUsed>274</spout:timesUsed><spout:type>Tag</spout:type></item>
    <item>
      <title>Spout Tag:temptation</title>
      <link>http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/temptation/MemberTagFilms.aspx</link><description><![CDATA[<div style='display:block;height:120px;width:400px;font:10px/10px Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;'><a href='/members/0/tags/temptation/MemberTagFilms.aspx'>temptation</a>
<strong><br/> Number of films tagged:</strong> 162</br><br/>
<strong>Number of people who tagged:</strong> 14</br><br/>
<strong>Number of times used:</strong> 19</br><br/>
</div>]]></description><pubDate>Wed, 12 Aug 2009 13:02:59 GMT</pubDate><spout:numFilms>162</spout:numFilms><spout:numPeople>14</spout:numPeople><spout:timesUsed>19</spout:timesUsed><spout:type>Tag</spout:type></item>
    <item>
      <title>Spout Tag:husbandandwife</title>
      <link>http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/husbandandwife/MemberTagFilms.aspx</link><description><![CDATA[<div style='display:block;height:120px;width:400px;font:10px/10px Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;'><a href='/members/0/tags/husbandandwife/MemberTagFilms.aspx'>husbandandwife</a>
<strong><br/> Number of films tagged:</strong> 767</br><br/>
<strong>Number of people who tagged:</strong> 10</br><br/>
<strong>Number of times used:</strong> 23</br><br/>
</div>]]></description><pubDate>Thu, 09 Jul 2009 13:13:22 GMT</pubDate><spout:numFilms>767</spout:numFilms><spout:numPeople>10</spout:numPeople><spout:timesUsed>23</spout:timesUsed><spout:type>Tag</spout:type></item>
    <item>
      <title>Spout Tag:sxsw-film-festival</title>
      <link>http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/sxsw-film-festival/MemberTagFilms.aspx</link><description><![CDATA[<div style='display:block;height:120px;width:400px;font:10px/10px Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;'><a href='/members/0/tags/sxsw-film-festival/MemberTagFilms.aspx'>sxsw-film-festival</a>
<strong><br/> Number of films tagged:</strong> 182</br><br/>
<strong>Number of people who tagged:</strong> 5</br><br/>
<strong>Number of times used:</strong> 230</br><br/>
</div>]]></description><pubDate>Thu, 24 Sep 2009 02:07:10 GMT</pubDate><spout:numFilms>182</spout:numFilms><spout:numPeople>5</spout:numPeople><spout:timesUsed>230</spout:timesUsed><spout:type>Tag</spout:type></item>
    <item>
      <title>Spout Tag:hardships</title>
      <link>http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/hardships/MemberTagFilms.aspx</link><description><![CDATA[<div style='display:block;height:120px;width:400px;font:10px/10px Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;'><a href='/members/0/tags/hardships/MemberTagFilms.aspx'>hardships</a>
<strong><br/> Number of films tagged:</strong> 186</br><br/>
<strong>Number of people who tagged:</strong> 2</br><br/>
<strong>Number of times used:</strong> 3</br><br/>
</div>]]></description><pubDate>Wed, 06 May 2009 13:04:03 GMT</pubDate><spout:numFilms>186</spout:numFilms><spout:numPeople>2</spout:numPeople><spout:timesUsed>3</spout:timesUsed><spout:type>Tag</spout:type></item>
    <item>
      <title>Spout Tag:SXSW-2009</title>
      <link>http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/SXSW-2009/MemberTagFilms.aspx</link><description><![CDATA[<div style='display:block;height:120px;width:400px;font:10px/10px Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;'><a href='/members/0/tags/SXSW-2009/MemberTagFilms.aspx'>SXSW-2009</a>
<strong><br/> Number of films tagged:</strong> 78</br><br/>
<strong>Number of people who tagged:</strong> 2</br><br/>
<strong>Number of times used:</strong> 78</br><br/>
</div>]]></description><pubDate>Wed, 04 Mar 2009 18:17:38 GMT</pubDate><spout:numFilms>78</spout:numFilms><spout:numPeople>2</spout:numPeople><spout:timesUsed>78</spout:timesUsed><spout:type>Tag</spout:type></item>
    <item>
      <title>Spout Tag:monogamy</title>
      <link>http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/monogamy/MemberTagFilms.aspx</link><description><![CDATA[<div style='display:block;height:120px;width:400px;font:10px/10px Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;'><a href='/members/0/tags/monogamy/MemberTagFilms.aspx'>monogamy</a>
<strong><br/> Number of films tagged:</strong> 18</br><br/>
<strong>Number of people who tagged:</strong> 1</br><br/>
<strong>Number of times used:</strong> 1</br><br/>
</div>]]></description><pubDate>Fri, 13 Mar 2009 13:01:49 GMT</pubDate><spout:numFilms>18</spout:numFilms><spout:numPeople>1</spout:numPeople><spout:timesUsed>1</spout:timesUsed><spout:type>Tag</spout:type></item>
  </channel>
</rss>