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Under discussion:

One Minute to Nine  (2008)

One Minute to Nine is one of three films that I’ve been wandering around Austin championing as a must-see, and every time I offer the in-a-nutshell synopsis to someone who hasn’t heard of it, their jaw drops. This is what I’ve been saying: One Minute to Nine is about Wendy Maldonado, a woman whose husband beat and emotionally tortured her and her three sons for two decades. One day, the woman cracks and beats her husband’s head in with a hammer. The film tracks her last few days before she goes to prison for the crime, as she explains why she did it, why she feels no remorse, and why ten years in a prison is a victory compared to what her life would have been like had her husband lived.

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Under discussion:

Speed Racer  (2008)

We take this brief break from our wall-to-wall SXSW coverage to link to the competition line-up for 2008 Tribeca Film Festival, currently posted at indieWIRE. As you know, Baby Mama will open the festival; according to The Reeler, Speed Racer will close it. Here’s a look at a few titles of interest in between:

Shane Meadows’ Somers Town, previously mentioned here.

Guest of Cindy Sherman. Official synopsis: “Analyzing his relationship with reclusive artist Cindy Sherman leads videographer Paul H-O to confront his own ego and identity in this personal and often humorous documentary, which features unprecedented access to Sherman and a unique view of the New York art world.”

Chevolution. Official synopsis: “How did the iconic image of Che Guevara end up on beer bottles and bikinis? This inquiry into the ethics and aesthetics of appropriation investigates how the enduring symbol of Cuba’s Communist Revolution skyrocketed to fame and was ultimately devoured by its own worst enemy: capitalism. English, Spanish with English subtitles.”

I Am Because We Are. Madonna saves orphans.

A President to Remember. Directed by Robert Drew. Synopsis: “Culled from “direct cinema” pioneer Robert Drew’s unparalleled behind-the-scenes footage of JFK at work in the Oval Office, and the events that brought him there, this remarkable film proves a timely update of the Kennedy mythos and an eerily intimate portrait of the now-legendary man himself.”

I have previously only attended the South by Southwest Film Festival as a feature film director (in both 2006 and 2007, with Cocaine Angel and Silver Jew, respectively). This year, however, I have no new film to present. Until I can find my way back into the director’s chair, it looks like I have a new calling in film festival life, that of a film reviewer (Hammer to Nail). Now that I’ve had a chance to settle into the groove of this new festival perspective, I thought it might be interesting to compare and contrast the life of a film director versus that of a film reviewer, specifically with regards to SXSW. Let us break down a day-in-the-life of each and see how they measure up. (more…)