Made it to the airport just in time to fitfully sleep through my flight to Austin. Word of advice: if you're flying American, expect a lot of air conditioning and very few blankets.

The Austin airport is small and cute and easy to navigate. I always get a small thrill out of arriving in a new city. I suppose it's the residual, ancestral drive for exploration that resides somewhere deep in our genetic matter. As I drove from the airport into Austin, two things stuck out: the land is very, very flat and the sky is very, very blue. Suddenly, all the songs I've heard that reference the wide skies of Texas made a lot of sense.

After checking into the Hilton, I headed across the street to the convention center to pick up my badge and get situated. Despite the long line, everyone was incredibly friendly and in good spirits.

SUFFERING MAN'S CHARITY
Had barely enough time to make it over to the Paramount Theater to catch a screening of SUFFERING MAN'S CHARITY, directed by Alan Cummings. Mr. Cummings is known for making big, bold character choices and this black comedy provides ample opportunity. He plays Jonathan Vandermark, a music teacher with operatic aspirations, who takes in a writer named Sebastian, played by David Boreanaz (aka "Angel"). Alas, Sebastian is really a hustler, and when Vandermark finds out that he’s been played, he goes to extreme measures to get payback.

Cummings said that it was quite a challenge juggling his dual roles as actor and director. He joked, "It was hard to be splattered with blood and weeping and suddenly have to talk about camera angles." A theme for the piece was acting with abandon, and Cummings said that he asked everyone to approach their roles as if "jumping off a cliff."

Karen Black clearly took these instructions to heart in the role of, in her words, "a drunk nympho" that Sebastian brings home one night. Her special moment on a chair is a joy to watch.

Also a joy to watch - David Boreanaz clad in lingerie and Christmas lights. We interviewed Boreanaz on Saturday afternoon, where he filled us in on his unique wardrobe for SUFFERING, as well as his thoughts on independent film (video goodies coming soon).

OPENING NIGHT FILM: THE LOOKOUT
I exited the Paramount only to turn around and make my way right back inside for Oscar-nominated writer Scott Frank's directorial debut THE LOOKOUT. Joseph Gordon-Levitt stars as Chris Pratt in this small town crime drama. A former high school athlete, Pratt suffers both physical and mental impairments from an accident he caused several years prior, and all he wants is to feel like he used to.

What sets the film apart is its focus on character and moral choices. Frank has done a good job in casting the film. Gordon-Levitt's sympathetic performance pulls the audience in, urging them to root for him to make the right choices. Supporting roles are strong, notably, Jeff Daniels’ as Pratt's blind, cantankerous caretaker and the effervescent Isla Fisher as Luvlee, the lady who lures Pratt into taking part in a bank heist.

OPENING NIGHT PARTY
Following the screening, I headed off to 401 Guadalupe for the Opening Party for the Film program. Sponsored by A&E IndieFilms, there were fajitas on the grill, port-o-potties, and an open bar - the perfect way to kick off a festival.

Spent some time talking with producer Corey Marr, director Matt Bissonnette and his wife Molly Parker, who stars in Bissonnette's WHO LOVES THE SUN (Special Screenings). As luck would have it, the pair is in town for the month while Parker is shooting the CBS pilot SWINGTOWN, so they were easily able to show up at the fest to support the film. iklipz interviewed the WHO LOVES THE SUN team at AFI FEST earlier this year – click here to watch red carpet & clips from the film.

My lack of sleep finally kicked in around 1:30, at which point I excused myself and made my way back for a night of glorious sleep...

Actor Elijah Wood put another of his talents to work during the SXSW "Hooligans" party, held at Maggie Mae's in party-central downtown Austin. Lexi Alexander's "Hooligans", which is a world premiere at SXSW, stars Wood, who brought on an eclectic mix of tunes until the bar closed at 2am, and crowds spilled into the packed streets -- not before a few rounds of applause for Elijah though, and a few snaps from people's mobile phone cameras. [Photo by Brian Brooks/indieWIRE]

Director Richard Linklater (right), founder of the Austin Film Society, at the Texas Hall of Fame evening held at the Austin Studios, a sprawling facility built out of former airport. Linklater chatted with University of Texas professor Paul Stekler during the cocktail hour as celebs, and fellow Texans arrived prior to the ceremony. [Photo by Brian Brooks/indieWIRE]

SXSW Film Festival and Conference producer Matt Dentler with director/star Luke Wilson at the opening night party Friday night. Wilson's film, "The Wendell Baker Story", which he co-directed with his brother, Andrew, opened the festival, and was the film's world premiere.

» Continue reading "Keeping Austin Weird"

"Governor Rick Perry and I go way back," smiled former Texas governor Ann Richards (pictured) at the Texas Hall of Fame dinner last night at Austin Studios, looking at the head table where the Governor was seated with his wife. "I knew him when he was a Democrat!"

[Photo by Brian Brooks/indieWIRE, text by Eugene Hernandez.]

» Continue reading "Saluting Texans and Honorary Texans"