The Traveling Adventure
Arriving in Austin was an experience in and of itself. Apparently the Austin police department is initiating an "aggressive driving" campaign where they are venturing to "crack down" on aggressive drivers during Spring Break. The one time that I forget to signal as I change lanes to get out of the way of the SPEEDING truck behind me, a cop decides to start his "aggressive driving" campaign on me. 10 embarrassing minutes later, I have a nice and shiny Austin citation for not signaling when changing lanes. Let the adventure begin...

The Driving Adventure
I consider myself a pretty good driver and someone who is very directionally intelligent, BUT, in Austin, it's like I've never driven before, EVER! And apparently, I wasn't the only one who had never driven before either! The street names from Google Maps were completely different from the ones that actually existed. Highway 69 on Google is ACTUALLY 2222, and then Barton Springs road that you can exit off onto, doesn't actually feed off the highway, etc., and the list could go on and on. Nevertheless, I made it safe and sound and only a little later than I wanted.

The Checking In Adventure
Let's just be honest with each other: the Austin Convention Center is an overwhelming place to try and wade through, ESPECIALLY when you are a first-timer. I think there needs to be a place for the first-timers. When you register/apply/sign up or whatever, there needs to be a place where you can indicate that you are a first-timer so that the SXSW staff can hold a little "SXSW First Timer Orientation" for us. Let's face it: the last thing you want to do at a big time film festival, especially if you are an accredited member of the press, is actually ASK someone for help. Boy, how "amateur" does that make you look?? Regardless, the SXSW staff were SUPREMELY patient and VERY helpful in leading the massive pack towards the right line. I think the question of the day, and probably the entire festival, will be "Is this the line for ______?" I love the trust and the genuine helpful community that surrounds SXSW. We're all in this together so let's help each other out...especially the short guy with glasses with the really "indie" laptop bag with the sparrow on it.

The First Panel Adventure
My first ever SXSW Panel was "How To Rawk SXSW Film" with Kevin Kelly of Cinematical/Joystiq fame, Agnes Varnum of the Austin Film Society, Ingrid Kopp of Shooting People, and Rodney Gibbs of Foundation 9. It was a great panel for anyone who, like me, was overwhelmed by it all and wanted to know how to take full advantage of this amazing festival. I mainly went to hear Kevin Kelly as I think he is a great writer/blogger and I love how his passion came out when talking about blogging full-time and how to make money off of it. He just simply said, "First off, you just need to write. Write, write, write. That's the most important thing." Agnus added some great tips on how to get around the screenings and the panels and it really simplified the entire festival into something more manageable. I think the keyword for me this trip is going to be: flexibility. I made a schedule, I have screenings/panels/interviews planned, but in order to get the most out of the whole experience, I am going to have to be flexible. That should be next year's tagline: SXSW 2011-Flexibility.

The Press Adventure
So, not only am I experiencing this gargantuan film festival for the first time, I am doing it as an accredited member of the press corps. You know me, I like to do everything all at once. The online press world is a funny world. I'm not going to get into the whole exhaustively over-done topic of the "traditional press vs. the modern press" as you can just type that into Google and find as much as you want, but I will say this: being a member of ANY press is pretty darn cool, especially in Texas. Some of my most favorite movie bloggers in the whole wide world are Neil Miller of Film School Rejects, Chase Whale of Gordon and the Whale, and Vic Holtreman of Screenrant. (Vic isn't at SXSW so he's not really crucial in this story but I just wanted to make sure you knew where my allegiances lie) After the panel I went into the SXSW Press Suite to plug in my computer and check email/Twitter/website and who do I see sitting at the table right in front of me? That's right, both Neil and Chase! And here's the weird thing: did I go up to them and say what's up? No. Why? Because I, a 30yr. old husband and father of 1, got nervous. What would my wife and my little boy think of me now? Like I said, the online press world is a funny world. We all love movies and love to write about them...and that's an amazing gift.

The Screening Adventure
I had planned on seeing Kick-Ass tonight, but something Kevin Kelly said at the panel made me change my mind. When talking about the screenings and how to plan your schedule, he explained his strategy of making time to see the films that he wouldn't necessarily ever get to see again. The smaller films, the indie films, the films that might never get picked up and distributed, the little hidden gems that make SXSW what it is. With that in mind, I skipped the over-crowded screening and opted to see Tim Blake Nelson's "Leaves of Grass" starring the great Edward Norton. I arrived at the Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar theater about 2 hours prior to the screening and it was a good thing too. The line had already began to form and would soon reach lengths that drifted into blurriness. Now, here's the coolest part about the SXSW Film Festival: you will wait in a LOT of lines for an extended period of time. You're probably thinking to yourself that doesn't sound cool, but wait. While standing in those lines, you get to have some of the most interesting conversations with the coolest people you would never meet on your own initiative. While in line, I had a lengthy and very sweet conversation with Patti Willingham, the wife of Noble Willingham, the actor who portrayed C.D. Walker in Walker, Texas Ranger. I also met Dani from Garland, and Mandy who works for KTSW 89.9 FM and we all had a great conversation about our favorite movies, directors, and what we thought about the Oscars. It's great to meet people who love movies just as much as you do. That's truly the "hidden gem" of SXSW: the line people. (Oh yeah, after the film, both Edward Norton and Tim Blake Nelson stayed for a quick Q & A and it was cool. Also, Jonah Hill showed up.) (Look for my review of Leaves Of Grass tomorrow)

All in all, my first day at SXSW was awesome. Today was the lightest day of my 5 days here so I expect my exhaustion to be tripled by this time tomorrow. Stay tuned in to Truth On Cinema as we continue to bring you all of the happenings at SXSW 2010 here in Austin, TX.

I am constantly Tweeting about everything so if you want real time reactions and updates, be sure to follow @TruthOnCinema and tell all of your friends!

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In what is shaping up to be a magnificent film, Disney has finally debuted the teaser trailer for Tron Legacy online. The trailer wasn't supposed to even drop until later on this year, but a viral game that Disney started for this film was already solved and revealed the location of the trailer: a website called program-glitch-esc.

This is one of those trailers that stops the entire day down. Whatever you are doing at the time, just forget it, focus all of your attention on the wonder of this film. I have to be honest, I wasn't very excited about Tron as most people are because I never saw the original (I plan on seeing it before I watch this one) nor do I even know what's going on...but after seeing this trailer, I am OFFICIALLY excited!

What do you think of the trailer? What excites you/doesn't excite you about this trailer/film in general?

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I don't know how many people caught the tease of a Big Announcement coming in my SXSW 2010 post but I wanted to give you a sneak peek into what is happening behind the scenes at Truth On Cinema headquarters.

As you can see from the image above, the site will be getting a face lift courtesy of, well, me, and a much needed clean up of all of the different posts, categories, features, etc., that encompass Truth On Cinema. The content will be smoother, the navigation will be simpler, and the site will run a lot faster.

I don't want to give too much away in the way of content and what will be different, but for now, enjoy the tease and mark your calendars for March 12 as Truth On Cinema 4.0 will be fully operational. Until then, PLEASE leave comments as to what we can do better here, what you'd like to see different, and anything else you think will make for a better Truth On Cinema experience.

What do you think so far? What would you like to see different in the next and hopefully final installment of Truth On Cinema?

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Debuting just after the Oscars on Jimmy Kimmel Live, Jon Favreau and Marvel have given us the 2nd Iron Man 2 trailer.

In this trailer we are given a bunch of footage from the previous trailer but with extended cuts. We get to see more explosions, a more drawn out scene with Mickey Rourke's character Whiplash, and we finally get to see a little more of Scarlett Johansson's character Black Widow. I think this trailer is amazing and I can't wait until the summer to see how much $ Iron Man 2 rakes in. Secretly, I want it to destroy AVATAR...pipe dream I know.

What do you think of the trailer? How's Iron Man 2 shaping up to you?

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If you were living under a rock last night or in another country that doesn't like movies and Americans, then you might have missed the 82nd Annual Academy Awards presentation. Or maybe, like myself, you already knew who was going to win and decided to spend the time with your family. Whatever the case, if you missed it and want to know who won and who lost, we at Truth On Cinema are once again here for you. The winners are in Red.

Best Picture
Avatar
The Blind Side
District 9
An Education
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds
Precious
A Serious Man
Up
Up in the Air

Best Director
Kathryn Bigelow, The Hurt Locker
James Cameron, Avatar
Lee Daniels, Precious
Jason Reitman, Up in the Air
Quentin Tarantino, Inglourious Basterds

Best Actor
Jeff Bridges, Crazy Heart
George Clooney, Up in the Air
Colin Firth, A Single Man
Morgan Freeman, Invictus
Jeremy Renner, The Hurt Locker

Best Actress
Sandra Bullock, The Blind Side
Helen Mirren, The Last Station
Carey Mulligan, An Education
Gabourey Sidibe, Precious
Meryl Streep, Julie & Julia

Best Supporting Actor
Matt Damon, Invictus
Woody Harrelson, The Messenger
Christopher Plummer, The Last Station
Stanley Tucci, The Lovely Bones
Christoph Waltz, Inglourious Basterds

Best Supporting Actress
Penélope Cruz, Nine
Vera Farmiga, Up in the Air
Maggie Gyllenhaal, Crazy Heart
Anna Kendrick, Up in the Air
Mo’Nique, Precious

Best Original Screenplay
Avatar
Inglourious Basterds
The Hurt Locker
A Serious Man
Up
The Messenger

Best Adapted Screenplay
Up in the Air
Precious
An Education
District 9
In the Loop

Animated Feature Film
Coraline
Fantastic Mr. Fox
The Princess and the Frog
The Secret of Kells
Up

Foreign Language Film
Ajami
The Secret of their Eyes
The Milk of Sorrow
A Prophet
The White Ribbon

Documentary Feature
Burma VJ
The Cove
Food Inc
The Most Dangerous Man in America
Which Way Home

Achievement in Music (Original Song)
The Princess and the Frog, “Almost There” – Music and Lyrics by Randy Newman
The Princess and the Frog, “Down in New Orleans” – Music and Lyrics by Randy Newman
Paris 36, “Loin de Paname” – Mucis by Reinhardt Wagner, Lyric by Frank Thomas
Nine, “Take It All” – Music and Lyric by Maury Yeston
Crazy Heart, “The Weary Kind (Theme from Crazy Heart)” – Music and Lyric by Ryan Bingham and T Bone Burnett

Achievement in Music (Original Score)
Avatar, James Horner
Fantastic Mr. Fox, Alexander Desplat
The Hurt Locker, Marco Beltrami and Buck Sanders
Sherlock Holmes, Hans Zimmer
Up, Michael Giacchino

Achievement in Film Editing
Avatar
District 9
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds
Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire

Achievement in Cinematography
Avatar
Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds
The White Ribbon

Achievement in Art Direction
Avatar
The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus
Nine
Sherlock Holmes
The Young Victoria

Achievement in Costume Design
Bright Star
Coco before Chanel
The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus
Nine
The Young Victoria

Achievement in Visual Effects
Avatar
District 9
Star Trek

Achievement in Sound Editing
Avatar
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds
Star Trek
Up

Achievement in Sound Mixing
Avatar
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds
Star Trek
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

Achievement in Makeup
Il Divo
Star Trek
The Young Victoria

Documentary Short Subject
China’s Unnatural Disaster: The Tears of Sichuan Province
The Last Campaign of Governor Booth Gardner
The Last Truck: Closing of a GM Plant
Music by Prudence
Rabbit a la Berlin

Animated Short Film
French Roast
Granny O’Grimm’s Sleeping Beauty
The Lady and the Reaper (La Dama y la Muerte)
Logorama
A Matter of Loaf and Death

Live Action Short Film
The Door
Instead of Abracadabra
Kavi
Miracle Fish
The New Tenants

How did you feel about the night? Were there any surprises? What were your thoughts?

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Anytime Edward Norton is involved in a film, I am immediately on board. I think he brings so much class and intrigue and just all around greatness to any film he does. Whether it's fooling you into believing magic, turning a greenish hue when he's angry, or beating the crap out of Brad Pitt and himself, Norton brings a level of excellence to his films that rivals the greats...but what happens when he's cast opposite HIMSELF?!

Another great film that I am really looking forward to seeing this year at SXSW is Leaves of Grass, directed by the highly underrated Tim Blake Nelson. (you would remember him from O' Brother, Where Art Thou as "Delmar") In this film, Norton plays "an Ivy League professor who is lured back to his Oklahoma hometown, where his twin brother, a small-time pot grower, has concocted a scheme to take down a local drug lord." Now that sounds kind of cool and maybe doesn't really grab your attention...but just wait until you see the trailer and check out some of the stills, you're going to love!

Do you think Norton will end up beating himself up again?

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Ever since SXSW released their very wide selection of films debuting, I've been plowing through tons of synopsis', trailers, movie stills, press releases, etc., to try and plan what films I want to see and cover. When I started this process a few weeks ago, I ran across a peculiar film called Barry Munday. The title grabbed my attention and so I read the synopsis and literally laughed outloud, but eventually resigned to skip it because I had to make a choice between it and another film I was more interested in...

Today I received an email from the fine folks handling the publicity with the first OFFICIAL trailer for the film. After viewing, I can 100% say that I am SUPER EXCITED about changing my schedule around and sitting down to watch Barry Munday. Just so you can laugh along with me, here's the official synopsis and the trailer:

"Barry Munday, a suburban wanna-be ladies man, wakes up in the hospital after being attacked in a movie theater, only to realize that he is missing one of his most prized possessions... his testicles. To make matters worse, Barry learns he's facing a paternity lawsuit filed by a woman he can't remember having sex with. With this being Barry last chance to ever be a father, Barry reaches out and embraces the journey of parenthood and the onslaught of bumps that face him along the way. Filled with an ensemble of unusual characters, "Barry Munday" is the surprisingly heart-warming tale of a guy who finds it took losing his manhood to be a better man."

What do you think about Barry Munday?

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Counting down to SXSW 2010, we have less than two weeks to go and until that time, Truth On Cinema will be previewing some fantastic films that I plan on seeing. You will see all sorts of films previewed here, from documentaries, to feature-length films, all the way to less-than-10-minute shorts. I won't be previewing every film I plan on seeing, but I will do my best to wet your cinematical appetite before the big festival.

The first one I want to preview here is a film called The People vs. George Lucas. It's a very unique documentary directed by Alexandre O. Philippe and the official synopsis via the press kit says:

THE PEOPLE vs. GEORGE LUCAS explores the titanic struggle between a Godlike filmmaker and his legions of fans over the most popular franchise in movie history. "At its core, PvsG is the examination of a high profile, dysfunctional love story", says Philippe. "George created this humongous and intricate sandbox for us to play in; but is he the sole owner of it, or does it now belong to the ages? And what happens to your role as a creator when your audience claims it owns your art?! We basically looked at the conflicted dynamic between George and his fans from a cultural perspective, and asked ourselves those questions."

I love the Star Wars franchise and consider myself a true fan. I am not as intense as a lot of the other fans out there, but I can sympathize with the intensity that the Lucas-haters express over their dislike of the franchise. Check out the trailer and let me know what you think.

Trailer:

How excited are you about the first SXSW 2010 preview?

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Yes, that's right, your little friends at Truth On Cinema will be heading south to the great city of Austin, TX to officially cover the Music/Film/Interactive Extravaganza that is known as South By Southwest (SXSW for short). I, of course, will be covering the film portion of the festival and am so excited! This will be my first festival to ever attend and it's even more exciting that I will be attending as a member of the PRESS.

What Is This Festival All About?
If you are unfamiliar with SXSW and what it's all about, here's a synopsis taken directly from their site:

The South by Southwest (SXSW) Conferences & Festivals offer the unique convergence of original music, independent films, and emerging technologies. Fostering creative and professional growth alike, SXSW is the premier destination for discovery.

There are so many great films that are made that may never get to see the light of day, and the great thing about SXSW is that they are then given a voice. Most of the time you hear about a movie because either you saw it advertised on a commercial in the middle of your favorite TV show, or someone at the water cooler at work mentions that he thinks there's going to be a 2nd Iron Man. There are some amazing filmmakers creating some extraordinary films that, with SXSW, are given the chance to shine and find an audience.

Alright, But Why Are You Going And Why Do I Care?

First of all: I have always wanted to be a part of a big film festival and engage in community with people like myself: fans who absolutely love film! With being a Dad, a husband, and having a full-time job, I don't have the opportunity to travel to big festivals like Sundance, Cannes, Comic-Con, Toronto Film Festival, Telluride, etc., so when the "circus" comes through my home state of Texas, I'm doing everything I can to be there. Second of all: This is my chance to bring to you, the loyal friends and family of Truth On Cinema, coverage of some amazing films that you may have never heard about, but must see!

What Can I Expect From Your Coverage?
While I am there all week, here's what you can expect:

• Daily Video Blogs - These video blogs will be a summary of what went on that day, movies I saw, stuff I ate, people I ran into or got the chance to meet, etc. Everyday there will be a new video blog so be sure you are a follower and don't miss any of the action.
• Movie Reviews - I will be posting movie reviews of every movie I see and I will try my best to post them in order that I saw them. In addition to the print reviews that will be posted here, I might also be posting some Video Reviews which will just be me on camera giving my quick take on a film I just saw.
• Interviews - Along with trying to see as many movies as I can, being a member of the press corps, I will also be trying to get some interviews with the cast and crew and the filmmakers of the many films at SXSW.
• The SXSW Experience - I hope to bring you as much of the experience as I can. I want to document and detail all of my surroundings, the smells, the food, the people, the atmosphere of SXSW, so that you can be there and feel it with me.

Leading up to the Film Festival, I will be previewing different films that I think are interesting and that I will try to see. I am going to create an entire category specifically for all of my SXSW coverage so you can conveniently stay on top of all of the latest news and findings.

Do I Hear A Big Announcement Coming?
For the last time (at least until I am wanting a new one) in a while, Truth On Cinema is going to be getting a face lift. I have settled on and found a look and feel that I think will suit Truth On Cinema for the long run. Debuting on the first day of SXSW, March 12th, will be the brand new look of Truth On Cinema. Along the while, for the next couple of weeks, I will reveal little bits of what it's going to look like and what you can look forward to. Mark your calendars! 3/12/10 will bring you a totally revamped Truth On Cinema!

Be sure to follow along and I look forward to experiencing SXSW together with you.

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Finally! After having to wait 4 years to see the Caped Crusader on screen again and wondering whether or not the box office failure of Superman Returns was going to be the last we ever saw of him, we finally know who is going to be at least writing the next Superman film: David Goyer.

Legendary Pictures and Warner Bros. announced today (via Latino Review) that David Goyer has been tapped to pen the next installment of Superman entitled Man of Steel. One of their inside sources, humorously named Pinche Taco, grabbed the scoop and revealed more information about the film:

1. Thomas Tull, the head of Legendary, got tired of all the discussion and decided chingate, let's do it. So he went to Goyer and Goyer had an idea that actually takes the movies back to the John Byrne incarnation. Modern. Believable. FUN! So Tull got Goyer hired.
2. The film will not be called Superman and will be called THE MAN OF STEEL.
3. Brandon Routh will not star in the film.
4. Nic Cage will NOT star in the film (lol)
5. Bryan Singer is not expected to direct.

As you may or may not know, Goyer helped to revitalize the Batman franchise by co-writing Batman Begins with Christopher Nolan, and helping out the writing of The Dark Knight. This news excites me and I can't wait to see what Goyer can do with Superman. With Goyer writing the screenplay and Christopher Nolan "overseeing" the entire franchise, it looks like Superman may finally be getting off the ground.

What do you think? Are you excited for Superman?

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