SXSW
2002 - Day 3 - Sunday March 10, 2002
Well, I only saw 2 films today because I spent
the early afternoon working on some personal stuff.
It was a horrible morning because the dumbasses who
live above me were up all night partying. They didn't
go to bed until after 5am and was up at 11am. These
guys don't just play music loud, they also wrestle around
and jump up and down and run up and down the stairs
and stuff. It's like living under a day care for drunk
assholes.
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Matthew
Buzzell, director of "Jimmy Scott: If You Only
Knew"
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Anyway, tomorrow is my friend who is a boy,
J.K.'s, birthday. I won't get to see him tomorrow
probably because I work all day and have films
at night. J.K. is cool with that but I wanted
to do something special for him. So, I burned
a CD that has the song that makes me think of
him ("Just to be Close to You Girl" by the Commodores)
and went and got him some roses. I left them on
his car at work and went to get lunch at Hut's
Hamburgers. He called me on my cell ("Hello Mystery
Man!") and we hooked up and ate and talked. J.K.
wore his dress suit (from work) and a long black
trench coat. He was sexy as hell.
One of the funny things that J.K. told me
was that the first gay movie he ever saw was "The
Broken Hearts Club." Didn't that come out, like,
last year or something?
I had resigned myself to only seeing the
documentary about Jimmy Scott at the Alamo at
5 and "The Chateau" at 9 at the Arbor. I got to
the Alamo and there were some decent lines but
not too bad. I thought, jeez, I bet if Jimmy Scott
played live in Austin this many people wouldn't
show up. Inside, the director of the documentary,
Matthew Buzzell, was introduced by Angela of SXSW.
He did not, for some reason, do a Q&A.
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I decided to kill an hour at home and catch up
on some writing before going to the Arbor. The crackheads
upstairs were playing rap at full volume but I somehow
managed to bash out a rather loving tribute to "Y tu
mama tambien" nonetheless.
I called Mark Brauner, my co-host from Lube TV
to let him know I was on my way to the Arbor to see
"The Chateau." I asked Mark to make some business cards
for our cable access show. A few days ago I was at Cheapos
looking for the Ben Kweller CD (which I could not find)
and the guy in the store recognized me from Lube TV.
I wished I had a business card with the day and the
time and the channel on it, so I asked Mark to make
some. He brought them to me as I stood in line at the
Arbor and we chatted a bit.
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I noticed that the Arbor does indeed have
signage up mentioning that March 17th, the day
after SXSW ends, is their last day open. The company
that owns the space is not renewing Regal Cinemas
lease to the site. A dumb, huge mistake on their
part. They are instead leasing the space to a
cheesecake place. Needless to say the Barnes and
Nobles, Amy's Ice Cream, Thunderclouds Subs and
other businesses in the Arboretum that normally
get some of my business, because I shop where
I see movies, will be missing out on sales to
me after 3/17. Regal is looking at the old Great
Hills Cinema location to relocate the Arbor. But,
then again, so is Landmark and some other chains.
I went into the theater and lo and behold
Alan Campbell came and joined me. After the film
we ran into Keith of the Dobie Theater. He was
checking out films at SXSW too. Keith is a really
nice guy. He moved here from Colorado (after a
brief stint in L.A.) to run the Dobie and things
have gotten much better there in the few months
he's been around.
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Anyway, tomorrow I have to work at 9am. Arrgghhh.
I am going to catch Ethan Hawke's film as well as see
Brandon Howe. That should be fun.
Lodger @ SXSW2002
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