I knew it would be hard to get up in time to see "Bollywood/Hollywood" at 2:15 at the Westgate but I wanted to try. I didn't stay up too late Friday night and, in fact, found myself to tired to write much past 3am, so I fell asleep. I didn't get up until about 12:30pm. I wrote a bit when I got up and took a shower.

I wanted to be early getting tot he Westgate because I had had a horrible experience there last week. Well, none of it was the Westgate's fault but… just listen: I was off from my day gig on Tuesday and Wednesday. I really wanted to see "Max" and it was playing at a full schedule at the Westgate last week, so I decided to go to the 5:10 show to get the matinee price. Tuesday I left my house at 4:40 and at 5:10 I was still sitting in traffic trying to exit to Ben White. This pissed me off and I was so late for the movie that I didn't even try to get there. It was too late and I refuse to miss the beginning of a movie. At 5:15 I still wasn't near the Westgate, so I turned around and came home.

Wednesday I left my house early. I went by Waterloo Video and bought my SXSW Film Pass and then got to Westgate at about 3:30. (I took Lamar instead of Ben White). I ate lunch at the Chinese Buffet across the street and still had time to kill so I went into Borders. To my surprise I ran into one of my Kevin friends, the one we call Kevin in the Dirty City because he plays in a band called In the Dirty City. Kevin gave me a hug and seemed genuinely happy to see me. I bought a Bowie CD single of "Slow Burn" (with 4 new songs on it) and headed over to the Westgate at about 5pm.

There was only one other person in the theater with me when the preview trailers began but almost right before the film started these 5 retarded people came in and started making noise. I don't mean they were assholes, I mean they were legally retarded types. I thought surely they were in the wrong theater so I waited for the film to begin hoping they would see they were in the wrong film and leave. Well, they didn't. But they did continue to get up and move around, yell, moan and be so irritating that I about exploded. I decided to leave and when I went through the lobby I could see one of them talking in sign language to someone else. They weren't retarded, they were deaf. I got a Raincheck and left totally infuriated and frustrated.

So this is why I was so early to the films today. I didn't want to be late. I got to the Westgate at about 1:40 and there was no one there. Well, there was about three people in line and a volunteer, an older guy. Some other guy came asking questions about buying tickets to screenings and the dumb volunteer didn't really know much of anything. I tried to help him as best I could.

There was an attractive girl in front of me, well, actually sitting on the bench to my left, and we struck up a conversation. She was really nice. Somehow Richard Linklater came into the conversation and she simply loathed him. She had known him from several years before, presumably when he was riding the wave of "Slacker" and he probably was a tiresome asshole. I told her about stalking Wiley and how I didn't really stalk Wiley but how I just said that and explained the whole story. And I told her about meeting Linklater and having a friend in "Waking Life." She was really nice and didn't say anything bad about "Rick" but I could tell there was something he had said or done that had pissed her off. I asked her if he "touched her funny or something" and she laughed and said it was nothing like that. (Speaking of Linklater, I saw the SXSW trailer that's in Spanish and mentions Linklater again today. I don't think I wrote about the second one I saw yesterday. It was a funny one where the guy talks about 10 years of SXSW and how that means 10 years of rejection and then he flips off the camera. It was funny and I respected that SXSW had the balls to play it. The other ones I saw today included a spoof of "Memento" and another one featuring Spanish looking images with subtitles.

I can't remember what the story on that one was though… Oh yeah, it had something to do with the Coen Brothers coming to Austin and getting "shot.")

Anyway, the young lady and I continued talking about films and people. She mentioned her husband and I hoped she didn't think I was hitting on her. I thought I made it pretty clear I was gay. We talked about "Bubba Ho-Tep" and "Dare Devil" and she told me how she thought Ben Affleck was attractive. I told her I hated "Dare Devil" because they tried to sell Affleck as a heterosexual and she laughed at that.

We talked about "Willard" and the Cripin Glover thing and I mentioned Harry Knowles. She told me she liked Harry but that every time she saw him he didn't acknowledge her but would talk to her husband. She felt Harry only talked to cute little 18 year old girls. I thought this was odd since she was really attractive and looked pretty young but then later in the conversation she told me she had recently lost 80 pounds, so maybe Harry hasn't seen her since she trimmed up. She was really cute and it was enjoyable talking to her. I didn't even mind when I found out that I had gotten the time wrong and the film was at 2:30, not 2:15. Boy, was I early.

After "Bollywood/Hollywood" it was about 4:15 and I came out and waited for "Raising Victor Vargas." I began to read the column about Margarte Cho in the Texas Triangle and saw she was going to be at the Paramount on March 30th. After getting her two DVD's ("I'm the One that I Want" and "The Notorious C.H.O.") I have decided that I will never miss her live again. I'm going to have to get tickets.

The older guy (he wasn't much older than me) volunteer came over and we talked about Bollywood films and then the two lesbian girls that I sat next to at the "Bubba Ho-Tep" screening last night came up and got in line behind me and said hi. They had seen "B/H" too and so the four of us talked about Bollywood films for a while.

We also talked about the different venues here in town and how "Assassination Tango" was playing at the Paramount and would probably be packed. I said how much I hated the Paramount when it was crowded because it has such lousy leg room and they told me they thought the best seats were in the balcony next to the projector. I remembered that they usually had put a big video projector in the front, middle of the balcony over the past few years and it's really large. I asked them if any of the things they had watched there Friday ("Go Further" or "The Revolution Will be Televised") were in digital and they were unsure.

We finally got into the theater and after a bit of getting situated I went out and got some more soda. I sat down and tried to read more of the Triangle but it was too dark. My eyesight ain't what it used to be. I looked at my watch and it was 5:22, way past the supposed 5:15 start time. At about 5:30, a volunteer came in and said that there were a few problems but the film would be starting shortly.

A few minutes later (less than 5), the same volunteer came in and gave a brief introduction and started the film. By brief introduction I mean he basically said, "10 years of SXSW. Here's the film." It was way too brief. He didn't introduce himself. He didn't remind people to turn off their cell phones. He didn't hype anything at all. That sucks. Why can't they get decent people to introduce some of the films?

After "Raising Victor Vargas" I thought about just staying for the next film but eventually decided to head home for a break. I had decided to blow off the music videos at the Hideout because I figured it would be too crowded. I decided to see The Eye at the Westgate at 10 instead. I thought it might be packed to, so I decided to come back at 9:30 and if the "The Eye" screening was too packed I would use my pass to go see "Max" at 9:30. I went home, heated up some dinner, wrote a bit and listened to Translator's greatest hits CD ("Translations"). I also watched a bit of Chennel 8 news and saw a feature on the Canned Film Festival (http://www.mxmentertainment.com/cannedfilm.html) here in Austin which features films that were rejected from SXSW. It runs later this month, like around the 30th. I'm going to try and submit my rejected film, "Filling the Hole."

I went back to the Westgate at 9pm and took I-35 and made good time. I was way early and got in line for "The Eye." There didn't seem to be anyone doing much talking around me so I placated myself by watching the cutest little, scrawny, 16-year-old, obviously gay concessionist I've ever seen. He was adorable. I shouldn't say he was obviously gay, he just had limp wrists and seemed very flitty. It's wrong to stereotype people by the way they act, isn't it?

Eventually the volunteer guy came and told me the 7 o'clock film ("El Evangelio de las Maravillas" by Aurturo Ripstein) was quite avant-garde. I was sorry I missed it.

I began to talk to the guy in line ahead of me who introduced himself as Dennis. He also presented his Asian wife whose name was Ophelia. We talked about movies and cable TV came up and he told me he had watched several of those "Movies on Demand" with digital cable and really liked that. He said he had seen "Waking Life" and "Sunshine State" and was surprised such films from out of the mainstream were available on it. We talked about the festival and he had seen "The Revolution Will Be Televised" and recommended it. We talked about how cool it was to see films like that and "Journeys with George" and such before they premiered on HBO.

Some people came up to talk to the people behind me and mentioned that they had just come from "Assassination Tango" at the Paramount and it was packed. Well, actually, the male said it was "hard to get into" and at first I thought he meant the movie's plot but then I realized he meant the screening itself. When his friend asked him if he liked the film, he said he did but he didn't sound too convincing.

I also saw my friend Liz who writes form the Spanish newspaper "El Mundo" coming out of the Ripstein film. She said she had been going to all his screenings and pointed him out to me as he left the theater. We also talked about "Raising Victor Vargas" and she told me that I should really see "Lilya 4ever" if I get the chance.

I got into "The Eye" screening and it was pretty full but not sold out. Before it started these three young guys came and sat behind me. It was obvious they were gay from the moment they started talking but they never said anything to specifically prove this theory and were soon joined by a couple of girls. (It's wrong to judge people by the way their voice sounds, isn't it?) Anyway, they talked through the whole movie and kicked the back of my seat and were generally as annoying as hell. Luckily the film sucked ass so it didn't matter.

On my agenda for tomorrow:

1pm - TBA Paramount

4pm - It's Impossible to Learn to Plow by Reading Books (Linklater) - Paramount

7:00 - Sexless - Paramount

9:30 - The Target Shoots First - Alamo

My friend Kevin's band (In the Dirty City) plays at the Vibe down on 6th street on this night and if the show if late enough, I might stop by and check it out.

Lodger2003@SXSW2003