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Hey everyone, it’s now been 41 hours without sleep. I have to be back at the fest in 7 hours, in a car in 6 and a half, and conscious throughout.

Am I tired?

No friggin way. You see this is what I call a Film Festival battery charge. You feed off the energy of film, filmmakers, film audiences and that otherworldly fantastic feeling of insatiable celluloid lust.

I pulled an all nighter last night watching flicks like LIVING IN OBLIVION, drinking Dr Pepper, Wine, etc. Talking with friends, keeping each other in a peak level of frenzy for film. By 6:30am Tom Joad was out the door and heading to his Video Job (pronounced like the biblical name) Annette Kellerman laid in a fetal position sleeping, cuddled under blankets. Me, well I should have gotten some sleep, but I needed to update the site.

So over to the Joad machine I went. I launched online and began. Wrote up that ANTZ review, edited up some news and reports and created a poll. When I check to see if I made any mistakes, I see a new add for some sort of CREATURE FOR THE BLACK LAGOON promo on my site. I begin geeking seriously. This is one of the coolest things ever. Amplified by the fact that Gary Ross (Pleasantville writer/director) is the son of Arthur A Ross (Creature From The Black Lagoon screenwriter) So this is some weird act of god/fate/weirdness. By that time... well Annette had finished her 4 hours and was in the shower. We were preparing to pick up Father Geek and head to the fest.

I put on the Scooby Doo tie, it’s a power tie, and off we go. There’s a panel with Paul Dini, the man who should be in charge of all projects cool at Warner Brothers, and it is necessary to listen to his panel to understand why he and Bruce Timm are not ruling WB instead of Semel and Daly.

Upon arriving at the beautiful Driskill Hotel, we notice that there is an empty carved moat surrounding the castle of literates. So we flag down the paid carjackers and have our vehicle absconded with to some far off distant land where noone truly feels safe!

We step out of the car and instantly, seemingly impossibly fast, I discover that I have a schmoozer attached to me. They’re like T-1000s they just rise out of the sidewalk, it’s spooky.

I exchange a few words about life, liberty and film festivals, and it’s in to get Annette and Tom Joad their gear. Of course the registration process takes about 2 hours due to some minor confusion, but I love it, because one of the coolest places to be at a film festival is the registration room on opening day. These filmmakers come up, they read the site, I’ve seen their films, I’ve already done the whole judge thing, and now we’re not doing the,

“Wow, your ass smells wonderful”

“Noooooo, your ass... my gawd, it’s like potpourri”

“Oh stop you’re teasing... does it really (giggle giggle)”

Now this conversation will inevitably take place probably 100 times at least here, but this morning it does not. Annette is feeling all guilty for occupying my time, but hey... She an uber-cool type so there is no need to leave her by herself... that’s uncool.

Upon leaving there we head to a panel downstairs. BEYOND MICE AND DUCKS: WRITING FOR FEATURE ANIMATION The panelists were:

Rita Hsiao - screenwriter for MULAN, TOY STORY II, DINOSAURS, etc..

Paul Dini - screenwriter/producer for Batman: Animated Series, Superman: Animated Series, etc. Future industry great when the industry pulls their head out of their ass.

Bob Poole - I’m unsure. He was the original screenwriter on ARMAGEDDON when it was a radically different film. He’s apparently got something going on with TIPPETT STUDIOS, more below.

Then the moderator.

Annette and I arrived in the middle of a big speech by Bob Poole, who is talking about TIPPETT STUDIOS’ “EXPEDITION” He goes into detail about how they (TIPPETT) is planning on it being the first completely photorealistic CGI flick. It takes place 2000 years into the future and is apparently according to my sleep addled brain remembers, is about some Mutual of Omaha types, my description not his, that are doing something on this new planet where they are dealing with all sorts of completely alien lifeforms. There is no romance, the male/female relationship is not going beyond holding hands, and they see it aimed at the same sort of age group that gets off to AKIRA, Miyazaki stuff, etc. GOD, I wish I could just read this dude’s brain, cause I just bet he’s seen some shit that would just fry my brain.

Then the conversation went into a television area, then back to feature animation. The common ailment that was being mentioned was the influence of outside parties such as fast food, toys, merchandisers, etc... They don’t care about a character development, they care about a toy to sell. A problem which also plagues the live action area of films.

Then they went on to discussing the need for an animation writer’s union, as the Writers Guild doesn’t cover them. A strange and astounding oversight/self-created problem.

They also talked about how writers are treated with far more respect in the animation field with the people they have to work with, than in the live-action field where scripts are ripped away and changed with a blink of an eye.

Then of course came the nasty fights between Disney and DreamWorks, and it was there that the conversation stifled a bit, so I brought up the issue with ANTZ being moved up, how that was broke on AICN, and how about 8 hours later, there was a formal apology from the people at P.D.I. to Pixar that was really quite gracious, admiring and cordial. I stressed how the animators and writers and directors... well they don’t hate one another, they admire.

After this I end up talking with a small pack that came out of the panel room and then go off to talk with Tobe Hooper a bit, then it came time to head off to the governor’s mansion for free Bar B Que.

Just Father Geek and myself have the secret handshakes and runes on papyrus to enter George Bush Junior’s front yard. There’s this big blue and white striped Tim Burton created tent in the Gov’s front yard. Tons of food, drink and companionship.

This quarter-borrowing pan-handling lady I know sits with us, along with some filmmakers, reporters etc. I eat quickly so I can begin talking with some people and get ready to see PLEASANTVILLE.

I talk to all types of people, from the guy that created the fake M EMMET WALSH hand in Blood Simple, to another fella that created the furniture in Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Somewhere around all this madness is Brian Helgeland, Gary Ross, Stuart Gordon, etc. John Landis apparently had some sort of delay.

This sort of deal is insane. It’s jam packed, far more so than the parties at premieres. Lots of people coming up, cards forced into my hand, talking with some of the filmmakers from the feature competition that I really really loved. And you always have to watch what you’re saying on account of the people walking around with tape recorders, cameras, etc. I venture into the mosh pit of schmooze once, then grab Dad to get the heck out of there.

Immediately upon hitting Congress, Robogeek, who was disguised as a common parking meter, comes clanging up requesting instructions, so we gave him the stolen rebel plans and leave him behind.

We get to the Paramount to discover that seating had already begun. My entire crew was there. More even than I provided for. In all I saw 27 people that I told to be in that theater for PLEASANTVILLE. Sister Satan and Quint have our typical 4th row under control. We settle in and I begin popping my PENGUIN CAFFEINATED PEPPERMENTS, one after another (3 equal a cup of coffee, I’ve had so many I actually look like Columbia) My eyes pop open, and I’m ready for this film.

PLEASANTVILLE

I’ve been raving about this movie, this script, this SHOWest reel forever it seems. Technically I didn’t see the reel up there, but saw it through my own nefarious spy ways. Needless to say who or how, but the fact of the matter is this.... I was in love with this film before I ever walked in the theater.

How does that happen? What happens to objectivity? What are you talking about?

A mixture of reading the script (fantastic), the reel (fantastic) and knowing about the cast (fantastic)... Well I knew this film was going to kill me, and the rest of my crew. What I really wanted to know was whether or not any and all other folks would also ‘get’ this film. Whether or not the film would be delivered as well as my imagination realized it. And believe me, if ever there was a case of explaining the enviroment of a screening this was it.

I was dead tired. I wasn’t answering the questions of friends. I felt like I just wanted to go home and sleep. The theater was packed, not an open seat in the 1200+ seat auditorium. The film began 15 minutes late. The projector continually was halted, the image disappearing, the sound dropping out, the manager and filmmaker Gary Ross coming out all hang dog and penitant. There were delays of over 20 minutes it seemed. At key moments of the film.

NOT A SOUL LEFT THEIR SEAT.

Group organized clapping. At one particularly dire point it looked as if we were not going to see the whole film. Gary came out and said, “Well we can just do the Q and A or we could rewind back to the start of this last reel and try again”

The audience boomed out “THREAD IT UP!!!” Gary was shocked. No angry “boos” In fact when they tried to get it going and the sound problems persisted... well the audience chimed in for sound effects when as if by design the sound came back to cheers.

This was an audience that loved film. It was one of the great audience watchings of a film I’ve had. They weathered the storm, the film weathered it and Gary Ross came out the other end as some sort of character of a Homer EPIC.

To be fair to the Paramount and the Austin Film Festival, this was the first time to use a brand new projecting system, that allegedly had the kinks out. I talked to the Paramount theater head dude and he said there would be no further problems, the Dolby Dude would take care of everything. Issue resolved. Coooool.

So what I’m trying to say is even with all these problems, the dead tired lack of energy, the film performed soooooooooooo well, that the audience applauded straight for the entire end credits and gave the film a standing ovation. 1200 stood. This is the first film I’ve seen this year with the thunderous applause, the full standing O... And the film deserved it.

This is a fantastic film that just ripped my heart cleanly out of it’s calcium encased cage and made it thump faster.

Nostalgia...

Ok, you folks know I’m a sucker for Nostalgia, that I yearn for a more innocent time, I think a lot of us do. I mean seriously. The concept of a date where sex is never an issue, where the whole point is merely the excitement of company.

The film with it’s ‘tricks’ manages to pull off some things that made me look at my world differently.

In a desaturated colorless world, for there to be a simple rose... red, beaded with the morning dew. Just the color of the off brownish tanish ashtrays. It makes me look at this world around me in wonder. I pick out brilliant colors, fantastic onslaughts of the visual spectrum.

Then there’s the wonder of rain, sexual self discovery, the written word, your own mind, bravery, emotions, art, anger, prejudice, sex. To learn of the possibility that happily ever after just doesn’t happen.

You see, a lot of us probably looked at LEAVE IT TO BEAVER as a great world to go live in. I know Jerry Mathers was a god to me, and Tony Dow was a twit. Eddie Haskill was pure grill kill on a mid-fifties bulge mobile of your choice. But think about the logic and limitations of that conservative universe.

Sure there are no drugs, sure there’s no bathrooms, there’s no rain. There was also no debt, no mechanical flaws, no change, no diversity.

But you see imagine if you combined the bests of both. I think for some that would be the ideal existence. I know for myself I play time travel, were you could choose where to exist. Choose which fictional universe you could live in, who your buddies would be. But then imagine the worse. Like being a sex nut but living within the MY THREE SONS plot-verse.

The film addresses the limits of conservatism, the hypocracy of hiding your head, the fascism of fear. It brings up the other C word, not communism, but Change. The most violent act we have.

Soon as things change they can never go back... why would ya, it’s too late you lived those moments.

The film has so many moments of unforgettable poignancy. If NEW LINE and WARNER don’t understand this is the movie that could knock off all comers come Oscar time if they held up release and pushed this film properly with adds targeted for each group. The film could simply just destroy some people. Both my sister and I were crying.

Not just tears of disgust at one point, or the loss of innocence, but at the joy of discovery, the simplicity of loving the rain. It’s those small moments like ordering cheeseburgers and Cherry Cokes.

The film makes ya wanna just hug someone and go out to Lover’s Lane. It makes you want to snuggle, to paint, to create, to think, to exist beyond your own private personal beliefs. To see the one you love in a whole new light. GOD this film is great.

Amazing film. I can’t wait to see it and ANTZ over and over again. Instant additions to the collections. That’s the way it acts on me. I wanna watch these flicks a hundred time.