SXSW 07: Monki wonders WHAT WOULD JESUS BUY? if he got someone KNOCKED UP!!

Greetings humans, Monki here with my day two and three (which is really day three and four) from SXSW 2007.

Sunday and Monday of SXSW provided some awesome entertainment for me. On Sunday I first checked out the horror panel that Harry moderated with various people from the 'new' horror industry. There were some interesting topics thrown about, we saw some clips from Leslie Vernon: Behind the Mask and a bit from Hostel 2, but most importantly I got to meet one of my all-time idols.

Let me just step forward and admit it, I'm a HUGE fan of Boy Meets World. That's right. Cory, Shawn, Topanga, Eric, Jack, Rachel, Mr. Feeny, Mr. Hunter, MINKIS!! I've probably watched more Boy Meets World than is safe for any one human. That being said, I actually got to meet Shawn Hunter himself, Mr. Rider Strong. Rider was a cool cat, he was there talking about Cabin Fever 2 which is a true sequel to the first movie. Like you I questioned Rider about his return and he promised it is in fact a true sequel that picks off right where the first one ended. I don't know about you, but it sure didn't seem to me like he would be back for a second movie, but who knows...maybe the bunny with pancakes knows.

From the panel I wandered over to the trade show and managed to miss David Wain, Ken Marino and Paul Rudd doing a fishbowl interview about The Ten. Dammit. I'm a huuuuge fan of The State and I'd love to talk with Wain or Marino. Boys, if you are still in town, drop me an email, I'll buy the first round of drinks. I'd love to pick your minds about everything you are doing and I'd love for Ken to dip his balls into my beer. (LOUIIIIIEEEEE!!!)

What Would Jesus Buy?

To close out my Sunday night I ran over to see What Would Jesus Buy? The new documentary produced by Morgan Spurlock and directed by Rob VanAlkemade. WWJB? follows the gospel of Reverend Billy of the Church of Stop Shopping as they travel from New York to California spreading the gospel of less consumption during the holidays. We meet several mass consumers who max out their credit cards every Christmas season to purchase gifts for themselves and their children driving themselves further into debt. Seeing a woman spend hundreds of dollars on her fucking dog made me sick.

What Would Jesus Buy is a brilliant documentary that never falls into the classic documentary traps of boring you with facts and figures. The pace of the movie keeps you interested never allowing you to get tired of the material. Reverend Billy and his choir make for some incredible characters and the honest passion they share about spreading Christmas love through their message is infectious.

I truly loved this film, Reverend Billy was a treat and he has vowed to come back to Austin to help stop the spread of Wal-Mart into our Northcross Mall area. His choir broke into song up on the Paramount stage and I left with a huge ass grin on my face. A truly legendary Q&A session. Oh, and Morgan Spurlock OWNS the crowd. That boy knows how to get people going. Go see this film.

Knocked Up

I was one of the lucky ones who caught Knocked Up at Butt-Numb-a-Thon this year but I don't like giving intense reviews of stuff I see at BNAT. I usually tend to be in a state of shock for most of the festival and therefore my opinions on movies can get scrambled. I knew I enjoyed Knocked Up during BNAT, but I had forgotten how incredibly hilarious this movie is.

The pacing of this film hits perfect over and over again. The jokes give you just enough time to catch your breath before the next onslaught of Munich jokes kick in. Oh, and Paul Rudd can CHANNEL freakin' Robert DeNiro. It's creepy. This is a true movie geek's perfect date movie. The quotables in this thing will be all over college campuses come June. "I'm pregnant." "Fuck off."

I knew SXSW would provide a perfect audience for this film and when Harold Ramis hit the screen and an audible sigh of joy went through the room, I just sat back and smiled. I love South by Southwest. (Oh, there was also a smattering of applause of BJ Novak's cameo.)

I'm sure you know the plot of the movie. Dorky pothead gets hot career woman pregnant. They have a romance. Hilarity ensues. That really is the entire plot of the movie, but the way Rogen and Heigl work off of each other is incredible. The uneasy chemistry between the two of them works so well. Rudd comes in and knocks a few out of the park as well. This movie also gets bonus points for more shoe bomber references than any other film ever made.

I don't think I need to tell you...you are going to see this movie...a couple of times probably. Judd Apatow is the man.

That does it for Sunday and Monday of SXSW for me. I'm taking it easy as I'm heading off to the Bermuda International Film Festival again this Friday. So I've got something like 16 days of movies straight through. Wish me luck. Until next time though, back up the tree I go!

-Monki