Hello all! Annette here, back for more coverage of this year's SXSW Film Festival.

CRAWFORD

Crawford is a terrific little documentary feature about the small town that made big headlines when President Bush made it his "hometown." Ten years ago, the tiny town of Crawford, Texas was a barely-known dot on the map near Waco, however now the name Crawford conjures the traditional images of pasture land, bales of hay, and broken down barns against a backdrop of media tent villages and anti-war rallying moms.

Director David Modigliani takes an extremely objective approach with the film by letting the townsfolk tell their own stories about the incredible changes in their beloved hometown. While it is obvious that the citizens take an enormous amount of pride in the fact that the commander in chief calls Crawford home, it is also apparent that many understand he is ultimately an outsider using the facade of small-town Texas to boost his image in order to be elected. From the first election, to the infamous Cindy Sheehan camp out, we get a powerful glimpse at the sometimes unwanted rejuvenation of the once sleepy little town.

It would be so easy for a filmmaker to take a stance ala Michael Moore and carve their own viewpoint from carefully chosen interview subjects and a selective line of questioning. In contrast, Modigliani lets each character speak his or her mind, be it left or right, and lets the audience decide for ourselves. From the pro-war, Bush-supporting good ol' boy to the leftish, authority-questioning history teacher, Modigliani's subjects cover a wide range of opinions. Politics aside though, the heart of the film is a simple story about the effects of big politics on this unassuming small town. In many ways, Crawford is a microcosm of the effects that Bush's presidency, the war in Iraq, and today's overall political climate has had on the country (or even world) as a whole.

This is a terrific documentary that I have no doubt will find its way on cable or hopefully even a theater near you. With the barrage of political docs out there today, Crawford is a new and different yet completely relevant chapter in our country's controversial past 8 years. Definitely check this one out when you get the chance.

THEN SHE FOUND ME

Then She Found Me is the directorial debut of Academy award winning actress Helen Hunt based on the 1990 Elinor Lipman novel. With an all-star cast including Hunt in the lead role as well as terrific supporting performances by Matthew Broderick, Colin Firth, and Bette Midler, the story follows April, a newly-wedded and subsequently divorced woman in her late 30's who is desperate to have biological offspring to counter her life-long feeling of inadequacies due to her own adoption as a baby. The film takes us on her journey as her marriage unravels, she loses her adoptive mom, and is ultimately reunited with her birth mother.

As with many movies directed by an actor or actress, the fantastic performances in the film really shine. It is a film made by an actor for actors. Fortunately, the performers also carried what I thought to be a ho hum story where characters make the most ridiculous bad decisions that had my eyes rolling. I talked to a lot of festival goers for whom the story really worked, but for me, this fits perfectly into what I call the "festival film" category. Though the ending definitely hit the right note leaving me with a satisfied sense of closure, the journey to get there was just not all that enjoyable. It's a great effort from Hunt, but it just lacks the charisma that makes a film truly memorable for me.

HAROLD AND KUMAR ESCAPE FROM GUANTANAMO BAY

First of all, I love this type of comedy. Weed humor, loads of full-frontal nudity, and stabs at every type of stereotype imaginable. What's not to love? If anyone is worried that a great follow-up to the brilliant first installment of the Harold and Kumar odyssey is impossible, lay your worries to rest my friend because writer/directors Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg completely deliver a fresh take with a whole new adventure.

The gags are gut-busting, the pace never slows, and the subject matter is actually quite relevant. If poking fun at the absurdity of many of today's societal injustices is one the most effective ways to ultimately raise awareness and understanding, then these film makers should get ready to receive the Nobel Peace Prize because this film is chock-full of witty, clever commentary while never for a second taking itself seriously. Social discourse aside, the movie is a simple kickass comedy filled with gigantic laughs.

Though there are a few "in" jokes from the first film, even movie-goers who are not fans of the original will thoroughly enjoy the fantastic hijinks of Kal Penn and John Cho as the now-infamous duo, Harold and Kumar. Die-hard fans of the first movie will be delighted by the triumphant return of Neil Patrick Harris as well as new and different turns by the great Steve Cordry, Ed Helms, and Christopher Meloni.

It's just so great to see really fantastic comedy and Harold and Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay does not disappoint.

Well, I'm going to check in later with more reviews!
Annette Kellerman