movie makers
On the red carpet: Documentaries celebrate political, spiritual visionaries
Austin comes alive with glitterati this week as some of the film industry's edgiest, hippest and most anticipated movies of the year make their debuts at SXSW Film Festival. Scenes in front the Paramount downtown, Stateside theater and the Alamo South feature limos and screaming fans, red carpets and papparazi - and the chance to see (and sometimes chat with) our favorite stars in person.
America's fascination and adoration of The Movies is embodied in the red carpet, an image that adds instant class, rolled out for only the most "important" and elegant affairs, a favorite hang out for VIPs, and synonymous with glitter and glam, fame and fortune.
Over the next several days, we'll take you to as many of these as we can - from Matthew McConaughey and Gina Gershon to Deepak Chopra and Ziggy Marley and Jack Black. Enjoy the ride!
Marley, Sunday Mar 11 - Paramount
The sun burst through the clouds just a couple short hours before the red carpet for "Marley," a new documentary about legendary reggae artist and political activist Bob Marley that even his family says will teach you something new about him. Ziggy and Karen Marley, along with director Kevin MacDonald, hit the red carpet in the bright sunshine and 70-degree weather on Sunday to talk to a small throng of reporters about the film. Ziggy, himself an accomplished musician, said that because the family gave MacDonald such great access to them and their story, even they were able to learn new things about Bob. As MacDonald told Playmaker magazine, the best part about making the movie is discovering how many sources of information out there had gotten it totally wrong.
Decoding Deepak, Sunday, Mar 11 - Paramount
The son of the iconic philosopher/writer/thinker/guru Deepak Chopra must have had a strange childhood. We all get wisdom from our Daddies. Very few of us have Daddies who are internationally known for it - and that's where Gotham Chopra got the idea for his new documentary about his dad. He spent a year following him around and trying to explain who his dad really is. The problem is that when your dad is Deepak Chopra, the existential question of Who We Are raises all kinds of interesting issues. Asked about this very thing on the red carpet on Sunday at the Paramount, Gotham said he figured out that his dad is "like a mirror" and that people see what they want to see in him. And that maybe none of us can be explained, or decoded, by someone else. Asked for his reaction, Deepak quoted a Rumi poem about who we are, and are not. And then, he added, in his own words: "We are at all times infinite possibilities, and we are perceived by people according to how they are." I then asked Gotham if his dad used to talk like that at the dinner table when he was growing up, and they both laughed. "Pretty much," Gotham answered. And yes, after a year up each others' noses, the two are still speaking.
Killer Joe, Saturday, Mar 10 - Paramount
The adaptation of playwright Tracy Letts' horror-comedy about a trashy, murderous family came to SXSW and with it, one of Austin's favorite rabble rousers - Matthew McConaughey. The weather stayed rainy and drizzly, with the added element of extra cold. The media line on the red carpet was packed and overflowing - and shorter than the usual red carpet line, for some reason - but Gina Gershon, McConaughey and Letts' made it quick and friendly. McConaughey's fiance, Camila Alves, and their two children now have a home in Austin after moving back here from California. Camila was on the red carpet with Matthew, and the two thrilled the celeb mags by kissing for the camera.
Cabin in the Woods, Friday, Mar 9 - Paramount
The weather probably could have been worse for the 5:30 p.m. press call outside the Paramount. There could have been a hurricane. But it was, in fact, in the upper 40s and pouring rain - making the premiere of Joss Whedon and Drew Goddard's crazy-sounding horror movie one heck of a splash, literally. Bradley Whitford did a tap dance in the large puddle that had formed in front of the bright yellow photo screen, and Anna Hutchison's pretty dress - looked like Pucci but we didn't ask - was all covered up in a black coat. Kristen Connolly looked gorgeous in spite of her slightly frizzy main, thanks to the moisture. Richard Jenkins kept mopping the rain off his bald head, and a lot of the footage of the stars showed them blinking oddly to keep the raindrops out of their eyes.
But everyone was in high spirits, as it was among the first group of premieres at SXSWf 2012. What, a little rain is going to spoil the fun? No way. That's the magic of the red carpet. You just can't be standing on one and be in a bad mood. Unless you're paid to act like it.