Over the hectic nine-day period that is now SXSW, thousands enjoyed what Austin is widely known for: live music. However, becoming the Live Music Capital of the world didn’t happen by accident. It took a considerable amount of hard work by local community.
Austin Music People, or AMP, recently released a white paper on the “State of the Austin Music Industry,” a study available to the public addressing economic challenges the industry faces with the express goal of protecting the local music scene and fostering its growth.
A study published in Spring 2012, funded by the City of Austin, reported that the 2010 economic impact of Austin’s music industry was more than $856 million, creating nearly 8,000 jobs and generating $9.6 million in City tax revenues.
According to the City of Austin Music Division, Austin is home to 270 live music venues and more than 130 music related nonprofits, of which more than a dozen are focused on music education
Economic impact of ACL Fest 2011: $106 million
Economic impact of SXSW 2012: $190 million
Economic impact of Fun Fun Fun Fest 2012: $27 million
As AMP relies heavily on the Austin community to fund its efforts to maintain the “economic engine of live music,” the organization urges both professionals and music lovers to become a member.
White supremacy has long been a stand-in for evil in movies, with the correlation easy to make with through well-known archetypes like those of Nazi Germany. Whether a film puts forth white supremacists as its main characters or supporting ones, their usefulness in a story is as people who are easy to hate and that deserve to be held to some sort of justice.
While that idea holds true in the new film, The Order, the nature of the group featured is somewhat muddled. The central figure is FBI agent Terry Husk (Jude Law), who essentially sets up a one-man task force in the Pacific Northwest to track a group known as The Order. Husk is convinced that the group, which is an offshoot of a larger white supremacist organization, is behind a series of bank robberies to fund anti-government schemes.
Husk recruits local police officer Jamie Bowen (Tye Sheridan) to help follow the group, which is led by Bob Mathews (Nicholas Hoult). The two, joined occasionally by FBI agent Joanne Carney (Jurnee Smollett), do their best to keep up with The Order’s increasingly bold crimes, which morphs from “just” bank robbery to murder.
Directed by Justin Kurzel and written by Zach Baylin, the film is at its best when it delves into the personalities of its characters. Husk’s monomaniacal nature is great for his job, but not so much for his family life. Bowen has a solid bond with his wife and kids, but his greenness in law enforcement leads to some questionable decision-making. Mathews, like many cult leaders, is a charismatic person with very misguided tendencies.
The filmmakers set up the plot (which is based on a real-life story) well, but the details get a little loose as the film goes along. While The Order has a hatred of Jews, a plot against radio personality Alan Berg (Marc Maron) doesn’t make much sense in the context of the film. The geography of the group’s operations is also confusing; they’re located in Washington, but they range out as far as Colorado and California to commit their crimes.
Still, the inherent appeal of good-vs-evil keeps the plot mechanics going, and the side stories of the main characters give them a depth that makes up for other faults. The filmmakers also make sure to demonstrate how the scourge of white supremacy has never been limited to one particular era, and continues to infect American society to this day.
Law commits fully to the lead role, giving a performance with a convincing American accent that is far from the suave British parts which have dominated his filmography. Hoult proves equally believable, giving his character a nuance that somehow makes him more detestable. Sheridan adds another interesting role to a career that would be enviable for any other young actor.
While The Order doesn’t rise to the level of an awards contender, its story is still relatively compelling with antagonists that, unfortunately, never go out of style. A great cast playing characters with engaging lives keeps the film watchable even when it goes into some odd detours.
