Thursday I started on the Austin Film Festival. I was disinclined to review the first two films I saw that day, but Friday totally made up for it with two great films that I will tell you about, and another great film that I saw away from the festival that I don’t think I can tell you about. Don’t worry, though, when it gets enough press and I can pretend that I saw it legitimately I will write up a review.

• All Roads Lead Home – I was a little embarrassed that I was going to see this film in the first place, but I thought maybe the 15-year-old girl in me might find a little gem. I remember Vivien Cardone from Everwood and I had high hopes that her career would find more traction. Now, I’m ashamed that I saw this film. Imagine the worst Lifetime movie about a little girl and horses and puppies and dead mothers and drunk gradfathers and the old African American sage with bad grammar…you still don’t have an idea how bad this movie is. Worst of all was the obvious blunder of gaping pauses between lines of dialog. Even if you can’t get your actors to deliver, you should be able to edit around that.
• Max Payne – So cliched that the audience laughed inappropriately at several moments during the screening. I suppose if you love the high-speed hyper-violent video game genre then you may not hate this movie, but it isn’t good.
• Bart Got A Room – Imagine if William H Macy did a Florida Jewish American Pie. Less ribald (but still occasionally inappropriate) and more heartwarming. This is going to be a classic “getting a prom date” movie. It had so many amazing touches and was well-acted, directed and edited…and it had William H Macy with a jew-fro.

• Slumdog Millionaire – Danny Boyle (one of my favorite directors with Trainspotting, 28 Days Later and even Sunshine) introduced the film by discussing how he thought it was dead when Warner Bros. killed off Warner Independent Studios but the festival circuit gave it a second life. Flashing between the story of two boys growing up poor on the streets of Mumbai, and the younger brother accused of cheating on India’s Who Wants To Be A Millionaire, it was tightly interwoven and gorgeously shot. Reviews were fairly universal that this is one of the best films of the year. I hope it gets a wide release so everyone can see it.

Saturday is reserved for Maker Faire and UT vs. Mizzou…and I don’t have an excuse for missing films on Sunday other than I hate the crowds during festival weekend so I’m waiting to see things on weekdays.