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SXSWeek 2010 12–21 March
Interactive 12–16 March
Film 12–20 March
Music 17–21 March

Homegrown animator extraordinaire, Paul Robertson, pepped up my day with his hilarious homage to pop culture (Thanks, Alex!). In this video, my highlights were the ambivalent Channel 7’s corporate zombies and babies exploding from the girths of suburban trash. The horizontal pan that is so quintessentially in platform games evoked flushes of childhood arcade memories and the stunning one-shot fight sequence in Old Boy, which was to me the best part of the relentless film.

Speaking of relentless, today’s fine complimentary experience care of Radio National was Sarah Watt’s My Year Without Sex. I will burn in Baby Boomer hell for saying this but there is next to nothing redeeming about her work. My Year has improved marginally compared to her directorial debut. Her heavy handed executions and clunky writing with unrealistic dialogues is a common issue with her work. In this film, the husband played by Matt Day was only a vehicle of storytelling, a supporting character in the most literal sense. It had no depth nor development and yes, mind as well be a cardboard cut out. The scenes he was in were merely to make or emphasis an unnecessary point. Redundancy is a reoccurring theme in Watt’s work. The shot of a lottery ticket left behind was indeed needless. The point was made when the son randomly picks them without care. If a visual cue is needed, a close up shot of his action would have sufficed. Another is the awkward moment of the couple in bed after a long separation. The dialogue seemed unworthy when there were so many poignant issues needed to be addressed to give the characters or the film depth. But instead, Watt decided to use as a device to create a neatly wrapped up ending. The list goes on… She tries too hard to be clever and as a result her work lacks earnestness. The shot selections to make Melbourne generic is an obvious attempt to reach the international market. The interminable monthly chapter titles and their painfully blatant double entendres seemed only a constraint to fulfil the film’s name and created a staccato experience. Some redeeming features were Sacha Horler’s stunning performance in resuscitating the script. The editing style at the beginning was a poetic reflection of setting scene and its contrasting style complements the protagonist’s change was appropriate but could improve with creative techniques. Overall, stay well away and don’t settle over curiosity because it will hurt.

When a boy and girl find an idol in the stomach of a rabbit great riches follow, but for how long?

Rabbit by Run Wrake received the animation award at the Rushes Soho Shorts Festival. Bravo and well deserved.

It is a 8′ 30″ animated short, commissioned through Finetake by Arts Council England and Channel 4.

Directed by Joel Trussell & Eric Johnson. Animated by Gene Blakefield & Darin Bendall with additional art assistance from Chris Chua.
Music by M. Ward. The track Chinese Translation is taken from Post-War.