SXSW Film Festival!

Just about two weeks ago, a few of us Film Commers journeyed to Austin, Texas for South By Southwest Film Fesival! We networked with filmmakers, saw tons of movies, learned about filmmaking, ate a lot of good food, and had a ridiculous amount of fun. A few of the groups favorite films were:

Best Worst Movie, which follows up with the castmembers and film makers of the cult favorite so-bad-it's-good movie, Troll 2.
Trailer

Humpday, a film by Lynn Shelton, tells the story of two old friends who's attempts to prove wrong each's opinion of the others' lifestyle ultimately leads them to decide to make an amateur porn together.
Trailer

Make Out With Violence, a film about grief, dealing with death, and secretly keeping a zombie girl in your house!
Trailer

Pulling John, a documentary about professional armwrestling!
Trailer

The Immaculate Conception of Little Dizzle. This fast paced ride through the world of cookie addict janitors, their curious health problems, and the corporation that's to blame for it all was probably the weirdest film at south by southwest. Beloved by all who were lucky enough to catch it, this was my personal favorite of the fest!
Trailer

SPOILER!

It could be real, it could be fake, I take no responsibility for it, but hey, it could make you a couple extra bucks in that office pool...

JCVD ~ Jean-Claude Van Damme

Holy crap! It's better than seeing Liam Neeson do a Steven Seagal movie (cough, Taken, cough). This one is actually a real movie. With Jean-Claude. And acting.

Now, I'm not going to start quoting those nice praising reviews like "Must be seen to be believed", or that odd one like "Forces you to consider the star in a whole new light", or even "Maybe the year's most surprising movie." I just really enjoyed this movie.

Basically, Jean-Claude is himself, a lower than B-movie actor who runs into debt, child custody hearings, and a lack of love from his own agent. After heading home to Brussels (making this movie basically in French with English subtitles - but they don't talk fast), he finds out he really is broke as Steven Seagal steals his last role. Things get interesting when he's caught in a bank robbery while withdrawing cash and the whole city thinks he is the criminal.

This movie delivered all that I wanted. It had action, humor, clever writing, a soft touch, and interesting supporting characters. My one complaint is that after Jean-Claude does this movie, proves that he can act and show emotion, he goes and signs up for Universal Soldier 4.

As a side note, I didn't have to go to a Film Festival to see this either. The new FSU Film School Torchlight Program brought this movie, others, and more to come for FREE to Student Life Cinema on campus and played it back on January 13th.

Now, if you missed it a month ago, JCVD is coming back to Tallahassee. It will be at the Regal Miracle 5 on Friday, February 13.

I might actually go and pay for my second showing, so I expect to see you there. Don't forget, for more of these FREE movies in Tallahassee, keep an eye on Student Life Cinema at FSU, especially on Facebook at the fan page: Student Life Cinema

Old School Mortal Kombat Tournament

Oh yes, it is right around the corner. This Saturday, at 2PM, gallons of blood will be spilled in the theater. Contrary to earlier advertisements, we are playing the original arcade version of Mortal Kombat (Rev04 for the ROM nerds out there). This is the game that started it all, the worried mothers, the concerned government, and all other pseudo-science that blames video games for the world problems. Awarded most controversial game of 1993, it still stands as a testament to violence and gore. I spent four hours playing this game last night, learning all the special moves, and trying out all the fatalities, and it was absolutely glorious, both the blood and the childhood nostalgia.

Here's guide for the rest of you, to help level the playing field.
http://www.mksecrets.net/mk1/eng/mk-specialmoves.php

Specific rules for the tournament will be available on game day, but no worries, it's nothing to complicated (16bit, come on). It's a standard double elimination tournament, so start practicing now.

Florida State Gay & Lesbian Film Festival

Start getting excited for the first Florida State Gay & Lesbian Film Festival February 23-25 in the Student Life Cinema!

Pride Student Union and the Student Life Cinema are teaming together to bring the FSU campus fresh and fun films with an LGBTQ twist.

The festival spans three days and has five films. Topics range anywhere from the Bible and homosexuality to fun and happy musicals. 

Check out the movies and the trailers below and also check out the website for the film festival: FSGLFF.ORG

We Hope To See You At All The Movies!

For The Bible Tells Me So: February 23rd 7:30

Love Songs: February 23rd 10:00

The Secrets-Co-Sponsored by the Jewish Student Union and Hillel with an introduction by Dr. Kavka of FSU and a panel immediately following the film: February 24th 7:00

Bi The Way: February 24th 10:15

Were The World Mine: February 25th 10:15

who else is surprised the dark knight isn't on here?

http://www.time.com/time/specials/2008/top10/article/0,30583,1855948_1863826_1863827,00.html#

Time's Top 10 movies of 2008...we've shown quite a few of them at the SLC (and are planning to show others)

The THC is in the House!

THC: Tetrahydrocannabinol, the main psychoactive substance found in the cannabis plant, aka pot, aka weed, aka marijuana, aka wacky-tobacky.

As you all are enjoying your Thanksgiving breaks either in Tallahassee or far from it, I'd like you all to start preparing yourselves for what awaits you back at the SLC when you return. Namely The Wackness and Pineapple Express. Both of these movies contain lots of a little drug that contains THC. Now besides the probability that the SLC will sell a lot more concessions than usual, we can use these two movies as a barometer for the current acceptance level for marijuana use in the U.S. Drugs have always appeared in movies, but mostly they show the destructive properties of drugs. With regards to marijuana specifically most movies portray people who smoke pot as a "stoner" who provides stupid comic relief. Of course there have been a few exceptions like Reefer Madness which is a parody of the 1936 anti-marijuana propaganda film. But now movies like The Wackness and Pineapple Express are viewing pot use as a normal everyday thing that many different types of people use recreationally.

So after you're sick of your parents nagging you and you're back at FSU, we'd like to encourage you to sit back, relax, laugh, and most importantly buy lots of concessions with the Student Life Cinema as we bring you two movies filled to the brim with plenty of THC.