Austin Film Fest - Day Three - Longhorns, the best show in town

This cool little, stripped down rock doc surprised me with its simplicity and breadth of talent displayed. Artists like Fiona Apple, Andrew Bird (above), Jon Brion, Jackson Browne, David Garza and Aimee Mann were filmed in black and white at the famous Largo, a small club on Fairfax in Hollywood (featured last year in Paste as one of America's 40 Best Music Venues). Also were comedians like Sarah Silverman and Patton Oswalt and actors like John C. Reilly and Fred Armisen. Watching the film while having a pint at the Alamo Drafthouse helped make it feel more like being there in person.

It's great to know New Zealand has more creative talent besides the Flight of the Conchords (who were also in the above mentioned Largo). Writer/director Harold Brodie has made an insightful, coming-of-age film centered around a teenager who lives with his single mother and begins to learn the complications of life, love and sex in a little town in New Zealand. But his passion for maps doesn't inspire him to travel outside his comfort zone until unforeseen circumstances convince him otherwise. Though a bit slow at times, I do look forward to seeing what Brodie comes up with next.