Prodigious Songcraft Blooms in Sarah Jarosz - The Austin Chronicle

The Movie from the million other documentariesout there about single-minded visionarieswho move heaven and Earth to accomplishtheir dreams. No, this is also a story aboutmodern-day parenting, and the lessons thefilm has to teach us on the subject are justas illuminating as those about filmmakingstrategies. Emily receives phenomenal supportfrom parents who appear thrilled by theprospect of having raised an artist. Meganand Jerry Hagins support their only child withtheir time, money, and physical labor. Meganis not only constantly present at the endof the long pole holding a jury-rigged boommike, she is also a visual artist who servesas the film’s co-producer, prop master, effectsdesigner, caterer, and transportation coordinatorwho chauffeurs all the nondriving kidcast members and crew to and from the set.Unlike her daughter, who can work on schoolholidays and summer vacation, Megan takesdays off from her job to help. Dad, Jerry, isa banjo player who is also very involved. Asparents, they are caught between realizingthat their daughter is both exceptional yetalso a typical 12-year-old who doesn’t alwaysthink things through, plan strategically, seethe big picture, or have a reserve of patience.Megan, who is at Emily’s side throughoutthe making of Pathogen, tries to guide herdaughter’s impulses the way other momsand daughters tussle over haircuts and skirtlengths. The reviewers who have describedMegan as a meddler are way off-base. TheHagins are pure enablers, helping their childto focus her vision while also realizing thattheir girl’s needs have begun to outstriptheir own pool of knowledge. The documentary’sthree co-directors are smart toprivilege the mother-daughter aspect of thestory, a focus that lends their film universalappeal. They also gathered plenty of firstpersoninterviews so that the subjects cantell the story on their own without any scriptedvoiceover. Cute interstitials break thestory into more understandable time interludes,while a sequence in which variousspeakers reflect on the revolution that isyet to be created by this first generation offully digital filmmakers is totally on point. Towit: Emily Hagins is currently working on herthird feature. (Screens Sunday-Wednesdayonly.)– Marjorie Baumgarten★★★ Alamo Ritzfirst runs*Full-length reviews available online ataustinchronicle.com. Dates at end of reviewsindicate original publication date.ALVIN AND THE CHIPMUNKS:THE SQUEAKQUEL D: Betty Thomas; withZachary Levi, David Cross, Jason Lee, Wendie Malick; with thevoices of Justin Long, Matthew Gray Gubler, Jesse McCartney,Anna Faris, Christina Applegate, Amy Poehler. (PG, 88 min.)It’s a rare but not unheard-of event for a sequelto top its predecessor. This is not one of thosesequels, however, and director Thomas, working froma script by returning screenwriter Jon Vitti and KungFu Panda scribe Jonathan Aibel, does little to improveon 2007’s original “film/rebranding event.” WhileThe Squeakquel might be appreciated by filmgoersages 10 or younger, the rest of us should be investingheavily in d-CON and working feverishly throughthe night to build a better rodent trap. This time out,the all-singing, all-dancing, all-CGI chipmunks – rebelwith paws Alvin (Long), wise guy Simon (Gubler), andtubby emo vermin Theodore (McCartney) – wind upin a contrived “squeak-off” with a new trio of singingfemale chipmunks, cruelly dubbed the “Chipettes” bydown-on-his-luck record exec Ian Hawk (Cross, returningfrom the original in search of a paycheck andnot much else). Muskrat love, of a sort, is in the air.(12/25/2009) – Marc Savlov★ Barton Creek Square, CM Cedar Park, Hill CountryGalleria, CM Round Rock, Southpark Meadows, Highland,Gateway, Metropolitan, Tinseltown North, WestgateASTRO BOY D: David Bowers; with the voices ofFreddie Highmore, Nicolas Cage, Nathan Lane, Donald Sutherland,Kristen Bell, Eugene Levy, Bill Nighy. (PG, 94 min.)Osamu Tezuka’s pioneering Japanese manga andanimé series about the coolest robot kid ever finallyachieves Americanized big-screen status. Althoughsomething has been lost in the translation, thisAstro Boy remains true to the heart and soul of theoriginal. Screenwriter Timothy Harris comes up witha few new twists on Tezuka’s original – most notablythe nascent romance between Astro and plucky surface-dwellerCora (Bell) – and this Astro Boy movesalong at least as snappily as its rocket-poweredprotagonist. But ultimately, Bowers’ take on theanimé legend feels too indebted to the far superiorThe Iron Giant and overstreamlined in both story andanimation. It’s a totally serviceable reboot for youngpeople who are just discovering the joys of manga,but I can’t help but miss the raw animation and evenrawer emotional aesthetics of the original televisedanimé series. (10/23/2009) – Marc Savlov★★★■Movies 8wAVATAR D: James Cameron; with SamWorthington, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver, StephenLang, Michelle Rodriguez, Giovanni Ribisi. (PG-13, 162 min.)At 162 minutes and a cost of somewherebetween $250 million and $300 million, Cameron’sne plus ultra of futuristic mechanized mayhemand seamless CGI trickery is both a cinematicallyspectacular slab of virtually nonstop action and anunmistakable diatribe against corporatized Americanimperialism. There are the usual muscled-up boys(and equally powerful girls) with big-bang toys, cryinghavoc and letting slip the dogs of war, to be sure, butat its heart this mammoth film is … a chick flick.Despite a script that at times leaves its most interestingcharacters delivering some of the most banallines in a Cameron film thus far, somehow it allholds together. As a purely visual experience, it’s likenothing you’ve ever seen before: a lush, sexy, primalworld created entirely by Cameron’s legions of CGImasters. Avatar is thrilling, lovely, sad, and explosivein all the right ways. (12/18/2009) – Marc Savlov★★★★ Alamo Drafthouse Lake Creek, AlamoDrafthouse South, Alamo Drafthouse Village, BartonCreek Square, CM Cedar Park, Hill Country Galleria,CM Round Rock, Southpark Meadows, Highland,Gateway, IMAX Theatre, Tinseltown North, TinseltownSouth, Westgateopenings& ratingsAdurs (NR)The Book of Eli (R)Chance Pe Dance (NR)The Lovely Bones (PG-13)A Single Man (R)The Spy Next Door (PG)Zombie Girl: The Movie (NR) As perfect as a moviecan be Slightly flawed, butexcellent nonetheless Has its good points,and its bad points Mediocre, but with oneor two bright spots Poor, without anysaving gracesLa bombaTHE BLIND SIDE D: John Lee Hancock; withSandra Bullock, Quinton Aaron, Tim McGraw, Kathy Bates, JaeHead, Lily Collins, Ray McKinnon, Kim Dickens. (PG-13, 126 min.)Writer/director Hancock (The Rookie) overcomesmost of the built-in problems inherent toinspirational sports dramas. Also in the film’splus column are two standout performances:Aaron, as the sweet-mannered but largely uncommunicativefootball player Michael (Aaron doessome very subtle body work, using the way hecarries his heft as an emotional signpost), andBullock, as the prickly, straight-talking Memphissocialite who welcomes Michael into her homeand eventually makes him a part of the family.This is a dream role for Bullock – finally, a jobthat requires her to be adult, tart, and smart,all at once – and she makes good use of it. It’snot an altogether convincing portrait, but it is anentertaining, even moving one, and the forcefulnessof her presence goes a long way in pullingthe film back from the brink of cuddliness.(11/20/2009) – Kimberley Jones★★★ Alamo Drafthouse Lake Creek, BartonCreek Square, CM Cedar Park, Hill Country Galleria,CM Round Rock, Southpark Meadows, Gateway,Metropolitan, Tinseltown NorthEXCLUSIVE ENGAGEMENTSNOW PLAYINGforeign. cult. classic.MOON now on dvd2-FOR-1 TUES & WEDSTUDENT DISCOUNT THURSOPEN TIL 2AM ON WEEKENDS609 W 29TH ST & 112 W ELIZABETH STGOLDEN GLOBENOMINEEBEST ACTORBEST ORIGINAL SONG”“Jeff Bridges isHe knows Bad Blake inside out andnever hits a strained note.”“What Jeff Bridges brings isALAMO DRAFTHOUSESOUTH LAMARAustin 512-476-1320REGAL CINEMASARBOR STADIUM 8 @ GREAT HILLSAustin 800-FANDANGO (684)a u s t i n c h r o n i c l e . c o m JANUARY 15, 2010 T H E A U S T I N C H R O N I C L E 63(DRAMA)”“