My first day of SXSW started in Seattle, WA. This unorthodox approach was brought to you by the fine folks at American Airlines who canceled all the flights to Dallas (where my layover was en route to Austin) due to snow. When I helpfully pointed out that Austin was 200 miles away from Dallas (and thus not snowed in) they decided to route me through San Jose, CA instead.

They also decided a 24-hour penalty was my penance for being cheeky. Oh American Airlines, you've been cold to me so long I'm crying icicles instead of tears.

The good news is I enjoyed my extra day of Seattle time, reviewing 10,000 B.C., but the delay caused me to miss 21 and Obscene - my first two SXSW films. Good news there though, Dre will be all over 21 and C. Robert Cargill (his friends call him Crobert) is covering Obscene for us.

One quick note about San Jose, CA (and by note I mean rant): When I debarked the plane I noticed I was in Terminal C. However I needed to proceed to Terminal A -- the fallout from my new routing (for those curious there is no Terminal B). Anyway, in most airports if you've already cleared security you're golden. They set up a hallway or tram or blimp to ferry you from one secure zone to the next. Not San Jose. You get to endure security all over again, for your pleasure. Terminal A is around 50 yards from Terminal C so it made complete sense. The only other non third-world country airport I've ever seen pull off this trick is Miami International. Only I know for a fact that they set it up that way because they had a terrible childhood full of anger and hurt feelings. So it makes sense for them in a manner that it will never make sense for San Jose. C'mon San Jose International, you're better than that.

I did meet a nice young woman on the flight from San Jose to Austin, she recommended getting breakfast at a place called Austin Java. But then she threw in a disclaimer, telling me, "On the other hand, if you hate it you don't know who I am so you'll never be able to find me." This was true but slightly unnerving... and it called in to question the rest of the knowledge she'd been dropping on me. For instance, now I have serious doubts that the cloud city scene from Star Wars was filmed in Austin.

Finally, I arrived in Austin, TX! Crobert picked me up at the airport, which saved Film.com a cab fare. Kudos to him there. We went to a diner and I had Chicken Fried Steak (or as I like to call it Chicken Fried Love). I was then dropped off at my sweet Bed and Breakfast, The Carriage House Inn. It's a glorious establishment, full of comfort and joy. Additionally I was served real-deal blueberry pancakes this morning (real because blueberries were in the batter, not merely stacked on top).

I was accredited the next morning and managed to catch Secrecy, We Are Wizards, and American Teen (all three are documentaries). Would you like to hear about them? I'm sure you would and we'll be running full reviews in the next day or so but until then here's a quick-hit synopsis of each:

Secrecy: All about what our government is hiding from us (and why), it's a somewhat scary film. Unfortunately, it's too based in the philosophy of secrecy as opposed to actuality. Grade: C+

We Are Wizards: A tremendous film about the intriguing world of Harry Potter fandom. Alternatively funny and moving this is probably one of the best films I'll see in 2008. Grade: A

American Teen: Starts out a bit too much like an MTV film for my liking but it ends really strongly. It follows four real-life high school seniors who would at first blush fit your typical stereotypes (jock, outcast, nerd, most popular). The film gains momentum and depth as it nears the end. Grade: B

Whew! I'm seeing Woodpecker, Full Battle Rattle, and Nerdcore Rising today. After that I'm headed home. A quick trip, I know, but Mr. Cargill will be taking over the daily diaries and reviewing duties for the rest of the week. We'll also be getting some input from Eric D. Snider (of Ericdsinder.com fame).

One extremely meta-note: I did a quickie voice interview with Utterz.com where I did my best not to sound like a complete idiot. I largely succeeded.

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