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Music and film worlds will be overlapping in more ways than one at this year's SXSW Film Festival, and we've got the exclusive poster debut of Mars Volta guitarist Omar Rodriguez Lopez's feature film "Los Chidos," which will be making its debut in the narrative feature competion. Surprise surprise, this is the fifth film he's directed, but only the second one to be seen on the fest circuit. His previous effort, "The Sentimental Engine Slayer" played numerous festivals around the world, and was financed by Red Hot Chili Peppers axeman John Frusciante.

The official synopsis reads: Set amid the noisy outskirts of some unnamed Mexican metropolis, "Los Chidos" tells the story of the Gonzales Family. Proprietors of a tire repair junkyard sandwiched between two busy freeways, the Gonzales clan's days are spent wallowing in lazy, mindless routine. When a confused American industrialist happens into the shop with a flat tire,...

Carl England checks out the underwhelming Huge and The Sentimental Engine Slayer at the Edinburgh International Film Festival...

After my previous round-up of some pretty good movies from the Edinburgh International Film Festival, I'm afraid that in this latest I must head to the opposite end of the scale and talk about the underperformers.

Huge

The story of Huge follows Clark (Noel Clarke) and Warren (Johnny Harris) as they go from their humble beginnings to slightly less humble middles through the art of comedy. Clarke works in a restaurant and is told by his family and friends that he is funny, but he doesn't want to change his life and doesn't do anything about it. Warren is a new stand-up comedian, who can't help but fail at his act.

When an uncharacteristically drunk Clark heckles Warren, they spark a relationship that starts them off on a journey towards their idea...

Year: 2010

Directors: Omar Rodriguez-Lopez

Writers: Omar Rodriguez-Lopez

IMDb: link

Trailer: link

Review by: Bob Doto

Rating: 6.5 out of 10

The Sentimental Engine Slayer by Omar Rodriguez Lopez is about a young boy named Barlam whose inability to connect with the conventions of the world throws him (and us) into a morass of noisy disjunction complete with smashed crucifixes and bludgeoned cross-dressers. And yet, even though I found the film to be somewhat expectable, and by the hour mark I was checking my watch, in the end Lopez had won over me over. The Sentimental Engine Slayer is a pretty decent romp.

I have to admit, I had intended to dislike this film from start to finish. I’ve known Lopez’s work since “Lopez” was “Omar,” from the beginnings of the At the Drive In (his first “super band”) days, and have always found his stuff to be postured a great...

The Mars Volta front man Omar Rodriguez-Lopez's directorial debut, The Sentimental Engine Slayer, brings a fresh and bold voice into this year's lineup. Rodriguez-Lopez not only wrote and directed the film, but also stars in the dynamic and challenging leading role. The Sentimental Engine Slayer is the story of a young man and his family in El Paso, Texas. Told in twists, turns, visions, and nightmares that blur the narrative lines completely, the experimental story knows no bounds. Rodriguez-Lopez's character, Barlam, is grappling to figure himself out, and the audience experiences his world through his eyes. Anxious moments on screen speed up, images flip upside down, voices are garbled, and rules are broken as we go on the journey through Barlam's eyes. The film's experimental and unique voice is exciting and at times, enlightening. At the premiere on Thursday night, the movie had the audience laughing, awed and bewildered,...