SXSW 2011 Film Reviews

Conan O'Brien working the Paramount red carpet

Photo by John Anderson

• SXSW 2011 Film Reviews

  Capsule reviews

• How to Die in Oregon

  BY MARJORIE BAUMGARTEN

• Conan O'Brien Can't Stop

  BY BELINDA ACOSTA

• Dragonslayer

  BY CINDY WIDNER

• No Matter What

  BY NORA ANKRUM

• A Year in Mooring

  BY MARJORIE BAUMGARTEN

• 96 Minutes

  BY ANNE HARRIS

• Win Win

  BY MARJORIE BAUMGARTEN

• Convento

  BY MARC SAVLOV

• New Jerusalem

  BY JAMES RENOVITCH

• Septien

  BY RICHARD WHITTAKER

• Better This World

  BY MICHAEL KING

• Elevate

  BY AMY SMITH

• Upside Down: The Creation Records Story

  BY JOSH ROSENBLATT

• FUBAR: Balls to the Wall

  BY JAMES RENOVITCH

• Buck

  BY MARJORIE BAUMGARTEN

Conan O'Brien Can't Stop

Conan O'Brien's Legally Prohibited From Being Funny on Television Tour took place in the months following his not-so-funny exit from The Tonight Show and is the subject of this wildly entertaining, behind-the-scenes look at the tour's genesis and creation. Director Flender's long relationship with O'Brien (they were college buddies) allows him to intimately capture several facets of his subject: angry Conan, charming Conan, mean Conan (who may be the funniest of them all), exhausted Conan, the loving father, and the frenetic workhorse. As concert films go, Conan O'Brien Can't Stop is as appealing as it is raw. Following its world premiere last Sunday, O'Brien said he thought it was important for audiences to see the true demands of touring and the anxiety he experienced. The capturing of unfiltered emotions ultimately catapults the film beyond average and brands O'Brien as the consummate performer.