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Gary, Author at The Panic Manual

Hot Docs Review: African Moot [Shameela Seedat, 2022]

Posted on May 2, 2022 by Gary in Hot Docs | Leave a comment

“May it please the Court, I beg Your Excellencies’ indulgence to expound on the meaning of a MOOT as opposed to that in the vernacular?” “Senior council, it is a mock trial. This particular one on the human rights of refugees.” Let’s just wind back. This is a documentary about a student debate team competition, with none of the typical lack of gravitas. Slyly against interlaced shots of the servers and the humdrum of the city, polished, well-manner students with … →

SXSW Film Review: Pez Outlaw [Amy Bandlien Storkel and Bryan Storkel]

Posted on March 31, 2022 by Gary in Reviews, South By Southwest | Leave a comment

Steve Glew has been waiting to tell his story for 20-odd years. It’s not because Johan Patek, his Viennese competitor, labeled him a loser not worthy of a documentary spotlight. To a large segment of the population, many of the people featured in Pez Outlaw are “losers”. The magnitude of this repulsion is in direct proportion to their nonsensical hobby, some would say addiction, of toy collecting, specifically Pez dispensers. And that is where most people are sorely mistaken. Specialty … →

SXSW Review: Anavitoria, Bendigo Fletcher, March 19, Central Presbyterian Church

Posted on March 30, 2022 by Gary in South By Southwest | Leave a comment

I go to (and often leave) shows completely unaware of who was playing in an attempt to maximize my ignorance. So naturally, when two 4-ft tall Asian girls squished into the pews for the Anavitoria show carrying sign-boards taller than their wingspan is wide, I thought this might be a K-pop set. Happily, Anavitoria specializes in folk music. Anavitoria is a multi-Latin Grammy winning duo from Brazil that has been around since 2016. With solid pop sensitivity, graceful fashion, and … →

SxSW Review: Claire Rousay, Moor Mother, Circuit des Yeux , March 17, Central Presbyterian Church

Posted on March 29, 2022 by Gary in South By Southwest | Leave a comment

This must be one of the most unique showcases that I have ever attended at SxSW. It is little surprise that it took place in one of the Churches – where else should people sit silently through what at first might appear to be snippets of grating and unpleasant garble in the hopes of a holistic nirvana at the end? Claire Rousay San Antonio-based Claire Rousay uses humdrum found sounds such as voicemail, conversations and urban background as samples to … →