SXSW: A year of great documentaries

Without much notice, America has entered the Golden Age of documentaries. And this year's South by Southwest Film Conference and Festival proved just how golden that age is.

During the past week, soon-to-be-classic documentaries that represent years of work have played for Austin audiences. They include the previously highlighted "Incendiary," from Austin's Steve Mims and Joe Bailey Jr.; "Better This World," which examines the domestic terrorism case against two young men with Austin ties who tried to disrupt the Republican National Convention in 2008; and "Foo Fighters: Back and Forth," an inside look at the band from director James Moll.

"The Devil's Box," an excellent look at Texas-style fiddling and directed by Texan Jason Hammond, premiered Thursday night. And "The King of Luck," Billy Bob Thornton's portrait of Willie Nelson, closes the festival at 7 p.m. Saturday at the Paramount Theatre.

Here's a look at several other documentaries that played SXSW and that you'll be hearing about again in the year to come:

'Page One: Inside The New York Times'

One of the signature movies at this year's SXSW (and not just because part of it was filmed here last year), "Page One: Inside The New York Times" is a brilliantly paced doc about the times in which the Times finds itself.

Where are we now? Well, the newspaper ad revenue is still going down, the public continues to believe it can be informed without actually paying for the news, and bloggers and aggregators continue to eat into page views, all of which "Page One" addresses.

Directed by Andrew Rossi, the movie crisply folds in Times history both positive and negative while following the Media Desk at the Times, which covers such issues.

Rossi focused on three people, two writers — David Carr and Brian Stelter — and an editor on the desk, Bruce Headlam.

If there's one thing this movie does perfectly, it's that it shows exactly what an editor does, which almost nobody outside of a newsroom understands. Headlam pitches stories to his bosses for inclusion on the front page, he shapes narratives with reporters, he advises on direction and, in one fascinating scene, (wisely) decides to do absolutely nothing about a very strange moment when NBC seems to declare the end of the Iraq war. (This was news to the Pentagon.)

"Page One" is also the continuing story of Carr, the media reporter and maybe the fiercest defender the Times. Carr is full-throated about his fondness for the paper. He smacks down both a Vice magazine co-founder in mid-interview (noting that the Times has had reporters in Liberia forever) and aggregator Michael Wolff of Newser.com (noting that without original reporting, aggregators wouldn't have much to aggregate).

'Conan O'Brien Can't Stop'

Filmmaker Rodman Flender follows Conan O'Brien on his "Legally Prohibited From Being Funny on Television Tour," shortly after being ousted from as "The Tonight Show" host on NBC.

The documentary captures O'Brien as his moods swing from enthusiastic, weary, angry and ecstatic as he sells out venues nationwide, only to realize that he has to craft a show that will match the expectations of his fans.

After a standing-ovation following a screening at the Paramount, O'Brien answered a question from a fan who asked "if he'd ever do this again."

"I would tour again," O'Brien said, "but it will never be this." The tour, he explained, was fueled by the anger he felt for the way he was treated by his former NBC bosses.

'The Greatest Movie Ever Sold'

This documentary from director Morgan Spurlock and co-writer Jeremy Chilnick pulls the curtain back on the world of product placement. And in a surprising move, Spurlock shows how he arranges product tie-ins to pay for making his movie.

It is both funny and a little unsettling, as discussions with advertising executives, branding gurus, corporate marketing departments and filmmakers reveal the degree to which "selling out" has become de rigueur in the entertainment business \u2026 with the operative word being business.

The documentary is the fifth film Spurlock has been connected to that has played at SXSW, which he called the "greatest film fest on the planet."