As with 2021, this iteration of the South by Southwest Film Festival is wildly varied in tone and consistency, delivering what I assume will be some of our favorite movies of the entire year and we are only in March! After the jump, check out our full coverage from SXSW, including capsule reviews for the titles not afforded full written articles. Don’t miss out, as Allison and I count down our top ten favorite movies of the fest!
Films
A LOT OF NOTHING
I struggle to think of a more potent and on-the-nose title than A Lot of Nothing. Fittingly, I came away from the film with just that. It deals with an important topic—the unwarranted shooting of an innocent person by an officer—with a hand so heavy that it amounts to a scribble on the page. After their neighbor makes headlines for this shooting, Vanessa (Cleopatra Coleman) wants answers. She takes this to an extreme when her husband, James (Y’lan Noel), seems particularly cavalier about the whole situation. Vanessa forces Brian (Justin Hartley) at gunpoint into their garage, whereafter James tapes him down to a lawn chair. Vanessa’s heart is in the right place (she desperately wants to unstick Brian from his generational cycle of hate), but the couple’s grasp over the kidnapping spirals wildly out of control. A Lot of Nothing is beautifully filmed, but the scripting is flimsy when it comes to stakes. A scene near the end of the movie should feel exciting and intense, yet is stopped dead in its tracks by the leads having a heart-to-heart. The lack of urgency trickles down to every area of the production, wherein the use of slow-motion does little to propel the action. The score also feels all wrong—the music does not match the situations unfolding onscreen. A Lot of Nothing, indeed.
APOLLO 10 1/2: A SPACE AGE CHILDHOOD
Richard Linklater is one of my favorite working directors, so it gives me little pleasure in putting to words my feelings on his newest cinematic offering. This rotoscope-animated dramedy channels the earlier work Linklater sunk into 2006’s A Scanner Darkly, focusing now on a story set in the Spring of 1968. Linklater could depict the coming-of-age subgenre in his sleep (see: Boyhood, Everybody Wants Some, Dazed & Confused), so I am not sure why Apollo 10 1/2: A Space Age Childhood feels this small-stakes and derivative. From top to bottom, the movie is narrated by Jack Black—the constant vocal presence is full of personality, but a little lazy. The specificity of the time period is so laser-focused and exploding with details, including but not limited to: optimistic technological advances, the allure of the bowling alley, popping the tab of soda into one’s beverage, the Cold War, the Clean Air act, kids getting paddled as “corrections,” the prank calls of the era, hippies, every great TV show and song title of the 60s name-dropped, and so much more. The emphasis on these tiny elements leave the actual kid-participating-in-the-moon-landing and struck from obscurity feeling like a subpar afterthought.
BITCH ASS
I will try to keep this one as short and sweet as possible as not to offend. I absolutely loved the “hood” horrors of yesteryear (including but not limited to Tales From the Hood, Candyman, and 2001’s Bones), so I was thrilled to cover this one for SXSW. Tony Todd does an awesome intro and outro presenting, and the setup is as if we will be watching a long lost VHS tape. The only problem is, nothing about Bitch Ass feels authentic. The lack of a vintage filter could possibly be forgiven if the remainder of the project was off the walls fantastic. I get that the intent was to shut off one’s brain and strap in for the ride, but when it all feels so pedestrian and poorly made, how can one become invested? Twisted versions of games like Operation, Connect 4, and Battleship sound fun in theory; however, the execution is horribly wrong. Also lovely in concept is an exclusively all-black cast for a slasher film. The script and direction let them down at every opportunity despite this being a revolutionary novel concept. My laundry list of complaints would be practically endless in a full review, so I’ll just leave it at this: Bitch Ass is in desperate need of a course-correcting bitchslap.
THE CELLAR
Full review at the link.
CHA CHA REAL SMOOTH
Previously reviewed at Sundance 2022.
THE COW
Full review at the link.
DEADSTREAM
Found footage horror is one tricky beast—get it perfect, and you could have the next Blair Witch Project, but stumble and you could end up like The Devil’s Due or The Last Exorcism. Deadstream attempts to approach its brand of terrors with an annoyingly juvenile bend to its humor, and an insufferable influencer at the center! Writers and directors Vanessa Winter and Joseph Winter misunderstand what works in the found footage format, and the lead character is so insufferable that I found a hard time getting into the film at all. Faux social media personality Shawn Ruddy (Joseph Winter) makes money out of facing his fears “one dumbass challenge at a time.” After he gets cancelled, Shawn attempts to make a victory lap six months later by facing one of his biggest fears: spend one night alone in a seemingly haunted house. Armed with a selfie cam and a crucifix, Shawn live-streams his increasingly ridiculous exploits. The whole movie is an exercise in preposterous, hollow concepts, and goes nowhere fast. Forgive me for not finding anything scary about a demon who wants to shove their finger up one’s nose. For a better exercise in found footage influencer culture, check out Spree or Dashcam instead.
DIAMOND HANDS: THE LEGEND OF WALLSTREETBETS
Admittedly, I know next-to-nothing about the stock market, and had only passively heard about this GameStop controversy as it was happening without any true context. Diamond Hands: The Legend of WallStreetBets is at least functional as a documentary, examining multiple sides, mixing media and techniques to keep from becoming stale, and attempting to fill in the clueless viewers (like me!) about what exactly happened here. Between manipulating market prices, the pandemic flooding the market with money, get rich quick schemes, and borderline-delusional Reddit communities, Diamond Hands has a lot of ground to cover in a relatively short time. It feels both overstuffed and empty at the same time. Maybe it is the fact that I cannot sympathize with people who have essentially gambled all of their money away. What’s really the difference between being indebted from betting one’s life savings on gambling at a casino versus gambling it all on the stock market? While tragic, it doesn’t make the situation any less that person’s fault in my opinion. This is where the biggest barrier existed for me to get invested in this—like regular gambling, one person walks away with $8 million in earnings, while another has lost literally everything. Keep holding on to that GameStop stock, because clearly there is a future for those who do!
EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE
Full review at the link.
HYPOCHONDRIAC
Full review at the link. Full-length interview with writer/director Addison Heimann and cast here!
I GET KNOCKED DOWN
Ever heard that 90s pop classic, “Tubthumping,” by the band Chumbawumba? Perhaps its instantly-recognizable lyrics about getting up again after being knocked down will take one back to a simpler time, one in which a happy accident was the root of the band’s biggest success to date. They may have only lasted from 1982 to 1999, but over a decade is an admirable run for any major band. The problem is that far too little of indulgent, bizarre documentary, I Get Knocked Down, is actually focused expressly on the band’s rise to fame or their touring. Vintage footage sprinkled throughout remains a pure highlight, but every single time the picture shifts to the modern-day “radical without a clue” lead singer Dunston Bruce (who also co-directs the film with Sophie Robinson), the weird “Babyhead” alter ego is headache-inducing. I got the sense it was aiming for Twin Peaks strangeness, but ends up more like a poor man’s Christmas Carol. A lovely documentary about a band obsessed with self-expression and political activism is hidden somewhere deep beneath it all. Too uneven to recommend, I Get Knocked Down may be strictly for band purists.
I LOVE MY DAD
Full review at the link.
IT IS IN US ALL
Full review at the link.
LINOLEUM
Full review at the link.
THE LOST CITY
Full review at the link.
MAMA BEARS
Full review at the link.
MASTER
Previously reviewed at Sundance 2022.
MICKEY: THE STORY OF A MOUSE
Mickey: The Story of a Mouse is a surface-level exploration of one of America’s most defining icons: Mickey Mouse! Featuring a variety of vintage cartoon footage, interviews, and Walt Disney insight, this documentary may not dive as deep as one would hope, but watching it still brought out the sense of childhood hope and joy I have always felt towards Mickey. The way that Mickey became weaved into our social consciousness remains a marvel to behold; his rise from Walt creation to worldwide phenomenon sprouted from short-movie theatrical success is well-documented and concise. This SXSW doc is at its best when it dips toes into the darker side of Disney while acknowledging that history cannot be ignored. I also loved lamenting the hidden masterpiece that is Fantasia. Following different iterations and eras of Mickey is a hell of a trip—one cannot help but wish there was a better framing device than a new minute-long Mickey short. DVD behind-the-scenes featurette or full-length movie quality documentary? You decide.
THE PEZ OUTLAW
Who doesn’t love a Pez? Yes, you heard me right—Pez, the popular candy-dispenser topped by a cutesy face or pop-culture icon which were once the hottest things in the entire world, especially to collectors. So how exactly did a poor dreamer who came from a ratty old hole-filled house help make Pez-collecting into a million-dollar business? Meet Steve Glew, the subject of SXSW documentary, The Pez Outlaw. In this movie, we learn about Glew’s story from top to bottom, retold by Glew himself, those closest to him, and the contradictions to his recounting by the bigwigs of the Pez company. Examining this tale from every angle was probably the most concise way to portray this complicated man. My jaw dropped at the prices some of these people would pay—one lady admits that the most she ever spent on one single Pez dispenser was $11,000! The Pez Outlaw makes a convincing argument as to why Glew and his vision was both wholesome and necessary; his influence clearly spread far and wide. I had a fun time absorbing it all. Stylistically varied and technically informative to the extreme, The Pez Outlaw is a strongly-focused documentary that is easy to recommend thanks to its breezy and charming subject matter.
PIRATES
Full review at the link.
THE PRANK
Full review at the link.
PRETTY PROBLEMS
Full review at the link.
RAQUEL 1:1
Full review at the link.
SERIOUSLY RED
It may not hit the high highs of my favorite “celebrity impersonator” movie ever, Harmony Korine’s Mister Lonely, but I’ll be damned if Seriously Red isn’t an adorable good time. For fans of Dolly Parton, I cannot see them having a single issue with this Australian dramedy and its beating heart. A quote from Dolly herself flashes onscreen at pivotal moments in the life of Red (Krew Boylan), a woman who starts out in real estate, then turns to impersonation thanks to her undying devotion to Dolly. She is so obsessed that even her coffee cup says “cup of ambition” on it, a reference to Dolly’s lyrics in 9 to 5. Performing big and breathing, sleeping, and eating Dolly is easier said than done—it takes hard work to get to the top in the impersonation game. Boylan is magnificent, as are the numerous song-and-dance numbers. Daniel Webber as a Kenny Rodgers impersonator and Rose Byrne’s Elvis Presley are other strong highlights. Seriously Red is a cutesy fable about learning to love oneself through the mirror of another, and realizing one’s truest potential.
SHERYL
Sheryl Crow is said to be one of the most humble and eloquent figures in pop music, and 2022 documentary Sheryl is a testament to her charming personality and devotion to perfection. Sheryl comes on the heels of several music-related docs. Between the two I saw at this year’s SXSW, it is far superior in every way to the Chumbawumba documentary. Layered with vintage footage, deep dives into song origins, dabbling in nearly all her major hits, highs, lows, and everything in between, it is both cohesive and sprawling. I cannot claim to be the biggest Crow fan outside of her hits, yet this does an amazing job of answering nearly every question one would have about Crow’s life thus far. Hard topics dig deep, and one subject makes Crow actually cry herself. My biggest issue is the lack of names attached to interviews—the viewer is left to fill in the blanks as to who is speaking. Sometimes, like when Keith Richards or Laura Dern chime in for their input, the lack of names makes sense. More obscure figures though should have a title at least, and would make a strong doc even stronger.
SISSY
Full review at the link.
SLASH/BACK
Being a massive fan of slasher films and meta humor, Slash/Back was easily one of my most anticipated movies of this year’s SXSW. Unfortunately, I have to say that I found it to be a major disappointment. I was impressed by the gory makeup effects and not much else, finding the characters difficult to penetrate. The snowy landscape of its setting is wasted on a shaky premise. Bringing indigenous culture into the mainstream is admirable indeed; one wishes it carried a stronger sense of purpose, especially when accompanied by a soaring, quirky music score. A deformed bones-breaking figure that crawls on the ground has, by this point, been run directly into the ground.
SOFT & QUIET
Full review at the link.
SPAZ
Full review at the link.
SPIN ME ROUND
Featuring a mystery angle that goes nowhere fast, Spin Me Round strands a talented cast in a confined setting. Amber (Allison Brie), a longtime worker for Tuscan Grove company (an Olive Garden knockoff), wins an exclusive ticket to a prestigious management program in Italy! Here she will learn about Italian culture from a new perspective. Italy is nothing like the Italy of Amber’s dreams, however, and Amber may have difficulty finding love here amongst the craziness. This bizarre comedy from Jeff Baena could double as a postcard for Italy, where it was also filmed. The cinematography is indeed beautiful and perfectly captures the stunning landscapes of the Italian countryside. Allison Brie as naive and spunky Amber is a bit of an annoying character to follow as our lead. For an ensemble comedy, there is little mesh to the talent assembled. To my surprise, it is really Molly Shannon that steals the show as Deb. Her suitcase was stolen, so she relies on Amber for help. Deb literally has a different outfit in every scene. If only the rest of Spin Me Round was as delightfully preposterous!
STAY THE NIGHT
Stay the Night is a simplistic romance drama that aims for a slice-of-life style, yet cannot maintain the beauty of the pared-down tale for the full runtime. Carter (Joe Scarpellino), a professional athlete who may now be Syracuse-bound to play in the minors after being unceremoniously fired, and Grace (Andrea Bang), a stuffy stuck-in-one-position HR advisor, connect for a one-night-stand. This brief sexual encounter leads to more, as they often do. She wants her first time to be special, as Grace is a virgin; Carter meanwhile is trying to escape from the pressures of own situation. There is sadly barely any meat to the story, making Stay the Night just a series of conversations with fleeting connection.
STILL WORKING 9 TO 5
Full review at the link.
TO LESLIE
To Leslie is an excellent showcase for the talents of Andrea Riseborough and young actor Owen Teague. Riseborough has completely redeemed herself for the abomination that was 2020’s The Grudge reboot in my eyes. After winning big at the lottery ($190,000 to be exact!), Leslie (Riseborough) doesn’t exactly spend her newfound wealth wisely. She completely destroys her relationship with her son, James (Teague), and falls down a rabbit hole of addiction and alcoholism. Allison Janney appears in a smaller role than one would expect, effortlessly chewing up every piece of dialogue she is given. The story depicts the kind of tale we have seen time and time again, but it feels told from a passionate and personal perspective. It may not be among SXSW’s best offerings this year, but To Leslie is a damn good acting masterclass that champions of the mid-budget drama will celebrate.
X
Full review at the link.
Television
HALO
I am admittedly not a big XBOX or Halo game series fan in general, aside from passively playing multiplayer with my cousins and some pals when I was younger. Still, I had rather high expectations because on a purely cinematic level, Halo as it exists in game form is impressive and complex. Nothing of that goodwill is reflected in the final product of this derivative action series. Set in the year 2552, it takes more than ten minutes of the runtime just to give us some alien action, and to get into the Master Chief of it all. The show was giving me major District 9 meets The Mandalorian vibes, only cheaper. At the end of the debut episode, Master Chief (played by brooding Orange is the New Black actor Pablo Schreiber) dramatically removes his helmet. There is a fatal flaw in presenting him as the lead—Master Chief is given no personality, and made a totally flat caricature. You know the old saying… if Star Wars walked, it was so Halo could trip over its own footing and fall flat on its alien-dialect-spouting face.
SHINING GIRLS
Full review at the link.
SWIMMING WITH SHARKS
Full review at the link.
WECRASHED
Full review at the link.
Josh’s Ten Favorite Films
Allison’s Ten Favorite Films
This year, we were so close to traveling in person, and we honestly loved several titles out of 2022’s SXSW Film Festival. Some of these movies will leave people talking about them all year long! We look forward to what next year will bring… Learn more about this year’s SXSW on the official website.