Despite being a strictly in-person festival for the first time in years, Allison and I managed to catch quite a few movies from the 2023 SXSW Film Festival slate! There were many highs and lows throughout the week of the fest, and as per usual, we are here to share our full coverage. After the … Continue reading SXSW 2023 Wrap-Up
SXSW 2023: Beef
A24 and Netflix finely season their newest collaboration: dark dramedy Beef, a searing depiction of road rage taken to its most outrageous extreme. Showrunner/writer/creator Lee Sung Jin wrings masterful performances from both Steven Yeun and Ali Wong, both of whom have never been better. Throughout a ten-episode run, Beef builds up an increasingly tense atmosphere, … Continue reading SXSW 2023: Beef
SXSW 2023: Northern Comfort
★★★ Northern Comfort ramps up the fear of flying to dizzying, darkly comedic heights in the morally questionable, occasionally successful new flick from co-writer/director Hafsteinn Gunnar Sigurðsson. Who doesn’t love a good yarn about a collection of strangers forced into a difficult scenario against their will? While the film may not be brimming with surprises, … Continue reading SXSW 2023: Northern Comfort
SXSW 2023: I Used to Be Funny
★★ One of the more anticipated entries at this year’s SXSW Film Festival was I Used to Be Funny, the newest Rachel Sennott vehicle that I assumed would be a dramedy/mystery mixture. I loved Rachel in Bodies, Bodies, Bodies, where her awkward humor blended perfectly into her ditzy, self-obsessed character’s personality. Hoping for more range … Continue reading SXSW 2023: I Used to Be Funny
SXSW 2023: Pure O
★★ (Written by Allison Brown) Dillon Tucker’s directorial feature debut Pure O is a miss, both in storytelling and visual execution. The bloated two-hour runtime will leave one checking the time far too often, hoping to be closer to the end. As someone who suffers from mild OCD, I was particularly eager to check out … Continue reading SXSW 2023: Pure O
SXSW 2023: Peak Season
★★★★ (Written by Intern, Wyatt Frantz) Peak Season is a beautifully meditative sophomore film from Henry Loevner and Steven Kanter that displays how the Midwest and life's fleeting relationships can be a beautiful thing. Using cinematic minimalism and the Wyoming mountaintops to their advantage, a new light is shone on the “city folk meets country … Continue reading SXSW 2023: Peak Season
SXSW 2023: Pay or Die
(Written by Allison Brown) ★★★★ The cost of healthcare in the United States is at an all-time high. If one suddenly loses their job or falls off their parents’ insurance, out-of-pocket costs can reach the thousands, leading many to neglect their health. Even with insurance, high deductibles and co-pays make it hard for the average … Continue reading SXSW 2023: Pay or Die
SXSW 2023: Citizen Sleuth
(Written by Allison Brown) ★★★ Although some may have good intentions, true crime podcasts are an ethical grey zone. Director Chris Kasick chooses to follow Emily Nestor and the explosion of her show, Mile Marker 181, in Citizen Sleuth to expose the balance between entertainment and truth. With zero college education or audiovisual, journalism or … Continue reading SXSW 2023: Citizen Sleuth
FrightFest Glasgow 2023: Here for Blood
★★★★ Gory throwback horror that feels like a delicious, campy mix of Cabin in the Woods and Last House on the Left was certainly not what I expected when I sat down to watch Here for Blood. This splatterfest is the directorial debut of Daniel Turres and screenwriter James Roberts. The film plays like a … Continue reading FrightFest Glasgow 2023: Here for Blood
SXSW 2023: Appendage
★★★★ One woman’s inner turmoil becomes a shit-talking outer tumor that grows and grows in writer/director Anna Zlokovic’s cringey little blast of fun, Appendage. The short film of the same name, which played 2022’s Sundance and became part of Hulu’s Bite Size Halloween, was a lean, focused piece that perfectly executed its obvious depiction of … Continue reading SXSW 2023: Appendage