SXSW

The directorial debut from Tony Tost is an ode to 1970s cinema, and to desperate, hopeless dreamers everywhere — A young boy who is convinced that he is the reincarnation of Sitting Bull. A war veteran who suffers from brain damage, but is ceaselessly kind, soft-spoken, and falls in love easily. A waitress who suffers from a significant speech impediment, with dreams of becoming a singer in Nashville. A…

For horror fans, the Evil Dead franchise is a cornerstone of the genre. The series has shifted tones wildly from the first in 1981 (experimental, brutal, low budget horror) to the second (slapstick comedy, gore) to the third (fantasy?!?) to the fourth (back to straightforward brutal horror with plenty of…

The sports drama has been done to death. There’s typically an underdog who faces various obstacles on their athletic journey, usually with a social message, ending in an emotional climax that teaches both the hero and the audience a lesson. It’s usually based on a true story (Remember the Titans…

Over a decade ago my son and I attended SXSW as part of a roadtrip during his high school spring break. We didn’t have a pass or much knowledge of the event except that all the cool kids went. My involvement with SXSW Pitch the past few years now expand…

An engrossing, single-location story, driven by a superb performance from Lily Sullivan — There’s always something alluring about “bottle films,” movies that center events around a single location, either through the creative use of small budgets, or taking on the logistical challenge, where one focal character serves as a conduit to an escalating situation in the outside world. Think Locke, Pontypool, 127 Hours…

In attendance was Director/Star Ben Affleck, Stars Matt Damon, Viola Davis, Jason Bateman, Chris Messina, Chris Tucker, Julius Tennon, Writer Alex Convery, Producers Jeff Robinov, Jason Michael Berman and Executive Producers Jordan Moldo, Jon Weinbach. Produced by David Ellison, Jesse Sisgold, Jon Weinbach, Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, Madison Ainley, Jeff…

… for better and worse. — Today, there’s a severe lack of a particular genre of fantasy picture which used to be an integral part of the cinematic landscape in the 80s, with movies like The Beastmaster, Conan, Red Sonja, Krull, and more. Affectionately dubbed “Sword & Sorcery,” they weren’t “high” fantasy but focused more on…

A complicated portrait of a controversial figure, this Thomas Kinkade documentary biography urges a reconsideration of the man’s work by reconsidering the man — My mother was a fan of Thomas Kinkade. I don’t precisely remember why, but I do remember her adopting his self-assigned title, “Painter of Light,” as well as looking through high-end prints of his at an art store in a gallery at the Barton Springs Mall. Perhaps more embarrassingly, if…