Beth de Araújo made a splash at SXSW this year with her directorial debut, “Soft & Quiet.” Now, audiences get to find out what all the fuss is about, as the movie hits theaters next month.

READ MORE: ‘Soft And Quiet’ Review: Beth de Araújo’s Uncomfortable White Supremacist Karens Thriller Is The Real Deal [SXSW]

In the film, an elementary school teacher hosts a mixer for like-minded women on a quiet afternoon.

Continue reading ‘Soft & Quiet’ Trailer: A Woman’s Club Meeting Goes Off The Rails In SXSW Favorite On November 4 at The Playlist.

“Soft and Quiet”  begins as subtly as its title implies. It sneaks up on you. By the time you realize what it’s actually about, it’s too late and you are swept into a narrative (and a world) that you do not want to be a part of.

Writer/director Beth de Araújo’s movie starts with a shot of Emily (Stephanie Estes), who cries after taking a pregnancy test.

Continue reading ‘Soft And Quiet’ Review: Beth de Araújo’s Uncomfortable White Supremacist Karens Thriller Is The Real Deal [SXSW] at The Playlist.

Taking inspiration from the Dolly Parton quote, “Find out who you are and do it on purpose,” the Australian comedy “Seriously Red” features the most Dolly Parton paraphernalia you’ll ever see outside of Dollywood itself. Directed by Gracie Otto (“Under The Volcano”) and written by its star Krew Boylan, the film is as bold, brash, and heartfelt as the icon herself, although not entirely as original as it could be.

Continue reading ‘Seriously Red’ Review: Rose Byrne, Bobby Cannavale & More Channel The Spirit of Dolly Parton [SXSW] at The Playlist.

There is a certain distance in friendship – where intimacy fades into nostalgia and mutual curiosity – that inspires an openness between souls. It is a liminal state between empathy and apathy; it is also just one of several boundaries explored in “Jethica,” the dark comedy from multi-hyphenate filmmaker Pete Ohs. One-part ghost story, two-parts stalking drama, “Jethica” manages to walk a razor-thin line between competing tones to deliver something shockingly impactful.

Continue reading ‘Jethica’ Review: A Darkly Comedic Ghost Story of Surprising Depth [SXSW] at The Playlist.

In 2021, The Roku Channel surprised the world by acquiring the rights to Quibi’s (RIP) catalog of original programming. Freed from the constraints of a ten-minute runtime, this collection of oddball shows will soon be unleashed on streaming devices around the country. And if the first two episodes of Kathleen Robertson’s “Swimming With Sharks” are any indication, some of these stories deserve to outlast the gimmicky technology that spawned them.

Continue reading ‘Swimming With Sharks’ Review: Roku’s Thriller Welcomes Pulp Over Prestige [SXSW] at The Playlist.

From the moment Tony Todd, playing Titus Darq, a pencil mustache master of ceremonies hosting a “Good Horror Movie Night,” appears on the screen with a Vincent Price inspired cackle, you know Bill Posley’s hilarious homage to 1990s Black horror, “Bitch Ass,” knows exactly what movie it wants to be. In his opening welcome, accentuated by comical splashes of thunder, the keys of a creepy piano, and the nostalgic buzz of a VHS tape, Darq makes allusions to “Candyman,” “Tales from the Hood,” “Bones,” and so forth to prime viewers for Posley’s deliciously schlocky vision.

Continue reading ‘Bitch Ass’ Review: Bill Posely Crafts A Hilarious Homage To Black Horror [SXSW] at The Playlist.

The figures that directors Drea Cooper and Zackary Canepari assemble as talking heads for their documentary assault the viewer Greek Chorus-style, outlining a compelling, smothering, and effective picture of amateur investors stumbling upon the stock market as one might a church or guru. “Diamond Hands: The Legend of WallStreetBets” spends just 84 minutes telling a tight and surprisingly nuanced story that never veers into outright mythmaking — despite several of its subjects’ best efforts — pulling up just short of a more interesting examination of a much larger system.

Continue reading ‘Diamond Hands: The Legend Of WallStreetBets’ Review: Tight Storytelling That Doesn’t Cut Deep Enough [SXSW] at The Playlist.

With the Trump era in the rearview mirror (though the aftereffects are definitely still being felt today), we’re going to begin to see a lot of films that deal with that political upheaval in various ways. One of those films is the new drama, “The Unknown Country.” 

READ MORE: 2022 SXSW Film Festival: 15 Must-See Film & TV Projects

With “The Unknown Country” recently celebrating its world premiere at this year’s SXSW, we’re happy to give our readers an exclusive look at a clip from the unique film.

Continue reading ‘The Unknown Country’ Exclusive SXSW Clip: Lily Gladstone Goes On A Road Trip In A Post-Trump United States at The Playlist.

There’s a genuine, welcome sense of play to Richard Linklater’s “Apollo 10½: A Space Age Childhood,” and it’s present right off the bat, from the opening frames. This Netflix production marks the filmmaker’s return to rotoscope animation, the ingenious and striking drawn-over-the-top method that he brought into the mainstream with “Waking Life” and “A Scanner Darkly.” The technique’s real-but-not qualities were just right for those films, cranking up their (respectively) dreamlike and paranoid qualities; here, the M.O.

Continue reading ‘Apollo 10 1/2: A Space Age Childhood’ Review: An Amiable, Rambling Memoir Film from Richard Linklater [SXSW] at The Playlist.

Where does a person go when fiction outstrips reality, and the wildest fantasies of even the most bombastic writer can’t hold a candle to what’s found at a dusty estate sale around the corner? Apparently, one dives right back into fiction, or at least the semi-autobiographical kind that a real-life super thief leaves behind as a pseudo confession — that is, if such a thing is to be believed. These are interesting questions, yet director Allison Otto wisely sidesteps any attempt at finding a definitive answer to them in her new doc, “The Thief Collector.” Instead, she focuses on the fascinating-yet-tangled web of deceit, charity, grace, and delicious mystery born out of it.

Continue reading ‘The Thief Collector’ Review: A Delightful Exploration of the Intersection Between Fact and Fiction [SXSW] at The Playlist.

Fifty years into her career, Tanya Tucker hates the word “comeback.” With over 20 studio albums and a roguish outlaw image to her name, Tucker’s carefree, defiant spirit continues to inspire musicians both within and outside the country music scene. Kathlyn Horan’s documentary captures this influence only in the most surface-level fashion. Aptly titled “The Return of Tanya Tucker,” Horan’s doc sprouted from a spur-the-moment invitation to film the creation of Tucker’s album “While I’m Livin’,” a project curated by singer-songwriter-activist Brandi Carlile.

Continue reading ‘The Return of Tanya Tucker’ Review: An Uneventful Celebration For A Trailblazing Icon [SXSW] at The Playlist.

When it comes to the world of social media stars, well, it’s all happened so suddenly. Fifteen years ago, talk of influencers, vlogging, and the concept of “instafamous” would have raised eyebrows. Flash-forward to 2022, though, and monetizable social media platforms are integral to millennial culture. And their most famous users? They’re minor celebrities in their own right, with their online content a lucrative brand sought after by corporate sponsors. In their world, numbers and attention are everything.

Continue reading ‘Under The Influence’ Review: Enter the Dark Side Of The Attention Economy [SXSW] at The Playlist.

The opening credit sequence of Michael Morris’ “To Leslie” is a real roller coaster ride, and thus appropriate preparation for the emotional turmoil to follow. We meet the title character (Andrea Riseborough) via a series of photos, mostly family snapshots: happy memories, a young woman coming of age, getting married, having a baby. And then the mood shifts, to stark close-ups of bruises on her face – police evidence photos.

Continue reading ‘To Leslie’ Review: Andrea Riseborough Chalks Up Another Stunning Performance In A Harrowing Addiction Drama [SXSW] at The Playlist.

After forty years in show business, what else is there left for Nicolas Cage to do? At his best — for thirty years, in fact — the actor nimbly toed the line between blockbuster action hero and fully committed dramatic performer. Often aware of his onscreen habits and lampooned for his onscreen vocal and physical excesses, Cage intermittently played those expectations for greater dramatic tension and pure comedy. During the 2010s, when he appeared to take any role thrown his way — roles many interpreted as being beneath his talents — it was difficult to envision a scenario when he could come back (not that he ever left). 

But after the unhinged “Mandy,” the aesthetically sumptuous “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-verse,” and the aching tragedy of “Pig,” Cage appears to be back (not that he ever left).

Continue reading ‘The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent’ Review: A Triumphant Comeback For Nicolas Cage, Who Also Never Left [SXSW] at The Playlist.

Colin West’s “Linoleum” is the kind of movie that’s all but impossible to review with any specificity, because so much of its achievement lies in its surprises – how it seems to be doing one thing while slyly doing another, without deception, and then revealing its ultimate intentions with grace and style. This is the writer/director’s second film, and he displays a confidence and storytelling acumen that’s frankly inspiring. 

READ MORE: 2022 SXSW Film Festival: 15 Must-See Film & TV Projects

Jim Gaffigan stars as Cameron Edwin, a Bill Nye-type TV personality, but on a local (very local) level.

Continue reading ‘Linoleum’ Review: Jim Gaffigan Shines in a Startlingly Resonant Indie Sci-Fi Drama [SXSW] at The Playlist.

In 2011, former Arizona Congresswoman Gabby Giffords survived an assassination attempt that left her partially paralyzed and unable to walk. Tracing her recovery and activism, the title of Julie Cohen and Betsy West‘s documentary “Gabby Giffords Won’t Back Down” pretty much says it all. A portrait of Gifford’s resilience juxtaposed against the sheer institutional gridlock that accompanies any attempts at gun reform, Cohen and West’s film is most affecting when centered around Gifford’s recovery process and her relationship with her astronaut husband (and current congressman) Mark Kelly.

Continue reading ‘Gabby Giffords: Won’t Back Down’ Review: A Personal, Scattered Tribute to the Titular Congresswoman [SXSW] at The Playlist.

Roger Ebert used to say it’s not what a movie’s about but how it’s about it. I found that thought inescapable throughout the entirety of “I Love My Dad,” a comedy about a desperate father who reconnects with his estranged son by catfishing him, pretending to be a hot girl who the young man comes to believe to be his girlfriend. “The following actually happened,” insists the opening on-screen text. “My dad asked me to tell you it didn’t.” That gets a laugh.

Continue reading ‘I Love My Dad’ Review: Patton Oswalt’s Latest is Sunk by an Off-Putting Premise [SXSW] at The Playlist.

For the skateboarding illiterate, there is perhaps no more famous name than Tony Hawk. Even those who cannot differentiate a kickflip from a heelflip can probably tell you something about the most popular skateboarder of all time: the video games that bear his name, his appearances in “Jackass,” or even his 900 at the 1999 X-Games. No one has done more to bring the skateboarding community into the mainstream than Hawk.

Continue reading ‘Tony Hawk: Until the Wheels Fall Off’ Review: A Routine But Engaging Introduction to Hawk’s Career [SXSW] at The Playlist.

Beginning as a cultural and religious exploration of the Japanese Monks that reside on the top of Mount Hiei near Kyoto, then transforming into a profoundly personal reflection on director Ahsen Nadeem’s own life, “Crows Are White” is an acute meditation on the powers, and limitations, of religious fervor. 

The film begins in the fog of the mountains, as Nadeem — and his small band of filmmakers — are finally given access to the monastery after years of asking.

Continue reading ‘Crows are White’ Review: A Personal Reflection on the Limitations of Faith [SXSW] at The Playlist.

“Everything Everywhere All At Once” carries a surprising sci-fi staidness for the loony directors behind “Swiss Army Man,” until a character, after ingesting a chock full of pink chapstick, magically becomes a martial arts master, decimating the security guards patrolling a drab IRS office in the process. In Dan Kwan and Daniel Scheinert’s bold and boundless, nihilist multiverse spectacle, the co-directors known as the Daniels gleefully reference “The Matrix,” “Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon,” “2001: A Space Odyssey,” and the works of Wong Kar-wai to give the legendary Michelle Yeoh her most demanding, and possibly most fulfilling role, yet.

Continue reading ‘Everything Everywhere All At Once’: Michelle Yeoh Carries A Bold & Boundless Multiverse Spectacle [SXSW] at The Playlist.

Mortality is a touchy subject for many people. What happens when we die? Is death something to be afraid of? And of course, what do we leave behind when we depart this physical realm? It’s that last question, about life and legacy, that is behind the new documentary, “What We Leave Behind.”

READ MORE: 2022 SXSW Film Festival: 15 Must-See Film & TV Projects

With the new doc arriving at SXSW, we are thrilled to give our readers an exclusive look at the teaser trailer for Iliana Sosa’s beautiful, deeply personal feature.

Continue reading ‘What We Leave Behind’ Exclusive Trailer: Iliana Sosa’s Deeply Personal SXSW Doc Takes A Look At Family & Legacy at The Playlist.

What new is there to say about Nicolas Cage at this point in his career? As an actor, he’s a chaotic force, indulgent in a way that deserves an adjective all its own: Cage-ian. However, he’s also a prolific workhorse, dedicated to his craft in ways other actors aren’t. He seemingly never turns down a script, no matter how ludicrous its premise. Is it genius? Insanity? Only one thing is for certain: it’s Nicolas Cage.

Continue reading ‘The Unbearable Weight Of Massive Talent’ Red Band Trailer: Nicolas Cage Plays Himself In His Most Meta Movie Yet at The Playlist.

After being the first major film festival hit by the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic—the unfortunate timing couldn’t have been worse, March 2020 as the virus first started causing lockdowns around the U.S. — and having to cancel that year, SXSW has been arguably hit the hardest of all the festivals in North America. 2021 SXSW had to go virtual as the virus issues persisted, but this year, the festival is finally triumphantly back in person.

Continue reading 2022 SXSW Film Festival: 15 Must-See Film & TV Projects at The Playlist.

Even if you’re not someone super familiar with skateboarding, you’ve likely heard the name Tony Hawk. For decades, Hawk’s name is synonymous with skateboarding and the public image of the entire sport. After winning tons of competitions, inventing tricks, a massively popular video game franchise, and more, Tony Hawk’s life and career is finally getting the spotlight in the new doc, “Tony Hawk: Until the Wheels Fall Off.”

READ MORE: SXSW 2022 Lineup Includes New Richard Linklater, ‘Atlanta’ Season 3, ‘Halo,’ A24’s ‘Bodies Bodies Bodies’ & More

As seen in the trailer for “Tony Hawk: Until the Wheels Fall Off,” the film follows the story of Hawk, from the time he was a young kid shocking the world with his skateboarding skills to becoming one of the most famous and influential athletes in the world.

Continue reading ‘Tony Hawk: Until The Wheels Fall Off’ Trailer: Sam Jones’ Upcoming SXSW Doc Arrives On HBO In April at The Playlist.

Richard Linklater’s last three films since 2013’s “Boyhood” didn’t exactly win over audiences completely. Sure, all three of those films had limited theatrical releases. And yes, “Everybody Wants Some!!” is “Dazed And Confused” for Millenials, while “Last Flag Flying” had a niche audience as a sequel to 1973’s “The Last Detail.” But the target crowd for “Where’d You Go Bernadette”?

Continue reading ‘Apollo 10 1/2: A Space Age Childhood’ Trailer: Richard Linklater’s Latest Premieres At SXSW, Hits Netflix On April 1 at The Playlist.