Austin Film Festival 2026 Death has a following, apparently 109 billion strong, and in writer-director Ela Thier’s 109 Billion Followers, he has a face familiar to most moviegoers. J.K. Simmons plays the Grim Reaper in this unusual tale about a young filmmaker forced to confront her past and the relationships she has all but abandoned.… Continue reading 109 BILLION FOLLOWERS – intriguing and clever storyline
Author: Laurie Coker
ARTHUR & CLARA -performances and visual appeal make it worth watching
Austin Film Festival 2026 Running away from one’s problems sounds appealing, particularly when the destination is a lovely farmhouse tucked away in the British countryside. Unfortunately for Arthur and Clara, the two strangers in writer-director Kieran Bourne’s Arthur & Clara, solitude isn’t part of the accommodations. Both arrive hoping to escape their respective troubles, only… Continue reading ARTHUR & CLARA -performances and visual appeal make it worth watching
Austin Film Festival 2026: Twenty Films and a Wonderful Experience
Austin Film Festival shone for me this year. I’ve attended in previous years, and although there were noticeable changes this time, I left thoroughly impressed with the festival, its film selections, and especially the people who worked so hard to make it happen. Festivals make up the majority of my movie experiences these days, and… Continue reading Austin Film Festival 2026: Twenty Films and a Wonderful Experience
Elsinore: Andrew Scott shines in a remarkable weaving of Hamlet and Ian Charleson’s story
Austin Film Festival 2026 After a week of movies at the Austin Film Festival, the film I kept thinking about the next morning was the closing night film, Elsinore. I went to the Bullock IMAX expecting a strong performance from Andrew Scott. I got one, all right. I knew Ian Charleson’s face from Chariots of… Continue reading Elsinore: Andrew Scott shines in a remarkable weaving of Hamlet and Ian Charleson’s story
Wild Horse Nine: a pairing of actors that pleases unabashedly
Fantastic Fest 2026 John Malkovich and Sam Rockwell are a pairing I could happily watch argue their way through almost anything. In Wild Horse Nine, their chemistry turns a buddy comedy with a serious undercurrent into one of my favorite Fantastic Fest experiences. Writer-director Martin McDonagh gives them clever material, and they deliver it with… Continue reading Wild Horse Nine: a pairing of actors that pleases unabashedly
Review: Sisa — the strength of patience
Austin Film Festival 2026 By Laurie Coker | True View Reviews | Austin Film Festival 2026 I went into Sisa knowing little about the Philippine-American War and came away appalled by what I learned. American soldiers burning villages, destroying crops, and forcing civilians from their homes? This was certainly not the American history I remember… Continue reading Review: Sisa — the strength of patience
INK: Scandal Sells
Austin Film Festival 2026 Sex, scandal, outrageous headlines, and an ambitious Australian businessman determined to make a fortune selling newspapers provide the backdrop for Danny Boyle’s Ink. The film follows Rupert Murdoch and editor Larry Lamb as they turn Britain’s struggling The Sun into a tabloid sensation. Their formula for success is hardly admirable, but… Continue reading INK: Scandal Sells
Love–Love: two brothers, one complicated family
Austin Film Festival Love–Love is a touching story about two brothers navigating family expectations, old disappointments, and the frustrations of caring for someone who isn’t always easy to understand—or who isn’t particularly likable at times. We can all relate to this story’s themes. After their grandmother’s death, Andy (Haley Joel Osment), who lives with schizophrenia,… Continue reading Love–Love: two brothers, one complicated family
Behemoth! — a remarkable performance and an exquisite score
Austin Film Festival 2026 Every so often, a film comes along that reminds me why I love movies. Tony Gilroy’s Behemoth! is one of those films. It’s ambitious, beautifully acted, sometimes a bit hard to follow, but definitely worth watching. I never once checked my watch, and since it’s just over two hours long, that… Continue reading Behemoth! — a remarkable performance and an exquisite score
Bolio – Finding Yourself, One Ridiculous Step at a Time
Austin Film Festival 2026 Sometimes getting your life together means making a spectacular mess of it first. Director Jim Issa’s Bolio, a quirky, occasionally outrageous comedy, follows two unlikely friends whose attempts at self-improvement lead to questionable decisions and genuinely funny moments. The 96-minute film is entertaining and engaging enough to hold one’s attention, and… Continue reading Bolio – Finding Yourself, One Ridiculous Step at a Time