By Jan Hamilton This is a tough film that never resorts to sentiment. Most of the characters are not nice. Some are inept, dishonest users. 15 year-old Charlie (Charlie Plummer), our lead, is being raised by his easy-going dad Ray (Travis Fimmel), a man who spends most of his time chasing women. Basically, Charlie must… Continue reading SXSW 2018 Review: LEAN ON PETE
Category: Festivals
SXSW 2018 Review: EIGHTH GRADE
By Jan Hamilton Usually, comedies about school focus on a group of kids, detailing their triumphs and tragedies. This very special film follows just one misfit girl, who tries to join a popular group and gain some friends. Kayla (Elsie Fisher) is very self-confident when she films her series of self-help videos from home. She… Continue reading SXSW 2018 Review: EIGHTH GRADE
SXSW 2018 Review: A VIGILANTE
By Jan Hamilton As the film begins, Sadie (Olivia Wilde) furiously punches a heavy bag. Focus and determination are evident. It’s almost as if the punching bag is a person she’d like to obliterate. The film zips through scenes from her life: from the first time she arrived at a battered women’s group, her slow… Continue reading SXSW 2018 Review: A VIGILANTE
Film News: SXSW Documentary “Garry Winogrand: All Thing Are Photographable” to be featured at Austin Public Library
By Liz Lopez Source: SXSW and Austin Public Library Friends Foundation, Library Foundation The Austin Public Library Friends Foundation is host of a presentation and discussion of Garry Winogrand’s life and work that will include author Geoff Dyer discussing a selection of Winogrand photographs based on passages from his recently published… Continue reading Film News: SXSW Documentary “Garry Winogrand: All Thing Are Photographable” to be featured at Austin Public Library
SXSW 2018 Review: JINN
By Jan Hamilton Summer (Zoe Renee) is not a typical African-American high school senior from Southern California. Her mother Jade (Simone Missick) is a TV weather forecaster and local celebrity. Summer wants to dance and has applied to an art school for college. She also is trying to define herself–exploring her sexuality, establishing beliefs, and… Continue reading SXSW 2018 Review: JINN
SXSW 2018 Review: FIRST LIGHT
By Jan Hamilton Sean (Theodore Pellerin), a tall, thin teen, is doing his best to take care of his skateboarding brother and his almost comatose grandmother. One rare night, he sees Alex (Stefanie Scott), a girl from his childhood at an outdoor party. Though they haven’t spoken in years, they briefly argue and she goes… Continue reading SXSW 2018 Review: FIRST LIGHT
SXSW 2018 Review: DAMSEL
By Jan Hamilton Damsel, written and directed by the Zellner Brothers, the filmmaking duo known for the wonderful film Kimiko the Treasure Hunter, is a western comedy, though not quite in the vein of Blazing Saddles. Robert Pattinson (of the Twilight series) is Samuel, an earnest young man who enlists the aid of a preacher… Continue reading SXSW 2018 Review: DAMSEL
SXSW 2018 Review: PROSPECT
By Jan Hamilton This is a sci-fi thriller with a dad named Damon (Jay Duplass) and Cee (Sophie Thatcher), his young teen daughter, working on a distant planet, looking for a strange sort of gem. It seems to be found in a living plant/animal and must be carefully harvested or else it gets ruined by… Continue reading SXSW 2018 Review: PROSPECT
SXSW 2018 Review: AMERICAN ANIMALS
By Jan Hamilton Four college kids, from upper middle class families in Lexington, Kentucky, decide to steal some of the world’s most valuable books from Transylvania University. The books include an Audubon’s first edition of Birds of America, Darwin’s On The Origin of Species, and the Bible. Warren (Evan Peters), the defacto leader of the… Continue reading SXSW 2018 Review: AMERICAN ANIMALS
SXSW 2018 Review: FAMILY
By Jan Hamilton Kate (Taylor Schilling) is a seemingly successful VP of finance at a large firm. However, no one seems to like her and she doesn’t understand why. She is unable to see how truly awfully she treats her underlings at work. She never fails to insult people in completely thoughtless ways, as… Continue reading SXSW 2018 Review: FAMILY