By Amanda Gilmore
Award-Winning Filmmaker Dawn Porter brings us this engrossing Documentary about one of the most influential and least understood First Ladies, Claudia “Lady Bird” Johnson. Porter uses all-archival footage and the 123 hours of personal and revealing audio diaries that Lady Bird recorded during her husband’s administration.
Through Lady Bird’s audio diaries, we get a look into many pivotal events throughout US history. That’s because LBJ’s time in office was one of the most tumultuous and significant periods in modern American history that included the civil rights movement and the Vietnam War. Porter doesn’t glaze over these monumental moments but rather delves deep into the movements, protests and the bills passed. We’ve heard of these historical moments from today’s viewpoint, however, this Documentary gives insight into this important period from someone inside the White House while it was all happening.
This engrossing Documentary shows the impact Lady Bird had during her husband’s time in office. She was a voice of reason for LBJ and spoke her mind when she knew her opinion needed to be heard. It’s captivating to listen to phone calls she made to her husband informing him of how he should be handling certain situations. These conversations, and all the other times she voiced her opinion, are inspirational for women of all ages — both then and now.
The one major takeaway about Lady Bird‘s legacy, as her passion for the environment. It was due to her that Nixon form the National Environmental Policy Act. It’s clear that her focus on environmental issues proves she was a woman and catalyst ahead of her time.
Although she’s been considered one of the least understood First Ladies, The Lady Bird Diaries proves that she was an intelligent political strategist and had a deep understanding of people.
The Lady Bird Diaries screens at SXSW ’23 as follows:
Mar 10 at 5:00pm at ZACH Theatre
Mar 14 at 6:15pm at Rolling Theatre at The Long Center
By Mr. Will Wong
Luchina Fisher‘s THE DADS is timely and important. The 11-minute Documentary Short brings six fathers together for a fishing trip in Oklahoma, but this is far from just a dudes’ getaway flick.
We learn these men are actually fathers to trans and LGBTQ+ children. Together, they swap stories of their biggest fears, including one of them whose son is black and trans, worrying every day for his safety. Another is the father of Matthew Shepard, a young gay man who is 1998 was beaten, tortured and left to die. Here we are in 2023 with so much work left to do and if anything, the Film leaves us with a message of hope through the uncertainty, exploring fatherhood and masculinity through a fresh lens.
This is far too urgent a matter to be explored over 11 minutes only, but in its short screen time, Fisher‘s message is impactful. We are hoping there might be an expanded version of THE DADS to come or a follow-up to come.
THE DADS screens at SXSW ’23 as follows:
Mar 12, 2023
2:15pm—3:46pm
Mar 16, 2023
6:45pm—8:16pm
By David Baldwin
Diego (Alberto Ammann) and Elena (Bruna Cusí) are immigrating from Spain to the United States in the hopes of starting a new life. They have landed in Newark with all the necessary approvals and have three hours before their connecting flight leaves for Miami.
That is how UPON ENTRY opens, with the remainder of its 74-minute running time composed of anxiety, confusion and an endlessly grueling interrogation after Diego and Elena are taken to a secondary inspection area when the authorities discover some inconsistencies with the pair. No minute is wasted as this young couple are psychologically disarmed and made to question every detail of their lives together. It is harrowing stuff that does not get as deplorable as you might think, but certainly leaves you on edge with its palpable realism.
A few ill-timed blunders and underdeveloped plot devices aside, Writer/Director team Alejandro Rojas and Juan Sebastián Vásquez have crafted a picture that grips you from beginning to end. The suspense they manage to squeeze out of these characters, as they mainly sit in one cold, sterile interrogation room talking, is terrific, as is the way we learn about the characters’ histories – sometimes at the same time as they are. The minimal use of music amplifies Diego and Elena’s horrifying experience exponentially, as does the deliberate framing as they answer the immigration officers’ questions. Ammann and Cusí are dynamic in their roles, easily evolving their emotions as needed, and each delivering standout work. You never believe for an instant that these are actors and not real people. Laura Gómez (who memorably played Blanca Flores on Orange is the New Black) is just as convincing, if not even better than our two leads. She plays one of the no-nonsense interrogation officers with the dialed-up intensity of a wolf who just found its prey, and yes, she is just as scary as that sounds.
UPON ENTRY screens at SXSW ’23 as follows:
Mar 10 at 8:30pm at Alamo Lamar C
Mar 12 at 5:45pm at Satellite Venue: AFS Cinema
Mar 16 at 11:30am at Alamo Lamar E
Today, Disney+ revealed the May 24, 2023 premiere date for the Disney+ Original series “American Born Chinese.” This :30 first look at the genre-hopping action-comedy from Disney Branded Television series produced by 20th Television, celebrates the show’s three Oscar nominees: Michelle Yeoh, Ke Huy Quan and guest star Stephanie Hsu. The Series gets a premiere at SXSW this week!
Based on the graphic novel of the same name by Gene Luen Yang, “American Born Chinese” tells the story of Jin Wang, an average teenager juggling his high school social life with his home life. When he meets a new foreign student on the first day of the school year, even more worlds collide as Jin is unwittingly entangled in a battle of Chinese mythological gods.
The coming-of-age adventure features an all-star international cast, including Academy® Award-Nominees and Golden Globe winners Michelle Yeoh and Ke Huy Quan (“Everything Everywhere All at Once”), Ben Wang (“Chang Can Dunk”), two-time International Emmy Award nominee Yeo Yann Yann (“Wet Season”), Chin Han (“Mortal Kombat”), Daniel Wu (“Reminiscence”), former Taekwondo champion Jimmy Liu and Sydney Taylor (“Just Add Magic”). Academy® Award nominee Stephanie Hsu (“Everything Everywhere All at Once”) guest stars.
Emmy® Award-winning writer/producer Kelvin Yu (“Bob’s Burgers,” “Central Park”) serves as executive producer and showrunner. Destin Daniel Cretton (Marvel’s “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings,” “Short Term 12”) is set to direct and serves as executive producer, alongside Melvin Mar and Jake Kasdan (both of “Doogie Kamealoha, M.D.,” “Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle” and “Jumanji: The Next Level”), Erin O’Malley (“Doogie Kamealoha, M.D.”), Asher Goldstein (“Short Term 12,” “Just Mercy”) and Gene Luen Yang.
(Photo/video credit: Disney+)
By Amanda Gilmore
In 1955, Veteran JB Peña (Jay Hernandez) and his wife move to the small town of Del Rio, Texas. He gets hired as the school district’s superintendent. It’s there that he sees a glimpse of himself reflected in a group of five Mexican-American students. The students work as caddies outside school hours. JB catches them playing the sport one night and relishes in their potential. He offers them the chance to be the school’s first golf team. The rest is history.
Based on the true story and critically acclaimed self-published book by Author Humberto G., The Long Game is an uplifting underdog story. It’s a story of finding ones worth in a world that repeatedly puts you down. These five young men face racism every day. They’re unwelcome in local restaurants and are put down by the white men they caddy for. Director Julio Quintana brings us into their world, reminding us of the time in which these men lived.
Some might think that we’ve seen this story before, but not quite like this. It’s told through the love of golf. Each of the young men loves the sport and are wildly talented at it. Quintana tells us all we need to know about the sport and delves into the camaraderie of the teammates. His Cast of young Actors is outstanding. Their energy is palpable and they hit each beat with nuance and precision. The stand-out is up-and-coming Julian Works who plays Joe, the leader of the group that carries the weight of the world on his shoulders. Hernandez also shines as a man willing to stop at nothing to see these young men succeed.
Although this story is formulaic, it delivers an uplifting poignant story of five young Mexican-Americans that we won’t ever forget.
The Long Game screens at SXSW ’23 as follows:
Mar 12 at 11:45am at Paramount Theatre
Mar 15 at 5:45pm at Rollins Theatre at The Long Center
By Amanda Gilmore
In 2014, Francine, a Social Scientist, and her partners launched Plan C. The purpose of the network was to spread information about how and where to buy abortion pills online. The organization now includes many people from advocates, midwives, and doctors. Director Tracey Droz Tragos first begins documenting the group in 2019 and follows them all the way through to the overturning of Roe v. Wade in 2022.
This Documentary would feel urgent at any point throughout history. Yet, with the current political climate, we find ourselves in it feels all the more critical. Tragos educates us on the abortion pill, allowing us to form our own opinions before we get into the harrowing stories of those who gained access to the pill and of those working with Plan C.
Throughout history, there has been a stigma attached to abortion. With this Documentary, Tragos helps in ending that stigma. She achieves this by showing us the challenges women need to face in order to get their hands on the pill. A pill that is completely safe and FDA-approved. It even allows the woman to be in the comfort of their home, surrounded by who they want when having the abortion. Rather than going to a clinic that has Pro-Life protesters screaming at them as they enter.
Additionally, Tragos puts the focus on those working at Plan C. She lays out the laws surrounding abortion, the unrelenting bravery of the heroes working at Plan C, and the stories of those who’ve helped gain access to safe abortion. Therefore, giving a well-rounded view of abortion in America.
Plan C screens at SXSW ’23 as follows:
Mar 12 at 11:00am at ZACH Theatre
Mar 14 at 5:45pm at Alamo Lamar A
Mar 18 at 3:00pm at Alamo Lamar A
By David Baldwin
Hannah (Hadley Robinson) is a young fashion designer barely keeping it together under the weight of mounting anxieties. She keeps having sharp pains in her stomach due to all of the stress and one night, the pains get so bad that a literal appendage with eyes and a mouth violently pushes itself out of her. This monstrous entity can talk too and it seems keen on fueling her anxieties.
I am not going to lie to you – I laughed out loud the moment the “Appendage” appears. Kudos to the behind-the-scenes team for doing all the effects practically, but this ghastly creature is more hilarious than it is terrifying. That is, until Writer/Director Anna Zlokovic pulls the rug out and Hannah’s life starts to get increasingly more twisted as a result of this literal growing manifestation of anxiety and self-doubt. Zlokovic has adapted from her own wicked Short Film here (starring SXSW Queen Rachel Sennott as Hannah) and makes some very interesting choices along the way. Sometimes they are predictable, sometimes unpredictable, and other times positively outrageous. Not all of it works unfortunately, with some subplots and ideas introduced and forgotten within the same breath. I admire the ridiculous swings the film takes though and its lean and mean running time. I just thought there would be more to it.
All of that said, Robinson is terrific, absolutely relishing in the chaotic journey Zlokovic puts Hannah through. She is very much lock in step with the tone of the picture and has a way with pivoting her emotions with chilling precision. Schitt’s Creek’s Emily Hampshire does well in her juicy supporting turn as Claudia, who has a special connection with Hannah, and I loved the standout work from Desmin Borges and Brandon Mychal Smith (who starred together on the criminally-underrated FX show You’re the Worst). I only wish they got even more to do here!
APPENDAGE screens at SXSW ’23 as follows:
Mar 11 at 11:15am at Alamo Lamar C
Mar 14 at 9:45pm at Alamo Lamar E
Mar 16 at 2:00pm at Alamo Lamar C
TRANSFORMERS: RISE OF THE BEASTS had a huge debut at SXSW ’23 with the unveiling of character statues at Porsche House! Stars Anthony Ramos, Dominique Fishback and Toby Nwigiwe were in Austn for the big presentation!
The statues will be touring the world with upcoming stops in LAS VEGAS, CHICAGO, AND NEW YORK CITY, plus SAO PAULO, SINGAPORE, SYDNEY, MADRID, BERLIN, LONDON, MEXICO CITY and TOKYO.
SYNOPSIS:
Returning to the action and spectacle that have captured moviegoers around the world, Transformers: Rise of the Beasts will take audiences on a ‘90s globetrotting adventure with the Autobots and introduce a whole new faction of Transformer – the Maximals – to the existing battle on earth between Autobots and Decepticons. Directed by Steven Caple Jr. and starring Anthony Ramos and Dominique Fishback, the film arrives in theatres June 9, 2023.
Some Snaps from the event:
(Photo credit: Paramount Pictures Canada/Getty Images)
DUNGEONS & DRAGONS had the honour of opening the 2023 SXSW Festival at Paramount Theatre, and the response has been phenomental for this Film by Co-Directors Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley. In fact, it is sitting at 100% on the Tomatometer. The Film arrives March 31, 2023 via Paramount Pictures.
In attendance last night were the Film’s stars: Chris Pine, Michelle Rodriguez, Regé-Jean Page, Justice Smith, Sophia Lillis and Daisy Head, plus Directors Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley and Producers Nick Meyer and Jeremy Latcham.
SYNOPSIS:
A charming thief and a band of unlikely adventurers undertake an epic heist to retrieve a lost relic, but things go dangerously awry when they run afoul of the wrong people. Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves brings the rich world and playful spirit of the legendary roleplaying game to the big screen in a hilarious and action-packed adventure.
(Photo credit: Getty Images/Paramount Pictures Canada)
By Mr. Will Wong
Co-directed, written by and starring Lucy McKendrick, FUCK ME, RICHARD is a twisty Psychological Thriller that will keep you guessing. Sally (McKendrick) is recovering from a broken leg and feeling lonely. Scrolling through a dating app, she finds her match in Richard (Nathan Wallace). The two embark on a passionate relationship over the phone and we learn that Richard‘s mother is fighting for her life and in need of money. Sally decides to help him in what appears to be a scam, but we ask, is Sally being entirely honest to us and Richard as well?
McKendrick does a fantastic job taking us into Sally’s lonely, painkiller-blurred reality. But make no mistake, she’s not entirely out of it. The performance is understated, which leaves much to the imagination, yet at once is incredibly brazen and vulnerable. She carries the entire 17 minutes of this Short Film, a very impressive introduction to her talents, alongside Co-Director Charlie Pollinger.
Mar 11, 2023
2:15pm—3:56pm
Mar 15, 2023
12:00pm—1:41pm
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