By Amanda Gilmore

Successful, married couple James (Y’lan Noel) and Vanessa (Cleopatra Coleman) are shocked at what they witness on the news one night. What they see is cellphone footage of their police officer neighbour, Brian (Justin Hartley), shooting an unarmed youth. After debating what they should do, Vanessa takes the reins and holds Brian hostage.

It’s ironic that it’s called A Lot of Nothing, considering it’s about many things. Co-Writer and Director Mo McRae makes an impact with this bold satirical Feature debut. Playing out over one night, the central story focuses on holding police officer Brian hostage. Hartley is strong as the manipulative Brian. He uses the layered Script to create mystery around his character, causing the audience to question the intent behind his motives.

McRae and fellow Screenwriter Sarah Kelly Kaplan use this central story to create an in-depth character study. Coleman is a force as the wealthy, determined Vanessa. Her commitment to Vanessa’s passion for her expensive material items allows levity on these heavy topics. The tension she shares with James is immense. Noel excels in playing James’ compassion against his desire to make Vanessa happy.

This tension ignites further when A Lot of Nothing introduces James’ brother Jamal (Toronto’s Shamier Anderson) and his expecting partner Candy (Lex Scott Davis). Through these two couples, critiques on wealth and familial acceptance shine through. The extravagance of James and Vanessa conflict with the naturalistic lifestyle of Jamal and Candy. However, when the guests find out what their hosts are doing they become active participants. Particularly Jamal, played to great effect by Canada’s own Anderson, who sees this as an opportunity to get revenge on the police officers who’ve targeted him. And Scott Davis is captivating as the forgiving, aura reading Candy, who has something to hide.

Overall, A Lot of Nothing is an audacious film that touches on many socio-political topics through its exquisitely-written characters.

A Lot of Nothing screens at SXSW ’22 as follows

In-Person:
Sunday, March 13 at 4:45 PM EST – Alamo Lamar D

Monday, March 14 at 1:45 PM EST – Violet Crown Cinema 2

Monday, March 14 at 2:15 PM EST – Violet Crown Cinema 4

Friday, March 18 at 4:30 PM EST – Alamo Lamar A

Online:
Monday, March 14 at 10:00 AM EST – Available for 48 hours

By David Baldwin

Shawn Ruddy (Joseph Winter) is an online influencer and streamer who is left in ruins after uploading a controversial video. Wanting to get back into the public’s good graces, Shawn decides to livestream his visit to an abandoned haunted house where real murders have taken place. He locks himself in for the night, sets up his cameras and waits for something to happen. When he accidentally pisses-off the vengeful spirit that inhabits the home, he must find a way to survive by any means necessary.

Watching a Film play out in the same way you may watch an influencer’s videos on YouTube and Twitch may seem like a less than riveting experience. Yet by tapping into and satirizing that visual language while employing the bloody gross out gags of low-budget ’80s Horror films, the Writing/Directing/Editing team of Winter and Vanessa Winter have created a film that needs to be seen to be believed. Ruddy is an extremely annoying character (think of a personality along the lines of Jake and Logan Paul) who becomes rather insufferable as the Film sets all the pieces in motion in real time. Thankfully, you are not so much watching him in these early scenes so much as you are watching the Winters edit a cohesive picture together using various platforms and cameras. It feels like a genuine evolution of the style we have seen in Horror films like Unfriended and Host, but instead of static cameras staying put, we are getting first person movements along the lines of a Hardcore Henry. The Film even employs some video game language and motifs to assist with some of the action.

Once Ruddy pisses off the spirit, all bets are off and the Film becomes one hilarious and obnoxiously bloody gag after the other in the vein of the early gonzo horror flicks by Sam Raimi and Peter Jackson. Winter’s Ruddy even seems to be aping some of the hallmarks of Bruce Campbell’s legendary performance as Ash Williams in many of these scenes, and becomes a whole lot more tolerable than he was satirizing real-life streamers. He leans in wonderfully into the Physical Humour and the jump scares, and really lends to how captivating DEADSTREAM quickly becomes. While the creature effects are a bit too crude and cheaply done, the gore and makeup effects are top-notch. I had a lot of fun watching this one, and can only imagine how much more entertaining it would have been with a crowd.

DEADSTREAM screens at SXSW ‘22 as follows:

In-Person:

Friday, March 11 at 11:45PM EST – Alamo Lamar E

Monday, March 14 at 3:00PM EST – Stateside Theatre

Tuesday, March 15 at 8:30PM EST – Alamo Lamar E

Wednesday, March 16 at 10:45PM EST – Alamo Lamar E

Online:

Saturday, March 12 at 10:00AM EST – Available for 48 Hours

By David Baldwin

If you were a child of the ’90s, there is absolutely no way you were able to escape “Tubthumping”. That song was everywhere and so was the Band who sang it, Chumbawamba. Dunstan Bruce was the Band’s frontman, and now 20+ years after the release of that one-hit wonder, is not sure how to stay visible in a rapidly-deteriorating world. Haunted by the adult manifestation of the baby on the Band’s album cover, Bruce must question everything he was a part of before and find a way to become relevant again.

Part-Documentary, part-Mockumentary, part-fever dream, and part-dystopic hellscape. I feel like that just about covers the anarchistic style of I GET KNOCKED DOWN, which obviously takes its title from the lyrics of Chumbawamba’s hit song. The Film is all of these things at once, and feels like a bold example of avant-garde narrative that really stretches the limits and patience of its audience. When it is acting as a Documentary however, it brings together a wealth of vintage interview clips, candid clips from the Band living together and their first shows, and new clips of Bruce interviewing his Bandmates about what the song and accompanying album meant to them and how it has lead them to where they are now. I did not know much about the Band prior to watching the Film, and learning of their Punk anarchist roots, it makes sense that the Film is such a wildly chaotic pastiche of ideas and styles. Bruce holds the whole thing together, with his interactions with the baby’s adult manifestation really honing-in on his bizarre sense of humour.

Not all of it works of course, and a deviation into Bruce’s new Music at the end and a take on a pivotal scene from Reservoir Dogs really do not add much to everything that came before it. When the Film is celebrating the importance of “Tubthumping” and discussing what the Band did with its newfound fame and influence is where it really shines. I wanted more of that, and a lot less of the surreal nonsense in-between. I would be hard-pressed to suggest it is anything but a true original though.

I GET KNOCKED DOWN screens at SXSW ’22 as follows:

In-Person:
Friday, March 11 at 9:45PM EST – Alamo Lamar B
Tuesday, March 15 at 11:30PM EST – Alamo Lamar E

Online:
Sunday, March 13 at 10:00AM EST – Available for 48 Hours

By David Baldwin

Patton Oswalt is Chuck, an estranged father who always seems to have an excuse for not being able to spend time with his son Franklin (James Morosini). Following a rehab stint after a suicide attempt, Franklin cuts his Dad off and blocks Chuck from contacting him. Concerned and wanting to reconnect, Chuck makes a fake Facebook account posing as a local waitress named Becca (Claudia Sulewski) in order to speak to his son. When Franklin starts getting more than a little casually invested in Becca, Chuck must figure out how to tell his son that he has been catfishing him all along.

What ensues is just as cringe-worthy and awkward as you might expect from such an unusual storyline. On the flip side though, that is exactly what enriches this tale – based at least partially on a true story involving Writer/Director Morosini and his actual father – and makes it feel so genuine and lived in. You can feel the palpable sense of grief and regret in Oswalt’s acting choices, and you can visibly see the damage it has inflicted on Morosini’s character. It is gut-wrenching stuff, even if you are acutely aware of the humour that these two and the wonderful Supporting Cast (including Sulewski, Lil Rel Howery, Amy Landecker and SNL alum Rachel Dratch) are attempting to tap into. Though it leads to a few gross-out jokes that take away from the Film’s poignancy, I appreciated Morosini’s text message motif of having the characters actually talk and interact with each other physically rather than just hear their voices or read what they are saying.

Speaking as someone who has a tumultuous relationship with their father (and desperately hopes to not repeat the same behaviour with my own son), I LOVE MY DAD is an emotional experience that will have you laughing, crying and cringing all at the same time. There is a bit more depth I hoped it would mine, but the cast Morosini has put together here do their very best to treat this storyline with the humour and realism it deserves. And even though he has always been a spectacular supporting player, Oswalt really shines here – pulling out the same kind of nuanced work he did in the underappreciated Young Adult. His performance here is even better, and may just be his best work yet.

I LOVE MY DAD screens at SXSW ’22 as follows:

In-Person:

Saturday, March 12 at 2:30PM EST – Alamo Lamar D

Sunday, March 13 at 4:30PM EST – Violet Crown Cinema 1

Sunday, March 13 at 5:00PM EST – Violet Crown Cinema 3

Friday, March 18 at 4:45PM EST – ZACH Theatre

Online:

Sunday, March 13 at 10:00AM EST – Available for 48 Hours

By David Baldwin

Lindsay (Britt Rentschler) and Jack (Michael Tennant) are stuck in a rut. She dreams of working in fashion, but is stuck working the cash at someone else’s shop; he is a disbarred lawyer who is now a door-to-door salesman – and he has mandatory court ordered drug testing once a week. Things change when Lindsay meets obscenely rich housewife Cat Flax (J.J. Nolan). They become fast friends and soon Lindsay and Jack are invited on a weekend getaway with Cat and others in her orbit. Jack is apprehensive, but Lindsay is very interested.

As you might predict, things are not as they seem and shenanigans and debauchery ensue.

PRETTY PROBLEMS has a satirical edge that speaks to the major differences between the haves and have nots, and takes great pleasure in escalating how outrageous things become for this couple. There is some value in the backstories of the characters, as well as the histories they share with the supporting cast. They are all one-note, yet the cast portray them with vivid precision. Much like the Film itself, they are clearly enjoying hamming it up and playing into the tropes we all instinctively understand.

When it comes down to it though, PRETTY PROBLEMS is not very funny and is actually rather irritating (which of course, may be the point). Many of the jokes land with a thud, and the repetitive nature of certain lines and personality quirks is unneeded. Their importance to the plotline is pretty clear after the second mention. While there are a few twists I did not see coming (including one ripped wholesale from a recent mini-series), others you can see coming from a mile away. It is a truly mixed bag and I can only assume others will find much more to like about it than I did. I just wish the Film had likeable characters, because with them, PRETTY PROBLEMS could have been a lot more fun.

PRETTY PROBLEMS screens at SXSW ’22:

In-Person:
Monday, March 14 at 12:30pm EST – ZACH Theatre
Wednesday, March 16 at 4:30pm EST – Violet Crown Cinema 1
Wednesday, March 16 at 5:00pm EST – Violet Crown Cinema 3

Online:
Tuesday, March 15 at 10:00am EST – Available for 48 hours

By David Baldwin

Whether you know everything or absolutely nothing about investing in the stock market, chances are you heard about a group of Redditors who took on Wall Street and won early last year. Or at least, how they made an obscene amount of money and changed long held perceptions about the industry at large.

Drea Cooper and Zackary Canepari’s Documentary DIAMOND HANDS: THE LEGEND OF WALLSTREETBETS gives an overview of the events as told by many of the Redditors who were part of the r/WallStreetBets Subreddit group (one member even goes so far as to wear a knight’s helmet to mask his true identity). They are mainly comprised of angry millennials fighting a losing battle against a system that has been rigged against them, and chronicles how they found their way to joining this group during the raging pandemic. The Film never gets into the nitty gritty, nor does it receive answers for the hard questions about the fallout from the group’s short squeeze on the Gamestop stock. There are some insightful moments with some classic cutthroat Wall Street types, but the majority of players from the big corporations refuse to speak to the camera. Rather than dwell on who they cannot talk to, DIAMOND HANDS generally just plays into the hype and hysteria around what happened, frequently cutting to stock news footage and interviews, or the plethora of profane gifs and memes that populate the Subreddit. Some are hilarious, while others are hilariously offensive.

While it may not be in-depth, DIAMOND HANDS is thoroughly entertaining and genuinely riveting to watch the players describe the events before, during and after what happened with the Gamestop stock. It does not so much capture the zeitgeist as much as it speaks to the attitudes of a generation tired of being treated as condescendingly. The Film is even pretty informative in a tongue-in-cheek way, moving along the same lines as Adam McKay’s Oscar-winning The Big Short in some cases, with its explanations and lingo. More specifically, it highlights the difference between Diamond Hands and Paper Hands – which is pretty key if you are like me and suddenly keen on wanting to join the r/WallStreetBets subreddit immediately after watching.

DIAMOND HANDS: THE LEGEND OF WALLSTREET BETS screens at SXSW ’22:

In-Person:
Sunday, March 13 at 8:00pm EST – SXSW Film Theater
Tuesday, March 15 at 3:45pm EST – Alamo Lamar A
Thursday, March 17 at 12:15pm EST – Alamo Lamar B

Online:
Monday, March 14 at 10:00am EST – Available for 48 hours

By Amanda Gilmore

Canadian talent is on display at SXSW ’22 with Romantic Drama Stay The Night.

Reserved and very single Grace (Andrea Bang from Kim’s Convenience) spends her days focused on her career and rarely goes out. But when she misses out on a job opportunity at her workplace she decides to take-up her friend and roommate, Joni (Humberly González) on her offer for a night out. When Joni ditches her for a guy, Grace meets Carter Stone (Joe Scarpellino), who unbeknownst to her, is a professional hockey player on the outs. After their attempt at a one-night stand goes awry, they end up spending the evening walking and talking through the streets of Toronto.

Writer-Director Renuka Jeyapalan has created a sweet Romantic Drama that puts Toronto in the spotlight. Although Stay The Night repeats the concept of other one-night romances before it, it stands-out because of its setting. We rarely get to see Toronto shown the way it is here. We see the streets, the transit, the hotels and the food that make the city special. Additionally, it is so unique because because of the Film’s characters.

Grace is on a quest for something that she’s never experienced before. Bang is outstanding in this dramatic role as the reserved and determined Grace. She plays her with restrain while allowing her natural charisma to come through. Therefore, the audience understands and cheers Grace on.

On the other hand, Carter has experienced the very thing Grace is seeking. However, he’s in need of the one thing Grace can help him with: making a career choice. This is where the romance comes in. Each helps the other, at least for the night. Scarpellino is great as the contemplative Carter. This Romance works due to the chemistry between Bang and Scarpellino.

Stay The Night screens at SXSW ’22 as follows:

In-Person:
Saturday, March 12 at 9:45 PM EST – Alamo Lamar A

Monday, March 14 at 12:45 PM EST – Alamo Lamar A

Wednesday, March 16 at 7:30 PM EST – Violet Crown Cinema 1

Wednesday, March 16 at 8:00 PM EST – Violet Crown Cinema 3

Online:
Sunday, March 13 at 10:00 AM EST – Available for 48 hours

By Mr. Will Wong

It is hard to imagine a time where there was any doubt that 9 to 5 would’ve connected with audiences. The 1980 Colin Higgins Comedy starring Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin and Dolly Parton would go on to gross $103 million at the Box Office (second only to Star Wars that year), a TV Series, over 1,500 stage productions worldwide, a theme song which won Grammys and of course, sparking the conversation about equity in the workplace for women.

Co-Directors Camille Hardman and Gary Lane explore the lasting legacy behind the Film as we learn how its three leads were actually cast before the Script had even been written, to Tomlin leaving the project multiple times and the risks of releasing the Film around Christmas against other heavyweights. The gamble paid off as the Film struck a chord with audiences, breaking ground and empowering women around the world to have agency in their workplaces.

The Documentary on one level gives us insight into the development of the Film, using archived and current interviews with Co-Writer Patricia Resnick, Higgins, Fonda, Tomlin, Parton and of course Dabney Coleman, who played the Film’s misogynistic boss Frank Hart. A perfect storm of elements came together to win audiences over, with a tone that made an impactful statement while audiences at the same time had fun watching it.

On another level, we see the Film’s role in the fight for Women’s Equality. We see various steps forward and backward in the cause, tracing back to the Equal Rights Amendment with efforts made to ratify it in the early ’70s well before the Film existed, to 2020 as the Pandemic hit and Virginia signing-on as the final state needed to ratify the amendment. We learn about the 9to5 movement which inspired the Film, after a group of secretaries came together to draw focus on Pay Equity and family flexibility in the ’70s.

In a post-#MeToo world, re-visiting the themes and message behind 9 to 5 couldn’t have happened in a timely manner. Ironically, did you know Harvey Weinstein hadinvested in and produced the Broadway production of 9 to 5? Tons of interesting tidbits and interviews with those who are a part of the fight for equality and the Franchise’s legacy, including the likes of Allison Janney, Rita Moreno, Megan Hilty and more.

STILL WORKING 9 TO 5 is a comprehensive look at the lasting impact that this unsuspecting film would go on to have on the world. Having seen it when I was very young, I viewed it as entertainment. I now see it through a new lens. You’ll also want to sit through the credits for a new rendition of the titular hit featuring Kelly Clarkson!

STILL WORKING 9 TO 5 screens at SXSW ’22 as follows:

Sunday, March 13^th, Screening @ 3:45pm CT, SXSW Film Theater

Monday, March 14^th, On-line Screening @ 9:00am CT

Monday, March 14^th, Satellite Screening @ 6:00pm CT, AFS Cinema

Friday, March 18^th Screening @ 4:45pm CT, Stateside Theatre

By Amanda Gilmore

This thought-provoking Documentary examines the struggles the LGBTQ+ community and their families face in relation to their Christian faith. It follows two conservative Christian mothers, Sara Cunningham and Kimberly Shappley, and how their love for their LGBTQ+ children has made them advocates for the Queer community. This leads them to join an online community of like-minded Christian mothers called “Mama Bears”.

Director Daresha Kyi has found subjects who are open about their prior faults. Both mothers grappled with accepting their children at first. They were tied to their faith rather than unconditionally loving their children. Once they accepted their children their impactful advocacy began. Cunningham works within the community showing up to events with a “Free Mom Hugs” sticker, which has now become a national movement. And Shappley battles the Texas anti-trans bathroom bill that would prevent her child from using the girls’ bathroom in their hometown.

What Kyi beautifully captures through these two Mama Bears is the profound impact one can have when one chooses love instead of hate. Kyi ties her message together through her third subject, Tammi Terrell Morris. Tammi is a young lesbian who has struggled with self-acceptance. Through her story, the audience has someone who exemplifies why the Mama Bears are so important.

Mama Bears is a touching Documentary that explores the complex intersections of politics, religion and unconditional love.

Mama Bears screens at SXSW:

In-Person:
Sunday, March 13 at 3:00 PM EST – Alamo Lamar E
Monday, March 14 at 4:00 PM EST – Violet Crown Cinema 2

Monday, March 14 at 4:30 PM EST – Violet Crown Cinema 4

Online:
Monday, March 14 at 10:00 AM EST – Available for 48 hours

By Mr. Will Wong

Director Michael Morris (Better Call Saul, 13 Reasons Why) is known primarily for his work in Television, but makes his feature debut at SXSW with TO LESLIE. The Texas-set Drama centers on Leslie (Andrea Riseborough), a single mother who has made some poor life choices and after winning the lottery some years ago, blowing it all away. She lost custody of her son and has bottomed-out, going from stranger to stranger, turning to alcohol as her sources of comfort. She’s burned bridges around town and they aren’t afraid to remind her.

She meets Sweeney (Marc Maron), who owns a local motel. He gives her a chance to start again, hiring her on as a cleaner. Leslie however struggles, returning to her old self-destructive ways. This seems to be her last chance at getting her life in order and a shot at redemption with her son, a cross she’s beared for many years.

While TO LESLIE takes some time to unfold, Morris gives scenes the space to breathe and his audience to ponder. And your patience is rewarded if you wait to the end. Riseborough‘s superb work cannot be denied. She delivers a performance that makes one feel the weight of the world she carries on her shoulders. She’s numb to her critics, including Nancy (Allison Janney) who once loved her but now loathes her, and is really just trying to get through the day and not get fired. While her relationship with Sweeney doesn’t erase her problems, it awakens that little bit of vigor she needs to move forward again and for things to fall into place. The Film possesses great heart and soul because of the care and compassion Riseborough puts into Leslie and the struggles she’s facing. Sidenote: she produces the Film alongside Maron.

TO LESLIE screens at SXSW ’22 as follows:

To Leslie at Stateside Theatre

Mar 12, 20228:30pm—10:29pm

To Leslie at Online Screening

Mar 13, 9:00am CDT – Mar 15, 9:00am CDT9:00am—10:59am

To Leslie at Alamo Lamar E

Mar 15, 202212:45pm—2:44pm

To Leslie at Alamo Lamar A

Mar 18, 20229:45pm—11:44pm