Any regular traveler will tell you that some trips feel cursed or at best don’t turn out the way we have planned. This was basically my experience with the second half of my SXSW trip and in fact I’ve been hesitant to write about it at all because I didn’t want to appear ungrateful or rude. I think I made the best of things and I’m beyond appreciative of my friends and their support but it was a frustrating experience.
The main problem started a couple of days into the visit when I noticed myself dragging and starting to have the basic symptoms of hay fever. It’s weird because I’ve been to Texas twice before, including last year for the festival, without many problems but allergies can be weirdly random like that. I did take a covid test to make sure I wasn’t contagious and it was negative.
My trip was a long one at 9 days and as each day commenced I got more sickly with eventually my eye puffing up and getting swollen and red. I could get some momentary relief from medicine but then I felt tired and groggy which is not ideal for attending a film festival. It was just a big bummer and I wish things could have turned out differently but that’s life.
Even a week later I am still purging my body from the effects of the outbreak I experienced. This is why I haven’t reviewed the new Godzilla or Ghostbusters movies. I can only do so much and people don’t like when someone is sniffling in the theater.
Anyway, I say all of this to give context to the last part of my SXSW reviews. I’m not going to upload them to rottentomatoes because I felt like garbage and was sleepy and not at my best for the viewing experience. While I still think I got an overall feeling for the movies it’s not fair to those that worked so hard to give them a weakened watch.
All that said here goes:
Animated Shorts
Animated shorts at festivals like SXSW are always a bit of a mixed bag. While I enjoy supporting the animators they are often too arthouse and strange for my taste. These 10 were no exception. My favorite was probably Bug Diner and Sweetmeats but I wasn’t in love with any of them. At least they were better than most of the Academy nominated shorts this year (especially the winner!)
5 out of 10
Frown Worthy
The Greatest Hits
I really like the premise for this new film but it may have just been my fatigued condition at the time but it didn’t really draw me in like I was hoping. It stars Lucy Boynton as a young woman who can time travel through songs to different spots in her relationships especially with her ex who died in a tragic accident. At first she is trying to save her love but then things get more complicated when she meets a new beau in the present and then must decide whether going back is still wise.
The music is obviously a big draw to this film and it is fun to see David Corenswet in a few scenes as he is going to be the new Superman going forward. It just felt like they didn’t do enough interesting things with the premise and the characters kept having the same conversations over and over again. I wasn’t as engaged as I thought I would be but I plan on giving it a rewatch when it comes to hulu and seeing how I feel well rested. We will see
5.5 out of 10
Frown Worthy
Thank You, Goodnight: The Bon Jovi Story
Next up I got to see the first episode in a documentary series on hulu entitled Thank you, Goodnight: The Bon Jovi Story. This is your standard musician biodoc but I enjoyed it and it was fun to have the whole band there and then doing a Q&A. I’d definitely watch the remaining episodes which I think is a good test. I hope the other entries go more into other members of the band and not just Jon. Even so, I had a good time with this documentary.
6 out of 10
Smile Worthy
How Music Got Free
Back in the late 90s I got super into the whole Napster/music thing. At the time I didn’t view it as serious. It was no different than borrowing an album from my friend which I did all the time. However it obviously had insane repercussions. This documentary, How Music Got Free, goes through the impact on the industry with interviews from the people involved. It’s all quite interesting and one people around my age should enjoy.
The only major problem with this documentary is the narration was really corny and hurt the overall flow for the film. It made it all have a cheesy and cheap feel to it. Still, it was interesting enough to recommend.
6 out of 10
Smile Worthy
The last one is called The In Between and this has some things going for it. I like that it was made by 2 siblings after their bother died and chronicles the life of various citizens in Eagle Pass, Texas. The problem was most of vignettes felt pointless and I kept wanting them to get back to the siblings and how they were dealing with their grief. That was the most interesting and poignant aspect. Not watching random people play soccer or run a parade. I get you need some of that to establish tone and atmosphere but the ratio was off.
5 out of 10
Frown Worthy
So there you have it. Those are the films I saw at SXSW Film Festival. Make sure you check out part 1 where I was less sick for those films. I hope you all are avoiding most of the allergies this season and having a wonderful spring!
Thanks to the Chandlers and Whitmans for having me and helping me when I wasn’t feeling great. Sure love you all