SXSW: Life as Dolly Parton in ‘Seriously Red’

By Abe Friedtanzer

Just as Patton Oswalt was a draw for another SXSW film, I Love My Dad, actress Rose Byrne getting top billing in a movie about a Dolly Parton impersonator was also an appeal. Seeing a photo of Byrne as Elvis only made it more intriguing. But this is a classic example of a bait-and-switch, albeit a productive and satisfying one, since Byrne has almost no lines and barely even appears in the film. Instead, this is a story of an Australian woman yearning to find herself who does so through her undying love for the popular country star… 

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SXSW: Andrea Riseborough Shines in ‘To Leslie’

By Abe Friedtanzer

 

It's an unwritten rule that every festival must include at least one movie starring Andrea Riseborough, sometimes as many as four (that was Sundance 2018). While I’ll note that I haven’t seen one of her more recent entries – Brandon Cronenberg’s Possessor – most of her turns in the past few years have been very subdued in lackluster films like Nancy, Luxor, and Here Before. I fondly remember her standout performances even with minimal roles in Birdman and The Death of Stalin, and I’m pleased to report that her latest effort, To Leslie, gives her a superb platform again in a leading part…

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SXSW: Exploring Volcanoes in ‘Fire of Love’

By Abe Friedtanzer 

I’m grateful that SXSW includes a “Festival Favorites” section that includes titles that have played elsewhere and been popular since it’s often not until a festival has ended or all of its screenings have concluded that I hear about something I’m told I have to see. Fortunately, the documentary Fire of Love which was acquired by National Geographic (for quite a sum), meaning that those without access to film festivals will be able to see this inventive and visually striking film soon enough…

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SXSW: An Eccentric Collector in ‘The Pez Outlaw’

By Abe Friedtanzer

 

I don’t think I ever got into Pez. I may have collected Beanie Babies briefly and bought Pokémon cards for a week, but that was about it for any obsession that wasn’t movies or TV. But what always interested me about Pez – and I suspect this is the case for most people – is that it wasn’t the candy inside but the dispenser that was the attraction. It turns out, perhaps unsurprisingly, that there are people who spend their entire lives tracking down the rarest among them. Far ahead of the competition is Steve Glew, also known as the Pez Outlaw… 

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SXSW: The possibilities of documentary portraiture

by Cláudio Alves

Before saying goodbye to SXSW 2021, I'd like to shine a light on some of the documentaries presented at this online edition of the festival. As it happens, many of the most interesting films I saw from the selection were docs, specifically the sort of non-fiction cinema that functions as a portrait of the individual. At the very least, the sort that presents itself as such. From idiosyncratic political profiles to feats of music journalism, from straight biography to epistemological investigations, the filmmakers of SXSW showcased the possibilities of documentary portraiture…

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