Every Movie We Reviewed At SXSW 2024
SXSW 2024 is in the books, and we have a ton of coverage for you here at /Film.com. But if you're pressed for time and don't have enough hours of the day to fully immerse yourself in all the write-ups of the panels and screenings we attended, we've got you covered.
From sasquatches to stunt men, civil wars to rom-coms, from remakes to inventive documentaries, here's a list of every movie we reviewed at this year's festival, in alphabetical order.
Babes
Pamela Adlon is no stranger to direct portrayals of the Stuff We Don't Talk About, which she chronicled in her acclaimed FX series "Better Things." She brings that bluntness to this film, her feature debut, but there's a second voice at work here: a disarming shot of gonzo millennial dorkiness that's chaotic, ribald, and yes, deeply concerned about poop. In star and co-writer Ilana Glazer (still wielding that "Broad City" energy), Adlon has found the perfect big screen partner. It's the proudly feminist, absolutely filthy equivalent of that shot from "Predator" where the musclebound hands grip each other and shine with sweat. Emphasis on the sweat. (Jacob Hall)
Civil War
The most disarming thing about writer/director Alex Garland's "Civil War" is its deliberate, harrowing sense of neutrality. Here is a major movie, one of the biggest ever produced by studio A24, about a brutal civil war being fought on three fronts in the modern United States, being released into theaters during a period of intense political unrest that chooses immersion over perspective. It's a choice that doesn't always click throughout the film's running time, but it pays off in a big way during the film's harrowing, terrifying final act. (Jacob Hall)
The Fall Guy
There's something so carefully and deliberately old school about "The Fall Guy," director David Leitch's blockbuster take on the television show of the same name, that allows it to feel revolutionary. Like a cry from another era, this is a major motion picture built on the hope that audiences will want to see a cast of attractive, charming, interesting actors bounce off each other on screen, trading barbs and dashing looks. There's no franchise-building here, and no ambitions beyond offering the audience primal, pure pleasures. (Jacob Hall)
Grand Theft Hamlet
"Grand Theft Auto V" is one of the biggest video games of all time, which in turn paved the way for a huge player base in "Grand Theft Auto Online." For a couple of out-of-work actors, it provided them a space to do the thing they missed the most during the pandemic: acting. While "GTA" is a place to commit crimes in a carefree, digital environment, a couple of guys named Sam and Mark turned it into the most unlikely venue to play host to some of William Shakespeare's work. (Ryan Scott)
The Idea of You
Rom-coms are a staple of cinema and have been for decades. Right alongside action movies and horror flicks, these tales of romance infused with humor are often there to help anchor any given year at the movies. Yet, they are often viewed as nothing more than popcorn movies; the cinematic equivalent of empty calories. Director Michael Showalter's "The Idea of You" is here to remind us that these movies can be so much more than that. At their best, they can be illuminating experiences that shed meaningful light on the human condition. Thanks in no small part to a stellar performance by Anne Hathaway and a star-making turn for Nicholas Galitzine, this is the genre at its best. (Ryan Scott)
Monkey Man
"Monkey Man" burns with the passion and nerve of a filmmaker who thinks he's not going to direct another film ever again. Dev Patel, always a dynamic actor, doesn't break out the fireworks for his directorial debut as much as he unleashes an entire explosive arsenal. There's more going on — visually, emotionally, thematically — in single moments of this ultra-violent action movie than you find in most films of the genre. To call it ambitious would be an understatement. Here's a movie that wants to say every single thing Patel wants to communicate as a filmmaker, and it's all got to fit into a two-hour running time. Forget oxygen. Forget subtlety. No one's got time for that when this is your first (and maybe last) time at bat. (Jacob Hall)
MoviePass, MovieCrash
If you're a movie lover — specifically someone who loves going to the movies — there's a more-than-decent chance that you got sucked into a MoviePass subscription at some point between 2015 and 2018. At one point, it was a deal that seemed too good to be true. Unlimited movies, all for as low as $10 per month depending on where you live in the country. Either way, it represented insane value for moviegoers and felt like a real moment of change in the industry. Then, it all flamed out in spectacular fashion in the summer of 2018.
MoviePass lost tens of millions of dollars. The business model was called into question, and its parent company ultimately had to file for bankruptcy. It was a disaster of epic proportions. But, it turns out, most of us aren't even aware of just how bad it was behind the scenes. A new documentary is here to shine a light on the app's meteoric rise and unbelievably rapid fall from grace. "MoviePass, MovieCrash" recently premiered at the SXSW film festival in Austin, Texas, and I'm here to tell you it's essential viewing for anyone who got caught up in the madness several years ago.
Road House
What is one to make of "Road House"? It's possible to imagine a more successful version that walks a tonal tightrope, but what's here can't help but feel confused, and maybe even a little confusing. If it wants to be a hokey '80s throwback, it sure does spend a lot of time trying to ingratiate audiences with its many supporting characters, almost all of whom are left by the wayside once the plot takes over. If it wants to be a subversive portrait of a poor, largely non-white community under siege by the whitest and most sniveling of villains (Billy Magnussen, doing what he's always hired to do), it sure does dance around that subtext without every properly going for the jugular. And it wants to just be a big, silly action movie ... Well, it's startlingly light on the action, although the fist fights and beatdowns Dalton (Jake Gyllenhaal) brings to his enemies are sometimes satisfying. (Anytime the film expands its scope to include cars and boat chases, its origins as a streaming movie become readily apparent — it looks ... budget.) (Jacob Hall)
Sasquatch Sunset
The history of cinema is littered with weird movies. For certain viewers these are special experiences, be it something for a very specific type of person to enjoy, or more of a challenge to be endured. It's difficult for me to say what camp "Sasquatch Sunset" falls into (that's probably for the individual to decide), but I can say with the utmost confidence that it is far and away the weirdest movie of 2024 thus far. If anything tops it before year's end, it's going to be an all-timer of an odd year at the movies. That much is certain.
Not to give the whole thing away here, as it's worth the experience for those who are game for something wildly offbeat, but we're talking about a movie with no human characters, lots of graphically gross moments, explicit Sasquatch sex, zero dialogue, and no subtitles to relay what is being communicated. That's just the tip of the iceberg; even the trailer can't possibly communicate the experience contained within the film itself. (Ryan Scott)
Y2K
In "Y2K," director Kyle Mooney recreates December 31, 1999 with such a specific but deliberately broad brush that it recalls the vision of the 1950s in "Back to the Future." A specific moment in time, simultaneously captured and reduced in such a manner to sell the younger folks on the setting while making the older folks do the "Leonardo DiCaprio finger point meme" every five seconds. Millennials may wince once they realize the era of their childhood has now become period piece fodder, their entire childhood now an alien enough world to require very specific production design, but it'll only happen after they've giggled in recognition and appreciation. Mooney's film assumes its target audience was alive and aware at the turn of the century, and gears its best jokes accordingly. (Jacob Hall)
Read our full review of "Y2K" here.
On today's episode of the /Film Daily podcast, the crew speaks more about these movies and their SXSW experience as a whole. Check it out below:
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