This week’s FIELD OF STREAMS goes back in time to celebrate SXSW 2017 just in time for SXSW 2018
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SXSW Conference and Festivals starts tomorrow for nine days of tech, music, and most importantly film. In anticipation of the event, Amazon Prime has collected several of last year’s movies, and five of the best have been highlighted here.
FREE FIRE
From the Cinapse review by Jon Partridge:
The violence is gleeful, the dialogue wonderfully entertaining and delivered by a host of colorful characters. The quips fly as fast as bullets, and that it’s sustained for nearly the entirety of its runtime ensures Free Fire is a rollicking piece of entertainment. The script is peppered with colloquialisms and era specific nods; a comment about “learning manners from the English” cuts deeper than you think, while pithy insults such as “chocolate teapot” are easy to miss, but only add to the delight for those in the know. Overall, it veers wildly from sarcasm, to coarse language, to playground trashtalk, and back again. It’s a fascinating reflection of the characters and something that keeps the film’s frenetic roundabout momentum going.
A BAD IDEA GONE WRONG
From the Cinapse review by yours truly (Rod Machen):
The heist movie is as old as Hollywood itself, but A Bad Idea Gone Wrong manages to imbue the genre with loads of humor while still keeping the tension high.
A Bad Idea Gone Wrong is a well-crafted ensemble piece that manages to keep its humorous edge throughout. No small feat. Audiences will enjoy watching Jones, Rogers, and Pienta interact, and the story will keep them engaged until the last frame.
THE BALLAD OF LEFTY BROWN
From the Cinapse review by Ed Travis:
With an interesting set up, a hugely compelling performance from Pullman as a well rounded character, beautiful cinematography, a strong ensemble cast, and a screenplay that knows its roots and represents the genre with honor, The Ballad of Lefty Brown will be a modern western classic worth revisiting often.
BARRACUDA
From the Cinapse review by Jon Partridge:
Family and blood. Permanent ties that bind us together are often strongest when we have little else. Such is the case for Sinaloa (Sophie Reid). Alone after the loss of her mother a few years earlier, she discovers the father that abandoned her at 9 years old has recently died, and that she has a sister she never knew about. With nothing to lose, she leaves the British town of Brighton behind and sets course for Texas.
Co-directors Julia Halperin and Jason Cortlund have crafted a film that draws from Austin and the surrounding Hill Country, adding texture to a suspenseful thriller that uses a family dynamic as its base, and shifts into a subdued psychological thriller. It charts the journey of a fascinating character, brought to life by Sophie Reid in a performance that will rank as one of the best of the festival.
MOST BEAUTIFUL ISLAND
From the Cinapse review by Jon Partridge:
There are two types of shock in cinema. The sudden smack of something, the jump scare, and the more subtle, the narrative drawing you in, slowly engulfing you with tension and fear. The latter is more difficult, but for first time filmmaker Ana Asenio, she makes it look easy. With Most Beautiful Island Asenio delivers an assured directorial debut that is vividly personal. Shot on Super 16 to great effect, immersing you in the hustle and bustle of New York, the direction imparts a voyeuristic look into the life of this woman and the city. Also, playing the lead she is on camera for pretty much the entirety of the film’s runtime, and it’s a transfixing performance.
These are some of the films we liked from last years SXSW Film Festival, but there are many more worth checking out, both narrative and documentary. Find the full list on Amazon Prime’s SXSW 2017 page.