Roger Ebert Reviews

While there are thrilling and sensational documentaries that feel right at home in the sun-baked and bustling streets of Austin (“We Are Storror,” “Butthole Surfers: The Hole Truth and Nothing Butt,” and “The Python Hunt” are some of the ones that feel tailor-made for gleeful reception from the Austin crowd) there is also always a […]

Horror is a big part of Austin, Texas. It’s not just the wonderful Fantastic Fest that unfolds every September, but the genre has been a major part of every SXSW I’ve ever attended. Even the Headliners here have an adults-only edge to them from the gore of “Death of a Unicorn” to the murderous betrayals

Three of the more purely enjoyable films to play at this year’s SXSW didn’t premiere with star-studded red carpets at the Paramount, launching at other venues around the wonderful city of Austin. You’re going to want to watch for all three of them. After the premiere of Matt Johnson’s wonderful “Nirvanna the Band the Show

When documentaries center on one person, breadth is often sacrificed for depth. Thankfully, for the most part, three docs at this year’s SXSW are structured less in a way to speedily run through the greatest hits but to create a space for their subjects to meditate and ponder at their leisure. Some are more successful

I’ve found that at this year’s SXSW, it’s easier to spot the thematic throughlines that exist across projects. It’s a testament to the programmers for creating a line-up of where the films feel in conversation with each other. Where else do you get films like “Together” and “Friendship,”–both of which explore the physical and mental

Director Mark Anthony Green’s “Opus” is a cautionary tale for an increasingly online world that conflates obsession with genuine connection. The film focuses on a legendary pop star, Alfred Moretti (John Malkovich), who announces to the world that he will release a new album after years of silence. For fans everywhere, this arrival is akin

Man, Brian Tyree Henry can do anything. The star of “Atlanta,” “Causeway,” “Widows,” and “The Fire Inside” has become legitimately one of the best actors of his generation, and he furthers that kind of hyperbole with what is arguably his most demanding role to date in Apple’s “Dope Thief,” an adaptation of the novel of

Filmmakers often underestimate how important it can be to feel their love for their characters. When a writer/director sees the people on-screen as three-dimensional people with hopes, dreams, and fears instead of just cogs in the machine of their plot, it’s much easier for us to do the same. For example, Richard Linklater loves Jesse