South By Southwest 2022 was a bit of a doozy. We’re not sure if it’s simply because of the two year absence of the festival or if the pandemic has made us all a little introverted but, regardless, it was an amazing year and we’re still recovering. It’s no secret that the film section of SXSW is one of our favorites and we’re excited for y’all to see the movies and shows we got a sneak-peek at this year. So without further adieu…
Here are the best things we saw at SXSW 2022!
Apollo 10 ½
SXSW headliner Apollo 10 ½ celebrates a Texas and American scientific accomplishment: the Apollo 11 moon landing. The film features footage of life in the NASA neighborhood in Houston during the 1960s in rotoscope animation form. Told from the point of view and imagination of director Richard Linklater, who grew up in the neighborhood at the time, social issues and pop culture of the time period are included in the story. The imaginative film keeps the audience laughing and astonished with its heartwarming feel. Over half of the film crew are Texans including actors Zachary Levi, Glenn Powell, Lee Eddy and Josh Wiggins. Part of
the character animation was created in Austin with a local team at Rooster Teeth and the rest was worked on by a team in Amsterdam. Linklater’s family as well as NASA helped gather footage for the film. You can catch Apollo 10 ½ on Netflix on April 1.
Still Working 9 to 5
Multiple generations know every lyric to the iconic theme song from 9 to 5. It has become an anthem for working women everywhere who seek fairness, equality and dignity from their male counterparts. After more than 40 years, the feature documentary Still Working 9 to 5 celebrates the ground breaking film, while chronicling the important impact it had on the women’s movement of the time and one that continues today. The documentary explores the issues addressed in the film (and its spinoffs) and questions if the message retains its original poignancy. It also examines what has and has not changed for women in the workplace over the last 40 years. While the doc brought happy tears to our eyes remembering some of those iconic film moments and seeing the progress that has been made since the film’s release, we also cried some sad tears realizing how far we still have to go. Hopefully, filmmakers can find distribution so you’ll be able to see what we mean for yourselves.
WeCrashed
The Apple TV+ series documents the rise and fall of WeWork founder Adam Neumann. Jared Leto and Ann Hathaway star as Adam and his wife Rebekah. The pilot, which is what screened at SXSW, is great. As the series goes on, your attention may start to wain. The story that’s taking eight episodes to tell probably should have been done in half the time. Either way, Leto and Hathaway are compelling and worth watching. WeCrashed is available now on Apple TV+ with new episodes releasing on Fridays.
Lizzo’s Watch Out For The Big Grrrls
Lizzo is no stranger to SXSW. The Houston artist has played numerous showcases in the past before she made it big. While she didn’t personally perform this year, she did come to SXSW to debut her new Prime Video series Watch Out for the Big Grrrls. The series is about Lizzo’s search for her next group of backup dancers to perform with her at Bonnaroo (2021). Focusing on female empowerment and representing women of all shapes and colors, the series doesn’t follow the norm for the elimination process. At her SXSW Keynote Lizzo said, “It was important that I changed the narrative of what a reality competition television show looks like.” That’s why they don’t eliminate people each week. In fact, Lizzo hopes all 10 contestants make it to the end. But that doesn’t mean eliminations don’t happen. Each week brings a new dance challenge, a special guest and, of course, drama. It’s definitely a different take on reality TV and it’s good as hell. You can catch the entire series on Prime Video now.
The Lost City
The Lost City is more enjoyable than expected. Here were two of the biggest takeaways. 1 – It’s so rare to see a romantic pairing where the woman is older than the man. It is a refreshing change. 2 – Daniel Radcliffe is not just Harry Potter. We weren’t sure if we could get past it, but he does a great job with delivery and composition so that you get past the iconic character. Kudos to him. Overall, the film is a fun romantic adventure that’s easy to figure out where it’s headed, but there are some entertaining twists and turns along the way. The Lost City is in theaters now!
