In Review: Austin Film Fest 2017
At this year’s Austin Film Festival I caught six movies. Below are my thoughts on those movies. Read on.
Lady Bird
Plot: Christine “Lady Bird” McPherson is about to go to college. Like everyone at this age, she has a lot of growing up to do.
Review: Greta Gerwig’s Lady Bird is one of my favorite releases of 2017. The film is smart, funny, charming and real, and I just adored every second of it. Saorise Ronan (as Lady Bird) and Laurie Metcalf (as Marion) turn in stellar, award-worthy performances as a mother daughter duo who just can’t seem to crawl onto the same page about anything. I hope to see this one again very soon.
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
Plot: Feeling as though the police have forgotten about her daughter’s murder case, a woman erects three billboards that sport a controversial message. This sends her hometown into a tizzy.
Review: Martin McDonagh (In Bruges, Seven Psychopaths) really goes after you with Three Billboards. Not only is the film very funny at just about every turn, it’s also a heavy drama that will strike out and sting you when you least expect it. If you ask me, it’s McDonagh’s best movie.
Wild Honey
Plot: A phone sex operator named Gabby is having a rough time. She’s lonely, she’s broke, and she’s lives with her mother. Things start to turn around though when she gets a regular caller who actually seems interested in her.
Review: This one has a third act that stumbles a bit and overall the film feels just mostly well made, but I liked it. Rusty Schwimmer does a nice job as the sort of unlikable, sort of endearing Gabby, and overall there are enough funny bits to keep you interested.
Chasing The Blues
Plot: Two collectors are on the hunt for a rare piece of vinyl that may actually be cursed.
Review: If it were possible to toss out the predictable ending and a handful of moments where things are slightly too goofy, you’d have a great movie in Chasing The Blues. As it stands, I think it’s a generally solid little effort.
The Landing
Plot: Apollo 18 didn’t go well. This “documentary” takes a look at what happened.
Review: At first I was all about this film, but then my brain turned on and I realized there was never actually an Apollo 18 and that the documentary was a work of fiction. This immediately made me lose all interest in it. Just not my thing.
Bodies
Plot: In desperate need of cash, a couple decide to engage in a medical experiment. Things don’t go as planned.
Review: Here’s a film that doesn’t quite know how to get out of its own way. It has ideas flying around all over the place, and while some of them are interesting, a lot of them are total throwaways. The acting in this one is just so-so as well.
