The 90th Academy Awards have come and gone (after what felt like a longer than ever Oscar season) and we’re upon yet another one of our yearly film festival markers. The annual music and film industry hybrid festival SXSW – celebrating its 25th year- begins this week and, as per usual, there’s plenty of variety in the full lineup to choose from. The popular festival will be the stage for the debut of “A Quiet Place” as the Opening Night film, a chance for director/actor John Krasinski to redeem himself from the uniquely bad “The Hollars“. Elsewhere, the television and film world continues to cross paths with the hotly anticipated HBO series “Barry” starring Bill Hader. Wes Anderson’s “Isle of Dogs“, which we loved, will act as the closing film. From drama-comedies starring sitcom favorites to exciting new talents and familiar names debuting new, soon to be favorites, this year’s SXSW is bound to be yet another fascinating festival.
The festival runs from Friday, March 9th to Tuesday, March 13th.
“6 Balloons”
Director: Marja Lewis Ryan
Cast: Abbi Jacobson, Dave Franco, Charlotte Carel
Synopsis: Over the course of one night, a woman drives across LA with her heroin addict brother in search of a detox center, with his two-year-old daughter in tow.
“A Quiet Place”
Director: John Krasinski
Cast: Emily Blunt, John Krasinski, Noah Jupe, and Millicent Simmonds
Synopsis: A family of four must navigate their lives in silence after mysterious creatures that hunt by sound threatens their survival. If they hear you, they hunt you.
“Barry” (TV Premiere)
Director: Bill Hader
Cast: Bill Hader, Henry Winkler, Stephen Root
Synopsis: Barry features Bill Hader as a low-rent hitman from the Midwest. Lonely and dissatisfied in his life he begrudgingly travels to Los Angeles to kill someone and ends up finding an accepting community in a group of eager hopefuls within the LA theater scene.
“Blockers”
Director: Kay Cannon
Cast: Leslie Mann, Ike Barinholtz, John Cena
Synopsis: When three parents discover their daughters’ pact to lose their virginity at prom, they launch a covert one-night operation to stop the teens from sealing the deal.