The Hollywood Outsider – Film and Television Podcast | Reviews An award-winning film and television podcast for the fan in all of us
The SXSW Film and TV Festival is one of the largest of its kind in the world. In a typical year, thousands of fans arrive in downtown Austin, TX to partake in a couple of weeks of great music, technology, and film. For this special episode of The Hollywood Outsider, we take you along for our annual deep dive into the heart of the 2023 SXSW Film & TV Festival portion, and even further into the films themselves.
Over the course of several days, the 2023 SXSW Film and TV Festival screened numerous features, TV premieres, many from first-time filmmakers (consisting of World Premieres, North American Premieres, and US Premieres), shorts, virtual reality exhibits, title design, and other works. These films were selected from thousands of overall submissions, and – while we can’t see them all – we have a nice sample to share with you of what came out of this stellar lineup of independent and popular films and television series. Over 25 films are on our docket this year, and we review them all (including Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, John Wick: Chapter 4, and Evil Dead Rise), as well as snippets from panels and a whole lot more!
So sit back and relax. You’re about to experience the SXSW Film and TV Festival from the comfort of your own home.
Discussed on this episode of The Hollywood Outsider Movie and TV Podcast:
- Thoughts on the 2023 SXSW Film & TV Festival
- Reviews of over 25 films and episodic premieres screened at the festival, titles listed below
- Our personal awards from the festival
- Please support The Hollywood Outsider and gain immediate access to bonus content, including Patreon exclusive podcast content like our monthly Bad Movie Night, by visiting Patreon.com/ TheHollywoodOutsider
- Be sure to join our Facebook Group
| Title | Description |
| A Disturbance in the Force | Directors: Jeremy Coon, Steve Kozak, Producers: Jeremy Coon, Steve Kozak, Kyle Newman
Travel back to a galaxy far, far away—the infamous Star Wars Holiday Special. Dive into the mystery of how it happened and why 45 years later it has become, much to the chagrin of George Lucas, the ultimate cult classic among Star Wars fans. |
| Appendage | Director/Screenwriter: Anna Zlokovic, Producers: David Worthen Brooks, Arbi Pedrossian, Jenna Cavelle, Katrina Kudlick, Alex Familian, Hadley Robinson, Anna Zlokovic
After hitting a breaking point, Hannah’s inner thought’s physicalize into a monstrous creature that threatens to upend her life. Cast: Hadley Robinson, Emily Hampshire, Brandon Mychal Smith, Kausar Mohammed |
| Bloody Hell | Director/Screenwriter: Molly McGlynn, Producers: Jennifer Weiss, Liane Cunje
A teenage girl gets diagnosed with a reproductive condition that upends her plans to have sex and propels her into exploring unusual methods to have a sex life, challenging her relationships with everyone in her life, but most importantly, herself. Cast List: Maddie Ziegler, Emily Hampshire, Djouliet Amara, Ki Griffin, D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai |
| Bottoms | Director: Emma Seligman, Producers: Elizabeth Banks, Max Handelman, Alison Small, Screenwriters: Emma Seligman, Rachel Sennott
Directed by Emma Seligman and written by Seligman and Rachel Sennott, Bottoms follows two unpopular girls in their senior year who start a fight club to try to impress and hook up with cheerleaders. Cast: Rachel Sennott, Ayo Edebiri, Ruby Cruz, Havana Rose Liu, Kaia Gerber, Nicholas Galitzine, Miles Fowler, Marshawn Lynch, Dagmara Dominiczyk, Punkie Johnson |
| Brooklyn 45 | Director/Screenwriter: Ted Geoghegan, Producers: Seth Caplan, Michael Paszt, Pasha Patriki, Sarah Sharp
In the months following World War II, five old military friends are talked into an impromptu séance, which brings to troubling light each of their haunted pasts. Cast List: Anne Ramsay, Ron E. Rains, Jeremy Holm, Larry Fessenden, Ezra Buzzington, Kristina Klebe |
| Chronicles of a Wandering Saint | Director/Screenwriter: Tomas Gomez Bustillo, Producers: Gewan Brown, Amanda Freedman
In a tiny rural village in Argentina, Rita Lopez, a pious yet insatiably competitive woman, discovers that staging a miracle could be her ticket to sainthood. Cast: Monica Villa, Horacio Marassi, Pablo Moseinco, Silvia Mackenzie, Noemi Ron, Silvia Porro, Hernan Bustamante, Dahyana Turkie, Iair Said |
| Citizen Sleuth | Director: Chris Kasick, Producers: Chris Kasick, Tyler Davidson, Fabiola Washburn, Drew Sykes, Jared Washburn
A true crime podcaster from Appalachia blurs the line between fact and entertainment as she investigates a mysterious local death. |
| Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves | Directed and co-written by Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley, Producers: Jeremy Latcham, Brian Goldner, Nick Meyer, Screenwriters: Jonathan Goldstein, John Francis Daley, Michael Gilio
A charming thief and a band of unlikely adventurers undertake an epic heist to retrieve a lost relic, but things go dangerously awry when they run afoul of the wrong people. Cast List: Chris Pine, Michelle Rodriguez, Regé-Jean Page, Justice Smith, Sophia Lillis, Chloe Coleman, Daisy Head and Hugh Grant |
| Evil Dead Rise | Director/Screenwriter: Lee Cronin, Producer: Rob Tapert
Evil Dead Rise tells a twisted tale of two estranged sisters, played by Sutherland and Sullivan, whose reunion is cut short by the rise of flesh-possessing demons, thrusting them into a primal battle for survival as they face the most nightmarish version of family imaginable. Executive Producers include Sam Raimi and Bruce Campbell. Cast List: Lily Sullivan, Alyssa Sutherland, Morgan Davies, Gabrielle Echols, Nell Fisher |
| Furies | Director: Veronica Ngo (Ngo Thanh Van), Producers: Giang Ho, Bey Logan, Screenwriters: Veronica Ngo (Ngo Thanh Van), Aaron Toronto, Uyen Nguyen Nha Ly, Thach Ngoc Nguyen, Nhan Truong Nguyen
A mysterious woman trains a trio of girls to take revenge on a criminal gang that abuses females. The three lady warriors risk everything to challenge this corrupt empire, before finally learning that their cause is not what they believed it to be. Cast: Dong Anh Quynh, Toc Tien, Rima Thanh Vy, Thuan Nguyen, Song Luan, Gi A Nguyen, Phan Thanh Hien |
| Hypnotic | Director: Robert Rodriguez, Producers: Mark Gill, Guy Botham, Lisa Ellzey, Jeff Robinov, John Graham, Racer Max, Robert Rodriguez, Screenwriters: Robert Rodriguez, Max Borenstein
A detective becomes entangled in a mystery involving his missing daughter and a secret government program while investigating a string of reality-bending crimes. Cast: Ben Affleck, Alice Braga, JD Pardo, Hala Finley, Dayo Okeniyi, Jeff Fahey, Jackie Earle Haley, William Fichtner |
| It Lives Inside | Director: Bishal Dutta, Producers: Raymond Mansfield, Sean McKittrick, Screenwriters: Bishal Dutta, Ashish Mehta
An Indian-American teenager struggling with her cultural identity has a falling out with her former best friend and, in the process, unwittingly releases a demonic entity that grows stronger by feeding on her loneliness. Cast List: Megan Suri, Neeru Bajwa, Mohana Krishnan, Betty Gabriel, Vik Sahay |
| John Wick Chapter 4 | Chapter 4 wastes no time and immediately introduces the major villain of this story in the Marquis (a fabulously cast Bill Skarsgård). He carries with him the full weight of the High Table, that clandestine organization to whom John Wick has slighted in the bloodiest of ways and now appears to be represented by Clancy Brown. Marquis’ mission is to extinguish not only John Wick himself, but the very idea of the Baba Yaga. To do so, he enlists his side beast, Killa (Scott Adkins), countless assassins, as well as Wick’s friend and former associate, Caine (Donnie Yen).
Along the way, Wick gets a bit of return help or interference from Winston (Ian McShane), Charon (Lance Reddick), King (Laurence Fishburne), and a few new/old friends, most notably the manager of the Osaka hotel, Shimazu (the legendary Hiroyuki Sanada) and his daughter, Akira (pop star Rina Sawayama, who has a promising future in film). |
| Love + Death | Showrunner/Screenwriter: David E. Kelley, Director: Lesli Linka Glatter
Two church going couples, enjoying small town family life in Texas, until somebody picks up an axe. Cast: Elizabeth Olsen, Jesse Plemons, Lily Rabe, Patrick Fugit, Krysten Ritter, Tom Pelphrey, Keir Gilchrist, Elizabeth Marvel |
| Mrs. Davis | Showrunner: Tara Hernandez, Directors: Owen Harris, Alethea Jones, Screenwriters/Producers: Tara Hernandez, Damon Lindelof
Mrs. Davis is the world’s most powerful Artificial Intelligence. Simone is the nun devoted to destroying Her. Who ya got? Cast List: Betty Gilpin, Jake McDorman, Andy McQueen |
| Pure O | Director/Screenwriter: Dillon Tucker, Producers: Ricky Fosheim, Dillon Tucker, Ray Lee
A young screenwriter/musician grapples with Pure O, a lesser-known form of OCD, while juggling his recent engagement and his day job at a high end Malibu drug rehab. Inspired by the filmmaker’s own personal true story. Cast List: Daniel Dorr, Hope Lauren, Landry Bender, Jeff Baker, Candice Renee, Breon Gorman, Tim Landfield, Isaac Nippert, Devon Martinez, Clint James |
| Raging Grace | Director/Screenwriter: Paris Zarcilla, Producer: Chi Thai
A bold coming-of-rage story where Joy, a Filipino immigrant, and her daughter Grace encounter a darkness that threatens all they have worked for. Cast List: Maxine Eigenman, Leanne Best, David Hayman |
| Riders on the Storm | Directors/Producers: Jason Motlagh, Mark Oltmanns
A young horseman battling to make his name and keep a family tradition alive in the ancient sport of buzkashi learns that fame is a gift and a curse as the Taliban take control of Afghanistan and threaten his life. |
| Self Reliance | Director/Screenwriter: Jake Johnson, Producers: Jake Johnson, Ali Bell, Joe Hardesty
Given the opportunity to participate in a life or death reality game show, one man discovers there’s a lot to live for. Cast List: Jake Johnson, Anna Kendrick, Andy Samberg, Natalie Morales, Christopher Lloyd, Wayne Brady, GaTa, Emily Hampshire, Mary Holland, Boban Marjanović |
| Swarm | Showrunner: Janine Nabers, Directors: Donald Glover, Adamma Ebo, Screenwriters: Janine Nabers, Jamal Olori, Producers: Donald Glover, Janine Nabers, Stephen Glover, Fam Udeorji, Steven Prinz, Michael Schaefer
Murder. Sex. Music. Cast: Dominique Fishback, Chloe Bailey, Damson Idris |
| Talk to Me | Directors: Danny Philippou, Michael Philippou, Producers: Samantha Jennings, Kristina Ceyton, Screenwriters: Danny Philippou, Bill Hinzman
Lonely teenager Mia gets hooked on the thrills of conjuring spirits through a ceramic hand, but when she is confronted by a soul claiming to be her dead mother, she unleashes a plague of supernatural forces. Cast List: Sophie Wilde, Miranda Otto, Alexandra Jensen, Joe Bird, Otis Dhanji, Zoe Terakes, Chris Alosio |
| The Artifice Girl | Director/Screenwriter: Franklin Ritch, Producers: Aaron B. Koontz, Ashleigh Snead
Three special agents develop a bold new computer program to catch online predators, but its rapid advancement poses unexpected challenges. Cast: Tatum Matthews, Sinda Nichols, David Girard, Franklin Ritch, Lance Henriksen |
| The Long Game | Director: Julio Quintana, Producers: Javier Chapa, Ben Howard, Marla Quintana, Dennis Quaid, Laura Quaid, Screenwriters: Julio Quintana, Jennifer C. Stetson, Paco Farias
Banned from playing at the club where they caddied, a group of Mexican-American high schoolers form their own golf team, build a one-hole course in the fields, and win the 1957 Texas State Championship against all odds. Based on a true story. Cast: Jay Hernandez, Dennis Quaid, Cheech Marin, Julian Works, Jaina Lee Ortiz, Brett Cullen, Oscar Nuñez, Richard Robichaux, Paulina Chávez |
| The Wrath of Becky | Directors/Screenwriters: Matt Angel, Suzanne Coote, Producers: Raphael Margules, JD Lifshitz, Tracy Rosenblum, Russell Posternak, Chadd Harbold
After living off the grid for two years, Becky finds herself going toe to toe against Darryl, the leader of a fascist organization, on the eve of an organized attack. Cast List: Lulu Wilson, Seann William Scott, Matt Angel, Courtney Gains, Aaron Dalla Villa, Michael Sirow, Denise Burse, Jill Larson, Kate Siegel |