Texas

CHICAGO – The virtual/online 2021 SXSW Festival wrapped up on March 20th, after a compacted five day run. The Award Winners were announced on March 19th, and contained themes of redemption, joy, loneliness and reckoning.

CHICAGO – The latest cinematic visionaries are often discovered at the South by Southwest Festival. Filmmakers like the Duplass brothers, Chicago’s Joe Swanberg and Lena Dunham got their first prominent notices at the fest. In that spirit, the 2021 SXSW Grand Jury Awards were announced on March 19th.

CHICAGO – The virtual/online 2021 SXSW Festival began on March 16th, and continues through March 20th. The independent films in the festival touch upon relationships, mother-to-society, sister-to-sister and adult-woman-to-younger-self. Three more film capsules are below.

CHICAGO – The virtual/online 2021 SXSW Festival began on March 16th, and continues through March 20th. In the participation of its film festival part of the fest, many of the newest and most cutting edge voices are creating new cinema perspectives. Below are capsule reviews of three new films.

CHICAGO – It obviously won’t be the same, but the 2021 South by Southwest Film, (SXSW) Music, Media and Conference Festival gathering will take place virtually and online in a five day format, March 16th through the 20th. For information on joining in via passes or tickets, click SXSW2021

CHICAGO – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com appears on “The Morning Mess” with Scott Thompson on WBGR-FM (Monroe, Wisconsin) on December 24th, 2020, reviewing the new film “News of the World,” which opened on Christmas Day and is now in theaters.

CHICAGO – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com reviews the new documentary “Truth is the Only Client: The Official Investigation of the Murder of John F. Kennedy” on the 57th Anniversary of the JFK assassination on November 22nd, 2020. The doc reassembles investigators of the 1964 Warren Commission.

CHICAGO – From the JFK assassination, through Vietnam, Watergate and his days of anchoring the CBS Evening News, Dan Rather has influenced the media for six decades. He appeared in Naperville (Ill.) last November for his new book, “What Unites Us: Reflections on Patriotism,” sponsored by Anderson’s Bookshop.

CHICAGO – Dystopia has been dissed out. Mining the negative vibe future world can’t seem to touch the rich creative vein any more and the reserves seem dry. Writer/director Ana Lily Amirpour may have an element within her interpretation that is hard core, but it’s not enough to understand the overall vision of her tomorrow world, except that we’re all part of “The Bad Batch.”

CHICAGO – The dystopia – or negative future world – is a genre staple, from “Soylent Green” to “Max Max.” The latest film to ponder the possibilities is “The Bad Batch,” from writer/director Ana Lily Amirpour. This is her sophomore feature, after “A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night,” and features Suki Waterhouse in the lead role.