The ever-growing SXSW film festival hits Austin in a few weeks with a solid film line-up ranging from much-anticipated blockbusters like Evil Dead, to cutting-edge indie pics like Joss Whedon’s Much Ado About Nothing and Rob Zombie’s The Lords of Salem. Running from March 8-16, SXSW can be counted on to screen some of the more innovative and controversial films in the indie movie industry, and the 2013 SXSW film line-up looks like it’s going to deliver yet again.
Movie geeks around the country, and particularly here in Austin, are eagerly anticipating this year’s cinematic offerings. The announcement of the short films and Midnighters (that’s the scary stuff, for the uninitiated) last week pretty much rounded out the full film schedule. The final conference line-up rounds out this Wednesday with any late additions that might pop up.
Here’s a rundown on what to look forward to (and what to fear).
There’s plenty to dread with upcoming remake of Sam Raimi’s Evil Dead. When remaking a cult classic like this so much can go wrong. However, Raimi and original star Bruce Campbell have both unofficially given their blessing to this pic, and by the looks of the Red Band trailer online it’s going to be one Hell of a ride. Like, literally.
Other big budget premieres include Steve Carell-starring comedy The Incredible Burt Wonderstone. This probably will turn out to be a bit silly and in the vein of other Carrell comedies like The 40 Year Old Virgin and Bruce Almighty. But if you’re a fan of those kinds of comedies, this is probably right up your alley.
There is an intriguing entry from the UK called Hawking. It’s scheduled as one of the Headliners (so we’re talking bigger budget pics here) and it centers around Stephen Hawking, his life and work, in his own words and the words of those closest to him. I haven’t heard much about this one just yet, but it looks like one of the educational films that will also be a lot of fun to watch.
I’ll watch just about anything that Joss Whedon is involved in, and I’m usually satisfied or at least intrigued by what I see. He’s taking on The Bard this time around, and giving his own personal style to the Shakespeare play Much Ado About Nothing. Considering there have been some great modernizations of Shakespearean tales, this should be nothing less than astounding. My fingers are crossed.
Other notable entries cross the board from Narrative entries to Documentaries. A narrative film of note is Hours, a thriller concerning a man’s survival during the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. There are also two interesting documentaries to watch for; the sure-to-be-controversial Before You Know It (about three male teens navigating love and life), and the humorous documentary Unhung Hero (I’ll let you guess what this one is about).
You might not like Rob Zombie, but his stuff certainly makes a statement. If you like his in-your-face style, check out The Lords of Salem. This pic stars Sheri Moon Zombie and calls up the ancient witch evil of Salem. Other notable pics to watch for are I Give it a Year (a comedy by the writer of Bruno and Borat), Don Jon’s Addiction (a romantic comedy starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt), and Before Midnight (the final sequence in the Ethan Hawk-starring series).
SXSW 2013 seems to have something for everyone. For a peek at the full film schedule, check out the official SXSW website.
