"BITCH ASS" // SXSW 2022

BY MATEO MORENO

Let's start out with the obvious: BITCH ASS is a fantastic title for a horror film, especially a "Midnight Movie" selection at a film festival. And starting the film off with Tony Todd marks it with a strong start. Sadly, it doesn't keep that pace for long. Narrating the film at the beginning, Todd name drops some of his biggest hits, including Candyman, and begins the tale of "Bitch Ass," the first masked black serial killer. The main plot revolves around four friends who are trying to break into a house as part of a gang initiation. The house belongs to an old woman but what the friends don't know is that her grandson also lives there, and her grandson is Bitch Ass (Tunde Laleye), an abused boy who's now out for revenge. He starts this revenge by having them all compete in giant and deadly versions of board games like "Operation" and "Connect Four." One by one, they all fall prey to his strange games, but can anyone survive his murder spree?

BITCH ASS could work as a cheesy B-movie or a fun midnight horror film. But the script is so bad and the filmmaking so amateur and the flashbacks are so cheesy that you're constantly taken out of the film. Not to mention that the giant board games he makes them compete in is a very silly idea. It's as if the movie Escape Room discarded this idea for a future sequel and so they picked it up. Some of the ensemble turn in fun performances, but overall it's a slog, especially considering the potential it holds. I don't think Bitch Ass will be having any more killing sprees anytime soon.

GRADE: D

WRITTEN BY Bill Posley, Jonathan Colomb DIRECTED BY Bill Posley STARRING Sheaun McKinney, Tunde Laleye, Me'Lisa Sellers, Teon Kelly, Tony Todd SELECTED AS PART OF THE 2022 SXSW FILM FESTIVAL. FOR MORE INFO: BITCH-ASS

"PRETTY PROBLEMS" // SXSW 2022

BY MATEO MORENO

One of the best comedies this year at SXSW was an unexpected one for me. PRETTY PROBLEMS is not only hilarious but it's also a sharp commentary on wealth and the privilege of the rich. Lindsay and Jack (Britt Rentschler and Michael Tennant, who both co-wrote the script with Charlotte Ubben) are a simple couple with a simple life, one that Lindsay is growing bored with. One day at the clothing boutique that she works at, Cat Flex (JJ Nolan) walks in and changes her life overnight. Cat is ridiculously rich and connects with Lindsay. So much in fact that she invites Lindsay to a weekend away in the country. Lindsay is ecstatic, knowing that a weekend with Cat sounds fun and exciting, two things that her life is severely lacking. Jack is reluctant but eventually agrees to join and the two of them head into a wild, wild weekend that neither were prepared for.

PRETTY PROBLEMS explores at a frantic but steady pace the lives of the uber rich, the kind who buy bottles of wine that would each pay for someone else's monthly rent, and then completely forget that they bought it, let along bought several cases of it. It's a comedy that doesn't simply make the uber rich a joke: they also make them fully fleshed out humans. Cat is just as bored as Lindsay and both seem to be searching for something to flesh out their days. One has money and one doesn't, yet their lives seems oddly similar. JJ Nolan turns in a performance that is fiercely funny and tragically relatable. Yes she's ridiculous, but the filmmakers earn so much more by exploring everyone in this circle, not just the outsiders. Rentschler and Tennant are both great too, bridging the gap between the wealthy and us. They are our eyes and we share in their slow fascination with this wild lifestyle. The rest of the ensemble cast are each perfectly cast, and work incredibly well as a unit. In the end, money is of course not the answer, but by making the lifestyle and not the people the butt of the joke, PRETTY PROBLEMS rose far above my original expectations. And I think it'll knock you out as well.

GRADE: A

WRITTEN BY Michael Tennant, Britt Rentschler, Charlotte Ubben DIRECTED BY Kestrin Pantera STARRING Britt Rentschler, Michael Tennant, JJ Nolan, Graham Outerbridge, Charlotte Ubben, Alex Klein, Clayton Froning, Katarina Hughes, Vanessa Chester, Amy Maghera SELECTED AS PART OF THE 2022 SXSW FILM FESTIVAL. FOR MORE INFO: PRETTY PROBLEMS

"SERIOUSLY RED" // SXSW 2022

BY MATEO MORENO

The love of Dolly Parton and the notion of, "We need more Dollys in this world" is the heartbeat of the warm and winning Australian comedy SERIOUSLY RED. Krew Boylan plays Raylene 'Red' Delaney, a huge Dolly fan that works for a real estate agency with her dear friend Francis (Thomas Campbell). She has a soul that's aching to find something new and when she misinterprets her office party invite that says, "Dress up," she finds her moment. Showing up as Dolly Parton, she draws scoffs from her co-workers. That is, until she kills it on stage, performing a fantastic cover of "9 to 5." She catches the eye of the host (Rose Byrne, doing a fun take on Elvis) and from there starts a freewheeling spin into the world of celebrity impersonators.

The main guy in charge is Wilson (Bobby Cannavale), who was a Kenny Rogers impersonator in his younger years. He's blown away by Raylene and puts her together with a "method acting" Kenny Rogers impersonator named Kenny (Daniel Webber). She loves the life and falls quickly under its spell, especially around Kenny, who pretends to be Kenny Rogers in every moment, even at home. So she does the same, soon recognizing herself as Dolly, not Raylene. Krew Boylan (who also wrote the script) gives a star making performance and grabs the audience from moment one, never letting go. Premiering at SXSW, with the music fest right next to it, is a smart move and this music filled romantic comedy is earnest and sweet, which will draw in both the super fans and those who simply want an unexpected journey. Raylene's journey itself isn't necessarily surprising, but all of the strange (and I mean that in the best of ways) twists and turns make this a film that will likely be a cult-classic in years to come.

GRADE: B+

WRITTEN BY Krew Boylan DIRECTED BY Gracie Otto STARRING Krew Boylan, Rose Byrne, Bobby Cannavale, Daniel Webber, Celeste Barber, Thomas Campbell. SELECTED AS PART OF THE 2022 SXSW FILM FESTIVAL. FOR MORE INFO: SERIOUSLY RED