After several days in Austin at the South by Southwest Film Festival, we've returned with a list of the best movies we watched there. The fun thing about this festival is that the movies are all over the map. Some are big studio films, many are small labors of love that deserve to be discovered. Our list features a mix of both.
So with that all being said...
The 5 Best Movies We Saw at SXSW
1. Baby Driver
Stars: Ansel Elgort, Jamie Foxx, Kevin Spacey, Jon Hamm, Lily James
Hands down, Baby Driver is the best film we saw. The latest from writer-director Edgar Wright features a fantastic cast and a high-intensity plot that in many ways could be described as an action-musical. With music literally driving every scene forward, Wright takes a familiar one-last-job-and-I'm-out premise and twists it into a wildly imaginative chase movie that's brilliantly designed to play in rhythm with all of its music.
When you can see it: August 11
2. Small Town Crime
Stars: John Hawkes, Robert Forster, Clifton Collins Jr.
Reminiscent of something we'd see from the Coen brothers, Small Town Crime is a snarky little dark comedy about an ex-cop (Hawkes) turned alcoholic who seeks redemption by involving himself in a murder investigation involving prostitutes. Hawkes is fantastic as a guy whose past haunts his present, bumbling his way into a case the actual cops -- and his former friends -- want him to stay away from. The film really flies when Hawkes is joined by the tough-as-nails Forster, playing the grandfather of a missing girl, and Collins Jr., playing a pimp with a whole ton of flair.
When you can see it: TBD 2017
3. The Disaster Artist
Stars: James Franco, Dave Franco, Seth Rogen... and a whole lot of other familiar names
Arguably the best worst movie ever made, 2003's The Room, about a man whose girlfriend cheats with his best friend, is re-created in a very fun way thanks to brothers James Franco and Dave Franco. They play the director (Tommy Wiseau) and star (Greg Sestero), respectively, of the infamous film as they reveal the wildly hilarious way it was made. The fact that the Francos (as well as producer/costar Seth Rogen) are such movie buffs is what fuels a comedy that could very easily (and simply) poke fun at The Room and its cast, but instead they work in a lot of heart, too, transforming The Disaster Artist into a piece about pouring everything into a dream, regardless of who or what stands in your way.
When you can see it: TBD 2017
4. Dealt
Stars: Richard Turner, as himself
The best documentary we saw at SXSW is Dealt, about the life of Richard Turner, a magician whose skills with a deck of cards are unmatched -- all of it even more impressive knowing Turner is completely blind. Dealt follows Turner and his family as he wows crowds at shows while also trying to earn top recognition in his field at the magician's equivalent of the Oscars. Meanwhile, Turner prepares to say goodbye to his son, who sets off for college at a time when the two have never been closer. Dealt is an inspiring and emotional look at overcoming adversity and powering through to the top of your field despite lacking the tools many would deem necessary to do so.
When you can see it: TBD 2017
5. Tragedy Girls
Stars: Alexandra Shipp, Breanna Hildebrand
It's difficult to shock an audience while making them laugh at the same time, but Tragedy Girls succeeds in its freakishly relevant premise about two best friends whose obsession with being popular on social media leads to a whole lot of murder. Both Shipp and Hildebrand play a couple of sickly clueless teens who will stop at nothing to become famous, even if it means offing half their town and befriending a serial killer. With inventive gore and a topical premise, Tragedy Girls is a delightfully disgusting midnight movie that fans of Scream and other films like it will no doubt appreciate.
When you can see it: TBD 2017
Bonus: Best action sequences
Atomic Blonde
Stars: Charlize Theron, James McAvoy
It's impossible to generate a list of the best things we saw at SXSW and not include the action sequences from Atomic Blonde. Director David Leitch creates what we believe to be some of the best action ever put to film (wait till you see the stairway sequence), stuffed into a story set in Berlin shortly before the Berlin wall crumbles. Featuring a kickass performance by Theron, who throws everything she's got at this sucker, Atomic Blonde beats, punches and shoots its way through a twisty-turny story with an amazing soundtrack.
When you can see it: July 28
Bonus: Best VR Experience
The Mummy Zero Gravity VR Experience
There were several movie tie-in experiences at SXSW this year, but we really loved what they did for The Mummy, taking VR cameras onto the set to show us what it was like when Tom Cruise and crew attempted to film a sequence for this June's The Mummy while in zero gravity. It's a cool way to bring the audience closer to a production, immersing them within one of Cruise's legendary stunts.
When you can see it: The Mummy hits theaters on June 9
