Too much content on SXSW festival online

I can’t in good conscience write a “Stay-at-home dad” column this week, because I ignored my four kids completely while participating in the 2022 South by Southwest Festival (SXSW).

While I didn’t attend the in-person festivities in Austin, Texas, a large library of films were available online again this year, minus a few of the most buzzed about titles. Sadly, that meant I couldn’t get a sneak peak of that Nicolas-Cage-playing-himself movie, “The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent” or the bizarre-looking multiverse/martial arts indie, “Everything Everywhere All At Once.” That movie is in theaters this week, and the Nic Cage flick will be out in April.

Most of the other titles, however, could be screened within 48-hour viewing windows throughout the festival, and my laptop and I hid away from my children to squeeze in 25 new movies in a span of six days. I won’t run down all of them, as many likely won’t be readily available to see anytime soon. Still, expect several to make their way to various streaming services in the next few weeks.

High profile titles

With its proximity to January’s larger Sundance Film Festival, many notable titles of SXSW were second appearances by popular films at Sundance.

That includes the best movie I saw at SXSW: “Emergency,” a college-set, “one crazy night” comedy with a “Superbad” vibe. Even alongside big laughs, Carey Williams’ film ratchets tension from its timely setup. The plot in short: When two black students find an unconscious white girl on the floor of their apartment, their fear of the local police prompts them to help her get medical assistance without calling 911. The racial undertones make for a delicate balance of tone, but the movie rides winning performances and a thoughtful script to generate both big laughs and thoughtful social commentary. “Emergency” will be in theaters this spring before landing on Amazon Prime on May 27.

Amazon’s other high profile flick, the Regina Hall-led horror film, “Master” went from Sundance to SXSW to Prime streaming on March 18. Written and directed by Mariama Diallo, “Master” follows two black women at a prestigious New England college — one a freshman student (Zoe Renee) struggling to connect with her mostly-white classmates, and the other a tenured professor (Hall) who elevates to master (basically head of house) of the college faculty. Both experience a series of supernatural events alongside escalating acts of racism.

Though it rolled out of Sundance with strong reviews, I found “Master” to be an uneven examination of racial microaggressions that doesn’t play fair with its horror elements. Hall and Renee both give good performances, even as the movie would’ve probably benefited from focusing on just one of the stories. Anyway, you can decide for yourself by watching it now on Prime.

Fresh off its acquisition by Apple TV, the charming romantic comedy, “Cha Cha Real Smooth” also played at SXSW. Writer/director Cooper Raiff stars as a recent college graduate who returns home to be a hired “party starter” for local bar mitzvahs (not as weird as it sounds within the context of the plot). He immediately connects with one of the parents (Dakota Johnson) and her autistic daughter (Vanessa Burghardt), beginning a unique friendship with both.

Despite that mildly irritating title, “Cha Cha Real Smooth” largely works because of the chemistry between Raiff and Johnson, who recently did some of her best work in Netflix’ “The Lost Daughter.” “Cha Cha” basically takes a more sensitive approach to the Judd Apatow “growth of the man-child” outline, a connection made clearer by the presence of Leslie Mann in a strong supporting role. It’ll be streaming on Apple TV+ whenever those tech overlords decide to release it.

Award winners and soon-to-be-seen documentaries

“I Love My Dad,” the winner of SXSW’s Narrative Feature Competition, deploys comedian Patton Oswalt well in a movie about a deadbeat dad who pretends to be a young woman online in order to reconnect with his estranged son. The movie operates at cringe-comedy peaks at times, to the level of that infamous “Scott’s Tots” episode of “The Office.” Mileage will vary, but I appreciated the film’s commitment to the awkwardness.

The documentary competition winner, “Master of Light,” begins as a fairly straightforward bio of ex-felon-turned fine artist George Anthony Morton before taking a more-personal look at his family and specifically his contradictory relationship with his mother. Compelling stuff.

More soon-to-be-released documentaries worth your time are more Sundance favorites, including the fascinating “Fire of Love,” about a husband-wife team of daring volcanologists, and “2nd Chance,” the very American story of an armored vest manufacturer who attracted business by literally shooting himself in the chest over and over again for product demonstrations.

I also liked a couple of other profile-style documentaries, one called “Spaz,” about the revolutionary-but-rebellious computer animation artist Steve “Spaz” Williams, the man responsible for the game-changing CGI in “Terminator 2: Judgment Day” and “Jurassic Park.” Another doc, “Under the Influence,” explores the rise and fall (and rise again) of YouTube star David Dobrik. Chase that one with the familiar-but-informative “TikTok Boom,” and you’ll get an intriguing look at the benefits and pitfalls of modern social media.

Other narrative features I liked may or may not be easy to find in the coming weeks and months: Keep an eye out for “To Leslie,” featuring another terrific turn by Andrea Riseborough (“Mandy”) as a lotto-winner-turned-alcoholic and a surprising, warm supporting performance by comedian/podcaster Marc Maron.

The slight-but-often-very funny travelogue “Spin Me Around” will surely get a VOD release soon, especially with an extremely likable cast that includes Alison Brie, Aubrey Plaza and Zack Woods.

The gory-but-consistently surprising “Sissy” will also come to Shudder, the horror-centric streaming service, soon as well. That explores a totally horrific side to toxic social media influencers.

• • •

Tyler Wilson is a member of the International Press Academy and has been writing about movies for Inland Northwest publications since 2000, including a regular column in The Press since 2006. He can be reached at [email protected].”