Austin Film Festival October 21st-October 28th

Austin Film Festival is a writers’ festival and one we have attended every year except in 2020 when we covered the festival Virtual because of the pandemic. We are covering virtual again this year and will miss being in Austin, working in person with the festival staff, doing interviews on and off the Red Carpet. We will review and post interviews below and on our You Tube channel on the films that will be coming to theaters and streaming soon.

The French Dispatch – There is so much to digest in this off-beat comedy which is an ode to the great Expat journalists whose work flourished in The New Yorker Magazine. Director Wes Anderson has assembled a huge cast to portray composite characters making up the editors, writers, artists, intellectuals, even a chef, whose work the director worshipped. Anderson takes even further the intricate detail he is known for in the appearance and demeanor of every eccentric, colorful writer and artist of that era. Bill Murray plays the editor who rides herd over their submissions. Cast includes A-listers, Adrien Brody, Timothée Chalamet, Benicio del Toro, Frances McDormand, Stephen Park, Léa Seydoux, Tilda Swinton, Owen Wilson, Jeffrey Wright, Henry Winkler, and more.

Spencer – The fascination with Britain’s Princess Diana lives on as Kristen Stewart delivers a spellbinding performance of the life and death of Britain’s sad but beloved royal icon. Pablo Larrain (Jackie, Neruda) creates his own version showing when relations changed in her marriage to Prince Charles, rumors of infidelity flying, impending divorce and keeping things civil in front of the press for royal family get togethers. Diana kept relatively quiet, until reaching a breaking point. Larrain’s study of Diana and the royal family delves deep into her psyche as well as that of the royal family. Also starring Sally Hawkins, Timothy Spall.

C’MON C’MON – A decidedly unexpected tender turn for Joaquin Phoenix working with the smart, engaging Woody Norman in Mike Mills'(Beginners) sensitive and charming film about family responsibilities and relationships. The film, being in black and white, adds extra color to a road trip with a young nephew and his uncle who’s working on a podcast about kids and their thoughts on the future. Mills presents thoughtful insight into the mind of nephew Jessie, and children interviewed by Uncle Johnny for his podcast. All of the children interviewed spoke spontaneously. Phoenix and Norman have great chemistry using the script as a base adding some improvisation for a realistic relationship. Jessie’s Mom (Gabby Hoffman) asks her brother, Johnny, to take care of the boy when his Dad goes off the rails. Don’t miss these performances.

EVERYTHING I EVER WANTED TO TELL MY DAUGHTER ABOUT MEN – Incredibly complicated transition from play to film by Writer/Director and Broadway star, Lorien Haynes who plays a woman telling her therapist about her domestic and sexual abuse in romantic relationships for a variety of reasons. Performed first as a play and then with 21 female directors and well-known male actors who donated their time and talent to work on the film her ups and downs with each of the men.  Also starring Nathan Filion, Jason Isaacs, Ben Lawson, James Purefoy, Alex Déseret, and more as the men in her life with Alan Cumming as her therapist you never fully see. Haynes wrote the play and now the film for survivors to show they are not alone. Watch our interview with Haynes to find out how she envisioned and put together this huge production during the COVID pandemic.

JOCKEY -Don’t miss this is a beautiful film showing the life of a jockey from back of the track through the eyes of horse jockey, Jackson. Clifton Collins Jr., in his first lead role, gives a incredibly sensitive and insightful performance of a man nearing the end of his career because of age and injury. In what may be his last season, a budding young jockey (Moises Arias in what may his best performances to date), shows up as the son Jackson didn’t know he had. Will he take the young man under his wing as part of his legacy? Molly Parker excels as the compassionate boss/trainer who has been there for Jackson during his ups and downs, and is trying to help him again. Beautifully shot at a live track in Arizona, Director Clint Bentley captures what it’s like as he grew up going to tracks watching his jockey father.

IN A DIFFERENT KEY –This film give explains the term autism by giving a history of 70-year-old Donald., the first person to diagnosed and labeled autistic, to how diagnosis, perception, and understanding of the condition has and still is evolving. Award-winning co-producer/directors, John Donvan (formerly of  ABC, CNN and PBS) and Caren Zucker (former producer at ABC and Nightlife) based the film on Donvan’s book of the same name. They succeed in dispelling the myths with enlightening examples, including Zucker’s son Mickey who you will fall in love with. Watch our interview with Donvan and Zucker for an informative discussion.

THE GRAND BOLERO -This spellbinding thriller from Italy is beautifully crafted. Director Gabriele Fabbro fills the film with music from Ravel, Tchaikovsky, even Gershwin in a story about a destitute young girl who takes shelter in a church during COVID 19 lockdown. She is given the job of  working with Roxanne (Lidia Vitale), a gruff middle-aged pipe organ restorer who struggles to control her attraction to her new 20-year-old mute female assistant (Ludovica Mancini-who reminds us of Ann Bancroft). Fabbro gets superb performances out of both actresses with unexpected twists and stunning shots of nature around the church. See our interview with the director and both lead actresses.

ACID TEST – Writer/Director Jenny Waldo presents her semi autobiographical story based on coming-of -age in the 1990’s. Juliana De Stefano stars as a High School senior wanting to breakout from her parents by experimenting with drugs, sex, political punk rock feminism, deciding if and where to go to college and just trying to find her own identity.  Waldo tells us how she guided DeStefano and the actress details how she got into being a wild child for the part.