Believe the hype. I liked Obsession so much that I immediately went home and burned through everything Curry Barker has ever made. Some directors announce themselves quietly. Barker grabs you by the throat and refuses to let go.
Read MoreBlood, Guts, and Barney: Buddy Is a Children’s Show From Hell
If you are already infected with the Too Many Cooks brain rot, you know exactly what wavelength this thing is operating on. Buddy is a full-length escalation of that same impulse, the idea that familiarity is the scariest thing in the room and that children’s television is essentially a hostage situation waiting to happen. This is Barney filtered through Adult Swim nihilism, filtered again through blood, puppets, and a screaming existential crisis.
Read MoreWe’re All Animals: The Fox Is a Gloriously Dumb Delight
Walking into The Fox at SXSW, knowing it came from Dario Russo, co-creator of Danger 5, immediately put me on high alert. That show thrives on weaponized absurdity, and I was curious how that sensibility would translate into a feature. The answer is that it translates beautifully, maybe not perfectly, but in a way that feels deeply committed, wildly strange, and genuinely funny.
Read MoreImposters Is Saved by Jessica Rothe and a Strong Finish
There is a moment at the very beginning of Imposters where I leaned forward in my seat, ready to lock in. The opening carries a quiet, unsettling tone that immediately reminded me of Frailty, which is high praise considering how wildly underrated that film still is. That initial mood promises something intimate, sinister, and emotionally raw.
Read MoreSender Is a Paranoia Thriller That Forgets Why You Care
There is something immediately compelling about Sender, especially when you consider how it chooses to introduce itself. Right out of the gate, the movie hooks you with Jamie Lee Curtis, whose presence alone lends instant credibility and intrigue. Even when she is underutilized, you feel her gravitational pull over the project.
Read MoreHanging Out Near the End of the World: Sparks and the Myth of Escape
There is a certain type of movie that does not so much tell a story as ask you to sit down and hang out for a while. Sparks, written and directed by Fergus Campbell and premiering at SXSW 2026, is very much that kind of film. It is a hangout movie in the purest sense. Loose, chatty, sun-baked, and more interested in vibes than narrative propulsion.
Read MorePress Record and Pray: Capture Turns a Camcorder into a Curse
Capture sells itself like a mashup of Goosebumps: Say Cheese and Die filtered through the grim paranoia of something like Session 9. What it ultimately becomes, though, is closer to The Boy or that whole subgenre where someone might be living in the walls, watching, waiting, breathing right behind you. That shift might throw some viewers at first, but the film is patient enough to earn the journey it takes.
Read MoreBrian Is the Most Uncomfortable High School Movie in Years
If you only look at Brian on the surface, it plays like another familiar coming-of-age comedy about an awkward kid trying to figure out where he belongs. And yes, technically, that is exactly what it is. But under the dry jokes, painfully real classroom conversations, and secondhand embarrassment, Brian reveals itself as something far more honest.
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