“The Spectacular Now” stars Miles Teller and Shaileene Woodley in a still from the film. (Courtesy of 21 Laps Entertainment)
South by Southwest is a unique festival that takes place in Austin each spring.
SXSW combines music, film and technology into the 10 day experience.
This year, SXSW is taking place on Friday, March 8 through Sunday, March 17.
The 2013 musical headliners include Major Lazor, Amon Tobin, The Crystal Method, Bonobo, Borgore, Cold War Kids and Third Eye Blind.
In addition to the many musical acts that will take place over the course of SXSW, there are a number of films making their debut.
Here is a list of the top five SXSW films that are worth a watch.
“The Spectacular Now”
Coming off a stellar showing at Sundance, “The Spectacular Now” looks to keep its festival momentum in full stride with equally solid screenings at SXSW.
Featuring young up-and-comers Miles Teller and Shailene Woodley, “The Spectacular Now” follows a high school senior who goes through a change of heart after meeting an introverted Woodley and falling for her quirky ways.
Both Woodley and Teller picked up the Special Jury Prize for their acting chops at Sundance and are already hearing whispers of bigger awards coming their way.
“Spring Breakers”
If you haven’t stumbled upon the trailer to Harmony Korine’s “Spring Breakers,” you’ve missed the introduction of James Franco’s grill-wearing, slang-talking Alien, a drug dealer who becomes infatuated with a quartet of co-eds (Vanessa Hudgens, Selena Gomez, Ashley Benson and Rachel Korine) who’ve made their way to spring break through an avenue of crime.
The film’s soundtrack features a bevy of Skrillex tracks that coincide with the film’s overall edgy tone.
Early reviews for the film are favorable and if seeing James Franco give his best impression of DMX is your thing, “Spring Breakers” should be a festival hit.
“The Incredible Burt Wonderstone”
One of the best facets of SXSW is that the festival branches beyond the indie film world and, at times, features big budget studio movies as well.
Two years ago, we saw “21 & Over” debut and this year Steve Carell’s “The Incredible Burt Wonderstone” looks to capture the indie-cinema lover’s heart.
Carell plays the film’s title character, a street magician who ends up teaming together with his childhood hero (Steve Buscemi) to salvage a Vegas act through daring stunts.
Stars like Jim Carrey, Olivia Wilde and Alan Arkin also make appearances in the film.
“Evil Dead”
Everyone loves a good remake, right?
At least that’s the thinking behind “Evil Dead,” the reboot of a 1981 horror cult classic that stars Jane Levy as Mia, a twenty-something who becomes possessed by dwelling demons after finding a cursed book in the cabin she’s visiting.
The film isn’t for the faint of heart as the movie is rumored to be one of the goriest horror films ever to hit the market. Friday’s world premiere will have to be the judge of that.
“Upstream Color”
Writer/director Shane Carruth made waves with his 2004 film “Primer.” He also had a try at directing bigger budget films, like last summer’s “Looper.”
The filmmaker returns to more cultured fare with “Upstream Color,” an avant garde take on humanity and its meaning.
Early reviews for the film are positive, despite its sweeping concept and Carruth himself makes an acting appearance as Jeff.
Come back after spring break to find out which films took home honors at the 2013 SXSW film festival.
