Stand-up comedians, improv groups, podcasters, and more are coming to SOS Fest.
Photo by Jon Shapley
Get ready to laugh out loud at Sound on Sound Fest. On Tuesday, Austin's newest festival announced the lineup for a new stage at the inaugural celebration taking place at Sherwood Forest Faire, November 4-6.
The Globe Stage, inspired by William Shakespeare's Globe Theatre, will feature a mix of comedy acts, Q&As, crazy performances, and even a wedding. Comedy additions include Tim Heidecker, Joe Mande, Todd Barry, Johnny Pemberton, Ever Mainard, and more.
Members of Russian protest band Pussy Riot will host a one-of-a-kind panel, and author Tony Rettman will lead a discussion on the New York hardcore scene. Guests can also enjoy live tapings of podcasts "Turned Out A Punk" and "The Needle Drop," as well as festival original "Sound on Sound Live."
Other highlights include the Air Sex Championships, the One Night Stand Comedy Dating Game, a variety show called the Two Knight Show, a performance of This Is Spinal Tap by The Midgetmen, and the wedding of two festival-goers.
Sound on Sound Festival comes from Graham Williams, founder of Fun Fun Fun Fest. He parted ways with the festival and its producer, Transmission Events, to launch Margin Walker Presents in 2016. The eclectic Globe Stage lineup joins music acts like Beach House, Explosions in the Sky, Phantogram, Run the Jewels, Purity Ring, and Courtney Barnett at Sherwood Forest Faire in McDade, Texas.
Three-day passes for SOS Fest are on sale for $169; single-day tickets are $85, and VIP passes are $445. Add-on camping passes are also up for grabs, starting at $75. Shuttles will run between downtown Austin and Sherwood Forest Faire each day; tickets are $5.
For as closely tied together as Matt Damon and Ben Affleck are, it might come as a surprise how few times they’ve led a movie together. They’ve appeared alongside each other in Good Will Hunting, The Last Duel, and Air, but the only time they were on equal footing in a story was Kevin Smith’s Dogma. So the fact that they are the two true stars of the new Netflix movie The Rip makes it a rare opportunity for the longtime friends to square off against each other.
Damon and Affleck play Lt. Dane Dumars and Detective Sgt. J.D Byrne, respectively, the two highest ranking members of a Miami police department squad that specializes in drug and drug money raids. A tragedy to begin the film already has the team — which includes Detectives Mike Ro (Steven Yeun), Numa Baptiste (Teyana Taylor), and Lolo Salazar (Catalina Sandina Moreno) — on edge, with the FBI and DEA breathing down their necks.
Going off a tip, Dumars gathers the team to raid a house in nearby Hialeah that is supposed to have a stash of a relatively small amount of money. But when they get to the house occupied only by Desiree Molina (Sasha Calle), they soon discover that there’s close to $20 million there instead. The team, required by law to count the money on site, must not only fight the urge to skim a little off the top for themselves, but also worry about the Cartel and other agencies that might want a slice of the pie.
Written and directed by Joe Carnahan, the film is a surprisingly effective crime thriller made even better by its high-quality cast, which also includes Kyle Chandler as a DEA agent. The story is designed for the audience to not know who’s trustworthy until the last possible second, and the various twists and turns it takes are well done, with barely a hint of narrative cheating.
Taking place entirely at night, the mood is set right from the start, with the only surprise being that Carnahan didn’t add in rain for extra effect. He keeps things tense with a number of subtle elements, including having the house located in a seemingly deserted cul-de-sac. This allows for the characters to remain on high alert at all times, with anything out of the ordinary — an unexpected noise, a flashing light, etc. — adding to the stress of the situation.
The only element that could have used a bit more of a punch-up is the characterization. The story is set up to cast suspicion on almost everybody, making it tougher to understand exactly what type of person each of them is. As the two leads, more time is spent with Dumars and Byrne, leaving everyone else with slightly underwhelming arcs. It’s to the credit of the actors that everyone else below Damon and Affleck is still compelling.
Damon and Affleck play their sometimes friendly, sometimes adversarial roles well, showing an ease together that’s a result of their friendship and the acting skills they’ve honed over 30+ years. Taylor, an Oscar hopeful for One Battle After Another, and Oscar nominee/Emmy winner Yeun have a pedigree that elevates their supporting roles. Chandler, Moreno, and Calle each get just enough to demonstrate why they were cast in their respective roles.
Damon and Affleck have had their individual ups and downs throughout their careers, but when they choose to work together, the results are usually good-to-great, as they are in The Rip. It’s a different take on a crime thriller that features a story that will keep viewers guessing until the very end.
