Jason Bailey: Put Your Weight On It

  AUSTIN, TX: Well, I'm back at SXSW, which I've attended every year (well, every year they've had it here) since 2012 and have said, more than once, is my favorite film festival. And I'll say candidly that it's not necessarily for the quality of the films (which are frequently very good) but for the quality of the food and drink and vibe in Austin (which is always  very good).  I reviewed seven world premieres for The Playlist this year: ‘Late Bloomers’ Review: Karen Gillan Is Hilarious And Heartbreaking In A Predictable But Enjoyable Dramedy [SXSW] ‘Parachute’ Review: Brittany Snow Makes a Fine Directorial Debut With A Candid & Nervous Romantic Drama [SXSW] ‘Self Reliance’ Review: Jake Johnson’s Directorial Debut Is A Suitable Vehicle For His Shaggy Comic Energy [SXSW] ‘Bottoms’ Review: Emma Seligman’s Sophomore Feature Is No ‘Shiva Baby,’ But Still Delightfully Subversive [SXSW] ‘Hypnotic’ Review: Robert Rodriguez & Ben Affleck Team For An ‘Inception’-Ish

PARK CITY, UTAH: I was standing in line for some movie or another at Sundance 2020 when I got a cryptic email from my editor at Vulture : "Are you by any chance a Contagion  fan?" It seemed there was an uptick in digital rentals and purchases for Steven Soderbergh's 2011 pandemic thriller, connected to the increasingly worrisome reports of a novel coronavirus that was sweeping through China. I was, luckily, a  Contagion fan, so I set aside some time at that year's festival to sit at the kitchen table of the condo I was sharing with several other film critics to re-visit and write about Contagion . I took care of her edits at the Salt Lake City airport, and it was published on January 30, 2020.   Six weeks passed, and, well... while I remain a fan of Contagion , I am not a fan of contagions. On the eve of SXSW 2020, its organizers pulled the plug, and the rest of 2020's festivals followed suit, going virtual. And then many of 2021's as well. Sundance was supp