Movies This Week: May 18 - 24, 2012

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Toshiro Mifune in Rashomon

It's another week free of hype and blockbuster films, with plenty of gems around Austin to keep film fans pleased, especially classic film fans. The Paramount Theatre kicks off its highly anticipated Summer Classic Film Series next Thursday night with To Kill a Mockingbird and Pillow Talk.

Galveston-based animator and filmmaker Kelly Sears will be in town to screen a series of short works for the Experimental Response Cinema on Wednesday, May 23, 7:30 pm, at Spider House. This 2011 Texas Filmmaker Production Fund (TFPF) recipient has had her experimental films screened at Los Angeles Film Festival, Sundance, and SXSW Film Festival including the animated short horror film Once It Started It Could Not End Otherwise. Her films feature images of the past to tell modern stories through the use of analog and digital animation.

The Alamo Drafthouse is screening the classic movie Rashomon at the Ritz on Monday at 7:30 pm as part of their Film Foundation series. This 1950 film is a classic representation of the radical style of Akira Kurosawa, as well as the gorgeous cinematography of Kazuo Miyagawa, and the stoic but sometimes amusing performance of one of my favorite classic actors, Toshirô Mifune.

Every third Monday of the month beginning this Monday, May 21, Austin Film Festival (AFF) presents their Audience Award Film Series. The first film in this series to be screened at the Alamo Village at 7 pm is Sironia (review). Shot in Waco by now-local filmmaker Brandon Dickerson, this music-heavy film from AFF 2011 tells the story of a LA musician whose quest for stardom doesn't go as planned, so he and his expectant wife retreat to the simplicity of Sironia, Texas ... or so they think. Be sure to stay through the credits for a treat.

Movies We've Seen

Mansome -- The latest documentary from Morgan Spurlock explores masculinity in a time where metrosexual and manscaping abounds. Mike states in his review, "In exploring what it means to be a man, Spurlock focuses only on the superficial and avoids any internal answers to the question as he presents these vain, arrogant, even asinine subjects as being just as superficial and worried about appearance as women." (Arbor)

What to Expect When You're Expecting -- This romantic comedy depicts five interconnected couples experiencing the joys and surprises of pregnancy and parenthood as they learn not everything goes according to plan. J.C. says it's "far from the worst thing you'll ever see in theaters, but its cheap laughs might trick you into thinking you've seen a decent movie until you start really thinking about it." Read his review. (wide)

Battleship -- Although based on the famous boardgame of the same name, the plot of this film is far from anything I ever imagined playing this game as a kid. A fleet of ships is forced to do battle with an armada of unknown origins in order to discover and thwart their destructive goals. J.C. says, "This movie proves that only one person can do Michael Bay action correctly, and his name isn't Peter Berg." Look for his review on Saturday. (wide)

Other Movies Opening in Austin

Darling Companion -- Directed and co-written by Lawrence Kasdan and with an all-star cast including Diane Keaton, Kevin Kline, Dianne Wiest, Sam Shepard, Elisabeth Moss and Mark Duplass, one would hope this film about the loss and search of a beloved dog leading into an exploration of relationships would flourish. However, early reviews on this film -- which screened at the Dallas International Film Festival -- aren't too favorable, so don't say that I didn't warn you. (wide)