Movies This Week

Movies This Week: January 10-16, 2014

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Her

It was a a real pleasure to see Godard's Breathless last weekend on the big screen thanks to the Austin Film Society. Their Godard vs. Truffaut series continues this weekend with Truffaut's New Wave classic The 400 Blows. Screening in glorious 35mm, it plays this evening and again on Sunday afternoon. AFS also is hosting Jamel Shabazz Street Photographer (Elizabeth's preview) as a Doc Night pick on Sunday evening and a 35mm print of 2003's The Return for their Essential Cinema series of contemporary Russian films on Thursday night. All screenings take place at the Marchesa. 

The Alamo Ritz has 35mm screenings of Scorsese's Raging Bull as part of their Alamo 100 series on Saturday, Sunday and Wednesday. Unrelated to the AFS series, the Ritz also has Godard's Masculin Feminin playing on Monday night in 35mm as part of a double feature with Erotissimo for their Pop.Art.Film series. The Alamo 100 brings Charlie Chaplin's City Lights to the Slaughter Lane location on Saturday with Terry Gilliam's Brazil screening on Sunday. Not to be outdone, the new Alamo Lakeline has a special Afternoon Tea presentation of Ang Lee's Sense and Sensibility on Sunday afternoon. 

University of Texas radio-television-film alumnus Scott Harris brings his documentary Being Ginger to town Monday night with a special Tugg screening. Focusing on a red headed man's quest for love, there are still a handful of tickets available here. Funded in part by a successful Kickstarter campaign, the director will be on hand afterwards for a Q&A. 

Movies This Week: January 3-9, 2014

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Breathless

The new year may be here, but new movies are not. January is typically a dead zone for anything other than big studios burying genre pictures while rolling out potential Oscar nominees across the country. This weekend, there is only one new release and it's pretty strictly for horror fans. Everybody else should look into the amazing specialty screenings we've got on hand over the next week and maybe make a run to Vulcan Video or I Luv Video to ease into 2014 from the comfort of your couch. 

You don't want to stay at home all weekend, because then you'd miss some very special local bookings. The Austin Film Society is launching a "Godard vs. Truffaut" series with Godard's Breathless (pictured at top) this weekend at the Marchesa. It screens in 35mm tonight and again on Sunday afternoon. I don't know why you'd want to take sides in this battle, but if you're new to these classics of the French New Wave, you need to check out several films before making up your mind. AFS will alternate between the two directors every weekend through the end of February. They've also got a new Essential Cinema series showcasing the last 20 years of Russian cinema. On Thursday night, you can see 2004's The Rider Named Death in a 35mm print, also at the Marchesa.

Per usual, the Alamo Ritz has some great programming gems to offer us. Raiders Of The Lost Ark is playing in 35mm tonight, tomorrow and again on Wednesday as part of the new "Alamo 100" series. Another new series called "Pop! Art! Film!" debuts with a double feature on Monday night with Batman: The Movie in 35mm paired with a digital screening of Who Wants To Kill Jessie? The theater is also paying tribute to the late Peter O'Toole with 70mm screenings of Lawrence Of Arabia tonight, tomorrow, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. 

Movies This Week: 2013 Year-End Edition

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  The Wolf Of Wall Street

We may not have any snow in Austin, but there's a cinematic avalanche at area theaters this week and it rolls through to the end of the year. Honestly, I think the studios are pushing way too many titles into the marketplace for the holidays and a few of these wide releases are going to fall victim to pure audience apathy (I'm looking at you, Walter Mitty).

There's a lot to cover, so I'm just going to break down what is out this week and what else will be opening on Christmas Day. If you've got some time off work in the next two weeks and want to head to the movies, we'll have reviews of almost all of these films that will be posting between now and next weekend. One thing's for sure, there's a little something for everyone.

If you want to see some holiday movies in a theater, various Alamo Drafthouse locations are showing It's a Wonderful Life, A Christmas Story and a quote-along version of Elf. Alamo Kids Camp returns for the holidays with several family-friendly selections, most notably Hugo. (So your kids can enjoy some Scorsese this season too.) And on Dec. 30, to get you in a New Year's Eve mood, Alamo Ritz's "Cinema Cocktails" series continues with The Hudsucker Proxy. (You know, for kids.) Blue Starlite Drive-in also has some holiday favorites and other crazy double-features before finishing off its winter season at the end of the month.

Now Open In Austin

American Hustle -- David O. Russell hasn't wasted any time between awards seasons. After earning raves for Silver Linings Playbook, he returns with the unlikely true(ish) story of a con man and his seductive partner forced into participating in an FBI sting operation to bring down a bunch of public officials. Christian Bale, Amy Adams, Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence are all uniformly excellent in this surprisingly funny story, but it remains to be seen if it will be able to beat the 8 Oscar nominations Playbook picked up last year. Don has our review and he really enjoyed it, although he ultimately feels that it's "a triumph of style over substance." (wide)

Movies This Week: December 13-19, 2013

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 Bastards

It's a relatively light weekend for new releases, with most area theaters stacking up screens for the multiple formats of the new Hobbit adventure. In the weeks ahead, things should pick up considerably as we sail full-steam ahead into year-end prestige titles for awards season. 

If you're looking for holiday classics, the Paramount has 35mm screenings of White Christmas and Meet Me In St. Louis playing on Sunday and Monday. The Austin Film Society has a much darker holiday offering at the Marchesa with Zach Clark's White Reindeer on Saturday night. This new release from IFC Films won raves at SXSW earlier this year and lead actress Anna Margaret Hollyman will be in attendance for a Q&A.

Speaking of dark, AFS also is bringing the new film from Claire Denis to town this weekend. Bastards (pictured above) is an unsettling story of betrayal and sexual intrigue with a final shot that made my jaw drop. Featuring an amazing score by Tindersticks, it plays at the Marchesa tonight, Sunday and again on Tuesday. Neil Jordan's 1982 debut film Angel plays for Essential Cinema on Thursday evening. This film is difficult to come by stateside and is a part of the "First Wave Of Irish Cinema" series.

Movies This Week: December 6-12, 2013

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 The Punk Singer

If you're getting in the Christmas spirit, you'll want to head over to the Paramount on Sunday for 35mm screenings of Love Actually. They've got two afternoon matinee showings. If that doesn't work for you, it's also a Girlie Night booking at Alamo Drafthouse Ritz on Tuesday, but that appears to be a digital screening (for those of you, like me, who care about such things). 

Speaking of the Ritz, they've got a Kung Fu Double Feature on Sunday night from the American Genre Film Archive, Richard Donner's Superman in 35mm on Monday and Sweet Smell Of Success on Wednesday night. If you've got six hours to spare on Thursday evening, they're also showing a double feature of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey and The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug in 35mm. If you want to forgo the high frame rate/IMAX/3D options, it's a rare opportunity to see new releases on film. 

The Austin Film Society continues its Jan Nemic series tonight with Pearls Of The Deep at the Marchesa. This collection of five short films from 1966 is "considered a manifesto of the Czechoslovak New Wave" according to the AFS program notes. AFS is also presenting a screening of Go For Sisters on Saturday night at the Alamo Slaughter Lane with John Sayles in attendance for a Q&A. Sayles will be back at the Marchesa on Sunday night for his 1987 film Matewan, in a brand new 35mm print struck by UCLA. This is your chance to ask questions of a master director whose work has helped to shape the independent film movement in the United States.

Movies This Week: November 27 - December 5, 2013

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Nebraska

The Austin Film Society is taking a few days off for the holidays, but will return this weekend with a special series called "Jan Nemec: Rediscovered Treasures of the Czechoslovak New Wave." 2005's Toyen screens on Sunday night (December 1) while Diamonds Of The Night and A Loaf Of Bread play next Monday and Wednesday. All three titles are screening in rare 35mm prints. Meanwhile, the latest AFS Essential Cinema series on Irish cinema (our preview) screens 1995's Nothing Personal next Thursday. 

The Paramount is kicking off its annual Holiday Film Series with Elf on Sunday and a double feature of It's A Wonderful Life and A Christmas Story next Wednesday. All films are screening in 35mm and there will be a few more titles in the weeks ahead. Check out Elizabeth's chat about the series with Paramount programmer Stephen Jannise.

The Alamo Drafthouse begins a new film series focused on journalism this Sunday and Tuesday with Citizen Kane at Slaughter Lane and Lakeline and Almost Famous on Tuesday at the VillageThe Ritz has 35mm screenings scheduled for Labyrinth (free, Alamo Kid's Club this Saturday), Ladies And Gentleman, The Fabulous Stains (on Monday night) and Zodiac (next Wednesday). 

Movies This Week: November 22-26, 2013

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Kill Your Darlings

This is an abbreviated, pre-Thanksgiving edition of Movies This Week. While everything pretty much got out of the way of The Hunger Games: Catching Fire this weekend, some new movies will open mid-week to take advantage of the holiday. As such, we're just going to cover what is playing over the next few days and then return on Wednesday with a new post so you can plan your moviegoing accordingly. 

The Austin Film Society only has one event lined up before the holidays and that is tonight's special presentation of The Unspeakable Act. It's happening at the AFS Screening Room and online ticketing closes at 3pm, so you'll want to plan ahead to attend.

The Alamo Ritz has a couple more screenings of To Kill A Mockingbird for their "Tough Ladies" series happening this Saturday and Sunday. On Monday night, you can catch a very rare screening of Taxi Zum Klo (also at the Ritz) for this month's installment of Homo Arigato and Anime fans will want to head to the Alamo Lakeline on Tuesday for a 25th anniversary celebration of Akira on the big screen, although you should be aware that the distributor is only providing the English-dubbed version. 

Movies This Week: November 15-21, 2013

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Dallas Buyers Club

It's a relatively quiet week for new releases and rep screenings, but with the F1 crowd making traffic through Austin a slow-moving experience, maybe that's just as well. You can venture away from downtown to join the Austin Film Society at the Marchesa over the next week for some top-notch bookings that would have otherwise skipped over our fair city completely. On Saturday afternoon, they've got Andrew Dosunmu's Mother Of George, an acclaimed film that debuted at Sundance earlier this year about a Nigerian couple living in Brooklyn who cannot have a child of their own.

At Berkeley is another movie that nobody else would dare to bring to town. This 4-hour documentary from legendary filmmaker Frederick Wiseman details four months on campus at the University of Southern California at Berkeley. It has one screening only on Sunday at noon and it will feature a Skype Q&A with Wiseman after the film. On Thursday evening, a new Essential Cinema series called "Troubles And Paradise: The 'First Wave' Of Irish Cinema" will kick off with December Bride. It's a 1991 drama that the AFS website lists as a "masterpiece [that] has been largely unseen by American audiences."

The Fantastic Fest Tour is happening this weekend at the Alamo Drafthouse Slaughter Lane. Popular titles from this year's festival (many of which won't see a proper release until next year) are showing through Sunday including Grand Piano (Jette's review), Borgman, Big Bad Wolves and Why Don't You Play In Hell. The Alamo Ritz has Fargo in 35mm on Saturday and Sunday as part of this month's "Tough Ladies" series, Sophie Fiennes' The Pervert's Guide To Ideology screens on Sunday and Tuesday and a rare 35mm print of one of my favorite 80s movies, The Legend Of Billie Jean, is playing Monday night. 

Movies This Week: November 8-14, 2013

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All Is Lost 

If you missed the critically acclaimed drama Museum Hours last week, the Austin Film Society is bringing you one more chance to catch it on the big screen. You can check it out on Sunday afternoon at the Marchesa. That's also where you'll find a brand-new digital restoration of Chris Marker and Pierre Lhomme's 1963 documentary Le Joli Mai on Tuesday evening and the Essential Cinema screening of Ozu's Floating Weeds in 35mm on Thursday night.

The Drafthouse's new "Tough Ladies In Cinema" series delivers To Kill A Mockingbird this weekend. You can spend Saturday and Sunday afternoons with Scout and Atticus Finch at the Alamo Lakeline and Slaughter Lane locations. Slaugher also has an "Afternoon Tea" screening of Elizabeth on Saturday and a Bonnie and Clyde beer dinner on Sunday (also part of the Tough Ladies lineup).

The Alamo Ritz has a special Mondo Veterans Day presentation of Oliver Stone's Platoon and a 35mm screening (with free milk for the audience) of The Professional on Sunday. Their new series "Invincible: Five Tough Films" continues on Monday night with Times Square starring Trini Alvarado and Tim Curry, while Barbara Stanwyck lights up the big screen again on Tuesday with The Lady Eve (a Tough Ladies booking that also doubles as a Cinema Cocktails event). If none of that floats your boat, perhaps you'll perk up at the idea of a 35mm screening of Terminator 2: Judgment Day on Wednesday night for that doubles as a Tough Ladies and Tough Guy Cinema evening. You can't beat that with a stick. If you do, you'll probably be chased down and killed by the T-1000. 

Movies This Week: November 1-7, 2013

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12 Years A Slave

I hope you weren't looking for any time to recover from another great Austin Film Festival because there is a lot going on this week, including two more festivals for your viewing pleasure.

First and foremost, the first annual Forever Fest is happening downtown at the Alamo Drafthouse Ritz. Tickets for a 35mm screening of Empire Records tonight are scarce, but you can still snag some to catch Sixteen Candles tomorrow night and the price includes an Eighties prom afterwards! There are lots of other fun events happening throughout the weekend, including a cute animal clipshow from Buzzfeed and a young adult lit panel with the creators of Go Fug Yourself. Check out the full lineup and get ticket information at their website. And read our interview with the festival founders.

The Cinema Touching Disability Festival is now in its tenth year and will be taking place this weekend up at the Alamo Village. Tonight will feature the documentary Getting Up: The Tempt One Story, while Saturday's programming includes SXSW favorite The Crash Reel.

The Austin Film Society has some great first-run arthouse titles in the mix this week at the Marchesa. They'll be featuring Jem Cohen's Museum Hours on Tuesday night. The acclaimed drama had its U.S. premiere earlier this year at SXSW and is currently in limited release around the country. If you can't catch it on Tuesday, it will play again next weekend. Informant (Elizabeth's review) also is screening on Wednesday night in conjunction with The Austin Chronicle. The documentary was recently tagged as Essential Viewing by The Dissolve and there will be a panel discussion after the film including the director of the film via Skype. The week will close out with an Essential Cinema presentation of Ozu's A Story Of Floating Weeds in 35mm.

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