Movies This Week: The Green Rabbit Valentine Dilemma
It may be chilly outside, but the award season is heating up in movie theaters. Now, finally, Austin audiences get to see the "smaller" arthouse award contenders that were previously only screened at festivals. And we've got a couple examples of small films grappling with emotional concerns, along with movies that are pure diversion. Which will you see?
Movies We've Seen:
Blue Valentine -- Raw and sporadically affecting, this AFF selection starring two outstanding actors (Michelle Williams, Ryan Gosling) reveals the unravelling of a relationship. Bring a hanky or three if your heart is feeling a bit fragile. Read Don's review for more. (Alamo Ritz, Arbor, Barton Creek)
The Dilemma -- Do you tell your best friend their significant other is cheating on them? That's the plot, at least in theory, but from the trailers it just looks like an excuse for bad pratfalls and inanity and Vince Vaughn. Look for Debbie's review on Saturday morning. (wide)
The Green Hornet -- Michel Gondry takes on the 1960s TV series, with Seth Rogan and Jay Chou starring as the unlikely superhero and his more popular sidekick, Kato (played on TV by the late Bruce Lee). And woohoo, you have a choice of 3D or 2D. Jette reviews. (wide)
Rabbit Hole (pictured at top) -- John Cameron Mitchell always knows how to break my heart in the most profound and watchable ways, without being melodramatic. This time the director of Hedwig and the Angry Inch and Shortbus takes on the limbo between tragedy and healing, as a couple tries to deal (and not) with an unspeakable loss. Adapted for the screen by David Lindsay-Abaire from his original screenplay. Elizabeth reviews. (Arbor)
Other New Movies:
Mirapakaya -- Or is that Mirapakai? This Bollywood film isn't listed on IMDb, and has two different spellings according to theater listings, but I think it's about an inspector who takes on a Mafia don, if Google is at all helpful. (Tinseltown)
Our Picks This Week:
Debbie: I love the movies of the Fifties, especially those in the vivid colors of Cinemascope. Alamo Drafthouse's monthly Cinema Club is featuring Vincente Minnelli's Some Came Running, with special guest Austin filmmaker Richard Linklater, on Sunday night, Jan. 16, at Alamo Ritz. Some Came Running is adapted from James Jones' follow-up novel to From Here to Eternity, and features the first on-screen pairing of Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin. Shirley MacLaine co-stars as the floozy who parties with the boys, with Sinatra portraying an alcoholic war veteran and Martin as a professional gambler.
Don:The blacker-than-black comedy Four Lions continues its surprisingly long run at Alamo Drafthouse on South Lamar with nightly screenings. Although this farce about a group of bumbling terrorists isn't for everyone, fans of dark satire will enjoy (and maybe cringe at) the film's surreal blend of social commentary and shocking violence.
Elizabeth:There's a film noir double feature at the Paramount this weekend! Laura and Out of the Past will be showing tonight and on Sunday, Jan. 16. Check out the theater's calendar for showtimes/ticket info.
Jette: Austin Film Society kicks off its new Best of the Fests series with the SXSW 2010 film that's been getting a lot of attention lately: Lena Dunham's feature Tiny Furniture. The cast includes Dunham as well as local filmmaker/actor Alex Karpovsky. Read my fest review at Cinematical for more details. Tiny Furniture screens at Alamo Village on Wednesday night, Jan. 19. Tickets are available through AFS.