Movies This Week: Building First Incendies Tree
Apparently it's nostalgia day for me. I missed the fact that Nora's Will opened last week in Austin. This fantastic little feature is a witty and heartfelt tale about the first five days after a woman's death, and won over audiences at Cine Las Americas a couple of years ago. Thankfully it's still playing up at the Arbor. You might want to check it out if you make the mistake of trying to get tickets to Terrence Malick's latest this week, which is sure to be SRO and not just because he's local, and it's a local production. Many Years Ago, Malick's Days of Heaven was featured in the "Film as Literature" course at my college, and we discussed the sumptuousness of that film's cinematography along with other laudable attributes at length; word has it Malick's skill hasn't lessened.
Movies We've Seen:
Building Hope -- Local filmmaker/activist Turk Pipkin's latest documentary about the Nobelity Project's endeavors screened at SXSW this year. Now it's having a weeklong theatrical run in Austin. AFS is hosting two screenings tonight that include a reception with Pipkin at the theater. Debbie calls the documentary "well paced and balanced" in her review from SXSW. (Violet Crown)
The Tree of Life -- Filmed in Smithville by Texas filmmaker Terrence Malick, this is arguably one of the most anticipated films in years, and it doesn't hurt that it just won the Palme d'Or in Cannes. As this coming-of-age tale is only playing at one theater in town this week, I highly recommend getting your tickets in advance. Don reviews. (Arbor)
X-Men: First Class -- The X-Men franchise gets a prequel with Matthew Vaughn (Kick-Ass) at the helm, and a plethora of stars established and new, including James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Kevin Bacon and Jennifer Lawrence. Read Mike's review for more. (wide)
Other Movies Opening in Austin:
Incendies (pictured above) -- This SXSW favorite and Academy Award-nominated film is an adaptation of a play about siblings who travel to the Middle East to unravel a mystery about their deceased mother. (Violet Crown)
Ready -- Bollywood comedy of mistaken identity centering on an accountant and a woman with greedy uncles. (Tinseltown)
The Lion of Judah -- Christ the cartoon, or in this case, and I quote, "Bold lamb (Judah) and his stable friends try to avoid the sacrificial altar the week preceding the crucifixion of Christ." Good lord. (Metropolitan)
YellowBrickRoad -- Never heard of it? Neither had I, but this horror/thriller has an intriguing hook. The premise starts in 1940, when the entire population of a small New Hampshire town disappears. It's playing once a day so check the theater's schedule. (Barton Creek)