Movies This Week: Anonymous Call in Shelter Boots

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It's a strong week for free films in Austin. The Sunset Supper Cinema at the Whole Foods flagship on Lamar is showing The Hunger (with a special Halloween treat). Most of the programming for this series has been decidedly family oriented; The Hunger is not. The Austin Pets Alive Fall Petsival on Sunday includes a special (and free) Rolling Roadshow screening of Cats & Dogs. Puppies and kittens of all shapes and sizes will be on hand for adoption.

The APL/KLRU Community Cinema series at the APL Windsor Park Branch is still going strong. This series pairs socially relevant docs and community groups for post-screening discussions. On Tuesday they're showing We Still Live Here (Âs Nutayuneân), directed by Anne Makepeace.  It's one of the free APL screening programs.  

Lastly, Cine Las Americas is showing Pedro Páramo at the MACC on Wednesday as part of its Literature in Mexican Cinema series.  

Movies We've Seen:

Margin Call -- Another start to awards season, another take on the financial crisis. This time it focuses on the key people in a 24-hour period at the start of the crisis. Rod saw it and says, "Greed, vanity, pride, gluttony and vanity. To some these are known as deadly sins. To Wall Street of 2008, these were business as usual. Margin Call demonstrates what happens when payment for these sins comes due." Read his review for more.  (Violet Crown)

Take Shelter (pictured above) -- Austinite Jeff Nichols's tale of a man haunted by visions of apolocalyptic storms is destined to top many "best" lists, but don't see it for the hype. See it for the incredible performances, direction, cinematography, sound design, editing ... Need I go on? See it now, before you know more about it. Seriously. Read my review for more. Austin Film Society members take note: If you see the movie at Violet Crown, $2 of your ticket cost goes to the Texas Filmmakers Production Fund. (Alamo Lamar, Arbor, Violet Crown)

Anonymous -- One of the many controversies surrounding Shakespeare is whether he actually wrote his plays and sonnets. J.C. saw it and says, "It's an intriguing film that has some great scenes featuring Shakespeare's best written works performed as they would have been for the first time." Look for his review this weekend. (Barton Creek, Arbor)

Puss in Boots -- The cat who wears boots and upstages Shrek the ogre gets a film all to himself. But is it worth it? Mike says, "Part origin story, part adventure heist, Puss earns points for encompassing an actual story rather than simply throwing pop culture references at the audience." Look for his review this weekend. (wide)

Other Movies Opening in Austin:

All's Faire in Love -- Renaissance faire rivals vie for supremacy.  The cast includes Christina Ricci, Ann-Margret and Matthew Lillard. (Metropolitan, Gateway)  

In Time -- Wouldn't it be great to be able to buy more time? Apparently it's not such a good thing in the most recent sci-fi thriller by Andrew Niccol (S1m0ne, Gattaca) starring half the Young Hollywood A-list. (wide)

My Afternoons with Margueritte -- A lonely illiterate bonds with an older and well read woman. Stars Gérard Depardieu and Gisèle Casadesus (Sarah's Key, The Hedgehog). (Arbor)

The Rum Diary --  Didn't get a chance to see Johnny Depp up close and personal in the fray during AFF?  Depp won't be at local screens this week, but you can catch this film Bruce Robinson (Withnail & I) directed and adapted for the screen, based on the novel by Hunter S. Thompson. Local critic William Goss says in his IndieWire review, "It starts out charming until the buzz wears off."