Movies This Week: Into Happy Melancholia Dawn

The holidaze are upon us, and the next week is pretty light on special screenings. But Saturday is making up for the dearth thanks to the Paramount and the Association of Moving Image Archivists annual conference. Film times start at 9 am and the last films starts at 8 pm -- you can read more about it in Jette's article and Paramount Film Programmer Jesse Trussell's blog. ll of these films are open to the public and free. And don't forget that the next AFS Essential Cinema series kicks off with another classic, The Awful Truth on Tuesday -- Jette's got more info (and enthusiasm) on that series too.

Also, don't forget the Les Blank retrospective screens tonight and Sunday at the Texas Spirit Theatre in the Bob Bullock Museum.

Movies We've Seen:

Happy Feet Two -- More dancing penguins. Chris says it "skirts the line between the sincere attempt to tell a story and animated showpieces for their own sake." Read his review for more. (wide)

Melancholia -- Don says that while "Lars von Trier's latest movie is dark, dreary and relentlessly dour... there is, however, a striking beauty to Melancholia, a film full of memorably surreal imagery." Read his review for more. (South Lamar, Violet Crown)

The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1 -- Finally the end is near ... for some of us, just to stop suffering through the relentless advertisements for the sparkly vampires and their angsty girlfriends.  Mike saw the movie and says it's the "(unintentionally) funniest movie this year. More corn than the state of Iowa." Look for his review on Saturday. (wide)

Other Movies Opening in Austin:

Into the Abyss (pictured at top) -- Werner Herzog takes on the penal system and capital punishment in this documentary focused on two death row inmates and those whose lives were forever altered by the murders for which they were condemned to death. Read Marc Savlov's review in the Austin Chronicle to find out more.(Arbor)

Steve Jobs:  The Lost Interview -- This interview with the iconic Jobs is getting a special weekend theatrical run. (Violet Crown)