Movies This Week: Billion Dollar Crazy Thin Lorax Project

We've a week to go before SXSW starts and there's plenty to do in Austin right now. To start, there are two (!) Rolling Roadshows on Saturday, the first of which puts the rolling in roadshow, because to enjoy Pee Wee's Big Adventure you must cycle from Alamo Drafthouse on Slaughter Lane to the Veloway. The other, well, the Funky Chicken Coop Tour is bringing the doc Mad City Chickens to Callahan’s General Store in Bastrop. On Tuesday, the KLRU co-sponsored Community Cinema Series at the APL Windsor Park Branch is showing Revenge Of The Electric Car. This free series features light refreshments and post-film discussions with relevant organizations.

All this week, Violet Crown has added special screenings of Oscar-winning films to its schedule, including Beginners and Tree of Life; check their website for times.  And as Alamo Drafthouse on Slaughter Lane prepares to officially open, it's training up all its staff, which unsurprisingly involves screenings. Many are sold out, but check out the schedule to see if you can be one of the first to test drive the newest Austin cinema.

Finally, to prepare for Meat Loaf being honored at the Texas Film Hall of Fame Awards next Thursday night, Austin Film Society is showing the 1980 movie Roadie, partially shot in Austin, on Monday night at Alamo South Lamar. Margaret Moser and Sonny Carl Davis will be hosting the screening.

Movies We've Seen:

Crazy Horse -- Prolific filmmaker Frederick Wiseman (Boxing Gym, Titicut Follies) explores burlesque at the landmark Le Crazy Horse de Paris, a venue that makes a distinction between erotic dancing and strip clubs.  Elizabeth saw it and says, "Crazy Horse truly is a unique vision of form and movement."  Read her review for more. (Violet Crown)

Dr. Seuss' The Lorax -- The filmmakers certainly have the animation feature creds to take on Dr. Seuss, but does it live up to sly charm of Seussian wordplay (especially since the trailers don't)? Chris says it's delightful and "the best of the modern Dr. Seuss movies yet." Read his review for details. (wide)

Coriolanus (pictured at top) -- A lesser known Shakespeare tragedy as directed by Ralph Fiennes, who plays the title character, with Gerard Butler as his nemesis. The film updates well to a contemporary setting but the ultimately will audiences appreciate that it's still Shakespeare? Mike feels it's "not a work that really captures the imagination or emotion." Look for his review this weekend. (Arbor)

Project X -- The high-school version of The Hangover by the same producers. J.C. says, "I didn't think I was an 'uncool' old guy until I saw this movie ... all I wanted was for those damn kids to get off my lawn." Read his review this weekend.  (wide)

Other Movies Opening in Austin:

Chico & Rita -- This Oscar nominated animated film tells the tale of a piano player and a singer united by music and romance, told in the style of a bolero, a latin ballad. (Arbor)

Kill List -- Ben Wheatley brought us the darkly comic Fantastic Fest winner Down Terrace a few years ago, and Kill List played SXSW last year. Now it's getting a theatrical release. (Alamo Lamar)

Tim and Eric's Billion Dollar Movie -- I apparently live under a rock, as I had no idea who Tim nor Eric were.  Apparently these two funsters try to make a billion dollar movie. (Ritz)

Thin Ice -- Greg Kinnear stars as an insurance agent being blackmailed in this dark comedy by the team behind Thirteen Conversations About One Thing. (Arbor)