Movies This Week: March 30-April 5, 2012

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Salmon Fishing in the Yemen

Austin offers the usual eclectic mix of options for filmgoers this week. If the half-dozen new film openings don't interest you, check out the The Reconstruction of Asa Carter, which screens on Wednesday at the Violet Crown Cinema. This documentary tells the story of the notorious white supremacist Carter, who authored the critically acclaimed The Education of Little Tree, a "true story" (actually, a complete fabrication) about a Native American child. The event includes a reception and Q&A with filmmakers Douglas Newman and Laura Browder.

If you're looking for something lighter, try the Algerian comedy Masquerades. The story of an Algerian gardener who dreams of improving his family's fortune by marrying off his narcoleptic sister to a wealthy "real gentleman," Masquerades screens on Tuesday at the Alamo Drafthouse on Lamar as part of the Austin Film Society's Essential Cinema series "Children of Abraham/Ibrahim 6: Films of the Middle East and Beyond."

If you share my taste in cinematic guilty pleasures, your week will be incomplete if you miss the Alamo Drafthouse's Cinema Club exploitation double feature of Ed Wood's The Violent Years and James Landis's The Sadist at the Alamo Ritz on Sunday. Exploitation film expert Johnny Legend will be on hand to discuss the finer points of the genre.

Movies We've Seen

Salmon Fishing in the Yemen -- Lasse Hallström directs this romance set in the Republic of Yemen. J.C. says in his review that "the performances from the main three leads carry the film beautifully ... This is the kind of movie you remember after you watch it, and chances are you'll remember it fondly." (Alamo Slaughter, Arbor, Violet Crown)

The Raid: Redemption -- Based on Rod's review of this much-anticipated Indonesian action film, I suspect he's a fan: "Every year there are films that receive a lot of hype. Sometimes these films live up to the hype and sometimes they disappoint. I recently saw one of these highly hyped films, The Raid: Redemption, and let me say it right now this movie lives up every bit of the hype." (Alamo Lamar, Violet Crown)

Wrath of the Titans -- Here's a quote from Debbie's review, which will be published this weekend: "Action porn fans may not be stimulated by Wrath of the Titans as this film balances narrative with action, but overall the CGI effects and action sequences should satiate viewers with a less demanding appetite." (wide)

Other Movies Opening in Austin

Mirror Mirror -- It's usually a bad sign when a film isn't screened for local critics, but I'll remain naively optimistic about Mirror Mirror because director Tarsem Singh helmed one of my favorite films, the beautiful, extravagant and wonderfully entertaining The Fall. (wide)

Norwegian Wood -- In this Japanese film based on the acclaimed novel of the same title, a man remembers tumultuous past in 1960s Tokyo, his tragic outlook on life and the woman who tried to change it. (Alamo Ritz)

Agent Vinod -- The titular character in this Bollywood film travels the globe to discover why his colleague was murdered. (Tinseltown South)