Movies This Week: June 22-28, 2012
There aren't many weeks when new releases feature the end of the world, indie darling Greta Gerwig, an arrow-shooting princess, vampires and Abe Lincoln (the latter two in the same movie), so don't accuse film distributors of offering the same old thing this week. (You are, however, welcome to accuse film distributors of many other things.)
If alternative versions of presidential history or Gerwig's mystifying appeal (don't get me started) aren't your thing, may I suggest a Hitchcock film or two? The Paramount Summer Classic Film Series is screening The 39 Steps, The Man Who Knew Too Much, North by Northwest (pictured above) and Strangers on a Train this weekend. Check the Paramount and Stateside calendar for details.
In the mood for a foreign film? Check out Vaho (Becloud), a Mexican drama about the lives of three young men and the fate of an orphaned infant rescued from the Mexican desert by a prostitute and her customer. Vaho screens at the Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar on Tuesday as part of the Austin Film Society's Essential Cinema series.
Does the name Bob Dorough ring a bell? You may not know his name, but you undoubtedly know his work: Schoolhouse Rock!. This isn't technically a movie event, but the Alamo South Lamar is hosting Dorough -- who wrote and performed many of the legendary educational shorts -- on Saturday afternoon. Dorough (now 88, but you'd never know it from his work schedule) will lead a sing-along guaranteed to bring back a lot of warm, fuzzy memories of Seventies and Eighties Saturday morning TV. I may just borrow a kid or two, so I have an excuse to attend. (All together now: I'm just a bill. Yes, I'm only a bill ...)
Movies We've Seen
Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter -- Honest Abe takes on the undead in this horror fantasy, an intriguing tale somehow left out of the history books. As if enough blood isn't shed during the Civil War, our 16th president must also deal with bloodthirsty vampires intent on taking over America. J.C. agrees with many critics in his review: "Despite some really hokey dialogue, and myriad easy-to-point-out problems, I still had a lot of fun with Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. It had some great action sequences and managed to weave together an interesting story." (wide)
Seeking a Friend for the End of the World -- In this doomsday comedy, Steve Carell and Keira Knightley star as a lonely man and his neurotic neighbor who embark on a road trip as an asteroid approaches the Earth. (If doomsday meant an end to Hollywood rom-coms, would that be a bad thing?) In his review, Rod calls the film "quirky and charming," saying, "In a summer filled with large tentpole films, Seeking a Friend for the End of the World is a nice diversion." (wide)
Brave -- Pixar's latest adventure features Scottish Princess Merida, an aspiring archer who makes a reckless choice that sends her kingdom into chaos and peril. Will her archery skills save the kingdom? Jette says it's "the best Disney princess movie Pixar has ever made" and recommends you see it in 2D. Look for her review this weekend. (wide)
Other Movies Opening in Austin
Lola Versus -- Greta Gerwig stars as the unfortunate Lola, whose fiancé dumps her three weeks before their wedding. Devastated, she enlists the help of her friends to deal with the unthinkable prospect of being single at age 30. (The horror!) The Austin Chronicle's Kimberly Jones found the film's titular conflict unclear; Lola versus what, exactly? "Eventually, Lola, y'know, finds herself," Jones says, "but there's zero urgency to that quest in this amiable but unformed comedy." (Arbor)