Movies This Week: August 3-9, 2012
After July's relative dry spell for worthwhile new releases, the first weekend in August brings a few good reasons to escape the heat in a movie theater. The dark, cynical Killer Joe is required viewing, but if you're looking for something less violently nihilistic, may I suggest the charming Ruby Sparks?
Elsewhere in Austin movieland are some intriguing special screenings. On Saturday and Sunday, Alamo Drafthouse Ritz is screening The Color Wheel, a portrait of two estranged and unmotivated twentysomething siblings, a brother and sister who grow closer and discover themselves while moving the sister's belongings out of her ex-lover's apartment. The Color Wheel -- which features Austin filmmaker Bob Byington in an acting role -- also shows nightly August 6-9 at Alamo South Lamar.
On Sunday night at Yellow Jacket Stadium, Cinema East presents my favorite film of SXSW 2012, King Kelly. (Read my excessively glowing review.) Shot entirely on cameraphones and inexpensive Canon ELPH digital cameras, King Kelly (pictured above) follows the titular Kelly -- who earns a living as a webcam stripper and drug mule -- and her hedonistic friends on a bizarre, sexy, drug-fueled adventure. An unflinching indictment of shallow, narcissistic online youth culture, King Kelly is fierce filmmaking at its best.
If you'd rather not watch Kelly and her friends self destruct on Facebook, the Austin Film Festival recommends Rain in a Dry Land, presented as part of Multicultural Refugee Coalition's Refugee Film Series. Screening Sunday night at the First Presbyterian Church, the film chronicles the lives of Somali-Bantu refugees who confront poverty, racism and culture shock as they resettle to America. And on Monday night, Jette recommends Music Monday at Ritz with the Waco-shot feature Sironia, which played AFF 2011 (review; interview). The movie will be preceded by a live performance from musician Wes Cunningham, who stars in the film, and filmmaker Brandon Dickerson will hold a Q&A after the movie.
Movies We've Seen
Killer Joe -- In this cringe-inducing Texas-set thriller, a deeply in debt man arranges to have his mother murdered to collect her insurance money. In her review, Debbie calls the film "a powerful, emotionally charged, gut-wrenching experience that will keep viewers on the edge," saying Matthew McConaughey plays the titular role "with such ferocity and intent that viewers will truly fear Killer Joe." (Arbor, Violet Crown)
Ruby Sparks -- Paul Dano and Zoe Kazan star in this romantic comedy about a lonely novelist who finds love with a real-life incarnation of a character he created. I have no use for most rom-coms, but this one surprised me with its humor and literary subtext. As I said in my review, which will run Saturday, "It's a thinking person's romantic comedy, a perceptive and often hilarious film with plenty to say about life and literature." (Alamo Slaughter, Arbor)
Total Recall -- In this sci-fi adventure, a factory worker suspects he is a spy implanted with fake memories of a life he never led. As a fan of Paul Verhoeven's original, I'm skeptical of this remake. Mike says, "Total Recall is an action-packed homage to Verhoeven's 1990 film painted with a visual palette mixture of Ridley Scott, Luc Besson, and Speilberg's Minority Report. The stunning visuals and soundtrack, however, can't fill the empty holes in the story resulting from the removal of the Mars plotline." Look for Mike's review this weekend. (wide)
Other Movies Opening in Austin
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days -- The third installment of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series finds the franchise's titular wimpy kid, Greg Heffley, hoping to play video games all summer, while his father thinks he should get a summer job. Not profound stuff, but the Austin Chronicle's Mark Savlov says the film is "funny without being in any way condescending to its target audience, is smartly penned by screenwriters Gabe Sachs and Jeff Juday, and on the whole, is pretty much fun." (wide)
Hope Springs (opens August 8) -- This comedy about a middle-age couple attending a week-long relationship counseling session sports an excellent cast including Meryl Streep, Tommy Lee Jones and Steve Carell. Most any film would be better with this trio of stars than without them, so I'm hopeful about Hope Springs. (Opens Wednesday at Barton Creek Square, iPic [formerly Gold Class Cinema] and Westgate 11)
The Queen of Versailles -- A study in how the other one percent lives, this documentary follows billionaire couple David and Jackie Siegel as they build a Versailles-like mansion, only to see the project grind to a halt when their financial empire implodes during the economic crisis. Pardon me if I'm not terribly sympathetic; I may see this doc just for a chance to sneer at the Siegels' grotesquely selfish behavior. (Alamo South Lamar, Arbor, Violet Crown)