Movies This Week: January, Begone

January is possibly the crummiest month of the year for new releases in movie theaters, although in smaller cities like Austin we do at least get some of the Oscar contenders this month, so it's not too terrible. In which case, February would be the worst month ... I don't want to think about it. Let's look on the bright side and see what kind of good stuff is playing around town this week.

• Alamo Kids Club is showing The Adventures of Baron Munchausen for free at noon on Saturday at Alamo South Lamar. It's not Terry Gilliam's best movie by any means, but if you're going to see this film, see it in a theater where you can enjoy all its lavish big-screen gorgeousness. Hopefully the smaller children won't get restless and distracting.
• If you happen to be near Waco on Saturday instead, head over to the WISD Playhouse Theater for a screening of the documentary Six Man, Texas that will benefit a rural school scholarship program. Details on the film's website.
• Dobie and Alamo South Lamar are now showing both parts of Steven Soderbergh's film Che, and you can probably time it so you can watch both parts in one day if you're inclined.
• Alamo Village is still showing Timecrimes once a night and I'm hoping we get over there and see it again before it disappears. It's one of the smartest movies in theaters right now. Let the Right One In is playing there nightly, too -- you could have a Fantastic Fest Nostalgia double-feature.
• If The Wrestler made you want to see more Mickey Rourke, Alamo Ritz is showing Barfly on Monday through Wednesday as part of its Cinema Cocktails series.
• Austin Film Society's series on the early films of Brian De Palma continues this week with camp classic Phantom of the Paradise on Tuesday night at Alamo South Lamar. This is another film that should be seen in a theater, preferably with an enthusiastic crowd.