Movies This Week: September 14-20, 2012
Gearing up for Fantastic Fest 2012 is keeping Slackerwood contributors busy planning their schedules for eight days of movies and parties. I'm already looking forward to seeing Karl Urban in Dredd 3D as well as The American Scream, a documentary about several haunted houses in Massachusetts. Attendees of The American Scream are invited to a homemade haunt created onsite exclusively for Fantastic Fest by the film's subject Manny "The Halloween Guy" Souza.
Cine Las Americas presents The Mexican Suitcase (La Maleta Mexicana) on Wednesday, September 19, 7:30 pm, at the Jones Auditorium on the St. Edward's University Campus, as part of their "Transitions in Spanish Cinema Series." The Mexican Suitcase features original negatives -- thought to be lost -- from photojournalists who met in Paris in 1936 and traveled to Spain to document the Civil War, discovered in the back of a closet in Mexico City in 2007. A Cine Las Americas International Film Festival Audience Award winner, this documentary focuses on the truth behind historical ties between Mexico and Spain.
The upcoming week features two extraordinary films shot in 70mm -- Paul Thomas Anderson's The Master which opens on September 21 and Samsara, which opens today. Find out more about Samsara below. In addition, Alamo Drafthouse Ritz is showing Ghostbusters in 70mm all week long.
Movies We've Seen
Samsara -- From the filmmakers behind Baraka and Chronos comes another visually stunning journey around the world, shot in luscious 70mm. The images of the ancient and modern world are both thought-provoking and engaging -- read more in my review. (Alamo South Lamar, Regal Arbor, Violet Crown Cinema)
Other Movies Opening in Austin
Arbitrage -- Written and directed by 25-year-old newcomer and NYU Film School alum Nicholas Jarecki, this film features Richard Gere as Robert Miller, as a hedge fund magnate dealing with both personal and financial scandals. Also starring Susan Sarandon and Tim Roth, Arbitrage has received enough buzz to watch at least for Gere's performance as a fat cat who may or may not have to account for his greed. (Alamo Slaughter Lane and South Lamar, iPic at the Domain)
Resident Evil: Retribution -- The fifth installment of a franchise based on a video game has fans wondering whether Paul W.S. Anderson can redeem the lack of horror and superficiality of Resident Evil: Afterlife. The deadly T-virus manufactured by the Umbrella Corporation has spread out and is turning the world's population into flesh-eating undead. Will Alice be able to stop the havoc and save the human race? (wide)
Last Ounce of Courage -- A decorated war veteran must come to terms with the death of his fallen soldier son as he attempts to connect to his grandson in this thinly veiled religious military drama. (wide)