Movies This Week: October 26 - November 1, 2012
This week's new releases are mostly forgettable, other than the much-anticipated and well reviewed Cloud Atlas. My fellow hard-core Texas politics nerds may enjoy the informative but dry political documentary The Revisionaries, and those wanting to see Zac Efron in his underwear may tolerate the gratuitous sex and violence in The Paperboy. But most filmgoers will be better off at this week's special screenings, some of which aren't even Halloween related.
Of course, some are. The Alamo Drafthouse continues its ghoulish parade of horror films with American Werewolf in London at the Village Monday through Wednesday, The Blob at the Ritz on Tuesday and The Wolf Man at the Ritz Saturday through Monday. Night of the Living Dead once again gets the Master Pancake treatment at the Ritz on Friday and Saturday, as does Halloween at South Lamar on Saturday. Check the Alamo Drafthouse calendar for complete listings.
Less scary but just as Halloween-y is Cinematic Symphony's Halloween Concert on Sunday at Anderson High School. The symphony will perform scores from various frightfests such as Beetlejuice, Young Frankenstein and Ed Wood. All ages are welcome -- and welcome to enter the costume contest. (I would wear my Scare-ah Palin costume, but I won't; other contestants should have a chance to win.)
And finally, Blue Starlite Drive-in is showing a variety of seasonally appropriate movies nightly through Oct. 31, from Beetlejuice to the original Halloween.
Halloween not your thing? On Wednesday at the AFS Screening Room, Avant Cinema presents Downtown 81, a portrait of Jean-Michel Basquiat and others who were creating art and music in Manhattan's Lower East Side and East Village in 1980. While living in rundown apartments, these creative types (among them Kid Creole and Blondie) formed a vibrant artistic community while pursuing their careers.
Fans of Austin indie films won't want to miss the screening of Otis Under Sky (pictured above) at the AFS Screening Room on Thursday. Directed by Anlo Sepulveda, Otis Under Sky is an unscripted experimental narrative about a reclusive web artist, Otis, who falls in love with an impulsive kleptomaniac. Otis ultimately creates a physical light that reflects positive energy across the web. The screening is a fundraiser for the Texas Filmmaker Production Fund. Read Jette's review from SXSW 2011.
Movies We've Seen
Chasing Mavericks -- In this sports drama based on a true story, a young surfer discovers one of the biggest waves on Earth near his California home and befriends a legendary surfer who helps him train to survive the wave. Mike enjoyed the film, saying in his review that "Chasing Mavericks chronicles the heroic efforts of a teenage surfer to prepare himself for challenging the 'mythic' wave known as Mavericks and the father-son bond with his mentor that develops. Poignant and inspirational, it is a solid family film that tugs the heartstrings." (wide)
Cloud Atlas -- This sprawling, ambitious sci-fi drama weaves together six stories spanning hundreds of years to explore how the characters' actions impact one another in the past, present and future. Apparently, Mike is somewhat impressed: "Last year, critics hailed Hugo as a 'love letter to film.' This year, Cloud Atlas is a love letter to love and human relationships. The Wachowskis and Tom Tykwer have adapted a book it was thought would be impossible to bring to the screen and in so doing crafted a masterpiece, the year's finest film." Look for Mike's review this weekend, and in the meantime, read Jette's review from Fantastic Fest. (wide)
The Paperboy -- Set in 1960s Florida, this thriller follows a Miami newspaper reporter who returns to his hometown to chase a story about a death row inmate who may have been framed for the local sheriff's murder. I found The Paperboy interesting but very uneven, saying in my review that "the plot is twisty and intriguing, and the film nails south Florida's sticky, swampy, gator-infested milieu ... But for all its spot-on atmospherics and throat-grabbing plotting, The Paperboy has too many missteps to be a great film." (Arbor, Violet Crown)
The Revisionaries -- This documentary about conservative Christians who hijack the Texas State Board of Education to further their religious agenda presents, ahem, a textbook case of what's wrong with Texas politics. Sadly, The Revisionaries is far less captivating than the issue it explores; as I said in my review, the film "lacks any real spark or originality. It's a low-key, straightforward, mostly superficial look at a subject that begs for a far deeper and more creative treatment." Pro tip: If you're an AFS member buying a ticket for this film at Violet Crown, show your card for a $2 discount. (Violet Crown)
Other Movies Opening in Austin
Cameraman Gangatho Rambabu -- This Indian import is the story of a journalist who runs afoul of a powerful politician while investigating gangs and India's caste system. (Tinseltown South)
Chakravyuh -- In this Bollywood drama, six characters' lives intertwine during an Indian youth rebellion. (Tinseltown South)
Diana Vreeland: The Eye Has To Travel -- This documentary examines the life and career of Diana Vreeland, the influential fashion editor of Harper's Bazaar. (Arbor)
Fun Size -- In this teen comedy, a girl's Halloween plans go awry when her younger brother disappears with a group of trick-or-treaters. She and her best friend search for him, hoping to find him before her mom discovers he's missing. (wide)
The House I Live In -- America's War on Drugs is the subject of this documentary, which focuses on war's impact on one African-American family to illustrate the human rights implications and racial disparities of U.S. drug policy. The Austin Chronicle's Marc Savlov calls the film a hard-hitting documentary: "The House I Live In is depressing stuff, but it sparks the fires of anger, and from that anger, possible action." (Arbor)
Silent Hill: Revelation 3D -- This horror film follows a girl on the eve of her 18th birthday who is plagued by horrific nightmares and the disappearance of her father. When she discovers she's not who she thinks she is, she travels deeper into a demonic world. (wide)