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Movies This Week: Extract, aGLIFF and More

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Humpday

Is it fall, yet? It certainly feels cooler, and just in time for the final holiday of the season.  This Labor Day weekend, there aren't a whole lot of new movies coming out in town, but that doesn't mean there aren't options. 

Opening this Week

Extract is Mike Judge's companion film to Office Space, only this time the sane guy is the boss, with some loveable but unruly wokers.  Just like Office Space, you will recognize most of these people, especially David Koechner as the most annoying neighbor in the world.  Check out my review and interview with Mike Judge later today on Slackerwood, and Jette's interview and review on Cinematical. 

Humpday is Lynn Shelton's latest is the bromance fave from SXSW 2009.  Starring former Austinite Mark Duplass and Houstonite Joshua Leonard as two friends who take their competitive tendencies to the limit when they decide to make porn for a film competition.  This isn't mumblecore; slow at times, but the chemistry is great, and it's worth it just for the, eh, climactic scene.

World's Greatest Dad --  After the ignoble death of his son, a milquetoast father finds brings more meaning into his passing than ever was in his life. I may be in the minority, but the concept is better than the actual film. Check out our group review for two opposing opinions.

Departures is the story of a Japanese cellist who returns home looking for a chance to start over.  It's been in limited release for a while, and has finally made it to Austin.

Gamer has two things going for it; an evil looking Michael C. Hall (Dexter), and eye candy Gerard Butler.  It wasn't available for review, which makes me think it's a one-weekend movie. I may still go, as it's got a great cast.

All About Steve is Sandra Bullock, and yet another not available for review. You've seen the trailers, you decide. Me, I don't think even some Bradley Cooper (Hangover, Wet Hot American Summer) will convince me to go.  

9 will be opening up during the week (on 09-09-09, surprise).  Check out the original, Oscar-nominated short on YouTube. The premise? We're dead, but life goes on.

Personal Picks

Check out the Slackerwood Calendar for special events and film series for the week (and it's a very action packed week). Now, for the picks:

Debbie:  In case you missed True Stories when it screened at the Paramount earlier this summer (and my first Slackerwood post) , there's another opportunity to see it on the big screen at the Alamo Drafthouse Downtown at the Ritz. There are two opportunities - catch it as part of the Music Mondays series, and again on Wednesday for the Big Screen Classic series.

Jenn:  There is so much going on this week, it's so hard to pick a single event.  Dadlabs! looks hysterical, aGLIFF starts, but I have to pick the Paramount Summer Film Series closing night film and party, as it's Lawrence of Arabia, with live camels. Yes. Live camels. 

Jette: Austin Film Festival has a great Wednesday night offering this week: a "Conversations with Film" featuring John Lee Hancock, followed by a "Made in Texas" screening of A Perfect World, which Hancock scripted.