The most entertaining and exciting release this weekend is, oddly enough, a studio funded film that happens to now have an independent distributor. So, after you've checked out the horror masterwork The Cabin in the Woods, be sure to also seek out a powerful Belgian drama and an emotionally draining and truly important documentary on Austin screens.

This Weekend at Violet Crown Cinema

Opening Friday at the Violet Crown is The Kid with a Bike, the latest film from Belgian filmmaking brothers Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne, who have twice won the Palme d’Or at Cannes — in 1999 for Rosetta and in 2005 for The Child.

Newcomer Thomas Doret is Cyril, a young boy who is dropped off at an orphanage by his father who has decided there is no room in his life for his son. Less than accepting of this situation, especially considering his father has also seen fit to sell his beloved bike, Cyril attempts to return home to his father. After being outright rejected and turned away, Cyril has a chance encounter with Samantha (Cécile De France) who shows genuine concern for the boy's plight. Soon, Samantha agrees to keep Cyril on the weekends and the two form a powerful bond, one that may or may not survive the temptations of youthful rage and resentment.

The Kid with a Bike features powerful performances that bring to life a carefully constructed script (there's no fat on this one) packed with genuinely compelling emotional arcs. (The Kid with a Bike also opens Friday at Regal Arbor Cinema.)

This Weekend at the Drafthouse

Recently making headlines over a battle with the MPAA regarding its rating, the new documentaryBully tackles the sensitive and troubling subject of its title. The film follows five children for an entire school year as each are touched in different ways by bullying. Families of children affected (including some who have lost their children to the effects of persistent harassment) are interviewed driving home the very real impacts of what has been too often dismissed as "kids will be kids".

This is a difficult to watch but very important film for children, their parents and anyone who has ever been bullied. (Bully also opens Friday at Regal Arbor Cinema.)

Beyond the Weekend

The yearly match-made-in-heaven pairing of the Alamo Drafthouse and Dogfish Head Craft Brewery results in the Off-Centered Film Festival, three days of beer and movies presented the way only those two irreverent companies could. This year has a Western theme and what better way than to kick off with an outdoor screening of Blazing Saddles?

On Thursday (4/19) join fellow beer and Mel Brooks lovers for the Blazing Saddles Quote-along Beer Party at Republic Square Park. Your ticket includes admission into the park where local brewers will have many of their regular favorites and several special beers available, the movie (which begins at sundown), access to giant pot of beans and more. Check out the event page for a complete listing of beers and to buy your tickets.