This weekend on the big screen
At the movies: Herzog, horses, and the New York Times
Chase Whale here, your friendly neighborhood film critic with a look at some of the most interesting films opening in Austin every week.
Here's my game plan: I'm not going to waste your time with all the big budget popcorn flicks. Lets face it, you're going to see those regardless of what I have to say about them.
So instead, I'll give you a heads up on the less well-known films that deserve a big audience. All of them are worth your time and each have different entertainment qualities to them. Here's the best part, you can read this, watch the trailer and then sound like some big shot art film afficionado at the next party you attend, what's not to like about that? Here we go:
The best indie theater in Austin right now is the freshly opened Violet Crown Cinema. They stand out — like a sports stadium, everyone gets a designated seat when tickets are purchased, so you'll always be sitting with your friends no matter what time you show up for the film.
This Weekend at Violet Crown:
Here we have 3 documentaries:
Werner Herzog's trippy Cave of Forgotten Dreams3D, which tells the story of the Chauvet caves of Southern France and the oldest human pictorial creations in their natural habitat. If you've every explored the works of Herzog, then you know already of his wild and wonderful films about the fascination he has with obscure places hidden in our planet.
Your second option is Buck,which had its world premiere at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival, where it won the Audience Award: Documentary. Buck follows Buck Brannaman, a well-respected horse trainer who gains love and trust from horses and their human counterparts by showing his love and compassion.
The third and most fascinating documentary playing is Page One: Inside the New York Times. If you have any interest in how the print and online journalism world works, this is the film to see. Page One gives us an in-depth look at the New York Times and the fight that journalists have as the medium rapidly changes from print to online.
Also playing is Woody Allen's Midnight in Paris, which just became Allen's highest grossing film in North America; Michelangelo Frammartino's Le Quattro Volte; and Michael Winterbottom's (24 Hour Party People) The Trip, starring Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon in their best British humor yet.
Note to VCC first timers, there is free parking in the Alumni Deck or you can valet on 2nd. Just let the cinema know and they'll stamp your ticket.
At Alamo Drafthouse:
Aside from Captain America, playing this weekend at the best theater in America, the Alamo Drafthouse (South Lamar), is Mike Mills' (Thumbsucker) Beginners. Beginners is a very personal film from Mills, which is a touching story of life's surprises, ends and beginnings. I had the great fortune of interviewing Mills about the film, which you can watch by clicking HERE.
On Saturday at the Drafthouse Village you can catch The Rocky Horror Picture Show, which needs no form of introduction. If you're not a Rocky Horror fan, head over to the Ritz for Master Pancake and watch them hilariously live commentate on a film you may or may not have heard of, New Moon.
Wanna get involved with the heckling? On Sunday the Ritz will be showing Johnny Mnemonic in HeckleVision, which lets you text during the movie. What's cool about that is your texts show up on the screen as the film plays! As much as I love Keanu Reeves, getting to mock one of his so-bad-it's-good performances in a crowded theater is just too good to pass up.
And finally, if you're into Breaking Bad, you can watch the show on the big screen.
These are the films I suggest this weekend -
which of them might you go see? Let's start a conversation.
The South Congress H-E-B is finally ready for customers.
Photo courtesy of H-E-B
