Opportunities for the Week of 6/18-6/24

Posted by Austin Cinephile

Time for the weekly roundup of Weird Wednesday, Terror Tuesday, special events and outstanding new releases that you will not want to miss this week. Only the best selections here, aiming to ensure you see at least one great film every day.

Sunday 6/20 and Wednesday 6/23, various times
Alamo Ritz – IT CAME FROM KUCHAR
Daniel has already written about this documentary that focuses on underground filmmaking brothers George and Mike Kuchar. If you are unfamiliar with their campy genre films, this doc will serve as a fine introduction, although it sounds like you may have trouble finding their work once hooked.

Sunday, Monday, and Wednesday 6/20,6/21, and 6/23, various times
Alamo Ritz – AMERICAN GRINDHOUSE
The title is pretty self explanatory. This documentary is all about exploitation films, the kind that are usually featured at the Ritz every Wednesday night for Weird Wednesday. So if you are an frequent attendee of that weekly series, or have wondered what it’s all about, this will be a good chance to do a little extracurricular learning. And learning never hurt nobody.

Wednesday 6/23, 8:00pm, CLASSIC RELEASE OF THE WEEK
The Paramount – WINGS
No, this is not the 90’s sitcom starring Steven Wright and Thomas Haden Church. This is the very first winner of the Academy Award for Best Picture, a staggering silent film about a love triangle involving a girl and two World War I fighter pilots. When you think about the fact that they hadn’t even really figured out talking pictures yet, the amazing aerial dogfight footage is even more impressive. This screening will feature a live performance of an original score by Austin Cinephile’s favorite local silent-film accompanist Graham Reynolds. You won’t get many more chances to see this on the big screen, don’t miss it!

Friday 6/18-Thursday 6/24
wide – TOY STORY 3D
The first two Toy Story films were among the greatest animated films of all time, as were most of Pixar’s first ten feature-length films. Here is number eleven, and from what I’ve heard, this is no sloppily done sequel looking to cash in on some familiar characters. Andy is now all grown up and has no need for his toys, which means it may be time for him, and us, to say farewell to Woody, Buzz, and the gang for the last time. Thus, the real reason for those 3-D glasses; no one can see me crying.

Friday 6/18-Thursday 6/24, NEW RELEASE PICK OF THE WEEK
Regal Arbor – SWEETGRASS
Do awful summer movies like The A-Team and The Prince of Persia have you down in the dumps? Well, this weekend, independent cinema is going to provide you with a few reasons to smile. The first is this breathtaking documentary, which is currently the best new film I have seen all year. The film follows two cowboys as they herd a big flock of sheep through a gorgeous series of mountains and streams in what will prove to be (Spoiler Alert!) the last of these journeys for the foreseeable future. The power of the documentary is such that you will mourn the loss of this tradition even though you were just introduced to it an hour and a half ago. There are no talking head interviews or cute animated sequences: just two cowboys, some sheep, and the countryside. It really is a rare cinematic breath of fresh air, and I think we could all use some of that.

Friday 6/18-Thursday 6/24
Regal Arbor – SOLITARY MAN
The second must-see indie film of the week is this rich character study starring Michael Douglas in maybe the best role I’ve ever seen him play. A once prominent New York car dealer, so prominent that he was once featured in Fortune and Forbes (a car dealer!), Douglas has since been convicted of graft and fraud, which resulted in his dealerships being taken from him and his marriage ending in divorce. Following this life disaster, Douglas attempts to pick up the pieces, using his undeniable charisma to sleep with every woman he meets and to sweet talk his way back into the business. Will this sleazeball ever learn? You’ll have to check out this surprisingly well-made film to find out.