Yes, this post's title references both Yo La Tengo and Pauline Kael.
In this new and sure-to-be unpopular column, we focus on moviegoing options in the area, with a few dips into OnDemand and DVD options too. Sure, the Midwest may still have to wait an extra month for "artsy" releases (some of which are chopped up by Weinstein so that people in Oklahoma can understand them, if you've been following recent controversies), but these days there's a plethora of special screenings at the Alamo in KC, a few at Liberty Hall, along with various film festivals and easier access to indies via OnDemand, Itunes, etc. So here are a few picks:
Liberty Hall opens up Lovelace this weekend, a biopic of the legendary porn actress Linda Lovelace, played by Amanda Seyfried. We expect a few sad boners during this sordid tale. Clever tagline (if you catch the reference): "The truth goes deeper than you think."
Drafthouse Films snatched up the buzzy, controversial documentary The Act of Killing, which lands at Alamo KC this weekend. The film "examine(s) a country where death squad leaders are celebrated as heroes, challenging them to reenact their real-life mass-killings in the style of the American movies they love. The hallucinatory result is a cinematic fever dream, an unsettling journey deep into the imaginations of mass-murderers and the shockingly banal regime of corruption and impunity they inhabit." (full info here via Drafthouse Films). Sound like a delightful afternoon romp at the Drafthouse, so order up a cold beer and a Drafthouse Royale With Cheese and enjoy!
If that's too heavy for you, opt for the Alamo's 6:00 pm Sunday screening of Bruce Robison's 1987 cult classic Withnail and I. There's a drinking game associated with the film (see the rules here ) but the Alamo has helpfully pointed out that you WILL die if you attempt it.
And one more shout-out to Drafthouse Films, who are responsible for distributing the single most disturbing thing we've seen lately, the "lost" Ozploitation classic Wake In Fright, considered by some to be "the greatest Australian film ever made." Details here via Drafhouse Films. It's terrific, but don't watch unless you can handle actual footage of adorable kangaroos being slaughtered. Folks, it ain't pretty. The introduction of Donald Pleasance's character is a truly great scene: "All the little devils are proud of hell."
But what if you want to kick back at home and watch a critically reviled film penned by Bret Easton Ellis and directed by the (sometimes) great Paul Schrader and starring a naked Lindsay Lohan and the porn actor James Deen. Well, lucky for you, The Canyons is OnDemand and Itunes and probably any number of other formats because they're fucking desperate for you to see it. We'll be watching soon. Apparently it contains a lot of gorgeous imagery of dilapidated movie theaters, which is cool, because "ruin porn" is so hot right now.
And speaking of Paul Schrader, you can finally see his (sort-of-lost) 70's revenge drama Rolling Thunder in a new Blu-Ray edition from the always bad-ass Shout Factory. It'll totally hook you (if you catch our reference). Hey, Liberty Hall, if you start carrying all the new special editions of sci-fi and horror and other good stuff from Shout Factory (The Howling, The Fog, Lifeforce, etc), we promise to rent them all.
No comments:
Post a Comment