Yeah, I know, I’m supposed to post these on Thursday night or Friday. And here it is, Saturday night. What’s even more shameful is that there are finally lots of movies opening in Austin this weekend, and here I am ignoring them.
I have to say, most of the movies opening this weekend aren’t as exciting to me as some of the revivals coming up in the next couple of weeks. A friend of mine chided me for not seeing a movie in a theater every week, and I pointed out that I often do … it’s just not a recently released movie. So many choices, so little time.
New movies in Austin this week:
Assault on Precinct 13—Remake of the John Carpenter movie starring Ethan Hawke, Laurence Fishburne, and John Leguizamo. I’m not really interested except that it has Gabriel Byrne in it and I’m a total sucker for Gabriel Byrne movies. Also, Brian Dennehy. Hm.
Bukowski: Born Into This—Documentary from 2003 about writer Charles Bukowski. Includes lots of interviews with celebrities as well as footage of Bukowski reading to audiences. Movies like this make me feel like such an ignorant little prole because I’ve had so little exposure to Bukowski. Shame on me.
Coach Carter—Samuel L. Jackson stars in this story drawn from a real-life incident about a basketball coach who benches his undefeated team because their grades are subpar. I’m sure it’s all about the triumph of the human spirit.
Elektra—I ought to be making fun of a movie starring Jennifer Garner as an ass-kicking comic-book heroine. But you know what? I’ve seen so many recent movies lately wherein the women all are relegated to being Supportive Wife or Enlightening Girlfriend that I am happy to see a movie with a chick kicking ass in the lead. I can’t help but support movies with strong female lead characters to a certain extent. So there.
(Not that this necessarily means I’ll see it, though. Between this and Coach Carter, I’m just tempted to go rent Jackie Brown again to take care of both my Samuel L. Jackson and strong female lead needs.)
Hotel Rwanda—I’ve been hearing all kinds of good things about this movie (it’s one of the movies that has taken forever to get here after opening on the big coasts first), particularly Don Cheadle’s performance. I don’t know many of the specifics of story and character, but it sounds like it might be interesting.
House of Flying Daggers—You can read my review of this movie here. I think this is a good movie to see in theaters, because the visuals are so stunning and lavish.
In Good Company—Dennis Quaid and Topher Grace. Great. Topher becomes Dennis’s boss and falls for his daughter. Wacky antics ensue, I’m sure. Directed by Paul Weitz, who with his brother Chris directed American Pie and About a Boy.
Racing Stripes—Winsome child adopts zebra and decides he should compete in a big horserace. I really want to make a Seabiscuit joke but I can’t even muster that much energy for this extremely formulaic “family” movie with a dumbass title.
The Woodsman—This movie has been getting a lot of attention. Kevin Bacon’s character is a pedophile, released from prison and trying to start a new life. Cast includes Mos Def and David Alan Grier. This is director Nicole Kassell’s first film, and I might be tempted to see it to support a female director, but it looks too grim and downbeat for my taste.
Notable events/revivals in Austin:
Amelie—Playing at Alamo Downtown on Sun. 1/16 and Alamo Village on Mon. 1/17. Free creme brulee with ticket purchase. I adore this movie and my boyfriend loathes it … see it yourself and form your own opinion.
Assault on Precinct 13—Playing at Alamo Downtown Wed. 1/19. John Carpenter’s original 1976 film. Honestly, I don’t know much of anything about this movie except that it was just remade and the Carpenter fans (I mean of the director, not the musicians) are cranky about it. Oh, and that it is supposedly loosely based on Rio Bravo.
The Battle of Algiers—Playing at the Paramount Wed.-Thurs. 1/19-20. I’d like to see this, schedule permitting (ha). This 1965 movie is presented like a documentary, but it is actually a fictionalized account of Algiers under French rule in the 1950s.
James Brown Live at the Boston Garden 1968—Playing at Alamo Downtown on Mon. 1/17. Film of a James Brown concert that took place in 1968 right after the Martin Luther King Jr. assassination, which Brown dedicated to Dr. King. Admission is $1. A very fitting way to remember MLK Day on Monday.
At home, I have Gunga Din to watch, and possibly the commentary track of Baadasssss! (which I saw last night and enjoyed). I still have to write reviews for Baadasssss!, Jackie Brown, and Sideways (finally), The Last Days of the Hotel San Jose, and probably something else I’ve forgotten.
I saw “Bukowski: Born Into This” in SF last May. Decent documentary, plenty of direct footage of Bukowski. A good splash in the face of cold water if you are like I am and read a lot of Bukowski without ever actually seeing the man. Depressing, scalding, gritty stuff, most of it direct from the source. Definitely recommended if you want to put a face to the lines. I had a reaction similar to seeing Hunter S. Thompson for the first time after reading a lot of his.