A Look at Rich Hill And The Rest Of This Week's New and Specialty Film Releases.
Sin City: A Dame to Kill For.
Directors: Frank Miller, Robert Rodriguez.
Writer: Frank Miller.
Cast: Mickey Rourke, Jessica Alba, Josh Brolin, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Rosario Dawson, Bruce Willis, Eva Green.
Where it's playing: Everywhere.
If you are into soap opera smut, Sin City: A Dame to Kill For is right up your dark and dirty alley. The abysmal sequel to the hit Sin City, this one relies heavily on style over substance, which worked for the first because it was a testosterone-fueld, white-knuckle adventure. This one is just trash. Full review here.
The One I Love.
Director Charlie McDowell.
Writer: Justin Lader.
Cast: Mark Duplass, Elisabeth Moss, Ted Danson.
Where it's playing: Angelika.
I reviewed The One I Love in full earlier this week, and you can read my take right here. Gotta say: I'm pretty impressed with myself for writing so much about this film without spilling the beans on its Big Reveal. Anyway, this is a damn good movie, and you need to see it.
Alive Inside.
Director: Michael Rossato-Bennett.
Writer: Michael Rossato-Bennett.
Where it's playing: Angelika.
Music lovers, listen up: Alive Inside is a documentary on Alzheimer's and dementia, and how music can help rebuild memory. This won the Audience Award (Documentary) at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival, which means, quite literally, tat it's a crowd-pleaser. Bring some tissue.
Yves Saint Laurent.
Director: Jalil Lespert.
Writer: Laurence Benaïm (book), Jacques Fieschi (screenplay).
Cast: Pierre Niney, Guillaume Gallienne, Charlotte Le Bon.
Where it's playing: Magnolia.
Here's a fictional look on a real person, French designer Yves Saint Laurent. This one starts in 1958, and all of the ups and downs that followed. He's biopics never go out of fashion, do they? Nope. (Also: SEE WHAT I DID THERE?)
Rich Hill.
Directors: Andrew Droz Palermo, Tracy Droz Tragos.
Where it's playing: Texas Theatre.
I saw Rich Hill at Sundance and it floored me there. So, no surprise, it was one of the big hits at DIFF, too. Basically, it’s kind of like a real-life Hellion, a documentary that tells the tale of a bunch of underprivileged kids living on the poor side of the tracks in a town where frivolous judgments are made all too frequently. The most heartbreaking thing about this film, though, is the parents. They're far worse than their kids. The way they raise them is just as filthy as their nasty and polluted houses. But this film has a silver lining in that it highlights the fact that some of the kids really do have the right mindset; they just want out of their ugly lifestyle and to do something good in the world. This one will hit you in the feels.
Wizard of Oz.
Director: Victor Fleming.
Writers: Noel Langley, Florence Ryerson, Edgar Allan Woolf (screenplay); Noel Langley (adaptation); L. Frank Baum (novel).
Cast: Judy Garland, Frank Morgan, Ray Bolger.
Where it's playing: Texas Theatre.
As part of The Class of '39 Film Series that the Texas Theatre is running, the beloved classic The Wizard of Oz will be screening in 35 mm this weekend. And they're doing it a few different ways, too: On Friday, they're syncing it up with Dark Side of the Moon; on Saturday, they're having a big-band show from the Singapore Slingers after the screening; and, on Sunday, they're turning the whole thing into a family affair.
Weird Science.
Director John Hughes.
Writer: John Hughes.
Cast: Anthony Michael Hall, Ilan Mitchell-Smith, Kelly LeBrock.
Where it's playing: Inwood.
One of the late, great John Hughes' talents was recognizing how teens think and feel. Look at his amazing catalog of films: Almost all are timeless classics because they speak to every generation. Which brings me to Weird Science, a movie about young boys and their hormones. And Kelly LeBrock. Oh my god, Kelly LeBrock.