Coming Attractions.

On The Fall And The Rest Of Weekend's Wide And Repertory Releases.

Two Days, One Night.
Director: Jean-Pierre Dardenne, Luc Dardenne.
Writer: Jean-Pierre Dardenne, Luc Dardenne.
Cast: Marion Cotillard, Fabrizio Rongione, Catherine Salée .
Playing At: Angelika Film Center (Dallas).

I try not to tell people that they “need” to see a movie all too often. Like the boy who cried wolf, that kind of boosterism has some negative repercussions on the back-end of things. So trust me when I say that you need to go see Two Days, One Night. It made me feel alive in the strangest ways possible, and Marion Cotillard is insanely great in it. Need more convincing? Allow me to try, right here.

A Most Violent Year.
Director: J.C. Chandor.
Writer: J.C. Chandor.
Cast: Oscar Isaac, Jessica Chastain, David Oyelowo, Albert Brooks.
Playing At: Angelika Film Center (Dallas and Plano).

Gangster movies are nothing new. Gangster movies that going against the popular precedents set by pioneers like Martin Scorsese and Francis Ford Coppola, on the other hand? Now that's something — and, better yet, something that J.C. Chandor has pulled off here. Also, if you never saw Inside Llewyn Davis, this is a chance to see what Oscar Isaac can bring to the table before he hits the screen soon enough as part of the Star Wars resurgence. Turns out, he's really good here, too.

Cake.
Director: Daniel Barnz.
Writer: Patrick Tobin.
Cast: Jennifer Aniston, Adriana Barraza, Anna Kendrick.
Playing At: Angelika Film Center (Dallas).

Until recently, this film was known in the film circle as “That Oscar-bait movie where Jennifer Aniston doesn't wear makeup.” So edgy. So brave. Really, though, this film is a doozy. Makeup or not, Aniston crushes it as a pill-popping sad bastard on the road to recovery.

The Boy Next Door .
Director: Rob Cohen.
Writer: Barbara Curry.
Cast: Jennifer Lopez, Ryan Guzman, Kristin Chenoweth.
Playing At: Wide.

Ugh, this movie. Listen: If you're a fan of indie films, maybe you've have heard of Hannah Fidell's A Teacher? That one made quite a stir in 2013, and I bring it up because The Boy Next Door is pretty much a Hollywood ripoff of of it. Remove Jennifer Lopez and the studio budget, and you basically have Fidell's film. So just seek out A Teacher instead.

The Humbling.
Director: Barry Levinson.
Writer: Buck Henry, Michal Zebede (screenplay); Philip Roth (novel).
Cast: Al Pacino, Kyra Sedgwick, Greta Gerwig.
Playing At: Texas Theatre.

It's hard to take Al Pacino serious these days — especially with that wacky hair of his. Lucky for him, though, this look actually works for The Humbling, which is about an old actor in the last stages of his career. It's based on Philip Roth's novel of the same name and is directed by Barry Levinson (Wag the Dog, Sleepers). So this one has stable legs.

Manny.
Director: Leon Gast, Ryan Moore.
Cast: Manny Pacquiao, Jimmy Kimmel, Liam Neeson, Jinkee Pacquiao.
Playing At: AMC Stonebriar.

This one's documentary about the upbringing and current lifestyle of iconic Filipino boxer-turned-politician, Manny Pacquiao. Well known for beating the breath out of a lot of boxers, this documentary apparently shows his “tender” side. This is cool, though: Manny is co-directed by Leon Gast , who won an Academy Award for another boxing documentary, When We Were Kings. So this film may just beat the tears of you.

Miss Julie.
Director: Liv Ullmann.
Writer: August Strindberg (play); Liv Ullmann (screenplay).
Cast: Jessica Chastain, Colin Farrell, Samantha Morton.
Playing At: Fort Worth Museum of Modern Art

Miss Julie has a lot going for it. It’s written (adapted from a play) and directed by Liv Ullmann, an actress-turned-filmmaker who has starred some of the greatest films from one of the greatest filmmakers ever to touch a camera, Ingmar Bergman — Persona, Shame, Autumn Sonata, Cries & Whispers, Face to Face and Faithless, which Bergman wrote and Ullmann directed. The second thing making this film noteworthy its star, Jessica Chastain, who doesn't need any introduction these days. Alas, this one is only playing out in Fort Worth. Still, it should be worth the drive.

Mortdecai.
Director: David Koepp.
Writer: Eric Aronson (screenplay), Kyril Bonfiglioli (novel).
Cast: Johnny Depp, Gwyneth Paltrow, Ewan McGregor.
Playing At: Wide.

Once upon a time, having Johnny Depp star in your movie meant that moviegoers would have a grand ole time and lots of money would be made. Now, it's something of a red flag. Also a red flag: This one didn't screen in advance so that any critics could review it before opening day. Well, then.

R100.
Director: Hitoshi Matsumoto.
Writer: Mitsuru Kuramoto, Kôji Ema, Tomoji Hasegawa, Mitsuyoshi Takasu, Hitoshi Matsumoto.
Cast: Mao Daichi, Lindsay Kay Hayward, Hairi Katagiri.
Playing At: Alamo Drafthouse.

I saw R100 at Sundance last year. About 45 minutes into the movie, 90 percent of the audience in the theater got up and walked out. Granted, it was a press and industry screening and that happens fairly often, actually. But, in this case, I am confident that most of the folks left during the film because they hated the shit out of what was going on on screen. R100 is one of the weirdest movies I have ever seen. I can't really tell you what it's about — it's so fucking strange. I can tell you that I stuck it out to the very end, though. And that's something not many people on this planet will be able to do. It might end up being one of my proudest lifetime achievements.

Still Alice.
Director: Richard Glatzer, Wash Westmoreland.
Writer: Lisa Genova (novel); Richard Glatzer, Wash Westmoreland (screenplay).
Cast: Julianne Moore, Alec Baldwin, Kristen Stewart.
Playing At: Magnolia, Angelika Film Center (Plano)/

Still Alice is a really good movie. It has a solid, strong cast. But given the fact that it centers around Alzheimer's disease, you should know that it's going to rip the tears out of your eyes.

Strange Magic.
Director: Gary Rydstrom.
Writer: George Lucas (story); David Berenbaum, Irene Mecchi, Gary Rydstrom (screenplay).
Cast: Evan Rachel Wood, Elijah Kelley, Kristin Chenoweth.
Playing At: Wide.

Hey, look! It's the first animated film from Lucasfilm that's not Star Wars-related! How about that!

We’ll Never Have Paris.
Director: Simon Helberg, Jocelyn Towne.
Writer: Simon Helberg.
Cast: Melanie Lynskey, Geoffrey Cantor, Nancy Marlowe .
Playing At: The Village at Fairview.

I've never heard of We’ll Never Have Paris. I don't know where the hell The Village at Fairview is. But I do know that Melanie Lynskey is one of the best actresses working today. So there's that.

Friday, January 23.
• The Fall at the Texas Theatre.
• Against the Sun at the Texas Theatre.
• Charade at the Inwood Theatre.

Saturday, January 24.
• The Master at the Alamo Drafthouse.
• Rocky Horror Picture Show at the Inwood Theatre.

Sunday, January 25.
• Singing in the Rain at the Texas Theatre.
• Gangs of Wasseypur (Part 1) at the Texas Theatre.

Monday, January 26.
• UHF at the Alamo Drafthouse.

Tuesday, January 27.
• The Ballad of Shovels and Rope at the Texas Theatre.
• Wild Style at the Alamo Drafthouse.
• Pitch Perfect at the Alamo Drafthouse.
• The Producers at the Inwood Theatre.

Wednesday, January 28.
• Jackie Brown at the Alamo Drafhouse.

Thursday, January 29.
• Gangs of Wasseypur (Part 2) at the Texas Theatre.
• Serenity at the Alamo Drafthouse.
• Madonna music video singalong at the Alamo Drafthouse.

The Fall.
Director: Tarsem Singh.
Writer: Dan Gilroy, Nico Soultanakis, Tarsem Singh.
Cast: Lee Pace, Catinca Untaru, Justine Waddell.
Playing At:> Texas Theatre.
Show Dates: 1/23.

Tarsem Singh's beautiful 2006 epic The Fall is playing at the Texas Theatre on 1/23. This is a special screening because it comes with a silent charity auction to benefit Peace For Elephants. Something cooler? The nerds behind the Theatre sweded