Kip Mooney
On Spectre And The Rest Of The Weekend’s New Film Releases.
Spectre.
Director: Sam Mendes.
Writers: John Logan, Neal Purvis, Robert Wade, Jez Butterworth.
Cast: Daniel Craig, Christoph Waltz, Lea Seydoux, Monica Bellucci.
Playing At: Wide.
Aside from Quantum of Solace, I've really loved Daniel Craig's dark take on James Bond. Skyfall in particular was a high-mark for the franchise. And this latest — and possibly final — chapter from Craig feels like it will be just as morally murky, but no less entertaining. I mean, Christoph Waltz is the bad guy, for crying out loud1 Bond finally confronts him in what should surely be an epic showdown. This is one of my most anticipated movies of the holiday season. Form where I'm standing, they’ll have to try really hard to screw this one up.
The Peanuts Movie.
Director: Steve Martino.
Writers: Bryan Schulz, Craig Schulz, Cornelius Uliano.
Cast: Noah Schnapp, Hadley Belle Miller, Alexander Garfin, Mariel Sheets.
Playing At: Wide.
You could make a strong case that Peanuts is the greatest newspaper comic strip of all time. Charles Schulz's gang is full of timeless characters, gentle laughs and honest lessons — but how will that translate to a feature-length, computer-animated movie? Decently, says our own Javier Fuentes.
Miss You Already.
Director: Catherine Hardwicke.
Writer: Morwenna Banks.
Cast: Drew Barrymore, Toni Collette, Dominic Cooper, Paddy Considine.
Playing At: Wide.
Comedies about people dying of cancer have to walk a very fine line. Too far one direction, and it's too depressing. Too far the other, and it comes across as phony. 50/50 is the only recent example I can think of that pulled this off well. This one has a great cast, but it remains to be seen if it hits all the right notes.
Suffragette.
Director: Sarah Gavron.
Writer: Abi Morgan.
Cast: Carey Mulligan, Anne-Marie Duff, Helena Bonham Carter, Meryl Streep.
Playing At: Angelika Dallas, Angelika Plano.
It’s hard to believe that, just 100 years ago, women didn’t have the right to vote — and were jailed and beaten even for suggesting that they should. This film, which most critics seem to agree is too heavy-handed to be as effective as it should be, dramatizes that struggle. Carey Mulligan plays the reluctant feminist, a laundry worker who slowly comes to join the women's suffrage movement in the United Kingdom. Still, the film is an important one, bringing attention to a still-underrepresented struggle both in history and in Hollywood.
Love.
Director: Gaspar Noe.
Writer: Gaspar Noe.
Cast: Aomi Muyock, Karl Glusman, Klara Kristin, Ugo Fox.
Playing At: Angelika Dallas.
This time around, Gaspar Noe, the brash Argentinian-French director, is getting (sort of) reflective here. This is an X-rated account of a passionate love affair. (If you want to get technical, yes, you will see bodily fluids in 3-D here.) This is definitely not a date movie and not something you should take your mom to when she asks to see a nice French drama. But if you admire Noe's uncompromisingly stylish flicks — efforts such as Enter the Void and Irreversible — you should be able to handle this one, which our own Javier Fuentes enjoyed well enough.
Them!
Director: Gordon Douglas.
Writer: Ted Sherdeman.
Cast: James Whitmore, Edmund Gwenn, Joan Weldon, James Arness.
Playing At: LOOK Cinemas.
Showing: Thursday, November 12.
Them! was a staple of my youth. It's the ultimate ridiculous '50s sci-fi movie, and it features gigantic, radioactive ants. It's absurd, but occasionally frightening and frequently hilarious. Dallas Morning News culture critic Chris Vognar will host this free screening of the film. I'll be the one shouting along with Jensen (Olin Howlin), the mental patient who confirms one of the first sightings: “Make me a sergeant and give me the booze!”
Lone Star Film Festival.
Playing At: Sundance Square.
Showings: Thursday, November 5 through Sunday, November 8.
Fort Worth refuses to let Dallas have all the film festivals — and for good reason. This weekend, the Lone Star Film Society presents the ninth annual edition of its fest, which features a terrific, diverse slate of shorts, documentaries and features. Probable Oscar nominees like Carol (one of my most anticipated films of the fall, starring Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara) and Charlie Kaufman's universally praised Anomalisa make their Texas debuts here ahead of their late winter releases. David Edelstein, film critic of New York magazine, will deliver Saturday's keynote address.
