Indie Picks: At The Movies This Weekend
Film buffs in Austin have plenty of choices this weekend as an eclectic batch of four documentaries and an acclaimed French comedy hit area theaters. Most of the opening films did not screen in advance for local critics, but we'll tell you everything we know so you can figure out what flicks to go see!
POM Wonderful Presents: The Greatest Story Ever Sold (Alamo South Lamar, Regal Arbor)
The highest profile documentary opening this weekend comes from Super Size Me's Morgan Spurlock. He examines the role of product placement in movies by actually undergoing the process of fully funding his movie with product placement.
Companies like Hyatt, Jet Blue, Movietickets.com and, of course, POM Wonderful, come on board as sponsors, and we're invited directly into the pitch meetings and closed door conversations that make it happen. Spurlock also sits down with everybody from Big Boi of Outkast to Ralph Nader. Positive response at SXSW last month (where we had the pleasure of seeing the film) is certainly why Austin is included on the first weekend of the doc's release, which launches in a handful of markets today. Finally, we get a movie before Dallas and Houston!
I Am (Regal Arbor)
After directing box office hits like Ace Ventura: Pet Detective and Liar, Liar, Tom Shadyac slowly realized his success just wasn't making him happy. After a biking accident left his seriously injured, he reflected on his life and decided that it wasn't what he wanted it to be. He put himself on a path to happiness that involved paring down to the bare essentials (he moved from a 17,000-square-foot mansion into a 1000-square-foot double-wide trailer and started giving away his fortune to charities).
This lighthearted doc was praised this week by none other than Oprah, who had Shadyac on the show to talk about how he found happiness. After the episode aired, it crashed the film's official website. We'll see if that translates into an audience for a film that The Hollywood Reporter dubbed "refreshing."
Potiche (Trophy Wife) (Regal Arbor)
Francois Ozon saw great success with U.S. audiences with 8 Women and Swimming Pool, but his most recent films have practically gone straight-to-DVD in America. His latest film reunites the legendary Catherine Denueve and a rather hefty Gerard Depardieu, who were last on screen together in 2004's charming Changing Times.
I'm not sure if the casting is in any way a nod to The Umbrellas Of Cherbourg, but Denueve plays a woman who takes over her husband's umbrella factory. Ozon caught the original play on stage over ten years ago and, with the approval of the playwrights, adapted the story with a few minor tweaks. The Onion's A.V. Club calls it "funny, twisty, and sometimes bittersweet."
Also opening:
There are limited screenings of American: The Bill Hicks Story this weekend at Alamo South Lamar and Alamo Village, with more frequent showtimes into next week. This acclaimed doc debuted at SXSW 2010 and is also now available on-demand through local cable services, iTunes, Vudu and the Playstation Store.
Echotone, a documentary that examines the Austin music scene, has screenings from Sunday through Wednesday at the Alamo Ritz. Directed by Nathan Christ, the film features Black Joe Lewis, Sunset, The Black Angels, and a host of other Austin-based favorites. Check out the trailer and get a free download of the movie's soundtrack at Paste Magazine.
Finally, it's worth noting that Miral has indeed closed at the Regal Arbor after one week, but it's moving South of town (for what is likely to be another one-week engagement) at the Cinemark Tinseltown 17.
