Indie Picks: At The Movies This Weekend

Hamish Linklater & Miranda July star in "The Future" (Roadside Attractions)

As we struggle through another summer of record-breaking high temps here in Texas, our local theaters are doing their best to provide a safe haven from the heat. Some of our recent favorites like Attack The Block, Another Earth, Beginners and Tabloid are still playing in Austin, and all of those films share something in common with both of this weekend's picks: all of them debuted during the SXSW Film Festival earlier this year. Consider this a friendly reminder to start saving your pennies for a SXSW pass in 2012. You could've seen all these great movies (and lots more) six months ago!

The Future (Regal Arbor, Violet Crown Cinema)
After the success of Me and You and Everyone We Know, Miranda July wasn't sure she wanted to make another movie. Lucky for us, she finally settled on The Future, a film that was born out of a performance piece she started in 2006 called "Things We Don't Understand and Definitely Are Not Going to Talk About."

There's no question that The Future is not for everybody. The movie is, after all, narrated by a cat named Paw Paw who is waiting to be adopted. OK, the cat voice is actually done by July and, even though you might already be thinking that sounds ridiculously pretentious, we felt that the narration fit the movie perfectly. July navigates the murky waters of a long-term relationship on the rocks and presents the awkward honesty and confusion that can surface when things are just not going the way you'd hoped they would.

We've been thinking about this one ever since we caught it during SXSW. It's one of the most original and captivating films we've seen all year and one that will likely leave an impression on you no matter which side of the critical divide you fall down on after viewing.

Bellflower (Alamo South Lamar)
After a few buzzworthy screenings at Sundance, Evan Glodell's debut film was picked up for distribution by Oscilloscope Laboratories (the indie film company helmed by Beastie Boy Adam Yauch). Glodell wrote, directed, edited and stars in the low-budget action film and, if that wasn't enough, he also designed a special camera to shoot the movie with. If the phrase "flamethrowing car" doesn't already have you loading up the Drafthouse website to buy tickets, we don't know what to do with you. In case you need a little extra convincing, check out what Alamo founder Tim League has to say about the film.

Also this weekend:
- The Paramount Theatre Summer Film Series has a World Cinema Classics double feature on Sunday, with 35mm screenings of Jacques Tati's Playtime and Federico Fellini's Amarcord.

- The Alamo Ritz offers up one more 25th Anniversary Screening of David Lynch's Blue Velvet on Sunday night at 10pm. Catch this classic film on the big screen along with Pabst Blue Ribbon specials!