Indie Picks: At The Movies This Weekend

Poster courtesy of Magnolia Pictures

We're still recovering from Fantastic Fest, but Austin screens are filled with some truly original indie films playing this weekend that you should take a chance on. There's a little something for everybody, so check out these descriptions and take your pick!

Tucker & Dale Vs. Evil (Alamo South Lamar)
Fans of Shaun Of The Dead have an easy choice this weekend. Get yourself to the Alamo for Tucker & Dale Vs. Evil. This ridiculously gory horror comedy won the Midnight Audience Award at SXSW and is actually a Critics' Pick in The New York Times this weekend.

Thunder Soul (Alamo South Lamar)
Thunder Soul won the 2010 Audience Award at SXSW and was subsequently picked up for release by Roadside Attractions. This documentary tells the story of a group of alumni from Houston's Kashmere High School Stage Band who get together to play a tribute show for their 92-year-old band leader. Jamie Foxx saw the film and loved it so much, he jumped on board as an executive producer and has been helping to promote its release.

Friday night's 7pm screening at the Alamo South Lamar is a special one, as members of the band will be appearing to introduce the film and participate in a Q&A. Don't miss it!

Detective Dee: Mystery Phantom Flame (Alamo South Lamar)
Hong Kong master Tsui Hark takes us back to the Tang Dynasty with an epic film that won Best Director, Best Actress and Best Visual Effects at the Hong Kong Film Awards last year. Wired called it "film of the weekend" when it opened in New York earlier this month while Time Magazine simply dubbed it "Crouching Tiger, Freakin' Masterpiece."

The Interrupters (Violet Crown Cinema)
Another film that first debuted locally during SXSW, this inspirational documentary comes from Steve James, the director of Hoop Dreams. Filmed over the course of a year in Chicago, it profiles three dedicated "violence interruptors" working with the organization CeaseFire to end gang violence. All three of them are former gang members who have turned their lives around and are now committed to ending the deadly shootings happening across the city. The film has been trimmed since its festival screenings (where it clocked in at 162 minutes) and is now playing in a tighter 2 hour version. Learn more about the story behind the documentary in this Fresh Air interview from NPR.

The Tree (Regal Arbor)
Director Julie Bertuccelli's follow-up to Since Otar Left was the Closing Night Film at Cannes in 2010. Charlotte Gainsbourg stars as the mother of four young children who is left to pick up the pieces after the sudden death of her husband.