Indie Picks: At The Movies This Weekend

We're a few weeks away from the onslaught of Oscar bait that will soon be drowning area screens, so this is a good week to catch up on movies you may have missed or check out two intriguing foreign films that will likely just have one week runs.

The Women on the 6th Floor (Regal Arbor)
Up until somewhat recently, Strand Releasing almost exclusively released gay-themed films. The depth of their catalog has been expanding and now they're also becoming a trusted home for foreign films that might not otherwise see an American release.

Their latest is a breezy French import that stars Fabrice Luchini (who was seen earlier this year in the equally charming Potiche) as a man who falls in love with a group of Spanish maids that live on the top floor of his apartment building. This screened at some festivals under the name Service Entrance, which emphasizes the class differences at play.

In his review last month, Roger Ebert said "there are few reasons you must see this movie, but absolutely none that you should not."

The Yellow Sea (Alamo South Lamar)
Our staff caught a lot of great titles at Fantastic Fest this year, but this epic Korean film was one that we missed. When talking to people on site, it kept being mentioned over and over again as a favorite. The almost 3-hour running time is certainly a bit intimidating, but the Drafthouse has booked the movie for full daily showtimes over the next week, so you know that it's one they really believe in and want to find an audience.

Twitch called it the "best Korean thriller of the year" in their post-Fantastic Fest review and Collider said that it had an "amount of action and carnage that could fill two films over." If you like your revenge films lengthy and bloody, this is a theatrical experience that should make you count your blessings that you live in Austin. This is definitely not a booking that you're going to get in many other U.S. markets and for that, as always, we're incredibly thankful to the Alamo.

Also this weekend:
- Awards contenders The Descendants and My Week With Marilyn opened last week for the Thanksgiving holiday and are continuing on at area theaters. We reviewed The Descendants during our coverage of the Austin Film Festival. You can check out our review here.

- Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale is one of the most bizarre holiday films you will ever see. This Norwegian import was a huge hit at last year's Fantastic Fest and the Alamo Ritz is bringing it back for Late Show screenings tonight and tomorrow.

- The Action Pack takes their explosive screening of Die Hard to the Alamo Lake Creek on Sunday night at 7pm.