Don Coscarelli’s “John Dies at the End” plays during WUD Film’s Mini-Indie Film Festival. No idea what I’m looking at here.
WUD Film mixes up its usual programming this week with not one but two sneak preview screenings. On Thursday, they also begin their “Mini Indie Film Festival,” less of an official event and more of a film showcase. But I guess as one festival ends, another begins. Snake eats its own tail, ourobouros, etc. All that cyclical stuff. Now listen to me, Simba.
Sundance: “An Evening with Rob Thomas & Upstream Color” (Monday)
I don’t think that’s the official event name but I also don’t care. “An Evening with Rob Thomas” just sounds plain classy. If you’re catching Shane Carruth’s Upstream Color this week, reshuffle your plans to make tonight’s 7:05 screening at Sundance. In the meantime, we’ll lobby for The Capital Times writer to sport a pipe and evening robe for his post-screening Q&A in the Overflow Bar. You do your part, we’ll do ours.
Sundance Classics: Raging Bull (Wednesday)
I was convinced Sundance had just given up on topping The Godfather. No dice. Instead, we get a Martin Scorsese classic featuring another great Robert De Niro performance, this time as boxer Jake LaMotta. As a preview, here are the opening credits, which Scorsese sets to Pietro Mascagni’s beautiful Intermezzo. Oh, the tears are coming. 1:50 and 7:00 sharp. And hand me a damn tissue would ya? Stupid emotions…
WUD Sneak Peeks: The Company You Keep, Pain & Gain (Wednesday)
Robert Redford’s musky, rugged handsomeness has certainly seen better days, but the man’s 76 years old, so lay off okay? He’s still directing movies too, most recently The Company You Keep, a thriller of investigative journalism, blown covers, and other things that remind us of All The President’s Men. Redford stars alongside Shia LaBeouf, who in addition to his role in Lars von Trier’s upcoming Nymhpomanic, has made good on his promise to stay the heck away from future Michael Bay movies.
I, on the other hand, vow to hold nothing against the future version of Mr. Bay, provided he promises to cast future Dwayne Johnson in all of his future projects. Following WUD Film’s sneak peek of The Company You Keep at 7:00, Pain & Gain’s got the followup at 9:45. Arrive at Union South early, though because these events tend to fill up fast, and there’s no resisting Dwayne’s shoulder muscles. You just can’t!
As a disclaimer, these both open later this weekend, the former at Sundance Madison and the latter in theaters across the country. We’re just letting you get the jump on everyone else. Any and all appreciation mail must be in the form of scented postcards.
Cinematheque: King of the Hill (Thursday), La Grande Illusion (Friday), For a Few Dollars More (Saturday), My Neighbors the Yamadas (Sunday)
According to the Cinematheque’s website, Steven Soderbergh’s Great Depression era drama King of the Hill still isn’t available on DVD in the US of A. 35mm is such a better format anyway, though. There’s also Renoir’s Grand Illusion, the Eastwood/Leone Spaghetti Western For a Few Dollars More, and the Studio Ghibli series continues with My Neighbors the Yamadas on Sunday at the Chazen.
Sundance: Room 237 (Friday)
Rodney Ascher’s compendium of The Shining analyses in Room 237 is ludicrous. Entertaining, but ludicrous. If you weren’t able to catch this at one of its two Wisconsin Film Festival screenings, give it a whirl. And for the record, the best dissection of Stanley Kubrick’s cinematic nightmare is right here.
Opening Wide: Disconnect, The Big Wedding
Michael Bluth? In a drama? A story that explores the connections and interactions of our social lives in an interlaced digital world of cell phone technology and touch computing? Something feels wrong here…
If that’s not your bag, there’s also Justin Zackham’s The Big Wedding, an American remake of Mon frère se marie featuring 2013 Oscar nominee Robert De Niro and 2012 Golden Raspberry nominee Katherine Heigl. If you’re simply looking for a solid American remake that doesn’t require stupid subtitles, give Michael Haneke’s 2007 Funny Games a try. Something tells me it’s just as uplifting.
PICK OF THE WEEK: WUD Film’s Mini-Indie Film Festival (Thursday through Sunday)
Well this is adorable.
On the heels of the Wisconsin Film Festival’s 8-day juggernaut comes a much smaller slate of programming courtesy of the wonderful peoples of the WUD Film Committee. Just look at these selections. Based on Cracked.com writer David Wong’s novel, Don Coscarelli’s adaptation of John Dies at the End comes complete with meat monster and your choice of psychotropic soy sauce. The French drama Rust and Bone marks the followup to writer-director’s excellent A Prophet and not only features Leonardo DiCaprio’s crazy wife in Inception, but killer whales and underground boxing to boot. There’s even a student short film showcase on Saturday night. And who knows what you’re going to see with that. Better show up just in case something real cray cray goes down. I’ll even promise to never use cray cray in a sentence again.