Thinking Outside the Multiplex

by MIKE MACCOLLUM

The Keystone Arts gets one new limited release film this week, and it doesn’t look like a winner – while the new Indian film at the Georgetown 14 this week apparently doesn’t have English subtitles.  At least there are some other interesting titles being shown in theaters and elsewhere around the city and state this week. For more on those films – and a complete listing of limited release films opening around the country – read on below….

Adam – This offbeat romantic comedy continues for another week at the Keystone Arts in Indianapolis; click on the theater’s link in the sidebar for show times.

Afghan Star­ – This well-reviewed doc about an “American Idol” style contest in an unlikely place will be shown next Thursday and Friday at the University of Notre Dame’s Browning Cinema in South Bend; follow the theater’s link in the sidebar for more info. More information about the film at the official site.

American Graffiti­ – The only non-science-fiction feature film directed by George Lucas (so far, at least) is now over 35 years old – longer than the time between when the film was set and when it was made.  If you’re in the mood for ‘50s nostalgia, ‘70s style, head down to the historic Artcraft Theatre in Franklin, IN this weekend; click on the Artcraft’s link in the sidebar for show times.

Anjaneyulu – This Telegu-language film (which apparently does not have English subtitles) returns to the Georgetown 14 this week for two shows, on Friday night at 9:30 PM, and on Saturday at 5:30 PM.

At the River I Stand – This 1993 documentary on the Memphis sanitation workers strike of 1968, the civil rights movement, and the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King will be shown at 7:30 on Thursday, September 3, at the Earth House Collective in Indianapolis.  Click on the Earth House link in the sidebar for more information and follow this link for more on the film.

The Brothers Bloom – The offbeat comedy/drama/adventure film will be shown next Thursday and Friday at the University of Notre Dame’s Browning Cinema in South Bend. Click on the theater’s link in the sidebar for more show times.

Fletch­ – Chevy Chase stars in this 1985 comedy, which will be shown at 8 PM on Thursday, September 3 at the Rock Lobster, 820 Broad Ripple Avenue in Indianapolis as a kickoff to a benefit (website) for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation; live music from The Franchize “and more” follows the movie.

Food, Inc. – This well-worth-seeing documentary about America’s food supply keeps hanging in for three more days (Friday through Sunday) at the Keystone Arts, with one showing only (at 12:15) on each of those days.  Food, Inc also starts Friday at the Yes Cinema in Columbus; click on the link in the sidebar for show times.

Goodbye Solo – Playing now through Monday, August 31 at the Lotus Petal Cinema in Nashville; for show time info, click on the Lotus Petal’s link in the sidebar.

Have Sword, Will Travel – The Indiana Film Society will show this 1969 film from Hong Kong at the Jewish Community Center’s Laikin Auditorium on Tuesday, September 1 at 7 PM; admission is free.  I’ll admit my ignorance by saying that I’ve never heard of this one before, but it sounds like it’s worth seeing.

High Fidelity – John Cusack stars in Stephen Frears’ film, which will be closing out the “Summer Nights” series at the Indianapolis Museum of Art this Friday night (weather permitting).  Click on the IMA’s link in the sidebar for more information.

Humpday – This comedy about two straight male friends debating whether to “perform” with each other in a porn film (official site) will apparently bypass Indianapolis theaters, but will be playing this Friday and Saturday at The Ryder in Bloomington.  Click on the link to The Ryder’s site in the sidebar for show times.

The Hurt Locker – Kathryn Bigelow’s high-tension film about a bomb-disposal unit in Iraq continues for another week at the Keystone Arts, but with only one show time per day (at 9 PM); see it while you can!

Josh – A Telegu-language film from India (without English subtitles, as far as I can tell), will be shown at 8 PM on Wednesday, September 2, and Thursday, September 3, according to manoranjaninc.com.  (If you want to see what are described as two trailers for the film, follow this link; since I couldn’t find an official site, this is the next best thing, I guess.)

Kaminey – This interesting, English-subtitled, kind of Tarantino-esque dark comedy from India will have two more shows this week at the Georgetown 14 on Friday night at 7 PM and on Saturday night at 9 PM.

The Lodger – Alfred Hitchcock’s 1927 silent film will be shown at 3 PM on Saturday at the University of Notre Dame’s Browning Cinema in South Bend. Follow the theater’s link in the sidebar for more information.

Moon – Sam Rockwell stars in this intelligent-looking science fiction film, which will be playing this week at the Cinema Center in Fort Wayne; click on their link in the sidebar for show time information.  It will also be shown Friday night at the University of Notre Dame’s Browning Cinema in South Bend.

The Open Road – Jeff Bridges, Justin Timberlake, Mary Steenburgen and Harry Dean Stanton star in this comedy/drama about a legendary baseball player going on a road trip with his son and his son’s girlfriend.  It starts this Friday at the Carmike 20 in Fort Wayne – one of only fourteen (!) U.S. theaters showing The Open Road this week, in spite of the “names” in the cast. More info on the film at the official site.

Paper Heart – The romantic comedy(/pseudo?) documentary with Charlyne Yi and Michael Cera will be shown for another week at AMC’s Castleton 14.

The Rocky Horror Picture Show – The ‘70s cult phenom will be shown at the Georgetown 14 once again this Saturday night at 10 PM.  (Has anyone out there been to one of these screenings?  Are they well-attended – and are people showing up in costumes and with props?)

Rudo y Cursi – Playing now through Monday, August 31 at the Lotus Petal Cinema in Nashville, and also showing through Tuesday at the Cinema Center in Fort Wayne; click on the links for the respective venues in the sidebar for show time information.

Seraphine – This very well-reviewed French film (official site) – based on a true story about a self-taught female artist in early 20th-century France – will apparently bypass Indy, but it starts Friday at the Cinema Center in Fort Wayne; click on their link in the sidebar for days and times it will be shown.

Shrink­ – Kevin Spacey stars in this comedy as a psychiatrist to the stars who has some problems of his own; it starts Friday at the Keystone Arts.  (According to the Keystone Arts website, screenwriter Thomas Moffett will be at the evening shows on Friday and Saturday nights.) The film’s official site is here. Review sites suggest that critics, as a group, have been less than kind – which makes it all the more frustrating that of all the movies we could be getting from the Roadside Attractions/Samuel Goldwyn distribution combine, we get the one with one of the worst set of reviews.  Here are a few of the other, better-sounding movies from RA/SG that will apparently be skipping Indy theaters: the very-well-reviewed documentary The Cove; Paul Giamatti in Cold Souls; American Violet; Michael Keaton starring in and directing The Merry Gentleman; and a personal want-list item, The Stoning of Soraya M. Even the Steve Zahn and Jennifer Aniston film Management is getting substantially better reviews than The Shrink – but it won’t be in any Indy-area theater either, apparently.  Also, most of the above movies have made more money in theaters than Shrink.  Other movies from other distributors that have received better reviews – and made more money than – Shrink include Il Divo­ and the Academy-Award nominated Revanche, but these will also skip Indianapolis theaters, as far as I can tell.  And no, I have not seen Shrink yet; for all I know, it could be a wonderful movie and the mass of critics could be wrong.  But it just seems like an odd movie to bring to the Keystone Arts, considering what else is out there.

Sin Nombre – Starts Thursday, September 3 at the Lotus Petal Cinema in Nashville; for show time info, click on the Lotus Petal’s link in the sidebar.

Sugar – Starts Thursday, September 3 at the Lotus Petal Cinema in Nashville.

Summer Hours­ – Juliette Binoche stars in this French drama from director Olivier Assayas, which will play several times this weekend at the University of Notre Dame’s Browning Cinema in South Bend; for show time info, click on the theater’s link in the sidebar.

Up the Yangtze – This documentary on the Chinese river, and the changes brought about by the building of the massive Three Gorges Dam, will be shown at 6 and 8 PM on Tuesday, September 1, at the Lotus Petal Cinema in Nashville.  The screenings are part of the Lotus Petal’s “Reel Matters” series of documentaries. More information at the film’s official site.

OPENING ELSEWHERE – Another week of multiple movie openings outside of Indiana, with few (if any) destined to see the inside of a theater in this state.  The September Issue already has a poster and preview at the Keystone Arts, so that looks like it has a good chance of making it to Indy – while Mystery Team will supposedly be getting a national release in October.  Of the rest, Big Fan looks like it has enough good reviews (and a sufficiently committed distributor) to possibly make it to Indianapolis, if it sells enough tickets elsewhere – and I hope it does, since it’s one of my picks this week for something I’d like to see in a theater.  The other movies I’d like to see make it to Indy are Still Walking and (again) all of the docs, especially At the Edge of the World and We Live in Public… although I doubt that any of these will get any closer than Chicago.

At the Edge of the World – This is a well-reviewed and award-winning documentary about the efforts of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society to stop a Japanese whaling fleet; it starts Friday in NYC.

Baabarr – This Indian film about children forced into life in the criminal underground supposedly starts Friday somewhere in the US, but I have no idea where.

Big Fan – Patton Oswalt stars in this (reportedly very dark) comedy/drama about a football fan who gets beaten up by his favorite player; it marks the directorial debut of Robert D. Siegel, who wrote The Wrestler. Big Fan starts Friday in NYC and Philadelphia, and is set to be released in a fairly large number of other cities – Indianapolis not yet among them.

Daddy Cool – This Indian film (in the Malayalam language) is one of several starting at theaters in the Phoenix Adlabs chain this week; I admit to knowing very little about any of them.  The other two are Kissan, which appears to be a costume drama (language unknown), and Yeh Mera India, a Hindi-language drama.

Into Temptation – Jeremy Sisto and Kristin Chenoweth stars in this drama about a priest who hears a confession from a prostitute, who claims that she is going to kill herself; it starts Friday at Landmark’s Lagoon Cinema in Minneapolis.

Motherland – This is an award-winning documentary about mothers grieving the loss of a child who go to South Africa to help needy children.  It supposedly starts Friday somewhere in the US, but I haven’t been able to figure out where – and the film’s official site is of no help.  (For what it’s worth, the ever-infallible IMDb claims it opened in the US on March 15.)

Mystery Team – Young, would-be detectives try to solve a mystery in this well-reviewed (on the IMDb, at least) comedy, which starts Friday in Austin; it will then expand out to other cities before getting a national release in October.  I wish the filmmakers well, and I do hope that this really does get a national release – but as for now, I’m skeptical, and I’ll believe it when I see it.

Orgies and the Meaning of Life – OK; this one wins the “best title of the week” award, no contest.  It’s a drama about a writer who has fantasies about orgies, and supposedly contains a mix of live action, animation, and “experimental techniques;” it starts Friday in LA, about two and a half weeks ahead of the DVD release.

The September Issue – This documentary on Anna Wintour and the September, 2007 issue of Vogue – supposedly the most massive single edition of any magazine, ever – starts Friday at several theaters in NYC.

Still Walking – This Japanese film (about survivors who gather to remember a dead family member) starts Friday in NYC; it was directed by Kore-Eda Hirokazu, who also made After Life and Nobody Knows.

The Tent: Life in the Round – A documentary about the Warwick Musical Theatre in Rhode Island; it starts Friday at Showcase Cinemas in Warwick, RI.

This Beautiful City – This 2007 Canadian drama supposedly starts Friday somewhere in the US, but I haven’t been able to determine where.

We Live in Public – Director Ondi Timoner has won the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance twice (once for this movie), and advance reviews for this doc – about artist and Internet millionaire Josh Harris and the other people who live in a setting under constant video-camera surveillance – have been very good to excellent.  We Live in Public starts Friday in NYC.

Wednesday, September 2

Liverpool – This Argentinian film about a sailor who returns to his hometown (the city at the furthest point south in Argentina) in search of his mother starts next Wednesday at the Anthology Film Archives in NYC.

Unmade Beds – This British comedy/drama about young emigrants in London starts Friday in NYC.

NEXT WEEK AND BEYOND – The Keystone Arts website now indicates that music documentary Soul Power is scheduled to start at that theater next Friday. Tetro and Little Ashes were in the “Coming Soon” section of the weekly email from the Keystone Arts last week, but their web site still doesn’t have a start date for either film.  (This is getting to be a running gag… “still no sign of Tetro and Little Ashes….”) And the only title on manoranjaninc.com’s “coming soon” list for the Georgetown 14 is What’s Your Raashee?, which also has no start date as of yet.