Thinking Outside the Multiplex

by MIKE MACCOLLUM

This week sees the arrival of Blood Creek at our two area Cinemarks and the Georgetown 14, along with the debut of a Bollywood romantic comedy at the Georgetown 14 and the first public screening of the made-in-Indianapolis romantic comedy Amanda. There will also be a number of other interesting things to see in Indianapolis and around the state, as usual. Read on below for more on these films and for the complete listing of limited release films opening around the country.

The African Queen – A 35mm print of this classic film will be shown at 8 PM this Friday night at the historic Artcraft Theatre in Franklin; it’s part of the 25th Anniversary Celebration of Franklin Heritage, Inc. The celebration starts with cocktails at 6 PM; a presentation by Franklin Heritage Inc. follows at 7:30. Admission for the event is $30.00 at the door, or $25.00 in advance. Click on the Artcraft Theatre’s link in the sidebar for more information.

The Age of Stupid Live from New York – Pete Postlethwaite stars in a docudrama set in a future time that looks back at why humans of the 21st century did not bother to stop global warming in time. The film is just part of the event, however – it will be followed by a discussion session featuring (among others) Postlethwaite, Kofi Anon, Radiohead’s Thom Yorke, Gillian Anderson, and Age of Stupid director Fanny Armstrong (who also made McLibel). This one-time event will take place at 7:30 PM, Monday, September 21, at the Castleton 14, Galaxy 14, and Kerasotes Showplace 16 and IMAX in Indianapolis, along with the Hamilton 16 in Noblesville, and other venues around the state. Follow this link for more information.

Amanda – This locally-made romantic comedy has its first public screening at 7 PM on Tuesday, September 25 at the Keystone Arts. According to the film’s official site, this screening is already sold out, but another local showing of the film may take place later on. A Metromix article about the film is here.

Bhramaram – This Malayalam-language movie – which apparently does not have English subtitles – will be shown at the Georgetown 14 in Indianapolis at 12:30 PM on Saturday, September 18, and at 7 PM on Tuesday, September 22, according to the manoranjaninc.com site. The official site for Bhramaram describes it as a suspense film about a wandering man who changes the lives of many people; there were no English subtitles on the parts of the trailer that I saw on the official site, for whatever that’s worth.

Blood Creek – It appears that Lionsgate is dumping another non-Saw horror/suspense/thriller film straight into second run theatres this week, just as they did with Midnight Meat Train a while back. Blood Creek was directed by Joel Schumacher and stars Dominic Purcell, Henry Cavill, Michael Fassbender (from Inglourious Basterds) and Emma Booth; it seems to have been sitting on the shelf for about two years now. The links on the Cinemark pages for their local theatres take you to the IMDb page for another movie with the same title, but when I called the Greenwood Cinemark yesterday, a helpful employee there took a look at the poster, and said that this Blood Creek stars Purcell and Cavill. Also, the movietickets.com “schedule” page for the Georgetown 14 takes you to a listing for the Schumacher-directed film with this title. There doesn’t seem to be any critical buzz out there for this one yet, since Lionsgate seems to be doing their best to hide Blood Creek from critics; if you want to look it up on the IMDb, it’s under another title (Town Creek), so I’ll just include the link. If you miss Blood Creek in theatres this week, by the way, you can probably find it on DVD around Halloween; maybe the words “2009 Theatrical Release!” will be emblazoned on the DVD box. If Blood Creek is playing at any theatres anywhere outside of the Indianapolis market, I haven’t heard about it yet.

Burma VJ – This documentary – about a 2007 uprising in Myanmar/Burma, and shot by an independent group of journalists in that country – will be shown this weekend at The Ryder in Bloomington; click on their website’s link in the sidebar for more information.

The Casting – The Casting is a fourteen minute, four channel video installation which opened last Friday at the Indianapolis Museum of Art and continues through March 14. According to the IMA’s website, the piece intercuts excerpts from the artist’s conversations with a soldier about to leave for his second tour of duty in Iraq with footage of actors mimicking the dialogue. Click on the IMA’s link in the sidebar for more information.>

Departures – This Japanese comedy/drama about a suddenly-unemployed man and his unexpected new job as an “encoffiner” – which won an Academy Award as the Best Foreign Language Film of the Year – will be shown at the University of Notre Dame’s Browning Cinema at 3 PM on Sunday, September 20. Go to the link for the Browning Cinema in the sidebar for more information.

Dil Bole Hadippa! – Shahid Kapoor and Rani Mukherji star in this Bollywood romantic comedy about a woman pretending to be a man in order to play on a cricket team. It starts Friday at the Georgetown 14, and will play there through Monday, according to the manoranjaninc.com site – but the movietickets.com “schedule” page for the G14 says it will also be there Tuesday through Thursday at 8 PM. (You might want to call the theater in advance if you are planning on seeing the film Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday.) Several online sites say that the film’s title translates to something along the lines of “My Heart Goes Hurray!” More information at the distributor’s page for the film.

Earth Days – A documentary about the modern environmentalist movement from the first Earth Day in 1970 to the present time, Earth Days will be shown at the University of Notre Dame’s Browning Cinema at 6:30 and 9:30 PM on Thursday, September 24. Go to the link for the Browning Cinema in the sidebar for more information.

Eureka 7: Good Night, Good Luck, Sleep Tight – This English-dubbed anime will receive a one-time-only-screening at 7:30 PM on Thursday, September 24 at the Castleton 14 and Kerasotes Showplace 16 and IMAX in Indianapolis, along with the Hamilton 16 in Noblesville, and other venues around the state. Other special “bonus features” will also be included in the presentation. Click on this link for the Fathom Events Eureka 7 page for more information.

Food, Inc. – This well-done (no pun intended) documentary on America’s food supply will be showing at the Fort Wayne Cinema Center this week; click on the theater’s link in the sidebar for show time information.

In the Loop – The well-reviewed satirical comedy will be at the Fort Wayne Cinema Center this week; click on the theater’s link in the sidebar for show time information.

Kabei: Our Mother -Yoji Yamada – who also made the excellent Twilight Samurai – directed this Japanese drama about a mother trying to help her family make it through hard times in World War 2-era Japan. Kabei: Our Mother will be showing through Monday, September 21 at the Lotus Petal Cinema in Nashville; click on the theater’s link in the sidebar for more information.

Lynch Mob – A Mafioso is sent by the witness protection program to a Georgia town where the residents are all flesh-eaters – eaters of human flesh, that is – in a film described on its official site as a “Mafia, Cannibal, Zombie Horror Film.” Lynch Mob starts Friday at the Carmike 20 in Fort Wayne, the Encore 14 in Elkhart, and at other Carmike theatres across the country.

Manhattan Short Film Festival – This event featuring twelve short films from around the world starts on Thursday, September 24 at Whittenberger Auditorium at IU-Bloomington and continues through the weekend. Not only does the festival feature films from around the world, it will be taking place at venues across the globe as well. (Another venue in Indiana, the H. J. Ricks Centre for the Arts in Greenfield, apparently will feature the festival only on Friday, September 25.) If you go, you get to vote for your favorite film of the fest.

Mayweather vs. Marquez – Boxers Floyd “Money” Mayweather and Juan Manuel Marquez face off live on the big screen in this event, which will take place at 8:30 PM on Saturday, September 19 at the Kerasotes Showplace 16 and IMAX in Indianapolis, along with the Hamilton 16 in Noblesville and other venues around the state. Click on this link for Fathom Event’s “M v. M” page for more information.

Moon- Continues for another week at the Kerasotes ShowPlace East 11 in Bloomington.

My One and Only – Renee Zellweger and Kevin Bacon star in the only film playing at the Keystone Arts this week (besides Amanda) that is not now and never has been in wide release in US theaters. (That doesn’t mean that the other movies at the theater this week aren’t “art” movies, or that they aren’t good movies – and it doesn’t automatically mean that this is a good movie. Still, I thought that it was a distinction worth noting, even if only in passing.) I haven’t seen it, but the reviews for this comedy/drama seem to have been mostly positive.

New York – This dramatic film from India about several friends whose lives become entangled with terrorism will be shown through Monday, September 21 at the Lotus Petal Cinema in Nashville, IN. Click on the theater’s link in the sidebar for information on show times.

Ninth Annual Media That Matters Film Festival – There wasn’t really anything about this beyond the title at the Lotus Petal’s website the last time I checked, but it will take place at that theater on Tuesday, September 22 at 6 and 8 PM – and again one week after that at the same times. Check the Lotus Petal link in the sidebar for any additional updates that may have been added since the deadline for this column.

Oranjefest Indy 2009 – This annual event – which takes place this Saturday from 8 PM to 2 AM at 2323 N. Illinois Street – will feature an “Indie Film Lounge” courtesy of the Indianapolis International Film Festival, according to the event’s official site – but there is no word on exactly what they will be showing, as far as I can tell. (I couldn’t find anything on the film festival’s site either.) I was at the 2008 Oranje, and a number of cool short subjects from past IIFFs were shown on an outdoor screen – so maybe something like that will take place again this year. Also, from midnight to 12:30 AM in the Basilica Tent, a combination video art/live music event will take place. Go to the event’s official site for more information.

Paper Heart – Starts Friday at the Kerasotes Stadium 16 in Evansville.

Red Lion – Toshiro Mifune stars in director Kihachi Okamoto’s film about a peasant who impersonates a military officer; it will be shown at 7 PM on Tuesday, September 22, at the Jewish Community Center in Indianapolis. Admission is free for this film, which is part of the Indiana Film Society’s “Time Capsule 1969” series. (As with the previous film in this series, I’ve never heard of this one – but it definitely sounds like it is worth checking out.)

The Rocky Horror Picture Show – That 70s cult movie has another showing at 10 PM this Saturday night at the Georgetown 14 in Indianapolis.

Thomas and Friends: Hero of the Rails – The Georgetown 14 will be showing this children’s film daily at 1 PM this week.

Trouble the Water – This documentary about Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath in New Orleans will be screened at the University of Notre Dame’s Browning Cinema at 6:30 and 9:30 PM on Friday, September 18. Follow the link for the Browning Cinema in the sidebar for more information.

Tulpan – The Ryder in Bloomington will be showing this realistic drama (which received a number of excellent reviews) again this weekend; click on the theater’s link in the sidebar for more information.

Waterlife – According to its official website, this Canadian documentary “follows the epic cascade of the Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean. From the icy cliffs of Lake Superior to the ornate fountains of Chicago to the sewers of Windsor, this feature-length documentary tells the story of the last huge supply (20 per cent) of fresh water on Earth.” Waterlife will be shown at 7 PM on Thursday, September 24 at the Earth House Collective in Indianapolis; admission is $5.00. Click on the Earth House link in the sidebar for more info.

The Wizard of Oz 70th Anniversary Celebration in Hi-Def – Yes, the film itself will be a part of this event – and they’re even going to project it in its original aspect ratio. That shouldn’t be too surprising, though, since TCM’s Robert Osborne will introduce the film before the screening, which will be followed by a documentary on how L. Frank Baum’s book was made into a film; other special features will also be a part of the presentation. This one-time-only event will take place at 7 PM on Wednesday, September 23, at the Castleton 14, Galaxy 14, and Kerasotes Showplace 16 and IMAX in Indianapolis, along with the Hamilton 16 in Noblesville, and other venues around the state. Follow this link for the Fathom Event’s Wizard of Oz page for more information.

OPENING ELSEWHERE – As happens most weeks, a fairly large number of movies are opening out of state this Friday- and most of them will die and go to DVD and/or video on demand and cable in fairly short order, with little or no additional theatrical exposure. This week, however, one title mentioned below (Paris) actually has an Indianapolis play date scheduled on its official website, and another (Capitalism: A Love Story) will hit Indy as part of an upcoming wide release – while a few others (Bright Star, The Burning Plain and Disgrace) may make it to Indy as well. All of these movies look promising to me (OK, maybe not The Burning Plain) – but for some reason I am looking forward to Paris the most. Meanwhile, The Secrets of Jonathan Perry is currently scheduled to play at the Kerasotes Showplace 11 in Richmond, IN, on October 2. That is the only Indiana theatre on the film’s official web site at this time – but something tells me that it may well be at other Indiana theatres as well, either before or after October 2.

Bright Star – Jane Campion directed this drama about the love affair between poet John Keats (Ben Whishaw) and Fanny Brawne (Abbie Cornish). Bright Star starts Friday in NYC, and possibly elsewhere as well; it’s kind of hard to tell, though, since neither of the official sites that I found for this movie has anything like a convenient listing of theatres showing the film. (Thanks a lot, by the way, to everyone who thinks that furshlugginer sites like these are a good idea. I have no idea how difficult it would be to add a simple list of theatres, cities, and release dates to a web page for a movie in limited release – but lots of movie sites seem to do it, so it apparently can’t be all that difficult, time-consuming and/or expensive.)

The Burning Plain – Guillermo Arriaga – who wrote the screenplays for Amores Perros, 21 Grams, The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada and Babel, among others – makes his directorial debut with this drama, which stars Charlize Theron, Kim Basinger and Jennifer Lawrence; Joaquim de Almeida, John Corbett and Robin Tunney are in the supporting cast. The trailer – which looks just okay – has been showing a lot at the Keystone Arts in recent weeks, but there is no Indianapolis booking for the film as of yet on its official site. Since the company distributing the film is a corporate sibling of the Landmark Theatres chain, it would make sense that The Burning Plain would show up at the Keystone Arts, especially with that cast; on the other hand, it doesn’t look like critics have been very positive about the film, so it might not make it to Indy after all. The Burning Plain starts Friday at twenty theatres across the US.

Devil Girl – This (apparently) low-budgeted horror film is getting released on one screen in Tempe, Arizona on September 18 and 19, and will be shown at the Times Square Art Center in NYC on September 18. The DVD release is scheduled for November 10.

Disgrace – John Malkovich stars as a South African professor facing disgrace (see title) after an affair with a student. The reviews for this one have been very positive so far; it starts Friday in NYC. As with Bright Star, it is being released by a new company, which makes me think its chances of making it to Indianapolis aren’t as great as they might be otherwise, given Malkovich’s presence and the reviews; it doesn’t help matters that the distributor apparently doesn’t have an official website for the film as of yet.

Fatal Promises – This documentary about human trafficking in the era of globalization actually opened on Wednesday, September 16 in NYC, I thought that I should include it this week because I don’t like to overlook any movie that I know about while it is in theatrical release; besides, it sounds like an interesting movie that I would like to see.

FUNUKE: Show Some Love, You Losers! – A dark dramedy from Japan about (yet another) dysfunctional family, this film starts Friday for a one-week run at the Viz Cinema in San Francisco.

Harmony and Me – This “slacker comedy” about a man determined to stay depressed after a devastating break-up with his girlfriend makes its US theatrical debut this Friday at the Museum of Modern Art in NYC; Justin Rice and Kevin Corrigan are in the cast.

If One Thing Matters: A Film About Wolfgang Tillmans – I had never heard of Tillmans before I saw the listing for this movie, but that probably doesn’t say a lot for me or my narrow interests. For anyone else out there in the dark, Tillmans is an award-winning photographer who is apparently quite a big deal in the art world right now. This documentary about the man and his work starts Friday in NYC.

Jordon Saffron: Taste This – Rachel Hunter is top-billed in this mockumentary about a Hollywood chef facing a number of personal crises; it starts Friday in LA.

Live Evil – Indiana-based theatrical distributor Monogram Releasing will supposedly have this vampire movie starring Tim Thomerson, Ken Foree and Tiffany Shepis on “300” screens starting this Friday, but I have my doubts – there isn’t a link to specific theatres from the film’s official site, and the Monogram Releasing site apparently doesn’t have a date for the film’s release yet. Still, I thought this might be worth mentioning here, just in case this does show up on some US screens this Friday.

The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers – This documentary with the marquee-busting title is another one that actually opened (in NYC) on September 16. As with Fatal Promises, I include it here because I am a completist – and again, because I would like to see the film.

Paris – Juliette Bincoche is top-billed in this film from director Cedric Klaplisch; it’s a multi-character drama set in (you guessed it) the city of lights. The official site for this film says that it starts Friday in NYC and LA; it is scheduled to show up on October 9 at the Keystone Arts.

Pretty Ugly People – Missi Pyle stars in this comedy about a terminally-ill woman trying to reunite her now-dispersed college friends for a hiking trip; Allison Janney and William Sanderson are in the supporting cast. Pretty Ugly People starts Friday in LA.

Puthiya Mukham – I know next to nothing about this movie, other than it apparently comes from India, and that it starts Friday at one of the theatres in the Phoenix Adlabs chain. (Or did it already start somewhere else before? I can’t tell; I am including it here just in case Friday really is the film’s opening day.)

The Secrets of Jonathan Sperry – Jansen Panettiere – Hayden’s younger brother – is one of the stars of this drama, but veteran actor Gavin MacLeod plays the title role, and MacLeod’s fellow 70s sitcom veteran Robert Guillaume is in it as well. The Secrets of Jonathan Sperry is about a young man learning about life from an older neighbor; it starts Friday on over 100 screens across the US.

35 Shots of Rum – Acclaimed French filmmaker Claire Denis directed this film about a father and daughter whose isolated lives start to change when both find love. 35 Shots of Rum starts Friday in NYC.

Wanted – This Indian film about a criminal looking for love starts Friday in NYC, LA, and at several other theatres across the country in the Phoenix Adlabs chain; Salman Khan and Om Puri are featured in the cast.

Wednesday, September 23

Capitalism, A Love Story – Michael Moore’s latest documentary (hmmm – wonder what it’s about) starts Wednesday in NYC and LA; it goes into national release (apparently including the Keystone Arts) on October 2.

In Search of Beethoven – The composer, that is, not the dog. This documentary about Ludwig von B. interviews a number of experts on the composer, and also features several performances of his works. In Search of Beethoven starts Wednesday in NYC.

NEXT WEEK AND BEYOND – The official site for the Keystone Arts now says that Thirst has been pushed forward by a week, and is currently set to open on September 25 – the same day that The September Issue is also scheduled to open at that theater. Other films with tentative dates at the Keystone Arts (as of now, at least) are Capitalism: A Love Story on October 2 and Paris on October 9 (both as mentioned above), Yoo-Hoo Mrs. Goldberg on October 16, and The Damned United and The Boys Are Back (both sometime in October).

Meanwhile, the manoranjaninc.com site has added one title – Main aurr Mrs. Khanna, which appears to be a romantic drama about three people whose lives intersect at an airport – to its page. This film is now scheduled to be shown twice on Friday, October 16 at the Georgetown 14 in Indianapolis. I suspect that additional showings will be added later – especially since this is being promoted as the big movie for the Diwali holiday – but we shall see…