Thinking Outside the Multiplex in Indiana (December 30, 2011)
by HELEN GEIB
No new openings in another quiet week outside the multiplex- although with six movies listed not quite as quiet as last week. The good news is that part of the reason pickings are slim is that quality movies for adults are currently vying for our attention inside the multiplex. More good news: winter break ends next week on the repertory theater circuit.
TOTM aspires to completeness! If you know of a limited release film, special screening, festival, or other movie-related event coming up, or something happening this week that isn’t listed here, please leave a comment or send me an email using the “contact us” form.
Note: Title links lead to the movie’s official website.
THEATRICAL HOLDOVERS (AND “RE-OPENINGS”)
The Artist- The movie of the year for cineastes. From the Landmark’s website: “Hollywood 1927. Silent movie matinee idol George Valentin (Jean Dujardin)… meets funny, sexy young extra Peppy Miller (Bérénice Bejo), a dancer set for a big break, and sparks fly. The Artist is the charming and poignant story of their interlinked destinies—a delightful valentine to the love of cinema, with a tip of the hat to Singin’ in the Rain and A Star Is Born. Writer/director Michel Hazanavicius daringly shot the film completely in the style of a silent feature, in black and white and without sound (with a few striking exceptions), filmed on location in Hollywood, set to a wonderful original score by Ludovic Bource.” The Artist continues at the Landmark Theatres Keystone Art Cinema.
The Descendants- A man who has been drifting away from his marriage and his daughters is forced to re-examine his life when his wife is critically injured. George Clooney stars in the new film from indie favorite Alexander Payne (About Schmidt, Sideways). My cautionary note last week proved unnecessary. Ticket sales must be brisk because The Descendants holds over at the Landmark Theatres Keystone Art Cinema in Indianapolis, AMC Showplace Indianapolis 17, AMC Showplace Bloomington 12, AMC Showplace Schererville 16, Rave Cinemas Jefferson Pointe 18 in Fort Wayne, Rave Cinemas Metropolis 18 in Plainfield, Goodrich Quality Theaters Hamilton 16 IMAX in Noblesville, Regal Village Park 17 in Carmel, and the Showplace Cinemas East 18 in Evansville.
Don 2- A lot of people must have enjoyed Don (2006) a lot more than I did because the sequel is one of the year’s major Bollywood releases. It holds over at the Republic Theaters Georgetown 14 in Indianapolis and at the Rave Cinemas Jefferson Pointe 18 in Fort Wayne (at reduced showtimes). Shahrukh Khan reprises his role as the titular criminal mastermind.
My Week With Marilyn- That’s Marilyn Monroe, and she’s played by Michelle Williams in this dramatization of an interlude in the filming of The Prince and the Showgirl. My Week With Marilyn expanded last week beyond my limit for listing all the theaters where it’s playing.
FESTIVALS, REPERTORY SCREENINGS, AND MORE
For additional information on venues and showtimes, follow the links under “Outside the Multiplex” in the sidebar.
Franklin’s Artcraft Theatre, Shelbyville’s Strand Theatre, the Ryder Film Series in Bloomington, Cinematheque for All in West Lafayette, South Bend’s DeBartolo Performing Arts Center, and Fort Wayne’s Cinema Center @ Indiana Tech are all on winter break.
Indianapolis and Central Indiana
The documentary Eames: The Architect and the Painter will be shown on Thursday at 7 in the IMA’s Toby Theater. From the event page: “The husband-and-wife team of Charles and Ray Eames are widely regarded as America’s most important designers. Perhaps best remembered for their mid-century plywood and fiberglass furniture, the Eames Office also created a mind-bending variety of other products, from splints for wounded military during World War II, to photography, interiors, multi-media exhibits, graphics, games, films and toys.” Tickets are $5 ($3 for IMA members).
Southern Indiana
The IU Cinema in Bloomington starts up again on Thursday at 7 with a showing of an episode from the TV mini-series Downton Abbey, which follows the upstairs/downstairs lives of residents of a country house in Edwardian England.
NEXT WEEK AND BEYOND
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is set to open at the Keystone Art Cinema in Indy on January 6.
The 2012 Winter Nights film series is every Friday night in January and February in the IMA’s Toby Theater. The theme is Technicolor and the lineup includes Douglas Fairbanks’ great silent adventure The Black Pirate (showing as the first half of a double feature with The Mystery of the Wax Museum), Technicolor masters Powell and Pressburger’s A Matter of Life and Death, and John Ford’s tribute to the Emerald Isle, The Quiet Man. Buy a series ticket and see one film for free.
The Artcraft has a nice lineup of classics in its winter program, including Arsenic and Old Lace, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, and Meet Me in St Louis. The full January/February schedule is available on their website.
Lots and lots to look forward to at the IU Cinema. I’m excited about February’s three-film series “Dickens at 200” headlined by the 1922 David Copperfield, which will be accompanied by a new orchestral score commissioned for the event.
A Fathom Event for Kevin Smith fans: “Kevin Smith, independent film pioneer, is coming back to the big screen for a one night event on Thursday, February 2. Broadcast LIVE from the Scotiabank Theatre in Toronto, Ontario, Kevin Smith: Live From Behind Featuring “Jay and Silent Bob Get Old” will be a unique opportunity for fans all over the country to interact with Kevin Smith, ask him questions, etc. The three-hour event will begin with Smith (Silent Bob) and frequent co-star Jason Mewes (Jay) hosting their highly rated podcast, “Jay and Silent Bob Get Old” followed by a live interactive Q&A with theater audiences across the US.” Check the Fathom website (listed in the Outside the Multiplex sidebar) for more info.
Films and events scheduled for next Friday:
“Winter Nights” double feature at the IMA: The Black Pirate and Mystery of the Wax Museum
Jailhouse Rock at the Artcraft
Being Elmo: A Puppeteer’s Journey at the IU Cinema
