Here are some films we may not be seeing in September much less the rest of the year. When the Angelika closed all of a sudden this weekend it was almost like a death in the family. Many films handled by small distributors are now orphans with no theater to call their own. At least not in Houston. There’s always the possibility that some of these films will find a berth at existing theaters, but like anything else these other existing cinemas already have schedules and contracts that have been hammered out months ago. Animal Kingdom – highly lauded Australian ... Read More »

Takers takes more than it gives. A fast paced ensemble heist movie Takers shows off a cast of impossibly handsome criminals, some of whom produced the film. After a brilliantly executed robbery followed by a skyscraper escape via helicopter the gang tries to lay low until they flee the country with their millions. Only a former associate just out of the pen contacts them and offers another job with an even bigger payload. Meanwhile a federal agent, a grim Matt Dillon, goes after the gang with only vague clues to their identity. The plotting shows occasional flare and tinges of ... Read More »

My living room just became the second biggest art house in Houston overnight.  The Angelika Film Center shuttered its doors this morning. For the last few months, this is summertime remember, they only ran air conditioned in the theaters (all eight of them) but not in the cavernous lobby. That leaves the Landmark River Oaks 3 as the only movie theater dedicated to alternative fare. Right now they are running Get Low, The Kids Are All Right, and Mao’s Last Dancer. Among the films that the Angelika opened this weekend or were going to open in the next three weeks ... Read More »

Sitting through Life During Wartime has a slight resemblance to listening in to a psychiatric session with writer/director Todd Solandz. There’s no connection to the Talking Heads song “Life During Wartime” although there is a song with that title heard during Solandz’s film, one time sung by Shirley Henderson, one of several actors in the expert ensemble cast. Life During Wartime unrolls with the best cinematic intentions. The lighting and composition has rarely been better in an art film, and the acting is simply stunning. Who would’ve thought you’d be jolted with electric perfs in a single film by Henderson, ... Read More »

Centurion is a film for people who thought that Gladiator wasn’t violent enough or that King Arthur was not realistic enough. In truth, the recent Bruckheimer produced King Arthur was very realistic in depicting Romans in England and their dealing with the Picts or Celtic tribes of that era. Centurion is set in 177 A.D., and brims with wooly period clothing, thatched huts and wooden forts, as well as a sense of the Romans succumbing to the Picts style of guerilla warfare. As far as the violent tone of Centurion consider that writer/director Neil Marshall also helmed the horror film ... Read More »

Although I’ve not personally been able to get through to Rice University prez myself (surprise surprise), I still feel obligated to explain his perfidy to everyone who is concerned but might not know exactly what went on with the sale of KTRU. Amid all of the chaos, I feel like it would be beneficial to restate the origins of the sale and the manner in which it was handled. I got the idea after I had a few beers with a DJ I won’t name to protect him from any bullshit he might catch. Hopefully by doing this I can ... Read More »

Animal Kingdom pounces on the audience with its brilliant portrayal of a family unit bound by crime and the police detective who wants to take them down. Even weeks after seeing Animal Kingdom certain images are etched in my mind mainly due to the way writer/director David Michid offers such a unique p.o.v. of events. When one main character gets killed in the first reel the succession of cuts leaves you wondering (I am wondering at this moment.) who drew their weapon first. An eventual trial doesn’t unwind in an actual courtroom but plays out in a museum where we ... Read More »

Cairo Time operates in its own unique zone of comfort. This two-character drama, set in Cairo, Egypt, allows the leads (Patricia Clarkson and Alexander Siddig) to dominate the film in equal parts with the bustling city itself. More than once we’re treated to splendid views of the Great Pyramid. Director Ruba Nadda finds repeating visual motifs that crisscross between Clarkson’s Juliette in her sun soaked hotel suite and her strolling about the city. Some shots detail cityscapes or throngs of people in the street, while other scenes lyrically loom, for instance, on the stillness of the Nile. This is an ... Read More »

Now that the rumored purchase has occurred and Rice’s KTRU studios will now be under the control of Clear Channel affiliated U of H there is little that we outraged listeners can do but show our solidarity. Luckily this Sunday, at 2:00 PM, there will be a peaceful demonstration, at Rice University, just for that purpose. The event is well-organized, has a noise permit, and the approval of Rice University. There will be water stations, police officers, and an EMT on site. To set the mood, there will be also be a series of speakers including a few of KTRU’s ... Read More »

You really want to like Mao’s Last Dancer but in the end the film won’t let you make that deep of a commitment. Films like MLD strike an ambivalent tone with me. The high points are magical moments involving history as well as ballet plus the way the production incorporates actual Houston locations with Australian-lensed Houston locations. The downside would be the film’s movie-of-the-week trajectory. The script invests so much time making the protagonist’s first marriage an emotional sticking point only to jettison its importance in favor of a second marriage that just pops up unexplained. The lead character is ... Read More »