CineFile is our weekly digest of the best in Dallas’ under-the-radar cinematic fare—from indie movies, to documentaries, to foreign films, to re-screenings of the (cult) classics. Here’s what you could be watching:
Dirty Wars (2013)
Documentary
Dir.: Richard Rowley
Runtime: 87 min.
The Texas Theatre
Thursday, February 6, at 7 pm
Based on the book by The Nation correspondent Jeremy Scahill, this Oscar-nominated documentary explores the ramifications of the borderless War on Terror, focusing on the inconvenient—and legally suspect—truths of the United States’ military operations in the Middle East and Africa.
This screening is part of The Texas Theatre’s Oscar-Nominated Documentary series. Watch the five feature-length and five short documentaries leading up to the Academy Awards on March 2.
BTW: Attend all 10 screenings and win a free VIP badge for the upcoming 2014 Oak Cliff Film Festival (June 19-22).
Casablanca (1942)
Romance
Dir.: Michael Curtiz
Runtime: 102 min.
Angelika Film Center & Cafe – Dallas
Thursday, February 6, at 7 pm
Rick Blaine must choose between love and duty in this classic romance set during the Second World War and starring Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman.
The Act of Killing (2013)
Documentary
Dir.: Joshua Oppenheimer
Runtime: 122 min.
The Texas Theatre
Friday, February 7, at 7 pm
Saturday, February 8, at 6:30 pm
Sunday, February 9, at 6 pm
Alamo Drafthouse Cinema
Friday, February 7, at 10 pm
Saturday, February 8, at 10 pm
Sunday, February 9, at 10 pm
One of the most innovative and arresting documentaries in recent memory, The Act of Killing is the story of Indonesian warlords who led an anti-communist purge in the wake of the failed 30 September Movement coup in 1965. The warlords—today leaders of a right-wing paramilitary organization—are invited to tell the story of the genocide they executed, to re-enact the killings for the camera. Their re-creations are depicted using the styles of the warlords’ favorite cinematic genres, including crime, Western, and musical.
From Russia With Love (1963)
Spy Thriller
Dir.: Terence Young
Runtime: 115 min.
Alamo Drafthouse Cinema
Friday, February 7, at 7:15 pm
The second Bond film features Sean Connery as the MI6 agent who works-plays-kills in Turkey, where global terror syndicate SPECTRE plans to avenge the killing of evil genius Dr. No. The Italian actress Daniela Bianchi is Bond girl; (007 tidbit: Bianchi, 21 when she starred in From Russia, remains the youngest-ever Bond girl).
Interior. Leather Bar. (2013)
Drama
Dir.: James Franco, Travis Mathews
Runtime: 60 min.
The Texas Theatre
Friday, February 7, at 9:30 pm
Saturday, February 8, at 9 pm
Sunday, February 9, at 8:30 pm
Jack-of-all-trades James Franco essays film direction in this reimagining and contextualization of the controversial, excised SM scenes from the 1980 gay-themed thriller Cruising. Fair warning: it’s billed as experimental. Highly recommended for those who lap up Franco’s I’m-A-Real-Artist! shtick.
West Side Story (1961)
Musical, Romance
Dir.: Robert Wise, Jerome Robbins
Runtime: 152 min.
Alamo Drafthouse Cinema
Sunday, February 9, at 12:30 pm
The Jets and the Sharks battle on the streets of Manhattan’s West Side, while Tony (white; Jet-affiliated) and Maria (Puerto Rican; Shark-affiliated) fall in love.
