No way around it—the MSPIFF screenings kind of overwhelm this week's listings. But there are other movie's worth checking on, if you look closely.
Special Screenings
Thursday, April 11
Anchorman (2004)
Grandview 1&2
Probably safest for me to keep my opinions about this one to myself. $12. 9:15 p.m. Saturday 11:59 p.m. More info here.
Shadow of a Doubt (1943)
The Heights
Joseph Cotten at his best. $12. 7:30 p.m. More info here.
Sing Sing (2023)
The Main
Colman Domingo is an unjustly incarcerated man who finds meaning in a prison theater program. Part of the Minnesota-St. Paul International Film Festival. $10/$15. 7 & 7:15 p.m. More info here.
Django Unchained (2012)
The Parkway
Tarantino does spaghetti blaxploitation. $9/$12. Pre-show trivia at 7:30 p.m. Movie at 8 p.m. More info here.
Ape x Mecha Ape: New World Order (2024)
Trylon
Oh, poor Sean Young. Hasn't she endured enough? $8. 5 p.m. More info here.
Still We Rise (2022)
Walker Art Center
A documentary about the rise of the Aboriginal land rights movement in Australia in the '70s. Also Friday. $12/$15. 7 p.m. More info here.
Friday, April 12
Name Me Lawand (2023)
The Main
The family of a deaf Kurdish boy learning to communicate in the U.K. is threatened with deportation. Part of the Minnesota-St. Paul International Film Festival. $10/$15. 11:20 a.m. More info here.
The Gospel of the Beast (2023)
The Main
A Filipino boy is schooled for a life of crime by his uncle. Part of the Minnesota-St. Paul International Film Festival. $10/$15. 11:30 a.m. Saturday 9:40 p.m. More info here.
Story and Pictures By (2023)
The Main
A doc about several of today’s premier children’s picture book authors. Part of the Minnesota-St. Paul International Film Festival. $10/$15. 11:30 a.m. Saturday 11 a.m. More info here.
Sujo (2024)
The Main
The orphan son of a drug cartel kingpin struggles with his father's legacy. Part of the Minnesota-St. Paul International Film Festival. $10/$15. 11:40 a.m. Wednesday 2:15 p.m. More info here.
A Ravaging Wind (2023)
The Main
An Evangelical father and daughter are traveling through the Argentine countryside when their car breaks down. Part of the Minnesota-St. Paul International Film Festival. $10/$15. 12 p.m. More info here.
Guardians of the Formula (2023)
The Main
In this Cold War thriller, Yugoslavs working to achieve nuclear fission are sent to France for medical treatment after an accident. Part of the Minnesota-St. Paul International Film Festival. $10/$15. 1:30 p.m. Sunday 11;10 a.m. More info here.
The Movie Teller (2023)
The Main
In a poor Chilean mining town in the 1960s, a woman retells the stories of movies she sees to people too poor to go themselves. Part of the Minnesota-St. Paul International Film Festival. $10/$15. 1:30 p.m. Saturday 7:20 p.m. Tuesday 4:20 p.m. More info here.
Tomorrow Is a Long Time (2023)
The Main
A coming of age story about a poor young man in Singapore. Part of the Minnesota-St. Paul International Film Festival. $10/$15. 1:30 p.m. Tuesday 7:15 p.m. More info here.
Maestra (2023)
The Main
A documentary about an intense competition among female conductors. Part of the Minnesota-St. Paul International Film Festival. $10/$15. 2:20 p.m. More info here.
All To Play For (2023)
The Main
After an accident, a French working mother must fend off child protective services. Part of the Minnesota-St. Paul International Film Festival. $10/$15. 2:30 p.m. More info here.
Green Border (2023)
The Main
The great Polish director Agnieszka Holland views Europe’s refugee crisis from the vantage point of the border between Poland and Belarus. Part of the Minnesota-St. Paul International Film Festival. $10/$15. 3:50 p.m. Sunday 6:50 p.m. More info here.
Kidnapped (2023)
The Main
The Church seizes a Jewish child in 19th century Italy. Part of the Minnesota-St. Paul International Film Festival. $10/$15. 4 p.m. Sunday 7:20 p.m. More info here.
The Convert (2023)
The Main
Guy Pearce is a 19th century New Zealand preacher shocked by his flock’s racism against the Maori. Part of the Minnesota-St. Paul International Film Festival. $10/$15. 4:10 p.m. More info here.
Mambar Pierrette (2023)
The Main
A Cameroon seamstress suffers disastrous setbacks. Part of the Minnesota-St. Paul International Film Festival. $10/$15. 4:30 p.m. More info here.
The Burdened (2023)
The Main
A husband and wife struggle to arrange an abortion in Yemen. Part of the Minnesota-St. Paul International Film Festival. $10/$15. 5 p.m. Monday 2:50 p.m. More info here.
Unbroken (2023)
The Main
A filmmaker seeks to reconstruct the stories of her mother and her six siblings, all Holocaust survivors who escaped Nazi Germany. Part of the Minnesota-St. Paul International Film Festival. $10/$15. 6:45 p.m. Saturday 1:40 p.m. More info here.
Bufis (2023)
The Main
A Somali refugee in Kenya tries to scam the U.S. green card system. Part of the Minnesota-St. Paul International Film Festival. $10/$15. 6:50 p.m. Saturday 1:20 p.m. More info here.
Girls Will Be Girls (2024)
The Main
A star student falls for a new boy from Hong Kong—and so does her mom. Part of the Minnesota-St. Paul International Film Festival. $10/$15. 7 p.m. More info here.
Swamp Dogg Gets His Pool Painted (2024)
The Main
The soul eccentric gets the documentary he deserves. Part of the Minnesota-St. Paul International Film Festival. $10/$15. 7 p.m. More info here.
LaRoy Texas (2023)
The Main
A bumbler who tries to kill himself is mistaken for a hitman, and he just kinda rolls with it. Part of the Minnesota-St. Paul International Film Festival. $10/$15. 7 p.m. Tuesday 9:35 p.m. More info here.
In the Blind Spot (2023)
The Main
A German film crew in Turkey encounters supernatural circumstances. Or do they? Part of the Minnesota-St. Paul International Film Festival. $10/$15. 9:35 p.m. More info here.
Tiger Stripes (2023)
The Main
Puberty brings out frightening changes in an 11-year-old girl. Part of the Minnesota-St. Paul International Film Festival. $10/$15. 9:40 p.m. More info here.
Within (2023)
The Main
The discovery of a dead body in a Chinese school stirs up long-hidden secrets. Part of the Minnesota-St. Paul International Film Festival. $10/$15. 9:40 p.m. More info here.
Lost in the Night (2023)
The Main
A young Mexican man searches for his mother, an activist who went missing during a protest. Part of the Minnesota-St. Paul International Film Festival. $10/$15. 9:45 p.m. More info here.
A Man of Reason (2022)
The Main
A South Korean hitman tries to reconcile with his daughter when he gets out of prison. Part of the Minnesota-St. Paul International Film Festival. $10/$15. 9:50 p.m. Tuesday 9:45 p.m. More info here.
Samurai Reincarnation (1981)
Trylon
Just what the title says. $8. 7 p.m. Saturday 9:30 p.m. Sunday 3 p.m. More info here.
The Beastmaster (1982)
Trylon
Lol Rip Torn, wyd? $8. 9:30 p.m. Saturday 7 p.m. Sunday 5:30 p.m. More info here.
Saturday, April 13
Selena (1997)
Alamo Drafthouse
J-Lo as the late Tejano music icon. $10. 11 a.m. More info here.
The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Access (2024)
Alamo Drafthouse/Emagine Willow Creek
An advance screening of the new Guy Ritchie movie. Alamo: $14.50. 7:25 p.m. More info here. Emagine: $11. 7 p.m. More info here.
Cheech and Chong's Up in Smoke (1978)
Emagine Willow Creek
A week early, isn't it? $11. 4:20 p.m. More info here.
Listen Up! (2023)
Landmark Center
A Pakistani family in Oslo tries to fit in. Part of the Minnesota-St. Paul International Film Festival. $10/$15. 1 p.m. More info here.
Songs of the Earth (2023)
Landmark Center
Filmmaker Margreth Olin’s father guides her through the beautiful sights of Western Norway. Part of the Minnesota-St. Paul International Film Festival. $10/$15. 3:15 p.m. More info here.
Musica! (2023)
The Main
A documentary that follows the diverging paths of four young Cuban musicians. Preceded by the short film Avanga. Part of the Minnesota-St. Paul International Film Festival. $10/$15. 11 a.m. More info here.
Voy! Voy! Voy! (2023)
The Main
A scammer pretends to be blind so he can join a disabled soccer team and travel to Europe. Part of the Minnesota-St. Paul International Film Festival. $10/$15. 11 a.m. Tuesday 1:45 p.m. More info here.
Shorts Program 01: Living Art
The Main
Three short films about artists. Part of the Minnesota-St. Paul International Film Festival. $10/$15. 11:15 a.m. More info here.
Chicken for Linda! (2023)
The Main
An animated feature about a mother who finds preparing her daughter’s favorite dish more of a task than she expected. Part of the Minnesota-St. Paul International Film Festival. $10/$15. 12 p.m. More info here.
Àma Gloria (2023)
The Main
When her mother dies, a French girl moves to Cabo Verde with her nanny. Part of the Minnesota-St. Paul International Film Festival. $10/$15. 1 p.m. Tuesday 2:45 p.m. More info here.
The Old Oak (2023)
The Main
British director Ken Loach says this is his final film. Part of the Minnesota-St. Paul International Film Festival. $10/$15. 2 p.m. Tuesday 1:40 p.m. More info here.
Romaissa (2022)
The Main
Dutch kids fight greedy developers. Part of the Minnesota-St. Paul International Film Festival. $10/$15. 2 p.m. More info here.
Solids by the Seashore (2023)
The Main
In a small Thai village, two young women—one arty, one with a conservative family—become friends. Part of the Minnesota-St. Paul International Film Festival. $10/$15. 3 p.m. More info here.
Valentina or the Serenity (2023)
The Main
An imaginative Indigenous Mexican girl struggles to prove that her father is still alive. Part of the Minnesota-St. Paul International Film Festival. $10/$15. 4 p.m. More info here.
Shorts Program 02: Home Grown Drama
The Main
Short films about families and such. Part of the Minnesota-St. Paul International Film Festival. $10/$15. 4:10 p.m. More info here.
Daughters (2024)
The Main
Four girls prepare for a dance with their incarcerated fathers as part of a D.C. program. Part of the Minnesota-St. Paul International Film Festival. $10/$15. 4:20 p.m. Wednesday 4:30 p.m. More info here.
Laurel Massé: How Can I Keep From Singing? (2024)
The Main
A documentary about the founding member of the Manhattan Transfer. Part of the Minnesota-St. Paul International Film Festival. $10/$15. 4:30 p.m. Sunday 7 p.m. More info here.
The Home Game (2023)
The Main
An Icelandic man arranges to bring an FA Cup game to the soccer field his father built. Part of the Minnesota-St. Paul International Film Festival. $10/$15. 5:10 p.m. More info here.
Silent Roar (2023)
The Main
A British teen who loves surfing searches for a father he doesn’t realize has died. Part of the Minnesota-St. Paul International Film Festival. $10/$15. 6:45 p.m. Sunday 11:15 a.m. More info here.
The Idea of You (2024)
The Main
Anne Hathaway gets with a younger man. Part of the Minnesota-St. Paul International Film Festival. $10/$15. 7 p.m. More info here.
Tuesday (2023)
The Main
Death comes to a women (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) and her daughter in the form of a talking bird. Part of the Minnesota-St. Paul International Film Festival. Also Tuesday. $10/$15. 7 p.m. More info here.
A New Kind of Wilderness (2024)
The Main
Tragedy forces an off-the-grid Norwegian family to rejoin society. Part of the Minnesota-St. Paul International Film Festival. $10/$15. 7:10 p.m. More info here.
Dead Mail (2024)
The Main
In this thriller, a postal inspector looks into a mysterious letter pleading for help. Part of the Minnesota-St. Paul International Film Festival. $10/$15. 9:15 p.m. Wednesday 9:45 p.m. More info here.
Working Class Goes to Hell (2023)
The Main
Fired Balkan workers conduct pagan rituals, hoping to exact revenge. Part of the Minnesota-St. Paul International Film Festival. $10/$15. 9:15 p.m. Tuesday 9:40 p.m. More info here.
Property (2023)
The Main
A rich lady is trapped in an armored car by exploited workers and I think for some reason we’re expected to be on her side? Part of the Minnesota-St. Paul International Film Festival. $10/$15. 9:30 p.m. More info here.
The Successor (2023)
The Main
A Parisian fashion designer returns home to learn disturbing facts about his family. Part of the Minnesota-St. Paul International Film Festival. $10/$15. 9:45 p.m. More info here.
King Kong (1976)
The Parkway
Starring local gal Jessica Lange and (RIP) the World Trade Center. $5-$10. 1 p.m. More info here.
Sunday, April 14
The Philadelphia Story (1952)
Alamo Drafthouse
Most of the Philadelphia stories I know involve someone pissing in public. $10. 11 a.m. More info here.
Labyrinth (1986)
Alamo Drafthouse
Yeah, I was too old for this one. $14. 6:35 p.m. More info here.
African Giants (2024)
Capri Theater
Two first-generation Sierra Leonean American brothers keep secrets from each other. Part of the Minnesota-St. Paul International Film Festival. $10/$15. 1:30 p.m. More info here.
Luther: Never Too Much
Capri Theater
Did you know Luther Vandross was on the very first episode of Sesame Street? I sure didn't! Part of the Minnesota-St. Paul International Film Festival. $10/$15. 4 p.m. Tuesday 7:10 p.m. at The Main. More info here.
The Dark Knight (2008)
Emagine Willow Creek
The Joker begins. Also Wednesday. $11. 1 & 7:30 p.m. More info here.
You and the Night (2013)
Emagine Willow Creek
Oh, this is a dirty one. $11. 7 p.m. More info here.
Call Me Dancer (2023)
The Main
A young man from a poor Mumbai family wants to become a professional dancer. Part of the Minnesota-St. Paul International Film Festival. $10/$15. 11 a.m. Tuesday 9:30 p.m. More info here.
Day Dreaming (2024)
The Main
A Chinese third-grader invents imaginary friends to help him adjust to a new school. Part of the Minnesota-St. Paul International Film Festival. $10/$15. 11:30 a.m. Wednesday 4:50 p.m. More info here.
All About the Levkoviches (2024)
The Main
A Jewish father and son in Budapest try to overcome their differences. Part of the Minnesota-St. Paul International Film Festival. $10/$15. 11:45 a.m. Tuesday 5 p.m. More info here.
In the Land of Brothers (2024)
The Main
Afghan refugees find new difficulties when they settle in Iran. Part of the Minnesota-St. Paul International Film Festival. $10/$15. 1 p.m. More info here.
Shorts Program 03: Friends = Family
The Main
Five short films about friendship. Part of the Minnesota-St. Paul International Film Festival. $10/$15. 1:40 p.m. More info here.
Big Dreams (2023)
The Main
An 11-year-old Czech boy starts his own hockey team. Part of the Minnesota-St. Paul International Film Festival. $10/$15. 1:50 p.m. More info here.
The Arctic Convoy (2023)
The Main
During WWII, merchant ships travel the dangerous North Sea to bring supplies to the Eastern Front. Part of the Minnesota-St. Paul International Film Festival. $10/$15. 1:55 p.m. More info here.
Nextwave Youth Media Showcase
The Main
Catch work from local teen filmmakers. Part of the Minnesota-St. Paul International Film Festival. $10/$15. 2 p.m. More info here.
Les Indésirables (2023)
The Main
A struggle for immigrant rights tears a small Parisian suburb apart. Part of the Minnesota-St. Paul International Film Festival. $10/$15. 3:10 p.m. Wednesday 2:20 p.m. More info here.
The Last Daughter (2023)
The Main
The story of a woman taken away from her Aboriginal parents to be raised by a white family, and then sent back to original family five years later. Part of the Minnesota-St. Paul International Film Festival. $10/$15. 4:10 p.m. Monday 2 p.m. More info here.
Seeking Mavis Beacon (2024)
The Main
A filmmaker tries to track down the possibly mythical Mavis Beacon, the Black face of a popular ’80s typing instruction program. Part of the Minnesota-St. Paul International Film Festival. $10/$15. 4:15 p.m. Monday 7:10 p.m. More info here.
A Difficult Year (2023)
The Main
A pair of down-and-outers decided to swindle an environmental group. Part of the Minnesota-St. Paul International Film Festival. $10/$15. 4:30 p.m. More info here.
Broken Eyes (2024)
The Main
A filmmaker investigates the Lasik industry after the surgery damages her eyesight. Part of the Minnesota-St. Paul International Film Festival. $10/$15. 4:20 p.m. Monday 4:30 p.m. More info here.
Bonjour Switzerland (2023)
The Main
Comic mayhem ensues when French is made the official language of Switzerland. Part of the Minnesota-St. Paul International Film Festival. $10/$15. 5:20 p.m. Monday 2:40 p.m. Wednesday 4:45 p.m. More info here. ‘
Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell (2023)
The Main
Y’all ready for a night of Vietnamese slow cinema? Part of the Minnesota-St. Paul International Film Festival. $10/$15. 7:05 p.m. More info here.
Deserts (2023)
The Main
Two debt collectors track down debtors in Morocco. Part of the Minnesota-St. Paul International Film Festival. $10/$15. 7:10 p.m. Tuesday 4:15 p.m. More info here.
God and Country (2024)
The Riverview
A look at the terrifying rise of Christian nationalism. $5/$7. 5 p.m. More info here.
Notorious (1946)
Trylon
Maybe my favorite Hitchcock? $8. 8 p.m. Monday-Tuesday 7 & 9 p.m. More info here.
Monday, April 15
Three Colors: Blue (1994)
Alamo Drafthouse
Peak Juliette Binoche. $10. 6:15 p.m. More info here.
Irena's Vow (2024)
AMC Rosedale 14/AMC Southdale 16/Emagine Willow Creek
The housekeeper for a Nazi officer hides Jews in his basement. Also Tuesday. $16.35. 7 p.m. More info here.
Hausu (1977)
Emagine Willow Creek
The demented Japanese horror classic $6. 7:30 p.m. More info here.
We Have Never Been Modern (2023)
The Main
The discovery of a dead intersex baby creates a scandal an Eastern European factory town. Part of the Minnesota-St. Paul International Film Festival. $10/$15. 1:45 p.m. More info here.
In the Rearview (2023)
The Main
A documentary director helps evacuate Ukrainians after the Russian invasion. Part of the Minnesota-St. Paul International Film Festival. $10/$15. 2:45 p.m. More info here.
Remembering Every Night (2022)
The Main
Three women go about their lives in a Tokyo suburb. Part of the Minnesota-St. Paul International Film Festival. $10/$15. 4:40 p.m. More info here.
The Mother of All Lies (2023)
The Main
A Moroccan filmmaker makes a dollhouse replica of her childhood neighborhood to explore her country and her family’s past. Part of the Minnesota-St. Paul International Film Festival. $10/$15. 4:45 p.m. More info here.
Thelma (2024)
The Main
When she’s swindled out of her life savings by a phone scammer, a 93-year-old grandma swings into action to punish the culprits. Think of it as The Beekeeper if Phylicia Rashad hadn’t needed Statham to avenge her. Part of the Minnesota-St. Paul International Film Festival. $10/$15. 4:50 p.m. More info here.
Victoria Must Go (2024)
The Main
Two spoiled Norwegian kids conspire to off their stepmother. Part of the Minnesota-St. Paul International Film Festival. $10/$15. 5 p.m. More info here.
Shorts Program 04: Feelings Bubble Up
The Main
Five short films about feelings. Part of the Minnesota-St. Paul International Film Festival. $10/$15. 7 p.m. More info here.
Sugarcane (2024)
The Main
An investigation into an Indian residential school rocks a nearby reservation. Part of the Minnesota-St. Paul International Film Festival. $10/$15. 7 p.m. Tuesday 7:05 p.m. More info here.
The Beast (2023)
The Main
What’s better than a movie starring Léa Seydoux? A movie starring three Léa Seydouxs. (Léas Seydoux? My French plurals are rusty.) Part of the Minnesota-St. Paul International Film Festival. $10/$15. 7:10 p.m. More info here.
Afterbirth (2024)
The Main
A revealing documentary from Minnesota director Nicole Brending about the difficulties of early motherhood. Part of the Minnesota-St. Paul International Film Festival. $10/$15. 7:15 p.m. More info here.
Tuesday, April 16
Mandy (2018)
Alamo Drafthouse
Nicolas Cage at his Cagiest. $7. 6:15 p.m. More info here.
Pearl Jam: Dark Matter—The Global Theatrical Experience
Lagoon/Riverview
Listen to the new Pearl Jam album twice: once in the dark (no funny business) and then with visuals on the screen. Lagoon: $12.25. 7 p.m. More info here. Riverview: $10. 7:15 p.m. More info here.
Without Air (2023)
The Main
A popular Hungarian teacher is accused of promoting a “homosexual agenda.” Part of the Minnesota-St. Paul International Film Festival. $10/$15. 2 p.m. More info here.
Badel and Adama (2023)
The Main
The love between a West African chief and his wife is tested when bad weather turns the village against him. Part of the Minnesota-St. Paul International Film Festival. $10/$15. 2:45 p.m. More info here.
Foremost by Night (2023)
The Main
A Spanish woman struggles to reunite with the biological son she gave up for adoption. Part of the Minnesota-St. Paul International Film Festival. $10/$15. 4:30 p.m. More info here.
Only the River Flows (2023)
The Main
A rural Chinese detective suspects he arrested the wrong man for murder. Part of the Minnesota-St. Paul International Film Festival. $10/$15. 4:50 p.m. Wednesday 9:45 p.m. More info here.
Stripped for Parts: American Journalism on the Brink (2023)
The Main
Alden Global Capital sucks! Part of the Minnesota-St. Paul International Film Festival. $10/$15. 7 p.m. More info here.
Darkman (1990)
The Parkway
Sam Raimi and Liam Neeson back in the good old days. $9/$12. Pre-show trivia at 7:30 p.m. Movie at 8 p.m. More info here.
Wednesday, April 17
Clerks (1994)
Alamo Drafthouse
We've made it through 30 years of Kevin Smith. $10. 6:15 p.m. More info here.
The Hopeful (2024)
AMC Rosedale 14/AMC Southdale 16
A Jesus movie about some guy whose faith is shaken by the War of 1812 or something. 7 p.m. $16.35. More info here.
Airplane! (1980)
Grandview 1&2
The spoofiest spoof of all. $12. 9:15 p.m. More info here.
Days of Happiness (2023)
The Main
A Canadian classical music star breaks free of her father’s grip with the help of a new friend. Part of the Minnesota-St. Paul International Film Festival. $10/$15. 1:45 p.m. More info here.
Mad About the Boy: The Noel Coward Story (2023)
The Main
Self-explanatory! Part of the Minnesota-St. Paul International Film Festival. $10/$15. 2:20 p.m. More info here.
Terrestrial Verses (2023)
The Main
In a series of vignettes, Iranian individuals try to negotiate with faceless bureaucrats. Part of the Minnesota-St. Paul International Film Festival. $10/$15. 2:45 p.m. More info here.
The Nature of Love (2023)
The Main
A happily married wife (or is she?) falls for a contractor. Part of the Minnesota-St. Paul International Film Festival. $10/$15. 4:20 p.m. More info here.
I Am Sirat (2023)
The Main
A trans woman is trapped between her duty to her mother and her need to live on her own terms. Part of the Minnesota-St. Paul International Film Festival. $10/$15. 5 p.m. More info here.
Merchant Ivory (2023)
The Main
A documentary about the popular filmmaking team. Part of the Minnesota-St. Paul International Film Festival. $10/$15. 6:50 p.m. More info here.
Profe (2024)
The Main
A documentary look at two Minnesota public schools developing curricula geared toward Latine children. Part of the Minnesota-St. Paul International Film Festival. $10/$15. 7 p.m. More info here.
Shorts Program 05: Time-Space Continuum
The Main
Six short films. Part of the Minnesota-St. Paul International Film Festival. $10/$15. 7:05 p.m. More info here.
Solo (2023)
The Main
A rising star in Montreal’s drag scene gets into a bad relationship. Part of the Minnesota-St. Paul International Film Festival. $10/$15. 7:10 p.m. More info here.
The Queen of My Dreams (2023)
The Main
A lesbian woman re-examines her family’s surprising past, in a style that evokes Bollywood classics. Part of the Minnesota-St. Paul International Film Festival. $10/$15. 7:15 p.m. More info here.
Mandoob (2023)
The Main
A desperate courier in Riyadh is tempted by the easy money of a criminal life. Part of the Minnesota-St. Paul International Film Festival. $10/$15. 9:20 p.m. More info here.
Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person (2023)
The Main
A young vampire who doesn’t like killing humans makes a friend/blood donor. Part of the Minnesota-St. Paul International Film Festival. $10/$15. 9:30 p.m. More info here.
White Plastic Sky (2023)
The Main
Sounds like an eco-updated Logan’s Run, but animated and presumably less corny. Part of the Minnesota-St. Paul International Film Festival. $10/$15. 9:40 p.m. More info here.
Monty Python & the Holy Grail (1975)
Showplace ICON
Do nerdy kids still over-quote this? I sure hope so. $7. 7 p.m. More info here.
Each Time I Kill (2007)
Trylon
Director Doris Wishman's final film—she was almost 90. $5. 7 p.m. More info here.
Opening This Week
Follow the links for showtimes.
Arcadian
Nicolas Cage and his two sons fight to stay alive in a farmhouse after the end of the world.
Civil War
*Axl voice* What's so civil about war anyway?
Dawn of the Dead (1978)
George Romero's zombie classic (one of 'em, anyway) is back in theaters.
DogMan
"Set in New Jersey, it depicts a man who was abused by his father and loves dogs."
Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead
I was gonna say we really didn't need this, but then I saw that racists are Mad Online about it, so that's enough of a reason for me.
The Long Game
In 1950s Texas, five Mexican-American caddies are determined to create their own golf course.
Shrek 2 (2004)
Also back in theaters this week.
Sting
Just another one of those "little girl raises a murderous spider" movies.
Ongoing in Local Theaters
Follow the links for showtimes.
Bob Marley: One Love
For me, the most forgivable music biopic cliché is the scene in the studio “where it all comes together,” usually after the genius has been struggling to articulate his vision to the band. At least in their clumsy way scenes like this try to understand where great music comes from. And so the best part of this rote retelling of the reggae great’s life, rigorously vetted by his family, comes during the Exodus sessions, where new guitarist Junior Murvin adds a rock tinge to the Wailers’ established sound. As for the rest, well, it’s not all as ridiculous as when Bob and his crew leave a Clash show and stroll blithely through London as riots break out behind them, or the singer’s flashbacks to his youth that occur while he’s performing onstage, but if you know anything about Bob Marley’s life, you’ll learn nothing new here. Lashana Lynch does what she can as Rita Marley, James Norton’s job as Chris Blackwell is to keep saying “I don’t know if that’ll work, Bob,” and Kingsley Ben-Adir has real screen presence but his charisma doesn’t suggest Bob’s own. Optimistically, I’ll take the movie’s success as a good sign that there’s real hunger to know more about one of the great international Black diasporan culture heroes, and I hope the curious don’t stop here. Read Chris Salewicz's Bob Marley: The Untold Story or Timothy White’s Catch a Fire: The Life of Bob Marley or, hell, Marlon James’s A Brief History of Seven Killings, which fictionalizes Marley’s shooting. Watch any number of YouTube clips, including Marley’s 1977 set at the Rainbow. And definitely listen to the music. If you know Legend, which you probably do even if you’ve never listened to it on purpose, go back to Marley’s start at Island Records—Burnin’, Natty Dread, and Catch a Fire. Sample the earlier Studio One recordings. And don’t stop there. C+
Dune: Part 2 (read the full review here)
The first part of Denis Villeneuve’s adaptation was a well-crafted slog, occasionally spectacular but often merely studently, as the director seemed intent to prove that he deserved the assignment. But with all the power players set in place, Part Two does an awful lot right. Villeneuve distills the essence of the novel’s currents of deception and misdirection into a legible screenplay while generating some truly uncanny moments. And as Paul Atreides, Timothée Chalamet shows us a man who makes a pragmatic decision to exploit the dogmatism of his followers because he believes that every other choice will cause more death and destruction, or who at least rationalizes his motives that way. With IP-recycling now the culture industry’s standard cannibalistic practice, Villeneuve, like Paul, imagines himself the good guy in this scenario, respectful of the traditions placed in his care rather than merely exploitative. But also like Paul there are forces at play beyond his control. So what happens when Villeneuve’s hero threatens to become a butcher? Stay tuned for Part 3. B+
Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire
Immaculate
Horror films being where we discuss the unspeakable, it’s almost too perfect that the woman with the most over-scrutinized anatomy in Hollywood right now should star in a film where wicked religious figures commandeer her as an incubator for their messiah, just two years after Dobbs legalized forced birth. For most of the way, Immaculate's tale of a pregnant nun is just silly, gory fun, but its final five minutes—in which Sydney Sweeney, bloodied and in labor, unleashes a fury we didn’t know she had in her—seem to belong to a much better film. Or maybe they don’t feel like they belong to a film at all. Maybe this is just free-floating female rage distilled into a single moment by an actor who gets that this is her zeit and she is the damn geist. If you wanted to borrow a religious term, you might even call it iconic. B
Love Lives Bleeding
If you head in to Love Lies Bleeding to watch Kristen Stewart and Katy O’Brian fuck each other and murder dudes—and why else would you be there?—you will not be disappointed. In true noir fashion, Jackie (O'Brian) is a drifter, en route from an Oklahoma childhood to a bodybuilding competition in Vegas, stopping off in New Mexico because that’s the sort of place these stories happen. Here she meets Stewart's Lou and the bodies start to hit the floor. As the knot tightens around the lovers, generating a titillating claustrophobia à la Jim Thompson, the question becomes whether Lou’s brains will save Jackie or Jackie’s brawn will save Lou, or whether theirs is the sort of love that dooms them both. Not till the final scene are the roles they’ve chosen to play in this relationship finally clear. (Love, Glass seems to say, means never complaining about disposing of your sweetheart’s murder victims.) I’ll admit, for a half-hour or so I worried that director Rose Glass’s euphorically nihilist lesbian death trip was too nutty to be a good movie and yet not nutty enough to be a great one. After [SPOILER REDACTED], that concern just felt silly. A-
Monkey Man
Dev Patel's directorial debut is a brutal action-revenge flick with some confusing but admirable politics, targeting Hindu nationalism and featuring an army of trans warriors rising up from the streets. Patel stars as an unnamed, sullen man (after The Green Knight and this, I suspect dude may never smile in a movie ever again) caught up in a nasty underground fighting circuit; he infiltrates ritzy Indian society to deliver the big payback to the crooked police chief who razed his village and killed his mother. He isn't exactly a natural behind the camera: The movie crawls to a halt midway before a Rocky training montage set to tablas carries it into the home stretch. And he doesn't always shoot the bloody, imaginative fights to their advantage, with a little too much camera action and close ups a little too tight on the combatants. But if you like your action unrelentingly grim, he's your man. And your monkey. B
SUGA - Agust D Tour 'D-DAY' The Movie
Wicked Little Letters
This sort of naughty British comedy for grandmas always has a much higher caliber cast than it deserves—poor old Timothy Spall certainly deserves better, as does poor young Anjana Vasan. As for Olivia Coleman and Jessie Buckley (wow, a The Lost Daughter reunion of sorts), they're just slumming; here the former is an uptight, upright Christian prude who accuses the latter, a foul-mouthed Irish gal, of sending her obscene letters. You'll guess the culprit before the big reveal and figure out where the courtroom scenes are headed as well. But if plucky middle-aged women banding together to hatch a plan and bouts of clumsy cussing are your cup of tea, the kettle's on. C