There's plenty of spooky stuff in theaters this week, it being October and all. But you've also got Cine Latino happening at the Main (looking forward to Close Your Eyes), and the Walker starts a series called "The Game is Not the Thing: Sport and the Moving Image."
Looking ahead to November, Sound Unseen just announced the lineup for its 25th festival, and it's a good 'un. The opening night film is the self-explanatorily titled doc Devo; the fest closes with Linda Perry: Let It Die Here. On the experimental side of things, you've got another shot to see the great Swamp Dogg Gets His Pool Painted and your first chance to see Alex Ross Perry's Pavements locally.
Speaking of local, you can take in MN music history via a Spider John Koerner doc, archival footage from the Walker's 1980 “New-No-Now-Wave Festival” M-80, 7 Nights In The Entry from the clubs earliest days (only shown once before), and an hour of rare film from the Bob Dylan Archive. In short, lotsa good stuff. Check out the full lineup here.
Special Screenings
Thursday, October 10
Terrifier 2/Terrifier 3 (2022)
Emagine Willow Creek
That's a lot of killer clown! $16. 4:40. More info here.
Death Becomes Her (1992)
Grandview 1&2
Robert Zemeckis is so scary, I'm glad he's not real. Also Sunday. $12. 9:15 p.m. More info here.
Galaxy Quest (1999)
The Heights
Recently saw this described as "The Three Amigos in space" and, yeah, I guess so. $12. 7:30 p.m. More info here.
Igualada (2024)
Main Cinema
The story of Francia Marquez, the rural activist who became vice president of Colombia. Preceded by the short film Translators. Part of the Cine Latino Film Festival. $12. 5 p.m. More info here.
Eno (2024)
Main Cinema
This groundbreaking doc of the electronic music pioneer/studio theorist is different every time it screens. $15. 7 p.m. More info here.
La Cocina (2024)
Main Cinema
A theft at a busy New York restaurant leads to an investigation of its many undocumented workers. Part of the Cine Latino Film Festival. $12. 7:30 p.m. More info here.
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)
Parkway Theater
Celebrate 50 glorious years of slicing up youngsters. $9/$12. Poetry contest at 7:30 p.m. Movie at 8 p.m. More info here.
Witch Hunter (2024)
Trylon
A witch torments a medieval town. Time to hunt her! $8. 5 p.m. Saturday 11 a.m. Sunday-Monday, Wednesday 1 p.m. Tuesday 3 p.m. More info here.
Franconia 5 Minute Film Festival
Trylon
Fifteen short films from local filmmakers. $15. 7 p.m. More info here.
Friday, October 11
22nd Annual Twin Cities Black Film Festival
Capri Theater
For the third year, screenings will take place at the Capri. 6 p.m. Saturday 11 a.m. More info here.
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
Insight Brewing
Never heard of it. Free. 8 p.m. More info here.
Profe (2024)
Landmark Center
A doc about independent public school in Minnesota closing the education gap with Latine students. Part of the Cine Latino Film Festival. Free. 3:30 p.m. More info here.
Riojo: The Land of a Thousand Wines (2023)
Main Cinema
A look at the famous vineyards of Spain. Part of the Cine Latino Film Festival. $12. 6 p.m. More info here.
I Am Nevenka (2024)
Main Cinema
The true story of a Spanish woman whose sexual harassment suit became a national news story. Part of the Cine Latino Film Festival. $12. 8:30 p.m. More info here.
A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
Marcus West End Cinema
Celebrate 40 years of Freddy. Also Saturday. $6.51. 10 p.m. More info here.
Amadeus (1984)
Trylon
It's that incredible rarity—the great music biopic. All screenings sold out, unfortch. Presented by Sound Unseen. $13. 7 p.m. Sunday 11:45 p.m. More info here.
Power Plays
Walker Art Center
A selection of films examining the political nature of sports. Free if you wear a jersey. $12/$15. 7 p.m. More info here.
Saturday, October 12
The Curse of Frankenstein (1957)
Alamo Drafthouse
Stop! Hammer (Studios) time. $10. 12:30 p.m. More info here.
Coco (2017)
AMC Southdale 16
Oh, this one made me cry. $5. Saturday-Sunday 3 p.m. Monday 6:30 p.m. More info here.
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)
Emagine Willow Creek
Celebrating 50 years of slicing up kids. $11. 5 p.m. More info here.
Central Station (1998)
Main Cinema
A former teacher embarks on a road trip with a boy to help him find his father. Part of the Cine Latino Film Festival. $11; free for MSP Film Society members 11 a.m. More info here.
Memories of a Burning Body (2024)
Main Cinema
Two women re-examine sexuality and desire in their 60s. Part of the Cine Latino Film Festival. $12. 2 p.m. More info here.
La Singla (2023)
Main Cinema
A director tries to track down a prominent deaf dancer who disappeared from the news. Part of the Cine Latino Film Festival. $12. 4 p.m. More info here.
Close Your Eyes (2023)
Main Cinema
The first film in 30 years from the great Spanish director Víctor Erice. Part of the Cine Latino Film Festival. $12. 7 p.m. More info here.
Hocus Pocus (1993)
Parkway Theater
Directed by Kenny Ortega, who is not related to Jenna. $5-$10. 1 p.m. More info here.
Horrorthon VIII: Drink the Blood of Horrorthon
Trylon
Hope you got your tickets. Sold out. 10 a.m. & 9 p.m. More info here.
World/AntiWorld: On Seeing Double
Walker Art Center
A lecture/performance from Beirut-based artist Haig Aivazian about sports and public space. Free if you wear a jersey. $12/$15. 7 p.m. More info here.
Sunday, October 13
Lupin the 3rd: The Castle of Cagliostro (1979)
Alamo Drafthouse
Miyazaki's first feature film. $10. 12 p.m. More info here.
Shaun of the Dead (2004)
Alamo Drafthouse
Wow, this is 20 years old, huh? 6:45. $15.04. More info here.
The Lost Boys (1987)
Emagine Willow Creek
Vampire teens! $9. 1 & 6:20 p.m. Wednesday 12:40 & 6 p.m. More info here.
Ozogoche (2024)
Main Cinema
A look at the relationship between the Indigenous people of the Andes and the migrating birds to whose paths they attach meaning. Preceded by the short film Pétalos. Part of the Cine Latino Film Festival. $12. 12 p.m. More info here.
Latinx Shorts
Main Cinema
A selection of short films. Part of the Cine Latino Film Festival. $12. 2 p.m. More info here.
Through Rocks and Clouds (2024)
Main Cinema
A boy's peaceful life changes when a mining company begins ruining the environment of his Andean village. Part of the Cine Latino Film Festival. $12. 5 p.m. More info here.
La Suprema (2023)
Main Cinema
A boxer's niece struggles to watch his televised match in her remote Colombian village. Part of the Cine Latino Film Festival. $12. 7:30 p.m. More info here.
Kid Flicks: ¡Hola Cine!
Minneapolis Institute of Art
A free selection of children's films. Part of the Cine Latino Film Festival. 10:30 a.m., 12 p.m., and 1:30 p.m. More info here.
The Wailing (2016)
Trylon
Come for the mysterious disease. Stay for the exorcism. $8. 3 & 6 p.m. Monday-Tuesday 7 p.m. More info here.
Monday, October 14
Nosferatu the Vampyre (1979)
Alamo Drafthouse
Herzog's take on the Dracula tale is the best, if you ask me. Those rats! $10. 7 p.m. More info here.
I, Madman (1989)
Emagine Willow Creek
Is the killer from a pulp novel terrorizing a bookseller? $6. 7:30 p.m. More info here.
The Wicker Man (1972)
The Heights
Let me get this straight: So those are Britt Ekland's boobs, but that's not her butt, right? $12. 7:30 p.m. More info here.
National Theatre Live: Frankenstein
Main Cinema
Benedict Cumberbatch and Jonny Miller alternate playing the doctor and the creature in Danny Boyle's staging. $20. 7 p.m. More info here.
The Lost Boys (1987)
Parkway Theater
You gotta lotta Lost Boys options this week. $9/$12. Trivia at 7:30 p.m. Movie at 8 p.m. More info here.
Twilight (2008)
Pilllar Forum
Pilllar's doing Monday movie nights now. Bring a chair. 7 p.m. More info here.
Tuesday, October 15
A Nightmare of Elm Street (1984)
Alamo Drafthouse
In case you missed it at the Marcus. $10. 7 p.m. More info here.
The Fall (2006)
Alamo Drafthouse
Tarsem Singh's sumptuous fantasy. Also Wednesday. $7. 6:30 p.m. More info here.
Eyes Without a Face (1960)
Main Cinema
Got no human grace. $11. 7 p.m. More info here.
Wednesday, October 16
Beetlejuice (1988)
Alamo Drafthouse
The original, that is. $17.18. 7 p.m. More info here.
AXCN Gundam Fest: Mobile Suit Gundam (2024)
Emagine Willow Creek
A special screening of the new anime. $12.50. 6 p.m. More info here.
Lost Boys (1987)
Grandview 1&2
The Coreys are so scary, I'm glad they're not real. $12. 9:15 p.m. More info here.
Blade (1998)
Lagoon Cinema
RIP Kris Kristofferson. $12.25. 7 p.m. More info here.
Hellavision Television Presents: Debt Quest (2024)
Main Cinema
An action adventure role playing animation. $12. 7 p.m. More info here.
Jesus Christ Vampire Hunter (2001)
Trylon
Just what the title says. $5. 7 p.m. More info here.
Opening This Week
Follow the links for showtimes.
The Apprentice
Hmm, no thanks, actually.
Average Joe
Cultural elites won't let a high school coach make a big thing out of praying before games. It's so hard to be a Christian in the United States!
My Hero Academia: You're Next
An anime about kids who go to school to become heroes, I gather?
The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
Is it a Christmas movie? A Halloween movie? Who can say?
Piece by Piece
The story of Pharrell, told via legos. Which I am not putting in all caps, no matter what the brand insists.
Saturday Night
If you put a gun to my head and made me choose between watching this and the Joker musical, I'd honestly just beg you to pull the trigger.
Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story
People are loving this, and apparently not just because they love Christopher Reeve.
Terrifier 3
Why not call it Terrifiest?
Vettaiyan
The Tamil star Rajinikanth's 170th film as a lead actor.
Ongoing in Local Theaters
Follow the links for showtimes.
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice
It’s nice to be pandered to occasionally, so in the run up to the release of this redundant sequel I’ve enjoyed hearing how Winona Ryder and Jenna Ortega geeked out on set about their shared love of Soy Cuba, as well as the Letterboxd promo where Ortega tried to sell Catherine O’Hara on The Passion of Joan of Arc. But then there were the CarMax, Denny’s, and Progressive ads reminding us the real reason why beloved films of the past can never die: $$$. And the movie itself? Well, with Geena Davis and Alec Baldwin’s quaint Maitlands having moved on via an unexplained “loophole,” the Deetz clan—Ryder's Lydia (now a famed ghost hunter), O'Hara's Delia (now an established NYC artist), and Ortega as Lydia’s sullen daughter Astrid—reunites for the funeral of its patriarch Charles (l’affair de Jeffrey Jones is navigated around cleverly). From the re-maniacal Michael Keaton and Ryder’s unstable goth mom to newcomers Justin Theroux as Lydia’s weaselly beau and current Burton GF Monica Bellucci as a soul-sucking spook, everyone here is game, and yes, there is involuntary singing and goopy mayhem. But while this silly little romp through a familiar world consistently errs on the side of goofball exuberance, the storylines race around frantically in search of a reason to happen. As for Ortega, she was good enough in the 2021 school shooting film The Fallout that I hope she frees herself from the afterlife of 20th century IP at some point and shows us what she's got. And I couldn’t help but be haunted by the fact that if he’d made the original a few years later, Burton would probably have cast Johnny Depp instead of Keaton. B-
A Different Man
Gotta love when a looker like Sebastian Stan prefers to go freak mode à la Dan Stevens. Stan begins Aaron Schimberg’s wonderfully mean little comedy heavily made up as Edward, a man with neurofibromatosis (his face is overrun with tumors). He’s certain his condition has kept him from becoming a great actor and from winning the love of the cute playwright next door (Renate Reinsve), so when a cure presents itself, he undergoes a trial procedure and is reborn as Guy (Stan sans makeup). But inside he’s still the same ol’ schlub, and he’s showed up by the arrival of a real charmer (Adam Pearson, who actually does have neurofibromatosis) who proves that babes really do just want a guy with self-confidence and a sense of humor, just like they always say. The Seb Stan-ce, the great Demi Adejuyigbe calls this admiringly on Letterboxd, while another poster more bluntly calls it “The Substance for boys,” and kinda true on both accounts. But it’s funnier, more disciplined, and, in its quiet way, nastier than that celebrated gorefest—imagine if Charlie Kaufman had genuine perspective on his own self-pity instead of ducking behind infinite metanarratives. A-
Megalopolis
An undisciplined cornball’s autocratic celebration of humanism, Francis Ford Coppola’s Megalopolis is a movie for people who manically deem any mere mess of a film “batshit” and therefore essential viewing, for cineastes who refuse to distinguish between the incomprehensible and the incoherent, or for sentimentalists who consider the completion of a quixotic project as achievement enough. If Ayn Rand had written The Power Broker about a pretentious tech guru with a bad haircut, she might have imagined Adam Driver’s Cesar Catilina, who is determined to build the city of the future from a substance called Megalon, flattening housing developments in the process. And he's apparently the hero. Ambition isn’t always a positive attribute, after all, and if anything, film history treats megalomaniacs far too kindly, squinting past what we see for evidence of what we should have seen. Ultimately, what’s most disappointing about Megalopolis is that this is exactly the movie that Coppola wanted to make. Read the full review here. C
My Old Ass
Here, Aubrey Plaza provides the subdued, grounded foil that enables a breakout performance from 20-year-old Canadian actor Maisy Stella. Both women play Elliott Labrant—Stella as a teen, Plaza as the 39-year-old incarnation that her younger self inadvertently summons on an 18th-birthday mushroom trip. As Young Elliott endures her last summer on her parents’ cranberry farm before moving to Toronto for school, her older, wiser self tutors her on how to live. (Ah, but which version of Elliott will truly learn a lesson about life?) Like all film messages, My Old Ass’s call to be “young and dumb” is one only some of us need to hear some of the time. But that’s often enough. And as shallow as the cliche “you’ll laugh, you’ll cry” may sound, those were the two things Aristotle wanted theater to do to us, you know. I just wish My Old Ass had been released in summer, when it still had time to emotionally crush graduating seniors who thought they were ready to leave their parents behind. Read the full review here. A-
Reagan
No one should see this movie. I’m not joking. No, really—I’m worried that if I make any jokes here you’ll think maybe Reagan is bad in a fun way, or in a way that’s at least instructive about modern conservatism. It’s bad in a mildly stupefying way, leaving you with fewer thoughts about Reagan than you had before you entered the theater, drifting along from event to event with the pacing and depth of a History Channel historical reenactment. Reagan is clearly not history, but it’s not really entertainment either. It’s barely a movie, and even to call it propaganda suggests a manipulative skillfulness it lacks. Reagan is more like a two-hour bedtime story, meant, like the man himself, to reassure those frightened by history. Read the full review here. D+
Speak No Evil
Nope, haven’t seen the 2022 Danish original, despite hearing good things about it, and yet I could tell this Blumhouse photocopy was missing something even before I checked the former’s plot synopsis. Uptight Americans Mackenzie Davis and Scoot McNairy meet rowdy Brits James McAvoy and Aisling Franciosi while vacationing in Italy and for some reason agree to come visit their country home. The hosts begin testing the guests’ limits, and the Yanks are such ninnies they go uncomfortably with the flow until, yes, it’s too late to turn back. McAvoy does have a ball as the rural psycho, but the film never builds any real tension. And it just isn’t nasty enough; we’re allowed to identify with the victims rather than taking any pleasure in their discomfort. It’s Straw Dogs with straw men, and what fun is that? C+
The Substance
Without our shared cultural knowledge of Demi Moore’s life and career, The Substance, Coralie Fargeat’s absurdist experiment in gory meta-hagsploitation, is a fairly limp if expressively graphic satire of impossible female body standards. Moore’s presence, and her performance, give the film its moments of depth—moments Fargeat doesn’t always seem particularly interested in. Moore is an aging, discarded star who injects herself with a black-market serum that looks like radioactive pee and mitoses into the “ideal version of herself,” a perky-butted and gleam-smiled Margaret Qualley who calls herself Sue. Each woman gets to remain conscious for exactly a week apiece, spending each alternate week as a nude, comatose lump ingesting bagged nutrients. And as Elisabeth begins to sulk through her allotment of days and Sue wants more time to shine, rules are inevitably bent, with increasingly disastrous results. The subtlety-free finale, which fire-hoses blood at the patriarchy and anyone else in proximity, will either have you pumping your fist at its audacity or rolling your eyes at what a cop out it is. For better or for worse, what Fargeat is “trying to say” and her grisly overindulgence are inseparable. Read the full review here. B-
Twisters
Twister may not be quite the summer classic that anyone who wasn’t old enough to vote in 1996 thinks it is, but it knew what it was and what it was supposed to do. This not-really-a-sequel (unless every movie about a shark is a Jaws sequel) is a bigger mess than a small Oklahoma town after an EF5. It can't really be about climate change because blockbusters have to be carefully nonpartisan, but it can’t not be about climate change because why else (as everyone in this movie is constantly saying) are there more tornadoes than ever. The goofiest part is that the chasers keep abandoning storms to instead rush into threatened towns to "help," i.e. telling everyone to get away from windows and get into the basement, which, sorry, but if you live in tornado alley and don't already know that you deserve to get swooped up into the sky. As Normal People and Hit Man showed, both Daisy Edgar-Jones and Glen Powell are better actors than they are movie stars. He needs to find another auteur to cast him against type instead of passing off his permasquint and smackably handsome grin as charisma; she needs to star in a Jane Austen adaptation or a Paddington sequel or something because I don’t believe she could find Oklahoma on a map. This will make enough money that neither of those things will ever happen, and I bet director Lee Isaac Chung never makes another Minari either. Meanwhile we’ll probably lose the National Weather Service. C+
The Wild Robot
What happens when an all-purpose droid designed to perform just about every utilitarian task crash lands on a human-free island? Short answer: She learns intuition and love from the wild animals around her. Longer answer: After she accidentally smooshes a family of geese, ROZZUM Unit 7134 (aka Roz) makes it her task to raise the sole survivor, a runt. Lotsa nice messages about motherhood and such here and the animation has a brisk sense of physical comedy. Lupita Nyong'o is fun as Roz, and so’s the rest of the all-star voice cast—Pedro Pascal as a wily fox (is there any other kind?), Catherine O’Hara as a hedgehog mom who keeps losing count of her progeny. But I was so impressed with how casually Lilo & Stitch creator Chris Sanders captured the everyday, no-big-deal, unsentimental brutality of the animal world in the first part of the film that I was a little bummed when the critters all learned to get along in order to survive. Sorry, I’m just an “overwhelming indifference of nature” guy, what can I say? B
