Kris Kristofferson and Isabelle Hupper in Michael Cimino's 'Heaven's Gate'
Opening

Indie Weekend: Lone Star Film Fest, ‘A Late Quartet,’ ‘This Must Be the Place,’ ‘Cafe de Flore’

Kris Kristofferson and Isabelle Hupper in Michael Cimino's 'Heaven's Gate'
Kris Kristofferson and Isabelle Hupper in Michael Cimino’s ‘Heaven’s Gate’ (Lone Star Film Festival)

Our festival friends in Fort Worth are hosting a terrific showcase of films, while here in Dallas a trio of new indies provides alternative fare for those who are looking for something beyond Bond.

  • Lone Star International Film Festival opened last night with Billy Bob Thornton’s Jayne Mansfield’s Car, and continues through the weekend. Tonight’s highlights include the classy drama A Royal Affair and the trashy 80s flick Miami Connection — sorry, you’ll have to choose between them — while Hyde Park on Hudson makes its local debut Friday night, Saturday features a rare screening of All the Boys Love Mandy Lane, and Sunday brings the restored director’s cut of Heaven’s Gate. It’s a wonderfully diverse lineup that will also present conversations with Thornton and the likes of Robert Duvall. It’s time for Dallas residents to be more than a little jealous of Cowtown, but that can be cured with a little time on the road. (Official site: lineup and ticket information.)
  • A Late Quartet features fine actors — Philip Seymour Hoffman, Christopher Walken, Catherine Keener — in a tale of death, lust, and competing egos. (Angelika Dallas)
  • Cafe de Flore, from  director Jean Marc-Vallée (C.R.A.Z.Y.), follows two stories: a DJ going through a divorce in the modern day, and a mother (Vanessa Paradis) in 1969 Paris raising her son, who has Down’s Syndrome. (Angelika Dallas)
  • This Must Be the Place stars Sean Penn as a wild-haired rock star in an absurd comedy from Paolo Sorrentino, the director of Il Divo. (Landmark Magnolia)

That’s a good spot of diversity right there. Though I haven’t seen any of this group, let your instincts and interests guide you, and you should be fine.

Opening in wide release:

  • Skyfall, the newest installment in the venerable James Bond franchise, stars Daniel Craig as 007. My review will be up later, but suffice it to say that it looks gorgeous, features superior action and superb drama, and includes great turns by Dame Judi Dench and Javier Bardem. (Our recommended theatrical exhibitor is The Texas Theatre in Oak Cliff.)