The highly-touted Indian gangster epic Gangs of Wasseypur will enjoy its local theatrical premiere this weekend, courtesy of The Texas Theatre, in partnership with Cinelicious Pics.
The film will be presented in two parts:
PART 1: Sunday, January 25 at 7:15 p.m.
PART 2: Thursday, January 29 at 7:00 p.m.
Here’s the description by The Texas Theatre:
“Gangs of Wasseypur mirrors the tumultuous and explosive growth of modern India with ferocious cinematic intensity. As with Al Pacino’s Michael Corleone in The Godfather, it’s the least likely of Sardar’s children – the perpetually stoned Faizal (Nawazuddin Siddiqui) – who rises to the top ranks of the Khan crime family, vowing brutal revenge on their longtime nemesis, the wily and seemingly unstoppable Ramadhir Singh (Tigmanshu Dhulia). Composer Sneha Khanwalkar’s stunning soundtrack ranks with legends like R.D. Burman, but don’t expect Bollywood-style dance numbers: this is a movie that up-ends every expectation of what great Indian cinema should look (and sound) like.”
View more information — and buy tickets! — at the official Texas Theatre site.
Elliott Gould in Robert Altman’s ‘The Long Goodbye’
The paradigm of the film noir private investigator is tossed violently out the window in Robert Altman’s 1973 classic The Long Goodbye. Needless to say, this film would make for a dizzying double bill with Paul Thomas Anderson’s newly released Inherent Vice.
Starring Elliott Gould as the classic Philip Marlowe character, that’s the only familiar trait of Altman’s neo modernist whodunit. The film establishes a mystery to be solved — namely, the disappearance of his best friend — then spends the rest of its running time creating a unique, rambling series of interactions between naked hippie neighbors, a cantankerous writer (Sterling Hayden), his beautiful wife (Nina van Pallandt), a persistent psychiatrist (Henry Gibson) and a hungry cat. Just how it all connects is part of the joy.
Saturated in Altman’s typical style including a roving camera and his predilection for overlapping dialogue, The Long Goodbye is a stalwart of the revisionist cinema of the 70’s, completely entertaining and truly deserving of the term “classic.”
The Long Goodbye screens Sunday January 18th, 12 p.m. at the Alamo Drafthouse in Richardson. (Click the poster to see it in all its glorious, detailed beauty.)
Eternally perched between low-class, weirdo schlock – think Manhattan Baby (1982) or Sodoma’s Ghost (1988)- and gloriously macabre thrillers, at the very least, Italian filmmaker Lucio Fulci is never boring. The Beyond, beginning a repertory run at the Texas Theater this weekend, is one of his best.
Originally released in 1981, the film concerns a portal to hell in the basement of a Louisiana hotel that unleashes some particularly gruesome events on its modern inhabitants. True to Fulci’s hallucinatory vision, gross-out theatrics and ‘video nasty’ vibe, The Beyond was rescued from obscurity a few years back via Grindhouse and Rolling Pictures and now its excess can be viewed on the big screen. Starring Catriona MacColl and David Warbeck.
The Texas Theatre in Oak Cliff will present a special day of movie screenings in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy on November 22, 1963. All descriptions below provided courtesy of the theatre.
War is Hell. 1:20 p.m.
We will present a partial screening of War is Hell, the film that was playing the day that Lee Harvey Oswald sneaked into the Texas Theatre following the JFK assassination.
“During the Korean War, a glory-hunting sergeant leads his platoon on a mission against the enemy–not telling them that a cease-fire has just been declared–so that he can win medals. Trouble arises when some members of platoon begin to suspect that something is fishy.”
Cry of Battle. 2:45 p.m.
Cry of Battle was one of two films showing at the Texas Theatre on November 22, 1963.
“During World War II, the spoiled son of a wealthy businessman finds himself involved in the guerrilla movement fighting against the Japanese, and finds romance and adventure.”
JFK
At 6:30pm, the ticketed evening program begins with an on-stage theatrical re-creation of the Warren Commission interviews with the Texas Theatre’s employees, Julia Postal and Butch Burroughs, as well as John Brewer, the man who noticed Lee Harvey Oswald enter the Texas Theatre. Following the performance, the stage will be reset for an 8:00pm 35mm archival print presentation of Oliver Stone’s JFK.
A special preview to the film will be a short screening of archival footage from the Texas Archive of the Moving Image (TAMI): “Texas Responds to the Assassination.” Included is TAMI-exclusive footage of Texas Governor John Connally giving his own, very personal account of November 22, 1963, as well as home movies made in the immediate aftermath of the assassination, and interview footage from the filming of JFK.
The November 22, 1963, assassination of U.S. President John F. Kennedy shocked the nation and the world. The brisk investigation of that murder conducted under the guidance of Supreme Court Justice Earl Warren distressed many observers, even though subsequent careful investigations have been unable to find much fault with the conclusions his commission drew, the central one of which was that the assassin, Lee Harvey Oswald, acted alone. Instead of satisfying the public, one result of the Warren Commission Report was that an unimaginable number of plausible conspiracy theories were bruited about, and these have supported a sizable publishing mini-industry ever since. In making this movie, director Oliver Stone had his pick of supposed or real investigative flaws to draw from and has constructed what some reviewers felt was one of the most compelling (and controversial) political detective thrillers ever to emerge from American cinema.
A fabulous selection of titles to choose from — or choose them all! — beginning tonight (Wednesday, October 23). Here’s a quick guide to what’s what:
Wed: ‘Strange Brew.’ Rick Moranis and Dave Thomas in a Canadian tale of mounties, hosers, and beer. (Alamo Drafthouse) Screens 10/23 only.
Wed: ‘Night of the Demons.’ Gnarly old-school horror in 1988. (Alamo Drafthouse) Screens 10/23 only; projected from VHS; only $1!
Thu: ‘E.T. The Extra Terrestrial.’ An alien comes to Earth, is strangely attracted to young boy. (Alamo Drafthouse) Screens 10/24 only.
Fri-Sun: ‘Oldboy.’ Park Chan-wook’s harsh revenge tale is an ugly, magnificently disturbing drama. See it before Spike Lee’s new version opens in late November. (The Texas Theatre) Screens 10/25-27.
Fri-Thu: ‘The Wicker Man: The Final Cut.’ Edward Woodward, Christopher Lee, and Britt Ekland star in a classic tale of pagan practices vs. Christian teachings in an isolated community. Directed by Robin Hady; this version is said to restore footage cut from the original edition and thought to have been lost. (Angelika Dallas) Screens 10/25-31.
Sun: ‘Dracula.’ Todd Browning’s influential version of Bram Stoker’s night-stalking legend. (Alamo Drafthouse) Screens 10/27 only.
Mon: ‘Blood-C: The Last Dark.’ Violent revenge anime. (Alamo Drafthouse) Screens 10/28 only; free with RSVP!
Tue: ‘Hocus Pocus.’ Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy as evil witches. (Alamo Drafthouse) Screens 10/29 only.
Tue: ‘Varsity Blues.’ The MTV version of high school sex and football. With James Van Der Beek, Scott Caan, Amy Smart, Ali Larter, and a whipped-cream bikini. (Alamo Drafthouse) Screens 10/29 only.
Only one new indie title is scheduled to open this coming Friday, October 25, but there’s a wealth of slightly older movies that could keep you out every night this week. (Title links lead to official sites for more information.)
‘Birth of the Living Dead.’ Documentary on George A. Romero and the making of ‘The NIght of the Living Dead.’ (The Texas Theatre)
‘Oldboy.’ Park Chan-wook’s harsh revenge tale is an ugly, magnificently disturbing drama. See it before Spike Lee’s new version opens in late November. (The Texas Theatre) Screens 10/25-27 only.
‘The Wicker Man: The Final Cut.’ Edward Woodward, Christopher Lee, and Britt Ekland star in a classic tale of pagan practices vs. Christian teachings in an isolated community. Directed by Robin Hady; this version is said to restore footage cut from the original edition and thought to have been lost. (Angelika Dallas)
Retro Scene: One-off screenings of repertory titles this week offer a remarkable range of work:
Mon: ‘Ghostbusters II.’ Bill Murray easily dominates the comic supernatural proceedings. (Alamo Drafthouse) Screens 10/21 only.
Tue: ‘Creepshow.’ George A. Romero’s highly entertaining anthology of horror shorts. (Alamo Drafthouse) Screens 10/22 only.
Wed: ‘Strange Brew.’ Rick Moranis and Dave Thomas in a Canadian tale of mounties, hosers, and beer. (Alamo Drafthouse) Screens 10/23 only.
Wed: ‘Night of the Demons.’ Gnarly old-school horror in 1988. (Alamo Drafthouse) Screens 10/23 only; projected from VHS; only $1!
Thu: ‘E.T. The Extra Terrestrial.’ An alien comes to Earth, is strangely attracted to young boy. (Alamo Drafthouse) Screens 10/24 only.
Sun: ‘Dracula.’ Todd Browning’s influential version of Bram Stoker’s night-stalking legend. (Alamo Richardson) Screens 10/27 only.
Opening in wide release across the Metroplex:
‘The Counselor.’ Michael Fassbender, Brad Pitt, Penelope Cruz, and Cameron Diaz in a high-toned legal thriller. Directed by Ridley Scott, based on the first original screenplay written by novelist Cormac McCarthy.
‘Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa.’ Johnny Knoxville disguises himself as an old man and travels around the country with his “grandson” as the ‘Jackass’ crew engages in more physical hijinks.
Dallas Film Now. 