While fall may be packed with many 3D films such as “Finding Nemo” and “Resident Evil Retribution,” it also brings along many little-known treasures. Check out some of these movies around town for a break from the norm.
Newly Released Titles
“Celeste and Jesse Forever”
Release Date: Aug. 31
Rashida Jones and Andy Samberg are cast as Celeste and Jesse, a young couple desperately trying to maintain a friendship during their own divorce. Rookie director Lee Toland Krieger tells a story that may be all too conventional, but by taking a realistic approach to the narrative, he could produce highly successful results. It’s absolutely worth a try if you’re in the mood for a rom-com fix.
“Sleepwalk with Me”
Release Date: Sept. 7
Co-directed by Mike Birbiglia and Seth Barrish, “Sleepwalk with Me” is an autobiographical story based on Birbiglia’s one-man comedy show of the same name. Throughout the movie, Birbiglia has to balance his fear of commitment to his girlfriend, his efforts to launch his standup career and his strange, comedic habit of sleepwalking throughout the night.
“The Master”
Release Date: Sept. 21
Paul Thomas Anderson’s (“Magnolia,” “There Will Be Blood”) much anticipated new release “The Master” is a tale of a returning Naval veteran, who, after arriving home from war, is unsettled and uncertain of his future. With an all-star cast and a director who stuns audiences with his story-telling ability, this movie has high expectations it will most likely stand up to.
Local Special Film Events
GET REEL Film: “4 Little Girls”
6:30 p.m., Aug. 30
McNay Art Museum
Acclaimed American director Spike Lee (“Malcolm X”) examines the Birmingham bombing of a black Baptist church that took the lives of four young girls: Addie Mae Collins, Denise McNair, Carole Robertson, and Cynthia Wesley. Lee is an incredible storyteller, who uses the girls’ stories to tell the deeper story of civil rights in the South.
“4 Little Girls” is part of the McNay’s Summer 2012 GET REEL film series that complements Radcliffe Bailey’s exhibition “Memory as Medicine.”
“Sironia”
7 p.m., Sept. 11
Santikos Bijou
Winner of the Audience Award at the Austin Film Festival, “Sironia” tells the story of Thomas Fisher, a singer-songwriter who, after being beat up by the L.A. music scene, moves with his wife to Sironia, TX. The movie is based on the life of striving musician Wes Cunningham who also co-wrote and starred in the feature film. “Sironia” plays for one night only, exclusively at the Bijou.
“Dirty Dancing”
8:30 p.m., Sept. 13
Sunset Station
A 1980’s American classic, “Dirty Dancing” follows Frances “Baby” Housman, a young teenager who is spending the summer in a holiday camp with her family. As the summer unfolds, Frances falls in love with the camp’s dancing teacher, Johnny, played by Patrick Swayze.
“Footloose”
8:30 p.m., Sept. 20
Sunset Station
Ren McCormack, a city teenager played by Kevin Bacon, moves from Chicago to a small town where rock music and dancing have been banned. McCormack’s rambunctious spirit shakes up the populace as he tries to do away with the city ordinance in time for the senior prom.
“Global Lens 2012: Qarantina”
7 p.m., Sept. 21
San Antonio Museum of Art
Oday Rasheed’s second feature film is the story of a professional killer in Baghdad who lives in an abandoned building with a displaced family. Salih Abu Muhanad, the killer, takes out his frustrations by blaming and abusing his unmarried, pregnant teenage daughter, Meriam. The film balances this dysfunctional family with the beautiful surroundings of Baghdad.
“Rebel Without a Cause”
8:30 p.m., Sept. 21
San Antonio Botanical Garden
As a part of its series “Movies in the Garden,” the San Antonio Botanical Garden will be screening the James Dean classic “Rebel Without a Cause.” Dean plays a rebellious young man with a troubled past, which offers a social commentary of delinquents in urban environments. The film was nominated for three Academy Awards, including Best Supporting Actor for Sal Mineo and Best Supporting Actress for Natalie Wood.
