Movie Blog: This Week's Best Bets
If you're looking to escape the heat and humidity this week, there's probably no better way to do it than to watch Satyajit Ray's gorgeously restored and undeniably epic Apu trilogy, which is playing over at the Lagoon Cinema. While it's no doubt a commitment to see each film, the payoff is huge: It's one of those works that'll rekindle your belief in the power of cinema, or art in general.
Really, it's that good.
Other than that, we've got some more great picks from the Walker's Summer Nights/Cool Cinema program and a heartwarming documentary on Batkid, the little cancer survivor who got to be a super hero for a day and won over the world.
Tuesday, July 14: Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (Trylon Microcinema)
Arthouse meets wire-fu in this Ang Lee, Oscar-winning gem. Although I haven't seen this film since it came out around the turn of the millennium, I think kung fu flicks are particularly fun to revisit in our super hero-saturated market.
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Wednesday, July 15: Badlands (Walker Cinema)
This is Terrance Malick's first feature, and it cemented his place as a cinematic visionary. Staring Martin Sheen and Sissy Spacek, the movie follows two young lovers as they go on a killing spree through a stunning South Dakota landscape. Fans of the more recent Tree of Life should definitely catch this 1973 classic.
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Friday, July 17: Batkid Begins (Uptown Theatre)
If you don't remember this story from November of 2013, be prepared to be moved. Basically, the documentary follows the events of a day when 5-year-old Miles Scott, who battled cancer, got to save the citizens of San Francisco. When the little boy dressed up as the Dark Knight, many of the town's residents lined the streets to watch as he put the joker in jail, drove the batmobile and did a couple of his own stunts. The story then went viral, and Scott, if only for a day, became the most beloved super hero in the world.
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Sunday, July 19: Mr. Holmes (Willow Creek)
Those looking to catch the new take on Sherlock Holmes this weekend will want to do it at the Willow Creek theater. Director Bill Condon's new film has Ian McKellen as an aging Holmes looking to resolve an unsolved case, all the while struggling with an unreliable memory. The film's writer, Jeffrey Hatcher will be at the theater's 7 p.m. screening Sunday to introduce the film and host a question-and-answer session after. For Holmesian bookworms, this should be a feast.
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