André 3000 and Big Boi bring their Grammy-winning mojo to the big screen this week with their much anticipated musical, Idlewild. Set in a '30s speakeasy complete with marcel wave hairdos and juke joint stepping, the movie also coincides with the release of a new OutKast record featuring songs from the flick. Hopefully director Bryan Barber has made something be more substantial than one terribly long, theme music video. Some might argue drinking lots of beer will make you stupider, but it can't be nearly as brain cell draining as Beerfest, a new movie from the Super Trooper guys. Though maybe with a few in you and your favorite frat boy in tow, it could be worth a chuckle or two.
The kids should be clamoring to see the film adaptation of the classic children's novel, How to Eat Fried Worms, which comes out this weekend. Wonder if there's a notice at the end of the movie letting viewers know no worms were harmed in the making of this movie. If you think Mark Wahlberg and sports movie, you might not assume it would be an automatic winner but Invincible, his new movie about Philadelphia Eagle Vince Papale is actually pretty darn entertaining. While it's no Rudy, the working class Papale making and then struggling to stay on the professional football team in the '70s is affecting. Also a real plus for the movie, Wahlberg has the bod to back up his character's supposed amazing physical prowess. Zowie.
If you're looking for something more intense and political in your dose o' cinema, you should check out the Turkish film, Fratricide which started playing at Film Forum this week. Directed by Yilmaz Arslan and a film festival fav, the movie tells the heart-breaking story of the difficulty being Kurdish and Turkish immigrants living abroad in Germany. Almost like a folk tale but harshly real, it's about the intense bond between brothers both actual and adopted. It's not a movie you'll quickly forget.
If you've never seen Akira Kurosawa's brilliant version of Macbeth, Throne of Blood, this weekend it's screening at the IFC Center at noon as part of their on going Weekend Classics series. Hey, even if you have seen it, go again. The final scene where Toshiro Mifune's corrupt samurai character Washizu is pummeled by arrows doesn't get less breathtaking on repeat viewings.
It may still be the height of summer, but that doesn't mean a little spooky Christmas cheer isn't in order. Celebrate the season with a midnight screening of Tim Burton's animated classic, The Nightmare Before Christmas, at the Landmark Sunshine Theater. The movie plays Friday and Saturday nights.
Gothamist Pick:
Filmmaker Michel Gondry does not see the world the same way most of us do. Watching Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Dave Chappelle's Block Party or one of music videos featuring Björk and that becomes abundantly clear. Next Tuesday, Aug. 29, Gondry will be speaking with indieWire Editor in Chief Eugene Hernandez at the Apple Store in SoHo about his work, in particular his up coming movie with Gael Garcia Bernal, The Science of Sleep. The talk begins at 7 pm, and is free with seats going first come first serve.
Production Still: Greg Kinnear and Mark Wahlberg in Invincible.
