Netflix Instant: TV and Movie Picks

It's almost August, but the heat is on here in Dallas. It's tough to go outside to do anything unless you have a pool to lounge by. So, if you've been huddled inside with the AC blasting, here are some titles for you to enjoy!

Fantastic Fest 2015 Announces First Wave of Films!

It's about to be that time of year again. That wonderful time where movie nerds flock to Austin to gorge on a feast of genre films. It's THE festival you want to go to if you love film, plus it's located at one of the best theatres in existence, The Alamo Drafthouse. Clearly, it's one of our favorites.

So today, Fantastic Fest announced its first wave of films, including a world premiere for its closing night film. There's already so many great films listed, and this is just the first announcement. Plus, there's going to be a retrospective of Turkish Genre Cinema. Now you can't get that anywhere else except Fantastic Fest. 

Enjoy the list!

2015 Fantasia International Film Festival Review: RAIDERS! THE STORY OF THE GREATEST FAN FILM EVER MADE- Jonesy's Take

RAIDERS! THE STORY OF THE GREATEST FAN FILM EVER MADE

Directed by Jeremy Coon and Tim Skousen

Starring: Eric Zala and Chris Strompolos

Synopsis: A documentary following two friends as they try to film the one scene missing from their RAIDERS shot-for-shot remake they started as kids.

The Local Haps: July 27th - August 2nd

Another light week in terms of events, but it shouldn't stop you from watching some of the first-run movies out already or coming up like TRAINWRECK and MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE ROGUE NATION. 

Monday, July 27th
Alamo Drafthouse: Bondthology is wrapping up with SKYFALL tonight at 6:00 pm. Featuring some of the coolest fight scenes and cinematography by Roger Deakins, James Bond has to fight an old agent abandoned by M.


Tuesday, July 28th
Alamo Drafthouse: Another month, another free Asian Madness screening, this time it's KUNG FU KILLER from Well Go at 9:00 pm. Featuring a killer who targets masters of martial arts for death, a man incarcerated offers his services to the police in exchange for his freedom.


Wednesday, July 29th
Alamo Drafthouse: The only thing thing more heavy than BACK TO THE FUTURE is a BACK TO THE FUTURE screening with a a special three course meal which is what you'll get if you go check out this screening at 7:00 pm. OVER THE TOP, the Sylvester Stallone movie about arm wrestling, definitely lives up to its name. As part of the Shiner Soundtrack series, you should pay special attention to the score by Giorgio Moroder.


Thursday, July 30th
Alamo Drafthouse: This unfortunately timed marathon sounds awesome and your mission should you choose to accept it is to watch all of the MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE movies in a single seating in anticipation of the release of ROUGE NATION later that day.

Granada Theater: Another interesting music movie double feature tonight with MUSCLE SCHOALS and 20 FEET FROM STARDOM.  Both are $3 each with drink specials all night long.


Sunday, August 2nd
Granada Theater: Grab a litter of cola or the nearest boot-shaped glass and sit down for a Broken Lizard double feature with their two most famous movies SUPER TROOPERS and BEERFEST. The first movie starts at 2:00 pm and the second starts at 5:00 pm.


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PAPER TOWNS Review- Jonesy's Take

Director: Jack Schreier

Writers: Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber

Starring: Nat Wolff, Cara Delevingne, Halston Sage, Austin Abrams, and Justice Smith

This review originally ran on CentralTrack.com

Netflix Instant: Movie & TV Picks

Seriously, screw this hot weather. Stay inside and binge on your couch instead! 

BOJACK HORSEMAN

I'll be honest, I did not give this show a chance when it first debuted last year. But one lazy lazy Saturday I started watching it and didn't stop until I was done with it. It deals with the titular character who is a washed up sitcom star from the 90's and now is a complete screw up. There's a weird and wide cast of people and animals that surround him. In this second season it's all about Bojack trying to get his life together after landing a huge movie role but of course it's not that easy and weird hijinks ensue.

CREEP

Mark Duplass is better known as one of those "mumblecore" guys that slowly has crept (so sorry) into the mainstream with romantic comedies and an HBO series. In this found footage movie, he plays a man who is terminally ill and wants to have his life documented so he can show his son what he was like. And of course, things take a turn for the worse. Needless to say this is a surprisingly scary movie that makes good use of the genre.

FAULTS

Ever since SCOTT PILGRIM, I've had a huge crush on Mary Elizabeth Winstead. Of course she is also one of the most talented actresses working today so that also helps. FAULTS is the directorial debut of Riley Sterns who is Winstead's husband. It might be something about that relationship that makes for a gripping performance by her as a former cult member trying to be deprogrammed by a man hired by her parents. It's a small movie for sure but the story and the performances are not to be missed.

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Fantasia International Film Festival Review: TURBO KID

TURBO KID 

Directed and Written by: Francois Simard, Anouk Whissell, and Yoann-Kari Whisse.

Starring: Munro Chambers, Laurence Leboeuf, Michael Ironside, Aaron Jeffrey and Edwin Wright.

Synopsis: A kid tries to survive in a post-apocalyptic earth while avoiding an evil crime lord. 

Fantasia International Film Festival Review: THERAPY FOR A VAMPIRE

THERAPY FOR A VAMPIRE

Director and Writer: David Rühm.

Cast: Tobias Moretti
, Jeanette Hain, 
Cornelia Ivancan, Dominic Oley, and Karl Fisher.

The Local Haps: July 20th - July 27th

I spent most of my last weekend outside biking around White Rock Lake, doing yoga, running and even trying out the new Lakewood Brewing Company beer garden. Needless to say, I am staying away from the great outdoors for a while until it cools down. If anything, I'll probably try to attend more of these cool and air-conditioned screenings in the coming week. Check them out after the jump.

Local Haps: July 13 - July 19th

Welcome to the Local Haps where take a look at the special and repertory screenings throughout DFW. 

Tuesday, July 14th
Alamo Drafthouse: A very special and important screening goes down tonight with SURF NINJAS in 35mm. The movie gave 80's/90's martial arts actor Ernie Reyes Jr. his first starring role. Now the actor is suffering from severe liver failure and the Drafthouse is hosting this screening in hopes of raising some funds for him. Then, stick around for another VHS-only movie, this time Video Vortex is showing TERMINATOR 2: SHOCKING DARK. Nestled within the weird Italian rip-off genre, it's sure to be a good time.


Wednesday, July 15th
Alamo Drafthouse: CONAN: THE BARBARIAN screenings tonight. Come for the manly fantasy action, stay for James Earl Jones' awesome hair as the villain.


Thursday, July 16H
Alamo Drafthouse: In what is considered to be low point of the modern Bond movies, QUANTUM OF SOLACE is still bad but not as bad as it could have been like other movies affected by the writer's strike in Hollywood at the time. Plus, it's going to serve as background for the new Bond movie, SPECTRE.

Granada Theater: Partnering up with Good Records, the Granada is doing Music Thursday movies with their usual $3 ticket and drinks specials. This week we have two of the best with the LCD Soundsystem doc/concert movie, SHUT UP AND PLAY THE HITS which was one of my favorites from 2012. right after that they will screen DAVE CHAPPELLE'S BLOCK PARTY


Friday, July 17th
Granada Theater: In what might be one of my least favorite things they do, the Mockbuster series will be coming to an end for the summer with TWISTER. For those of you that don't know what the Mockbusters are, it's basically a screening where people are the worst kinds of hipsters and make fun of a movie that was made with zero irony by live tweeting it.

Texas Theatre: If you're a good cinephile then you will have seen MAD MAX: FURY ROAD at least twice in the theater. This shouldn't stop you from checking out this special screening of the movie. Not only will the movie look awesome in the new 4K projector but there will also be a show right after with some of the most intense bands around with Missile, PVC Street Gang among other. Come dressed as your favorite Mad Max character!


Sunday, July 19th
Alamo Drafthouse: Continuing the Preston Sturges screenings, here's THE PALM BEACH STORY at 1:00 pm.

Texas Theatre: In another installment of the free screenings sponsored by the Oak cliff Cultural Center, there will be a 35mm screening of EXPLORERS which is directed by one of the all-time great genre directors, Joe Dante.


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AMY Review - Javi's Take

Director: Asif Kapadia.

Cast: Mitch Winehouse, Mark Ronson, Blake Fielder-Civil, Pete Doherty. 

Opens at: Wide.

Netflix Instant: TV and Movie Picks

And we're back to our regularly scheduled Netflix Instant column. I have a couple of gems for you this week. One film I loved when I watched it in college, and two I've been excited about since last year and are finally streaming to watch!

Check them out after the break

SELF/LESS Review: Javi's Take

SELF/LESS

Director: Tarsem Singh.

Writer: David Pastor and Alex Pastor.

Actors: Ryan Reynolds, Sir Ben Kingsley, Matthew Goode, Natalie Martinez, Victor Garber and Derek Luke.

MINIONS Review- Jonesy's Take

Director: Kyle Balda and Pierre Coffin

Writer: Brian Lynch

Starring: Sandra Bullock, Jon Hamm, Michael Keaton, Allison Janney, Steve Coogan, Geoffrey Rush, and Pierre Coffin.

This review original ran on CentralTrack.com 

Best Movies of 2015, So Far- Javi and Jonesy's Take

It's been a great year of movies so far. So when we were putting together our lists, it was tough to cut it down to just five. Not only have there been some great films released by major studios, but this has also been a great year for independent films as well. You'll see a mix on our lists, and these films definitely make us excited for later half of 2015.

The Local Haps: July 6th - July 12th

Here's some special movie events! Check them out.

Monday, July 6th
Alamo Drafthouse: Get ready to be surprised at another monthly AGFA Secret Screening tonight at 8:00 pm. If 35mm rarities aren't up your alley, how about watching a 15-anniversary screening of one of the first superhero movies of the new era, X-MEN?


Tuesday, July 7th
Alamo Drafthouse: The Bondthology is quickly wrapping up. In this month's installment, we have the first of the great Daniel Craig movies, CASINO ROYALE at 7:00 pm. It's fun watching Hannibal Lecter (Mads Mikkelsen) playing poker the strange villain Le Chiffre. Then later for all of my groovier friends out there, you can stick around to 10 pm for a free screening of the cult stoner classic, PINEAPPLE EXPRESS. Then, if you don't have work the next morning, you should go home and pair it with THIS IS THE END.


Wednesday, July 8th
Alamo Drafthouse: This month's Vinegar Syndrome is the slasher THE JEKYLL AND HYDE PORTFOLIO filled with inexplicable amounts of sex and neon-colored blood.


Thursday, July 9th
Alamo Drafthouse: As I joked on Twitter, Shark Week has become the kind of thing that gets basics on the Internet super excited like bacon, pumpkin spice lattes, and the Big Bang Theory. I bet your work will be doing some cheesy Shark Week-related thing at some point because it's that popular. Anyway, the point is the Drafthouse is playing SHARKNADO in the awesome Sharknad-o-vision which means actual* sharks will be flying around the theater when the aforementioned sharknado comes on screen.


Friday, July 10th
Texas Theatre: Starting tonight and over the weekend, you can watch the Dallas hometown hero, Dirk Nowitzki's documentary NOWITZKI: THE PERFECT SHOT. You can read Jonesy's review here. Then at 9:00 pm, there's a special screening of FORBIDDEN ZONE with composer Richard Elfman in attendance followed by a strangely billed after party featuring Pinkish Black and Unconscious Collective.


Saturday, July 11th
Alamo Drafthouse: If you're into ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW then you already know there's a screening at 10:20 pm and that it will be as rowdy and out there as is to be expected.

Texas Theatre: For one night only, you can catch the relationship drama 10,000 KM about a couple separated by, you guessed it, 10,000 km's as the woman moves out to LA for a year to kick-start her photography career.


Sunday, July 12th.
Alamo Drafthouse: Preston Sturges' SULLIVAN'S TRAVELS at 12:45 pm. One of Jonesy's favorites, DEEP BLUE SEA  plays today in honor of Shark Week.

Granada Theater: This might be the place to be on Sunday. There will be a JAWS/SHARKNADO double feature starting at 2:00 pm.

Texas Theatre: Rounding out the weekend is the classic forbidden romance movie, HIROSHIMA MON AMOUR about a French actress that has an affair with a married Japanese architect.


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