Welcome to Friday. Here’s what’s playing this weekend.
New releases:
Captain America: Holding Out for a Hero
Captain America: The First Avenger, directed by Joe Johnston (Jurassic Park III), starring Chris Evans, Hugo Weaving, Samuel L. Jackson. Summer of super hero hunks continues with this weekend’s big arrival–Captain America. Go Team USA! There’s something compelling about this film’s story and design. Captain America has no super powers. He was given a super hot bod by scientists building a super human to fight Nazis during World War 2. The fact that the whole idea of a super human, especially one with blond hair, blue eyes and pale skin, is who the USA has recruited to fight Nazis, is only slightly ironic. Or at least I hope the irony was apparent to the filmmakers. From a purely aesthetic standpoint, there is a beautiful design element at play. Captain America’s shield has a kind of perfect graphic quality to it–the silver star surrounded by concentric rings of blue and red. On second thought, maybe I’m over thinking this one too much. It’s a super hunk fighting nazis. He also has HUGE pecs. That is all you need to know. (Wide Release)
Tabloid: Errol Morris' new documentary
Tabloid, directed by Errol Morris. With allegations of wide spread media ethics violations at News Corp making headlines now. Tabloid, the new Errol Morris documentary, takes us back to a simpler time when hacking voice mails wasn’t necessary to sell trashy rags. The film, which played at SIFF, tells the story of a scandal that made tabloid headlines in England in the 1960s. A former Miss Wyoming travels to the U.K. to abduct a Mormon missionary and hold him captive. From her perspective she was trying to deprogram him from Mormon brainwashing. Regardless of who you believe, the story’s mix of a loose woman, sex, and violence fueled countless tabloid sales and caused a big stir in it’s day. (Guild 45th)
Also opening is Friends with Benefits the new film from Will Gluck, his follow up to Easy A. People who loved Easy A will probably like this one too, but as someone who loathes romantic comedies, this looks pretty damn tired. Do we really need more “It’s not you, it’s me” jokes? Is it also weird that both of Black Swan‘s stars have made sleeping-with-your-friends romcoms this year? Girls, pull it together! You can do better.
Seattle Screenings:
Labyrinth: playing 2x this Summer
Labyrinth (1986) and The Dark Crystal (1982), two features based on Jim Henson puppetry, are playing back to back at Central Cinema all week. If you are a big Labyrinth fan you won’t want to miss it when it plays again at the Three Dollar Bill Outdoor Cinema on August 5th.
Tourist Trap (1979) is this weekend’s late night feature at the U District’s Grand Illusion Cinema, show times at 11. True story: this movie played on TV when I was 5 and my brother was 4, and it scarred us for years. I could clearly remember mannequins jumping out of closets and cabinets, like it was some recurring nightmare. That is some real childhood PTSD. When I rediscovered it as an adult, I was so surprised that this was allowed to play on daytime television back in the 80s. That’s so rad! I’m all for scaring children–it helps improve their imaginations. Also, this movie features Tanya Roberts, trash movie actress extraordinaire (Beast Master, View to a Kill, That 70s Show), so you know I love it.
Ryan Hicks is Development Manager at Three Dollar Bill Cinema, a film fan, and contributor to Seattle Gay Scene.
