SCHILLING FOR THE WONDERFRIENDS- or, movies you should see soon!

Were you thinking of going to the movies NEXT weekend? I sure was, because there are THREE GREAT MOVIES out that you definitely need to see! In the current film market, independent films rarely have the opportunity to see theatrical release, and for those that do make it into a theater, the length of their run may be determined by opening weekend returns. Please, if you're thinking of going out to the movies this month, or this summer, consider going next weekend to one of these excellent films:


BEETLE QUEEN CONQUERS TOKYO

film forum- Weds, May 12- Tues, May 18

Working backwards through history, Beetle Queen Conquers Tokyo explores the mystery of the development of Japan’s love affair with bugs. Using insects like an anthropologist’s toolkit, the film uncovers Japanese philosophies that will shift Westerners’ perspectives on nature, beauty, life, and even the seemingly mundane realities of their day-to-day routines.

(disclosure: Jessica Oreck is who I want to be when I grow up, and the nicest gal around.)
(I will be at the 8:20 show of this on Weds and Thurs.)



Daddy Longlegs
IFC Center, Fri May 14- Thurs May 20

Loose-limbed and affectionate, DADDY LONGLEGS paints a clear-eyed portrait of a man torn between excuses and responsibilities and of the children who idolize him. A loving but hopelessly immature father, Lenny (filmmaker Ronald Bronstein of Frownland) gets custody of his sons for two weeks a year. Juggling work as a projectionist and the demands of girlfriends with taking care of two young children, Lenny turns a life of improvised meals and unpredictable days into an adventure for his kids, where lawlessness rules and anything can happen.

(disclosure: the marvelous and absurdly talented, dedicated Katie Hickman, my Vassar Film partner in crime, worked on this movie! Also, Josh and Benny Safdie are very decent guys and two you should be watching for the future of film)


Holy Rollers

Sneak preview at Rooftop Films May 15th, Opening May 21st at Landmark Sunshine and AMC Loews 84th Street

 

HOLY ROLLERS is a character-driven drama inspired by true events from the late nineties when young men from Brooklyn Hasidic communities were caught internationally trafficking ecstasy from Europe into the United States. Jesse Eisenberg plays Sam Gold, a young Hasidic man seduced by the money, power and misplaced sense of opportunity presented to him by Yosef (Justin Bartha), a young man in his community who is already mixed up in the complicated and dangerous world led by an Israeli drug dealer.

(disclosure: Eli Gelb, a darling, wildly skilled actor who was also my hallmate, appears in this film)