FILM CAPSULES, CONTINUED FROM PG. 31
the news), Nov. 14-17 and Nov. 19-20. Taxi Driver (Martin Scorsese’s 1976 drama about America’s dark underbelly), Nov. 14-19. Raging Bull (1980 bio-pic about boxer Jake LaMotta), Nov. 14-18. Call or see website for times and complete listings. 4115 Butler St., Lawrenceville. $5-9. 412-904-3225 or www.rowhousecinema.com.
The crime aspect of the story treads familiar ground, but the film does function better as a smallscale character study of young people who process the wide open spaces of Texas as stifling rather than liberating. That destructive malaise and some nice cinematography help give this neo-noir some verve. 7:30 p.m. Fri., Nov. 14; 9:45 p.m. Sat., Nov. 15; 4 p.m. Sun., N ov. 16; and 7:30 p.m. Mon., N ov. 17. Hollywood (AH) BEYOND THE LIGHTS. Rising hip-hop star Noni (Gugu Mbatha-Raw) is trapped in a blinged-out prison of cheap celebrity, housed there by her hyperaggressive stage mom (Minnie Driver). Then, some melodramatic circumstances put Noni in the arms (literally) of a sensitive Los Angeles policeman, Kaz (Nate Parker). And surprise: With Kaz, Noni can let her weave down, and just be herself — somebody who would rather croon Nina Simone songs than show up at another awards show in a metal thong. Look, you’ve seen this film a thousand times before, but if you like these backstage romances, you could do worse. Gina Prince-Bythewood’s film is tripping over a lot of tropes, but it’s also consciously trying to be positive about self-determination, the presentation of women in media and what extra challenges people of color face in the public sphere. (Kaz is angling to go into politics.) Needless to say, the leads are easy on the eyes, and the good musical numbers balance out the (intentionally) horrifying ones. Starts Fri., Nov. 14. (AH) DUMB AND DUMBER TO. The Farrelly brothers direct this third iteration of the D&D franchise. This time out, it’s all about finding a long-lost daughter. Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels reprise their roles. Starts Fri., Nov. 14. PULP: A FILM ABOUT LIFE, DEATH AND SUPERMARKETS. Florian Habicht’s new profile of the U.K. band is interwoven with more dream-like segments featuring … uh … “common people” (folks
GREMLINS. The little furry guys sure are cute, but when the rules get broken, hordes of misbehaving gremlins get loose, unleashing mayhem on a small town. Joe Dante directs this 1984 comedy. 7:30 p.m. Wed., Nov. 12. AMC Loews. $5 MY PEOPLE FILM SERIES. This week of the film series exploring the experiences of gay men and women of color offers a program of recent short films, including: “Hector: Lost Souls With Switchblades,” about a gender-bending loner harassed at a bar by hooligans adopting a 1950s-gang look, and “Barrio Boy,” a secret-love story of sorts set in a Brooklyn barbershop, between the Latino barber and an Irish stranger. 7:30 p.m. Tue., N ov. 18. The Alloy Studios, 5530 Penn Ave., Friendship. $5. www.kelly-strayhorn.org
Beyond the Lights recruited off the streets of Sheffield). Starts Wed., Nov. 19. Hollywood ROSEWATER. TV host Jon Stewart makes his directorial debut with this docudrama about journalist Maziar Bahari (Gael Garcia Bernal), who was detained and tortured in an Iranian prison. Starts Fri., Nov. 14.
CP
WHIPLASH. Andrew (Miles Teller) is a first-year student at a prestigious New York City music college — he’s a jazz drummer — when he’s chosen for the school band by the autocratic professor Fletcher (J.K. Simmons). Thus begins Andrew’s extremely physical and emotionally devastating trial
by fire, as he strives to survive Fletcher’s explosive anger and head games, while also meeting his impossible performance standards. Writer-director Damien Chazelle’s intense drama is a virtual two-hander, featuring a pair of great performances: Watching Teller flail on the drum kit will exhaust you, while Simmons is on fire as the abusive teacher. Though ostensibly about art, Whiplash is reminiscent of a sports film, complete with scenes of grueling physicality, close-ups of bloody injuries and an exploration of the succeed-at-any-cost mentality. (Fletcher espouses the oft-cited coach mantra of “I push athletes to the breaking point because only then do they perform at their best.”) It’s a battle of wits that ends up in a disturbing place, though I found the film’s final twisted scenes as exhilarating as any action thriller. Starts Fri., Nov. 14. Manor (AH) WHY DON’T YOU PLAY IN HELL? Your enjoyment of Shion Sono’s new mash-up of comedy, gangster film and martial-arts actioner may depend on your patience. There’s a pretty epic payoff, but Sono takes well over an hour to set up all the components. Key players include: a slapdash amateur film crew who go by the moniker “Fuck Bombers” and adore old Bruce Lee movies; two groups of battling yakusa, one of whom has adopted the old-school look of kimonos; a 98-pound weakling fake-dating a gangster’s wild-child daughter; a toothpaste commercial sung by a perky young girl; and the God of Film. It all comes to a head when the two gangs go to war, and both sides agree to let the Bombers film the action. For fans of filmmaking, martial-arts movies and silly humor, this is some amusing, albeit very bloody, stuff. Brush up on your tracking shot and your swordplay, people. In Japanese, with subtitles. 7:30 p.m. Thu., Nov. 13; 10 p.m. Fri., Nov. 14; 7 p.m. Sat., Nov. 15; 7 p.m. Sun., Nov. 16; and 7:30 p.m. Tue., Nov. 18. Hollywood (AH)
REPERTORY ROW HOUSE CINEMA. Introduction to French Cinema: A Prophet (2009 crime drama about a French-Algerian youth who rises to power in prison), Nov. 12. The Rules of the Game (Jean Renoir’s 1939 class critique wrapped in a comedy of manners), Nov. 12-13. The 400 Blows (Francois Truffaut’s 1959 tale of a troubled youth, another French New Wave classic), Nov. 12-13. Breathless (Jean-Luc Godard’s 1960 French New Wave classic about a thief and his American girlfriend), Nov. 13. Robert De N iro Series: Jackie Brown (Quentin Tarantino’s 1997 blaxploitation homage), Nov. 14-16 and Nov. 18-20. Wag the Dog (1997 political comedy about spinning
32
PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER 11.12/11.19.2014
HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERER’S STONE. A young boy (Daniel Radcliffe) learns he’s a wizard and heads off to Hogwarts School. Chris Columbus’ 2001 film is the start of an epic magical journey. 7:30 p.m. Wed., N ov. 19. AMC Loews. $5
Whiplash
CP
ONCE UPON THE TIME IN THE WEST. Sergio Leone’s epic 1968 Western set in the famed Monument Valley begins enigmatically, as three dubious-looking hombres hang around a railroad station. Water drips, a fly buzzes, an eyelid twitches … time hangs in the air until the sense of foreboding is answered by a hail of gunfire from a mysterious, harmonica-toting stranger. Henry Fonda, Claudia Cardinale, Jason Robards, Charles Bronson and Utah’s Monument Valley star in this uncompromising revenge drama, marked by the director’s idiosyncratic pacing and framing; bursts of shocking violence; and Ennio Morricone’s unusual score. This film continues the monthly Spaghetti Western Dinner Series, which offers patrons get a spaghetti Western and spaghetti (with meatballs and Mancini bread). Dinner at 6 p.m.; screening at 6:30 p.m. Thu., Nov. 20. Parkway Theater, 644 Broadway Ave., McKees Rocks. $8. Reservations recommended at 412-766-1668 or lincolnbarber@ yahoo.com. (AH) ANDY WARHOL FILMS. Many of Warhol’s films and video works are available for personal viewing in the Warhol’s new multimedia room. Ongoing. Free with museum admission. Andy Warhol Museum, N orth Side. www.warhol.org