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FILM CAPSULES CP
–Ronnie Scheib, VARIETY
= CITY PAPER APPROVED
COMPELLING . An aesthetic experience as
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NEW THIS WEEK BALLET 422. This new documentary from Jody Lee Lipes tracks the development of a new short ballet piece for the New York City Ballet. Lipes adopts the style of Frederick Wiseman, assembling the work from fly-onthe-wall footage shot throughout the creation process. (Intertitles help explain some of the ballet company’s structure and personnel.) Thus, we see 25-year-old dancer/choreographer Justin Peck working with his principal dancers, coordinating with superiors and wearily traveling home on the subway. Costumers confer with dancers over fabrics; the in-house orchestra practices; the lighting team sets up their board; and there are many, many rehearsals. It’s always interesting to see the creative process at work — particularly of a team — though those unfamiliar with ballet might wish for additional explanation. But for fans of ballet, this intimate work offers unprecedented access. Starts Fri., April 3. Harris (Al Hoff)
much as an intellectual one. More visually sumptuous than most narratives you’ll see this year.”
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Marty Jackitansky (Joshua CP BUZZARD. Burge) might seem like a caricature: a slovenly heavy-metal and horror-movie fan who eats disgusting junk food and barely punches the clock at his temp job at a mortgage company somewhere in the featureless Midwest. His most treasured possession is a Freddy Krugerlike videogame glove that he has retrofitted with knifes. But Marty has real existential problems, most of them rooted in anger, paranoia and lack of cash. And despite being a slacker, Marty displays a surprising amount of creativity, moxie and flair for surviving on thin margins. The film’s cold open, in which Marty closes his checking account, is an awesome exercise in petty scamming. But after Marty steals some checks from work, things spiral out of control, eventually forcing him to go on the run. This dark indie comedy is written and directed by Joel Potrykus, who also co-stars as Marty’s not-so-cool nerdy co-worker and sometime roommate. Buzzard walks a fine line, depicting Marty as both an unpredictable angry monster and a sympathetic lost boy of sorts. Burge, who has a fantastic “blank” face capable of silently conveying many emotions, does good work bringing Marty to life. They don’t give out awards for this kind of stuff, but if ever there were one for “epic single-take spaghetti-eating scene,” Buzzard is a lock. Starts Fri., April 3. Row House (AH) CHAMPS. This new documentary from Bert Marcus looks at the sport of boxing and how, though it can serve as a ladder up from poverty, it’s often a rough path to the American Dream. There are also tremendous personal costs once boxers gain — and often — lose success. Among those profiled are Mike Tyson, Evander Holyfield and Bernard Hopkins. 6:45 p.m. Thu., April 2; 8:15 p.m. Fri., April 3; and 4:30 and 6:30 p.m. Sat., April 4. Parkway, McKees Rocks FURIOUS 7. The fast cars — and the goodlooking people who drive them — are back, seeking revenge for the events of Fast & Furious 6. Also, Somalian terrorists and a computer program called God’s Eye that can turn any device into a weapon. But mostly, fast cars. James Wan directs. Starts Fri., April 3.
EXHILARATING.”
-Zachary Wigon, VILLAGE VOICE
Ballet 422 Northern Ireland. His first foray goes badly, when a street riot turns deadly and Hook is separated from his unit and left to survive the night in republican territory. Yann Demange’s debut feature is a gritty 90-minute thriller set on a single chaotic night. Despite the specificity of its setting and time, it’s essentially a lost-in-dangerous-territory set-up familiar from Western, war and crime films. Mostly, Hook is forced to react to the rapidly changing events around him, which include internecine struggles within the local paramilitary group, with the complication of undercover British forces complicit in corruption and collusion. The stuck-behind-enemy-lines part is an easier sell than the political drama, which might be confusing to those unfamiliar with this specific history and its nuances. Also getting a bit lost in the storytelling is ’71’s larger theme about the role of the soldier as a disposable pawn in ill-defined mission with an unclear chain of command. But this is a gripping outing, with O’Connell (last seen suffering endlessly in Unbroken) managing a nearly dialoguefree role, and a break-out performance by Corey McKinley, as take-charge child loyalist. Starts Fri., April 3. Manor (AH)
Big Adventure (Burton’s 1985 debut, featuring Pee Wee Herman on a road trip), April 1. Mars Attacks! (1996 spoof of 1950s sci-fi films), April 1-2. Batman (the 1989 reboot, starring Michael Keaton), April 1-2. Wigle Whiskey Presents: Best In Show (Christopher Guest’s 2000 mockumentary about dog shows), 7:30 p.m. Thu., April 2. Work Sucks Series. Buzzard (new comedy about a temp; see review above), April 3-8. Clerks (Kevin Smith’s 1994 indie comedy about convenience-store workers), April 3-9. Being John Malkovich (Spike Jonze’s loopy 1999 comedy where a puppeteer ends up in John Malkovich’s mind), CONTINUES ON PG. 40
BALLET 422 An unprecedented look behind the curtain at the New York City Ballet featuring choreographer Justin Peck
EXCLUSIVE ENGAGEMENT STARTS
FRIDAY, APRIL 3 PITTSBURGH Pittsburgh Filmmakers Harris Theatre theaters.pittsburgharts.org
REPERTORY ROW HOUSE CINEMA. Tim Burton Films. Pee Wee’s
It Follows (2015) 4/1 @ 7:30pm, 4/2 @ 7:30pm, 4/3 @ 10:00pm, 4/4 @ 4:00pm & 7:00pm, 4/5 @ 7:00pm, 4/6 @ 9:30pm, 4/7 @ 7:00pm, 4/8 @ 9:30pm DO NOT miss this new indie horror flick that critics are raving about!
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Kumiko The Treasure Hunter (2014)
4/3 @ 7:30pm, 4/4 @ 9:30pm, 4/5 @ 4:00pm, 4/6 @ 7:00pm, 4/7 @ 9:30pm, 4/8 @ 7:00pm A lonely Japanese woman is convinced a lost treasure she saw in a film is real, and travels to the frozen tundra of Minnesota to find it.
-Rocky - - - - - - Horror - - - - - - - -Picture - - - - - - - -Show --------------4/4 @ Midnight with live shadowcast by the JCCP!
In 1971, a young British soldier named CP ’71. Gary Hook (Jack O’Connell) is sent to patrol the increasingly violent streets of Belfast,
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