OPENING THIS WEEK
ALL THE RAGE SAVED BY SARNO
Not rated. 94 minutes. The Screen. See review, Page 47.
AMERICAN ASSASSIN
Young Mitch Rapp (Dylan O’Brien) is adrift in life and full of anger; his parents died when he was a teenager and his fiancée was killed in a terrorist attack. That and some unique skills are enough to qualify him for the CIA, who recruit him to be a black ops agent. After extensive training with a Cold War-era specialist (Michael Keaton), Rapp is put to work taking down a rogue operative (Taylor Kitsch). Rated R. 101 minutes. Regal Stadium 14; Violet Crown. (Not reviewed)
THE BIG SLEEP
Following on the heels of its success with To Have
and Have Not, Warner Bros. reteamed hot stars Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall in this 1946 film, a compelling and often confusing adaptation of a Raymond Chandler novel, with a screenplay by William Faulkner (and others). Movie lore has it that Faulkner, who knew the script better than anyone else, couldn’t explain who killed an important character. But what does it matter? Mix Chandler, Bogie, Bacall, and director Howard Hawks and you’ve got the perfect recipe for a noir martini. Flawed or not, they don’t make ‘em like this anymore, and maybe they shouldn’t even try. Not rated. 114 minutes. Jean Cocteau Cinema. (Robert Nott)
MOTHER! CROWN HEIGHTS
Rated R. 94 minutes. Center for Contemporary Arts. See review, Page 49. Filmmaker Darren Aronofsky’s 2010 picture Black Swan, a psychological thriller about a ballerina on the verge of madness, garnered five Oscar nominations, including one for Best Picture. This movie finds him returning to the genre, with a story centering on a wife (Jennifer Lawrence) and husband (Javier Bardem) whose lives are disrupted when strangers (Ed Harris and Michelle Pfeiffer) show up at their country house. The film’s marketing is staying mum on additional details, so expect plenty of twists and turns. Rated R. 121 minutes. Regal Stadium 14; Violet Crown. (Not reviewed)
100 YEARS: ONE WOMAN’S FIGHT FOR JUSTICE
This documentary tells the story of Elouise Cobell, treasurer of her Blackfeet tribe in Montana. When she noticed that money was missing from government-managed Indian Trust accounts, she began digging and asking questions. She uncovered an incredible amount of fraud and corruption, and in 1996, she filed the largest-ever class action lawsuit against the federal government. Not rated. 75 minutes. Jean Cocteau Cinema. (Not reviewed)
POLINA
Not rated. In Russian and French with subtitles. 108 minutes. Center for Contemporary Arts. See review, Page 45.
SCORE: A FILM MUSIC DOCUMENTARY
Movie music isn’t something that many people pay attention to outside of a handful of iconic themes, even though it profoundly shapes their filmgoing experiences. This documentary shines an uncommon light on the art of the film score, offering audiences a history of the form and the chance to see some modern masters at work. Nearly every standout composer since Hollywood’s Golden Age gets some screentime devoted to his or her contributions to the form, from Ennio Morricone to John Williams to Danny Elfman, and the number of high-profile guests is chief among the film’s charms (don’t expect many women composers — a fault of the industry rather than this documentary). Though entertaining and brisk, Score is largely inessential and often feels like one of those “movie magic” montages that they show on Oscar night. Film buffs will nonetheless find plenty to hum along to. Not rated. 93 minutes. Violet Crown. (Robert Ker)
TEXAS STRONG BENEFIT SERIES
The 1984 crime thriller Blood Simple, the first feature co-directed and co-written by brothers Joel and Ethan Coen, anchors a six-film series called #TexasStrong being presented as a benefit for the Houston hurricane relief effort. One hundred percent of the box office gate will be donated to the Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund established by Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner. The masterful films featured were all shot in Texas, from the honkytonk, mechanical-bull-riding Urban Cowboy with John Travolta to the melancholic Terms of Endearment, with Debra Winger on her deathbed battling her strong-willed mother, played by Shirley MacLaine. Blood Simple stars Frances McDormand, in her
film debut, as the cheating wife of a murderous Texas bar owner played by Dan Hedaya. Also playing: Boyhood, Apollo 13, and
Reality Bites. The series runs through Sunday, Sept. 17. Check www.santafe.violetcrown.com for schedule. Various running times and ratings. Violet Crown. (Jon Bowman)