Chile Pages
BOBBI JENE
In this documentary set in the world of modern dance, filmmaker Elvira Lind trains her camera on dancer Bobbi Jene Smith during a transitional time in her life. After performing in celebrated choreographer Ohad Naharin’s company for many years, Smith decides to break off on her own. This movie centers on her decision, her preparation for her first solo show, and her longdistance relationship with her boyfriend. Not rated. 95 minutes. Violet Crown. (Not reviewed)
THE BROADWAY MELODY
Not rated. 100 minutes. Violet Crown. See Screen Gems, Page 46.
BUGS
Insects are the latest taste sensation for the brave foodie in this alternately funny, occasionally cringeinducing, but ultimately thought-provoking look at insects as a food commodity. The documentary follows Ben Reade and Josh Evans of the Nordic Food Lab’s Edible Insects Project on a tour around the world to places where eating bugs is de rigueur. Along the way, their epicurean delight is sparked by fried caterpillars, worms, termites, grubs, and dangerous wasps. But
Bugs also takes on some larger issues, such as providing a nonflattering look at the food industry and how it steamrolls over more sustainable food practices. Ultimately, the idea of whether insects can provide answers to how we’ll feed an estimated 9 billion people by midcentury — and whether the industry will use insects purely for profit — is left wide open. Bugs leaves us with more questions than answers, while relishing the chance to show the food choices Western audiences mostly overlook. Not rated. 73 minutes. Center for Contemporary Arts. (Michael Abatemarco)
THE FOREIGNER
Kung-fu superstar Jackie Chan, now sixty-three, aims to enter a new phase in his career with this action picture helmed by Martin Campbell (Casino Royale). He plays a London businessman who loses his daughter in a terrorist attack. He sets off on a revenge mission, hoping to get the names of the bombers from a reluctant government official (Pierce Brosnan) with a shady past in the IRA. A deadly cat-and-mouse game between the two men ensues. Rated R. 114 minutes. Regal Stadium 14; Violet Crown. (Not reviewed)
HAPPY DEATH DAY
It’s Groundhog Day meets the serial-killer genre in this scare flick about a college student (Jessica Rothe) who wakes up on her birthday and has a good day until she is murdered by an attacker in a cartoonish pig mask. Then, she wakes up again. She must relive this day repeatedly until she figures out how to stop this seemingly invincible foe. Rated PG-13. 96 minutes. Regal Stadium 14. (Not reviewed)
THE LAST DALAI LAMA?
The beatific smile, twinkling eyes, and wise, pursedlipped observations of the 14th (and possibly last) Dalai Lama make this documentary a warmly comforting and thoughtful, if not an especially riveting or informative, experience. Director Mickey Lemle uses some footage from his 1993 portrait (Compassion in Exile) of the Tibetan leader to see how his ideas have been affected by the events of the ensuing quarter century. The movie assumes its audience’s familiarity with the position of Dalai Lama, no doubt correctly, and gives little historical or spiritual context to the role. It does, however, dust off archival footage of His Holiness as a child, and spends quality time with him as he discusses compassion, altruism, and the workings of the mind. As to the question in the title, the Dalai Lama, now eighty-two, suggests that, given the circumstances, he may not be reincarnated; and if he is, it will not be in a Tibet in the grip of a Chinese government that has vowed to pick his successor. Not rated. 82 minutes. The Screen. (Jonathan Richards)
MARSHALL
Chadwick Boseman plays Thurgood Marshall in one of the judge’s career-making cases, years before he became the first African American on the Supreme Court. The year is 1940 and the case is Connecticut v. Joseph Spell, which finds Marshall defending a black chauffeur (Sterling K. Brown) who is accused of the rape and attempted murder of his white employer (Kate Hudson). Rated PG-13. 118 minutes. Regal Stadium 14. (Not reviewed)
PROFESSOR MARSTON AND THE WONDER WOMEN
After Wonder Woman’s blockbuster this past spring and before her next appearance in the upcoming Justice League film, this movie lets you learn more about the superheroine’s creator, William Marston (Luke Evans). In an era when comic books were thought by many to be corrupting youth, Wonder Woman was known for its depictions of sadomasochism and bondage (there’s a reason she carries a lasso). This movie centers Marston’s creative inspiration in his personal life with regard to what the filmmakers suppose was a polyamorous relationship between him, his wife (Rebecca Hall), and another woman (Bella Heathcote). Rated R. 108 minutes. Violet Crown. (Not reviewed)
THE SANTA FE INDEPENDENT FILM FESTIVAL
Established in 2009, the annual five-day festival that is focused on independent cinema returns for its ninth year, beginning with a screening of The Square and an opening night party at Violet Crown on Wednesday, Oct. 18, and continuing through Sunday, Oct. 22. Screenings take place at venues throughout town; the Thursday, Oct. 19, program includes a screening of