Planning on catching a movie this weekend at the Dallas International Film Festival? Might I recommend:
Friday
Terms and Conditions May Apply – My podcasting partner, Chris Vognar, calls this the scariest movie you’ll see at this year’s festival. The funny thing is: It’s a documentary. Specifically about what exactly you are agreeing to when you click “yes” on all of those boxes online. It’ll make you think twice about how you live your life online. (10 p.m., Angelika)
Mud – Matthew McConaughey stars as a fugitive hiding out on a tiny island on the Mississippi River. He’s discovered by a pair of preteen boys, who help him out with his plan to reunite with the woman he loves (Reese Witherspoon). Along the way, the boys get a crash course in the difference between idealized love and the real thing. Last month at SXSW, McConaughey told me he liked the island where they filmed so much, he decided to set up camp. (7:15 p.m., Angelika)
Saturday
Good Ol’ Freda – Probably my favorite of the DIFF films that I was able to watch before the festival began. In the documentary, Freda Kelly tells us what it was like to be hired by Brian Epstein to start the official Beatles fan club as a 17-year-old girl living in Liverpool and see it through all the way to the band’s breakup. To tell you what a different (and naive) time it was – Kelly listed her home address as the fan club’s mailing address. Her dad was more than a little annoyed with hundreds of letters a day showed up in his mailbox. The stories she tells about her interactions with the Fab Four might force you to reconsider your opinions of each band member. ( 2:15 p.m., Angelika)
Tomlinson Hill – Director Lisa Kaselak’s film is a part of the Texas competition. It focuses on the difficult race relations in Marlin, Texas – a small town about 30 miles south of Waco. Yours truly will be conducting a Q&A with the filmmakers following the screening, so come out and say hi. (2:30 p.m., Magnolia)
Sunday
The Bounceback – Maybe you heard my story today on KERA radio about Steven Walters, the Dallas Theater Center company member who wrote the script for The Bounceback? It’s about Stan and Cathy, who have called it quits as a couple but who each happen to be visiting friends in Austin the same weekend. Instead of focusing on the actual breakup, it’s more about the process of moving on with your life. The secondary characters often steal the show in this comedy that has fun in pushing the boundaries of good taste. (7:15 p.m., Angelika)
High School Showcases – What does the next generation of filmmakers have on its mind? A pair of blocs showing the best local high school films should clue us in. The Booker T. Washington Showcase begins at 2:15 p.m., followed by the North Texas High School Showcase at 4:30. Both at Angelika.
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