A guide to what’s happening at Downtown Manhattan’s premiere film festival this weekend
The Tribeca Film Festival kicked off its eight season on Wednesday night with an invite-only screening of Woody Allen’s latest film Whatever Works, starring Larry David and Evan Rachel Wood. If you missed that event don’t worry–even for this longtime Woody fan, Whatever Works was painful viewing. Fortunately, many other, better movies are screening at the fest this weekend. Here’s a guide to some of the standout titles premiering at Tribeca over the next few days. For ticket and theater information visit the festival’s official site.
Black Dynamite
A dead-on spoof of the cheaply made blaxploitation movies that were churned out in the dozens during the ’70s, Black Dynamite stars Michael Jai White as the titular kung-fu fighting hero who has sworn to protect his L.A. ‘hood from the evil plans of “The Man.” The film take a little while to get going, but the last half-hour is pure comic gold as the plot grows increasingly whacked out and crazy. Some of the movie’s best gags are aimed at the problems that accompany low-budget filmmaking, such as intrusive boom mikes and misfiring props. In the lead role, White is…well, dynamite, delivering one-liners and body blows without breaking a sweat.
Screening on Friday at 9:15pm and Monday at 5:00pm
Kobe Doin’ Work
Talk about getting up close and personal: for his new doc about NBA icon Kobe Bryant, Spike Lee filmed an entire game from the 2008 MVP’s perspective, placing dozens of cameras around the Staples Center court that followed his every move. Bryant also wore a mic that captured all of his grunts, shot-calls and words of advice to teammates. It’s a fascinating, if occasionally annoying, way to watch a basketball game, but must for Lakers’ fans. Kobe talks about his day job in a sit-down interview that’s one of several other bonus features.
Screening on Saturday at 9:00pm
Rudo y Cursi
Diego Luna and Gael García Bernal reunite for the first time since Y Tu Mama También as squabbling half-brothers with dreams of making it big as pro futbol players. Although it cloaks itself in sports movie clothing, Rudo y Cursi is actually a pointed satire of the blind pursuit of fame and the relentless corruption that permeates all levels of Mexican society. Once again, Bernal and Luna prove themselves a cinematic Dream Team, playing through the film’s occasional heavy-handedness and scoring numerous laughs.
Screening on Sunday at 6:15pm
In The Loop
Although it only ran for six episodes, the British political comedy series The Thick of It, ranks as one of the funniest shows I’ve ever seen—right up there with the U.K. version of The Office. Now the minds behind that show have come up In The Loop, which is easily the most hilarious feature film I’ve seen so far this year. When a low-level flunky in the British government suggests that the chances of war in the Middle East are “unforeseeable,” he sets off a chain reaction of events that push the U.K. and the U.S. to the brink of armed conflict with the Islamic world. Often resembling a contemporary version of Dr. Strangelove, In The Loop is political satire at its sharpest.
Screening on Monday at 8:30pm
Other Movies to Watch Out For:
The Exploding Girl
Rising star Zoe Kazan is getting a lot of praise for her star turn in this Brooklyn-set film about a college student torn between her campus sweetheart and her hometown guy pal.
Screening on Saturday at 2:45pm
Blank City
A retrospective documentary about the explosion of arts and culture that swept the Lower East Side in the early ’70s and early ’80s, featuring new interviews with such old-school hipsters as Jim Jarmusch and Steve Buscemi.
Screening on Saturday at 6:45pm
American Casino
Leslie Cockburn’s timely documentary explores the subprime mortgage implosion that brought Wall Street to its knees.
Screening on Sunday at 7:45pm
