Cream of the Crop
Today we launch a new feature by Cara Lahr looking at the week ahead in indie film venues in New Orleans.
Screenings both large and small can go unnoticed in the cinematic boomtown of the Hollywood South. As Ferris Bueller once said, "life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it." Here's our weekly roundup of the upcoming showings and festivals in independent film venues we don't want you to miss because you didn't know about them.
Edward Scissorhands
The Tim Burton classic is an alterna-tearjearker about being misunderstood.
"From E.T. to The Elephant Man to The Ugly Duckling, the noble-hearted outsider getting persecuted by society may be the oldest -- and most touching -- story in the book.In Edward Scissorhands, director Tim Burton gives that perennial tale a gothic-goofy twist, with amusing nods to Mary Shelley, MTV, the Brothers Grimm and Ozzie and Harriet."- The Washington Post
November 6, 7:30 p.m., New Orleans Museum of Art.
Pontchartrain Film Festival
The festival opens Friday with a free screening of Dancing in the Water, a documentary following the first person to swim 25 miles non-stop across Lake Pontchatrain. Saturday is a short film bonanza, with showings and Q&A sessions from local filmmakers starting early in the afternoon. An after party concludes the festival. Visit the website for more information.
November 6, 7 p.m., Mandeville Trailhead Amphitheater, 675 Lafitte St., Mandeville, Free.
November 7, 1:30 p.m. Mandeville Trailhead Amphitheater, 675 Lafitte St., Mandeville, $5 all day pass.
Nasty Baby
What first appears to be a self-congratulatory comedy about a woman helping her gay friends conceive turns into a disturbing showcase of just how violent life's curveballs can be.
"[Sebastian] Silva’s off-the-cuff style suits [Kristen] Wiig, who delivers her best performance since Bridesmaids. Same goes for [Tunde] Adebimpe, who taps the same impressive sensitivity on display in Rachel Getting Married. Nasty Baby is all about likability, delicate stained-glass drama ready to be shattered by Silva’s cruel curiosity. The rare film that will actually make you laugh, make you cry, and leave you hyperventilating in its final moments." - Vanity Fair
November 6-8, 5:30 p.m., Zeitgeist Multidisciplinary Arts Center.
Finders Keepers
A man finding a stranger's foot in his new grill ignites a years-long saga in this documentary about two passionate men fighting over the leg each believes is rightfully his.
"The filmmakers deftly reveal the inner demons and struggles of these two competing leg men, and through it all flesh out this strange story with a sympathetic, non-condescending compassion." - The Hollywood Reporter
November 6-13, 7:30 p.m., Zeitgeist Multidisciplinary Arts Center.
Big Charity
Directed by a 2010 Tulane grad, this 2014 documentary lays bare the corruption that doomed the nation's oldest hospital, and the stories of individuals affected along the way.
"Wringing as much emotion, nostalgia, and community outrage into a film as possible, Big Charity documents the still highly controversial and lamented closing of New Orleans' landmark hospital." - Examiner
November 12, 7 p.m., Freeman Auditorium, Woldenberg Arts Center at Tulane University. Free.
