The movies at last year’s Lone Star International Film Festival racked up an incredible 40 Oscar nominations. This year’s lineup probably won’t equal that mark, but the festival still has plenty to recommend it.
It begins with Jayne Mansfield’s Car, Billy Bob Thornton’s return to directing after more than a decade away. Heavyweight actors such as Robert Duvall, Kevin Bacon, and John Hurt populate this story about two families brought together by a funeral. We’ll also see Dustin Hoffman’s directing debut, Quartet; Bill Murray portraying FDR in Hyde Park on Hudson; and Caesar Must Die, which won the top prize at this year’s Berlin International Film Festival. The marquee attraction, though, figures to be David O. Russell’s Silver Linings Playbook, a buzzy comedy about a teacher (Bradley Cooper) who has just been released from a mental institution, co-starring Jennifer Lawrence and Robert De Niro.
In addition, the festival pays tribute to Thornton, producer Albert Ruddy, and actor John Hawkes (Winter’s Bone, The Sessions), with retrospectives of their work and personal appearances by all of them. Also screening are Michael Cimino’s Heaven’s Gate and the Texas-shot slasher flick All the Boys Love Mandy Lane, produced by Fort Worth native Chad Feehan. Once again, local cinephiles won’t want to miss this weekend downtown.
[box_info]The Lone Star International Film Festival runs Wed-Sun at AMC Palace, 220 E 3rd St, FW. Single tickets are $8-10, passes $175-500. Call 817-924-6000.[/box_info]
