Film Agenda

Following up on my review of Il Conformista over at DCist, part of a new regular column called Out of Frame, here is a look at some of the independent and foreign films opening this week.

AFI SILVER:
Bernardo Bertolucci's Il Conformista, continues at AFI for only a week, through September 14. This Friday, an excellent new Pedro Almodóvar retrospective, Viva Pedro, opens and will continue through October 19. Go see your favorite films from the revered Spanish director, and probably even some you haven't seen, starting this week with Mujeres al borde de un ataque de nervios (Women on the verge of a nervous breakdown, 1988).

Starting on Thursday, there is also the D.C. Labor Filmfest, a selection of movies related to the theme of work and office. Among the more recent and more serious films, do not miss the chance to see Office Space (1991 1999), which has become something of a cult film, on the big screen (September 15 and 16).

E STREET:
Opening at the E Street Cinema this Friday (September 15) are three independent films. Conversations with Women is an experimental movie by Hans Canosa, shot simultaneously with two cameras, parallel views which are shown in split screen. The story concerns a man and woman (Aaron Eckhart and Helena Bonham Carter), who hook up at a wedding reception.

Opening the same night are Patricia Foulkrod's The Ground Truth, a documentary about the lives of American soldiers before, during, and after the war in Iraq. Perhaps not the best choice for a date movie, but that depends on your date, I guess. Another documentary, This Film Is Not Yet Rated by director Kirby Dick, is an attempt to unmask some of the mystery behind the film ratings system of the Motion Picture Association of America. Just by mentioning this movie, we are likely to be blackballed forever in Hollywood.