Phoebe Waller-Bridge brings Fleabag back to the stage (and into cinemas)
The holiday prestige film release cycle is in a bit of a post-Thanksgiving lull, with likely future This Had Oscar Buzz inductee, The Aeronauts, making a limited stop in Seattle this week with matinee shows at The Varsity theater in the U-District. In this historicial-ish epic, Felicity Jones plays a hot air balloon pilot (a lady! in a balloon?) who teams up with a Eddie Redmayne as a meteorologist (predicting the weather? what will they think of next!) on a perilous high-atmosphere adventure. It’s an Amazon production; so expect it on Prime Soon. However, reviews are this-side-of-favorable and the word on the street (and when it played in the park during Telluride) is that the borderline corny film redeems itself with thrilling action sequences (really!) that are best appreciated on the big screen.
If you’re all caught up on the rest of the big awards contenders, some other options for the coming week at the movies.
SIFF film center has two special programs playing back-to-back this weekend, they might make for an odd double feature, but why not give it a shot?
- NT Live: Fleabag: Phoebe Waller-Bridge adapted her original one woman show, Fleabag into one of the year/decade’s best television dramedies for lovers of comedy, broken people, hot priests, and ominous foxes. She recently brought the stage production back to the National Theatre in London and they were kind enough to film it for a limited theatrical release. (Friday – Sunday)
- The Princess Bride Quote-Along: You could probably quote the whole thing from memory, but this weekend’s presentation of the timeless classic comedy will be accompanied by subtitles and free inflatable swords. (Friday – Sunday)
Elsewhere in holiday cheer, Central Cinema is playing back-to-back showings of other Christmas classics, Die Hard and The Muppet Christmas Carol (Friday – Thursday).
Tammy and The T-Rex (1994 | USA | 90 minutes |Stewart Raffill )
No, this is not a Saturday Night Live skit. There really was a rom-com in which the late Paul Walker starred as a poor schlep who gets killed by a lion, only to have his brain transplanted into the body of an animatronic dinosaur. Denise Richards plays Dino-Walker’s understandably upset girlfriend. This originally went straight-to-video in a PG-13 cut, but the uncut version screening at the Grand Illusion includes a lot of violence, making this is the first (and to date, only) romantic comedy ever made to culminate in a bloody dinosaur rampage. (Grand Illusion Cinema; December 6, 10, 13) — Tony Kay
Female Trouble (Female Trouble | 1974 | USA | 89 minutes | John Waters)
Baltimore’s best filmmaker/a genuine, national treasure came through town on Thursday night for the now-annual “A John Waters Christmas”. At this point, whenever John Waters comes through Seattle, it should be mandatory attendance for weirdos and perverts of all denominations. He has a story on just about everyone in Hollywood that will make you laugh. And if that isn’t enough, the benevolent souls at the Beacon Theater in Columbia City are showing one of his most unforgettable movies. While we’re at it, why not watch a movie from Waters’ best of 2019 list? (Beacon Theater on Friday, December 6 at 9:30PM and Saturday, December 7 at 9:15PM. — Chris Burlingame