All Over Albany

Film Columbia 2017

The annual Film Columbia film festival returns October 22-29 in Chatham. And the lineup of films is out.

As usual, the schedule includes a bunch of films that are already getting attention because of screenings at other festivals and/or they're eagerly awaited because of stars or directors involved.

A few of this year's selections that caught our eye are after below.

Tickets for the general public go on sale October 14. And many of the screenings do sell out, so if you're interested in attending, it's a good idea to grab tickets sooner rather than later.

A few screenings that caught our eye

All blurbage via Film Columbia.

The Square
October 22, 3 pm, Crandell Theatre
"This bone-dry satire of the contemporary art world won the Palm d'Or at this year's Cannes jury. Christian, the handsome, seemingly unflappable director of Sweden's (fictitious) X-Royal Museum, is a charmer with many talents: curator, manager, fund-raiser, and lover. But Christian is now having problems that have problems of their own, beginning with "The Square," an artwork made for the museum's courtyard. As Christian juggles one unanticipated professional crisis after another, his personal life spirals into literal absurdity." (Among the stars is Elizabeth Moss.)

Surburbicon
October 22, 7:30 pm, Crandell Theatre
"George Clooney has turned an unproduced Cohen brothers script reminiscent of Fargo, into a bleakly comic film noir. Suburbicon is an all-American planned community, '50's-style, until an African-American family moves in, and the picture perfect town turns out to be full of bad people making worse choices. Throw in a family invasion, Matt Damon, and Julianne Moore playing identical twin sisters, and you have a recipe for a gripping, thought-provoking film."

The Current War
October 23, 8:30 pm, Crandell Theatre
"Based on a true story, The Current War dramatizes the vicious, turn-of-the-20th Century feud between two powerhouse inventors, Thomas Edison and George Westinghouse. The prize is the nation's electrical generating system. Edison, backed by J.P. Morgan, wowed America by lighting up part of Manhattan with his DC current, but Westinghouse, assisted by Nikola Tesla, came up with AC current, which Edison claimed was dangerous. Benedict Cumberbatch plays Edison, while Michael Shannon is Westinghouse. "

The Young Karl Marx
October 24, 4:30 pm, Crandell Theatre
"Raoul Peck, the brilliant Haitian-born director of last year's astonishing James Baldwin documentary, I am Not Your Negro, returns with a period piece about the unlikely bromance between two young Germans, Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. The film tracks their adventures in Germany, France, and England, and explores their relationships with the women of their lives. It is a drama of friendship and ideas."

120 Beats Per Minute
October 25, 4:30 pm, Crandell Theatre
"Winner of the Grand Jury Prize at Cannes this year, Robin Campillo's 120 Beats Per Minute is both a fierce, vivid dramatization of ACT UP's aggressive actions in 1990's Paris, and a wrenching, explicit love story about Nathan, an HIV-negative newcomer to ACT UP, and Sean, an HIV-positive, who is already a veteran of the fight against AIDS. A brilliant cast of unknowns plays the other combatants, forcing a recalcitrant government to deal with a plague decimating a generation."

Bumpin' Uglies
October 27, 7:30 pm, Morris Memorial
"Detective Sara Ross leads a misfit police team from Albany that collides with an inept FBI team tracking down an aspiring mayor and sex trade mastermind. A colorful cast of local actors share in the action and screwball fun." (Stars includes Susie Griswold, Kevin Craig West, and Greg Aidala and other local actors.)

Call Me By Your Name
October 28, 5 pm, Crandell Theatre
"A critical and audience favorite at the Sundance Film Festival this year, Call Me by Your Name, is the latest gem from the Italian filmmaker, Luca Guadagnino, known in the U.S. for I am Love and A Bigger Splash. In the glorious Lombardy countryside of 1983, Guadagnino and co-writer James Ivory chart the romantic confusions of 17-year-old Elio Perlman after he meets 24-year-old Oliver, his father's summer intern. Played the N.Y., Sundance, and Toronto film festivals. James Ivory, Timothée Chalamet, Peter Spears, and André Aciman will conduct a Q&A after the screening."

Sled Dogs
October 28, 5:30 pm, Morris Memorial
"The Alaskan Iditarod Race is touted as the last great race on earth. Sled Dog explores what happens to the dogs after the tourists go home, uncovering the cold truth about the dog sledding industry."

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
October 29, 4:30 pm, Crandell Theatre
"Oscar-winner (In Bruges) Martin McDonagh's darkly comic rumination on murder, revenge, and yes, redemption. The plot pits Frances McDormand, a bereaved mother whose teenage daughter has been raped and killed, against Woody Harrelson, playing the town's revered police chief. Although wisps of real life controversy swirl around the bizarre events that are this movie's bread and butter, there are no easy answers. Watching the stellar cast do its thing with McDonagh's live wire script is alone worth the price of admission."