Saturday morning of Indie Memphis’ busy weekend kicks off with a cartoon. Robot Dreams (Oct. 28, 10:30 a.m.), the first animated film from Spanish polymath director Pablo Berger, tells the story of a Dog and his Robot as they knock around an animal-inhabited Manhattan.
Memphis director George Tillman’s The Birth of Soul Music (Oct 28th, 10:30 a.m.) explores Club Paradise, where Memphis soul legends worked out their chops. You can read my interview with the director of Black Barbie (Oct. 28, noon) at this link
This year’s Hometowner Documentary Shorts Competition (Oct. 28, 12:45 p.m.) is stacked with talent. Lauren Ready, Indie Memphis’ most decorated documentarian, is looking to take home her sixth trophy with “Empty to Enough,” which she co-directed with Nicki Storey. But that’s not going to be easy with a-list Memphis lensers like Zaire Love’s “Slice,” Jordan Danelz “Klondike,” and Aisha Raison’s “The Blues” in the mix.
Un rêve plus long que la nuit (Oct. 28, 1:45 p.m.) is a recently restored experimental film from 1976 by French artist Niki de Saint Phalle. As the New York Times said, “the sheer diversity of papîer-mache penises is astounding.” The Plot Against Harry (Oct. 28, 3:40 p.m.) by Michael Roemer is another recently-restored cult favorite screening this year.
On what other Saturday night would have a choice of seeing Keenan Ivory Wayans outlandish 2004 comedy White Chicks (Oct. 28, 6 p.m.) or Ira Sach’s twisty erotic drama Passages (Oct. 28, 8:15 p.m.). But you don’t have to choose! “Chick Passages” is like the Barbenhiemer of Indie Memphis.
If you need a little horror in your Halloween weekend, look no further than 1973’s Messiah of Evil by Willard Hyuck and Gloria Katz, who are probably better known for their work with their friend George Lucas. They later went to earn screenplay credits for American Graffitti and Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, and did uncredited punch ups on Star Wars. The husband/wife team’s debut is raw and terrifying.
On Sunday there’s a pair of high-profile local films, Scent of Linden (Oct. 29, noon) and The Blues Society (Oct. 29, 3 p.m.). A revival screening of Vojtěch Jasný’s The Cassandra Cat (Oct. 29, 11:15 a.m.) is a hot ticket. The trailer speaks for itself.
The Waynans tribute continues with the classic Blacksploitation farce I’m Gonna Git You Sucka (Oct. 29, 4:45 p.m.).
Or, if you’re in a completely different mood, you can watch indie legend Todd Haynes directs Julianne Moore and Natalie Portman in May/December Oct. 29, 6:15 p.m.). (Comparing schedule and run times suggests a “Sucka/December” combo is theoretically possible for the brave/weird.)
You can round out your Indie Memphis weekend and get into the swing of Halloween with horror master Dario Argento’s Italio-disco slasher fest Tenebrae (Oct. 29, 9:15 p.m.)
Or, you can end on a more positive note, with the last-minute addition to the festival Joe vs. The Volcano (Oct. 29, 9:30 p.m.). Artistic Director Miriam Bale’s mother recently passed away, and this was her favorite movie. Featuring Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan in their prime, and an absurdist plot that touches on issues of life and death, it’s basically the definition of a cult classic — and perfect for Indie Memphis.
