Kansas City’s Middle of the Map has announced its lineup for the film portion of the festival and it features classics with a twist and plenty of new up-and-comers.

Over 25 films will be shown during this $25 five day festival. Some of the more established films such as “Labyrinth” and”Scott Pilgrim vs. the World” feature live bands in the theater. Other films such as “The Equation,” “Save the Date” and “We Are Superman” will have the directors present for Q&As. There’s even free Chipotle associated with one of the films. The full list of films and their showtimes is available below.

The film fest runs Wednesday, May 1, to Sunday, May 5 and is hosted at the Alamo Drafthouse on 14th & Main. The Alamo does require patrons to be 18+ or be accompanied by a parent. Parking is available at the Cosentino’s Garage.

In addition to a $25 fest pass, individual tickets to films will also be available for $10 at the box office. Fest passes can be purchased in advance at  www.middleofthemapfest.com.

Middle of the Map Fest – Film Lineup

A BAND CALLED DEATH
SHOWTIMES: Saturday, May 4 at 8PM and Sunday, May 5 at 2:15PM

ANDREW BIRD: FEVER YEAR
SHOWTIMES: Thursday, May 2 at 8PM

ANOTHER VERSION OF THE TRUTH – NINE INCH NAILS
SHOWTIMES: Sunday, May 5 at 3PM

AWFUL NICE
SHOWTIMES: Saturday, May 4 at 5:45PM and Sunday, May 5 at 3PM

CORPORATE FM – a Q&A with the director will follow the screening of the film
SHOWTIMES: Saturday, May 4 at 5:45PM with Q&A after the film

EATING ALABAMA – FREE screening presented by CHIPOTLE, FREE food at Chipotle at 14th & Walnut after the film
SHOWTIMES: Saturday, May 4 at 4PM

EFTERKLANG: THE GHOST OF PIRAMIDA
SHOWTIMES: Sunday, May 5 at 12:45PM

THE EQUATION – a Q&A with the director will follow the screening of the film
SHOWTIMES: Sunday, May 5 at 12:45PM(w/Ghost of Piramida)

GREETINGS FROM TIM BUCKLEY
SHOWTIMES: Friday, May 3 at 10:15PM and Saturday, May 4 at 10:15PM
I DECLARE WAR
SHOWTIMES: Thursday, May 2 at 10:45PM and Friday, May 3 at 6:15PM

KANSAS CITY ART INSTITUTE COLLECTION OF SHORTS
SHOWTIMES: Sunday, May 5 at 1PM

LABYRINTH and an in-theater performance by Soft Reeds playing a set of David Bowie songs
SHOWTIMES: Wednesday, May 1 at 8PM Soft Reeds is playing a cover set of David Bowie tunes. Film starts at 9PM.

MIAMI CONNECTION
SHOWTIMES: Thursday, May 2 at 10:15PM and Saturday, May 4 at 10PM

MINECRAFT: STORY OF MOJANG
SHOWTIMES: Saturday, May 4 at 1:45PM and Sunday, May 5 at 5:15PM

PICTURE DAY
SHOWTIMES: Thursday, May 2 at 6:15PM and Saturday, May 4 at 4:15PM

SAVE THE DATE – Meet the Director
SHOWTIMES: Friday, May 3 at 8PM

SCOTT PILGRIM vs. THE WORLD – Closing party with band in theater playing as SEX-BA-BOMB from the film
SHOWTIMES: Sunday, May 5 at 7:30PM Sex-Ba-Bomb playing a set in the theater. Film starts at 8PM – THIS IS THE CLOSING PARTY, RAGE.

SOMEBODY UP THERE LIKES ME
SHOWTIMES: Thursday, May 2 at 8:30PM and Saturday, May 4 at 11:45AM

THE FRAMES: IN THE DEEP SHADE
SHOWTIMES: Friday, May 3 at 6PM and Saturday, May 4 at 6:30PM

THE HISTORY OF FUTURE FOLK
SHOWTIMES: Friday, May 3 at 8:15PM and Saturday, May 4 at 3:30PM

THE KITCHEN
SHOWTIMES: Friday, May 3 at 10:30PM and Saturday, May 4 at 7:45PM

THE LESSER BLESSED
SHOWTIMES: Thursday, May 2 at 10:30PM and Sunday, May 5 at Noon

THE REP
SHOWTIMES: Saturday, May 4 at 1:45PM and Sunday, May 5 at 6PM

THIS IS MARTIN BONNER
SHOWTIMES: Thursday, May 2 at 8:15PM and Friday, May 3 at 4:45PM

UMKC COLLECTION OF SHORTS
SHOWTIMES: Saturday, May 4 at 11:30AM

VANUARY
SHOWTIMES: Friday, May 3 at 10:30PM and Saturday, May 4 at 11PM

WAR WITCH
SHOWTIMES: Friday, May 3 at 8:15PM and Saturday, May 4 at 11:15AM

WE ARE SUPERMAN – a Q&A with the director will follow the screening of the film
SHOWTIMES: Saturday, May 4 at 1:15PM with Q&A after film

WHERE THE TRAIL ENDS
SHOWTIMES: Saturday, May 4 at 8:45PM and Sunday, May 5 at 4:45PM

Bethany Smith

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In 2008 it had been 6 years since Kathryn Bigelow had directed a movie and longer since she directed anything memorable. The Hurt Locker cemented her as a director that not only made strong films, but extremely relevant ones. With Zero Dark Thirty she has made something that is familiar in it’s treatment of current events but fresh enough that it doesn’t seem like she is repeating herself.

Zero Dark Thirty tells the story of Maya (Jessica Chastain) a young CIA operative that is obsessed with finding Osama Bin Laden. She has just arrived in the Middle East from Washington where she assists Dan (Jason Clarke) in the interrogation of a prisoner named Ammar. Dan and Maya are trying to find out what he knows about the mysterious Saudi Group and their future terrorist plots. While they finally get actionable intelligence from Ammar it is too late to stop one attack. Disillusioned by the life of an interrogator Dan returns to Washington for a normal job while Maya falls further down the rabbit hole in her search for Bin Laden. Maya keeps digging and finally uncovers a possible location where Bin Laden may be hiding. The CIA recruit Seal Team Six to raid the compound under cover of night to find out if Osama is really there. If you haven’t lived under a rock for the last several years you can probably figure out the rest.

Zero Dark Thirty’s creators have come under fire from many different sides for their depiction of enhanced interrogation techniques including water-boarding. The movie neither tries to defend or vilify it’s characters actions, instead choosing to present them in an almost journalistic way. This approach presents something that is obviously cruel but effective and forces the viewer to think about whether the ends justify the means.

With all of the interrogations and depravity on both sides all around the movie needs a strong performance from the lead to ground the movie and Jessica Chastain delivers. She humanizes the whole messy process in a way that many other actors could not. The rest of the CIA team is strong in what screen time they have, whether it is 5 minutes or most of the movie. Jason Clarke is excellent as he perfectly captures not only a man that is willing to do anything to get answers but also the toll that it takes on the human psyche.

The challenge that a movie like Zero Dark Thirty faces is that the viewer already knows how it ends. Like Titanic there are no surprises in the final act but you realize that the journey there is far more interesting than just a result. Mark Boal (the screenwriter) and Bigelow have used a formerly unconscionable level of CIA access to fill out their story with actual intelligence. Their attention to detail has made it seem more like a documentary than a fictional narrative.

While it is slow at times, Zero Dark Thirty is engaging for most of it’s runtime. The timeliness of the story adds to the viewers enjoyment of the film as it is still an event that is fresh in our collective conscious. While it is certainly not the easiest watch due to it’s content and headiness, there is a lot here to chew on and I was left with questions and a lot to process.

Nathan

Nathan enjoys film, music, sports and most of all, speaking in the third person.

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I’m a little late on this but I’ve been busy. No I haven’t that was a lie. Actually I’ve just been watching too many movies. Honestly. I vow to see more movies in 2013 than I did in 2012 and I am starting the year on a roll. Here are some movies that I would recommend from last year and some to stay away from.

(click on the available film titles to read a Midcoaster’s review of the film)

Top 10:

10. Lincoln

9. The Master

8. The Dark Knight Rises

7. Moonrise Kingdom

6. Prometheus

5. Life of Pi

4. Skyfall

3. Silver Linings Playbook

2. Argo

1. Django Unchained

Bottom 10:

10. Resident Evil: Retribution

9. Sinister

8. The Raven

7. Men in Black 3

6. Dark Shadows

5. Alex Cross

4. John Carter

3. Battleship

2. That’s My Boy

1. Red Dawn

Nathan

Nathan enjoys film, music, sports and most of all, speaking in the third person.

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If you thought Supernatural teen adventure books-to-film were ending with Harry Potter and Twilight, you thought wrong. There’s a whole slue of adaptations in the works and the next one focuses on a magical girl and an ordinary boy. “Beautiful Creatures” is due out February 13, 2013 and tells the story of ordinary local boy Ethan (Alder Ehrenreich) and new-to-town Lena (Alice Englert). Lena possesses a powerful magic that will either turn her light or dark.

The story is based on the five-novel series by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl. Though not much is known about its two starring teens, the adult cast makes us pretty optimistic for this film’s potential. Viola Davis (The Help), Jeremy Irons (Eragon), Emma Thompson (Harry Potter) and Emmy Rossum (Phantom of the Opera) also star.

Check out the trailer for “Beautiful Creatures” below:

Bethany Smith

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Poor Dr. Seuss’ “The Lorax.” The guy just wants to save some trees, but it seems like thneeds aren’t his only threat. The new film adaptation paints a fun, colorful homage to the original novel, but is that enough for the film to succeed with all the sell-out and liberal agenda criticisms that have been thrown at it before the film even saw its release? I hope so. So as the Lorax speaks in defense of the trees, I wish to speak in defense of the Lorax.

1. For all the haters they say the film doesn’t stay true to the original story, see it first. You have to remember that this is an hour and half long film that is adapted from a children’s story. The first film that was adapted from the book was only 30 minutes, so yeah, there are some additional story elements, but these elements are used well. In the original story, a boy from Thneedville goes to visit the Once-ler to hear what happened to the trees. The Once-ler is a mysterious being who just so happens to be responsible for the loss of the trees. With great remorse, he tells the lad his story about starting a business that grows too fast. Despite the warnings of the mystical creature known as the Lorax, that he’s moving too fast without replacing his resources, the Once-ler’s greed blinds him until he has cut down the last tree. With the last tree downed, he loses his product, his family leaves him and he leaves in shame outside of the town. At the end of the story, the boy is given the last tree seed. Now, that’s all still in the film – wonderfully animated in 3D with lots of fun bright colors and songs. What’s added is the boy’s story. He’s named Ted (in honor of Dr. Seuss’ real name and voiced by Zac Efron) and his motivation for asking the Once-ler (voiced by Ed Helms) about trees is that the girl he has a crush on, Audrey (named for Dr. Seuss’ wife and voiced by Taylor Swift), really wants to see him. Ted and Audrey’s story just acts as a framing device to the actual story, but as far as additions go, this was pretty harmless. And if you’re less than a fan of Taylor Swift, fret not. She has very few lines.

Between the Ted & Audrey names, the lovely animations, the attention to rhymes and the use of the book’s original artwork in the credits, “The Lorax” movie is a fine tribute to the original work.

2. Liberal agendas. OMG! “Save the trees.” “Be mindful of how you’re using resources.” Yes, clearly, this movie is out of control. When is Pixar releasing “Yay Pollution”? I’m sorry, but did you read the original Dr. Seuss story? This movie is saying nothing more than that book, so what did you expect? Yes, the Once-ler is clearly made a human being and not some obscure creature. Yes, that does make it a bit harder to distance oneself from his actions, but come on. When did we start deciding that we shouldn’t let our kids know about planting trees or restoring the things we destroy?

3. Commercial campaigns going against the story’s point are the one issue that I think might have some weight. Then again, this is a movie and it does cost money. So while I’m not a fan of the Lorax pimping cars, there’s a lot worse that could have been done to really make this a sell out.

So before you go jumping on the hater wagon without even giving the film a chance, just take a quick reality check. This is a fun film with a pleasant message (message, not agenda). It does a great job expanding the original story, yet still paying that story its dues without the new content overshadowing the original story. The animation is great and your kids will love how imaginative it is. My one small criticism is that this is musical, yet the obvious well known singers — Efron and Swift — are some of the only cast not to sing.  Then again, that might be an added value for some. So celebrate Dr. Seuss’ birthday and take the kids out to a dinner of Green Eggs and Ham followed by a screening of “The Lorax.” Unless…..you hate fun.

Bethany Smith

I'm a geek; I love music, technology and grammar.

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The poster for Silent House premiered today on Bloody Disgusting. If the image of the poster is any indication of the terror to be experience on film, count us in.

If you haven’t already check out the trailer here.

Midcoast Station

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Now that the nominees for the major award shows have been announced, Midcoast Station writer and frequent film reviewer, Nathan, takes a look back at 2011 in film and shares his best, worst and in-betweens:

2011 was not a great year for movies. I saw 82 theatrical releases of 2011 and saw fewer than 10 that I would most likely watch again. This list is in no way meant to be what I think is going to win awards, hell some of these things probably won’t get recognized with a nomination, but I wanted to give them some credit anyway. Without further ado here are my awards for the best of 2011.

Best Movie: The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo 

Honorable Mentions: The Artist, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, The Descendants, Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol

This may be the first movie listed, but it was the last one that I chose. In the end I gave the award to the movie that I have thought about the most. I’m still not sure I chose the right one.

Worst Movie: Super

Dishonorable Mentions: Cowboys & Aliens, Hall Pass

Not to be confused with Super 8, which was excellent, the Rainn Wilson-led Super is painful to watch. It is poorly acted, filled with uninteresting characters and horribly unfunny. Some movies are so bad they are fun to watch and this wasn’t one of them. I can’t think of a worse movie experience all year.

Funniest Movie: The Inbetweeners Movie

Honorable Mention: Midnight in Paris, 50/50

Comedy was one thing that 2011 did well (maybe the only thing). The highbrow part of me wanted to go for Midnight in Paris, the empathetic side of me said 50/50, but in the end I went with the only movie that made me laugh until I cried.

Popcorn Award: Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocal

Honorable Mentions: Super 8, X-Men: First Class

I wanted to recognize movies that were excellent, but also just downright entertaining. I have seen MI twice and the others 4 times each.

Best Actor: Michael Fassbender (everything he did in 2011) 

Honorable Mentions: Brad Pitt (Moneyball), George Clooney (The Descendants), Gary Oldman (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy)

This is the first time I will cheat, but it will not be the last. All of my honorable mentions gave great performances in their respective movies, but only Fassbender gave great performances in many movies. Regardless of whether he was in a Victorian period piece, playing the troubled psychoanalyst Carl Jung, or had the ability to control metal, Fassbender always delivered great work and deserves to be recognized.

Best Actress: Kirsten Dunst (Melancholia)

Honorable Mention: Charlize Theron (Young Adult)

This is the category in which my movie watching was weakest. I have seen none of the major contenders for awards so I can’t say how they were, so my pick goes to Kirsten.

Best Supporting Actor: Tom Hardy and Nick Nolte (Warrior)

Honorable Mentions: Michael Parks (Red State), The entire cast of Margin Call

Another cheat, this time honoring two actors from the same movie. I thought about this one a lot and couldn’t decide between them so I award a tie.

Best Supporting Actress: Shailene Woodley (The Descendants)

Honorable Mention: Berenice Bejo (The Artist)

This was another category in which I had seen few that were top contenders, but Woodley is great as the eldest daughter of George Clooney in the Descendants, so I’m not sure it would have mattered.

Best Director: Steven Spielberg (War Horse and The Adventures of Tintin) 

Honorable Mention: David Fincher (The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo), Martin Scorsese (Hugo)

Like my award for best actor this category is won because of quantity. 2011 did see some entries from masters of their craft in these three as well as Alexander Payne and a great live-action debut from Brad Bird. Spielberg released two excellent movies in the moving period-piece, War Horse, and the motion-capture animated Tintin.

In you are wondering what I am excited about in 2012 check out my list here.

Nathan

Nathan enjoys film, music, sports and most of all, speaking in the third person.

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“War Horse” is supposed to be one of the best productions on Broadway. It’s acclaimed for its beautiful and moving story as well as some fantastic puppetry. However, most people won’t have the opportunity to see “War Horse” on Broadway, so for the masses, we have “War Horse” the movie.

The film adaptation of “War Horse” has beautiful landscapes and in the hands of historical film extraordinaire director Steven Spielberg, the World War 1 battle scenes are stunning. Spielberg loves to make epic and ambitious movies; and for a movie whose central and only consistent character is a horse named Joey, this is definitely an ambitious project. But in its fight to be epic, Spielberg falls prey to the same thing that made “A.I.” such a flop…pacing. Just like “War Horse,” “A.I” was an ambitious project. It was an interesting idea with some spectacular visuals, but it was also long, tedious and incredibly dull. “War Horse” fares a bit better, but at 2 and a half hours, there was definitely a lot that could have been cut from this movie to help keep things moving along.

“War Horse” starts far too early in the grand timeline, beginning with the horse’s birth and a slightly confusing first meeting with one of our main human stars, Albert Narracott (Jeremy Irvine). Just by cutting the first twenty minutes and starting the film with the horse auction would have drastically improved the pacing and made the story a lot tighter, while also bringing the ending a true full circle. From the auction, there is then another thirty minutes of Albert and Joey’s budding friendship during the hard life on a rented farm. So it’s about a full hour before “war” for this horse even comes into play in a film titled “War Horse.”

To save the farm, Albert’s father sells Joey to some English WWI soldiers. Albert’s too young to accompany his best friend, but promises they’ll be united someday (cue the awws). Like in theater, “War Horse,” the movie, is set up into little acts. So with the big sale, the film leaves Albert’s story (for now) and begins a new act with the English soldiers. Then it isn’t long though before another new act begins with Joey falling into German hands. This was one of the more interesting vignettes of the film — usually in WWI films such as this, Germans are so obviously the bad guys. In “War Horse” the only true evil is “distance” and “loneliness.” This little story about the two German brothers/soldiers, who try to abandon the war, is unique in its telling because they aren’t shown as “bad,” and you really feel sad when they meet their end.

The next act is another favorite as it shows the war from the civilian side. A young French girl, Emilie, then comes into possession of Joey. Her brief story is a charming reprieve before the war also rips Joey away from her. Celine Buckens makes her film debut as Emilie and she’s definitely a young star to continue to watch.

The next few parts of the film return Joey back to the battlefield and German hands. Life is a bit more exhausting and hard on the horse, but again, a young soldier finds kinship with the remarkable horse. Keeping in mind that the film has been going for nearly two hours now, audiences are finally reminded of Joey’s original human friend, Albert, who is now fighting for the English army and searching for his horse. The war scenes in this part of the film are remarkable because they really highlight (accurately) some of the horrors of the war: life in the trenches, barbed wire traps, poison gas’ chaotic damage and much more. There’s also another charming story about a momentary cease fire that gives audiences a break from war horror.

You can probably guess where the last thirty minutes of the film lead and while the plot at this point isn’t a surprise, the presentation is one. There is a happy ending, but it is a bit bittersweet and really reminds audiences that war doesn’t really have any truly happy conclusions.

So yes, “War Horse” is “epic” and it is beautiful. But it is also long. It relies heavily on moviegoers’ patience and ability to care for an animal protagonist. There is a great ending, but it is a tedious journey before you can reach it.

Bethany Smith

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If you couldn’t guess from the title of this film or from the little girl yelling “”We bought a Zooooooooooo!” in the oft played trailer, “We Bought a Zoo” is about a family that buys a zoo. It’s a bit sappy, fairly predictable and some of the dialogue is downright cheesy, but if you’re a fan of the saccharine then this film is right up your alley. “We Bought a Zoo” is a cute family film and is even a bit of a tearjerker.

Matt Damon plays Benjamin Mee, a widower and a father of two. The family is having a hard time moving on from the death of the beloved mother and with everything in town reminding them of the mom, the son getting kicked out of school and just everyone feeling sad and disconnected, Mee decides his family is ready for a drastic change. This means a move and the house that his adorable daughter happens to fall in love with comes with a rundown zoo. Mee uproots his family and moves them out. The zoo employees are happy that someone is trying to save their zoo, but also a bit dismayed that is some crazy guy who bought it on a whim. Of course, this crazy dream helps the family heal, grow and really start to live again.

The story is based on a book and real life story of Benjamin Mee, but fans of the book may be a bit distraught over some drastic changes. The wife was still alive for much of the book, but the family was dealing with her quick deterioration and impending death. In the movie, she’s already passed on. They also move the story stateside — and actually some of the rural jokes seem a bit out of place in the film, but I think they might have worked better in the book. For example, the film audience is beat over the head with a 9-mile drive to Target joke. Perhaps the most annoying addition to the movie is an awkward attempt to work in a romance between zookeeper Kelly Foster (Scarlett Johansson) and Mee. This wasn’t in the book and the movie seems to just tack it on near the end. It was a weak scene and they should have left the romancing to the teens, Dylan Mee (Colin Ford) and Lily Miska (Elle Fanning).

Regardless of these book changes and a ridiculous kiss, the movie is quite enjoyable. Though, honestly, I probably would have been content with an hour-long film of child actor Maggie Elizabeth Jones just looking cute with animals — that kid stole every scene she was in. The casting was great in this — Damon is perfect as a family man and even Scarlett Johansson is less annoying than usual (I’m looking at you Iron Man 2). Thomas Haden Church brought the laughs as the practical brother to Ben, Duncan Mee. He tries so hard to be the voice of reason, but then breaks down and falls into the zoo dream too.

As the movie says, “[We Bought a Zoo] is a good dream and it has cool animals in it and good people, too.” If that sounds good to you, then check it out.

Bethany Smith

I'm a geek; I love music, technology and grammar.

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Many sequels don’t work. What works in the first movie is something weird and wonderful and unique, and then they just try to make the same movie again and the magic is gone (The Hangover 2). While varying in degrees of quality the Mission Impossible franchise has not suffered from the disease of stale like many other series, and the new movie, Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol, certainly sets a new bar in the franchise and in the world of sequels.

Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and his IMF team are on the run and trying to clear their name when they are implicated in the bombing of the Kremlin. He is joined by a familiar face in tech wizard Benji (Simon Pegg) and a few new allies in Jane (Paula Patton) and Brandt (Jeremy Renner ), who may not be what he seems.

The reason that the movie (and the MI series in general) works is because of their choice in directors. The first one, directed by Brian DePalma, had the director’s flare for twisting a Hitchcock-ian thriller. The second entry, helmed by John Woo, was a Hong Kong-inspired ballet of bullets and motorcycles. Mission Impossible III brought a new emotional depth to the storytelling, brought by J.J. Abrams making his theatrical directorial debut. I say all of this not to show off movie knowledge (probably a lie), but to illustrate what Brad Bird has done with the latest entry. The director who was mostly known for directing the animated movie The Incredibles (perhaps you’ve heard of it), brings an ambition that could only come from working in that medium. In animation if you can dream it, you can do it, and he has brought the same “why not” attitude to the latest installment.

‘I want Tom running from an explosion in the Kremlin, flattening several city blocks.’

‘Done.’

‘Now have him climb the exterior of the tallest building in the world using only gloves and brute strength.’

‘On it boss.’

These are just a few of the insane set-pieces featured in Ghost Protocol. My favorite is the previously mentioned scaling of the absolutely massive Burj Khalifa (no relation to Wiz). I was on my seat for the entire scene as Hunt is dangling (sometimes rather precariously) from the largest building ever constructed.

Tom Cruise delivers exactly what you would expect as Ethan Hunt (you’ve already seen him 3 times), Jeremy Renner is fantastic as an IMF analyst who is hiding a secret, and Simon Pegg provides much-appreciated comic relief as Benji.

This movie is easily the most fun I’ve had in a theater this year. I would highly recommend seeing this movie, and is probably worth the upgrade to an IMAX ticket as the action sequences were shot using the high-end IMAX camera systems.

4 ½ out of 5 stars

Nathan

Nathan enjoys film, music, sports and most of all, speaking in the third person.

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