Aalto (Film Movement DVD)
Alvar and Aino Aalto’s furniture was top of the line for Scandinavian Modern in the U.S. after their work was featured at the New York’s World Fair (1939). In their Finnish homeland, they were better known as architects, filling their country with homes, offices and public buildings. They were probably the most prominent married couple of Modernism at a time when women architects were scarce.
The documentary Aalto shows much of their work as well as a candid look into their lives. They provided the bentwood answer to the tubular steel of Bauhaus. Their “machines for living” could fit snugly into a Finnish pine forest. Unlike Frank Lloyd Wright who didn’t always seem to care about the occupants of his structures, the Aaltos built with people always in mind. (David Luhrssen)
Corridor of Mirrors (Cohen Film Collection/Kino Lorber Blu-ray)
Christopher Lee made his screen debut in Corridor of Mirrors (1948), but that’s not the only reason to explore this strange film. It was also the debut for director Terence Young (who went on to helm Dr. No and Wait Until Dark) and remains a picture that evades easy categorization. It’s the story of a wealthy man living in a world of delusion and illusion, symbolized by the mirrored labyrinth of his mansion. Suffused with romantic obsession, he seeks to confine the beautiful woman of his dreams in his bejeweled world. Corridor of Mirrors is the sort of emotionally perverse film Edgar Allan Poe might have made if cinema had existed in his day and may well have been an inspiration behind cinema’s classic tale of male obsession, Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo. (David Luhrssen)
Dune (In theaters Oct. 22)
This newest adaptation of Frank Herbert’s epic science-fiction tome clocks in at two hours, 30 minutes, covering the first half of Herbert’s novel. The story revolves around planet Dune, where a mind-altering spice is harvested that extends life and makes interstellar travel possible.
The Guild appoints Duke Leto Atreides (Oscar Isaac), and his concubine, Lady Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson), to take over Dune’s spice production, but first the pair must wrest control from the devious Baron Vladimir Harkonnens (Stellan Skarsgard)—a corrupt politician who is cruel to Dune’s indigenous people (known as Fremen).
The Atreides’s son, Paul (Timothee Chalamet), is prophesied to rebalance the power built upon the spice trade. However, first he must pass a series of deadly tests and learn to control Dune’s gigantic predatory worms. Director Denis Villeneuve gives Herbert’s characters room to grow, and uses moody cinematography, along with a synthesized score, to create a sense of cohesion throughout. (Lisa Miller)
Ron’s Gone Wrong (In theaters Oct. 22)
This animated family film examines social media for the prepubescent crowd. Barney (voice of Jack Dylan Grazer) hails from struggling Bulgarian immigrants. Granny Donka (Olivia Colman) raises goats and chickens. Jack’s widower dad (Ed Helms) ekes out a living selling novelties. Bullied at school, Barney longs for the popular new B-Bot toy. Dad purchases the only one he can afford, but it’s damaged and not connected to Bubble, its parent company. Barney names the B-Bot Ron (Zach Galifianakis), and despite Ron’s inappropriate behavior, Barney’s is crazy about his B-Bot and determined to keep it from being destroyed by Bubble. While the film condemns social media’s negative effects on youth, it maintains that social media is a positive influence. Though confusing, this entertaining film benefits from the lovable Ron, who doesn’t hesitate to protect Barney from bullies. (Lisa Miller)
Milwaukee Muslim Film Festival (Oriental Theatre, Oct. 21-24)
Xenophobia and anti-immigrant rhetoric continue to pour from some of our nation’s most infamous public figures. With cultural understanding more important than ever, the Sixth Annual Milwaukee Muslim Film Festival includes eight eye-opening selections originating in several countries. “As one of very few Muslim film festivals in the country, this annual event plays a pivotal role in paving the way for award-winning films and important stories to get the attention they deserve,” says Janan Najeeb of the Milwaukee Muslim Women’s Coalition. For tickets and more information, visit mmfilmfest.com. (David Luhrssen)
