A silent, experimental Japanese horror film with a live jazz accompaniment? How often do you get a chance to witness that particular messed-up mashup? Well, you will this weekend. On Nov. 12 and 13, the silent Japanese vampire film Sanguivorous (Kyuketsu) will sink its fangs into Albuquerque and Santa Fe. Written and directed by Japanese experimental filmmaker Naoki Yoshimoto and featuring a performance by avant-garde butoh dancer Ko Murobushi, the film focuses on a sickly young woman who is horrified to learn she is descended from generations of vampires. The film’s world premiere screenings will feature live musical accompaniment by renowned Japanese percussionist Tatsuya Nakatani and Chicago saxophonist Edward Wilkerson Jr. Presented by Tidepoint Pictures and the Albuquerque Film Office, the screenings will take place at 8 p.m. at Albuquerque’s KiMo Theatre on Saturday and at 3 p.m. at Santa Fe’s Warehouse 21 on Sunday. Tickets will run $12 general admission or $10 students and seniors.
Reel World: Local Focus Local Focus
If you’re a fan of local film, you should definitely stop by Guild Cinema in the next week. Two Albuquerque-lensed features are set to screen at our longtime indie theater. First up is a brand-new cut of Malice in Wonderland, a delightfully tweaked, devilishly dirty take on Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland courtesy of Albuquerque drag troupe The Dolls. The Saturday Nov. 12 screenings (6 and 8 p.m.) will serve as the film’s official DVD release party. Cast and crew will be in attendance, and audience members get in for free if they show up in costume. This one’s sure to be an event. Next up is a return engagement of Malcolm Murray’s atmospheric comedy-drama Bad Posture. Following a successful run of screenings as far away as New York City and Rotterdam, the film is returning triumphantly to its hometown. Few films have captured the lazy, dusty, college area vibe of Albuquerque as well as Murray’s comedy about hip-hop-loving, car-stealing roommates. If you missed the last brief run, you owe it to yourself to get over to the Guild, Nov. 13 through 16, to check it out.
Reel World: Cowboy Up Cowboy Up
Speaking of local film, writer/director Craig A. Butler’s microbudgeted, New Mexico-shot Western The Righteous and the Wicked hits DVD on Nov. 15, courtesy of Lionsgate. You can pre-order it on amazon.com or through walmart.com, and you can save it in your queue on Netflix. Either way, it helps out a local filmmaker and all the talented cast and crew who labored long and hard to create this sun-bleached, gunpowder-burned tale of old West betrayal and vengeance.
