Las Vegas Weekly

June 5, 2008 · 5:44 PM

Sex, drugs and noir musicals: CineVegas Must-sees

By Josh Bell

It's the summer of '74 and science-fiction writer William J. Frick (Bill Pullman) is on the verge of a meltdown brought on by the IRS, crazy ex-wives, meth-mixing bikers and a collision with God in an East L.A. taco stand.

Photo: Courtesy of CineVegas

Feeling overwhelmed by the myriad CineVegas screening choices? Ignorant of which independent films are potential cinematic spectaculars? Josh Bell, the Weekly's preeminent film critic, has taken the trouble to break CineVegas down for you into a few must-see movies.

Dark Streets:

A noir musical set in the 1930s and starring the always unstable Bijou Phillips will either be awesome or awesomely bad.

Your Name Here:

A meta-movie about a fictionalized version of sci-fi writer Philip K. Dick, whose own novels often featured fictionalized versions of himself. Whoa.

Deficit:

Mexican star Bernal is a great actor; now we get to see if he can direct as well.

Wellness:

The Grand Jury winner at the South by Southwest film festival, this low-budget drama has garnered loads of critical acclaim.

Choke:

Adapted from the novel by Fight Club author Chuck Palahniuk, this should be another dark and weirdly funny look at the absurdity of modern life.

Cocaine Cowboys II: Hustlin’ With the Godmother:

The original was one of the most entertaining documentaries of 2006, so a sequel is a welcome prospect.

The Wackness:

This Sundance sensation features Ben Kingsley making out with Mary-Kate Olsen; what else do you need to know?

Nevada Filmmaking Shorts:

Support your local filmmaker.

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