Las Vegas Weekly

February 25, 2009 · 11:41 AM

CineVegas and Brenden Theatres bring indie film to a studio city

By Sarah Feldberg

Benicio Del Toro as Che and Catalina Sandino Moreno as Aleida Guevara in CHE directed by Steven Soderbergh

Photo: Daniel Daza

If a film series’ name determines its success, the awkwardly named CineVegas Presents at the Brenden may not have much of a chance. But if a series is judged on its artistic offerings, CineVegas’ new program may be a ray of cultural hope in the increasingly bleak local landscape. The series sets out on the noble task of delivering independent and art house films to Las Vegas for two week runs at the Palms’ Brenden Theatres, which hosts the CineVegas Film Festival every summer.

A renewal of CineVegas’ efforts to showcase independent film for Vegas audiences, previous venues for similar programs have included Neonopolis and Tropicana Cinemas. Brenden Theatres, however, will bring the less mainstream movies to a very Main Street location, just off the Strip where tourists and locals alike can take advantage of the lineup.

CineVegas Presents will kick off on Friday, March 6 with Two Lovers, James Gray’s film starring Joaquin Phoenix and Gwyneth Paltrow, which Phoenix has said will be his last appearance on the big screen.

Other movies scheduled to show in the series include Che (March 20), the epic two-part showing from Steven Soderbergh in which Benicio Del Toro takes on the role of revered and reviled revolutionary Ernesto “Che” Guevara, Gomorrah (April 3), the Italian film about power, money and violence in Naples and Caserta that won the Grand Prix award at the 2008 Cannes Film Festival and The Great Buck Howard (April 17), about a washed up magician and his law-school dropout assistant that served as the closing film at CineVegas 2008.

This artistic addition also comes with dessert, in the form of a $40 pre-fixe menu at Simon Restaurant & Lounge at Palms Place available to Brenden Theatres Rewards Card members when they purchase a ticket to a film from the CineVegas Presents series. Hello, date night.

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