Movie Watch: Amarillo film options for Oct. 11 to 18, with 'First Man,' 'Goosebumps,' 'Love, Gilda,' more

chip chandler

• Published on October 10, 2018 • Last modified on February 13, 2020

Ryan Gosling stars in "First Man."
Courtesy Universal Pictures

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By Chip Chandler — Producer

In Amarillo theaters this week: A giant leap into awards season and a pair of frightful films.

New in theaters

Bad Times at the El Royale: Seven strangers (including Jon Hamm, Dakota Johnson, Cynthia Erivo, Jeff Bridges and more) meet in a rundown, secret-filled hotel. Reviews are mostly positive. (R for strong violence, language, some drug content and brief nudity; click here for showtimes at United Artists Amarillo Star 14, 8275 W. Amarillo Blvd.; Cinergy Amarillo, 9201 Cinergy Square; and Cinemark Hollywood 16, 9100 Canyon Drive)
First Man: Ryan Gosling reteams with La La Land director Damien Chazelle for a biographical portrait of Neil Armstrong. Critics are raving; expect this one to factor heavily in awards races. (PG-13 for some thematic content involving peril, and brief strong language; click here for showtimes at Amarillo Star 14, Cinergy Amarillo and Hollywood 16)
Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween: More adventures in R.L. Stein-land. (PG for scary creature action and images, some thematic elements, rude humor and language; click here for showtimes at Amarillo Star 14, Cinergy Amarillo and Hollywood 16)
Gosnell: The Trial of America's Biggest Serial Killer: This crowdfunded true-crime film details the distrubing crimes of a Philadelphia doctor who ran an abortion clinic and was sentenced to life without parole after being accused of infanticide and performing illegal abortions. (PG-13 for mature thematic content including disturbing images and descriptions; click here for showtimes at Amarillo Star 14 and Hollywood 16)
Love, Gilda: The comedian and original Saturday Night Live star's brief life is recounted in this intimate documentary. Click here for my review. (NR; click here for showtimes at Premiere Cinemas Westgate Mall 6, 7701 W. Interstate 40)

Special engagements

Oct. 14 and 17: The TCM Big Screen Classics series continues with a timely revival of the political classic Mr. Smith Goes to Washington at 2 and 7 p.m. Oct. 14 and 17 at both Amarillo Star 14 and Hollywood 16.
Oct. 18: Stand-up comedian Michael Jr. will mix jokes and inspiration in comedy special More Than Funny, screening at 7 p.m. Oct. 18 at Amarillo Star 14.

Upcoming

Oct. 18: Advance tickets are on sale now for horror reboot Halloween at Amarillo Star 14 and Hollywood 16. Others may follow.
Oct. 18: Advance tickets are on sale now for social issues drama / YA adaptation The Hate U Give at Amarillo Star 14, Cinergy Amarillo and Hollywood 16.
Oct. 20 and 24: The Met: Live in HD series continues with Saint-Saëns’s biblical epic Samson et Dalila, starring Elina Garanca and Roberto Alagna. It'll screen live at 11:55 a.m. Oct. 20 and encore at 1 and 6:30 p.m. Oct. 24 at Hollywood 16.
Oct. 21 and 23: A 10th anniversary screening of Twilight will be seen at 2 and 7 p.m. Oct. 21 and 23 at Hollywood 16.
Oct. 22 and 29: The National Theatre production of Frankenstein starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Jonny Lee Miller will return to theaters. The actors famously swapped roles throughout the production, and the 7 p.m. Oct. 22 screening will feature Cumberbatch as the Creature, with the 7 p.m. Oct. 29 screening featuring Miller as the Creature. Both screenings will take place at Amarillo Star 14, 8275 W. Amarillo Blvd.
Oct. 25: Advance tickets are on sale now for period teen drama Mid90s at Amarillo Star 14. Others may follow.
Oct. 25: Advance tickets are on sale now for faith-based war drama drama Indivisible at Amarillo Star 14 and Hollywood 16. Others may follow.
Oct. 26: Action film Hunter Killer and action comedy Johnny English Strikes Again are scheduled to open nationally, but advance tickets are not yet on sale.
Oct. 27 and 31: The Met: Live in HD series continues with Puccini's Wild West drama La Fanciulla del West, starring Eva-Maria Westbroek and Jonas Kaufmann. It'll screen live at 11:55 a.m. Oct. 27 and encore at 1 and 6:30 p.m. Oct. 31 at Hollywood 16.
Oct. 28 to 30: The Studio Ghibli Fest 2018 continues with the all-time classic Spirited Away at both Amarillo Star 14 and Hollywood 16. An English-dubbed version will screen at 12:55 p.m. Oct. 28 and 7 p.m. Oct. 30, with a subtitled version screening at 7 p.m. Oct. 29.
Oct. 30: Christian singer Russ Taff's battle with alcoholism is charted in the documentary I Still Believe, screening at 7 p.m. Oct. 30 at both Amarillo Star 14 and Hollywood 16.
Nov. 1: Advance tickets are on sale now for Freddie Mercury biopic Bohemian Rhapsody and family holiday adventure The Nutcracker and the Four Realms at Amarillo Star 14 and Hollywood 16. Others may follow.
Nov. 1: Faith-based urban drama Never Heard wil screen at 7 p.m. Nov. 1 at Amarillo Star 14 and Hollywood 16.
Nov. 2: Tyler Perry comedy Nobody's Fool is scheduled to open nationally, but advance tickets are not yet on sale.
Nov. 3 and 5: A double-feature of Dragon Ball Z films — Bardock: The Father of Goku and Fusion Reborn — will screen at 12:55 p.m. Nov. 3 and 7 p.m. Nov. 5 at both Amarillo Star 14 and Hollywood 16.
Nov. 8: A performance captured live from the Festspielhaus in the Bavarian Alps, Hymn: Sarah Brightman in Concert will screen at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 8 at Hollywood 16.
Nov. 9: Family holiday film Dr. Seuss' The Grinch, thriller The Girl in the Spider's Web and supernatural war thriller Overlord are scheduled to open nationally, but advance tickets are not yet on sale.
Nov. 10 and 14: The Met: Live in HD series continues with composer Nico Muhly's new opera Marnie, starring Isabel Leonard and Christopher Maltman in a reimagining of the Winston Graham novel and Alfred Hitchcock film. It'll screen live at 11:55 a.m. Nov. 10 and encore at 1 and 6:30 p.m. Nov. 14 at Hollywood 16.
Nov. 11 and 14: The TCM Big Screen Classics series continues with a 30th anniversary screening of iconic action film Die Hard at 2 and 7 p.m. 11 and 14 at both Amarillo Star 14 and Hollywood 16.
Nov. 12: The animated favorite Batman: Mask of the Phantasm will screen in a 25th anniversary presentation at 2 and 7 p.m. Nov. 12 at both Amarillo Star 14 and Hollywood 16.
Nov. 13: Cirque du Soleil's stage show Kurios: Cabinet of Curiosities will screen at 7 p.m. Nov. 13 at Hollywood 16.
Nov. 13: Faith-based documentary Restoring Tomorrow will screen at 7 p.m. Nov. 13 at both Amarillo Star 14 and Hollywood 16.
Nov. 15 and 19: A filmed-on-stage version of Broadway musical Bandstand, about a group of World War II vets who work through their post-war trauma by forming a swing band, will encore at 7 p.m. Nov. 15 and 19 at Hollywood 16.
Nov. 16: Harry Potter franchise Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, adoption comedy Instant Family and action thriller Widows are scheduled to open nationally, but advance tickets are not yet on sale.
Nov. 18 to 20: The Studio Ghibli Fest 2018 continues with the classic Castle in the Sky at both Amarillo Star 14 and Hollywood 16. An English-dubbed version will screen at 12:55 p.m. Nov. 18 and 7 p.m. Nov. 20, with a subtitled version screening at 7 p.m. Nov. 19.
Nov. 23: Sports drama sequel Creed II, period comedy/drama Green Book, animated sequel Ralph Breaks the Internet and action-adventure film Robin Hood are scheduled to open nationally, but advance tickets are not yet on sale.
Nov. 24 to Dec. 1: The new Pokémon the Movie: The Power of Us will screen at 12:55 p.m. Nov. 24, 7 p.m. Nov. 26 and 28, and 12:55 p.m. Dec. 1 at both Amarillo Star 14 and Hollywood 16.
Nov. 25 and 27: A 40th anniversary screening of Superman with Christopher Reeve will play at 3 p.m. Nov. 25 at Amarillo Star 14 and 3 and 7 p.m. Nov. 25 at Hollywood 16 and 3 and 7 p.m. Nov. 27 at both.
Nov. 29 to Dec. 8: Time-traveling anime film Mirai will screen at 7 and 8 p.m. Nov. 29, 7 p.m. Dec. 5 and 12:55 p.m. Dec. 8 at Hollywood 16.

Listings at a glance

Click on titles for my reviews and on theaters for showtimes. (AS-14 = Amarillo Star 14; CA = Cinergy Amarillo; H-16 = Hollywood 16, WM-6 = Westgate Mall 6)

Bad Times at the El Royale (AS-14, CA, H-16)
First Man (AS-14, CA, H-16)
Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween (AS-14, CA, H-16)
Gosnell: The Trial of America's Biggest Serial Killer (AS-14, H-16)
Hell Fest (H-16)
Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation (WM-6)
The House with a Clock in Its Walls (AS-14, CA, H-16)
The Incredibles 2 (WM-6)
Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (WM-6)
Love, Gilda (WM-6)
The Meg (WM-6)
Night School (AS-14, CA, H-16)
The Nun (AS-14, H-16)
Peppermint (WM-6)
Searching (WM-6)
A Simple Favor (AS-14, H-16)
Slender Man (WM-6)
Smallfoot (AS-14, CA, H-16)
A Star Is Born (AS-14, CA, H-16)
Venom (AS-14, CA, H-16)

Chip Chandler is a producer for Panhandle PBS and a member of GALECA. He can be contacted at Chip.Chandler@actx.edu, at @chipchandler1 on Twitter and on Facebook.