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Up To Date

Up To Date's Indie, Foreign & Doc Critics' 'Three To See,' March 16-18

Diaphana Films
Stefan Konarske as Friedrich Engels and August Diehl as Karl Marx in the biopic, "The Young Karl Marx."

Trying to avoid a certain green-saturated, Irish-themed event parading through midtown Kansas City this weekend? You're in luck! This weekend's movie recommendations from Up To Date's Film Critics will lead you to the dark haven of a local movie theater.

Cynthia Haines

"Bombshell: The Hedy Lamarr Story," Not rated

  • You likely remember her as a glamorous Hollywood it-girl, but this documentary, written and directed by journalist Alexandra Dean, also explores the innovative and inventive legacy of "the most beautiful woman in the world," as she was often billed.

"The Young Karl Marx," Not rated

  • Part historical drama, part buddy story, this intense film by director Raoul Peck recounts the budding friendship of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, and the early days of communism. 

"I, Tonya," R

  • When most people think of figure skater Tonya Harding, they think of "the incident" with her rival, Nancy Kerrigan. This twisted comedy provides context to the troubled life of the first American woman to land a triple axel in competition, and features the Oscar-winning performance of Allison Janney as her abusive mother.

Steve Walker

"The Young Karl Marx," Not rated

  • From the director of "I Am Not Your Negro," comes this intellectually challenging yet cinematically fluid historical drama about how Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels met and molded their thoughts on capitalism and the plight of the working class. 

"A Fantastic Woman," R

  • This year's Oscar-winner for Best Foreign Language Film is a moving melodrama from Chile that stars transgender actress Daniela Vega as a nightclub singer shunned and shamed by the survivors of the lover who dies after one of their trysts.

"Bombshell: The Hedy Lamarr Story," Not rated

  • A documentary about the actress who went from white-hot glamour girl to a shoplifting arrest, pausing along the way to become the co-inventor of the "frequency hopping" technology that now operates modern conveniences like Wi-Fi and GPS.
Since 1998, Steve Walker has contributed stories and interviews about theater, visual arts, and music as an arts reporter at KCUR. He's also one of Up to Date's regular trio of critics who discuss the latest in art, independent and documentary films playing on area screens.