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Up To Date

Up To Date's Indie, Foreign & Doc Critics' 'Three To See,' August 4-6

Roadside Attractions
William Oldroyd's directorial debut, 'Lady Macbeth,' starring Florence Pugh, is an adaption of Nikolai Leskov's 1865 novella, 'Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District.'

Some people believe they were born in the wrong era. If you just can't seem to find your place in the age of Big Data, Up To Date's indie, foreign and documentary film critics have a set of recommendations to take you back to your spiritual time span. Whether you're pining for the Victorian 1850s or the bullish 1990s, take a break this weekend from push notifications and iPads, and enjoy the simplicity of bygone days.

Steve Walker

Landline, R

  • Director Gillian Robespierre's follow-up to her smart abortion rom-com Obvious Child is a biting urban comedy featuring John Turturro, Edie Falco, and Jenny Slate as three-fourths of a Brooklyn family awash in emotional trials and tangles.

Lady Macbeth, R

  • Defying divisions of class and color in 19th century England, a young woman, played by Florence Pugh, rebels against her marriage to a pious bully and takes up with a randy groomsman employed by her husband.

Maudie, PG-13

  • This poignant and unconventionally romantic biopic about Canadian folk artist Maud Lewis, who suffered from debilitating arthritis, stars Sally Hawkins and Ethan Hawke, both excellent as the title character and her grumpy, illiterate husband.

Cynthia Haines

Maudie, PG-13

  • Based on the true story of Canadian painter Maud Lewis, Sally Hawkins deftly portrays the renowned folk artist, who was first hired as housekeeper for the painfully introverted man she eventually falls in love with.

The Exception, R

  • A German soldier, played by Jai Courtney, falls in love with a Jewish maid while investigating the manse of exiled monarch Kaiser Wilhelm II. The romance confronts him with a choice: honor his country or follow his heart.

Landline, R

  • When two sisters suspect an affair on their father's part, they unite in a search for the truth without tipping-off their mother, played by Edie Falco. Their investigation reveals the real complexities and chaos of love and sex.
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.
As culture editor, I oversee KCUR’s coverage of race, culture, the arts, food and sports. I work with reporters to make sure our stories reflect the fullest view of the place we call home, so listeners and readers feel primed to explore the places, projects and people who make up a vibrant Kansas City. Email me at luke@kcur.org.