Festival schedule includes world premieres, documentaries and a salute to Mexico

CINEVEGAS SCHEDULE

The 10th annual CineVegas film festival takes place June 12-21 at the Brenden Theatres at the Palms and other venues as noted.

Tickets are $10 for regular screenings, $15 for opening and closing night films and tributes, $25-$45 for the "Get Smart" benefit screening and $25 for the Takashi Murakami screening. A locals' ticket package is $125; other packages and passes range from $100-$600 and are available at the CineVegas box office at the Palms, online at www.cinevegas.com or by calling 888-883-4278.

A complete screening schedule:

TODAY

7 p.m. "The Rocker" (world premiere) -- A drummer ("The Office's" Rainn Wilson) kicked out of an '80s hair band gets his revenge 20 years later -- as part of his nephew's group.

 

FRIDAY

1:30 p.m. "Wellness" -- In a bleak post-industrial town, a pyramid scheme salesman realizes the healthcare system he's been touting is a scam, prompting a crisis of conscience.

3 p.m. "The End" -- Gritty post-World War II London provides the backdrop for a documentary about Cockney gangsters, including the father of filmmaker Nicola Collins.

3:30 p.m. Shorts Program One: The Reveille of Reverie

6 p.m. "Big Heart City" (world premiere) -- Returning home after six months, a gambler (Shawn Andrews) searches for his missing girlfriend in a neo-noir tale featuring indie legend Seymour Cassel.

6:30 p.m. "Last Cup: Road to the World Series of Beer Pong" (world premiere) -- This documentary takes audiences to Mesquite, where four competitors prove that beer pong is more than a game, it's a way of life.

8 p.m. "Cocochi" -- In Mexico, two Tarahumara brothers embark on a cross-country journey through their changing world.

8:30 p.m. "Your Name Here" (world premiere) -- Bill Pullman stars as a stressed-out '70s science-fiction writer trapped in a series of alternate realities.

9 p.m. "The Juche Idea" -- A Marxist-Leninist-musical documentary follows a South Korean video artist in North Korea who hopes to revitalize Juche (pronounced choo-CHAY) cinema.

SATURDAY

11:30 a.m. "¿Donde estan sus historias? (Where are their stories?)" -- A young farmer journeys to Mexico City in search of justice.

Noon "Lost in the Fog" (world premiere) -- This documentary follows the rise and fall of the title thoroughbred race horse.

1 p.m. "She Unfolds By Day" (world premiere) -- Filmmaker Rolf Belgum interweaves images of his 80-year-old mother and the creatures she finds in the nearby woods.

2 p.m. "Año Uña (The Year of the Nail)" -- An American tourist in Mexico finds romance with a young local, who follows her back to New York.

3:30 p.m. "South of Heaven" (world premiere) -- In this mix of film noir, spaghetti Western, and "Pee Wee's Playhouse," a veteran searches for his brother, who's busy trying to survive his new mentor's crime spree.

4 p.m. Shorts Program One: The Reveille of Reverie -- See 3:30 p.m. Friday.

5 p.m. "Finally, Lillian and Dan" -- Two singles longing for a connection take achingly tentative steps toward a relationship.

6 p.m. "Happy Birthday, Harris Wilson" (world premiere) -- The filmmakers known collectively as Sweaty Robot debut with a playful yet poignant tale of a guy who's oblivious to the fakeness of his fake moustache.

7 p.m. "Hi My Name Is Ryan" -- A portrait of the cherubic Clown Prince of the downtown Phoenix art scene.

8 p.m. "Déficit" -- Gael Garcia Bernal makes his directorial debut and stars as a spoiled kid throwing a marathon party where emotions flare and tensions build.

8:30 p.m. "Dark Streets" (world premiere) -- A noirish musical fantasy set in the early '30s, about a nightclub owner (Gabriel Mann) caught up in intrigue and torn between two singers (Bijou Phillips, Izabella Miko).

9:30 p.m. "Schoof" (world premiere) -- Filmmaker Giuseppe Andrews' 23rd homemade feature, focusing on his offbeat neighbors at a Ventura, Calif., trailer park.

SUNDAY

10 a.m. Hollywood Heart -- Local teens, assisted by industry professionals, deliver the short "North Side Story.

12:30 p.m. "Hi My Name Is Ryan" -- See 7 p.m. Saturday.

12:45 p.m. "Cocochi" -- See 8 p.m. Friday.

1 p.m. "Last Cup: Road to the World Series of Beer Pong"-- See 6:30 p.m. Friday.

1:45 p.m. "Get Smart" -- This special screening of the '60s sitcom update with co-star Dwayne Johnson benefits The Rock Foundation and its Project Knapsack. (At Planet Hollywood Resort)

3 p.m. "The Black List: Volume One" -- A group portrait of 20 influential blacks, from dancer and choreographer Bill T. Jones to comedian Chris Rock.

3:30 p.m. "Your Name Here" -- See 8:30 p.m. Friday.

4 p.m. "Chelsea on the Rocks" (U.S. premiere) -- Director Abel Ferrara focuses on New York's now-embattled Chelsea Hotel, which has played host to creative spirits from Bob Dylan and Jimi Hendrix to Janis Joplin and Sid Vicious.

6 p.m. "She Unfolds By Day" -- See 1 p.m. Saturday.

7 p.m. "Memorial Day" (world premiere) -- In this provocative cinematic roller coaster ride, a rowdy Memorial Day beach weekend takes an unexpected twist.

7:30 p.m. "Big Heart City" -- See 6 p.m. Friday.

9 p.m. "The End" -- See 3 p.m. Friday.

9:30 p.m. "South of Heaven" -- See 3:30 p.m. Saturday.

MONDAY

12:30 p.m. "Dark Streets" -- See 8:30 p.m. Saturday.

1 p.m. "The Juche Idea" -- See 9 p.m. Friday.

3 p.m. "¿Donde estan sus historias? (Where are their stories?)" -- See 11:30 a.m. Saturday.

3:30 p.m. "Memorial Day" -- See 7 p.m. Sunday.

4 p.m. "Lost in the Fog" -- See noon Saturday.

6 p.m. "Where I Stand" -- A documentary about the only-in-Vegas life of Hank Greenspun (whose son and daughter-in-law, Danny and Robin Greenspun, own CineVegas), from his early days as Bugsy Siegel's PR man at the Flamingo Las Vegas to his tenure as the founding editor and publisher of the Las Vegas Sun.

6:30 p.m. "Año Uña (The Year of the Nail)" -- See 2 p.m. Saturday.

7 p.m. "Happy Birthday, Harris Malden" -- See 6 p.m. Saturday.

7:30 p.m. Takashi Murakami: Planting the Seeds -- An animation piece by renowned artist Takashi Murakami at Wynn Las Vegas' Lake of Dreams.

9 p.m. "Go Go Tales" -- Writer-director Abel Ferrara (whose documentary "Chelsea Tales" screens at 4 p.m. Sunday) scores a double with this tale of a strip club struggling to stay afloat; Willem Dafoe, Bob Hoskins, Matthew Modine and Asia Argento lead the cast.

9:30 p.m. "Sonic Youth: Sleeping Nights Awake" -- Teens from the nonprofit Project Moonshine focus on Sonic Youth's July 4, 2006, visit to Reno.

9:45 p.m. Takashi Murakami: Planting the Seeds-- See 7:30 p.m. Monday.

TUESDAY, JUNE 17

1 p.m. "Chelsea on the Rocks" -- See 4 p.m. Sunday.

1:30 p.m. Shorts Program/Nevada Filmmaking

2:30 p.m. "The Cool School" -- A documentary about an influential '40s and '50s Los Angeles art gallery that supported emerging talents from Ed Kienholz to Ed Ruscha.

3:30 p.m. "Wellness" -- See 1:30 p.m. Friday.

5 p.m. "Hank and Mike" -- In this comedy, two professional Easter Bunnies try to weather a corporate downsizing.

5 p.m. Marginal: Art for Its Own Sake -- Complementing the art-related documentaries "The Cool School" and "Beautiful Losers," a panel of artists discuss ideals and inspiration.

6 p.m. "Déficit" -- See 8 p.m. Saturday.

7:30 p.m. "Beautiful Losers" -- A documentary profile of '80s artists (including Shepard Fairey, Margaret Kilgallen, Mike Mills, Barry McGee, Jo Jackson, Stephen Powers, Chris Johanson, Harmony Korine and Ed Templeton) as they move from outsiders to trend-setters.

7:30 p.m. "Finally, Lillian and Dan" -- See 5 p.m. Saturday.

9 p.m. "Schoof" -- See 9:30 p.m. Saturday.

9:30 p.m. UNLV Showcase WEDNESDAY

1 p.m. "Where I Stand" -- See 6 p.m. Monday.

1:30 p.m. "Go Go Tales" -- See 9 p.m. Monday.

4 p.m. Shorts Program/Nevada Filmmaking

4:30 p.m. "Visioneers" -- In a dystopian future, a level-three Visioneer for the most profitable company ever searches for fulfillment in a psychological sci-fi trip featuring Zach Galifianakis, Judy Greer and James LeGros.

5 p.m. "The Last Mistress" -- The latest from French filmmaker Catherine Breillat ("Romance," "Fat Girl") focuses on a 19th-century aristocrat who, on the eve of marriage, recalls his affair with a Spanish temptress (Asia Argento).

7 p.m. "All Together Now" -- This documentary follows the creative genesis of Cirque du Soleil's Beatles-themed Mirage show, "Love."

7:30 p.m. "Momma's Man" -- A 30-something man (Matt Boren) would rather stay at his parents' house than return to his wife, children and adult responsibilities in this comedy.

9 p.m. "Hank and Mike" -- See 5 p.m. Tuesday.

9:30 p.m. CSN Showcase

JUNE 19

1:30 p.m. "Momma's Man" -- See 7:30 p.m. Wednesday.

2 p.m. "Women in Boxes" (world premiere) -- Sawed in half, stabbed, set on fire, the feats performed by magician's assistants inspire a documentary, partly filmed in Las Vegas, that intertwines performances and recollections.

4 p.m. Shorts Program Two: Inner Demons/Outer Angles

4:30 p.m. "Goliath" -- CineVegas veterans David and Nathan Zellner move from shorts to features with this comedy about a man trying to survive a dead-end job, a divorce, and his cat's disappearance.

6:30 p.m. "Explicit IIls" -- CineVegas honoree Rosario Dawson joins Paul Dano and Lou Taylor Pucci in a tale of sympathetic characters trying to endure Philadelphia street life.

8:30 p.m. "Visioneers" -- See 4:30 p.m. Wednesday.

9 p.m. "Them!" -- Re-creating the drive-in experience in the heart of Glitter Gulch, CineVegas resurrects this 1954 sci-fi scarefest about an atomic test that transforms ants into man-eating giants. (Fremont and Third streets)

9:30 p.m. "Primo" (world premiere) -- After civil war in El Salvador shatters their family, cousins reunite years later in Las Vegas in this drama from filmmaker Francisco Menendez, who heads UNLV's film department. JUNE 20

2 p.m. "Goliath" -- See 4:30 p.m. Thursday.

2 p.m. "All Together Now" -- See 7 p.m. Wednesday.

4 p.m. Half-Life Award: Don Cheadle

4:30 p.m. "Help Me Eros" -- Sexual fantasies collide with life's harsh realities in this Taiwanese tale.

6 p.m. Half-Life Award: Viggo Mortensen -- Includes a screening of "Alatriste," in which Mortensen stars as a 17th-century Spanish soldier-turned-mercenary.

6:30 p.m. "Choke" -- CineVegas honorees Sam Rockwell and Anjelica Huston turn up in this adaptation of Chuck Palahniuk's novel, a dark comedy about (among other things) mothers and sons and sexual compulsion.

7:30 p.m. "Cocaine Cowboys II: Hustlin' With the Godmother" (world premiere) -- This sequel to the cult documentary "Cocaine Cowboys" focuses on Colombian-born "Cocaine Godmother" Griselda Blanco.

8 p.m. Honoree Awards Ceremony and Reception -- Vegas Icon Award winner James Caan joins fellow honorees Don Cheadle, Rosario Dawson, Anjelica Huston, Viggo Mortensen and Sam Rockwell poolside at Planet Hollywood Resort.

9:30 p.m. "The Wackness" -- This hit Sundance comedy, set in summer-of-'94 New York, focuses on a pot-dealing young loser (Josh Peck) and a pothead psychiatrist client (Ben Kingsley).

10 p.m. "Mock Up on Mu" -- Cult filmmaker Craig Baldwin follows the intertwined '60s existence of rocket-fuel inventor Jack Parson, new age sex leader Marjorie Cameron and Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard. JUNE 21

12:30 p.m. Shorts Program Two: Inner Demons/Outer Angles -- See 4 p.m. Thursday.

1 p.m. "Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson" -- The legendary gonzo journalist inspires a documentary that chronicles his writing and his outrageous antics. (Hunter himself attended the 2003 CineVegas screening of another documentary, "Breakfast With Hunter.")

1 p.m. Half-Life Award: Rosario Dawson

3 p.m. Half-Life Award: Sam Rockwell

3:30 p.m. "Women in Boxes" -- See 2 p.m. June 19.

4:30 p.m. "Explicit Ills" -- See 6:30 p.m. June 19.

5 p.m. Marquee Award: Anjelica Huston

7 p.m. "The Great Buck Howard" -- A law-school dropout (Colin Hanks) takes a job as celebrity assistant to a flamboyant has-been magician (John Malkovich) trying to find the comeback trail.

7:30 p.m. "Sonic Youth: Sleeping Nights Awake" -- See 9:30 p.m. June 16.

9 p.m. "Mock Up on Mu" -- See 10 p.m. June 20.