This 'Nightmare' opens eyes to globalization
Enormous cargo planes come and go at an airstrip in Tanzania, bringing in cheap Russian weapons and sending out fish bound for wealthy countries -- a seemingly simple transaction. But in ''Darwin's Nightmare" director Hubert Sauper explores the darker implications at work.
Sauper will attend a screening of his documentary and a Q&A session afterward at the Harvard Film Archive on Saturday at 7 p.m. The film raises provocative questions about globalization and how it's destroying locals who live on Lake Victoria's shores.
''Darwin's Nightmare" also plays at the Martha's Vineyard Film Society Nov. 19 and opens a five-day run at the Brattle Theatre Dec. 2. For more information, call 617-495-4700 or go to www.harvardfilmarchive.org.
WALLACH AT BRANDEIS: Sergio Leone's ''The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" is legendary among spaghetti Westerns for its taut story line, whistling theme music, and the powerhouse trio who embodied the title: Clint Eastwood, Lee Van Cleef, and Eli Wallach. Wallach has starred in more than 100 films but his role as Tuco (a.k.a. ''The Ugly") is one of his most memorable.
The renowned actor visits Brandeis University's Shapiro Campus Center tomorrow at 6 p.m. to talk about his storied career. Wallach's wife, actress Anne Jackson, will accompany him and he'll also sign copies of his autobiography, ''The Good, The Bad, and Me: In My Anecdotage." Call 781-736-4200 or go to www.brandeis.edu.
BRATTLE STATIONS: What better way to help save the Brattle than watching as many movies as you can in the next few weeks? To raise $400,000 by year's end and maintain repertory programming, the theater begins its Movie Watch-A-Thon campaign on Friday. The event encourages moviegoers to see as many films as they can through Dec. 4 and collect pledges for every movie they see. In exchange for a registration fee, participants are guaranteed admission to all Brattle films during the three-week period.
The Watch-A-Thon wraps up with three days of festivities: a midnight double feature, a party to honor the winners, and an all-night ''Twin Peaks" viewing marathon where coffee and cherry pie, the treat favored by FBI Special Agent Dale Cooper (Kyle MacLachlan), will be served. Call 617-876-8021 or go to www.brattlefilm.org.
A FEST TO THE WEST: Boston has an embarrassment of riches as far as film festivals go (the Museum of Fine Arts' Boston Festival of Films From Iran is one current example). But some festivals are worth traveling for. The 11th annual Northampton Independent Film Festival kicks off its five-day run Wednesday with about 100 films to choose from.
Tim Daly opens the festivities with a screening of ''Bereft," a drama that marks his directorial debut. Daly also stars in the film, the cast of which includes Tim Blake Nelson and Michael C. Hall. Panel discussions and documentaries are also part of the lineup. Northampton native Jeff Zimbalist's ''Favela Rising" (made with Matt Mochary) screens Friday and Isaac Solotaroff's ''Visioning Tibet," on Dr. Marc Lieberman's humanitarian mission to that country, screens Saturday. Call 413-582-1832 or go to www.niff.org.
In Concord, N.H., the Somewhat North of Boston Film Festival opens its two-day stint Friday. Dozens of features and shorts are in the lineup and filmmaker appearances are a strong part of this event, now in its fourth year. On Saturday, Jim Sharkey is expected to attend a post-screening discussion of his documentary ''Hard Work," about 19th-century female factory workers in Maine. Pedro Carvajal will also be on hand Friday to discuss ''POPaganda: the Art and Subversion of Ron English," a look at a guerrilla artist who hijacks corporate billboards. Call 603-225-5650 or go to www.snobfilmfestival.org.
SHORT TAKES: History isn't a common subject for young indie filmmakers, but that's not the case with ''The 11th Day." The new documentary by brothers Christos and Michael Epperson examines Crete's heroic role in the civilian resistance movement against WWII Nazi occupation forces. The film screens today at 4:30, 6:30, and 8 p.m. at Brookline's Maliotis Cultural Center, 50 Goddard Ave. Call 916-973-1120 or go to www.crete1941.com.
The Institute of Contemporary Art tackles political issues in its Reel Rush film series. ''The Take," a 2004 documentary directed by Avi Lewis and written by Naomi Klein, follows a group of unemployed auto workers who set up camp in their idle Buenos Aires factory and refuse to leave, hoping their action would restart production. The film screens Friday at 8 p.m. Call 617-927-6620 or go to www.icaboston.org.
Somerville native John Fiore had a good thing going with a recurring role on ''Law & Order" and an even juicier part as Gigi Cestone on ''The Sopranos." Now he can add executive producer to his credits with ''Johnny Slade's Greatest Hits," which was filmed in Tewksbury. Fiore plays a struggling lounge singer whose songs, penned by his mobster boss, trigger the wrong kind of hits. The film includes other familiar faces from ''The Sopranos" -- Vincent Curatola and Frank Santorelli -- and it screens at the Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival Thursday and Saturday.
Films with live soundtracks have had a good run recently, with local performances by Alloy Orchestra and Devil Music Ensemble among others. The Coolidge Corner Theatre presents two upcoming offerings that couldn't be more different. On Nov. 14, the Beth Custer Ensemble will provide music for the Soviet-era silent film ''My Grandmother." On Saturday, Puerto Muerto performs a score for the original ''Texas Chainsaw Massacre" and Maine's own Gunnar Hansen (better known to fans as Leatherface) will be in attendance. Let's hope he leaves the scary mask at home.
Rhonda Stewart can be reached at rstewart@globe.com. 
