For a Limited Time Only: Sharks

One of the great things about cinema in Austin are the goodly number of documentaries that get a big-screen outing. The downside is that, like any limited release, documentaries pretty much depend on these rare screenings to determine their future, and it's all-too-easy to forget that they won't be around for as long as a big-budget extravaganza. So, no pressure.

Take Sharkwater (Favorably reviewed this week by our own Marc Savlov.) Director Rob Stewart does have a habit of sticking himself in front of the camera as much as he does the sharks (hey, it worked for Jacques Cousteau.) But he also binds together the threads of a story of the culinary arts, ecology, big business, international politics, activism, and gangsterism to show how shark fin soup might actually destroy the world.

At the moment, there are prints in Austin and, according to the official website, Tulsa, OK. But there's a downside to its tenure in Austin. Unfortunately, there're four screenings left at the Alamo Ritz. So, if you're thinking about going, you might want to put it on this week's 'to do' list. Or start walking to Tulsa.

Seriously, Cloverfield can wait a week.