Matinee Feature

I remember watching a lot of movies multiple times during my elementary years, with Star Wars, Spaceballs and Top Gun chief among them. How my dear mother watched Spaceballs so many times without killing herself I will never know. ( Not that Spaceballs isn’t amazing, of course…) This weekend the AMC NorthPark 15 welcomes the 23rd Annual KidFilm Festival, where, thankfully, children will only be able to watch each movie one time through. Festival selections include The Tillamook Treasure, Shredderman Rules, Australia’s Opal Dream, Scotland’s Greyfriars Bobby, The Eye of the Dolphin and The Astronaut Farmer, in which Billy Bob Thornton acts as an amateur astronaut, building a rocket in his barn and deputizing his children to act as mission control. Festival attendees can also catch screenings of classics such as Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, as well as salutes to author/illustrator Laurie Keller and the producer/director team of Arthur Rankin Jr. and Jules Bass. The festival kicks off Saturday with the regional premiere of Eloise in Hollywood, featuring an appearance by tiny starlet Mary Matilyn Mouser, whom adults may recognize from her guest roles on CSI, Monk, Without a Trace and Scrubs. The 23rd Annual KidFilm Festival starts at 12:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Tickets for each screening are $3. For tickets and showtimes, call 214-821-FILM or visit usafilmfestival.com.

Sat., Jan. 20, 12:30 p.m.; Sun., Jan. 21, 12:30 p.m.