Seven years have passed since ‘Sideways,’ the last film directed by Alexander Payne, but he’s back with ‘The Descendants,’ which opens the Lone Star International Film Festival in Ft. Worth tonight. Meanwhile, a retrospective of his films continues at the Angelika Dallas tonight.
Jack Nicholson stars in ‘About Schmidt,’ which plays as part of the retrospective tonight at 7:30 p.m. The film is an introspective road trip, as a recently retired insurance man hits the road in an RV after his wife dies. He’s racing to stop the marriage of his daughter (Hope Davis) to a man he considers beneath her (Dermot Mulroney), but his notions are challenged by his daughter and her future mother-in-law (Kathy Bates).
‘Sideways,’ which screens tomorrow at 7:30 p.m., features sterling performances by Paul Giamatti, Thomas Haden Church, Virginia Mayo, and Sandra Oh, as an obsession (or relative lack thereof) with wine defines relationships between friends and potential romantic partners.
Payne’s latest (and excellent) film, ‘The Descendants,’ serves as the opening night presentation of the Lone Star International Film Festival, followed by a Hawaiian reception. The festival is filled with local premieres along with retrospectives, and runs through the weekend. Check the official site for more information.
Dallas Film Weekly 
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