Time to light up the Lantern

It’s never too early to plan your weekend of filmgoing. And when it comes to movies, I always look to the Magic Lantern first. Always have since, oh, about 1980.

Anyway, this week the Lantern opens two new movies: “Being Elmo” and “Margin Call.”

“Being Elmo” is a documentary about Kevin Clash, creator of the puppet that went on to become one of the most famous of all the Muppets. The second is a drama about the financial industry and stars an ensemble cast including Kevin Spacey, Jeremy Irons, Paul Bettany and Demi Moore.

And if neither of those agrees with you, you can always check out the holdovers: Woody Allen’s “Midnight in Paris” (one of my favorite films of 2011) and “The Guard.”

Yeah, the Magic Lantern is small, the seats are a bit cramped and the screen isn’t IMAX size. And, yes, you could find other ways to see the movie ( download it, for example). But movies are meant to be seen in a theater, and the Lantern’s help is friendly and informative, and they do what they can to bring films to Spokane that might never play here otherwise. Always have.

Below : The trailer for “Margin Call.”