Tuesday, June 12, 2007
Summer Schedule 2007
June 22 - 28 THE NAMESAKE Nightly at 7 & 9pm, Sun Matinee 3pm. PG13 122min. D: Mira Nair. Kal Penn, Jacinda Barrett. Based on the bestselling book by Jhumpa Lahiri, the film follows two generations of the Ganguli family. After wedding via an arranged marriage, Ashima moves with Ashoke from her native Calcutta to New York. As Ashima struggles to adjust to life in her new home, a true love grows between the newlyweds. When they give birth to Gogol, the family decides to stay in America for their child’s sake. While the parents attempt to balance their new life with Indian traditions, their children have the very different experience of being raised first-generation Americans. "This gorgeously designed and photographed movie artfully depicts the immigrant experience in ways that transcend its setting." Lou Lumenick NY POST
June 29 - July 5 THE VALET Nightly at 7 & 9pm, Sun Mat at 3pm. PG13 125min. D: Francis Veber. Gad Elmleh, Daniel Auteuil, Kristin Scott Thomas. Francis Veber, the living master of French farce, has combined his classic elements of hilarious slapstick with quick-witted dialogue in his new film. The tale begins when a restaurant car service valet at a posh Paris hotel gets caught-up in a billionaire industrialist's sneaky infidelities. “This latest French farce from Oscar-nominee Francis Veber is another sophisticated screwball comedy right up there with the best of Billy Wilder.” Kam Williams, NEWSBLAZE
July 13 - 19 RED ROAD Nightly at 7 & 9pm, Sun Mat at 3pm. NR 113min. D: Andrea Arnold. Tony Curran, Kate Dickie. Developed at the Sundance Screenwriters Lab and winner of a Special Jury Prize at the Cannes International Film Festival, Red Road is a bristling, atmospheric thriller that rumbles with intensity. In the squalor of urban Glasgow, Jackie works at a video-surveillance firm that is in charge of protecting people who live on a single block of Red Road. One day a man appears on her monitor, a man she thought she would never see again. That man is an ex-con named Clyde. Clearly shocked to see him free from prison, Jackie begins stalking Clyde, compelled to confront him for his crimes. “A slow-burning but enticing thriller, it captures its working class Glaswegian setting in absorbing detail.”
July 20 - 26 WAITRESS Nightly at 7 & 9pm, Sun Mat at 3pm. PG13 104min. D: Adrienne Shelley. Keri Russell, Jeremy Sisto, Cheryl Hines. As a favorite waitress at Joe's Diner, Jenna is also a "pie genius," naming her tantalizing confections after the tumultuous events and emotions of her daily life. She's hoping that one of her pastries, like her "Kick In The Pants" Pie, might even change her life – if she can just win that $25,000 pie contest. But when Jenna discovers that she's pregnant, she immediately bakes an "I Don't Want Earl's Baby" Pie – a quiche of egg and cheese with a smoked ham center. After all, her husband Earl is a jealous jerk that is essentially a child himself and the last thing they need to do is start a family together. “It's the kind of sly, witty independent gem that rolls through every few years, lighting up crowds and forcing men to admit they were wrong when they thought they were being dragged to another chick flick.” Bill Clark, FROM THE BALCONY
Aug 3 - 9 EVENING Nightly at 7 & 9pm, Sunday Matinee 3pm. PG13. D: Lajos Koltai. Vanessa Redgrave, Meryl Streep, Toni Collette, Claire Danes. Evening is a deeply emotional film that illuminates the timeless love which binds mother and daughter – seen through the prism of one mother’s life as it crests with optimism, navigates a turning point, and ebbs to its close. Two pairs of real-life mothers and daughters – Vanessa Redgrave and Natasha Richardson, and Meryl Streep and Mamie Gummer – portray, respectively, a mother and her daughter and the mother’s best friend at different stages in life. Overcome by the power of memory, Ann Lord reveals a long-held secret to her concerned daughters; Constance and Nina. Both are bedside when Ann calls out for the man she loved more than any other. But who is this “Harris,” wonder her daughters, and what is he to our mother?
D: John Carey. Glen Hansard, Marketa Irglova. A modern day musical set on the streets of Dublin. Featuring Glen Hansard and his Irish band "The Frames," the film tells the story of a street musician and a Czech immigrant during an eventful week as they write, rehearse and record songs that reveal their unique love story. “Even the uninitiated will be hard-pressed to resist the movie's charms, from its likable leading players and its charming Dublin setting to its wistful take on modern love.” Ann Hornaday, WASHINGTON POST
Aug 17 - 23 MIGHTY HEART Nightly at 7 & 9pm, Sun Mat at 3pm. NR 103min. D: Michael Winterbottom. Angelina Jolie. On January 23, 2002, Mariane Pearl's world changed forever. Her husband Daniel, South Asia bureau chief for the Wall Street Journal, was researching a story on shoe bomber Richard Reid. The story drew them to Karachi where a go-between had promised access to an elusive source. As Danny left for the meeting, he told Mariane he might be late for dinner. He never returned. In the face of death, Danny's spirit of defiance and his unflinching belief in the power of journalism led Mariane to write about his disappearance, the intense effort to find him and his eventual murder in her memoir A Mighty Heart: The Brave Life and Death of My Husband Danny Pearl. Six months pregnant when the ordeal began, she was carrying a son that Danny hoped to name Adam. She wrote the book to introduce Adam to the father he would never meet. Transcending religion, race and nationality, Mariane's courageous desire to rise above the bitterness and hatred that continues to plague this post 9/11 world, serves as the purest expression of the joy of life she and Danny shared. “A straightforward, highly competent thriller. As you'd expect from English director Michael Winterbottom, the picture possesses levels of moral complication that are at first invisible.” Andrew O’Heir, SALON.COM
Friday, April 27, 2007
Bayview Street Cinema April 27th - June 21st
April 27-May 3 AMAZING GRACE Nightly at 7pm, Fri & Sat 7 & 9pm, Sun Mat at 3pm. NR 111min. D: Michael Apted. Ioan Gruffudd, Albert Finney. Based on the true story of the 18th century British politician William Wilberforce, a young man torn between politics and the church, inspired to action by a penitent monk who is haunted by his past as a slave-ship captain, who makes it his mission to end slavery in the British Empire, and, aided by a small band of radical thinkers and unlikely supporters, annually presents a bill for abolition to Parliament. “That rare bird: a tear-jerker about the House of Commons and the antislavery movement in England. Michael Apted's idolatrous portrait of abolitionist William Wilberforce is wall-to-wall with intriguing characters and deeply felt performances.” Jan Stuart, NEWSDAY 
May 4 - 10 BREACH Nightly at 7pm, Fri & Sat 7 & 9pm, Sun Mat at 3pm. PG13 110min. D:Billy Day. Chris Cooper, Ryan Philippe. Chris Cooper gives a remarkable performance as complicated and bitter FBI agent Robert Hanssen, a computer specialist who, after 25 years of service, is put under surveillance as a suspected sex offender. Eric O’Neill is the ambitious young upstart they put on the job, assigning him to pose as Hanssen’s new clerk in order to win his trust and keep an eye on his every move. Just when Eric is about to give up the case, he discovers that it is much bigger than he ever imagined finding himself in the middle of an investigation into the biggest security breach in U.S. history, forcing him to resort to dramatic and ingenious tactics in order to bring down the suspect. “Filled with tension, deception and bravura acting, Breach is a crackling tale of real-life espionage that doubles as a compelling psychological drama.” Ken Turan, LA TIMES
May 11 - 17 THE LIVES OF OTHERS (Oscar Winner-Best Foreign Film) Nightly at 7pm, Fri & Sat 7pm, Sun Mat at 3pm. R 137min. D: Florian Henckel Von Donnersmarck. Martina Gedeck, Ulrich Muene. At once a political thriller and human drama, the film begins in East Berlin in 1984, five years before Glasnost and the fall of the Berlin Wall and ultimately takes us to 1991, in what is now the reunited Germany, tracing the gradual disillusionment of Captain Gerd Wiesler, a highly skilled officer who works for the Stasi, East Germany's all-powerful secret police. His mission is to spy on a celebrated writer and actress couple. Five years before its downfall, the former East-German government ensures its claim to power with a ruthless system of control and surveillance via the Stasi, a vast network of informers that at one time numbered 200,000 out of a population of 17 million. Their goal is to know everything about "the lives of others." “A potent narrative about the transformative effect of involvement in other people's stories, Lives turns its own story into a python-tight embrace of nuanced tension and emotional connection.” Ken Turan, LA TIMES
A Must See!!!
May 18 - 24 INTO GREAT SILENCE Nightly at 7pm, Fri & Sat 7pm, Sun Mat at 3pm. NR 164min. D: Philip Groning. Nestled deep in the postcard-perfect French Alps, the Grande Chartreuse is considered one of the world’s most ascetic monasteries. In 1984, German filmmaker Philip Gröning wrote to the Carthusian order for permission to make a documentary about them. They said they would get back to him. Sixteen years later, they were ready. Gröning, sans crew or artificial lighting, lived in the monks’ quarters for six months—filming their daily prayers, tasks, rituals and rare outdoor excursions. This transcendent, closely observed film seeks to embody a monastery, rather than simply depict one—it has no score, no voiceover and no archival footage. What remains is stunningly elemental: time, space and light. One of the most mesmerizing and poetic chronicles of spirituality ever created, INTO GREAT SILENCE dissolves the border between screen and audience with a total immersion into the hush of monastic life. More meditation than documentary, it’s a rare, transformative theatrical experience for all. “Pure cinema at its purest and most exalted … a transcendent meditation on the human pursuit of meaning, on man as a religious and social creature; on the rhythm of work and prayer, day and night, winter and spring.” Steven D. Greydanus DECENT FILMS GUIDE
May 25 - 31 AVENUE MONTAIGNE. Nightly at 7pm, Fri & Sat 7 & 9pm, Sunday Matinee 3pm. PG13 106min. D:Daniele Thompson. Cecile de France, Claude Brasseur. Taking place on the fashionable Paris street, from which the film takes its name, people from a theater, an auction house, and a concert hall gather in and around a central bistro where Jessica has wiggled her way into a temporary job, having just moved to the big city. Featuring unique, interesting characters, excellent acting, and a lot of fun and fascinating talk about art, music, theater, food, and other cultural delights. “An absolute must for Francophiles and a great choice for anyone who loves a vibrant ensemble dramedy, Avenue Montaigne is a bustling delight, a slice of Parisian artistic life that will have you dialing Air France the morning after you see it.” Don Willmott, filmcritic.com
June 1 - 7 OFFSIDE Nightly at 7pm, Fri & Sat 7 & 9pm Sun Mat at 3pm. PG 88min. D:Jafar Panahi. Ida Sadeghi, Mohammad Kheyrabadi. Many Iranian girls love soccer as much as their countrymen and sport fans all over the world but they are prevented by law from attending live soccer matches in their country. Inspired by the day when his own daughter was refused entry to a soccer stadium in Iran, Jafar Panahi's OFFSIDE follows a day in the life of a group of Iranian girls attempting to watch their team's World Cup qualifying match against Bahrain at the stadium in Tehran. “The great virtue of Offside is that it never degenerates into an us-versus-them situation. [Director Pahani] understands that a repressive system victimizes the oppressors as much as the oppressed.” Ken Turan, LA TIMES
June 8 - 14 THE WIND THAT SHAKES THE BARLEY (Winner-Best Film, Cannes 2006) Nightly at 7pm, Fri & Sat 7 & 9pm, Sun Mat at 3pm. PG13 127min. D: Ken Loach. Cillian Murphy, Liam Cunnigham. Set in 1916 in Ireland, Damien is a young Irishman about to fulfill his lifelong dream of becoming a doctor. When his friend is brutally murdered for standing up to a band of British soldiers, Damien abandons his medical career and joins his brother Teddy in the fight for freedom. “Winner of the Best Film at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival, this powerful political saga is not merely a cinematic masterpiece from start to finish but a righteous rallying cry for disenfranchised masses anywhere with nothing left to lose but their chains.” Kam
Williams, NEWS BLAZE
June 15 - 21 PAGE TURNER Nightly at 7pm, Fri & Sat 7 & 9pm, Sun Mat at 3pm. NR 85min. D:Denis Dercourt. Catherine Frot, Deborah Francois. A small-town butcher's daughter, Mélanie, age ten, seems to have a special gift for the piano. She takes the Conservatory entrance exam, but fails after being distracted by the thoughtless behavior of the chairwoman of the jury, a well known concert pianist. Bitterly disappointed, Mélanie gives up the piano. Reminiscent of Hitchcock and Chabrol, THE PAGE TURNER is elegant yet suspenseful, a revenge potboiler of a high degree. “One of those delectable, upstairs-downstairs affairs worth savoring, and a suspenseful psychological thriller which rates right up there with the best of the genre.” Kam Williams NEWS BLAZE
Thursday, February 15, 2007
Feb 23 - March 1 BLOOD DIAMOND Nightly at 7pm, Fri & Sat 7pm, Sun Mat at 3pm. R 138min. D: Edward Zwick. Leonardo DiCaprio, Djimon Houson. Set against the backdrop of the chaos and civil war that enveloped 1990s Sierra Leone, "Blood Diamond" is the story of ex-mercenary Danny Archer and Mende fisherman Solomon Vandy. Both men are African, but their histories and their circumstances are as different as any can be until their fates become joined in a common quest to recover a rare pink diamond, the kind of stone that can transform a life…or end it. “Zwick does a fine job in combining a broad range of elements and turning them into a compulsive and thought-provoking adventure and is aided by beautiful cinematography.” Mark Adams, Sunday Mirror
March 2 - 8 THE GOOD SHEPHERD Nightly at 7pm, Fri & Sat 7pm, Sun Mat at 3pm. R 160min. D:Robert De Niro. Matt Damon, Angelina Jolie, William Hurt. Matt Damon plays Edward Wilson, a Yale graduate in the late 1930s. His membership in the exclusive, hidden Skull and Bones society led him away from poetry and into a relationship with the federal government, who recruited him to help them on several covert operations. Throughout the film, the emergence of a mysterious tape haunts Wilson, who is determined to uncover the truth behind a leak in his secret organization. “No previous American film has ventured into this still largely unknown territory with such authority and emotional detachment. For this reason alone, The Good Shepherd is must-see viewing.” Andrew Sarris, NY Observer
March 9 - 15 THE GOOD GERMAN Nightly at 7pm, Fri & Sat 7 & 9pm, Sun Mat at 3pm. R 108min. D:Steven Soderbergh. George Clooney, Cate Blanchett. Steven Soderbergh delivers another big-budget stylistic experiment, this time 40’s style film noir, with “The Good German”. Set in postwar Berlin, the atmospheric thriller, based on the acclaimed novel by Joseph Kanon, stars George Clooney as an American military journalist who has returned to Berlin for the Potsdam Peace Conference. “In a few quick strokes, Soderbergh and screenwriter Paul Attanasio, sketch a convincing scenario in which it is technically not possible for the good guys to win a war because good guys don't fight them.” Carina Chocano, LA Times
March 16 - 22 NOTES ON A SCANDAL Nightly at 7pm, Fri & Sat 7 & 9pm, Sun Mat at 3pm. R 98min. D:Richard Eyre. Cate Blanchett, Judi Dench. Dame Judi Dench and Cate Blanchett face off with searing performances in this riveting tale of obsession and desire. “Notes on a Scandal” is the story of Barbara Covett, a hard-nosed spinster schoolteacher, and her poisonous friendship with fellow teacher Sheba Hart. When the young and beautiful Sheba shows up as the new art instructor, everyone is charmed by her, including the embittered Barbara. Barbara is thrilled when her lonely life is shaken up by Sheba's overtures of friendship, as Sheba invites her to share in family dinners, and opens up to her about her marital troubles and personal longing. “A wonderfully salacious and psychologically controlling character piece, which brilliantly showcases two of the industry's more gifted actresses.” Kit Bowen Hollywood.com
March 23 - 29 VENUS. Nightly at 7pm, Fri & Sat 7 & 9pm, Sunday Matinee 3pm. R 95min. D:Roger Michell. Peter O’Toole, Jodie Whittaker. Maurice and his friend Ian are two classy curmudgeons whiling away their hours in coffee shops and at the theater, but their routine is thrown for a loop when Ian's niece's daughter Jessie is sent from the country to act as his nurse. Far from just a tale of a May-December romance, “Venus” is a very raw look at growing old, and the aches and pains, both emotional and physical, that accompany a man near the end of his life. It is an honest, moving portrait of human desire, and how it can both beat us down and lift us up--no matter the age.
March 30 - April 5 LITTLE CHILDREN Nightly at 7pm, Fri & Sat 7 & 9pm Sun Mat at 3pm. R 130min. D:Todd Field. Kate Winslet, Patrick Wilson. Set in the imploding minefields of modern suburbia, “Little Children” follows several inhabitants of a small American town as they fumble their way through adulthood. Numb-to-life housewife and mother Sarah Pierce finds an outlet for her yearning in gorgeous househusband Brad Adamson, who is crippled with insecurity over the fact that his perfect wife, Kathy, is the family breadwinner. “Little Children, a jolting, artfully made drama set in and around a suburban playground somewhere between American Beauty and In the Bedroom on America's psychic highway, is populated by parents who are surprised by adulthood and children who are treated like projects built by competitive students of What to Expect... books.” Lisa Schwarzbaum, EW
April 6 - 12 DREAM GIRLS Nightly at 7pm, Fri & Sat 7 & 9pm, Sun Mat at 3pm. PG13 125min. D:Bill Condon. Jaime Foxx, Beyonce, Eddie Murphy, Jennifer Hudson. Late for their stint in a local talent show, The Dreamettes show up in their cheap wigs and homemade dresses, rehearsing songs and steps by the lead singer’s brother, with hopes that talent and sheer desire will break them out of the only life that seems available to them. They're young. They're beautiful. All they have to do is trust a car salesman aching to make his mark in the music business . “Joy is defined as Dreamgirls, an ecstatic dose of pure top-down Motown tight-harmony effervescence that takes a hit Broadway musical about a Chicago girl group and turns it, miraculously, into a Hollywood delight.” Amy Biancolli, Houston Chronicle
April 13 - 19 MISS POTTER Nightly at 7pm, Fri & Sat 7 & 9pm, Sun Mat at 3pm. PG 93min. D:Chris Noonan. Renee Zellweger, Emily Watson, Ewen McGregor. Beatrix Potter has delighted generations of children with her books. But she kept her own private life locked carefully away. “Miss Potter” is set in the high summer days of late Victorian and Edwardian England, during which Beatrix develops her natural skills as artist and story-teller. When she finally publishes her debut book, The Tale of Peter Rabbit, she becomes a writing celebrity. “Known in the United States for her whimsical books, Potter was an ecological champion in the United Kingdom. The film touches on this, but mostly it's a tender tale about yearning hearts and courageous idealism.” Bruce Westbrook Houston Chronicle
Wednesday, December 06, 2006
Winter Schedule 2006/2007
Dec 15 - 21 HEADING SOUTH Nightly at 7, Fri & Sat 7 & 9pm, Sun Matinee 3pm. NR 105min. D: Laurent Cantet. Set in the 1970’s and based on stories by Dany Laferriere; Charlotte Rampling, Karen Young, and Louise Portal head a group of single middle-aged women who travel to the Caribbean in winter for sun, fun, and romance. They desire the solicitous attention of attractive young Haitian men, and teenaged Legba (award-winning Menothy Cesar) is an especially prized companion for whom the women vie "A compact drama boiling over with political and sexual subtext, Heading South gives us yet another opportunity to soak up the wonder that is Charlotte Rampling.” Robert W. Butler KANSAS CITY STAR
Dec 22 - 28 FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION Nightly at 7pm, Fri & Sat 7pm, Sun Mat at 3pm. PG13 84min. D: Christopher Guest. Christopher Guest turns the camera on Hollywood for his film, "For Your Consideration.” The film focuses on the making of an independent movie and its cast who become victims of the dreaded awards buzz. Like Guest's previous films, "Waiting For Guffman", "Best In Show" and "A Mighty Wind", this latest project features performances from his regular ensemble, including co-writer Eugene Levy. “Truly, the level of tender, ruthless, inspired, lethally accurate study that has gone into the follicular expression of each and every character in Guest's latest hilarious cultural corrective is something inspiring to behold.” Lisa Schwarzbaum ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY
Dec 29 - Jan 4 FAST FOOD NATION Nightly at 7pm, Fri & Sat 7pm, Sun Mat at 3pm. R 156min. D:Richard Linklater. Greg Kinnear, Kris Kristofferson, Wilmer Valderama. When it was published in 2001, Fast Food Nation quickly became a New York Times bestseller, with its no-holds-barred, non-fiction exploration of "the dark side of the All-American meal.” The movie is not a documentary, but a character study of the lives behind the facts and figures. “Effectively balanced between the nonfiction muckraking of Eric Schlosser's bestselling exposé and the loosely structured character drama of Richard Linklater's adaptation, the film is fascinating food for thought.” Colin Covert MINNESOTA STAR REVIEW
Jan 5 - 11 JESUS CAMP Nightly at 7pm, Fri & Sat 7pm, Sun Mat at 3pm. PG13 85min. D:Heidi Ewing. A growing number of Evangelical Christians believe there is a revival underway in America whereby Christian youth must take up the leadership of the conservative Christian movement. This film, a first-ever look into an intense training ground that recruits born-again Christian children to become an active part of America's political future, follows Pastor Becky Fischer's Kids on Fire summer camp in North Dakota, where kids as young as 6 years-old are taught to become dedicated Christian soldiers in God's army. “Often funny (just listen to Becky fulminate against Harry Potter), but it's also a scary, sobering inside look at the attempts of an increasingly powerful group to erode the separation of church and state.” Ann Hornaday WASHINGTON POST
Jan 12 - 18 STRANGER THAN FICTION Nightly at 7pm, Fri & Sat 7 & 9pm, Sun Mat at 3pm. PG13 117min. D:Marc Forster. Will Ferrell, Emma Thompson, Dustin Hoffman. One morning, IRS agent Harold Crick begins to hear a female voice narrating his every action, thought and feeling in alarmingly precise detail. Harold's carefully controlled life is turned upside down by this narration only he can hear, and when the voice declares that Harold Crick is facing imminent death, he realizes he must find out who is writing his story and persuade her to change the ending. “Stranger Than Fiction is a meditation on life, art and romance, and on the kinds of responsibility we have. Such an uncommonly intelligent film does not often get made.” Roger Ebert CHICAGO SUN-TIMES
Jan 19 - 25 SHUT UP AND SING. Nightly at 7pm, Fri & Sat 7 & 9pm, Sunday Matinee 3pm. R 99min. D:Barbara Kopple. Natalie Maines, Emily Robison, Marty Maguire. When a rabidly right-wing group picked up on an anti-Bush comment made at a London concert in 2003, the band the Dixie Chicks found themselves in the center of controversy regarding the nature of patriotism, freedom of speech, feminism, and the split between pro- and antiwar Americans. Through the crises, they keep their sense of humor and sisterhood, not backing down from their liberal stance, and turning the backlash into a triumph. They also make some great music, and the film includes plenty of riveting, intense footage of the band in performance onstage and in the studio. “Going in with just a rudimentary knowledge of their music, by the time Natalie Maines utters one of the best closing lines of the year, I had never been so proud to be an American.” Erik Childress eFILMCRITIC.COM
Jan 26 - Feb 1 VOLVER Nightly at 7pm, Fri & Sat 7 & 9pm, Sun Mat at 3pm. R 120min. D: Perdo Almodovar. Penelope Cruz, Carmen Manra. Three generations of women survive the east wind, fire, insanity, superstition and even death by means of goodness, lies and boundless vitality. Volver is not a surrealistic comedy although it may seem so at times. The living and the dead coexist without any discord, causing situations that are either hilarious or filled with a deep, genuine emotion. “Pedro Almodóvar has made yet another picture that moves beyond camp into a realm of wise, luxuriant humanism.” A.O. Scott NY TIMES
Feb 2 - 8 FLAG OF OUR FATHERS Nightly at 7pm, Fri & Sat 7 & 9:15pm, Sun Mat at 3pm. R 132min. D:Clint Eastwood. Jaime Bell, Ryan Phillippe. A human drama of friendship and love, sacrifice and manipulation, set against the violent conflict of the battle of Iwo Jima, director Clint Eastwood focuses on the images of war. "Flags of Our Fathers" shows how the famous AP photograph became the very beginning of celebrity worship, the film questions our need to create and celebrate heroes, sometimes at a cost. “Flags of Our Fathers is a film of awesome power and blistering provocation.” Peter Travers ROLLING STONE
Feb 9 - 15 BABEL Nightly at 7pm, Fri & Sat 7pm, Sun Mat at 3pm. R 142min. D:Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu. Cate Blanchett, Brad Pitt. BABEL reaches new heights of ambition with a tale that, in the absence of traditional narrative and protagonist, relies on numerous incredible performances to evoke an affecting relevance by framing contemporary issues in very human struggles and mistakes. The misunderstandings born of cultural, language, and class barriers are on par with those that occur between family members, depicting a world that, while connected in the least expected of ways, is also faced with a deep-seated crisis that threatens to alienate humanity from itself. “The film explores the ways in which cultural assumptions and biases tend to obscure reality even when reality is plain, and the way our perceived differences keep us from finding a human connection to one other.” Carina Chocano LA TIMES
Sunday, October 29, 2006
Bayview Street Cinema Fall 2006 Schedule
Oct 13 - 19 THE ILLUSIONIST Nightly at 7, Fri & Sat 7 & 9pm, Sun Matinee 3pm. PG-13 110min. D: Neil Burger. Edward Norton, Paul Giamatti, Jessica Biel. In a world where nothing is as it appears, an illusionist and a police inspector face off in a challenge of wills that attempts to determine where reality ends and magic begins...all the while blurring the line between power and corruption, love and devotion, vigilance and mania and ultimately, life and death. A supernatural mystery that combines romance, politics and magic, The “Illusionist” is the latest film from the producers of the Oscar winners “Crash” and “Sideways”. "The pleasure of The Illusionist lies in its luxuriant belief in old-fashioned verities like character and storytelling; it's as thin as a sheet of marbled endpaper and as cleanly crafted.” Ty Burr Boston Globe
Oct 20 - 26 ALL THE KING’S MEN Nightly at 7pm, Fri & Sat 7pm, Sun Mat at 3pm. PG13 141min. D: Steven Zaillian. Sean Penn, Anthony Hopkins, Jude Law, Patrician Clarkson, Kate Winslet. Based on Robert Penn Warren's 1946 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, ALL THE KING’S MEN tells the story of an idealist's rise to power in the world of Louisiana politics and the corruption that leads to his ultimate downfall - a complex saga of human nature, power, corruption, idealism, romance and betrayal. Using politics as a framework to delve into the more profound dilemmas of human existence - sin, guilt and redemption - it explores the nature of corruption in a way that is timely and relevant today.
Oct 27 - Nov 2 ISLANDER Nightly at 7pm, Fri & Sat 7 & 9pm Sun Mat at 3pm. NR 105min. D:Ian McCrudden. Thomas Hildreth, Amy Jo Johnson, Phillip Baker Hall. Stunningly shot entirely on Vinalhaven and in Rockland, ISLANDER represents a real high water mark for films shot in Maine. When lobster fisherman Eben is forced to turn his back on the sea, he loses everything: his friends, his family and the only way of life he has ever known. Returning five years later, Eben finds himself an outsider in the place he once called home."This simple, classic story is enlivened with well described characters and credible emotions that make us empathize with the motives and decision of all characters. Those choices often spring from generations of traditions among the islanders and ides about how a man should think and act.” Kirk Honeycutt HOLLYWOOD REPORTER
Nov 3 - 9 HOLLYWOODLAND Nightly at 7pm, Fri & Sat 7pm, Sun Mat at 3pm. PG13 150min. D:Allen Coulter. Ben Affleck, Adrien Brody, Diane Lane. Playing Superman on TV brought aspiring film actor George Reeves stardom, but it also held him back as far as more serious acting roles went. When a 45-year-old Reeves was found dead in his home in 1959, his death was ruled a suicide, and attributed to this b-level frustration. HOLLYWOODLAND explores Reeves's life and tragic end from the perspective of Louis Simo, a private investigator hired by Reeves's mother shortly after his death. "[Hollywoodland] holds interest as a whodunit that's refreshingly compassionate toward the fates of its characters. Warts and all, they're likable dreamers in a town where dreams don't always come true.” Jeff Shannon SEATTLE TIMES
Nov 10-16 BOYNTON BEACH CLUB Nightly at 7pm, Fri & Sat 7 & 9pm, Sun Mat at 3pm. NR 105min. D:Susan Seidelman. Lois, Harry, Marilyn ,Sandy and Jack live in an "Active Adult" community in Boynton Beach, Florida. Their lives intersect when they meet at a local Bereavement Club where they go to find emotional support after the loss of a loved one. For anyone who thinks that new love and romance ends long before retirement, they're in for a reality check. No one sees themselves as becoming old, and the residents of Boynton Beach aren't about to start. But sometimes we all need a little reminder that life is worth living and sharing. “The movie is funny without disrespecting its characters. But there is a sadness at its heart, because, although the possibilities for romantic happiness diminish after the age of 65, the dynamics of sexual attraction and coupling never change.” Bill White SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER
Nov 17 - 22 HALF NELSON Closed Thanksgiving. Nightly at 7pm, Fri & Sat 7 & 9pm, Sunday Matinee 3pm. R 106min. D:Ryan Fleck. High school teacher Dan and quiet teenager Drey are two lonely souls who wander the planet looking to attach some semblance of meaning to their chaotic lives. Dan teaches Drey in a dilapidated school in Brooklyn, New York. Their relationship is unremarkable until Drey discovers Dan collapsed and clutching a crack pipe in a grimy toilet cubicle in the high school gym. It is from this pivotal moment that director Ryan Fleck builds a tentative friendship between these two unlikely allies, creating one of 2006's most arresting films in the process.
Nov 24 - 30 AL FRANKEN: GOD SPOKE Nightly at 7pm, Fri & Sat 7 & 9pm, Sun Mat at 3pm. NR 90min. D: Nick Doob. Al Franken. From his USO tour in Iraq, to the studios of liberal radio network, Air America, and on the campaign trail, filmmakers Nick Doob and Chris Hegedus are granted entre to one of the most effective political satirists of our time. Franken fearlessly confronts pundits and politicians, blurring the boundaries between political satire and impassioned citizenry. "Franken is a master and we need someone like him to both laugh at and pound his fist at the other side for their own God-like attitudes that what they say is the spoken, written and final word on the subject.” Erik Childress EFILMCRITIC.Com
Dec 1 - 7 THE QUEEN Nightly at 7pm, Fri & Sat 7 & 9pm, Sun Mat at 3pm. PG13 97min. D: Stephen Frears. Helen Mirren, James Cromwell, Michael Sheen. “The Queen”, a fictional take on real events, takes audiences into the private chambers of the Royal Family and the British Government in the wake of the sudden death of Princess Diana in August of 1997. In the immediate aftermath of the Princess’ passing, the tightly contained, tradition bound world of the Queen of England is abruptly brought into conflict with the slick modernity of the country’s brand new, image conscious Prime Minister, Tony Blair. "Bitingly funny... A surprisingly compassionate portrait of a rigid pragmatist in denial over the monarchy's out-of-touch dysfunction... Helen Mirren should start prepping her Academy Award speech now.” Aaron Hillis PREMIERE MAGAZINE
Dec 8 - 14 KEEPING MUM Nightly at 7 Fri & Sat 7 & 9pm, Sun Mat at 3pm. R 103min. D:Niall Johnson. Rowan Atkinson, Maggie Smith, Kristin Scott Thomas. An absent-minded vicar of a rural parish is so distracted by the pressures of his job that he fails to notice his wife's dalliance with her brash golf instructor, his daughter's parade of new boyfriends, and his young son's regular trouncing by the school's bullies. Enter their charming new housekeeper, Grace, the answer to the family's prayers: a sweet, grey-haired old lady with her own distinctive definition of cleaning house. "Rather dark, decidedly English and exceedingly well played." Derek Elley VARIETY
Friday, September 15, 2006
September 15th - 21st Who Killed the Electric Car?
- WHO KILLED THE ELECTRIC CAR?
Nightly at 7 & 9pm, Sun Mat at 3pm. PG 90min. D: Chris Paine.
It was among the fastest, most efficient production cars ever built. It ran on electricity, produced no emissions and catapulted American technology to the forefront of the automotive industry. The lucky few who drove it never wanted to give it up. So why did General Motors crush its fleet of EV1 electric vehicles in the Arizona desert? WHO KILLED THE ELECTRIC CAR? chronicles the life and mysterious death of the GM EV1, examining its cultural and economic ripple effects and how they reverberated through the halls of government and big business.
“Fast and furious, Who Killed the Electric Car? is the sad tale of yet one more attempt by a heroic group of civic-minded souls to save the browning, warming planet." Manohla Dargis, NEW YORK TIMES
From the Austin Chronicle:
Opening with a mock funeral for General Motors’ EV1 electric car, this multifaceted documentary seeks the culprit responsible for its demise and finds plenty of blame to go around. Arriving as it does on the heels of Al Gore’s surprise Hollywood hit, An Inconvenient Truth, which has caused the issue of global warming to enter the popular zeitgeist, Who Killed the Electric Car? seems like the obvious if circumstantial follow-up. Naturally appealing to environmentalists and techno motorheads, this film’s story also unfolds like a good murder mystery, broadening its scope into areas such as grassroots organizing, corporate conspiracies, and governmental interference. The history of the electric car presented here is also a largely California-based saga due to the state’s passage of the Zero Emissions Mandate in 1990 to deal with its smog problem. It required 2% of all new vehicles sold in California by 1998 to be emission-free. GM and the other American auto manufacturers began working on prototypes to fulfill the mandate, and by 1996 GM released the EV1, a completely electric-powered car that required no gasoline or motor oil. Despite consumer happiness with the vehicle, the entire fleet of EV1s was recalled by GM in 2001, and the film explores the reasons why. The film interviews owners, auto makers, legislators, and engineers to find out why the car posed such a threat to the status quo and the welfare of the many auto-related industries. Most notably, the film uncovers the duplicitous GM campaign in which it agitated against the Zero Emissions Mandate while also complying with the law by building the required cars. Talking out of both sides of its mouth, GM waged war against its very own product, and numerous examples of this corporate dodge are enumerated in the film. Also highlighted is the current Bush administration’s oil-friendly stance and the demise of the EV1 that coincided with the Republican return to office and their alternative promotion of hydrogen fuel. Public attitudes against the perceived shortcomings of the electric car are not left off the hook either. The film devotes too much time to the emotional insights of laid-off EV1 sales-specialist-turned-activist Chelsea Sexton. And the sing-songy narration by Martin Sheen won’t do much to woo the unconvinced. Yet you’ll leave the film wondering why you’ve never seen a TV ad for an electric car, or why GM is all about selling Hummers these days.
Marjorie Baumgarten
Tuesday, September 12, 2006
September 8th - 14th Heart of the Game
"Heart of the Game" is an incredible film. A pumped up, energy driven reminder to us all about what it means to want something so badly your willing to work, really work, for it. It's simple yet moving - I was in tears most of the film, overwhelmed with the raw emotion captured by the director, Ward Serrill. You should see this movie!
Please come and enjoy the film here, the Bayview Street Cinema, mention you saw this posting on our blog and we'll throw in a free popcorn.
Sept 8 - 14 THE HEART OF THE GAME Nightly at 7 & 9pm, Sun Mat at 3pm. PG13 102min. D:Ward Serrill. Seven years in the making, THE HEART OF THE GAME captures the passion and energy of a high school girls' basketball team and tells the incredible true story of one player's fight to play the game she loves. This in-depth documentary not only illustrates the hard-charging energy and excitement of the game, but also captures the fiercely competitive and extraordinary spirit of a winning team "Yet another inspirational documentary that serves up the sort of dynamic characters and genuine intrigue that most of its fictional counterparts would kill for." Michael Rechtshaffen, HOLLYWOOD REPORTER
Movie review: Sports documentary is a winner
Resler is a flamboyant motivator with a seemingly endless supply of platitudes that would make great bumper stickers: "Work hard, play hard and avoid confusing the two." He coaches by the seat of his pants. There are no Xs and Os, no frantic diagramming during timeouts. He tells his players, "We don't have an offensive strategy. Just go out there and run like hell."
To the chagrin of some traditional coaches, it works. The team has become a regular qualifier for the state tournament. An opponent whines, "You can't defend against them because even they don't know what they're going to do."
As if Resler weren't documentary-worthy on his own, Serrill stumbled on a second, equally fascinating story: In her senior season, Darnellia Russell is disqualified by the state athletic association after she has a baby. Arguing that the rule is sexist, a civil rights lawyer files a suit on her behalf.
Resler and Russell's teammates encourage her to keep playing. Angry athletic association officials threaten that if she loses her appeal, they will wipe out the team's entire season on the grounds that they used an ineligible player.
Serrill gets a little too caught up in the basketball, showing extended footage of the action. This movie is not about whether the team wins or loses but how it plays the game: with fierce energy, reckless abandon and smiles on their faces. Resler ends huddles with an emphatic: "Have fun!"
His run-and-gun philosophy doesn't mean that he's not interested in self-discipline; he makes it clear that he will kick the leading scorer off the team if she skips more practices. Rather, it's a reflection of his conviction that the girls need to learn bigger lessons than how to run a give-and-go. They need to be taught to believe in themselves, especially when it comes to their class work.
He also preaches the importance of being part of a team. Arguing that the entire squad will pay the price if their season is erased because of Russell's suspension, he makes sure that all the players get into a game, even if it's for the state championship.
The focus on the games raises the risk that this will be seen as a basketball movie. If it were, it would be released during basketball season, not now. This is a movie about empowerment, integrity and having fun, and those are always in season.
