2013 SPRING CINEMA SERIES
January 30: MOONRISE KINGDOM
Wes Anderson, 2012, USA
When a determined young boy scout concocts a plan to run off with the girl of his dreams, all hell breaks loose in the sleepy and idyllic island town of New Penzance. Gorgeously shot and packed with a stellar company of players including Bill Murray, Jason Schwartzman, Edward Norton, Frances McDormand, Harvey Keitel, and Tilda Swinton, Moonrise Kingdom is a joyous romp into one’s forgotten childhood with just the right mix of nostalgia and eccentricity.
February 6: THE LAST PICTURE SHOW
Peter Bogdanovich, 1971, USA
Bogdanovich offers a nostalgic yet surprisingly modern look at a group of small town high school seniors finding their way into adulthood in the 1950s. Captured in gorgeous black & white photography and led by an impressive ensemble cast including Jeff Bridges, Cybill Shepherd, Cloris Leachman, and Ellen Burstyn, the film was nominated for eight Academy Awards including Best Picture.
February 13: BREATHLESS
Jean-Luc Godard, 1960, France
Jean-Luc Godard bursts onto the film scene in 1960 with this sexy, experimental homage to American film genres. Jean-Paul Belmondo stars as a young petty thief who after shooting a police officer seeks sanctuary with a young woman selling American magazines. Innovative in style and with attitude to spare, this stunning debut film helped launch the French New Wave and all of modern cinema.
February 20: BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD
Benh Zeitlin, 2012, USA
In a forgotten but defiant bayou community, 6-year-old Hushpuppy must learn to defend for herself as her ill tempered father’s health begins to fail. Armed with the instinct to survive and an unbridled imagination, she embarks on a surreal journey of mythic proportions. Easily one of the most original films in recent years, this independent gem picked up top prizes at both the Cannes and Sundance Film Festivals as well as earned Oscar nominations for Best Film, Director, and Actress.
February 27: ANNA KARENINA
Joe Wright, 2012, UK
Witness the tragic tale of Anna Karenina, a 19th century Russian aristocrat and socialite who risks everything to embark on an extramarital affair with the seductive Count Vronsky. A sumptuous visual feast, the film is an exquisitely staged and photographed adaptation of Leo Tolstoy’s 1877 novel. It earned four Oscar nominations this year including Best Cinematography and Production Design.
March 6: CHILDREN OF MEN
Alfonso Cuaron, 2006, USA/UK
Set in London in 2027 when widespread infertility threatens the survival of the human race, a group of resistance fighters try to smuggle the last pregnant woman on earth to a sanctuary at sea. This cinematic knockout starring Clive Owen and Julianne Moore earned three Oscar nominations for writing, cinematography, and editing.
March 13: IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT
Frank Capra, 1934, USA
Often considered the quintessential romantic comedy, It Happened One Night chronicles the travels of a rebellious socialite and street smart reporter in search of a story. Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert team up for the first time in this Golden Age gem that swept the 1934 Academy Awards.
March 27: SONS OF CUBA
Andrew Lang, 2009, UK/Cuba
Andrew Lang’s award-winning, emotionally charged documentary follows a group of 10-year-old boys as they spend a year at the legendary Havana Boxing Academy which grooms them to represent the nation as one of the best boxers in the world. With unprecedented access to Cuban life & culture, Lang chronicles their extraordinary rite of passage from childhood adolescence to Castro’s “standard bearers of the Revolution.”
April 3: MY OWN PRIVATE IDAHO
Gus Van Sant, 1991, USA
Director Gus Van Sant’s strikingly original and intimate portrait of two street hustlers combines metaphors and montage with Shakespeare and showmanship to examine the social ills of America in the 90s. River Phoenix, in the greatest performance of his career, joins Keanu Reeves in a physical and emotional odyssey to find his home. A darling of the festival circuit, My Own Private Idaho exemplifies the best of American independent film.
April 10: RUN LOLA RUN
Tom Tykwer, 1998, Germany
Winner of the Audience Award at the Sundance Film Festival, Tom Tykwer’s stylish and existential action movie follows the exploits of a young woman trying to save her boyfriend… three times. Sparking a renaissance in New German Cinema, Run Lola Run is a cinematic roller coaster ride about the ability to alter one’s fate.
April 17: BLUE VELVET
David Lynch, 1986, USA
When an all American young man discovers a severed ear in his Mayberry-like hometown, he quickly realizes that beneath the surface, nothing is as normal as it seems. He soon becomes entangled with some troubled strangers and is catapulted into an alluring, erotic murder mystery, part dream and part nightmare. David Lynch’s twisted take on the small town America stars Kyle MacLachlan, Dennis Hopper, and Isabella Rossellini. Film & Sound Editor Vivien Hillgrove will discuss her work on the film at the conclusion of the screening.
April 24: THE TRIPLETS OF BELLEVILLE
Sylvain Chomet, 2003, France
When a young bicycling prodigy mysteriously disappears along the route of the Tour de France, his grandmother and dog set off on the trail of his kidnappers. Their journey brings them across the ocean to the strange new world of Belleville where they join forces with an aging musical trio. Featuring spectacular animation and dark, cutting humor, this European hit received Oscar nominations for Best Animated Feature and Best Original Song.
May 1: DANCER IN THE DARK
Lars von Trier, 2000, Denmark/USA
Inspired by the Danish Dogme Movement of 1995, this dark musical drama chronicles the life of young Czech immigrant who is slowly going blind. In an effort to protect her son from meeting the same fate, Selma (played by Icelandic pop singer Bjork) goes to extraordinary lengths altering the course of both of their lives forever. Winner of Best Picture at the European Film Awards and picking up the top prize at the Cannes Film Festival, Dancer in the Dark is unquestionably one of the most powerful films in the history of cinema. Due to the running time, this film begins at 6:30pm.
May 8: SEEKING ASIAN FEMALE
Debbie Lum, 2012, USA
Filmmaker Debbie Lum explores an aging white man’s obsession with Asian women in this intimate and personal documentary that chronicles more than a year of Steven’s courtship and subsequent marriage to Sandy, his online Chinese bride. Filled with humor and drama, their relationship constantly moves in unexpected directions as Lum becomes increasingly tangled up in the mix. Director Debbie Lum will participate in an onstage interview at 6pm and participate in a Q & A following the 7pm screening.
May 15: THE GRADUATE
Mike Nichols, 1967, USA
The Cinema Series closes its spring season with movie history’s most famous love affair between an older woman and a young college graduate confused about his future. Featuring masterful cinematography, a legendary soundtrack by Simon & Garfunkel, and pitch perfect performances from Dustin Hoffman and Anne Bancroft, The Graduate is fully deserving of its prominent place in film history. The film was nominated for 7 Oscars including a win for director Mike Nichols.