2010 FALL CINEMA SERIES
September 1: (500) DAYS OF SUMMER
Marc Webb, 2009, USA
Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel star in this rollercoaster romantic comedy that many are calling one of the best films of 2009. Through a non-linear exploration of Tom’s memories of life with Summer, the perfect girl, director Marc Webb probes the meaning of true love and reveals why a seemingly perfect relationship was bound to end up troubled and lost. 95 min.
September 8: EASY RIDER
Dennis Hopper, 1969, USA
Dennis Hopper’s meditative expression of late 60’s counterculture follows tripped out biker buddies Wyatt (Peter Fonda) and Billy (Hopper), who travel across America in search of Mardi Gras, women, and personal freedom. The film rocketed Jack Nicholson into stardom and ushered in a new era of experimentation and creativity in American cinema. 95 min.
September 15: TETRO
Francis Ford Coppola, 2009, USA
Francis Ford Coppola’s latest masterpiece follows eighteen-year-old Benny as he reunites with his estranged brother in Bueno Aires, only to learn that his family history is more complicated that he ever knew. Masterfully stylized and packed with emotion, Tetro features an alternately stark and lush visual design and compelling performances from Maribel Verdu and Vincent Gallo. Producer Anahid Nazarian will be in conversation at the screening. 127 min.
September 22: RASHOMON
Akira Kurosawa, 1950, Japan
Akira Kurosawa’s classic art house masterpiece tells the story of an encounter in the woods between a bandit, a samurai, and a woman that ends up in murder. Groundbreaking in its narrative structure and visual design, Rashomon is rich in metaphorical imagery and infused with philosophical meaning. 88 min.
September 29: THE HUDSUCKER PROXY
Joel Coen, 1994, USA
Joel and Ethan Cohen crafted this visually stunning comedy about a mailroom clerk who ends up heading the Hudsucker empire. Reminiscent of the 1930s comedies of directors Frank Capra and Preston Sturges, the film features top-notch performances by Paul Newman, Tim Robbins, Charles Durning, and Jennifer Jason Leigh. 111 min.
October 6: CITIZEN KANE
Orson Welles, 1941, USA
Hailed as the greatest film ever made, Citizen Kane charts the rise and fall of a newspaper publisher (loosely based on William Randolph Hearst) whose lust for wealth and power isolate him in a castle-like refuge. Director Orson Welles remains the only filmmaker in Oscar history to receive four different nominations for a single film: writing, directing, producing, and acting. 119 min.
October 13: VELVET GOLDMINE
Todd Haynes, 1998, USA
The flash and excess of the Glamrock era form the backdrop for this tale of the rise and fall of a superstar and the scandal surrounding his murder. Inspired by rock icons David Bowie and Iggy Pop, the film employs a Citizen Kane-like structure to unlock a secret mystery. A feast for the eyes and ears, Velvet Goldmine explores ambition, remembrance, fandom, and, above all, style. 124 min.
October 20: MIDNIGHT COWBOY
John Schlesinger, 1969, USA
John Voight plays Joe Buck, a would-be hustler who arrives in New York with aspirations to service wealthy women. When he is left disillusioned to face the realities of street life, he meets Ratso (Dustin Hoffman), a sickly con man who shows Buck the ropes and may be his only hope for companionship. Revolutionary in its time, Midnight Cowboy is the only x-rated film to win the Best Picture Oscar. 113 min.
October 27: THE SHINING
Stanley Kubrick, 1980, USA
Stanley Kubrick’s classic thriller stars Jack Nicholson as Jack Torrance, a frustrated writer who brings his family to a remote hotel, closed for the winter, where he can clear his mind. When the hotel’s eerie history is revealed to him, however, he develops a dark and deadly obsession. Based on a Stephen King bestseller. 142 min.
November 3: OFF BEAT
Hendrik Hölzemann, 2005, Germany
Crash, a young skateboarding paramedic attracted to the life-and-death struggles of strangers, strives to overcome a childhood trauma in Kammerflimmern (Off Beat) an original tale about chance, fate, and the delicate dance of life – be it on or off beat. Featuring top German talent and tour de force filmmaking, Hölzemann’s fiercely energetic debut film represents the best of New German Cinema. Hölzemann will be in conversation at the screening. 100 min.
November 10: GUN CRAZY
Joseph Lewis, 1950, USA
Long before Bonnie and Clyde or Natural Born Killers, Gun Crazy’s two star-crossed lovers travelled through the Midwest with guns a-blazing in this classic film noir thriller. Considered by many to be the ultimate B-movie, the film oozes with action, style, and plenty of sexual innuendo. Penned by blacklisted screenwriter Dalton Trumbo, the film was originally released under the title, Deadly Is the Female. 86 min.
November 17: MULHOLLAND DRIVE
David Lynch, 2001, USA
Dark, twisted, and haunting, virtuoso surrealist director David Lynch’s noirish thriller Mulholland Drive will get in your head and stay there. When Betty arrives in Hollywood to pursue her dream of being a great actress, it doesn’t take long for her to get involved with an enigmatic stranger and an alluring, weird, and dangerous web of mysteries. 147 min. Begins at 6:30 PM.
December 1: ROGER & ME
Michael Moore, 1989, USA
The first feature film by cinematic provocateur Michael Moore, Roger and Me explores the complex negative effects of corporate downsizing with a particular focus on his hometown of Flint, Michigan. While Moore has since become arguably the most well-known documentary filmmaker in the world with his Oscar-winning Bowling for Columbine, his first film is an honest and genuine inquiry by a talented and then unknown filmmaker. 91 min.
December 8: WILLY WONKA & THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY
Mel Stuart, 1971, USA
When a reclusive candymaker offers tickets to tour his fabled factory, the world is thrown into a tumult. Five children win the prize and step into a vibrant adventure that brings out the true nature of each of them. This comic cult spectacle features superb production design, outstanding musical numbers, and the unforgettable Gene Wilder in a role beloved by children and adults alike. 100 min.