2008 Screenings
The Jane Austen Book Club
January 23rd, 2008
Dir. Robin Swicord | 106 mins | 2007 | USA | English
This story revolves around five women and one man who get together once a month to discuss one of Jane Austens books. Kathy Baker is Bernadette, a strong older woman living life by her own rules, who organizes the club to help her friend, Sylvia (Brennemen) get over a heartbreak. Sylvias lesbian daughter, Allegra (Maggie Grace) joins to support her mom, as does Sylvias friend, Jocelyn (Maria Bello), who brings along a young man she just met (Hugh Dancy), in hopes of playing matchmaker. A fragile, and strange, young married teacher played by Emily Blunt in a performance that still stands out in this very well-acted film, rounds out the group. As the group works its way through the Austen library, their own love lives parallel the classic writers storylines. I have only read one Austen book, but even for a literary neophyte like me, this plot device is apparent and entertaining.
Lars and the Real Girl
January 9th, 2008
Dir. Craig Gillespie | 106 mins | 2007 | USA | English
Lars (Ryan Gosling) is an awkwardly shy young man in a small nothern town who finally brings home the girl of his dreams to his brother and sister-in-law’s home. The only problem is that she’s not real – she’s a sex doll Lars ordered off the internet. But sex is not what Lars has in mind, but rather a deep, meaningful relationship. His sister-in-law is worried for him, his brother thinks he’s nuts, but eventually the entire town goes along with his delusion in support of this sweet natured boy that they’ve always loved.
I’m Not There
March 5th, 2008
Dir. Todd Haynes | 135 mins | 2007 | USA, Germany | English
Several actors portray legendary singer-songwriter Bob Dylan at different stages in his personal life and career. In 1959 a guitar-strumming youth (Marcus Carl Franklin) rides the rails, calling himself “Guthrie.” Then a man named Jack (Christian Bale) emerges in New York’s Greenwich Village, followed by “Robbie (Heath Ledger),” Jude (Cate Blanchett) and other personalities.
Persepolis
March 19th, 2008
Dir. Vincent Paronnaud & Marjane Satrapi | 96 mins | 2007 | France, Iran, USA | French, English, Persian, German
Based on Satrapi’s graphic novel about her life in pre and post-revolutionary Iran and then in Europe. The film traces Satrapi’s growth from child to rebellious, punk-loving teenager in Iran. In the background are the growing tensions of the political climate in Iran in the 70s and 80s, with members of her liberal-leaning family detained and then executed, and the background of the disastrous Iran/Iraq war.
There Will Be Blood
April 2nd, 2008
Dir. Paul Thomas Anderson | 158 mins | 2007 | USA | English
In the 1890s, Daniel Plainview, a struggling silver miner, finds his true wealth in petroleum extraction while taking the orphaned child, H.W., as his own for a valuable family man image. In 1911, Plainview gets a tip on a valuable supply on the struggling Sunday family ranch in the impoverished Little Boston, California. In his quest to acquire the property, Plainview meets the sanctimonious Eli Sunday, the young reverend of the local church with his own ambitions for his diocese and the profit from the oil. As the oil wells begin, an escalating conflict arises between exploiters of many kinds while Plainview’s canny ruthlessness gradually sinks into a slowly mounting malevolent madness. In doing so, it begins to drive every emotional bond away that all the wealth he gains can never replace.
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
April 16th, 2008
Dir. Julian Schnabel | 112 mins | 2007 | France, USA | French
THE DIVING BELL AND THE BUTTERFLY is the remarkable true story of Jean-Dominique Bauby (Mathieu Amalric), a successful and charismatic editor-in-chief of French Elle, who believes he is living his life to its absolute fullest when a sudden stroke leaves him in a life-altered state. While the physical challenges of Bauby’s fate leave him with little hope for the future, he begins to discover how his life’s passions, his rich memories and his newfound imagination can help him achieve a life without boundaries.
The Counterfeiters
May 7th, 2008
Dir. Stefan Ruzowitzky | 98 mins | 2007 | Austria, Germany | German, Russian, English, Hebrew
The Counterfeiters is the true story of the largest counterfeiting operation in history, set up by the Nazis in 1936. Salomon “Sally” Sorowitsch is the king of counterfeiters. He lives a mischievous life of cards, booze, and women in Berlin during the Nazi-era. Suddenly his luck runs dry when arrested by Superintendent Friedrich Herzog. Immediately thrown into the Mauthausen concentration camp, Salomon exhibits exceptional skills there and is soon transferred to the upgraded camp of Sachsenhausen. Upon his arrival, he once again comes face to face with Herzog, who is there on a secret mission. Hand-picked for his unique skill, Salomon and a group of professionals are forced to produce fake foreign currency under the program Operation Berhard. The team, which also includes detainee Adolf Burger, is given luxury barracks for their assistance. But while Salomon attempts to weaken the economy of Germany’s allied opponents, Adolf refuses to use his skills for Nazi profit and would like to do something to stop Operation Bernhard’s aid to the war effort. Faced with a moral dilemma, Salomon must decide whether his actions, which could prolong the war and risk the lives of fellow prisoners, are ultimately the right ones.
The Visitor
September 10th, 2008
Dir. Thomas McCarthy | 103 mins | 2007 | USA | English, French, Arabic, Romanian
When professor Walter Vale (Richard Jenkins) travels to New York for a lecture, he’s stunned to find illegal immigrants Tarek (Haaz Sleiman) and Zainab (Danai Gurira) living in his apartment. It comes out that it was rented to them by a swindler, and Vale feels sufficiently sorry for them that he invites them to stay. They get on well until Tarek is accused of jumping a subway turnstile and lands in a detention center. He risks being deported, and Vale does everything he can to prevent it.
Encounters at the End of the World
September 24th, 2008
Dir. Werner Herzog | 99 mins | 2007 | USA | English
Acclaimed filmmaker Werner Herzog travels to Antarctica, where he finds a desolate, beautiful landscape, largely untouched by human hands, and a group of truly unique people who risk their lives to study it. Centered at McMurdo Station, the United States’ largest Antarctic research center, Herzog explores the minds of the scientists willing to abandon civilization and endure volatile conditions to learn more about the continent’s wildlife and awe-inspiring natural wonders.
The Edge of Heaven
October 8th, 2008
Dir. Fatih Akin | 123 mins | 2007 | Germany, Turkey | German, Turkish, English
Retired widower Ali (Tuncel Kurtiz) sees a solution to his loneliness when he meets prostitute Yeter (Nursel Köse), and he proposes that his fellow Turkish native live with him in exchange for a low rent. At first Ali’s German Professor son Nejat (Baki Davrak) seems disapproving about his father’s choice, but the young professor quickly grows fond of kind Yeter, especially upon discovering most of her hard-earned money is sent home to Turkey for her daughter’s university studies.
Vicky Cristina Barcelona
October 22nd, 2008
Dir. Woody Allen | 97 mins | 2007 | Spain, USA | English, Spanish
Americans Vicky (Rebecca Hall) and Cristina (Scarlett Johansson) arrive in Spain for a summer vacation at a friend’s (Patricia Clarkson) Barcelona home. Visiting an art gallery, they meet seductive painter Juan Antonio (Javier Bardem), who invites them for a weekend of food, art and sex. Sparks really ignite when his fiery former lover (Penélope Cruz) arrives on the scene, making for a very crowded house.