To all our Film Society members and supporters,
A huge thank you to those who came to the movies this past weekend. We
had wonderful openings for both YOUNG AT HEART and for THE VISITOR. Both
films will be held over! So, please tell all your friends what gems
these films are. In addition, anyone who buys a ticket to YOUNG AT HEART
can get a $5 off admission for the choir when they visit.
Open Mic Nite - this Wednesday!
May 14 - 9pm at the Tower Theatre
Thank you to Scott Renshaw who will be making our Critics Pic!
All filmmakers welcome.
Submissions will be taken starting at 6pm on May 14th. Arrive early with
your film as spots for exhibiting the films fill quickly. Submission fee
is $5, admission is a $1 donation. This is your chance to have your work
seen by an audience.
Opening this week!
MY BLUEBERRY NIGHTS starring Jude Law, Norah Jones, Natalie Portman,
Rachel Weisz, and David Strathairn.
Wong Kar Wai, acclaimed Chinese director of CHUNKING EXPRESS, IN THE
MOOD FOR LOVE, and 2046 makes his English-language debut!
THEN SHE FOUND ME
Helen Hunt makes her directorial debut with a touching story of a
schoolteacher and her very unlikely path towards personal fulfillment,
starring Helen Hunt, Bette Midler, Colin Firth, and Matthew Broderick
ALEXANDRA
Exclusively at the Tower
One of the best reviewed films of the year, it is a beautiful Russian
tale of an elderly woman who takes a train trip to visit her grandson at
his army camp inside Chechnya.
"A film of startling originality and beauty -- feels like a communiqué
from another time, another place, anywhere but here." -- New York Times
Held over!
REDBELT-from director David Mamet
YOUNG AT HEART
THE VISITOR
Ends Thursday...
UNDER THE SAME MOON- don't miss this Sundance favorite now showing at
the Tower
FLAWLESS- starring Demi Moore and Michael Caine
Announcing our premiere films for June, July and August! Exclusive
premieres for our members to say thank you for the support:
WITNESSES
WOMAN ON THE BEACH
CHOP SHOP
Dates and times to be announced soon. These titles are exclusive and
will not open theatrically for the public. So, like our slogan "film
festival all year long" you will be able to see these rare and wonderful
projects.
Special one-time screening:
Tower Theatre
Tuesday, May 19th
7:00pm
$2.00
In Partnership with Graywhale CDs:
THE NATIONAL - A SKIN, A NIGHT (A Film By Vincent Moon)
CD Street Date - May 20, 2008
A SKIN, A NIGHT is a sixty-minute portrait of impressions, mutual
affection, and intimate moments with the the band The National.
Local Producers/Writers Pitch-smart session!
Our Utah Screenwriters Project participants are well on their way to
completing their first draft of their screenplays. We will be hosting a
Producers Pitch-smart session for local producers.
Invitation only.
If you are a local producer and are interested in attending and hearing
more than twenty finished screenplay pitches, please reply to this
e-mail. We're sorry but our writers positions are already full. Writers
may stay tuned to this e-mail for information about the 2009-2010 Utah
Screenwriters Project.
Ballet West Short Film Call for entries!
Ballet West's Short Film Contest is free to enter. Films need to be at
least 30 seconds and no longer than three minutes. The winner will be
shown at SLFS Open Mic 8/27/2008. Winners will also receive prizes. For
more information on Ballet West's Short Film Contest call (801) 323-6966
for details.
============================================================
QUICK LOOK at SHOWTIMES -
THIS WEEK:
Broadway
Through Thursday 5/15...
Broadway
Caramel 01:20, 4:25, 7:05, 9:25
Year My Parents Went on Vacation 01:00, 4:15, 7:00, 9:15
Redbelt 01:05, 3:15, 5:25, 7:35, 9:45
The Counterfeiters 01:05, 4:10, 7:10, 9:20
The Visitor 12:55, 3:10, 5:25, 7:40, 9:55
Young at Heart 01:10, 4:00, 7:15, 9:30
Tower Theatre
Flawless 9:00**
** no 9:00 screening on Wed. 5/14 due to Open Mic Nite
Under the Same Moon 4:30, 7:00
NEXT WEEK
FRI 5/16 - THU 5/22
Broadway
Caramel 01:20, 7:00* *no 7:00 show Mon 5/19
Year My Parents Went on Vacation 04:15, 9:25
My Blueberry Nights 01:15, 4:05, 7:05, 9:05
Then She Found Me 01:00, 3:05, 5:10, 7:20, 9:35
Redbelt 9:20
Counterfeiters, The 01:05, 4:10, 7:10
The Visitor 12:55, 3:10, 5:20, 7:30, 9:40
Young at Heart 01:10, 4:00, 7:15, 9:30
Tower Theatre
Alexandra (2:00* Fri thru Sun only) 4:30**, 7:15***, 9:15
** no 4:30 show on Sun 5/18 due to a special screening
*** no 7:15 show on Mon 5/19 due to a special screening
MIDNIGHT FRI 5/16 and SAT 5/17 Heathers
=============================================================
TELL ME MORE...PLEASE!
(all star ratings are based on 4 star rating systems)
MY BLUEBERRY NIGHTS
Written and directed by: Wong Kar Wai . Starring: Jude Law, Norah Jones,
Natalie Portman, Rachel Weisz, and David Strathairn
In Wong Kar Wai's debut English-language feature, the internationally
acclaimed director takes his audience on a dramatic journey across the
distance between heartbreak and a new beginning. After a rough breakup,
Elizabeth sets out on a trip across America, leaving behind a life of
memories, a dream, and a soulful new friend, a cafe owner, all to search
for something to mend her broken heart. Waitressing her way through the
country, Elizabeth befriends others whose yearnings are greater than
hers, including a troubled cop, his estranged wife, and a down-on-her
luck gambler with a score to settle. Through these individuals,
Elizabeth witnesses the true depths of loneliness and emptiness, and
begins to understand that her own journey is part of a greater
exploration within herself.
*** TV Guide
...has the same dreamy, romantic melancholy that distinguishes Wong's
best films.
*** San Francisco Chronicle
Wildly romantic.
THEN SHE FOUND ME
Written and directed by: Helen Hunt . Starring: Helen Hunt, Bette
Midler, Colin Firth, Matthew Broderick, and Ben Shankman
Adapted from Elinor Lipman’s novel of the same name, Helen Hunt makes
her feature directing debut with Then She Found Me, a touching story of
schoolteacher April Epner and her very unlikely path towards personal
fulfillment. Following the separation from her husband and the death of
her adopted mother, April is contacted by her apparent birth mother, who
turns out to be a local talk show host Bernice Graves. As Bernice tries
to become the mother to April that she was never able to be, April seems
to find solace in the arms of the parent of one of her students, only to
find that the mystery to life's questions cannot be solved by a simple
revelation.
**** Variety
A smart, subtle and seriously funny dramedy bound to find favor with
sophisticated audiences.
***1/2 New Yorker
Hunt adapted the story from a 1990 novel by Elinor Lipman, and has
turned the material into a fine, tense, unpredictable comedy of mixed-up
emotions and sudden illuminations.
ALEXANDRA
Written and directed by: Aleksandr Sokurov . Starring: Galina
Vishnevskaya, Vasily Shevtsov, and Raisa Gichaeva
In a desolate, sun-scorched corner of the world, an elderly woman has
come to see her beloved grandson, a young officer stationed at a remote
military outpost. With the enemy just beyond the compound, she wanders
the barracks, observing the routine of military life, before making a
sudden trip to the outlying countryside.
**** New York Times
A film of startling originality and beauty -- feels like a communiqué
from another time, another place, anywhere but here.
**** Variety
Featuring a performance of monumental depth by opera legend Galina
Vishnevskaya, the film presents war for what it is: brutal, crushing,
and ugly, and yet Sokurov doesn't lens any battles.
YOUNG AT HEART
Directed by: Stephen Walker
Prepare to be entertained by the inspiring individuals of Young atHeart,
a New England senior citizens' chorus that has delighted audiences
worldwide with their covers of songs by everyone from The Clash to
Coldplay. As Stephen Walker's documentary begins, the retirees, led by
their strict musical director, are rehearsing their new show, struggling
with a discordant Sonic Youth number and giving new meaning to James
Brown's "I Feel Good." What ultimately emerges is a funny and
unexpectedly moving testament to friendship, creative inspiration, and
reaching beyond expectations.
**** Entertainment Weekly
They make joyful music, communicated, both by the singers and their
playful, sensitive documentarian, with an authority that quite knocks
off socks.
**** Chicago Tribune
An exuberant, affectionate documentary.
**** USA Today
A heartening and poignant affirmation of the transformative power of music.
REDBELT
Written and directed by: David Mamet . Starring: Chiwetel Ejiofor, Alice
Braga, Tim Allen, Emily Mortimer, Rodrigo Santoro, Rebecca Pidgeon, and
Randy Couture
Set on the west side of the Los Angeles fight world, a world inhabited
by bouncers, cage fighters, cops, and special forces types, Redbelt is
the story of Mike Terry, a jujitsu teacher who has avoided the
prize-fighting circuit, choosing instead to pursue an honorable life by
operating a self-defense studio with a samurai's code. Terry and his
wife, Sondra, struggle to keep the business running to make ends meet.
On a dark, rainy night, an accident at the academy between an off-duty
officer and a distraught lawyer puts in motion a series of events that
will change Terry's life dramatically and introduce him to a world of
promoters and to movie star Chet Frank. Faced with this, in order to pay
off his debts and regain his honor, Terry must step into the ring for
the first time in his life.
***1/2 New York Times
A satisfying, unexpectedly involving B-movie that owes as much to old
Hollywood as to Greek tragedy.
***1/2 Los Angeles Times
Ejiofor brings a calm magnetism and a beautific serenity to his roles
that have the effect of knocking you flat -- there's something about
this guy that's messianic.
THE VISITOR
Written and directed by: Thomas McCarthy . Starring: Richard Jenkins,
Oliver Bokelberg, Hiam Abbass, and Maggie Moore
In a world of 6 billion people, it takes only one to change your life.
In actor and filmmaker Tom McCarthy's follow-up to his award-winning
directorial debut "The Station Agent," we get to know Walter Vale, a
disillusioned Connecticut economics professor whose life is transformed
by a chance encounter in New York City. Through newfound connections
with virtual strangers, Walter is awakened to a new world and a new life.
**** Rolling Stone
A heartfelt human drama that sneaks up and floors you.
**** USA Today
It is one of the year's most intriguing dramas, with a quartet of
powerful performances.
**** New York Post
Best movie I've seen so far this year? Hands down, it's Tom McCarthy's
superb The Visitor, which turns Richard Jenkins, one of the best
character actors in the business, into a full-fledged star.
CARAMEL
Written and directed by: Nadine Labaki . Starring: Nadine Labaki,
Yasmine Elmasri, and Joanna Mkarzel
In Beirut, five women meet regularly in a beauty salon, a colorful and
sensual microcosm of the city where several generations come into
contact, talk and confide in each other. In the salon, their intimate
and liberated conversations revolve around men, sex and motherhood,
between haircuts and sugar waxing with caramel.
**** Film Threat
Caramel will likely be the Lebanese selection for Academy Award for Best
Foreign Film it's inconceivable to me that it won't win...and whoever
wins for Best Actress will be the second most deserving actress of 2007.
***1/2 Time
It may be a first film, but Labaki, employing a cast that is full of
non-professional actresses, is a slick and knowing filmmaker. Her
multiple plot lines are neatly braided and though her characters are
conventionalized they are also charming and capable of surprising us.
THE YEAR MY PARENTS WENT ON VACATION
Written and directed by: Cao Hamburger . Michel Joelsas, Daniela
Piepszyk, and Liliana Castro
Set in the turbulent year of 1970, The Year My Parents Went on Vacation
is a poignant and humorous coming-of-age story. Mauro is a 12-year-old
boy thrust into a maelstrom of political and personal upheaval. When his
left-wing militant parents are forced to go underground, Mauro is left
in the care of his Jewish grandfather's neighbor in Sao Paulo. Suddenly
finding himself an exile in his own country, Mauro is forced to create
an ersatz family from the religiously diverse and colorful population of
his new neighborhood. Mauro befriends Hanna, a street-smart tomboy, and
develops a crush on Irene, a pretty waitress in a local bar. It is at
this local bar that everyone, including Mauro (an ardent soccer fan),
gathers to watch iconic star Pele in the 1970 World Cup championship,
which Mauro hopes to watch with his parents if they return to Brazil in
time.
**** Chicago Tribune
Pulls you into a well-observed world and its characters.
*** San Francisco
The filmmakers succeed with an unexpected ending. It's as fresh as
everything in the movie, which turns out to be about so much more than
one youngster's resilience.
FLAWLESS
Directed by: Michael Radford . Written by: Edward Anderson . Starring:
Michael Caine, and Demi Moore
Flawless is a clever diamond-heist thriller set in swinging 1960s
London. Demi Moore plays Laura Quinn, a bright, driven, and beautiful
executive at the London Diamond Corporation who finds herself frustrated
by a glass ceiling after years of faithful employment, as man after man
is promoted ahead of her despite her greater experience. Michael Caine
is Hobbs, the nighttime janitor at London Diamond who is virtually
invisible to the executives who work there, but over the years has
amassed a startling amount of knowledge about how the company runs.
Hobbs has his own bone to pick with London Diamond and, observing
Laura's frustration, convinces her to help him execute an ingenious plan
to steal a hefty sum in diamonds. But unbeknownst to Laura, Hobbs plans
go even further than he's let on, and together they set in motion a
thrilling heist of dizzying proportions, the likes of which London has
never seen.
*** Boston Globe
It's assured and neatly crafted - the time zips by while you're watching it.
*** Washington Post
The joy of this movie, which features Joss Ackland as a memorably
intimidating, Afrikaner-accented boss, is in the gradual revelation of
intrigue.
THE COUNTERFEITERS
Written and Directed by: Stefan Ruzowitzky . Starring: Karl Markovics,
August Diehl, and Devid Striesow
The true story of Salomon Sorowitsch, counterfeiter extraordinaire and
bohemian who was in captured by the Nazis in 1944. He agrees to help the
Nazis in an organized counterfeiting operation set up to finance the war
effort. It was the biggest counterfeit-money scam of all time. Over 130
million pounds sterling were printed under conditions that couldn't have
been more tragic or spectacular. During the last years of the war, as
the German Reich saw that the end was near, the authorities decided to
produce their own banknotes in the currencies of their major war
enemies. They hoped to use the duds to flood the enemy economy and fill
the empty war coffers. At the Sachsenhausen concentration camp, two
barracks were separated from the rest of the camp and the outside world,
and transformed into a fully equipped counterfeiters workshop.
"Operation Bernhard" was born. Prisoners were brought to Sachsenhausen
from other camps to implement the plan, and professional printers,
fastidious bank officials, and simple craftsmen all became members of
the top-secret counterfeiter crew. They had a choice: If they cooperated
with the enemy, they had a chance to survive as first-class prisoners in
a "golden cage" with enough to eat and a bed to sleep in. If they
sabotaged the operation, a sure death awaited them. For the
counterfeiters, it was not only a question of saving their own lives,
but also about saving their conscience as well...
**** Baltimore Sun
The Counterfeiters is in its own smart, trim fashion "The Bridge on the
River Kwai" of concentration-camp sagas. Also based (like Kwai) on a
real-life story, this movie starts small but becomes a miniature epic of
overreach and moral drift.
**** Entertainment Weekly
Without doing anything so divisive as taking sides, The Counterfeiters
pays sympathetic attention to those who play their cards to win even
when the rules are terrible, not least because the remarkable Markovics,
an Austrian TV actor with a pugnacious anvil of a head, is so riveting
as an unsaintly survivor.
=============================================================
FILMS TO COME
In no particular release order
THE FALL
FOREVER
LOVE SONGS
FLIGHT OF THE RED BALLOON
SON OF RAMBOW
MY BROTHER IS AN ONLY CHILD
STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE
GIRLS ROCK
THE DUCHESS OF LANGEAIS
BIGGER, STRONGER, FASTER
And many more....
Our staff here at the Salt Lake Film Society thanks all our supporters.
SLFS takes great care in hiring a staff that has a film history or
knowledge, so feel free to talk with any staff member about up coming
releases and our video collection at the Tower Theatre. They are a
wealth of knowledge and I'm happy to take all e-mail correspondence.
If you would like to volunteer for the Film Society events and earn
passes, please contact Amy Beth Leber at 801-746-0037
We thank you for your continuing support.
Tori Baker
Executive Director
Salt Lake Film Society...film festival all year long!
We do not sell any personal lists or information to any third
party...ever! If you would like to be removed from this list, please
reply to this e-mail. If you could also let us know why we lost you, we
can better serve our community.
Salt Lake Film Society thanks Xmission for their donation of services.
--
Tori Baker
Executive Director
Salt Lake Film Society
tori_baker@???
(801) 364-1088
