To all our Film Society members and supporters,
Our summer of wine and cheese thank you celebrations for members
continue with FIGHTING FOR LIFE
tonight!
Member Screening Exclusive!
Tuesday, August 5
7:30 p.m.
Wine and Cheese reception prior to the screening
FREE for members. Non - members $10 Temporary Member fee, 10% off new
memberships that night. Please join us for wine and cheese prior to the
screening.
"Fighting for Life" follows American military doctors, nurses and medics
on the front lines of the Iraq War, young wounded soldiers and marines
determined to survive and to heal, and students of USU, the "best
medical school no one's ever heard of," on their journey toward becoming
career military physicians.
Utah Screenwriters
Congratulations to our 2007/2008 graduates of the Utah Screenwriters
Project. These graduates have worked since the spring of 2007 to create
a motion picture screenplay. We had an amazing live actors reading that
highlighted one scene from each writers movie! With tears and laughter
it was an wonderful evening celebrating great Utah writing talent. Local
producers are welcome to contact me by replying to this email if
interested in any graduate's project. Look for a listing of each project
in our August print calendar. A special thank you goes out to producer
Barbara Boyle! She came to have a pitch-session with our writers prior
to graduation. We love you Barbara!
Fellowships recipients!
With the graduation of the our Utah Screenwriters Project three writers
were honored with their work.
Kelly King
recipient of our Writers Fellowship for his work "Melon"
Douglas Miller
recipient of a Short Film Production Fellowship (made possible by a
grant and production team from Fast Eddie Productions!)
Lynn McCarter
recipient of a Short Film Starting Funds Fellowship (also made possible
by a grant from Fast Eddie Productions!)
This week!
THE SINGING REVOLUTION
a remarkable documentary about the small European country of Estonia's
decision to end the Soviet Union's power over them in a completely
radical way: by singing.
Not to be missed!
Opening weekend Q+A with Charles Ehin PhD, is an Estonian survivor and
Emeritus Professor of Management, The Gore School of Business
Westminster College who was there in '04 when filming The Singing
Revolution happened. He will be available after the Friday and Saturday
7pm shows.
GONZO: THE LIFE AND WORK OF HUNTER S. THOMPSON
>From director Alex Gibney (/Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room /and
/Taxi to the Dark Side)/ comes a probing look into the uncanny life of
national treasure and gonzo journalism inventor Dr. Hunter S. Thompson.
"Johnny Depp, who paid for the 2005 funeral in which Thompson's ashes
were fired out of a cannon, narrates with just the right mix of awe and
impertinence."--Rolling Stone
BRICK LANE
Following a beautiful young Bangladeshi woman forced into an unhappy
marriage at the age of seventeen, Brick Lane is a truly contemporary
story of love, cultural difference, and ultimately, the strength of the
human spirit.
***1/2 Roger Ebert-- "Tells a story we think we already know, but we're
wrong: It has new things to say within an old formula. "
Held Over...
BRIDESHEAD REVISITED
THE WACKNESS
ENCOUNTERS AT THE END OF THE WORLD
MONGOL
PRICELESS-moves to the Tower
Ends Thursday 7/24...
ROMAN POLANSKI: WANTED AND DESIRED
SURFWISE
Summer of 35mm has is in full swing!
Tickets available every Friday and Saturday night at the Tower!
Our lineup:
August:
LABYRINTH
DR. STRANGELOVE
CLOCKWORK ORANGE
GOONIES
Churrasco e Cinema: Celebração Brasileira!
A Celebration of Brazilian Food & Film
On Aug 29th, the night before the Brazilian Cultural Festival at the
Gateway, the SLC Film Center, Governor’s Office of Economic Development,
and Gary Neeleman, Utah's Honorary Counsul of Brazil, invite you to
honor some of the people who have been the most influential in FILM in
Utah.
*Kris and Paul Liacopoulos
founders of the Salt Lake Film Society - who saved the Tower and keep
the both the Tower and Broadway stocked with the best of films from
around the world.
*Leigh von der Esch of the Utah Office of Tourism and former head of the
Utah Film Commission
who brought the state of Utah into sharp focus for Hollywood studios for
23 years.
*Don Schain Producer of HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL 1,2,& 3
keep on dancing!
*Utah filmmakers Jared and Jerusha Hess of NAPOLEON DYNAMITE and NACHO
LIBRE - taking Sundance by storm and profile of Spandex.
This celebration is being generously hosted by Tocano's Brazilian Grill
- with fabulous Brazilian food and entertainment. Come, enjoy dinner and
a movie in the part - Pioneer Park.
6pm: Dinner and Festivities - Tucanos Brazilian Grill at the Gateway
8:30pm: Film Screening... on the grass in Pioneer Park
THE YEAR MY PARENTS WENT ON VACATION, Brazil's submission to the 2007
Oscars! Rated PG
Dinner Tickets: $100 per person
Please call 801.746.7000 to save your place now!
Proceeds benefit programs of the SLC Film Center and Salt Lake Film Society
Open Mic Night!
August 27, 9:00 pm at the Tower Theatre
Show your short film at the Tower Theatre. All filmmakers welcome.
Submissions will be taken starting at 6pm on August 27th. Arrive early
with your film as spots for exhibiting the films fill quickly.
Submission fee is $5, admission is a suggested $1 donation. This is your
chance to have your work seen by an audience.
============================================================
QUICK LOOK at SHOWTIMES -
THIS WEEK:
Thru THU 8/7...
Broadway
Wackness 01:10, 4:15, 7:20, 9:30
Brideshead Revisited 01:00, 02:00, 4:05, 5:00, 7:05, 8:00, 9:45
Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired 01:15, 4:25, 7:20, 9:35
Encounters at The End of The World 01:05, 4:10, 7:15*, 9:25 (* TUE 8/5
NO 7:15 PM Show)
Fighting for Life 7:30 p.m. only on 8/5 for SLFS members
Mongol 12:55, 4:00, 7:00, 9:40
Tower Theatre
Surfwise 4:30, 9:15**(** no 9:15 show on Tues 8/5)
Priceless 7:00***(*** no 7:00 show on Wed 8/6)
NEXT WEEK
FRI 8/8 - THU 8/14
Broadway
Wackness 01:10, 4:15, 7:20*, 9:30 (*TUE 8/12 NO 7:20 PM show)
Brideshead Revisited 01:00, 4:05, 7:05, 9:45
Gonzo 12:55, 4:25, 7:05**, 9:35 (** WED 8/13 NO 7:05 PM show)
Brick Lane 01:20, 4:20, 7:10, 9:20
Encounters at The End of The World 01:05, 4:10, 7:15, 9:25
Mongol 01:15, 4:00, 7:00, 9:40
Tower Theatre
The Singing Revolution (2:30 FRI thru SUN only) 4:30, 7:00*** (***there
will be no 7:00 show on MON 8/11 or TUE 8/12)
Priceless 9:15
MIDNIGHT FRI 8/8 and SAT 8/9 Labyrinth
=============================================================
TELL ME MORE...PLEASE!
(all star ratings are based on 4 star rating systems)
THE SINGING REVOLUTION
Written and directed by: James and Maureen Tusty
The year 1991 marked a time of change for the Republic of Estonia. This
small European nation decided to end the Soviet Union's power over them
in a completely radical way: by singing. Though it's tough to imagine
the former superpower giving in to simple songs, this documentary
chronicles the Estonian people's drive for freedom and their peaceful
way of attaining it.
**** Kansas City Star
If The Singing Revolution were a fictional film it would be dismissed as
a pie-in-the-sky fantasy. But it’s all true.
**** Variety
An emotionally and dramatically satisfying narrative.
**** Washington Post
It's a powerful story of a nation that, almost literally, sang its way
to freedom.
GONZO: THE LIFE AND WORK OF DR. HUNTER S. THOMPSON
Directed by: Alex Gibney . Starring: Johnny Depp, Jimmy Carter, George
McGovern, Pat Buchanan, Jann Wenner, Tom Wolfe, Jimmy Buffett, and Ralph
Steadman
>From Oscar-winning director Alex Gibney and producer Graydon Carter
comes a probing look into the uncanny life of national treasure and
gonzo journalism inventor Dr. Hunter S. Thompson. A fast-moving, wildly
entertaining documentary with an iconic soundtrack, the film addresses
the major touchstones in Thompson's life--his intense and ill-fated
relationship with the Hells Angels, his near-successful bid for the
office of sheriff in Aspen in 1970, the notorious story behind the
landmark Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, his deep involvement in Senator
George McGovern's 1972 presidential campaign, and much more. Narrated by
Johnny Depp.
**** New York Times
It is to Mr. Gibney’s great credit that while he pays due attention to
the outsize, cartoonish celebrity persona Thompson fell back on when his
literary powers began to wane, this film concentrates on the bold,
innovative journalism that secured Thompson’s reputation and assures his
immortality.
***1/2 Rolling Stone
Johnny Depp, who paid for the 2005 funeral in which Thompson's ashes
were fired out of a cannon, narrates with just the right mix of awe and
impertinence.
***1/2 Roger Ebert
It leaves you wondering, how was it that so many people liked this man
who does not seem to have liked himself?
BRICK LANE
Directed by: Sarah Gavron . Written by: Monica Ali (novel), Laura Jones,
Abi Morgan . Starring: Tannishtha Chatterjee, Satish Kaushik,
Christopher Simpson, and Zafreen
Nazneen’s life is turned upside down at the tender age of seventeen.
Forced into an arranged marriage to an older man, she exchanges her
Bangladeshi village home for a block of flats in London’s East End. In
this new world, pining for her home and her sister, she struggles to
make sense of her existence – and to do her duty to her husband. A man
of inflated ideas (and stomach), he sorely tests her compliance. Told
from birth that she must not fight her fate, Nazneen submits, devoting
her life to raising her family and slapping down her demons of
discontent. Until the day that Karim, a hot-headed local man, bursts
into her life. Against a background of escalating racial tension, they
embark on an affair that finally forces Nazneen to take control of her
life. Set in multicultural Britain, Brick Lane is a truly contemporary
story of love, cultural difference, and ultimately, the strength of the
human spirit.
***1/2 Roger Ebert
Tells a story we think we already know, but we're wrong: It has new
things to say within an old formula.
*** USA Today
A sensitive and occasionally poetic film, Brick Lane is an absorbing
tale of personal empowerment and emotional growth
BRIDESHEAD REVISITED
Directed by: Julian Jarrold . Written by: Jeremy Brock, Andrew Davies,
Evelyn Waugh (novel) . Starring: Matthew Goode, Ben Whishaw, Hayley
Atwell, Emma Thompson, and Michael Gambon
A provocative and suspenseful drama, Brideshead Revisited tells an
evocative story of forbidden love and the loss of innocence set in the
pre-WWII era. In the film, Charles Ryder becomes entranced with the
noble Marchmain family, first through the charming and provocative
Sebastian Flyte, and then his sophisticated sister, Julia. The rise and
fall of Charles' infatuations reflect the decline of a decadent era in
England between the wars.
**** The Onion
It's rare to find a work that explores issues of faith without veering
into religious fundamentalism or militant atheism, which is reason
enough to revisit Brideshead one more time.
***1/2 Christian Science Monitor
It's a great piece of work in a movie that deserves to be seen even if
you swear undying allegiance to the BBC mini-series.
ROMAN POLANSKI: WANTED AND DESIRED
Directed by: Marina Zenovich
Reopening a case that has inspired curiosity, controversy, and confusion
for over three decades, Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired is an
extensive exploration of the circumstances that led up to – and the
circus that followed – Polanski’s conviction for having unlawful sexual
intercourse with a minor. Zenovich had unprecedented access to several
of the key players in the case, including the lawyers representing the
case, the media covering it, and the unusually clear-eyed and candid
victim. Unearthing a trove of telling footage from the past, and
combining it with insightful interviews from today, she brings
comprehension and clarity to events long clouded by myth and
misconception. A thrilling examination of a case that became the
prototype for innumerable Hollywood courtroom scandals to follow, the
film becomes a brilliant discourse on the attraction/ repulsion that
defines celebrity culture in contemporary America.
**** Chicago Tribune
This is a superb picture, sharp, open-minded, wised-up and cinematically
accomplished.
***1/2 Variety
A mesmerizing portrait of the director as acclaimed artist and tortured
human being.
***1/2 Roger Ebert
SURFWISE
Directed by: Doug Pray
Like many American outsider adventurers, Dorian "Doc" Paskowitz set out
to realize a utopian dream. Abandoning a successful medical practice, he
sought self-fulfillment by taking up the nomadic life of a surfer. But
unlike other American searchers like Thoreau or Kerouac, Paskowitz took
his wife and nine children along for the ride, all 11 of them living in
a 24-foot camper. Together, they lived a life that would be unfathomable
to most, but enviable to anyone who ever relinquished their dreams to a
straight job. The Paskowitz Family proved that, though America may be
running out of frontiers, it hasn't run out of frontiersman.
**** The Onion
How can a freethinking father mandate his ideals without violating them?
[Director] Doug Pray covers it all, and movingly so.
***1/2 New York Times
Doug Pray’s wonderfully engaging look at love and family and the
relentless pursuit of happiness, personal meaning and perfect waves.
THE WACKNESS
Written and directed by: Jonathan Levine . Starring: Josh Peck, Sir Ben
Kingsley, Method Man, Mary Kate Olsen, Olivia Thirlby, Famke Janssen,
and Aaron Yoo
The Wackness centers on a troubled high school student named Luke
Shapiro--a teenage pot dealer who forms a friendship with Dr. Jeffrey
Squires, a psychiatrist and kindred lost soul. When the doctor proposes
that Luke trade him weed for therapy sessions, the two begin to explore
both New York City and their own depression. ***1/2 Film Threat
If you have ever experienced the crushing effect of young love, you owe
it to yourself to check out this gem of a dark comedy.
*** USA Today
Both darkly funny and life-affirming, in an offbeat and offhanded way.
ENCOUNTERS AT THE END OF THE WORLD
Directed by: Werner Herzog
Werner Herzog confirms his standing as poet laureate of men in extreme
situations with Encounters at the End of the World. In this visually
stunning exploration, Herzog travels to the Antarctic community of
McMurdo Station, headquarters of the National Science Foundation and
home to eleven hundred people during the austral summer (Oct-Feb). Over
the course of his journey, Herzog examines human nature and Mother
nature, juxtaposing breathtaking locations with the profound, surreal,
and sometimes absurd experiences of
the marine biologists, physicists, plumbers, and truck drivers who
choose to form a society as far away from society as one can get.
**** Roger Ebert
It is a poem of oddness and beauty.
**** New York Times
Like many of Mr. Herzog's movies, fiction and nonfiction, Encounters at
the End of the World itself has the quality of a dream: it's at once
vivid and vague, easy to grasp and somehow beyond reach.
MONGOL
Written and Directed by: Sergei Bodrov . Starring: Tadanobu Asano
Mongol illuminates the life and legend of Genghis Khan. Based on leading
scholarly accounts and Mongol delves into the dramatic and harrowing
early years of the ruler who was born as Temudgin in 1162. As it follows
Temudgin from his perilous childhood to the battle that sealed his
destiny, the film paints a multidimensional portrait of the future
conqueror, revealing him not as the evil brute of hoary stereotype, but
as an inspiring, fearless and visionary leader. Mongol shows us the
making of an extraordinary man, and the foundation on which so much of
his greatness rested: his relationship with his wife, Borte, his
lifelong love and most trusted advisor.
**** Variety
This Central Asia-set historical epic from Russian helmer Sergei Bodrov
("Nomad") boasts breathtaking landscapes, dazzling cinematography,
bloody battles and unique traditions.
**** New York Times
Mongol -- or, as I prefer to think of it, "Genghis Khan: The Early
Years" -- is a big, ponderous epic, its beautifully composed landscape
shots punctuated by thundering hooves and bloody, slow-motion battle
sequences.
**** Wall Street Journal
I don't know the Mongolian word for panache, but Mongol's got plenty of
it. The battle scenes are as notable for their clarity as their
intensity; we can follow the strategies, get a sense of who's losing and
who's winning. The physical production is sumptuous.
PRICELESS
Directed by: Pierre Salvadori . Written by: Benoit Graffin Piere
Salvadori . Starring: Gad Elmaleh Audrey Tautou Marie-Christine Adam
Vernon Dobtcheff Jacques Spiesser Annelise Hesme.
Jean, a shy young bartender, is mistaken for a millionaire by a
beautiful, scheming opportunist named Irene. When Irene discovers his
true identity, she abandons him, only to find that love-struck Jean has
no intention of letting her get away. Jean's comical attempts to gain
her affections gradually evolve into setting himself up as a gigolo at a
luxury hotel, until Irene finally starts to warm to her persistent,
persuasive suitor. Against the wildly atmospheric backdrop of the south
of France, Pierre Salvadori directs this sexy and thoroughly charming
romantic comedy, which is a fresh reimagining of the
cinema classic Breakfast at Tiffany's. (Samuel Goldwyn Films)
****The Onion
Unlike Salvadori's previous comedy, 2003's "Après Vous," Priceless is
less preposterous, and more grounded in character.
****Oregonian
It's a fun and attractive ride.
****Los Angeles Times
A cynic is someone who knows the price of everything and the value of
nothing, or so the saying goes, but the unadulterated joy Irène takes in
throwing open the closet door to show Jean how this gold digging is done
is positively infectious.
=============================================================
FILMS TO COME
In no particular release order
VICKY CHRISTINA BARCELONA
TELL NO ONE
FROZEN RIVER
AMERICAN TEEN
BAGHEAD
MY WINNEPEG
THE LAST MISTRESS
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
