Friday, January 21, 2011

Myrtle's Speech

Not that writing blog posts isn't fun, but it becomes really really fun when it involves getting the chance to talk to someone intimately involved in the production of a film. Hence, today I am really really excited to sit down at my laptop because we were lucky enough to have the amazing and awesomely gracious Jennifer Ehle answer a few questions!!!!!


For those of you who may not know, Jennifer Ehle was raised in Winston-Salem and stars as "Myrtle Logue" in our current hit THE KING'S SPEECH.

She also happens to be a two-time Tony Award-winning actress!!! She performs both on the stage and in film. Jennifer is probably best known for her starring role as Elizabeth Bennet in the 1995 mini-series "Pride and Prejudice" in which she starred alongside Colin Firth. She has starred in such films as Wilde, Sunshine, Paradise Road, Michael Clayton and Pride and Glory. Her two Tony Awards came for her performances in Tom Stoppard's The Real Thing (2000) and The Coast of Utopia (2006/2007).

Here's what we threw at Jennifer:

1.) So how did you come by your role as "Myrtle Logue" in The King's Speech? Did you seek out the role or did it just sort of fall in your lap?

My wonderful agent in London, Sally Long-Innis, set up a meeting for me with both Tom Hooper, the director of The King's Speech, and the casting director. We all had a nice chat. Tom thought about it for a few days and then I was told that Myrtle was mine.

2.) In The King's Speech, your character is Australian and in your career so far you have played a lot of British characters, so you seem to be amazingly at ease with accents, does that just come naturally or is it due to your training? Why do you think you gravitate to non-American roles?

I don't think it's so much to do with gravitating to non- American roles as to just being lucky enough to be offered parts with such varied backgrounds. I did live in London for 12 years and was fortunate enough to make a living there playing English characters.

3.) What was it like to be reunited on screen with your Pride and Prejudice co-star Colin Firth all these years later? The one scene that you have with him (and costars Geoffrey Rush and Helena Bonham Carter in the Logue dining room) is perhaps my favorite in the entire film. What was it like filming that scene? Was it as fun to film as it seems?

It was wonderful to work with Colin again, he is such a brilliant actor. I had never worked with Helena or Geoffrey before but had known them both a little bit for a long time and adore them. Helena, Geoffrey and Colin were all very funny together and lovely and welcoming to me so there was a lot of laughter I remember. The day we shot the scene of Myrtle arriving home and finding The Windsors in her sitting room I was 'wearing' my baby in a carrier, and she fell asleep while we were rehearsing. No one batted an eyelid, it was very sweet.

4.) What do you think that you have taken with you into your acting roles from growing up in Winston-Salem?

I feel very fortunate to have grown up in Winston-Salem, in a city that values the arts and artists so highly.

5.) When you come back to town to visit your parents where is the one place (restaurant, store, etc) you just have to visit?

Whenever I come back to Winston to visit I try to get to Reynolda Gardens to have a wander and a lemonade (easy on the sugar) from the soda shop. I used to spend a lot of time at Maria's shop, formerly at The Stratford Center, and I miss it now; but I do see Maria herself (my Godmother) when I am home! Also my third grade teacher from Whitaker School, Nancy Truluck, and I try to get together, too.

Just another reason to come see THE KING'S SPEECH!



Friday, January 14, 2011

New Year, New Films


So we are excited to welcome a handful of new films this weekend...and we know it's going to be a crazy madhouse around here with our first film...THE KING'S SPEECH. I can honestly say that this film is one of the best, if not the best of the year. I usually leave the reviews to the critics, but I was so impressed by this film that I just have to take this opportunity to gush. THE KING'S SPEECH has everything that makes a movie great...a good story, a sense of humor, drama, a stellar cast....and on and on....




Burger pretty much gushes just as much as I do in his Yes!Weekly review.

Our next film is a documentary on the Drive By Truckers. THE SECRET TO A HAPPY ENDING documents the Drive-By Truckers and their congregation of fans as they explore tales of human weakness and redemption. Filmmaker Barr Weissman followed the band during three critical years of touring and recording — years in which the band struggles to overcome the trauma of divorce and survives a near breakup. SECRET combines band interviews, behind-the-scenes footage on the road and in the studio, along with legendary live performances. Reflective of the band’s roots in Alabama and Georgia, the film explores the changing American South — its tangled past and strange beauty. THE SECRET TO A HAPPY ENDING is only here for one showing Saturday, 1/15 @ 10:30pm and tickets are going fast! We will have some giveaways and a drawing for an autographed poster.


On Sunday, January 16 at 8pm we will be screening ZEITGEIST:MOVING FORWARD. Zeitgeist: Moving Forward, by director Peter Joseph, is a feature length documentary work which will present a case for a needed transition out of the current socioeconomic monetary paradigm which governs the entire world society. Here is a link to a great article in the NY Times about the Zeitgeist movement and director Peter Joseph.



It's going to be a super-sized weekend!

Thursday, January 6, 2011

Best of 2010 - Part 2

I've already posted my best of 2010 film list, but 2010 has been full of so many other special memories that I just couldn't stop there. Below is my Best of Everything Else List (in random order):

1.) CAKEBALLS!!!!

















2.) RiverRun

3.) The fact that Genevieve likes to dress up for anything
4.) Our Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.... tattoos

5.) The special screenings we have had for non-profits and the community including: Indestructible, The Thin Man, Citizen Architect, 8: The Mormon Proposition, Crude...just to name a few

6.) Our LOST season finale showing and the best costume winner!


















7.) The bulletin board of questions (with the most popular one yet...favorite soundtrack)

8.) All the great press we have received over the past year. Thank you to Winston-Salem Journal, relish, Yes!Weekly, 88.5 WFDD, skirt! and on and on.

9.) A special q&a with Peter Brunette following The White Ribbon...Rest in Peace dear Peter.














10.) Finally being able to screen Stone and invite Angus MacLachlan in to answer a few questions

2010 will be a year to remember with all of the "extra" things we've been able to do. To get a little sentimental though some of my best memories will continue to be the private times I spend with my son at a/perture.













Bring it on 2011!

Saturday, January 1, 2011

Best of 2010 - Part 1

Happy New Year! As we welcome in 2011, I thought it would be fitting to rank my "best of" 2010 films. I do love making lists. So below are my favorite films that found a home at a/perture last year:

10.) A Town Called Panic – the first film that graced our screens. How could we not love a stop-motion animated movie about Cowboy, Horse and Indian?
9.) Exit Through the Gift Shop – whether it was “real” or not, we loved this documentary about Banksy and the street art scene.
8.) A Single Man – a beautifully photographic film by director Tom Ford and starring the charming and oh so handsome Colin Firth
7.) Waiting for “Superman” – the much-lauded doc about the state of America’s public education system brought in the teachers. We loved the discussions it generated.
6.) The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo – we screened the entire trilogy, but the first one was the standout. It was so good we forgot that it was subtitled.
5.) Winter’s Bone – the debut film from director Debra Granik may have been a bit gloomy, but the superb acting by newcomer Jennifer Lawrence was a ray of sunshine.
4.) The Secret in Their Eyes – too bad we couldn’t get more people to come see the 2010 Oscar winner for Best Foreign Language film. The Academy was spot-on about the pure genius of this Argentine murder mystery.
3.) Inside Job – the inspired doc about the 2008 financial crisis really got patrons' blood boiling.
2.) The Social Network – the critics’ darling, we were so happy to have a week’s worth of screenings at a/perture. Really, where would we be without our 3,441 facebook fans?
1.) Black Swan – this Natalie Portman/Darren Aronofsky demented ballerina thriller is still breaking attendance records.

Honorable mention: A Prophet (Jigar's favorite), Marwencol and I Am Love

It really was a stellar year and 2011 is shaping up to be just as spectacular! We've created a special f/irst anniversary poster and you can pick up your copy for only $3.50. Help support a/perture and decorate your office cubicle, dorm or man cave.