aperture cinema

Exit through the Gift Shop - Redux

2011-07-05T08:39:00.004-04:00

Please enjoy the blog post submitted by our fab summer intern Anna Thorup:

Tonight at 8pm, we will be screening the acclaimed documentary, Exit Through the Gift Shop as a part of our summer documentary film series. The Oscar-nominated film, that was directed by the well-known and enigmatic street artist who calls himself Banksy, provides a glimpse into the inner world of street art by documenting Thierry “Mr. Brainwash” Guetta’s unexpected rise to stardom. The film’s original purpose, as Banksy explains, was to show an honest depiction of the culture of street art and graffiti, shown through footage by the obsessive and ever-present Guetta who shadows and films Banksy and other artists’ every move, but evolved into the representation of Guetta’s climb to fame. The film is composed of a blend of raw footage, captured by Guetta, and a series of interviews with various street artists. Banksy himself also appears in the film, but protects his anonymity by shielding his face and altering his voice. Overall, it is a unique and amazing documentary that depicts a culture that is not well-known To understand the world of street art further, we were able to chat with the Roanoke-based graffiti artist, Toobz.

Toobz’s work is both fascinating and beautiful. While he uses spray paint as his main medium, he also sculpts, uses acrylics, pencils, and digital photography. “I really try to get my hands in anything I can,” he told me, “if I find something that’s working for the moment and achieving the visual I’m trying to create then that’s what I do ... I have pretty much just been observing things around me since I can remember and just trying to condition myself to understand shapes and the way light falls against things. It’s basically the way the artist is, it’s just something within me.” Talking with him is much like watching him paint as his words flow smoothly and capture a unique sense of precision and depth within every thought. I loved hearing about his personal artistic endeavors and was excited to get his thoughts about the film.

When asking him what he thought of the film he replied, “I think it’s good, I think it’s put together well.” He then went on to admit his distaste for Guetta and his belief that there are many other street artists like Banksy who have not yet been discovered. I then asked him if he thought the film would create more interest in the street art and graffiti culture, to this he replied, “I think it’s possible. I think it will influence a small wave, but I think there’s already a huge wave out there that no one knows about.” He continued on to talk about the early stages of street art, boiling its beginnings down to man’s desire to leave his name, and where he thinks it’s going based on the cultures new-found mass notoriety, “I have been into graffiti since about ’88 so I’ve seen it from where it started roughly from the understanding of the tools that we use and now it’s forming into – it’s going in a good way, I think rather than I bad way...I think all in all it’s going to make it stay… it’s been around forever, since the beginning of man basically and it’s always going to be here regardless of what style it is or what it turns into, there’s always going to be someone leaving their name.”

auteur

2011-06-25T13:32:00.008-04:00

Yesterday we opened The Tree of Life, one the most eagerly anticipated movies of the summer (at least in the art house world). The Tree of Life is the impressionistic story of a Texas family in the 1950s. The film follows the life journey of the eldest son, Jack, through the innocence of childhood to his disillusioned adult years as he tries to reconcile a complicated relationship with his father (Brad Pitt). Jack (played as an adult by Sean Penn) finds himself a lost soul in the modern world, seeking answers to the origins and meaning of life while questioning the existence of faith. It's a philosophical film, it's visually stunning and it's not like anything else you've seen before.

The Tree of Life is one of those films that doesn't belong anywhere other than an art house theater and we welcome the opportunity to bring it to you. It's a film that encourages dialogue and debate and isn't that what a good film is supposed to do, whether you appreciated the film or not?

Director Terrence Malick is one of those rare filmmakers left who is still shrouded in an air of mystery and reclusiveness. In the age of so much information, that's pretty hard to do. But there are still some things you can find out via the world wide web and here are some curious facts:

- Malick studied philosophy at Harvard, graduating Phi Betta Kappa. He even taught some philosophy at MIT for a time.

- He was also a freelance journalist before entering the film world and contributed to the obituaries for Martin Luther King and Robert Kennedy in The New Yorker.

- Over one million feet of film was shot for his 2005 film The New World

- Malick is famously protective of his private life and his contracts always stipulate that his likeness may not be used for promotional purposes.

- Malick was born in Waco, Texas where The Tree of Life is set.

- The cinematic equivalent of JD Salinger, Malick took a 20-year sabbatical after 1978's "Days of Heaven" before agreeing to direct "The Thin Red Line" in 1998.

- Zoolander is one of Malick’s all time favorite films.

- Starting with The New World, Malick has instituted “rules” in his filmmaking, including using only natural light, no cranes, no big rigs, and handheld cameras only.

He's a pretty interesting dude and actually lives up to his mythical status.

Check out the trailer:

One more thing, some audiences in other parts of the country have not really understood how to appreciate Malick and The Tree of Life and theaters have had to resort to the following (courtesy of our good friends at the Avon Theater in Stamford, CT):

But we don't think we have anything to worry about in the City of the Arts....

on-sawn-dez

2011-06-18T14:04:00.005-04:00

The spring of subtitles is ending this week, but we're not going out with a whimper. With a run of festival hits and Oscar fare, reading hasn't been so bad. This week's offering is Incendies, Denis Villeneuve's tail of a pair of siblings uncovering some heavy stuff about their family lineage. This one won me over from the first frame, as none other than Radiohead lent their song "You and Whose Army" to the film. You know you have a bad ass film when Thom Yorke says it's ok to use one of his band's songs. They should just rename it "Radiohead approves of this Movie," because I've already pronounced it seventeen different times, and the staff is already ringing up tickets when a customer starts trying to pronounce something with a quizzical look on their face.

Sitting pretty with a 91% approval rating on Rottentomatoes.com (sold out to the man, but not quite tainted yet - since Green Lantern is at 24%, I'll still buy their ratings), this isn't a feel good summer movie, but it is wonderfully acted and tells a very compelling story. Ty Burr of the Boston Globe sums it up way better than I could in his review. Local critic Mark Burger wasn't quite as enamored, but still recognized a stirring performance. But that's the beauty of movies - you can judge for yourself. Trailer below, only one week to catch it before Brad Pitt graces our screen (likelihood I will say that again? Similar Lloyd's chances with Mary in Dumb and Dumber).

Here is the trailer:

midnight in paris

2011-06-10T13:38:00.009-04:00

Like the central character in Woody Allen's new film Midnight in Paris (opening today), I've always had a desire to take up residence in Paris for a time. The cafes, the wine, the crepes, the Seine and the bridges that cross it, the history that follows you everywhere...I'd have to agree with those who say that Paris is the most romantic city on earth. Midnight in Paris is great supporting evidence.

Here is the breakdown: This is a romantic comedy set in Paris about a family that goes there because of business, and two young people who are engaged to be married in the fall have experiences there that change their lives. It's about a young man's great love for a city, Paris, and the illusion people have that a life different from theirs would be much better. It stars Owen Wilson, Rachel McAdams, Marion Cotillard, Kathy Bates, and Carla Bruni among others.

Check out the trailer:

One of the other reasons I love Paris so much is the wealth of art that both exists in its borders and that which it has inspired over the years. After seeing the film I was inspired to search and refresh my memory as to how famous artists have represented Paris over the years. Below are just a few of the works I uncovered... check them out now and then come back and take a look at them again after you see the film (you'll see why):

Ernest Hemingway said it best:

If you are lucky enough to have lived in Paris as a young man, then wherever you go for the rest of your life, it stays with you, for Paris is a moveable feast.

european vacation

2011-06-02T14:44:00.003-04:00

So who needs Chevy Chase and Beverly D'Angelo to take a "European Vacation"? This week we have the European continent covered. We've already mentioned the French phenom Potiche, which is sticking around for another week and has really been a hit with the crowds. But we're not stopping there...we've also got the biggest foreign film of the year, Academy Award Winner In a Better World (Haevnen) from Denmark and the Italian thrill ride The Double Hour (La doppia ora).

In the film In a Better World, the lives of two Danish families cross each other, and an extraordinary but risky friendship comes into bud. But loneliness, frailty and sorrow lie in wait. Mark Burger of Yes! Weekly called it "...a worthy, well-acted meditation on the consequences of violence and how it impacts all ages" in his review. Check out the trailer:

The Double Hour on the other hand is of the suspense/thriller genre (with a little bit of romance), something which is always fun to add to the mix. Here is the gist, without giving too much away: Guido, a former cop, is a luckless veteran of the speed-dating scene in Turin. But, much to his surprise, he meets Slovenian immigrant Sonia, a chambermaid at a high-end hotel. The two hit it off, and a passionate romance develops. After they leave the city for a romantic getaway in the country, things suddenly take a dark turn. Matthew Lucas, local critic for the Lexington Dispatch and From the Front Row, says about the film, "It's as if (director) Capotondi channeled Hitchcock's style of suspense and revelation and combined it with Nolan's flair for labyrinthine psychological drama." Check out the trailer:

And don't forget we've got our Salute! Festival inspired screenings of Sideways tomorrow night at 10 and 10:30 with specials on Merlot from Cellar 4201!

trophy wife

2011-05-27T23:21:00.009-04:00

So I sat down to write the blog about the film Potiche and really just discovered I wanted to pay homage to Catherine Deneuve instead. I figure since RiverRun closed the festival with the film, word was already out on the gift that is Potiche so I'm covered right? Just in case here is a link to the review from Matthew Lucas in From the Front Row and the trailer below:

On to the Catherine Deneuve tribute:

First, is she not the coolest mademoiselle ever?

Seriously, here she is with fashion icon (second to Bill Cunningham, of course) Yves Saint Laurent. She was considered his muse btw.

I'm sure when this photo was taken all of the hommes were wishing they were this miniature dog. Apologies for my liberal use of French...I don't speak it, but wish I did.

France even used her likeness for a while as their national emblem Marianne (following in the footsteps of Bridget Bardot).

And after over 100 films she still knocks 'em out (this image actually does happen to be from Potiche).

And on a personal note and to wrap up my idol worship, in my research I discovered that Ms. Deneuve has her very own engraved Jaeger-LeCoultre watch, a company I spent two years in marketing with...a nice bow to wrap up the package.

We're not the only ones who love PBR

2011-05-20T00:03:00.012-04:00

It's Friday, and that can only mean new movie night at a/perture. This week it's the Will Ferrell film Everything Must Go. In perusing reviews I found a common denominator that was nice, but didn't give full credit to Mr. Ferrell's body of work. Yes, he takes a turn as someone a little more serious, but I don't want to hear how this is his Punch Drunk Love or his Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. He's tried that already, with Stranger than Fiction. Mark Burger avoided stigmatizing Ferrell's past roles as brainless fodder, and since I'm very obviously biased I applaud him for that and reward him by linking his review of the movie.

What Will Ferrell pulls off in this movie is to draw you in to the story of Nick Halsey, a recently laid-off salesman who comes home to find his wife has left him and dumped all of his worldly possessions out in the front yard. While Will is front and center in this film and pulls of a stunning performance, he has some help from the cast. The son of the rapper Notorious B.I.G (I love it when they call me Jig Poppa - RIP Biggie), Christopher Jordan Wallace plays a neighborhood kid who needs some direction, but ends up providing that for Nick. Along the way run-ins with the pregnant neighbor with an absentee husband (Rebecca Hall), an old high school flame (Laura Dern) and Nick's AA sponsor (Michael Pena) help Nick realize the only way to get his life back is to let everything go.

Being distributed by the indie Roadside Attractions, I figured Everything Must Go could use some of those fancy quotes they throw on trailers and ads talking about why you should run out and see a film IMMEDIATELY. So I found some quotes from his movies that somehow also gave a nod to his newest flick.

"Dear Lord Baby Jesus, I want to thank you for this wonderful meal, my two beautiful son's, Walker and Texas Ranger, and my Red-Hot Smokin' Wife, Carley and this awesome movie, Everything Must Go."

- Will Ferrell as Ricky Bobby in Talladega Nights

"Hey Mom, can we get some meatloaf, and go see that rad movie Everything Must Go?"

- Will Ferrell as Chaz in Wedding Crashers

"Well, um, actually a pretty nice little Saturday, we’re going to go to Home Depot. Yeah, buy some wallpaper, maybe get some flooring, stuff like that. Maybe Bed, Bath, & Beyond and go to a/perture and catch Everything Must Go, I don’t know, I don’t know if we’ll have enough time.”

- Will Ferrell as Frank the Tank in Old School

"I love scotch. Scotchy, scotch, scotch and Everything Must Go. Here it goes down, down into my belly with some other wonderful a/perture concessions like cake balls, cheese straws, and chocolove bars."

- Will Ferrell as Ron Burgundy? in Anchorman

If only I could have juxtaposed those into the trailer...speaking of which, after watching the snippet below, get excited about our own yard sale happening from 11-4 on Saturday on our patio (where you can enjoy the spring weather with refreshments of your choice from a/perture, even if you're not watching a movie).

Plus, while they last we still have some free t-shirts to giveaway with the purchase of an Everything Must Go ticket!!!!

monks

2011-05-13T12:43:00.007-04:00

So based on the description of the film OF GODS AND MEN (opening today), you might think it is a film to skip out on....

Eight French Christian monks live in harmony with their Muslim brothers in a monastery perched in the mountains of North Africa in the 1990s. When a crew of foreign workers is massacred by an Islamic fundamentalist group, fear sweeps though the region. The army offers them protection, but the monks refuse. Should they leave? Despite the growing menace in their midst, they slowly realize that they have no choice but to stay... come what may. This film is loosely based on the life of the Cistercian monks of Tibhirine in Algeria, from 1993 until their kidnapping in 1996.

Trust me it is not. It is an emotional, heartbreaking, and divinely-acted film about faith, community and devotion. It's the kind of film arthouse theaters love to screen not merely because it is a subtitled French film, but because it is a worldly film that encourages dialogue and further exploration into the historical events portrayed. Check out Mark Burger's review and the trailer below.

Last year Of Gods and Men won the Gran Prix at Cannes...so look at it this way...while the celebrities and paparazzi are partying it up on the beaches of Cannes as I write...you can experience your very own Cannes Film Festival at a/perture...just add a glass of wine.

"We all get dressed for Bill"

2011-05-06T11:51:00.007-04:00

..so says Vogue editrix Anna Wintour and so would I if I had the most adorably fascinating octogenarian following me around town with his camera. But since Bill Cunningham is a die-hard New Yorker I doubt he'll be moving South anytime soon, so we'll just have to settle for watching him on the big screen when we open BILL CUNNINGHAM NEW YORK today.

For decades, this Schwinn-riding cultural anthropologist has been obsessively and inventively chronicling fashion trends and high society charity soirées for the New York Times Style section in his columns “On the Street” and “Evening Hours.”

Documenting uptown fixtures (Wintour, Tom Wolfe, Brooke Astor, David Rockefeller—who all appear in the film out of their love for Bill), downtown eccentrics and everyone in between, Cunningham’s enormous body of work is more reliable than any catwalk as an expression of time, place and individual flair. In turn, Bill Cunningham New York is a delicate, funny and often poignant portrait of a dedicated artist whose only wealth is his own humanity and unassuming grace. Check out the LA Times Review for their endorsement.

Take a second to watch the trailer and I promise you will be hooked.

BCNY shows 5/6-5/12 at 5:30pm (except Monday). Yes, there are just six shows so make your plans now!

Fun with Rochester and Jane

2011-05-02T22:19:00.005-04:00

Hello high schoolers (I'm including those of us who wish we could go back) - have a book report due tomorrow? Then I really can't think of a better book to pick up than Jane Eyre. Why? Is there a book that's been made into a movie more? Well, yes, but this one's gone the big and little screen route. And more importantly it's playing at a/perture right now. Normally when I hear titles like Wuthering Heights or anything that Emma Thompson's been in, I run for the hills or hope Lawren will want to see said movie with her mom, but this version of Jane Eyre has been a little different. Cary Fukunaga, the man behind the camera for Sin Nombre? Yes please. Michael Fassbender, that inglorious basterd who will be playing Magneto in the new X-Men movie and graced our screen in Fish Tank? Double yes. And Mia Wasikowska, the alright kid who went a little trippy in Alice in Wonderland. If there was a Golden Globe for crew with last names most fun to say out loud, this group would be a shoo-in.

Okay, we all know the story, or at least we're supposed to, since I have reportedly read this book about three times. But just in case, here's two cliff notes versions of the film, and why you should see it, one from Roger Ebert and the other that appeared in Relish this past week. Visually stunning, here's a taste of the movie that had the highest specialty debut of 2011:

I'm holding on for a hero 'til the end of the night

2011-04-21T21:47:00.007-04:00

Wow, it's been a SUPER week since our last blog. Once again, the RiverRun International Film Festival proved how SUPER it is, bringing out a record crowd and continuing to showcase some SUPER films and parties. Aaron Katz was a juror at the festival, and then was kind enough to stick around while we showed his film Cold Weather and host some Q&As (thank you again, Aaron and everyone who attended). So how do we follow up on all this SUPERness? Why let's open the movie SUPER! Rainn Wilson stars as a short order cook who brings the self made superhero vigilante justice, with the help of sidekick Ellen Page, to the drug dealer who stole his wife away.

So, this may not be the easiest sell, but maybe my subliminal SUPER messaging has worked? No? How about two fabulous reviews, this one from local Yes! Weekly critic Mark Burger and this "deliciously gonzo" review in the current issue of Relish. Still not enough for you? What if we throw in a cute little kid and our staff dressed up as their own crime fighters?

And we'll top that with a chance to win a Becket level membership in our a/v society, good for two years. That's a $6 ticket plus $1 concession credit each time you visit a/perture (special events excluded) and free admission and popcorn on your birthday! Come dressed up in your best homemade superhero outfit for a chance to win. Need some inspiration? Check out the Super trailer below:

Only one week to catch it, so don't let the Crimson Bolt find out you committed the criminal mistake of missing it, or face the wrath of his wrench!

It may be Spring...but it's time for Cold Weather baby...

2011-04-13T21:15:00.007-04:00

So in the midst of the most amazing RiverRun International Film Festival yet, I haven't really made time to blog....that is until tonight when I get to share a really cool interview with director Aaron Katz. We'll get to the fun stuff in a second, but first business. Next week, Monday, April 18 thru Thursday, April 21, we will be screening the indy hit Cold Weather.

Cold Weather was written, directed and edited by Aaron Katz, who also by the way graduated from the UNCSA School of Filmmaking. He has already seen success with films such as Quiet City and Dance Party, USA. Aaron will be in town to serve as a Juror for RiverRun and he has graciously agreed to stay on for a couple of days while we screen his latest work. He will be stopping by a/perture on Monday 4/18 and Tuesday 4/19 for a q&a session following each screening.

Check out the interview below and trailer below that:

What film do you remember from film school at UNCSA having the greatest influence on you and why?

There were a lot of movies I saw for the first time while in school.

It's hard to narrow it down to just one. For some reason the main

thing that's occurring to me is Dr. Otto and the Riddle of the Gloom

Beam starring Jim Varney. I've never actually seen this film as an

audience member, but when I was learning to project in the NCSA

archives this was one of our practice prints.

Did you know that wikipedia cites you as one of the two founders of the mumblecore movement? Can you define mumblecore for us in your own words? When you made your first film Dance Party USA did you think it would lead to a movement?

Mumblecore is odd for everyone who made Dance Party and the other two

movies as well. Though it's mentioned often in conjunction with the

movies we've made, it feels completely outside of any part of making

those movies. It was coined (apparently, I wasn't there) by Andrew

Bujalski's sound mixer in a bar in Austin, TX sometime in 2005. I

guess he made a joke about people mumbling and making sound recording

difficult. Somehow this caught on with journalists and began to be

used to describe low budget films made by people like Bujalski, Joe

Swanberg, the Duplass Brothers, and me. On the one hand it was pretty

useful with Dance Party (which we made right after graduating from

NCSA) because that movie was so small and we didn't have money to hire

a publicist or anything. Honestly, we were just happy to have people

writing about the movie we made. Beyond that though the term can feel

a little frustrating, especially because it frequently has a

pejorative slant. Fortunately I don't think it's had much impact with

Cold Weather and most of the reviews focus on the movie itself rather

than contextualizing it within mumblecore.

You've shown all of your films at SXSW so far, what is it about that particular festival that really attracts you?

My feeling is that if it wasn't for SXSW no one would have ever seen

any of my movies. Back in 2006 SXSW was the first festival Dance Party

played in and the reason it played there is because the head

programmer at the time was a guy named Matt Dentler. Matt watched

every cold submitted screener and was willing to take risks on films

and filmmakers that no one had ever heard of. Additionally Austin is a

fun city and the community of filmmakers both from Austin and there

for the festival is really great.

So Cold Weather is a mystery film, have you always been a fan of the genre and did you always want to make a mystery at some point in your career or did the story idea just come to you all at once with no regard for the genre?

I'm a huge fan of the mystery genre, particularly in book form. The

script was originally not a mystery. It was just a story about a

brother and sister living together and getting to know each other

better. At that time I happened to be reading a book (from around the

same time period as Sherlock Holmes) about a gentleman thief named

Raffles. I had been reading a lot of older crime fiction and it

started to creep into the script. At first I wasn't sure if it was a

good idea because it was totally unplanned, but then I started having

a lot of fun with it. It made a lot of sense to me to have real

characters interacting with things usually only encountered in genre

fiction.

You've gotten some pretty amazing reviews from critics like Manohla Dargis, Roger Ebert and Christy Lemire for Cold Weather..kudos...and it got picked up for distribution by IFC Films...when you were filming, did you get the vibe that Cold Weather was going to be "bigger" than your previous films?

We had a bigger budget so the production itself was on a somewhat

bigger scale. We definitely hoped that we'd get a positive response,

but mostly we wanted to make movie that we were proud of. It was

exciting that the people at IFC loved the movie and it's been great

that critics understand the film.

The poster for Cold Weather is pretty cool...did you come up with that idea? Will you sign ours?

I love the poster. Marc Ripper, who graduated with me in 2004 and

produced Dance Party designed it. He based it off of the covers of

Penguin crime paperbacks from the 60s. I will sign yours.

Do you think you might ever come back and shoot a film in Winston-Salem?

I love Winston-Salem and I'd love to shoot something there at some point.

Last question...we've heard that you like the milkshakes from Cookout...what is your go-to shake?

Cookout is one of the main reasons I love North Carolina. My favorite

shake is the peanut butter banana, but there's a ton of other good

ones as well. I'm hoping to get at least five or six while I'm in

town. I also love West End Cafe and I'm hoping to go there as many

times as possible.

hipster heartbeats

2011-04-01T15:04:00.009-04:00

For those of you who are either a part of the hipster crowd or curious about this mysterious culture, Heartbeats is the film for you. What you may ask is a hipster..here is the official wikipedia definition: In the late 1990s, the term began to be used in new, sometimes mutually exclusive ways. In some circles it became a blanket description for middle class and upper class young people associated with alternative culture, particularly alternative music, independent rock, alternative hip-hop, independent film and a lifestyle revolving around thrift store shopping, eating organic, locally grown, vegetarian, or vegan food, drinking local beer (or even brewing their own), listening to public radio, and riding bicycles.[1] Time described them as follows in a 2009 article: "take your grandmother's sweater and Bob Dylan's Wayfarers, add jean shorts, Converse All-Stars and a can of Pabst and bam — hipster."[5]

Basically Heartbeats is a hipster dramedy and here is the gist of the film: Heartbeats is a comic exploration of a romantically obsessed menage-a-trois. Part farce, part exploration of the complexity of love and desire, Heartbeats centers on two close friends, Francis (Xavier Dolan) and Marie (Monia Chokri), who find themselves fighting for the affections of the same striking young man (Neils Schneider). The more intimate the trio becomes, the more unattainable the object of their infatuation seems, sending the friends' obsession into overdrive. Directed by Xavier Dolan (whose previous film I Killed My Mother was a hit at last year's RiverRun) Heartbeats was a smashing success at the Cannes Film Festival taking home the Youth Prize. Here is a review for further encouragement to check out the film and the trailer below:

If you are really into the hipster scene after reading this blog...you should try playing hipster bingo...and don't worry we have restocked our supply of PBR in case there is a run!

Shout it loud and clear

2011-03-30T21:16:00.006-04:00

To be honest, when Lawren told me we were opening Today's Special on April 1st, I thought she was either a little off her rocker or that this was some lame attempt at an April Fool's joke. Sure I would love to see the resurrection of the childhood show that paved the way for the hit movie Mannequin and taught me wonderful life lessons from a guy in a plaid hat and a puppet security guard.

Then I learned Today's Special is actually a movie about a chef, who happens to be Indian, but has no desire to cook Indian food. When his father has a heart attack, the struggling family business needs his help and he is forced to reach for the masala. Another comedy, with The Daily Show veteran Aasif Mandvi playing the son, Samir. I was just happy to see Ajay Naidu, who played Samir in Office Space working again. Then I was sad for Hollywood and my people that every major character in films had to be named Samir. Good news is that this is another light-hearted, easy to digest film (unlike the chicken vindaloo I had the other week) that this Hollywood Reporter critic believes you must see. Check out the trailer:

Two-thirds of our staff has already requested the week off to hit the Indian buffet after watching that trailer.

L'illusionniste

2011-03-26T14:15:00.004-04:00

Today's blog was appropriately contributed by Genevieve..l'artiste...

If you found the visual storytelling and colorful characters of The Triplets of Belleville to be a nice departure from the highly-polished look of today's CGI animation, you will definitely want to catch The Illusionist. If you haven't seen Triplets and desperately need a break from the typical animation formula, you too will definitely want to catch The Illusionist.

Director Sylvain Chomet delivers an impressive visual follow-up to his earlier work in this stunning film, again not following a formulaic method of storytelling. One of the most amazing qualities about The Illusionist is the way that the scenes are at once still works of art on their own, yet at the same time, they wordlessly tell the story of an aging magician and a young fan who becomes his ward. As a French film set in France and Scotland, there is very little use of dialogue--indeed no subtitles at all. Perhaps in homage to Chaplin's Modern Times, Chomet's magician bumbles through various jobs in order to buy his young friend the things she sees in storefront windows. The characters they encounter are wildly entertaining, but also laced with a dark realism that you just don't get from Disney. Although tinged with this French existentialism, the combination of beauty, humor and reality communicated through animation is startling--and not to be missed.

Rated PG for 'mild thematic elements & smoking,' this film offers something for people of all ages, and I look forward to discussing it with young fans over the next week. (I am seriously dying to get a 5 year-old's reaction to this film!) It's spring break and there are weekday matinees just for you all! Check out the trailer:

It's so hard to say goodbye...

2011-03-16T22:08:00.004-04:00

So it's here. The day some of you thought may never come. We say "cheerio" to The King's Speech. Obviously, a lot of mixed emotions here. I have to imagine it's kind of like my parents felt when I left for college - proud of what I'd accomplished, and so used to having me around, but on the flip side, PARTY cause I was out. The only way to properly move on is with a Boyz II Men video...

Oh yeah, I guess Another Year is moving on, too, which means we have two new movies opening this Friday! And in another twist, both are actually comedic in nature. So brush off that St. Patty's Day bender with some laughs by enjoying either Cedar Rapids or Barney's Version. Ed Helms stars in the former as an insurance agent at a convention in the wonderful town of Cedar Rapids. John C. Reilly, Anne Heche, and Isaiah Whitlock, Jr. round out the cast which after typing that I can't imagine why you wouldn't want to see this. Check out the trailer and the review from its premiere at Sundance:

On the other screen, Paul Giamatti shows why he won a Golden Globe in Barney's Version, as he tells his life story and ultimately falls in love at his second wedding (but not to the second wife!). Dustin Hoffman co-stars in this Canadian film. Why do I point out that it's Canadian? Because we all know Americans laugh at everything that is Canadian, eh? I kid, I love our neighbors up north. Another trailer and review...

Bring your four leaf clovers

2011-03-16T20:56:00.005-04:00

You know, it's the little things in life that make it all worthwhile - in this case, quite literally, as a deadly little leprechaun graces our screen at a/perture in honor of St. Patrick's Day. What better way to start off your night of celebrating a traditional religious Irish holiday that's become a celebration of all things green here in the states? As your curator takes a break from "films" and watches Jennifer Aniston in The Switch, I'm amazed at how far Ms. Aniston has fallen. I tried to find a review of this movie, but when every one is from a site called "craptastic movies" or "b-movies" and the like, you know no reviewer will do this film justice, and you just have to see it to appreciate it. They wouldn't have made five more (yes, there are five others) if it wasn't quality. For your enjoyment, the trailer for one of my favorite worst movies ever.

And let's hope that this Warwick Davis leprechaun isn't the one that made the rounds in Mobile, Alabama a few years ago...

Another Year

2011-03-11T16:15:00.004-05:00

If you've seen either of the Diary of Bridget Jones films, then you are probably just as in love with Jim Broadbent, the actor who plays Bridget's dad, as I am. If that's the case, then you should venture down to a/perture this week and catch him in Another Year. Seriously, how can you resist?

Another Year can basically be summed up as a film about a married couple who have managed to remain blissfully happy into their autumn years, who are surrounded over the course of the four seasons of one average year by friends, colleagues, and family who all seem to suffer some degree of unhappiness. It's Mike Leigh's latest effort and Another Year has a similar air of melancholy to his previous films including Grown Ups and Secrets and Lies.

This is how Leigh views his films (pulled from a Salon.com interview back in 1996): "Well, I would suggest -- without being too arrogant -- that what you see in my films you mostly don't see in movies. As a kid in the '40s and '50s, I would sit in movies endlessly -- and that's mostly Hollywood and British films we didn't see any other films -- and think wouldn't it be great if you could see people in films like people actually are."

Another Year was nominated for a slew of awards including an Oscar nomination for Best Original Screenplay. Actress Lesley Manville was also critically lauded for her performance. Mark Burger from Yes!Weekly says Another Year is a film to cherish. Check out the trailer:

A rabbit in the hole

2011-03-04T10:30:00.005-05:00

So today we add another tearjerker to the lineup for Studio 2...it should be the last one for a bit, so come with your hanky if you're headed to that side of a/perture. When I left the theater after seeing Rabbit Hole, I had a similar feeling as to when I watched Terms of Endearment years ago. The subject matter may be sad, but the film is sprinkled with humor and a "light at the end of the tunnel" kind-of-feeling. Rabbit Hole is directed by John Cameron Mitchell and if you are familiar with his biggest hit Hedwig and the Angry Inch, it's really nothing like it. It's a very personal film. John Cameron Mitchell was attracted to the project because at age 14 he lost his 10 year old brother to a heart problem and he says, "It was a sudden, unexpected event. It defined a family forever and recovering from it was something we're still doing."

Nicole Kidman not only stars in the film but she produced it as well (and she was deservedly rewarded with a Best Actress Oscar nomination for her role). Another tidbit, the film is based on a very successful Broadway play written by David Lindsay-Abaire who also penned the script. Nicole read a review of the play (which happened to produce a Tony Award for star Cynthia Nixon in 2006) and her interest was immediately piqued.

Check out the trailer below and the review from Yes! Weekly.

We've also begun to weave in some amazing StoryLine recordings into our pre-show reel, so come early and listen to a local pair's inspired story of a friendship which grew out of loss.

2011 Oscar Wild Arse Guesses

2011-02-27T17:06:00.007-05:00

It's that special night again. When Lawren proves she's a better pontificator of all things gambling related when she destroys me in the 4th annual Lawren vs Jigar Oscar Predictions. Being 0-3 in this event, I've resigned myself to defeat, but Lawren claims this has been the hardest year for her predicting, which I think is just lines so that when she does get them all right she looks even smarter. Check out our picks below, and let us know how you do versus us.

But wait, there's a late entrant into the fray! Our picks have all been proven wrong by Iron Mike.

Oscar Talk with Mike Tyson & Leonard Maltin from Mike Tyson

The Pigeon Whisperer, opening at a/perture on April 31st.

Biutiful..pronounced Beeeuteeful

2011-02-24T09:58:00.004-05:00

With only a few days left until the Academy Awards, we hope you've got your ballots ready! (we'll be putting our predictions down and hope to publish them over the weekend) In keeping with our long stretch of showing nominated films, we are pleased to add Biutiful to the mix. Biutiful has garnered a nomination for Best Foreign Language Film as well as one for Best Actor for Javier Bardem's stellar performance. Biutiful is directed by Alejandro Gonzalez Innaritu whose previous films include Babel, 21 Grams and one of my favorites Amores Perros. Check out the trailer below...

Our most famous local cinephile, Dale Pollock, believes Biutiful is one of the best films of the year, so check out his Movie A Day Blog to learn why. You can also check out the review in Relish.

The Shorter Oscar Fare

2011-02-16T11:25:00.007-05:00

So it's time to roll out the red carpet again and celebrate this year's Oscar nominated films - no not the feature films we have pretty much been celebrating all year long, but the other ones...the really small gems. This Saturday, February 19 and next Saturday, February 26 we welcome back the Oscar nominated shorts - both Live Action and Animated.

As said best by our heroes at THE Alamo Drafthouse Cinema...."Just because they're short doesn't make them any less entertaining, important or meaningful. In fact, one could argue that the short film format actually makes the art of filmmaking a greater challenge, considering the microscopic budgets and the narrative limitations of time. James Cameron had 300 million dollars and 10 years to make AVATAR - these wee gems of the cinema are labors of love, not box office returns. Join us for the rare opportunity to watch the best short films of 2010 the way they were meant to be seen, on the BIG screen!"

So here is the schedule and a brief synopsis of the films:

LIVE ACTION SHORTS - 2/19 and 2/26 at 10:00am (yes, two screenings only!!)

THE CONFESSION; United Kingdom; Oscar Nominee: Tanel Toom. Quiet and sincere, 9-year-old Sam is worried about making his first confession at church. As his conscience is clear, he therefore cannot hope for any relief from the experience. He and his friend Jacob decide to remedy that situation, but their initially innocent prank turns unexpectedly tragic. (26 min.)

THE CRUSH; Ireland; Oscar Nominee: Michael Creagh. An 8-year-old schoolboy is so besotted with his teacher that he challenges her boyfriend to a duel to the death. (15 min.)

GOD OF LOVE; USA; Oscar Nominee: Luke Matheny. Lounge-singing darts champion Raymond Goodfellow finds his prayers are answered -- literally -- when he receives a mysterious package of passion-inducing darts. The catch is that the one woman he loves -- Kelly, a drummer in his band -- is already in love with Ray's best friend Fozzie, the guitarist in the band. But when Ray uses the darts in a loony scheme to resolve this strange romantic triangle, he learns a surprising lesson about unrequited love and discovers his own place in the universe. Romance is in the air in this bohemian charmer. (18 min.)

NA WEWE; Belgium; Oscar Nominee: Ivan Goldschmidt. 1994: There is civil war in Burundi, a small country of Central Africa directly bordering Rwanda. A near genocidal confrontation opposes rebels mainly composed of ethnic Hutus and a national army with a majority of Tutsis. This short film relates a sadly frequent episode of this fratricidal conflict: the attack by rebels of a minivan carrying ordinary citizens. A Kalashnikov bursts out. The bus stops, the passengers get off. An order is barked: "Hutus to the left, Tutsis to the right!" The sorting out begins. But who is a Hutu, who is a Tutsi? This story is entirely based on real people and situations. It was written by a person who has lived in the beauty of Burundi and suffered its horrors. With emotion, suspense and humor it exposes the absurdity of ethnic and racial strife. "NA WEWE" (pronounce "Na wayway") means "You too" in Kirundi. (19 min.)

WISH 143; United Kingdom; Oscar Nominees: Ian Barnes and Samantha Waite. A fifteen-year-old boy with only months to live is granted one wish from the Dreamscape Charity. But David doesn't want to go to Disneyland or meet Gary Neville; what he really wants is an hour alone with a naked woman. (24 min.)

ANIMATED SHORTS - 2/19 and 2/26 at 10:15am and 12:15pm (yes, 4 screenings only!!!) So grab breakfast on the way and bring your kids!

DAY & NIGHT; USA; Oscar Nominee: Teddy Newton. When Day, a sunny fellow, encounters Night, a stranger of distinctly darker moods, sparks fly! Day and Night are frightened and suspicious of each other at first, and quickly get off on the wrong foot. But as they discover each other's unique qualities - and come to realize that each of them offers a different window onto the same world - the friendship helps both to gain a new perspective. (6 min.)

THE GRUFFALO; United Kingdom & Germany; Oscar Nominees: Max Lang and Jakob Schuh. The magical tale of a mouse who takes a walk through the woods in search of a nut. Encountering three predators who all wish to eat him - a fox, an owl and a snake - the plucky mouse has to use his wits to survive, creating an imaginary monster who then turns out to be all too real. The voice cast includes Helena Bonham Carter, James Corden, Tom Wilkinson, John Hurt, Rob Brydon and Robbie Coltrane. (27 min.)

LET'S POLLUTE; USA; Oscar Nominee: Geefwee Boedoe. In the spirit of 50's & 60's educational films, 'Let's Pollute' is a modern satire on how pollution is our heritage and keeps our economy growing strong, while instructing us how to be better polluters for a better blighted tomorrow. (6 min.)

THE LOST THING; Australia & United Kingdom; Oscar Nominees: Andrew Ruhemann and Shaun Tan. A boy discovers a bizarre looking creature while out collecting bottle tops at the beach. Realising it is lost, he tries to find out who owns it or where it belongs, but is met with indifference from everyone else, who barely notice its presence, each unwilling to entertain this uninvited interruption to their day to day lives. For reasons he does not explain, the boy empathizes with the creature, and sets out to find a 'place' for it. (15 min.)

MADAGASCAR, CARNET DE VOYAGE (MADAGASCAR, A JOURNEY DIARY); France; Oscar Nominee: Bastien Dubois. A visual travel journal demonstrating the importance of dance, death, and traditional customs present and vibrant in the Malagasy society. (11 min.)

Additional films in the theatrical program (Not among the nominated)

URS (Moritz Mayerhofer, 10 min.)

THE COW THAT WANTED TO BE A HAMBURGER (Bill Plympton, 6 min.)

For all you parents out there here is a link to the official website and trailers for each of the animated films to find out whether they are appropriate for your child (the shorts are not "officially" rated). According to the official facebook page, the Animated films are deemed KID FRIENDLY while the Live Action are not!

Blue is the new pink to Cupid

2011-02-10T22:03:00.004-05:00

As I sat down to write this blog, probably one of the most appropriate commercials flashed up on the screen - Unstoppable. If there was ever a film that I would classify as a train wreck, like the movie about a runaway train aforementioned, Blue Valentine would be it. However, I can promise you that not many films will feel as real to you as this one, unlike the made up holiday coming up this Monday (that comment will cost me an extra dozen roses, thanks for nothing Hallmark). Michelle Williams (rightfully nominated for an Oscar) and Ryan Gosling (unrightfully snubbed for an Oscar) are a couple whose routine has made them forget what brought them together in the first place. However, this movie isn't Just Go With It where Adam Sandler probably realizes he loves his somehow plain looking Jennifer Aniston assistant instead of the ridiculously hot Brooklyn Decker (that one cost me a box of chocolates) that he's created a web of lies for. Blue Valentine is about a romance ending and how they got there. Check out the review that was in Relish this week:

Sounds like a real winner for Valentine's Day weekend, right? I'm actually going to argue that it is, as I told my wonderful and lovely wife after watching. For me, it was seeing some of the little things I was doing (intentionally or not) that mimic'd Gosling's character contributing to driving his girl away that helped me realize what I shouldn't be doing. And I think it works the same way for the ladies, so while depressing to a degree, it makes you realize what you should be doing to prove your love to the person you care about the most, and isn't that what February 14th should really be about? Wow, if that last little bit didn't make up for my anti-Valentine's day comments and discussion of another woman's hotness, I don't know what will. We'll score it back at even now. Check out the trailer and see what you think:

And in our tradition (does two times really make it a ritual??) of screening unconventional romantic movies on V-Day, we're using our strictly platonic partnership with RiverRun, the cineclub to show Oscar nominated documentary Waste Land at 8 pm on Monday. Check out their blog for some more info and go ahead and get your tickets, because every restaurant is already booked. Seriously, you're too late. I've been calling everywhere. Can someone get me a table somewhere? I guess I'm in the doghouse again. Rats.

And icing on the cake...we have blueberry lemonade cakeballs!

What happened to the other 120?

2011-02-03T21:23:00.004-05:00

So I've been gone for a little bit, and I apologize, but the reasons are threefold. First, The King's Speech has been doing all the talking for me. Sellouts left and right + more Oscar nominations than 80s samples on a Girl Talk album = too busy to write. Second, to really honor the film that opened last week that I haven't promoted enough, I wanted to come up with 127 reasons to see 127 Hours (Curator's editing note - no one wanted to read all of these, so I've got the top 7). And finally, I wanted to make sure no one passed out during its first week (SUCCESS!!).

127 - Who doesn't like Danny Boyle (Trainspotting, The Beach, 28 Days Later, Millions, and the movie that made it cool to be an Indian trivia nerd like me, Slumdog Millionaire)

76 - If you don't believe me that it's good, check out the reviews from Mark Burger at Yes! Weekly and in Relish (both gave it 3 and 1/2 stars)

69 - (Editor's note: Yes, my husband is still very immature) Hey, that scene with Mr. Franco and those two ladies jumping into the water looks vaguely familiar...

....that's me at the Homestead Crater in Midway, Utah where they just coincidentally filmed a part of 127 Hours.

29 - The good people at Great Outdoor Provision Company are being totally awesome by giving you a 10% discount on one regularly priced hiking or camping item just by showing your receipt from 127 Hours at a/perture!

26 - Sure, you know how it ends, but didn't the bazillion other people that went to see Titanic? And besides, James Franco is way cuter and funnier than Leo (blogger's note: that last sentence was added by Lawren)

19 - Did you see our facebook posts proving how cool James Franco is? His Grandmother and The Daily Show agree.

1 - All kidding aside, it is an incredibly told and acted real life story, that actually made me come out of the theater not only more appreciative of what Aron Ralston had to go through, but more thankful of everything I have. So ignore the stuff about how gross it is and how you won't be able to watch it.

Preview:

Myrtle's Speech

2011-01-21T11:23:00.012-05:00

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!

New Year, New Films

2011-01-14T11:15:00.007-05:00

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!

Best of 2010 - Part 2

2011-01-06T00:10:00.017-05:00

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!

Best of 2010 - Part 1

2011-01-01T18:20:00.007-05:00

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.

We still love you too Joe Camel

2010-12-24T14:59:00.004-05:00

It's that most wonderful time of the year. I hope all our readers are ready for the holiday, and excited to spend time with friends, family, and the like. Our son has had me calling Santa nonstop, but not to ask for more presents, for some reason to take them back. Maybe it's the start of a new tradition, where we do the returning before Christmas. I know a semi-lost tradition for Lawren's family was going to the movies on Christmas day, so if you're looking for a new one of your own to start, I can't think of a better place to go than a cute little arthouse on 4th street in downtown Winston-Salem. We're excited to be open for the holidays, still sharing the beautiful chaos that is Black Swan and opening the film I Love You Phillip Morris.

Before the town of Joe Camel gets bent out of shape, this isn't a documentary about the Marlboro man, although the lead character may have his cool and gumption. I Love You Phillip Morris is the improbable but true story of a spectacularly charismatic conman's journey from small-town businessman to flamboyant white-collar criminal, who repeatedly finds himself in trouble with the law and on the lam, brilliantly escaping from the Texas prison system on four separate occasions - all in the name of love. Jim Carrey is the conman who falls for Phillip Morris, played by Ewan McGregor. To put a pretty little bow on the Christmas theme, the movie was written and directed by John Requa and Glen Ficara, who became famous for Bad Santa.

Part of the entertainment from watching this film is knowing there was a guy out there who did in fact do this. Peter Travers of Rolling Stone agrees in his review, calling the movie "all over the place. But it's also outrageously funny." Check out the trailer below:

Just your typical love story, right? We're skipping our normal 12pm shows on Saturday so everyone can enjoy present unwrapping in peace, but it's a normal day after that. If it's not a white Christmas, at least come to a/perture for a black and white Christmas!

Happy holidays everyone!

Like this (thumbs up)

2010-12-15T21:25:00.009-05:00

If there's one thing I'm actually given credit for (still on rare occasions), it's my impeccable timing. Once again, I'm delivering here for you when we open The Social Network this Friday. Now this is a movie that has been out there for a little bit, and it's safe to say a few people saw it back then, but it's the last movie Lawren and I went to see at a place not called a/perture cinema. So when we were given the chance to show it, we jumped on it. And what happens after we announce it? Six golden globe nominations, including best drama, best actor and supporting actor, best director, and best screenplay. Oh, and Mark Zuckerberg is now Time's "Person of the Year." All because we booked the film. Christmas we'll put the theory to the test when we open Carrot Top's new movie...crap, my wittiness has been absconded just by typing the evil red head's name.

Wait a second, he looks a little like Jesse Eisenberg, no? The hair at least. Few people know this, but Carrot Top invented Myspace. That explains a lot.

So everyone knows that The Social Network is Ben Mezrich's adaptation of the story of how Facebook was founded. So is it all completely factually accurate? Probably not. Is it a great film? Absolutely. And it features a score from Trent Reznor (also a Golden Globe nominee - when did anybody think they would read that?). Here's the trailer:

Few things are creepier than a chorus of kids singing Radiohead. Now go become our fan on FACEBOOK!

Bring on the SWAN

2010-12-14T21:02:00.010-05:00

With the tame and family-friendly UNCSA production of The Nutcracker having just excited after another crowd-pleasing run, it's time to bring on Darren Aronofsky's interpretation of Swan Lake, otherwise known as (dum, dum, dum)... BLACK SWAN!!!

Many of you have been waiting patiently for this film and we are so excited that our release date was bumped forward a couple of days and will be hitting our screen this FRIDAY (12/17). It is worthy of the wait as evidenced by the numerous Golden Globe nominations it picked up early this morning...

BEST PICTURE

BEST ACTRESS - NATALIE PORTMAN

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS - MILA KUNIS

BEST DIRECTOR

Not to mention AFI picked BLACK SWAN as one of the ten best films of 2010! In case you have missed all of the buzz and the increase in TV trailers over the past week (since the film blew the pants of NY and LA), here is a brief synopsis:

Nina (Natalie Portman) is a ballerina in a New York City ballet company whose life, like all those in her profession, is completely consumed with dance. She lives with her obsessive former ballerina mother Erica (Barbara Hershey) who exerts a suffocating control over her. When artistic director Thomas Leroy (Vincent Cassel) decides to replace prima ballerina Beth MacIntyre (Winona Ryder) for the opening production of their new season, Swan Lake, Nina is his first choice. But Nina has competition: a new dancer, Lily (Mila Kunis), who impresses Leroy as well. Swan Lake requires a dancer who can play both the White Swan with innocence and grace, and the Black Swan, who represents guile and sensuality. Nina fits the White Swan role perfectly but Lily is the personification of the Black Swan. As the two young dancers expand their rivalry into a twisted friendship, Nina begins to get more in touch with her dark side - a recklessness that threatens to destroy her.

Check out the trailer below:

Another bonus, for those of you out of school or taking a holiday vacation, we've added in a matinee to our schedule for Monday thru Thursday of next week (12/20-12/23) AND we will be open both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Check out our website for our holiday showtimes!

Tamara who? Tamara DREWE!

2010-12-09T09:18:00.006-05:00

Get ready for a romp in the British countryside! Along with the seriously dramatic Client 9 and Fair Game, we will be screening Stephen Frears' riotous new comedy Tamara Drewe. Tamara Drewe is based on the graphic novel by Posy Simmonds, a famous cartoonist across the pond.

Tamara Drewe is a witty modern take on the romantic English pastoral of Tom Hardy, but the present-day English countryside—stocked with pompous writers, rich weekenders, bourgeois bohemians, a horny rock star, and a great many Buff Orpington chickens and Belted Galloway cows—is a much funnier place. When Tamara Drewe sashays back to the bucolic village of her youth, life for the locals is thrown upside down. Tamara—once an ugly duckling—has been transformed into a devastating beauty (with help from plastic surgery). As infatuations, jealousies, love affairs and career ambitions collide among the inhabitants of the neighboring farmsteads, Tamara sets a contemporary comedy of manners into play using the oldest magic in the book—sex appeal. Having seen this film a few months ago in Toronto, it really is quite amusing. For more insight into director Stephen Frears (My Beautiful Laundrette, The Queen, High Fidelity) and his take on Tamara Drewe and filmmaking in general check out this interview in FilmIndependent.

Trailer below:

We're continuing our fired up streak...

2010-12-07T22:29:00.004-05:00

It seems like we've been on a string of movies that tell a good story, but leave you a little angry afterwards. Waiting for Superman, Inside Job, Fair Game, and now we can add Client 9: The Rise and Fall of Eliot Spitzer. Documentary specialist Alex Gibney, who gave us Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room and Oscar winner Taxi to the Dark Side has hit another home run here. Opening Friday for an abbreviated term, just like Spitzer's stint as governor, we'll have to say goodbye to this one on Sunday. We've timed the run to coincide with the amount of time call girl Ashley Dupre was actually relevant. Obviously Mr. Spitzer has no one to blame but himself for his problems, but Gibney's story makes some observations that are a little more than just fishy. This movie is on the short list for the Best Documentary Oscar, and Amy Biancolli's review in the San Francisco Chronicle makes me think Gibney could get his third nomination. Check out the trailer below.

Are movie titles really fair game?

2010-12-02T13:08:00.005-05:00

Wow. If you could only see through your computer screen and truly picture the excitement as I write about the next movie coming to a/perture. How often do you get a movie that is so socially relevant and buzzed about like Fair Game? Throw on top of that the film is celebrating its 15 year anniversary of proving that Cindy Crawford was just a pretty face and Billy Baldwin had more up his sleeve than Sliver....wait a second, Lawren's trying to tell me something. What do you mean there are two movies called Fair Game? Isn't there some sort of rule that once a movie reaches a certain level of awesomeness, no one else can use that name? I'm working on a script right now, then. My movie is going to be called Star Wars. I can almost hear George Lucas's lawyers stampeding across the central United States to ring my doorbell right now.

Well, putting that minor embarrassing confusion aside, it does appear that the 2010 version of Fair Game is actually more socially relevant, given the hubub around this whole WikiLeaks thing, and a far superior movie (2010 - 80%, 1995 - 13% on Rotten Tomatoes...ouch). Naomi Watts plays outed CIA operative Valerie Plame, revealed by officials looking to discredit her husband Joe Wilson (not the "YOU LIE" one, but a former diplomat) played by Sean Penn. Yeah, I guess that cast is better than Baldwin-Crawford. Ann Hornaday of The Washington Post is a fan of how the story is told, more of a look at the toll Valerie's work takes on their marriage and home life instead of a blow 'em up spy affair, that director Doug Liman is more well known for (The Bourne Identity and Mr. & Mrs. Smith). In her own words..."Quality-starved audiences should flock to it, if only to ensure more of them get made." Methinks Ms. Hornaday would not have said the same about the previous one. Trailer below:

Hornet's Nests

2010-11-27T14:22:00.002-05:00

So we've recovered from over-stuffing ourselves with turkey and are now knee deep in The Girl who Kicked the Hornet's Nest. This is the last film in the Millennium trilogy and I'll admit it is somewhat bittersweet. We have had such a great time showing all three of the "Girl" films. These films are like the Indiana Jones series for arthouses. If you've joined us for the first two films, please make time to come see this last one (at least as of now, maybe a fourth book will materialize one of these days). If you haven't seen the first two yet, you still have time to stop by a redbox. It will be showing through Thursday, December 9. Here is a brief synopsis of the film:

In this last installment, Lisbeth Salander (Noomi Rapace) lies in critical condition, a bullet wound to her head, in the intensive care unit of a Swedish city hospital. She’s fighting for her life in more ways than one: if and when she recovers, she’ll be taken back to Stockholm to stand trial for three murders. With the help of her friend, journalist Mikael Blomkvist (Michael Nyqvist), she will not only have to prove her innocence, but also identify and denounce those in authority who have allowed the vulnerable, like herself, to suffer abuse and violence. And, on her own, she will plot revenge – against the man who tried to kill her, and the corrupt government institutions that very nearly destroyed her life.

Check out this great interview from Charlie Rose with lead Noomi Rapace:

And Mark Burger from Yes! Weekly says you won't be disappointed in how the film series wraps up.

S..T..O..N..E

2010-11-18T16:27:00.003-05:00

For a town geographically removed from movie making hubs New York and LA, Winston-Salem has its fair share of connections to the industry. In our short time being open we’ve been lucky enough to screen movies like Wesley, Burzynski, and Get Low for full theatrical runs. But if you’ve been to a/perture chances are you’ve shared an armrest with the person responsible for scribing the film we’re opening tomorrow. Angus MacLachlan gets to show his latest work Stone in his hometown and we’re proud to be the ones showing it.

Normally I’d try to arrange some sort of cutesy Q&A for the blog, but Angus has already done us one better and offered to take your questions himself, this Friday at 8pm and again on Saturday at 5:30pm! Here’s where I’ll offer my advice on interviewing, whether you want to hear it or not. The most important thing (besides seeing the movie) is doing your homework. I’ve cliff notes’ed some recent articles and reviews below for your benefit. After reading that last sentence, my third piece of advice would be to not try to make nouns verbs when asking a question. Tickets are already going fast for these showings, but if you can’t make it to one of the Q&A sessions, you owe it to yourself to see this movie anyway. Who knows, next time you come see a movie you might have to step over Angus to get to your favorite seat, and what better time to ask him where his talent comes from to be able to write two scripts that have helped some leading ladies become even more relevant in the film world (Amy Adams for Junebug and Milla Jovovich in Stone). Never mind the whole working with DeNiro and Ed Norton thing. Trailer and links below:

Mark Burger interview and review

Tim Clodfelter interview

Roger Moore interview in today's Relish!

the film that cost over $20,000,000,000,000 to make

2010-11-11T15:51:00.007-05:00

Seems as though it’s time for Jack to set sail, while the waiting continues for the ten of you who haven’t seen Waiting for Superman to do so. In all seriousness, we’re thrilled at the reaction the movie has been getting, and hope it has helped spur some interesting discourse about the education system, both about what is going right and what we can work on improving. Along those same lines, we have another documentary about another crisis, which I might argue is just as important for people to see and understand.

Inside Job tells the story of the financial crisis that has impacted each and every one of us, and explores the root causes. And I have the chance to say something I’ll probably never get to say again – we’re opening a movie starring Matt Damon! Okay, he just narrates, and I can neither confirm nor deny he breaks out a “How bout dem apples?” in a heavy Boston accent. Everybody has heard of the evils of credit default swaps and derivatives, but after seeing the movie, you can understand what you’ve been cursing for the past three years (your curator, with an MBA, can be included in that group, as she had her aha moment after seeing this film). Critics are in agreement that it’s educational and won’t put you to bed like that Intro to Accounting class did back in college. Mark Burger from Yes!Weekly thinks it may be the scariest movie all year and our local Relish says "You may think you don't want to see this. But you should."

Also, a friendly reminder that our run of movies for 6 Days in November sponsored by Suntrust starts up on Tuesday. Here’s a refresher of the schedule.

Tuesday, November 16 - OBJECTIFIED - 8pm - all tickets $10

Wednesday, November 17 - A New Dance for America - 3pm - all tickets $6.50

Thursday, November 18 - Tall: The American Skyscraper and Louis Sullivan - 3pm - all tickets $6.50

Friday, November 19 - Visual Acoustics - 3pm - all tickets $6.50

Saturday, November 20 - Patty: This is My Normal - 5pm - free

Sunday, November 21 - Movies by Movers - 8pm - all tickets $5

More big news coming soon…

Once, Twice, Three times a naming

2010-11-03T22:23:00.003-04:00

Is there anything cooler than a three named actor? Once you enter that pantheon, there is no escape. Nobody calls James Earl Jones "Jimmy" or "Earl". You have to say all three names. Billy Bob Thornton. Thomas Haden Church. Mary Louise Parker. Neil Patrick Harris. Phillip Michael Thomas aka Tubbs. I defy you to just say one of those names in-between each period alone. That last guy made it work with three first names. Friday we invite in the other trifecta'd Phillip. Mr. Seymour Hoffman. Mr. Phillip Hoffman. Mr. Hoffman. It just doesn't work!

Adding "Director" to his list of achievements along with damn fine actor, Phillip Seymour Hoffman's film Jack Goes Boating tells the story of Jack, the limo driver, as he pursues a relationship with Connie (played by Amy Ryan). Equal parts quirky, awkward, and real, the story becomes that much more believable because of the talent of the actors. Ty Burr of the Boston Globe says in his review "To appreciate Jack Goes Boating, you have to be a fan of Philip Seymour Hoffman, the indie-rock band Grizzly Bear (whose songs are all over the soundtrack), or warmhearted, working-class dramas like the 1955 Oscar winner Marty." I say if you don't like all three of those, you're not really American. Take that post election world. Enjoy the trailer, then come on down and enjoy the movie this Friday.

Zombie Fever

2010-10-29T13:33:00.010-04:00

We have made so many announcements this week, my head is swimming. But we still have one more item to plug. For the next six Sundays at 10pm, the zombies from AMC Television's new series The Walking Dead will be taking over. We've had so much fun showing one-off tv shows that we just couldn't pass up the opportunity to air a complete series. (It helps that it is on Sunday night and doesn't conflict with our regular film programming). Not to mention The Walking Dead has a film connection...it was written and executive produced by Frank Darabont...the man behind The Shawshank Redemption. Check out the review in the Wall Street Journal.

So to really go all out in honor of The Walking Dead we've got some things up our sleeve and I'll let you in on a few:

1.) Dressing up as a zombie is highly encouraged. Check out the photo below of the staged zombie invasion in London for ideas...

Even better...check out the photo of our staff decked out as a/perture zombies...

2.) For those diehards who are able to visit us for all six episodes....there will be a reward. We've created a special punch-card and if you visit our concession stand for a treat each Sunday you will get "punched." If you get all six punches, you will receive a gift card for two movie tickets, a large popcorn and two fountain drinks!

3.) Following episode 5 (November 28), we are excited to be hosting our very first ever skype q&a with former Winston-Salem resident Jeryl Prescott Sales who has a recurring role as "Jacqui" in the series. Check out our friend Tim Clodfelter's interview with Jeryl here.

4.) Ssalefish Comics is providing us with coupons to give away and a prize for the best dressed zombie (10/31 only). We'll also have some issues of the first comic in The Walking Dead series for sale.

5.)????

Hope to see your zombified face soon!

these guys said it all when they said it...

2010-10-28T21:39:00.002-04:00

intrigued...click here

It's just too heavy for Superman to lift

2010-10-26T21:38:00.001-04:00

As the father of a now three year old who has already been forced to think about where his kid is going to school, I feel pretty fortunate to have some good options here for Jake in our fair city. The documentary opening up this Friday at a/perture chronicles some kids whose opportunities could be determined by the drop of a ball. Waiting for "Superman" is the latest documentary from Davis Guggenheim, who last got the nation riled up about the environment in An Inconvenient Truth. "Superman" explores the current state of the public education system in the US, and how it is affecting our children.

I had an idea for Jake's future - I was going to head up to Atlantic City, heed Wesley Snipes's advice to always bet on black, but take it a step further because 50/50 odds are too good and put my life savings on 26 (happy birthday Jake!) to determine whether or not he gets the opportunity to make something of himself. Sound preposterous? Apparently Bill Gates and Oprah agree, and Guggenheim shares the story of five kids trying to find their future. Michael O'Sullivan of the Washington Post probably captures the urgency of the subject matter of the movie better than I do in his review. Watch this trailer and tell me you don't get a little stirred up from just this snippet:

The movie's title came from a Harlem educator's belief that Superman would fix the problems affecting his area, and while the film leaves one with the impression that we're still waiting, the optimist in me believes we're getting closer. But like any good documentary, this one gets you thinking, and kick starts the discussions that we need to be having, so don't be left out in the cold when the rest of this town is talking about this movie.

s/ix films in s/ix days

2010-10-24T13:51:00.013-04:00

We are very excited to announce our participation in the third annual Six Days in November celebration. From November 16-21, Winston-Salem will be the center of cultural and arts activity in North Carolina as we celebrate the themes of arts, crafts and innovation. Six Days will offer more than 165 arts, cultural and cutting-edge technology opportunities in the week before Thanksgiving. Just think, you'll be so busy burning calories jumping from one Six Days activity to another, you can enjoy even more turkey and stuffing this year.

a/perture will present s/ix original and ground-breaking films celebrating the theme of innovation (in addition to our regular film programming):

Tuesday, November 16 @ 8pm - Objectified

presented by DAT'S 10 - Design, Art & Technology Symposium

all tickets $10

Following the 2007 release of Helvetica, director Gary Hustwit has created Objectified as the next film in his trilogy about design. Objectified is a feature-length documentary about our complex relationship with manufactured objects and, by extension, the people who design them. Check out the trailer:

Wednesday, November 17 @ 3pm - A New Dance for America

all tickets $6.50

The story of the life and works of Doris Humphrey (1895 - 1958), a seminal figure in modern dance, is the focus of this 80-minute documentary: A New Dance for America: The Choreography, Teachings and Legacy of Doris Humphrey. Her importance to the development of a uniquely American art form cannot be overstated. She, along with other pioneers (Martha Graham, Hanya Holm, Helen Tamiris and Charles Weidman), changed forever the way dancers move, the way choreography is conceived and the way audiences look at dance.

Following the film, Robert Lindgren, founding dean of the UNCSA School of Dance will lead a q&a session. Mr. Lindgren has enjoyed a distinguished career in the field of dance and it is an honor to have him join us for this screening.

Thursday, November 18 @ 3pm - Tall: The American Skyscraper and Louis Sullivan

all tickets $6.50

It was around the turn of the last century that American architecture suddenly grew up. With the invention of the elevator, plus the development of iron and steel as construction materials, there was nothing to stop buildings from scraping the sky ' "castles in the air," they were called, skyscrapers. But how did you design a skyscraper so as to express its newness, its vertiginous height, its good ol' American know-how? Chicago's Louis Sullivan spent the better part of his career trying to answer that question, and what he came up with is the subject of Manfred Kirchheimer's documentary, Tall: The American Skyscraper and Louis Sullivan.

Friday, November 19 @ 3pm - Visual Acoustics

presented by Leonard Ryden Burr Real Estate

all tickets $6.50

Visual Acoustics celebrates the life and career of Julius Shulman, the world's greatest architectural photographer, whose images brought modern architecture to the American mainstream. Shulman, who passed away this year, captured the work of nearly every modern and progressive architect since the 1930s including Frank Lloyd Wright, Richard Neutra, John Lautner and Frank Gehry. His images epitomized the singular beauty of Southern California's modernist movement and brought its iconic structures to the attention of the general public. This unique film is both a testament to the evolution of modern architecture and a joyful portrait of the magnetic, whip-smart gentleman who chronicled it with his unforgettable images. Check out the trailer:

Saturday, November 20 @ 5pm - Patty: This is My Normal

all tickets - FREE

A 20-minute documentary from local photojournalist Martin Tucker. Patty is a hobo and has been jumping trains alone since she was thirteen. She is a fascinating woman and this film follows her around downtown Winston-Salem as she narrates her views on religion, politics, relationships and most interestingly, jumping trains.

Sunday, November 21 @ 8pm - Movies by Movers

all tickets $5

A collection of innovative shorts featuring the art of movement. Curated and including works by local filmmaker Cara Hagan, founder and director of 87 Dance Productions.

Followed by a q&a will the filmmakers moderated by Cara Hagan.

So there you have it! Hopefully you'll fancy visiting us for one or two or all six of these films. For more information about other 6 Days in November events please visit cityofthearts.com.

the quintessential allen

2010-10-21T18:54:00.004-04:00

For all of you who have been waiting patiently for the past 9.5 months for our showtimes to be in print...you are in luck. As of today, October 21, our showtimes are now appearing weekly in Relish. Proof is in the photo below:

Even better, go pick up your own copy because now not only are they available in the Thursday edition of the WS Journal, but they are also available around town throughout the week in very stylish news-racks.

Now to the films...we are holding over It's Kind of A Funny Story and Never Let Me Go for one more week for all of those who haven't been able to make it to a screening yet. On the other screen we are excited to be opening our very first (and hopefully not last) Woody Allen film, You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger. Personally, I am very excited to welcome Woody to a/perture since he is responsible for one of my more recent favorite films..Vicky Cristina Barcelona.

In one sentence You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger follows a pair of married couples, Alfie (Sir Anthony Hopkins) and Helena (Gemma Jones), and their daughter Sally (Naomi Watts) and husband Roy (Josh Brolin), as their passions, ambitions, and anxieties lead them into trouble and out of their minds. Here is a great article in Cinematical about Woody Allen and the review of the film from the New York Times. Check out the trailer below...

Coming in the next week...a ton of blogs...lots to announce...

Welcome Back Miss. Mulligan

2010-10-14T14:15:00.003-04:00

This Friday, October 15 we are very excited to welcome back Carey Mulligan to the screen. She helped open our doors this past January with her celebrated role in An Education and now she is back with her new role in Never Let Me Go. Carey is joined on screen by Keira Knightley and Andrew Garfield (currently on screen in The Social Network). Even more exciting though is that Never Let Me Go is an adaptation of the novel by one of contemporary fiction's most celebrated authors, Kazuo Ishiguro. The screenplay was adapted by novelist Alex Garland who also just happened to write a little cult classic called The Beach. These are serious credentials here. To top it off Never Let Me Go was directed by Mark Romanek whose previous film One Hour Photo gave Robin Williams the chance to play his creepiest role ever.

So enough with the resume, let's talk about the film itself. Never Let Me Go centers around Kathy (Mulligan), Ruth (Knightley) and Tommy (Garfield), who become entangled in a love triangle complicated by the fact that all three are laboratory specimens, raised in order to provide their organs to severely ill patients. Though it's subject matter is the stuff of science fiction, it is far from it. Never Let Me Go is a beautiful and tragic love story, in the old school sense. Check out the trailer below:

I was lucky enough to get a ticket to the premiere of Never Let Me Go when I was in Toronto and thought it was one of the best of this year's festival. Andrew O'Heheir from salon.com agrees and trust me he is able to capture his thoughts on paper much better than I.

Help us welcome Carey back!

Indie Heartbreaking Fun Stories

2010-10-07T23:35:00.005-04:00

The best part of this past week's Glee (from a non-fan's perspective)...was that this preview came on...

My man crush on Zach has been well documented, so you may be thinking to yourself "why should I trust this dude?" Well, the rest of the world is catching on. Check out USA Today for an article about Mr. Galifianakis. While he's not the focus of the film It's Kind of a Funny Story, I can only hope it will be his Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, convincing the rest of the world he's more than a pager carrying wolfpack of one. If you don't get that joke, stop reading now and watch The Hangover. Seriously, I'll wait...

Alright, as you can see from the trailer, the movie's a look into an overstressed teen, both through internal and external forces, who ends up in a psych ward. Entertainment Weekly's Lisa Schwarzbaum's review gives you a little more insight, and as a movie that Lawren and I were lucky enough to see in Toronto, I have to agree. I never thought I'd see the words John Hughes and psych ward drama in the same sentence, actually making sense. Throw in a score from Broken Social Scene, the protagonist Keir Gilchrist's parents played by Jim Gaffigan and Lauren Graham, Julia Roberts's niece, the daughter of Lenny Kravitz and Lisa Bonet, and the scribes of Half Nelson, and how can you say no?

But that's not all we have to offer this week. How about Johnny Depp's real life wife, trying to have her pending nuptials sabotaged by a debonair Frenchmen? Keep your undergarments on ladies, Johnny Depp isn't in this movie, but Romain Duris could be a more than capable substitute. Here's the Los Angeles Times review, and the trailer.

Who says indie movies can't be fun and light-hearted?

So long summer...

2010-10-03T22:09:00.008-04:00

Now that we have crossed over into October and it looks like the 90 degree days are behind us, I thought it would be appropriate to post some of the extracurricular highlights of our summer.

A visit from Camp Jump Start who enjoyed a screening of The Triplets of Belleville

We had three separate visits from YMCA day camps, below are students from Philo Middle

Our youngest patrons enjoyed Kirikou & the Sorceress

Jigar with director Richie Mehta at the RiverRun & AFI Project 20/20 screening of Mehta's film Amal

It was a great summer and expect this Fall to be even better....

I'm all out of love...

2010-09-30T21:23:00.005-04:00

Gentlemen, tired of the movies slanted towards the double x chromosomes your female counterparts have been dragging you too? Me too. Redemption is on hand. This weekend, Guy Pearce is a cop, hunting down the most vicious family since the Tanners from Full House (I stand by my theory that this family was the most evil entity ever...twins who pretend to be one kid? A ventriloquist with a woodchuck? KIMMY GIBBLER?!??!?!) in Animal Kingdom. But wait, ladies, it has Guy Pearce, who's absolutely dreamy (and he's sporting a mustache). Something for everyone! Except your kids, take them to our other studio to watch Mao's Last Dancer. Wait, that does mean we have something for everyone.

This has the feel of another movie we showed a couple of months back, Un Prophete, another gritty gangster movie, that was phenomenal but sparsely attended. I take full blame, but this time it's on you if you miss this gem. The reviews in Relish from the Winston-Salem Journal and Mark Burger in Yes! Weekly agree with me. Don't be left by yourself on the wrong side of the street. See this movie. Preview below:

Air Supply in the previews...another win for both males and females.

Annual pilgrimage to Toronto...

2010-09-29T21:29:00.009-04:00

So I have been back from my annual expedition to the Toronto International Film Festival (okay it was only the second time, but I hope to make it yearly) a little over a week and now that I have caught up on most of my emails and cleared my head...I'm ready to get my thoughts down in a blog.

My mom accompanied me for part of the trip and Jigar joined me for a couple of days towards the end. I saw some really remarkable films and had a whirlwind time this year. I was able to meet some other industry folks and do a bit of networking for a/perture. I enjoyed every single minute!

Here are my thoughts in list form, same categories as last year:

Longest time spent in line: 1.5 hours for Dhobi Ghat. Dhobi Ghat is Aamir Khan’s new film and if you don’t know who Aamir Khan is think Tom Cruise on the Indian subcontinent. A mad frenzy of devoted fans greeted Mr. Khan on his arrival…it was pure chaos. My in-laws were super-impressed.

Buckets of popcorn consumed: more than last year….in fact some of it tasted like it was leftover from last year.

Coolest Q&As: there were actually a lot more at this year’s festival. Directors and cast were more available and were totally stoked to talk about their films. Here were some highlights:

1.) Tom Hooper, director of The King’s Speech, who brought along Colin Firth and Geoffrey Rush…What can I say, The King’s Speech is my pick to win the Best Picture Oscar, so just imagine how excited the audience was and how engaging the talent was as a result.

2.) Stephen Frears, director of Tamara Drewe, who brought along Gemma Arterton and Dominic Cooper. Stephen Frears is perhaps the funniest man alive. He had the audience in stitches. I fantasize about Mr. Frears coming to attend a q&a at a/perture when we open Tamara Drewe.

3.) Never Let Me Go - Carey Mulligan, Andrew Garfield, author Kazuo Ishiguro, screenwriter Alex Garland (author of a great little book called The Beach) and director Mark Romanek were all in attendance. The film was simply beautiful. I have to admit that I didn’t read the novel, but judging by the audience reaction they really thought the adaptation lived up.

Biggest surprise hit: Dirty Girl – honestly I could just sit and watch this loveable film over and over again. Juno Temple (you may remember her from Atonement) and newcomer Jeremy Dozier play unlikely friends in this quirky love story/comedy/salute to the Midwest in the eighties. Director Abe Sylvia is definitely one to keep an eye on.

Celebrity sightings: So we lucked out this year and got hooked up with an invite to a Fox Searchlight party honoring some of their films…here is just a sampling of who we were in the same room with: Vincent Cassel(swoon), Danny Boyle, Maria Bello, Michael Sheen, Minnie Driver, Tony Goldwyn, Hillary Swank, Andrew Garfield (who you can check out soon in Never Let Me Go).

Best photo-op: my mom at the Fox Searchlight party…don’t we look like celebs

New favorite song: I actually have two favorite soundtracks this year…Submarine, featuring music by Alex Turner of the Arctic Monkeys & It’s Kind of a Funny Story with some great songs from Broken Social Scene

Number of visits to Starbucks for coffee: at least a dozen

Number of visits to Starbucks for free wifi: none because my iphone was telling me Toronto had “free wifi”…not true…should have stuck with Starbucks

World Premieres: Black Swan…. pretty amazing being there with Darren Aronofsky, Natalie Portman and Vincent Cassel (swoon again). It didn’t matter that we were sitting up practically in the sky watching the film.

Films I hope to bring to a/perture: (click on title for link to film's website)

1.) The King’s Speech – finger’s crossed that it stays in the arthouse circuit!!!

2.) Made in Dagenham – this is just genuinely a fun and uplifting film based on a true story – and I am totally calling Sally Hawkins to be nominated for Best Actress…her performance was pitch-perfect.

3.) Tamara Drewe – don’t really have to hope since we already have it booked for November…did I mention this is an ensemble piece with a great supporting cast?

4.) Dirty Girl – William H. Macy, Mary Steenburgen and Dwight Yoakam are also cast-members.

5.) Beautiful Boy – Maria Bello and Michael Sheen give riveting performances as two grieving parents. The film is by first time director Shawn Ku and at the q&a Maria Bello said that he was honestly the best director she had ever worked with. We saw Shawn Ku on his way out at the airport and he was super nice and humble and just impressed me even more…

6.) SUPER - Rainn Wilson and Ellen Page play superheroes in this dark “live-action” comedy…sold? The animation in the title sequence is a bonus and is brought to you by some of the folks responsible for Yo Gabba Gabba…thank you so much to IFC films for picking up this gem.

7.) Client 9: The Rise and Fall of Eliot Spitzer – this documentary by director Alex Gibney is insightful, engaging, humorous and above all timely.

8.) 127 Hours – based on the true story of mountain climber Aron Ralston, the man who was forced to self-amputate his arm. Director Danny Boyle and James Franco, who plays Ralston, hold nothing back.

9.) Black Swan – how could I pass up the opportunity (if I am lucky enough) to bring a Darren Aronofsky film to a/perture? Barbara Hershey (star of one of the best films ever made - Hoosiers) is superb in the role of Natalie Portman's mother.

10.) Rabbit Hole – how could I pass up the opportunity (if I am lucky enough) to bring a John Cameron Mitchell film to a/perture? Nicole Kidman and Aaron Eckhart are perfectly cast and have great on-screen chemistry. This film is nothing like Hedwig and the Angry Inch… which really goes to show you how talented Mitchell is.

11.) Life, Above All – this film was just nominated to represent South Africa in the Foreign Language Oscar race. I predict it makes the short-list at least. It takes a real and honest look at how AIDS affects one family in rural South Africa.

12.) It’s Kind of a Funny Story – opening October 8!!!! starring Jigar's man-crush Zach Galifinakis.

13.) Never Let Me Go – opening October 15!!!

Film I will never in a million years bring to a/perture: Julia’s Eyes

Films with the most buzz that I wish I could have seen: Inside Job, Heartbeats, Barney’s Version, Of God’s and Men, Incendies and Blue Valentine... just to name a few...

Proof that Jigar was in attendance....Benihana in Toronto...where Jigar took me for my birthday dinner...

History 101

2010-09-22T22:59:00.005-04:00

After four weeks, we will be saying so long to Get Low. We are thrilled to say that Get Low has been our biggest hit so far - thanks to all of you who came to see the film! (Actually, if you happen to read this blog tomorrow, you still have one more chance to see it - LAST CALL Thursday 9/23 @ 5:40).

On the other hand, if you are ready for something new, here we go (opening Friday, September 24):

If you have ever dreamed of becoming a spy, were a die-hard Alias fan, or are a history buff, FAREWELL (l'affaire Farewell) should be right up your alley. Farewell is the formerly top-secret true story of two men, a Frenchman and a KGB colonel, who smuggled Soviet secrets to the West and helped, as the film's foreword phrases it, put an end “to a world dominated by two opposing powers.” Todd McCarthy (Variety) said about the film, "Astonishing…like any good thriller, this is the story of deceptions within deceptions. It’s juicy, fascinating stuff." If you need further evidence check out Lawrence Toppman's review in The Charlotte Observer. Are you intrigued? (trying to throw as much spy lingo in here as I can), check out the trailer below:

Farewell will only be screening thru September 30, so don't miss it..but please leave your night-vision goggles at home.

On the other screen we are showing another side of history with MAO'S LAST DANCER - a drama based on the autobiography by Li Cunxin. At the age of 11, Li was plucked from a poor Chinese village by Madame Mao's cultural delegates and taken to Beijing to study ballet. In 1979, during a cultural exchange to Texas, he fell in love with an American woman. Two years later, he managed to defect and went on to perform as a principal dancer for the Houston Ballet and as a principal artist with the Australian Ballet. Mao's Last Dancer is also RATED PG, so moms and dads it is truly a family-friendly film. It screened at RiverRun this past year to rave reviews and Mark Burger agrees in this week's Yes!Weekly review. Check out the trailer below and then save a spot on your calendar to come see the film:

So there you go...hope you're ready for your history lesson.

Green can mean free, too!

2010-09-21T21:29:00.004-04:00

Quick - what's more awesome than free movies? Free movies with a little bit of conscience! We were lucky to be approached by Go Expo, happening this Saturday, September 25th at the Benton Convention Center, to program some educating entertainment. Curator Lawren Desai has picked four films that should entertain and give you a little something to think about. No Impact Man and So Right, So Smart will screen at a/perture at 10 a.m., and The Greening of Southie and The End of Suburbia will be showing on the green screen at the Go Expo at 3 p.m. in the upper level of the convention center. More information about all the screenings can be found on the movie portion of Go Expo website, and the trailers are below!

No Impact Man

So Right, So Smart (shown at RiverRun!)

The Greening of Southie

The End of Suburbia

Don't miss out! Did I mention it's all free!

Rock the Docs and the Block

2010-09-14T09:07:00.003-04:00

If there's anything I've learned from my almost three year old son, it's that whining, kicking, and screaming can eventually get you what you want. So after a year of repeatedly holding my breath until my face turns blue, Lawren finally agreed to let me accompany her to Toronto for a portion of the trip. Baby steps. I'll work on the whole time next year.

She's been MIA for awhile, but we'll both be back in time for a full slate of movies at a/perture this weekend, as well as our previously mentioned shorts during Rock the Block with Chris Paul. People are loving Get Low and Cairo Time, so if you've missed out don't let these escape without catching them. To bring back the rarer than rare quadruple feature, we've got two documentaries coming in, Jean-Michel Basquiat: The Radiant Child and Winnebago Man. Both films about interesting people, The Radiant Child is about artist Basquiat, as told by friend Tamara Davis, and Winnebago Man is about reluctant internet sensation Jack Rebney.

Some of you may recognize the Basquiat film, as it has played at a/perture, but as part of the RiverRun International Film Festival. Mary Dalton, head of the Documentary Film Program at Wake Forest University, saw the film then and wrote this review. Local critic Matthew Lucas, who writes for the Davidson County paper The Dispatch, as well as on his own blog (which I highly recommend checking out on a regular basis - he sees A LOT of films), had both docs on his not so mainstream top 10 movies of the summer list. Stephen Holden of the New York Times seems to share in both of our local critic's enjoyment, in his Winnebago review here and his Basquiat review here. As the trailers below confirm, sometimes the truth can be more interesting than fiction.

I should pack now, eh?

Insert joke about time here

2010-09-10T13:56:00.003-04:00

After a week of holdovers, Lisbeth Salander must make haste and get ready to kick a hornet's nest, so we bring in Cairo Time to move in next to Get Low. Almost every review I read had to make mention of making time to see Cairo Time, and while true, the cheesiness overpowered my normally sharp wit, resulting in a less than stellar subject. Please forgive me.

Let's focus on the more important thing, the movie, the actors, and the scenery. Like our recent smash I Am Love, the geography and scenery are more than an afterthought, and is almost another character in the story. Bring in Academy Award nominee Patricia Clarkson and Lawren's new crush Alexander Siddig and you just have to make time to see this movie. Drats, I did it too. Here's a review from someone who was able to eschew the cliche, Ann Hornaday of the Washington Post. And the trailer as well.

rtb w a/ptr

2010-09-07T19:38:00.008-04:00

So one of the great things about our location on 4th Street is that we get to be front and center for this year's annual ROCK THE BLOCK on September 18. Because we want to celebrate with all the other 29,995 attendees, we are opening up our doors (for a small entrance fee of $1 for adults and $0.50 for kids) and screening two very special shorts, running continuously ...all..day..long (okay maybe just from 11am to 5pm). We hope to get some new folks in the door and provide a respite from all the craziness happening out on the street. Here's the scoop on the films:

short #1: Way Home - a film by Erick Oh

Way Home is a story featuring a fly, a dung beetle, and a farmer. Enough said...this film is animated, kid-friendly and 9 minutes long. To check out the trailer please visit Erick's cool website.

short #2 - Un Certain Regard a film by Geraldine Maillet and produced by Winston-Salem's very own Iana Dontcheva!!!

Un Certain Regard can be summarized in the following way: summertime. a city park. a man locks eyes with a mysterious woman. a seduction game begins, both comic and dramatic. This film is 7 minutes long and though more for adults it is definitely kid-appropriate.

Considering this is the extent of our participation last year,

we've come a long way and we are very excited to be in business for this annual event. Our regular films will pick back up after 5pm on 9/18 so you really could spend all day downtown at RTB if you wanted to. Who knows maybe we can even convince Chris Paul to come check out a flick?

See you on Sept 18!

Make room for The Room

2010-08-31T22:41:00.003-04:00

Kristen Bell. David Cross. Paul Rudd. Jonah Hill. Tim and Eric from the Tim and Eric Awesome Show. Winston-Salem, you can join the aforementioned celebrities and the masses of people who have fallen under the spell of the trainwreck awesomeness that is The Room, screening at a/perture this Friday, September 3rd at 10:20 pm. It's like the film version of reading this blog! This event should play more like Mystery Science Theater 3000 than Masterpiece Theater, so come prepared to do a little heckling and just have a good time. Looking for some background and guidelines for watching this? Check out the Entertainment Weekly article about the cult following here, and then head over to The Onion to study up on their viewer's guide. And here's the trailer to help you decide if you're ready.

If you're up to the challenge, advance tickets are available at the box office (regular prices - $8.50 for adults, $7.00 for students/seniors...although by the looks of this, most of those $7 tixs will not be sold to our more experienced audience members...).

Lowdown on Get Low

2010-08-29T23:11:00.005-04:00

It seems that the word is already out about our latest film to open, Get Low. You all came out in droves this past weekend, restoring my faith in humanity. The other good thing about this movie...I actually got to contribute something cool - according to Lawren. While I said a few months back that the only thing Dalton, Georgia was good for was carpet, a fellow Catamount has made me a liar. Lori Beth Edgeman has been acting for over ten years (check out her IMDB page), actually has a role in Get Low, and even after reading the blog agreed to do a little Q&A with us.

My little sister is a fellow alumnus of the Dance Theater of Dalton, so I know all too well the annual performance of The Nutcracker, and understand you had the honor of being the first “Clara” in Dalton’s history. Did that experience, along with multiple years of being on stage help light the fire to get into acting?

I grew up on stage, performing at five years old as a singer. Being on stage has just been a part of me for so long, that dancing was just another thing that led me down the road. I ended up in NYC after graduation, thinking I would be a professional dancer, but I realized that it wasn’t going to happen. I came back to Atlanta and pursued college, took some acting classes in between, and worked on that craft. Doors started flying open for me during my first year in acting, and I was able to land a part in a Robert Altman film.

With a steady stream of credits dating back 10 years on your IMDB page, what has been your secret to continually snagging parts?

Steady growth, moments where it’s busier than others, but there are times where I was ready to quit. You have to stick it out there and hope something bites. It’s like a war out there searching for opportunities, you feel like you’re always putting on the battle suit. I am continually looking for opportunities to stretch and grow as an actress.

How do you keep yourself busy when you are not working with films?

I have a wonderful job teaching at the Dance Theater of Dalton, as a jazz instructor for company girls (in middle and high school) and also get to work with the younger girls. I also have a home studio where I do voice and acting instruction two days a week. I’m excited to be able to provide that opportunity in Dalton to kids, as I would have loved to have had that chance when I was younger. Working with kids, I am also able to use my degree in Education.

Any projects in the pipeline that we can get excited about maybe showing at a/perture?

I have a small role in a Robert Redford movie, The Conspirator. I was cast as a southern actress., but ended up being one of the Union supporters, which didn’t really work. Robert Redford came up to me and told me to “lose the accent”. They asked if I could do it, tried, and thankfully pleasantly surprised them, so that was nice.

In 50 words or less, describe the movie Get Low.

Amazing acting, beautiful cinematography, southern movie at its best, nails the understanding of the eccentricity of the characters.

In 10 words or less, convince our readers they should come see the movie this weekend.

Besides the stellar cast, everybody who was part of this film was amazing at what they were doing. Also, it’s a great opportunity to support the south.

I totally went over there – how about this? Because it’s really, really brilliant.

Tell us a little about your character and how she fits into the story.

Lucas Black runs the funeral home with Bill Murray. I play Lucas’s wife, helping to establish his back story as young husband/father. Friends with Sissy’s character as well, help develop that story as well.

I am sure you have been asked a million times now what it was like working with Robert Duvall, Bill Murray, and Sissy Spacek, among others, so I’ll flip it – how do you think they felt about working with you?

Who the heck knows! I hope they enjoyed my company and that I didn’t get in their way. I was amazed at how gracious they were and really sat back and enjoyed their craft.

I saw where you were able to attend the Toronto International Film Festival last year, as Get Low was one of the special screenings (2010 edition coming up in a few weeks!). What was that experience like? Out of curiosity, did your husband get to go? Just wanted a frame of reference for me being left behind (for the second consecutive year).

I was mostly the unknown, everybody was kind and gracious, which they didn’t have to do. I got to experience the parties and the red carpet - it was a fun celebration for all of us. After filming and hanging out in February and March to come together in September, and be bought by SPC a few days later, was amazing and well deserved for everyone. I actually went with my sister-in-law, so no help for you there.

Be honest, do you even remember who I am from Dalton, or did you immediately pick up the phone to get a restraining order when I blindly reached out to you?

I did not get a restraining order, but I did have to look you up. As a senior it's hard to remember the freshman, but when someone says they are from Dalton, I’m ready to help however.

Your thoughts on having a funeral party while still alive?

I think it would be kind of fun! Hope it’s not for Felix Bush’s reasons, but just to get together with all the people you love would be a blast.

Move over Charlie Rose, here I come.

Teach them well and let them lead the way

2010-08-25T22:13:00.005-04:00

We believe the children are the future, so we make every attempt to teach our staffers more than how to make perfect popcorn and scrape gum off seats (shame on you people who have never heard of wrappers and trash cans). I'm turning the blog over to our latest staffer to move on to other things, this time Eva Hill who is headed back to school at Elon University. However, as the old adage goes, this is more "see you later" than "goodbye", as she just couldn't get enough and will be back random weekends and holidays and we're hoping next summer. Who else is going to entertain us like this?

On to her own words (with possible editor comments in italics)...

This summer, I was given the opportunity to hold a part-time job at a/perture cinema, and with that opportunity, I developed an even greater appreciation of the film industry than I held before. Working at a/perture was not only a chance for me to learn more about film, but it also gave me insight into the theatre business and the distribution process.

As a Journalism major, this experience has provided me with an insight into various areas of communications, as well as press and public relations processes. I was able to get to know people who share my passion for film, and establish friendships with some very talented folks.

On a more academic note, working at a/perture introduced me to many possible careers in film that I had never considered. Being able to work with Lawren, who kept me informed with the film process, gave me insight into the business and allowed me to learn more about the financial aspects.

I thoroughly enjoyed my time at a/perture, and am very thankful that I had the chance to be an employee and work with such wonderful people!

I doubt I would have been able to have these valuable experiences at a larger, more commercial theatre. Since a/perture is an independent movie theatre, I was able to learn more about the film business, and the importance of being a part of the community.

I’m sure I’ll miss the friends I made and being surrounded by wonderful movies, but I hope to come back and work from time to time.

Also, I’ll go back to school having had a wonderful summer of films, friends, and cakeballs!

And Jigar is the coolest, funniest, smartest human being alive....it's really not fair to the rest of the human race.

Two girls you wouldn't want to meet in a dark alley

2010-08-18T22:04:00.004-04:00

Can we talk? about the new movies opening up this weekend as we get ready to start a new decade in this latest millennium at a/perture. I've littered the opening sentence with clues, and I imagine if you've ever watched the Oscars or read the most popular books in the last, oh, forever, you know what I'm talking about. Lisbeth Sandler returns in the second installment of the Millennium Trilogy, The Girl who Played with Fire, and even scarier Joan Rivers tells her story in Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work. Am I the only one who didn't realize Joan was the female Bob Saget?? (Youtube "Bob Saget half baked" at your own risk.) Even I blushed listening to some of her stuff, but it was still supremely funny. In honor of the fall movie issue and having that Harry Potter kid on the cover, I've culled reviews for both movies from Entertainment Weekly. Owen Gleiberman gave both of them better grades than I ever got in Chemistry while at college, scoring Dragon with a "B+" and Joan with an "A". An honor roll weekend!

But wait, there's more! We're bringing back the tattoos for people who buy concessions, and Lawren's getting in on the tattoo for a sellout action. We'll get matching dragon tattoos if there are four sellouts in the first weekend. So feel free to spread out your viewing of this film this weekend. After you see it, check out our blackboard for a trivia question to enter to win

THE GIRL WHO PLAYED WITH FIRE SWEDISH PRIZE PACK

which includes:

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo - DVD
The Girl who Played with Fire - Book
Gift Certificate for a copy of The Girl who Kicked the Hornet's Nest from Barnhill's - www.onlyatbarnhills.com - 811 Burke Street
Gift Certificate for a Swedish Massage from European Touch Day Spa in Reynolda Village - www.european-touch.com
$25 Ikea Gift Card
Swedish Fish!!!
And maybe we'll throw in another surprise or two...

Get excited about the trailers!

When David Fincher reinvents these Girl movies (for people who don't like to read), make sure you're able to be extra snooty about it and tell everyone you saw the originals.

The Pick Up Artists

2010-08-16T21:05:00.009-04:00

So our first special screenings of the soccer pick-up documentary, Pelada, begin tomorrow. It's only here for a limited time (Tuesday and Wednesday at 2pm and 8pm, and Thursday at 2pm) so don't miss the boat on this one. This has been a film that people see, then tell all their friends about, and then people are rushing to catch the last shows or miss it altogether. Since I care for you, I'm trying to get you to avoid that last part. Just make your plans and come see this film.

We were fortunate enough to get one of Pelada's directors/cinematographer, Rebekah Fergusson, to spend some time talking about the film, as well as some other random subjects. Rebekah played at Duke, which I tried not to hold against her until she brought Coach K into the conversation (I kid, but in order to defend this blog's Wake honor - I'm challenging you, Rebekah, to some foosball right now - if you're ever in Winston, you can find me popping the popcorn). Read on for some enlightening answers, and check out the trailer as well.

Give us an original synopsis of Pelada (ie, you have to come up with some way to describe it that hasn’t been used before):

Pelada is about two soccer players who have been heartbroken by the end of their playing careers who figure they can uncover one last adrenaline from the game, so they take off with soccer as their passport, in an effort to understand their relationship to the game and to explain the phenomenon of why people play around the world. Playing with prisoners, betting on games with moonshiners in Nairobi, uncovering games in the ghettos of Buenos Aires, chasing myths of Bolivian Mennonites and Chinese Monks. Their ability to play soccer affords them intimacy to all of these stories around the world, where the stakes are more raw than NCAA championships and pro contracts. For them it makes the game real again. But the story isn't just their process of realization, it's about the little moments around the world that do poetic justice to why this game is so prevalent. Moments like a Brazilian waiter carefully sliding a pinny over his head with a cigarette stuck in his mouth, kids with Kaka jerseys on clinging to the fence watching the adults take each other on, guys hurrying to the courts to get an hour of play in after 12 hours in the office, prisoners playing around the clock to stave off thoughts of running away, women playing in hijab in Iran while guys stop to watch--moments that happen around the game, but that reveal larger stories underneath.

Did you play in any of the pick-up games (off-camera) during the course of filming Pelada?

Every once in a while Ryan and I would get our moments of glory to jump into a few pick up games. In Mendoza, Argentina after a night of grilling every type of meat imaginable and drinking red wine with winemakers, the soccer ball came out at about midnight. We ended up playing in the pitch black vineyard, barely able to see our teammates and the goals. Ryan and I were getting egged on by all the guys who thought we were just camera people. I think a little bit of footage of this actually exists but I'm pretty sure we were all just specks in darkness....and as someone who definitely prefers to be behind the camera, I'm perfectly fine with that.

What are you favorite memories of the entire process of filming Pelada?

To actually get out and take a chunk of time to travel is one of the most amazing experiences. When I look back, it's things like renting a car and navigating our way out of Montevideo, Uruguay to beautiful countryside and spending a day with Gauchos in the middle of nowhere, standing over the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa, going on a hike to pick cherries in the Italian countryside, racing up different buildings in downtown Tokyo to find the best views of the city's rooftop courts. A lot of it is that....just being able to see all these different things in 3D, but a lot of it is meeting the people. Everywhere we went people were so generous to us. We'd end up invited somewhere after the games because it was incomprehensible to them to not take in these grungy travelers and give us some sort of sustenance, and trade stories. We'd share post game beers with the old guys in Brazil, caipirinhas with the guys on the beach after the hailstorm, brew up huge pots of rice and beans with all the guys from Mathare, drink warm Fanta and Coke with the prisoners in La Paz. I know it sounds a little bit cheesy but these moments reminded us that we were chasing the right story.

How did you all decide which countries and cities and neighborhoods to visit in the course of filming?

Deciding on countries was definitely a drawn out process. Everything was on the table in the beginning and slowly we would determine what we could afford, where we had friends and family that we might be able to stay with, and where we thought we could find really interesting stories. We wanted to have a combination of soccer superpowers like Brazil and Germany, but we also wanted to see places that weren't necessarily known for their football. As the film went on, I think it became really important for us to see the world...or as much of a cross section of it as we could. It became really important for us to see a place like Iran as well...a place that is so hotly contested, and negatively stereotyped in the American Media.

So you grew up in Charlotte right? Anything you miss about the Queen City and North Carolina?

It's tough being so far away from my family, and a lot of my friends so I try to get back as much as I can. When I do, I end up all over the state trying to soak it all in...hitting up favorite restaurants, getting some good BBQ, sitting on the front porch, catching up on ACC basketball, and watching an afternoon thunderstorm. I still have a room full of stuff at my mom's house in Charlotte so I think the door will stay open for a bit.

What has Pelada meant to you personally?

I think it's pretty hard to separate my life from Pelada at this point. What got me into documentary film in the first place was the idea of capturing the stories I was seeing around me (at that time mainly on the soccer field). My last year at school, I was working on a short film about soccer obsessed college players figuring out what to do with their lives once they graduated so filming Luke and Gwendolyn's story of soccer heartbreak/rebirth/discovery was a vicarious thing for me. At the same time, during that whole process of traveling and filming and editing, I really got taken in by a new passion of being behind the camera. It was an incredible, sometimes painful, learning process that cemented my love for documentary film. Like any other filmmaker, or writer, or artist, or athlete...it was something that we all sacrificed a lot for. The four of us lived and breathed the film, from traveling to a new country every week, shamelessly asking for money from our friends and families, dubbing tapes through the night in Iran to make sure we made it out with our footage, editing all day in our bedrooms on borrowed computers, to eating PB and Js and couch surfing in L.A. to save money. I feel really lucky to have gone through that process and have a film that we are all really proud of.

Do you still play in pickup games?

I moved to San Francisco about six months ago...and while I have been getting back into the Adult League scene, I haven't had a chance to find the good pick up games. Life has also gotten a lot busier, so finding the time has been hard. But I do vow to get back out there!

Left, right, or center on a penalty kick? High or low?

My dream PK was always a stutter step chip over the keeper slightly right of center as he dove left, but to be honest I'm not that great of a PK taker. It's sad but I buckle a bit under the pressure.

Greg Paulus played basketball at Duke, and American Football at Syracuse. Could he have hacked it as a soccer player?

That's a tough question, he probably would make a good defender. I think I'd rather go with Grant Hill, Kyle Singler, maybe even Shane Battier. I bet that Coack K could figure out a way to take a soccer team to a National Championship.

How do your soccer skills translate to foosball?

I can defend the goal in foosball pretty well, but I don't really have the snappy strongarm shot that whips across the whole table. But as with most bars games, I think I get a little bit better with a beer or two.

The Real Dark Knight

2010-08-11T22:16:00.003-04:00

We've had a couple of good weeks with our latest movies, Winter's Bone and Coco and Igor, and I'm taking full credit for their success, since they coincide with my new weekly blogging endeavor. Let's see if I keep the streak going with this week's new entrant into the ring, Harry Brown. First off, how can you go wrong with Michael Caine. Our good friend and Yes! Weekly scribe Mark Burger's man-crush on Mr. Caine is only rivaled by my own for Zach Galifianakis. Suffice it to say, he enjoyed the film. But he's not the only one - our own curator said "Michael Caine was da bomb! I can't imagine anyone else pulling off this role!". In honor of Sir Michael, I went across the pond for a review as well, and The Times gave it 3 stars (out of 5), using words and phrases only a Brit could pull off to describe the film, like "septuagenarian", "emetic bile", "assiduous avoidance", and "wanker". Ok, I just put that last one in because it makes me giggle to say and see in print.

If Caine's resume and the reviews aren't enough to make you a believer, check out the trailer below - Rambo meets Cocoon? This one probably isn't for you if you have a weak stomach or are easily offended.

Wow, Batman's butler seems just as annoyed as the rest of us for having to put up with Christian Bale's horrible voice. That or he was on the receiving end of Bale's famous Terminator rant, and wouldn't take it anymore. I'm just happy we're showing another movie dudes can be proud to drag their better halves to, as opposed to the usual other way around.

Cuckoo for Coco & Igor

2010-08-05T13:45:00.004-04:00

Sometimes it feels like indie film is a little small town where everyone's connected somehow. We're bidding a fond adieu to Micmacs this weekend, to say bienvenue to Coco Chanel & Igor Stravinsky. So how does this break down on the Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon scale? Micmacs was directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet, who also directed Amelie which helped make Audrey Tatou a household name, who played Coco Chanel in Coco before Chanel, which as the name indicates is Coco's story before she became the best smelling woman in France, or a designer. I'm bad with history like that. Coco & Igor picks up a little later in her life, bringing in the story of composer Igor Stravinsky and explores their "relationship". I put the term in quotes, since they begin a romantic tryst when Igor AND HIS WIFE AND KIDS move into Coco's place. It's just like Three's Company set in France! I'm guessing this trailer below will dispel that notion...

Full disclosure here, this is a movie that's received mixed reviews among critics, but they do agree that this is a visually appealing and well acted film, not unlike our recent smash I Am Love, and fashion is involved so the costuming (is that a word?) has been compared to The Young Victoria. Roger Ebert was a fan, as evidenced in his review here, and Kirk Honeycutt of The Hollywood Reporter calls the movie "a sumptuous re-creation of '20s France and the mad affair between two of the century's most iconic figures". Here's another time I wished I worked as a tag line developer for movies. My first revelation was with the truck driving tour de force Black Dog - "Patrick Swayze...Randy Travis...and Meatloaf...you'll come back for seconds." Had I been given the opportunity for this one, it most definitely would have been "Igor crazy for Coco's Puffs!"

And now you know why I am a financial analyst.

7UP

2010-08-03T22:04:00.006-04:00

Even though technology makes everything easier, I still take forever to get my digital pictures from the camera to the computer. We had a great week with In/Significant Others and an even better time with the filmmakers and actors on Friday and Saturday. I hope some of you were able to come by and enjoy their Q&A.

That's one heckuva cast/filmmaker turnout, so thanks again to all for taking the time to visit. They were very complimentary of the crowds, our place, and Winston in general. Who says we can't hang with Charlotte?!?!?

We really enjoy having the opportunity to host NC films and with the new and improved state incentives hopefully we'll get to screen a lot more in the future.

Trailers and Reviews and Bears, Oh My!

2010-07-28T22:46:00.000-04:00

So we've been at this for a little over six months now, and you've probably figured out that a lot of our programming can tend to be on the less than commercial side, and you sometimes have to do some digging to find out more about the films. Part of the fun of the movie experience if you ask me. However, we're trying to be full service here, so we've been toying with the idea of a weekly blog post that posts trailers for upcoming films, as well as a review or two, for when we can't get a screener to our good friend Mark Burger (he did get Micmacs in time - check out his review here). And while your curator has been pushing the Jeunet film (understandable, since she has a giant Amelie poster in the office) due to its limited run, we also have a Sundance Grand Jury Prize winner opening up on Friday, Winter's Bone.

One of my starting places for movie reviews is rottentomatoes.com, which has given Winter's Bone a score of 95%, better than Inception, the number one movie in America. If I had listened to my own advice, I probably wouldn't be watching the alleged Jennifer Aniston/Gerard Butler rom-com The Bounty Hunter (8%) right now. At least that gave me the opportunity to catch up on some blogging. Peter Travers was a big fan of Winter's Bone, saying "It means to shake you, and it does". One of our own patrons, discussing the book this movie was based on, told me he finished the book, and immediately started reading it again. Hopefully he and a few other people will do the same thing after our showings.

You've gotten a Micmacs review already, so I'll just leave you with the trailer.

In between reading this blog and checking out the films, feel free to give us your feedback on whether you would like this to be a weekly thing or not.

/I guess we can share/

2010-07-20T20:02:00.004-04:00

Another quarter end behind me, I can get back to the job that pays me the no-bucks - attempted blogger. While I'm not monetarily compensated to entertain you, one of the perks of this gig is getting to meet people who actually know a thing about keeping your attention for more than five minutes. We've been able to bring in filmmakers such as John Jackman of Wesley and Eric Merola of Burzynski, and now we get to add John Schwert to that list. Writer/Producer/Director/Editor of In/Significant Others, John has been based in Charlotte for some time now and used the Queen City as his backdrop for the film, a story about a group of people all somehow connected to a homicide investigation.

Aside from being able to showcase another NC based film, we're extremely excited to open our doors to a movie that makes such wonderful use of our shared "/". Seriously, In/Significant Others has ties to our fine city as well from actors to crew, and has been blazing the festival circuit since last year, racking up multiple awards along the way. Check out the website, http://www.4wproductions.com/in-significant-others/, which has way more info than I can fit here, including a trailer. And while you're out on the interwebs, visit their Facebook page and tell your friends about it by sharing the a/perture event page

Did I mention that John will be here? How ridiculously cool is that, being able to watch a movie and then ask the brains behind it all those nagging questions you have*? Alas, that honor is only reserved for the Friday (5:15 and 7:45) and Saturday (2:45, 7:45, and 10:15) showings. Don't miss out on the chance to catch this fine movie and support NC films all at once.

* - (I would have given up my DVR to talk to Banksy after watching Exit through the Gift Shop, but I digress)

lo sono l'amore

2010-07-13T21:15:00.003-04:00

So we are keeping our promise and bringing back our first film from this year's RiverRun Intl. Film Festival - I Am Love.

For those of you who missed it at the festival or for those of you who loved it as much as I did...now is your chance to see it for the first (or second) time. I could give you my own opinion on what a lovely film it is, but I'll let an expert do that (without giving away too much of the film):

I Am Love is the first film to use compositions by the great, Pulitzer Prize-winning John Adams (Nixon in China, On the Transmigration of Souls) as a score, and the symphonic, sometimes discordant music considerably adds to the grandness and sweep of what is essentially an intimate character study. Right from the opening credits, in which the titles fill the screen in curly script over snowy vistas of Milan in winter, you know I Am Love is going to be something special. And the picture gets better as it goes along, culminating in a rapturous ending that exhilarates in a manner I've never felt in a movie. I Am Love isn't perfect, but what love is, really? Attention all movie buffs: Get ready to have your minds blown. [Rene Rodriguez - Miami Herald]

Okay now check out the trailer:

One more thing...the film features a lot of delicious looking food, so you might want to plan to eat a nice meal out downtown afterwards.

Buon appetito!

Point and Shoot

2010-07-06T22:23:00.007-04:00

In the age of cameraphones, sometimes we forget we actually have a nice camera we can use to take pictures. We dusted the thing off, and amid some pictures Jake took that could be considered art (maybe by Mr. Brainwash - go see Exit through the Gift Shop, it'll all make sense), we found our evening with Steve Childs, where we were fortunate enough to present his art along with his film, And We Will Dance as well as when Eric Merola visited after presenting his documentary Burzynski. Enjoy.

And We Will Dance

The stars and director

an art exhibit in s/tudio 2

the merch table

Steve Childs

Burzynski

Director Eric Merola after a q&a

Yankee Doodle Tagging

2010-06-29T22:13:00.009-04:00

I can already smell the hot dogs and burgers on the grill as the US of A celebrates Herbie Hancock (I miss you, Chris Farley) signing our first birthday card 234 years ago. I thought it would be prudent to get a blog in before I end up with bandaged hands from playing with bottle rockets and snap-pops. If anyone could injure themselves with snap-pops, it's this guy. Seriously kids, don't let your parents play with fireworks.

So it's a long weekend for most of you, which means you'll have a little extra time, so why not check out a movie? What says revolution like werewolves and vampires?? I'm really writing this while waiting in line to get into the new Twilight movie. That or I'm being forced to watch The City. I really can't decide which one is more communist. Really though, a/perture has a movie that says revolt starting this weekend - Exit Through the Gift Shop. It's a film about street art, and the elusive street artist Banksy. Trailer after the colon:

Our son has been running around tagging our backyard all week in anticipation of this film.

JYD has got the Bieber Fever, no doubt. Man I love MS Paint. Would it be worse if I told you I did this or that my son did? I'll just say it was Lawren. Have a Happy 4th.

maxing & relaxing all cool

2010-06-27T21:28:00.003-04:00

So far this summer a/perture has been stylin' in the big apple:

and chillin' in the beautiful (and cooler) NC mountains....

keep sending in the photos...

Don't Stop Believin' Indeed

2010-06-23T21:16:00.005-04:00

Have you caught the fever yet? It almost feels like it's 1994 again, and Alexi Lalas's goatee should be making a comeback. In case you've been living under a rock for the last twenty-four hours, the US men's soccer team made history multiple times by winning a final group game (first time ever), winning their group (first time since 1930) in the World Cup, and causing millions of men to scream like little girls simultaneously (totally a Guinness World Record). a/perture has had a blast showing the games over the past ten days, sharing in the madness with friends like this:

And why wouldn't we be having fun? People are respecting the game and teams. We've been standing during "The Star-Spangled Banner". We've been sitting on pins and needles, seeing if the Yanks can continuously overcome slow starts. And we've collectively wondered how a ref can call a foul without saying who it's on.

The next logical question is what time do doors open for the game on Saturday? Sorry friends, since we had no idea when we'd be playing, much less if we'd be playing until 91 minutes into yesterday's game, we're taking a break for this game. But maybe the fever can keep rising on the pitch, and we'll have the chance to show three more games, including the final on July 11th. If this video doesn't make you proud to be an American, I don't know what to tell you (click here for awesomeness - another video that is safe for work, but people will probably look at you strangely for watching it).

Pop in with your pops

2010-06-18T21:36:00.003-04:00

If you're like me, you probably don't get presents for birthday, special occasions, etc. too far in advance. Heck, I just forgot to call my mom yesterday on her birthday (sorry Mom, maybe a public birthday wish will help atone?). So for my fellow procrastinators, I offer your solution for Father's Day.

Having experienced two of my own so far, I'm coming to realize the best gift is just being able to spend time with my little guy. So if your dad is like me, they just want to do some hanging out. Sports are always a good bonding experience. Except that baseball is the only professional league still rolling. The US soccer team was robbed earlier today, and isn't playing again until Wednesday. The golf US Open is being played in primetime since it's on the west coast. So that means after brunch, you have some time to kill. What should you do? Take your dad to see a movie. We have three great ones to choose from, two of which are comedies, which us guys relate to better because we're really not as sophisticated as the ladies for the most part. Just speaking the truth here. Here's Mark Burger's review of Please Give. I've heard more than one person walk out of The Secret in Their Eyes saying it's one of the best films they've ever seen. And the word of mouth on City Island convinced us to keep it an extra week.

And if sports isn't your thing at all, come to a movie, and stick around on Sunday night at 8 for our special screening of Crude, detailed in the previous blog post. QT with the dad and helping the environment? Who else is giving you opportunities like that?

Marine Mammals and Sea Turtles

2010-06-11T08:26:00.007-04:00

I want to open this blog with a photo:

This turtle is one of the many that will be affected by the April 20 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. The fact that oil continues to flow into the Gulf on a daily basis is sickening. We've all seen the horrible photos of wildlife covered in oil. What is most depressing though is the feeling of helplessness at the situation. I tried a personal boycott of BP, but was forced to purchase fuel there the other day when my car was running on fumes. But thanks to the wonderful suggestion of an a/perture fan, Spencer Krane, we at a/perture plan to at least attempt to save that little guy in the photo.

On Sunday, June 20 at 8pm we will be screening the most fitting film we could find, director Joe Berlinger's CRUDE: The Real Price of Oil. Crude is the epic story of one of the most controversial environmental lawsuits on the planet. The landmark case takes place in the Amazon jungle of Ecuador, pitting 30,000 indigenous and colonial rainforest dwellers against U.S. oil giant Chevron. The plaintiffs claim that Texaco – which merged with Chevron in 2001 – spent three decades systematically contaminating one of the most biodiverse regions on Earth, poisoning the water, air and land. Sound familiar? Check out the trailer:

Tickets for the screening are $5 with ALL (yes, every penny) of the proceeds going to the Audubon Institute's Louisiana Marine Mammal and Sea Turtle Rescue Program. The LMMSTRP is the primary responder for the state of Louisiana for rescuing, rehabilitating and releasing marine mammals (dolphins, whales and manatees) and sea turtles. Audubon and LMMSTRP are collaborating with NOAA, Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries and the U.S. Coast Guard to ensure that we have the most up to date information about the direction of the oil spill and any possible animals in its path. Here are some photos of the first sea turtle to be rescued and "bathed."

a/perture would especially like to thank Spencer for splitting the cost of screening the film with us. We are also excited to tell you that if you dine down the street at Hutch and Harris before the film on Sunday, you can enjoy 10% off your meal and whatever this total amounts to, Hutch and Harris will also donate to the LMMSTRP. Just print this out and take it with you or come and buy your ticket beforehand.

So please come out on June 20, bring your Dad (it's Father's Day) to see a great film, and help us save some turtles.

American Revolution Revisited

2010-06-07T15:29:00.007-04:00

Thanks to Jay Callahan for being our guest blogger. He's a bit of a soccer geek and as the head coach of a NCAA Division III women's soccer team, I think he's a bit of an expert...hey, I'm a bit partial, he's my younger brother...so here's what he has to say about the approaching World Cup game at a/perture...

In six days, the United States plays in arguably its biggest soccer match in history. As a former player, a current coach, and major fan of soccer, I have been looking forward to this match since it was announced several months ago. At the time of the World Cup drawings, I never would have guessed that I would be able to watch the U.S. vs. England game on a movie screen. Now that a/perture has added directv to their repertoire, they can broadcast the game live. Who could ask for more than to watch the game on a huge screen next to other fans all while drinking a beer? (btw...a/perture will have Yuengling on special for the Yanks and Newcastle the Rooney fans).

I am a major fan of the Pittsburgh Steelers/Penguins/Pirates and the WVU Mountaineers. It is hard for me to miss any of my team’s games (except for maybe the Pirates) and to cheer them on with everything I have. It is a great thing to root for your favorite city or your alma mater, but to be able to cheer for your country is on an entirely different level. Sure people say that's what the Olympics are for, but cheering on curlers or synchronized swimmers just doesn’t quite do it for me. The World Cup is the world’s biggest sporting event for a reason; we just haven't quite realized that yet in the States. On average, 100 million viewers watch each World Cup game and 750 million to 1 billion watch the finals. That is four times the number of those who watch the Super Bowl.

The US National team really is a “melting pot." We have team members with parents from Nigeria (Oguchi “Gooch” Onyewu), Haiti (Jozy Altidore), Brazil (Benny Feilhaber), Scotland (Stuart Holden), Mexico (Hercules Gomez, Jose Torres, Carlos Bocanegra), Canada (Landon Donovan), and Jamaica (Edson Buddle). If you need to watch an inspirational story to really get behind the team and its players, just check out this ESPN story about U.S. star Clint “Deuce” Dempsey.

I am not sure that we will be able to get a result from England on June 12, but I do know that we are better equipped than we have ever been to make a strong run in this World Cup. This year's team has players who play professionally in the U.S., Germany, England, Scotland, Spain, Denmark, France, Mexico, and Italy. If you are superstitious like me then you have to love the fact that the 2010 World Cup is being played outside of Europe and that it has been 8 years since we last had a strong run. Just look at our past five World Cup performances:

-1990 in Italy (Europe): Did not make it out of our group

-1994 in the U.S. (North America): Final 16

-1998 in France (Europe): Did not make it out of our group

-2002 in South Korea/Japan (Asia): Quarterfinals

-2006 in Germany (Europe):Did not make it out of our group

-2010 in South Africa (Africa): Semifinals maybe?

I do not have to explain our long history with England. We are allies now on all fronts, but there is still a competitive feeling you get when you think about the country that used to rule us. I am sure that England would love nothing more than to beat us handily this Saturday. On paper it looks like they will have no problem, but the game will not be played on paper; it will be played at a/perture and hopefully you will be there. This could be a once in a lifetime experience for you to support the Yanks against the Redcoats in the World Cup, unless of course you actually were alive and remember the last time the two countries faced off in the 1950 World Cup:

See you on Saturday...and don't forget to dress up as there will be prizes for the most spirited fans!

who needs the pool?

2010-06-03T15:10:00.009-04:00

Schooooool's... out for SUMMER. In honor of summer and to give you and your kids a break from Vitamin D overload, we have planned an animated fiesta at a/perture. We are calling it a/kids, but it is open to kids of all ages. The films we've selected continue to represent the indy/art/foreign vibe we're going for at a/perture and we believe we've selected some really special films. So on with the details:

June - Spirited Away

PG, 125mins

Dates: June 15, 16, 17 and 19

One show @ 11am daily

All tickets are $5

Check out the trailer:

July - The Triplets of Belleville

PG-13, 78mins

Dates: July 6, 7, 8 and 10

One show @ 11am daily

All tickets are $5

Check out the trailer:

August - Kirikou and the Sorceress

not rated, 78mins

Dates: TBD

One show @ 11am daily

All tickets are $5

Check out the website for more info and to watch the trailer.

Parents out there, if you are questioning whether any of these are age-appropriate for your particular child, here are some resources to check out:

Common Sense Media

Kids In Mind

IMDB

We will also have special giveaways and contests. And even better, bring your movie ticket to Skippy's Hot Dogs on the same day and receive a free order of fries with the purchase of two hot dogs. And for all you big kids out there, we've thrown in a Saturday date for each film just for you.

So hang your bathing suit up and come indoors for some animated fun!

Quadruple Feature

2010-05-27T21:31:00.006-04:00

All sorts of firsts at a/perture this weekend. Here's your chance to spend a full day watching four different movies, although that would mean you were the last people in town to see either The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo or Babies. Both have been wildly popular, so we couldn't decide which one to keep, so we kept both. Being added to the slate are Burzynski and Ajami. Something for everyone, really. Documentaries, foreign films, thrillers, cute little babies, commentaries on religion and government - maybe one doesn't fit as well with the others, but that's the beauty of it all.

Seriously, these are some amazing movies. Ajami was a 2010 Oscar nominee for best foreign picture, made by a Jewish Israeli and an Arabic Israeli, with a stellar rating of 96% - certified fresh - on rottentomatoes.com. Our own movie critic extraordinaire for Yes! Weekly Mark Burger has declared The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo a shoe-in for being nominated in 2011 for best foreign film, and proclaimed it could be in Swahili, and it wouldn't matter, because the acting is that spot on. Burzynski could be an Oscar nominee itself, based on its early festival run, selling out and winning awards right and left. And we have the director in on Friday and Saturday. How awesome is that? And Babies, well, as I've been telling everyone who has asked if I've seen it, I have my hands plenty full with our own 2 and 1/2 year old, so I can't justify spending over an hour in a quiet, dark room watching other babies - wait a second, this could be the exact respite I need. And they're all sooooo cute!

That's not even counting the world premiere of Beach Week on Sunday night at 7:30pm (check out their facebook page for more information and the trailer, and become a fan).

Ajami trailer, to prove that 96% wun't no fluke.

Burzynski, the movie with special special guest

2010-05-25T21:43:00.006-04:00

Still recovering from the giant Lost party on Sunday night - thanks to all of you who made it out. We'll have a little more on that another day, but today we're lucky to have a blog q&a with Eric Merola, director of Burzynski, The Movie, showing May 28th - June 3rd, for its North Carolina Premiere!! Can't get enough of what he has to say here? Well then you're in luck. Mr. Merola will be in attendance for the Saturday screenings, and either Friday or Sunday as well (keep checking the website for confirmation - we and Eric think Friday, but it'll be up there as soon as we know for sure).

Tell us your Winston-Salem connection in 140 characters (ie, a tweet)

I was born and raised in Winston-Salem, my parents moved to Winston from upstate in NY a year or two before I was born. I left Winston-Salem in 1997 when I was 26 yrs old to move to NYC

You used to work at the West End Café right?

My uncle, Rob Shay, is part owner of the West End Café as we know it now. But he fully owned the older West End Café that was a few doors down, when it was more of a “diner” sort of feel. I started working there as a short order cook when I was 17, and worked there until I went to college at East Carolina University – coming back to work there in the summers. I worked there on and off I think for over 5 years. The days of the West End Café were quite fun and memorable for me.

When and how did you get into film?

I always loved film. There was no film school in the NC area when I was there, so I studied advertising and painting. Once I moved to NYC I sort of worked my way into it.

So you worked on Capitalism: A Love Story with Michael Moore, did he give you any words of wisdom on documentary filmmaking?

Well, Moore is a huge documentary director, who has huge budgets and a huge team of people working with him. I never actually worked “with” him – it was always his team of producers.

How did you get the idea to make Burzynski?

I have always loved powerful documentary films, ones that go after the hard truths that the media generally doesn’t delve into. Once I found out about him (Burzynski), realized how huge the story was – and realized that nobody had taken it on before, it was a no-brainer for me.

Tell us about the movie, but you can’t use any words that you have previously used to describe it, except “and” and “the.”

It is an exercise in how the monetary system and the need to survive based on profiting off of each other – goes very wrong.

Tell us the coolest thing that has happened to you since you have started promoting Burzynski.

There are so many. I think the fact that the general public, and the mainstream, has welcomed it with open arms – vs. shying away from it, given it’s sensitive and possibly controversial nature. Also, being that even doctors with cancer – after seeing the film - get on a plane to Houston to receive his treatment.

When you left Winston, did you ever think there would be an indy theater where you could come screen your film?

Ha, no. But then again, I suppose like anywhere, it was a matter of time. Winston has a thriving arts community.

Name five things about Winston that you would bottle up and take with you if you could.

The atmosphere and the intimate nature of the old West End Café. My short-lived painting career I had there. My Mom. My Dad. The open and warm support from my friends there, always.

Here's the website (http://www.burzynskimovie.com/) where you can find out more about the movie and the director. Also, check out the preview below and tell me you're not in the least bit intrigued. I know I was. And it didn't disappoint. Hope to see you out at the movies next week (and this week if you'd like, and the week after next, and after that, and after that - ok I'll stop now).

Another weekend, another bunch of special events

2010-05-19T22:27:00.003-04:00

First off, let me thank you for showing up just enough to make The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo a hit, but not enough to force me into getting a tattoo. We came close to sell-outs a few times, but none officially. I guess you all have some time to change that, though. We're carrying over Dragon as well as Babies for the coming week, but we also have a plethora of s/pecial events on tap. As we've mentioned before, in honor of Salute! we have Blood into Wine. Tickets are moving fast, and we've had people as far off as Atlanta already purchase tickets. That's dedication Holmes. And as if you needed another reason to show up, we're giving away four passes to the wine festival, two at our 5:40 showing and two at our 8:00.

Come Sunday, an era will come to an end, and you ladies will have to do without a shirtless Sawyer, except on DVD. Our screening of the series finale of Lost will begin boarding, errrr seating, at 8 (we know there's a recap thing starting at 7, but our normal Sunday schedule won't be over by then - you've already seen all that stuff anyway). It's first come first serve, and based on the RSVPs and comments (thanks for keeping us straight Robin) on our event page along with the multitude of people that have come in asking about it, getting there as close to 8 as you can is recommended. There's a ton of stuff going on with this, from the costume contest to special concessions, so if you're on the fence, hop over and embrace the smoke monster that is a/perture.

Last but not least, Monday we're going to be showing another film with some local ties, And We Will Dance. Locally based but nationally recognized artist Steve Childs follows the story of four dancers from UNCSA. Check out the trailer below:

And after you've seen the trailer, get down to the box office, because tickets are going even faster for this than the Blood into Wine showings. Now I have to scratch my eyeballs out, since Lawren is watching The City. Somebody make it stop...

t-shirt travels

2010-05-16T21:27:00.003-04:00

Spring has been a busy month for t-shirt travels. The / has traveled across the US of A:

welcoming home the troops in colorado springs

stylin' at jazz fest 2010 in new orleans

our cooler than cool projectionist Tony chillin' by the pool in LA

Keep the photos coming!

babes and locals mix

2010-05-13T10:10:00.006-04:00

BABIES, BABIES...BABIES. It seems like everyone is super excited for this film to come to town. It's been generating quite a bit of buzz around the country and we are super excited that we get to bring it to town this Friday (5/14). It is rated PG and only 79 minutes so it's definitely kid-friendly fare. We love it when that happens. Word on the street is that the trailer below is enough to move some to tears...

We are also excited to be playing host to two s/pecial events this Sunday evening (5/16). Both events highlight the work of local filmmakers.

@7:30pm we open the doors to Art Tasting which will showcase shorts from several local filmmakers:

MacAwesome - Andrew Mitchell

Hearts Beats - Sophie Mihalko

Merry Christmas - Joe Flanders

Two Downtown - Cara Hagan

Slumber Party: The Comedy - Kevin Johnson & Drew Wolber

The ACCORD Project - Chuckie

Tickets for this event are $5.00 (plus free popcorn). Check out Art Tasting's facebook page for more info.

@8pm we will be screening John Appleton's film Effects of Gravity. Admission is free (plus free popcorn). Check out the trailer below:

Effects of Gravity Trailer from John Appleton on Vimeo.

Jigar promises to be back for the next blog post and to give you all the scoop on Blood into Wine and the LOST series finale event!

Living the Dream

2010-05-05T21:32:00.003-04:00

Lawren gave you her RiverRun recap, and I will just reiterate its awesomeness. Before returning back to our normal schedule last Friday, we had a little fun with some one off events. PAVE Creative Group brought us Art & Copy, a 2009 RiverRun favorite about advertising. We also had a one-time screening of Visioneers. My attempts to get Zach at the show were rebuked by his agent's assistant telling me he was out of town on that date, before I had given her the actual date, but Lawren was impressed that I actually got her to talk to me. So I got that going for me. However, my crowning achievement for last week was putting together our employee appreciation party. Our hardworking concessionaires and projectionists were treated to pizza, as well as some Wii on the big screen.

So now besides movies and TV shows, we can add video games to the a/perture repertoire. Is anyone up for a Battle of the Bands??

We've got two new movies opening up this weekend, Greenberg and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Greenberg is Noah Baumbach's latest film with Ben Stiller acting like I would if I had never met the woman who could whip me into shape. Dragon Tattoo is the Swedish film adaptation of the international best selling book. Check out the review by our favorite critic Mark Burger in the current Yes! Weekly. Catch the original, cause the first one is always the best, right! As an added incentive to watch the film, I am issuing a challenge to our readers. If during the run of the film, we have ten sold out shows, I'll get a tattoo. Yes, the financial analyst who is scared of needles, small insects that could in no way harm me, and gets freaked out watching people put their contacts in will go under for a tat. They give you anesthesia for those, right? And to help get into the spirit, we have a stack of temporary dragon tattoos to hand out to patrons (until they run out)!

RiverRun Recap

2010-04-28T20:31:00.012-04:00

So we've taken it a little slow this week after the whirlwind that was RiverRun. We could not have had a better inaugural festival experience. We saw some familiar faces and welcomed some new ones (who we hope will come back for some of our regular films). No equipment malfunctions (I'm knocking on wood as I write this). Our concession sales were spectacular (especially coffee, which did you know we serve? and that it is organic?) All in all, RiverRun blew our expectations away and we cannot wait until April 2011. So as we always do after a festival, here is our recap in list form:

Longest time spent in line: like ten minutes at most...shortest wait ever. And as a sponsor, sometimes we even got to sit in the reserved seats. Yeah, we felt special.

Buckets of popcorn consumed: I don't think we can count the number at a/perture. Have to admit we loved being the only venue that had a popcorn kettle.

Coolest Q&A: with director Michael Nash of Climate Refugees. This documentary about the human effects of global climate change blew me away. Everyone on the planet should see this film. WOW!

Michael Nash Q&A @ a/perture

Biggest Surprise Hits: Suck the vampire rock comedy was a true crowd pleaser and even cooler was that director and star Rob Stefaniuk appeared at many of the screenings. He was super nice and let me take a picture of him at a/perture for our collection. Best Worst Movie, a documentary about the worst movie ever made, Troll 2, was a hilarious surprise as well. Even if you haven't seen Troll 2, which I haven't, you will still love this film. It would be so cool to bring this to a/perture someday.

Suck director/actor Rob Stefaniuk and actress Barbara Mamabolo

Best compliment: From founder of RiverRun Gene D'Onofrio who was really impressed with a/perture. He was super nice. Maybe he liked it enough to bring his son Vincent back one day.

Best celebrity sighting: Does Jigar count?

Best photo-op: Again, does Jigar count?

He did get all gussied up...

Films I hope to bring back to a/perture: Mao's Last Dancer, The Good Heart and I Am Love are on the top of the list.

Documentary category: RiverRun really out did themselves with the quality of documentary films this year. I hope some of you were able to see The Topp Twins, His & Hers and Last Train Home. I didn't get a chance to catch them, but I also heard great things about Basquiat and Only When I Dance. I really hope that the great attendance for the documentaries at RiverRun means that more folks will come to see them throughout the year at a/perture...hey like the one we are opening this Friday....The Art of the Steal.

I have to admit I am in a little bit of festival withdrawal, but also really excited to get back into the swing of things this weekend. We have not one, but two 2010 Oscar nominated films opening on Friday, A Prophet and The Secret of Kells, along with the aforementioned must see The Art of the Steal. And even more exciting, weather permitting, we will have our new outdoor area open for your pre and post-show enjoyment....

Get Lost....

2010-04-22T20:58:00.004-04:00

We're in the home stretch of RiverRun, which is a little disappointing because we've had so much fun being a part of the festival this year. Kudos once again to everyone who has made this year a success once again. We hope our regular patrons have been able to make it out for a few shows, and maybe we've gained a few new fans during the stretch.

We're back to our regular schedule starting April 30th, with A Prophet, The Art of the Steal, and The Secret of Kells. I've already professed my love for A Prophet, but Jake (our son) is really excited about Kells. Maybe it will replace the regular evening showings of Special Agent OSO at our house (one can only hope - really, really hope). The Art of the Steal is a gripping documentary about the struggle for control of the Barnes collection, more interesting than the story of where OJ's suit that he wore to his "acquittal" that was rejected by the Smithsonian and ended up at the Newseum (best smooshing of words I've seen in awhile).

You've seen on our calendar what's coming up after that, but what hasn't been disclosed yet is probably more exciting to some of you than any movie we could get. We're firing up the satellite once again, and on May 23rd, at 8pm the doors will open for the series finale of Lost. That's right, both screens are going to give you all the answers you've been waiting over five years for. What is the island? What the heck is the smoke monster? Why does everyone love Jacob so much? How is Oceanic Air still in business??? Oh, that last one was just me? Fine.

We're working on coming up with some giveaways and contests to go along with the showing, to make the experience a little richer. There's a special prize that will be raffled away, but you're only eligible if you buy some concessions (sneaky, I know, but we still have to pay that satellite bill, among others). Lawren, Genevieve, and other staff members thought a costume/look-a-like contest would be cool. I kept thinking "Do we really want people to stop showering for a month, only to mimic that I've been stuck on an island for 30 something years look?" Not to mention how offended I was when Lawren immediately said I could be Sayid, because we're both brown. I can't be Jack, or Echo?? Tsk tsk Lawren. Ok maybe I added the brown part on my own, but you were all thinking it!

So any ideas from you guys to make watching Lost on the big screen more fun? We'd love to hear them.

Grape Season

2010-04-18T11:15:00.010-04:00

Ah, spring is in the air...birds are singing, RiverRun is showing great movies, I think I've survived another quarter end at the day job, and we're cleaning off our outdoor furniture. Yep, we're growing our cozy lobby by going outside. Now, those of you who like to pick out your favorite seat can do so while sitting instead of standing around cursing us for having no furniture, and those who like to keep the discussion going after the film can get another refreshment while enjoying the warmer weather in downtown Winston.

And it really feels like the city is coming alive with the new season. The Dash are on a winning streak, other downtown businesses already have their seating expanded, and the past First Friday Gallery Hop saw enough spillover down here to our end of the street that we were able to sell some concessions to people not even watching movies. One of the other big attractions we're looking forward to in May is the Salute! NC Wine Celebration May 22nd. In honor of the festival, we've booked a documentary about winemaking, starring an unsuspecting Arizona wine pioneer in Maynard James Keenan, better known for leading rock outfits Tool, A Perfect Circle, and Puscifer. He brings along winemaker Eric Glomski, bandmate Milla Jovovich, comedians, Tim & Eric, Patton Oswalt, and Bob Odenkirk among many others to tell his story, which is interesting to say the least. Trailer is below and we'll be selling tickets for our three screenings (see website under special events for details or visit their facebook page) beginning May 1.

The May calender is shaping up as we speak, so look for a full rundown here in the next few days about our offerings!

RRIFF 2010 is underway

2010-04-16T14:31:00.003-04:00

No less than 45minutes ago a/perture kicked off it's first film of the 2010 RiverRun International Film Festival with the documentary film Osadne. There is such an awesome buzz surrounding this year's festival. And it is definitely going to be the best one yet. We are thrilled to be a venue. Over the course of the festival we will screen over 25 different films and have over 60 screenings. Wow that's a lot when you do the math!

We enjoyed the premiere night festivities last night. The Extra Man was fun. Kevin Kline usually always is. And the party at the Millennium Center was a treat. Jigar was excited because guests got to take home one of sponsor Stella Artois' signature glasses (you know the one with the gold trim from the commercials). Actually, wait, my dad was more excited, he pocketed four to Jigar's one.

Anyway, it should be a fun ten more days. We've added a new spring wine to the menu to help kick off the festivities. It's got a cool name too...Beregevin Lane Fruit Bomb.

If you haven't already, you should visit RiverRun's official blog. Their latest post lets you in on which special guests/filmmakers will be in town to help promote their films.

Come see some RiverRun films and help support this great festival and all that it brings to Winston-Salem!

around the world

2010-04-13T14:48:00.003-04:00

So over spring break some of our staff and family members did some traveling. They took their a/perture t-shirts with them and here are some of the photos...maybe one day we'll be a global phenomenon. We'd love to see some of the places a/perture goes on summer vacation, so send us your photos and we'll post them!

Happy Trails!

@ the final four

a roman holiday

at mgm grand...

in greece

Email your photos to info at aperturecinema.com.

It's my turn...

2010-04-09T23:44:00.006-04:00

Lawren chose to go to bat for Zac Efron. I'm hanging my hat on Zach Galifianakis. But after my Moron Movies recommendation, I've only been giving a one-day chance. So after you've recovered from good movie overload at RiverRun, save the date for our special one night only screening of The Visioneers on April 28th. More details are forthcoming, we just wanted the world to know. Go tell everyone you know. Here's the trailer for your enjoyment. But what do you need that for? It's the guy from The Hangover!!!!!!!!! Even though I've been a fan since 2002, no big deal.

He's so dreamy...

2010-04-06T21:13:00.004-04:00

So I've been pretty skeptical about something since we started this whole escapade into the movie theater business. What has Lawren been hiding from me? Tons of hours spent on the computer. Leaving the room for phone calls. And then, this week, my suspicions were confirmed. How could I be so naive??? Lawren opened a/perture so she could show a Zac Efron movie. Me and Orson Welles is starting up this weekend, in an abbreviated run along with The Girl on the Train as we prepare for RiverRun (insert school girl scream usually reserved for Mr. Efron here). But then I stopped judging and actually checked out the movie. That's when I realized one of my heroes Richard Linklater produced and directed the film. So that's why Lawren picked this one up. How can I not be excited when we're showing a work by the man who taught me the true meaning behind The Smurfs and made it ok for Matthew McConaughey to objectify high school girls. Wait, that latter one's not ok, but still a classic movie line (it did make it on the application for AFI's Top 100 movie quotes). Anyway, before Chris Hansen shows up at my house, I feel I should share The Smurfs bit from Slacker, Richard's tour de force which Wikipedia says "is often taken as a starting point for the independent film movement of the 1990s. Language could be deemed not kid friendly.

That Scooby stuff really makes you think, too, doesn't it? Further research does show that Me and Orson Welles should be pretty solid - here's the rotten tomato page for more info, and the trailer. Remember, you only have five days to catch it - don't cry to me if you miss it!

Glee-liciousness!!!

2010-03-31T21:56:00.005-04:00

NCAA Men's Basketball Championship. 24. The Pacific. Even Wrestlemania. All events that I suggested for our new big screen at a/perture. But what are we premiering with? The spring return of Glee. No doubt, this is going to be a fun show. Maybe we'll even encourage singing along, but we see who really wears the pants in the programming. At least she picked the best new comedy on TV. April 13th, 9 pm, our doors will be open to all to come watch the show for FREE! Acapella songs in surround sound! Jane Lynch larger than life in your face! Our awesome concession area open for your enjoyment! Sounds like a win to me, but space is limited, so we'll let people in on a first-come basis.

Jake really wanted us to show Yo Gabba Gabba as the first show, but Muno has been too busy brainwashing Lawren into buying a new car and riding bulls in Vegas. He found some time to say hey to your author, though.

Thank goodness we're showing North Face and Terribly Happy to bring up the testosterone levels a little next week.

festival readiness

2010-03-28T10:56:00.015-04:00

I thought Spring was here until I woke up this morning. I guess Phil really was right this year. We still have to wait a few more days. According to the weather forecast, by April 1 we should be able to retire our jackets until next Fall. Along with warm weather, flowers, pollen, weeding (ugh)....April also means the 12th annual RiverRun International Film Festival. An 11 day celebration of film right here in Winston-Salem. We've mentioned this before, I know, but we are so excited to be a venue for the fest this year. Obviously, since we have just opened, we've never done anything like this before and so we have no idea what to expect as far as logistics and operations are concerned. We do however, know what to expect as far as the film program is concerned. This year's lineup includes more than 120 films from 33 countries. RiverRun brings to town films that you may never have the opportunity to see again, yes, I mean even on Netflix.

So to help get everyone in the mood, a/perture is going to be screening four great films over the next few weeks. What do these films have in common? They are all small indy films, they are not "Made in the USA," and they are films that have all enjoyed great festival exposure around the world. These are some really great films that a/perture wants to be able to continue to bring to town...so come see some of them so that we CAN!

1.) Fish Tank (now playing until April 1)...there were several films about young girls coming of age that were released in 2009. Precious and An Education (one of our favs) may come to mind. Fish Tank falls in this category, but is in a league of its own. This little British indy is tough and dirty and the language may be offensive to some ears, but it is realistic and brilliant. It won the 2010 BAFTA award (which is Oscar's British cousin). The acting by newcomer Katie Jarvis will blow you away. If you need another opinion check out the review of this film in the LA Times...

2.) Terribly Happy (April 2-8)...is a Danish film, how many of those have you seen? In one line - it is a thriller about a Copenhagen cop who moves to a small town after suffering a nervous breakdown. If you like the Coen Brothers films this should be right up your alley. Other critics have seen a similarity to the classic Western genre. Check out the trailer.....

3.) North Face (April 2-8)... is a German film and about just what its title suggests...mountain climbing. Based on a true story about a competition to climb the most dangerous rock face in the Alps. Set in 1936, as Nazi propaganda urges the nation's Alpinists to conquer the unclimbed north face of the Swiss massif - the Eiger. It just sounds daunting and really dangerous...the Eiger...

4.) The Girl on the Train (April 9 - 13)... is a French film and c0-stars the legendary Catherine Deneuve (don't you just love how her name rolls off your tongue?). The film is centered on a young woman who claims she was the target of an anti-Semitic attack and the subsequent media sensation it creates. This film is inspired by a much-discussed real event that took place in Paris a few years ago....

Our next blog will feature info on a special event we are hosting at a/ptr on April 13...stay tuned.

Das weisse Band

2010-03-21T16:19:00.010-04:00

I can't get Das weisse Band (said in a German accent) out of my head for some reason. I think maybe it is the whole "v" sound for the "w" that is so fun to imitate. We opened Das weisse Band, for you anglophiles, The White Ribbon, on Friday and have had a solid weekend so far. Our q&a and book signing with Peter Brunette on Friday evening was fantastic. The event drew a sold-out crowd with over 2/3 sticking around afterwards to gab about the film (which according to Peter is a great stat).

And trust me there is so much to discuss with this film. I really have to thank Peter for a great evening and hopefully we can twist his arm to come back for another q&a in the future. Peter has also written a book on Michael Haneke, so if you do come see The White Ribbon and want to learn more about this intriguing director you should pick up a copy. a/perture bought one and we are still gushing over the sweet comment Peter signed in ours, "To the necessary a/perture cinema with gratitude."

In other news, we are getting ready to play venue for RiverRun in just a few short weeks. For those of you who want to see what sorts of films this year's fest is bringing to town, we invite you to come to a/perture on either Thursday, March 25 or Monday, March 29 @5:45pm for a sneak peek. RiverRun has put together a great clip reel that highlights this year's festival films. Trust me, after you see it, you will be very very excited. Check out this recent news clip if you still need convincing. BTW - this is an absolutely FREE admission event.

Yesterday's weather was such a tease...but I really do think Spring is almost here. Stay tuned for more announcements.

prost

2010-03-18T21:06:00.006-04:00

If you've noticed that the past few blogs haven't been as funny or well written (who am I kidding, she does everything better than me), it's because your normal author has been licking his wounds after another Oscar beating. My desire to be able to say "I told you so" when the unexpected happens always wins out over sensibility, and I'm testing that again over the next month with my NCAA tournament bracket picks. Can you say Minnesota in the Elite Eight? Lawren's winning again after the early session, but she always starts out strong and flames out like a Hollywood marriage (too soon for Jesse and Sandra?). But I am getting to take advantage of one of the perks of being a part owner of a movie theater - late Wake Forest - Texas game on the big screen. Let's hope a change of venue will change the Deacons' luck (sorry Sadie).

Another awesome thing about co-owning a movie theater? Getting people who actually know about movies to explain what you just saw. Friday March 19th (tomorrow night) at 8pm, director of the film studies program at WFU and film critic for The Hollywood Reporter (could you have a cooler job) Peter Brunette will be here to dissect The White Ribbon. As the author of a book on director Michael Haneke, we'd venture to say he's got a good handle on things. And if any of you saw Funny Games, and were like me, you'll need to talk to someone after having your mind absolutely scrambled. To get in the mood to watch a German film, we're serving special concessions - sorry, no brats or spanferkel - but we do have a German bier (Gordon Biersch Marzen) and vine (or wine - J. Christoph Reisling).

So put on your lederhosen, practice your yodeling, and come on down!

Indestructible!!!

2010-03-17T21:06:00.006-04:00

So last night we co-sponsored, along with skirt! winston-salem, a screening of the award-winning documentary Indestructible to a packed s/tudio 1. For those of you who don't know, Indestructible is a film about ALS. It is moving and tragic and yet leaves you inspired. ALS (many of you might know it by its other name Lou Gehrig's Disease) is a neuro-degenerative disease that kills 90% of its victims within 5 years. There is no cure.

It is so cool to be able to write that our little screening raised over $560 to contribute to the ALS Film Fund. The ALS Film Fund is committed to educating, inspiring and invoking change for the future benefit of ALS patients worldwide. Not only did we do some fundraising, but we offered an opportunity for ALS patients, loved ones and the community at large to participate in a q&a following the screening. The q&a featured the perspective of a doctor, patient and loved one and I really think that it was a great source of information and support for those who participated.

I hope that as a/perture grows and we become further entwined in the community, we can continue to host such wonderful and worthy events!

p.s. Happy St. Pat's Day!

announcements galore

2010-03-11T11:24:00.006-05:00

we have been busy getting ready for spring and all the things that warmer weather entails...so this blog is just full of all sorts of announcements:

1.) we now offer coffee and hot tea to compliment our other tasty concessions. yes, we missed the winter, but coffee is also a great source of caffeine so it is a great product all year long...

2.) for those who have been waiting patiently, we now offer GIFT CERTIFICATES!!!! Just in time for Easter baskets...they make a perfect compliment to Peeps.

3.) we now have pre-screen advertising for sale (or trade). what a great way to promote your business or event or to just tell everyone how awesome you are. send us an email for more details.
4.) our web server was hacked, but it is now back up and running. take that SarBoT511. thanks to all of you who called in or sent emails to let us know...we appreciate you looking out for us!
5.) RiverRun is only one month away. The films and schedule will be announced this Monday, so bookmark RiverRun

6.) we had a bunch of winners in the Oscar shorts contest who will now get to enjoy a discounted popcorn and one lucky winner who gets a Becket membership in the a/v society. His response was "woo-hoo" and we love to hear that!

7.) we have DirecTV! Now not only can we show films here, we can also show the occasional live special event...who knows what we have up our sleeves...maybe a Lost finale event or a Glee! party or some live World Cup games this summer.

that's it for now. but promise we have more in the works...

Curator vs Author Oscar Picks

2010-03-06T23:53:00.014-05:00

There's a annual challenge in the Desai household every year around this time, and I don't think I've ever come out ahead as we become prognosticators for the Oscars. Maybe this year's winner will get a free date night at the movies. Ha.

Well, we're going to let you see how crappy (in my case) or awesome (in Lawren's case) we do. And maybe by making it public, the tide will turn and I'll actually win. Highly doubtful though.

We'll have some winners on our hands after the Oscars for the shorts after tomorrow night. Check back soon to see who our winners were! Just to let you all know, the most popular pick for animated short was Logorama and for live action was Miracle Fish. Good luck to everyone, especially me because I'll need it.

And the Oscar goes to...

2010-02-25T21:17:00.007-05:00

Well, we're still a week and change away from giving out any little Oscar(TM) statues, but we do have some winners from our new concession items survey, some additions to the website, and Oscar Shorts at a/perture to get everyone in the mood for the big party on March 7th. Should I pull a Kanye and interrupt Christoph Waltz as he accepts his Best Supporting Actor Oscar and decry the gross injustice it was that my very acceptable man-crush Zachary Knight Galifianakis wasn't even nominated??

When you are deciding what time to come watch The Last Station or the Oscar Shorts (both Live Action and Animated!) or A Single Man, feel free to look up the showtimes on the new and improved front page of the website. And now you can even start making plans on a Wednesday night, when the times for the next week will be up. Our awesome email list members will still be the first to be privy to the information, but we heard your cries for more lead time and easier access. After you find the showtime of your choice, feel free to enjoy our two newest entrants to the concession realm - trail mix and wasabi peanuts. Hooray healthy! If these are well received, we'll see about expanding.

In other exciting news, RiverRun is less than 50 days away. The new site is up, and they're blogging as well. So stoked to be a part of this, and to see what awesomeness they have up their sleeves this year.

So wait, I just remembered that Zach has already pulled a Kanye. Probably not safe for work, because of lyrics, and the fact that anyone who walks by your cube and sees this on your screen could very well call HR on you. Doesn't make it any less awesome.

Can't Tell Me Nothin' from Zach Galifianakis

The rest of his videos on there are comic gold, too, if you're bored. Hope to see you this weekend.

Why are your showtimes not in the newspaper?

2010-02-21T21:16:00.004-05:00

This has been the number one question so far. We had been planning to write our answer in an upcoming blog, but seeing as it has just been asked on facebook, we thought we would try to go ahead and answer it tonight. We can take tomorrow night off.

So the short answer to this question is ECONOMICS. Now the long answer....

As a small indy theater, we have a really really tight budget. We desperately want to be able to stay in business for years and years to come. In order to do so one of the areas that we have to keep in check is our marketing/advertising/pr budget. One of the ways we can do that is by relying on the wonderful world of the wide wide web. Other than the cost of our website and our weekly email, everything we do online from facebook to twitter to this blog is FREE.

So...we met with a representative from the WS Journal last week to find out all the scoop on ad rates, in hopes that we were just completely misunderstanding the published rate sheet. Turns out our estimates were a little high, BUT if we were to advertise in the WS Journal, only 3 times a week for a year, we would be spending over half of our entire marketing budget. Just to put this in perspective, we would most likely have an ad the same size as Marketplace. The Marketplace has 6 screens whereas we have only 2. That means we would basically be paying 3 times more per screen for an ad than Marketplace. This is more than we spent on one of our 35mm film projectors!

Don't get us wrong. It's not that we don't want to have our showtimes in print. It would be really convenient for many to be able to open up the paper and find our showtimes next to the other local multiplexes. And we don't discount that. We also appreciate the chicken or the egg conundrum we're in - if our showtimes aren't in the newspaper, how are people going to be able to know when to show up to keep us in business? We hope that over time though as we are around longer, more and more people get used to our system and finding our films and showtimes becomes easier and easier. We are still working out the kinks on our website and trying to make it as user-friendly as it can be. We send out a weekly email to over 1400 individuals with our entire schedule for the upcoming week. If you aren't getting these emails, please go to our website and sign-up right on the front page. For those who don't use computers, we have a voice-recorded message with our showtimes and we are working on getting that extended so that we can leave showtimes for upcoming days as well. We recently put up a calendar in our lobby that displays our upcoming films. There are also a ton of other sites on line to find our showtimes. Here are just a few, some of which I just discovered: google.com/movies, moviefone.com, when.com, flixster.com, movietickets.com, movies.yahoo.com, boxofficemojo.com, rottentomatoes.com, bing.com.

When we do spend marketing money, this is what we want to spend it on: special events (from film screenings to fundraising to local filmmaker events), hosting guest artists, publications and/or events that bring more people downtown in general, co-promotions with our downtown neighbors and Jigar thought it would be funny if I wrote sky-writer (so I'm humoring him). These are all things that we hope make us different than the other theaters in town.

We haven't ruled advertising in the WS Journal out by any means, we just wanted you to know where things stand now.