Exit through the Gift Shop - Redux

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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"

..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

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

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...

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

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

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

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...

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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?

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

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

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

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!