 |
Please support
the Avon Theatre Film Center!
|
June 20
FRENCH CINEMATHEQUE
Co-presented by the Alliance Française of Greenwich
SOMETHING IN THE AIR
BEST SCREENPLAY – 2012 VENICE FILM FESTIVAL
2012 TORONTO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
2012 NEW YORK FILM FESTIVAL
2012 CHICAGO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
2012 AFI FILM FESTIVAL
Thursday, June 20 at 7:30 p.m.
Carte Blanche: FREE | Avon Members & AFG: $6 | Students/Seniors: $8 | Nonmembers: $11
|
|
ABOUT THE FILM: At the beginning of the seventies, Gilles, a high school student in Paris, is swept up in the political fever of the time. Yet his real dream is to paint and make films, something that his friends and even his girlfriend cannot understand. For them, politics is everything, the political struggle all consuming. But Gilles gradually becomes more comfortable with his life choices, and learns to feel at ease in this new society.
In French with English subtitles | 122 minutes
|
back to top
June 26
Shelley Archives Presents
Legends of Rock Live
FLEETWOOD MAC
Rare Clips (1960s-1980s)
Hosted by Music Archivist Bill Shelley
Wednesday, June 26 at 7:30 p.m.
Carte Blanche: FREE | Members: $6 | Students/Seniors: $8 | Nonmembers: $11
|
|
ABOUT THE PROGRAM: Fleetwood Mac started in the mid 1960’s as a British blues band and struggled to have its songs chart until Mick Fleetwood and John MacVie changed their line-up and made their style more commercially mainstream. Once their song “Black Magic Woman” took off with Santana’s cover of it, Fleetwood Mac got more notice and started to build their fan base in the U.S. This program will begin with some of Fleetwood Mac’s earlier songs, with their first guitarist Peter Green and their second guitarist Bob Welch, and follow their upward trek with their third guitarist Lindsey Buckingham, their keyboardist Christine MacVie, and their new chanteuse Stevie Nicks. It will include songs from Rumours, their Grammy-winning, number one album that broke all records in sales and made the world sit up and notice them. Among the songs that will be highlighted during this show are “Black Magic Woman,” “Albatross,” “Rhiannon,” “Go Your Own Way,” “You Make Loving Fun,” “Don’t Stop,” “Gypsy,” “Tusk,””Dreams,” “Eyes of the World,” “Sisters of the Moon,” “Hold Me,” “Say You Love Me,” Little Lies,” “Sara,” and more. Enjoy this clip fest of live concert footage from Japan, Europe, and America; television appearances; and promo films. This tribute to the band is a treat not to be missed.
In English | 110 minutes
|
ABOUT BILL SHELLEY: Bill Shelley has been filming since the 1970s when he recorded bands Twisted Sister and Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, then later directed music videos for Public Enemy (PE). Shelley Archives was started in 1985 and today the company has over 100,000 reels of original 35mm and 16mm films in its archives and over 10,000 hours of rare concerts, television shows, promos, interviews, out-takes and home movies. Preservation of films and music clips is the main focus of the organization. |
back to top
June 27
Cult Classics
MISSING IN ACTION (1984)
Thursday, June 27 at 9:00 p.m.
Carte Blanche: FREE | Members: $6 | Students & Seniors: $8 | Nonmembers: $11
|
|
ABOUT THE FILM: Colonel James Braddock is an American officer who spent seven years in a North Vietnamese POW camp, then escaped 10 years ago. After the bloodiest war, Braddock accompanies a government investigation team that goes to Ho Chi Minh City to check out reports of Americans still held prisoner. Braddock gets the evidence then travels to Thailand, where he meets Tuck, an old Army buddy turned black market kingpin. Together, they launch a mission deep into the jungle to free the American POWs from General Trau. --Anthony Pereyra
Rated R | In English | 101 minutes
|
back to top
July 10
Documentary Night
HEY BARTENDER
Post-film Q&A with Douglas Tirola (Director), Susan Bedusa (Producer), Stephen Carpentieri (Cast) & Steve Schneider (Cast)
moderated by Joe Meyers (CT Post)
Wednesday, July 10 at 7:30 p.m.
Carte Blanche: FREE | Members: $6 | Students & Seniors: $8 | Nonmembers: $11
|
|
ABOUT THE FILM: Two bartenders try to achieve their dreams through bartending. An injured Marine turns his goals to becoming a principal bartender at the best cocktail bar in the world. A young man leaves his white-collar job to buy the corner bar in his hometown years later he struggles to keep afloat. Hey Bartender is the story of the rebirth of the bartender and the comeback of the cocktail. Featuring the world’s most renowned bartenders and access to the most exclusive bars in New York with commentary from Graydon Carter, Danny Meyer and Amy Sacco.
Not Rated | In English | 94 minutes
ABOUT THE PANEL:
Douglas Tirola is an NYC based filmmaker who got his start by working in production on studio movies, and later writing screenplays. His first documentary, AN OMAR BROADWAY FILM, premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival. Douglas also directed ALL IN – THE POKER MOVIE, which won the grand jury prize at the Cinevegas Film Festival. Douglas also produced several other films including MAKING THE BOYS (Berlin Film Festival) and FAKE IT SO REAL. He is currently directing a documentary about the National Lampoon.
Susan Bedusa is a producer who got her start in development at Emerging Pictures where she worked under Fine Line founder, Ira Deutchman. Currently, Susan is Vice President of Development at 4th Row Films where she has produced 7 feature documentaries, including AN OMAR BROADWAY FILM (HBO Documentary Films), MAKING THE BOYS (First Run Features), and KATI WITH AN I (NY Times Critic’s Pick). Susan is currently in production on her next two films; a documentary about the story of the National Lampoon, and one about a 1990’s rock star.
Stephen Carpentieri aka Carpi is a former VP of Citi Group who became an owner of a local corner bar, Dunville’s. He created a spot that catered to both the working class and the white-collar communities of Westport, CT. With the changing landscape of the economy, the industry, and the town, Dunvilles went from being the “it” bar in town to a place trying to stay successful. After 18 years of ownership, with stress on both his business and his personal life, Carpi’s dream of running a bar in his hometown is not so easy, and he must find a way to bring Dunvilles back to what it once was.
Steve Schneider is an ex-Marine turned mixologist. After finishing at the top of his class in the Marine Corps, becoming an intelligence specialist, and volunteering for an elite unit headed for Afghanistan, Steve had a tragic accident and suffered a severe head injury. His military career ruined, Steve took a job behind the bar near where he was stationed in Washington DC. Steve’s appetite for learning and passion for the mixology movement led him to New York City, and a position as an Apprentice Bartender at the world-famous cocktail bar, Employees Only. Through various bartending competitions and events, Steve builds a reputation as a star up-and-comer on the cocktail scene, never taking his eyes off the prize of what he wants most: to someday become Principal Bartender at Employees Only.
Joe Meyers writes about movies for the CT Post. The former editor of the Delmarva News, he spent two wonderful years in the late 1970s running the first arthouse movie theatre on the Delmarva Peninsula, where he learned many valuable lessons about the differences between commerce and art. A collection of Joe’s pieces about film stars of the past are published in a book tiled “Whatever Happened to…”
|
back to top
July 11
Cult Classics
THE BIG LEBOWSKI (1998)
Special 15th Anniversary Screening
Thursday, July 11 at 9:00 p.m.
Carte Blanche: FREE | Members: $6 | Students & Seniors: $8 | Nonmembers: $11
|
|
ABOUT THE FILM: The plot of this Raymond Chandler-esque comedy crime caper from the Coen Brothers pivots around a case of mistaken identity complicated by extortion, double-crosses, deception, embezzlement, sex, pot, and gallons of White Russians. In 1991, unemployed '60s refugee Jeff "The Dude" Lebowski grooves into his laid-back Los Angeles lifestyle. One of the laziest men in LA, he enjoys hanging with his bowling buddies, pompous security-store owner Walter Sobchak (John Goodman) and mild-mannered ex-surfer Donny (Steve Buscemi). However, the Dude's life takes an alternate route the afternoon two goons break into his threadbare Venice, California, bungalow, rough him up, and urinate on his living room rug. Why? Because Jackie Treehorn is owed money by the wife of a certain Jeff Lebowski. However, the goons had the wrong Jeff Lebowski. They should have invaded the home of philanthropic Pasadena millionaire Jeffrey Lebowski. The Dude looks up his wealthy namesake, manages to get a replacement for his rug, and meets the millionaire's sexy young wife Bunny. Later, Jeffrey ("The Big") Lebowski calls in the Dude to deliver a $1 million ransom for the return of his kidnapped wife. Fine -- except that Walter intrudes and botches the ransom drop. As events unravel, the Dude gets caught up in the schemes of Lebowski's daughter, erotic artist Maude, encounters both cops and bad guys, and drifts through an elaborate bowling fantasy sequence titled Gutterballs. --Bhob Stewart, Rovi
Rated R | In English | 117 minutes
|
back to top
July 18
FRENCH CINEMATHEQUE
Co-presented by the Alliance Française of Greenwich
A PIG ACROSS PARIS
Thursday, July 18 at 7:30 p.m.
Carte Blanche: FREE | Members: $6 | Students & Seniors: $8 | Nonmembers: $11
|
|
ABOUT THE FILM: (1956) In a cold, hungrily-rationed, blacked-out City of Lights under the Occupation, a transaction involving black market pork from a crabby, penny-pinching Montmartre butcher, is carried out like a modern-day drug deal. But straight arrow ex-black-marketeer Bourvil can’t manage the full trek across nocturnal Paris with four cases of pork himself, so he recruits a meat-mooching, garrulous stranger-he-met-in-a-bar, an adventurer who keeps getting them into, and then hilariously talking them out of, trouble with both the Germans and French police, as Bourvil’s nervous sweat pools in the gutter. But there’s a chilling, class-laden final twist.
Beloved in France as one of the country's greatest classics, and championed by directors like Bertrand Tavernier and François Truffaut, A PIG ACROSS PARIS had a tiny release here in the 1950s before disappearing completely. This new restoration features an all-new translation and subtitles by Lenny Borger.
Not Rated | In French with English subtitles | 80 minutes
|
back to top
July 24
Shelley Archives Presents
Legends of Rock Live
Lou Reed, The Velvet Underground, Nico,
Andy Warhol and the Sounds of Dissent
RARE CLIPS (1966 – 1985)
Hosted by Music Archivist Bill Shelley
Wednesday, July 24 at 7:30 p.m.
Carte Blanche: FREE | Members: $6 | Students/Seniors: $8 | Nonmembers: $11
|
|
ABOUT THE FILM:The 1960’s was a time of experimenting, questioning, and reinventing. Many musicians, writers, and other artists gravitated to Andy Warhol’s Factory for the freedom to create, and the notoriety they needed to achieve commercial success. The Velvet Underground, with their lead singer-song writer, Lou Reed, was one such group. This show will demonstrate how The Velvet Underground’s music entertained as well as inspired political thought and new artistic methods of expression, using feedback and industrial tape-looping for effects. Some of the songs featured will be “I’m Waiting for the Man,” “Sunday Morning,” “Walk on the Wild Side,” “Sweet Jane,” “Rock and Roll” and songs from Reed’s musical memorial for Andy Warhol called Songs for Drella. The performances will include 16mm film prints, video tapes, promos, rehearsals, and live concert footage. See why the group went beyond accompanying Andy Warhol’s Exploding Plastic Inevitable gallery shows to become stars of Warhol’s experimental films and happenings. While their first album’s “banana cover” only sold a few thousand copies, Brian Eno is attributed to having said, “The first Velvet Underground album only sold 10,000 copies, but everyone who bought it formed a band.” The evening will be an intellectual treat, as you examine Lou Reed’s moody songs, such as “Heroin.” His poetry is a deeply moving musical portrait of dark images of drug addiction, the desperation of youth, and a pantheon of Greenwich Village characters. Along with German singer Nico, The Velvet Underground became a downtown attraction of New York City.
|
ABOUT BILL SHELLEY: Bill Shelley has been filming since the 1970s when he recorded bands Twisted Sister and Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, then later directed music videos for Public Enemy (PE). Shelley Archives was started in 1985 and today the company has over 100,000 reels of original 35mm and 16mm films in its archives and over 10,000 hours of rare concerts, television shows, promos, interviews, out-takes and home movies. Preservation of films and music clips is the main focus of the organization. |
back to top
July 25
Cult Classics
SCANNERS (1981)
Thursday, July 25 at 9:00 p.m.
Carte Blanche: FREE | Members: $6 | Students & Seniors: $8 | Nonmembers: $11
|
|
ABOUT THE FILM: The title of this David Cronenberg sci-fi horror film refers to a group of people who have telekinetic powers that allow them to read minds and give them the ability to make other people's heads explode. The children of a group of women who took an experimental tranquilizer during their pregnancies, the scanners are now adults and have become outcasts from society. But Darryl decides to create an army of scanners to take over the world. The only person who can stop him is his brother Cameron, who wants to forget that he was ever a scanner. --Matthew Tobey, Rovi
Rated R | In English | 120 minutes
|
back to top
July 31
Special Event
2013 Sundance Film Festival Short Films
Wednesday, July 31 at 7:30 p.m.
Carte Blanche: FREE | Members: $6 | Students & Seniors: $8 | Nonmembers: $11
|
|
ABOUT THE FILMS: A roller coaster mix of drama and comedy, the SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL SHORT FILMS program is a collection of eight short films from the 2013 edition of the Festival. Vibrant storytelling highlights the group, including fiction, documentary and animation, with five award-winners. With no rules, the short film serves as a proving ground for young filmmakers to make their mark and for established filmmakers to take risks in story and style.
Not Rated | In various languages | 99 minutes
THE DATE
Short Film Jury Prize: International Fiction
Tino’s manhood is put to the test in front of two women when he has to host a date for Diablo, the family’s stud cat.
(Jenni Toivoniemi, Finland, 8 min)
WHIPLASH
Short Film Jury Prize: US Fiction
An aspiring drummer enters an elite conservatory's top jazz orchestra.
(Damien Chazelle, USA, 18 min)
SKINNINGROVE
Short Film Jury Prize: Non-Fiction
Photographer Chris Killip shares unpublished images chronicling time spent among the fiercely independent residents of a remote English fishing village.
(Michael Almereyda, USA, 15 min)
UNTIL THE QUIET COMES
Short Film Special Jury Prize
Shot in the Nickerson Gardens housing projects in Watts, Los Angeles, this film deals with themes of violence, camaraderie and spirituality through the lens of magical realism.
(Kahlil Joseph, USA, 4 min)
IRISH FOLK FURNITURE
Short Film Jury Prize: Animation
In Ireland, old hand-painted furniture is often associated with hard times, with poverty, and with a time many would rather forget. In this animated documentary, 16 pieces of traditional folk furniture are repaired and returned home.
(Tony Donoghue, Ireland, 9 min)
THE EVENT
Love and a severed foot at the end of the world.
(Julia Pott, USA/United Kingdom, 4 min)
JONAH
When two young men photograph a gigantic fish leaping from the sea, their small town becomes a tourist attraction in this story about the old and the new.
(Kibwe Tavares, Tanzania/United Kingdom, 23 min)
K.I.T.
A guilt-ridden, but well-intentioned, yuppie goes to great lengths to prove she is a decent person.
(Michelle Morgan, USA, 16 min)
|
back to top
August 7
Documentary Night
BIG STAR:
NOTHING CAN HURT ME
Programmer's Pick -
A must see doc about one of the most seminal bands!
Wednesday, August 7 at 7:30 p.m.
Carte Blanche: FREE | Members: $6 | Students & Seniors: $8 | Nonmembers: $11
|
|
ABOUT THE FILM: BIG STAR: NOTHING CAN HURT ME is a feature-length documentary about legendary Memphis band Big Star. While mainstream success eluded them, Big Star’s three albums have become critically lauded touchstones of the rock music canon. A seminal band in the history of alternative music, Big Star has been cited as an influence by artists including REM, The Replacements, Belle & Sebastian, Elliot Smith and Flaming Lips, to name just a few. With never-before-seen footage and photos of the band, in-depth interviews and a rousing musical tribute by the bands they inspired, BIG STAR: NOTHING CAN HURT ME is a story of artistic and musical salvation.
|
back to top
August 8
Cult Classics
THE KARATE KID (1984)
Thursday, August 8 at 9:00 p.m.
Carte Blanche: FREE | Members: $6 | Students & Seniors: $8 | Nonmembers: $11
|
|
ABOUT THE FILM: Newly arrived in California from New Jersey, teenager Daniel almost immediately runs afoul of karate-trained high school bullies. He is rescued by Japanese janitor Miyagi, who agrees to teach Daniel how to harness karate for good instead of brutality. The film culminates in a championship karate bout, pitting Daniel against his sworn enemy Johnny -- the cruel and thuggish boyfriend of Ali, with whom Daniel has fallen in love (and vice versa). Real-life karate champ Chuck Norris was offered the role of Kreese, the sadistic coach who goads Johnny into fighting dirty, but Norris turned down the role, refusing to be shown utilizing his skills negatively onscreen. --Hal Erickson, Rovi
Rated PG | In English | 122 minutes
|
back to top
August 15
FRENCH CINEMATHEQUE
Co-presented by the Alliance Française of Greenwich
AUGUSTINE
Thursday, August 15 at 7:30 p.m.
Carte Blanche: FREE | Avon Members & AFG: $6 | Students/Seniors: $8 | Nonmembers: $11
|
“A dark romance of sex and power. Vivid and Feverish.”
- AO Scott, The New York Times
|
ABOUT THE FILM: The powerful and darkly sensual drama AUGUSTINE is based on the true story of the unusual relationship that developed between Dr. Jean-Martin Charcot, the pioneering 19th century French neurologist and mentor to Sigmund Freud, and his star teenage patient. In Belle Epoque Paris, 19-year-old kitchen maid Augustine suffers an inexplicable seizure that leaves her partially paralyzed and is shipped off to an all-female psychiatric hospital specializing in the then-fashionable ailment of 'hysteria'. Augustine captures the attention of renowned neurologist Dr. Charcot (Vincent Lindon) after she has another attack that appears to give her intense physical pleasure. Intrigued, he begins using her as his principal subject, hypnotizing her in front of his fellow doctors. As Augustine displays her spectacular fits in lecture halls, the lines between doctor and patient become blurred, radically impacting the course of both of their lives. Chronicling one woman’s sexual awakening against the backdrop of Victorian psychology and social repression, director Alice Winocour’s auspicious feature film debut stars 27 year-old French recording artist Soko in a breakout performance.
Not Rated | In French with English subtitles | 102 minutes
|
back to top
August 22
Cult Classics
THE WARRIORS (1979)
Thursday, August 22 at 9:00 p.m.
Carte Blanche: FREE | Members: $6 | Students & Seniors: $8 | Nonmembers: $11
|
|
ABOUT THE FILM: In a dystopian near-future, when various gangs control New York City, each gang sports a unique moniker ('The Warriors,' 'The Baseball Furies,' 'The Rogues'), with a costume underscoring its "theme"; each, in turn, is also responsible for one geographic area. The city is a massive, violent playground - with vacant subway tunnels, abandoned buildings and the like. As the tale opens, Coney Island’s The Warriors have traveled to the Bronx to attend a city-wide meeting of all gangs; at that event, however, the psychotic leader of a rival gang, The Rogues, assassinates the head of the city's foremost gang, but The Warriors are pegged as culpable. This sends the gang fleeing through the labyrinthine city. With every thug in Manhattan in vicious, homicidal pursuit. --Nathan Southern, Rovi
Rated R | In English | 93 minutes
|
back to top
August 28
Shelley Archives Presents
Legends of Rock Live
THE KINKS 2
Rare Clips (1960s-1980s)
Hosted by Music Archivist Bill Shelley
Wednesday, August 28 at 7:30 p.m.
Carte Blanche: FREE | Members: $6 | Students/Seniors: $8 | Nonmembers: $11
|
|
ABOUT THE PROGRAM: The Kinks, one of the most enduring and talented British Invasion bands, had so many great hits that we are showing another program of different performances by the group. Their witty observation of political and social trends put to catchy melodies captured many American fans. The satire is still meaningful to this day. Join us as we celebrate the Kinks’ music with THE KINKS 2, which will show rare performances from television, concerts, promos, and behind-the-scenes footage. The show will include “Days,” a cover of “Louie, Louie,” “Father Christmas,” Come Dancing,” “State of Confusion,” “Do It Again,” “Hollywood Boulevard,” and many more, including different performances of some of the favorite songs from the first Kinks show. Don’t miss the fun!
In English | 110 minutes.
|
ABOUT BILL SHELLEY: Bill Shelley has been filming since the 1970s when he recorded bands Twisted Sister and Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, then later directed music videos for Public Enemy (PE). Shelley Archives was started in 1985 and today the company has over 100,000 reels of original 35mm and 16mm films in its archives and over 10,000 hours of rare concerts, television shows, promos, interviews, out-takes and home movies. Preservation of films and music clips is the main focus of the organization.
. |
back to top
September 5
Cult Classics
FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE (1963)
Thursday, September 5 at 9:00 p.m.
Carte Blanche: FREE | Members: $6 | Students & Seniors: $8 | Nonmembers: $11
|
|
ABOUT THE FILM: The second in the series of James Bond films, is the film that solidifies all the Bond film elements into a formula. Sean Connery as Bond has nailed down his role as 007 -- accentuating Bond's stylishness and sophistication, while toning down his cold-bloodedness. In FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE, the bad guys don't want to take over the world. They want something more mundane -- a Russian decoding device. Assigned the mission of stealing the decoding device are No. 3, former KGB agent Rosa Klebb, and No. 5, Kronsteen, an expert chess player who has plotted every move of the mission. Kronsteen's plan requires using Bond's weakness for women as an element in acquiring the decoding device. Once Bond obtains the decoding device from Russian cipher clerk Tatiana Romanova, SPECTRE muscleman Red Grant is to forcibly take it from Bond and kill him. Though Bond suspects a trap, he can't resist the lure of a beautiful woman. So, flaunting danger, Bond travels to Istanbul to meet Tatiana. The centerpiece of this 007 feature is the thrilling fight to the death between Bond and enemy agent Red Grant aboard the Orient Express. --Paul Brenner, Rovi
Not Rated | In English | 118 minutes
|
back to top
September 11
Documentary Night
IF THESE KNISHES COULD TALK
Post-film Q&A with filmmaker Heather Quinlan
Wednesday, September 11 at 7:30 p.m.
Carte Blanche: FREE | Members: $6 | Students & Seniors: $8 | Nonmembers: $11
|
|
ABOUT THE FILM: It's tough to assess the value of a vowel or a diphthong, yet it's these intangible elements, along with a few dropped Rs and intrusive Gs, which make up one helluva great chapter of American history. The New York accent is as much a part of this country as those spacious skies and purple mountains majesty. It's the voice of the melting pot, a lingua franca that united immigrants from all over the world. IF THESE KNISHES COULD TALK tells the story of the New York accent: what it is, how it's evolved, and the love/hate relationship New Yorkers have with it. It features writer Pete Hamill, director Penny Marshall, attorney Alan Dershowitz and screenwriter James McBride, along with a cast of characters from the Throgs Neck to Canarsie. In between, it explores how the accent became the vibrant soundtrack of a charming, unforgiving and enduring city. The film will also reveal a few surprising facts, such as why there’s no such thing as a Brooklyn accent, and how there's a New York accent in sign language. The film and its director have been featured on the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the New York Daily News, and WNBC-TV. The film has also been covered on BBC and BBC Scotland.
ABOUT HEATHER QUINLAN: The film is directed by Heather Quinlan, a New Yorker who's lived in all five boroughs and whose short film, "O BROOKLYN! MY BROOKLYN!" about Walt Whitman's "Crossing Brooklyn Ferry" was called “charming ... an endearing way of making an old poem more relevant” by the New York Times. She also directed Dinner With Wise Guys, a Little Italy spin on IFC’s “Dinner For Five,” and videos for TLC, the Discovery Channel and the Science Channel. She started IF THESE KNISHES COULD TALK as an homage to her father and grandparents, whose wonderful accents she missed hearing. The knish became a symbol for the film after she remembered it was a Jewish food introduced to her by her Irish father in the heavily Italian borough of Staten Island.
|
back to top
September 19
FRENCH CINEMATHEQUE
Co-presented by the Alliance Française of Greenwich
YOU AIN’T SEEN NOTHIN’ YET
A new film by Alain Resnais
Thursday, September 19 at 7:30 p.m.
Carte Blanche: FREE | Members & AFG: $6 | Students & Seniors: $8 | Nonmembers: $11
|
|
ABOUT THE FILM: Based on two works by the playwright Jean Anouilh, YOU AIN'T SEEN NOTHIN' YET opens with a who's-who of French acting royalty (including Mathieu Amalric, Michel Piccoli and frequent Resnais muse Sabine Azema) being summoned to the reading of a late playwright's last will and testament. There, the playwright (Denis Podalydes) appears on a TV screen from beyond the grave and asks his erstwhile collaborators to evaluate a recording of an experimental theater company performing his Eurydice--a play they themselves all appeared in over the years. But as the video unspools, instead of watching passively, these seasoned thespians begin acting out the text alongside their youthful avatars, looking back into the past rather like mythic Orpheus himself. Gorgeously shot by cinematographer Eric Gautier on stylized sets that recall the French poetic realism of the 1930s, YOU AIN'T SEEN NOTHIN' YET is an alternately wry and wistful valentine to actors and the art of performance from a director long fascinated by the intersection of life, theater and cinema.
Not Rated | In French with English subtitles | 115 minutes
|
back to top
September 26
Shelley Archives Presents
Legends of Rock Live
WOMEN OF FOLK MUSIC
(1950s-1980s)
Hosted by Music Archivist Bill Shelley
Thursday, September 26 at 7:30 p.m.
Carte Blanche: FREE | Members: $6 | Students/Seniors: $8 | Nonmembers: $11
|
|
ABOUT THE PROGRAM: This show will pay tribute to the female folk singers who used a guitar and their voice to change the world. Their lyrics encouraged the listener to contemplate economic inequality, racial harmony, women’s rights, the rights of children, workers’ rights, the need for peace and cession of wars, the importance of love and friendship, and the need for fairness among people, to name a few of their favorite topics. Some of the legendary performers who will be shown will be Mary Travers (of Peter Paul & Mary) singing the classic “Blowin’ in the Wind,” Joan Baez singing “Diamonds and Rust,” Joni Mitchell singing “Big Yellow Taxi,” Janis Ian singing “Society’s Child” and “At Seventeen,” Judy Collins singing “Both Sides Now” and “Someday Soon,” Melainie singing “Beautiful People,” and “Peace Will Come,” and performances by Buffy Saint Marie, Odetta, Linda Ronstadt, and a host of others. In the 1950s, when folk music became even more commercially popular, the “big names” were dominated by men. Soon, women singer/songwriters found an audience. They sang old and new songs that voiced their political opinions and supported social causes. Their voices reflected our nation’s struggles. This was a prolific time of songwriting and rediscovery of songs that portrayed the concerns of people from all walks of life throughout our country and especially spotlighted the poor and disenfranchised. The footage will be from archived rare concert films, television performances, promo films, and studio rehearsals. Note: Singing and clapping are welcome!
In English | 110 minutes
|
ABOUT BILL SHELLEY: Bill Shelley has been filming since the 1970s when he recorded bands Twisted Sister and Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, then later directed music videos for Public Enemy (PE). Shelley Archives was started in 1985 and today the company has over 100,000 reels of original 35mm and 16mm films in its archives and over 10,000 hours of rare concerts, television shows, promos, interviews, out-takes and home movies. Preservation of films and music clips is the main focus of the organization. |
back to top
October 2
Documentary Night
AKA DOC POMUS
Wednesday, October 2 at 7:30 p.m.
Carte Blanche: FREE | Members: $6 | Students & Seniors: $8 | Nonmembers: $11
|
|
ABOUT THE FILM: Doc Pomus’ dramatic life is one of American music’s great untold stories. Paralyzed with polio as a child, Brooklyn-born Jerome Felder reinvented himself as a blues singer, renaming himself Doc Pomus. He then emerged as a one of the most brilliant songwriters of the early rock and roll era, writing “Save the Last Dance for Me,” “This Magic Moment,” “A Teenager in Love,” “Viva Las Vegas,” and dozens of other hits. Spearheaded and co-produced by his daughter Sharyn Felder and packed with incomparable music and rare archival imagery, this documentary features interviews with collaborators and friends including Dr. John, Ben E. King, Joan Osborne, Shawn Colvin, Dion, Leiber and Stoller, and B.B. King, as well as passages from Doc’s private journals read by his close friend Lou Reed.
Not Rated | In English | 99 minutes
|
back to top
October 10
Cult Classics
THE DEAD ZONE (1983)
30th Anniversary!
A newly restored digital presentation of David Cronenberg’s adaptation
of Stephen King’s book.
Thursday, October 10 at 9:00 p.m.
Carte Blanche: FREE | Members: $6 | Students & Seniors: $8 | Nonmembers: $11
|
|
ABOUT THE FILM: Christopher Walken plays a schoolteacher, Johnny Smith, who awakens from a five-year coma. He discovers that he has acquired the ability to foretell a person's future simply by touching his or her hand. After seeing several examples, Smith's doctor (Herbert Lom) becomes convinced that Smith can not only predict the future, but also has the power to change it. This ability is given its severest test when Smith shakes the hand of ruthless political candidate Greg Stillson (Martin Sheen) -- and suddenly has a flash-forward to a nuclear holocaust. The Dead Zone is not only one of the best-ever Stephen King adaptations, but also one of the most consistently successful (and least gory) efforts of director David Cronenberg. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
Rated R | In English | 103 minutes
|
back to top
October 24
Shelley Archives Presents
Legends of Rock Live
TOM PETTY AND THE HEARTBREAKERS
Rare Clips (1970s-1980s)
Hosted by Music Archivist Bill Shelley
Thursday, October 24 at 7:30 p.m.
Carte Blanche: FREE | Members: $6 | Students/Seniors: $8 | Nonmembers: $11
|
|
ABOUT THE PROGRAM: Tom Petty, Mike Cambell, Benchmont Tench, Ron Blair and Stan Lynch formed Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers in 1976. Since then, the group has given fans a number of well deserved hits, with a lead singer whose voice reminds one of Dylan and a slide guitar worthy of any Southern blues band. Their ballads and take on the world were an interesting contrast to the New Wave music that was gaining popularity at the same time. Among the songs that will be featured are “Breakdown,” “ American Girl,” “I Won’t Back Down,” “Don’t Want to Live Like a Refugee,” “Don’t Do Me Like That,” “Free Falling” and many more. The sources of the clips for this show will be promos, films and videos of live concerts, studio rehearsals, and television appearances.
In English | 110 minutes
|
ABOUT BILL SHELLEY: Bill Shelley has been filming since the 1970s when he recorded bands Twisted Sister and Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, then later directed music videos for Public Enemy (PE). Shelley Archives was started in 1985 and today the company has over 100,000 reels of original 35mm and 16mm films in its archives and over 10,000 hours of rare concerts, television shows, promos, interviews, out-takes and home movies. Preservation of films and music clips is the main focus of the organization. |
back to top
November 7
Cult Classics
David Fincher's
FIGHT CLUB (1999)
A newly restored digital presentation
Thursday, November 7 at 9:00 p.m.
Carte Blanche: FREE | Members: $6 | Students & Seniors: $8 | Nonmembers: $11
|
|
ABOUT THE FILM: In this darkly comic drama, Edward Norton stars as a depressed young man who has become a small cog in the world of big business. He doesn't like his work and gets no sense of reward from it, attempting instead to drown his sorrows by putting together the "perfect" apartment. He can't sleep and feels alienated from the world at large; he's become so desperate to relate to others that he's taken to visiting support groups for patients with terminal diseases. One day on a business flight, he discovers Tyler Durden (Brad Pitt), a charming iconoclast who sells soap. Tyler doesn't put much stock in the materialistic world, and he believes that one can learn a great deal through pain, misfortune, and chaos. Tyler cheerfully challenges his new friend to a fight. Our Narrator finds that bare-knuckle brawling makes him feel more alive than he has in years, and soon the two become friends and roommates, meeting informally to fight once a week. As more men join in, the "fight club" becomes an underground sensation, even though it's a closely guarded secret among the participants. (First rule: Don't talk about fight club. Second rule: Don't talk about fight club.) But as our Narrator and Tyler bond through violence, a strange situation becomes more complicated when Tyler becomes involved with Marla (Helena Bonham Carter), whom our Narrator became infatuated with when they were both crashing the support-group circuit. Based on the novel by Chuck Palahniuk, FIGHT CLUB was directed by David Fincher, who previously directed Pitt in the thriller SEVEN.
~ Mark Deming, Rovi
Rated R | In English | 139 minutes
|
back to top
November 21
Shelley Archives Presents
Legends of Rock Live
GARAGE BANDS OF THE 1960s
Rare Clips
Hosted by Music Archivist Bill Shelley
Thursday, November 21 at 7:30 p.m.
Carte Blanche: FREE | Members: $6 | Students/Seniors: $8 | Nonmembers: $11
|
|
ABOUT THE PROGRAM:“Garage Bands” were predominately started by groups of teens or young 20’s that first recorded at home, in basements or garages. Their equipment was limited to what their low budgets could afford. Somehow, they produced demos that wound up on the national charts and became huge hits. Some of these groups had limited commercial success, some were “One Hit Wonders,” and others got replaced with session players (professional studio musicians who got paid per song, often as little as $5/song). But they created a sound, a market, and a call to young musicians everywhere who saw that their dreams might be possible. Over night bands with unusual names popped up: The Electric Prunes, The Seeds, ? and the Mysterians, and The Blues Magoos, to name a few. Many Punk and New Wave bands got their inspiration from the garage band sound. In later years, as the technology got cheaper and more sophisticated, groups recording at home could create sounds much like the bigger studios. But our show will focus on the beginning of this trend, with all of the raw energy that these groups had. Their sound is so captivating that a new generation of musicians, Lo-Fi bands, is rejecting current technology to try to duplicate the sound of the original garage bands.
Some of the music that will be included in this program will be The Kingsmen with “Louie, Louie,” Paul Revere and the Raiders with “Kicks,” The Sir Douglas Quintet with “She’s About a Mover,” The Shadows of Knight with “Gloria,” Tommy James and the Shondells with “Mony, Mony” The McCoys with “Hang on Sloopy, The Standells with “Dirty Water,” The American Breed with “Bend Me, Shape Me,” and many more.
In English | 110 minutes
|
ABOUT BILL SHELLEY: Bill Shelley has been filming since the 1970s when he recorded bands Twisted Sister and Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, then later directed music videos for Public Enemy (PE). Shelley Archives was started in 1985 and today the company has over 100,000 reels of original 35mm and 16mm films in its archives and over 10,000 hours of rare concerts, television shows, promos, interviews, out-takes and home movies. Preservation of films and music clips is the main focus of the organization
. |
back to top
|
|
|
