christmas showtimes

What to watch this Christmas... Black Swan is starting at St Anthony today (still at the Lagoon).  True Grit is at St Anthony, The Heights & The Lagoon.  If neither of those sound like good Christmas flicks, then you probably won't want to check out the Leo Fuchs story of Jewish assimilation in American Matchmaker, also playing at St Anthony.  John Lennon fans might enjoy seeing the Twin Cities Film Fest favorite Nowhere Boy, playing at the Parkway starting this Friday (showtimes TBD).  If it's Christmas films you must watch, though, you can check out A Christmas Story and It's A Wonderful Life at Riverview until tomorrow.  Here's random showtimes:

•St Anthony:

For the week of December 17 - December 23
Black Swan (R) runtime 1 hr 43 mins	Wed & Thu: (4:25), 7:15, 9:55
Fair Game (PG-13) runtime 1 hr 44 mins	Fri - Sun: (1:15), (4:15), 7:15, 9:45 Mon & Tue: (4:15), 7:15, 9:45
The Fighter (R) runtime 1 hr 54 mins	Fri - Sun: (1:25), (4:20), 7:05, 9:40 Mon & Tue: (4:20), 7:05, 9:40 Wed: (4:20), 7:05, 9:35 Thu: (4:20), 9:35
The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest () runtime 2 hr 28 mins	Fri & Sat: (1:00), (4:00), 9:55 Sun: (1:00), 9:55 Mon & Tue: (4:00), 7:00, 9:55
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I (PG-13) runtime 2 hr 26 mins	Fri - Sun: (1:00), (4:00), 7:00, 9:50 Mon & Tue: (4:00), 7:00, 9:50
Little Fockers (PG-13) runtime 1 hr 38 mins	Wed & Thu: (4:30), 7:30, 9:40
TRON Legacy () runtime 2 hr 7 mins	Fri - Sun: (1:20), (4:10), 7:10, 9:55 Mon - Thu: (4:10), 7:10, 9:55
True Grit (PG-13) runtime 1 hr 50 mins	Wed & Thu: (4:15), 7:10, 9:45

For the week of December 24 - December 30
American Matchmaker (NR) runtime 1 hr 27 mins	Fri & Sat: (4:30 PM)
Black Swan (R) runtime 1 hr 43 mins	Fri: (1:50), 7:15 Sat - Tue: (1:50), 7:15, 9:55 Wed & Thu: (1:50), (4:25), 7:15, 9:55
The Fighter (R) runtime 1 hr 54 mins	Fri: (1:35), (4:20), 7:05 Sat - Thu: (1:35), (4:20), 7:05, 9:35
Little Fockers (PG-13) runtime 1 hr 38 mins	Fri: (1:35), (4:20), 7:05 Sat - Thu: (1:35), (4:20), 7:05, 9:35
Ronia The Robber's Daughter (NR) runtime 2 hr 6 mins	Sun - Tue: (4:30 PM)
TRON Legacy () runtime 2 hr 7 mins	Fri: (1:30), (4:10), 7:00 Sat - Thu: (1:30), (4:10), 7:00, 9:50
True Grit (PG-13) runtime 1 hr 50 mins	Fri: (1:40), (4:15), 7:10 Sat - Thu: (1:40), (4:15), 7:10, 9:45

•Riverview (through Thursday):

• Despicable Me
  11:15AM
• Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole
  1:15PM
• A Christmas Story
  4:00PM
  6:00PM
• It's A Wonderful Life
  8:00PM

•The Heights:

Wednesday December 22	"TRUE GRIT" (PG-13)   4:25 PM, 7:10 PM
Thursday December 23	"TRUE GRIT" (PG-13)   4:25 PM, 7:10 PM
Friday December 24	"HEIGHTS THEATER CLOSED FOR CHRISTMAS EVE"
Saturday December 25	"TRUE GRIT" (PG-13)   1:45 PM, 4:25 PM, 7:10 PM, 9:40 PM
Sunday December 26	"TRUE GRIT" (PG-13)   1:45 PM, 4:25 PM, 7:10 PM, 9:40 PM

•Landmark (through Thursday):

• EDINA CINEMA
  (651) 649-4416
• Fair Game  
  (2:20 4:50) 7:30 9:50
• White Material  
  (1:45 4:20) 7:00 9:45
• The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest  
  (2:10 5:15) 8:20
• All Good Things  
  (2:00 4:40) 7:20 9:40

• UPTOWN THEATRE
  (612) 825-6006
• The Wizard of Oz  
  (2:15 4:30) 7:00 9:15

• LAGOON CINEMA
  (612) 825-6006
• Black Swan  
  (1:00 2:40 4:00 5:10) 7:00 7:40 9:30 10:10
  Dolby Digital
• The Tempest  
  (2:30 5:00) 7:30 10:00
  Dolby Digital
• True Grit  
  (2:20 4:50) 7:20 9:50
  Dolby Digital, No Passes
• I Love You Phillip Morris  
  (2:25 4:55) 7:25 9:55
  Dolby Digital, No Passes

faux and dogtooth at st anthony this weekend

Film Society's bringing you two special screenings this weekend, including one screening that features the presence of the film's director and actor.  First up, Faux:

Four storylines shot in four different film styles intertwine to unravel the human character. Caleb is a prolific writer who is victim to a tragic hit and run accident that kills his wife and leaves him with a fading memory of a one-legged bird. He follows this memory to a new city, where he meets a young filmmaker named Rin. The two begin influencing each other’s work, immersing themselves in cultural dissemination and human rights. But when their relationship blossoms into something more, Caleb discovers a connection between Rin and his wife’s accident. 
FAUX Playing at St. Anthony Main Theatre -
Fri. Dec 3 thru Sun. Dec 5 @ 7:00 

Discussions with the filmmakers follow all three screenings.

And screening today through next Thursday, is the Greek film Dogtooth, winner of Un Certain Regard at Cannes:

A hyper-stylized mixture of physical violence and verbal comedy, Dogtooth is a darkly funny look at three teenagers confined to their parents’ isolated country estate and kept under strict rule and regimen — an inscrutable scenario that suggests a warped experiment in social conditioning and control. Terrorized into submission by their father, the children spend their days devising their own games and learning an invented vocabulary (a salt shaker is a “telephone,” an armchair is “the sea”) — until a trusted outsider, brought in to satisfy the son’s libidinal urges, starts offering forbidden VHS tapes in return for sexual favors.(Kino.com)  

DOGTOOTH Playing at St. Anthony Main Theatre Screen #3 -
Fri. Dec 3 thru Sun. Dec 5 @ 2:00, 4:30, 9:30;
Mon. Dec 6 @ 4:30, 7:00, 9:30;
Tue. Dec 7 & Wed. Dec 8 @ 4:30, 9:30;
Thu. Dec 9 @ 4:30, 7:00, 9:30 

carlos at st anthony

Remember how you were planning on spending Halloween afternoon holed up in the Walker to take in Assayas' 330-minute 2010 feature Carlos, that is until you came down with a 24-hour bug known as post-halloween-party hangover?  Well, Tom Schmidt, you are in luck cause our dear friends at the Film Society are bringing it back to the cities in all it's 5-hour glory, starting tomorrow at St Anthony:

Carlos - Full Version (NR) runtime 5 hr 30 mins	Fri - Sun: 1:00 PM
Carlos - Short Version (NR) runtime 5 hr 30 mins	Mon - Wed: 7:05, 9:45 Thu: 9:45 PM

I'm guessing that second runtime is a typo. From Film Society:

CARLOS tells the story of Ilich Ramírez Sánchez who, for two decades, was one of the most wanted terrorists on the planet. Between 1974, in London, where he tried to assassinate a British businessman; and 1994, when he was arrested in Khartoum, he lived several lives under various pseudonyms, weaving his way through the complexities of international politics of the period. Who was Carlos? How did his various multi-layered identities fit together? Who was he before engaging body and soul in a never-ending struggle? The drama is built around these questions. 

39 steps & royal tennenbaums at st anthony

Hitchcock fans descend upon St Anthony this week as The Film Society of Minneapolis-St Paul presents his much-loved British spy thriller The 39 Steps.  Oh, and there's also a Wes Anderson film with a wonderful ensemble blah blah blah.  Here's showtimes!:

The Royal Tenenbaums (R) runtime 1 hr 49 mins

Mon - Wed: 9:15 PM Thu: 4:00, 7:00, 9:15

39 Steps (NR) runtime 1 hr 26 mins

Mon - Wed: (5:15), 7:15

Alec Baldwin is everywhere these days, am I right?

enemies of the people tonight, tickets going fast

From the Asian Film Festival website:

Enemies of the People turns the camera onto Nuon Chea aka Brother Number Two, the highest ranking Khmer Rouge leader still alive today. The Khmer Rouge was one of the twentieth century's most brutal regimes. While in power, the Khmer Rouge was responsible for the deaths of approximately 1.7 million people by execution, starvation and forced labor in camps that were later described as the Killing Fields.

In the film, one of Cambodia's best investigative journalists, Thet Sambath, persuades Nuon Chea to admit, for the first time, how he and Pol Pot (the two supreme powers in the Khmer Rouge state) decided to kill party members whom they considered 'Enemies of the People'. The mystery of the Killing Fields is unveiled as the men and women who perpetrated the massacres break a 30-year silence to give testimony never before seen or heard.

The movie will be followed up by a panel discussion with the film's director Rob Lemkin.

Enemies of the People has screened at countless festivals throughout the country, but the prize that speaks volumes about it's quality is its Special Jury Prize for World Cinema Documentary at this year's Sundance. Most fans of the movie mention how the film scores an interview with the most powerful living member of the Khmer Rouge, Noun Chea, set to stand trial for his crimes next year.  But equally compelling are the countless interviews with the otherwise peace-loving farmers and peasants who were forced to carry out the killings.  As Stephen Holden points out, the film is a "disquieting testament to the fact that ordinary individuals under extreme pressure will carry out the most monstrous crimes."

These sorts of discussions and films with little chance of mass distribution are what make these types of cultural events indispensable to any arts-loving community.  Get your tickets here before they sell out.


Enemies of the People Movie Trailer from Rob Lemkin on Vimeo.

free screenings at asian film festival

Film festivals can be a bit overwhelming.  Looking over schedules, I often am unsure where to even begin. Looking at this year's Asian Film Festival schedule, that's running until this Saturday, one item definitely caught my eyes: the words "free screening."  Starting tonight, there are a few select movies showing a second time for free.  For the apprehensive film fan, free screenings are usually a good place to start.  Get your thrift on with these free flicks:

Pinoy Sunday, Mon @ 5pm
The Things We Carry, Tues @ 4:45
The Mikado Project, Tues @ 5pm
The People I've Slept With, Wed @ 5pm
Raspberry Magic, Wed @ 5:15
Dev D, Thur @ 4:30
Gulabi Talkies, Fri @ 2


All movies are playing at St Anthony.

asian film festival premieres tonight

Tonight is the premiere of the 2010 Asian Film Festival entitled, "In Search of Asia."  The festival runs from tonight until November 13th with loads of movies screening at St Anthony Main.  Tonight is the opening film That Girl in Yellow Boots followed by the opening night party at Honey.  This Indian film by Anurag Kashyap was received warmly by audiences at both Venice and Toronto.  From the fest's website:

"That Girl in Yellow Boots" tells the story of Ruth (played by co-writer, Kalki Koechlin), a young woman from Brighton (ENGLAND) who travels to the bustling city of Mumbai (INDIA) in search of her long lost Indian father. But Ruth's search soon takes her down a dark path as she becomes entangled in the seedy underside of life in Mumbai.

Nearly broke, and following a series of less than pleasant encounters with a host of unsavory characters, she is forced to work at a massage parlor which offers sexual favors to its clientele. The films narrative unfolds with twists and turns around every corner, (meaning no viewer will find this film "predictable") and ultimately, Ruth must confront the explosive truth about her father, the only man, she believes, truly loves her.

The director will be present at the screening. Come back to this site for more info on the fest in the days to come.

halloween-themed screenings

We got a bunch, so sit tight.

Creature From The Black Lagoon. Fri (9:55), Sat (2:00 3:45 5:30 8:00), Sun (2:00 3:45 5:30 7:30 9:15).  It's old and in 3-D!

A scientific expedition searching for fossils along the Amazon River discover a prehistoric Gill-Man in the legendary Black Lagoon. The explorers capture the mysterious creature, but it breaks free. The Gill-Man returns to kidnap the lovely Kay, fiancée of one of the expedition, with whom it has fallen in love. In glorious 3-D!

The Nightmare Before Christmas. Fri & Sat; 11:30 @ Riverview.  Tim Burton's claymation holiday-fusion piece:

Despite having recently presided over a very successful Halloween, Jack Skellington, aka the Pumpkin King, is bored with his job and feels that life in Halloweenland lacks meaning. Then he stumbles upon Christmastown and promptly decides to make the Yuletide his own.

Hausu. Sun; 5:15 7:00 8:45 10:30 @ Trylon. Not to be missed by campy horror enthusiasts.  Apparently Criterion agrees:

How to describe Nobuhiko Obayashi’s indescribable 1977 movieHouse (Hausu)? As a psychedelic ghost tale? A stream-of-consciousness bedtime story? An episode of Scooby-Doo as directed by Mario Bava? Any of the above will do for this hallucinatory head trip about a schoolgirl who travels with six classmates to her ailing aunt’s creaky country home and comes face-to-face with evil spirits, a demonic house cat, a bloodthirsty piano, and other ghoulish visions, all realized by Obayashi via mattes, animation, and collage effects. Equally absurd and nightmarish, House might have been beamed to Earth from some other planet. Never before available on home video in the United States, it’s one of the most exciting cult discoveries in years.

Strait Jacket. Sun; 7:30 @ The Heights. Presented with Jazz88.

Joan Crawford is really brilliant in this outrageous over the top William castle directed “Axe-ploitation” thriller from 1964. Written by Psycho author Robert Bloch, it tells the tale of Lucy (Joan Crawford) who twenty years earlier took an Axe and murdered her cheating husband and his mistress in a fit of rage, now she has been released from the Asylum cured. But is she, as suddenly strange and horrible things begin to happen all over again. This is a true cult camp horror classic that is not to be missed on the big screen!!! DIGITAL PRESENTATION. 

If those don't tickle your fancy you can instead check out Rocky Horror Picture Show, Paranormal Activity 2 or Enter the Void.

the coming week: oct 25

Wed Oct 27
•Dead and the Deadly -- 7:30 @ Trylon ($5).  Trash Film Debauchery screening.
•The Robber -- 7:30 @ Walker ($8).  Played at Berlin & New York Film Fest.  Discussion with director Benjamin Heisenberg follows.

Thur Oct 28
•Portrait of Hou Hsiao Hsien -- 7:30 @ Walker (FREE). Doc on Taiwanese director.  Part of Olivier Assayas retrospective.

Fri Oct 29
•Killer Sheep -- 7:00 @ Trylon ($8).  Last weekend for Milestone Films' showcase.  The 1977 Charles Burnett classic on poverty.
•My Brother's Wedding -- 8:40 @ Trylon ($8).  Also part of Milestone showcase.  Burnett's follow-up to Killer Sheep, finished 25 years later.
•Nightmare Before Christmas -- 11:30 @ Riverview ($5). Part of Riverview's month-long, weekend horror series.

•Dogtooth -- TBA @ St Anthony ($8.50).  Playing through Tues Nov 2.  2009 dark comedy from Greece.  Bizarre quasi-social experimentation involving teenagers on an isolated country estate.

•Rocky Horror Picture Show -- Midnight @ Uptown.

Sat Oct 30
•Killer Sheep -- 8:40 @ Trylon ($8).
•My Brother's Wedding -- 7:00 @ Trylon ($8).
•Carlos -- 1:00 @ Walker ($8).  Last film in Assayas retrospective.  His 2010 5-hour biopic of activist/terrorist Carlos the Jackal.
•Nightmare Before Christmas -- 11:30 @ Riverview ($5).
•Rocky Horror Picture Show -- Midnight @ Uptown.

Sun Oct 31
•Carlos -- 1:00 @ Walker ($8).

enter the void this week at St Anthony

Here's a movie you won't see everyday.  Enter The Void played to rave reviews at North America's two premiere festivals, Sundance and Toronto, not to mention Cannes.  Before you watch the trailer, know that this movie isn't for everybody.  It's probably not for most people.  Feel free to push the stop button whenever.



There was a lot of high praise thrown around in that trailer.  Here's a two word criticism that would most likely have been equally as effective: Shit's messed!  It's playing at St Anthony for the next week.  I'll probably check it out, if I can find time between my habitual Jackass 3D viewings.

horror films roundup: oct 15

It's October, therefore you only want to watch horror films.  Here are some offerings from your local cinematheques:

•Riverview Theater -- The Thing, Fri & Sat @ 11:30

An American scientific expedition to the frozen wastes of the Antarctic is interrupted by a group of seemingly mad Norwegians pursuing and shooting a dog. The helicopter pursuing the dog crashes leaving no explanation for the chase. During the night, the dog mutates and attacks other dogs in the cage and members of the team that investigate. The team soon realises that an alien life-form with the ability to take over other bodies is on the loose and they don't know who may already have been taken over.

•Uptown -- The Room, Sat @ Midnight

This isn't so much a horror film as it is a horrible film (Hmmm, devilishly clever writing I'm sure to not regret).

•St Anthony Main Theater -- Skeletons, Fri - Thu (times vary)

You know what, this isn't a horror film either.  Maybe macabre is a better descriptor.

Two exorcists literally remove the skeletons from the cupboards from people's homes. Some fairly embarrassing secrets are revealed along the way. A case where the skeletons have hidden themselves turns the lives of all those involved. 

last chance screenings: oct 14

Edina Theater
•The Concert -- (4:20) 9:20
•Heartbreaker -- (2:00) 6:45


Lagoon
•Jack Goes Boating -- (5:00) 9:50
•The Girl Who Played With Fire -- (2:10) 7:10
•White Wedding -- (2:20 4:30) 7:00 9:30


St Anthony Main
•Cairo Time -- (4:25), 7:20
•Let Me In -- (4:20), 9:40
•The Town -- 7:05, 9:55


Riverview
•Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work -- 5:30
•The Kids Are All Right -- 7:10
•Salt -- 9:10

manhattan short film fest tonight and tomorrow

MN Film Arts will be screening the Manhattan Short Film Festival tonight and tomorrow:

Film lovers in Minneapolis will get the chance to unite with audiences spanning 6 continents this week in watching and then voting for the short film - from 10 selected - they think should become the winner of the AnnualMANHATTAN SHORT Film Festival to take place at the St. Anthony Main Theatre on October 1 & 2. 

I can't embed the trailer in this post (angry face), but if you go to their site you could watch it there. You can catch the fest at St Anthony tonight and tomorrow at 7.

barak goodman at st anthony tonight

Don't forget to check out the free screening of Scottsboro as well as a discussion with filmmaker Barak Goodman tonight at St Anthony.  The event begins at 7, and you can read about it in my previous blog post here.

filmmaker barak goodman and scottsboro

Next Monday MN Film Arts welcomes filmmaker Barak Goodman to St Anthony Main to screen his academy award nominated film Scottsboro: An American Tragedy.  The screening is the first in a brand new series titled "Documenting America," which will feature monthly documentary screenings in the area. The film tells the story of 9 men in 1931 Alabama who were convicted of rape despite clear evidence proving their innocence.  The screening begins at 7pm and is free.

weekend throwbacks: mel brooks, bruce campbell & bill and ted

•Mel Brooks series at Trylon
It's the second week in the Mel Brooks series playing every weekend this month at Trylon.  My favorite of his films, Blazing Saddles, is playing this weekend, but you can't really go wrong with either.

Blazing Saddles: Fri - 7:00, Sat - 8:50, Sun - 7:00
History of the World, Pt. 1: Fri - 8:50, Sat - 7:00, Sun - 5:10

•Army of Darkness at Uptown
The AV Club is presenting this Sam Raimi zombie flick, complete with a pre-party gathering at Cause (formerly Sauce) tomorrow night.  Just in case you didn't click the last link, making a reservation to that pre-party results in penny pints.

Army of Darkness: Fri & Sat - Midnight

•Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure at St Anthony Main
MN Film Arts is bringing this classic to St Anthony for a special back-to-school screening.  What makes it special is that the tickets are $4.

Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure:  Fri to Thu - 9:30

last chance screenings: sept 9

Closing today in Minneapolis:

•Lagoon

Centurion - 4:50  9:35

Waking Sleeping Beauty - 2: 40

•Riverview

Grown Ups - 9:15

•St Anthony Main

Mademoiselle Chambon - 7:15

Patrik, Age 1.5 - 4:30  9:35

max manus at st anthony on sept 17

The Norwegian World War II thriller Max Manus is returning to Minneapolis this month.  The movie follows a resistance group led by Max Manus that fought Nazi occupation throughout the war.  Max Manus will be screening at St. Anthony Main from Sept 17th to the 30th.  From the MN Film Arts press release:

With skill and strength, Askel Hennie delivers another magnificent
performance, further solidifying his status as one of Norway’s most
versatile actors. Backed by over 1,000 extras, he leads the cast in a
performance that not only does justice to the decorated war hero
himself, but also to WWII resistance fighters across Norway.

The movie was a huge success during MSPIFF last spring, and now you've got two more weeks for the chance to see this Scandinavian box office smash.

last chance screenings: sept 2

Here's your last chance to see these films before they leave Minneapolis theaters tomorrow:

•Lagoon

Inception - (2:00, 5:10), 8:30

•The Parkway

Nora's Will - 5:20, 7:10, 9:00

•Riverview

The Last Airbender - 1:00, 5:00
The Secret In Their Eyes - 9:00
The Sorcerer's Apprentice - 3:00, 7:00

•St. Anthony Main

The Extra Man - (4:20), 7:20, 9:45
I Am Love - (4:10), 7:05
Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World - 7:10, 9:50

genius within coming to minneapolis

MN Film Arts is presenting Genius Within: The Inner Life of Glenn Gould, a documentary on the eccentric Canadien pianist. The movie plays from Oct 8 through 21 at St. Anthony Main.  Peter Raymont, the film's director, will be present on opening night, so get these tickets sooner rather than later, as they will probably go quickly.