cinema lounge tonight

I hope everybody likes free movies because we've got four screening tonight at Bryant Lake Bowl.  Ok, they're actually four short-length movies, as part of the Cinema Lounge series, but that doesn't make them any less free.  All the movies look to be stellar (I can assure you on that count with at least one, which I've had the pleasure of viewing).  Plus it's a bowling alley with a bar.  It's like all my great passions at once.  Now if only they go schedule a Twins game there at the same time...

The magic starts at 7.  Here are the movies folks:

•John Koch with a preview of the upcoming "Minneapolis Project"

This festival is showing Thur, Sept 30

Minneapolis Project 2010 Trailer from Minneapolis Project 2010 on Vimeo.


•Jesse Roesler's "Insalata Caprese"

I don't see the trailer for this on his website, but here's a description of it: 

Every true love begins with a true story. Revealed through the perpective of two passionate yet introverted artists, INSALATA CAPRESE is about the moment we stop waiting for life to happen and dare to start living. Matthew Amendt, Valeri Mudek and Barbara June Patterson star in this new short film. Shot on RED.

I saw this film at MSPIFF in 2009, and it's definitely one to watch (although I should point out that I worked on the set and am a friend of the director, but that doesn't change the quality of the picture).

•Sayer Frey's "Abandon ME"

Again, no trailer. But boy do we have words to convey this movie's storyline from the film's website:

A desperate woman abandons her mother in a cornfield.  Will she leave her to die in order to free herself?

"Abandon ME" is an allegory about a daughter choosing between familial obligation and self-preservation as her three personalities confront past abuse.

•And a sneak peak at Ryan Strandjord's latest film, "Prescription Happiness"


Prescription Happiness - Teaser from Ryan Strandjord on Vimeo.

What's going on there?  Get a chance to find out tonight!

charles atlas' ocean at walker tonight

There's a benefit screening tonight at the Walker, where they're hosting the world premiere of the performance film Ocean.  The movie documents a 2008 dance piece of the same name, created by the late Merce Cunningham, dancer and popular avant-garde choreographer.  14 years after its initial premiere, the Merce Cunningham Dance Company staged this particular showing within Minnesota's Rainbow Quarry.  Tickets to this event cost $30, with the proceeds tonight going to the Cunningham Dance Foundation's Legacy Plan.

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

tcff films slowly being unveiled

The Twin Cities Film Festival is taking their sweet time announcing the lineup for their inaugural fest taking place this month.  Just recently they announced the films in their Mexican Cinema program, and their opening film is Waiting For "Superman," a documentary on the state of education in the United States.  That seems like an interesting choice for an opening film, considering the movie will be showing at area Landmark theaters around the same time.  But in any case, the $25 ticket will get you access to the opening night party as well as a chance to hear the director speak and answer questions before and after the film.

I'll point out a couple of films that have peaked my interest thus far, before I send you head first into the entire program.  Checking out shorts programs in festivals is never really a risky bet, and there should be some particularly strong showings in both their Minnesota Shorts series as well as Music in Motion, the latter of which also includes live music performances.

One feature that looks particularly promising, if only for its impressive festival showings across the country, is Night Catches Us.  Taking place in 1976 Philadelphia, we follow a black panther in the midst of a love affair and an organization that's become increasingly disconnected with the same social movement it's looking to uphold.  The movie played to favorable reviews at Sundance, Seattle, and New York's Film Society of Lincoln Center, which is no small feat considering its competition.

Also of interest to me is the documentary Streetball.   Truthfully, I've heard nothing about this film from a film-lover's perspective that warrants special attention.  But as a former soccer player racked with liberal guilt, the idea of a homeless world cup is more than enough to get me to the theater.

I'll post more thoughts on the festival as we get closer to the opening date of Sept 28.  In the meantime, peruse the films for yourself.

thelonious monk documentary at trylon (sold out!)

Sorry folks, but jazz documentaries draw crowds large enough to sell out microcinemas.  But fret not, for Jazz88's Reel Jazz Film Series has two more films lined up at the Trylon in the next few months.  On Oct 14 there will be a presentation of rare jazz films by preservationist Bob DeFlores.  Then on Nov 11 there's a screening of the The Last of the Blue Devils, a documentary about famous Kansas City jazz musicians reuniting in the late 70's.

But remember, don't wait till the last minute for these tickets.

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

breathless at lagoon starting this friday

The 1960 French film that changed almost everything about cinema, including how we view and discuss films, is coming to the Lagoon for a week long run starting this Friday.  Besides being its 50-year anniversary, Breathless is making the rounds nationally to show off a newly restored 35mm print, the first such touch up done to the movie.  I don't appreciate Godard as much as other cinephiles do, but in my mind this movie is far and away his best work.

This movie is infuriatingly French.  I can only say the word "French" with any meaning, however, because this movie exists.  Yet it's infuriating that it does exist.  These characters are hip, indifferent, and never the same from one scene to the next.  When I watch them on screen it angers me to think I envy, admire and desire them as much as I do.



Go see them tear up the streets of Paris this weekend at the Lagoon.  And after you fall in love with the film, please check out the 1959 Cassavetes' film Shadows.  Now that's a director I can fully support.

the coming week: sept 6

•Autumn Music & Movies

The second installment of Vita.mn's "Autumn's Music & Movies" series will take place this Friday at the Lake Harriet Band Shell, where The Twilight Hours perform before the screening of the 1964 French musical The Umbrellas of Cherbourg.  The word musical isn't entirely appropriate as a description for this movie, actually.  There are no real songs in this movie, but every word of dialog is sung.  It's a little goofy, but a lot good.

•Leonard Cohen's Songs From The Road

Tomorrow at The Heights there's a special one time screening of the concert film Leonard Cohen's Songs From The Road.  If you're a fan of Cohen, this is an event you won't want to miss.

•Thelonious Monk

The Jazz88 Reel Jazz Film Series returns to show the documentary Thelonious Monk: Straight, No Chaser at The Trylon this Thursday.

mel brooks at trylon

Ok, that headline is misleading.  But The Producers is just that good folks.  It's playing this weekend as the first in the Mel Brooks series playing every weekend this month at Trylon.  These are the times:

Fri 7:00 8:45, Sat 7:00 8:45, Sun 5:15 7:00



*cough*

six sci-fi classics at the heights

A long time ago, in a Hollywood far, far away, brave men and women created space ships and monsters, and took us to distant planets with whatever materials they had and a hell of a lot of imagination.

And thus began the Take-Up Productions press release informing me of the new series "Before CGI: Six Sci-Fi Classics" screening at The Heights, Sept 20 through October 18.  All screenings are one time only, every monday, at 7:30 (except for the Sept 27 showing of Invasion of the Body Snatchers, that one's at 9:15).  The biggest sci-fi classic of the bunch is probably the first movie in the series, Forbidden Planet.  The original King Kong is also a much talked about film when discussing American classics, but it's not always grouped in with these B-movie all stars- but a good flick is a good flick, as my pops always said!  Here's the full lineup, from the press release:



9/20 - 7:30
Forbidden Planet
1956, Fred M. Wilcox

Inspired by Shakespeare's Tempest, Forbidden Planet is as much a psychological thriller as it is a sci-fi adventure. An invisible monster threatens the lives of a crew sent to the distant planet Altair IV. Is it real… or the result one man's fevered imagination?

9/27 - 7:30
War of the Worlds
1953, Byron Haskin

Alien invasion double feature! Amazing visual- and sound- effects dominate this sci-fi classic. The Martians' space ships featured a cobra-eye weapon that shoot disintegrating rays and whose freaky noise will haunt you in the night. Not even Spielberg could improve on the original. All tickets for War of the Worlds include admission to Invasion of the Body Snatchers!

9/27 - 9:15
Invasion of the Body Snatchers
1956, Don Siegel

Alien invasion double feature! Rakish country doctor Miles Bennell has a nagging suspicion that the wave of hysteria sweeping sleepy Santa Mira, CA might be something more sinister than paranoia. What if he’s right? What if he’s the only one who’s right?

10/4 - 7:30
The Invisible Man
1933, James Whale

With a bag of tricks that predate modern FX by at least fifty years, monster virtuoso James Whale crafts one of the most pleasurably anarchic romps of all time. Adapted from the HG Welles’ parable about a scientist driven mad by invisibility.

10/11 - 7:30
The Incredible Shrinking Man
1957, Jack Arnold

Exposed to a radioactive cloud, Scott Carey (Grant Williams) begins to shrink rapidly. Battling spiders, cats, and mice—not to mention his own sense of inferiority—our hero must find a cure before he vanishes altogether.

10/18 - 7:30
King Kong
1933, Merian C. Cooper & Ernest B. Schoedesack

The first great special effects film, and still unrivaled for its thrills, King Kong deserves to be witnessed on the big screen. You'll marvel at the great ape's agility and expressiveness, and maybe even shed a tear at his terrible fate. A masterpiece

movie review friday: machete and lebanon

Seems to be a gruesome weekend in Minneapolis theaters today.  The Robert Rodriguez sendup to 70's exploitation films (for the 2nd time), Machete, opens as well as the Israeli war film, Lebanon.  Both films were reviewed by Star Tribune's Tom Horgan and the Pioneer Press' Chris Hewitt, and neither critic found anything subtle in these movies.

In Lebanon, we ride alongside a group of soldiers in their tank one day during the 1982 Israeli invasion of their neighbors to the north.  Of the film, Horgan calls it:

an exhilarating exercise in sensory filmmaking. The tank compartment is filthy. The metal floorboards pool with a mix of water, cigarette butts and bullet casings. The control panel oozes oil and grease like leaky pores.

As for its stance on war, Hewitt finds Lebanon's definition of combat to read:

It's messy and chaotic, and it's fought by young people who are out of their minds with fear. Writer/director Samuel Maoz based "Lebanon" on his own traumatic experiences in the 1982 Lebanon war, and it feels like a very personal war film. His instinct is not to go for big themes, but like a more intimate "Black Hawk Down," he wants to capture the intensity and powerlessness of a soldier on the front lines.

If you don't like the heavy-handedness of such films, but appreciate the high-octane adrenaline rush it provides, one might think Machete is a safe bet.  However, this seemingly senseless gore-fest has an agenda all its own.  The movie pits an aging vigilante against a group of Texan lawmakers on the anti-immigration war path.  Horgan writes:

The film engages the immigration debate with little subtlety. (At one point, Johnson's evil militiaman even shoots a pregnant woman trying to cross the border.) And that's the great thing about an exploitation homage like "Machete." There's no need for Rodriguez to disguise his politics with nuance when he can present them loud and clear -- like a shotgun blast, or the blood-curdling screams of a bad guy who's had his intestinal tract ripped out and used as a bungee cord by Machete to rappel down the side of a building.

That sounds less like fantasy and more like the state of politics to come.

And for all those out there who wonder why filmgoers need to see this only three years after Rodriguez attempted a similar homage with Planet Terror, Hewitt has this to say:

I wish Rodriguez had made this movie for "Grindhouse" instead of "Planet Terror," because it's swifter, smarter and funnier than "Planet."

I might believe him if it weren't for the fact that he later claims Rodriguez "just wants to have fun."  While his movies are fun, my guess is there's a little bit more to him than fun.  Like his love of gore, for example.  And Tarantino.  The dude loves Tarantino.

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.

sound unseen festival lineup

Everybody's reporting on the unveiling of this year's Sound Unseen lineup, so I thought I better join in on the action.  Below you'll find the full lineup, but let me direct your attention to a handful of films to keep an especially close eye out for.  There are also parties and more films to be announced, but all of that will be saved for another time.

•The Adventures of Prince Achmed (Lotte Reiniger)
It's rare that you'll find 84 year old movies in a festival lineup, but that's another great reason to love this fest.  Predating Snow White (by a whole 11 years!), this German animated film comes straight out of One Thousand and One Nights (Americans taking from German fairy tales and Germans taking from Arabic fairy tales? What a world).  This is great timing considering many of Reiniger's works are available online thanks to a recent partnership between BFI and Dailymotion.

•The Agony and Ecstasy of Phil Spector
This played in New York this past summer to rave reviews.  Director Vikram Jayanti interviews Spector during his 2007 trial for the murder of Lana Clarkson.  In the film we get to relive his glory years just as he remembers it.  Sounds like a wild ride to me.

•Ride, Rise, Roar
This concert film starring David Byrne screened at Silverdocs and South by Southwest.  I've heard the man gives one hell of a show, and this is probably the closest I'll ever get to the real deal (although, from the film's description, is sounds like you can't get this close even if you do see him perform in person).

Oh, and of course, the big Weezy fan that I am, I'll probably check out The Carter.  (Just to clarify, I'm serious about that.)

10/6
The Adventures of Prince Achmed (Trylon) - 7:30, 9:00 (with accompaniment by Dreamland Faces)

10/7
The Agony and the Ecstasy of Phil Spector (Southern Theater) - 7:30
Wheedle's Groove (Trylon) - 8:45
     -About the 70's soul and funk scene in Seattle

10/8
This Movie is Broken (Trylon) - 7:00
     -Broken Social Scene movie
Ride Rise Roar (Southern Theater) - 8:00
The Carter (Trylon) - 9:00
     -Lil Wayne...
Shadow Play: The Making of Anton Corbijn (Red Stag Supper Club) - 10:00
     -Music Video auteur and director of The American gets the star treatment

10/9
Charlie Haden: Rambling Boy (Trylon) - 1:00
    -Documentary about the music everyman
Do It Again (Trylon) - 3:00
    -One man tries to reunite The Kinks
Everyday Sunshine: The Story of Fishbone (Trylon) - 5:00
    -Doc on the punk band of the same name
Who is Harry Nilsson (And Why Is Everybody Talkin' About Him) (Southern Theater) - 8:00
    -I ask myself the same question every time I throw on Nilsson Schmilsson (again, serious)

10/10
The Adventures of Prince Achmed (Trylon) - 1:00 (with accompaniment by Dreamland Faces)

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

the american opens

Get ready everybody!  Lady Gaga may have left town, but George Clooney's coming to screens all across the city.  The American is opening at, well, a handful of theaters today, and we've already got a few reviews trickling in.  Say, let's see what Colin Covert thinks of this film:

Cast and crew toil valiantly on the film's behalf, but can't make a drama out of an undernourished screenplay and a bloodless central character... it winds up feeling Canadian: more bloodless and chilly than thrilling.

Huh.  Seems like an unnecessary potshot at our neighbors to the north (if anything, you'd need blood to survive their winters).  He seems to appreciate Corbijn's (Control) direction while disapproving of how Clooney was used in the film:

The role casts Clooney, the most convivial of actors, utterly against type... Clooney's performance as this colorless killer manages to grab your curiosity without holding your involvement.

I guess after that review I'd say that this movie is the antithesis of the summer's other big-star action vehicle, Salt.  Haven't seen either of those, but, like I said, that comparison is based solely on reviews.  I don't watch movies anymore, I just report on them.

mogwai concert film at trylon tonight

Don't forget that the Trylon is showing the Mogwai concert film Burning tonight at 7:30.

Sound Unseen presents

Burning

The Trylon

Wed Sep 01 7:30 
(2009, Vincent Moon and Nathanael Le Scouarnac, DVD, 45min) Seminal Scottish rock band Mogwai's first official live concert film release, shot at the band’s sold-out three-night residency at the Music Hall of Williamsburg in April 2009. The film presents itself as a modern urban noir thriller, a black-and-white journey, starting on the same electrifying New York streets Bernard Hermann scored for Martin Scorsese. Moon and Le Scouarnec call their film an “experience of the senses… a lifetime of feelings in just one night.”

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.

fargo and marijuana deathsquads at loring park tonight

Alright, after some confusion on my part, there will be another concert and movie screening tonight as part of the "Four Nights in Loring Park" series.  The event starts at 7 with the band Marijuana Deathsquads playing, and then the Coen brothers film Fargo will screen sometime around sundown.  This event was originally scheduled to take place Aug 10, but was rained out.  Bring your picnic blanket, a couple of snacks, and enjoy some really disturbing and destructive behavior courtesy William H. Macy.

more outdoor movies

I'm finding it pretty difficult to keep up with all these outdoor movies at non-traditional screening establishments, so if you're aware of any that I'm not mentioning here please let me know.  With that said, I came across two more restaurants who have some more films showing before the summer season ends.

First up we got Brit's Pub in downtown, who's been showing movies on their bowling lawn upstairs.  They have two screenings these next two Mondays, including Sherlock Holmes tonight at 8:30.  I'm assuming they're showing the newer one with Robert Downey Jr. but I could be wrong on that.

Also in downtown we've got Solera showing movies on their rooftop for a couple weeks in September, including a screening of High Fidelity this Wednesday as well as Rocky Horror Picture Show and Spinal Tap next week.  I don't know when the movies start, and they don't actually seem to say anything about the movies on their website.  Maybe I just made the whole thing up...