Special One Night Events &
Limited Engagements in December:
http://www.myspace.com/americancinematheque
Wednesday, December 3 7:30 PM
Kevin Thomas Favorites!
FIVE EASY PIECES, 1970,
Sony Repertory, 96 min. Dir. Bob Rafelson. Hard-hitting, brilliantly sarcastic
drama of Bakersfield oil-rig worker Jack Nicholson on the run from his former life
as a concert pianist (!), with country waitress girlfriend (and Tammy Wynette fan) Karen
Black in tow. Returning to visit his Washington island home after his father suffers a
stroke, things come to a head when he seduces the fiancée (Susan Anspach) of his
better-than-thou brother (Ralph Waite). One of the defining films of the New
Hollywood, stunningly directed by Bob Rafelson and written by Carole Eastman (under
pseudonym Adrien Joyce). Co-starring the great Billy Green Bush as Nicholsons
hapless, redneck friend and Fannie Flagg as Bushs loyal spouse. "
a
masterpiece of heartbreaking intensity." -- Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times.
Film critic Kevin Thomas will introduce the screening. Trailer

Thursday, December 4 7:30 PM
Polands Official Oscar Submission!
Festival Favorite!
One Night Only! TRICKS (SZTUCZKI), 2007,
95 min. The second feature by director Andrzej Jakimowski (SQUINT YOUR EYES)
confirms his status as one of Poland's most accomplished up-and-coming contemporary
filmmakers. Six-year-old Stefek (Damian Ul, who won the best actor prize at the
Tokyo International Film Festival), tries to persuade his estranged father to return to
the family (an older teenage sister and his storekeeper mother.) Director Jakimowski and
cinematographer Adam Bajerski have created an evocative, lyrical setting in a small Polish
provincial town where magic is possible from a child's point of view. The film premiered
at last years Venice Days where it won the Prix Europa Cinemas and Laterna Magica
awards. It has gone on to win awards at more than 20 festivals, including the Golden Lion
at the Polish Film Festival and prizes at the Sao Paulo International Film Festival, the
Miami International Film Festival, the Tokyo International Film Festival -- and has been
distributed in about 30 countries (but not the U.S.). Discussion
following with director Andrzej Jakimowski. Trailer
Friday, December 5 7:30 PM
Montana Avenue Holiday Walk
Event:
Free screening!
WARNER BROS. CARTOON
PROGRAM, 18 shorts, 114 min. During its peak period in the 1930s, '40s,
'50s, and 60s, Warner Bros. was home to the funniest and most inventive cartoons
ever made. Disney had class and family appeal, but Warners had mavericks like Chuck Jones,
Tex Avery and Frank Tashlin letting their imaginations run wild. These maestros created
Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Elmer Fudd, Porky Pig, Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner, among
dozens of other unforgettable characters. This program stars these and other audience
favorites, and includes beloved classics like WHAT'S OPERA DOC? and ONE FROGGY EVENING.
Watch all 18 cartoons or stop in for a quick laugh and then get back to shopping. Join the Cinematheque today, and receive a goodie bag and discounts on
new memberships!
Saturday, December 6 7:30 PM
Sneak Preview! Double Feature:
WENDY AND LUCY, 2008, Oscilloscope Laboratories, 80
min. Acclaimed director Kelly Reichardts (RIVER OF GRASS) subtle storytelling
technique uses a formal minimalist style to weave together a unique emotional and
political road film. Academy Award nominee Michelle Williams (BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN)
stars as Wendy Carol, who is driving to Ketchikan, Alaska, in the hopes of a summer of
lucrative work at the Northwestern Fish cannery, and to start a new life with her dog
Lucy. When her car breaks down in Oregon, however, the thin fabric of her financial
situation comes apart, and she confronts a series of increasingly dire economic decisions,
with far ranging repercussions for herself and Lucy. WENDY AND LUCY addresses issues of
sympathy and generosity at the edges of American life, revealing the limits and depths of
peoples duty to each other in tough times. With Wally Dalton, Larry
Fessenden, Will Oldham, John Robinson and Will Patton. The film
opens on December 19. Trailer
OLD JOY, 2007, Kino International, 76
min. Dir. Kelly Reichardt. The story of two old friends, Kurt (Will Oldham)
and Mark (Daniel London), who reunite for a weekend camping trip in the Cascade
mountains east of Portland, Oregon. For Mark, the weekend outing offers a respite from the
pressure of his imminent fatherhood; for Kurt, it is part of a long series of carefree
adventures. As the hours progress and the landscape evolves, the twin seekers move through
a range of subtle emotions, enacting a pilgrimage of mutual confusion, sudden insight and
spiritual battle. "A must-see" Manohla Dargis, The New York
Times "Exquisite... achingly beautiful." Robert Koehler, Variety
Check website for update on guest speaker for the screening. Trailer
Sunday, December 7 5:30 PM
New 35mm Print! THE GREAT DICTATOR,
1940, Kino International, 127 min. Dir. Charles Chaplin. The physical resemblance
between the Tramp and another famous man with a little black moustache was not lost on
Chaplin. In his first all-talking picture, he plays both a Jewish barber and his double,
Adenoid Hynkel, the absolute ruler of Tomainia. As Hynkel and his henchmen Herring and
Garbitsch engineer the persecution of Jews and the invasion of neighboring Osterlich, the
amnesiac barber may be the only person innocent enough to stop them. Throughout the film
Chaplin powerfully exploits the deflating power of parody, while in the finale he abandons
both character and comedy to deliver an impassioned plea for human tolerance. With
Chaplin, Paulette Goddard, Reginald Gardiner, Jack Oakie. Trailer
Thursday, December 11 7:30 PM
Sneak Preview! Golden Globe Best
Foreign Language Film Nominee!
WALTZ WITH BASHIR, 2008, Sony
Pictures Classics, 90 min. This mesmerizing and gripping animated documentary begins one
night at a bar, when an old friend tells director-writer-producer Ari Folman about
a recurring nightmare in which he is chased by 26 vicious dogs. Every night, the same
number of beasts. The two men conclude that theres a connection to their Israeli
Army mission in the first Lebanon War of the early 1980s. Ari is surprised that he
cant remember a thing anymore about that period of his life. Intrigued by this
riddle, he decides to meet and interview old friends and comrades around the world in
order to discover the truth about that time and about himself. As Ari delves deeper and
deeper into the mystery, his memory begins to offer up surreal images. "
a
remarkable, haunting and intense work, quite unlike any animated film I've ever seen
Dredging up these dreadful memories may have been therapeutic for the men involved, but
the point of WALTZ WITH BASHIR is bigger than that. It's a provocative, strange and
arresting film, whose unusual blend of style and substance should reach a large worldwide
audience." Andrew OHehir, Salon.com Trailer
Saturday, December 13 4:00 PM
Family Matinee!
THE WIZARD OF OZ, 1939, Warner
Bros., 101 min. Dir. Victor Fleming. Judy Garland is Dorothy in this sublime,
candy-colored adaptation of L. Frank Baums childrens favorite and one of the
most beloved film classics of all time. Take a surreal stroll down the yellow brick road
with Dorothy as she encounters the Tin Man (Jack Haley), the Scarecrow (Ray
Bolger), the Cowardly Lion (Bert Lahr), Glinda, the Good Witch (Billie Burke)
and the Wicked Witch Of The West (Margaret Hamilton). With the amazing Frank
Morgan doing multiple duties in a variety of roles, including the Wizard. Song
"Over The Rainbow" was an Oscar winner. Watch out for the Flying Monkeys! Trailer
Saturday, December 13 7:30 PM
70mm Print!
LAWRENCE OF ARABIA, 1962, Sony
Repertory, 216 min. Dir. David Lean. Peter OToole was
catapulted to stardom as the tortured Man Who Would Not Be King, T. E. Lawrence, who
helped the Arabs revolt against European and Ottoman hegemony. Director David
Leans epic is a timeless masterpiece as close to perfect as a film can
get. Featuring one of the finest casts in any motion picture: Omar Sharif
(in his first major English-speaking role), Anthony Quinn, Jack Hawkins, Claude Rains and
Alec Guinness as Prince Faisal. Director of Photography Freddie Youngs 70mm
photography is rightly considered to be a work of genius, matched by Robert Bolt and
Michael Wilsons screenplay, Maurice Jarres stirring score and John Boxs
production design. Winner of seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best
Director. "The word 'epic' in recent years has become synonymous with 'big-budget
B picture.' What you realize watching LAWRENCE OF ARABIA is that the word 'epic' refers
not to the cost or the elaborate production, but to the size of the ideas and
vision." Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times View Trailer
Tuesday, December 16 7:30 PM
ITVS Community Cinema:
HELVETICA, 2007, 80 min. The typeface
Helvetica is ubiquitous, spelling out everything from IRS tax forms to the corporate logos
of Target, Crate & Barrel and Fendi. In HELVETICA, first-time director Gary Hustwit
explores urban spaces and the typefaces that inhabit them and speaks with historians and
designers about the choices and aesthetics behind the use of fonts.
About ITVS Community Cinema: ITVS, the co-presenter of Independent
Lens, presents ITVS Community Cinema, a free monthly screening series, in over 50 cities
throughout the U.S. www.itvs.org www.pbs.org/independentlens FREE ADMISSION! |