<<< December 2008 >>>

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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 Nicholson’s hapless, redneck friend and Fannie Flagg as Bush’s 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

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 year’s 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:

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 Reichardt’s (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 people’s 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 there’s a connection to their Israeli Army mission in the first Lebanon War of the early 1980s. Ari is surprised that he can’t 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 O’Hehir, 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 Baum’s children’s 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 O’Toole 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 Lean’s 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 Young’s 70mm photography is rightly considered to be a work of genius, matched by Robert Bolt and Michael Wilson’s screenplay, Maurice Jarre’s stirring score and John Box’s 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

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!