Alexandra (Aleksandra) by Aleksandr Sokurov (2007, 92 min.). No living filmmaker has been more inspired by the Russian soul than Aleksandr Sokurov. In his viscerally powerful Alexandra, he ponders the cost of war. Mother Russia herselfa blunt, grimly humorous babushka, indelibly played by octogenarian opera diva Galina Vishnevskayapays a visit to her grandsons unit in Chechnya. She rides among the young recruits in a troop transport and later, a tank. However incongruous, her tour of inspection through this dusty, sun-bleached landscape has a terrible familiarity. Seldom has a filmmaker so directly addressed his fellow citizens.
final showing
As Tears Go By (Wong gok ka moon) by Wong Kar-wai (Hong Kong, 1988, 94 min.). As gritty as any 1980s Hong Kong gangster film, As Tears Go By heralds one of the most auspicious directorial debuts in international cinema. Wong Kar-wais visually tough and romantic debut feature deftly smuggles the directors now celebrated genius into an incendiary street opera of the John Woo mold. Already stretched to breaking in a loyalty tug-of-war among triad bosses and his loose cannon partner, Wah (Andy Lau of Fulltime Killer and Days of Being Wild) finds himself saddled with his beautiful, ailing cousin, Ngor. As an escalating test of wills explodes into bloodshed, and a mob turncoat instigates a ruthless police crackdown, Wahs growing fascination with Ngor becomes his last chance for escape from a violent past and a dubious future. Balancing realism with brazen romanticism, As Tears Go By offers a tantalizing glimpse into the nascent brilliance of the most influentia
final showing
Elegy of Life Rostropovich. Vishnevskaya by Aleksandr Sokurov (2006, 101 min.). A beautiful, deeply felt tribute to one of the most remarkable musical partnerships of the past century: cellist-conductor Mstislav Rostropovich and his wife, opera diva Galina Vishnevskaya. Their fiftieth wedding anniversary celebration reveals the people, artwork, social movements, and world events that shaped them as people and artists, while Sokurov documents their working methods and elicits often surprising opinions in a series of intimate interviews. Elegy of Life also recounts their run-ins with the Soviet government, especially after they gave shelter to novelist Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn. Stripped of their citizenship, they were forced into exile until Gorbachev encouraged their return. A loving tribute to two great Russian artists, and a fascinating addendum to Sokurovs Alexandra.
showing through aug 30
"As the summer heats up, let Frozen River wash over you; let its bracing drama and the intensity of its acting restore your spirits as well as your faith in American independent film." - Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times
"Melissa Leo is startlingly good...You feel like you're watching a life, not a performance." - Peter Rainer, Christian Science Monitor
FROZEN RIVER is the story of Ray Eddy (Melissa Leo), an upstate New York trailer mom who is lured into the world of illegal immigrant smuggling when she meets a Mohawk girl who lives on a reservation that straddles the US-Canadian border. Broke after her husband takes off with the down payment for their new doublewide, Ray reluctantly teams up with Lila, a smuggler
showing through aug 28
Off the Couch Presentation Tues, Sept 9 @ 7:00 with discussion leader RACHEL SEIDEL, MD
In Woody Allen' latest, two young Americans spend a summer in Spain and meet a flamboyant artist (Javier Bardem) and his beautiful but insane ex-wife (Penelope Cruz). Vicky (Rebecca Hall) is straight-laced and about to be married. Cristina (Scarlett Johansson) is a sexually adventurous free spirit. When they all become amorously entangled, the results are both hilarious and harrowing.
dir. Woody Allen, w/ Bardem, Cruz, Johansson, and Hall
showing through aug 28
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