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coming up at boston's independent moviehouses - the brattle, harvard film archive, mfa and coolidge

The Night James Brown Saved Boston by David Leaf (2007, 74 min.). On April 5, 1968the morning after the assassination of Martin Luther Kingas Americas inner cities went up in flames, trouble was also brewing in Bostons ghetto neighborhood of Roxbury, MA. As Boston mayor, Kevin White tried to determine whether to cancel the evenings James Brown concert, a call from a prominent Boston DJ pointed out, that if the concert was cancelled, Boston might see the biggest uprising since the Boston Tea Party. Rather than cancel the show, they sought the help of James Brown himself. The Night James Brown Saved Boston tells the story of that night with amazing concert moments and personal reminiscences by James Browns band members, colleagues, awe-struck concert-goers, Boston city government officials, and the pointed commentary of several distinguished observers of African-American history. Discussion follows August 17 screening. On August 20, Still Black, Still Pro one day only

"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