Film Descriptions
Click for the entire August calendar as a PDF (1.4 Mb)
Click for the entire September calendar as a PDF (1.4 Mb)
opens Aug 27 at Regent Square Theater
Life During Wartime
"A pitch-perfect cast ... one of the year's best films." – Richard Corliss, TIME
"Todd Solondz may have made his best film with Life During Wartime." – Todd McCarthy, Variety
"This might be some kind of goddamned masterpiece" – David Edelstein, New York. Watch a trailer. Read an interview with the director.
With an amazing ensemble cast, including Allison Janney, Paul Reubens, Ally Sheedy, Shirley Henderson, and Charlotte Rampling, this is a painfully funny exploration of the boundaries of forgiveness, family, and love. It is a sequel of sorts to the 1998 film Happiness, from director Todd Solondz. Ten years have passed since we last visited this family of three sisters, the various troubled men connected to them, their kids, and their parents. But, in a brilliant stroke, the director has recast every role and moved the film's setting to current-day Florida. Alternately hilarious and tragic, outrageous and poignant, Life During Wartime is an audacious comedy with unexpected resonance. (Todd Solondz; USA; 2009; 98 min)
Aug 30 – Sep 2 at Harris Theater
To Kill a Mockingbird
"Artfully and delicately translated to the screen. A major film achievement" – Variety's 1962 review
It's rare when a movie captures the magic of a great book, yet holds its own as a masterpiece of cinema. Starring Gregory Peck as highly-respected lawyer Atticus Finch, this moving drama raises great questions about poverty, race, ignorance and injustice with enormous grace and emotional power. Deeply humane, the film is a classic coming-of-age tale of innocence lost in the segregated American south. Screenplay by Horton Foote; with a young Robert Duvall as Boo Radley. (Robert Mulligan; USA; 1962; 129 min)
Co-presented with Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership.
Sep 3-12 at Harris Theater
Chasing 3000
"Suffused with both brotherly love and the love of the game. An affectionate road movie with enough twists and turns to keep the ball in play until the final inning." – Tribeca Film Festival
Watch a trailer.
Moving across the country is hard for any teenager. It's even harder when it's 1972, your hometown team is the Pittsburgh Pirates, and Roberto Clemente is about to make his 3000th hit. So high school jock Mickey (Trevor Morgan) and his brainy little brother Roger (Rory Culkin) decide to drive from Los Angeles to Pittsburgh on a learner's permit to go to the game. There's just one problem: Roger has muscular dystrophy. Undaunted, the boys throw Roger's wheelchair in the trunk and set off for The Burgh, Three Rivers Stadium, and their beloved Slovakian grandfather (Seymour Cassel). As recounted by Ray Liotta as the adult Mickey, their simple plan is soon waylaid. Digital projection. (Gregory J. Lanesey; USA; 2008; 115 min)
On opening night, the film will be introduced by Duane Rieder of the Roberto Clemente Museum. Also on opening night, Bill Mikita, the film's writer and producer will do Q+A after the film.
Sep 4-5 at Regent Square Theater
Let It Rain [Parlez-moi de la pluie]
– Barry Paris, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
A "deftly structured comic study of self-delusion" –
New York Film Festival
"You surprise yourself by how hard you’re laughing" – David Edelstein, New York
From Agnès Jaoui – who the New York Times calls a "Gallic Woody Allen" – comes this charming and sharp-witted battle of the sexes. The Oscar-nominated director (The Taste of Others) stars as Agathe, a self-centered, workaholic, feminist politician who returns home to sort out her mother's affairs, and decides to run for local office. On her arrival she grudgingly agrees to take part in a documentary being made about "successful" women. Co-stars Jamel Debbouze (from Amelie) and Jean-Pierre Bacri, Jaoui's real-life husband and writing partner. An audience favorite from the New York Film Festival; watch a trailer. With subtitles. (Agnès Jaoui; France; 2010; 98 min)
Sun Sep 5 at Regent Square Theater
American Graffiti
Set in car-centric California circa 1962, a group of teenagers spend one final night cruising the strip with their buddies before they go off to college. Steeped in rock-n-roll nostalgia, this now classic coming-of-age story – based on Lucas’ own teenage years – exemplifies the post-war, baby-boomer youth culture. Stars Ron Howard, Cindy Williams, Richard Dreyfuss, Mackenzie Phillips, Harrison Ford, and Wolfman Jack. "A funny, touching, nearly cliché-free, and thoroughly considered evocation of a time, place, and state of mind." – Onion AV Club. (George Lucas; USA; 1973; 110 min)
"Where were you in '62?"
Film one of September's Sunday Series: Riding Around in My Automobile. According to E.B. White, "Everything in life is somewhere else, and you get there in a car." Americans have had a long love affair with the car and much of our cinema's history is centered around that relationship, no matter what the genre. With this series we go back to a time before things got complicated with greenhouse gases and oil spills.
opens Sep 10 at Regent Square Theater
Jean-Michel Basquiat: The Radiant Child
"Remarkably rich documentary possessing depth, range, insight and compassion." – LATimes
Watch a trailer. Read an interview with the director.
The legend of Basquiat's meteoric rise and fall is widely known (and dramatized in Julian Schnabel's 1996 film) but this one is personal: filmmaker Tamra Davis pays homage to her good friend in this vibrant portrait. In his short career, Basquiat was a phenomenon, appreciated by both the art cognoscenti and the public. He was notorious for his graffiti art, sold his first painting to Deborah Harry for $200, and became best friends with Andy Warhol. This fascinating film features insider interviews and archival footage, but it is Basquiat's own words and work that most powerfully convey the mystique of both the artist and the man. Digital projection. (Tamra Davis; USA; 2010; 88 min)
Sep 10–12 at Melwood Screening Room
Salaat
The films of Kaz Rahman explore and coalesce the intersection between Islamic artistic expression, the natural elements and contemporary culture. He has lived in Canada, England, Russia, Hungary, India and New York City. He currently lives in Pittsburgh where he teaches film and video at the Art Institute. He will introduce his film.
Salaat is a beautiful film that weaves a breadth of imagery from the burning, decaying beauty of the land through lush forests, to the desolation of winter and beyond. Five different women walk, ride and work through the day and each performs prayer, or Salaat, at one of five different times. Each prayer is performed in real time amidst stunning settings. Digital projection. (Kaz Rahman; India/Canada/USA; 74 min; HD video)
Sun Sep 12 at Regent Square Theater
Repo Man
In this '80s cult favorite a young punk rocker gets fired from his supermarket job and falls in with a seasoned repo man. He quickly finds the work rewarding: hot-wiring, free drugs, car chases and good pay. Oh and then there's the space aliens in the trunk of a '64 Chevy Malibu. Stars Emilio Estevez and Harry Dean Stanton; features music by Black Flag, Iggy Pop, Circle Jerks, Burning Sensations, and more. (Alex Cox; USA; 1984; 92 min)
Learn more about the Helping Hands Acceptance Company in the 1984 NYTimes review.
Film two of September's Sunday Series: Riding Around in My Automobile. According to E.B. White, "Everything in life is somewhere else, and you get there in a car." Americans have had a long love affair with the car and much of our cinema's history is centered around that relationship, no matter what the genre. With this series we go back to a time before things got complicated with greenhouse gases and oil spills.
Sep 13–16 at Harris Theater
Rear Window
This classic thriller stars James Stewart as an ace photographer stuck in a wheelchair after breaking his leg on assignment. Despite receiving visits from his high-fashion sweetheart (Grace Kelly), he is soon bored and resorts to spying on his neighbors in the tenement through a telephoto lens. He starts to get suspicious when the ailing wife of a neighbor, played by Raymond Burr, suddenly disappears. (Alfred Hitchcock; USA; 1954; 112 min) Co-presented with Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership.
Tue Sep 14 at Melwood Screening Room
Film Kitchen
The monthly series highlights regional, independent film and video work.
This month features work by Brooke Schooles, Sean Ferris, and Bob LaBobgah. Reception at 7:00; films at 8:00.
Presented with support from DH Creative and Spak Brothers Pizza.
opens Sep 17 at Regent Square Theater
I'm Still Here
The directorial debut of Oscar-nominated actor Casey Affleck, this documentary portrays of a tumultuous year in the life of acclaimed actor Joaquin Phoenix (Walk The Line). With remarkable access, we follow the Oscar-nominee as he announces his retirement from a successful film career in the fall of 2008 and sets off to reinvent himself as a hip-hop musician. A portrait of an artist at a crossroads. Watch a trailer. (Casey Affleck; USA; 2010; 108 min)
Sep 17–23 at Harris Theater
Orlando – new print
"
... This is the kind of movie you want to talk about afterward." – Roger Ebert
This stunning 1992 film is based on Virginia Woolf's gender-bending, time-traveling novel. A young nobleman named Orlando (Tilda Swinton) is commanded by Queen Elizabeth I (Quentin Crisp) to stay forever young. In her breakthrough role, an elegant Swinton gives a bravura performance as we follow her/him through several centuries of history, experiencing a variety of lives and relationships along the way. Fortunately director Sally Potter was undeterred when told this film was "unmakable." Her nimble adaptation is an exhilarating cinematic experience. The Oscar-nominated art direction and costume design, pristine in this gorgeous new print, will take your breath away.Features Billy Zane and Charlotte Valandrey. (Sally Potter; UK/Russia; 1992; 93 min)
Sep 17–20 at Melwood Screening Room
Best Worst Movie
In 1989, a group of unknown Utah actors starred in Troll 2, a horror movie disaster. It would later be crowned the worst movie of all time. This is an affectionate tribute to that great bad movie and the people responsible for unleashing it on the world. Ranging from hilarious to troubling, the interviews reveal a production doomed by ineptitude and the fractured English of its Italian director. This tender, offbeat documentary pays homage to lovers of bad movies -- showing the humanity that exists in making even the worst of movies. Digital projection. (Michael Paul Stephenson; USA; 2010; 93 min)
Sun Sep 19 at Regent Square Theater
Two-Lane Blacktop
Traveling east from LA in a souped-up '55 Chevy are two wayward young men and a girl. The guys are played by singer James Taylor and Beach Boy Dennis Wilson in their only acting roles. Along the way, they meet a Pontiac GTO-driving wanderer and challenge him to a cross-country race. Maverick director Monte Hellman's stripped-down narrative, gorgeous widescreen compositions, and insight about a uniquely American obsession, give this film its existential punch. (Monte Hellman; USA; 1971; 103 min)
Read the 1970 Rolling Stone preview story.
Film three of September's Sunday Series: Riding Around in My Automobile. According to E.B. White, "Everything in life is somewhere else, and you get there in a car." Americans have had a long love affair with the car and much of our cinema's history is centered around that relationship, no matter what the genre. With this series we go back to a time before things got complicated with greenhouse gases and oil spills.
7:00pm, Thu Sep 23 at Melwood Screening Room
Bride of Frankenstein
After the success of the classic original Frankenstein, visionary filmmaker James Whale was coerced into producing Bride. His "rebellion" against the studio was to turn the genre on its head and create the first sequel – bizarre, beautiful, and manic – in Hollywood history to be betterthan the original. Boris Karloff puts the makeup and neck-screws back on as The Monster, but this time he emotes and communicates, presenting a creepy and shocking character from beyond the grave. The beautiful Elsa Lanchester, hair streaked, creates one of the iconic images of movie history. (James Whale; USA; 1935; 75 min)
Reception and informal discussion, led by Pittsburgh Filmmakers faculty member, follow the screening. Presented with support from PittArts.
opens Sep 24 at Regent Square Theater
Animal Kingdom
The family-driven crime saga gets new life in Australian writer-director David Michôd's confident debut. After losing his mother, 17-year-old Joshua "J" Cody has nowhere to turn but his grandmother and uncles, whose criminal activities his mom had desperately tried to keep him from. J falls into the crosshairs as his family engages in a violent battle with Melbourne's police force. Winner of this year's dramatic jury prize for world cinema at Sundance, this terrific entertainment revels in its sinister mood, smart script, and superb ensemble. Starring Guy pearce and Joel Edgerton (The Square). (David Michôd; Australia; 2009; 112 min)
Watch a trailer.
Read an interview with the director.
opens Sep 24 at Harris Theater
Farewell
"Stunningly intelligent ... very moving" – New Yorker
Watch a trailer.
A fictionalized account of an extraordinary case of espionage that helped cripple the Soviet Union, this sophisticated thriller is chock full of intrigue. In 1981, a Colonel in the KGB, disenchanted with Brezhnev, decides to discreetly make contact with a French engineer. Little by little he passes on secret documents. The French Secret Service gave him the codename, Farewell. This amazing story is all the more remarkable for its relative anonymity in history books. "A refreshing reminder in the age of the Bourne movies that spies are real people leading everyday lives." – NYTimes. Stars Willem Dafoe, Fred Ward and Emir Kusterica. With subtitles. (Christian Carion; France; 2009; 113 min)
Sep 24–26 at Melwood Screening Room
Atomic Weekend
Co-presented by Remembering Hiroshima 2010. A three-film pass is available for $15.
The Last Atomic Bomb
Nuclear proliferation of today is seen through the devastating yet inspirational life of Nagasaki survivor Sakue Shimohira. Her story frames a remarkable collection of declassified films and photographs. "It's impossible to remain detached" – NYTimes. (Robert Richter; USA; 2006; 92 min) Showing on Friday and Saturday.
I Live in Fear
Toshiro Mifune stars as a graying patriarch whose fear of nuclear annihilation leads him to make plans to move his large family to a farm in Brazil. "A hugely compelling glimpse at the post-war Japanese mindset, and at the Cold War mindset in general" – Onion AV Club. (Akira Kurosawa; Japan; 1955; 103 min) Showing on Saturday and Sunday.
Dr. Strangelove
This remains the definitive black comedy about the subject of mass annihilation. Peter Sellers is hilarious in three roles, most notably the mad scientist, Strangelove, who can't control his robot hand. (Stanley Kubrick; USA; 1964; 93 min) Showing on Saturday and Sunday.
Sun Sep 26 at Regent Square Theater
Duel
At 24, Steven Spielberg demonstrated a keen talent for suspense. This edge-of-your-seat thriller – his first feature film – is about a mild-mannered businessman (Dennis Weaver) driving alone on a desolate stretch of highway. He suddenly finds himself the unwitting prey of a maniacal driver in a big, greasy oil tanker. (Steven Spielberg; USA; 1972; 91 min)
"The work of an unusually talented young director." – Janet Maslin, NYTimes
Film four of September's Sunday Series: Riding Around in My Automobile. According to E.B. White, "Everything in life is somewhere else, and you get there in a car." Americans have had a long love affair with the car and much of our cinema's history is centered around that relationship, no matter what the genre. With this series we go back to a time before things got complicated with greenhouse gases and oil spills.
Sep 28 at Melwood Screening Room
Video Musics II: Sun Wu-Kong
A one-hour multimedia video opera based on the 16th-century Chinese novel The Journey to the West. Director and writer Alexis Gideon collaborated with the brightest lights of contemporary animation – Becca Taylor [Punk Planet, Arthur], Cynthia Star [Coraline, Moral Orel, Robot Chicken], Ezra Claytan Daniels [The Changers and Black Violet] – and the most promising talents of contemporary music – Rachel Blumberg [M Ward, Arch Cape], Cory Gray [Norfolk & Western, Carcrashlander], Shelley Short [Hush] – to create an aural and visual universe that gleefully transcends both media. Is it film or music, high art or pop? Digital projection. (Alexis Gideon; USA; 2010; 60 min)
With the director in person. Watch a trailer.
Sep 29 at Melwood Screening Room
Jennifer Lynch presents Surveillance
David Lynch's daughter, a filmmaker in her own right (Boxing Helena), will be in Pittsburgh to present her latest effort, Surveillance. Watch a trailer. Following the film, Lynch will discuss the film industry and her experiences as a female filmmaker.
Suveillance is the story of two FBI agents (Bill Pullman and Julia Ormond) attempting to track down clues on a series of murders. They approach the witnesses of the latest incident but all of them are hiding something and all have wildly different stories to tell. With its desolate highways, sinister video monitors, and free-floating bad vibes, – Time Out. Digital projection. (Jennifer Lynch; USA; 2008; 97 min)