Film Descriptions
Download the May calendar (1.3 Mb).
May 7 – 10 at Melwood Screening Room:
10th Russian Film Symposium — The Ideological Occult
"The Ideological Occult: Russian Cinema Under Putin" will run from Monday 5 May through Saturday 10 May 2008 on the campus of the University of Pittsburgh and the Melwood Screening Room of Pittsburgh Filmmakers. It will screen 13 new Russian films and feature internationally recognized scholars in Film Studies and Slavic. Many more details and full-length film descriptions at www.rusfilm.pitt.edu online.
Gruz 200 [Cargo 200]
A disturbing, gleefully black comedy set in 1984, in which a police captain (Alexei Poluyan) who enjoys abusing his power crosses paths with a communist, atheist
university professor with a crisis of faith. In this harsh thriller, Poluyan makes the most of his resemblance to Putin, and cinematographer
Alexander Simonov’s rotted, industrial landscapes are memorable. (Alexei Balabanov; Russia; 2007; 89 min) Introduced by Russian film critic Aleksandr
Kisilev.
Kremen [Hard-Hearted]
An award-winning first film from director Mizgirov. Anton has a dreamer's vision of Moscow, embellished by memories of childhood crush Zina, who moved there
with her family. Reality is very different – rebuffed by Zina and roughed up by the police, he decides to join the force and beat them at their own game.
(Aleksei Mizgiryov; Russia; 2007; 84 min) Introduction by TBA.
Zhestokost [Cruelty]
From the roof of her apartment block, teenaged Vika (Anna Begunova, in an award-winning turn) observes a love scene between secure, but lonely middle-aged Zoya
and her married neighbor. When he ends the affair, the two women get closer, and talk of revenge on her former lover. As they take action, Zoya and Vika will
never be the same. (Marina Lyubakova; Russia; 2007; 89 min) Introduction by TBA.
Prostye veshchi [Simple Things]
Winner of four prizes at Karlovy Vary Film Festival, including best actor and
the FIPRESCI prize. In this intimate, closely observed story, a fed-up
physician (Sergei Puskepalis) considers a morally problematic pact with an elderly patient, a once-famous actor. Set in St. Petersburg, writer-director
Popogrebsky's first solo effort captures, with humor, great care for detail and an intelligent cast, the complications of ordinary life for a low-paid member of
the professional class. (Aleksei Popogrebsky; Russia; 2007; 110 min) Introduced by Russian film critic Marina Drozdova.
May 9 at Regent Square
The Big Lebowski
After a sold-out show at Regent Square on Sunday April 27, we had to bring this one back.
This cult favorite starring Jeff Bridges, Steve Buscemi and John Goodman, is a buddy picture with nods to Raymond Chandler's The Big Sleep.
The shaggy dog tale about mistaken identity is full of hilarious sidetracks including run-ins with mobsters, bowling, dope-smoking and vivid dreams.
(Joel & Ethan Coen; USA; 1997; 113 min)
May 9 thru 18 at Harris Theater and
May 10 thru 18 at Regent Square and
May 11 thru 18 at Melwood Screening Room:
Silk Screen Festival
Shining a light on the intricacy and variety of Asian cultures, with more than 20 feature films and musical events. Showcasing films and filmmakers with
origins in India, Japan, China, Taiwan, Indonesia, Korea, Thailand, the Philippines, Iran, and more, including films made by Asian Americans.
This festival is again partnering with Pittsburgh Filmmakers, for its third great year. For the full schedule, visit the festival website or visit our showtimes page closer to the fest.
Shown at left are images from (top to bottom): Pen-Ek Ratanaruang's Ploy, Ramin Bahrani's Chop Shop, Bahman Ghobadi's Half Moon.
May 13 at Melwood Screening Room
Film Kitchen
This showcase of regional film & video art is presented the 2nd Tuesday every month by Pittsburgh Filmmakers, City Paper, WYEP-FM, Tandoor Indian Restaurant, Pittsburgh Brewing, Digital Video Development, and DH Creative.
This month featuring work by Eric Cheevers, and Brad Grimm. Cheevers will visit from Washington, D.C. He's directed and produced many music videos, including pieces for the Raveonettes and the Walkmen, and the two-part “Las Historias Mas Sexy Del Mundo!” (starring everyone from Matthew Lesko to Ian Svenonius). Cheevers’ shorts Connie Sellecca’s Recipe and The Jenny James Story have been festival finalists and prize-winners. His work has screened at Cannes, Chicago Underground, and many other film fests. Cheevers is also a travel-rescue worker.
Brad Grimm is currently enrolled as a Robert Morris University student. He and two partners won first prize in the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Foundation’s 28th College Television Awards for the music video "Identity X."
Please also note: annnual Film Kitchen contest deadline is May 24. Click for more info.
May 19 – 22 at Harris Theater
The Life of Reilly
"Rippingly entertaining" – Toronto Star
Charles Nelson Reilly, who died a year ago, is best remembered as one of the flamboyant regulars on tv’s "Match Game," but too few know that he was also
a successful stage actor (How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying), director and teacher. In this delightful performance documentary he stars in his one-man show called Save it for the Stage: the Life of Reilly. A natural raconteur and frequent "Tonight Show" guest, he holds his live audience spellbound as he reveals stories about his life. He vividly recalls growing up gay in the Depression-era Bronx with a lobotomized father and a racist mother who encouraged him in a theatrical career. The unfailingly witty, shamelessly bitchy Reilly gets to set the record straight. (Barry Poltermann and Frank Anderson; USA; 2007; 82 min)
May 19 – 22 at Regent Square Theater
Let's Get Lost – new 35mm print!
“The nature of Cool.” – Village Voice
Unseen for 14 years, this haunting portrait of legendary jazz crooner and trumpeter Chet Baker weaves performance footage from the 1950s, interviews from
friends and lovers, and clips from Baker’s last years. The new 35mm print shows off the moody black and white photography of director Weber, known only as a
fashion photographer before this film. “Weber’s visual intuitions are as lyrical and right as Baker’s melodic instincts.” – Pauline Kael. (Bruce Weber; USA;
1988; 120 min)
May 22 at Melwood Screening Room
Biennial Screening: Orgone
Kaleidokodascopic: An Orgone Inventory (1918–1977) & films from The Orgone Archive (Pittsburgh 13). Reception 7:30, screening at 8:00pm. Admission: $5 or BI-PASS.
Opens May 23 at Regent Square Theater
Love Songs
"Beguiling and bittersweet" – LATimes
A modern-day musical, Love Songs is an intoxicating, idiosyncratic story in three chapters, each borrowing a title from the three parts of The Umbrellas
of Cherbourg (departure, absence, and return). It begins with the stalled relationship of Ismael and Julie, who enter a playful ménage à
trois with Alice. When tragedy strikes, these young Parisians are forced to deal with the fragility of life and love. Featuring 13 original songs sung entirely
by the cast, this romance has overjoyed audiences at both Cannes and Toronto film fests and earned four French Cesar nominations. Subtitled.
(Christophe Honore; France; 2008; 95 min)
Opens May 23 at Harris Theater
Girls Rock!
"Incisively depicts the inner lives of complicated young females." – Chicago Reader
This exhilarating film has audiences cheering all over America. While it focuses on a one-week summer experience – Rock 'n' Roll Camp for Girls in Portland, Oregon – it has grown into a full-fledged phenomenon. More than a retreat for preteens, it’s an incredible feminist project that reclaims the concept of girl power. Young women (aged 8 to 18) learn to love girlhood in all its awkwardness, as they play power chords with their amps cranked up to 11. They get to express their angst and their joy through the redemptive power of punk rock. We learn the back-stories of four girls who step up to the creative challenges while undergoing tough personal transformations. As they come together to form a band we witness a finale that is truly extraordinary. (Shane King and Arne Johnson; USA; 2007; 90 min)
May 25, 8pm at Regent Square
Planet of the Apes – new 35mm print!
"In stature and screen presence, Heston is heroic and he is noble; you've got to admit it. He's right for this role, however preposterous it really may be,
and he carries the film effortlessly." – Roger Ebert, writing in 1968
The late, great Charlton Heston is fabulous as over-the-top Colonel ("Get your stinkin paws off of me, you damned dirty ape!") Taylor – an astronaut who crash-lands on an unfamiliar planet. Though there’s lots of inadvertent humor, the film's smart script and effective conclusion (with no big-budget special effects to augment its impact) remain both potent and relevant. With Roddy McDowall. (Franklin J. Schaffner; USA; 1968; 112 min)
May 28 at Melwood Screening Room
Sideways plus wine tasting
The charming 2004 hit, from Election director Alexander Payne, stars Paul Giamatti and Thomas Hayden Church. We’ll screen, and sample wine varieties from, the Academy-Award-winning film. From local oenophile group Grapenuts, Jack Brice and John Mahood will be on hand to satisfy your thirst for wine knowledge. The first pour begins at 6:30pm. Tickets are $30 and include wine, bites and the movie; regular price for just the film. Go to grapenuts.org for more information and to reserve your space.
May 29 at Melwood Screening Room
Biennial Screening: Maxson
Video program of original work and curated favorites by Eileen Maxson. Reception 7:30, screening at 8:00pm Admission: $5 or BI-PASS.
Opens May 30 at Regent Square
Contempt – new 35mm print!
What is the price of selling out? Brigitte Bardot plays Camille, a bourgeois housewife(!), whose playwright husband Paul has been hired by a crass Hollywood producer (Jack Palance) to rewrite the screenplay for a Fritz Lang (who plays himself) epic. Bardot at her bold and brazen best, in Cinemascope and Technicolor. Watch a vintage trailer. (Jean-Luc Godard; France; 1963; 102 min)
May 31 at Melwood Screening Room
Respect Yourself: the Stax Records Story
The rise and fall of Memphis-based Stax Records remains one of the more compelling sagas in American popular music history. Founded in 1957 as Satellite Records, renamed in 1961 by blending the surnames of brother-sister co-founders Jim Stewart and Estelle Axton, Stax was Motown's funky Deep South counterpart. Giants including Otis Redding, Rufus Thomas and daughter Carla, Booker T and the MGs, Sam & Dave, and Isaac Hayes all hailed from this converted movie theater. While celebrating Stax, its triumphs and the genius of its artists and musicians, this documentary doesn’t shy away from the label's woes and final collapse. The redemption comes by detailing Stax's legacy into the 21st century. Features performances, interviews and rare footage from the Stax vaults. (Robert Gordon and Morgan Neville; USA; 2007; 114 min)
Followed by reception with live bands. Co-presented by 91.3 WYEP-FM.
Opening June 6 at Regent Square Theater
Standard Operating Procedure
"
...
Based on the infamous prison torture photographs from Abu Ghraib, is completely unlike anything I was expecting from
such a film – more disturbing, analytical and morose. This is not a 'political' film nor yet another screed about the Bush administration or the war
in Iraq. It is driven simply, powerfully, by the desire to understand those photographs.” – Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
The immediate front-runner for the next Best Documentary Feature Academy Award, from director Errol Morris (The Fog of War, The Thin Blue Line), uses Morris's
vaunted filmed-interview techniques to put us squarely in the boots of Lynndie England, Sabrina Harman and the other American soldiers at the prison.
Why do these photos exist, why were they taken and what reality do they reflect? What do we think about these people? (Errol Morris; USA; 2008; 121 min)
Inteviews with the director: in print at Columbia Journalism Review, and on
video for The New Yorker. A lengthy essay about the
film, by Errol Morris for The New
Yorker.