[Reel Pizza] my apologies

please disregard the previous email....
sorry the computer took control
it was only meant for one, not all.

-L

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[Reel Pizza] our new schedule

hi everyone

WE ARE BACK~
HAPPY HOLIDAYS!  
BRING BACK THE SUN!

Florida was very nice, but nothing beats being with our friends in Bar Harbor in the wintertime.
We are looking forward to our 14th season of film and community, including our Thursday matinees for the Seniors (starts 1/8), our annual Oscar Night Gala benefit, and other special events we are planning.  See you soon.

-Chris, Lisa, Pierce & Chloe

Here is the schedule for Reel Pizza that runs Friday December 26, 2008, through Thursday January 15, 2009.

Friday Dec 26 - Thurs Jan 1 
FOUR CHRISTMASES  PG-13  89min     6:00 and 8:00
This season�s hit romantic comedy stars Vince Vaughn (Fred Claus) and Reese Witherspoon (Walk the Line) as a happily unmarried couple who usually flee to some exotic locale over the holidays.  This year they find themselves unexpectedly and unavoidably stuck at home over Christmas.  Unable to escape, they become obliged to attend, in one day, the holiday festivities at each of their divorced parent�s homes (Robert Duvall, Sissy Spacek, Mary Steenbergen, and Jon Voight).  Secret childhood fears and adolescent wounds are reopened which nearly ruins their relationship.   In his first fiction feature, documentary director Seth Gordon (King of Kong) has made a touching and funny, but biting and real film.

Friday Dec 26 - Monday Dec 29
BOLT  PG 96min     5:30 and 7:45
This delightful animated action comedy is about a celebrity TV star dog (voiced by John Travolta) who spends his days cloistered on the set, never realizing that the superpowers he has on his weekly show aren�t real.  Separated from his master and costar Penny (voice of Miley Cyrus) he finds himself alone in NYC and must somehow make his way back to Hollywood using only his natural courage and loyalty, even though he thinks he has amazing powers.  His traveling companions are a scrappy stray cat and an excitable overweight hamster trapped in a plastic ball.  This newest film from Disney animation, now headed by Pixar Studio�s John Lassater, shows the influence of the popular upstart on the venerable brand both in the film�s fabulous looks and its clever and well-told story.

Tuesday Dec 30 - Thurs Jan 1
MADAGASCAR: ESCAPE 2 AFRICA  PG  89min    5:30 and 7:30
Alex the Lion (Ben Stiller), Marty the Zebra (Chris Rock), Melman the Giraffe (David Schwimmer) and Gloria the Hippo (Jada Pinkett Smith) all reprise their roles in this irreverently humorous sequel.  Attempting to travel home from Madagascar in a rickety airplane piloted by the Penguins and Meerkats, the foursome and their entourage find themselves crash-landing into an African game preserve.  Here Alex meets his father, the local lion king (Bernie Mac) and Gloria, Melman and Marty meet others of their species at the local watering hole, with comic results.  You�ve got to move it, move it.

*******************************************************
Friday Jan 2 - Thurs Jan 8
QUANTUM OF SOLACE  PG-13  106min    6:00 and 8:15
The newest Bond film (#22 or #24 depending on how you count them) is the first true sequel in the series.  Beginning just hours after the end of 2006�s Casino Royale, Daniel Craig�s excellent 007 has just lost the love of his life, and with the help of the only other woman he can trust, M (Dame Judi Dench), he is out for revenge.  Mathieu Amalric (The Diving Bell and Butterfly) is the villain, bent on reeking ecological havoc, aided by a mysterious Latina (Olga Kurylenko).  Marc Forster (The Kite Runner, Monster�s Ball) ably directs this globe-trotting, explosively action-packed and completely entertaining Bond installment.

Friday Jan 2 - Monday Jan 5
TWILIGHT PG-13  120min     5:30 and 8:00
Masterful director of teen outsider films, Catherine Hardwicke (Thirteen, Lords of Dogtown) brings the first of Stephanie Meyer's popular series to life in an entertaining and non-condescending way.  Kirsten Stewart is Bella, a vulnerable, reserved girl who has just moved from warm sunny Phoenix to grey, rainy rural Washington state to live with her police chief dad.  Robert Pattinson (Cedric Diggory from the Harry Potter movies) plays the mysterious and beautifully pale boy who catches her eye and steals her heart.  Fortunately for Bella, he is a vegetarian vampire, but not all of them are.
 
Tues Jan 6 - Thurs Jan8
A CHRISTMAS TALE  NR  152min [in French with subtitles]    5:30 and 8:30
This unpredictable, unsentimental and marvelously dark comedy by inventive French director Arnoud Desplechin (Kings and Queen) is a captivating portrait of a dysfunctional family reunited over the Christmas holiday.  Catherine Deneuve is the matriarch, recently diagnosed with the same blood cancer that took her oldest son when he was a child.   Her three grown children (Anne Cosigny from Diving Bell and Butterfly, Mathieu Amalric from Quantum of Solace, and Melvil Poupaud) and their spouses (Chiara Matroianni, Emmanuelle Devos and Hippolyte Girardot) come together for what will become a week of power struggles and shifting allegiances as secrets are revealed.

**********************************************************
Friday Jan 9 - Thurs Jan 15
AUSTRALIA  PG-13  165min     5:00 and 8:15
Celebrating his homeland, director Baz Luhrmann (Moulin Rouge) has made a spectacular, visually stunning, sweepingly romantic epic set just before WW2.  Nicole Kidman stars as a proper British lady who arrives at her husband�s cattle estate in Northern Australia to find him shot dead and their neighbor stealing their cattle.  She joins forces with his cynical, itinerant ranch hand (Hugh Jackman) and an orphaned Aboriginal boy to drive their cattle to the port of Darwin to sell.  Meanwhile the Japanese are threatening to attack.

Friday Jan 9 - Monday Jan 12
THE SECRET LIFE OF BEES PG-13  110min     5:30 and 8:00
Based on the best-selling novel by Sue Monk Kidd, this heartwarming and charming parable is set on the eve of the 1964 civil rights legislation in segregated South Carolina.  Lily (Dakota Fanning), a white motherless teen, and her African American nanny (Jennifer Hudson) flee her strict father�s wrath, and find sanctuary at the home of the eccentric but nurturing beekeeper August (Queen Latifah), who lives in a bright pink house with her sisters May (Sophie Okenedo) and June (Alicia Keyes).  Director Gina Prince Blythewood has made a moving and spiritually rich tale of sisterhood and community.
 
Tues Jan 13 - Thurs Jan 15
SYNECDOCHE, NEW YORK R  124min     5:30 and 8:00
Charlie Kaufman, the quirky and Oscar-winning screenwriter behind off-beat independent hits Being John Malkovich, Adaptation, and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, ambitiously turns to directing with this surreal exploration of life, love and death.  Phillip Seymour Hoffman (coming in Doubt) proves once again that he is one of today�s most talented actors, with his portrayal of Caden Cotard, a 40 year old avant-garde, regional theatre director and hypochondriac whose marriage (to Catherine Keener) is falling apart.  His therapist (Hope Davis) is no help.  Then he wins a MacArthur �genius� grant and turns his entire world into an alternative reality, recreating his life in an enormous NYC warehouse for a decades-long production that seems to have no end.  Other co-stars include Emily Watson, Samantha Morton, Michelle Williams and Jennifer Jason Leigh.

*************************************************
COMING SOON (in no particular order):
Rachel Getting Married
Milk
The Tale of Desperaux
Cadillac Records
Happy Go Lucky
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Marley and Me
Slumdog Millionaire
The Reader
Revolutionary Road
Grand Torino
Changeling
Doubt
Frost/Nixon
Yes Man
Seven Pounds

*******************************************

[Reel Pizza] update

hi everyone

Here is the last update from Reel Pizza until mid-December.
As you know, we are closing soon for our seasonal holiday break.  Our last night is Mon Nov 10th.  We will reopen Dec 26th.

Remember  Reel Pizza gift certificates and Big Ticket Passes make great gifts for your friends and family.  Get them at the box office before we close, or contact us by phone 288-3828, US mail PO Box 625 Bar Harbor ME 04609, or email (lisa@reelpizza.net) for prompt assistance.  You can also stop by the theater (side door) mornings until 11/19 or after 12/10 and if my car is there, so will I be. 

Thanks for a great year.  Happy Holidays to all, and we will be back with you reel soon!

-Lisa and Chris, Pierce and Chloe (who are about to turn eleven!)

Here is what is coming to Reel Pizza Fri Nov 7 - Mon Nov 10; both shows run all days.

RELIGULOUS  (R)  101min  6:00 and 8:15
Known for his astute analytical skills, irreverent wit and commitment to never pulling a punch, political humorist and author Bill Maher (TV's Real Time, and Politically Incorrect) brings his characteristic honesty to an unusual spiritual journey. Maher travels around the world speaking to religious leaders as well as regular folk on the street, discussing the existence of God, personal faith and doubt, and the importance of organized religion in the very funny documentary directed by Larry Charles (Borat, Curb Your Enthusiasm).  Clips from Hollywood films about religion that punctuate Maher's points are interspersed with the interviews, often to hilarious effect.  Making it clear from the start that he is not a fan of any religion and does not believe in God, Maher has fun skewering people who do.   He uses humor--and lots of cynicism and sarcasm--to examine controversial theories and topics that people feel very strongly about, no matter what side of the fence they are on.

CITY OF EMBER (PG)  95min    5:30 and 7:45
Based on the very popular fantasy novel by Jeanne Duprau, this heart-pounding, edge-of-your-seat, family-friendly adventure boasts an impressive cast and crew.  It stars Saoirse Ronan (Atonement), Bill Murray, Tim Robbins, Martin Landau, Mary Kay Place, Marianne Jean-Baptiste (Secrets and Lies), and Harry Treadaway (Control).  The screenplay was written by Caroline Thompson (Edward Scissorhands, Corpse Bride) and the film was directed by Gil Kenan (Monster House).  Set in an underground city that for generations has depended on a massive generator to power their lights, but now the generator is failing and the city is falling into darkness, the story follows two teens in their new jobs as messenger and pipeworker, armed with a mysterious box full of cryptic papers follow clues, maneuver around corrupt politicians and other unsavory characters and race the clock as they try to restore the light to their beloved city.

[Reel Pizza] update

hey all
here is the Reel Pizza schedule for 10/31 - 11/1.  Sorry to everyone who was disappointed by our lack of power last night. Bangor Hydro has us back to normal now. 
Happy Halloween!
-Lisa

Fri 10/31 - Thurs 11/6
APPALOOSA  (R)  114min  6:00 and 8:30
In his second directing effort, following his Oscar-winning Pollock, actor Ed Harris brings a strong cast of familiar faces to tell the suspenseful story, based on the novel by Robert B. Parker, of two gunfighters attempting to bring peace to a small mining town in the Wild West of 1882's New Mexico territory.  Viggo Mortensen and Harris (both in A History of Violence) play two marshals hired to bring to justice a murderous vigilante rancher (Jeremy Irons) who has run roughshod over the town.  Matters are complicated with the arrival of a provocative, mysterious widower (Renée Zellweger) who flounces into town and woos all three men; her unconventional manner threatens to undermine their progress and destroy the lawman's partnership.

Fri 10/31 - Mon 11/3
I SERVED THE KING OF ENGLAND (R) [in Czech and German with subtitles]    5:30 and 8:00
With slapstick comedy and homage to silent films and vaudeville, peerless Czech director Jirí Menzel (Oscar winner for Closely Watched Trains, and nominee for My Sweet Little Village) fancifully and playfully adapts Czech novelist Bohumil Hrabal's 1974 story about a short and clownish waiter who dreams of being a millionaire, and was lucky until he wasn't.  Told in flashback by the elder Jan who has just been released from years in prison, this hilariously entertaining story follows young Jan (Bulgarian clown Ivan Barnev) as he recklessly works his way from hotdog stand vendor to head waiter at a luxury hotel, all the while seducing the ever increasingly beautiful ladies and poking fun at the rich.  Even as he plans to open his own luxury hotel, first the Nazis and then the communists take over his country, and his choices have serious consequences.

Tues 11/4 - Thurs 11/6
TROUBLE THE WATER (NR)  5:30 and 7:45
Winner of the Grand Jury prize at this year's Sundance Film Festival, this astonishingly powerful and unforgettable documentary and redemptive tale is both horrifying and exhilarating.  Directed and produced by producers Tia Lesson and Carl Deal (Fahrenheit 9/11 and Bowling for Columbine), they use astonishing and never before seen footage of New Orleans residents Kimberly Rivers Roberts, a young charismatic rap artist, and her husband Scott who use her new video camera to film Hurricane Katrina beginning the day before the storm ravaged their Ninth Ward home, and continuing even as their world becomes increasingly harrowing as the storm bears down on them and their neighbors.  The film then documents the couple's return to the devastation that was their home, and follows the appalling repeated failures of the government in the aftermath.   This essential, extraordinary film is one of the most acclaimed documentaries of the past year, for good reason.

[Reel Pizza] update

Good morning everyone.

An important notice:  This Wednesday, October 22nd, will be the final day of the 2008 Bar Harbor Green Famer's Market.  (insert my sad face here).  Come by and pick up some beautiful, healthy brassicas or some great storage crops to feed you and your family over the winter!  The Market runs from 9am - 1pm, and is located in our parking lot.

Also, the heat has been turned on.  Reel Pizza is warm and cozy inside for your viewing pleasure now that the overnight temperatures have plummeted (although the frosts don't seem to have mattered much to the still-flowering planters out front)!

And here is our schedule for Fri Oct 24 - 30.

See you soon
-Lisa and Chris
***************************

Fri Oct 24 - Thurs Oct 30       
THE DUCHESS  (PG-13)  109min   5:30 and 8:00
Keira Knightley is stellar as the Duchess of Devonshire, a headstrong woman from two centuries ago, who wanted to be a player in the wider affairs of the world.  The direct ancestor of Princess Diana, and like her, this Duchess was ravishing, glamorous and adored by her country.  But even with her power and popularity, she was unable to seduce her own boorish husband the Duke (Ralph Feinnes).  When she tried to find her own way and be true to her heart and loyal to her duty the resulting controversies left all of London talking and paid the price.  This ravishing costume drama, directed by Saul Dibbs, also stars Dominic Cooper (The History Boys) as the duchess�s childhood sweetheart, and Charlotte Rampling (Swimming Pool) as her appalled mother.


Fri Oct 24 - Mon Oct 27         
FROZEN RIVER (R) 97min    6:00 and 8:15
Involving and gripping, this Sundance winner follows two ordinary women, both single-moms driven by severe economic hardship and a desperate love of their young children, who form an unlikely partnership to make ends meet.  These women, one white, one Native American, uneasily join forces to smuggle illegal immigrants across the frozen St. Lawrence River from Canada into the Mohawk Reservation in upstate New York.  Melissa Leo (21 Grams) and Misty Upham both give powerful performances in the debut feature film by Courtney Hunt.  This dramatic, entertaining film is a complex portrait of family bonds and struggling women facing ethical choices in an authentically unforgiving world.
 

Tues Oct 28 - Thurs Oct 30      
MAMMA�S MAN  (NR)  94min   6:00 and 8:15
Mikey (Matt Boren) is a 30 year old new father, who, having just spent some time visiting with his parents at their cluttered Manhattan loft, his childhood home, suddenly refuses to return to his family in Los Angeles and moves back in to his old room.  Unsure of his motivations, he makes up excuses for why he is staying; his doting mother (Flo Jacobs) happily enables his procrastination, while his artist father (legendary experimental filmmaker Ken Jacobs) is suspicious, and his wife becomes increasingly unsettled. Becoming more and more entrenched in his adolescent sanctuary, he eventually comes to a point where he must choose between life as it is and life as it was.  This touching, insightful dramatic comedy by young independent filmmaker Azazel Jacobs, following in the footsteps of early Jim Jarmusch, features his actual parents and their home.  It was produced by MDI resident Hunter Gray.
**********************

[Reel Pizza] update

good morning

Here are the films at Reel Pizza for the week of Oct 17 - 23. 

Friday Oct 17 - Thursday Oct 23
FLASH OF GENIUS (PG-13)  119min   5:30 and 8:00
How timely.  This crowd-pleasing movie is about the big corporation (here it is Ford Motor Company) ripping off the little guy (here it is small time inventor and engineering professor Robert Kearns).  Back in the 1960's Mr. Kearns (Greg Kinnear) in his basement invented the intermittent windshield wiper.  With his buddy (Dermot Mulroney) they set up a manufacturing plant, and sell Ford the devise that Ford's people have been working on for years without success.  Soon after getting a prototype, Ford withdraws from the deal and Kearns is astonished to find his invention on the next year's models.  He sues with the help of a crusading lawyer (Alan Alda) but his principled stand destroys his family, and his lawyer resigns when he realizes that Kearns is not interested in financial gain, but in an admission of guilt from the big guys.  It even takes his sanity yet he will not waiver.  This is the directing debut from producer Marc Abrahams (The Commitments, Air Force One).

Friday Oct 17 - Monday Oct 20
ELEGY (R) 108min   6:00 and 8:15
Celebrated NPR culture critic and part-time college professor David Kepesh (Ben Kingsley) abandoned any desire for commitment years ago when he left his wife and young son for the sexual freedom of a string of casual encounters with former students.  This year he has his eye on a beautiful Latina grad student (Penélope Cruz), a tryst which to his surprise, turns into a passionate, long-term relationship.  But, overwhelmed with her beauty and his much greater age, he becomes a jealous lover, and remains distant, believing they have no future together.  The fine supporting cast includes Patricia Clarkson as a long-time occasional lover, Dennis Hopper as his Pulitzer-prize winning best friend and Peter Sarsgaard as his now grown son.  Spanish director Isabel Croixet has made an intelligent, affecting and unforgettable adaptation of Philip Roth's short novel The Dying Animal.

Tuesday Oct 21 - Thursday Oct 23
THE POOL  (NR)  98min  [partly in Hindi with subtitles]   6:00 and 8:15
The impressive range of the creative gifts of documentarian Chris Smith (The Yes Men, American Movie) are proven in his dramatic feature debut.  Using a story by Randy Russell, set in Iowa but transplanted to Panjin, a city in India's western state of Goa, he focuses again on the gulf between rich and poor, sharing insights, observations and universal truths with a deceptively simple narrative.  Young Venkatesh is a poor room boy at a hotel with dreams of becoming a successful business man.  He has found the personification of those dreams in a shimmering swimming pool in a luxuriant walled garden of a seemingly empty house that he can see from up in a nearby tree.  Thinking that if he could just swim in that pool, all his troubles would be washed away, he offers his services to the gruff owner.  This incisive portrait shows how Venkatesh's curiosity of the world around him changes the shape of his future. 



ALSO here is our schedule for Fri Oct 24 - 30  (I will remind you again next week).
Fri Oct 24 - Thurs Oct 30       THE DUCHESS  (PG-13)  109min   5:30 and 8:00
Fri Oct 24 - Mon Oct 27         FROZEN RIVER (R) 97min    6:00 and 8:15
Tues Oct 28 - Thurs Oct 30      MAMMA'S MAN  (NR)  94min   6:00 and 8:15

see you soon
-Lisa

[Reel Pizza] schedule

Good afternoon
As promised, here is the new Reel Pizza schedule.  It runs Friday October 17 through Monday November 10th. 

First some notes.  We hope you have time to come by in the next several weeks and check out the brand new, beautiful menu boards by Brendon Pringle of Chalk Art Design in Freeport.  We think they are quite striking, and give us an air of respectability that we didn't have before.  Plus we think they are much easier to read, even though they contain all the same information as we had on our old, tired chalkboards. 

Oh, No! ITS THAT TIME AGAIN...  OUR LAST NIGHT IS MON NOV 10
Please check our website or our ads in the local papers or call us to learn which two films we will show on our closing weekend.  (or just stay tuned, for I will send you all an e-mail)  Our currently booked films only run through November 6.
- but never fear -
WE WILL REOPEN FRI DEC 26  "for the season"
As always, our gift certificates and Big Ticket passes are available for holiday giving.  Give your loved ones something they are sure to use with pleasure this winter.  Call us at 288-3828 (and leave a message), or  write us at POBox 625 Bar Harbor, or e-mail lisa@reelpizza.net, or stop by when you see any of our cars in the lot by the side door. 

We are looking forward to our break time, going to Florida to sit on the beach for a little while, but we won't be gone long.   THANKS (big time) for everything you have done for us this year.  Please know we so appreciate all your phenomenal support, and we hope we return the love. Happy Holidays to all and we'll see you soon, at the movies!

-Chris, Lisa, Pierce and Chloe

****************************
Friday Oct 17 - Monday Oct 20
ELEGY (R) 108min
Celebrated NPR culture critic and part-time college professor David Kepesh (Ben Kingsley) abandoned any desire for commitment years ago when he left his wife and young son for the sexual freedom of a string of casual encounters with former students.  This year he has his eye on a beautiful Latina grad student (Penélope Cruz), a tryst which to his surprise, turns into a passionate, long-term relationship.  But, overwhelmed with her beauty and his much greater age, he becomes a jealous lover, and remains distant, believing they have no future together.  The fine supporting cast includes Patricia Clarkson as a long-time occasional lover, Dennis Hopper as his Pulitzer-prize winning best friend and Peter Sarsgaard as his now grown son.  Spanish director Isabel Croixet has made an intelligent, affecting and unforgettable adaptation of Philip Roth's short novel The Dying Animal.

Tuesday Oct 21 - Thursday Oct 23
THE POOL  (NR)  98min  [partly in Hindi with subtitles]
The impressive range of the creative gifts of documentarian Chris Smith (The Yes Men, American Movie) are proven in his dramatic feature debut.  Using a story by Randy Russell, set in Iowa but transplanted to Panjin, a city in India's western state of Goa, he focuses again on the gulf between rich and poor, sharing insights, observations and universal truths with a deceptively simple narrative.  Young Venkatesh is a poor room boy at a hotel with dreams of becoming a successful business man.  He has found the personification of those dreams in a shimmering swimming pool in a luxuriant walled garden of a seemingly empty house that he can see from up in a nearby tree.  Thinking that if he could just swim in that pool, all his troubles would be washed away, he offers his services to the gruff owner.  This incisive portrait shows how Venkatesh's curiosity of the world around him changes the shape of his future. 

*******************************
Friday Oct 24 - Monday Oct 27
FROZEN RIVER (R) 97min
Involving and gripping, this Sundance winner follows two ordinary women, both single-moms driven by severe economic hardship and a desperate love of their young children, who form an unlikely partnership to make ends meet.  These women, one white, one Native American, uneasily join forces to smuggle illegal immigrants across the frozen St. Lawrence River from Canada into the Mohawk Reservation in upstate New York.  Melissa Leo (21 Grams) and Misty Upham both give powerful performances in the debut feature film by Courtney Hunt.  This dramatic, entertaining film is a complex portrait of family bonds and struggling women facing ethical choices in an authentically unforgiving world.
 
Tuesday Oct 28 - Thursday Oct 30
MAMMA'S MAN  (NR)  94min 
Mikey (Matt Boren) is a 30 year old new father, who, having just spent some time visiting with his parents at their cluttered Manhattan loft, his childhood home, suddenly refuses to return to his family in Los Angeles and moves back in to his old room.  Unsure of his motivations, he makes up excuses for why he is staying; his doting mother (Flo Jacobs) happily enables his procrastination, while his artist father (legendary experimental filmmaker Ken Jacobs) is suspicious, and his wife becomes increasingly unsettled. Becoming more and more entrenched in his adolescent sanctuary, he eventually comes to a point where he must choose between life as it is and life as it was.  This touching, insightful dramatic comedy by young independent filmmaker Azazel Jacobs, following in the footsteps of early Jim Jarmusch, features his actual parents and their home.  It was produced by MDI resident Hunter Gray.

*********************************
Friday Oct 31 - Monday Nov 3
I SERVED THE KING OF ENGLAND  (R)  118 min  [in Czech and German with subtitles]
With slapstick comedy and homage to silent films and vaudeville, peerless Czech director Jirí Menzel (Oscar winner for Closely Watched Trains, and nominee for My Sweet Little Village) fancifully and playfully adapts Czech novelist Bohumil Hrabal's 1974 story about a short and clownish waiter who dreams of being a millionaire, and was lucky until he wasn't.  Told in flashback by the elder Jan who has just been released from years in prison, this hilariously entertaining story follows young Jan (Bulgarian clown Ivan Barnev) as he recklessly works his way from hotdog stand vendor to head waiter at a luxury hotel, all the while seducing the ever increasingly beautiful ladies and poking fun at the rich.  Even as he plans to open his own luxury hotel, first the Nazis and then the communists take over his country, and his choices have serious consequences.
 
Tuesday Nov 4 - Thursday Nov 6
TROUBLE THE WATER  (NR)  96min
Winner of the Grand Jury prize at this year's Sundance Film Festival, this astonishingly powerful and unforgettable documentary and redemptive tale is both horrifying and exhilarating.  Directed and produced by producers Tia Lesson and Carl Deal (Fahrenheit 9/11 and Bowling for Columbine), they use astonishing and never before seen footage of New Orleans residents Kimberly Rivers Roberts, a young charismatic rap artist, and her husband Scott who use her new video camera to film Hurricane Katrina beginning the day before the storm ravaged their Ninth Ward home, and continuing even as their world becomes increasingly harrowing as the storm bears down on them and their neighbors.  The film then documents the couple's return to the devastation that was their home, and follows the appalling repeated failures of the government in the aftermath.   This essential, extraordinary film is one of the most acclaimed documentaries of the past year, for good reason.

*****************************
NOTE We will have two more films (perhaps from the list below?) showing the weekend Friday November 7 - Monday Nov 10.  I will send you an email when we know, or you can check our website or the ads in the three local papers, or call the machine at the theatre 288-3811 to learn what it will be, once we get to November.

*****************************
Coming on our second screen?
FLASH OF GENIUS (PG-13)  119min
How timely.  This crowd-pleasing movie is about the big corporation (here it is Ford Motor Company) ripping off the little guy (here it is small time inventor and engineering professor Robert Kearns).  Back in the 1960's Mr. Kearns (Greg Kinnear) in his basement invented the intermittent windshield wiper.  With his buddy (Dermot Mulroney) they set up a manufacturing plant, and sell Ford the devise that Ford's people have been working on for years without success.  Soon after getting a prototype, Ford withdraws from the deal and Kearns is astonished to find his invention on the next year's models.  He sues with the help of a crusading lawyer (Alan Alda) but his principled stand destroys his family, and his lawyer resigns when he realizes that Kearns is not interested in financial gain, but in an admission of guilt from the big guys.  It even takes his sanity yet he will not waiver.  This is the directing debut from producer Marc Abrahams (The Commitments, Air Force One).
 
CITY OF EMBER (PG)  95min
Based on the very popular novel by Jeanne Duprau, this heart-pounding, edge-of-your-seat adventure boasts an impressive cast and crew.  It stars Saoirse Ronan (Atonement), Bill Murray, Tim Robbins, Martin Landau, Mary Kay Place, Marianne Jean-Baptiste (Secrets and Lies), and Harry Treadaway (Control).  The screenplay was written by Caroline Thompson (Edward Scissorhands) and the film was directed by Gil Kenan (Monster House).  Set in an underground city that for generations has depended on a massive generator to power their lights, but now the generator is failing and the city is falling into darkness, the story follows two teens in their new jobs as messenger and pipeworker, armed with a mysterious box full of cryptic papers follow clues, maneuver around corrupt politicians and other unsavory characters and race the clock as they try to restore the light to their beloved city.
 
APPALOOSA (R)  114min
In his second directing effort, following his Oscar-winning Pollock, actor Ed Harris brings a strong cast of familiar faces to tell the suspenseful story, based on the novel by Robert B. Parker, of two gunfighters attempting to bring peace to a small mining town in the Wild West of 1882's New Mexico territory.  Viggo Mortensen and Harris (both in A History of Violence) play two marshals hired to bring to justice a murderous vigilante rancher (Jeremy Irons) who has run roughshod over the town.  Matters are complicated with the arrival of a provocative, mysterious widower (Renée Zellweger) who flounces into town and woos all three men; her unconventional manner threatens to undermine their progress and destroy the lawman's partnership.
 
BODY OF LIES  (R)  129min
Director Ridley Scott's new dramatic thriller, based on Washington Post CIA journalist David Ignatius' critically acclaimed novel, follows the frantic search for a Middle Eastern terrorist before he can strike.  Leonardo DiCaprio plays a CIA soldier in the war on terrorism who comes up with a dangerous and elaborate scheme to infiltrate the cell of a master terrorist and get the ringleader to walk into the waiting arms of the CIA.  Russell Crowe is the cynical, arrogant and impatient CIA veteran back in the states and Mark Strong is the charismatic but suspect head of Jordanian intelligence who both must approve the manipulative plan before it gets set in motion.  But are these men trustworthy?  This multi-layered spy thriller is convincing and gripping.
 
THE DUCHESS  (PG-13)  109min
Keira Knightley is stellar as the Duchess of Devonshire, a headstrong woman from two centuries ago, who wanted to be a player in the wider affairs of the world.  The direct ancestor of Princess Diana, and like her, this Duchess was ravishing, glamorous and adored by her country.  But even with her power and popularity, she was unable to seduce her own boorish husband the Duke (Ralph Feinnes).  When she tried to find her own way and be true to her heart and loyal to her duty the resulting controversies left all of London talking and paid the price.  This ravishing costume drama, directed by Saul Dibbs, also stars Dominic Cooper (The History Boys) as the duchess' childhood sweetheart, and Charlotte Rampling (Swimming Pool) as her appalled mother.

Also maybe RELIGULOUS or W. or NIGHTS IN RODANTHE

*****************
Coming December into January? 

Rachel Getting Married  -  new from Jonathan Demme
Happy Go Lucky  - new from Mike Leigh
Synecdoche, NY  - new from Charlie Kaufman
Quantum of Solace  - new James Bond
Australia  - new from Baz Luhrman
Milk  -  new from Gus Van Sant
Slumdog Millionaire  - new from Danny Boyle
Tale of Despereaux  - new animated adaptation of a wonderful children's story

...and we are sure there will be many more!

*******************************
*******************************

[Reel Pizza] update

hi everyone

Here are the films and times for this coming week; the new schedule will be on its e-way to you in a little while.
Enjoy your holiday weekend; I hope you all (and me too) can take some time to get out, walk around and see the leaves.
It sure looks pretty out there from up here in my office......

-Lisa

Fri 10/10-Thurs 10/16
BURN AFTER READING (R) 6:00 and 8:15
Rebellious filmmakers Joel and Ethan Coen about-face from their Oscar-winning No Country for Old Men into sheer silliness with a wildly comic thriller/sex-farce.  Full of wacky characters and terrific one-liners, and starring Brad Pitt, Frances McDormand, George Clooney, John Malkovich, Tilda Swinton, and Richard Jenkins, the story follows two fitness center employees who find a file of the memoirs of a just fired CIA analyst, and try to turn it into cash to pay for some cosmetic surgery, attempting first to blackmail the analyst, with a backup plan of selling it to the Russians.  It is darkly funny and total nonsense. 

Fri 10/10 -Mon 10/13
MAN ON WIRE (PG-13)  5:30 and 7:45
At 7:15 AM on August 7, 1974, a young French street performer named Philippe Petit stepped out on a wire, illegally rigged between the tops of the New York's brand new twin towers 1350 feet above Manhattan.  After nearly an hour dancing on the wire, he was arrested, taken in for psychological evaluation, and charged with disturbing the peace, before finally being released.  Using rare footage and flawless reenactments, James Marsh's extraordinary documentary, constructed like a thriller as it details the preparations, brings Petit's daring adventure to life through the testimony of Philippe himself, as well as with some of the co-conspirators who helped him over seven years to create this unique and magnificent spectacle.

Tues 10/14 - Thurs 10/16
TELL NO ONE (NR)   [in French with subtitles] 5:30 and 8:00
Eight years after his childhood sweetheart wife (Marie-Josée Croze, Diving Bell and Butterfly) was murdered, new evidence surfaces incriminating a still devastated but kindly pediatrician (François Cluzet).  Simultaneously he also received an anonymous email, with video showing his beloved wife apparently still alive, containing the ominous message "tell no one".  Kirsten Scott Thomas plays his best friend and confident, who is also his sister's lover.  Based on the mystery thriller by Harlan Coben, this intricate and absorbing puzzle, the second film of French actor and director Guillaume Canet, was nominated for nine French Oscars, winning four. 

[Reel Pizza] update

hi everyone

Here is the coming schedule of films with times for Friday Oct (!) 3rd through Thursday Oct 9th at Reel Pizza. 
See you soon
-Lisa and Chris

Friday Oct 3 - Thursday Oct 9
GHOST TOWN (PG-13) 103min    6:00 and 8:15
Bertram Pincus (Ricky Gervais), a fussy, curmudgeonly dentist, has a near death experience during a routine hospital visit.  After he is miraculously revived, he discovers, with much annoyance, that he can see ghosts, especially since these pesky spirits all want something from him.  Recently deceased Frank (Greg Kinnear) promises that he can get all the other ghosts off his back, if he will only just break up the impending marriage of his widow (Téa Leoni).  This endearing, quirky new movie from screenwriter (of Jurassic Park and Indiana Jones 4) and director (of Secret Window) David Koepp is charming, smart and winning.

Friday Oct 3 - Monday Oct 6
TRAITOR (PG-13) 114min  5:30 and 8:00
This intelligent and effective thriller stars Don Cheadle (Hotel Rwanda, Crash) who gives a remarkable performance as an ambiguous character.  He is Samir, Sudanese-born to an American mother, who devoutedly embraced his Muslim roots while serving as a US Army advisor in Afghanistan and now sells plastic explosives to terrorists free-lance.  He is also linked to terrorist attacks in Yemen, Nice and London, and is being pursued by the FBI, led by a quiet southerner (Guy Pierce) and his hot-headed partner (Neal Mc Donough).  Saïd Taghmaoui (The Kite Runner) is also excellent as a Swiss-educated cell leader who recruits Samir to his deadly group.  In his directing debut, screenwriter Jeffrey Nachmanoff (Day After Tomorrow), with co-writer Steve Martin, has made a gripping and thoughtful film.

Tuesday Oct 7 - Thurs Oct 9
TUYA'S MARRIAGE (NR) 96min [in Mandarin with subtitles]  5:30 and 7:45
Winner of the 2007 Berlin Film Festival, this comic and heartbreaking film from young Chinese director Quanon Wang recalls the early movies of Zhang Yimou (The Story of Qui Ju, Red Sorghum).  Set in the picturesque but harsh steppes of Inner Mongolia, the story, co-written by the director and Lu Wei (Farewell My Concubine) captures a disappearing traditional way of life in a caring community threatened by government pressure.  Beautiful, charismatic actress Yu Nan (Speed Racer) stars as a hardworking woman who has supported her family for several years since her husband became disabled.  When she gets hurt, they must divorce so she can marry someone to take care of the children, but she demands that her new husband will have to take in her beloved ex also.

[Reel Pizza] update update

hi everyone

The faster I go, the behinder I get!~

Please note the correct times for ENCOUNTERS below...I typed the wrong info yesterday..
I apologize for any confusion.
-L

ENCOUNTERS AT THE END OF THE WORLD (G) at 5:30 and 8:00;
(HAMLET 2 (R) runs through Thursday at 6:00 and 8:30.)

[Reel Pizza] update

hi everyone

Here is this coming week's program at Reel Pizza, from Friday Sept 26 - Thursday Oct 2.
Since you just received all the film descriptions, I didn't think you needed me to send them to you again.

Just a reminder, tonight is the last night of THE LAST MISTRESS (R) at 5:30 and 8:00 changing tomorrow to a return engagement of ENCOUNTERS AT THE END OF THE WORLD (G) at 5:30 and 7:45; HAMLET 2 (R) runs through Thursday at 6:00 and 8:30.

Have a good week.  -L

Friday Sept 26 - Thurs Oct 2
VICKY CRISTINA BARCELONA  (PG-13)  97min

Friday Sept 26 - Monday Sept 29
TRANSSIBERIAN (R) 111min

Tues Sept 30 - Thurs Oct 2
ELSA AND FRED  (PG) 108min [in Spanish with subtitles]

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

[Reel Pizza] schedule

Autumn Greeting!
So much for getting you this listing last Wednesday...Sorry. 
Here now is the Reel Pizza schedule that runs from Friday Sept 26 through Thursday October 16th.  There are many fine films coming  that you may not have heard of, but should give a chance. 
I don't know what is coming Friday, yet, but will send out a brief email later today when we are booked.
Hope to see you soon.
-Lisa & Chris

Friday Sept 26 - Monday Sept 29
TRANSSIBERIAN (R) 111min
Emily Mortimer (Lars and the Real Girl) and Woody Harrelson star as a missionary couple returning from a few weeks in Beijing and travelling by train to Moscow on their way home.  An attractive backpacking couple is sharing their train compartment, but slowly Jessie comes to believe they are not all they seem.  Then her husband, who misses re-embarking at a stop, shows up at the next station having befriended a Russian narcotics detective (Ben Kingsley).  And the web has been spun in this clever, suspenseful and atmospheric thriller from co-writer and director Brad Anderson (Next Stop Wonderland, The Machinist).  He superbly builds the tension while developing the characters fully.
 
Tues Sept 30 - Thurs Oct 2
ELSA AND FRED  (PG) 108min [in Spanish with subtitles]
This sweet, magical romantic comedy is about the irresistible power of love as two people discover it is never too late to dream.  Elsa's (China Zorilla) dream for the last sixty years is the Fontana di Trevi scene in Fellini's La Dolce Vita, but she has had no true love to take the Marcello Mastroiani role.  Then she meets Alfredo (Manuel Alexandre), recently widowed and pushed around by his daughter and son-in-law.  He is meticulous, lonely and confused, but everything changes when he meets the whirlwind Elsa, who insists he should enjoy every minute left of his future.  Their awkward romance reveals universal truths about life and love. 
 
Friday Oct 3 - Monday Oct 6
TRAITOR (PG-13) 114min
This intelligent and effective thriller stars Don Cheadle (Hotel Rwanda, Crash) who gives a remarkable performance as an ambiguous character.  He is Samir, Sudanese-born to an American mother, who devoutedly embraced his Muslim roots while serving as a US Army advisor in Afghanistan and now sells plastic explosives to terrorists free-lance.  He is also linked to terrorist attacks in Yemen, Nice and London, and is being pursued by the FBI, led by a quiet southerner (Guy Pierce) and his hot-headed partner (Neal Mc Donough).  Saïd Taghmaoui (The Kite Runner) is also excellent as a Swiss-educated cell leader who recruits Samir to his deadly group.  In his directing debut, screenwriter Jeffrey Nachmanoff (Day After Tomorrow), with co-writer Steve Martin, has made a gripping and thoughtful film.

Tuesday Oct 7 - Thurs Oct 9
TUYA'S MARRIAGE (NR) 96min [in Mandarin with subtitles]
Winner of the 2007 Berlin Film Festival, this comic and heartbreaking film from young Chinese director Quanon Wang recalls the early movies of Zhang Yimou (The Story of Qui Ju, Red Sorghum).  Set in the picturesque but harsh steppes of Inner Mongolia, the story, co-written by the director and Lu Wei (Farewell My Concubine) captures a disappearing traditional way of life in a caring community threatened by government pressure.  Beautiful, charismatic actress Yu Nan (Speed Racer) stars as a hardworking woman who has supported her family for several years since her husband became disabled.  When she gets hurt, they must divorce so she can marry someone to take care of the children, but she demands that her new husband will have to take in her beloved ex also.
 
Friday Oct 10 - Monday Oct 13
MAN ON WIRE (PG-13) 94min
At 7:15 AM on August 7, 1974, a young French street performer named Philippe Petit stepped out on a wire, illegally rigged between the tops of the New York's brand new twin towers 1350 feet above Manhattan.  After nearly an hour dancing on the wire, he was arrested, taken in for psychological evaluation, and charged with disturbing the peace, before finally being released.  Using rare footage and flawless reenactments, James Marsh's extraordinary documentary, constructed like a thriller as it details the preparations, brings Petit's daring adventure to life through the testimony of Philippe himself, as well as with some of the co-conspirators who helped him over seven years to create this unique and magnificent spectacle. 

Tuesday Oct 14 - Thurs Oct 16
TELL NO ONE (NR) 125min [in French with subtitles]
Eight years after his childhood sweetheart wife (Marie-Josée Croze, Diving Bell and Butterfly) was murdered, new evidence surfaces incriminating a still devastated but kindly pediatrician (François Cluzet).  Simultaneously he also received an anonymous email, with video showing his beloved wife apparently still alive, containing the ominous message "tell no one".  Kirsten Scott Thomas plays his best friend and confident, who is also his sister's lover.  Based on the mystery thriller by Harlan Coben, this intricate and absorbing puzzle, the second film of French actor and director Guillaume Canet, was nominated for nine French Oscars, winning four. 
 
COMING ON OUR SECOND SCREEN?

VICKY CRISTINA BARCELONA  (PG-13)  97min
In this exhilarating, captivating comedy spiced with tragedy, filmmaker Woody Allen takes us on summer vacation to Barcelona Spain with two best friends.  Straight-laced Vicky (Rebecca Hall) is engaged to be married at the end of summer, while recklessly free-spirited Cristina (Scarlett Johansson) is sexually adventurous.  At a restaurant, they meet celebrated carefree artist Juan Antonia (Javier Bardem) who invites both girls to join him in Oviedo for a weekend get-away.  Soon they meet his unstable and insanely jealous ex-wife (Penélope Cruz).  The provocative and fluid sexual entanglements and yearnings of these characters change their lives forever.

BURN AFTER READING (R) 96min
Rebellious filmmakers Joel and Ethan Coen about-face from their Oscar-winning No Country for Old Men into sheer silliness with a wildly comic thriller/sex-farce.  Full of wacky characters and terrific one-liners, and starring Brad Pitt, Frances McDormand, George Clooney, John Malkovich, Tilda Swinton, and Richard Jenkins, the story follows two fitness center employees who find a file of the memoirs of a just fired CIA analyst, and try to turn it into cash to pay for some cosmetic surgery, attempting first to blackmail the analyst, with a backup plan of selling it to the Russians.  It is darkly funny and total nonsense. 
 
GHOST TOWN (PG-13) 103min
Bertram Pincus (Ricky Gervais), a fussy, curmudgeonly dentist, has a near death experience during a routine hospital visit.  After he is miraculously revived, he discovers, with much annoyance, that he can see ghosts, especially since these pesky spirits all want something from him.  Recently deceased Frank (Greg Kinnear) promises that he can get all the other ghosts off his back, if he will only just break up the impending marriage of his widow (Téa Leoni).  This endearing, quirky new movie from screenwriter (of Jurassic Park and Indiana Jones 4) and director (of Secret Window) David Koepp is charming, smart and winning.
 
FROZEN RIVER (R) 97min
Involving and gripping, this Sundance winner follows two ordinary women, both single-moms driven by severe economic hardship and a desperate love of their young children, who form an unlikely partnership to make ends meet.  These women, one white, one Native American, uneasily join forces to smuggle illegal immigrants across the frozen St. Lawrence River from Canada into the Mohawk Reservation in upstate New York.  Melissa Leo (21 Grams) and Misty Upham both give powerful performances in the debut feature film by Courtney Hunt.  This dramatic, entertaining film is a complex portrait of family bonds and struggling women facing ethical choices in an authentically unforgiving world.
 
ELEGY (R) 108min
Celebrated NPR culture critic and part-time college professor David Kepesh (Ben Kingsley) abandoned any desire for commitment years ago when he left his wife and young son for the sexual freedom of a string of casual encounters with former students.  This year he has his eye on a beautiful Latina grad student (Penélope Cruz), a tryst which to his surprise, turns into a passionate, long-term relationship.  But, overwhelmed with her beauty and his much greater age, he becomes a jealous lover, and remains distant, believing they have no future together.  The fine supporting cast includes Patricia Clarkson as a long-time occasional lover, Dennis Hopper as his Pulitzer-prize winning best friend and Peter Sarsgaard as his now grown son.  Spanish director Isabel Croixet has made an intelligent, affecting and unforgettable adaptation of Philip Roth's short novel The Dying Animal.

COMING NEXT SCHEDULE?
Towelhead
The Pool
Nights in Rodanthe
The Duchess
Appaloosa
City of Embers
Rachel Getting Married
 

[Reel Pizza] update

greetings to everyone~

Here is the schedule of films and times for this coming week (Sept 19 - 25) at Reel Pizza.  I will have the next 3 week schedule to you shortly (either tomorrow or Wednesday).  See you soon!
-Lisa and Chris

Friday Sept 19 - Thurs Sept 25
HAMLET 2  (R)   92min  6:00 and 8:15
This irreverent and infectiously entertaining comedy and Sundance hit stars Steve Coogan (24 Hour Party People) as a failed (due to lack of talent) actor turned still ambitious and passionate drama teacher who launches an overzealous quest to mount a high school musical.  His initial attempts unsuccessful and his department headed for downsizing, he conceives an extravagant sequel to Hamlet that is both politically incorrect and dramatically incredible.  But he will not be denied his freedom of expression, and with the backing of an ACLU lawyer (Amy Poehler) and his favorite actress (Elizabeth Shue, playing herself) he optimistically tarries forth with his opus.  Catherine Keener plays his long-suffering wife and David Arquette is their free-loading boarder. 

Friday Sept 19 - Mon Sept 22  
THE LAST MISTRESS  (NR)  114min  [in French with subtitles]   5:30 and 8:00
A notorious and penniless aristocrat (Fu�ad Ait Aattou) with a tempestuous Spanish mistress (Asia Argento) has found true love, or at least financial stability, as he is engaged to marry a rich young noblewoman (Roxane Mesquida).  When the girl�s protective grandmother decides he no longer needs the services of his alluring, exotic mistress, he dismisses her, but she will not go away easily.  This passionate, lush and elegant costume drama from French writer-director Catherine Breillat (Fat Girl) is based on a scandalous story by controversial 19th century writer Jules Barbey d�Aurevilly about the different choices allowed to men versus women in the hypocritical French courts and bedrooms.
 
Tues Sept 23 - Thurs Sept 25   back by popular demand
ENCOUNTERS AT THE END OF THE WORLD (G)  99min   5:30 and 8:00
Eccentric people in extreme settings characterize most of master director Werner Herzog�s fiction and non-fiction films (Fitzcarraldo, Grizzly Man, Rescue Dawn).  He promises his provocative, hypnotic new documentary about Antarctica is not another �fluffy penguin� movie, and he almost keeps his promise, profiling with his dry wit some of the loners and visionaries who live and work at McMurdo Station during the austral summer, exploring the natural beauty and fascinating nature found at the bottom of the world both above and below the ice, and contemplating the world's destruction by man's hand.  His film is a visually stunning, unsentimental journey that examines human nature and Mother Nature, juxtaposing breathtaking locations with the profound, surreal and sometimes absurd experiences of this renegade community.

[Reel Pizza] update

Hi everyone.

Here, briefly, are the next two weeks of films at Reel Pizza, starting today.  I included this week's times in the most recent "schedule" email, but apparently some of you didn't see it, based on your questions, 

Please keep in mind that next Saturday 9/13, we will be screening the documentary ORGASMIC BIRTH, sponsored by the Maine Association of Independent Doulas.  CORRECTION: the time of the show is 1:00 pm (not 2pm); the doors will open at 12:30.

See you soon
-Lisa


this week:

Friday Sept 5 - Thurs Sept 11
TROPIC THUNDER  (R)  107min  6:00 and 8:30
and
Fri Sept 5 - Mon Sept 8
BRIDESHEAD REVISITED  (PG-13)  133min   5:30 and 8:15
then
Tues Sept 9 - Thurs Sept 11
KENNY  (PG-13)  99min   5:30 and 8:00

and the next week:

Friday Sept 12 - Thurs Sept 18
PINEAPPLE EXPRESS  (R)  111min   6:00 and 8:30
and
Fri Sept 12 - Mon Sept 15
MAMMA MIA!  (PG-13) 103min   5:30 and 8:00
then
Tues Sept 16 - Thurs Sept 18
ALEXANDRA  (NR) 92min  [in Russian and Chechen with subtitles]   5:30 and 7:45

[Reel Pizza] schedule

Hi Everyone

And welcome to Labor Day weekend!  OMG!  I am definitely having a hard time believing September is practically here, and that our routine changes so dramatically in just a few short days...in fact our entire family is in total denial, which I expect to continue well into next week sometime, if not longer. 

Anyhow, here is our new schedule that runs most of the way through September (5th - 25th to be more specific.)
We are returning super popular MAMMA MIA, for those of you who missed it in August and those of you who can't wait to see it one more time.  We are also bringing back the wonderful ENCOUNTERS AT THE END OF THE WORLD, whose screenings were so seriously reduced by our technical difficulties last weekend (for which we fully apologize).  We have also booked next week's week-long film, so I have included  times for the first week, too. 

Have a GREAT last weekend of summer freedom, we hope to see you soon, and thank you all for such a great summer (mother nature included).
-Lisa and Chris

Our last presently scheduled FRIDAY LATE NIGHTS is tomorrow 8/29 at 11pm; it will be a PROGRAM-O-RAMA show.  Among some of the films we will be screening are three short films: NEW PIONEERS OF THE ATLANTIC RAINFOREST, about tree planters in Brazil by Karen Lanier, THUNDER BAY, telling the story of local fisherman Timmy Leveque out in Frenchman's Bay on his boat, made by COA student Margaret Longley (who did second unit camera work on the Academy Award-nominated film IRAG IN FRAGMENTS), and WORKING WITH MONKEYS a cutout animation which is a parody of television show production, by COA alum David Camlin. 

We also have some SPECIAL PROGRAMMING, a film is presented by Independent Childbirth supporting the Maine Association of Independent Doulas on Sat Sept 13th.
ORGASMIC BIRTH (NR)  87min 2:00 pm
With commentary by a dozen preeminent health professionals and eleven women and their partners who share their birthing journeys, this powerful, passionate and thought-provoking documentary presents the theory that birth today is too often mechanized, hospitalized and removed from women's control.  It dismantles untruths about labor and birth that women have been told for generations by showing the powerful role birth plays in women's lives when they are permitted to experience it fully.  Pioneering first-time filmmaker Debra Pascali-Bonaro reveals that birth is something a woman can enjoy, rather than endure, and challenges common preconceptions while inviting viewers to witness the safest, easiest, most pleasurable way to give birth.   In the hospital, birth center, and home, these laboring women share their personal moments of birth. 



Friday Sept 5 - Thurs Sept 11
TROPIC THUNDER  (R)  107min  6:00 and 8:30
Ben Stiller, Jack Black and Robert Downey Jr., lead an excellent ensemble cast in Stiller's new action comedy about a group of self-absorbed actors all looking for improvements in their careers.  They sign on to a crazed British director's war film to end all war films, but sky-rocketing costs force the studio to end the production almost as it starts.  The frustrated director (Steve Coogan) refuses to quit, and leads his cast deeper into the jungles of Southeast Asia to film guerilla-style for heightened realism.   Then these actors, armed with only blanks and wearing period military costumes, are intercepted by Burmese druglords.  This farce mocks everything in its path with audacity and hilarity. 

Fri Sept 5 - Mon Sept 8
BRIDESHEAD REVISITED  (PG-13)  133min   5:30 and 8:15
Clever writing, strong performances, and exquisite production design inform this opulent adaptation of Evelyn Waugh's 1945 literary classic, adapted by director Julian Jarrold (Kinky Boots, Becoming Jane).  Matthew Goode (Match Point) is troubled, atheistic painter Charles Ryder who falls in love with both indulgent Sebastian (Ben Whishaw) and his sister Julia (Hayley Atwell), as well as with the aristocratic lifestyle at their family's ancestral estate, Brideshead Castle.  Michael Gambon is the wayward Lord, in exile in Venice with his mistress (Greta Sacchi); Emma Thompson is excellent as the rigidly devout Catholic matriarch whose meddling rules her children's happiness.
 
Tues Sept 9 - Thurs Sept 11
KENNY  (PG-13)  99min   5:30 and 8:00
This charming, hilarious hit Australian comedy, directed by Clayton Jacobson, stars his brother comic Shane Jacobson as the title character, a jovial, loveable, and hard-working plumber.  He actually works at a porta-potty rental business but he always optimistically looks on the bright side.  He also employs his genuine good nature while suffering his viciously domineering ex-wife, and his unappreciative and cranky father.  This entertaining and clever slice-of-life follows this regular guy as he philosophically and with dignity meets the challenges of his work, including his first-ever plane trip to a convention of peers in Nashville, while also trying to be a better dad to his young son.
================================================
 
Fri Sept 12 - Mon Sept 15
MAMMA MIA!  (PG-13) 103min
Meryl Streep stars as Donna who has spent the past 20 years running a picturesquely decaying hotel. Now she's preparing for the marriage of her daughter, Sophie (Amanda Seyfried) to her fiancé, Sky (Dominic Cooper, The History Boys). But there is something Donna hasn't been told. Sophie has invited three of her mother's ex-boyfriends (Stellan Skarsgard, Pierce Brosnan, and Colin Firth) to the wedding in the hope that one of them will turn out to be the father she's never known.  The same team behind the hit stage show, including director Phyllida Lloyd, writer Catherine Johnson and producer Judy Cramer, has brought this infectiously sunny musical, featuring ABBA tunes, to the big screen. 
 
Tues Sept 16 - Thurs Sept 18
ALEXANDRA  (NR) 92min  [in Russian and Chechen with subtitles]
In only his third feature, visionary filmmaker Alexander Sokurov (Russian Ark) has made a poetically simple, completely original and hauntingly memorable drama about war, generational relationships and the human condition.  Renowned Russian opera star Galina Vichnevshaya is both confident and commanding as an elderly widow who travels to an army camp near the front lines to visit her Army captain grandson.  She tours the camp, and ventures to the nearby town, a bombed-out front-line city, to buy cigarettes for the soldiers where she meets and converses with a friendly local woman, a peer with whom she bonds.  This story is set in a Muslim area occupied by Caucasian forces, and was filmed in Grosney, Chechnya. 
=======================================

Friday Sept 19 - Mon Sept 22
THE LAST MISTRESS  (NR)  114min  [in French with subtitles]
A notorious and penniless aristocrat (Fu'ad Ait Aattou) with a tempestuous Spanish mistress (Asia Argento) has found true love, or at least financial stability, engaged to marry a rich young noblewoman (Roxane Mesquida).  When the girl's protective grandmother decides he no longer needs the services of his alluring, exotic mistress, he dismisses her, but she will not go away easily.  This passionate, lush and elegant costume drama from French writer-director Catherine Breillat (Fat Girl) is based on a scandalous story by controversial 19 th century writer Jules Barbey d'Aurevilly about the different choices allowed to men versus women in the hypocritical French courts and bedrooms.
 
Tues Sept 23 - Thurs Sept 25
ENCOUNTERS AT THE END OF THE WORLD (G)  99min
Eccentric people in extreme settings characterize most of master director Werner Herzog's fiction and non-fiction films (Fitzcarraldo, Grizzly Man, Rescue Dawn).  He promises his provocative, hypnotic new documentary about Antarctica is not another "fluffy penguin" movie, and he almost keeps his promise, profiling with his dry wit some of the loners and visionaries who live and work at McMurdo Station during the austral summer, exploring the natural beauty and fascinating nature found at the bottom of the world both above and below the ice, and contemplating the world's destruction by man's hand.  His film is a visually stunning, unsentimental journey that examines human nature and Mother Nature, juxtaposing breathtaking locations with the profound, surreal and sometimes absurd experiences of this renegade community.
======================

COMING SOON ON OUR SECOND SCREEN:
 
PINEAPPLE EXPRESS  (R)  111min
The hot combination of producer Judd Apatow and screenwriter/star Seth Rogan (Superbad) have made another ground-breaking buddy comedy with independent director David Gordon Green (All the Real Girls).  Rogan plays a stoner who, with his trusted dealer (James Franco), gets caught up in a drug-fueled murder; at the crime scene after witnessing a druglord shooting a rival dealer, he leaves a tell-tale joint that points to his dealer.  Their middleman (Danny McBride) gives them away and these two, in way over their toasted heads, have to hit the road in an action packed escape attempt that is frequently undermined by their sampling. 
 
VICKY CRISTINA BARCELONA  (PG-13)  97min
In this exhilarating, captivating comedy spiced with tragedy, filmmaker Woody Allen takes us on summer vacation to Barcelona Spain with two best friends.  Straight-laced Vicky (Rebecca Hall) is engaged to be married at the end of summer, while recklessly free-spirited Cristina (Scarlett Johansson) is sexually adventurous.  At a restaurant, they meet celebrated carefree artist Juan Antonia (Javier Bardem) who invites both girls to join him in Oviedo for a weekend get-away.  Soon they meet his unstable and insanely jealous ex-wife (Penélope Cruz).  The provocative and fluid sexual entanglements and yearnings of these characters change their lives forever.
 
HAMLET 2  (R)   92min
This irreverent and infectiously entertaining comedy and Sundance hit stars Steve Coogan (24 Hour Party People) as a failed (due to lack of talent) actor turned still ambitious and passionate drama teacher who launches an overzealous quest to mount a high school musical.  His initial attempts unsuccessful and his department headed for downsizing, he conceives an extravagant sequel to Hamlet that is both politically incorrect and dramatically incredible.  But he will not be denied his freedom of expression, and with the backing of an ACLU lawyer (Amy Poehler) and his favorite actress (Elizabeth Shue, playing herself) he optimistically tarries forth with his opus.  Catherine Keener plays his long-suffering wife and David Arquette is their free-loading boarder. 
 
COMING ON NEXT SCHEDULE?
BURN AFTER READING
TOWELHEAD
THE ROCKER
TELL NO ONE
REPRISE
MAN ON WIRE
FROZEN RIVER
TRANSSIBERIAN
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

[Reel Pizza] encounters is a GO

hi all

Just a quick note to let you know that tonight's (Monday's) screenings of ENCOUNTERS AT THE END OF THE WORLD are happening as scheduled!  5:45 and 8:00.

Whew~Glad that is over!  THANKS for your continuing patience and understanding!

-Lisa and Chris

[Reel Pizza] apologies and update

hi everyone

We fully apologize for our being unable to screen ENCOUNTERS AT THE END OF THE WORLD this weekend, if you were one of the disappointed.  We lost an important part of that auditorium's projector on Saturday and have spent the weekend trying to get it fixed.  Right now, (it is 3:00 pm Monday) we have successfully replace the original broken part, but just realized that when it went, it took another part with it.  Chris has gone to get a replacement, and, with any luck, we will have that bit replaced so we can screen the film for you this evening.  BUT, it isn't guaranteed at this moment.  I will send out an email when we are good to go, and will also update the message line (288-3811) then as well. And of course you can call us at the office/takeout line.  We probably won't have things back in order before 4:30 this afternoon. (so you might want to wait to call....)

I expect that we will return this film in the next month or so, since it is a great film (those lucky souls who saw it on Friday can attest to that) and we have not been able to give it its due. 

Anyhow, wouldn't August be just boring without some sort of catastrophe? 

PLUS   Here is the schedule for this coming weekend; just got the bookings confirmed.
Hope everyone has a great last weekend of summer! (I myself can't at all believe it is already Labor Day).

-Lisa

FRIDAY (Aug 29) LATE NIGHTS  PROGRAM-O-RAMA  11pm    We have gotten some interesting submissions for our second outing of our Program-o-rama program.  Come see some funny, bizarre short films that your neighbors have found.  This is our last scheduled LATE NIGHT program of the summer, but more are in the works for the fall.


Friday August 29 -  Thurs Sept 4
SISTERHOOD OF THE TRAVELLING PANTS 2   (PG-13)  110min    6:00 and 8:30
Based on Ann Brashares' best-selling series of novels, this sequel to the popular film catches up with four lifelong friends who share a bond through a special pair of jeans.  Now in college and embarking on separate paths for the first time, these young women (Amber Tamblyn, America Ferrera, Blake Lively and Alexis Bledel all reprise their original roles) will feel the freedom, separation, love, and challenging life lessons that mark their individual journeys toward adulthood. Though miles and worlds apart, they strive to stay in touch and share their new experiences and triumphs with heart and humor and, now more than ever, come to value the immeasurable power of their friendship.

Friday Aug 29 - Monday Sept 1
WHEN DID YOU LAST SEE YOUR FATHER?  (PG-13)  92min    5:30 and 7:30
This intelligent, nuanced and heartfelt drama, based on the autobiographical novel by poet Blake Morrison, is about a son who, as his dad is dying, tries to come to terms with the long-challenged relationship he has had with his father.  Jim Broadbent (Iris) gives a vivid, beautifully acted performance as a charming but domineering dad who embarrasses, traumatizes, and offends his sensitive, anxious, and awkward son while he is growing up; Colin Farrell (Bridget Jones' Diary) is excellent as the son who finally becomes a successful writer, much to the dismay of his dad who wanted him to follow his footsteps and become a physician.  Director Anand Tucker (Shopgirl, Hilary and Jackie) insightfully entwines the complex tangle of emotions and contradictory feelings shared by these men.
 
Tues Sept 2 - Thurs Sept 4
MONGOL  (R)  124min  [in Mongolian with subtitles]   5:30 and 8:00
Kazakhstan�s Academy Award nominated film is an enthralling historical epic detailing the early days of Temudgin, the nomadic boy-prince who would grow up to be the Mongolian ruler Genghis Khan.  This multi-dimensional portrait of the future conqueror reveals him as an inspiring, fearless, and visionary leader who had a loyal, loving relationship with his wife and a conflicted relationship with his blood brother.  Paying close attention to period details and filming in the stunningly picturesque steppes of western China, Mongolia, and Kazakhstan, Oscar-nominated director Sergei Bodrov (Prisoner of the Mountain) has made an exciting and awe-inspiring tale, blending sprawling adventure, riveting action and family drama.

[Reel Pizza] update

Good Morning
finally a dose of summer; enjoy it quick before it's over! 
And with things in town slowing down some, we hope to see you soon. 
-Lisa and Chris

On Friday 8/22 we have another ROCK & REEL presentation with THE SLACKS at 11:00pm
Classic, innovative and exciting silent films are brought into the new century with musical accompaniment provided by your favorite local bands.   This week THE SLACKS (Brian Torbeck, Dirk Erlandsen, Pat Watson, and Wayne Simmons) perform with probably Buster Keaton's finest and certainly most brilliantly spectacular comedy, the 1927 feature THE GENERAL.  This remarkably authentic historical epic set during the Civil War features one of the greatest chases in movie history including the breathtaking plunge of an actual locomotive from a burning bridge into a river. 

back by popular demand!
Friday Aug 22 - Thurs Aug 28
THE DARK KNIGHT  (PG-13)  152min   5:15 and 8:30
In this highly praised summer phenomenon, Batman Begins director Christopher Nolan (Memento) reunites with star Christian Bale (I�m Not There, 3:10 to Yuma), returning to continue Batman's war on crime. With the help of Lieutenant Jim Gordon (Gary Oldman) and District Attorney Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart), Batman sets out to destroy organized crime in Gotham for good. The triumvirate proves to be effective, but they soon find themselves prey to a rising criminal mastermind known as the Joker (the late Heath Ledger), who thrusts Gotham into anarchy and forces our Dark Knight ever closer to crossing the fine line between hero and vigilante.

Friday Aug 22 - Monday Aug 25
ENCOUNTERS AT THE END OF THE WORLD  (G)  99min  5:45 and 8:00
Eccentric people in extreme settings characterize most of master director Werner Herzog�s fiction and non-fiction films (Fitzcarraldo, Grizzly Man, Rescue Dawn).  He promises his provocative, hypnotic new documentary about Antarctica is not another �fluffy penguin� movie, and he almost keeps his promise, profiling with his dry wit some of the loners and visionaries who live and work at McMurdo Station during the austral summer, exploring the natural beauty and fascinating nature found at the bottom of the world both above and below the ice, and contemplating the world's destruction by man's hand.  His film is a visually stunning, unsentimental journey that examines human nature and Mother Nature, juxtaposing breathtaking locations with the profound, surreal and sometimes absurd experiences of this renegade community.
 
Tues Aug 26 - Thurs Aug 28
JELLYFISH  (NR)  78min  [in Hebrew with subtitles]   6:00 and 8:00
A young newlywed couple�s lives take a turn just as they are about to embark on their honeymoon.  A Filipino caregiver, who knows no Hebrew, has responsibility for a cranky, elderly woman.  A struggling waitress for a wedding caterer has just been dumped by her boyfriend.  Winner of this year�s Camera d�Or for best first feature at Cannes, this inventive, whimsical film follows the lives of these three Tel Aviv women whose lives intersect in unusual ways.  Directed by life partners Etgar Keret, a popular contemporary short story writer, and Shira Geffen, a playwright and children�s author, this film is both playful and magical.

[Reel Pizza] schedule

hey everyone
Well, here is the schedule for Reel Pizza from Friday August 15th through Thursday Sept 4th.  This is coming to you somewhat later than I anticipated, but we work in a funny business...Anyhow, we have many things happening this week, so there is lots of information for you here.  Hard to believe that the final film of this schedule screens after Labor Day!  Enjoy your last few weeks of summer, and let's hope the sun returns for at least some of it.  See you soon,
-Lisa

NEW ART IN THE LOBBY DANIEL DOOLITTLE  Tremont
"What you see before you is the result of what has been a long evaluation of seeing and experimenting:  lost objects reappear, a step is lost from a flight of stairs, identities are mistaken, and so on.  Through the expansion of the lines and shapes of the conventional world, altered and broken, what is revealed is a subconscious alternative understanding of how things are pieced together.  The viewer, if willing, can relate to the conformed image, to abstract thought, or let the mind follow its own subconscious as objects appear through the images.  So, sit back and enjoy the paintings and the picture show."

8/15 Friday Late Night  ROCK&REEL with ROMULUS REX   11:00pm
Classic, innovative and exciting silent films are brought into the new century with musical accompaniment provided by your favorite local bands.  This week ROMULUS REX play along with the dark and twisted The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1919).

SPECIAL PROGRAMMING   Sunday 8/17 
WILD COMBINATION: A Portrait of Arthur Russell (NR)  71min    2:00pm
This new film is director Matt Wolf's visually absorbing portrait of the seminal avant-garde composer, singer-songwriter, cellist, and disco producer Arthur Russell. Before his untimely death from AIDS in 1992, Arthur prolifically created music that spanned both pop and the transcendent possibilities of abstract art. Now, over fifteen years since his passing, Arthur's work is finally finding its audience. Wolf incorporates rare archival footage and commentary from Arthur's family, friends, and closest collaborators­including Philip Glass and Allen Ginsberg­to tell this poignant and important story.  We will have his partner Tom Lee and his sister, local resident Kate Henry, introduce the film and facilitate discussion afterwards.
==============================
in brief this week:

Fri 8/15 - Thurs 8/21  SWING VOTE (PG-13)  5:30 and 8:00
Fri 8/15 - Mon 8/18     HANCOCK (PG-13)  6:00 and 8:30
Tues 8/19 - Thur 8/21   GET SMART (PG-13)  6:00 and 8:30
also
Fri 8/15 Late Night ROCK&REEL with ROMULUS REX screening The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1919)  11:00pm
Sun 8/17  WILD COMBINATION: A PORTRAIT OF ARTHUR RUSSELL 2:00pm
==============================
and in detail:

Fri 8/15 - Thurs 8/21 
SWING VOTE  (PG-13)  119min   5:30 and 8:00
This likable, funny film is a comical look at the journey of a father and daughter who discover that everyone has the power to change the world.  Kevin Costner is Bud Johnson, an apathetic loser with no sense of the world around him who is blessed with a precocious, over-achieving 12 year old girl who takes care of both of them.  One mischievous moment on Election Day, she accidently sets off a chain of events which culminates in the election coming down to one vote, her dad's.  Kelsey Grammar and Dennis Hopper are the opposing presidential candidates vying for his vote, and Stanley Tucci and Nathan Lane play their political advisors.
 
Fri 8/15 - Mon 8/18
HANCOCK (PG-13)  93min   6:00 and 8:30
In this new action comedy, Will Smith stars as a well-intentioned superhero who saves countless lives, but feels misunderstood.  He is definitely becoming increasingly underappreciated by the public as he leaves a phenomenal trail of damage and destruction in his wake.  But, this sarcastic, bitter superhero doesn't really care about what the citizens of his city think about him, until he saves a Public Relations executive (Jason Bateman), who thinks he can improve the guy's image, …and maybe Hancock does have a vulnerable side after all.  But the PR exec's wife (Charlize Theron) insists he is a lost cause.
 
Tues 8/19 - Thurs 8/21  back by popular demand!
GET SMART (PG-13)  110 min  6:00 and 8:30
Based on Mel Brooks' and Buck Henry's 1960's cult TV series, this new spy-spoof comedy stars Steve Carrell (40 YEAR OLD VIRGIN) as eager analyst Maxwell Smart.  He is promoted to agent after a security breach in the US Spy Agency CONTROL compromises the other agent's identities.  Although this inexperienced yet enthusiastic new spy dreams of working with star Agent 3 (Dwayne Johnson), the Chief (Alan Arkin, LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE) instead partners him with lovely, lethal Agent 99 (Anne Hathaway, THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA).  Together, with a few gadgets, they must foil the doomsday plans of the evil crime syndicate KAOS, headed by Siegfried (Terence Stamp). 
====================================

Friday Aug 22 - Monday Aug 25
ENCOUNTERS AT THE END OF THE WORLD  (G)  99min
Eccentric people in extreme settings characterize most of master director Werner Herzog's fiction and non-fiction films (Fitzcarraldo, Grizzly Man, Rescue Dawn).  He promises his provocative, hypnotic new documentary about Antarctica is not another "fluffy penguin" movie, and he almost keeps his promise, profiling with his dry wit some of the loners and visionaries who live and work at McMurdo Station during the austral summer, exploring the natural beauty and fascinating nature found at the bottom of the world both above and below the ice, and contemplating the world's destruction by man's hand.  His film is a visually stunning, unsentimental journey that examines human nature and Mother Nature, juxtaposing breathtaking locations with the profound, surreal and sometimes absurd experiences of this renegade community.
 
Tues Aug 26 - Thurs Aug 28
JELLYFISH  (NR)  78min  [in Hebrew with subtitles]
A young newlywed couple's lives take a turn just as they are about to embark on their honeymoon.  A Filipino caregiver, who knows no Hebrew, has responsibility for a cranky, elderly woman.  A struggling waitress for a wedding caterer has just been dumped by her boyfriend.  Winner of this year's Camera d'Or for best first feature at Cannes, this inventive, whimsical film follows the lives of these three Tel Aviv women whose lives intersect in unusual ways.  Directed by life partners Etgar Keret, a popular contemporary short story writer, and Shira Geffen, a playwright and children's author, this film is both playful and magical.
==============================

Friday Aug 29 - Monday Sept 1
WHEN DID YOU LAST SEE YOUR FATHER?  (PG-13)  92min 
This intelligent, nuanced and heartfelt drama, based on the autobiographical novel by poet Blake Morrison, is about a son who, as his dad is dying, tries to come to terms with the long-challenged relationship he has had with his father.  Jim Broadbent (Iris) gives a vivid, beautifully acted performance as a charming but domineering dad who embarrasses, traumatizes, and offends his sensitive, anxious, and awkward son while he is growing up; Colin Farrell (Bridget Jones' Diary) is excellent as the son who finally becomes a successful writer, much to the dismay of his dad who wanted him to follow his footsteps and become a physician.  Director Anand Tucker (Shopgirl, Hilary and Jackie) insightfully entwines the complex tangle of emotions and contradictory feelings shared by these men.
 
Tues Sept 2 - Thurs Sept 4
MONGOL  (R)  124min  [in Mongolian with subtitles]
Kazakhstan's Academy Award nominated film is an enthralling historical epic detailing the early days of Temudgin, the nomadic boy-prince who would grow up to be the Mongolian ruler Genghis Khan.  This multi-dimensional portrait of the future conqueror reveals him as an inspiring, fearless, and visionary leader who had a loyal, loving relationship with his wife and a conflicted relationship with his blood brother.  Paying close attention to period details and filming in the stunningly picturesque steppes of western China, Mongolia, and Kazakhstan, Oscar-nominated director Sergei Bodrov (Prisoner of the Mountain) has made an exciting and awe-inspiring tale, blending sprawling adventure, riveting action and family drama.
==========================

COMING SOON ON OUR SECOND SCREEN
TROPIC THUNDER (R)  107min
Ben Stiller, Jack Black and Robert Downey Jr., lead an excellent ensemble cast in Stiller's new action comedy about a group of self-absorbed actors all looking for improvements in their careers.  They sign on to a crazed British director's war film to end all war films, but sky-rocketing costs force the studio to end the production almost as it starts.  The frustrated director (Steve Coogan) refuses to quit, and leads his cast deeper into the jungles of Southeast Asia to film guerilla-style for heightened realism.   Then these actors, armed with only blanks and wearing period military costumes, are intercepted by Burmese druglords.  This farce mocks everything in its path with audacity and hilarity. 
 
SISTERHOOD OF THE TRAVELLING PANTS 2 (PG-13)  110min
Based on Ann Brashares' best-selling series of novels, this sequel to the popular film catches up with four lifelong friends who share a bond through a special pair of jeans.  Now in college and embarking on separate paths for the first time, these young women (Amber Tamblyn, America Ferrera, Blake Lively and Alexis Bledel all reprise their original roles) will feel the freedom, separation, love, and challenging life lessons that mark their individual journeys toward adulthood. Though miles and worlds apart, they strive to stay in touch and share their new experiences and triumphs with heart and humor and, now more than ever, come to value the immeasurable power of their friendship.

a return engagement of THE DARK KNIGHT  (PG-13)  152min
In this highly praised summer phenomenon, Batman Begins director Christopher Nolan (Memento) reunites with star Christian Bale (I'm Not There, 3:10 to Yuma), returning to continue Batman's war on crime. With the help of Lieutenant Jim Gordon (Gary Oldman) and District Attorney Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart), Batman sets out to destroy organized crime in Gotham for good. The triumvirate proves to be effective, but they soon find themselves prey to a rising criminal mastermind known as the Joker (the late Heath Ledger), who thrusts Gotham into anarchy and forces our Dark Knight ever closer to crossing the fine line between hero and vigilante.
=============================

COMING NEXT?
Pineapple Express
The Rocker
The Clone Wars
Tell No One
Brideshead Revisited
Reprise
Alexandra
Vicky Cristina Barcelona
=============================
=============================

[Reel Pizza] update

greetings everyone

It has definitely been a little busy lately, what with all the rain, so we will be giving you some additional opportunities to see some of the popular shows of this summer.   But first, a few reminders about some special shows coming up.

This Friday night 8/8 at 11pm is the final opportunity this year to see the hilarity of IMPROVISION, when our intrepid friends from ImprovAcadia blindly make up the dialogue, soundtrack and special effects to the camp classic (about which they know nothing) ROBOT MONSTER, the cheesiest monster movie ever made (according to Chris).  Who knows what directions the plot might take?  Coming soon on Friday Late Nights will be more Rock&Reel both with Romulus Rex and also with The Shakes, and more Program-o-rama.

We have special programming this coming Sunday afternoon August 10th.  At 2pm, we, in association with St Saviour's Episcopal Church, will present this powerful film about the New England slave trade and its implications for today. Film participant Dain Perry and his wife Constance will introduce the film and there will be time for discussion afterwards. 
TRACES OF THE TRADE  (NR)   Sunday 8/10  2:00 pm
Released in 2008 on the occasion of the Bicentennial of the U.S. Abolition of the Slave Trade (January 1, 1808), this documentary film examines one of the most shameful legacies of America's past. Director Katrina Browne and nine relatives trace their roots as the largest slave trading family in American history, offering powerful new perspectives on the black/white divide.  Following the screening, a member of this family, Dain Perry, who participated in the film, and his wife Constance Perry, will share the difficult and creative effort that produced this film, consider its impact on their lives and invite all to reflect on our own experience.  www.tracesofthetrade.org

Also, *NEWS FLASH*, we will be hosting another special program the following Sunday 8/17 at 2pm of the new film WILD COMBINATION: The Arthur Russell Story, a portrait of the life of the ground-breaking, avant-garde cellist, which will be presented by his sister, local resident Kate Henry, and Arthur's partner, Tom Lee.  More details will be in the next schedule coming soon.

See you soon
-Lisa


*HELD-OVER BY POPULAR DEMAND!  (at a new and improved time)
Friday Aug 8 - Thurs Aug 14
MAMMA MIA!   (PG-13)  104min  6:00 and 8:30
Meryl Streep stars as Donna who has spent the past 20 years running a picturesquely decaying hotel. Now she's preparing for the marriage of her daughter, Sophie (Amanda Seyfried) to her fiancé, Sky (Dominic Cooper, The History Boys). But there is something Donna hasn't been told. Sophie has invited three of her mother's ex-boyfriends (Stellan Skarsgard, Pierce Brosnan, and Colin Firth) to the wedding in the hope that one of them will turn out to be the father she's never known.  The same team behind the hit stage show, including director Phyllida Lloyd, writer Catherine Johnson and producer Judy Cramer, has brought this infectiously sunny musical, featuring ABBA tunes, to the big screen.

*BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND!
Friday Aug 8 - Monday Aug 11
WALL-E   (G)  97 min      5:30 and 8:00
In this most wonderful Pixar film, director Andrew Stanton (Finding Nemo) moves into space: the final frontier.  On an Earth abandoned by humans centuries ago, where trash has taken over, Wall-E is a lonely robot who spends his days collecting trinkets and compacting the garbage, one cube at a time.  Eve is a sleek robot probe on a mission who realizes Wall-E has inadvertently discovered something important about the planet's future and takes off into space to return to her base and report her discovery.  Wall-E, smitten with his new friend, follows her across the universe, and his fantastic journey is an exciting, hilariously comic adventure.

Tues Aug 12 - Thurs Aug 14
CHILDREN OF HUANG SHI  (R)*  125min    5:30 and 8:00
Based on true events and real people, this gripping, engaging and beautiful melodrama centers on a young English journalist (Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Match Point), a straight-forward American nurse (Radha Mitchell, Melinda and Melinda) and a Chinese communist guerilla (Chow Yun Fat) who meet in desperate and unexpected circumstances during the Japanese invasion of China in 1938.  Together they rescue sixty orphaned children, leading them on an extraordinary journey through snow-covered mountains and unforgiving desert to refuge far from the soldier's brutality; along the way they discover the true meaning of love, responsibility and courage. 
"The R rating is earned by some very mild, non-explicit lovemaking, some violence and some drug content...Nothing so strong it would bother a teenager." –Roger Ebert

[Reel Pizza] update

hey everyone

August is on its way!  Never fear, you can keep cool and avoid the August Uglies with us.

Don't forget our Friday late night programming.  This week it is IMPROVISION on Friday 8/1 at 11pm. when the ImprovAcadia crew makes merry with the camp classic THE THING WITH TWO HEADS, starring Rosie Grier. 

Please notice that BOTH our films this coming week run for seven days, Friday through Thursday.

-Lisa

Friday August 1 - Thursday August 7
JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF THE EARTH  (PG)  89min  5:30 and 7:45
Directed by Academy Award-winning visual effects veteran Eric Brevig, this exciting and funny family adventure takes the classic 1864 Jules Verne novel as fact and spins a wild ride.  Brendan Fraser (Crash, The Mummy) stars as a science professor whose untraditional hypotheses have made him the laughing stock of the academic community. But while looking for clues of his late brother's work and into his death during an expedition in remote Iceland, he, his cynical nephew and a beautiful guide stumble upon a major discovery that launches them on a thrilling journey deep beneath the Earth's surface, where they travel through never-before-seen worlds and encounter a variety of unusual creatures.

and

Friday August 1 - Thursday August 7
MAMMA MIA!   (PG-13)  104min  6:00 and 8:15
Meryl Streep stars as Donna who has spent the past 20 years running a picturesquely decaying hotel. Now she's preparing for the marriage of her daughter, Sophie (Amanda Seyfried) to her fiancé, Sky (Dominic Cooper, The History Boys). But there is something Donna hasn't been told. Sophie has invited three of her mother's ex-boyfriends (Stellan Skarsgard, Pierce Brosnan, and Colin Firth) to the wedding in the hope that one of them will turn out to be the father she's never known.  The same team behind the hit stage show, including director Phyllida Lloyd, writer Catherine Johnson and producer Judy Cramer, has brought this infectiously sunny musical, featuring ABBA tunes, to the big screen.

[Reel Pizza] Update

Good morning again everyone,
here are the absolutely correct times for this coming weeks films. (I PROMISE!)

Last Friday's Late Night ROCK & REEL program was terrific, the Shakes were totally up to the challenge of creating a silent film score, the film was something you wouldn't see ANYWHERE else, and everyone had a grand time.  We will be screening more classic silent films scored by local bands coming in August.  This Friday 7/25 at 11pm we will present PROGRAM-O-RAMA, compiling your digital submissions.  Submit your own short film, or something you've seen on-line that you must share with the world (no copyrighted material unless it is yours) in digital format and we will show them all on our big screen.  Zany, bizarre, thought-provoking...any style or topic is welcome.  Contact Chris or Colin at 288-3828 or evenings at the theatre.  this is bound to be different and fun!

Have a great week
-Lisa

Fri July 25 - Thurs July 31
X-FILES: I WANT TO BELIEVE  (PG-13)  104min   6:00 and 8:30

Fri July 25 - Mon July 28
KIT KITTREDGE: AN AMERICAN GIRL  (G)  104min   5:30 and 7:45

Tues July 29 - Thurs July 31
FLIGHT OF THE RED BALLOON (NR)  113min [in French with subtitles]   5:30 and 8:00

[Reel Pizza] schedule

As promised,  the Reel Pizza Schedule for July 25 through August 14th. 

But first, please read about some alternative programming that we will be presenting in the next few weeks.
See you soon,  Lisa and Chris.

SPECIAL AFTERNOON PROGRAM of film and discussion presented in association with St Saviour's Episcopal Church.
Sunday August 10th
TRACES OF THE TRADE  (NR)    2:00 pm
Released in 2008 on the occasion of the Bicentennial of the U.S. Abolition of the Slave Trade (January 1, 1808), this documentary film examines one of the most shameful legacies of America's past. Director Katrina Browne and nine relatives trace their roots as the largest slave trading family in American history, offering powerful new perspectives on the black/white divide.  Following the screening, a member of this family, Dain Perry, who participated in the film, and his wife Constance Perry, will share the difficult and creative effort that produced this film, consider its impact on their lives and invite all to reflect on our own experience.  www.tracesofthetrade.org

Don't forget FRIDAY LATE NIGHTS!  (I did, in the last email update...). Every week on Friday at 11pm we will present some movie expanding experience to distract and entertain you. 

This Friday 7/18 (tomorrow), we have ROCK & REEL, in which local bands provide contemporary accompaniment to classic, unique silent films. This week's pairing features The Shakes – Caleb Davis, Carl Davis, James Pike and special guest David Palazola – performing with the 1929 Russian feature Man with a Movie Camera. This fast-paced, kaleidoscopic film is an attempt to capture the full beauty and chaos of life, and uses a stunning variety of trick photography to position its heroic cameraman in every possible place necessary to achieve this (including inside a glass of beer!). 

Next Friday 7/25, it will be PROGRAM-O-RAMA, where you get to help choose the films.  Submit your own short film, or something you've seen on-line that you must share with the world (no copyrighted material unless it is yours) in digital format and we will show them all on our big screen.  Zany, bizarre, thought-provoking...any style or topic is welcome. 

Last week's IMPROVISION collaboration with the ImprovAcadia crew was great fun.  We welcome them back on Aug 1st as they provide dialogue, music and sound effects to THE MAN WITH TWO HEADS, featuring Rosie Greer, and again on Aug 8th, for ROBOT MONSTER (Chris's description here) the cheesiest monster movie ever made (and he has seen them all!).   Again, they have not seen the movie, or know what it is about; who knows what turns the plot will make?

And now back to "regular" films...

Fri July 25 - Thurs July31
X-FILES: I WANT TO BELIEVE  (PG-13)  104min   6:00 and 8:30
In grand "X-Files" manner, the storyline of this BRAND NEW film, based on the popular TV series, is being kept under wraps. This much can be revealed: it is a stand-alone story (as in you don't need to be a die-hard fan to keep up) in the tradition of some of the show's most acclaimed and beloved episodes, and takes the complicated relationship between Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) in unexpected directions. Mulder continues his unshakable quest for the truth, and Scully, the passionate, ferociously intelligent physician, remains inextricably tied to Mulder's pursuits.
 
Fri July 25 - Mon July 28
KIT KITTREDGE: AN AMERICAN GIRL  (G)  104min   5:30 and 7:45
Oscar-nominated Abigail Breslin (Little Miss Sunshine, Nim's Island) stars in this delightful, family-friendly film based on the historically accurate American Girl Doll series.  Kit, the girl of 1934, is a budding young reporter in Depression-era Cincinnati.  When Dad loses his job and must leave home to find work, Mom (Julie Ormand) takes in boarders to make ends meet, including Joan Cusack's wacky librarian, Jane Krakowski's beautiful nurse, and Stanley Tucci's travelling magician.  When a young hobo Kit meets is unfairly blamed for a local crime wave, she and her friends become sleuths to clear the boy's name and solve the mystery; they are surprised when their trail of clues lead to her own house.  Mixing comedy, tragedy and suspense, director Patricia Rozema (Mansfield Park) has made a wonderful, engaging film, full of period details, which resonates with the similar challenges of today's economic climate.
 
Tues July 29 - Thurs July 31
FLIGHT OF THE RED BALLOON (NR)  113min [in French with subtitles]   5:30 and 8:00
This charming, unconventional slice-of-life story celebrating and inspired by Albert Lamourisse's 1956 classic short, The Red Balloon, is the first western film from acclaimed naturalistic Taiwanese director Hou Hsiao-Hsien (The Puppetmaster, Flowers of Shanghai).  Juliette Binoche is a frazzled single mom struggling to get through her daily life while she operates a puppet theater.   Her school-aged son Simon is just meeting a new nanny, Song a Chinese film student studying in Paris who herself is working on her own homage to the Lamourisse film.  An elusive red balloon hovering over all, and the city of Paris are captivating, supporting characters.  The improvisational storyline gives the film authenticity; the reflective visual impressionism is hypnotic.  Taken together, this film is touching, beautiful and a wonderful cinematic experience.

****************************************************
Friday Aug 1 - Thurs Aug 7
JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF THE EARTH  (PG)  89min  
Directed by Academy Award-winning visual effects veteran Eric Brevig, this exciting and funny family adventure takes the classic 1864 Jules Verne novel as fact and spins a wild ride.  Brendan Fraser (Crash, The Mummy) stars as a science professor whose untraditional hypotheses have made him the laughing stock of the academic community. But while looking for clues of his late brother's work and into his death during an expedition in remote Iceland, he, his cynical nephew and a beautiful guide stumble upon a major discovery that launches them on a thrilling journey deep beneath the Earth's surface, where they travel through never-before-seen worlds and encounter a variety of unusual creatures.  

******************************************************
Fri Aug 8 - Mon Aug 11
back by popular demand!
WALL-E (G)  97 min
In this wonderful new Pixar film, director Andrew Stanton (Finding Nemo) moves into space: the final frontier.  On an Earth abandoned by humans centuries ago, where trash has taken over, Wall-E is a lonely robot who spends his days collecting trinkets and compacting the garbage, one cube at a time.  Eve is a sleek robot probe on a mission who realizes Wall-E has inadvertently discovered something important about the planet's future and takes off into space to return to her base and report her discovery.  Wall-E, smitten with his new friend, follows her across the universe, and his fantastic journey is an exciting, hilariously comic adventure.

Tues Aug 12 - Thurs Aug 14
CHILDREN OF HUANG SHI  (R)*  125min
Based on true events and real people, this gripping, engaging and beautiful melodrama centers on a young English journalist (Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Match Point), a straight-forward American nurse (Radha Mitchell, Melinda and Melinda) and a Chinese communist guerilla (Chow Yun Fat) who meet in desperate and unexpected circumstances during the Japanese invasion of China in 1938.  Together they rescue sixty orphaned children, leading them on an extraordinary journey through snow-covered mountains and unforgiving desert to refuge far from the soldier's brutality; along the way they discover the true meaning of love, responsibility and courage. 
"The R rating is earned by some very mild, non-explicit lovemaking, some violence and some drug content...Nothing so strong it would bother a teenager." –Roger Ebert

************************************************************************
COMING ON OUR SECOND SCREEN?

SISTERHOOD OF THE TRAVELLING PANTS 2 (PG-13)  110min
Based on Ann Brashares' best-selling series of novels, this sequel to the popular film catches up with four lifelong friends who share a bond through a special pair of jeans.  Now in college and embarking on separate paths for the first time, these young women (Amber Tamblyn, America Ferrera, Blake Lively and Alexis Bledel all reprise their original roles) will feel the freedom, separation, love, and challenging life lessons that mark their individual journeys toward adulthood. Though miles and worlds apart, they strive to stay in touch and share their new experiences and triumphs with heart and humor and, now more than ever, come to value the immeasurable power of their friendship.

MAMMA MIA!  (PG-13) 103min
Meryl Streep stars as Donna who has spent the past 20 years running a picturesquely decaying hotel. Now she's preparing for the marriage of her daughter, Sophie (Amanda Seyfried) to her fiancé, Sky (Dominic Cooper, The History Boys). But there is something Donna hasn't been told. Sophie has invited three of her mother's ex-boyfriends (Stellan Skarsgard, Pierce Brosnan, and Colin Firth) to the wedding in the hope that one of them will turn out to be the father she's never known.  The same team behind the hit stage show, including director Phyllida Lloyd, writer Catherine Johnson and producer Judy Cramer, has brought this infectiously sunny musical, featuring ABBA tunes, to the big screen. 

HANCOCK  (PG-13)  93min
In this new action comedy, Will Smith stars as a well-intentioned superhero who saves countless lives, but feels misunderstood.  He is definitely becoming increasingly underappreciated by the public as he leaves a phenomenal trail of damage and destruction in his wake.  But, this sarcastic, bitter superhero doesn't really care about what the citizens of his city think about him, until he saves a Public Relations executive (Jason Bateman), who thinks he can improve the guy's image, …and maybe Hancock does have a vulnerable side after all.  But the PR exec's wife (Charlize Theron) insists he is a lost cause.

COMING NEXT SCHEDULE?
Star Wars: Clone Wars
Tropic Thunder
Hellboy 2
Jellyfish
Reprise
Alexandra
Encounters at the End of the World
When Did You Last See Your Father?

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