NOW PLAYING: Week of Friday, April 18 - Thursday, April 24

NOW PLAYING!

FLAWLESS



Michael Radford (IL POSTINO) brings an artful touch to Edward Anderson's screenplay with FLAWLESS, a serious account of a remarkable heist at London Diamond, one of the world's premier diamond holders. Set in 1960s London, the film focuses on Laura Quinn (Demi Moore), a woman so driven she's chosen career over personal life and found her way into the boys' club known as the diamond business. As Laura gets overlooked for a manager position year after year, she resolves to work even harder, hoping that, despite her history, her efforts will one day pay off. Ironically, it's Mr. Hobbs (Michael Caine), a night janitor, who takes note of Laura's frustration. The seemingly simple Mr.Hobbs finds a way to use this to his advantage, proposing a plan that will only work with Laura's cooperation. When Laura rejects the offer, Mr. Hobbs encourages her to question just what's holding her back, personally and professionally. While Laura's precarious position within a male-dominated world gives her understandable motive, Mr. Hobbs's is trickier to decipher. The story is based on a fictional heist, but the film is faithful to its setting. Beautiful costumes and sets and strong attention to detail instantly transport viewers back to a different era. Moore's performance may feel wooden at times, but this is fitting considering the obstacles a woman in her position and time would have been up against. Her acting chops come through when she finally breaks down, only to have to pull herself back together for a room full of her male colleagues. Caine seems predictably at ease in his role as Mr. Hobbs, who drives the plot from behind his unassuming mop and duster. Though slow-moving at first, this stylish thriller slyly draws its audience in as its characters take on more depth.

MOVIE TIMES!
Friday  4/18 at 7:00 & 9:30
Saturday  4/19 4:30, 7:00 & 9:30
Sunday  4/20 at 3:30, 6:00 & 8:30
Monday  4/21 at 7:00 & 9:30
Tuesday  4/22 at 7:15 & 9:45
Wednesday  4/23 & Thursday  4/24 at 7:00 & 9:30



MARRIED LIFE



Murder, infidelity, and dark comedy lie at the heart of Ira Sach's MARRIED LIFE. Oscar winner Chris Cooper plays Harry, a man enmeshed in an affair with a gorgeous young woman (Rachel McAdams) who is also desired by his best friend (Pierce Brosnan). Surprisingly, Harry thinks that the best course of action is to kill his wife (Patricia Clarkson) to spare her the pain of their marriage ending.

MOVIE TIMES!
Friday  4/18 at 7:15
Saturday  4/19 at 4:45 & 7:15
Sunday  4/20 at 3:45 & 6:15
Monday  4/21, Wednesday  4/23 & Thursday  4/24 at 7:15




THE BAND'S VISIT



Israeli filmmaker Eran Kolirin's debut feature, THE BAND'S VISIT, is a subtle, heartfelt, and humane work that goes a long way toward dissolving the incredibly complex cultural divide that continues to plague the Middle East. When the Alexandria Ceremonial Police Orchestra flies from Egypt to Israel to perform at the opening of an Arab culture center, they are left stranded at the airport. Their leader, Tewfiq (Sasson Gabai), orders the handsome violinist, Khaled (Saleh Bakri), to solve their predicament, but it turns out that he's gotten the wrong information. By that time, it's too late. All eight members are left standing alone in a quiet desert town far from their intended destination with no way to get where they need to go. Tired, hungry, and confused, they find shelter at a restaurant run by the pretty but brash Dina (Ronit Elkabetz). It's clear that Dina is bored with her lonely life, so she talks Tewfiq into letting the band stay over for the night: he and Khaled will stay with her, and the others will be put up at the home of Itzik (Rubi Moscovich). Over the course of the night, Tewfiq and Dina bond, Khaled helps a hapless local discover his inner Romeo, and the other band members find themselves caught up in a domestic situation that is less than perfect. Kolirin perfectly navigates his film's slice-of-life tone, blending comedy and drama and poignancy without ever succumbing to one completely. In the wrong hands, this material could turn into a quirk-fest that parodies everyday life. Yet under Kolirin's assured command, it becomes something that feels like life itself. THE BAND'S VISIT is funny, lonely, inspiring, sad, and beautiful all at once.

MOVIE TIMES!
Friday  4/18 & Saturday  4/19 at 9:15
Sunday  4/20 at 8:15
Monday  4/21 at 9:15
Tuesday  4/22 at 9:30
Wednesday  4/23 & Thursday  4/24 at 9:15
 

MIDNIGHT MOVIES!

THIS WEEKEND

A trio of bong-loving buddies hatch a pot-laced plan to spring the fourth member of their smokers' circle out of the Big House, where he languishes after accidentally killing a diabetic police horse. The cinematic equivalent of aerosol cheese, featuring a bevy of buzz-friendly cameos (such as Bob Saget, as a rehabbing cokehead, and the Father of Them All, Tommy Chong).

MOVIE TIMES!
Saturday  4/19/08 @ Midnight (so, technically, it's like...4/20)

NEXT WEEKEND!

ANIMAL HOUSE



ANIMAL HOUSE is the film that launched National Lampoon as a comedy powerhouse. Developed by the editors at the Harvard Lampoon, the film is a collection of true-life experiences and memories with a great deal of embellishment. Nothing is sacred in this film, in which every gesture, phrase, and song became de rigueur in fraternity houses nationwide after its release. Decadence, debauchery, and delinquency prevail at Delta House, the scourge of the fraternity system at Faber College in 1962. In an effort to rid himself of the troublesome brothers, Dean Wormer (John Vernon) hatches a plan in cahoots with the brown-nosing Greg Marmalard (James Daughton) of rival fraternity Omega to have the Deltas kicked off campus. Unfortunately for them, the determination and drive of the Deltas is more than anyone counted on. In their last stand against the uptight dean, the antiheroes of Delta drink, smoke, romp, frolic, and dance--going out with a bang. This outrageous, much-loved comedy classic features the first major film role of the late, great John Belushi as John "Bluto" Blutarsky, the hard-partying, beer-guzzling champion of Delta house.

MOVIE TIMES!

Saturday  4/26/08 @ Midnight

UPCOMING MIDNIGHTS!

Saturday  4/19/08 - HALF BAKED
Saturday  4/26/08 - ANIMAL HOUSE
Friday & Saturday  5/2 & 5/3/08 - ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW
Saturday  5/24/08 - SAVING PRIVATE RYAN

 

NOW PLAYING: Week of Friday, April 11 - Thursday, April 17

MARRIED LIFE

Murder, infidelity, and dark comedy lie at the heart of Ira Sach's MARRIED LIFE. Oscar winner Chris Cooper plays Harry, a man enmeshed in an affair with a gorgeous young woman (Rachel McAdams) who is also desired by his best friend (Pierce Brosnan). Surprisingly, Harry thinks that the best course of action is to kill his wife (Patricia Clarkson) to spare her the pain of their marriage ending.

MOVIE TIMES!
Friday  4/11 at 7:15 & 9:15
Saturday  4/12 at 4:45, 7:15 & 9:15
Sunday  4/13 at 3:45, 6:15 7 8:15
Monday  4/14 - Thursday  4/17 at 7:15 & 9:15



RUN, FATBOY, RUN



DENNIS (Simon Pegg) is an ordinary guy. He's a little overweight and he smokes, but he's nice, charming and unassuming. However, five years ago, Dennis did something that wasn't so nice. On his wedding day to his pregnant fiancé LIBBY (Thandie Newton), Dennis did a runner. He just couldn't go through with it. He didn't think he was good enough for Libby, so instead of ruining her life, he ruined her big day. Now, five years later, Dennis realizes he made a big mistake. He's still in love with Libby. He still sees her all the time because of JAKE (Matthew Fenton), their five-year-old son, but all romantic ties have been severed. Libby's now seeing WHIT (Hank Azaria), a charming professional from the City, and Dennis takes an immediate dislike to him. Whit is casual, easy-going, successful and good with Jake; much to Dennis's annoyance. How can Dennis compete with him? In direct contrast to Whit's sleek lifestyle in the City, Dennis is a mere security guard for a ladies retail store. He doesn't earn much money and he's well behind on his rent, something which his landlord, MR GHOSHDASHTIDAR (Harish Patel), doesn't take lightly. Mr G's daughter MAYA (India de Beaufort) is particularly intent on evicting Dennis and replacing him with a much more reliable tenant. Compared to Whit's effortless abilities, everything Dennis attempts seems to end in disaster. Even when he wants to take Jake to see "Lord of the Rings: The Musical," he finds himself in trouble with the police for trying to buy from a ticket tout. There is no help forthcoming from Dennis' feckless best friend GORDON (Dylan Moran), whose life is just as much of a mismatch. Gordon's main sources of interest are the poker games held at the back of a piano store with a bunch of misfits: GROVER, CLAUDINE and MICKEY, overseen by the imperious VINCENT (Simon Day). Dennis feels demoralized and overwhelmed by Whit's long list of achievements. In a last-ditch effort to prove to Libby that he's changed his ways, Dennis impulsively announces at her birthday party that he will run in the same London Marathon that Whit has been training for. But does Dennis have the stuff to trade his cold feet for running shoes? RUN, FAT BOY, RUN is a romantic comedy that affirms that true love isn't a sprint, it's a marathon.
--© Picturehouse

MOVIE TIMES!
Friday  4/11 at 7:00
Saturday  4/12 at 4:30 & 7:00
Sunday  4/13 at 6:00
Monday  4/14 - Thursday  4/17 at 7:00



PARANOID PARK



An unsolved murder at Portland's infamous Paranoid Park brings detectives to a local high school, propelling a young skater into a moral odyssey where he must not only deal with the pain and disconnect of adolescence but the consequences of his own actions.

As director of My Own Private Idaho, Good Will Hunting, To Die For and elephant, Gus Van Sant has created some of the most memorable films about youth ever committed to film. At the 2007 Cannes Film Festival, he was awarded the 60th Anniversary Prize for Paranoid Park which is largely considered one of his finest films. Based on the novel by Blake Nelson & photographed by the incomparable Christopher Doyle (In the Mood for Love; 2046), the film has captivated audiences worldwide, becoming a unanimous standout at the Cannes, New York and Toronto Film Festivals. --© IFC First Take

MOVIE TIMES!
Friday  4/11 & Saturday  4/12 at 9:30
Sunday  4/13 at 3:30 & 8:30
Monday  4/14 - Thursday 4/17 at 9:30

MIDNIGHT MOVIES!

THIS WEEKEND

FEAR AND LOATHING IN LAS VEGAS is a whirlwind of a movie, a wacky, drug-laden story backed by a fist-pumping rock & roll soundtrack featuring everything from Wayne Newton and Tom Jones to Combustible Edison and Dead Kennedys. Journalist Raoul Duke (Johnny Depp) heads to Las Vegas to cover a motorcycle race, bringing along his Samoan lawyer, Dr. Gonzo (Benicio Del Toro), in this furious adaptation of the book by Hunter S. Thompson. It is 1971, and Duke and Gonzo are on their way to Sin City with a frightened hitchhiker (a nearly unrecognizable Tobey Maguire) and a trunkful of drugs, which they ingest nonstop. Depp is terrific as Duke, Thompson's alter ego, and Del Toro is a riot as the crazy lawyer. To perfect his Thompsonian performance, Depp spent a lot of time with the good doctor, and it paid off in a film that captures the frenetic pace of the counterculture novel. Director Terry Gilliam, a master of complex, bizarre visual imagery, has a field day interpreting the drug-hazed world in which Duke and Gonzo reside. An all-star cast chimes in with wonderfully offbeat bit parts, including Harry Dean Stanton, Gilliam regular Katherine Helmond, Flea, Cameron Diaz, Ellen Barkin, Christina Ricci, Gary Busey, Lyle Lovett, and others.

MOVIE TIMES!
Saturday  4/12/08 @ Midnight

NEXT WEEKEND!

HALF BAKED



A trio of bong-loving buddies hatch a pot-laced plan to spring the fourth member of their smokers' circle out of the Big House, where he languishes after accidentally killing a diabetic police horse. The cinematic equivalent of aerosol cheese, featuring a bevy of buzz-friendly cameos (such as Bob Saget, as a rehabbing cokehead, and the Father of Them All, Tommy Chong).

MOVIE TIMES!
Saturday  4/19/08 @ Midnight (so, technically, it's like...4/20)

UPCOMING MIDNIGHTS!

Saturday  4/12/08 - FEAR AND LOATHING IN LAS VEGAS
Saturday  4/19/08 - HALF BAKED
Saturday  4/26/08 - ANIMAL HOUSE
Friday & Saturday  5/2 & 5/3/08 - ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW
Saturday  5/24/08 - SAVING PRIVATE RYAN


 

NOW PLAYING: Week of Friday, March 28 - Thursday, April 3

NOW PLAYING!

RUN, FATBOY, RUN



DENNIS (Simon Pegg) is an ordinary guy. He’s a little overweight and he smokes, but he’s nice, charming and unassuming. However, five years ago, Dennis did something that wasn’t so nice. On his wedding day to his pregnant fiancé LIBBY (Thandie Newton), Dennis did a runner. He just couldn’t go through with it. He didn’t think he was good enough for Libby, so instead of ruining her life, he ruined her big day. Now, five years later, Dennis realizes he made a big mistake. He’s still in love with Libby. He still sees her all the time because of JAKE (Matthew Fenton), their five-year-old son, but all romantic ties have been severed. Libby’s now seeing WHIT (Hank Azaria), a charming professional from the City, and Dennis takes an immediate dislike to him. Whit is casual, easy-going, successful and good with Jake; much to Dennis’s annoyance. How can Dennis compete with him? In direct contrast to Whit’s sleek lifestyle in the City, Dennis is a mere security guard for a ladies retail store. He doesn’t earn much money and he’s well behind on his rent, something which his landlord, MR GHOSHDASHTIDAR (Harish Patel), doesn’t take lightly. Mr G’s daughter MAYA (India de Beaufort) is particularly intent on evicting Dennis and replacing him with a much more reliable tenant. Compared to Whit’s effortless abilities, everything Dennis attempts seems to end in disaster. Even when he wants to take Jake to see "Lord of the Rings: The Musical," he finds himself in trouble with the police for trying to buy from a ticket tout. There is no help forthcoming from Dennis’ feckless best friend GORDON (Dylan Moran), whose life is just as much of a mismatch. Gordon’s main sources of interest are the poker games held at the back of a piano store with a bunch of misfits: GROVER, CLAUDINE and MICKEY, overseen by the imperious VINCENT (Simon Day). Dennis feels demoralized and overwhelmed by Whit’s long list of achievements. In a last-ditch effort to prove to Libby that he’s changed his ways, Dennis impulsively announces at her birthday party that he will run in the same London Marathon that Whit has been training for. But does Dennis have the stuff to trade his cold feet for running shoes? RUN, FAT BOY, RUN is a romantic comedy that affirms that true love isn’t a sprint, it’s a marathon.
--© Picturehouse

MOVIE TIMES!
Friday  3/28 at 7:00 & 9:30
Saturday  3/29 & 3/22 at 4:30, 7:00 & 9:30
Sunday  3/30 at 3:30, 6:00 & 8:30
Monday  3/31 - Thursday  4/3 at 7:00 & 9:30



PARANOID PARK



An unsolved murder at Portland’s infamous Paranoid Park brings detectives to a local high school, propelling a young skater into a moral odyssey where he must not only deal with the pain and disconnect of adolescence but the consequences of his own actions.

As director of My Own Private Idaho, Good Will Hunting, To Die For and elephant, Gus Van Sant has created some of the most memorable films about youth ever committed to film. At the 2007 Cannes Film Festival, he was awarded the 60th Anniversary Prize for Paranoid Park which is largely considered one of his finest films. Based on the novel by Blake Nelson & photographed by the incomparable Christopher Doyle (In the Mood for Love; 2046), the film has captivated audiences worldwide, becoming a unanimous standout at the Cannes, New York and Toronto Film Festivals. --© IFC First Take

MOVIE TIMES!
Friday  3/28 at 7:15 & 9:15
Saturday  3/29 at 4:45, 7:15 & 9:15
Sunday  3/30 at 3:45, 6:15 & 8:15
Monday  3/31 - Thursday 4/3 at 7:15 & 9:15

MIDNIGHT MOVIES!

THIS WEEKEND

Comedy about the Leningrad Cowboys, a terrible accordion band from Finland, who nevertheless come to America to become rock stars. After their arrival in the U.S., the outrageous musicians go on a small-scale tour filled with misadventures and peculiarities (such as carrying the coffined corpse of a group member with them everywhere they go).

MOVIE TIMES!
Thursday  3/28/08 @ Midnight



THE VIRGIN SUICIDES



Based on the 1993 novel by Jeffrey Eugenides, THE VIRGIN SUICIDES tells the dreamlike tale of the Lisbons, a family living in a sheltered 1970s suburbia. When Cecilia (Hannah Hall), the youngest of the five teenage Lisbon daughters, inexplicably commits suicide, the rest of the family--Mr. Lisbon (James Woods), an awkward high school math teacher; Mrs. Lisbon (Kathleen Turner), a stern, humorless housewife; and the four remaining sisters: Lux (Kirsten Dunst), Bonnie (Chelse Swain), Mary (A.J. Cook), and Therese (Leslie Hayman)--recedes into a morbid cloud of repression and denial. As the girls are forced to retreat from everyday life by their conservative mother, they become the subject of fascination for a group of neighborhood boys, who narrate the story and hope to rescue the girls from their listless confinement. The first feature by director-screenwriter Sofia Coppola (Francis Ford Coppola’s daughter), THE VIRGIN SUICIDES is a mesmerizingly atmospheric film that perfectly captures both the moody tone of the book and the light-saturated feel of the 1970s. Dunst gives a standout performance as the promiscuous Lux, who becomes the sole obsession of high school ladies’ man Trip Fontaine (Josh Hartnett). The movie also includes cameos by Danny DeVito and Scott Glenn. In addition to songs by Heart and Todd Rundgren, the film features an evocative score by the French duo Air.

MOVIE TIMES!
Saturday  3/29/08 @ Midnight

NEXT WEEKEND!

CHEECH AND CHONG’S UP IN SMOKE



Cheech and Chong’s first "hit" movie is a popular comedy for the red-eyed generation. The outrageous pair begin their search for green pastures and good grass. After several wacky adventures and close shaves ensue, the comedic duo end up at L.A.’s Roxy Theatre to perform a hilarious final scene. Without giving away too many clues, it can be said that a pink tutu and a red quaalude are involved.

MOVIE TIMES!
Saturday  4/5/08 @ Midnight

UPCOMING MIDNIGHTS!

**PRESENTED BY THE ANN ARBOR FILM FESTIVAL**
Friday  3/28/08 - LENINGRAD COWBOYS GO AMERICA

Saturday  3/29/08 - THE VIRGIN SUICIDES
Saturday  4/5/08  - UP IN SMOKE (Hash Bash weekend!!!)
Saturday  4/12/08 - FEAR AND LOATHING IN LAS VEGAS
Saturday  4/19/08 - HALF BAKED
Saturday  4/26/08 - ANIMAL HOUSE
Friday & Saturday  5/2 & 5/3/08 - ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW
Saturday  5/24/08 - SAVING PRIVATE RYAN

   

NOW PLAYING: Week of Friday, March 21 - Thursday, March 27

NOW PLAYING!

Twenty-five years after the initial release of BLADE RUNNER, director Ridley Scott uses archival footage to re-create his original vision for the sci-fi classic. Based on a story by Philip K. Dick, the film is set in Los Angeles in 2019. Earth has become a polluted and miserable dystopia, and many people have fled to live "Off World" on other planets. This dreary vision of the future features replicants: lifelike robots built as slaves for human use. When a replicant escapes his owner, a "blade runner" is called in to hunt him down and kill him. Enter Harrison Ford as the retired blade runner Rick Deckard. He is pulled out of retirement to help catch four escaped replicants: Batty (Rutger Hauer), Leon (Brion James), Pris (Darryl Hannah), and Zhora (Joanna Cassidy.) Despite his distaste for the job, Deckard is soon hot on their heels, tracking them down one by one through the over-crowded, crumbling city streets. In the midst of his hunt, Deckard becomes involved with a beautiful replicant named Rachael (Sean Young). Rachel has fled her owner, and Deckard rightfully should kill her. However, the two fall in love, and after some startling revelations, they are both soon on the run from the very authorities that once employed Deckard. This final cut is a bleaker, more cynical version of an already dark film, which might explain why the studio insisted on a softer, more optimistic ending when it was first released. While some superfans might take issue with some of the revelatory new twists, they will no doubt delight in the quality of the digital restoration. The special effects were already impressive for 1982, but these new touch-ups give them a look that appears just as sharp and imaginative as the sci-fi films of today.

MOVIE TIMES!
Friday & Saturday  3/21 & 3/22 at 9:30
Sunday  3/23 at 3:15 & 8:30
Monday  3/24 - Thursday  3/27 at 9:30



FUNNY GAMES



In this provocative and brutal thriller from director Michael Haneke, a vacationing family gets an unexpected visit from two deeply disturbed young men. Their idyllic holiday turns nightmarish as they are subjected to unimaginable terrors and struggle to stay alive. Remade from his own acclaimed 1997 film, "Funny Games" is written and directed by Michael Haneke ("Caché"), and stars Naomi Watts, Tim Roth, Michael Pitt, Brady Corbet and Devon Gearhart.
--© Warner Independent Pictures

MOVIE TIMES!
Friday  3/21 at 7:00
Saturday  3/22 at 4:30 & 7:00
Sunday  3/23 at 6:00
Monday  3/24 - Thursday 3/27 at 7:00



IN BRUGES



Mr. McDonagh makes his feature directorial debut on the film, from his own original screenplay. His plays (which include The Lieutenant of Inishmore and The Pillowman) have brought him two Olivier Awards and four Tony Award nominations. He wrote and directed Six Shooter, starring Brendan Gleeson, which earned him the 2006 Academy Award for Best Live-Action Short Film. In Bruges was filmed on location; Bruges (pronounced "broozh"), the most well-preserved medieval city in the whole of Belgium, is a welcoming destination for travelers from all over the world. But for hit men Ray (Colin Farrell) and Ken (Brendan Gleeson), it could be their final destination; a difficult job has resulted in the pair being ordered right before Christmas by their London boss Harry (two-time Academy Award nominee Ralph Fiennes) to go and cool their heels in the storybook Flemish city for a couple of weeks. Very much out of place amidst the gothic architecture, canals, and cobbled streets, the two hit men fill their days living the lives of tourists. Ray, still haunted by the bloodshed in London, hates the place, while Ken, even as he keeps a fatherly eye on Ray’s often profanely funny exploits, finds his mind and soul being expanded by the beauty and serenity of the city. But the longer they stay waiting for Harry’s call, the more surreal their experience becomes, as they find themselves in weird encounters with locals, tourists, violent medieval art, a dwarf American actor (Jordan Prentice) shooting a European art film, Dutch prostitutes, and a potential romance for Ray in the form of Chloë (Clémence Poésy), who may have some dark secrets of her own. And when the call from Harry does finally come, Ken and Ray’s vacation becomes a life-and-death struggle of darkly comic proportions and surprisingly emotional consequences.
--© Focus Features

MOVIE TIMES!
Friday  3/21 at 7:15 & 9:45
Saturday  3/22 at 4:45, 7:15 & 9:45
Sunday  3/23 at 3:45, 6:15 & 8:45
Monday  3/24 - Thursday  3/27 at 7:15 & 9:45

MIDNIGHT MOVIES!

THIS WEEKEND

THE BIG LEBOWSKI



The Coen brothers have done it again. Mixing in Leninist philosophy, mistaken identity, crazy characters, a kidnapping plot, and a deep love of bowling, they have unleashed upon an unsuspecting world the many glories of THE BIG LEBOWSKI. Jeff Bridges plays Jeff Lebowski, known as the Dude, a laid-back, easygoing burnout who happens to have the same name as a millionaire whose wife owes a lot of dangerous people a whole bunch of money--resulting in the Dude having his rug soiled, sending him spiraling into the Los Angeles underworld. The film is beautiful to look at, especially the scenes in the bowling alley, which feature a vast array of bizarre characters--including Steve Buscemi, John Turturro, Sam Elliott, and the movie-stealing, riotously funny John Goodman as the Dude’s crazy best buddy. As usual in Coen brothers films (BARTON FINK, RAISING ARIZONA), the dialogue is hysterically warped; the plot is confusing, complicated, and kinetic; the soundtrack is virtually another character; and the acting is weirdly stellar. THE BIG LEBOWSKI is yet another thoroughly entertaining foray into the strange and fascinating world ruled by Joel and Ethan Coen.

MOVIE TIMES!
Saturday  3/22/08 @ Midnight

NEXT WEEKEND!

PRESENTED BY THE ANN ARBOR FILM FESTIVAL!

TOM WAITS BIG TIME



The singer-songwriter-actor stars in this highly acclaimed theatrical concert movie. Includes songs "Time," "Franks Wild Years," "Straight To the Top," "Innocent When You Dream," and many more.

MOVIE TIMES!
Friday  3/27/08 @ Midnight

PRESENTED BY THE ANN ARBOR FILM FESTIVAL!

LENINGRAD COWBOYS GO AMERICA

Comedy about the Leningrad Cowboys, a terrible accordion band from Finland, who nevertheless come to America to become rock stars. After their arrival in the U.S., the outrageous musicians go on a small-scale tour filled with misadventures and peculiarities (such as carrying the coffined corpse of a group member with them everywhere they go).

MOVIE TIMES!
Thursday  3/28/08 @ Midnight



THE VIRGIN SUICIDES



Based on the 1993 novel by Jeffrey Eugenides, THE VIRGIN SUICIDES tells the dreamlike tale of the Lisbons, a family living in a sheltered 1970s suburbia. When Cecilia (Hannah Hall), the youngest of the five teenage Lisbon daughters, inexplicably commits suicide, the rest of the family--Mr. Lisbon (James Woods), an awkward high school math teacher; Mrs. Lisbon (Kathleen Turner), a stern, humorless housewife; and the four remaining sisters: Lux (Kirsten Dunst), Bonnie (Chelse Swain), Mary (A.J. Cook), and Therese (Leslie Hayman)--recedes into a morbid cloud of repression and denial. As the girls are forced to retreat from everyday life by their conservative mother, they become the subject of fascination for a group of neighborhood boys, who narrate the story and hope to rescue the girls from their listless confinement. The first feature by director-screenwriter Sofia Coppola (Francis Ford Coppola’s daughter), THE VIRGIN SUICIDES is a mesmerizingly atmospheric film that perfectly captures both the moody tone of the book and the light-saturated feel of the 1970s. Dunst gives a standout performance as the promiscuous Lux, who becomes the sole obsession of high school ladies’ man Trip Fontaine (Josh Hartnett). The movie also includes cameos by Danny DeVito and Scott Glenn. In addition to songs by Heart and Todd Rundgren, the film features an evocative score by the French duo Air.

MOVIE TIMES!
Saturday  3/29/08 @ Midnight

UPCOMING MIDNIGHTS!

Saturday  3/22/08- THE BIG LEBOWSKI

**PRESENTED BY THE ANN ARBOR FILM FESTIVAL**

Thursday  3/27/08 - TOM WAITS BIG TIME

and

Friday  3/28/08 - LENINGRAD COWBOYS GO AMERICA

Saturday  3/29/08 - THE VIRGIN SUICIDES
Saturday  4/5/08  - UP IN SMOKE (Hash Bash weekend!!!)
Saturday  4/12/08 - FEAR AND LOATHING IN LAS VEGAS
Saturday  4/19/08 - HALF BAKED
Saturday  4/26/08 - ANIMAL HOUSE
Friday & Saturday  5/2 & 5/3/08 - ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW
Saturday  5/24/08 - SAVING PRIVATE RYAN

Remember last year at the end of March, when the annual Ann Arbor Film Festival went down? Remember how we showed a few Midnights (EL TOPO and THE HOLY MOUNTAIN) in conjunction with the festival? Well fear not, faithful moviegoers, the same will happen this year! On a weekend where we already have THE VIRGIN SUICIDES playing on Saturday, the AAFF will be presenting midnight movies on both Thursday and Friday nights. More info, you ask? Read on.

NEXT WEEKEND!

PRESENTED BY THE ANN ARBOR FILM FESTIVAL!

TOM WAITS BIG TIME

The singer-songwriter-actor stars in this highly acclaimed theatrical concert movie. Includes songs "Time," "Franks Wild Years," "Straight To the Top," "Innocent When You Dream," and many more.

MOVIE TIMES!

Friday 3/27/08 @ Midnight

PRESENTED BY THE ANN ARBOR FILM FESTIVAL!

LENINGRAD COWBOYS GO AMERICA

Comedy about the Leningrad Cowboys, a terrible accordion band from Finland, who nevertheless come to America to become rock stars. After their arrival in the U.S., the outrageous musicians go on a small-scale tour filled with misadventures and peculiarities (such as carrying the coffined corpse of a group member with them everywhere they go).

MOVIE TIMES!

Friday 3/28/08 @ Midnight

NOW PLAYING: Week of Friday, March 14 - Thursday, March 20

NEWS: A new week and two new films. After a nice, long run, we say goodbye to JUNO, and wish it well upon DVD release. We are also dropping fellow Oscar-nominee PERSEPOLIS, abd bringing in a new slate of titles. Whether you feel like comedy or horror, action or thrills, we’ve got you covered.   We are opening FUNNY GAMES (which you’ve seen advertised a lot, if you watch G4) and bringing over IN BRUGES from the Michigan. Want more info? Read below.

BREAKING NEWS: The Midnight Movie section is growing. Check it out!

Wanna know more about The State? Check this out: The History of the State Theatre

There you’ll find pictures and newspaper articles from various eras, as well as the obvious history of our beloved building.

NOW PLAYING!

In this provocative and brutal thriller from director Michael Haneke, a vacationing family gets an unexpected visit from two deeply disturbed young men. Their idyllic holiday turns nightmarish as they are subjected to unimaginable terrors and struggle to stay alive. Remade from his own acclaimed 1997 film, "Funny Games" is written and directed by Michael Haneke ("Caché"), and stars Naomi Watts, Tim Roth, Michael Pitt, Brady Corbet and Devon Gearhart.

--© Warner Independent Pictures

MOVIE TIMES!
Friday  3/7 at 7:00 & 9:30
Saturday  3/8 at 4:30, 7:00, 9:30 & 11:45
Sunday  3/9 at 3:30, 6:00 & 8:30
Monday  3/10 - Thursday 3/13 at 7:00 & 9:30



IN BRUGES



Mr. McDonagh makes his feature directorial debut on the film, from his own original screenplay. His plays (which include The Lieutenant of Inishmore and The Pillowman) have brought him two Olivier Awards and four Tony Award nominations. He wrote and directed Six Shooter, starring Brendan Gleeson, which earned him the 2006 Academy Award for Best Live-Action Short Film. In Bruges was filmed on location; Bruges (pronounced "broozh"), the most well-preserved medieval city in the whole of Belgium, is a welcoming destination for travelers from all over the world. But for hit men Ray (Colin Farrell) and Ken (Brendan Gleeson), it could be their final destination; a difficult job has resulted in the pair being ordered right before Christmas by their London boss Harry (two-time Academy Award nominee Ralph Fiennes) to go and cool their heels in the storybook Flemish city for a couple of weeks. Very much out of place amidst the gothic architecture, canals, and cobbled streets, the two hit men fill their days living the lives of tourists. Ray, still haunted by the bloodshed in London, hates the place, while Ken, even as he keeps a fatherly eye on Ray’s often profanely funny exploits, finds his mind and soul being expanded by the beauty and serenity of the city. But the longer they stay waiting for Harry’s call, the more surreal their experience becomes, as they find themselves in weird encounters with locals, tourists, violent medieval art, a dwarf American actor (Jordan Prentice) shooting a European art film, Dutch prostitutes, and a potential romance for Ray in the form of Chloë (Clémence Poésy), who may have some dark secrets of her own. And when the call from Harry does finally come, Ken and Ray’s vacation becomes a life-and-death struggle of darkly comic proportions and surprisingly emotional consequences.

--© Focus Features

MOVIE TIMES!
Friday  3/7 at 7:15 & 9:45
Saturday  3/8 at 4:45, 7:15 & 9:45
Sunday  3/9 at 3:45, 6:15 & 8:45
Monday  3/10 - Thursday  3/13 at 7:15 & 9:45

MIDNIGHT MOVIES!

THIS WEEKEND

AMELIE



Amélie Poulain (Audrey Tautou) is a young woman who glides through the streets of Paris as quietly as a mouse. With wide eyes and a tiny grin, she sees the world in a magical light, discovering minor miracles every day. A shy and reserved person whose favorite moments are spent alone skimming stones into the water, Amélie was raised by a pair of eccentrics who falsely diagnosed her with a heart problem at the age of six and so limited her exposure to the outside world. Now a free and independent woman, Amélie wears a bob that curls in every direction and dresses in red. With a job in a café and an aptitude for spying on her neighbors, Amélie entertains herself by enacting a series of homemade, kindhearted practical jokes. She returns a long-forgotten box of childhood knickknacks to its proper owner, she sends her father’s garden troll on a trip around the world, and she creates a love connection at the café between the hypochondriac druggist and a beer-drinking old grouch. But when the day is done, Amélie finds one stone unturned, and decides to work her magic on the quirky object of her affections, Nino Quincampoix (Matthieu Kassovitz), whom she has never met. Director Jean-Pierre Jeunet (who codirected DELICATESSEN and THE CITY OF LOST CHILDREN with Marc Caro) presents AMÉLIE, an aesthetically gorgeous and inventive film. The rich, glowing color scheme is offset by flashbacks in black and white archival footage that give short biographies of each character. A soft-spoken narrator guides viewers through this enlightening fairy tale, which sometimes speeds through the streets and other times drifts in slow motion. AMÉLIE is humorous, questioning, and strange, and it will change the lives of all who watch it, if only for a short while after leaving Amélie’s world.

MOVIE TIMES!
Saturday  3/15/08 @ Midnight

NEXT WEEKEND!

THE BIG LEBOWSKI

The Coen brothers have done it again. Mixing in Leninist philosophy, mistaken identity, crazy characters, a kidnapping plot, and a deep love of bowling, they have unleashed upon an unsuspecting world the many glories of THE BIG LEBOWSKI. Jeff Bridges plays Jeff Lebowski, known as the Dude, a laid-back, easygoing burnout who happens to have the same name as a millionaire whose wife owes a lot of dangerous people a whole bunch of money--resulting in the Dude having his rug soiled, sending him spiraling into the Los Angeles underworld. The film is beautiful to look at, especially the scenes in the bowling alley, which feature a vast array of bizarre characters--including Steve Buscemi, John Turturro, Sam Elliott, and the movie-stealing, riotously funny John Goodman as the Dude’s crazy best buddy. As usual in Coen brothers films (BARTON FINK, RAISING ARIZONA), the dialogue is hysterically warped; the plot is confusing, complicated, and kinetic; the soundtrack is virtually another character; and the acting is weirdly stellar. THE BIG LEBOWSKI is yet another thoroughly entertaining foray into the strange and fascinating world ruled by Joel and Ethan Coen.

MOVIE TIMES!
Saturday  3/22/08 @ Midnight

UPCOMING MIDNIGHTS!

Saturday  3/15/08 - AMELIE
Saturday  3/22/08- THE BIG LEBOWSKI
Saturday  3/29/08 - THE VIRGIN SUICIDES
Saturday  4/5/08  - UP IN SMOKE (Hash Bash weekend!!!)
Saturday  4/12/08 - FEAR AND LOATHING IN LAS VEGAS
Saturday  4/19/08 - HALF BAKED
Saturday  4/26/08 - ANIMAL HOUSE
Friday & Saturday  5/2 & 5/3/08 - ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW
Saturday  5/24/08 - SAVING PRIVATE RYAN

 

NOW PLAYING: Week of Friday, March 7 - Thursday, March 13

NOW PLAYING!

PERSEPOLIS



PERSEPOLIS presents a deeply personal coming-of-age tale about finding one's place in the world. Based on her bestselling graphic novel, Marjane Satrapi teamed up with underground comic book artist Vincent Paronnaud to co-direct this animated big screen adaptation. The result is an electrifying, heartfelt, and original portrait of a spunky girl who surmounts countless obstacles to grow into a wise young adult. Marjane (voiced by Chiara Mastroianni) is an innocent nine-year-old living in Iran, surrounded by a loving but incredibly protective mother (Catherine Deneuve) and father (Simon Abkarian). She finds comfort in the carefree spirit of her loving grandmother (Danielle Darrieux), as well as music by artists as diverse as ABBA and Iron Maiden. When Marjane's uncle is killed in the Iran/Iraq war, her parents send her to school in Austria, where she can study in safety. The only trouble is that her Middle Eastern appearance frightens people, giving her a harsh lesson in racial prejudice. Somehow, Marjane's fiery spirit doesn't succumb to any of the negativity. Eventually, she returns home to Iran to be closer with her family. But even though she settles into married life, the tyrannical pressures of Iranian society force her to abandon her country once again, sending her to France on another journey. Satrapi and Paronnaud retain the stark, spare animated style of the graphic novels that inspired the film. This is a wise decision: the less specific they get in their visual presentation, the more universal their story becomes. PERSEPOLIS gives viewers several movies in one. It is equal parts coming-of-age story, history lesson, and an animated adventure tale.

MOVIE TIMES!
Friday  3/7 at 7:00 & 9:15
Saturday  3/8 at 4:45, 7:00, 9:15 & 11:45
Sunday  3/9 at 3:45, 6:00 & 8:15
Monday  3/10 - Thursday 3/13 at 7:00 & 9:15



JUNO



JUNO stars Ellen Page as the title character, a whip-smart teen confronting an unplanned pregnancy by her classmate Bleeker (Cera). With the help of her hot best friend Leah (Thirlby), Juno finds her unborn child a "perfect" set of parents: an affluent suburban couple, Mark and Vanessa (Bateman and Garner), longing to adopt. Luckily, Juno has the total support of her parents (Simmons and Janney) as she faces some tough decisions, flirts with adulthood and ultimately figures out where she belongs.
--© Fox Searchlight

MOVIE TIMES!
Friday  3/7 at 7:15 & 9:30
Saturday  3/8 at 4:30, 7:15 & 9:30
Sunday  3/9 at 3:30, 6:15 & 8:30
Monday  3/10 - Thursday  3/13 at 7:15 & 9:30

MIDNIGHT MOVIES!

THIS WEEKEND

A thrill-a-minute adventure film. When brothers Mikey (Sean Astin) and Brand (Josh Brolin) learn that greedy developers are forcing their family to move, they and their friends decide to have one last, precious adventure together. With the help of a treasure map they've found in the attic, the group, known as the Goonies, go in search of buried gold hoping against hope that if they find it, Mikey and Brand will succeed in keeping their home.

MOVIE TIMES!
Saturday  3/8/08 @ Midnight

NEXT WEEKEND!

AMELIE



Amélie Poulain (Audrey Tautou) is a young woman who glides through the streets of Paris as quietly as a mouse. With wide eyes and a tiny grin, she sees the world in a magical light, discovering minor miracles every day. A shy and reserved person whose favorite moments are spent alone skimming stones into the water, Amélie was raised by a pair of eccentrics who falsely diagnosed her with a heart problem at the age of six and so limited her exposure to the outside world. Now a free and independent woman, Amélie wears a bob that curls in every direction and dresses in red. With a job in a café and an aptitude for spying on her neighbors, Amélie entertains herself by enacting a series of homemade, kindhearted practical jokes. She returns a long-forgotten box of childhood knickknacks to its proper owner, she sends her father's garden troll on a trip around the world, and she creates a love connection at the café between the hypochondriac druggist and a beer-drinking old grouch. But when the day is done, Amélie finds one stone unturned, and decides to work her magic on the quirky object of her affections, Nino Quincampoix (Matthieu Kassovitz), whom she has never met. Director Jean-Pierre Jeunet (who codirected DELICATESSEN and THE CITY OF LOST CHILDREN with Marc Caro) presents AMÉLIE, an aesthetically gorgeous and inventive film. The rich, glowing color scheme is offset by flashbacks in black and white archival footage that give short biographies of each character. A soft-spoken narrator guides viewers through this enlightening fairy tale, which sometimes speeds through the streets and other times drifts in slow motion. AMÉLIE is humorous, questioning, and strange, and it will change the lives of all who watch it, if only for a short while after leaving Amélie's world.

MOVIE TIMES!
Saturday  3/15/08 @ Midnight

UPCOMING MIDNIGHTS!

Saturday  3/8/08  - THE GOONIES
Saturday  3/15/08 - AMELIE
Saturday  3/22/08- THE BIG LEBOWSKI
Saturday  3/29/08 - THE VIRGIN SUICIDES
Saturday  4/5/08  - UP IN SMOKE (Hash Bash weekend!!!)
Saturday  4/12/08 - FEAR AND LOATHING IN LAS VEGAS
Saturday  4/19/08 - HALF BAKED
Saturday  4/26/08 - ANIMAL HOUSE
Friday & Saturday  5/2 & 5/3/08 - ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW
Saturday  5/24/08 - SAVING PRIVATE RYAN

NOW PLAYING: Week of Friday, February 29 - Thursday, March 6

NOW PLAYING!

PERSEPOLIS presents a deeply personal coming-of-age tale about finding one's place in the world. Based on her bestselling graphic novel, Marjane Satrapi teamed up with underground comic book artist Vincent Paronnaud to co-direct this animated big screen adaptation. The result is an electrifying, heartfelt, and original portrait of a spunky girl who surmounts countless obstacles to grow into a wise young adult. Marjane (voiced by Chiara Mastroianni) is an innocent nine-year-old living in Iran, surrounded by a loving but incredibly protective mother (Catherine Deneuve) and father (Simon Abkarian). She finds comfort in the carefree spirit of her loving grandmother (Danielle Darrieux), as well as music by artists as diverse as ABBA and Iron Maiden. When Marjane's uncle is killed in the Iran/Iraq war, her parents send her to school in Austria, where she can study in safety. The only trouble is that her Middle Eastern appearance frightens people, giving her a harsh lesson in racial prejudice. Somehow, Marjane's fiery spirit doesn't succumb to any of the negativity. Eventually, she returns home to Iran to be closer with her family. But even though she settles into married life, the tyrannical pressures of Iranian society force her to abandon her country once again, sending her to France on another journey. Satrapi and Paronnaud retain the stark, spare animated style of the graphic novels that inspired the film. This is a wise decision: the less specific they get in their visual presentation, the more universal their story becomes. PERSEPOLIS gives viewers several movies in one. It is equal parts coming-of-age story, history lesson, and an animated adventure tale.

MOVIE TIMES!
Friday  2/29 at 7:00 & 9:15
Saturday  3/1 at 4:45, 7:00, 9:15 & 11:45
Sunday  3/2 at 3:45, 6:00 & 8:15
Monday  3/3 - Thursday 3/6 at 7:00 & 9:15



JUNO



JUNO stars Ellen Page as the title character, a whip-smart teen confronting an unplanned pregnancy by her classmate Bleeker (Cera). With the help of her hot best friend Leah (Thirlby), Juno finds her unborn child a "perfect" set of parents: an affluent suburban couple, Mark and Vanessa (Bateman and Garner), longing to adopt. Luckily, Juno has the total support of her parents (Simmons and Janney) as she faces some tough decisions, flirts with adulthood and ultimately figures out where she belongs.
--© Fox Searchlight

MOVIE TIMES!
Friday  2/29 at 7:15 & 9:30
Saturday  3/1 at 4:30, 7:15 & 9:30
Sunday  3/2 at 3:30, 6:15 & 8:30
Monday  3/3 - Thursday  3/6 at 7:15 & 9:30

MIDNIGHT MOVIES!

THIS WEEKEND

YOJIMBO



In director Akira Kurosawa's comedic YOJIMBO, a masterless samurai, Sanjuro (Toshirô Mifune), wanders into a town divided by two warring clans. After displaying his formidable swordsmanship before both clans in a brawl with street thugs, Sanjuro offers his services to the highest bidder. When one clan conspires against him, the clever warrior switches his allegiance to the other side, with the ultimate goal of tricking the two equally despicable and foolish clans into exterminating each other. Sanjuro's authority is challenged, however, when Unosuke (Tatsuya Nakadai), a brother of one of the leaders, comes to town wielding a modern contraption: a gun. In the classic final showdown, the old world samurai is pitted against new world progress, and must use both his wits and physical prowess to survive. Perhaps Kurosawa's most overtly comic film, YOJIMBO easily ranks with the director's finest work. In this reconception of the Western, Mifune plays Sanjuro, the tough mercenary of few words, to perfection, often allowing his subtle movements and swift actions speak for him. Throughout the entire film, Sanjuro is vigilant yet stoic, conceding that he finds the scenario entertaining and absurd, and essentially has nothing to lose. Mifune's outstanding performance, combined with Kurosawa's expert direction and Kazuo Miyagawa's beautifully balanced photography, makes for one of the finest, and funniest, films in Japanese cinema.

MOVIE TIMES!
Saturday  3/1/08 @ Midnight

NEXT WEEKEND!

THE GOONIES



A thrill-a-minute adventure film. When brothers Mikey (Sean Astin) and Brand (Josh Brolin) learn that greedy developers are forcing their family to move, they and their friends decide to have one last, precious adventure together. With the help of a treasure map they've found in the attic, the group, known as the Goonies, go in search of buried gold hoping against hope that if they find it, Mikey and Brand will succeed in keeping their home.

MOVIE TIMES!
Saturday  3/8/08 @ Midnight

UPCOMING MIDNIGHTS!

Saturday  3/1/08  - YOJIMBO
Saturday  3/8/08  - THE GOONIES
Saturday  3/15/08 - AMELIE
Saturday  3/22/08- THE BIG LEBOWSKI
Saturday  3/29/08 - THE VIRGIN SUICIDES
Saturday  4/5/08  - UP IN SMOKE (Hash Bash weekend!!!)
Saturday  4/12/08 - FEAR AND LOATHING IN LAS VEGAS
Saturday  4/19/08 - HALF BAKED
Saturday  4/26/08 - ANIMAL HOUSE
Friday & Saturday  5/2 & 5/3/08 - ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW
Saturday  5/24/08 - SAVING PRIVATE RYAN

NOW PLAYING: Week of Friday, February 22 - Thursday, February 28

NOW PLAYING!

PERSEPOLIS presents a deeply personal coming-of-age tale about finding one's place in the world. Based on her bestselling graphic novel, Marjane Satrapi teamed up with underground comic book artist Vincent Paronnaud to co-direct this animated big screen adaptation. The result is an electrifying, heartfelt, and original portrait of a spunky girl who surmounts countless obstacles to grow into a wise young adult. Marjane (voiced by Chiara Mastroianni) is an innocent nine-year-old living in Iran, surrounded by a loving but incredibly protective mother (Catherine Deneuve) and father (Simon Abkarian). She finds comfort in the carefree spirit of her loving grandmother (Danielle Darrieux), as well as music by artists as diverse as ABBA and Iron Maiden. When Marjane's uncle is killed in the Iran/Iraq war, her parents send her to school in Austria, where she can study in safety. The only trouble is that her Middle Eastern appearance frightens people, giving her a harsh lesson in racial prejudice. Somehow, Marjane's fiery spirit doesn't succumb to any of the negativity. Eventually, she returns home to Iran to be closer with her family. But even though she settles into married life, the tyrannical pressures of Iranian society force her to abandon her country once again, sending her to France on another journey. Satrapi and Paronnaud retain the stark, spare animated style of the graphic novels that inspired the film. This is a wise decision: the less specific they get in their visual presentation, the more universal their story becomes. PERSEPOLIS gives viewers several movies in one. It is equal parts coming-of-age story, history lesson, and an animated adventure tale.

MOVIE TIMES!
Friday  2/22 at 7:00 & 9:15
Saturday  2/23 at 4:00, 7:00 & 9:15
Sunday  2/24 at 3:00, 6:00 & 8:15
Monday  2/25 - Thursday 2/28 at 7:00 & 9:15



JUNO



JUNO stars Ellen Page as the title character, a whip-smart teen confronting an unplanned pregnancy by her classmate Bleeker (Cera). With the help of her hot best friend Leah (Thirlby), Juno finds her unborn child a "perfect" set of parents: an affluent suburban couple, Mark and Vanessa (Bateman and Garner), longing to adopt. Luckily, Juno has the total support of her parents (Simmons and Janney) as she faces some tough decisions, flirts with adulthood and ultimately figures out where she belongs.
--© Fox Searchlight

MOVIE TIMES!
Friday  2/22 at 7:15 & 9:30
Saturday  2/23 at 4:15, 7:15 & 9:30
Sunday  2/24 at 3:15, 6:15 & 8:30
Monday  2/25 - Thursday  2/28 at 7:15 & 9:30

MIDNIGHT MOVIES!

THIS WEEKEND

GHOST DOG: THE WAY OF THE SAMURAI



Ghost Dog (Forest Whitaker) lives simply, apart from the world in a homemade shack on the roof of an abandoned building. His only true companion is the trusted carrier pigeon that serves as his primary means of communication with the outside world. He studies the early eighteenthcentury Japanese warrior text Hagakure: The Book of the Samurai. Each morning, he bows to the altar he has constructed and practices the ancient disciplines of the samurai. Ghost Dog is a contract killer, a master of his trade who can whirl a gun at warp speed and moves through this world like a phantom, stealthy and evanescent. In the spirit of the samurai, he has pledged his loyalty to a small-time mobster named Louie (John Tormey), who saved his life many years before.

Written and directed by Jim Jarmusch, Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai is a hypnotic re-creation of the gangster picture that pits ancient wisdom against modern dysfunction, locating the parallels and differences between samurai and Mafia codes of honor and loyalty. As the modern crime family slides towards extinction, its moral system disintegrates and no one is safe in the struggle for power. In this fractious army, there is no place for the loyalty of the samurai, but his mastery and strength are undiluted.

Ghost Dog is a study of two worlds in collision, a recurring theme in the work of the award-winning filmmaker Jim Jarmusch. One of the world's most distinctive auteurs, Jarmusch's offbeat sensibility and striking, stylized visuals have won him critical acclaim and an international following. His seminal 1984 comedy Stronger Than Paradise won the Caméra d'Or (best first film) at that year's Cannes Film Festival and was named Best Picture by the National Society of Film Critics. Subsequent films, including Down By Law, Mystery Train, Night on Earth and Dead Man, have solidified Jarmusch's reputation as a consistently fine and adventurous filmmaker, who continues to grow and challenge himself.

MOVIE TIMES!
Saturday  2/23/08 @ Midnight

NEXT WEEKEND!

YOJIMBO



In director Akira Kurosawa's comedic YOJIMBO, a masterless samurai, Sanjuro (Toshirô Mifune), wanders into a town divided by two warring clans. After displaying his formidable swordsmanship before both clans in a brawl with street thugs, Sanjuro offers his services to the highest bidder. When one clan conspires against him, the clever warrior switches his allegiance to the other side, with the ultimate goal of tricking the two equally despicable and foolish clans into exterminating each other. Sanjuro's authority is challenged, however, when Unosuke (Tatsuya Nakadai), a brother of one of the leaders, comes to town wielding a modern contraption: a gun. In the classic final showdown, the old world samurai is pitted against new world progress, and must use both his wits and physical prowess to survive. Perhaps Kurosawa's most overtly comic film, YOJIMBO easily ranks with the director's finest work. In this reconception of the Western, Mifune plays Sanjuro, the tough mercenary of few words, to perfection, often allowing his subtle movements and swift actions speak for him. Throughout the entire film, Sanjuro is vigilant yet stoic, conceding that he finds the scenario entertaining and absurd, and essentially has nothing to lose. Mifune's outstanding performance, combined with Kurosawa's expert direction and Kazuo Miyagawa's beautifully balanced photography, makes for one of the finest, and funniest, films in Japanese cinema.

MOVIE TIMES!
Saturday  3/1/08 @ Midnight

UPCOMING MIDNIGHTS!

Saturday  2/23/08 - GHOST DOG: WAY OF THE SAMURAI
Saturday  3/1/08  - YOJIMBO
Saturday  3/8/08  - THE GOONIES
Saturday  3/15/08 - AMELIE
Saturday  3/22/08- THE BIG LEBOWSKI
Saturday  3/29/08 - THE VIRGIN SUICIDES
Saturday  4/5/08  - UP IN SMOKE (Hash Bash weekend!!!)
Saturday  4/12/08 - FEAR AND LOATHING IN LAS VEGAS
Saturday  4/19/08 - HALF BAKED
Saturday  4/26/08 - ANIMAL HOUSE
Friday & Saturday  5/2 & 5/3/08 - ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW
Saturday  5/24/08 - SAVING PRIVATE RYAN







 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

NOW PLAYING: Week of Friday, February 15 - Thursday, February 21

NOW PLAYING!

Director Paul Thomas Anderson's THERE WILL BE BLOOD is a masterly, unflinching examination of a consummately evil man. Daniel Plainview (via a transcendent performance by the great Daniel Day-Lewis) is, as he likes to remind those around him, an oil man: he finds it, he drills for it, and he makes money from it. Following a tip from a visitor named Paul Sunday, whose family sits atop a veritable ocean of oil, Plainview travels to the town of New Boston, California, with his young son. Sunday's preacher brother Eli (both roles are played by the excellent Paul Dano) grudgingly accepts Plainview's ambitions under the condition that he help fund the town church. As Plainview's plans come to fruition, a series of events begin to fracture the insular world he has constructed for himself, pitting Plainview against Sunday and forcing him to become even more vindictive and ruthless. Anderson proved with BOOGIE NIGHTS and MAGNOLIA that he was adept at handling expansive storylines and layered plots; however, he stakes out a claim here as a new master of the cinematic epic. The film is visually stunning, and alternates between lush widescreen shots of the desert and meticulously composed, darkly lit close-up of his actors, presenting complex images of the American landscape and the souls that dot it.

As a narrative, THERE WILL BE BLOOD is told with a sense of economy, yet never at the expense of the film's inherently grand scope. It's difficult to determine precisely what Anderson wants his viewers to take from the experience: the film is, in the end, appropriately complex and ambiguous. THERE WILL BE BLOOD forces us to confront Plainville, who seems to be a larger-than-life personification of evil; that we don't entirely understand him at the film's conclusion is not a shortcoming, but rather a tribute to the depths of this most vile creature and this most brilliant film.

MOVIE TIMES!
Friday  2/15 at 7:00 & 10:00
Saturday  2/16 at 4:00, 7:00 & 10:00
Sunday  2/17 at 3:00, 6:00 & 9:00
Monday  2/18 at 4:00, 7:00 & 10:00
Tuesday  2/19 - Thursday 2/21 at 7:00 & 10:00



JUNO



JUNO stars Ellen Page as the title character, a whip-smart teen confronting an unplanned pregnancy by her classmate Bleeker (Cera). With the help of her hot best friend Leah (Thirlby), Juno finds her unborn child a "perfect" set of parents: an affluent suburban couple, Mark and Vanessa (Bateman and Garner), longing to adopt. Luckily, Juno has the total support of her parents (Simmons and Janney) as she faces some tough decisions, flirts with adulthood and ultimately figures out where she belongs.
--© Fox Searchlight

MOVIE TIMES!
Friday  2/15 at 7:15 & 9:45
Saturday  2/16 at 4:15, 7:15 & 9:45
Sunday  2/17 at 3:15, 6:15 & 8:45
Monday  2/18 at 4:15, 7:15 & 9:45
Monday  2/19 - Thursday  2/21 at 7:15 & 9:45

MIDNIGHT MOVIES!

THIS WEEKEND

WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE'S ROMEO + JULIET



This ambitious undertaking, adapting William Shakespeare's classic tale of star-crossed lovers and setting the story in a glossy music-video style in 1990s Florida. Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes play the famous lovers kept apart by rival industrialist families. Bookended by newscastsers reciting Shakespeare's prose as their copy, this clever glam updating of ROMEO AND JULIET is one of the most unusual adaptations of the Bard's work in the history of cinema. The stylish and colorful sets earned the film an Oscar nomination for art direction. John Leguizamo gives a memorable performance as a devilish Tybalt.

MOVIE TIMES!
Saturday  2/16/08 @ Midnight

NEXT WEEKEND!

GHOST DOG: THE WAY OF THE SAMURAI



Ghost Dog (Forest Whitaker) lives simply, apart from the world in a homemade shack on the roof of an abandoned building. His only true companion is the trusted carrier pigeon that serves as his primary means of communication with the outside world. He studies the early eighteenthcentury Japanese warrior text Hagakure: The Book of the Samurai. Each morning, he bows to the altar he has constructed and practices the ancient disciplines of the samurai. Ghost Dog is a contract killer, a master of his trade who can whirl a gun at warp speed and moves through this world like a phantom, stealthy and evanescent. In the spirit of the samurai, he has pledged his loyalty to a small-time mobster named Louie (John Tormey), who saved his life many years before.

Written and directed by Jim Jarmusch, Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai is a hypnotic re-creation of the gangster picture that pits ancient wisdom against modern dysfunction, locating the parallels and differences between samurai and Mafia codes of honor and loyalty. As the modern crime family slides towards extinction, its moral system disintegrates and no one is safe in the struggle for power. In this fractious army, there is no place for the loyalty of the samurai, but his mastery and strength are undiluted.

Ghost Dog is a study of two worlds in collision, a recurring theme in the work of the award-winning filmmaker Jim Jarmusch. One of the world's most distinctive auteurs, Jarmusch's offbeat sensibility and striking, stylized visuals have won him critical acclaim and an international following. His seminal 1984 comedy Stronger Than Paradise won the Caméra d'Or (best first film) at that year's Cannes Film Festival and was named Best Picture by the National Society of Film Critics. Subsequent films, including Down By Law, Mystery Train, Night on Earth and Dead Man, have solidified Jarmusch's reputation as a consistently fine and adventurous filmmaker, who continues to grow and challenge himself.

MOVIE TIMES!
Saturday  2/23/08 @ Midnight

UPCOMING MIDNIGHTS!

Saturday  2/16/08 - ROMEO + JULIET
Saturday  2/23/08 - GHOST DOG: WAY OF THE SAMURAI
Saturday  3/1/08  - YOJIMBO
Saturday  3/8/08  - THE GOONIES
Saturday  3/15/08 - AMELIE
Saturday  3/22/08- THE BIG LEBOWSKI
Saturday  3/29/08 - THE VIRGIN SUICIDES
Saturday  4/5/08  - UP IN SMOKE (Hash Bash weekend!!!)
Saturday  4/12/08 - FEAR AND LOATHING IN LAS VEGAS
Saturday  4/19/08 - HALF BAKED
Saturday  4/26/08 - ANIMAL HOUSE
Friday & Saturday  5/2 & 5/3/08 - ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW
Saturday  5/24/08 - SAVING PRIVATE RYAN