PROGRAM NOTES
SEPTEMBER - OCTOBER - NOVEMBER 2008
SEPTEMBER 2 - 6 (TUESDAY THROUGH SATURDAY): 4:00, 6:15, 8:30
ROMAN POLANSKI: WANTED AND DESIRED
Dir. Marina Zenovich - 2008 - 99m
What happens when one of the world’s most famous directors becomes trapped inside one of his own movies? Directed and
produced by Marina Zenovich, ROMAN POLANSKI: WANTED AND DESIRED is a fascinating look at the public scandal and private tragedy that led to the legendary director’s sudden flight from the United States after his conviction for unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor in 1977. The documentary reopens the complex and still-controversial case 30 years later, challenging many of the myths that have built up around it, while exploring the circumstances that led up to his conviction, as well as the media circus that followed. Known for such films as ROSEMARY’S BABY, CHINATOWN and MACBETH, Roman Polanski’s life was marked by tragedy. His mother was killed by the Nazis during the Holocaust and his fairy-tale love affair with his wife, actress Sharon Tate, ended when she was murdered by followers of Charles Manson in 1969. She was eight months pregnant at the time. Surviving these tragedies, he rebuilt his career in the ‘70s, until he made a fateful mistake during a photo shoot with a 13-year-old girl. Subsequently convicted of unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor, Polanski pled guilty and served 42 days in jail. ROMAN POLANSKI: WANTED AND DESIRED explores how the case affected both the young girl and Polanski, while addressing larger, lasting questions about the media, our cultural obsession with celebrity and the U.S. legal system. Uncovering a treasure trove of telling footage from the past and incorporating revealing modern-day interviews, the film recounts the events that might have influenced Polanski’s behavior, unearthing little-known information about the case. In particular, the documentary sheds light on the unusual conduct of presiding Judge Laurence Rittenband, whose zeal for celebrity cases was unprecedented. Revisiting many of the key players – from the candid, clear-eyed victim, to the lawyers representing both sides, to members of the media and friends – the film presents an extensive examination of the case. Among the exclusive interviews are: the victim, Samantha (Gailey) Geimer, now 45 years old, who publicly forgave Polanski in 1997; former Assistant District Attorney Roger Gunson; and Polanski’s defense attorney, Douglas Dalton, who breaks his silence after 30 years to reveal the extraordinary backstage maneuvers that ultimately led Polanski to flee. Now 74, Roman Polanski has lived in France for the last 30 years, where he has been highly honored and continues to be revered. View a trailer here.
SEPTEMBER 6 & 7 : 2:00 PM
ART ON FILM:
AGNES MARTIN: WITH MY BACK TO THE WORLD
All Seats $5
Co-Sponsored by Albuquerque Arts and Albuquerque Art Business Association
Dir. Mary Lance - 57m - 2002
A groundbreaking documentary on the internationally renowned painter, designated by ARTnews Magazine one of the world's top-ten living artists. This documentary was shot over a period of four years, from 1998 through 2002, Agnes Martin's ninetieth year. Interviews with Martin are inter-cut with shots at work in her studio in Taos, New Mexico, with photographs and archival footage, and with images of her work from over five decades. It is a venue for Martin to speak about her work, her working methods, her life as an artist, and her views about the creative process. She also discusses her film, "Gabriel" and reads from her poetry and lectures. It was shot in 16mm film by cinematographer Dyanna Taylor and in digital video by producer/director Mary Lance. In keeping with Martin's chosen life of solitude, she alone appears in the documentary.
SEPTEMBER 7 - 12 (SUNDAY: 5:30, 8:00 / MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY: 3:00, 5:30, 8:00 - NO 3:00 SHOW ON SUNDAY)
GONZO: THE LIFE AND WORK OF DR. HUNTER S. THOMPSON
Dir. Alex Gibney - 2008 - 122m
GONZO is the definitive film biography of a mythic American figure, a man that Tom Wolfe called our “greatest comic writer,” whose suicide, by gunshot, led Rolling Stone Magazine, where Thompson began his career, to devote an entire issue (its best-selling ever) to the man that launched a thousand sips of bourbon, endless snorts of cocaine and a brash, irreverent, fearless style of journalism - named “gonzo” after an anarchic blues riff by James Booker. Borrowing from Kris Kristofferson, Thompson was a “walking contradiction, partly truth, mostly fiction.” A die-hard member of the NRA, he was also a coke-snorting, whiskey-swilling, acid-eating fiend. While his pen dripped with venom for crooked politicians, he surprised nervous visitors with the courtly manners and soft-spoken delivery of a Southern gentleman. Careening out of control in his personal life, Thompson also maintained a steel-eyed conviction about righting wrongs. Today, in a time, when “spin” has replaced the search for deeper meaning, Thompson remains an iconic crusader for truth, justice and a fiercely idealistic American way. He believed that writing could make a difference. It could change things. GONZO is directed by Alex Gibney, the director of ENRON: THE SMARTEST GUYS IN THE ROOM and the Academy Award winning documentary, TAXI TO THE DARK SIDE (both seen here at the Guild). While Gibney shaped the screen story, every narrated word in the film springs from the typewriters of Thompson himself. Those words are given life by Johnny Depp, the actor who once shadowed Thompson’s every move for the screen version of FEAR AND LOATHING IN LAS VEGAS, and who bankrolled Thompson’s spectacular funeral (photographed for this film). A two-year effort, the film is distinguished by its unprecedented cooperation of Thompson’s friends, family and estate. The filmmakers had access to hundreds of photographs and over 200 hours of audiotapes, home movies and documentary footage of the man. Ralph Steadman – the visionary artist whose ink-splattered drawings and paintings created a subversively iconic visual landscape for Thompson’s words – also granted the filmmakers access to previously unpublished artworks and Polaroids. Too often, contemporary journalists play the politicians’ game, taking them seriously with a balance they don’t deserve. Thompson never stood for that. He understood, better than any other, that when the going gets weird, the weird turn pro.
Co-sponsored by Bookworks.
View a trailer here.
SEPTEMBER 12 & 13 (FRIDAY & SATURDAY): 10:30 PM
NECROVILLE DVD RELEASE SCREENING
SEPTEMBER 13 & 14 (SAT & SUN):1:30 PM
WEEKEND NON-FICTION:
INTIMIDAD: A HOME MOVIE
All Seats $5
Dirs. David Redmon and Ashley Sabin - 72m - 2008
An original Mexican love story about family relationships and the meaning of "home." Cecy and Camilo – ages 21 – recently moved to the border, Reynosa, Mexico, from Santa Maria, Puebla with a dream to save money, buy land, and build a home. A year later they return to their rural hometown to reunite with their two year-old daughter Loida. What seems like a satisfying reunion turns into a confusing dilemma that transforms the course of their marriage. Both the family in the film - and the directors - documented INTIMIDAD over the course of 5 years, lending the story to an incredibly intimate, dream-like impression. INTIMIDAD mixes digital verite with Super 8 and 16mm film stock. View a trailer for the film here.
CULT CLASSICS - 2-FOR-1 DOUBLE FEATURE!
SEPT. 13 & 14 (SAT & SUN):
HAROLD AND MAUDE (3:10, 6:45)
Dir. Hal Ashby - 1971 - 91m
One of the most beloved black comedies of the 1970s, starring Bud Cort as a suicide-obsessed troublemaker who falls in love with an eccentric 80-year-old free spirit (the amazing Ruth Gordon). Cat Stevens’ score makes for a perfect background.
DEEP END (5:00, 8:35)
Dir. Jerzy Skolimowski - 1971 - 88m - UK
Rarely seen, this terrific and surreal film from the director of MOONLIGHTING and THE SHOUT stars Jane Asher, who toys with the romantic attentions of a 15-year-old bath house attendant with unexpected results. Alternately moody and sexually-charged, DEEP END is cleverly scored by German art-rock purveyors Can... and Cat Stevens. NEW 35MM PRINT!
SEPTEMBER 15 - 26: 4:30, 6:30, 8:30
MAN ON WIRE
Dir. James Marsh - 2008 - 91m - UK
On August 7th 1974, a young Frenchman named Philippe Petit stepped out on a wire illegally rigged between New York's twin towers, then the world’s tallest buildings. After nearly an hour dancing on the wire, he was arrested, taken for psychological evaluation, and brought to jail before he was finally released. Following six and a half years of dreaming of the towers, Petit spent eight months in New York City planning the execution of the coup. Aided by a team of friends and accomplices, Petit was faced with numerous extraordinary challenges: he had to find a way to bypass the WTC’s security; smuggle the heavy steel cable and rigging equipment into the towers; pass the wire between the two rooftops; anchor the wire and tension it to
withstand the winds and the swaying of the buildings. The rigging was done by night in complete secrecy. At 7:15 AM, Philippe took his first step on the high wire 1,350 feet above the sidewalks of Manhattan… James Marsh’s documentary brings Petit’s extraordinary adventure to life through the testimony of Petit himself, and some of the co-conspirators who helped him create the unique and magnificent spectacle that became known as “the artistic crime of the century.”
DIRECTOR JAMES MARSH: “I have the mind of a criminal.” That was the first thing Philippe Petit told me when I met him. He then went on to show me how he could kill a man with a copy of People magazine and, before we parted, he picked my pocket. Here was an extraordinary individual who viewed the world in a unique way. Not least, from heights and views that no other man has ever seen. It is fitting, then, that his story is really the oldest story there is. It is the hero going on a journey, or quest, to test himself and achieve a seemingly impossible objective. As a teenage wirewalker in France, before the World Trade Center was even constructed, Philippe was dreaming up a reckless scheme to break in to those un-built towers, rig a wire between them and to dance on that wire, 1350 feet above the ground, for the delight of passers by. Each one of these tasks looked impossible and the last one seemed like a death wish. In fact it was quite the opposite – as his girlfriend Annie points out in the film: “He couldn’t go on living if he didn’t try to conquer those towers…it was as if they had been built specifically for him.” I set out to make a film that would be a definitive account of this mythical quest so I hadn’t anticipated that it would become a fundamentally human drama that, amongst other things, turned out to be a comedy of errors, a love story, a story about friendship and its limits and a satire on authority and arbitrary rules. Inevitably, the film also portrays New York and America in a bygone era. The Watergate crisis reached its dramatic climax in the very same week that Philippe walked between the towers and Nixon resigned the day after Philippe’s adventure. In 1974, New York was clearly a dirtier, more lawless and more dangerous city than it is now. It was an era of sleaze, adult film cinemas, muggings and civic corruption. And yet in this era of zero tolerance, it is hard to imagine the present police officers, judges and politicians of the city reacting to Philippe’s criminal activities in the way they did in 1974. Back then, they applauded him for his exploits. Even harder to imagine now is a group of French speaking bohemians breezing through JFK airport with suitcases containing shackles, ropes, knives and a bow and arrow (!), then hanging around a major New York monument with cameras and forged ID cards waiting for their chance to break in - and actually getting away with it. But in the words of Jean Francois again: “It may have been illegal…but it wasn’t wicked or mean.” That’s a distinction worth remembering.
Co-sponsored by Alliance Francaise.
View a trailer for the film here.
SEPTEMBER 20 & 21 (SAT & SUN): 2:30 PM
WEEKEND NON-FICTION
FIGHTING FOR LIFE
All Seats $5
Dir. Terry Sanders - 2008 - 89m
FIGHTING FOR LIFE, a documentary by two-time Academy Award-winning filmmaker Terry Sanders, is a portrait of American military medicine. The film tells the story of USU and shows students at the University on their journeys towards becoming military physicians and nurses. The gripping documentary uses compelling footage, including images from the current conflicts in Iraq as well as interviews with current USU students, to illustrate U.S. Military medical personnel’s dedication to providing the best possible care for those in harm's way both on and off the battlefield. View a trailer for the film here.
SEPTEMBER 19 & 20 (FRIDAY & SATURDAY)
Alibi Midnight Movie Madness Presents
RAMONES!
ROCK AND ROLL HIGH SCHOOL (10:30 PM)
All Seats $7
Dir. Allan Arkush - 1979 - 93m
A lovingly silly tribute to the rock 'n' roll teen pics of the 1950s transposes the setting to the late 1970s and positions New York's legendary punk godfathers, Ramones, in the Chuck Berry/Jerry Lee Lewis role of yore. P.J. Soles stars as the high school rebel who plays "I Wanna Be Sedated" on her portable cassette player to provoke anarchy in stiff old Vince Lombardi High, with its bull dyke principal, hilariously played by Mary Woronov. Moved along by a great score with tunes by Alice Cooper, Nick Lowe and more, and fantastic concert scenes which capture the Ramones at their peak!
SCREENING CANCELLED:
SEPTEMBER 24 (WEDNESDAY):
FREE SCREENING!
THIRD TERM: A DOCUMENTARY (1:30 PM)
SPECIAL ADDED SCREENING:
SEPTEMBER 26 (FRIDAY): ONE SHOW ONLY!
ALL SEATS $1!
MICHAEL MOORE'S SLACKER UPRISING
Dir. Michael Moore - 2008 - 97m
SLACKER UPRISING traces Michael Moore’s 62-city tour of the swing states during the 2004 Presidential election and records the thrilling -- and frightening -- response he received across the country. Moore’s goal four years ago was to convince millions of non-voting "slackers” -- mostly between the ages of 18-29 -- to give voting a try. Starting out in Elk Rapids, Michigan, in front of an audience of 400, the tour caught on like wildfire with up to 16,000 slackers each night coming to see Moore and his traveling band of speakers , comedians , and musicians. To encourage the slackers to show up, they were offered a clean change of underwear, Ramen noodles, and a promise that no event would start before noon and no politician would be allowed to speak. These enticements filled basketball arenas and football stadiums every night on the "Slacker Uprising Tour." Part concert tour , part stand-up comedy performance and part rock concert , SLACKER UPRISING is an uplifting and patriotic look at the birth of a new political generation in America -- a generation of young people who would signal the era of “Obamania” that would take place just four years later.
To view a trailer and a scene from "Slacker Uprising,” go to www.slackeruprising.com
SEPTEMBER 26 - 30 (THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY):
Closet Cinema Presents:
6TH ANNUAL SOUTHWEST GAY AND LESBIAN FILM FESTIVALFriday, September 26th
The 2008 rendition of the Southwest Gay and Lesbian Film Festival presents oodles of new works this year. Tickets are available up to one day before each show at Self Serve, 3904B Central Ave. SE, 505-265-5815. The Guild will not sell advance tickets. Tickets are available at the Guild Cinema box office up to one hour before the start of each show. For further information, contact Closet Cinema directly at 505-243-1870.
Friday, September 26
12:00 AM: Otto; or, Up with Dead People
plays with...
* Agnieszka 2039 | 2008
* Love Bite | 2008
Saturday, September 27th
1:00 PM: A Finished Life: The Goodbye & No Regrets Tour
3:00 PM: Clapham Junction
5:15 PM: Butch Jamie
5:30 PM: Awakenings (Shorts Program):
* Lloyd Neck | Benedict Campbell 2007
* Dolls | Randy Caspersen 2008
* Pat's First Kiss | Pat Mills 2007
* Thirteen or so Minutes | Branden Blinn 2008
* The Awakening | Christian Tafdrup 2008
* Silver Road | Bill Taylor 2007
7:45 PM: Another Gay Sequel: Gays Gone Wild!
9:45 PM: Boystown (Chuecatown)
12:00 AM: Otto; or, Up with Dead People
plays with...
* Agnieszka 2039 | 2008
* Love Bite | 2008
Sunday, September 28th
1:00 PM: Tal Como Somos (Just As We Are)
2:45 PM: Call Me Troy
5:00 PM: Foreign Bodies (Shorts Program):
* Bongo Bong | Ken Wardrop 2007
* Herzhaft | Martin Busker 2007
* In the High School | Xavi Sala 2006
* Country Life | Lukas Egger 2007
* Flatmates | Magnus Mork 2007
* Bramadero | Julían Hernández 2007
* The Postcard | Josh Kim 2007
* You, Me & Him | Daniel Ribiero 2007
7:30 PM: Breakfast with Scot
9:30 PM: Pageant
Monday, September 29th
5:00 PM: She's A Boy I Know
7:00 PM: Pansy Division: Life in a Gay Rock Band
plays with...
* Breaking Glass: My David Bowie Movie | Michael Trigilio 2007
9:15 PM: The World Unseen
Tuesday, September 30th
5:00 PM: Gender Fabulous (Shorts Program)
* Fagette | Ali Cotterill 2008
* Me as He | Christina DerHagopian 2008
* Diva | Josephine Mackerras 2008
* A Complicated Queerness: Living Femme in a Dyke Community | Johanna Buchignani, Emily Hillman 2008
* Make | Matthew Snead 2008
* Reclaiming the Pieces | Ethan Bach 2008
* Mechanic's Daydream | Mary Guzman 2007
6:45 PM: The Edge of Heaven
9:15 PM: The Art of Being Straight
For complete details visit closetcinema.org
OCTOBER 1 - 8 THE DARK PRAIRIE: FILM NOIR AND MELODRAMA IN THE WESTERN 2-FOR-1 DOUBLE FEATURES! RARE 35MM SCREENINGS! Films in the “Western” genre have often gone well beyond mere cowboys and Indians. The Western has been a conduit to comedy, horror, Shakespeare adaptations, and historical drama. This series focuses on those so-called “Dark Westerns”: dramas by some of Hollywood’s finest directors, such as Anthony Mann, Nicholas Ray, Raoul Walsh, Robert Wise and others, all marked by challenging stories and moody photography.
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OCTOBER 3 & 4 (FRIDAY & SATURDAY)
Alibi Midnight Movie Madness Presents - The Original Australian Version!
MAD MAX (10:45 PM) - NOTE NEW START TIME
All Seats $7
Dir. George Miller - 1979 - Australia - 'Scope
The original, and best, in the Mad Max trilogy, this near-future action classic, with Mel Gibson as a cop on a revenge kick against a menacing biker gang, has never quite gotten its due in American theaters. It was initially dubbed over to remove the Australian accents! This new print restores the original soundtrack as it meant to be heard for the first time on our shores.
OCTOBER 4 & 5 (SATURDAY & SUNDAY)
ABQArts and Albuquerque Art Business Association Present:
ART ON FILM:
BEAUTIFUL LOSERS (1:00 PM)
All Seats $5
Dirs. Aaron Rose & Joshua Leonard - 2008 - 90m
BEAUTIFUL LOSERS celebrates the spirit behind one of the most influential cultural moments of a generation. In the early 1990's a loose-knit group of likeminded outsiders found common ground at a little NYC storefront gallery. Rooted in the DIY (do-it-yourself) subcultures of skateboarding, surf, punk, hip hop & graffiti, they made art that reflected the lifestyles they led. Developing their craft with almost no influence from the "establishment" art world, this group, and the subcultures they sprang from, have now become a movement that has been transforming pop culture. Starring a selection of artists who are considered leaders within this culture, Beautiful Losers focuses on the telling of personal stories. It speaks to themes of what happens when the outside becomes "in" as it explores the creative ethos connecting these artists and today's youth. View a trailer here.
OCTOBER 9 (THURSDAY): 7:00 ONLY
THE AMERICAN INSTITUTE OF ARCHITECTS Present ARCHITECTURE ON FILM
FILMS BY CHARLES AND RAY EAMES
Charles and Ray Eames are among the finest American designers of the 20th century, known for their groundbreaking contributions to architecture, furniture design, industrial design, manufacturing and filmmaking, with films such as POWERS OF TEN. Join us for a selection of terrific short films culled from their outstanding output of nearly 75 titles, shown on video (program to be announced).
OCTOBER 10 - 16 (FRIDAY THROUGH THURSDAY): 4:15, 6:45, 9:10
TELL NO ONE
(Ne Le Dis A Personne)
Dir. Guillaume Canet - 2007 - 125m - ‘Scope - France - In French with English Subtitles
François Cluzet, who’s like a terse Gallic Dustin Hoffman, plays a pediatrician who got knocked into a coma the night his wife (Marie-Josée Croze) was killed, apparently by the same goons. Eight years later, when the case is reopened, Cluzet receives a series of anonymous video e-mails indicating that his wife may still be alive. He also finds himself a suspect on the run.
“In the shortcut language of a movie pitch, Guillaume Canet’s delicious contemporary thriller TELL NO ONE is VERTIGO meets THE FUGITIVE by way of THE BIG SLEEP. That is meant as high praise. This French adaptation of Harlan Coben’s 2001 best
seller is the kind of conspiracy-minded mystery almost no one seems capable of creating anymore, except David Lynch in his surreal way. Beautifully written and acted, TELL NO ONE is a labyrinth in which to get deliriously lost. The story, which involves murder and depravity in high places, is so elaborately twisty that about halfway through the movie you stop trying to figure it out and let its polluted waters wash over you, trusting that the denouement will reveal all. It does and it doesn’t...the puzzle pieces fit more snugly than those of THE BIG SLEEP, the granddaddy of impenetrable noirs. But one of the pleasures of both films is surrendering to a vision of corruption and evil that resists tidy explanations.” - Stephen Holden, The New York Times
Co-Sponsored by Alliance Francaise.
View a trailer here.
OCTOBER 11 & 12 (SAT & SUN): 2:00 PM
A HOSPICE BENEFIT FOR “CARING FOR THE CAREGIVERS”
SOLACE: WISDOM OF THE DYING
All Seats $8
Dir. Camille Adair - 2008 - 84m
A new full-length documentary about Camille Adair’s experience as a hospice nurse in Santa Fe, New Mexico over a four year period. The film had it’s premiere on February 9th, 2008 at the “Words of Wisdom”, a Living Bridges Conference on the “end of life.” Stay tuned for future screenings in Santa Fe, New Mexico and throughout the country. View a trailer here.
OCTOBER 17 & 18 - FRIDAY: 4:00 PM - 9:00 PM / SATURDAY: NOON - 8:00 PM
4TH ANNUAL SOCIAL JUSTICE FILM FESTIVAL: "MORE THAN COFFEE"
FREE ADMISSION!
Fair Trade coffee is more popular than ever because of demand by consumers who ask that their coffee beans are grown in a way that is humanely and environmentally responsible. Thanks to these people, Fair Trade-certified coffees can now be found in unlikely places such as Wal-Marts all over the country. However, fair trade encompasses more than just coffee. Join us for the 4th Annual Social Justice Film Festival, “More than Coffee”, as we explore the fair trade cooperatives outside the realm of coffee through films and guest speakers. Admission is free, though donations would be greatly appreciated. For more information, please visit the UNM Fair Trade Initiative’s web site.
FRIDAY:
4:00: The Fair Trade Story / Buyer Be Fair / Bananas Unpeeled
6:00: China Blue
7:40: Protect the Wild Bison / The Fair Trade
SATURDAY:
12:00 NOON: The Yes Men
1:45: Goodwood / 30 Frames Per Second: The WTO in Seattle
4:00: speakers
5:00: What Would Jesus Buy?
6:45: The Fair Trade (repeat)
OCTOBER 17 & 18 (FRIDAY & SATURDAY)
Alibi Midnight Movie Madness Presents
PIECES (10:30 PM)
All Seats $7
Dir. Juan Piquer Simon - 1982 - 89m - Spain
Notoriously absurd and disgusting 1980s slasher pic from Spain returns to the big screen! While playing with a puzzle, a teenager is repressed by his mother, and he kills her and severs her body with an ax. Forty years later, in an university campus in Boston, a serial killer kills young women and severs their bodies in parts, stealing body pieces from each student. Lt. Bracken (Christopher George) makes a deal with the dean of the campus, and infiltrates the agent Mary Riggs (Lynda Day George) as if she were a tennis teacher and together with the student Kendall (Ian Sera), they try to find the identity of the killer.
LAST MINUTE ADDITION!
OCTOBER 19 (SUNDAY): 1:00, 3:00
BOOGIE MAN: THE LEE ATWATER STORY
Dir. Stefan Forbes - 2008 - 86m
This brand-new documentary is a comprehensive look at Lee Atwater, the blues-playing rogue whose rambunctious rise from the South to Chairman of the GOP made him a household name. He mentored Karl Rove and George W. Bush and played a key role in the elections of Reagan and George H.W. Bush. He wrote the Republican Party’s winning playbook which the McCain campaign is currently using. In eye-opening interviews with Atwater's closest friends and enemies, BOOGIE MAN re-examines Atwater’s crucial role in the remaking of the Republican Party. To Democrats offended by his cutthroat style (to say nothing of the 1988 Willie Horton controversy), Atwater was a political assassin dubbed by one Congresswoman "the most evil man in America." But to most Republicans he remains a hero for his deep understanding of the American heartland, his expert manipulation of the media, and his unapologetic vision of politics as war. Director Stefan Forbes offers a timely documentary for this election year as he examines the charming yet Machiavellian godfather of the modern negative political campaign.
OCTOBER 19 - 21 (SUNDAY THROUGH TUESDAY): 5:00, 6:30, 8:00
THE EXILES
Dir. Kent Adamson - 1961 - 72m
THE EXILES (1961) is an incredible feature film by Kent MacKenzie chronicling a day in the life of a group of twenty-something Native Americans who left reservation life in the 1950s to live in the district of Bunker Hill in Los Angeles. Structured as a narrative feature, the script was pieced together over several years from interviews with the subjects of the film. THE EXILES shares a curious number of surface similarities with Charles Burnett’s legendary KILLER OF SHEEP (screened at the Guild in 2007); they were both gritty, frills-free depictions of marginalized Los Angeles communities made within about a decade from each other by young filmmakers who were both compared to John Cassavetes and Vittorio De Sica, they both have existed for decades without theatrical release, and both have been painstakingly restored by Ross Lipman at the UCLA Film & Television Archive. One of the significant distinctions between the films is that MacKenzie (unlike Burnett) was a definitive outsider to the community he was filming - he was a well-to-do white man from the East coast amongst Native Americans, Mexicans and Filipinos in a low-income L.A. community. Regardless, his sensitivity and his genuinely penetrating interest in attempting to understand the people in his film via filming them shines through (he, like Burnett, involved the stars of the film in the writing and filming process). He curbs the tendencies towards sentimentalism and fetishization that often emerge in attempts to represent “the other,” despite (or because of) the fact that no other films at the time were (and still very few now are) depicting Native American peoples (aside from the commonly poor stereotypes in Westerns) let alone urban Native Americans.
Co-sponsored by the Talking Stick Film Festival.
View a trailer here.
OCTOBER 22 - 25 (WEDNESDAY THROUGH SATURDAY): 4:00, 6:15, 8:30
THE LAST MISTRESS
(Une Vieille Maitresse)
Dir. Catherine Breillat - 2007 - 114m - France - In French with English Subtitles
THE LAST MISTRESS is a smoldering adaptation of Jules Barbey d’Aurevilly’s scandalous 19th-century novel. Set during the reign of “citizen king” Louis Philippe, it chronicles the surprising betrothal of the aristocratic, handsome Ryno de Marigny (newcomer Fu-ad Aît Aattou) to Hermangarde (Roxane Mesquida of FAT GIRL), a young, beautiful and virginal aristocrat. Lurking in the margins – and in the imaginations of high society’s gossip-hounds – is de Marigny’s older, tempestuous lover of ten years, the feral La Vellini (Argento). Described as, “a capricious flamenca who can outstare the sun,” La Vellini still burns for de Marigny, and she will not go quietly. Though a fascinating departure into more traditional storytelling, THE LAST MISTRESS sees director Catherine Breillat (FAT GIRL, SEX IS COMEDY) continuing her career-long interest in the ramifications of female desire, casting Argento as an impassioned independent woman for the ages, but it is also a surprisingly witty and touching – and sexily explicit - period drama that explores the age-old battle of the sexes.
“Like all the unruly women who populate Ms. Breillat’s films, La Vellini rubs hard against the grain. She’s the fly in the ointment, the stick in the eye, and it’s her howls, her spit and her fury that keep everything off kilter, disturbing the peace, its keepers and the narrative flow. In truth, La Vellini is a woman of pleasure, and Ms. Breillat makes certain her cup runneth over, furiously.” - Manhola Dargis, The New York Times
View a trailer here.
OCTOBER 25 (SATURDAY):1:00 PM
RAINBOW ARTISTS PRESENTS
IRON JAWED ANGELS
Free Admission!
OCTOBER 26 (SUNDAY): 2:00 PM
STEALING AMERICA: VOTE BY VOTE
All Seats $5
Dir. Dorothy Fadiman - 2008 - 90m
For more than thirty years, exit polls accurately predicted election results. Over the last ten years that reliability has disappeared. What’s going on? The last two presidential elections both came down to a relatively small number of votes, and in both elections the integrity of the voting process has been called into question. With the upcoming election looking to be similarly close, the time has come to ask the questions: What happened in 2000 and 2004? What, if anything, has changed since? And what can be done to ensure a fair and honest tabulation of votes in 2008? This film brings together behind-the-scenes perspectives from the U.S presidential election of 2004 - plus startling stories from key races in 1998, 2000, 2002 and 2006. The film sheds light on a decade of vote counts that don’t match votes cast - uncounted ballots, vote switching, under-votes, an many other examples of election totals that warrant serious investigation. This film unveils patterns of anomalies at every level of the electoral process. Controversial partnerships perpetuate a secretive environment, as relevant facts and figures remain hidden from view. As a result, most Americans have no real sense of the threat to fair elections. As seemingly unrelated pieces of the puzzle come together, a chilling picture emerges: of widespread, artfully crafted “glitches” that, in the final tallies, have the capacity to alter election results. View a trailer here.
OCTOBER 26 - 28 (SUNDAY THROUGH TUESDAY): 4:30, 6:30, 8:30
SECRECY
Dirs. Peter Galison & Rob Moss - 2008 - 85m
In a single recent year the U.S. classified about five times the number of pages added to the Library of Congress. We live in a world where the production of secret knowledge dwarfs the production of open knowledge. Depending on whom you ask, government secrecy is either the key to victory in our struggle against terrorism, or our Achilles heel. Secrecy saves: counter-terrorist intelligence officers recall with fury how a newspaper article describing National Security Agency abilities directly led to the loss of information that could have avoided the terrorist killing of 241 soldiers in Beirut late in October 1983. Secrecy guards against wanton nuclear proliferation, against the spread of biological and chemical weapons. But secrecy corrupts: From extraordinary rendition to warrant-less wiretaps and Abu Ghraib, we have learned that, under the veil of classification, even our leaders can give in to dangerous impulses; secrecy throws into the dark our system of justice and derails the balance of power between the executive branch and the rest of government. This film is about the vast, invisible world of government secrecy. By focusing on classified secrets, the government's ability to put information out of sight if it would harm national security, SECRECY explores the tensions between our safety as a nation, and our ability to function as a democracy.
Co-sponsored by the UNM Fair Trade Initiative and Albuquerque Center for Peace and Justice.
View a trailer here.
HALLOWEEN HORROR CLASSICS IN 35MM!
OCTOBER 29 & 30 (WED & THU):
2-FOR-1 DOUBLE FEATURE...
NIGHT OF THE DEMON (aka CURSE OF THE DEMON): 5:10, 9:00
A moody masterpiece of gothic horror! A skeptical doctor (Dana Andrews) ventures to London to attend a paranormal
psychology symposium with the intention to expose a fraudulent cult leader. But recurring strange events finally strike fear into the doctor, who becomes stricken by an impossible-to-shake curse. Originally issued in butchered form as CURSE OF THE DEMON, this is the full, uncut British version in a lovely 35mm print.
THESE ARE THE DAMNED (aka THE DAMNED): 7:05 ONLY
Dir. Joseph Losey - 97m - 1963 - UK
Brilliant, blacklisted ex-pat director Joseph Losey (whose THE CRIMINAL and THE BIG NIGHT screened in this year’s film noir series) helms this cult gem about children raised from birth in an enclosed radioactive lab-environment who wreak havoc on a coastal town. An intelligent sci-fi drama starring a young Oliver Reed, Viveca Lindfors and MacDonald Carey in black and white Cinemascope. Rare uncut version!
OCTOBER 31 & NOVEMBER 1 (FRIDAY & SATURDAY): 4:30, 7:00, 9:30
Director's Cut with Additional Footage...
THE EXORCIST
Dir. William Friedkin - 1973 - 132m
The legendarily blasphemous all-time fright champion returns with 10 additional minutes! Linda Blair plays Regan (no, not “Reagan”), a 12-year-old girl possessed by the devil (voiced by Mercedes McCambridge!), much to the horror of mom Ellen Burstyn. Max Von Sydow is perfect as the priest charged with the thankless job of cleansing her soul. Co-Presented
with Alibi Midnight Movie Madness.
NOVEMBER 1 & 2 (SAT & SUN): 2:00 PM
DIRECTOR IN PERSON
PAPERBACK DREAMS
FREE ADMISSION!
Dir. Alex Beckstead - 2008 - 60m
PAPERBACK DREAMS is the story of two landmark independent bookstores and their struggle to survive. The film follows Andy Ross, owner of Cody’s Books, and Clark Kepler, owner of Kepler’s Books, over the course of two tumultuous years in the book business. View a trailer here.
NOVEMBER 2 - 6 (SUNDAY THROUGH THURSDAY): 4:00, 6:15, 8:30
PATTI SMITH: DREAM OF LIFE
Dir. Steven Sebring - 2008 - 109m
DREAM OF LIFE is a plunge into the philosophy and artistry of cult rocker Patti Smith. This portrait of the legendary singer, artist and poet explores themes of spirituality, history and self expression. Known as the godmother of punk, she emerged in the 1970’s, galvanizing the music scene with her unique style of poetic rage, music and trademark swagger. We follow this multitalented and private artist over 11 years of international travel, through her spoken words, performances, lyrics, interviews, paintings, and photographs. DREAM OF LIFE reveals a complicated, charismatic personality. Patti Smith who narrates the film, wrestles with life’s many paradoxes. She defines the human experience as an overwhelming contradiction. She pulls the strings of her guitar and simply makes music.
“You may not learn everything you want to know in PATTI SMITH: DREAM OF LIFE, an impressionistic portrait of that punk godhead, but you learn just about everything you need. Created over a heroic 11 years, it was directed and mostly shot by Steven Sebring, a high-end commercial photographer whose perseverance and conspicuous unfamiliarity with, or disregard for, the conventions of nonfiction cinema (not to mention the apparently deep-enough pockets that freed him to follow his own muse) have inspired a lovely, drifty first feature that feels less like a documentary and more like an act of rapturous devotion.”
- Manohla Dargis, THE NEW YORK TIMES
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