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Check out the latest exclusive engagements and premieres, including the best in new indies, foreign films, documentaries and restored classics, by downloading a PDF of the Ritz Philadelphia Film Calendar, with all-new programming from December 16 through March 15! |
Now Playing at the Ritz Five
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An Academy Award nominee for Best Foreign Language Film and Best Original Screenplay, A Separation is a compelling drama about the dissolution of a marriage in contemporary Iran. Simin (Leila Hatami) wants to leave Iran to provide better opportunities for her daughter. When her husband Nader (Peyman Moadi) refuses to leave behind his Alzheimer-suffering father, Simin sues for divorce. But her request fails, so she returns to her parents' home—without her daughter. Nader hires a young woman to assist with his father in his wife's absence, hoping that his life will return to a normal state. However, when he discovers that the new maid has been lying to him, he realizes that there is more on the line than just his marriage. Winner of four awards at the Berlin International Film Festival, including the Golden Bear for Best Film. Official Web Site Steven Rea's Philadelphia Inquirer review... |
Now Playing at the Ritz Five
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Best Actress nominee Glenn Close stars in this emotional and thought-provoking tale of a woman forced to live as a man, Albert Nobbs, in order to work and survive in 19th century Ireland. After thirty years of keeping up the charade, a new love threatens to destroy everything she's worked so hard to build, and she finds herself trapped in a prison of her own making. Mia Wasikowska (Helen), Aaron Johnson (Joe) and Brendan Gleeson (Dr. Holloran) join a prestigious, international cast that includes Best Supporting Actress nominee Janet McTeer, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Brenda Fricker and Pauline Collins. Rodrigo Garcia directs from a script that Glenn Close, along with Man Booker prize-winning novelist John Banville and Gabriella Prekop, adapted from a short story by Irish author George Moore. Official Web Site
Writer/producer/actress Glenn Close on a film's 14-year journey to screen Steven Rea's Philadelphia Inquirer review... |
Now Playing at the Ritz at the Bourse
Must End Thursday, February 9!
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Valérie Donzelli's Declaration of War is an exuberant and deeply moving film following a young couple, Romeo (co-writer Jérémie Elkaïm) and Juliette (director/co-writer Donzelli), who must face the ultimate test when they discover their newborn child is very ill. Gathering their friends and family together, they confront this ordeal together as a form of warfare. Donzelli infuses the story with unexpected verve using a host of cinematic techniques, music and heartbreaking performances that results in a film about a contemporary couple who surprises even themselves with their ability to fight not only for the life of their child but for each other. The film will bring tears to your eyes but will dazzle you with its contagious vitality for life. It also establishes Donzelli as one of the most promising new filmmakers of her generation. A massive critical and box office hit in France, the film is the country's official entry to the 2012 Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film consideration. Official Web Site Steven Rea's Philadelphia Inquirer review... |
Now Playing at the Ritz at the Bourse
Must End Thursday, February 9!
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In director Ti West's (The House of the Devil) horror/thriller The Innkeepers, the venerable Yankee Pedlar Inn is about to shut its doors for good after over a century of service. Believed by many to be one of New England's "most haunted hotels," the last remaining employees—Claire (Sara Paxton) and Luke (Pat Healy)—are determined to uncover proof before it shuts down for good. As the inn's final days draw near, odd guests check in as the pair of minimum wage "ghost hunters" begin to experience strange and alarming events that may ultimately cause them to be mere footnotes in the hotel's long, unexplained history. Official Web Site Roger Ebert's Chicago Sun-Times review... |
Now Playing at the Ritz at the Bourse
Must End Thursday, February 9!
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Set in Mexico's border city of Baja, Miss Bala ("Miss Bullet") chronicles three terrifying days in the life of Laura (Stephanie Sigman), a young girl whose aspirations of becoming a beauty queen turn against her. The only living witness to a nightclub slaughter, Laura is delivered straight into the hands of a drug kingpin named Lino Valdez (Noe Hernández), who becomes smitten and decides to hold her hostage. In an effort to protect her family, she agrees to serve as a mule for Lino and assist in the trafficking of weapons. Driven on by Lino's promise to help her realize her dream, Laura continues to do the gang's bidding until she is forced to accept one final task. Director Gerardo Naranjo's chronicle of Laura's descent into Mexico's criminal underworld is a metaphor for an entire country in the grip of an endless nightmare of violence, poverty and corruption. Mexico's official Oscar entry for Best Foreign Language Film consideration. Official Web Site Gary Thompson's Philadelphia Inquirer review... |
Now Playing at the Ritz Five
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The Iron Lady revisits recent history through the eyes of the leader who shaped it—charting the compelling rise and fall of trail-blazing politician Margaret Thatcher, the controversial former Prime Minister of the UK and the first woman ever elected as head of government in the West. Best Actress nominee Meryl Streep brings Margaret Thatcher to vivid life over a 40-year span, delivering a performance of great authenticity and sensitivity. Combining fact, fiction and poetic flights of imagination into a new breed of biopic, director Phyllida Lloyd (Mamma Mia!) creates a piercing portrait which reveals the many faces of Thatcher: the hard-nosed conservative; the woman who demolished the barriers of gender and class in a male-dominated world; the spirited wife and mother who longed to change her country for the better. Exposing the private life behind the headlines, The Iron Lady is a moving journey into the heart of an extraordinary, complex woman. Jim Broadbent co-stars. Official Web Site Steven Rea's Philadelphia Inquirer review... |
Now Playing at the Ritz at the Bourse
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The contemporary drama Pariah stars Adepero Oduyeas as Alike (pronounced ah-lee-kay), a 17-year-old African-American woman who lives with her parents Audrey and Arthur (Kim Wayans and Charles Parnell) and younger sister (Sahra Mellesse) in Brooklyn's Fort Greene neighborhood. A good student at her local high school and with a flair for poetry, Alike is quietly but firmly embracing her identity as a lesbian. With the sometimes boisterous support of her best friend, out lesbian Laura (Pernell Walker), Alike is especially eager to find a girlfriend. At home, her parents' marriage is strained and there is further tension in the household whenever Alike's development becomes a topic of discussion. Pressed by her mother into making the acquaintance of a colleague's daughter, Bina (Aasha Davis), Alike finds Bina to be unexpectedly refreshing to socialize with. Wondering how much she can confide in her family, Alike strives to get through adolescence with grace, humor, and tenacity—sometimes succeeding, sometimes not, but always moving forward. Winner of the Excellence in Cinematography Award (U.S. Dramatic Competition) at the Sundance Film Festival. Written and directed by Dee Rees, based on her award-winning short film of the same name. Official Web Site Carrie Rickey's Philadelphia Inquirer review... |
Now Playing at the Ritz at the Bourse
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The bitterly amusing story of two families who become locked in a showdown after their children are involved in a playground squabble, Carnage shines a spotlight on the risible contradictions and grotesque prejudices of four well-heeled American parents. Shot in real time as the four adults meet to settle the dispute, Carnage pits power couple Nancy (Kate Winslet, The Reader) and cell phone-addicted Alan (Christoph Waltz, Inglourious Basterds) against the liberal writer and campaigner Penelope (Jodie Foster, The Silence of the Lambs) and her wholesaler husband, Michael (John C. Reilly, Chicago). Unpredictable and shocking, the film hilariously exposes the hypocrisy lurking behind their polite façade. Briskly-paced, Carnage is a real acting tour-de-force—reminiscent of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, but lighter in tone. Directed by Roman Polanski (The Ghost Writer, The Pianist), who co-wrote the screenplay with Yasmina Reza, based on her smash comedy play God of Carnage. Winner of the Leoncino Prize at the 2011 Venice Film Festival. Official Web Site Steven Rea's Philadelphia Inquirer review... |
Now Playing at the Ritz Five
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The cities of Zurich and Vienna on the eve of World War I are the setting for a dark tale of sexual and intellectual discovery. Drawn from true-life events, A Dangerous Method takes a glimpse into the turbulent relationships between fledgling psychiatrist Carl Jung (Michael Fassbender of Shame and Jane Eyre), his mentor Sigmund Freud (Viggo Mortensen, A History of Violence) and Sabina Spielrein (Keira Knightley, Atonement), the troubled but beautiful young woman who comes between them. Into the mix comes Otto Gross (Vincent Cassel, Black Swan), a free-thinker who encourages Jung to cross therapist-patient boundaries. This exploration of sensuality, ambition and deceit sets the scene for the pivotal moment when Jung, Freud and Sabina come together and split apart, forever changing the face of modern thought. Screenplay by Christopher Hampton (Atonement, Dangerous Liaisons), based on his play The Talking Cure. Directed by David Cronenberg (Eastern Promises, A History of Violence). Official Web Site
Director David Cronenberg on Freud's strangely modern chair |
Now Playing at the Ritz Five
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Hollywood 1927. Silent movie matinee idol George Valentin (Best Actor nominee Jean Dujardin, the charismatic star of OSS 117: Cairo, Nest of Spies) is enjoying the good life, although he seems fonder of his faithful dog than of his trophy wife (Penelope Ann Miller). He meets funny, sexy young extra Peppy Miller (Best Actress nominee Bérénice Bejo), a dancer set for a big break, and sparks fly. With the advent of the talkies George's career nosedives, while Peppy's takes off. The Artist is the charming and poignant story of their interlinked destinies—a delightful valentine to the love of cinema, with a tip of the hat to Singin' in the Rain and A Star Is Born. Writer/director Michel Hazanavicius (nominated for both!) daringly shot the film completely in the style of a silent feature, in black and white and without sound (with a few striking exceptions), filmed on location in Hollywood, set to a wonderful original score by Academy Award nominee Ludovic Bource. Co-starring John Goodman, Malcolm McDowell, and James Cromwell. Nominated for 10 Academy Awards, including Best Picture. Official Web Site Steven Rea's Philadelphia Inquirer review... |
Now Playing at the Ritz East
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Nominated for 5 Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director (Alexander Payne, creator of the Oscar-winning Sideways), The Descendants is a sometimes humorous, sometimes tragic journey for Matt King (Best Actor nominee George Clooney), a distracted husband and back-up parent to two girls who is forced to re-examine his past and embrace his future when his wife suffers a life-threatening boating accident off of Waikiki. The event leads to a rapprochement with his young daughters while Matt wrestles with a decision to sell the family's land, which was handed down from Hawaiian royalty and missionaries. Co-starring Shailene Woodley, Amara Miller, Judy Greer and Beau Bridges. Official Web Site Steven Rea's Philadelphia Inquirer review... |
Now Playing at the Ritz East
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Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy is the long-awaited feature film version of John le Carré's classic bestselling thriller. The time is 1973. The Cold War of the mid-20th century continues to threaten international relations. Britain's Secret Intelligence Service (SIS), code-named the Circus, is striving to keep pace with other countries' espionage efforts and to keep the U.K. secure. The head of the Circus, known as Control (John Hurt), personally sends dedicated operative Jim Prideaux (Mark Strong) into Hungary. But Jim's mission goes bloodily awry, and Control is forced out of the Circus—as is his top lieutenant, George Smiley (Best Actor nominee Gary Oldman), a career spy with razor-sharp senses. Estranged from his absent wife, Smiley is soon called in to see Undersecretary Oliver Lacon (Simon McBurney), who tells him that he is to be rehired in secret. There is a gnawing fear that the Circus has long been compromised by a double agent working for the Soviets, jeopardizing England. Supported by younger agent Peter Guillam (Benedict Cumberbatch), Smiley pores over Circus activities past and present, trying to find the mole. Also starring Colin Firth, Tom Hardy, Toby Jones, Kathy Burke and Ciarán Hinds. Directed by Tomas Alfredson (Let the Right One In). Official Web Site
Director Tomas Alfredson re-imagines a classic spy thriller Steven Rea's Philadelphia Inquirer review... |
Now Playing at the Ritz at the Bourse
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Nominated for 5 Academy Awards, including Best Picture, director Steven Spielberg's War Horse is an epic adventure, a tale of loyalty, hope and tenacity set against a sweeping canvas of rural England and Europe during the First World War. War Horse begins with the remarkable friendship between a horse named Joey and a young man called Albert (Jeremy Irvine), who tames and trains him. When they are forcefully parted, the film follows the extraordinary journey of the horse as he moves through the war, changing and inspiring the lives of all those he meets—British cavalry, German soldiers, and a French farmer and his granddaughter—before the story reaches its emotional climax in the heart of No Man's Land. War Horse is one of the great stories of friendship and war—a successful book, it was turned into a hugely successful theatrical hit, on Broadway and internationally. Official Web Site Steven Rea's Philadelphia Inquirer review... |
Now Playing at the Ritz at the Bourse
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| In the early summer of 1956, 23-year-old Colin Clark (Eddie Redmayne) came down from Oxford determined to make his way in the film business. He worked as a lowly assistant on the set of The Prince and the Showgirl, the film that famously united Sir Laurence Olivier (Best Supporting Actor nominee Kenneth Branagh) and Marilyn Monroe (Best Actress nominee Michelle Williams), who was also on honeymoon with her new husband, the playwright Arthur Miller (Dougray Scott). Nearly 40 years on, his diary account The Prince, the Showgirl and Me was published, but one week was missing and this was published some years later as My Week with Marilyn. This is the story of that week. When Arthur Miller leaves England, the coast is clear for Colin to introduce Marilyn to some of the pleasures of British life—an idyllic week in which he escorted a Monroe desperate to get away from her retinue of Hollywood hangers-on and the pressures of work. Simon Curtis' directorial debut also stars Judi Dench, Julia Ormond and Dominic Cooper. Official Web Site |
Starts Friday, February 10
at the Ritz at the Bourse
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| Madonna's W.E. is a beautifully crafted, passionate tale about the search for true love in the modern world, viewed through the prism of one of history's most fabled romances. The year is 1998, and Manhattan is abuzz with anticipation about the upcoming auction of the estate of the Duke and Duchess of Windsor. But the auction is far more than a diversion for Wally Winthrop (Abbie Cornish), a transplanted Southerner trapped in an unhappy and abusive marriage. Transfixed by the exquisite artifacts of the Windsors' lives, Wally becomes obsessed with the love story of Wallis Simpson (Andrea Riseborough), the chic, charismatic American who captured the heart of King Edward VIII (James D'Arcy). As she learns more about the sacrifices Wallis made in choosing to be with Edward, Wally finds the courage to follow her own heart and create her own happiness. Academy Award nominee for Best Costume Design. Official Web Site |
Two Weeks Only! Starts Friday, February 10
at the Ritz at the Bourse
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| Don't miss this rare opportunity to see all five Academy Award nominees in the category of Best Animated Short and more! Program includes: "Dimanche/Sunday" (Canada), in which every Sunday, it's the same old routine—the train clatters through the village, Grandma will get a visit, and Dad dreams about his toolbox in church; "The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore" (USA), a poignant, humorous allegory about the curative powers of story, inspired in equal measures by Hurricane Katrina, Buster Keaton, The Wizard of Oz and a love for books; Pixar's "La Luna" (USA), a timeless coming-of-age fable of a young boy whose Papa and Grandpa take him to work for the very first time, rowing in an old wooden boat far out to sea; "A Morning Stroll" (UK), a whimsical tale in which a New Yorker meets a chicken on his morning walk; and "Wild Life" (Canada), the story of an Englishman who moves to Calgary on the Canadian frontier in 1909, but is singularly unsuited to it. Official Web Site |
Two Weeks Only! Starts Friday, February 10
at the Ritz at the Bourse
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| Don't miss this rare opportunity to see all five Academy Award nominees in the category of Best Live Action Short! Program includes: "Pentecost" (Ireland), in which Damian, forced to serve as an altar boy at an important mass in his local parish, must either conform to the status quo or give up his passion in life, football; "Raju" (Germany/India), a dramatic tale about a German couple in Kolkata who adopt an Indian orphan, but their child suddenly disappears; "The Shore" (Northern Ireland), the uplifting story of two boyhood best friends—Joe (Ciarán Hinds) and Paddy (Conleth Hill)—divided for 25 years by the tumult of "The Troubles"; "Time Freak" (USA), in which a neurotic inventor creates a time machine, only to get caught up traveling around yesterday; and "Tuba Atlantic" (Norway), in which seventy-year-old Oskar is told that he has only six days left to live, and wants to put things right with his brother who lives in New Jersey. Official Web Site |
Special Advance Screening!
Tue, Feb 14 at 7:00pm at the Ritz at the Bourse!
Stars and Filmmakers Tim Heidecker & Eric Wareheim In Person! (Sold Out)
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| Abso Lutely Productions and Funny or Die present Tim and Eric's Billion Dollar Movie, an all-new feature film from the twisted minds of cult comedy heroes Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim (creators of Adult Swim's "Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job"). Tim and Eric are given a billion dollars to make a movie, but squander every dime... and the sinister Schlaaang Corporation is pissed. Their lives at stake, the guys skip town in search of a way to pay the money back. When they happen upon a chance to rehabilitate a bankrupt mall full of vagrants, bizarre stores and a man-eating wolf that stalks the food court, they see dollar signs—a billion of them. Raunchy and hilarious, the film features cameos from "Awesome Show" regulars and some of the biggest names in comedy today! Directed and co-written by Tim and Eric. Official Web Site |
Starts Friday, February 17
at the Ritz at the Bourse
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| Caius Martius "Coriolanus" (director Ralph Fiennes), a revered and feared Roman general, is at odds with the city of Rome and his fellow citizens. Pushed by his controlling and ambitious mother Volumnia (Vanessa Redgrave) to seek the exalted and powerful position of Consul, he is loath to ingratiate himself with the masses whose votes he needs in order to secure the office. When the public refuses to support him, Coriolanus's anger prompts a riot that culminates in his expulsion from Rome. The banished hero then allies himself with his sworn enemy Tullus Aufidius (Gerard Butler) to take his revenge on the city. Updating William Shakespeare's late-period tragedy from ancient Rome to the 21st Century of guerrilla insurgencies, instant polling and 24-hour news networks, Fiennes takes a bracingly modern and naturalistic approach to Shakespeare, delivering a story that speaks strongly to our own polarized, volatile times. Official Web Site |
Starts Friday, February 17
at the Ritz at the Bourse
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| Blending dark comedy and delirious Midwestern noir, Thin Ice stars Greg Kinnear as Mickey Prohaska, a small-time insurance agent looking for a way to jump-start his business, reunite with his estranged wife (Lea Thompson) and escape the frigid Wisconsin weather. This self-proclaimed master of spin believes that salesmanship is about selling a story—all he needs is a sucker willing to buy it. He hits pay dirt with a lonely retired farmer (Alan Arkin) who is sitting on something much bigger than an insurance commission. But Mickey's attempt to con the old man spins out of control when a nosy, unstable locksmith (Billy Crudup) with a volatile temper dramatically ups the stakes, trapping him in a spiral of danger, deceit and double-crossing. Directed by Jill Sprecher (Thirteen Conversations About One Thing). Official Web Site |
One Show Only! Wed, February 29 at 7:00pm
at the Ritz East
Director Robert H. Lieberman In Person!
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| Shot clandestinely over a 2-year period by best-selling novelist and filmmaker Robert H. Lieberman, They Call It Myanmar: Lifting the Curtain provides a rare look at the second-most isolated country on the planet. It lifts the curtain to expose the everyday life in a country that has been held in the iron grip of a brutal military regime for 48 years. This unique feature-length documentary, culled from over 120 hours of striking images, is an impressionistic journey. Interviews and interactions with more than 100 people throughout Burma, including an interview with the recently released Aung San Suu Kyi, are interwoven with spectacular footage of this little-seen nation and its people. Though Burma has tumbled from one of the most prosperous and advanced countries in Southeast Asia to one of the world's poorest, They Call It Myanmar: Lifting the Curtain is a story of beauty, courage and hope. Official Web Site |
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