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Now Playing at the Clay Theatre
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| A brilliant and neurotic attorney (Fabrice Luchini, Intimate Strangers) goes to Monaco to defend a famous criminal. But instead of focusing on the case, he falls for a beautiful she-devil (Louise Bourgoin, César nominee for Best Female Newcomer), who turns him into a complete wreck. Hopefully, his zealous bodyguard (Roschdy Zem) will step in and put everything back in order... Or will he? A dramatic comedy written and directed by Anne Fontaine (Nathalie..., How I Killed My Father). Official Web Site |
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Now Playing at the Lumiere Theatre
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| A harrowing, nail-biting and entertaining thriller, Surveillance follows the aftermath of a violent killing spree on a desolate desert highway. Elizabeth Anderson (Julia Ormond) and Sam Hallaway (Bill Pullman) are Federal Investigators who arrive at a police station to interview the three witnesses of the brutal crimes: a zealot cop, a strung out junkie and an eight-year-old girl. The film unfolds as the three of them reveal their stories, and it gradually becomes evident that someone in the room is withholding a very dangerous secret. A twisted, wild ride from director/co-writer Jennifer Lynch (Boxing Helena), daughter of David Lynch, the film's executive producer. Co-starring Pell James, Ryan Simpkins, Cheri Oteri, Michael Ironside, French Stewart and co-writer Kent Harper. Official Web Site |
Now Playing at the Embarcadero Center Cinema
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It is turn of the century in Belle Epoque Paris and a scandalous romp is
underfoot. The sensational tale begins as the ravishing Lea (Michelle Pfeiffer)
contemplates retirement from her renowned stature as Paris's most envied seductress
to the rich and famous. Her plans are cut short when she is approached by
a former courtesan and arch rival, the barb-throwing gossip Charlotte Peloux
(Kathy Bates), who encourages Lea to teach her disaffected 19-year-old son—a
bon vivant nicknamed "Chéri" (Rupert Friend)—a thing
or two about women. The resulting escapades involve power struggles over sex,
money, age and society—and, unexpectedly, love itself—as a boy who
refuses to grow up collides with a woman who realizes she cannot stay young
forever. Director Stephen Frears (The Queen) and screenwriter Christopher
Hampton (Atonement) reunite (Dangerous Liaisons) to playfully
bring Colette's unconventional romance to the screen. Official
Web Site Mick LaSalle's San Francisco Chronicle review... |
Now Playing at the Embarcadero Center Cinema
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| Filmmaker Woody Allen returns to New York with an offbeat comedy about a crotchety, world class grouch named Boris (Larry David, writer/star of "Curb Your Enthusiasm" and co-creator of "Seinfeld"). One night, he is about to enter his apartment when he is approached by a young runaway named Melody (Evan Rachel Wood) who begs to be let inside. Seeing that she is hungry and cold, he reluctantly agrees. Melody turns out to be dewy-eyed innocent from Mississippi, who takes every sarcastic comment Boris makes completely literally. Boris helpfully tells her she is too fragile to survive in New York, but he allows her to stay for a "few nights." But as time passes, Melody makes herself at home, and shows no intention of moving out. When her uptight parents (Patricia Clarkson and Ed Begley, Jr.) arrive to rescue her from the misanthropic Boris, they are quickly drawn into wildly unexpected romantic entanglements. Everyone discovers that finding love is just a combination of lucky chance and appreciating the value of "whatever works." Co-starring Michael McKean and Conleth Hill. Official Web Site |
Now Playing at the Lumiere Theatre
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The Buddhist concept of reincarnation, while both mysterious and enchanting,
is hard for most westerners to grasp. Unmistaken Child follows the
4-year search for the reincarnation of Lama Konchog, a world-renowned Tibetan
master who passed away in 2001 at age 84. The Dalai Lama charges the deceased
monk's devoted disciple, Tenzin Zopa (who had been in his service since the
age of seven), to search for his master's reincarnation. Tenzin sets off on
this unforgettable quest on foot, mule and even helicopter, through breathtaking
landscapes and remote traditional Tibetan villages. Along the way Tenzin listens
to stories about young children with special characteristics, and performs
rarely seen ritualistic tests designed to determine the likelihood of reincarnation.
He eventually presents the child he believes to be his reincarnated master
to the Dalai Lama so that he can make the final decision. Stunningly shot,
director Nati Baratz's documentary is beguiling, surprising, touching, even
humorous. Official
Web Site Walter Addiego's San Francisco Chronicle review... |
Now Playing at the Opera Plaza Cinema
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| Stranded in a remote Iranian village, a French journalist (James Caviezel) is approached by Zahra (Shohreh Aghdashloo, Academy Award nominee for House of Sand and Fog), a woman who has a harrowing tale to tell about her niece, Soraya (Mozhan Marnò), and the bloody circumstances of her death the day before... As the journalist turns on his tape recorder, Zahra takes us back to the beginning of her story which involves Soraya's husband, the local phony mullah, and a town all too easily led down a path of deceit, coercion and hysteria. The women, stripped of all rights and without recourse, nobly confront the overwhelming desires of corrupt men who use and abuse their authority to condemn Soraya, an innocent but inconvenient wife, to an unjust and torturous death. A shocking and true drama, it exposes the dark power of mob rule, uncivil law, and the utter lack of human rights for women. The last and only hope for some measure of justice lies in the hands of the journalist who must escape with the story—and his life—so the world will know. Official Web Site |
Now Playing at the Embarcadero Center Cinema
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Tetro is writer/director Francis Ford Coppola's first original screenplay
since 1974's The Conversation. It is his most personal film yet, arising
from memories and emotions from his early life, though totally fictional.
When Bennie (Alden Ehrenreich) finds his long-estranged brother Tetro (Vincent
Gallo) living in Buenos Aires, he discovers that his sibling, once a brilliant
writer, is now tormented and self-destructive. A bittersweet story
of two brothers, of family lost and found and the conflicts and secrets within
a highly creative Argentine-Italian family, the drama co-stars Klaus Maria Brandauer,
Maribel Verdú and Carmen Maura. Official
Web Site Francis Ford Coppola on his return to independent filmmaking Mick LaSalle's San Francisco Chronicle review... |
Now Playing at the Opera Plaza Cinema
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This documentary tells the extraordinary story of Herbert Vogel, a postal
clerk, and Dorothy Vogel, a librarian, who managed to build one of the most
important contemporary art collections in history with very modest means.
In the early 1960s, when very little attention was paid to minimalist and
conceptual art, Herb and Dorothy quietly began purchasing the works of unknown
artists. Devoting all of Herb's salary to purchase art they liked, and living
on Dorothy's paycheck alone, they continued collecting artworks guided by
two rules: the piece had to be affordable, and it had to be small enough to
fit in their one-bedroom Manhattan apartment. Within these limitations, they
collected over 4,000 pieces and proved themselves curatorial visionaries;
most of those they supported and befriended went on to become world-renowned
artists. Their circle includes: Sol LeWitt, Christo and Jeanne-Claude, Richard
Tuttle, Chuck Close, Robert Mangold, Sylvia Mangold, Lynda Benglis, Pat Steir,
Robert Barry, Lucio Pozzi and Lawrence Weiner. Official
Web Site Walter Addiego's San Francisco Chronicle review... |
Now Playing at the Bridge Theatre
and Embarcadero Center Cinema
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Filmmaker Robert Kenner lifts the veil on our nation's food industry, exposing
the highly mechanized underbelly that's been hidden from the American consumer
with the consent of our government's regulatory agencies, the USDA and FDA.
Our nation's food supply is now controlled by a handful of corporations that
often put profit ahead of consumer health, the livelihood of the American
farmer, the safety of workers and our own environment. We have bigger-breasted
chickens, the perfect pork chop, herbicide-resistant soybean seeds, even
tomatoes that won't go bad, but we also have new strains of e coli—the
harmful bacteria that causes illness for an estimated 73,000 Americans annually.
We are riddled with widespread obesity, particularly among children, and an
epidemic level of diabetes among adults. Featuring interviews with such experts
as Eric Schlosser (Fast Food Nation), Michael Pollan (The Omnivore's
Dilemma) along with forward thinking social entrepreneurs like Stonyfield
Farms' Gary Hirschberg and Polyface Farms' Joe Salatin, Food, Inc.
reveals surprising—and often shocking truths—about what we eat,
how it's produced, who we have become as a nation and where we are going from
here. Official Web
Site Amy Biancolli's San Francisco Chronicle review... |
Now Playing at the Lumiere Theatre
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In writer/director Götz Spielmann's powerful drama two seemingly divergent
storylines intersect and become inextricably linked in unexpected ways. Alex
(Johannes Krisch), an ex-con dreaming of a better life, and his girlfriend
Tamara (Irina Potapenko), a Ukrainian prostitute, both work in a Vienna brothel,
hiding their relationship from the boss. In a country village a few hours
away Susanne (Ursula Strauss) and her police officer husband Robert (Andreas
Lust) lead a tranquil life, lacking only a child. Desperate to rescue Tamara
from her job at the brothel, Alex robs the bank in Robert's village; Robert
stumbles across them and a stray bullet leads to accidental murder. Featuring
superlative acting in a character-driven story about moral choices and their
consequences, Revanche (Revenge) reveals a profound understanding of
human nature. Academy Award Nominee for Best Foreign Language Film. Official
Web Site Mick LaSalle's San Francisco Chronicle review... |
Now Playing at the Opera Plaza Cinema
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The twenties have roared... The thirties have yet to swing. Young Englishman
John Whittaker (Ben Barnes) falls madly in love with Larita (Jessica Biel),
a sexy and glamorous American woman, and they marry impetuously. But when
the couple returns to the family home, his mother—the stoic and neurotic
Mrs. Whittaker (Kristin Scott Thomas)—has an instant allergic reaction
to her new daughter-in-law. Larita tries her best to fit in but fails to tiptoe
through the minefield laid by her mother-in-law. Larita quickly realizes Mrs.
Whittaker's game and sees that she must fight back if she's not going to lose
John. A battle of wits ensues and sparks soon fly. Co-starring Colin Firth
as the war-weary head of the household. Directed and co-written by Stephan
Elliott (The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert), based on the play by Noël
Coward. Official
Web Site Mick LaSalle's San Francisco Chronicle review... |
Now Playing at the Opera Plaza Cinema
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Academy Award winner for Best Foreign Language Film, Departures is
a delightful journey into the heartland of Japan as well an astonishingly
beautiful look at a sacred part of Japan's cultural heritage. Daigo Kobayashi
(Masahiro Motoki), a devoted cellist in an orchestra that has just been dissolved,
is suddenly left without a job. Daigo decides to move back to his old hometown
with his wife to look for work and start over. He answers a classified ad
entitled "Departures" thinking it is an advertisement for a travel
agency only to discover that the job is actually for a "Nokanshi"
or "encoffineer," a funeral professional who prepares deceased bodies
for burial and entry into the next life. While his wife and others despise
the job, Daigo takes a certain pride in his work and begins to perfect the
art of "Nokanshi," acting as a gentle gatekeeper between life and
death, between the departed and the family of the departed. The film follows
his profound and sometimes comical journey with death as he uncovers the wonder,
joy and meaning of life and living. Official
Web Site Roger Ebert's Chicago Sun-Times review... |
Now Playing at the Opera Plaza Cinema
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The divergent paths of three forty-something siblings collide when their
mother, heiress to her uncle's exceptional 19th century art collection, dies
suddenly. Left to come to terms with themselves and their differences, Adrienne
(Juliette Binoche), a successful New York designer, Frederic (Charles Berling),
an economist and university professor in Paris, and Jérémie
(Jérémie Renier), a dynamic businessman in China, confront the
end of childhood, their shared memories, background and unique vision of the
future. Written and directed by acclaimed filmmaker Olivier Assayas (Clean,
Demonlover). Official
Web Site Mick LaSalle's San Francisco Chronicle review... |
Starts Friday, July 10
at the Embarcadero Center Cinema
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If war is hell, why do so many men choose to fight? In an age when armies
consist not of draftees but of volunteers, and men willingly thrust themselves
into military action, sometimes the rush of battle is a potent and alluring
attraction, even an addiction. The Hurt Locker is an intense portrayal
of elite soldiers who have one of the most dangerous jobs in the world: disarming
bombs in the heat of combat. When a new sergeant, James (Jeremy Renner), takes
over a highly trained bomb disposal team amidst violent conflict, he surprises
his two subordinates, Sanborn and Eldridge (Anthony Mackie and Brian Geraghty),
by recklessly plunging them into a deadly game of urban combat. James behaves
as if he's indifferent to death. As the men struggle to control their wild
new leader, the city explodes into chaos, and James' true character reveals
itself in a way that will change each man forever. This riveting
and suspenseful drama from visionary filmmaker Kathryn Bigelow
(Strange Days, K-19: The Widowmaker) is based on first-hand observation by journalist and
screenwriter Mark Boal who was stationed on assignment with a special bomb
unit. Also starring Ralph Fiennes and Guy Pearce. Official
Web Site Director Kathryn Bigelow on the importance of casting the perfect actor |
Starts Friday, July 10
at a San Francisco Landmark Theatre
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| "Have you ever wondered 'What is the meaning of life? Why do we exist?' The answer to this vexing question is now within your reach! You'll find it in a small yet amazing booklet, which will explain, in easy to follow, simple terms your reason for being! The booklet, printed on the finest paper, contains illuminating, exquisite colour pictures, and could be yours for a mere $9.99." This is the ad that alters the life of Dave Peck (voice of Samuel Johnson), an unemployed 28-year-old who still lives at home. In his struggle to share his find with the world, Dave's surreal path crosses with those of his unusual neighbors: an old man and his disgruntled guardian angel, a magician in debt, a bewitching woman who likes her men extra smooth, a broken-hearted man who befriends a group of hard-partying two-inch tall students, and a little boy who sets his piggy bank free. Their stories are woven together, examining the post-modern meaning of hope. A stop-motion animated feature based on the short stories of Etgar Keret, adapted for the screen by Keret and director Tatia Rosenthal. Featuring the voices of Geoffrey Rush and Anthony LaPaglia. Official Web Site |
One Week Only!
Starts Friday, July 10 at the Lumiere Theatre
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| When a gifted and well-qualified young teacher takes a job teaching natural sciences at a grammar school in the country, he makes the acquaintance of a woman and her troubled 17-year-old son. The teacher has no romantic interest in the woman but they quickly form a strong friendship, each recognizing the other's uncertainties, hopes and longing for love. When the teacher's ex-boyfriend comes to visit from the city, he quickly realizes that nobody in the village knows that the teacher is gay and harbors a secret affection for the teenage boy. His jealous actions set in motion a series of events that will test the inner strength and compassion of the teacher, the woman and her son to a breaking point. A beautifully shot, powerfully acted, profoundly moving story of desire, responsibility, forgiveness and the need to belong. From Bohdan Sláma, the internationally-acclaimed director of Something Like Happiness and Wild Bees. Official Web Site |
Peaches Christ Returns to the Bridge Theatre
for a 12th & Final Season of Midnight Mass!
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for on-stage interview, audience Q&As, post-show fan meet-and-greet and more! Roller Boogie · Fri, July 10 The Exorcist · Sat, July 11 Can you survive a Westerburg High Reunion? Prizes for the ultimate Heather! Heathers · Sat, July 18 Zombie Drag Queen Rollerderby! Evil Dead 2: Dead by Dawn · Sat, July 25 12th Annual Midnight Mass Screening! Live preshow plus free lap-dances with every tub of popcorn! Showgirls · Fri & Sat, July 31 & August 1 The search is on to find an all-new Filthiest Person Alive! John Waters' Pink Flamingos · Sat, Aug 8 The classic Polter-Christ pre-show returns! Poltergeist · Sat, Aug 15 Elvira In Person both nights for on-stage interview, audience Q&As, post-show fan meet-and-greet and more! Elvira, Mistress of the Dark · Fri & Sat, Aug 21 & 22 |
Starts Friday, July 17 at the Clay Theatre
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| Séraphine vividly recounts the tragic story of French naïve painter Séraphine de Senlis (renowned French actress Yolande Moreau), a humble servant who becomes a gifted, self-taught painter whose brilliantly colorful canvases adorn some of the most famous galleries in the world. German art critic and collector Wilhelm Uhde (Ulrich Tukur) discovers her paintings while she is working for him as a maid in Senlis near Paris in the early part of the 20th century. A poignant and unexpected relationship develops between the avant-garde art dealer and the visionary cleaning lady. Director/co-writer Martin Provost's fictionalized portrait of this forgotten painter is a testament to creativity and the resilience of one woman's spirit. Winner of 7 Césars (French Oscars) including Best Film, Best Actress and Best Cinematography. Official Web Site |
Starts Friday, July 17
at a San Francisco Landmark Theatre
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| It's been a decade since Ben (Mark Duplass) and Andrew (Joshua Leonard) were the bad boys of their college campus. Ben has settled down and found a job, wife and home. Andrew took the alternate route as a vagabond artist, skipping the globe from Chiapas to Cambodia. When Andrew shows up unannounced on Ben's doorstep, they easily fall back into their old dynamic of macho one-upmanship. Late into the night at a wild party, the two find themselves locked in a mutual dare: to enter an amateur porn contest together. But what kind of boundary-breaking, envelope-pushing porn can two straight dudes make? After the booze and "big talk" run out, only one idea remains—they will have sex together...on camera. It's not gay; it's beyond gay. It's not porn; it's art. But how exactly will it work? And more importantly, who will tell Anna (Alycia Delmore), Ben's wife? Writer/director Lynn Shelton, director of My Effortless Brilliance and recipient of the Someone to Watch Award at the 2009 Independent Spirit Awards, expertly mines the biggest ironies of the male ego to hilarious effect in this buddy movie gone wild. Official Web Site |
One Week Only!
Starts Friday, July 17 at the Lumiere Theatre
 |
| Jerichow, a small town in northeastern Germany, is an impoverished region where few jobs are to be had—an area of crisscrossing highways, deep forests and cliffs that fall sharply into the sea. This is the setting for a fateful drama of three people who find themselves at a fortuitous crossroads. Following his mother's death, Thomas (Benno Fürmann), a former soldier who has been dishonorably discharged from the army, returns to his hometown to renovate his mother's house. One night, Thomas meets Ali (Hilmi Sözer), a Turkish immigrant who owns a chain of snack bars in the area. Always suspicious of the people who work for him, Ali takes an unusual liking to Thomas. He trusts him and offers him a job as his driver and assistant. Laura (Nina Hoss) is Ali's restless, beautiful wife. Thomas sees her whenever he drives his delivery truck to Ali's brick-fronted villa deep in the woods. One day, the three of them head to the beach. Thomas sits next to Laura, while Ali dances, drunken and absentmindedly, to the notes of a Turkish tune, unknowingly setting in motion a series of events that will change the course of their lives. A gripping neo-noir written and directed by Christian Petzold (Yella). Official Web Site |
Starts Friday, July 17 at the Lumiere Theatre
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| Director Anders Østergaard's award-winning documentary shows a rare inside look into the 2007 uprising in Myanmar through the cameras of the independent journalist group, Democratic Voice of Burma. While 100,000 people (including thousands of Buddhist monks) took to the streets to protest the country's repressive regime that has held them hostage for over 40 years, foreign news crews were banned to enter and the internet was shut down. The Democratic Voice of Burma, a collective of 30 anonymous and underground video journalists (VJs) recorded these historic and dramatic events on handycams and smuggled the footage out of the country, where it was broadcast worldwide via satellite. Risking torture and life imprisonment, the VJs vividly document the brutal clashes with the military and undercover police—even after they themselves become targets of the authorities. Winner of the International Human Rights Film Award at the 2009 Berlin Film Festival as well as the Editing Award at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival. Official Web Site |
Sat, Aug 29 at Midnight at the Clay Theatre!
With The Bawdy Caste LIVE!
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| The longest-running midnight movie of all time stars Tim Curry as the kinky yet endearing “transsexual from Transylvania” Dr. Frank N. Furter, Susan Sarandon and Barry Bostwick as his hapless guests Brad and Janet, Meat Loaf as motorcycle-riding rough trade and author Richard O’Brien as the hunchbacked butler Riff Raff. It’s harmless musical fun—a delightful spoof of Hollywood horror movies and Old Dark House melodramas. All of our engagements feature live casts who perform scenes during the movie, and the audience is always welcome to respond to the on-screen action. The Rocky Horror Picture was the first—and is still the best—interactive movie experience! Official Web Site |
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