Category: Newsletters

“Alexandra, played by opera legend Galina Vishnevskaya, is an elderly woman who has come to see her beloved grandson Denis (Vasily Shevtsov), a young officer at a remote military outpost. In oppressive heat, with the enemy just beyond the compound, she acquaints herself with the routines of military life and makes a revealing trip into the outlying countryside. An official Selection at the Cannes, Toronto and New York Film Festivals, Alexandra is a powerful new film from the great Alexander Sokurov, director of Russian Ark and Father and Son. (Fully subtitled)”

The Animation Show is back with an all-new collection of incredible independent animation! This year Mike Judge has gathered together over two dozen of his favorite funny short films from around the world. It’s a groundbreaking program of eye-popping adult animation from tomorrow’s next great animators. This isnÂ’t a dirty “adults only” animation show but the program does skew towards a mature audience with some explicit language and adult subject matter. This year The Animation Show has commissioned some truly amazing new work from four incredible artists. Kicking things off is the uber-talented Joel Trussell with an epic viking Animation Show Intro. Australian animator Dave Carter debuts three new commissioned shorts with the hilarious “Psychotown.” Dave continues his collaboration with the comedy team The Nice Guys for a blend of cut out and stop-motion animation. Also featured is stop-motion superstar PES, who has been an Animation Show regular the last two tours and returns this year with the instructional cooking treat “Western Spaghetti.” This is PESÂ’s most complex film to date and an instant classic! The program also features the first commissioned short film from the commercial design team Smith and Foulkes (known for their award-winning commercial spots for Coke and Motorola) with the CG tale “This Way Up.” The piece centers around two undertakers working hard to lay the dead to rest. Like past tours this new program is packed with festival favorites and premieres. This year The Animation Show is the first to theatrically share the work of Steve Dildarian (new HBO series “The Life and Times of Tim” debuting in September). Another highlight is a collection of films never seen in the U.S. from the prestigious French animation college Gobelins, featuring the shorts “Burning Safari,” “Cocotte Minute,” “Voodoo” and “Blind Spot.” Returning this year are animation greats Bill Plympton with the premiere of “Hot Dog,” Corky Quakenbush with the irreverent “Yompi” and Georges SchizgebelÂ’s gorgeous “Jeu”!

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“More scrupulously reported than your average Michael Moore film but every bit as entertaining.” – Peter Debruge, Variety

From the producers of BOWLING FOR COLUMBINE and FAHRENHEIT 9/11 comes a new film that unflinchingly explores America’s win-at-all-cost culture through the lens of a personal journey. Blending comedy and pathos, BIGGER, STRONGER, FASTER* is a collision of pop culture and first-person narrative, with a diverse cast including US Congressmen, professional athletes, medical experts and everyday gym rats.

At its heart, this is the story of director Christopher Bell and his two brothers, who grew up idolizing muscular giants like Hulk Hogan, Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger, and who went on to become members of the steroid-subculture in an effort to realize their American dream. “

“Having lost his passion for teaching and writing, 62-year-old Walter Vale (Richard Jenkins) fills the void by trying to learn to play classical piano. Sent to Manhattan to attend a conference, Walter is surprised to find a young couple has taken up residence in his apartment. Victims of a real estate scam, Tarek (Haaz Sleiman), a Syrian man, and Zainab (Danai Gurira), his Senegalese girlfriend, have nowhere else to go. In the first of a series of tests of the heart, Walter reluctantly allows the couple to stay with him. Touched by his kindness, the talented Tarek insists on teaching the aging academic to play the African drum. The instrument’s exuberant rhythms revitalize Walter’s faltering spirit and open his eyes to a vibrant world of local jazz clubs and Central Park drum circles. When Tarek is arrested as an undocumented citizen and held for deportation, Walter finds himself compelled to help his new friend with a passion he thought he had long ago lost. Written and directed by Tom McCarthy (The Station Agent).”

Note: This is likely to be a popular show, so you may wish to purchase tickets in advance!

“Famed archaeologist/adventurer Dr. Henry “Indiana” Jones is called back into action when he becomes entangled in a Soviet plot to uncover the secret behind mysterious artifacts known as the Crystal Skulls.”

“Colorful and action-packed, this jubilant film endearingly spoofs James Bond-style spy adventures from the 1960s. The setting is Egypt, 1955. Cairo is a veritable nest of spies, with everyone wary of everyone and plotting against everyone: the English, French, Soviets—even the radical Eagles of Kheops brotherhood. To bring order to this desert at the edge of chaos, the French Secret Service sends their main weapon: Hubert Bonisseur de la Bath (Jean Dujardin), a super agent and ladies man otherwise known as OSS 117. His mission: investigate the death of a friend and fellow spy, control the Suez Canal and establish peace in the Middle East!”

“Documents the true story of the final weeks of rehearsal for the Young at Heart Chorus in Northampton, MA, whose average age is 81, and many of whom must overcome health adversities to participate. Their music is unexpected, going against the stereotype of their age group, performing songs, for example, by James Brown, and Sonic Youth. Although they have toured Europe and sang for royalty, this account focuses on preparing new songs, not an easy endeavor, for a concert in their home town, which succeeds in spite of several real heart breaking events.”

IMPORTANT: This screening is part of the 2008 Independent Film Festival of Boston. The festival starts today (Wednesday) and runs through next Tusday.

“This sweeping epic follows Temudgin from his perilous childhood to his ascension as the legendary Ghengis Khan. Starring Tadanobu Asano, considered JapanÂ’s Johnny Depp. From director Sergei Bodrov (PRISONER OF THE MOUNTAIN).”

“In his entertaining new documentary, Morgan Spurlock (Super Size Me) takes on a franchise even more lethal than McDonald’s—Al Qaeda. With no military experience, knowledge or expertise, he sets off to do what the CIA, FBI and U.S. military have all failed to do: find the world’s most wanted man. But before he finds bin Laden, he first needs to learn where he came from and the environment and influences that shaped him. Following bin Laden’s trail through some of the most dangerous places in the world, Spurlock encounters both the rational and the radical faces of the Middle East. He risks life and limb to uncover the truth about bin Laden, and in doing so explores the lines that divide, those that unite, and the countless shades of grey between.”