For more info, visit cinemacenter.org or email movies@cinemacenter.org.
A Family Affair, Swimming Pool & Spellbound
Wednesday 8/13 Spellbound 6:30, Swimming Pool 8:30 Thursday 8/14 Spellbound 6:30, Swimming Pool 8:30
--
A Family Affair
“Until now, it may not have occurred to you that what we needed was a witty lesbian romance. Once you see "A Family Affair," you realize what we've been missing.”—San Francisco Chronicle. “A Woody Allen-esque trifecta reconfigured with sharp wit. Lesnick is a budding talent.”—Variety. 100 min., Unrated (nudity, mature themes, some sensuality.)
More: http://www.a-family-affair.com
Friday at 9PM, Saturday at 7PM, Sunday at 4PM, Monday at 9PM, Tuesday at 9PM, Wednesday at 7PM Thursday at 7PM
Spellbound
“Two thumbs up!”—Ebert & Roeper. “Irresistible! America at its best.”--Los Angeles Times. “Wonderful!”— Entertainment Weekly. “A work of art! More suspenseful than any Hollywood thriller.”—The New York Times. “Captivating!”—Esquire. “Excellent!”—People. “Entertaining!”—New York Magazine. “Charming! Packed with nailbiting suspense.”—Premiere Magazine. 97 min., Rated G.
More: www.spellbound.tv
Friday at 5:15PM, Saturday at 2PM, Sunday at 2PM, Monday at 5:15PM, Tuesday at 5:15PM, Wednesday at 5:15PM, and Thursday at 5:15PM
Swimming Pool
“Seductive Fun!”—Rolling Stone. “Worth seeing twice!” -Premiere. “Two thumbs way up!”—Ebert & Roeper. “A sensuous and deceptive new thriller! After it is over, you will want to go back!”—Roger Ebert. “Clever, teasing entertainment with a delicious final twist! Charlotte Rampling is an actress of infinite nuance.”—New York Times. “Swimming Pool mesmerizes long after the movie is over.”—San Francisco Chronicle. Rated R for strong sexual content, nudity, language, some violence and drug use. Running time: 102 min. In English & French (with English subtitles.)
More: http://www.focusfeatures.com/
Friday at 7PM, Saturday at 4PM & 9PM, Sunday at 6:30PM, Monday at 7PM, Tuesday at 7PM, Wednesday at 9PM, Thursday at 9PM
A Family Affair “A Family Affair” is being presented as part of our Lesbian Gay Film Festival Helen Lesnick's "A Family Affair" is a serious romantic comedy of such strength and substance and so entertaining that it doesn't matter that its minuscule budget shows around the edges. It's an impressive debut for actress Lesnick, who stars in her feature writer-director debut. For 13 tumultuous years, Lesnick's dry-witted Manhattan freelance writer, Rachel Rosen, has been in an on-again, off-again romance with glamorous, capricious Reggie (Michele Greene), a Columbia professor of physics. With their latest breakup Rachel has decided she has had it with Reggie once and for all and heads to her parents' home in San Diego to begin a new life. The Rosens, Leah (Arlene Golonka) and Sam (Michael Moerman), are a loving, supportive couple active in PFLAG, Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays, especially the outspoken and dynamic Leah. A Jewish mother -- but not a caricature -- Leah is eager to see her daughter settled down with a nice girl. After a series of dating disasters, Rachel discovers that the young woman Leah lines up for her really is something. Erica Shaffer's Christine in fact proves almost too good to be true. She's a lovely blond, a massage therapist successful enough to afford a handsome home she is soon sharing with Rachel, who knows she has lucked out. That things are happening so quickly, with Christine full of talk about converting to Judaism and having a wedding with Rachel, overwhelms Rachel, triggering other long-buried issues of trust and loss; sexual orientation, refreshingly, is not among them. Lesnick knows how to build her characters from within, and as a result this gentle film delivers an emotional wallop all the more potent for being unexpected. By the time "A Family Affair" is over it illuminates what makes for a full life with a maturity that is by any measure exceptional. Lesnick is a strong, authoritative actress who knows how to draw solid support from her other key actors, including Barbara Stuart as Christine's elegant mother, who shows that an uptight WASP is not necessarily incapable of change. Especially strong is a life-transforming scene between Rachel and her father. 100 minutes., Unrated (nudity, mature themes, some sensuality.)
Swimming Pool The prolific young gun of the French new guard (this is his sixth film in as many years), Francois Ozon adores female actors--and it's mutual. He prefers their sensitivity and their ability to dig deeper and take bigger risks than their male counterparts. How many other directors could have attracted a French femme thesp lineup of the caliber of "8 Women?" After that stylized theatrical ensemble piece, Ozon returns with a more intimate but very entertaining first English-language mystery thriller. Back as his leads are Charlotte Rampling ("Sous le Sable") and Ludivine Sagnier ("8 Women," "Water Drops on Burning Rocks") in a two-hander of the attraction/repulsion of opposites and the volatile, complex relationship between creator and muse. Rampling plays Samantha Morton, a novelist who churns out formulaic mystery crime thrillers. When writer’s block obstructs her output, her publisher (Charles Dance) suggests a stay at his summerhouse in Provence, France. There's just one omission: Also residing at the abode is his daughter Julie, a young precocious temptress whose promiscuous lifestyle threatens to disrupt--or even implode--repressed Sarah’s regimented routine. That is, until Sarah’s insatiable voyeurism turns to creative inspiration as her attention turns from another Inspector Dorwell adventure ("Inspector Dorwell on Holiday," "Inspector Dorwell Wears a Kilt") to headstrong, youthful lust. But Julie turns out to be more complicated than first impressions suggest and, as the relationship between the two houseguests ricochets between hostility and complicity, through cat-and-mouse games Ozon peels the layers of both characters and subverts traditional thriller patterns. The end result is an entertaining drama, showcasing strong performances from both actresses. Sex, murder, mystery, psychological drama, vintage Rampling, sensuous Sagnier, and a summerhouse in Provence--here Ozon has all bases covered. Rated R for strong sexual content, nudity, language, some violence and drug use. Running time: 102 min.
Spellbound One of the best "sports" documentaries of the year, "Spellbound" follows eight young people as they race towards the top--and only--prize in the world's toughest, most unforgiving challenge--the National Spelling Bee. Spelling is, in its quaint and uniquely American way, the great equalizer--if you can spell, nothing else matters. By the same token, it is the only competition with absolutely no second chances--one misspelled word anywhere along the way, and you are gone. From Emily, hailing from the pampered suburbs of Connecticut, to Ashley, child of the projects in D.C.; from Ted, born of a poor farm family in Missouri, to Harry, the lovable spaz from New Jersey, all eight youngsters are drawn from the diversity of this country--with an assortment of anxious parents as well. It's a true cross-section of America rarely captured so well in film. Each of the children is given screen time enough to impress us, not just with their talent but with their personalities. In addition, a parade of interesting side characters--from the faithful teacher-mentor to past champions--flesh out the straightforward story of pressure and the razor-thin margin between triumph and failure. The timelessness of this tale and the skill and love evident in its making rank "Spellbound" as a classic. As the finals wear on and contestants start to fall, the audience's hearts will be in their throats. The contest is intense and merciless, and we feel the pressure right alongside the parents. Expect a few tears shed at the emotionally cathartic finale. This is a documentary that will involve you, these are kids you will love, this is a picture of America at its most American. It's a powerful reminder that our future is in our children--and that the kids are all right. “Two thumbs up!”—Ebert & Roeper. “Irresistible!”-Los Angeles Times. “Wonderful!”— Entertainment Weekly. “A work of art! More suspenseful than any Hollywood thriller.”—The New York Times. 97 min., Rated G.
Coming Soon: Winged Migration Opens Friday, August 22nd You won't find any purer example of the power of cinema than Jacques Perrin's Oscar-nominated documentary "Winged Migration." Here's the long and short of it: "Winged Migration" is 90 minutes of footage of birds flying, though Perrin looks at the variety of natural and man-made hazards birds face in the course of their semi-annual instinctive trek across great expanses of globe. And yet, with only these images and sounds of birds, a musical score and a minimum of narration, Perrin's film speaks volumes about the way these animals live in nature and, occasionally, in spite of nature. There is something heroic and awe-inspiring about their indomitable struggle to follow the instincts they were born with. There undoubtedly will be people who find this notion boring: Birds? Flying? That's it? I can see that on the Nature Channel. But give this movie a chance. Perrin's film is profound – and profoundly entertaining. You will look at the world in a different way after seeing "Winged Migration." “Who wants to see a documentary about birds of every feather who migrate across forty countries and seven continents? You do. Winged Migration is a movie miracle; it soars.”—Rolling Stone "Winged Migration is a marvel.”—Los Angeles Times. “A movie of awesome beauty and innovation…”—Chicago Tribune. In a summer full of digitally enhanced machines ("The Matrix Reloaded") and mutants ("X2"), you won't see anything more amazing and electrifying than the soaring birds in this marvelous movie.”—L.A. Daily News. 90 min., Rated G.