Hey there Everyone!
Once again, it’s a cornucopia of new movie possibilties here in the Boston area, making it difficult to select the film for the Chlotrudis Monday Night at the Movies. I’ve got to admit that I chose this week’s film on the strength of the director’s previous film, THE TASTE OF OTHERS, which was up for a Best Cast Chlotrudis Award back in 2002 for the 8th Annual Awards. LOOK AT ME is the latest film from French director/writer/actress Agn’Jaoui, and it screens at the Kendall Square Cinema at 7:20 p.m. on Monday night. This film won the Best Screenplay award at Cannes last year.
A story of human beings who know exactly what they’d do if they were somebody else, but are struggling to find out who they are. Overweight and lacking in self-esteem, Lolita (Marilou Berry) is angry at the world because her father Etienne (Jean-Pierre Bacri), a famous and celebrated writer, is too busy to notice her. Lolita wants to be a singer, and soon attaches herself to her teacher Sylvia (director/co-writer Agn’Jaoui, The Taste of Others). After learning that Lolita is Etienne’s daughter, Sylvia spends extra time with her and Etienne, hoping she will get access to a better life. (Fully subtitled)
DIRECTOR: Agn’Jaoui
CAST: Marilou Berry, Agn’Jaoui, Jean-Pierre Bacri, Laurent Gr’ll, Virginie Desarnauts, Keine Bouhiza, Gr’ire Oestermann, Serge Riaboukine, Mich’ Moretti
Fans of IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE won’t want to miss the Brattle Wong Kar-Wai retrospective starting tomorrow night. I really want to see DAYS OF BEING WILD, but it doesn’t look like I’m going to be able to squeeze it in. Speaking of Wong Kar-Wai, the Kendall is opening EROS, a triptych of films by directors Kar-Wai, Stephen Soderbergh and Michelangelo Antonioni. I’ve heard mixed things about this film, but the Kar-Wai segment is supposed to be incredible. The Coolidge is premiering a new film that was a hit at last year’s Boston Jewish Film Festival: NINA’S TRAGEDIES. And if you’re free on Friday, try to catch the final meeting of the BU Cinematheque with filmmaker Michael Epstein.
See you at the movies!
Playing this week, April 8 – 14.
Brattle Theatre, Cambridge
Wong Kar Wai: A Retrospective
Days of Being Wild (Fri. & Sat.)
As Tears Go By (Sun.)
Ashes of Time (Sun.)
Chungking Express (Mon. & Tue.)
Fallen Angels (Mon. & Tue.)
Happy Together (Wed.)
In the Mood for Love (Thu.)
Special Event: The B.U. Cinematheque Presents: Newly Restored Original Cut!
Heaven’s Gate (Sat. & Sun.)
Harvard Book Store Presents:
Camille Paglia (Tue.)
Coolidge Corner Theatre, Brookline
Nina’s Tragedies
Academy Award Nominated Shorts
Millions
Watermarks
Midnite Madness
The Animation Show (Fri. & Sat.)
FEI Theatres Capitol Theatres, Arlington
A Very Long Engagement (ineligible)
Finding Neverland
Bride & Prejudice
Sideways
Closer (ineligible)
FEI Theatres Somerville Theatres, Somerville
Sideways
Bad Education
Closer (ineligible)
The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (ineligible)
Harvard Film Archive, Cambridge
An Evening with Todd Solondz
Happiness (Fri.) Director in Person!
Palindromes (Fri.) Director in Person! Sorry – this is SOLD OUT!
Tremors of Forgery: Filming Patricia Highsmith
Ripley’s Game (Sat.)
The American Friend (Sat.)
Purple Noon (Sun.)
The Talented Mr. Ripley (Sun.)
Visions from the South: Korean Cinema 1960-2005
Oasis (Mon.)
Black and White on Screen
Toxi (Mon.)
Fashion on Film
In the Mood for Love (Tue. & Wed.)
Film and Autobiography
Intervista (Tue.)
Alain Resnais
My American Uncle (Wed.)
Hollywood Hits Theatre, Danvers
Walk on Water
Born into Brothels
Millions
Downfall
Sideways Nominated for FOUR Chlotrudis Awards, including Best Cast!
Finding Neverland
Paper Clips
Million Dollar Baby (ineligible)
Landmark Theatres
Kendall Square, Cambridge
Look at Me
Eros
Dust to Glory
The 48-Hour Film Project (Tue. & Thu.)
Off the Map
Millions
Walk on Water
The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill
Downfall
Born into Brothels
Embassy Cinema, Waltham
Melinda and Melinda
Downfall
The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill
Bride & Prejudice
Born into Brothels
Million Dollar Baby (ineligible)
Loew’s Harvard Square, Cambridge
The Ballad of Jack and Rose
Melinda and Melinda
The Upside of Anger
Schultze Gets the Blues
Million Dollar Baby (ineligible)
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
The Fourth Boston Turkish Film Festival
Hope (Fri.)
Motherland Hotel (Fri.)
The Herd (Sat.)
Innocence (Sat.)
Yol (Sun.)
Distant (Sun.)
Art on Film
Antonio Gaudi (Sat. & Sun.)
Pre-release Screening
Palindromes w/ director Todd Solondz Present
The Newburyport Screening Room, Newburyport
Off the Map
West Newton Cinema, West Newton
Nina’s Tragedies
Look at Me
Lost Embrace
Walk on Water
Hotel Rwanda
The Chorus
Schultze Gets the Blues
Paper Clips
SPECIAL EVENTS
THE BU CINEMATHEQUE RETURNS! APRIL 2005 SCHEDULE
This is the last showing of the semester!
Friday, April 8-AN EVENING WITH MICHAEL EPSTEIN BU College of Communication, 640 Comm. Ave., Room B-05, 7 pm
The New York-based Epstein, an Academy Award nominee, has carved a distinguished career making penetrating documentaries about Hollywood subjects: Orson Welles and Citizen Kane, Alfred Hitchcock and David O. Selznick,, Elia Kazan and the Blacklist. His newest film is his funniest, liveliest, and most eye-opening: Final Cut: the Making and Unmaking of Heaven’s Gate (2004). It’s the wild saga of the 1980 Michael Cimino movie so financially out of control’20 times more expensive than planned!– that it closed down a Hollywood studio. Here’s what really happened on the set, unbelievable if there weren’t eye witnesses.
SEE the behind-the-scenes documentary, SEE the actual film, which is far, far better than its crazy reputation! (The French adore it!)
Heaven’s Gate plays Saturday and Sunday, April 9 and 10, at the Brattle in a newly restored original 35mm cut, all 220 minutes of it. From Michael Cimino, the filmmaker of The Deerhunter, comes this vast, mighty epic of the Old West starring Kris Kristofferson, Christopher Walken, John Hurt, and Isabelle Huppert.
Michael R. Colford
Chlotrudis Society for Independent Film, President
It’s a big week for the Coolidge as Wednesday night sees the presentation of the Coolidge Award to internationally acclaimed cinematographer vittario Storaro. After a weekend of films wrapping up a career overview of Storaro’s work, the Coolidge will hold an award ceremony that includes testimonials from filmmakers and scholars; selected scenes from Vittorio Storaro’s body of work; live music and dance performances; and the presentation of the second Coolidge Award. Those of you who are fortunate enough to have Thursday off should definitely check out the Writing with Light discussion on Cinematography featuring acclaimed directors of photography Sotraro, Albert Maysles (GREY GARDENS), Maryse Alberti (HAPPINESS) and more. The seminar begins at 1:30 p.m.
Thursday night join us at the Harvard Film Archive for a special pre-release screening of YES, the latest film by Sally Potter (ORLANDO) starring Joan Allen. YES is the story of a passionate love affair between an American woman (Allen) and a Middle-Eastern man (Simon Abkarian), in which they confront some of the greatest conflicts of our generation: religious, political, and sexual. Sam Neill plays the betrayed and betraying politician husband and Shirley Henderson a philosophical cleaner who witnesses the trail of dirt and heartbreak the lovers leave behind them as they embark on a journey that takes them from London and Belfast to Beirut and Havana. This free event features a special Q&A with Potter, followed by a reception with the filmmaker. This is sure to sell out, and starts at the early screening time of 6:00 p.m., so do try to get there early. I will be in line between 5:15 and 5:30, so let me know if you’ll be coming and I’ll look out for you.
On the rise acting sensation Ellen Page received the third award of distinction, the Breakthrough Award. Chlotrudis this year broke somewhat with tradition to award Ms. Page in anticipation of near-future career success, having spotted the young Canadian actress hold her own in MARION BRIDGE and her Genie-nominated turn in WILBY WONDERFUL (both written by previous Trudy winner, Daniel MacIvor), Members have no doubt that, once her latest film, HARD CANDY screens nationwide later this year, Ellen Page’s name will be on the lips of many. The film made a splash at Sundance, where it generated controversy, much conversation and universal acclaim for her lead performance.
I hope those of you who attended last weekend’s 11th Annual Chlotrudis Awards Ceremony had a terrific time! I’ve heard comments such as, “the best Chlotrudis Awards ever!” to multiple comments on the “best after-party ever!” It’s great to hear that kind of feedback, despite the fact that we were woefully under-attended. Still, it was a terrific audience, and those of you who couldn’t make it, I hope to see you at next year’s event (and lots of times in between!) Our three guests, Lucas Belvaux, Ellen Page, and John O’Brien were absolutely delightful, and all our guest presenters, and Chlotrudis participants did an outstanding job. You can get a sneak preview of some of the terrific photos taken by ace photographer (and all around sweet guy) Brandon Constant on your left. That’s Kate Pike, Emily Pike (on video), Michael Colford, Scot Colford, Merri Lavine, and Janet Young (in the foreground) during the opening multimedia extravaganza. Look for results and the rest of the pictures on the web over the weekend!
The real excitement is coming up this weekend, with the Chlotrudis Society of Independent Film’s WILBY Weekend and 11th Annual Awards Ceremony! The weekend kicks off on Friday and Saturday when Chlotrudis and the Brattle Film Foundation co-present 
collect the Breakthrough Award, won last year by the fabulous Kerry Washington. Other guests include Belgian writer/director/actor Lucas Belvaux, whose films 
To celebrate the young actress’ auspicious beginning, the Chlotrudis Society will also present Ellen Page with its Breakthrough Award as part of its 11th Annual Chlotrudis Awards ceremony on Sunday, March 20th. In addition to the astounding work Ms. Page has evidenced in her Canadian features, CSIF is looking to the near future when she surprises American in HARD CANDY, a raw and controversial film that premiered at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year. The public is invited to attend – festivities begin at 5pm, and admission is $15. Ms. Page joins French director Lucas Belvaux (
Join us this Sunday, March 13 for the Sunday Eye Opener, 11:00 a.m. at the Brattle Theatre. This week’s screening features the lovely documentary, SUNSET STORY. Lucille Alpert and Irja Lloyd are the main subjects of SUNSET STORY, a wonderful documentary by Laura Gabbert that may make you laugh and cry ‘ and may change your mind about age and aging. You probably won’t find two more fascinating camera subjects, two livelier conversationalists or two richer, more rewarding, more engaging and inspiring companions in any movie, fiction or non-fiction, this year. SUNSET STORY has been shot with minimal resources but with maximum heart and soul. It’s a film ‘ and a pair of people ‘ you won’t soon forget.