Summer - Roxie

Feb • Mar • Apr • 2000
3117 16th St at Valencia, San Francisco, CA
( 4 1 5 ) 8 6 3 - 1 0 8 7 w w w. r o x i e . c o m
Ad m i s s i o n : $ 7 ; S e n i o r / C h i l d : $ 3 .
5 Admission Discount Card: $22. Bargain
Matinee: $4 first show Wed, Sat, Sun.
Thursday, September 7 – Saturday, September 9
Arab Film Festival
Cinemayaat, the Arab Film Festival—and the Bay Area’s most
successful annual Arab cultural
event returns to the Roxie for
three great days of film and
video. This year’s festival will
screen over 25 independently
produced feature films, shorts
and documentaries that explore
the complex social, political and
personal issues confronting contemporary Arabs.
Friday, August 11 – Wednesday, August 23
Media Alliance Film Festival
Join us for the first-ever
Media Alliance Film Festival, a cinematic evening of
risky films about the movements that fight for our
right to be risk-takers. MA
(F2) kicks off with a panel
discussion featuring video
and filmmakers who use
the medium as a tool for
activism and organizing in
their communities. Members of Whispered Media,
TILT media, and other video
collectives will teach you
how to use film and video to increase the impact of your activism.Then stick around to
watch daring films that inspire people to act, films that defy the warped messages perpetrated by the corporate media, and films that boldly question the concept of identity in our media-saturated culture. FOR MORE INFO (AND FESTIVAL PROGRAM BY AUGUST 1) VISIT
WWW.MEDIA-ALLIANCE.ORG/FILMFEST OR CALL (415) 546-6334 EXT. 315.
Friday, August 25 – Thursday, August 31
Shadow Boxers
Shadow Boxers is a powerful and inspiring
film that follows the exhilarating rise of
Dutch boxing sensation Lucia Rijker, widely considered the greatest female fighter
in the world, as she pursues the championship crown. Beautiful photography, stylish editing, a hypnotic original soundtrack,
and striking personal insight combine in a
whirlwind of visual dynamism that reveals
the beauty and brutality of the sport
through the eyes of this introspective
fighter.“This film is as visually stunning as it
is politically important. I don’t think I’ve
ever seen such a profoundly moving look
at women and athleticism, race and bodyconsciousness, as this. It made me long for
all the women achievers who have gone
unrecorded—not just in sports, but the
world at large.”—Hilton Als, The New Yorker. An award-winning selection at Film Festivals round the world, including Toronto
and Berlin. Produced and directed by
Katya Bankowsky. In Color. 35mm. 72 mins.
1999. USA. WEST COAST PREMIERE. NIGHTLY
AT 6:00, 8:00, 10:00; SAT, SUN AND WED MATINEES AT
2:00 AND 4:00.
Wives Never Know
A married couple tries in many hilarious ways to add spice to
their lagging sex life. One merry mix-up after another in this
offbeat and seldom seen Hollywood comedy. Starring Charlie
Ruggles, Mary Boland, Adolphe Menjou. Directed by Elliott Nugent. B&W.
16mm. 75 mins. 1936. WED AT 3:30, 6:30, 9:30
Now in its fourth year, Footage Dance Film Festival once again
showcases new and innovative dance shorts from all over
the world including Queens For A Day by Pascal Magnin, A
Sun Dance by the graphic artist Dikayl, Spectre de la Rose, choreographed by Fokine, danced by Mikhail Baryschnikov and
Margot Fonteyn performing in 1979 at the Monte Carlo
Opera House. This year’s program will also feature new
award-winning films from the Dance Film Association of
New York. Approximate running time: 90 mins. COMPLETE
SHOWS AT 7:00 AND 9:15.
A Tribute To Go Go with
The Devilettes
This important and potentially incendiary new documentary records the startling
events leading up to last November’s showdown at the World Trade Organization confab in Seattle, when the forces of capitalism battled an amazing array of opponents
ready to put the breaks on relentless globalization. The attending delegates and politicos may have expected the Seattle meeting to be just another rah-rah rubber-stamp
fest for the establishment, but what they got were riots in the streets and a raft of bad
press.This hot-potato of a political film will no doubt serve as a media textbook on how
to raise a ruckus. At the center of the hubbub is freelance organizer Mike Dolan (often
described as “the Schwarzenegger of leftist insurgency”), Tom Hayden, Minnesota senator Paul Wellstone, super-articulate Indian delegate Vandana Shiva, media prankster
Michael Moore, and veteran shit disturber Jerry Mander. But most striking are the passion, knowledge and humor of the demonstration participants, who range from
incensed college students to Teamster boss Jim Hoffa and reps from farmers’ unions in
France and even farther abroad. Produced by Thomas Lee Wright. Directed by Shaya
Mercer. Color. 95 mins. 2000.Theatrical Premiere! SUNDAY AT 2:00,4:00,6:00,8:00,10:00; MON AT
6:00,8:00,10:00.NOTE:THE SUNDAY 8:00 SHOW HAS A SPECIAL ADMISSION PRICE TO BENEFIT RALPH NADER’S
PUBLIC CITIZEN. ACTIVIST MIKE DOLAN, AS WELL AS THE FILM’S PRODUCER AND DIRECTOR WILL BE ON HAND
FOR THAT SCREENING.
Tuesday & Wednesday, September 12 & 13
Smoke
& Mirrors
A History of Denial
Using interviews, archival news reels, historical footage, film clips, photographs,
PSAs, advertisements, and various television commercials, Smoke and Mirrors tells
the story of the birth and rise of the cigarette during its “age of innocence”, and
explores how the industry dealt with the
realization that their very successful
product was also poisonous. When the
tobacco merchants set to work marketing cigarettes in the early years of the
Twentieth Century, they did not know of
their product’s dangers. But by the
1940s, the scientific case against the cigarette was mounting, but only first
became widely known to the public in
the 1950s, a time when over half of the
American population smoked and cigarettes had become part and parcel of
daily life.The seeds of the tobacco industry’s denial were planted during this
time, and continued to grow and evolve throughout the century. Today, the industry
carries along with it fifty years of documented denial which is finally coming back to
haunt them. Produced and directed by Torrie Rosenzweig. Color. 16mm. 75 mins. 1999.
Presented as a benefit for The American Lung Assn. TUES AT 6:00,8:00,10:00;WED AT 2:00,4:00,
6:00, 8:00, 10:00
Thursday, September 14
Beach Boys Summer Special!
Join us for a special program of rare Beach
Boys footage and music. A big night of
fun, fun, fun with vintage film of Brian Wilson and his boys singing, playing and
cavorting. Many surprises are in store during this one of a kind presentation. Also
appearing will be Jon Stebbins, author of
the new book Dennis Wilson: The Real
Beach Boy. Jon will be signing books and,
with his special guests, will conduct an
open discussion on the Beach Boys and
their timeless music. Be sure to catch this
wave! TWO COMPLETE SHOWS: 7:00 AND 9:30.
Friday, September 1 – Wednesday, September 6
Blossoms of Fire
Friday, September 15 – Sunday, September 17
Cine Latino!
8 Annual Cine Accion Festival !
th
Cine Accion, the nation’s oldest Latino media arts organization, presents the Bay Area’s premiere Latino film festival, showcasing films
from the U.S. and Latin America. Come check out this 8th annual
exhibition of new Latino cinema, featuring cutting edge features,
documentaries, and shorts. FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT CINE ACCION AT
(415)553-8140, OR VISIT THE WEBSITE AT WWW.CINEACCION.COM.
Monday & Tuesday, September 18 & 19
pick Axe
Sit in a tree and you might be able to save it; block the only road in and you can save a
whole forest. PickAxe is a story of forest arson and citizen action in Oregon’s old growth.
This documentary takes a side and follows the activists who blockade a logging road
for 11 months. Before it’s over they will face ten foot snow drifts, a 75 day hunger strike,
an armed federal raid on the camp and a riot in jail. Directed by Tim Ream and Tim
Lewis. In Color. _” video. 95 mins. 2000. USA. BAY AREA THEATRICAL PREMIERE! MON AND
TUE AT 6:00, 8:00, 10:00. FILMMAKERS IN PERSON BOTH EVENINGS!
Imagine a place where men and women are partners, political self-determination is
regarded as a birthright, and homosexuals are respected members of society. Feminist
utopia? Gay dream spot? Some futuristic course of Western civilization? In the unlikely
location of southern Oaxaca, Mexico, “one is first a human being and only second, and
incidentally, a man or a woman,”to quote writer Beverly Chinas. Blossoms of Fire/ Ramo de
Fuego pays tribute to a unique indigenous community that defies stereotypes. The Isthmus region, home to 350,000 Zapotec people, is known as “Mexico’s matriarchy”—where
the imposing, flowery-skirted women have a history of kowtowing to no one, be it Spanish invaders, the modern day Mexican government, or their own husbands.The Zapotecs
live by values which often have ancient roots, causing us to rethink our own notions of
what it means to be “modern.” In a world that’s characterized today by globalization and
homogenization, the Zapotecs offer an example of a people who are stronger for nurturing their own culture, language and alternative ways of being. Produced and directed by
Maureen Gosling and Ellen Osborne. In Color. 16mm. 72 mins. 2000. USA. U.S.THEATRICAL
PREMIERE. NIGHTLY AT 6:00,8:00,9:45; SAT,SUN AND WED MATINEES AT 2:00 AND 4:00
Hi Diddle Diddle
One of Hollywood’s wackiest
screwball comedies; this
farce has, pound for
pound, more audacious
tricks up its sleeve than a
dozen better known titles.
A pair of honeymooners are
continually disrupted by
wifey’s nutty mom and
hubby’s con-man dad. A laff riot with Adolphe Menjou, Martha Scott,
Pola Negri, Dennis O’Keefe, Billie Burke. Directed by Andrew Stone. B&W. 16mm. 72 mins.
1943. WED AT 2:00, 5:00, 8:00
Friday, September 22
Getting To Know You
Wednesday, September 27
Noir! Noir!
Footage Dance Film
Festival 2000
TRADE OFF
Thursday, August 24
Madcap Hollywood
Thursday, September 21
Sunday & Monday, September 10 & 11
Judith is only 16, but already she has too many secrets. They are always with her, just
below awareness, and today, as she waits in another bus depot on another trip from
upstate New York, the memories begin to surface.This journey marks a turning point in
her life. For her brother Wesley, waiting for a bus to college, books help to keep the
memories at bay. For Judith, the images come and go, as transient as the people passing through the station: a woman looking for handouts, an old man buying lottery tickets, a frightened young brunette. But an older boy named Jimmy haunts this depot,
observing the passengers huddled in their seats. Soon, he begins to tell Judith their stories—what really happened to that young brunette yearning for romance or to the
older woman who wanted a child. Judith can’t stop herself from listening to Jimmy; his
words transfix her.Weaving a ritual of their own invention, Judith and Jimmy edge each
other perilously closer to truths about their own young lives. Based on short stories
from “Heat,”by Joyce Carol Oates. Starring Heather Matarazzo (from Welcome to the Dollhouse), Mark Blum, Zach Braff, Bo Hopkins, Bebe Neuwirth, Chris Noth and Michael Weston. Written by Lisanne Skyler and Tristine Skyler. Directed by Lisanne Skyler. In Color.
35mm. 97 mins. 1999. USA. WEST COAST THEATRICAL PREMIERE. Presented in conjunction with the Sundance Channel. NIGHTLY AT 7:00 AND 9:15; SAT, SUN AND WED MATINEES AT 2:00
AND 4:30. DIRECTOR LISANNE SKYLER IN PERSON OPENING NIGHT.
Wednesday, September 20
Spend a riotous evening at the Roxie with The Devilettes, the San Francisco Missionbased all-women synchronized dance troupe, who will perform a tribute to Go Go, the
undulating dance craze of the 60s LIVE on the Roxie stage! All this to the accompaniment of a program of Scopitones (awesomely cool 60’s music films) and other incredible musical surprises.You won’t want to miss this once in a lifetime event! COMPLETE LIVE
SHOWS ON FRI AT 7:30 AND 9:30
Saturday, September 27
Twist-o-Noir
The Burglar
Johnny
O’Clock
A professional gambler weaves in and out of
the clutches of the law in this highly stylized
noir drama. The director would later gain
fame with such films as All The King’s Men
and The Hustler. This top notch thriller was
his first. Starring Dick Powell, Evelyn Keyes,
Lee J. Cobb, Ellen Drew. Directed by Robert
Rossen. B&W. 35mm. 95 mins. 1947. SAT AT
2:00, 5:40, 9:25
711 Ocean
Drive
A slick, exciting noir, culled from the
annals of the racket squad’s toughest
cases. This time out, it’s the bookies and
illegal oddsmakers on the hot spot. This
one’s rarely shown, and it’s a gem! Starring Edmond O’Brien, Joanne Dru, Otto
Kruger. Directed by Joseph M. Newman.
B&W. 35mm. 102 mins. 1950.SAT AT 3:45,7:30
Friday, September 29-Thursday October 5
Americanos
Latino Life in the United States
A vibrant and provocative documentary about
the segment of American citizenry most rapidly transforming the face of our nation today.
Latinos have become the largest single
minority in the United States, and Americanos explores their complex and multifaceted legacy. Combining a vivid
blend of media images, personal stories, and artistic expression, the film
contests the myth of a monolithic Latino culture and explores the diverse
group of people in this country designated Latino. Carlos Santana, Tito Puente,
and the first Puerto Rican female presidential cabinet member, Alda
Alvarez, present their views
alongside Nuyorican Poets
Café performance artists, Little Havana doctors, midwestern lowriders, East L.A.
Harvard-bound
youth,
and Chicano borderpatrol officers. A cornucopia of truths emerges,
including the highly contested nature of Latino
identity, the rising power
of Latinos in business, the
paradoxes of United
States immigration policy,
and the important role
diasporic
communities
play in preserving age-old
cultural traditions while creating new ones for the future. The galvanizing force of this sweeping documentary
fantastic soundtrack, boasting down-home casita bombas, the sensuous Afro-C
sounds of Santana, and the brilliantly iconoclastic musical performance of Chicano
impersonator El Vez. Exploding racial stereotypes and proudly claiming a multitu
contributions to our country, Americanos is nothing less than a celebration of our A
ican national identity. Produced by Nick Athas and Edward James Olmos. Directe
Susan Todd and Andrew Young. In Color. 35mm. 81 mins. 1999. USA. SAN FRANC
PREMIERE! NIGHTLY AT 6:00, 8:00 AND 10:00; SAT, SUN,WED MATINEES AT 2:00 AND 4:00
Friday, October 6 – Thursday, October 19
LIVE NUDE GIRLS UNITE!
The sex industry has long
criticized for its exploitatio
women. What people rarely
cuss, however, is the actual w
ing conditions sex workers
endure. The ladies at the
Lady, right here in San Fran
had to face an increasingly
tile work environment—th
until one woman was fired
her co-workers decided to s
Filmmaker and fellow Lusty
Julia Query, along with
Funari, chronicles the strugg
which the AFL-CIO is sent in
before too long, its time for s
good old-fashioned labo
management activism, com
with negotiations, lockouts
arbitration. Query parallels
labor struggle with her
attempt to come out as a str
to her mother, a longtime p
tutes-rights advocate. Live
Girls shows the wo
employed at places like the
Lady peep show as intelli
articulate women who, de
what one may think abou
sex biz, are entitled to the
protections and rights as
other employees. Directed
Julia Query and Vicky Funa
Color. 16mm. 70 mins. 2000.
WEST COAST PREMIERE. NIGH
6:00, 8:00, 9:45; SAT, SUN AND WED
NEES AT 2:00 AND 4:00.
David Goodis, along with Jim Thompson and Cornell Woolrich, was one of the darkest
of the psychologically adrift crime writers of t he 40’s and 50’s. This twisted tale of burglars Jayne Mansfield (!) and Dan Duryea stirs up a bizarre hornet’s nest of strange emotions. A demented little classic. Martha Vickers and Mickey O’Shaughnessy are also in
the cast. Directed by Paul Wendkos. B&W. 35mm. 90 mins. 1956. WED AT 3:00, 6:15, 9:35
The Screaming Mimi
Ultra-twisted sickie has the curvaceous Anita Ekberg in the grip of an obsessed psychoanalyst. A sleepy eyed reporter (Phil Carey) catches on and tries to help. Gypsy Rose
Lee turns up as the lesbian owner of a beatnik club. Then there’s the dog… Don’t miss
this one! Directed by Gerd Oswald. B&W. 35mm. 79 mins. 1958. WED AT 1:30, 4:45, 8:00
Sunday, September 24 –Tuesday, September 26
Artists in Exile
A Story of Modern Dance in San Francisco
This thrilling new documentary details over forty years of dance making in San Francisco. From the Bay Area sprang revolutionary artists like Isadora Duncan, the mother of
modern dance, and with the arrival of such artists came the drive to push boundaries in
dance to exciting new limits. Here in the Bay Area, dance artists found a stimulating
atmosphere, one that, while demanding excellence, simultaneously recognized the
value of experimentation.
Their willingness to redefine
what dance can encompass,
where it can take place, and
who can participate has dramatically altered both dance
and theater throughout
America and the world. The
directors conducted numerous interviews with dance
luminaries, choreographers,
dancers, critics, and historians. The film includes dance
footage from over fifty concerts, ranging from in-yourface street performances to
elegantly staged productions at major venues all over
the Bay Area. Featured in the
film are Anna Halprin, Mangrove, Tumbleweed, Margaret Jenkins, ODC/San
Francisco, Joe Goode and
Contraband. Produced and
directed by Austin Forbord
and Shelley Trott. In Color.
35mm. 84 mins. 2000. USA.
World Premiere! SUN AT 2:00,
4:00, 6:00, 8:00, 10:00; MON AND
TUE AT 6:00, 8:00, 10:00.
Friday, October 20 – Sunday, October 22
San Francisco Film Society presents
Dark Wave 2000
Three Days of Hallowed Horror
From Japanese demonic
dopplegangers to ancient
cults bent on world
destruction to the real-life
terrors of low-budget filmmaking, no cobwebbed
corner of international
horror goes unexplored in
Dark Wave, the San Francisco Film Society’s annual
series of screen screams.
Highlights of this year’s
Dark Wave include GEMINI,
the new film from Tetsuo:
The Iron Man director
Shinya Tsukamoto, and
Demon Lover Diary, Joel
DeMott’s
phenomenal
1980 documentary on the
making of a Z-grade horror movie. The complete
schedule will be available
at the Roxie and throughout the Bay Area around
October 1. FOR MORE INFORMATION,CONTACT THE SAN FRANCISCO FILM SOCIETY AT
415-561-FILM OR VISIT THEM
ONLINE AT WWW.SFIFF.ORG.
Feb • Mar • Apr • 2000
3117 16th St at Valencia, San Francisco, CA
( 4 1 5 ) 8 6 3 - 1 0 8 7 w w w. r o x i e . c o m
Ad m i s s i o n : $ 7 ; S e n i o r / C h i l d : $ 3 .
5 Admission Discount Card: $22. Bargain
Matinee: $4 first show Wed, Sat, Sun.
Friday, November 24 – Thursday, November 30
Monday& Tuesday, October 23-24
Friday & Saturday, November 9 & 10
42 Up
Rare Psychedelia!
TWILIGHT: LOS ANGELES
Wonder
wall
In 1964 acclaimed director Michael Apted interviewed 14 children for the film 7 Up. He
has returned to those children every seventh year to chart their progress through life,
creating the longest running real-life documentary ever made. 42 Up is the latest fascinating installment. Now, halfway through their lives, how close are they to realizing
their dreams and ambitions? This enthralling answers those questions and introduces
some intriguing surprises and sheds invaluable light on the human condition—and
British life asd a whole—at the end of the twentieth century. Produced and directed by
Michael Apted. Color. 35mm. 133 mins. 1999. Great Britain. MON & TUES AT 1:30,4:30,7:00,9:40
Wonderwall, the “lost psychedelic classic” from the
late sixties, shows us an acid-tinged view of swinging London town as an eccentric professor (Jack
MacGowan) desperately tries to win the affections
of a beautiful fashion model (Jane Birken). His
romantic quest takes him on a voyeuristic journey
through…the Wonderwall. The kaleidoscope of
images and George Harrison’s astonishing musical
score transport the audience to another realm of
consciousness; the film resembles a dreamscape
where appearance and reality are intermingled in
the manner of Lewis Carroll and Edward Lear. Wonderwall was made in 1968 and the film has gone
through an extensive restoration of the negative
and the soundtrack, and with the assistance of
Apple Corp., the original stereo recordings by
George Harrison were located in the Abbey Road
studios. A brand new stereo track has been created expressly for this long overdue revival. Directed
by Joe Massot. Color. 35mm. 78 mins. 1968. GREAT
BRITAIN. Shown with the short film, Reflections on
Love. The film, made in London in1966, depicts the
romance between a boy and a girl at a time when
all they needed was love. Kula Shaker have recorded a new musical soundtrack for the film. Running time: 13 mins. COMPLETE SHOWS FRI
AT 7:00 AND 9:15; SAT AT 2:00, 4:30, 7:00 AND 9:15.
Tuesday, November 14 – Thursday, November 16
John Huston — War Stories
In its 16th year, the rowdiest film festival
of the season spotlights the work of
Northern California’s most talented, daring and explosive media artists, filling the
air with cutting edge documentaries,
innovative feature narratives, and a frenzy of dynamite shorts. Every imaginable
genre.of film and video will blast onto
the screen in the form of eighteen firey
programs. Look for full descriptions of
each evening’s programming in festival
brochures available Oct. 4th. FOR MORE
INFORMATION & ADVANCE TICKETS, CALL FAF @
(415) 552-FILM OR VISIT OUR WEB SITE AT
WWW.FILMARTS.ORG
Friday, November 17 – Thursday, November 23
Spike & Mike’s
Sick & Twisted
Festival of Animation
Monday-Wednesday, November 6-8
Go Moan For Man
A film that takes 17 years, 50,000 miles and $150,000 of
personal funds to complete can only be classified as a
labor of love. The documentary Go Moan For Man is
such a film. An exploration of the life and work of beat
writer Jack Kerouac, cultural icon and legendary
author of On The Road, The Subterraneans, and The
Dharma Bums. The film’s title is a paradoxical line
about hope and despair and appears in three Kerouac works. “He believed that life is holy and the universe is grand and infinite, but there’s an equal side to
Kerouac—the side of despair,” says the film’s director. In
addition to documentary footage, black and white reenactments with actors playing Kerouac, Burroughs and
Ginsberg are utilized to illustrate key moments from
Kerouac’s life. Written, produced and directed by
Doug and Judi Sharples. Color/B&W. 16mm. 122
mins. 1999. USA. MON AND TUE AT 7:00 AND 9:30.
This fascinating new documentary film is a personal, on-camera, narrative memoir, with
director John Huston talking about the outstanding, yet little known documentary
films he shot during World War II. His first documentary, Report From the Aleutians, was
shot on the island of Adak off the coast of Alaska in 1942. His subsequent war films, The
Battle of San Pietro and Let There Be
Light were banned by the War
Department and declared unfit for
Army personnel on the grounds
they would be demoralizing. San
Pietro is a vivid and complete
record of the brutal combat conditions that faced the 143rd Regiment
of the 36th Texas Infantry Division in
Italy. Let There Be Light was charged
with creating a sympathetic documentary of the rehabilitation of
soldiers suffering what is now
known as post traumatic stress
syndrome. The interview footage
of John Huston in this film was
shot in 1982 by Richard Leacock.
Huston’s recollections prove to be
profoundly potent and painfully
honest. Directed by Midge
Mackenzie. B&W. 16mm. 90 mins.
1999. Great Britain. WEST COAST
THEATRICAL PREMIERE. WED AND
THURS AT 2:00, 4:00, 6:00, 8:00, 10:00.
Spike and Mike, the guys who first brought you Beavis and Butthead, South Park,
Rugrats and Wallace & Gromit, are back and readly to unleash there 2000 feature length
collection of bizarre,
shocking
and
disturbingly grotesque animated short films. Spike
and Mike’s Sick & Twisted
Festival of Animation is
not for those with an
overly refined artistic
palate. The Sick & Twisted
Festival hosts animated
shorts which are too
rude, crude and totally
lewd for their prestigious and tasteful Classic Festival of Animation.
This year’s new 2000 Sick
& Twisted Festival of Animation will premiere 16
BRAND NEW animated
shorts and two returning favorites. Among the not-to-miss titles are: The Hangnail,
Wheelchair Rebecca, Rejected (from Don Hertzfeldt), Angry Kid (newest from Aardman
Animations), Rick & Steve:The Happiest Gay Couple in All the World, Stinky Monkey, Beat the
Brat and Birth of Abomination. NIGHTLY AT 7:00 AND 9:15;SAT,SUN,WED,THURS MATINEES AT 2:00 AND
4:30.
aturday & Sunday, November 11 & 12
Marin Latino Film Festival
This radically inventive new feature (already Jamaica’s highest grossing film of all time!) is set in the exotic and gritty streets of modern day Kingston.It’s the story of two friends whose lives have taken them in different directions.
Friday, December 29 – Thursday, January 4
Brand New 35mm Print!
B R E A T H L E S
When the enigmatic and hugely talented young film critic Jean Luc Godard com
ed this, his first feature, he dedicated it to Monogram Pictures, the Hollywood “B” m
factory notable for cranking out scores of cheap, black and white “potboilers” i
1930’s and 40’s. Godard’s brilliantly innovative film, Breathless, captured the essen
the pugnacious “B” gangster film: a smarmy but irresistible hood (Jean-Paul Belmo
is on the run from the cops, stealing cars and blasting his way to imaginary imm
ty” with his American girl friend (the ravishing Jean Seberg) by his side. But thei
tionship is steeped not only in Mongram “B” movie atmosphere, it is also
drenched in its own French milieu of boudoir philosophy, blank stares and ple
deep cigarette inhalation. Godard took what was ostensibly a story outline by f
Cahiers du Cinema critic Francois Truffaut and created one of the benchmarks o
burgeoning French New Wave, seemingly reinventing cinema itself as well as rock
its romantic leads to world stardom.The films pace is non-stop (as much a reflect
its title as anything else) thanks to the startling, then revolutionary use of jump-cu
and an apparent disregard for conventionality. Breathless is being presented in a
new 35mm print. Also in the cast are Daniel Boulanger, Liliane David and New
godfather himself, Jean-Pierre Melville. Directed by Jean-Luc Godard. Black & W
35mm. 89 mins. 1959. In French, with English subtitles. Nightly at 6:00, 8:00, 10:0
Sun, Mon and Wed matinees at 2:00 and 4:00.
Monday & Tuesday, October 23 & 24
Kestral’s Eye
Cop
This radically inventive new feature (already Jamaica’s highest grossing film of all time!) is set in the exotic and gritty
streets of modern day Kingston.It’s the story of two friends
whose lives have taken them in different directions.Capone
is a crime fighter who’s transferred back to his hometown
where he meets up with his old friend Ratty,who operates as
the right-hand of the notorious local don.A high energy,high
tech,reggae and dancehall soundtrack produced by Sly and
Robbie,featuring Jamaica’s most exciting new musical talents.Starring Paul Campbell,Mark Danvers,Carl Bradshaw,
Audrey Reid.Directed by Chris Browne.Color.35mm.90 mins.
1999.BAY AREA PREMIERE.Subtitled. MON AT 6:00, 8:00,
10:00
Film Arts Festival of
Independent Cinema
Panic
Third World
Sound and Fury
Thursday November 2-Sunday November 5
Friday, December 1 – Thursday, December 14
Monday, November 13
Wednesday October 25-Wednesday November 1
Imagine: your child is born deaf, but a new miraculous operation can restore the baby’s
hearing. So given the limited risk, you of course decide to undertake the procedure.
Right? And therein lies the intriguing premise of this fascinating portrait of deaf families and culture.The battle over cochlear implants, a medical technology welcomed by
some as a cure for deafness and reviled by others as a cruel procedure which will result
in the end of American Sign Language and deaf culture, threatens to divide the deaf
community and define the future of those who are hearing impaired. Two branches of
the Artinian family, each headed by a brother, are at the center of a passionate and elucidating debate. The anguish of parents, grandparents, children and many others as
they negotiate the often-emotional travails that color these issues and choices is vividly on display. One of the most talked about films at this year’s Sundance and San Francisco International Film Festivals, Sound and Fury is a profoundly moving experience.
Produced by Roger Weisberg. Directed by Josh Aronson. Color. 80 mins. 35mm. 1999.
USA. WEST COAST THEATRICAL PREMEIRE. NIGHTLY AT 6:00, 8:00, 10:00; SAT, SUN, WED MATINEES
AT 2:00 AND 4:00.
In Twilight: Los Angeles, her searing multivoiced portrait of the violent aftermath of the
Rodney King trial, Anna Deveare Smith, in the persona of black activist Twilight Bey,
explains that ideas before their time seem stuck in limbo, like the sun at twilight:“I see
the darkness as myself and the light as the knowledge and wisdom of the world and
the understanding of others. To be a true human being, I can’t forever dwell in darkness and understand only me and mine.” Most of what happened in Los Angeles in
April 1992 after the police officers who beat King were acquitted resulted from the failure of individuals to put themselves in others’ shoes. Smith interviewed scores of people to construct her dramatic monologue, ranging from police commissioner Stanley
Sheinbaum and former police chief Daryl Gates to Korean store owners whose businesses were looted and burned; from driver Reginald Denny to Henry Watson, one of
the men who hauled him from his truck and beat him; from Beverly Hills talent and real
estate agents to jurors at King’s two trials; from gun advocate Charlton Heston to Elvira
Evers, a pregnant black cashier who was shot and whose baby was born with a bullet
in her arm. The fires in Los Angeles may be out, but the antagonisms that caused them
are still smoldering. (Barbara Bannon, Sundance Film Festival) Featuring Anna Deveare
Smith. Directed by Marc Levin. Produced by Anna Deveare Smith and Ezra Swerdlow. In
Color. 95 mins. 1999. USA. U.S. THEATRICAL PREMIERE. NIGHTLY AT 7:00 AND 9:15; SAT, SUN AND
WED MATINEES AT 2:00 AND 4:30.
Midlife crises are a normal event for many forty-plus American males, and Alex (Bill
Macy) seems no different from the average. He is going through a very difficult time. He
has a marriage that’s been through the normal ups and downs but is now struggling, a
young son who he’s devoted to but worried about, and a particularly stressful job: he
works for his father in the family business…and kills people for a living. More than the
specific tensions that this particular occupation brings with it, Alex is tired of hiding
what he does from his wife and child and
wants to leave the profession. Feeling tormented, he seeks the services of a good therapist to unload his burdens but finds
unexpected solace in the waiting room,
where he meets Sarah (Neve Campbell).
She’s manic, confused, and at loose ends; he’s
repressed and trapped in career and domestic turmoil, but somehow this odd couple
manages to connect, and each one makes
the other feel like life’s worth living. With the
potential for an affair looming on the horizon
but an increasingly problematic professional
life, Alex is caught in a difficult family bind
whose resolutions will not be easy. Also starring Donald Sutherland, John Ritter, Tracey
Ullman. Written and directed by Henry
Bromell. In Color. 35mm. 90 mins. 1999. U.S.
THEATRICAL PREMIERE. NIGHTLY AT 6:00, 8:00,
10:00; SAT, SUN,WED MATINEES AT 2:00 AND 4:00.
Friday, December 15 – Thursday, December 21
Coming To Light
Edward S.Curtis
and the North
American
Indians
Look at almost any photograph of Native North Americans taken between 1900
and 1930, and you will see a
small piece of the remarkable lifework of Edward S.
Curtis. Coming to Light interweaves the story of Curtis’s
life with the results of his
work, and through it, we see
the world he sought to preserve. Many of the Hopi,
Navajo, Cupig, Blackfoot,
Blood, Piegan, Suquamish,
and Kwakiutl people who
knew Curtis or descended from those who worked with him appear in the film, and
through their voices, these old sepia-toned photographs evoke their ancestor’s lives,
inspiring them to continue their traditions. Written, produced and directed by Anne
Makepeace. Color. 35mm. 86 mins. 1999. USA. WEST COAST THEATRICAL PREMIERE.
NIGHTLY AT 6:00, 8:00, 10:00; SAT, SUN,WED MATINEES AT 2:00, 4:00.
Friday, December 22 – Thursday, December 28
Trouble in Paradise
A pair of charming jewel thieves (the stunning Miriam Hopkins and the suave Herbert
Marshall) come into conflict with one another when one of their intended victims (the
saucy and sophisticated Kay Francis) also falls prey to Mr. Marshall’s ample charm. Out
of circulation for many years, this sparkling film is one of Hollywood’s great sophisticated comedies, the one that would come to embody the very meaning of “the Lubitsch
touch.”Also in the cast are Charlie Ruggles, Edward Everett Horton and C. Aubrey Smith.
Written by Samson Raphaelson and Grover Jones. Directed by Ernst Lubitsch. B&W.
35mm. (Studio Archive Print) 83 mins. 1932. SHOWS DAILY AT 2:00, 4:30, 7:00, 9:00. NOTE: NO
EVENING SHOWS ON SUN 12/24.
To put it simply, this extraordinary documentary is a spectacle of life and death. This
remarkable and beautiful
Swedish film views the world
through the eyes of two
kestrals, or European falcons,
that make their home in the
upper reaches of a 13th century church. In an age when virtual reality has become
commonplace, this film astonishes by capturing reality with
a fidelity and intimacy that
prompt old fashioned wonder
at how the feat was accomplished. Using remote controlled cameras placed at
various vantage points, including inside the nest in an aperture high in the church, the viewer is treated to
seems to be every aspect of the bird’s life. There is no narration or sounds othe
those captured in the moment: the whirr and rustle of wings and feathers, the c
of the adult birds and the clamor of their hungry off-spring, a dog barking, the v
and laughter and music that drift up from below. Produced, edited, written and d
ed by Mikael Kristersson. Color. 35mm. 86 mins. 1999. Sweden. Bay Area Theatrica
miere. MON AND TUES AT 6:00, 8:00, 10:00
Friday, January 13 – Thursday, January 19
Premiere Revival! New 35mm Print!
Female Convict “Scorpion
(Jailhouse 41)
Fans of high octane Japanese
cinema have good reason to
celebrate: a brand new
widescreen print of Shunya
Ito’s surrealistic masterpiece,
Female Convict “Scorpion” has
finally been struck and the
Roxie will be hosting its premiere revival! Long unseen (at
least by Western audiences)
the film stars action goddess
Meiko Kaji (Lady Snowblood)
as the notorious inmate Scorpion, who breaks out of prison
with her fellow female convicts.Together they travel a desolate, blasted landscape—a village halfburied in volcanic ash, melancholic autumnal
woods and barren mountains of stone—all the
while defending themselves against pursuing
guards and bestial scavengers. This film, in all of its
widescreen splendor is nothing short of a transcendental masterpiece of primo 1970’s violent
cinema. If you’ve never seen any of Ito’s astonishing
manga epics, then you owe it to yourself to jump
full on into the deep end of the pool. Also featuring
Fumio Watanable. Directed by Shunya Ito. Color.
35mm. 93 mins. 1972. In Japanese, with English subtitles. NIGHTLY AT 7:00 AND 9:15; SAT, SUN, WED MATINEES AT
2:00 AND 4:30
Friday, January 20 – Thursday, January 26
MEGACITIES
A revlatory new documentary that probes both the micro and macrocosm of h
experience, drawing an archetyal sketch of life in the Big City at the dawn of th
century. It is at once a cutting commentary on the socially marginalized and po
stricken and a comprehensive vision of “the world city,” the dominant habitat fo
majority of the Earth’s population. It is panglobal in its scope, examining the lives o
families in four different megacities (Mexico City, Bombay, New York and Moscow
mately constructing one “story” that takes on universal appeal. Megacities cove
spectrum from exotic to well-known territories (much in the manner of Godfrey
gio’s Koyaanisqatsi and never balks at revealing what constitutes urban life for a
gering number of people: the cruel realities of prostitution, homelessness, crime
drug addiction. Megacities is a testament to the courage and dignity of those who
age to survive day after day in our sprawling metropolises. Written and direct
Michael Glowogger. Color. 35mm. 90 mins. 1999. In German, with English subtitle
THEATRICAL PREMIERE. NIGHTLY AT 6:00, 8:00, 10:00; SAT, SUN,WED MATINEES AT 2:00 AND 4:00