Winter 2008
Winter 2008
Our Guests Patricia Clarkson and Ira Sachs at our closing night of the Winter Series discussing the film Married Life
Patricia Clarkson and Ira Sachs
Photo: BRIDGET LAUDIEN
Patricia Clarkson
Photo: BRIDGET LAUDIEN
2/11 - MARRIED LIFE
This satiric comedy concerns a documentary filmmaker (Ken Finkleman) who has brought a camera crew into the home of a typical couple (Robert Cait and Karen Hines) to record the drama of their daily lives. However, the filmmaker soon discovers their daily lives aren't especially interesting, and soon he finds himself deliberately throwing chaos into their path in hopes of making for a more exciting movie. Married Life: The Movie was originally produced as a weekly television series, with four episodes re-edited into this feature; the show's director and star, Ken Finkleman, later went on to create the award-winning Canadian sitcom The Newsroom. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
Cast:
Pierce Brosnan,
Chris Cooper,
Patricia Clarkson,
Rachel McAdams,
David Richmond-Peck
Directed by: Ira Sachs
Produced by: William Horberg,
Alix Madigan-Yorkin,
Adam Shulman
Host: Peter Travers
Guest: Director Ira Sachs
Ira Sachs
Official Site: Link
2/4 UNDER THE SAME MOON
UNDER THE SAME MOON tells the parallel stories of nine-year-old Carlitos and his mother, Rosario. In the hopes of providing a better life for her son, Rosario works illegally in the U.S. while her mother cares for Carlitos back in Mexico. Unexpected circumstances drive both Rosario and Carlitos to embark on their own journeys in a desperate attempt to reunite. Along the way, mother and son face challenges and obstacles but never lose hope that they will one day be together again. Riggen's film is not only a heartwarming family story; she also offers subtle commentary on the much-debated issue of illegal immigration.
Cast:
Kate Del Castillo,
Adrian Alonso,
America Ferrera,
Eugenio Derbez (II),
Carmen Salinas
Directed by: Patricia Riggen.
Produced by: Norman Dreyfuss, Ligiah Villalobos, Ram Bergman.
Special Guest Host: Dr. Annette Insdorf (Columbia University)
Annette Insdorf is Director of Undergraduate Film Studies at Columbia University, and a Professor in the Graduate Film Division of the School of the Arts (for which she was Chair from l990-95). Dr. Insdorf is the author of "Double Lives, Second Chances: The Cinema of Krzysztof Kieslowski,""Francois Truffaut," a study of the French director's work; and "Indelible Shadows: Film and the Holocaust," whose updated third edition includes discussion of l70 additional films. For this updated version, she received the National Board of Review's William K. Everson Award in Film History.
She is the creator and host of the popular "Reel Pieces" series at Manhattan's 92nd Street Y. Among the more than 100 guests she has interviewed since l984 are Martin Scorsese, Meryl Streep, Robert Redford, Philip Kaufman, Robert Altman, Michael Caine, Susan Sarandon, Angela Bassett, Sean Penn, Danny De Vito, Jeremy Irons, Al Pacino, Glenn Close, and Bernardo Bertolucci.
She has been a frequent contributor to THE NEW YORK TIMES Arts and Leisure Section, and her articles have appeared in "Film Comment," "The Washington Post," "Premiere" and "The Los Angeles Times." Her DVD work includes the voice-over commentary for Kieslowski's "Three Colors" trilogy, and interviews for Truffaut's "Day for Night" and "Fahrenheit 451," as well as Vigo's "L'Atalante."
Born in Paris, she grew up in New York, and received her B.A. from Queens College. She earned her Ph.D. at Yale University as a Danforth Scholar, and taught at Yale from l974 - l987.
She served as a jury member at the Berlin Film Festival as well as the Locarno Film Festival, and is the panel moderator at the Telluride Film Festival. On television, Dr. Insdorf has been the host of Cannes Film Festival coverage for BRAVO and the Independent Film Channel.She is the Executive Producer of award-winning short films including "Shoeshine"--starring Ben Stiller and Jerry Stiller, nominated for an Academy Award for Best Live-Action Short--and "Performance Pieces," starring F. Murray Abraham, named Best Fiction Short at the l989 Cannes Film Festival.
You Tube
Distributors: Fox Searchlight Pictures.Offical Site: Link
Also:
RUN FAT BOY RUN
A charming but oblivious overweight guy leaves his fiancee on their wedding day only to discover years later that he really loves her. To win her back, he must finish a marathon while making her realize that her new handsome, wealthy fiance is the wrong guy for her.
Distributors: Picturehouse.
Starring: Simon Pegg (HOT FUZZ),
Hank Azaria,
Thandie Newton,
Ameet Chana,
Dylan Moran.
Directed by: David SchwimmerOfficial Site: Link
1/28 - THE COUNTERFEITERS
Set in a Nazi concentration camp, this drama centers on history's biggest counterfeit operation. In THE COUNTERFEITERS, prisoners must choose between aiding the Third Reich in their money-making scheme and their own well-being.
Cast:
August Diehl,
Karl Markovics
Director: Stefan Ruz
Official Site: Link
WINTER FESTIVAL OPENER TUESDAY Jan 22nd
THE AIR I BREATHE (2008)
Featuring Sarah Michelle Gellar and Brendan Fraser as our guest:
Brendan Fraser
THE AIR I BREATHE
A businessman bets his life on a horse race, a gangster sees the future, a pop star falls prey to a crime boss, and a doctor must save the love of his life. Based on an ancient Chinese proverb, these four overlapping stories dramatize the four emotional cornerstones of life: happiness, pleasure, sorrow and love. Distributors: ThinkFilm.Starring:
Kevin Bacon,
Forest Whitaker,
Andy Garcia,
Sarah Michelle Gellar,
Brendan Fraser,
Julie Delpy,
Emile Hirsch
