UPCOMING SCREENINGS
Capitol Theatre, Main Street Huntsville
MARIANNE & LEONARD
Monday, March 2, 2020
Marianne & Leonard: Words of Love is renowned filmmaker Nick Broomfield's most personal and romantic film of his storied career. The documentary starts on the Greek island of Hydra in 1960, where Leonard Cohen, then a struggling and unknown fiction writer, and Marianne Ihlen, a single mother with a young son, became part of community of expat artists, writers and musicians.Never-before-seen footage shot by Broomfield and legendary documentarian D.A. Pennebaker make for a unique portrait of an idyllic 1960's bohemia. It was a time that left a lasting imprint on both Marianne and Leonard, whose friendship would last another 50 years before their deaths in 2016.
"With a softened lens, British documentarian Nick Broomfield adoringly examines a fascinating relationship in a fascinating time that saw Cohen transition from a poet to a world-class songwriter." - Brad Wheeler, Globe and Mail
PAIN AND GLORY
Monday, March 16, 2020
A deeply personal work from one of the world's foremost filmmakers, Pain and Glory is pure Almodóvar: inventive and irreverent, poignant and exhilarating. Chronicling the existential odyssey of a filmmaker confronting the autumn of his life, the Spanish auteur's 21st feature immerses us in the thrall of memory (and the fleeting bliss of narcotics) while celebrating art as a balm for the burdens of mortality.
Afflicted with creative stagnancy and a cluster of physical ailments, Salvador (Antonio Banderas, who won the Best Actor prize at Cannes for his performance) finds himself drifting into uncharted waters when a revival screening of his controversial classic Sabor reunites him with that film's star, Alberto (Asier Etxeandia). A longtime junkie, Alberto lures Salvador into seeking solace in opiates, and also reminds him of a script that Salvador wrote and abandoned long ago. Along with this forgotten text comes a flood of old acquaintances and vivid memories — some involving Salvador's beloved mother (Penélope Cruz), others to do with an old flame ravaged by addiction.
"Everything about Pain and Glory is awake and alive, and Almodóvar's nerve endings become ours, too." - Stephanie Zacharek, TIME Magazine
HOPE GAP
Monday, April 6, 2020
A together-forever couple (Annette Bening and Bill Nighy) unpack the many complications of splitting up, in Oscar-nominated writer-director William Nicholson’s razor-sharp drama. Featuring brilliant performances from Bill Nighy and four-time Oscar nominee Annette Bening, this exquisite drama will resonate with anyone who has ever navigated the choppy waters of long-term love.
"Nighy gives a master class in withdrawn, mumbling ineffectualness... while Bening is superb as a retiree whose shock at her disengaged husband inspires a suite of conflicting emotions." - Tim Grierson, Screen Daily
AND THE BIRDS RAINED DOWN
Monday, April 20, 2020
As acclaimed director Louise Archambault's elegiac and charming film opens, we meet three hermits living in cabins in the Quebec countryside, miles from civilization. Tom, Charlie, and Ted fled society years ago, and have eked out a back-to-the-land existence, selling pot to the closest locals with help from local hotelier Stephen.
But their lifestyle is increasingly endangered by nature, infirmity, and age. Ted collapses from a heart attack. Then, photographer/ researcher Ange-Aimee threatens to disrupt their lives when she starts looking for survivors of a catastrophic blaze that happened decades ago, and most notably Ted, whose actions during the fire have assumed heroic stature.
A poignant meditation on the possibilities of living outside modernity, And the Birds Rained Down is a tribute to the need to live independently and on one's own terms — and to those courageous enough to pursue this. (It's also a cry for respect for people and their choices, regardless of age.) Driven by an astonishing cast boasting some of Quebec's most esteemed performers the film features one of the most beautiful musical moments of the year, when ailing musician Tom, coaxed into performing at a nearby club, delivers a soulful and heartbreaking rendition of one of Tom Waits' best tunes. In French with English subtitles.
Director: Paul McGuigan
Starring: Jamie Bell, Vanessa Redgrave, Annette Bening
Synopsis: A romance sparks between a young actor and a Hollywood leading lady.