Category: Newsletters

Smashed is a dramatic comedy about fidelity – and what it means to be committed to someone, to love someone, and to need to change your life… when your partner isn’t capable of change. Kate (Mary Elizabeth Winstead, in a stellar performance) and Charlie (Aaron Paul) are a young married couple whose bond is built on a mutual love of music, laughter and drinking… especially the drinking. When Kate’s drinking leads her to dangerous places and her job as a school teacher is put into jeopardy, she decides to join AA and get sober. With the help of her friend and sponsor Jenny (Octavia Spencer), and the awkward but well-intentioned vice principal at her school (Nick Offerman), Kate takes steps toward improving her health and life. Sobriety isn’t as easy as Kate had anticipated, though. Her new lifestyle brings to the surface a troubling relationship with her mother (Mary Kay Place), forces her to face the lies she’s told her employer, and calls into question whether or not her relationship with Charlie is built on love. Directed and co-written by James Ponsoldt.

Based on true events, Argo chronicles the life-or-death covert operation to rescue six Americans, which unfolded behind the scenes of the Iran hostage crisis-the truth of which was unknown by the public for decades. On November 4, 1979, as the Iranian revolution reaches its boiling point, militants storm the U.S. embassy in Tehran, taking 52 Americans hostage. But, in the midst of the chaos, six Americans manage to slip away and find refuge in the home of the Canadian ambassador. Knowing it is only a matter of time before the six are found out and likely killed, a CIA “exfiltration” specialist named Tony Mendez (Ben Affleck) comes up with a risky plan to get them safely out of the country. A plan so incredible, it could only happen in the movies. — (C) Warner Bros.

A funny and touching coming-of-age story based on the beloved best-selling novel by director Stephen Chbosky, The Perks of Being a Wallflower is a modern classic that captures the dizzying highs and crushing lows of growing up. Starring Logan Lerman, Emma Watson and Ezra Miller, The Perks of Being a Wallflower is a moving tale of love, loss, fear and hope — and the unforgettable friends that help us through life.

From the presenters of the popular Academy Award Nominated Shorts program comes Stars in Shorts, a delightful new program featuring the worlds biggest actorsin their smallest roles yet! Judi Dench is a neophyte in the complicated landscape of internet dating in Friend Request Pending. Colin Firth is an unusually needy neighbor to Keira Knightley in the humorously droll Steve, written and directed by Rupert Friend. Lily Tomlin gets lost on her way to the funeral of a woman she never met in The Procession. Jason Alexander is a screenwriter at the end of his rope in the musical short Not Your Time. The acerbic Neil LaBute wrote and directed Sexting, in which Julia Stiles delivers a heartfelt monologue, ending with a hilarious surprise twist. LaBute also wrote the pitch black comedy After-School Special, in which Wes Bentley and Sarah Paulsen have an awkward encounter at an indoor playground. In the science fiction short Prodigal, Kenneth Branagh plays a mysterious and sinister man pursuing a supernaturally talented young girl whose father is determined to protect her at any price. Note: This shorts program contains adult language.

A striking portrait of drifters and seekers in post-World War II America, The Master unfolds the journey of a Navy veteran (Joaquin Phoenix) who arrives home from war unsettled and uncertain of his futureuntil he is tantalized by The Cause and its charismatic leader (Philip Seymour Hoffman). Written and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson (There Will Be Blood, Magnolia, Boogie Nights), the drama co-stars Amy Adams and features an original score by Jonny Greenwood of Radiohead.

Detroit’s story has encapsulated the iconic narrative of America over the last century- the Great Migration of African Americans escaping Jim Crow; the rise of manufacturing and the middle class; the love affair with automobiles; the flowering of the American Dream; and now the collapse of the economy and the fading American mythos. With its vivid, painterly palette and haunting score, DETROPIA sculpts a dreamlike collage of a grand city teetering on the brink of dissolution. These soulful pragmatists and stalwart philosophers strive to make ends meet and make sense of it all, refusing to abandon hope or resistance. Their grit and pluck embody the spirit of the Motor City as it struggles to survive postindustrial America and begins to envision a radically different future.

91 min. – Not rated – Dir. Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady

Catherine Deneuve and her real-life daughter Chiara Mastroianni star in this sexy yet exquisitely romantic musical drama that spans over three decades as it follows a mother and daughter’s misadventures in love. In the ’60s, Madeleine (Ludivine Sagnier) leaves Paris to re-join her Czech husband Jaromil (Rasha Bukvic) in Prague, but his infidelities and the arrival of Russian tanks in the city lead her back to France. Thirty years later we follow the romance of Madeleine’s daughter, Vera (Mastroianni), who falls in love with a musician (Paul Schneider) in London who is incapable of devoting himself to her. Meanwhile in Paris, a re-married Madeleine (now played by Deneuve) has rekindled her love affair with Jaromil (Milos Forman). Full of visual delights, this widescreen homage to Jacques Demy’s musicals is a moving exploration of the changing nature of relationships, with music by Alex Beaupain (Love Songs). Written and directed by Christophe Honore (Love Songs, Dans Paris). (Partially subtitled)

Comedian Mike Birbiglia brings his hilarious semi-autobiographical storyalready an off-Broadway smash and a best-selling bookto the screen as writer/director/star in his cinematic debut. Occasionally commenting ruefully on the action (“Remember: you’re on my side!”), Birbiglia plays alter-ego Matt Pandamiglio, a struggling stand-up comedian avoiding commitment with his long-time girlfriend (Lauren Ambrose, “Six Feet Under”) who is becoming impatient. Unable to confront his anxieties, Matt finds them manifesting in ridiculous, dangerous and surreal bouts of sleepwalking in which his sub-conscious runs wild (he fights off a jackal attack, competes in the Dustbuster Olympics). With the help of a doubtful talent agent he goes on the road to little colleges and dive bars, where his material bombs until he stumbles into some revealing jokes about his relationship. Birbiglia’s self-deprecating persona makes for a fresh, appealing and very funny film. Co-starring Carol Kane and James Rebhorn, with cameos by members of today’s stand-up scene. Co-written and produced by Ira Glass (“This American Life”).

Ira Glass will be giving a Q&A after the film. This screening is likely to sell out, so please purchase your tickets in advance at https://tickets.landmarktheatres.com/Ticketing.aspx?TheatreID=264&MovieID=13747&ShowDate=9/2/2012&ScheduleID=104687

We will be heading down to the theater 30 minutes before show time. If you arrive late, we will reconvene in the upstairs theater lobby after the movie and Q&A.

In the dramatic comedy Robot & Frank, set in the near future, Frank (Frank Langella), a retired cat burglar, has two grown kids who are concerned he can no longer live alone. They are tempted to place him in a nursing home until Frank’s son chooses a different option: against the old man’s wishes, he buys Frank a walking, talking humanoid robot programmed to improve his physical and mental health. What follows is an often hilarious and somewhat heartbreaking story about finding friends and family in the most unexpected places. Director Jake Schreier’s feature film debut also stars James Marsden, Liv Tyler and Susan Sarandon.

Celeste and Jesse Forever transforms the conventional romantic comedy with a bracingly honest real-life vibe, exploring both the comedy and complexity of love and friendship. Celeste (Rashida Jones) and Jesse (Andy Samberg) met in high school and are a young married couple who are growing apart. Now thirty, Celeste is the driven owner of her own media consulting firm, while Jesse is once again unemployed and in no particular rush to do anything with his life. Celeste is convinced that divorcing Jesse is the right thing to do-she is on her way up, he is on his way nowhere, and if they do it now instead of later, they can remain supportive friends. Jesse passively accepts this transition into friendship, even though he is still in love with her. As the reality of their separation sets in, Celeste slowly and painfully realizes she has been cavalier about their relationship. While navigating the turbulent changes in their lives and in their hearts, these two learn that in order to truly love someone, you may have to let them go.