Sunday Night Film Club – DC

Having lost his passion for teaching and writing, 62-year-old Walter Vale (Richard Jenkins) fills the void by trying to learn to play classical piano. Sent to Manhattan to attend a conference, Walter is surprised to find a young couple has taken up residence in his apartment. Victims of a real estate scam, Tarek (Haaz Sleiman), a Syrian man, and Zainab (Danai Gurira), his Senegalese girlfriend, have nowhere else to go. In the first of a series of tests of the heart, Walter reluctantly allows the couple to stay with him. Touched by his kindness, the talented Tarek insists on teaching the aging academic to play the African drum. The instrument’s exuberant rhythms revitalize Walter’s faltering spirit and open his eyes to a vibrant world of local jazz clubs and Central Park drum circles. When Tarek is arrested as an undocumented citizen and held for deportation, Walter finds himself compelled to help his new friend with a passion he thought he had long ago lost. Written and directed by Tom McCarthy (The Station Agent).

In Wong Kar Wai’s debut English language feature, the internationally acclaimed director of In the Mood for Love takes his audience on a dramatic journey across the distance between heartbreak and a new beginning. After a rough break-up, Elizabeth (songstress Norah Jones in her screen debut) sets out on a journey across America, leaving behind a life of memories, a dream and a soulful new friend, a café owner (Jude Law)—all while in search of something to mend her broken heart. Waitressing her way through the country, Elizabeth befriends others whose yearnings are greater than hers, including a troubled cop (David Strathairn), his estranged wife (Rachel Weisz) and a down-on-her luck gambler (Natalie Portman). Through these individuals, Elizabeth witnesses the true depths of loneliness and emptiness, and begins to understand that her own journey is part of a greater exploration within herself.

As with all new films generating a good bit of buzz, we recommend you pre-order your tickets at http://www.landmarktheatres.com/tickets/default.asp.

From director Michael Radford (The Merchant of Venice, Il Postino) comes a clever diamond-heist thriller set in swinging 1960s London. Demi Moore plays Laura Quinn, a bright, driven and beautiful executive at the London Diamond Corporation who finds herself frustrated by a glass ceiling after years of faithful employment. Michael Caine is Hobbs, the nighttime janitor at London Diamond who is virtually invisible to the executives that work there, but over the years has amassed a startling amount of knowledge about how the company runs. Hobbs has his own bone to pick with London Diamond. Observing Laura’s frustration, he convinces her to help him execute an ingenious plan to steal a hefty sum in diamonds. But unbeknownst to Laura, Hobbs plans go even farther than he’s let on, and together they set in motion a thrilling heist of dizzying proportions, the likes of which London has never seen.

If you’re the adventurous sort, you’re also invited to make this a double header with I’m a Cyborg, But That’s Okay at 2 pm. Cyborg, part of the Korean Film Festival currently underway in DC, is a film by director Park Chan-wook. Best known for the stylized violence of his films Oldboy and Lady Vengeance, Park Chan-wook takes a lighter turn with this whimsical tale of love in a mental institution between a boy who thinks he’s disappearing and a girl who thinks she’s a robot. Park’s genius for color and visual design is evident throughout this poignant, playful romance. The film is free, but tickets are required. Please visit http://www.asia.si.edu/events/index.asp?year=2008&month=4&day=6 for additional information.

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.

A futuristic action thriller where a team of people work to prevent a disaster threatening the future of the human race.

This gentle culture-clash comedy, the debut feature of writer/director Eran Kolirin, is winner of 8 Israeli Film Academy Awards. When the Alexandria, Egypt police band gets lost on their way to inaugurate an Arab Cultural Center, they end up stranded in a remote Israeli town, where the residents reluctantly put them up for the night. Sasson Gabai plays the band’s stoic conductor, Saleh Bakri a suave ladies man, and Ronit Elkabetz a sexy café owner who finds them a challenge. With a deadpan humor reminiscent of Jacques Tati and Jim Jarmusch, the film sweetly embraces a hope for peace and understanding. (Fully subtitled)

A man whose brain becomes magnetized unintentionally destroys every tape in his friend’s video store. In order to satisfy the store’s most loyal renter, an aging woman with signs of dementia, the two men set out to remake the lost films.

Following up his blockbuster action hit Mr. and Mrs. Smith, director Doug Liman turns to an entirely new genre — sci-fi — for this tale of an underground world of teleporters. Based on the novel by Steven Gould, Jumper concerns David (Hayden Christensen), a young man who quite literally wills himself away from his grim family life. Once in control of his newfound ability, he finds he’s able to use it for great personal gain. But he soon discovers that he is not alone, and all is not well in the world of jumpers. ~ Michael Hastings, All Movie Guide

With amazing wit and heart, this award-winning animated feature tells the poignant story of a young girl coming-of-age in Iran during the Islamic Revolution. Through the eyes of precocious and outspoken 9-year-old Marjane, we see a people’s hopes dashed as fundamentalists take power—forcing the veil on women and imprisoning thousands. Clever and fearless, she outsmarts the “social guardians” and discovers punk, ABBA and Iron Maiden. Feeling vulnerable and alone in a strange land after being sent to school in Austria, she has to combat being equated with the religious fundamentalism and extremism she fled her country to escape. Featuring the voices of Chiara Mastroianni, Catherine Deneuve, Danielle Darrieux and Simon Abkarian. Directed by Marjane Satrapi (based on her acclaimed memoir) and Vincent Paronnaud. Academy Award nominee for Best Animated Feature.

We strongly recommend you buy your tickets in advance at http://www.landmarktheatres.com/tickets/default.asp