[Rose-movies] Rose Theatre Newsletter for 4/12/04

[The Rose Theatre]

This week's newsletter includes:
    * JAPANESE STORY starts Friday, April 16
    * ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND starts Friday, April 16
    * THE WEATHER UNDERGROUND ends Thursday, April 15
    * TO BE AND TO HAVE ends Thursday, April 15
    * THE LADYKILLERS ends Thursday, April 15
    * Gift Suggestions
    * Coming Attractions
    * Rose Theatre Movie Challenge
                                ________________________________________________________________

Show Times: Monday, April 12 thru Thursday, April 22

JAPANESE STORY - showing in the Rosebud Cinema
April 16                4:30, 7:10
April 17                4:30, 7:10, 9:15
April 18                4:30, 7:10
April 19, 20            7:10
April 21, 22            4:30, 7:10

ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND - showing in the Rose Theatre
April 16                4:00, 7:30
April 17                4:00, 7:30, 9:45
April 18                4:00, 7:30
April 19, 20            7:30
April 21, 22            4:00, 7:30

THE WEATHER UNDERGROUND - showing in the Rosebud Cinema
April 12-15             7:30

TO BE AND TO HAVE
April 12, 13            No Shows
April 14, 15            4:30

THE LADYKILLERS
April 12, 13            7:10
April 14, 15            4:00, 7:10
                               _______________________________________________________________

JAPANESE STORY
Directed by Sue Brooks
Cast: Toni Collette, Gotaro Tsunashima
Rated R for sexuality and language.  99 min.  <http://www.japanesestory.com>

In the decade since MURIEL'S WEDDING, Australia's Toni Collette has emerged 
as one of cinema's most beguiling and versatile actresses.  Her latest 
picture, JAPANESE STORY, a compelling and edgy love story with a twist, 
offers her a gutsy all-stops-out role worthy of Barbara Stanwyck, and she 
makes the absolute most of it in one of the year's best screen 
performances.  This stunning film should put its director, Sue Brooks, and 
the writer, Alison Tilson, on the map.

With cropped blond hair, Collette plays a dynamic take-charge type, a 
geologist partnered in a Perth, Austrailia, firm that designs software for 
the mining industry.  She finds her self stuck having to escort the son of 
a Japanese industrialist on a private visit.  Her character, Sandy, is far 
too forthright and strong a woman to disguise her unhappiness at this chore.

Working with Tilson's solidly developed script, in which humor and 
irascibility are swept away by emotion,  Brooks, her stars and her renowned 
cinematographer, Ian Baker, express the transformation the unlikely couple 
experience with economy, grace and conviction.  Brooks generates a 
smoldering sensuality few male filmmakers could equal.

Collette is fearless in reaching deeply into her emotions, and her 
expressiveness as an actress comes across as completely natural because it 
so clearly comes from within.  In an instant, she can switch from salty and 
a little hard to lovely and vulnerable to profoundly wrenching.  The way 
she moves is equally affecting and, seemingly intuitively, she knows how 
much to let out and how much to hold back.  She is well matched by 
Tsunashima, also an actor of much presence and many resources, but this 
Japanese story belongs to Collette.  (Excerpted from the LOS ANGELES TIMES)

"A haunting and hypnotic tale of love.  Toni Collette burns this movie into 
your memory"-ROLLING STONE.  "A powerhouse performance, surprising and 
unforgettable"-IFC Rant.  Best Picture, Best Actress, Best Director - 
Austrailian Film Institute
                               _________________________________________________________________

ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND
Directed by Michel Gondry
Cast: Jim Carrey, Kate Winslet, Elijah Wood, Kirsten Dunst, Mark Ruffalo, 
Tom Wilkinson
Rated R for language, drug and sexual content.  108 
min.  <http://www.eternalsunshine.com>

Don't expect anything standard-issue from this uniquely funny, 
unapologetically twisted romance.  Jim Carrey, dropping the goofy faces, 
has never done anything this deeply felt.  The brilliant screenwriter 
Charlie Kaufman (BEING JOHN MALKOVICH, ADAPTATION), often accused of an 
excess of cleverness, plumbs new emotional depths.  And visionary director 
Michel Gondry reveals a bracing maturity in his commitment to 
character.  ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND chases so many ideas that 
it threatens to spin out of control.  But with our multiplexes stuffed with 
toxic Hollywood formula, it's a gift to find a movie that thinks it can do 
anything, and nearly does.

Carrey stars as Joel Barish, a weary Manhattan wage slave who wakes up one 
winter morning, calls in sick and takes a train out to a beach in Montauk, 
on Long Island.  Something draws him there; maybe the same thing that draws 
him to Clementine Kruczynski (a never-better Kate Winslet), a free spirit 
with dyed blue hair - she calls it "Blue Rain" -  whom he meets on the 
train home.  These polar opposites feel a connection they can't explain.

So Kaufman gradually fills us in.  Without giving too much away, let's just 
say that Joel and Clementine have both had all memories of their two-year 
relationship erased.  "Why remember a destructive love affair?"

No matter.  The core of the movie is what's going on in Joel's head.  And 
it's here that the filmmakers lavish their most creative and insightful 
notions.  As Joel struggles to hold on to the memories of the woman he 
truly loves, Kaufman and Gondry grapple with the concept of memory itself 
and how it defines our lives.  This is heady stuff that might fly off the 
handle into meta-hot air were it not for the grounded and groundbreaking 
performances of Carrey and Winslet.

Unlocking secrets is part of the richness of a fantasy film that grows 
increasingly real.  Kaufman, Gondry and the pitch-perfect actors have 
crafted a remarkable film that can coax a smile about making the same 
mistakes in love and then sneak up and quietly break your 
heart.  (Excerpted from ROLLING STONE)

"Absolutely ingenious and unforgettable.  The best performance of Jim 
Carrey's career.  Kate Winslet has raised her game"-DAILY NEWS.  "An 
eternally wondrous experience"-USA TODAY.  "Gorgeous.  A romantic comedy 
unlike any other"-THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
                               _________________________________________________________________

THE WEATHER UNDERGROUND
Directed by Sam Green and Bill Siegel
Not rated: not suitable for children, contains images of violence and 
sexuality;  92 min.  <http://www.theweatherunderground.com>

"When you feel you have right on your side, you can do some pretty horrific 
things."  So says Brian Flanagan in THE WEATHER UNDERGROUND, an 
intelligently assembled documentary about the revolutionary antiwar group 
that began in 1969, and his remark suggests both the motivation and the 
modus operandi of the organization.

This terrifically smart and solid piece of filmmaking lets former 
Weathermen, now in their 50's and older, speak into the camera and reveal a 
bit of their personal histories as well as what the peace movement meant to 
them.

The stars of UNDERGROUND were, as Weathermen, determined to overthrow the 
United States government, believing it had criminally waged war in Vietnam 
and persecuted groups like the Black Panthers.  Voluble and charismatic, 
young, white and articulate, they spent a lot of time in the new media 
spotlight; figures like Bernadette Dohrn,  Bill Ayers, Mark Rudd, Naomi 
Jaffe and Mr. Flanagan were clearly sexy criminals.  Todd Gitlin, who was 
an S.D.S. president and is now an author and a professor of journalism at 
Columbia, summarizes their appeal:  "Like Bonnie and Clyde, many of them 
were attractive personally.  They were into youth, exuberance, sex, 
drugs.  They wanted action."

That exuberance has been captured by the filmmakers.  Mr. Green and Mr. 
Siegel have made UNDERGROUND a film of passions, showing what a turbulent 
period the late 1960's were and slyly contrasting the peace-and-love vibe 
with events of the time.

But UNDERGROUND doesn't let its subjects off the hook, despite an apparent 
sympathy for their politics.  These former radicals now reconsider their 
approach.  Mr. Rudd, who now teaches math at a community college, smiles 
painfully when he talks about telling his students what he did in the 
60's.  "My students look at me as if I were from another planet," he says.

The women are still full of hope.  By the end Ms. Jaffe admits that she'd 
do it again if she could be smarter about it.  That mixture of optimism and 
toughness was what started the Weathermen, and it still has a place in Ms. 
Jaffe's heart.  It's also the spirit of THE WEATHER 
UNDERGROUND.  (Excerpted from THE NEW YORK TIMES)

"Fascinating!  A potent time capsule of a movie"-MSNBC.."...one of the most 
thought-provoking documentaries of recent times"-WASHINGTON POST
                               _________________________________________________________________

TO BE AND TO HAVE
Directed by Nicolas Philibert
Not rated: suitable for general audiences.  In French with English 
subtitles.  104 min.  <http://www.NewYorker.Films.com>

Move over Harry Potter: the most enchanting cinematic evocation of the 
educational experience in many a year is Nicolas Philibert's TO BE AND TO 
HAVE, a documentary about a single-teacher school in the farming region of 
France known as Auvergne.  Philibert is not-quite-fly-on-the-wall of the 
classroom of George Lopez and his 13 students, who range in age from four 
to eleven.  TO BE AND TO HAVE suggests that a society based on empathy, 
encouragement, hard work, and keeping one's promises is still within the 
realm of possibility.

TO BE AND TO HAVE is an unabashedly humanist film, more concerned with 
teacher and pupils as individuals than with the pedagogical system within 
which they function.  Indeed, the film suggests in this type of school, the 
teacher is the defining factor.  M. Lopez is remarkably patient, dedicated, 
and as much attuned to the psychology of his students as to their academic 
progress.  One can imagine, however, how different school would have been 
for these children if their only teacher for six years had been mean or 
unresponsive.  The film itself does not engage in these kinds of 
comparisons.  Rather, their absence brings them to mind.

Not the least of Philibert's skills as a documentarian is his ability to 
make himself and his crew invisible while working in tight quarters.  But 
what makes TO BE AND TO HAVE  such an uncommon documentary is the way it 
uses expressive elements to evoke an experience of childhood that pricks 
the memory and awakens all but forgotten hope in audiences of 
adults.  (Excerpted from FILM COMMENT)

"So superb, so graceful, so strong"-ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY.  "Poetic...filled 
with everyday laughter"-THE NEW YORK TIMES.  "Magical"-THE BOSTON GLOBE
                               __________________________________________________________________

THE LADY KILLERS
Directed by Ethan Coen and Joel Coen
Cast: Tom Hanks, Irma P. Hall, Marlon Wayans, J.K. Simmons, Tzi Ma
Rated R for language and sexual references.  104 
min.  <http://www.ladykillers.movies.go.com>

THE LADYKILLERS represents the Coen brothers' first attempt at a movie 
remake.  The 1955 version is one of the gems of British comedy and starred 
Alec Guiness and Peter Sellers.

In the Coen's version, the premise remains the same.  Once more, a 
professor of dubious credentials rents a room from an unsuspecting old 
lady.  He and his cronies, all claiming to be musicians, use the house as a 
base of operations to commit a nefarious criminal deed.  Once more, 
however, circumstances and the old lady foil them at every turn.

The film displays the typical technical brilliance of a Coen brothers' 
movie.  Cinematographer Roger Deakins and designer Dennis Gassner create an 
oh-so-precise visual design.  The music, as usual, plays a key role and 
produces yet another amazing soundtrack, this time built around toe-tapping 
gospel music.  (Excerpted from THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER)

"With Hanks and the Coens on board, expect a royal 
flush"-PREMIERE.  "Irreverently funny and exploding with wit"-CHICAGO 
TRIBUNE.
                               _________________________________________________________________

Gift Suggestions
Rose Theatre T-Shirts  -  $16.00
Rose Theatre Mock Turtlenecks  -  $22.00
Rose Theatre Sweatshirts  -  $32.00
Admission Certificates  -  $7, $6, $5
Discount Card  -  $30.00 - saves $1 off each general admission
Concession Certificates  -  any denomination
                               _________________________________________________________________

Coming Attractions*

MY ARCHITECT: A SON'S JOURNEY  -  April 23  -  A sleeper hit about son's 
search for the famous father he barely knew.  "Spellbinding! A 'Citizen 
Kane'-like meditation"-NEW YORK MAGAZINE.  "Brilliant, a wonderful 
movie"-NEW YORK TIMES.  <http://www.MyArchitectFilm.com>

MONSIEUR IBRAHIM  -  May 14  -  The great Omar Shariff stars in this 
beautifully touching film about an unexpected friendship with a young 
man.  "Shariff's best role in decades.  At once charming, articulate, 
mysterious and soulful...a wonderfully understated performance both sweet 
and bittersweet"-GANNETT NEWS SERVICE.  <http://www.monsieuribrahim.com>

GOOD BYE LENIN  -  May 21  -  Winner of 9 German film awards, including 
Best Picture, this delightful screwball comedy is equally sweet and 
poignant.  "A romantic comedy so smart and sweetly mature, it's 
liberating"-TIME MAGAZINE.  <http://www.sonyclassics.com>

*schedule subject to change
                               __________________________________________________________________

Rose Theatre Movie Challenge

Question:  Which actress was known as The Iron Butterfly?

Rules: Answers much be e-mailed to moviechallenge at rosetheatre.com with Rose 
Theatre Contest in the subject line.  One winner will be selected at random 
from correct responses received by midnight Friday, April 16, and will be 
notified by e-mail.  Your free movie passes will be held at the box office 
so you must include your name with your movie challenge answer.
                               __________________________________________________________________

Last Week's Question: How many turtles cross the floor in the opening 
minutes of TO BE AND TO HAVE?

Answer:  Two

Congratulations to CM, our winner this week.
                               __________________________________________________________________

Soundtracks to movies featured at the Rose Theatre are available at Quimper 
Sound Music & Media, 901 Water Street, Port Townsend.

E-mail addresses are collected only for the Rose Theatre Newsletter.  They 
are not transferred to any third party for any reason.  Our complete 
Privacy Policy is available at <http://www.rosetheatre.com>



-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://mailman.olympus.net/pipermail/rose-movies/attachments/20040412/a8d70df4/attachment.htm