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Friday, January 2 -7:30 PM

Double Feature:

MR. SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON, 1939, Sony Repertory, 129 min. Dir. Frank Capra. Naïve, straight-shooting idealist Mr. Smith (James Stewart) is elected to Congress then used and eventually framed by his corrupt mentor Claude Rains and fatcat Edward Arnold. A still incredibly topical slice of Americana with unflinching insights into how easily a free enterprise system can be debased and exploited by ruthless profiteers. Smith pleading his case before a cold-hearted unbelieving Congress sends chills down the spine and remains one of the most moving sequences in the history of cinema. Jean Arthur is the worldly cynic who has her heart melted when she realizes Smith is the real thing. With Thomas Mitchell.

MEET JOHN DOE, 1941, 122 min. Dir. Frank Capra. Gary Cooper is a hobo who gets recruited by corrupt politician Edward Arnold to lead a "common man" movement, in which he soon learns he’s being used to manipulate the pliable masses for unsavory purposes. Barbara Stanwyck and Walter Brennan co-star in this complicated piece of social commentary, in which Capra espouses his usual populist beliefs while acknowledging their dark undercurrents.

Saturday, January 3 - 7:30 PM

Monty Python Double Feature:

MONTY PYTHON AND THE HOLY GRAIL, 1975, Rainbow Releasing, 91 min. Dirs. Terry Gilliam & Terry Jones. Python's $250,000 epic features Graham Chapman as King Arthur, John Cleese as Sir Lancelot the Brave and Eric Idle as Sir Robin The-Not-Quite-So-Brave – as-Sir-Lancelot. From the limb-impaired Black Knight, to the immortal Knights who say Ni, killer rabbits, the Black Beast of Aarrgghh and the extremely rude Frenchman, HOLY GRAIL is one of the most beloved and quoted cult classics.

LIFE OF BRIAN, 1979, Rainbow Releasing, 94 min. Directed by Monty Python’s naked piano player Terry Jones on the remains of the sets from Zeffirelli's JESUS OF NAZARETH. Graham Chapman stars as Brian, Jesus' next-door neighbor, in one of the most hilariously dangerous comedies ever. A combination of Mel Brooks, the Marx Brothers and Thomas Paine's The Age of Reason. Blessed are the Cheesemakers?

Sunday, January 4 - 7:30 PM

Brazil’s Official Oscar Submission! One Night Only!

LAST STOP 174, 2008, Myriad Pictures, 108 min. Directed by Bruno Barreto, one of Brazil’s most accomplished and prestigious directors (Academy Award nominee for Best Foreign Foreign-Language Film in 1998 for FOUR DAYS IN SEPTEMBER), and written by Braulio Mantovani (Academy Award nominee for Best Adapted Screenplay in 2005 for CITY OF GOD), the film tells the tragic saga of a boy in search of a family and a mother in search of her son. Based on a true story, it is a shockingly realistic picture of growing up in the slums of Rio de Janeiro. Young Sandro is both criminal and victim in a world where lies, degradation, corruption and violence are the norm, and where justice is an unreal concept. The cast features young actors from theater groups from the slums of Rio.

Friday, January 30 - 7:30 PM
Michael Crichton Tribute – Double Feature:

Novelist, screenwriter, producer and director (and doctor!) Michael Crichton was one of the most beloved and visionary entertainers of the late 20th century. From popular entertainments (JURASSIC PARK) to provocative social button-pushers (RISING SUN, DISCLOSURE), he never failed to rivet his audience.
WESTWORLD, 1973, Warner Bros., 88 min. Dir. Michael Crichton. Bored suburbanites Richard Benjamin and James Brolin embark on a weekend at a new fangled amusement park offering a deceptively "real," idealized fantasy experience. It just so happens they’ve chosen Westworld, where immersion in the cowboy experience of frontier times is the order of the day. Unhappily, they’ve picked a weekend where electronic glitches in the park’s security suddenly make the park’s androids go on the fritz. Once things go haywire, there’s one very aggressive gunslinger robot in particular (a maniacal Yul Brynner) that seems to have it in for the boys. And he pursues them relentlessly as fantasy devolves into a nightmarish reality.

THE LOST WORLD: JURASSIC PARK, 1997, Universal, 129 min. Dir. Steven Spielberg. Jeff Goldblum returns from JURASSIC PARK and is joined by Julianne Moore and Pete Postlethwaite in Steven Spielberg's adaptation of Michael Crichton's bestselling sequel. This time, an expedition of scientists, businessmen and game hunters travels to the island where the dinosaurs of the first film were bred, with predictably terrifying results. Both more action-packed and more playful than its predecessor (with plenty of tributes to Howard Hawks and HATARI!), this is one of those rare sequels that equals and at times even surpasses the original.

Saturday, January 31 – 6:30 PM

Mad Max Special Triple Feature:

MAD MAX, 1979, MGM Repertory, 93 min. Dir. George Miller. In 1979, audiences were stunned by this nihilistic road-rage sci-fi action film about violent car gangs taking over the highways and awed by the daring car chases and the grim sadistic tone, reminiscent of spaghetti westerns. As with the rest of the cast, future international star Mel Gibson’s voice was dubbed at the time of the release because the American distributor was afraid U.S. audiences would not understand Australian accents. Shown here in all its uncut and undubbed glory, this dark revenge tale still manages to impress audiences.

MAD MAX 2: THE ROAD WARRIOR, 1981, Warner Bros., 94 min. Hockey mask-wearing Lord Humongous whips his speed-freaks into a frenzy, while Road Warrior Mel Gibson tries to save the remnants of civilization, in director George Miller’s lean, mean, thrill machine – along with James Cameron’s ALIENS, the finest action film of the decade.

MAD MAX BEYOND THUNDERDOME, 1985, Warner Bros., 107 min. Dir. George Miller. The third and most ambitious of George Miller’s MAD MAX movies is less action-oriented and more politically allegorical, as Max (Mel Gibson) finds himself among a group of children being oppressed by matriarchal uber-capitalist Tina Turner. The deeper thematic resonance doesn’t get in the way of some spectacular set pieces, however, particularly in the Thunderdome of the title, a gladiatorial theatre that is a triumph of visionary production design. Discussion following MAD MAX 2 with cinematogrpaher Dean Semler. One of our patrons has kindly offered to bring his replica Interceptor by the Aero for display!!