City Guide
September Films
Everyone's a Critic: arborweb's culture blog
American Romanian Festival. Tickets $10 in advance at americanromanianfestival.org and at the door. 763-8662. UMMA Helmut Stern Auditorium, 525 S. State, various times. Festival director Marian Tanau and U-M German and comparative literature lecturer and Romanian cinema expert Ramona Uritescu-Lombard introduce the films and lead Q&A sessions after each screening.
Sept. 17: “California Dreamin’” (Cristian Nemescu, 2007). Drama, set against the backdrop of the 1999 NATO bombing of Yugoslavia, about a NATO train that’s stopped in a small Romanian village by an overzealous station chief. Romanian, Spanish, Italian; subtitles. 7 p.m.
Sept. 18: “Sequences” (Alexandru Tatos, 1982). Drama that tells 3 stories--one about filmmakers who juggle their dual roles as state-supported propagandists and private moviemakers, one about a restaurant owner who waxes at length and lugubriously about his miserable life, and one about 2 men sitting near each other in a restaurant when one of them realizes the other had tortured him in a Nazi concentration camp 40 years prior. 4 p.m. Award-Winning Short Films. Romanian, subtitles. A Trip to the City (Corneliu Porumboiu, 2003). The mayor’s driver and a retired teacher in a small village travel together to town. Cigarettes and Coffee (Cristi Puiu, 2003). An older man who’s been unemployed for 2 years discusses a job opportunity with a young businessman. The Apartment (Constantin Popescu, 2003). A farce with no dialogue about a man who gets up, gets ready for work, leaves his wife in their apartment, and comes back in the building through the back door. Traffic (Catalin Mitulescu, 2003). All the things that fit into a guy’s 20-minute break on the way to his next business meeting. Humanitarian Aid (Hanno Hoefer, 2002). The inhabitants of a small Romanian mountain village await aid from 3 young men. Challenge Day (Napoleon Helmis, 2004). A Romanian city and a Japanese city compete in a sports challenge. 7:30 p.m.
Sept. 24: “Police, Adjective” (Corneliu Porumboiu, 2009). A police officer refuses to arrest a young man who’s giving pot to his schoolmates. Romanian, subtitles. 7 p.m.
Sept. 25: “Gently Was Anastasia Passing” (Alexandru Tatos, 1979). A schoolteacher defies orders not to bury the body of a Serbian partisan in a Nazi-occupied Romanian village in 1944. Romanian, subtitles. 4 p.m. Also, a film TBA at 7:30 p.m.
Ann Arbor District Library. FREE. 327-4555. AADL multipurpose room, 343 S. Fifth Ave., various times.
Sept. 3: Cinema Nightly. Screening of short films that have been submitted to this local grassroots film project. You can submit your film at icanhaz.com/cinemanightly. 6:30-9 p.m.
Sept. 14: “With One Voice” (Eric Temple, 2009). Award-winning documentary featuring mystics and scholars from different spiritual traditions. Followed by discussion led by Interfaith Round Table of Washtenaw County member Carol Blotter. 6:30-8:30 p.m.
Sept. 15: “The Girl in Centerfield” (Buddy Moorehouse & Brian Kruger, in production). Screening of clips from this forthcoming documentary about Carolyn King, who in 1973 as a 12-year-old, with the support of the Ypsilanti Little League, successfully challenged the National Little League’s ban on females. Followed by a discussion with King and the directors.
Sept. 23: “Grown in Detroit” (Mascha and Manfred Poppenk, 2009). Award-winning documentary about the urban gardening efforts managed by a public school for pregnant and parenting students in Detroit. Followed by a discussion led by U-M Community Scholars Program faculty and students and representatives from Slow Food Huron Valley. 6:30-8:30 p.m.
Sept. 26: “Two Angry Moms” (Amy Kalafa, 2010). Documentary about the roles that the federal government, corporate interests, school administrations, and parents play in the feeding of American school kids. Followed by discussion led by Slow Food Huron Valley representatives. 2-4 p.m.
Sept. 30: “Closing Doors: Demise of a Small Record Store” (Tim O’Brien & Andrew Bare, ppp). Documentary about the national demise of record stores and its consequences. Followed by discussion with the directors. 7-8:30 p.m.
Interfaith Center for Spiritual Growth. $5 suggested donation. 327-0270. 704 Airport Blvd., 8 p.m.
Sept. 18: “Spiritual Cinema.” Screening of a feature film or several shorts TBA with spiritual themes. Followed by discussion.
Jewel Heart Buddhist Center. FREE. 994-3387. Jewel Heart (1129 Oak Valley Dr. between Ann Arbor-Saline Rd. & Ellsworth), 7 p.m.
Sept. 24: “Departures” (Yojiro Takita, 2008). Drama about a newly unemployed cellist who gets a job as an undertaker. Japanese, subtitles. Discussion follows.
Michigan Theater Foundation. Unless there is a live show in the main theater, 2 or 3 different films are shown, usually twice, almost every night. For complete, updated schedules, see michtheater.org or call 668-TIME. Tickets (unless otherwise noted): $9 (children, students, seniors, & veterans, $7; MTF members, $6.50; Wed., $6). Michigan Theater, times TBA unless otherwise noted.
Sept. 1, 8, 15, & 22: “Sustainability Film Series.” Documentaries about local and organic food and environmental activism. Tickets $6 (students, seniors, Ann Arbor Film Festival and Michigan Theater members, $5). 7 p.m. Living Downstream (Sept. 1) is Chanda Chevannes’ 2010 documentary based on renowned ecologist and cancer survivor Sandra Steingraber’s book about environmental causes of cancer. Followed by a Q&A with Chevannes. Renewal(Sept. 8) is Marty Ostrow’s 2008 documentary about the rise of environmental activism in various religious communities. Followed by a Q&A with Ostrow. Carbon Nation (Sept. 15) is Peter Byck’s 2010 documentary about possible solutions to the problem of global warming. Followed by a Q&A with Byck. Ingredients (Sept. 22) is Robert Bates’s 2009 documentary, narrated by Bebe Neuwirth, about the local food movement. Followed by talks by the Ann Arbor Farmers’ Market manager Molly Notarianni and local food advocate Jeff McCabe.
Through Sept. 2: “Micmacs” (Jean-Pierre Jeunet, 2009). Crime comedy by the director of Amelie about a group of friends who come up with a plan to destroy a couple of big weapons manufacturers. French, subtitles. “Get Low” (Aaron Schneider, 2010). Drama that stars Robert Duvall as a hermit who comes to town one day to demand a living funeral. Bill Murray, Sissy Spacek.
Sept. 3-9: “Mao’s Last Dancer” (Bruce Beresford, 2009). Drama based on Chinese ballet dancer Li Cunxin’s autobiography about his efforts to stay in the U.S. without defecting.
Sept. 5 & 7: “Gone with the Wind” (Victor Fleming, 1939). The classic Civil War soap opera, centered on the spitfire belle Scarlett O’Hara. Clark Gable, Vivian Leigh. 1:30 p.m. (Sept. 5) & 7 p.m. (Sept. 7).
Sept. 6: “Casablanca” (Michael Curtiz, 1942). Classic drama starring Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman as a pair of star-crossed lovers during WW II. 7 p.m.
Sept. 10-16: “Farewell” (Christian Carion, 2009). Drama based on the true story of a KGB officer who, fed up with Communism, decides to become a double agent at the height of the Cold War. Emil Kusturica, Guillaume Canet. French, English, Russian; subtitles.
Sept. 11: “Once Upon a Time in High School”(Yu Ha, 2004). Drama about a teenager who undertakes martial arts training to defeat the bullies at his new school. Korean, subtitles. Part of the U-M Center for Korean Studies “Coming of Age in Korean High School” film series. 2 p.m.
Sept. 12 & 14: “Metropolis” (Fritz Lang, 1927). This landmark futuristic silent film has been restored to its original length after a longer copy--with 30 extra minutes of footage--was recently located in Argentina, making it possible to synchronize the film with its original score. With live organ accompaniment by Michigan Theater organist Steven Ball. 1:30 p.m. (Sept. 12) & 7 p.m. (Sept. 14).
Sept. 13: “The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari” (Robert Wiene, 1920) Sinister, surreal classic about a traveling hypnotist who unleashes a somnambulistic murderer on a small German village. 7 p.m.
Sept. 17-23: “Cairo Time” (Ruba Nadda, 2009). Awaiting her husband in Cairo, a middle-age American woman unexpectedly falls for his friend, a retired cop. Patricia Clarkson.
Sept. 20: “Rashomon” (Akira Kurosawa, 1950). Classic about four contradictory views of a rape-murder.
Sept. 24: “Naked Angel” (Christina Morales Hemenway, 2010). Sneak preview. Drama, shot primarily in Ann Arbor, about a man plagued by self-doubt and social anxiety whose life changes when he meets his guardian angel. Followed by a Q&A with the director, an Ann Arbor native, and cast and crew members, including James Duvall and others. The film is preceded at 6:30 p.m. by a gala reception ($250 per twosome in advance at dancingstarproductions.com). Tickets $10 (members, $7) in advance at dancingstarproductions.com and ticketweb.com, and (if available) at the door. 7:30 p.m.
Sept. 24-30: “Coco Chanel & Igor Stravinsky” (Jan Kounen, 2009). Drama about the 1920 affair between Chanel and Stravinsky. French, Russian, English; subtitles.
Sept. 27: “Rear Window” (Alfred Hitchcock, 1954). Stylish thriller-romance about a news photographer who makes a sordid discovery while using binoculars to snoop on his neighbors. James Stewart, Grace Kelly.
Sept. 30: “Manhattan Short Film Festival” (various directors, 2010). Screening of the 2010 finalists from arguably the largest short film festival in the world. Followed by a chance to vote for your favorite.
Projectorhead. FREE. 615-0445. U-M Angell Hall Auditorium A, 7 p.m.
Sept. 18: “What the Hell Was That?” Screenings of experimental films from this year’s Ann Arbor Film Festival. Followed by discussion with AAFF director Donald Harrison and U-M screen arts & cultures faculty members.
Sept. 25: “Piccadilly” (E.A. Dupont, 1929). Silent film about a Chinese dishwasher at a Piccadilly nightclub who becomes the toast of London when the nightclub owner recruits her as a performer.
Temple Beth Emeth. FREE. 665-4744. 2309 Packard, 1 p.m. Snacks. Child care available with advance notice.
Sept. 14: “A Serious Man” (Joel & Ethan Coen, 2009). Darkly comic modern Job story set in 1967 about a midwestern professor whose life unravels when his schlemiel of a brother won’t move out of his house.
U-M Center for Japanese Studies. “Re-Viewing Kurosawa.” Every Fri., Sept. 24-Nov. 12. Screenings of several Akira Kurosawa films. Japanese, subtitles. FREE. 764-6307. Lorch Hall auditorium (Tappan at Monroe), 7 p.m.
Sept. 24:“Rashomon” (Akira Kurosawa, 1950). See Michigan Theater listing.
U-M Japanese Animation Film Society. U-M campus admission policy: No one under 18 admitted without an adult. FREE. umichanime.com. MLB, 812 E. Washington at Thayer, 10 a.m.-midnight.
Sept. date TBA: “Animania.” Monthly anime-a-thon of feature films and episodes from TV series.
UMMA. FREE. 763-8662. UMMA Helmut Stern Auditorium, 525 S. State, 7:30 p.m.
Sept. 7: “The Wizard of Oz” (Victor Fleming, 1939). Classic film musical based on L. Frank Baum’s beloved children’s fantasy. In conjunction with the U-M LSA theme semester “What Makes Life Worth Living?”
WCBN-FM. FREE admission. 763-3500. Arbor Brewing Company (114 E. Washington), 8:30 p.m.
Sept. 8: “The Decline of Western Civilization” (Penelope Spheeris, 1980). Documentary about the late-70s L.A. punk scene. Black Flag, X, Circle Jerks.
