City Guide
October Films
Everyone's a Critic: arborweb's culture blog
Ann Arbor District Library. FREE. 327-4555. AADL multipurpose room, 343 S. Fifth Ave., various times.
Oct. 21: “The Philosopher Kings” (Patrick Shen, 2009). Documentary about 8 custodians at prestigious colleges and universities around the country. Followed by a discussion led by U-M Community Scholars Program faculty and students. 6:30-8:30 p.m.
Interfaith Center for Spiritual Growth. $5 suggested donation. 327-0270. 704 Airport Blvd., 8 p.m.
Oct. 16: “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.
Oct. 29: “The Legend of Bagger Vance” (Robert Redford, 2000). A mysterious caddy helps a once-promising golfer, his career derailed by the trauma of WW I, regain his composure during an exhibition match with golf legends Bobby Jones and Walter Hagen. Matt Damon, Will Smith. Followed by discussion.
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.
Oct. 1-7: “The Concert” (Radu Mihaileanu, 2009). Uplifting comedy about a renowned conductor who, after being fired for hiring Jewish musicians, makes an unlikely comeback with a band of Jews, Gypsies, and a young virtuoso. French & Russian, subtitles. “Soul Kitchen” (Fatih Akin, 2009). A German-Greek chef in Hamburg nearly ruins his unassuming eatery when he follows his girlfriend to China and lets his brother take over the restaurant.
Oct. 2: “Suspiria” (Dario Argento, 1977). Italian horror masterpiece set in a dance school for teenagers widely regarded as one of the scariest movies of all time. Jessica Harper. Italian, subtitles. 10 p.m.
Oct. 3: “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang” (Ken Hughes, 1968). Classic children’s music spectacular about a car with the power of flight. Dick Van Dyke. Kids age 12 & under, FREE. 1:30 p.m.
Oct. 4: “Wild Strawberries” (Ingmar Bergman, 1957). An elderly academic is plagued by dreams about his past that expose the emptiness of his life. Swedish, subtitles. 7 p.m.
Oct. 7: “Freedom’s Fury” (Colin Grey & Megan Raney, 2006). Documentary about the 1956 Hungarian Revolution and the infamous Soviet Union-Hungary “Blood in the Water” water polo match at the 1956 Olympics. FREE. 7:30 p.m.
Oct. 8: “Answer This!” (Michael & Christopher Farah, 2010). Sneak preview of this film made and set in Ann Arbor in the world of competitive bar trivia, where a group of frustrated academics finally get a shot at beer, women, and nerdy redemption when its members enter the most important contest of their lives...the First Annual Ann Arbor Trivia Tournament. Christopher Gorham, Arielle Kebbel, Nelson Franklin, Chris Parnell, and U-M English professor Ralph Williams. The directors discuss their film at the downtown library on Oct. 4 (see listing) and participate in a symposium on “Filmmaking in Michigan” on Oct. 6 (6-7:30 p.m., Michigan Theater), and the film’s stars take on all comers in a trivia contest on Oct. 7 (8 p.m.-midnight, Ashley’s Pub). 7:30 p.m.
Oct. 8-14: “Never Let Me Go” (Mark Romanek, 2010). Drama based on Kazuo Ishiguro’s novel about children at a seemingly idyllic English boarding school who grow up without knowing about the haunting reality that awaits them.
Oct. 11: “Repulsion” (Roman Polanski, 1965). Psychological shocker about a young woman’s mental breakdown. Catherine Deneuve. 7 p.m.
Oct. 14 & 17: “Grease” (Randal Kleiser, 1978). Singalong version of this classic musical about a tough-guy 1950s greaser who falls for a squeaky-clean Australian girl. John Travolta, Olivia Newton-John, Stockard Channing. 7:30 p.m. (Oct. 14) & 5 p.m. (Oct. 17).
Oct. 15-21: “Heartbreaker” (Pascal Chaumeil, 2010). Rom com about a guy who runs a business breaking up relationships. French, Spanish, Japanese, Arabic, Mandarin; subtitles.
Oct. 19: “Beetle Queen Conquers Tokyo” (Jessica Oreck, 2009). Award-winning documentary exploring the mystery of Japan’s age-old love affair with insects. Followed by a Q&A with the director. Presented by the Ann Arbor Film Festival. Advance tickets available at ticketweb.com 7 p.m.
Oct. 22-28: “You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger”(Woody Allen, 2010). Quirky romantic comedy about a woman who visits a fortuneteller and learns she will meet the love of her life. Naomi Watts, Anthony Hopkins, Josh Brolin, Antonio Banderas.
Oct. 25: “Amarcord” (Federico Fellini, 1973). The director’s Oscar-winning, nostalgic tribute to his youth in 1930s Rome. Italian, subtitles. 7 p.m.
Oct. 26: “Music Within” (Steven Sawalich, 2007). Drama based on the true story of a hearing-impaired Vietnam vet who became an advocate for Americans with disabilities. Sponsored by the U-M Council for Disability Concerns. FREE. 7 p.m.
Oct. 28: “Nosferatu” (F.W. Murnau, 1922). Silent horror classic with live organ accompaniment. 7:30 p.m.
Oct. 29 & 30: “Freakonomics” (various directors, 2010). Documentary based on economist Steven Levitt and journalist Stephen Dubner’s 2005 book that challenges conventional wisdom about why people do what they do.
Oct. 30: “Conduct Zero” (Jo Geun-sik, 2002). The most popular kid in high school gets a wake up call when he’s challenged by a tough new student. Korean, subtitles. Part of the U-M Center for Korean Studies “Coming of Age in Korean High School” film series. 2 p.m.
Oct. 30: “The Three Corpse Circus Independent Horror Film Festival.” Screenings of several independent short horror films by various filmmakers from all over the U.S. Prizes for best scream and best costume. Tickets $17 in advance at ticketweb.com and at the door. 7-11 p.m.
Projectorhead. FREE. 615-0445. U-M Angell Hall Auditorium A (except Oct. 23, Lorch Hall auditorium, Tappan at Monroe), 7 p.m.
Oct. 2: “Ocean of Pearls” (Sarab Singh Neelam, 2008). A young Sikh surgeon struggles against pressures to assimilate when he moves from Toronto to Detroit. Followed by discussion with the director (a physician from Troy) and the screenwriter, U-M screenwriting professor Veerendra Prasad.
Oct. 9: “Word Is Out: Stories of Some of Our Lives” (Peter Adair & Robert Epstein, 1978). Pioneering documentary about lesbian and gay identity made by gay filmmakers.
Oct. 16: “Festival of (In)Appropriation.” Short films that incorporate found footage in inappropriate ways.
Oct. 23: “Araya” (Margot Benacerraf, 1958). Documentary about the tough traditional way of life in this Venezuelan peninsula. Spanish, subtitles.
Oct. 30: “Audition” (Takashi Miike, 1999). Unnerving horror film about a widowed TV producer who scopes out new wives by screening actresses for a nonexistent movie. Japanese, subtitles.
Temple Beth Emeth. FREE. 665-4744. 2309 Packard, 1 p.m. Snacks. Child care available with advance notice.
Oct. 19: “Defiance” (Edward Zwick, 2008). Drama about Jewish brothers who escape Nazi-occupied Eastern Europe and join Russian resistance fighters in the Belarussian forests.
U-M Center for Chinese Studies. Chinese Documentary Film Series. Mandarin, subtitles. Free. 764-6308. Angell Hall Auditorium A (entrance at the Fishbowl on the east side of the bldg.), 7:10 p.m.
Oct. 2: “Getting Home” (Zhang Yang, 2007). An aging construction worker carries the body of his fallen friend hundreds of miles to a burial site in China’s Three Gorges region.
Oct. 23: “At Home in the World” (Wu Wenguang, 1995). Documentary about 5 Beijing artists featured in Wenguang’s acclaimed Bumming in Beijing who are now scattered around the world.
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.
Oct. 1: “Ikiru” (1952). A petty bureaucrat who learns he will soon die begins a desperate search to learn what it means to be fully alive.
Oct. 8: “Seven Samurai” (1954). Landmark drama about warriors hired to defend a small village in 16th-century Japan.
Oct. 15: “Throne of Blood” (1957). Stunning, eloquent reconception of Shakespeare’s Macbeth, set in feudal Japan’s samurai warrior society.
Oct. 22: “Hidden Fortress” (1958). In feudal Japan, 2 peasants escort a princess and her general across enemy lines in hopes of securing a large share of the gold they’re carrying.
Oct. 29: “High and Low” (1963). A powerfully told story of a kidnapping's psychological effects on all concerned.
U-M Center for Russian & East European Studies. FREE. 764-0351. 1636 SSWB, 1080 South University.
Oct. 28: “Ordinary People” (Vladimir Perisic, 2009). Drama about a soldier faced with the mission of executing prisoners. Serbian, subtitles. 4:15 p.m.
U-M Hellenic Student Association. FREE. 936-6099.
Oct. 17: “Plato’s Academy” (Fillipos Tsitos, 2009). Comedy about a shopkeeper and his friends that explores ethnic tensions in contemporary Greece. 5 p.m., location TBA.
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.
Oct. 23: “Animania.” Monthly anime-a-thon of feature films and episodes from TV series.
U-M Library. FREE. 615-5783. 100 Hatcher Graduate Library, 913 South University (enter from the Diag), different times.
Oct. 11: “A Passing of the Torch.” Premiere of this documentary about the U-M students who helped create the Peace Corps. 7 p.m.
Oct. 27: “Lioness” (Meg McLagan & Daria Sommers, 2008). Documentary about women soldiers in Iraq. Part of the U-M Council for Disability Concerns Investing in Ability Week. Noon.
UMMA. FREE. 763-8662. UMMA Helmut Stern Auditorium, 525 S. State, different times.
Oct. 5: “The Big Chill” (Lawrence Kasdan, 1983). A group of college friends who reunite at a friend’s funeral spend a nostalgic weekend weighing their lives. Tom Berenger, Glenn Close, Jeff Goldblum, William Hurt, Kevin Kline. In conjunction with the U-M LS&A theme semester, “What Makes Life Worth Living?” 7:30 p.m.
Oct. 24: “The Radiant Sun” (Terri Sarris, 2010). Documentary about the Michigan-based textile designer Ruth Adler Schnee and the challenges she faced as a female architectural designer in the 2nd half of the 20th century. Followed by a discussion with Schnee, Sarris, and University of Maryland architecture professor (and coproducer of the film) Ronit Eisenbach. 2 p.m.
WCBN-FM. FREE admission. 763-3500. Arbor Brewing Company (114 E. Washington), 8:30 p.m.
Oct. 13: “Buena Vista Social Club” (Wim Wenders, 1999). Poetic, exhilarating documentary about a Cuban music ensemble that mixes music with glimpses of urban Cuban life. English and Spanish, subtitles.
