COLD WAR is guaranteed to vanquish the chill of our winter weather. When Wiktor (Tomasz Kot), a musician on a government gig in the Polish countryside in 1948 begins seeking out like-minded folk-music performers, he discovers Zula (Joanna Kulig), a provincial beauty and talented singer. They lock eyes and there's an erotic charge that, for better and worse, possesses them both - for life.
Pawel Pawlikowski's mesmerizing, award-winning film is loosely based on the story of his own parents, from their enchanted first meeting to the aching denouement of their relationship. [It] "is a near-perfect film, an artfully crafted, flawlessly acted meditation on love, memory and invented history that's both deeply personal and politically attuned." -Washington Post
"Joanna Kulig sets Pawel Pawlikowski's brilliant romance on fire." - Collider. "The movie has been built for maximum seduction." -The New York Times. "'Cold War' has enough heat to singe the screen. Oscar-winning filmmaker Pawel Pawlikowski returns with a love story that melds the personal, the political and the profound." -Rolling Stone. Winner, Best Director and Best Cinematography, Cannes Film Festival; Best Foreign Language Film, National Board of Review
The OSCAR NOMINATED SHORT FILMS - animation, live action, documentary - that begin Friday represent one of my favorite weeks of the year. It's a great burst of talent from all over the world. Show times for all three programs are quite varied, so check the schedule carefully, and enjoy these short gems.
And speaking of gems, the Community Arts Film Series continues this Sunday with THE BAREFOOT ARTIST, a soulful piece about Lily Yeh, an artist who has committed herself to creating community-based art projects in some of the world's most troubled regions.
After selling out three showings of JONI 75: A BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION, we have added a fourth - this Sunday, Feb.10 at 1:45 in the Rosebud.
A few tickets remain for tonight's Classics in the Starlight showing of THE PALM BEACH STORY - a wild tale of wacky wedlock from Preston Sturges that takes off like a rocket and never comes down.
And returning next Friday (2/15) for a regular week-long engagement, THEY SHALL NOT GROW OLD from director Peter Jackson.
--Rocky