I have two perfect summer movies for you this week, both guaranteed to gladden your heart, at a time when hearts need gladdening. THE BARE NECESSITY is a little gem. For those of you who like your French romantic comedies on the quirky side, look no further. How quirky, you ask? The movie features revolutionary nudists who want to steal your clothes, earthworm scientists, reenactors staging pyrotechnic facsimiles of WWII battles and a host of other eccentrics. This meditation on the nature of love premiered at the Cannes Film Festival, and features winning performances that "let us look at familiar landscapes as though they're dipped in fresh colors, as one does under the influence of new love." (Variety). "Audiences that like their films odd and engaging will eat this up." -Hollywood Reporter. Starts today, 8/12. Trailer
The sparkling new restoration of JAZZ ON A SUMMER'S DAY is a beauty. Long considered one of the first and most influential concert films, the performances "are filmed with a rare artistry, a rare attention to making images of music that are themselves musical." -The New Yorker. Kick back and enjoy Louis Armstrong, Mahalia Jackson, Gerry Mulligan, Dinah Washington, George Shearing, Chico Hamilton, Anita O'Day, Jack Teagarden, Thelonious Monk, Sonny Stitt, Chuck Berry and Big Maybelle. "Scenically and sonically, JAZZ ON A SUMMER'S DAY is great." -The New York Times. "Unquestionable highlight is the extraordinary Mahalia Jackson, whose soulful renditions send a shiver down the spine." -Time Out. Starts today, 8/12. Trailer
Also beginning this week, STARTING AT ZERO, which explores the power of investing in high-quality early childhood education. It examines the latest developmental brain science to demonstrate how essential the earliest years of learning are to maximize human potential. Trailer
I've lived in the world of film for nearly half a century, but only twice in all that time have I acted with intention to in order to meet someone whose work I long admired. While working on THE BOWMAKERS in Paris I knocked on director Agnés Varda's front door. She wasn't home. And last year at the Telluride Film Festival I introduced myself to Walter Murch. Esteemed film critic Roger Ebert called Murch "the most respected film editor and sound designer in modern cinema." He worked on APOCALYPSE NOW, THE GODFATHER, AMERICAN GRAFFITI, THE CONVERSATION, THE ENGLISH PATIENT, and has won three Academy Awards.
Murch edited COUP 53, a new political documentary that we're screening as a one-time event next Wednesday, August 19th, that includes a Q&A with Murch, director Taghi Amirani, and actor Ralph Fiennes, the following day, August 20th.
Ten years in the making, COUP 53 tells the story of the 1953 Anglo-American coup d'état that overthrew Iran's government of Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadegh and reinstalled the Shah. The CIA/M16 covert action was called Operation Ajax. It was all about Iran's oil and who gets control and benefit from it. BP was at the heart of this story. Shot in seven countries, featuring participants and first-hand witnesses, and unearthing never-seen-before archival material, COUP 53 is a politically explosive and cinematically innovative documentary that lifts the lid on secrets buried for over sixty-six years. "An astonishing feat of filmmking." -London Metro "Amazing. Beautifully done." -Oliver Stone. "As compelling as a John Le Carre novel." -Screen Daily. Trailer
Rose pop-up popcorn on sale Saturday, August 15th, 2:00 - 5:00.
Cinematically Yours,
Rocky