2013 Schedule

May 25		The Fantastic Mr. Fox. Fantastic Mr. Fox is one of the few animated features that is hilariously great entertainment for kids, and absolutely engaging entertainment for adults. George Clooney lends his voice and talents to the character of Mr. Fox, who's recently retired from his long, successful career of stealing poultry to become a journalist. His wife (Meryl Streep) is pregnant, and his son, Ash, and nephew, the golden-boy Kristofferson, have a low-level rivalry that feels all too human. The story, based on the Roald Dahl tale, is slim, involving the return, just one more time, of Mr. Fox to his old profession--and the repercussions that may befall his pals from the mean farmers as a result. But the true charms of Fantastic Mr. Fox are in the smart dialogue, in the immersive animation that keeps the characters' faces just as expressive as humans', and in the very believable family and friend dynamics we can all relate to. When Clooney's Fox and Bill Murray's Badger get into "cussin'" matches, you can't help but crack up. Fantastic Mr. Fox is one of the all-time best films for the whole family.
June 15		Jurassic Park. Steven Spielberg's 1993 mega-hit rivals Jaws as the most intense and frightening film he'd ever made prior to Schindler's List. Based on Michael Crichton's novel about an island amusement park populated by cloned dinosaurs, there's no shortage of raw terror as a rampaging T-rex and nasty raptors try to make fast food out of the cast. The effects are astonishing (despite the fact that the computer-generated technology has since been improved upon) and at times primeval, such as the sight of a herd of whatever-they-are scampering through a valley.
June 29		Harry and Tonto. Art Carney shines in this poignant drama about an aging widower's determined search for a better life. Harry (Carney), who lives in New York with his pet cat, Tonto, is having a rough time of it. Not only does he keep getting mugged, but the huge wrecking ball outside his window is about to demolish his apartment. So Harry bids farewell to the city and sets out for life in the suburbs with his son's family. But son Burt is too stuffy and his wife is too bossy. When a stay with Harry's single daughter doesn't work out either, man and cat head West in a second-hand car, meeting bizarre characters along the way. Finally they reach L.A., where Harry moves in with his other son Eddie (Larry Hagman). But by now Harry's realized he likes being on the road and hasn't yet had his fill of adventure. Highlighted by Carney's outstanding performance. This moving story lights up the screen with a wit and wisdom that is rare and beautiful.
July 13		Atlantic City. Burt Lancaster stars as Lou, an aging mob flunkey, barely making a living in Atlantic City. Susan Sarandon plays Sally, a casino croupier whose husband Dave (Robert Joy) steals a large supply of drugs from the mob. When he is killed, the narcotics pass to the unwilling Sally. Lou, in the midst of longtime affair with middle-aged gangster's widow Grace (Kate Reid), falls for the much younger Sally, becoming her savior by killing the mob thugs sent to shut her up. The killings serve a therapeutic value for Lou, proving that he hasn't lost his old panache.
July 20		The Glenn Miller Story. James Stewart, at his warmest and most avuncular, plays the bandleader who rocketed to fame during the swing era. The Glenn Miller Story may be a whitewashed version of Miller's life, but it certainly is a pleasant example of the feel-good Hollywood biopic, with the usual conventions: early struggles, loyal wife (June Allyson at her chirpiest), personal sacrifice--Miller joins the Army when war breaks out, although he doesn't have to--and ultimate tragedy. All the Glenn Miller classics filling the soundtrack make the film pretty easy to take, too: "Moonlight Serenade," "A String of Pearls," "Chattanooga Choo-Choo." Miller plays the great "In the Mood" with his military band during a World War II air-raid warning. Pure corn, but it works. Director Anthony Mann, better known for his superb series of hard-bitten fifties Westerns with Stewart, keeps the story moving gently and gracefully. A hot jazz interlude features Louis Armstrong and Gene Krupa.
August 3		Schultze Gets the Blues. Anyone who enjoys cinematic fare that's off the beaten path will happily follow a zydeco-loving salt miner on a rejuvenating musical odyssey from Germany to Louisiana. Horst Krause stars as the taciturn, barrel-shaped Schultze, who is settling uneasily into retirement. He spends his drabby days in his small town polishing his garden gnomes, drinking with friends, visiting his mother in a nursing home, and playing traditional polkas on his accordion. At the 30-minute mark, Schultze, and the film, come to life when he hears zydeco on the radio and becomes enthralled in the music and the culture, going so far as to introduce his friends to such delicacies as jambalaya. He performs zydeco at a music festival, scandalizing some of the locals. But his music club selects him to represent them in Texas at a sister city celebration, and Schultze's life takes unexpected detours. Fans of Jim Jarmusch and Aki Kaurismaki may find director Michael Schorr a kindred minimalist spirit with his long takes and deadpan sensibility. But Schultze Gets the Blues dances to its own quirky rhythms.
August 17		From Russia with Love. Directed with consummate skill by Terence Young, the second James Bond spy thriller is considered by many fans to be the best of them all. Certainly Sean Connery was never better as the dashing Agent 007, whose latest mission takes him to Istanbul to retrieve a top-secret Russian decoding machine. His efforts are thwarted when he gets romantically distracted by a sexy Russian double agent (Daniela Bianchi), and is tracked by a lovely assassin (Lotte Lenya) with switchblade shoes, and by a crazed killer (Robert Shaw), who clashes with Bond during the film's dazzling climax aboard the Orient Express. From Russia with Love is classic James Bond, before the gadgets, pyrotechnics, and Roger Moore steered the movies away from the more realistic tone of the books by Ian Fleming.
August 31		Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. Relive the fun and excitement of keeping up with the Joneses in Indian Jones and the Last Crusade. In a prologue that reveals a young Indiana Jones (River Phoenix) in one of his first adventures, this thrilling screen epic continues as an adult Indy (Harrison Ford) embarks on a perilous quest for his cantankerous father, Professor Henry Jones, Sr. (Sean Connery). The Nazis are on the trail of the Holy Grail, and have kidnapped Indy's father, the foremost authority on the cup of Christ. Follow Indy as he inches through the rat-filled catacombs of Venice, battles Nazi flying aces in a thrilling biplane dogfight, and braves the thunderous firepower of an unstoppable tank. And behold the Holy Grail's power to give and take life, as Indy and his father race against time in this timeless classic.
Sept. 14		Up. Carl Fredericksen (voice by Ed Asner) ranks among the most unlikely heroes in recent animation history. A 78- year-old curmudgeon, he enjoyed his modest life as a balloon seller because he shared it with his adventurous wife Ellie (Ellie Docter). But she died, leaving him with memories and the awareness that they never made their dream journey to Paradise Falls in South America. When well-meaning officials consign Carl to Shady Oaks Retirement Home, he rigs thousands of helium balloons to his house and floats to South America. The journey's scarcely begun when he discovers a stowaway: Russell (Jordan Nagai), a chubby, maladroit Wilderness Explorer Scout who's out to earn his Elderly Assistance Badge. Building on their work in The Incredibles and Ratatouille, the Pixar crew offers nuanced animation of the stylized characters. Even by Pixar's elevated standards, Up is an exceptional film that will appeal to audiences of all ages.
Sept. 28		Singing in the Rain. Hollywood, 1927: the silent-film romantic team of Don Lockwood (Gene Kelly) and Lina Lamont (Jean Hagen) is the toast of Tinseltown. While Lockwood and Lamont personify smoldering passions onscreen, in real life the down-to-earth Lockwood can't stand the egotistical, brainless Lina. He prefers the company of aspiring actress Kathy Selden (Debbie Reynolds). Watching these intrigues from the sidelines is Cosmo Brown (Donald O'Connor), Don's best pal and on-set pianist. Cosmo is promoted to musical director of Monumental Pictures by studio head R.F. Simpson (Millard Mitchell) when the talking-picture revolution commences. That's all right for Cosmo, but how will talkies affect the upcoming Lockwood-Lamont vehicle "The Dueling Cavalier"? Don, an accomplished song-and-dance man, should have no trouble adapting to the microphone. Lina, however, is another matter; put as charitably as possible, she has a voice that sounds like fingernails on a blackboard. Singin' in the Rain is one of the greatest Hollywood musicals ever made.

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