City Guide
April Films
Everyone's a Critic: arborweb's culture blog
Bill Gourley, director, 429-5301
Note: Most educational documentaries are listed with the daily Events.
Ann Arbor District Library. FREE. 327-4555. AADL multipurpose room (lower level), 343 S. Fifth Ave. 7-8:30 p.m.
Apr. 19: “Off and Running” (Nicole Opper, 2009). Award-winning documentary, a coming-of-age tale about an adopted African American teen girl with white Jewish lesbian parents and one mixed-race and one Korean brother, whose decision to contact her birth mother propels her into a complicated and morally risky exploration of race, identity, and family.
Ann Arbor Docu Fest. Screening of a different documentary film every Mon. FREE. 929-9979. Café Ambrosia, 326 Maynard, 7 p.m.
Apr. 4: “People and the Land” (Tom Hayes, 1997). PBS documentary about life in occupied Palestine. Followed by “Israel and Palestine: What the Media Leave Out,” a videotaped talk by ifamericansknew.org director Alison Weir, a reporter turned activist.
Apr. 11: “Inside Job” (Charles Ferguson, 2010). Oscar-winning documentary about the corruption in the financial services industry that led to the international financial crisis that began in 2007.
Apr. 18 & 25: “Zetgeist: Moving Forward” (Peter Joseph, 2011). Parts 1 (Apr. 18) and 2 (Apr. 25) of this ambitious 4-part documentary exploring unconventional views of different aspects of the human condition and the state of civilization.
Interfaith Center for Spiritual Growth. $5 suggested donation. 327-0270. 704 Airport Blvd., 8 p.m.
Apr. 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.
Apr. 29: “Mystic Tibet: An Inner, Outer, and Secret Pilgrimage” (Christine Lundberg, 2007). Documentary about a group pilgrimage led by a Tibetan Buddhist lama to several of Tibet’s most sacred places. 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.
Apr. 1-7: “Jane Eyre” (Cary Fukunaga, 2011). Adaptation of the classic 1847 Charlotte Bronte novel. Mia Wassikowska, Michael Fassbender.
Apr. 4, 5, & 8: “Poetry” (Lee Chang-dong, 2010). A suburban Korean woman in her 60s develops an interest in poetry while struggling with Alzheimer’s and her irresponsible grandson. Korean, subtitles.
Apr. 4: “A King in New York” (Charlie Chaplin, 1957). Satire of the ethos of 50s America that features Chaplin in his final starring role. 7 p.m.
Apr. 8-21: “Win Win” (Tom McCarthy, 2010). Comedic drama about a disheartened attorney moonlighting as a high school wrestling coach who stumbles upon a star athlete through some of his questionable business dealings. Paul Giamatti. 7 p.m.
Apr. 9: “M-agination Film Festival.” Screenings of works written, directed, filmed, and edited by U-M students. FREE. 7 p.m.
Apr. 10: “Best of the Banff Mountain Film Festival” (Various directors, 2009). The best mountain and outdoor adventure films from the 2010 edition of the famous 3-day festival held every November in Banff, Alberta. This year, films feature ice climbing by Ueli Steck (aka “The Swiss Machine”), the culture of mountain biking, the adventures of river runners and much more. Sponsored by U-M Recreational Sports Outdoor Adventures. Tickets $15 (students, $10) in advance at Bivouac, MRock (IMSB, 606 E. Hoover), U-M Outdoor Adventures (336 Hill), the Michigan Union Ticket Office, and at other TicketMaster outlets, and at the door. 764-3967, 763-TKTS. 7 p.m.
Apr. 11: “Monsieur Verdoux” (Charlie Chaplin, 1947). Seductively elegant yet razor-sharp portrait of a French bank teller driven to marry and murder for money when he loses his job. This controversial film resulted in Chaplin’s political exile in the 50s. Charlie Chaplin, Martha Raye. 7 p.m.
Apr. 11-15 & 17: “Certified Copy” (Abbas Kiarostami, 2010). An English writer on a book tour in Tuscany spends the day with a French antiques dealer. As the day unfolds, their relationship becomes less clear. Juliette Binoche. French, Italian, English; subtitles.
Apr. 12: “Fly Fishing Film Tour.” An anthology of cutting-edge films aimed at both entertaining and educating outdoor enthusiasts. $14 in advance at flyfishingfilmtour.com and at the door. 7 p.m.
Apr. 13: U-M Senior Thesis Film Showcase. Screenings of films by 5 U-M screen arts & cultures majors. FREE. 6 p.m.
Apr. 17: “The Secret Garden” (Agnieszka Holland, 1993). Adaptation of Frances Hodgson Burnett’s well-loved 1909 children’s novel set in Victorian England. Sent to live in the cheerless house of her reclusive, widowed uncle and his invalid son, an orphaned girl discovers a hidden garden that reintroduces joy to her life and that of her relatives. Kids 12 & under, free. 1:30 p.m.
Apr. 21 & 23-26: “Even the Rain” (Iciar Bollain, 2010). A Spanish film crew is shooting a film about Columbus in Bolivia when their plans are derailed by a local protest over the privatization of the water supply. Spanish, subtitles.
Apr. 21: “Amreeka” (Cherien Dabis, 2009). Drama about a single mom and her teenage son who leave the West Bank for a small Illinois town, where their reception is less than welcoming. English & Arabic, subtitles. Presented by the Jewish Cultural Center. Proceeds benefit Doctors Without Borders. 7 p.m.
Apr. 22-28: “Of Gods and Men” (Xavier Beauvois, 2010). Trappist monks in Algeria must decide whether to leave or stay when they’re threatened by terrorists. French & Arabic, subtitles.
Apr. 22: “My Heart Is an Idiot” (David Meiklejohn, 2011). World premiere of this documentary about Found magazine creator and This American Life contributor (and Ann Arbor native) Davy Rothbart’s picaresque search for love in more than 100 cities. $15 (students, $10; with preshow reception, $40) in advance at ticketweb.com and at the door. 7:30 p.m.
Apr. 25: “Limelight” (Charlie Chaplin, 1952). A washed-up stage clown saves a young dancer from suicide. Charlie Chaplin, Claire Bloom. 7 p.m.
Apr. 26: “Queen of the Sun: What Are the Bees Telling Us” (Taggart Siegel, 2010). Award-winning documentary about the colony collapse disorder devastating global bee populations and what it means. 7 p.m.
Apr. 29 & other dates TBA: “Potiche” (Francois Ozon, 2010). Comedy set in 1977 about a trophy wife who takes over the family business when angry workers kidnap her husband. French, subtitles. Catherine Deneuve, Gerard Depardieu.
Projectorhead. FREE. 615-0445. Lorch Hall Askwith Auditorium (Apr. 1 & 8), 611 Tappan, and U-M North Quad Dining Hall (Apr. 7) 105 S. State. Different times.
Apr. 1: “It Happened Here” (Kevin Brownlow, 1966). Classic nightmarish fantasy about what England would have been like had Hitler won WWII. 7 p.m.
Apr. 7: “Minority Report” (Steven Spielberg, 2002). Sci-fi thriller about a futuristic police department that arrests criminals before they’ve committed a crime based on reports they receive from clairvoyant beings. Tom Cruise. 8 p.m.
Apr. 8: “Rocco & His Brothers” (Luchino Visconti, 1960). Drama about a rural Italian family that moves to Milan where complications arise when 2 of the brothers fall in love with the same woman. 7 p.m.
State Theater. For complete, updated schedule, see michtheater.org/state.php or call 761-8667. Tickets $9 (students, seniors, & kids, $7; matinees, $6; Michigan Theater members, $6.50). Times TBA unless otherwise noted.
Apr. 8 & 9: “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” (Dick Sharman, 1975). Cult classic musical about a fresh-scrubbed pair who find themselves the guests of a transsexual transvestite Transylvanian. Tim Curry, Susan Sarandon, Meatloaf. With a performance by the local Tickled Fancy Burlesque Company. 11:59 p.m.
Apr. 15 & other dates TBA: “Super” (James Gunn, 2010). Comedy about a guy who transforms himself into a superhero when his wife falls under the influence of a drug dealer. Rainn Wilson, Ellen Page, Liv Tyler.
Apr. 23: “The Room” (Tommy Wiseau, 2003). Dark comedy--a critically reviled (“the Citizen Kane of bad movies”) cult favorite--about a successful banker who’s about to be married, until he finds out the horrible truth about his fiancée. $6. 11:59 p.m.
Temple Beth Emeth “Movie Tuesday.” FREE. 665-4744. 2309 Packard, 1 p.m. Followed by discussion (tentative). Snacks. Child care available with advance notice.
Apr. 12: “Sixty Six” (Paul Weiland, 2006). A sweet, goofy story, set in England in 1966, about a boy whose Bar Mitzvah diminishes in scale daily as his parents are distracted by the threat of losing their business and their wayward older son.
U-M Center for Chinese Studies. Chinese Documentary Film Series. FREE. 764-6308. Angell Hall Auditorium A (entrance at the Fishbowl on the east side of the bldg.), 7:10 p.m. Mandarin, subtitles.
Apr. 9: “The Epic of the Central Plains” (Ai Xiaoming, 2006). Documentary about the lives of AIDS patients in the impoverished Henan Province, where people are often infected with HIV while selling their blood to survive.
U-M Center for Russian, Eurasian, & East European Studies. FREE. 764-0351. 1636 International Institute, 1080 S. University.
Apr. 5: “Out of the Ashes” (Tim Albone, Lucy Martens, & Leslie Knott, 2010). Documentary about the Afghan cricket team’s efforts to get to the World Cup. Pashto, subtitles. 7-8:30 p.m.
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, 4 p.m.-midnight.
Apr. 9: “Animania.” Monthly anime-a-thon of feature films and episodes from Japanese TV series.
UMMA. FREE. 763-UMMA. Helmut Stern Auditorium, 525 S. State St., various times.
Apr. 12: “No Impact Man” (Laura Gabbert & Justin Schein, 2009). Documentary about Manhattan-based writer Colin Beavan’s yearlong attempt to eliminate his and his family’s carbon footprint. 7 p.m.
U-M Screen Arts & Cultures. FREE. 763-4087. Natural Science Auditorium. 6 p.m.-midnight.
April 20, 22, & 23 (different programs): “Lightworks Festival.” A smorgasbord of short films in various genres that are the culminating term projects for U-M film students.
U-M Smith-Ka-Teers. FREE. Smitheeawards.com. 1800 Chemistry, 930 North University. 7 p.m.-midnight.
Apr. 16: 20th Annual Smithee Awards. This celebration of bad films features screenings of 5 clips of commercial feature films in each of 19 categories, including “Most Ludicrous Premise,” “Worst Science,” “Cutting Butter with a Chainsaw,” “Let’s Up the Rating to R,” “Alas, Poor Yorick,” “Inane Dialogue,” “Deus ex Machina,” and more. Films typically sampled include the likes of Seedpeople, Leech Woman, Nailgun Massacre, The Clones of Bruce Lee, and Narcotic Justice. Audience members vote on the “winners.” Mature audiences.
WCBN-FM. FREE admission. 763-3500. Arbor Brewing Company (114 E. Washington), 8:30 p.m.
Apr. 13: “The Girl Can’t Help It” (Frank Tashlin, 1956). A mobster hires an alcoholic press agent to turn his talent-free girlfriend into a pop star. With cameo performances by Little Richard, Eddie Cochran, and Gene Vincent. Tom Ewell, Jayne Mansfield.
