The King’s Choice – Jan. 17 and 24
In April 1940, the King of
Norway is told by the Nazis to
surrender or die. Crown
Princess Märtha flees Norway
with the children while the
King and Crown Prince face
the Germans from a small
farming area.
(2017, Erik Poppe, 130 min.)
Bringing Up Baby – Feb. 21 and 28
Often considered the
definitive screwball film, its
characteristic antic pace,
pratfalls, absurdity, perfect
comic timing, screwball cast,
and romantic comedy failed to
garner a single Oscar
nomination.
(1938, Howard Hawks, 102
min.)
Black Orpheus- March 14 and 21
This Academy Award and
Palme d’Or winner brings the
ancient Greek myth of
Orpheus and Eurydice to the
twentieth-century madness of
Carnival in Rio de Janeiro.
(1959, Marcel Camus, 107 min.)
The Damned United – April 18 and 25
The confrontational and
darkly humorous story of
Brian Clough’s doomed 44-day
tenure as manager of the
reigning champs of English
football. A tale of ambition,
betrayal and moral blindness.
(2009, Tom Hooper, 97 min.)
Run, Lola, Run – May 16 and 23
Time becomes something of a
roulette wheel for Lola, who
has to save the neck of her
boyfriend, a courier for a
gangster, who has lost 100,000
D-Marks he was to deliver to
said boss. Lola has 20 minutes
to get him out of his mess.
(1999 Tom Tykwer, 81
minutes)
Stranger than Paradise – June 20 and 27
A significant milestone in the
development of American
“indie” films during the last half
of the 20th century. It’s droll,
idiosyncratic, and deadpan. It’s
best we don’t say more than
that. (1984, Jim Jarmusch, 90
min.)
The Conformist – July 18 and 25
Adapted from Moravia’s 1951
novel, an account of the
neuroses and self-loathing of a
sexually confused would-be
fascist aching to fit into 1938
Rome. An expressionist
masterpiece – an instant classic
on release. (1970, Bernardo
Bertolucci, 115 min.)
Dancer in the Dark – Aug. 15 and 22
A Czech immigrant and single
mother working in a factory in
rural America is losing her
eyesight and her 10 year-old
son stands to suffer the same
fate if she can’t put away
enough money to secure him
an operation. (2000, Lars Von
Trier, 160 min.)
Le Samourai – Sept. 19 and 26
A contract killer carries out a
flawlessly planned hit and
finds himself caught between a
persistent police investigator
and a ruthless employer. Alain
Delon in a career-defining
performance.
(1967, Jean Pierre Melville, 105
min.)
Nothing but a Man – Oct. 17 and 24
A railroad track-worker meets
and marries a schoolteacher
and settles down in her town
but is unaccustomed to the
overt hatred and constant
threat of violence that blacks
experience there. (1963,
Michael Roemer, 92 min.)
The General – Nov. 14 and 21
An imaginative masterpiece of
dead-pan humor, generally
regarded as one of the greatest
of all silent comedies. A lone,
clever Confederate train
engineer doggedly pursues his
beloved locomotive (and his
gal.) (1927, Clyde Bruckman
and Buster Keaton, 67 min.)
Joyeux Noel – December 19 and 26
1914 Europe is thrown into
brutal chaos as soldiers are
forced to slaughter each other.
As Christmas approaches,
people of the Western Front
make a transformation, toward
peace and goodwill, however
fleeting. (2005, Christian
Carion, 116 min.)