Rialto Film Club
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A monthly series of international films for northern Michigan.
Questions or comments? Write to us at rialtofilmclub@gmail.com.
WHAT: One special movie a month - a selection of great films from around the world.
WHERE: All screenings at the historic Rialto Theater in downtown Grayling (map).
HOW MUCH: Single tickets $6.00 ($5 for matinees), or see any five in a year for $19.
Buy your pass online today!
Questions or comments? Write to us at rialtofilmclub@gmail.com.
Nostalgia for the Light
Chile 2010/Spanish with English subtitles/NR/90 min.
Director: Patricio Guzman
Showtimes:
Mar. 22, 24-25, 2012
Living in a small town and amongst a houseful of crystal meth abusers, seventeen-year-old Abe struggles to beat an addiction to meth and protect himself and his young niece from their abusive Uncle Bump. When Abe's father returns home from prison, he and Abe must navigate the treacherous waters created by Bump, who will do anything to maintain a dangerous lifestyle fueled by crystal meth.
The tension builds to an electrifying ending where harrowing choices are made by all three men, leading each of them to a different fate.
"A powerful, disturbing film."
-Fringe Report
"(A main character) worthy of Faulkner."
-Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
10,000 feet above sea level, the Atacama Desert in northern Chile is the driest place on earth. Atop the mountains, astronomers from all over the world gather to observe the stars. The light is so translucent it allows them to see right to the boundaries of the universe.
The Atacama is also a place where the harsh heat of the sun keeps human remains intact. So while astronomers examine the oldest and most distant galaxies, surviving relatives of political prisoners search the desert, even after 25 years, for the remains of their loved ones.
"Stunningly beautiful. I don't know how you can put more into a film or make one that's more deeply moving."
-The Nation
Previously at the Rialto Film Club
Le Havre
France 2011/French with English subtitles/NR/93 min.
Director: Aki Kaurismäki
Starring: André Wilms and Blondin Miguel
Showtimes:
December 26-29, 2011
Fate throws young African refugee Idrissa into the path of Marcel Marx, a well-spoken bohemian who works as a shoe-shiner. With innate optimism and the unwavering support of his community, Marcel stands up to officials doggedly pursuing the boy for deportation.
"Four stars. One of the finest films of the year."
-Washington Post
"Four stars. One of the most moving films of 2011."
-Detroit Free Press
"Four stars. A small bit of movie magic."
-Arizona Republic
"...Kaurismäki has become the inheritor of the comic-humanist tradition of Charlie Chaplin..."
-New York Times
Take Shelter
US 2011/English/R/122 min.
Director: Jeff Nichols
Starring: Michael Shannon and Jessica Chastain
Showtimes:
January 26, 28-29, 2012
Overwhelmed by visions of an impending apocalypse, a young father and husband (Oscar nominee Michael Shannon) channels his anxieties into obsessively constructing a storm shelter in his family's backyard. As he does this, the entire community begins to lash out at his erratic behavior.
A powerful and haunting film anchored by a standout performance, Take Shelter explores one man's attempt to control the fear that overwhelms him, and to protect his family from forces he cannot understand.
Take Shelter is "a perfect allegory for a panicky time."
-New York Times
"A dazzling piece of filmmaking."
-Wall Street Journal
"Unique and unforgettable."
-Rolling Stone
Chico and Rita
Spain, UK 2012/Spanish with English subtitles/NR/94 min.
2012 Oscar nominee, Best Animated Feature
Director: Fernando Trueba and Javier Mariscal
Showtimes:
May 24, 26-27, 2012
Cuba, 1948. Chico is a young piano player with big dreams. Rita is a beautiful singer with an extraordinary voice. Music and romantic desire unites them, but their journey - in the tradition of the Latin ballad, the bolero - brings heartache and torment. From Havana to New York, Paris, Hollywood and Las Vegas, two passionate individuals battle impossible odds to unite in music and love. "An animated gem for grown-ups!"
"One of the best films ever made about jazz."
-Film Comment
"A visually hypnotic, musically electric film."
-Hollywood Reporter
"Almost unimaginably rich and resonant."
-New York Times
A Separation
Iran 2011/Persian/PG-13/123 min.
Winner - 2012 Oscar, Best Foreign Language Film
Director: Ashgar Farhadi
Showtimes:
Apr. 26, 28-29, 2012
Set in contemporary Iran, A Separation is a compelling drama about the dissolution of a marriage. Simin wants to leave Iran with her husband Nader and daughter Termeh. Simin sues for divorce when Nader refuses to leave behind his Alzheimer-suffering father. Her request having failed, Simin returns to her parents' home, but Termeh decides to stay with Nader.
When Nader hires a young woman to assist with his father in his wife's absence, he hopes that his life will return to a normal state. However, when he discovers that the new maid has been lying to him, he realizes that there is more on the line than just his marriage.
A Separation is "the best movie of the year."
-Roger Ebert
Cook County
US 2011/English/R/93 min.
Director: David Pomes
Starring: Anson Mount
Showtimes:
Feb. 23, 25-26, 2012
February 2013
Monsieur Lazhar
Canada/2011/French with English subtitles/PG-13/94 min.
2012 Oscar nominee - Best Foreign Language Film
Director: Philippe Falardeau
Showtimes:
June 21, 23-24, 2012
"A luminous and heartbreaking exploration of how adults speak to children about issues they themselves would rather not confront. When an elementary school teacher commits suicide, her class...is shaken to the core. No one wants to talk about it save her replacement, Bachir Lazhar (Mohammed Fellag), an Algerian immigrant seeking political asylum.
"A nuanced and incomparably beautiful work, Monsieur Lazhar is easily one of this year's most emotionally affecting films - its impact made all the more powerful by the film's deceptively simple style. Exquisitely acted by Fellag and a group of extraordinarily talented children."
-Toronto Star
Undefeated
US/2011/English/PG-13/110 min.
2012 Academy Award for Best Documentary
Directors: Daniel Lindsay and T.J. Martin
Showtimes:
Aug. 26, Aug. 28, Aug. 31-Sept. 3, 2012
Set in inner-city Memphis, Undefeated chronicles the Manassas Tigers' 2009 football season, on and off-the-field, as they strive to win the first playoff game in the high school's 110-year history. A perennial whipping boy, in recent decades Manassas had gone so far as to sell their home games to the highest bidder, but that all changed in the spring of 2004 when Bill Courtney, a former high school football coach turned lumber salesman, volunteered to lend a hand.
"...an irresistible story of football (and) faith...Undefeated is all about uplift, about making you cry and laugh, and root for its subjects..."
-New York Times
Pina
Germany/2011/German with English subtitles/PG/103 min.
2012 Oscar nominee - Best Documentary
Director: Wim Wenders
Showtimes:
July 19, 25-26, 2012
"Dance, dance, or we are lost." Pina Bausch’s final words summarize her life and provide the inspiration for acclaimed director Wim Wenders’ breathtaking tribute to the legendary choreographer. Bausch and her Tanztheater Wuppertal elevated dance into brilliantly subversive new expressive realms, and in this exhilarating film Wenders captures the raw, heart-stopping intensity of the movement and transforms it into a transcendent cinematic experience.
"A knockout!"
-Los Angeles Times
"Thrilling! Absolutely spectacular!"
-Entertainment Weekly
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The Rialto Theater also shows the latest Hollywood fare!
Regular Fall Schedule:
Weds.-Fri. at 7:00,
Sat. and Sun. at 4:00 and 7:00
Now playing:
Argo
Mar. 1 at 7:00
Mar. 2 at 4:00 and 7:00
Mar. 3 at 4:00 and 7:00
Mar. 6 at 7:00
Mar. 7 at 7:00
Bicycle Thieves
Italy 1948/Italian with English subtitles/NR/90 min.
1950 Academy Award, Best Foreign Language Film
Director: Vittorio De Sica
Showtimes:
Aug. 23, Aug. 30-Sept. 6, 2012
The Intouchables
France 2011/French with English subtitles/R/113 min.
Showtimes:
Sept. 28-30, Oct. 3-4, 2012
Beasts of the Southern Wild
US 2012/English/PG-13/93 min.
Winner - Grand Jury Prize for US Dramatic Feature, 2012 Sundance Film Festival
Showtimes:
Jan. 5, 6, 9, and 10, 2013 at 2:00
Robot and Frank
US 2012/English/PG-13/90 min.
Winner - Alfred P. Sloan Feature Film Prize, 2012 Sundance Film Festival
Director: Jake Schreier
Showtimes:
Oct. 23, 27-28, and 30, 2012
Set sometime in the future, Robot & Frank is a delightful dramatic comedy, a buddy picture, and, for good measure, a heist film. Curmudgeonly old Frank lives by himself. His routine involves daily visits to his local library, where he has a twinkle in his eye for the librarian. His grown children are concerned about their father’s well-being and buy him a caretaker robot. Initially resistant to the idea, Frank soon appreciates the benefits of robotic support—like nutritious meals and a clean house—and eventually begins to treat his robot like a true companion. With his robot’s assistance, Frank’s passion for his old, unlawful profession is reignited, for better or worse.
"A work of power, nuance, and daredevil craft, Frank Langella's performance is a reminder that giants still fill the stage, and the screen." -Time Magazine
The Kid with a Bike
Belgium/2011/French with English subtitles/NR/87 min.
2012 Grand Jury Prize, Cannes Film Festival
Directors: Luc and Jean-Pierre Dardenne
Showtimes:
Aug. 23, Aug. 30-Sept. 6, 2012
Hushpuppy, an intrepid six-year-old girl, lives with her father, Wink, in “the Bathtub,” a southern Delta community at the edge of the world. Wink’s tough love prepares her for the unraveling of the universe; for a time when he’s no longer there to protect her. When Wink contracts a mysterious illness, nature flies out of whack—temperatures rise, and the ice caps melt, unleashing an army of prehistoric creatures called aurochs. With the waters rising, the aurochs coming, and Wink’s health fading, Hushpuppy goes in search of her lost mother.
"A game-changer that gets you excited about movies again." -Rolling Stone
"A thing of beauty and originality." -Ent. Weekly
An out-of-work father gets a job that requires a bicycle. He has one, but it's been pawned. So he and his wife pawn their other belongings to get the precious bicycle out of hock. But on his first day at work, someone steals the bicycle, and the father and his young son set off on an increasingly-desperate quest to get the bicycle back.
Featuring non-professional actors (the lead actor was actually a factory worker), The Bicycle Thief attempted to dramatize the problems of unemployment and poverty in postwar Italy, but really does much more. The movie is fundamentally about a father trying to navigate adult challenges under the gaze of his son -- and the seven-year-old in that role delivers one of film history's greatest performances by a child. Eloquent, concise, and ultimately profound, The Bicycle Thief touches great truths as only a parable can.
The Kid with a Bike delves into the emotional life of troubled eleven-year-old Cyril. When his father abandons him, Cyril searches obsessively for his bicycle, placing his last bit of hope into this symbol of their relationship. Almost by accident, he becomes the ward of a kind hairdresser, who refuses to give up on him despite his unpredictable behavior and disastrous search for father figures.
"The Kid with a Bike comes and goes in 87 minutes, but its beauty and intensity stay with you long afterward." -Wall Street Journal
An irreverent, uplifting comedy about friendship, trust and human possibility, The Intouchables has broken box office records in its native France and across Europe. Based on a true story of friendship between a handicapped millionaire (Francois Cluzet) and his street smart ex-con caretaker (Omar Sy), The Intouchables depicts an unlikely camaraderie rooted in honesty and humor between two individuals who, on the surface, would seem to have nothing in common.
The Rialto Film Club was featured on Michigan Radio -
click to listen!
January 2013
Searching for Sugar Man
Sweden,UK/English/PG-13/85 min.
Opening Film at the Sundance and Traverse City Festivals, 2012
Showtimes:
Nov. 20 and 27 at 7:00
Nov. 24, 25, Dec. 1, 2 at 2:00
Searching for Sugar Man tells the incredible true story of Rodriguez, the greatest '70s rock icon who never was. Discovered in a Detroit bar in the late '60s by two celebrated producers struck by his soulful melodies and prophetic lyrics, they recorded an album which they believed would secure his reputation as the greatest recording artist of his generation. In fact, the album bombed and the singer disappeared into obscurity amid rumors of a gruesome on-stage suicide. But a bootleg recording found its way into apartheid South Africa and, over the next two decades, he became a phenomenon. The film follows the story of two South African fans who set out to find out what really happened to their hero. Their investigation leads them to a story more extraordinary than any of the existing myths about the artist known as Rodriguez.
March 2013
April 2013
May 2013
June 2013
Anna Karenina
UK 2012/English/R/130 min.
2013 Academy Award Nominee:
Best Cinematography, Best Costume Design, Best Original Score, Best Production Design
Showtimes:
Tues., Jan. 29 at 7:00
Sat., Feb. 2 at 2:00
Sun., Feb. 3 at 2:00
The Well-Digger's Daughter
France 2011/French/NR/105 min
Showtimes:
Tues., Feb. 26 at 7:00
Sat., Mar. 2 at 2:00
Sun., Mar. 3 at 2:00
Amour
Austria, France 2012/French/PG-13/127 min.
2013 Academy Award Nominee:
Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actress, Best Original Screenplay, Best Foreign Language Film
Winner:
Best Foreign Film, 2013 Golden Globe Awards
Palme d'Or, 2012 Cannes Film Festival
Best Film, Best Actress, Best Actor, 2013 Lumière Awards
Showtimes:
Tues., Mar. 26 at 7:00
Sat., Mar. 30 at 2:00
Sun., Mar. 31 at 2:00
No
Chile 2012/Spanish/R/110 min.
2013 Academy Award Nominee:
Best Foreign Language Film
Showtimes:
Tues., Apr. 23 at 7:00
Sat., Apr. 27 at 2:00
Sun., Apr. 28 at 2:00
Chasing Ice
US 2012/English/PG-13/80 min.
Showtimes:
Tues., May 28 at 7:00
Sat., Jun. 1 at 2:00
Sun., Jun. 2 at 2:00
I Wish
Japan 2011/Japanese/PG/128 min.
Showtimes:
Tues., Jun. 25 at 7:00
Sat., Jun. 29 at 2:00
Sun., Jun. 30 at 2:00
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Now announcing our winter/spring program –
six great new international movies!
Anna Karenina is acclaimed director Joe Wright’s bold, theatrical new vision of the epic story of love, stirringly adapted from Leo Tolstoy’s great novel by Academy Award winner Tom Stoppard (Shakespeare in Love). The film marks the third collaboration of the director with Academy Award-nominated actress Keira Knightley and Academy Award-nominated producers Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, and Paul Webster, following their award-winning box office successes Pride & Prejudice and Atonement.
"You don't merely watch Joe Wright's sumptuous Anna Karenina, but you waltz with it, run with it, whirl with it. This film seems to never stop moving and you feel breathless and giddy watching it." -Seattle Times
Pascal is a widower living with his six daughters in the Provence countryside at the start of World War I. His eldest, Patricia (the luminous Astrid Bergès-Frisbey), has returned home from Paris to help raise her sisters, and Pascal dreams of marrying her off to his loyal friend Felipe. But when she's impregnated by a wealthy young pilot who promptly abandons her for the frontlines, Pascal is left to contend with the consequences. An exquisitely crafted, sun-drenched melodrama, set to a score by Academy Award-nominee Alexandre Desplat (The King's Speech), the film captures all the warmth and humanist spirit of the classic novel by Marcel Pagnol.
"A once-upon-a-time French film about love, family and the seductive beauty of the provençal countryside."
-New York Times
Georges and Anne are in their eighties. They are cultivated retired music teachers. Their daughter, who is also a musician, lives abroad with her family. One day, Anne has an attack. The couple's bond of love is severely tested.
"In the history of movies about love, Amour shall last forever." -Time
"Transfixing and extraordinarily touching, perhaps the most hauntingly honest movie about old age ever made." -Entertainment Weekly
In 1988, the Chilean public was asked to vote on whether General Augusto Pinochet should stay in power. René works as part of a team to create upbeat films and promotional material, in the hope it will encourage the Chilean public to vote 'No' to Pinochet leading the nation for another eight years. Meanwhile the boss of his advertising agency is busy working on the 'Yes' campaign.
"Weirdly funny and rousing, both intellectually and emotionally, No revisits the remarkable moment when Pinochet was forced out by the 'No' campaign, a center-left coalition that packaged resistance into commercials featuring jingles, a rainbow graphic and wide smiles..." -New York Times
Twelve-year-old Koichi lives with his mother and retired grandparents in the southern region of Kyushu, Japan. His younger brother Ryunosuke lives with their father in northern Kyushu. The brothers have been separated by their parents' divorce and Koichi's only wish is for his family to be reunited. When he learns that a new bullet train line will soon open linking the two towns, he starts to believe that a miracle will take place the moment these new trains first pass each other at top speed. With help from the adults around him, Koichi sets out on a journey with a group of friends, each hoping to witness a miracle that will improve their difficult lives.
"The whole second half of the film is a nonstop smile." -The Nation
"Transforms the commonplace into the extraordinary." -The New Republic
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Acclaimed National Geographic photographer James Balog was once a skeptic about climate change. But through his Extreme Ice Survey, he discovers undeniable evidence of our changing planet. In Chasing Ice, Balog deploys revolutionary time-lapse cameras to capture a multi-year record of the world's changing glaciers. Traveling with a team of young adventurers across the brutal Arctic, Balog risks his career and his well-being in pursuit of the biggest story facing humanity.
"The 'green' teams looking into such energy sources as solar, wind and nuclear are often ridiculed. Watch Chasing Ice and see if you laugh." -Roger Ebert
"The most important documentary of the year." -Detroit News
