Summer movie and concert series at Grand Center pairs bands and films through Aug. 25

Grand Center Inc. and community-supported radio station KDHX 88.1 FM announces the second half of the music and movie lineup for the summer entertainment series, "Thursdays @ The Intersection." The concert and movie events take place in Grand Center's Strauss Park, at Grand and Washington, across the Fox Theater. 

Grand Center is an arts and entertainment district on Grand Boulevard, home to the Fox Theater, the St. Louis Symphony's Powell Hall, Grandel Theater, The Sheldon and various arts organizations.

Sponsored this year by Boeing, the series kicked off on June 23, and continues every Thursday through Aug. 25. The independent radio station KDHX plans to move to the district later this year.

The music begins at 6 p.m. and the movies begin at dusk, around 8:30 p.m. The series is perfect for a lazy summer night or for a little something extra on the way to a show or dinner in Grand Center. Free popcorn is available, and plenty of folding chairs will be provided on the patio of Strauss Park, near the fountain. Visitors are also encouraged to bring blankets, chairs or anything they need for comfort if they choose to relax in the grass.

Remaining schedule:

July 21:

Bob Reuter's Alley Ghost – the latest project from the unofficial godfather of St. Louis’ singer/songwriters, Bob Reuter.

The Outsiders – Francis Ford Coppola’s 1983 cult classic about rival gangs, featuring the young Matt Dillon, Patrick Swayze, Emilio Estevez, Tom Cruise, Rob Lowe, and Diane Lane.

July 28:

The Rhythm Section Road Show – a soul-jazz collective of St. Louis’ finest live musicians, anchored by the The Dogtown Allstars' Nathan Hershey on organ and electric piano, and bassist Andy Coco, host of KDHX's "The Rhythm Section."

Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery – The original. The one that started the whole Austin Powers, “Oh behaaave,” frenzy.

Aug. 4:

Soulard Blues Band – Founded in 1978 by bassist Art Dwyer, the multi-award winning Soulard Blues Band blends seamlessly into the deep historical fabric of blues in St. Louis.

The Blues Brothers – The 1980 musical comedy that tells a tale of a convict and his brother who take on a “mission from God” to save the orphanage in which they grew up by reuniting their rhythm and blues band.

Aug. 11:

The Brothers Lazaroff – an American, folk, rock, soul and jam band, named “Best American/Folk Band” of 2010 by the Riverfront Times.

The Last Waltz – directed by Martin Scorsese, a film account of the final concert of The Band, featuring guest appearances by the likes of Neil Diamond, Bob Dylan and Emmylou Harris.

Aug. 18:

Sleepy Kitty – Formed in 2007 as a multimedia project, Sleepy Kitty entertains audiences mostly in Chicago and St. Louis with their modern indy/rock sound.

To Catch a Thief – The 1955 romantic thriller directed by Alfred Hitchcock about a reformed jewel thief who is suspected of returning to his former occupation and must capture the real thief to prove his innocence.

Aug. 25:

Miss Jubilee and the Humdingers – vocals, drums, piano, bass, and a baritone sax combine to create bluesy-swing performance.

O Brother, Where Art Thou? – A 2000 comedy based in rural Mississippi during the Great Depression, this film’s American folk music soundtrack won a Grammy for Album of the Year in 2001.

For more information about Grand Center or Grand Center Inc. visit www.grandcenter.org.

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First annual St. Louis Black Film Festival
runs July18-19 at Tivoli

St. Louis' first Black Film Festival will be at the Landmark Tivoli Theater, July 18-19 2011, starting at 3:30 p.m. Some of the features include "Soul Power" with James Brown, "Age of Dragons" with Danny Glover and "Rejoice and Shout," a documentary on Gospel music . Presented by Movieman James Thomas.

Festival Schedule:

MONDAY July 18
3:30pm KATRINA'S SON (18 min.) - $6.50

4pm SOLE OF A HUSTLA (60 min.) - $7.50

5pm CORNERSTORE (83 min.) - $7.50

7:15pm AGE OF DRAGONS (91 min.) - $8.50

TUESDAY July 19
3:30pm  FOR FLOW (18 min.) - $6.50

4pm UP FROM THE BOTTOMS (58 min.) - $7.50

5:20pm SOUL POWER (Sony Pictures Classic, 93 min.) - $7.50

7:15pm REJOICE AND SHOUT (Magnolia Pictures, 115 min.) - $7.50

link: www.facebook.com/st louis black film festival

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Classic French Film Festival begins July 14 (Bastille Day)

Webster University Film Series:
The Classic French Film Festival presented by Cinema St Louis

Thursday, July 14 at 7:30pm
THE LAST METRO (Le dernier metro) (François Truffaut, 1980, France 131 min.)
  - Gérard Depardieu and Catherine Deneuve star as members of a French theater
company living under the German occupation during World War II. Against all
odds a Jewish theater manager in hiding; a leading man who’s in the
Resistance; increasingly restrictive Nazi oversight the troupe believes the
show must go on. Equal parts romance, historical tragedy, and even comedy, THE
LAST METRO is Truffaut’s ultimate tribute to art overcoming adversity.

Other festival films this weekend:
Friday, July 15 at 7:30pm - MISSISSIPPI MERMAID (La sirène du Mississipi)
Saturday, July 16 at 7:30pm - SMALL CHANGE (L'argent de poche)
Sunday, July 17 at 7:30PM - SOFT SKIN (La peau douce)

The Classic French Film Festival will run Thursday - Sunday throughout July.
Admission to The Classic French Film Festival is $10 for general public and $8
for Cinema St. Louis and Alliance Française members.  The films are shown in the
Winifred Moore Auditorium, located on the campus of Webster University, 470
E. Lockwood, Webster Groves, MO 63119.   

For more information please visit: http://www.webster.edu/filmseries or
cinemastlouis.org

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Impressive line up for St. Louis Jewish Film Festival, June 12-16, 2011

by Cate Marquis

The Jewish Community Center's 16th annual St. Louis Jewish Film Festival, “A Journey in Film: Jewish Life and History from Around the World,” takes place June 12-16 at Landmark's Plaza Frontenac Cinema.

The festival has 13 films from around the world, plus a bonus film “La Rafle” on August 4. Documentaries, biographies, history-based narrative films plus other fiction films, light and dark, are included. Several are local premieres and each film is introduced by an expert speaker.

Information on films and tickets are in the program, available at the Jewish Community Center or by download from www.stljewishfilmfestival.org. Tickets are $11 in advance, $12 after June 11. Tickets for students age 16 and under are $8 and a four-pack of weekday films are $40. Advance tickets are available at the JCC Staenberg Family Complex Arts and Entertainment Building, by calling the festival hotline 314-442-3179 or online at www.brownpapertickets.com. After June 11, they are available only at Plaza Frontenac Cinema.

Read more at the St. Louis Jewish Light by clicking on link:

http://www.stljewishlight.com/features/entertainment/article_b20e1be8-8c5e-11e0-8a56-001cc4c002e0.html

REVIEWS OF SELECTED FILMS IN FESTIVAL:

- All films shown at Plaza Frontenac Cinema, Plaza Frontenac, Clayton Rd and Lindbergh Blvd., St. Louis, MO

AHEAD OF TIME  (Mon., June 13 at 2 pm)

ANITA (Mon. June 13 at 5:30 pm)

BERLIN 36 (Wed. June 15 at 8 pm)

HABERMANN (Tues. June 14 at 2 pm)

JEWISH SOLDIERS IN BLUE AND GRAY (Tues. June 14 at 5:30 pm)

THE MATCHMAKER (Tues. June 14 at 8 pm)

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'Into Eternity' screens at Webster Film Series

This terrific documentary played the True/False documentary film festival last year, among the best in the festival. “Into Eternity” features gorgeous photography as it explores a serious, thought-provoking topic: how to deal with waste material that will be hazardous for thousands of years. It is not just a matter of storage of the dangerous material but of how to make sure future civilizations do not disturb its tomb.

"INTO ETERNITY"

Friday-Sunday, May 27, 28 & 29 at 7:30PM

Webster University Film Series

Moore Auditorium on the campus of Webster University,

470 E. Lockwood, Webster Groves, MO

INTO ETERNITY (Michael Madsen, 2010, Denmark/Finland/Sweden/Italy, 75 min.)

Every day, the world over, large amounts of high-level radioactive waste created by nuclear power plants is placed in interim storage, which is vulnerable to natural disasters, man-made disasters, and to societal changes. In Finland the world’s first permanent repository is being hewn out of solid rock – a huge system of underground tunnels - that must last 100,000 years, the time waste remains hazardous.

For more information please visit: http://www.intoeternitythemovie.com/ or http://www.webster.edu/filmseries

Admission is $6 for the general public, $5 for seniors, students from other schools and Webster alumni, and $4 for Webster University staff and faculty unless otherwise noted.

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Vincentennial:
The Vincent Price 100th Birthday

Born in St. Louis on May 27, 1911, iconic actor Vincent Price retained a special fondness for his place of origin, and that love is now reciprocated with Vincentennial, a celebration of his 100th birthday in his hometown.

Price was not only a notable St. Louisan but one of the 20th century's most remarkable men. To do full justice to the range of his accomplishments, Vincentennial features not only a 10-day film festival but also a pair of exhibits, a stage production, and illuminating discussions by Price experts and film historians. Bookending Vincentennial are special appearances by legendary filmmaker Roger Corman, who receives a Lifetime Achievement Award, and Victoria Price, author of "Vincent Price: A Daughter's Biography," who presents a multimedia remembrance of her father.

When: May 19-28, 2011

Where:Hi-Pointe Theatre; Missouri History Museum; Washington University's Brown Hall Auditorium; Muny's Bank of America Pavilion

More information: Cinema St. Louis (click on link below)

www.vincentennial.com

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St. Louis International Film Festival 2010
- see below for reviews of select films at SLIFF, overview and more



A scene from the French animated film 'The Illusionist' in the St. Louis International Film Festival. Photo courtesy of Sony Classics

St. Louis International Film Festival, Nov. 11-21, 2010

AWARDS

St. Louis Film Critics' 'Fest Favorite'
(an independent award given by the St. Louis Film Critics)
"Black Swan"


Winners of SLIFF official awards were announced at Closing Night party, Nov. 21 at Moonrise Hotel. And the winners are:

St. Louis Film Critics Festival Awards:

Best Narrative – “Welcome” directed by Philippe Loiret

Best Documentary – “Enemies of the People” directed by Rob Lemkin & Thet Sambath

Audience Choice Awards:

Best Feature: “Casino Jack” directed by George Hickenlooper

Best International Feature: “Anita” directed by Marcos Carnevale

Best Documentary: Circus Kids” directed by Alexandra Lipsitz

Interfaith Awards:

Best Feature: “Anita” directed by Marcos Carnevale

Best Documentary: “Circus Kids” directed by Alexandra Lipsitz

New Filmmakers Forum Award:

“Suicide Dolls” directed by Keith Shaw

Short Subjects:

Best of Fest: “Six Dollar Fifty Man” directed by Mark Albiston & Louis Sutherland

Best Live Action: “The Armoire” directed by Jamie Travis

Best Animated: “Pixels” directed by Paul Emile Boucher

Best International: “My Invisible Friend” directed by Pablo Larcuen

Best Short Short: “1925 aka Hell” directed by Max Hattler

Best Local: “Welcome” directed by Kate Fox

Best Documentary Short: “Sand” directed by Cari Ann Henderson

Midrash Award:

“Circus Kids” directed by Aleaxandra Lipsitz

FestivalsOnline Shorts Awards:

Best Documentary Short - online: “Ocean Monk” directed by Sanjay Rawal

Best Narrative Short - online: “Animal Drill” directed by Patrick Murphy

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St. Louis International Film Festival overviews:
(reviews below)

SLIFF Week 1: Film fest launches with Kevin Spacey in 'Casino Jack'

SLIFF week one films include '127 Hours,' 'Casino Jack, 'Made in Dagenham' and 'Blue Valentine'

by Cate Marquis

First, there is Sundance, then Toronto, and finally it is our turn with SLIFF.

The St. Louis International Film Festival brings great films from around the world, for a eleven-day celebration of cinema.

The 2010 St. Louis International Film Festival runs Thursday, November 11 through Sunday, November 21. SLIFF has hits from other festivals, sneak previews of big studio releases, documentaries, dramas and comedies from around the globe, plus shorts, classic films and locally-made films. There are also parties, appearances by actors and directors and special events. Screenings and events take place at several venues, although most of the films are shown at the Tivoli, Hi-Pointe Theater, Plaza Frontenac Cinema and at Webster and Washington Universities. It is all capped by awards announcements at the closing night party.

Since the festival is so big, it makes sense to cover its highlights in two parts. This first article spotlights some film screenings and events through Tuesday, November 16. Details on show times and ticket information are available at the festival website www.cinemastlouis.org/festival. Many films are shown only once, so some planning may be needed.

The festival kicked off Thursday, November 11, with an opening night screening of “Casino Jack,” a black comedy with festival buzz, starring Kevin Spacey as unscrupulous lobbyist Jack Abramoff. Before the screening, there was a tribute to its director George Hickenlooper, a St. Louis native, who had been scheduled to attend the festival but unexpectedly passed away recently.The film's star, Kevin Spacey, made a surprise appearance.

SLIFF affords us a early look at other several big Hollywood releases that have been festival hits. “127 Hours” is Danny Boyle's outstanding film about Aron Ralston, played by James Franco, who was trapped for five days by a rock that pinned his arm in a remote canyon. “Blue Valentine” stars Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams in a drama about a failing marriage. The crowd-pleasing “Made in Dagenham” is a fact-based story about women factory workers who fought for equal pay.

International films range from crowd-pleasers to artistically-striking films, many of them prize-winners and all well worth reading subtitles. Festival circuit favorites include the moving French-language drama “Welcome,” the playful Russian-language fantasy reverie “Room and a Half,” the thoughtful German-language family tale “A Year Ago In Winter” and the haunting Iranian fantasy “Women Without Men.” Danish historical epic “Valhalla Rising” features actor Mads Mikkelsen as a one-eyed, tattooed gladiator who escapes Britain in100 AD aboard a Viking ship. Canadian drama “Nurse.Fighter.Boy” made a splash at Toronto and edgy French-language “I Killed My Mother” was the talk of Cannes 2009.

There are comedies too. “The Battle of Pussy Willow Creek” is a mockumentary about Civil War history. “Country Wedding” an Icelandic comedy about a wedding party lost trying to locate the remote church, which has been a festival audience-pleaser.

Documentaries include “Big Uneasy.” Harry Shearer's documentary about his part-time home, New Orleans. Comedian Shearer also speaks and shows clips of his work on “The Simpsons” and more, in a separate event.

University of Missouri-St. Louis' E. Desmond Lee professor Niyi Coker's period drama “Pennies for the Boatman” and “One Lucky Elephant,” about Circus Flora's namesake elephant, are among the films with local connections. Archival films include a rare showing of the Italian 1950s classic “Senso.” There are several programs of shorts, as SLIFF is one of the official qualifying festivals for short films aiming to be Oscar nominees.

This a just a sampling of what SLIFF has to offer its first week. Full programs can be picked up at the venues or downloaded from the festival website www.cinemastlouis.org/festival.

© Cate Marquis

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SLIFF Week 2: 'Black Swan,' 'The Illusionist,' and 'The Debt' are among big films at St. Louis Film Fest in final week

“Black Swan,” “The Debt” and the French animated “The Illusionist” among the big films being screened during the second week of the 2010 St. Louis International Film Festival.

Here are some highlights of the festival's second week. Screening times and places, along with ticket information, are available at the festival website, www.cinemastlouis.org/festival.

“The Illusionist” is not the 2006 drama but a new animated French comedy from Sylvain Chomet, the creator of “The Triplets of Belleville.” The story is adapted from a screenplay by the legendary French comedian Jacques Tati.

“Black Swan” is expected to be a top Oscar contender. Darren Aronofsky's directs a dramatic thriller about rivalry between ballerinas in a New York production of Swan Lake. Natalie Portman plays a rising-star ballerina poised to replace aging lead dancer Winona Ryder until a new potential star, played by Mila Kunis, takes the stage. The film also features Vincent Cassel as the troupe's artistic director and Barbara Hershey as Portman's controlling mother.

“The Debt” stars Helen Mirren in a highly-anticipated English-language remake of the excellent Israeli spy thriller of the same name. Partially inspired by a real incident, Mirren stars as a retired Mossad agent acclaimed as part of a team who captured and killed a notorious Nazi doctor at the end of the war. A rumor that the Nazi may still be alive sparks remarkable actions.

Other big releases include director Mike Leigh's contemporary tale about a happy couple, “Another Year” and “Rabbit Hole,” an adaption of a Pulitzer Prize-winning play about a couple struggling after their child's death, starring Aaron Eckhart and Nicole Kidman. Director Michael Winterbottom offers another excellent drama about coping with loss, starring Colin Firth, “Summer in Genoa.”

St. Louisan Jenna Fischer (“The Office”) gets her first big starring role in “A Little Help,” and Hugh Weaving (“The Matrix”) stars in the Australian 1920's gangster tale “The Tender Hook.” Director Mario Van Peebles offers “Black, White and Blues” about a blues musician. The beautifully-shot “The River Why" is adaptated from the fly-fishing bestseller and stars Zach Gilford and Amber Heard. Action fans get "Vengeance,” Hong Kong action director Johnnie To's first English-language film.

Prize-winners at other festivals include "The Wind Journeys," a Spanish-language film about a traveling musician and an accordion possessed by the devil and the Romanian “If I Want to Whistle, I Whistle,” winner of the 2010 Berlin International Film Festival's Jury Grand Prix. The Peruvian/Spanish “The Milk of Sorrow” earned an Oscar nomination and Berlin International Film Festival's Golden Bear. “A Screaming Man,” a film set in Chad, won the Jury Prize at Cannes.

Prize-winners also include documentaries like Israel's “Budrus” and Cambodia's “Enemies of the People.”

A late Halloween treat is silent classic “Häxan: Witchcraft Through the Ages,” a pseudo-documentary about Medieval witches that is really a darkly comic, surrealist fantasy, presented with live musical accompaniment.

© Cate Marquis

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St. Louis International Film Festival reviews

- beyond the big releases which are likely to return locally, here are some excellent films which may screen in the St. Louis region only at the fest. Longer reviews below: 

BRIEF REVIEWS:

A YEAR AGO IN WINTER

Tuesday, Nov. 16 @ 7 p.m., Hi-Pointe Theater

director Caroline Link, Germany/U.S., 2008, 129 min., in English & German with subtitles

A beautifully photographed and acted film about a wealthy family in Munich haunted by the death of their gifted college-aged son a year ago. Particularly crushed by the loss is his sister Lilli (Karoline Herfurth), a struggling but beautiful dancer. When her mother (Corina Harfouch) commissions a portrait of her daughter and her dead son, she finds a connection with the craggy, reclusive middle-aged painter (Josef Bierbichler). Director Caroline Link follows up her international hit “Nowhere in Africa” with an excellent exploration of family dynamics and coming of age, featuring strong acting and Herfurth's luminescent beauty along with thought-provoking twists.

ENEMIES OF THE PEOPLE

Wednesday, Nov. 17 @ 9:30pm Tivoli

director Rob Lemkin & Thet Sambath, U.K./Cambodia, 2009, 91 min., in English & Central Khmer with subtitles

This harrowing, riveting documentary, in English and Cambodian with subtitles, follows a remarkable journey back to Cambodia in search of leaders of the deadly Khmer Rouge. Young Cambodian Thet Sambath takes a personal, non-judgmental approach that encourages people to trust him and open up, encouraging former Khmer Rouge members to confess, in the manner of the “truth and reconciliation” catharsis in post-Apartheid South Africa. The confessions allow him to move ever higher in the Khmer Rouge chain of command until he is facing still-dangerous secret leaders. The documentary won a Special Jury Prize at Sundance, the Grand Jury Award at the Full Frame Documentary Festival, and was on the most striking films of the True/False documentary film fest in Columbia, MO.

SUMMER IN GENOA

Friday, Nov. 19 @ 9:15pm,  Plaza Frontenac

Sunday, Nov. 21 @ 4pm,  Plaza Frontenac

director Michael Winterbottom, U.K., 2008, 94 min., in English & Italian with subtitles

Colin Firth stars in this English-language drama about a man and his two daughters coping with the sudden death of their mother (Hope Davis). To help the girls heal, their father takes the family to spend a summer in Genoa, Italy, staying with an old college friend (Catherine Keener). While Dad teaches a summer course at the university, the girls explore the city and cope with their grief in different ways. This moving portrait of a grieving family is handled with a sensitive and deft touch by British director Michael Winterbottom, who co-wrote the screenplay.

THE SHOCK DOCTRINE

Saturday, Nov. 20 @ 3pm Webster University's Winifred Moore Auditorium

directors Michael Winterbottom & Mat Whitecross, U.K., 2009, 79 min., in English

Based on the bestselling book by Naomi Klein, “The Shock Doctrine” is one documentary progressives and populists will not want to miss. Author of the watershed “No Logo,” Klein is a respected academic and outspoken critic of consumer culture and globalization. In this documentary, she describes the disturbing trend towards something she calls “disaster capitalism.” Co-directed by award-winner Michael Winterbottom, the film was a Sundance Film Festival selection. This polished film's reasoned, rational approach makes it more persuasive than many other documentaries but the challenging topic is sure to spark discussion - how governments, under the influence of multinational corporations, create or manipulate crises to coerce people into changes that favor those global corporations. In English.

CHAMELEON

Saturday. Nov. 20 @ 9pm , Plaza Frontenac

Sunday, Nov. 21 @ 6:15pm, Plaza Frontenac

director Krisztine Goda, Hungary, 2008, 104 min., in Hungarian with subtitles

“Chameleon,” a crime thriller about identity and lies, is Hungary's Oscar official submission this year. This breathtaking thriller about a pair of con men is gripping and full of twists but it goes beyond simple entertainment. Charming, handsome, chameleon-like Gabor (Ervin Nagy) and his childhood friend Tibi (Zsolt Trill) grew up together in an orphanage but now work together preying on lonely women, with Tibi doing the support work to setting the stage for Gabor's seductions. Gabor's usual targets are unattractive older women but this time he plans to target a beautiful, wealthy but injured ballerina (Gabriella Hamori) who is desperate to access an experimental medical treatment to save her career. If Gabor's plan works, it will be the most lucrative con of their careers but things become complicated, forcing him to adapt quickly in a who-am-I-now blur.

WELCOME

Saturday, Nov. 13 @ 1:30 p.m., Plaza Frontenac Cinema

Sunday, Nov. 14 @ 8:30 p.m., Plaza Frontenac Cinema

director Philippe Loiret, France, 2009, 110 min., in English, French & Kurdish with subtitles

A moving French-language drama about a Kurdish Iraqi teenaged boy trying to reach the girl he loves in Britain, after walking across Europe from Kurdistan. Caught up in the crowd of mostly Arab Muslim men trying to sneak into Britain but stuck in Calais, France, 17 year-old Bilal finds only the English Channel separates him from his goal. An athlete in his native land, Bilal forges a connection with a French swimming instructor (Vincent Lindon), a retired Olympian still heartbroken over his recently divorce. The film features outstanding acting and an emotionally powerful but balanced and realistic story exploring the complex issues of immigration.

WOMEN WITHOUT MEN

Saturday, Nov. 13 @ 7:15 p.m., Plaza Frontenac Cinema

Sunday, Nov. 14 @ 4:45 p.m., Plaza Frontenac

director Shirin Neshat, Iran/Germany/Austria/France, 2009, 95 min., in Farsi with subtitles

A breathtakingly beautiful, surreal movie that uses a kind of magical realism to describe the plight of women in 1950s Iran, as the democratically-elected government is overthrown by foreign powers. Scenes range from the bizarre and nightmarish to the dream-like but always symbolically present the powerlessness of various women caught in the male-dominated society - a single women forced by her brother to marry, an aging but influential beauty and a starving prostitute. All the women find themselves drawn to a lush suburban garden just outside the city, in an eerie but moving sequence. A strange and wonderful experience that also educates about the history of the country, with gorgeous photography and powerful acting.

Full length reviews:

WINTER'S BONE

Free screening at SLIFF

Sunday, Nov. 14 @ 7pm, Washington University's Brown Hall

director Debra Granik, U.S., 2010, 100 min., in English

- LINK TO FULL REVIEW -


ROOM AND A HALF

SLIFF Monday, Nov. 15 @ 9:15 p.m. & Thursday, Nov. 18 @ 7 p.m., Hi-Pointe Theater

director Andrey Khrzhanovsky, Russia, 2009, 130 min., in Russian with subtitles

Easily one of the best films in this year's St. Louis International Film Festival, the whimsical fantasy “Room and a Half” is a feast of inventiveness and visual delights, as it tells an imagined tale about the Nobel Prize-winning Russian Jewish poet Joseph Brodsky, who lived in exile in New York for the second half of his life. Although Brodsky never actually returned to the Soviet Union, the film has the poet, played by Grigoriy Dityatkovskiy, returning in secret after the deaths of his parents, to the city of his childhood to visit the tiny apartment where he grew up. The city is St. Petersburg, then Leningrad, which was the cultural center of the U.S.S.R. As the old poet sails from Finland toward the port of Leningrad, we are treated to fantastical scenes of a beautiful city and childhood memories, using a mix of archival footage, animation and black and white and color sequences. There are equal measures of joyfulness in the beauty of his city and his parents' love of architecture, music and art and playful sarcasm toward the stern Communist government.

Brodsky's story of his childhood begins with WWII, with his naval officer father (Sergei Yursky) away and his translator mother (Alisa Freyndlih) helping at a nearby prisoner of war camp. There is a certain joy and playfulness in how his parents live, no matter what, in their two small rooms. His father instills a love of architecture, regaling young Joseph (Evgeniy Ogandzhanyan) tales of who lived in what stately home as they stroll the beautiful streets. At home, there is an atmosphere that is both playful and intellectual, where his parents listen to classical music, watch ice skating Olympians on a tiny TV and joke. There are always cats and young Joseph and his father speak to each other in meows at the dinner table. In one delightful sequence, a cookbook comes to life as young Joseph conjures up images of a fest.

Despite its frequent use of fantasy and animation, what is happening is never unclear, thanks to fine direction by Andrey Khrzhanovsky. Much of the film is slyly funny, like the scenes where a teen-aged Joseph (played by Artem Smola) brings home one girl after another. Nearly always there is a dream-like quality but with glimpses of sadness. As time goes on, the unpleasantness of life in the Soviet Union for a Jewish family intrudes. His parents worry about being sent to Siberia, like other Jewish families, and sell their beloved piano in an attempt to raise money to emigrate. There is a sequence, both eerie and beautiful, where the piano rises from the street and joins other musical instruments floating above the streets of the city.

The combination of fantasy, animation, archival footage is always astounding both its sheer beauty and its ability to convey a point or feeling. A vivid sense of each time period that Brodsky passes through while growing up is captured perfectly by matching the visual qualities of the film's footage with actors to archival footage from the period. In the 1960s, the budding poet hangs out with other rebellious young people, dabbles in photography and is frowned on by the government, who label him their version of a useless slacker. The recalled memories take us full circle, to Brodsky's adult success in New York and the Nobel Prize, and his frustrated attempts to contact his aging parents still trapped in Russia. The story is specific but also universal in its affection for parents and fond childhood memories.

The delightful “Room and a Half,” in Russian with English subtitles, will be shown Monday, November 15, at 9:15 p.m. and Thursday, November 18, at 7 p.m., both times at the Hi-Pointe Theater.

ANITA

SLIFF Sunday, Nov. 14 @ 1:30 p.m. & Wednesday, Nov. 17 @ 2 p.m., Plaza Frontenac

director Marcos Carnevale, Argentina, 2009, 104 min., in Spanish with subtitles

The Argentine drama “Anita,” about a young Jewish woman with Down's Syndrome in Buenos Aires who becomes lost in the city following an anti-Semitic bombing, is one of several prize-winning films at the 2010 St. Louis International Film Festival. It is also one of the selections in this year's Jewish Sidebar.“Anita” won both the Audience Award and Best Picture at the Los Angeles Latino Film Festival, after debuting at the Pusan International Film Festival.

Anita (Alejandra Manzo) lives a sheltered, even pampered, life as the beloved daughter of widowed stationary shop owner Dora Feldman (Norma Aleandro) in a mostly Jewish district of Buenes Aires. Her mother dresses her neatly, treats her with hot cocoa and sweets, despite her limited income and mother and daughter are close. In early scenes, we see them stroll arm in arm through clean, attractive streets lined with historic architecture. On weekends, Anita's older brother Ariel (Peto Menahem) comes to visit them in their neat apartment over the shop. Brother and sister greet each other playfully.

TO READ MORE AT ST. LOUIS JEWISH LIGHT, CLICK ON LINK:

http://www.stljewishlight.com/features/article_b9e02088-ecfd-11df-99c6-001cc4c002e0.html

CIRCUS KIDS

SLIFF Sunday, Nov. 21, 1:30 p.m., Hi-Pointe

director Alexandra Lipsitz, U.S., 2010, 86 min., in English

The documentary “Circus Kids” throws a spotlight on one of our hometown Circus Flora's favorite acts, the St. Louis Arches and their trip to Israel in 2007. The children's acrobatic troupe traveled to Israel to collaborate with another children's circus troupe, Galilee Circus, whose members are both Jewish and Arab Israelis.

The film was created by director Alexandra Lipsitz, herself a “circus kid” who grew up in the Big Apple Circus, the New York based European-style circus that has so much in common with St. Louis-based Circus Flora.

Lipsitz hit on the idea for her film after attending the True/False documentary film festival in Columbia, Mo with her first film. Following the “do what you know” rule, she contacted Jessica Hentoff of the St. Louis Arches, who make their regular performing home at the City Museum downtown.

Hentoff told the filmmaker about the Arches' upcoming trip to Israel, as part of her non-profit foundation Circus ' outreach for peace.

“She completely changed the focus of the film,” said Lipsitz, who traveled to Israel with the troupe at her own expense.

TO READ MORE AT ST. LOUIS JEWISH LIGHT, CLICK ON LINK:

http://www.stljewishlight.com/features/entertainment/article_cfa425e4-f285-11df-bd5b-001cc4c002e0.html

NORA'S WILL

SLIFF Sunday, Nov. 14 @ 4 pm & Monday, Nov. 15 @2:15 pm Plaza Frontenac

director Mariana Chenillo, Mexico, 2008, 92 min., in Spanish with subtitles

The dark comedy “Nora's Will,” set in Mexico City, follows the aftermath of the death of super-organized, controlling Nora, who leaves exacting instructions for the preparation of the family Seder before committing suicide on the eve of Passover. One thing she did not plan on was the chaos possible by her atheist ex-husband Jose, bent on searching her apartment for her will.

“Nora's Will” is one of the selections for this year's Jewish Sidebar at the St. Louis International Film Festival. The Mexican film, written and directed by Mariana Chenillo, won awards at the 2010 Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival for Best First Film and for Best Director.

The film's original Spanish-language title, which translates loosely as “five days without Nora” really seems a better fit, as all the farce and craziness that takes place during those days in the wake of her death.

TO READ MORE AT ST. LOUIS JEWISH LIGHT, CLICK ON LINK:

http://www.stljewishlight.com/features/entertainment/article_05c09bd8-ecf2-11df-b26a-001cc4c03286.html

AHEAD OF TIME

SLIFF Sunday, Nov. 14 @ 1 pm Plaza Frontenac
director Robert Richman,. U.S., 2009, 73 min., in English

One of the best documentaries in this year's St. Louis International Film Festival is the Jewish Sidebar selection “Ahead of Time.”

“Ahead of Time” focuses on a remarkable person who has led a remarkable life: author and journalist Ruth Gruber, now in her late nineties but still sharp and independent.

Although famous for her coverage of events at the birth of Israel, we learn what a remarkable women she was even at a young age. Growing up Jewish in Brooklyn, attending college at age 15, Gruber caused a media sensation when she earned her PhD by age twenty. But that early accomplishment was just the start of an astonishing life.

TO READ MORE AT ST. LOUIS JEWISH LIGHT, CLICK ON LINK:

http://www.stljewishlight.com/features/entertainment/article_b6d3d2d0-ecf4-11df-a365-001cc4c03286.html

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St. Louis Film Critics announces awards for St. Louis Filmmakers Showcase film festival for July 17-21, 2010

Follow this link to Cinema St. Louis for more information:
http://www.cinemastlouis.org/showcase.html

Link to St. Louis Film Critics website:
http://www.stlfilmcritics.org

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St. Louis Jewish Film Festival 2010 Reviews
June 13-17, 2010

JFF 2010

Quirky true-story 'Mary and Max' is highlight of 2010 JFF

by Cate Marquis

(Shown Tuesday, June 15, 2010 at 5:30 p.m. at Landmark's Plaza Frontenac Cinema as part of the St. Louis Jewish Film Festival. Cliff Froehlich, Executive Director of Cinema St. Louis introduces the film)  

The comic highlight of this year's JFF is “Mary and Max,”an Australian animated film for grown-ups, inspired by am unlikely long-distance friendship between a young Australian girl and a middle aged Jewish New Yorker.

The excellent claymation “Mary and Max” visually resembles “Wallace and Gromit” but from the first frames, it is clear this salty, quirky, bitingly funny animated film is not for kids. It is, however, both hilarious and ultimately touching. Based on a real if unlikely friendship, a decades-long pen pal correspondence between a bright but lonely 8 year-old girl in Australia and an autistic, overweight 44 year-old Jewish man in New York City, “Mary and Max” uses off-beat humor to explore the questions of life and growing up, through both their letters and their lives.

This very original, appealing film was the focus of considerable critical attention and buzz in film circles last year, and this is its local debut, quite a scoop for the festival.

To read more, follow link to St. Louis Jewish Light:

http://www.stljewishlight.com/article_36e2b5e0-756d-11df-84b9-001cc4c03286.html

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JFF 2010

Israeli 'For My Father' offers unusual tale of would-be suicide bomber finding human connections with supposed enemies

By Cate Marquis

(Shown in Hebrew and Arabic with English subtitles on Thursday, June 17, 2010, at 5:30 p.m. at Landmark's Plaza Frontenac Cinema as part of the St. Louis Jewish Film Festival. Robert Cohen, Editor-in-Chief-Emeritus at the St. Louis Jewish Light introduces the film.)

One of the best films in this year's Jewish Film Festival is an Israeli drama about a conflicted young Palestinian man, a would-be suicide bomber, who meets an Israeli young woman who is estranged from her Orthodox family when he is forced to spend a weekend hiding in Tel Aviv among the people he was supposed to kill.

We know from that the film's start that Tarek (Shredi Jabarin), an intense young Palestinian from Nablus, is being sent to Tel Aviv to detonate a bomb strapped to his body but why he is doing it seems less clear. Tarek is intensely serious but also seems nervous and melancholy, rather than filled with political rage or religious fervor. He instructs his handlers to send the money he will receive for his deed to his father, who has fallen into disgrace in his community. Tarek stops to call his mother, who clearly does not know what is happening, and seems more conflicted after he speaks to her. Yet he keeps reassuring his handlers that he will go through with his mission.

When Tarek positions himself at the crowded market and pushes the button to set off the bomb, nothing happens. Calling his handlers, he asks them to not set off the bomb remotely but give him time to get the switch repaired and carry out his suicide mission on his own. On a small street, Tarek finds a small electronics shop run by Katz (Shlomo Vishinsky), a quirky old Hungarian. Because he speaks Hebrew, Tarek is able to concoct a story about being with a construction crew working at a nearby building site.

To read more, follow link to St. Louis Jewish Light:

http://www.stljewishlight.com/article_25a6b4ee-756c-11df-a357-001cc4c03286.html

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JFF 2010

Documentary double feature “As Seen Through These Eyes” and “Mendelssohn, the Nazis and Me” offers explores power of art and music against the Nazis

by Cate Marquis

(Shown Thursday, June 17 at 2 p.m.at Landmark's Plaza Frontenac Cinema, as part of the St. Louis Jewish Film Festival. Betsy Zimbalist, docent at the St. Louis Art Museum, introduces “As Seen Through These Eyes” and Warren Goldberg, member of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, introduces “Mendelssohn, the Nazis and Me.”)

This year's festival offers a double feature of two documentaries about the treatment of Jewish artists under the Nazis.

In “As Seen Through These Eyes,” Maya Angelou narrates an exploration of the way various artists, particularly painters, used their art to fight back against Hitler and to record Nazi atrocities and life in concentration camps like Theresienstadt/Terezin.

And the art works featured in this film are stunning - moving, touching, terrifying, angry or even beautiful images of people and life in the camps. Especially powerful are those works in the symbolic style of German Expressionism. As a whole, the film serves as a striking reminder of the power of a single image to tell a story.

That Hitler was a would-be artist whose ambitions were thwarted by his limited talent made his attacks on artists and art, which started early, all the more ironic.

Among the artists featured are Simon Wiesenthal, Samuel Bak, Bedrich Fritta, Fredrick Terna and Yehuda Bacon. Also featured is Gypsy artist Karl Stojka, who survived as Dr. Mengele's errand boy, and Dina Gottliebova Babbitt, who survived by painting portraits of Gypsies at Mengele's request, people who were subjects for his gruesome experiments.

Along with fabulous images of art, the documentary features interviews with survivors speaking about their experiences under the Nazis and about the work of artists who did not survive, along with archival footage.

To read more, follow link to St. Louis Jewish Light:

http://www.stljewishlight.com/article_8eac8522-756c-11df-971b-001cc4c03286.html

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READ CAPSULE REVIEWS OF OTHER JFF 2010 FILMS HERE:

http://www.stljewishlight.com/article_f7b89546-756d-11df-81ca-001cc4c03286.html

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