Bama Art House

The Names of Love | 9/6 | 7:30pm

2011-07-26T10:01:00.000-07:00

A French comedy about love, sex, and politics. Now I see why it's been called a crowd pleaser! This French hit that had its premier at Cannes and was nominated for a ton of Cesar Awards (France's equivalent of the Oscar's) has received a warm welcome here in the US, too, with Michel Leclerc singled out for his masterful direction. "Leclerc pays such lavish homage, in the construction of his film, to golden-age Allen; the moments at which a bewildered Arthur consults his teen-age self could have come straight out of 'Annie Hall,'" says Anthony Lane in The New Yorker. If comparisons to Woody Allen don't get you off the couch, perhaps the trailer will:

The Trip | 9/30 | 7:30pm

2011-07-26T09:50:00.001-07:00

"The Trip," a fantastic new British comedy from Michael Winterbottom, stars Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon as thinly veiled versions of their acerbic and sardonic selves. If you remember "Tristan Shandy: A Cock and Bull Love Story" from back in 2005, this is essentially a reprisal of the key players. If you're not familiar with that film, it's definitely worth checking out to see what lies ahead for your here. But the trailer will give you a bit of insight - a British road movie about how it's both completely annoying and totally necessary to have friends. "Does it matter where a performer ends and the persona begins, or if the two can be separated?" asks Manhola Dargis in the New York Times, "In 'The Trip' you search for authenticity among the jokes and lulls, but what you get is what you see and hear."

Cave of Forgotten Dreams | 8/23 | 7:30pm

2011-07-26T07:23:00.000-07:00

"Cave of Forgotten Dreams," Werner Herzog's new epic documentary, is our second film of the Fall series. Herzog takes as his subject the Chauvet caves of southern France, home to some of the oldest painted images in human history. With typical Herzogian style and approach, we consider these archaic images from a totally new perspective. The film has received numerous accolades and has been a huge critical success. "The result is a journey to prehistory that's simultaneously wondrous and tedious, profound and completely nuts -- which is to say, quintessential Herzog," says NPR.

The Tree of Life | 8/16 | 7:30pm

2011-07-26T06:22:00.000-07:00

What can you say about "The Tree of Life?" That it stars Brad Pitt and Sean Penn, had a budget of over $30 million, and yet still didn't play the Cobb? That's a curiosity until you see the director's name: Terrence Malik. If you're unfamiliar with Mr. Malik's work, please do yourself a favor in anticipation of "The Tree of Life." Seek out "Badlands," "Days of Heaven," "The Thin Red Line," and "The New World" in that order. Prepare for vistas and long unspoken passages and meditation on nature and violence and the American experience. They are art house films with a Hollywood budget, and they're mostly unforgettable. We're very proud to start our series with Malik's most recent, with a warning from the distributor that the film has one of the highest walkout rates in recent memory. Duly noted. While the critics at Cannes were split - some booing the screen as the titles rolled, others drowning out the boos with enthusiastic applause - the jury was unanimous, giving the film the Palme d'Or, Cannes' highest honor. And now it's here, gracing out humble burg, in brilliant 35mm. Peter Travers of Rolling Stone might have summed it up best: "'Tree' delivers truths that don't go down easy. No one with a genuine interest in the potential of film would think of missing it."

Summer Series almost here! Get your tickets!

2011-05-29T09:41:00.000-07:00

The Summer Bama Art House Film Series is almost here! We encourage you to take a look at the lineup and buy your tickets early - buying a series pass saves you money!

Please note that we've changed our screening times for this series - we'll be screening on SUNDAY EVENINGS at 7:30pm. It's easier to book multiple Sundays at the theater, and we're looking to find a permanent day. Some folks asked about the possibility of a non-weeknight screening, so we're trying Sundays with a little bit of an earlier start time. Let us know what you think!

The Greatest Movie Ever Sold | 7/31 | 7:30pm

2011-05-29T09:20:00.000-07:00

What happens when you set out to make a film about the influence of corporate product placement in films? You wind up with a movie entitled, "POM Wonderful Presents: The Greatest Movie Ever Sold," the closer of our summer series. From Morgan Spurlock, the rabble rousing documentarian behind "Super Size Me," comes this creative and comical investigation into advertising, branding, and product placement. We're constantly inundated by advertisements, and Spurlock is curious about how that influences the content and the profit models for our popular entertainment. Taking us inside the process, the film becomes a meta exploration of the very issue it seeks to explain. Peter Travers, writing for Rolling Stone, says, "Spurlock says he's not selling out, he's buying in. I'm buying into Spurlock. As ever, he makes you laugh till it hurts."

But don't take his word for it - take a look at the trailer. Of course, you'll probably have to click through a few ads to get there...

Meek's Cutoff | 7/24 | 7:30pm

2011-05-29T09:04:00.000-07:00

"Meek's Cutoff," from director Kelly Reichardt, stars Michelle Williams and Paul Dano. Reichardt, who directed "Old Joy" and "Wendy and Lucy," is one of a handful of female independent directors who are helping to remake American films. The film focuses on pioneers traversing an infamous wagon trail cut through Oregon in 1845. The story of the original settlers is riddled with violence, hunger, infighting, and death - in short, the stuff of good cinema. Writing for the Chicago Reader, reviewer Ben Sachs says, "Imagine a collaboration between John Ford and Wallace Stevens and you might get a sense of what Kelly Reichardt pulls off here: a sincere re-creation of the pioneer experience, brought to life through careful, often unexpected detail." We hope you'll join us for a new kind of sparse and parched Western in the middle of our ceaseless summer...

3 Backyards | 7/17 | 7:30pm

2011-05-29T08:52:00.000-07:00

"3 Backyards," which won the Directing Award at Sundance, is directed by Eric Mendelsohn and stars Edie Falco. Containing three different and interwoven stories, the film has been described as a "poetic exercise." A complex visual aesthetic guides the film, and the cinematographer creates three distinctly unique styles to fit the three stories. Stephen Holden, writing his "Critics' Pick" review for The New York Times, says "The conceit that binds this movie’s three vignettes is Mr. Mendelsohn’s notion that while the front lawns of suburbia reflect how residents choose to present themselves to the outside world, their backyards are Freudian maps of their unconscious lives."

Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives | 7/10 | 7:30pm

2011-05-29T08:34:00.001-07:00

"Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives" is a strange and wonderful film that won the Palme d'Or, the festival's highest honor, at Cannes last year. This Thai film, from director Apichatpong Weerasethakul, is a magical and surreal movie that eschews traditional narrative structure in favor of a free flowing melody that's far too rare in contemporary cinema. It's a film that is nearly impossible to describe - something meditated on by critic after critic. A.O. Scott writes in his "Critics' Pick" review for The New York Times, "Instead of nostalgia for vanished magic, there is the recognition that magic is always present if we know where and how to look. Mr. Weerasethakul certainly knows where to look and is generous enough to share some of what he sees."

Another film we're very proud to bring here to Tuscaloosa - a film that solidifies our mission to bring Art House movies to the Bama. I guarantee you won't see this one at the Cobb!

Rubber | 7/3 | 7:30pm

2011-05-29T08:16:00.000-07:00

"Oh hell yeah! Man, this movie is so awesome, dude! It's about a tire - like a radial, you know - that lives in the desert. And it like comes alive one day, and it starts you know, like rolling down the street! And then it starts, like, KILLING PEOPLE! I'm serious, man! That shit is off the chain! It's gonna be awesome! Don't take my word for it, come see it, dude!"

-Review from someone who is very excited about Rubber

Also, reviewers have said slightly more articulate things. Like Katrina Longworth, writing for the Village Voice: "An essay on storytelling and spectatorship within When Inanimate Objects Attack schlock -- one infused with the haunting aura and disillusionment of a post-Easy Rider road movie -- Rubber is some kind of miracle."

Also, it's the night before the fourth of July and the Bama serves beer. Get that party started, you know?

Putty Hill | 6/26 | 7:30pm

2011-05-29T07:55:00.001-07:00

We're extremely happy to be able to bring "Putty Hill" to Tuscaloosa this summer. A small, honest, and deeply affecting film from a young American director, this movie represents all that's now possible in the new world of self-distribution, digital capture and exhibition, and cinematic art created far outside the confining walls of the studios. In short, this is an Art House Film, and we're thrilled to bring it here to the Bama. Produced on a shoe-string by 33-year-old director Matt Porterfield, the film represents an authentic and inspired attempt at creating a regionally distinct cinema. The region, in this case, is Porterfield's native Maryland, specifically the Baltimore suburbs where he grew up and still lives. Southern auteurs take note - regional cinema is on the rise! The New York Times did an interesting story about the film and its unique hybrid style, and the critics, throughout its festival run and now in its theatrical run, have had their fair share of praise, too. Stephen Holden, in his review in the Times, says, "Matt Porterfield's moody, elliptical fusion of fiction and documentary, slips back and forth between the forms with a stealth that dissolves one into the other." We very proud of this one, and hope you are too.

Certified Copy | 6/19 | 7:30pm

2011-05-29T07:32:00.000-07:00

"Certified Copy" is a maze of a film that plays with the audience and our expectations. As two characters, seemingly strangers to one another, embark on a long philosophical debate about authenticity and fakery in art, both the story and our assumptions about their relationship begins to fragment. This kind of subtle and nuanced script requires some heavy lifting from the actors - which is why Juliette Binoche won the best actress award from Cannes for her role here. This film is the famous Iranian auteur Abbas Kiarostami's first film produced outside his native country, and it has received near universal critical acclaim. Scott Tobias, writing for NPR, calls it, "A film as audacious and radical as any likely to see theaters this year." A movie as complicated as this is inevitably hard to market and capture in a trailer, so we're left with a kind of amalgam of romantic lines and critical praise. But don't just judge from the trailer, read the reviews and be sure not to miss this one.

Cedar Rapids | 6/12 | 7:30pm

2011-05-29T07:14:00.000-07:00

"Cedar Rapids," the first film of our summer series, is an indie comedy starring Ed Helms and John C. Reily. From director Miguel Arteta, who brought us "Chuck and Buck" and "The Good Girl," the film debuted at Sundance in January to rave reviews. The story of an untraveled insurance adjuster who makes his first out-of-state trip to the wild and crazy city of Cedar Rapids, the film has been praised for its ability to mix top-notch juvenile humor with dignified character portraits. It's a movie that, for most critics, seems to feel an awful lot like real life. No easy task. As Anthony Lane wrote in his review for The New Yorker, "These folks are undistinguished yet distinctive, and the film, for all the familiar grind of its plotting, pays them their honest due." See the trailer below and visit the official site here if you're so inclined.

Neverending Story | June 12 | 3pm

2011-05-28T12:05:00.000-07:00

Bama Art House Jr. presents "The Neverending Story" on Sunday, June 12th at 3pm. If you haven't seen the film since you were a kid, well, you're probably do for a repeat viewing. This timeless 80s classic about a boy, a book, a flying dog like animal, an evil wolf with red eyes, and a magical world slowly being destroyed by a force called "The Nothing" is packed full of every single childhood trope imaginable. In short, it's not to be missed. So bring the kids and come out to the Bama Art House Jr.! If you need a refresher course, the vintage trailer is below...

Four Lions | 2/22 | 8pm

2011-01-17T08:46:00.000-08:00

We end the series with a delightfully hilarious comedy about jihad. From the British director Chris Morris comes "Four Lions," a film about a, well, rather touchy subject. Four hapless would be terrorists, hell bent on blowing something up, struggle through myriad scenarios of incompetence and hilarity. What a nice counterpoint to the typical portrayal of terrorists as shadowy ingenious madmen tucked away in foreign mountain ranges. The protagonists here (if you can call terrorists protagonists...) aren't engaged in some grand narrative of self-awareness where the end of the film finds them reassessing their evil ways. No. This is a comedy. As such, these bumbling fools get the British comedic treatment - physical, painful, humiliating stunt gags. Akin in some ways to "In the Loop," another British comedy about contemporary geopolitical issues we brought during an earlier run of the BAH, this film is filled with cringe-inducing laughs and fast paced comedic dialogue. "You laugh until the laughter turns to ashes in your mouth. And then you laugh some more," says A.O. Scott in the NY Times. I think the trailer sums it up nicely....

Guy and Madeline on a Park Bench | 2/15 | 8pm

2011-01-17T08:28:00.000-08:00

"Black Swan" ain't got nothing on this. "Guy and Madeline on a Park Bench" is the true indie dance film of the year. Shot in black-and-white 16mm, with a deliberately throwback feel to the films of Godard and the music of Miles, this wonderful romantic dream of a movie is the perfect date night out. The NY Times says the film, "Evokes a time when every love affair came with its own soundtrack, and every song seemed to be written only for us." The Village Voice says, "The movie is at once fresh and retro, a casual three-mumblechord affair glamorized by its exuberant nostalgia for pop bop of the late '50s and the then-new wave excitement of Shadows and Breathless." I'm down...

Tiny Furniture | 2/8 | 8pm

2011-01-17T07:58:00.000-08:00

Yes. Yes. A thousand times yes. This is the most hotly anticipated film of the series for me, and I'm thrilled we're bringing it to Tuscaloosa. Lena Dunham was just 23 when this film won the Grand Jury Prize at SXSW in March. "Tiny Furniture" is her second feature and was made for practically nothing with a very inexpensive DSLR. The film - featuring a story cribbed from her own life and populated by friends and family members playing themselves or thinly veiled versions of themselves - proves that the world of digital filmmaking is truly a democratizing one. Since the film's debut, it's gone on to rave reviews just about everywhere, and The New Yorker even swooped in for a (perhaps slightly premature) profile of Dunham and her new found fame. As a thinking person's comedy, the film has managed to spark some interesting arguments about the nature of telling "true" stories, and where real life and real people end and the art of filmmaking begins. Manhola Dargis, reviewing the film in the NYTimes, even goes so far as to riff off of Walter Benjamin's 1930s Marxist screed "The Work of Art in the Age of Its Technological Reproducibility." A comedy made by a 23 year old that can produce this kind of criticism? This I have to see...

Marwencol | 2/1 | 8pm

2011-01-17T07:43:00.001-08:00

Tuscaloosa is lucky to get "Marwencol," a unique and almost inexplicable documentary about a man and his obsession. Debuting at SXSW last March, the film took home the Grand Jury Award for Best Documentary. More recent accolades include two Independent Spirit Awards. I was fortunate to see this film at the Sidewalk Film Festival in September and can honestly say it's one of the more engaging and thought-provoking docs I've seen in a very long time. Patiently edited and thoroughly compelling, the film probes questions about the role of art in rehabilitation, and the often thin line that separates art from commodity. Ultimately it's a human story with a larger than life central character you can't help but be compelled to watch. "Exactly the sort of mysterious and almost holy experience you hope to get from documentaries and rarely do," says the Village Voice. Prepare to share a beer with friends after this one - you're going to have a lot to talk about...

Soul Kitchen | 1/25 | 8pm

2011-01-17T07:05:00.000-08:00

"Not to warm to this movie would be churlish, and foodies will drool on demand," says Anthony Lane in The New Yorker of this hysterical German farce that won big at the Venice Film Festival. Infused with American soul music and brimming with food snobbery, "Soul Kitchen" seems the perfect pick for a small but vocal group of Tuscaloosans. But we think all will enjoy this NY Times Critics Pick. From acclaimed director Fatih Akin comes this fun comedy about food, rock and roll, and an eccentric crew of restaurant goers. I suggest coming to this film on a full stomach, and what better opportunity to take advantage of the new BAH sponsorship by Epiphany Fine Dining!? Just bring your series pass to Epiphany before the show to receive a discount on dinner, and we'll help restart this sluggish economy through watching movies and eating good food together!

Monsters | 1/18 | 8pm

2011-01-17T06:55:00.000-08:00

"'Monsters' is the best monster movie of the millennium (thus far)," writes the Austin Chronicle. And we think they're on to something. This critical hit debuted at SXSW last year and was immediately snatched up for distribution. The film, by first time director Gareth Edwards, was largely improvised and shot on a shoestring budget on location across Central America and the States. All the effects were created on the director's laptop, and the film was shot with prosumer cameras and a crew of two. The story - about a couple traversing a huge swath of quarantined land in the aftermath of an alien invasion - is part road movie, part alien thriller, and part socio-political metaphor (the aliens live south of our border, and huge fences have been erected to keep us out or them in, depending on your perspective...). Comparisons to "Cloverfield" and "District 9" are inevitable, but it's worth pointing out that this film was made for less than half a million dollars - a tiny budget for a major feature, and a sliver of what most sci-fi effects driven films cost.

The Millennium Series Double Header

2011-01-14T14:23:00.001-08:00

Unfortunately, the website didn't get updated in time to announce the first two screenings of the Winter 2011 Season: "The Girl Who Played With Fire" and "The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest." We hope you enjoyed them.

Citizen Architect | 8/17 | 7:30pm

2010-08-09T10:47:00.000-07:00

Despite its unique position on a Tuesday night, "Citizen Architect" is not officially part of the Fall Bama Art House series. (Especially note the screening time of 7:30) However, we would like to draw your attention to this unique event and encourage all you film lovers to attend. "Citizen Architect" is a documentary about the legendary Rural Studio's founder Samuel Mockbee. If you've never heard of the Rural Studio, do yourself a favor and read about it here. Sambo, as he was called, had a vision for what architecture could provide for the world, and his vision was humane, sustainable, and democratic. His legacy lives on through countless students who were touched by his vision and in the projects that currently thrive in the Black Belt - like PieLab, HERO, BikeLab, and the current crop of Rural Studio projects. This documentary celebrates Sambo's life and his work, and the event at the Bama goes a step further - after the film, treat yourself to some homemade pie from PieLab! The cost is a measely $8, which includes your admission to the film and a slice of delicious pie. Read more about the film here, and dig the trailer below. What a way to start the fall semester!

Winter's Bone | 10/5 | 8pm

2010-08-09T10:29:00.000-07:00

We end the fall with perhaps the finest film of the entire series. "Winter's Bone," winner of both the Grand Jury Prize and Best Screenplay at Sundance this year, is a masterful drama about the Ozarks. A narrative familiar to much of the rural South, this film has all the strength, grit, and truth of a documentary. With a near perfect score at Rotten Tomatoes, this film is a real contemporary independent masterpiece. The New Yorker's David Denby, one of the shrewdest and most ornery critics around, calls the film, "What we’ve been waiting for: a work of art that grabs hold and won’t let go." This film is not to be missed. Watch the trailer below and read more about the film at the website here.

Get Low | 9/28 | 8pm

2010-08-09T10:15:00.000-07:00

"Get Low" is based on a true story about a Tennessee hermit who, after living in seclusion as a mysterious and almost mythical character, emerged late in his life to throw himself a huge funeral party - while he was still alive. The film features some of the finest actors working today - Robert Duvall, Sissy Spacek, and Bill Murray head up this incredible ensemble cast. The New York Post says, "These three pros take a story that could have been pure schmaltz and spin it into pure gold." How can you resist? Watch the trailer below, and visit the website here.

Girl With the Dragon Tattoo | 9/21 | 8pm

2010-08-09T10:02:00.000-07:00

"The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo" is the Swedish blockbuster based upon the Swedish bestseller of the same name by Stieg Larsson. This film, the first in the so-called "Millennium Trilogy" is soon to be turned into an American remake. So, like countless other examples of the Hollywood treatment of wonderful foreign art, it's probably best to take this opportunity to see it here, now, before Hollywood combines a few A-list actors, seven young script writers writing by committee, the studio boss who greenlit "Tooth Fairy," and a hundred million dollars to create an epically bland and vanilla remake. This movie has everything - murder, fast driving, shooting, explosions! Why does Hollywood even feel the need to remake it?! Dig the trailer below.

Micmacs | 9/14 | 8pm

2010-08-09T09:52:00.000-07:00

"Micmacs," from Jean-Pierre Jeunet, the director of "Amelie" and "A Very Long Engagement," is a French film bordering on the magical. Like much of Jeunet's earlier work, "Micmacs" is a surreal film that relies on elaborate set pieces and sight gags to further the earnest story of our protagonist wanting to shut down two rival ammunition plants. Taking a cue from Chris Rock, the thinking goes, make the bullets impossible to get and the guns won't matter that much. What follows is a visual masterpiece in the vein of Chaplin and Keaton. Jeunet can always be relied upon for masterful and creative visual storytelling, and his newest creation is no different. But don't take my word for it - dig the trailer below and visit the website here. If only Audrey Tautou graced us with her presence in this film, it might be damn near perfect...

I Am Love | 9/7 | 8pm

2010-08-09T09:40:00.000-07:00

"I Am Love" is a foreign drama about a rich Italian family. And, being Italian, it is of course about a forbidden love affair. From director Luca Guadagnino, the film stars the always resplendent Tilda Swinton. Swinton, playing the lead Emma, has been heralded for her wonderful performance. "By the end of this often soaringly beautiful melodrama, which closes with a funeral, Emma’s face will have crumpled into a ruin," writes Manohla Dargis of the New York Times. "But it will also be fully alive, having been granted, like Pygmalion’s statue, the breath of life." For a taste of this Italian treasure, see the trailer below and dig the website here.

Sweetgrass | 8/31 | 8pm

2010-08-09T09:26:00.000-07:00

"Sweetgrass" is the kind of sweeping visual movie that 35mm film and the Bama Theatre's huge flawless screen were made for. You will NEVER get the cinematic experience of a film like this in your living room - no matter how big your flat screen is. "Sweetgrass" is a documentary billed as "an unsentimental elegy to the American West." Yes, quite a turn from Troll 2, but Bama Art House film goers are a lot like what Whitman said about himself - we are large, we contain multitudes. We're just as happy and at home watching riotously bad horror films as we are watching this graceful, beautiful, epic documentary about sheepherders. A movie like this is why we created BAH, and we hope you'll marvel in all that celluloid goodness that caused Ronnie Sheib of Vanity Fair to call the film "A one-of-a-kind experience. At once epic-scale and earthbound." You ain't gonna get that from a DVD and microwave popcorn. Take a look at the trailer for a sense of the scale of this film, and checkout the website here. This is the first and probably only screening of this film in Alabama.

DOUBLE HEADER! Best Worst Movie, Troll 2 | August 24 | 8pm

2010-08-09T08:50:00.000-07:00

I don't even know how to describe the excitement in the air about the opening to the Fall series. First, it's a double header. There's something magical about both of these films, and to get see them, back to back, for ONE TICKET PRICE!? Well, it's just almost too much to handle. But I'll try to somehow grapple with what will surely be the insufficient words to try and wrangle this epic night into a short and pithy description.

"Best Worst Movie" is a superb and tender and hilarious documentary about what may be the most outstandingly awful movie of all time: "Troll 2." The actors in this so-awful-it's-good straight to VHS film are busy leading their anonymous lives across the country, unaware that the B-movie they filmed in Utah back in 1990 has slowly become a cult hit, with the prestigious distinction of being ranked the very worst movie of all time on IMDB. The documentary follows the actors as they grapple with this cult success and with larger issues, too - like what celebrity means if your celebrity is for something awful instead of something good. George Hardy, the father in "Troll 2," is the main star of the documentary. He's now a dentist in Alexander City, Alabama and his jovial embrace of his new cult status is what drives the documentary. This film is really a wonderfully funny and sensitive story about the dreams we all have and the realities that life often delivers.

Then, after a brief intermission to refresh your drinks, it's on to the subject at hand. The Best Worst Movie of all time...TROLL 2. Little can be said about this film that hasn't already been pantomimed by speechless friends doubled over the first time they see this almost perfect tragedy of celluloid, bad writing, and stiff acting. So, I won't bother. Instead, do yourself a favor and check out the original trailer below...

TICKETS!!!

2010-05-17T11:11:00.000-07:00

All right, BAH fans, it's time to get your tickets! Avoid the long lines and pickup your tickets today online at Brown Paper Tickets. It's simple, all major credit cards are accepted, and you can have your tickets shipped directly to you for free! Or, choose "Will Call" and you can pick your ticket up on the first night - GREENBERG!

Super cheap pricing, once again: $40 for adults (that's $5 a film) and $30 for students/seniors ($3.75 a film). HOLY SMOKES! A movie, a bag of popcorn, and a beer for less than $10!? What is this, 1978?

See you June 8th!!!

Please Give | 7/27 | 8pm

2010-05-14T16:22:00.000-07:00

Nicole Holofcener’s "Please Give," ends our summer series with a light American indie comedy. Quite a welcome note, considering the heavy fare that precedes it - even if "Please Give" does revolve around death. Starring Catherine Keener and Oliver Platt as a husband and wife duo who run an antiques store in New York City, the film is a study on what's commonly called "white liberal guilt" but what might be better described as that amorphous feeling of wanting to help but being too completely incompetent and self absorbed to do any real good (see the trailer for a prime example...). "Though it may seem at first that 'Please Give' divides people between the selfish and the guilty, with a few normal folks around the edges, that does not turn out to be the case," writes Kenneth Turran of the L.A. Times. "This is a film that focuses on the tiny moments of connection and consolation that sustain us in a hard-edged world because they are all we have."

Visit the website here, and check out the hilarious trailer below.

No One Knows About Persian Cats | 7/20 | 8pm

2010-05-14T15:54:00.001-07:00

An Iranian movie about indie-rock. Done. Despite the title, "No One Knows About Persian Cats" is not about felines. Instead, it's about a group of young rock and rollers that just want what every young person with a guitar wants: to turn it up and make it loud. Easier said than done in Iran. The film, which maintains an almost documentary feel due largely to the fact that the two leads are playing themselves in roles and situations that are basically based on real events, also had its debut at Cannes. In fact, our summer series is almost a direct copy of Cannes 2009. Replace a buttery croissant from a bistro on the French Riviera with a platter of oysters from Steamers on the Black Warrior, and the Bama becomes a veritable venue for the storied French festival! But I digress... "Persian Cats," from the well known Iranian director Bahman Ghobadi, is also a critical darling, with Ann Hornaday of the Washington Post writing, "Ghobadi has emerged as a filmmaker whose gift for poetic realism was only equaled by an unerring sense of precisely when and how to break the viewer's heart."

Visit the website and view the rocking trailer below. You might also be interested in this NPR story about the film.

The Secret in Their Eyes | July 13 | 8pm

2010-05-14T15:37:00.000-07:00

"The Secret in Their Eyes," the surprise Best Foreign Film this year at the Oscars (ironically, the safe bets were thought to be "The White Ribbon" or "A Prophet") is our sixth feature of the summer series. This Argentinian murder mystery has been heralded for its rapid pace, its tight plot, and its old school thriller properties. Considering the intriguing plot and mass appeal, expect an American remake in a few years - probably helmed by some recent USC grad with connections and starring Gweneth Paltrow and John Krasinski. So, before Hollywood takes liberties, see what Bob Mondello of NPR called, "A taut murder mystery with a political conscience."

Visit the American website here, and watch the trailer below:

A Prophet | July 6 | 8pm

2010-05-14T15:15:00.000-07:00

"A Prophet," the explosive French gangster film that won the grand prize at Cannes, is the fifth film of the summer series. The story revolves around a young Arabic man sent to prison and his gradual transition into a mafia kingpin. This is another critical darling. Manhola Dargis of the New York Times calls it, "One of those rare films in which the moral stakes are as insistent and thought through as the aesthetic choices." Brilliantly acted, thoroughly violent, and with a hip score to boot, this is not a film for the kids. A smart midsummer gangster movie from France. Who could ask for anything more?

Visit the website here, and be sure to watch the trailer below:

The White Ribbon | June 29 | 8pm

2010-05-14T15:03:00.000-07:00

"The White Ribbon," the German critical smash that won the Palme d'Or at Cannes last year, is the fourth film in the summer series. This greatly anticipated film, which has been hailed not only as a critical success but also as a kind of socio-political touchstone, has been on the top of my list since I heard an NPR story about the film back in January. Peter Travers of Rolling Stone says, "Shot in stunning black-and-white by the gifted Christian Berger, The White Ribbon is a toxic blossom of images that burn into your memory." But he also warns, "Don't let anyone tell you too much about this spellbinder from Austria..."

So, enough said.

Visit the website here and definitely checkout the creepy trailer below:

The Ghost Writer | June 22 | 8pm

2010-05-14T14:38:00.000-07:00

Roman Polanski might have some, um, legal troubles, that keep him from coming to the States, but that doesn't stop him from making films in Europe. And, despite personal feelings about the man's transgressions, he makes some pretty terrific ones. Including "The Ghost Writer," a thriller starring Ewan McGregor, Pierce Brosnan, and the lovely Olivia Williams. What's great about Polanski's films is his attention to the process and the patient pace he's brought to films from "Chinatown" to "The Pianist." As Roger Ebert says about this one, "Polanski at 76 provides a reminder of directors of the past who were raised on craft, not gimmicks, and depended on a deliberate rhythm of editing rather than mindless quick cutting." I'm all for it.

Visit the film's website here, and make sure to watch the trailer too. Besides the inclusion of Kim Cattrall, this seems like an outstanding cast.

The Secret of the Kells | June 15 | 8pm

2010-05-14T14:17:00.000-07:00

Our first animated feature arrives as the second movie of the summer series. "The Secret of the Kells" was nominated for an Oscar in the Animated Feature category this year. An Irish-French-Belgian co-production, the film has some serious pedigree - especially since the producers of the film were attached to "The Triplets of Bellville," another independent animation critical hit from 2003. The critics have been raving about this one since it first made its way across the pond. "A glorious throwback to the more stylized, painterly work of decades past," says Kenneth Turran of the L.A. Times. "The kind of vividly colored, fanciful pictorials that are usually confined to the small-scale realm of animated shorts."

Visit their website here, and be sure to make it out for this one. Don't forget to bring the kids!

GREENBERG | June 8 | 8pm

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The first film of the series this year is Noah Baumbach's new comedy "Greenberg." You may know Baumbach's work from his 1995 debut cult classic "Kicking and Screaming," to more recent fare like the critically acclaimed "The Squid and the Whale," and 2007's "Margot at the Wedding." Baumbach's films all have a very esoteric and conversational feel and they're all very funny in their own way. He has a knack for the nuances of American speech, and "Greenberg," starring Ben Stiller, is no different. True to form like his other work, A.O. Scott of the New York Times calls it, "The funniest and saddest movie Mr. Baumbach has made so far, and also the riskiest." Well, that sounds like a ringing endorsement to me!

Visit Focus Feature's website here. A great start for the series - see the trailer below:

Get yer tickets!

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Doing a little math, we reckon the following: if you buy a season ticket to this here little series, you're essentially getting six films for the cost of four. Now, I'm not too good on ciphering and what not, but that sounds like a hell of a deal. Tickets will be available at the box office come opening night on January, 19th, so if you're afraid of the internet demons and online purchasing identity thefters, you can pay with cold hard currency at the Bama. But either way, buy yourself a series pass. You'll be real glad you did...

Ann Arbor Film Festival | Saturday, January 23rd | BAMA Theatre

2010-01-05T09:50:00.000-08:00

The Ann Arbor Film Festival, a traveling showcase for independent, experimental and artistically-inspired film, will be visiting the Bama for one night only - Saturday, January 23rd. You can checkout the website with all the film listings here. It'll be a great night, with both programs playing as a double-header for the price of one! And, even better, Bama Art House members who flash their subscription pass will get in for FREE!

Tickets are Here!!!

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The tickets are here and available by following this link to Brown Paper Tickets. They are, well, amazingly cheap. $30 for adults (yes, $5 each film) and only $20 for students and seniors (yes, $3.34 per film). You can still purchase walk up tickets at the Bama the night of each screening for $7 adults, and $6 for students/seniors, but if you plan on seeing at least 4 of the films, it makes more financial sense to buy the series pass. Plus, you'd be helping us out with covering some of the initial costs to put this thing on. Also, the more "subscribers" we have to this series the easier it'll be to make a case that this is the kind of thing the Bama Theatre should do more of, right? So please, buy early and often. The series ticket would make a great holiday gift for you and yours this season. You can choose to have the series pass shipped to you (for free) or to pick them up at will call on the first night of the series. There is a small handling fee for using this service ($1.99 per ticket) and if you'd like to avoid paying that fee, feel free to drop by the Bama Theatre when the box office is open to purchase them there at face value. Alternatively, I'll post a PDF on the website in the near future that you can print out and send us a check for your tickets.

So you can buy them just about any and every way imaginable. But the best thing is, the tickets are CHEAP. We couldn't do this without our sponsors. We'll offer a full list of those wonderful folks who have helped make this happen very soon. In the meantime, buy your tickets and get ready to live in a grownup town. We got an Art House!!!

IN THE LOOP | February 23 | 8pm

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We finish the series with the hilarious British comedy "In the Loop." The film was a huge hit at Sundance, with critics unanimously hailing it as a laugh-out-loud success. Another Rotten Tomatoes gem, with a favorable rate of 93% the film has garnered fans from the UK to stateside. A send-up of diplomatic relations, the film has strong overtones of "Dr. Strangelove" - never a bad thing. Starring James Gandolfini and an ensemble of established British comic actors, "In the Loop" is a comic tour de force. Don't take my word for it - dig the trailer below. Melissa Anderson, of The Village Voice, calls the film "Hilarious. An acidly funny satire about politics and pomposity. The zing and sting of the film's dialogue harks back to screwball comedy, but the frequent flourishes of profanity throughout suggest its own genre: screw-you-ball."

Visit the website here, and DO NOT SKIP the trailer. (In hi-res on Apples' site, too...)

YOU, THE LIVING | February 16th | 8pm

2009-12-13T09:54:00.000-08:00

The fifth film in the series comes from the Swedish director Roy Andersson. "You, the Living," is formally and aesthetically unlike anything else in the series. And, it's damn funny too. Andersson is well known for his absurdist comic wit and his long takes, and this film delivers on both counts. Without a central plot, the film takes the shape of 50 short sketches - all with a tragicomic tone. Another critical gem - with a 100% favorable rating on Rotten Tomatoes - this film might never come to the US DVD market, so this is really your only chance to see it. Peter Bradshaw at the Gaurdian calls the film "the work of a real original - I might almost say a genius. He is radically different from anyone else, with a technical, compositional rigor that puts other movie-makers and visual artists to shame. And he really is funny."

Visit Andersson's beautiful and strange website here, and make sure to watch the trailer below. If that's not enough, and you want to see the sequence from the beginning of the film, click here.

STILL WALKING | February 9th | 8pm

2009-12-13T09:28:00.000-08:00

The fourth film in the series is from the Japanese director Kore-Eda Hirokazu, the director of two huge critical successes, "After Life" and "Nobody Knows." Kore-Eda has been hailed as one of the great contemporary Japanese film directors, and "Still Walking" solidifies this distinction. One of the most critically acclaimed works at the Toronto, Tribeca, and San Francisco International Film Festivals, "Still Walking" tells the story of one day in the life a Japanese family. A universal success - with a 100% positive rating on Rotten Tomatoes - we are lucky to get this gem of contemporary Japanese cinema. A.O. Scott, of The New York Times, calls the film "Transcendent...Completely Absorbing, so sure of its own scale and scope that while you’re watching it, the rest of the world fades into irrelevance."

You can visit the movie here, and watch the trailer below. Be sure not to miss this one...

BLACK DYNAMITE | February 2nd | 8pm

2009-12-13T09:10:00.000-08:00

And now for something completely different. The third film of the series is "Black Dynamite," a new film made to look like an old film. This throwback to the blaxsploitation films of the 70s had its premiere at Sundance and we can safely say you won't be seeing it anywhere else in Alabama. The critics have liked this one, too - it scores an 82% favorable rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The synopsis says it all, really: "When “The Man” murders his brother, pumps heroin into local orphanages, and floods the ghetto with adulterated malt liquor, Black Dynamite is the one hero willing to fight all the way from the blood-soaked city streets to the hallowed halls of the Honky House."

Variety says, "This film will delight both discriminating fans of the blaxploitation tradition and ordinary lovers of goofy, in-ya-face thrills," while the venerable Roger Ebert has a more precise sense of what's great about Black Dynamite: "I am happy to say it brings back an element sadly missing in recent movies, gratuitous nudity." Can you dig it!?

View the super fly website here, and be SURE to watch the trailer below.

BRIGHT STAR | January 26 | 8pm

2009-12-13T08:41:00.000-08:00

The second film of our winter series is the epic period piece "Bright Star," directed by Jane Campion. Campion, a somewhat reclusive director who hasn't helmed a film in six years, was the first woman to win the Palme D’Or at Cannes for "The Piano" in 1993. "Bright Star" is the story of the brief and tragic romance between the poet John Keats and his neighbor, Fanny Brawne. For all you Brit Lit fans out there, this is the pic for you! The critics have been passionate, too - the film has scored an 83% favorable rating at Rotten Tomatoes, and most critics have been thoroughly impressed with this period drama. Kenneth Turran of the LA Times says, "Bright Star satisfies a hunger we may not have known we had, a hunger for an exquisitely done, emotional love story that marries heartbreaking passion to formidable filmmaking restraint."

Visit the website here, and watch the trailer below. (Here's your hi-res trailer from Apple...)

MOON | January 19th | 8pm

2009-12-08T07:28:00.000-08:00

The first film of our Winter series is "Moon," directed by Duncan Jones (son of David Bowie for you trivia geeks) and staring Sam Rockwell. A critically acclaimed Sci-Fi Drama, this film scored an 89% favorable rating at Rotten Tomatoes with most major critics hailing its success. "Moon is a potent provocation that relies on ideas instead of computer tricks to stir up excitement," says Peter Travers of Rolling Stone. Rapidly become a cult hit, we're happy to get this film in pristine 35mm. Rockwell is even getting some early Oscar buzz with an online petition for a Best Actor nod.

Visit the (very cool) website here, and dig the trailer below. (For all you nerds out there, here's the link to hi-res copies of the trailer.)

An arthouse in Tuscaloosa?

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Is it possible? Could this town really support such a thing? We're going to try our damndest. Starting in January 2010, the Bama Art House will bring a diverse and unique lineup of foreign and independent film that you won't find anywhere else in the area - not at the Cobb, not in Birmingham, not in Mobile, not in Huntsville. We're hoping to transform our historic Bama Theatre into a film lovers' paradise for one night, every week. Become our friend on Facebook, subscribe to our RSS feed, and stay electronically tuned in. Each film will play ONLY ONCE, so you've got to make the Tuesday screenings! All the films we bring will be projected on 35mm, and the Bama's fully stocked bar will be at your beck and call should you need a beverage. With your support, we're going to turn the Bama into a veritable Film Forum. It can happen. Just you watch.