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Movies & Film Events: week of: July 29

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Films This Week
Check out the movies playing around town.
With reviews and trailers.

 


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NEW THIS WEEK

event_BlueOcean1aBLUE Ocean Film Festival - Free poster & complimentary popcorn
The National Marine Sanctuary Foundation and the City of Santa Cruz’s Economic Development & Redevelopment Agency will host an evening of ocean films to preview the BLUE Ocean Film Festival coming to Monterey in August. The event at Del Mar Theatre will be a fundraiser to contribute to educational exhibits at the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary Exploration Center, opening in 2012 in Santa Cruz (Pacific Avenue and Beach Street) Tickets are $20. Filmgoers will receive a free poster and complimentary popcorn. The evening of film will include presentations on the Sanctuary Exploration Center by officials from the City of Santa Cruz, Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary and National Marine Sanctuary Foundation.  Films include The Cost of Oil and Wild Ocean.
Info: Thurs. August, 5 at 7:15pm Del Mar Theatre 1124 Pacific Avenue, Santa Cruz. .  Tickets at door or online thenick.com
August 24-29: Monterey Bay: BLUE Ocean Film Festival venues around Monterey Peninsula blueoceanfilmfestival.org

 

agora_ver3AGORA Reviewed this issue. (Not rated) 127 minutes. (★★1/2) Starts Friday.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CatsanddogstherevengeofkittyCATS AND DOGS: THE REVENGE OF KITTY GALORE In this family comedy featuring high-tech puppet animas with CGI-animated talking mouths, a feline secret agent hatches a plan to rule the world, launching an uneasy alliance between cats and dogs to save themselves and their beloved owners. Christina Applegate, Michael Clarke Duncan, Neil Patrick Harris, Sean Hayes, James Marsden, Bette Midler and Nick Nolte contribute voices. Brad Peyton directs. (PG) Starts Friday. Watch film trailer >>>

 

 

 

 

 

 

charliestcloudCHARLIE ST. CLOUD Zac Efron stars in this bittersweet tale as a young man so shaken up when he loses his kid brother in an accident that he retreats into a fantasy world, where the brothers can still spend their days together. Kim Basinger plays his worried mom; Amanda Crews is the girl who might snap him out of it. Based on the novel by Ben Sherwood. Burr Steers (Igby Goes Down) directs. (PG-13) Starts Friday.

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dinnerforschmucks_DINNER FOR SCHMUCKS To get a rung up on the corporate ladder, young business exec Paul Rudd invites nerdball Steve Carell to his boss' annual dinner party for the terminally weird in this comedy from Jay Roach (Meet The Parents; Meet the Fockers). (PG-13) Starts Friday.

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WILD GRASS Undaunted at 87, veteran French filmmaker Alain Resnais (Hiroshima Mon Amour; Last Year at Marienbad; Stavisky) directs this offbeat romance about a sixty-something father in search of connection and a middle-aged dentist and amateur pilot who meet over a lost wallet. André Dussolier, Sabine Azéma, and Mathieu Amalric (The Diving Bell and the Butterfly) star. (PG) 104 minutes. In French with English subtitles. Starts Friday.  Watch film trailer >>>


 


Film Events

CONTINUING SERIES: MIDNIGHTS @ THE DEL MAR On hiatus until September 17, 2010.

CONTINUING SERIES: WEEKEND  MATINEE CLASSICS AT APTOS CINEMA If you've only ever seen them on TV, don't miss this series of classic movie matinees unspooling each weekend at Aptos Cinema. This week: GONE WITH THE WIND Clark Gable, Vivien Leigh, Leslie Howard, and Olivia DeHavilland star in Victor Fleming's four-hour, 1939 epic adaptation Margaret Mitchell's  Civil War novel. This David O. Selznick production is synonomous with Hollywood's Golden Age. (G) 248 minutes (with intermission). (★★★★) —Lisa Jensen. (Fri-Sat-Sun matinee only, 10:30 a.m. Admission $6. At Aptos Cinema.

CONTINUING SERIES: FLASHBACK FEATURES Oldies and goodies on Thursday nights at the Cinema 9. $5 gets you in. This week: O, BROTHER, WHERE ART THOU? Break out the Dapper Dan's pomade; George Clooney stars as a wily 1930's Depression-era convict who breaks out of the chain gang with hapless fellow inmates John Turturro and Tim Blake Nelson for an odyssey across the Deep South to reunite with his not-so-patient wife and son. Joel and Ethan Coen retell Homer's Odyssey with plenty of laughs, swing and bluegrass mountain music in this eccentric 2000 comedy, their funniest film since Fargo. (★★★1/2) (PG-13) 106 minutes.Tonight (Thursday) only, 8 p.m., at the Cinema 9.

CONTINUING EVENT: LET'S TALK ABOUT THE MOVIES This informal movie discussion group meets at the Del Mar mezzanine in downtown Santa Cruz. Movie junkies are invited to join in on Wednesday nights to discuss current flicks with a rotating series of guest moderators. Discussion begins at 7 pm and admission is free. For more information visit www.ltatm.org.

 


Now Playing

COCO AND IGOR A possibile affair between Coco Chanel and Igor Stravinsky, ca, 1920, inspires this hothouse rhapsody from director Jan Kounen. The era of astonishing artistic, political and cultural ferment is irresistible, the personalities are fascinating, and the project is redolent with possibilities, but few are realized in this static and disappointing film. Despite a marvelous recreation of the 1913 Paris premiere of "The Rite of Spring," the film devolves into a claustrophobic, rather morose romance in a highly decorative setting. Anna Mouglalis and Mads Mikkelsen star. (R) 120 minutes. (★★) Lisa Jensen

DESPICABLE ME It’s about the de-grinching of a  befuddled criminal who uses an army of minions to thwart justice. Steve Carell voices the main character; Russell Brand, Will Arnett, Kristen Wiig, Julie Andrews, and Jermaine Clement are also on board. (PG) 95 minutes. (★★★1/2) Greg Archer

JOAN RIVERS: A PIECE OF WORK The face behind the make-up remains a mystery, but a great deal of the complicated woman beneath the icon is revealed in this cinema verité doc from co-filmmakers Ricki Stern and Annie Sundberg, which records an eventful year in the life of the comedy legend. As in Rivers' scathing, unprintable onstage routines, no holds are barred in discussing her life, herself, and the voracious, demanding entity she calls "the career." (R) 84 minutes. (★★★)
Lisa Jensen

THE GIRL WHO PLAYED WITH FIRE Good news for fans of The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo: the two protagonists from that film (played by the same actors, the excellent Mikael Nyqvist and the incendiary Noomi Rapace) return in this sequel, the second Swedish film made from the Stieg Larsson trilogy. Incoming director Daniel Alfredson crafts a fleet, taut thriller from this "second act" book. (R) 129 minutes. In Swedish with English subtitles. (★★★1/2) Lisa Jensen

GROWN-UPS Adam Sandler, Kevin James, Chris Rock, David Spade, and Rob Schneider star in this comedy about five former high school buddies  reunitie. (PG-13) 102 minutes.

I AM LOVE In her long, illustrious career in independent film, Tilda Swinton's roles have ranged from the sublime (Orlando) to the ridiculous (Female Perversions). There are elements of both in this Luca Guadagnino film, a langorous Italian family drama Swinton also co-produced; gorgeous location shooting in Milan and the San Remo countryside, and rapturous depictions of food, border on sublimity, but the overheated melodrama of the storytelling finally skews the film in the other direction. (R) 120 minutes. In Italian with English subtitles. (★★1/2) Lisa Jensen

INCEPTION One of the best pictures of the year. Sublime, hypnotic and downright thought-provoking. Most of all, director Christopher Nolan (Memento; The Dark Knight). creates an intelligent sci-fi thriller that–imagine this—doesn’t play down to its audience. Leonardo DiCaprio headlines the outing,playing a master thief who steals corporate ideas from the dreams of his victims. (Somebody give this man an Oscar soon.) DiCaprio’s beleagured Dom is hired by a corporate giant to commit the perfect crime—implanting an idea into the dream of an heir of a business foe.. The movie takes its time to set up the ultimate heist and then the fun begins. Nolan reportedly spent a decade writing this spectacle and, clearly, time has been his champion. The last hour of the movie is a wild, intoxicating ride that, aside from all the superior special effects, challenges its audiences to ponder the idea of reality, the significance of dreams and the potency of the subconscious mind. Delicious brain candy. Take time to chew on it long after you leave the theater. Take note: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Marion Cotillard, Ellen Page, Cillian Murphy, and Tom Berenger deliver powerful turns here. Michael Caine co-stars. (PG-13) 150 minutes. (★★★★) Greg Archer

THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT Nic and Jules are a devoted, long-married couple raising their two kids in the suburbs of Los Angeles. Their family has its quirks, but the kids respect their parents, each other, and themselves. That this movie is NOT about the fact that Nic and Jules are a lesbian couple is just one of the things that make Lisa Cholodenko's family comedy so fresh, fun, and appealing. A sublimely subtle Annette Bening and warm, disarming Julianne Moore star. Mark Ruffalo is great as the anonymous sperm donor "dad" who disrupts their family life. These kids may have two moms, but this perceptive tale of family dynamics should resonate with anyone who's ever been a parent, a spouse, or a child. (R) 106 minutes. (★★★1/2) Lisa Jensen

THE KILLER INSIDE ME The disturbing, small-town noir novel by Jim Thompson, exploring the ruined American postwar psyche, gets a faithful adaptation to the screen via eccentric veteran filmmaker Michael Winterbottom. Casey Affleck is the narrator/protagonist, a sociopathic Deputy Sheriff who sees himself on a righteous crusade against moral turpitude. Jessica Alba (as an imperiled prostitute) and Kate Hudson (as Affleck's uneasy girlfriend), and Ned Beatty co-star. (R) 109 minutes.

KNIGHT AND DAY Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz are back together in a  romantic action comedy that’s—brace yourself—not that bad. The fun is spawned by the outlandish premise—an ordinary woman (Diaz) gets caught up in an improbable chase scenario with a rogue agent (Cruise). Peter Sarsgaard and Viola Davis—both of whom are worthy of better roles—co-star for director James Mangold. (PG-13) 110 minutes. In theaters today. (★★1/2) Greg Archer

THE LAST AIRBENDER The popular kids' animated TV fantasy series gets a 3-D, live-action remix from M. Night Shyamalan.

ONDINE Colin Farrell is soulful, funny, and romantic as a hard-luck fisherman trying to put his life back together. (PG-13) 111 minutes. (★★★★) Lisa Jensen

PREDATORS A remix of the '80s sci-fi franchise. Adrien Brody, Topher Grace, Danny Trejo, Alice Braga, and Laurence Fishburne star for director Nimród Antal. (R) 107 minutes.
THE SORCERER'S APPRENTICE  Nicolas Cage stars in this fantasy adventure as a modern-day sorcerer in New York City. Trying to save the city. Jay Baruchel, from She's Out Of My League, costars. (PG)

THE TWILIGHT SAGA: ECLIPSE It's war between the good vampires of the Cullen clan and an invading force of evil bloodsuckers in this third installment of the overheated romantic tween franchise. (PG-13) 124 minutes.

TOY STORY 3-D The passage of time is the subtext in this typically whimsical, hilarious, and poignant adventure that celebrates the magical world of a child's imagination, and ponders the inevitability of growing up and letting go. Veteran Pixar director Lee Unkrich maintains the delicate balance between action, comedy, and heart. (G) 103 minutes. (★★★★) Lisa Jensen

WINTER'S BONE This nerve-rattling exercise in dread and redemption knocked the bejeebers out of everyone at this year's Sundance festival. Directed with grit and assurance by Debra Granik, it's a Southern Gothic noir thriller: taut, scary, more than a little creepy, and strangely poignant. Jennifer Lawrence is terrific as a 17-year-old Ozark mountain girl struggling to keep the remnants of her family together against a rising tide of chaos in this tough-minded morality play with plenty of twists and turns. (R) 100 minutes. (★★★1/2)

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Heart Surgery For UC

Regents spare classes—for now—and drain staff healthcare surpluses instead Gov. Jerry Brown announced a $100 million mid-year cut to the 10-campus University of California system in December, just as UC Santa Cruz staff and students left for winter break. UCSC's share of the cut is $6.5 million, but no classes will be affected through the end of the current school year.

 

Hometown Glory

Chris Rene welcomed back to Santa Cruz with open arms at ‘Love Life’ event On Sunday, Jan. 29, 2012—a day that Mayor Don Lane announced would officially be referred to as Chris Rene Day in Santa Cruz—the local hero took the stage of the sold-out Civic Auditorium to celebrate his homecoming and give something back to the drug and alcohol rehabilitation center that made his recent success possible. The rapper/songwriter and Santa Cruz native is coming off a year that saw him finish in the top three on the first season of FOX’s The X Factor, and enthusiasm for his return was evident in the line of fans that stretched around the block of the auditorium, hours before its doors opened. Many fans carried signs and wore homemade T-shirts featuring words of solidarity for the artist, including his catch phrase, “Love Life.”

 

Meter Moratorium Continues

Board of Supervisors votes to continue opposition of SmartMeter installations Late last year, the already loud local outcry over SmartMeters rang out even louder, as some residents took matters into their own hands and removed meters from their homes. The action led to Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) shutting off several of these residents’ power. Following a flood of public concern at its Dec. 13 meeting, the County Board of Supervisors directed the county’s public health officer, Poki Stewart Namkung, to return on Jan. 24 with an analysis of one month’s research on the health effects of the wireless meters.

 

Pushing the Envelope

‘What Is Erotic?’ makes its seventh run at The 418 ll through history, artists have been pushing us to examine our views of what is and isn’t erotic, with subjects ranging from the relatively tame (Francisco Goya’s “La Maja Desnuda”) to the extremely challenging (Mapplethorpe’s photography, Rod Stewart’s “Da Ya Think I’m Sexy?”). Santa Cruz keeps this tradition alive via “What Is Erotic?”a festive and daring fundraiser for The 418 Project. Themed “In the Boudoir,” this year’s event—the seventh overall—hits The 418 on the weekends before and after Valentine’s Day. The fun, bawdy character of “What Is Erotic?” will be evident right from the Pre-Show Erotic Salon: Staying in character, the actors will playfully interact with audience members. Moondance O’Brien, one of this year’s performers, reveals that the show’s cast and crew refers to the members of this “welcoming committee” as “fluffers.” “Some people might be feather ticklers; some people might be reciting poetry; some people might be offering spankings,” she explains. Other performers will hand-feed chocolate-dipped strawberries to audience members. All such interaction is consent-oriented, but O’Brien ventures that “the majority of people who come to this show have a sense of what they’re going to experience. They’re pretty eager.”

 

Katie Ekin

It’s hard to believe that 20-year-old folk pop singer-songwriter Katie Ekin’s years in the music industry can be counted on a single hand. She picked up acoustic guitar five years ago, played her first show three years ago, and debuted her seven-track, self-titled EP in December 2010. Inspired by music of the ’50s and ’60s, Ekin—whose vocal range is naturally as melodious as a songbird (see track three, “Cuckoo”)—has a keen understanding of love, astutely arranged in the lyrics of her songs. “I love oldies … the fun, pop-feeling, sock hop,” confesses Ekin. Aside from Carole King and Lesley Gore, singer of “It’s My Party,” her influences include Elvis Presley, Ricky Nelson, The Beatles and The Beach Boys, whose music was regularly played by her father throughout her childhood. “My dad is just such a fun person, and every time I’d see him perform when I was little, he had the best stage presence,” remembers Ekin. “I gain confidence from being on stage and I relate that back to my dad.” It is onstage that Ekin feels most comfortable expressing herself. “My main thing has always been love,” she says. “In high school, I wouldn’t really tell people how I felt—I put it in a song.” Her vulnerability is especially evident in “Underneath the Christmas Tree,” a song in which she asks her crush, “Won’t you be my present, baby?” The feel-good track is so irresistible, with Ekin’s sweet and sultry voice, that Zooey Deschanel herself would be proud to own the copyrights. Head to The Abbey two days before Valentine’s Day to hear Ekin belt out several original love songs, while accompanying herself on ukulele and guitar. Given the holiday, Ekin is planning an upbeat set that is, in her own words, “not so heartbreaking—I’ll try to keep it on a happy theme.”  INFO: 8:30 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 12. The Abbey, 350 Mission St., Santa Cruz. No cover. 429-1058.

 

Metamorphosis

Bill Veltrop—social visionary, leading architect of organizational design and the revered local who believes the next big thing isn’t a ‘thing’ Every morning Bill Veltrop rises at 4 a.m. and enters into a meditation and conversation with the Universe. By mid-morning, he’s either working on a project or holding a workshop. It’s 10 a.m. now, but before Veltrop proceeds with our interview he clangs together two golden meditation chimes and the three people in the room with him breathe in unison. Slowly the resonance fades to silence. The group is invited to recap their thoughts, hopes and stresses in a ritual Veltrop calls “stringing the beads.”

 

Inside Occupy Santa Cruz

Public nuisance or radical experiment in direct democracy? The mood at Occupy Santa Cruz (OSC) General Assembly meetings was angry and defiant early last month, especially after protesters heard eyewitness accounts of the violence in Oakland and Berkeley. But the atmosphere became noticeably calmer and less defensive after the City of Santa Cruz’s injunction to shut down OSC was appealed to federal court on Nov. 15. The decision by U.S. District Judge Howard R. Lloyd whether or not to hear the case, and the arguments relating to federal jurisdiction, principally the First Amendment, is scheduled for Jan. 3, 2012 in San Jose. The appeal delayed a State Superior Court hearing scheduled for Nov. 16 in the Santa Cruz County Court House, which seem to cool down the militant rhetoric of preparing for an eminent, forcible eviction of the Occupiers of San Lorenzo Park. The appeal to federal court of what Santa Cruz City Attorney John Barisone described as a “routine public nuisance suit” has also gained the web-based attention of Occupy movements across the country. It is a big question, after all: Does the First Amendment’s protection of freedom of speech and freedom of assembly include OSC?   

 

Our World, Under Water?

New and improved Climate Action Plan gets community and city support, but still has some critics A bicycle-drawn rowboat glided down Pacific Avenue on Tuesday, Jan. 24, with a school of human jellyfish, anemones and a sea turtle dancing along behind. The aquatic parade, which snaked along the canals of Downtown Santa Cruz, was an “Underwater Tour” that depicted what the city may look like someday if the city does not take all possible actions to mitigate climate change and its impacts.  

 

There’s a Path From Me to You…

We begin the week on Thursday, with Venus joining Uranus in Aries. Venus represents money, resources and values. Uranus “creates the revolution” and needed new archetypes. And Aries initiates “all things new.” The energies are building for a showdown (breakdown) in March. The keynote at this time is preparation.

 

Miss Lonely Hearts

“I feel like modern country—it’s just a f*cking mess. No doubt,” says Wyatt Hesemeyer, lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist for Miss Lonely Hearts. “A lot of people that are trying to play ... ’50s country do it by making it as over the top as they can,” he adds, “they’re yodeling and wearing oversized cowboy hats, they try to make it cute, but it wasn’t supposed to be cute. It was supposed to heartfelt or interesting or funny.” Hesemeyer, whose warm, raw vocals intoxicate the listener like a glass of Bulleit Rye Whiskey—his favorite brand—has a characteristic bluntness that imbues his music with honesty instead of camp. Backed by a full band—Patrick O’Connor (drums), Keith Cary (lap steel), Mischa Gasch (upright bass), and Parker McDonald (lead guitar)—Miss Lonely Hearts cranks out pure country with a splash of  shufflin’ 1950s rock and roll. And according to Hesemeyer, their unadulterated sound has a big draw.
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    Lighted Boat Parade 2011

    Photo slideshow.  Judging cetegories: Sailing, Power, People Powered, Commercial/Sponsored Vessels, Best of Theme and Best Music. Enchanted Harbor at Santa Cruz Dec. 3, 2011 Sponsored by the Santa Cruz Harbor Yacht Club. . . . . . . ..

     

    Losing Baggage

    Pam Houston’s genre-breaking book takes readers on adventures far and deep within You could say it was prescient that Pam Houston began writing her latest book on an airplane. But then, the award-winning short-story writer and novelist often writes on airplanes—and when she started writing these vignettes she had no idea they’d morph into a novel. “I was invited to an evening called ‘Unveiled’ at the Wisconsin Book Festival in Madison, where a group of us was going to read new, untested work,” said Houston. “I took the assignment so literally that I wrote the first 12 chapters on the plane and in the hotel the night before. After I read, Richard Bausch said, ‘Write 100 of them, and that’s your next book.’”

     

    Hamadi Organics

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    Burgers Your Way

     

    Loma Prieta Winery

    Last week I wrote about a red blend for Valentine’s Day, but as the year’s most romantic day approaches and you’re still looking for something downright voluptuous, then Loma Prieta’s Petit Sirah fits the bill.

     

    Our Beloved Revolutionary Sweethearts

    Camper Van Beethoven returns to Santa Cruz for two intimate Crepe Place shows Long before the Simon Cowell era, the members of the alternative rock band Camper Van Beethoven were the Santa Cruz musicians who had “made it.” Adorning their lively, all-over-the-map sound with an endearing sense of wit, they wooed the populace with a charmingly nonsensical ditty called “Take the Skinheads Bowling” (after all, isn’t it the angriest people who need a little constructive fun?) and a cover of Status Quo’s “Pictures of Matchstick Men,” from their most commercially successful album, 1989’s Key Lime Pie. With CVB’s 30th anniversary coming up next year, the band is playing a short run of smaller gigs—including two shows at The Crepe Place on Saturday, Feb. 11—to get warmed up for the release of its forthcoming record. The group recently began mixing down this as-yet-untitled album, the first we’ve heard from CVB since 2004’s New Roman Times. According to guitarist Greg Lisher, the band tried out a new approach to writing this time: “Back in the day, [vocalist/guitarist] David [Lowery] would bring his songs to us at rehearsal, and we would write our respective parts. So it was always pretty democratic in that sense, but it was all based on what David was bringing to the table.” For the new album, the band simply got together and came up with ideas on the fly: “Someone would throw something out, someone else would respond and someone else would play off of that.”

     

    Karaoke in Santa Cruz

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    Behind the Break-up

    Authors Maira Kalman and Daniel Handler open up On a Bookshop Santa Cruz wall, notes are taped above a pile of books whose covers depict a luminous white coffee mug suspended against a red backdrop. “We broke up because I’m not a gorgeous Australian who lives in China. Accents, right?” reads one note. The words, “We broke up because...” are printed on pages of a notepad near the shop’s display, prompting book shop visitors to share their break up stories. The notes correspond directly with the title of the books piled below: “Why We Broke Up,” by Daniel Handler (a.k.a. popular children’s author Lemony Snicket).

     

    Soquel Vineyards

    Looking for a smooth and sexy number for Valentine’s Day? A hot little item that’s not going to empty your wallet? And I’m talking about wine here! We all need something sensuous for Valentine’s—and if you’re planning a home-cooked meal by candlelight, then you’re going to need an interesting wine to go with it. And here’s where Soquel Vineyards’ Trinity comes in.

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