| Film | Evenings | Matinees | Runtime | Rating |
 |
7:15/9:15 | Sat.Sun. Mats. 2:15/4:15 | 94 |
PG-13 |
 |
7:05 (with discussion May 14, May 16)/9:30 | Sat.Sun.Mats. 2:05/4:30 | 99 |
PG-13 |
 |
7:10 Ends Thursday |
98 |
R |
|
 |
9:10 Ends Thursday |
99 |
PG-13 |
|
 |
7:20/9:20 | Sat.Sun. Mats. 2:20/4:20 | 87 |
PG-13 |
 |
7:00 | Sat. Sun. Mats. 2:00 | 107 |
PG-13 |
 |
9:35 | Sat.Sun. Mats. 4:35 | 83 |
R |
MONSIEUR LAZHAR
(94 PG-13)
Showtimes: 7:15/9:15 + Sat.Sun. Mats. 2:15/4:15
"At the start of a bright, sunny day that seems otherwise like any other day, a popular teacher is found dead in her classroom. It was suicide. The school is traumatized, especially that teacher's students. By the next day, the principal is at her wits' end trying to find someone willing to take the class. So when Bachir Lazhar (Mohamed Fellag) offers to teach, it comes at just the right moment.
As Lazhar tells his Montreal middle school class, his name means "bearer of good news." Lazhar is a 50-something Algerian immigrant with a neatly trimmed goatee, 19 years of teaching experience, and some tragedies of his own that he doesn't want to talk about. Lazhar also comes with some rather old-fashioned ideas about the classroom — he wants all the desks in straight rows, for instance, which inspires much pushing and scraping. His status as a dinosaur is cemented when he uses a passage from Balzac to test the writing ability of his 11-year-olds. When the vocabulary is a bit beyond them, he has to do some explaining. 'A chrysalis,' he tells them, 'is that stage between caterpillar and butterfly, when the insect is in a fragile cocoon, preparing to spread its wings and fly ... like you.' Their new teacher has gotten it exactly right — the school is a protective cocoon. Or at least it should be. The kids have faced so public and immediate a tragedy that someone needs to get the kids back to spreading their wings, and Lazhar is the man to do it. How he does it and what it costs him is the heart of Philippe Falardeau's enormously engaging movie, which centers on the difference between Lazhar's approach to grieving (born of his own suffering in Algeria), and that of the school, where everyone avoids talking about what happened, and teachers aren't allowed to make physical contact with students who seem desperate for a hug.
Fellag, a comedian and himself an exile from Algeria, makes Lazhar both a sensitive and an amusing figure. And the kids are just terrific, especially Emilien Neron as a boy who carries the guilt of the whole school on his shoulders. It's easy to imagine MONSIEUR LAZHAR becoming pat and sentimental in the wrong hands — full of teaching moments about immigration and grief and building bridges. But thankfully, the filmmakers are clear-eyed, and so is their lovely, provocative movie." (Bob Mondello, NPR)
Showtimes: 7:15/9:15 + Sat.Sun. Mats. 2:15/4:15
"At the start of a bright, sunny day that seems otherwise like any other day, a popular teacher is found dead in her classroom. It was suicide. The school is traumatized, especially that teacher's students. By the next day, the principal is at her wits' end trying to find someone willing to take the class. So when Bachir Lazhar (Mohamed Fellag) offers to teach, it comes at just the right moment.
As Lazhar tells his Montreal middle school class, his name means "bearer of good news." Lazhar is a 50-something Algerian immigrant with a neatly trimmed goatee, 19 years of teaching experience, and some tragedies of his own that he doesn't want to talk about. Lazhar also comes with some rather old-fashioned ideas about the classroom — he wants all the desks in straight rows, for instance, which inspires much pushing and scraping. His status as a dinosaur is cemented when he uses a passage from Balzac to test the writing ability of his 11-year-olds. When the vocabulary is a bit beyond them, he has to do some explaining. 'A chrysalis,' he tells them, 'is that stage between caterpillar and butterfly, when the insect is in a fragile cocoon, preparing to spread its wings and fly ... like you.' Their new teacher has gotten it exactly right — the school is a protective cocoon. Or at least it should be. The kids have faced so public and immediate a tragedy that someone needs to get the kids back to spreading their wings, and Lazhar is the man to do it. How he does it and what it costs him is the heart of Philippe Falardeau's enormously engaging movie, which centers on the difference between Lazhar's approach to grieving (born of his own suffering in Algeria), and that of the school, where everyone avoids talking about what happened, and teachers aren't allowed to make physical contact with students who seem desperate for a hug.
Fellag, a comedian and himself an exile from Algeria, makes Lazhar both a sensitive and an amusing figure. And the kids are just terrific, especially Emilien Neron as a boy who carries the guilt of the whole school on his shoulders. It's easy to imagine MONSIEUR LAZHAR becoming pat and sentimental in the wrong hands — full of teaching moments about immigration and grief and building bridges. But thankfully, the filmmakers are clear-eyed, and so is their lovely, provocative movie." (Bob Mondello, NPR)
BULLY
(99 PG-13)
Showtimes: 7:05 (with discussion May 14, May 16)/9:30 + Sat.Sun.Mats. 2:05/4:30
"The best social documents on film do more than show you what's wrong in the world – they make it personal. BULLY does that with a passion. Lee Hirsch's film is a potent and provocative look at a problem that's out of control, what with 13 million American kids a year being bullied, and some of them even taking their own lives. Hirsch goes beyond statistics to focus on a handful of bullied students at public schools in Texas, Georgia, Oklahoma, Iowa and Mississippi. Alex, 12, is punched and ridiculed without remorse, while school administrators tell his parents that 'boys will be boys.' Kelby, 16, is an athlete who comes out as gay, only to face being ostracized and run down by a car. Ja'Meya, 14, is so traumatized that she takes a gun onto her school bus to scare off bullies and faces 22 felony charges. The families of two suicides – one boy was 17, the other 11 – try to organize on a national level, pressing students and school officials to pull the issue out of dark corners and take a stand for the silent. As one parent says to a school official who tries to brush the topic away: 'You politicianed me.' BULLY isn't politics. It's a heartfelt cry for help."(Peter Travers, Rolling Stone)
Showtimes: 7:05 (with discussion May 14, May 16)/9:30 + Sat.Sun.Mats. 2:05/4:30
"The best social documents on film do more than show you what's wrong in the world – they make it personal. BULLY does that with a passion. Lee Hirsch's film is a potent and provocative look at a problem that's out of control, what with 13 million American kids a year being bullied, and some of them even taking their own lives. Hirsch goes beyond statistics to focus on a handful of bullied students at public schools in Texas, Georgia, Oklahoma, Iowa and Mississippi. Alex, 12, is punched and ridiculed without remorse, while school administrators tell his parents that 'boys will be boys.' Kelby, 16, is an athlete who comes out as gay, only to face being ostracized and run down by a car. Ja'Meya, 14, is so traumatized that she takes a gun onto her school bus to scare off bullies and faces 22 felony charges. The families of two suicides – one boy was 17, the other 11 – try to organize on a national level, pressing students and school officials to pull the issue out of dark corners and take a stand for the silent. As one parent says to a school official who tries to brush the topic away: 'You politicianed me.' BULLY isn't politics. It's a heartfelt cry for help."(Peter Travers, Rolling Stone)
DAMSELS IN DISTRESS
(99 PG-13)
Showtimes: 9:10 Ends Thursday
"Things are looking up: Whit Stillman has made another movie, his first since 1998's The Last Days of Disco completed the urbane, preppy trilogy begun with Metropolitan and Barcelona. So welcome Damsels in Distress, an exhilarating gift of a comedy about college, the female intellect, the limitless male ego, inventing a new dance, and suicide prevention.
Greta Gerwig, the darling, leads the all-aces cast as Violet, a sophomore who yearns to make Seven Oaks U. a more congenial place for her and cohorts Rose (Megalyn Echikunwoke), Heather (Carrie MacLemore) and Lily (Analeigh Tipton). Affronted by dorms that reek of soggy sweat socks, the girls seek to honor the best in a liberal-arts education and perfumed soap. Their good works extend to helping depressed students. Violet herself fights the old ennui after being dumped by Frank (Ryan Metcalf), a frat boy whose dimness is rivaled only by his roommate Thor's (a wondrous Billy Magnussen). No wonder she takes up with Charlie (a stellar Adam Brody), who longs for days of gay sublimation and aspiring to something higher than "muscle-bound morons running around in T-shirts."
At the end, the characters whirl around to the Sambola, Violet's dance, and hide their secret hearts. This is the world as Stillman sees it, and to luxuriate for two hours in that retro bubble of sparkling wit is a pleasure not to be missed." (Peter Travers, Rolling Stone)
Showtimes: 9:10 Ends Thursday
"Things are looking up: Whit Stillman has made another movie, his first since 1998's The Last Days of Disco completed the urbane, preppy trilogy begun with Metropolitan and Barcelona. So welcome Damsels in Distress, an exhilarating gift of a comedy about college, the female intellect, the limitless male ego, inventing a new dance, and suicide prevention.
Greta Gerwig, the darling, leads the all-aces cast as Violet, a sophomore who yearns to make Seven Oaks U. a more congenial place for her and cohorts Rose (Megalyn Echikunwoke), Heather (Carrie MacLemore) and Lily (Analeigh Tipton). Affronted by dorms that reek of soggy sweat socks, the girls seek to honor the best in a liberal-arts education and perfumed soap. Their good works extend to helping depressed students. Violet herself fights the old ennui after being dumped by Frank (Ryan Metcalf), a frat boy whose dimness is rivaled only by his roommate Thor's (a wondrous Billy Magnussen). No wonder she takes up with Charlie (a stellar Adam Brody), who longs for days of gay sublimation and aspiring to something higher than "muscle-bound morons running around in T-shirts."
At the end, the characters whirl around to the Sambola, Violet's dance, and hide their secret hearts. This is the world as Stillman sees it, and to luxuriate for two hours in that retro bubble of sparkling wit is a pleasure not to be missed." (Peter Travers, Rolling Stone)
KID WITH A BIKE, THE
(87 PG-13)
Showtimes: 7:20/9:20 + Sat.Sun. Mats. 2:20/4:20
"Add young Thomas Doret to the short list of nonprofessional kid actors who, aided by gifted directors, deliver truly astounding performances. It's impossible to tear one's eyes away from Doret in this typically naturalistic, unsentimental drama from the superb Belgian filmmakers Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne (Rosetta, The Son) about a sad, furious 11-year-old boy, abandoned by his father and taken in by a hairdresser (Cécile de France), to her own surprise. No one charts the wilds of childhood more precisely than the Dardennes." (Lisa Schwarzbaum, EW)
THE KID WITH A BIKE, the newest film by the Dardennes brothers, winner of the Grand Jury Prize at Cannes last year, has gotten almost universal critical acclaim: an 87% rating on metacritic.com and 96% on Rotten Tomatoes
Showtimes: 7:20/9:20 + Sat.Sun. Mats. 2:20/4:20
"Add young Thomas Doret to the short list of nonprofessional kid actors who, aided by gifted directors, deliver truly astounding performances. It's impossible to tear one's eyes away from Doret in this typically naturalistic, unsentimental drama from the superb Belgian filmmakers Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne (Rosetta, The Son) about a sad, furious 11-year-old boy, abandoned by his father and taken in by a hairdresser (Cécile de France), to her own surprise. No one charts the wilds of childhood more precisely than the Dardennes." (Lisa Schwarzbaum, EW)
THE KID WITH A BIKE, the newest film by the Dardennes brothers, winner of the Grand Jury Prize at Cannes last year, has gotten almost universal critical acclaim: an 87% rating on metacritic.com and 96% on Rotten Tomatoes
SALMON FISHING IN THE YEMEN
(107 PG-13)
Showtimes: 7:00 + Sat. Sun. Mats. 2:00
A visionary sheik believes his passion for the peaceful pastime of salmon fishing can enrich the lives of his people, and he dreams of bringing the sport to the not so fish-friendly desert. Willing to spare no expense, he instructs his representative to turn the dream into reality, an extraordinary feat that will require the involvement of Britain’s leading fisheries expert who happens to think the project both absurd and unachievable. That is, until the Prime Minister’s overzealous press secretary latches on to it as a ‘good will’ story. Now, this unlikely team will put it all on the line and embark on an upstream journey of faith and fish to prove the impossible, possible.
STARRING EWAN MCGREGOR, EMILY BLUNT, KRISTIN SCOTT-THOMAS, AMR WAKED
Showtimes: 7:00 + Sat. Sun. Mats. 2:00
A visionary sheik believes his passion for the peaceful pastime of salmon fishing can enrich the lives of his people, and he dreams of bringing the sport to the not so fish-friendly desert. Willing to spare no expense, he instructs his representative to turn the dream into reality, an extraordinary feat that will require the involvement of Britain’s leading fisheries expert who happens to think the project both absurd and unachievable. That is, until the Prime Minister’s overzealous press secretary latches on to it as a ‘good will’ story. Now, this unlikely team will put it all on the line and embark on an upstream journey of faith and fish to prove the impossible, possible.
STARRING EWAN MCGREGOR, EMILY BLUNT, KRISTIN SCOTT-THOMAS, AMR WAKED
JEFF WHO LIVES AT HOME
(83 R)
Showtimes: 9:35 + Sat.Sun. Mats. 4:35
On his way to the store to buy wood glue, Jeff looks for signs from the universe to determine his path. However, a series of comedic and unexpected events leads him to cross paths with his family in the strangest of locations and circumstances. Jeff just may find the meaning of his life...and if he's lucky, pick up the wood glue as well.
"Jeff" takes place over the course of a few hours that become crucial in the lives of four people. Jeff is unemployed and depressed, but good-natured and in search of something meaningful in life. His older brother, Pat (Ed Helms), is his opposite. He is angry and emotionally unaware, and his marriage - to Linda (Judy Greer) - is near collapse. Meanwhile, Jeff and Pat's mother (Susan Sarandon) is in a kind of late-middle-age malaise, feeling as if her life is almost over and nothing much has happened. Now, notice this, because it's a big deal: Every character in the movie is suffering from an interior problem, not a problem in the external world that can be taken on and solved through action. That means that their problems are hard to depict. Give these four characters to any other filmmaker, and you would get back an earnest but very boring movie.
But the Duplass brothers find ways to activate these characters. They find ways - believable ways - to throw them into active situations. Through these situations, the characters don't directly confront their problems, yet it's through a series of actions that changes come. It's a brilliant sleight of hand: Nothing important seems to be happening, and yet stuff keeps happening, and the movie is always pushing forward. "Jeff, Who Lives at Home" contains more in 83 minutes than most 2 1/2-hour movies." (Mick LaSalle, SF Chronicle)
Showtimes: 9:35 + Sat.Sun. Mats. 4:35
On his way to the store to buy wood glue, Jeff looks for signs from the universe to determine his path. However, a series of comedic and unexpected events leads him to cross paths with his family in the strangest of locations and circumstances. Jeff just may find the meaning of his life...and if he's lucky, pick up the wood glue as well.
"Jeff" takes place over the course of a few hours that become crucial in the lives of four people. Jeff is unemployed and depressed, but good-natured and in search of something meaningful in life. His older brother, Pat (Ed Helms), is his opposite. He is angry and emotionally unaware, and his marriage - to Linda (Judy Greer) - is near collapse. Meanwhile, Jeff and Pat's mother (Susan Sarandon) is in a kind of late-middle-age malaise, feeling as if her life is almost over and nothing much has happened. Now, notice this, because it's a big deal: Every character in the movie is suffering from an interior problem, not a problem in the external world that can be taken on and solved through action. That means that their problems are hard to depict. Give these four characters to any other filmmaker, and you would get back an earnest but very boring movie.
But the Duplass brothers find ways to activate these characters. They find ways - believable ways - to throw them into active situations. Through these situations, the characters don't directly confront their problems, yet it's through a series of actions that changes come. It's a brilliant sleight of hand: Nothing important seems to be happening, and yet stuff keeps happening, and the movie is always pushing forward. "Jeff, Who Lives at Home" contains more in 83 minutes than most 2 1/2-hour movies." (Mick LaSalle, SF Chronicle)
