Twin Cities Film 4/9 - 4/15

Hitchcock at the Trylon and the Riverview
Take-Up's "Alfred Hitchcock: Across the Decades" continues this week with The Lady Vanishes Friday and Saturday at the Trylon and Notorious Monday at the Riverview. The Lady Vanishes (1938) is an early Hitchcock film that is one-thirds mystery and two-thirds witty, peculiar charm. Notorious (1946) is a totally different Hitchcock creature: stylish and refined with an edge of elegance that can only be brought to a film by the likes of Cary Grant and Ingrid Bergman. It's a lavish film experience.

Buy your tickets in advance, especially for The Lady Vanishes at the Trylon. (Three of the five shows last weekend sold out!) The Lady Vanishes screens five times at the Trylon: Friday 7 & 9pm, Saturday 5, 7 &9pm. Notorious screens Monday 7:30pm at the Riverview. I'll be projecting Saturday night at the Trylon, so stop by and say hi. (Click poster below for more information or tickets.)

Jewish Film Festival
The ambitious Jewish Film Festival kicked off last night and continues through March 18. With a rich selection of dramas and documentaries, you really can't go wrong. With the exception of the opening night, all films will be screened at the Sabes JCC. (Click below for more info and a full list of films.)

Views from Iran at the Walker
The Walker's "Views from Iran" starts today and runs over the next few weekends with some exciting screenings and events. In addition to the seven films included in the series, the Walker will host two visiting filmmakers, Shirin Neshat and Rakhshan Bani-Etemad, who will present their new films. In light the recent arrest of award winning filmmaker Jafar Panahi in his home country of Iran, the series offers a unique opportunity to understand the issues and constraints that many Iranian artists face. The premiere of Asghar Farhadi's About Elly plays tonight, Friday, at 7:30pm and there is a lecture with journalist Laura Secor Tuesday at 7pm.

Opening This Week in the Twin Cities

Three films open at the various Landmark Theaters this week and hoping to catch all three before hell breaks loose with the MSPIFF. The Most Dangerous Man in America and Vincere, both at the Lagoon, are first in line. The Most Dangerous Man in America is the story of Daniel Ellsberg, a high-level Pentagon official and Vietnam War strategist, who attempted to expose the lies told by the government about the Vietnam War. The trailer looks amazing and I expect there will be some relevance, even if it is indirect, regarding the lies of the previous administration on the Iraq War. The Most Dangerous Man was nominated for an Academy Award but lost out to The Cove. The Greatest opens at the Edina. (Click below for more info.)

Opening in wide release this week is an odd mix of films: Date Night with Steve Carell and Tina Fey, some obscure (and most likely awful) horror film called The Black Waters of Echo's Pond, and the let's-hope-it's-not-as-heavy-handed-as-the-title-but-I-bet-it is Letters to God. Although I probably won't get around to seeing Date Night, if that film isn't a slam dunk, I don't know what is. Titans, you are going down! (Click below for official websites.)

Also worth noting, MFA brings A Town Called Panic back at St Anthony Main. I heard nothing but good things about this strange French animation film but was unable to make it during its one-week run at the Lagoon. Now everyone has a second chance!

And last, but not least, I would be remiss if I didn't mention that the Minneapolis St Paul International Film Festival is just one week away. The online schedule is up and running and individual tickets are for sale online and at St Anthony Main Theater. Passes and programs should be available this weekend. I'm excited and can't wait to OD on films for two weeks. Will Getafilm and I resurrect the Film Goats? Either way, I'll see you there.