It's a holiday weekend, and there are plenty of movie options for you to choose from! Hitting the theater with family or friends is nice after the Thanksgiving festivities. Sometimes catching a click is the perfect answer when you've had too much of family and friends! Either way, Russ Collins and David Fair cover your options for the extended weekend in WEMU's 'Cinema Chat.'
Post-Thanksgiving Warner Bros. Cartoon Movie Fun
Enjoy a laugh as Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig and all of the Looney Tunes gang take over the silver screen of the historic Michigan Theater. This selection of Warner Bros. cartoons offers the perfect pit stop during the start of the busy holiday shopping season. Looney Tunes shorts play Friday, November 27 at 11:30 AM.
Sing-A-Long White Christmas is back!
Celebrate the Michigan Theater tradition of Sing-A-Long “White Christmas” with on-screen lyrics, interactive props and more! Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye play war buddies turned entertainers who fall for a pair of sisters (Rosemary Clooney and Vera-Ellen). Sing-A-Long “White Christmas” plays Friday, November 27 at 7:30 PM. Join us for caroling with the Barton Organ from 7 – 7:30 PM!
“Elf” kicks off the Michigan Theater’s FREE holiday classics movie series. Director Jon Favreau and Will Ferrell team up in a silly story about a regular-sized man who was raised as an elf. When the news is finally broken to Buddy that he’s not a real elf, he decides to head back to his place of birth, New York City, in search of his biological family. Also starring Ed Asner, James Caan, Mary Steenburgen, ZooeyDeschanel, and Bob Newhart, “Elf” plays on Sunday, November 29 at 1:30 PM at the Michigan. Admission is free!
Now Playing Downtown
In “Trumbo,” screenwriter Dalton Trumbo (Bryan Cranston) had it all: wealth, fame, Oscar nominations. But he refused to name names for the House Un-American Activities Committee during the Cold War, and was jailed and blacklisted for his political beliefs. Dalton used words and wit to win two Academy Awards and expose the absurdity and injustice of the blacklist. Cast: Diane Lane, Elle Fanning, Helen Mirren, John Goodman, Louis C.K., and many more!
“Brooklyn” is the story of Eilis (Saoirse Ronan), a young Irish immigrant navigating her way through 1950s Brooklyn. Eilis arrives in New York City, and her homesickness quickly diminishes as romance sweeps her into the intoxicating charm of love. But soon, her new vivacity is disrupted by her past, and Eilis must choose between two countries and the lives that exist within. Through December, 3rd at the State Theatre.
In “Spotlight,” the Boston Globe’s tenacious reporters delve into allegations of abuse in the Catholic Church. Their year-long investigation uncovers a decades-long cover-up at the highest levels of Boston's establishment, causing a crisis in one of the world's oldest and most trusted institutions. “Spotlight” boasts a stellar cast, including Mark Ruffalo, Michael Keaton, Rachel McAdams, and Stanley Tucci. Through December, 3rd at the State Theatre.
Academy Award nominees Carey Mulligan and Helena Bonham Carter, and three-time Academy Award winner Meryl Streep, lead the cast of “Suffragette,” a powerful drama about the women who were willing to lose everything in their fight for equality in early-20th-century Britain. The story centers on Maud (Mulligan), a working wife and mother whose life is forever changed when she is secretly recruited to join the U.K.'s growing suffragette movement. Galvanized by the outlaw fugitive EmmelinePankhurst (Streep), Maud becomes an activist for the cause. When aggressive police action forces Maud and her fellow suffragettes underground, they engage in a dangerous game of cat-and-mouse with the authorities. Inspired by true events, “Suffragette” is a moving drama exploring the passion and heartbreak of those who risked all they had for women's right to vote - their jobs, their homes, their children, and even their lives. “Suffragette” opens Friday at the Michigan.
“Room” tells the extraordinary story of Jack (Jacob Tremblay), a spirited 5-year-old who is looked after by his loving and devoted mother (Brie Larson). Their life, however, is anything but typical: they are trapped, confined to a windowless, 10-by-10-foot space that Ma has euphemistically named Room. Ma has created a whole universe for Jack within Room - but as Jack's curiosity about their situation grows, and Ma's resilience reaches its breaking point, they enact a risky plan to escape, ultimately bringing them face-to-face with what may turn out to be the scariest thing yet: the real world. “Room” opens Friday at the State.
Special Screenings Downtown
The Spielberg: Man and Monsters film series concludes with a double feature of “Raiders of the Lost Ark” and “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom!” The Indiana Jones double feature plays Saturday at 11 PM at the State.
The Yours Truly, John Waters film series continues with “Pecker.” A blue-collar Baltimore teen (Edward Furlong) becomes a New York celebrity when an art dealer discovers his photos of sandwich-shop customers. “Pecker” plays Wednesday at 7 PM at the State.
Continuing at the Multiplex
In “Creed,” Adonis Johnson (Michael B. Jordan) never knew his famous father, world heavy weight champion Apollo Creed, who died before he was born. Still, there's no denying that boxing is in his blood, so Adonis heads to Philadelphia to track down Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone) and start training. “Creed” opened Wednesday.
"The Good Dinosaur" from Pixar Animation Studios asks the question: what if the asteroid that forever changed life on Earth missed the planet completely and giant dinosaurs never became extinct? “The Good Dinosaur” opened Wednesday.
In “Victor Frankenstien,” the titular scientist (James McAvoy) and his equally brilliant protégé Igor Strausman (Daniel Radcliffe) share a noble vision of aiding humanity through their groundbreaking research into immortality. But Victor's experiments go too far, and only Igor can bring his friend back from the brink of madness and save him from his monstrous creation. “Victor Frankenstein” opened Wednesday.