NATIONAL CINEMA DAY - SUNDAY, AUGUST 27
2nd annual national event organized by The Cinema Foundation.
“’Building on the unprecedented success of last year’s inaugural National Cinema Day, the Cinema Foundation is calling on film fans across the country to gather for a national day to celebrate the magic of the movies on the big screen,' said the National Cinema Foundation in a statement.
‘The second annual National Cinema Day celebrates the power of movies to bring us all together, and discounted admissions for all movies at participating U.S. theaters in all formats (including Premium Large Format screens) will be no more than $4.’" (USA Today)
OPENING THIS WEEK
"Gran Turismo" — OPENS FRIDAY, AUGUST 25 AT THE MULTIPLEX
Based on the true story of Jann Mardenborough, the film is the ultimate wish fulfillment tale of a teenage Gran Turismo player whose gaming skills won a series of Nissan competitions to become an actual professional racecar driver. From director Neill Blomkamp ("District 9," "Elysium") and starring Archie Madekwe, David Harbour and Orlando Bloom.
"Retribution" — OPENS FRIDAY, AUGUST 25 AT THE MULTIPLEX
Liam Neeson stars in this immersive ticking clock thriller that straps audiences in for a high-octane ride of redemption and revenge. When a mysterious caller puts a bomb under his car seat, Matt Turner (Neeson) begins a high-speed chase across the city to complete a specific series of tasks. With his kids trapped in the back seat and a bomb that will explode if they get out of the car, a normal commute becomes a twisted game of life or death as Matt follows the stranger's increasingly dangerous instructions in a race against time to save his family.
"Golda"— OPENS FRIDAY, AUGUST 25 AT THE STATE
A ticking-clock thriller set during the tense 19 days of the Yom Kippur War in 1973. Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir (Helen Mirren) must navigate overwhelming odds, a skeptical cabinet, and a complex relationship with US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger (Liev Schreiber), leaving her with a controversial legacy around the world.
SPECIAL SCREENINGS DOWNTOWN
"Kiki's Delivery Service" — PLAYS TONIGHT AT 7:30 PM AT THE STATE
Part of the Summer of Studio Ghibli 2023 series
Celebrate this beloved coming-of-age story from the legendary Studio Ghibli, creators of 'Spirited Away', and Academy Award®-winning director Hayao Miyazaki, about a resourceful young witch who uses her broom to create a delivery service, only to lose her gift of flight in a moment of self-doubt.
It is a tradition for all young witches to leave their families on the night of a full moon and fly off into the wide world to learn their craft. When that night comes for Kiki, she embarks on her new journey with her sarcastic black cat, Jiji, landing the next morning in a seaside village, where her unique skills make her an instant sensation.
"The Lord of the Rings" — PLAYS, FRIDAY, AUGUST 25 AT 9:30 PM AT THE STATE
Part of the Late Nights at the State series
This animated film by Ralph Bakshi presents the first part of J.R.R. Tolkien's renowned fantasy tale. The wise old wizard, Gandalf (William Squire), entrusts the young hobbit, Frodo (Christopher Guard), with a magical ring. Soon, dark forces are after Frodo, so he must leave his peaceful home and travel to the ominous Mount Doom, where the ring must be destroyed. Accompanied by a trio of hobbit friends, Frodo is also aided by the mysterious Aragorn (John Hurt) and other heroic allies. Also featuringAnthony Daniels (C-3P0) as Legolas.
"Hugo" — PLAYS, SUNDAY, AUGUST 27 AT 1:30 PM AT THE MICHIGAN
Part of the 50 Years of Scorsese film series
Winner of 5 Academy Awards! Orphaned and alone except for an uncle, Hugo Cabret (Asa Butterfield) lives in the walls of a train station in 1930s Paris. Hugo's job is to oil and maintain the station's clocks, but to him, his more important task is to protect a broken automaton and notebook left to him by his late father (Jude Law). Accompanied by the goddaughter (Chloë Grace Moretz) of an embittered toy merchant (Ben Kingsley), Hugo embarks on a quest to solve the mystery of the automaton and find a place he can call home.
Presented with the short film "The Gaze" made at least year’s Young Filmmakers Camp by Charlotte Coffey, Sydney Amaya, Scout Phillips, Cordelia McGovern, Audrey Hill.
"Dirty Dancing" — PLAYS SUNDAY, AUGUST 27 AT 1:30 PM AND TUESDAY, AUGUST 29 AT 7:30 PM AT THE STATE
Part of the Summer Classics film series
Baby (Jennifer Grey) is one listless summer away from the Peace Corps. Hoping to enjoy her youth while it lasts, she's disappointed when her summer plans deposit her at a sleepy resort in the Catskills with her parents. Her luck turns around, however, when the resort's dance instructor, Johnny (Patrick Swayze), enlists Baby as his new partner, and the two fall in love. Baby's father forbids her from seeing Johnny, but she's determined to help him perform the last big dance of the summer.
"Taxi Driver" — PLAYS MONDAY, AUGUST 28 AT 7:30 PM AT THE MICHIGAN
Part of the 50 Years of Scorsese film series
Suffering from insomnia, disturbed loner Travis Bickle (Robert De Niro) takes a job as a New York City cabbie, haunting the streets nightly, growing increasingly detached from reality as he dreams of cleaning up the filthy city. When Travis meets pretty campaign worker Betsy (Cybill Shepherd), he becomes obsessed with the idea of saving the world, first plotting to assassinate a presidential candidate, then directing his attentions toward rescuing 12-year-old prostitute Iris (Jodie Foster).
The Series Continues - Mondays at 7:30 PM at the Michigan (mostly):
- "Raging Bull" – Plays 9/4
- "The King of Comedy" – Plays 9/11
- "After Hours" – Plays 10/2
- "Goodfellas" – Plays 10/9
- "Gangs of New York" – Plays 10/16
"Shiva Baby"— PLAYS TUESDAY, AUGUST 29 AT 7:30 PM AT THE MICHIGAN
While at a Jewish funeral service with her parents, a college student has an awkward encounter with her sugar daddy and her ex-girlfriend. From director Emma Seligman and starring Rachel Sennott.
Featuring an exclusive pre-recorded Q&A taped earlier this month at the Laemmle Royal in Los Angeles featuring Seligman, Sennott and special guest moderator Whitmer Thomas ("The Civil Dead").
CONTINUING DOWNTOWN
Celebrating the 20th anniversary of Park Chan-Wook’s cinematic masterpiece, the film will be released in theaters for the first time in 20 years, restored and remastered in stunning 4K.
After being mysteriously kidnapped and imprisoned with no human contact for fifteen years, Oh Dae-Su (Choi Min-sik) is suddenly released without any explanation. In a twisted game of cat and mouse, he has only five days to retrace his past, track down his captors, and get his revenge.
Featuring one of best one-shot action sequences of all-time and 18 on Empire Magazine’s “The 100 Best Films of World Cinema”
The film premiered at the Sonoma International Film Festival on March 22, 2023.
It follows Milton (Ben Kingsley), who lives a quiet life of routine in a small western Pennsylvania town, but finds his day upended when a UFO and its extra-terrestrial passenger crash lands in his backyard. Before long, Milton develops a close relationship with the extra-terrestrial he calls “Jules.”
Things become complicated when two neighbors (Harriet Sansom Harris and Jane Curtin) discover Jules and the government quickly closes in. What follows is a funny, wildly inventive ride as the three neighbors find meaning and connection later in life - thanks to this unlikely stranger.
A 2023 American comedy film directed by Molly Gordon and Nick Lieberman in their directorial debuts, from a screenplay by Gordon, Lieberman, Ben Platt and Noah Galvin. A feature-length adaptation of the 2020 short film of the same name, the film features an ensemble cast that includes Galvin, Gordon, Platt,Jimmy Tatro, Patti Harrison, Nathan Lee Graham, Ayo Edebiri, Owen Thiele,Caroline Aaron and Amy Sedaris. Will Ferrell serves as a producer under his Gloria Sanchez Productions banner. It had its world premiere at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival. It received positive reviews from critics.
As summer rolls around again, kids are gathering from all over to attend AdirondACTS, a scrappy theater camp in upstate New York that's a haven for budding performers. After its indomitable founder Joan falls into a coma, her clueless “crypto-bro” son Troy is tasked with keeping the thespian paradise running. With financial ruin looming, Troy must join forces with Amos, Rebecca-Diane, and their band of eccentric teachers and students to come up with a solution before the curtain rises on opening night.
A 2023 fantasy comedy film directed by Greta Gerwig, who wrote it with Noah Baumbach. Gerwig collaborated with her partner Noah Baumbach on several films, including "Greenberg" (2010) and "Frances Ha" (2012), for which she received a Golden Globe Award nomination, "Mistress America" (2015), and "White Noise" (2022). She also appeared in many other films including as a voice actor in Wes Anderson's "Isle of Dogs" (2018). As a solo filmmaker, Gerwig has written and directed the coming-of-age films "Lady Bird" (2017) and "Little Women" (2019), both of which earned nominations for the Academy Award for Best Picture.
The film stars Margot Robbie as Barbie and Ryan Gosling as Ken, who go on a journey of self-discovery after their expulsion from the utopian Barbie Land. Appearing in supporting roles are America Ferrera, Kate McKinnon, Issa Rae, Rhea Perlman, and Will Ferrell.
The film was first announced in September 2009. Following multiple writer and director changes and the casting of Amy Schumerand later Anne Hathaway in the titular role, Sony lost the rights, which were transferred to Warner Bros. Pictures in October 2018, with Robbie being cast in 2019. Gerwig was announced as director and co-writer with Baumbach in 2021. Gosling and the rest of the cast were announced in early 2022. Filming took place primarily at Warner Bros. Studios, Leavesden in England from March to July 2022. Barbie premiered at The Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles on July 9, 2023.
After being expelled from the utopian Barbie Land for being less-than-perfect dolls, Barbie and Ken go on a journey of self-discovery to the real world. OR to live in Barbie Land is to be a perfect being in a perfect place. Unless you have a full-on existential crisis. Or you're a Ken.
An epic biographical thriller film written, produced, and directed by Christopher Nolan, based on the 2005 biography "American Prometheus" by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin, about J. Robert Oppenheimer, the theoretical physicist who helped develop the first nuclear weapons. The film stars Cillian Murphyas the title character, with a supporting ensemble cast including Emily Blunt, Matt Damon, Robert Downey Jr., Florence Pugh, Josh Hartnett, Casey Affleck, Rami Malek, and Kenneth Branagh.
The film was announced in September 2021 when Universal Pictures won the bidding war. Filming began in late February 2022 and wrapped that May. Cinematographer Hoyte van Hoytema shot the film in a combination of IMAX 65mm and 65mm large-format film—including, for the first time, sections in IMAX black-and-white analog photography. As on his previous works, Nolan utilized extensive practical effects and minimal computer-generated imagery. The film premiered at Le Grand Rex in Paris on July 11, 2023. It is Nolan's first film not to be distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures domestically or internationally since "Memento" (2000).
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