"THE MAGIC OF MOTOWN" LIVE AT THE MICHIGAN THEATER!!!
Experience The Magic of Motown! This high energy tribute to the legends of Motown will transport you back in time where you’ll visit the very best of “Hitsville, USA!” This performance features a cast of 15 power-house vocalists backed by a six-piece band who embody artists such as The Temptations, The Four Tops, Diana Ross & The Supremes, Marvin Gaye, Aretha Franklin, Smokey Robinson and more! The show’s pitch perfect harmonies, dynamic choreography, and gorgeous costuming perfectly capture the sights and sound of Motown that has become a timeless treasure.
COMING SOON
"Taylor Swift's The Eras Tour" — OPENS FRIDAY, OCTOBER 13 AT THE STATE AND MULTIPLEX
The cultural phenomenon continues on the big screen! Immerse yourself in this once-in-a-lifetime concert film experience with a breathtaking, cinematic view of the history-making tour. Taylor SwiftEras attire and friendship bracelets are strongly encouraged! From director Sam Wrench.
TICKETS ON SALE NOW - michtheater.org
"Joan Baez: I Am a Noise" — OPENS FRIDAY, OCTOBER 13
Neither a conventional biopic nor a traditional concert film, this film is a raw and intimate portrait of the legendary folk singer and activist that shifts back and forth through time as it followsJoan on her final tour and delves into her extraordinary archive, including newly discovered home movies, diaries, artwork, therapy tapes, and audio recordings. Baez is remarkably revealing about her life on and off stage -- from her lifelong emotional struggles to her civil rights work with MLK and a heartbreaking romance with a young Bob Dylan. A searingly honest look at a living legend, this film is a compelling and deeply personal exploration of an iconic artist who has never told the full truth of her life, as she experienced it, until now.
"Stop Making Sense" (newly restored 40th anniversary screening) — OPENS FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 29 AT THE MICHIGAN
A 1984 American concert film featuring a live performance by the American rock band Talking Heads. Directed by Jonathan Demme, it was shot over three nights at Hollywood's Pantages Theater in December 1983, when the group was touring to promote their new album Speaking in Tongues. The concert serves as a band retrospective, featuring many of their popular songs from their first single "Psycho Killer" (1977) through to their most recent hit "Burning Down the House" (1983). The group also performs songs from frontman David Byrne's solo career, and from Tom Tom Club, the side project of two other band members.
The band raised the budget of $1.2 million themselves. The four core members of Talking Heads—lead singer and guitarist David Byrne, drummer Chris Frantz, guitarist and keyboardistJerry Harrison, and bassist Tina Weymouth—are joined on stage by an extensive supporting band, including backing singers Lynn Mabry and Ednah Holt, guitarist Alex Weir, keyboardist Bernie Worrell, and percussionist Steve Scales.
This film is considered by many critics to be one of the greatest concert films of all time, and a cult classic. The film is a pioneering example of the use of early digital audio techniques. In 2021, it was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".
OPENING (AND RE-OPENING) THIS WEEK
"A Haunting in Venice" — NOW PLAYING AT THE MULTIPLEX
An American supernatural mystery film co-produced, directed by and starring Kenneth Branagh from a screenplay by Michael Green, based on the 1969 novel "Hallowe'en Party" by Agatha Christie. The film serves as the sequel to "Death on the Nile" (2022), and it is the third one overall in which Branagh portrays the Belgian detective Hercule Poirot. The ensemble cast includes Kyle Allen, Camille Cottin, Jamie Dornan, Tina Fey, Jude Hill, Ali Khan, Emma Laird, Kelly Reilly, Riccardo Scamarcio, andMichelle Yeoh.
The film is set in eerie, post-World War II Venice on All Hallows’ Eve and is a terrifying mystery featuring the return of the celebrated sleuth, Hercule Poirot. Now retired and living in self-imposed exile in the world’s most glamorous city, Poirot reluctantly attends a séance at a decaying, haunted palazzo. When one of the guests is murdered, the detective is thrust into a sinister world of shadows and secrets.
"It Lives Inside" — OPENS FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 22 AT THE STATE AND THE MULTIPLEX
Sam, an Indian-American teen, lives in an idyllic suburb with her conservative mother and her assimilated father. Sam's cultural insecurities grow due to her estranged friend, Tamira, who mysteriously carries around an empty mason jar all the time. In a moment of anger, Sam breaks Tamira's jar and unleashes an ancient Indian demonic force that kidnaps Tamira. Sam searches for Tamira, following the trail of a young man who performed a deadly ritual, until the demonic entity starts targeting her, murdering her boyfriend and shattering her reality with terrifying visions. Sam must band together with her parents and a sympathetic teacher to save Tamira and put an end to the terror of the demon.
"The Origin of Evil" — OPENS FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 22 AT THE MICHIGAN
When Stéphane (Laure Calamy of "Call My Agent!," "Full Time") gets in touch with wealthy Serge (Jacques Weber), announcing that she is his long-abandoned daughter, his immediate family are none too thrilled. As Stéphane embarks on an extended visit in hopes of getting to know Serge, she also becomes entangled with the hostile women who share a tense existence in his beautifully appointed mansion by the sea: the restaurateur's wife (Dominique Blanc), his other daughter (Doria Tillier), a rebellious granddaughter (Céleste Brunnquell), and a strangely off-putting housemaid, all of whom are clearly unsettled by the arrival of Serge's newly announced heir. But Stéphane is a confident liar with secrets of her own, which writer-director Sébastien Marnier teases out with cool assurance in this wildly entertaining thriller that will keep you guessing all the way to the end. French with English subtitles.
SPECIAL SCREENINGS DOWNTOWN
"Ghost in the Shell" — PLAYS TONIGHT AT 7:30 PM AT THE STATE
Part of the Late Nights at the State series
In this Japanese animation, cyborg federal agent Maj. Motoko Kusanagi trails "The Puppet Master", who illegally hacks into the computerized minds of cyborg-human hybrids. Her pursuit of a man who can modify the identity of strangers leaves Motoko pondering her own makeup and what life might be like if she had more human traits. With her partner, she corners the hacker, but her curiosity about her identity sends the case in an unforeseen direction. From director Mamoru Oshii.
"American Psycho" — PLAYS FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 22 AT 9:30 PM AND THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 28 AT 7:30 PM AT THE STATE
Part of the Late Nights at the State series
In New York City in 1987, a handsome, young urban professional, Patrick Bateman (Christian Bale), lives a second life as a gruesome serial killer by night. The cast is filled by the detective (Willem Dafoe), the fiance (Reese Witherspoon), the mistress (Samantha Mathis), the coworker (Jared Leto), and the secretary (Chloë Sevigny). This is a biting, wry comedy examining the elements that make a man a monster. From director Mary Harron.
CatVideoFest 2023 — PLAYS SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 23 AT 7 PM AT THE MICHIGAN
CatVideoFest is back in theaters! A compilation reel of the latest and best cat videos culled from countless hours of unique submissions and sourced animations, music videos, and classic internet powerhouses. Each year, across the country, they partner with a cat-focused charity near the theater, with proceeds from each show helping folks like us to keep looking out for our furry friends.
10% of the ticket sales will benefit the Humane Society of Huron Valley.
"The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" — PLAYS SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 24 AT 1:30 PM
Part of the Films We Love series
Celebrating its 20th anniversary, presenting the 4K remastered Extended Edition!
The culmination of nearly 10 years' work and conclusion to Peter Jackson's epic trilogy based on the timeless J.R.R. Tolkien classic, this film presents the final confrontation between the forces of good and evil fighting for control of the future of Middle-earth. Hobbits Frodo (Elijah Wood) and Sam (Sean Astin) reach Mordor in their quest to destroy the `one ring', while Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen) leads the forces of good against Sauron's evil army at the stone city of Minas Tirith. From director Peter Jackson.
"The French Connection"— PLAYS MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 25 AT 7:30 PM AT THE MICHIGAN
Part of the Films We Love series
A 1971 American neo-noir action thriller film starring Gene Hackman, Roy Scheider, and Fernando Rey, and directed by William Friedkin. The screenplay, written by Ernest Tidyman, is based on Robin Moore's 1969 non-fiction book of the same name. It tells the story of fictional NYPD detectives Jimmy "Popeye" Doyle and Buddy "Cloudy" Russo, whose real-life counterparts were narcotics detectives Eddie Egan and Sonny Grosso, in pursuit of wealthy French heroin smuggler Alain Charnier (played by Rey).
Often considered one of the greatest films ever made, it appeared in the American Film Institute's list of the best American films and was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".
"Awakenings" — PLAYS WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 27 AT THE MICHIGAN
There is a pre-film panel discussion at 6:00 PM with Michelle Hastings, Ph.D.; Maria G. Castro, Ph.D.; Christiane Wobus, Ph.D.; Henry Paulson, M.D., Ph.D.; Peter Todd, M.D., Ph.D.; and moderated by Nils G. Walter, Ph.D.
The story of a doctor's extraordinary work in the Sixties with a group of catatonic patients he finds languishing in a Bronx hospital. Speculating that their rigidity may be akin to an extreme form of Parkinsonism, he seeks permission from his skeptical superiors to treat them with L-dopa, a drug that was used to treat Parkinson's disease at the time. From director Penny Marshall and starring Robert De Niro and Robin Williams.
*NO 50 YEARS OF SCORSESE SCREENING THIS WEEK*
The Series Continues - Mondays at 7:30 PM at the Michigan (mostly):
- "After Hours" – Plays 10/2
- "Goodfellas" – Plays 10/9
- "Gangs of New York" – Plays 10/16
CONTINUING DOWNTOWN
An American gothic supernatural horror film directed by Michael Chaves, with a screenplay written byIan Goldberg, Richard Naing, and Akela Cooper from a story by Cooper. It serves as a sequel to "The Nun" (2018) and the ninth installment in The Conjuring Universe franchise. The film stars Taissa Farmiga,Jonas Bloquet and Bonnie Aarons, returning from the first film, with Storm Reid and Anna Popplewell joining the cast. Peter Safran and James Wan return as producers.
Michael Chaves directed two previous films in The Conjuring Universe, "The Curse of La Llorona" (2019) and "The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It" (2021).
1956 -- France. A priest is murdered. An evil is spreading. The sequel to the worldwide smash hit. Set four years after the ending of the first film, the film follows Sister Irene as she once again comes face to face with the demonic force Valak, the Nun, at a boarding school in France.
This film premiered at South by Southwest on March 11, 2023.
The film, a refreshingly unique teen comedy, focuses on two girls, PJ (Rachel Sennott) and Josie (Ayo Edebiri), who start a fight club as a way to lose their virginities to cheerleaders. Their bizarre plan works. The fight club gains traction and soon the most popular girls in school are beating each other up in the name of self-defense. But PJ and Josie find themselves in over their heads and in need of a way out before their plan is exposed.
From directorEmma Seligman ("Shiva Baby," a 2020 American comedy film written and directed by Emma Seligman, Seligman’s feature directorial debut. The film starred Rachel Sennott as Danielle, a directionless young bisexual Jewish woman who attends a shiva with her parents).
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.
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