AN EVENING WITH BERNADETTE PETERS — LIVE ON-STAGE SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 16 AT 8 PM
Bernadette Peters is regarded as one of the most critically acclaimed Broadway performers, having received nominations for seven Tony Awards, winning two (plus an honorary award), and nine Drama Desk Awards, winning three. Peters is particularly noted for her roles on the Broadway stage, including in the musicals "Mack and Mabel," "Sunday in the Park with George," "Song and Dance," "Into the Woods," "Annie Get Your Gun" and "Gypsy." Peters is praised for her TV work on "The Muppet Show," "The Carol Burnett Show" and in other television works, and for her roles in films like "Silent Movie," "The Jerk," "Pennies from Heaven" and "Annie."
OPENING THIS WEEK
"Saturday Night" — OPENS TODAY AT THE STATE
At 11:30pm on October 11, 1975, a ferocious troupe of young comedians and writers changed television -- and culture -- forever. Directed by Jason Reitman and written by Gil Kenan & Reitman, Saturday Night is based on the true story of what happened behind the scenes in the 90 minutes leading up to the first broadcast of "Saturday Night Live." Full of humor, chaos, and the magic of a revolution that almost wasn't, we count down the minutes in real time until we hear those famous words....
"The Apprentice" — OPENS TODAY AT THE STATE
A young Donald Trump (Sebastian Stan), eager to make his name as a hungry second son of a wealthy family in 1970s New York, comes under the spell of Roy Cohn (Jeremy Strong), the cutthroat attorney who would help create the Donald Trump we know today. Cohn sees in Trump the perfect protégé -- someone with raw ambition, a hunger for success, and a willingness to do whatever it takes to win. From director Ali Abbasi ("Border")
SPECIAL SCREENINGS DOWNTOWN
"The Evil Dead" — PLAYS TONIGHT AT 8 PM AT THE MICHIGAN
Part of the Late Night Classics Film series
Presented in 35MM. Ashley "Ash" Williams (Bruce Campbell), his girlfriend and three pals hike into the woods to a cabin for a fun night away. There they find an old book, the Necronomicon, whose text reawakens the dead when it's read aloud. The friends inadvertently release a flood of evil and must fight for their lives or become one of the evil dead. Ash watches his friends become possessed and must make a difficult decision before daybreak to save his own life in this, the first of Sam Raimi's trilogy.
"Akira" — PLAYS FRIDAY, OCTOBER 11 AT 9:30 PM AND THURSDAY, OCTOBER 15 AT 7:30 PM AT THE MICHIGAN
Part of the Late Night Classics Film series
landestine army activities threaten the war-torn city of Neo-Tokyo when a mysterious being with powerful psychic abilities escapes his prison and inadvertently draws a violent motorcycle gang into a heinous web of experimentation. As a result, a biker with a twisted mind embarks on a path of war, seeking revenge against a society that once called him weak. From director Katsuhiro Ohtomo.
"Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" — PLAYS SATURDAY, OCTOBER 12 AT 1:30 PM AT THE MICHIGAN (FREE FOR KIDS 12 & UNDER!!!)
Part of the Family Friendly Film Series
Adaptation of the first of J.K. Rowling's popular children's novels about Harry Potter, a boy who learns on his eleventh birthday that he is the orphaned son of two powerful wizards and possesses unique magical powers of his own. He is summoned from his life as an unwanted child to become a student at Hogwarts, an English boarding school for wizards. There, he meets several friends who become his closest allies and help him discover the truth about his parents' mysterious deaths. From director Chris Columbus.
"Young Frankenstein" — PLAYS SATURDAY, OCTOBER 12 AT 7:30 PM AT THE MICHIGAN
Respected medical lecturer Dr. Frederick Frankenstein (Gene Wilder) learns that he has inherited his infamous grandfather's estate in Transylvania. Arriving at the castle, Dr. Frankenstein soon begins to recreate his grandfather's experiments with the help of servants Igor (Marty Feldman), Inga (Teri Garr) and the fearsome Frau Blücher (Cloris Leachman). After he creates his own monster (Peter Boyle), new complications ensue with the arrival of the doctor's fiancée, Elizabeth (Madeline Kahn). From director Mel Brooks.
"Eno" — PLAYS SUNDAY, OCTOBER 13 AT 5 PM AT THE MICHIGAN
Director Gary Hustwit in attendance for a post-film Q&A.
Visionary musician and artist Brian Eno - known for producing David Bowie, U2, Talking Heads, among many others; pioneering the genre of ambient music; and releasing more than 40 solo and collaboration albums - reveals his creative processes in this film, directed by acclaimed filmmaker Gary Hustwit.
In the first career-spanning documentary of the legendary and prolific artist and the world's first generative feature film (a unique version of the film is presented at every screening), Hustwit set out to decode Eno's creative strategies and examine his lifelong search for the meaning of music. Defying the hagiographic impulses of the music doc genre, ENO draws from original interviews and the artist's own staggering archive of never-before-seen footage and unreleased music, as well as Hustwit's original interviews.
Utilizing a proprietary software system developed by Hustwit and digital artist Brendan Dawes, the film offers millions of possible variations and ushers in a groundbreaking approach to storytelling. The result is a viewing experience that resonates with Eno's own artistic practice, his use of technology to compose music, and the mercurial essence of creativity as his endless pursuit.
"Rear Window" — PLAYS MONDAY, OCTOBER 14 AT 7 PM AT THE MICHIGAN
Part of the Hitchcock-tober Film Series
A newspaper photographer with a broken leg passes time recuperating by observing his neighbors through his window. He sees what he believes to be a murder and decides to solve the crime himself. With the help of his nurse and wife, he tries to catch the murderer without being killed himself. From director Alfred Hitchcock and starring James Stewart, Grace Kelly, Raymond Burr and Thelma Ritter.
"Mississippi Masala" — PLAYS WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 16 AT 7 PM AT THE STATE
FREE and open to the public! (must reserve free tickets/RSVP in advance)
Part of the South Asian Films: Spotlight on Women Directors Series
The vibrant cultures of India, Uganda, and the American South are blended and simmered into a rich and fragrant fusion feast in Mira Nair’s luminous look at the complexities of love in the modern melting pot. Years after her Indian family was forced to flee their home in Uganda by the dictatorship of Idi Amin, twentysomething Mina (Sarita Choudhury) finds herself helping to run a motel in the faraway land of Mississippi. It’s there that a passionate romance with the charming Black carpet cleaner Demetrius (Denzel Washington) challenges the prejudices of their conservative families and exposes the rifts between the region’s Indian and African American communities. Tackling thorny issues of racism, colorism, culture clash, and displacement with big-hearted humor and keen insight, Nair serves up a sweet, sexy, and radical celebration of love’s power to break down the barriers between us.
CONTINUING DOWNTOWN
A 2024 American musical psychological thriller film directed by Todd Phillips from a screenplay co-written with Scott Silver. It is the sequel to "Joker" (2019), loosely based on DC Comics characters, and stars Joaquin Phoenix reprising his role as the Joker with Lady Gaga joining the cast as his love interest Harley Quinn. Zazie Beetz also reprises her role from the previous film, while Brendan Gleeson and Catherine Keener join the cast. Principal photography took place in New York City, Los Angeles, and Belleville, New Jersey, from December 2022 to April 2023. The film premiered at the 81st Venice International Film Festival on September 4, 2024.
The film finds Arthur Fleck institutionalized at Arkham awaiting trial for his crimes as Joker. While struggling with his dual identity, Arthur not only stumbles upon true love, but also finds the music that's always been inside him.
Rona, fresh out of rehab, returns to the wild Orkney Islands after more than a decade away. As she reconnects with the dramatic landscape where she grew up, memories of her childhood merge with the more recent challenging events that have set her on the path to recovery. From writer/director Nora Fingscheidt, starring Saoirse Ronan ("Lady Bird," "Little Women," "Grand Budapest Hotel") and adapted from the award-winning autobiography by Amy Liptrot. A selection of the 2024 Sundance Film Festival.
The epic adventure follows the journey of a robot--ROZZUM unit 7134, "Roz" for short -- that is shipwrecked on an uninhabited island and must learn to adapt to the harsh surroundings, gradually building relationships with the animals on the island and becoming the adoptive parent of an orphaned gosling. From director Christopher Sanders.
Have you ever dreamt of a better version of yourself? You, only better in every way. You should try this new product, it's called The Substance. IT CHANGED MY LIFE. With The Substance, you can generate another you: younger, more beautiful, more perfect. You just have to share time -- one week for one, one week for the other. A perfect balance of seven days each... Easy right? If you respect the balance... What could possibly go wrong? From writer/director Coralie Fargeat.
In this fresh coming-of-age story, an 18th birthday mushroom trip brings free-spirited Elliott (Maisy Stella) face-to-face with her wisecracking 39-year-old self (Aubrey Plaza). But when Elliott's "old ass" starts handing out warnings about what her younger self should and shouldn't do, Elliott realizes she has to rethink everything about family, love, and what's becoming a transformative summer. From writer/director Megan Park.
Non-commercial, fact based reporting is made possible by your financial support. Make your donation to WEMU today to keep your community NPR station thriving.
Like 89.1 WEMU on Facebook and follow us on Twitter
Contact WEMU News at 734.487.3363 or email us at studio@wemu.org
