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Cinema Chat: 'Conclave' and 'Venom: The Last Dance' open this weekend, plus some spooky classic films in time for Halloween!

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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

"Venom: The Last Dance" — OPENS TODAY AT THE MULTIPLEX

A 2024 American superhero film featuring the Marvel Comics character Venom. A sequel to "Venom: Let There Be Carnage" (2021), the fifth film in Sony's Spider-Man Universe (SSU), and the third and final installment of the Venom trilogy.

In this film, Tom Hardy returns as Venom, one of Marvel's greatest and most complex characters, for the final film in the trilogy. Eddie and Venom are on the run. Hunted by both of their worlds and with the net closing in, the duo is forced into a devastating decision that will bring the curtains down on Venom and Eddie's last dance.

"Conclave" — OPENS TODAY AT THE STATE

A 2024 mystery-thriller film directed by Edward Berger and written by Peter Straughan, based on the 2016 novel by Robert Harris. The film stars Ralph Fiennes, Stanley Tucci, John Lithgow, Sergio Castellitto, and Isabella Rossellini. It premiered at the 51st Telluride Film Festival on 30 August 2024. The film received critical acclaim, with Fiennes' performance being singled out for praise.

Cardinal Lawrence, tasked with organizing the election of the successor to the deceased pope, discovers the former pope had a secret that must be uncovered, concerning one or more of the candidates to succeed to the papacy.

SPECIAL SCREENINGS DOWNTOWN

"The Texas Chain Saw Massacre" — PLAYS TONIGHT AT 8 PM AT THE MICHIGAN

Part of the Late Night Classics Film series

Celebrating its 50th anniversary and newly restored 4K. 50 years ago, five youths on a weekend getaway in the Texas countryside fell prey to a butcher in a mask made of human skin and his cannibalistic family, and horror cinema would never be the same. From director Tobe Hooper ("Poltergeist").

"The Rocky Horror Picture Show" — PLAYS FRIDAY, OCTOBER 25 AND SATURDAY, OCTOBER 26 AT 9:30 PM AT THE MICHIGAN

Part of the Late Night Classics Film series

With a live shadowcast by The Leather Medusas!!!

In this cult classic, sweethearts Brad (Barry Bostwick) and Janet (Susan Sarandon), stuck with a flat tire during a storm, discover the eerie mansion of Dr. Frank-N-Furter (Tim Curry), a transvestite scientist. As their innocence is lost, Brad and Janet meet a houseful of wild characters, including a rocking biker (Meat Loaf) and a creepy butler (Richard O'Brien). Through elaborate dances and rock songs, Frank-N-Furter unveils his latest creation: a muscular man named "Rocky." From director Jim Sharman.

    "Nosferatu" — PLAYS SUNDAY, OCTOBER 27 AT 6 PM AT THE MICHIGAN

    With live accompaniment from Stephen Warner on the Barton Organ.

    In this highly influential silent horror film from director F. W. Murnau, the mysterious Count Orlok (Max Schreck) summons Thomas Hutter (Gustav von Wangenheim) to his remote Transylvanian castle in the mountains. The eerie Orlok seeks to buy a house near Hutter and his wife, Ellen (Greta Schroeder). After Orlok reveals his vampire nature, Hutter struggles to escape the castle, knowing that Ellen is in grave danger. Meanwhile Orlok's servant, Knock (Alexander Granach), prepares for his master to arrive at his new home.

    "Psycho" — PLAYS MONDAY, OCTOBER 28 AT 7 PM AT THE MICHIGAN

    Part of the Hitchcock-tober Film Series

    Phoenix secretary Marion Crane (Janet Leigh), on the lam after stealing $40,000 from her employer in order to run away with her boyfriend, Sam Loomis (John Gavin), is overcome by exhaustion during a heavy rainstorm. Traveling on the back roads to avoid the police, she stops for the night at the ramshackle Bates Motel and meets the polite but highly strung proprietor Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins), a young man with an interest in taxidermy and a difficult relationship with his mother. From director Alfred Hitchcock.

    "Arsenic and Old Lace" — PLAYS TUESDAY, OCTOBER 29 AT 7 PM AT THE MICHIGAN

    Writer and notorious marriage detractor Mortimer Brewster (Cary Grant) falls for girl-next-door Elaine Harper (Priscilla Lane), and they tie the knot on Halloween. When the newlyweds return to their respective family homes to deliver the news, Brewster finds a corpse hidden in a window seat. With his eccentric aunts (Josephine Hull, Jean Adair), disturbed uncle (John Alexander), and homicidal brother (Raymond Massey), he starts to realize that his family is even crazier than he thought. Directed by Frank Capra.

    "The Crow" (1994) – PLAYS WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 30 AT 8 PM AT THE MICHIGAN

    Part of the Late Night Classics Film series

    Celebrating its 30th anniversary! The night before his wedding, musician Eric Draven (Brandon Lee) and his fiancée are brutally murdered by members of a violent inner-city gang. On the anniversary of their death, Eric rises from the grave and assumes the gothic mantle of the Crow, a supernatural avenger. Tracking down the thugs responsible for the crimes and mercilessly murdering them, Eric eventually confronts head gangster Top Dollar (Michael Wincott) to complete his macabre mission. From director Alex Proyas.

    "Three" — PLAYS THURSDAY, OCTOBER 31 AT 7:30 PM AT THE STATE

    U.S. Premiere! A Q&A with the director, Nayla Al Khaja, and writer, Ben Williams, will follow the screening.

    A boy in Dubai is going through a mental health crisis, prompting his mother to seek help from local and foreign sources. One unlikely man must set aside his scientific thinking in an intense ritual. Directed by Nayla Al Khaja, the UAE’s first woman director.

    "Halloween" (1978) – PLAYS THURSDAY, OCTOBER 31 AT 8 PM AT THE MICHIGAN

    Part of the Late Night Classics Film series

    On a cold Halloween night in 1963, six-year-old Michael Myers brutally murdered his 17-year-old sister, Judith. He was sentenced and locked away for 15 years. But on October 30, 1978, while being transferred for a court date, a 21-year-old Michael Myers steals a car and escapes Smith's Grove. He returns to his quiet hometown of Haddonfield, Illinois, where he looks for his next victims. From writer/director John Carpenter.

    31st Annual Ann Arbor Polish Film Festival — PLAYS THURSDAY, OCTOBER 31-SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 3 AT THE MICHIGAN

    This annual event organized by Polish Cultural Fund – Ann Arbor in cooperation with Ann Arbor Polonia Association and Polish Student Association UM.

    Founded by Jolanta Nowak in 1993, the festival has developed into a multifaceted program and currently offers feature films, documentaries and short films selected in a juried competition, as well as meetings with Polish filmmakers. Documentary and Short Film Competition was established in 2005 and currently the Festival grants the following awards: Best Documentary, Best Debut and the Best Short Narrative. The Children’s Program, including films and the Children’s Book Fair, was added in 2015.

    CONTINUING DOWNTOWN

    "We Live in Time"

    From director John Crowley ("Brooklyn") and starring Florence Pugh and Andrew Garfield as Almut and Tobias, who are brought together by a surprise encounter that changes their lives. As they embark on a path challenged by the limits of time, they learn to cherish each moment of their unconventional love story.

    "Rumours" 

    A new black comedy satirizing the political elite starring Cate Blanchett, Alicia Vikander and more, which premiered at this year’s Cannes Film Festival.

    World leaders meet at the G7 but get lost in the woods whilst trying to compose a joint statement on an unspecified global crisis. Beset by thick fog and menaced by undead bog bodies and a giant brain, they navigate the tortured passions between them.

    "Look Back" (LIMITED SCREENINGS)

    Based on the acclaimed manga by Tatsuki Fujimoto, the creator of “Chainsaw Man”, the film follows two small-town girls, who couldn't be more different, but bond through a love of drawing manga. Through their relationship the film captures the highs and lows of pursuing artistic excellence and the special bonds formed through creative collaboration.

    "Saturday Night"

    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"

    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")

    "The Wild Robot" 

    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.

    "The Substance"

    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.

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    Contact David: dfair@emich.edu
    Russ Collins is the executive director of Marquee Arts, the nonprofit that oversees the Michigan Theater and State Theatre in Ann Arbor.
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