THE 40TH FILM INDEPENDENT SPIRIT AWARDS TO BE HELD THIS WEEKEND
The premier awards event for the independent film and television, hosted by Aidy Bryant, (SNL) this Saturday, February 22nd at 5:00 PM and can be streamed live via YouTube.
Nominees for Best Feature include…
- "Anora"
- "I Saw the TV Glow"
- "Nickel Boys"
- "Sing Sing"
- "The Substance"
And Best First Feature…
- "Didi"
- "In the Summers"
- "Janet Planet"
- "The Piano Lesson"
- "Problemista"
Awards will also be given to Best Screenplay; Best First Screenplay; Best Lead, Supporting, and Breakthrough Performance and more…
ACADEMY AWARDS PREVIEW EVENT AT THE STATE
Wednesday, February 26 at 7 PM. Free with RSVP's!!!
Join movie buffs Nick Alderink and Martin Bandyke as they discuss who will win and who should win Oscars at the 97th Academy Awards. This Oscars preview event will include lots of movie clips and audience participation.
OPENING THIS WEEK
"Cleaner" — OPENS FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 21 AT THE MULTIPLEX
A group of radical activists take over an energy company's annual gala, seizing 300 hostages to expose the corruption of the hosts. But their cause is hijacked by an extremist within their ranks, who is ready to murder everyone in the building to send his anarchic message to the world. And so, it falls to an ex-soldier turned window cleaner, played by Daisy Ridley, to save those trapped inside, including her younger brother. From director Martin Campbell ("Casino Royale") and also starring Clive Owen.
"The Monkey" — OPENS FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 21 AT THE STATE AND THE MULTIPLEX
Based on the 1980 short story by Stephen King and from writer/director Oz Perkins of last year's hit thriller "Longlegs".
When twin brothers find a mysterious wind-up monkey, a series of outrageous deaths tear their family apart. Twenty-five years later, the monkey begins a new killing spree, forcing the estranged siblings to confront the cursed toy.
"Becoming Led Zeppelin" — OPENS FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 21 AT THE MICHIGAN, NOW PLAYING AT THE MULTIPLEX
Interviews, performances and never-before-seen footage provide insight into the origins of Led Zeppelin and their meteoric rise to musical stardom. The first time the band has agreed to participate in a biographical documentary.
From director Bernard MacMahon of the "American Epic" series, widely considered the definitive portrait of roots music in the United States during the 1920s.
SPECIAL SCREENINGS DOWNTOWN
"Kakekomi" — PLAYS TONIGHT AT 7 PM AT THE STATE
Part of the Masato Harada: A Life in Cinema Film Series
Sponsored by the University of Michigan Center for Japanese Studies
This film tells the stories of Edo women in the 1800s that escape abusive husbands and lovers by taking refuge in Tokeiji, a monastery in Kamakura. From writer/director Masato Harada.
"Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" — PLAYS TONIGHT AT 8 PM AT THE MICHIGAN
Part of the Late Night Classics Film Series
When their relationship turns sour, a couple undergoes a medical procedure to have each other erased from their memories forever. Starring Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet.
From director Michel Gondry and screenwriter Charlie Kaufman ("Being John Malkovich", "Adaptation", "Anomolisa’", both of whom won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay.
"Speed Racer" — PLAYS FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 21 AT 9:30 PM AND THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 27 AT 8 PM AT THE MICHIGAN
Part of the Late Night Classics Film Series
From the Wachowski sisters, their follow-up to the epic Matrix trilogy, starring Emile Hirsch, Christina Ricci, John Goodman and Susan Sarandon.
Young driver, Speed Racer, aspires to be champion of the racing world with the help of his family and his high-tech Mach 5 automobile. With stunning visuals based on the hit manga series of the same name, the film has been deemed a “misunderstood art film” (Dexter Palmer, Reactor) in retrospective analysis and a modern cult classic.
"Noryang: Deadly Sea" — PLAYS SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 22 AT 1 PM AT THE STATE (FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC!!!)
Part of the Korean Cinema Now Film Series
Sponsored by the University of Michigan Nam Center for Korean Studies.
In 1598, the seven-year Imjin War nears an end as Wae invaders prepare to withdraw from Joseon. Admiral Yi Sun-shin leads an allied fleet of Joseon and Ming ships to annihilate the Wae army. Joseon, Ming, and Wae forces clash at Noryang Strait, the deadly sea where Admiral Yi fights his last valiant battle. From director Kim Han-min.
"Moonrise Kingdom" — PLAYS TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 25 AT 7 PM AT THE MICHIGAN
Part of the Complete Wes Anderson Film Series
The year is 1965 on the island of New Penzance, off the coast of New England, and two 12-year-olds fall in love with each other and elope into the wilderness. But a violent storm is approaching, forcing a group of quirky adults (Bruce Willis, Edward Norton, Bill Murray) to mobilize a search party and find the youths before calamity strikes.
From writer/director Wes Anderson, co-written with Roman Coppola, and also starring Frances McDormand, Tilda Swinton, Bob Balaban and Lucas Hedges.
"Life is Beautiful: A Letter to Gaza" — PLAYS WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 26 AT 7 PM AT THE MICHIGAN (FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC!!!)
Part of the Falasteen on Screen Film Series
In 2014, Palestinian director Mohamed Jabaly visited Tromsø for a film festival. When Gaza's borders close, he finds himself unexpectedly stranded in Arctic Norway. Little does he know that it will be seven years before he can return to his family.
CONTINUING DOWNTOWN
"Captain America: Brave New World"
Anthony Mackie returns as the high-flying hero Sam Wilson, who's officially taken up the mantle of Captain America and finds himself in the middle of an international incident after meeting with President Thaddeus Ross (Harrison Ford).
Also starring Tim Blake Nelson and Giancarlo Esposito, and from writer/director Julius Onah of "LUCE," which premiered at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival and earned him an Independent Spirit Award nomination for Best Director.
2025 Oscar-Nominated Short Films
Presenting all three categories: Animated, Live Action and Documentary – this is your annual chance to predict the winners (and have the edge in your Oscar pool)! The Academy Awards take place Sunday, March 2nd.
Nominated for 6 Academy Awards including Best Picture, Best Director (Sean Baker) and Best Actress (Mikey Madison)
A young escort from Brooklyn meets and impulsively marries the son of a Russian oligarch. Once the news reaches Russia, her fairy tale is threatened as his parents set out for New York to get the marriage annulled.
Elwood Curtis' college dreams are shattered when he's sentenced to Nickel Academy, a brutal reformatory in the Jim Crow South. Clinging to his optimistic worldview, Elwood strikes up a friendship with Turner, a fellow Black teen who dispenses fundamental tips for survival.
Starring newcomers Brandon Wilson and Ethan Herisse, from director RaMell Ross, and based on the novel by Colson Whitehead, which won the 2020 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.
Escaping postwar Europe, visionary architect László Toth (Adrien Brody) arrives in America to rebuild his life, his career, and his marriage. On his own in a strange new country, László settles in Pennsylvania, where the wealthy and prominent industrialist Harrison Lee Van Buren (Guy Pearce) recognizes his talent.
From director Brady Corbet ("Vox Lux") and also starring Felicity Jones.
WINNER of the Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture, Drama; Best Actor for Adrien Brody; and Best Director for Brady Corbet, among several other nominations.
Set in the influential New York music scene of the early 60s, this film follows 19-year-old Minnesota musician Bob Dylan’s (Timothée Chalamet) meteoric rise as a folk singer to concert halls and the top of the charts – his songs and mystique becoming a worldwide sensation – culminating in his groundbreaking electric rock and roll performance at the Newport Folk Festival in 1965.
From director James Mangold ("Ford v Ferrari") and also starring Edward Norton as Pete Seeger, Elle Fanning as Sylvie Russo, and Monica Barbaro as Joan Baez.
Selected as the Latvian entry for Best International Feature Film at the 97th Academy Awards.
The film follows a courageous cat after his home is devastated by a great flood. Teaming up with a capybara, a lemur, a bird, and a dog to navigate a boat in search of dry land, they must rely on trust, courage, and wits to survive the perils of a newly aquatic planet.
A wondrous journey, through realms natural and mystical. An animated spectacle as well as a profound meditation on the fragility of the environment and the spirit of friendship and community.
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