 Directed & written by Aaron Woolfolk Japan, US, Korea / 2009 / English/Japanese/sub-titles News-Journal Center Daniel Holder's (Ben Guillory) father was killed fighting the Japanese during the Second World War...something he thought he had made peace with long ago, until a recent discovery revealed to him the cruel and brutal way in which his father died. When Daniel's beloved artist son Mickey takes a job in Japan teaching English, it creates a rift between them. When Mickey dies there in a traffic accident, Daniel's profound regret at their estrangement is matched only by his increased hatred of Japan...a country he thinks took not only his father, but now his only child as well. Despite these feelings, he is convinced by his brother Joseph (Danny Glover) to go to Japan to retrieve Mickey's final paintings. Daniel goes to Kochi but, despite the kindness he is shown and the signs of the happy life Mickey led, he cannot let go of his hatred. But one unexpected discovery changes everything for Daniel, forcing him to reassess his feeling for Japan and the life he will henceforth lead.  Directed & written by Ruba Nadda US / 2009 / 90min / English Cinematique Theater Juliette (Patricia Clarkson), a magazine editor, travels to Cairo to meet her husband, Mark (Tom McCamus), a UN official working in Gaza, for a three week vacation. When he is unavoidably delayed, he sends his friend Tareq (Alexander Siddig), who had been his security officer for many years, to escort her throughout the beautiful and exotic city. The last thing anyone expects is that they will fall in love.  1:00PM - 10 Years Later Directed & written by Aaron Michael Metchik US / 2010 / English News-Journal Center 10 Years Later is a dark comedy about six childhood best friends returning home for their ten year high school reunion. When one of them kidnaps an enemy from their past and inadvertently gets the others involved, each must decide whether to turn in a best friend or become accomplices in a dark plot that none of them are sure they can pull off.  1:15PM - Jean-Michael Basquait Radiant Child Directed by Tamra Davis France / 2010 / 88min / English Cinematique Theater Director Tamra Davis pays homage to her friend in this definitive documentary but also delves into Basquiat as an iconoclast. His dense, bebop-influenced neoexpressionist work emerged while minimalist, conceptual art was the fad; as a successful black artist, he was constantly confronted by racism and misconceptions. Much can be gleaned from insider interviews and archival footage, but it is Basquiat's own words and work that powerfully convey the mystique and allure of both the artist and the man. 3:00PM - Shorts Program, Followed by Filmmaker Q&A
 Travis begins seeing unique messages inside fortune cookies. The fortunes help Travis at first, but all is not what it seems. The fortunes soon turn menacing. Now, Travis must do as the fortunes ask, or risk the consequences.
After spending most of his life as a mason, John now suffers from Silicosis, a disease that eats away at the lungs. His younger brother Dave locks him up in the family bookstore where he moonlights as an accomplice to John's murderous habit.
 Written by Dana Kendler, Directed by Erin Li A rich Italian grandfather fakes his own death to escape his money-grubbing family. However, when the children begin to bicker, his plan gets foiled, prompting him to leave the funeral early and flee in a chase of a lifetime. (ErinLi.com)
 Three lives are forever connected through one story. Michael is a New York City Cop, whose life is still shaken two years after the loss of his wife. Dylan is his five-year-old son who reunites with his late mother every night through his dreams. And Jake Michael's partner and friend, only wants to see Michael's pain end so he can move on with his life. A newly purchased story book, a promise from father to son, and their lives to be forever changed by one cruel twist of fate.  Directed & written by Fatih Akin Germany/Greece / 2009 / 99min /German with subtitles English Cinematique Theater In Hamburg, German-Greek chef Zinos unknowingly disturbs the peace in his locals-only restaurant by hiring a more talented chef. Young restaurant owner Zinos is down on his luck. His girlfriend Nadine has moved to Shanghai, his Soul Kitchen customers are boycotting the new gourmet chef, and he's having back trouble! Things start looking up when the hip crowd embraces his revamped culinary concept, but that doesn't mend Zinos' broken heart. He decides to fly to China for Nadine, leaving the restaurant in the hands of his unreliable excon brother Illias. Both decisions turn out disastrous: Illias gambles away the restaurant to a shady real estate agent and Nadine has found a new lover! But brothers Zinos and Illias might still have one last chance to get Soul Kitchen back if they can stop arguing and work together as a team.  5:00PM - Clear Blue Tuesday Directed by Elizabeth Lucas US / 2009 / 105min / English News-Journal Center Of the many artistic works that have attempted to make sense of September 11, 2001, none has captured the New York perspective of the quietly hellish aftermath of the destruction of the World Trade Center better than Clear Blue Tuesday say critics. The musical film, which was conceived, directed, and partially written by Elizabeth Lucas...examines the tragedy itself only obliquely. It focuses instead on the long-lasting effects of that violation of national and personal security on 11 New Yorkers, and through them you come to understand the day's loss-and potential gains.  Luftkastellet der blev sprængt (original title) Directed by Daniel Alfredson Sweden / 2009 / 148min / Swedish with subtitles in English Cinematique Theater After taking a bullet to the head, Salander is under close supervision in a hospital and is set to face trial for attempted murder on her eventual release. With the help of journalist Mikael Blomkvist and his researchers at Millennium magazine, Salander must prove her innocence. In doing this she plays against powerful enemies and her own past. The film is based on one of the Millennium Trilogy by Steig (``The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo'' and ``The Girl Who Played With Fire'') Larsson.  7:00PM - Kingdom of Dust, Followed by director Heath Jones Q&A Directed & written by Heath Jones UK/2010/English News-Journal Center Guest: Heath Jones will lead Q&A following film 'When the man looks into the Abyss… the Abyss looks into the man. In a basement, somewhere in war torn Baghdad, hostage Adam Smith is waiting to die. With no time, no faith and no hope, he looks into the darkness of his own personal hell and there, 'in the valley of the shadow of death' something divine is awaiting him.'  9:00PM - Animal Kingdom Directed & written by David Michôd Australia & US / 2010 / 113min / English Cinematique Theater Based in the Melbourne underworld, ANIMAL KINGDOM is a powerful crime drama exploring the tense battle between a criminal family and the police. Following the death of his mother, seventeen year old Josh "J" Cody moves in with his estranged family under the watchful eye of his doting grandmother, Janine "Smurf" Cody, and her three criminal sons - the Cody boys. J finds himself at the center of a cold-blooded revenge plot which throws him directly into the path of senior homicide detective, Nathan Leckie. |