HIT SO HARD | GOD BLESS AMERICA | FOLLOW ME: THE YONI NETANYAHU STORY | JIRO DREAMS OF SUSHI | MARGARET | THE KID WITH A BIKE | Special Screening: CIRCUMSTANCE | Special Screening: THREE VEILS | Special Screening: FOUR LIONS | Special Screening: INCENDIES | HRW: YOU DON'T LIKE THE TRUTH
HIT SO HARD
When Nirvana burst onto the scene in 1991, the music industry was completely transformed in a way nobody expected... especially the young musicians who went from sharing tiny Seattle apartments to international superstardom, sometimes overnight. Just three years later, the drug-related deaths of several prominent musicians, capped by the suicide of Kurt Cobain, closed the books on an all too brief era.
As the acclaimed drummer of Courtney Love’s seminal rock band Hole, Patty Schemel was right in the middle of all of it. The openly gay woman who always felt “different” never dreamed she would be part of a multi-platinum selling band, touring with legends, or on the cover of Rolling Stone. Nor could she imagine that, thanks to drug addiction, she could lose it all. HIT SO HARD tells the story of Patty’s rise to fame (and nearly fatal fall from it), with no punches pulled... and it’s one hell of a story.
Told with insider interviews and stunningly intimate, never-before-seen footage shot by Patty and her friends (Patty was given a Hi-8 camera just before Hole’s infamous Live Through This world tour), HIT SO HARD is not only an all-access backstage pass to the music that shaped a generation, but a harrowing tale of overnight success, the cost of addiction, and ultimately, recovery and redemption.
103 min. • Not Rated • Dir. P. David Ebersole
GOD BLESS AMERICA
Frank (Joel Murray) has had enough of the downward spiral of American culture. Divorced, recently fired, and possibly terminally ill, Frank truly has nothing left to live for. But instead of taking his own life, he buys a gun and decides to take out his frustration on the cruelest, stupidest, most intolerant people he can imagine -- starting with some particularly odious reality television stars.
Frank finds an unusual accomplice in a high-school student named Roxy (Tara Lynne Barr), who shares his sense of rage and disenfranchisement. Together they embark on a nationwide assault on our country’s most irritating celebrities . . .
Written and Directed by taboo-busting filmmaker and comedian Bobcat Goldthwait (Shakes the Clown, Sleeping Dogs Lie, World’s Greatest Dad), GOD BLESS AMERICA is a truly dark and very funny comedy for anyone who’s had enough of the dumbing down of our society.
104 min. • Not Rated • Dir. Bobcat Goldthwait
FOLLOW ME: THE YONI NETANYAHU STORY
FOLLOW ME: The Yoni Netanyahu story is an intimate journey into a young heroʼs mind. The narration for this compelling film was drawn from Yonatan Netanyahu's own letters and words, which unveil the complex character of this thoroughly modern young hero. Yonatan's words are deeply moving through his deep-rooted introspection, self-understanding, and heartfelt passions.
Yonatan Netanyahuʼs American/Israeli adolescent life took a dramatic turn when he entered the Israeli military at the age of eighteen. His thoughts and worry turned from relationships and girls to guns and nationalism. Through his bravery and selflessness on the battlefield, he was recognized as a national hero. However, Yonatan questioned the core value of war. Obsessed with his duty to his young country, he put aside his personal life and feelings, resulting in a failed marriage. Years later, Yonatan would find love again and vow to change his lifeʼs course... but it was not meant to be, as his life was suddenly cut down on the airstrip in Entebbe, Uganda.
What makes Yonatan's story both universal and unique are his poetry, prose and letters which allow us to see beyond this tough soldier's exterior, into a deep inner personality where heroism, duty, love, turmoil and doubt raged. Yonatan's writings describe with striking clarity the exhilaration and fear he faced during the critical crossroads of his short but fascinating life. But
the most important aspect of Yonatanʼs letters is the recognition of his human frailty. Yonatanʼs sensitivity to his shortcomings and flaws led to his seemingly prophetic knowledge that these very flaws would lead to a tragic, untimely death. Nevertheless, Yonatan Netanyahu dared to make a difference, and is a true modern day hero.
87 min. • Not Rated • Dir. Jonathan Gruber & Ari David Pinchot
JIRO DREAMS OF SUSHI
JIRO DREAMS OF SUSHI is the story of 85 year-old Jiro Ono, considered by many to be the world’s greatest sushi chef. He is the proprietor of Sukiyabashi Jiro, a 10-seat, sushi-only restaurant inauspiciously located in a Tokyo subway station. Despite its humble appearances, it is the first restaurant of its kind to be awarded a prestigious 3 star Michelin review, and sushi lovers from around the globe make repeated pilgrimage, calling months in advance and shelling out top dollar for a coveted seat at Jiro’s sushi bar. For most of his life, Jiro has been mastering the art of making sushi, but even at his age he sees himself still striving for perfection, working from sunrise to well beyond sunset to taste every piece of fish; meticulously train his employees; and carefully mold and finesse the impeccable presentation of each sushi creation. At the heart of this story is Jiro’s relationship with his eldest son Yoshikazu, the worthy heir to Jiro’s legacy, who is unable to live up to his full potential in his father’s shadow. The feature film debut of director David Gelb, JIRO DREAMS OF SUSHI is a thoughtful and elegant meditation on work, family, and the art of perfection, chronicling Jiro’s life as both an unparalleled success in the culinary world, and a loving yet complicated father.
81 min. • Not Rated • Dir. David Gelb
MARGARET
MARGARET centers on a 17-year-old New York City high-school student who feels certain that she inadvertently played a role in a traffic accident that has claimed a woman's life. In her attempts to set things right she meets with opposition at every step. Torn apart with frustration, she beings emotionally brutalizing her family, her friends, her teachers, and most of all, herself. She has been confronted quite unexpectedly with a basic truth: that her youthful ideals are on a collision course against the realities and compromised of the adult world.
150 min. • R • Dir. Kenneth Lonergan
THE KID WITH A BIKE
Winner of the Grand Jury Prize at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, the deeply moving new film by the Dardenne brothers (L’enfant, Rosetta) delves into the emotional life of troubled 11-year-old Cyril (newcomer Thomas Doret). When his father (Jérémie Renier) abandons him, Cyril obsessively tries to find his bicycle— after all, his father must have cared about him enough not to sell that off, he reasons. Almost by accident, he becomes the ward of a kind hairdresser (Cécile de France), a woman who seems surprised to find herself so determined to help him. With his wild, unpredictable behavior and his disastrous search for father figures, Cyril risks losing her—though she refuses to give up without a fight. Full of heartbreaking betrayals and unexpected grace, THE KID WITH A BIKE is a film about a child, abandoned to the elements, learning to become good.
87 min. • PG-13 • Dir. Jean-Pierre & Luc Dardenne • French w/English subtitles
DC International HuMAN RIGHTS FILM FESTIVAL: CiRCUMSTANCE
Special Screening: Monday, May 14th at 6:00pm
Iranian filmmaker Maryam Keshavarz's film chronicles the lives of two sixteen-year-old girls navigating a lesbian relationship in Iran. A suspenseful tale of love and family upended by obsession and suspicion, it is also a provocative coming-of-age story that cracks open the hidden, underground world of Iranian youth culture, where a young woman's most electrifying passions can become the most dangerous of secrets.
107 min. • R • Dir. Maryam Keshavarz
DC International HuMAN RIGHTS FILM FESTIVAL: THREE VEILS
Special Screening: Tuesday, May 15th at 6:00pm
THREE VEILS is a film about three young Middle-Eastern women living in the U.S. each with her own personal story. Leila is engaged to be married, however as the wedding night approaches, she becomes less and less sure of how her life is playing out. Amira is a very devout Muslim, but is dealing with her deep repressions about her intimate feelings toward women. Nikki is acting out her promiscuity as she battles her own demons after a tragic death in the family. As the film progresses, all three stories unfold and blend into each other as connections are revealed between the three women.
117 min. • Not Rated • Dir. Rolla Selbak
DC International HuMAN RIGHTS FILM FESTIVAL: FOUR LIONS
Special Screening: Wednesday, May 16th at 6:00pm
A handful of young men set out to take on the decadent West but are more of a threat to themselves than anyone else in this black comedy from director Chris Morris. Omar is a devout Muslim living in the United Kingdom who has decided to form a terrorist cell to bring forth a jihad against a culture he believes is dominated by the sinful and ignorant. However, Omar isn’t much of leader, and he’s assembled an unimpressive team of fellow terrorists, among them Waj, who lacks the brainpower to come up with ideas or direction on his own; Faisal, who is shy and doesn’t have much to say; and Barry a recent convert to Islam who tries to make up for his lack of practical knowledge with fierce passion. As Omar and his comrades debate both doctrine and methods, they ponder such notions as using birds as explosive devices, creating video communiqués with a hip-hop flavor, and attacking mosques in an effort toprovoke nonviolent Muslims. But are Omar and his partners a legitimate threat to the safety of Great Britain, or just four half-bright twenty somethings with more bluster than imagination?
97 min. • R • Dir. Christopher Morris
HRW: YOU DON'T LIKE THE TRUTH - 4 DAYS INSIDE GUANTANAMO
Special Screening: Wednesday, May 16th at 7:00pm
YOU DON'T LIKE THE TRUTH - 4 DAYS INSIDE GUANTANAMO is a stunning documentary based on security camera footage from an encounter in Guantanamo Bay between a team of Canadian intelligence agents and Canadian citizen Omar Khadr, then a 16-year-old detainee. Based on seven hours of video footage recently declassified by the Canadian courts, this documentary delves into the unfolding high-stakes game of cat and mouse between captor and captive over a four-day period. Maintaining a surveillance-camera style, the film analyses the political, legal, and psychological aspects of the interrogation through interviews with Khadr's lawyers, a psychiatrist, an investigative journalist, former Guantanamo detainees, and a former US interrogator. This unique depiction of Omar Khadr's interrogation offers an unusual insight into a world where "the truth" itself is often negotiated.
99 min. • Not Rated • Dir. Luc Côté & Patricio Henríquez
DC INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS FILM FESTIVAL: INCENDIES
Special Screening: Thursday, May 17th at 6:00pm
When their mother’s will implores them to deliver letters to the father they thought was dead and a brother they never knew about, twins Jeanne and Simon journey to the Middle East and attempt to reconstruct their family’s hidden history. Adapted from a Wajdi Mouawad play, director Denis Villeneuve’s Oscar-nominated drama flashes back to intense scenes set during the Lebanese civil war in the 1970s.
130 min. • R • Dir. Denis Villeneuve
© 2011 WEST END CINEMA