SPECIAL SCREENING: QUEEN OF THE SUN - SEPTEMBER 11

QUEEN OF THE SUN: WHAT ARE THE BEES TELLING US? (2011)

Directed by Taggart Siegel

QUEEN OF THE SUN: What Are the Bees Telling Us? is a profound, alternative look at the global bee crisis from Taggart Siegel, director of THE REAL DIRT ON FARMER JOHN. Taking us on a journey through the catastrophic disappearance of bees and the mysterious world of the beehive, this engaging and ultimately uplifting film weaves an unusual and dramatic story of the heartfelt struggles of beekeepers, scientists and philosophers from around the world including Michael Pollan, Gunther Hauk and Vandana Shiva. Together they reveal both the problems and the solutions in renewing a culture in balance with nature.

The screening will be held at the Historic French Legation at 802 San Marcos St. Doors are 7p and the film starts at 8:30p. Entry is $3 and proceeds will go to support the HOPE Farmers Market.

http://www.queenofthesun.com/

TRINIDAD - PJ RAVAL

TRINIDAD uncovers Trinidad, Colorado’s transformation from Wild West outpost to "sex change capital of the world," and follows three transgender women who may steer the rural ranching town toward becoming the "transsexual mecca." The film is directed and produced by PJ Raval and Jay Hodges.

TRINIDAD trailer from PJ Raval on Vimeo.

Earthling - clay liford

The opening shots of Clay Liford’s Earthling hold a mysterious, tantalizing splendor; a foreboding, spiked meteor hurtles through space like an intergalactic seed pod, comes in contact with a space station just outside of our planet’s atmosphere.

These initial scenes aboard the American space station have a dingy, lived-in feel and they instantly evoke Andrei Tarkovsky’s Solaris and set the tone for the rest of the pic. Traditionalist sci-fi fans have been warned; this isn’t a glossy pulp monster tale, but a solemn meditation on human existence and relationship.

After that, Liford explores a winding, contrived mystery that takes the kind of genre elements geeks drool over—otherworldly visitors, slimy parasites, genetic mutation—and folds them into a drama that has its eyes wide open when it comes to observing the rhythm of life on our little blue orb.

Earthling Teaser from Barak Epstein on Vimeo.

screening no. 8: bad fever - sept 4

BAD FEVER (2011)

Directed by Dustin Guy Defa

Eddie bumbles his way through an agonizing courtship with Irene, a manipulating drifter who videotapes their fleeting moments together. Bad Fever is a witness to one man's broken American Dream and his eternal longing to find someone, anyone, who understands or even pretends to understand.



SCREENING NO. 7: GREEN - AUG. 21 [+ Special Screening of Gabi on the Roof in July - 8:30pm Mon Aug 22 at Cheer up Charlies]

GABI ON THE ROOF IN JULY (2010)

A film by Lawrence Michael Levine

"Gabi On The Roof In July" is a portrait of young New York and the misguided hopefuls who can't afford to live there but do anyway. The film is an ensemble comedy about ex-girlfriends, sibling rivalry and whipped cream in a city that's constantly in flux. Gabi, a rambunctious Oberlin undergrad, heads to New York City to spend the summer with her older brother, Sam, seeking solidarity in the wake of her parents’ divorce. When she gets there, she finds Sam too busy juggling women and too irked by her provocative antics and almost constant nudity to give her the guidance she needs. In an effort to get Sam's attention, Gabi seduces his free-loving, freeloading college buddy, only to find she's in over her head.



GREEN (2011)

Directed by Sophia Takal

"Green" is about Genevieve, a New York intellectual, moves to the country with her self-involved journalist boyfriend, Sebastian, while he works on his latest project about sustainable farming.

Bored and neglected, Genevieve turns to Robin, a working class local, for companionship. When Sebastian forms a bond of his own with Robin, Genevieve finds herself overpowered by jealousy and insecurity. Tensions mount between the two women and soon reality and paranoid fantasy become inseparable.

screening no. 6: the dish and the spoon - aug 7

THE DISH AND THE SPOON (2011) 

A film by Alison Bagnall 

In "The Dish and the Spoon," which had its world premiere as part of the Emerging Visions section of the South by Southwest film festival in Austin, Texas, a young woman (Greta Gerwig) is spiraling out of control after having discovered her husband has cheated on her with a woman she knows. At a diner, she meets a waifish young man (Olly Alexander) who is another seemingly lost soul, having come to America from England chasing a girl who promptly dumped him. Each in the pair, a genuine odd couple, finds solace and support in a person who is more or less a stranger.

Directed and co-written by Alison Bagnall, perhaps best known as co-writer (alongside Vincent Gallo) of "Buffalo 66," the project came together quickly at the end of 2009-- Bagnall wrote "The Dish and the Spoon" specifically for her two lead actors, with the setting an out-of-season seaside Delaware vacation town.

Enlisting current indie stalwarts Eleonore Hendricks and Amy Seimetz (who is also credited as a producer), Bagnall rounded out her cast and crew. Rather than the ironclad vision of some filmmakers, Bagnall was interested in turning the production process into one of discovery and was especially open to the input of her lead actors as to where they thought the story should go. Actress Greta Gerwig, who began her career collaborating with "mumblecore" pioneers Joe Swanberg and the Duplass Brothers, is rapidly becoming a national treasure.

screening no. 5: RAINBOWS END - JULY 24

RAINBOWS END (2010) 

A film by Eric Hueber

An invitation to record with The Legendary Stardust Cowboy prompts Country Willie Edwards and his band "The Cosmic Debris" to launch their first West Coast tour. Having never broken the gravitational pull of Deep East Texas, the band invites three unique individuals who have dreams of striking it rich in California to make the trip.

Straight out of 1978, opening act, Peter Guzzino hopes that his one-man show resonates with modern audiences. Cockfighter Brian “Birdman” Birdwell offers to drive the band’s fragile bus, Green Hell, in exchange for a chance at landing roles for his prize roosters in a big time Hollywood feature. Parapsychologist, experienced hitchhiker, and global twirler Audrey Dean Leighton guides the expedition as far as Los Angeles. Audrey Dean plans to learn the Internet and strike gold with a cyber psychic readings storefront.

RAINBOWS END chronicles six men, two roosters, and one bus on a perilous journey to the other side of a dream. 

Rainbows End Trailer (short version) from Alonestar Films on Vimeo.

SCREENING NO. 4: THE COLOR WHEEL - JULY 10

THE COLOR WHEEL (2011)

Directed by Alex Ross Perry

Colin has agreed to help his sister JR get her stuff out of her ex-boyfriend’s place. Complication #1: it’s a road trip. Complication #2: JR and Colin don’t get along very well. More accurately, they just don’t know each other well, and are good at getting on each other’s nerves, hilariously. Complication #3: the ex-boyfriend is actually JR’s college professor, played with superbly deadpan obnoxiousness by Bob Byington, who presented his film Harmony and Me at last year’s Festival. Complication #4: okay, now we’re getting ahead of ourselves. You’ll understand when it happens. Director Alex Perry Ross plays Colin, and cowriter Carlen Altman plays JR, and their onscreen presence is magnetic and witty in this probably semi-improvised gem. Keeping the bicker burner low but steady, they head off on the trip through New England, diverted along the way by various people, hipster parties, and one very amusing antique shop. Perry shot on black-and-white 16mm film, which gives the whole oddball story a somehow more plausible feel, allowing the viewer to focus more on the off-the-cuff dialog and characters. 

screening no.3: WUSS - june 26

WUSS (2011)

Directed by Clay Liford

A high school English teacher is beaten up by his students. That makes him a wuss.

Clay Liford is a festival darling. His first short film, My Mom Smokes Weed, premiered last year at Sundance, and then two months later his first feature, Earthling, had its world premiere at SXSW, going on to garner acclaim at more prestigious festivals (including Spain's Sitges Fest).

This year, he's back with a story about the little engine who couldn't, WUSS. Nate Rubin (My Mom Smokes Weed, Blood On The Highway) stars as Mitch, bullied high school teacher by day, beaten high school teacher by night. Having nowhere else to turn, he teams up with rebellious high school student Maddie (Alicia Anthony), and they fight back and attempt to turn the bullies into the bullied.

Featuring Tony Hale (TV's "Arrested Development"), the film is a dark comedy that almost plays as a horror film, albeit one where nobody dies (except a little on the inside). 

Says Liford, "In most comedies, when characters do harebrained schemes they’re never held accountable for them. I hold them accountable."

http://www.wussmovie.com

Screening No. 2: THE HAPPY POET - June 12

THE HAPPY POET (2010)

Written & Directed by Paul Gordon

Bill, an out-of-work poet, puts his heart, soul, and last few dollars into starting an all-organic mostly-vegetarian food stand, but complications with the business jeopardize his dreams for a hot dog-free future.

http://www.happypoetmovie.com