Real Art Ways | Independent Cinema | Contemporary Art | Live Art

How to Blow Up a Pipeline

“An exciting, humanist eco-thriller that figures there’s still time to take action — but only so much.” – Empire Magazine

“One of the most original American thrillers in years, and one that draws from a deep well of movie history as it develops its characters and sets up its plot twists.” – RogerEbert.com

“It has a degree of suspense and efficiency that are becoming all too rare in the mainstream.” – New York Times

95% on Rotten Tomatoes

Synopsis:

A crew of young environmental activists execute a daring mission to sabotage an oil pipeline, in Daniel Goldhaber’s taut and timely thriller that is part high-stakes heist, part radical exploration of the climate crisis. Based on the controversial book by Andreas Malm.

You Hurt My Feelings

“Warm-hearted and rueful and hilarious in all the best ways.” – Vox

“Both smart and entertaining.” – Times Magazine

“A hilarious look at the little white lies that we tell our loved ones.” – Consequence Film

“A must see comedy…makes you laugh until it hurts.” – ABC

96% on Rotten Tomatoes

Synopsis:

Beth, a popular writer, and her husband Don, a well-liked teacher, share the kind of relationship that truly, seriously, for the love of God cannot be real: that is, they’re actually in love. Even after decades of marriage, parenting, and their own successful careers, their physical spark has somehow not diminished; in fact, they seem to relish the opportunity to share a single ice cream cone and drive others — including their son, Charlie — mad. Should it come as a surprise then that his own marriage is in crisis? But when Beth discovers that Don has been untruthful to her about his opinion of her work for years — Beth’s world comes crashing down. Has their whole relationship been one Big Fat Lie?

Starring Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Tobias Menzies

Asteroid City

“Wes Anderson returns with one of his most dazzling, rich and playfully self-reflexive films to date, brought to eye-popping life by an all-timer ensemble.” – Little White Lites

“Its eccentricity, its elegance, its gaiety, and its sheer profusion of detail within the tableau frame make it such a pleasure.” – Guardian

“Anderson’s most disarmingly spiritual film in some time.” – Inverse

New York Times Critic’s Pick: Full Article Here.

Synopsis:

The itinerary of a Junior Stargazer/Space Cadet convention (organized to bring together students and parents from across the country for fellowship and scholarly competition) is spectacularly disrupted by world-changing events.

Directed by Wes Anderson.

Starring: Tom Hanks, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman, Scarlett Johansson, Jeffrey Wright, Tilda Swinton, Bryan Cranston, and Maya Hawke.

Chevalier

“Chevalier is a lesson in humility, and that sometimes we get in our own way.” – Deadline Hollywood Daily

“Chevalier dazzles because of the untapped magic of its central character.” – indieWire

91% on Rotten Tomatoes

Synopsis:

Inspired by the incredible true story of composer Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges. The illegitimate son of an African slave and a French plantation owner, Bologne rises to improbable heights in French society as a celebrated violinist-composer and fencer, complete with an ill-fated love affair and a falling out with Marie Antoinette and her court.

The Quiet Girl

“In a world of noise, this story of found family speaks loudest when saying nothing.” – Washington Post

“The Quiet Girl technically lives up to its name, but speaks volumes about the transformative power of what it means to be loved.” – Globe and Mail

“A genuine work of art.” – Rolling Stone

“Expertly crafted with stirring grace and sensitivity.” – The Hollywood Reporter

“A heartfelt, beautifully homespun tale…remarkably moving.” – Variety

96% on Rotten Tomatoes

Synopsis:

Set in rural Ireland in 1981, nine-year-old Cait is sent away from her overcrowded, dysfunctional family to live with foster parents for the summer. She blossoms in their care, but in this house where there are meant to be no secrets, she discovers one painful truth.

Navalny

“Essential, urgent, and it couldn’t be more relevant.” – FilmWeek (KPCC NPR Los Angeles)

“Part political portrait, part espionage thriller – containing perhaps the most jaw-dropping phone call in the history of cinema.” – Filmspotting

“More chilling and absorbing than any spy fiction, because it’s all real, and ominous, too.” – Globe and Mail

Synopsis

Shot as the story unfolded, Navalny is a fly-on-the-wall documentary thriller about anti-authoritarian Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny. Recovering in Berlin after nearly being poisoned to death with the nerve agent Novichok, he makes shocking discoveries about his assassination attempt and bravely decides to return home–whatever the consequences.

In Russian with English subtitles.

Academy Award Wins

Documentary Feature Film

All Quiet on the Western Front

“A big scale epic.” – Deadline

“Heart-wrenching.” – The Playlist

“Stunning cinematography.” – Awards Watch

“A striking and harrowing portrait of the perils of nationalism, the chaos and madness of combat, and the lasting physical and psychological scars produced by both.” – The Daily Beast

Synopsis:

All Quiet on the Western Front tells the gripping story of a young German soldier on the Western Front of World War I. Paul and his comrades experience first-hand how the initial euphoria of war turns into desperation and fear as they fight for their lives, and each other, in the trenches. The film from director Edward Berger is based on the world renowned bestseller of the same name by Erich Maria Remarque.

In German with English subtitles.

Academy Award Wins

Best International Feature

Cinematography

Original Score

Production Design

Mafia Mamma

“Collette is in her comedic prime…it’s easy to enjoy when she is having so much fun herself.” – indieWire

Synopsis:

An American mom (Toni Collette) inherits her grandfather’s mafia empire in Italy. Guided by the firm’s consigliere (Monica Bellucci), she hilariously defies everyone’s expectations as the new head of the family business.

In Viaggio: The Travels of Pope Francis

“A balance of impossibly high-profile subject and low-key, humanizing perspective.” Variety

“Fascinating. Remarkable for its access into Pope Francis’s life.” – IndieWire

“Pope Francis is at his most uninhibited and, therefore, most revealing.” – Screen International

100% on Rotten Tomatoes

Synopsis:

A decade-long chronicling of the travels of the head of the Catholic church across all corners of the world. Composed entirely of archival footage, the film grants rare access to the public life of the pontifical, not only from the elevated security of a pulpit but from the more democratic grounds of unpaved streets and vast public avenues.

In Italian with English subtitles.

Home Again: Carole King Live in Central Park

“Home Again: Carole King Live In Central Park provides an inside view of a generational talent at her prime, performing one of the biggest and most momentous concerts of her career in the city where she was born.” – Goldmine Magazine

Synopsis:

The brand new feature-length concert documentary “Home Again: Carole King Live In Central Park,” presents musical icon Carole King’s triumphant May 26, 1973 homecoming concert on The Great Lawn of New York City’s Central Park before an estimated audience of 100,000. The film presents the complete multi-camera 16mm footage filmed in 1973 but never before released. Alongside the complete performance footage is the behind the scenes story of King’s remarkable transformation from an in demand, staff songwriter beloved for such timeless Goffin and King classics as “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman” and “Will You Love Me Tomorrow” to an iconic artist in her own right. The May 1973 performance captured King at her critical and commercial peak, basking in the enormous popularity of her definitive album Tapestry.

Carole King Karaoke in between opening night showings! (Opening night only).

2023 Oscar Nominated Shorts – Documentaries

2023 Oscar Nominated Shorts – Documentaries, opens Friday, February 17, 2023. Individual trailers can be viewed on https://shorts.tv/.

How Do You Measure a Year? – United States, directed by Jay Rosenblatt, 29 min.

A father films his daughter every year on her birthday, asking the same questions. In a mere 29 minutes we see a girl go from a toddler to a young woman with all the beautiful and awkward stages in between while the father/daughter relationship evolves in all its complexities.

The Elephant Whispers – India, directed by Kartiki Gonsalves and Guneet Monda, 40 min.

Bomman and Bellie, a couple in South India, devote their lives to caring for an orphaned baby elephant named Raghu, forging a family like no other that tests the barrier between the human and the animal world.

Stranger at the Gate – United States, directed by Joshua Seftel and Conall Jones, 29 min.

A Marine plans a terrorist attack in a mosque in a small American town. His plan takes an unexpected turn when he comes face to face with the people he is trying to kill, forcing him to confront his own actions.

Haulout – UK, directed by Evgenia Arbugaeva and Maxim Arbugaeva, 25 min.

A man waits in his cabin on the desolate expanse of the Russian Arctic. He perseveres to observe a natural event that happens there every year, but ocean warming is taking its toll.

The Martha Mitchell Effect – United States, directed by Anne Alvergue and Beth Levison, 40 min.

Historians profile the life of Martha Mitchell, the wife of the cabinet member who was the most unlikely of whistleblowers: a Republican cabinet woman who was discredited by the Nixon administration in 1972 for keeping silent.

2023 Oscar Nominated Shorts – Live Action

2023 Oscar Nominated Shorts – Live Action, opens Friday, February 17, 2023. Individual trailers can be viewed on https://shorts.tv/.

Ivalu – Denmark, directed by Anders Walter and Rebecca Pruzan, 17 min.

Pipaluk lives in a Greenlandic settlement with her father and older sister Ivalu. Pipaluk is not happy because Ivalu has disappeared and her father does not care. At night, Pipaluk dreams of a raven that leads her to Ivalu.

Night Ride – Norway, directed by Eirik Tveiten and Gaute Lid Larssen, 16 min.

A cold night in December. Ebba waits for the tram to go home after a party, but the ride takes an unexpected turn.

Le Pupille – Italy, directed by Alice Rohrwacher, 39 min.

A story about pure and selfish desires, freedom and devotion, and the anarchy that is capable of flowering in the minds of girls within the confines of a strict religious boarding school at Christmas.

The Red Suitcase – Luxembourg, directed by Cyrus Neshvad, 18 min.

Luxembourg airport. Late at night. A veiled 16-year-old Iranian girl is afraid to take her red suitcase on the automatic carpet. She pushes back the moment to walk through the arrival gate and seems more and more terrified.

An Irish Goodbye – UK, directed by Tom Berkeley and Ross White, 23 min.

In rural Northern Ireland, a pair of estranged brothers are reunited after a premature death.

2023 Oscar Nominated Shorts – Animation

2023 Oscar Nominated Shorts – Animation, opens Friday, February 17, 2023. Individual trailers can be viewed on https://shorts.tv/.

Four of the films are suitable for kids 10 and up, but the final film, My Year of Dicks, is for adult audiences only.

An Ostrich Told Me the World is Fake and I Think I Believe It – Australia, directed by Lachlan Pendragon, 12 min.

A mysterious talking ostrich helps an office worker in need uncover the flaws in his stop motion universe.

The Flying Sailor – Canada, directed by Amanda Forbis and Wendy Tilby, 8 min.

When a nearby ship explodes, a sailor embarks on an unexpected existential journey. An exploration of the fragility of life through a sailor’s near-death experience inspired by the real-life catastrophic Halifax explosion of 1917.

Ice Merchants – Portugal/France/UK, directed by João Gonzalez and Bruno Caetano, 15 min.

Every day, a father and his son jump with a parachute from their vertiginous cold house, attached to a cliff, to go to the village on the ground, far away where they sell the ice they produce daily.

The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse – UK, directed by Charlie Mackesy and Matthew Freud, 33 min.

Four unusual friends, a boy, a mole, a fox and a horse, share truths about life as they search for a home. However, the boy learns that home is not always a fixed place.

My Year of Dicks – United States, directed by Sara Gunnarsdóttir and Pamela Ribbon, 26 min.

My Year of Dicks is intended for adult audiences only and is not suitable for children. There will be a short break before the start of the film so that patrons, if they choose, can exit the auditorium.

Pam tries very hard to lose her virginity and always searches for “the one”. She’s not alone, her best friends are with her.

Science on Screen: The Botany of Desire

Real Art Ways Science on Screen® season invites you to experience the unique combination of a feature film and a relevant talk from a notable local figure in science.

Film: The Botany of Desire

“… the botanical evolution of and human interaction with apples, tulips, cannibis and potatoes. The observations are enlightening.” – Seanax.com

Michael Pollan, a professor of journalism and a student of food, presents the history of four plants, each of which found a way to make itself essential to humans, thus ensuring widespread propagation. Apples, for sweetness; tulips, for beauty; marijuana, for pleasure; and, potatoes, for sustenance. Each has a story of discovery and adaptation; each has a symbiotic relationship with human civilization. The film tells these stories and examines these relationships.

Pre-Film Talk | 6:30 PM

Speaker: Dr. Nikki Patel

Dr. Patel’s research and teaching focuses on field and experimental biology involving both ferns and moss evolution as well as a broad interest in plant global biodiversity. With unprecedented biodiversity loss and global change ongoing, evolutionary and organismal biology are at the forefront of these challenges. As an organismal biologist, Dr. Patel’s main objectives in the classroom are not only to foster content mastery in evolution, genetics, and cell biology, but also to ensure that students leave her classes grounded in the application of scientific thinking toward meeting challenges in the world, in their professions, and in their everyday lives. This emphasis on functional knowledge is the best way to produce graduates prepared for careers in science.

Science on Screen is an initiative of the COOLIDGE CORNER THEATRE, with major support from the ALFRED P. SLOAN FOUNDATION.

The Whale

“Brendan Fraser gives the performance of a lifetime.” – Time Out

“The humanity of his performance will floor you.” – The Hollywood Reporter

“Will melt your heart” – BBC

“A performance for the ages.” – Variety

Synopsis:

A reclusive English teacher suffering from severe obesity attempts to reconnect with his estranged teenage daughter for one last chance at redemption.

Oscar Nominations

Actor in a Leading Role – Brendan Fraser

Actress in a Supporting Role – Hong Chau

Makeup and Hairstyling

Living

“This wise and moving drama is an existential journey that celebrates learning how to live life, in all its fleeting beauty.” – AARP Movies for Grownups

“It’s a film that steps back to consider the rituals and routines we perpetuate, the ways we’ve changed since the last break. And the ways we haven’t.” – New York Times

“An absolutely gorgeous, heartbreaking piece of work.” – Rolling Stone

“Stars Bill Nighy in a role for which he will be remembered.” – Deadline

95% on Rotten Tomatoes

Synopsis:

Living is the story of an ordinary man, reduced by years of oppressive office routine to a shadow existence, who at the eleventh hour makes a supreme effort to turn his dull life into something wonderful.

Oscar Nominations

Best Actor – Bill Nighy

Writing (Adapted Screenplay)

Science on Screen: Honeyland

Real Art Ways Science on Screen® season invites you to experience the unique combination of a feature film and a relevant talk from a notable local figure in science.

Film: Honeyland

“Complex, resonant, and visually magnificent.” – Spirituality & Health

“A gripping, Sundance-winning documentary.” – Observer (UK)

“Stunningly beautiful and quietly powerful, this is a portrait of a vanishing way of life and of a determined woman who’s just trying to make her way in the world.” – Empire Magazine

“Tells a story of a forgotten place so strange that most westerners couldn’t even imagine it.” – The Hollywood Reporter

100% on Rotten Tomatoes

A woman utilizes ancient beekeeping traditions to cultivate honey in the mountains of North Macedonia. When a neighboring family tries to do the same, it becomes a source of tension as they disregard her wisdom and advice.

In Turkish with English subtitles.

Pre-Film Talk | 6:30 PM

Speaker: Dr. Kelsey Fisher

Dr. Kelsey Fisher works for the Department of Entomology at the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station. Her expertise is in insect movement and dispersal ecology, behavior, pollinator conservation, agriculture pest management, spatial modeling and analyses. Her most recent research addresses research questions that provide management recommendations for other insects, including bumble bees and spotted lanternfly. More information on Dr. Fisher can be found here.

Dr. Fisher’s presentation will showcase the different types of bee species (380 species) in Connecticut. She will also discuss the delicate place bees hold in the ecosystem.

Science on Screen is an initiative of the COOLIDGE CORNER THEATRE, with major support from the ALFRED P. SLOAN FOUNDATION.

Science on Screen: The Hidden Life of Trees

Real Art Ways Science on Screen® season invites you to experience the unique combination of a feature film and a relevant talk from a notable local figure in science.

Film: The Hidden Life of Trees

“The Hidden Life of Trees uses the sensorial capacities of cinema to thrillingly visualize Wohlleben’s observations.” – New York Times

“It’s a documentary full of subtle, quiet moments, reminding us that a liberal dose of wonder is something quite powerful. Rather than taking nature for granted, it makes us appreciate it all the more for its many intricacies.” – Film Inquiry

Branching off of his bestselling book, renowned forester and writer Peter Wohlleben guides us through his most precious ideas and understanding of how trees work in this enlightening documentary. Presenting ecological, biological and academic expertise with matter of fact candor, Peter inspires us to really see the forest for the trees. Traveling through Germany, Poland, Sweden and Vancouver, Peter discusses, debates and explains the amazing process of life, death and regeneration he has observed in the woodland, and the amazing scientific mechanisms behind these wonders of which we are too often blissfully unaware.

Based on his best-selling book that has profoundly changed our understanding of forests, renowned forester and writer Peter Wohlleben guides us through his most enlightening ideas. Presenting his ecological, biological and academic expertise with infectious enthusiasm and candor, Wohlleben travels through Germany, Poland, Sweden, and Vancouver to illustrate the amazing processes of life, death, and regeneration he has observed in the woodland for decades. The result is an immersive and eye-opening look at the scientific mechanisms behind these wonders of nature.

Pre-Film Talk | 6:30 PM

Speaker: Dr. Susan Masino, of Trinity College.

Dr. Masino is the Vernon D. Roosa Professor of Applied Science at Trinity College and joint appointment in Neuroscience and Psychology. Her research focuses on promoting and restoring brain health, with a particular interest in adenosine, and on the relationship among metabolism, brain activity, and behavior. For nearly 100 years a metabolic therapy called a “ketogenic diet” has been used to treat seizures, and recent mechanistic insights – including the role of adenosine – hold translational implications for brain health and diverse disorders.

In addition to her laboratory research, Dr. Masino is interested in how public policies can improve brain health – with a special focus on New England’s amazing forests – and involved in local educational and environmental issues. During 2018-2019, she was a Charles Bullard Fellow in Forest Research at Harvard and published the seminal paper on the benefits of pro forestation for climate change mitigation, biodiversity, and public health.

Science on Screen is an initiative of the COOLIDGE CORNER THEATRE, with major support from the ALFRED P. SLOAN FOUNDATION.

Science on Screen: The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind

Real Art Ways Science on Screen® season invites you to experience the unique combination of a feature film and a relevant talk from a notable local figure in science.

Film: The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind

“A deeply informed and fully expressed portrait of a culture most of us know little about.” – Observer

“The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind– feeds our hunger for inspiring tales in these desperate times with a beautifully engineered narrative latticework of hardship, hope, and know-how.” – Los Angeles Times

“As inspiring and morally upright as you’d expect from a film with such rousing source material drawn from real life.” – RogerEbert.com

A 13-year-old boy is thrown out of the school he loves when his family can no longer afford the fees. He sneaks into the library and learns how to build a windmill to save his village from a famine.

Pre-Film Talk | 6:30 PM

Speaker: Dr. Steven Nathan

Dr. Nathan is trained in Paleoceanography, Micropaleontology and Biostratigraphy. His research spans topics ranging from paleoclimate to geothermal energy. Before Eastern, Dr. Nathan taught at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, Smith and Mount Holyoke Colleges, and several community colleges. He holds a B.S. in Biology (Springfield College), a B.S. in Physics, a M.S. in Geology, and a Ph.D. in Geoscience (all at UMass). He was a senior post-doctoral research associate with the Massachusetts Geological Survey.

Science on Screen is an initiative of the COOLIDGE CORNER THEATRE, with major support from the ALFRED P. SLOAN FOUNDATION.

Science on Screen: The Birds

Real Art Ways Science on Screen® season invites you to experience the unique combination of a feature film and a relevant talk from a notable local figure in science.

Film: The Birds

“Alfred Hitchcock has fashioned a major work of cinematic art.” – Village Voice

“A thriller classic from the master of suspense.” – Empire Magazine

“Unmistakably, one of the master’s [Hitchcock’s] best.” – Austin Chronicle

Melanie Daniels (Tippi Hedren) meets Mitch Brenner (Rod Taylor) in a San Francisco pet store and decides to follow him home. She brings with her the gift of two love birds and they strike up a romance. One day birds start attacking children at Mitch’s sisters party. A huge assault starts on the town by attacking birds.

Pre-Film Talk | 6:30 PM

Speaker: Dr. Mathew Kamm, of Zoo New England.

Dr. Matthew Kamm is a Boston-based wildlife biologist who specializes in ornithology. Matt has studied the natural history of wild birds while working for Mass Audubon and during his Ph.D work at Tufts University, with a focus on understanding songbird migration and the life history of American kestrels. He currently works as the Conservation Outreach Coordinator for Zoo New England.

Science on Screen is an initiative of the COOLIDGE CORNER THEATRE, with major support from the ALFRED P. SLOAN FOUNDATION.