Click here or on the above image for information on how you can attend an exclusive, free advance screening of United States of Tara on Tuesday, January 13, 2009! Drinks and snacks will be served; 21 and older please.

Now Playing at the Lumiere Theatre

Writer/director Yair Hochner delivers a sexy, wacky comedy that focuses on its characters' domestic and romantic problems. And no one has more problems than gay siblings Omer (Tomer Ilan) and Shirley (Lucy Dubinchik). Omer is almost thirty and still hasn't found himself—or the man of his dreams. A series of disastrous blind dates hasn't helped. Shirley is a little younger and has already nabbed her dream woman, owner of the hippest café in town (and Shirley's boss). But the thought of settling down scares Shirley, who wonders if she's ready to give up her long-held plan of traveling to Antarctica. As the siblings sort through their feelings and prepare for adulthood, friends and relatives chime in with their advice and problems of their own. No one has more of either than their "Jewish mother from hell," Shoshanna, played by Yoam Huberman, one of Israel's most talented drag artists. Official Web Site

Now Playing at the Embarcardero Center Cinema

Jamal Malik (Dev Patel), an 18-year-old orphan from the slums of Mumbai, is about to experience the biggest day of his life. With the whole nation watching, he is just one question away from winning a staggering 20 million rupees on India’s “Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?” But when the show breaks for the night, police arrest him on suspicion of cheating; how could a street kid know so much? Desperate to prove his innocence, Jamal tells the story of his life in the slum where he and his brother grew up, of their adventures together on the road, and of Latika (Freida Pinto), the girl he loved and lost. Each chapter of his story reveals the key to the answer to one of the game show’s questions. Intrigued by Jamal’s story, the jaded Police Inspector begins to wonder what a young man with no apparent desire for riches is really doing on this game show? When the new day dawns and Jamal returns to answer the final question, the Inspector and sixty million viewers are about to find out… Written by Simon Beaufoy (The Full Monty), based on the best selling novel Q&A by Vikas Swarup. Directed by Danny Boyle (Sunshine, Millions, Trainspotting). Official Web Site

Now Playing at the Embarcadero Center Cinema

Gay Rights Activist. Friend. Lover. Unifier. Politician. Fighter. Icon. Inspiration. Hero. His life changed history, and his courage changed lives. In 1977, Harvey Milk (Sean Penn) was elected to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, becoming the first openly gay man to be voted into major public office in America. His victory was not just a victory for gay rights; he forged coalitions across the political spectrum. From senior citizens to union workers, Harvey Milk changed the very nature of what it means to be a fighter for human rights and became, before his untimely death in 1978, a hero for all Americans. Co-starring James Franco, Emile Hirsch, Diego Luna and Josh Brolin. Directed by Gus Van Sant (Good Will Hunting, My Own Private Idaho) from an original screenplay by Dustin Lance Black. Official Web Site Mick LaSalle's San Francisco Chronicle review...

Now Playing at the Bridge Theatre

Just as New York City was the backdrop in Woody Allen's Manhattan, the stunning city of Barcelona is the setting for the writer/director's look at the romantic adventures of Vicky (Rebecca Hall) and Cristina (Scarlett Johansson). These two young American women spend a summer in Spain, where they meet a flamboyant artist (Javier Bardem, Academy Award winner for No Country for Old Men) and his beautiful but insane ex-wife (Penélope Cruz). Vicky is straight-laced and about to be married. Cristina is a sexually adventurous free spirit. When they all become amorously entangled, the results can only be described as chaotic. Co-starring Patricia Clarkson, Kevin Dunn and Chris Messina. Official Web Site

Now Playing at the Opera Plaza Cinema

Cadillac Records chronicles the rise of Chess Records and its recording artists. A tale of sex, violence, race and rock 'n' roll in Chicago of the 1950s and '60s, the drama follows the exciting but turbulent lives of some of America's greatest musical legends. Cast includes Adrien Brody as label founder Leonard Chess, Jeffrey Wright as guitar prodigy Muddy Waters, Columbus Short as harmonica player Little Walter, Mos Def as rock and soul legend Chuck Berry, and Beyoncé Knowles as crossover singer Etta James. As rock 'n' roll and Chess artists grow more popular, they find themselves revered by a new generation of musicians, but they have also each earned and lost a small fortune on booze, women and the high life, and their addictions begin to take their toll. Even as tragedy befalls, their music and their spirit remain strong and the blues live on. Co-starring Gabrielle Union, Cedric the Entertainer and Eamonn Walker. Written and directed by Darnell Martin (I Like It Like That). Official Web Site

Now Playing at the Opera Plaza Cinema
Must End Thursday, January 8!

Quantum of Solace continues the high-octane adventures of James Bond (Daniel Craig) that began in Casino Royale. Betrayed by Vesper, the woman he loved, 007 fights the urge to make his latest mission personal. Pursuing his determination to uncover the truth, Bond and M (Judi Dench) interrogate Mr. White (Jesper Christensen) who reveals the organization which blackmailed Vesper is far more complex and dangerous than anyone had imagined. As Bond gets closer to finding the man responsible for the betrayal of Vesper, he must keep one step ahead of the CIA, a group of terrorists and even M, to unravel a sinister plan to take total control of one of the world's most important natural resources. Co-starring Olga Kurylenko and Mathieu Amalric. Directed by Marc Forster (Monster's Ball). Official Web Site

Now Playing at the Embarcadero Center Cinema

In post-WWII Germany, teenager Michael Berg (David Kross) becomes ill and is helped home by Hanna (Kate Winslet), a stranger twice his age. Michael recovers from scarlet fever and seeks out Hanna to thank her—drawing the two into a passionate but secretive affair. Michael discovers that Hanna loves being read to and their physical relationship deepens. She is enthralled as he reads to her from The Odyssey, Huck Finn and The Lady with the Little Dog. Despite their intense bond, Hanna mysteriously disappears one day and Michael is left confused and heartbroken. Eight years later, while he is a law student observing the Nazi war crime trials, Michael is stunned to find Hanna back in his life—this time as a defendant in the courtroom. A haunting story about truth and reconciliation, and how one generation comes to terms with the crimes of another. Also starring Ralph Fiennes. Directed by Stephen Daldry (The Hours, Billy Elliot). Official Web Site

Now Playing at the Opera Plaza Cinema
Must End Thursday, January 8!

Lauded short film director Nacho Vigalondo makes his feature debut with this tense, unstoppable vision of science and natural law gone awry. A man who accidentally travels back into the past meets himself. A naked girl in the middle of the forest. A mysterious stranger with his face wrapped in a pink bandage. A disquieting mansion on the top of a hill. All of them pieces of an unpredictable jigsaw puzzle where terror, drama and suspense will lead to an unthinkable crime. Who's the murderer? Who's the victim? Timecrimes takes a bold, difficult premise and brings the rarely-tread time travel framework to pulse-pounding but intelligent new heights. Official Web Site Walter Addiego's San Francisco Chronicle review...

Now Playing at the Opera Plaza Cinema
Must End Thursday, January 8!

One of the standout hits of the Cannes, Toronto and New York Film Festivals, A Christmas Tale is Arnaud Desplechin's (Kings and Queen) dazzling, big-hearted and brilliantly black comedy. In the role that garnered her the Special Prize at Cannes, Catherine Deneuve is Junon, the family matriarch, who greets the news of her life-threatening illness with calm equanimity. Desplechin regular Mathieu Amalric gives one of the best performances of the year as the black sheep of the family who returns home after being banished for 6 years. Crowded under the same roof again, solidarity quickly—and hilariously—devolves into feuding, drunkenness and bed-hopping, as everyone struggles to make sense of the mysteries of family, life and what lies ahead. Desplechin's masterful narrative has the breadth of a sprawling novel and the nimble wordplay of a classic comedy. Official Web Site

Now Playing at the Lumiere Theatre

Fragile and anxious, 12-year-old Oskar (Kåre Hedebrant) is regularly bullied by his stronger classmates. The lonely boy's wish for a friend seems to come true when he meets Eli (Lina Leandersson), also 12, who moves in next door to him. A pale, serious young girl, she only comes out at night and doesn't seem affected by the freezing temperatures. Coinciding with Eli's arrival is a series of inexplicable disappearances and murders. One man is found tied to a tree, another frozen in the lake, a woman bitten in the neck. Blood seems to be the common denominator—and for an introverted boy like Oskar, it doesn't take long before he figures out that Eli is a vampire. But by now a subtle romance has blossomed between them, and she gives him the strength to fight back against his aggressors. Director Tomas Alfredson and screenwriter John Ajvide Lindqvist weave friendship, rejection and loyalty into a disturbing and darkly atmospheric, yet poetic and unexpectedly tender tableau of adolescence. Official Web Site Reyhan Harmanci's San Francisco Chronicle review...

Now Playing at the Clay Theatre

Léa (Elsa Zylberstein) and Juliette (Kristin Scott Thomas) are sisters who are almost complete strangers to one other. Juliette has just been released from prison after serving a long sentence for an unspeakable crime, and life together isn't easy for the estranged sisters. The world has moved on and Juliette often seems confused. Helped by some, such as the kindly but tactless social worker and her open-hearted but depressed parole officer (Frédéric Pierrot), Juliette is also rejected by others, particularly employers who throw her out as soon as they find out what she did. But a huge question hangs over Juliette's renaissance. Why did she do such a terrible thing fifteen years ago? For all the others, it's a recurrent thought that they dare not put into words. And for Juliette, locked away in her secret, it's a burden to bear, which holds her back from engaging in her life and believing that she too has the right to be happy. Official Web Site Mick LaSalle's San Francisco Chronicle review...

Now Playing at the Lumiere Theatre

When Kym (Anne Hathaway) returns to the Buchman family home for the wedding of her sister Rachel (Rosemarie Dewitt), she brings a long history of personal crisis, family conflict and tragedy along with her. The wedding couple’s abundant party of friends and relations have gathered for a joyful weekend of feasting, music and love, but Kym—with her biting one-liners and flair for bombshell drama—is a catalyst for long-simmering tensions in the family dynamic. Filled with the rich and eclectic characters that remain a hallmark of Jonathan Demme’s films, this drama from first-time screenwriter Jenny Lumet (daughter of famed director Sidney Lumet) paints a heartfelt, perceptive and sometimes hilarious family portrait. Official Web Site

Now Playing at the Opera Plaza Cinema
Must End Thursday, January 8!

On August 7, 1974 a young Frenchman named Philippe Petit stepped out on a wire illegally rigged between New York's Twin Towers, then the world's tallest buildings. After nearly an hour dancing on the wire, he was arrested, taken for psychological evaluation and brought to jail. Petit spent eight months in New York planning the execution of the coup. Aided by a team of friends and accomplices, he had to find a way to bypass the World Trade Center's security; smuggle the heavy steel cable and rigging equipment into the towers; pass the wire between the two rooftops; anchor the wire and tension it to withstand the winds and the swaying of the buildings. The rigging was done by night in complete secrecy. At 7:15 AM, Philippe took his first step on the high wire 1,350 feet above the sidewalks of Manhattan. James Marsh's documentary brings Petit's extraordinary adventure to life through the testimony of Philippe himself, and some of the co-conspirators who helped him create the unique and magnificent spectacle that became known as "the artistic crime of the century." Music by Michael Nyman. Official Web Site Reyhan Harmanci's San Francisco Chronicle review...

Starts Friday, January 9 at the Bridge Theatre

Back in the late '80s, Randy "The Ram" Robinson (Mickey Rourke) was a headlining professional wrestler. Now, twenty years later, he ekes out a living performing for handfuls of diehard wrestling fans in high school gyms and community centers around New Jersey. Estranged from his daughter (Evan Rachel Wood) and unable to sustain any real relationships, Randy lives for the thrill of the show and the adoration of his fans. However, a heart attack forces him into retirement. As his sense of identity starts to slip away, he begins to evaluate the state of his life, trying to reconnect with his daughter, and striking up a blossoming romance with an aging stripper (Marisa Tomei). Yet all this cannot compare to the allure of the ring and passion for his art, which threatens to pull Randy back into his world of wrestling. Director Darren Aronofsky (The Fountain, Requiem for a Dream) presents a powerful portrait of a battered dreamer, who despite himself and the odds stacked against him, lives to be a hero once again in the only place he considers home—inside the ring. Official Web Site Mick LaSalle's San Francisco Chronicle review...

Starts Friday, January 9 at the Clay Theatre

One night at a bar, an old friend tells director Ari Folman about a recurring nightmare in which he is chased by 26 vicious dogs. Every night, the same number of beasts. The two men conclude that there's a connection to their Israeli Army mission in the first Lebanon War of the early eighties. Ari is surprised that he can't remember a thing anymore about that period of his life. Intrigued by this riddle, he decides to meet and interview old friends and comrades around the world. He needs to discover the truth about that time and about himself. As Ari delves deeper and deeper into the mystery, his memory begins to creep up in surreal images… Folman's animated documentary has been acclaimed worldwide and is winner of 6 Israeli Film Academy Awards, including Best Film, Director, Screenplay and Art Direction. Official Web Site

One Week Only! Starts Friday, January 9
at the Opera Plaza Cinema

Ellie (Hayley Atwell, Brideshead Revisited, The Duchess) takes on a big challenge when she becomes a novice caregiver to the grumpy residents of a home for the elderly in rural Ireland. Georgia (Vanessa Redgrave), a retired screen beauty who likes to sing the film's title tune at the drop of a hat, craves not only applause but also an endless supply of dry martinis. Spinster sisters Heather (Brenda Fricker), a tough billiards player, and Hazel (Imelda Staunton), an agoraphobe with a secret, are impossible to please. Reformed alcoholic judge Donald (Joss Ackland) insists on breakfast at dawn. Set during the Christmas holidays, this gentle and uplifting film is warm, engaging, funny and sad. Adapted from a story by Maeve Binchy (Circle of Friends). Official Web Site

One Night Only! Thu, Jan 15 at 7:00pm
at the Embarcadero Center Cinema

When Claude Gerstle, a surgeon and athlete, suffers a tragic bicycle accident that leaves him paralyzed from the neck down, he and his daughter, director Jessica Gerstle, discover hope in the politicized area of science called stem cells. The Accidental Advocate is a wheelchair odyssey of a father and daughter who track down thinkers, the politicians, the crusaders and the naysayers in an effort to understand the promise of the science and why a political quagmire is stalling a cure. Official Web Site

Special Roadshow Edition! One Week Only!
Starts Friday, January 16
at the Embarcadero Center Cinema

Director Steven Soderbergh's two-part epic about the life of Ernesto "Che" Guevara stars Benicio Del Toro (Best Actor, 2008 Cannes Film Festival) in a tour de force performance as the legendary revolutionary. Part One shows how Che proved to be an indispensible fighter, along with Fidel Castro, in the overthrow of the corrupt dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista. As he throws himself into the struggle, Che is embraced by his comrades and the Cuban people. Che rises to prominence in the Cuban Revolution, from doctor to commander to revolutionary hero. Part Two shows Che at the height of his fame and power. Then he disappears, re-emerging incognito in Bolivia, where he organizes a small group of Cuban comrades and Bolivian recruits to start the great Latin American Revolution. The story of the Bolivian campaign is a tale of tenacity, sacrifice, idealism, and of guerrilla warfare that ultimately fails, bringing Che to his death. Through this story, we come to understand how Che remains a symbol of idealism and heroism that lives in the hearts of people around the world. Don't miss this rare opportunity to see the film in its entirety, with an intermission, before it is released as two features! Special admission applies. Official Web Site

One Week Only! Starts Friday, January 16
at the Opera Plaza Cinema

Otto (Jey Crisfar) is a handsome, sensitive, neo-Goth zombie with an identity crisis. He wanders the streets of the city, never sleeping, until one day he auditions for a zombie film. The director, revolutionary Medea Yarn (Katharina Klewinghaus), is convinced that Otto is the personification of the effects of advanced capitalism on individuals. Medea begins making a film about Otto, while simultaneously shooting a film about a gay zombie revolt against consumerist society. As Medea directs the final, orgiastic scene of her film, Otto struggles to access the human emotions buried beneath his zombie exterior. Writer/director Bruce LaBruce (The Raspberry Reich, Hustler White) toys with genre conventions, combining different media, and making use of Medea's humorous film-within-the-film, while creating a new, sexy, hyper-politicized zombie mythology. Official Web Site

One Week Only! Starts Friday, January 16
at the Opera Plaza Cinema

Yonkers Joe is an exciting, high-stakes con film and moving family drama written and directed by Robert Celestino, and starring Academy Award-nominee Chazz Palminteri, Academy Award-winner Christine Lahti, Tom Guiry ("The Black Donnellys"), Golden Globe-nominee Linus Roache and Academy Award-nominee Michael Lerner. An ode to old time gamblers, now outdated in an age of powerful upscale casinos, the film tells the story of a dice hustler (Palminteri) whose determination to make one last grab for a big score in Vegas is complicated by the reappearance of his estranged, mentally challenged son into his life. Official Web Site

Sat, Jan 31 at Midnight at the Clay Theatre!
With The Bawdy Caste LIVE!

The longest-running midnight movie of all time stars Tim Curry as the kinky yet endearing “transsexual from Transylvania” Dr. Frank N. Furter, Susan Sarandon and Barry Bostwick as his hapless guests Brad and Janet, Meat Loaf as motorcycle-riding rough trade and author Richard O’Brien as the hunchbacked butler Riff Raff. It’s harmless musical fun—a delightful spoof of Hollywood horror movies and Old Dark House melodramas. All of our engagements feature live casts who perform scenes during the movie, and the audience is always welcome to respond to the on-screen action. The Rocky Horror Picture was the first—and is still the best—interactive movie experience! Official Web Site

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