Fall Arts Film
Get off the beach. Put away the sun block. Just face it: summer has breathed its last gasps and you must now return to being a real person. But don’t let chilly reality dampen your spirits too much, for Santa Barbara’s movie houses have a delightful autumn season planned. And isn’t better to escape for the afternoon and not have to shake sand out of your pockets?
Aguirre, The Wrath of God
A gripping 1972 battle epic from Warner Herzog about conquistadors losing their minds during while searching for Aztec gold, now shown in a new restored print. The late Klaus Kinski stars.
Mon., Oct. 2, 7:30pm, UCSB’s Campbell Hall, 893-3535 or artsandlectures.ucsb.edu
Grizzly Man
The second of a Warner Herzog one-two punch, this documentary again focuses on Herzog’s favorite subjections: obsession. The film details the life of Timothy Treadwell, an environmentalist whose love of bears ultimately got him killed and eaten by one.
Mon., Oct. 2, 7:30pm, UCSB’s Campbell Hall, 893-3535 or artsandlectures.ucsb.edu
The Real Dirt on Farmer John
Taggart Siegel’s moving while humororus documentary about the maverick American farmer John Peterson, who revisions his farming practices after hitting financial woes in the 1980s. Even Al Gore called it “gripping.”
Thu., Oct. 5, 7:30pm, UCSB’s Campbell Hall, 893-3535 or artsandlectures.ucsb.edu
Chasing the Lotus
The Magic Lantern film series begins its fall run with the world premiere of the latest surfing odyssey by UCSB alum and The Far Shore director Gregory Schell. Blue waves and bright sun from Bali to Maui, California to Costa Rica.
Fri., Oct. 6, 7pm and 10pm, I.V. Theater, magiclanternfilms.org
Mountain Patrol: Kekexili
The Tibetan antelope and its volunteer protectors in China run up against poachers in this Lu Chuan film about nature, unity, and courage.
Thu. Oct. 12, 7:30pm, UCSB’s Campbell Hall, 893-3535 or artsandlectures.ucsb.edu
The Devil Wears Prada
Who would win in a battle between the Academy Award- wielding Meryl Streep and a willowy ingenue with a penchant for starring in cinematic book adaptations? Don’t count Anne Hathaway out altogether, even if a gradually brightening wardrobe threatens to out-act her.
Fri., Oct. 13, 7pm and 10pm, I.V. Theater, magiclanternfilms.org
Leonard Cohen-I’m Your Man
Engrossing documentary of the legendary singer-songwriter responsible for hits like “Suzanne.” The film features testimony from the likes of Bono, Nick Cave, Jarvis Cocker, Beth Orton and the Wainright siblings about how Cohen’s stylings cured the sick, gave sight to the blind and changed rock music forever.
Wed., Oct. 18, 7:30pm, UCSB’s Campbell Hall, 893-3535 or artsandlectures.ucsb.edu
Tibet: A Buddhist Trilogy
This restored 1979 film by Graham Coleman follows Buddhist pilgrims on the path from India to the Dalia Lama’s sacred space in Tibet.
Wed., Oct. 25, 7:30pm, UCSB’s Campbell Hall, 893-3535 or artsandlectures.ucsb.edu
The Descent
All manner of badness gets stirred by cave explorers in this slick screamer. In time for Halloween, The Magic Lantern is offering the uncut British version, whose ending was deemed “too dark” for American audiences. And aren’t you a little interested to know what “too dark for Americans” means?
Fri., Oct. 27, 7pm and 10pm, I.V. Theater, magiclanternfilms.org
Snakes on a Plane
As if flying hasn’t become enough of a headache. For the lot of you who decided not to drop full-priced admission on this summer diversion, opportunity is slithering at your door. See Samuel L. Jackson battle reptilian hordes at a bargain rate.
Fri., Nov. 3, 7pm and 10pm, I.V. Theater, magiclanternfilms.org
Stranger Than Fiction
It’s nice to know we now have the adjective “Charlie Kaufmanesque.” Critics everywhere have been using it in previews of this artfully creative comedy, which features Will Ferrell as an IRS agent who begins hearing the voice of a narrator (Emma Thompson), who may or may not be foreshadowing Ferrell’s character’s death. The film also stars Queen Latifah, Dustin Hoffman, and Arrested Development’s Tony Hale. If you can’t wait for the general release, pay $250 and see it at the Lobero on Sunday, November 5 for the S.B. International Film Festival’s fall fundraiser.
Fri., Nov. 10, general release
Pandora’s Box
A re-issue of the 1929 silent film that catapulted Louise Brooks to international fame, the film involves the life of provocative vaudeville performer whose sexual proclivities tend to bring about ruin. Pianist Michael Mortilla will provide live musical accompaniment.
Mon., Nov. 14, 7:30pm, UCSB’s Campbell Hall, 893-3535 or artsandlectures.ucsb.edu
An Inconvenient Truth
As much a thriller as a straight-up documentary, this documentary presents Al Gore’s take on the environmental crisis facing the planet. Watch, but expect to be haunted more than you would be by the average scary movie.
Mon., Nov. 16, 7:30pm, UCSB’s Campbell Hall, 893-3535 or artsandlectures.ucsb.edu
Half Nelson
Ryan Gosling and newcomer Shareeka Epps star in this engaging indie about a druggie high school teacher’s unlikely friendship with an especially bright student.
Fri., Nov. 17, 7 and 10pm, I.V. Theater, magiclanternfilms.org
The War Tapes
This film, the first war movie ever shot by American soldiers and sanctioned by the U.S. government, provides an intimate, in depth look at the day-to-day reality of fighting the Iraqi war. Some say it’s the most compelling piece of anti-war filmmaking yet.
Mon., Nov. 20, 7:30pm, UCSB’s Campbell Hall, 893-3535 or artsandlectures.ucsb.edu
The Road to Guantanamo
Mixing news footage, prison interviews, and re-created scenes, this film follows the plight of three British men charged with nothing yet held by the U.S. in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
Mon., Nov. 27, 7:30pm, UCSB’s Campbell Hall, 893-3535 or artsandlectures.ucsb.edu
A Scanner Darkly
What is Substance D? How much would you bet that it’s wicked trippy? The paranoid sci-fi of Phillip K. Dick meets the “moving painting” rotoscoping style from Waking Life. Prepare for the mind-bending, courtesy Richard Linklater, Keanu Reeves and Robert Downey Jr.
Mon., Nov. 29, 7:30pm, UCSB’s Campbell Hall, 893-3535 or artsandlectures.ucsb.edu
Little Miss Sunshine
A gloriously reviewed off-beat comedy involving a family’s cross-country road trip to enter young Olive (Abigail Breslin) in a beauty pageant. The stellar cast Greg Kinnear, Steve Carell, Alan Arkin and Toni Colette.
Fri., Dec. 1, 7pm and 10pm, I.V. Theater, magiclanternfilms.org
