Friday, January 4 - Thursday, January 10, 2008
Once again we’ve given the Brattle staff and projectionists a crack at selecting some of their favorite films and they’ve come up with a typically great selection. Among the offerings are a tribute to fallen screen icon Deborah Kerr with the sumptuous BLACK NARCISSUS; a pair of idiosyncratic films reflecting the disillusionment of the late 60s; the rarely screened modern classic UNDERGROUND; and late shows of the recent hit SUPERBAD. Plus we’re offering a 4-film Monty Python marathon we like to call PYTHON-A-THON!
The Boston Phoenix, Spamalot & Bass Ale Present
Python-A-Thon!
Buy Tickets
Sat 1/5, see sidebar for showtimes. Tickets $7.50; All-Day Pass $25/$20 Brattle Members
As a celebration of the return to Boston of the smash- hit stage musical Spamalot, The Brattle is pleased to present our first ever PYTHON-A-THON! This Monty Python marathon features four of their comedic assaults on reality. AND NOW FOR SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT is the filmic version of many of their most memorable sketches from the immortal Monty Python’s Flying Circus. LIFE OF BRIAN is the blasphemously hilarious story of Brian, an unwilling and incompetent prophet during the time of Jesus. THE HOLY GRAIL is the wholly fictitious and slanderous account of the untold adventures of the Knights of The Round Table – never has King Arthur been so thoroughly insulted. And finally, MEANING OF LIFE is an episodic film that explores, in a typically surreal fashion, the ‘big questions’ of life, death, sex, and “wafer thin mints.” Expect prizes and surprises for this celebration of all things Python!
Python-A-Thon!
Buy TicketsSat 1/5, see sidebar for showtimes. Tickets $7.50; All-Day Pass $25/$20 Brattle Members
As a celebration of the return to Boston of the smash- hit stage musical Spamalot, The Brattle is pleased to present our first ever PYTHON-A-THON! This Monty Python marathon features four of their comedic assaults on reality. AND NOW FOR SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT is the filmic version of many of their most memorable sketches from the immortal Monty Python’s Flying Circus. LIFE OF BRIAN is the blasphemously hilarious story of Brian, an unwilling and incompetent prophet during the time of Jesus. THE HOLY GRAIL is the wholly fictitious and slanderous account of the untold adventures of the Knights of The Round Table – never has King Arthur been so thoroughly insulted. And finally, MEANING OF LIFE is an episodic film that explores, in a typically surreal fashion, the ‘big questions’ of life, death, sex, and “wafer thin mints.” Expect prizes and surprises for this celebration of all things Python!
FILM DESCRIPTIONS:
Black Narcissus 
(1947) dir dir Michael Powell & Emeric Pressburger w/Deborah Kerr, Flora Robson, Jean Simmons, David Farrar, Sabu, Kathleen Byron, Jenny Laird, Judith Furse [100 min]
The Hollywood legend Deborah Kerr passed away late in 2007 and this film is a fitting tribute to her power and versatility as a screen actress – her films range from the classic musical The King & I, to the sensually powerful Night of the Iguana, to the truly absurd Casino Royale. Kerr’s ability to complement some of the most gorgeous films ever made is on full display in this story of a group of nuns struggling to establish a convent in the rugged landscape of Tibet. Adapted from the novel by Rumer Godden by the legendary filmmaking team of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger.
Original Theatrical Trailer
Superbad (2007) dir Greg Mottola w/Michael Cera, Jonah Hill, Christopher Mintz-Plasse [114 min]
Freaks & Geeks creator Judd Apatow continues his current domination of big screen comedy by producing this hilarious comingof-age story. The story sounds typical as a trio of geeky high school seniors embarks on a desperate search for booze and sex, but the unspeakably funny script and the unshakable chemistry between Cera and Hill elevate it to something more. Are you ready for some McLovin?
Original Theatrical Trailer
Python-A-Thon!And Now For Something Completely Different
(1971) dir Ian MacNaughton w/Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, Michael Palin
Description coming soon
Python-A-Thon!Monty Python's Life Of Brian
(1979) dir Terry Jones w/Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, Michael Palin
Description coming soon
Original Theatrical Trailer
Python-A-Thon!Monty Python And The Holy Grail
(1975) dir Terry Gilliam & Terry Jones w/Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Eric Idle, Terry Gilliam, Terry Jones, Michael Palin, Connie Booth, Carol Cleveland [91 min]
This surreal take on the tale of King Arthur's quest for the Holy Grail features some of the all-time silliest moments of British humor. From the horses which are actually coconuts being knocked together, to the (literally) unarmed Black Knight, to the halls of Camelot ("it's only a model"), to the attack of the killer bunny, MONTY PYTHON & THE HOLY GRAIL is priceless comedy all the way through.
Original Theatrical Trailer
The Late Show!Superbad
(2007) dir Greg Mottola w/Michael Cera, Jonah Hill, Christopher Mintz-Plasse [114 min]
Freaks & Geeks creator Judd Apatow continues his current domination of big screen comedy by producing this hilarious comingof-age story. The story sounds typical as a trio of geeky high school seniors embarks on a desperate search for booze and sex, but the unspeakably funny script and the unshakable chemistry between Cera and Hill elevate it to something more. Are you ready for some McLovin? Original Theatrical Trailer
Two-Lane Blacktop (1971) dir Monte Hellman w/James Taylor, Dennis Wilson, Warren Oates, Laurie Bird [102 min]
Monte Hellman’s immortal, Grindhouse classic returns to the Brattle’s big screen! A oddly philosophical story about two guys who are drag racing their way across the US in a primer grey 1955 Chevy. Never referred to by name, The Driver (Taylor) and The Mechanic (Wilson) hardly ever speak, preferring to communicate only when necessary. Along their way they pickup a girl (Bird) and meet a potentially full-of-it guy (Oates) who challenges them to a race to Washington D.C. “You can never go fast enough…”
Original Theatrical Trailer
Gattaca (1997) dir Andrew Niccol w/Ethan Hawke, Jude Law, Uma Thurman [106 min]
An unfairly overlooked film that delivers a seamlessly futuristic world without resorting to computer generated effects, GATTACA paints the picture of a future world where genetic mapping is so advanced that one’s entire life is planned out from birth. Hawke plays Vincent, a man considered genetically inferior who, nonetheless, longs to be an astronaut. He seems in reach of his dream when he undertakes a dangerous scheme to trade identities with Jerome (Law), a ‘perfect specimen,’ but events take an unexpected turn and the stakes for Vincent keeping his identity a secret become even higher.
“One of the smartest and most provocative of science fiction films… intelligent and thrilling.” – Roger Ebert
Original Theatrical Trailer
Restored 35mm Print! They Shoot Horses, Don't They?
(1969) dir Sydney Pollack w/Jane Fonda, Michael Sarrazin, Susannah York, Gig Young, Red Buttons, Bruce Dern [120 min]
A wrenching film about a Depression-era dance contest that exposes the sometimes beautiful, sometimes horrible nature at the heart of humanity, THEY SHOOT HORSES… stars Jane Fonda as Gloria, a down at the heels woman who joins a non-stop dance marathon with Robert (Sarrazin) an unwilling partner who has unwittingly wandered into the event. Their fellow contestants include a pair of fading movie actors, an aging ex-sailor, and a desperate man with his pregnant wife. Overseeing it all is the ringmaster of the event, ‘Rocky’ (Oscar winner Gig Young) who drives the dancers to the point of collapse with the promise of a cash prize that may never come. Who will be standing at the end? How long can they last? This tragic and gorgeous early film from Sydney Pollack (Tootsie, Out Of Africa) is a real treat on the big screen.
Original Theatrical Trailer
Underground (1995) dir Emir Kusturica w/Miki Manojlovic, Lazar Ristovski, Mirjana Jokovic, Slavko Stimac, Ernst Stötzner [170 min]
Serbian filmmaker Emir Kusturica crafted this surreal story of a group of refugees who moved underground during WWII and haven’t emerged for 50 years. The underground dwellers manufacture arms for the partisans but their dealer in the outside world neglects to tell anyone that the war is over. In relative isolation, the refugees form their own society. When they become suspicious and finally emerge from their basement hideouts, they find a world drastically changed and, seemingly, stuck in a state of perpetual conflict. Like a Tom Waits song come to life, UNDERGROUND is a wonder of modern filmmaking – dark, funny, allegorical, beautiful, and utterly enthralling.
Original Theatrical Trailer
