June 14-20

Pieta

Kim Ki-Duk / 2012, South Korea / Color / 104min / Blu-ray

Winner of the Golden Lion at the 2012 Venice Film Festival, Pieta is the acclaimed film from the celebrated and controversial Korean director Kim Ki-Duk (Bad Guy; Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... And Spring; 3-Iron). In this intense and haunting story, a loan shark living an isolated and lonely existence uses brutality to threaten and collect paybacks from desperate borrowers for his moneylender boss. He proficiently and mercilessly collects the debts without regard to the pain he causes his countless victims. One day, a mysterious woman appears in front of him claiming to be his long-lost mother. After coldly rejecting her at first, he gradually accepts her in his life and decides to quit his cruel job and seek a decent, redemptive life. However, he soon discovers a dark secret stemming from his past and realizes it may be too late to escape the horrific consequences already set in motion from his previous life.

"Expectedly gruesome in some of its details. But it's the explicitness about capitalism's emotional wreckage that gives this micro-budgeted drama a gut-punch heft." LA Times

"Filled with feisty women and cowering men, "Pieta" twists human emotions into pretzels of perversion." NY Times

June 21 & 22

Manborg

Steven John Kostanski / 2011, Canada / Color / 60min / Blu-ray

The armies of Hell have taken over the Earth. All that stands in the way of the villainous Count Draculon and humanity‘s total extinction is a motley crew of misfits led by the mighty MANBORG: a warrior who‘s half-man, half machine, but all hero. Made for a mere $1000 (Canadian dollars), Manborg is a cheap rip-off of an ‘80s straight-to-video release, a B movie with plenty of cheese and lots of heart.

"Enjoyably ridiculous!" Variety

"An acid-washed cornucopia of action and laughs. Short, silly, and superbly crafted with next to no money, Manborg is a delight." Blu-ray.com

June 21-27

An Oversimplification of Her Beauty

Terence Nance / 2012, USA / Color / 89min / Blu-ray

Executive producers Jay-Z, Dream Hampton, and Wyatt Cenac present Terence Nance's explosively creative debut feature, An Oversimplification of Her Beauty. With arresting insight, vulnerability, and a delightful sense of humor, the film documents the relationship between Terence (Nance) and a lovely young woman (Namik Minter) as it teeters on the divide between platonic and romantic. Utilizing a tapestry of live action and multiple styles of animation, the film blurs the line between narrative, documentary, and experimental film as it explores the fantasies, emotions, and memories that race through Terence's mind as he examines and re-examines a singular moment in time.

"This brisk and self-searching, sharply intelligent, and deeply vulnerable romantic comedy is a masterwork." Richard Brody, The New Yorker

"Stunning. The kind of film--wildly inventive, aesthetically and structurally--for which the term 'visionary' was coined... makes other independent films look not just damnably safe, but inert." Noel Murray, The Onion A.V. Club

NYT CRITICS' PICK: "Most lovely and meticulously handmade... dazzling and funny!" New York Times

"...may be the first feature film that successfully expresses a cinematic black aesthetic." Charles Mudede, The Stranger

June 28-July 3

Evocateur: The Morton Downey Jr. Movie

Daniel A. Miller, Jeremy Newberger / 2012, USA / Color / 90min / Blu-ray

Before entire networks were built on populist personalities; before reality morphed into a TV genre; the masses fixated on a single, sociopathic star: controversial talk-show host Morton Downey, Jr. In the late ‘80s, Downey tore apart the traditional talk format by turning debate of current issues into a gladiator pit. His blow-smoke-in-your-face style drew a rabid cult following, but also the title “Father of Trash Television.” Through interviews, show clips, never-before-seen behind-the-scenes footage and animation, Evocateur dissects the mind and motivation of television's most notorious agitator. Featuring Herman Cain, Pat Buchanan, Chris Elliott, Gloria Allred, Sally Jessy Raphael, Alan Dershowitz, Curtis Sliwa, and Richard Bey.

"Remorselessly entertaining" Bilge Ebiri, New York Magazine

NYT CRITICS' PICK: "Crammed with clips, context and cheeky animation, this pull-no-punches portrait shocks and amuses with equal frequency." Jeannette Catsoulis, New York Times

July 5-11

Downloaded

Alex Winter / 2012, USA / Color / 106min / Blu-ray

In 1998 Shawn Fanning, a teenage hacker and programmer, created the code that would become the basis for all peer-to-peer file sharing. In 1999, Fanning and his business partner, fellow teenager Sean Parker, launched the file-sharing service Napster. And what had begun as a largely unknown underground distribution medium erupted into a full-blown global revolution. "Downloaded" explores this revolution from its genesis to its peak, and explains Napster's downfall. Featuring The Beastie Boys' Mike D, Noel Gallagher, Henry Rollins, former Sony Music Chairman, Don Ienner, former record producer and Island Records founder Chris Blackwell and Hilary Rosen, former CEO of the Recording Industry Association of America.

July 6-8

A Girl and A Gun

Cathryne Czubek / 2012, USA / Color / 76min / Blu-ray

A Girl and A Gun shows the female perspective on an object whose history is deeply bound to men and masculinity. The classic Hollywood portrayals of pistol packin' mamas, tomboy sharp shooters, sexually twisted femme fatales, and high-heeled, cold-blooded assassins are caricatures. In truth, the typical woman who hangs out at rifle ranges and keeps ammo in her purse is the girl-next-door, the single mom, a hard working sister or aunt. Maybe she's a realist or has learned tough lessons from life; either way, she cares about her personal safety and may even find salvation, comfort or something satisfying in possessing a gun. In a word, she is empowered. Breaking through the caricatures, A Girl and a Gun reveals America's diverse and far-ranging female gun community. It depicts how this community is portrayed by the media and targeted by the gun industry; and shows, through personal stories, how guns change women's lives.

July 12-18

Maniac

Franck Khalfoun / 2012, France-USA / Color / 90min / Blu-ray

Just when the streets seemed safe, a serial killer with a fetish for scalps is back and on the hunt. Frank (Elijah Wood) is the withdrawn owner of a mannequin store, but his life changes when young artist Anna (Nora Arnezeder) appears asking for his help with her new exhibition. As their friendship develops and Frank's obsession escalates, it becomes clear that she has unleashed a long-repressed compulsion. A 21st century Jack the Ripper set in present day LA, Franck Khalfoun's Maniac is a re-boot of the William Lustig cult film considered by many to be the most suspenseful slasher movie ever made. It's an intimate, visually daring, psychologically complex and profoundly horrific trip into the downward spiraling nightmare of a killer and his victims.

"Brilliant... a perfect fusion of European horror and American grindhouse." Starburst

"Moody... Noir-ish... An intelligent horror remake." Empire

July 19-25

Big Star: Nothing Can Hurt Me

Drew DeNicola, Olivia Mori / 2012, USA / Color / 100min / Blu-ray

While mainstream success eluded them, Big Star’s three albums have become critically lauded touchstones of the rock music canon. A seminal band in the history of alternative music, Big Star has been cited as an influence by artists including REM, The Replacements, Belle & Sebastian, Elliot Smith and Flaming Lips, to name just a few. With never-before-seen footage and photos of the band, in-depth interviews and a rousing musical tribute by the bands they inspired, BIG STAR: NOTHING CAN HURT ME is a story of artistic and musical salvation.

Friday & Saturday 8pm screenings followed by a set of the music of Big Star by local rockers Red Jacket Mine (and friends). Special pricing for Friday & Saturday 8pm shows: $12 general, $10 student/senior, $9 GI member. All other shows regular price.

BUY TICKETS
for Friday or Saturday shows ONLY

July 26-31

The Films of Trent Harris

Trent Harris / 1991-2011, USA / Color / Blu-ray, 16mm, 35mm

Trent Harris in person on 7/30!

The Grand Illusion is proud to present this four-film retrospective of legendary cult filmmaker Trent Harris. In Rubin & Ed, Crispin Glover & Howard Hesseman take a surreal road trip across a barren Utah landscape to bury a dead, frozen cat. Plan 10 From Outer Space (no relation to Ed Wood's classic) is a psychedelic sci-fi musical satire of Mormonism, predating Matt Stone & Trey Parker's current Mormon musical by over 15 years! The Beaver Trilogy takes a serendipitous encounter with a small town Olivia Newton-John impersonator and warps it into three separate movies: one documentary and two dramatizations starring Sean Penn and Crispin Glover. Shot in Cambodia, Mexico, Sierra Leone and Rwanda Harris' newest film, Luna Mesa, is the story of woman on a cryptic odyssey to discover what killed her lover.

August 1

Scarecrow Video presents
Video Vengeance

Various / 80min / VHS

Vengeance is a dish best served… on VHS! Scarecrow Video once again dives into their vast archive to deliver this action-overpacked collection from the glory days of consumer home video. It's a molotov cocktail of guns, knives, explosions, car chases, stunts, ninjas, bad one-liners, roid heads, spandex, sex scenes and straight-to-video excessive violence. 21+ with beer for sale!

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August 2-8

Grabbers

Jon Wright / 2012, Ireland / Color / 94min / Blu-ray

Strange doings are afoot in a small Irish fishing village: the crew of a boat disappeared, whales have appeared dead on the shore and weirdest of all, a local lobsterman caught a strange tentacled creature in his trap. There’s something big out there, and it’s hungry. When folks discover the blood-sucking aliens are allergic to alcohol, it’s time to rally the villagers, arm the troops…and head to the pub!

"Funny, gory and with some feckin' good CGI!" Total Film

"FOUR STARS… Enjoy irresponsibly!" Daily Telegraph UK

"Fantastically silly… likable and technically impressive." The Guardian UK

August 9-14 -- Tribute to Ray Harryhausen

Jason & The Argonauts - 50th Anniversary!

Don Chaffey / 1963, USA / Color / 104min / 35mm

Todd Armstrong portrays Jason in this adaptation of the Greek legend about the rightful heir to the throne of Thessaly. Honor Blackman plays the goddess Hera who spares his life and sends him on a mission aboard a ship named Argo to find the mystical Golden Fleece. As other Mount Olympus celestial beings watch from above, he is plagued by a host of obstacles, from a giant statue that comes to life and howling harpies who plague Patrick Troughton as the blind prophet Phineas, to gigantic rocks, a seven-headed hydra, and an army of battling skeletons. Supporting characters in this epic classic include Nancy Kovack and Nigel Green. The late Ray Harryhausen's legendary special effects bring it all alive. Plus a great Bernard Hermann score!

August 9-14 -- Tribute to Ray Harryhausen

7th Voyage of Sinbad

Nathan Juran / 1958, USA / Color / 87min / 35mm

Mighty Sinbad, played by Kerwin Mathews, is besieged by a slew of beastly adventures on his way to Baghdad with Kathryn Grant as his fiancée, the Princess Parisa. But our hero can't catch a break: on his voyage, they land on the isle of Colossa where the crew battles a gigantic, bestial one-eyed Cyclops. Luckily, the mysterious evil magician Sokurah, played by Torin Thatcher, comes to the rescue with a magic lamp. But they must go back to the evil isle to find the egg of a roc, a fierce, giant bird, so the princess can be returned to her normal size after being miniaturized by Sokurah. Along the way, they encounter more mythological creatures, including a two-headed roc and a fire breathing dragon. With yet another great score from Bernard Hermann!

Coming later

Adjust Your Tracking
The untold story of the VHS collector.

Rewind This!
The definitive documentary about the home video revolution.

The Muslims Are Coming!
Follow a group of Muslim-American standup comedians as they go on the road to counter Islamaphobia. Interviews with Jon Stewart, Rachel Maddow, Janeane Garafalo, and more>