July & August 2009 NOW

NOW

@

T h e M u s i c H a l l ’s M o n t h l y M a g a z i n e

July/August 2009

Members Trailer Party

Members celebrated SummerFilm May 29

Ocean Voyagers Wildcard

Chris Curtis moderated the panel discussion following our Wildcard movie.

Panel included filmmaker Feodor Pitcairn, Vicki Cornish, and Dan DenDanto

2009-2010 Season on sale to the public June 27 at noon!

Wednesday, August 5 • 7:30pm SummerFilm ‘09!

Pull-out calendar of films inside...

Portsmouth Loves Film! MIFF @ The Music Hall: Eight films. Seminars. Guests. Summer Fun! Carousel

Box Office 603.436.2400

The Weather Underground

Historias Extraordinarias

www.themusichall.org

Pachamama

28 Chestnut Street • Portsmouth, NH

NOW

@ the music hall

A n A m e r i c a n Tr e a s u r e f o r t h e A r t s

live events july/august

get your tickets today!

The best concert experience in New England!

Just Announced for October...

Tickets for both shows on sale to members Saturday, July 11, 2009 at noon.

On sale to the public: Saturday, July 25, 2009 at noon.

GREAT BIG SEA

Friday, October 9 • 8pm • Tickets: $48; $35

Etta James

The critically acclaimed Canadian Celtic rock band, known for engaging live performances and energetic rock interpretations of traditional folk songs, will flow into Portsmouth for a return engagement on The Music Hall’s stage.

“You only need to hear them once and they’re stuck in your head.” – NEW YORK Times

EVENING SPONSOR:

and The Roots Band

Wednesday, August 5 • 7:30pm Tickets: $75; $60

KEB’ MO’

The legendary Etta James, best known for her debut album, At Last, which became her signature song, has been performing for five decades, bridging the gap between rhythm and blues and rock and roll. Don’t miss her debut on The Music Hall stage!

Wednesday, October 14 • 7:30pm Tickets: $50; $38 Triple Grammy Award winner for Best Contemporary Blues albums, this latter-day blues master draws on rock, folk, pop, and jazz to create his up-to-date earthy and urbane Delta sound.

“one of the biggest, most powerful voices in rhythm and blues” – New York Times

“His pieces are daydreams on the blues” – New York Times

SERIES SPONSOR: EVENING SPONSORS: LunaChics

SERIES SPONSOR:

National Theatre of London HD Broadcast Series

One of the world’s leading theater producers of Shakespeare, international classic drama and contemporary playwrights is broadcasting live performances of plays in high definition onto cinema screens worldwide.

All’s Well That Ends Well Thursday, October 1, 2009 • 7pm (seating at 6:30pm)

Set against a background of sexism, snobbery and a battle between the generations, Shakespeare’s All’s Well That Ends Well turns fairytale logic on its head. A wondrous, bittersweet story. Directed by Marianne Elliott, with Oliver Ford Davies, Clare Higgins, Conleth Hill, George Rainsford and Michelle Terry. “wondrous revival... a fairytale for grown ups” - Guardian

Nation

Sunday, January 31, 2010 • 2pm (seating at 1:30pm) Nation, based on a novel by fantasy/science fiction writer Terry Pratchett, adapted by Mark Ravenhill, directed by Melly Still. The novel was praised as “an absolutely sweet book, a story that is part Lord of the Flies and part Treasure Island, a moving and sweet young adult novel about science, superstition and decency.”

SERIES SPONSOR: Seatrade International

Box Office 603.436.2400

Founders lobby lounge Coffee. Cake.

Cocktails.

Meet me in the Founders Lobby.

Every ThursdaySaturday, 5:30midnight.

Here&Now

The Music Hall and the Seacoast Community

Historic Tours and Tall Ships

by Margaret Talcott, Director of Strategic Communications

As we thought about the four Tall Ships sailing into Portsmouth August 7- 9, we were reminded of the shipbuilding connection to the founding of The Music Hall and thought we’d go backstage to speak to our historian Zhana Morris about her Historic Tours: Who comes on The Music Hall’s Historic Tours and what do they come to see?

The majority are long-time patrons. In the summer months we get people less familiar, including tourists. Some are connected to theaters in their home community.

Historic Tours (Thursdays at 12:30pm or 5pm - see schedule online) spotlight role of shipbuilders at The Music Hall.

Where do you go on the tour?

The tour starts in our gorgeous Founders Lobby. It’s the newest space, but it also pays homage to all 135 years of the theater. From there we jump around through time, entering the upper lobby, which shows the changes made after the 1945 auction. From the balcony we see up close the dome restored to its 1878 splendor and the antique projectors still used in the production booth. Before heading backstage,

we take a closer look at the 1901 proscenium arch, which everyone loves. We finish backstage looking at the old stage workings which connect The Music Hall to ship building. There’s a universal connection between sailing and theater operation. The technology for both is the same.

What do tour-goers like best and what surprises them most?

The link to shipbuilding surprises a lot of people. In the Seacoast area many people feel connected to the ocean. I remind tour-goers backstage that it’s bad luck to whistle in the theater. The signals to lower and raise sets were traditionally given by boatswain whistles because many stagehands were off-duty sailors familiar with the system. Tour goers love this, and they get pretty quiet backstage when I show them how the rigging allows me to move scenery that weighs close to a ton with only one hand. We don’t use whistles today but the rigs and the memory remain.

Article continues online! Visit www.themusichall.org/now

New Membership Benefits Coming Soon!

BY LAUREN LENOX, Membership Manager

Our crafty summer project in the Membership office is to create new and improved membership cards for all our valued members! PLUS -We are currently working to partner with as many local businesses as we can, to make your Music Hall membership even more beneficial (and attractive!)

You will be able to show this card at even MORE local restaurants and merchants to receive discounts all over town! Look for your new card in the mail this fall, along with our list of participating venues! Many thanks to The Portsmouth Brewery & Rudi’s Portsmouth for their generous support of the new membership card program. These cards will be made out of all recycled materials.

Membership Card

The new membership card design. Our in house gnome works magic on membership cards.* * No gnomes were harmed in churning out new cards.

Behind the Scenes with Our Music Hall Projectionist

by KATHLEEN SOLDATI, Director of Marketing

As we watch SummerFilm and get ready for MIFF @ The Music Hall, we thought about a key person who makes it all happen for us - our projectionist.

Kathleen Soldati caught up with Elizabeth Antalek recently at the Hall to ask about how she got into this job and what she’s looking forward to the most in July and August...

Was it always a dream of yours to run movie projectors?

My becoming a projectionist was pure happenstance – I loved the experience of cinema but hadn’t really given much thought to what went on in the booth. It was a magical room, and magical light streamed out through its windows.

Did you sacrifice the magic when you learned how things worked?

Thankfully, no. If I lost anything by learning the mechanics – and I don’t think I did – having the opportunity to create an experience for others has been ample compensation. We show films that are worth seeing, and I enjoy sharing them. Especially when a film is well attended, the collective experience is palpable. I like to slip downstairs and watch a few minutes of film with the audience. You can feel people watching. And the beauty of light through film, all that color and luminosity – nothing compares.

You also work for the Telluride Film Festival?

Out in Colorado, yes, every Labor Day weekend.

It’s a cinephile’s paradise, truly. Despite the many honored guests each year, it’s not about celebrity – it’s about art, and everyone from the editors to the archivists is recognized along the way. I feel lucky to be part of it – but in a way, it’s even more fun to come home again and show films for Telluride by the Sea. I love to see this community excited about film.

Without hesitation, I said, “Yes!” After that I was trained, and after that I was interviewed. It was all a bit topsy-turvy – but that just seems like proof that it was fated.

Elizabeth Antalek in the projection booth.

Are you looking forward to anything in particular in the July and August lineup?

I’m looking forward to all of it. Every title has something to recommend it, and most of them are new to me. American Violet was a crowd-pleaser in Telluride last year, so I hope we’ll have a good house for that. Revanche was one of my favorites at the festival, remarkable for its depth and direction.

So, how did it actually happen that you ended up in this job?

I moved to New Hampshire, sight-unseen, for graduate school, and before I even knew how to say “Piscataqua” I was at The Music Hall watching movies. I was here so often that someone at concessions asked, “Are you the new projectionist?”

For more on SummerFilm and MIFF @ The Music Hall movies, including Box trailers, visit www.themusichall.org www.themusichall.org Office 603.436.2400

Box Office 603-436-2400

www.themusichall.org

NOW

@ the music hall COMING in September...

** Where’s our calendar? Since this issue covers July and August, please see our complete Summer calendar inside kor online at www.themusichall.org! **

A Weekend Celebration of Cinema September 18-20, 2009 • Tickets: Patron Pass $200; Weekend Pass $85; Individual Tickets: $12.50

Six Films. Three Days. One Weekend Celebration of New Cinema. The latest international cinema fresh from their Colorado debuts at the Telluride Film Festival.

“beat our brethren in bigger metropolises to the cinematic punch!” – Port City Life

SPONSORS: BayRing Communications; Flygare, Schwarz & Closson, PLLC; Harbour Light Strategic Marketing; Isles of Shoals Steamship Company; Radici; Seatrade International, Inc.; Secure Planning, Inc.; Smuttynose Brewing Company; Veris Wealth Partners; New Hampshire Public Television; The Wire

Writers on a

New England Stage

“A Comedy Empire.”

– THE NY TIMES

E.L. Doctorow

The Second City

Wednesday, September 30, 2009 •7:30pm • Tickets: $13 One of America’s preeminent writers, the author of such epic works as Ragtime, Billy Bathgate, and The March, joins us to discuss his new novel set in 20th century America, Homer and Langley.

“a national treasure.” – St. Louis Post Dispatch EVENING SPONSORS: DTC Lawyers Donahue, Tucker & Ciandella, PLLC; Smuttynose Brewing Company; Optima Bank & Trust

Box Office

SERIES SPONSORS: Calypso Communications; PARTNERS: Piscataqua Landscaping; Popovers & Galley Hatch Hospitality Group; RMC Research Corporation; 603.436.2400 • www.themusichall.org Haunted Milk Design

Friday, September 25, 2009 • 8pm • Tickets: $30, $23 The most famous brand in live comedy brings its spontaneous, topical and insightful hilarity. Watch for classic scenes from its 50-year archive, material ripped from the day’s headlines and trademark improvisation.

Alumni include Tina Fey, Stephen Colbert, Bill Murray.

SPONSORS: Bottomline Technologies; Leone, McDonnell and Roberts, CPAs; The Portsmouth Brewery; WSCA-LP 106.1 FM

Enjoy the benefits.

PAID

portsmouth, nh permit no. 202

NON PROFIT ORG. U.S. POSTAGE

Photo by Gary Langley/Blind Dog Photography

Share in the magic.

Saturday, August 15 • 5pm

Become a member.

The recipe for The Music Hall’s latest signature series is deliciously simple: take one part social mixer and combine with an equal part art happening, pour into the Founders Lobby and let the fun begin! It’s your chance to get up-close-and-personal with art and art-makers, bringing them down from the stage or the big screen and into the intimacy of a cocktail lounge. Once each month, from 5 till 7pm; $2 cover charge, free to Music Hall members.

VOLUNTEER ORIENTATION: First Tuesday of each month, 5:30-7pm

on sale to public: Sat., JULY 25 at noon

TIckets on sale to Members: Sat., JULY 11 AT NOON

2 new shows on sale

NATIONAL THEATRE OF LONDON

Wed ., Oct. 14

KEB’ MO’

Fri., Oct. 9

GREAT BIG SEA

Special thanks to our Season Underwriters:

Just Announced!

28 Chestnut Street, Portsmouth, NH 03801

NOW

@ the music hall

Support The Music Hall.

Start off the evening at 5pm in the Founders Lobby – swap stories and raise a glass immersed in the music and imagery of the era, then join us upstairs at 7:30 for the original Woodstock film.

Or renew your membership today!

This was printed on an FSC Certified paper containing 25% post-consumerwaste.

FSC Certification ensures responsible use of forest resources.

The Music Hall is a 501(c)3 tax exempt, fiscally responsible nonprofit organization, managed by a volunteer Board of Trustees and a professional staff. All contributions are tax deductible to the full extent allowable by law.

Box Office: 603.436.2400

28 Chestnut St., Portsmouth, NH FILM HOTLINE: 603.436.9900 | themusichall.org Enews signup: Sign up at www.themusichall.org and keep up to date with what’s going on at The Music Hall. » Program subject to change SHOW AND TELL

@ The Music Hall Sun

Mon

MAY

Kids RULE! movies

Tue

MAY/JUNE

Mon 6/1@7:30

Thu

Wed

Tue 6/26/2@7:30 Live Event Tue Intimately Yours: Chris Botti

RY

EVEESDAY WEDaNn eye full!

*ST TIMESART VARY

y, K idsMUST ! be seen on the BIG screen* e UNDER OUR SKIN H Get

Wed 6/3@7:30

Arkin, from the producers of Little Miss Sunshine. A spirited comedy-drama featuring crime-scene cleanup, family bonds and unexpected curves in life’s road. (R, 91mins, US, 2008) Thu 6/4@7:30

JUNE

R. M TER S BU

JULY JUNE/JULY

Mon 7/6@7:30

Mon 7/13@7:30

Tue 7/14@7:30

Adoration speaks to our connections—with each other, with our family history, with technology and with the modern world. A school assignment leads one student deep into the mystery that is his past. (R, 100 mins, Ca, 2008) Sun 7/19 MIFF

Mon 7/20:NO FILM

Tue 7/21:NO FILM

NO FILM MON & TUE

JULY/AUG

Sun 7/26@4&7:30

AUGUST

Sun 8/2@4&7:30

Mon 7/27@7:30

Tue 7/28@7:30

Mon 8/10@7:30

Tue 8/11@7:30

Mon 8/17@7:30

Tue 8/18@7:30

French director Olivier Assayas’ thoughtful and touching drama about siblings coming to terms with the history of their home and their mother’s estate. Juliette Binoche, Jeremie Renier and Charles Berling star. Subtitled. (NR, 103 mins, Fr, 2008) Sun 8/23@4&7:30

Mon 8/24@7:30

Tue 8/25@7:30

The charming and quirky tale of Odd Horten. When he retires from train conducting after 40 years, O’Horten realizes that the path ahead is a journey without printed timetables and well-known stations. Subtitled.

(PG13, 90 mins, No, 2008)

Sun 8/30@4&7:30

Mon 8/31@7:30

Tue 9/1@7:30

Stephen Frears (Dangerous Liaisons, The Queen, High Fidelity) continues to demonstrate his genre-defying talent with this adaptation of a Colette novel. Set in Paris prior to WWI, Rupert Friend, Michelle Pfeiffer and Kathy Bates star. (R, 100 mins, UK, 2009)

Sat 6/20@7:30

Portsmouth Peace Treaty Concert

When Gabriel and Emilie meet by chance, he offers her a ride and they spend the evening talking, laughing and getting along famously. A contemporary meditation on the myriad implications of a simple kiss. Subtitled.

(NR, 96 mins, Fr, 2007)

Fri 6/26 Live Event Fri 6/26@7:30 Spanish Harlem Orchestra

Sat 6/27@7:30

Fri 7/3@7:30

Sat 7/4@7:30

Sat 6/27@2pm ns Director Kevin Macdonald le!: Monsters vs. Alie sRu Kid moves from documentaries and The Last King of Scotland to this gripping political thriller. The all-star cast features Russell Crowe, Fri Sat Ben Affleck, Helen Mirren & Jeff Daniels. (PG13, 127 mins, US, 2009)

Perseverance & passion are the themes of the year’s most critically acclaimed documentary. Once on the cusp of fame & fortune, success has eluded Anvil for over 30 years. Their last-ditch effort brings Spinal Tap antics and teary-eyed doubt. (NR, 90 mins, US, 2008) Thu 7/9@7:30

Fri 7/10@7:30

Sat 7/11@7:30

(R, 202 mins, US, 2001)

(PG13, 103 mins, US, 2008)

Wed 7/15@7:30

Stanley Kubrick’s 1968 sci-fi masterpiece. From the dawn of man to the future of human evolution and artificial intelligence, the film sparkles with indelible images and an overwhelming soundtrack. “I’m sorry, Dave…” (G, 141 mins, UK, 1968) Wed 7/22@6:30

David Lean’s “epic of all epics” stars Peter O'Toole in one of the most electrifying debuts in film history along with Alec Guinness. To say “Seven Oscars” barely scratches the surface of this classic of immeasurable scope. (PG, 216 mins, UK, 1962) Wed 7/29@7:30

Wed Wed 8/58/5@7 NO FILM

Oscar-nominated for Best Foreign Language Film.

At once a gripping thriller and a tragic drama of nearly Greek proportions. Highly acclaimed for story, acting and direction alike. Subtitled (NR, 121 mins, Au, 2008) Sun 8/16@4&7:30

R E D U X

Sat 6/20 Live Event

Fri 6/19@7:30

Shining a spotlight on the racial profiling practices of a corrupt district attorney in a rural Texas town, Director Tim Disney’s film features a nuanced performance from Alfre Woodard as well as from newcomer, Nicole Behaire.

Mon 8/3@7:30

Tue 8/4@7:30

National Multiple Sclerosis Society: Move it. Laugh it! Love it!

Francis Ford Coppola's Vietnam epic, restored and updated with 49 additional minutes of footage. Martin Sheen, Marlon Brando, Robert Duvall and Dennis Hopper lead the top-notch cast.

Considered one of Akira Kurosawa’s greatest films.

George Lucas admits to borrowing much from the classic for Star Wars. Kurosawa’s frequent collaborator, Toshirô Mifune, provides a shining performance.

Subtitled (NR, 139 mins, JP, 1958)

116 mins, Sp, 2009)

Sun 8/9@4&7:30

Wed 7/8@6:30

A film about a musical that is itself about the casting of a musical, this documentary takes fans inside the makings of A Chorus Line, focusing on the casting of the musical’s Broadway revival and delving into the history of the show as well. (PG13, 96 mins, US, 2008) From director Jim Jarmusch. Isaach De Bankolé, Bill Murray, and Tilda Swinton star. A mysterious loner is in the process of completing a job which takes him not only across Spain but also through his own consciousness. (R,

Thu 7/2@7:30

Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actress and Supporting Actress along with countless other awards and nominations. Vivien Leigh, Leslie Howard, Olivia de Havilland and Clark Gable star in Victor Fleming’s Civil War classic. (NR, 238 mins, US, 1939)

Tue 7/7@7:30

The highly acclaimed biopic of former Italian Prime Minister, Giulio Andreotti. The narration spans the period from the seventh election of Andreotti as PM until the trial in which he was accused of collusion with the Mafia.

Subtitled. (NR, 110 mins, It, 2008) Sun 7/12@4&7:30

AUG/SEPT

Wed 7/1@6:30

Tue 6/30@7:30

“Philosophy is in the streets.” Filmmaker Astra Taylor accompanies some of today’s most influential thinkers on a series of unique excursions through places and spaces that hold particular resonance for them and their ideas. (NR, 88 mins, US, 2008) Sun 7/5@4&7:30

Sat 6/66/6@7:30 Live Event Sat

Fri 6/5@7:30

Julia Roberts is ex-CIA, Clive Owen is former MI6, Paul Giamatti and Tom Uncovers medical and political special effects for 1933,the Kingshocking Kong is one human, of the Wilkinson are rival CEOs in this slick, comic caper film of all-time great films to explore soul disease. of a monster.As the film delves into the corporate espionage and “who’s conning whom?” Tony dimensions of the Lyme (NR, 100 mins, US, 1933) lives of those who have been changed by the disease, a Gilroy directs. (PG13, 125 mins, US, 2009) Thu 6/11 Live Event system and Fri 6/12@7:30 Thu 6/11@7:30 Sat 6/13@7:30 Wed haunting 6/10@7 picture emerges of our healthcare RAIN: A Tribute to the Beatles its ability to cope a and terror under our skin. Expert Natalie Wood, George Chakiris, Ritawith Moreno panelTen discussion to follow.

Richard Beymer.

Academy Awards including Best Picture and Best Director. Leonard Bernstein’s score.

World-premiere at Sundance, 2009. An epic dramatic thriller written and directed by Stephen Sondheim’s lyrics. A 1950s Romeo and Student Academy Award winner Cary Fukunaga in his feature debut about the promise of Juliet. (NR,WOODSTOCK life in America. Subtitled. (R, 96 mins, Mex, 2009) 152 mins, US, 1961)

despondent old Southerner named William (Red West), mysteriously offers big money to A ravishing taletoof naturalpeak. survival and beauty. Five years in the be driven a mountain (NR, 91 mins, US, 2008) making and narrated by actor James Earl Jones, Earth follows Sun 6/7@7:30 Mon 6/8@7:30 Tue 6/9@7:30 the trials of three families of polar bears, elephants, and whales.

Renowned English video artist Steve McQueen's feature film debut brings a visceral intensity to his retelling of the hunger strike instigated by Bobby Sands and several SAT., @ 2pm 1 SHOW ONLY! otherUP detained Irish8/29 Republican Army•members in the 6/7@3 Live Event PSO Concert earlyA1980s.

(NR, 96 mins, UK, 2009) comedy adventure about 78-year-old balloon salesman who fulfills his dream a great adventure when he ties Wed 6/17@6:30 Sun 6/14@7:30 Mon 6/15@7:30 Tueof6/16@7:30 Thulobby 6/18@7:30 SAT., 8/15 • 5pm Scene @ 5 in founders 7:30pm thousands of balloons to his house film begins • 1 SHOW ONLY! Acclaimed documentarian Sergey Dvortsevoy's debut and flies away. Too late, he discovers narrative feature, Tulpanheis ahas workaofstowaway! extraordinary NOT RATED • 184min • 1970 • USA filmmaking bravado, an exhilaratingly alive and Abel Gance's monumental tribute to the French leader is a genre-defining breakthrough : R O The 40th Anniversary of Woodstock!

Start off the NSa landmark of technical sweet-natured fairytale set in the barren landscape of a in cinematic and artistic invention, featuring a final S S POand KIDS RULE! MOVIE SPONSORS: Sun 6/14@3 SE R IEhistory evening(NR,at2355pm in the Founders Lobby – swap stories, an Voyagers Kazakh steppe. Subtitled. (NR, 100 mins, Ger, 2008) reel in 3-screen Polyvision, a precursor to Cinerama. mins, Fr, 1927) Wildcard Movie: Oce Seacoast RotaryTue Club; WERZ raise a glass, then join us upstairs at 7:30 for origiThu 6/25 HDthe Event Sun 6/21@4&7:30 Mon 6/22@7:30 6/23@7:30 Thu 6/25@7:30 Scene@5 Wed 6/24@7 National Theatre of London nal Woodstock film.

HD Broadcast Series: Phedre The aging gunmen (William Holden, Robert Ryan, and Miguel is a promising young Dominican pitcher with a Ernest Borgnine) of Sam Peckinpah's masterpiece chance to get to the American minor leagues and a break the very laws of honor which bind them in this dream to go even further with hope of bringing his family bloody and meditative tale of the American West.

Sun Tue Wed Thu ONLY} back homeMon out of poverty. (R, 120 mins, US, 2008) {SAT NIGHT (R, 145 mins, US, 1969) Mon 6/29@7:30

Sat

Free popcorn, raffle and previews Cocked Hat Ventures, LLC; Hawthorn Publications; then stay for the movie!

New Hampshire A hit atPublic Sundance,Radio starring Amy Adams, Steve Zahn and Alan

THURS., 7/30 @ 7pm • 1 SHOW ONLY! The original, starring Fay Wray, Robert Armstrong, NOTandRATED • 103min • USA Bruce Cabot Frank Reicher.

With breakthrough

(Souleymane Sy 2pm Savane) a Senegalese taxi driver whose latest fare, a EARTHSoloSAT., 7/25 @ • 1isSHOW ONLY!

Sun 6/28@4&7:30

Fri

Members Only: NO FILM/STEVE EARLE Fri 5/29@7:30 BayRing Sat 5/30@7:30 WILDCARD MOVIE Communications; Preview SPONSORS: Party Fri 5/29@5:30

Films for the pint sized crowd...

SummerFilm ’09: The very best from independent and foreign cinema to the latest from Hollywood, with a unique Wednesday genre series running right down the middle, all presented in The Music Hall’s air conditioned restored historic auditorium on our enormous screen in Dolby Digital Surround Sound. Summer goes by fast - be quick or you'll miss it.

Most films start at 7:30 to allow for dining in our great Seacoast restaurants!

Sun 5/31@4&7:30

Join us for an in-depth discussion following the film

Thu 7/16: NO FILM

Fri 7/17 MIFF

Sat 7/18 MIFF

the maine international film festival in portsmouth Thu 7/23@7:30

Fri 7/24@7:30

Sat 7/25@7:30 Sat 7/25@2pm KidsRule!: Earth

Jennifer Aniston and Steve Zahn make for an adorable would-be couple in this romantic comedy also starring Woody Harrelson. (R, 93 mins, US, 2008) u 7/30@7 ThuTh7/30@7:30 r Skin der Ou

Wildcard Movie: Un

Fri 7/31@7:30

Sat 8/1@7:30 {FRI & SAT ONLY}

Adapted from Noel Coward, Jessica Biel, Colin Firth and Kristin Scott Thomas star in this lighthearted tale of old world manners versus new world freedom. (PG13, 93 mins, UK, 2009) Thu 8/6@7:30

Fri 8/7:30@7:30

Sat 8/8@7:30

August 5, 7:30pm

Live: Intimately Yours: Etta James and The Roots Band Wed 8/12@7

Ridley Scott’s historical epic which harkens back to classics like Ben-Hur and Spartacus, featuring Russell Crowe and Joaquin Phoenix. A glorious spectacle filled with heart and soul. (R, 155 mins, UK, 2000) Wed 8/19@7

Based on a true story, centering on Séraphine de Senlis (Yolande Moreau), a simple and profoundly devout housekeeper whose brilliantly colorful canvases now adorn some of the most famous galleries in the world. Subtitled. (NR, 125 mins, Fr, 2009) Scene@5 Thu 8/13@7:30

Thu 8/20@7:30

Director Steven Spielberg's WWII tour de force chronicles the journey of a GI squad on a dangerous mission behind enemy lines. The first unforgettable 20 minutes realistically and horrifically depict the landing at Omaha Beach. (R, 170 mins, US, 1998)

odstoc

Wildcard Movie: Wo

Fri 8/21@7:30

Sat 8/22@7:30

The adventure begins with a young crew’s maiden voyage on board the most advanced starship ever created: the U.S.S. Enterprise. The fate of the galaxy rests in the hands of bitter rivals – the Iowa farm boy and the ultra-logical Vulcan. (PG13, 126 mins, US, 2009) Thu 8/27@7:30

Director Fritz Lang’s brilliantly epic vision of a futuristic dystopia, considered the most influential sci-fi film ever, featuring a sinister autocrat, de-humanized laborers, the elite who frolic above the clouds and an alluring robot. (NR, 153 mins, Ge, 1927) Wed 9/2@7

t 8/15@7:30 SatSa8/15@7:30 k

Stephen Soderbergh’s steamy tale set in the weeks leading up to the 2008 presidential election, depicting five days in the life of an ultra high-end Manhattan call girl who offers more than sex to her clients. (R, 77 mins, US, 2009)

Sergio Leone’s epic “Spaghetti Western” stars Clint Eastwood, Eli Wallach and Lee Van Cleef as gunmen in the Old West, each who knows a different part of a puzzle which leads to a fortune. (R, 161 mins, It, 1966) Wed 8/26@7

Fri 8/14@7:30

Thu 9/3@7:30

Fri 8/28@7:30

Sat 8/29@7:30

Fri 9/4@7:30

Sat 9/5@7:30

2pm

Sat 8/29@ Sam Mendes (American KidsRule!: Up Beauty) goes comedic with a tale of 30-somethings (The Office’s John Krasinski, SNL’s Maya Rudolph) facing a new era of their life together and a chance to make a new start. (R, TBD mins, US, 2009)

Woody Allen returns to New York City for his latest romantic comedy starring Larry David, Evan Rachel Wood, Patricia Clarkson and Ed Begley Jr. (PG13, 92 mins, US, 2009)

MIFF @

the music hall

the maine international film festival in portsmouth

Eight films. Seminars. Guests. Summer Fun! Friday, July 17 – Sunday, July 19

CAROUSEL

Portsmouth Loves Film! Original, smart, deep. It’s the Maine International Film Festival (MIFF) – a rare jewel in the world of American film festivals. For 12 years, MIFF has brought its vision of film and culture to as wide an audience as possible in Waterville, Maine. Now, MIFF travels to Portsmouth!

Friday, July 17

7pm CAROUSEL and RESTORING CINEMASCOPE 55 (7minutes) Set on the northern New England seacoast, this wondrous turn-of-the-century musical fantasy has been restored by Martin Scorsese’s Film Foundation. Shirley Jones and Gordon MacRae star in this lustrous, emotionally complex tale, with Rodgers and Hammerstein’s memorable score.

USA, 1956, 35mm, 128 minutes, English.

9:30pm Opening Night Reception in Founders Lobby (open to all pass holders and Carousel ticket holders) THE WEATHER UNDERGROUND

Saturday, July 18

10:30am-11:30am Seminar: A New Century – A New Activism with Mark Rudd in Founders Lobby (open to all pass holders and Weather Underground ticket holders)

GHOST BIRD

Mark Rudd to introduce films, lead post-film discussion and sign his new book 12pm-1:45pm THE WEATHER UNDERGROUND and CLEAR GLASSES (USA, 2008, 4 minutes, English) Mark Rudd, political activist, math professor and author of a new autobiography was one of the leaders of the ‘60s student rebellion at Columbia University, later a fugitive with the Weathermen and Weather Underground, which sought to overthrow the US government. The first film is a riveting and thought provoking chronicle of the ‘60s while Clear Glasses is a ruefully funny meditation on an artifact of the era. A memorable afternoon, as Rudd shares his unique perspective on how best to accomplish social change. USA, 2003, 35mm, 93 minutes, English, narrated by Lili Taylor.

3:30pm-5pm GHOST BIRD The true story of an allegedly extinct giant woodpecker, a small Arkansas town hoping to reverse its misfortunes, and the tireless odyssey of birdwatchers and scientists searching for (and refusing to accept the demise of) the Holy Grail of birds, the elusive Ivory-billed woodpecker. Then, scientists from Cornell announced that it had been found…but had it? “comic, mesmerizing and deeply poignant” - Hot Docs. USA, 2009, 85 minutes, English.

PACHAMAMA

6pm-7:45pm PACHAMAMA (EL REGALO DE LA PACHAMAMA) In Bolivia, 13 year old Kunturi for the first time accompanies his father as he leads a llama caravan along the ancient salt route in the Andes. An ethnographic road movie with a big heart and eye for beauty. “portrays a vanishing way of life yet emerges as a delightful celebration of it.” - Variety.

Bolivia/Japan/USA, 2008, 35mm, 104 minutes, in Quechura (Spanish & Aimara) with English subtitles.

Karen Young (actress) and Alexander Berberich (director) introduce and lead post-film discussion 8:45pm-10:30pm BONNE ANNEE (HAPPY NEW YEAR) It’s New Year’s Eve in an unnamed Latin American city where two hit men ponder their lives in this stylish and unconventional thriller. The film uses a series of beautifully composed, continuous Hitchcockian “long take” shots. Alexander Berberich’s feature debut spotlights a radiant Karen Young, a dazzling leading lady in The Sopranos, Heading South and Heat. Costa Rica, 2008, Digital Projection, 105 minutes, English.

BONNE ANNEE

Sunday, July 19

11am HISTORIAS EXTRAORDINARIAS (EXTRAORDINARY STORIES)

11am-12:20pm 1st part (80min); 12:35pm-1:55pm 2nd part (80min); 2:10pm-3:35pm 3rd part (85min)

A cinematic discovery! Roaring, riveting four-hour film spins the dazzling story of three men on idiosyncratic, mysterious quests that lead in unexpected directions. An adventurous experiment in storytelling…a grand tapestry of mysteries. Argentina, 2009, 245 minutes, Spanish with English subtitles.

HISTORIAS EXTRAORDINARIAS

Post film discussion with director George Kachadorian and producer and subject Courtney Bent 4:30pm-6pm SHOOTING BEAUTY: EVERYONE DESERVES A SHOT From the Durham, NH Emmy-nominated filmmaker, this documentary shows aspiring fashion photographer Courtney Bent as she discovers a hidden world of beauty at a center for people with significant disabilities, who she provides with newly invented cameras. An eye-opening story about romance, daring, loss, laughter. USA, 2008, Digital Projection, 62 minutes, English.

SHOOTING BEAUTY

PLAYING WITH I AM A MAN: FROM MEMPHIS, A LESSON IN LIFE (Memphis, USA, 2008, Digital Projection, 27 minutes, English)

1968. After the slaying of Martin Luther King, thousands of African-American men are marching through the streets of Memphis, with signs reading, ‘I Am a Man.’ We meet one of the original protestors and hear the stories of seemingly insurmountable adversity. More than history, a lesson in life.

7:45pm CE QU’IL FAUT POUR VIVRE (THE NECESSITIES OF LIFE) A finely observed and beautifully filmed story of cross-cultural connection based on the tuberculosis epidemic that broke out in the Inuit population of far northern Canada in the 1940s and ‘50s. Natar Ungalaaq of The Fast Runner stars as a stricken man, diagnosed with TB who lands in Quebec City for two year treatment. Canada, 2008, 35mm, 103 minutes, French and Inuktitut with English subtitles.

Ticket Info: Passes and individual tickets are on sale now at The Music Hall Box Office.

Call (603) 436-2400 or buy online at www.themusichall.org.

Festival Pass $120 ($110 for members) includes priority seating for all films and special events Weekend Pass $82 ($70 for members) includes preferred seating to all eight feature films Individual film tickets $11 ($9.50 for members.

CE QU’IL FAUT POUR VIVRE

SPONSOR: The Portsmouth Brewery