The Boedecker Theater Cinema Blog
All The Films And Events For The Week Of Feb. 20th
Palmer’s Pix — Underappreciated Indie Film
Former CU film professor & Boedeker selections committee member, Jim Palmer presents a series of five underrated independent gems with lectures and discussions.
Lars and the Real Girl
Directed by Craig Gillespie, Starring Ryan Gosling, 1hr 46min
A painfully (pathologically?) shy Lars (Ryan Gosling) lives in a garage next to where his brother and pregnant wife reside. To combat his loneliness Lars orders an inflatable sex doll, and Bianca becomes a “real” central character in the film. The brother wants crazy Lars cured and fast. Patricia Clarkson plays the sympathetic doctor and the story is beyond charming, filled with complex family dynamics and communal healing.
SHOWTIMES: Monday February 20 6:30 PM SOLD OUT!
REVIEW by Roger Ebert
Oscar Shorts: Live Action
Every year this collection of the best in live-action short films is a favorite event for the Boe audience. Join us to predict the Oscar winner!
And the nominees are…
ENNEMIS INTÉRIEURS — directed by Sélim Azzazi
In the 1990s, as the Algerian civil war rages and terrorists infiltrate France, a French police officer of Algerian descent conducts a rancorous interview with a French-born Algerian man seeking naturalization.
LA FEMME ET LE TGV — directed by Timo von Gunten
Elise has been waving at the express train as it passes by her home every day for three decades. A letter from the train’s conductor begins a correspondence between the two, and when the train is detoured to another route, Elise goes in search of her man.
SING — Produced by Kristóf Deák & Anna Udvardy
Young Zsofi is having a hard time fitting in at her new school, and her distress grows when the choir director treats her cruelly despite her love of singing. Along with her friend Liza, Zsofi investigates the revered teacher in an attempt to reveal her true nature.
TIMECODE — directed by Juanjo Giménez
Parking lot security guard Luna is bored with her uneventful daily routine but a call about a customer complaint leads her to discover how the night guard, Diego, alleviates his boredom. Soon the pair develops a relationship by communicating through the garage’s CCTV footage.
SILENT NIGHTS — directed by Aske Bang
Young Danish woman Inger volunteers at a homeless shelter in Copenhagen, where she meets and falls in love with Kwame, an undocumented immigrant from Ghana. The couple builds a life together, but a devastating secret from Kwame’s past may undermine their happiness.
And Another Chance to see Jim Palmer! Join former CU film professor and Boedecker selections committee member, Jim Palmer for a talkback on Thursday February 23 following the screening at 7:00 PM.
SHOWTIMES: Wednesday February 22 4:30 PM, Thursday February 23 2:00 PM & 7:00 PM, Friday February 24 4:00 PM, Saturday February 25 1:00 PM BUY TICKETS HERE
REVIEW by John DeFore of the Hollywood Reporter
Check out trailers for the individual shorts here!
Deconstructing the Beatles: Sgt. Pepper
Presentation on film by Scott Freiman, 1hr 35min
The Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band is one of the most influential albums of our time. Rolling Stone described it as “the most important rock & roll album ever made, an unsurpassed adventure in concept, sound, songwriting, cover art and studio technology by the greatest rock & roll group of all time.”In Deconstructing Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, composer, musician, and Beatles expert Scott Freiman looks at Sgt. Pepper from multiple angles, exploring the history behind the music. Mr. Freiman conducts an educational journey into the creative process of The Beatles performances and recording sessions. You are guaranteed to leave amazed at The Beatles’ innovation in the studio and have a newfound appreciation for the talents of Lennon, McCartney, Harrison, and Starr.
SHOWTIMES: Wednesday February 22 7:00 PM, Thursday February 23 4:30 PM, Friday February 24 2:00 PM & 7:00 PM, Saturday February 25 4:00 PM & 6:00 PM BUY TICKETS HERE
BOE BLOG XTRA! Think you’re a Beatles fan? Well you probably are if you are coming to see Deconstructing the Beatles this week. And you’re about to know Sgt. Pepper’s Lonley Hearts Club Band inside out, BUT, we’d still argue there is at least one fan slightly more obsessive than you out there- who created his own priceless piece of Beatles memorabilia. Among many of the famously innovative and offbeat tracks on the Sgt. Pepper album is Lennon’s wonderfully weird, Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite! which was inspired by an antique circus poster he had purchased. Check out this short film by Nick Esdaile and Joe Fellows on one fan determined to recreate the poster using traditional letterpress printing. And he’s willing to share! You can buy your own print from Beatles superfan, Peter Dean for a mere €220 on his website!
Glenn’s Pick of the Week
What makes the Boedecker Boulder’s arthouse gem is the unmatched programming led by the impeccable taste of our Cinema Manager, Glenn. Our members, staff and friends all know that if Glenn recommends a film, you should be there. With that in mind, we give you Glenn’s pick of the week! If you can only see one film out of this week’s lineup, this is the one. Or even if you come to see them all, mark the talkback on your calendar or make a night of it with a friend because this is the film you’ll want to discuss. Check out Glenn’s statement below on why you need to see this week’s pick!
Glenn Webb, Cinema Manager
This Week: Deconstructing the Beatles
“With the prevailing sense of cultural fragmentation driven by political divisions recently, many of us yearn for a solid piece of shared cultural experience, some commonality that somehow holds us together. About 50 years ago an album was released that has been heard by almost everyone, and when it came out, it changed music everywhere. Even if you don’t care for The Beatles, one can draw clear lines of influence from this album to music that you love.
Also, thanks to the late Neal Thompson, who used to work at The Boe, I have digital audio files for the four isolated tracks of the original recordings of several songs from the album. Kit and I have set the up with simple audio mixing software on workstations by the Boe lobby so that you can play with the tracks, listen to them in isolation or at various levels. There is nothing like actually mixing the tracks to give you an appreciation for how these songs were constructed. You won’t likely ever get the chance to do this again.”
Friday Night Weird Sponsored by Terrapin Care Station
Dying Laughing
Directed by Lloyd Stanton & Paul Toogood, 1hr 29min
This is an enthralling documentary that focuses on the craft, creative process and complicated lives of stand-up comedians told from the perspective many of the top comedians of our time — including Jerry Seinfeld, Chris Rock, Kevin Hart, Sarah Silverman, Jamie Foxx, Amy Schumer and the late Gary Shandling.
SHOWTIMES: Friday February 24 8:45 PM BUY TICKETS HERE
REVIEW by Sheri Linden of the Hollywood Reporter
BOE BLOG XTRA! Stand up comedy can be a strangely indefinable genre of performance art compared to other, more traditional (and publicly recognized as “higher”) art forms. The term itself was not coined until the 1940s and the rise of comedy clubs and the idea of a comedian as a stand alone art form separate from a larger vaudevillian show didn’t come about until the 60s. And yet in a short time, stand up has permeated our culture and become a vital part of the way Americans process popular culture, current events, and larger ideologies. Recognizable names in stand up comedy write our favorite TV shows and books, star in blockbuster films, and even deliver our news. As BBC states in their 2016 article, How Laughter Makes Us Better People, “the best comedians are our most effective anthropologists and cultural critics.” And in a culture that demands less traditional, safe approaches to popular art, comedy is already ahead in that taboo subjects and marginalized groups are within the inherent nature of the medium. In fact, comedy has become such an important medium that our own CU Boulder created the Humor Research Lab directed by Dr. Peter McGraw, Associate Professor of Marketing and Psychology and author of The Humor Code. McGraw argues that humor is part of our emotional spectrum, a coping method, and a way of creating conflict. This is all a roundabout way of saying that there is still so much to explore within the realm of standup comedy- the psychology of comedians and audiences and the power of a joke or monologue. Check out the entire BBC article, How Comedy Makes Us Better People for more insights.
Dairy Comedy in the Boe: BEHOLD
With Rahul and Rusty Z
BEHOLD! is a show of illusion, mentalism, and hypnotism presented by Dairy Comedy for one night only. Join magician Rahul and comic hypnotist Rusty Z in our Boedecker Theater for an unusual night of entertainment you won’t find anywhere else in Boulder. Rahul Shah is a magician who regularly performs at Denver’s Voodoo Comedy Playhouse and elsewhere, and Rusty Z is a nationally touring comic who regularly headlines Comedy Works Denver.
SHOWTIMES: Saturday February 25 8:30 PM BUY TICKETS HERE
Art & Architecture in Cinema
I, Claude Monet
Directed by Phil Grabsky, 1hr 30min
From award-winning director Phil Grabsky comes this fresh new look at arguably the world’s favorite artist — through his own words. Using letters and other private writings I, Claude Monet reveals new insight into the man who not only painted the picture that gave birth to impressionism but who was perhaps the most influential and successful painter of the 19th and early 20th centuries. Despite this, and perhaps because of it, Monet’s life is a gripping tale about a man who, behind his sun-dazzled canvases, suffered from feelings of depression, loneliness, even suicide. Then, as his art developed and his love of gardening led to the glories of his garden at Giverney, his humour, insight and love of life is revealed. Shot on location in Paris, London, Normandy and Venice I, Claude Monet is a cinematic immersion into some of the most loved and iconic scenes in Western Art.
SHOWTIMES: Sunday February 26 1:00 PM & Wednesday March 1 1:00 PM BUY TICKETS HERE
REVIEW by Andrew Pulver of the Guardian
BOE BLOG XTRA! Most of our Art and Architecture series is curated from the Exhibition on Screen films directed by Phil Grabsky. Check out this video interview with Grabsky on why Exhibition on Screen is such an important piece of our art house cinema. AND in his own words, “we are not trying to stop people from going to the gallery, we are trying to encourage people to go to the gallery” so stop by before the film or stick around after and check out the current exhibits in our galleries brought to you by the Dairy Arts Center Visual Arts department.
The Boedecker’s Annual Oscar Party!
The Boe is the perfect place to watch the 89th annual Academy Awards. Join us for an evening with the stars. Your admission includes hors d’oeuvres, popcorn and dessert, and one glass of the bubbly. A cash bar is also available. There will be an official predict-the-winners contest. Ballots will be provided for you to fill out before the awards begin and there will be a prize. There will also be a trivia contest during commercial breaks, with prizes.
Sunday February 26 — Red Carpet starts at 5:00 PM
$20 Members | $25 Nonmembers BUY TICKETS HERE
STAFF PICK
While we love the glitz and glamour of Hollywood’s biggest night and relish in the excuse to get together for a glass of champagne with our favorite cinephile family, there is a reason we love the Boe more than any other theater. While the Academy may celebrate 10 or so films each year, here, we celebrate 100s. The Academy Awards gives us one night to celebrate the winners, but the rest of the year, we celebrate the films that SHOULD win- the indie darlings, daring documentaries, foreign films that expand our worldview and the many ongoing series that make every kind of film goer feel at home. In that spirit, our own Jack Hanley- film critic, Crested Butte Film Festival host, Boedecker selections committee member, and marketing consultant- published his personal list of the films outside of the mainstream sensibilities that SHOULD have been nominated for Academy Awards this year- a sort of alternate reality nominations list made up ENTIRELY from the films and actors ignored by the Academy. And we wanted to share it not only as a reminder of unfairly talented filmmakers that get pushed to the cinematic fringes, but as a testament to the thoughtful, highly curated programming the Boedecker offers year round (Hopefully you recognize just a few of these from our 2016 lineup!). And cheers to the new year of life changing cinema here at the Boedecker!
