sPeciaL scReenings
Monte Carlo HHHHS musicaL comedy Rated NR Ernst Lubitsch’s second sound film Monte Carlo finds the great filmmaker without the benefit of Maurice Chevalier but with a much tighter, funnier screenplay than its famous predecessor. Lubitsch himself seems more relaxed with the new medium of sound here and creates a wonderful souffle of comedy and music — of the kind that only he could make. The Asheville Film Society will screen Monte Carlo Tuesday, April 15 at 8 p.m. Theater Six at The Carolina Asheville and will be hosted by Xpress movie critics Ken Hanke and Justin Souther.
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Last Year at Marienbad HHHHS suRReaList fantasy/dRama Rated NR World Cinema continues their monthlong Alain Resnais tribute with the director’s enigmatic Last Year at Marienbad — a dreamlike fantasy about two people who may or may not have met “last year at Marienbad” meeting there again. It is by turns mesmerizing and maddening, but it is never less than fascinating. Its meaning has been open to debate for over 50 years. In itself that may be a barometer of its greatness. Classic World Cinema by Courtyard Gallery will present Last Year at the Marienbad Friday, April 11 at 8 p.m. at Phil Mechanic Studios, 109 Roberts St., River Arts District (upstairs in the Railroad Library). Info: 273-3332, www.ashevillecourtyard.com.
High Noon HHHHS musicaL comedy Rated NR It snagged four Oscars (including best actor) and
was nominated for three more (including best picture), but what continues to set High Noon apart stems from its extreme simplicity. The narrative — a retired marshal stays on to deal with the return of the man he put in prison despite receiving no support from his fellow townsmen and supposed friends — is played out in more or less real time and is completely unadorned. Somehow this transforms into what is perhaps the most iconic western of all time. The Hendersonville Film Society will show High Noon Sunday, April 13, at 2 p.m. in the Smoky Mountain Theater at Lake Pointe Landing Retirement Community (behind Epic Cinemas), 333 Thompson St., Hendersonville.
Sukkah City HHHH documentaRy Rated NR The Asheville Jewish Film Festival’s second offering this year is another documentary. This one is Jason Hutt’s Sukkah City — a film about an architectural competition devoted to coming up with new designs for building a sukkah (a traditional temporary structure used during the festival of Sukkot). The idea is intriguing, and the designs range from the fanciful to the downright gimmicky to the socially conscious. The Asheville Jewish Film Festival and Fine Arts Theatre will screen Sukkah City Apr. 10 at 7 p.m. with an encore showing on Friday, April 11 at 1 p.m. Admission is $8.50.
Werewolf of London HHHHH hoRRoR Rated NR Werewolf of London is the first werewolf movie, and it
remains the best and most adult, though it is often shunted aside in favor of the more famous Lon Chaney Jr. Wolf Man movies. That’s too bad for a variety of reasons — not the least of which is that it’s just plain better than its successors. Literate, atmospheric, chilling and intelligent, this is a landmark horror film, and it’s one that threatens to cross its genre boundaries to become a great movie without qualifications. The Thursday Horror Picture Show will screen Werewolf of London Thursday, April 10 at 8 p.m. in the Cinema Lounge at The Carolina Asheville and will be hosted by Xpress movie critics Ken Hanke and Justin Souther.
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aPRiL 9 - aPRiL 15 2014
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