Press release: 'Old Stone'

Date: Dec. 6, 2016

To: All media for immediate release

Re: Screenings of “Old Stone”

From: The Bijou Film Center

In its screening room at 304 E. Broad St. the Bijou Film Center will present a new thriller, “Old Stone,” Dec. 15 through Dec. 18.

Admission: $9. No advance tickets.

Thursday show time: 7 p.m.

Friday show times: 7 p.m., 9 p.m.

Saturday show times: 3 p.m., 5 p.m., 7 p.m., 9 p.m.

Sunday show times: 3 p.m., 5 p.m.

"Old Stone” (2016): Color. 80 minutes. Language: Mandarin with English subtitles. Directed by Johnny Ma. Cast: Gang Chen, Nai An, Hongwei Wang, Zebin Zhang. 

Note: A drunk gets into a cab and causes it to hit a motorcyclist. In Johnny Ma’s debut feature (he also wrote the screenplay) that road accident plunges the taxi driver into a daunting Kafkaesque nightmare, where no good deed goes unpunished. When compassion is too expensive life can be cheap. This stylish thriller begins as a gritty social realist drama, before swerving into a blood-drenched noir.   

Review: “Although the movie advances an obvious critique of contemporary China, a bureaucratic labyrinth from which there seems to be no escape, its title also suggests Albert Camus' essay 'The Myth of Sisyphus.' For Camus, Sisyphus is 'the absurd hero,' condemned to search for meaning – to keep pushing uphill – in the total absence of meaning. 'A face that toils so close to stones,' Camus writes, 'is already stone itself!'” – Manohla Dargis, N.Y. Times.

The trailer is here.

Beer, wine and soft drinks will be for sale.

More Background: For more information pertaining to the Bijou Film Center please go to The Bijou's website, The Bijou's Facebook page and its Bijou Backlight blogzine. 
 

Press release: 'A Space Program'

Date: Nov. 29, 2016

To: All media for immediate release

Re: Screenings of “A Space Program”

From: The Bijou Film Center

In its screening room at 304 E. Broad St. the Bijou Film Center will present a fictional documentary, “A Space Program,” Dec. 8 through Dec. 11.

Admission: $9 (students $5). No advance tickets.

Thursday show time: 7 p.m.

Friday show times: 7 p.m., 9 p.m.

Saturday show times: 3 p.m., 5 p.m., 7 p.m., 9 p.m.

Sunday show times: 3 p.m., 5 p.m.

“A Space Program” (2016): Color. 72 minutes. Directed by Van Neistat. Written by Tom Sachs and Van Neistat.

Note: In this rather offbeat documentary Sachs, an internationally acclaimed artist, takes his audience on a journey to Mars, sort of. The film provides a penetrating look into Sachs' studio and mind-boggling methods.

What the reviewers say:

“Ingenious! A radically DIY fictional space-documentary about a trip to Mars—think Michel Gondry directing Carl Sagan’s “Cosmos” with John Carpenter writing the script.” – Mandalena Munkonge, Dazed.

“'A Space Program' is rich in the core elements that have always propelled humanity’s flights of fancy: imagination and the right tools.” – Daniel M. Gold, New York Times.

“In addition to being a funny, invigorating and inspirational ode to being the cleverest kid in the room, it’s a remarkable testament to the suspension of disbelief.” – Jordan Hoffman, The Guardian.

The trailer is here.

Beer, wine and soft drinks will be for sale.

Press release: 'Don't Look Back'

Date: Nov. 23, 2016

To: All media for immediate release

Re: The screening of “Don't Look Back”

From: The Bijou Film Center

In its screening room at 304 E. Broad St., Dec. 1-4, the Bijou Film Center will present the new 4K restoration of a classic documentary about a 1965 Bob Dylan concert tour – “Don't Look Back.” Naturally, interest in Dylan has snowballed with the announcement of his 2016 Nobel Prize in Literature and his controversial reaction to it.

Admission: $7. No advance tickets.

Thursday show times: 7 p.m.

Saturday show times: 4:50 p.m., 7 p.m., 9:10 p.m.

Sunday show times: 2:45 p.m., 4:50 p.m.

"Don't Look Back” (1967): B&W. 96 minutes. Directed by D.A. Pennebaker. Cast: Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, Albert Grossman, Bob Neuwirth, Alan Price, Tito Burns, Donovan.

Note: This is the newly restored version of D.A. Pennebaker's groundbreaking documentary film about a 1965 Bob Dylan concert tour in England. It features live performances, as well as some remarkably revealing behind the scene footage. Remember, when this film was made, no template for how to make rock 'n' roll docs existed. In 1998 “Don't Look Back” was designated as being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.” Consequently, it has been preserved by the Library of Congress' National Film Registry.

Review: Roger Ebert: “Although the film is arranged in loose chronological order, there is little obvious editing within each scene. This takes advantage of cinéma vérité's strong point – its ability to show exactly what happened, moment by moment, the bad along with the good.”

More background on “Don't Look Back” is here.

The original trailer is here.

A trailer with comments from Pennebaker and Neuwirth is here.

Note: A special thanks goes out to our friends at Don't Look Back, at 2929 W. Cary St., for sponsoring The Bijou's timely presentations of Pennebaker's “Don't Look Back” (1967). For more information click here.

Beer, wine and soft drinks will be for sale.

Press release: 'Tampopo'

Date: Nov. 17, 2016

To: All media for immediate release

Re: The screening of “Tampopo”

From: The Bijou Film Center

In its screening room at 304 E. Broad St., Nov.25-27, for Thanksgiving weekend the Bijou Film Center will present an art house classic film about food, “Tampopo.”

Admission: $9. No advance tickets.

Friday show times: 4:30 p.m., 7 p.m., 9:30 p.m.

Saturday show times: 4:30 p.m., 7 p.m., 9:30 p.m.

Sunday show times: 2 p.m., 4:30 p.m.

“Tampopo” (1985): Color. 114 minutes. Directed by Juzo Itami. Cast: Ken Watanabe, Tsutomu Yamazaki, Nobuko Miyamoto. 

Note: Juzo Itami’s rapturous “ramen western” returns to U.S. screens for the first time in decades, in a new 4K restoration. The tale of an enigmatic band of ramen ronin who guide the widow of a noodle shop owner on her quest for the perfect recipe, Tampopo serves up a savory broth of culinary adventure seasoned with offbeat comedy sketches and the erotic exploits of a gastronome gangster. Sweet, sexy, surreal, and mouthwatering, Tampopo remains one of the most delectable examples of food on film.

More background on “Tampopo” is here.

The trailer is here

Beer, wine and soft drinks will be for sale.

Press Release: 'Lo and Behold: Reveries of the Connected World'

Date: Nov. 10, 2016

To: All media for immediate release

Re: The screening of Werner Herzog's “Lo and Behold: Reveries of the Connected World”

From: The Bijou Film Center

In its screening room at 304 E. Broad St., Nov.17-20, the Bijou Film Center will present a documentary that's been getting a lot of notice since it's recent release – “Lo and Behold: Reveries of the Connected World.” 

Special thanks to Authentic, a Richmond-based digital agency, for sponsoring this week's presentation of "Lo and Behold." (For more info about Authentic: https://beauthentic.digital/)

Admission: $9. No advance tickets.

Thursday, Nov. 17: 7 p.m.

Friday, Nov. 18: 7 p.m., 9:10 p.m.

Saturday, Nov. 19: 4:50 p.m. and 7 p.m. (Special Q&A screening -- details below)

Sunday, Nov. 20: 2:40 p.m., 4:50 p.m.
   

"Lo and Behold: Reveries of the Connected World” (2016): Color. 98 minutes. Directed by Werner Herzog. Cast: Werner Herzog, Lawrence Krauss, Kevin Metnik, Elon Musk.

Note: Filmmaker Werner Herzog leads viewers on a journey through a series of provocative conversations that reveal the ways in which the online world has transformed how virtually everything in the real world works – from business to education, space travel to health care, and the very heart of how we conduct our personal relationships.

Join us for a special Q&A screening of "Lo and Behold" on Sat., Nov. 19, at 7 p.m. At that show only four members of the Richmond film production community who worked on "Lo and Behold" -- Kevin Gallagher, Matt Flowers, Rachel Hilton and Joe McCorkle -- will be on hand for a post-screening Q&A to talk about what it was like working on the film and with legendary filmmaker and provocateur, Werner Herzog.

The trailer is here.

Beer, wine and soft drinks will be for sale.

Press release: 'Wise Blood'

Date: Nov. 2, 2016

To: All media for immediate release

Re: “Wise Blood” screenings

From: The Bijou Film Center

Over four days, Thursday through Sunday, Nov. 10 through Nov. 13 -- in its screening room at 304 E. Broad St. -- the Bijou Film Center will present “Wise Blood,” an absurd classic made by one of Hollywood's greatest directors, John Huston.

Admission: $7. No advance tickets. (Bijou Film Center members admitted free to Thursday's show)

Thursday show time: 7:15 p.m.
Friday show times: 7:15 p.m., 9:30 p.m.

Saturday show times:  5 p.m., 7:15 p.m., 9:30 p.m..

Sunday show times: p.m. 2:45 p.m. 5 p.m.

"Wise Blood" (1979): 106 minutes. Color. Directed by John Huston. Cast: Brad Dourif, Harry Dean Stanton, John Huston, Amy Wright, Dan Shor.

Note: An adaptation of the Flannery O’Connor novel (her first), this film is about a self-styled street preacher’s twisted efforts to fit into a world of shadows and scams. This is one of those strange movies that makes you feel a little bit guilty for laughing, but you can’t help it. So if you haven't seen this off-beat film, a refugee from the golden era of repertory cinema -- the 1970s -- do yourself a favor and take a chance.

Review: "O’Connor’s dazzling first novel tells the hilarious and disturbing tale of Hazel Motes, a young Georgia man whose obsession with God leads him to run from God as fast as he can, only to crash head-on into the wall of Jesus and religion. On the way to smashup, or redemption—depending on how you read the book—Hazel’s path crosses that of a phony blind preacher and his slut of a daughter, Sabbath Lily; of a kid fixated on a mummy in the local museum; of a guy in a gorilla suit; and of a scheming huckster by the name of Hoover Shoates. It may already be obvious that probably no one but [John] Huston would have agreed to make this picture." -- Francine Prose.

The trailer is here. 

Beer, wine and soft drinks will be for sale for all of these screenings.

Press Release for 'Blood Simple'

Date: Oct. 25, 2016

To: All media for immediate release

Re: “Blood Simple” screening

From: The Bijou Film Center

On Thur., Nov. 3, Sat., Nov. 5 and Sun., Nov. 6, in its screening room at 304 E. Broad St., the Bijou Film Center will present “Blood Simple” – the neo-noir picture that put the fabulously successful Coen brothers on the map. 

Admission: $7. No advance tickets.

Thursday show time: 7:20 p.m. only
No screening on Friday. 

Saturday show times: 5:10 p.m, 7:20 p.m., 9:30 p.m.

Sunday show times: 5:10 p.m. only

Note: Bijou Film Center members admitted FREE to Sunday's screening.

“Blood Simple” (1985): 99 minutes. Color. Directed by Joel Coen, Ethan Coen. Cast: John Getz, Frances McDormand, Dan Hedaya, M. Emmet Walsh. Note: Hard to believe this stylish thriller about the bad things that can flow from faithlessness -- in Texas -- is over 30 years old. It still packs a punch. 

Roger Ebert: “The genius of 'Blood Simple' is that everything that happens seems necessary. The movie's a blood-soaked nightmare in which greed and lust trap the characters in escalating horror. The plot twists in upon itself. Characters are found in situations of diabolical complexity. And yet it doesn't feel like the film is just piling it on. Step by inexorable step, logically, one damned thing leads to another.”

The trailer is here.

Beer, wine and soft drinks will be for sale for all of these screenings.

Press Release: Janet Martin live at The Bijou

Date: Oct. 27, 2016

To: All media for immediate release

Re: A Janet Martin live performance

From: The Bijou Film Center

On Fri., Nov. 4, the Bijou Film Center, at 304 E. Broad St., will be delighted to present a live performance by Janet Martin (vocals and guitar) to cap off November's First Friday in the Arts District. Performing with Janet will be: Tina Marie (guitar, accordion and vocals); Randy Mendocino (bass); Kris Krull (drums, percussion and vocals).

Note: The doors will open at 6 p.m for a First Friday open house. No charge at the door to stop by and have a beer before the show. Bijou Film Center members who haven't picked up their T-shirts or coffee mugs can do that.

Admission to live music show: $5. No advance tickets.

Show time: 8:30 p.m. (until 10:15-ish)

Background: Since 2005, Janet Martin, a Richmond native, has been dividing her live performances between Europe and the USA. Along the way she has shared the stage with many fellow songwriters and recording artists, including luminaries such as: John Prine, Leon Russell, Jerry Lee Lewis and Aaron Neville.

Janet has created and released eight CDs, to date, including her latest, “Eve Sessions,” which includes 11 new songs. At The Bijou, among her various offerings, she will be doing some material from this new album, her first since 2011.

Links to more about Janet:

One, Two, Three, Four and Five.

Note: Beer, wine and soft drinks will be for sale before and during the show.

Press release for the IX Druid Underground Film Festival.

Date: Oct. 18, 2016

To: All media for immediate release

Re: The IX Druid Underground Film Festival

From: The Bijou Film Center

On Thur., Oct. 27, in its screening room at 304 E. Broad St., the Bijou Film Center will present The IX Druid Underground Film Festival.

Admission: $10. No advance tickets.

Show times: 7:30 p.m.

From Druid Film Festival host Billy Burgess:

The widest touring underground film festival in the US, the 9th annual Druid Underground is a high-powered two-part blast of subversive cinema hosted by Billy Burgess that Flavorpill says doesn’t so much "defy convention as mow it down, douse it in kerosene, and flick a Zippo at it!"

Part One of the program is a hardcore, one-hour mega-mash up hell-ride of absurd footage from VHS tapes of homemade music videos, meth-fueled biker rallies, twisted political propaganda, horrifying party videos and much much more! Get yourself a piece as American redneck culture is sliced open for all to see like a giant, horrifying cake.

Part Two is a break-neck barrage of 18 new rowdy short films celebrating the best in absurd, creative and ecstatic cinema both on and off today's underground film radar. A spectacle unlike any other, Druid Underground champions subversive techniques that advance the language of cinema, challenge preconceived notions of underground art and simultaneously blow your mind out of your skull. Animation, experimental, performance art and MORE!!!

Festival shirts/pins/DVDs available at the merch table!

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Beer, wine and soft drinks will be for sale for all of these screenings. 

Press release: Halloween screenings

Date: Oct. 18, 2016

To: All media for immediate release

Re: Halloween screenings

From: The Bijou Film Center

On Fri., Oct. 28, and Sat., Oct. 29, in its screening room at 304 E. Broad St., the Bijou Film Center will present “Demon” – a new film that's part psychological horror and part black comedy.

Admission: $9. No advance tickets.

Friday show times: 7 p.m. and 9:20 p.m.

Saturday show times: 4:30 p.m., 7 p.m. and 9:20 p.m.

"Demon" (2015): 94 minutes. Color. Directed by Marcin Wrona. Cast: Itay Tiran, Agnieszka Zulewska, Andrzej Grabowski. Note: This is the story of a young man who, while seemingly happy, suddenly has an inexplicable breakdown.

“Piotr [is] an affable young man who journeys from England to marry his beloved Zaneta at her family’s country home in rural Poland. While wandering around the property, which he and Zaneta will receive as a wedding present from her father, Zgmunt, Piotr uncovers what appear to be human remains ... he tosses dirt back on to the bones, and tells no one about his discovery. Big mistake.” – Joe Leydon, Variety.

The trailer is here

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On Sun., Oct. 30, the Bijou Film Center will present “Night of the Living Dead” – the king of zombie flicks.

Admission: $5

Show time: 7:30 p.m. only. No advance tickets.

“Night of the Living Dead” (1968) 96 minutes. B&W. Directed by George Romero. Cast: Duane Jones, Judith O'Dea, Karl Hardman. Note: A group of seven people holds up in a farmhouse to avoid the flesh-eating zombies that roam the neighborhood. The zombies aren't discouraged. Trouble ensues.

Plus: Bijou Film Center members and anyone who comes to the show in a Halloween costume will get a free raffle ticket for a splendid 24” by 36” alternative movie poster of the "Night of the Living Dead" ($50 value), by local artist, Adam Juresko. Additional raffle tickets will also be available for purchase.

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On Mon., Oct. 31, the Bijou Film Center will present “Nosferatu” – the king of European vampire movies.

Admission: $5

Show time: 7:30 p.m. only. No advance tickets.

“Nosferatu” (1922) 81 minutes. B&W. Directed by F.W. Murnau. Cast: Max Schreck, Gustav von Wangerheim, Greta Schröder. Note: The plot of this German expressionist horror classic, which was essentially an unauthorized adaptation of Bram Stoker's “Dracula,” has Count Orlok is looking for a home. No problem, except, of course, Count Orlok is a vampire.

In the spirit of early cinema, Shane Brown will be projecting his own Super 8mm print of “Nosferatu” onto The Bijou's movie screen.

Plus: Members and anyone in a Halloween costume will receive a limited edition set of "Nosferatu" trading cards by local comic artist, Christopher Irving. (Additional card sets will also be available for sale.) On top of that – the best costume of the evening will get a free Bijou membership ($50 value) to keep, or to give as a gift to someone.

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Beer, wine and soft drinks will be for sale for all of these screenings.

More Background: For more information pertaining to the Bijou Film Center please go to The Bijou's website, The Bijou's Facebook page and its Bijou Backlight blogzine.

Contacts:

James Parrish: Email: jtparrish@bijoufilmcenter.org. Phone: (804) 564-3224.

Terry Rea: Email: ftrea9@gmail.com. Phone: (804) 938-7997.

The Bijou's first October

Press release for 'Author: The JT LeRoy Story'

Date: Oct. 11, 2016

To: All media for immediate release

Re: The screening of “Author: The JT LeRoy Story”

From: The Bijou Film Center

On Fri., Oct. 21, and Sat., Oct. 22, in its screening room at 304 E. Broad St., the Bijou Film Center will present “Author: The JT LeRoy Story” – a new documentary about a writer who splits herself into various characters in order to create and promote her work. Then the cat gets out of the bag.

Admission: $9. No advance tickets.

Friday show times: 7 p.m. and 9:20 p.m.

Saturday show times: 4:30 p.m., 7 p.m. and 9:20 p.m.

“Author: The JT LeRoy Story” (2016): Color. 110 minutes. Directed by Jeff Feuerzeig. Cast: Laura Albert, Bruce Benderson, Dennis Cooper.

Note: Truth or fiction? Documentary or confessional memoir? The background behind popular books, thought at one time to have been written by JT LeRoy, is indeed stranger than fiction. This documentary willingly blurs lines between real and imaginary, as it shines a spotlight on the cult of celebrity that facilitated the selling of JT LeRoy's work. What is revealed is both remarkable and confounding. The “author,” Laura Albert, who looks directly into the camera as she speaks for much of the film, recounts a story that's part “The Three Faces of Eve” (1957), or perhaps “Sybil” (1976), and part “The Hoax” (2006).

More background from the distributor, Magnolia Pictures is here.

The trailer is here.

Beer, wine and soft drinks will be for sale.