1. Sun Sep 12 – EXIT THROUGH THE GIFT SHOP - 1 hr 27 min – R. We’re bringing this terrific film back for another showing because a lot of you missed it, and, well, you’ve just got to see it! Exit Through the Gift Shop, the first film by renowned graffiti artist Banksy, became the hottest ticket at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival. It tells the incredible true story of how Thierry Guetta, an eccentric French documentary filmmaker attempted to locate and befriend Banksy, only to have Banksy turn the camera back on Thierry – with spectacular results. It sounds strange but Thierry transforms himself right before our eyes as soon as he realizes he’s the one being filmed. The film contains exclusive footage of Banksy, Shepard Fairey, Invader and many of the world’s most infamous graffiti artists at work. “A documentary on the art world may strike you as a yawn. No worries. You'll be laughing helplessly at this one.” – Peter Travers, Rolling Stone. “A. Highest Rating. Exhilarating … more fun than art was ever supposed to be.” –Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly.

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2. Sun Sep 19 – AGORA – 2 hrs 21 min - Not Rated.  Alejandro Amenabar is one of Spain’s most famous and successful directors working today. In Agora, Amenabar tells the dramatic story of Hypatia (Rachel Weisz), one of the very few female philosophers and astronomers in history. It is 4th century A.D. - Egypt under the Roman Empire…Violent religious upheaval in the streets of Alexandria spills over into the city’s famous Library. Trapped inside its walls, the brilliant astronomer Hypatia and her disciples fight to save the wisdom of the Ancient World… Among them, the two men competing for her heart: the witty, privileged Orestes and Davus, Hypatia’s young slave, who is torn between his secret love for her and the freedom he knows can be his if he chooses to join the unstoppable surge of the Christians.  “3 Stars. I went to see Agora expecting an epic with swords, sandals and sex. I found swords and sandals, some unexpected opinions about sex, and a great deal more.” –Roger Ebert.

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3. Sun Sep 26 – COUNTDOWN TO ZERO – 1 hr 31 min – PG.  Countdown to Zero traces the history of the atomic bomb from its origins to the present state of global affairs: nine nations possessing nuclear weapons capabilities with others racing to join them, with the world held in a delicate balance that could be shattered by an act of terrorism, failed diplomacy, or a simple accident. Written and directed by acclaimed documentarian Lucy Walker, the film features an array of important international statesmen, including President Jimmy Carter, Mikhail Gorbachev, Pervez Musharraf and Tony Blair. It makes a compelling case for worldwide nuclear disarmament, an issue more topical than ever with the Obama administration working to revive this goal today.  “A-. Countdown to Zero is that rare film that could trigger and unite the reflexes of the left and the right. It makes getting rid of nukes seem less like a ''cause'' than an imperative.” –Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly.

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4. Sun Oct 3 – THE GIRL WHO PLAYED WITH FIRE – 2 hrs 9 min – R – In Swedish with English subtitles.  If you’ve read the books and seen the first movie, you won’t want to miss seeing this the second movie.  In THE GIRL WHO PLAYED WITH FIRE –following THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO – journalist Mikael Blomkvist (Michael Nyqvist) is about to run a story that will expose an extensive sex trafficking operation between Eastern Europe and Sweden, implicating well-known and highly placed members of Swedish society. On the eve of publication, the two investigating reporters are murdered and the fingerprints found on the murder weapon belong to Lisbeth Salander (Noomi Rapace).  “Relentless suspense! Holds you in a viselike grip. Noomi Rapace is spectacular.” – Peter Travers, Rolling Stone  “More gripping than Dragon Tattoo, because this one doesn’t just play with thriller conventions — it puts them to work.” –Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly.

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5. Sun Oct 10 – LIFE DURING WARTIME – 1hr 38 min – Not Rated but recommended for adults.  Ten years have passed since shocking revelations shattered the world of the Jordan family, and now sisters Joy (Shirley Henderson), Trish (Alison Janney), and Helen (Ally Sheedy), each embroiled in their own unique dilemmas, struggle to find their place in an unpredictable and volatile world. The past now haunts their family both literally and otherwise, and jeopardizes the future. Alternately hilarious and tragic, outrageous and poignant, Life During Wartime is an audacious comedy with unexpected resonance.  “The year’s Best Indie Film.  Todd Solondz’ films will never be mainstream fare; audiences who wander into the theater may well find them derisive, needlessly shocking, perhaps unforgivable. But I'd call them, and especially Life During Wartime, unforgettable.” –Richard Corliss, Time

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6. Sun Oct 17 – FAREWELL – 1 hr 53 min – Not Rated – In French, English and Russian with English subtitles.  Based on a true story, this fascinating spy film depicts how a disenchanted Russian colonel (played by Serbian director Emir Kusturica) in the KGB under Brezhnev in 1981 decided to pass on documents to the French President Francois Mitterrand.  This two-year espionage operation, given the codename Farewell, ultimately got to President Reagan (convincingly played by Fred Ward), who used the intelligence to undermine the effectiveness of the Soviet Union, which contributed to its collapse.  “An irresistible film.  More than most espionage movies, the film is about relationships, the men with each other, the men with their own disapproving wives, and governments with each other.” –Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle.

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7. Sun Oct 24 – SOUL KITCHEN - 1 hr 39 min – In German & Greek with English subtitles – Unrated.   Celebrated filmmaker Fatih Akin serves up this delightfully fresh comedy about food, friends, and rock & roll. Winner of the Special Jury Prize and the Young Cinema Award for Best Film at the Venice Film Festival, and a smash with audiences at the Toronto and Tribeca film festivals, SOUL KITCHEN centers on a likable but hopelessly disorganized restaurateur, Zinos (co-screenwriter Adam Bousdoukos) whose cafe is second home to a motley crew of lovable eccentrics. When his girlfriend Nadine moves to Shanghai, a love-sick Zinos decides to fly after her, leaving his restaurant in the hands of his unreliable ex-con brother Illias.  The mayhem that follows is a hilariously entertaining story of self-realization, set to an irresistibly soulful soundtrack. “You could call Soul Kitchen a romance with sensational music, or a hymn to friendship with romantic resonances. Whatever you want to call it, the thing is bursting with life.” –Joe Morgenstern, Wall St. Journal.

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8. Sun Oct 31 – HUGH HEFNER: PLAYBOY, ACTIVIST AND REBEL – 2 hrs 4 min – R.  Happy Halloween!  Here’s a guy who’s been trick and treating all his life.  This is an intimate look at the outspoken, flamboyant founder of the Playboy empire. With humor and insight, the film captures Hefner's fierce battles with the government, the religious right and militant feminists. Rare footage and compelling interviews with a remarkable who's who of 20th Century American pop culture, present a brilliant and entertaining snapshot of the life of an extraordinary man and the controversies that surrounded him.  “As ridiculous as Hefner's life sometimes seems, he has been an exemplary citizen, as this documentary by Academy Award-winning filmmaker Brigitte Berman spells out.” –Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle.

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