Film & Discussion: We Can't Eat Gold

Wed, 11/13/2013 - 12:15pm by K.C.

Thursday November 14, 2013: 6:00 pm to 8:30 pm -- Downtown Library: 4th Floor Meeting Room

This event is intended for adults and teens (grade 9 and up).

“How does it feel when your ancestors have been surviving off the same land for thousands of years and then that land is threatened?” Residing about 250 miles southwest of Anchorage the people of Dillingham, Alaska have lived off of caribou and the world’s largest, most spectacular sockeye salmon fishery located in Bristol Bay. But now the proposed Pebble Mine that seeks to extract valuable deposits of gold, copper, and molybdenum threatens that way of life.

The documentary We Can’t Eat Gold, casts light on the sustainable living the people have made off the land and sea. It also gives voice to the concern of the Alaska Native elders and youths not only about the future but also the impacts the exploration of Pebble Mine has already had on the Bristol Bay region’s King Salmon and Caribou populations. With government approval pending will the people’s voice be heard?

Film director Joshua Tucker and producer Giovanna Marcantonio will be on hand to lead the discussion following the viewing of the film.

This event is cosponsored by the University of Michigan Community Scholars' Program.

Paul Thomas Anderson's 'The Master'

Wed, 07/31/2013 - 10:16am by erin

Featuring an all-star cast of Academy Award-winning and -nominated actors Joaquin Phoenix, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Adams, and Laura Dern, The Master is another fascinating film from Paul Thomas Anderson. Anderson’s previous films Boogie Nights, Magnolia and There Will be Blood have all been well received.

The Master is a striking portrait of drifters and seekers in post-World War II America. It unfolds with the journey of a naval veteran who arrives home from war unsettled and uncertain of his future, until he is tantalized by The Cause and its charismatic leader. Believed by many to be based on the life of L. Ron Hubbard and Scientology, Anderson has said parts of the story were lifted from early drafts of the script for There Will Be Blood, as well as Navy stories that Jason Robards told him.

If you're drawn to The Master, you may want to check out the bestselling book by Lawrence Wright: Going Clear: Scientology, Hollywood, and the Prison of Belief. The book features many interviews, including the infamous one with Paul Haggis featured in the February, 2011, New Yorker article THE APOSTATE Paul Haggis vs. the Church of Scientology.

Exclusive Ann Arbor Screening of "Room 237" The New Documentary About The Horror Classic "The Shining" - With A Discussion Led By Shining Expert And "Room 237" Star Geoffrey Cocks

Sat, 06/01/2013 - 10:00am by hillary dorwart

Thursday June 6, 2013: 6:00 pm to 8:30 pm -- Downtown Library: Multi-Purpose Room

Have you ever wondered if there are hidden symbols and messages in Kubrick’s masterpiece, "The Shining"? Learn more about this classic horror film, when the AADL screens the documentary “Room 237".

The film will be introduced by "The Shining" expert Geoffrey Cocks, who is also prominently featured in "Room 237".

Enjoy an evening of film and enlightening discussion - and find out more about the secrets hidden deep in "The Shining"!

Film: Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.: A Historical Perspective

Wed, 05/08/2013 - 9:15am by hillary dorwart

Wednesday May 22, 2013: 7:00 pm to 8:15 pm -- Downtown Library: Multi-Purpose Room

AADL joins the Performance Network Theatre for a special screening of the acclaimed documentary "Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.: A Historical Perspective". The film examines the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.- the subject for the Performance Network's May production of Katori Hall's new play "The Mountaintop".

In this award-winning documentary, writer/director Thomas Friedman takes a look Reverend King's ideas, actions, and influence on the fight to end racial segregation. Performance Network staff will be on hand to provide an introduction to "The Mountaintop," which is having its Michigan Premiere at the Network through June 2.

America's Music Film & Discussion: Latin Rhythms From Mambo To Hip Hop

Fri, 04/05/2013 - 12:00pm by hillary dorwart

Wednesday May 1, 2013: 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm -- Downtown Library: Multi-Purpose Room

Mark Clague, Associate Professor of Musicology and Director of Research at the University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance, leads this screening and discussion session on Latin & Hip Hop Music focusing on the films "Latin Music USA, Episode One: Bridges" and "From Mambo To Hip Hop: A South Bronx Tale."

"Latin Music USA" presents the story of Afro Cuban jazz and mambo as they developed in the dance halls and nightclubs of New York City. "From Mambo To Hip Hop: A South Bronx Tale" celebrates the cultural life of one of America's worst urban slums in the 1970s, New York's South Bronx.

America's Music has been made possible by a major grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities: Exploring the Human Endeavor.

Film & Discussion: Oscar-Nominated Documentary "The Invisible War"

Fri, 04/05/2013 - 11:10am by hillary dorwart

Monday April 29, 2013: 6:00 pm to 8:30 pm -- Downtown Library: 4th Floor Meeting Room

"The Invisible War" is a groundbreaking investigative documentary about one of our country's most shameful and best kept secrets: the epidemic of rape within our US military. Today, a female soldier in Iraq and Afghanistan is more likely to be raped by a fellow soldier than killed by enemy fire with the number of assaults in the last decade alone in the hundreds of thousands.

Hear the women's emotional stories and learn about the systemic cover ups and the struggle for justice.

A post-film discussion will follow this AADL screening, led by SafeHouse Center.

Roger Ebert, beloved Chicago movie critic, has died

Thu, 04/04/2013 - 4:29pm by sernabad

Just one day after announcing he was taking a 'leave of presence' from his 46-year gig as movie critic for the Chicago Sun-Times and his 31-year career on TV reviewing films, Roger Ebert lost his long public battle with salivary and thyroid cancer.

His announcement yesterday said he would just review the movies HE wanted to see and leave the rest of the reviews to his trusted colleagues at the paper. When he lost part of his jaw and thus his ability to eat or speak, he used his good humor and courage to write about his experience fighting, and often triumphing, against, his devastating illness.

Ebert's long career resulted in a 1975 Pulitzer Prize, the first movie critic to receive this honor. The Webby Awards named him their 2010 Person of the Year. And Hollywood, which lived and died by Ebert's laser-beam ethical demand for excellence in all things film, honored him with his own Walk of Fame star in 2005.

Ebert's career took off in a new direction when he and Chicago Tribune movie critic, Gene Siskel, took their 'point/counterpoint' routine to television in 1975. Originally titled Coming Soon to a Theater Near You, PBS picked it up and renamed it Sneak Previews three years later. There were two more name-changes: In 1981, it morphed into At the Movies. Five years later, accompanied by their signature 'thumbs up, thumbs down' rating system, it settled on Siskel & Ebert & the Movies.

Sadly, Siskel died in 1999. He had had brain surgery for brain cancer but it was complications from another surgery that ended his life.

Despite his long fight with illness, Ebert wrote almost seventeen books on movies, the internet, his life (Life Itself: A Memoir, 2011), and yes, even a cookbook for rice cookers (The Pot and How to Use It: The Mystery and Romance of the Rice Cooker, 2010).

Ebert, who was 70, died today in Chicago.

America's Music Film & Discussion: Country And Bluegrass

Thu, 04/04/2013 - 12:50pm by hillary dorwart

Wednesday April 17, 2013: 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm -- Downtown Library: Multi-Purpose Room

Mark Clague, Associate Professor of Musicology and Director of Research at the University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance, leads this screening and discussion session on Country And Bluegrass Music focusing on the film High Lonesome: The Story of Bluegrass Music.

The film provides on-camera commentary by bluegrass greats including Mac Wiseman and Jimmy Martin, as well as rarely seen tapes of Flatt and Scruggs, both of whom played with Monroe's Bluegrass Boys.

America's Music has been made possible by a major grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities: Exploring the Human Endeavor.

America's Music Film & Discussion: Rock

Thu, 04/04/2013 - 10:07am by hillary dorwart

Wednesday April 24, 2013: 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm -- Downtown Library: Multi-Purpose Room

Mark Clague, Associate Professor of Musicology and Director of Research at the University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance, leads this screening and discussion session on Rock music focusing on the documentary: "The History of Rock n Roll: Episode 6, Plugging In."

This screening is part of AADL's participation in the America's Music film/discussion/concert series.

America's Music has been made possible by a major grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities: Exploring the Human Endeavor.

Film & Discussion: Award-Winning Documentary: Vegucated (Not Rated)

Wed, 04/03/2013 - 10:12am by hillary dorwart

Tuesday April 23, 2013: 6:00 pm to 8:30 pm -- Downtown Library: Multi-Purpose Room

"Vegucated" follows three meat- and cheese-loving New Yorkers who agree to adopt a vegan diet for six weeks. Before long, they find themselves risking everything to expose an industry they supported just weeks before. But can their convictions carry them through when times get tough?

This film screening, co-sponsored by VegMichigan and shown as part of Ann Arbor Veg Week 2013, will be followed by remarks by Detroit-based physician, Dr. Joel Kahn.