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If you’d like to print out a flyer for your fridge (or whatever) you can download a printable PDF or you can also download a smaller, lower resolution version here.

Trouble the Water

March 8 at 1:30 p.m.
March 9 at 7:00 p.m.
(unrated, 93 min., USA)
Winner of the Grand Jury Prize at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival, this astonishingly powerful documentary takes you inside Hurricane Katrina in a way never before seen on screen. Incorporating remarkable home video footage shot by Kimberly Rivers Roberts—an aspiring rap artist trapped with her husband in the 9th Ward—”Fahrenheit 9/11″ and “Bowling for Columbine” producers Tia Lessin and Carl Deal weave this insider’s view of Katrina with a devastating portrait of the hurricane’s aftermath. Trouble the Water is a redemptive tale of self-described street hustlers who become heroes—two unforgettable people who survive the storm and then seize a chance for a new beginning.

Frost/Nixon

March 15 at 1:30 p.m.
March 16 at 7:00 p.m.
(R, 122 min., USA, UK, France)
For three years after being forced from office, Nixon remained silent. But in summer 1977, the steely, cunning former commander-in-chief agreed to sit for one all-inclusive interview to confront the questions of his time in office and the Watergate scandal that ended his presidency. Nixon surprised everyone in selecting Frost as his televised confessor, intending to easily outfox the breezy British showman and secure a place in the hearts and minds of Americans. Likewise, Frost’s team harbored doubts about their boss’s ability to hold his own. But as cameras rolled, a charged battle of wits resulted. Would Nixon evade questions of his role in one of the nation’s greatest disgraces? Or would Frost confound critics and bravely demand accountability from the man who’d built a career out of stonewalling? Over the course of their encounter, each man would reveal his own insecurities, ego and reserves of dignity–ultimately setting aside posturing in a stunning display of unvarnished truth.

Slumdog Millionaire

March 22 at 1:30 p.m.
March 23 at 7:00 p.m.
(R, 120 min., English, Hindi)
Slumdog Millionaire is the story of Jamal Malik, an 18 year-old orphan from the slums of Mumbai, who is about to experience the biggest day of his life. With the whole nation watching, he is just one question away from winning a staggering 20 million rupees on India’s “Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?”

But when the show breaks for the night, police arrest him on suspicion of cheating; how could a street kid know so much? Desperate to prove his innocence, Jamal tells the story of his life in the slum where he and his brother grew up, of their adventures together on the road, of vicious encounters with local gangs, and of Latika, the girl he loved and lost. Each chapter of his story reveals the key to the answer to one of the game show¹s questions.

Each chapter of Jamal’s increasingly layered story reveals where he learned the answers to the show¹s seemingly impossible quizzes. But one question remains a mystery: what is this young man with no apparent desire for riches really doing on the game show?

When the new day dawns and Jamal returns to answer the final question, the Inspector and sixty million viewers are about to find out.

Happy-Go-Lucky

March 29 at 1:30 p.m.
March 30 at 7:00 p.m.
(R, 118 min., UK)
Set in contemporary London, the film focuses on the character of Pauline Cross, who goes by the nickname, “Poppy”. Poppy is an irrepressibly cheerful, Pollyanna-type primary school teacher, thirty years old, single, and infinitely optimistic and accepting. She shares a flat with her best friend Zoe in Finsbury Park. The film presents various situations that test Poppy’s inherent optimism.

Milk

April 5 at 1:15 p.m.
April 6 at 7:00 p.m.
(R, 128 min, USA)
Gay Rights Activist. Friend. Lover. Unifier. Politician. Fighter. Icon. Inspiration. Hero. His life changed history, and his courage changed lives. In 1977, Harvey Milk was elected to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, becoming the first openly gay man to be voted into major public office in America. His victory was not just a victory for gay rights; he forged coalitions across the political spectrum. From senior citizens to union workers, Harvey Milk changed the very nature of what it means to be a fighter for human rights and became, before his untimely death in 1978, a hero for all Americans. Academy Award winner Sean Penn stars as Harvey Milk under the direction of Academy Award nominee Gus Van Sant in the new movie filmed on location in San Francisco from an original screenplay by Dustin Lance Black and produced by Academy Award winners Dan Jinks and Bruce Cohen. The film charts the last eight years of Harvey Milk’s life.

Doubt

April 12 at 1:30 p.m.
April 13 at 7:00 p.m.
(PG13, 104 min., USA)
It’s 1964, St. Nicholas in the Bronx. A charismatic priest, Father Flynn, is trying to upend the schools’ strict customs, which have long been fiercely guarded by Sister Aloysius Beauvier, the iron-gloved Principal who believes in the power of fear and discipline. The winds of political change are sweeping through the community, and indeed, the school has just accepted its first black student, Donald Miller. But when Sister James, a hopeful innocent, shares with Sister Aloysius her guilt-inducing suspicion that Father Flynn is paying too much personal attention to Donald, Sister Aloysius sets off on a personal crusade to unearth the truth and to expunge Flynn from the school. Now, without a shard of proof besides her moral certainty, Sister Aloysius locks into a battle of wills with Father Flynn which threatens to tear apart the community with irrevocable consequence.

Waltz with Bashir

April 19 at 1:30 p.m.
April 20 at 7:00 p.m.
(R, 90 min., Hebrew, German, English)
One night at a bar, an old friend tells director Ari about a recurring nightmare in which he is chased by 26 vicious dogs. Every night, the same number of beasts. The two men conclude that there’s a connection to their Israeli Army mission in the first Lebanon War of the early eighties. Ari is surprised that he can’t remember a thing anymore about that period of his life. Intrigued by this riddle, he decides to meet and interview old friends and comrades around the world. He needs to discover the truth about that time and about himself. As Ari delves deeper and deeper into the mystery, his memory begins to creep up in surreal images …

The Secret of the Grain

April 26 at 1:00 p.m.
April 27 at 7:00 p.m.
(unrated, 151 min., French, Arabic, Russian)
The Secret of the Grain is a touching and resoundingly humanistic story set in the rustic port of Sete in southeastern France. Slimane has worked in the same shipyard job for over 35 years, when his growing dissatisfaction prompts him to try to open his own restaurant. His dream seems unbelievable, but his contagious conviction and persistence work their way into the hearts of his loyal but dispersed family; the four children from his first marriage, his ex-wife, current girlfriend and her bright, outspoken daughter, Rym (played to great acclaim by the stunning newcomer Hafsia Herzi). A grand film about ordinary people, The Secret of the Grain is a deliciously slow-burning drama about fate, food and family.

Hello All!

It has been many months since you last heard from us but it is that time of the year when we’re needing to raise some money for our two or three films series held throughout the year. We’re selling Annual Memberships again (see below for payment options) and we hope to be able to start the 2009 Spring Series on March 8th. The Annual Membership cost is still $50.00. We think this is a great deal, especially if you plan on attending most of the shows. Really is a bargain price on Premium movies. Also, your support, in this way, helps us plan for more titles.

We have a list of titles for this spring that we think you’ll find interesting:

Trouble the Water (unrated, 93 Min., 1 Oscar Nomination)

Frost/Nixon (R, 122 Min., 5 Oscar Nominations)

Slumdog Millionaire (R, 120 Min., 10 Oscar Nominations)

Happy-Go-Lucky (R, 118 Min., 1 Oscar Nomination)

Milk (R, 128 Min., 8 Oscar Nominations)

Doubt (PG13, 104 Min., 5 Oscar Nominations)

Waltz with Bashir (R, 90 Min., 1 Oscar Nomination)

The Secret of the Grain (unrated, 151 Min.)

Because many of these titles have been nominated for Academy Awards it is difficult to actually date some of them until we see who wins. But we’re pretty sure, with your help, we’ll be able to bring all eight of these titles to Buffalo this spring. We will have the actual schedule and more information about each title ready to share just as soon as we can. We are planning on Sunday & Monday showings of these titles this spring. There will be an early Sunday show (about 1:30) and a Monday evening show.

So, if you’d like to help us out, and we hope you will, you can either buy a membership online or send us a check. Or you can come into the theater and buy a membership in person starting this coming weekend. Perhaps many of you will be coming in to see Clint Eastwood’s picture, Gran Torino which is playing Friday through Monday?

Checks can be made payable and sent to:

Bennett Street Films
157 E. Bennett
Buffalo, WY 82834

The webpage where you can buy memberships (or simply donate) using PayPal or a Credit Card can be found on our Memberships page.

If you haven’t yet, and you would like to see all the Oscar nominees, BoxOfficeMojo has an Academy Award List that’s pretty straight forward

Side note: We’re hoping many of the other titles listed there will be able to fit in to the regular programming at the theater. Stay tuned!

Playing One Day Only
Thursday, October 30th, 2008 at 7:00
Buffalo Theater
235 S. Main
Buffalo, WY

A Snow Mobile for George
(Documentary, unrated, 94 Minutes) Watch the Trailer

The melt-down on Wall Street made “de-regulation” a house-hold word. But, before that, the feature documentary, A Snow Mobile for George, revealed the impact that de-regulation has on the environment. The film tells the stories of people who depend on the environment for their livelihood: salmon fishermen on the West Coast, ranchers in the Powder River, and firemen in New York City. Told in an entertaining style, the film begins modestly with the question of why rules to clean up the smoky two-stroke snowmobile got reversed. That question launches a cross-country road trip, with surprisingly profound conclusions. The film includes Buffalo residents Bev and Roland Landry, as well as ranchers from Gillette Ed Swartz, and Sheridan land-owner, George Smith.

I’ve even invited Trauner and Lummis to either join us themselves or maybe have a rep on hand to discuss some of the questions raised by this film. Haven’t heard back from them yet. Whether they show up or not, we’ll leave some time at the end of the show for discussion, moderated by myself, I guess.

“Subtle, sly and funny, except when it’s horrifying…Terrific movie.” – Ed Goldberg “Movie Talk”, KBOO FM

“Gives…insights into the life-changing impacts deregulation policies have had on those who depend on the environment for their well-being.” – Whitney Hawke, Willamette Week

“The footage accompanying the opening credits is absurdly hilarious.” – Stan Hall, The Oregonian

“Though the first few minutes of this film seems like a family home movie, it’s not. Not even close. This film is a far-reaching, clearly drawn examination of the environmental policy of the Bush administration.” – Chris Honore, columnist Daily Tidings, Ashland, OR

“Preferring pluck over political preachy-ness, Darling’s method should connect with both lefties and conservatives.” – Matt Kettman, Santa Barbara Independent

Oct 28th at 4:30 & 7:00
(78 Minutes, G, Documentary)

A MAN NAMED PEARL tells the inspiring story of self-taught topiary artist Pearl Fryar, whose unlikely journey to national prominence began with a bigoted remark.

In 1976, Pearl took a job in a can factory in Bishopville, South Carolina. New to this rural southern town, he and his wife Metra looked at a house for sale in an all-white neighborhood. The Fryars’ real estate agent was notified by neighbors in the prospective neighborhood that a black family was not welcome. A homeowner voiced the collective concern: “Black people don’t keep up their yards.”

Pearl was stung by the racial stereotype. But rather than become angry and embittered, it motivated him to prove that misguided man wrong. Pearl bought a house in a “black” neighborhood and began fashioning a garden that would attract positive attention. His goal was modest, but clear: to become the first African-American to win Bishopville’s “Yard of the Month” award.

“A Man Named Pearl not only makes you want to get out there and play Edward Scissorhands but can, at least for its 78 jazz-and-gospel infused minutes, help replenish one’s faith in humanity.” – Gary Goldstein, Los Angeles Times

“On a smaller, less-cosmic scale of appreciation, Pearl’s uplifting story is a welcome reminder that any pursuit of growth and nurturing will yield unexpectedly wonderful dividends.” – Jeff Shannon, Seattle Times

“Assembled without frills or fuss, A Man Named Pearl is as much a portrait of a small Southern town as of an unassuming black folk artist.” – Jeannette Catsoulis, New York Times

Oct 21st at 4:30 & 7:00
(96 Minutes, PG-13, Documentary)

Trumbo is a unique, star-studded film about Oscar-winning screenwriter Dalton Trumbo and his heroic journey from Hollywood royalty to blacklisted writer to Academy Award winner. Set against the backdrop of tremendous political unrest, audiences will be given a first hand, emotional account of how this turmoil affected one of the Hollywood’s most prolific writers.

Based on the play “Trumbo,” by his son Christopher, the film features brilliant readings of some of Trumbo’s extraordinary letters performed by an A-list cast, interlaced with period and contemporary interviews, and rare video shot by his family and friends. These actors include: Joan Allen, Brian Dennehy, Michael Douglas, Paul Giamatti, Nathan Lane, Josh Lucas, Liam Neeson, David Staithairn, and Donald Sutherland.

“The readings of Dalton Trumbo’s letters to family and friends are starkly rendered—famous faces…recite rousing missives without the aid of sets or props of any kind save for Trumbo’s own thunderous proclamations in defense of free speech.” – Robert Wilonsky, Village Voice

“The substance of those letters, along with documentary footage and a touching appearance by Kirk Douglas, throws a baleful light on a bleak chapter of American history.” – Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal

“Trumbo is an unconventional film about an unconventional man.” – Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Time

“Trumbo is well worth seeing for what it tells us about the age in which this irrepressible individualist lived, loved, suffered and finally triumphed.” – Andrew Sarris, New York Observer

Oct. 14 at 4:30 and 7:00
(90 minutes, Not Rated, Comedy/Romance)

In Search of a Midnight Kiss is a rollicking comic ride and tender journey though love, sex, and modern romance in Los Angeles on New Year’s Eve.

WILSON (Scoot McNairy), a twenty-nine-year old guy who has just had the worst year of his life, is new to Los Angeles, has no date, no concrete plans and every intention of locking the doors and forgetting the last year ever happened. That is until his best friend, Jacob (Brian McGuire), browbeats him into posting a personal ad on Craig’s List. When Vivian (Sara Simmonds), a strong-willed woman hell bent on being with the right guy at the stroke of midnight responds, a chaotic, sometimes hilarious, sometimes touching journey through the black and white streets of L.A. begins. In the waning hours of the year, emotional vulnerability and bitterly honest humor seem to be waiting around every corner.

“To praise the beauty of this film is not enough; what lends it tension is that it’s wrapped around people for whom beauty is at best an anachronism and at worst an embarrassing joke.” – Anthony Lane, New Yorker

“In Search of a Midnight Kiss isn’t a homage or a recycling job. It’s a film with its own organic existence, its own reason for being. It is ultimately a very true and moving story.” – Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

“In Search of a Midnight Kiss is wonderfully romantic and romantically bittersweet. It’s not about forever; it’s about now.” – James Berardinelli, ReelViews

Oct 7 at 4:30 & 7:00
(G, 99 min., Documentary)

Werner Herzog (“Grizzly Man,” “Rescue Dawn”) confirms his standing as poet laureate of men in extreme situations with ENCOUNTERS AT THE END OF THE WORLD. In this visually stunning exploration, Herzog travels to the Antarctic community of McMurdo Station, headquarters of the National Science Foundation and home to eleven hundred people during the austral summer (Oct-Feb). Over the course of his journey, Herzog examines human nature and Mother nature, juxtaposing breathtaking locations with the profound, surreal, and sometimes absurd experiences of the marine biologists, physicists, plumbers, and truck drivers who choose to form a society as far away from society as one can get.

Some Review Snippets:

“Antarctica, it turns out, is the perfect setting for Herzog to find the themes that have fascinated him: The mercilessness of nature, and the foolhardiness of humans who would challenge nature.” – Sean Means, Salt Lake Tribune

“A poem of oddness and beauty. Herzog is like no other filmmaker, and to return to him is to be welcomed into a world vastly larger and more peculiar than the one around us. The underwater photography alone would make a film, but there is so much more.” – Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Tribune

“Few filmmakers make the end of days seem as hauntingly beautiful as Werner Herzog does in Encounters at the End of the World.” – Manohla Dargis, New York Times

We’ve put together a series of four films that, although a little heavy on the Documentary genre, we hope you’ll find interesting and enjoyable. We’ll be ‘traveling’ to all sorts of interesting places, on and off the map.

We will be renting the Theater on each of the four Tuesdays in October to show these films. We’ll have one presentation at 4:30 and one at 7:00. [Note: This is a change from our usual early Sunday show and 6:30 Monday show.]

Encounters at the End of the World
Oct 7th at 4:30 & 7:00
(99 Minutes, G, USA, Documentary)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1093824/

In Search of a Midnight Kiss
Oct 14th at 4:30 & 7:00
(90 minutes, Not Rated, Black & White, Comedy/Romance)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0989000/

Trumbo
Oct 21st at 4:30 & 7:00
(96 Minutes, PG-13, Documentary)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0889671/

A Man Named Pearl
Oct 28th at 4:30 & 7:00
(78 Minutes, G, Documentary)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0878134/

These shows are open to the public. General Admission is $5.50 per ticket. And, remember, your 2008 memberships are still in effect.

If anyone would like to volunteer to help with concessions and cleanup that would be wonderful.