BIX: “AIN’T NONE OF THEM PLAY LIKE HIM YET”
Synopsis: Cornetist / pianist / composer Leon “Bix” Beiderbecke (1903-1931) was jazz’s man who got away – the James Dean, Jim Morrison and Kurt Cobain of his day. Born in Davenport, Iowa into an upper middle-class family, Beiderbecke became a legend even in his short lifetime, bringing an amazing new energy and unprecedented maturity to the music and influencing generations of musicians. After a bout battling alcoholism, Bix died in Sunnyside, Queens on August 6, 1931. The cause of death was lobar pneumonia. He was 28.
Using archival photographs and rare footage (including the three sole momentary fragments capturing Bix on film) and interviews with friends and colleagues (including jazz greats Hoagy Carmichael, Doc Cheatham, Artie Shaw, et al.), Oscar® winner Brigitte Berman’s acclaimed documentary paints a vivid portrait of a vanished era and brings to life the only cornetist Louis Armstrong regarded as an equal (the quotation in the film’s title was once spoken by Armstrong).
New restoration by Oren Edenson with fully remastered soundtrack by Daniel Pellerin.
Bonus Features: Trailer
Synopsis: From the controversial novella by Honoré de Balzac comes the story of a young army officer who finds himself stranded inthe Sahara desert. Left to his own devices, Augustin Robert (Ben Daniels, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, The Crown)
would surely die…but after stumbling upon mysterious ruins housing a wild leopard, the man and beast form an inextricable bond. The mysteries of Egypt unfold in this mystical and lyrical journey that explores the link between man and beast, an exotic and lustrous experience you’ll never forget.
Bonus Features: Trailers
Street Date: 6/14/22
Synopsis: A celebrated Israeli filmmaker named Y arrives in a remote desert village to present one of his films at a local library. Struggling to cope with the recent news of his mother’s terminal illness, he is pushed into a spiral of rage when the host of the screening, a government employee, asks him to sign a form placing restrictions on what he can say at the film’s Q&A. Told over the course of one day, the film depicts Y as he battles against the loss of freedom in his country and the fear of losing his mother. Nadav Lapid (Synonyms, The Kindergarten Teacher) wrote Ahed’s Knee soon after the death of his own mother, who worked as an editor on many of his works. It offers a sharp critique of the censorship, hypocrisy, and violence instigated by Israel and repressive governments everywhere. The fact that it was produced, largely funded, and highly acclaimed in its home country highlights the complexities of a national cinema that refuses to be muzzled, born of the divisions of society itself. Winner of the Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival, this boldly shot and conceived work feels as though it has welled up from the depths of its maker’s soul.
Bonus Features: Conversation with Nadav Lapid (courtesy of Film at Lincoln Center) | Trailers
Street Date: 6/21/22
Synopsis: Panah Panahi, son and collaborator of embattled filmmaker Jafar Panahi and apprentice to Iranian master Abbas Kiarostami, makes a striking feature debut with this charming, sharp-witted, and deeply moving comic drama. Hit the Road takes the tradition of the Iranian road-trip movie and adds unexpected twists and turns. It follows a family of four – two middle-aged parents and their sons, one a taciturn adult, the other a ebullient six-year-old – as they drive across the Iranian countryside. Over the course of the trip, they bond over memories of the past, grapple with fears of the unknown, and fuss over their sick dog. Unspoken tensions arise and the film builds emotional momentum as it slowly reveals the furtive purpose for their journey. The result is a humanist drama that offers an authentic, often comedic, and deeply sincere observation of an Iranian family preparing to part with one of their own.
Bonus Features: Trailer
Synopsis: Based on the best-selling series of novels by Antonio Manzini, Rocco Schiavone: Ice Cold Murders is a devilishly entertaining Italian crime series that follows the idiosyncratic adventures of cranky and unorthodox detective Rocco Schiavone (Marco Giallini). In Season 2, the irascible Schiavone remains exiled in the Alpine town of Aosta, investigating murders far from his beloved home city of Rome. But while he has left home, it hasn’t left him, as his tragic past comes back to haunt him.
Street Date: 6/21/22 (DVD Only)
Synopsis: In Steve Brand’s timeless documentary KADDISH — as bracing as any fiction — we witness a candid portrait of a young Jew coming to terms with his father’s traumatic history. It is the story of the stormy yet loving relationship between writer and Jewish activist Yossi Klein and his father Zoltan, who had survived the Holocaust’s devastation of Hungarian Jewry by hiding in a hole in the ground for six months while his parents – Yossi’s grandparents – perished at Auschwitz. Once Yossi and his sister Karen were born, Zoltan was determined that they be emotionally prepared to survive another holocaust. His story of hiding in the forest and the murder of his parents became his children’s bedtime stories. Their mother Breindy compensated by reading Dr. Seuss books. Kaddish is an emotion-packed coming-of-age journey, told with charm and a surprising sense of humor. It culminates at the first International Gathering of Holocaust Survivors in Jerusalem which Yossi attends “wearing two yarmulkes” — as a writer and as the child of a survivor. But he attends alone, and, he soon realizes, bereft. Yet the film ends, as David Denby has written, “in a burst of elation–all burdens lifted at once–that is one of the most moving things I have seen in recent films.”
Bonus Features: DISC 1: Trailer | Reviews | Awards | Screening History Highlights | Bios DISC 2: New interview with filmmaker Steve Brand | New 30 Years Later Interview with YKH | Original Pilot | Deleted Scenes
Synopsis: In this nail-biting thriller, Dr. Lewis Shaler (Dougray Scott, Mission: Impossible II) boards a late night train with his young son, Max. As he chats with a friendly fellow passenger, Sarah (Kara Tointon, EastEnders), he idly wonders why the train isn’t following its normal route. When the train hurtles past their stops, Shaler and the other passengers realize something is seriously wrong. Communications are down and the emergency brakes don’t work. As the train rockets dangerously down the tracks and crashes through whatever is put in its path, Shaler and the rest of the passengers take matters into their own hands. But they’re no match for this multi-ton monster careening down a path to utter destruction.
Bonus Features: B Roll | Sound Bites | Featurettes on Set Design, Sound Design, Visual Effects | Trailers
Synopsis: Soulful and musical British exchange student Sophie Williams comes to New York in search of inspiration. On the surface, Sophie’s host family seems happy enough, but with her arrival to the Reynolds’ Upstate New York home, the private struggles of each family member begin to bubble. In particular, frustrated musician-turned-piano- teacher Keith Reynolds finds long suppressed dreams and desires reignited by Sophie’s talent and inquisitive nature. While Keith’s wife, Megan and daughter, Lauren focus on Lauren’s final year of high school, Sophie and Keith are drawn ever closer by their mutual longing for creative expression. Ultimately, Sophie and Keith must confront how much they are willing to sacrifice and what they truly want out of life.
Bonus Features: The Making of Breathe In | Exclusive interview with director Drake Doremus | Trailers
Synopsis: MAU is the first-ever, feature-length documentary about the design visionary Bruce Mau. The film explores his unlikely creative journey and ever-optimistic push to tackle the world’s biggest problems with design. Over the span of his career, this creative dark horse has completed the transformation from world-class graphic designer to designer of the world. He has gone from advising global brands like Coca-Cola and Disney to rethinking a 1000-year plan for Mecca, Islam’s holiest site. And from working with the greatest living architects (Rem Koolhaas & Frank Gehry) on books and museums to rebranding nations such as Guatemala and Denmark. Bruce Mau is a pioneer of transformation design and the belief that design can be used to create positive change in our world.
Bonus Features: Trailer
Synopsis: In the shadow of the pandemic, a small town rallies to protect a beloved local bookstore. A landmark in Lenox, Massachusetts, The Bookstore is a magical, beatnik gem thanks to its owner Matt Tannenbaum, whose passion for stories runs deep. This intimate portrait of The Bookstore and the family at its heart offers a journey through good times, hard times, and the stories hidden on the shelves.
Bonus Features: Trailers
Street Date: 6/21/22 (DVD Only)
Synopsis: The governments of the world cannot hide anymore that alien contact is happening. This is a film of what, why, and how it is occurring. Most importantly, it offers an answer to the question: Where do we go from here?
Bonus Features: Trailer
Street Date: 6/21/22
Synopsis: Bleeding Audio details the rollercoaster career of the Oakland pop punk band The Matches. Like many acts in the early 2000s, they were set to be the next big thing. After building a tight- knit music community in the Bay Area, The Matches broke out and became an internationally touring act. An eclectic group of artistic weirdos, the band grew a thriving cult fanbase worldwide, yet remained virtually penniless. Their story overlaps with the drastic changes of the music industry since the takeover of the digital revolution— from declining sales, to excessive touring, to illegal downloading and streaming. With interviews from some of music’s biggest names like Mark Hoppus (Blink 182), Nick Hexum (311) and Tom Higgenson (Plain White T’s), Bay Area filmmaker Chelsea Christer’s uplifting tribute tracks The Matches’ history and recent reunion to dig deeper into the challenges the average musician faces in the digital age of the industry—and the community that keeps our artists alive.
Bonus Features: Trailers
Synopsis: Charlotte is an animated drama that tells the true story of Charlotte Salomon (Keira Knightley, Pirates of the Caribbean), a young German-Jewish painter who comes of age in Berlin on the eve of the Second World War. Fiercely imaginative and deeply gifted, she dreams of becoming an artist. Her first love applauds her talent, which emboldens her resolve. But the world around her is changing quickly and dangerously, limiting her options and derailing her dream. When anti-Semitic policies inspire violent mobs, she leaves Berlin for the safety of the South of France. There she begins to paint again, and finds new love. But her work is interrupted, this time by a family tragedy that reveals an even darker secret. Believing that only the extraordinary will save her, she embarks on the monumental adventure of painting her life story.
Bonus Features: Interviews with the cast and filmmakers and behind-the-scenes footage | Trailers
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.
