February 23-26

Wednesday, February 23

Animal Kingdom

2010. Australia. Dir: David Michod. With With Ben Mendelsohn, Guy Pearce. 113 min.
A laconic seventeen-year-old is sucked into his family’s life of armed robbery and drug dealing just as the Sydney police begin to close in on them, forcing him to decide whether or not he’s ready for a life of crime. Action, twists, and arguments in Aussie accents abound in this acclaimed international hit.

Thursday, February 24

Ajami

2009. Israel/Germany. Dir: Dir: Scandar Copti, Yaron Shani. With With Fouad Habash. 120 min.
Five stories of everyday life overlap in the religiously mixed city of Ajami. This Best Foreign Oscar nominee offers a raw, nuanced examination of the tensions simmering within Israel’s Arab, Jewish, and Christian populations and the violence that can erupt when they intersect. Speaker: film critic Laura Blum.

Friday, February 25

Eddie Murphy: Raw

1987. USA. Dir: Robert Townsend. With Eddie Murphy. 93 min.
"Well, tell Bill Cosby I said have a Coke and a smile and shut the f**k up. Jello pudding-eating motherf**ker." Believe it or not, before he sold his soul Eddie Murphy was one of the funniest, most original comedians in the business. This legendary stand-up performance delivers a non-stop string of punch lines and profanity as he takes on fame, race, relationships, and his mother.

Saturday, February 26

Woman Under the Influence

1974. USA. Dir: John Cassavetes. With Gina Rowlands, Peter Falk. 155 min.
Movie maverick Cassavetes paints a stark, heartbreaking portrait of a housewife’s decline into madness and the toll it takes on her husband and family. Anchored by Rowland’s iconic performance, this remains among the most influential, affecting works in American independent cinema.