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LOOKING FOR ERIC

Eric Bishop (Steve Evets) gets some advice from his hero, football star Eric Cantona (Eric Cantona)

LOOKING FOR ERIC (Ken Loach, 2010)
Opens Friday, May 14
IFC Center, 323 Sixth Ave. at Third St., 212-924-7771
Lincoln Plaza Cinemas, 1886 Broadway at 63rd St., 212-757-2280
www.iconmovies.co.uk
www.ifccenter.com
www.lincolnplazacinema.com

With his life in freefall, postal employee Eric Bishop (Steve Evets) gazes up at his poster of soccer legend Eric Cantona and wonders what the Manchester United star would do – and then, like magic, Cantona (played by Cantona himself) appears in his room, to lend advice and help him through his myriad problems. Reminiscent of how Bogie (Jerry Lacy) guides Allan (Woody Allen) in PLAY IT AGAIN, SAM, Cantona hangs out with Bishop, talking about how he dealt with adversity on the field and off and sharing joints while discussing life. Bishop’s stepsons don’t listen to him, his second wife has left him, and he ends up in the hospital after driving the wrong way through a traffic circle. But his close group of motley friends – Spleen (Justin Moorhouse), Jack (Des Sharples), Monk (Greg Cook), Judge (Mick Ferry), Smug (Smug Roberts), Travis (Johnny Travis), and leader Meatballs (John Henshaw) – stick by him through thick and thin, especially when his son Ryan (Gerard Kearns) gets into serious trouble with a local gangster (Steve Marsh). A light-hearted, tender comedy that turns somewhat goofy at the end, LOOKING FOR ERIC was directed by, remarkably enough, British iconoclast Ken Loach, who has previously offered up such dour, serious tales as KES, RIFF-RAFF, CARLA’S SONG, and THE WIND THAT SHAKES THE BARLEY. Loach and screenwriting partner Paul Laverty were looking for a sweet, innocent film to make when Cantona actually approached them with an idea that they turned into LOOKING FOR ERIC, a nod to such charmers as WAKING NED DEVINE and THE FULL MONTY that includes clips of many of Cantona’s most spectacular goals as well as his infamous farewell press conference.

NO ONE KNOWS ABOUT PERSIAN CATS

Iranian film follows the attempts of two musicians to put together an indie rock band

NO ONE KNOWS ABOUT PERSIAN CATS (KASI AZ GORBEHAYE IRANI KHABAR NADAREH) (Bahman Ghobadi, 2010)
IFC Center
323 Sixth Ave. at West Third St.
Opens Friday, April 16
212-924-7771
www.ifccenter.com

Iranian writer-director Bahman Ghobadi (A TIME FOR DRUNKEN HORSES) goes underground in NO ONE KNOWS ABOUT PERSIAN CATS, following the plight of Negar (Negar Shaghaghi) and Ashkan (Ashkan Koshanejad) as they attempt to put together an indie band for a gig in London. Inspired by their dedication—and always out to make a buck himself—fast-talking wheeler-dealer Nadar (Hamed Behdad) takes them to get illegal passports, then introduces them to a series of bands who play in secretive underground spaces where the government and the police don’t bother them, even though it is against the law to play Western-style music. Their quest for musicians leads them to such real groups as Take It Easy Hospital and the Yellow Dogs, who regularly risk their freedom and safety by playing to excited young fans desperate to hear live, modern music. Ghobadi throws in just about every genre imaginable, from heavy metal and punk to classic rock and jazz in a stirring musical journey, turning each song into a video depicting everyday life in Tehran. The film does lapse into overheated and unnecessary heavy-handed melodrama in its final scenes, but it’s still a compelling story of the intrinsic power of music and the desperate need to make connections.

NO ONE KNOWS ABOUT PERSIAN CATS opens today and will be celebrated at a public after-party at 92YTribeca beginning at 9:00, featuring live performances by the Yellow Dogs and New York City-based Iranian band Hypernova, along with DJ Loveletters. Ghobadi, who just had a two-day retrospective at Lincoln Center, will be on hand to discuss the film at the 7:35 and 9:55 screenings Friday and Saturday night at the IFC Center.

UNDER GREAT NORTHERN LIGHTS

THE WHITE STRIPES UNDER GREAT NORTHERN LIGHTS (Emmett Malloy, 2009)
IFC Center
323 Sixth Ave. at Third St.
Wednesday, March 10, 8:00, and Thursday, March 11, 7:00 & 9:00
212-924-7771
www.ifccenter.com
www.whitestripes.bside.com

In the summer of 2007, Jack White and Meg White, better known as the White Stripes, celebrated their tenth anniversary as a band by touring Canada for the first time, intent on playing every province. Their cross-country journey was documented by video director Emmett Malloy, with guitarist Jack and drummer Meg often setting up their instruments in offbeat, surprising venues, including their infamous one-note show. Although the film is having its official U.S. premiere this week at the SXSW festival in Austin, there will be sneak peeks at theaters across America, including three screenings at the IFC Center, in advance of its March 16 release on Blu-ray and DVD and as a live CD. One of the best bands in the world, the White Stripes recently saw several of their records (ELEPHANT, GET BEHIND ME SATAN, ICKY THUMP) named to numerous best-of-the-decade lists; now you can see them before everyone else does in what promises to be one damn cool concert film.

WAVERLY MIDNIGHTS: BIGELOW VS. CAMERON

Former husband and wife James Cameron and Kathryn Bigelow claim to still be good friends, but they’ll be battling it out in Hollywood and the IFC Center

Former husband and wife James Cameron and Kathryn Bigelow claim to still be good friends, but they’ll be battling it out for directorial supremacy in Hollywood and the IFC Center

IFC Center
323 Sixth Ave. at Third St.
Weekends at midnight, February 26 – April 17
212-924-7771
www.ifccenter.com

The IFC Center isn’t waiting until March 7 to watch Kathryn Bigelow battle it out for Oscar supremacy against former husband James Cameron. Starting this Friday night and continuing into April, IFC will match up the writer-directors of THE HURT LOCKER and AVATAR by screening their earlier works on alternating weekends at midnight, a cool collection of underrated flicks and big-budget epics that all contain elements of genius, nearly every one action-packed, filled with chills and spills — and Patrick Swayze and Keanu Reeves. Yes, movie lovers, the fight kicks off February 26 with Bigelow’s kitschy classic, POINT BREAK (1991), in which FBI Agents Johnny Utah (Reeves!) and Pappas (Gary Busey!) chase surfing bad boy Bodhi (Swayze!) along the beautiful beaches of California. POINT BREAK will be tough to beat, but Cameron’s THE ABYSS (1989) will go where its challenger did not — deep underwater with Ed Harris (March 5-6). Cammie and Biggie, who were husband and wife from 1989 to 1991, will both enter round two with Jamie Lee Curtis by their side, either basking in the glow of Oscar or wallowing in sheer misery, pitting Kathryn’s 1989 cop drama BLUE STEEL (March 12-13) against Jim’s explosive 1994 remake of a French film, TRUE LIES (March 19-20), followed by KB’s misunderstood STRANGE DAYS (1995) against JC’s awesome ALIENS (1986). If there’s still any doubt as to whom the victor is, the IFC Center has loaded the deck for the last round, as Big’s 1987 vampire drama NEAR DARK (April 9-10) stands little chance against Cam’s 1984 favorite, THE TERMINATOR (April 16-17), in which Ahnold will make sure who the winner is, even if he has to travel through time to make it so.

RED RIDING TRILOGY

British trilogy will get special screening at IFC Center

RED RIDING — 1974 (Julian Jarrold, 2009)
RED RIDING — 1980 (James Marsh, 2009)
RED RIDING — 1983 (Anand Tucker, 2009)
IFC Center
323 Sixth Ave. at West Third St.
212-924-7771
www.ifccenter.com
www.channel4.com

Based on four novels written by British author David Peace (THE DAMNED UNITED), the RED RIDING TRILOGY is an epic crime noir set against the hunt for the Yorkshire Ripper, a series of murders that took place in England in the 1970s. The first part, RED RIDING — 1970, directed by Julian Jarrold (BRIDESHEAD REVISITED), follows hotshot reporter Eddie Dunford (Andrew Garfield) as he returns home after an unsuccessful attempt at making a name for himself in the big city. Dunford is investigating the disappearance of several young girls, but he soon gets in too deep, uncovering rampant police corruption, falling for one of the victim’s mothers (Rebecca Hall), and battling powerful businessman John Dawson (Sean Bean), who will stop at nothing to build the area’s first giant shopping complex. The second film, directed by James Marsh (MAN ON WIRE), moves the action to 1980, as Manchester detective Peter Hunter (Paddy Considine) is summoned to help capture the Yorkshire Ripper. Trying to put his past behind him, Hunter immediately finds himself up against the local police, particularly Bob Craven (Sean Harris), who is hiding a dark secret. The third film, directed by Anand Tucker (HILARY AND JACKIE), heads forward in time to 1983, as Maurice Jobson (David Morrissey) begins to question his involvement in the corruption and cover-up and ragged lawyer John Piggott (Mark Addy) believes they might have convicted the wrong man.

Sean Bean plays a critical role as corrupt businessman in crime trilogy

Written by Tony Grisoni (FEAR AND LOATHING IN LAS VEGAS), the RED RIDING TRILOGY is a moody, gripping thriller that is part SERPICO, part THE WIRE, part INFERNAL AFFAIRS, with the first film focused on journalism, the second on police procedures, and the third on the law. Although each film — originally made for British television with an eye for international release — can stand on its own, there are recurring characters and overlapping story lines, and the dark, foreboding atmosphere haunts all three works. Despite being made by different directors, the films flow seamlessly into one other and are best seen back to back to back. With that in mind, the IFC Center will be screening the whole series fourteen times from February 5 to 11, beginning each day at 1:00 and 7:00, unfurling this Special Roadshow Edition of the five-hour trilogy for a special price of $25 that comes with a collectors program, free popcorn, two intermissions, and no commercials or trailers. Starting February 12, the films will be shown individually, with separate admissions.

OFF AND RUNNING

Avery tries to hold together her complicated life in OFF AND RUNNING

OFF AND RUNNING (Nicole Opper, 2009)
IFC Center
323 Sixth Ave. at West Third St.
January 29 – February 4
212-924-7771
www.ifccenter.com
www.firstrunfeatures.com

Nicole Opper’s OFF AND RUNNING starts off as a heartwarming tale of a Brooklyn family that refers to itself as the United Nations — lesbian mothers Tova (from Israel) and Travis (from Illinois) and their adopted children: multiracial Rafi, African American Avery, and Korean Zay-Zay. Opper focuses on Avery, a teenage track star who has suddenly decided to contact her birth mother, beginning her descent into a troubled world that jeopardizes her relationship with her family as well as her once-promising future. Her struggles appear to stem from her insistence on developing a black identity; she takes great offense at being called an “Oreo” by some of her African American friends and soon is turning her back on her dismayed parents, who give their children remarkable freedom along with their deep love. Although OFF AND RUNNING is a moving portrait of a very modern American family, it at times feels like a carefully manipulated reality TV show, with Avery calling the shots. In fact, director Opper has been a mentor and teacher to Avery since she first encountered the youngster at a Hebrew school she was visiting for an earlier film. Opper helped Avery craft her voice-over narration and even worked with her in the editing room, calling into question her objectivity. There are times when viewers will wonder why the filmmaker and Avery’s parents don’t just scare her straight, instead sitting idly by as the confused girl makes wrong choice after wrong choice. Still, OFF AND RUNNING, featuring stirring music is by experimental violinist Daniel Bernard Romain, is a fascinating study that raises many important social and cultural issues.

HOUSE (HAUSU)

Japanese cult horror comedy finally gets a theatrical release

HOUSE (HAUSU) (Nobuhiko Obayashi, 1977)
IFC Center
323 Sixth Ave. at West Third St.
212-924-7771
www.ifccenter.com
www.janusfilms.com/house

One of the craziest movies ever made, Nobuhiko Obayashi’s 1977 cult classic, HOUSE (HAUSU), is finally getting its first-ever U.S. theatrical release, in a new 35mm print at the IFC Center. Truly one of those things that has to be seen to be believed, HOUSE is a psychedelic black horror comedy musical about Gorgeous (Kimiko Ikegami) and six of her high school friends who choose to spend part of their summer vacation at Gorgeous’s aunt’s (Yoko Minamida) very strange house. Gorgeous, whose mother died when she was little and whose father (Saho Sasazawa) is about to get married to Ryoko (Haruko Wanibuchi), brings along her playful friends Melody (Eriko Ikegami), Fantasy (Kumiko Oba), Prof (Ai Matsubara), Sweet (Masayo Miyako), Kung Fu (Miki Jinbo), and Mac (Mieko Sato), who quickly start disappearing like ten little Indians. HOUSE is a ceaselessly entertaining head trip of a movie, a tongue-in-chic celebration of genre with spectacular set designs by Kazuo Satsuya, beautiful cinematography by Yoshitaka Sakamoto, and a fab score by Asei Kobayashi and Mickie Yoshino. The original story actually came from the mind of Obayashi’s eleven-year-old daughter, Chigumi, who clearly has one heck of an imagination. Oh, and we can’t forget about the evil cat, a demonic feline to end all demonic felines. The film is being released prior to its appearance on DVD from Janus, the same company that puts out such classic fare as Federico Fellini’s AMARCORD, Akira Kurosawa’s RASHOMON, Jacques Tati’s M. HULOT’S HOLIDAY, François Truffaut’s SHOOT THE PIANO PLAYER, Jean Renoir’s THE RULES OF THE GAME, and Jean-Luc Godard’s VIVRE SA VIE, so HOUSE has joined some very prestigious company. And who are we to say it doesn’t deserve it?