Cinema Art Theater: THIS WEEK

The Spy Behind Home Plate

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Film Description:

The Spy Behind Home Plate is a fascinating documentary by award-winning filmmaker Aviva Kempner about Moe Berg, an enigmatic Jewish catcher, who joined the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) to spy for the U.S. on the Nazis’ atomic bomb program.

From the streets of Newark to five major league teams during baseball’s Golden Age to his secret life spying for the OSS during WWII, Berg’s improbable story is told with rare historical footage and revealing interviews with family and an All-Star roster from the worlds of history, sports and spy craft. Berg may have had only a .243 batting average during his 15-year major league career, but it was the stats he collected for the OSS that made him a most valuable player to his country. [US, 2019, 101 minutes, Rating: NR].

“A satisfying combination of baseball and WWII history but works on its own as a biographical documentary about a fascinating subject,” says Raquel Stecher of Quelle Movies.  Elias Savada of Film International exclaims, “A solid triple and a worthwhile salute to a great baseball star, a true American hero...and a spy.”

There’s an old Borsch Belt joke: What’s the thinnest book ever written? Why, Jewish sports heroes, of course! But you could rustle up a pretty thick volume about Mo Berg, a journeyman baseball catcher who roamed from team to team in the 1930s, then slipped into Europe during World War II on behalf of the U.S. government to enlist defections from rocket scientists. Paul Rudd played Berg in last year’s The Catcher Was a Spy; now director Aviva Kempner has created an exhaustive documentary that enlists both athletes and historians to strip away the mythology surrounding Berg. What emerges is the portrait of a brilliant Princeton grad whose genius for language and strategy served him on the ball field and his country on the battlefield.












Please note that tickets are non-refundable and may not be exchanged for other screening dates/times or film title.

 

Location: Cinema Art Theater   View Location Details

Admission

  • $8.00 RBFS Members
  • $11.00 General

Click on the desired screening times for tickets

Toni Morrison: The Pieces I Am

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Film Description:

The Cinema Art Theater will again present Toni Morrison: The Pieces I Am. This artful and intimate documentary is a meditation on the late legendary storyteller Toni Morrison as she examined her life, her works, and the powerful themes confronted throughout her literary career.

From her childhood in the steel town of Lorain, Ohio to ‘70s-era book tours with Muhammad Ali, from the front lines with Angela Davis to her own riverfront writing room, Toni Morrison led an assembly of her peers, critics and colleagues on an exploration of race, America, history and the human condition as seen through the prism of her own literature. Inspired to write because no one took a “little black girl” seriously, Morrison reflected on her lifelong deconstruction of the master narrative. Woven together with a rich collection of art, history, literature and personality, the film includes discussions about her many critically acclaimed works, including novels The Bluest Eye, Sula and Song of Solomon, her role as an editor of iconic African-American literature, and her time teaching at Princeton University. [US, 2019, 119 minutes, Rating: R].

Gary Goldstein of Los Angeles Times takes special note, “Moving and profound. Look for this to be front and center come Oscar® time.” Monica Castillo of RogerEbert.com says “Morrison's legacy is more than just the titles on a reading list, and this documentary will likely help many viewers see just how monumental her accomplishments remain.”

You don’t need to have read a word of Toni Morrison’s novels — nor even seen Beloved, the 1998 drama based on her Nobel Prize-winning book — to become enraptured by the drama of her life, and her special brand of good-natured genius. Director Timothy Greenfield-Sanders (PBS’s The Black List) enlists pals like Oprah Winfrey, Angela Davis, and Fran Lebowitz to sing the author’s praises.But it’s Morrison herself, regal and witty, who inspires with her tales of growing up in Ohio, where the landlord set fire to their home — and the family responded by laughing at him. That smile in the face of hatred enlivens this heartfelt portrait.












Please note that tickets are non-refundable and may not be exchanged for other screening dates/times or film title.

 

Location: Cinema Art Theater   View Location Details

Admission

  • $8.00 RBFS Members
  • $11.00 General

Click on the desired screening times for tickets

Maiden

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Film Description:

Maiden is the true story of how Tracy Edwards, a 24-year-old cook in charter boats, became the skipper of the first ever all-female crew to enter the Whitbread Round the World in 1989. Tracy’s inspirational dream was opposed on all sides: her male competitors thought an all-women crew would never make it, the chauvinistic yachting press took bets on her failure, and potential sponsors rejected her, fearing they would die at sea and generate bad publicity.

But Tracy refused to give up: she re-mortgaged her home and bought a secondhand boat, putting everything on the line to ensure the team made it to the start line. Although blessed with tremendous self-belief, Tracy was also beset by crippling doubts and was only able to make it through with the support of her remarkable crew. With their help she went on to shock the sport world and prove that women are very much the equal of men. [US, 2019, 97 minutes, Rating: PG]

Loren King of Newport This Week comments, “Maiden beautifully captures a time and an experience, and transcends it.” Josh Slater Williams of Little White Lies exclaims “An exhilarating and inspiring watch.”

Through sheer determination, 24-year-old Tracy Edwards in 1989 became skipper of the first all-female crew in the Whitbread Round The World Race (now known as the Volvo Ocean Race). Inspired by a chance meeting with King Hussein of Jordan, young Edwards became obsessed with the notion of showing the male-dominated world of yacht racing that women could do a lot more than rustle up grub for macho sailor men. The rampant sexism of the era is reflected in news clips (“How will they avoid cat fights?”) and in the dismissive comments of male counterparts. Still they plug along, eyes on the horizon, through seas both smooth and scary. Edwards and her cohorts, interviewed for the film and looking ready to set sail again on a moment’s notice, provide the film’s heartfelt narration.














Click here to also enjoy Bill Newcott's interview with Tracy Edwards, former skipper of the Maiden.

Please note that tickets are non-refundable and may not be exchanged for other screening dates/times or film title.

Location: Cinema Art Theater   View Location Details

Admission

  • $8.00 RBFS Members
  • $11.00 General

Click on the desired screening times for tickets

Mike Wallace Is Here

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Film Description:

Mike Wallace Is Here is a riveting documentary that depicts the dramatic life and career of the legendary and feisty CBS News correspondent, whose no-holds-barred interview style and indefatigable showmanship helped make 60 Minutes must-see TV.

Mike Wallace interrogated the 20th century’s biggest figures in his over fifty years on air, and his aggressive reporting style and showmanship redefined what America came to expect from broadcasters. Unearthing decades of never-before-seen footage from the 60 Minutes vault, the film explores what drove and plagued Wallace, whose storied career was entwined with the evolution of journalism itself. This film offers a worthy tribute and an engrossing look at the changing landscape of modern news. [US, 2018, 90 minutes, Rating: PG-13].

Annlee Ellingson of L.A. Biz remarks, “A fascinating documentary that not only perfectly reflects its subject but inspires reflection in its viewers on the state of broadcast news and the personalities who deliver it.” Leonard Maltin of leonardmaltin.com says, “Having watched Wallace since childhood I was riveted to the screen from start to finish. As a character portrait and reflection on an era, Mike Wallace is Here is as vibrant and timely as its subject.”

For more than four decades, few things struck fear into the hearts of corrupt politicians and greedy businessmen more than the words, “Mike Wallace Is Here.”

That’s the name of this eye-opening new documentary from director Avi Belkin, who goes way, way back into the archives of early TV to create this sometimes stark, sometimes heartbreaking portrait of the man who invented the hard-hitting TV interview. There's a wealth of striking footage from 60 Minutes, the news magazine he launched with cohost Harry Reasoner in 1968 and which, he candidly recalls, "No one thought would last." And vintage footage from his gritty 1950s New York City interview show reveal he was honing his interviewing skills long before that.

But perhaps most striking are clips of Wallace as a a cheery, chatty 1950s game show host, happily handing out prize money to delighted contestants — or chirpily pitching everything from cigarettes to refrigerated pie crusts. It's at those moments we realize Wallace at some point sat down and, through sheer calculation and determination, invented the steely-eyed reporter that defined his career.




















Click here to also enjoy a video review of the film by Bill Newcott titled Mike Wallace Is Here.

Please note that tickets are non-refundable and may not be exchanged for other screening dates/times or film title.

 

Location: Cinema Art Theater   View Location Details

Admission

  • $8.00 RBFS Members
  • $11.00 General

Click on the desired screening times for tickets

Tel Aviv on Fire

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Film Description:

Tel Aviv On Fire is a genial comedy that crosses borders and breaks boundaries.
Salam, a young Palestinian man living in Jerusalem, becomes a writer on a popular soap opera after a chance meeting with an Israeli soldier. He gets ideas for the show from the commanding officer at the check point he passes through each day. The commanding officer turns out to be an aspiring writer. Salam’s creative career is on the rise - until the soldier and the show's financial backers disagree about how the show should end and Salam is caught in the middle [France, 2018, Runtime: 97 min, Rating: NR, In Arabic & Hebrew w/ English subtitles].

Diane Carson of KDHX (St. Louis) exclaims, “Salam had me rooting for him throughout.” Kenneth Turan of the Los Angeles Times says, “A delicious investigation of the tightrope Salam walks between the Israeli army and his Palestinian colleagues as well as his dilemma of needing to write and not knowing the first thing about it.”

Please note that tickets are non-refundable and may not be exchanged for other screening dates/times or film title.

Location: Cinema Art Theater   View Location Details

Admission

  • $8.00 RBFS Members
  • $11.00 General

Click on the desired screening times for tickets

Sea of Shadows

Film Description:

Sea of Shadows is a riveting new documentary with the intensity of a Hollywood thriller from National Geographic Documentary Films and winner of the Sundance Audience Award.

When Mexican drug cartels and Chinese traffickers join forces to poach the rare totoaba fish in the Sea of Cortez, their deadly methods threaten virtually all marine life in the region, including the most elusive and endangered whale species on Earth, the vaquita porpoise. This film follows a team of dedicated scientists, high-tech conservationists, investigative journalists and courageous undercover agents as well as the Mexican Navy as they put their lives on the line to save the last remaining vaquitas and bring the vicious international crime syndicate to justice. [US, 2019, 104 minutes, Rating: PG-13].

Guy Lodge of Variety remarks, “An environmentally conscious, unabashedly heart-grabbing exposé.” Todd Jorgenson of Cimenalogue says, “As important as it is compelling, this gut-wrenching documentary is harrowing and emotionally powerful.”

Please note that tickets are non-refundable and may not be exchanged for other screening dates/times or film title.

Starts Friday, August 30; the full schedule of screenings will be posted Tuesday, August 27.

Location: Cinema Art Theater   View Location Details

Admission

  • $8.00 RBFS Members
  • $11.00 General

Luce

Film Description:

Coming Soon!

Please note that tickets are non-refundable and may not be exchanged for other screening dates/times or film title.

Starts Friday, September 6; the full schedule of screenings will be posted Tuesday, September 3.

Location: Cinema Art Theater   View Location Details

Admission

  • $8.00 RBFS Members
  • $11.00 General

David Crosby: Remember My Name

Film Description:

David Crosby: Remember My Name is a deeply, personal documentary that reflects on his life of music stardom, while forging new oaths to relevancy at his age of 77.

With unflinching honesty, self-examination, regret, fear, exuberance and an unshakable belief in family and the transformative nature of music, singer-songwriter David Crosby shares his often challenging journey. Crosby speaks with candor about all the drugs he did, the women he “didn’t love enough,” the abuse he handed out to his body and soul. Yet he’s not apologizing; he’s testifying. Crosby is more than just a rock ‘n’ roll survivor nursing a lifetime of second thoughts. He’s a romantic witness to a time that was genuinely about following the road of excess to the palace of wisdom. Remember My Name is the portrait of an irascible legend who finally figured out how to age gracefully.  [US, 2019, 95 minutes, Rating: R]

“An affectionate and moving chronicle of a story well worth telling,” praises Steve Pond of The Wrap. Owen Gleiberman of Variety exclaims, “A terrific movie! A shamanistic parable of pleasure and pain, beauty and loss.”

There are nostalgic marvels aplenty in this searching biography of the man who, aside from perhaps Art Garfunkel, possessed the sweetest voice of the 60s. But for Crosby Stills and Nash fans, the most heart-stopping moment comes when David Crosby points to a modest dwelling and says, “That’s the house ‘Our House’ was written about.” Now 77, Crosby has survived three heart attacks and a crippling cocaine habit. He looks frail and his voice is thin — except when he steps on stage or into a studio, when the decades seem to melt away. It’s clear that everyone around him senses any day could be David Crosby’s last, and that makes this glimpse into his troubled, tuneful life all the more delicately beautiful.













Please note that tickets are non-refundable and may not be exchanged for other screening dates/times or film title.

Starts Friday, September 13. The full schedule of screenings will be posted Tuesday, September 10.)

Location: Cinema Art Theater   View Location Details

Admission

  • $8.00 RBFS Members
  • $11.00 General

Honeyland

Film Description:

Coming Soon!

Please note that tickets are non-refundable and may not be exchanged for other screening dates/times or film title.

Starts Friday, September 20; the full schedule of screenings will be posted Tuesday, September 17.

Location: Cinema Art Theater   View Location Details

Admission

  • $8.00 RBFS Members
  • $11.00 General

Official Secrets

Film Description:

Coming Soon!

Please note that tickets are non-refundable and may not be exchanged for other screening dates/times or film title.

Starts Friday, September 20; the full schedule of screenings will be posted Tuesday, September 17.

Location: Cinema Art Theater   View Location Details

Admission

  • $8.00 RBFS Members
  • $11.00 General

Aquarela

Film Description:

Aquarela is a film that takes audiences on a deeply cinematic journey through the transformative beauty and raw power of water. From massive waves to melting ice, filmmaker Victor Kossakovsky travels around the world to capture the stunning images portrayed in this film.

Water is the main protagonist, seen in all its great and terrible beauty. Mountains of ice move and break apart as if they had a life of their own. Kossakovsky's film travels the world, from the precarious frozen waters of Russia's Lake Baikal, to Miami in the throes of Hurricane Irma, to Venezuela's mighty Angel Falls, hence painting a portrait of this fluid life force in all its glorious forms. Fragile humans experience life and death, joy and despair in the face of its power. [US, 2019, 89 minutes, Rating: PG]

“The film Aquarela takes a deep dive into watery realms around the world, offering up an experience that can truly be described as immersive,” states Leslie Felperin of Hollywood Reporter. Kevin L. Lee of Film Inquiry writes, “Aquarela is fascinating, designed to be played on repeat as an occasional screensaver and to be digested seriously as a window to nature's raw power.”

A glacier calves in a cataclysmic deluge…a hurricane roars ashore with terrifying frenzy…a camera glides beneath an ice sheet, capturing an otherworldly vision of blue, green, and white light. Russian director Victor Kossakovsky is the world’s modern master in capturing nature’s most evocative moments and framing them in ways that are reassuringly familiar yet tantalizingly (and sometimes terrifyingly) original. This epic documentary about water in all its forms — shot with state-of-the-art, 92 frame-per-second cameras — doesn’t preach to us about the environment; it simply, and magnificently, re-introduces us to the element that shapes and sustains life on Earth.














Please note that tickets are non-refundable and may not be exchanged for other screening dates/times or film title.

Starts Friday, September 27. The full schedule of screenings will be posted Tuesday, September 24.

Location: Cinema Art Theater   View Location Details

Admission

  • $8.00 RBFS Members
  • $11.00 General
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Located on Delaware’s Atlantic Ocean coast in a vibrant resort town, the Rehoboth Beach Film Society promotes cinematic arts and provides education and cultural enrichment.