The Coolidge Corner Theatre

It's a maniacal performance, complete with mad gales of laughter and insane bouts of temper. Claudia Puig, USA Today

Mr. Herzog’s film is a pulpy, glorious mess. Its maniacal unpredictability is such a blast that it reminds you just how tidy and dull most crime thrillers are these days. A.O. Scott, The New York Times

I only take the drugs that the doctor prescribes for me... and heroin.

In Werner Herzog's new film, Nicolas Cage plays a rogue detective who is as devoted to his job as he is to scoring drugs -- while playing fast and loose with the law. In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, he becomes a high-functioning addict who is a deeply intuitive, fearless detective reigning over the beautiful ruins of New Orleans with authority and abandon. Complicating his tumultuous life is the prostitute he loves (Eva Mendes). Together they descend into their own world marked by desire, compulsion, and conscience.

dir. Werner Herzog, w/ Nicolas Cage, Eva Mendes 2h01m

Winner of the Audience Award and the Grand Jury Prize at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival

It's a potent and moving experience, because by the end you feel you've witnessed nothing less than the birth of a soul. - Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly

Its story ends up packing an emotional wallop as substantial as its title character. - Bob Mondello, NPR

Precious Jones (Gabourey Sidibe) is a high-school girl with nothing working in her favor. She is pregnant with her father’s child—for the second time. She can’t read or write, and her schoolmates tease her for being fat. Her home life is a horror, ruled by a mother (Mo’Nique) who keeps her imprisoned both emotionally and physically. Precious’s instincts tell her one thing: if she’s ever going to break from the chains of ignorance, she will have to dig deeply into her own resources. [Synopsis courtesy of Sundance Film Festival]

Click to read the New York Times Magazine Cover Story on "Precious"

FILMMAKER MAGAZINE featuring "Precious" director Lee Daniels available for just $4 in the Coolidge lobby.

dir. Lee Daniels, w/ Gabourey Sidibe, Mariah Carey, Lenny Kravitz 1h49m

Defamation may be the most provocative and important Jewish film released this year. - Daniel M. Kimmel, The Jewish Advocate

What is anti-Semitism today, two generations after the Holocaust? In his continuing exploration of modern Israeli life, director Yoav Shamir (Checkpoint, 5 Days, Flipping Out) travels the world in search of the most modern manifestations of the “oldest hatred", and comes up with some startling answers.

In this irreverent quest, he follows American Jewish leaders to the capitals of Europe, as they warn government officials of the growing threat of anti-Semitism, and he tacks on to a class of Israeli high school students on a pilgrimage to Auschwitz.

dir. Yoav Shamir, documentary 1h31m

35mm Presentations on Fri & Sat, Dec 11 & 12, 25 & 26 @fter midnite!

Sam (Jocelin Donahue) is a pretty college sophomore, so desperate to earn some cash for a deposit on an apartment that she accepts a babysitting job even after she finds out there is no baby. Mr. and Mrs. Ulman (cult actors Tom Noonan and Mary Woronov) are the older couple who lure Sam out to their creeky Victorian mansion deep in the woods, just in time for a total lunar eclipse. Megan (Greta Gerwig) is Sam's best friend, who gives her a ride out to the house, and reluctantly leaves her there despite suspecting that something is amiss. Victor (AJ Bowen) at first seems like just a creepy guy lurking around the house, but quickly makes it clear that Sam will end this night in a bloody fight for her life....

Dir. Ti West w/ Jocelin Donahue, Tom Noonan, Mary Woronov 1h35m

THIS MONTH, AS PART OF OUR FEATURE PRE-SHOW SCREENINGS, WE’RE PROUD TO PRESENT THE FOLLOWING FOUR WINNING SHORT FILMS FROM OUR YEAR-ROUND COOLIDGE SHORTS FILM FESTIVAL

Screening in Moviehouse 1
'NSTACHARGE

Somewhere on the highways up high in the atmosphere of Mechanica, an outdated, quirky little droid named Rusty stops by a charge station for a refill. It's all but an ordinary charge stop until his sexy friend Lola arrives powered by a new set of rechargeable batteries.

Director: Igor Choromanski

Screening in Moviehouse 2
MY GIRLFRIEND SLEEPS LIKE SUPERMAN

MY GIRLFRIEND SLEEPS LIKE SUPERMAN is an animated fantasy that explores the intersection between romance and insomnia.

Director: Steve Gentile

Showing in the Screening Room
THE SANDMAN

This short is a re-telling of E.T.A. Hoffman's tale of 'The Sandman', and how the story inspired Sigmund Freud's theory of 'The Uncanny'. The film was created in the style of early German expressionist cinema.

Director: Rich Ragsdale
Rich Ragsdale grew up in Nashville, TN. Rich studied classical guitar at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, Mass. where he received degrees both in Film Scoring and Composition. In 1996 received a graduate degree in film scoring from USC in Los Angeles. In 2004, he teamed up with his brother Kevin to direct the independent horror feature, The Curse of El Charro. He currently works with his brother under their new production company, KNR Productions.

5m, 2007, USA

Showing in the MiniMax
SECTION 44

Richard walks out of his house and his world is turned upside down as he is stopped in the street, handcuffed, hooded, and thrown in a van. Under the spotlight of the interrogation lamp, what will he give up to spare himself?

Director: Daniel Wilson quit blowing the horn for Count Basie at the tender age of six to become a professional liar. This resulted in more than 10 years of employment in television, working as a cameraman on lots of "trash for cash" productions.

4m40s, 2008, UK