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Check out the latest exclusive engagements and premieres, including the best in new indies, foreign films, documentaries and restored classics, by downloading a PDF of the Kendall Square Cinema Movie Guide, with all-new programming from September 11 through December 3! |
Now Playing at Kendall Square Cinema
and Embassy Cinema
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Set in Harlem in 1987, Precious is a vibrant, honest and resoundingly
hopeful film about the human capacity to grow and overcome. Claireece "Precious"
Jones (Gabourey Sidibe) is a 16-year-old African-American girl born into a
life no one would want. She's pregnant for the second time by her absent father;
at home, she must wait hand and foot on her mother (Mo'Nique), a poisonously
angry woman who abuses her emotionally and physically. School is a place of
chaos, and Precious has reached the ninth grade with good marks and an awful
secret: she can neither read nor write. Precious may sometimes be down, but
she is never out. Beneath her impassive expression is a watchful, curious
young woman with an inchoate but unshakeable sense that other possibilities
exist for her. Threatened with expulsion, Precious is offered the chance to
transfer to an alternative school, Each One/Teach One. In the literacy workshop
taught by the patient yet firm Ms. Rain (Paula Patton), Precious begins a
journey that will lead her from darkness, pain and powerlessness to light,
love and self-determination. Winner of three awards at the 2009 Sundance Film
Festival, including the Grand Jury Prize and Audience Award in the U.S. Dramatic
Competition. Co-starring Mariah Carey, Sherri Shepherd and Lenny Kravitz.
Official Web Site James Verniere's Boston Herald review... |
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Now Playing at the Kendall Square Cinema
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In his most powerful performance to date, Ben Foster stars as Will Montgomery,
a U.S. Army officer who has just returned home from a tour in Iraq and is
assigned to the Army's Casualty Notification service. Partnered with fellow
officer Tony Stone (Woody Harrelson) to bear the bad news to the loved ones
of fallen soldiers, Will faces the challenge of completing his mission while
seeking to find comfort and healing back on the home front. When he finds
himself drawn to Olivia (Samantha Morton), to whom he has just delivered the
news of her husband's death, Will's emotional detachment begins to dissolve
and the film reveals itself as a surprising, humorous, moving and very human
portrait of grief, friendship and survival. Featuring tour-de-force performances
from Foster, Harrelson and Morton, and a brilliant directorial debut by Oren
Moverman, The Messenger brings us into the inner lives of these outwardly
steely heroes to reveal their fragility with compassion and dignity. Official
Web Site Director Oren Moverman on the need to find optimism in dark times Roger Ebert's Chicago Sun-Times review... |
Now Playing at the Embassy Cinema
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| In the second installment of Stephenie Meyer's phenomenally successful Twilight series, the romance between mortal and vampire soars to a new level as Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) delves deeper into the mysteries of the supernatural world she yearns to become part of—only to find herself in greater peril than ever before. Following Bella's ill-fated 18th birthday party, Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson) and his family abandon the town of Forks, Washington, in an effort to protect her from the dangers inherent in their world. As the heartbroken Bella sleepwalks through her senior year of high school, numb and alone, she discovers Edward's image comes to her whenever she puts herself in jeopardy. Her desire to be with him at any cost leads her to take greater and greater risks. With the help of her childhood friend Jacob Black (Taylor Lautner), Bella refurbishes an old motorbike to carry her on her adventures. Bella's frozen heart is gradually thawed by her budding relationship with Jacob, a member of the mysterious Quileute tribe, who has a supernatural secret of his own. Official Web Site |
Now Playing at the Kendall Square Cinema
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In 1974, a hot-headed 19-year-old named Michael Peterson decided he wanted
to make a name for himself and so, with a homemade sawn-off shotgun and a
head full of dreams, he attempted to rob a post office. Swiftly apprehended
and originally sentenced to seven years in jail, Peterson has subsequently
been behind bars for thirty-four years, thirty of which have been spent in
solitary confinement. During that time, Michael Petersen, the boy, faded away
and 'Charles Bronson,' his superstar alter ego, took center stage...making
him Britain's most dangerous prisoner. With the same brutal yet operatic flair
he brought to his previous films (The Pusher Trilogy), director/co-writer
Nicholas Winding Refn gets inside the mind of Bronson, and delivers not only
a portrait of an artist bereft of an outlet, but also a scathing indictment
of celebrity culture. Tom Hardy plays the title character with disturbing
intensity and physically transformed himself for the role. Co-starring Matt
King, James Lance, Kelly Adams and Amanda Burton. Official
Web Site Brett Michel's Boston Herald review... |
Now Playing at the Kendall Square Cinema
and Embassy Cinema
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A fashionable contemporary art gallerist in Chelsea, New York falls for a
brooding new music composer in this comic take on the state of contemporary
art. Adam Goldberg (Two Days In Paris) plays the composer, whose work
calls for paper crumpling, glass breaking and bucket kicking. Marley Shelton
(Grindhouse) plays the gorgeous Chelsea gallerist, whose latest show
features an artist (Vinnie Jones, Snatch) who employs taxidermy and
household objects. Further complicating the affair is the composer's brother
Josh (Eion Bailey, "Band of Brothers"), whose highly commercial
art work—the financial backbone of the gallery—is sold to corporate
clients discreetly out of the gallery's back room. Directed and co-written
by Jonathan Parker (Bartleby). Official
Web Site Director/co-writer Jonathan Parker on creativity and success Wesley Morris's Boston Glode review... |
Now Playing at the Embassy Cinema
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Pirate Radio is a high-spirited, laugh-out-loud ensemble comedy from filmmaker
Richard Curtis (screenwriter of Four Weddings and a Funeral and Notting
Hill, and writer/director of Love Actually), spinning the irreverent
yet fact-based tale of a seafaring band of rogue rock and roll deejays whose
"pirate radio" captivated and inspired 1960s Britain. Broadcasting
live 24/7 from an old tanker anchored in the middle of the North Sea (just
beyond British jurisdiction), Radio Rock sends out a vibrant and unifying
signal to millions across the nation. The Radio Rock roster, overseen by unflappable
station owner Quentin (Bill Nighy), includes a risk-prone American known only
as The Count (Philip Seymour Hoffman); mystic deejay royalty Gavin (Rhys Ifans);
slyly amorous Dave (Nick Frost) and others. One night in 1966, Quentin's teenaged
godson Carl (Tom Sturridge) comes aboard. While Carl harbors romantic aspirations
that he hopes will be fulfilled during one of the biweekly visits by Radio
Rock's prettiest fans, he also hopes to find out more about his long-absent
father… As the ship sails on and rocks out, what Carl and the freewheeling
Radio Rock gang don't know is that back in London, a landlocked
government minister (Kenneth Branagh) has embarked on a vehement crusade to
silence their signal—permanently. Official
Web Site Roger Ebert's Chicago Sun-Times review... |
Now Playing at the Kendall Square Cinema
and Embassy Cinema
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An Education is the story of a teenage girl's coming-of-age set in
1961 London, a city caught between the drab, post-war 1950s and the glamorous,
more liberated decade to come. Jenny (Carey Mulligan) stands on the brink
of becoming a woman: a brilliantly witty and attractive 16-year-old whose
suburban life is about to be blown apart by the utterly unsuitable 30-something
David (Peter Sarsgaard). Urbane and witty, David manages to charm her conservative
parents Jack (Alfred Molina) and Marjorie (Cara Seymour). David introduces
Jenny to a glittering new world of classical concerts and late-night suppers
with his attractive friend and business partner, Danny (Dominic Cooper) and
Danny's girlfriend, the beautiful but vacuous Helen (Rosamund Pike). Just
as Jenny's family's long-held dream of getting their brilliant daughter into
Oxford seems within reach, Jenny is tempted by another kind of life. Written
by Nick Hornby (About a Boy, High Fidelity) and directed by Lone Scherfig
(Italian for Beginners). Official Web Site James Verniere's Boston Herald review... |
Now Playing at the Embassy Cinema
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In this quirky dark comedy inspired by a real life story you will hardly
believe is actually true, astonishing revelations about a top-secret wing
of the U.S. military come to light when a reporter encounters an enigmatic
Special Forces operator on a mind-boggling mission. Reporter Bob Wilton (Ewan
McGregor) is in search of his next big story when he encounters Lyn Cassady
(George Clooney), a shadowy figure who claims to be part of an experimental
U.S. military unit. According to Cassady, the New Earth Army is changing the
way wars are fought. A legion of "Warrior Monks" with unparalleled
psychic powers can read the enemy's thoughts, pass through solid walls, and
even kill a goat simply by staring at it. Now, the program's founder, Bill
Django (Jeff Bridges), has gone missing and Cassady's mission is to find him.
Intrigued by his new acquaintance's far-fetched stories, Bob impulsively decides
to accompany him on the search. When the pair tracks Django to a clandestine
training camp run by renegade psychic Larry Hooper (Kevin Spacey), the reporter
is trapped in the middle of a grudge match between the forces of Django's
New Earth Army and Hooper's personal militia of super soldiers. An eye-opening
and often hilarious exploration of the government's attempts to harness paranormal
abilities to combat its enemies, inspired by Jon Ronson's non-fiction bestseller
of the same name. Official
Web Site Roger Ebert's Chicago Sun-Times review... |
Now Playing at the Kendall Square Cinema
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The new dramatic comedy from the Coen Brothers (Burn After Reading, Fargo)
is the story of an ordinary man's search for clarity in a universe where Jefferson
Airplane is on the radio and "F-Troop" is on TV. It is 1967, and
Larry (Michael Stuhlbarg), a physics professor at a quiet Midwestern university,
has just been informed by his wife Judith (Sari Lennick) that she is leaving
him. She has fallen in love with one of his more pompous colleagues, Sy (Fred
Melamed), who seems to her a more substantial person than the feckless Larry.
Larry's unemployable brother Arthur (Richard Kind) is sleeping on the couch,
his son Danny (Aaron Wolf) is a discipline problem and a shirker at Hebrew
school, and his daughter Sarah (Jessica McManus) is filching money from his
wallet in order to save up for a nose job. While his wife and Sy blithely
make new domestic arrangements, and his brother becomes more and more of a
burden, an anonymous hostile letter-writer is trying to sabotage Larry's chances
for tenure at the university. Also, a graduate student seems to be trying
to bribe him for a passing grade while at the same time threatening to sue
him for defamation. Plus, the beautiful woman next door torments him by sunbathing
nude. Struggling for equilibrium, Larry seeks advice from three different
rabbis. Can anyone help him cope with his afflictions and become a righteous
person—a mensch—a serious man? Official
Web Site James Verniere's Boston Herald review... |
Now Playing at the Kendall Square Cinema
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In Capitalism: A Love Story, filmmaker Michael Moore (Sicko, Fahrenheit
9/11, Bowling for Columbine, Roger & Me) tackles an issue he has been
examining throughout his career: the disastrous impact of corporate dominance
on the everyday lives of Americans (and by default, the rest of the world).
Moore explores the root causes of the
global economic meltdown and takes a comical look at the corporate and political
shenanigans that culminated in what he has described as the biggest robbery
in the history of this country—the massive transfer of U.S. taxpayer
money to private financial institutions. Official
Web Site James Verniere's Boston Herald review... |
Now Playing at the Kendall Square Cinema
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| A little girl who is sent with her sister to an orphanage in the heart of France, who waits in vain every Sunday for her father to come for her… A cabaret performer with a weak voice who sings to an audience of drunken soldiers… A humble seamstress, who stitches hems at the back of a provincial tailor's shop… A young, skinny courtesan, to whom protector Étienne Balsan (Benoît Poelvoorde) offers a safe haven, amongst the idle and decadent… A woman in love who knows she will never be anyone’s wife, refusing marriage even to Arthur 'Boy' Capel (Alessandro Nivola), the man who returned her love… A rebel who finds the conventions of her time oppressive, and instead dresses in her lovers' clothes… This is the story of Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel (Audrey Tautou, Amélie), who begins her life as a headstrong orphan, and through an extraordinary journey becomes the legendary couturier who embodied the modern woman and became a timeless symbol of success, freedom and style. Official Web Site |
Now Playing at the Embassy Cinema
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| In this acclaimed thriller, a young couple suspects that their house is haunted by a malevolent entity, so they set up video surveillance to capture evidence of what happens at night as they sleep. Their surveillance and home videos have been edited into the feature film Paranormal Activity. Ain't It Cool News says "All I can say is—believe the hype. This is one of the scariest films I've seen in years. And it's not just run-of-the-mill scares either. It's unpredictable, hyper realistic, and left me (and much of the audience) physically shaking." The New York Press concurs: "Paranormal Activity is great: calculated, subtle, authentically scary without being overtly manipulative. Better than Blair Witch." Official Web Site |
Starts Wednesday, November 25
at the Kendall Square Cinema
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| Visionary director Wes Anderson's first animated film utilizes classic handmade stop-motion techniques to tell the story of the best-selling children's book by Roald Dahl (author of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and James and the Giant Peach). Mr. and Mrs. Fox (voices of George Clooney and Meryl Streep) live an idyllic home life with their son Ash (Jason Schwartzman) and visiting young nephew Kristopherson (Eric Anderson). But after 12 years, the bucolic existence proves too much for Mr Fox’s wild animal instincts. Soon he slips back into his old ways as a sneaky chicken thief and in doing so, endangers not only his beloved family, but the whole animal community. Trapped underground and with not enough food to go around, the animals band together to fight against the evil Farmers—Boggis (Brian Cox), Bunce (Hugo Guinness) and Bean (Michael Gambon)—who are determined to capture the audacious, fantastic Mr. Fox at any cost. Also featuring the voices of Bill Murray, Wally Wolodarsky, Willem Dafoe, Owen Wilson and Jarvis Cocker. Official Web Site |
Starts Wednesday, November 25
at the Kendall Square Cinema
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| Viggo Mortensen leads a stellar cast (including Charlize Theron, Robert Duvall and Guy Pearce) in the epic, post-apocalyptic tale of the survival of a father (Moretensen) and his young son (newcomer Kodi Smit-McPhee) as they journey across a barren America that was destroyed by a mysterious cataclysm. A masterpiece of adventure, The Road is adapted from author Cormac McCarthy's (No Country for Old Men) beloved, best-selling and Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, which boldly imagines a future in which men are pushed to the worst and the best that they are capable of—a future in which father and son are sustained by love. Directed by John Hillcoat (The Proposition). Official Web Site |
Starts Wednesday, November 25
at the Kendall Square Cinema
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| Legendary action-cinema master John Woo and international superstar Tony Leung reunite for the first time since the 1992 classic Hard Boiled in this epic historical drama based on a legendary 208 A.D. battle that heralded the end of the Han Dynasty. Red Cliff opens as power hungry Prime Minister-turned-General Cao Cao (Zhang Fengyi) seeks permission from the Han dynasty Emperor to organize a southward-bound mission designed to crush the two troublesome warlords who stand in his way, Liu Bei (You Yong) and Sun Quan (Chang Chen). As the expedition gets underway, Cao Cao's troops rain destruction on Liu Bei's army, forcing him into retreat. Liu Bei's military strategist Zhuge Liang (Takeshi Kaneshiro) knows that the rebels’ only hope for survival is to form an alliance with rival warlord Sun Quan, and reaches out to Sun Quan’s trusted advisor, war hero Zhou Yu (Tony Leung). Vastly outnumbered by Cao Cao’s brutal, fast-approaching army, the warlords band together to mount a heroic campaign—unrivaled in history—that changes the face of China forever. A massive hit in Asia and the most expensive Asian film production of all time, Red Cliff is a breathtaking war epic that marks the triumphant return of John Woo. Official Web Site |
Starts Wednesday, November 25
at the Kendall Square Cinema
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| In Werner Herzog's new film, Nicolas Cage plays a rogue detective who is as devoted to his job as he is at scoring drugs—while playing fast and loose with the law. He wields his badge as often as he wields his gun in order to get his way. 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 (played by Eva Mendes). Together they descend into their own world marked by desire, compulsion and conscience. The result is a singular masterpiece of filmmaking: equally sad and manically humorous. Official Web Site |
Starts Wednesday, November 25
at the Embassy Cinema
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| Raizo (Rain) is one of the deadliest assassins in the world. Taken from the streets as a child, he was transformed into a trained killer by the Ozunu Clan, a secret society whose very existence is considered a myth. But haunted by the merciless execution of his friend by the Clan, Raizo breaks free from them...and vanishes. Now he waits, preparing to exact his revenge. In Berlin, Europol agent Mika Coretti (Naomie Harris) has stumbled upon a money trail linking several political murders to an underground network of untraceable assassins from the Far East. Defying the orders of her superior, Ryan Maslow (Ben Miles), Mika digs into top secret agency files to learn the truth behind the murders. Her investigation makes her a target, and the Ozunu Clan sends a team of killers, led by the lethal Takeshi (Rick Yune), to silence her forever. Raizo saves Mika from her attackers, but he knows that the Clan will not rest until they are both eliminated. Now, entangled in a deadly game of cat and mouse through the streets of Europe, Raizo and Mika must trust one another if they hope to survive...and finally bring down the elusive Ozunu Clan. Directed by James McTeigue (V for Vendetta). Official Web Site |
Starts Friday, November 27
at the Kendall Square Cinema
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| Frustrated with religious turmoil, fanaticism and fundamentalism, filmmaker Peter Rodger set out on a global quest to understand why the concept of God has become politicized. In his stunningly beautiful documentary film, Rabbis, Christian Fundamentalists, Catholic Priests, Buddhist Llamas, Hindu Swamis, Zen Masters, Muslim radicals, Shamans and ordinary people across the globe share their unique perspectives and understanding of God, along with several celebrities including Hugh Jackman, Seal, Ringo Starr, Sir Bob Geldof, Princess Michael of Kent, David Copperfield and Jack Thompson. The film is set amongst beautiful backdrops around the world, filmed in 23 countries over three years. From the 9th ward of New Orleans to the Guatemalan Jungle, to the Himalayan region of Ladahk, Rodger searches for the common thread in our diverse humanity and reveals that which often divides us can also unite us. The film features inviting faces and personalities that are a touching reminder of the melting pot that we call humanity and the mystery that we have given many names. Official Web Site |
Starts Friday, December 4
at the Kendall Square Cinema
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When a decorated Marine goes missing overseas, his black-sheep younger brother
cares for his wife and children at home—with consequences that will shake
the foundation of the entire family. Brothers tells the powerful story
of two siblings, Captain Sam Cahill (Tobey Maguire) and younger brother Tommy
(Jake Gyllenhaal), who are polar opposites. A Marine about to embark on his
fourth tour of duty, Sam is a steadfast family man married to his high school
sweetheart, Grace (Natalie Portman), with whom he has two young daughters.
Tommy, his charismatic younger brother, is a drifter just out of jail who's
always gotten by on wit and charm. Shipped out to Afghanistan, Sam is presumed
dead when his Black Hawk helicopter is shot down in the mountains. At home
in suburbia, the Cahill family suddenly faces a shocking void, and Tommy tries
to fill in for his brother by assuming newfound responsibility for himself,
Grace, and the children. When Sam unexpectedly returns to the States, he is
uncharacteristically withdrawn and volatile, and grows suspicious of his brother
and his wife. In the shifting family dynamics, who will dominate? And how
will the brothers come to terms with issues of love, loyalty, and manhood—and
with the woman caught between them? Directed by Jim Sheridan (In America,
My Left Foot). Official Web Site |
Starts Friday, December 4
at the Kendall Square Cinema
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| The Strip is a character-driven comedy dissecting the lives of five employees of a low-end electronics chain store called Electri-City who must face the reality of growing up when one of them gets married. The ensemble of colorful yet grounded characters takes us deeper into the monotonous world of working at a one-quarter mile long strip mall. Bound by the constraints of suburban life they, like everybody else, dream of something more. As their stories interweave their friendships are tested. Ultimately they struggle together to find that some dreams are not worth chasing. Written and directed by Jameel Khan. Official Web Site |
Starts Friday, December 4 at the Embassy Cinema
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| Everybody's Fine, a remake of Giuseppe Tornatore's Stanno Tutti Bene, follows a widower named Frank (Robert De Niro) who embarks on an impromptu road trip to reconnect with each of his grown children, only to discover that their lives are far from picture perfect. At the heart of the dramatic comedy is the theme of family and physical and emotional distances traveled to bring the members back together. Co-starring Drew Barrymore, Kate Beckinsale and Sam Rockwell. Written and directed by Kirk Jones (Waking Ned Devine). Official Web Site |
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