Virtual Film Screenings

We mentioned earlier this week that we have been talking to film distributors about creative ways to bring films to Bloomington in this time of social distancing. We’re happy to report that we have rescheduled three films that were cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic.   We will be hosting virtual screenings of Once Were Brothers, The Whistlers and Corpus Christi. You can see Once Were Brothers and The Whistlers right now; Corpus Christi will open next weekend. You can scroll down to read more about each film.

Here’s a heads up: these films are priced at $12. At first look, this might seem more expensive than a typical Ryder movie. That said, some of you – perhaps most of you – will be watching the film with one other person. Actually, that $12 ticket price would cover as many people as you can fit on your couch. In any event, ticket pricing is determined by the distributor.  And consequently Ryder semester passes will not work. We will offer pro-rated refunds or credit toward another semester pass as soon as we begin screening films in person again.  

We are not suggesting that virtual screenings can ever replace the communal experience of watching a film in a theater. But there are certain advantages. Chances are there is plenty of free parking in your driveway. You can take your shoes off. Hey, you can take all of your clothes off. And there’s no gum on the seats! At least we hope not.

Stay safe. Be smart. Chins up.

Once Were Brothers: Robbie Robertson and The Band Anyone who was a fan of The Band or has an interest in Americana will want to see Once Were Brothers. The story of Bob Dylan’s one time legendary backup band is a colorful, cautionary tale. Simply called The Band, they would become one of the most influential ensembles in music history. Robbie Robertson serves as tour guide. Interviews with Bruce Springsteen, Martin Scorsese, Eric Clapton, Van Morrison and George Harrison are combined with a terrific storytelling arc, a treasure trove of archival footage and, naturally, those iconic songs.

The Whistlers In a delightful twist, acclaimed Romanian director Corneliu Porumboiu, whose inventive comedies such as Police, Adjective and The Treasure have brought deadpan charm and political perceptiveness to his country’s cinematic renaissance, has made his first all-out genre film—a clever, swift, and elegant neo-noir with a wonderfully off-kilter central conceit.

Bucharest police detective Cristi is equally at home on both sides of the law. He is simultaneously investigating, and involved in, an ingenious criminal scheme involving a stash of Euros hidden in a mattress and a sultry femme fatale named, of course, Gilda. His investigation takes him to one of the Canary Islands, where he learns a clandestine, tribal language, comprised entirely out of whistling. This secret method of communication will keep his superiors off his trail.  The eternally stoic Vlad Ivanov stars in Corneliu Porumboiu’s take on the crime drama furthers his explorations of the intricacies and limitations of language, but is also his most playful, even exuberant, film.

If the Coen Brothers were Romanian, they might have made The Whistlers. –A.O. Scott, The New York Times

Corpus Christi (Body of Christ) After spending years in a Warsaw juvenile prison, 20-year-old Daniel is released and sent to a remote village to work in a sawmill. But Daniel has a higher calling. Over the course of his incarceration he has found Christ, and aspires to join the clergy – but his criminal record means no seminary will accept him. When Daniel arrives in town, one quick lie allows him to be mistaken for the town’s new priest, and he sets about leading his newfound flock. Though he has no training, his passion and charisma inspire the community. At the same time, his unconventional sermons and unpriestly behavior raise suspicions among some of the townsfolk – even more so as he edges towards a dark secret that the community hasn’t revealed in the confessional booth. Academy Award Nominee: Best International Feature Film