Monday & Tuesday, October 1 & 2

Hybrid

When you consider a film about an Iowa farmer who revolutionized a way to hybridize corn, you may not rush to see it. But Hybrid is a revelation in so many ways. The film itself is a hybrid of documentary, animation and experimental and the director, Monteith McCollum, has a seemingly inexhaustible arsenal of artistic sensibilities-grimly impressionistic vistas of farmland are mingled with time-lapse animated sequences of corn growing, popping and dancing and yes, mating!-to render the ordinary and mundane into something extraordinary and astonishing. Shot in grainy 16mm and Super-8 black-and-white, Hybrid weaves together footage of Milford Beeghly, the subject of the film (who also happens to be McCollum's grandfather), Beeghly's family and archival footage of Beeghly plugging his agronomical innovation on local television. It is truly a film unlike anything you have ever seen. Hybrid impressed this year's Slamdance Festival jurors so much that they did away with the Best Documentary category, when they voted the film Best Feature. Produced and directed by Monteith McCollum. 16mm. 92 mins. 2001. West Coast Theatrical Premiere. Monday and Tuesday at 6:00, 8:00 and 10:00.

Wednesday & Thursday, October 3 & 4

A pair of Roxie faves!

Panic

William H. Macy stars as a middle-age hitman having a midlife crisis in one of the year's most talked-about indie films. Acarefully nuanced story that packs a disturbing punch. "It takes its place as one of the revelatory viewing experiences of the year."–Andrew Sarris, New York Observer. The rest of the excellent cast includes Donald Sutherland, Neve Campbell, John Ritter and Tracey Ullman. Written and directed by Henry Bromell. In Color. 35mm. 90 mins. 2000. Wed at 4:15, 7:45; Thurs at 7:45 only.

Auggie rose

After he witnesses a violent grocery store robbery and a clerk dies in his arms, insurance salesman John Nolan’s life is transformed. A thought provoking meditation on identity, obsession and the meaning of life. Starring Jeff Goldblum, Anne Heche, Kim Coates, Richard T. Jones, Nancy Travis. Written and directed by Matthew Tabak. In Color. 35mm. 92 mins. 2000. Wed at 2:30, 6:00, 9:30; Thurs at 6:00, 9:30.

Friday, October 5 - Thursday, October 11

Ginger Snaps

From Canada comes this year’s most enjoyable and truly scary horror film -Ginger Snaps. Fifteen year old Brigitte (Emily Perkins) and her nearly-sixteen sister Ginger (Katharine Isabelle) are a team - best friends and self-styled outcasts. Obsessed with dying and bound by a childhood pact to stay together forever, they loathe their mind-numbing existence in the suburb of Bailey Downs. On the night of Ginger’s first period, the two girls are heading through the woods on the edge of town to pull an evil prank on an obnoxious classmate when Ginger is savagely attacked by a wild creature. Ginger survives and as her horrible wounds miraculously heal over it becomes increasing obvious to Brigitte that Ginger is becoming a werewolf. Driven by a mounting, inexplicable blood lust, Ginger soon transforms from a disdainful outsider into an aggressive young woman on the prowl. Brigitte has nowhere to turn for help except to bad-boy Sam, the local pot supplier and amateur botanist. Together they search for a way to cure the otherworldly infection coursing through Ginger’s veins. On Halloween night a violent struggle between the three leaves Brigitte with little choice but to put an end to the nightmare which began that night deep in the woods. Kris Lemche co-stars as the bad-boy botanist and the incredible Mimi Rogers appears as the girls’ mother. Offical Website. Written by Karen Walton. Directed by John Fawcett. In Color. 35mm. 108 mins. 2001. PREMIERE! Nightly at 7:00 & 9:30; Sat, Sun & Wed matinees at 2:00 & 4:30.

"Ginger Snaps" is the best teenage werewolf movie ever made. Beyond the werewolf gimmick, it's an honest and thoroughly twisted portrait of adolescence that almost achieves instant-classic status." -- SF Chronicle

" Ginger Snaps is a sparky, sharp film marked by intelligent dialogue and a complex view of that moment when girls hover on the brink of womanhood but would rather not take the next step. " -- Sight and Sound

"How is it that a scary, intelligent teen horror film like Ginger Snaps can't make it to major U.S. release" -- Fangoria

"SXSW Film Picks!" -- Austin Chronicle

"100% Fresh!" -- Rotten Tomatoes.com

Friday, October 12 - Thursday, October 18

They All Laughed

When it was finally released in 1981, Peter Bogdanovich’s smart, sexy and irresistible modern screwball comedy They All Laughed was all but lost amidst the lurid scandal that resulted from the brutal 1979 murder of Dorothy Stratten, the film’s beautiful young object of desire. Forgotten in the face of that tragedy was how truly funny and terrific the film was and still is.
A quartet of private detectives has a difficult time keeping their amorous adventures from interfering with their work as a maddening maze of comings and goings keep everyone on their toes. Set to its own rambling rhythm, the film beautifully captures New York at the dawn of the 80’s. A throwback to the manic romantic comedies of the 30’s, They All Laughed features a once-in-a-lifetime cast blithely out of step with reason and little or no regard for conventional logic. Bogdanovich personally oversaw the restoration of the film (even adding an excised scene) and the result is nothing short of a miracle; a glistening jewel of a comedy whose time has finally come. Starring Ben Gazzara, Audrey Hepburn, John Ritter, Dorothy Stratten, Colleen Camp, Blaine Novak, Patti Hansen. Written and directed by Peter Bogdanovich. In Color. 35mm. 118 mins. 1981. Premiere Revival! Nightly at 7:00, 9:30; Sat, Sunday and Wed matinees at 2:00, 4:30.

"(When it was first released) THEY ALL LAUGHED could only look like a morbid reminder of Dorothy Stratten's too public, too-recent tragedy. Deft, graceful, just occasionally too self-conscious, it's a sweet movie overdue for appreciation and the Roxie's newly struck 35mm print ( which features some recent editorial tweaking by the director) provides the best possible way to do that appreciating yourself." -- Dennis Harvey, SF Bay Guardian

"In 1980, when Peter Bogdanovich was shooting "They All Laughed" on the streets of New York, he had just fallen in love with one of the actresses, Playboy centerfold Dorothy Stratten. "It was the greatest time of my life," he remembers." -- Edward Guthmann, SF Chronicle

Friday, October 19 - Monday, October 22

San Francisco Film Society presents

Dark Wave

For the third year in a row, the San Francisco Film Society goes to the extreme and beyond with Dark Wave, their annual series of international horror, fantasy and cult cinema. Acclaimed director Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s Seance will definitely have you looking nervously at your neighbor, wondering if they’re actually there or not. There's more frights to talk about, including Dead Creatures, a radical and shocking new zombie film and Uzumaki, a psychedelic fever dream of obsession and madness from Japan! A complete schedule of films will be available at the Roxie and throughout the Bay Area around October 12. Ticket prices are $8 per screening for the general public, and $7 for Film Society members (Associate and above), students, seniors and persons with disabilities. A DARK WAVE series pass, good for all screenings, is also available for $45 general public, $40 discounted. For film descriptions or to purchase advance tickets and passes, visit the San Francisco Film Society at www.sffs.org.

SCHEDULE
Friday, October 19
7:30 THE NAMELESS (LOS SIN NOMBRE)
9:45 DEAD CREATURES
Saturday, October 20
2:30 THE NAMELESS
5:00 DEEP IN THE WOODS (PROMENONS-NOUS DANS LES BOIS)
7:30 SEANCE (KOREI) 9:45 NIGHTMARE (KAWEE) U.S. Premiere

Sunday, October 21
2:30 SEANCE
5:00 DEAD CREATURES
7:30 UZUMAKI
9:30 DEEP IN THE WOODS

Monday, October 22
7:30 WENDIGO
9:30 PYROKINESIS