Films @ Red River Theatres

Tech expert Lisbeth Salander (Noomi Rapace) becomes the prime suspect when two journalists, including Dag Svensson (Hans Christian Thulin), die after Millennium magazine publisher Mikael Blomkvist (Michael Nyqvist) launches an exposé of the Swedish sex trade. In Part 2 of the trilogy based on the action novels of Stieg Larsson, the vampiric Salander vanishes as Blomkvist digs deep into a possible conspiracy.

In this noir drama set deep in Ozark territory, resilient teenager Ree Dolly (Jennifer Lawrence) goes on the trail of her missing drug-dealing father when his absence jeopardizes the safety of their family. The deadbeat dad has a critical court date pending, and Ree is determined that he make it -- despite the objections of the insular Dolly clan. Director Debra Granik's unflinching drama won the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance.

Sebasatian Junger, author of The Perfect Storm, teamed with photographer Tim Hetherington to spend a year embedded with the Second Platoon in Afghanistan, documenting the hard work, fear and brotherhood that come with repelling a deadly enemy. Hunkered down with the soldiers in one of the region's most strategic valleys, the filmmakers uncover the dark humor, sleepless surreality and constant anxiety of war in this Best Documentary winner at Sundance.

Documentarians Ricki Stern and Annie Sundberg provide an uncompromising glimpse into the personal and professional life of comedian and red-carpet mainstay Joan Rivers, a woman clinging stubbornly and steadfastly to the pop-culture bandwagon. Stern and Sundberg -- whose previous film, The Devil Came on Horseback, covered the Darfur genocide -- take a no-less-intensive approach to their subject here, taking a hard look at fame's bitter toll.

Robert Duvall and Sissy Spacek team up to tell the true story of Felix "Bush" Breazeale, a Tennessee loner who planned his own funeral in 1938 while he was still around to attend -- and enjoy -- the proceedings. Also starring Bill Murray and Lucas Black as the co-proprietors of the funeral home, the dramatic thriller was penned by the screenwriting team of C. Gaby Mitchell (Blood Diamond) and Chris Provenzano ("Mad Men").

In this thinking man's spy thriller, KGB agent Sergei Grigoriev (Emir Kusturica) plans to hand over hard evidence that proves the depth of his agency's penetration of U.S. intelligence, in a one-man crusade to bring down the Soviet empire. French engineer Pierre Froment (Guillaume Canet) is drawn into this web of espionage against his will, but proves a surprisingly resourceful operative in the process.

When magazine editor Juliette (Patricia Clarkson) travels to Cairo to meet her diplomat husband, Mark (Tom McCamus), she learns from his friend Tareq (Alexander Siddig) that Mark has been delayed. As Tareq introduces her to the city and its customs, an unexpected attraction arises between them. Juliette soon grows accustomed to life in Cairo while she and Tareq try to find the best way to deal with their complex feelings in this romantic drama.

A delegation from Madame Mao's Beijing Dance Academy selects 11-year-old peasant villager Li Cunxin to study ballet in far-off Beijing, where he trains for seven grueling years to become one of China's greatest dancers. His efforts win him the opportunity to dance in America, opening his eyes to a new love and the possibility of a dramatic defection from China in this remarkable true story based on Cunxin's autobiography.

When his mother dies suddenly, a 17-year-old boy (James Frecheville) finds himself drawn into the clutches of a diabolical criminal family, until a good-hearted detective (Guy Pearce) makes a concerted effort to change the boy's fate. Australian writer-director David Michôd's first feature-length drama won the World Cinema Jury Prize: Dramatic at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival.

Philip Seymour Hoffman directs and stars in this romantic comedy about Jack, a marijuana-smoking Manhattan limo driver who begins an unlikely regimen of self-improvement to win the heart of a fellow misfit named Connie (Amy Ryan). But as Jack learns to cook and swim for the benefit of his girl, he also witnesses the breakup of his best friends' marriage. John Ortiz and Daphne Rubin-Vega co-star in this adaptation of Bob Glaudini's play.

Country boy (Lloyd) heads to the big city to seek success. While working as a clerk in a department store, he talks the manager into offering $1000 to anyone who can bring more customers to the store. He then arranges for a friend, a "human fly," (Strothers) to climb the face of the store building as a publicity stunt. Unfortunatly the "human fly" is a wanted man, and when "The Law" (Young) shows, our hero must make the climb, himself. At each ledge he encounters new difficulties, climaxing in the famous 'clock scene.'

While retracing her experiences attending a boarding school for special children, Kathy (Carey Mulligan) reconnects with her former classmates, Ruth (Keira Knightley) and Tommy (Andrew Garfield), in an effort to determine exactly what sets them apart from other people. Based on Kazuo Ishiguro's highly acclaimed novel, this sci-fi thriller from director Mark Romanek also stars Sally Hawkins, Charlotte Rampling and Andrea Riseborough.

Come meet the Manch-vegas roller girls. Learn about this grassroots sport taking off in NH

Escaping her smothering mother's (Marcia Gay Harden) beauty pageant plans for her, small-town Texas teen Bliss (Ellen Page) joins an all-girl roller derby team in Austin and begins living a thrilling double life as Babe Ruthless -- a life that might catch up with her. Drew Barrymore makes her directorial debut and plays fellow teammate Smashley Simpson in this smart coming-of-age tale. Kristen Wiig, Juliette Lewis, Eve and Jimmy Fallon co-star.

W/ short Q&A to follow.

As much a work of cultural anthropology as it is a documentary, this unique film traces the path of a family of Montana sheepherders as they drive their flock down from the treacherous and beautiful Absaroka Beartooth mountain range. With no guiding narration, filmmakers Ilisa Barbash and Lucien Castaing-Taylor let the natural images speak for themselves, capturing the danger, pathos and humor in this haunting elegy to a bygone way of life.

Presented by Green Concord:

Concord Reads:

Justine Shapiro's new documentary, Our Summer in Tehran, transports us into the seldom seen realm of middle class family life in Iran transcending overt politics in favor of subtle, human, and often humorous moments.

Justine, a Jewish-American filmmaker and former host of the travel series GlobeTrekker, takes her 6-year-old son Mateo with her to Tehran where they spend the summer with 3 families: a religious family with ties to the government; a cosmopolitan, secular family; and a single mom who is an actress. When the Iranian government abruptly gives Justine and Mateo 48 hours to leave the country, promising relationships are severed.

The Lantos Foundation for Human Rights and Justice, Lincoln Financial Group, NH Supreme Court Society, Sheehan, Phinney, Bass + Green PA proudly present the New Hampshire Film Premiere of "Surviving Hitler: A Love Story"

When Jutta was 15 she was more interested in boys than in politics. But that changed when Hitler categorized her as a Jew and an enemy of the state. Immediately Jutta joined the German resistance. And there she met Helmuth, an injured soldier. Jutta and Helmuth became sweethearts and soon co-conspirators in the final plot to kill Hitler.

'Surviving Hitler: A Love Story' is a riveting true tale of war, imprisonment, and one family's miraculous survival.

When the plot to kill Hitler failed those who conspired against Hitler faced certain death. Yet Jutta and Helmuth promised each other that they would try to stay alive. Against all odds, they managed to outwit Nazi justice and outlive Hitler. One month after the end of the war they celebrated the first wedding in post-war Berlin.

A final stroke of good fortune is that Helmuth filmed the whole experience and his 8mm films survived the war. This never-seen-before footage from the German home front offers an intimate glimpse into Helmuth and Jutta's story of love, luck, and resistance.


Film, Reception, and Conversation with Leading Lady, Jutta Cords, mother of local resident Claudia Damon

Concord Reads:

Set in downtown Tehran on March 21st, New Year's Day, the story follows the adventures of Razieh, a self-reliant 7-year-old whose heart is set on buying a particular plump, multi-finned goldfish for her family's New Year's celebration. Razieh's mother reluctantly relinquishes her last bank note for the extravagant purchase, instructing the child to return with plenty of change. Razieh ventures alone to the hectic marketplace to buy her special goldfish, but a pair of crafty snake charmers promptly swindle her out of her bank note. She recovers her cash only to lose it again before reaching the pet shop. At the shop, a kind eldery woman helps the desperate child retrace her steps until she locates the money in an unreachable spot beneath a curbside cellar gate. As the surrounding vendors and merchants close shop for the long holiday weekend, Razieh tries to enlist the assistance of several adults, none of whom seem to take seriously the magnitude of her predicament.

Throughout the past century, thousands of people were branded and stigmatized as "feebleminded" and a danger to society. As a consequence, they were banished to a life of isolation and total segregation. Thousands of children and adults were institutionalized in large state operated institutions throughout the country. In the case of New Hampshire, that place was the Laconia State School. This documentary traces the history of the institution from its initial beginnings as the New Hampshire School for the Feebleminded in the early 1900's until its closure in 1991. Using archival footage and interviews with former residents of the institution, families of former residents, and people who worked at the institution, along with an extensive collection of photos, newspaper articles, and state documents, this documentary examines the social values and cultural ideals of the twentieth century.

Please Remove Your Shoes is an engaging documentary told primarily through the voices of six front-line security agents who's relentless efforts to fix a flawed system are thwarted and undermined by top managers at every turn. It asks the questions that makes the agency's officials squirm: "Are we getting the security we're paying for and are we any safer nearly a decade after 9/11?"

Featuring post-film Q&A

A Halloween Happening at Red River
Come in costume! Audience participation encouraged!

This ultra-campy midnight-movie classic unfolds on a dark and stormy night, where an uptight young couple (Susan Sarandon, Barry Bostwick) seeks refuge at the castle of a mad scientist (Tim Curry) just as he unveils his latest creation for his adoring interplanetary transsexual followers. Do the time warp again!

Rydell High's most famous graduating class is going back to school. A newly restored print brings the highest-grossing musical of all time, GREASE (1978), to the big screen as a sing-along. Join Danny and Sandy with your own crew of T-Birds and Pink Ladies for a carnival ride back to those amazing summer nights!

French filmmaker Jean-Pierre Jeunet takes a satirical look at the global arms trade with this foreign-language comedy starring Dany Boon as Bazil, who rallies his friends to take down weapons manufacturers responsible for his father's death. Bazil also discovers a dump into an underground haven for cool tools and sculptures crafted from discarded junk. Dominique Pinon, André Dussollier and Jean-Pierre Marielle co-star.