The 100-Year-Old Man: Leaving the Athena Thursday, July 2nd

Watch Trailer Director: Felix Herngren
Writer(s): Felix Herngren, Hans Ingemansson,
Cast: Robert Gustafsson, Iwar Wiklander, David Wiberg
Language: Swedish

*Due to urgent theater repairs, there will be NO showings of The 100-Year-Old Man on Thursday, June 25th. The 100-Year-Old Man will be playing thru next Thursday, July 2nd.*

 

After a long and colorful life working in munitions and getting entangled in the Spanish Civil War, the Manhattan Project, and other definitive events of the 20th century, Allan Karlsson finds himself stuck in a nursing home. Determined to escape on his 100th birthday, he leaps out of a window and onto the nearest bus, kicking off an unexpected journey involving, among other surprises, a suitcase stuffed with cash, some wicked criminals, and an elephant named Sonya.

“Eccentric, wry and highly entertaining.” – John Anderson, Newsday

“Like a cross between Forrest Gump and a Jonathan Winters character, this Swedish centenarian bumbles his way through international events.” – Peter Debruge, Variety

“It’s a hoot and a half.” – Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times

Share this Film

Click on Showtimes to Get Tickets Online
Running Time: 114 min114 MIN
R Rated

Read full story · Comments { 0 }

The Water Diviner: Leaving the Athena Thursday, June 25th

Watch Trailer Director: Russell Crowe
Writer(s): Andrew Knight, Andrew Anastasios
Cast: Russell Crowe, Olga Kurylenko, Jai Courtney

In 1919, Australian farmer Joshua Connor (Russell Crowe) goes in search of his three missing sons, last known to have fought against the Turks in the bloody Battle of Gallipoli. Arriving in Istanbul, he is thrust into a vastly different world, where he encounters others who have suffered their own losses in the conflict: Ayshe (Olga Kurylenko), a strikingly beautiful but guarded hotelier raising a child alone; her young, spirited son, Orhan (Dylan Georgiades), who finds a friend in Connor; and Major Hasan (Yilmaz Erdoan), a Turkish officer who fought against Connor’s boys and who may be this father’s only hope. With seemingly insurmountable obstacles in his path, Connor must travel across the battle-scarred Turkish landscape to find the truth and his own peace.

“Crowe is not messing around here, not trying to dream up opportunities to throw himself another close-up. He’s a genuine director.” – Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle

“The feature directorial debut of Russell Crowe, who also stars, it tells a compelling tale of loss and reconciliation, and does so with evenhanded sympathy for the adversaries on both sides of the conflict.” – Soren Anderson, Seattle Times

“After toiling for the likes of Ridley Scott, Ron Howard, and Peter Weir all these years, Crowe takes command of his own camera crews and castmates, mounting an ambitious and sentimental period drama.” – Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer

Closed Captioning devices are available for this film.

Share this Film

Click on Showtimes to Get Tickets Online
Running Time: 111 min111 MIN
R Rated

Read full story · Comments { 0 }

Slow West: Leaving the Athena Thursday, June 18th

Watch Trailer Director: John Maclean
Writer(s): John Maclean
Cast: Kodi Smit-McPhee, Michael Fassbender, Ben Mendelsohn

At the end of the nineteenth century, 16-year-old Jay Cavendish (Kodi Smit-McPhee) journeys across the American frontier in search of the woman he loves. He is joined by Silas (Michael Fassbender), a mysterious traveler, and hotly pursued by an outlaw along the way.

“It’s always entertaining to see a genre tweaked, at least when it’s done so with the proper mix of respect and madness at work in ‘Slow West.'” – Billy Goodykoontz, Arizona Republic

“A western fable with an often dreamlike vibe, ‘Slow West’ proves to be a surprisingly sly tale of passion, greed and survival.” – Gary Goldstein, Los Angeles Times

Share this Film

Click on Showtimes to Get Tickets Online
Running Time: 84 min84 MIN
R Rated

Read full story · Comments { 0 }

5 Flights Up: Playing tonight!

Watch Trailer Director: Richard Loncraine
Writer(s): Jill Ciment, Charlie Peters
Cast: Diane Keaton, Morgan Freeman, Cynthia Nixon

*Tonight is the final night to see 5 Flights Up.*

Forty years ago, artist Alex Carver (Morgan Freeman) bought a run-down apartment in a sketchy part of Brooklyn with his wife, schoolteacher Ruth (Diane Keaton). Today, their neighborhood is now very hip and their apartment worth a small fortune. The now-retired Ruth and Alex haven’t changed – they are still as much in love as ever. But they have let Ruth’s niece Lily (Cynthia Nixon), a real estate agent, list their property to see what the market might bear. On the eve of their open house, the Brooklyn Bridge is rumored to be under a terrorist attack, sending the media into a frenzy and people’s attitudes about living in New York. Closer to home, Dorothy, the Carver’s beloved dog, is suddenly having trouble walking. While Dorothy is having expensive treatment at the vet, Ruth convinces Alex to go apartment hunting in Manhattan, where they miraculously come across an ideal place they might actually be able to afford. As the world around them seems to mirror their own chaos and confusion, Ruth and Alex realize the same bond of love that has kept them together all these years will allow them to see their way through this crazy weekend as well.

 

“What a pleasure to see a simple, finely tuned dramedy about real adults with real emotions in a real-life situation.” – Gary Goldstein, Los Angeles Times

“Morgan Freeman and Diane Keaton have unexpectedly great chemistry in this warm and funny comedy about a couple who contemplate leaving a walk-up apartment in Brooklyn they’ve occupied for their entire 40-year marriage.” – Lou Lumenick, New York Post

“The lead performances are so perfectly in sync that Alex and Ruth really feel like an old married couple who know each other’s foibles and cherish every tic.” – Stephen Holden, New York Times

 

Closed Captioning devices are available for this film.

Share this Film

Click on Showtimes to Get Tickets Online
Running Time: 92 min92 MIN
PG-13 Rated

Read full story · Comments { 0 }

Beat the Heat: SONG OF THE SEA

Watch Trailer Director: Tomm Moore
Writer(s): Will Collins, Tomm Moore
Cast: David Rawle, Brendan Gleeson, Lisa Hannigan
Awards: Nominated for the Best Animated Feature Film at the Academy Awards, 2015

From the creators of the Academy Award®-nominated The Secret of Kells comes a breathtakingly gorgeous, hand-drawn masterpiece. Based on the Irish legend of the Selkies, Song of the Sea tells the story of the last seal-child, Saoirse, and her brother Ben, who go on an epic journey to save the world of magic and discover the secrets of their past. Pursued by the owl witch Macha and a host of ancient and mythical creatures, Saoirse and Ben race against time to awaken Saoirse’s powers and keep the spirit world from disappearing forever. As enthralling for adults as it is for children young and old, Song of the Sea is a wonder of magical storytelling and visual splendor that is destined to become a classic.

 

Share this Film

Click on Showtimes to Get Tickets Online
Running Time: 93 min93 MIN
PG Rated

A blissfully beautiful journey into Irish folklore.

indieWIRE
Read full story · Comments are closed

100 Years of The Athena: Mary Pickford’s Cinderella — One Day Only, Wednesday, June 3

Director: James Kirkwood
Writer(s): Charles Perrault (story)
Cast: Mary Pickford, Owen Moore and Isabel Vernon

Based on the fairy tale: Cinderella is mistreated by her stepmother and stepsisters, but is able to go to the royal ball through the help of the Fairy Godmother.

On June 3, 1915, the Athena Cinema’s first-ever showing was Mary Pickford as Cinderella in this silent film. One hundred years from that day, the Athena will show Cinderella once again in what is sure to be a night to remember, complete with music, food, and history.

6:00 – 7:00: Join us at the Athena for an open house where there will be complimentary cake from bakeries all around Athens as well as champagne.

7:00 – 7:45: We’ll all head to the college green to enjoy a very special music presentation. Under the Elms Concert: Athena Cinema at 100: a Musical Celebration!

8:00 – 9:00: We’ll head back to the theater for a showing of the silent film that started it all, Mary Pickford in Cinderella, complete with live musical accompaniment from Derek DiCenzo.

 

A review from The Moving Picture World, January 2, 1915:

The Christmas release of the Famous Players Film Co. presents Mary Pickford in a charming version of the century-old classic, “Cinderella.” This idyllic story might have been written to order for “Little Mary,” so amazingly does the role of the ragged but beautiful cinder-girl fit her. Tender and pretty as is the old story itself, it has been so enriched in the film version, so many new features have been artistically blended with the old, in which the natural and the super-natural, the eerie and the human, mingle, and the romance of the handsome and courageous prince with the little maid of the cinders is so originally and exquisitely portrayed, that the picture promises to be as great a treat with the grown-ups as with the children.

“Little Mary,” whether as the poor, reviled little cinder girl, or the pretty, jewelled and ermined princess, is equally effective, and every passing phase of the sympathetic character is appealingly intensified by the beauty and grace of the wonderful little star.

Cinderella-Mary-Pickford

Share this Film

Click on Showtimes to Get Tickets Online
Running Time: 52 Minutes52 MIN

Read full story · Comments { 0 }

Danny Collins: Leaving the Athena Thursday, June 11th

Watch Trailer Director: Dan Fogelman
Writer(s): Dan Fogelman
Cast: Al Pacino, Annette Bening, Jennifer Garner, Christopher Plummer

Aging 1970s rocker Danny Collins (Al Pacino) can’t give up his hard-living ways. But when his manager (Christopher Plummer) uncovers a 40 year-old undelivered letter written to him by John Lennon, he decides to change course and embarks on a heartfelt journey to rediscover his family, find true love and begin a second act.

“Al Pacino sells the heck out of his performance as Danny Collins.” – Richard Roeper, Chicago Sun-Times

“It’s never dull to watch pros like Pacino, Bening, Plummer, Garner and Cannavale interact – this is dream casting – and the film makes the most of that, along with a pleasingly comprehensive Lennon soundtrack.” – Linda Barnard, Toronto Star

“’Danny Collins’ is the cinematic equivalent of a well-sung easy rock tune, enjoyably light and bouncy, with some darker notes hidden within the chords.” – Tom Long, Detroit News

Share this Film

Click on Showtimes to Get Tickets Online
Running Time: 106 min106 MIN
R Rated

Read full story · Comments { 0 }

Welcome to Me: Leaving the Athena Thursday, June 11th

Watch Trailer Director: Shira Piven
Writer(s): Eliot Laurence
Cast: Kristen Wiig, James Marsden, Linda Cardellini

What happens when a young woman with Borderline Personality Disorder wins the lottery? In the case of Alice Klieg (Kristen Wiig), she quits her psychiatric meds and buys her own talk show. Inspired by the immortal Oprah, she broadcasts her dirty laundry as both a form of exhibitionism and a platform to share her peculiar views on everything from nutrition to relationships to neutering pets.

“It’s a tricky business playing someone who is mentally ill and perhaps should be confined for observation, especially in a dark comedy. Wiig manages to make Alice funny as hell, endearing, sad and sometimes a little frightening.” – Richard Roeper, Chicago Sun-Times

“This is Wiig’s show, and connoisseurs of the comedy craft will flip for her.” – Joe Williams, St. Louis Post-Dispatch

“By turns touching, amusing and genuinely disturbing, it defies expectations and easy categorization, forgoing obvious laughs and cheap emotional payoffs in favor of something much odder and more interesting.” – A.O. Scott, New York Times

Share this Film

Click on Showtimes to Get Tickets Online
Running Time: 105 min105 MIN
R Rated

Read full story · Comments { 0 }

Iris: Leaving the Athena Thursday, June 11th

Watch Trailer Director: Albert Maysles
Cast: Carl Apfel, Iris Apfel

Iris pairs legendary 87-year-old documentarian Albert Maysles with Iris Apfel, the quick-witted, flamboyantly dressed 93-year-old style maven who has had an outsized presence on the New York fashion scene for decades. More than a fashion film, the documentary is a story about creativity and how a soaring free spirit continues to inspire. IRIS portrays a singular woman whose enthusiasm for fashion, art and people are life’s sustenance and reminds us that dressing, and indeed life, is nothing but an experiment. Despite the abundance of glamour in her current life, she continues to embrace the values and work ethic established during a middle-class Queens upbringing during the Great Depression.

“Intimate, knowing portrait of a fashion icon who knows exactly who and what she is, and is often surrounded by people who don’t.” – John Anderson, Newsday

“There are few better ways right now to spend 80 movie minutes than to see Iris, a delightful eye-opener about life, love, statement eyeglasses, bracelets the size of tricycle tires and the art of making the grandest of entrances.” – Manohla Dargis, New York Times

“The chief virtue of ‘Iris’ is its amiability – it’s a delight to spend time in Apfel’s company, and thanks to Albert Maysles, we can.” – Walter V. Addiego, San Francisco Chronicle

Share this Film

Click on Showtimes to Get Tickets Online
Running Time: 83 min83 MIN
PG-13 Rated

Read full story · Comments { 0 }

White God: Leaving the Athena Thursday, May 21st

Watch Trailer Director: Kornél Mundruczó
Writer(s): Kornél Mundruczó, Viktória Petrányi, Kata Wéber
Cast: Zsófia Psotta, Sándor Zsótér, Lili Horváth
Language: Hungarian

When young Lili is forced to give up her beloved dog Hagen, because it’s mixed-breed heritage is deemed unfit by The State, she and the dog begin a dangerous journey back towards each other. At the same time, all the unwanted, unloved and so-called unfit dogs rise up under a new leader, Hagen, the one-time housepet who has learned all too well from his journey through the streets and animal control centers.

“The hand that feeds – and also brutalizes – is righteously bitten in ‘White God,’ a Hungarian revenge fantasy that’s like nothing you’ve seen on screen before.” – Manohla Dargis, New York Times

“The whole production speaks well for the power of film; it’s a serious stunner.” – Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal

“What it all means is open to interpretation. Read it as a parable or as a horror movie. Read it as the story of love between a girl and her dog. Read it however you want. No matter what your take, you won’t be disappointed.” -Billy Goodykoontz, Arizona Republic

“It all pays off with an astounding, extended climax that is as rousing and exciting as it is frightening – one of the most surreal experiences I’ve ever had watching a movie.” – Rene Rodriguez, Miami Herald

Share this Film

Click on Showtimes to Get Tickets Online
Running Time: 121 min121 MIN
R Rated

Read full story · Comments { 0 }