December special events at BAMcinématek
DEC. 4 at 7 p.m.
AN EVENING WITH BRUCE DERN
Dern in person for a screening of Alexander Payne’s Nebraska followed by an extended conversation
“One of American cinema’s finest character actors” (Film Comment), Bruce Dern joins BAMcinématek audiences on Dec. 4 for an in-depth discussion of his career from the 1960s to the present, following a screening of his new film, Alexander Payne’s Nebraska. A brilliant and versatile performer who cemented his reputation as an icon of the American New Wave in films co-starring Jack Nicholson, Jane Fonda, Karen Black, and other luminaries of the era, Dern has emerged as one of this year’s top Academy Award contenders for his performance in Nebraska, which has already won him the Best Actor prize at the Cannes Film Festival. An Evening with Bruce Dern is presented in conjunction with Hot Dern! (Nov. 16—27), a 16-film retrospective celebrating the virtuoso actor and his acclaimed return to the big screen.
DEC. 9 at 8 p.m.
Members Only Sneak Preview
Spike Jonze’s HER
Jonze in person!
With Joaquin Phoenix, Scarlett Johansson, Amy Adams, Rooney Mara
In this “splendid anachronism of a movie romance” (Time), Spike Jonze explores the evolving nature—and risks—of intimacy in the modern world. Set in Los Angeles in the near future, Her follows Theodore (Joaquin Phoenix), a complex, soulful man who makes his living writing touching, personal letters for other people. Heartbroken after the end of a long relationship, he becomes intrigued with a new, advanced operating system, which promises to be an intuitive and unique entity in its own right. BAMcinématek hosts this special members only sneak preview, co-presented by Opening Ceremony.
DEC. 18 & 19
BAMcinématek Favorites
Andrei Tarkovsky’s STALKER (1979)
BAMcinématek revives this Tarkovsky classic for two days on a rare imported 35mm print. On the surface, this film is a sci-fi thriller in which a “stalker” leads two civilians deep into a forbidden zone. But it quickly becomes much more than an allegorical journey as the landscape of industrial decay and nail-biting tension slowly builds toward an existential ending that points to redemption. Tarkovsky’s innovative use of color and tracking shots make this one of his most visually striking films. An inspiration to generations of artists, including David Lynch and writer Geoff Dyer, Stalker is also a personal favorite of Cate Blanchett, who has claimed “every single frame of the film is burned into my retina.”