Champlain Valley Film Society

The Champlain Valley Film Society shows current and classic movies throughout the year in upstate New York.

Film Reviews

WOMEN WITHOUT MEN

Introduced by director Shirin Neshat

Saturday, September 25
Willsboro Central School
8:00 PM
Not Rated
Adults $5; Under 18 $2

Winner, Best Director Award, Venice Film Festival. Iranian-born artist Shirin Neshat weaves together the lives of four very different women during the 1953 American-engineered coup that overthrew the democratic government and restored the Shah to power. Director Shirin Neshat has exhibited her photographs, film and video installations around the world, including the Museum of Modern Art in New York and the Tate Gallery in London.

  • "Strong performances and stirring emotions" - Los Angeles Times
  • "Compelling and thrilling" - Slant Magazine
  • "Visually transfixing" - New York Times
  • "Beautiful imagery" - Entertainment Weekly
  • "Stellar acting" - L. A. Reader
  • "A magical realist cry from the heart" - Boston Globe
  • "This film grabbed my heart" - Ang Lee, director
  • "A poignant, moving marriage of politics and art" - Filmmaker Magazine

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THE GHOST WRITER

Saturday, October 9
Grange Hall, Whallonsburg
8:00 PM
Rated PG-13
Adults $5; Under 18 $2

Roman Polanski's edge-of-your-seat-thriller is his best film since Chinatown. Ewan McGregor stars in this mystery about a ghostwriter for a controversial former British Prime Minister who becomes a hunted man after he uncovers explosive secrets about the past.

  • "A dazzling game of cat-and-mouse" - Rolling Stone
  • "A triumph" - Slate Magazine
  • "Impeccably entertaining" - Los Angeles Times
  • "A very fine film from start to finish" - New York Times
  • "Polanski is a magician and this is far more than a suspense film" - Wall Street Journal
  • "Polanski knows how to direct a thriller" - Roger Ebert

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CITY ISLAND

Saturday, October 23
Grange Hall, Whallonsburg
8:00 PM
Rated PG-13
Adults $5; Under 18 $2

A tender comedy about a dysfunctional family that tries to survive a perfect storm of past secrets and present day lies. Andy Garcia stars in this hilarious and touching story about a corrections officer who longs to become an actor.

  • "A very funny film" - Washington Post
  • "Comic gold - hilarious" - Rolling Stone
  • "A breath of fresh air" - USA Today
  • "Pretty damn irresistible" - Salon
  • "A joyride" - Variety
  • "Feel good entertainment" - ReelViews
  • "A boisterous, warm-hearted film" - San Francisco Chronicle

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THE SECRET IN THEIR EYES

Saturday, November 6
Grange Hall, Whallonsburg
8:00 PM
Rated R for violent images, some nudity and language
Tickets $5; Under 18 $2

Winner, Academy Award, Best Foreign Language Film. This compelling mystery is also one of the year's best love stories. A recently retired court investigator reopens a 25-year-old murder case that still haunts him. In doing so, he involves a beautiful former colleague he has secretly been in love with for years.

  • "A spellbinder" - Rolling Stone
  • "Highly recommended; this one will stay with you" - Empire
  • "Deeply appealing" - New York Times
  • "Simply mesmerizing" - Variety
  • "Engages the heart as well as the intellect" - USA Today
  • "Beautiful" - Wall Street Journal
  • "An ideal marriage of topic and talent" - Los Angeles Times

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SAFETY LAST

Introduced and accompanied by pianist Ben Model

Saturday, November 20
Willsboro Central School
7:30 PM
Not Rated
Adults $5; Under 18 $2
Presented in cooperation with Piano by Nature

Pianist Ben Model accompanies another classic silent comedy. Those who loved last year's showing of Buster Keaton's The General will be thrilled to hear that Ben is back to introduce and play his original music for Harold Lloyd's most thrilling comedy. For more than 25 years, pianist Ben Model has accompanied the silent movies shown at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. He is also the cofounder of the Silent Clowns film series.

  • "A superb mix of suspense and slapstick" - Time Out
  • "A real crowd pleaser" - TV Guide
  • "Contains the most famous scene in all of silent comedy" - Roger Ebert
  • "This high class comedy leads to big shrieks" - Variety

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WINTER'S BONE

Saturday, December 4
Willsboro Central School
7:30 PM
Rated R for drug use and language
Tickets $5; Under 18 $2

Winner, Best Picture Award, Sundance Film Festival. In one of the most critically-acclaimed films of the year, a 17-year-old-girl trying to track down her missing father confronts the local criminal underworld and the harsh Ozark wilderness.

  • "The best film of the year" - St. Louis Post-Dispatch
  • "Unforgettable" - Rolling Stone
  • "The year's most stirring film" - New York Times
  • "An absolute knockout" - Salon
  • "Spectacular" - Wall Street Journal
  • "An epic of Americana" - Entertainment Weekly
  • "A great movie with astonishing performances" - Arizona Republic

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