Events for December, 2011
Project Nim
Directed by James Marsh. UK. 2011. PG-13. 93 min. Roadside Attractions. 35mm.
Fri, Nov 25 thru Thu, Dec 1 -- Roll over to view showtimes.
“Project Nim, a new documentary by James Marsh, is a probing, unsettling study of primate behavior, focusing on the complex dynamics of power, sex and group bonding in a species whose startling capacity for selfishness and aggression is offset by occasional displays of intelligence and compassion. More»
Martha Marcy May Marlene
Directed by Sean Durkin. US. 2011. R. 102 min. Fox Searchlight. 35mm.
Fri, Dec 2 thru Thu, Dec 8 -- Roll over to view showtimes.
“About halfway through Sean Durkin’s terrifying drama Martha Marcy May Marlene, the possibly crazy Elizabeth Olsen asks her uptight sister Sarah Paulson if she’s ever had trouble telling the difference between a dream and a memory. Paulson says no, but anyone who has ever had that trouble will likely be extra-shaken by what happens next, and by Martha Marcy May Marlene as a whole. More»
Silent Night, Deadly Night
Directed by Charles Sellier, Jr. US. 1984. R. 79 min. Private Collection. 35mm.
Sponsored by EB Art Guide
- Fri, Dec 2, 9:45 pm
“[When it came out in 1984] angry mothers who objected to the film’s decidedly un-Norman Rockwell portrait of the Yuletide season came out of the woodwork to protest its very existence. More»
Phoenixville Federal Bank & Trust Annual Christmas Party
Presented by Phoenixville Federal Bank & Trust
- Sat, Dec 3, 2:00 pm
Meet Santa at the Colonial during Phoenixville Federal’s annual community Christmas party! Tickets are free but MUST be picked up in advance at any PFB&T branch. This year we’re screening one of our Christmas favorites – How the Grinch Stole Christmas.
City Rhythm Orchestra: Holiday Style
Tickets: $10 - $25. Buy tickets online.
- Sun, Dec 4, 7:00 pm
The 15-piece City Rhythm Orchestra presents Holiday Style, a big band concert that’s a perfect way to start the yuletide season. The show will feature the luxurious sound of the City Rhythm brass while putting the spotlight on the group’s three fine vocalists.
More»
Point Entertainment presents Dar Williams
Tickets $20 - $35.50. Buy tickets online.
- Fri, Dec 9, 8:00 pm
WXPN welcomes Dar Williams to the Colonial! A leader in the Folk-Pop movement for almost two decades, it’s Dar’s intimate and profound writing style and her warm and witty stage presence that has made her one of the most acclaimed singer-songwriters of her generation. Special guest Nicole Zell. More»
Billy Kelly and the Blah, Blah, Blahs
Tickets: $8.50. All ages. 60 min.
- Sat, Dec 10, 2:00 pm
Billy Kelly is a guy with a guitar and shoes and a nose and a new CD called “The Family Garden” and a couch and other stuff. Jeff Bogle from Out with the Kids called it “… an alluring pastiche of Americana, ragtime, & B-52s.” His songs are humorous as well as funny. Speaking of his songs, his song “People Really Like Milk” from his CD “Thank You for Joining the Happy Club” went to #1 on the SIRIUS/XM Satellite Radio channel “Kids Place Live”! (Please don’t mention this to his other songs.) More»
Holiday Pipe Organ Concert
Tickets: $5 - $10. Buy tickets online.
- Sun, Dec 11, 3:00 pm
Wayne Zimmerman will accompany three silent comedy shorts: “The Rink” (1916) starring Charlie Chaplin, “The Bell Boy” (1918) starring Fatty Arbuckle; and “The Electric House” (1922) starring Buster Keaton. Lots of music appropriate for Winter, the Christmas and Hanukkah holidays, and New Year’s will follow. This program benefits the Theatre Organ Society of the Delaware Valley (TOSDV) Theatre Pipe Organ Restoration Fund. More»
It’s a Wonderful Life
Directed by Frank Capra. US. 1946. NR. 130 min. Library of Congress. 35mm.
Sponsored by Artisans Gallery & Cafe and Romantic Jewelers on Dec 18; and by Phoenixville Hospital's Healthy Woman Program on Dec 14
- Wed, Dec 14, 7:30 pm
- Sun, Dec 18, 2:00 pm
“What is remarkable about It’s a Wonderful Life is how well it holds up over the years; it’s one of those ageless movies, like Casablanca or The Third Man, that improves with age. Some movies, even good ones, should only be seen once. When we know how they turn out, they’ve surrendered their mystery and appeal. Other movies can be viewed an indefinite number of times. Like great music, they improve with familiarity. It’s a Wonderful Life falls in the second category. More»
A Christmas Story
Directed by Bob Clark. US. 1983. 6+. 98 min. Warner Bros. Blu ray.
Sponsored by Konell Insurance
- Sat, Dec 17, 2:00 pm
“A Christmas Story grasps the full scope of childhood injustice and obsession. Amid the comically cranky Santa Clauses and tree-lighting mishaps, the movie’s key moment is a Billingsley crying jag, prompted by a fight with the neighborhood bully and the fear that his dad will clobber him. The affection audiences feel for A Christmas Story is related to the holiday spirit, yes, but specifically to director Bob Clark and writer Jean Shepherd’s awareness of how the true meaning of Christmas manifests in the real world, where a warm meal on a cold, dark day–and a surprising moment of parental grace–can ease a troubled mind.” (Noel Murray, The Onion A.V. Club)
Take Shelter
Directed by Jeff Nichols. US. 2011. R. 120 min. Sony. 35mm.
Fri, Dec 16 thru Thu, Dec 22 -- Roll over to view showtimes.
“Here is a frightening thriller based not on special effects gimmicks but on a dread that seems quietly spreading in the land: that the good days are ending, and climate changes or other sinister forces will sweep away our safety. “Take Shelter” unfolds in a quiet Ohio countryside with big skies and flat horizons, and involves a happy family whose life seems contented. More»
My Week with Marilyn
Directed by Simon Curtis. UK. 2011. R. 99 min. Weinstein. 35mm.
Fri, Dec 23 thru Thu, Jan 5 -- Roll over to view showtimes.
“In “My Week with Marilyn,” Michele Williams makes the star come alive. She has Monroe’s walk, the easy, swivelling neck, the face that responds to everything like a flower swaying in the breeze. Most important, she has the sexual sweetness and the hurt, lost look that shifts, in a flash, into resistance and tears. More»
The Polar Express
Directed by Robert Zemeckis. US. 2004. 8+. 95 min. Warner Bros. Blu ray.
- Wed, Dec 28, 4:30 pm
“The Polar Express is a movie for more than one season; it will become a perennial, shared by the generations. It has a haunting, magical quality because it has imagined its world freshly and played true to it, sidestepping all the tiresome Christmas cliches that children have inflicted on them this time of year. The conductor tells Hero Boy he thinks he really should get on the train, and I have the same advice for you.” (Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun Times)
