The Song of Names
An adaptation of the novel of the same name by Norman Lebrecht. As Europe erupts into WWII, 9-year-old Martin comes to love his new brother Dovidl, a highly gifted violin prodigy of the same age and recent Polish-Jewish refugee to London. But hours before Dovidl’s debut concert performance at the age of 21 he vanishes without a trace, causing shame and ruin for their family. A lifetime later, a young violinist shows a 56-year-old Martin a stylistic flourish that could only have been taught by Dovidl. This triggers Martin’s odyssey
Knives Out
Oscar- nominated for Best Original Screenplay!
Acclaimed writer and director Rian Johnson pays tribute to mystery mastermind Agatha Christie in this fun, modern-day murder mystery where everyone is a suspect. When renowned crime novelist Harlan Thrombey (Christopher Plummer) is found dead at his estate just after his 85th birthday, the inquisitive and debonair Detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) is mysteriously enlisted to investigate. From Harlan’s dysfunctional family to his devoted staff, Blanc s
Little Women
Nominated for 6 Oscars including Best Picture and Best Actress – Saoirse Ronan
Following the lives of four sisters, Amy, Jo, Beth and Meg, as they come of age in America in the aftermath of the Civil War. Though all very different from each other, the March sisters stand by each other through difficult and changing times.
Fantastic Fungi
Limited Engagement!
This documentary explores the magical world of fungi and their power to heal, sustain and contribute to the regeneration of life on Earth.
Purple Rain
Plays Friday, Jan 24 at 9:30 PM at the Michigan!
Prince’s film debut–about a young Minneapolis-based musician who finds himself at odds with his abusive parents, a musical rival, a romantic interest, and his own band as he struggles to make it as an artist–was a box-office smash when it was released in 1984, largely off the strength of the original soundtrack. Prince received two Grammys and an Oscar for the music underpinning the movie; the soundtrack also spent 24 consecutive weeks at #1 on the Billbo
63 Up
The latest installment of the groundbreaking, award-winning documentary series from director Michael Apted (Gorky Park, Gorillas in the Mist) returns to visit the people whose lives have been followed since they were seven. Featuring more of the original line-up than ever before, we discover what has happened to the group over the last seven years, what life has thrown at them in their sixties, and their hopes for the future.
Found Footage Festival: Volume 9
Sunday, January 26 at 7:00 PM at the Michigan!
Joe Pickett (The Onion) and Nick Prueher (The Colbert Report) come to Ann Arbor with a live guided tour through their latest VHS finds, including the 1988 Miss Junior America Wisconsin pageant, a mysterious tape labeled “bonion sergery,” home movies taken at a Canadian hose factory, and an exercise video called “Skiercise!”
Gosford Park
Plays Wednesday, January 29 at 7:30 PM at the Michigan!
Concluding our “Whodunnit?” Film Series, Robert Altman takes on the genre with a cast featuring Maggie Smith, Michael Gambon, Helen Mirren, Ryan Phillippe, Stephen Fry, Kristin Scott Thomas, Kelly Macdonald, Richard E. Grant, and many more!
An Autumn Afternoon
Plays Thursday, January 30 at 7:30 PM at the Michigan!
Cinematographer: Yuharu Atsuta
The last film by Yasujiro Ozu was also his final masterpiece, a gently heartbreaking story about a man’s dignified resignation to life’s shifting currents and society’s modernization. Though the widower Shuhei (frequent Ozu leading man Chishu Ryu) has been living comfortably for years with his grown daughter, a series of events leads him to accept and encourage her marriage and departure from their home. As el
The Rocky Horror Picture Show
Sing along, shout along, and dance along with this cult classic perfect for any time of the year! TIM CURRY, SUSAN SARANDON, and BARRY BOSTWICK lead a cast of then-unknowns in a campy, musical send-up of 1950s sci-fi films.
The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess: The Met Live in HD
The Metropolitan Opera presents a live broadcast of Gershwins’ PORGY AND BESS in HD on Saturday, February 1 at 12:55 PM
The Gershwins’ modern American masterpiece has its first Met performances in almost three decades, starring bass-baritone Eric Owens and soprano Angel Blue in the title roles. Director James Robinson’s stylish production transports audiences to Catfish Row, a setting vibrant with the music, dancing, emotion, and heartbreak of its inhabitants.
Presented in association with the read more
Pretty Strong
Plays Monday, February 3 at 7:30 PM at the Michigan!
From 5.13 big walls in Yosemite to 5.14 sport climbs in Mexico to V14 boulder problems in Colorado, Pretty Strong follows 10 of the world’s strongest female climbers as they explore new climbing areas, send hard projects, and push the boundaries of the sport and themselves. Putting badass ladies front and center, this film is about some of the best climbers in the world—some you know, some you don’t—doing what they do best: crushing hard rock climbs. The climbers feat
Stranger Than Paradise
Plays Tuesday, February 4 at 9:30 PM at the Michigan!
Presenting with an original 35mm print! Jim Jarmusch’s Stranger Than Paradise is an odd, low-key comedy about a trio of misfits–an everyday guy, his Hungarian female cousin, and his geeky best friend–who decide to take a road trip across the United States on the spur of the moment. Over the course of their voyage, they have both good and bad luck, meet a number of bizarre and interesting characters, and are frequently bored. Jarmusch tells his story
General Magic
Wednesday, February 5 at 7:30 PM at the Michigan. Part of Science on Screen Film Series.
Multi-award winning feature documentary GENERAL MAGIC is the untold tale of how a great vision and epic failure changed the world. The ideas that dominate the tech industry and our day to day lives were born at a secretive Silicon Valley start-up called ‘General Magic’, which spun out of Apple in 1990 to create the “next big thing”. General Magic shipped the first handheld personal communicato
Harakiri
Plays Thursday, February 6 at 7:30 PM at the Michigan!
Cinematographer: Yoshio Miyajima
Following the collapse of his clan, an unemployed samurai (Tatsuya Nakadai) arrives at the manor of Lord Iyi, begging to be allowed to commit ritual suicide on the property. Iyi’s clansmen, believing the desperate ronin is merely angling for a new position, try to force his hand and get him to eviscerate himself—but they have underestimated his beliefs and his personal brand of honor. Winner of the Cannes Film Fes
Three Christs
Opens February 7 at the Michigan!
Based on a remarkable true story, Three Christs is a fascinating and moving look at one man’s journey into the deepest mysteries of the human mind. In 1959, psychiatrist Dr. Alan Stone (Richard Gere) arrives at Ypsilanti State Hospital in Michigan armed with the radical belief that schizophrenic patients should be treated not with confinement and electroshock therapy but with empathy and understanding. As his first study, he takes on the particularly challenging case of three men (
Your Name
Plays Friday, February 7 at 9:30 PM at the Michigan!
From Director Makoto Shinkai comes a beautiful masterpiece about time, the thread of fate, and the hearts of two young souls. A teenage boy and girl embark on a quest to meet each other for the first time after they magically swap bodies.
Presented in Japanese with English subtitles
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
Sunday, February 9 at 1:30 PM at the Michigan!
Based on the first of J.K. Rowling’s popular children’s novels about Harry Potter, the live-action family adventure film Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone tells the story of a boy who learns on his 11th birthday that he is the orphaned son of two powerful wizards and possesses unique magical powers of his own. Invited to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Harry embarks on the adventure of a lifetime. At Hogwarts, he finds the home and
Agave: The Spirit of a Nation
Plays Monday, February 10 at 7:30 PM at the Michigan!
Mexico is home to the highest biodiversity of agave varieties in the world. Tequila and Mezcal spirits derived from the heart of the agave are the fastest trending spirits in the marketplace. This expressive documentary takes viewers beyond the spirit to discover how one plant can carry the weight of a culture and the people trying to protect it.
bias
Plays Wednesday, February 12 at 6:30 PM at the Michigan
bias is a film that challenges us to confront our hidden biases and understand what we risk when we follow our gut. Through exposing her own biases, award-winning documentary filmmaker Robin Hauser highlights the nature of implicit bias, the grip it holds on our social and professional lives, and what it will take to induce change.
The Downfall of Osen (Orizuru Osen)
Plays Thursday, February 13 at 7:30 PM at the Michigan! – Special ticket prices apply, gold cards not admitted free.
Cinematographer: Shigeto Miki
This silent film will be accompanied by a live benshi narration!
After their unscrupulous master is arrested, servant girl Osen and penniless young Sokichi must fend for themselves. They live together in Meiji-era Tokyo, and Osen’s love drives her to pay Sokichi’s way through medical school, finally turning to secret streetwalking on his b
Titanic
Plays Friday, February 14 at 7:00 PM at the Michigan! – Preceded by a members-only Valentines Day reception in the Grand Foyer, 5:30 – 6:30 PM!
Michigan Theater members get free access to both the reception and the film! RSVP to Sarah Madsen at smadsen@michtheater.org to reserve your seats.
Princess Mononoke
Plays Friday, February 14 at 9:30 PM at the Michigan!
Directed by renowned animator Hayao Miyazaki, this anime has broken a number of box office records in its native Japan. Essentially a statement on the ecological devastation brought on by human advancement, the story follows the battle between Princess Mononoke and a mining village.
Presented in Japanese with English subtitles.
Harriet
Plays Sunday, Feb 16 at 3:00 PM at the Michigan!
Nominated for 2 Golden Globes, including Best Actress – Cynthia Erivo!
Based on the thrilling and inspirational life of an iconic American freedom fighter, Harriet tells the extraordinary tale of Harriet Tubman’s escape from slavery and transformation into one of America’s greatest heroes. Her courage, ingenuity, and tenacity freed hundreds of slaves and changed the course of history. Stars Cynthia Erivo as Tubman, with Leslie Odom Jr.
Shusenjo: The Main Battleground of the Comfort Women Issue
Plays Monday, February 17 at 7:30 PM at the Michigan!
The “comfort women” issue is perhaps Japan’s most contentious present-day diplomatic quandary. Inside Japan, the issue is dividing the country across clear ideological lines. Supporters and detractors of “comfort women” are caught in a relentless battle over empirical evidence, the validity of oral testimony, the number of victims, the meaning of sexual slavery, and the definition of coercive recruitment. Credibility, legitimacy and influence serve as the rallying
Gimme Danger
Plays Tuesday, February 18 at 7:30 PM at the Michigan!
Director Jim Jarmusch chronicles the story of The Stooges, one of the greatest rock-n-roll bands of all time who emerged from Ann Arbor amidst a countercultural revolution. Their powerful and aggressive style of rock ‘n’ roll blew a crater in the musical landscape of the late 1960s, assaulting audiences with a blend of rock, blues, R&B, and free jazz, and planted the seeds for what would be called punk and alternative rock in the decades that followe
No Defense
Plays Wednesday, February 19 at 7:00 PM at the Michigan! Free and open to the public!
This documentary tells the story of the Americans who are fighting against one of the largest-known polluters in the country — the United States government. Since the 1990s, it’s been documented that a category of chemicals known as perfluorinated compounds are harmful to life, yet the government continues to mandate its use at hundreds of sites across the country, contaminating surface water and drinking water, with no plan in place to cl
Tokyo Drifter
Plays Thursday, February 20 at 7:30 PM at the Michigan!
Cinematographer: Shigeyoshi Mine
In this jazzy gangster film, reformed killer Tetsu’s attempt to go straight is thwarted when his former cohorts call him back to Tokyo to help battle a rival gang. Director Seijun Suzuki’s onslaught of stylized violence and trippy colors is equal parts Russ Meyer, Samuel Fuller, and Nagisa Oshima—an anything-goes, in-your-face rampage. Tokyo Drifter is a delirious highlight of the brilliantly excessive Japanese ci
Varda by Agnès
Plays February 21 & 23 at the Michigan!
An unpredictable documentary from a fascinating storyteller, Agnès Varda’s new feature sheds light on her experience as a director, bringing a personal insight to what she calls “cine-writing”. Agnès Varda was a Belgian-born French film director, photographer, and artist. Her work was pioneering for, and central to, the development of the widely influential French New Wave film movement of the 1950s and 1960s.
Presented in French with English subtitles.read more
Ága
Plays February 21 & 24 at the Michigan!
In a yurt on the snow-covered fields of the North, Nanook and Sedna live following the traditions of their ancestors. Alone in the wilderness, they look like the last people on Earth. Nanook and Sedna’s traditional way of life starts changing — slowly, but inevitably. Hunting becomes more and more difficult, the animals around them die from inexplicable deaths and the ice has been melting earlier every year. Chena, who visits them regularly, is their only connection to th
Promare
Plays Friday, February 21 at 9:30 PM at the Michigan!
The first feature-length film from the acclaimed studio TRIGGER, creators of the hit series KILL la KILL and Little Witch Academia, and director Hiroyuki Imaishi, Promare uses a bold cel-shaded visual style to tell a blistering action-adventure story, and is the spiritual successor to many of director Imaishi’s former works. Thirty years have passed since the appearance of the Burnish, a race of flame-wielding mutant beings, who destroyed half of the world with
VHYES
Plays Monday, February 24 at 7:30 PM at the Michigan!
A bizarre retro comedy shot entirely on VHS, VHYes takes us back to a simpler time, when twelve-year-old Ralph mistakenly records home videos and his favorite late night shows over his parents’ wedding tape. The result is a nostalgic wave of home shopping clips, censored pornography, and nefarious true-crime tales that threaten to unkindly rewind Ralph’s reality.
Only Lovers Left Alive
Plays Tuesday, February 25 at 7:30 PM at the Michigan!
From Writer/Director Jim Jarmusch – Set against the romantic desolation of Detroit and Tangier, an underground musician, deeply depressed by the direction of human activities, reunites with his resilient and enigmatic lover. Their love story has already endured several centuries at least, but their debauched idyll is soon disrupted by her wild and uncontrollable younger sister. Can these wise but fragile outsiders continue to survive as the modern world collaps
Lady Snowblood
Plays Thursday, February 27 at 7:30 PM at the Michigan!
Cinematographer: Masaki Tamura
Seberg
Opens February 28 at the Michigan!
Seberg is inspired by true events about the French New Wave darling and Breathless star, Jean Seberg (Kristen Stewart), who in the late 1960s was targeted by the FBI because of her support of the civil rights movement and romantic involvement with Hakim Jamal (Anthony Mackie), among others. In Benedict Andrews’ noir-ish thriller, Seberg’s life and career are destroyed by Hoover’s overreaching surveillance and harassment in an effort to suppress and discredit Seb
Ghost in the Shell (1995)
Plays Friday, February 28 at 9:30 PM at the Michigan!
It is the year 2029. Technology has advanced so far that cyborgs are commonplace. In addition, human brains can connect to the internet directly. Major Motoko Kasunagi is an officer in Section 9, an elite, secretive police division that deals with special operations, including counter terrorism and cyber crime. She is currently on the trail of the Puppet Master, a cyber criminal who hacks into the brains of cyborgs in order to obtain information and to commit other crimes.read more
Agrippina: The Met Live in HD
The Metropolitan Opera presents a live broadcast of AGRIPPINA live in HD on Saturday, February 29 at 12:55 PM
As the imperious title empress, mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato leads the Met premiere of Handel’s tale of deception and deceit. Harry Bicket conducts Sir David McVicar’s wry new production, which gives this Baroque black comedy a politically charged, modern updating.
Presented in Italian with English subtitles
Buster Keaton’s One Week & The Cameraman
Plays Sunday, March 1 at 1:30 PM at the Michigan!
Buster Keaton double-feature with live organ accompaniment from Andrew Rogers!
Cat Video Fest 2020
Plays Monday, March 2 at 7:30 PM at the Michigan!
Each year, CatVideoFest curates a compilation reel of the latest, best cat videos culled from countless hours of unique submissions and sourced animations, music videos, and, of course, classic internet powerhouses.
Screening events raise money for cats in need, often through partnerships with local cat charities, animal welfare organizations, and shelters to identify how best to serve cats in the area. 10% of our proceeds will benefit the Humane Society of Huron Valley!<
Code: Debugging the Gender Gap
Plays Wednesday, March 11 at 6:30 PM at the Michigan
CODE exposes the dearth of female and minority software engineers, explores the reasons for this gap and highlights breakthrough efforts that are producing more diverse programmers while showing how this critical gap can be closed.
With special guests for a post-film discussion TBD.
Tampopo
Plays Thursday, March 12 at 7:30 PM at the Michigan!
Cinematographer: Masaki Tamura
The tale of an eccentric band of culinary ronin who guide the widow of a noodle-shop owner on her quest for the perfect recipe, this rapturous “ramen western” by Japanese director Juzo Itami is an entertaining, genre-bending adventure underpinned by a deft satire of the way social conventions distort the most natural of human urges—our appetites. Interspersing the efforts of Tampopo (Nobuko Miyamoto) and friends
Der Fliegende Holländer: The Met Live in HD
The Metropolitan Opera presents a live broadcast of DER FLIEGENDE HOLLÄNDER in HD on Saturday, March 14 at 12:55 PM
Sir Bryn Terfel returns to the Met for the first time since 2012, as the mysterious seafarer searching for salvation. Director François Girard, whose mesmerizing production of Parsifal recently wowed Met audiences, returns to stage Wagner’s eerie early masterwork.
Presented in German with English subtitles
King Kong (1933)
Plays Sunday, March 15 at the Michigan!
Turner Classic Movies and Fathom Events are proud to bring you the classic movies you love the way they were meant to be seen, uncut and in the company of other movie lovers.
Human Nature
Wednesday, March 18 at 7:30 PM. Part of Science on Screen Film Series.
From executive producer Dan Rather and director Adam Bolt, the co-writer and editor of the Oscar-winning film Inside Job, comes the story of the biggest tech revolution of the 21st Century. And it isn’t digital, it’s biological. A breakthrough called CRISPR has given us unprecedented control over the basic building blocks of life. It opens the door to curing diseases, reshaping the biosphere, and designing o
Nobody Knows (Dare mo Shiranai)
Plays Thursday, March 19 at 7:30 PM at the Michigan!
Cinematographer: Yutaka Yamazaki
Inspired by a real-life incident of child abandonment, this piercing family drama is a testament to the everyday resilience of four young siblings left to survive on their own in a Tokyo apartment. When young single mother Keiko (You) leaves home to pursue a mysterious job and a new romance, 12-year-old Akira (Yuya Yagira) must look after his younger sisters and brother, keeping the household together as money dwind
To Dust
Wednesday, April 1 at 7:30 PM at the Michigan. Part of Science on Screen.
Grieving the recent death of his wife, Shmuel (Géza Rohrïg), decides that, in order to move on, he must understand the science behind the decomposition process of his wife’s body—despite the blasphemy inherent in any scientific inquiry. To assist his sinful pursuit, he seeks out Albert (Matthew Broderick), a community-college biology professor who Shmuel enlists to teach informal science lessons. These soon grow to include homem
To the Ends of the Earth (Tabi no Owari Sekai no Hajimari)
Plays Thursday, April 9 at 7:30 PM at the Michigan!
Cinematographer: Akiko Ashizawa
Japanese auteur Kiyoshi Kurosawa explores cross-cultural miscommunication in this engagingly low-key portrait of a TV host becoming lost in Uzbekistan.
Tosca: The Met Live in HD
The Metropolitan Opera presents a live broadcast of TOSCA in HD on Saturday, April 11 at 12:55 PM
Superstar soprano Anna Netrebko appears in her 16th Live in HD transmission, taking on the soaring title diva of Puccini’s grand melodrama. Bertrand de Billy conducts Sir David McVicar’s evocative production, with tenor Brian Jagde as Tosca’s impassioned lover, Cavaradossi, and baritone Michael Volle as the sinister Scarpia.
Presented in Italian with English subtitles
read moreUnderwater Dreams
Plays Wednesday, April 15 at 6:30 PM at the Michigan
Underwater Dreams, written and directed by Mary Mazzio, and narrated by Michael Peña, is an epic story of how the sons of undocumented Mexican immigrants learned how to build an underwater robot from Home Depot parts. And defeat engineering powerhouse MIT in the process.
With special guests for a post-film discussion TBD.
Maria Stuarda: The Met Live in HD
The Metropolitan Opera presents a live broadcast of MARIA STUARDA in HD on Saturday, May 9 at 12:55 PM
A pseudo-historical opera about Mary, Queen of Scots, and her bitter rivalry with Queen Elizabeth I, Donizetti’s drama thrills with intense stand-offs and impressive vocal displays. Soprano Diana Damrau and mezzo-soprano Jamie Barton square off as two of history’s most formidable monarchs, with Maurizio Benini conducting.
Presented in Italian with English subtitles
read moreGhost (1990)
Plays July 19 & 22 at the Michigan!
Turner Classic Movies and Fathom Events are proud to bring you the classic movies you love the way they were meant to be seen, uncut and in the company of other movie lovers.
Babe
Plays August 9 & 12 at the Michigan!
Turner Classic Movies and Fathom Events are proud to bring you the classic movies you love the way they were meant to be seen, uncut and in the company of other movie lovers.
Psycho (1960)
Plays Monday, October 12 at the Michigan!
Turner Classic Movies and Fathom Events are proud to bring you the classic movies you love the way they were meant to be seen, uncut and in the company of other movie lovers.