Now Playing

Local Food & Farming fans: Listen up!

 

Maine Farmland Trust (MFT), a statewide non-profit which works to preserve farmland and keep Maine's farms farming, is hosting a showing of 8 short documentaries by Maine filmmakers Cecily Pingree and Jason Mann, which tell the diverse stories of eight Maine farms: from Aroostook to York, from potatoes to dairy, from large commercial operations to small farms that sell directly to local people.

 

John Piotti, Executive Director of Maine Farmland Trust, will be providing additional commentary to the films.

 

The films were recently shown at the Strand Theatre in Rockland to a packed house of over 350 people, and received a standing ovation. The films were hailed as "moving portraits", "incredible film work", and many guests agreed that "the energy the films created was exciting and emotional." Don't miss this opportunity to see what has farmers, chefs, food connoisseurs and farmland conservation supporters talking about "an unmistakable momentum."

 

Filmmakers Cecily Pingree and Jason Mann, of Pull-Start Pictures, shot and edited the films over the fall and winter of 2009-2010.

 

Delighting adults and children alike (especially older children) with uniquely freeing music-making, an Improvox concert may be wild or reverent, quirky or soulful, but never the same twice.

Spinning music on the spot, singers, Kathy Slack, Martin Swinger, Matt Loosigian and Fred White and Deb Hensley will offer up a musical cure for the spectator blues.

Throughout the evening, folks in the audience may be invited (never required) to offer melodic ideas, word prompts, and even their own voices to help create music onstage or off. By the end of the evening, expect to be more of a tribe than an audience.

Those present can expect the unexpected for sure, but they will also be treated to a wide range of prepared a cappella music --from Bobby McFerrin's soulful version of The 23rd Psalm, to a spunky presentation of Old Blue, to the more traditional Bring Me Little Water Sylvie, complete with body percussion. And a saucy new arrangement of a Quebecois "deedle" tune, The Cajun Stripper, is sure to cause a lot of toes to tap.

Prior to the concert Improvox will offer a FREE improv singing VORTEX workshop for concertgoers from 6-7 at Jai Yoga (3rd Floor Fort Andross). The VORTEX workshop (for all vocal levels) is an opportunity for adults and teens to share melodies, rhythms, acoustic textures and games that support vocal exploration in an uplifting and supportive atmosphere.

VORTEX participants will share a freeing vocal experience, liberating the voice and building community through spontaneous vocal exploration. ImproVox members guide you every step of the way during this exciting vocal journey.

Improvox explores vocal sound and harmony like a dancer explores space and rhythm, like a painter explores color and form, like s songbird explores the sunrise – the joyful anticipation of something wonderful on the horizon.

Improvox musicians come from around the state and various walks of life:  Dr. Fred white is a clinical psychologist who advocates singing as a healing activity. Deb Hensely is the Assistant Director for the center for Ecological Living and Learning and a consultant on the value of music and art in early education.  Kathy Slack is a vocalist, humorist, and teacher of communication, public speaking, and voice. Martin Swinger is a music educator teaching songwriting to elementary and middle school students.  Matt Loosigian is a children's music teacher, choir director and songwriter.

Concertgoers can expect to be surprised and delighted with the vocal creativity of this group "You guys totally rock. Anyone interested in vocal music, improvisation or otherwise, MUST hear this group." "The two times I have heard your group, I leave energized and full of song. Thank you for the inspiration you are."

The classic film that inspired to current Broadway hit Spamalot returns to the big screen- for the first time EVER in high-definition!

 

"Could this be the funniest movie ever made? By any rational measure of comedy, this medieval romp from the Monty Python troupe certainly belongs on the short list of candidates. The sum of this madness is a movie that's beloved by anyone with a pulse and an irreverent sense of humor. If this movie doesn't make you laugh, you're almost certainly dead." -Jeff Shannon

A deeply moving portrait of a family undergoing a dramatic rupture. Paris-based film producer Grégoire Canvel has it all - a wife and three daughters he adores and a stimulating job that he's devoted to. On the surface he seems invincible, maintaining humor and charm as he tirelessly juggles the never-ending demands of his production company with his domestic responsibilities. But when Grégoire's reserves - both financial and emotional - reach a dramatic breaking point, his wife Sylvia and children are forced to cope with the profound repercussions.

 

"Beautiful, profound and, given the gathering tensions of its story, phenomenally full of life."
- Wall St. Journal

An extraordinarily empathetic humanistic drama, a film of love, joy, sadness and hope that understands how complex our emotions are and does beautiful justice to them."-Los Angeles Times

Winner of the Grand Jury Prize at Slamdance and a smash-hit at SXSW, STRONGMAN is the cinema verite tale of Stanless Steel--The Strongest Man in the World at Bending Steel and Metal. Equally comic and tragic, tender and tough, STRONGMAN has been hailed as one of the most singular American documentaries in years. It follows Stanless--part-time New Jersey scrap-metal hauler, rough-hewn philosopher, and the only person in the world who can legitimately bend a penny with his fingers---as he faces the tests of his Fellini-esque calling while simultaneously grappling with his advancing age, difficult personal relationships, and a world that seems constantly beyond his mighty grasp.

 

STRONGMAN is a film about faith, about believing in yourself and a film about never giving up. It is a film about weakness and a film about strength.

 

Articles

New York Times

Boston Globe

Portland Press Herald

 

"A strange and strangely beautiful movie." John Anderson, Variety

"Fascinating." Luke Thompson, LA Weekly

In 2004, 13 Indigenous Grandmothers from all four corners, moved by their concern for our planet, came together at a historic gathering, where they decided to form an alliance: The International Council of 13 Indigenous Grandmothers. This is their story. Four years in-the-making and shot on location in the Amazon rainforest, the mountains of Mexico, North America, and at a private meeting with the Dalai Lama in India, For the Next 7 Generations follows what happens when these women unite. Facing a world in crisis, they share with us their visions of healing and a call for change now, before it's too late. This film documents their unparalleled journey and timely perspectives on a timeless wisdom.

 

"An inspiring and moving work that reaveals the importance of indigeneous knowledge for our own time" - Daniel Pinchback (Author of Breaking Open the Hand)

From the director of AMELIE comes a special effects-enhanced comedy about a homeless man who enlists a community of resourceful misfits to help him get revenge on a pair of arms merchants.

 

First it was a mine that exploded in the middle of the Moroccan desert. Years later, it was a stray bullet that lodged in his brain... Bazil doesn't have much luck with weapons. The first made him an orphan, the second holds him on the brink of sudden, instant death. Released from the hospital after his accident, Bazil is homeless. Luckily, our inspired and gentle—natured dreamer is quickly taken in by a motley crew of junkyard dealers living in a veritable Ali Baba's cave. The group's talents and aspirations are as surprising as they are diverse: Remington, Calculator, Buster, Slammer, Elastic Girl, Tiny Pete and Mama Chow. Then one day, walking by two huge buildings, Bazil recognizes the logos of the weapons manufacturers that caused all of his misfortune. He sets out to take revenge, with the help of his faithful gang of wacky friends. Underdogs battling heartless industrial giants, our gang relive the battle of David and Goliath, with all the imagination and fantasy of Buster Keaton...

 

A whimsical whirligig of a movie... What fun." - Los Angeles Times

 

Directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet

The popular French comic Dany Boon stars.

In French with English subtitles

1 hr 45 mins, rated R

Join us once a month with your little one for inspiring world music and stories with Janice O'Rourke - an actress, singer/songwriter and mom of two small boys. She has a passion for stories and songs that teach us about culture, language, and community from all parts of the world. Come in with your kids and 'go beyond'. This program is best suited for children six and under.

Presented by Jocelyn Hubbell, Executive Director of Cornerstones of Science

Cornerstones of Science expands their program to Frontier! Parents, caregivers, and siblings are invited to bring young children (toddler to six years of age) for this bi-monthly program. Each session of this drop-in program includes songs, stories, a simple craft (either in-class or to take home), and interactive games or explorations that alight with the theme of the day. All events run from 10am-11am in the theater.

Visit Cornerstones of Science on the web - www.cornerstonesofscience.org Connecting children, teens and adults to science and technology

The charismatic Gianni Di Gregorio (co-scenarist of the smash hit Gomorrah), stars in his directorial debut—an utterly charming tale of good food, feisty ladies and unlikely friendships during a very Roman holiday. Broke, and armed with only a glass of wine and a wry sense of humor, middle-aged Gianni resides with his 93-year-old mother in their ancient apartment. The condo debts are mounting, but if Gianni looks after the building manager's mother during the Pranzo di Ferragosto (Italy's biggest summer holiday, and the Feast of the Assumption), all will be forgiven. Then the manager also shows up with an auntie, and then a doctor friend appears with his mother in tow... Can Gianni keep four such lively mamas well fed and happy in these cramped quarters?

 

Winner of numerous prizes at international festivals, including Best First Film at Venice and the Satyajit Ray Award at London, plus the Golden Snail at the Academy of Food and Film in Bologna, Mid-August Lunch is both warmly vibrant family drama and delicately balanced comedy of manners.

Directed by Gianni Di Gregorio

In Italian with English subtitles

1 hr 15 mins, rated NR

Jack Rebney is the most famous man you've never heard of — an RV salesman whose hilarious, foul-mouthed outbursts circulated underground on VHS tapes in the 90s before turning into a full-blown Internet phenomenon in 2005. Today, the "Winnebago Man" has been seen by more than 20 million people worldwide, and is regarded as one of the first and funniest viral videos. Filmmaker Ben Steinbauer goes in search of Rebney — and finds him living alone on a mountain top, unaware of his fame. WINNEBAGO MAN is a laugh-out-loud look at viral culture and an unexpectedly poignant tale of one man's response to unintended celebrity.

 

"One of the funniest documentaries ever made!" — Michael Moore

"Brilliantly encapsulates the transformative power of the online video boom." — indieWIRE

The Portland Maine Film Festival features contemporary, entertaining and informative movies, as well as, panel discussions and networking opportunities for local filmmakers. Please join us for your first year and support the motion picture arts in Maine.

6:00 pm - Opening Reception

7:00 pm - Opening Night Film: Machotaildrop

Visually rich, unique and artistic, this contemporary dark comedy is about a young man, who's dreams of becoming a pro skater turn true, when he joins the bizarre world of the Machotaildrop skate board company. One part Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, one part Royal Tenenbaums, this sphinx of a film is totally cool.

Machotaildrop Official Site/Trailer

 

9:15 pm - One Hundred Mornings

Set in a world upended by a complete breakdown of society, two couples hide out in a lakeside cabin hoping to survive the crisis. As resources run low and external threats increase, each of them faces a critical decision they never thought they'd have to make...

One Hundred Mornings Official Site/Trailer

"World class fiddler... far from just offering one dance tune after another, simple settings allow the true beauty of the music to shine through" - Sing Out

 

The traditional music of New England can be as warm and comforting as a winter fire or as potent and exhilarating as a summer thunderstorm. Fiddler and singer Lissa Schneckenburger is a master of both moods, a winsome, sweet-voiced singer who brings new life to old ballads and a skillful, dynamic fiddler who captures the driving rhythm and carefree joy of dance tunes old and new.

Raised in a small town in Maine and now living in Vermont, Lissa grew up with music. She began playing fiddle at the age of six, inspired by her mother's interest in folk music and a family friend who was a professional violinist. Soon she was studying with influential Maine fiddler Greg Boardman and sitting in with the Maine Country Dance Orchestra. By the time she was in high school she was playing concerts on her own, specializing in the sprightly New England dance tunes that combine influences from the British Isles and Quebec with homegrown twists that have been evolving since Colonial days. Another of her major influences was the diverse musical community that she found at fiddle camps, where she had a chance to play with and learn from a wide variety of musicians including noted Scottish fiddler Alasdair Fraser. In 2001 she graduated from the New England Conservatory of Music with a degree in contemporary improvisation, and since then has been performing around the US and internationally for a growing audience of enthusiastic listeners. She has recorded eight CDs, (five solo and three with various groups).

Lissa's fiddling is uplifting and lively, and her singing is gentle and evocative. Both in concert and in the studio she is regularly accompanied by some of New England's best musicians, including guitarist Bethany Waickman and accordion player Jeremiah McLane.

Recently she has been closely studying the roots of the Downeast traditional music that she first heard as a young girl. Her latest project is a pair of CDs dedicated to reintroducing some wonderful but largely forgotten songs and tunes from New England that she uncovered through archival research at the University of Maine and elsewhere. "Song", released in April 2008, contains ten timeless ballads that go back as far as the eighteenth century that she set to carefully crafted modern arrangements, while "Dance", to be released on September 8th, 2010, will feature fiddle tunes. "There is currently a lot of focus on traditional American music from the South", she explains, "and many bands are exploring and recording that repertoire, but no one is getting to hear all the amazing traditional music from the North. This is my attempt at getting some of that music out there for people to enjoy."

Whether playing for a folk club audience or a hall full of dancers, Lissa brings to the stage enthusiasm, energy, and the bright future of New England's musical traditions.

Bill Daniel returns to Frontier for an evening of lost and found music films:

 

SONIC ORPHANS
lost music films 1965-87

 

Film Tramp Bill Daniel is back in the van on tour with a new program
of recently unearthed16mm footage.

 

SONIC ORPHANS is a compilation reel of lost and found clips projected
on 16mm, mostly silent, of some rare celluloid gems that have been
seen by almost no one and have never seen the light of youtube. Most
of this footage is truly orphaned film--- abandoned, lost, found, and
now presented raw without editing.
The presentation includes a discussion of "orphan films" as they are
called by archivists, and at some venues on tour, a one-night photo
exhibit.

 

Featuring: The Beatles/Avengers/Huns/Boy Problems/Sonic Youth/Butthole Surfers/Johnny Cash

 

There is a flavor of goofy nostalgia to much of the footage, but the
images are also haunting--- rock and roll ghosts, still singing,
pogoing, sneaking hits on cigarettes, making direct eye contact.  Some
of these scenes have audio, but some of the reels were long ago
separated from their sound tracks before they ever had a chance to be
edited and printed.

 

Each of the films has it's own story, like if a stray dog at the pound
could tell you how he got there. Part of the evening's presentation is
a telling of some of these stories, and a discussion on the
relationship between underground music and film cultures.

In the highly anticipated second installment of the Millennium Trilogy...

 

Lisbeth Salander is a wanted woman. A researcher and a Millennium journalist about to expose the truth about the sex trade in Sweden are brutally murdered, and Salander's prints are on the weapon. Her history of unpredictable and vengeful behavior makes her an official danger to society – but no-one can find her anywhere.

Meanwhile, Mikael Blomkvist, editor-in-chief of Millennium, will not believe what he hears on the news. Knowing Salander to be fierce when fearful, he is desperate to get to her before she is cornered and alone. As he fits the pieces of the puzzle together, he comes up against some hardened criminals, including the chainsaw-wielding 'blond giant' – a fearsomely huge thug who can feel no pain.

Digging deeper, Blomkvist also unearths some heart-wrenching facts about Salander's past life. Committed to psychiatric care aged 12, declared legally incompetent at 18, this is a messed-up young woman who is the product of an unjust and corrupt system. Yet Lisbeth is more avenging angel than helpless victim – descending on those that have hurt her with a righteous anger terrifying in its intensity and truly wonderful in its outcome.

Tosca was called a "shabby little shocker" by one English critic, but that's an understatement: Tosca is a fiercely effective masterpiece of music-drama. Puccini had been interested in the Sardou's play La Tosca for some time, but by 1895 the rights belonged to another composer, Alberto Franchetti. However, the publisher Ricordi and librettist Luigi Illica had no trouble persuading Franchetti to surrender the rights, telling him the subject matter – rape, murder, warring political factions – were far too vulgar for the Roman public's taste. Soon after, Puccini was busy at work with the complete libretto in hand. Puccini approached the opera with his usual meticulousness – travelling to Rome to hear the tones of the bells in Castel Sant'Angelo, marking the exact pitch of the bell at St. Peter's. Puccini also made two important changes to the libretto. He rejected an aria sung by Cavaradossi under torture, instead replacing it with the quartet; he felt that the static nature of the aria would slow the drama. Likewise, Puccini rejected both a poetic aria and transcendental love duet for the couple before Cavaradossi's execution. Ricordi found the "acting lesson" scene too perfunctory, but Puccini insisted that Tosca would not waste her time on flowery language – and of course, the drama proves that he was right.

 

Performed at Teatro Carlo Felice, Genoa, Italy

Daniela Dessì (Tosca)
Fabio Armiliato (Cavaradossi)
Claudio Sgura (Scarpia)
Enrico Iori (Angelotti)
Armando Gabba (Sagrestano)
Mario Bolognesi (Spoletta)
Angelo Nardinocchi (Sciarrone)
The chorus (A jailer)

Production by the Opera Theatre of Rome
Conductor: Marco Boemi
Orchestra and Chorus of Teatro Carlo Felice
Chorus master Ciro Visco
Chorus of Voci Bianche del Teatro Carlo Felice
Choir master of di Voci Bianche Gino Tanasini
Director: Renzo Giacchieri
Scenic design & costumes: Adolf Hohenstein

Music historian Richard Taruskin calls The Queen of Spades "the first and possibly the greatest masterpiece of musical surrealism." The composer himself, Pyotr Tchaikovsky, was almost shocked by how well the opera came out. In a letter to his brother Modest Tchaikovsky (the librettist), he wrote: "Either I am horribly mistaken, Modya, or the opera is a masterpiece." Time has proven him correct. The lush, expressive music, combined with fantastic source material – Alexander Pushkin's 1833 novella – was a recipe for great opera. According to the San Juan Star, Misha Didyk's voice is "gigantic, powerful, and very well controlled lyric voice which has inside a dark, burnished tone reminiscent of a big Russian Orthodox Cathedral Bell." American soprano Emily Magee, whose "voice of ravishing luster" (The New York Times) graces the role of Lisa. The opera also features contralto Ewa Podlés as the Countess – the Queen of Spades herself. She has been praised as a "true contralto with a smoky, rich and throbbing sound" (The New York Times). Truly, this is a cast that would please the composer.

 

Emily Magee (Lisa)
Misha Didyk (Gherman)
Lado Ataneli (Tomsky/Zlatogor)
Ludovic Tézier (Prince Yeletsky)
Ewa Podlés (The Countess)
Elena Zaremba (Pauline)
Francisco Vas (Chekalinsky)
Alberto Feria (Tsurin)
Mihail Vekua (Chaplitsky)
Kurt Gysen (Narumov)
Stefania Toczyska (The Governess)
Claudia Schneider (Masha)
Jon Plazaola (The Master of Ceremonies)
Michelle Marie Cook (Prilepa)

 

Performed at the Gran Teatre del Liceu

Conducted by Michael Boder

Directed by Gilbert Deflo

Choreography by Nadejda Loujine

Sung in Russian with English subtitles

3 hrs 55 mins plus two intermissions

Scene 1: At the bottom of the River Rhein, the three Rheinmaidens (Woglinde, Wellgunde, and Flosshilde) are playing near the Rheingold; suddenly Alberich, a Nibelung dwarf, appears and tries to woo them. The Rheinmaidens mock the ugly Alberich and anger him. As the sun rises, the maidens praise the golden glow atop a nearby rock; Alberich asks what it is. They tell him of the Rheingold, which they guard. It can be made into a magic ring which will let its bearer rule the world, but only by someone who first renounces love. Alberich, embittered by their mockery, curses love, seizes the gold and returns to the depths as the Rheinmaidens flee in despair.

 

Scene 2: Wotan, ruler of the Gods, and his wife, Fricka, awaken on the mountaintop to find that their new castle is finished. The giants Fasolt and Fafner have built it in exchange for Fricka's sister Freia, but Wotan plans to renege on his bargain. Fasolt and Fafner enter with Freia, demanding their payment. Donner (god of thunder) and Froh (god of spring) arrived to defend their sister Freia, but Wotan stops them. Loge, the god of fire, enters and informs them that Alberich the dwarf has stolen the Rheingold, and has made a powerful magic ring out of it. The giants demand it as payment in lieu of Freia, who they take as a hostage. The gods need Freia, for without her golden apples of youth, they will age and decay. Wotan and Loge journey deep into the earth to find the ring.

 

Scene 3: In Nibelheim, Alberich has enslaved the rest of the Nibelung dwarves. He forces his brother Mime, the most skillful smith, to create a magic helmet. Alberich demonstrates its power by making himself invisible. When Wotan and Loge arrive, Mime tells them about the ring and the misery of the Nibelung under Alberich's rule. Alberich returns and boasts to Wotan and Loge about his plans to rule the world, but Loge tricks him into turning himself into a toad with the helmet. The gods quickly seize him and bring him up to the surface.

 

Scene 4: On the mountaintop, Wotan and Loge force Alberich to exchange his wealth for freedom. He surrenders his gold and the helmet, but when he refuses to give up the ring, Wotan seizes it. Alberich is devastated and lays a curse on the ring: until it returns to him, whoever does not possess it will desire it, and whoever possesses it will receive unhappiness and death. Fasolt and Fafner return with Freia, demanding enough gold to cover her. The gods pile up the gold, but they must relinquish the helmet to cover Freia completely. Fasolt spots a final crack in the pile, and demands the ring as well. Loge reminds everyone that the ring belongs to the Rheinmaidens, but Wotan refuses to give it up. Erda, the earth goddess, suddenly appears and warns Wotan to avoid the cursed ring. Troubled, Wotan surrenders the ring and sets Freia free. The giants, while dividing the treasure, fight over the ring and Fafner kills Fasolt. Wotan realizes the cursed ring has terrible power. At last, the gods prepare to enter their new home, which Wotan names Valhalla. Loge, who knows that the end of the gods is coming, does not follow the others into Valhalla; he is tempted to destroy them and what they have wrongly acquired. Far below, the Rheinmaidens mourn the loss of their gold. The curtain falls.

 

Performed at Teatro alla Scala, Milan, Italy

DetailsCastCrewSynopsisShowtimes

Conducted by Daniel Barenboim

Directed by Guy Cassiers

Starring René Pape

Sung in German with English subtitles

2 hrs 10 mins with no intermission

Part of Teatro alla Scala

 

René Pape (Wotan)
Stephan Rügamer (Loge)
Johannes Martin Kraenzle (Alberich)
Wolfgang Ablinger-Sperracke (Mime)
Hanno Müller-Brachmann (Fasolt)
Timo Riihonen (Fafner)
Katharina Kammerloher (Fricka)
Anna Samuil (Freia)
Anna Larsson (Erda)

Conductor: Daniel Barenboim
Staging and Sets: Guy Cassiers
Sets and Lights: Enrico Bagnoli
Costumes:Tim Van Steenbergen
Video: Arjen Clerckx and Kurt d'Haeseleer