January 27 - February 2

Warren Ellis: Captured Ghosts

Dir: Patrick Meaney
2011, Japan / Color / 90min. / Video

Captured Ghosts is the story of Warren Ellis, one of comicdom's most revered writers, best known for such comic titles as Transmetropolitan, The Authority and RED. Through extensive interviews, Ellis's acerbic wit and core belief in humanity comes across like never before. Complimenting Ellis's own words are interviews with his artistic collaborators, friends and admirers from across all media, including Helen Mirren, Joss Whedon, comedian Patton Oswalt and many others. Ellis's comics collaborators like artists Darick Roberts (Transmetropolitan), Ben Templesmith (30 Days of Night), Phil Jiminez ("The Invisibles") also provide insight into his mind and creative workings. From the director of Grant Morrison: Talking With Gods.

January 27 - February 2, 12 & 19

Drive

Dir: Nicolas Winding Refn
2011, USA / Color / 100min. / 35mm

Winner of Best Director at Cannes Film Festival, Nicolas Winding Refn's (Pusher Trilogy, Valhalla Rising) Drive is one of the best films of 2011. It's art house noir that was stuck in multiplexes, so the Grand Illusion decided to give it a proper home for a week. Ryan Gosling is Driver, a Los Angeles wheelman for hire, stunt driving for movie productions by day and steering getaway vehicles for armed heists by night. He falls for his beautiful neighbor (Carey Mulligan), but when her convict husband returns home, things go bad and Driver winds up with a bag of cash belonging to a deadly crime family (Albert Brooks and Ron Perlman). When Driver realizes the gangsters are going after the woman he loves he stops at nothing to protect her.

"Here is a movie with respect for writing, acting and craft. It has respect for knowledgable moviegoers." - Roger Ebert

"...provides the visceral pleasures of pulp without sacrificing art." - Washington Post

January 29 & February 5 - added showtimes

Fullmetal Alchemist: The Sacred Star of Milos

Dir: Kazuya Murata
2011, Japan / Color / 110min. / Blu-ray

When a dangerous criminal alchemist breaks out of prison in Central City, brothers Edward and Alphonse follow his trail to Table City in the western region of their home country Amaestris. Table City is a unique border town surrounded by slum-filled Milos Valley, and the neighboring country of Creta. But what the brothers find is a deeply embattled city, forged in blood and border disputes. When Ed and Al tumble deep into the valley and befriend a local rebel named Julia, they discover that nothing is what it seems, and that Table City harbors secrets darker than they ever imagined!

January 27 & 28 - Late Night

A Lonely Place to Die

Dir: Julian Gilby
2011, UK / Color / 99min / Blu-ray

A Lonely Place to Die is a remarkably well made, tense and atmospheric thriller with a plot as twisting and unpredictable as the mountainous terrain in which it is set. A group of climbers make a grim discovery high up in the mountains: an eight year old girl amongst the peaks...buried alive! Terrified, dehydrated and unable to speak a word of English, she is the victim of an elaborate kidnapping plot. Alison, the group leader, puts it upon her party to rescue the little girl. But more dangerous than the terrain, more dangerous than the kidnappers is the girl's war criminal father. Alison and her party soon find themselves in a fight for their lives while trying to do the right thing and bring the girl down to safety. Winner of Audience Awards for best action film, cinematography and most thrilling film at the 2011 Toronto After Dark Film Festival.

"Real edge of your seat excitement." - BBC Radio

"Hits like a bullet between the eyes." - TOTAL FILM

January 7 - March 24

Sci-fi Saturday Secret Matinee

Dir: Various directors
Various years / B&W and Color / 120 min. / 16mm

Good old-fashioned Saturday matinees return again to the Grand Illusion! Each week you'll see a cliffhanger episode of the original Buck Rogers serial from 1939 (12 episodes, complete), paired with a secret sci-fi feature—favorites, rarities, and cult classics from 1919-1974. Plus! A special Leap Year Time Travel Show, with mind- bending shorts and a chronosynclastic featurette!

January: SPACE MADNESS! Aliens and high strangeness...
February: STEAMPUNK ADVENTURES! Retrofuturist worlds of wonder...
March: BEASTS FROM BEYOND! Strange creatures and monsters...

Monthly pass:
$24 general / $15 members $18 seniors, students, children

Series pass:
$56 general / $35 members $42 seniors, students, children

February 3 - 9

The Innkeepers - Seattle Premiere!

Dir: Ti West
2011, USA / Color / 100min / Blu-ray

In his new film, Innkeepers, horror auteur Ti West trades the ominous tone of his previous effort, House of the Devil (showing in our late night slot), for a lighter, more playful vibe without sacrificing slow-burning suspense and freaky shocks. New England's Yankee Pedlar Inn is closing its doors for good as the last remaining employees (Sara Paxton and Pat Healy) try to find proof that it's inhabited by ghosts. Seattle band The Maldives lend some country rock to the soundtrack!

"Good, scary fun" - Peter Mack, Twitch

February 3 & 4, 10 & 11 - Late Night!

House of the Devil

Dir: Ti West
2009, USA / Color / 95min / 35mm

College student Sam (Jocelin Donahue) is eager to earn some cash for an apartment deposit. She takes a baby sitting gig from weirdo Mr. Ulman (Tom Noonan) just in time for a lunar eclipse and winds up in a bloody fight for her life! Writer-director Ti West made this restrained, suspenseful, '80s homage at time when practically every new horror film relied on excessive gore and over-the-top shocks. Don't miss this revival in glorious 35mm film!

"[a] tour de force of voyeuristic, atmospheric tension." - LA Times

"****" - Time Out NY

February 10 - 16

SpokAnarchy!

Dir: David W. Halsell, Jon Swanstrom
2011, USA / Color / 85min / Blu-ray

SpokAnarchy! documents the manic highs and desperate lows in the emergence of the punk rock scene in culturally barren 1980s Spokane, Washington. This coming-of-age story becomes a coming-of-middle-age story as the scene's survivors take an unflinching look at their past, and how their lives were shaped by those years of music and mayhem. Aggressive and experimental music, art, and rebellion was the glue that brought them together, and 30 years on still resonates.

Filmmaker Q&A with Chris Etsey, Feb. 11th at 8:30pm.

"A kaleidoscopic look at an under-recognized under-ground scene that deserves to be seen, moshed and celebrated." - Lenny Kaye, Patti Smith Group

February 13 - 16

Soldier of the Road: A portrait of Peter Brötzmann - Seattle Premiere!

Dir: Bernard Josse
2010, Germany / Color / 93min / Blu-ray

At 70 years old, German saxophonist Peter Brötzmann is one of the most innovative and aggressive reedsmen working today. This new documentary captures the energy of Brötzmann the sax skronker and sheds light on his life as a painter. Soldier of the Road is a portrait of the creativity and inspiration of one of the world's great modern artists. Featuring Evan Parker, Han Bennink, Fred Van Hove, Ken Vandermark, Joe McPhee and more.

February 17 & 18, 24 & 25 - Late Night!

Frankenhooker

Dir: Frank Henenlotter
1990, USA / Color / 85min / 35mm - Brand New 35mm Print!

After years of searching we've finally uncovered a 35mm print of Frank (Basket Case) Henenlotter's trashy cult classic and it's brand new to boot! A medical school dropout loses his fiancee in a tragic lawnmower incident, and decides to bring her back. Unfortunately, he was only able to save her head, so he lures prostitutes to harvest their parts to make his girlfriend whole again.

"If you see one movie this year, it should be Frankenhooker." - Bill Murray, 1990

February 17 - 23

The Trouble With Harry

Dir: Alfred Hitchcock
1955, USA / Color / 99min / 35mm

The Grand Illusion is proud to present a double helping of laughs and intrigue with two comedy-thrillers from the master of suspense Alfred Hitchcock. First off we start with this twisted little tale about one Harry Worp. The trouble is that Harry is dead and a small, quiet New England town erupts into chaos when his body is found in the woods. Unfortunately almost everyone in town thinks that they had something to do with his death.

February 24 - March 1

The Lady Vanishes

Dir: Alfred Hitchcock
1938, UK / B&W / 96min / 35mm

Next up in our mini Hitchcock series is this wicked little classic of murder and intrigue on a trans-European train. When bad weather forces the train to stop for a night, the passengers find themselves crammed into a small village hotel where socialite Iris Henderson meets an old governess named Miss Froy. Shortly after their journey by train gets back underway Iris realizes that Miss Froy seems to have disappeared.

"A pleasure." The Guardian

March 2 - 8

Better Than Something: Jay Reatard

Dir: Alex Hammond, Ian Markiewicz
2011, USA / Color / 89min / Blu-ray

Better Than Something is a feature documentary about the controversial and prolific garage rock icon Jimmy Lee Lindsey Jr, better known to the world as Jay Reatard. Captured just months before his untimely passing, brings us incredibly close to Jay's complicated punk-rock world in Memphis, Tennessee through candid interviews with Jay and never-before-seen live footage.

"…the best rock documentary I've seen since Dig!" - AV Club

Co-presented by:

March 2 & 10 - Late Night!

Raw Force

Dir: Edward D. Murphy
1982, USA-Philippines / Color / 86min / 35mm

A group of martial arts students are en route to a remote island that is supposedly home to the ghosts of martial artists who have lost their honor. It turns out that a Hitler look-alike and his gang are running a female slavery operation on the island as well. Soon, the two groups meet and all sorts of crazy things start happening: cannibal monks, piranhas, zombies and more weirdness! Raw Force will be screened from a super-rare 35mm print. Don't miss it!

Come out on March 2nd and wish board member Spenser "Leap Year Baby" Hoyt a happy 11th birthday!

March 3

Portland Grindhouse Film Festival's
Kung-Fu Madness
Double Feature

Hong Kong / Color / 190min / 35mm

$12 general, $9 student/sr, $7 member, No passes.

The Grand Illusion is proud to once again host our good friend Dan Halsted from the Portland Grindhouse Film Festival and Hollywood Theater as he brings a one-two punch of super rare Kung-Fu on glorious 35mm:

Fist of the White Locus (1980)
Gordon Liu is out to avenge the destruction of the Shaolin Temple and Lo Lieh is at his trash-talking, beard-stroking, kung fu annihilating best as the villain. He'll even fight while he's naked. But watch out for his kung fu crotch! The opening credit sequence alone is worth the price of admission. With fight scenes choreographed by Lau Kar Leung (director of 36th Chamber of Shaolin).

The Bastard Swordsman (1983)
Every ten years, the Wu Tang Clan has a duel with their rival clan. The chief of the Wu Tang has devoted his life to learning "The Silkworm Technique" of sword fighting, but failed to master it. At the same time, an orphan in the clan is refused in his requests to learn martial arts until a masked stranger begins training him. Before long, all roads converge in high-flying sword fighting excitement and surreal special effects. Prepare for your mind to melt out of your skull when the Bastard unleashes his Silkworm Style!

Buy tickets here

March 9 - 15

House of Pleasures - Seattle Premiere!

Dir: Bertrand Bonello
2011, France / Color / 122min / 35mm

A highly cinematic and atmospheric look at the final days of a turn of the century brothel, when much of the Parisian sex trade was confined to grand maisons, populated by elegant madams and vetted clientele (including French filmmakers Jaques Nolot (Before I Forget) and Xavier Beauvois (Of Gods and Men). Using a bag of cinematic techniques which include split screen, time shifts and a modern soundtrack, Bonello has made a provocative and beautiful film not only on the world's oldest profession, but also a commentary on history as remembered by art and literature. In French with English subtitles.

"Visually ravishing, troublingly seductive." - LA Weekly