Showtimes
General Admission: $9.00
Bargain matinees in (parentheses): $6.50
Seniors and Children $6.50
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Friday, June 2 — Thursday, July 10, 2008
Theatre #1
Wall-E (G)
12:20, 2:35, 4:40, 7:00, 9:15
Pixar's WALL-E plus short subject PRESTO
Theatre #2
Mongol (R)
(12:00), 2:25, 4:50, 7:15, 9:35
Must End next Thursday, July 10
SPECIAL GUEST AT THE BALBOA THIS SATURDAY
The rave reviews keep coming from both audiences ands critics. Kenneth Turan in the LA Times concludes: ""Wall-E" never loses its sense of wonder: wonder at life, wonder at the universe, and even wonder at the power of computer animation to create worlds unlike any we've seen before."
For all of his review and other fascinating new articles on WALL-E check below in "About this Week's Movies."
We are thrilled to welcome Award-winning Pixar Animation Studios animator Michal Makarewicz who will answer questions and discuss Pixar animation on Saturday, July 5 following the 7:00 showing and before the 9:15 screening of Disney/Pixar's WALL-E at the Balboa Theatre.
Makarewicz will be giving away a WALL-E poster signed by animators who worked on the film.
To get you warmed up, here is a little Q&A:
Q. When did you start at Pixar and what have you worked on?
Michal: I started at Pixar around June 2003. I came in as an animation Intern from the Academy of Art College. I didn't work on any prior films since I came straight from school.
Q. What were you early influences to make you want to choose your current line of work?
M: I didn't really choose this line of work. I sort of fell into it so I didn't have a lot of early influences that pushed me toward animation. I always loved the medium, but I thought I would be doing something in live action. Toy Story, The Iron Giant and Star Wars were huge influences, and were the reason I switched schools.
When the Original Toy Story came out, I sat in the middle of the isle to watch that movie because all the seats were taken up,...I was blown away by it. It always stuck with me, and became one of me favorite movies. The same thing happened with The Iron Giant. I was just blown away by the storytelling, Animation, and the emotion the Iron Giant was able to display. The Original Star Wars movies also had a huge impact on me,..the visual effects along with story were amazing. And Frank Oz did such an amazing job bringing all the puppets to life I never saw them as anything else than real. I wanted to do that, maybe not with puppets, but I wanted to create performances where the audience is fully invested in them. So those 2 films helped me choose Academy and eventually 3D animation.
Q. Please describe what you do at Pixar.
M: I am a character Animator. I bring the characters' performance to life through animation. In addition to WALL-E I am especially proud of my work on Ratatouille, Cars and the short film Jack-Jack Attack.
Q. What other jobs did you have before coming to Pixar?
M: I was a cashier, a valet, and a stocker for a store. Pretty glamorous huh?
Q.Tell us about your background please.
M: I grew up all over the world. I was born in Plock, Poland. My family left Poland when I was a little over a year old, and then we ended up in South Africa. where we stayed until I was about 7. Then we moved to Boston Massachusetts until I was about 10, and then we moved again to California, where I have stayed since.
My first college was UC Riverside studying Computer Sciences. I found out very quickly that computer science wasn't going to work for me, and I knew I had to make a change. So I applied to the Academy of Art College where Animation sort of found me. I graduated from the Academy in 2003, and landed a internship at Pixar. I've been there ever since.
For a lot more, join us Saturday night.
We have obtained some more of the limited-edition WALL-E watch to be given FREE with each Child's Admission Ticket.
Hurry! Quantities Limited. Offer good while supplies last.
HAVE A GREAT JULY 4TH HOLIDAY WEEKEND. Please drive carefully. Why not spend part of the weekend safely inside the Balboa Theatre.
Sincerely,
Gary
About This Week's Films:back to top
Wall-E
What if mankind had to leave Earth, and somebody forgot to turn the last robot off?
Academy Award®-winning writer-director Andrew Stanton (Finding Nemo) and the inventive storytellers and technical geniuses at Pixar Animation Studios (The Incredibles, Cars, Ratatouille) transport moviegoers to a galaxy not so very far away for a new computer-animated cosmic comedy about a determined robot named WALL-E.
After hundreds of lonely years of doing what he was built for, WALL-E (short for Waste Allocation Load Lifter Earth-Class) discovers a new purpose in life (besides collecting knick-knacks) when he meets a sleek search robot named EVE. EVE comes to realize that WALL-E has inadvertently stumbled upon the key to the planet's future, and races back to space to report her findings to the humans (who have been eagerly awaiting word that it is safe to return home). Meanwhile, WALL-E chases EVE across the galaxy and sets into motion one of the most exciting and imaginative comedy adventures ever brought to the big screen.
Joining WALL-E on his fantastic journey across a universe of never-before-imagined visions of the future, is a hilarious cast of characters including a pet cockroach, and a heroic team of malfunctioning misfit robots.
Filled with surprises, action, humor and heart, WALL-E was written and directed by Andrew Stanton, produced by Jim Morris, co-produced by Lindsey Collins and features original and innovative sound design by Academy Award®-winner Ben Burtt (Star Wars, Indiana Jones, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial).
G - 103 minutes
Official Website: www.pixar.com/theater/trailers/walle/
"Pixar Defies Gravity"
—LA Times Blog
"Daring and traditional, groundbreaking and familiar, apocalyptic and sentimental."
—Kenneth Turan, LA Times
"There's a way to measure how well an animated film takes over your imagination. Do you forget, during the movie, that you're even watching animation? Do the textures and settings, the fantasy-land characters, become - for lack of a better word - real? That, or something close to it, is what happened to me during WALL-E, the puckishly inventive, altogether marvelous new digitally animated feature from Pixar."
—Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly
"We've grown accustomed to expecting surprises from Pixar, but "Wall-E" surely breaks new ground. Chaplinesque in its emotional purity. . . a cinematic poem of such wit and beauty."
—A.O. Scott, New York Times
"A film that's both breathtakingly majestic and heartbreakingly intimate."
—Robert Wilonsky, VILLAGE VOICE
"This is Pixar's finest and most emotionally powerful film yet, and it draws on a wealth of cinematic resources that run the gamut from Chaplin's best to Buster Keaton, Jacques Tati, and even Martin and Lewis."
—Marc Savlov, AUSTIN CHRONICLE
"The animation is stunning; the landscapes of the futuristic Earth offer the Pixar folks ample opportunity to show off their wares."
—Bill Goodykoontz, ARIZONA REPUBLIC
"One of the best movies of the year. Just so beautifully done."
—Richard Roeper, EBERT & ROEPER
THE ROBOTS OF CLAYTON BAILEY
For years I have enjoyed the whimsical and often amazing creations of Clayton Bailey who lives near Crockett in the North Bay. You know his place because of the gargoyles on the fence and shiny silver space ship being launched into space.
Recently I made a visit to his studio and my admiration is at an all-time high. Hundreds of robots created with household items and scraps he has recycled result in the most unique bots you have ever seen. Additionally there are hilarious ceramics and other "exhibits." The day we visited a crew from the San Francisco International Airport was collecting specimens for an exhibit at the Airport.
Bailey's work seems a perfect thing to feature with the opening of WALL-E.
Have fun cruising through his site. His book is great fun and if you can't afford to buy an original work of his art, a signed poster can be had for a small fee.
www.claytonbailey.com
MONGOL
Award-winning Russian filmmaker Sergei Bodrov (Prisoner of the Mountains) illuminates the life and legend of Genghis Khan in his stunning historical epic, Mongol. Based on leading scholarly accounts and written by Bodrov and Arif Aliyev, Mongol delves into the dramatic and harrowing early years of the ruler who was born as Temudgin in 1162. As it follows Temudgin from his perilous childhood to the battle that sealed his destiny, the film paints a multidimensional portrait of the future conqueror, revealing him not as the evil brute of hoary stereotype, but as an inspiring, fearless and visionary leader. Mongol shows us the making of an extraordinary man, and the foundation on which so much of his greatness rested: his relationship with his wife, Borte, his lifelong love and most trusted advisor.
Filmed in the very lands that gave birth to Genghis Khan, Mongol transports us back to a distant and exotic period in world history; to a nomad's landscape of endless space, climatic extremes and ever-present danger. In a performance of powerful stillness and subtlety, celebrated young Japanese actor Asano Tadanobu (Zatoichi, Last Life in the Universe) captures the inner fire that enabled a hunted boy to become a legendary conqueror. Asano's achievement is matched by those of his co-stars, including the radiant newcomer Khulan Chuluun as Temudgin's courageous, spirited wife Borte, and the Chinese actor Honglei Sun (The Road Home) as the Mongol chieftain Jamukha, Temudgin's dearest friend and deadliest enemy. Masterfully blending action and emotion against some of the most arresting terrain on earth, Bodrov delivers an exciting and awe-inspiring tale of survival and triumph, and a love story for the ages.
R for sequences of bloody warfare - 120 minutes
In Mongolian with English subtitles.
Official Website: www.mongolmovie.com
"Mongol--or, as I prefer to think of it, "Genghis Khan: The Early Years"--is a big, ponderous epic, its beautifully composed landscape shots punctuated by thundering hooves and bloody, slow-motion battle sequences."
—A.O. Scott, THE NEW YORK TIMES
"Full of stunning views of China, Mongolia and Kazakhstan and showing an unexpected side of Genghis Kahn, Mongol feels like an old-fashioned epic."
—Kenneth Turan, LOS ANGELES TIMES
"I don't know the Mongolian word for panache, but Mongol's got plenty of it. The battle scenes are as notable for their clarity as their intensity; we can follow the strategies, get a sense of who's losing and who's winning. The physical production is sumptuous."
—Joe Morgenstern, WALL STREET JOURNAL
"This Central Asia-set historical epic from Russian helmer Sergei Bodrov (Nomad) boasts breathtaking landscapes, dazzling cinematography, bloody battles and unique traditions."
—Alissa Simon, VARIETY
Sergei Bodrov was born in Khabarovsk, Russia, and specialized in screenwriting at the Russian State Institute of Cinematography (VGIK). After graduating, he was a correspondent for Krokodil magazine and published numerous essays and short stories. He made his feature directorial debut with Sweet Dreams in the Grass (co-director, 84). His work was the subject of the Festival's Spotlight programme in 1993. His other films include Non-Professionals (87), Freedom Is Paradise (89), I Wanted to See Angels (92), Prisoner of the Mountains (96), Running Free (99), The Quickie (01), Bear's Kiss (02), Nomad (05) and Mongol (07).
WHAT YOU WILL theater discountsback to top
This should be a great show and you can get good discounts now. Next week we hope to give away some tickets to the show.
SPECIAL $20 TICKETS TO PREVIEW PERFORMANCES
JULY 18, 19 & 20!
WHAT YOU WILL is the one-man everything there is "to be or not to be" about William Shakespeare: the greatest soliloquies every written along with side-splitting accounts of the funniest disasters ever perpetrated on the stage. There's Romeo, Juliet's foolish Nurse, gory Macbeth, Hamlet and the oh-so-tragic Richard II, with special appearances by Charles Dickens, James Thurber, Noel Coward and even Stevie Wonder.
And now you can purchase tickets for preview performances on July 18, 19 & 20 for this hysterical (somewhat historical, happily histrionic) gallop through all things Shakespearean for $20.
To take advantage of this special offer simply go to:
www.act-sf.org
and enter the code "ACTONE" in the Promotion Code box or call: 415-749-2228.
American Conservatory Theatre
415 Geary Street
San Francisco
(Note: this discount is not valid on previously ordered tickets, or with any other offers. Limit 6 tickets per order. Must be requested at time of purchase. Subject to availability. Service fees apply. Expires: July 20).
IN MEMORY OF. . . Maury Schwarzback to top
Fresh out of college in the early 1970s I got a job booking movies for United Artists Theaters and my boss introduced me to Maury Schwarz. He needed someone to program the Richelieu and the Roxie Cinemas in SF. What an opportunity! He gave me freedom to choose the movies and promote them. He always had some extra ideas that made things that much more successful. I learned many lessons from him.
Maury was a legend in motion picture exhibition. He alternated a successful sports career (football, boxing and martial arts) and being a part of the early days of selling exploitation films. Maury always had great stories to tell. I remember his stories about promoting films like MOM AND DAD during the 1940s where he carried the prints from town to town, posting flyers, starting fake controversies from local churches and hiring actors to give a lecture after the film. The flyers and ads claimed, ""You will actually SEE the birth of a baby!" Women dressed as nurses were placed in the lobby in case patrons fainted. The showings were for "Adults Only" and usually men and women had to sit in separate sections.
The company he worked with would rent the theaters, keeping all the box office receipts and a tidy sum from the books they sold. They hightailed it out of town right after the show.
He then moved into operating some of San Francisco's most important art and neighborhood cinemas including the Bridge, 4 Star, and, like the Toho Rio on Union Street, others long gone from the scene. He promoted foreign films with a passion. Successful British comedies often played 3 of his theaters in SF at a time when the biggest blockbusters had exclusive engagements. He would often take on a small film he loved and work to develop audiences. In the fifties he created a French Film Festival to showcase unseen work from France. He was a pioneer, like Irving and Irma Levin who started the SF International Film Festival. (Irma is the Balboa's landlord.)
When Landmark Theatres (I was co-founder) took over the Bridge we found some of Maury's scrapbooks backstage and after studying the publicity clippings I had a reunion with him to return them and stories of various films were told. He had a special love for Alec Guinness and Peter Sellers' early films.
Maury Schwarz was one-of-a-kind and will be missed.
(Photo and obituary)
The Film Night in the Park outdoor film series returns in 2008 with eight free screenings in Dolores Park, Washington Square Park, and Union Square. Film Night has become a popular summer tradition in San Francisco and it attracts spirited crowds to some of the City's most beautiful public spaces. Films are presented free of charge on a giant outdoor screen and attendees are encouraged to picnic before screenings. All screenings begin at dusk.
2008 highlights include Ang Lee's Academy Award winning, martial arts classic CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON (2003) in Washington Square (June 7th), the 80's classic THE BREAKFAST CLUB (1985) in Dolores Park (July 26th) and a 50th anniversary screening of the San Francisco classic VERTIGO (1958) in Union Square (October 4th).
For more information visit www.filmnightsf.org.
2008 Film Night in the Park Schedule:
Saturday, 7/26, THE BREAKFAST CLUB, Dolores Park
Saturday, 8/9, BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID, Un. Sq.
Saturday, 9/6, IL POSTINO, Wash. Sq
Saturday, 9/20, O BROTHER, WHERE ART THOU?, Dolores Park
Saturday, 10/4, VERTIGO, Union Sq
WEBSITE(S) OF THE WEEK - HANDS FREE DRIVING?back to top
Before you drive 'Hands-Free'... take 2 minutes and watch this for a good laugh
Also if you haven't seen THE LANDLORD, take another 2 minutes if you like Will Ferrell....
There are some funny outtakes and a spoof on Criterion DVDs for this one.
PHOTOGRAPHY IN THE LOBBY - Sunsets & Rosesback to top
Diane Boate has displayed her wonderful photographs with us before and we welcome her back. She is also the cake lady who provides our Birthday Cakes.
Secret Garden Gallery
Nature Photography
Botanical Illustration
Online Photo Gallery
Balboa staff member Serafina has created a My Space place for the Balboa. Join in to discuss the theater. www.myspace.com/balboatheater
She also set up a Live Journal to give people access to our shows and times: balboatheatre.livejournal.com/
Playing with MONGOL: Himalaya
One of the most popular films to play the Balboa in recent years was this stunning drama. We have often had requests to play the soundtrack album and MONGOL offers the perfect timing.
Find it at amazon or Soundtrack.net.
Visit Kino Video to purchase the original film.
Playing with Wall-E : Louis Armstrong
When you see WALL-E, you'll understand why we are playing...
Louis Armstrong Golden Hits
ROGER EBERT'S MOVIE GLOSSARYback to top
Split the Difference Ending
Movies about exaggeratedly masculine main characters caught in a moral dilemma in which there's no clear-cut "right" answer usually end by splitting the difference so that the hero can be right and wrong at the same time. This satisfies the emotional needs of the audience at the expense of logic, realism, or morality. Examples: White Squall, Crimson Tide.
RICH ELIAS,
Delaware, Ohio
For more: www.RogerEbert.com
NEIGHBORHOOD RESTAURANTSback to top
One of the strengths of the Balboa is our neighborhood. Other than the bank, all the businesses are family owned and operated. The restaurants are especially wonderful. On the outer Balboa strip there are 24 eating establishments by my count. On the outer Balboa strip there are 24 eating establishments by my count. You can eat Chinese, Japanese, Egyptian, Italian, American, Mexican, Seafood and Vietnamese cuisines. The foods are fresh, distinctive and all reasonably priced. The media food critics have only discovered a few of them but the locals know a good thing. We encourage you to enjoy a meal at one of these fine eateries while visiting the Balboa. All are within easy walking distance. And please send us reviews and recommendations we can share with our other guests. Send reviews to balboafans@yahoo.com
We love it when you send us a review of a neighborhood restaurant you've enjoyed. We encourage you all to write about your culinary adventures in the Outer Richmond.
Meredith Brody writes a rave review of Shanghai House (directly across the street) with its intriguing food and low prices in this week's SF Weekly. Don't be shy. . . ask for a Shanghainese menu.
Check out Meredith Brody's SF Weekly survey of neighborhood restaurants.
A new rave review of Best Panda at Balboa and 42nd.
Check out the Menu Book in our lobby and our COMPLETE NEW RESTAURANT LIST.
3630 Balboa Street (37th Ave)
San Francisco 94121
(415) 221-8184
www.BalboaMovies.com
Bike Rack in front of the Balboa
Muni Bus #31 or #38 Ocean Beach
Also #5 Fulton and all Geary Street buses stop two
(long) blocks from Balboa.
Relatively easy Parking
San Francisco's Favorite Neighborhood Theatre
Voted by the Bay Guardian, SF Weekly and San Francisco Magazine
General Admission: $9.00
Seniors and Children $6.50
Bargain Matinees: All Seats $6.50 for shows in ( )
"I'd Rather Be At the Balboa" Discount Cardsback to top
"I'd Rather Be At the Balboa" Discount Cards provide hours of great movies at a great savings. 5 Admissions for only $32.50 - a savings of $12.50. Two people may use card per visit. Good for all shows except limited special events as noted. Good for six months from date of purchase.
Buying Discount Cards as gifts? Ask for our special Movie Poster Gift Card.
SCHOOL NIGHT - Mondays are School Days and Nights. With proof of being a student, faculty or staff member, your admission is only $6.50 on Mondays.
The Balboa is Wheelchair and Handicapped Accessible
On Your Birthday, You Are Our Guest.
Great Snack Bar selection at reasonable prices. Your favorite candies including Toberlerone and Lindt chocolates.
We serve Caffe Trieste Coffees, fine Tazo teas, chai, hot chocolate, and Hebrew National Kosher hot dogs, Aidells' poultry Sausages, Vegi Dogs, Ice Creams, and Cookies.
And, of course fresh popped popcorn with real butter.
No More Naked Popcorn.
Have you tried our complimentary popcorn seasonings?
We have a wide assortment from Kernel Seasonings.
Try Ranch, Parmesan and Garlic, Barbeque, Sour Cream, Onion and more.
We also have Nutritional Yeast that has proven to be one of our most popular toppings. And now hot sauce!
