November on Screen at The Music Hall

The Music Hall continues its tradition of offering a variety of outstanding cinema this month. November screenings include hard-boiled mysteries, highly rated indies; insightful Film Matters documentaries with panel discussions; and Met @ the Music Hall and National Theatre London Live HD broadcasts. All are being shown at either the splendidly restored Historic Theater on Chestnut Street or at the chic Loft on Congress Street, both acclaimed for their architectural design.

“Come out of the November chill and join us for some wonderful cinema this month” says Programming Coordinator Chris Curtis. “I’m especially excited about our two Film Matters screenings and panel discussions. On November 13, Alive Inside delves into the healing power of music, presented in affiliation with Portsmouth Music and Arts Center (PMAC) and the University of New Hampshire and with a post film panel including PMAC Director, Russ Grazier; PMAC Music Therapist Virginia Macdonald; and UNH Department of Nursing Professor, Donna Pelletier. On November 19, Growing Cities looks at local ways people are growing food, from rooftop gardens to backyard chicken coops, with a post film panel of local food and urban farming experts. Presented in affiliation with the Portsmouth School District’s Nutrition Department and their CLIPPERS Farm to School Program.”

The Music Hall Season Sponsors: The River House Restaurant; Carey & Giampa, Realtors; Residences at Portwalk Place.

November On Screen
Met @ The Music Hall: Carmen (Bizet)

Nov 1, 1pm • Historic Theater

Richard Eyre’s mesmerizing production of Bizet’s steamy melodrama returns with mezzo-soprano Anita Rachvelishvili singing her signature role of the ill-fated gypsy temptress. Aleksandrs Antonenko plays her desperate lover, the soldier Don José, and Ildar Abdrazakov is the swaggering bullfighter, Escamillo, who comes between them. Pablo Heras-Casado conducts the irresistible score, which features one beloved and instantly recognizable melody after another.

Extraordinary Cinema: Love is Strange Nov 1, 6, 7pm; Nov 2, 3pm • Historic Theater
R, 98 mins, US

After nearly four decades together, Ben (John Lithgow) and George (Alfred Molina) finally tie the knot in an idyllic wedding ceremony in lower Manhattan. But when George loses his job soon after, the couple must sell their apartment and temporarily live apart until they can find an affordable new home. While struggling with the pain of separation, Ben and George are further challenged by the intergenerational tensions and capricious family dynamics of their new living arrangements.

“One of those lovely little movies that starts out being about a handful of people and ends up being about all of us.” —Boston Globe

Extraordinary Cinema: Ivory Tower

Nov 2, 4pm; Nov 4, 7pm • Loft
PG13, 90 mins, US

As tuition rates spiral beyond reach and student loan debt passes $1 trillion (more than credit card debt), Ivory Tower asks: Is college worth the cost? From the halls of Harvard, to public colleges in financial crisis, to Silicon Valley, filmmaker Andrew Rossi assembles an urgent portrait of a great American institution at the breaking point. Show & Tell with Paul Goodwin will follow the Nov. 4 screening.

“If you’re considering college for your children or are just a concerned citizen, this comprehensive documentary gives you a lot to ponder.” —Los Angeles Times

Extraordinary Cinema: The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby
R, 122 mins, US

Nov 7, 11, 12, 7pm; • Historic Theater
With his unique vision, writer/director Ned Benson ambitiously captures a complete picture of a relationship in a beautifully relatable portrait of love, empathy, and truth. Once happily married, Conor (James McAvoy) and Eleanor (Jessica Chastain) suddenly find themselves as strangers longing to understand each other in the wake of tragedy. The film explores the couple’s story as they try to reclaim the life and love they once knew and pick up the pieces of a past that may be too far gone.

“[Jessica Chastain] is at her fierce, unerring best, which is saying something” —Rolling Stone

Extraordinary Cinema: 20,000 Days on Earth
NR, 97 mins, UK
Nov 7, 11, 7pm • Loft

Drama and reality combine in a fictitious 24 hours in the life of musician and international cultural icon, Nick Cave. With startlingly frank insights and an intimate portrayal of the artistic process, the film examines what makes us who we are, and celebrates the transformative power of the creative spirit. Show & Tell with Paul Goodwin will follow the Nov. 11 screening.

“For the uninitiated, it offers a demonstration of what is so mesmerizing about this performer.” —Washington Post

Film Matters: Alive Inside

NR, 75 mins, US

Nov 13, 7pm •Historic Theater

This documentary chronicles the astonishing experiences of individuals around the country who have been revitalized through listening to music. The film reveals the uniquely human connection we find in music and how its healing power can triumph where prescription medication falls short, following social worker Dan Cohen, founder of the nonprofit Music & Memory, as he fights against a broken healthcare system to demonstrate music’s ability to combat memory loss. Alive Inside’s inspirational story left audiences humming, clapping and cheering at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival, where it won the Audience Award. Post film panel will feature Portsmouth Music and Arts Center Director Russ Grazier, Portsmouth Music and Arts Center Music Therapist Virginia Macdonald and UNH College of Health and Human Services Professor Donna Pelletier.

“In a world drowning in bad news about dementia, Alive Inside is positively tonic. —Los Angeles Times

Series Sponsors: Allergy Associates of New Hampshire; Rudi’s Portsmouth; SoldatiPR; NH Gazette; PortsmouthNH.com; RAM Printing

Extraordinary Cinema: Sin City: A Dame to Kill For

Nov 16, 18 7pm • Historic Theater

R, 102 mins, US

Co-directors Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller reunite to bring Miller’s visually stunning “Sin City” graphic novels back to the screen in a follow up to their 2005 groundbreaking film. Weaving together two of Miller’s classic stories with new tales, the town’s most hard boiled citizens cross paths with some of its more notorious inhabitants, with a cast featuring Josh Brolin, Mickey Rourke, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Eva Green, Jessica Alba and Rosario Dawson.

“Much of the vibe is about echoing genre touchstones, while the look isn’t quite like anything else the digital age has seen”. —Boston Globe

Extraordinary Cinema: The Congress

Nov 18,19,20, 7 pm • Loft

NR, 122 mins, US

Long after catapulting to stardom with The Princess Bride, an aging actress (Robin Wright, playing a version of herself) decides to take her final job: preserving her digital likeness for a future Hollywood. Through a deal brokered by her longtime agent (Harvey Keitel) her alias will be controlled by the studio, and will star in any film they want with no restrictions. In return, she receives healthy compensation so she can care for her ailing son and her digitized character will stay forever young. Show & Tell with Paul Goodwin will follow the Nov. 18 screening.

“Ambitiously trippy and compulsively watchable.” —Los Angeles Times

Film Matters: Growing Cities

Nov 19, 7pm • Historic Theater

NR, 93 mins, US

In their search for answers, filmmakers Dan Susman and Andrew Monbouquette take a road trip and meet the men and women who are challenging the way this country grows and distributes its food, one vacant city lot, rooftop garden, and backyard chicken coop at a time. Join them as they discover that good food isn’t the only crop these urban visionaries are harvesting. They’re producing stronger and more vibrant communities, too. Presented in affiliation with the Portsmouth School District’s Nutrition Department and their CLIPPERS Farm to School Program. Post film panel will feature local food and urban farming experts.

“Growing Cities will make urban farming your new obsession.” –EcoSalon

Series Sponsors: Allergy Associates of New Hampshire; Rudi’s Portsmouth; SoldatiPR; NH Gazette; PortsmouthNH.com; RAM Printing

Extraordinary Cinema: Life of Crime

Nov 21, 22 7pm • Historic Theater

R, 99 mins, US

Based on Elmore Leonard’s novel “The Switch,” - a dark caper comedy starring Jennifer Aniston, John Hawkes, Yasiin Bey, Will Forte, Mark Boone Junior, Isla Fisher and Tim Robbins. The wife of a corrupt real estate developer is kidnapped by two common criminals who intend to extort him with inside information about his crooked business. The husband decides he’d actually rather not pay the ransom to get back his wife, setting off an unbelievable sequence of double crosses and plot twists that could only come from the mind of Elmore Leonard.

“. . . has the authentic Leonard snap, crackle and pop.” — Los Angeles Times

Extraordinary Cinema: The Two Faces of January

Nov 21, 22 7pm • Loft

PG13, 97 mins, UK

Screenwriter Hossein Amini (The Wings of the Dove, Drive) makes a stylish directing debut with this sleek thriller set in Greece and Istanbul, 1962, and adapted from Patricia Highsmith’s novel. Intrigue begins at the Parthenon when wealthy American tourists Chester MacFarland (Viggo Mortensen) and his young wife Collete (Kirsten Dunst) meet American expat Rydal (Oscar Isaac), a scammer working as a tour guide.

“A gripping old-school suspenser.” —Variety

Met @ The Music Hall: The Barber of Seville (Rossini)
Nov 22, 1pm • Historic Theater

The Met’s effervescent production of Rossini’s classic comedy – featuring some of the most instantly recognizable melodies in all of opera – stars Isabel Leonard as the feisty Rosina, Lawrence Brownlee as her conspiring flame, and Christopher Maltman as the endlessly resourceful and charming barber, himself. Michele Mariotti conducts the vivid and tuneful score.

Series Sponsor: New Hampshire Public Television

National Theatre London Live: Of Mice and Men

Nov 23, 3pm • Historic Theater

Golden Globe winner and Academy Award nominee James Franco (127 Hours, Milk) and Tony Award nominee Chris O’Dowd (Bridesmaids, Girls) star in the hit Broadway production, filmed on stage by National Theatre Live. This landmark revival of Nobel Prize winner John Steinbeck’s play is a powerful portrait of the American spirit and a heartbreaking testament to the bonds of friendship. Directed by Tony Award, Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circles award winner Anna D. Shapiro (Broadway’s August: Osage County) and featuring Leighton Meester (Country Strong, Gossip Girl) and Tony Award winner Jim Norton (The Seafarer). The production was nominated for two Tony Awards, including Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play for Chris O’Dowd.

“[A] moving masterpiece.” – Time

Series Sponsor: New Hampshire Public Television

For more information on all shows, films, and events, go to www.themusichall.org/calendar For press photos: visit http://j.mp/pressimages

Tickets
Tickets for all November films are on sale now. Tickets are $10 Adults; $8 Students, Seniors 60+, and Military. See pricing online for NT Live and Met @ The Music Hall tickets.

About The Music Hall
The Music Hall is a performing arts center featuring curated entertainment from around the world in two theaters in its downtown Portsmouth, New Hampshire campus - one, a landmark 1878 Victorian theater, designated an American Treasure for the Arts by the National Park Service’s Save America’s Treasures Program, the other the intimate Music Hall Loft around the corner, recently named “best performing arts venue” by Yankee Magazine and the recipient of the NH AIA award for design excellence.

With acclaimed signature series like Writers on a New England Stage – a partnership between The Music Hall and New Hampshire Public Radio – and the Intimately Yours music series, we bring top authors and artists to both stages. Also, HD broadcasts from The Metropolitan Opera and the National Theatre of London as well as extraordinary cinema fill both screens almost every night of the year.

This dynamic arts center urges patrons to Explore + Learn via master classes, post film panel discussions, and matinees for children. An anchor cultural organization in this historic working seaport, The Music Hall is one of downtown Portsmouth’s biggest employers and largest contributors to the regional economy: The Music Hall and its patrons contribute $7 million annually to the local economy through show and visitor related spending.

Innovative in its outlook, the organization is community oriented and committed to making the Seacoast flourish. The Music Hall is a 501(c)3 nonprofit managed by a professional staff with the assistance of a volunteer board. Though global in the scope of its artists and programs, The Music Hall operates independently with the support of 3,000 members, 300 corporate partners and 58 community partners. Welcoming more than 100,000 patrons (including 20,000 children) each year from the tri-state area and beyond, The Music Hall is the region’s center for the performing arts, literature and education…easy to get to, impossible to forget. An American Treasure celebrating 135 years.

Web: www.TheMusicHall.org | Twitter: @MusicHall | Facebook: /musichall |

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Submitted text. Courtesy photo.