June 5, 2008 -- The Not Shown Before at a Theater Near You summer film series gets under way on June 15 and runs to mid-September (film schedule, ratings, reviews and synopses below). Showings are each Sunday night (except for July 2 and 6) at 7:30 p.m. (the July 2 showing is Wednesday night and the July 6 Western film showing starts at 6:30 p.m.) at the Albany County Public Library. This series is sponsored by the Albany County Public Library, the Wyoming Peace, Justice and Earth Center and the Laramie Film Society. The idea is to show some of the best films from last year that never made it to local theaters as well as some films about peace, justice and the environment. We had a good response to this series last summer, so we decided to do it again.

There is no admission charge for these films and we provide free popcorn and pop. Three of us have been doing most of the work on this series, myself, Nancy Sindelar of the Wyoming Peace Justice and Earth Center and Lynn Hamblin of the Laramie Film Society. In addition to working on the film series, we are soliciting donations to upgrade the library's film facilities. Our first purchase for the library was a component-to-VGA cable for the library's video projector. This has greatly improved the picture quality on the library's big screen. Our next project will be to upgrade the sound system in the large meeting room to surround sound. We have pledged or donated four speakers, 400 feet of speaker wire, a surround sound amplifier and other materials for the project. The library also plans to install a new ceiling-mounted video projector, which should make for a better presentation. We plan to donate wiring and other materials for the projector and DVD player upgrades as well. The library plans to hire an electrician to install the wiring and outlets for the system. So far, donations have covered food and film rental expenses and equipment upgrades. Come join us at the movies!

Following is the schedule for the film series. Each movie is given a quality rating and is linked to reviews. Below the schedule is a synopsis of each film and other information, including awards these films have won. An asterisk following the name of the film means the film is rated by means of an average of reviews of major critics at either the Online Film Critics Society site or the toptenreviews.com site. It also means the movie is linked to the OFCS.org site, where there are numerous reviews of each film. Other ratings and reviews are mine. Two dates below have been filled, but the names of the films won't be announced until the dates indicated. The two September dates have not been filled yet due to inadequate advance information about film availability and public performance rights licensing.

June 15 -- The Lookout: A disabled young man is drawn into a bank robbery scheme that goes bad. In the aftermath, he must figure out a way to outsmart the crooks and save the life of his only friend. This film won the Independent Spirit's First Feature Award for writer-director Scott Frank and was nominated for several other awards. It stars Jeff Daniels and Joseph Gordon-Levitt. Rated R, 99 minutes.

June 22 -- In the Valley of Elah: A couple's son goes AWOL shortly after coming back to the States from duty in Iraq. The boy's ex-military police father starts his own investigation into the boy's disappearance when the military authorities prove unhelpful. He also has trouble getting much help from local civilian authorities who try to ignore the case or shift the blame to Mexicans. The story is inspired by actual events described in a magazine article, “Death and Dishonor.” This film stars Oscar winners Tommy Lee Jones, Susan Sarandon and Charlize Theron. It also stars Josh Brolin, Barry Corbin, Jason Patric and James Franco. Tommy Lee Jones was nominated for a best actor Oscar for his performance in this film. The film was nominated for several other awards. Director Paul Haggis won a Signis Award at the Venice Film Festival for this film. Rated R, 121 minutes.

June 29 -- Talk to Me: This biographical drama highlights the amazing career of an ex-convict who becomes the most popular and influential radio personality in Washington D.C. during a pivotal time in our nation's history, the 1960's. Most of all, however, this film is the story of a magnificent friendship between two men, the straight-laced Dewey Hughes, program director for WOL in DC (played by Chiwetel Ejiofor of “Children of Men”), and mercurial disc jockey Ralph Waldo 'Petey' Greene (Don Cheadle of “Hotel Rwanda”). This film won two Image Awards, won the Gotham Award for best ensemble cast (Martin Sheen, Cedric the Entertainer, Cheadle, Ejiofor, Mike Epps, Vondie Curtis-Hall and Taraji P. Henson). Ejiofor also won a best acting Satellite Award. Rated R, 118 minutes.

July 2 -- Considering Democracy: 8 Things to Ask Your Representative: A documentary that looks at the United States from the perspective of people living elsewhere then compares the U.S. to other first world, industrialized democracies. It begins the process of questioning to get answers and find solutions. Filmmaker Keya Lea Horiuchi, who is the director, editor, cinematographer and narrator for this film, will be on hand for this special screening.

July 6 -- The Man Who Shot Liberty Valence: This has been called “The Citizen Kane of Westerns.” Directed by the legendary John Ford and starring film legends John Wayne, Jimmy Stewart and Lee Marvin, it is a fine example of a post-modern Western. It reflects a re-evaluation of romantic notions about the Old West, if not a full-blown revisionist western view. The film takes place at a time when outlaws and gunslingers are almost, but not quite, a thing of the past. It contains one of the most famous movie lines of all time, “This is the West, sir. When the legend becomes fact, print the legend.” This is part of the Albany County Library's Western Film Series in honor of Jubilee Days.

July 13 -- Darfur Now: A call to action for people everywhere to help stop the catastrophe in Darfur, Sudan. For the first time in history, the US government has declared a genocide while it is still ongoing. In this documentary the struggles and achievements of six very different individuals bring to light the situation in Darfur and illustrate the absolute need to get involved. This film was nominated for several awards and won the Image Award for outstanding documentary. Rated PG, 98 minutes.

July 20 -- In Bruges: This is one of the best-reviewed films of this year. Bruges (pronounced "broozh"), the most well-preserved medieval city in the whole of Belgium, is a welcoming destination for travellers from all over the world. But for hit men Ray (Colin Farrell) and Ken (Brendan Gleeson), it could be their final destination; a difficult job has resulted in the pair being ordered right before Christmas by their London boss Harry (two-time Academy Award nominee Ralph Fiennes) to go and cool their heels in the storybook Flemish city for a couple of weeks. Rated R, 107 minutes.

July 27 -- Catch a Fire: “Catch a Fire” is an inspirational story of a man caught up in the political turmoil which transformed a racially-divided nation ruled by the white minority into a nation ruled by the majority. The film is based on a true story of a man whose own transformation mirrors that of South Africa. It is a story of bigotry, hatred, rebellion, forgiveness and finally, healing. The film was nominated for a best picture Image Award and star Derek Luke was nominated for best actor by the Black Reel and Satellite awards organizations. Rated PG-13, 101 minutes.

August 3 -- The Bank Job: This is one of the best-reviewed films of 2008, based on a true story about a huge bank robbery in England in 1971 pulled off by a bunch of small-time crooks, with the help of the British government! The film builds tension as the bank robbers are hunted down, one by one, by organized crime, the police and the national government, all of which are threatened by secret documents stolen from the bank's safety deposit boxes. Starring Jason Statham. Rated R, 111 minutes.

August 10 -- Music Within: A man disabled in Vietnam is told he can never succeed in business. Driven by a need to prove his worth, he becomes a successful employee service provider, and the nation's leading advocate for the handicapped. Based on the true story of Richard Pimentel, this film won the audience award at the AFI Dallas International Film Festival. Rated R, 94 minutes.

August 17 -- The Hoax: One of America's most famous authors, Clifford Irving, pulled off one of the great hoaxes of the 20th Century. This movie tells the incredible story of how Irving, his wife and his researcher nearly got away with an audacious scheme to sell a biography of Howard Hughes which was unauthorized, but Irving convinced his publisher that it was authorized. This is an amazing yarn. It has to be seen to be believed. Even then, you can't really believe it. Stars Richard Gere and Alfred Molina, who were both nominated for best actor awards. It also stars Marcia Gay Harden, Julie Delpy and Hope Davis. Rated R, 118 minutes.

August 24 -- The President's Analyst: Pulitzer Prize-winning critic Roger Ebert called this film “ ... one of the funniest movies of the year, ranking with “The Graduate ... ” in 1967, the year this film was released. This satirical comedy was way ahead of its time, arguing that the big threat facing America was not communism or terrorism, but giant corporations trying to gain control of the government and the lives of the people. It stars Academy Award-winning actor James Coburn in the title role, along with Godfrey Cambridge, Barry McGuire, Will Geer and Arte Johnson. The screenplay was nominated for a Best Written American Original Screenplay in the Writers Guild of America competition.

August 31 -- Gone Baby Gone: A child is missing. The child's grandparents hire a local detective to find the child. The clues lead to unexpected places and a moral dilemma. Stars Casey Affleck, Michelle Monaghan, Morgan Freeman, Ed Harris, Amy Ryan and Amy Madigan. This film was nominated for numerous awards and won numerous awards. Director Ben Affleck won three directing awards and Amy Ryan won 14 best supporting actress awards from various film-related organizations for this film. Ryan was also nominated for an Oscar for her performance in this film. Rated R, 114 minutes.

September 7 -- The 11th Hour: This environmental documentary film explores what it will take for humans to make a difference ecologically before it is too late. A variety of leading scientists, thinkers and leaders are interviewed in the film, including Stephen Hawking, former CIA head James Woolsey and former Soviet president Mikhail Gorbachev. This film was nominated for a Satellite Award for best documentary film. Rated PG, 95 minutes.

September 13 -- Miss Pettigrew Lives For a Day: Miss Guinevere Pettigrew (Academy Award winner Frances McDormand), a middle-aged London governess, finds herself suddenly without a job. A new job catapults her into the glamorous world and dizzying social whirl of an American actress and singer, Delysia Lafosse (Academy Award nominee Amy Adams). Miss Pettigrew finds herself swept into high society and soon discovers her own romantic destiny. Rated PG-13, 92 minutes.

To be notified by e-mail of upcoming films in the series, or changes in the film series schedule, subscribe to the Laramie Film Society's e-mail list at Topica.

Copyright © 2008 Robert Roten. All rights reserved.
Reproduced with the permission of the copyright holder.

Robert Roten can be reached via e-mail at .