WEC Blog

2013 Oscar-Nominated Documentary Short Films screening at WEC

2013-02-04T11:48:00.003-05:00

We are currently showing all of the 2013 Oscar-Nominated Documentary Short Films in one program!

The Washington Post gave the program 3.5 out of 4 stars and named it a Critic's Pick! They may be short but these films pack powerful messages. The Post even recommends bringing a handkerchiefs to the screening.

For the full review please visit- The Oscar Nominated Short Films 2013: Documentary

To purchase tickets ahead of time you can visit www.westendcinema.com and click "Tickets and Showtimes" or click the "Buy Tickets" button on our Facebook page.

BEWARE OF MR. BAKER director Jay Bulger stops by WEC

2013-01-28T11:25:00.000-05:00

On Saturday, BEWARE OF MR. BAKER director and Washington native Jay Bulger stopped by West End Cinema for a special opening weekend Q&A and introduction. We caught up with Jay and asked him to introduce his film-

If you haven't seen the film, it follows the ridiculous life of legendary drummer Ginger Baker. Jay lived with Ginger for a few years while making the movie and nothing but hilarity ensued.

BEWARE OF MR. BAKER tickets can be purchased at www.westendcinema.com or on our Facebook page.

Oscar Nominations are in! Countdown to Feb 24th begins

2013-01-28T11:13:00.003-05:00

The Oscars will go live February 24th at 7pm EST! West End Cinema is so excited to have some of our favorite films nominated.

Best Picture: ARGO, SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK and DJANGO UNCHAINED.

Best Documentary Feature: 5 BROKEN CAMERAS and SEARCHING FOR SUGAR MAN.

Best Foreign Language Film: A ROYAL AFFAIR

On Friday, February 1st we will also be screening the Oscar nominated Documentary Shorts. These films include:

INOCENTE, KINGS POINT, MONDAYS AT RACINE, OPEN HEART and REDEMPTION.

Tickets can be purchased at www.westendcinema.com or by visiting our Facebook.

2012: A Year in Film Review

2012-12-12T12:54:00.002-05:00

We showed an abundance of critically acclaimed and award winning films this year!

1. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced last week the short-list of films that will advance in the Documentary Feature category. These films included 6 that were shown at West End Cinema this year:

CHASING ICE
DETROPIA
5 BROKEN CAMERAS
THE HOUSE I LIVE IN
SEARCHING FOR SUGAR MAN

2. The American Film Institute released its Best of 2012 list this week and some of West End's 2012 favorites were named:

ARGO
DJANGO UNCHAINED
SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK

3. Washington Post compiled a list of its favorite films of 2012 which featured:

ARGO
MONSIEUR LAZHAR
MARGARET

4. ARGO swept Entertainment Weekly's Critics' favorites:

Critic Lisa Schwarzbaum's picks: ARGO
Critic Owen Glieberman's picks: ARGO, SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK, and BERNIE

Overall, it was a fantastic year at West End Cinema. We're excited to follow the Oscars come January 15 to see if any of our favorites get a nom!

Oscar Documentary Features Shortlist Released Today!

2012-12-03T17:00:00.000-05:00

"The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences today announced that 15 films in the Documentary Feature category will advance in the voting process for the 85th Academy Awards®. One hundred twenty-six pictures had originally qualified in the category."- oscars.org

Four of those films include West End Cinema's past hits THE HOUSE I LIVE IN, SEARCHING FOR SUGAR MAN, DETROPIA and 5 BROKEN CAMERAS.

Click here to see the full list!

Happy Thanksgiving from West End Cinema!

2012-11-21T10:54:00.000-05:00

On November 21st we are excited to open the much anticipated Thanksgiving hit SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK starring Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence, Robert De Niro & Jackie Weaver!

After a long day of cooking and eating, take your family and your food coma to West End Cinema to see one of the best movies of 2012! We have a fantastic line-up including the star studded musical drama A LATE QUARTET and Ben Affleck's blockbuster ARGO.

Have a Happy Thanksgiving from your friends at West End Cinema!

Halloween isn't over just yet for the West End Cinema with this Washington Post Critics' Pick!

2012-11-02T11:03:00.001-04:00

THE BAY opens November 3rd at the West End Cinema and the film hits quite close to home! "Dive into Barry Levinson’s “The Bay,” a ripped-from-the-headlines psychological chiller that burrows under the skin with its terrifyingly local twist."

Washington Post gave THE BAY 3 out of 4 stars!

Director John Sayles Invites You to See His New Film, AMIGO, at the West End Cinema

2011-09-08T14:37:00.001-04:00

AMIGO continues though Thursday, September 15th at the West End Cinema.

Women Art Revolution is a New York Times Critic's Pick!

2011-06-03T16:41:00.002-04:00

http://movies.nytimes.com/2011/06/01/movies/women-art-revolution-by-lynn-hershman-leeson-review.html?ref=movies

Enhancing the Image of Feminist Art
By RACHEL SALTZ
Published: May 31, 2011

Can you name three female artists? The people asked that question outside the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and the Whitney Museum of American Art can’t get much beyond Frida You-Know-Who-I-Mean. That’s old, sad news to Lynn Hershman Leeson, the director of “!Women Art Revolution” — “!W.A.R.” — a documentary history of the feminist art movement.

Adrian Piper, Betye Saar, Nancy Spero, Martha Rosler and Carolee Schneemann (that’s five for next time you’re asked) are just some of the artists interviewed by Ms. Hershman Leeson, who in the mid-1960s, a young artist herself, borrowed a camera and started shooting the friends and colleagues who passed through her living room in Berkeley, Calif. She continued off and on over the years, wherever she could. (Judy Chicago holds forth in a college bathroom at one point.) These interviews form the backbone of “!W.A.R.,” and like the film, they’re passionate, contentious, funny, sincere, politically attuned. They’d make you nostalgic for the struggle except, as many point out, the struggle continues.

The artists talk about how their work was condescended to or ignored, excluded from galleries and museums. (“Do women have to be naked to get into the Met. Museum?” the Guerrilla Girls, some of whose masked members appear here, asked in the ’80s.) Ms. Hershman Leeson’s documentary sets out to correct the historical record and goes further, making the case that feminist art — varied, messy, conflicted and engaged with the times — is at the very center of that history.

As a matter of principle, Ms. Hershman Leeson shows as much of that art as she can, including her own. She debated with herself about using her work, she says, but decided, enough with omissions. (To that end there’s an archival Web site, rawwar.org.) After all, if this is “!W.A.R.,” omission is the enemy. And Ms. Hershman Leeson’s fighting spirit is contagious.

Actor Omari Hardwick invites you to see I WILL FOLLOW at the West End Cinema

2011-04-14T09:49:00.000-04:00

I WILL FOLLOW opens Friday, April 15th at the West End Cinema. Actress Phalana Tiller will host Q&As following the 7:30 shows on Friday, April 15th and Saturday, April 16th.

Director Janet Grillo invites you to see FLY AWAY at the West End Cinema

2011-04-13T13:20:00.001-04:00

FLY AWAY is the first feature film about parenting a child on the Autism Spectrum to be written and directed by the parent of a child on the Autism Spectrum. Janet will be present at the West End Cinema for Q&A following the 7:30pm show on Tuesday, April 19th.
FLY AWAY opens Friday, April 15th.

Director Eric Mendelsohn invites you to come see 3 BACKYARDS at the West End Cinema

2011-04-06T13:31:00.001-04:00

Opening Friday, April 8th. Eric Mendelsohn will be present for Q&As following the 7:30pm screening on Saturday, April 9th and the 1:30pm screening on Sunday, April 10th.

Cinematographer and Producer Neil Barrett Introduces THE WOODMANS

2011-04-01T10:03:00.004-04:00

Opening today at WEC!

West End Cinema Reviews THE WOODMANS -- Opening April 1st

2011-03-30T16:54:00.008-04:00

West End Cinema Marketing Intern Brett reviews THE WOODMANS, opening this Friday, April 1st at the West End Cinema:

To many art is a hobby or side project, but to the Woodmans art is the family business. Betty and Charles Woodman fell in love because of a shared passion for the arts: Betty is a ceramicist and Charles is a painter/photographer. Together they have two children, Charles and Francesca, who they raise in Boulder, Colorado and the Florentine hills of Italy. From a very young age, Francesca's intelligence and artistic maturity become very apparent. She begins experimenting with photography in high school and then attends RISD where she dazzles her peers with her hauntingly beautiful B&W photos of the female nude figure. Francesca expects to make it big as a fashion photographer in NYC after school, but the NYC art scene just doesn't get her work. She becomes deeply depressed and takes her own life at the young age of 22. After her death, Francesca's work slowly garners interest and today she is considered one of the most prolific photographers of the late 20th century. It is truly a tragic tale and calls to mind the fate of other tortured artists such as Virginia Wolf and Vincent Van Gogh. Most of the movie contains interviews with Francesca's family and friends, but Director Scott Willis does a wonderful job giving Francesca a voice through her photography, diary excerpts and video clips. However, The Woodmans is not just a film about Francesca. It's a film about family competition, ambition, loss and also the healing power of art.

The West End Cinema has a blog!

2011-03-23T23:25:00.013-04:00

Welcome to our new blog! Stay tuned for exclusive interviews with our filmmakers, information about special events at the theater, our staff's reviews of our upcoming films, and more!