Dann and Raymond's Movie Club goes sci-fi this weekend
The best of sci-fi
Join me and film scholar Raymond Benson as Dann & Raymond's Movie Club goes out of this world to discuss the greatest science fiction films from 1970 to the present. Clips to be shown come from "Star Wars," "Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan," "Alien," "Blade Runner" and "The Matrix" plus 11 others. Free admission, too!
7:30 p.m. Thursday, April 16, at the Arlington Heights Memorial Library, 500 N. Dunton Ave., Arlington Heights.
'The Class'
The After Hours Film Society presents "The Class," an excellent French drama exploring a year in the life of a high school teacher, played by director Laurent Cantet, who used to be a teacher. More complex and challenging than "To Sir With Love," "Dead Poets Society" and "Stand and Deliver," Cantet's drama is not about victories and losses, but about compromises a teacher makes just to survive the year. $9 admission. Call (630) 534-4528 or go to afterhoursfilmsociety.com. PG-13 for language. 128 minutes. . . . .
7:30 p.m. Monday, April 20, at the Tivoli Theater, 5021 Highland Ave., Downers Grove.
'Tokyo Sonata'
When a dutiful dad doesn't tell his family he's been sacked, and pretends to go to work each day, he sets in motion Kiyoshi Kurosawa's studious examination of a "typical" Japanese being slowly torn asunder by secrets, lies and shame. Impeccable performances compensate for a very leisurely pace, and Kurosawa's brisk, inventive tracking shots kick up the narrative. In Japanese with subtitles. PG-13 for language. 119 minutes. . . .
Starts today at the Music Box Theatre, 3733 N. Southport Ave., Chicago.