Film

There’s nothing like stepping into a warm theater on a rainy
afternoon. But even in a sunny Santa Barbara winter, the following
films are worth the price of admission.

The Notebook The Alzheimer’s Association presents a
benefit screening of the crowd-pleasing melodrama from 2004
starring Gena Rowlands, James Garner, Ryan Gosling, and Rachel
McAdams. An interview and Q&A with Rowlands will follow. Sun.,
Jan. 14, 6:30pm. Lobero Theatre, 33 E. Canon Perdido St.
$27.50‑$127.50. 963‑0761. Quinceañeara This crowd-pleaser and critically
acclaimed drama about the trials and travails of a young
Mexican-American girl, Magdalena, on the cusp of womanhood had a
limited release late last summer. But if you missed it the first
time around, here’s your chance. Tue., Jan. 16, 7:30pm. UCSB’s
Campbell Hall. $5‑$6. 893‑3535 or www.artsandlectures.ucsb.edu.

Marie Antoinette Sofia Coppola’s
love-it-or-hate-it spectacle returns to Isla Vista courtesy the
Magic Lantern film series for two encore screenings. Is it a
knowing indictment of excess and vanity or simply an example of
such qualities? See it again and decide for yourself. Fri., Jan.
19, 7:30 and 9:30pm. Isla Vista Theater. $4. myspace.com/magiclantern.

22nd Annual S.B. Film Fest The S.B. Film
Festival returns, and this year’s honors include Will Smith for the
Modern Masters Award, Helen Mirren for the Outstanding Performance
Award, Forest Whitaker for the American Riviera Award, and Al Gore
and Davis Guggenheim for the Attenborough Award. Thu., Jan.
25 ‑ Sun., Feb. 4. Various venues. sbiff.org.

Waiting to Inhale The National Organization for
the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) cohosts this screening of a
documentary about the controversy surrounding medical marijuana
legislation. Director Jed Riffe will attend. Sat., Jan. 27, 8pm.
Isla Vista Theater. $4. myspace.com/magiclantern.

Army of Shadows Jean-Pierre Melville’s 1969
masterwork — never released in the U.S. — is a taut thriller set in
Vichy, France. Certainly the most acclaimed rerelease of 2006, Army
of Shadows is not to be missed by even the most casual film fan.
Thu., Feb. 1, 7:30pm. UCSB’s Campbell Hall. $5‑$6. 893‑3535 or
www.artsandlectures.ucsb.edu.

Renaissance This animated science-fiction
thriller is a European co-production set in Paris 2054. The film’s
visuals are even sharper and more stylized than its most obvious
predecessor, Robert Rodriguez’s Sin City, and it features the voice
talents of Daniel Craig, Ian Holm, and Jonathon Pryce. Fri., Feb.
2, 7 and 9:30pm. Isla Vista Theater. $4. myspace.com/magiclantern.

Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles Yimou Zhang
(House of Flying Daggers, Curse of the Golden Flower) directs this
story of a Japanese man whose estranged Chinese son dies, prompting
him to go on a journey to learn more about himself and his son’s
life. Thu., Feb. 8, 7:30pm. UCSB’s Campbell Hall. $5‑$6. 893‑3535
or www.artsandlectures.ucsb.edu.

Borat! At once hilarious and repulsive, Sacha
Baron Cohen’s massively popular mockumentary receives a much-needed
encore. Very nice! Fri., Feb. 9, 7 and 9:30pm. Isla Vista Theater.
$4. myspace.com/magiclantern.

31st Annual Banff Film Fest In two nights of
the finest films on mountain subjects, the series will screen both
the audience award and the grand jury prize winners from this
year’s festival. Tue., Feb. 20 and Wed., Feb. 21, 7:30pm. UCSB’s
Campbell Hall. $10 ‑$12. 893‑3535 or www.artsandlectures.ucsb.edu.

Stranger than Fiction This intermittently
brilliant and frustrating film about the power of the creative
process stars Will Ferrell in a Truman Show-esque turn as a man
whose life is being controlled by novelist Kay Eiffel (Emma
Thompson) as she finishes a book in which he is a central
character. Fri., Feb. 23, 7 and 9:30pm. Isla Vista Theater. $4.
myspace.com/magiclantern.

Central Asia Film Day In conjuncture with
UCSB’s Winter Quarter Silk Road Encounters series of lectures and
events, Arts & Lectures presents a day of films from Central
Asia, including Beshkempir: The Adopted Son from Kyrgyzstan,
Travellers & Magicians from Bhutan, the Mongolian/German
coproductions Cave of the Yellow Dog and The Story of the Weeping
Camel. Sat., Feb. 24, 2‑11pm. Victoria Hall Theater, 33 W. Victoria
St. Individual films $6‑$8, day passes $15‑$20. 893‑3535 or
www.artsandlectures.ucsb.edu.

Flags of Our Fathers Clint Eastwood’s profound
and understated chronicle of the lives of the men who raised the
flag over Iwo Jima is one of the best films of 2006 and a must-see
on the big screen. Thu., Mar. 1, 7:30 and 10pm. UCSB’s Campbell
Hall. $5‑$6. 893‑3535 or www.artsandlectures.ucsb.edu.

Happy Feet Robin Williams, Elijah Wood, Nicole
Kidman, and Hugh Jackman all give voice to various singing and
dancing penguins in one of the highest-grossing films of all time
about singing, dancing penguins. Fri., Mar. 2, 7 and 9:30pm. Isla
Vista Theater. $4. myspace.com/magiclantern.

Into Great Silence Fresh from its New York
premiere which will take place just one week prior to the Arts
& Lectures screening, this French/German/Swiss co-production is
a documentary about life inside the Grande Chartreuse, the head
monastery of the reclusive Carthusian Order in France. Mon., Mar.
5, 7:30pm. UCSB’s Campbell Hall. $8‑$10, 893‑3535 or www.artsandlectures.ucsb.edu.

S.B. Jewish Film Festival The festival features
six American and international films that showcase Jewish themes
and universal struggles. Thu., Mar. 8 - Sun., Mar. 11. Plaza de Oro
Twin Theatres, 1317 State St. sbjff.com.

Climate The Turkish film which took home the
FIPRESCI award from the Cannes International Jury this year is a
contemporary drama about a self-absorbed university professor, his
unstable wife, and his girlfriend. Thu., Mar. 15, 7:30pm. UCSB’s
Campbell Hall. $5‑$6. 893‑3535 or www.artsandlectures.ucsb.edu.