A unique blend of movies, past and present, often with an emphasis on life in the west - which could mean the new west, the old west, or anything in between- and ‘movies that missed us’- films that are notable but never had a lot of publicity- the CineMatinee series is designed to show area residents that film is a form of art as well as entertainment! At least one film a month for this series has a ‘New Mexico Connection’, drawing from the vast pool of movies made in the state or perhaps featuring a star/story from New Mexico talent. Unless otherwise noted, screening time is 1.30 PM, and admission is $4 for everyone except film society members who are admitted for $1. The theatre is located one half block of the Mesilla Plaza. For more information, please call (575) 524-8287.

Before Sunrise

Celine (Julie Delpy) is French but speaks excellent English. She’s an attractive, bright, and easy-going Sorbonne student. She is returning to Paris by train from Budapest after visiting her grandmother. Jesse Wallace (Ethan Hawke) is a handsome young American, who speaks only English. He was dumped by his American girlfriend he visited in Madrid and took a two week European tour on a Eurorail pass, not able to stay longer because he ran out of money.

They get together on the train just outside of Vienna, and while chatting the two make a love connection. When the train pulls into Vienna, Ethan proposes that she join him wandering around the city until his flight to the States the next morning. Julie has fallen for him and accepts the invitation. To kill 14 hours they talk incessantly about their parents, former lovers, the Quaker and Catholic religions, and reincarnation; observe the beauty of the Danube River; ride a tram; visit an amusement park and a church; have a park poet write them a poem with the word milkshake; and Julie gets her palm read. It leads to a first kiss and making love just before the sunrise. But the young lovers don’t think it’s cool to exchange phone numbers, instead they plan to meet in six months at the same spot they said goodbye.

It’s a chatty film, but the talk is scintillating. Both stars are equally goofy and charming. Everything about their meeting is realistic and engaging. The love story is heart-thrilling, and at the same time was able to get at the emotional truths that underlie all the conversational points and opinions expressed by them. Insightful, entertaining, sweet, intelligent and filled with imaginative variations—director Richard Linklater has created a gem. spiritualityandpractice.com

FOLLOWED BY -

SPECIAL SCREENING AT 3:45 PM ONLY, IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE PRESTON CONTEMPORARY ART GALLERY, THE LAST PICTURE SHOW

All the Pretty Horses

In All the Pretty Horses, the film version of the acclaimed Cormac McCarthy novel, the sky not only frames a young man’s life, but provides a vast, romantic vessel for his thoughts and dreams. In the first scene, when John Grady Cole (Matt Damon) lies on his back and regards the stars and a half moon, he seems completely at home.

"Do you suppose there is a heaven and a hell?" his buddy Rawlins (Henry Thomas) asks.

"I guess you can believe what you want to," John Grady answers with a sweet drawl.

Directed by Billy Bob Thornton, All the Pretty Horses is an elegiac, visually hypnotic film about love, honor, reverence for nature and the loss of tradition. When it opens, soon after the end of World War II, John Grady is crushed to learn that his mother has sold off the West Texas family ranch that he had hoped to work all his life.

Craving escape and adventure, he sets off on horseback for Mexico with Rawlins, encounters a 13-year-old horse thief (Lucas Black) and falls in love with Alejandra (Penelope Cruz), the beautiful daughter of the Mexican landowner (Ruben Blades) who hires him to break wild horses. John Grady is jailed on trumped-up charges, nearly loses his life and ultimately learns a sad but important lesson.

Damon is an excellent actor and he plays John Grady with an earnestness, simplicity and boyish modesty that match his character perfectly. From the easy way he has with a horse, to his interplay with his buddy Rawlins, to the cadences and timbre of his West Texas accent, he’s never less than true.

Best of all are Damon’s scenes with Cruz—at a community dance, embracing in a moonlit pond—which are some of the most lusciously romantic in memory. It’s said that Damon and Cruz became involved during the making of the film, which is evident onscreen: That kind of chemistry can’t be faked.   

All the Pretty Horses is slow and languid, but it is a visual feast and a chance to see Damon, an actor whose talents are frequently obscured by his looks and his celebrity, deliver his best work. sfgate.com