One of the greatest actor-filmmakers in the history of cinema. Buster Keaton was the director, writer, producer, star, and stuntman of his own innovative films during the silent era of the 1920s that produced the iconic masterpieces The General and Steamboat Bill Jr. This new documentary is a fitting tribute from filmmaker Peter Bogdanovich (The Last Picture Show), a cinema historian whose landmark writings and films on such renowned directors as John Ford and Orson Welles have become the standard by which all other studies are measured. Bogdanovich interviews filmmakers, performers, and friends, including Mel Brooks, Quentin Tarantino, Werner Herzog, Dick van Dyke and Johnny Knoxville, who discuss Keaton’s influence on modern comedy and, indeed, cinema itself. (102 mins)

“Buster Keaton is the essence of movies. He is one of the inventors of cinema.” – filmmaker Werner Herzog

“Any doubters are advised to see this movie, then treat themselves to a viewing of The General. Case closed.” – Walter Addiego, San Francisco Chronicle

In the early 18th century, England is at war with the French. Nevertheless, duck racing and pineapple eating are thriving. A frail Queen Anne (Olivia Colman) occupies the throne, and her close friend Lady Sarah (Rachel Weisz) governs the country in her stead while tending to Anne’s ill health. When a new servant, Abigail (Emma Stone), arrives, her charm endears her to Sarah. Sarah takes Abigail under her wing, and Abigail sees a chance to return to her aristocratic roots. From provocative filmmaker Yorgos Lanthimos (The Lobster). (R, 120 mins)

“The result is a splendid black comedy that marks a stylistic leap for its director.” – Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune

“The Favourite has ribaldry and intelligence to burn, a deliciously entertaining period piece that feels liberated by its period, rather than restrained and invigorates like a glass of wine thrown violently in your face.” – John Bleasdale, CineVue

Now an adult with three children, bank teller Michael Banks (Ben Whishaw) learns that his house will be repossessed in five days unless he can pay back a loan. His only hope is to find a missing certificate that shows proof of valuable shares that his father left him years earlier. Just as all seems lost, Michael and his sister, Jane (Emily Mortimer), receive the surprise of a lifetime when Mary Poppins (Emily Blunt) — the beloved nanny from their childhood — arrives to save the day and take the Banks family on a magical, fun-filled adventure. Directed and produced by Rob Marshall, “Mary Poppins Returns” also features Lin-Manuel Miranda, Julie Walters, Colin Firth, Meryl Streep, Dick Van Dyke, and Angela Lansbury. (PG, 130 mins)

Against all the odds, this is a very worthy follow-up to the original movie. Blunt is pitch-perfect, as ever, in a film that all but insists you leave with a smile slapped on your face. – Olly Richards, Empire

Director Adam McKay (The Big Short) explores the epic story about how a bureaucratic Washington insider quietly became the most powerful man in the world. Texas Governor George W Bush (Sam Rockwell) picked Dick Cheney (Christian Bale) — then CEO of Halliburton Co. — to be his Republican running mate in the 2000 presidential election. No stranger to politics, Cheney’s impressive résumé included stints as White House Chief of Staff, House Minority Whip, and Defense Secretary. When Bush wins by a narrow margin, Cheney begins to use his newfound power to help reshape the country and the globe in ways that we still feel today. Also starring Amy Adams and Steve Carrell. (R, 132 mins)

Christian Bale really is sensational here. He transforms into Cheney before your eyes. – Andrew Lowry, Empire

Inspired by a true friendship that transcended race, class, and the 1962 Mason-Dixon line. When Tony Lip (Viggo Mortensen), a bouncer from an Italian-American neighborhood in the Bronx, is hired to drive Dr. Don Shirley (Mahershala Ali), a world-class Black pianist, on a concert tour from Manhattan to the Deep South, they must rely on “The Green Book” to guide them to the few establishments that were then safe for African-Americans. Confronted with racism, danger as well as unexpected humanity and humor—they are forced to set aside differences to survive and thrive on the journey of a lifetime. (PG-13, 130 mins)

“The great success of Green Book lies in its modesty, and the straightforward way it recognizes seismic change in the incremental turning of a human heart.” – Ann Hornaday, Washington Post

“Driving Miss Daisy in reverse, focusing on the inevitable fireworks when an elegant black man hires an ill-mannered guy from the Bronx to drive him around the South”. – Peter Debruge, Variety

Set in early-1970s Harlem, daughter and wife-to-be, Tish vividly recalls the passion, respect and trust that have connected her and her artist fiancé Fonny. Friends since childhood, the devoted couple dream of a future together, but their plans are derailed when Fonny is arrested for a crime he did not commit. Through the unique intimacy and power of cinema, If Beale Street Could Talk honors the author’s prescient words and imagery, charting the emotional currents navigated in an unforgiving and racially biased world as the filmmaker poetically crosses time frames to show how love and humanity endure. Directed by Barry Jenkins (Moonlight) and based on the novel written by James Baldwin. (R, 117 mins)

“Much like his previous films as a director, Jenkins’ Beale Street adaptation is a richly layered and beautifully atmospheric work of cinematic poetry.” – Sandy Schaefer, Screen Rant

“This movie works as a timeless romance, a family drama, a legal thriller and a poignant social commentary. A great American novel has been turned into a great American film.” – Richard Roeper, Chicago Sun-Times

Ruth Bader Ginsburg (Felicity Jones) is a struggling attorney and new mother who faces adversity and numerous obstacles in her fight for equal rights. When Ruth takes on a groundbreaking tax case with her husband, attorney Martin Ginsburg (Armie Hammer), she knows it could change the direction of her career and the way the courts view gender discrimination. (PG-13, 120 mins)

“A rather broad biopic, but it beautifully argues the importance of Ginsburg’s work – prior to the Supreme Court – and is a lovely tribute to the woman who would become the Notorious RBG.” – Katie Walsh, Tribune News Service

“I raise a glass to any movie about her, no matter how they tell her story. Long may she reign.” – Rex Reed, Observer

The most personal project to date from Academy Award-winning director and writer Alfonso Cuarón (Gravity, Children of Men, Y Tu Mama Tambien), Roma follows Cleo, a young domestic worker for a family in the middle-class neighborhood of Roma in Mexico City. Delivering an artful love letter to the women who raised him, Cuarón draws on his own childhood to create a vivid and emotional portrait of domestic strife and social hierarchy amidst political turmoil of the 1970s. (R, 135 mins)

Alfonso Cuarón’s masterpiece Roma, an autobiographical movie set in Mexico City in the 1970s, uses both intimacy and monumentality to express the depths of ordinary life. – Manohla Dargis, The NYTimes

Roma is one of the best movies I’ve ever seen, and one of the most moving. – Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal

Monday, January 28th, at 7:15pm

Mal Vincent will introduce his choice for the annual Jewish Film Festival screening at the Naro. In 1947, following the U.N. decision to split British Palestine into separate Jewish and Palestinian states, a former U.S. Army officer is recruited by the Jews to reorganize the Haganah. Featuring Kirk Douglas, Angie Dickinson, Frank Sinatra, and John Wayne. (1966, 146 mins)

ABOUT THE FESTIVAL
As one of the longest-running Jewish film festivals in the country, the mission of the Virginia Festival of Jewish Film, presented by Alma & Howard Laderberg and Patricia & Avraham Ashkenazi, is to educate and engage diverse Tidewater communities, Jewish and non-Jewish alike, by presenting world-class film premieres, repertory cinema, and associated programs that are inspired by Jewish history, heritage, and values.

Our vision is to create shared experiences and connections through film and cultural programs inspired by Jewish legacy and values.

Friday, January 25th, at 9:15pm

In 1997, a major war between the United States and the Soviet Union is concluding, and the entire island of Manhattan has been converted into a giant maximum security prison. When Air Force One is hijacked and crashes into the island, the president (Donald Pleasence) is taken hostage by a group of inmates. Snake Plissken (Kurt Russell), a former Special Forces soldier turned criminal, is recruited to retrieve the president in exchange for his own freedom. (1981, R, 106mins)

Wednesday, February 13th, at 7:15pm

For our 3rd Annual Galentine’s Day Event we bring you this office satire about three fed-up secretaries (Jane Fonda, Dolly Parton, & Lily Tomlin) who decide to get revenge on their “sexist, egotistical, lying, hypocritical bigot” of a boss by kidnapping him and forcing him to create a more efficient and pleasant work environment. (1980, PG, 110mins)

A benefit for the YWCA of South Hampton Roads.