Due to an overwhelmingly full schedule, we were unable to give Metropolis a good showtime for this week. We decided to push it back, and it will open with us on August 6th instead of July 30th. Stay tuned to our website for the showtimes when they are added early next week.
Living Room Theaters invites you and a guest to an advance screening of the new murder mystery, THE OXFORD MURDERS starring Elijah Wood and John Hurt. Wednesday, August 4 at 7:00 pm. You can download your free pass below.
Based on the novel by Guillermo Martinez, The Oxford Murders stars Elijah Wood as Martin, an American grad student who comes to Oxford so that he can study with renowned professor Arthur Seldom (John Hurt). However, Seldom actually turns out to be a bit difficult and he belittles Martin in front of a lecture audience.
However, Martin and Seldom find themselves thrown together when they stumble upon the murder of Martin’s landlady (Anna Massey) and discover that the murderer left a note with mathematical symbols on it. It quickly becomes clear that hers is the first in a series of increasingly bizarre murders, with each victim’s corpse marked by strange symbols. Professor and student join forces to try and crack the code, setting into motion an elaborate game with the killer with ever-increasing stakes. As Martin gets closer to the facts, he grows increasingly unhinged from his grasp on the world around him.
THE OXFORD MURDERS begins a regular run on August 6 at Living Room.
Download your pass HERE
Please note: Please arrive earlier as admission is limited and NOT guaranteed.
The Italian melodrama, I AM LOVE is now playing at Living Room Theaters. The film, starring the radiant Tilda Swinton, is easily the most stylish, sensual film released this year. The film plays through Thursday at 12:00, 5:00, and 7:30. Beginning Friday showtimes are daily at 2:00, 4:30, 7:00, and 9:40. Below is a sampling of the rave reviews the film has garnered.
Variety – Jay Weissberg, “In every sense, I Am Love is a stunning achievement.”
New York Observer – Rex Reed, “I Am Love fuses the past with the changing future in a marvelous traditional narrative without a shred of the sloppy trends of contemporary filmmaking.”
Village Voice - Melissa Anderson, “When Guadagnino focuses solely on the primal, the effect is spellbinding. Only the words get in the way.”
Chicago Sun-Times – Roger Ebert, “An amazing film. It is deep, rich, human. It is not about rich and poor, but about old and new. It is about the ancient war between tradition and feeling.”
The New Yorker – Anthony Lane, “The movie that we do have is cogent, lavish, and formidable enough, with a Recchi-like power to frighten and seduce.”
The New York Times – Manohla Dargis, “Often soaringly beautiful melodrama.”
Chicago Reader – J.R. Jones, “The grand architecture of Milan and the icy rhythms of composer John Adams set the tone for this elegant Italian drama about the suffocating power of family, wealth, and tradition.”
It just happened. We had placed a call to Warner Brothers to inquire about booking some of their upcoming films, and somehow missed the message that someone from Warner Brothers had actually already called us earlier that same morning. The reason: They wanted to know if we’d book “Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore” in 3D. Regal’s Pioneer Place location has recently added a single 3D screen, but had already committed to opening Disney’s “Step Up 3D” the week following the open of “Cats & Dogs”. This left Warner Brothers in the tough situation of only getting single week play in 3D at Pioneer Place. So they called us. Done deal – we’re opening the film on July 30th in 3D.
A "spy" dog in action.
This is definitely a departure for us in terms of the types of movies we’ve been playing, and no we’re not “selling out” or changing our focus or commitment from quality independent and foreign titles. Most people are surprised to learn that in the process of booking films there is a somewhat pre-determined pecking order as to what locations can actually book what films. Just because we wanted to play Inception (also from Warner Brothers) didn’t mean we could. Regal got it. They get to open most movies because they are a giant corporation with near monopoly position here in Portland (and lots of other cities). It is a very competitive and tough business – one where the big corporations (including the studios) hardly ever want to play fair.
We are trying to strike a balance between having a mainstream movie or two and the rest of the more “art” or “indie” movies that everyone has come to appreciate watching on our screens. This necessitates us establishing a track record with the major studios any way we can, and “Cats & Dogs” was an opportunity for us to further that goal with Warner Brothers. There’s a certain boy-wizard series finale opening in November that we’d like to get a shot at in 3D on our screens.
Who's got their paw on the button
Having said all that, there is definitely an audience out there for “Cats and Dogs”. My mom was excited to hear we’d be playing it, and my 9-year old nephew will appreciate seeing it in what he thinks is the most comfortable theater in all of Portland. We need your help in supporting the “little guy” – the local business (that would be us) – by telling your friends and family that there’s another family oriented movie opening at Living Room. Take advantage of one of the lowest priced 3D tickets with the best 3D system in all of Portland and help us show the big corporations that there is something to be said for a small movie theater with class, comfort, and real food.
As always, we value feedback from our customers. In order to continue to be a viable theater that is able to show the small indie, art, and foreign movies, we need an occasional mainstream hit to help us balance out the books, and keep the lights on. What do you think of the few family oriented films we’ve managed to “steal” away from Regal like “Shrek” and “Toy Story”?
The lush, romantic and stirring I AM LOVE starring the tantalizing Tilda Swinton begins Friday at Living Room. This lavish, sprawling drama from filmmaker Luca Guadagnino has drawn numerous comparisons to the films of Luchino Visconti for the grace with which it plumbs the inner workings of the Italian upper crust and those of Douglas Sirk for its romantic melodrama. Swinton plays Emma the dedicated matriach of the wealthy Recchi 
family, whose lives’ are undergoing sweeping changes. Eduardo Sr., the family patriarch, has decided to name a successor to the reigns of his massive industrial company, surprising everyone by splitting power between his son Tancredi, and grandson Edo.
But Edo dreams of opening a restaurant with his friend Antonio, a handsome and talented chef. Emma’s, existence is shocked to the core when she falls quickly and deeply in love with Antonio, and embarks on a passionate love affair that will change her family forever.
JOAN RIVERS: A PIECE OF WORK begins Friday at Living Room Theaters. The documentary follows the great comedienne through a year of her life as she deals with private, career setbacks and emotional baggage. Filmed as a cinema verite documentary, the film reveals a rare glimpse of the comedic process and the toxic mixture of self-doubt and anger that often fuels it.
Watch the trailer HERE.
2012: A Time For Change begins at Living Room Friday, July 2. Special Q&A panels will take place at the 7:00 pm shows on Friday and Saturday. Friday’s panel features Paul Levy of Awaken in the Dream and Eden Sky author of The 13-Moon Natural Time Calendar. Saturday’s panel features Levy, Sky and Bruce Podobnik of City Repair.
2012: Time for Change presents an optimistic alternative to apocalyptic doom and gloom. Directed by Emmy Award nominee João Amorim, the film follows journalist Daniel Pinchbeck, author of the bestselling “2012: The Return of Quetzalcoatl,” on a quest for a new paradigm that integrates the archaic wisdom of tribal cultures with the scientific method. As conscious agents of evolution, we can redesign post-industrial society on ecological principles to make a world that works for all. Rather than breakdown and barbarism, 2012 heralds the birth of a regenerative planetary culture where collaboration replaces competition, where exploration of psyche and spirit becomes the new cutting edge, replacing the sterile materialism that has pushed our world to the brink.