Today's Date: Monday, February 8, 2010

Film: Major Events
Include Intermediate Events  or Minor Events

Bayou Bijou: Ballast LA. Mon 2/08/2010 | more info 7:00 PM. "This austere, rigorous film has a sense of place, a feeling for reality so compelling it makes us feel like we're living it, not just watching on a screen" (Kenneth Turan, LOS ANGELES TIMES). BALLAST, our Black History Month special selection, set in the Mississippi delta, is a film of great humanity and beauty. Without major stars or a lineup of recognizable pop songs on its soundtrack, this film nevertheless is as absorbing as it is touching on every level. Written, edited, and even distributed by its director, it's both a great story of compassion and a fine demonstration that auteurism is still alive and well. Director: Lance Hamner. 2008. 96 min. Not Rated. 4 pm and 7 pm. $3 ($2 for UL students with school ID). Enjoy the Bayou Bijou Film Series of ten international classics for the season ticket price of $20. You may purchase season tickets at the door, at the UL Student Union Information Desk, or by mailing a check payable to "Student Union" with your name, address, phone number, and email address to UL Lafayette Student Union, Bayou Bijou, P.O. Box 40400, Lafayette, LA 70504. Deadline Feb. 8. UL Student Union, 600 McKinley St., Lafayette, LA Parish. More Information: (337) 482-6940, ,

Bayou Bijou: Mad Detective Lafayette. Mon 2/22/2010 | more info 7:00 PM. He is mad, and he is a detective (whose dementia allows him to solve crimes as if by magic!), and there's plenty of mystery, light-hearted violence, and visual style afoot in another wacky bang-up job by our favorite Hong Kong actioneer. Don't get here late, or you'll miss the great (don't try this at home!) detective-in-a-suitcase scene! Directors: Johnny To and Ka-Fai Wai. Hong Kong. 2007. 89 min. Not Rated. 4 pm and 7 pm. $3 ($2 for UL students with school ID). UL Student Union, 600 McKinley St., LA Parish. More Information: (337) 482-6940, ,

Bayou Bijou: Encounters at the End of the World Lafayette. Mon 3/08/2010 | more info 7:00 PM. The director of FITZCARRALDO; AGUIRRE, THE WRATH OF GOD; and MY BEST FRIEND has returned with another delicious, visually hypnotic documentary, ENCOUNTERS AT THE END OF THE WORLD. This time it's an essay on the people who live and work in Antarctica, both above and below the ice. The project is taken to another level (literally and figuatively) by the music and underwater photography of rock guitarist/cinematographer Henry Kaiser (who produced the film, scored its music, and filmed the great underwater-cathedral scenes beneath the ice cap). Nevertheless, as always, it's Werner Herzog's genius for discovering unsuspected nuances of character in the psychologies attracted to the edges, borderlands, and extremities of experience of all sorts that makes the film the memorable thing it is. Director: Werner Herzog. USA. 2007. 99 min. Rated G. 4 pm and 7 pm. $3 ($2 for UL students with school ID). UL Student Union, 600 McKinley St., Lafayette Parish. More Information: (337) 482-6940, ,

Bayou Bijou: Jar City Lafayette. Mon 3/15/2010 | more info 7:00 PM. Andrew Sarris called JAR CITY "One of the most mesmerizing movies of the year," and we've been eagerly waiting for this fine Icelandic detective fiction to become available. Here it is at last. Based on Arnaldur Indrithason's novel MYRIN, the story of the investigation of an old man's murder leads to remarkable discoveries that involve not only his own dubious history, but also the extraordinary access into the genetic storehouse of the Icelandic people that has been granted to the DeCode Corporation. Director Baltasar Kormakur also made the excellent 101 REYKJAVIK and is an emerging star of Scandinavian cinema. Director: Baltasar Kormakur. Iceland, Germany, and Denmark. 2006. 93 min. Rated PG-13. 4 pm and 7 pm. $3 ($2 for UL students with school ID). UL Student Union, 600 McKinley St., Lafayette Parish. More Information: (337) 482-6940, ,

Bayou Bijou: Wendy and Lucy Lafayette. Mon 3/22/2010 | more info 7:00 PM. An 80-minute film about enduring dismay, WENDY AND LUCY is a sad road-trip tale described by its director as "a post-Katrina story." Michelle Williams stars as a waif-like traveller/vagabond searching for her dog, a job, and (perhaps) a place of comfort and solace in the world. If it were shorter one might overlook it; if it were longer one wouldn't be able to bear it. As it stands, it is another indication that Kelly Reichardt (OLD JOY) is a singularly dedicated to serious realistic film in the tradition of Vittorio De Sica and Roberto Rossellini--some of the highest praise one can offer any director. Director: Kelly Reichardt. USA. 2008. 80 min. Rated R. 4 pm and 7 pm. $3 ($2 for UL students with school ID) UL Student Union,, 600 McKinley St., Lafayette Parish. More Information: (337) 482-6940, ,

Bayou Bijou: Gomorrah Lafayette. Mon 4/12/2010 | more info 7:00 PM. Winner of a huge pile of international awards (including the 2008 Grand Prix at Cannes), this film about Sicilian gangster life has a big share of violence (though it's not rated, we don't recommend it for children), but also builds a terrific intensity through old-fashioned, nerve-wringing suspense. Spreading itself over the lives of a variety of poor folks, businessmen, and criminals (some of whom fit several of these categories), the film manages to be both exciting and touching. And even its musical score is enough to scare most people. Director: Matteo Garrone. Italy. 2008. 137 min. Not Rated. 4 pm and 7 pm. $3 ($2 for UL students with student ID) UL Student Union,, 600 McKinley St., Lafayette Parish. More Information: (337) 482-6940, ,

Bayou Bijou: Slim Susie Lafayette. Mon 4/19/2010 | more info 7:00 PM. SLIM SUSIE is a few years older than Bayou Bijou's usual fare, but we have to admit it just got by us, passing without fanfare or much commercial publicity. It turns out to be great fun on a number of levels. It starts as one of those slick voice-over Euro postmodern hipster flicks, turns into a fine comedy, and winds up as a first-class mystery. It's full of quirky twists, puzzling moments, and adorable acting--the most impressive (and adorable) being Susie herself, played to the round-eyed hilt by Tuva Novotny, whose career is presently spiralling upwards. Director: Ulf Mamros. Sweden. 2003. 97 min. Not Rated. 4 pm and 7 pm. $3 ($2 for UL students with student ID) UL Student Union, 600 McKinley St., Lafayette County, Lou. More Information: (337) 482-6906, ,

Acadiana Film Festival Lafayette. Thu 9/23/2010 - Sun 9/26/2010 | more info The Acadiana Film Festival explores the intersection between entertainment and technology, while concentrating motion pictures and music production. The festival takes place primarily in downtown Lafayette with a variety of film screenings, panel discussions, workshops & demonstrations, music concerts, social and professional networking and parties.Downtown Lafayette,