The Woman Who Loves Giraffes and more…

We have just made arrangements to reschedule The Woman Who Loves Giraffes, which had been dropped from our calendar due to the global pandemic. The Woman Who Loved Giraffes and Corpus Christi will both open on Friday. We’ll have more on these films later this week. You can still see The Whistlers and/or Once Were Brothers this week in our new virtual screening room.

When you purchase a ticket to watch a Ryder film you will receive a confirmation in your inbox. Hold on to that email. If you’d like to order dinner while you watch your film, our friends at Bucceto’s will offer Ryder filmgoers a 20% discount. Be sure to let them know when you call in your order that you’ll be using your Ryder discount and show them your ticket confirmation when you pick up dinner. (East Side Restaurant 812 331-1234; West Side Restaurant 812 323-0123) The discount is valid one time only within five days from the date you purchase your ticket.

Becky Wann, who is a long-time supporter of the film series, is working with the Bloomington Quilters Guild and other local volunteers making face masks. To date they have made 1400 masks and delivered 985. Here is a link to their site.

Virtual Film Screenings

We mentioned earlier this week that we have been talking to film distributors about creative ways to bring films to Bloomington in this time of social distancing. We’re happy to report that we have rescheduled three films that were cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic.   We will be hosting virtual screenings of Once Were Brothers, The Whistlers and Corpus Christi. You can see Once Were Brothers and The Whistlers right now; Corpus Christi will open next weekend. You can scroll down to read more about each film.

Here’s a heads up: these films are priced at $12. At first look, this might seem more expensive than a typical Ryder movie. That said, some of you – perhaps most of you – will be watching the film with one other person. Actually, that $12 ticket price would cover as many people as you can fit on your couch. In any event, ticket pricing is determined by the distributor.  And consequently Ryder semester passes will not work. We will offer pro-rated refunds or credit toward another semester pass as soon as we begin screening films in person again.  

We are not suggesting that virtual screenings can ever replace the communal experience of watching a film in a theater. But there are certain advantages. Chances are there is plenty of free parking in your driveway. You can take your shoes off. Hey, you can take all of your clothes off. And there’s no gum on the seats! At least we hope not.

Stay safe. Be smart. Chins up.

Once Were Brothers: Robbie Robertson and The Band Anyone who was a fan of The Band or has an interest in Americana will want to see Once Were Brothers. The story of Bob Dylan’s one time legendary backup band is a colorful, cautionary tale. Simply called The Band, they would become one of the most influential ensembles in music history. Robbie Robertson serves as tour guide. Interviews with Bruce Springsteen, Martin Scorsese, Eric Clapton, Van Morrison and George Harrison are combined with a terrific storytelling arc, a treasure trove of archival footage and, naturally, those iconic songs.

The Whistlers In a delightful twist, acclaimed Romanian director Corneliu Porumboiu, whose inventive comedies such as Police, Adjective and The Treasure have brought deadpan charm and political perceptiveness to his country’s cinematic renaissance, has made his first all-out genre film—a clever, swift, and elegant neo-noir with a wonderfully off-kilter central conceit.

Bucharest police detective Cristi is equally at home on both sides of the law. He is simultaneously investigating, and involved in, an ingenious criminal scheme involving a stash of Euros hidden in a mattress and a sultry femme fatale named, of course, Gilda. His investigation takes him to one of the Canary Islands, where he learns a clandestine, tribal language, comprised entirely out of whistling. This secret method of communication will keep his superiors off his trail.  The eternally stoic Vlad Ivanov stars in Corneliu Porumboiu’s take on the crime drama furthers his explorations of the intricacies and limitations of language, but is also his most playful, even exuberant, film.

If the Coen Brothers were Romanian, they might have made The Whistlers. –A.O. Scott, The New York Times

Corpus Christi (Body of Christ) After spending years in a Warsaw juvenile prison, 20-year-old Daniel is released and sent to a remote village to work in a sawmill. But Daniel has a higher calling. Over the course of his incarceration he has found Christ, and aspires to join the clergy – but his criminal record means no seminary will accept him. When Daniel arrives in town, one quick lie allows him to be mistaken for the town’s new priest, and he sets about leading his newfound flock. Though he has no training, his passion and charisma inspire the community. At the same time, his unconventional sermons and unpriestly behavior raise suspicions among some of the townsfolk – even more so as he edges towards a dark secret that the community hasn’t revealed in the confessional booth. Academy Award Nominee: Best International Feature Film

why the ryder needs your support

Our business plan for the past 40 years has been pretty simple: the magazine would always be free and supported by paid advertising. That formula is no longer possible. We have suspended publication of our print edition during the pandemic. We will continue to publish electronically – but without paid advertising. The display ads that you will see when you flip through the current issue of the magazine are published at no cost to the advertiser. And while it is true that by publishing electronically we are avoiding a printing bill, we do have other monthly expenses.

The Ryder Film Series, which in the past has supported the magazine during lean times (the 2008 recession comes to mind), has financial challenges of its own. (Watching films in our virtual theater is a nice alternative while we shelter-in-place, but it will never replace the experience of watching a film in a theater with friends and neighbors; virtual ticket sales reflect the difference.)

And so if you read an article that you like or just want to support locally produced, independent journalism, please consider making a donation. With your donation to The Ryder, you can designate a community organization of your choice and we can reciprocate, in a small way, by offering them complimentary space in the magazine to promote their own project or fundraiser. No amount is too small. A donation of any amount is greatly appreciated.