cinema chat: Restored 'Metropolis' with live organ accompaniment highlights the week in movies

But please, clear your head of the hockey musical and keep the following films in mind as you listen for the buzz coming out of Toronto: “Black Swan,” Darren Aronofsky’s film that is already benefiting from strong buzz from the Venice Film Festival; “The King’s Speech,” starring Colin Firth in a WWII-era historical drama; “The Town,” directed by and starring Ben Affleck in a crime drama; “127 Hours, ” from Danny Boyle, the director of 2009’s indie blockbuster “Slumdog Millioniare”; “Tabloid,” a documentary film from Oscar-winner Errol Morris about a former Miss Wyoming whose life clearly goes out of control; and “Brighton Rock,” from the producer of “Atonement,” a British tale of intrigue and romance that follows a working-class gangster (Sam Riley). We can look forward to reports from Ann Arbor.com and 107one’s Martin Bandyke when he returns from his annual pilgrimage to the Toronto Film Festival.

Opening at the multiplex “Flipped,” the coming-of-age story shot by director Rob Reiner around our area last year, finally opens here at Rave and Brighton. Reviews so far have ranged from very positive to quite negative.

“The Virginity Hit” stars Zack Pearlman, an Ann Arbor native, who you may have seen in the mid-2000s in Pioneer High School or Burns Park Players productions. He got this big-time Hollywood break through an audition video he did for the Internet comedy site Funny Or Die. This film has a very positive advance “buzz.” It strikes a balance between hard-R comedy and a genuine coming-of-age film. Four friends use a video camera and their Internet savvy to chronicle their buddy's attempt to lose his virginity. Produced by Will Ferrell and Adam McKay and directed by Huck Botko and Andrew Gurland, who are like the Duplass Brothers (“Cyrus”) of truly unnerving independent comedy. It screens Friday at Rave Motion Pictures.

“Resident Evil: Afterlife” was director by Paul W.S. Anderson and stars Milla Jovovich, Ali Larter, Wentworth Miller. As fans of the video game will expect, the T-Virus continues to spread and Alice (Jovovich) continues her mission to find survivors. Her goal is to keep them safe from the undead and to take down the Umbrella Corporation. Reteaming with Claire (Larter), Alice makes a dangerous journey to a new city that is said to be a safe haven: Los Angeles. Oh, by the way, this version of “Resident Evil” is in 3-D, but early reports from ComicCon indicate the 3-D may not add much to the “Afterlife” experience.

Playing downtown at the Michigan

“Farewell” is a critic’s favorite as typified by this review from Variety: “Astonishing…like any good thriller, this is the story of deceptions within deceptions. It’s juicy, fascinating stuff.” It opens Friday, September 10 at the Michigan Theater. In this thinking man's spy thriller, KGB agent Sergei Grigoriev (Emir Kusturica) plans to hand over hard evidence that proves the depth of his agency's penetration of U.S. intelligence, in a one-man crusade to bring down the Soviet empire. French engineer Pierre Froment (Guillaume Canet) is drawn into this web of espionage against his will, but proves a surprisingly resourceful operative in the process.

A special presentation of “Metropolis” will feature live musical accompaniment by Dr. Steven Ball, just back from his sold-out performance of “Metropolis” at the Tampa Theatre in Florida. This version of “Metropolis” is newly restored and will be screened just twice at the Michigan, Sunday, September 12, 1:30 and Tuesday, September 14, 7:00. One of the most famous and influential of all silent-era films; German director Fritz Lang's masterpiece has been restored with 25 minutes of recently discovered film footage. Advance tickets for “Metropolis” are available at online at Ticketweb.

“The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari,” another classic of German expressionist cinema, will be shown for one screening only Monday, September 13 at 7 p.m. Presented with live organ accompaniment by Steve Warner, it is a 1920s masterpiece by director Robert Wiene. Even today it astonishes with the power of its visual design and the twists and turns of its fascinating plot.

The Sustainability Film Series continues at the Michigan Theater with “Carbon Nation,” a documentary film about climate change solutions, on Wednesday, September 15 at 7 p.m.

Russ Collins is executive director of the Michigan Theater in Ann Arbor. Tune in to the audio version of “Cinema Chat” on WEMU radio (89.1-FM) each Thursday at 7:40 AM and 5:40 PM, or listen to it online at WEMU's web site.