Moxie Mornings: Spring

These hour-long kid-friendly events feature innovative short films and hands-on art-making for children ages 2-6. Admission is FREE and everyone is welcome! Children must be accompanied by an adult.

Spring 2018

Sat. July 28 @ 10 a.m.

Sat. August 11 @ 10 a.m.

Sat. August 25 @ 10 a.m.

Special thanks to the Missouri Arts Council for their support of this program. Support also comes from Mama Jean’s, Discovery Garden Montessori, Bambino’s, Greater Springfield Kids Directory and The Springfield Art Museum.

For information on how to sponsor a Moxie Kids event or to sign up for our Moxie Kids newsletter, email info@moxiecinema.com.

Leaning into the Wind is a vibrant journey through the diverse layers of Andy Goldsworthy’s world. From urban Edinburgh and London to the South of France and New England, each environment he encounters becomes a fresh kaleidoscopic canvas for his art. A lushly-visualized travelogue, Goldsworthy’s work and Thomas Riedelsheimer’s exquisite cinematography redefine landscape and inextricably tie human life to the natural world. [Magnolia Pictures]

The Moxie: On Stage is a new series showcasing world class performances from stages across the globe.

Tickets: $20/adults; $15/members & students.

This series is made possible thanks to a grant from the Springfield Regional Arts Council.

Swan Lake has had a special role in the repertory of The Royal Ballet since 1934.
This Season The Royal Ballet creates a new production with additional choreography by Artist in Residence Liam Scarlett. While remaining faithful to the Petipa-Ivanov text, Scarlett will bring fresh eyes to the staging of this classic ballet, in collaboration with his long-term designer John Macfarlane. Prince Siegfried chances upon a flock of swans while out hunting. When one of the swans turns into a beautiful woman, Odette, he is enraptured. But she is under a spell that holds her captive, allowing her to regain her human form only at night. Swan Lake was Tchaikovsky’s first ballet score. Given its status today as arguably the best loved and most admired of all classical ballets, it is perhaps surprising that at its premiere in 1877 Swan Lake was poorly received. It is thanks to the 1895 production by Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov that Swan Lake has become part of not only ballet consciousness but also wider popular culture. That success is secured not only by the sublime, symphonic sweep of Tchaikovsky’s score, but also by the striking choreographic contrasts between Petipa’s royal palace scenes and the lyric lakeside scenes created by Ivanov.

Staff Picks Series Every month a member of the Moxie staff picks a film that impacted their lives and we put it up on the big screen. July’s pick was made by Shay Rainey. “I wanted to screen this for the Moxie crowd because I think it’s one of the best and least well known movies to come out on the cusp of the 70s cinema revolution, and it’s definitely something for film lovers. Other films like The Last Picture Show, The Godfather, and The Deer Hunter are great examples of American stories being told during the same period that have all the idealism of the 50s juxtaposed with the contemporary reality of war and greed. They Shoot Horses is tough, brilliantly shot, and hosts iconic performances from an ensemble cast. It runs the gamut of emotions, making it a true cinematic treasure. In college I had a class with Dr. Pat Elliot that introduced me to seventies film. Her instruction had a profound influence on me. I’ve been in love with the decade ever since. She had an immeasurable knowledge of film that helped shape her students. This screening is dedicated to her.”

Free for Members

Summary: A total of nine Academy Award nominations went to this wildly acclaimed, allegorical drama set amongst the contestants in a marathon dance contest during the Great Depression. Gig Young stars as Rocky, the obnoxious emcee for a dance marathon that offers prize money of $1,500, a small fortune during hard economic times that brings out the worst in several participants. Among them are Gloria Beatty (Jane Fonda), a malcontent who’s partnered with a drifter, Robert Syverton (Michael Sarrazin); a pregnant farm girl (Bonnie Bedelia) and her husband (Bruce Dern); a sailor (Red Buttons); and an aspiring actress (Susannah York). As the marathon winds into a staggering second month, suspicion, doubt and insecurity rages among the competitors and even the decaying and increasingly manipulative Rocky, leading to a shocking crime.

We’re teaming up with Mother’s Brewing to screen “Dirty Dancing (1987)” in Mother’s Backyard! (215 South Grant Ave.) So bring your blankets and/or lawn chairs to ensure you are comfy during the movie. Better yet, bring your picnic fixins so you can dine outside while watching a great movie! You can’t bring booze, but don’t worry, Mother’s has you covered on that. They will have beer flowing outside so you don’t even have to go inside for a refill during the movie! This is a 21+ event. Tickets are $5 and on sale at the door. Try to bring cash!

Summary: A young girl (Grey) vacationing with her parents in the conservative Catskills falls for the hotel’s maverick dance instructor (Swayze).

Estiu 1993 is part of our In Translation series of recent foreign language films of note.

In the summer 1993, following the death of her parents, six years old Frida moves from Barcelona to the Catalan province to live with her aunt and uncle, who are now her new legal guardians. The country life is a challenge for Frida – time passes differently in her new home and the nature that surrounds her is mysterious and estranging. She now has a little sister for whom she has to take care of and has to deal with new feelings, such as jealousy. Often, Frida is naively convinced that running away would be the best solution to her problems. Yet, the family does what it can to achieve a fragile new balance and bring normality to their life. Occasional family outings to a local fiesta or a swimming pool, cooking or listening to jazz in the garden bring them moments of happiness. Slowly, Frida realizes that she is there to stay and has to adapt to the new environment. Before the season is over, she has to cope with her emotions and her parents have to learn to love her as their own daughter.

John Callahan (Joaquin Phoenix) has a lust for life, a talent for off-color jokes, and a drinking problem. When an all-night bender ends in a catastrophic car accident, the last thing he intends to do is give up drinking. But when he reluctantly enters treatment — with encouragement from his girlfriend (Rooney Mara) and a charismatic sponsor (Jonah Hill) — Callahan discovers a gift for drawing edgy, irreverent newspaper cartoons that develop an international following and grant him a new lease on life.

The Essentials: Musicals
This new quarterly series showcases the “essential” films everyone should see on the big screen. For each month-long program, we’ll screen five films organized by one of the following themes: directors, actors, genres, and eras/movements.

Essential tickets are $9 for Adults, $8 for Students/Seniors and Members get in Free!

Summary: Sally Benson’s short stories about the turn-of-the-century Smith family of St. Louis were tackled by a battalion of MGM screenwriters, who hoped to find a throughline to connect the anecdotal tales. After several false starts (one of which proposed that the eldest Smith daughter be kidnapped and held for ransom), the result was the charming valentine-card musical Meet Me in St. Louis. The plot hinges on the possibility that Alonzo Smith (Leon Ames), the family’s banker father, might uproot the Smiths to New York, scuttling his daughter Esther (Judy Garland)’s romance with boy-next-door John Truett (Tom Drake) and causing similar emotional trauma for the rest of the household. In a cast that includes Mary Astor as Ames’ wife, Lucille Bremer as another Ames daughter, and Marjorie Main as the housekeeper, the most fascinating character is played by 6-year-old Margaret O’Brien. As kid sister Tootie, O’Brien seems morbidly obsessed with death and murder, burying her dolls, “killing” a neighbor at Halloween (she throws flour in the flustered man’s face on a dare), and maniacally bludgeoning her snowmen when Papa announces his plans to move to New York. Margaret O’Brien won a special Oscar for her remarkable performance, prompting Lionel Barrymore to grumble “Two hundred years ago, she would have been burned at the stake!” The songs are a heady combination of period tunes and newly minted numbers by Ralph Blane and Hugh Martin, the best of which are The Boy Next Door, The Trolley Song, and Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas. As a bonus, Meet Me in St. Louis is lensed in rich Technicolor, shown to best advantage in the climactic scenes at the St. Louis World’s Fair of 1904. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Series Lineup:

Aug 5 & 6: Meet Me in St. Louis (1944) Aug. 12 & 13: My Fair Lady (1964) Aug. 19 & 20: The Umbrella of Cherbourg (1964) Aug. 26 & 27: Cabaret (1972) Sept. 2 & 3: Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

Member Picks showcases the movies that inspired the Moxie’s biggest supporters.

Every month, one member picks a film that impacted their lives and we put it up on the big screen.

August’s pick was made by moxie member
Luke Genteman.

Free for Members

Synopsis: In this TV movie, Dennis Weaver is driving down a deserted Southern California highway when he passes a large gas trailer truck. Moments later, the truck dangerously tailgates Weaver before abruptly cutting him off. Weaver and the never-seen truckdriver then engage in a motorized duel … to the death.
4K Restoration

Thirteen-year-old Kayla endures the tidal wave of contemporary suburban adolescence as she makes her way through the last week of middle school—the end of her thus far disastrous eighth grade year—before she begins high school.

An icon of psychedelic pop culture, Yellow Submarine is a colourful musical spectacle and an exhilaratingly joyful cinematic experience for all ages – filled with visual invention, optical illusions, word play, and glorious, glorious music. Once upon a time….or maybe twice….there was an unearthly paradise called Pepperland, 80,000 leagues under the sea it lay, a place where beauty, happiness, and music reign supreme. But this peaceful harmony is shattered when the Blue Meanies invade with their army of storm bloopers, apple bonkers, snapping turtle turks, and the menacing flying glove in an attempt to stop the music and drain Pepperland of all colour and hope. So it’s The Beatles to the rescue, as our animated heroes team up with Young Fred and the Nowhere Man and journey across seven seas to free Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, make peace with the Meanies, and restore music, colour, and love to the world. But beyond all the glorious music, Yellow Submarine is a landmark in animation, with Heinz Edelmann’s inspired art direction conjuring up a non-stop parade of wildly different styles and techniques. From the paper-doll residents of Pepperland, to the tinted photography of the soot covered roofs and smokestacks Liverpool, the menagerie of fanciful characters in the Sea of Monsters, the kaleidoscopic colour-splashed rotoscoping of Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds, the vertigo inducing op-art of the Sea of Holes, and the triumphant euphony of the It’s All Too Much finale, the film is simply a joy.

The Essentials: Musicals
This new quarterly series showcases the “essential” films everyone should see on the big screen. For each month-long program, we’ll screen five films organized by one of the following themes: directors, actors, genres, and eras/movements.

Essential tickets are $9 for Adults, $8 for Students/Seniors and Members get in Free!

Summary: A snobbish phonetics professor agrees to a wager that he can take a flower girl and make her presentable in high society.

Series Lineup:
Aug 5 & 6: Meet Me in St. Louis (1944)
Aug. 12 & 13: My Fair Lady (1964)
Aug. 19 & 20: The Umbrella of Cherbourg (1964)
Aug. 26 & 27: Cabaret (1972)
Sept. 2 & 3: Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

These FREE screenings are part of MOXIE FLIX, a monthly series focusing on essential films for kids to see before they turn 13.

Summary:A madcap heiress upsets the staid existence of a straitlaced scientist. [TCM.com]

A thorough, spoiler-filled Parent’s Guide can be found here.

Made possible thanks to a generous grant from the Missouri Arts Council.

The Essentials: Musicals
This new quarterly series showcases the “essential” films everyone should see on the big screen. For each month-long program, we’ll screen five films organized by one of the following themes: directors, actors, genres, and eras/movements.

Essential tickets are $9 for Adults, $8 for Students/Seniors and Members get in Free!

Summary:
A young woman separated from her lover by war faces a life-altering decision.

The angelically beautiful Catherine Deneuve was launched to stardom by this dazzling musical heart-tugger from Jacques Demy. She plays an umbrella-shop owner’s delicate daughter, glowing with first love for a handsome garage mechanic, played by Nino Castelnuovo. When the boy is shipped off to fight in Algeria, the two lovers must grow up quickly. Exquisitely designed in a kaleidoscope of colors, and told entirely through lilting songs by the great composer Michel Legrand, The Umbrellas of Cherbourg is one of the most revered and unorthodox movie musicals of all time.

Series Lineup:
Aug 5 & 6: Meet Me in St. Louis (1944)
Aug. 12 & 13: My Fair Lady (1964)
Aug. 19 & 20: The Umbrella of Cherbourg (1964)
Aug. 26 & 27: Cabaret (1972)
Sept. 2 & 3: Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

Staff Picks Series
Every month a member of the Moxie staff picks a film that impacted their lives and we put it up on the big screen.
August’s pick was made by Catie Bankston.

Free for Members

Summary: Among the most important documentaries ever made, The Thin Blue Line, by Errol Morris, erases the border between art and activism. A work of meticulous journalism and gripping drama, it recounts the disturbing tale of Randall Dale Adams, a drifter who was charged with the murder of a Dallas police officer and sent to death row, despite evidence that he did not commit the crime. Incorporating stylized reenactments, penetrating interviews, and haunting original music by Philip Glass, Morris uses cinema to build a case forensically while effortlessly entertaining his viewers. The Thin Blue Line effected real-world change, proving film’s power beyond the shadow of a doubt.

The Essentials: Musicals

This new quarterly series showcases the “essential” films everyone should see on the big screen. For each month-long program, we’ll screen five films organized by one of the following themes: directors, actors, genres, and eras/movements.

Essential tickets are $9 for Adults, $8 for Students/Seniors and Members get in Free!

Summary: A female girlie club entertainer in Weimar Republic era Berlin romances two men while the Nazi Party rises to power around them.

Cabaret (1972) is director/choreographer Bob Fosse’s defining, decadent, award-winning musical which popularized the phrase: “Life is a Cabaret.” It was only Fosse’s second film, but won numerous accolades (and was a financial and artistic hit), and has been viewed in retrospect as the only truly great musical of the 1970s.

The boundary-pushing film, with themes of corruption, sexual ambiguity and false dreams, was adapted from the grim 1966 Tony-winning Broadway stage production, which was in turn inspired by gay author Christopher Isherwood’s 1945 Berlin Stories (including 1939’s short story Goodbye to Berlin) and John Van Druten’s 1951 play and movie I Am a Camera (1955, UK).

Series Lineup:
Aug 5 & 6: Meet Me in St. Louis (1944)
Aug. 12 & 13: My Fair Lady (1964)
Aug. 19 & 20: The Umbrella of Cherbourg (1964)
Aug. 26 & 27: Cabaret (1972)
Sept. 2 & 3: Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

We’re teaming up with Mother’s Brewing to screen “Jurassic Park (1993)” in Mother’s Backyard! (215 South Grant Ave.) So bring your blankets and/or lawn chairs to ensure you are comfy during the movie. Better yet, bring your picnic fixins so you can dine outside while watching a great movie! You can’t bring booze, but don’t worry, Mother’s has you covered on that. They will have beer flowing outside so you don’t even have to go inside for a refill during the movie! This is a 21+ event. Tickets are $5 and on sale at the door. Try to bring cash!

Summary: Featuring incredible special effects and action-packed drama, Jurassic Park takes you to a remote island where an amazing theme park with living dinosaurs is about to turn deadly, as five people must battle to survive among the prehistoric predators. [Universal Pictures]

Captured live from the National Theatre in London, this critically acclaimed production directed by Marianne Elliot (Angels in America, War Horse) has astonished audiences around the world and has received seven Olivier and five Tony Awards®.

Christopher, fifteen years old, stands beside Mrs Shears’ dead dog. It has been speared with a garden fork, it is seven minutes after midnight and Christopher is under suspicion. He records each fact in the book he is writing to solve the mystery of who murdered Wellington. He has an extraordinary brain, exceptional at maths while ill-equipped to interpret everyday life. He has never ventured alone beyond the end of his road, he detests being touched and he distrusts strangers. But his detective work, forbidden by his father, takes him on a frightening journey that upturns his world.

The Essentials: Musicals

This new quarterly series showcases the “essential” films everyone should see on the big screen. For each month-long program, we’ll screen five films organized by one of the following themes: directors, actors, genres, and eras/movements.

Essential tickets are $9 for Adults, $8 for Students/Seniors and Members get in Free!

Summary: From the dark, gothic imagination of director Tim Burton comes Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, a bloody tale of music, murder, melodrama, meat pies, and one man’s desperate desire for revenge. (Paramount Pictures)

Series Lineup:
Aug 5 & 6: Meet Me in St. Louis (1944)
Aug. 12 & 13: My Fair Lady (1964)
Aug. 19 & 20: The Umbrella of Cherbourg (1964)
Aug. 26 & 27: Cabaret (1972)
Sept. 2 & 3: Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

These FREE screenings are part of MOXIE FLIX, a monthly series focusing on essential films for kids to see before they turn 13.

Summary: This romantic musical update of ‘Romeo and Juliet’ won ten Oscars. The tale of a turf war between rival teenage gangs in Manhattan’s Hell’s Kitchen and the two lovers who cross battle lines has captivated audiences for four decades. The Stephen Sondheim/Leonard Bernstein score is just one of the reasons.

A thorough, spoiler-filled Parent’s Guide can be found here.

Made possible thanks to a generous grant from the Missouri Arts Council.

Little Miss Sunshine is an American family road comedy that shatters the mold. Brazenly satirical and yet deeply human, the film introduces audiences to one of the most endearingly fractured families in recent cinema history: the Hoovers, whose trip to a pre-pubescent beauty pageant results not only in comic mayhem but in death, transformation and a moving look at the surprising rewards of being losers in a winning-crazed culture. (Fox Searchlight Pictures)

These FREE screenings are part of MOXIE FLIX, a monthly series focusing on essential films for kids to see before they turn 13.

Film Synopsis: You’re in for thrills as Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford) confronts snakes, Nazis and one astonishing cliffhanger after another — all topped off by the discovery and opening of the mystical Ark of the Covenant. [Paramount Pictures] A thorough, spoiler-filled Parent’s Guide can be found here.

Made possible thanks to a generous grant from the Missouri Arts Council.