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Week of September 22nd, 2023
Melissa Tamminga
Hello, friends! It’s great to be back in Bellingham after a whirlwind of a trip to the lovely city of Toronto for the Toronto International Film Festival. I managed to watch 29 films over the span of 8 days, a lovely mix of smaller indie and international films, prestige arthouse films, and rousing crowd-pleasers, and I’m eager to get many of these films on Pickford screens. |
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A Compassionate Spy is the new documentary from Steve James and Kartemquin Films (Hoop Dreams, The Interrupters, Life Itself), and it's the utterly fascinating real-life espionage story of Manhattan Project scientist Ted Hall, who, unlike Robert Oppenheimer (whose ethics were a bit muddier), became convinced that the nuclear weapon would be disastrous for the whole world, and so in an effort to take the power out of just one country's hands, he decided to take the radical step of giving nuclear secrets to the Soviet Union, thus changing the course of nuclear history. He believed, rightly or wrongly, that if both countries had the weapon, no one would want to use it. He was ultimately suspected of espionage and questioned repeatedly by the FBI, but they were never able to prove what they suspected, and the secret of what he'd done was kept by just him and his wife for many years. It's a film that tackles more of the explicit ethics of the bomb that Christopher Nolan’s film Oppenheimer leaves out or only hints at, and it’s a film that puts us as audience members in a truly interesting "what would I have done??" position: choose "patriotism" and country -- or make the "compassionate" choice you believe will save humanity and betray your country's secrets to the "enemy"? It’s a film that’s sure to prompt questions and discussions and would certainly make a fantastic double feature with Oppenheimer itself, both films covering the multi-faceted, complicated history from different angles. |
We also have three special events this week you won’t want to miss: the irrepressible Jack Black in School of Rock for our Kid Pickford selection on Saturday afternoon (1:30) and evening (10 pm); Nothing’s For Free, a heart-pounding documentary about the birth and legacy of freeride mountain biking, playing Sunday at 4:30; and on Thursday Sept. 28, The Engine Inside, a documentary about the “unique power of the bicycle to change lives and build a better world,” a special showing for Climate Action Week and sponsored by Walk and Roll Bellingham. Attendees to Engine Inside will be entered into a raffle with a chance to win some wonderful prizes (including a bike!). Finally, don’t miss the last chances to see the delightful heart-warmer Scrapper, playing just Saturday and Sunday; Barbie, which will be leaving our screens very soon; and Theatre Camp, for its final week. See you at the movies, friends! Melissa |
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1318 Bay St
Bellingham, WA 98225
Office | 360.647.1300
Movie line | 360.738.0735
Mailing Address
PO Box 2521
Bellingham, WA 98227