Scottsdale International Film Festival 2009

SERIOUS MOONLIGHT, from a screenplay by Adrienne Shelly (Waitress), marks the directorial debut of actress Cheryl Hines. High-powered Manhattan lawyer Louise (Meg Ryan) is touched when she comes home for the weekend to her upstate getaway house to find it strewn with rose petals by Ian, (Timothy Hutton) her husband of 13 years. Unfortunately, as Louise quickly discovers, Ian is not expecting her and has laid out the spread for his much younger girlfriend (Kristen Bell) who was meeting him for a secret getaway. In fact, he’s in the process of writing Louise a letter explaining his intention to leave her for good. But Louise has other plans--one thing leads to another, and Ian soon finds himself held captive by an oddly cool Louise who calmly explains that she won't release him until he professes his love for her and commits to working on their marriage together. And when Ian’s impatient mistress shows up, not to mention an opportunistic gardener (Justin Long), that’s where things start to get really weird.

Sterling Beeaff from KBAQ 89.5 FM will moderate a post-film discussion with the audience regarding Bach and his music. Bach's music is brought to life with a surreal and delightful blend of documentary, drama, and fantasy. Visionary director Pere Portabella contemplates the ways in which classical music pervades the contemporary world and its physical landscape. Startling moments from Bach's life are vividly juxtaposed with a series of skits—a truck driver discusses the music's finer points; an orchestra of cellists plays a suite on a subway car. THE SILENCE BEFORE BACH is a "cool, deliberate film suggesting that Bach's music is the quintessence of European civilization. At once cerebral film essay and unsweetened ear candy, Portabella's film is nearly as tough to categorize as its maker" ~ Village Voice Sponsored by: KBAQ 89.5 FM