MARTINI MADNESS CELEBRATES
BLACK HISTORY MONTH

Enjoy a movie and your favorite martinis
made with SKYY for $3.50.

Martinis served starting at 8:30PM.
Screenings commence at 9:00PM.

(Please Note: The movie selection is subject to change without prior notice.)

ALI (2001)
February 7, 2012

Float like a butterfly and sting like a bee.

Starring
WILL SMITH
JAMIE FOXX   JON VOIGHT

Directed by
MICHAEL MANN

Ali is a rush of charm, violence, and well-crafted mythmaking sure to enthrall. From the unforgettable surge of the opening--a 10-minute montage of sheer brilliance where formative scenes from the early life of Cassius Clay float along on the rapture of a live performance by Sam Cooke in a Harlem nightclub--through to Muhammad Ali's departure for Zaire to fight George Foreman, Michael Mann's homage is mostly crisp and fleet-footed.

As Clay/Ali, Will Smith acquits himself marvelously due in large part to his uncanny re-creation of Ali's most famous weapon, his mesmerizing voice. Indeed, the best scenes throughout showcase Ali's verbal rather than pugilistic sparring; whether with his entourage (notably Jamie Foxx), Howard Cosell (Jon Voight), or Don King (Mykelti Williamson), Michael Mann's Ali has the same authoritative wit and ability to surprise that so disarmed the public.

Ray (2004)
February 14, 2012

The extraordinary life story of Ray Charles.
A man who fought harder and went farther
than anyone thought possible.

Starring
JAMIE FOXX
REGINA KING   KERRY WASHINGTON

Directed by
TAYLOR HACKFORD

Nominated for Six Academy Awards
Including Best Picture!
Winner Best Actor & Best Sound Mixing!

Jamie Foxx's uncannily accurate performance isn't the only good thing about Ray. Riding high on a wave of Oscar buzz, Foxx proved himself worthy of all the hype by portraying blind R&B legend Ray Charles in a warts-and-all performance that Charles approved shortly before his death in June 2004.

The film does a remarkable job of summarizing Charles's strengths as a musical innovator and his weaknesses as a philandering heroin addict who recorded some of his best songs while flying high as a kite. Foxx seems to be channeling Charles himself, and as he did with the life of Ritchie Valens in La Bamba, director Taylor Hackford gets most of the period details absolutely right as he chronicles Ray's rise from "chitlin circuit" performer in the early '50s to his much-deserved elevation to legendary status as one of the all-time great musicians. Foxx expertly lip-syncs to Ray Charles' classic recordings, but you could swear he's the real deal in a film that honors Ray Charles without sanitizing his once-messy life.

Some Notes of Trivia: Jamie Foxx had to wear eye prosthetics that really did make him blind for up to 14 hours a day during shooting. Foxx also played the piano in all scenes himself.

At his request, the screenplay was translated into Braille for Ray Charles to read.

Mississippi Burning (1988)
February 21, 2012

1964. When America was at war with itself.

Starring
GENE HACKMAN   WILLEM DAFOE
FRANCES McDORMAND

Directed by
ALAN PARKER

Nominated for Six Academy Awards
Including Best Picture, Best Director & Best Actor!
Winner Best Cinematography!

Starring two-time Oscar winner Gene Hackman and Academy Award nominee Willem Dafoe, Mississippi Burning ranks as "one of the most potent and insightful views of racial turmoil yet produced" (Variety). Nominated for six Oscars (including Best Supporting Actress for Frances McDormand) and winner of an Academy Award for Best Cinematography, this emotionally charged film "vividly captures a crucial chapter in American history" (Time).

As three civil rights activists drive down a desolate stretch of highway, headlights ominously draw near. Telling each other to stay calm, they have no way of knowing that in minutes they will disappear into the night and spark one of the most explosive murder investigations in history. Enter straight-laced Ward (Dafoe) and deceptively easy-going Anderson (Hackman). Can these two philosophically opposed FBI agents overcome their differences and uncover the chilling mystery of a small Ku Klux Klan-ridden community before an entire town is torn apart by racism?

Lady Sings the Blues (1972)
February 28, 2012

Diana Ross is Billie Holiday.

Starring
DIANA ROSS
BILLY DEE WILLIAMS   RICHARD PRYOR
SCATMAN CROTHERS

Directed by
SIDNEY J. FURIE

Nominated for Five Academy Awards
Including Best Actress, Diana Ross!

Lady Sings the Blues is the searing 1972 American biographical film about jazz singer Billie Holiday loosely based on her 1956 autobiography which, in turn, took its title from one of Holiday's most popular songs. It was produced by Motown Productions for Paramount Pictures. Diana Ross portrayed Holiday, alongside a cast including Billy Dee Williams, Richard Pryor, James T. Callahan and Scatman Crothers.

It was nominated for five Academy Awards, including Best Actress in a Leading Role (Diana Ross), Best Art Direction-Set Decoration (Carl Anderson, Reg Allen), Best Costume Design, Best Music, Original Song Score and Adaptation (Gil Askey) and Best Adapted Screenplay. The film was also screened at the 1973 Cannes Film Festival, but was not entered into the main competition.

The same year, Motown released a hugely successful soundtrack double-album of Ross' recordings of Billie Holiday songs from the film, also titled Lady Sings the Blues. The album went to number one on the Billboard Hot 200 Album Charts, for the week-ending dates of April 7 and 14, 1973. One of Diana Ross's most successful albums, it sold two millions copies during its first week of release.