Film
Island Piano Man
Tonight, July 29, at 8 p.m. the documentary, Miracle in a Box — A Piano Reborn, will screen at the Tabernacle in Oak Bluffs. The movie was directed by Oscar-winning documentarian John Korty and explores the life of a prize Steinway grand piano, the diverse group of workers who restore it, and the student competition to win it.
A collage of shots brings a wave crashing across the prow of a sailboat; a spiraling view of a skier speeding down a gleaming white trail; a paddle reaching above the crest of a wave, easily propelling a surfboard of sorts over its peak.
Each week the folks at Cinema Circus show a series of short films on Wednesday evenings at the Chilmark Community Center. The films begin at 6 p.m. but at 5 p.m. the circus — complete with jugglers, face painters, stilt walkers, food and music — gets underway.
The picture of Martha’s Vineyard’s cinematic near future painted by Richard Paradise, the driving force behind the Martha’s Vineyard Film Society, is appealing.
On almost any given night, in season or out, Islanders could nip down to the Tisbury Marketplace for an intelligent film. A foreign language one, perhaps, or a documentary, or something art-housey, or maybe a classic.
Robynn Murray served in the armed forces in Iraq and was featured on the cover of Army Magazine as an inspiration to women in the army. She now wants nothing to do with selling the military to other women. While in Iraq she was shot at, pointed her gun at families, and witnessed death and destruction. Upon returning home from the war she had to deal with the slow, messy process of trying to cope with her experiences in the army.
The Cinema Circus, complete with jugglers, face painters, stilt walkers, food and music, gets underway at 5 p.m. Wednesday, July 20, at the Chilmark Community Center. The films begin at 6 p.m. Each week in advanced screening of the films is arranged with a young Island cineaste, plucked from the age bracket of the target audience.