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Thursday, September 27, 2012

Horror Fest 2012

Hey folks, here is the update on the Horror Fest lineup for October.  Unlike last year, where we showed different types of films from the horror genre, this year our theme will be:

"The Films of Alfred Hitchcock"

Friday, Oct. 5th- North by Northwest
Friday, Oct. 12th- Vertigo
Thursday, Oct. 18th- Psycho (Film Club)
Friday, Oct. 27th- Rear Window

Unlike last year, not all these films are, strictly speaking, "horror" films (except Psycho) but they are all incredibly suspenseful.  Alfred Hitchcock was probably the greatest filmmaker to have ever lived and his legacy as "The Master of Suspense" lives on.  Come and join us for the month of October as we view just a sampling of his overwhelmingly brilliant filmography.  You will not be disappointed.  All Friday shows will begin at 5:15pm after the library closes, Psycho will be shown on Thursday, Oct. 18th at 6:15pm for Film Club.

Here are the trailers:

North by Northwest

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qk0GbTMMbP0
Vertigo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D0bV2gh4E7Y
Psycho

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ps8H3rg5GfM
Rear Window

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6kCcZCMYw38
Hope to see you there!

Monday, September 24, 2012

October Film Club

Hello everybody, thank you to everyone who was able to make it out to The Artist, we had a good crowd.  As you know, next month is October and that means Horror Fest.  Last year we screened a variety of different horror films from different sub-genres and it turned out well.  This year we are going to spotlight the films of the Master of Suspense, Alfred Hitchcock.  Every Friday in October, except the third, we will be staying after the library closes to watch a film.  The third week we will hold the film when we would normally hold Film Club, so Oct. 18th will be when Film Club meets and we will be watching Psycho.

Psycho is a 1960 American suspense/horror film directed by Alfred Hitchcock and starring Anthony Perkins, Vera Miles, John Gavin, and Janet Leigh.  The screenplay by Joseph Stefano is based on the 1959 novel of the same name by Robert Bloch.  The novel was loosely inspired by the crimes of Wisconsin murderer and grave robber Ed Gein, who lived just 40 miles from Bloch.

Psycho depicts the encounter between a secretary, Marion Crane (Janet Leigh), who goes to a secluded motel after embezzling money from her employer, and the motel's disturbed owner and manager, Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins), and the aftermath of their encounter.

The film initially received mixed reviews, but outstanding box office returns prompted a re-review which was overwhelmingly positive and led to four Academy Award nominations.  Psycho is now considered on of Hitchcock's best films and is highly praised as a work of cinematic art by international critics.  It is often ranked among the greatest films of all time and is famous for bringing in a new level of acceptable violence and sexuality in films.  In 1992, the film was selected to be preserved by the Library of Congress at the National Film Registry.

I will post the final Horror Fest schedule soon, hope to see you there!
Here's the trailer:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ps8H3rg5GfM


Monday, September 17, 2012

In Search of Ecstatic Truth

This past week I had the outstanding opportunity to go to Bloomington, Indiana for a lecture series centered around the work of German filmmaker, Werner Herzog (with Herzog in person!).

Monday- I attended a screening of Aguirre, the Wrath of God (a film we watched for Film Club a few months back) about the Spanish conquistadors on their quest to find El Dorado, lead by the madman Aguirre, with a special Q&A following the film.

Wednesday- I attended a screening of Fitzcarraldo, the story of a man obsessed with the Opera (specifically, Caruso) who dreamt of bringing it to the Amazon, and ended up hauling a 320 ton steamship over a mountain to accomplish this dream (a feat Herzog actually performed while filming), also with a Q&A.

Thursday- I attended a lecture given by Herzog entitled "The Transformative Role of Music in Film" where he talked about the marriage of music and the moving image, giving many examples from his own films and some from the films of other filmmakers.

Friday- I attended a midnight showing of his impressive remake of the classic F.W. Murnau 1922 silent masterpiece, Nosferatu the Vampyre.

(all these screenings were brand new digital transfers of the films and they looked absolutely beautiful)

There were some other events I missed due to bad planning on the school's part, but, I did have the staggering privilege to meet Herzog and shake his hand.  All in all the week was a blast.

I already made a post, basically gushing, about how much I love Herzog's films so I'll spare you that, but I will say, this series was a fantastic opportunity to get a glimpse into the mind and personality of Herzog, to get to know the man behind (and sometimes in front of) the camera.  He is a very charismatic speaker full of unbelievable stories that he tells with pride and a touch of humour.  Herzog is a very big inspiration to me personally and this was an unrivaled event that will always remain with me.