August Film Club

Thank you to everyone who was able to make it out for Forbidden Planet.  We have one more science fiction to watch for the month of August and that film is Stanley Kubrick's masterpiece- 2001: A Space Odyssey.


2001: A Space Odyssey is a 1968 science fiction film produced and directed by Stanley Kubrick.  The screenplay was co-written by Kubrick and Arthur C. Clarke, and was partially inspired by Clarke's short story "The Sentinel".  The story deals with a series of encounters between humans and mysterious black monoliths that are apparently affecting human evolution, and a space voyage to Jupiter tracing a signal emitted by one such monolith found on the moon.  Keir Dullea and Gary Lockwood star as the two astronauts on this voyage, with Douglas Rain as the voice of the sentient computer HAL 9000 who has full control over their spaceship.  The film is frequently described as an "epic film", both for it's length and scope, and for its affinity with classical epics.

Thematically, the film deals with elements of human evolution, technology, artificial intelligence and extraterrestrial life.  It is notable for its scientific accuracy, pioneering special effects, ambiguous imagery that is open-ended to a point approaching surrealism, sound in place of traditional narrative techniques, and minimal use of dialogue.

Despite initially receiving mixed reactions from critics and audiences alike, 2001: A Space Odyssey garnered a cult following and slowly became a box office hit.  Some years after its release, it eventually became the highest grossing picture from 1968 in North America.  Today it is recognized by many critics, filmmakers and audiences as on the greatest and most influential films ever made.

This film is one of my all time personal favorite films.  Come on out for an experience unlike any other.

Here's the trailer:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N6ywMnbef6Y

We will be meeting Thursday, August 16th
(Since this film is a little longer than most films we watch, I would recommend everyone getting here as close to 6:15 as possible.)

Hope to see you there!

Film Club

Hello everyone, thanks to all you folks who were able to make it to Blade Runner a couple weeks back.  For the month of July we will be watching the classic 1956 sci-fi masterpiece: Forbidden Planet.


It stars Leslie Nielsen, Walter Pidgeon, and Anne Francis.  The characters and its setting have been compared to those in William Shakespeare's The Tempest, and its plot contains certain story analogs.  Forbidden Planet was the first science fiction film that was set entirely on another planet in deep space, away from the planet Earth.  It is considered one of the great science fiction films of the 1950s, a precursor of what was to come for the science fiction film genre in the decades that followed.

Forbidden Planet features special effects for which A. Arnold Gillespie, Irving G. Ries, and Wesley C. Miller were nominated for an Academy Award. It was the only major award nomination the film received.  Forbidden Planet features the groundbreaking use of an all-electronic music musical score.  It also featured "Robby the Robot", one of the first film robots that was more than just a mechanical "tin can" on legs; Robby displays a distinct personality and is a complete supporting character in the film.

Synopsis:  Early in the 23rd century, the United Planets Cruiser C57-D travels to the planet Altair IV, 16 light-years from the Earth, to discover the fate of an expedition sent 20 years earlier.  Soon after achieving orbit, the cruiser receives a radio transmission from Dr. Edward Morbius, the expedition's linguist, who wars them to stay away, saying he cannot guarantee their safety and that he needs no assistance.  The starship's captain, Commander John J. Adams, insists on landing.

It goes without saying that Forbidden Planet is one of cinema's greatest achievements  in, not only the science fiction genre, but also the grand collection of film in general.  You won't want to miss this amazing film!

Here's the trailer:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bnQoc2cZimQ

We will be meeting Thursday, July 19th at 6:15pm