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Friday, July 1, 2022

July Film Club #2

 Our second film for the month of July is Jeff Nichols' Midnight Special.


Midnight Special
 is a 2016 American science fiction film written and directed by Jeff Nichols. The film stars Michael Shannon, Joel Edgerton, Kirsten Dunst, Adam Driver, Jaeden Martell, and Sam Shepard. It is Nichols' fourth full-length film and his first studio production. Michael Shannon plays a father who escapes with his son from both the government and a cult after they discover that his son has special powers.

The film received positive critical reception, and currently holds a fresh rating of 83% on Rotten Tomatoes. Brian Tallerico, writing for Rogerebert.com, gave the film 4/4 stars saying this in his review, "Jeff Nichols' brilliant Midnight Special weaves relatable themes of parental responsibility and faith in that which is traditionally unexplainable into a sci-fi road movie. Midnight Special respects your intelligence, letting you come to its themes emotionally instead of narratively. It is a breathtaking display of visual storytelling, confidently rendered by someone who understands the power of cinema. It is images from the film that pass through my mind most-flames falling from the sky, a father carrying his child, the shaking of grass as something is about to happen, and the jaw-dropping finale. Nichols is the rare filmmaker who understands that this is what we take away from the best films, and the powerful way that art reflects that which transcends words."

We will be meeting Thursday, Jul 28th at 5:30pm

Here's the trailer:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OB07DFgELn4

Hope to see you there!

July Film Club #1

 Alright, thanks to everyone who came out for Predestination. I thought it was a good way to kickoff our Sci-Fi series, because good sci-fi should make you think (even if it may end up hurting your head a bit). For the month of July, we will have 2 films, and we will be meeting Thursday, Jul 7th and Thursday, Jul 28th.

Our first film for July is District 9.


District 9
 is a 2009 science fiction action film directed by Neill Blomkamp in his feature film debut, written by Blomkamp and Terri Tatchell, and produced by Peter Jackson. The film stars Sharlto Copely, Jason Cope, and David James, and was adapted from Blomkamp's 2006 short film Alive in Joburg. The film is partially presented in a found footage format by featuring fictional interviews, news footage, and video from surveillance cameras. The story, which explores themes of humanity, xenophobia and social segregation, begins in an alternate 1982, when an alien spaceship appears over Johannesburg, South Africa.

It currently holds a positive rating of 90% on Rotten Tomatoes. Roger Ebert gave the film 3/4 stars saying this is his review, "District 9 does a lot of things right, including giving us aliens to remind us not everyone who comes in a spaceship need be angelic, octopod, or stainless steel. They are certainly alien, all right. It is also a seamless merger of the mockumentary and special effects. And there's a hard parable here about the alienation and treatment of refugees."

We will be meeting Thursday, Jul 7th at 5:30pm

Here's the trailer:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DyLUwOcR5pk

Hope to see you there!