Dreams in 70mm

This past weekend I was afforded another wonderful opportunity, facilitated by the Music Box Theatre in Chicago.  The theatre played host to a print of Paul Thomas Anderson's (There Will Be Blood, Magnolia, Boogie Nights) newest film The Master (starring Philip Seymour Hoffman in the titular role, and Joaquin Phoenix as a wayfarer that gets involved with his cult).  I didn't realize how special an opportunity it was until we got there and it was made known that this would be the only showing in Chicago for months (until the actual release of the film), and that we were some of the first people in the country to see the film, by the time it started, I was giddy with anticipation.  The Music Box is one of the fortunate few theatres in the city with the ability to screen films in 70mm, a format not commonly used (more on the subject later).  The film itself is marvelous, hypnotic, and beautiful.  From the incredibly striking opening image of the churning sea in the wake of a large boat, the water more turquoise blue/green than can be imagined, accompanied by Johnny Greenwood's haunting score, to the startling intimacy of the final frames, The Master is an expertly crafted piece of cinematic ecstasy, engineered by a man who is, in my humble opinion, one of the greatest gifts to the world of filmmaking.  The film is about a wanderer, (portrayed by Phoenix) a drunk with no conceivable destination in mind, who finds himself aboard the boat of Lancaster Dodd (Hoffman), a doctor, a nuclear physicist, a theoretical philosopher but above all else, a man, a hopelessly inquisitive man, as he himself so boldly puts it.  As the film progresses, we find that he is the leader of a group (very obviously based on Scientology, Hoffman being the Hubbard character) and that he has taken Freddy (Phoenix) under his wing in the hopes of making him his protege.  The film it somewhat meandering, continually flashing back to events in Freddy's past, events that have either shaped him into what his is now, or events that have been shaped by what Freddy has always been.  The relationship between the two characters, Dodd and Freddy, and the effects of this relationship is what is at the heart of this film.  It is at once sad, lonely, distant, funny, heartbreaking and seemingly unreal.  For almost the entire two hours and twenty minutes of this film I forgot I was in a theatre, forgot I was watching a film with actors.  Instead I was drawn into this world, these two people and those that surrounded them, convincing me they were real instead of imaginary.  That is the sign of a true film, a masterful film, one that can make you forget reality completely, until you find yourself hopelessly immersed in the film, being released only upon completion.  But I dare say this film went further, even after the curtain was lowered and the house lights came up, I was still entranced, still in a daze as the film wound its way through my senses, leaving me pondering it even still, days after seeing it, eagerly awaiting another viewing.
Now, a word on the format.  Many people will not be familiar with the 70mm format, one often reserved for such monumental films as: Ben Hur, Lawrence of Arabia, Patton, and Baraka to name a few, but if you ever have the opportunity to view this film in 70mm, by all means take it.  You will be able to see a difference, as the owner of The Music Box theatre said in his speech before the screening, in response to someone asking if they would be able to tell a difference between this and 35mm, "If you can't tell the difference, you aren't looking at the screen."  The wide angle format and absolute depth of 70mm will draw you so far into this film, you will be lost in its wonder.
I am not entirely sure when The Master is scheduled for release and if it will return to Chicago in 70mm, but when and if it does, take advantage of the opportunity, you will not be disappointed.

Music Box Double Feature w/ Joe Dante in person.

Over the weekend I was afforded an opportunity to meet filmmaker Joe Dante at the Music Box Theatre in Chicago.  This is not the first time I've gone to such an event, but Joe is one of the higher profile directors I have met (along with Jay Duplass).  We viewed his newest completed film The Hole which has been completed since 2009 but because of a lack of distributor has not seen a proper theatrical release.  So, this viewing was one of the first few in the United States (which was pretty cool).  Overall the film was good, and fun.  It suffered from some bad acting/dialogue, but once I got into the story it was somewhat overshadowed.  The film is about a family that moves into a new house, the latest in a long line we find out.  The two sons, one younger and one a teenager, find a hole in the basement, padlocked with about 6 locks.  So, of course they unlock it and find what appears to be a bottomless pit.  This is the central device of the film (obviously...), and from it issue forth all manner of strange occurrences, which I won't get too far into since it would kind of ruin the film.  If you ever have a chance to check it out, it's worth the time.  But what was really great was having the director there to talk about his film.  It's hard to compare to such an event.  When viewing the film you have a certain insight into the mind of the director, but the experience overall is meant to be subjective, the viewer taking from it whatever they feel, but having the director there gives you a bit more of an objective view of the film, the politics of the industry, and the hardships of trying to get a film made and distributed.  Now, Joe Dante is no Spielberg, but he has a few good films under his belt (many produced by Spielberg actually) and is a competent director.  After viewing the film, there was a Q & A where Scott Tobias (of the AV Club) as well as members of the audience were allowed to ask Dante some questions.  Again, if you ever have this opportunity and are even remotely interested in film, try to make it out to an even like this.  After the Q & A, we had a chance to go up and meet with him. I got my copy of The Howling (pretty decent werewolf film) signed and got a picture with him, when that was done we had a midnight showing of Gremlins 2: The New Batch, which was actually a 35mm print from Dante's collection.  I had seen it before, but seeing it on the big screen, and having some knowledge of what the filmmakers were trying to do when making this film, coupled with the energy of a relatively packed theatre, made the experience all together fresh and hilarious.  The film is by no means a masterpiece of cinema, but it's a good example of a director who has been hired to make money for the studio but has also been given complete control, permission to do whatever they wanted.  The result being the anarchic, hilarious, and often-times, nightmarish spoof on film, film making, sequels and the industry as a whole.  It was an experience definitely worth the time and money.
If this sounds like something you'd be interested in doing, keep an eye out for it.  The Music Box in Chicago is a great place to attend these sort of events, and they seem to host them somewhat frequently, so check their website or sign the mailing list so you don't miss out.

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

Film Club

Hi again everyone, as I said last post, this summer we will be watching 3 sci-fi films for Film Club.  The first film will be shown this month on Thursday, June 21st @ 6:15pm.  We will be watching Ridley Scott's:  Blade Runner.

Blade Runner is a 1982 American science fiction film directed by Ridley Scott and starring Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer and Sean Young.  The screenplay, written by Hampton Fancher and David Peoples, is loosely based on the novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick.  The film depicts a dystopian Los Angeles in November 2019 in which genetically engineered robots called replicants-visually indistinguishable from adult humans- are manufactured by the powerful Tyrell Corporation as well as by other "mega-manufacturers" around the world.  Their use on Earth is banned and replicants are exclusively used for dangerous, menial or leisure work on off-world colonies.  Replicants who defy the ban and return to Earth are hunted down and "retired" by police special operatives know as "Blade Runners".  The plot focuses on a brutal and cunning group of recently escaped replicants hiding in Los Angeles and the burnt out expert Blade Runner, Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford), who reluctantly agrees to take on one more assignment to hunt them down.

Although Blade Runner is ostensibly an action film, it operates on multiple dramatic and narrative levels.  It is indebted to film noir conventions: the femme fatale, dark and shadowy cinematography, and the questionable moral outlook of the hero-in this case, extended to include reflections upon the nature of his own humanity. (from Wikipedia)

Like much of Philip K. Dick's work, Blade Runner deals with not only what it means to be human but also the implications that arise with the creation of non-organic life and it's status as "human" or "non-human".  Do synthetics have souls?  Do they feel the same emotions as humans?  Are robots aware of their inorganic nature?  Does this make them any more or less "human"?  and as the novel on which the film is based asks, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?

Blade Runner is a beautiful mixture of science fiction and a sub-genre of film noir referred to as "neo-noir" (it also happens to be a personal favorite of mine).  This is a film you will not want to miss.

Summer Sci-Fi Spectacular

Hey folks, this is your Film Club summer update!  For the duration of the summer we will be meeting at our regular time (unless otherwise stated) 6:15pm on the third Thursday of each month.  This summer we will be doing something a little different than last summer.  This summer we will be watching some of my personal favorite (as well as critically acclaimed and important) science fiction films.  The first film starts this month and will be shown on Thursday, June 21st, and that film is: Blade Runner directed by Ridley Scott (another post will follow to further explain what Blade Runner is all about, for those unfortunate enough to have never seen it).  Hope you guys have a great summer and I look forward to seeing you all at Film Club!

Resurrect Dead

Yesterday I had an opportunity to sit down and watch a new documentary entitled: Resurrect Dead.  The movie is about strange tiles that have popped up in different cities along the East-coast and as far west as Kansas City, since the early 1980s.  The tiles are referred to as "Toynbee Tiles" because of the cryptic message each bears.

 The film initially follows a man named Justin who has been a "fan" of the tiles since he first saw one back in the 1980s while living in Philadelphia.  With the advent of the internet at his public library, Justin was able to find others like him, who had seen these tiles, and meet up with them.  When he searched the internet he discovered the tiles were not only found in Philadelphia but in cities all over.  With the help of a few other guys and the documentary team, Justin embarks on an investigation into the mysterious tiles, and where it leads him is very interesting.  The mysterious nature of the tiles, in idea, message and purpose, is what really drives this film.  I was kept in a state of almost perpetual anticipation for the whole 90 mins of this film.  Each clue, each lead, each suspect, each dead end just pushes you further into this strange and fascinating world as you, along with the guys in the film, speculate as to what the meaning behind these tiles is.  Who did it?  How did they do it?  What are they trying to accomplish?  OR is it just some elaborate guerrilla/street art project masquerading as something more?  The film addresses these questions and I think it does it very well.  I was at first overwhelmed with internal questioning and rationalizing when the film started, the whole thing was just sooo bizarre to me, especially if the creator was indeed serious about the message he was conveying.  What type of person does this?  It just gets weirder as they dig deeper and it really gets you into it.  I felt myself sharing the emotions of the "detectives", the frustration as they come so close again and again and then lose the trail, the excitement when something clicked and they made progress, it feels like you (the audience) are going on this adventure together with these three guys, and really you are, the film does a great job of capturing this.  When it ends, you'll be satisfied, but there will still be that undercurrent of the mysterious that can not be done away with no matter what the explanation, and I'm glad, because it's nice to wonder sometimes.  I thoroughly enjoyed this film and I highly recommend it.  If you happen to check it out, let me know what you thought!

Here's the trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G7g-7x-Ib60