Film Club Summer Series: Directed by Wes Anderson

 Hey everyone! Summertime is here and in keeping with Film Club tradition, we have a new summer series. This summer we will be doing another Director Spotlight (it's been a few years since we've done that), and our highlighted director is Wes Anderson.

Like our previous Summer Series we will have 2 films a month for the months of June, July, and August. I will be out of town for one of the weeks of June, so, we'll have to flex the schedule a bit, but we'll make it work.

(This post will have a list of all the films we will be watching, but I'll have individual posts for each month as well as booklets here in the building.)

Wesley Wales Anderson (born May 1, 1969) is an American filmmaker. His films are known for their eccentricity and unique visual and narrative styles. They often contain themes of grief, loss of innocence, and dysfunctional families. Cited by some critics as a modern day example of the work of an auteur, three of Anderson's films have appeared in BBC Culture's 2016 poll of the greatest films since 2000.

He gained acclaim for his early work Bottle Rocket (1996), and Rushmore (1998). During this time, he often collaborated with Luke Wilson and Owen Wilson and founded his production company American Empirical Pictures, which he currently runs. He then received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for The Royal Tenenbaums (2001). His next films included The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004), The Darjeeling Limited (2007), and his first stop motion film, Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009) for which he received an Academy award for Best Animated Feature nomination, and then Moonrise Kingdom (2012) earning his second Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay nomination.

With Anderson's film The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014), he received his first Academy Award nominations for Best Director and Best Picture, and won the Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture and the BAFTA Award for Best Original Screenplay. The next films included his second stop motion film Isle of Dogs (2018), and The French Dispatch (2021). His next film, Asteroid City, is slated for release in June, 2023.

Anderson's cinematic influences include Pedro Almodóvar, Satyajit Ray, Hal Ashby, and Roman Polanski.

Anderson has chosen to direct mostly fast paced comedies marked by more serious or melancholic elements, with themes often centered on grief, loss of innocence, dysfunctional families, parental abandonment, adultery, sibling rivalry and unlikely friendships. The plots of his movies often feature thefts and unexpected disappearances, with a tendency to borrow liberally from the caper genre.

Anderson has been noted for extensive use of flat space camera moves, symmetrical compositions, knolling, snap-zooms, slow motion walking shots, a deliberately limited color palette, and handmade art direction often utilizing miniatures. These stylistic choices give his movies a highly distinctive quality that has provoked much discussion, critical study, supercuts, mash ups, and parody. Many writers, critics, and even Anderson himself, have commented that this gives his movies the feel of being "self-contained worlds," or a "scale model household". According to Jess Fox Mayshark, his films have a "baroque pop bent that is not realist, surrealist or magic realist," but rather might be described as "fabulist".

Film Schedule

(click title to view trailer)

June

6/22-Rushmore

6/29-The Royal Tenenbaums

July

7/20-The Darjeeling Limited

7/27-The Fantastic Mr. Fox

August

8/24-Moonrise Kingdom

8/31-The Grand Budapest Hotel

May Film Club

Hello everyone! For the month of May I've decided to show a film by the incomparable Coen Brothers. I thought I'd show one that doesn't get as much attention as some of their others. So, we will be watching The Man Who Wasn't There by Joel and Ethan Coen.

 The Man Who Wasn't There is a 2001 American epic satirical crime film written, directed, and produced by Joel and Ethan Coen. It stars Billy Bob Thornton, Frances McDormand, Michael Badalucco, Richard Jenkins, Scarlett Johansson, Jon Polito, Tony Shalhoub, and James Gandolfini. The film is set in 1949 and tells the story of Ed Crane, a withdrawn barber who leads an ordinary life in a small California town with his wife, who he suspects is having an affair with her boss. Crane's situation changes when a stranger comes to the barbershop and offers him the opportunity to join him as a partner in a promising new business, in exchange for an investment of ten thousand dollars. Drawn to the idea, Crane plans to blackmail his wife's lover for the money. The film is in black and white and employs voiceover narration, honoring classic film noir.

The film received positive critical review. It holds a certified fresh rating of 81% on Rotten Tomatoes, and Roger Ebert gave it 3/4 stars saying this in his review, "The Coen Brothers' The Man Who Wasn't There is shot in black and white so elegantly, it reminds us of a 1940s station wagon, chrome, wood, leather and steel all burnished to a contented glow. Its star performance by Billy Bob Thornton is a study in sad-eyed, mournful chain-smoking, the portrait of a man so trapped by life he wants to scream. The Man Who Wasn't There is so assured and perceptive in its style, so loving, so intensely right, that if you can receive it on that frequency, the film is like a voluptuous feast. Yes, it might easily have been shorter, but then it would not have been this film, or necessarily a better one. If the Coens have taken two hours to do what hardly anyone else could do at all, isn't it churlish to ask why they didn't take less time to do what everyone can do?"

We will be meeting Thursday, May 25th at 5:30 pm

Here's the trailer:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vjO8u_9CqXI

Hope to see you there!

April Film Club

 Hey everyone, April is my birthday month so I generally just show one of my favorite movies, and for this time around we're going to watch James Gray's spectacular Ad Astra.

Ad Astra (Latin for "To the Stars") is a 2019 American psychological science fiction adventure drama film co-produced, co-written, and directed by James Gray. Starring Brad Pitt, Tommy Lee Jones, Ruth Negga, Liv Tyler and Donald Sutherland, it follows an astronaut who ventures into space in search of his lost father, whose obsessive quest to discover intelligent life at all costs threatens the Solar System and all life on Earth.

The film received positive reviews and holds a certified fresh rating of 83% on Rotten Tomatoes and Brian Tallerico, writing for Rogerebert.com, gave it 4/4 stars saying this in his review, "There have been numerous sci-fi films about people who had to go to the reaches of space to find truths within themselves but none quite like James Gray's masterful 'Ad Astra.' Thematically dense and visually sumptuous, 'Ad Astra' may not work for those seeking an action/adventure thrill ride, but it works wonders below the surface, serving as an examination of masculinity, a commentary on how we become our fathers, and can even be read as a search for an absent God. This is rare, nuanced storytelling, anchored by one of Brad Pitt's career best performances and remarkable technical elements on every level. It's a special film."

We will be meeting Thursday, April 27th at 5:30pm.

Here's the trailer:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P6AaSMfXHbA

Hope to see you there!

March Film Club

 For the month of March I generally try to show something that has some sort of tie to Ireland: Irish actors, director, setting, story, etc. This year, I've decided to show Martin McDonagh's The Banshees of Inisherin.

The Banshees of Inisherin is a 2022 black tragicomedy film written and directed by Martin McDonagh. The film follows lifelong friends (Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson) who find themselves at an impasse when one abruptly ends their relationship; Kerry Condon and Barry Keoghan also star. It reunites Farrell and Gleeson, who previously worked together on McDonagh's directorial debut In Bruges (2008).

The film received critical praise with a certified fresh rating of 97% on Rotten Tomatoes, and Glenn Kenny, writing for Rogerebert.com, gave the film 3.5/4 stars saying this in his review, "One thing I didn't have on my lifetime cinematic bingo card was Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson become the 21st century's answer to Laurel and Hardy. And yet. With 2008's In Bruges and now The Banshees of Inisherin, the Irish actors, under the writing and directing aegis of frequently pleasantly perverse Martin McDonagh, display a chemistry and virtuosic interplay that recalls nothing so much as the maestros of the early 20th century Comedy of Exasperation. As a director, McDonagh orchestrates the give-and-take between Farrell and Gleeson with the mastery of someone who appreciates these performers as much as discerning audiences do. They let it fly; Farrell does some of his best acting with his furrowed eyebrows; Gleeson has a glare that's both a death-ray and an enigma. The pauses these guys enact are at times even funnier than the verbal comebacks McDonagh has come up with for them. And as it happens, Barry Keoghan as Dominic almost steals the movie out from under the leads, his very funny vulgar brashness never quite camouflaging his character's poignant vulnerability. Very good show all around."

We will be meeting Thursday, March 23 at 5:30pm

Here's a trailer:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uRu3zLOJN2c

Hope to see you there!

February Film Club

 For the month of February we will be watching Edgar Wright's masterful Baby Driver.

Baby Driver is a 2017 action crime film written and directed by Edgar Wright. It stars Ansel Elgort as a getaway driver seeking freedom from a life of crime with his girlfriend Debora (Lily James). Kevin Spacey, Jon Hamm, Eiza Gonzalez, Jamie Foxx and Jon Bernthal appear in supporting roles.

The film was well received by the media for its craftmanship and style. It has a 92% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and Brian Tallerico, writing for Rogerebert.com gave it 3.5/4 stars saying this in his review, "As CGI robots clang into each other and superheroes take to the sky, here's Wright to ask if you remember how movies used to thrill us with a turn of phrase, a squeal of a wheel, a diving plot twist, or a romantic kiss. Baby Driver feels both influenced by the modern era of self-aware, pop-culture filmmaking and charmingly old-fashioned at the same time, which is only one of its minor miracles. It's fluid and jaw-dropping-the kind of thing you want to see immediately again after it's over to catch all the things you missed."

We will be meeting Thursday, Feb. 23rd at 5:30pm

Here's the trailer:

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

Hope to see you there!

January Film Club

 Well well well, Happy New Year! 2023, wow. Here we are. With a new year comes a whole new lineup of (hopefully) wonderful films (you know I do my best). So, without any further ado or preamble, here is your film for January!

For the month of January, we will be watching Taika Waititi's wonderful Jojo Rabbit. 

Jojo Rabbit is a 2019 comedy-drama film written and directed by Taika Waititi, adapted from Christine Leunen's 2008 book "Caging Skies". Roman Griffin Davis portrays the title character, Johannes "Jojo" Betzler, a ten year old Hitler Youth member who finds out that his mother is hiding a Jewish girl (Thomasin mcKenzie) in their attic. He must then question his beliefs while dealing with the intervention of his imaginary friend (Waititi), a fanciful version of Adolf Hitler with a comedic stance on the politics of war. The film also stars Sam Rockwell, Rebel Wilson, Stephen Merchant and Alfie Allen.

The film received mostly critical acclaim, among its numerous accolades, the film won Best Adapted Screenplay, while also being nominated for five other awards, including Best Picture, at the 92nd Academy Awards. It currently holds an 80% on Rotten Tomatoes and Peter Travers of Rolling Stone gave it 3.5/4 stars saying this in his review, "Waititi brings intimacy and indelible passion to each step in this boy's journey to empathy. The film, which grows less comic and more delicate as it moves towards its foregone conclusion, may fall short of greatness, but it never sinks to the maudlin. With expert help from cinematographer Mihai Malaimare and composer Michael Giacchino, the auteur walks a tightrope with uncommon skill."

We will be meeting Thursday, Jan. 26th at 5:30pm

Here's the trailer:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tL4McUzXfFI

Hope to see you there!

December Film Club

I mentioned at Horror Fest that there wouldn't be a film club meeting in November since that's Thanksgiving, so our next meeting will be in December.

 For those you who have been attending Film Club for some time now, you'll remember that I am not a huge fan of Christmas movies, so we've watched several unconventional picks the last couple years (Die Hard, Gremlins, Krampus, etc.). Last Christmas, I came down with a case of COVID, so we had to skip that year. SO, for this return to our regularly scheduled December film, I've decided to show a Christmas movie that I showed my first year in command of Film Club (11 years ago!): Bob Clark's classic horror film-Black Christmas!

I'M KIDDING, it's Bob Clark's OTHER Christmas classic, A Christmas Story.

A Christmas Story is a 1983 American Christmas comedy film directed by Bob Clark and based on Jean Shepherd's semi-fictional anecdotes in his 1966 book "In God We Trust: All Others Pay Cash", with some elements from his 1971 book "Wanda Hickey's Night of Golden Memories and Other Disasters". It stars Melinda Dillon, Darren McGavin, and Peter Billingsley and is a seasonal classic in North America.

Initially overlooked as a sleeper film, A Christmas Story was released a week before Thanksgiving 1983 to moderate success, earning about $2 million in its first weekend. Over the years, the film's critical reputation has grown considerably and it is regarded by some as one of the best films of 1983. Based on 57 reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an overall approval rating from critics of 89%. Roger Ebert gave the film 4/4 stars and added it to his list of Great Movies.

We will be meeting Thursday, Dec. 22rd at 5:30 pm.

Here's a trailer for the film.

Hope to see you there!