February Film Club

Hey everyone!
Thank you, thank you, thank you to everyone who was able to make it out to last month's film, On the Waterfront, we had a fantastic turnout!  Another special thank you to those of you who brought snacks, we had such an abundance of treats we had to add a second table!  You guys are the best!

For the month of February I've decided to go with a romantic pick (wink wink) and show a film by Woody Allen.  We will be watching The Purple Rose of Cairo.

The Purple Rose of Cairo is a 1985 American romantic fantasy comedy film written and directed by Woody Allen.  Inspired by Sherlock, Jr., Hellzapoppin’, and Pirandello’s Six Characters in Search of an Author.  Set in New Jersey during the Great Depression in 1935, the film tells the story of Cecilia, a clumsy waitress who goes to the movies to escape her bleak life and loveless, abusive marriage, which she has attempted to leave on numerous occasions.  It also is the tale of a film character named Tom Baxter who leaves a fictional film of the same name and enters the real world.

The Purple Rose of Cairo received much critical acclaim upon release, and currently holds a 91% certified fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes out of 33 critical reviews.  Roger Ebert gave the film 4/4 stars, writing, "The Purple Rose of Cairo is audacious and witty and has a lot of good laughs in it, but the best thing about the movie is the way Woody Allen uses it to toy with the very essence of reality and fantasy.  It is delightful from beginning to end, not only because of the clarity and charm with which Daniels and Farrow explore the problems of their characters, but also because the movie is so intelligent.  It's not brainy or intellectual-no one in the whole movie speaks with more complexity than you average 1930s movie hero-but the movie is filled with wit and invention, and Allen trusts us to find the ironies, relish the contradictions, and figure things out for ourselves.  While we do that, he makes us laugh and he makes us thing, and when you get right down to it, forget about the fantasies; those are two of the most exciting things that could happen to anybody in a movie."

We will be meeting Thursday, Feb. 18th at 6:15pm.  Hope to see you there!

Here's the trailer:

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bp6YDZVVbj0

January Film Club

Hey everybody!
Hope you all had a fun and safe New Year celebration.  2016 is here and with it a fresh new line-up of films.  With your help we'll continue to make Film Club something special here at the Crete Library.  To kick things off I've chosen the masterfully crafted film by Elia Kazan, On the Waterfront.

On the Waterfront is a 1954 American crime drama film with elements of film noir.  The film was directed by Elia Kazan and written by Budd Schulberg.  It stars Marlon Brando and features Karl Malden, Lee J. Cobb, Rod Steiger, Pat Henning, and, in her film debut, Eva Marie Saint.  The soundtrack score was composed by Leonard Bernstein.  The film is based on "Crime on the Waterfront" by Malcolm Johnson, a series of articles published in November-December 1948 in the New York Sun which won the 1949 Pulitzer Prize for Local Reporting.  The film focuses on union violence and corruption amongst longshormen while detailing widespread corruption, extortion, and racketeering on the waterfronts of Hoboken, New Jersey.

On the Waterfront was a critical and commercial success and received 12 Academy Award nominations, winning eight, including Best Picture, Best Actor for Brando, Best Supporting Actress for Saint, and Best Director for Kazan.  The film holds a 98% certified fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes out of 58 critical reviews.  In 1989, On the Waterfront was deemed "culturally, historically or aesthetically significant" by the Library of Congress and selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry.  Roger Ebert awarded the film 4/4 stars, later adding it to his list of Great Movies.  He said this of the film, "Today the story no longer seems as fresh; both the fight against corruption and the romance fall well within ancient movie conventions.  But the acting and the best dialogue passages have an impact that has not dimmed; it is still possible to feel the power of the film and of Brando and Kazan, who changed American movie acting forever."

We will be meeting Thursday, Jan. 28th at 6:15pm.  Hope to see you there!


Here's the trailer:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xSImMMMf5nA

"Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens" Review

(THIS CONTAINS SPOILERS!  IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THE FILM, READ AT YOUR OWN RISK!)

Phew...ok.  I figure 4 times might be enough times to give some thoughts on this film.  I loved it.  I continue to love it more with each successive viewing.
Let me clarify that while I do indeed hate much of what happened from 1999-2005, I was still relatively young during that time period and consequently those films played into my continued love of Star Wars as a whole.  I first saw the original trilogy in 1995 (age 8) when my father bought the THX mastered VHS boxset (the last true representation of the original trilogy, I might add), so my wait to see Phantom Menace in '99 could hardly be called a wait at all.  As an older person who has since come to understand to a certain degree what makes a film "great", beyond the simple "Did it entertain me?" "Did I like it?" "Natalie Portman is cute" (yes, yes, very yes) mentality of a 12 year old, to the "Does it have good writing?" "Are the characters likable because of the writing/acting or because we are told to like them?" "Does the cinematographer do a good job in conveying the story visually?" (no, no, and no) mentality of a (sometimes) adult, I've noticed upon multiple re-watchings, the originals hold up immensely and still inspire awe and wonder, where the prequels do not.
J.J. and crew have done what 1999 George Lucas could not.  They have recaptured that feeling of reality and wonder I felt watching the original 3.  I can feel the world, and like Rey, I can believe in the "myths" of the Jedi and the Force.  Much of this comes from, not only, Kasdan's writing (pitch perfect in ESB and quite wonderful here as well), and J.J.'s direction, but also the decision to use practical effects whenever possible and the availability of better CGI (used when necessary to great effect).  The writing and acting help makes the characters feel like real people, rather than actors just reading lines.  I cared about these people, I laughed with them and at them (when appropriate), I cheered for them (and developed a crush on Daisy Ridley that rivals my adolescent self's crush on Natalie Portman), and felt sorrow when bad things happened to them.  Losing Han Solo felt like losing an old friend or a beloved uncle you had known for much of your life.  Those kinds of emotions are painfully missing from the prequels, which felt as cold and lifeless as the green screen sets in front of which the entirety of the films were filmed.
I don't think this film was as good as "The Empire Strikes Back", but I also don't think it needed to be.  For me, it was better than the original Star Wars even though it mirrors it quite frequently (a fact I had no problem with as it wasn't employed to trick us or treat us like we were idiots).  They didn't rehash things in the hopes we wouldn't notice but rather referenced things we already knew happened as well as many of the characters in the film knew, or had experienced first-hand.  It was very self-aware in this regard.
I know this is kind of jumble of thoughts, but that's how my brain works and I am no writer, so, whatever.  Long story short: It was a great re-introduction to a galaxy far, far away, that we haven't truly been able to revisit until now.  I literally can not wait to see what other stories will be told.

December Film Club

Hey everybody!  Hope you all had a great Thanksgiving.  Thank you again to everyone who made it out last month to Nightcrawler, we had a real great turnout.
For the month of December I have chosen a film by the great Billy Wilder, The Apartment.

The Apartment is a 1960 American comedy-drama film that was produced and directed by Billy Wilder, and which stars Jack Lemmon, Shirley MacLaine, and Fred MacMurray.  It was Wilder's next movie after Some Like it Hot and, like its predecessor, a commercial and critical success, grossing $25 million at the box office.  The film was nominated for ten Academy Awards, and won five, including Best Picture.

The Apartment holds a 93% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and Roger Ebert awarded the film 4/4 stars, adding it to his list of "Great Movies".  In his review, he said this of the film, "There is a melancholy gulf over the holidays between those who have someplace to go, and those who do not.  The Apartment is so affecting partly because of that buried reason:  It takes place on the shortest days of the year, when dusk falls swiftly and the streets are cold, when after the office party some people go home to their families and others go home to apartments where they haven't even bothered to put up a tree.  The valuable element in Wilder is his adult sensibility; his characters can't take flight with formula plots, because they are weighted down with the trials and responsibilities of working for a living.  In many movies, the characters hardly even seem to have jobs, but in The Apartment they have to be reminded that they have anything else."

We will be meeting a week early for this month's Film Club so plan accordingly.  We will be meeting Thursday, Dec. 10th at 6:15pm.

I hope you can make it, see you there!

November Film Club

Thank you, thank you, thank you, to everyone who was able to make it out to Horror Fest this year.  We had a good solid attendance for all 4 of our films.  I hope you enjoyed yourselves as much as I enjoyed scaring you all!  Another big thank you to  everyone who brought snacks, you're never obligated but as always, it is appreciated!

October is somehow already over, which is disappointing because that moves us closer to winter.  Let's hope the winter months fly by as quickly as the rest of the year.  But, as always, a new month means a new movie!  For the month of November I have chosen Dan Gilroy's thrilling film, Nightcrawler.

Nightcrawler is a 2014 American neo-noir crime thriller film written and directed by Dan Gilroy in his directorial debut.  The film stars Jake Gyllenhaal as a former thief who starts shooting footage of accidents and crimes in Los Angeles, selling the content to local news channels as a stringer.  It features Rene Russo, Riz Ahmed, and Bill Paxton.  The film had its world premier at the Special Presentations section of the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival.  It received critical acclaim and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay at the 87th Academy Awards.

The film holds a 95% Certified Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and Matt Zoller Seitz, writing for Rogerebert.com, awarded it 4/4 stars, saying this of the film, "This is a classic film, not just because every scene and line is casually beautiful and devoid of extraneous touches, but because its tone is mercilessly exact.  Gilroy, a first-time feature director who has written or cowritten many movies, knows what he wants to say, and how to say it.  He maintains just the right amount of distance from Lou, so that we get a buzz from his audacity while finding him revolting.  We're not so much looking down on Lou as peering into an abyss that exists, to some degree, within everyone: the lightless home of that little voice that whispers, "You've just gotta do what makes you happy," and "It's easier to ask forgiveness than permission."

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

Hope to see you there!


Here's the trailer:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u1uP_8VJkDQ

5th Annual Horror Fest

Can you believe it's already October?  This year has gone by too quickly.  But, with the arrival of October comes my favorite film club event!  I know you know what I'm talking about (especially since it's the title of the post), the annual Horror Fest!  This year I've decided to show four films from new directors in the horror field.  I think these entries, while excellent on their own, show promise for even better stuff to come from these newer directors.  They all seem to have a better understanding of the horror genre than most, when you consider the amount of garbage horror that gets churned out regularly.

Let's get right into it.

First, I'd just like to express my gratitude to all of you great people who help make this possible just by attending!  I can't believe we've been getting together to watch scary movies for 5 WHOLE YEARS! Just awesome.  As long as you good people continue to show up, I'll keep showing movies.

We will be meeting Wed. Oct. 28th and Thurs. Oct. 29. The first film will start at 5:00pm on both nights, and the second will begin at 7:00pm, on both nights.  There will be plenty of snacks and treats, but feel free to bring whatever you'd like for yourself or to share.  Please, also feel free to dress up!  Halloween is only a few days after the film club so, get into the Halloween spirit!  If enough of you dress up, we can have a vote for best costume and the winner will get a prize, so, yeah, I'd say it would be worth it!

(click the titles for the trailers)

WEDNESDAY, OCT. 28th at 5:00pm

The House of the Devil (2009)

(Directed by Ti West)

The House of the Devil is a 2009 horror film written, directed, and edited by Ti West, starring Jocelin Donahue, Tom Noonan, and Mary Woronov.  It combines elements of both the slasher film and haunted house subgenres while using the "satanic panic" of the 1980s as a central plot element.  The film pays homage to horror films of the 1970s and 1980s, recreating the style of films of that era using filming techniques and similar technology to what was used then.

86% Rotten Tomatoes Score

WEDNESDAY. OCT. 28th at 7:00pm

You're Next (2011)

(Directed by Adam Wingard)

You're Next is a 2011 American independent slasher film directed by Adam Wingard, written by Simon Barrett, and starring Sharni Vinson, Nicholas Tucci, Wendy Glenn, A.J. Bowen, and Joe Swanberg.  The films follows a family get together at their secluded home that comes under attack from masked assailants.

75% Rotten Tomatoes Score

THURSDAY. OCT. 29th at 5:00pm

The Babadook (2014)

(Directed by Jennifer Kent)

The Babadook is a 2014 Australian psychological horror film, written and directed by Jennifer Kent at her directorial debut, in which a woman and her son are tormented by an evil entity.  The film stars Essie Davis and Noah Wiseman, while Daniel Henshall, Hayley McElhinney, Barbara West, and Ben Winspear appear in supporting roles.  

98% Rotten Tomatoes Score

THURSDAY. OCT. 29th at 7:00pm

It Follows (2014)

(Directed by David Robert Mitchell)

It Follows is a 2014 American supernatural horror film written and directed by David Robert Mitchell, and starring Maika Monroe.  The plot follows a girl pursued by a supernatural entity after a sexual encounter.  Filmed in Detroit, Michigan, It Follows debuted at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival.

96% Rotten Tomatoes Score

Again, there will be a plethora of snacks and refreshments, so don't feel obligated to bring anything, but I won't discourage you from doing so.  Costumes are not mandatory, but I think it would be really cool to see people dressed up.  There may be some trivia again or some other such activities, I'm not sure, I haven't worked out all the specifics yet, but it should end up being a really fun time.

Hope to see you there!

September Film Club

Well, we made it through our Werner Herzog series.  I hope you all enjoyed the films, or at the very least, got a little out of each of them.  I think watching films that you normally wouldn't is a good practice.  I feel it broadens the mind and maybe makes you a little more open to trying out films that may be a little different, or odd.  Oftentimes, these are really great films that you may otherwise miss.

Now, on to business.  For the month of September we will be returning briefly to our regular structure, that is, one film on the third Thursday of the month, before we move on to October's Horror Fest.  The film I have chosen for this month is the directorial debut of Alex Garland: Ex Machina.

Ex Machina is a 2015 British science fiction thriller film written and directed by Alex Garland.  It stars Domhnall Gleeson, Alicia Vikander, Sonoya Mizuno and Oscar Isaac.  Caleb (Gleeson) is a programmer in the near future working for Bluebook, the world's most popular search engine.  In a company-wide contest, he wins a visit to Nathan (Isaac), the company's CEO, at his secluded home and research facility in the mountains.  Caleb is informed by Nathan that he will be administering the Turing test to an android with artificial intelligence.  The film was made on a budget of $15 million and grossed over $36 million worldwide, receiving positive reviews.

The film holds a 92% certified fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 201 critical reviews.  Matt Zoller Seitz, writing for Rogerebert.com, awarded it 4/4 stars, saying this of the film, "Throughout, Garland builds tension slowly and carefully without ever letting the pace slacken.  And he proves to have a precise but bold eye for composition, emphasizing humans and robots as lovely but troubling figures in a cold, sharp mural of technology.  Garland's screenplay is equally impressive, weaving references to mythology, history, physics, and visual art into casual conversations, in ways that demonstrate that Garland understands what he's talking about while simultaneously going to the trouble to explain more abstract concepts in plain language, to entice rather than alienate casual film-goers.  The ending, when it arrives, is primordially satisfying, spotlighting images whose caveman savagery is emotionally overwhelming yet earned by the story.  This is a classic film."

We will be meeting Thursday, Sept. 17th at 6:15pm

I hope you can all make it out to this excellent film!

Here's the trailer:

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