Film Club Shakespeare Series: August

Hello again everyone!

Can you believe it's already August?  Winter is right around the corner!  I'm sorry, I won't say the "w" word again.  We still have a few months in between then and now so let's just enjoy the weather we have while we have it. With the new month comes our final two Shakespeare films.  We've had Comedies, we've had Histories and now we get to my favorite (and possibly what the Bard was best known for), Tragedies.  Our last two films are Coriolanus and Macbeth.

Thursday, August 16th at 6:15pm- Coriolanus

Coriolanus is a 2011 British film adaptation of William Shakespeare's tragedy of the same name, written by John Logan and directed by and starring Ralph Fiennes who plays the titular character.  This is Fiennes' directorial debut.  It also stars Gerard Butler, Lubna Azabal, and Ashraf Barhom, with Brian Cox, Jessica Chastain, James Nesbit and Vanessa Redgrave.  Although the film is not explicit about its contemporary Eastern European setting, a title card states the film is set in "A Place Calling Itself Rome".  It was filmed in Serbia, Montenegro and the UK.  The film currently holds a 93% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes and Roger Ebert awarded it 3.5/4 stars saying this in his review, "The point with Shakespeare is the language.  Modern dress productions of his plays are common and can inspire intriguing viewpoints.  Who is to say that "Coriolanus" might not as well be set in the Middle East as in Rome-neither a place Shakespeare had ever seen?  Finnes, an actor who can remake himself, is here lean and muscular, his head shaven, his neck a muscular trunk displaying a dragon tattoo.  He carries an M4-16  Is this Shakespeare's hero?  Did Shakespeare envision Coriolanus in Greco-Roman draperies?  I imagine him alone in a room, writing by candlelight, intoxicated by language.  For him, Coriolanus was the name of the speaker of his words.  One of the pleasures of Finnes' film is that the screenplay by John Logan makes room for as much of Shakespeare's language as possible.  I would have enjoyed even more, because such actor as Fiennes, Vanessa Redgrave and Brian Cox let the words roll trippingly off the tongue.  I admired the movie even though I found it neither fish nor fowl.  As Shakespeare, it has too much action footage, and as action, it has too much Shakespeare.  I suppose the action is the price Fiennes had to pay to do the Shakespeare, because a film this expensive must appeal to the masses.  What's the question Shakespeare has Coriolanus ask about public opinion?  "What's the matter, you dissentious rogues/That, rubbing the poor itch of your opinion/Make yourselves scabs?"


Thursday, August 23rd at 6:15pm- Macbeth

Macbeth is a 2015 British-French film based on William Shakespeare's tragedy of the same name.  The film was directed by Justin Kurzel from a screenplay adapted by Jacob Koskoff, Todd Louiso, and Michael Lesslie.  It stars Michael Fassbender in the title role and Marion Cotillard as Lady Macbeth.  It was selected to compete for the Palme d'Or at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival and received generally positive reviews from film critics who praised Fassbender's performance, as well as those of the res of the cast, the visual style, the script, the direction and the war sequences.  It currently holds an 80% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes and Christy Lemire, writing for Rogerebert.com, gave it 3/4 stars saying this in her review, "Australian director Justin Kurzel tackles "Macbeth" with a few narrative tweaks and a whole lot of visceral violence.  His film is just devastatingly gorgeous to look at-with a climax soaked in a fiery red that suggest "Macbeth" on Mars.  And although he's maintained the crucial supernatural elements of "The Scottish Play", as it's known superstitiously, Kurzel also wallows in the grit and muck, which gives his film a texture and an immediacy.  This "Macbeth" also grabs you with the charismatic presence of its two stars, Michael Fassbender and Marion Cotillard.  Fassbender has made a career out of playing complicated, tormented figures and the murder and madness of Macbeth are his bread and butter.  Still, the danger that lurks beneath his lean, cool good looks gives his Macbeth an especially unsettling air.  Cotillard, meanwhile, has an otherworldly quality that makes her menacing-a quiet intensity in those enormous eyes and a standoffishness that makes her seem unpredictable, even though we're all too aware of the devious plot her Lady Macbeth has in store."

I hope you all can make it out to two more wonderful films!

Film Club Shakespeare Series: July

Hey everybody!

Thank you to everyone who made it out for our first two films: Romeo and Juliet and Much Ado About Nothing.  We had a fantastic turnout for both films (probably some of our biggest crowds yet!).  Thank you also to everyone who brought food to share, we all appreciate it immensely.
Ok, moving on to July business.  For this month of the series we will be focusing on two the Bard's histories.  We will be watching Richard III and Henry V.

Thursday, July 19th at 6:15pm-Richard III

Richard III is a 1995 British drama film adapted from William Shakespeare's play of the same name, starring Ian McKellen, Annette Bening, Jim Broadbent, Robert Downey Jr., Nigel Hawthorne, Kristin Scott Thomas, Maggie Smith, John Wood, and Dominic West.  The film sets the play in 1930s Britain with Richard as a fascist sympathizer plotting to usurp the throne.  Richard III received universal acclaim from critics.  It currently holds a 96% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes and Roger Ebert gave it 4/4 stars later adding it to his list of Great Movies.  He said this in his review, "Harold Bloom thought Sir Ian McKellen was the greatest Richard III he had ever seen, and Richard Loncraine's 1995 film is based on McKellen's famous 1990 National Theater performance.  It sets the play in an England of an alternate timeline, which clearly evokes 1930's fascism.  In recent London, Shakespeare's language remains the same; I imagine the playwright himself would have cared little about the sets and costumes of a staging so long as his words were respected.  This is a film with a dread fascination.  McKellen occupies it like a poisonous spider in its nest.  Lurching sideways though his life, smoking as if it's as necessary to him as breathing, seductive when he wants to be, when angered Richard reveals the predator within."

Thursday, July 26th at 6:15pm-Henry V

Henry V is a 1989 British historical drama film adapted for the screen and directed by Kenneth Branagh, based on William Shakespeare's play of the same name about King Henry V of England.  The film stars Branagh in the title role with Paul Scofield, Derek Jacobi, Ian Holm, Emma Thompson, Alec McCowen, Judi Dench, Robbie Coltrane, Brian Blessed, and Christian Bale in supporting roles.  The film received worldwide critical acclaim and has been widely considered one of the best Shakespeare film adaptations ever made.  It won an Oscar for best Costume Design and Branagh, in his directorial debut, received nominations for Best Actor and Best Director.  It currently holds a 100% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes.  Roger Ebert gave the film 3.5/4 stars saying this in his review, "There is no more stirring summons to arms in all of literature than Henry's speech to his troops on St. Crispan's Day, ending with the lyrical "We few, we happy few, we band of brothers."  To deliver this speech successfully is to pass the acid test for anyone daring to perform the role of Henry V in public, and as Kenneth Branagh, as Henry, stood up on the dawn of the Battle of Agincourt and delivered the famous words, I was emotionally stirred even though I had heard them many times before.  That is one test of a great Shakespearean actor: to take the familiar and make it new.  What works best in the film is the over-all vision.  Branagh is able to see himself as a king, and so we can see him as one.  He schemes, he jests and he deceives his soldiers during his famous tour of the field on the night before the battle.  In victory he is humble, and in romance, uncertain.  Olivier, who was 37 when he played Henry in 1944, wrote that Henry V was the kind of role he couldn't have played when he was younger:  "When you are young, you are too bashful to play a hero; you debunk it."  For Branagh, 29 is old enough."

I hope you are able to make it out to these wonderful films.  See you there!

Film Club Shakespeare Series: June

For the month of June we will be watching Romeo and Juliet and Much Ado About Nothing.

June 21st at 6:15pm- Romeo and Juliet

Romeo and Juliet is a 1968 British-Italian romantic drama film based on the play of the same name (1591-1595) by William Shakespeare.  The film was directed and co-written by Franco Zeffirelli, and stars Leonard Whiting and Olivia Hussey.  It won Academy Awards for Best Cinematography and Best Costume Design; it was also nominated for Best Director and Best Picture, making it the last Shakespearean film to be nominated for Best Picture to date.  Being the most financially successful adaptation of a Shakespearean play at the time of its release, it was popular among teenagers partly because it was the first film to use actors who were close to the age of the characters from the original play.  The film holds a 97% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and Roger Ebert awarded the film 4/4 stars later adding it to his list of Great Movies.  He said this in his review, "I believe Franco Zeffirelli's Romeo and Juliet is the most exciting film of Shakespeare ever made.  Not because it is greater drama than Olivier's Henry V, because it is not.  Nor is it greater cinema than Welles' Falstaff.  But it is greater Shakespeare than either because it has the passion, the sweat, the violence, the poetry, the love and the tragedy in the most immediate terms I can imagine.  It is a deeply moving piece of entertainment, and that is possibly what Shakespeare would have preferred."

June 28th at 6:15pm- Much Ado About Nothing

Much Ado About Nothing is a 2012 black and white American romantic comedy film adapted for the screen, produced, and directed by Joss Whedon, from William Shakespeare's play of the same name.  The film stars many regulars from Whedon's other works, including: Amy Acker, Alexis Denisof, Nathan Fillion, Clark Gregg, Reed Diamond, Fran Kranz, Sean Maher, and Jillian Morgese.  The film was shot over a period of 12 days at Whedon's home while on contractual vacation from the post-production of The Avengers.  Whedon's idea to adapt the play for the screen originated from having "Shakespeare readings" at his house with several of his friends, years prior.  The film holds an 85% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and Sheila O'Malley, writing for Rogerebert.com, gave the film 4/4 stars saying this in her review, "Within the first 10 minutes of Joss Whedon's Much Ado About Nothing, I found myself smiling with excitement, while also holding my breath in nervous anxiety.  Would the film be able to sustain its confident manic tone, maintain its humor and smarts, its depth of characterization and innovative use of text and landscape?  Would the magic hold?  The magic holds.  It holds from beginning to end.  The adaptation by Whedon, is terrific.  The play moves from comedy to tragedy and back with dizzying speed, and while you may feel like you're getting whiplash, that's the desired effect."

Film Club Summer Series

Hey everybody!

Hope you're enjoying this crazy weather we've been having.  You never know if it's going to be 100 degrees or 70 and pouring rain, but hey, that's the Midwest for ya.  A big thank you to everyone who was able to make it out to see Star Wars: The Last Jedi last month, it was a blast.  And to everyone who brought snacks/food to share, another gigantic thank you.  Like I always say, you guys make my job very easy and very fun.

On to business.  Following the tradition of the past few years we will be having a themed summer Film Club.  This year we will be doing Shakespeare adaptations.  Each month throughout the summer we will be watching two film adaptations of Shakespeare's plays.  Without further ado, our films:

(Click the title for a trailer)

June 21: Romeo and Juliet

June 28: Much Ado About Nothing

July 19: Richard III

July 27: Henry V

Aug 16: Coriolanus

Aug 23: Macbeth

I think these movies are a good example of the variety of Shakespeare adaptations that exist, and I think we'll have a lot of fun with these!

Each showing will begin at our regularly scheduled time of 6:15pm.  Feel free to bring snacks for yourself or to share (it's never an obligation, so if you don't, don't worry about it!) and I'll bring the coffee and the movies.

I'll make more posts further detailing each film.  Stay tuned!

(I know this update is WAY late, but I thought I already made this post, so, I hope you'll forgive me.)

May Film Club

Hey everybody!

I hope everyone is enjoying this (FINALLY) nice weather we're having, I know I am.  Thank you to everyone who made it out to see Dark City last month and for your patience with the date change.  And as always, thank you to everyone who brought food to share!

For the month of May, I've decided to go with something of an easy pick because summer is coming up and we'll be having a whole series of films that I'm still kind of working on so, for the sake of convenience we will be watching Rian Johnson's addition to the Star Wars universe, Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi.  Also, since Star Wars day was just last Friday (May the 4th), and just about all Star Wars films (except the new ones) have been released in May, that's what we're going with.

I hate to do this to you all, but we will be meeting at 6:00pm instead of 6:15.  The movie is 152 minutes so we'll need that extra time.
We will be meeting Thursday, May 17th at 6:00pm.

Star Wars: Episode VIII-The Last Jedi is a 2017 American space opera film written and directed by Rian Johnson.  It is the second installment of the Star Wars sequel trilogy and the eighth main installment of the Star Wars franchise, following Star Wars: Episode VII-The Force Awakens.  The ensemble cast includes Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Adam Driver, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Andy Serkis, Lupita Nyong'o, Domhnall Gleeson, Anthony Daniels and Gwendoline Christie in returning roles, with Kelly Marie Tran, Laura Dern and Benicio del Toro joining the cast.  The film features the final film performance by Fisher, who died in December 2016, and it is dedicated to her memory.  The plot follows Rey as she receives Jedi training from Luke Skywalker, in hope of turning the tide for the Resistance in the fight against Kylo Ren and the First Order, while Gerneral Leia, Finn, and Poe Dameron attempt to escape a First Order attack on the dwindling Resistance Fleet.  It received positive reviews from critics, who praised its ensemble cast, visual effects, musical score, action sequences and emotional weight; some considered it the best Star Wars film since The Empire Strikes Back.
The film currently holds a 91% certified fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes out of 374 critical reviews.  Matt Zoller Seitz, writing for Rogerebert.com, gave the film 4/4 stars saying this in his review, "Writer/director Rian Johnson's Star Wars: The Last Jedi is a sprawling, incident-and character-packed extravaganza that picks up at the end of The Force Awakens and guides the series into unfamiliar territory.  It's everything a fan could want from a Star Wars film and then some.  Even the sorts of viewers who spend the entire running time of movies anticipating every plot twist and crowing "called it!" when they get one right are likely to come up short here.  But the surprises usually don't violate the (admittedly loose) internal logic of the universe George Lucas invented, and when they seem to, it's because the movie has expanded the mythology in a small but significant way.  Jedi does a better job than most sequels of giving the audience both what it wants and what it didn't know it wanted.  The movie leans hard into sentiment, most of it planted in the previous installment.  But whenever it allows a character to cry (or invites us to) the catharsis feels earned.  It happens rather often-this being a film preoccupied with grieving for the past and transcending it, populated by hounded and broken people who are afraid hope will be snuffed out."

I hope you guys are able to make it out to this excellent film!

Here's the trailer:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q0CbN8sfihY

April Film Club

Hello everyone!

Happy Spring! (technically at least, let's hope the cold is gone for good).

Thank you to everyone who was able to make it out for Calvary, we had a very good turnout and an excellent discussion afterwards. And it goes without saying, a metric ton of food, so as always, thank you to everyone who brought stuff to share, it is always appreciated!

For the month of April, following the tradition I've established the last few years, I'm going to show one of my favorite films (since it's my birthday month! yay!), and for this coming Film Club I've decided to show Dark City.

NOTICE:  Film Club will be meeting TUESDAY, APRIL 24th at 6:15pm for the month of April.  This is temporary to accommodate the Battle of the Books which will be held on our regular Thursday.

Dark City is a 1998 American Australian neo-noir science fiction film directed by Alex Proyas.  The screenplay was written by Proyas, Lem Dobbs and David S. Goyer.  The film stars Rufus Sewell, Kiefer Sutherland, Jennifer Connelly, and William Hurt.  Sewell plays John Murdoch, an amnesiac man who finds himself suspected of murder.  Murdoch attempts to discover his true identity and clear his name while on the run from the police and a mysterious group known only as the "Strangers".  Among mainstream critics in the U.S., the film received generally positive reviews.  It currently holds a certified fresh rating of 74% on Rotten Tomatoes based on 80 reviews.  Roger Ebert awarded the film 4/4 stars later adding it to his list of Great Movies.  He said this in his review, "Dark City by Alex Proyas is a great visionary achievement, a film so original and exciting, it stirred my imagination like Metropolis and 2001: A Space Odyssey.  If it is true, as the German director Werner Herzog believes, that we live in an age starved of new images, then Dark City is a film to nourish us.  There's such a wealth on the screen, such an overflowing of imagination and energy.  It's for anyone who still has a sense of wonder and a feeling for great visual style.  The film contains ideas and true poignance, a story that has been thought out and has surprise right to the end.  It's romantic and exhilarating.  Watching it, I realized the last dozen films I'd seen were about people standing around, talking to one another.  Dark City has been created an imagined as a new visual place for us to inhabit.  It adds treasure to our notions of what can be imagined."

NOTICE AGAIN:  Film Club will be meeting TUESDAY, APRIL 24th at 6:15pm for the month of April.  This is temporary to accommodate the Battle of the Books which will be held on our regular Thursday.

I hope you can all make it out to this wild and fantastic film!

Here's the trailer:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gt9HkO-cGGo

March Film Club

Hey everybody, it's March!

Thank you to everyone who was able to attend Meek's Cutoff, it was a fine film and we had a good discussion afterwards.  Also, big shout-out to everyone who brought snacks, we really appreciate it!

For the month of March, I usually try to show a film that somehow relates to the Irish in honor of St. Patrick's Day, so, our film for this month is going to be Calvary, the second film by Irish director John Michael McDonagh (we watched his previous film, The Guard, last year).

Calvary is a 2014 Irish drama film written and directed by John Michael McDonagh.  It stars Brendan Gleeson, Chris O'Dowd, Kelly Reilly, Aidan Gillen, Dylan Moran and Isaach de Bankole.  The films follows Father James (Gleeson) as he takes confession from an unseen penitent who describes being abused as a child and then informs the priest that he will kill him in one week's time.  The film covers the week before the apparent final day, as Father James tends to his flock of misfits and miscreants, while bonding with his somewhat estranged daughter.

McDonagh conceived the idea and wrote the screenplay while filming The Guard.  He explained the intentions he had for the film: "There are probably films in development about priests which involve abuse.  My remit is to do the opposite of what other people do, and I wanted to make a film about a good priest."  He elaborates that it is tonally "in the same darkly comic vein as The Guard, but with a much more serious and dramatic narrative."

The film holds a 90% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 144 reviews.  Glenn Kenny, writing for Rogerebert.com, awarded the film 3.5/4 stars saying this in his review, "The second feature written and directed by the prodigiously talented Irishman John Michael McDonagh opens with a quote from Saint Augustine: 'Despair not, one of the thieves was spared; presume not, one of the thieves was not.'  A mordant sense of duality that eventually takes on near-apocalyptic dimensions runs through this very darkly comic tale, telling a week in the file of Father James.  McDonagh's structuring in unusual: almost all the scenes are what are referred to in the theater as 'two-handers', that is, exchanges between only two characters.  Each scene tackles a particular variation on the movie's theme, which is the earning of forgiveness, and whether taking what's said to be the right action is sufficient to do so.  Gleeson's performance is magnificent; sharp, compassionate, bemused, never not intellectually active.  McDonagh's dialogue is similarly never not sharp.  As the picture progresses, Father James' parishioners morph from a group of perverse individuals to one of intransigently spiteful lunatics.  This is the kind of movie that galvanizes and discomfits while it's on screen, and is terrific fodder for conversation long after its credits roll."

We will be meeting Thursday, March 15th at 6:15 pm.  Hope you're able to make it out to this remarkable and interesting film!

Here's the trailer:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LGM5rq_vX4U