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!

October Film Club: 11th Annual Crete Library Horror Fest

Oh, it's that most wonderful time of year again, and I don't mean Christmas. A chill is in the air, bonfires burning bright, fall is here, and Halloween is right around the corner. Of course, as any Film Club aficionado knows, with Halloween comes Horror Fest. For those unfamiliar, Horror Fest is a Film Club event that occurs at the end of October, where we spend two nights and watch four scary movies. 

Each year I try to come up with some kind of theme for the films to fit into and this year is no exception, in fact, this year's theme is my favorite type of horror movie: Folk Horror.

Folk Horror is a subgenre of horror film that uses elements of folklore to invoke fear in its audience. Typical elements include a rural setting and themes of isolation, religion, the power of nature, and the potential darkness of rural landscapes. It harkens back to a time before, when the old gods prevailed. The primary focus of the stories is often upon naïve outsiders coming up against these forces.

Like Horror Fests of the past, we will be meeting two nights and watching four movies. Wednesday the 26th and Thursday the 27th, both nights the first film will start at 4pm and the second film will start at 6pm.

And now, on to the fun stuff: the films. This is what the lineup looks like:

Wednesday, Oct. 26th

4pm- The Lighthouse

6pm- Gretel & Hansel

Thursday, Oct. 27th

4pm- Men

6pm- Kill List

(click the title for the trailer)

There will be coffee provided, but as an added bonus, candy, soda and maybe even popcorn, will make an appearance. But as always, everyone is welcome to bring whatever they like for themselves or to share!

So come on out to our spooky little double features, and get into the Halloween spirit.

Hope to see you there!

September Film Club

 Hello everyone! A big thank you to everyone who came out and made our Summer Sci-Fi series another success! (A bonus thanks to those of you who would not consider themselves necessarily fans of the genre, but attended nevertheless) Now, on to September.

Sometimes, a film just jumps into my head and I really want to show it, and that's what happened this time. I know we just watched Dune and maybe you're all "Duned" out (though, I can't imagine what that's like), if that's the case you may want to miss this next one, but I would recommend against it, because it is a wonderful film.

For the month of September, I've decided to show Jodorowsky's Dune.

Jodorowsky's Dune is a 2013 American-French documentary film directed by Frank Pavich. The film explores cult film director Alejandro Jodorowsky's unsuccessful attempt to adapt and film Frank Herbert's 1965 science fiction novel Dune in the mid-1970s.

The film currently holds a fresh rating of 98% on Rotten Tomatoes and Matt Zoller Seitz, writing for Rogerebert.com gave the film 3/4 stars saying this in his review, "Jodorowsky's Dune is an account of a film that was never made despite all the love that its makers poured into it, yet somehow it's warm and inspirational: a call to arms for dreamers everywhere. Jodorowsky's statements tend toward the grandiose, but you never get the sense that he's a charlatan, or that he's overestimating his power to fill the screen with images no one had seen before. Entering the time machine of nostalgia, the director portrays his younger self as a man who thought he could do anything and could make his collaborators feel invincible, too."

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

Here's the trailer:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m0cJNR8HEw0

Hope to see you there!

August Film Club #2

 For our second film of August and our final film of our Summer Sci-Fi Series, I've decided to show Denis Villeneuve's new adaptation of my favorite book, Dune.

Dune is a 2021 American epic science fiction film directed by Denis Villeneuve from a screen play by Villeneuve, Jon Spaihts, and Eric Roth. It is a the first of a two-part adaptation of the 1965 novel by Frank Herbert, primarily covering the first half of the book. Set in the far future, the film follows Paul Atreides as his family, the noble House Atreides, is thrust into a war for the deadly and inhospitable desert planet Arrakis. The ensemble cast includes Timothee Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Oscar Isaac, Josh Brolin, Stellan Skarsgard, Dave Bautista, Stephen McKinley Henderson, Zendaya, David Dastmalchian, Chang Chen, Sharon Duncan-Brewster, Charlotte Rampling, Jason Momoa, and Javier Bardem.

The film currently holds a fresh rating of 83% on Rotten Tomatoes, and Glenn Kenny, writing for Rogerebert.com, gave the film 3.5/4 stars saying this in his review, "Throughout, the filmmaker, working with amazing technicians, manages to walk the thin line between grandeur and pomposity in between such unabashed thrill-generating sequences as the Gom Jabbar test, the spice harvester rescue, the thopter-in-a-storm nail-biter, and various sandworm encounters and attacks. If you're not a "Dune" person these listings sound like gibberish, and you will read other reviews complaining about how hard to follow this is. It's not, if you pay attention. I'll always love David Lynch's 1984 Dune, a severely compromised dream-work that had little use for Herbert's messaging. But Villeneuve's movie is Dune."

We will be meeting Thursday, Aug. 25th at 5:00pm

Here's the trailer:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8g18jFHCLXk

Hope to see you there!

August Film Club #1

 Our first film for the month of August is a personal favorite. We will be watching Steven Spielberg's Minority Report.

Minority Report is a 2002 American science fiction film directed by Steven Spielberg, loosely based on the 1956 short story "The Minority Report" by Philip K. Dick. The film is set in Washington, D.C. and Northern Virginia in the year 2054, where Precrime, a specialized police department, apprehends criminals based on foreknowledge provided by three psychics called "precogs". The cast stars Tom Cruise, Colin Farrell, Samantha Morton and Max Von Sydow.

The film currently holds a fresh rating of 90% on Rotten Tomatoes, and Roger Ebert gave the film 4/4 stars saying this in his review, "At a time when movies think they have to choose between action and ideas, Steven Spielberg's "Minority Report" is a triumph-a film that works on our minds and our emotions. It is a thriller and a human story, a movie of ideas that's also a whodunit. Here is a master filmmaker at the top of his form, working with a star, Tom Cruise, who generates complex human feelings even while playing an action hero. Some directors place their trust in technology. Spielberg, who is a master of technology, trusts only story and character, and then uses everything else as a workman uses his tools. This film is such a virtuoso high-wire act, daring so much, achieving it with such grace and skill. Minority Report reminds us why we go to the movies in the first place."

We will be meeting Thursday, Aug. 4th at 5:00pm.

Here's the trailer:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lG7DGMgfOb8&t=10s

Hope to see you there!

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!