2013 FALL CINEMA SERIES
September 4: LIVING IN OBLIVION
Tom DiCillo, 1995, USA
Tom DiCillo’s hilarious satire of the motion picture business stars Steve Buscemi as a wildly optimistic director who must navigate the absurd reality of low-budget filmmaking. Cleverly employing virtually every technical gimmick in the movie trade, the film features an all star cast of indie film favorites including Catherine Keener, Dermot Mulroney, James Le Gros, and Peter Dinklage.
September 11: AMERICAN BEAUTY
Sam Mendes, 1999, USA
Sam Mendes’ modern parable on suburban angst and the American Dream strikes the perfect balance of style and substance as Lester Burnham (Kevin Spacey) recounts his midlife crisis and subsequent transformation. Featuring an all-star cast including Annette Bening, Chris Cooper, Allison Janney, and Wes Bentley, this beautifully crafted debut film peels back the layers of middle-class life in America. Winner of 5 Academy Awards including Best Picture, Actor, Director, Screenplay, and Cinematography.
September 18: THE CROWD
King Vidor, 1928, USA
This rarely-screened and exquisitely shot classic is one of the milestone’s of the Silent Era. It tells the tale of John Sims, an aspiring young dreamer, who struggles to stand out in the crowd in the thriving metropolis of New York City. Full of comedy, drama, and romance, The Crowd is as timely today as it was 85 years ago. Nominated for Best Picture and Best Director at the first Academy Awards. The show will feature live musical accompaniment by Rick Friend.
September 25: SOME LIKE IT HOT
Billy Wilder, 1959, USA
Billy Wilder’s most famous screwball comedy chronicles two musicians (Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon) who are on the lam after witnessing a mob hit. When they disguise themselves as women to join an all-female band funny antics ensue as one of them falls for the lead singer, Sugar Kane (Marilyn Monroe). Nominated for six Oscars, the film is frequently cited as one of the greatest comedies in the history of cinema. Guest presenter Nick Hoffman.
October 2: RUSHMORE
Wes Anderson, 1998, USA
Max Fischer (Jason Schwartzman) is a precocious 15-year old student at Rushmore Academy who befriends Herman Blume (Bill Murray), a rich industrialist running a multimillion dollar company. However their friendship is put to the test when Max discovers Herman is dating Rosemary Cross, a teacher he has an unbeseeming crush on. This energetic and wickedly funny Wes Anderson film is the cult classic responsible for catapulting his career.
October 9: OLDBOY
Chan-wook Park, 2003, South Korea
Winner of the Grand Prix at Cannes 2004, this mystery action thriller from South Korea tells the story of Dae-su, a man who after being kidnapped and jailed for 15 years is released only to find out he has a limited amount of time to discover why his captor imprisoned him. A violent and offbeat tale of punishment and vengeance, Oldboy is a cinematic tour-de-force at once Intelligent, unsettling, and wholly mesmerizing.
October 16: COOL HAND LUKE
Stuart Rosenberg, 1967, USA
Paul Newman stars in one of his most memorable roles in this story about a nonconformist anti-hero sent to prison. A seminal anti-Establishment film of the 1960s, Cool Hand Luke is rich in religious symbolism and visual imagery and features superb supporting performances by Dennis Hopper, Harry Dean Stanton, and George Kennedy who won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.
October 23: CABARET
Bob Fosse, 1972, USA
Nearly sweeping the Oscar’s of 1973, this Bob Fosse production starring Liza Minnelli in her greatest role has remained one of the most influential musicals of all time. Sally, an entertainer at the Kit-Kat club in 1930’s Berlin, romances two men while the Nazi Party rises to power. This enchanting and seductive movie musical seamlessly combines traditional genre characteristics with the darker and deeper themes of pre-WWII Germany. Winner of 8 Academy Awards including Best Actress.
October 30: ROSEMARY'S BABY
Roman Polanski, 1968, USA
In Roman Polanski’s iconic 1968 psychological thriller, Rosemary Woodhouse (Mia Farrow) becomes increasingly suspicious of her new neighbors Minnie (Ruth Gordon) and Roman (Sidney Blackmer) after a difficult pregnancy leads them to obsess over her. This haunting picture earned Oscar nominations for Roman Polanski and Ruth Gordon who won Best Supporting Actress. Guest presenter Brian Antonson.
November 6: ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND
Michel Gondry, 2004, USA
Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet star as a couple on the outs undergoing a procedure to erase each other from their memories. However in the process of deletion, they realize what they had and struggle to keep themselves from letting the other disappear entirely. This surreal sci-fi tragicomedy is a refreshing and heartfelt look at the sorrow and joy of modern relationships. Winner of Best Original Screenplay for writer Charlie Kaufman.
November 13: APOCALYPSE NOW
Francis Ford Coppola, 1979, USA
Often referred to as Coppola’s greatest film, Apocalypse Now is the brilliant and bizarre tale of Captain Willard, a man sent on a dangerous mission to assassinate a renegade colonel in the treacherous land of Cambodia during the Vietnam War. This homage to Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness is a harrowing masterwork that features extraordinary performances from Martin Sheen, Robert Duvall, Dennis Hopper, and Marlon Brando among others. Winner of the Palme d’Or at Cannes and nominated for eight Academy Awards. Film begins at 6:30.
November 20: HOLY MOTORS
Leos Carax, 2012, France
Winner of the prestigious Palme d’Or at Cannes, Holy Motors is an ingenious surreal sci-fi drama that dazzles and entertains. The film follows the story of Monsieur Oscar (Denis Lavant), an actor, as he travels to a series of baffling appointments in a limousine with his driver Céline (Édith Scoob). Visually stunning and beautifully crafted, this elusive allegory is as delightful as it is perplexing, offering cinephiles an experince that leaves them brimming with joy.
December 4: SAMSARA
Ron Fricke, 2011, Germany
Filmed over five years in twenty-five countries on five continents, Samsara explores the varied worlds of sacred grounds, disaster zones, industrial complexes, human performances, and natural wonders in pure rhythmic montage. A true feast for the senses, this spectacular global symphony examines the “wheel of life” in all its manifestations. Created by director Ron Fricke and producer Mark Magidson, the dynamic duo responsible for the award-winning films Baraka and Chronos.
December 11: EDWARD SCISSORHANDS
Tim Burton, 1990, USA
Edward Scissorhands marks the beginning of the famed collaboration between director Tim Burton and actor Johnny Depp who stars as the title character in this gorgeous gothic fairytale. Edward is the unfinished creation of a mad inventor, played by Vincent Price in his last screen appearance, who disrupts the quiet order of a peaceful suburban town when he is taken in by an average American family and attempts to become part of the community.