2024 FALL CINEMA SERIES
Films screen Wednesday nights at 7pm* in the Carole L. Ellis Auditorium on the SRJC Petaluma Campus (*exceptions marked below). Guests are invited to attend an optional pre-show program at 6pm. Click here for pricing, directions, and additional information.
September 18: FURIOSA: A MAD MAX SAGA
George Miller, 2024, USA
When a young Furiosa (Anya Taylor-Joy) is kidnapped by the Warlord Dementus (Chris Hemsworth) and then traded to the tyrant Immortan Joe, she must enter a relentless battle to find her way home. Director George Miller’s high-octane revenge melodrama offers up a wondrous burnt-orange wasteland filled with frenetic chase scenes and Buster Keaton-inspired stunt work. Astonishing in its scale and adrenaline-inducing throughout, Furiosa is yet another visually stunning spectacle in the Mad Max franchise. Film begins at 6:30pm. 148 minutes.
September 25: DECISION TO LEAVE
Park Chan-wook, 2022, South Korea
When detective Hae-jun is assigned to investigate the mysterious death of a man in the mountains, he becomes embroiled in a sinister web of deception and desire. Exquisitely edited and gorgeously photographed, director Park Chan-wook (Oldboy, The Handmaiden) lyrically combines a classic police procedural with a simmering tale of two star-crossed lovers. The result is a sublime and meticulously crafted Neo-noir masterpiece that earned him the Best Director prize at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival. Film begins at 6:30pm. 139 minutes.
October 2: SHOW PEOPLE
King Vidor, 1928, USA
King Vidor’s crowd-pleasing Hollywood satire chronicles aspiring actress Peggy Pepper’s (Marion Davies) rise to movie stardom and its impact on those around her. Packed with behind-the-scenes footage of the early studio backlots and featuring a long roster of cameos from Charlie Chaplin to Douglas Fairbanks, the film is the perfect blend of silent comedy and cinematic craft. Featuring live piano accompaniment by Greg Pane. 83 minutes.
October 9: HOW TO HAVE SEX
Molly Manning Walker, 2023, UK
Molly Manning Walker’s stunning debut film follows three British teenage girls who travel to the Greek island of Crete on a rites-of-passage holiday. Fresh off their final exams, Tax, Skye, and Em have one simple itinerary: party hard and meet boys. Despite teenage partying films being a well-worn genre, Walker’s inspired feature unfolds in wholly unexpected ways, eschewing the tired tropes we’ve seen again and again. Shot in a verite style with an EDM-laden soundtrack, How to Have Sex is a smart, nuanced portrait of today’s youth that will linger with you long after the final frame. Nominated for three British Academy Awards including Best Picture. 91 minutes.
October 16: ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST
Miloš Forman, 1975, USA
Milos Forman’s masterful adaptation of Ken Kesey’s acclaimed novel follows R. P. McMurphy (Jack Nicholson), a psych ward rebel who inspires his fellow inmates to rise up and challenge the social order of the tyrannical Nurse Ratched (Louise Fletcher). Shot in a real Oregon mental hospital, the film explores the nature of mental illness, our instinct to conform, and the enduring power of the human spirit. Winner of the “Big Five” Academy Awards: Best Picture, Director, Actor, Actress, and Screenplay. 133 minutes.
October 23: A FACE IN THE CROWD
Elia Kazan, 1957, USA
When an ambitious young radio producer recruits a charming rogue from an Arkansas drunk tank and puts him on the air, his immediate popularity catapults him to national network stardom. Andy Griffith plays Larry ‘Lonesome’ Rhodes in this prescient media critique of a petulant celebrity whose ego, arrogance, and womanizing starkly divides public opinion. Directed by Elia Kazan (On the Waterfront, A Streetcar Named Desire), A Face in the Crowd is a cautionary fable about cult fandom, the media, and the manipulation of presidential politics. 126 minutes.
October 30: THE CABIN IN THE WOODS
Drew Goddard, 2012, USA
Five college friends (Kristen Connolly, Chris Hemsworth, Anna Hutchison, Fran Kranz, and Jesse Williams) take their RV to a remote forest cabin with the hope of having a relaxing weekend getaway. Cut off from the outside world, they are soon confronted with sinister plots, secret nefarious organizations, and an endless melange of archetypal monsters. A remarkably clever addition to the horror genre, The Cabin in the Woods functions as horror, comedy, and satire as well as a deconstructionist essay on genre filmmaking. It is a witty and fast-paced film that never ceases to surprise, perfect entertainment for Halloween eve. 95 minutes.
November 6: RUN LOLA RUN
Tom Tykwer, 1999, Germany
Recently restored to 4K for its 25th anniversary, Tom Tykwer’s stylish and existential action movie follows the exploits of a young woman trying to save her boyfriend… three times. A technical tour-de-force with a propulsive techno score, the film launched the career of Frank Potente and sparked a renaissance in New German Cinema. Endlessly inventive, Run Lola Run is a cinematic roller coaster ride about the ability to alter one’s fate. The film swept the German Film Awards and also won the Audience Award at the 1999 Sundance Film Festival. 80 minutes.
November 13: RILEY
Benjamin Howard, 2023, USA
Ambitious high school athlete Dakota Riley has spent years living within carefully designed boundaries and orchestrating a future in college football. But all of that begins to unravel when he witnesses some campus bullying and starts to question his sexual identity. Featuring a break-out performance by Jake Holley and an impressive supporting cast, Riley is a contemplative coming-of-age film that evokes the anguish of one’s teenage years. Eschewing standard cliches, first-time feature director Benjamin Howard presents a nuanced examination of the murky but impenetrable line between queer love and fraternal brotherhood that breaks down common stereotypes and encourages us to live life as our most authentic selves. Writer/director (and former SRJC student) Benjamin Howard will participate in an onstage interview at 6pm and answer questions following the screening. 93 minutes.
November 20: STARSHIP TROOPERS
Paul Verhoeven, 1997, USA
In the distant future, humankind is governed by the military elite and at war with giant alien insects that are colonizing the galaxy. To defend Earth, Jonny Rico (Casper Van Dien) and his friends enlist in the military and are sent to the Klendathu planet to squash bugs, save humanity, and become citizens of the Federation. Based on a book by Robert A. Heinlein, the film blends intentional camp with biting social satire into a cautionary fable on reckless militarism and fascist ideology. A sleeper when first released, Paul Verhoeven’s Starship Troopers has become a sci-fi cult classic, sometimes credited with being the most misunderstood movie of all time. 129 minutes.
December 4: ROBOT DREAMS
Pablo Berger, 2023, Spain
Few films evoke as much pure joy as Pablo Berger’s Oscar-nominated Robot Dreams, winner of Best Film at the prestigious International Festival of Animation in Annecy, France. This wordless wonder follows Dog, a lonely Manhattanite who decides to build himself a companion, Robot. The two quickly become inseparable until one fateful day at the beach that puts their commitment to the test. Set in New York in the 1980s with a toe-tapping soundtrack, this sweet and charming buddy film slowly uncovers universal truths about the precious and sometimes transitory nature of genuine friendship that just might leave a lump in your throat. A marvel to watch, Robot Dreams is pure visual storytelling at its finest. 103 minutes.