It is with excitement and trepidation that we, Will DiNovi and Anna Rabinovitch, would like to introduce ourselves as the Film Series contributors to the Argus for the upcoming year. As Mr. J. Schulkin esq. takes in his last sweet, keg beer-infused gulps of collegiate breath, he leaves behind a legacy marked by unparalleled verbal virtuosity, libidinous cinephilia and, truth be told, a certain innate suaveness that could surely not have been learned on the mean streets of Westchester. (We can all forgive his tendency to over-quote Tupac and his staggering inability to appreciate the genius of Jim Jarmusch). We are mindful that it will be impossible to fill these enormous shoes, not to mention those of the great Mr. Goldblatt before him, so we ask for your kindness and consideration as we chart the stormy waters of our maiden Film Series Argus expedition.
Let us begin by offering a pre-emptive peace offering: if we aren’t handling our business, please don’t hesitate to raise hell. This column is intended to keep you guys posted on the great movies and events that are going down in the film series, so it’s essential that the lines of communication remain constantly open. In this spirit of common enterprise, there are going to be DROP BOXES in convenient locations all around campus for one week starting this Saturday. We do this to provide you with the opportunity to give us YOUR SUGGESTIONS for THE MOVIES YOU WANT to see in the Film Series. Make it happen, folks. The members of the film board will be out there with you, stuffing the boxes with their own picks. Don’t let Jeremy Marks kill fun with some Romanian sheep-herding epic he worked on. Don’t let Asher Schranz stuff Icelandic lovesick werewolf melodramas down our throat. In Jordan’s honor, it seems fitting to end this introduction with the immortal words of another rap impresario, the wonderfully absurd P. Diddy: “Vote or Die.”
Now let’s get down to this week’s business. Theses are completed, WesFest is around the corner, spring is in the air…. what it all boils down to: the partying has begun. But before getting completely inebriated, come check out these delicious films we have coming up for you:
THE SQUID AND THE WHALE: Friday, April 14
The Academy Award-nominated and Sundance Award-winning “The Squid and the Whale” treads familiar ground and not just because it’s about coming-of-age middle class in New York, a subject that should hit close to home for a staggering proportion of the beautiful people reading this column right now. The coming-of-age story is endlessly, mind-numbingly recycled in books and movies and its potential pitfalls and clichés have lead to its apt characterization as “the elephant’s graveyard of independent cinema.” What makes “The Squid and the Whale” such a terrific movie, so insightful and full of life, is that it approaches the familiar material of adolescent tribulations with a brutal and affecting honesty, a refusal to moralize or psychoanalyze the confusing and often-hilarious experiences of its young protagonists. After writing the script for Wes Anderson’s “The Life Aquatic”, writer-director Noah Baumbach crafted this autobiographical portrait of 16-year-old Walt and 12-year-old Frank Berkman, reeling from the divorce of their writer parents in 80s BK. Jesse Eisenberg and Owen Kline (son of Kevin) are terrific in the lead roles, Jeff Daniels and Laura Linney deliver brilliant, searingly honest performances as their parents, and Billy Baldwin (???!???!) delivers hands-down the best performance every delivered by a Baldwin brother. It would also be criminal not to mention that Wesleyan’s own Halley Feiffer is really, really good in a supporting role as Walt’s girlfriend and deserves some sweet Wes lovin’ in the form of a packed screening. A deeply felt and intimate story, shot in 23 days on a shoestring budget, “The Squid and the Whale” is a model of what independent filmmaking can achieve.
THE GIRL CAN’T HELP IT: April 15
Look out kids… this Saturday we have a Hollywood rock & roll extravaganza! “The Girl Can’t Help It” is a larger-than-life musical directed by Frank Tashlin in Technicolor, Cinemascope and stereophonic sound. Tashlin’s eccentric comic style first flourished at Warner Bros. animation department in the mid 1930s, where he pioneered such devices as fast cutting, bizarre angles, and inside jokes. “The Girl Can’t Help It” follows voluptuous Jayne Mansfield, whose gangster boyfriend hires Tom Ewell, a down-and-out press agent, to make her a singing star. Noted for directing his cartoons like live action films and his live action films like cartoons, Tashlin captures actors Mansfield and Ewell as he would Daffy and Porky in a marvelous spectacle that bursts from the screen. This campy musical comedy is really one of a kind, featuring performances from The Platters, Little Richard, and Fats Domino. A satire on 50s popular culture, this fun film gives a whole new twist to the rock & roll film. Animation professor Ethan De Seife will introduce the film.
SYRIANA: April 19
“SYRIANA” HAS TO BE SEEN. This is not blind hyperbole and it’s not a promise that you will leave the theater elated and clear of conscience, but it’s an impassioned plea that students on a campus that professes to be politically conscious see a film that is both unapologetically entertaining and strives to reckon with the big economic and political issues that define America’s far-reaching influence in the world today. A fictional, oil-rich emirate in the Persian Gulf announces that it has transferred oil-drilling rights from Connex, a giant Texas firm, to the higher-bidding People’s Republic of China. From the players brokering backroom deals in Washington to the men toiling in the oil fields of the Persian Gulf, “Syriana’s” multiple storylines weave together to illuminate the human consequences of these seemingly distant transactions amidst the fierce pursuit of wealth and power at home and abroad. George Clooney and Matt Damon head up a stellar international cast, while writer-director Stephen Gaghan forges the same potent balance of fast-paced thriller and rich human drama that he achieved in his powerful script for Stephen Soderbergh’s Academy Award–winning “Traffic”. It seems impossible to overstress the importance of an American film, made deep in the heart of
Hollywood, that tries to humanize individuals on all sides of the vicious cultural and economic divides that define the contemporary world. “Syriana” is a rare Hollywood narcotic: it will rivet your senses and stimulate your brain.
ELECTION: April 20
A special WesFest Event will be held on Thursday. Writer/Director Alexander Payne and co-writer Jim Taylor will be coming to talk after the screening of their 1999 film, “Election”. With works like “About Schmidt” and “Sideways” under his belt, Payne is one of the most distinctive writer/directors working in cinema today. He intermingles comedy and drama to observe characters under a lens that recognizes the marvelous idiosyncrasies in the utterly ordinary. For those of you who haven’t seen it, “Election” is a satirical look into the politics of high school culture that follows teacher Matthew Broderick’s increasingly fanatical attempts to sideline student Reese Witherspoon’s ruthless campaign for student body president. This is an intelligent high school comedy, full of biting wit and hilarious characters that will be a treat to see again with the filmmaker there to share his experience and insight.