Yep, it’s that time of the year again. Sweaters, swine flu, and seemingly ceaseless schoolwork have swamped us. For film fans, even the prospect of Oscar season seems far too distant to get excited about. To top it all off, what is perhaps cinema’s greatest and longest-standing wild goose chase—the quest to nab Roman Polanski—has even come to a startling, anti-climactic halt… In Switzerland! I mean come on RoPo—really? Who gets caught in Switzerland?!

 

Anyway, as a member of the Wesleyan Film Board and the author of this bi-weekly column, I have decided to do what I can to assuage these seasonal frustrations. In addition to rambling off run-on sentences about movies like I usually do, I will also be giving advice to anyone who needs it—a ‘Dear Abby’ for the Wesleyan film-going crowd. This week’s submission comes to us from a student in dire need of some such guidance. He writes:

 

Dear Cinefiles,
Classes are rough on all of us these days, particularly my friend Brandon. I have tried to cheer him up by showing him some cool movies, but he seems to fall asleep no matter what DVDs I play. I want to keep him awake and engaged, as well as quench my own thirst for good cinema at the same time. What do I do?

Sincerely, 

‘Friend of A Film-Napper’

 

Oh ‘Friend’—I feel your pain; we all have that down-and-out pal who just can’t keep his eyes open. However, you are in luck! A weekly site of Film Series screenings at our own Goldsmith Family cinema is the perfect place to bring Brandon. The cinema’s lush, padded chairs (while certainly enticing to a sleepy viewer), combined with just the right crisp 35mm print, create the perfect balance of comfort and stimulation. This week’s movies are sure to shake your buddy awake and make his autumn anxieties disappear as soon as the lights go down. Check them out:

 

DRAG ME TO HELL

2009. USA. Dir: Sam Raimi. With Alison Lohman, Justin Long. 99 min.

TONIGHT, October 1st, 8PM $5

The master of horror-comedy himself, Sam Raimi returns to his EVIL DEAD roots in this wildly entertaining fright-fest. Lohman stars as a well-meaning young banker who denies the wrong 80-year-old cursed gypsy a loan, and to a disastrous outcome. The result is whirlwind of gross-outs, spine-chilling suspense, and hilarious horrors all twisted into an over-the-top ball of juicy fun. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll jump out of your skin, and you’ll wish there was more.

 

FALLEN ANGEL

1945. USA. Dir: Otto Preminger. With Alice Faye, Dana Andrews. 98 min.

SATURDAY, October 2nd, 8PM FREE

 

For those of you like myself who enjoyed BOOMERANG! because of its irresistibly charming leading man Dana Andrews, FALLEN ANGEL is a sure-to-satisfy shadowy noir. Here, Andrews stars as a shady drifter who gets mixed up in a suspect gold digging scheme and a mysterious murder charge. Classic noir director Preminger (LAURA, BUNNY LAKE IS MISSING) creates a sinister black-and-white world of deceit and desire. Anyone looking to add some suspense and steam to their Saturday should saunter over and enjoy this classic.

 

MOON

2009. USA. Dir: Duncan Jones. With Sam Rockwell, Kevin Spacey. 97 min.

WEDNESDAY, October 7th, 8PM $5

After this directorial debut of Duncan Jones, he should no longer be referred to as merely “David Bowie’s son,” but rather as an inventive, precise, and promising young filmmaker. MOON, aside from being one of my personal favorite science fiction movies in recent memory, is as visually stark and stunning as its narrative is eerily thought-provoking. Sam Rockwell delivers a tour-de-force solo performance as a lone astronaut who falls victim to his solitude aboard a lunar station. A lack of wide distribution forced this stunning film to fly slightly under the mainstream radar, so if you missed it the first time, I highly recommend a trip to the MOON. 

 

VIVA ZAPATA!

1952. USA. Dir: Elia Kazan. With Marlon Brando, Anthony Quinn. 113 min.

THURSDAY, October 8th, 8PM FREE

The fourth excursion into Kazanian territory takes us to the foreign landscapes of Mexico, where we follow a mustachioed Brando into a revolution. The second film by this iconic actor/director team is a sensational Spanish-tinged Western that is both a departure from Kazan’s typical urban environments and a new precedent in his use of cinematic space. An Oscar-winning performance by the supporting Anthony Quinn adds depth and accents Brando’s internal angst, which is, as always, extremely entertaining. And no, the title of the film does not mean ‘Living Shoes” as a literal translation implies—come to the flick and see for yourself.