The great Mark Hoppus once sang that “some good things must end.” Alas, after two years of itching to open this column with a Blink-182 quote, I have succeeded. However, this triumph is bittersweet, in that it marks the sad end of my tenure on the Wesleyan Film Board—a time that ranks among my most rewarding, fun, enjoyable experiences here at Wesleyan. Yes, many years from now, when my glasses prescription is much stronger and my skin much saggier, I shall look back on my years in Middletown and think of that mesmerizing screening of “Picnic of Hanging Rock” that popped my Film Series cherry. Or my quiet awe upon seeing films like “Cabaret,” “Happy Together,” “Alien” “Knife In The Water,” “Playtime,” “Bigger Than Life,” and many, many more on gorgeous 35mm prints for the first time.

The Film Series has been an integral part of my Cardinal career; a crucial film on the series has delayed partying and paper-writing, and taken supreme precedence over any other activity. Wednesday through Saturday nights were always ultimately at the mercy of that black-and-white calendar tacked up on my wall—and I wouldn’t have had it any other way.

Still, despite how much my nights in the Goldsmith have meant to me, I get the feeling that much of the Wesleyan population does not fully appreciate the Film Series. Showing repertory and second-run cinema in a state-of-the-art facility is not only awesome, it’s incredibly rare. Experiencing these movies with an enthusiastic audience of fellow appreciators is even more extraordinary. The Film Series is certainly among the most amazing, underappreciated aspects of Wesleyan. So, if you’re one of the four or five people who read this column (no, you don’t count, Mom and Dad), please go to the Film Series! Grab your stoner buddy to go see some Jodorowsky, try to woo that cute horn-rimmed-spectacles chick with some Bergman, or go alone and make some new Lubitsch-appreciating friends. Keep the tradition alive. (And if you think you’ve got what it takes to join the elusive outfit of architects who control it all—the almighty Wesleyan Film Board—apply today; apps are in the Center for Film Studies.)

Thank you to the current and past board, Marc, Jeanine, Joan, the House Managers, and all those who make it possible for the Film Series to exist. It is with sorrow and pride that I part, but to alter Doc Brown’s classic adage, “The Film Series? Where we’re going, we don’t need the Film Series…” Well, hopefully, at least.

This week’s films:

Animal Kingdom

TOMORROW, 2/23, 8 p.m., $5

2010. Australia.

Dir: David Michôd. With Ben Mendelsohn, Guy Pearce. 113 min.

Ajami

THURSDAY, 2/24, 8 p.m., FREE

2009. Israel/Germany.

Dir: Dir: Scandar Copti, Yaron Shani. With Fouad Habash. 120 min.

Eddie Murphy: Raw

FRIDAY, 2/25, 8 p.m., $5

1987. USA.

Dir: Robert Townsend. With Eddie Murphy. 93 min.

A Woman Under the Influence

SATURDAY, 2/26, 8 p.m., FREE

1974. USA.
Dir: John Cassavetes. With Gena Rowlands, Peter Falk. 155 min.